The new projects from two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund (The Triangle of Sadness, The Square); Irish director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium and upcoming Nicolas Cage thriller The Surfer); and Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska, director of Letitia Wright/Tamara Lawrance-starrer The Silent Twins, will be pitching to potential backers at this year’s Cannes Investors Circle, an event organized by the Cannes film market that aims to bring together top art-house talent with producers and financiers.
The 2024 Cannes Investors Circle event, held on May 19 at the Plage des Palmes, will showcase 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of investors and film financing experts. The projects range in budget from €1 million ($1.07 million) to more than €20 million ($21.4 million) and have been specifically curated by the market.
“The aim of the Marché du Film with the Cannes Investors Circle is to support artistically and financially
ambitious film projects,...
The 2024 Cannes Investors Circle event, held on May 19 at the Plage des Palmes, will showcase 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of investors and film financing experts. The projects range in budget from €1 million ($1.07 million) to more than €20 million ($21.4 million) and have been specifically curated by the market.
“The aim of the Marché du Film with the Cannes Investors Circle is to support artistically and financially
ambitious film projects,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Palme d’Or winning director Ruben Östlund is among 10 directors selected to present their upcoming feature film projects at the second edition of the Cannes Marché du Film’s Investors Circle initiative.
The one-day event, taking place on May 19, is aimed at connecting elevated, international feature film projects with film financiers and high-net worth individuals with a desire to invest in cinema.
Östlund, who won the Palme d’Or for The Square and Triangle of Sadness, which was also nominated for three Oscars, will attend the event in person.
The Marché du Film did not give details of the projects being showcased, but it is likely the director will be talking about upcoming airplane disaster movie The Entertainment System is Down, which he told Deadline last year he hopes to shoot in early 2025.
Other filmmakers due in Cannes for the event include Japan’s Chie Hayakawa, whose feature film debut...
The one-day event, taking place on May 19, is aimed at connecting elevated, international feature film projects with film financiers and high-net worth individuals with a desire to invest in cinema.
Östlund, who won the Palme d’Or for The Square and Triangle of Sadness, which was also nominated for three Oscars, will attend the event in person.
The Marché du Film did not give details of the projects being showcased, but it is likely the director will be talking about upcoming airplane disaster movie The Entertainment System is Down, which he told Deadline last year he hopes to shoot in early 2025.
Other filmmakers due in Cannes for the event include Japan’s Chie Hayakawa, whose feature film debut...
- 4/30/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The second edition of the Cannes Market’s Investors Circle will see 10 filmmakers, including Ruben Östlund and Nadav Lapid, present their latest projects to private investors.
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Warner Bros is finalizing a deal to preemptively acquire The Bet, a hot spec from Spanish screenwriter Javier Gullón (Enemy), according to multiple sources.
The studio declined comment. No deal figure was given.
While plot details are under wraps, the project has been described as a twisty, female-led thriller with pitch-black humor, set at a glittering destination for the ultra-rich. Ben Pugh, Peter Dealbert and Josh Varney will produce for 42.
A Goya Award nominee, Gullón is best known for scripting the surreal psychological thriller Enemy for director Denis Villeneuve. Released by A24 in 2014 after world premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, the film starred Jake Gyllenhaal as a man on a quest for his exact look-alike, after spotting him in a movie. Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini co-starred.
Gullón has sold and adapted numerous sci-fi short stories at auction for film and TV including Neanderthal (fka N...
The studio declined comment. No deal figure was given.
While plot details are under wraps, the project has been described as a twisty, female-led thriller with pitch-black humor, set at a glittering destination for the ultra-rich. Ben Pugh, Peter Dealbert and Josh Varney will produce for 42.
A Goya Award nominee, Gullón is best known for scripting the surreal psychological thriller Enemy for director Denis Villeneuve. Released by A24 in 2014 after world premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, the film starred Jake Gyllenhaal as a man on a quest for his exact look-alike, after spotting him in a movie. Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini co-starred.
Gullón has sold and adapted numerous sci-fi short stories at auction for film and TV including Neanderthal (fka N...
- 3/25/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
New Europe Film Sales has sold US rights to Ulaa Salim’s sci-fi romance Eternal to Dark Star Pictures and has boarded Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s next feature Hot Spot.
Eternal recently world premiered in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in the US.
The film centres on an obsessive, young climate change scientist who leaves behind his girlfriend to participate in a multi-year research mission exploring a fissure on the ocean floor that threatens the world. Years later, during his mission, he experiences a vision of what his life...
Eternal recently world premiered in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Dark Star is planning a theatrical release in the US.
The film centres on an obsessive, young climate change scientist who leaves behind his girlfriend to participate in a multi-year research mission exploring a fissure on the ocean floor that threatens the world. Years later, during his mission, he experiences a vision of what his life...
- 2/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Barbara Rupik’s “Cherub” was awarded the Eurimages New Lab Awards for Innovation at CineMart, the co-production market arm of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, with Lilian Hess’ “Duchampiana” taking home the Eurimart New Lab Award for Outreach.
Rupik’s project follows the titular creatures, shape-shifting angelic beings with human heads and birdlike wings, as they descend to a forgotten village to claim the soul of a dying girl. The director’s statement says that “Cherub” will blend “elements that are grotesque, musical, dramatic and horror in the genre, woven out of folklore and rural traditions.” Rubik, the author of the puppet animation in Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s “Silent Twins,” and whose shorts have been awarded at Cannes and Dok Leipzig, also took home the Wouter Barendrecht Award worth €5,000.
“Duchampiana” is an artistic VR experience focused on body politics and inspired by Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase.” The installation will...
Rupik’s project follows the titular creatures, shape-shifting angelic beings with human heads and birdlike wings, as they descend to a forgotten village to claim the soul of a dying girl. The director’s statement says that “Cherub” will blend “elements that are grotesque, musical, dramatic and horror in the genre, woven out of folklore and rural traditions.” Rubik, the author of the puppet animation in Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s “Silent Twins,” and whose shorts have been awarded at Cannes and Dok Leipzig, also took home the Wouter Barendrecht Award worth €5,000.
“Duchampiana” is an artistic VR experience focused on body politics and inspired by Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase.” The installation will...
- 1/30/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
With her debut feature “Tiger Stripes,” Malaysian writer-director Amanda Nell Eu joins an exciting group of directors who provide subversive takes on genre and body horror. Julia Ducournau and “Raw” comes to mind, as do Agnieszka Smoczynska and “The Lure” and John Fawcett and “Ginger Snaps” — like David Cronenberg before them.
Eu, an Ma graduate of the London Film School, blends Malaysian folklore with heightened realism and a large dollop of “Mean Girls” in the story of a tween going through changes wrought by puberty and alterations in her friendship group. World premiering at the Cannes Critics Week, it came away with the Grand Jury Prize for best feature and has been collecting additional kudos ever since. It represents Malaysia in the Oscar international feature competition.
Bold 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is the natural leader among her group of gal pals, all currently seniors at their religious primary school. She...
Eu, an Ma graduate of the London Film School, blends Malaysian folklore with heightened realism and a large dollop of “Mean Girls” in the story of a tween going through changes wrought by puberty and alterations in her friendship group. World premiering at the Cannes Critics Week, it came away with the Grand Jury Prize for best feature and has been collecting additional kudos ever since. It represents Malaysia in the Oscar international feature competition.
Bold 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is the natural leader among her group of gal pals, all currently seniors at their religious primary school. She...
- 12/9/2023
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Black Bear’s management arm has signed the Swedish actor and model Simon Lööf for representation.
Lööf is currently on set in the lead role of Netflix’s Swedish thriller An Honest Life, directed by Mikael Marcimain, which is due to be released globally 2024.
Based on a thriller by Joakim Zander of the same name, the buzzed about production revolves around a disillusioned law school student who finds himself on the wrong side of the law, when he falls under the thrall of an anarchic, young woman he meets a political demonstration.
Simon Lööf made his acting debut in 2020 in teen ice hockey drama Eagles, which he followed with a co-starring role in the critically acclaimed Swedish series Threesome opposite Matilda Källström.
Aside from An Honest Life, Lööf’s will soon be seen in the series So Long, Marianne about the relationship between...
Lööf is currently on set in the lead role of Netflix’s Swedish thriller An Honest Life, directed by Mikael Marcimain, which is due to be released globally 2024.
Based on a thriller by Joakim Zander of the same name, the buzzed about production revolves around a disillusioned law school student who finds himself on the wrong side of the law, when he falls under the thrall of an anarchic, young woman he meets a political demonstration.
Simon Lööf made his acting debut in 2020 in teen ice hockey drama Eagles, which he followed with a co-starring role in the critically acclaimed Swedish series Threesome opposite Matilda Källström.
Aside from An Honest Life, Lööf’s will soon be seen in the series So Long, Marianne about the relationship between...
- 11/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Black Bear, the production, management and financing company founded by Teddy Schwarzman, on Thursday announced its signing of Simona Tabasco, one of the breakout Italian stars of The White Lotus‘ second season.
The news follows the firm’s introduction to Tabasco as the producer of Immaculate, a forthcoming psychological horror film in which she stars opposite fellow White Lotus alum Sydney Sweeney.
In the Sicily-set second installment of Mike White’s HBO satire The White Lotus, examining the dynamics between employees and guests at luxury hotels around the world, Tabasco starred alongside Adam Dimarco, Michael Imperioli, Beatrice Grannò, Theo James and more. The 10x Emmy-winning series had her playing the role of Lucia Greco, a prostitute enjoying the high life alongside aspiring chanteuse Mia (Grannò), as she builds her business on the grounds of The White Lotus Sicily. For her performance, the actress was recognized with an Emmy nom...
The news follows the firm’s introduction to Tabasco as the producer of Immaculate, a forthcoming psychological horror film in which she stars opposite fellow White Lotus alum Sydney Sweeney.
In the Sicily-set second installment of Mike White’s HBO satire The White Lotus, examining the dynamics between employees and guests at luxury hotels around the world, Tabasco starred alongside Adam Dimarco, Michael Imperioli, Beatrice Grannò, Theo James and more. The 10x Emmy-winning series had her playing the role of Lucia Greco, a prostitute enjoying the high life alongside aspiring chanteuse Mia (Grannò), as she builds her business on the grounds of The White Lotus Sicily. For her performance, the actress was recognized with an Emmy nom...
- 8/10/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Black Bear’s management arm has signed Danish-American actor Elliott Crosset Hove for representation.
Hove is best known for the well-received Danish/Icelandic feature Godland, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
His lauded performance in the picture earned him Best Male Actor at Denmark’s 2023 Bodil Awards, as well as a Best Actor nomination at the European Film Awards.
Hove’s previous feature roles include Rasmus Heisterberg’s 2016 feature film In the Blood, for which Hove was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Bodil Awards, and Hlynur Pálmason’s Winter Brothers, which won him a Danish Robert Award and Best Actor at the Locarno Film Festival. He has also appeared in Journal 64, Before the Frost, Parents and Wildland.
Most recently, Hove starred in Katrine Brocks’ The Great Silence and Simon Jaquemet’s Electric Child, which is currently in post-production, alongside Rila Fukushima.
Hove is best known for the well-received Danish/Icelandic feature Godland, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
His lauded performance in the picture earned him Best Male Actor at Denmark’s 2023 Bodil Awards, as well as a Best Actor nomination at the European Film Awards.
Hove’s previous feature roles include Rasmus Heisterberg’s 2016 feature film In the Blood, for which Hove was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Bodil Awards, and Hlynur Pálmason’s Winter Brothers, which won him a Danish Robert Award and Best Actor at the Locarno Film Festival. He has also appeared in Journal 64, Before the Frost, Parents and Wildland.
Most recently, Hove starred in Katrine Brocks’ The Great Silence and Simon Jaquemet’s Electric Child, which is currently in post-production, alongside Rila Fukushima.
- 7/11/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Hedge Funds into Festivals: Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023Can U.S. companies be viewing international film festivals in a new light that foretells a new source of financing for the festivals which are facing the same cutbacks as all other cultural initiatives as post-Covid inflation and arming big wars take the lion’s share of capital?
Sydney Levine
Published in
SydneysBuzz The Blog
·5 min read·4 days ago
Three important new players are eyeing ten emerging European film directors as they launch their careers in the film industry at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the 8th edition of Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema organized by the European Film Promotion and Kviff. The selected participants, chosen among film students and graduates, will showcase their films to the festival audience and engage in an intensive program that will introduce them to the film industry and media in a way that goes beyond the borders of Europe.
The final 10, chosen by Kviff’s artistic director Karel Och and his team of programmers follow a two-part schedule, starting with an online pre-program of pitching training and industry meetings. During the festival, Efp introduces the young directors and their films to the public, film industry and press. The three-day on-site event running from 2 July is rounded off by this year’s mentor, the acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska who will provide an exclusive private master class for the young filmmakers.
*** click here for more information about you might be selected ***
The new financing infusion comes from future-seeing U.S.- and U.K.-based bigtime cultural business for this year’s Future Frames program
A new partnership with leading multi-national lottery operator Allwyn as well as U.S.-based talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners will provide feedback and guidance to the filmmakers. One participant will ultimately be selected who will receive a special scholarship sponsored by Allwyn to go to Los Angeles and learn from the best in the film industry.
UTA’s partnership with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival may be explained in part by the agency’s partner Rena Ronson. The first woman to run an independent financing, packaging and sales department at an agency as sole head, she now co-heads UTA Independent Film Group. In reading her in-depth interview with Screen International, readers will learn what gives Rena her special international view of film, something sorely lacking in most U.S. major players.
U.S. based venture capital as invested in Range Media Partners is also aiming outward from the U.S. The largest startup in Hollywood’s talent representation sector in years, Rmp was launched in late summer 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Its founders and partners, two former agents from CAA, Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham, have an ambitious vision for the management, production and business development side of the industry. With financial backing coming former Wall Street hedge funder Steven A. Cohen’ who reached a $1.2 billion settlement of insider trading charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2013, his private equity firm, Point72, has been a valued advisor but has no day-to-day role in running the agency. Their combined vision sees going beyond classic booking roles in TV shows and movies into the empire-building of business development and venture capital investments. Range Media now has nearly 150 staffers thanks to the financial backing from Point72 and it has expanded quickly through another partnership with A+E Networks that gives it a boost in content production and distribution.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska
In an exclusive master class entitled “How to make your first movie“, Agnieszka Smoczyńska will talk about her experiences and encourage the young directors to follow their ideas and go their own ways. Smoczyńska will present her highly-acclaimed first feature film, The Lure, a mixture of musical and horror film.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska debuted in 2015 with The Lure– genre-bending, horror-musical mashup which won awards around the world, at dozens of international festivals, including Sundance Film Festival Porto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilnius. The Lure is a part of the prestigious Criterion Collection and was theatrically released in US via Janus Film. Her second feature film Fugue premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week. In 2023, it was released in US theaters. In 2022, her English-language debut, The Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Smoczyńska took part in the European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch program. She was also a winner of the Global Filmmaking Award sponsored by the Sundance Institute. In 2022 she was among five directors to watch at Cannes Film Festival.
About Allwyn
Announced as a main partner of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in April 2023, Allwyn, a leading multi-national lottery operator, will support the Future Frames initiative for three years. As a main partner of Kviff, Allwyn will host the Allwyn Future Frames Lounge on site and bring the ten emerging European talents together with industry leaders, including overseas talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners.
“We look forward to welcoming all the talented directors to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year, selected as part of the Future Frames initiative. We are also very much looking forward to welcoming one of the ten directors on the newly established scholarship to Hollywood, introduced this year in partnership with UTA and Range Media. Changing lives is core to our mission and we are very pleased to be affording talented directors the opportunity to work with the very best in the film industry,” said Pavel Turek, Allwyn’s Chief Officer of Global Brand, Corporate Communication, and Csr.
This year’s group not only has experience in festivals, but the 10 also includes two award winners such as Germany’s Sophia Mocorrea who won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Special Mention at this year’s Berlinale with her film The Kidnapping of the Bride in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. The Netherlands’ Joris Tobé’s Frantic Attempts won the Knf Award for Best Graduation Project at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2022. Other films from this year’s Berlinale include The Shift by Denmark’s Amalie Maria Nielsen (Generation Kplus) and Spain’s Christian Avilés’ Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays(Berlinale Shorts). Heart Fruit by Kim Allamand celebrated its world premiere in the Pardi Di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival last year.
For more details of the selected 10, click here.
Also chosen are Czech Republic’s Anna Izabela Wowra for Stuck Together, Italy’s Giulia Regini for Cut From the Same Cow, Lithuania’s Rinaldas Tomaševičius for 15, Portugal’s Inês Pedrosa e Melo for Home, Revised, Slovak Republic’s Monika Mahútová for Standing Still and Switzerland’s Kim Allamand for Heart Fruit.
MoviesInternational FilmFilm FestivalsWomen In FilmFilm Financing...
Sydney Levine
Published in
SydneysBuzz The Blog
·5 min read·4 days ago
Three important new players are eyeing ten emerging European film directors as they launch their careers in the film industry at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the 8th edition of Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema organized by the European Film Promotion and Kviff. The selected participants, chosen among film students and graduates, will showcase their films to the festival audience and engage in an intensive program that will introduce them to the film industry and media in a way that goes beyond the borders of Europe.
The final 10, chosen by Kviff’s artistic director Karel Och and his team of programmers follow a two-part schedule, starting with an online pre-program of pitching training and industry meetings. During the festival, Efp introduces the young directors and their films to the public, film industry and press. The three-day on-site event running from 2 July is rounded off by this year’s mentor, the acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska who will provide an exclusive private master class for the young filmmakers.
*** click here for more information about you might be selected ***
The new financing infusion comes from future-seeing U.S.- and U.K.-based bigtime cultural business for this year’s Future Frames program
A new partnership with leading multi-national lottery operator Allwyn as well as U.S.-based talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners will provide feedback and guidance to the filmmakers. One participant will ultimately be selected who will receive a special scholarship sponsored by Allwyn to go to Los Angeles and learn from the best in the film industry.
UTA’s partnership with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival may be explained in part by the agency’s partner Rena Ronson. The first woman to run an independent financing, packaging and sales department at an agency as sole head, she now co-heads UTA Independent Film Group. In reading her in-depth interview with Screen International, readers will learn what gives Rena her special international view of film, something sorely lacking in most U.S. major players.
U.S. based venture capital as invested in Range Media Partners is also aiming outward from the U.S. The largest startup in Hollywood’s talent representation sector in years, Rmp was launched in late summer 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Its founders and partners, two former agents from CAA, Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham, have an ambitious vision for the management, production and business development side of the industry. With financial backing coming former Wall Street hedge funder Steven A. Cohen’ who reached a $1.2 billion settlement of insider trading charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2013, his private equity firm, Point72, has been a valued advisor but has no day-to-day role in running the agency. Their combined vision sees going beyond classic booking roles in TV shows and movies into the empire-building of business development and venture capital investments. Range Media now has nearly 150 staffers thanks to the financial backing from Point72 and it has expanded quickly through another partnership with A+E Networks that gives it a boost in content production and distribution.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska
In an exclusive master class entitled “How to make your first movie“, Agnieszka Smoczyńska will talk about her experiences and encourage the young directors to follow their ideas and go their own ways. Smoczyńska will present her highly-acclaimed first feature film, The Lure, a mixture of musical and horror film.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska debuted in 2015 with The Lure– genre-bending, horror-musical mashup which won awards around the world, at dozens of international festivals, including Sundance Film Festival Porto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilnius. The Lure is a part of the prestigious Criterion Collection and was theatrically released in US via Janus Film. Her second feature film Fugue premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week. In 2023, it was released in US theaters. In 2022, her English-language debut, The Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Smoczyńska took part in the European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch program. She was also a winner of the Global Filmmaking Award sponsored by the Sundance Institute. In 2022 she was among five directors to watch at Cannes Film Festival.
About Allwyn
Announced as a main partner of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in April 2023, Allwyn, a leading multi-national lottery operator, will support the Future Frames initiative for three years. As a main partner of Kviff, Allwyn will host the Allwyn Future Frames Lounge on site and bring the ten emerging European talents together with industry leaders, including overseas talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners.
“We look forward to welcoming all the talented directors to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year, selected as part of the Future Frames initiative. We are also very much looking forward to welcoming one of the ten directors on the newly established scholarship to Hollywood, introduced this year in partnership with UTA and Range Media. Changing lives is core to our mission and we are very pleased to be affording talented directors the opportunity to work with the very best in the film industry,” said Pavel Turek, Allwyn’s Chief Officer of Global Brand, Corporate Communication, and Csr.
This year’s group not only has experience in festivals, but the 10 also includes two award winners such as Germany’s Sophia Mocorrea who won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Special Mention at this year’s Berlinale with her film The Kidnapping of the Bride in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. The Netherlands’ Joris Tobé’s Frantic Attempts won the Knf Award for Best Graduation Project at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2022. Other films from this year’s Berlinale include The Shift by Denmark’s Amalie Maria Nielsen (Generation Kplus) and Spain’s Christian Avilés’ Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays(Berlinale Shorts). Heart Fruit by Kim Allamand celebrated its world premiere in the Pardi Di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival last year.
For more details of the selected 10, click here.
Also chosen are Czech Republic’s Anna Izabela Wowra for Stuck Together, Italy’s Giulia Regini for Cut From the Same Cow, Lithuania’s Rinaldas Tomaševičius for 15, Portugal’s Inês Pedrosa e Melo for Home, Revised, Slovak Republic’s Monika Mahútová for Standing Still and Switzerland’s Kim Allamand for Heart Fruit.
MoviesInternational FilmFilm FestivalsWomen In FilmFilm Financing...
- 7/10/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska‘s feature debut, the horror mermaid musical The Lure, dazzled upon release in 2017. While her English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright is set to debut this Fall, the filmmaker’s current project, Hot Spot, has our attention.
The filmmaker spoke with Variety today about her work, teasing Hot Spot‘s premise “about a disillusioned private eye Djonny, investigating a murder at a refugee camp and confronting a cyber witch who takes control of his life.”
Smoczyńska had us at “cyber witch.”
“In Europe, it’s good to have co-productions. It’s better for arthouse films, especially nowadays. On this sci-fi film, based somewhere in the future, we will have Greece, France and Poland on board,” the filmmaker said of Hot Spot‘s production. In other words, don’t expect a fully English-language feature in Hot Spot.
Hot Spot will also reunite Smoczyńska with screenwriter Robert Bolesto,...
The filmmaker spoke with Variety today about her work, teasing Hot Spot‘s premise “about a disillusioned private eye Djonny, investigating a murder at a refugee camp and confronting a cyber witch who takes control of his life.”
Smoczyńska had us at “cyber witch.”
“In Europe, it’s good to have co-productions. It’s better for arthouse films, especially nowadays. On this sci-fi film, based somewhere in the future, we will have Greece, France and Poland on board,” the filmmaker said of Hot Spot‘s production. In other words, don’t expect a fully English-language feature in Hot Spot.
Hot Spot will also reunite Smoczyńska with screenwriter Robert Bolesto,...
- 7/7/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Polish helmer Agnieszka Smoczyńska fought for Tamara Lawrance to be a part of “The Silent Twins,” she said at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
“We had two options: [hire] one actress who plays both characters, but there is no chemistry, or find actual twins, which was not possible. We had Letitia Wright, who was this amazing actress and ‘Black Panther’ star, and then we found Tamara,” she said.
The story was inspired by real-life identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who only communicated with each other.
“They are not that similar, so what do you do? You make a decision. And I knew she was the one, because it was all about this tension between them.”
Smoczyńska opened up about difficult choices and her career during an exclusive masterclass for 10 young filmmakers selected for Efp’s Future Frames – Generation Next of European Cinema.
“I really wanted to make my movie. Not somebody else’s movie,...
“We had two options: [hire] one actress who plays both characters, but there is no chemistry, or find actual twins, which was not possible. We had Letitia Wright, who was this amazing actress and ‘Black Panther’ star, and then we found Tamara,” she said.
The story was inspired by real-life identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who only communicated with each other.
“They are not that similar, so what do you do? You make a decision. And I knew she was the one, because it was all about this tension between them.”
Smoczyńska opened up about difficult choices and her career during an exclusive masterclass for 10 young filmmakers selected for Efp’s Future Frames – Generation Next of European Cinema.
“I really wanted to make my movie. Not somebody else’s movie,...
- 7/7/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Once again, 10 promising directors are making their way to Karlovy Vary Film Festival thanks to European Film Promotion’s Future Frames – Generation Next of European Cinema initiative, ready to burst onto the international film scene.
“Over the past few years, we have established a reliable label with Future Frames,” says Sonja Heinen, Efp’s managing director, adding that the goals have remained the same: spotlighting talent, creating visibility for the emerging directors, and helping them access the market.
“Being selected gives them a certain stamp of approval. They get a platform to exchange and experience, and are equipped with coaching which they can use later in their career,” adds Nora Goldstein, project director.
Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, behind Sundance award-winner “The Lure” and Cannes title “Silent Twins,” is this year’s mentor.
Getting access to the Efp network also means being welcomed into a “family from all parts of Europe,...
“Over the past few years, we have established a reliable label with Future Frames,” says Sonja Heinen, Efp’s managing director, adding that the goals have remained the same: spotlighting talent, creating visibility for the emerging directors, and helping them access the market.
“Being selected gives them a certain stamp of approval. They get a platform to exchange and experience, and are equipped with coaching which they can use later in their career,” adds Nora Goldstein, project director.
Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, behind Sundance award-winner “The Lure” and Cannes title “Silent Twins,” is this year’s mentor.
Getting access to the Efp network also means being welcomed into a “family from all parts of Europe,...
- 7/1/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
New Project
Update: The title of Vannuccini’s sequel to “Commedia” has been changed to “Things and Other Things.”
Riccardo Vannuccini has set a sequel to his feature “Commedia.” Titled “Tarzan,” the project will see him again team up with “This England” star Greta Bellamacina, with whom he starred in “Commedia.”
The duo will reprise their roles as Rocco and Irene, this time in a post-industrial landscape. Manolo Cinti is on board as Dp. “Tarzan,” which begins shooting in Italy this November, is co-produced by Artestudio in Rome and Sulk Youth in the U.K.
“Commedia” is set to be released on Prime Video in the U.K. and U.S. this month.
“Our heroes have managed to mysteriously escape from where they were – but where were they?” says Vannuccini. “They are busy doing nothing, making small acts, to leave imaginative traces of their passage, imagined signs of being in the world.
Update: The title of Vannuccini’s sequel to “Commedia” has been changed to “Things and Other Things.”
Riccardo Vannuccini has set a sequel to his feature “Commedia.” Titled “Tarzan,” the project will see him again team up with “This England” star Greta Bellamacina, with whom he starred in “Commedia.”
The duo will reprise their roles as Rocco and Irene, this time in a post-industrial landscape. Manolo Cinti is on board as Dp. “Tarzan,” which begins shooting in Italy this November, is co-produced by Artestudio in Rome and Sulk Youth in the U.K.
“Commedia” is set to be released on Prime Video in the U.K. and U.S. this month.
“Our heroes have managed to mysteriously escape from where they were – but where were they?” says Vannuccini. “They are busy doing nothing, making small acts, to leave imaginative traces of their passage, imagined signs of being in the world.
- 6/20/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Bobby Farrelly’s ‘Champions’ will close the Czech event.
US actress and filmmaker Robin Wright will be the latest recipient of the President’s Award at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Wright will receive the award at the closing ceremony for the 57th edition, on Saturday, July 8. The festival has also added Rob Reiner’s 1987 adventure comedy The Princess Bride starring Wright to its programme.
Wright joins Ewan McGregor and Alicia Vikander in receiving the President’s Award at this year’s event; previous recipients include Benicio Del Toro, Ethan Hawke and Jude Law.
The festival will also pay homage to US producer Christine Vachon.
US actress and filmmaker Robin Wright will be the latest recipient of the President’s Award at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Wright will receive the award at the closing ceremony for the 57th edition, on Saturday, July 8. The festival has also added Rob Reiner’s 1987 adventure comedy The Princess Bride starring Wright to its programme.
Wright joins Ewan McGregor and Alicia Vikander in receiving the President’s Award at this year’s event; previous recipients include Benicio Del Toro, Ethan Hawke and Jude Law.
The festival will also pay homage to US producer Christine Vachon.
- 6/20/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Actress and director Robin Wright will be the featured guest at Karlovy Vary’s closing ceremony on July 8, where she will receive the festival’s Honorary President’s Award.
Across her career, Wright has received three Golden Globe nominations, with a win in 2014; five Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations; and five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performances in Netflix’s House Of Cards.
On the night, the presentation of Wright’s award will precede the festival’s closing film, the Woody Harrelson-starrer Champions. The pic, directed by Bobby Farrelly, follows a former minor-league basketball coach who is ordered by a court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, this team can go further than they ever imagined. The film opened in the States in March.
Karlovy Vary will also honor stalwart...
Across her career, Wright has received three Golden Globe nominations, with a win in 2014; five Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations; and five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performances in Netflix’s House Of Cards.
On the night, the presentation of Wright’s award will precede the festival’s closing film, the Woody Harrelson-starrer Champions. The pic, directed by Bobby Farrelly, follows a former minor-league basketball coach who is ordered by a court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, this team can go further than they ever imagined. The film opened in the States in March.
Karlovy Vary will also honor stalwart...
- 6/20/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s not a coincidence that Volker Schlöndorff’s latest film The Forest Maker, the environmental essay documentary about Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, who found a way to grow trees in the most barren areas of Africa, is opening the 27th Sofia International Film Festival kicking off Thursday in the Bulgarian capital.
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
- 3/16/2023
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Most of the well-known mermaid films are romantic and upbeat, from the tween fantasy "Aquamarine" to Disney's revolutionary animated feature "The Little Mermaid" (which will be reimagined as a live-action movie in May), and the sex comedy "Splash" where Tom Hanks meets a beautiful mermaid who also happens to be the girl of his dreams. But mermaids can also be a nightmare.
In Greek mythology, mermaids — also known as sirens — are half-human, half-sea creatures who are mysterious and inquisitive, but also deceitful. According to folklore from around the world, female mermaids are harborers of doom. They use their bewitching singing voices to hypnotize male sailors and lure them to a watery death. In Homer's "Odyssey," Odysseus forces his men to fill their ears with wax so that they are not tempted by a mermaid's enchanting song.
Their liminal existence between the sea and shore often brings violence and conflict,...
In Greek mythology, mermaids — also known as sirens — are half-human, half-sea creatures who are mysterious and inquisitive, but also deceitful. According to folklore from around the world, female mermaids are harborers of doom. They use their bewitching singing voices to hypnotize male sailors and lure them to a watery death. In Homer's "Odyssey," Odysseus forces his men to fill their ears with wax so that they are not tempted by a mermaid's enchanting song.
Their liminal existence between the sea and shore often brings violence and conflict,...
- 3/14/2023
- by Caroline Madden
- Slash Film
Agnieszka Smoczynska‘s 2015 The Lure was quite the sensation, having made a splash at Sundance and having enjoyed a growing reputation in the years since. Smoczynska premiered her second film Fugue at Critics’ Week in Cannes, and while the reception has been equally strong, the film couldn’t be more different. At the Polish premiere at the Nowe Horyzonty Film Festival, I witnessed a sober, hyper-controlled look at a woman who disappears and is forced to go back to a family she doesn’t remember having.
Gabriela Muskała came up with the initial idea and portrays Alicja (who’s now being told her name is Kinga) with a fiercely defiant stare, soldering contempt, pain and disinterest on her face when she is confronted with what’s left of her past relationships.…...
Gabriela Muskała came up with the initial idea and portrays Alicja (who’s now being told her name is Kinga) with a fiercely defiant stare, soldering contempt, pain and disinterest on her face when she is confronted with what’s left of her past relationships.…...
- 3/7/2023
- by Tommaso Tocci
- IONCINEMA.com
Staring into the Known: Smoczyńska Offers Low-key, Uncompromising Sophomore Feature
Surely not the follow up effort audiences might have had in mind from the creator of 2015’s mermaid horror musical The Lure, perhaps – and yet Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Fugue is striking in its understated and discomforting in its elegance. The story of a woman resurfacing from the darkness of a Warsaw underground tunnel with no memory of her previous life as a wife and mother in the Lower Silesia region of Poland, Fugue will surely frustrate those looking for the same extravagance that made with her Sundance hit debut The Lure (read review).…...
Surely not the follow up effort audiences might have had in mind from the creator of 2015’s mermaid horror musical The Lure, perhaps – and yet Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Fugue is striking in its understated and discomforting in its elegance. The story of a woman resurfacing from the darkness of a Warsaw underground tunnel with no memory of her previous life as a wife and mother in the Lower Silesia region of Poland, Fugue will surely frustrate those looking for the same extravagance that made with her Sundance hit debut The Lure (read review).…...
- 3/6/2023
- by Tommaso Tocci
- IONCINEMA.com
Alicja suffers from memory loss and has rebuilt her own free spirited way of life. Two years later, she returns to her former family to assume against her will her role as wife, mother and daughter. Her estranged husband and son do not recognize this woman who looks familiar and yet behaves like a stranger. Feelings of alienation, love and revelations rekindle her interior flame. Agnieszka Smoczynska's Fugue, her follow-up to her breakout film Lure, has finally found its way to U.S. cinemas this month. After four long years Fugue will start out next Friday, March 10th in Los Angeles and end the month in New York on the 31st. No word from its distributor Dekanalog if they plan to expand to other...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/3/2023
- Screen Anarchy
The Polish film industry is embracing variety and high-profile international collaborations, with a slew of new co-productions already generating buzz among buyers and festival programmers. “More and more established filmmakers, who used to look for collaborators in Romania or Hungary, are now coming to Poland — mostly because we are backed by concrete institutions and because there is money,” says producer Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska of Madants, heading to Berlinale’s European Film Market with “Ultima Thule” and Goran Stolevski’s “Housekeeping for Beginners.”
“Our crews speak English and work abroad. We are visible internationally,” she adds.
Madants is also behind James Napier Robertson’s upcoming Polish-Kiwi title “Joika,” one of six international co-productions backed by the Polish Film Institute in 2022. The shingle’s slate includes Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s “Let Me Out” and Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s follow-up to “The Silent Twins,” “Hot Spot.”
“Foreign producers and buyers are actively looking...
“Our crews speak English and work abroad. We are visible internationally,” she adds.
Madants is also behind James Napier Robertson’s upcoming Polish-Kiwi title “Joika,” one of six international co-productions backed by the Polish Film Institute in 2022. The shingle’s slate includes Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s “Let Me Out” and Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s follow-up to “The Silent Twins,” “Hot Spot.”
“Foreign producers and buyers are actively looking...
- 2/19/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based Petit Film has boarded “Hot Spot” by Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska.
The story, set in the near future, follows a disillusioned private eye Djonny, called to investigate a murder at a refugee camp. But he becomes increasingly unstable as he confronts a cyber witch who gradually takes control of his life.
Smoczyńska’s previous film, Cannes premiere “The Silent Twins” – based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons – earned Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance a BIFA [British Independent Film Award] for Best Joint Lead Performance.
“Agnieszka’s work does not derive from, or resemble, any existing films. That’s the first and foremost reason why I would not miss the chance to participate in one of them,” says producer Jean des Forêts, also behind Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” and Lucile Hadžihalilović’s English-language debut “Earwig.”
“Last year the opportunity arose and I seized it immediately. The project brings together a nice band...
The story, set in the near future, follows a disillusioned private eye Djonny, called to investigate a murder at a refugee camp. But he becomes increasingly unstable as he confronts a cyber witch who gradually takes control of his life.
Smoczyńska’s previous film, Cannes premiere “The Silent Twins” – based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons – earned Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance a BIFA [British Independent Film Award] for Best Joint Lead Performance.
“Agnieszka’s work does not derive from, or resemble, any existing films. That’s the first and foremost reason why I would not miss the chance to participate in one of them,” says producer Jean des Forêts, also behind Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” and Lucile Hadžihalilović’s English-language debut “Earwig.”
“Last year the opportunity arose and I seized it immediately. The project brings together a nice band...
- 2/19/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Happily ever after isn’t a concept often found in horror, which makes for a perfect antidote to the saccharine sentimentality of Valentine’s Day. Since love is in the air this week, this week’s streaming picks highlight the downside to romance: the brutal heartbreaks.
Because it’s horror, it’s never as straightforward as a breakup. Psychosis, body horror transformations, and death are some of the causes behind this week’s doomed romance titles.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Fly – HBO Max
The Fly remains one of horror’s most tragic love stories. The initial sparks between journalist Veronica and quirky scientist Seth give way to a full-blown relationship. But Seth harbors some insecurity toward Veronica’s relationship with her editor Stathis Borans, a former lover who still has feelings for her. That insecurity...
Because it’s horror, it’s never as straightforward as a breakup. Psychosis, body horror transformations, and death are some of the causes behind this week’s doomed romance titles.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Fly – HBO Max
The Fly remains one of horror’s most tragic love stories. The initial sparks between journalist Veronica and quirky scientist Seth give way to a full-blown relationship. But Seth harbors some insecurity toward Veronica’s relationship with her editor Stathis Borans, a former lover who still has feelings for her. That insecurity...
- 2/13/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio DVD review for “The Silent Twins,” the story of a famous case regarding British twins who only speak to each other and not the outside world. This is currently available in a Blu-ray DVD package from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
This unusual biography film, based on real events, is about the Gibbons twins (Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence) two girls in Britain who make a pact to never speak outside of their togetherness. This causes consternation with their parents, schools and various social workers assigned to their case. They retreat into creativity, writing and crime, both of which brings them various degrees of satisfaction and dis-association, but their bond and silence is never broken. When a criminal trial separates them, the next phase of the relationship begins.
The Silent Twins
Photo credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Audio DVD Review of “The Silent Twins...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
This unusual biography film, based on real events, is about the Gibbons twins (Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence) two girls in Britain who make a pact to never speak outside of their togetherness. This causes consternation with their parents, schools and various social workers assigned to their case. They retreat into creativity, writing and crime, both of which brings them various degrees of satisfaction and dis-association, but their bond and silence is never broken. When a criminal trial separates them, the next phase of the relationship begins.
The Silent Twins
Photo credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Audio DVD Review of “The Silent Twins...
- 12/27/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
How Tamara Lawrance Found Her Voice In ‘The Silent Twins’ & Hot Crime Noir Series ‘Get Millie Black’
Exclusive: Silence has been golden for Tamara Lawrance who, paired with Wakanda Forever’s Letitia Wright in The Silent Twins, won the best joint lead performance trophy at the recent BIFA awards.
In director Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s picture they portray inseparable twins, Jennifer and June Gibbons, born to Barbadian parents in 1963. They made an unusual pact at an early age to remain speechless except for communicating with each other in an indecipherable dialect of their own design.
It’s a contrast to a TV drama Lawrance will star in next year, in which she plays a character with more than enough to say. She’s referring to the title role in Channel 4 and HBO’s six-part prestige series Get Millie Black, a crime noir thriller set in Kingston, Jamaica and the UK, created by writer Marlon James whose novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won him the 2015 Man Booker prize.
In director Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s picture they portray inseparable twins, Jennifer and June Gibbons, born to Barbadian parents in 1963. They made an unusual pact at an early age to remain speechless except for communicating with each other in an indecipherable dialect of their own design.
It’s a contrast to a TV drama Lawrance will star in next year, in which she plays a character with more than enough to say. She’s referring to the title role in Channel 4 and HBO’s six-part prestige series Get Millie Black, a crime noir thriller set in Kingston, Jamaica and the UK, created by writer Marlon James whose novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won him the 2015 Man Booker prize.
- 12/19/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Perfectly mirrored performances from Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance distinguish Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s stylistically bold drama based on a true story
At the recent British Independent Film awards (Bifa), the prize for best joint lead performance went to Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance for their starring roles in this stylistically adventurous account of real-life twins June and Jennifer Gibbons. Other nominations in that same category included Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio for Aftersun, which proved to be this year’s big Bifa winner; Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson for the bittersweet sex comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; and Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear for the fable-like Men. All these nominations were for films in which a central pair brilliantly carry the drama, sometimes in multiple roles. Yet in the Poland/UK/US co-production The Silent Twins, Wright and Lawrance manage to convince us that they are two sides of a divided soul,...
At the recent British Independent Film awards (Bifa), the prize for best joint lead performance went to Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance for their starring roles in this stylistically adventurous account of real-life twins June and Jennifer Gibbons. Other nominations in that same category included Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio for Aftersun, which proved to be this year’s big Bifa winner; Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson for the bittersweet sex comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; and Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear for the fable-like Men. All these nominations were for films in which a central pair brilliantly carry the drama, sometimes in multiple roles. Yet in the Poland/UK/US co-production The Silent Twins, Wright and Lawrance manage to convince us that they are two sides of a divided soul,...
- 12/11/2022
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Also out this weekend is a live brodcast of New York’s Metropolitan Opera ’The Hours’ at 133 venues.
Distributors have steered clear of major new releases this weekend ahead of the UK and Ireland December 16 opening of Avatar: The Way Of Water, however there are some notable arthouse titles debuting at the box office.
Cannes premiere The Silent Twins is this weekend’s widest new release, playing in 160 sites for Universal, following Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright’s recent British Independent Film Award (Bifa) win for best joint lead performance. The Lure’s Agnieszka Smoczynska directs this Poland-uk co-production, which is Smoczynska’s English-language debut,...
Distributors have steered clear of major new releases this weekend ahead of the UK and Ireland December 16 opening of Avatar: The Way Of Water, however there are some notable arthouse titles debuting at the box office.
Cannes premiere The Silent Twins is this weekend’s widest new release, playing in 160 sites for Universal, following Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright’s recent British Independent Film Award (Bifa) win for best joint lead performance. The Lure’s Agnieszka Smoczynska directs this Poland-uk co-production, which is Smoczynska’s English-language debut,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells’s acclaimed debut feature Aftersun swept the board, snagging seven wins at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in London this evening.
The film won Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. This evening’s four wins were added to the film’s previously announced haul in the craft categories with three wins including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Supervision.
Georgia Oakley’s 1980s Section 28 era set Blue Jean, which trailed only Aftersun for the most nominations, picked up three awards on the night: Best Lead Performance for Rosy McEwen, Best Supporting Performance for Kerrie Hayes, and Oakley took home the Best Debut Screenwriter award sponsored by Film4.
Elsewhere, Safia Oakley-Green won the Breakthrough Performance award for her role in Andrew Cumming’s debut feature The Origin and Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright picked...
The film won Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. This evening’s four wins were added to the film’s previously announced haul in the craft categories with three wins including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Supervision.
Georgia Oakley’s 1980s Section 28 era set Blue Jean, which trailed only Aftersun for the most nominations, picked up three awards on the night: Best Lead Performance for Rosy McEwen, Best Supporting Performance for Kerrie Hayes, and Oakley took home the Best Debut Screenwriter award sponsored by Film4.
Elsewhere, Safia Oakley-Green won the Breakthrough Performance award for her role in Andrew Cumming’s debut feature The Origin and Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright picked...
- 12/4/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Polish film and TV writer/director Agnieszka Smoczyńska's biographical film "The Silent Twins" is heading to Peacock. The movie is inspired by the book of the same name written by investigative journalist Marjorie Wallace. Published in 1986 under the title "The Silent Twins: A true story of love and hate, dreams and desolation, genius and destruction," Wallace's book is itself based on the true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twin sisters who only communicated with each other, and came to be known as "the silent twins."
Smoczyńska's film is heading to Peacock after getting a very limited theatrical release from Focus Features on September 16, 2022 -- meaning, this is probably the first time most people have even heard of the movie. So, before it joins acclaimed 2022 films like Scott Derrickson's "The Black Phone" on NBCUniversal's streaming service, here's everything you need to know about the film ahead of time.
Smoczyńska's film is heading to Peacock after getting a very limited theatrical release from Focus Features on September 16, 2022 -- meaning, this is probably the first time most people have even heard of the movie. So, before it joins acclaimed 2022 films like Scott Derrickson's "The Black Phone" on NBCUniversal's streaming service, here's everything you need to know about the film ahead of time.
- 11/4/2022
- by Fatemeh Mirjalili
- Slash Film
Poland’s American Film Festival readies for its — lucky — 13th edition, unspooling Nov. 8-13 in Wrocław.
The fest, which will open with “Bones and All” and close with Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” will once again combine classics with contemporary titles, for instance pairing Nancy Buirski’s doc “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” with John Schlesinger’s Oscar-winner, or introducing retrospectives dedicated to Robert Altman and Nina Menkes.
Menkes — behind “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” — will also get Aff’s Indie Star Award. Previous recipients include Todd Solondz, David Gordon Green, Hal Hartley, Whit Stillman, Rosanna Arquette and John Waters, who came to Poland last year.
“It was amazing,” Waters tells Variety, and he was “pleasantly surprised and flattered” by the local audience’s knowledge of his work.
“They really knew who I was! My favorite thing happened during a Q&a, when this man, who looked like an old Communist,...
The fest, which will open with “Bones and All” and close with Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” will once again combine classics with contemporary titles, for instance pairing Nancy Buirski’s doc “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy” with John Schlesinger’s Oscar-winner, or introducing retrospectives dedicated to Robert Altman and Nina Menkes.
Menkes — behind “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” — will also get Aff’s Indie Star Award. Previous recipients include Todd Solondz, David Gordon Green, Hal Hartley, Whit Stillman, Rosanna Arquette and John Waters, who came to Poland last year.
“It was amazing,” Waters tells Variety, and he was “pleasantly surprised and flattered” by the local audience’s knowledge of his work.
“They really knew who I was! My favorite thing happened during a Q&a, when this man, who looked like an old Communist,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The event runs on November 13 across 700 cinemas globally
Filmmakers Lukas Dhont, Alice Diop, Emily Atef, Pilar Palomero, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Valerio Mastandrea have been named ambassadors for the European Arthouse Cinema Day (November 13).
The event will take place in 700 cinemas globally and aims to promote European film.
The programme includes classic titles, premieres and previews as well as panels, exhibitions, Q&a’s and programmes for young people. The ambassadors will take part in some of the events.
The event is organised by the International Federation of Arthouse Cinemas (Cicae) in collaboration with participating cinemas, its national associations, distributors and sales agents.
Filmmakers Lukas Dhont, Alice Diop, Emily Atef, Pilar Palomero, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Valerio Mastandrea have been named ambassadors for the European Arthouse Cinema Day (November 13).
The event will take place in 700 cinemas globally and aims to promote European film.
The programme includes classic titles, premieres and previews as well as panels, exhibitions, Q&a’s and programmes for young people. The ambassadors will take part in some of the events.
The event is organised by the International Federation of Arthouse Cinemas (Cicae) in collaboration with participating cinemas, its national associations, distributors and sales agents.
- 10/12/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
"She is like me; as palms become fists and back again, we hold each other with more than words." Focus Features has revealed a short film created as a companion to the new film The Silent Twins. Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska, the film was released in limited theaters last weekend after premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It's based on the true story of two Barbados twin sisters living in the UK, played by Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, who don't speak to anyone aside from themselves. This short film is titled simply Kiin and it features a poem by both Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance spoken as voiceover, along with a choreographed intimate dance session and other bits of footage spliced in. It's a very dynamic, artistic experience that explores the deeper themes and connection between these two - bonds that go deeper than just words or embraces.
- 9/21/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
I first took notice of Agnieszka Smoczynska when I discovered the film The Lure. It was a strange and beautiful horror tale, one that revolved around the intense relationship between sisters. And yes, they were mermaids. The film was fascinating and unforgettable. And now, the filmmaker takes on another intriguing tale, one that revolves around the true story of sisters June and Jennifer Gibbons called The Silent Twins. What made their story special is that for years, the two would only speak to each other. It’s a unique telling of their tale, and it also features two stunning performances from Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence.
We recently sat down to speak with both Ms. Wright and Ms. Lawrence. I was so completely mesmerized by their on-screen connection, I asked about how they approached recreating such an incredible sisterly bond. For Letitia, I asked about coming off of a film...
We recently sat down to speak with both Ms. Wright and Ms. Lawrence. I was so completely mesmerized by their on-screen connection, I asked about how they approached recreating such an incredible sisterly bond. For Letitia, I asked about coming off of a film...
- 9/19/2022
- by JimmyO
- JoBlo.com
The Silent Twins is a new film based on the true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twin sisters born in 1963 to parents of Caribbean descent, and whose family lived mainly in Wales. Persecuted at school from an early age—primarily due to the color of their skin and idiosyncratic behavior—the twins gradually withdrew from the world, speaking only to each other (in a combination of sped-up English and Bajan Creole that made it difficult for others to understand), duplicating each other’s movements and behavior, and generally remaining non-communicative with others around them.
While their behavior seemed bizarre to observers, the Gibbons sisters fostered a creative life together, often in their shared bedroom, in which they made art, staged plays with handmade dolls and toys, and dreamed up stories and songs. While both of them wrote several works of fiction, only June’s full-length novel, The Pepsi-Cola Addict,...
While their behavior seemed bizarre to observers, the Gibbons sisters fostered a creative life together, often in their shared bedroom, in which they made art, staged plays with handmade dolls and toys, and dreamed up stories and songs. While both of them wrote several works of fiction, only June’s full-length novel, The Pepsi-Cola Addict,...
- 9/19/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Brett Morgen’s kaleidoscopic ode to David Bowie landed at no 10 in North America this weekend, singing up 1.225 million on 170 screens – exclusively Imax.
The 7,207 PSA for the Neon distributed Moonage Daydream – expanding to about 600 screens next week — was the best of the ten, which all debuted on north of 2,000 screens.
Directed, written and produced by Morgen, Moonage is the number one music doc opening post pandemic, and the best opening for a post-Covid documentary on less than 200 screens, second only to Roadrunner (Focus Features), which went out on 900+ screens its opening weekend in April of 2021. Over the last 52 weeks, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch was the only film released on fewer than 200 screens to surpass a 1.2M gross, Neon noted. Morgen hosted nearly sold out Q&a’s opening weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theater in LA.
The doc took in 592k Fri./373k Sat.
The 7,207 PSA for the Neon distributed Moonage Daydream – expanding to about 600 screens next week — was the best of the ten, which all debuted on north of 2,000 screens.
Directed, written and produced by Morgen, Moonage is the number one music doc opening post pandemic, and the best opening for a post-Covid documentary on less than 200 screens, second only to Roadrunner (Focus Features), which went out on 900+ screens its opening weekend in April of 2021. Over the last 52 weeks, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch was the only film released on fewer than 200 screens to surpass a 1.2M gross, Neon noted. Morgen hosted nearly sold out Q&a’s opening weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theater in LA.
The doc took in 592k Fri./373k Sat.
- 9/18/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
A steady flow of specialty films starts this weekend with the return of a key player to cinemas and a broader arthouse slate that will expand steadily into awards season. This is still a weird theatrical landscape but independent distributors and theater owners have agreed for months that there’s no recovery without a brisker pace of new releases
Indie distributors also appreciate that the weekend’s big studio release, The Woman King with Viola Davis, is a classic battle epic, yes, but also a story for adults, and for women. Another wide release, A24’s XXX prequel Pearl, skews young but — it’s still indie.
“I think we are starting to get a full complement of movies to see. Adult movies that are smart and funny,” says one specialty distribution executive. It’s been a long wait. “Patience is a virtue we need to have a lot of. These may not [all] be huge movies,...
Indie distributors also appreciate that the weekend’s big studio release, The Woman King with Viola Davis, is a classic battle epic, yes, but also a story for adults, and for women. Another wide release, A24’s XXX prequel Pearl, skews young but — it’s still indie.
“I think we are starting to get a full complement of movies to see. Adult movies that are smart and funny,” says one specialty distribution executive. It’s been a long wait. “Patience is a virtue we need to have a lot of. These may not [all] be huge movies,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Andor, Blonde, Do Revenge and Silent Twins.
Blonde Los Angeles premiere
Following Blonde‘s Venice debut, Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody and director Andrew Dominik brought their Netflix film to Los Angeles on Tuesday, premiering at the Tcl Chinese Theatre.
From left: Andrew Dominik, Ana de Armas and Adrien Brody From left: Ted Sarandos, Ana de Armas and Scott Stuber
Silent Twins special screening
Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and star Letitia Wright attended a special New York City screening for their film Silent Twins on Tuesday at Metrograph.
From left: Kiska Higgs, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Letitia Wright, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Ben Pugh Danai Gurira (left) and Letitia Wright
Do Revenge special screening
Stars Maya Hawke, Camila Mendes, Sophie Turner and Sarah Michelle Gellar...
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Andor, Blonde, Do Revenge and Silent Twins.
Blonde Los Angeles premiere
Following Blonde‘s Venice debut, Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody and director Andrew Dominik brought their Netflix film to Los Angeles on Tuesday, premiering at the Tcl Chinese Theatre.
From left: Andrew Dominik, Ana de Armas and Adrien Brody From left: Ted Sarandos, Ana de Armas and Scott Stuber
Silent Twins special screening
Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and star Letitia Wright attended a special New York City screening for their film Silent Twins on Tuesday at Metrograph.
From left: Kiska Higgs, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Letitia Wright, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Ben Pugh Danai Gurira (left) and Letitia Wright
Do Revenge special screening
Stars Maya Hawke, Camila Mendes, Sophie Turner and Sarah Michelle Gellar...
- 9/16/2022
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Letitia Wright has been in some of the biggest films of all time, playing a superhero for Marvel Studios. But her role in the new movie, “The Silent Twins,” directed by celebrated Polish auteur Agnieszka Smoczynska (“Lure“), might have been one of the most intense productions she has experienced in her career thus far. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I had the opportunity to talk to Wright about her role in “The Silent Twins,” as well as one of the most anticipated films of the year, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Read More: ‘Kiin’: Watch ‘The Silent Films’ Companion Short Film To Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Cannes Hit
Obviously, most people recognize Wright from her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where she played the young, wisecracking scientist, Shuri, in “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” However, her role in “The Silent Twins” is a very different affair.
Read More: ‘Kiin’: Watch ‘The Silent Films’ Companion Short Film To Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Cannes Hit
Obviously, most people recognize Wright from her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where she played the young, wisecracking scientist, Shuri, in “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” However, her role in “The Silent Twins” is a very different affair.
- 9/16/2022
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Sistas With(out) Voices: Smoczynska Revisits Case Study of Antisocial Twins
Poland’s Agnieszka Smoczynska makes her English language debut with third feature The Silent Twins, based on British journalist Marjorie Wallace’s 1986 expose on June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical Welsh twin girls whose dysfunctional development led to a spate of crime and eventual indefinite incarceration. In a tale where foreignness plays a key part in lack of understanding, since the Gibbons family were of West Indian descent, Smoczynska doesn’t seem entirely inappropriate as a figure removed from either culture.
Based on her previous two films, there are intersecting similarities, such as the fantastical mermaid sisters of her celebrated debut The Lure (2015) and a woman suffering from memory loss struggling to accept the family who’s reclaimed her in 2018’s Fugue (read review).…...
Poland’s Agnieszka Smoczynska makes her English language debut with third feature The Silent Twins, based on British journalist Marjorie Wallace’s 1986 expose on June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical Welsh twin girls whose dysfunctional development led to a spate of crime and eventual indefinite incarceration. In a tale where foreignness plays a key part in lack of understanding, since the Gibbons family were of West Indian descent, Smoczynska doesn’t seem entirely inappropriate as a figure removed from either culture.
Based on her previous two films, there are intersecting similarities, such as the fantastical mermaid sisters of her celebrated debut The Lure (2015) and a woman suffering from memory loss struggling to accept the family who’s reclaimed her in 2018’s Fugue (read review).…...
- 9/16/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
After its debut at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Agnieszka Smoczyńska‘s English-language feature debut, “The Silent Twins,” hits theaters this Friday. But before that, check out Fenn O’Meally‘s short companion piece to the film, “Kiin,” with words by actresses Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence and June & Jennifer Gibbons.
Read More: ‘The Silent Twins’ Trailer: Letitia Wright & Tamara Lawrence Play Twins With Their Own Language In Cannes Hit This September
Based on Marjorie Wallace‘s 1986 book of the same name, “The Silent Twins” recounts the beguiling true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons.
Continue reading ‘Kiin’: Watch ‘The Silent Films’ Companion Short Film To Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Cannes Hit at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Silent Twins’ Trailer: Letitia Wright & Tamara Lawrence Play Twins With Their Own Language In Cannes Hit This September
Based on Marjorie Wallace‘s 1986 book of the same name, “The Silent Twins” recounts the beguiling true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons.
Continue reading ‘Kiin’: Watch ‘The Silent Films’ Companion Short Film To Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Cannes Hit at The Playlist.
- 9/15/2022
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
We’re still knee deep in the current box office slump, with five weeks left until Halloween Ends carries us out of it. However, after a better than expected 42.3 million overall box office last weekend (a 24 drop) and solid buzz on this weekend’s The Woman King and next weekend’s Don't Worry Darling, it looks like we may be able to weather the storm without hitting a new low overall weekend low for the year (January 28-30’s 34.9 million gross is the number to beat). This would only be a minor consolation, and we may not see a single weekend even get over 60 million until October 14-16, but having a few doubles and triples will tide theaters over until the upcoming season of homeruns and grand slams.
The biggest release this weekend is Sony/TriStar’s The Woman King, which should open in the mid teens from 3,700 theaters (including...
The biggest release this weekend is Sony/TriStar’s The Woman King, which should open in the mid teens from 3,700 theaters (including...
- 9/15/2022
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
A tale of two sisters and two halves, The Silent Twins, directed by celebrated Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczynska from Andrea Seigel’s adaptation of Marjorie Wallace’s 1986 book of the same name, centers on two real-life identical twins, June and Jennifer Gibbons, their uniquely idiosyncratic, imagination-rich lives, and their life-and personality-altering experiences inside oppressive educational and psychiatric institutions that repeatedly attempted to “rehabilitate” them into fully conforming British citizens. Both a cautionary tale and, in its limited way, a celebration of perseverance against a racist-tinged bureaucratic system that treated Afro-Caribbean immigrants, like the Gibbons family, as lesser than their melanin-challenged peers, The Silent Twins falters, sometimes badly, if not...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/15/2022
- Screen Anarchy
The Viola Davis African warrior epic The Woman King —a flashback to the type of historical epics Columbia Pictures has had a long history of notching Oscars with– is looking at a 12M opening this weekend, per Sony, while rivals have it in the 13M-16M range.
While adults made their way back to the box office this summer, giving Top Gun: Maverick a 700M-plus stash and putting Elvis at 150.3M stateside, the question remains how they’ll come out a time when there’s very little on the marquee. The hope is that this Gina Prince-Bythewood feature about the Agojie — a unit of powerful female warriors in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries — will leg out and find crossover audiences, especially as awards season kicks in. Women over 25 and African American audiences poised to buy tickets. Coming...
While adults made their way back to the box office this summer, giving Top Gun: Maverick a 700M-plus stash and putting Elvis at 150.3M stateside, the question remains how they’ll come out a time when there’s very little on the marquee. The hope is that this Gina Prince-Bythewood feature about the Agojie — a unit of powerful female warriors in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries — will leg out and find crossover audiences, especially as awards season kicks in. Women over 25 and African American audiences poised to buy tickets. Coming...
- 9/14/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Ariel Would Never
We’re finally into September after a wild and diverse August filled with professional women, queer Chosen Families, owl-headed slashers, horny lighthouse keepers, and highly controversial homoerotic underground monsters (which begs the reminder: listen to the podcast instead of just commenting on the post).
Trace and I, along with special guest Jessica Scott, are kicking off the new month with Agnieszka Smoczynska’s ‘The Lure’, a feminist parable about two mermaids – Silver (Marta Mazurek) and Golden (Michalina Olszańska) – who become cabaret sensations in Warsaw in the 1980s.
As their power and popularity grow, the sisters are betrayed by their chosen family, night club singer Krysia (Kinga Preis) and her shitty son Mietek (Jakub Gierszał), for whom Silver undergoes a dramatic physical transformation (cue the trans reading of this already very queer film).
Despite the musical numbers and colourful costumes, this sure as hell ain’t Disney! (It...
We’re finally into September after a wild and diverse August filled with professional women, queer Chosen Families, owl-headed slashers, horny lighthouse keepers, and highly controversial homoerotic underground monsters (which begs the reminder: listen to the podcast instead of just commenting on the post).
Trace and I, along with special guest Jessica Scott, are kicking off the new month with Agnieszka Smoczynska’s ‘The Lure’, a feminist parable about two mermaids – Silver (Marta Mazurek) and Golden (Michalina Olszańska) – who become cabaret sensations in Warsaw in the 1980s.
As their power and popularity grow, the sisters are betrayed by their chosen family, night club singer Krysia (Kinga Preis) and her shitty son Mietek (Jakub Gierszał), for whom Silver undergoes a dramatic physical transformation (cue the trans reading of this already very queer film).
Despite the musical numbers and colourful costumes, this sure as hell ain’t Disney! (It...
- 9/12/2022
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Alpha Violet founding co-heads Virginie Devesa and Keiko Funato are at the Venice Film Festival this year with Indonesian filmmaker Makbul Mubarak’s first film Autobiography, which plays in Horizons ahead of trips to Toronto and London among other festivals.
The coming-of-age drama, exploring the legacy of Indonesia’s 30-year military dictatorship, revolves around a young boy working as a housekeeper in the empty mansion of a retired general.
Venice Film Festival: Memorable Moments 1945-1984 Gallery
Devesa and Funato, who fete the 10th anniversary of their Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet in October, have a strong record of launching debut features on the Lido having previously handled Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa’s 2016 feature Gukoroku, Traces of Sin and Greek director Christos Nikou’s 2020 breakout Apples, which both played in Horizons.
Neither title won the top prize, but both works put the directors on the international festival and industry map. Ishikawa...
The coming-of-age drama, exploring the legacy of Indonesia’s 30-year military dictatorship, revolves around a young boy working as a housekeeper in the empty mansion of a retired general.
Venice Film Festival: Memorable Moments 1945-1984 Gallery
Devesa and Funato, who fete the 10th anniversary of their Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet in October, have a strong record of launching debut features on the Lido having previously handled Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa’s 2016 feature Gukoroku, Traces of Sin and Greek director Christos Nikou’s 2020 breakout Apples, which both played in Horizons.
Neither title won the top prize, but both works put the directors on the international festival and industry map. Ishikawa...
- 9/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kristen Konvitz has joined UTA as an Agent in the Independent Film Group division. She will work from the agency’s Los Angeles headquarters, reporting to Partners Jim Meenaghan and Rena Ronson, who serve as Co-Heads of the Independent Film Group.
Konvitz comes to UTA from ICM, where she worked as an Agent in the Independent Film Group. She spent over five years at the agency prior to its acquisition by CAA, there working to structure and arrange financing, assemble and secure distribution for independent films.
Konvitz has brokered distribution deals on dozens of films coming out of such major festivals as Cannes, Sundance, TIFF and SXSW, among others. Her recent projects include Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry The Silent Twins, SXSW Audience Award winner Pretty Problems, Sundance Best Director winner Palm Trees and Power Lines, and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. Additionally, she has negotiated...
Konvitz comes to UTA from ICM, where she worked as an Agent in the Independent Film Group. She spent over five years at the agency prior to its acquisition by CAA, there working to structure and arrange financing, assemble and secure distribution for independent films.
Konvitz has brokered distribution deals on dozens of films coming out of such major festivals as Cannes, Sundance, TIFF and SXSW, among others. Her recent projects include Agnieszka Smoczynska’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry The Silent Twins, SXSW Audience Award winner Pretty Problems, Sundance Best Director winner Palm Trees and Power Lines, and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. Additionally, she has negotiated...
- 8/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Gina Gammell and Riley Keough’s “War Pony,” Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” and Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s “The Silent Twins” are among the several female-driven anticipated feature debuts slated for the Deauville American Film Festival’s competition.
Eight titles out of 13 features set to compete at Deauville as first films. “War Pony” world premiered at Un Certain Regard in Cannes and won the Camera d’Or for best debut. “War Pony” is a collaborative experience portraying two young Oglala Lakota men who are torn between traditions and the consumer culture surrounding them. “The Silent Twins,” which also bowed at Un Certain Regard, is a biopic of troubled twin writers June and Jennifer Gibbons starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance.
“Aftersun,” meanwhile, world premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week where it won the French Touch Prize and was acquired by A24. The melodrama stars Paul Mescal and newcomer Frankie Corio as a young father...
Eight titles out of 13 features set to compete at Deauville as first films. “War Pony” world premiered at Un Certain Regard in Cannes and won the Camera d’Or for best debut. “War Pony” is a collaborative experience portraying two young Oglala Lakota men who are torn between traditions and the consumer culture surrounding them. “The Silent Twins,” which also bowed at Un Certain Regard, is a biopic of troubled twin writers June and Jennifer Gibbons starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance.
“Aftersun,” meanwhile, world premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week where it won the French Touch Prize and was acquired by A24. The melodrama stars Paul Mescal and newcomer Frankie Corio as a young father...
- 7/27/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Deauville Unveils American Indie-Focused Competition Selection
Nick Richey’s coming-of-age drama 1-800-hot-nite, Sophia Silver’s pre-teen friendship tale Over/Under and Jamie Sisley’s Berlinale 2022 selection Stay Awake, about siblings growing up with a prescription drug-dependent mother, are among the 12 features selected for the main competition of the Deauville American Film Festival (September 2-11). “Ever since 1995, the year when the festival became a competition, it has been our ambition to showcase the best of American independent cinema,” said festival director Bruno Barde. Further titles in competition include Riley Stearns’ Dual, John Patton Ford’s Emily The Criminal, Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s Montana Story, Jamie Dack’s Palm Trees And Powerlines, Tyler Riggs’s Peace In The Valley, Vivian Kerr’s Scrap, Chloe Okune’s [/link]Watcher and Gina Gammell and Riley Keough’s War Pony which world premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard this year. Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska...
Nick Richey’s coming-of-age drama 1-800-hot-nite, Sophia Silver’s pre-teen friendship tale Over/Under and Jamie Sisley’s Berlinale 2022 selection Stay Awake, about siblings growing up with a prescription drug-dependent mother, are among the 12 features selected for the main competition of the Deauville American Film Festival (September 2-11). “Ever since 1995, the year when the festival became a competition, it has been our ambition to showcase the best of American independent cinema,” said festival director Bruno Barde. Further titles in competition include Riley Stearns’ Dual, John Patton Ford’s Emily The Criminal, Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s Montana Story, Jamie Dack’s Palm Trees And Powerlines, Tyler Riggs’s Peace In The Valley, Vivian Kerr’s Scrap, Chloe Okune’s [/link]Watcher and Gina Gammell and Riley Keough’s War Pony which world premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard this year. Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska...
- 7/27/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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