Principal photography has begun on the thriller 40 Acres starring Danielle Deadwyler in one of her first feature roles following 2022’s Till.
The pic is currently shooting on location in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The independent pic also stars Kataem O’Connor (The Way Home), Michael Greyeyes (1923), Milcania Diaz-Rojas (The Bold Type) and Leenah Robinson (1923).
Billed as a “post-apocalyptic thriller,” synopsis reads: Hailey Freeman and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in 1875 in rural Canada after the first Civil War. Two hundred years later, they struggle to survive in a famine-decimated future and make their last stand against a band of cannibals intent on taking their home.
The film is directed by R.T. Thorne (The Porter). Joining Thorne are director of photography Jeremy Benning (Accused), production designer Peter Cosco (Women Talking), costume designer Charlene Akuamoah (Robyn Hood), and editors Sandy Pereira (Young Werther) and Dev Singh (The...
The pic is currently shooting on location in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The independent pic also stars Kataem O’Connor (The Way Home), Michael Greyeyes (1923), Milcania Diaz-Rojas (The Bold Type) and Leenah Robinson (1923).
Billed as a “post-apocalyptic thriller,” synopsis reads: Hailey Freeman and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in 1875 in rural Canada after the first Civil War. Two hundred years later, they struggle to survive in a famine-decimated future and make their last stand against a band of cannibals intent on taking their home.
The film is directed by R.T. Thorne (The Porter). Joining Thorne are director of photography Jeremy Benning (Accused), production designer Peter Cosco (Women Talking), costume designer Charlene Akuamoah (Robyn Hood), and editors Sandy Pereira (Young Werther) and Dev Singh (The...
- 10/17/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Canadian Screen Awards has unveiled nominations for the national film and TV prize-giving, and the CBC civil rights drama The Porter leads the film and TV field with 19 mentions in all, including for best small-screen drama.
The first Canadian drama series from an all-Black creative team, which also streams on BET+, centers on the lives of Black train porters and their families as they launch North America’s first Black labor union in the 1920s.
The TV categories, voted on by around 3,000 Canadian industry insiders, also sees the CBC series Detention Adventure and Sort Of – a Peabody award-winning show about a gender fluid young Muslim in Toronto played by Bilal Baig — nab 15 nominations each in an awards show shaping up to be a major showcase for people of color.
That follows Canadian film, and TV industry efforts to ensure diversity and inclusivity in the country’s indie production sector and prize-giving process.
The first Canadian drama series from an all-Black creative team, which also streams on BET+, centers on the lives of Black train porters and their families as they launch North America’s first Black labor union in the 1920s.
The TV categories, voted on by around 3,000 Canadian industry insiders, also sees the CBC series Detention Adventure and Sort Of – a Peabody award-winning show about a gender fluid young Muslim in Toronto played by Bilal Baig — nab 15 nominations each in an awards show shaping up to be a major showcase for people of color.
That follows Canadian film, and TV industry efforts to ensure diversity and inclusivity in the country’s indie production sector and prize-giving process.
- 2/22/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent has revealed the television nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which this year have gone gender-neutral, just like its film colleagues. As revealed online Tuesday morning by Asia Kate Dillon (“Billions“), the annoncement included a winner: Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” won for best new ensemble cast, including Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Inji Jeong, Minha Kim, Kaho Minami, Lee Minho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Anna Sawai, Jimmi Simpson and Yuh-jung Youn.
Overall, leading the nominees were ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s “The Bear,” Apple TV+’s “Severance” and HBO Max’s “Severance,” all tied with three nods each.
“As the television landscape continues to evolve, and independent artists expand the idea of how stories can be told, we’re proud to be changing with them,” said Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent. “With our new categories and gender-neutral acting awards, we hope to better reflect the diversity of...
Overall, leading the nominees were ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s “The Bear,” Apple TV+’s “Severance” and HBO Max’s “Severance,” all tied with three nods each.
“As the television landscape continues to evolve, and independent artists expand the idea of how stories can be told, we’re proud to be changing with them,” said Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent. “With our new categories and gender-neutral acting awards, we hope to better reflect the diversity of...
- 12/13/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Film Independent announced the TV nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Tuesday morning, with four shows in particular leading the pack. ABC’s beloved comedy “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s critical darling “The Bear,” the HBO Max limited series “Station Eleven” and the acclaimed Apple TV+ drama “Severance” scored the most nominations of any show with three each.
The Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” won the Best Ensemble award.
New this year, as with the film nominees, is a switch to gender neutral acting awards with the Best Actor and Best Actress categories replaced by a 10-nominee Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series award. In addition to this change, a Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series award has been added to honor performances outside of the leading roles.
The 38th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on March 4, 2023, in Santa Monica. Check out the film nominees here.
The Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” won the Best Ensemble award.
New this year, as with the film nominees, is a switch to gender neutral acting awards with the Best Actor and Best Actress categories replaced by a 10-nominee Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series award. In addition to this change, a Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series award has been added to honor performances outside of the leading roles.
The 38th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on March 4, 2023, in Santa Monica. Check out the film nominees here.
- 12/13/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
The Film Independent Spirit Awards are unveiling their 2023 nominees for television Tuesday morning. The reveal marks a previously announced expansion of the TV categories, as well as a move to gender-neutral acting races this year in both television and film, the latter of which were revealed last month during the Spirits’ film nominations.
The organization has combined both actor and actress in TV’s Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, and in the new category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Related Story Spirit Award Noms 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Leads & Will Vie For Best Picture With ‘Bones And All’, ‘Our Father, The Devil’, ‘Tár’ & ‘Women Talking’ Related Story Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap Related Story Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Takes Home Best Feature As Netflix Reigns With Six Wins
Billions star Asia Kate Dillon...
The organization has combined both actor and actress in TV’s Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, and in the new category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Related Story Spirit Award Noms 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Leads & Will Vie For Best Picture With ‘Bones And All’, ‘Our Father, The Devil’, ‘Tár’ & ‘Women Talking’ Related Story Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap Related Story Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Takes Home Best Feature As Netflix Reigns With Six Wins
Billions star Asia Kate Dillon...
- 12/13/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Film Independent has revealed the TV nominees for the 2023 Spirit Awards.
Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Severance and Station Eleven landed three nominations each, the most of any series.
Notable nominees include Emmy winners Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph of Abbott Elementary, who earned Emmys in September for best writing for a comedy series and supporting actress, respectively, for the ABC sitcom. Emmy nominee Janelle James was also honored with a supporting performance nomination. Other nominees from September’s Emmys include Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey, Station Eleven‘s Himesh Patel and Severance‘s Adam Scott.
While Till star Danielle Deadwyler was not recognized in the film categories for her acclaimed performance in the United Artists drama, she did earn a supporting performance nod for her role in Station Eleven.
While lead actor Jeremy Allen White was not nominated for his performance on The Bear,...
Film Independent has revealed the TV nominees for the 2023 Spirit Awards.
Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Severance and Station Eleven landed three nominations each, the most of any series.
Notable nominees include Emmy winners Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph of Abbott Elementary, who earned Emmys in September for best writing for a comedy series and supporting actress, respectively, for the ABC sitcom. Emmy nominee Janelle James was also honored with a supporting performance nomination. Other nominees from September’s Emmys include Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey, Station Eleven‘s Himesh Patel and Severance‘s Adam Scott.
While Till star Danielle Deadwyler was not recognized in the film categories for her acclaimed performance in the United Artists drama, she did earn a supporting performance nod for her role in Station Eleven.
While lead actor Jeremy Allen White was not nominated for his performance on The Bear,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Hilary Lewis and Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paging Dr. Drake to the ER. DJ Khaled has dropped a music video for his new single “Staying Alive,” which sees the rapper and his collaborators, Drake and Lil Baby, running the show at a hospital.
Drake, dressed as surgeon in blue scrubs, takes on the first verse before handing the reins over to Lil Baby, who is partying in the club. The three rappers come together for the chorus, which interpolates the Bee Gees 1977 hit (the band members are listed as lyricists on the track). The music video, which...
Drake, dressed as surgeon in blue scrubs, takes on the first verse before handing the reins over to Lil Baby, who is partying in the club. The three rappers come together for the chorus, which interpolates the Bee Gees 1977 hit (the band members are listed as lyricists on the track). The music video, which...
- 8/5/2022
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
The CBC and BET+ are putting out another call for The Porter.
There’s no official announcement just yet, but the Canadian and U.S. TV platforms are set to renew the civil rights drama about 1920s Black train employees and their families in Montreal and Chicago for a second season.
Showrunner Annmarie Morais and director Charles Officer talked to The Hollywood Reporter as scripts are being readied to continue portraying Black train porters’ efforts to launch North America’s first Black labor union.
The second season will also take another step toward reframing Black Canadian history as the first Canadian drama to boast an all-Black creative team, on whose shoulders rest the pressure to succeed and create opportunities for others to tell their own stories that center Black identity. The Porter‘s second season is especially meaningful in light of the fact...
The CBC and BET+ are putting out another call for The Porter.
There’s no official announcement just yet, but the Canadian and U.S. TV platforms are set to renew the civil rights drama about 1920s Black train employees and their families in Montreal and Chicago for a second season.
Showrunner Annmarie Morais and director Charles Officer talked to The Hollywood Reporter as scripts are being readied to continue portraying Black train porters’ efforts to launch North America’s first Black labor union.
The second season will also take another step toward reframing Black Canadian history as the first Canadian drama to boast an all-Black creative team, on whose shoulders rest the pressure to succeed and create opportunities for others to tell their own stories that center Black identity. The Porter‘s second season is especially meaningful in light of the fact...
- 7/15/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
A new study from the Directors Guild of Canada reveals the local film and TV industry still remains overwhelmingly white and male.
A voluntary self-identification census carried out among Dgc members found 82.8 percent of the guild’s membership identified as white. Another 18.3 percent identified as Black, indigenous or people of color.
That’s a significant underrepresentation compared to the 27 percent of the Canadian population that considers themselves members of Bipoc minorities. And 2.5 percent of the Dgc members responding to the census self-identified as Black Canadians, another major underrepresentation given Black Canadians make up around 3.5 percent of the overall population.
The census results also indicated women made up 46.5 percent of respondents, against 53.4 percent identifying as men. At the same time, the Dgc’s own membership records indicate the overall guild has 42.4 percent women and 57.5 percent men.
That results suggest women were more likely to...
A new study from the Directors Guild of Canada reveals the local film and TV industry still remains overwhelmingly white and male.
A voluntary self-identification census carried out among Dgc members found 82.8 percent of the guild’s membership identified as white. Another 18.3 percent identified as Black, indigenous or people of color.
That’s a significant underrepresentation compared to the 27 percent of the Canadian population that considers themselves members of Bipoc minorities. And 2.5 percent of the Dgc members responding to the census self-identified as Black Canadians, another major underrepresentation given Black Canadians make up around 3.5 percent of the overall population.
The census results also indicated women made up 46.5 percent of respondents, against 53.4 percent identifying as men. At the same time, the Dgc’s own membership records indicate the overall guild has 42.4 percent women and 57.5 percent men.
That results suggest women were more likely to...
- 6/30/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A first-of-its-kind census conducted by the Directors Guild of Canada has found that people of color are “significantly underrepresented” among its membership, accounting for only 18.3 of the more than 3,000 members who completed a self-identifying survey. According to the report, Bipoc make up 26-27 of the Canadian population. Black members accounted for only 2.5 of the members surveyed.
“The complete results demonstrate a telling lack of diversity among the participating members,” the report found, noting that “underrepresentation of Bipoc communities exists within the guild membership in all regions of the country.”
Out of the 3,318 completed questionnaires, 82.8 of the participants identify as Caucasian, with Asian groupings (8.6) having the second highest percentage, followed by Indigenous (2.9) and Black (2.5) members of the guild. According to the report, “the largest share of Black participants is of Caribbean heritage at 51.3 of members identifying as Black.”
Women are also underrepresented. According to guild records, they account for 42.4 of all members.
“The complete results demonstrate a telling lack of diversity among the participating members,” the report found, noting that “underrepresentation of Bipoc communities exists within the guild membership in all regions of the country.”
Out of the 3,318 completed questionnaires, 82.8 of the participants identify as Caucasian, with Asian groupings (8.6) having the second highest percentage, followed by Indigenous (2.9) and Black (2.5) members of the guild. According to the report, “the largest share of Black participants is of Caribbean heritage at 51.3 of members identifying as Black.”
Women are also underrepresented. According to guild records, they account for 42.4 of all members.
- 6/30/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
BET+ is venturing into the historical/period pieces with this intriguing mini-series inspired by real events!
The Porter dives into the height of the North American railway system, mainly for Black workers who made their bread and butter in the transportation business as porters, a job that was one of the most common for Black men at the time.
And through what promises to be an enthralling series, The Porter draws from the formation of the first Black Union.
Through The Porter, we follow two train porters who were as close as ever, Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett.
One tragedy strikes on the job, leaving the community reeling; the two set on completely different paths that will inevitably conflict with one another in their dogged pursuit of a better life and all that it entails as Black men during the early 1920s.
Junior takes an "if you can't beat them,...
The Porter dives into the height of the North American railway system, mainly for Black workers who made their bread and butter in the transportation business as porters, a job that was one of the most common for Black men at the time.
And through what promises to be an enthralling series, The Porter draws from the formation of the first Black Union.
Through The Porter, we follow two train porters who were as close as ever, Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett.
One tragedy strikes on the job, leaving the community reeling; the two set on completely different paths that will inevitably conflict with one another in their dogged pursuit of a better life and all that it entails as Black men during the early 1920s.
Junior takes an "if you can't beat them,...
- 4/12/2022
- by Jasmine Blu
- TVfanatic
Exclusive: Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard is set as a series regular in BET+/CBC’s The Porter, an original drama series about a group of 1920s railway workers who unite to form the world’s first Black union. Woodard also will serve as an executive producer on the series, from Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films, a Sphere Media company. Shooting is currently underway in Winnipeg, Canada.
Created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.
Set in the early 1920s, The Porter offers a dramatic and compelling look at the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal — known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North...
Created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.
Set in the early 1920s, The Porter offers a dramatic and compelling look at the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal — known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North...
- 7/19/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Canadian public broadcaster CBC and BET+ have set the headline cast for The Porter, an original drama series about a group of 1920s railway workers who unite to form the world’s first Black union.
Aml Ameen, the British actor who starred in HBO/BBC’s award-winning I May Destroy You and Idris Elba-directed feature Yardie, leads the series as Junior Massey, an intelligent, smooth, ambitious, and fearless risk-taker and war veteran employed as a porter with the transcontinental railroad.
He is joined by Star Trek: Discovery actor Ronnie Rowe Jr, who plays Massey’s war buddy Zeke Garrett, and The Umbrella Academy star Mouna Traoré, who features as Massey’s wife Marlene, a worker with the Black Cross Nurses, an offshoot of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films, The Porter was created by Arnold Pinnock...
Aml Ameen, the British actor who starred in HBO/BBC’s award-winning I May Destroy You and Idris Elba-directed feature Yardie, leads the series as Junior Massey, an intelligent, smooth, ambitious, and fearless risk-taker and war veteran employed as a porter with the transcontinental railroad.
He is joined by Star Trek: Discovery actor Ronnie Rowe Jr, who plays Massey’s war buddy Zeke Garrett, and The Umbrella Academy star Mouna Traoré, who features as Massey’s wife Marlene, a worker with the Black Cross Nurses, an offshoot of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films, The Porter was created by Arnold Pinnock...
- 4/8/2021
- by Jake Kanter and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix set a December premiere date for “The Netflix Afterparty,” and CBC and BET Plus greenlit an original series, “The Porter.”
Dates
“The Netflix Afterparty: The Best Shows of the Worst Year,” an end-of-year special featuring talents from the streamer’s hit series, is set to premiere on Dec. 13. The special, hosted by David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes, will feature conversations with Kevin Hart, Anya Taylor-Joy, Lily Collins, Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor, Lauren and Cameron Hamilton and Rick Kirkham. Jo Koy will also join as a guest comedian, while the first episode of of “The Netflix Afterparty” proper in 2021 will feature the cast of “Cobra Kai” and Bill Burr.
HBO Max is set to debut “12 Dates of Christmas: Unwrapped” on Dec. 17. The dating series’ reunion special, hosted by D.J. “Shangela“ Pierce, invites cast members Chad Savage, Faith Fernandez, Garrett Marcantel...
Dates
“The Netflix Afterparty: The Best Shows of the Worst Year,” an end-of-year special featuring talents from the streamer’s hit series, is set to premiere on Dec. 13. The special, hosted by David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes, will feature conversations with Kevin Hart, Anya Taylor-Joy, Lily Collins, Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor, Lauren and Cameron Hamilton and Rick Kirkham. Jo Koy will also join as a guest comedian, while the first episode of of “The Netflix Afterparty” proper in 2021 will feature the cast of “Cobra Kai” and Bill Burr.
HBO Max is set to debut “12 Dates of Christmas: Unwrapped” on Dec. 17. The dating series’ reunion special, hosted by D.J. “Shangela“ Pierce, invites cast members Chad Savage, Faith Fernandez, Garrett Marcantel...
- 12/10/2020
- by Janet W. Lee
- Variety Film + TV
CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, and BET+ have teamed on The Porter (working title), an original drama series about a group of railway workers who unite to form the world’s first Black union, from Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films.
Created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter (wt) has been greenlit for 2021/22.
Set in the 1920s and inspired by real events, The Porter follows the journeys of four ambitious souls who hustle, dream, cross borders and confront barriers in the fight for liberation – on and off the railways that crossed North America.
Morais and Greene are writers/showrunners on the eight-part series, with Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne set to executive produce and direct.
Created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, The Porter (wt) has been greenlit for 2021/22.
Set in the 1920s and inspired by real events, The Porter follows the journeys of four ambitious souls who hustle, dream, cross borders and confront barriers in the fight for liberation – on and off the railways that crossed North America.
Morais and Greene are writers/showrunners on the eight-part series, with Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne set to executive produce and direct.
- 12/10/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
- 9/1/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
- 9/1/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.
The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.
The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.
- 9/1/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
When “Utopia Falls” creator R.T. Thorne pitched a sci-fi hip-hop series about a group of teens living in a dystopian future and battling in a performing arts competition called the Exemplar, he knew the concept was an unusual one.
“People definitely looked at me weird when I first threw it out there a few years ago, just this idea of science fiction and hip-hop,” Thorne tells Variety. “[But] what was interesting to me, is that even though they didn’t know what to make of it, everybody wanted to understand more.”
And the Exemplar competition is just the beginning for Thorne’s story — which is now streaming on Hulu — as the series takes a pivotal turn when a couple of the teen contestants stumble upon a hidden warehouse called “The Archive” and discover the lost art of hip-hop music, introduced by none other than the voice of Snoop Dogg. While Thorne...
“People definitely looked at me weird when I first threw it out there a few years ago, just this idea of science fiction and hip-hop,” Thorne tells Variety. “[But] what was interesting to me, is that even though they didn’t know what to make of it, everybody wanted to understand more.”
And the Exemplar competition is just the beginning for Thorne’s story — which is now streaming on Hulu — as the series takes a pivotal turn when a couple of the teen contestants stumble upon a hidden warehouse called “The Archive” and discover the lost art of hip-hop music, introduced by none other than the voice of Snoop Dogg. While Thorne...
- 3/31/2020
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu's Utopia Falls brings a musical twist to the Ya dystopian genre.
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Utopia Falls, Hulu’s latest TV series offering, has a premise straight out of young adult fiction. Every year, New Babyl hosts “The Exemplar,” which sees twenty-four teenagers participate in a musical competition to win the title, and make history. It’s Divergent meets Step Up and how you feel about either or both of those franchises is probably a good barometer for how you will feel about Utopia Falls.
Coming from showrunner Joseph Mallozzi and created by Canadian director R.T. Thorne, Utopia Falls seems like it should garner higher expectations than its weird premise would suggest. I am self-proclaimed Ya Trash, so on paper this was Extremely My Shit, but I realized (maybe too late) that there is a performance element to the show. Musicals can be a hard sell for many modern audience members,...
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Utopia Falls, Hulu’s latest TV series offering, has a premise straight out of young adult fiction. Every year, New Babyl hosts “The Exemplar,” which sees twenty-four teenagers participate in a musical competition to win the title, and make history. It’s Divergent meets Step Up and how you feel about either or both of those franchises is probably a good barometer for how you will feel about Utopia Falls.
Coming from showrunner Joseph Mallozzi and created by Canadian director R.T. Thorne, Utopia Falls seems like it should garner higher expectations than its weird premise would suggest. I am self-proclaimed Ya Trash, so on paper this was Extremely My Shit, but I realized (maybe too late) that there is a performance element to the show. Musicals can be a hard sell for many modern audience members,...
- 2/12/2020
- Den of Geek
Joseph Baxter Feb 6, 2020
Hulu series Utopia Falls takes a future-set sci-fi premise and injects with a pop culture explosion of music and dance.
Utopia Falls may, upon first glance, seem like an aesthetically clinical future-society-type story, but the Hulu sci-fi series is set to showcase its hybrid genre nature as a paean to the arts, specifically the entirety of a forbidden pop culture of the past. – Let’s just call it Logan’s Run meets Fame.
The 10-episode hourlong series is set in the far future on a colony, focusing on a group of song-and-dance-inclined teens whose worldviews become upended after being exposed to an archive containing a forgotten pop culture panorama of music, literature, etc., resulting in a clash between the newly-edified and those attempting to uphold the traditions of their idyllic existence. Indeed, it’s a time-worn tale of generational clashes told through a sci-fi lens.
The series, the...
Hulu series Utopia Falls takes a future-set sci-fi premise and injects with a pop culture explosion of music and dance.
Utopia Falls may, upon first glance, seem like an aesthetically clinical future-society-type story, but the Hulu sci-fi series is set to showcase its hybrid genre nature as a paean to the arts, specifically the entirety of a forbidden pop culture of the past. – Let’s just call it Logan’s Run meets Fame.
The 10-episode hourlong series is set in the far future on a colony, focusing on a group of song-and-dance-inclined teens whose worldviews become upended after being exposed to an archive containing a forgotten pop culture panorama of music, literature, etc., resulting in a clash between the newly-edified and those attempting to uphold the traditions of their idyllic existence. Indeed, it’s a time-worn tale of generational clashes told through a sci-fi lens.
The series, the...
- 2/6/2020
- Den of Geek
Hulu has dropped the trailer for its upcoming sci-fi series “Utopia Falls,” and the trailer finds teenagers, hundreds of years in the future, discovering an ancient relic called hip-hop.
“Whoa. How’s he doing that so fast?” one teen says to another in the trailer, as they watch a rapper in a hip-hop music video for the very first time in their lives.
“I have no idea,” replies the fellow teen. “Why would they keep something like this from us?”
Watch the trailer above.
Also Read: Noice! Here's How Huge a Lift 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Ratings Get With Viewing on Hulu, NBC App (Exclusive)
The sci-fi hip-hop series will feature the voice of Snoop Dogg, and music from artists including Kendrick Lamar, Alessia Cara, The Notorious B.I.G., Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, Bill Withers and The Roots.
Here is the official description for the series, which premieres Feb.
“Whoa. How’s he doing that so fast?” one teen says to another in the trailer, as they watch a rapper in a hip-hop music video for the very first time in their lives.
“I have no idea,” replies the fellow teen. “Why would they keep something like this from us?”
Watch the trailer above.
Also Read: Noice! Here's How Huge a Lift 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Ratings Get With Viewing on Hulu, NBC App (Exclusive)
The sci-fi hip-hop series will feature the voice of Snoop Dogg, and music from artists including Kendrick Lamar, Alessia Cara, The Notorious B.I.G., Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, Bill Withers and The Roots.
Here is the official description for the series, which premieres Feb.
- 2/6/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for June 2019 including "Titans", "Grand Army", "The Boys" and a whole lot more:
Akilla's Escape
Feature
Canesugar Filmworks
Prod.: Jake Yanowski, Charles Officer
Dir.: Charles Officer
May 14 - Jun 6/19
AMÉLIE Et Compagnie! Saison 4
TV Series
Carte Blanche Films Inc.
Prod.: Tracy Legault
Dir.: Dominque Cardona,
Jul 3 - Sep 20/19
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Carter Season 2
TV Series
Sony / Amaze Films
Prod.: Victoria Hirst
Dir.: various
Apr 15 – Jul 17/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Dog Pack
TV Movie
Disney/ABC Television Group
Prod.
Akilla's Escape
Feature
Canesugar Filmworks
Prod.: Jake Yanowski, Charles Officer
Dir.: Charles Officer
May 14 - Jun 6/19
AMÉLIE Et Compagnie! Saison 4
TV Series
Carte Blanche Films Inc.
Prod.: Tracy Legault
Dir.: Dominque Cardona,
Jul 3 - Sep 20/19
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Carter Season 2
TV Series
Sony / Amaze Films
Prod.: Victoria Hirst
Dir.: various
Apr 15 – Jul 17/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Dog Pack
TV Movie
Disney/ABC Television Group
Prod.
- 5/28/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for May 2019 including "Titans", "V-Wars", "Locke and Key" and a whole lot more:
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Carter Season 2
TV Series
Sony / Amaze Films
Prod.: Victoria Hirst
Dir.: various
Apr 15 – Jul 17/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Dog Pack
TV Movie
Disney/ABC Television Group
Prod.: Mary Pantelidis
Dir.: Paul Hoen
May 27 - Jul 12/19
Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 3
TV Series
Shaftesbury
Prod.: Theresa M Ho
Dir.: various
May 7 - Aug 27/19
Titans aka Freebirds Season 2
TV Series
New Media / Warner Bros. Television
Prod.
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Carter Season 2
TV Series
Sony / Amaze Films
Prod.: Victoria Hirst
Dir.: various
Apr 15 – Jul 17/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Dog Pack
TV Movie
Disney/ABC Television Group
Prod.: Mary Pantelidis
Dir.: Paul Hoen
May 27 - Jul 12/19
Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 3
TV Series
Shaftesbury
Prod.: Theresa M Ho
Dir.: various
May 7 - Aug 27/19
Titans aka Freebirds Season 2
TV Series
New Media / Warner Bros. Television
Prod.
- 4/26/2019
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for April 2019 including "Dare Me", "Titans", "Locke & Key" and a whole lot more:
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Dir.: Various
Shoot: Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Cardinal: Until The Night
TV Series
Entertainment One
Prod.: Jessica Daniel
Dir.: Nathan Morlando
Shoot: Jan 30 - Apr 9/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Shoot: Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Shoot: Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Falling
Feature
Scythia Films, Zephyr Films, Perceval Pictures
Prod.: Daniel Bekerman, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Curling
Dir.: Viggo Mortenson
Shoot: Feb 27 - Apr 10/19
Freebirds (Titans) Season 2
TV Series
New Media / Warner Bros. Television
Prod.: Michael Wray
Dir. : Various
Mar 20 – Sep 9/19
Grand Army
TV Series
Netflix / Dutiful Productions Ulc
Prod.
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Dir.: Various
Shoot: Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Cardinal: Until The Night
TV Series
Entertainment One
Prod.: Jessica Daniel
Dir.: Nathan Morlando
Shoot: Jan 30 - Apr 9/19
Condor Season 2
TV Series
T5 Condor 2 Productions Inc.
Prod.: Andrea Raffaghello
Dir.: Andrew McCarthy
Shoot: Apr 29 - Aug 28/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Shoot: Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Falling
Feature
Scythia Films, Zephyr Films, Perceval Pictures
Prod.: Daniel Bekerman, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Curling
Dir.: Viggo Mortenson
Shoot: Feb 27 - Apr 10/19
Freebirds (Titans) Season 2
TV Series
New Media / Warner Bros. Television
Prod.: Michael Wray
Dir. : Various
Mar 20 – Sep 9/19
Grand Army
TV Series
Netflix / Dutiful Productions Ulc
Prod.
- 3/29/2019
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for March 2019 including "Falling", "Titans", Locke & Key" and a whole lot more:
8 Months
TV Movie
Lifetime
Prod.: Mary Anne Waterhouse
Dir.: Jeffery Hunt
Mar 5 - Mar 22/19
And You Thought
You Were Normal
Feature
Side Three Media
Prod:Leanne Davies, Tim Kowalski
Dir: Tim Kowalski, Kevan Byrne
Pm: Woody Whelan
PC: n/a
Shoot: Jan 28 - Mar 5/19
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Cardinal: Until The Night
TV Series
Entertainment One
Prod.: Jessica Daniel
Dir.: Nathan Morlando
Jan 30 - Apr 9/19
Christmas Jars
TV Movie
Muse Entertainment
Prod.: Shane Boucher
Dir.: Jonathan Wright
Shoot: Feb 25 - Mar 20/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Falling
Feature
Scythia Films,...
8 Months
TV Movie
Lifetime
Prod.: Mary Anne Waterhouse
Dir.: Jeffery Hunt
Mar 5 - Mar 22/19
And You Thought
You Were Normal
Feature
Side Three Media
Prod:Leanne Davies, Tim Kowalski
Dir: Tim Kowalski, Kevan Byrne
Pm: Woody Whelan
PC: n/a
Shoot: Jan 28 - Mar 5/19
Anne With An E Season 3
TV Series
Northwood Anne Trois Inc.
Exec. Prod.: Moira Walley-Beckett, Miranda de Pencier, Tina Grewal
Dir.: Various
Mar 11 – Aug 22/19
Cardinal: Until The Night
TV Series
Entertainment One
Prod.: Jessica Daniel
Dir.: Nathan Morlando
Jan 30 - Apr 9/19
Christmas Jars
TV Movie
Muse Entertainment
Prod.: Shane Boucher
Dir.: Jonathan Wright
Shoot: Feb 25 - Mar 20/19
Dare Me Season 1
TV Series
Gep / USA Network (NBC)
Prod.: Dan Kaplow
Dir.: Various
Apr 22 - Aug 6/19
Falling
Feature
Scythia Films,...
- 3/3/2019
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Exclusive: Growing Canadian distributor levelFILM, whose 2018 slate included faith-based box office hit I Can Only Imagine, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9, and Ike Barenholtz’s The Oath, has bolstered its board of directors with the appointment of music video producer and manager Taj Critchlow (SuperFly).
Toronto-based indie levelFILM now plans to develop and package film and TV projects with Critchlow’s production outfit Popp Rok, whose management clients include music video directors Director X and Karena Evans, who recently signed with Wme. The new partnership will bring with it a first-look deal for Canadian rights.
Critchlow, co-founder of Popp Rok and an executive producer on Drake music videos including Hotline Bling, God’s Plan and In My Feelings, was an executive producer on Sony’s 2018 remake of blackploitation pic SuperFly and associate producer on 2015 pic Across The Line. Both films were directed by Critchlow client Director X.
As the first title...
Toronto-based indie levelFILM now plans to develop and package film and TV projects with Critchlow’s production outfit Popp Rok, whose management clients include music video directors Director X and Karena Evans, who recently signed with Wme. The new partnership will bring with it a first-look deal for Canadian rights.
Critchlow, co-founder of Popp Rok and an executive producer on Drake music videos including Hotline Bling, God’s Plan and In My Feelings, was an executive producer on Sony’s 2018 remake of blackploitation pic SuperFly and associate producer on 2015 pic Across The Line. Both films were directed by Critchlow client Director X.
As the first title...
- 12/5/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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