Exclusive: Production, finance, and sales company Panorama Motion Pictures will make its Cannes market debut with a slate of projects from Catalyst Studios and other independent producers.
First up the company is producing ambitious project The Sea Hawk, an IP based on Raphael Sabatini’s book, which was most famously adapted into a hit feature by legendary producer Howard Koch and starring Errol Flynn for Warner Bros. in 1940.
The story follows an English gentleman through the changing tides of fortune and fate, who becomes a galley-slave and ultimately the most famous barbary pirate in the Mediterranean Sea. It will be produced by Panorama CEO Mark Pennell and Armyan Bernstein (Air Force One) of Beacon Pictures. Bernstein was most recently an EP on the Kevin Costner western Horizon, which is premiering in Cannes.
Producers are currently shopping for a director with casting targeted before the end of the year.
Pennell, a writer and producer,...
First up the company is producing ambitious project The Sea Hawk, an IP based on Raphael Sabatini’s book, which was most famously adapted into a hit feature by legendary producer Howard Koch and starring Errol Flynn for Warner Bros. in 1940.
The story follows an English gentleman through the changing tides of fortune and fate, who becomes a galley-slave and ultimately the most famous barbary pirate in the Mediterranean Sea. It will be produced by Panorama CEO Mark Pennell and Armyan Bernstein (Air Force One) of Beacon Pictures. Bernstein was most recently an EP on the Kevin Costner western Horizon, which is premiering in Cannes.
Producers are currently shopping for a director with casting targeted before the end of the year.
Pennell, a writer and producer,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the success achieved by the Alliance of Women Directors with its Black Directors Advancement Initiative, the organization has launched the Mentor Latina Director Fellowship. Their #MentorLatinaDirectors Initiative is a fellowship program for current directing members who are Latina/x/e-identifying.
The fellowship’s Class of 2024 includes Melissa Balint; Evelyn Belasco; Maria Gabriela Cardenas; Marissa Chibás; Sophia Costanzo; Fiorella Vescovi Garcia; Saray Guidetti; Bettina Hanna; Silvia Lara; Eunice Levis; Gabriela Revilla Lugo; Paulina Manseau; Luisa Novo; Marcella Ochoa; Gabriela Paciel; Jp Perez; Jessica Rae; Michelle Salcedo; Sacha Smith; Ann Valdés; Maria Valdez; Evette Vargas; and Donna Bonilla Wheeler.
“The program was created and developed in response to a pressing need for much higher levels of equality and inclusion, specifically for Latina/x/e-identifying female directors in our industry. We trust this Fellowship will help eliminate barriers to access and success that have systematically excluded such directors. With these goals in mind,...
The fellowship’s Class of 2024 includes Melissa Balint; Evelyn Belasco; Maria Gabriela Cardenas; Marissa Chibás; Sophia Costanzo; Fiorella Vescovi Garcia; Saray Guidetti; Bettina Hanna; Silvia Lara; Eunice Levis; Gabriela Revilla Lugo; Paulina Manseau; Luisa Novo; Marcella Ochoa; Gabriela Paciel; Jp Perez; Jessica Rae; Michelle Salcedo; Sacha Smith; Ann Valdés; Maria Valdez; Evette Vargas; and Donna Bonilla Wheeler.
“The program was created and developed in response to a pressing need for much higher levels of equality and inclusion, specifically for Latina/x/e-identifying female directors in our industry. We trust this Fellowship will help eliminate barriers to access and success that have systematically excluded such directors. With these goals in mind,...
- 3/29/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The National Association of Latino Independent Producers and Netflix have announced the third cohort for their Women of Color Incubator — the finalists were chosen from a pool of over 100 applications.
The 2023 class of filmmakers are Sonia Gonzalez (“Heartbreak in Another Tongue”), Michelle Salcedo (“Bye Bye Barbarito”), Jackie! Zhou (“Good Boy Banjo”), Lorena Duran (“Last Day Home”) and Fabiola Andrade (“Natural Selection”).
Gonzalez is a Mexican-American writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After studying French Literature at Stanford University, Sonia moved to Paris, France, to work in television development. Salcedo was named Best New Filmmaker of the Year in 2020 and is an award-winning director with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. In 2022, Salcedo directed the action feature film, “Switch & Bait,” which was shot on location in Serbia.
Zhou is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist, director and sound designer “keen on blurring the lines between formats and disciplines.” Their...
The 2023 class of filmmakers are Sonia Gonzalez (“Heartbreak in Another Tongue”), Michelle Salcedo (“Bye Bye Barbarito”), Jackie! Zhou (“Good Boy Banjo”), Lorena Duran (“Last Day Home”) and Fabiola Andrade (“Natural Selection”).
Gonzalez is a Mexican-American writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After studying French Literature at Stanford University, Sonia moved to Paris, France, to work in television development. Salcedo was named Best New Filmmaker of the Year in 2020 and is an award-winning director with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. In 2022, Salcedo directed the action feature film, “Switch & Bait,” which was shot on location in Serbia.
Zhou is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist, director and sound designer “keen on blurring the lines between formats and disciplines.” Their...
- 3/1/2024
- by Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Catalyst Studios has tapped Serbian helmer Milena Grujic (A.S. (25), The Future is Bright and Unbearable) to direct action title Verified Target. The project will star international cast including Dominka Walo (Psy 3: W imie Zasad) Sebastian Hulk (All Quiet on the Western Front), Martin Wuttke (Inglorious Bastards), and Maria Erwolter (1899).
Verified Target is a high-octane English-language action film that tells the tale of a disillusioned hit woman who discovers the organization she works for is no longer a force for good. Her target has been falsely verified, she refuses to “take the shot” and now becomes a target on the hit list of the firm she once worked for.
The film, which begins filming in Belgrade, Serbia this week, is produced by Marija Bereta and Dragan Ivanovic, who heads Bandur Film in Belgrade. Catalyst Studios’ Holly Levow is executive producing.
“I like to push my own limits, collaborate with creative minds,...
Verified Target is a high-octane English-language action film that tells the tale of a disillusioned hit woman who discovers the organization she works for is no longer a force for good. Her target has been falsely verified, she refuses to “take the shot” and now becomes a target on the hit list of the firm she once worked for.
The film, which begins filming in Belgrade, Serbia this week, is produced by Marija Bereta and Dragan Ivanovic, who heads Bandur Film in Belgrade. Catalyst Studios’ Holly Levow is executive producing.
“I like to push my own limits, collaborate with creative minds,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Fledgling U.S. production company Catalyst Studios has announced eight-part docuseries EmpowHer going behind the scenes of the films on its inaugural slate driven by six female and non-binary directors and producers.
Catalyst Studios was launched last May as a joint venture between social entrepreneur Holly Levow and producer Paul Kampf of Equitas Entertainment, and Mark Pennell of Beacon Pictures, with a focus on emerging talent and diverse storytelling.
EmpowHer will follow the journeys of filmmakers from across Catalyst Studios’ slate including Michelle Salcedo with Switch & Bait, starring Otmara Marrero and Katie Clarkson-Hill; Joanne Mitchell with Sybil; Siri Rødnes with Follow Me starring Connie Nielsen, and Colombian auteur Ana Maria Hermida with the recently announced coming-of-age feature film Alix.
Further filmmaker subjects include Tamika Miller and Milena Grujic with soon-to-be-announced projects.
The series will track the filmmakers from pre-production, through filming,...
Catalyst Studios was launched last May as a joint venture between social entrepreneur Holly Levow and producer Paul Kampf of Equitas Entertainment, and Mark Pennell of Beacon Pictures, with a focus on emerging talent and diverse storytelling.
EmpowHer will follow the journeys of filmmakers from across Catalyst Studios’ slate including Michelle Salcedo with Switch & Bait, starring Otmara Marrero and Katie Clarkson-Hill; Joanne Mitchell with Sybil; Siri Rødnes with Follow Me starring Connie Nielsen, and Colombian auteur Ana Maria Hermida with the recently announced coming-of-age feature film Alix.
Further filmmaker subjects include Tamika Miller and Milena Grujic with soon-to-be-announced projects.
The series will track the filmmakers from pre-production, through filming,...
- 3/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Connie Nielsen is set to star in the psychological thriller “Follow Me” from Catalyst Studios.
The “Gladiator” and “Wonder Woman” star will play the lead role in the film, directed by auteur Siri Rødnes (“A Gambler’s Guide to Dying”). Sam Hunt and Stef Dawson, will co-star opposite Nielsen.
Principal photography will begin in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 25. The film is being produced by Devin Digonno for Catalyst Studios. Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing.
Written by Catalyst’s Mark Pennell, “Follow Me” is described as a “tense” psychological thriller with “all the twists and turns of a classic Hitchcockian thriller, pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between relationships to reveal that money, secrets and deception is a deadly mix.”
Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films.
The “Gladiator” and “Wonder Woman” star will play the lead role in the film, directed by auteur Siri Rødnes (“A Gambler’s Guide to Dying”). Sam Hunt and Stef Dawson, will co-star opposite Nielsen.
Principal photography will begin in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 25. The film is being produced by Devin Digonno for Catalyst Studios. Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing.
Written by Catalyst’s Mark Pennell, “Follow Me” is described as a “tense” psychological thriller with “all the twists and turns of a classic Hitchcockian thriller, pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between relationships to reveal that money, secrets and deception is a deadly mix.”
Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films.
- 9/27/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Michelle Salcedo will direct “The Body,” a new thriller from Catalyst Studios. The film boasts a script from “Inside Man” and “Righteous Kill” writer Russel Gewirtz. Salcedo previously directed “Woman of the House.”
Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films. “The Body” is about a “tough, female, Detroit cop” on a mission to transport a witness across the country and arrive safely in the Motor City. “The Body” will be produced by Meg Messmer and Veronica Caicedo, along with Levow, Pennell and Kampf. Production is due to commence in Belgrade and surrounding areas in the fall of 2022, with Bandur Film providing production services. Highland Film Group is handling worldwide sales.
“There is great demand for the female voice in the marketplace and we will focus on that tremendous opportunity” said Levow,...
Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films. “The Body” is about a “tough, female, Detroit cop” on a mission to transport a witness across the country and arrive safely in the Motor City. “The Body” will be produced by Meg Messmer and Veronica Caicedo, along with Levow, Pennell and Kampf. Production is due to commence in Belgrade and surrounding areas in the fall of 2022, with Bandur Film providing production services. Highland Film Group is handling worldwide sales.
“There is great demand for the female voice in the marketplace and we will focus on that tremendous opportunity” said Levow,...
- 5/23/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
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