Exclusive: Former NFL player Andrew Hawkins and his Parks Tower Studios banner have entered into a co-production agreement with Rtg Features, the sister studio to basketball-focused media company Slam, to develop and produce a slate of cross-platform scripted and unscripted projects that spotlight sports and culture.
Hawkins comes to the deal after working with Rtg’s CEO Aron Phillips at Uninterrupted, the L.A.-based athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
As part of the deal, Rtg will come aboard to produce Hawk, a biopic first announced a few years ago that’s based on the true story of Hawkins’ journey to the NFL. Directing the pic is Qasim Basir, the filmmaker with whom Hawkins most recently collaborated as an EP on his critically acclaimed Sundance 2023 drama, To Live and Die and Live.
The film to be produced by Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory...
Hawkins comes to the deal after working with Rtg’s CEO Aron Phillips at Uninterrupted, the L.A.-based athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
As part of the deal, Rtg will come aboard to produce Hawk, a biopic first announced a few years ago that’s based on the true story of Hawkins’ journey to the NFL. Directing the pic is Qasim Basir, the filmmaker with whom Hawkins most recently collaborated as an EP on his critically acclaimed Sundance 2023 drama, To Live and Die and Live.
The film to be produced by Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory...
- 6/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical on Wednesday announced their appointment of former Amazon Prime Video exec Jason Pecora to the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Distribution.
The L.A.-based Pecora will be responsible for overseeing Sales, Marketing and Operations. He begins immediately, reporting to Vertical Partners Peter Jarowey and Rich Goldberg.
Pecora spent more than four and a half years as Senior Content Acquisition Manager at Prime Video, during that time overseeing all title promotions with leading suppliers including Vertical, Paramount, Viacom, Lionsgate, MGM and AMC. Notably, he last year oversaw Amazon’s release of Top Gun: Maverick, which was the top-selling item on the platform in the U.S. across every category on the day of its release.
Pecora has, over his 14 years in entertainment, consistently succeeded in growing businesses and contributing significant returns on investment through strong industry relationships. He previously focused on the digital home entertainment space...
The L.A.-based Pecora will be responsible for overseeing Sales, Marketing and Operations. He begins immediately, reporting to Vertical Partners Peter Jarowey and Rich Goldberg.
Pecora spent more than four and a half years as Senior Content Acquisition Manager at Prime Video, during that time overseeing all title promotions with leading suppliers including Vertical, Paramount, Viacom, Lionsgate, MGM and AMC. Notably, he last year oversaw Amazon’s release of Top Gun: Maverick, which was the top-selling item on the platform in the U.S. across every category on the day of its release.
Pecora has, over his 14 years in entertainment, consistently succeeded in growing businesses and contributing significant returns on investment through strong industry relationships. He previously focused on the digital home entertainment space...
- 5/10/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2023 NAACP Image Awards winners list is full of big names, including Beyoncé, Angela Bassett, and the cast of "Abbott Elementary." The annual award show announced this year's pool of nominees on Jan. 12, recognizing talent, creativity, and trailblazers across film, television, music, streaming, podcasts, literature, and social justice. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" led the pack with a whopping 12 nominations, snagging wins for the dynamic cast, soundtrack, and Rihanna's original end-credits song, "Lift Me Up," as well as wins for filmmaker Ryan Coogler, costume designer Ruth Carter, and hairstylist Camille Friend.
Trailing behind the Marvel blockbuster was Gina Prince-Bythewood's film "The Woman King" and "Abbott Elementary" leading the TV race; both projects earned nine nominations each. Other notable individuals among the winners list include Beyoncé, Keke Palmer, Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis, Nia Long, Will Smith, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Tems, Silk Sonic, Kid Cudi, Quavo, and Offset.
This year,...
Trailing behind the Marvel blockbuster was Gina Prince-Bythewood's film "The Woman King" and "Abbott Elementary" leading the TV race; both projects earned nine nominations each. Other notable individuals among the winners list include Beyoncé, Keke Palmer, Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis, Nia Long, Will Smith, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Tems, Silk Sonic, Kid Cudi, Quavo, and Offset.
This year,...
- 2/26/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast, Quinta Brunson and Keke Palmer are among the winners from the third night of the NAACP Image Awards‘ non-televised ceremonies.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which led all the nominees heading into the week’s ceremonies, took the award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture.
Abbott Elementary creator and star Brunson won the award for best breakthrough creative in television. Brunson has been collecting awards for her hit comedy, including an Emmy for best comedy series writing, a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV series — musical or comedy and a Television Critics Association Award for individual achievement in comedy. For best breakthrough creative in motion pictures, Ericka Nicole Malone (Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story) took home the honor.
Other winners during night three included Palmer for best character voice-over performance in a film for her role as Izzy Hawthorne in Lightyear,...
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which led all the nominees heading into the week’s ceremonies, took the award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture.
Abbott Elementary creator and star Brunson won the award for best breakthrough creative in television. Brunson has been collecting awards for her hit comedy, including an Emmy for best comedy series writing, a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV series — musical or comedy and a Television Critics Association Award for individual achievement in comedy. For best breakthrough creative in motion pictures, Ericka Nicole Malone (Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story) took home the honor.
Other winners during night three included Palmer for best character voice-over performance in a film for her role as Izzy Hawthorne in Lightyear,...
- 2/23/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Vertical has secured North American rights to the MPI Original Film Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, starring BAFTA- and Tony Award-nominated West Side Story breakout Mike Faist and Teen Wolf‘s Crystal Reed, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 17, 2023.
The film based on a true story centers on Roger Sharpe (Faist), a GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard who, in 1976, helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.
An unsettled writer with a fantastic mustache, Sharpe finds solace and confidence in the one thing he has mastered: pinball. When a police raid destroys the only machines he can find in 1970s New York City, he learns the game is illegal in the state. Roger then reluctantly joins forces with the Music and Amusement Association to overturn the ban while falling in love with Ellen (Reed), an artist and single mother. Roger’s path...
The film based on a true story centers on Roger Sharpe (Faist), a GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard who, in 1976, helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.
An unsettled writer with a fantastic mustache, Sharpe finds solace and confidence in the one thing he has mastered: pinball. When a police raid destroys the only machines he can find in 1970s New York City, he learns the game is illegal in the state. Roger then reluctantly joins forces with the Music and Amusement Association to overturn the ban while falling in love with Ellen (Reed), an artist and single mother. Roger’s path...
- 12/19/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has secured North American rights to the horror feature Lullaby, directed by Annabelle‘s John R. Leonetti, from its financier Alcon Entertainment, slating it for release in select theaters and on VOD on December 16.
Pic follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith. Oona Chaplin (Avatar franchise) and Ramón Rodríguez (The Affair) lead the cast, which also includes Liane Balaban (You Can Live Forever), Kira Guloien (Women Talking) and Moni Ogunsuyi (The Umbrella Academy).
Related Story ‘Candy Land’ Horror-Thriller From ‘Ida Red’ Team Acquired By Quiver Distribution Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Shailene Woodley Thriller 'Misanthrope' Marking 'Wild Tales' Helmer Damián Szifron's First English-Language Feature Related Story Vertical Entertainment...
Pic follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith. Oona Chaplin (Avatar franchise) and Ramón Rodríguez (The Affair) lead the cast, which also includes Liane Balaban (You Can Live Forever), Kira Guloien (Women Talking) and Moni Ogunsuyi (The Umbrella Academy).
Related Story ‘Candy Land’ Horror-Thriller From ‘Ida Red’ Team Acquired By Quiver Distribution Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Shailene Woodley Thriller 'Misanthrope' Marking 'Wild Tales' Helmer Damián Szifron's First English-Language Feature Related Story Vertical Entertainment...
- 11/17/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Misanthrope, a psychological thriller marking the first English-feature from BAFTA-winning Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales). The indie distributor has slated the film starring Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (The Outsider) and Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo (Babylon) for release exclusively in theaters nationwide in the first half of 2023.
The film written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham picks up in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, as a talented but troubled police officer (Woodley) is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a mass murderer.
Related Story Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Swedish Oscar Entry ‘Cairo Conspiracy’ For North America Related Story Vertical Entertainment Appoints Francois Martin To New Role Of Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Multi-Generational Rom-Com 'Maybe I Do' Starring Diane Keaton,...
The film written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham picks up in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, as a talented but troubled police officer (Woodley) is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a mass murderer.
Related Story Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Swedish Oscar Entry ‘Cairo Conspiracy’ For North America Related Story Vertical Entertainment Appoints Francois Martin To New Role Of Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Multi-Generational Rom-Com 'Maybe I Do' Starring Diane Keaton,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has appointed former Aviron and The Weinstein Company executive Francois Martin to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships.
Martin will now be responsible for leading and expanding the indie distributor’s content sales presence across all platforms. He’s already assumed the post and will report going forward to Vertical Partners Peter Jarowey and Rich Goldberg.
Martin began his career in Miramax’s marketing department, transitioning to The Weinstein Company upon its founding in 2005. His decade-plus spent at that then-prestigious studio saw him rise through the ranks from Senior Director, Marketing to President, Marketing Strategy for both TWC and the Miramax label, Dimension Films.
The exec has previously worked on marketing campaigns for such notable films as Kill Bill, Chicago, Spy Kids, Scary Movie, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, The King’s Speech, Paddington and Silver Linings Playbook, among others.
Martin will now be responsible for leading and expanding the indie distributor’s content sales presence across all platforms. He’s already assumed the post and will report going forward to Vertical Partners Peter Jarowey and Rich Goldberg.
Martin began his career in Miramax’s marketing department, transitioning to The Weinstein Company upon its founding in 2005. His decade-plus spent at that then-prestigious studio saw him rise through the ranks from Senior Director, Marketing to President, Marketing Strategy for both TWC and the Miramax label, Dimension Films.
The exec has previously worked on marketing campaigns for such notable films as Kill Bill, Chicago, Spy Kids, Scary Movie, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, The King’s Speech, Paddington and Silver Linings Playbook, among others.
- 11/3/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the multi-generational romantic comedy Maybe I Do, starring Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita), Richard Gere (Arbitrage), Susan Sarandon (Monarch), William H. Macy (The Conners), Emma Roberts (About Fate) and Luke Bracey (Elvis), from the global film and television studio Fifth Season, formerly known as Endeavor Content.
The first feature written and directed by Oscar nominee Michael Jacobs (Quiz Show) will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide on January 27, 2023.
Maybe I Do follows Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey), who have reached the point in their relationship where they are considering the next steps and decide to invite their parents to finally meet. The parents already know each other well – really well – leading to distinct and defining opinions about the value of marriage.
Maybe I Do was financed and produced by Fifth Season and marks the latest in a line of successful collaborations between the studio and Vertical,...
The first feature written and directed by Oscar nominee Michael Jacobs (Quiz Show) will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide on January 27, 2023.
Maybe I Do follows Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey), who have reached the point in their relationship where they are considering the next steps and decide to invite their parents to finally meet. The parents already know each other well – really well – leading to distinct and defining opinions about the value of marriage.
Maybe I Do was financed and produced by Fifth Season and marks the latest in a line of successful collaborations between the studio and Vertical,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Steel Springs Pictures has partnered with the card game We’re Not Really Strangers to create an exclusive sale of projects and formats that will expand upon the core essence of the brand.
The deal is the first to be announced through Steel Springs Pictures’ newly minuted Non-Fiction division, which former OWN/Harpo executive Jonathan Sinclair (Oprah’s Master Class) is leading as President, Non-Fiction.
Created and launched by Koreen Odiney in 2018, We’re Not Really Strangers was born out of the idea of fostering meaningful connections, designed to spark emotional dialogue and explore the dynamics of human connection in very tangible and revealing ways. The game gained a substantial following and established itself as beloved IP during the course of the Covid pandemic, spawning collaborations with the fashion brands Dvf and Valentino. Steel Springs plans to develop both non-fiction and scripted series based on the game, as well...
The deal is the first to be announced through Steel Springs Pictures’ newly minuted Non-Fiction division, which former OWN/Harpo executive Jonathan Sinclair (Oprah’s Master Class) is leading as President, Non-Fiction.
Created and launched by Koreen Odiney in 2018, We’re Not Really Strangers was born out of the idea of fostering meaningful connections, designed to spark emotional dialogue and explore the dynamics of human connection in very tangible and revealing ways. The game gained a substantial following and established itself as beloved IP during the course of the Covid pandemic, spawning collaborations with the fashion brands Dvf and Valentino. Steel Springs plans to develop both non-fiction and scripted series based on the game, as well...
- 8/1/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has secured North American rights to the romantic drama Alone Together, written, directed by and starring Katie Holmes, which will make its world premiere in the Spotlight Narrative section of the Tribeca Film Festival on June 14. Vertical plans to release the film exclusively in theaters in July 22, with a VOD bow to follow on July 29.
Alone Together follows June (Holmes), a food critic going upstate for a short romantic getaway to escape the pandemic in New York City, whose plans go wrong from the start. Arriving at the Airbnb in advance of her boyfriend, John (Derek Luke), she is shocked to discover it has been double-booked by the recently single Charlie (Jim Sturgess). When John decides to stay in the city to take care of his parents, June has to settle in for the long haul as she realizes that the initial two weeks of the pandemic...
Alone Together follows June (Holmes), a food critic going upstate for a short romantic getaway to escape the pandemic in New York City, whose plans go wrong from the start. Arriving at the Airbnb in advance of her boyfriend, John (Derek Luke), she is shocked to discover it has been double-booked by the recently single Charlie (Jim Sturgess). When John decides to stay in the city to take care of his parents, June has to settle in for the long haul as she realizes that the initial two weeks of the pandemic...
- 6/3/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the political satire Land of Dreams, directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, which is making its North American premiere in the Spotlight Narrative section of the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The global indie distributor has slated the film for a day-and-date theatrical release in 10 of the top 20 markets—including in Los Angeles and New York—this fall. (Watch a new trailer unveiled today by the company above.)
Set in a near-future America which has closed its borders and become more insular than ever, the story follows Simin (Sheila Vand), an Iranian American woman on a journey to discover the core of what it means to be a free American. Simin works for the Census Bureau—the most important government agency of her time. In efforts to understand and control its populous, the government has begun a program to record the citizens’ dreams.
Set in a near-future America which has closed its borders and become more insular than ever, the story follows Simin (Sheila Vand), an Iranian American woman on a journey to discover the core of what it means to be a free American. Simin works for the Census Bureau—the most important government agency of her time. In efforts to understand and control its populous, the government has begun a program to record the citizens’ dreams.
- 6/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Hans Canosa’s film, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, from international sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment. Currently in post-production, the film is slated for release in theaters this fall.
The dramedy is based on Gabrielle Zevin’s bestseller of the same name, which has sold over five million copies worldwide. It tells the story of bookstore owner A.J. Fikry (Kunal Nayyar), who is struggling to navigate a life that is far from what he expected it to be, as he is feeling left behind by a rapidly evolving world. After his wife’s death in a tragic accident, Fikry’s store hits a financial low point, with sales at abysmal levels. Driven to drinking his sorrows away, Fikry hits rock bottom when his most prized possession, a series of Edgar Allen Poe poems, are stolen. But when a mysterious package arrives,...
The dramedy is based on Gabrielle Zevin’s bestseller of the same name, which has sold over five million copies worldwide. It tells the story of bookstore owner A.J. Fikry (Kunal Nayyar), who is struggling to navigate a life that is far from what he expected it to be, as he is feeling left behind by a rapidly evolving world. After his wife’s death in a tragic accident, Fikry’s store hits a financial low point, with sales at abysmal levels. Driven to drinking his sorrows away, Fikry hits rock bottom when his most prized possession, a series of Edgar Allen Poe poems, are stolen. But when a mysterious package arrives,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The American crime thriller film Alice, written and directed by Krystin Ver Linden in her directorial debut, premiered last month and stars Keke Palmer, Jonny Lee Miller, Common, Gaius Charles, and Alicia Witt, who narrates a story that is said to be based on true events. The film follows a woman enslaved at a 19th-century plantation in Georgia who manages to escape and discovers that it’s 1973. With the help of a truck driver who guides her to settle in with the current time, she decides to go back to the plantation for revenge. The film has received mixed reviews
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Alice”...
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Alice”...
- 5/12/2022
- by A.E. Oats
- TVovermind.com
Words, words, words cannot convey the meaning and emotional impact of a film and there are only so many words in the English language we can repeat over and over in our vain attempts. Only the movies themselves can convey the emotional impact of meaning in the stories we tell. Descriptions don’t convey it nor do critiques. Programmers introducing films do not, nor do the directors. Halfway through the movies I saw, none succeeded in conveying it either…However, Sundance is dynamically evolving and the success it will achieve in its new incarnation will soon be apparent.Courtesy Sundance.org
Watch the Festival Trailer here. You can also “relive” the festival day by day here.
Halfway through the online viewing of fest films I had chosen to see, I remained unmoved and impatient with words of programmers and filmmakers introducing films which gave me very little satisfaction. Add to it the cumbersome difficult process of screenings and screening times, I was ready to give up.
Beginning with the doc The Princess with all the footage repeating the usual stories we have heard, continuing with doc Fire of Love (picked up by National Geographic for the world for mid seven-figures and to go out theatrically before its debut on Disney’s streaming platform), with fabulous volcanic footage but which did not delve into psychology of the two protagonists themselves or into their relations with each other. However it did win the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award for U.S. Documentary honoring Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput, and its director Sara Dosa.
Nor did Klondike get into the characters living through the progression of the war between Ukranian separatists and pro-Russian males as the wife of one comes to full term in her pregnancy. However its director Maryna Er Gorbachdid take the prize for Directing Award for World Cinema Drama. And the film seems prescient of escalating war in Ukraine today.
Master by Mariame Diallo, an almost conventional ghost story, felt like it has been rushed through editing to be finished in time for Sundance. Riotsville Usa — well it was experimental, so its fragmentary design can be attributed to that — was good at compiling a detailed overview of the white and black versions of the riots of 1965 (Watts), ’66 Chicago, ’67 Newark and 100 other cities ending in North Florida riots but did not feel cohesively told through the use of the mockup towns built by the US military to combat urban unrest aka terrorism.
Descendant, which descended into multiple endings, ended with what seemed more like a community/ educational documentary than a theatrical feature doc. It was produced by Participant and was picked up by Netflix for the world. It also won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for its Creative Vision. It shoulda been better.
Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, while engaging, seemed more like a trifle indie film than a substantial drama or comedy. And the girlie-girlie nuances of Am I Ok? was standard fare and yet it was picked up for the world for nearly 7 million by HBO Max. Well the girls are very attractive and fun to watch.
Alice starting as a slave drama and morphing into an hommage to Coffy, a 1970s Pam Grier blaxploitation film almost made it but in the end still failed to make a strong emotional impact. It had been prebought before Sundance by Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions for the US. Alice (Keke Palmer), brutally enslaved on a rural Georgia plantation, restlessly yearns for freedom. She flees after a violent clash with her forced lover, plantation owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). Running through the woods, she suddenly sees a highway, and cars and soon discovers that the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned Black activist named Frank (Common), Alice uncovers the lies that have kept her enslaved and the promise of Black liberation as seen through the prism of the 1970s.
‘Alice’ courtesy of Sundance.org
The debut feature of writer-director Krystin Ver Linden, is inspired by true accounts of Black Americans who were kept in peonage for more than 100 years after the end of slavery, one I remember reading about myself. It is an audacious attempt to but ultimately fails to mix historical fact with contemporary fiction.
Nor did Living deliver more than the expected classic period drama. The remake of Kurosawa’s Ikiru played like a British TV period piece. Sony Pictures Classics acquired North America, Latin America, India, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Germany, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and airlines worldwide for around 5 million.
The emotional impact of these stories was never fully delivered or received. I can guess what the stories were trying to convey but will not put into words what the film should or might have been because, in fact, I could never even begin make a film approaching these noble efforts and words will not substitute for the film or its intended impact. But I was longing for emotional catharsis. In the end, they failed to convey the emotional meaning that the stories held for those telling them to the desired receptive audiences.
What did deliver however, were World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award Winner for its Excellence In Verité Filmmaking Midwives from Myanmar, directed by Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing. A surprising view of a Hindu midwife and her Moslem apprentice revealed so much about the current Royinga crisis as it filtered through their ministrations.
‘A House Made Of Splinters’ by Simon Lereng Wilmont
Along side of it, the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary went to Simon Lereng Wilmont for A House Made Of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wilmont from Denmark, also a surprisingly positive view of the abandoned children of war in Ukraine, warm and nurturing while still terribly sad for the children. What will become of the children and the House Made of Splinters is cause for great worry.
Lucy and Desi! was a fun doc presenting America’s best loved television couple.
I finally saw one that looked like a real winner. Nanny, about an immigrant single Senegalese mother, played beautifully by Anna Diop and directed (and written) by Sierra Leononian-American Nikyatu Jusu, goes to the African roots of the horror supernatural genre. Its great opening with one sustained note and the black face half encased in shadow, the blue black of black art creates a genre of its own. Why do you suppose “black arts” means bad magic? Black arts are supernatural. Nanny is creepy even as it plays it straight. The honest feel of spontaneity in the straight parts set off the scary parts so you forget about them until they begin again, like recurring dreams or hallucinations. The husband is exceptionally creepy; something is evil in his humanity, and yet, the acting is exceptionally naturalistic. Costumes and design are also exceptional.
‘Nanny’ by Nikyatu Jusu
And when the winners were declared I felt justified in my judgements — Nanny being the Grand Jury Winner. Luckily I got to see the Festival Favorite Award as well as Audience Award winner Navalny and appreciated its directness and the proximity of Navalny himself as if we were right by his side through the insane provocations, threats and incarcerations he and his family must endure at the whim of the dictatorial Putin. Now that he has imprisoned his political opponent, he feels he can act with impunity in pursuing power over Ukraine an imprison that nation’s electorate.
Directing Award for U.S. Documentary went to Reid Davenport, I Didn’t See You There which was engrossing and endearing as it presented the physically challenged director’s direct point of view of his surroundings and his life.
‘I Didn’t See You There’ — Courtesy of Sundance.org
Also very emotionally compelling was The Janes. In light of today’s Supreme Court and states’ rulings on abortion rights, and in view of the past’s social actions which, until women got into the act, was run by men focusing on the Vietnam War and on Civil Rights; women’s rights, women’s liberation and women’s bodies were not considered worthy of any social action. Only when the women rallied to correct the omission did Roe vs. Wade become the law of this land. And the same fight continues to this day. Sundance also had Call Jane, a fiction feature about The Janes and there was much discussion (among women) about which film was the better of the two.
‘The Janes’ Courtesy of Sundance.org
In short, I found the films in this year’s Sundance fell short of what I have come to expect. Compared to those great films in Cannes: Drive My Car, Compartment №6, The Worst Person in the World, Mothering Sunday, A Tale of Love and Desire, Hero, Prayers for the Stolen, Pllayground…both the American and the international fiction features were provincial. But as ever, the documentaries excelled. I am sure more than one will appear as a nominaton for the next Oscar.
Watch the Festival Trailer here. You can also “relive” the festival day by day here.
Halfway through the online viewing of fest films I had chosen to see, I remained unmoved and impatient with words of programmers and filmmakers introducing films which gave me very little satisfaction. Add to it the cumbersome difficult process of screenings and screening times, I was ready to give up.
Beginning with the doc The Princess with all the footage repeating the usual stories we have heard, continuing with doc Fire of Love (picked up by National Geographic for the world for mid seven-figures and to go out theatrically before its debut on Disney’s streaming platform), with fabulous volcanic footage but which did not delve into psychology of the two protagonists themselves or into their relations with each other. However it did win the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award for U.S. Documentary honoring Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput, and its director Sara Dosa.
Nor did Klondike get into the characters living through the progression of the war between Ukranian separatists and pro-Russian males as the wife of one comes to full term in her pregnancy. However its director Maryna Er Gorbachdid take the prize for Directing Award for World Cinema Drama. And the film seems prescient of escalating war in Ukraine today.
Master by Mariame Diallo, an almost conventional ghost story, felt like it has been rushed through editing to be finished in time for Sundance. Riotsville Usa — well it was experimental, so its fragmentary design can be attributed to that — was good at compiling a detailed overview of the white and black versions of the riots of 1965 (Watts), ’66 Chicago, ’67 Newark and 100 other cities ending in North Florida riots but did not feel cohesively told through the use of the mockup towns built by the US military to combat urban unrest aka terrorism.
Descendant, which descended into multiple endings, ended with what seemed more like a community/ educational documentary than a theatrical feature doc. It was produced by Participant and was picked up by Netflix for the world. It also won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for its Creative Vision. It shoulda been better.
Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, while engaging, seemed more like a trifle indie film than a substantial drama or comedy. And the girlie-girlie nuances of Am I Ok? was standard fare and yet it was picked up for the world for nearly 7 million by HBO Max. Well the girls are very attractive and fun to watch.
Alice starting as a slave drama and morphing into an hommage to Coffy, a 1970s Pam Grier blaxploitation film almost made it but in the end still failed to make a strong emotional impact. It had been prebought before Sundance by Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions for the US. Alice (Keke Palmer), brutally enslaved on a rural Georgia plantation, restlessly yearns for freedom. She flees after a violent clash with her forced lover, plantation owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). Running through the woods, she suddenly sees a highway, and cars and soon discovers that the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned Black activist named Frank (Common), Alice uncovers the lies that have kept her enslaved and the promise of Black liberation as seen through the prism of the 1970s.
‘Alice’ courtesy of Sundance.org
The debut feature of writer-director Krystin Ver Linden, is inspired by true accounts of Black Americans who were kept in peonage for more than 100 years after the end of slavery, one I remember reading about myself. It is an audacious attempt to but ultimately fails to mix historical fact with contemporary fiction.
Nor did Living deliver more than the expected classic period drama. The remake of Kurosawa’s Ikiru played like a British TV period piece. Sony Pictures Classics acquired North America, Latin America, India, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Germany, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and airlines worldwide for around 5 million.
The emotional impact of these stories was never fully delivered or received. I can guess what the stories were trying to convey but will not put into words what the film should or might have been because, in fact, I could never even begin make a film approaching these noble efforts and words will not substitute for the film or its intended impact. But I was longing for emotional catharsis. In the end, they failed to convey the emotional meaning that the stories held for those telling them to the desired receptive audiences.
What did deliver however, were World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award Winner for its Excellence In Verité Filmmaking Midwives from Myanmar, directed by Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing. A surprising view of a Hindu midwife and her Moslem apprentice revealed so much about the current Royinga crisis as it filtered through their ministrations.
‘A House Made Of Splinters’ by Simon Lereng Wilmont
Along side of it, the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary went to Simon Lereng Wilmont for A House Made Of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wilmont from Denmark, also a surprisingly positive view of the abandoned children of war in Ukraine, warm and nurturing while still terribly sad for the children. What will become of the children and the House Made of Splinters is cause for great worry.
Lucy and Desi! was a fun doc presenting America’s best loved television couple.
I finally saw one that looked like a real winner. Nanny, about an immigrant single Senegalese mother, played beautifully by Anna Diop and directed (and written) by Sierra Leononian-American Nikyatu Jusu, goes to the African roots of the horror supernatural genre. Its great opening with one sustained note and the black face half encased in shadow, the blue black of black art creates a genre of its own. Why do you suppose “black arts” means bad magic? Black arts are supernatural. Nanny is creepy even as it plays it straight. The honest feel of spontaneity in the straight parts set off the scary parts so you forget about them until they begin again, like recurring dreams or hallucinations. The husband is exceptionally creepy; something is evil in his humanity, and yet, the acting is exceptionally naturalistic. Costumes and design are also exceptional.
‘Nanny’ by Nikyatu Jusu
And when the winners were declared I felt justified in my judgements — Nanny being the Grand Jury Winner. Luckily I got to see the Festival Favorite Award as well as Audience Award winner Navalny and appreciated its directness and the proximity of Navalny himself as if we were right by his side through the insane provocations, threats and incarcerations he and his family must endure at the whim of the dictatorial Putin. Now that he has imprisoned his political opponent, he feels he can act with impunity in pursuing power over Ukraine an imprison that nation’s electorate.
Directing Award for U.S. Documentary went to Reid Davenport, I Didn’t See You There which was engrossing and endearing as it presented the physically challenged director’s direct point of view of his surroundings and his life.
‘I Didn’t See You There’ — Courtesy of Sundance.org
Also very emotionally compelling was The Janes. In light of today’s Supreme Court and states’ rulings on abortion rights, and in view of the past’s social actions which, until women got into the act, was run by men focusing on the Vietnam War and on Civil Rights; women’s rights, women’s liberation and women’s bodies were not considered worthy of any social action. Only when the women rallied to correct the omission did Roe vs. Wade become the law of this land. And the same fight continues to this day. Sundance also had Call Jane, a fiction feature about The Janes and there was much discussion (among women) about which film was the better of the two.
‘The Janes’ Courtesy of Sundance.org
In short, I found the films in this year’s Sundance fell short of what I have come to expect. Compared to those great films in Cannes: Drive My Car, Compartment №6, The Worst Person in the World, Mothering Sunday, A Tale of Love and Desire, Hero, Prayers for the Stolen, Pllayground…both the American and the international fiction features were provincial. But as ever, the documentaries excelled. I am sure more than one will appear as a nominaton for the next Oscar.
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Gaius Charles is set as a lead opposite Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Isle of the Dead, AMC’s upcoming New York City-set The Walking Dead spinoff series.
Isle of the Dead sees Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
Charles will play Izaak. He’s confident, ruthless, and unyielding in the pursuit of what he believes is justice, with the force of his will and his menace. Izaak enjoys his work and intersperses humor with the terror he incites. This is a family man, devoted to building a safe world for his wife and daughters. His journey unearths a loss he is haunted by. He has patience and resilience and...
Isle of the Dead sees Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
Charles will play Izaak. He’s confident, ruthless, and unyielding in the pursuit of what he believes is justice, with the force of his will and his menace. Izaak enjoys his work and intersperses humor with the terror he incites. This is a family man, devoted to building a safe world for his wife and daughters. His journey unearths a loss he is haunted by. He has patience and resilience and...
- 4/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Brandon Perea (Nope) is attached to star alongside Common (Alice) in The Faith of Long Beach, an upcoming drama written and to be directed by Snowfall co-creator Eric Amadio.
The film follows Romy Faith (Perea), a soft-spoken street fighter, raised in a group home in Long Beach, CA who is torn between his street life past and a promising future when he attempts to move beyond backyard brawls and follow his estranged father’s footsteps into the world of professional boxing.
Adonis Tountas is producing for Everlast Pictures, alongside Common and Marie Cisco for Stardust Films, and Garrett Weaver.
“Alongside the producing team, I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to be bringing Brandon on board to play our lead character Romy Faith,” said Amadio. “Beyond being a dynamic, soulful performer with limitless range, Brandon is also just a stand up human being who I look forward to working with.
The film follows Romy Faith (Perea), a soft-spoken street fighter, raised in a group home in Long Beach, CA who is torn between his street life past and a promising future when he attempts to move beyond backyard brawls and follow his estranged father’s footsteps into the world of professional boxing.
Adonis Tountas is producing for Everlast Pictures, alongside Common and Marie Cisco for Stardust Films, and Garrett Weaver.
“Alongside the producing team, I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to be bringing Brandon on board to play our lead character Romy Faith,” said Amadio. “Beyond being a dynamic, soulful performer with limitless range, Brandon is also just a stand up human being who I look forward to working with.
- 3/24/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A24’s smart slasher/horror X grossed over $4.4M on 2,865 screens to take fourth place at the weekend box office, topping expectations for writer/director Ti West’s return after a six-year absence from film. His first ever wide release, a cross between the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Boogie Nights, is currently Certified Fresh at 96% and has a prequel nearly done and a sequel on the horizon.
Some 73% of moviegoers were between 18-35, reflecting a return to theaters of younger demos that A24 caters to well with edgy and horror fare including recent Red Rocket, Lamb and Zola as well as The Witch, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems and Ari Aster’s Hereditary, Midsommar, and with films like The Green Knight that play well across both big chain and arthouse cinemas.
Although not dated or titled yet The X prequel is pretty far along in post. Teasers are currently playing at the end of X.
Some 73% of moviegoers were between 18-35, reflecting a return to theaters of younger demos that A24 caters to well with edgy and horror fare including recent Red Rocket, Lamb and Zola as well as The Witch, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems and Ari Aster’s Hereditary, Midsommar, and with films like The Green Knight that play well across both big chain and arthouse cinemas.
Although not dated or titled yet The X prequel is pretty far along in post. Teasers are currently playing at the end of X.
- 3/20/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
This is one of the best weekends for new indie releases in some time — a bit of space in theaters to run and audiences slowly, but increasingly, willing to return.
Focus Features’ The Outfit – the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) — opens nationally on over 1,200 screens with Mark Rylance starring as a bespoke British tailor from London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he ends up running a tailor shop in a rough Chicago neighborhood making suits for the only people around who can afford them, a family of vicious gangsters.
The script is by Moore and Johnathan McClain. Also starring Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell Beale. It premiered in Berlin last month. Deadline review here.
Initially set for release Feb. 25, The Outfit occupies the slot vacated by Downtown Abbey: A New Era. In January, in the shadow of Omicron,...
Focus Features’ The Outfit – the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) — opens nationally on over 1,200 screens with Mark Rylance starring as a bespoke British tailor from London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he ends up running a tailor shop in a rough Chicago neighborhood making suits for the only people around who can afford them, a family of vicious gangsters.
The script is by Moore and Johnathan McClain. Also starring Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell Beale. It premiered in Berlin last month. Deadline review here.
Initially set for release Feb. 25, The Outfit occupies the slot vacated by Downtown Abbey: A New Era. In January, in the shadow of Omicron,...
- 3/18/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
What the Dormouse Said: Linden Squanders a Significant Subject in Earnest, Flat Rendering
“If a story is no good, being based on Hamlet won’t save it,” wrote noted English professor Thomas C. Foster. The same can be said for any compelling narrative ‘inspired by true events,’ which unfortunately is the nagging issue with Alice, the directorial debut from Krystin Ver Linden, whose titular protagonist is a slave on a Georgia plantation eventually realizing it’s 1973 after a moment of extreme violence forces her to flee beyond the tree line.
Considering the recent discovery of a contemporary migrant slave plantation at the end of 2021, not to mention the resonance of this material with 2020’s searing horror thriller Antebellum, this was Linden’s game to lose.…...
“If a story is no good, being based on Hamlet won’t save it,” wrote noted English professor Thomas C. Foster. The same can be said for any compelling narrative ‘inspired by true events,’ which unfortunately is the nagging issue with Alice, the directorial debut from Krystin Ver Linden, whose titular protagonist is a slave on a Georgia plantation eventually realizing it’s 1973 after a moment of extreme violence forces her to flee beyond the tree line.
Considering the recent discovery of a contemporary migrant slave plantation at the end of 2021, not to mention the resonance of this material with 2020’s searing horror thriller Antebellum, this was Linden’s game to lose.…...
- 3/18/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has prevailed in a bidding war surrounding SXSW thriller The Cow—landing worldwide rights to the film starring Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) and John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane), and slating it for an exclusive theatrical release later this year.
In the film directed by Homecoming co-creator Eli Horowitz, Kath (Ryder) and her boyfriend (Gallagher Jr.) arrive at a remote cabin in the redwoods, only to discover that a mysterious younger couple is already there. The rental has apparently been double-booked, and with nowhere else to go, they decide to share the cabin with these strangers. When her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, Kath becomes obsessed with finding an explanation for their sudden breakup—but the truth is far stranger than she could have ever imagined.
The Cow also stars Dermot Mulroney (The Courier), Owen Teague (It franchise) and Brianne Tju (47 Meters Down). Horowitz and Matthew Derby wrote the script,...
In the film directed by Homecoming co-creator Eli Horowitz, Kath (Ryder) and her boyfriend (Gallagher Jr.) arrive at a remote cabin in the redwoods, only to discover that a mysterious younger couple is already there. The rental has apparently been double-booked, and with nowhere else to go, they decide to share the cabin with these strangers. When her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, Kath becomes obsessed with finding an explanation for their sudden breakup—but the truth is far stranger than she could have ever imagined.
The Cow also stars Dermot Mulroney (The Courier), Owen Teague (It franchise) and Brianne Tju (47 Meters Down). Horowitz and Matthew Derby wrote the script,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
"Alice" is a story beyond people's scope of slavery. Starring Keke Palmer, the film, directed by Krystin Ver Linden, is based on the historical truth of Black Americans who were unaware slavery had ended under the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Recently, Palmer spoke to Popsugar about how the film differs from other slavery-based projects and Common being her support system throughout production.
Palmer shares that she didn't know about stories like the titular character Alice, who eventually learns that she's free. "I guess that's obviously Krystin Ver Linden's point," she says, adding, "But I felt like it was something that I should have known historically. And the fact that I didn't was a huge reason as to why I wanted to do the movie." The film takes place in 1970s Georgia, nearly a century post-slavery (or many are taught).
Movies based on slavery are a pain point for the majority of...
Palmer shares that she didn't know about stories like the titular character Alice, who eventually learns that she's free. "I guess that's obviously Krystin Ver Linden's point," she says, adding, "But I felt like it was something that I should have known historically. And the fact that I didn't was a huge reason as to why I wanted to do the movie." The film takes place in 1970s Georgia, nearly a century post-slavery (or many are taught).
Movies based on slavery are a pain point for the majority of...
- 3/16/2022
- by Naledi Ushe
- Popsugar.com
CAA has signed Krystin Ver Linden, writer and director of the Sundance Film Festival selection “Alice,” for representation.
The dramatic thriller marks Ver Linden’s feature film debut. Prior to its festival launch, Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment nabbed U.S. rights to the picture, starring Keke Palmer, Common and Johnny Lee Miller, in a deal made by CAA Media Finance. “Alice” will be released in theaters on Friday, March 18.
Palmer plays the titular “Alice,” an enslaved woman who escapes her plantation and finds herself in 1973 Georgia. When the filmmaker and star joined Variety‘s senior entertainment writer Adam B. Vary for the Variety Virtual Sundance Studio, alongside producer Peter Lawson, they unpacked the movie’s complex themes.
Despite the fact that she was the filmmaker’s first choice for the part, Palmer was initially hesitant to sign on due to the sensitive subject matter.
“But when I read it,...
The dramatic thriller marks Ver Linden’s feature film debut. Prior to its festival launch, Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment nabbed U.S. rights to the picture, starring Keke Palmer, Common and Johnny Lee Miller, in a deal made by CAA Media Finance. “Alice” will be released in theaters on Friday, March 18.
Palmer plays the titular “Alice,” an enslaved woman who escapes her plantation and finds herself in 1973 Georgia. When the filmmaker and star joined Variety‘s senior entertainment writer Adam B. Vary for the Variety Virtual Sundance Studio, alongside producer Peter Lawson, they unpacked the movie’s complex themes.
Despite the fact that she was the filmmaker’s first choice for the part, Palmer was initially hesitant to sign on due to the sensitive subject matter.
“But when I read it,...
- 3/16/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American and UK/Ire rights to the political comedy The Hater, from writer-director Joey Ally, in which she stars alongside Bruce Dern, Meredith Hagner, D’Angelo Lacy (aka musical artist Black Gatsby), Ian Harding, Ali Larter, and Nora Dunn. The independent distributor has slated it for a day-and-date release on March 18.
In the film, Ally plays Dorothy, a liberal speechwriter on a U.S. Senate campaign, who finds herself unemployed and living back in her conservative Texas hometown with her estranged grandfather (Dern), after a political protest goes wrong. Dorothy soon learns that her childhood nemesis, Brent (Harding), is running for office as the sole Republican candidate. Determined to thwart him at any cost,...
In the film, Ally plays Dorothy, a liberal speechwriter on a U.S. Senate campaign, who finds herself unemployed and living back in her conservative Texas hometown with her estranged grandfather (Dern), after a political protest goes wrong. Dorothy soon learns that her childhood nemesis, Brent (Harding), is running for office as the sole Republican candidate. Determined to thwart him at any cost,...
- 2/18/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Alice Trailer — Krystin Ver Linden‘s Alice (2022) movie trailer has been released by Vertical Entertainment. The Alice trailer stars Keke Palmer, Common, Gaius Charles, Jonny Lee Miller, Gaius Charles, Madelon Curtis, Kenneth Farmer, Natasha Yvette Williams, Jaxon Goldenberg, Craig Stark, and Alicia Witt. Crew Krystin Ver Linden wrote the screenplay for Alice. Byron [...]
Continue reading: Alice (2022) Movie Trailer: Keke Palmer Escapes from Jonny Lee Miller’s Plantation in Krystin Ver Linden’s Film...
Continue reading: Alice (2022) Movie Trailer: Keke Palmer Escapes from Jonny Lee Miller’s Plantation in Krystin Ver Linden’s Film...
- 2/12/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
When Krystin Ver Linden's "Alice" hit Sundance last month, it garnered immediate comparisons to the poorly received 2020 movie "Antebellum." Both follow enslaved Black women who suddenly realize they aren't actually living in pre-Emancipation Proclamation times, but the post-civil rights era. Now, "Alice" has a trailer, and it seems to be working hard to distinguish itself from similar shock value fare.
The trailer opens with plantation imagery as Johnny Lee Miller's character, Paul, calls the state of Georgia "our God-given land." He's a slave owner, and we see him beat one person and hold another's face as the slave tries not to pull away in fear. Then...
The post Alice Trailer: Keke Palmer Makes a Life-Altering Discovery appeared first on /Film.
The trailer opens with plantation imagery as Johnny Lee Miller's character, Paul, calls the state of Georgia "our God-given land." He's a slave owner, and we see him beat one person and hold another's face as the slave tries not to pull away in fear. Then...
The post Alice Trailer: Keke Palmer Makes a Life-Altering Discovery appeared first on /Film.
- 2/12/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Inspired by true accounts, Keke Palmer stars in Alice from Vertical Entertainment, a modern empowerment fable tracing Alice’s journey through the post-Civil Rights Era American South. Here’s the plot synopsis for director Krystin Ver Linden‘s thriller… “Alice (Keke Palmer) yearns for freedom as an enslaved person on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and […]
The post Keke Palmer Gets Long Overdue Revenge in ‘Alice’ Trailer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post Keke Palmer Gets Long Overdue Revenge in ‘Alice’ Trailer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 2/11/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Keke Palmer, at 28 years old, has already become a star on TV and in the music business. But since her breakthrough performance in 2006’s “Akeelah and the Bee,” she’s rarely played the lead role in a major feature built around her performance.
Read More: ‘Alice’ Review: Keke Palmer & Common Star In A Blaxploitation-Inspired Thriller
Palmer will do exactly that in “Alice,” an upcoming revenge thriller from first-time writer/director Krystin Ver Linden.
Continue reading ‘Alice’ Trailer: Keke Palmer & Common Headline Sundance Revenge Thriller Inspired by True Events at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Alice’ Review: Keke Palmer & Common Star In A Blaxploitation-Inspired Thriller
Palmer will do exactly that in “Alice,” an upcoming revenge thriller from first-time writer/director Krystin Ver Linden.
Continue reading ‘Alice’ Trailer: Keke Palmer & Common Headline Sundance Revenge Thriller Inspired by True Events at The Playlist.
- 2/11/2022
- by Jake Sweltz
- The Playlist
Olivia Mascheroni has joined Verve Ventures. She will be part of a growing independent sales and financing team that is led by Amy Beecroft and Ross Putman.
Mascheroni most recently served as director of Ddvelopment at Madre Venturers, a venture capital firm, and served as executive of new media at The Blacklist prior to that. She has also held positions at both Blumhouse and CAA, where she worked in both the Television and Motion Picture Literary Departments.
“Coming over feels like coming home,” says Mascheroni. “I know so many of the people who work here and admire what they do. And there’s such a great creative approach to things that offers a lot to filmmakers and allows us to make great independent projects.”
Verve’s talent team has quadrupled in size since last year and the film team says it expects to continue expanding.
“Olivia is joining us because...
Mascheroni most recently served as director of Ddvelopment at Madre Venturers, a venture capital firm, and served as executive of new media at The Blacklist prior to that. She has also held positions at both Blumhouse and CAA, where she worked in both the Television and Motion Picture Literary Departments.
“Coming over feels like coming home,” says Mascheroni. “I know so many of the people who work here and admire what they do. And there’s such a great creative approach to things that offers a lot to filmmakers and allows us to make great independent projects.”
Verve’s talent team has quadrupled in size since last year and the film team says it expects to continue expanding.
“Olivia is joining us because...
- 2/11/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the psychological thriller Measure of Revenge, starring Oscar winner Melissa Leo, Bella Thorne and Jake Weary, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 18.
In the debut feature of Malaysian helmer Peyfa, Broadway actress Lillian Cooper (Leo) is making her final on-stage appearance when her famous son, Curtis (Weary), is found dead. When his death is ruled as an accidental overdose, a suspicious Lillian decides to take matters into her own hands. On a quest for answers, she strikes up an unlikely alliance with her son’s drug dealer, Taz (Thorne), setting in motion a bloody warpath to uncover the truth, inspired by the characters she portrayed on stage.
Measure of Revenge also stars Roma Maffia (Disclosure), Adrian Martinez and Benedict Samuel (The Walk). Jen Gatien produced with Peter Wong and Timur Bekbosunov for Ace Pictures Entertainment. Johnny Chang, Bronwyn Cornelius and Emma Lee exec produced, with Jay Cannold co-producing.
“Melissa steps into this role of a grieving and relentless mother seeking justice for her son with such ease that it draws the viewer deeply into her journey and keeps you captivated and rooting for her every step of the way,” said Vertical Entertainment Partner Peter Jarowey.
“We are excited to partner up with Vertical Entertainment on Measure of Revenge to release a film that is an emotional and thrilling experience filled with mystery and surprise,” added Gatien, Wong and Bekbosunov in a joint statement. “Melissa Leo delivers a powerful and energetic performance in the role of a mother hellbent on revenge, forming great screen chemistry with the immensely talented Bella Thorne. We can’t wait for audiences to discover the film.”
Ace Pictures Entertainment is a film production and investment company, with a focus on genre fare. Chang leads its team as CEO, with Wong as President, Lee as VP of Business Affairs and Bekbosunov as VP of Creative Affairs. Since its 2017 launch, the company has provided full financing and production services for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Clemency, starring Alfre Woodard, which was released by Neon and Focus Features; the dark Sundance comedy Blush, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey; the documentary M for Magic about the world-renowned Magic Castle; the supernatural thriller Daniel Isn’t Real, starring Patrick Schwarzenegger and Miles Robbins, released by Samuel Goldwyn and sold internationally by Voltage; and the horror cult hit Color Out of Space, directed by Richard Stanley and starring Nicolas Cage, which was released by Rlj Entertainment and sold internationally by XYZ. Ace Pictures also provided partial financing for the fantastical drama Come Away, directed by Brenda Chapman and starring Angelina Jolie, which was released by Relativity Media, and James Wan’s horror film Malignant.
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include the SXSW & Venice prize winner Topside; the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions; Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.’s Independent Spirit Award-nominated Wild Indian, starring Michael Greyeyes and Chaske Spencer; Krystin Ver Linden’s Alice, starring Keke Palmer, Common, Gaius Charles and Jonny Lee Miller, which premiered at Sundance 2022; and romantic comedy The Hating Game, starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.
Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal for Measure of Revenge on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, with Bekbosunov and CAA on behalf of Ace Pictures. Leo is represented by APA and The Initiative Group; Thorne by CAA, Thirty Three Management and Strategic Public Relations; and Weary by Gersh, Management 360 and Shafran PR.
In the debut feature of Malaysian helmer Peyfa, Broadway actress Lillian Cooper (Leo) is making her final on-stage appearance when her famous son, Curtis (Weary), is found dead. When his death is ruled as an accidental overdose, a suspicious Lillian decides to take matters into her own hands. On a quest for answers, she strikes up an unlikely alliance with her son’s drug dealer, Taz (Thorne), setting in motion a bloody warpath to uncover the truth, inspired by the characters she portrayed on stage.
Measure of Revenge also stars Roma Maffia (Disclosure), Adrian Martinez and Benedict Samuel (The Walk). Jen Gatien produced with Peter Wong and Timur Bekbosunov for Ace Pictures Entertainment. Johnny Chang, Bronwyn Cornelius and Emma Lee exec produced, with Jay Cannold co-producing.
“Melissa steps into this role of a grieving and relentless mother seeking justice for her son with such ease that it draws the viewer deeply into her journey and keeps you captivated and rooting for her every step of the way,” said Vertical Entertainment Partner Peter Jarowey.
“We are excited to partner up with Vertical Entertainment on Measure of Revenge to release a film that is an emotional and thrilling experience filled with mystery and surprise,” added Gatien, Wong and Bekbosunov in a joint statement. “Melissa Leo delivers a powerful and energetic performance in the role of a mother hellbent on revenge, forming great screen chemistry with the immensely talented Bella Thorne. We can’t wait for audiences to discover the film.”
Ace Pictures Entertainment is a film production and investment company, with a focus on genre fare. Chang leads its team as CEO, with Wong as President, Lee as VP of Business Affairs and Bekbosunov as VP of Creative Affairs. Since its 2017 launch, the company has provided full financing and production services for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Clemency, starring Alfre Woodard, which was released by Neon and Focus Features; the dark Sundance comedy Blush, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey; the documentary M for Magic about the world-renowned Magic Castle; the supernatural thriller Daniel Isn’t Real, starring Patrick Schwarzenegger and Miles Robbins, released by Samuel Goldwyn and sold internationally by Voltage; and the horror cult hit Color Out of Space, directed by Richard Stanley and starring Nicolas Cage, which was released by Rlj Entertainment and sold internationally by XYZ. Ace Pictures also provided partial financing for the fantastical drama Come Away, directed by Brenda Chapman and starring Angelina Jolie, which was released by Relativity Media, and James Wan’s horror film Malignant.
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include the SXSW & Venice prize winner Topside; the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions; Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.’s Independent Spirit Award-nominated Wild Indian, starring Michael Greyeyes and Chaske Spencer; Krystin Ver Linden’s Alice, starring Keke Palmer, Common, Gaius Charles and Jonny Lee Miller, which premiered at Sundance 2022; and romantic comedy The Hating Game, starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.
Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal for Measure of Revenge on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, with Bekbosunov and CAA on behalf of Ace Pictures. Leo is represented by APA and The Initiative Group; Thorne by CAA, Thirty Three Management and Strategic Public Relations; and Weary by Gersh, Management 360 and Shafran PR.
- 2/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Celine Held and Logan George’s feature directorial debut Topside, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 25.
The award-winning drama starring Held, Zhaila Farmer, Jared Abrahamson and musician Fatlip is inspired by true events. It follows five-year-old Little (Farmer) and her mother Nikki (Held), who live underneath the streets of New York City, in a community that has claimed long-abandoned subway tunnels as its home. When the pair are forced to flee above ground into a cold winter night, they are plunged into a challenging world of chaos and tragedy that makes their uncertain underground life seem idyllic by comparison.
Topside claimed SXSW’s Special Jury Award for Narrative Feature when it premiered there in 2020, subsequently going on to win the Venice Film Festival’s Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Achievement. Held and George penned the film, with Anthony Bregman,...
The award-winning drama starring Held, Zhaila Farmer, Jared Abrahamson and musician Fatlip is inspired by true events. It follows five-year-old Little (Farmer) and her mother Nikki (Held), who live underneath the streets of New York City, in a community that has claimed long-abandoned subway tunnels as its home. When the pair are forced to flee above ground into a cold winter night, they are plunged into a challenging world of chaos and tragedy that makes their uncertain underground life seem idyllic by comparison.
Topside claimed SXSW’s Special Jury Award for Narrative Feature when it premiered there in 2020, subsequently going on to win the Venice Film Festival’s Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Achievement. Held and George penned the film, with Anthony Bregman,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment have prevailed in a bidding war surrounding the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring and produced by Aubrey Plaza, claiming North American rights. They’ve slated the film for an exclusive theatrical release this year, with Redbox joining the partnership for home entertainment distribution.
John Patton Ford’s feature directorial debut follows Emily (Plaza), who is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi). Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring...
John Patton Ford’s feature directorial debut follows Emily (Plaza), who is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi). Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring...
- 2/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Alice, the debut feature of writer-director Krystin Ver Linden, has a major pacing problem. Based on true accounts, it concerns Alice (Keke Palmer), a woman enslaved on a Georgia plantation who one day escapes and finds she’s actually living in 1973, more than 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a startling discovery, one that unsurprisingly drew more than a few comparisons to 2020’s Antebellum, a maligned horror-tinged feature with a similar setup.
While the proximity of a quite similar film has led some to besmirch Alice, the comparison actually does Ver Linden’s film a few favors. Antebellum’s use of these very real horrors as a Village-style gotcha twist cheapens the pain that film is poking at for mere shock value. Ver Linden doesn’t have any interest in playing the same kind of game with her audience. While Alice‘s first act puts in Mystery Box clues...
While the proximity of a quite similar film has led some to besmirch Alice, the comparison actually does Ver Linden’s film a few favors. Antebellum’s use of these very real horrors as a Village-style gotcha twist cheapens the pain that film is poking at for mere shock value. Ver Linden doesn’t have any interest in playing the same kind of game with her audience. While Alice‘s first act puts in Mystery Box clues...
- 1/31/2022
- by Mitchell Beaupre
- The Film Stage
It sounds like a horrifying fantasy: Alice, an enslaved woman on a Georgia plantation (portrayed by Keke Palmer), escapes through the woods and travels through time into the year 1973. After meeting a disillusioned political activist (played by Common), she becomes aware of the legacy of lies that kept her enslaved long after slavery was legally abolished.
However, on a panel moderated by Sharon Waxman at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio, director-writer Krystin Ver Linden said her film “Alice” is based on a real-life woman who returned to the plantation where she remained enslaved for decades after the legal abolition of slavery.
Ver Linden, who was joined on the panel by Palmer and producer Peter Lawson, said she read the story and immediately knew it should be made into a film. She spoke of reading an article in which the journalist brought the woman back to the property. “She doesn’t tell us what’s going on.
However, on a panel moderated by Sharon Waxman at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio, director-writer Krystin Ver Linden said her film “Alice” is based on a real-life woman who returned to the plantation where she remained enslaved for decades after the legal abolition of slavery.
Ver Linden, who was joined on the panel by Palmer and producer Peter Lawson, said she read the story and immediately knew it should be made into a film. She spoke of reading an article in which the journalist brought the woman back to the property. “She doesn’t tell us what’s going on.
- 1/26/2022
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
Krystin Ver Linden’s “Alice” is a righteous fable about a Black woman (Keke Palmer) who escapes from an isolated Georgia plantation that’s enslaved her, her husband (Gaius Charles) and her family for generations, and discovers a wonderland just outside the property line: 1973 America, where she learns she’s been emancipated for a century. “I never told anyone they had to stay,” her Bible-thumping captor Mr. Paul (Jonny Lee Miller) sputters by way of cheap justification. “I just never told them they could go.”
First, Alice sobs; then, she’s furious. All this time — through all this suffering — freedom was just a few miles away. The curvaceous yellow typeface of the opening titles promises that Alice will get her Blaxploitation-inspired revenge on the white family still imprisoning 11 of her loved ones. She even watches “Coffy” for motivation, staring up at Pam Grier with the awe of seeing her inner goddess strut the earth,...
First, Alice sobs; then, she’s furious. All this time — through all this suffering — freedom was just a few miles away. The curvaceous yellow typeface of the opening titles promises that Alice will get her Blaxploitation-inspired revenge on the white family still imprisoning 11 of her loved ones. She even watches “Coffy” for motivation, staring up at Pam Grier with the awe of seeing her inner goddess strut the earth,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Amy Nicholson
- Variety Film + TV
Krystin Ver Linden’s debut movie Alice arrives with the assurance that it is based on true events, one of those vague guarantees that lingers in the back of your mind while the movie unspools and what you think you’re watching turns out to be something very, very different. Factuality is often a moot point in cinema—with his legendarily terrible 1957 space vampire flick Plan 9 from Outer Space, Ed Wood even tried reverse-psychology, asking viewers, “Can you prove that it didn’t happen?” But with a slick slave drama-slash-revenge thriller it immediately raises questions of taste and decency: is this really the proper vehicle for a meditation on Civil Rights? Surprisingly, Ver Linden’s film walks that tightrope very well. There are wobbles for sure, but the commitment from her cast keep its intentions pure even when the storytelling falters, which is often.
There is no way to...
There is no way to...
- 1/24/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Alice knows there’s something else out there. There has to be. Born and raised on an antebellum plantation somewhere smack-dab in the middle of nowhere Georgia, Alice (Keke Palmer) may have never gone more than a mile or two beyond the boundaries of the Bennet place, but something is calling for her. Blame her evil boss Paul Bennet (a truly chilling and unrecognizable Jonny Lee Miller) who taught his favorite “domestic” how to read early, but only so she could read to him, and who somehow never realized she might use her intellectual curiosity for other ends. As Krystin Ver Linden’s “Alice” opens, our heroine has already made her mind up, but where her desire to break free will lead her will shock everyone.
The film will inevitably — and correctly — draw comparisons to “Antebellum,” another slavery-themed drama beset with tricks and twists. But while that film, starring Janelle Monae,...
The film will inevitably — and correctly — draw comparisons to “Antebellum,” another slavery-themed drama beset with tricks and twists. But while that film, starring Janelle Monae,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Up until the 1960s, Black folks, tricked by sinister white folks, were entrapped into servitude because of debts that they owed. Southern whites took advantage of the climate of racism that dominated the area, and the inherent power dynamics such a system provided, to maintain a form of slavery over a century after its formal abolishment. “Alice,” the stylish, though dull, debut from Krystin Ver Linden, uses those real-life tales as a jumping off point for the director’s own Blaxploitation adventure.
Read More: Sundance 2022 Preview: 20 Must-See Movies From The Festival
The titular Alice (Keke Palmer) lives on a Georgia plantation belonging to the malicious Paul Bennet (Johnny Lee Miller).
Continue reading ‘Alice’ Review: Blaxploitation-Inspired Thriller Feels Like A Lost Opportunity [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Read More: Sundance 2022 Preview: 20 Must-See Movies From The Festival
The titular Alice (Keke Palmer) lives on a Georgia plantation belonging to the malicious Paul Bennet (Johnny Lee Miller).
Continue reading ‘Alice’ Review: Blaxploitation-Inspired Thriller Feels Like A Lost Opportunity [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/24/2022
- by Robert Daniels
- The Playlist
The opening title card of writer-director Krystin Ver Linden’s feature film debut “Alice” says, “Inspired by true events,” and it could be argued that these words are more than metaphorically true, even if you don’t know the concept of the film beforehand.
Keke Palmer plays the title heroine, a woman enslaved on a 19th century Georgia plantation overseen by the viciously cruel Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). The first shot of the film sees her running for her life until she gets to a clearing, at which point her face opens up in shock and dismay, and she cries, “No!”
Ver Linden’s screenplay for “Alice” is very carefully structured. We flash back from that “No!” of hers to life on the plantation, which is given a poisonously incongruous sort of visual sumptuousness by cinematographer Alex Disenhof (Apple TV+’s “The Mosquito Coast”). We see a shot of Paul...
Keke Palmer plays the title heroine, a woman enslaved on a 19th century Georgia plantation overseen by the viciously cruel Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). The first shot of the film sees her running for her life until she gets to a clearing, at which point her face opens up in shock and dismay, and she cries, “No!”
Ver Linden’s screenplay for “Alice” is very carefully structured. We flash back from that “No!” of hers to life on the plantation, which is given a poisonously incongruous sort of visual sumptuousness by cinematographer Alex Disenhof (Apple TV+’s “The Mosquito Coast”). We see a shot of Paul...
- 1/24/2022
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
2022 was supposed to be different: The return of the physical component of the Sundance Film Festival, with requirements such as fully boosted attendees and regular testing, was meant to return. But after omicron’s surge, the festival is now entering its second straight year as strictly a virtual affair. Nevertheless, from year to year, there’s always a difference at Sundance. It’s the films. And in this case, films directed by Black creators.
We’ve combed through this year’s lineup to select 10 exciting long-form works directed by Black folks, most making their feature debuts, which compose a diverse assortment of stories that survey academia, policing, systematic bias, anti-capitalist, and anti-colonialist themes from a uniquely Black perspective. Here are the exciting Black-helmed projects, from incisive docuseries to adventurous feature films, to look out for at this year’s Sundance.
Curious about how to re-create the magic of Sundance at home?...
We’ve combed through this year’s lineup to select 10 exciting long-form works directed by Black folks, most making their feature debuts, which compose a diverse assortment of stories that survey academia, policing, systematic bias, anti-capitalist, and anti-colonialist themes from a uniquely Black perspective. Here are the exciting Black-helmed projects, from incisive docuseries to adventurous feature films, to look out for at this year’s Sundance.
Curious about how to re-create the magic of Sundance at home?...
- 1/18/2022
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions have snapped up U.S. rights to the dramatic thriller Alice, which will make its world premiere next month at the Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by Krystin Ver Linden, follwoing its world premiere at the festival, the film will released theatrically on Mar. 18, 2022.
The film stars Keke Palmer as Alice, an enslaved person yearning for freedom on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and disturbed owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). After a violent clash with Paul, she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist named Frank (Common), Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage and the promise of Black liberation. Inspired by true accounts, Alice is a modern empowerment fable tracing Alice’s journey through...
The film stars Keke Palmer as Alice, an enslaved person yearning for freedom on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and disturbed owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). After a violent clash with Paul, she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist named Frank (Common), Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage and the promise of Black liberation. Inspired by true accounts, Alice is a modern empowerment fable tracing Alice’s journey through...
- 12/16/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
When You Finish Saving the World The Sundance Institute has announced the films selected for their hybrid 2022 Festival, which will take place in-person in Park City, online, and in arthouse theaters across the United States.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITION892 (Abi Damaris Corbin): When Brian Brown-Easley’s disability check fails to materialize from Veterans Affairs, he finds himself on the brink of homelessness and breaking his daughter’s heart. No other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says “I’ve got a bomb.“ Cast: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, Selenis Leyva. World Premiere.Alice (Krystin Ver Linden): When a woman in servitude in 1800s Georgia escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor, she discovers the shocking reality that exists beyond the treeline…it’s 1973. Inspired by true events. Cast: Keke Palmer, Common, Jonny Lee Miller, Gaius Charles. World Premiere.blood...
- 12/15/2021
- MUBI
Variety will honor Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 7 as part of their annual “10 Directors to Watch” and Creative Impact Awards brunch at the Parker Palm Springs.
Bardem will be celebrated for his recent film, Amazon Studios’ “Being the Ricardos,” as well his entire body of work, which includes “No Country for Old Men,” “Dune,” “Skyfall,” “Biutiful” and “The Good Boss.”
“It’s been 30 years since Bardem emerged as a major international star in Bigas Luna’s ‘Jamón Jamón,'” said Variety’s executive vice president of content Steven Gaydos. “In that time, he’s garnered acting honors around the world, including the European Film Award, the Cannes Festival best actor award and three Oscar nominations, including a win for his powerful role in the Coen Brothers’ best picture winner, ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Along the way, Bardem has worked...
Bardem will be celebrated for his recent film, Amazon Studios’ “Being the Ricardos,” as well his entire body of work, which includes “No Country for Old Men,” “Dune,” “Skyfall,” “Biutiful” and “The Good Boss.”
“It’s been 30 years since Bardem emerged as a major international star in Bigas Luna’s ‘Jamón Jamón,'” said Variety’s executive vice president of content Steven Gaydos. “In that time, he’s garnered acting honors around the world, including the European Film Award, the Cannes Festival best actor award and three Oscar nominations, including a win for his powerful role in the Coen Brothers’ best picture winner, ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Along the way, Bardem has worked...
- 12/15/2021
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Asghar Farhadi to Receive Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing Award at Palm Springs Film Festival
Variety will honor two-time Academy Award-winning director Asghar Farhadi at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 7 as part of the publication’s annual “10 Directors to Watch” and Creative Impact Awards brunch at the Parker Palm Springs.
Farhadi will be celebrated for his recent film “A Hero”, released by Amazon Studios, as well his entire body of work which includes “A Separation,” “Everybody Knows” and “The Salesman.”
“With ‘A Hero,’ Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi reaffirms his place at the forefront of international writer-directors,” said Variety’s executive vice president of content, Steven Gaydos. “The film’s Grand Prix award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival was only the beginning of its international acclaim. As with ‘A Separation’ and ‘The Salesman,’ Farhadi has again elicited praise from film critics and awards voters who value Farhadi’s now-trademark virtues of densely layered screenplays and complex, sophisticated performances, all in the hands...
Farhadi will be celebrated for his recent film “A Hero”, released by Amazon Studios, as well his entire body of work which includes “A Separation,” “Everybody Knows” and “The Salesman.”
“With ‘A Hero,’ Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi reaffirms his place at the forefront of international writer-directors,” said Variety’s executive vice president of content, Steven Gaydos. “The film’s Grand Prix award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival was only the beginning of its international acclaim. As with ‘A Separation’ and ‘The Salesman,’ Farhadi has again elicited praise from film critics and awards voters who value Farhadi’s now-trademark virtues of densely layered screenplays and complex, sophisticated performances, all in the hands...
- 12/10/2021
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Taking place online and in person, the Sundance Film Festival will return for its 2022 edition January 20th through 30th and now the main lineup has been unveiled. With 82 feature-length films representing 28 countries, these films were selected from 14,849 submissions, including 3,762 feature-length films.
Notable titles include Ramin Bahrani’s 2nd Chance, Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, Riley Stearns’ Dual, Ricky D’Ambrose’s The Cathedral, two Dakota Johnson-led films, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I Ok?, the Bill Nighy-led Ikiru remake Living, Sierra Pettengill’s Riotsville, USA, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane, W. Kamau Bell’s We Need to Talk About Cosby, Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, Kogonada’s After Yang, James Ponsoldt’s Summering, and more.
“The online dimension of the festival was something that after, having done it last year, we valued greatly,” says Tabitha Jackson,...
Notable titles include Ramin Bahrani’s 2nd Chance, Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, Riley Stearns’ Dual, Ricky D’Ambrose’s The Cathedral, two Dakota Johnson-led films, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I Ok?, the Bill Nighy-led Ikiru remake Living, Sierra Pettengill’s Riotsville, USA, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane, W. Kamau Bell’s We Need to Talk About Cosby, Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, Kogonada’s After Yang, James Ponsoldt’s Summering, and more.
“The online dimension of the festival was something that after, having done it last year, we valued greatly,” says Tabitha Jackson,...
- 12/9/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In 2022, ten lucky titles/filmmakers will be vying for the big daddy prize of them all in the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize Dramatic. The line-up as been unveiled for the U.S. Dramatic Comp Section and we find highly anticipated directorial debuts that we had on our radar from the likes of 2018 Jury Award short film winner Mariama Diallo’s Master, Screenwriter and Directors Labs attendee Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny and Krystin Ver Linden’s Alice . They’ve been selected to compete alongside the hyped sophomore film Cha Cha Real Smooth by Cooper Raiff and the filmed in Finland third feature Dual by Riley Stearns.…...
- 12/9/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
More than half of 82-strong feature roster directed by filmmakers who identify as women.
The hybrid 2022 Sundance Film Festival has announced a roster of 82 features that include world premieres for Sophie Hyde’s comedy drama Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Michel Hazanavicius’s zombie comedy Final Cut, and Lena Dunham’s drama Sharp Stick as well as new work from John Boyega, Noomi Rapace and Julianne Moore.
Features, New Frontiers selections and shorts (the latter will be announced on Friday) will screen from January 20-30 2022 in person in the Utah hubs of Park City and Salt Lake City as...
The hybrid 2022 Sundance Film Festival has announced a roster of 82 features that include world premieres for Sophie Hyde’s comedy drama Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Michel Hazanavicius’s zombie comedy Final Cut, and Lena Dunham’s drama Sharp Stick as well as new work from John Boyega, Noomi Rapace and Julianne Moore.
Features, New Frontiers selections and shorts (the latter will be announced on Friday) will screen from January 20-30 2022 in person in the Utah hubs of Park City and Salt Lake City as...
- 12/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Variety recognized “No Time to Die” maestro Cary Joji Fukunaga’s potential on the strength of his debut, “Sin Nombre.” Wes Anderson caught our eye with “Bottle Rocket.” And “Red Rocket” director Sean Baker made the cut the year “Tangerine” took Sundance by storm. Other distinguished alumni of Variety’s annual 10 Directors to Watch program include “The Green Knight” helmer David Lowery, Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau (“Titane”) and “Bergman Island” auteur Mia Hansen-Løve.
And now, on the strength of that track record, Variety announces 10 more helmers with sterling futures ahead: the class of 2022, to be profiled in full with the first print edition of the new year.
It’s a decidedly forward-looking — and female-driven — group of visionaries this time around, spanning genres, languages and a wide variety of backgrounds.
Just two of the 10 directors are men. Only four of the films have already premiered to the world at...
And now, on the strength of that track record, Variety announces 10 more helmers with sterling futures ahead: the class of 2022, to be profiled in full with the first print edition of the new year.
It’s a decidedly forward-looking — and female-driven — group of visionaries this time around, spanning genres, languages and a wide variety of backgrounds.
Just two of the 10 directors are men. Only four of the films have already premiered to the world at...
- 11/22/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sinqua Walls (American Soul) is set as a series regular in At That Age, NBC’s ensemble drama pilot from Carla Banks-Waddles, Malcolm D. Lee, Debra Martin Chase and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Created, directed and based on an original idea by Lee and written by Banks-Waddles, At That Age is an exploration of an African-American family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
Walls will play Layton Cooper, the youngest of the siblings. Rough around the edges, but still has the Cooper charm.
Banks-Waddles executive produces with Lee via his Blackmaled Productions, and Chase as part of her deal with Universal TV.
At That Age was ordered to pilot in January 2020, but put on hold due to the coronavirus-related production shutdown.
Created, directed and based on an original idea by Lee and written by Banks-Waddles, At That Age is an exploration of an African-American family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
Walls will play Layton Cooper, the youngest of the siblings. Rough around the edges, but still has the Cooper charm.
Banks-Waddles executive produces with Lee via his Blackmaled Productions, and Chase as part of her deal with Universal TV.
At That Age was ordered to pilot in January 2020, but put on hold due to the coronavirus-related production shutdown.
- 3/16/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Update: Sources now tell Deadline Daniel Kaluuya is in negotiations to co-star with Palmer as first reported by The Illuminerdi. If deal closes, it would mark a reteam for Peele and Kaluuya, who worked together on Get Out.
Exclusive: Following the massive success of his first two feature films, Jordan Peele’s next feature film looks to be falling into place as the Oscar-winner has found the star of the untitled pic. Sources tell Deadline that Keke Palmer will star in Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated next project from the Get Out and Us director. Besides directing and writing the pic, Peele will also produce alongside Ian Cooper for their Monkeypaw Productions. The project falls under Monkeypaw’s exclusive five-year deal with Universal.
Like all of Peele’s film’s, plot details are being kept under lock & key with no idea what it is about or who Palmer will be playing.
Exclusive: Following the massive success of his first two feature films, Jordan Peele’s next feature film looks to be falling into place as the Oscar-winner has found the star of the untitled pic. Sources tell Deadline that Keke Palmer will star in Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated next project from the Get Out and Us director. Besides directing and writing the pic, Peele will also produce alongside Ian Cooper for their Monkeypaw Productions. The project falls under Monkeypaw’s exclusive five-year deal with Universal.
Like all of Peele’s film’s, plot details are being kept under lock & key with no idea what it is about or who Palmer will be playing.
- 2/16/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
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