Sundance film festival

The 60th New York Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled its main slate of movies from established and upcoming directors including Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund, Claire Denis ’ Stars at Noon (tied for Cannes Grand Prize), Park Chan-wook ’s Decision to Leave (Cannes Best Director) and Charlotte Wells ’ debut feature Aftersun (Cannes’ French Touch Jury Prize). The list of 32 films from 18 countries also features Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes , which took the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema and the l’Oeil d’Or for best documentary at Cannes. Another selection, Carla Simón’s Alcarràs, was awarded the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. Appearing in the NYFF main slate for the first time are Margaret Brown, Davy Chou (New Directors/New Films 2017), Laura Citarella (ND/NF 2015), Alice Diop (ND/NF 2021 and Art of the Real 2022), Mark Jenkin (ND/NF 2019), Marie Kreutzer, Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji, … [Read more...] about New York Film Festival Sets Main Slate For 60th Edition

I might be tempted to call writer-director James Ponsoldt ’s new coming-of-age film about four young girls who discover the dead body of a man on the last summer days before starting middle school Stand By She. Okay I will. Its actual title is Summering and it is a sweet and sincere attempt to give young girls the kind of edge-of-turning-teen story of a last summer of no worries with your friends that has mostly been reserved for boys in classic Hollywood films in the genre. With a screenplay Ponsoldt, with co-writer Benjamin Percy, was inspired to create coming out of the pandemic, and new questions about life presented to our youngest members of the planet, they land on a somewhat dark situation. Four carefree young girls come face to face with death, and some special bonding in this unusual entry into the Kids section of the Sundance Film Festival where it is premiering today. Ponsoldt wanted to make this one for his daughter, and maybe he says even a sister or mother or … [Read more...] about Sundance Review: James Ponsoldt Directs Young Girls Coming-Of-Age Movie ‘Summering’

The Hamptons International Film Festival will screen Cannes Jury Prize Winner EO by Jerzy Skolimowski, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane , and Decision to Leave by Cannes Best Director winner Park Chan-wook among others when the 30th edition unspools October 7-16. The lineup of docs and narrative features includes five world premieres. The fest will present its 2022 Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award to Mariska Hargitay . In EO , a donkey explores a vision of modern Europe, experiencing joy and pain as he encounters good and bad people along his journey. It will screen as pat of the festival’s Compassion, Justice and Animal Rights Signature Program. Call Jane, the Spotlight Film, is the story of a brave group of women who ran an underground abortion clinic before the passage of Roe vs. Wade. It premiered at Sundance. Decision To Leave follows a detective who becomes emotionally entwined with the wife of a murdered man. Documentaries include … [Read more...] about Hamptons Film Festival Sets Lineup With ‘EO’, ‘Call Jane’, ‘Decision To Leave’

After recently unveiling its gala premieres program, the Zurich Film Festival has set its Hashtag section with movies to screen under the title “#MyReligion.” Since 2018, the fest has annually dedicated the strand to showcase a hot topic that is also trending on social media. #MyReligion will deal with questions of faith, euphoria and modern deities. Among the pictures screening, Focus comedy Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul . will have its European premiere. From director Adamma Ebo and starring Regina Hall and Sterling K Brown, the film originally debuted at Sundance. It releases in domestic theaters and on Peacock September 2. Also in the section are Tarik Saleh’s Egyptian thriller Boy From Heaven ; Claudia Sainte-Luce’s Mexican coming-of-age tale The Realm Of God ; Sara Dosa’s documentary Fire Of Love narrated by Miranda July; Orit Fouks Rotem’s docufiction Cinema Sabaya ; Anita Rocha Da Silveira’s horror pic Medusa ; Shalini Kantayya’s Sundance doc … [Read more...] about Zurich Film Festival Sets #MyReligion Hashtag Section

EXCLUSIVE: The Woodstock Film Festival will give honorary awards to Ethan Hawke , Awkwafina , Leave No Trace director Debra Granik and IFC Films president Arianna Bocco this fall. The festival’s 23rd annual edition is set to run from September 28 to October 2. The awards ceremony, a consistent industry draw over the years given the fest’s location two hours north of New York City, is also set to feature appearances by actresses Amanda Seyfried and Vera Farmiga as well as filmmaker Marina Zenovich. Hawke is receiving Woodstock’s Maverick Award, which goes to “a leader and a visionary in the film and media arts who exhibits fierce and independent spirit, strong artistic vision, and the pursuit of positive change.” The four-time Oscar nominee is also a screenwriter, director, producer, and best-selling novelist. He recently directed the well-received HBO Max docuseries The Last Movie Stars , about Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Hawke’s recent onscreen roles were in … [Read more...] about Woodstock Film Festival To Honor Ethan Hawke, Awkwafina, ‘Leave No Trace’ Director Debra Granik And IFC Films Chief Arianna Bocco

Netflix ’s Ted Sarandos has been a flamethrower against the exhibitors for a while now, and he was at it again at NATPE this week . “There’s nothing about any of my positions or any of our thinking that is anti-theaters at all, it’s just pro-movies,” The streaming service’s Chief Content Officer tells me in this video interview from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. He also talks about The Interview coming to Netflix this weekend, Oscars, the “ideal” distribution model for movies and more. Netflix’s documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? opened the fest on Thursday night. We’ll have more DeadlineNow @Sundance2015 interviews coming throughout the festival, so stay tuned. … [Read more...] about Ted Sarandos At Sundance: Netflix “Isn’t Anti-Theaters, Just Pro-Movies”, Talks Oscars & ‘The Interview’ – Video

EXCLUSIVE: The Toronto Film Festival doesn’t start for a couple of days, but already I hear there are some surprises in store. Sources tell me that The Weinstein Company is finalizing plans to launch a new video-on-demand division. I’ve heard that Harvey Weinstein is finishing a deal to bring aboard Tom Quinn and Jason Janego , both of whom were integral in building the VOD business of Magnolia Pictures. How this factors into the way that TWC does business at Toronto will be very interesting. From last Toronto to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival in May, TWC has been the most prolific distributor acquiring films. While TWC got in the game very early on last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner The King’s Speech , much of TWC’s upcoming awards-season slate — from The Artist to The Iron Lady , The Wettest County in the World and W.E. — were all festival acquisitions. Those films were bought for competitive acquisition prices with P&A … [Read more...] about Toronto Film Festival Surprise: Harvey Weinstein To Start VOD Division

EXCLUSIVE : Kat Taylor & Tom Steyer’s TomKat MeDiA has unveiled its slate of social justice-themed projects for 2022. The multi-platform media company has secured rights to Duff Wilson’s eco-thriller Fateful Harvest and Aaron Bobrow-Strain’s award-winning work of narrative non-fiction, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez , with plans to develop both as feature films. Based on a Seattle Times investigative series reported by Wilson that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Fateful Harvest is the riveting account of an alarming environmental scandal. Published in 2001, the book tells the story of Patty Martin — the mayor of a small Washington town called Quincy — who discovers American industries are dumping toxic waste into farmers’ fields and home gardens by labeling it “fertilizer.” She becomes outraged at the contaminated soil, failed crops, dead horses, and fatal, rare diseases in her town, as well as the direct threat to her own children’s health. Yet, when … [Read more...] about TomKat MeDiA Developing Novels ‘Fateful Harvest’ And ‘The Death And Life Of Aida Hernandez’ For Film

The Native American Media Alliance announced today they have selected six fellows for the 5th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab , a talent development program that boosts the careers of Native American writers. In partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, A+E Networks, Cherokee Nation Film Office, and A+E Networks, the Native American Feature Film Writers Lab is an annual program for talented and aspiring screenwriters. Over the course of 10 weeks, chosen fellows develop a new screenplay, meet with partner industry organizations and receive creative guidance on their scripts from literary professionals. “The incredible success stories from our many fellows of this lab is a true testament to the genuine work behind our programs,” Ian Skorodin, Director of Strategy for the Native American Media Alliance announced. “It’s an incredible inspiration to see our fellows working, writing and providing the authentic voice of Native America at every major studio, … [Read more...] about Fellows Selected For The 5th Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab

The Sundance Institute has partnered with The Asian American Foundation to launch a new fellowship and scholarship, which will look to improve AAPI representation in the film and television industries over the long term by providing up-and-coming AAPI artists with the creative and tactical support necessary to grow professionally. The Sundance Institute | The Asian American Foundation Fellowship and Collab Scholarship are made possible by support from TAAF, through a $400,000 grant provided by its AAPI Giving Challenge partner Panda Express, as well as The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which will contribute $140,000. The funding will provide artists with grants and resources to support their work in the program over the course of the next two years. Sundance and TAAF’s Fellowship will offer six AAPI artists per year a year-round learning experience to advance their professional development. Each fellow selected will receive a $20,000 unrestricted grant to … [Read more...] about Sundance Institute Partners With The Asian American Foundation On New Fellowship And Scholarship For AAPI Artists