Anita Gou is no stranger to the festival circuit. Her L.A.-based Kindred Spirit banner saw a raft of its first projects debut at Sundance but, more recently, her co-production Silent Twins was selected in Un Certain Regard in 2022, while Dominic Savage’s Close To You premiered in Toronto last year. The company’s Mubi-acquired doc The Last Year of Darkness, which explores the lives of alternative Chinese youth, was awarded a Special Mention prize in the Next:Wave section at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival last year.
This year, the producer, who has roots in Taiwan, was back in Cannes with Locust, the debut feature from Taiwanese-American filmmaker Keff, which played in Cannes Critics’ Week. The project is set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests and follows Zhong-Han,...
This year, the producer, who has roots in Taiwan, was back in Cannes with Locust, the debut feature from Taiwanese-American filmmaker Keff, which played in Cannes Critics’ Week. The project is set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests and follows Zhong-Han,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
NewFest, a New York LGBTQ+ film and media organization, revealed the full lineup for their fourth annual NewFest Pride summer film series. NewFest’s five-day festival kicks off LGBTQ+ Pride Month from May 30 – June 3, 2024, in-person in New York and streaming throughout the United States, and will feature a mix of premieres and conversations, virtual screenings, and social events. The announcement came today from NewFest’s Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director of Programming Nick McCarthy.
“It’s no accident that this year’s NewFest Pride starts on May 30; it’s part of our not-so-secret mission to celebrate Pride 365 days a year,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to provide a space for the community to come together for bold new films and series, thought-provoking conversations, and joyful social gatherings. This moment calls for celebration and resistance, and we intend to offer opportunities for both in equal measure.
“It’s no accident that this year’s NewFest Pride starts on May 30; it’s part of our not-so-secret mission to celebrate Pride 365 days a year,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to provide a space for the community to come together for bold new films and series, thought-provoking conversations, and joyful social gatherings. This moment calls for celebration and resistance, and we intend to offer opportunities for both in equal measure.
- 5/3/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Kate Winslet stars in biopic Lee, about celebrated war photographer Lee Miller, arriving this autumn. Here’s the first trailer:
Kate Winslet has announced her next project – Lee, a biopic of war photographer Lee Miller.
The cast also includes Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E Scherman, Alexander Skarsgård as English Surrealist painter, Roland Penrose, Marion Cotillard as Solange D’Ayen, the fashion director of French Vogue and close friend of Miller’s, Josh O’Connor as Tony, a young journalist and Andrea Riseborough as British Vogue editor Audrey Withers.
It is the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras. The screenplay was written by Liz Hannah, Marion Hume and John Collee, from a story by Hume, Collee and Lem Dobbs. It is adapted from the biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Lee portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer,...
Kate Winslet has announced her next project – Lee, a biopic of war photographer Lee Miller.
The cast also includes Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E Scherman, Alexander Skarsgård as English Surrealist painter, Roland Penrose, Marion Cotillard as Solange D’Ayen, the fashion director of French Vogue and close friend of Miller’s, Josh O’Connor as Tony, a young journalist and Andrea Riseborough as British Vogue editor Audrey Withers.
It is the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras. The screenplay was written by Liz Hannah, Marion Hume and John Collee, from a story by Hume, Collee and Lem Dobbs. It is adapted from the biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Lee portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
“Close to You” marks a reintroduction for Elliot Page, a screen presence at once warmly familiar and sharply redefined, finally established on his own terms. In his first film role since coming out as a trans man, the actor has evidently brought much of his own identity and experience to this sensitively observed story of a trans man cagily reunited with his family after a five-year period of estrangement. But Page’s performance isn’t moving merely for whatever parallels it might hold to his life: Rather, it’s a reminder of what a deft and perceptive actor he can be, capable of both naked emotional candor and acidic wit — both assets to a script that sometimes errs on the side of caution.
British director Savage is known for his improvisatory collaborations with actors, which recently drew career-best work from Gemma Arterton in the 2017 feature “The Escape,” and extended to the TV project “I Am…...
British director Savage is known for his improvisatory collaborations with actors, which recently drew career-best work from Gemma Arterton in the 2017 feature “The Escape,” and extended to the TV project “I Am…...
- 3/22/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Elliot Page stepped out for the 2024 BFI Flare film festival premiere of his new movie Close to You held at BFI Southbank on Thursday (March 14) in London.
The 37-year-old actor co-wrote, produced and stars in the film, which is his first movie since 2017!
He was joined at the European premiere of the movie by co-writer and director Dominic Savage, as well as co-star Hillary Baack. The next day, Elliot went solo at a conversation for the film.
During a recent interview ahead of the film fest, Elliot opened up about making the new movie, and shared why he wouldn’t have been able to make it before transitioning.
Keep reading to find out more…
“It was [cathartic] for me, absolutely. There was a very specific certain love that I felt for acting a long time ago I felt so deeply doing this, and that itself was so healing and beautiful. To...
The 37-year-old actor co-wrote, produced and stars in the film, which is his first movie since 2017!
He was joined at the European premiere of the movie by co-writer and director Dominic Savage, as well as co-star Hillary Baack. The next day, Elliot went solo at a conversation for the film.
During a recent interview ahead of the film fest, Elliot opened up about making the new movie, and shared why he wouldn’t have been able to make it before transitioning.
Keep reading to find out more…
“It was [cathartic] for me, absolutely. There was a very specific certain love that I felt for acting a long time ago I felt so deeply doing this, and that itself was so healing and beautiful. To...
- 3/18/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Elliot Page has taken aim at the notion that queer films only have a small audience.
Speaking at the BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQ film festival, the actor claimed that “30% of young people identify as LGBTQ,” referring to a survey released earlier this year about Gen Z adults in the U.S. “So I’m sorry, but this is not niche.”
Page was in London with his latest feature “Close to You,” which had its European premiere at the BFI Flare festival on Thursday. The film — from writer-director Dominic Savage — sees Page play a man who meets an old school friend with whom he once had deep feelings for while traveling to see to see his family in small-town Canada, a trip that also marks his first time returning home since his transition.
The feature — Page’s first since 2017 — was also the actor’s first time using an intimacy coordinator on set,...
Speaking at the BFI Flare, London’s LGBTQ film festival, the actor claimed that “30% of young people identify as LGBTQ,” referring to a survey released earlier this year about Gen Z adults in the U.S. “So I’m sorry, but this is not niche.”
Page was in London with his latest feature “Close to You,” which had its European premiere at the BFI Flare festival on Thursday. The film — from writer-director Dominic Savage — sees Page play a man who meets an old school friend with whom he once had deep feelings for while traveling to see to see his family in small-town Canada, a trip that also marks his first time returning home since his transition.
The feature — Page’s first since 2017 — was also the actor’s first time using an intimacy coordinator on set,...
- 3/15/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
On Thursday, Elliot Page brought the European premiere of Close to You to BFI Flare, the London Lgbtqia+ film festival, in a special presentation. On Friday, the star spoke at the British capital’s Southbank Centre about the movie, written and directed by Dominic Savage (I Am…), Hollywood and how it can be “pretty toxic,” his career, his coming out, and why the label “niche” doesn’t apply to the LGBTQ+ community.
“Thirty percent of young people identify as LGBTQ+, so I’m sorry, this is not niche,” Page said to much applause. “That really, really irks me. If you told really specific stories about cis-het people, I’m not calling that plot niche.”
Asked about Hollywood and its challenges, Page said: “Obviously, there are great people in Hollywood. It’s more the model. It’s a system, and it’s pretty toxic. Those were just a lot of my experiences.
“Thirty percent of young people identify as LGBTQ+, so I’m sorry, this is not niche,” Page said to much applause. “That really, really irks me. If you told really specific stories about cis-het people, I’m not calling that plot niche.”
Asked about Hollywood and its challenges, Page said: “Obviously, there are great people in Hollywood. It’s more the model. It’s a system, and it’s pretty toxic. Those were just a lot of my experiences.
- 3/15/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Elliot Page heads to the U.K on Thursday to open the BFI Flare, London’s Lgbtqia+ film festival, for the European premiere of “Close to You.”
Written and directed by Dominic Savage (behind the recent acclaimed “I Am…” anthology series that has starred the likes of Kate Winslet and Letitia Wright), the film — which bowed in Toronto — marks Page’s first feature since 2017. It’s a return to the big screen he says “felt amazing,” allowing him to experience the “joy of what it means to get to create and being creative.”
It was also an acting experience unlike anything Page had undertaken before, with much of “Close to You” improvised. Savage claims that the lack of scripted dialogue made the on-screen interactions appear “as natural as possible,” although Page admits it was, at least initially, “terrifying.”
In the film Page plays Sam, a trans man returning to see...
Written and directed by Dominic Savage (behind the recent acclaimed “I Am…” anthology series that has starred the likes of Kate Winslet and Letitia Wright), the film — which bowed in Toronto — marks Page’s first feature since 2017. It’s a return to the big screen he says “felt amazing,” allowing him to experience the “joy of what it means to get to create and being creative.”
It was also an acting experience unlike anything Page had undertaken before, with much of “Close to You” improvised. Savage claims that the lack of scripted dialogue made the on-screen interactions appear “as natural as possible,” although Page admits it was, at least initially, “terrifying.”
In the film Page plays Sam, a trans man returning to see...
- 3/13/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
“Close to You,” the Elliot Page-starring drama directed by BAFTA winner Dominic Savage, will be introduced to international buyers at the European Film Market by former Charades exec Jean-Félix Dealberto.
The film, which was written by Savage and Page, and also stars Hillary Baack (“Sound of Metal”), had its world premiere in Toronto, where Greenwich Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights.
“Close to You” follows Sam (Page), who moved to Toronto from his small town on Lake Ontario, Canada, and finally decides to return home to visit his family for his dad’s birthday. On his journey, he has a chance encounter with a friend from high school (Baack) that sparks old feelings. It is on this trip where Sam can finally confront long-buried feelings, a first love that was never properly resolved, his relationship with his family and a newfound love and confidence in himself.
The film was...
The film, which was written by Savage and Page, and also stars Hillary Baack (“Sound of Metal”), had its world premiere in Toronto, where Greenwich Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights.
“Close to You” follows Sam (Page), who moved to Toronto from his small town on Lake Ontario, Canada, and finally decides to return home to visit his family for his dad’s birthday. On his journey, he has a chance encounter with a friend from high school (Baack) that sparks old feelings. It is on this trip where Sam can finally confront long-buried feelings, a first love that was never properly resolved, his relationship with his family and a newfound love and confidence in himself.
The film was...
- 2/15/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
The BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival has revealed the line-up for its 38th edition which takes place March 13-24.
The programme comprises 57 features across the Hearts, Bodies and Mind strands, four of which are world premieres.
Scroll down for full line-up
World premiering is Karen Knox’s sophomore feature We Forgot To Break Up about a trans musician caught in a love triangle with his bandmates. The Canadian actress and filmmaker’s debut Adult Adoption premiered at Glasgow Film Festival in 2022.
Other world premieres are Kat Rohrer’s Austrian romantic comedy What A Feeling about two women who meet...
The programme comprises 57 features across the Hearts, Bodies and Mind strands, four of which are world premieres.
Scroll down for full line-up
World premiering is Karen Knox’s sophomore feature We Forgot To Break Up about a trans musician caught in a love triangle with his bandmates. The Canadian actress and filmmaker’s debut Adult Adoption premiered at Glasgow Film Festival in 2022.
Other world premieres are Kat Rohrer’s Austrian romantic comedy What A Feeling about two women who meet...
- 2/13/2024
- ScreenDaily
Samantha Morton, the British actor (She Said, The Whale, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Walking Dead), writer (I Am…Kirsty) and director (The Unloved), will receive the BAFTA Fellowship, the British Academy’s highest honor.
She will be given the honor at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Inside Man), in London on Feb. 18.
“As a proud BAFTA member I am honored, profoundly humbled and grateful to BAFTA for giving me this award,” Morton said.
Anna Higgs, chair of BAFTA’s film committee, lauded her as “a mesmerizing storyteller with incredible range,” adding: “She has made an extraordinary impact on the British film industry – consistently shining a light on complex characters and championing underrepresented stories. On-and-off screen, she always works to break down societal barriers and change the make-up of the screen industries for the better – often against great odds.” She concluded:...
She will be given the honor at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Inside Man), in London on Feb. 18.
“As a proud BAFTA member I am honored, profoundly humbled and grateful to BAFTA for giving me this award,” Morton said.
Anna Higgs, chair of BAFTA’s film committee, lauded her as “a mesmerizing storyteller with incredible range,” adding: “She has made an extraordinary impact on the British film industry – consistently shining a light on complex characters and championing underrepresented stories. On-and-off screen, she always works to break down societal barriers and change the make-up of the screen industries for the better – often against great odds.” She concluded:...
- 2/7/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Festival
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle has struck a first-look and development deal with I Am Ruth and Alice & Jack producer Me+You Productions, which is run by former BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee.
The three-year non-exclusive deal will see Fremantle become the primary home of all Me+You’s TV projects, working closely with both Fremantle’s global drama division and distribution team.
Founded by Majumdar and Richard Yee, the London-based indie is best known for Dominic Savage’s Channel 4 BAFTA-winning anthology series I Am Ruth, which has starred the likes of Kate Winslet, Suranne Jones and Letitia Wright. Winslet won a BAFTA for her portrayal of a mother witnessing her teenage daughter retreating into herself, played alongside her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton.
Other Me + You productions include Channel 4’s upcoming Andrea Riseborough-starrer Alice & Jack, which has sold to PBS Masterpiece in the U.S., and Elliot Page movie Close to You.
The three-year non-exclusive deal will see Fremantle become the primary home of all Me+You’s TV projects, working closely with both Fremantle’s global drama division and distribution team.
Founded by Majumdar and Richard Yee, the London-based indie is best known for Dominic Savage’s Channel 4 BAFTA-winning anthology series I Am Ruth, which has starred the likes of Kate Winslet, Suranne Jones and Letitia Wright. Winslet won a BAFTA for her portrayal of a mother witnessing her teenage daughter retreating into herself, played alongside her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton.
Other Me + You productions include Channel 4’s upcoming Andrea Riseborough-starrer Alice & Jack, which has sold to PBS Masterpiece in the U.S., and Elliot Page movie Close to You.
- 1/31/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Me+You Productions, the company behind Kate Winslet drama “I Am Ruth,” has inked a first-look and development deal with Fremantle.
The three-year deal will mean Fremantle is the primary home for Me+You’s television slate, both in terms of development and distribution. The production company, founded by Richard Yee and former BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, will work closely with Fremantle’s global drama division and distribution team, in particular Fremantle scripted content SVP Rebecca Dundon and global drama’s head of creative Hilary Martin, who will lead on creative and commercial for Fremantle.
De Maio Entertainment’s will act as a strategic advisor for both Me+You and Fremantle, optimizing strategy and maximimizing impact on each project.
The companies recently collaborated on drama “Alice & Jack,” starring Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson, with Fremantle co-producing and handling global sales.
Me+You also recently produced “I Am Ruth,” starring Kate...
The three-year deal will mean Fremantle is the primary home for Me+You’s television slate, both in terms of development and distribution. The production company, founded by Richard Yee and former BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, will work closely with Fremantle’s global drama division and distribution team, in particular Fremantle scripted content SVP Rebecca Dundon and global drama’s head of creative Hilary Martin, who will lead on creative and commercial for Fremantle.
De Maio Entertainment’s will act as a strategic advisor for both Me+You and Fremantle, optimizing strategy and maximimizing impact on each project.
The companies recently collaborated on drama “Alice & Jack,” starring Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson, with Fremantle co-producing and handling global sales.
Me+You also recently produced “I Am Ruth,” starring Kate...
- 1/31/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Close to You, the indie drama produced by and starring Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy), which world premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, has been acquired for a summer 2024 release in U.S. theaters by Greenwich Entertainment.
Written and directed by 3x BAFTA winner Dominic Savage, the film co-starring Hillary Baack (Sound of Metal) follows Sam (Page), who moved to Toronto from his small town on Lake Ontario, Canada and finally decides to return home to visit his family for his dad’s birthday. On his journey, he has a chance encounter with a friend from high school (Baack) that sparks old feelings. It is on this trip that Sam can finally confront long-buried feelings, a first love that was never properly resolved, his relationship with his family, and a newfound love and confidence in himself.
Close to You was produced by Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee,...
Written and directed by 3x BAFTA winner Dominic Savage, the film co-starring Hillary Baack (Sound of Metal) follows Sam (Page), who moved to Toronto from his small town on Lake Ontario, Canada and finally decides to return home to visit his family for his dad’s birthday. On his journey, he has a chance encounter with a friend from high school (Baack) that sparks old feelings. It is on this trip that Sam can finally confront long-buried feelings, a first love that was never properly resolved, his relationship with his family, and a newfound love and confidence in himself.
Close to You was produced by Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here with your weekly dose of the biggest headlines, analysis and deep-dives of the week. Read on, and sign up here.
Boom Then Bust (Then “Shaky”)
Records don’t last long: There was a bittersweet feeling after UK producer trade body Pact’s Census 2022 press briefing on Tuesday. Spotlighting full-year 2022, the briefing showed how the UK TV production sector hit record highs of nearly £4B ($5B) last year, driven by the streamers, who upped spend by a whopping 133% to £700M. Big hits to land included Heartstopper and The Crown Season 5. Multiple records were broken in a year in which the UK TV industry was virtually at full employment, but, during the briefing, most questions to Pact CEO John McVay focused on the here and now, as things feel very different today for many producers. McVay was honest in his assessment of 2023 and years to come,...
Boom Then Bust (Then “Shaky”)
Records don’t last long: There was a bittersweet feeling after UK producer trade body Pact’s Census 2022 press briefing on Tuesday. Spotlighting full-year 2022, the briefing showed how the UK TV production sector hit record highs of nearly £4B ($5B) last year, driven by the streamers, who upped spend by a whopping 133% to £700M. Big hits to land included Heartstopper and The Crown Season 5. Multiple records were broken in a year in which the UK TV industry was virtually at full employment, but, during the briefing, most questions to Pact CEO John McVay focused on the here and now, as things feel very different today for many producers. McVay was honest in his assessment of 2023 and years to come,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival concluded with the People’s Choice prize awarded to Cord Jeffersons’, American Fiction, an adaption of the Percival Everett novel Ersaure, starring Jeffrey Wright as a disillusioned academic who resents the literary industry.
Closing out TIFF 2023 was Sylvester Stallone’s documentary, “Sly,” which had its world premiere on Saturday, September 16th, at Roy Thomson Hall. Directed by Thom Zimny, Sly is an intimate and unexpected look at the action star’s early life and a reflection on his career that spans nearly 50 years.
Related: Toronto Film Festival 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews
The ongoing strikes by SAG-AFTRA and WGA created uncertainty at the 2023 Venice Film Festival regarding the participation of celebrities attending the premieres. Guild members engaged in or promoting these premieres can only participate if they have SAG-AFTRA interim agreements, allowing...
Closing out TIFF 2023 was Sylvester Stallone’s documentary, “Sly,” which had its world premiere on Saturday, September 16th, at Roy Thomson Hall. Directed by Thom Zimny, Sly is an intimate and unexpected look at the action star’s early life and a reflection on his career that spans nearly 50 years.
Related: Toronto Film Festival 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews
The ongoing strikes by SAG-AFTRA and WGA created uncertainty at the 2023 Venice Film Festival regarding the participation of celebrities attending the premieres. Guild members engaged in or promoting these premieres can only participate if they have SAG-AFTRA interim agreements, allowing...
- 9/12/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
The problems with Close to You aren’t immediately apparent. It’s a quiet film about Sam (Elliot Page), a trans man, living in Toronto. He’s trying to decide whether or not to return home for his father’s birthday party. Sam comes from a family whose uneasiness with his transition sometimes manifests as an aggressive insistence on their progressive values. He considers whether he can endure their performance.
Written and directed by Dominic Savage, Close to You focuses on the drama of Sam’s homecoming. Returning to his small town near Lake Ontario forces him to confront long-buried feelings about his family and an old friend (Hillary Baack). The film yearns to capture the stages of this emotional exhumation, but a clunky screenplay makes for a less affecting watch.
The film’s visual grammar is built on intimate close-ups that try to capture the imperceptible awkwardness of the past and present colliding.
Written and directed by Dominic Savage, Close to You focuses on the drama of Sam’s homecoming. Returning to his small town near Lake Ontario forces him to confront long-buried feelings about his family and an old friend (Hillary Baack). The film yearns to capture the stages of this emotional exhumation, but a clunky screenplay makes for a less affecting watch.
The film’s visual grammar is built on intimate close-ups that try to capture the imperceptible awkwardness of the past and present colliding.
- 9/12/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The actor makes a convincing big screen comeback as a man visiting his family for the first time since transitioning, but effective moments are offset by clunkiness
Dominic Savage’s work tends to focus on people, usually women, facing some form of disruptive challenge to their everyday life, specific and stressful and never anything but utterly believable. He drew out Gemma Arterton’s greatest performance in 2017’s Toronto premiere The Escape as a deeply unsettled woman wanting out of her responsibilities as wife and mother. His Channel 4 anthology series I Am… has introduced a range of characters at an intersection, from a devastating Vicky McClure grappling with her partner’s emotional abuse to recent Bafta winner Kate Winslet as a mother struggling with a daughter crippled by social media addiction. His preference for often mundane naturalism, with dialogue usually improvised, has teased out grounded, unshowy performances and unusual, instinctive...
Dominic Savage’s work tends to focus on people, usually women, facing some form of disruptive challenge to their everyday life, specific and stressful and never anything but utterly believable. He drew out Gemma Arterton’s greatest performance in 2017’s Toronto premiere The Escape as a deeply unsettled woman wanting out of her responsibilities as wife and mother. His Channel 4 anthology series I Am… has introduced a range of characters at an intersection, from a devastating Vicky McClure grappling with her partner’s emotional abuse to recent Bafta winner Kate Winslet as a mother struggling with a daughter crippled by social media addiction. His preference for often mundane naturalism, with dialogue usually improvised, has teased out grounded, unshowy performances and unusual, instinctive...
- 9/10/2023
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Sam (Elliot Page) has been dreading this day for weeks, maybe entire years: The young trans man is heading home for a long-delayed family visit, back to the sleepy Canadian suburb he fled years earlier, this time more fully himself than ever, even if his own flesh and blood are — at least, he suspects — loathe to fully accept him as he is. And who is he?
In “Close to You,” we eventually learn that Sam is on a delayed calendar, stunted by the years he spent struggling before his somewhat recent transition, though crisper details are harder to come by. At one point, he mentions off-handedly that he graduated high school nearly twenty years ago (Page turned 36 a few weeks after production on the film wrapped), but he’s living a life closer to that of someone who just graduated. He lives in a friend’s house, he’s finding...
In “Close to You,” we eventually learn that Sam is on a delayed calendar, stunted by the years he spent struggling before his somewhat recent transition, though crisper details are harder to come by. At one point, he mentions off-handedly that he graduated high school nearly twenty years ago (Page turned 36 a few weeks after production on the film wrapped), but he’s living a life closer to that of someone who just graduated. He lives in a friend’s house, he’s finding...
- 9/10/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Elliot Page conquered a new challenge for his first movie role in six years. In “Close to You,” an observant drama that premieres on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival, there’s basically no written dialogue in the script, so everything that you hear in the movie was improvised by the actors on the day of shooting.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Page told Variety in a recent Zoom interview prior to the film’s premiere. “I found it incredibly intimidating.”
In “Close to You,” Page’s character Sam hasn’t visited his family since his transition four years ago. It’s not that he thinks his family isn’t supportive, but Sam doesn’t want to be treated like a different person — or have to bear the burden of their ignorance or discomfort. On an eventual trip home for his father’s birthday, Sam has a...
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Page told Variety in a recent Zoom interview prior to the film’s premiere. “I found it incredibly intimidating.”
In “Close to You,” Page’s character Sam hasn’t visited his family since his transition four years ago. It’s not that he thinks his family isn’t supportive, but Sam doesn’t want to be treated like a different person — or have to bear the burden of their ignorance or discomfort. On an eventual trip home for his father’s birthday, Sam has a...
- 9/9/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Here comes the fall festival circuit during the history-making double union strike. In these still uncharted waters, there remain quite a few unknowns. For instance, it’s unclear how interim agreements — either signed or not — will affect a project’s potential for pickup. Then, there is the question of whether AMPTP studios — supposedly sitting on stockpiles of cash — will be looking to buy given a lack of new content, or if they will abstain with an uncertain negotiating road ahead.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
- 9/7/2023
- by Mia Galuppo and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What does it mean to be one of the “hottest” or “buzziest” titles in a film festival sales market if there’s no stars drum up that excitement? Or if there’s little likelihood of an all-night bidding war by a streamer spending in the 7-figures to land their next Oscar contender?
As we reported earlier today, those are all ways in which the strike threatens to weigh on the film markets at Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. A handful of those films are directorial debuts by famous actors-turned-filmmakers, and some even have interim agreements from SAG-AFTRA that will let them promote. But all these films should stand on their own merits and could catch the eyes of the many non-amptp distributors that need creative ways to fill out their slates.
In part because of the strikes, the Venice and TIFF slates are loaded with independent movies without U.S. distribution,...
As we reported earlier today, those are all ways in which the strike threatens to weigh on the film markets at Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. A handful of those films are directorial debuts by famous actors-turned-filmmakers, and some even have interim agreements from SAG-AFTRA that will let them promote. But all these films should stand on their own merits and could catch the eyes of the many non-amptp distributors that need creative ways to fill out their slates.
In part because of the strikes, the Venice and TIFF slates are loaded with independent movies without U.S. distribution,...
- 8/28/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
The former Chair of BAFTA has urged writers, actors and studios to “come together to find a fair, equitable solution,” while pointing to improvements required in “hidden areas” of diversity.
Krishnendu Majumdar, who also runs BAFTA-winning I Am Ruth indie Me + You Productions, said he has many friends and colleagues striking in the UK and is aware of many affected productions.
“I want the strike to end,” he said. “There needs to be a coming together of writers, actors and studios to find a fair equitable solution going forwards because it’s costing hundreds of millions of dollars a day.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today, Majumdar, who is ending a three-year term, pointed to BAFTA’s diversity work, which has seen it uproot its nominations process across the last couple of years and support various all-year-round initiatives. He left BAFTA in June and was replaced by Sara Putt.
Krishnendu Majumdar, who also runs BAFTA-winning I Am Ruth indie Me + You Productions, said he has many friends and colleagues striking in the UK and is aware of many affected productions.
“I want the strike to end,” he said. “There needs to be a coming together of writers, actors and studios to find a fair equitable solution going forwards because it’s costing hundreds of millions of dollars a day.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today, Majumdar, who is ending a three-year term, pointed to BAFTA’s diversity work, which has seen it uproot its nominations process across the last couple of years and support various all-year-round initiatives. He left BAFTA in June and was replaced by Sara Putt.
- 8/10/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled its first wave of 60 selections on Monday, July 24. The slate includes 37 world premieres, seven international openings and 12 North American debuts and will be held September 7 – 17, 2023. See the full lineup of films (so far) below.
Among the standouts is “The Holdovers,” a caustic Christmas comedy from “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” writer-director Alexander Payne. Pundits expect the film could emerge from the festival as a major Oscar player in several races, including Best Picture. Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” a retelling of the GameStop short squeeze starring Paul Dano, and David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” a pharma satire with Emily Blunt, could land two previously overlooked actors their first Oscar spotlight.
See 14 most anticipated movies for July include ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Barbie’ … [Photos]
George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” is a highly anticipated Civil Rights drama that Gold Derby users currently predict will...
Among the standouts is “The Holdovers,” a caustic Christmas comedy from “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” writer-director Alexander Payne. Pundits expect the film could emerge from the festival as a major Oscar player in several races, including Best Picture. Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” a retelling of the GameStop short squeeze starring Paul Dano, and David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” a pharma satire with Emily Blunt, could land two previously overlooked actors their first Oscar spotlight.
See 14 most anticipated movies for July include ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Barbie’ … [Photos]
George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” is a highly anticipated Civil Rights drama that Gold Derby users currently predict will...
- 7/25/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
After unveiling a few titles, the Toronto International Film Festival has now dropped the initial 60 films taking part in their Galas and Special Presentations line-up when the festival takes place from September 7-17.
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
- 7/24/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Toronto International Film Festival is back for another big year.
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
- 7/24/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Festival runs September 7-17.
The world premieres of Ellen Kuras’s biopic Lee starring Kate Winslet, Craig Gillespie’s GameStop meme craze drama Dumb Money, David Yates’s crime drama Pain Hustlers with Emily Blunt, and Michael Winterbottom’s thriller Shoshana are among Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Galas and Special Presentations.
The festival unveiled a further 60 selections on Monday after previously announcing Taikia Waititi’s Searchlight Pictures underdog football story Next Goal Wins, and Ladj Ly’s Les Indésirables, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils - both of which are available for the US. XYZ Films handles world sales...
The world premieres of Ellen Kuras’s biopic Lee starring Kate Winslet, Craig Gillespie’s GameStop meme craze drama Dumb Money, David Yates’s crime drama Pain Hustlers with Emily Blunt, and Michael Winterbottom’s thriller Shoshana are among Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Galas and Special Presentations.
The festival unveiled a further 60 selections on Monday after previously announcing Taikia Waititi’s Searchlight Pictures underdog football story Next Goal Wins, and Ladj Ly’s Les Indésirables, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils - both of which are available for the US. XYZ Films handles world sales...
- 7/24/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Films directed by actors Michael Keaton, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ethan Hawke, Tony Goldwyn and Anna Kendrick will screen at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Monday as they unveiled the first group of films in the festival’s Gala and Special Presentations sections.
Keaton, Goldwyn, Kendrick, Mortensen, Pine and Thomas will present the world premieres of their films – Keaton with “Knox Goes Away,” Goldwyn with “Ezra,” Kendrick with “Woman of the Hour,” Mortensen with “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” Pine with “Poolman” and Thomas with “North Star.” Hawke’s film, “Wildcat,” will make its international premiere in Toronto, meaning it will likely screen at the Telluride Film Festival just before TIFF.
Films that will receive their world premieres in Toronto include Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” with Kate Winslet; David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” with Emily Blunt...
Keaton, Goldwyn, Kendrick, Mortensen, Pine and Thomas will present the world premieres of their films – Keaton with “Knox Goes Away,” Goldwyn with “Ezra,” Kendrick with “Woman of the Hour,” Mortensen with “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” Pine with “Poolman” and Thomas with “North Star.” Hawke’s film, “Wildcat,” will make its international premiere in Toronto, meaning it will likely screen at the Telluride Film Festival just before TIFF.
Films that will receive their world premieres in Toronto include Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” with Kate Winslet; David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” with Emily Blunt...
- 7/24/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Two labor strikes may be upending Hollywood’s awards season and the film festivals that serve as launching pads for many Oscar contenders, but the Toronto International Film Festival signaled Monday that it still plans to showcase the best in cinema, unveiling its 2023 slate of movies.
Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Justine Triet are among the auteurs who will be screening their latest works at the festival. Payne will be on hand with “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in a boarding school that reunites him with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, while Linklater is showing “Hit Man,” an action-comedy with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Kore-eda and Triet will screen “Monster” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” both of which premiered at Cannes, where the latter won the Palme d’Or.
All told, the festival’s first wave of selections includes 60 films, representing 70 countries around the world. But the lineup...
Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Justine Triet are among the auteurs who will be screening their latest works at the festival. Payne will be on hand with “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in a boarding school that reunites him with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, while Linklater is showing “Hit Man,” an action-comedy with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Kore-eda and Triet will screen “Monster” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” both of which premiered at Cannes, where the latter won the Palme d’Or.
All told, the festival’s first wave of selections includes 60 films, representing 70 countries around the world. But the lineup...
- 7/24/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
All film festivals face a challenged season ahead as most onscreen talent will be forced to sit this one out due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Just last week, MGM and Luca Guadagnino yanked “Challengers” from the Venice opening night slot and shifted the movie entirely to April of next year.
But the Toronto International Film Festival forges ahead with a nevertheless starry lineup this year of 60 films across the Galas and Special Presentations sections, as announced Monday morning. The festival has not made an opening night selection but has so far also programmed Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Ladj Ly’s “Les Indésirables.”
Among the world premieres are Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller and Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman; Viggo Mortensen’s directorial effort “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” a Western starring himself and Vicky Krieps; Craig Gillespie...
But the Toronto International Film Festival forges ahead with a nevertheless starry lineup this year of 60 films across the Galas and Special Presentations sections, as announced Monday morning. The festival has not made an opening night selection but has so far also programmed Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Ladj Ly’s “Les Indésirables.”
Among the world premieres are Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller and Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman; Viggo Mortensen’s directorial effort “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” a Western starring himself and Vicky Krieps; Craig Gillespie...
- 7/24/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Elliot Page has been cast in "beautiful" new film 'Close To You'.The 'Umbrella Academy' actor will star opposite Hillary Baack in writer and director Dominic Savage's new movie, which has finished production in Canada.The movie will follow Sam (Page) and his chance encounter with an old friend as he returns home for a dreaded family reunion which will force him to confront memories he had tried to bury.In a statement, Page said: “I’m proud to have worked with Dominic and Hillary on this beautiful film."It’s been a pleasure collaborating with them and the incredibly talented cast and crew. I look forward to sharing it with audiences soon.”Savage added that it was an "honour" to work with the 'Juno' star on the film, having conceived and co-authored the story together.He commented: "It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate with...
- 6/13/2023
- by Alistair McGeorge
- Bang Showbiz
Production wrapped recently in Canada.
Elliot Page and Hillary Baack have been unveiled as the stars of Close To You from Bafta-winning writer and director Dominic Savage.
Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee developed the project under their Me + You Productions label in the UK and produce alongside Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada, and Savage and Page, who conceived and co-wrote the story.
Kindred Spirit is co-financing the feature and Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw The TV Glow) serve as executive producers alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani (The Trial Of The Chicago 7...
Elliot Page and Hillary Baack have been unveiled as the stars of Close To You from Bafta-winning writer and director Dominic Savage.
Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee developed the project under their Me + You Productions label in the UK and produce alongside Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada, and Savage and Page, who conceived and co-wrote the story.
Kindred Spirit is co-financing the feature and Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw The TV Glow) serve as executive producers alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani (The Trial Of The Chicago 7...
- 6/12/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Elliot Page (Oscar-nominee for “Juno” and star of Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy”) and Hillary Baack (“Sound of Metal) will star in “Close to You.” The new film from the BAFTA-winning writer/director Dominic Savage (“The Escape” and “I am Ruth”) will be co-financed by Kindred Spirit, with Anita Gou and Sam Intili executive producing alongside Rolling Dice’s Nai Vazirani.
Executive producers include Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions. Producers are Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee who developed the project under their Me + You Productions banner in the UK and Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada. Savage and Page are also producing after conceiving and co-authoring the story together.
Principal photography was recently completed in Canada. The picture stars Page as Sam, who has a fluke encounter with an old friend (Baack) on his way home to a family reunion which...
Executive producers include Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions. Producers are Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee who developed the project under their Me + You Productions banner in the UK and Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada. Savage and Page are also producing after conceiving and co-authoring the story together.
Principal photography was recently completed in Canada. The picture stars Page as Sam, who has a fluke encounter with an old friend (Baack) on his way home to a family reunion which...
- 6/12/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Elliot Page is starring in “Close to You,” an independent drama about love, family and identity.
Dominic Savage (“I Am Ruth”) directed the film, which recently wrapped production in Canada. In “Close to You,” Page plays Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend (“Sound of Metal” actor Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
“I’m proud to have worked with Dominic and Hillary on this beautiful film,” Page said in a statement. “It’s been a pleasure collaborating with them and the incredibly talented cast and crew. I look forward to sharing it with audiences soon.”
Savage called the movie a “very poignant, personal and important story.”
“It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate with Elliot Page on this very special and unique film about love, identity and family,” he said. “I’m so...
Dominic Savage (“I Am Ruth”) directed the film, which recently wrapped production in Canada. In “Close to You,” Page plays Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend (“Sound of Metal” actor Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
“I’m proud to have worked with Dominic and Hillary on this beautiful film,” Page said in a statement. “It’s been a pleasure collaborating with them and the incredibly talented cast and crew. I look forward to sharing it with audiences soon.”
Savage called the movie a “very poignant, personal and important story.”
“It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate with Elliot Page on this very special and unique film about love, identity and family,” he said. “I’m so...
- 6/12/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Academy Award nominee Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy) is set to star opposite Hillary Baack (Sound of Metal) in Close to You, a new film from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic Savage (I Am…), which has wrapped production in Canada.
Pic follows Sam (Page), who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
Producers include Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee, who developed the project under their UK banner, Me + You Productions; Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada; and Savage and Page, who together conceived and co-authored the story. Kindred Spirit is co-financing with Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw the TV Glow) exec producing alongside Rolling Dices Nia Vazirani (The Trial of Chicago 7), as well as Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.
Pic follows Sam (Page), who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
Producers include Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee, who developed the project under their UK banner, Me + You Productions; Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada; and Savage and Page, who together conceived and co-authored the story. Kindred Spirit is co-financing with Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw the TV Glow) exec producing alongside Rolling Dices Nia Vazirani (The Trial of Chicago 7), as well as Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.
- 6/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Elliot Page is starring in the drama Close to You from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic Savage.
Page stars as Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
Page and Savage co-wrote the film’s story, and both act as producers. Producers also include Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee, who developed the project under their Me + You Productions banner. Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich are also producing via Good Question Media.
The Farewell producer Anita Gou’s Kindred Spirit is co-financing, with Gou and Sam Intili executive producing alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani. Executive Producers also include Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.
Principal photography recently wrapped in Canada; UTA Independent Film Group is representing worldwide rights to the film.
“It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate...
Page stars as Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.
Page and Savage co-wrote the film’s story, and both act as producers. Producers also include Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee, who developed the project under their Me + You Productions banner. Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich are also producing via Good Question Media.
The Farewell producer Anita Gou’s Kindred Spirit is co-financing, with Gou and Sam Intili executive producing alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani. Executive Producers also include Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.
Principal photography recently wrapped in Canada; UTA Independent Film Group is representing worldwide rights to the film.
“It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate...
- 6/12/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kate Winslet and awards go hand in hand, don’t they? The Oscar winner recently took home her freshet golden gongs after winning not one but two BAFTAs at Sunday’s BAFTA TV Awards. She won Best Actress and Best Single Drama for her searing Channel 4 drama “I Am Ruth” to bring her BAFTA awards total up to four — she previously won three BAFTA Film Awards: “Sense and Sensibility” in 1996 (Supporting Actress); “The Reader” in 2009 (Leading Actress); “Steve Jobs” in 2016 (Supporting Actress). (Updated with “Sense and Sensibility” win)
“I Am Ruth” is part of Dominic Savage‘s “I Am…” series, which is a female-led drama anthology series that is entirely improvised. Previous incarnations include “I Am Hannah” with Gemma Chan, “I Am Danielle” with Letitia Wright, and “I Am Maria” with Lesley Manville. This one featured Winslet acting alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton and follows a mother (Winslet) of...
“I Am Ruth” is part of Dominic Savage‘s “I Am…” series, which is a female-led drama anthology series that is entirely improvised. Previous incarnations include “I Am Hannah” with Gemma Chan, “I Am Danielle” with Letitia Wright, and “I Am Maria” with Lesley Manville. This one featured Winslet acting alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton and follows a mother (Winslet) of...
- 5/17/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
’This Is Going To Hurt’ and ‘Mood’ also won prizes.
Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters and Channel 4’s I Am Ruth took home two prizes each at this year’s Bafta Television awards.
Bad Sisters won best drama series and best supporting actress for Anne-Marie Duff. The black comedy drama follows a group of sisters who plan to kill one of the sisters’ husbands. It’s created by Sharon Horgan, who also stars, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel.
Kate Winslet won best leading actress for her performance in I Am Ruth which also picked up best single drama. Written...
Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters and Channel 4’s I Am Ruth took home two prizes each at this year’s Bafta Television awards.
Bad Sisters won best drama series and best supporting actress for Anne-Marie Duff. The black comedy drama follows a group of sisters who plan to kill one of the sisters’ husbands. It’s created by Sharon Horgan, who also stars, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel.
Kate Winslet won best leading actress for her performance in I Am Ruth which also picked up best single drama. Written...
- 5/15/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Kate Winslet has won the coveted Leading Actress gong at the BAFTA TV Awards for her performance in Channel 4’s I Am Ruth. The Mare of Easttown star has won three BAFTA Film Awards during a stellar career but this is her first TV win.
Winslet beat off competition in a crowded category from I Hate Suzie Too’s Billie Piper, Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, Maxine Peake (Anne), Vicky McClure (Without Sin) and Happy Valley lead Sarah Lancashire.
Winslet was an Oscar winner for The Reader in 2008, which also bagged her a BAFTA Film award for Best Actress. She also took home BAFTA Film wins for Sense and Sensibility and Steve Jobs.
Airing as the latest in the Channel 4 I Am… strand, Winslet’s heart-wrenching Channel 4 drama, which also won Best Single Drama at tonight’s awards, explored a relationship between a mother and...
Winslet beat off competition in a crowded category from I Hate Suzie Too’s Billie Piper, Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, Maxine Peake (Anne), Vicky McClure (Without Sin) and Happy Valley lead Sarah Lancashire.
Winslet was an Oscar winner for The Reader in 2008, which also bagged her a BAFTA Film award for Best Actress. She also took home BAFTA Film wins for Sense and Sensibility and Steve Jobs.
Airing as the latest in the Channel 4 I Am… strand, Winslet’s heart-wrenching Channel 4 drama, which also won Best Single Drama at tonight’s awards, explored a relationship between a mother and...
- 5/14/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Kate Winslet-starrer I Am Ruth has won Best Single Drama at the BAFTA TV Awards.
The Channel 4 program beat Netflix’s The House and BBC Three feature Life and Death in the Warehouse to the coveted prize.
In I Am Ruth, Winslet plays a mother struggling with her daughter’s mental health issues. Her daughter in the show, which is part of the I Am… drama strand, was played by her real life daughter, Mia Threapleton, and the show also featured her real-life son Joe Anders.
Last year’s Single Drama winner was Covid-19 drama Together, which starred James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan as a couple struggling with lockdown.
Apple TV+’s Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden presented this year’s award with MotherFatherSon and Raised By Wolves star Niamh Algar. He hailed the nominees for presenting shows with a “bold, creative vision.”
I Am Ruth creator Dominic Savage...
The Channel 4 program beat Netflix’s The House and BBC Three feature Life and Death in the Warehouse to the coveted prize.
In I Am Ruth, Winslet plays a mother struggling with her daughter’s mental health issues. Her daughter in the show, which is part of the I Am… drama strand, was played by her real life daughter, Mia Threapleton, and the show also featured her real-life son Joe Anders.
Last year’s Single Drama winner was Covid-19 drama Together, which starred James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan as a couple struggling with lockdown.
Apple TV+’s Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden presented this year’s award with MotherFatherSon and Raised By Wolves star Niamh Algar. He hailed the nominees for presenting shows with a “bold, creative vision.”
I Am Ruth creator Dominic Savage...
- 5/14/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Following closely behind, Bad Sisters, The Crown, The English and Slow Horses also received five nominations apiece.
BBC dramas This is Going To Hurt and The Responder lead the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards with six nominations each.
Both dramas have received nods in the leading actor category for Ben Wishaw and Martin Freeman’s performances.
Sister’s This is Going To Hurt is up for best drama mini series, while Dancing Ledge’s The Responder, which has been recomissioned for a second series, makes the list for best drama series.
The two dramas...
BBC dramas This is Going To Hurt and The Responder lead the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards with six nominations each.
Both dramas have received nods in the leading actor category for Ben Wishaw and Martin Freeman’s performances.
Sister’s This is Going To Hurt is up for best drama mini series, while Dancing Ledge’s The Responder, which has been recomissioned for a second series, makes the list for best drama series.
The two dramas...
- 3/22/2023
- by Heather Fallon Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
With 1975's "Barry Lyndon," Stanley Kubrick took the constraints of the novelistic period piece and tore them apart. This adaptation of William Makepace Thackeray's novel "The Luck of Barry Lyndon" follows the rules of the so-called costume drama, the repression and restrained manners, and turns them into something else. The movie is chaotic and bitterly ironic, establishing and exploring two of Kubrick's most compelling characters over the course of its three hours.
Just before its making, Kubrick had previously explored the far reaches of space with "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the chilling causes and effects of violence with "A Clockwork Orange." Watching his movies gives the impression of a vast openness, not just in the compositions but in the staging of the characters and the viewer's flexibility of interpretation. His movies were massive and unpredictable simultaneously, inventing whole new worlds and visual languages out of nowhere. In search of something new,...
Just before its making, Kubrick had previously explored the far reaches of space with "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the chilling causes and effects of violence with "A Clockwork Orange." Watching his movies gives the impression of a vast openness, not just in the compositions but in the staging of the characters and the viewer's flexibility of interpretation. His movies were massive and unpredictable simultaneously, inventing whole new worlds and visual languages out of nowhere. In search of something new,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
It takes a special and often elusive alchemy for a show to resonate with critics and the public alike. Dominic Savage’s BAFTA-nominated “I Am” anthology series has managed that very trick, drawing praise from both quarters for its searing kitchen sink realism told squarely from a female perspective.
Variety spoke with the series’ creator, writer and director Dominic Savage, along with his producer Krishnendu Majumdar and “I Am Kirsty” actor Samantha Morton, about their experiences, the show’s origins and Usp, and future plans.
Shot in a naturalistic style evocative of the documentary form, “I Am” is a powerful excursion into the trials faced by women. There have been two seasons to date, totalling three episodes apiece, with topics spanning coercive relationships, mid-thirties identity crises and emotional breakdowns, all explored with an unvarnished verité all too rare in contemporary television.
“I Am Ruth,” which kickstarts a third season, represents...
Variety spoke with the series’ creator, writer and director Dominic Savage, along with his producer Krishnendu Majumdar and “I Am Kirsty” actor Samantha Morton, about their experiences, the show’s origins and Usp, and future plans.
Shot in a naturalistic style evocative of the documentary form, “I Am” is a powerful excursion into the trials faced by women. There have been two seasons to date, totalling three episodes apiece, with topics spanning coercive relationships, mid-thirties identity crises and emotional breakdowns, all explored with an unvarnished verité all too rare in contemporary television.
“I Am Ruth,” which kickstarts a third season, represents...
- 12/21/2022
- by Greg Wetherall
- Variety Film + TV
Sorry Kate Winslet, but you can’t just do this to me. I sat down to watch the Oscar winner and queen of Reading star in I Am Ruth, and, two hours later… I’m a broken woman. In Channel 4’s feature-length drama, Winslet plays a mother wracked with worry as her daughter’s mental health disintegrates. What destroyed me wasn’t the way Ruth fulsomely swears out loud when she’s alone in the car, nor how she scuttles into the garden to smoke a secret ciggie when completely exasperated. No, it was the way her voice is always just a little bit too high, hanging on by a thread, cheeriness hiding desperation – she exists, instinctively, to gee up everyone else.
As is the way with Dominic Savage’s female-led I Am anthology series, the story has been devised alongside Winslet herself, and the action is all improvised.
As is the way with Dominic Savage’s female-led I Am anthology series, the story has been devised alongside Winslet herself, and the action is all improvised.
- 12/8/2022
- by Jessie Thompson
- The Independent - TV
Kate Winslet has revealed why she felt it was “really important” for I Am Ruth to be set in “a middle-class world”.
Winslet stars as concerned mother Ruth, in Channel 4’s newest instalment of director Dominic Savage’s I Am anthology series, whose daughter Freya slowly retreats into herself as the pressures of social media begin to weigh on her.
Freya’s played by Winslet’s real-life daughter Mia Threapleton, 22, whom she shares with ex-husband Jim Threapleton.
In a new interview with Sky News, published on 8 December, Winslet spoke about the feature-length drama and her reasoning for it being set in a middle-class world.
“Setting this in a middle-class world was really important to me,” she explained.
“I said to Dominic [Savage], we can only do this if we don’t set it in a lower socioeconomic environment because I feel that often when stories like that are told on television or on film,...
Winslet stars as concerned mother Ruth, in Channel 4’s newest instalment of director Dominic Savage’s I Am anthology series, whose daughter Freya slowly retreats into herself as the pressures of social media begin to weigh on her.
Freya’s played by Winslet’s real-life daughter Mia Threapleton, 22, whom she shares with ex-husband Jim Threapleton.
In a new interview with Sky News, published on 8 December, Winslet spoke about the feature-length drama and her reasoning for it being set in a middle-class world.
“Setting this in a middle-class world was really important to me,” she explained.
“I said to Dominic [Savage], we can only do this if we don’t set it in a lower socioeconomic environment because I feel that often when stories like that are told on television or on film,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - Film
Kate Winslet had to fight every ounce of maternal instinct in her body on the set of her latest project, I Am Ruth. In the feature-length Channel 4 drama, Winslet and her real-life daughter, Mia Threapleton, star as a mother and her child caught in the cold, lonely grip of a mental health crisis. “There were moments when I would look at Mia and go, ‘Oh my god, she’s doing it. She’s really doing it.’ And I wanted to hug her and make it stop,” Winslet told press at the event’s launch last week, blinking back tears as she recalled her 22-year-old acting out a panic attack. “My instinct was to go, ‘I’ve got you,’ straight away, and I had to resist it at every turn.”
The drama, which will leave any parent, and anyone who remembers being a teenager, shaken, is the latest in writer-director...
The drama, which will leave any parent, and anyone who remembers being a teenager, shaken, is the latest in writer-director...
- 12/5/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
Kate Winslet has discussed her experiences acting alongside her daughter, Mia Threapleton, for the first time.
Appearing in London to promote the feature-length television drama “I Am Ruth” – in which Winslet and Threapleton recreate their relationship in a fictional setting– the British actor spoke of how aspects of life imitated art during a Q&a session.
“For sure, there was some personal overlap,” Winslet confided. “It’s a mother/daughter story: it is inevitable. We know how to push each other’s buttons.” Winslet also praised her daughter’s performance, saying that she was “impressed” by Threapleton every day throughout the shoot.
Whilst Winslet was last seen in 2021’s acclaimed U.S. drama “Mare of Easttown”, “I Am Ruth” marks a continuation of U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning and female-led anthology drama series, “I Am.” The brainchild of British writer and director Dominic Savage, two seasons to date...
Appearing in London to promote the feature-length television drama “I Am Ruth” – in which Winslet and Threapleton recreate their relationship in a fictional setting– the British actor spoke of how aspects of life imitated art during a Q&a session.
“For sure, there was some personal overlap,” Winslet confided. “It’s a mother/daughter story: it is inevitable. We know how to push each other’s buttons.” Winslet also praised her daughter’s performance, saying that she was “impressed” by Threapleton every day throughout the shoot.
Whilst Winslet was last seen in 2021’s acclaimed U.S. drama “Mare of Easttown”, “I Am Ruth” marks a continuation of U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning and female-led anthology drama series, “I Am.” The brainchild of British writer and director Dominic Savage, two seasons to date...
- 12/5/2022
- by Greg Wetherall
- Variety Film + TV
Kate Winslet is keeping it all in the family.
The Academy Award and Emmy winner co-stars opposite daughter Mia Threapleton in Channel 4 anthology series installment “I Am Ruth.” The third season debuts with Winslet’s feature-length episode, starring as a mother grappling with her social media-addicted teenage daughter (Threapleton).
“I Am Ruth” was conceived and developed by Winslet and filmmaker Dominic Savage, who created the “I Am” series. Gemma Chan, Vicky McClure, and Samantha Morton led the first season, with Letitia Wright, Lesley Manville, and Suranne Jones appearing in the second. “I Am Ruth” is the first chapter of Season 3, with more installments featuring different actresses set to be announced soon.
“I Am Ruth” is written and directed by Savage, based on a story co-created by Winslet. The episode is produced by Me+You Productions in association with Juggle Productions, with Winslet, Savage, and Richard Yee executive producing. The series...
The Academy Award and Emmy winner co-stars opposite daughter Mia Threapleton in Channel 4 anthology series installment “I Am Ruth.” The third season debuts with Winslet’s feature-length episode, starring as a mother grappling with her social media-addicted teenage daughter (Threapleton).
“I Am Ruth” was conceived and developed by Winslet and filmmaker Dominic Savage, who created the “I Am” series. Gemma Chan, Vicky McClure, and Samantha Morton led the first season, with Letitia Wright, Lesley Manville, and Suranne Jones appearing in the second. “I Am Ruth” is the first chapter of Season 3, with more installments featuring different actresses set to be announced soon.
“I Am Ruth” is written and directed by Savage, based on a story co-created by Winslet. The episode is produced by Me+You Productions in association with Juggle Productions, with Winslet, Savage, and Richard Yee executive producing. The series...
- 11/15/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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