Ask any independent producer and they’ll tell you: making movies is a piece of cake. Scouring the Earth for viable, quality material? Wrangling, gracefully, volatile talent egos? Raising stupid amounts of capital and wearily securing every stray element of physical production? Delegating responsibility, absorbing crew complaints and mallet-flattening nonstop whack-a-mole near-disasters? Shrewdly navigating distribution in a broken marketplace and finally—if you’re very lucky!—appropriately proportioning revenue shares under perpetual threat of litigation for the duration of your fleeting mortal existence? Like we said. Easy.
Just kidding. This is some of the hardest goddamn shit you’ll ever try to do. But for 30 years Film Independent has been doing all it can to support filmmakers across every discipline and career level. In theory, of course, producers are everyone else’s best resource—the adult in the room solving problems and providing steady leadership. But who watches the watchmen produces the producers?...
Just kidding. This is some of the hardest goddamn shit you’ll ever try to do. But for 30 years Film Independent has been doing all it can to support filmmakers across every discipline and career level. In theory, of course, producers are everyone else’s best resource—the adult in the room solving problems and providing steady leadership. But who watches the watchmen produces the producers?...
- 3/20/2024
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
Exclusive: Aaron Dominguez has signed with Anonymous Content for representation.
Dominguez is best known for his breakout role in Season 1 of the hit Hulu murder mystery series Only Murders in the Building. He portrayed the cryptic Oscar Torres — better known as Tie-Dye Guy — an old friend of Mabel’s (Selena Gomez) with whom she teams up to help solve a crime alongside her two new podcast buddies, Charles-Haden (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short). Also for the small screen, Dominguez starred in the Max series Gossip Girl.
Next, he focused on feature projects including work in The Inspection (2022) for A24 starring opposite Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. The Elegance Bratton-directed film tells the story of a young, gay Black man (Pope), rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes...
Dominguez is best known for his breakout role in Season 1 of the hit Hulu murder mystery series Only Murders in the Building. He portrayed the cryptic Oscar Torres — better known as Tie-Dye Guy — an old friend of Mabel’s (Selena Gomez) with whom she teams up to help solve a crime alongside her two new podcast buddies, Charles-Haden (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short). Also for the small screen, Dominguez starred in the Max series Gossip Girl.
Next, he focused on feature projects including work in The Inspection (2022) for A24 starring opposite Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. The Elegance Bratton-directed film tells the story of a young, gay Black man (Pope), rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes...
- 1/11/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
In what is an annual tradition, A24 led all nominations at this morning’s 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations with 11, while the indie studio’s Past Lives, along with Netflix’s May December and Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, each tallied five noms apiece.
The titles up for the Spirits’ marquee Best Feature include Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, A24’s Past Lives, Netflix’s May December, Sony Pictures Classics’ We Grown Now and Mubi’s Passages.
As of this post, three movies have yet to open: We Grown Now, American Fiction (which goes limited on December 15) and All of Us Strangers (December 22). Passages played the arthouse circuit over the summer, grossing around $551,000. May December is available to stream on Netflix, while Past Lives has made close to $11 million stateside and more than $20M worldwide, a very good gross for a specialty release in the post-pandemic marketplace.
The titles up for the Spirits’ marquee Best Feature include Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, A24’s Past Lives, Netflix’s May December, Sony Pictures Classics’ We Grown Now and Mubi’s Passages.
As of this post, three movies have yet to open: We Grown Now, American Fiction (which goes limited on December 15) and All of Us Strangers (December 22). Passages played the arthouse circuit over the summer, grossing around $551,000. May December is available to stream on Netflix, while Past Lives has made close to $11 million stateside and more than $20M worldwide, a very good gross for a specialty release in the post-pandemic marketplace.
- 12/5/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
2023 edition of international finance forum adds episodic content to line-up.
Canadian 2Slgbtq+ film festival Inside Out has unveiled 11 projects to participate in this weekend’s seventh annual international finance forum, which is moving ahead after the end of the Hollywood strikes.
The two-day forum had been scheduled to run during Inside Out’s flagship festival in Toronto in May and now takes place from November 17-18.
The agenda includes in-person conversations and interactive panel discussions with queer filmmakers and producers, as well as one-on-one meetings with executives, and roundtable sessions on co-producing with Canada, and entertainment law and music rights.
Canadian 2Slgbtq+ film festival Inside Out has unveiled 11 projects to participate in this weekend’s seventh annual international finance forum, which is moving ahead after the end of the Hollywood strikes.
The two-day forum had been scheduled to run during Inside Out’s flagship festival in Toronto in May and now takes place from November 17-18.
The agenda includes in-person conversations and interactive panel discussions with queer filmmakers and producers, as well as one-on-one meetings with executives, and roundtable sessions on co-producing with Canada, and entertainment law and music rights.
- 11/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
FX released the official trailer for “American Horror Stories” Season 3, the spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s anthology series “American Horror Story.” The spin-off features a different horror story in each episode.
The trailer revealed that “Real Housewives” alum Lisa Rinna will star in the “Tapeworm” episode of Season 3, which premieres Oct. 26. The official logline for that installment reads, “An up-and-coming model will stop at nothing in her hunger for success.” The episode was written by Joe Baken and directed by Alexis Martin Woodall.
“Smize for the camera, sweetie,” Rinna’s character says in the trailer. She later responds to a young patient’s concern about a monster inside of her with the question, “But are you hungry?”
Alongside Rinna, the “Tapeworm” cast includes Laura Kariuki, Hazel Graye and Rob Yang.
From the trailer, it looks like Yang prescribes Kariuki’s model a tapeworm to help her lose weight for her modeling career.
The trailer revealed that “Real Housewives” alum Lisa Rinna will star in the “Tapeworm” episode of Season 3, which premieres Oct. 26. The official logline for that installment reads, “An up-and-coming model will stop at nothing in her hunger for success.” The episode was written by Joe Baken and directed by Alexis Martin Woodall.
“Smize for the camera, sweetie,” Rinna’s character says in the trailer. She later responds to a young patient’s concern about a monster inside of her with the question, “But are you hungry?”
Alongside Rinna, the “Tapeworm” cast includes Laura Kariuki, Hazel Graye and Rob Yang.
From the trailer, it looks like Yang prescribes Kariuki’s model a tapeworm to help her lose weight for her modeling career.
- 10/16/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
The one-minute trailer for FX’s special American Horror Stories Huluween event provides a freaky first look at the four-episode event. The trailer’s release was accompanied by additional details on the four episodes – “Bestie,” “Daphne,” “Tapeworm,” and “Organ” – including cast info and brief synopses.
“Bestie” involves a young woman who seeks connection with a mysterious online friend following the loss of her mother. Max Winkler directed from a script by Joe Baken, and Emma Halleen, Seth Gabel, Jessica Barden, Jeff Hiller, and Amrou Al-Kadhi star.
“Daphne,” directed by Elegance Bratton, will feature an artificial intelligence smart device that grows attached to her user. Written by Brad Falchuk and Manny Coto, “Daphne” stars Reid Scott, Annie Hamilton, Allegra Heart, and Christopher Fitzgerald.
“Tapeworm” is about an up-and-coming model who will stop at nothing in her hunger for success. Joe Baken wrote the script, Alexis Martin Woodall directed, and Laura Kariuki,...
“Bestie” involves a young woman who seeks connection with a mysterious online friend following the loss of her mother. Max Winkler directed from a script by Joe Baken, and Emma Halleen, Seth Gabel, Jessica Barden, Jeff Hiller, and Amrou Al-Kadhi star.
“Daphne,” directed by Elegance Bratton, will feature an artificial intelligence smart device that grows attached to her user. Written by Brad Falchuk and Manny Coto, “Daphne” stars Reid Scott, Annie Hamilton, Allegra Heart, and Christopher Fitzgerald.
“Tapeworm” is about an up-and-coming model who will stop at nothing in her hunger for success. Joe Baken wrote the script, Alexis Martin Woodall directed, and Laura Kariuki,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Exclusive: Film Independent has set seven filmmakers for the 2023 edition of its Producing Lab, an intensive program designed to help creative, independent producers develop their skills and further their careers. The list includes Camila Grimaldi & Farah Jabir (AmeriGirl), Rob Cristiano (Gone by Morning), Daniel Tantalean (In the Summers), Valeria Contreras (Not My Name), Annalisa Shoemaker (Obsolete), and Fiona Hardingham (Smoke Country).
Film Independent looks to bolster its Fellows by introducing them to film professionals who can advise them on both the craft and business of independent producing. Each is paired with a Creative Advisor, with whom they’ll look to develop a project over the course of the program. Rebecca Green will serve as lead creative advisor for this year’s program, which will also feature an expansive roster of guest speakers: Jason Michael Berman, Apoorva Charan, Marissa Frobes, Nate Kamiya, Kristen Konvitz, Stephen Lee, Alex Lo, Lauren Mann, Jack Pearkes,...
Film Independent looks to bolster its Fellows by introducing them to film professionals who can advise them on both the craft and business of independent producing. Each is paired with a Creative Advisor, with whom they’ll look to develop a project over the course of the program. Rebecca Green will serve as lead creative advisor for this year’s program, which will also feature an expansive roster of guest speakers: Jason Michael Berman, Apoorva Charan, Marissa Frobes, Nate Kamiya, Kristen Konvitz, Stephen Lee, Alex Lo, Lauren Mann, Jack Pearkes,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” by director Nathan Truesdell won TheWrap’s ShortList Film Festival Industry Award Wednesday night at The Culver Theater in Culver City, California.
Truesdell, who was also a producer and cinematographer on the Oscar-nominated doc “Ascension,” documented the disastrous LAPD operation of 2021 that devastated South Central after police accidentally blew up a truck full of confiscated fireworks. The 19-minute doc follows local residents, many of whom are still homeless two years later.
“For its experimental, bold truth-telling and for pushing the form of what a documentary can be while balancing tremendous narrative tension, this film brings to light issues of oppression while challenging us to find solutions,” the festival’s jury said in a statement explaining their decision.
Also Read:
ShortList 2023: ‘Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó’ Director Hopes You’ll Fall in Love With His Grandmothers
The jury was comprised of producer Amy Baer,...
Truesdell, who was also a producer and cinematographer on the Oscar-nominated doc “Ascension,” documented the disastrous LAPD operation of 2021 that devastated South Central after police accidentally blew up a truck full of confiscated fireworks. The 19-minute doc follows local residents, many of whom are still homeless two years later.
“For its experimental, bold truth-telling and for pushing the form of what a documentary can be while balancing tremendous narrative tension, this film brings to light issues of oppression while challenging us to find solutions,” the festival’s jury said in a statement explaining their decision.
Also Read:
ShortList 2023: ‘Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó’ Director Hopes You’ll Fall in Love With His Grandmothers
The jury was comprised of producer Amy Baer,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Hillary Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions has partnered with Roger Ross Williams and “The Inspection” director Elegance Bratton on a feature documentary about 1979’s Disco Demolition Night in Chicago.
Known as one of the darkest days in American music history, the incident saw 50,000 white teenagers descend on Chicago’s Comiskey Park to blow up records made by mostly Black artists.
The doc, which is called “The Night Disco Died,” is a co-production between HiddenLight and One Story Up, and will be presented by Impact Partners and Los Angeles Media Fund (Lamf).
The film will be directed and produced by Bratton, produced by Chester Algernal Gordon (“The Inspection”) and executive produced by Oscar winner and One Story Up’s Williams (“Life Animated”), Geoff Martz, and HiddenLight Productions’ Siobhan Sinnerton, Johnny Webb and Brenda Robinson.
Executive producers include: Andrew Blau, Morgan Earnest, Nina and David Fialkow, Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch, Melony and Adam Lewis,...
Known as one of the darkest days in American music history, the incident saw 50,000 white teenagers descend on Chicago’s Comiskey Park to blow up records made by mostly Black artists.
The doc, which is called “The Night Disco Died,” is a co-production between HiddenLight and One Story Up, and will be presented by Impact Partners and Los Angeles Media Fund (Lamf).
The film will be directed and produced by Bratton, produced by Chester Algernal Gordon (“The Inspection”) and executive produced by Oscar winner and One Story Up’s Williams (“Life Animated”), Geoff Martz, and HiddenLight Productions’ Siobhan Sinnerton, Johnny Webb and Brenda Robinson.
Executive producers include: Andrew Blau, Morgan Earnest, Nina and David Fialkow, Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch, Melony and Adam Lewis,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
TheWrap is proud to present the 12 finalist films in the 2023 ShortList Film Festival, chosen from award-winning shorts from across the world in the past year. This year’s films tell personal stories that captivate and inspire — including a film about two Chinese grandmothers, a film about scuba diving in the ruins of a tsunami and one film about the LAPD blowing up a neighborhood.
The films – which include narrative, documentaries and animation - are available to watch and vote on from June 28 through July 12, exclusively on TheWrap.
The award-winning short film that is chosen by TheWrap’s Industry Jury will be honored with the prestigious Industry Prize. This year’s jury comprises award-winning producer Christine Vachon, director Elegance Bratton, veteran producer Amy Baer and PR veteran Joshua Jackson. The Shortlist is programmed by respected short film programmer Landon Zakheim.
The top-ranking short film that receives the most online votes will...
The films – which include narrative, documentaries and animation - are available to watch and vote on from June 28 through July 12, exclusively on TheWrap.
The award-winning short film that is chosen by TheWrap’s Industry Jury will be honored with the prestigious Industry Prize. This year’s jury comprises award-winning producer Christine Vachon, director Elegance Bratton, veteran producer Amy Baer and PR veteran Joshua Jackson. The Shortlist is programmed by respected short film programmer Landon Zakheim.
The top-ranking short film that receives the most online votes will...
- 6/28/2023
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
The 1983 underground hit follows a woman who works at a pornographic cinema.
UK distributor Other Parties has acquired UK and Ireland rights to the 2k restoration of Bette Gordon’s 1983 underground hit Variety.
The film will have a theatrical release in August this year, followed by a Blu-ray release.
Variety centres around a young woman whose job at a pornographic cinema near Times Square awakens her sexuality. It originally premiered at Toronto and Cannes back in 1983.
Sandy McLeod leads the cast with Will Patton, Richard Davidson, Luis Guzman and the photographer, and subject of recent documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed,...
UK distributor Other Parties has acquired UK and Ireland rights to the 2k restoration of Bette Gordon’s 1983 underground hit Variety.
The film will have a theatrical release in August this year, followed by a Blu-ray release.
Variety centres around a young woman whose job at a pornographic cinema near Times Square awakens her sexuality. It originally premiered at Toronto and Cannes back in 1983.
Sandy McLeod leads the cast with Will Patton, Richard Davidson, Luis Guzman and the photographer, and subject of recent documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The festival runs June 23 - July 1.
Films by Jessica Hausner, Elegance Bratton and Sebastian Silva are among 36 titles selected for the Filmfest München’s three international competition strands, CineMasters, CineVision and CineRebels. The festival runs June 23-July 1.
CineMasters
Hausner’s Club Zero will be joined by another four Cannes competition titles - Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster - to screen in Munich’s CineMasters competition for the €50,000 Arri Award which is presented to the producers of the best international film.
The 12-title line-up also includes...
Films by Jessica Hausner, Elegance Bratton and Sebastian Silva are among 36 titles selected for the Filmfest München’s three international competition strands, CineMasters, CineVision and CineRebels. The festival runs June 23-July 1.
CineMasters
Hausner’s Club Zero will be joined by another four Cannes competition titles - Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster - to screen in Munich’s CineMasters competition for the €50,000 Arri Award which is presented to the producers of the best international film.
The 12-title line-up also includes...
- 6/13/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Madison Iseman (Jumanji franchise), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Antonia Desplat (Shantaram) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark) have signed on to star alongside Stranger Things‘ Jamie Campbell Bower in Chuck Russell’s remake of the ’80s supernatural horror Witchboard, which is now in production in Montreal.
The new film watches as recovering drug addict Emily (Iseman), her fiancé Christian (Dominguez) and a group of their friends open an organic café, refurbishing an old carriage house in New Orleans’ French Quarter. A darkness descends over Emily when she discovers an ancient pendulum board, once used to summon spirits, with Christian then seeking help for Emily from occult expert Alexander Babtiste. Babtiste, however, has secrets of his own, knowing the fateful bloodlines that binds them all to the Witchboard. A modern coven of White Witches, a masked ball at Babtiste’s mansion, and the legacy of Naga Soth, the Queen of Witches,...
The new film watches as recovering drug addict Emily (Iseman), her fiancé Christian (Dominguez) and a group of their friends open an organic café, refurbishing an old carriage house in New Orleans’ French Quarter. A darkness descends over Emily when she discovers an ancient pendulum board, once used to summon spirits, with Christian then seeking help for Emily from occult expert Alexander Babtiste. Babtiste, however, has secrets of his own, knowing the fateful bloodlines that binds them all to the Witchboard. A modern coven of White Witches, a masked ball at Babtiste’s mansion, and the legacy of Naga Soth, the Queen of Witches,...
- 5/1/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Air, Renfield, Beef, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Murder Mystery 2.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves premiere
Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head and co-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley walked the carpet at Sunday’s L.A. premiere of their Dungeons & Dragons flick.
Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Daisy Head, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page and Jeremy Latcham Chris Pine, Paramount Pictures president and CEO Brian Robbins, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Air premiere
After first debuting at SXSW, Ben Affleck and his cast of Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina and Chris Tucker brought their Nike film to Los Angeles on Monday.
Marlon Wayans,...
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves premiere
Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head and co-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley walked the carpet at Sunday’s L.A. premiere of their Dungeons & Dragons flick.
Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Daisy Head, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page and Jeremy Latcham Chris Pine, Paramount Pictures president and CEO Brian Robbins, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Air premiere
After first debuting at SXSW, Ben Affleck and his cast of Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina and Chris Tucker brought their Nike film to Los Angeles on Monday.
Marlon Wayans,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Outfest is gearing up for the 20th anniversary of its Outfest Fusion Qtbipoc Film Festival.
The organization revealed on Tuesday the lineup of films that will screen during the 10-day festival as well as the news that The Inspection filmmaker Elegance Bratton has been selected to receive the Fusion Achievement Award at the opening night gala on March 24.
The honor recognizes “an individual who has made a significant contribution to LGBTQ+ visibility in stories, arts and media,” per Outfest. Bratton has been making the rounds as of late for A24’s The Inspection starring Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. Inspired by his own story, The Inspection follows a gay Black man who is rejected by his mother and left with few options for his future. He then decides to join the Marines where he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of...
The organization revealed on Tuesday the lineup of films that will screen during the 10-day festival as well as the news that The Inspection filmmaker Elegance Bratton has been selected to receive the Fusion Achievement Award at the opening night gala on March 24.
The honor recognizes “an individual who has made a significant contribution to LGBTQ+ visibility in stories, arts and media,” per Outfest. Bratton has been making the rounds as of late for A24’s The Inspection starring Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. Inspired by his own story, The Inspection follows a gay Black man who is rejected by his mother and left with few options for his future. He then decides to join the Marines where he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of...
- 3/7/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Everything Everywhere All at Once cleaned up at the 38th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning seven awards, including best feature.
Stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan each collected another award to add to their hauls, taking home best lead performance and best supporting performance, respectively, while Stephanie Hsu won best breakthrough performance. The film’s writer-directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won the Spirit Award for best director and best screenplay, and Paul Rogers won for his editing work.
Heading into the show, Everything Everywhere All at Once led the film nominations with eight nods, winning every category in which it was nominated. Jamie Lee Curtis also was nominated but lost to her Eeao co-star Quan for best supporting performance.
On the TV side, The Bear was named best new scripted series, with Ayo Edebiri taking home the award for best supporting performance in a new scripted series.
Stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan each collected another award to add to their hauls, taking home best lead performance and best supporting performance, respectively, while Stephanie Hsu won best breakthrough performance. The film’s writer-directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won the Spirit Award for best director and best screenplay, and Paul Rogers won for his editing work.
Heading into the show, Everything Everywhere All at Once led the film nominations with eight nods, winning every category in which it was nominated. Jamie Lee Curtis also was nominated but lost to her Eeao co-star Quan for best supporting performance.
On the TV side, The Bear was named best new scripted series, with Ayo Edebiri taking home the award for best supporting performance in a new scripted series.
- 3/5/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Viola Davis, Will Smith claim top hours.
Angela Bassett enjoyed a night to remember at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony on a Saturday night which also saw Viola Davis and Will Smith honoured.
Bassett won Entertainer Of The Year, the top prize on the night, and also claimed Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – winner of the Outstanding Motion Picture award – and Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for 9-1-1.
Two further performances anchored in dignity and defiance earned the top acting awards. The Woman King star Davis took the Outstanding...
Angela Bassett enjoyed a night to remember at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony on a Saturday night which also saw Viola Davis and Will Smith honoured.
Bassett won Entertainer Of The Year, the top prize on the night, and also claimed Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – winner of the Outstanding Motion Picture award – and Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for 9-1-1.
Two further performances anchored in dignity and defiance earned the top acting awards. The Woman King star Davis took the Outstanding...
- 2/25/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
New Release Wall
“John Wick” 1 – 3 Stash Book Collection (Lionsgate): As the Keanu Reeves-loving world awaits the March release of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” superfans get an early gift with this box set of the first three films — in which the titular hit man Wick annihilates bad people for good reasons — in 4K Ultra HD. The three individual films arrive in steelbooks emblazoned with details specific to them, which in turn fit into a replica of Wick’s “stash book.” In other words, fans of excessive violence now get to house their preciouses in a cozy little death-house, and that’s adorable.
Also available:
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel): After the death of King T’Challa, the grieving citizens of Wakanda — including Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku and the Dora Milaje — fight to protect it from outside forces.
“Detective Knight: Independence” (Lionsgate): The final chapter of the...
“John Wick” 1 – 3 Stash Book Collection (Lionsgate): As the Keanu Reeves-loving world awaits the March release of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” superfans get an early gift with this box set of the first three films — in which the titular hit man Wick annihilates bad people for good reasons — in 4K Ultra HD. The three individual films arrive in steelbooks emblazoned with details specific to them, which in turn fit into a replica of Wick’s “stash book.” In other words, fans of excessive violence now get to house their preciouses in a cozy little death-house, and that’s adorable.
Also available:
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel): After the death of King T’Challa, the grieving citizens of Wakanda — including Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku and the Dora Milaje — fight to protect it from outside forces.
“Detective Knight: Independence” (Lionsgate): The final chapter of the...
- 2/20/2023
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday night, eight performers who, at different stages of their careers, experienced a big screen breakthrough in 2022, were feted with Virtuoso Awards: Austin Butler (Elvis), Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Nina Hoss (Tár), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Jeremy Pope (The Inspection), Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Jeremy Strong (Armageddon Time).
The Virtuoso Awards gathering at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre was moderated, as always, by TCM’s Dave Karger, who spoke on stage with each honoree individually before convening the entire group for a conversation.
Strong, an Emmy winner for Succession, said of being asked to play director James Gray’s father in Armageddon Time, “The responsibility felt massive,” noting that the character was “A Jewish Stanley Kowalski with a PhD.”
Quan, always full of energy, reflected on his journey...
The Virtuoso Awards gathering at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre was moderated, as always, by TCM’s Dave Karger, who spoke on stage with each honoree individually before convening the entire group for a conversation.
Strong, an Emmy winner for Succession, said of being asked to play director James Gray’s father in Armageddon Time, “The responsibility felt massive,” noting that the character was “A Jewish Stanley Kowalski with a PhD.”
Quan, always full of energy, reflected on his journey...
- 2/18/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 23rd annual Black Reel Awards took place Monday, February 6th, with “The Woman King” leading the field, snagging six awards including Best Picture. BAFTA nominee Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s historical epic is inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was close behind with five wins.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
- 2/7/2023
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The Woman King that edged out all of the competition at The Black Reel Awards this year. With six wins out of the fourteen nominations, The Woman King nabbed wins for outstanding film, outstanding director, outstanding ensemble, breakthrough actress, outstanding score and outstanding editing.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping epic that focused on the women warriors of Dahomey, narrowly overtook Marvel’s superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which garnered 5 Black Reel wins of its own. Going into the night, Wakanda Forever was tied with The Woman King with fourteen award nominations. With her third Black Reel Award win for Outstanding Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the fantastic Ruth E. Carter became the most decorated technical award winner in Black Reel history.
Actress Angela Bassett also made Black Reel history, becoming the first woman ever to win an acting and honorary award in the same year. Ms. Bassett won...
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping epic that focused on the women warriors of Dahomey, narrowly overtook Marvel’s superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which garnered 5 Black Reel wins of its own. Going into the night, Wakanda Forever was tied with The Woman King with fourteen award nominations. With her third Black Reel Award win for Outstanding Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the fantastic Ruth E. Carter became the most decorated technical award winner in Black Reel history.
Actress Angela Bassett also made Black Reel history, becoming the first woman ever to win an acting and honorary award in the same year. Ms. Bassett won...
- 2/7/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
How Two Sundance-Winning Films Forecast the Future for Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Production Company
Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad has much to celebrate in just the first few months of the new year: with two films, “A Thousand and One” and “Kokomo City” winning big at Sundance; the family film “Chang Can Dunk” launching March 10 on Disney+ ; a documentary about Mary Tyler Moore premiering at SXSW; and a sixth season of “The Chi” on the way.
The company, founded by the actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer in 2015, is at a pinnacle moment, but it’s also just getting started.
“Here’s the really interesting part about the next three months, it’s not like we snapped our fingers and got here,” Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani says, as he and Waithe joined Variety for a discussion over Zoom following the announcement of their Sundance wins. “This next three months is the culmination of the last few years of what Hillman Grad has built.”
He...
The company, founded by the actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer in 2015, is at a pinnacle moment, but it’s also just getting started.
“Here’s the really interesting part about the next three months, it’s not like we snapped our fingers and got here,” Hillman Grad CEO Rishi Rajani says, as he and Waithe joined Variety for a discussion over Zoom following the announcement of their Sundance wins. “This next three months is the culmination of the last few years of what Hillman Grad has built.”
He...
- 2/3/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Short of taking on a stint on Hell’s Kitchen, a guaranteed way to get yelled at is to face down a drill sergeant in training – where yelling, screaming, and belittlement often seems to be the path to obedience and regiment. The story of cinema is littered with bad boot camps, from the dehumanisation of Full Metal Jacket, to the satirical jingoism of Starship Troopers, to the futuristic fight training in Edge Of Tomorrow. Now, The Inspection comes with its own spin on the bruising military drama, starring Jeremy Pope as Ellis French – a Marine who enters the forces after being rejected by his mother for being gay. Suffice to say, his time in the gruelling environment of military training doesn’t bring easy comfort. Watch an exclusive clip here:
In the don’t-cross-him drill sergeant role here is Bokeem Woodbine, whose Leland Laws pushes French to the brink as the training continues.
In the don’t-cross-him drill sergeant role here is Bokeem Woodbine, whose Leland Laws pushes French to the brink as the training continues.
- 1/30/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
After a day of filming on “The Inspection,” Bokeem Woodbine would occasionally stroll into his hotel lobby and see the young actors who play Marines under his supervision “carrying on and having a great time.”
In person, director Elegance Bratton says, Woodbine is both “effortlessly funny” and a true gentleman, “caring and regal in his carriage like Sidney Poitier, with a real sweetness” and in a recent interview he was soft-spoken and thoughtful. But in the film, Bratton’s moving autobiographical story about a gay homeless young man who finds self-worth by proving himself in the Marine Corps boot camp, Woodbine plays head drill instructor Leland Laws, who rides all the young recruits but nearly self-destructs as he targets his venom on Bratton’s alter ego, Ellis French (Jeremy Pope).
Yet Woodbine’s take is more nuanced than clichéd — Bratton praises a brief smirk during a crucial confrontation with French...
In person, director Elegance Bratton says, Woodbine is both “effortlessly funny” and a true gentleman, “caring and regal in his carriage like Sidney Poitier, with a real sweetness” and in a recent interview he was soft-spoken and thoughtful. But in the film, Bratton’s moving autobiographical story about a gay homeless young man who finds self-worth by proving himself in the Marine Corps boot camp, Woodbine plays head drill instructor Leland Laws, who rides all the young recruits but nearly self-destructs as he targets his venom on Bratton’s alter ego, Ellis French (Jeremy Pope).
Yet Woodbine’s take is more nuanced than clichéd — Bratton praises a brief smirk during a crucial confrontation with French...
- 1/24/2023
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been nearly a decade since Justin Simien stormed Sundance with his debut feature “Dear White People.” Premiering in Park City in January 2014 — his first trip to the festival — it marked the realization of a long held dream. The audacious social satire had been Simien’s passion project, inspired by his own college experience and fueled by a concept trailer that went viral and an Indiegogo campaign that raised 40,000 for the cause. The reception to “Dear White People” — for which Simien won the breakthrough talent special jury prize — launched the filmmaker’s career, spawning a four-season Netflix series, his sophomore film “Bad Hair” (which also debuted at Sundance) and Disney’s upcoming “Haunted Mansion.”
Now, he’s back at the festival with a new mission: paying it forward.
“This is my first time going without having a movie there and I’m really excited to do that, because usually I’m a mess,...
Now, he’s back at the festival with a new mission: paying it forward.
“This is my first time going without having a movie there and I’m really excited to do that, because usually I’m a mess,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Power and privilege are often parts of the same formula — one almost inevitably leads to the other. The films of this award season examine the phenomenon in myriad ways: from factual to fictional, and within institutions as disparate as the military and the classical music community. The directors behind “The Inspection,” “Devotion,” “The Woman King” and “Tár” explored these dynamics both thematically and visually while shepherding their characters through four very different but equally powerful stories.
For “The Inspection,” director Elegance Bratton, whose film is based on his life experience, joining the Marines gave him a purpose and place that otherwise never existed for him.
“People assume that I named myself,” says Bratton, though he didn’t. He recognizes that it evokes assumptions even before anyone lays eyes on him, but intersectionality doesn’t bequeath a gay, Black man much. “[This is] my experience as a person who’s born on the outskirts of privilege.
For “The Inspection,” director Elegance Bratton, whose film is based on his life experience, joining the Marines gave him a purpose and place that otherwise never existed for him.
“People assume that I named myself,” says Bratton, though he didn’t. He recognizes that it evokes assumptions even before anyone lays eyes on him, but intersectionality doesn’t bequeath a gay, Black man much. “[This is] my experience as a person who’s born on the outskirts of privilege.
- 1/18/2023
- by Zoe Hewitt
- Variety Film + TV
Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington, Effie T. Brown and Debra Martin Chase have been named special honorees at the 2023 Black Reel Awards.
The Black Reel Awards — also known as “The Bolts” — are an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (Faaaf) recognizing the “excellence of African Americans and the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora in the global film industry.” The 23rd annual ceremony, presented in partnership with idobi Radio, will take place on Feb. 6, 2023.
“Since its inception, the Black Reel Awards have remained at the forefront of acknowledging the accomplishments of exceptional Black creatives. Each of these women has left an indelible mark on cinematic history and the culture,” said Black Reel Award founder and CEO Tim Gordon in a statement. “Idobi shares our passion for excellence, and together we take great delight in honoring this prolific group of icons.”
Bassett will...
The Black Reel Awards — also known as “The Bolts” — are an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (Faaaf) recognizing the “excellence of African Americans and the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora in the global film industry.” The 23rd annual ceremony, presented in partnership with idobi Radio, will take place on Feb. 6, 2023.
“Since its inception, the Black Reel Awards have remained at the forefront of acknowledging the accomplishments of exceptional Black creatives. Each of these women has left an indelible mark on cinematic history and the culture,” said Black Reel Award founder and CEO Tim Gordon in a statement. “Idobi shares our passion for excellence, and together we take great delight in honoring this prolific group of icons.”
Bassett will...
- 1/16/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
To some, the awards season schedule can feel like an exhausting, soul-crushing experience. But for filmmaker Sarah Polley and Hildur Gudnadóttir, it’s simply the best.
“We’re going to all the events,” said Women Talking and Tár composer Gudnadóttir while standing next to pal Polley on the red carpet at the BAFTA Tea at Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills on Saturday. “It’s actually really fun because we don’t see each other very often and it’s been a really great excuse to hang out with Sarah and just go to all the events with her. We’ve been pissing ourselves with laughter.”
Polley, on the circuit for her critically acclaimed Women Talking, called it “weirdly amazing” that others may complain about the demands and dizzying number of red carpets while she’s embracing the chaos. “We’re having the best time ever. We go to everything,...
“We’re going to all the events,” said Women Talking and Tár composer Gudnadóttir while standing next to pal Polley on the red carpet at the BAFTA Tea at Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills on Saturday. “It’s actually really fun because we don’t see each other very often and it’s been a really great excuse to hang out with Sarah and just go to all the events with her. We’ve been pissing ourselves with laughter.”
Polley, on the circuit for her critically acclaimed Women Talking, called it “weirdly amazing” that others may complain about the demands and dizzying number of red carpets while she’s embracing the chaos. “We’re having the best time ever. We go to everything,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for its two film categories at the upcoming 75th annual DGA Awards.
While “The Fabelmans” director Steven Spielberg getting into the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film category a second year in a row was the most expected outcome, the rest of the list calls for a longer conversation about how the Guild has shown unexpected progress and unfortunately expected regression.
After two years in a row where a woman director won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film (“Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao in 2021 and “The Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion in 2022), the guild did not even nominate a single woman in the category this year. Though it was a predictable outcome as the most likely candidates, “Women Talking” director Sarah Polley and “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, both have films that have...
While “The Fabelmans” director Steven Spielberg getting into the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film category a second year in a row was the most expected outcome, the rest of the list calls for a longer conversation about how the Guild has shown unexpected progress and unfortunately expected regression.
After two years in a row where a woman director won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film (“Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao in 2021 and “The Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion in 2022), the guild did not even nominate a single woman in the category this year. Though it was a predictable outcome as the most likely candidates, “Women Talking” director Sarah Polley and “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, both have films that have...
- 1/11/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
As Natalie Portman famously pointed out at the Golden Globes in 2018, “here are the all-male nominees” for the 2023 Directors Guild of America Awards.
In the main category for feature film, the group nominated Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert(“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Todd Field (“Tár”), Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”).
Despite critically acclaimed movies from female directors like Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Chinonye Chukwu (“Till”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”), the DGA voters failed to recognize their achievements. This comes after the Golden Globes gave Spielberg its directing prize on Tuesday, where no women were nominated.
Also missing from the lineup are James Cameron for “Avatar: The Way of Water” and Baz Luhrmann for “Elvis,” both considered very competitive in the directing races.
While the DGA fumbled in the top category, they made...
In the main category for feature film, the group nominated Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert(“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Todd Field (“Tár”), Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”).
Despite critically acclaimed movies from female directors like Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”), Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Chinonye Chukwu (“Till”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”), the DGA voters failed to recognize their achievements. This comes after the Golden Globes gave Spielberg its directing prize on Tuesday, where no women were nominated.
Also missing from the lineup are James Cameron for “Avatar: The Way of Water” and Baz Luhrmann for “Elvis,” both considered very competitive in the directing races.
While the DGA fumbled in the top category, they made...
- 1/11/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar races for best picture, director and the four acting categories will be put into focus.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the SAG Awards will kick things off with their unveiling of its nominees in film and television (Variety has shared its final predictions).
Afterward, the Directors Guild of America will reveal the five directorial achievements for this year’s upcoming 75th ceremony, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Feb. 18, the day before the BAFTA Awards.
You can’t talk about the director race without Steven Spielberg being a part of it, even with the BAFTA snub from the longlist. This year, Spielberg, who won the Oscar prize twice for helming — “Schindler’s List” (1993) and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) — finds himself in one of his most substantial positions yet for his deeply personal drama “The Fabelmans.” With three DGA wins and 12 nominations, Spielberg is both the most awarded and most nominated filmmaker in history.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the SAG Awards will kick things off with their unveiling of its nominees in film and television (Variety has shared its final predictions).
Afterward, the Directors Guild of America will reveal the five directorial achievements for this year’s upcoming 75th ceremony, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Feb. 18, the day before the BAFTA Awards.
You can’t talk about the director race without Steven Spielberg being a part of it, even with the BAFTA snub from the longlist. This year, Spielberg, who won the Oscar prize twice for helming — “Schindler’s List” (1993) and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) — finds himself in one of his most substantial positions yet for his deeply personal drama “The Fabelmans.” With three DGA wins and 12 nominations, Spielberg is both the most awarded and most nominated filmmaker in history.
- 1/10/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
Famous parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic co-wrote the script of his own satirical biopic, which stars Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. Appel’s film charts Yankovic’s rise to fame as well as his fictionalized relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood).
Elegance Bratton (The Inspection)
Bratton’s first narrative feature (he helmed the 2019 doc Pier Kids) is an autobiographical drama chronicling the story of a gay man (Jeremy Pope) who joins the Marines when he feels he has nowhere to turn after being rejected by his homophobic mother (Gabrielle Union).
Mariama Diallo (Master)
Regina Hall leads this horror film as Gail Bishop, the first Black woman to serve as dean of students at a prestigious college. Along with two other Black women at the school, Gail soon discovers a disturbing underlying presence at the predominantly white institution.
Adamma Ebo (Honk for Jesus.
Famous parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic co-wrote the script of his own satirical biopic, which stars Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. Appel’s film charts Yankovic’s rise to fame as well as his fictionalized relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood).
Elegance Bratton (The Inspection)
Bratton’s first narrative feature (he helmed the 2019 doc Pier Kids) is an autobiographical drama chronicling the story of a gay man (Jeremy Pope) who joins the Marines when he feels he has nowhere to turn after being rejected by his homophobic mother (Gabrielle Union).
Mariama Diallo (Master)
Regina Hall leads this horror film as Gail Bishop, the first Black woman to serve as dean of students at a prestigious college. Along with two other Black women at the school, Gail soon discovers a disturbing underlying presence at the predominantly white institution.
Adamma Ebo (Honk for Jesus.
- 1/10/2023
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
More than four decades after the New Hollywood films of the ’60s and ’70s hit screens and became enshrined as a near-mythological period of artistic excellence in American cinema, the era’s attributes also become increasingly contrasted with current American cinema.
Nonconformity, provocation and experimentation were mainstream. Today, those qualities aren’t selling movie tickets but instead driving streamer subscriptions. And the big hits are all characterized by the packaged goods franchise hits that dominate box office to the almost total exclusion of personal cinema.
Which is a long explanation of why awards season is more essential than ever.
As someone who lived through and loved the New Hollywood films and filmmakers, this is the time of year when the hunger for the ambitious telling of difficult stories is sated.
In addition to Todd Field’s wonderful and already much-celebrated “Tár,” which has evoked positive comparisons to the best of New Hollywood giant Stanley Kubrick,...
Nonconformity, provocation and experimentation were mainstream. Today, those qualities aren’t selling movie tickets but instead driving streamer subscriptions. And the big hits are all characterized by the packaged goods franchise hits that dominate box office to the almost total exclusion of personal cinema.
Which is a long explanation of why awards season is more essential than ever.
As someone who lived through and loved the New Hollywood films and filmmakers, this is the time of year when the hunger for the ambitious telling of difficult stories is sated.
In addition to Todd Field’s wonderful and already much-celebrated “Tár,” which has evoked positive comparisons to the best of New Hollywood giant Stanley Kubrick,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
With Oscar nomination voting beginning on Jan. 12, it’s not hard to figure out who the favorites are in most categories. (Here’s one rundown.) But for voters who want to look beyond the obvious picks — which should really mean all voters — TheWrap’s awards team would like to suggest a handful of our favorites that deserve a look before casting your ballots.
There are plenty of other deserving candidates out there, too, but here are 14 of our picks.
Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (Searchlight Pictures)
As a widowed teacher seeking fulfillment of a different sort in her retirement years, Thompson deflects any possibility of cliché with her inimitable dexterity as she gives a performance for the ages—supple and moving, easily stacked up next to her many acclaimed roles of the last 30 years. Just because she’s one of the...
There are plenty of other deserving candidates out there, too, but here are 14 of our picks.
Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (Searchlight Pictures)
As a widowed teacher seeking fulfillment of a different sort in her retirement years, Thompson deflects any possibility of cliché with her inimitable dexterity as she gives a performance for the ages—supple and moving, easily stacked up next to her many acclaimed roles of the last 30 years. Just because she’s one of the...
- 1/9/2023
- by TheWrap Staff
- The Wrap
The Writers Guild of America has released the ballots for their film categories for their annual WGA Awards, and while it is always notable what scripts are deemed ineligible due to the guild’s more restrictive qualifications, this year has a wide variety of significant cuts.
Looking at the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay categories in particular, the WGA requires that a film be written under the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement, or under a similar collective bargaining agreement with a WGA-approved organization for international titles. Consequently, many independent, international, and animated features are left out of contention including already decorated scripts like Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” an NYFCC Best Screenplay winner, and Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” the Best Screenplay winner at this year’s British Independent Film Awards.
More Original Screenplay contenders making noise this awards season that will not be a part of the WGA...
Looking at the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay categories in particular, the WGA requires that a film be written under the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement, or under a similar collective bargaining agreement with a WGA-approved organization for international titles. Consequently, many independent, international, and animated features are left out of contention including already decorated scripts like Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” an NYFCC Best Screenplay winner, and Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” the Best Screenplay winner at this year’s British Independent Film Awards.
More Original Screenplay contenders making noise this awards season that will not be a part of the WGA...
- 1/9/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Andy Warhol (Paul Bettany) filming Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeremy Pope) in Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah Photo: Jeremy Daniel
In the second instalment with Anthony McCarten we discuss A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, starring Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now and then respectively), directed by Michael Mayer and The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope (terrific in Elegance Bratton’s impressive The Inspection) as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Erik Jensen as Bruno Bischofberger, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Michael Stewart and Defacement, Pablo Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait, Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s White Noise, and an imagined production of Anthony’s play The Two Popes with Whitney Houston playing and a Warhol on the wall of the Pope’s quarters inhabiting the “same sort of eerie.
In the second instalment with Anthony McCarten we discuss A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, starring Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now and then respectively), directed by Michael Mayer and The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope (terrific in Elegance Bratton’s impressive The Inspection) as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Erik Jensen as Bruno Bischofberger, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Michael Stewart and Defacement, Pablo Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait, Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s White Noise, and an imagined production of Anthony’s play The Two Popes with Whitney Houston playing and a Warhol on the wall of the Pope’s quarters inhabiting the “same sort of eerie.
- 1/8/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Jeremy Pope doesn’t break into a new medium quietly. The actor not only earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut in 2018’s “Choir Boy” by Tarell Alvin McCraney, he also became one of only six actors in history to earn two acting nominations in different categories in the same year, also scoring a nom for the musical “Ain’t Too Proud.” His television debut, as the lead in Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood,” landed him his first Emmy nomination. And now his first leading role in a movie, “The Inspection,” has earned Pope rave reviews and nominations from both the Independent Spirit Awards and the Golden Globes.
While Pope’s charisma and talent has been evident from his work on stage and television, it’s never a guarantee on the big screen. But from the opening moments of “The Inspection,” it becomes clear that Pope is not just a great actor,...
While Pope’s charisma and talent has been evident from his work on stage and television, it’s never a guarantee on the big screen. But from the opening moments of “The Inspection,” it becomes clear that Pope is not just a great actor,...
- 1/6/2023
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Lists are very arbitrary, but the exercise in determining a personal 10 Best Films list of any year is a celebration of what I love, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. The filtering of experiences that form our opinions is a great gift, and the journey I’ve had with film criticism and reporting has been the greatest of my life.
So begins my* list of the 10 Best Films Of 2022, in a reflective time I guess. There were more films seen this year on the big screen since the pandemic era began, with a shout out to Avatar: The Way Of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and the Superhero genre for really bringing movie fans back to the theaters.
*The Über Critic, Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm & Wssr-fm.
For the second year in a row, I’m formatting this 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm.
So begins my* list of the 10 Best Films Of 2022, in a reflective time I guess. There were more films seen this year on the big screen since the pandemic era began, with a shout out to Avatar: The Way Of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and the Superhero genre for really bringing movie fans back to the theaters.
*The Über Critic, Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm & Wssr-fm.
For the second year in a row, I’m formatting this 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm.
- 12/30/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of the year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of the year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
- 12/23/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Deciding to join the military is a massive decision for anyone who makes it, but it is complicated when you don’t see any other options for your future as a young, gay, Black man whose mother has cast him aside. That decision is how Elegance Bratton ended up with a camera in his hand.
His semi-autobiographical narrative feature debut from the documentary filmmaker “The Inspection” premiered at Toronto International Film Festival this past fall.
Continue reading ‘The Inspection’ Exclusive Featurette: Elegance Bratton’s Own Experiences Shaped His Emotional New Film at The Playlist.
His semi-autobiographical narrative feature debut from the documentary filmmaker “The Inspection” premiered at Toronto International Film Festival this past fall.
Continue reading ‘The Inspection’ Exclusive Featurette: Elegance Bratton’s Own Experiences Shaped His Emotional New Film at The Playlist.
- 12/20/2022
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
The Black Reel Awards has revealed its nominations for their 23rd Annual ceremony.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, about the warrior women of the country of Dahomey, and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, about a superhero from the fictional African nation of Wakanda and a memorial to Chadwick Boseman, are tied at 14 nominations.
Two other films joined the ranks of double-digit nominations: MGM’s Till and A24’s The Inspection.
Independent studio A24 garnered 11 nominations across all categories. However, Amazon Studios landed a record three nominations in the Outstanding Independent Film category for Master, Nanny, and Emergency. Perennial powerhouse, Disney Studios nabbed the most nominations for a studio with 15.
Viola Davis landed her sixth Outstanding Actress nomination for her work in The Woman King, becoming the most recognized individual in the Actress category in Black Reel Award (Bolts) history. At the same time, director Elegance Bratton received...
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, about the warrior women of the country of Dahomey, and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, about a superhero from the fictional African nation of Wakanda and a memorial to Chadwick Boseman, are tied at 14 nominations.
Two other films joined the ranks of double-digit nominations: MGM’s Till and A24’s The Inspection.
Independent studio A24 garnered 11 nominations across all categories. However, Amazon Studios landed a record three nominations in the Outstanding Independent Film category for Master, Nanny, and Emergency. Perennial powerhouse, Disney Studios nabbed the most nominations for a studio with 15.
Viola Davis landed her sixth Outstanding Actress nomination for her work in The Woman King, becoming the most recognized individual in the Actress category in Black Reel Award (Bolts) history. At the same time, director Elegance Bratton received...
- 12/16/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Keith Beauchamp (Till) Till and Keith Beauchamp
The struggle to make United Artists’ Till began, for producer Beauchamp, decades before the cameras started rolling. The film chronicles the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy who was brutally tortured and murdered by white supremacists in 1955 Mississippi. After his killers went unpunished, Till-Mobley became a major voice of the civil rights movement.
“[She] was my mentor and friend,” explains Beauchamp, who directed the 2005 documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. “My whole career is literally based off of my work with Emmett Till. This whole struggle, for 29 years of my life, to get this story to the big screen, was the challenge. I’m resurrecting someone that I knew. Understandably, I had this high bar of what this film should look like. For 67 years, people have tried to make...
Keith Beauchamp (Till) Till and Keith Beauchamp
The struggle to make United Artists’ Till began, for producer Beauchamp, decades before the cameras started rolling. The film chronicles the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy who was brutally tortured and murdered by white supremacists in 1955 Mississippi. After his killers went unpunished, Till-Mobley became a major voice of the civil rights movement.
“[She] was my mentor and friend,” explains Beauchamp, who directed the 2005 documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. “My whole career is literally based off of my work with Emmett Till. This whole struggle, for 29 years of my life, to get this story to the big screen, was the challenge. I’m resurrecting someone that I knew. Understandably, I had this high bar of what this film should look like. For 67 years, people have tried to make...
- 12/13/2022
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every director brings a piece of themselves to their work, but this Oscar season has seen films becoming ever more personal. And it’s up to the cinematographer to work with their director to bring those stories to life.
James Gray explores his relationship with his grandfather and a pivotal childhood friendship in Armageddon Time; a young, gay Black man looks for his mother’s approval by joining the Marines in The Inspection, using actual quotes from Elegance Bratton’s mother; and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans shows the early life of a young filmmaker and his family’s influence on his art.
Related Story Golden Globes Film Analysis: Cruise Is Snubbed, Fraser Isn't & A Mixed Bag For Diversity Related Story Steven Spielberg Tells Martin Scorsese Why A Very Private Director Made 'The Fabelmans' & How Laura Dern Convinced David Lynch To Play John Ford Related Story 'Bardo' Brothers: Alejandro González...
James Gray explores his relationship with his grandfather and a pivotal childhood friendship in Armageddon Time; a young, gay Black man looks for his mother’s approval by joining the Marines in The Inspection, using actual quotes from Elegance Bratton’s mother; and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans shows the early life of a young filmmaker and his family’s influence on his art.
Related Story Golden Globes Film Analysis: Cruise Is Snubbed, Fraser Isn't & A Mixed Bag For Diversity Related Story Steven Spielberg Tells Martin Scorsese Why A Very Private Director Made 'The Fabelmans' & How Laura Dern Convinced David Lynch To Play John Ford Related Story 'Bardo' Brothers: Alejandro González...
- 12/12/2022
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has made one of its highest-profile acquisitions to date with UK & Irish rights to Elegance Bratton’s well-received military drama The Inspection from A24.
Inspired by Bratton’s own story, the TIFF, New York and Lff title follows a young, gay, Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in an unforgiving system. As he battles deep-seated prejudice and the gruelling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in his new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and change his life.
Written and directed by Bratton (Pier Kids) and produced by Effie T. Brown (Dear White People) and Chester Algernal Gordon (Port Authority), the film stars Jeremy Pope (One Night in Miami), Bokeem Woodbine (Halo), Gabrielle Union (Bring It On...
Inspired by Bratton’s own story, the TIFF, New York and Lff title follows a young, gay, Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in an unforgiving system. As he battles deep-seated prejudice and the gruelling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in his new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and change his life.
Written and directed by Bratton (Pier Kids) and produced by Effie T. Brown (Dear White People) and Chester Algernal Gordon (Port Authority), the film stars Jeremy Pope (One Night in Miami), Bokeem Woodbine (Halo), Gabrielle Union (Bring It On...
- 12/6/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeremy Pope is a newly recognized Independent Spirit Award Lead Performance nominee for “The Inspection,” but the lack of buzz regarding an Oscar nomination is somewhat disconcerting. In a year with a dearth of truly deserving nominees, the 30-year-old actor should be a shoo-in for his incredible performance in writer and director Elegance Bratton‘s autobiographical feature. But, perhaps like Bratton’s own underdog story, talent will persevere in the end.
Continue reading Jeremy Pope And The Black Queer Perspective Of ‘The Inspection’ [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Jeremy Pope And The Black Queer Perspective Of ‘The Inspection’ [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 12/5/2022
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Focus Features’ Spoiler Alert opened on six screens to an estimated 85k, or 14k per theater, in a crowded arthouse market. Strong exit polls and word of mouth – 94 in the top two boxes – could help built out this movie, which will likely be more audience-focused than awards-buzz driven.
“We are encouraged to see Spoiler Alert playing great and connecting with audiences,” said Focus distribution chief Lisa Bunnell. “We expect the film to broaden its audience and reach as we begin our national expansion.” The Michael Showalter pic based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies’ and staring Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge and Sally Field expands Dec. 9.
Notable openings this fall led by The Banshees of Inisherin (46+k), Tár and The Fabelmans have been Mia for few weeks. It’s about the movies — iconic writer of stage and screen Martin McDonagh with Colin Farrell...
“We are encouraged to see Spoiler Alert playing great and connecting with audiences,” said Focus distribution chief Lisa Bunnell. “We expect the film to broaden its audience and reach as we begin our national expansion.” The Michael Showalter pic based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies’ and staring Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge and Sally Field expands Dec. 9.
Notable openings this fall led by The Banshees of Inisherin (46+k), Tár and The Fabelmans have been Mia for few weeks. It’s about the movies — iconic writer of stage and screen Martin McDonagh with Colin Farrell...
- 12/4/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Inspection Review — The Inspection (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Elegance Bratton and starring Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, Bokeem Woodbine, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Aaron Dominguez, Aubrey Joseph, Andrew Kai, Tyler Merritt, Steve Mokate, Brad Napp, Daniel Williamson and Wynn Reichert. Filmmaker Elegance Bratton’s film, The [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: The Inspection (2022): Elegance Bratton’s Film Features a Star-Making Performance by Jeremy Pope...
Continue reading: Film Review: The Inspection (2022): Elegance Bratton’s Film Features a Star-Making Performance by Jeremy Pope...
- 12/4/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Need she remind you, Gabrielle Union has been a successful actress for a very long time. “But the way that people think of projects that center the Black community, Black audiences, Black needs/wants/desires, it’s like those No. 1 movies didn’t count,” she told IndieWire during a recent interview in Los Angeles. “The amount of success that me and my friends have had, with the budgets we’ve been given and the time we’ve had to shoot, it’s like it doesn’t count. And so the reinvention never stops.”
While she appreciates that she and her peers like Regina Hall, Regina King, and Sanaa Lathan are in a space where their best work seems ahead of them — “We’ve never worked more. It’s like being an ingenue at 50,” she said — Union has often put her focus on choosing opportunities that could spell commercial success. In the past,...
While she appreciates that she and her peers like Regina Hall, Regina King, and Sanaa Lathan are in a space where their best work seems ahead of them — “We’ve never worked more. It’s like being an ingenue at 50,” she said — Union has often put her focus on choosing opportunities that could spell commercial success. In the past,...
- 12/4/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
This review originally ran September 13, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Much like “Moonlight,” “The Inspection” has the trappings of an instant queer classic.
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, writer-director Elegance Bratton’s semi-autobiographical film, about a young gay Black man’s desire for approval and human connection in an unforgiving environment poisoned by bigotry and toxic masculinity, tells essential truths about the state of queer life in America outside gay villages and other safe spaces. Yet stories like these have seldom been told even as queer cinema has steadily evolved beyond homogeneous narratives.
Bratton’s avatar, Ellis French, has been living in a homeless shelter for years. He visits his mother, Inez (Gabrielle Union), to retrieve his birth certificate in order to join the Marine Corps. With the door still chained, Inez hands over his mail, including a court summons. When she finally lets him in,...
Much like “Moonlight,” “The Inspection” has the trappings of an instant queer classic.
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, writer-director Elegance Bratton’s semi-autobiographical film, about a young gay Black man’s desire for approval and human connection in an unforgiving environment poisoned by bigotry and toxic masculinity, tells essential truths about the state of queer life in America outside gay villages and other safe spaces. Yet stories like these have seldom been told even as queer cinema has steadily evolved beyond homogeneous narratives.
Bratton’s avatar, Ellis French, has been living in a homeless shelter for years. He visits his mother, Inez (Gabrielle Union), to retrieve his birth certificate in order to join the Marine Corps. With the door still chained, Inez hands over his mail, including a court summons. When she finally lets him in,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
Deck the halls with boughs of cinema! Variety asked 22 celebrities to name their favorite holiday movies.
Selena Gomez’s top pick is “The Family Stone”. “I love Rachel McAdams,” she tells me. “I that was a wonderful movie.”
No surprise, but many, including Austin Butler and Paris Hilton, chose “Elf” as their go-to seasonal choice. “It’s so charming. It’s so funny,” Billy Eichner says. “Will Ferrell should have gotten an Oscar for ‘Elf.’ I truly feel that way.”
“Dead to Me” star Natalie Morales goes for “Die Hard,” as does “Glass Online: A Knives Out Mystery” director Rian Johnson. “Obviously [it’s] the ultimate Christmas movie. It’s not controversial at all to say that,” he says, laughing. “It’s not Christmas until he falls from the top of the tower, right?”
Of course, classic holiday movies were often mentioned. Steven Spielberg and James Marsden love “It’s a Wonderful Life...
Selena Gomez’s top pick is “The Family Stone”. “I love Rachel McAdams,” she tells me. “I that was a wonderful movie.”
No surprise, but many, including Austin Butler and Paris Hilton, chose “Elf” as their go-to seasonal choice. “It’s so charming. It’s so funny,” Billy Eichner says. “Will Ferrell should have gotten an Oscar for ‘Elf.’ I truly feel that way.”
“Dead to Me” star Natalie Morales goes for “Die Hard,” as does “Glass Online: A Knives Out Mystery” director Rian Johnson. “Obviously [it’s] the ultimate Christmas movie. It’s not controversial at all to say that,” he says, laughing. “It’s not Christmas until he falls from the top of the tower, right?”
Of course, classic holiday movies were often mentioned. Steven Spielberg and James Marsden love “It’s a Wonderful Life...
- 12/2/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
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