News

Scott Speedman of The Strangers and Underworld has joined Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey) and Isabel May of the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 in the thriller Sunflower – and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Speedman will be playing the villain in the film!

Sunflower will mark the feature directorial debut of writer Misha Green. She and Smollett previously worked together on the TV shows Underground and Lovecraft Country. Green created Underground with Joe Pokaski and developed Lovecraft Country from the Matt Ruff novel. Her first directing credit was on an episode of Lovecraft Country.

After spending more than a decade in development hell, Sunflower is finally moving forward at Lionsgate. The screenplay Green wrote for the film was so highly regarded that it was on the Black List back in 2008. The story follows two young women who are held hostage in a prison-like farmhouse by a deranged college professor. As they struggle to survive,...

Isabel May, whose previous credits include Alexa & Katie, Let’s Scare Julie, Run Hide Fight, I Want You Back, and the Yellowstone prequel series 1883, has signed on to join Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey) in the thriller Sunflower, which is set to mark the feature directorial debut of writer Misha Green.

Green and Smollett previously worked together on the TV shows Underground and Lovecraft Country. Green created Underground with Joe Pokaski and developed Lovecraft Country from the Matt Ruff novel. Her first directing credit was on an episode of Lovecraft Country.

After spending more than a decade in development hell, Sunflower is finally moving forward at Lionsgate. The screenplay Green wrote for the film was so highly regarded that it was on the Black List back in 2008. The story follows two young women who are held hostage in a prison-like farmhouse by a deranged college professor. As they struggle to survive,...

Misha Green has been wanting to make a thriller called Sunflower for a long time… and after spending more than a decade in development hell, the project is finally moving forward at Lionsgate! Green had been attached to make her feature directorial debut on a Tomb Raider film starring Alicia Vikander, but that fell apart when MGM lost the rights to the Tomb Raider franchise. So Green has now shifted over to making her feature directorial debut on Sunflower – and she has cast Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey) in the lead role.

Green and Smollett previously worked together on the TV shows Underground and Lovecraft Country. Green created Underground with Joe Pokaski and developed Lovecraft Country from the Matt Ruff novel. Her first directing credit was on an episode of Lovecraft Country.

The screenplay Green wrote for Sunflower was so highly regarded that it was on the Black List back...

With a strongly-reviewed thriller to his name and a Black List screenplay now in his hands, everything’s coming up Adam Blaiklock. As Variety reports, the Australian helmer (first behind Caught Inside) is signing with 20th Century Fox and Ben Stiller‘s Red Hour Films to helm their long-pending thriller, Sunflower.

If the actor’s involvement has you expecting something with comedic undertones, think again; the script, from Misha Green, brings something like Martha Marcy May Marlene to mind first and foremost. In Sunflower, two women have been kidnapped by a professor and are “held hostage in a prison-like farmhouse.” For some reason — at this point, let’s not dwell on the finer details — their state raises the question of physical violence against one another as a means of staying alive.

Blaiklock, being praised for his behind-the-camera work on Caught Inside, feels like a smart “indie” pick for this kind...

Janet Pierson, the producer of the SXSW Film Conference and Festival, will make her first visit to Australia in August, attending a Screen Australia forum where she will talk about the event. In 2012, the influential festival screened 270 films (including 132 features) and attracted an audience of more than 68,000. She told If Magazine about her views on the Australian industry and the changing role of the festival.

If Magazine: How does Australian screen content compare to the Us and other territories? Have you noticed particular strengths or weaknesses that should be addressed, or particular themes?

Janet Pierson: SXSW Film always pays close attention to Australian films. It's hard to reduce "Australian film" to a specific set of themes, but I would say that again and again we see a fearless, uncompromising sensibility.

There's definitely a real wave of fascinating, edgy filmmakers coming from the region. Genre films are incredibly strong, and filmmakers,...

Flo the Online Pamperer

Reckitt Benckiser has mobilised two of its brands in the fight against ‘man-flu’.

Strepsils and Lemsip have been used in combination in the Online Pamperer, where an elderly woman called Flo can text men to buy medicine, play them music clips, or cheer them up with a trip down memory lane.

The online campaign, created by Holler Sydney, uses Facebook Connect to put men’s Facebook pictures inside interactive video. The Flo character was brought to life by director Adam Blaiklock from Flying Fish.

Holler boss Mike Hill, said: “When guys get sick, we tend to be demanding and want constant attention. While we battle a level of sickness others couldn’t possibly comprehend, our partners tend to suffer in the fallout. Flo’s here to unburden women, and pander to afflicted men.”

Brands joining forces is becoming a popular marketing tactic. Last year, PepsiCo rolled...

Caught Inside is an Australian shot thriller that deals with six surfers on the vacation of their lives. However, some lives will end when a seductive new surfer uses her sexuality to turn rival against rival. Tensions explode April 10th when Screen Media Films releases this movie on North American shores. For those who have not seen the trailer, the clip is hosted below.

Release Date: April 10th, 2012 (DVD).

Director: Adam Blaiklock.

Cast: Ben Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, and Sam Lyndon.

Watch the trailer for Caught Inside here:

*the surfing term "Caught Inside" refers to being caught along the shoreline during an oncoming breaking wave.

More on Caught Inside at Screen Media Films:

Caught Inside at Screen Media Films

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All independent filmmakers dream of seeing their film on the big screen. Seeing it appear on a pirate site first can mean financial death. However, becoming a ‘Filmmaker2.0’ will arm a director or producer against pirates, to turn a torrent into a revenue stream. Colin Delaney reports.

It’s the 21 Century filmmaker’s worst nightmare. Online piracy is costing the global industry billions of dollars. According to a recent report the Australian screen industry is worth $6.1B and supports 48,667 jobs. While this number is up by 5.1% since 2006-07, a study on behalf of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (Afact) showed that $1.37B in revenue was lost across the entire Australian economy due to movie and TV piracy while 6,100 jobs were forgone in 2010.

Filmmakers these days are well aware of the importance of protecting themselves against piracy before their film’s life has run its course but it only takes...

Caught Inside, director Adam Blaiklock.s feature debut, is a film about one man.s dominance over a group. The tagline for the film ..anyone is a weapon if you twist them right . echoes the director.s concept. .I liked the idea of making a genre film where the violence and the threat comes from one man.s physical and psychological abuse rather than from who.s holding the gun or who.s holding the knife at any one point,. Blaiklock tells If, adding that he aimed to avoid the stereotypes associated with this type of genre film, and make something .that had the right amount of tension without having to resort to gratuitous violence.. The man in question is Bull, played by Fatty Finn star Ben Oxenbould.....

Michael Rymer, director of Face to Face, due out on September 8, said the success of Red Dog helps his film. “Every film that does well, Like Red Dog, benefits little films like Face to Face and big films like The Eye of the Storm. We can all lift up together. I know that sounds incredibly hippy-ish, but you know.”

Red Dog, the Australian film about a hitchhiking dog that captures the hearts of a 1970s mining town in the Pilbara, has now reached the $10.5m mark at the box office and in the process, surpassed classic Australian films’ box office success such as the The Castle and Shine.

In its fourth weekend, the film, directed by Kriv Stenders (Boxing Day) took $1.9m across 257 screens, averaging $7393 per screen.

As the film breaks the double-digit mark, Other filmmakers with films due for release are hoping for a knock on effect with a...

Director: Adam Blaiklock Writers: Adam Blaiklock, Matt Tomaszewski, Joe Velikovsky Starring: Ben Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, Sam Lyndon, Simon Lyndon, Leeanna Walsman, Harry Cook, Peter Phelps Caught Inside is a not-so-tall tale of how rationally real (not reel) people would react to a brutish man like Bull (Ben Oxenbould). I am getting ahead of myself though, so please allow me to back my ass up a bit... A group of impeccably attractive Aussie blokes charter a private boat -- the aptly named Hedonist -- captained by Skipper Joe (Peter Phelps) for a surfing safari to a remote island located somewhere off the coast of Thailand with radical swells and tubular breaks; Bull is along for the ride because he is the key to finding the clandestine locale. It is supposed to be a guys only escapade, but Toobs (Simon Lyndon) brings along his girlfriend Alex (Leeanna Walsman) and her scrumptiously seductive friend,...

Austin, TX – ‘Caught Inside’ an Australian thriller about a group of surfers trapped with a manic thug out at sea, offers eye candy of surfing and fit bodies, but few thrills.<

The story of a ‘Guys Only’ surfing trip, turned pleasure cruise when one of the men brings along two ladies, becomes some what of a made for TV soap opera on a boat. Tension between the parties starts immediately, fighting for the affections of a single girl, leading to jealously, and ultimately violence at the hands of the thug called ‘Bull’, played Ben Oxenbould.

A believable setup that soon becomes difficult to believe, as the crew are powerless to do anything about him. Bull’s sudden change from likable storyteller, to brash psycho suddenly takes place, like the flip of light switch, and the groups lack of initiative in defending themselves from his extreme behaviour, is frustrating and unrealistic.

Caught Inside

Directed by Adam Blaiklock

Written by Joe Velikovsky, Matt Tomaszewski, Adam Blaiklock

Australia, 2010

Caught Inside, an Australian film in the Narrative Feature category at SXSW this year is itself, caught somewhere between psychological thriller and horror flick, but it’s a sweet spot that director Adam Blaiklock exploits masterfully.

A group of twenty-somethings depart on a chartered boat in the gorgeous, sparkling Maldives for a surfing trip. Everything is marvelous, until one of the surfers who is both exceedingly sensitive and macho, goes berserk after an incident with one of the women on board. Out in the middle of the ocean, the isolation that was once the ideal quickly becomes the enemy and with no help for miles, the expeditioners find themselves pawns in one man’s terrifying and sad game of revenge.

Key to the thrill behind this film is its frightening plausibility. Every day we brush...

Filed under: Movie News, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical

Celebrity Sightings

SXSW isn't SXSW without the occasional (sometimes more than occasional) reminder that celebrities are people too. They like movies, they like music, and even they like all things interactive. Sometimes they appear before, during, or after movie-themes events (i.e., screenings). You can catch up with some of the celebrities at SXSW by checking out this link, this other link over here, and one more link over there.

Our Coverage

Peter Hall reviews 'The Innkeepers,' Ti West's ('The House of the Devil') latest film, a comedy-horror mash-up. Hall says, "'The Innkeepers' is radiant with inspiration." He cites the sound design, cinematography, and score as plusses, along with the strong, character-focused writing, performances, and directing.

Hall also reviews 'Caught Inside,' Australian director Adam Blaiklock's feature-length debut. He says, "'Caught Inside...

Filed under: Movie News, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical

Celebrity Sightings

SXSW isn't SXSW without the occasional (sometimes more than occasional) reminder that celebrities are people too. They like movies, they like music, and even they like all things interactive. Sometimes they appear before, during, or after movie-themes events (i.e., screenings). You can catch up with some of the celebrities at SXSW by checking out this link, this other link over here, and one more link over there.

Our Coverage

Peter Hall reviews 'The Innkeepers,' Ti West's ('The House of the Devil') latest film, a comedy-horror mash-up. Hall says, "'The Innkeepers' is radiant with inspiration." He cites the sound design, cinematography, and score as plusses, along with the strong, character-focused writing, performances, and directing.

Hall also reviews 'Caught Inside,' Australian director Adam Blaiklock's feature-length debut. He says, "'Caught Inside...

Filed under: Reviews, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical

On paper, 'Caught Inside,' the debut feature from Australian director Adam Blaiklock, may sound like any number of other location-based thrillers: A group of blokes decide to charter a private boat and take a leave-your-girlfriend-at-home surfing vacation to a remote island. However, things are complicated when one of the boyfriends brings along his girlfriend and her flirty gal pal, Sam (Daisy Betts). Isolated deep in the ocean, hours from anyone of authority, one of the men on the boat grows obsessed with Sam and will do anything to have her.

In practice, 'Caught Inside' is an increasingly heated pressure cooker of a thriller; one that impresses with restraint and a disarming lack of malice. It's easy to imagine that a film with this premise, especially one hailing from a country that has been pumping out some fairly savage horror movies of late,...

Filed under: Reviews, SXSW Film Festival, Cinematical

On paper, 'Caught Inside,' the debut feature from Australian director Adam Blaiklock, may sound like any number of other location-based thrillers: A group of blokes decide to charter a private boat and take a leave-your-girlfriend-at-home surfing vacation to a remote island. However, things are complicated when one of the boyfriends brings along his girlfriend and her flirty gal pal, Sam (Daisy Betts). Isolated deep in the ocean, hours from anyone of authority, one of the men on the boat grows obsessed with Sam and will do anything to have her.

In practice, 'Caught Inside' is an increasingly heated pressure cooker of a thriller; one that impresses with restraint and a disarming lack of malice. It's easy to imagine that a film with this premise, especially one hailing from a country that has been pumping out some fairly savage horror movies of late,...

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(from the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival)

Directed by: Adam Blaiklock

Written by: Joe Velikovsky, Matt Tomaszewski and Adam Blaiklock

Starring: Ben Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, Sam Lyndon, Simon Lyndon, Leeanna Walsman, Harry Cook and Peter Phelps

Boat-locked dramas have held their place among low-budget thrillers for some time. “Dead Calm,” “Open Water” and “Donkey Punch” have proffered a variety of versions of people locked in a precarious place with nowhere to go but down.

This time, young Australian filmmaker Adam Blaiklock casts a group of fairly seasoned Australian television actors and takes them to Thailand, where cheap fish and boat charters lure thousands of similarly minded southerners each year. This team has leased a vessel called “Hedonist” for what was supposed to be a boys’ surfing trip but now consists of four guys, two girls, a skipper and his crew. The two girls are two...

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(from the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival)

Directed by: Adam Blaiklock

Written by: Joe Velikovsky, Matt Tomaszewski and Adam Blaiklock

Starring: Ben Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, Sam Lyndon, Simon Lyndon, Leeanna Walsman, Harry Cook and Peter Phelps

Boat-locked dramas have held their place among low-budget thrillers for some time. “Dead Calm,” “Open Water” and “Donkey Punch” have proffered a variety of versions of people locked in a precarious place with nowhere to go but down.

This time, young Australian filmmaker Adam Blaiklock casts a group of fairly seasoned Australian television actors and takes them to Thailand, where cheap fish and boat charters lure thousands of similarly minded southerners each year. This team has leased a vessel called “Hedonist” for what was supposed to be a boys’ surfing trip but now consists of four guys, two girls, a skipper and his crew. The two girls are two...

The 2011 SXSW Film Festival will feature the North American premiere of Marie Losier‘s The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, a much-anticipated documentary that chronicles the love story of industrial music pioneer Genesis P-Orridge and his late wife Lady Jaye. Screening times have not been released yet, but the festival runs this year on March 11-19 at its regular home of Austin, Texas.

Genesis and Lady Jaye had a unique relationship in which, in addition to getting married, they attempted to meld together as a single pandrogynous entity known as Breyer P-Orridge. (The “Breyer” portion of the name coming from Jaye’s maiden name.) The couple both underwent plastic surgery and hormone therapy together, as well as starting to cross-dress and adopt perfectly identical mannerisms and behaviors.

Unfortunately, Jaye passed away in 2007, although Genesis continues to live his life as Breyer P-Orridge.

Production on the film began a few...

The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its feature film line-up Wednesday, piling heaps of cinematic goodness on an already stellar program that includes Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, Duncan Jones’ Source Code, Ti West’s The Innkeepers, Conan O’Brien’s tour documentary, and the latest Simon Pegg-Nick Frost comedy, Paul, with Seth Rogen.

Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) returns to the festival with her latest film, Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, after the writer-director spoke on a screenwriting panel in 2009.

Plus a few favorites from the Sundance Film Festival last month, like Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Max Winkler’s Ceremony.

I’m extremely excited, even if I’m already having flashbacks to intense sleep deprivation. Like the last two years, I’ll be on the ground covering as much of the festival as I can within the packed 9 days of screenings,...

‘Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist,’ at SXSW 2011

Austin, Texas – The SXSW 2011 Feature Film Lineup was unveiled Wednesday afternoon. The festival lineup will consist of 130 features, in nine full days of programming, promising to deliver a film-going experience unlike previous years.

With a reputation for taking chances on relatively unknown filmmakers, the SXSW panel of judges carefully picked 130 films from 1,792 feature-length film submissions, (1,323 U.S. and 469 international). The program consists of 60 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres.

The main competition categories return with eight Narrative Features, and eight Documentary Features, both competing for their respective Grand Jury Prize. New for films in competition this year, are awards for screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and acting.

(The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week.)

Here are a few of the Features to be screened, among many others.

Narratives:

The Beaver (World Premiere)

Dir.

Readers of Sound On Sight can be sure that we will indeed be covering the SXSW Film Festival once again. As previously reported, Duncan Jones’ latest film Source Code is opening the festival and there will also be premieres for the documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greg Mottola’s Paul, and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver. Now the full line-up has been announced it is incredible.

Hit the jump to check out the line-up, and be sure to visit our site during the event.

The 2011 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 11 – 19th in Austin, Texas.

SXSW Film Announces 2011 Features Lineup

Austin, Texas – February 2, 2011 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers.

"Win Win," starring Paul Giamatti, left, and Alex Shaffer, will screen at SXSW

Aimée Lagos’ thriller “96 Minutes,” starring Brittany Snow; Chris Eyre’s “A Year in Mooring” and “American Animal” from writer-director Matt D’Elia are among the films that will screen in competition at next month’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

These films will be joined in the Headliners section by Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan in Tom McCarthy’s “Win Win,” Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins,” Rainn Wilson in “Super” and others previously announced including Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver,” Greg Mottola’s “Paul,” the documentary “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” from director Rodman Flender, and the opening-night world premiere of Duncan Jones’ “Source Code.”

The following are highlights from the lineup announced Wednesday, with descriptions provided by the festival.

Narrative Feature Competition “96 Minutes”

Director, Writer: Aimée Lagos

Four young lives. One night. One terrifying event.

"Win Win," starring Paul Giamatti, left, and Alex Shaffer, will screen at SXSW

Aimée Lagos’ thriller “96 Minutes,” starring Brittany Snow; Chris Eyre’s “A Year in Mooring” and “American Animal” from writer-director Matt D’Elia are among the films that will screen in competition at next month’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

These films will be joined in the Headliners section by Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan in Tom McCarthy’s “Win Win,” Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins,” Rainn Wilson in “Super” and others previously announced including Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver,” Greg Mottola’s “Paul,” the documentary “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” from director Rodman Flender, and the opening-night world premiere of Duncan Jones’ “Source Code.”

The following are highlights from the lineup announced Wednesday, with descriptions provided by the festival.

Narrative Feature Competition “96 Minutes”

Director, Writer: Aimée Lagos

Four young lives. One night. One terrifying event.

The South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival announced this year's features lineup. The festival takes place March 11-19 in Austin, Texas.

There are a total of 130 features screening this year including 60 world premieres, 12 North American premieres and 16 U.S. premieres! This year the a total of 1,792 feature-length films were submitted, which is the most ever.

There are going to be some amazing films shown this yea. Opening night kicks off with Duncan Jones' Source Code (Moon). The fest rolls on with Jodie Foster‘s The Beaver, Greg Mottola‘s Paul, Sundance Grand Prize doc winner How to Die in Oregon, Errol Morris‘ Tabloid, Victoria Mahoney‘s Yelling to the Sky, Azazel Jacob‘s Terri. There will also be a special screening of Catherine Hardwicke‘s Red Riding Hood.

The Midnight and SXFantastic sections will be announced with the shorts program next week.

See the complete lineup below via...

The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) just announced their entire 2011 feature film lineup, and there’s isn’t a lot of note, with regards to this blog’s focus.

Titles you should be aware of – all of which we’ve previously profiled on Shadow And Act – include, Victoria Mahoney’s feature film debut, Yelling To The Sky (which will actually make its world debut at the Berlin Film Festival later this month); plus Blacktino, the first feature film from writer/director Aaron Burns, a self-described “blacktino nerd from Austin, Texas,” who got his start at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios doing visual effects; Benda Bilili, a documentary about a band of homeless, disabled Congolese; and last, but not least, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, a documentary about the black man that happens to be the man behind the puppet (which also played at Sundance).

There might be...

The South by Southwest Film Festival has announced their features lineup for the 2011’s Festival, which will take place March 11th to the 19th in Austin Texas. Read the full press release after the jump. SXSW Film Announces 2011 Features Lineup Austin, Texas – February 2, 2011 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers. The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week. “This is the most exciting moment for us. After a fantastic festival of discovery in 2010, we can finally unveil the line up for this year’s event,” says Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “SXSW prides itself on taking chances, sifting for...

After the success of the What Are You Really Burning campaign, the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation decided to move away from the finger-pointing approach that anti-piracy materials usually take.

“Content theft is not a message that people are queuing up to hear,” admits Ipaf CEO Gail Grant.

Based on information from their latest research, which monitors attitudes towards film and television content and piracy, Ipaf broke down the Australian public into four attitudinal segments and took this information to a number of advertising agencies. The Furnace came back with an integrated approach and recommended to have not just one message, but many, to address the four segments.

“Pointing fingers at people is hardly an effective way of getting them to change attitudes or behaviour. Therefore we needed to change the overall approach, moving from telling people off to having a conversation with them on their level,” said Tony Singleton, managing director at The Furnace.

The Sydney Film Festival wrapped up on Monday night with the major award winners announced at a closing night gala ceremony. The attendee votes have since been tallied revealing the winners of the Showtime Movie Channel Audience Awards.   Boy (pictured), Taika Waititi's rollicking coming-of-age feature film, currently enjoying success at the New Zealand box office, and due for wider release in Australia in late August, has taken home the Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature at the State Theatre.   The Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature at the Satellite Venues - consisting of the Dendy Opera Quays, Events Cinemas George Street, the Sydney Opera House, and Art Gallery of Nsw - went to Caught Inside, Adam Blaiklock's suspenseful Australian debut feature film set on a charter boat in the Maldives.