Gerwig to become first American female director in Cannes history to serve in the role.
Greta Gerwig will preside over the competition jury at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, running May 14-25, 2024.
Adding to what has been a record-breaking year for the Barbie filmmaker, Gerwig will become the first American female director in Cannes festival history to serve as jury president. At age 40, she is also the youngest jury president since Sophia Loren in 1966, the second American woman to assume the role after Olivia de Haviland in 1965, and the second female director after Jane Campion in 2014.
In a statement, the...
Greta Gerwig will preside over the competition jury at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, running May 14-25, 2024.
Adding to what has been a record-breaking year for the Barbie filmmaker, Gerwig will become the first American female director in Cannes festival history to serve as jury president. At age 40, she is also the youngest jury president since Sophia Loren in 1966, the second American woman to assume the role after Olivia de Haviland in 1965, and the second female director after Jane Campion in 2014.
In a statement, the...
- 12/14/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
It has been a record-breaking year for Greta Gerwig as she achieved multiples firsts for a female director with global smash hit Barbie, topped by becoming the first woman to surpass the one billion mark at the worldwide box office in July.
Gerwig is set to break fresh ground again next May when she becomes the first female American director to take on the role of Jury President at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The festival announced the news on Thursday morning describing Gerwig as “a heroine of our modern times” who had shaken the “status quo”.
“I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury. I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us,” said Gerwig.
“I love films – I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them. As a cinephile,...
Gerwig is set to break fresh ground again next May when she becomes the first female American director to take on the role of Jury President at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The festival announced the news on Thursday morning describing Gerwig as “a heroine of our modern times” who had shaken the “status quo”.
“I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury. I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us,” said Gerwig.
“I love films – I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them. As a cinephile,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Greta Gerwig is hitting the Croisette.
The Barbie helmer, fresh off her first-ever best director nomination at the Golden Globes (Gerwig’s $1.4 billion toy-to-screen blockbuster picked up a total of nine Golden Globe noms), has been confirmed as the jury president for the 2024 Cannes International Film Festival.
“A heroine of our modern times, Greta Gerwig shakes up the status quo between a highly codified cinema industry and an era that is demanding greater scrutiny,” Cannes said in its announcement.
“Yesterday, ambassador of independent American cinema, today at the summit of worldwide box office success, Greta Gerwig manages to combine what was previously judged to be incompatible: Delivering art house blockbusters, narrowing the gap between art and industry, exploring contemporary feminist issues with deft as well as depth, and declaring her demanding artistic ambition from within an economic model that she embraces in order to put to better use.
“Whether acting,...
The Barbie helmer, fresh off her first-ever best director nomination at the Golden Globes (Gerwig’s $1.4 billion toy-to-screen blockbuster picked up a total of nine Golden Globe noms), has been confirmed as the jury president for the 2024 Cannes International Film Festival.
“A heroine of our modern times, Greta Gerwig shakes up the status quo between a highly codified cinema industry and an era that is demanding greater scrutiny,” Cannes said in its announcement.
“Yesterday, ambassador of independent American cinema, today at the summit of worldwide box office success, Greta Gerwig manages to combine what was previously judged to be incompatible: Delivering art house blockbusters, narrowing the gap between art and industry, exploring contemporary feminist issues with deft as well as depth, and declaring her demanding artistic ambition from within an economic model that she embraces in order to put to better use.
“Whether acting,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Barbie film-maker is set to direct adaptations of at least two of Cs Lewis’s fantasy novels for the streaming giant – will she do better than the last ones?
You might think Greta Gerwig an unusual choice to take on Cs Lewis’s Narnia stories for Netflix. And at first glance, few would argue with you. Beginning her career as an actor in mumblecore movies such as Baghead, Hannah Takes the Stairs and Greenberg before transitioning into indie cinema as a film-maker with Lady Bird, Gerwig became a household name with this year’s $1.4bn-grossing, conservative-baiting, slyly subversive comedy fantasy Barbie, a movie that will be remembered as the most topically adroit cinematic event of 2023, despite ostensibly being about a child’s plastic toy.
So what on earth might Gerwig do with Aslan, Eustace Grubb and Mr Tumnus the faun? Gerwig is down to make at least two from...
You might think Greta Gerwig an unusual choice to take on Cs Lewis’s Narnia stories for Netflix. And at first glance, few would argue with you. Beginning her career as an actor in mumblecore movies such as Baghead, Hannah Takes the Stairs and Greenberg before transitioning into indie cinema as a film-maker with Lady Bird, Gerwig became a household name with this year’s $1.4bn-grossing, conservative-baiting, slyly subversive comedy fantasy Barbie, a movie that will be remembered as the most topically adroit cinematic event of 2023, despite ostensibly being about a child’s plastic toy.
So what on earth might Gerwig do with Aslan, Eustace Grubb and Mr Tumnus the faun? Gerwig is down to make at least two from...
- 11/10/2023
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
On the heels of a staggeringly triumphant run with Barbie, the fantastical comedy which she co-wrote and directed for Warner Bros, Greta Gerwig has been appointed by the American Film Institute to serve as Guest Artistic Director of AFI Fest 2023.
An Oscar-nominated filmmaker known equally for her work as an actress, Gerwig joins a lineage of Guest Aristic Directors that also includes such titans as Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda. The 37th edition of the festival is set to take place October 25-29 in Los Angeles. Ticket bundles have already been made available for purchase, along with the full festival lineup, with individual tickets to go on sale tomorrow.
One half of the cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer, opposite Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Gerwig’s live-action Barbie has proven immensely popular with critics and moviegoers alike, setting numerous records while grossing over $1.4B worldwide.
An Oscar-nominated filmmaker known equally for her work as an actress, Gerwig joins a lineage of Guest Aristic Directors that also includes such titans as Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda. The 37th edition of the festival is set to take place October 25-29 in Los Angeles. Ticket bundles have already been made available for purchase, along with the full festival lineup, with individual tickets to go on sale tomorrow.
One half of the cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer, opposite Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Gerwig’s live-action Barbie has proven immensely popular with critics and moviegoers alike, setting numerous records while grossing over $1.4B worldwide.
- 10/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Kohn’s Corner is a weekly column about the challenges and opportunities of sustaining American film culture.
After years of blockbuster production driven by prefabricated superhero fandom, the summer of Barbenheimer is an unexpected delight. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” show the potential for festival-anointed auteurs to worm their way into popular culture with smart and innovative projects. With “Barbie” already crossing half a billion dollars at the global box office and “Oppenheimer” at a formidable $300 million, the joint success of these very different movies seems to be telling Hollywood… something.
The most obvious takeaway from Barbenheimer: Audiences want originality and invention, not endless sequels and variations on what came before. Ok, let’s assume most studio bosses grasp this fundamental point. There’s more to it that. These films speak to a broader set of values and opportunities for studios to consider as they develop more movies that fickle audiences will consider worth their time.
After years of blockbuster production driven by prefabricated superhero fandom, the summer of Barbenheimer is an unexpected delight. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” show the potential for festival-anointed auteurs to worm their way into popular culture with smart and innovative projects. With “Barbie” already crossing half a billion dollars at the global box office and “Oppenheimer” at a formidable $300 million, the joint success of these very different movies seems to be telling Hollywood… something.
The most obvious takeaway from Barbenheimer: Audiences want originality and invention, not endless sequels and variations on what came before. Ok, let’s assume most studio bosses grasp this fundamental point. There’s more to it that. These films speak to a broader set of values and opportunities for studios to consider as they develop more movies that fickle audiences will consider worth their time.
- 7/29/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
After years as an indie darling, Greta Gerwig has become a box office sensation. The filmmaker’s third directorial effort “Barbie” has become one of the biggest movies of 2023, posting a massive $155 million opening weekend. And although the film’s numerous pleasures — including fantastic performances from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, a blockbuster pop soundtrack, and immaculate (pink!) production and costume design — would have likely helped it find fans regardless. Gerwig’s confident direction and strong voice as a filmmaker is what’s really made the movie into a cultural juggernaut.
“Barbie” and its massive success seems to signal a completely new era of Gerwig’s career. Her next project will see her venture even further into blockbuster filmmaking with two film adaptations of “The Chronicles of Narnia” for Netflix. The films will likely be even bigger than Barbie (at least as a matter of budget), signaling that Gerwig has...
“Barbie” and its massive success seems to signal a completely new era of Gerwig’s career. Her next project will see her venture even further into blockbuster filmmaking with two film adaptations of “The Chronicles of Narnia” for Netflix. The films will likely be even bigger than Barbie (at least as a matter of budget), signaling that Gerwig has...
- 7/25/2023
- by Wilson Chapman and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Greta Gerwig is looking forward to her biggest box-office hit yet as the director and writer of "Barbie," a gleefully quirky new take on the beloved brand. It's very much par for the course for Gerwig, who has made a career out of telling unusual, meaningful stories that examine life, love, and all the contradictory facets of femininity.
Today, Gerwig is probably best known as a director and a writer, with Oscar nominations for films like "Lady Bird" and "Little Women." What you might not know, though, is that she's actually an actress as well! In fact, she's starred in several of the movies she's written and directed throughout her career, as well as several others. For the most part, Gerwig's filmography leans towards indie films, and there are plenty of intriguing titles to take a look at.
Check out some of the highlights from her previous work - we...
Today, Gerwig is probably best known as a director and a writer, with Oscar nominations for films like "Lady Bird" and "Little Women." What you might not know, though, is that she's actually an actress as well! In fact, she's starred in several of the movies she's written and directed throughout her career, as well as several others. For the most part, Gerwig's filmography leans towards indie films, and there are plenty of intriguing titles to take a look at.
Check out some of the highlights from her previous work - we...
- 7/12/2023
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
When Greta Gerwig was in preproduction on her Barbie movie (out July 21), executives from the brand’s owner, Mattel, paid her an inevitable visit. She gave them a preview of the movie’s look (very, very pink) and feel (Elf-y magical-realism ramped up a thousandfold). Then she hit them with a monologue: stuff like the influence of spiritualist painters, how Barbie is like an ancient religious myth, references to The Red Shoes and Stairway to Heaven and Heaven Can Wait. “I think at that point, when I was in hour three of talking,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
IndieWire parent company Penske Media’s P-mrc Holdings has invested in SXSW, the robust set of conferences and festivals that have rocked Austin for 34 years. The partnership aligns P-mrc as a long-term partner and SXSW shareholder, with the company utilizing SXSW as an opportunity for all of its media brands.
The essence of the events, and its management, are expected to remain intact while expanding SXSW’s potential for new events and business models. SXSW and P-mrc are now developing the March 2022 event in Austin. P-mrc is a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, whose holdings include Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Variety, and Vibe.
P-mrc will reportedly take a 50% stake in the business, which last hosted its physical edition in 2019. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news.
“It has been an incredibly tough period for small businesses, SXSW included,” said SXSW CEO...
The essence of the events, and its management, are expected to remain intact while expanding SXSW’s potential for new events and business models. SXSW and P-mrc are now developing the March 2022 event in Austin. P-mrc is a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, whose holdings include Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Variety, and Vibe.
P-mrc will reportedly take a 50% stake in the business, which last hosted its physical edition in 2019. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news.
“It has been an incredibly tough period for small businesses, SXSW included,” said SXSW CEO...
- 4/19/2021
- by Dana Harris-Bridson and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
IFC Films has scooped up the North American rights to Cooper Raiff’s “S—house,” the film that won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the virtual 2020 SXSW Film Festival, the indie distributor announced Wednesday.
Raiff wrote, directed and starred in his feature debut about a tender college romance that has been compared to the early work of Richard Linklater or Lena Dunham.
IFC Films will release “S—house” in the fall of 2020.
Also Read: How IFC Films' Bet on Drive-In Theaters Paid Off During the Pandemic
Raiff stars in “S—house” alongside Dylan Gelula, Amy Landecker, Logan Miller and Olivia Welch and is the story of Alex, a friendless college freshman who is seriously contemplating transferring to a college closer to his mom (Landecker) and sister (Welch), to whom he is still extremely tethered. Everything changes one night when Alex takes a leap and attends a...
Raiff wrote, directed and starred in his feature debut about a tender college romance that has been compared to the early work of Richard Linklater or Lena Dunham.
IFC Films will release “S—house” in the fall of 2020.
Also Read: How IFC Films' Bet on Drive-In Theaters Paid Off During the Pandemic
Raiff stars in “S—house” alongside Dylan Gelula, Amy Landecker, Logan Miller and Olivia Welch and is the story of Alex, a friendless college freshman who is seriously contemplating transferring to a college closer to his mom (Landecker) and sister (Welch), to whom he is still extremely tethered. Everything changes one night when Alex takes a leap and attends a...
- 6/10/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation (2005) is showing June 14 - July 13, 2019 on Mubi in the United States in a new restoration.Andrew Bujalski premiered his second film Mutual Appreciation at SXSW in 2005. Around the same time, his first—Funny Ha Ha—had its official theatrical release, a few years after it had premiered. The two films made their impression on rising independent filmmakers, bringing a focus on naturalistic conversation and self-reflecting portrayals of twenty-somethings that differed from the voicings of Generation X prior. Bujalski also appeared in Joe Swanberg’s seminal Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007), alongside a then-unknown Greta Gerwig, and despite the under-recognition of those early films in the mid-2000s, it’s easy to see how they laid the foundations for the wider success and cultural impact of Swanberg’s Easy (2016–2019) and the Gerwig-penned Frances Ha (2012) and Lady Bird (2017). Bujalski’s most recent—Support the Girls (2018)—earned him and...
- 6/28/2019
- MUBI
Loosely based on the life of author Louisa May Alcott and her three sisters, Little Women has proven to be an enduring literary classic. It tells the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March as they pass from childhood to adulthood. The original novel has inspired more than a dozen film and television adaptations. Now a new film version is on its way from an unexpected source. Read onward to learn all we know about the latest Little Women adaptation. Who is directing the new version? Greta Gerwig. She first made a mark as an actress in the acclaimed indie Hannah Takes the Stairs, which she co-wrote, more than 10 years ago. Since then she has continued to appear in both independent features and Hollywood productions, as well as acting in and co-writing acclaimed films such as...
- 8/28/2018
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
The first installment of Infinite Fest, a monthly column by festival programmer and film critic Eric Allen Hatch, author of the recent “Why I Am Hopeful” article for Filmmaker Magazine, tackling the state of cinema as expressed by North American film festivalsIllustration by Alice Meteignier.The first film festival I ever attended was the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) in 1998. I was there, improbably, as a bonus from my retail job as a manager at Video Americain, Baltimore’s late, great rental shop immortalized in John Waters’ Serial Mom. With me was the manager of another Video Americain location, Sean Williams (perhaps now better known as the cinematographer of films like Queen of Earth and Good Time). It was a whirlwind trip on a tight budget: a frighteningly compact puddle-jumper from Delaware to Buffalo; a rental-car jaunt across the border; two days, one night in Toronto.I was young, glum,...
- 8/13/2018
- MUBI
Unlike Sundance or Cannes, the SXSW Film Festival has undergone rapid changes over the past decade. Tied in with the swirling chaos of its Interactive and Music sections, the Austin-based event is known for the discovery of low-budget features and as a launch pad for edgy studio projects favored by the city’s hipsters.
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
- 3/9/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In Mistress America, the second film Greta Gerwig wrote with her now-boyfriend Noah Baumbach, one of the characters proclaims, “Sometimes I think I’m a genius and I wish I could just fast-forward my life to the part where everyone knows it.”
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
- 1/23/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
In Mistress America, the second film Greta Gerwig wrote with her now-boyfriend Noah Baumbach, one of the characters proclaims, “Sometimes I think I’m a genius and I wish I could just fast-forward my life to the part where everyone knows it.”
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
- 1/4/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
- 11/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
- 11/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After last year’s three-Oscar haul for “Moonlight,” including Best Picture, A24 wants to prove that was no anomaly. Here’s what the rising young distributor will push this awards season. (Remember: A year ago, “Moonlight” wasn’t viewed as a likely Best Picture contender — much less the big winner.)
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
- 9/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
After last year’s three-Oscar haul for “Moonlight,” including Best Picture, A24 wants to prove that was no anomaly. Here’s what the rising young distributor will push this awards season. (Remember: A year ago, “Moonlight” wasn’t viewed as a likely Best Picture contender — much less the big winner.)
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
- 9/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Count on the Telluride Film Festival to deliver a surprise or two. Going in, buzz on Joe Wright’s Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour” had already reached a dull roar — and folks were prepared to be impressed by Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” and Angelina Jolie’s Cambodia movie, “First They Killed My Father.”
But the movie that is building momentum as it hits Toronto, the one that A24 yet again will take all the way to Best Picture contention that could win a few Oscars (as “Moonlight” did last year), is Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
Read More:6 Things We Learned at Telluride, Including Oscar Chances for Greta Gerwig, Angelina Jolie, and Gary Oldman
Some people who like the movie well enough are saying it’s a small coming-of-age movie in an all-too-familiar high school setting.
But the movie that is building momentum as it hits Toronto, the one that A24 yet again will take all the way to Best Picture contention that could win a few Oscars (as “Moonlight” did last year), is Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
Read More:6 Things We Learned at Telluride, Including Oscar Chances for Greta Gerwig, Angelina Jolie, and Gary Oldman
Some people who like the movie well enough are saying it’s a small coming-of-age movie in an all-too-familiar high school setting.
- 9/9/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Count on the Telluride Film Festival to deliver a surprise or two. Going in, buzz on Joe Wright’s Winston Churchill drama “Darkest Hour” had already reached a dull roar — and folks were prepared to be impressed by Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” and Angelina Jolie’s Cambodia movie, “First They Killed My Father.”
But the movie that is building momentum as it hits Toronto, the one that A24 yet again will take all the way to Best Picture contention that could win a few Oscars (as “Moonlight” did last year), is Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
Read More:6 Things We Learned at Telluride, Including Oscar Chances for Greta Gerwig, Angelina Jolie, and Gary Oldman
Some people who like the movie well enough are saying it’s a small coming-of-age movie in an all-too-familiar high school setting.
But the movie that is building momentum as it hits Toronto, the one that A24 yet again will take all the way to Best Picture contention that could win a few Oscars (as “Moonlight” did last year), is Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
Read More:6 Things We Learned at Telluride, Including Oscar Chances for Greta Gerwig, Angelina Jolie, and Gary Oldman
Some people who like the movie well enough are saying it’s a small coming-of-age movie in an all-too-familiar high school setting.
- 9/9/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Last fall, Barry Jenkins was a little-known filmmaker with one feature under his belt, 2008’s “Medicine for Melancholy.” Then he premiered future best picture winner “Moonlight” at the 2016 Telluride Film Festival and everything changed. At the 2017 edition, he returned the favor, not only introducing a series of short film programs at the festival as he has for years, but also by presenting another rising filmmaker to the world.
Read More:‘Lady Bird’ Trailer: Saoirse Ronan Delivers Her Greatest Work in Greta Gerwig’s Brilliant Directorial Debut
Just a few hours after receiving a standing ovation for one of his short film programs, Jenkins took the stage at the Chuck Jones Cinema for the world premiere of “Lady Bird,” the coming-of-age comedy that marks the solo directorial debut of veteran actress Greta Gerwig. There was a practical connection between “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight,” in that both movies share A24 as a distributor.
Read More:‘Lady Bird’ Trailer: Saoirse Ronan Delivers Her Greatest Work in Greta Gerwig’s Brilliant Directorial Debut
Just a few hours after receiving a standing ovation for one of his short film programs, Jenkins took the stage at the Chuck Jones Cinema for the world premiere of “Lady Bird,” the coming-of-age comedy that marks the solo directorial debut of veteran actress Greta Gerwig. There was a practical connection between “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight,” in that both movies share A24 as a distributor.
- 9/5/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
Declaring 2007 to be the year mumblecore came of age would be equally as fair as labeling it the year mumblecore collapsed. The signs of ascendance and coalescence—group coverage in high-profile publications, series programmed at art houses,...
Declaring 2007 to be the year mumblecore came of age would be equally as fair as labeling it the year mumblecore collapsed. The signs of ascendance and coalescence—group coverage in high-profile publications, series programmed at art houses,...
- 8/22/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
There are a few actors whose prowess stems in equal measure from their training or innate talent, and from their physiognomy. In the past we had Humphrey Bogart and Anna Karina. Today, Denis Lavant is one of those actors. Adam Driver also comes to mind. Greta Gerwig, with her lanky figure and mesmerizing expression, belongs to a category all her own.There’s a particular quality that comes to life when she moves. The movement might be as slight as bend in the lips, or as large as a star-figured jump in the air. Both are, in equal measure, unmistakably hers. Throughout her career, Gerwig has worked with directors who’ve captured her physicality by letting the film run long enough to capture the uniqueness of her movement. It took Joe Swanberg the entirety of Lol (2006) and 20 minutes of Hannah takes the Stairs (2007) to ask Gerwig to dance in front of the camera. This can only be explained by the director’s inexperience at the time. Noah Baumbach never made the same mistake, filming her twisting, twirling, and swirling, or just slightly bobbing for 17 seconds, to the tune of Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Uncle Albert”. Even for her small role in No Strings Attached (2011), Ivan Reitman had the good sense to shoot two scenes where Greta’s dancing held center stage. In Greta Moves, I endeavored to find patterns in the movements throughout her filmography, interweaving them with an abundance of match cuts. To create a dance tapestry that heightened those connections, the piece of music was fundamental. The inspiration for that choice—as well as the structure of the video essay—came from Wim Wender’s Pina (2011). The work was built almost entirely around the second performance in the movie and the lovely melody of Jun Miyake, “The Here and After”.
- 6/22/2017
- MUBI
Over the past decade, South By Southwest has become 10 days of hand-to-hand combat between media and technology. Nestled within that war zone is a film festival — this year, 125 features screen at the SXSW Film Festival, including 51 from first-timers. Most come to town without distribution, and they may never see a bigger audience than this one.
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
- 3/10/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Come Sunday, a.k.a. Oscars night, we'll all be tipping our hats to the year's winners. But before we do that, here's to the "losers" – the worthy ones of 2016 that, for whatever cockamamie reason, didn't even get a nomination.
In an effort to do right where the Academy effed up, I give you the Travers Awards – my own personal version of the Alt-Oscars. (For those of you playing along at home, the award is an engraved image of a critic screaming.) It's one last chance to single out the...
In an effort to do right where the Academy effed up, I give you the Travers Awards – my own personal version of the Alt-Oscars. (For those of you playing along at home, the award is an engraved image of a critic screaming.) It's one last chance to single out the...
- 2/23/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Joe Swanberg has been cranking out movies for over decade, and his micro-budget character studies quickly became the paradigm for the current state of American independent film. While Swanberg’s profile has grown — he recently launched the Netflix series “Easy” — he remains tethered to his roots, and now he’s expanding them: With the Chicago-based production company Forager Films, Swanberg has quietly launched an effort to support the work of other filmmakers operating on the same scale he embraced early on.
Read More: ‘Easy’ Review: Grading Every Episode of Joe Swanberg’s Profound New Netflix Series
The company, which Swanberg co-founded with Eddie Linker and Peter Gilbert, has churned out a series of diverse projects over the past year and a half: “Unexpected,” the sleeper Sundance hit directed by Swanberg’s wife Kris, follows an inner-city high school teacher who bonds with one of her students when they both get...
Read More: ‘Easy’ Review: Grading Every Episode of Joe Swanberg’s Profound New Netflix Series
The company, which Swanberg co-founded with Eddie Linker and Peter Gilbert, has churned out a series of diverse projects over the past year and a half: “Unexpected,” the sleeper Sundance hit directed by Swanberg’s wife Kris, follows an inner-city high school teacher who bonds with one of her students when they both get...
- 10/27/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Lace Crater” follows twenty-something Ruth (Lindsay Burdge) who’s just getting over a breakup as she and her friends head to the Hamptons for a weekend of mild debauchery at their friend Andrew’s parents’ summer home. With all the bedrooms in the main house taken, Ruth agrees to sleep in the guest house that is supposedly haunted. One night while everyone is having a good time, Ruth stumbles to her bed and ends up encountering a mysterious figure – a burlap sack-wearing, light-sensitive otherworldly entity, Michael (Peter Vack). Ruth and Michael have a one-night stand, but when she returns home, she develop a ghostly Std, with symptoms that include frequent vomiting, light sensitivity, and spewing black ooze. When her friends all but abandon her, she’s left in isolation to deal with her problems and must decide on her own whether she wants to return to normal society. The film...
- 7/20/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Hannah Takes the Stairs and Uncle Kent director Joe Swanberg’s has assembled a star-studded lineup for Easy, a new anthology series headed to Netflix.
Toplining the casting bill are Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Michael Chernus, Marc Maron, Elizabeth Reaser, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jake Johnson, Aya Cash, Dave Franco, Jane Adams and Hannibal Burress – who recently joined the ranks of Paramount’s Baywatch opposite Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
Written, directed and executive produced by Swanberg, the indie drama represents a passion project for the creator, and retains elements – albeit slack elements – of mumblecore filmmaking. That is, in essence, a creative process that favors low-key techniques and improvised dialog in order to nurture a lax and ultimately more believable viewing experience. Lena Dunham, the Duplass brothers and Lynn Shelton are among the few creators that still employ such a technique.
As for the general setup of Easy, Netflix’s new series...
Toplining the casting bill are Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Michael Chernus, Marc Maron, Elizabeth Reaser, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jake Johnson, Aya Cash, Dave Franco, Jane Adams and Hannibal Burress – who recently joined the ranks of Paramount’s Baywatch opposite Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
Written, directed and executive produced by Swanberg, the indie drama represents a passion project for the creator, and retains elements – albeit slack elements – of mumblecore filmmaking. That is, in essence, a creative process that favors low-key techniques and improvised dialog in order to nurture a lax and ultimately more believable viewing experience. Lena Dunham, the Duplass brothers and Lynn Shelton are among the few creators that still employ such a technique.
As for the general setup of Easy, Netflix’s new series...
- 3/14/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
"Mumblecore" master Joe Swanberg is headed for Netflix. The filmmaker behind micro-indie films including Kissing on the Mouth, Hannah Takes the Stairs and Uncle Kent has scored an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for comedy Easy. The half-hour single-camera comedy series will, in mumblecore fashion, write, direct and exec produce the series. Easy is described as an anthology that explores diverse Chicago characters as they fumble through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture. The series will feature appearances from Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Michael Chernus, Marc Maron, Elizabeth Reaser, Gugu Mbatha-Raw,
read more...
read more...
- 3/14/2016
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Lace Crater," a film that premiered on Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, is being billed as a horror-comedy, but I don't see the "comedy" part of that equation in the film's new teaser, which teases the story of an awkward young woman (Lindsay Burge) who gets a sexually transmitted disease from a ghost. That's right: this woman has sex with a ghost and suffers the consequences. And you thought your twenties were hard! We can all learn a terrifying lesson from this. "Lace Crater" is the feature directorial debut of writer/director Harrison Atkins and was produced by mumblecore icon Joe Swanberg ("Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Happy Christmas"). Watch the teaser above and below.
- 9/16/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
[Editor's Note: This post is presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand in support of Indie Film Month. Today's pick, "Digging for Fire," is available now On Demand. Need help finding a movie to watch? Let TWC find the best fit for your mood here.] Read More: Rosemarie DeWitt on How Joe Swanberg's 'Digging for Fire' Reflected Her Own Life Experience The unearthing of a rusty gun and dirty bone from a backyard bank seems like a surface setup to a murder mystery, but as the latest entry in Joe Swanberg's oeuvre, "Digging for Fire" has an ulterior motive. Swanberg has always explored relationship dynamics in his films, from long-distance challenges ("Lol," "Nights and Weekends") to ambiguous workplace romances ("Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Drinking Buddies"), but none of his films have been as symbolically meaningful or emotionally mature as this one. "Digging"...
- 9/16/2015
- by An Banh
- Indiewire
Read More: The 2015 Indiewire Tiff Bible Greta Gerwig started her career in microbudget comedies ranging from "Hannah Takes the Stairs" to "Yeast," where she excelled at portraying the naiveté and confusion of early adulthood. However, in the past five years since Gerwig has taken on roles in bigger projects, there has been a greater clarity to her screen presence: She's a rambunctious, fun-loving ball of energy at once frustrated with her limited options and giddy about taking new steps. Her talky style defines the distinctive qualities of "Frances Ha," "Mistress America," and even less original character studies such as "Lola Versus." While not exactly typecast, Gerwig leaves a particular mark on her material with an auteur-like command over every roles. No matter what, she runs the show, and the movies complement that ability. Writer-director Rebecca Miller's "Maggie's Plan" looks and sounds like several Gerwig...
- 9/15/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Read More: Podcast: Joe Swanberg and ‘Jurassic World’ Are Kindred Spirits. No, Really. The unearthing of a rusty gun and dirty bone from a backyard bank seems like a surface setup to a murder mystery, but as the latest entry in Joe Swanberg's oeuvre, "Digging for Fire" has an ulterior motive. Swanberg has always explored relationship dynamics in his films, from long-distance challenges ("Lol," "Nights and Weekends") to ambiguous workplace romances ("Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Drinking Buddies"), but none of his films have been as symbolically meaningful or emotionally mature as this one. "Digging" finds Swanberg taking a different narrative tack by pitting Jake Johnson against Rosemarie DeWitt in an adventure tale about marriage, parenthood, and complacency. Tim (Johnson) and Lee (DeWitt) are a married couple with a three-year-old son named Jude (Jude Swanberg), house-sitting for a colleague in the country for a weekend....
- 8/18/2015
- by An Banh
- Indiewire
Chicago – Greta Gerwig’s persona as a character actress has blossomed in the last three years, as she has taken on three women in their twenties at the crossroads of life, in that life decade of consequence. In addition to her title roles in “Lola Versus” and “Francis Ha,” her latest is “Mistress America,” which she also co-wrote.
Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film is essentially a buddy comedy, if the buddies are two women – one a Freshman in college and aspiring writer named Tracy (Lola Kirke), and the other (Gerwig) a overwrought urban survivalist named Brooke – living with uncertainty, guile and pomposity in New York City. Like the Greta Gerwig characters of Lola and Francis, Brooke is an achiever in a different way, as they all learn to understand what their purpose is, when challenged with life altering change that is not necessarily what they wanted.
Greta Gerwig and...
Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film is essentially a buddy comedy, if the buddies are two women – one a Freshman in college and aspiring writer named Tracy (Lola Kirke), and the other (Gerwig) a overwrought urban survivalist named Brooke – living with uncertainty, guile and pomposity in New York City. Like the Greta Gerwig characters of Lola and Francis, Brooke is an achiever in a different way, as they all learn to understand what their purpose is, when challenged with life altering change that is not necessarily what they wanted.
Greta Gerwig and...
- 8/17/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
From mumblecore breakout star to indie darling, actress Greta Gerwig has had a charmed career thus far. But while her mastery of comedic awkwardness has turned her into a modern day Rosalind Russell, (or maybe, as in her words, Carole Lombard), the actress is also separating herself from her peers by driving her own narrative: writing, directing and creating her own roles. Gerwig has been writing since the beginning (she co-wrote "Hannah Takes The Stairs" and some of the early mumblecore works), but its her inspired efforts with frequent collaborator and partner Noah Baumbach that have really started to cook and turn into some contemporary classics. Their first co-writing collaboration was "Frances Ha," and their hilarious follow-up, the screwball comedy "Mistress America" is somewhat of a sister movie that Gerwig likens to a follow-up album to a successful first effort. Read More: Watch: Sarah Polley Interviews Greta Gerwig About...
- 8/11/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Greta Gerwig, who we just saw in the latest trailer for Mistress America, is prepping to tackle her first solo directorial gig. She previously co-directed Nights and Weekends (with Joe Swanberg, back in 2008) and has co-written films including the Swanberg-directed Hannah Takes the Stairs, Frances Ha, and the aforementioned Mistress America. So we’re excited to […]
The post Greta Gerwig Writing and Directing ‘Lady Bird’ appeared first on /Film.
The post Greta Gerwig Writing and Directing ‘Lady Bird’ appeared first on /Film.
- 8/8/2015
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
"There's garbage in the ground... If you dig far enough, you'll find a landfill." The Orchard has debuted the first official trailer for Joe Swanberg's newest film Digging for Fire, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This time Swanberg doesn't appear in it, instead this stars Jake Johnson along with an eclectic cast including: Jane Adams, Rosemarie Dewitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia. It's essentially an examination of everyone's going on in life at this point, by way of a party with a bunch of friends. It's good, not great, but this is a fun trailer. Here's the first official trailer for Joe Swanberg's Digging for Fire, from YouTube (via The Film Stage): The discovery of a bone and a gun sends a husband and wife on separate adventures over the course of a weekend. Digging for Fire...
- 7/16/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
At first, "Uncle Kent 2" presents itself as a prolonged inside joke on the microbudget American film scene — the kind of referential conceit with the capacity to please the same limited crowd familiar with the movies in question. But that barely gets to the essence of this deliriously strange and hilarious stoner comedy, which delivers one innovative dose of absurdity after another with a liberating energy that never slows down. In its relentless silliness, "Uncle Kent 2" provides the ultimate rebuke to formulaic storytelling, but it's less heady than pure head trip. The title refers back to Joe Swanberg's 2011 portrait of animator and perennial indie actor Kent Osborne (whose other credits include Swanberg's "Hannah Takes the Stairs"), a genial look at the fortysomething bachelor, pot-smoker and animator as he lazily surfs the internet for companionship. "Uncle Kent 2" begins with Osborne, lonely and perpetually stoned as ever, pitching...
- 3/14/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The unearthing of a rusty gun and dirty bone from a backyard bank seems like a surface setup to a murder mystery, but as the latest entry in Joe Swanberg's oeuvre, "Digging for Fire" has an ulterior motive. Swanberg has always explored relationship dynamics in his films, from long-distance challenges ("Lol," "Nights and Weekends") to ambiguous workplace romances ("Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Drinking Buddies"), but none of his films have been as symbolically meaningful or emotionally mature as this one. "Digging" finds Swanberg taking a different narrative tack by pitting Jake Johnson against Rosemarie DeWitt in an adventure tale about marriage, parenthood, and complacency. Tim (Johnson) and Lee (DeWitt) are a married couple with a three-year-old son named Jude (Jude Swanberg), house-sitting for a colleague in the country for a weekend. Tim is disillusioned about his relationship with Lee, which is only being kept alive...
- 1/30/2015
- by An Banh
- Indiewire
Joe Swanberg is 33. I don't know whether to be amazed by how high or low that number is. On one hand, that's ridiculously young for a filmmaker who broke out back in 2006 and 2007 with "Lol" and "Hannah Takes The Stairs" and has been absurdly prolific since then. On the other hand, though, the filmmaker who made his name -- and, depending on your generosity, made a genre -- chronicling the dramatically limited foibles of recent college graduates has reached the "thirtysomething" phase of his career. The erratic and misdirected youths at the center of Swanberg's earlier films have become the pesky nubiles who show up to make Swanberg's new leads feel either old or optimistically mature. It's a transition that has been in the works for a little while. Last year's Swanberg Sundance entry "Happy Christmas" featured the director and Melanie Lynskey as a grown-up, responsible couple whose house nearly...
- 1/27/2015
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
Happy Christmas
Written and directed by Joe Swanberg
USA, 2014
It is an inherent belief that the holiday season and family gatherings go hand-in-hand like puffy earmuffs on an exposed frozen ear. Well, writer-director (and co-star) Joe Swanberg backs up this assertion with his dysfunctional familial gem Happy Christmas. The gift-giving in Happy Christmas is predicated upon breezy disillusionment, personal and professional malaise, and the underscoring of being unfulfilled. Once again Swanberg puts his unique stamp on the microscopic root of relationships and the fragile consequences of coping with the pressures of such interaction.
Swanberg — whose underrated 2013 romantic comedy Drinking Buddies examined the vague connections of a male/female co-worker best buddy relationship with undercurrent sexual attraction — delves into the quirky dynamics of a sibling tandem and the circle of family and friends that make up their existing bubble pitted against the background holiday cheer. Happy Christmas is gingerly perceptive and...
Written and directed by Joe Swanberg
USA, 2014
It is an inherent belief that the holiday season and family gatherings go hand-in-hand like puffy earmuffs on an exposed frozen ear. Well, writer-director (and co-star) Joe Swanberg backs up this assertion with his dysfunctional familial gem Happy Christmas. The gift-giving in Happy Christmas is predicated upon breezy disillusionment, personal and professional malaise, and the underscoring of being unfulfilled. Once again Swanberg puts his unique stamp on the microscopic root of relationships and the fragile consequences of coping with the pressures of such interaction.
Swanberg — whose underrated 2013 romantic comedy Drinking Buddies examined the vague connections of a male/female co-worker best buddy relationship with undercurrent sexual attraction — delves into the quirky dynamics of a sibling tandem and the circle of family and friends that make up their existing bubble pitted against the background holiday cheer. Happy Christmas is gingerly perceptive and...
- 11/26/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
When you think Joe Swanberg, movies like Uncle Kent and Hannah Takes The Stairs immediately come to mind – incredibly independent efforts that helped launch a “mumblecore” movement with the help of similar filmmakers like the Duplass brothers. He’s since gone on to create films like Drinking Buddies, boasting a much grander scope, but its his new film Digging For Fire that could be the filmmaker’s most cinematic departure yet.
Directed by Swanberg, based off a screenplay written with actor buddy Jake Johnson, plot details have been hush-hush to this point, so I decided to find out why that was during a press interview for Happy Christmas. After revealing that filming had concluded on the project, I asked if he could comment on the kind of story his fans could expect.
This is what Swanberg had to say about Digging For Fire:
Joe Swanberg: It’s a...
Directed by Swanberg, based off a screenplay written with actor buddy Jake Johnson, plot details have been hush-hush to this point, so I decided to find out why that was during a press interview for Happy Christmas. After revealing that filming had concluded on the project, I asked if he could comment on the kind of story his fans could expect.
This is what Swanberg had to say about Digging For Fire:
Joe Swanberg: It’s a...
- 7/14/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
It may not be revolutionary to note that twentysomethings are different from thirtysomethings, but in director Joe Swanberg’s latest, Happy Christmas, he takes that idea to the next level when Anna Kendrick’s hard-partying Jenny moves in with her brother (Swanberg), his wife (Melanie Lynskey), and their young child.
Though Jenny might neglect responsibility at every turn, her presence actually helps Kelly (Lynskey) confront the state of her own artistic aspirations, allowing Swanberg to explore the very real tensions that emerge when one party in the relationship takes on the lion’s share of domestic responsibilities. “I’m excited...
Though Jenny might neglect responsibility at every turn, her presence actually helps Kelly (Lynskey) confront the state of her own artistic aspirations, allowing Swanberg to explore the very real tensions that emerge when one party in the relationship takes on the lion’s share of domestic responsibilities. “I’m excited...
- 6/11/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
Giving us all a dose of the holidays this summer is Anna Kendrick in Happy Christmas, an indie dramedy about the ways family can drive us crazy, but also push us to be better people. Check out the trailer now. Written and directed by mumblecore auteur Joe Swanberg, Happy Christmas stars Anna Kendrick as Jenny, a reckless and aimless 20-something who crashes the holidays and home of her older filmmaker brother Jeff (Swanberg) and his loving novelist wife Kelly (Melanie Lynskey). Jenny is meant to help out by playing babysitter to their toddler when need be. When her hard-partying ways prove she's unreliable, a manny (a male nanny played by indie darling Mark Webber) is called in. But amidst all the waves she's causing, Jenny also sparks a creative evolution for Kelly. Though a prolific filmmaker with titles like Hannah Takes the Stairs, Alexander The Last and Nights and Weekends...
- 5/22/2014
- cinemablend.com
Over the course of his filmmaking career, Joe Swanberg has garnered a number of fans with a filmography that includes Hannah Takes The Stairs, Caitlin Plays Herself, and Drinking Buddies, as well as a contribution to the horror anthology V/H/S. Many were excited to hear that the filmmaker was already well into a new project, which made its debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Titled Happy Christmas, Swanberg once again takes on writing and directing duties, while also appearing onscreen alongside Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, and Lena Dunham. The first trailer for the film has now been released, and can be seen below.
(Source: Collider)
The post ‘Happy Christmas’, the newest film from Joe Swanberg, releases its first trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.
(Source: Collider)
The post ‘Happy Christmas’, the newest film from Joe Swanberg, releases its first trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 5/20/2014
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
When you're a hit web series looking to draw in even more viewers, what do you do? The same thing the networks do: get some big names to guest star. "F to 7th" is entering its second season after premiering to rave reviews last year, and the creators have cast Olympia Dukakis, Janeane Garofalo, and director Ry Russo-Young ("Nobody Walks," "Hannah Takes the Stairs") to help get the word out. Created, directed, and written by Ingrid Jungermann, who also stars, "F to 7th" follows Ingrid's "descent into pre-middle age." "The humor in this season is a bit more wicked than the last," Jungermann said. "It explores how fragile your self-worth is when it comes to family, and how easy it is to regress into the child you used to be. I believe the best comedy comes from exposing your darkest secrets and inviting an audience to laugh along with you.
- 5/1/2014
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Lonely people will certainly do crazy things to get attention.
Director Zack Parker presents a dark thriller with twist and turns in “Proxy.” Latino-Review had an exclusive telephone interview with Parker to discuss the storyline and ideas behind this gory and violent movie.
Here’s the synopsis:
Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) feels alone in this world. When she is viciously attacked by a hooded assailant after leaving her Ob/Gyn, it almost seems to be a blessing in disguise when Esther finds consolation in a support group, especially from the kindly Melanie (Alexa Havins). The two women strike up a close friendship and Esther’s life of sadness and solitude is opened up to understanding and even acceptance. However, their bond gets increasingly dangerous as they can no longer tell what’s real and what’s in their heads.
Anchored by a trio of strong female performances from Havins, Rasmussen, and...
Director Zack Parker presents a dark thriller with twist and turns in “Proxy.” Latino-Review had an exclusive telephone interview with Parker to discuss the storyline and ideas behind this gory and violent movie.
Here’s the synopsis:
Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) feels alone in this world. When she is viciously attacked by a hooded assailant after leaving her Ob/Gyn, it almost seems to be a blessing in disguise when Esther finds consolation in a support group, especially from the kindly Melanie (Alexa Havins). The two women strike up a close friendship and Esther’s life of sadness and solitude is opened up to understanding and even acceptance. However, their bond gets increasingly dangerous as they can no longer tell what’s real and what’s in their heads.
Anchored by a trio of strong female performances from Havins, Rasmussen, and...
- 4/21/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
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