Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
Declaring 2007 to be the year mumblecore came of age would be equally as fair as labeling it the year mumblecore collapsed. The signs of ascendance and coalescence—group coverage in high-profile publications, series programmed at art houses,...
Declaring 2007 to be the year mumblecore came of age would be equally as fair as labeling it the year mumblecore collapsed. The signs of ascendance and coalescence—group coverage in high-profile publications, series programmed at art houses,...
- 8/22/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
With Sundance behind us, the next major American festival is waiting in the wings. The SXSW Film Festival lineup has landed, and there’s a lot to dig through.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
- 1/31/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
"Mumblecore" master Joe Swanberg is headed for Netflix. The filmmaker behind micro-indie films including Kissing on the Mouth, Hannah Takes the Stairs and Uncle Kent has scored an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for comedy Easy. The half-hour single-camera comedy series will, in mumblecore fashion, write, direct and exec produce the series. Easy is described as an anthology that explores diverse Chicago characters as they fumble through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture. The series will feature appearances from Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Michael Chernus, Marc Maron, Elizabeth Reaser, Gugu Mbatha-Raw,
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- 3/14/2016
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
No one can accuse filmmaker Joe Swanberg of being a layabout: He’s directed 17 features since his 2005 debut “Kissing on the Mouth.” Any consistency he demonstrates, however, has more to do with his output’s regularity than its quality; for every “Drinking Buddies” he directs, there’s a tossed-off, half-baked “Uncle Kent.” His latest, “Digging for Fire,” is such an endurance test that it’s the movie I’ve come closest to walking out of in many a month, and I sat through “Pixels” and “Fantastic Four” through the bitter end. Whether or not you like the term “mumblecore,” Swanberg is considered one.
- 8/21/2015
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Read More: Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders Take Center Stage in Posters for Sundance Hit 'Results' Almost exactly 10 years ago, Andrew Bujalski was being interviewed by Indiewire contributor Michael Koresky when the filmmaker made an off-the-cuff remark that would haunt him. Shortly after the premiere of Bujalski's sophomore feature "Mutual Appreciation" at the South by Southwest Film Festival, the same week that his debut "Funny Ha Ha" landed on DVD, Bujalski was asked about other contemporary filmmakers whose work — as Koresky put it — "harmonized" with his own. Bujalski recalled rumblings of a "movement" at SXSW, the same year that Joe Swanberg's debut "Kissing on the Mouth" premiered and the Duplass brothers' "The Puffy Chair" won an audience prize. "My sound mixer named the movement 'mumblecore,'" Bujalski said, "which is pretty catchy." In short order, Bujalski wouldn't think so. Two years...
- 5/29/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Joe Swanberg, known and loved for his “micro-budget” indie dramas, has been making further steps into the mainstream and is set to direct Work Wife. The script, written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins of ABC’s Trophy Wife (2013), promises to be full of the “delightfully un-sitcomy-y performances” that defined Trophy Wife . The ABC sitcom was cancelled after one season, but not for lack of quality. One issue that stymied a fan following was the misplaced ironic title, Trophy Wife, for a complex show about intelligent funny women, relationships, divorce, and overall debunking the sitcom tropes that reduce women to clichés.
Although some fans of Swanberg’s indie dramas Kissing on the Mouth (2005), Nights and Weekends (2008), and Silver Bullets (2009), might lament this step, Swanberg actually seems well suited to do the project. Drinking Buddies (2013) centered on the messy romances between colleagues and almost all of Swanberg’s films deal with...
Although some fans of Swanberg’s indie dramas Kissing on the Mouth (2005), Nights and Weekends (2008), and Silver Bullets (2009), might lament this step, Swanberg actually seems well suited to do the project. Drinking Buddies (2013) centered on the messy romances between colleagues and almost all of Swanberg’s films deal with...
- 2/17/2015
- by Max Wood
- SoundOnSight
Few filmmakers have been as pivotal to the mumblecore movement as Joe Swanberg, whose micro-budgeted, improv-heavy dramas have brought him widespread acclaim and considerable success over the past decade. In 2013, he had the biggest hit of his career with Drinking Buddies and followed it up with another high-profile project, titled Happy Christmas, which sent his profile soaring even higher. Now, Swanberg is continuing his progression toward mainstream cinema by taking on his first studio film.
Romantic comedy Work Wife, which Swanberg will direct for New Line but (in an unusual move for him) not script, centers on two thirtysomething lawyers who decide to try their luck at dating co-workers. Screenwriters Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins previously created the beloved yet short-lived ABC comedy Trophy Wife and also have two scripts in development – Lunch Lady at Universal and Booksmart at 20th Century Fox.
Swanberg has made more than 17 films since 2005’s Kissing on the Mouth,...
Romantic comedy Work Wife, which Swanberg will direct for New Line but (in an unusual move for him) not script, centers on two thirtysomething lawyers who decide to try their luck at dating co-workers. Screenwriters Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins previously created the beloved yet short-lived ABC comedy Trophy Wife and also have two scripts in development – Lunch Lady at Universal and Booksmart at 20th Century Fox.
Swanberg has made more than 17 films since 2005’s Kissing on the Mouth,...
- 2/10/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
You’ve probably seen his work before.
Director Joe Swanberg is best known for directing “Drinking Buddies” last year that starred Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick. He was one of the collaborators in the cult favorite horror compilation “V/H/S” with the segment called “The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger.”
And maybe you’ve seen him on the big screen like the recent horror thriller “You’re Next,” in which he played as one the family victims.
Swanberg made his directorial debut with the 2005’s indie film “Kissing on the Mouth,” a film about recent college graduates on sex. And then he followed up with “Lol,” that starred with Greta Gerwig. With Gerwig, they further collaborated with 2007’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs” and 2008’s “Night and Weekends.”
In 2010, Swanberg became extremely busy directing seven films with “Uncle Kent,” “Caitlin Plays Herself,” “The Zone,...
Director Joe Swanberg is best known for directing “Drinking Buddies” last year that starred Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick. He was one of the collaborators in the cult favorite horror compilation “V/H/S” with the segment called “The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger.”
And maybe you’ve seen him on the big screen like the recent horror thriller “You’re Next,” in which he played as one the family victims.
Swanberg made his directorial debut with the 2005’s indie film “Kissing on the Mouth,” a film about recent college graduates on sex. And then he followed up with “Lol,” that starred with Greta Gerwig. With Gerwig, they further collaborated with 2007’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs” and 2008’s “Night and Weekends.”
In 2010, Swanberg became extremely busy directing seven films with “Uncle Kent,” “Caitlin Plays Herself,” “The Zone,...
- 1/23/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Chicago – It takes a special sort of filmmaker to hit it big without compromising any artistic principles. This month marks a career high for Chicago’s own Diy trail-blazer, Joe Swanberg, whose microbudget gems have influenced everyone from Lynn Shelton (“Touchy Feely”) to Lena Dunham (“Girls”).
On Friday, August 23rd, two of Joe’s buzzed-about pictures will receive a limited theatrical release.
One is Ti West’s darkly satirical horror lark, “You’re Next,” which is currently being advertised at every creepy subway station in the Windy City (Swanberg plays an amusingly hatable character with a smug disregard for indie flicks). The other film is Swanberg’s 15th feature effort, “Drinking Buddies,” featuring an all-star cast, cinematography from a Cannes prize-winner (“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dp Ben Richardson) and an actual budget. Yet Swanberg’s improvisational style and observant eye for naturalistic nuance remains entirely intact. Olivia Wilde is...
On Friday, August 23rd, two of Joe’s buzzed-about pictures will receive a limited theatrical release.
One is Ti West’s darkly satirical horror lark, “You’re Next,” which is currently being advertised at every creepy subway station in the Windy City (Swanberg plays an amusingly hatable character with a smug disregard for indie flicks). The other film is Swanberg’s 15th feature effort, “Drinking Buddies,” featuring an all-star cast, cinematography from a Cannes prize-winner (“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dp Ben Richardson) and an actual budget. Yet Swanberg’s improvisational style and observant eye for naturalistic nuance remains entirely intact. Olivia Wilde is...
- 8/21/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Joe Swanberg, the indie director arguably responsible for the Diy aesthetic known as "mumblecore" (though don't fully blame him, he didn't coin the term) is the most prolific filmmaker alive. Ok, maybe not quite, but since 2005, the filmmaker has made about 14 feature-length films. That's not quite an average of two films per year between 2005-2013, but it's close (and it doesn't even include the shorts he's made). His debut, "Kissing on the Mouth" kicked off this movement when it was heralded as a hit at SXSW and since then he's become known for micro-budgeted indies like "Hannah Takes The Stairs" (which helped launch Greta Gerwig's career), "Nights & Weekends" and "Alexander The Last." And like the Duplass Brothers, Ry Russo-Young and Lynn Shelton before him (other close-knit filmmakers loosely lumped together under the "mumblecore" umbrella), Swanberg has finally gone mainstream. Again, not quite, but while the Duplass Brothers have made two comedies for Fox.
- 8/20/2013
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg has been something of an icon and champion of no-budget filmmaking ever since having a hand in the creation of the so-called mumblecore movement, along with filmmakers such as Andrew Bujalski and the Duplass brothers, with films like 2005's "Kissing on the Mouth" and 2007's "Hannah Takes the Stairs." Since then his prolific filmography has remained remarkably committed to the Diy aesthetic with which he made his name, so it was certainly understandable when heads turned at the announcement that his latest film would star an Oscar nominated actress (Anna Kendrick), a principal cast member of a hit Fox comedy (Jake Johnson of "New Girl") and a venerable movie star (Olivia Wilde). Equally surprising was the fact that it would be shot by up and coming "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Dp Ben Richardson, a film with a lush and colorful style that would seem to...
- 8/20/2013
- by Mark Lukenbill
- Indiewire
Director Adam Wingard has received rave reviews for his R-rated, home invasion horror-comedy You’re Next, which screened at several film festivals over the past couple of years and will be released August 23. But his often gore-drenched creative sensibility — and twisted sense of humor — is not everyone’s cup of Darjeeling. In the spring of 2007, for instance, the then just the 24-year-old Wingard appeared on the premiere episode of Fox TV’s On The Lot, a much-hyped but now little-remembered, Steven Spielberg-produced filmmakers’ competition with the first prize of a million-dollar development deal at Dreamworks. As Wingard recalls, he...
- 8/17/2013
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside Movies
Joe Swanberg first made a splash in 2005 with a slew of mumblecore flicks. You know, those features with no-name casts and dialogue sequences that make Woody Allen’s output resemble Michael Bay’s latest. Kissing On The Mouth and Hannah Takes The Stairs are but two of Swanberg’s contributions to the ‘core canon. Since then he’s segued into broader stories twinned with bigger budgets and starrier casts. His upcoming Drinking Buddies lands firmly in that category with a brand schpankin’ new trailer for you to feast your eyes on.
While it’s certainly not a blockbuster, Drinking Buddies owes a lot to Swanberg’s earlier work. With the exception of its barrage of well-known acting talent: Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston. The story revolves around Luke (Johnson) and Kate (Wilde), two brewery co-workers who resist the undeniable chemistry which flares up whenever the two are together.
While it’s certainly not a blockbuster, Drinking Buddies owes a lot to Swanberg’s earlier work. With the exception of its barrage of well-known acting talent: Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston. The story revolves around Luke (Johnson) and Kate (Wilde), two brewery co-workers who resist the undeniable chemistry which flares up whenever the two are together.
- 6/22/2013
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Joe Swanberg is a polarizing figure in independent film. Since his first feature in 2005 (Kissing on the Mouth), he's proved quickly prolific, directing eighteen full-length features in just eight years. Let me say that again: eighteen films in eight years! Within that intense output are such critically praised pictures as Silver Bullets, Alexander The Last and Nights and Weekends. But to some critics, Swanberg's typical mumblecore approach is too rushed and slapdash or.in the opinion of outspoken critic Devin Faraci, who literally fought with Swanberg at last year's Fantastic Fest."the laziest form of filmmaking." But even Swanberg's harshest critics might be wooed by his latest Drinking Buddies, as its trailer suggests it may be his most commercially appealing effort yet. Written and directed by Swanberg, Drinking Buddies boasts a remarkable foursome as its leads: Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson, Olivia Wilde, and Ron Livingston. We first got word of...
- 6/21/2013
- cinemablend.com
Joe Swanberg’s rom-com Drinking Buddies brings to the big screen a couple of items most likely shared on more than one bucket list. Firstly, there’s holding down a job wherein you are actively encouraged to drink at work. Secondly, there’s winning the affections of both Olivia Wilde and Anna Kendrick. What else is there as yet unrevealed by the official synopsis?! With the film’s summer opening approaching, distributor Magnolia Pictures have released a new poster and a couple of images. You can check them out below.
The lucky chap at the centre of the film’s bucket-list plottings is brewery employee, Luke (New Girl‘s Jake Johnson.) Luke spends his days at work flirting and getting tanked with fellow worker, Kate (Olivia Wilde.) Chemistry between the two froths up but leads nowhere. They’ve both already got partners. Kate is involved with Chris (Ron Livingston) and...
The lucky chap at the centre of the film’s bucket-list plottings is brewery employee, Luke (New Girl‘s Jake Johnson.) Luke spends his days at work flirting and getting tanked with fellow worker, Kate (Olivia Wilde.) Chemistry between the two froths up but leads nowhere. They’ve both already got partners. Kate is involved with Chris (Ron Livingston) and...
- 5/18/2013
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Slackerwood's coverage of SXSW 2013 has focused on Austin and Texas independent films and filmmakers, which were plentiful at the film fest this year. In addition, we watched and reviewed other interesting indie features and documentaries, as well as some short films.
But today, I'm wrapping up our coverage with frivolous red carpet and post-screening Q&A photos of the Beautiful People -- the stars, and I don't necessarily mean Austin celebrities either. That's Olivia Wilde pictured above, on the Drinking Buddies red carpet, and I am consumed with envy for the dress she's wearing. (Yes, those are little airplanes.) Let's take a little break and look at some pretty pictures of stars at SXSW taken by our intrepid photographers.
Having said that, I'll kick things off with an independent filmmaker: Joe Swanberg, who brought his first feature (Kissing on the Mouth) to SXSW in 2005, the first year I started going to and writing about SXSW.
But today, I'm wrapping up our coverage with frivolous red carpet and post-screening Q&A photos of the Beautiful People -- the stars, and I don't necessarily mean Austin celebrities either. That's Olivia Wilde pictured above, on the Drinking Buddies red carpet, and I am consumed with envy for the dress she's wearing. (Yes, those are little airplanes.) Let's take a little break and look at some pretty pictures of stars at SXSW taken by our intrepid photographers.
Having said that, I'll kick things off with an independent filmmaker: Joe Swanberg, who brought his first feature (Kissing on the Mouth) to SXSW in 2005, the first year I started going to and writing about SXSW.
- 4/9/2013
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Joe Swanberg, the indie director arguably responsible for the Diy aesthetic known as "mumblecore" (though don't fully blame him, he didn't coin the term) is the most prolific filmmaker alive. Ok, maybe not quite, but since 2005, the filmmaker has made about 14 feature-length films. That's not quite an average of two films per year between 2005-2013, but it's close (and it doesn't even include the shorts he's made). His debut, "Kissing on the Mouth" kicked off this movement when it was heralded as a hit at SXSW and since then he's become known for micro-budgeted indies like "Hannah Takes The Stairs" (which helped launch Greta Gerwig's career), "Nights & Weekends" and "Alexander The Last." And like the Duplass Brothers, Ry Russo-Young and Lynn Shelton before him (other close-knit filmmakers loosely lumped together under the "mumblecore" umbrella), Swanberg has finally gone mainstream. Again, not quite...but while the Duplass Brothers have made two comedies for Fox.
- 3/14/2013
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Since 2005, director Joe Swanberg has shot over a dozen feature-length Diy films. He helped kick off the term "mumblecore" in 2005 with his debut, "Kissing on the Mouth," and he's known for micro-budgeted indies like "Hannah Takes The Stairs" (which helped launch Greta Gerwig's career), "Nights & Weekends" and "Alexander The Last." But after making about fourteen features (plus shorts) in about seven years, Swanberg's finally trying his hand at something different: a sort-of Hollywood film called "Drinking Buddies," starring the biggest names that have ever been in any of his films: Anna Kendrick, Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson ("New Girl"), Ron Livingston and director Ti West. But if Swanberg has "gone Hollywood," that seems like a relative term. Premiering at SXSW 2013 in March, SXSW Magazine has a profile on the movie and Swanberg, which reveals that the movie is set...
- 2/8/2013
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
“The finacialization of the capitalist economy implies a growing abstraction of work from its useful function, and of language from its bodily dimension. Desire is diverted from physical contact and invested in the abstract field of simulated seduction, in the infinite space of the image.”
—Franco “Bifo” Berardi in The Uprising, On Poetry and Finance
For those who came of age in the nondescript 2000s, an era characterised by securitarian paranoia and lack of future prospects, Joe Swanberg’s Lol (2006) might as well read as their very own (purposeless) existential manifesto. A generational pamphlet that, in tune with its times, neither affirms nor negates, let alone criticizes, its predicament, but simply registers the vacuum within which it occurs. It is the Western vacuum of the 21st century whose first decade was marked by a tangible curb in the forward surge of pop cultural history. Cinema, but also music and literature,...
—Franco “Bifo” Berardi in The Uprising, On Poetry and Finance
For those who came of age in the nondescript 2000s, an era characterised by securitarian paranoia and lack of future prospects, Joe Swanberg’s Lol (2006) might as well read as their very own (purposeless) existential manifesto. A generational pamphlet that, in tune with its times, neither affirms nor negates, let alone criticizes, its predicament, but simply registers the vacuum within which it occurs. It is the Western vacuum of the 21st century whose first decade was marked by a tangible curb in the forward surge of pop cultural history. Cinema, but also music and literature,...
- 1/21/2013
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- MUBI
Chicago – HollywoodChicago.com writer Matt Fagerholm will chat about the latest independent films on Vocalo 89.5Fm from 9:30am to 10am on Friday, October 26th. Topics will include Tom Tykwer, Andy and Lana Wachowski’s hugely ambitious adaptation of David Mitchell’s acclaimed 2004 novel, “Cloud Atlas,” which opens in theaters on Friday, October 26th.
This is the second installment of Vocalo’s Indie Outlook series featuring Fagerholm, who created the independent film blog, Indie Outlook, this past summer. The site recently provided coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival with three in-depth interviews. Chicago’s own Kris Swanberg (“Kissing on the Mouth”) discussed her subtly eerie drama, “Empire Builder,” while Leslie Zemeckis (wife of Robert) chatted about her documentary, “Bound by Flesh,” which chronicled the lives of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton.
Director Brad Lichtenstein also discussed his Wisconsin-set documentary, “As Goes Janesville,” which follows the titular town’s...
This is the second installment of Vocalo’s Indie Outlook series featuring Fagerholm, who created the independent film blog, Indie Outlook, this past summer. The site recently provided coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival with three in-depth interviews. Chicago’s own Kris Swanberg (“Kissing on the Mouth”) discussed her subtly eerie drama, “Empire Builder,” while Leslie Zemeckis (wife of Robert) chatted about her documentary, “Bound by Flesh,” which chronicled the lives of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton.
Director Brad Lichtenstein also discussed his Wisconsin-set documentary, “As Goes Janesville,” which follows the titular town’s...
- 10/25/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The 48th Annual Chicago International Film Festival boasts one of the starriest opening nights in its history, with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin and Jon Bon Jovi all scheduled to walk the red carpet for the October 11th world premiere of Fisher Stevens’ crime comedy, “Stand Up Guys.” Yet that is far from the only picture worthy of attention at the year’s festival. Here are the highlights of the opening weekend covering October 11th to October 14th, 2012 (stay tuned on the 15th and 18th for more highlights).
Throughout the festival, Hollywood Chicago will be showcasing various films that deserve to not be overlooked. The opening act of this year’s Ciff includes a mind-bending fantasy that caused a sensation at Cannes and a riveting Wisconsin-set documentary that offers an unforgettable microcosm of the financial crisis. Also screening are the latest buzzed-about titles from directors including Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months,...
Throughout the festival, Hollywood Chicago will be showcasing various films that deserve to not be overlooked. The opening act of this year’s Ciff includes a mind-bending fantasy that caused a sensation at Cannes and a riveting Wisconsin-set documentary that offers an unforgettable microcosm of the financial crisis. Also screening are the latest buzzed-about titles from directors including Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months,...
- 10/11/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Anna Kendrick has joined the lineup of upcoming independent comedy Drinking Buddies. The Twilight and Up in the Air actress will lead the cast of the project, reports Deadline. The film is the latest from Kissing on the Mouth director Joe Swanberg. It will be produced by Andrea Roa, Anish Savajani and Alica van Couvering. The project is one in a long list of upcoming films (more)...
- 7/11/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
Joe Swanberg has been a busy guy. Immensely busy. Starting with 2005's Kissing On The Mouth he's directed over a dozen films including Hannah Takes The Stairs and Nights And Weekends. He's also found time to act in films such as A Horrible Way To Die and You're Next (a movie he's absolutely hilarious in). As one of the directors (and actors) of V/H/S, Swanberg is once again stretching his horror wings. I spoke to him recently about his dalliances in the genre, his recent acting roles, and his ideal career trajectory. In the film, "When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for."...
- 1/20/2012
- bloody-disgusting.com
Chicago – Ever since stumbling upon his 2005 directorial debut, “Kissing on the Mouth,” I’ve been deeply transfixed by the cinema of Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg. There’s a startling honesty to his work that is unmatched by many of his peers, as well as a near-obsessive desire to capture the “truth” in his fictional characters. He never shies away from sexual frankness or raw intimacy if they are required to serve the story.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Though Swanberg earned some of the best reviews of his career for his 2009 effort, “Alexander the Last,” the director later admitted that he felt uncomfortably pressured by the level of expectations surrounding the project. The experience made him realize that he was more interested in making micro-budget films with close friends and collaborators. 2011 marked a creative renaissance for Swanberg, who premiered a series of painstakingly personal films that directly confronted questions raised by various viewers, such...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Though Swanberg earned some of the best reviews of his career for his 2009 effort, “Alexander the Last,” the director later admitted that he felt uncomfortably pressured by the level of expectations surrounding the project. The experience made him realize that he was more interested in making micro-budget films with close friends and collaborators. 2011 marked a creative renaissance for Swanberg, who premiered a series of painstakingly personal films that directly confronted questions raised by various viewers, such...
- 1/16/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"Even Joe Swanberg has to stop to count the number of Joe Swanberg movies out there right now," writes Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times. Uncle Kent premiered at Sundance, Silver Bullets and Art History in Berlin. He's collaborating with Factory 25 on Joe Swanberg: Collected Films 2011, a box set of four films on DVD plus an unusual array of bonus material — records, photo books, posters. Autoerotic, made with Adam Wingard, is available on demand from IFC. And the AFI Fest, opening on Thursday, will be screening Silver Bullets and Art History and hosting the premiere of The Zone, which, as Olsen tells us, "traces the interrelationships of a trio of roommates once an outsider enters their dynamic, before revealing additional layers of psycho-emotional complexity…. If one were to make a diagram of contemporary American independent filmmaking, Swanberg would be somewhere near the center, if for no other reason...
- 10/31/2011
- MUBI
Chicago, Il - Cinema/Chicago announced that the 47Th Chicago International Film Festival will spotlight a diverse group of actors and filmmakers with Illinois and Chicago connections through two unique Festival programs: City & State and Chicago Connections.
From the Opening Night Presentation of The Last Rites of Joe May starring longtime Chicago thespian Dennis Farina to Xan Aranda.s look into the inner world of Chicago-bred musician Andrew Bird (Andrew Bird: Fever Year), and a short film program featuring promising new Illinois filmmakers (Shorts 1: City & State), this year.s City & State picks showcase the best features, documentaries and short films with roots in Chicago or Illinois. A Festival jury will select the best film in this category, which will be presented with the Chicago Award.
Chicago Connections, a ticketed series of screenings, discussions and Q&A.s, will honor notable native Chicagoans John C. Reilly, Haskell Wexler, Joe Swanberg,...
From the Opening Night Presentation of The Last Rites of Joe May starring longtime Chicago thespian Dennis Farina to Xan Aranda.s look into the inner world of Chicago-bred musician Andrew Bird (Andrew Bird: Fever Year), and a short film program featuring promising new Illinois filmmakers (Shorts 1: City & State), this year.s City & State picks showcase the best features, documentaries and short films with roots in Chicago or Illinois. A Festival jury will select the best film in this category, which will be presented with the Chicago Award.
Chicago Connections, a ticketed series of screenings, discussions and Q&A.s, will honor notable native Chicagoans John C. Reilly, Haskell Wexler, Joe Swanberg,...
- 9/29/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – Few filmmakers have proven to be as effortlessly prolific as Chicago-based writer/director/producer/actor Joe Swanberg. Since 2005, he’s released one directorial feature per year, with the exception of 2010. This year, he could potentially release seven pictures (three of them have already made the festival rounds). “Uncle Kent” played at Sundance, while “Silver Bullets” and “Art History” were screened at Berlinale.
“Kent,” which opens April 29 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, stars Kent Osborne (of “Hannah Takes the Stairs”) as a fortysomething animator who falls for the woman (Jennifer Prediger) he met on Chatroulette. It’s Swanberg’s latest exploration of relationships enhanced and hindered by technology, as well as one of the filmmaker’s most singular character portraits. Both “Bullets” and “History” are about the creative process of filmmaking, with Swanberg and his crew playing semi-fictionalized versions of themselves. Hollywood Chicago spoke with Swanberg about his various new projects,...
“Kent,” which opens April 29 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, stars Kent Osborne (of “Hannah Takes the Stairs”) as a fortysomething animator who falls for the woman (Jennifer Prediger) he met on Chatroulette. It’s Swanberg’s latest exploration of relationships enhanced and hindered by technology, as well as one of the filmmaker’s most singular character portraits. Both “Bullets” and “History” are about the creative process of filmmaking, with Swanberg and his crew playing semi-fictionalized versions of themselves. Hollywood Chicago spoke with Swanberg about his various new projects,...
- 4/25/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Toronto International Film Festival acquisitions this year were sparse which was no surprise given the recent closings of the well funded specialty arms of the studios. The noticeable slowdown in the business at these large festival cum market events (e.g., Toronto) has continued since Cannes although Locarno was happily surprised at the increased number of acquisitions which took place there albeit by international sales agents rather than by distributors. At least it attests to some enthusiasm in what seems to be a lackluster low energy year for the film business. Venice[/link] also created some sales in spite of its never quite becoming the market it might be. Pusan was disappointing leaving buyers and sellers looking toward the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival and AFM as the place where deals will close. The European sales agents did better selling to the Asian distributors than the Asian sales agents. Bavaria sold 'Into the Great Silence' to Jin Jin of South Korea. Celsius sold 'Vivaldi' to Mirovision for South Korea, and new international sales agent M-Appeal's Maren Kroymann sold 'Trick' to Coral for South Korea.
This is a sample of the Rights Roundup Reports available from sales-filmfinders@imdb.com. For more information on acquisitions in the future you can purchase the Fall Festival and Market RightsRoundup and Rights Roundup Reports for AFM/ American Film Market, Berlin Film Festival and EFM/ European Film Market and Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film after those events.
In Toronto, Fox Searchlight remained the strong buyer, picking up 'The Wrestler' for the highest sales figure of the market, but still less than $4,000,000 and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the other hit of the festival. Summit, an A list international sales agent who entered the domestic distribution business this year also acquired ‘Hurt Locker' for U.S.. Both 'The Wrestler' and 'Hurt Locker' were packaged, financed and represented by CAA and both were significant in that only U.S. rights were acquired (without Canada) at a good high price. IFC Films continued its acquisitions activities for IFC in Theaters, its day and date distribution platform making independent films available to a national audience in theaters and on demand simultaneously, buying ‘Flame & Citron’, ‘Fear Me Not’, ‘Everlasting Moments’ and ‘Che’. Sony Pictures Classics was also active acquiring distribution rights to ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of a Chorus Line’, ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’). The micro distributors such as Strand, Kino, Zeitgeist, Panorama, etc. continued business as usual, which generally means hanging back until there are no obvious offers for a film and then coming in with a modest proposal.
Here are the international sales agents whose sales (licensing of distribution rights on behalf of the producers) have been reported thus far:
Bavaria Film International licensed ‘Krabat’ to SPI for Poland and Romania and to Film Depot for Russia ahead of the first public screening. Strong interest is also reported from Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latin America, Japan and USA. ‘The Window’ (aka ‘La Ventana’) sold to Cinemien for Benelux, Imovison for Brazil. A deal with France is expected to close. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ went to Against Gravity for Poland. ‘Empty Nest’ has interest from U.S. as does ‘Restless’.
Celluloid Dreams has acquired all international sales rights to ‘Soul Power’ from Submarine Entertainment who was repping the film. There are offers in major territories soon to close. It also acquired ‘Youssou NDour: I Bring What I Love’ for world sales. Oscilloscope acquired it for U.S. ‘Birdwatchers’ sold to Artificial Eye for the U.K., Filmladen for Austria, Trigon for Switzerland, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand. ‘Mark Of An Angel’ has sold to Metrodome for the UK, Odeon for Greece, Seville for Canada, Xenix for Switzerland. Diaphana is about to gross $5m with its French theatrical release and Lumiere released in Belgium. ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’ sold to Odeon for France and Maywin for Russia.
Cinema Management Group has closed several territories on ‘The People Speak’ which screened 20 minutes in Toronto FF Special Screening. ‘Zambezia’, ‘Killer Bean Forever’ and ‘The People Speak’ went to Vision Film for Poland and to Film Pop for Turkey.
Elle Driver licensed ’35 Rhums’ to New Wave Films for the U.K.
Fandango Portobello licensed ‘Mid August Lunch' (aka'Pranzo di ferragosto’) to Le Pacte for France, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Xenix for Switzerland, Filmladen for Austria.
Films Distribution licensed ‘Sea Wall’ to Axiom for the U.K.
Finecut licensed 'Daytime Drinking' to Japan's Eleven Arts who will release it in 30 North American cities. Fortissimo Films signed a six picture deal with Canadian distributor Maximum Films for ‘$9.99’, ‘Laila's Birthday’, ‘Country Wedding’, ‘Serbis’, ‘Native Dancer’, and ‘Tokyo Sonata’. ‘Disgrace’ also went to Maximum. ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of A Chorus Line’ went to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and Australia and New Zealand. ‘Serbis’ and 'Tokyo Sonata' went to Regent for North America.
Hanway Films licensed ‘Of Time and City’ to Strand Releasing for all U.S. rights. ‘Genova’ went to ThinkFilm for North America just before Toronto. Wanda acquired all rights for Spain.
Maximum licensed ‘Sugar‘ to Axiom for the U.K.
Momento licensed ‘Goodbye Solo’ to Imagine for Benelux, Axiom for the U.K. and Xenix for Switzerland. It also has offers from France, Portugal, Greece and Italy among others.
MK2 licensed ‘24 City’ to The Cinema Guild for U.S.
Pathe licensed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to Warner Bros. and Fox Searchlight for North America. ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’) went to Sony Pictures Classics for U.S., Australasia, and Scandinavia just before Toronto.
Rai Trade licensed ‘Il Papa di Giovanna’ to Paradis for France, ABC for Benelux, Palace of Australia and New Zealand, MFD for Switzerland.
Roissy has licensed 'Seraphine' to Metrodome for U.K. and Ireland and to Rialto for Australia and New Zealand.
Sahamonkol licensed 'Chocolate' to Magnet for North America.
The Match Factory licensed ‘Flame & Citron’ to IFC Films for U.S. ‘Teza’ went to Trigon for Switzerland and Ripley’s Film for Italy.
TrustNordisk licensed ‘Fear Me Not’ and ‘Everlasting Moments’ and 'Heaven's Heart' to IFC Films for North America. Visit Films licensed five titles including ‘Hannah Takes The Stairs’, ‘LOL’, and ‘Kissing on The Mouth’, ‘Dance Party USA’ and ‘Quiet City’ to Beyond Entertainment for Australia/ New Zealand.
Voltage licensed ‘The Hurt Locker’ to Summit for U.S.
Wild Bunch licensed ‘Che’ to IFC Films. ‘Ponyo’ went to Lucky Red for Italy.
This is a sample of the Rights Roundup Reports available from sales-filmfinders@imdb.com. For more information on acquisitions in the future you can purchase the Fall Festival and Market RightsRoundup and Rights Roundup Reports for AFM/ American Film Market, Berlin Film Festival and EFM/ European Film Market and Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film after those events.
In Toronto, Fox Searchlight remained the strong buyer, picking up 'The Wrestler' for the highest sales figure of the market, but still less than $4,000,000 and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the other hit of the festival. Summit, an A list international sales agent who entered the domestic distribution business this year also acquired ‘Hurt Locker' for U.S.. Both 'The Wrestler' and 'Hurt Locker' were packaged, financed and represented by CAA and both were significant in that only U.S. rights were acquired (without Canada) at a good high price. IFC Films continued its acquisitions activities for IFC in Theaters, its day and date distribution platform making independent films available to a national audience in theaters and on demand simultaneously, buying ‘Flame & Citron’, ‘Fear Me Not’, ‘Everlasting Moments’ and ‘Che’. Sony Pictures Classics was also active acquiring distribution rights to ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of a Chorus Line’, ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’). The micro distributors such as Strand, Kino, Zeitgeist, Panorama, etc. continued business as usual, which generally means hanging back until there are no obvious offers for a film and then coming in with a modest proposal.
Here are the international sales agents whose sales (licensing of distribution rights on behalf of the producers) have been reported thus far:
Bavaria Film International licensed ‘Krabat’ to SPI for Poland and Romania and to Film Depot for Russia ahead of the first public screening. Strong interest is also reported from Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latin America, Japan and USA. ‘The Window’ (aka ‘La Ventana’) sold to Cinemien for Benelux, Imovison for Brazil. A deal with France is expected to close. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ went to Against Gravity for Poland. ‘Empty Nest’ has interest from U.S. as does ‘Restless’.
Celluloid Dreams has acquired all international sales rights to ‘Soul Power’ from Submarine Entertainment who was repping the film. There are offers in major territories soon to close. It also acquired ‘Youssou NDour: I Bring What I Love’ for world sales. Oscilloscope acquired it for U.S. ‘Birdwatchers’ sold to Artificial Eye for the U.K., Filmladen for Austria, Trigon for Switzerland, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand. ‘Mark Of An Angel’ has sold to Metrodome for the UK, Odeon for Greece, Seville for Canada, Xenix for Switzerland. Diaphana is about to gross $5m with its French theatrical release and Lumiere released in Belgium. ‘Achilles and the Tortoise’ sold to Odeon for France and Maywin for Russia.
Cinema Management Group has closed several territories on ‘The People Speak’ which screened 20 minutes in Toronto FF Special Screening. ‘Zambezia’, ‘Killer Bean Forever’ and ‘The People Speak’ went to Vision Film for Poland and to Film Pop for Turkey.
Elle Driver licensed ’35 Rhums’ to New Wave Films for the U.K.
Fandango Portobello licensed ‘Mid August Lunch' (aka'Pranzo di ferragosto’) to Le Pacte for France, Pandora for Germany, Cinemien for Benelux, Xenix for Switzerland, Filmladen for Austria.
Films Distribution licensed ‘Sea Wall’ to Axiom for the U.K.
Finecut licensed 'Daytime Drinking' to Japan's Eleven Arts who will release it in 30 North American cities. Fortissimo Films signed a six picture deal with Canadian distributor Maximum Films for ‘$9.99’, ‘Laila's Birthday’, ‘Country Wedding’, ‘Serbis’, ‘Native Dancer’, and ‘Tokyo Sonata’. ‘Disgrace’ also went to Maximum. ‘Every Little Step: The Journey of A Chorus Line’ went to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and Australia and New Zealand. ‘Serbis’ and 'Tokyo Sonata' went to Regent for North America.
Hanway Films licensed ‘Of Time and City’ to Strand Releasing for all U.S. rights. ‘Genova’ went to ThinkFilm for North America just before Toronto. Wanda acquired all rights for Spain.
Maximum licensed ‘Sugar‘ to Axiom for the U.K.
Momento licensed ‘Goodbye Solo’ to Imagine for Benelux, Axiom for the U.K. and Xenix for Switzerland. It also has offers from France, Portugal, Greece and Italy among others.
MK2 licensed ‘24 City’ to The Cinema Guild for U.S.
Pathe licensed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to Warner Bros. and Fox Searchlight for North America. ‘Faubourg 36’ (aka ‘Paris 36’) went to Sony Pictures Classics for U.S., Australasia, and Scandinavia just before Toronto.
Rai Trade licensed ‘Il Papa di Giovanna’ to Paradis for France, ABC for Benelux, Palace of Australia and New Zealand, MFD for Switzerland.
Roissy has licensed 'Seraphine' to Metrodome for U.K. and Ireland and to Rialto for Australia and New Zealand.
Sahamonkol licensed 'Chocolate' to Magnet for North America.
The Match Factory licensed ‘Flame & Citron’ to IFC Films for U.S. ‘Teza’ went to Trigon for Switzerland and Ripley’s Film for Italy.
TrustNordisk licensed ‘Fear Me Not’ and ‘Everlasting Moments’ and 'Heaven's Heart' to IFC Films for North America. Visit Films licensed five titles including ‘Hannah Takes The Stairs’, ‘LOL’, and ‘Kissing on The Mouth’, ‘Dance Party USA’ and ‘Quiet City’ to Beyond Entertainment for Australia/ New Zealand.
Voltage licensed ‘The Hurt Locker’ to Summit for U.S.
Wild Bunch licensed ‘Che’ to IFC Films. ‘Ponyo’ went to Lucky Red for Italy.
- 9/16/2008
- Sydney's Buzz
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