Sony brought together a multiverse’s worth of its filmmakers past and present together Friday at Cannes for a dinner celebrating the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures.
The attendees at Mamo Michelangelo included Cannes jury president and Barbie director Greta Gerwig (who made Little Women for Columbia), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Oscar winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Chloe Zhao, whose The Rider was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, Anyone But You director Will Gluck and Kraven the Hunter filmmaker J.C. Chandor.
Entrepreneur and film producer Charles Finch hosted the dinner with Tom Rothman, chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group.
During the dinner, Rothman gave a toast in which he wandered among the tables, pointing out specific talent and giving a nod to their contributions to the studio, name checking Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman...
The attendees at Mamo Michelangelo included Cannes jury president and Barbie director Greta Gerwig (who made Little Women for Columbia), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Oscar winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Chloe Zhao, whose The Rider was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, Anyone But You director Will Gluck and Kraven the Hunter filmmaker J.C. Chandor.
Entrepreneur and film producer Charles Finch hosted the dinner with Tom Rothman, chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group.
During the dinner, Rothman gave a toast in which he wandered among the tables, pointing out specific talent and giving a nod to their contributions to the studio, name checking Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman...
- 5/19/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite he’s most recognized as the master of science fiction, the Dune Director is in fact a jack of all trades, given his well-built drama and thriller features. Thus, his movie recommendations will be of much value for the cinephiles.
Criticizing MCU’s straight-forward approach to blockbusters, Villeneuve emphasized the correctness of the decision to hire an arthouse filmmaker to direct Eternals in 2021. While speaking of it, he recalled another work of this director, the 2017 western, which blew him away the first time he saw it, amazed by its realism.
The movie’s plot can seem quite banal when you just hear it: it follows the life of a young rodeo rider in the reservation in South Dakota. He’s totally not a typical hero, like the early characters of Clint Eastwood, but rather a tired man, who has to deal with his own severe brain damage from a...
Criticizing MCU’s straight-forward approach to blockbusters, Villeneuve emphasized the correctness of the decision to hire an arthouse filmmaker to direct Eternals in 2021. While speaking of it, he recalled another work of this director, the 2017 western, which blew him away the first time he saw it, amazed by its realism.
The movie’s plot can seem quite banal when you just hear it: it follows the life of a young rodeo rider in the reservation in South Dakota. He’s totally not a typical hero, like the early characters of Clint Eastwood, but rather a tired man, who has to deal with his own severe brain damage from a...
- 5/9/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
Exclusive: Samantha Racanelli, former SVP of Film Development and Production at Fifth Season, has been hired as President of Production at TeaTime Pictures. In the new role, she will oversee development and production working closely with Dakota Johnson and Ro Donnelly, who co-founded the company in 2019.
This hire reflects a major expansion for the production company which recently promoted Maddie Schiff to Director of Development and Hyunji Ward to Creative Executive.
In addition, Boat Rocker, an independent, integrated global entertainment company, extended its current first-look deal with TeaTime to continue to develop and produce scripted and unscripted television and digital content.
“Dakota and Ro have an incredible appreciation for the content they want to create, driven by their unique taste for telling compelling and artful stories with broad commercial appeal,” said David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, Co-Executive Chairmen, Boat Rocker Media and Co-Chairmen, Boat Rocker Studios. “We’re thrilled to...
This hire reflects a major expansion for the production company which recently promoted Maddie Schiff to Director of Development and Hyunji Ward to Creative Executive.
In addition, Boat Rocker, an independent, integrated global entertainment company, extended its current first-look deal with TeaTime to continue to develop and produce scripted and unscripted television and digital content.
“Dakota and Ro have an incredible appreciation for the content they want to create, driven by their unique taste for telling compelling and artful stories with broad commercial appeal,” said David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, Co-Executive Chairmen, Boat Rocker Media and Co-Chairmen, Boat Rocker Studios. “We’re thrilled to...
- 1/29/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Among the Copia Final titles in Ventana Sur, the Dominican Republic’s “Tiger” (“Tiguere”) by lauded filmmaker José María Cabral (“Woodpeckers”) casts a harsh light on the machismo culture of the Caribbean nation and by extension, Latin America.
Shot in a lush mountain retreat, “Tiger” is set in a boot camp where families drop off their teenage sons with the hope that they learn to become “real men.” It is led by boot camp head Alberto, who decides that his son Pablo, an aspiring artist, is ready to join the camp. Naturally, Pablo rebels, which leads to some dire consequences.
Drawing from his own personal experience at a similar boot camp and inspiration from such classics as “Beau Travail,” “The Rider” and “Honey Boy,” Cabral co-penned his semi-autobiographical drama with Cuban writers Arturo Arango, Nuri Duarte, Xenia Rivery and Alan González.
“Towards the end of the ’90s, my parents sent...
Shot in a lush mountain retreat, “Tiger” is set in a boot camp where families drop off their teenage sons with the hope that they learn to become “real men.” It is led by boot camp head Alberto, who decides that his son Pablo, an aspiring artist, is ready to join the camp. Naturally, Pablo rebels, which leads to some dire consequences.
Drawing from his own personal experience at a similar boot camp and inspiration from such classics as “Beau Travail,” “The Rider” and “Honey Boy,” Cabral co-penned his semi-autobiographical drama with Cuban writers Arturo Arango, Nuri Duarte, Xenia Rivery and Alan González.
“Towards the end of the ’90s, my parents sent...
- 11/29/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
“Past Lives” won Best Feature at the 33rd Annual Gotham Awards. It was the outcome we expected at the end of the night, but we were taken by surprises multiple times throughout the evening. Check out the complete list of winners here.
“Past Lives” only won that one category, but it was the big one, and it has potential implications for the awards season to come. Almost every single winner of Best Feature at the Gotham Awards has gone on to compete in at least one category at the Oscars, with only 2018’s “The Rider” being completely overlooked by the motion picture academy. Best Feature has also lined up with the Oscars’ Best Picture multiple times, with “The Hurt Locker,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” “Nomadland” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” all claiming both trophies.
SEE2023 Gotham Awards winners list: See who won at the 33rd annual event
Lily Gladstone won...
“Past Lives” only won that one category, but it was the big one, and it has potential implications for the awards season to come. Almost every single winner of Best Feature at the Gotham Awards has gone on to compete in at least one category at the Oscars, with only 2018’s “The Rider” being completely overlooked by the motion picture academy. Best Feature has also lined up with the Oscars’ Best Picture multiple times, with “The Hurt Locker,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” “Nomadland” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” all claiming both trophies.
SEE2023 Gotham Awards winners list: See who won at the 33rd annual event
Lily Gladstone won...
- 11/28/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
On Monday night, November 27, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, the Gotham Awards presented the winners at their 33rd annual event. “All of Us Strangers” went in with a leading four bids, followed by “Past Lives,” “The Zone of Interest” and the TV limited series “Beef” with three apiece. But who prevailed? Scroll down for the full list, updated throughout the night.
The nominations were decided by panels of film and television critics, journalists, festival programmers and film curators. The winners were then selected by juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in filmmaking. That makes these awards unique and often results in surprising winners like “The Rider” for Best Feature in 2018 over the higher-profile “The Favourite,” or Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) for Best Lead Performance in 2022 over eventual Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”). So a...
The nominations were decided by panels of film and television critics, journalists, festival programmers and film curators. The winners were then selected by juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in filmmaking. That makes these awards unique and often results in surprising winners like “The Rider” for Best Feature in 2018 over the higher-profile “The Favourite,” or Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) for Best Lead Performance in 2022 over eventual Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”). So a...
- 11/28/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Past Lives” is the overwhelming favorite to win Best Feature at the 2023 Gotham Awards, which will be presented tonight at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. That’s according to the predictions of more than 1,000 Gold Derby users who have placed their bets here in our predictions center. Those predictions were combined to generate our official racetrack odds in all 10 competitive categories. Scroll down to see those odds with our projected winners highlighted in gold.
SEEGotham Awards will present ‘Ferrari’ with Icon and Creator Tribute for Innovation
A romantic drama about childhood friends separated for years, “Past Lives” is the front-runner for Best Feature and Breakthrough Director for its first-time filmmaker Celine Song. Could it achieve a clean sweep by winning its third nomination for lead performer Greta Lee? It’s possible, but she’s in a tight race with front-runner Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction“) for that award.
Elsewhere,...
SEEGotham Awards will present ‘Ferrari’ with Icon and Creator Tribute for Innovation
A romantic drama about childhood friends separated for years, “Past Lives” is the front-runner for Best Feature and Breakthrough Director for its first-time filmmaker Celine Song. Could it achieve a clean sweep by winning its third nomination for lead performer Greta Lee? It’s possible, but she’s in a tight race with front-runner Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction“) for that award.
Elsewhere,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
by Nick Taylor
By far the most surprising nomination from this year’s Gotham nominees was the lone nomination for Reality in the Best Feature category. Not the most obscure film cited, not in any way a quality assessment, not even an anomaly for the Gothams. Hell, The Rider won Best Feature in 2018 with no other nominations to its name (if we don’t count their 20-film Audience Award lineup). But who saw Reality coming, after a positive but wholly unremarkable critical response when it premiered in the US all the way back in May? Who had this on their bingo card, and could they share their guess on this week’s lottery numbers with me?
I’ll be spending November giving full reviews to some Gotham nominees that have yet to receive full coverage on The Film Experience. This was not the first title I watched, but the sheer...
By far the most surprising nomination from this year’s Gotham nominees was the lone nomination for Reality in the Best Feature category. Not the most obscure film cited, not in any way a quality assessment, not even an anomaly for the Gothams. Hell, The Rider won Best Feature in 2018 with no other nominations to its name (if we don’t count their 20-film Audience Award lineup). But who saw Reality coming, after a positive but wholly unremarkable critical response when it premiered in the US all the way back in May? Who had this on their bingo card, and could they share their guess on this week’s lottery numbers with me?
I’ll be spending November giving full reviews to some Gotham nominees that have yet to receive full coverage on The Film Experience. This was not the first title I watched, but the sheer...
- 11/8/2023
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” Ira Sachs’ “Passages,” Tina Satter’s “Reality,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up” and A.V. Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One” have been nominated as best feature of 2023 for the 33rd annual Gotham Awards, which announced its nominations on Tuesday morning in New York City.
In a year in which the Gothams eliminated its longstanding budget cap and allowed films of any budget to enter the race, its nominating committees went small with a thoroughly indie lineup of nominees. Still, bigger films slipped into the Outstanding Supporting Performance category with nominations for Ryan Gosling in “Barbie” and Penelope Cruz in “Ferrari.”
In the Best International Feature category, the nominees are “All of Us Strangers,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Poor Things,” “Totem” and “The Zone of Interest.” The nominated documentaries are “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Against the Tide,” “Apolonia, Apolonia,” “Four Daughters” and “Our Body.”
“Past Lives...
In a year in which the Gothams eliminated its longstanding budget cap and allowed films of any budget to enter the race, its nominating committees went small with a thoroughly indie lineup of nominees. Still, bigger films slipped into the Outstanding Supporting Performance category with nominations for Ryan Gosling in “Barbie” and Penelope Cruz in “Ferrari.”
In the Best International Feature category, the nominees are “All of Us Strangers,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Poor Things,” “Totem” and “The Zone of Interest.” The nominated documentaries are “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Against the Tide,” “Apolonia, Apolonia,” “Four Daughters” and “Our Body.”
“Past Lives...
- 10/24/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Bad Boys for Life directing duo Adil and Bilall have signed for representation with Caviar.
Having produced the Belgian-Moroccan duo’s latest film Rebel, the Sound of Metal studio will represent the pair in the U.S. exclusively on commercials. They are represented in all areas by Entertainment 360, CAA and Karl Austen.
The duo, whose full names are Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, are known for directing gangster films including Black, Gangsta and the third instalment of the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Bad Boys franchise, and they are working on the fourth. Rebel, meanwhile, was a break from tradition. It premiered at Cannes last year and follows a Muslim family torn apart over the future of its youngest member.
The directing pair also have a number of TV directing credits including Snowfall and Ms. Marvel.
“We’re always striving to work with the best of the best,...
Having produced the Belgian-Moroccan duo’s latest film Rebel, the Sound of Metal studio will represent the pair in the U.S. exclusively on commercials. They are represented in all areas by Entertainment 360, CAA and Karl Austen.
The duo, whose full names are Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, are known for directing gangster films including Black, Gangsta and the third instalment of the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Bad Boys franchise, and they are working on the fourth. Rebel, meanwhile, was a break from tradition. It premiered at Cannes last year and follows a Muslim family torn apart over the future of its youngest member.
The directing pair also have a number of TV directing credits including Snowfall and Ms. Marvel.
“We’re always striving to work with the best of the best,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Pedro Almodovar “didn’t pay a lot of attention” to Westerns early in his life because he didn’t think the Spaghetti Western movies he was exposed to at the time were very good. But around when he was 18 he discovered American Westerns and “fell completely in love with the genre.” Now he has made a romantic Western short film, “Strange Way of Life,” and discussed it at the New York Film Festival. Watch his complete Q&a below.
It was “in the last three years that I started writing this,” Almodovar explained about this script, about two men (Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal) who are reunited after decades apart, but divided again by loyalty to their families. “I didn’t know it would become a short, but sometimes I write just for fun, and then I have many set pieces in my computer, and sometimes those set pieces...
It was “in the last three years that I started writing this,” Almodovar explained about this script, about two men (Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal) who are reunited after decades apart, but divided again by loyalty to their families. “I didn’t know it would become a short, but sometimes I write just for fun, and then I have many set pieces in my computer, and sometimes those set pieces...
- 10/5/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Rezo Gigineishvili’s “Patient #1” is the 2023 winner of the annual Werner Herzog Film Award.
Set at the end of the Soviet era, the film focuses on the decline in power of Konstantin Chernenko, a Russian leader with failing health who is surrounded by a large medical team. He is old and frail, but has a tight grip on power. He is waging a war in Afghanistan, has a nuclear button and can take the entire world to the grave with him. It is convenient for both the elites and the secret services to keep the leader alive and various groups are scoring political points.
The cast includes Aleksandr Filippenko, Olga Makeeva, Inna Churikova, Igor Chernevich and Sergey Gilev. The film is produced by Archil Gelovani, Sergey Yahontov for Georgian outfit Independent Film Project.
Gigineishvili previously directed “Hostages” (2017) which premiered at the Berlinale and participated in more than 30 international film festivals including Telluride,...
Set at the end of the Soviet era, the film focuses on the decline in power of Konstantin Chernenko, a Russian leader with failing health who is surrounded by a large medical team. He is old and frail, but has a tight grip on power. He is waging a war in Afghanistan, has a nuclear button and can take the entire world to the grave with him. It is convenient for both the elites and the secret services to keep the leader alive and various groups are scoring political points.
The cast includes Aleksandr Filippenko, Olga Makeeva, Inna Churikova, Igor Chernevich and Sergey Gilev. The film is produced by Archil Gelovani, Sergey Yahontov for Georgian outfit Independent Film Project.
Gigineishvili previously directed “Hostages” (2017) which premiered at the Berlinale and participated in more than 30 international film festivals including Telluride,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
Following the successful run of his Comedy Central series “Key & Peele,” Jordan Peele made a well-received pivot to the psychological horror genre, starting with his 2017 feature “Get Out” starring Daniel Kaluuya followed by 2019’s “Us” with and 2022’s “Nope.” His current catalog of thrillers center on themes of Blackness in America, pitting the sometimes horrifying reality of these experiences against the classic supernatural tropes of scary movies.
Now, the actor, writer and director is releasing a new book, “Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror,” a hard-cover curation of some of the best horror stories from 19 Black writers. Peele edited the anthology and wrote the foreword for the book, which is already a No. 1 new-release on Amazon.
Buy: Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror $25.20
Inside the cover,...
Following the successful run of his Comedy Central series “Key & Peele,” Jordan Peele made a well-received pivot to the psychological horror genre, starting with his 2017 feature “Get Out” starring Daniel Kaluuya followed by 2019’s “Us” with and 2022’s “Nope.” His current catalog of thrillers center on themes of Blackness in America, pitting the sometimes horrifying reality of these experiences against the classic supernatural tropes of scary movies.
Now, the actor, writer and director is releasing a new book, “Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror,” a hard-cover curation of some of the best horror stories from 19 Black writers. Peele edited the anthology and wrote the foreword for the book, which is already a No. 1 new-release on Amazon.
Buy: Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror $25.20
Inside the cover,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Film is written by Nathwani and Screen Star of Tomorrow Helen Simmons.
UK-based filmmaker Sasha Nathwani has wrapped his debut feature Last Swim, a day-in-a-life drama featuring a host of rising stars, co-written by Screen 2018 producer Star of Tomorrow Helen Simmons,
The film stars newcomer Deba Hekmat alongside Under The Shadow actress Narges Rashidi, Screen 2022 Star of Tomorrow Solly McLeod, The Batman’s Jay Lycurgo and Denzel Baidoo. Shooting took place from mid-May to early June at locations across London.
Last Swim follows an ambitious Iranian teenager in London who has been diagnosed with a life-changing condition. On A-level results day,...
UK-based filmmaker Sasha Nathwani has wrapped his debut feature Last Swim, a day-in-a-life drama featuring a host of rising stars, co-written by Screen 2018 producer Star of Tomorrow Helen Simmons,
The film stars newcomer Deba Hekmat alongside Under The Shadow actress Narges Rashidi, Screen 2022 Star of Tomorrow Solly McLeod, The Batman’s Jay Lycurgo and Denzel Baidoo. Shooting took place from mid-May to early June at locations across London.
Last Swim follows an ambitious Iranian teenager in London who has been diagnosed with a life-changing condition. On A-level results day,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Longtime IFC Films and Cinetic Media PR colleagues Laura Sok and Kate McEdwards are launching new PR and strategy firm, Track Shot.
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
- 6/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
An acrobatic archer, a sorceress, a shapeshifting barbarian, skeletons-with-swords, and a frightened child. These are just a few of the characters you’ll meet in the minute-long trailer for Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming blockbuster video game “Diablo IV.” And if this has a more cinematic look than most ads targeting the joystick set, that’s no surprise. The trailer is co-directed by Chloe Zhao alongside Kiku Ohe.
Few would have predicted, watching the 2015 independent film “Songs My Brother Taught Me,” just how mainstream Zhao would become in just a few years. After a similarly elegiac look at the American West with “The Rider,” Zhao teamed with Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.” The 2020 feature was an awards smash, winning Zhao two Oscars – Best Picture as a producer and Best Director. McDormand also took home two trophies during that ceremony, her third Best Actress award following “Fargo” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,...
Few would have predicted, watching the 2015 independent film “Songs My Brother Taught Me,” just how mainstream Zhao would become in just a few years. After a similarly elegiac look at the American West with “The Rider,” Zhao teamed with Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.” The 2020 feature was an awards smash, winning Zhao two Oscars – Best Picture as a producer and Best Director. McDormand also took home two trophies during that ceremony, her third Best Actress award following “Fargo” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Short films are an under-discussed bedrock of the film-festival scene. They are often as interesting (or more so!) than the features but regularly vanish from public availability once they’ve played the circuit. Anyway, one short film that debuted at Cannes 2023 is “Strange Way of Life,” in which Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke play gay cowboys. The English-language project was financed by the French fashion house Saint Laurent and was written and directed by Spain’s Oscar-winner Pedro Almodóvar.
At the film’s premiere, Almodóvar referred to his cast as “beauties” who, he joked, “are also very good actors.” He called his film “the first really queer Western,” and saluted recent work by Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) and Chloe Zhao (“The Rider”), and, of course, Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”). The audience apparently ate it up when he said that “Power of the Dog” was too ambivalent about...
At the film’s premiere, Almodóvar referred to his cast as “beauties” who, he joked, “are also very good actors.” He called his film “the first really queer Western,” and saluted recent work by Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) and Chloe Zhao (“The Rider”), and, of course, Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”). The audience apparently ate it up when he said that “Power of the Dog” was too ambivalent about...
- 5/18/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar rode into the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday with his short film Strange Way Of Life, pushing boundaries for LGBT representation in the Western genre.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal star as a sheriff and a rancher with a romantic history, who reconnect after a 25-year gap. While it’s clear that their passion is still alive, circumstances appear to conspire against a reunion.
Check out the trailer here.
Almodóvar and Hawke took to the stage for a special conversation after the Out of Competition world premiere in Cannes on Wednesday.
The director said the premise for the film had come from a question asked in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain – ‘What would two men do, working on a ranch?” – but added that his short bore no other similarities with the 2005 feature.
“I wanted to make a classic western in which we talk about the desire between two cowboys.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal star as a sheriff and a rancher with a romantic history, who reconnect after a 25-year gap. While it’s clear that their passion is still alive, circumstances appear to conspire against a reunion.
Check out the trailer here.
Almodóvar and Hawke took to the stage for a special conversation after the Out of Competition world premiere in Cannes on Wednesday.
The director said the premise for the film had come from a question asked in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain – ‘What would two men do, working on a ranch?” – but added that his short bore no other similarities with the 2005 feature.
“I wanted to make a classic western in which we talk about the desire between two cowboys.
- 5/17/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
"Behind the world's toughest sport." Amazon's Prime Video has debuted their official trailer for a bullriding sports documentary series titled The Ride, about the new "team" bullriding competition and the evolution of the sport. This will be streaming on Pv in May, telling the story of many riders and people involved in this intense and dangerous sport. The Ride follows an ensemble cast of bull riders and coaches throughout the Pbr Team Series, as they navigate the league's inaugural 2022 season, budding rivalries, exhilarating highs, and the challenging lows of Pbr’s newest team-based competition. The Pbr (aka Professional Bull Riders) organization launched a brand new format last year, and this doc is made up of all the footage they shot on that first year. I'm sure many didn't even realize bull riding was still an ongoing professional sport, but it absolutely is. This is also covered in Chloe Zhao's excellent film called The Rider.
- 5/14/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
When you listen to Chloé Zhao talk about the films that she loves, an obvious pattern emerges. The Oscar-winning director describes her favorite movies by focusing on their scope and the worlds they create. One of her favorite ways to praise a director is by focusing how they approach using their locations: how the tiny details that populate a setting are considered, and how the characters’ interactions with their surroundings establish and reflect their own internal universes.
The films that use their locations successfully, in Zhao’s eyes, can vary widely. Some are massive epics like “Lord of the Rings” or “Interstellar,” while others are intimate romantic dramas like “Happy Together” or “Wuthering Heights.” Zhao’s films are often compared to the works of Terrence Malick, and she’s unsurprisingly a big fan of the director’s absorbing and gorgeous works, especially his 2005 historical epic “The New World.” But Zhao...
The films that use their locations successfully, in Zhao’s eyes, can vary widely. Some are massive epics like “Lord of the Rings” or “Interstellar,” while others are intimate romantic dramas like “Happy Together” or “Wuthering Heights.” Zhao’s films are often compared to the works of Terrence Malick, and she’s unsurprisingly a big fan of the director’s absorbing and gorgeous works, especially his 2005 historical epic “The New World.” But Zhao...
- 5/12/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
That's no spelling mistake -- "Hamnet" is a film adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel of the same name, not a new movie version of William Shakespeare's famous stage play tragedy "Hamlet". The film is being developed by Chloé Zhao, herself coming off multiple Oscars wins for her adaptation of the non-fiction book "Nomadland." Her other credits include "Songs My Brother Taught Me" and "The Rider," both of which have quasi-documentary qualities similar to those of "Nomadland."
More recently, Zhao directed "Eternals" -- a cosmic gumbo of a superhero epic that, say what you might against it, is one of most visually-accomplished and emotionally-grounded Marvel Cinematic Universe films to date. The point being, Zhao always aspires to make art that is both emotionally and technically complex, and "Hamnet" is certainly a good match for her sensibilities.
While we're still awaiting some key information at the time of writing (including...
More recently, Zhao directed "Eternals" -- a cosmic gumbo of a superhero epic that, say what you might against it, is one of most visually-accomplished and emotionally-grounded Marvel Cinematic Universe films to date. The point being, Zhao always aspires to make art that is both emotionally and technically complex, and "Hamnet" is certainly a good match for her sensibilities.
While we're still awaiting some key information at the time of writing (including...
- 5/6/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that IFC Films’ longtime Head of PR Laura Sok will be departing the indie distribution company.
Sok has been Head of PR for the last five years in an overall seven-year career at IFC (she worked there from 2008-2010), and was first hired by Jonathan Sehring to run the department. She led public-relations efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects and streaming service IFC Films Unlimited. Last December, her oversight was expanded to include the labels Shudder and Rlje Films.
Sok led 20th anniversary efforts for IFC Films and was integral in constructing the 2020 drive-in release and promotion strategy during the pandemic. She also led publicity strategy and campaigns for all films during the most successful financial years in IFC Films history.
While Sok is one of many executives to recently leave IFC including distribution head Jasper Basch,...
Sok has been Head of PR for the last five years in an overall seven-year career at IFC (she worked there from 2008-2010), and was first hired by Jonathan Sehring to run the department. She led public-relations efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects and streaming service IFC Films Unlimited. Last December, her oversight was expanded to include the labels Shudder and Rlje Films.
Sok led 20th anniversary efforts for IFC Films and was integral in constructing the 2020 drive-in release and promotion strategy during the pandemic. She also led publicity strategy and campaigns for all films during the most successful financial years in IFC Films history.
While Sok is one of many executives to recently leave IFC including distribution head Jasper Basch,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including a Béla Tarr double bill, with new 4K restorations of Damnation and Sátántangó, Léa Mysius’ The Five Devils, Radu Jude’s short The Potemkinists, and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists.
They will also present a series on past Cannes Film Festival selections with films by Abderrahmane Sissako, Alice Rohrwacher, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Jeremy Saulnier, and more. Ana Vaz’s The Age of Stone and most recent work It is Night in America will arrive on the service, plus a Merchant Ivory series.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
May 1 – Blind Spot, directed by Claudia von Alemann | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
May 2 – Heat and Dust, directed by James Ivory | Gilded Passions: Films by Merchant Ivory
May 3 – Damnation, directed by Béla Tarr | Béla Tarr: A Double Bill
May 4 – The Bostonians, directed by...
They will also present a series on past Cannes Film Festival selections with films by Abderrahmane Sissako, Alice Rohrwacher, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Jeremy Saulnier, and more. Ana Vaz’s The Age of Stone and most recent work It is Night in America will arrive on the service, plus a Merchant Ivory series.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
May 1 – Blind Spot, directed by Claudia von Alemann | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
May 2 – Heat and Dust, directed by James Ivory | Gilded Passions: Films by Merchant Ivory
May 3 – Damnation, directed by Béla Tarr | Béla Tarr: A Double Bill
May 4 – The Bostonians, directed by...
- 4/21/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Chloé Zhao is adding another feature to the roster of films she has on her plate. The filmmaker has set her sights on Hamnet, which is in the works from Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Book of Shadows.
The feature is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel of the same name. It centers on Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare who is mourning the loss of her son, Hamnet.
Zhao is a two-time Oscar winner for Nomadland, which landed her best director and best picture Oscars as a producer. The filmmaker followed that up with Marvel Studios’ Eternals, and she is also known for The Rider.
Zhao will pen the script for Hamnet with O’Farrell. Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes are producing, with Nic Gonda executive producing for Book of Shadows. Jeb Brody, Amblin’s president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, senior vp creative affairs,...
The feature is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel of the same name. It centers on Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare who is mourning the loss of her son, Hamnet.
Zhao is a two-time Oscar winner for Nomadland, which landed her best director and best picture Oscars as a producer. The filmmaker followed that up with Marvel Studios’ Eternals, and she is also known for The Rider.
Zhao will pen the script for Hamnet with O’Farrell. Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes are producing, with Nic Gonda executive producing for Book of Shadows. Jeb Brody, Amblin’s president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, senior vp creative affairs,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After Chloé Zhao’s venture into the Marvel universe, the Oscar winner is taking on the Bard. The “Nomadland” and “Eternals” director will adapt “Hamnet,” the 2020 novel from Irish author Maggie O’Farrell, IndieWire has confirmed.
A work of historical fiction, “Hamnet” tells the story of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway (referred in the story as Agnes), and her romance with the man who would become the world’s most famous playwright. The novel particularly focuses on the death of the couple’s son, Hamnet, who died at age 11 in 1596 and has long been speculated to be an inspiration for Shakespeare’s most famous play, the very similarly named “Hamlet.” Upon its release, O’Farrell’s novel received critical acclaim; it won the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Fiction Prize from the 2020 National Book Critics Circle, and was named by the New York Times Book Review as one...
A work of historical fiction, “Hamnet” tells the story of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway (referred in the story as Agnes), and her romance with the man who would become the world’s most famous playwright. The novel particularly focuses on the death of the couple’s son, Hamnet, who died at age 11 in 1596 and has long been speculated to be an inspiration for Shakespeare’s most famous play, the very similarly named “Hamlet.” Upon its release, O’Farrell’s novel received critical acclaim; it won the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Fiction Prize from the 2020 National Book Critics Circle, and was named by the New York Times Book Review as one...
- 4/4/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Mubi is adding over 50 features from the Sony Pictures’ library to its U.S. streaming service. The mix of studio and arthouse fare includes Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, The Last Picture Show by Peter Bogdanovich and films from Wes Anderson, Pedro Almodovar and Guillermo Del Toro.
The company’s growing and global streaming service currently offers over 900 titles in the U.S., where it adds one new film to the platform daily. The Sony deal is a significant haul, especially since studios have become more aggressive in retaining content for their own services. Sony, uniquely, doesn’t have a streaming platform in-house.
Each Sony film has its own window, with some available already and all cycling onto the service at some point through the end of 2024. Others titles in the deal include 2046 by Wong Kar-wai; Volver by...
The company’s growing and global streaming service currently offers over 900 titles in the U.S., where it adds one new film to the platform daily. The Sony deal is a significant haul, especially since studios have become more aggressive in retaining content for their own services. Sony, uniquely, doesn’t have a streaming platform in-house.
Each Sony film has its own window, with some available already and all cycling onto the service at some point through the end of 2024. Others titles in the deal include 2046 by Wong Kar-wai; Volver by...
- 3/30/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s feature directorial debut War Pony has seen its US and Canadian rights acquired by Momentum Pictures.
The movie which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard and won the Camera d’Or (awarded for Best First Feature Film), will play SXSW, tomorrow, March 16.
War Pony follows the interlocking stories of two young Oglala Lakota men growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Bound by their shared search for belonging, each of the young men grapples with a world built against them, as they navigate their unique paths to manhood.
Back in 2015, Keough befriended two extras on the set of American Honey—Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy. She introduced them to her best friend Gina Gammell, and a creative foursome was born. The stories in War Pony are drawn from Sioux Bob and Reddy’s own lives...
The movie which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard and won the Camera d’Or (awarded for Best First Feature Film), will play SXSW, tomorrow, March 16.
War Pony follows the interlocking stories of two young Oglala Lakota men growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Bound by their shared search for belonging, each of the young men grapples with a world built against them, as they navigate their unique paths to manhood.
Back in 2015, Keough befriended two extras on the set of American Honey—Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy. She introduced them to her best friend Gina Gammell, and a creative foursome was born. The stories in War Pony are drawn from Sioux Bob and Reddy’s own lives...
- 3/15/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Two-time Oscar winner Chloé Zhao does not want to be one of the few exceptions.
From Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider to Nomadland and Eternals, Zhao knows how to make an impact onscreen, but now she’s determined to make a difference offscreen, so that the list of Oscar-winning female directors can someday become significantly longer than just her, Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow.
To get the ball rolling, Zhao has now teamed up with Johnnie Walker’s First Strides Initiative and Women in Film to celebrate female filmmakers and create further opportunities for women both in front of and behind the camera. To commemorate their partnership at the upcoming 16th Annual Women in Film Oscar Party, Johnnie Walker commissioned a custom red carpet with panels that pay tribute to other notable women directors including Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ana Lily Amirpour, Janicza Bravo, Christine Choy, Julie Dash, Wanuri Kahiu and Claire Denis.
From Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider to Nomadland and Eternals, Zhao knows how to make an impact onscreen, but now she’s determined to make a difference offscreen, so that the list of Oscar-winning female directors can someday become significantly longer than just her, Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow.
To get the ball rolling, Zhao has now teamed up with Johnnie Walker’s First Strides Initiative and Women in Film to celebrate female filmmakers and create further opportunities for women both in front of and behind the camera. To commemorate their partnership at the upcoming 16th Annual Women in Film Oscar Party, Johnnie Walker commissioned a custom red carpet with panels that pay tribute to other notable women directors including Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ana Lily Amirpour, Janicza Bravo, Christine Choy, Julie Dash, Wanuri Kahiu and Claire Denis.
- 3/10/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sundance Film Festival is celebrated as America’s premiere showcase for independent film and a launchpad for up-and-coming filmmakers making deeply personal movies, often on shoestring budgets. But the storied festival is also becoming known for something else: a pipeline for talent into some of Marvel’s biggest superhero films.
From Chloe Zhao (“Eternals”) to Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”), Disney’s Marvel Studios has tapped Sundance talent with notable regularity.
A top dealmaker gave a brutally honest reason for what has become a pattern:
“It’s because they’re young, cheap, and will follow Feige’s rules,” the dealmaker said, referring to Marvel Studios president and keeper of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige.
How the annual Park City, Utah gathering has evolved into minor league farm system for Marvel is a phenomenon that tracks with the MCU’s ambitious slate, which constantly demands new ideas and talent. If...
From Chloe Zhao (“Eternals”) to Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”), Disney’s Marvel Studios has tapped Sundance talent with notable regularity.
A top dealmaker gave a brutally honest reason for what has become a pattern:
“It’s because they’re young, cheap, and will follow Feige’s rules,” the dealmaker said, referring to Marvel Studios president and keeper of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige.
How the annual Park City, Utah gathering has evolved into minor league farm system for Marvel is a phenomenon that tracks with the MCU’s ambitious slate, which constantly demands new ideas and talent. If...
- 2/2/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
"If you get on an animal that can kill you without even trying… it's like trying to control an explosion." Amazon's Prime Video has revealed a first look teaser for its new bullriding sports documentary series titled The Ride, following in the footsteps of so many other doc series recently about golfing, F1 racing, tennis, and more. The Ride follows an ensemble cast of bull riders and coaches throughout the Pbr Team Series, as they navigate the league's inaugural 2022 season, budding rivalries, exhilarating highs, and the challenging lows of Pbr’s newest team-based competition. The Pbr (Professional Bull Riders) organization launched a brand new format last year, and this doc is made up of all the footage they shot on that first year. I'm sure many didn't even realize bull riding was still an ongoing professional sport, but it absolutely is. This is also covered in Chloe Zhao's excellent film called The Rider.
- 1/26/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Gotham Awards launch the awards season on November 28 when the prizes are doled out to the best in independent film. As it stands the race for Best Feature is neck-and-neck according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users. “Tar” has a slight advantage with 69/20 odds, but “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is nipping at its heels with 18/5 odds. Which film do you think will win and thus get an early Oscar boost?
The Gotham Awards don’t always reflect which way the season is going to go, but they’re a good way to start building momentum. Every winner of Best Feature save one (“The Rider”) has been nominated at the Oscars in at least one category. And in the last eight years, six Gotham champs have been Best Picture nominees, including four winners: “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” and “Nomadland.”
SEE2022 Gotham Awards nominations list led by ‘Tar’ with...
The Gotham Awards don’t always reflect which way the season is going to go, but they’re a good way to start building momentum. Every winner of Best Feature save one (“The Rider”) has been nominated at the Oscars in at least one category. And in the last eight years, six Gotham champs have been Best Picture nominees, including four winners: “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” and “Nomadland.”
SEE2022 Gotham Awards nominations list led by ‘Tar’ with...
- 11/5/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
Chloé Zhao, the filmmaker whose drama Nomadland swept the Academy Awards in 2021 and who in the process became the first woman of color to win the best director Oscar, has signed with CAA.
Zhao, who also frequently acts as writer, editor and producer on her films, has been agentless for the last several years. She continues to be repped by Ilene Feldman Management and Simon Faber at Pangea, and is additionally repped by attorney Linda Lichter at Lichter Grossman.
Zhao is known for her evocative indie dramas, including Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider, the latter of which garnered Indie Spirit Award nominations for best film and best director, and Hollywood’s attention.
What followed was Nomadland, a stark drama about life on the fringes of America that tapped into the times when it debuted in fall of 2020. It took home...
Chloé Zhao, the filmmaker whose drama Nomadland swept the Academy Awards in 2021 and who in the process became the first woman of color to win the best director Oscar, has signed with CAA.
Zhao, who also frequently acts as writer, editor and producer on her films, has been agentless for the last several years. She continues to be repped by Ilene Feldman Management and Simon Faber at Pangea, and is additionally repped by attorney Linda Lichter at Lichter Grossman.
Zhao is known for her evocative indie dramas, including Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider, the latter of which garnered Indie Spirit Award nominations for best film and best director, and Hollywood’s attention.
What followed was Nomadland, a stark drama about life on the fringes of America that tapped into the times when it debuted in fall of 2020. It took home...
- 11/1/2022
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chloé Zhao is making her way back to Searchlight.
The studio that shepherded her third feature “Nomadland” to a Best Picture victory in 2021 has just inked a multi-year, first-look TV deal with the two-time Academy Award winner. The recently launched Searchlight Television announced the pact today, marking a homecoming for the filmmaker whose last release was 2021’s swing-for-the-fences MCU entry, “Eternals.” Through the deal, Searchlight Television will have a first look on any series for exclusive development. This also marks the writer, director, and producer’s first foray into episodic storytelling.
Prior to “Nomadland and “Eternals,” Zhao helmed Sony Pictures Classics release “The Rider” in 2017 and Kino Lorber’s “Songs My Brother Taught Me” in 2015. “Eternals” earned mixed reviews and a modest (in relative Marvel terms) box office, and while it marked her first foray into the world of studio filmmaking, it’s not her last — she is also set...
The studio that shepherded her third feature “Nomadland” to a Best Picture victory in 2021 has just inked a multi-year, first-look TV deal with the two-time Academy Award winner. The recently launched Searchlight Television announced the pact today, marking a homecoming for the filmmaker whose last release was 2021’s swing-for-the-fences MCU entry, “Eternals.” Through the deal, Searchlight Television will have a first look on any series for exclusive development. This also marks the writer, director, and producer’s first foray into episodic storytelling.
Prior to “Nomadland and “Eternals,” Zhao helmed Sony Pictures Classics release “The Rider” in 2017 and Kino Lorber’s “Songs My Brother Taught Me” in 2015. “Eternals” earned mixed reviews and a modest (in relative Marvel terms) box office, and while it marked her first foray into the world of studio filmmaking, it’s not her last — she is also set...
- 9/20/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Multiple Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is making her foray into television with a first-look deal at Searchlight Television for exclusive series development. This marks a reunion for Zhao and Searchlight, the studio behind her Oscar-winning film Nomadland. The pact comes on the heels of Searchlight Television’s first production, The Dropout, winning an Emmy Award for Best Actress for Amanda Seyfried, and earning an additional 5 nominations.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight Presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Nomadland was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning three for Best Picture, Director and Actress, Frances McDormand. In addition to becoming the...
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight Presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Nomadland was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning three for Best Picture, Director and Actress, Frances McDormand. In addition to becoming the...
- 9/20/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Writer-director makes first foray into television.
Searchlight Television has signed a multi-year first-look TV deal with Nomadland and Eternals director Chloé Zhao.
The pact reunites Zhao with the studio behind the Oscar-winning Nomadland and marks the writer-director’s first foray into television.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal,...
Searchlight Television has signed a multi-year first-look TV deal with Nomadland and Eternals director Chloé Zhao.
The pact reunites Zhao with the studio behind the Oscar-winning Nomadland and marks the writer-director’s first foray into television.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal,...
- 9/20/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Chloé Zhao has entered into a multi-year first look TV deal with Searchlight Television, Variety has learned.
Under the terms of the deal, Zhao will develop and produce scripted content for Searchlight TV across all platforms. It represents a homecoming for Zhao, with Searchlight having produced her Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning feature film “Nomadland.”
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished ‘Nomadland,’ we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
The deal marks Zhao’s first moves within the television space. She is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, with “Nomadland” having won three Oscars and two Golden Globes. That includes...
Under the terms of the deal, Zhao will develop and produce scripted content for Searchlight TV across all platforms. It represents a homecoming for Zhao, with Searchlight having produced her Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning feature film “Nomadland.”
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished ‘Nomadland,’ we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” said Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
The deal marks Zhao’s first moves within the television space. She is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, with “Nomadland” having won three Oscars and two Golden Globes. That includes...
- 9/20/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao has signed a multi-year first look deal with Searchlight Television, a newly launched division of Searchlight Pictures.
The deal marks Zhao’s first foray into television with the same studio that produced her film “Nomadland,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2021.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished ‘Nomadland,’ we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a joint statement. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Also Read:
A24 Reunites with ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Director Halina Reijn for Erotic Thriller ‘Instinct’
Searchlight Television is responsible for “The Dropout,” which was its first series as a production arm and won this year’s...
The deal marks Zhao’s first foray into television with the same studio that produced her film “Nomadland,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2021.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished ‘Nomadland,’ we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a joint statement. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloe’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Also Read:
A24 Reunites with ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Director Halina Reijn for Erotic Thriller ‘Instinct’
Searchlight Television is responsible for “The Dropout,” which was its first series as a production arm and won this year’s...
- 9/20/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Chloé Zhao is stepping into the TV arena.
The Oscar-winning Nomadland writer and director has signed a multiple-year, first-look deal with Searchlight Television. The pact marks a reunion for Zhao with Searchlight, whose film studio distributed the best picture winner starring Frances McDormand.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloé’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Nomadland was nominated for six Oscars and took home three — for best picture, director and star McDormand. Zhao also wrote and directed The Rider and Marvel’s The Eternals.
Searchlight Television’s first...
Chloé Zhao is stepping into the TV arena.
The Oscar-winning Nomadland writer and director has signed a multiple-year, first-look deal with Searchlight Television. The pact marks a reunion for Zhao with Searchlight, whose film studio distributed the best picture winner starring Frances McDormand.
“Chloe is a visionary filmmaker and, since the moment we finished Nomadland, we have looked to find new ways to collaborate again,” Searchlight presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We are inspired by the breadth of Chloé’s storytelling passions and are beyond happy to be able to link arms and expand the opportunities to support personal, powerful, and enduring stories.”
Nomadland was nominated for six Oscars and took home three — for best picture, director and star McDormand. Zhao also wrote and directed The Rider and Marvel’s The Eternals.
Searchlight Television’s first...
- 9/20/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Protagonist Pictures has closed a French distribution deal with Les Films du Losange on Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Cannes Camera d’Or winning directorial debut War Pony.
The deal marks the first American acquisition for Losange since Chloé Zhao’s The Rider, which Protagonist also sold internationally.
The announcement coincides with the screening of the film in competition at France’s Deauville American Film Festival today (September 5). The Rider also played at the beachfront festival in 2017 winning its Grand Prix.
Keough and Gammell’s coming-of-age tale about two young Native Americans set on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota enjoyed a warm reception in Cannes. The film world premiered in Un Certain Regard and won the coverted Camera d’Or prize covering all the first films throughout the official and parallel selections.
“After Chloé Zhao’s The Rider, which was a wonderful adventure for us, we are...
The deal marks the first American acquisition for Losange since Chloé Zhao’s The Rider, which Protagonist also sold internationally.
The announcement coincides with the screening of the film in competition at France’s Deauville American Film Festival today (September 5). The Rider also played at the beachfront festival in 2017 winning its Grand Prix.
Keough and Gammell’s coming-of-age tale about two young Native Americans set on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota enjoyed a warm reception in Cannes. The film world premiered in Un Certain Regard and won the coverted Camera d’Or prize covering all the first films throughout the official and parallel selections.
“After Chloé Zhao’s The Rider, which was a wonderful adventure for us, we are...
- 9/5/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
If Larry Clark had ever found his way onto the Pine Ridge Reservation, he probably would have come away with a film like “War Pony,” which observes its young Native American characters hustling, skating and stealing drugs from otherwise distracted adults. Presenting such behavior without judgment, first-time directors Gina Gammell and Riley Keough developed this unvarnished portrait in collaboration with their actors, capturing something at once tragic and true about these kids, who are torn between Oglala Lakota traditions and the consumer culture around them.
A few years older than the hero of Chloé Zhao’s recent “The Rider” — a movie this one can’t help but resemble, at least superficially — Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) is like the slacker version of that American dreamer. He siphons gas from strangers’ tanks and goes around asking people if they want to buy a stolen PlayStation. He already has two kids by two different women.
A few years older than the hero of Chloé Zhao’s recent “The Rider” — a movie this one can’t help but resemble, at least superficially — Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) is like the slacker version of that American dreamer. He siphons gas from strangers’ tanks and goes around asking people if they want to buy a stolen PlayStation. He already has two kids by two different women.
- 5/21/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The tenderness, wisdom and instinct to survive of two teenage males is beautifully observed in actor-turned-director Riley Keough’s debut feature
Riley Keough is an actor who establishes her film-making credentials with this terrific debut feature, co-directed with Gina Gammell. It is a movie set on and around the Pine Ridge Native American reservation in South Dakota and is scripted by Gammell with Bill Reddy and Franklin Sioux Bob. It’s a really heartfelt and absorbing story (with something of Chloé Zhao’s The Rider) about two young guys from the Oglala Lakota community, one about 12 or 13, the other 19 or 20. They are not known to each other, or at least not until the very end of the film. But the drama lets us see how much life experience they share, and how they could almost be the same boy at different times of life.
Ladainian Crazy Thunder plays Matho, a young kid with an aggressive,...
Riley Keough is an actor who establishes her film-making credentials with this terrific debut feature, co-directed with Gina Gammell. It is a movie set on and around the Pine Ridge Native American reservation in South Dakota and is scripted by Gammell with Bill Reddy and Franklin Sioux Bob. It’s a really heartfelt and absorbing story (with something of Chloé Zhao’s The Rider) about two young guys from the Oglala Lakota community, one about 12 or 13, the other 19 or 20. They are not known to each other, or at least not until the very end of the film. But the drama lets us see how much life experience they share, and how they could almost be the same boy at different times of life.
Ladainian Crazy Thunder plays Matho, a young kid with an aggressive,...
- 5/21/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In recent memory, the American frontier has garnered popularity as a setting within cinema. The films of Chloe Zhao come to mind, from her acclaimed “The Rider” to “Nomadland,” which won her Best Picture and Best Director. With these works of fiction, viewers interested in the lives and locales of the American West may hanker for a taste of their true realities. Following its 2021 premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, the first trailer for the upcoming documentary “Bitterbrush” has premiered online, providing an open portrayal of real, rural humanity.
Continue reading ‘Bitterbrush’ Trailer: Cowgirls Navigate Their Place In The American West at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Bitterbrush’ Trailer: Cowgirls Navigate Their Place In The American West at The Playlist.
- 5/10/2022
- by Noah Thompson
- The Playlist
Protagonist Pictures have boarded Riley Keough’s directorial debut “War Pony” (previously known as “Beast.”)
Keough (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) co-directed the feature with Gina Gammell (“Manodrome”). It is set to premiere at Cannes next month in the Un Certain Regard strand of the festival.
Protagonist will rep international sales on the project while CAA Media Finance is handling North American sales.
Inspired by real events and starring Jojo Bapteise Whiting and Ladainian Crazy Thunder, “War Pony” tells the story of two boys – 23-year-old Bill and 12-year-old Matho – growing up on Pine Ridge Reservation in the U.S. While Bill is reaching for the American Dream, Matho is desperate to become a man and seeks approval from his father. “Bound by their shared search for belonging, each of the boys grapple with identity, family, and loss, as they navigate their unique paths to manhood,” reads the logline.
Keough and Gammell...
Keough (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) co-directed the feature with Gina Gammell (“Manodrome”). It is set to premiere at Cannes next month in the Un Certain Regard strand of the festival.
Protagonist will rep international sales on the project while CAA Media Finance is handling North American sales.
Inspired by real events and starring Jojo Bapteise Whiting and Ladainian Crazy Thunder, “War Pony” tells the story of two boys – 23-year-old Bill and 12-year-old Matho – growing up on Pine Ridge Reservation in the U.S. While Bill is reaching for the American Dream, Matho is desperate to become a man and seeks approval from his father. “Bound by their shared search for belonging, each of the boys grapple with identity, family, and loss, as they navigate their unique paths to manhood,” reads the logline.
Keough and Gammell...
- 4/27/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled its line-up for 2022. Scroll down to see the full list.
The selection include Alex Garland’s Cannes debut Men, the Jessie Buckley-starring movie from the surreal sci-fi master. The film will play as a Special Screening in Cannes before A24 releases in the U.S. in May.
Opening the selection will be Pietro Marcello’s Scarlet, and closing will be The Green Perfume by Nicolas Pariser.
Prominent French director Mia Hansen-Løve is back with One Fine Morning, starring Lea Seydoux, and Proxima filmmaker Alice Winocour will show her new pic Paris Memories.
Also on the list is the Paul Mescal and Emily Watson starring God’s Creatures (a second A24 title), and Mark Jenkin’s follow-up to his indie UK breakout Bait, the 1970s-set horror Enys Men.
Kelly Reichardt will receive this year’s Director’s Fortnight’s honorary Carrosse d’Or honor and will...
The selection include Alex Garland’s Cannes debut Men, the Jessie Buckley-starring movie from the surreal sci-fi master. The film will play as a Special Screening in Cannes before A24 releases in the U.S. in May.
Opening the selection will be Pietro Marcello’s Scarlet, and closing will be The Green Perfume by Nicolas Pariser.
Prominent French director Mia Hansen-Løve is back with One Fine Morning, starring Lea Seydoux, and Proxima filmmaker Alice Winocour will show her new pic Paris Memories.
Also on the list is the Paul Mescal and Emily Watson starring God’s Creatures (a second A24 title), and Mark Jenkin’s follow-up to his indie UK breakout Bait, the 1970s-set horror Enys Men.
Kelly Reichardt will receive this year’s Director’s Fortnight’s honorary Carrosse d’Or honor and will...
- 4/19/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Bruce Tuchman-backed Rialto International has launched a branded on-demand streaming service in Japan, focused on independent film, and housed on Amazon’s Prime Video Channels platform.
Rialto Channel launched in 1999 in New Zealand, where it was initially branded as The Sundance Channel. It established itself as an award-winning and industry-leading indie film destination for over twenty years.
In Japan, the Rialto-branded venue will feature current and iconic independent films. Confirmed content at launch or going forward includes Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider”; an homage to the recently departed director Peter Bogdanovich with “The Last Picture Show”; Brad Pitt and Jason Statham in Guy Richie’s “Snatch”; Michael Caine in “Harry Brown”; Sean Connery in Gus Van Sant’s “Finding Forrester”; Ewan McGregor and actor/director Don Cheadle’s “Miles Ahead”; Jean-Jacques Beineix’s “Diva”; Michelle Williams in Wim Wenders’ “Land of Plenty”; Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law in “Gattaca”; and “8Mm,...
Rialto Channel launched in 1999 in New Zealand, where it was initially branded as The Sundance Channel. It established itself as an award-winning and industry-leading indie film destination for over twenty years.
In Japan, the Rialto-branded venue will feature current and iconic independent films. Confirmed content at launch or going forward includes Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider”; an homage to the recently departed director Peter Bogdanovich with “The Last Picture Show”; Brad Pitt and Jason Statham in Guy Richie’s “Snatch”; Michael Caine in “Harry Brown”; Sean Connery in Gus Van Sant’s “Finding Forrester”; Ewan McGregor and actor/director Don Cheadle’s “Miles Ahead”; Jean-Jacques Beineix’s “Diva”; Michelle Williams in Wim Wenders’ “Land of Plenty”; Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law in “Gattaca”; and “8Mm,...
- 3/23/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
While Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals” managed to gross $402 million worldwide at the pandemic box office, the film strongly divided critics and Marvel fans. “Eternals” boasts a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated Marvel movie on the aggregation website. In a new interview with Empire magazine, Zhao opened up for the first time in detail about the polarizing reception to her Marvel movie.
“Eternals” was originally supposed to open in November 2020, but the pandemic delayed the project’s release by an entire year. In its original November 2020 slot, “Eternals” would’ve more closely followed the opening of “Avengers: Endgame.” Zhao said the release day combined with the pandemic set “Eternals” up for divisiveness.
“‘Eternals’ was planned to be released soon after ‘Endgame,’ and not at a time when everyone is having an existential crisis,” Zhao said. “The film itself is about existential crisis, both for humanity and God. So...
“Eternals” was originally supposed to open in November 2020, but the pandemic delayed the project’s release by an entire year. In its original November 2020 slot, “Eternals” would’ve more closely followed the opening of “Avengers: Endgame.” Zhao said the release day combined with the pandemic set “Eternals” up for divisiveness.
“‘Eternals’ was planned to be released soon after ‘Endgame,’ and not at a time when everyone is having an existential crisis,” Zhao said. “The film itself is about existential crisis, both for humanity and God. So...
- 3/15/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winner Chloé Zhao followed up Best Picture breakout “Nomadland” with Marvel’s “Eternals,” but even Zhao knew the film would yield divided opinions.
“‘Eternals’ was planned to be released soon after ‘Endgame,’ and not at a time when everyone is having an existential crisis,” Zhao told Empire magazine. “The film itself is about existential crisis, both for humanity and God. So I think we definitely felt it was coming.”
The gulf between critics and audiences on “Eternals” didn’t necessarily affect its box office: Even in the pandemic, it still earned more than $400 million at the box office.
Yet Zhao remained unfazed by the critical reception of the mythological ensemble superhero film, starring Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and more. For many, the ensemble was just too sprawling, with many a clunky backstory and tangled plot twist. (Not to mention a first-of-its-kind Marvel sex...
“‘Eternals’ was planned to be released soon after ‘Endgame,’ and not at a time when everyone is having an existential crisis,” Zhao told Empire magazine. “The film itself is about existential crisis, both for humanity and God. So I think we definitely felt it was coming.”
The gulf between critics and audiences on “Eternals” didn’t necessarily affect its box office: Even in the pandemic, it still earned more than $400 million at the box office.
Yet Zhao remained unfazed by the critical reception of the mythological ensemble superhero film, starring Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and more. For many, the ensemble was just too sprawling, with many a clunky backstory and tangled plot twist. (Not to mention a first-of-its-kind Marvel sex...
- 3/15/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Updated with more ads Super Bowl Lvi is finally upon us, and it feels a lot different than last year’s big game.
For starters, SoFi Stadium in LA will be full. A year ago, the game vividly reflected the grueling early phase of Covid, as Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium hosted 24,835 fans, one-third of whom were newly vaccinated health care workers.
This season, roaring crowds and close games have boosted NFL ratings, with the conference championship games at the end of January posting multi-year highs. NBCUniversal, which will carry the Super Bowl on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, is hoping that breadth will goose ratings. Even for an event that is the longtime king of tune-in, any increase (after last year’s tumble to 96.4 million viewers) would be a tonic.
Better ratings, though, would merely be icing on an already lucrative cake. All of the ad inventory sold out...
For starters, SoFi Stadium in LA will be full. A year ago, the game vividly reflected the grueling early phase of Covid, as Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium hosted 24,835 fans, one-third of whom were newly vaccinated health care workers.
This season, roaring crowds and close games have boosted NFL ratings, with the conference championship games at the end of January posting multi-year highs. NBCUniversal, which will carry the Super Bowl on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, is hoping that breadth will goose ratings. Even for an event that is the longtime king of tune-in, any increase (after last year’s tumble to 96.4 million viewers) would be a tonic.
Better ratings, though, would merely be icing on an already lucrative cake. All of the ad inventory sold out...
- 2/14/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Last year, Chloe Zhao made the leap from independent films to Marvel with “Eternals,” which is now streaming on Disney Plus.
For Zhao to bring the story to life, one person who was important to her journey was visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti. Before Zhao had even shot the Oscar-winning “Nomadland,” Zhao had met Ceretti.
For “The Eternals,” she continued shooting on practical locations, working in natural light and utilizing the magic hour instead of being in a studio working against green and blue screen. Zhao explains, “Planet Earth is such a big part of the emotional arc of the story that we wanted to go out there and capture it.”
Having seen “The Rider,” Ceretti understood the director’s love for nature and light. “It felt a shame to not to push into this. When you’re on a set, you’re limited with space and it becomes restrictive.
For Zhao to bring the story to life, one person who was important to her journey was visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti. Before Zhao had even shot the Oscar-winning “Nomadland,” Zhao had met Ceretti.
For “The Eternals,” she continued shooting on practical locations, working in natural light and utilizing the magic hour instead of being in a studio working against green and blue screen. Zhao explains, “Planet Earth is such a big part of the emotional arc of the story that we wanted to go out there and capture it.”
Having seen “The Rider,” Ceretti understood the director’s love for nature and light. “It felt a shame to not to push into this. When you’re on a set, you’re limited with space and it becomes restrictive.
- 1/14/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “Eternals.”
Oscar winner Chloé Zhao tried to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her debut in the franchise, “Eternals.” The cosmic, time-spanning epic about an advanced race of aliens living on Earth in secret netted a respectable pandemic box office, topping $300 million worldwide. While the film had its fans and detractors, no MCU entry from the director of such vérité, magic hour–burnished tone poems as “Nomadland” and “The Rider” was going to please everybody.
But as Zhao revealed in a new interview with Empire (via The Playlist) the film had the potential to be even more alienating, with an original alternate ending the director described as “really bleak.”
Those who’ve seen the film know it ends with surviving members of the Eternals crew teleporting to a ship in space after saving the Earth and humanity with it. There,...
Oscar winner Chloé Zhao tried to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her debut in the franchise, “Eternals.” The cosmic, time-spanning epic about an advanced race of aliens living on Earth in secret netted a respectable pandemic box office, topping $300 million worldwide. While the film had its fans and detractors, no MCU entry from the director of such vérité, magic hour–burnished tone poems as “Nomadland” and “The Rider” was going to please everybody.
But as Zhao revealed in a new interview with Empire (via The Playlist) the film had the potential to be even more alienating, with an original alternate ending the director described as “really bleak.”
Those who’ve seen the film know it ends with surviving members of the Eternals crew teleporting to a ship in space after saving the Earth and humanity with it. There,...
- 12/29/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
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