Outfest has announced the award winners of its 40th Anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Top prizes went to Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please, starring Andrea Riseborough, Henry Melling, Karl Glusman and Demi Moore, for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature; Gabriel Martins’ Brazilian family drama Mars One took the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature, and the newly-named Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature went to Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens, about the Lebanese female thrash metal band Slave to Sirens. The Academy Award-qualifying festival’s two Grand Jury prizes for Narrative shorts went to April Maxey’s Work (Outstanding U.S. Narrative Short) and Dania Bedir’s Warsha, both of which are now Oscar eligible. Outstanding Documentary Short went to Brydie O’Connor’s Love, Barbara.
Audience awards went to Juan Felipe Zuleta’s crowd-pleasing Unidentified Objects, and documentary feature...
Top prizes went to Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please, starring Andrea Riseborough, Henry Melling, Karl Glusman and Demi Moore, for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature; Gabriel Martins’ Brazilian family drama Mars One took the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature, and the newly-named Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature went to Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens, about the Lebanese female thrash metal band Slave to Sirens. The Academy Award-qualifying festival’s two Grand Jury prizes for Narrative shorts went to April Maxey’s Work (Outstanding U.S. Narrative Short) and Dania Bedir’s Warsha, both of which are now Oscar eligible. Outstanding Documentary Short went to Brydie O’Connor’s Love, Barbara.
Audience awards went to Juan Felipe Zuleta’s crowd-pleasing Unidentified Objects, and documentary feature...
- 7/27/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
When director Maris Curran (“Five Nights in Maine”) and Pulse Nightclub shooting survivor Jeannette Feliciano met while working on an anti-discrimination campaign in the wake of the Pulse massacre, the two could not have anticipated the friendship and trust that produced an intimate documentary five years later.
“Jeannette,” which premieres at Outfest in Los Angeles on July 20, tells a story of resilience through Feliciano, a competitive bodybuilder, trainer and queer single mother, who tackles her trauma with determination and love. Composed with voice-over audio-only interviews, the vérité film follows Feliciano’s healing process as a survivor as she navigates relationships with her mother and son, prepares for bodybuilding competitions and returns to Puerto Rico to help her family and community repair their home after Hurricane Maria.
“The film is a very intimate look at the aftermath of violence, of what it takes to survive after experiencing something this tragic,” Curran told TheWrap,...
“Jeannette,” which premieres at Outfest in Los Angeles on July 20, tells a story of resilience through Feliciano, a competitive bodybuilder, trainer and queer single mother, who tackles her trauma with determination and love. Composed with voice-over audio-only interviews, the vérité film follows Feliciano’s healing process as a survivor as she navigates relationships with her mother and son, prepares for bodybuilding competitions and returns to Puerto Rico to help her family and community repair their home after Hurricane Maria.
“The film is a very intimate look at the aftermath of violence, of what it takes to survive after experiencing something this tragic,” Curran told TheWrap,...
- 7/12/2022
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Jeannette Feliciano is a member of a growing but unenviable club in America: survivors of mass shootings. With every passing week the club expands. Customers of Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York; children in Uvalde, Texas. More than 250 mass shootings have shattered lives in the U.S. this year so far, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Six years ago this week, Feliciano headed to Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, to meet up with friends. It was Latin Night, a joyful weekly event with thumping music. After midnight, an armed man entered the club and opened fire, killing patrons left and right. The death toll would reach 49, with 53 people injured.
Feliciano and dozens of others were trapped inside Pulse as police and the gunman engaged in a three-hour standoff. She escaped after Swat teams tore open a side of the building. Feliciano says of that terrifying incident,...
Six years ago this week, Feliciano headed to Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, to meet up with friends. It was Latin Night, a joyful weekly event with thumping music. After midnight, an armed man entered the club and opened fire, killing patrons left and right. The death toll would reach 49, with 53 people injured.
Feliciano and dozens of others were trapped inside Pulse as police and the gunman engaged in a three-hour standoff. She escaped after Swat teams tore open a side of the building. Feliciano says of that terrifying incident,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Following its titular subject in the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub Shooting, Maris Curran’s introspective documentary “Jeannette” is less about creating a comprehensive portrait of the massacre. Instead, the film zooms in considerably to showcase how Jeannette Feliciano, a lesbian Puerto Rican mother living in Orlando, reintegrates into society after surviving. Specific and thoughtful, Curran has chosen a fascinating subject to put at the center of a film that occasionally feels slight, but also leaves an indelible impression.
Continue reading ‘Jeannette’ Review: A Subtle But Impactful Portrait of a Pulse Survivor [Sffilm] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Jeannette’ Review: A Subtle But Impactful Portrait of a Pulse Survivor [Sffilm] at The Playlist.
- 4/29/2022
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Recipient of $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Fast Track Grant named.
Film Independent has announced the 10 projects and 24 filmmakers selected for the 14th annual Fast Track film finance market.
The programme, held during the imminent Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-22), helps producer-director teams advance their projects through meetings with industry executives, financiers, agents and managers, distributors, production companies, and granting organisations.
Participants will spend three days attending meetings with the aim of building relationships and gaining exposure for their projects.
2017 Fast Track Projects and Fellows are:
Blow The Man Down Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (co-writers,co-directors), Drew Houpt (producer)
Cantering Hikari (writer,director,producer) Peter Maestrey (producer)
Farewell Tour Sean Hackett (writer,director), Frederick Thornton (producer)
Followers Tim Marshall (writer,director), Christina Radburn (producer)
Maybe Tomorrow Eliza Lee (writer,director), Michelle Sy (producer), Sophia Chang (executive producer)
Radiant Annika Glac (writer,director), Robyn Kershaw (producer)
Son Of A Very Important Man Najwa Najjar (writer,director), Hani...
Film Independent has announced the 10 projects and 24 filmmakers selected for the 14th annual Fast Track film finance market.
The programme, held during the imminent Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-22), helps producer-director teams advance their projects through meetings with industry executives, financiers, agents and managers, distributors, production companies, and granting organisations.
Participants will spend three days attending meetings with the aim of building relationships and gaining exposure for their projects.
2017 Fast Track Projects and Fellows are:
Blow The Man Down Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (co-writers,co-directors), Drew Houpt (producer)
Cantering Hikari (writer,director,producer) Peter Maestrey (producer)
Farewell Tour Sean Hackett (writer,director), Frederick Thornton (producer)
Followers Tim Marshall (writer,director), Christina Radburn (producer)
Maybe Tomorrow Eliza Lee (writer,director), Michelle Sy (producer), Sophia Chang (executive producer)
Radiant Annika Glac (writer,director), Robyn Kershaw (producer)
Son Of A Very Important Man Najwa Najjar (writer,director), Hani...
- 6/6/2017
- ScreenDaily
Every year since 2009, the San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) selects multiple film projects to receive the biannual Sffs/Krf Filmmaking Grant that helps fund some of the best up-and-coming narrative features that support the Bay Area filmmaking industry.
The grant is presented in tangent with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the U.S. The winners of the grant will be announced in November, with one or more of the fifteen projects eligible to receive upwards of $250,000 for assistance in post-production, screenwriting, or packing.
The fall 2016 finalists are as follows:
Read More: San Francisco Film Society Announces Winners of 2016 Documentary Film Fund
“Buoyancy” – Rodd Rathjen, writer/director:
Chakra, a Cambodian teenager, leaves his family to seek a better life in Thailand, but is soon sold onto a Thai fishing trawler and enslaved at sea indefinitely, working 22 hours a day with little food.
The grant is presented in tangent with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the U.S. The winners of the grant will be announced in November, with one or more of the fifteen projects eligible to receive upwards of $250,000 for assistance in post-production, screenwriting, or packing.
The fall 2016 finalists are as follows:
Read More: San Francisco Film Society Announces Winners of 2016 Documentary Film Fund
“Buoyancy” – Rodd Rathjen, writer/director:
Chakra, a Cambodian teenager, leaves his family to seek a better life in Thailand, but is soon sold onto a Thai fishing trawler and enslaved at sea indefinitely, working 22 hours a day with little food.
- 10/25/2016
- by Mark Burger
- Indiewire
Selma and A United Kingdom star calls for greater diversity among industry decision-makers and within film companies.
British actor David Oyelowo has slammed the lack of diversity among key decision-makers in the UK film industry, a trend which he says motivated his move to the Us.
“I felt I had to leave,” said the Selma star during an impassioned keynote speech at the BFI London Film Festival’s (Oct 5-16) Black Star Symposium.
“If I had seen A United Kingdom when I came out of drama school, I don’t think I would be living in America now.”
The Bafta-nominated actor noted that fundamental change would only come when key executives, companies and organisations are noticeably more diverse.
“You have to change the people who are making decisions,” he declared.
“Only when 50 percent of the people working in film companies are women and when a significant number come from minorities will we have diversity.”
Oyelowo stated...
British actor David Oyelowo has slammed the lack of diversity among key decision-makers in the UK film industry, a trend which he says motivated his move to the Us.
“I felt I had to leave,” said the Selma star during an impassioned keynote speech at the BFI London Film Festival’s (Oct 5-16) Black Star Symposium.
“If I had seen A United Kingdom when I came out of drama school, I don’t think I would be living in America now.”
The Bafta-nominated actor noted that fundamental change would only come when key executives, companies and organisations are noticeably more diverse.
“You have to change the people who are making decisions,” he declared.
“Only when 50 percent of the people working in film companies are women and when a significant number come from minorities will we have diversity.”
Oyelowo stated...
- 10/6/2016
- ScreenDaily
Grief can take hold of even the strongest people and refuse to let go. It’s why they describe it as a “process.” Maris Curran’s “Five Nights In Maine” takes this idea to heart as it follows Sherwin (David Oyelowo), a recent widower who lost his wife Fiona (Hani Furstenberg) in a car accident. Stricken by grief and depression, he travels to a remote corner of Maine to see Fiona’s cancer-stricken mother Lucinda (Dianne Wiest) who’s being taken care of by caring nurse Ann (Rosie Perez). Tensions run high as both Sherwin and Lucinda deal with the tragedy, and struggle to come to terms with their feelings towards each other and Fiona. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below featuring Sherwin and Ann discussing the loss.
Read More: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Grieve Together In Emotional ‘Five Nights In Maine’ Trailer — Watch
David Oyelowo is...
Read More: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Grieve Together In Emotional ‘Five Nights In Maine’ Trailer — Watch
David Oyelowo is...
- 8/12/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
David Oyelowo knows exactly what he’s doing. The British actor, best known to American audiences for his star-making turn as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ava DuVernay’s best picture nominee “Selma,” is serious about working with female filmmakers. And his upcoming slate, packed with awards season offerings from directors like Mira Nair and Amma Asante, makes it clear that the Golden Globe nominee means it when he says that he won’t stop pushing for diversity until Hollywood is finally balanced.
“Oh, it’s completely intentional,” Oyelowo recently told IndieWire when asked about his picking of projects helmed by women. “It’s absolutely intentional.”
Oyelowo is also putting his money where his mouth is, as the actor has started producing a number of the films he appears in, including both Asante’s “A United Kingdom” and this week’s limited release, Maris Curran’s drama “Five Nights in Maine.
“Oh, it’s completely intentional,” Oyelowo recently told IndieWire when asked about his picking of projects helmed by women. “It’s absolutely intentional.”
Oyelowo is also putting his money where his mouth is, as the actor has started producing a number of the films he appears in, including both Asante’s “A United Kingdom” and this week’s limited release, Maris Curran’s drama “Five Nights in Maine.
- 8/5/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Every week, a bevy of new releases (independent or otherwise), open in theaters. That’s why we created the Weekly Film Guide, filled with basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 5. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Bazodee
Director: Todd Kessler
Cast: Chris Smith, Kabir Bedi, Kriss Dosanjh, Machel Montano, Natalie Perera, Staz Nair
Synopsis: Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local singer,...
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 5. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Bazodee
Director: Todd Kessler
Cast: Chris Smith, Kabir Bedi, Kriss Dosanjh, Machel Montano, Natalie Perera, Staz Nair
Synopsis: Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local singer,...
- 8/4/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest do their best to give life to this tale of a man and his mother-in-law reeling from loss, but the film never goes for the jugular
Five Nights in Maine, Maris Curran’s feature film-making debut, looks as if it took about that long to make – and was conceived of even more quickly. The director can’t be faulted for trying to put on screen the deeply interior process of mourning. But with Five Nights in Maine, she fails to burrow deep enough to warrant the exercise.
Related: David Oyelowo calls for radical reform of the Oscars to tackle diversity deficit
Continue reading...
Five Nights in Maine, Maris Curran’s feature film-making debut, looks as if it took about that long to make – and was conceived of even more quickly. The director can’t be faulted for trying to put on screen the deeply interior process of mourning. But with Five Nights in Maine, she fails to burrow deep enough to warrant the exercise.
Related: David Oyelowo calls for radical reform of the Oscars to tackle diversity deficit
Continue reading...
- 8/4/2016
- by Nigel M Smith
- The Guardian - Film News
One day, Sherwin (David Oyelowo) receives a call informing him that his wife, Fiona, was killed in a car accident. Devastated, Sherwin travels to Maine to see Fiona’s mother, Lucinda (Dianne Wiest), a stern woman he’s never met and who’s dying of cancer. We learn that Fiona and Lucinda shared a strained relationship, their last visit together having been particularly unpleasant. As the process of mourning plays out for Sherwin, he spends a few days puttering around Lucinda’s cottage with Ann (Rosie Perez), the old woman’s live-in nurse. Emotionally distant and light on plot, Five Nights In Maine is the sparse and ultimately underwhelming story of how all of this goes.
It’s a film with sincerely admirable intentions, a weepy, yet uplifting indie drama that employs a thoughtful and meditative visual approach. There’s nothing wrong with quiet stories about small reactions and even smaller revelations,...
It’s a film with sincerely admirable intentions, a weepy, yet uplifting indie drama that employs a thoughtful and meditative visual approach. There’s nothing wrong with quiet stories about small reactions and even smaller revelations,...
- 8/3/2016
- by Tony Hinds
- The Film Stage
Not every movie that traffics in close-ups of its characters is telegraphing tragedies about to befall them, but indie dramas about grief sure make it feel that way. Even audiences who enter Five Nights In Maine unaware of its premise may come to suspect that either Sherwin (David Oyelowo) or Fiona (Hani Furstenberg) is about to meet a terrible end from the way the married couple canoodles in close-up in the first scene—and Oyelowo, being the bigger name, isn’t a strong contender for an early death.
Close-ups continue as Fiona exits the story, capturing the collapse of Sherwin’s face as he learns that his wife has died in a car crash. In general, writer-director Maris Curran stays too close to this tragedy, both visually and narratively, for Maine to become one of those movies about a grieving spouse shutting themselves off from the world before learning to...
Close-ups continue as Fiona exits the story, capturing the collapse of Sherwin’s face as he learns that his wife has died in a car crash. In general, writer-director Maris Curran stays too close to this tragedy, both visually and narratively, for Maine to become one of those movies about a grieving spouse shutting themselves off from the world before learning to...
- 8/2/2016
- by Jesse Hassenger
- avclub.com
Well, here we are in the closing weeks of summer movie season. It’s the last gasp for big-budget blockbusters before the coming fall festival season, but there are plenty of indie alternatives for whatever your tastes may be. Below, you’ll see every planned theatrical release for the month of August, separated out into films with wide runs and limited ones. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)
Each week, we’ll give you an update with screening locations for these various titles. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!
Week of August 5 Wide
Suicide Squad
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood
Synopsis: A secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned...
Each week, we’ll give you an update with screening locations for these various titles. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!
Week of August 5 Wide
Suicide Squad
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood
Synopsis: A secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned...
- 8/1/2016
- by Kate Halliwell, Kyle Kizu and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
This year, Michael Moore will use his Traverse City Film Festival to throw down the gauntlet for women filmmakers. The official selection — not the sidebar, not a spotlight — is comprised of 32 films, and every one is directed by a woman.
“Every film in our Official Selection (Us), fiction and nonfiction, is directed or co-directed by a woman,” Moore told IndieWire in an email. “And they’re all incredible movies. As an expression of tokenism usually reserved for women, I am bringing five films by American men in a sidebar called, ‘Men Make Movies —The Struggle Continues.'” There are other movies in the lineup directed by men, of course, whether foreign or classic.
Compiling the list took some digging, as Moore, admits in his Traverse City Film Festival welcome letter. But the results are impressive, ranging from Sundance hits (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady’s documentary “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,...
“Every film in our Official Selection (Us), fiction and nonfiction, is directed or co-directed by a woman,” Moore told IndieWire in an email. “And they’re all incredible movies. As an expression of tokenism usually reserved for women, I am bringing five films by American men in a sidebar called, ‘Men Make Movies —The Struggle Continues.'” There are other movies in the lineup directed by men, of course, whether foreign or classic.
Compiling the list took some digging, as Moore, admits in his Traverse City Film Festival welcome letter. But the results are impressive, ranging from Sundance hits (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady’s documentary “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,...
- 7/20/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
This year, Michael Moore will use his Traverse City Film Festival to throw down the gauntlet for women filmmakers. The official selection — not the sidebar, not a spotlight — is comprised of 32 films, and every one is directed by a woman.
“Every film in our Official Selection (Us), fiction and nonfiction, is directed or co-directed by a woman,” Moore told Indiewire in an email. “And they’re all incredible movies. As an expression of tokenism usually reserved for women, I am bringing five films by American men in a sidebar called, ‘Men Make Movies —The Struggle Continues.'” There are other movies in the lineup directed by men, of course, whether foreign or classic.
Compiling the list took some digging, as Moore, admits in his Traverse City Film Festival welcome letter. But the results are impressive, ranging from Sundance hits (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady’s documentary “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,...
“Every film in our Official Selection (Us), fiction and nonfiction, is directed or co-directed by a woman,” Moore told Indiewire in an email. “And they’re all incredible movies. As an expression of tokenism usually reserved for women, I am bringing five films by American men in a sidebar called, ‘Men Make Movies —The Struggle Continues.'” There are other movies in the lineup directed by men, of course, whether foreign or classic.
Compiling the list took some digging, as Moore, admits in his Traverse City Film Festival welcome letter. But the results are impressive, ranging from Sundance hits (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady’s documentary “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,...
- 7/20/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“Five Nights In Maine” follows Sherwin (David Oyelowo), a recent widower after his loving wife Fiona (Hani Furstenberg) was killed in a traffic accident. Amidst his depression, he travels to a remote corner of Maine to see Fiona’s hostile, cancer-stricken mother Lucinda (Dianne Wiest) who’s being taken care of by caring nurse Ann (Rosie Perez). Tensions run high as both Sherwin and Lucinda deal with their shared tragedy and express their grief in various difficult ways. Both struggle to come to terms with their rage and fear as well as their love for Fiona. Watch the trailer below and check out some exclusive photos from the film as well.
Read More: Tiff First Look: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Lead ‘Five Nights in Maine’
The film is directed by Maris Curran. She previously directed the film “Edge of the Road,” about a family road trip out of the Midwest,...
Read More: Tiff First Look: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Lead ‘Five Nights in Maine’
The film is directed by Maris Curran. She previously directed the film “Edge of the Road,” about a family road trip out of the Midwest,...
- 7/7/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
"Why did you come here? Trying to see what she was hiding from?" FilmRise has released the first trailer for an indie drama called Five Nights in Maine, starring David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest. Oyelowo plays a man struggling to cope with the tragic loss of his wife, who travels to rural Maine to meet his wife's estranged mother, who is also struggling with grief and guilt. The full cast includes Rosie Perez, Teyonah Parris and Bill Raymond. This looks like a very emotional film that deals with some tough topics in a very raw, very powerful but earnest way. It has played at festivals all over and definitely seems worth seeing. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Maris Curran's Five Nights in Maine, direct from YouTube: A young African American man, reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law,...
- 7/7/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Mother-in-law visits are always unpleasant, especially after your wife’s death.
Once again, David Oyelowo is showing more intense acting chops with the upcoming Five Nights In Maine.
In this film, Oyelowo plays Sherwin, a man who lost his wife in a tragic car accident. He is called to Maine by his estranged and sick mother-in-law Lucinda (played by Dianne Wiest). Grappling with a lifetime of disagreements, the pair must come to terms to cope with their failures and grief in this quiet journey of empathy, compassion and healing.
Rosie Perez and Teyonah Paris also stars in the directorial debut from Maris Curran.
Five Nights In Maine opens in select theaters and on VOD on August 5.
Check out the trailer below.
Once again, David Oyelowo is showing more intense acting chops with the upcoming Five Nights In Maine.
In this film, Oyelowo plays Sherwin, a man who lost his wife in a tragic car accident. He is called to Maine by his estranged and sick mother-in-law Lucinda (played by Dianne Wiest). Grappling with a lifetime of disagreements, the pair must come to terms to cope with their failures and grief in this quiet journey of empathy, compassion and healing.
Rosie Perez and Teyonah Paris also stars in the directorial debut from Maris Curran.
Five Nights In Maine opens in select theaters and on VOD on August 5.
Check out the trailer below.
- 7/6/2016
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
What happens when a first time feature filmmaker throws two powerhouse performers at each other? You might get something like Maris Curran‘s Five Nights in Maine, starring David Oyelowo as a grieving widower who visits his estranged mother-in-law (Dianne Wiest). Their relationship is chilly to begin with, and they aren’t exactly quick to warm to each other once […]
The post ‘Five Nights in Maine’ Trailer: David Oyelowo Butts Heads With Dianne Wiest appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Five Nights in Maine’ Trailer: David Oyelowo Butts Heads With Dianne Wiest appeared first on /Film.
- 7/6/2016
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
One of the top up-and-coming actors teams with an Oscar winner for a new drama this summer. Five Nights in Maine marks the feature debut of writer-director Maris Curran and its just been treated with its first trailer. With a haunting, eerie piano swelling over a rich color palette and praise for the film, Curran looks to be making a strong debut.
The story follows a showdown between a grieving husband (David Oyelowo) and his mother-in-law (Dianne Wiest), both of whom are coping in drastically different ways that could only be volatile. Premiering at Toronto International Film Festival last fall and arriving in theaters this summer, the cast is rounded off by Rosie Perez, Teyonah Parris, and Bill Raymond.
See the trailer below, along with a poster.
Sherwin considers himself a good man, though flawed like any other. He is deeply in love with his wife, Fiona. When she starts...
The story follows a showdown between a grieving husband (David Oyelowo) and his mother-in-law (Dianne Wiest), both of whom are coping in drastically different ways that could only be volatile. Premiering at Toronto International Film Festival last fall and arriving in theaters this summer, the cast is rounded off by Rosie Perez, Teyonah Parris, and Bill Raymond.
See the trailer below, along with a poster.
Sherwin considers himself a good man, though flawed like any other. He is deeply in love with his wife, Fiona. When she starts...
- 7/6/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Forging a career out unforgettable performances in both independent classics and studio fare as well countless television roles, Rosie Perez is one of the most successful and well-regarding Latina actresses working in the tumultuous entertainment industry. Her unquestionable talent has helped her surpass the unspoken and hindering stereotypes that plague Hollywood, and though the road has been anything but easy, her prolific body of work speaks for itself.
Perez recently attended the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa to support the film “Puerto Ricans in Paris, “ in which she appears alongside Luis Guzmán , Rosario Dawson, and Edgar Garcia.
We sat down with her to discuss the humorous caper about two Puerto Rican American detectives solving a case in the European capital, her perception on diversity in Hollywood, and how “Fearless” became a surprising success that earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Carlos Aguilar: “Puerto Ricans in Paris” is a project that literally has some of the biggest Puerto Rican talent in Hollywood gathered in one film. How did your involvement with the project come about? I understand you are friends with the mastermind behind the film Luis Guzmán.
Rosie Perez: Louie just called me up and he said, “Mija, I need a favor” [Laughs]. I said, “Ok, that means no money,” and he just started laughing [Laughs]. I said, “Whatever it is you got it. What is it?” Then he said, “Oh it’s this movie that means so much to me.” I went, “Oh shit, send me the script firs!" [Laughs]. He did and I thought it was funny, so I said I’ll do it. That was it. It was as simple as that. There was no agents involved, no managers, it was just that phone call. Later he did forwarded the script to my agent, but literally it was that simple.
Aguilar: Seems like it was one of those rare cases when things work out easily in Hollywood thanks to good relationships and friendships.
Rosie Perez: Yes, that’s very rare.
Aguilar: What did you find appealing about this story? It’s definitely a fish out of water tale about these two men from New York in a culturally foreign environment . Was it simple the fact that it's quite funny, the themes within it, or was it because you knew everyone involved?
Rosie Perez: It’s a little bit of all the above, but I think mainly it was that it was funny and secondly I would say that it’s about friendship and family, so I liked that. I just couldn’t wait to see the club scene. You first see it on paper, but I was like, “Oh I gotta see this!” [Laughs]. It’s a comedy about being someone’s friend and being family, that’s what drew me to it.
Aguilar: You've had a prolific career between your work in television and incredibly memorable film roles. At this point in you career how do you decide what is a role you want to pursue, in particular with Hollywood still unwilling to create more roles for people outside their mold?
Rosie Perez: If it hits me right and if it’s not insulting then I consider it, because as you know, most recently with the Oscars controversy, Hollywood is tough for people of color. When they say, “We are going to create more roles for people of color,” they are stereotypical roles and they are insulting roles, and we are like, “That’s not it people.” I’m going on almost 30 years, I’m lucky and I’m very grateful, but it’s still not a walk in the park. I think it is also because I’m choosy with roles. I’m at an age where I don’t want to do something if I don’t have to do it. Even with the TV show, I had enough. I did it for a year, I was contracted for three years, and I said, “No, I don’t want to do this anymore.” That’s what happens when you get older, you get to that point. You want to enjoy life. You want life to be good. At the end of the day you don’t want to think, “What the hell was I doing?” [Laughs]. “Why did I do this?” or “Why didn’t I walk away from that?" Or “Why did I accept that?” That’s how my decision-making works. With this film I really liked that all my scenes were in New York because I like to stay home a lot. I’m a homebody. I’m a girl who was in the clubs since I was 14-years-old, I’m done with that, I’m over it [Laughs].
Aguilar: It’s definitely important to know when to say no.
Rosie Perez: Exactly, and I say no. I say no a lot. I’m grateful that work still comes my way. Forget about me being of color, I’m a woman. Then when you are over 40, you are like, “Oh shit,” you know? [Laughs].
Aguilar: Hollywood seems to pile on these barriers on people. Being a woman of color over 40 is disgracefully a no-go for studios. Is't insane to think we haven't gotten over all those prejudices, why do you think that's still the case?
Rosie Perez: Because it’s still a male-dominated industry. That said, I have to repeat myself, I’m very fortunate because I know a lot of actresses that are super talented that just don’t get work. They don’t get the offers, they don’t get the auditions, they don’t get the opportunities, and it’s so unfair. I’m really not complaining.
Aguilar: You were were nominated for an Academy Award for “Fearless" back in the 90s, considering the recent Oscar controversy and the state of diversity in Hollywood, how difficult was it to make that happen from getting the role to getting the industry's attention back then?
Rosie Perez: I think “Fearless” happened not because of Hollywood. Hollywood didn’t believe in it. They threw their marketing dollars on a different film. But when the Berlin Film Festival picked up the movie and said, "This was exquisite," and everyone was throwing awards at us, I think that's when the Academy was like, "Wait a minute what is this film." We went over to Europe and it was a smash hit. We'd drive down Champs Élysées and we'd see the movie poster for "Fearless," and I'd go, "Oh my God. This is a dream." I really thought I was in a fairytale. That had never happened to me. I found out about the Oscar nomination while we were still in Berlin. I think that's what happened.
It's wonderful on one end and on the other end it was unfortunate that it took Europe to make America say, "Oh this is a good film and there are really good performances in it." This is one of the instances where the role was not insulting, it wasn't stereotypical, and it wasn't for a Puerto Rican American. I had to fight for it. I think I was like the 80th-something person they had seen. They kept saying, "No, no, no she is not right." All they kept thinking was "White Men Can't Jump." My agents at the time were like, "Just give her a chance," and the director was not from America so he didn't have any prejudices or preconceived notions of what I could do or who I was. I had to do four call backs, and I did it. I didn't complaint not one bit. When you really want something in life you work for it. You go through the mud. Being at the Oscars was great as well was the Golden Globes. That's what I mean when I say I'm not complaining.
Aguilar: iI's strange and unfortunate that sometimes there is a need for outside sources to validate the quality of a film rather than just looking at the performances and the quality of the material.
Rosie Perez: I don't think that's the case all the time, but it is the case sometimes and that's unfortunate. I just have hope for the Academy. I have hope for Hollywood. I'm a very hopeful person in general. Things will change, but it's not about just one minority group. Asians and Native Americans get it the worst and nobody is rooting for them. Let's hope it changes for everyone. That's what I would like to see.
Aguilar: In "Puerto Ricans in Paris" the two Puerto Rican leads are detectives. They are not stereotypical roles that are usually assigned to Latino talent or secondary characters to a white lead. Do you think this has to do with the fact that a big part of the creative talent was Latino?
Rosie Perez: Yes! Louie had to do his own thing. He got the screenwriter with whom he had done "How to Make it in America." Louie is a very forward-thinking person and I hope with this film people start recognizing that. I knew it when I first met him. He was like, "We gotta stick together mama. We are gonna change things," and I was like, "I believe you." Everybody was like,"Nah," but I was like," I believe you," because he said it with such fortitude. And he did it right because in this film I play a middle-class wife. That could have been anybody. It could have been "White People in Paris," "Black People in Paris," or "Asian People in Paris." It could have been anything but it was "Puerto Ricans in Paris" because a Puerto Rican American actor took the initiative and said "I'm going to make this movie and I'm gonna show them that we are just like you. We are not a novelty. We are human beings." That's why this is a great thing. It really is. It came off like a commercial film, but I was pleasantly surprised
Aguilar: But definitely the fact that is a commercial film will help it cross over to any audience. It doesn't have to be just a "Latino film."
Rosie Perez: Thats right!.
Aguilar: Would you say in order to see significant change in the way opportunities are created and offered, we, as minorities, have to create our own opportunities or what would be the best approach?
Rosie Perez: I think you do have to create your own opportunities, but you also have to fight to have opportunities being created for you by the studios. You can't just fight that one fight, you have to fight the good fight and that means covering all the basis. Things are changing, but it is unfortunate that we are still at this point. Things have gotten better but sometimes we take one step forward and two steps back.
Aguilar: "Puerto Ricans in Paris" is going to be released later this year, but you already have several other upcoming projects. Can you tell about your recent role in Maris Curran's film and what other adventures you are embarking on?
Rosie Perez: Well "Five Nights in Maine" was another film that the director didn't see me for but she wanted to meet me, which was weird. I thought, "Why do you want to meet me if you don't see me for the role," but I was like, "Ok I'll meet you whatever." We sat down and we talked and after our luncheon she called Diane Wiest and said, "I think I found the nurse and its Rosie Perez," Diane Wiest just went, "Wonderful!" It was that simple. She wasn't like, "Really?" It's a very dark film. It's beautifully shot, it's very moody, David Oyelowo is excellent in it and so is Diane Wiest. It's a very quiet film, and for it to be so dark there is a ll of light in it. There is a lot of outdoors shots and the house is bright in Maine. I'm glad people have responded to it.
Right now I'm just ping-ponging around between projects. I'm producing a project with Edward Norton's company with executive producer Bill Migliore. It's very exciting to me and very challenging to me because Bill and Edward are very challenging people. They don't want to take one step forward until something is right. Right now we are writing the script. We thought we were done and I said, "We thought you said yes to the script," then they went, "Yeah but now comes the real work." It's been a mind-blowing experience. I'm writing and producing but I'm not acting in it. I'm behind the scenes this time. Louie is attached and so is Zoe Saldana. But right now is all about the script. I get excited because I feel stimulated. When you get off the phone and you just had a four hour script meeting and you are like, "What time is it? Oh my God I have to make dinner for my husband. We've been on the phone for four hours? Are you kidding me?" and you don't feel exhausted, you feel invigorated and you can't wait to go back and star writing off of the notes, it's special. We haven't even made the damn movie and it's just been such a special experience for me. It really has.
Perez recently attended the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa to support the film “Puerto Ricans in Paris, “ in which she appears alongside Luis Guzmán , Rosario Dawson, and Edgar Garcia.
We sat down with her to discuss the humorous caper about two Puerto Rican American detectives solving a case in the European capital, her perception on diversity in Hollywood, and how “Fearless” became a surprising success that earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Carlos Aguilar: “Puerto Ricans in Paris” is a project that literally has some of the biggest Puerto Rican talent in Hollywood gathered in one film. How did your involvement with the project come about? I understand you are friends with the mastermind behind the film Luis Guzmán.
Rosie Perez: Louie just called me up and he said, “Mija, I need a favor” [Laughs]. I said, “Ok, that means no money,” and he just started laughing [Laughs]. I said, “Whatever it is you got it. What is it?” Then he said, “Oh it’s this movie that means so much to me.” I went, “Oh shit, send me the script firs!" [Laughs]. He did and I thought it was funny, so I said I’ll do it. That was it. It was as simple as that. There was no agents involved, no managers, it was just that phone call. Later he did forwarded the script to my agent, but literally it was that simple.
Aguilar: Seems like it was one of those rare cases when things work out easily in Hollywood thanks to good relationships and friendships.
Rosie Perez: Yes, that’s very rare.
Aguilar: What did you find appealing about this story? It’s definitely a fish out of water tale about these two men from New York in a culturally foreign environment . Was it simple the fact that it's quite funny, the themes within it, or was it because you knew everyone involved?
Rosie Perez: It’s a little bit of all the above, but I think mainly it was that it was funny and secondly I would say that it’s about friendship and family, so I liked that. I just couldn’t wait to see the club scene. You first see it on paper, but I was like, “Oh I gotta see this!” [Laughs]. It’s a comedy about being someone’s friend and being family, that’s what drew me to it.
Aguilar: You've had a prolific career between your work in television and incredibly memorable film roles. At this point in you career how do you decide what is a role you want to pursue, in particular with Hollywood still unwilling to create more roles for people outside their mold?
Rosie Perez: If it hits me right and if it’s not insulting then I consider it, because as you know, most recently with the Oscars controversy, Hollywood is tough for people of color. When they say, “We are going to create more roles for people of color,” they are stereotypical roles and they are insulting roles, and we are like, “That’s not it people.” I’m going on almost 30 years, I’m lucky and I’m very grateful, but it’s still not a walk in the park. I think it is also because I’m choosy with roles. I’m at an age where I don’t want to do something if I don’t have to do it. Even with the TV show, I had enough. I did it for a year, I was contracted for three years, and I said, “No, I don’t want to do this anymore.” That’s what happens when you get older, you get to that point. You want to enjoy life. You want life to be good. At the end of the day you don’t want to think, “What the hell was I doing?” [Laughs]. “Why did I do this?” or “Why didn’t I walk away from that?" Or “Why did I accept that?” That’s how my decision-making works. With this film I really liked that all my scenes were in New York because I like to stay home a lot. I’m a homebody. I’m a girl who was in the clubs since I was 14-years-old, I’m done with that, I’m over it [Laughs].
Aguilar: It’s definitely important to know when to say no.
Rosie Perez: Exactly, and I say no. I say no a lot. I’m grateful that work still comes my way. Forget about me being of color, I’m a woman. Then when you are over 40, you are like, “Oh shit,” you know? [Laughs].
Aguilar: Hollywood seems to pile on these barriers on people. Being a woman of color over 40 is disgracefully a no-go for studios. Is't insane to think we haven't gotten over all those prejudices, why do you think that's still the case?
Rosie Perez: Because it’s still a male-dominated industry. That said, I have to repeat myself, I’m very fortunate because I know a lot of actresses that are super talented that just don’t get work. They don’t get the offers, they don’t get the auditions, they don’t get the opportunities, and it’s so unfair. I’m really not complaining.
Aguilar: You were were nominated for an Academy Award for “Fearless" back in the 90s, considering the recent Oscar controversy and the state of diversity in Hollywood, how difficult was it to make that happen from getting the role to getting the industry's attention back then?
Rosie Perez: I think “Fearless” happened not because of Hollywood. Hollywood didn’t believe in it. They threw their marketing dollars on a different film. But when the Berlin Film Festival picked up the movie and said, "This was exquisite," and everyone was throwing awards at us, I think that's when the Academy was like, "Wait a minute what is this film." We went over to Europe and it was a smash hit. We'd drive down Champs Élysées and we'd see the movie poster for "Fearless," and I'd go, "Oh my God. This is a dream." I really thought I was in a fairytale. That had never happened to me. I found out about the Oscar nomination while we were still in Berlin. I think that's what happened.
It's wonderful on one end and on the other end it was unfortunate that it took Europe to make America say, "Oh this is a good film and there are really good performances in it." This is one of the instances where the role was not insulting, it wasn't stereotypical, and it wasn't for a Puerto Rican American. I had to fight for it. I think I was like the 80th-something person they had seen. They kept saying, "No, no, no she is not right." All they kept thinking was "White Men Can't Jump." My agents at the time were like, "Just give her a chance," and the director was not from America so he didn't have any prejudices or preconceived notions of what I could do or who I was. I had to do four call backs, and I did it. I didn't complaint not one bit. When you really want something in life you work for it. You go through the mud. Being at the Oscars was great as well was the Golden Globes. That's what I mean when I say I'm not complaining.
Aguilar: iI's strange and unfortunate that sometimes there is a need for outside sources to validate the quality of a film rather than just looking at the performances and the quality of the material.
Rosie Perez: I don't think that's the case all the time, but it is the case sometimes and that's unfortunate. I just have hope for the Academy. I have hope for Hollywood. I'm a very hopeful person in general. Things will change, but it's not about just one minority group. Asians and Native Americans get it the worst and nobody is rooting for them. Let's hope it changes for everyone. That's what I would like to see.
Aguilar: In "Puerto Ricans in Paris" the two Puerto Rican leads are detectives. They are not stereotypical roles that are usually assigned to Latino talent or secondary characters to a white lead. Do you think this has to do with the fact that a big part of the creative talent was Latino?
Rosie Perez: Yes! Louie had to do his own thing. He got the screenwriter with whom he had done "How to Make it in America." Louie is a very forward-thinking person and I hope with this film people start recognizing that. I knew it when I first met him. He was like, "We gotta stick together mama. We are gonna change things," and I was like, "I believe you." Everybody was like,"Nah," but I was like," I believe you," because he said it with such fortitude. And he did it right because in this film I play a middle-class wife. That could have been anybody. It could have been "White People in Paris," "Black People in Paris," or "Asian People in Paris." It could have been anything but it was "Puerto Ricans in Paris" because a Puerto Rican American actor took the initiative and said "I'm going to make this movie and I'm gonna show them that we are just like you. We are not a novelty. We are human beings." That's why this is a great thing. It really is. It came off like a commercial film, but I was pleasantly surprised
Aguilar: But definitely the fact that is a commercial film will help it cross over to any audience. It doesn't have to be just a "Latino film."
Rosie Perez: Thats right!.
Aguilar: Would you say in order to see significant change in the way opportunities are created and offered, we, as minorities, have to create our own opportunities or what would be the best approach?
Rosie Perez: I think you do have to create your own opportunities, but you also have to fight to have opportunities being created for you by the studios. You can't just fight that one fight, you have to fight the good fight and that means covering all the basis. Things are changing, but it is unfortunate that we are still at this point. Things have gotten better but sometimes we take one step forward and two steps back.
Aguilar: "Puerto Ricans in Paris" is going to be released later this year, but you already have several other upcoming projects. Can you tell about your recent role in Maris Curran's film and what other adventures you are embarking on?
Rosie Perez: Well "Five Nights in Maine" was another film that the director didn't see me for but she wanted to meet me, which was weird. I thought, "Why do you want to meet me if you don't see me for the role," but I was like, "Ok I'll meet you whatever." We sat down and we talked and after our luncheon she called Diane Wiest and said, "I think I found the nurse and its Rosie Perez," Diane Wiest just went, "Wonderful!" It was that simple. She wasn't like, "Really?" It's a very dark film. It's beautifully shot, it's very moody, David Oyelowo is excellent in it and so is Diane Wiest. It's a very quiet film, and for it to be so dark there is a ll of light in it. There is a lot of outdoors shots and the house is bright in Maine. I'm glad people have responded to it.
Right now I'm just ping-ponging around between projects. I'm producing a project with Edward Norton's company with executive producer Bill Migliore. It's very exciting to me and very challenging to me because Bill and Edward are very challenging people. They don't want to take one step forward until something is right. Right now we are writing the script. We thought we were done and I said, "We thought you said yes to the script," then they went, "Yeah but now comes the real work." It's been a mind-blowing experience. I'm writing and producing but I'm not acting in it. I'm behind the scenes this time. Louie is attached and so is Zoe Saldana. But right now is all about the script. I get excited because I feel stimulated. When you get off the phone and you just had a four hour script meeting and you are like, "What time is it? Oh my God I have to make dinner for my husband. We've been on the phone for four hours? Are you kidding me?" and you don't feel exhausted, you feel invigorated and you can't wait to go back and star writing off of the notes, it's special. We haven't even made the damn movie and it's just been such a special experience for me. It really has.
- 4/7/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Filmmaker Maris Curran, who we talked with about her Toronto premiere, Five Nights in Maine, last Fall, forwarded this interview she did with a director she admires, Mira Nair. Nair (Salaam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding, The Reluctant Fundamentalist) is one of the most articulate directors out there when it comes down to unpacking the process of being a director. Curran, whose own feature should reach theaters this Fall, asks Nair direct questions about the job of the director, ambition, budgets, and knowing when a project is the right one to develop years of one’s life on. “Never do anything as a […]...
- 3/7/2016
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Plus: Call Me Francesco to open La Italia festival; and more…
Delpy joins J.K. Simmons, who was previously announced in The Bachelors, an ensemble comedic drama that Windowseat Entertainment is fully financing and Fortitude International will introduce to Efm buyers in Berlin. Gersh and CAA represent North American rights.
Principal photography is set to kick off in Los Angeles in March on the story of a widower and his 17-year-old son who relocate to Los Angeles where two extraordinary women play a transformative role in their lives. Kurt Voelker directs.
The Us premiere of Call Me Francesco will open 2016 Los Angeles, Italia Film Festival on February 21. Daniele Luchetti directs the biopic about the life of Pope Francis. The festival runs from February 21-27.Following its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, distributor FilmRise has acquired worldwide rights to Maris Curran’s debut Five Nights In Maine. The film will open theatrically in New York, Los...
Delpy joins J.K. Simmons, who was previously announced in The Bachelors, an ensemble comedic drama that Windowseat Entertainment is fully financing and Fortitude International will introduce to Efm buyers in Berlin. Gersh and CAA represent North American rights.
Principal photography is set to kick off in Los Angeles in March on the story of a widower and his 17-year-old son who relocate to Los Angeles where two extraordinary women play a transformative role in their lives. Kurt Voelker directs.
The Us premiere of Call Me Francesco will open 2016 Los Angeles, Italia Film Festival on February 21. Daniele Luchetti directs the biopic about the life of Pope Francis. The festival runs from February 21-27.Following its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, distributor FilmRise has acquired worldwide rights to Maris Curran’s debut Five Nights In Maine. The film will open theatrically in New York, Los...
- 2/8/2016
- ScreenDaily
FilmRise announced today that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide distribution rights in all media for the indie drama "Five Nights in Maine." The distributor will release the film theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and other select cities in late summer 2016, with a day-and-date release on digital and VOD platforms as well. David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez star in writer-director Maris Curran's feature-length debut, an intimate film that explores the story of Sherwin (Oyelowo), a young man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, who travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged, cancer-stricken mother-in-law (Wiest). "We are honored to...
- 2/8/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
FilmRise has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine, the Toronto Film Festival indie drama that stars David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez. A late-summer theatrical release is planned day-and-date with digital and VOD. The pic, which world premiered in Toronto’s Discovery section, centers on a man (Oyelowo) reeling from the tragic loss of his wife who travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged…...
- 2/8/2016
- Deadline
FilmRise has acquired worldwide distribution rights in all media for writer-director Maris Curran’s indie drama “Five Nights in Maine,” which stars David Oyelowo (“Selma”), two-time Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest and Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez. The distributor will release the film theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and other select cities in late summer 2016. The film will also be released day-and-date on digital and VOD platforms. “Five Nights in Maine” is described as an intimate film about love, loss and compassion. Having made its world premiere in the Discovery section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, the film explores the story of Sherwin (Oyelowo), a young.
- 2/8/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Five months after premiering in the Discovery sidebar of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, Maris Curran's "Five Nights in Maine" has finally been picked up for worldwide distribution via FilmRise. Variety first reported the deal. Read More: Tiff 2015 Women Directors: Meet Maris Curran - 'Five Nights in Maine' The drama stars David Oyelowo as a young man who grieves the loss of his wife by traveling to Maine to get in touch with his estranged mother-in-law (played by Dianne Wiest), who happens to be suffering from cancer. The movie marks the debut feature from Maris Curran and co-stars Rosie Perez. "The film explores universal themes of lost love, connection and empathy," said Curran in an official statement. "Having shared the film to enthusiastic festival audiences, I am elated that FilmRise will be releasing the film theatrically for a wider audience to discover 'Five Nights in Maine.
- 2/8/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Palm Springs International Film Fest Announces Premieres, New Voices/New Visions, and Modern Masters
The 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) has announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters. Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (7 World, 17 North American and 30 U.S.), will unspool at the Festival, running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California.
“The line-up this year, while full of unexpected surprises, vividly reflects what is going on in the world around us,” said Festival Director Darryl Macdonald. “There’s a particular focus on stories about displaced people – immigrants, emigrants, refugees, those seeking asylum or shelter. There’s a concurrent trend toward stories revolving around new beginnings and escaping the shackles of the past, whether sexual, cultural, societal or self-imposed. Balancing all of these is a focus on family and romance, along with films involving a healthy dose of magic realism or absurdist comedy, and a plethora of exceptional films dealing with the usual obsessions – music, food, sex and art. All in all, it’s about as well-rounded, as thoughtfully chosen, and as provocative as it’s possible for a smartly curated lineup of new international cinema to be.”
“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy's 'Thithi' (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ 'Interruption' (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran's 'Five Nights in Maine' (USA), featuring David Oyelowo's nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”
Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:
World premieres: "50 Days in the Desert" (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, "Agnes" (Germany/Belgium), the documentary "Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age" (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, "The Carer" (Hungary/UK), "Going Going Gone" (UK), "Searchdog" (Us) and "Set the Thames on Fire" (UK).
North American premieres: "Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), "A Decent Man" (Switzerland),"Departure" (France/UK),"Fly Away Solo" (India/France), "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), "A Korean in Paris" (South Korea/France), "The Memory of Water" (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), "Moor" (Pakistan), "On My Mother’s Side" (Canada), "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), "Rosita" (Denmark), "Spy Time" (Spain), "Tanna" (Australia/Vanuatu), "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), "Utopians" (Hong Kong) and "When a Tree Falls" (Spain).
U.S. premieres: "1944" (Estonia/Finland), "3000 Nights" (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), "Atomic Falafel" (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), "Belgian Rhapsody" (Belgium), "Beyond My Grandfather Allende" (Chile/Mexico), "Born to Dance" (New Zealand), "Closet Monster" (Canada), "Enclave" (Serbia/Germany), "The Endless River" (South Africa/France), "Endorphine" (Canada),Exotica, "Erotica, Etc." (France), "Fire Song" (Canada), "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), "My Big Night" (Spain), "My Internship in Canada" (Canada), "The Other Side" (Italy/France), "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), "The Paradise Suite" (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), "Parched" (India/Us/UK), "Parisienne" (France), "Sabali" (Canada), "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), "Summer Solstice" (Poland/Germany), "Trap" (Philippines), "The Violin Teacher" (Brazil), "Wedding Doll" (Israel) and " Zubaan" (India).
The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 Us premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of U.S. distributors which include Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed for the Festival by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Films selected for this year include:
"Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron "Departure" (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanović "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), Director Raam Reddy
The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:
"Cemetery Of Splendour" (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul "Dheepan" (France), Director Jacques Audiard "Miss Sharon Jones!" (Us), Director Barbara Kopple "Mountains May Depart" (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke "My Golden Days" (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin "My Mother" (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti "Our Little Sister" (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda "Sunset Song" (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies "Sweet Bean" (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase "Women He’s Undressed" (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong
Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include: "45 Years" (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, "Anomalisa" (Us) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Chronic" (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth, "Closet Monster" (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini, "Eisenstein in Guanajuato" (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, "February" (Us/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts, "Hello, My Name is Doris" (Us) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root, "Hitchcock/Truffaut" (France/Us) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater, "The Invitation" (Us) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman, "The Lady in the Van" (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, "Louder Than Bombs" (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert, "Men & Chicken" (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen, "Papa (Cuba)" directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly, "A Perfect Day" (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, "The Seventh Fire" (Us) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and "Where to Invade Next" (Us) directed by Michael Moore.
The complete line-up will be available on December 18 at www.psfilmfest.org.
“The line-up this year, while full of unexpected surprises, vividly reflects what is going on in the world around us,” said Festival Director Darryl Macdonald. “There’s a particular focus on stories about displaced people – immigrants, emigrants, refugees, those seeking asylum or shelter. There’s a concurrent trend toward stories revolving around new beginnings and escaping the shackles of the past, whether sexual, cultural, societal or self-imposed. Balancing all of these is a focus on family and romance, along with films involving a healthy dose of magic realism or absurdist comedy, and a plethora of exceptional films dealing with the usual obsessions – music, food, sex and art. All in all, it’s about as well-rounded, as thoughtfully chosen, and as provocative as it’s possible for a smartly curated lineup of new international cinema to be.”
“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy's 'Thithi' (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ 'Interruption' (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran's 'Five Nights in Maine' (USA), featuring David Oyelowo's nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”
Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:
World premieres: "50 Days in the Desert" (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, "Agnes" (Germany/Belgium), the documentary "Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age" (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, "The Carer" (Hungary/UK), "Going Going Gone" (UK), "Searchdog" (Us) and "Set the Thames on Fire" (UK).
North American premieres: "Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), "A Decent Man" (Switzerland),"Departure" (France/UK),"Fly Away Solo" (India/France), "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), "A Korean in Paris" (South Korea/France), "The Memory of Water" (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), "Moor" (Pakistan), "On My Mother’s Side" (Canada), "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), "Rosita" (Denmark), "Spy Time" (Spain), "Tanna" (Australia/Vanuatu), "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), "Utopians" (Hong Kong) and "When a Tree Falls" (Spain).
U.S. premieres: "1944" (Estonia/Finland), "3000 Nights" (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), "Atomic Falafel" (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), "Belgian Rhapsody" (Belgium), "Beyond My Grandfather Allende" (Chile/Mexico), "Born to Dance" (New Zealand), "Closet Monster" (Canada), "Enclave" (Serbia/Germany), "The Endless River" (South Africa/France), "Endorphine" (Canada),Exotica, "Erotica, Etc." (France), "Fire Song" (Canada), "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), "My Big Night" (Spain), "My Internship in Canada" (Canada), "The Other Side" (Italy/France), "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), "The Paradise Suite" (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), "Parched" (India/Us/UK), "Parisienne" (France), "Sabali" (Canada), "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), "Summer Solstice" (Poland/Germany), "Trap" (Philippines), "The Violin Teacher" (Brazil), "Wedding Doll" (Israel) and " Zubaan" (India).
The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 Us premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of U.S. distributors which include Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed for the Festival by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Films selected for this year include:
"Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron "Departure" (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanović "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), Director Raam Reddy
The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:
"Cemetery Of Splendour" (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul "Dheepan" (France), Director Jacques Audiard "Miss Sharon Jones!" (Us), Director Barbara Kopple "Mountains May Depart" (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke "My Golden Days" (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin "My Mother" (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti "Our Little Sister" (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda "Sunset Song" (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies "Sweet Bean" (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase "Women He’s Undressed" (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong
Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include: "45 Years" (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, "Anomalisa" (Us) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Chronic" (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth, "Closet Monster" (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini, "Eisenstein in Guanajuato" (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, "February" (Us/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts, "Hello, My Name is Doris" (Us) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root, "Hitchcock/Truffaut" (France/Us) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater, "The Invitation" (Us) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman, "The Lady in the Van" (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, "Louder Than Bombs" (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert, "Men & Chicken" (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen, "Papa (Cuba)" directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly, "A Perfect Day" (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, "The Seventh Fire" (Us) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and "Where to Invade Next" (Us) directed by Michael Moore.
The complete line-up will be available on December 18 at www.psfilmfest.org.
- 12/15/2015
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Top brass at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) on Monday announced the Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters programmes.
Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (seven world, 17 North American and 30 Us), will screen during the festival, which runs from January 1-11, 2016.
World premieres include: 50 Days In The Desert (Luxembourg) by Fabrizio Maltese; Agnes (Germany-Belgium); documentary Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford; The Carer (Hungary-uk); Going Going Gone (UK); Searchdog (Us); and Set The Thames On Fire (UK).
New Voices/New Visions
Twelve Us premieres from emerging international directors marking their feature film without Us distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of Us distributors comprising Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed...
Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (seven world, 17 North American and 30 Us), will screen during the festival, which runs from January 1-11, 2016.
World premieres include: 50 Days In The Desert (Luxembourg) by Fabrizio Maltese; Agnes (Germany-Belgium); documentary Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford; The Carer (Hungary-uk); Going Going Gone (UK); Searchdog (Us); and Set The Thames On Fire (UK).
New Voices/New Visions
Twelve Us premieres from emerging international directors marking their feature film without Us distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of Us distributors comprising Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed...
- 12/14/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Though it’s a harder film festival to regulate and therefore tabulate a comprehensively genuine list reflecting the totality of the fest’s offering per any individual’s perspective, the Toronto Film Festival manages to be a healthy platform for new and developing voices for those willing to sift through the multitude of titles. Of course, many new exciting voices were present that debuted at earlier film festivals, like Berlin, Sundance, and Cannes. From Guy Maddin’s co-director Evan Johnson on The Forbidden Room and Josh Mond’s stunning debut James White out of Sundance, to notable Cannes berths like Laszlo Nemes of Son of Saul, Deniz Gamz Erguven of Mustang, and Thomas Bidegain’s Les Cowboys, 2015 brought a wide variety of new filmmakers to light. In deliberating the Top Ten New Voices out of Tiff, we focused on offerings either unique to the festival or near concurrent premieres with Locarno and Venice.
- 10/12/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“Five Nights in Maine” writer and director Maris Curran approached David Oyelowo at Sundance Film Festival and handed him the script for the film, saying she wrote the screenplay just for him. That is something Oyelowo revealed in TheWrap’s interview studio at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he, Curran and co-star Rosie Perez stopped by for “Drinking With the Stars,” sponsored by teapigs. “Literally, I just saw this beautiful face approach me through a crowd and she said, ‘I brought this for you’ and handed me a script,” Oyelowo said of Curran. “I was like, ‘oh my goodness,...
- 9/22/2015
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
The San Francisco Film Society has revealed the eight finalists for the seventh annual Sffs/Hearst Screenwriting Grant. The $15,000 grant will be awarded to a screenwriter, or screenwriting team, that has been practicing for at least five years and who has previously written at least one feature screenplay. The grant is intended for Us-based writers, with priority given to those whose past works were successfully made into finished films. The winner will be announced mid-October. This year's finalists listed below. One of the past grant winners, Ian Olds, is just now going into production on "The Fixer" starring James Franco. This year, finalists include "Howl" and "The Celluloid Closet" writer/director Rob Epstein, and Maris Curran, whose David Oyelowo-starrer "Five Nights in Maine" premieres in Toronto. Read More: Tiff First Look: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Lead 'Five Nights in Maine' Andrew Burrows-Trotman (writer/director) – If...
- 8/31/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced yet another round of lineups for its 40th anniversary edition (September 10 through 20): "The diverse Discovery lineup includes Desde Allá, an intense social drama from Venezuelan newcomer Lorenzo Vigas; Tom McKeith and Sam McKeith’s Manila-set thriller Beast; German filmmaker Sebastian Ko’s riveting suspense We Monsters; Michael Lennox’s A Patch of Fog which chronicles a British anti-bromance; Very Big Shot, the debut from Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, delving into a darkly comedic world of coke smuggling in Lebanon; Maris Curran’s intimate drama Five Nights in Maine; Irish director Simon Fitzmaurice’s feature debut, the coming-of-age story My Name is Emily; and Mexico’s Alejandra Márquez Abellas’s debut, the poignant drama Semana Santa." Plus: Tiff Kids. » - David Hudson...
- 8/26/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced yet another round of lineups for its 40th anniversary edition (September 10 through 20): "The diverse Discovery lineup includes Desde Allá, an intense social drama from Venezuelan newcomer Lorenzo Vigas; Tom McKeith and Sam McKeith’s Manila-set thriller Beast; German filmmaker Sebastian Ko’s riveting suspense We Monsters; Michael Lennox’s A Patch of Fog which chronicles a British anti-bromance; Very Big Shot, the debut from Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, delving into a darkly comedic world of coke smuggling in Lebanon; Maris Curran’s intimate drama Five Nights in Maine; Irish director Simon Fitzmaurice’s feature debut, the coming-of-age story My Name is Emily; and Mexico’s Alejandra Márquez Abellas’s debut, the poignant drama Semana Santa." Plus: Tiff Kids. » - David Hudson...
- 8/26/2015
- Keyframe
While the Toronto International Film Festival looks around the world and in all genres to find features for its annual incarnation, one area that receives focus is films aimed at children. With the understanding both that quality cinema is not dependent on its target audience, and that cinephiles can begin at any age, the festival’s Kids Programme highlights such features.
The Discovery Programme, on the other hand, brings together films from first and second time directors, with an eye on emerging talent. The festival has now announced the lineups for both Programmes in the 2015 incarnation of the event, along with further additions to the Cinematheque and Vanguard lineup. The Discovery lineup joins previously announced Canadian features. The films, with their official synopses, can be seen below.
Tiff Kids
The Boy and the Beast, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, making its International Premiere
A young boy in modern-day Tokyo stumbles into...
The Discovery Programme, on the other hand, brings together films from first and second time directors, with an eye on emerging talent. The festival has now announced the lineups for both Programmes in the 2015 incarnation of the event, along with further additions to the Cinematheque and Vanguard lineup. The Discovery lineup joins previously announced Canadian features. The films, with their official synopses, can be seen below.
Tiff Kids
The Boy and the Beast, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, making its International Premiere
A young boy in modern-day Tokyo stumbles into...
- 8/26/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
David Oyelowo appears in his first leading role since "Selma" in writer/director Maris Curran's "Five Nights in Maine," one of the 16 world premieres in Toronto's Discovery program designed to introduce up-and-coming filmmakers to fest-goers. It will seek acquisition at the festival. The drama deals with the relationship that forms between a white mother (Dianne Wiest) and her black son-in-law (Oyelowo), who travels to Maine seeking answers, following her daughter's death in a car accident. Rosie Perez also stars. This international co-production was lensed by "Blue Is the Warmest Color" Dp Sofian El Fani. In a Filmmaker Magazine interview dating back to January, Curran said that the film deals with race "but not in a Hollywood, capital R way." "Five Nights in Maine" participated in Ifp's No Borders International Co-production Market and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, and was selected as one of the ten international projects to...
- 8/25/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
With about two weeks left until the ’15 edition kicks off, the festival heads at Tiff have made the final announcements to their upcoming edition with the unveiling of the Discovery programme. With thirty offerings from several first time filmmakers, the section is populated by items that have preemed elsewhere in the awards tipped, Sundance sensation James White from Josh Mond, to the Cannes debuted Les Cowboys from scribe and now director Thomas Bidegain, to the world premiere of Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine starring David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez. Here are the offerings:
Discovery
“The Ardennes” Robin Pront, Belgium
“Beast” Tom McKeith, Sam McKeith, Australia/Philippines
“Black” Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Belgium
“Born to Dance” Tammy Davis, New Zealand
“Dégradé” Arab Nasser, Tarzan Nasser, Palestine/France/Qatar
“Desde Allá” Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela
“Downriver” Grant Scicluna, Australia
“Eva Nová” Marko Škop, Slovakia
“Five Nights in Maine” Maris Curran,...
Discovery
“The Ardennes” Robin Pront, Belgium
“Beast” Tom McKeith, Sam McKeith, Australia/Philippines
“Black” Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Belgium
“Born to Dance” Tammy Davis, New Zealand
“Dégradé” Arab Nasser, Tarzan Nasser, Palestine/France/Qatar
“Desde Allá” Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela
“Downriver” Grant Scicluna, Australia
“Eva Nová” Marko Škop, Slovakia
“Five Nights in Maine” Maris Curran,...
- 8/25/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.
Tiff 40
Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.
GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...
- 8/25/2015
- ScreenDaily
Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) has completed its line-up with the Discovery, New Wave Tiff Kids and In Conversation With… strands and has confirmed the return of Festival Street.
Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Sarah Silverman and Matthew Weiner will take place in separate on-stage conversations as part of the In Conversation With… series, which replaces the Mavericks programme.
For the second year, the Festival Street initiative will see the closure of King Street West between Peter and University Streets, from Sept 10-13.
Events will include Questival, a walking interactive quiz designed by Frontier Design & Innovation; the NewCanadianMusic.ca music stage featuring the world premiere of Titicut Follies – The Ballet inspired by Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 documentary; cinema-inspired installations; magicians; the Slaight Family Zone; and food trucks.
In total, the festival will screen 399 films, of which 289 are features and 110 shorts. Last year’s festival screened 392 in total comprising 284 features and 108 shorts.
Programmers sifted...
Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Sarah Silverman and Matthew Weiner will take place in separate on-stage conversations as part of the In Conversation With… series, which replaces the Mavericks programme.
For the second year, the Festival Street initiative will see the closure of King Street West between Peter and University Streets, from Sept 10-13.
Events will include Questival, a walking interactive quiz designed by Frontier Design & Innovation; the NewCanadianMusic.ca music stage featuring the world premiere of Titicut Follies – The Ballet inspired by Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 documentary; cinema-inspired installations; magicians; the Slaight Family Zone; and food trucks.
In total, the festival will screen 399 films, of which 289 are features and 110 shorts. Last year’s festival screened 392 in total comprising 284 features and 108 shorts.
Programmers sifted...
- 8/25/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Institute has announced the participants for its weeklong Creative Film Producing Initiative at the Sundance Resort in Utah, July 27 – August 3, including nine feature film and documentary projects for the Creative Producing Labs and more than 50 industry leaders for the Creative Producing Summit.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
- 7/20/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Maris Curran’s "Five Nights in Maine," which stars David Oyelowo, as well as projects from familiar names like Terence Nance, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Roger Ross Williams, and Redelia Shaw are all among 15 total participants selected for the 12th edition of the Tribeca Film Institute's annual Tribeca All Access (Taa) program, which supports filmmakers from statistically underrepresented communities, and will grant support for each of the projects, as well as offer year-round support, guidance and resources to help the filmmakers complete them. Taa filmmakers are also welcomed into the Taa Alumni program which supports their present and future...
- 3/20/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine, starring David Oyelowo, also among selection.
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) has unveiled the 15 projects selected for the 12th annual Tribeca All Access (Taa) programme.
The programme supports film-makers from statistically underrepresented communities and will grant support for each of the projects, as well as offer year-round support, guidance and resources to help the film-makers complete them.
Taa film-makers are also welcomed into the Taa Alumni programme which supports their present and future work. This year will see Taa and Taa Alumni award a total of $200,000 in grant money.
The projects include Haifaa Al Mansour’s Be Safe I Love You and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine, starring David Oyelowo.
Alongside the Taa programme, Tfi has also selected two members of the Lgbt film-making community as special fellows to attend its annual market during Tribeca Film Festival: writer/director Ingrid Jungermann for Women Who Kill and writer/director [link=nm...
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) has unveiled the 15 projects selected for the 12th annual Tribeca All Access (Taa) programme.
The programme supports film-makers from statistically underrepresented communities and will grant support for each of the projects, as well as offer year-round support, guidance and resources to help the film-makers complete them.
Taa film-makers are also welcomed into the Taa Alumni programme which supports their present and future work. This year will see Taa and Taa Alumni award a total of $200,000 in grant money.
The projects include Haifaa Al Mansour’s Be Safe I Love You and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine, starring David Oyelowo.
Alongside the Taa programme, Tfi has also selected two members of the Lgbt film-making community as special fellows to attend its annual market during Tribeca Film Festival: writer/director Ingrid Jungermann for Women Who Kill and writer/director [link=nm...
- 3/19/2015
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Maris Curran’s directorial debut might be a longshot for Sundance….at least for the 2015 edition. The drama which has its character set wrestle with isolation, grief and loss went into production late summer in the titular north-eastern state with a cast comprised of Dianne Wiest, Rosie Perez and career-year actor David Oyelowo toplining with a supporting players in the shape of Teyonah Parris, Stephen Henderson and Hani Furstenberg (seek her out in Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet). Five Nights in Maine has found early supporters from the likes of San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant, Cinereach and found some tender loving care from Kickstarter back in 2011. If the project is sprinter speed force in the post-production phase then we might not have to wait until 2016.
Gist: This follows Sherwin (Oyelowo), a man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to...
Gist: This follows Sherwin (Oyelowo), a man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to...
- 11/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It may be too early to call him an American cousin akin to the quasi-dark humor of Roy Andersson and Aki Kaurismäki, but is third film showcased a unique, well-developed, wry-tinged funny-bone. When you throw in his previous dramatic pair of films in The Builder (2010) and New Jerusalem (2011), it makes for an early filmography that would surely receive an unflattering grade of next to no bags of popcorn from the On Cinema at the Cinema critic duo. This is a good thing. Filmmaker by day, musician by night, Rick Alverson’s third feature film The Comedy, was among the best items of 2012′s Sundance Film Festival, suffice it to say that his fourth film, Entertainment, which was shot midway in the year, might contain more of that DNA. Gregg Turkington who co-wrote with Alverson toplines the pic which was photographed by cinematographer Lorenzo Hagerman (look for his stylistic flourishes in...
- 11/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) and Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) have selected 14 finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants.
Organisers said at least $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature projects at various stages of production.
Winners of the fall 2014 Sffs / Krf Grants will be announced in late November.
Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.
The finallists are:
Absence – Cherien Dabis (pictured);
Dark Forest – Elena Greenlee;
Everything Else (Todo Lo Demás) – Natalia Almada;
Fairyland – Andrew Durham;
Five Nights in Maine – Maris Curran, Carly Hugo;
The Future – Fabio Mollo;
God Bless the Child – Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Thomas, Laura Heberton;
Mediterranea – Jonas Carpignano;
The Messenger – Marilia Hughes, Cláudio Marques;
Morris From America – Chad Hartigan, Sara Murphy;
Radio Dreams – Babak Jalali, Marjaneh Moghimi;
Skunk – Annie Silverstein;
Songs My Brother Taught Me – Chloe Zaho; and...
Organisers said at least $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature projects at various stages of production.
Winners of the fall 2014 Sffs / Krf Grants will be announced in late November.
Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.
The finallists are:
Absence – Cherien Dabis (pictured);
Dark Forest – Elena Greenlee;
Everything Else (Todo Lo Demás) – Natalia Almada;
Fairyland – Andrew Durham;
Five Nights in Maine – Maris Curran, Carly Hugo;
The Future – Fabio Mollo;
God Bless the Child – Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Thomas, Laura Heberton;
Mediterranea – Jonas Carpignano;
The Messenger – Marilia Hughes, Cláudio Marques;
Morris From America – Chad Hartigan, Sara Murphy;
Radio Dreams – Babak Jalali, Marjaneh Moghimi;
Skunk – Annie Silverstein;
Songs My Brother Taught Me – Chloe Zaho; and...
- 9/24/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
A project whose Kickstarter campaign we featured on this site in 2011, looks to be getting back on track, but with what looks like a fresh team behind the camera, as well as a new cast. When we first mentioned it 3 years ago, producer Nekisa Cooper (Pariah) and cinematographer Bradford Young (Mississippi Damned, Restless City, Mother Of George, Middle of Nowhere) were both attached to the project, written and to be directed by Maris Curran. Curran is still the writer and director of the film - titled Five Nights in Maine - but Carly Hugo and Matt Parker are now listed as producers, alongside Curran and David Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon...
- 5/8/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez have joined David Oyelowo in the upcoming Five Nights In Maine. CAA represents Us sales.
Maris Curran will direct from her screenplay about a widower who travels to Maine to seek answers about his wife’s death from his mother-in-law, herself struggling with guilt.
Teyonah Parris, Stephen Henderson and Hani Furstenberg round out the key cast.
Carly Hugo and Matt Parker of New York-based Loveless will produce alongside Curran and Oyelowo’s La-based production company Yoruba Saxon Productions.
Five Nights In Maine was recently awarded the San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant and received a Cinereach grant.
Curran is represented by Mosaic, Oyelowo by CAA, Inphenate, Hamilton-Hodell and Schreck, Rose, Dapello.
Wiest is represented by ICM Partners, while Perez is handled by Silver Lining Entertainment and Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson and Binder.
Parris is represented by Apa, Vanguard Management and Fox Rothschild. Henderson is represented...
Maris Curran will direct from her screenplay about a widower who travels to Maine to seek answers about his wife’s death from his mother-in-law, herself struggling with guilt.
Teyonah Parris, Stephen Henderson and Hani Furstenberg round out the key cast.
Carly Hugo and Matt Parker of New York-based Loveless will produce alongside Curran and Oyelowo’s La-based production company Yoruba Saxon Productions.
Five Nights In Maine was recently awarded the San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant and received a Cinereach grant.
Curran is represented by Mosaic, Oyelowo by CAA, Inphenate, Hamilton-Hodell and Schreck, Rose, Dapello.
Wiest is represented by ICM Partners, while Perez is handled by Silver Lining Entertainment and Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson and Binder.
Parris is represented by Apa, Vanguard Management and Fox Rothschild. Henderson is represented...
- 5/8/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
David Oyelowo will lead indie drama “Five Nights in Maine,” with Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez joining him in supporting roles, it was announced today. Maris Curran is directing from her own screenplay about a widower (Oyelowo) who travels to Maine to visit his guilt-stricken mother-in-law (Wiest) for answers about his wife’s death. The microbudget indie is receiving funds from San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant and has received a Cinereach grant to help production get underway. Oyelowo, who played Forest Whitaker’s son in “The Butler,” has wrapped on indies “Nightingale” – also serving as his first lead [...]
The post David Oyelowo to Spend ‘Five Nights in Maine’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
The post David Oyelowo to Spend ‘Five Nights in Maine’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
- 5/8/2014
- by Linda Ge
- UpandComers
Two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest (“Bullets Over Broadway”) and Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez (“Fearless”) will join David Oyelowo (“Selma”) in the upcoming indie “Five Nights in Maine,” which will co-star Teyonah Parris (“Mad Men”), Tony Award nominee Stephen Henderson (“The Newsroom”) and Hani Furstenberg (“The Loneliest Planet”). Maris Curran is writing and directing the movie, which follows Sherwin (Oyelowo), a man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law (Wiest), who is herself confronting guilt over her daughter's death. Also read: Rosie Perez Joins ABC Pilot ‘An American Education...
- 5/8/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
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