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
Toronto film festival 2016 lineup
Saudi Arabia Officially Launches $233M Film Sector Financing Program Aimed At Local & Int’l Companies
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
No Shockers Among DGA Awards Film Nominees: Cuaron, Greengrass, McQueen, Russell, Scorsese
Today’s eagerly awaited DGA nominations are out and there are no surprises in the bunch. Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron , Captain Phillips’ Paul Greengrass , 12 Years A Slave’s Steve McQueen , American Hustle’s David O. Russell and The Wolf Of Wall Street ‘s Martin Scorsese were all odds-on favorites to make the five — and they did. Some might have questioned Scorsese’s chances since the film has become a lightning rod for controversy and was the last major release of the year, meaning the 15,000-member guild voters would have to see it in time to cast their ballot. But c’mon, he’s Martin Scorsese. There would be no denying this achievement among his fellow directors. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the guild and 10 other nominations with 3 wins in 3 different categories ( The Departed in film, Boardwalk Empire in TV a nd George Harrison: Living In The Material World in documentary). He’s a god to this guild. Greengrass, McQueen and … [Read more...] about No Shockers Among DGA Awards Film Nominees: Cuaron, Greengrass, McQueen, Russell, Scorsese
Netflix Making $8 Million Deal For Lily Collins-Keanu Reeves Drama ‘To The Bone’
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’
‘To The Bone’ Director Marti Noxon And Star Lily Collins On Approaching Deeply Personal Material — Sundance Studio
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
Olga Kurylenko, Jenny Seagrove, Anna Friel, Ben Miles & David Bradley Lead Bill Kenwright Thriller ‘My Sister’s Bones’; First-Look Images
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
Platinum Dunes Developing Thriller ‘Lure’ At Universal With ‘Gangs Of London’s Corin Hardy Directing
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 Ercoline Dies: Blanket-Draped Woodstock Concertgoer Was Pictured On Iconic Album Cover
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
‘Flamin’ Hot’, ‘Mustache’, ‘The Luckiest Guy In The World’ Among SXSW Audience Award Winners
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
Studios Snubbed WGA’s Contract Proposal To Boost Women & Minority Writers
EXCLUSIVE: The WGA made no major gains in its new film and TV contract regarding diversity, which the guild has been pushing for years. “There was a proposal related to diversity on the table,” an industry source said, “but the guild did not get it.” The union did, however, receive additional funding for its training program for episodic TV writers, which is geared toward improving the lot of women and minority writers. Under the new deal, CBS, ABC and NBC will now be kicking in a total of $250,000 a year for the program in each of the three years of the contract – up from $200,000 a year under the previous contract. The new 69-page memorandum of agreement can be seen here , in full, for the first time. Membership ratification of the new pact began today and will conclude May 24. In its 2016 report, the WGA West found that women made up only 29% of the TV writers; that female film writers earned only 68 cents for every dollar earned by their white male … [Read more...] about Studios Snubbed WGA’s Contract Proposal To Boost Women & Minority Writers