Toronto black film festival

EXCLUSIVE: The Black List and Women in Film said Monday that they have set the participants for their 2023 Episodic Lab, with seven television pilots from eight writers selected. Now in its seventh year, the lab focuses on preparing women writers and writers of underrepresented genders for careers in writing for TV. More than 40 scribes have participated since its launch in 2016, with the organizations saying half currently have jobs in the industry. This year’s list features Bev Chukwu, Deanna Esposito, Eudie Pak, Laura Malatos & Helen Sun, Katherine Ruppe, Lorin Williams and Thea Rodgers. The lab, supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Shivhans Pictures, meets twice a week in March for sessions that include masterclasses, pitch workshops and lectures from guest mentors. This year’s mentors list includes Monica Beletsky ( Parenthood ), Jane Becker ( Ted Lasso ), Glen Mazzara ( The Dark Tower ), Sono Patel ( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ) … [Read more...] about The Black List And Women In Film Set 2023 Episodic Lab Writers

Saudi Cultural Development Fund has officially launched its Film Sector Financing Program , offering financial support to local and international film companies that want to get involved in the country’s burgeoning cinema industry. The initiative, with a portfolio of $233 million (879M Saudi Riyal), was first unveiled in early 2022 as part of the country’s $1.1 billion IGNITE Digital Content Program, then teased again during the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah in December. The program officially launched against the backdrop of the film-focused the Ignite the Scene event in Riyadh last week, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The CDF said in a release that the initiative is open to local and international companies and that its aim is to support the growth of a sustainable local film industry by empowering the private sector with financing packages that support local content and promote filmmaking. The … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia Officially Launches $233M Film Sector Financing Program Aimed At Local & Int’l Companies

EXCLUSIVE : Production is underway in Canada on sci fi-thriller Levels , starring Cara Gee ( The Expanse ), Peter Mooney ( Burden of Truth ), Aaron Abrams ( Hannibal ), and David Hewlett ( Nightmare Alley ). Set in the near future, the film follows Ash — the love of Joe’s life — who is shockingly murdered before his eyes. As his world unravels, he comes to learn that nothing is as it seems. Levels will mark Adam Stern’s first feature after making two shorts and working in VFX for more than two decades (presiding over Artifex Studios) with credits including series Continuum and Almost Human . Producers are Stern of Orbital Mechanics, Tony Wosk of Middle Child Films and Kyle Bornais of Farpoint Films. AMP International has come aboard for sales and has pre-sold the film in multiple territories including Germany (Capelight) and Middle East (Front Row). Levels is the first foray for Orbital Mechanics, the new production company from Stern who directs … [Read more...] about Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Levels’ Begins Filming In Canada With Cara Gee & Peter Mooney Leading Cast

EXCLUSIVE : I can’t recall a Sundance with this many solid sales at the midpoint of the Park City festival. Netflix is moving toward a deal to pay $8 million for world rights for To the Bone , the drama written and directed by Marti Noxon . Starring Lily Collins , Keanu Reeves , Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp and Liana Liberato, the pic premiered Sunday in the U.S. Dramatic section at Eccles. In a last-ditch effort to battle her severe anorexia, 20-year-old Ellen (Collins) enters a group recovery home. With the help of an unconventional doctor, Ellen and the other residents go on a sometimes-funny, sometimes-harrowing journey that leads to the ultimate question: Is life worth living? The film is an incredibly personal undertaking for Noxon who makes her feature directing debut after writing and producing for years such TV series as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy , and Glee . When she was younger Noxon battled eating disorders for … [Read more...] about Netflix Making $8 Million Deal For Lily Collins-Keanu Reeves Drama ‘To The Bone’

A producer, writer and director known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more recent series UnREAL and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce , Marti Noxon is now at Sundance ’17 with her feature directorial debut To the Bone . Starring Lily Collins , Keanu Reeves and Carrie Preston , Noxon’s semi-autobiographical passion project tells the story of a young woman’s last-ditch effort to fight off her severe anorexia. With the help of an unconventional doctor (Reeves) at a group recovery home, 20-year-old Ellen (Collins) goes through a harrowing journey in the pursuit of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Appearing at Deadline’s Sundance studio alongside Collins, Reeves and Preston, Noxon opened up about her personal connection to the material. “From the time I was about 14 to my early twenties, I was anorexic and then bulimic, and I felt like there’s only been movies on TV about it,” Noxon said. “I think that problem hasn’t gotten much better since I was a kid, so I … [Read more...] about ‘To The Bone’ Director Marti Noxon And Star Lily Collins On Approaching Deeply Personal Material — Sundance Studio

EXCLUSIVE : Olga Kurylenko ( Black Widow ), Jenny Seagrove ( The Guardian ), Anna Friel ( Marcella ) and Ben Miles ( The Crown ) have wrapped production on the under-the-radar psychological thriller My Sister’s Bones , whose first-look images we can reveal today. Bill Kenwright’s BKStudios is behind the project, adapted from Nuala Ellwood’s novel of the same name. Supporting cast includes Harry Potter and Game of Thrones actor David Bradley, who recently voiced Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar winner Pinocchio , and Maggie Steed ( Ten Percent ). Shooting took place on location in Whitstable, Herne Bay, London and Morocco. The project marks the second film from director Heidi Greensmith, whose debut feature Winter garnered three awards at the New York Film Festival, including Best Director, as well as a BIFA nomination in the Discovery Award category. The film was adapted for the screen by Naomi Gibney ( Devils ). The film opens in a bleak police … [Read more...] about Olga Kurylenko, Jenny Seagrove, Anna Friel, Ben Miles & David Bradley Lead Bill Kenwright Thriller ‘My Sister’s Bones’; First-Look Images

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures and Platinum Dunes producers Michael Bay and Brad Fuller continue to stay busy on the banner’s new overall deal, as sources tell Deadline that Universal will develop Lure , which Platinum Dunes is producing. Corin Hardy has signed on to direct the project currently being written by Chris Bernier. While plot details are being kept under wraps, the story is based on the haunting of the real-life King’s Tavern, considered to be the most haunted building in all of Mississippi, with one of its tenants being the murdered mistress of one of the tavern’s original owners. Universal Pictures EVP Production Development Matt Reilly will oversee the project for the studio. Cameron Fuller will executive produce and oversee the project for Platinum Dunes. Hardy has a reputation for having developed a dark and distinctive visual flair for creating monsters, animations and Super-8 horror films in his work-shed before gaining industry experience in … [Read more...] about Platinum Dunes Developing Thriller ‘Lure’ At Universal With ‘Gangs Of London’s Corin Hardy Directing

Bobbi Kelly Ercoline, who, along with her boyfriend (and later husband) Nick became an iconic, if unwitting, symbol of the Woodstock generation when their bedraggled, blanketed and poignant image was featured on the music festival’s 1970 soundtrack album, died Saturday following a lengthy illness. Her death was announced by husband of 54 years, Nick Ercoline. Neither a specific cause of death or age were disclosed, but Ercoline wrote that his wife was surrounded by family when she passed. “She lived her life well, and left this world in a much better place,” Nick Ercoline wrote. “If you knew her, you loved her. She lived by her saying, ‘Be kind.'” He added, “She didn’t deserve this past years nightmare, but she isn’t suffering from the physical pain anymore and that brings some comfort to us.” Nick Ercoline and Bobbi Kelly were both 20 years old and had been dating less than two months when they decided on a whim to drive the 40 miles from their New York State … [Read more...] about Bobbi Ercoline Dies: Blanket-Draped Woodstock Concertgoer Was Pictured On Iconic Album Cover

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Gordon and Will Speck have signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The news comes in the wake of their feature take of the children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile grossing over $104 million at the global box office. The movie, which stars Javier Bardem and Constance Wu and has songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Shawn Mendes, is set for a China release April 15. Speck and Gordon are attached to direct a film based on the AfterShock comic The Kaiju Score for Columbia Pictures. Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal at Escape Artists are producing along with AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer; that project is in development. The duo are also attached to direct the A24 TV thriller Silverlake starring Zach Quinto and written by Samuel D. Hunter ( The Whale ). They also are the creators and showrunners of the Hulu/Marvel animated series Hit Monkey , which was recently ordered for a second season and … [Read more...] about ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ Filmmakers Josh Gordon & Will Speck Ink First-Look Deal With Sony

The Eva Longoria-directed Flamin’ Hot , Imran J. Khan’s Mustache and the upcoming ESPN bio-doc about NBA icon Bill Walton were among the audience award winners revealed Monday for the 31st SXSW Film & TV Festival. Flamin’ Hot , which stars Jesse Garcia in the sometimes true tale of the man behind the “flamin’ hot”-branded chip revolution, was named the Audience Award winner in the festival’s Headliners section. The pic, from Searchlight Pictures, will debut June 9 on both Hulu and Disney+ . Mustache , written and directed by Khan, won the Narrative Feature Competition honor, and Julio Quintana’s The Long Game won for Narrative Spotlight. The Documentary Feature Competition winner was Dan Covert’s Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life , while Documentary Spotlight honors went to Olivia Kuan’s The Herricanes . RELATED: ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Review: Eva Longoria’s Directorial Debut Is An Inspiring Latino Rags-To-Riches Story – SXSW The fest’s Midnighters … [Read more...] about ‘Flamin’ Hot’, ‘Mustache’, ‘The Luckiest Guy In The World’ Among SXSW Audience Award Winners