Exclusive: The Latino Film Institute has set its lineup for the 23rd Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, which will take place from May 29th through June 2nd at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.
Laliff will open with the critically acclaimed In the Summers, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza and starring René Pérez Joglar a.k.a Residente in his feature film debut, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel and Leslie Grace. Accolades include the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award for Lacorazza at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Violeta and Eva who, every summer, visit their loving but reckless father Vicente, who tries to atone for the past by creating a world of wonder for them to experience. But old wounds do not heal easily and despite the fun facade, Vicente’s battle with addiction gradually erodes the magic,...
Laliff will open with the critically acclaimed In the Summers, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza and starring René Pérez Joglar a.k.a Residente in his feature film debut, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel and Leslie Grace. Accolades include the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award for Lacorazza at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Violeta and Eva who, every summer, visit their loving but reckless father Vicente, who tries to atone for the past by creating a world of wonder for them to experience. But old wounds do not heal easily and despite the fun facade, Vicente’s battle with addiction gradually erodes the magic,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Héléna Klotz’s “Spirit of Ecstasy” will open the 2024 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai, while Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s “Mutt” will close it.
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
- 4/19/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: 3Point0 Labs has followed up recent strategic moves by signing In the Summers co-producer Luz Films.
Headed by Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell, Luz was created with a mission to make Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse creatives and producers in the film and TV space. Its debut film, In the Summers, was a prize winner at Sundance earlier this year.
“Sergio, Lynette, and Cristobal bring such an authentic desire to foster family and community in everything they do,” said Andrew Cutrow, Chief Business Officer and Head of the Entertainment division of 3Point0 Labs. “They bring a vision that is so core to 3Point0’s mission to build communities and infrastructure globally. Luz is a rocket ship and we are so humbled to be a part of their growth as they take off.”
As we revealed at the time, Luz Films launched in January with former...
Headed by Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell, Luz was created with a mission to make Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse creatives and producers in the film and TV space. Its debut film, In the Summers, was a prize winner at Sundance earlier this year.
“Sergio, Lynette, and Cristobal bring such an authentic desire to foster family and community in everything they do,” said Andrew Cutrow, Chief Business Officer and Head of the Entertainment division of 3Point0 Labs. “They bring a vision that is so core to 3Point0’s mission to build communities and infrastructure globally. Luz is a rocket ship and we are so humbled to be a part of their growth as they take off.”
As we revealed at the time, Luz Films launched in January with former...
- 4/2/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: On the heels of her debut feature In the Summers‘ world premiere at Sundance, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Directing Award in U.S. Dramatic competition, writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.
Based in Brooklyn, Lacorazza’s work deals with personal and cultural memory, and incorporates themes of migration, alienation, community, and resilience. The queer Colombian American filmmaker’s In the Summers spans the formative years in the lives of two sisters, watching as they navigate their relationships with their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Pic’s cast is led by René Pérez Joglar (aka Residente), Sasha Calle, and Lio Mehiel, the breakout star of Mutt, who last year won a Sundance Special Jury Prize for Performance.
In 2020, Lacorazza was a WGA-East FilmNation NY Screenwriters Fellow...
Based in Brooklyn, Lacorazza’s work deals with personal and cultural memory, and incorporates themes of migration, alienation, community, and resilience. The queer Colombian American filmmaker’s In the Summers spans the formative years in the lives of two sisters, watching as they navigate their relationships with their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Pic’s cast is led by René Pérez Joglar (aka Residente), Sasha Calle, and Lio Mehiel, the breakout star of Mutt, who last year won a Sundance Special Jury Prize for Performance.
In 2020, Lacorazza was a WGA-East FilmNation NY Screenwriters Fellow...
- 4/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Latino-owned Luz Films announced its launch just before the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where its first film by first-time writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, “In the Summers,” won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic competition. However, co-founder Sergio Lira says that impressive start isn’t nearly enough.
“This is an amazing win right out of the gate, but one is not enough,” said Lira, who serves as co-ceo with fellow founder Lynette Coll. “This is an amazing achievement that we did this right off the bat, but it’s a lot of what we’ve been diligently, silently working towards, and we want to keep doing it.”
With a mission of producing Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre film and TV, the Luz principals know they face unique challenges. Shows for Latino audiences are often the first to be canceled or purged from streaming services. There aren’t enough global Latino...
“This is an amazing win right out of the gate, but one is not enough,” said Lira, who serves as co-ceo with fellow founder Lynette Coll. “This is an amazing achievement that we did this right off the bat, but it’s a lot of what we’ve been diligently, silently working towards, and we want to keep doing it.”
With a mission of producing Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre film and TV, the Luz principals know they face unique challenges. Shows for Latino audiences are often the first to be canceled or purged from streaming services. There aren’t enough global Latino...
- 2/6/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
A still from In ‘The Summers’ by Alessandra Lacorazza (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Grammy winner René Pérez Joglar (aka Residente) delivers a compelling, layered performance as Vicente, a divorced dad who comes to terms with his mistakes and tries to make amends in In the Summers. Vicente’s tortuous journey begins with an optimistic hopefulness about his relationship with his two daughters and takes a dark turn as he slips into the clutches of addiction, eventually evolving into a redemption tale as he confronts his failures and seeks to become a better man.
First-time feature filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio teases the trouble to come in part one of the four-part story. Vicente’s all smiles as he picks up his young daughters at the airport, ready to show them a good time over their summer vacation. He lives in the tidy home his mother left him in Las Cruces, New Mexico,...
Grammy winner René Pérez Joglar (aka Residente) delivers a compelling, layered performance as Vicente, a divorced dad who comes to terms with his mistakes and tries to make amends in In the Summers. Vicente’s tortuous journey begins with an optimistic hopefulness about his relationship with his two daughters and takes a dark turn as he slips into the clutches of addiction, eventually evolving into a redemption tale as he confronts his failures and seeks to become a better man.
First-time feature filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio teases the trouble to come in part one of the four-part story. Vicente’s all smiles as he picks up his young daughters at the airport, ready to show them a good time over their summer vacation. He lives in the tidy home his mother left him in Las Cruces, New Mexico,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Cinema favors melodrama, and so fathers and children often engage in big arguments and reconciliations on screen. Writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s In the Summers manages a singularly painful approach to this subject matter, as it’s less concerned with a great fracture than an ongoing erosion. The film has its harrowing moments, but no episode is coded as the moment of fissure in this family. The father keeps doing what he does, his eccentricities and liabilities growing more tedious and negligent, and the children’s love is gradually tempered with frustration, anger, resentment, and, most poignantly, pity.
Setting her film across four summer visits over a period of 20 years, Lacorazza Samudio manages the illusion of capturing a man’s diminishment in something like real time. At the beginning of each episode, we see Vicente (Renè Pérez Joglar) picking up his daughters, Violet and Eva, in front of the small airport in Las Cruces,...
Setting her film across four summer visits over a period of 20 years, Lacorazza Samudio manages the illusion of capturing a man’s diminishment in something like real time. At the beginning of each episode, we see Vicente (Renè Pérez Joglar) picking up his daughters, Violet and Eva, in front of the small airport in Las Cruces,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
The Sundance Film Festival announced its 2024 winners on January 26, two days before the festival’s end date. The Awards Ceremony took place at The Ray Theater in Park City, Utah. This year marks its 40th annual festival run taking place from January 18 to January 28.
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
In the Summer, a film director Alessandra Lacorazza, won the top honor, U.S. Grand Jury Prize, starring Lio Mehiel.
Last year, Mehiel told uInterview exclusively about the importance of trans representation.
“Whenever there is an uptick of queer or trans representation in the media, there is an equal and perhaps greater response from the other side … that are looking to suppress trans rights, trans agency [and] queer liberation,” Mehiel told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “While in Hollywood we are seeing trans representation and this film is able to be part of that movement, this film is more important now than ever because even just in Utah,...
- 1/27/2024
- by Ann Hoang
- Uinterview
In the opening moments of Alessandra Lacorazza’s lovely debut feature “In the Summers” a father, Vincente (Residente), nervously prepares his house for the arrival of his two daughters, Violeta and Eva, first portrayed by Dreya Castillo and Luciana Elisa Quinonez, respectively. He fluffs the pillows on the couch and throws away beer cans before going to pick the girls up at the tiny airport in his hometown.
The state of Vincente’s living room — inherited from his own deceased mother — becomes a signpost in the quiet drama about the bonds that are fused and then break between a parent and his children over many summer trips. We watch as it falls into disarray and then becomes neater again, its contents becoming a bellwether for how Eva and Violeta perceive their dad.
The film, which won this year’s U.S. Grand Prize in dramatic competition, is a delicate portrait...
The state of Vincente’s living room — inherited from his own deceased mother — becomes a signpost in the quiet drama about the bonds that are fused and then break between a parent and his children over many summer trips. We watch as it falls into disarray and then becomes neater again, its contents becoming a bellwether for how Eva and Violeta perceive their dad.
The film, which won this year’s U.S. Grand Prize in dramatic competition, is a delicate portrait...
- 1/26/2024
- by Esther Zuckerman
- Indiewire
A still from In ‘The Summers’ by Alessandra Lacorazza (Courtesy of Sundance Institute.)
In the Summers took home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Porcelain War was named the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary winner at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Sujo and A New Kind of Wilderness were also recognized with Grand Jury Prizes during the awards ceremony held on February 26, 2024 at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.
Daughters, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, was named the Festival Favorite Award winner and also received the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.
“This year was especially meaningful to all of us for being the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival,” stated Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “We congratulate all of our artists in the program this year for their contributions to an incredible slate and Festival experience. Something we were pleasantly surprised by was how...
In the Summers took home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Porcelain War was named the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary winner at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Sujo and A New Kind of Wilderness were also recognized with Grand Jury Prizes during the awards ceremony held on February 26, 2024 at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.
Daughters, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, was named the Festival Favorite Award winner and also received the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary.
“This year was especially meaningful to all of us for being the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival,” stated Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “We congratulate all of our artists in the program this year for their contributions to an incredible slate and Festival experience. Something we were pleasantly surprised by was how...
- 1/26/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
The Sundance Film Festival 2024, beloved by independent film enthusiasts, opens the film festival circuit with a bustling calendar of parties, thought-provoking panels, and red-carpet premieres.
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
While there’s still a few days left of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Ferrari, Sundance 2024, Once Within a Time, Four Daughters & More”>including the opportunity to watch many titles from the comfort of your own home, the juries have now handed out their awards. Grand Jury Prizes were awarded to: In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition).
Check out the full list below and see all of our reviews here.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to In The Summers / U.S.A. — On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cast: René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos,...
Check out the full list below and see all of our reviews here.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to In The Summers / U.S.A. — On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cast: René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
A backyard swimming pool tells part of the story in Colombian American writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s “In the Summers.” As it goes from refreshing site of joyful congregation to an ignored eyesore in mounting disrepair, the recreational amenity establishes itself as a potently grave motif for the passage of time in this unsentimental, and yet immensely affecting debut feature about a complicated parent-children relationship. Told in four elliptical segments, it spans roughly two decades.
Grammy-winning, Puerto Rican urban music hitmaker René Pérez Joglar (better known by his stage name Residente), part of the now defunct duo Calle 13, stars as Vicente. The nonchalant dad lives alone in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a sleepy desert town with a predominantly Latino population. With a cigarette over his ear and much eagerness, he picks up his daughters Violeta and Eva (played as children by Dreya Castillo and Luciana Elisa Quinonez), in from California for summer vacation,...
Grammy-winning, Puerto Rican urban music hitmaker René Pérez Joglar (better known by his stage name Residente), part of the now defunct duo Calle 13, stars as Vicente. The nonchalant dad lives alone in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a sleepy desert town with a predominantly Latino population. With a cigarette over his ear and much eagerness, he picks up his daughters Violeta and Eva (played as children by Dreya Castillo and Luciana Elisa Quinonez), in from California for summer vacation,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Variety Film + TV
In the relationship between parents and children, memories can be ravaged battlefields. The validity of certain experiences is tested and accusations of wrongdoing are negotiated. It’s within this charged arena that Alessandra Lacorazza sets her quiet debut film, In the Summers. The feature is a visual poem, an enveloping four-stanza ode to experiences shared by a man and his daughters.
It starts in the summer when Violeta (Dreya Renae Castillo) and Eva (Luciana Quinonez) visit their father, Vincente (René Pérez Joglar) in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Their first encounter, in the parking lot of the tiny town airport, is thick with the stilted awkwardness of distance. Lacorazza, who also wrote the screenplay, avoids specifying why Vincente hasn’t seen his kids, but some information can be gleaned from their bilingual conversations. We know it’s been a minute — so long that Vincente can’t remember what year of school his kids have just finished,...
It starts in the summer when Violeta (Dreya Renae Castillo) and Eva (Luciana Quinonez) visit their father, Vincente (René Pérez Joglar) in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Their first encounter, in the parking lot of the tiny town airport, is thick with the stilted awkwardness of distance. Lacorazza, who also wrote the screenplay, avoids specifying why Vincente hasn’t seen his kids, but some information can be gleaned from their bilingual conversations. We know it’s been a minute — so long that Vincente can’t remember what year of school his kids have just finished,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers follows two sisters who, over several formative summers, visit their caring but tempestuous father in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The cast includes Lio Mehiel, who won an acting prize at last year’s Sundance for Mutt, as well as Sasha Calle and René Pérez Joglar. Adam Dicterow, whose previous credits include the aforementioned Mutt, as well as Dear Evan Hansen, and HBO’s Succession, served as editor. Below, he talks about why the film moves through different styles and recalls the editing room deliberations about the film’s ending. […]
The post “We Allow Each Person to Identify with Any or All of the Main Characters”: Editor Adam Dicterow on In the Summers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Allow Each Person to Identify with Any or All of the Main Characters”: Editor Adam Dicterow on In the Summers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Director Alessandra Lacorazza’s In the Summers follows two sisters who, over several formative summers, visit their caring but tempestuous father in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The cast includes Lio Mehiel, who won an acting prize at last year’s Sundance for Mutt, as well as Sasha Calle and René Pérez Joglar. Adam Dicterow, whose previous credits include the aforementioned Mutt, as well as Dear Evan Hansen, and HBO’s Succession, served as editor. Below, he talks about why the film moves through different styles and recalls the editing room deliberations about the film’s ending. […]
The post “We Allow Each Person to Identify with Any or All of the Main Characters”: Editor Adam Dicterow on In the Summers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Allow Each Person to Identify with Any or All of the Main Characters”: Editor Adam Dicterow on In the Summers first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/22/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Exclusive: Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell are launching Luz Films, a newly formed entertainment company founded with the mission of making Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse visionary creatives and producers in the film and TV space.
Lira and Coll will serve as co-CEOs while Guell will serve as CFO.
Through a collaborative community spirit, Luz Films will produce and co-finance projects from the Latino perspective for U.S. and global audiences. The company believes in mentoring and supporting projects from debut filmmakers and connecting them with veteran Latino creatives who can collaborate with these new voices behind the camera and on-screen.
‘While Latinos are one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States, representation for storytellers in the community lags behind other demographics,” the trio shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “Luz Films, named with purpose, embodies ‘light.’ Our mission is to illuminate opportunities. We...
Lira and Coll will serve as co-CEOs while Guell will serve as CFO.
Through a collaborative community spirit, Luz Films will produce and co-finance projects from the Latino perspective for U.S. and global audiences. The company believes in mentoring and supporting projects from debut filmmakers and connecting them with veteran Latino creatives who can collaborate with these new voices behind the camera and on-screen.
‘While Latinos are one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States, representation for storytellers in the community lags behind other demographics,” the trio shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “Luz Films, named with purpose, embodies ‘light.’ Our mission is to illuminate opportunities. We...
- 1/12/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Latino Filmmakers Network on Thursday revealed its programming activities for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, a lineup that includes a series of panel discussions, networking events and a reception January 19 at the United Airlines Lodge on Main Street in Park City, designed to facilitate collaboration and connection within the diverse filmmaking community.
The January 19 event runs 2-5 p.m. Mt. See the schedule below.
Founded by filmmaker and producer Maylen Calienes, Lmn has promoted diversity and empowered Latino voices in the film industry, fostering a community of filmmakers who represent Latino stories. Through the years, the network has provided a platform for emerging and established Latino filmmakers to showcase their unique perspectives, creating a lasting impact on the landscape of cinema.
“Sundance inspired me to embark on a mission – the creation of the Latino Filmmakers Network,” Calienes said. “Our aim has been clear from the start: to shine a spotlight...
The January 19 event runs 2-5 p.m. Mt. See the schedule below.
Founded by filmmaker and producer Maylen Calienes, Lmn has promoted diversity and empowered Latino voices in the film industry, fostering a community of filmmakers who represent Latino stories. Through the years, the network has provided a platform for emerging and established Latino filmmakers to showcase their unique perspectives, creating a lasting impact on the landscape of cinema.
“Sundance inspired me to embark on a mission – the creation of the Latino Filmmakers Network,” Calienes said. “Our aim has been clear from the start: to shine a spotlight...
- 1/12/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in ‘A Real Pain’ (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
82 films have been selected to screen during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In addition, eight episodic titles and a New Frontier interactive experience have made the cut and will be included in the upcoming festival.
17,435 projects were submitted for 2024 inclusion, setting a new festival record.
“From the first edition in 1985, Sundance Film Festival has aimed to provide a space to gather, celebrate, and engage with risk-taking artists that are committed to bringing their independent visions to audiences — the Festival remains true to that goal to this day,” stated Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President. “It continues to evolve, but its legacy of showcasing bold work that starts necessary conversations continues with the 2024 program.”
The 40th Sundance Film Festival will take place January 18 – 28, 2024, in Park City and Salt Lake City. Ticket packages and passes are currently on sale.
82 films have been selected to screen during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In addition, eight episodic titles and a New Frontier interactive experience have made the cut and will be included in the upcoming festival.
17,435 projects were submitted for 2024 inclusion, setting a new festival record.
“From the first edition in 1985, Sundance Film Festival has aimed to provide a space to gather, celebrate, and engage with risk-taking artists that are committed to bringing their independent visions to audiences — the Festival remains true to that goal to this day,” stated Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President. “It continues to evolve, but its legacy of showcasing bold work that starts necessary conversations continues with the 2024 program.”
The 40th Sundance Film Festival will take place January 18 – 28, 2024, in Park City and Salt Lake City. Ticket packages and passes are currently on sale.
- 12/6/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
It’s almost time again for me to pack my bags and head to Park City, Utah, for the 2024 edition of the Sundance Film Festival. The last few years have been challenging for the fest, with the 2021 and 2022 editions only being online due to the pandemic. The 2023 edition was a hybrid version that sported a few high-profile debuts, including A24’s horror hit Talk to Me, but overall was a bit of a modest year in terms of stuff that broke out. However, 2024 seems to be a high-end year for the fest, with tons of big stars on the way to the festival, including Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart (there with two movies), Sebastian Stan, Woody Harrelson and many more.
It’s always interesting to note the trend in storytelling at this famous indie fest. In recent years, the pandemic weighed highly on the fest, with many films acknowledging the toll it took,...
It’s always interesting to note the trend in storytelling at this famous indie fest. In recent years, the pandemic weighed highly on the fest, with many films acknowledging the toll it took,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
For the third week in a row, a new awards contender is premiering on Netflix. Like “Nyad” and “The Killer,” whether the streaming debut du jour can make a big dent in the Oscar race is unclear. Fortunately, the SAG strike is over, which means all of these films’ lead stars can hit the trail to give them much-needed promotional boosts.
The contender to stream this week: “Rustin“
Colman Domingo stands a good chance of collecting his first Oscar nomination thanks to George C. Wolfe‘s biopic about Bayard Rustin, an associate of Martin Luther King Jr. who played a key role in the civil rights movement. Rustin never got the limelight the way some of the era’s other organizers did, partly because he was openly gay. Domingo is excellent in the film, showcasing an erudite wit that’s at once grave and humorous. He’s joined by an A-list cast including Chris Rock,...
The contender to stream this week: “Rustin“
Colman Domingo stands a good chance of collecting his first Oscar nomination thanks to George C. Wolfe‘s biopic about Bayard Rustin, an associate of Martin Luther King Jr. who played a key role in the civil rights movement. Rustin never got the limelight the way some of the era’s other organizers did, partly because he was openly gay. Domingo is excellent in the film, showcasing an erudite wit that’s at once grave and humorous. He’s joined by an A-list cast including Chris Rock,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Chile’s at it again. Since’s Andrés Wood’s breakout “Machuca” in 2004, Chilean filmmakers, led by Pablo Larraín, Sebastián Lelio and now Maite Alberdi, have punched consistently above the country’s weight, consistently winning plaudits at Sundance, Berlin and Cannes. Chile has also won three Oscars – for Claudio Miranda’s cinematography on 2012’s “Life of Pi,” 2015’s animated short “Bear Story” and Lelio’s 2017’s fiction feature “A Fantastic Woman” – more any other South American country apart from Argentina.
First half 2023 has proved no exception in Chile’s statue trawl. Some of the awards on offer are among the biggest out: Alberdi’s “The Eternal Memory,” from Fabula, scooped Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Prize; Andrés Wood’s “News of a Kidnapping” walked off with best series at the Platino Awards, the Spanish-speaking world’s nearest kudos fest to the Oscars.
In all, according to a CinemaChile study released during Sanfic,...
First half 2023 has proved no exception in Chile’s statue trawl. Some of the awards on offer are among the biggest out: Alberdi’s “The Eternal Memory,” from Fabula, scooped Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Prize; Andrés Wood’s “News of a Kidnapping” walked off with best series at the Platino Awards, the Spanish-speaking world’s nearest kudos fest to the Oscars.
In all, according to a CinemaChile study released during Sanfic,...
- 8/24/2023
- by John Hopewell, Anna Marie de la Fuente and Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Re-releases reliably dot the theatrical calendar and this week have a standout. Oldboy, the 2004 Cannes prize-winner, re-released by Neon on its 20th anniversary restored and remastered, grossed $235k on Wednesday and $150k Thursday — for a total cume $385k on 250 screens heading into the weekend.
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
- 8/18/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
A breakout at Sundance, Berlinale and New Directors/New Films this year, Chilean-Serbian writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature Mutt is as scrappy and charming as its canine title. Following a frenzied 24 hours in the life of New York trans man Feña, Mutt explores the constant micro-aggressions that trans people face daily—even in a supposedly hyper-tolerant locale, especially from loved ones—and the connections and community that make these encounters sting a little bit less. Even when Feña faces his capricious ex-boyfriend, moody tween […]
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/18/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A breakout at Sundance, Berlinale and New Directors/New Films this year, Chilean-Serbian writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature Mutt is as scrappy and charming as its canine title. Following a frenzied 24 hours in the life of New York trans man Feña, Mutt explores the constant micro-aggressions that trans people face daily—even in a supposedly hyper-tolerant locale, especially from loved ones—and the connections and community that make these encounters sting a little bit less. Even when Feña faces his capricious ex-boyfriend, moody tween […]
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/18/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
“Don’t you want to be, like, a full man?” The ditzy, coke-addled Jenny (Sarah Hermann) isn’t being figurative when she asks that question to Feña (Lio Mehiel), a trans man, in Mutt, writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut. She wants to know whether or not Feña has a penis. “I don’t need a dick for that,” Feña answers.
The didactic cadence of that exchange is the order of the day throughout this film, in which ignorant dolts are prone to sticking their feet in their mouths, followed by Feña responding with an edifying retort. Lungulov-Klotz’s screenplay evinces an obvious sincerity, aiming to examine the difficulties of post-transition experience, but these admirable ambitions are significantly limited by the writing’s often literal-minded dramatizing of its central concerns.
Part of what’s peculiar about Mutt is how it unfolds as if trans discourse hasn’t become widespread in the past decade,...
The didactic cadence of that exchange is the order of the day throughout this film, in which ignorant dolts are prone to sticking their feet in their mouths, followed by Feña responding with an edifying retort. Lungulov-Klotz’s screenplay evinces an obvious sincerity, aiming to examine the difficulties of post-transition experience, but these admirable ambitions are significantly limited by the writing’s often literal-minded dramatizing of its central concerns.
Part of what’s peculiar about Mutt is how it unfolds as if trans discourse hasn’t become widespread in the past decade,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
Having earned Sundance’s first Best Actor award for a trans performer, Lío Mehiel, Mutt arrives with a bit of buzz more historic than critical. Following a festival run that also included Berlinale and New Directros/New Films, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut will open next month from Strand Releasing, ahead of which is a first trailer briefly encapsulating the film’s view of trans experience.
While recognizing its necessary social impacts we were somewhat mixed on the film’s overall form. Writing out of Sundance, Dan Mecca said in his review, “This is the feature debut for Lungulov-Klotz, and in some moments a preciousness shows. The saying ‘kill your darlings’ might come to mind: confessional dialogue that’s telling us what’s already been shown, lingering close-ups that run out of steam before we cut away. Yet there is both an honesty and urgency to what’s onscreen that proves essential.
While recognizing its necessary social impacts we were somewhat mixed on the film’s overall form. Writing out of Sundance, Dan Mecca said in his review, “This is the feature debut for Lungulov-Klotz, and in some moments a preciousness shows. The saying ‘kill your darlings’ might come to mind: confessional dialogue that’s telling us what’s already been shown, lingering close-ups that run out of steam before we cut away. Yet there is both an honesty and urgency to what’s onscreen that proves essential.
- 7/18/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"Don't get caught up in these momentary feelings." Strand Releasing has unveiled an official trailer for an acclaimed indie drama titled Mutt, marking the feature directorial debut of the NYC-based filmmaker Vuk Lunglov-Koltz. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to many positive reviews, and it'll get a small theatrical release starting in August. Within the space of 24 hours, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion when people who seemed to disappear when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. Starring Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman, MiMi Ryder, and Alejandro Goic. Vuk Lunglov-Koltz's directorial debut is "at once precise in its specificity and wholly relatable in its grand humanity. A "visceral performance by Mehiel embodies inbetweenness in many forms. Mutt earns its most difficult discussions through its tenderness towards each character's struggle with the complexity of trans life, Latinx life in America, and of human life at large.
- 7/18/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Prescient and timely, given the conversations we’re having culturally about sexual identity, trans identity, and more, “Mutt” is a Sundance prize winner about a trans guy bustling through life in New York City.
“Mutt” premiered earlier this year at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where star Lío Mehiel won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting— the first trans actor in history to win the honor.
Continue reading ‘Mutt’ Trailer: Acclaimed Sundance Trans Drama Arrives In August at The Playlist.
“Mutt” premiered earlier this year at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where star Lío Mehiel won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting— the first trans actor in history to win the honor.
Continue reading ‘Mutt’ Trailer: Acclaimed Sundance Trans Drama Arrives In August at The Playlist.
- 7/18/2023
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
The trailer arrives today for Mutt, the feature debut of writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. The film premiered at Sundance in January, before subsequently screening at Berlinale (winning the Generation 14plus—Best Film award) and closing out this year’s New Directors/New Films. The trans coming-of-age film will open at New York City’s Film Forum later this summer. Here’s the official synopsis: Feña (Mehiel), a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that […]
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/18/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The trailer arrives today for Mutt, the feature debut of writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. The film premiered at Sundance in January, before subsequently screening at Berlinale (winning the Generation 14plus—Best Film award) and closing out this year’s New Directors/New Films. The trans coming-of-age film will open at New York City’s Film Forum later this summer. Here’s the official synopsis: Feña (Mehiel), a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that […]
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/18/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sundance breakout queer coming-of-age film “Mutt” is finally unleashed stateside. Writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut film stars Lío Mehiel as a young trans man named Feña, and the film won Mehiel a Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Strand releases the film in the U.S. this summer, beginning at New York’s Film Forum, and IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer premiere below.
“Mutt” follows Feña across his romances, friendships, and family over the course of one hectic day in New York City, where three people from Feña’s past are thrust back into his life. Having lost touch since transitioning from female to male, he navigates the new dynamics of old relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges of living life in between. Cole Doman, MiMi Ryder, and Alejandro Goic also star.
“Mutt” details Lungulov-Klotz’s own personal experience growing up in New York City as...
“Mutt” follows Feña across his romances, friendships, and family over the course of one hectic day in New York City, where three people from Feña’s past are thrust back into his life. Having lost touch since transitioning from female to male, he navigates the new dynamics of old relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges of living life in between. Cole Doman, MiMi Ryder, and Alejandro Goic also star.
“Mutt” details Lungulov-Klotz’s own personal experience growing up in New York City as...
- 7/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Updated with more quotes on actors strike and AI from original 7/14 story: The 41st edition of Outfest is underway in Los Angeles after an opening-night event dominated by talk of the actors strike.
“Let’s also acknowledge the elephant in the room,” Outfest Executive Director Damien Navarro said as he welcomed the festival crowd at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. “We are living in uncertain times where the very foundation of our industry is being shaken. Actors, writers and creators are facing immense challenges… I want to extend an even deeper and unwavering commitment to every artist and creator in our community who is grappling with the same fears and uncertainties.”
The Lgbtqia+ festival, which runs from July 13-23, kicked off with the narrative feature Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a drama about two high school boys in Texas and their friendship that develops into a romance.
“Let’s also acknowledge the elephant in the room,” Outfest Executive Director Damien Navarro said as he welcomed the festival crowd at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. “We are living in uncertain times where the very foundation of our industry is being shaken. Actors, writers and creators are facing immense challenges… I want to extend an even deeper and unwavering commitment to every artist and creator in our community who is grappling with the same fears and uncertainties.”
The Lgbtqia+ festival, which runs from July 13-23, kicked off with the narrative feature Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a drama about two high school boys in Texas and their friendship that develops into a romance.
- 7/14/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The SAG-AFTRA strike didn’t officially start until just after midnight on Friday, but Amandla Stenberg skipped the opening night of Outfest L.A. on Thursday in support of the movement.
The star of the upcoming “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” was expected to be on hand to receive the Platinum Maverick Award from the LGBTQ film festival, but Jacqueline Castel, director of the actor’s new indie, “The Animal,” accepted it on her behalf.
“Amandla is deeply honored and would love to be here to celebrate with you, but she cannot be here today due to her support of the actors strike,” Castel said.
Earlier in the evening, SAG-AFTRA tweeted its support of Outfest going ahead with its plans for opening night. “Reminder: the #SAGAFTRAstrike starts at 12:01 a.m. on July 14,” the tweet read. “#SAGAFTRAmembers can support #OutfestLA tonight. We’ll support each other on the #SAGAFTRAstrike picket lines tomorrow.
The star of the upcoming “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” was expected to be on hand to receive the Platinum Maverick Award from the LGBTQ film festival, but Jacqueline Castel, director of the actor’s new indie, “The Animal,” accepted it on her behalf.
“Amandla is deeply honored and would love to be here to celebrate with you, but she cannot be here today due to her support of the actors strike,” Castel said.
Earlier in the evening, SAG-AFTRA tweeted its support of Outfest going ahead with its plans for opening night. “Reminder: the #SAGAFTRAstrike starts at 12:01 a.m. on July 14,” the tweet read. “#SAGAFTRAmembers can support #OutfestLA tonight. We’ll support each other on the #SAGAFTRAstrike picket lines tomorrow.
- 7/14/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming film In The Summers starring Puerto Rican rapper René “Residente” Pérez Joglar, in his acting debut, and Leslie Grace has wrapped production in New Mexico, Deadline reports.
Exile Content Studio, a Candle Media Company, worked with Lexicon Development, 1868 Studios and Luz Films to produce the indie feature. Along with Residente and Grace, Sasha Calle and Lío Mehiel will star in director Alessandra Lacorazza’s feature debut.
The film tells the story of two sisters, Violeta (Mehiel) and Eva (Calle), who visit their father Vicente (Residente) during the summer,...
Exile Content Studio, a Candle Media Company, worked with Lexicon Development, 1868 Studios and Luz Films to produce the indie feature. Along with Residente and Grace, Sasha Calle and Lío Mehiel will star in director Alessandra Lacorazza’s feature debut.
The film tells the story of two sisters, Violeta (Mehiel) and Eva (Calle), who visit their father Vicente (Residente) during the summer,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: The indie feature In The Summers has wrapped production in New Mexico and Deadline has your first look at stars René “Residente” Pérez Joglar, in his acting debut, Sasha Calle (The Flash), Lío Mehiel (Mutt) and Leslie Grace (In The Heights) below.
Exile Content Studio, a Candle Media Company produced the project in association with Lexicon Development, alongside 1868 Studios and Luz Films.
From writer and director Alessandra Lacorazza in her feature debut, In The Summers tells the story of Latine sisters, Violeta (Lío) and Eva (Calle), who visit their loving but reckless father Vicente (Pérez Joglar) every summer. He creates a world of wonder but under the fun facade, he battles addiction which gradually erodes the magic, culminating in a devastating tragedy. Vicente tries to make up for the past, but wounds aren’t easily healed.
Grace portrays the character of Yenny. The character of Violeta will also...
Exile Content Studio, a Candle Media Company produced the project in association with Lexicon Development, alongside 1868 Studios and Luz Films.
From writer and director Alessandra Lacorazza in her feature debut, In The Summers tells the story of Latine sisters, Violeta (Lío) and Eva (Calle), who visit their loving but reckless father Vicente (Pérez Joglar) every summer. He creates a world of wonder but under the fun facade, he battles addiction which gradually erodes the magic, culminating in a devastating tragedy. Vicente tries to make up for the past, but wounds aren’t easily healed.
Grace portrays the character of Yenny. The character of Violeta will also...
- 7/11/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Song accepted the award at London’s Picturehouse Central cinema.
Celine Song’s Past Lives has won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London audience award, bringing the 10th edition of the UK event to a close at the Picturehouse Central cinema.
It is the latest international prize for Song’s debut feature, which launched in the Premieres section at the US Sundance event in January, and topped the Screen jury grid when in competition at the Berlinale.
Studiocanal will release Past Lives in UK cinemas from September 8; A24, which also produced the film, released it in the US last month.
Past Lives...
Celine Song’s Past Lives has won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London audience award, bringing the 10th edition of the UK event to a close at the Picturehouse Central cinema.
It is the latest international prize for Song’s debut feature, which launched in the Premieres section at the US Sundance event in January, and topped the Screen jury grid when in competition at the Berlinale.
Studiocanal will release Past Lives in UK cinemas from September 8; A24, which also produced the film, released it in the US last month.
Past Lives...
- 7/9/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Outfest announced the full line up for its 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Festival presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America, taking place July 13 – 23 in venues around Los Angeles and is headquartered at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood. Tickets and passes are available to Outfest members today, and to the general public starting Friday, June 23rd.
The festival also announced that it will be honoring Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone with the James Schamus Ally Award during the festival’s closing night in recognition of allies’ efforts to foster Queer and Trans moving images and to promote our communities’ stories to a broader audience. Additionally, McCarthy and Falcone are both executive producers on Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story, a short documentary directed by Zeb Newman and Michiel Thomas that will be featured at this year’s festival, about a West Hollywood candle shop owner...
The festival also announced that it will be honoring Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone with the James Schamus Ally Award during the festival’s closing night in recognition of allies’ efforts to foster Queer and Trans moving images and to promote our communities’ stories to a broader audience. Additionally, McCarthy and Falcone are both executive producers on Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story, a short documentary directed by Zeb Newman and Michiel Thomas that will be featured at this year’s festival, about a West Hollywood candle shop owner...
- 6/22/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Just two minutes into trans filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut, Mutt, viewers bear witness to how exposed the main character Feña is to others’ projections about his identity. In the scene, Feña’s father refers to him by his birth name, Fernanda, when he calls and questions how he’ll be able to recognize him at the airport because of his recent transition; moments later, a passerby remarks “Nice Spanglish” after overhearing the call. Yet in situations where such othering has often led to stereotypical queer archetyping onscreen, Feña’s terse rebuttals immediately demonstrate he’s no downtrodden trans trope.
“On the page, Feña was written as a lot more caustic and prickly,” says transmasculine actor and artist Lío Mehiel, who portrays Feña in the film (out Aug. 18) about a hellish day in New York City where everything seems to go wrong. “I’m naturally a pretty soft and...
“On the page, Feña was written as a lot more caustic and prickly,” says transmasculine actor and artist Lío Mehiel, who portrays Feña in the film (out Aug. 18) about a hellish day in New York City where everything seems to go wrong. “I’m naturally a pretty soft and...
- 6/15/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 10th Sundance Film Festival: London runs July 6-9 and will feature an industry section with keynote sessions led by A24 Execs Harpa Manku and Tom Lazenby and new London Film Festival head Kristy Matheson.
The trio will all headline events during the festival alongside producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke; casting agent Heather Basten; composer Nainita Desai; Elysian CEO Danny Perkins; and Black Bear International’s Luane Gauer.
Filmmakers Alice Lowe, Zeina Durra, Gurinder Chadha, and Marianna Palka will also headline sessions. The festival has also added three panel events to the schedule, with speakers including Past Lives director Celine Song, Girl filmmaker Adura Onashile, Polite Society’s Nida Manzoor, and Molly Manning Walker, writer-director of the buzzy Cannes pic How to Have Sex. Ira Sachs, Gregg Araki, Ita O’Brien, intimacy coordinator and founder of Intimacy on Set, and Lío Mehiel, will shepherd a separate panel, while Anthony Bregman will host an industry keynote.
The trio will all headline events during the festival alongside producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke; casting agent Heather Basten; composer Nainita Desai; Elysian CEO Danny Perkins; and Black Bear International’s Luane Gauer.
Filmmakers Alice Lowe, Zeina Durra, Gurinder Chadha, and Marianna Palka will also headline sessions. The festival has also added three panel events to the schedule, with speakers including Past Lives director Celine Song, Girl filmmaker Adura Onashile, Polite Society’s Nida Manzoor, and Molly Manning Walker, writer-director of the buzzy Cannes pic How to Have Sex. Ira Sachs, Gregg Araki, Ita O’Brien, intimacy coordinator and founder of Intimacy on Set, and Lío Mehiel, will shepherd a separate panel, while Anthony Bregman will host an industry keynote.
- 6/15/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Guests to attend include Harris Dickinson, Emilia Jones, Anton Corbijn.
New BFI London Film Festival director Kristy Matheson, Elysian CEO Danny Perkins and producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke are among the recent additions to the industry programme at next month’s Sundance Film Festival: London (July 6-9).
All four will be speaking at the event, as will filmmakers Gurinder Chadha, Alice Lowe, Marianna Palka and Zeina Durra; composer Nainita Desai; and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 casting director Heather Basten.
Further new speakers include A24 executives Harpa Manku and Tom Lazenby; and Luane Gauer, SVP, international production and acquisitions at Black Bear International.
New BFI London Film Festival director Kristy Matheson, Elysian CEO Danny Perkins and producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke are among the recent additions to the industry programme at next month’s Sundance Film Festival: London (July 6-9).
All four will be speaking at the event, as will filmmakers Gurinder Chadha, Alice Lowe, Marianna Palka and Zeina Durra; composer Nainita Desai; and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 casting director Heather Basten.
Further new speakers include A24 executives Harpa Manku and Tom Lazenby; and Luane Gauer, SVP, international production and acquisitions at Black Bear International.
- 6/15/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Guests to attend include Harris Dickinson, Emilia Jones, Anton Corbijn.
New BFI London Film Festival director Kristy Matheson, Elysian CEO Danny Perkins and producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke are among the recent additions to the industry programme at next month’s Sundance Film Festival: London (July 6-9).
All four will be speaking at the event, as will filmmakers Gurinder Chadha, Alice Lowe, Marianna Palka and Zeina Durra; composer Nainita Desai; and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 casting director Heather Basten.
Further new speakers include A24 executives Harpa Manku and Tom Lazenby; and Luane Gauer, SVP, international production and acquisitions at Black Bear International.
New BFI London Film Festival director Kristy Matheson, Elysian CEO Danny Perkins and producers Tristan Goligher and Mary Burke are among the recent additions to the industry programme at next month’s Sundance Film Festival: London (July 6-9).
All four will be speaking at the event, as will filmmakers Gurinder Chadha, Alice Lowe, Marianna Palka and Zeina Durra; composer Nainita Desai; and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 casting director Heather Basten.
Further new speakers include A24 executives Harpa Manku and Tom Lazenby; and Luane Gauer, SVP, international production and acquisitions at Black Bear International.
- 6/15/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, the Chilean-Serbian filmmaker whose debut feature Mutt world premiered to stellar reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has signed with UTA and Mosaic for representation in all areas.
Lungulov-Klotz wrote, directed and produced the U.S. Competition drama, which has been picked up for distribution in North America by Strand Releasing. Pic tells the story of Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life, over the course of one day.
Lungulov-Klotz’s lead actor, Mehiel, was awarded Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for his performance, becoming the first trans actor to claim the prize. The film subsequently had its international premiere in the Generation 14+ section of the Berlin Film Festival before going on to close the New Directors/New Films Festival from The Museum of Modern Art and...
Lungulov-Klotz wrote, directed and produced the U.S. Competition drama, which has been picked up for distribution in North America by Strand Releasing. Pic tells the story of Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life, over the course of one day.
Lungulov-Klotz’s lead actor, Mehiel, was awarded Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for his performance, becoming the first trans actor to claim the prize. The film subsequently had its international premiere in the Generation 14+ section of the Berlin Film Festival before going on to close the New Directors/New Films Festival from The Museum of Modern Art and...
- 4/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sundance Prizewinning Trans Drama ‘Mutt’ Finds North American Home With Strand Releasing (Exclusive)
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Sundance award-winning trans drama “Mutt” in the run up to its screening on closing night of New Directors/New Films in New York.
Penned and directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, “Mutt” world premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Lio Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans man bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion, when people who seemed to have disappeared when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. He unexpectedly reconnects with an estranged ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), is suddenly saddled with his wayward little sister (MiMi Ryder), and nervously awaits their father (Alejandro Goic...
Penned and directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, “Mutt” world premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Lio Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans man bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion, when people who seemed to have disappeared when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. He unexpectedly reconnects with an estranged ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), is suddenly saddled with his wayward little sister (MiMi Ryder), and nervously awaits their father (Alejandro Goic...
- 4/7/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Zero Gravity Management has signed transmedia company Keenspot Entertainment, whose webcomic and graphic novel Marry Me by Bobby Crosby was recently adapted by Universal into the hit rom-com of the same name, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.
Related Story Paradigm Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Mutt’ Actor Lío Mehiel Related Story Zero Gravity Management Signs 'Narcos' & 'End Of Watch' Actor Maurice Compte Related Story Zero Gravity Signs 'Endangered' Collaborators Drew Walkup, Adam Armstrong & Marcus DeVivo; Actor Matt Raymond Inks With Cultivate
Released simultaneously last year in theaters and on Peacock, Marry Me hit #1 at the box office upon its Valentine’s Day weekend opening and also came in as Peacock’s most-streamed day-and-date title to date.
The company behind the source material, co-founded by CEO Chris Crosby, which has Bobby Crosby serving as President, launched as a pioneering publisher of webcomics in the year...
Related Story Paradigm Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Mutt’ Actor Lío Mehiel Related Story Zero Gravity Management Signs 'Narcos' & 'End Of Watch' Actor Maurice Compte Related Story Zero Gravity Signs 'Endangered' Collaborators Drew Walkup, Adam Armstrong & Marcus DeVivo; Actor Matt Raymond Inks With Cultivate
Released simultaneously last year in theaters and on Peacock, Marry Me hit #1 at the box office upon its Valentine’s Day weekend opening and also came in as Peacock’s most-streamed day-and-date title to date.
The company behind the source material, co-founded by CEO Chris Crosby, which has Bobby Crosby serving as President, launched as a pioneering publisher of webcomics in the year...
- 3/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Paradigm has signed actor, filmmaker and artist Lío Mehiel for representation in all areas on the heels of their breakout performance in Mutt, which led them to become the first trans actor to nab Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award at this year’s festival.
Related Story CAA Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Palm Trees And Power Lines’ Filmmaker Jamie Dack Related Story Paradigm Hires Varun Monga, Ups Sanam Sarani & Sheridan March To Agents; Paradigm Media's Two Twelve Adds Olivia Annacone Related Story Savanah Leaf's 'Earth Mama', Sundance Prize Winner 'Mutt' To Bookend New Directors/New Films
Mehiel’s first-ever feature, from writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, has them starring as Feña, a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life. Deadline’s Damon Wise, in his review of the film out of Sundance, called Mehiel’s performance “soul-baring” and “pitch-perfect,...
Related Story CAA Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Palm Trees And Power Lines’ Filmmaker Jamie Dack Related Story Paradigm Hires Varun Monga, Ups Sanam Sarani & Sheridan March To Agents; Paradigm Media's Two Twelve Adds Olivia Annacone Related Story Savanah Leaf's 'Earth Mama', Sundance Prize Winner 'Mutt' To Bookend New Directors/New Films
Mehiel’s first-ever feature, from writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, has them starring as Feña, a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life. Deadline’s Damon Wise, in his review of the film out of Sundance, called Mehiel’s performance “soul-baring” and “pitch-perfect,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sessions to run from March 27-29.
Six transgender storytellers of colour have been selected for the second edition of Sundance Institute’s Trans Possibilities Intensive programme which runs March 27-29.
The 2023 Fellows are: Seyi Adebanjo, Rajvi Desai, Malik Ever, Nick Janaye, Jamie John, and Tee Park Jaehyung.
Moi Santos will lead the sessions and is founder of the Trans Possibilities Intensive. Leadership includes creative advisors including Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe), Félix Endara (Inseen) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), as well as Sundance Institute’s Equity, Impact, and Belonging Program.
Six transgender storytellers of colour have been selected for the second edition of Sundance Institute’s Trans Possibilities Intensive programme which runs March 27-29.
The 2023 Fellows are: Seyi Adebanjo, Rajvi Desai, Malik Ever, Nick Janaye, Jamie John, and Tee Park Jaehyung.
Moi Santos will lead the sessions and is founder of the Trans Possibilities Intensive. Leadership includes creative advisors including Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe), Félix Endara (Inseen) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), as well as Sundance Institute’s Equity, Impact, and Belonging Program.
- 3/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Taking place between March 29 and April 9 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center, the 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films will commence with Savanah Leaf’s superb debut (and Sundance stand-out) Earth Mama, close with Vuk Lungolov-Klotz’s Mutt (winner of Best Actor at Sundance), and in-between showcase films from 41 directors––27 features, 11 shorts, and (I just counted) most continents.
So says La Frances Hui, Curator at MoMA’s Department of Film and Nd/Nf’s Co-chair: “This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse. The power of cinema to inspire imagination and explore perspectives is evident in the wide range of styles, ideas, and voices in the selection.”
See the full lineup below, including links to our reviews where available,...
So says La Frances Hui, Curator at MoMA’s Department of Film and Nd/Nf’s Co-chair: “This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse. The power of cinema to inspire imagination and explore perspectives is evident in the wide range of styles, ideas, and voices in the selection.”
See the full lineup below, including links to our reviews where available,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Watching Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival evoked nostalgia for the festival’s previous decades, when there was a greater concentration of films that were earnest, realist, short and low budget. Of course, the festival never stopped showcasing films that depict members of marginalised communities but there’s an authentic vibe and leanness in this story of a trans person struggling with early adulthood that recalls American independent cinema before everyone had had high-quality digital cameras, tracking gimbals, drones and extensive production resources.
That’s not to suggest Lungulov-Klotz’s feels cheap or clunky — it’s simply confident enough in its characters to tell its story without sensationalism or stylistic overcompensation. The character in question is Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young trans man trying to keep his life together during a chaotic night and day in New York City, in which the past keeps pulling back at him while the present.
That’s not to suggest Lungulov-Klotz’s feels cheap or clunky — it’s simply confident enough in its characters to tell its story without sensationalism or stylistic overcompensation. The character in question is Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young trans man trying to keep his life together during a chaotic night and day in New York City, in which the past keeps pulling back at him while the present.
- 2/26/2023
- by Jeremy Mathews
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Hummingbirds, the documentary feature debut of directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, has won the Crystal Bear, the top prize for best film, at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival’s Generation 14plus section.
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
- 2/25/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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