This is not the documentary renaissance we hoped for. Despite its 2023 Oscar win for “Navalny,” CNN pulled back on non-fiction production. Non-fiction programming at Showtime Networks, which produced Oscar-nominated “Attica” in 2022, is no more.
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
“The New York Times Presents” series, which produced titles like “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” and “Framing Britney Spears,” is being phased out in favor of integrating non-fiction video into the media brand. Hot Docs is on the ropes; Participant, which produced documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” and “American Factory,” closed last month.
And then there’s Netflix, which is still very much in the documentary game under Adam Del Deo, Netflix VP of original documentary films and limited series — and can afford to be with nearly 270 million global subscribers. However, it’s a specific sort of gameplay: For tight, high-quality nonfiction work that’s heartwarming, or thrilling, or stars a celebrity,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Al Pacino and Dan Stevens have teamed up for exorcism horror film “The Ritual” from director David Midell.
XYZ Films has acquired worldwide rights to the feature, with plans to release it theatrically in 2025 and arrange international distribution at the upcoming Cannes market.
“The Ritual” was written by Midell and Enrico Natale and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.
Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.
BondIt Media Capital provided financing for the project,...
XYZ Films has acquired worldwide rights to the feature, with plans to release it theatrically in 2025 and arrange international distribution at the upcoming Cannes market.
“The Ritual” was written by Midell and Enrico Natale and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.
Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.
BondIt Media Capital provided financing for the project,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has released the lineup for the 11th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London.
The Festival, which will run from June 6-9, will open with the UK premiere of writer and director Rich Peppiatt’s boisterous Irish-language film Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi (弟弟) written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang.
Other titles in the program include the Zellner brothers’ Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough-starrer Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biography Rob Peace, and Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls, which won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. The documentaries include Skywalkers: A Love Story by multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless in her directorial debut.
There will also be a short film program dedicated to films either produced in the UK or made by filmmakers based in the UK.
The Festival, which will run from June 6-9, will open with the UK premiere of writer and director Rich Peppiatt’s boisterous Irish-language film Kneecap and close with the UK premiere of Dìdi (弟弟) written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang.
Other titles in the program include the Zellner brothers’ Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough-starrer Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biography Rob Peace, and Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls, which won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. The documentaries include Skywalkers: A Love Story by multi-Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless in her directorial debut.
There will also be a short film program dedicated to films either produced in the UK or made by filmmakers based in the UK.
- 4/23/2024
- by Hannah Abraham
- Deadline Film + TV
The Nantucket Film Festival has set the lineup for its 2024 edition and will honor Emmy-nominated writer-producer Kerry Ehrin, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Girls5Eva showrunner Meredith Scardino.
The 29th edition of the festival will open with Josh Margolin’s June Squibb-starrer Thelma, close with Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man and Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, about a daredevil couple who secretly filmed themselves climbing the world’s last super skyscraper. The festival will also continue its tradition of screening a Disney or Pixar film on its opening day, with a festival screening of Inside Out 2.
The festival also announced several honorees: Ehrin will receive the Excellence in Television Writing Award; Williams will receive the Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award and his latest feature Stamped From the Beginning, based on the book of the same name by Ibram X. Kendi,...
The 29th edition of the festival will open with Josh Margolin’s June Squibb-starrer Thelma, close with Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man and Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, about a daredevil couple who secretly filmed themselves climbing the world’s last super skyscraper. The festival will also continue its tradition of screening a Disney or Pixar film on its opening day, with a festival screening of Inside Out 2.
The festival also announced several honorees: Ehrin will receive the Excellence in Television Writing Award; Williams will receive the Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award and his latest feature Stamped From the Beginning, based on the book of the same name by Ibram X. Kendi,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The line-up for the Sundance Film Festival: London 2024 edition includes surreal comedy Sasquatch Sunset, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rob Peace and A24 horror I Saw The TV Glow.
The festival takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9, and will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January.
Sasquatch Sunset is directed by David and Nathan Zellner and stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg. It follows a family of sasquatch - hairy, human-like mythical creatures from the northwestern US - over a year. Ejiofor also stars in biographical drama Rob Peace, which is based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling book.
The festival takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central from June 6-9, and will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January.
Sasquatch Sunset is directed by David and Nathan Zellner and stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg. It follows a family of sasquatch - hairy, human-like mythical creatures from the northwestern US - over a year. Ejiofor also stars in biographical drama Rob Peace, which is based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling book.
- 4/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
Taking place June 5-16, the 2024 Tribeca Festival has unveiled its features lineup, featuring a selection of narrative, documentary, and animated films. World premiere highlights include Joel Potrykus’ Vulcanizadora, Michael Angarano’s Sacramento starring Michael Cera and Kristen Stewart, Jazzy, the latest collaboration between The Unknown Country director Morrisa Maltz and star Lily Gladstone.
Films that have premiered at prior festivals that are set for Tribeca include Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples, Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, Daddio starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, Kneecap, the Sundance winner In the Summers, Treasure starring Lena Dunham, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s The Devil’s Bath, Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, Skywalkers: A Love Story, and more.
Explore the lineup below.
2024 Tribeca Festival Feature Film Selection
Opening Night Gala
Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, (United States) – World Premiere. Child of a Holocaust survivor, Princess by marriage, and founder of a fashion empire,...
Films that have premiered at prior festivals that are set for Tribeca include Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples, Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, Daddio starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, Kneecap, the Sundance winner In the Summers, Treasure starring Lena Dunham, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s The Devil’s Bath, Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, Skywalkers: A Love Story, and more.
Explore the lineup below.
2024 Tribeca Festival Feature Film Selection
Opening Night Gala
Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, (United States) – World Premiere. Child of a Holocaust survivor, Princess by marriage, and founder of a fashion empire,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Shazam” star Zachary Levi is set to headline rock-climbing action thriller “Free Fall” for XYZ Films, with acclaimed New Zealand stuntwoman and stunt coordinator Zoë Bell tapped to direct.
The film — written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker — tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air. Production is set to start later this year in New Zealand. Tom Hern and Nua Finau of Tavake are producing, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen executive producing alongside Finegan, Parker and Levi.
Bell began her career as a stunt performer on “Xena: Warrior Princess” and then alongside Quentin Tarantino as a stunt woman and coordinator over a decades-long relationship. She has worked on films such as “The Hateful Eight,” “Django Unchained,” “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
The film — written by Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker — tells the story of a father’s attempt to reconcile with his estranged daughter on a rock-climbing trip that turns deadly as an accident leaves them stranded hundreds of feet in the air. Production is set to start later this year in New Zealand. Tom Hern and Nua Finau of Tavake are producing, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen executive producing alongside Finegan, Parker and Levi.
Bell began her career as a stunt performer on “Xena: Warrior Princess” and then alongside Quentin Tarantino as a stunt woman and coordinator over a decades-long relationship. She has worked on films such as “The Hateful Eight,” “Django Unchained,” “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sky has acquired UK rights to true-crime documentary series Inheritance: The Jersey Murders, which has been six years in the making.
The under-the-radar three-part series is set amidst the 1987 Great Storm on the island of Jersey, where Elizabeth and Nicholas Newall vanish. Suspicion falls on their sons, Roderick and Mark, when blood is found, leading to a murder investigation. Roderick evades the police but is eventually apprehended off the coast of Africa, while Mark is arrested in Europe. Legal complexities result in a secret deal: Roderick serves 12 years for double murder, while Mark serves 22 months and inherits the entire Newall fortune. More than three decades later, this three-part documentary uses 70 hours of unheard taped recordings between the brothers to reveal new insight and uncovers how Mark Newall went on to co-found a major e-commerce company.
The limited series was directed and produced by Eloise Singer at Singer Studios and...
The under-the-radar three-part series is set amidst the 1987 Great Storm on the island of Jersey, where Elizabeth and Nicholas Newall vanish. Suspicion falls on their sons, Roderick and Mark, when blood is found, leading to a murder investigation. Roderick evades the police but is eventually apprehended off the coast of Africa, while Mark is arrested in Europe. Legal complexities result in a secret deal: Roderick serves 12 years for double murder, while Mark serves 22 months and inherits the entire Newall fortune. More than three decades later, this three-part documentary uses 70 hours of unheard taped recordings between the brothers to reveal new insight and uncovers how Mark Newall went on to co-found a major e-commerce company.
The limited series was directed and produced by Eloise Singer at Singer Studios and...
- 2/29/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sugarcane has become the latest big documentary deal out of the Sundance Film Festival.
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
Nat Geo has snapped up the doc, an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school which ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Deadline understands that the Disney-owned factual brand has struck a deal in the low seven-figures. The doc comes from filmmakers Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
National Geographic Documentary Films will roll out Sugarcane at global festivals throughout the rest of the year and release it in theaters before its streaming debut on Disney+.
It is the latest deal out of Sundance for National Geographic Documentary Films; the company picked up Fire Of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, out of the festival in 2022 as well as The Territory, which came from director Alex Pritz.
There were numerous documentary deals out of...
- 2/21/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“Tatami,” the Iranian drama from co-directors Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir, has been picked up by XYZ Films for North America, where both lip-synched English and original language versions will be released later this year.
The feature, which bowed in Venice 2023 where it won the Brian Award, made history by becoming the first film to be jointly directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Starring Arienne Mandi, Amir, Jaime Ray Newman and Ash Goldeh, and written by Nattiv — an Oscar winner for his short film “Skin” — and Elham Erfani, “Tatami” is set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Midway through the competition, Iranian female judo fighter Leila (Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Amir ) receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, lest she be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake,...
The feature, which bowed in Venice 2023 where it won the Brian Award, made history by becoming the first film to be jointly directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Starring Arienne Mandi, Amir, Jaime Ray Newman and Ash Goldeh, and written by Nattiv — an Oscar winner for his short film “Skin” — and Elham Erfani, “Tatami” is set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Midway through the competition, Iranian female judo fighter Leila (Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Amir ) receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, lest she be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ahead of EFM 2024, XYZ Films has promoted James Emanuel Shapiro to President of Domestic Distribution, upping Alex Williams to Sr. Manager, Acquisitions and Development.
Shapiro, formerly the Executive Vice President of U.S. Distribution, reports to XYZ CEO Nick Spicer and Partner Nate Bolotin. The promotions come following XYZ’s recent hiring of Celine Lin for the role of Senior VP of International Sales.
XYZ launched its domestic distribution arm in 2021 and has since then released films from Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (Something in the Dirt), Nic Cassavetes (God Is a Bullet) and Michelle Garza (Huesera: The Bone Woman).
Said the Partners at XYZ in a joint statement, “These are well deserved promotions and we couldn’t be happier for James and Alex. James has done a terrific job launching the division, with strong support from Alex, and we’re excited about our upcoming slate.”
Prior to his time at XYZ Films,...
Shapiro, formerly the Executive Vice President of U.S. Distribution, reports to XYZ CEO Nick Spicer and Partner Nate Bolotin. The promotions come following XYZ’s recent hiring of Celine Lin for the role of Senior VP of International Sales.
XYZ launched its domestic distribution arm in 2021 and has since then released films from Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (Something in the Dirt), Nic Cassavetes (God Is a Bullet) and Michelle Garza (Huesera: The Bone Woman).
Said the Partners at XYZ in a joint statement, “These are well deserved promotions and we couldn’t be happier for James and Alex. James has done a terrific job launching the division, with strong support from Alex, and we’re excited about our upcoming slate.”
Prior to his time at XYZ Films,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
If you’ve never used the word rooftop as a verb, it’s likely that you’ve not been following Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, a pair of Moscow daredevils who have made a career out of scaling some of the world’s tallest buildings. Their climbs are often unsanctioned and completed with minimal or nonexistent safety precautions in place. Of course, Nikolau and Beerkus aren’t just climbing buddies. They’re also in love, which means their date nights are a touch riskier than yours. The passion and dangers in this rooftopper relationship are at the heart of Skywalkers: A Love Story, a documentary that recently debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and will soon be coming to Netflix.
The film, which took seven years to produce, was written by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed and co-produced by Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina. Nick Spicer served as executive producer for XYZ Films.
The film, which took seven years to produce, was written by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed and co-produced by Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina. Nick Spicer served as executive producer for XYZ Films.
- 2/5/2024
- by Roxanne Fequiere
- Tudum - Netflix
The Sundance documentary Daughters has landed at Netflix.
The feature follows four young girls as they prepare for a daddy-daughter dance, which is a chance to reunite with their incarcerated fathers as part of a fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., prison. Daughters took home the audience award in the documentary competition and earned the festival favorite award.
Directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae are behind the feature. Patton is the CEO of Girls for a Change, a nonprofit that launched the Date With Dad Program, which holds a dance for the daughters of men incarcerated in a D.C. prison. The documentary details a ten-week program the men enter upon in preparation for the dance, as well as the anticipation the girls feel for the big day.
“Daughters peaks an hour in with the father-daughter dance, which is astonishing and as potent as you could hope for. From the preparations for the dance,...
The feature follows four young girls as they prepare for a daddy-daughter dance, which is a chance to reunite with their incarcerated fathers as part of a fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., prison. Daughters took home the audience award in the documentary competition and earned the festival favorite award.
Directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae are behind the feature. Patton is the CEO of Girls for a Change, a nonprofit that launched the Date With Dad Program, which holds a dance for the daughters of men incarcerated in a D.C. prison. The documentary details a ten-week program the men enter upon in preparation for the dance, as well as the anticipation the girls feel for the big day.
“Daughters peaks an hour in with the father-daughter dance, which is astonishing and as potent as you could hope for. From the preparations for the dance,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated throughout with new buys. Despite some initial trepidation, big sales were not in short supply at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Netflix spending big on everything from “It’s What’s Inside” to “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” Searchlight Pictures going for “A Real Pain,” Amazon MGM getting in on the “My Old Ass” action, Neon wisely snapping up “Presence,” and Sony Pictures Classics getting down with “Kneecap”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of superior films still looking for homes.
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like Saoirse Ronan in “The Outrun”), those in search of the next big director, or documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact and fascinating true stories.
And while it’s still early days,...
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like Saoirse Ronan in “The Outrun”), those in search of the next big director, or documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact and fascinating true stories.
And while it’s still early days,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It may have nothing to do with the fantastical creations of George Lucas, but in terms of achieving blockbuster-sized thrills, Skywalkers: A Love Story succeeds on a level where so many Hollywood productions fail. Following the trials and tribulations in love and play of a Russian influencer couple who have dedicated their life to illegally scaling the world’s largest skyscrapers, its immersive cinematography places us in nail-biting heights right alongside them. Following in the footsteps of the rousing Man on Wire and Free Solo, with a bit of Mission: Impossible-like espionage thrown in, the footage is about as thrilling and vertigo-inducing as one could imagine. Like another Netflix release––last year’s The Deepest Breath, which captured the story of free divers plumbing the depths of the ocean––Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina’s new documentary attempts to elucidate the thought process behind these daredevil theatrics. Yet it...
- 1/29/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Imagine suffering a panic or anxiety attack on a walk in the park or on the commute to and from work or as you watch your favorite docu-series via streaming. Now imagine a panic attack almost 2,000 feet above the ground as you tightly grip a metal ladder or scaffolding buffeted by 40-50 Mph winds. Even then, your imagination — and mine and everyone else’s — isn’t capable of duplicating, let alone replicating the first-hand experience of the so-called “rooftoppers” at the center of Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina’s singularly vertiginous documentary, Skywalkers: A Love Story. Little can, but Zimbalist, Bukhonina, and the charismatic co-stars of Skywalkers: A Love Story, Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, do their (next) level best to convey the sheer exhilaration,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/29/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18-28 and, after a sluggish start, there were deals (click here for the latest), celebrity sightings, and a protest.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
- 1/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” joins “Free Solo” in a film subgenre that can only be described as “F*ck That.” It’s an ultra-specific genre of documentary that showcases feats that are so incredibly dangerous that you not only shake your head in disbelief but actually get your heart beating harder as you hold your breath, imagining that if you don’t make a noise, then maybe these people won’t die right before your eyes.
Continue reading ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Review: A Daredevil Couple Captures Your Heart & Induces A Panic Attack In This Slick, Thrilling Doc [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Review: A Daredevil Couple Captures Your Heart & Induces A Panic Attack In This Slick, Thrilling Doc [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/27/2024
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Netflix has acquired “Skywalkers: A Love Story” following the documentary feature’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Skywalkers,” which premiered Jan. 18 at the Ray Theatre, follows daring couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, who saved their relationship and career by climbing one of the world’s tallest buildings. Per the official logline: “A daredevil couple journey across the globe to climb the world’s last super skyscraper and perform a bold acrobatic stunt on the spire.” The documentary took seven years of production.
“Skywalkers” is directed and written by Jeff Zimbalist, with Maria Bukhonina as co-director. Zimbalist and Bukhonina produced the film alongside Library Films’ Chris Smith and XYZ Films’ head of documentary Tamir Ardon, while XYZ Films’ Nick Spicer executive produced. XYZ Films and Library Films were co-studios on the All Rise Films production.
Variety‘s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote in his “Skywalkers” review:...
“Skywalkers,” which premiered Jan. 18 at the Ray Theatre, follows daring couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, who saved their relationship and career by climbing one of the world’s tallest buildings. Per the official logline: “A daredevil couple journey across the globe to climb the world’s last super skyscraper and perform a bold acrobatic stunt on the spire.” The documentary took seven years of production.
“Skywalkers” is directed and written by Jeff Zimbalist, with Maria Bukhonina as co-director. Zimbalist and Bukhonina produced the film alongside Library Films’ Chris Smith and XYZ Films’ head of documentary Tamir Ardon, while XYZ Films’ Nick Spicer executive produced. XYZ Films and Library Films were co-studios on the All Rise Films production.
Variety‘s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote in his “Skywalkers” review:...
- 1/27/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
On a busy Saturday for two of the biggest Sundance documentaries Netflix confirmed it had picked up worldwide rights to Skywalkers: A Love Story, while Warner Bros was in exclusive negotiations for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers tells of a pair of Russian “rooftoppers” who attempt to perform an acrobatic stunt atop the Merdeka 118 super skyscraper under construction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a bid to save their relationship and their careers.
The US Documentary Competition selection took seven years to make and Zimablist and his team accompanied Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus on their mission for much of the ride,...
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers tells of a pair of Russian “rooftoppers” who attempt to perform an acrobatic stunt atop the Merdeka 118 super skyscraper under construction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a bid to save their relationship and their careers.
The US Documentary Competition selection took seven years to make and Zimablist and his team accompanied Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus on their mission for much of the ride,...
- 1/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has picked up worldwide rights for Sundance documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story from XYZ Films.
On a busy Saturday morning it also emerged that Warner Bros is in exclusive negotiations with no deal in place yet to acquire worldwide rights for around $15m to Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story which Cinetic is selling after fielding intense interest since the January 21 premiere.
Sources had not confirmed the stated $15m deal amount, at time of writing, which would be a huge number for a Sundance documentary sale.
The studio makes sense for Super/Man,...
On a busy Saturday morning it also emerged that Warner Bros is in exclusive negotiations with no deal in place yet to acquire worldwide rights for around $15m to Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story which Cinetic is selling after fielding intense interest since the January 21 premiere.
Sources had not confirmed the stated $15m deal amount, at time of writing, which would be a huge number for a Sundance documentary sale.
The studio makes sense for Super/Man,...
- 1/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has picked up worldwide rights for Sundance documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story from XYZ Films.
A busy Saturday morning also brought reports that Warner Bros is in advanced talks to acquire Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story which Cinetic is selling after fielding intense interest since the January 21 premiere.
Sources had not confirmed the reports, nor the stated $15m deal amount, at time of writing, which would be a huge amount for a Sundance documentary sale.
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers tells of a pair of Russian “rootoppers” who attempt to scale the Merdeka...
A busy Saturday morning also brought reports that Warner Bros is in advanced talks to acquire Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story which Cinetic is selling after fielding intense interest since the January 21 premiere.
Sources had not confirmed the reports, nor the stated $15m deal amount, at time of writing, which would be a huge amount for a Sundance documentary sale.
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers tells of a pair of Russian “rootoppers” who attempt to scale the Merdeka...
- 1/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Netflix has landed the Sundance Film Festival buzz title documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. The film premiered January 18 at The Ray Theatre.
The film focuses on the boundary-pushing couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, and a desperate climb to save their relationship. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, the film is reminiscent of pics like the Robert Zemeckis-The Walk and the Jimmy Chin/Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi-directed Free Solo, in that you can feel the dizzying heights and the risks just watching.
It took the filmmakers seven years to chronicle it all, as the climbers scaled some of the some of the world’s highest skyscrapers and sharing intimate photos with their millions of followers on social media. The couple’s relationship was in danger of a freefall when their goals began to differ, as they continued to escape law enforcement to dangle off the skyscrapers,...
The film focuses on the boundary-pushing couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, and a desperate climb to save their relationship. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, the film is reminiscent of pics like the Robert Zemeckis-The Walk and the Jimmy Chin/Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi-directed Free Solo, in that you can feel the dizzying heights and the risks just watching.
It took the filmmakers seven years to chronicle it all, as the climbers scaled some of the some of the world’s highest skyscrapers and sharing intimate photos with their millions of followers on social media. The couple’s relationship was in danger of a freefall when their goals began to differ, as they continued to escape law enforcement to dangle off the skyscrapers,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Watching 2018's "Free Solo," the Oscar-winning documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold's daring attempt to scale Yosemite's El Capitan with no ropes to protect him from potentially falling, was such a visceral viewing experience, it caused my palms to sweat.
The same thing can be said of "Skywalkers: A Love Story," director Jeff Zimbalist's new documentary about Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus, two Russian "rooftoppers" who have become famous for breaking into skyscrapers, climbing to their highest possible points, and taking photos and videos for social media. The two begin the film as rivals, but team up to work together and eventually ... well, the phrase "fall for each other" carries a heavy connotation given their particular niche, so let's just say their dynamic changes as they survive some ridiculously dangerous climbs and come to love one another. Armed with a phalanx of GoPros, cameras, and drones, Vanya is the straightforward tactician,...
The same thing can be said of "Skywalkers: A Love Story," director Jeff Zimbalist's new documentary about Angela Nikolau and Ivan "Vanya" Beerkus, two Russian "rooftoppers" who have become famous for breaking into skyscrapers, climbing to their highest possible points, and taking photos and videos for social media. The two begin the film as rivals, but team up to work together and eventually ... well, the phrase "fall for each other" carries a heavy connotation given their particular niche, so let's just say their dynamic changes as they survive some ridiculously dangerous climbs and come to love one another. Armed with a phalanx of GoPros, cameras, and drones, Vanya is the straightforward tactician,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Amazon MGM Studios is in final negotiations for Sundance comedy hit My Old Ass starring Maddie Ziegler and Aubrey Plaza for a reported $15m.
The studio is targeting a wide North American theatrical release, with international territories to be determined. The film will end up on Prime Video.
My Old Ass marks the latest deal to trickle out of Sundance, where Netflix paid $17m for It’s What’s Inside, Neon acquired Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, and Searchlight Pictures paid $10m for Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.
Documentaries Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Skywalkers: A Love Story, as well as action comedy Thelma,...
The studio is targeting a wide North American theatrical release, with international territories to be determined. The film will end up on Prime Video.
My Old Ass marks the latest deal to trickle out of Sundance, where Netflix paid $17m for It’s What’s Inside, Neon acquired Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, and Searchlight Pictures paid $10m for Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.
Documentaries Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Skywalkers: A Love Story, as well as action comedy Thelma,...
- 1/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
2024 Sundance Film Festival
Through Sunday, one can experience the 2024 Sundance Film Festival from the comfort of their own home, if it’s in the United States. Having seen over 50 titles in the lineup, in terms of films with tickets still available I can highly recommend Good One, Between the Temples, Tendaberry, Black Box Diaries, Ibelin, Kneecap, Didi, Brief History of a Family, Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Sujo, Seeking Mavis Beacon, Skywalkers: A Love Story, Union, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, and Realm of Satan. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Official Site (through Sunday only)
Amanda (Carolina Cavalli)
Sofia Coppola’s eighth feature doesn’t hit theaters for another few months, but you’d be forgiven if you thought it was actually Amanda, writer-director Carolina Cavalli’s darkly humorous,...
2024 Sundance Film Festival
Through Sunday, one can experience the 2024 Sundance Film Festival from the comfort of their own home, if it’s in the United States. Having seen over 50 titles in the lineup, in terms of films with tickets still available I can highly recommend Good One, Between the Temples, Tendaberry, Black Box Diaries, Ibelin, Kneecap, Didi, Brief History of a Family, Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Sujo, Seeking Mavis Beacon, Skywalkers: A Love Story, Union, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, and Realm of Satan. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Official Site (through Sunday only)
Amanda (Carolina Cavalli)
Sofia Coppola’s eighth feature doesn’t hit theaters for another few months, but you’d be forgiven if you thought it was actually Amanda, writer-director Carolina Cavalli’s darkly humorous,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There’s a cheesiness to the title of the new documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” with that heart-on-its-sleeve subtitle baked in. Despite the images of lightsabers it may convey, this Sundance documentary premiere is not about Luke and his “Star Wars” kin, but rather two Russian daredevils who scale towering buildings to create social media content, and also happen to be in a romantic relationship.
If their portrayals in Jeff Zimbalist’s film are accurate, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov have a sweet corniness to them, thanks to all their platitudes about how their daring and illegal sport is also a metaphor for their love. The result is a film that mixes tense, thriller-like scenes of Nikolau and Kuznetsov in action with an ending that’s almost aggressively sentimental.
“Skywalkers” plays a little bit like a “Man on Wire” for the Instagram age, and it’s at its best when...
If their portrayals in Jeff Zimbalist’s film are accurate, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov have a sweet corniness to them, thanks to all their platitudes about how their daring and illegal sport is also a metaphor for their love. The result is a film that mixes tense, thriller-like scenes of Nikolau and Kuznetsov in action with an ending that’s almost aggressively sentimental.
“Skywalkers” plays a little bit like a “Man on Wire” for the Instagram age, and it’s at its best when...
- 1/25/2024
- by Esther Zuckerman
- Indiewire
In the latest high-profile acquisition at Sundance Neon is understood to have acquired worldwide rights to Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence starring Lucy Liu.
The Premieres selection debuted last Friday and plays again this upcoming weekend. David Koepp wrote the screenplay.
Shot in one location, Presence follows a family that moves into a suburban home inhabited by a ghost. The cast includes Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer served as producers and Koepp and Corey Bayes are executive producers. Michael Sugar of Sugar23 brokered the deal with attorney Jamie Feldman and Meyer.
The Premieres selection debuted last Friday and plays again this upcoming weekend. David Koepp wrote the screenplay.
Shot in one location, Presence follows a family that moves into a suburban home inhabited by a ghost. The cast includes Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer served as producers and Koepp and Corey Bayes are executive producers. Michael Sugar of Sugar23 brokered the deal with attorney Jamie Feldman and Meyer.
- 1/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has scored the biggest on-site deal at Sundance so far, pouncing on the horror It’s What’s Inside in a reported $17m deal.
Greg Jardin’s Midnight selection premiered on Friday and centres on a pre-wedding party that goes horrifically wrong when a former friend of the group arrives bearing a suitcase.
William Rosenfeld, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum and Raúl Domingo produced the film, which CAA Media Finance represented for sales and had been in talks with buyers since Friday’s world premiere.
The ensemble cast features Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Devon Terrell, among others.
It’s What’s Inside...
Greg Jardin’s Midnight selection premiered on Friday and centres on a pre-wedding party that goes horrifically wrong when a former friend of the group arrives bearing a suitcase.
William Rosenfeld, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum and Raúl Domingo produced the film, which CAA Media Finance represented for sales and had been in talks with buyers since Friday’s world premiere.
The ensemble cast features Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Devon Terrell, among others.
It’s What’s Inside...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has scored the biggest on-site deal at Sundance so far, pouncing on the horror It’s What’s Inside in a reported $17m deal.
Greg Jardin’s Midnight selection premiered on Friday and centres on a pre-wedding party that goes horrifically wrong when a former friend of the group arrives bearing a suitcase.
William Rosenfeld, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum and Raúl Domingo produced the film, which CAA Media Finance represented for sales and had been in talks with buyers since Friday’s world premiere.
The ensemble cast features Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Devon Terrell, among others.
It’s What’s Inside...
Greg Jardin’s Midnight selection premiered on Friday and centres on a pre-wedding party that goes horrifically wrong when a former friend of the group arrives bearing a suitcase.
William Rosenfeld, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum and Raúl Domingo produced the film, which CAA Media Finance represented for sales and had been in talks with buyers since Friday’s world premiere.
The ensemble cast features Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Devon Terrell, among others.
It’s What’s Inside...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
As the tradition calls, Sarah Shahat from IndieWire has published the camera survey regarding the Sundance 2024 Film Festival, focusing on documentaries. As usual, we ingested the data into a chart (cameras and manufacturers) to conclude that Sony’s cameras were the most popular among indie-documentaries filmmakers, even more than Canon’s. However, the most dominant camera is the Canon’s Super 35 beast, which is the acclaimed C300 Mark II.
Sundance 2024’s documentaries: Camera Manufacturers Chart Sundance 2024’s documentaries: Cameras and lenses
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival is taking place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Sundance 2024 presents a few high-potential films, crafted by top-tier independent filmmakers. This time, we focus on the selected documentaries (as opposed to narratives). Every year, IndieWire reaches out to the cinematographers behind the films premiering at the festival and asks which cameras, lenses, and formats they used — and...
Sundance 2024’s documentaries: Camera Manufacturers Chart Sundance 2024’s documentaries: Cameras and lenses
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival is taking place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Sundance 2024 presents a few high-potential films, crafted by top-tier independent filmmakers. This time, we focus on the selected documentaries (as opposed to narratives). Every year, IndieWire reaches out to the cinematographers behind the films premiering at the festival and asks which cameras, lenses, and formats they used — and...
- 1/22/2024
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Searchlight Pictures has snapped up worldwide rights to Jesse Eisenberg’s Sundance hit A Real Pain, paying what is believed to be $10m in the first major deal of the festival following Saturday’s world premiere.
‘A Real Pain’: Sundance Review
Theatrical and streamer buyers pursued the comedy drama immediately after the first screening at The Eccles Theatre and it was clear the film possessed broad appeal.
Searchlight pursued it doggedly and an all-night negotiation with WME Independent and CAA Media Finance reminiscent of Sundances of yesteryear concluded around 7am on Sunday.
The studio plans to launch the film...
‘A Real Pain’: Sundance Review
Theatrical and streamer buyers pursued the comedy drama immediately after the first screening at The Eccles Theatre and it was clear the film possessed broad appeal.
Searchlight pursued it doggedly and an all-night negotiation with WME Independent and CAA Media Finance reminiscent of Sundances of yesteryear concluded around 7am on Sunday.
The studio plans to launch the film...
- 1/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Update: By Saturday afternoon up to five buyers were understood to be in serious discussions for Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story.
The film caused a stir ever since it premiered on Thursday night and hails from XYZ Films’ documentary division. Sources reported streamers and at least one theatrical buyer were in pursuit.
Meanwhile interest was understood to be building rapidly following the Saturday premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s US Dramatic Competition entry A Real Pain.
Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins on an emotional tour to see their late grandmother’s home in Poland. WME Independent...
The film caused a stir ever since it premiered on Thursday night and hails from XYZ Films’ documentary division. Sources reported streamers and at least one theatrical buyer were in pursuit.
Meanwhile interest was understood to be building rapidly following the Saturday premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s US Dramatic Competition entry A Real Pain.
Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins on an emotional tour to see their late grandmother’s home in Poland. WME Independent...
- 1/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Heading into the weekend Skywalkers: A Love Story is gathering momentum at Sundance with multiple buyers circling the documentary following a strong response at Thursday night’s world premiere.
The groundswell of interest comes hot on the heels of two early transactions announced on Friday, with Sony Pictures Classics closing a deal for North America and multiple territories on Rich Peppiatt’s Next entry Kneecap and Netflix taking World Cinema Documentary Competition selection Ibelin by The Painter And The Thief director Benjamin Ree.
XYZ Films executives were on Friday locked in discussions with streamers and more traditional documentary distributors on Jeff Zimbalist’s U.
The groundswell of interest comes hot on the heels of two early transactions announced on Friday, with Sony Pictures Classics closing a deal for North America and multiple territories on Rich Peppiatt’s Next entry Kneecap and Netflix taking World Cinema Documentary Competition selection Ibelin by The Painter And The Thief director Benjamin Ree.
XYZ Films executives were on Friday locked in discussions with streamers and more traditional documentary distributors on Jeff Zimbalist’s U.
- 1/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Premiering at Sundance, documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, follows a Russian couple known for daredevil stunts
A new film on the death-defying illegal stunts by two high-profile “rooftoppers” has premiered at the Sundance film festival, attracting critical acclaim and comparisons to Free Solo, the Oscar-winning documentary on the climber Alex Honnold and Man on Wire, a Sundance hit 16 years ago on the urban tightrope walker Philippe Petit.
Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premiered on Thursday night at the Utah film festival, follows Russian couple, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov, who goes publicly by the name Ivan Beerkus, as they forge a romantic relationship while illegally summiting skyscrapers and filming their stunts for social media. The documentary opens in the middle of their headline-making attempt to climb Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the world’s second-tallest building and heavily guarded during the final phase of its construction – while guards were distracted...
A new film on the death-defying illegal stunts by two high-profile “rooftoppers” has premiered at the Sundance film festival, attracting critical acclaim and comparisons to Free Solo, the Oscar-winning documentary on the climber Alex Honnold and Man on Wire, a Sundance hit 16 years ago on the urban tightrope walker Philippe Petit.
Skywalkers: A Love Story, which premiered on Thursday night at the Utah film festival, follows Russian couple, Angela Nikolau and Vanya Kuznetsov, who goes publicly by the name Ivan Beerkus, as they forge a romantic relationship while illegally summiting skyscrapers and filming their stunts for social media. The documentary opens in the middle of their headline-making attempt to climb Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the world’s second-tallest building and heavily guarded during the final phase of its construction – while guards were distracted...
- 1/19/2024
- by Adrian Horton in Park City, Utah
- The Guardian - Film News
That Skywalkers: A Love Story maintains its grip on your attention despite some of director Jeff Zimbalist’s florid aesthetic choices testifies to the strength of the documentary’s central narrative. At the heart of this terrifying and exhilarating Sundance entry about two Russian daredevils trying to save their relationship is a poignant lesson in trust.
Before Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Beerkus” Kuznetsov fell in love, they were rivals. The Russian rooftoppers — a term used to describe people who illegally scale tall structures without protective equipment — engaged in an unofficial competition of sorts. Nikolau, who was one of the few, if not the only, women in the sport at the time, felt both inspired by and envious of Beerkus’ success. Unlike other rooftoppers, the soft-spoken urban adventurer’s Instagram posts about his architectural conquests lent a professional air to the illegal activity. This posture partially influences Nikolau to see each...
Before Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Beerkus” Kuznetsov fell in love, they were rivals. The Russian rooftoppers — a term used to describe people who illegally scale tall structures without protective equipment — engaged in an unofficial competition of sorts. Nikolau, who was one of the few, if not the only, women in the sport at the time, felt both inspired by and envious of Beerkus’ success. Unlike other rooftoppers, the soft-spoken urban adventurer’s Instagram posts about his architectural conquests lent a professional air to the illegal activity. This posture partially influences Nikolau to see each...
- 1/19/2024
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” lends new meaning to the words “high anxiety.” It’s a documentary set in the world of rooftoopers, the new generation of daredevils who scale the tallest buildings they can find, climbing to the tips of skyscrapers and posting top-of-the-world footage of themselves on social media. Directed by Jeff Zimbalist (a former rooftopper himself), the film is brilliantly edited, and it’s full of amazing, terrifying, transfixing verité shots of figures walking on girders, sprawling on ledges, and scaling the spindly, often curved spires that shoot out of the tops of buildings, consisting up close of ladders in the form of precarious slats.
The movie puts us right up there with these outlaw thrill-seekers, and even if you don’t happen to possess a fear of heights, the images are so vivid in their vicarious immediacy that you may tilt your head ever so slightly one way or another,...
The movie puts us right up there with these outlaw thrill-seekers, and even if you don’t happen to possess a fear of heights, the images are so vivid in their vicarious immediacy that you may tilt your head ever so slightly one way or another,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
2024 Sundance marks something of a milestone in the documentary space for XYZ Films, best known for championing global genre fare like The Raid, Mandy, and The Invitation.
On Thursday opening night the Los Angeles-based company premieres two documentaries which it produced or executive produced. After years of relatively random engagement in the non-scripted format, producing the likes of Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce’s Framing John DeLorean (2019) and Marq Evans’s 2021 Tribeca premiere Claydream (2022), the documentary division led by Tamir Ardon is in full flow, with multiple projects in the pipeline.
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers: A Love Story is...
On Thursday opening night the Los Angeles-based company premieres two documentaries which it produced or executive produced. After years of relatively random engagement in the non-scripted format, producing the likes of Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce’s Framing John DeLorean (2019) and Marq Evans’s 2021 Tribeca premiere Claydream (2022), the documentary division led by Tamir Ardon is in full flow, with multiple projects in the pipeline.
Jeff Zimbalist’s Skywalkers: A Love Story is...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said, “We are thrilled for...
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said, “We are thrilled for...
- 1/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Company premiering Skywalkers: A Love Story, Krazy House in Sundance.
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
On the eve of Sundance and Berlin, XYZ Films has hired former STX, Studiocanal and Wanda executive Celine Lin as SVP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead distribution and licensing strategy across the Apac region and select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution Tatyana Joffe.
Lin most recently served as SVP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to that she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
- 1/17/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Los Angeles-based independent film studio XYZ Films has hired Celine Lin as senior VP of international sales and distribution.
Lin will spearhead the company’s distribution and licensing strategy across the Asia Pacific region and in select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution, Tatyana Joffe. Lin joins on the eve of Sundance and Berlin’s European Film Market.
Most recently, Lin served as senior VP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to STX, she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said: “We are thrilled for Celine to join our international distribution team. She has developed licensing strategies for diverse libraries of content, has been an executive for companies on three continents, and has a reputation for being a bridge builder and cutting edge dealmaker.
Lin will spearhead the company’s distribution and licensing strategy across the Asia Pacific region and in select European markets. She will report to XYZ president of international sales and distribution, Tatyana Joffe. Lin joins on the eve of Sundance and Berlin’s European Film Market.
Most recently, Lin served as senior VP of international sales at STX Entertainment in London. Prior to STX, she held senior executive posts at Studiocanal in Paris and Wanda in Beijing. She began her career managing international sales for Coproduction Office.
Joffe said: “We are thrilled for Celine to join our international distribution team. She has developed licensing strategies for diverse libraries of content, has been an executive for companies on three continents, and has a reputation for being a bridge builder and cutting edge dealmaker.
- 1/17/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Investment vehicle has backed 20 productions including upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, Krazy House.
LA-based XYZ Films and European fund management company Ipr.Vc have renewed their slate financing partnership initially established in November 2019.
The investment vehicle has resulted in 20 productions to date including last year’s Berlinale selection Blackberry and upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, a documentary by Jeff Zimbalist, and Krazy House starring Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone.
Other XYZ Films which have received backing from Ipr.Vc include Atom Egoyan’s TIFF selection Seven Veils starring Amanda Seyfried, Ash with Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus,...
LA-based XYZ Films and European fund management company Ipr.Vc have renewed their slate financing partnership initially established in November 2019.
The investment vehicle has resulted in 20 productions to date including last year’s Berlinale selection Blackberry and upcoming Sundance premieres Skywalkers: A Love Story, a documentary by Jeff Zimbalist, and Krazy House starring Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone.
Other XYZ Films which have received backing from Ipr.Vc include Atom Egoyan’s TIFF selection Seven Veils starring Amanda Seyfried, Ash with Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exhibiting Forgiveness.The Sundance Institute has announced the films selected for their 2024 Festival, which will take place January 18-28, 2024, in person in Utah. A selection of the films are available online across the U.S. from January 25-28.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONBetween the Temples (Nathan Silver): A cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher reenters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student. World Premiere. DìDi (弟弟) (Sean Wang): In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. World Premiere. Exhibiting Forgiveness (Titus Kaphar): Utilizing his paintings to find freedom from his past, a Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father,...
- 12/13/2023
- MUBI
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