News

Co-writer/director Bruce Thierry Cheung's absorbing, sleepy-eyed fatherless fable Don't Come Back from the Moon is a small-sized affecting coming-of-age tale with a big scale heart and thought-provoking conviction. Cheung's desertion drama spotlighting the plight of a dusty town's epidemic of disappearing fathers and husbands has its low-key vibes of angst and contemplation that skillfully resonates on the untouched soul. The quiet destitution of lost youngsters (and struggling wives) needing their breadwinners at bay makes for a resounding psychological character study of domesticated despair. Recent films such as last year's poignant Wildlife depicting fatherly absence resulting in tranquil turmoil certainly applies to Cheung's slow-burning narrative that convincingly exposes the emotional and psychological wounds of young folks aimlessly searching for usefulness in the selective barren region of Southern...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Cinematographer-turned-director Bruce Thierry Cheung offers an artful and affecting mix of harshly defined specifics and impressionistic storytelling in “Don’t Come Back from the Moon,” a cumulatively poignant drama about absent fathers and abandoned families in an economically devastated desert community. Structured more like a tone poem than a conventional narrative, it’s an elliptical memory play set in some fuzzily defined yesterday — judging from the appliances and automobiles, maybe 20 or so years ago. At the same time, it also evokes a sense of bleak devastation that suggests a futuristic tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Such stylization seems altogether appropriate for a film that, at heart, really is a story about the aftermath of a disaster.

“Don’t Come Back from the Moon” is based on a novel by Dean Bakopoulos (who collaborated in adapting the screenplay with Cheung) that was set in a declining Rust Belt town...

"It was as if he vaporized out of the driver's seat and just... floated away." Brainstorm Media has debuted an official trailer for an indie drama titled Don't Come Back From The Moon, an adaptation of a novel that first premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2017, where it won a Special Jury Prize for Directing. This was made by cinematographer Bruce Thierry Cheung before he made the junk sci-fi film Future World, but is just now getting released. It's about a group of kids in a small California desert town who are forced into a scavenging life when their fathers abandoned them ("for the Moon") without warning. Starring Jeff Wahlberg, James Franco, Rashida Jones, Alyssa Elle Steinacker, Henry Hopper, Hale Lytle, Jeremiah Noe, and Cheyenne Haynes. This looks like one of those artsy indies filled with random shots of kids hanging out, running around, and doing whatever. The...

James Franco's post-apocalyptic Future World is getting a bad rep, but the star studded Mad Max-lite is back with another trailer and a new poster.

Future World was co-directed by filmmaker Bruce Thierry Cheung (Don't Come Back from the Moon). The screenplay is written by Jeremy Cheung, Jay Davis, and Bruce Thierry Cheung.

Synopsis:

A young boy's mother is dying and beyond the capabilities of any local medicine. Desperate for an answer, the boy travels across the barren future world wasteland, scavenging for a cure that is only rumored to exist. His will and perseverance will be tested as he strives to protect his family.

Lionsgate will release Future World in theaters on May 25th...

Last week, a trailer was released for a new sci-fi western-style film produced by Lionsgate called Future World. That was not an official trailer and the studio asked us to take the post down until the official trailer was released. Well now the official trailer has been released and my opinion of it hasn't changed. It still looks awful. Below you will find my original post, along with a new synopsis and the official trailer.

Future World was co-directed by and stars James Franco. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world exactly like Mad Max, and it looks like a pretty terrible film. I don't know how Franco went from directing a great film like The Disaster Artist, to this Future World movie, but he did, and I don't know what he was thinking! Maybe he thought it would be fun?

He even managed to bring a decent cast...

The new trailer for the upcoming movie Future World has dropped – and its fantastic. Not to say it looks good, it’s just something that looks great. Directed by James Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung, the movie looks like a straight-up Mad Max rip-off. The movie has a chance to be fun, but that depends on how the actors treat the material.

It’s hard for me to believe this is a real movie, but it’s happening. I suppose without further adieu – here’s the trailer:

This certainly looks like a strange movie. Sex-robots and the apocalypse. That’s a choice. We’ll see how the movie is received when its released May 25th on VOD and in select cities.

Here’s the official synopsis for Future World:

Inside a desert oasis, a queen (Lucy Liu) lays dying as her son Prince (Jeffrey Wahlberg) travels across barren waste lands...

"She's the perfect woman, right? Incorruptible - god I love that!" Lionsgate has released another official trailer for the film Future World, a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi action western. We featured another trailer for this last week, but was pulled off the web. Now we have this one and it doesn't look any better. Still looks like a straight-up rip-off of Mad Max, with sand motorcycles, grungy cars and everything. The story involves some kind of boy searching for a rumored cure for his dying mother, but is actually about a robot woman? I don't really know. James Franco co-directs, and stars along with Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Margarita Levieva, Suki Waterhouse, Method Man, Snoop Dogg, Elisha Henig, and Scott Haze. So I'm only posting this just to add it here, but don't really care to ever watch this. Don't have time to waste on this junk. Here's the official Us trailer...

Following the success of “The Disaster Artist,” James Franco will star in the sci-fi thriller “Future World,” which he co-directed. Using a color palette and costume design that bears an uncanny resemblance to both the original “Mad Max” as well as 2016’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Future World” features car chases, cyborgs, and at least one reference to “the perfect woman.” Commence eye roll.

The movie stars Suki Waterhouse as a cyborg assassin known as a “synthetic,” who is coveted by the likes of Franco, Milla Jovovich, and Snoop Dogg for her powers. Though it’s unclear exactly what’s going on, she begins to malfunction and goes renegade in an effort to save a potential love interest. The film also stars Lucy Liu as a character known only as “The Queen.

“Future World” is co-directed by Bruce Thierry Cheung, the cinematographer who lensed Franco’s previous directorial efforts, “In Dubious Battle,...

This film fan admits to enjoying post apocalyptic fare. It was films like Albert Puyn's Cyborg (1989) and Night of the Comet (1984) that shaped the film landscape, a millenia ago. Director James Franco looks equally inspired by films of the '80s, including George Miller's The Road Warrior (1981). His latest picture, co-directed by Bruce Thierry Cheung (The Color of Time, 2012), creates a harsh landscape. In Future World, a young man looks for a cure, to stave off his mother's death. What he is not prepared for is a world filled with cyborgs, wasters and motorcycle riding bandits. The film hosts a number of recognizable names, in the film's first trailer. Viewers may recognize a few actors. Franco not only directs, but stars as some sort of junk dealer. Other bandits roam the wastes as Tattooed Face (Method Man) and Love Lord (Snoop Dogg). Even actress Lucy Liu makes a late appearance as the Queen.

Following the success of “The Disaster Artist,” James Franco will star in the sci-fi thriller “Future World,” which he co-directed. Using a color palette and costume design that bears an uncanny resemblance to both the original “Mad Max” as well as 2016’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Future World” features car chases, cyborgs, and at least one reference to “the perfect woman.” Commence eye roll.

The movie stars Suki Waterhouse as a cyborg assassin known as a “synthetic,” who is coveted by the likes of Franco, Milla Jovovich, and Snoop Dogg for her powers. Though it’s unclear exactly what’s going on, she begins to malfunction and goes renegade in an effort to save a potential love interest. The film also stars Lucy Liu as a character known only as “The Queen.

“Future World” is co-directed by Bruce Thierry Cheung, the cinematographer who lensed Franco’s previous directorial efforts, “In Dubious Battle,...

Men leave, women adapt and kids grow up quickly in Don’t Come Back from the Moon, a spare tone poem set in a tumbledown corner of the Southern California desert. Adapting a Detroit-set novel by Dean Bakopoulos, cinematographer-turned-director Bruce Thierry Cheung makes the community of Bombay Beach, a dilapidated one-time resort on the Inland Empire’s Salton Sea, a character in its own right. A delicate change-of-pace performance from Rashida Jones, as a young mother, is another notable strength of this understated coming-of-age drama.

Though the story’s early stretches feel slender and repetitive, Cheung gathers...

Exclusive: As the Los Angeles Film Festival readies for its 2017 edition that kicks off tomorrow around the city, we’re starting to get first looks at films that will pepper the competition. That’s the case for Don’t Come Back From The Moon, the coming-of-age drama based on Dean Bakopoulos' 2005 novel about life in a small California desert town. James Franco co-stars in the pic which reunites him with his frequent collaborator Bruce Thierry Cheung, who was the Dp on…...

This year’s edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14–22) abounds with directorial debuts and movies that are probably worth seeing for their title alone (“Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town,” anyone?). As the fest continues to carve its niche in the L.A. film world, it puts increasing emphasis on discovering new talents rather than the best-of-fest strategy that pulls from Sundance and SXSW.

Since you probably don’t need us to tell you about the big titles that have played elsewhere — “The Beguiled,” “Patti Cake$,” “Ingrid Goes West” — here are 10 more out-there selections to seek out. Timing is everything: Laff only screens each movie once.

Read More: Laff 2017 Announces Full Slate, Including Competition and Episodic Offerings

“Dark Blue Girl” (World Fiction)

Just as everyone is the hero of their own story, so too is every child the center of their own universe. That would appear to be...

The dangerous doll from The Conjuring franchise is coming to the West Coast this June, as Warner Bros. will present a special advance screening of Annabelle: Creation ahead of its theatrical release this August, with Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled also announced for the festival.

Press Release: Los Angeles (May 23, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced the Gala Screening of New Line Cinema’s Annabelle: Creation, directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson with Anthony Lapaglia and Miranda Otto. Also unveiled today, the panels for Diversity Speaks and the Global Media Makers.

Award-winning film company Focus Features will commemorate its 15th anniversary at the La Film Festival with five movies including revival programming and a newly added advance screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell,...

This year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, better known as Laff if you’re fun, has unveiled its full slate of 2017 offerings, including new offerings from Vincent Grashaw, Leena Pendharkar, Hong Sangsoo, Lea Thompson and many more. The slate includes 48 feature films, 51 short films, 15 high school short films and 10 short episodic works representing 32 countries. The festival’s five competitions feature 37 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres and 9 North American Premieres. Across the competition categories, 42% of the films are directed by women and 40% are directed by people of color.

“Our competitions reflect who Film Independent is as an organization,” said La Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “Within each section you’ll find discovery, diversity, and promising talent both in front of and behind the camera.” Programming Director Roya Rastegar added, “The films curated for the 2017 competition reflect the changing political climate’s impact on emerging independent filmmakers, who are compelled to tell stories about the power of conviction,...

The days are getting longer and the nights are getting warmer, which means that we're edging ever closer to this year's La Film Festival. Taking place June 14th–22nd, the La Film Festival's 2017 competition lineup has been unveiled, and of particular interest for genre fans is the Nightfall section, which includes Colin Minihan's It Stains the Sands Red, Julius Ramsay's Midnighters, and Amanda Evans' Serpent.

Press Release: Los Angeles (May 9, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, La Muse and Nightfall sections. The 2017 La Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of feature films, shorts and episodic series, along with programs such as Coffee Talks and Future Filmmakers Showcase. The La Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood,...

James Franco's post-apocalyptic Future World is coming and the we've got some photos that give us our first look at the production.

Pictured below are Franco with the costumed cast including Snoop Dogg, Method Man and Suki Waterhouse in the brand new pics.

Based on an original story by Franco, the film follows a young prince and a robot "on a daring journey of self-discovery through the violent and desolate world of the Wastelands," according to Variety.

Synopsis:

A young boy searches a future world wasteland for a rumored cure for his dying mother.

Milla Jovovich and Lucy Liu also star in Future World while Bruce Cheung is co-directing along with Franco.

Head to Quiet Earth to see the stills.

Recommended Release: Downstream

[Continued ...]...

James Franco may or may not be a promising filmmaker, but he’s not afraid of failure. You’ve got to give him that. Twice, the 38-year-old multi-hyphenate has attempted to rope the byzantine narratives of William Faulkner into a cinematic structure—2013’s As I Lay Dying and 2014’s The Sound And The Fury—and both times he came up short. So, he’s doing the only logical thing and moving laterally over to Faulkner’s contemporary in bleak Americana, John Steinbeck, with an adaptation of In Dubious Battle.

The 1936 novel gives a fictionalized account of an apple pickers’ strike in central California three years earlier. Along with his supremely impressive cast, including Robert Duvall, Bryan Cranston, Selena Gomez, Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, and Vincent D’Onofrio, Franco seems to be gunning for an epic. The cinematography, by newcomer Bruce Thierry Cheung, is certainly holding up its ...

Some sales art has appeared for James Franco's upcoming apocalypse thriller, the oddly titled, Future World. Directed by Franco and written by Bruce Thierry Cheung, Jay Davis and Adam Rager, the film has already wrapped photography and is in post-production.

Besides the sales art, we also have an update on the film's eclectic cast which we've learned includes rappers Method Man and Snoop Dogg along with Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Suki Waterhouse and Jeffrey Wahlberg.

Synopsis:

In a post-apocalyptic world, where water and gasoline have long since dried-up, a Prince from the Oasis (one of the last known safe-havens) must venture out to find medicine for the ailing Queen, but along the way he gets mixed up with The Warlord and his robot Ash, which leads to a daring journe [Continued ...]...

Ambi Group, Fyzz Facility and Black Sparrow are co-financing the post-apocalyptic thriller from co-directors James Franco and Bruce Cheung.

Ambi Group, Fyzz Facility and Black Sparrow co-finance the post-apocalyptic thriller, which wrapped in California on Friday. Ambi Distribution handles global sales.

Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Method Man, Suki Waterhouse, Snoop Dogg, Margarita Levieva, Jeffrey Wahlberg and Franco star.

Future World takes place in a barren landscape where a young man and a robot leave a safe haven in search of self-discovery.

Cheung and Jay Davis wrote the screenplay from an original story by Franco. Ambi Group co-founder Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi produce with Vince Jolivette and Davis.

Ambi Group is also producing Franco’s John Steinbeck adaptation In Dubious Battle.

Did you ever think Lucy Liu and Snoop Dogg would be in a movie together? What if you add in Milla Jovovich and Method Man? And what if I told you the story was by James Franco? Welcome to Future World. I think James Franco is a good actor; it's just that he's become a parody of himself (sometimes, as in the case of the Veronica Mars movie, literally). So I'm not sure what to make of his new project Future World. Franco came up with the story, will act in the film, and also direct along with Bruce Thierry Cheung. Here's how Variety describes it: Set in the barren landscape of a dystopian world, where a young prince from the Oasis (one of the last known safe havens) and a robot named Ash go on a daring journey of self-discovery through the violent and desolate world of the Wastelands.

The cast of James Franco’s apocalyptic drama Future World continues to expand, as Lucy Liu, Method Man, Suki Waterhouse and Snoop Dogg have joined the pic which Franco appears in and is co-directing alongside Bruce Cheung. Set in post-apocalyptic world plagued with heat, ravaged by disease and crippled by chronic war, Future World follows the young Prince from the Oasis (one of the last known safe-havens), who embarks on a journey through the wasteland in order to find…...

Lucy Liu, Snoop Dogg, Method Man and Suki Waterhouse are set to join James Franco and Milla Jovovich in the post-apocaltypic indie thriller "Future World" which Franco is set to co-direct.

Based on an original short story by Franco, the story follows young Prince from the Oasis and a robot as they go on a daring journey of self-discovery through the violent and desolate world of the Wastelands.

Margarita Levieva and Jeffrey Wahlberg also star. Bruce Cheung (who also co-directs) and Jay Davis penned the film, while Iervolino Bacardi, Monika Bacardi, Vince Jolivette and Jay Davis will produce.

Source: Heat Vision...

James Franco's Future World just got a whole lot bigger.  Lucy Liu and Snoop Dogg will be joining Franco and Milla Jovovich in the post-apocalyptic indie thriller, along with fellow newcomers Method Man and Suki Waterhouse. Margarita Levieva and Jeffrey Wahlberg also have been added to the cast. The pic is based on an original short story by Franco, and follows young Prince from the Oasis and a robot as they go on a daring journey of self-discovery through the violent and desolate world of the Wastelands. Bruce Cheung and Jay Davis penned the film, which will be directed by Chen and

read more...

James Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung are co-directing a new post-apocalyptic indie which will star Franco along with Fifth Element and Resident Evil actress Milla Jovovich. Jovovich will play playing a drug lord in a post-apocalyptic, war torn world plagued with heat and disease.

The film's story is said to "follows a young boy of noble birth who embarks on a journey through the wasteland of this future world in order to find medicine for his dying mother.

Armed with his faithful bodyguard and only a slim hope that this medicine actually exists, he must forge courageously on, facing danger and ultimately the Warlord of this world who has plans of his own as he takes control of a beautiful, life-like robot assassin."

Based on Franco's story idea, the fil was written by [Continued ...]...

Milla Jovovich has signed on to star in the James Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung co-directed, post-apocalyptic thriller "Future World" for Dark Rabbit Productions.

The story follows a young boy, born into an elite family, who journeys with his trusted bodyguard across the dangerous wasteland in order to find medicine for his dying mother.

It's a land run by an evil warlord with nefarious plans up his sleeve involving a robot assassin disguised as a gorgeous woman. Jovovich is reportedly set to play a drug lord.

No other cast members have been revealed yet beyond Franco who'll also have a role. Franco created the story while Bruce Thierry Cheung, Jay Davis and Jeremy Cheung are penning the screenplay.

Source: Deadline...

The last thing we heard from James Franco was the embarrassingly brief announcement that he would direct a film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, only to discover later that same day that Franco didn't actually have the rights to the book, so that project is now scrapped.

But as you might expect from someone so prolific (if you only know him as an actor, you're missing out on a ton of work he's been doing over the past few years), Franco is already on to the next project, a sci-fi movie he came up with called Future World. Deadline reports that The Fifth Element and Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich will co-star with Franco in the movie, which is set "in a post-apocalyptic world that is plagued with heat, ravaged by disease and crippled by chronic war." Franco is co-directing alongside his frequent collaborator Bruce Thierry Cheung. Here's...

In terms of imaginative premises, Future World must surely rank among the most eye-catching, mind-boggling of all. The dystopian concept, which was originated by James Franco, is set to roll before cameras, and has now added Milla Jovovich to the cast. Franco will co-direct with Bruce Thierry Cheung, as well as serving as a cast member himself, and Jovovich will play against type as a villainous drug lord.

Future World finds a post-apocalyptic society, ravaged by disease, heat and war. A young boy, born into nobility, sets out on a journey through this devastated future world, with the aim of finding the medicine his dying mother needs. Though the medicine may prove to be a myth, the boy and his trusty bodyguard press on and confront the Warlord that serves his own agenda, with the aid of a life-like robot assassin.

Warlords, drug lords and life-like robot assassins? This sounds like an interesting,...

Exclusive: Milla Jovovich is joining the cast of James Franco’s new indie film Future World, playing a drug lord in a post-apocalyptic world that is plagued with heat, ravaged by disease and crippled by chronic war. Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung are directing and Franco is also acting in the film, the story of which he created. The project, written by Cheung, Jay Davis and Jeremy Cheung, follows a young boy of noble birth who embarks on a journey through the wasteland…...

Palo Alto 2: Demeestere Crafts Franco’s Prose for Portrait of Preadolescent Angst

Director Gabrielle Demeestere adapts James Franco’s A California Childhood for her directorial debut, Yosemite, a mid-1980s set triptych on three young boys in the suburban climes of Palo Alto. If this sounds a bit familiar, it may be because Demeestere is the second woman director to adapt Franco’s prose for a debut, following Gia Coppola’s 2013 title Palo Alto, based on Franco’s earlier short story collection Palo Alto Stories. Franco also happens to appear as a peripheral character in both. Demeestere’s film premiered at the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival, and probably won’t be assisted by the presence of Franco during its limited theatrical release due to the actor/writer/director’s multiple cinematic offerings during any given period. Still, Demeestere scores points with this low-key slow burn which features naturalistic performances from...

But a Walking Shadow: Franco’s Faulkner Redux Merely Serviceable

Continuing to thumb his nose at naysayers, James Franco plunges onward into his own particular directorial abyss with his second William Faulkner adaptation, The Sound and the Fury. Much like its predecessor, 2013’s As I Lay Dying, the actor-filmmaker manages a troubled synopsis of Faulkner’s enigmatic text but still remains unable to strike a visual resonance necessitating his undertaking.

Ambitious and a bit pretentious, Franco’s cinematic hubris may know no bounds, though it’s still refreshing to see him shirk the limiting lasso of mainstream sensibility in his personal crusade to create something meaningful. That said, there are several moments reaching a certain poetic pitch, collapsing a quartet of perspectives into a simplified triptych. Complex characterizations and the narrative resonance of Faulkner aren’t quite intact with this otherwise faithful transplant, but its first and third acts maintain a watchable melodramatic energy.

Sneak Peek clips of footage from the dramatic feature "The Color Of Time", written/directed by 12 New York University film-makers including Sarah-Violet Bliss, Gabrielle Demeestere, Alexis Gambis, Brooke Goldfinch, Shripriya Mahesh, Pamela Romanowsky, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Tine Thomasen, Virginia Urreiztieta and Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo. Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff and Jessica Chastain, now available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment:

"...based on 'Pulitzer Prize'-winning poet Ck Williams' "Tar" collection, 'The Color of Time' is a poetic expression of Ck’s life, taking a journey through several decades of American life, from Ck's childhood and adolescence in Detroit in the 1940's and '50's to the early 1980's.

'Ck'(Franco) and his wife 'Catherine' (Kunis) are married with a son. Ck spends his nights struggling to write new poems and haunted by memories of his past. As Ck drives to a reading in New York City,...

Paul Thomas Anderson’s legion of fans will get their chance to see the filmmaker’s latest Inherent Vice – at least those in New York and L.A. after a long build-up of anticipation. Studio Warner Bros. is handling the director’s latest, set in a drug-laced L.A. in the 1970s. Barring some unforeseen cataclysm, the feature is easily going to be this week’s b.o. superstar and likely one of the year’s biggest per screen debuts. How it will fare against other fall b.o. knock-outs like Searchlight’s Birdman or TWC’s The Imitation Game remains to be seen. A slew of Specialty openers will coincide with the Inherent Vice juggernaut. A24 will open Oscar-nominated filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s The Captive day and date after an early fall bow in the director’s native Canada. Sundance Selects will expose Free The Nipple in New York...

It looks like Zach Braff must've rubbed off on James Franco when they were making "Oz: The Great and Powerful."

Roughly a month after Braff raised $3.1 million from fans to fund a new movie, Franco has taken to Kickstarter rival Indiegogo to generate cash for a series of three films based on his 2010 book of short stories, "Palo Alto: Stories." The book is named after the California town where the super talented actor/writer/college student/avid reader/whateverelsethisweek grew up. (A pretty cool band named themselves after the town, too). Franco enlisted directors Nina Ljeti, Vladimir Bourdeau, Bruce Thierry Cheung and Gabriel Demestree to work on the "trilogy" of sorts. He's trying to raise a half million dollars, with some fun incentives for fans, of course.

Ten bucks will get you regular updates from the sets and PDFs of each scripts. If you've got $10,000 laying around, you can be...

James Franco, ever the multi-tasker willing to try something new, has latched on to the crowdfunding trend. He's seeking $500,000 from backers on Indiegogo to adapt his own book of short stories, entitled "Palo Alto," into a trilogy of films. It's important to note that Indiegogo allows for "flexible funding" -- i.e. a project receives whatever is raised by its deadline, regardless of whether it meets its fundraising goal. Franco has enlisted several emerging filmmakers (including Nina Ljeti, Vladimir Bourdeau, Bruce Thierry Cheung and Gabriel Demestree) to turn the book of short stories into a series of films. No word on whether Franco will direct. So the question is: Will Franco receive the same negative reaction as fellow famous crowdfunder Zach Braff? The argument can be made--Emily Best of Seed and Spark made it Monday night at the Los Angeles Film Festival's Indiewire Influencers reception-- that it's not the...

New York -- Following crowd-funding campaigns from "Veronica Mars" and Zach Braff, James Franco is trying to raise $500,000 to bankroll a trilogy of movies.

Franco on Monday night started a campaign on Indiegogo, a crowd-funding alternative to Kickstarter that allows people to keep the money they raise even if the project doesn't come to fruition. Franco isn't trying to direct the films; he's raising money so that a collection of young filmmakers can adapt his 2011 short story collection, "Palo Alto."

"Because of who I am, people often believe that it is easy to find investors and distributors for my films," wrote Franco. "Unfortunately, things aren't that easy. More times than not, I have put in my own money to produce my films and my student's films. However, this time it's different. We need more funding, I will still fund part of it but I need of your help, filming three...

James Franco is using crowdfunding via Indiegogo to seek $500,000 to fund a trilogy of films.

Entitled "Memoria," "Killing Animals" and "Yosemite," all are based on his own 2010 book of short stories entitled "Palo Alto".

Up-and-coming filmmakers like Nina Ljeti, Vladimir Bourdeau, Bruce Thierry Cheung and Gabriel Demestree are involved in helping to adapt several of Franco's short stories onto film.

It is presently unknown if Franco himself will either star in or direct any of the three features. Filming aims to begin by August.

All profits made from the films will go to the nonprofit "Art of Elysium" with whom volunteers dedicate their time to children who are battling serious medical conditions.

Source: THR...

James Franco has waded into the waters of crowdsourcing for his next project, a trio of features based on "Palo Alto," the book of short stories Franco wrote about his hometown. The 35-year-old star is seeking $500,000 total for the films via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.

"We just need a little more help," Franco said in a video announcing the project. "I'm putting money into these projects because I believe in them and I believe in these filmmakers. These stories are very important to me and very personal." To help bring the three films ("Memoria," "Killing Animals" and "Yosemite") to the screen, Franco said he hired his "favorite directors at Nyu," Nina Ljeti, Bruce Thierry Cheung and Gabriel Demeestere.

"This process is very exciting," Franco said about the recent shift toward using fan dollars to make films. "This is the best way to make movies. Because in this way the movies...

"Veronica Mars" and Zach Braff, what hast thou wrought? Now James Franco wants in on the crowdfunding party, with the actor turning to Indiegogo.com to finance a micro-budget feature.

The "This Is the End" star wants to raise $500,000 so the crew of filmmakers he's gathered can adapt his book of short stories, "Palo Alto." The plan is to split the project into a trilogy of feature films ("Memoria," "Killing Animals," and "Yosemite"), with Vladimir Bourdeau, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Nina Ljeti, and Gabriel Demestree behind the camera. Interestingly enough, Franco has already collaborated with some of these people; Cheung was one of many directors of "Tar," in which Franco played poet C.K. Williams, and Ljeti has appeared in several movies that Franco has worked on.

According to the Indiegogo page for this project, all profits will go to a charitable organization called Art of Elysium. Franco writes, "Working with...

James Franco has launched a $500,000 (£318,240) Indiegogo campaign to fund a three-part movie adaptation of his short story compilation Palo Alto Stories.

The actor said that he is using the project to support young directors, all of whom have previously worked with him. Proceeds from the sale of the films will also raise money for Art of Elysium, a non-profit organisation that Franco has been volunteering for.

"Art of Elysium is a non-profit organisation that encourages working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions," Franco wrote.

"They have recently created a programme called Elysium Industry that supports first-time feature film directors [who] have been volunteering their time with children in need.

"Working with Art of Elysium has given me the opportunity to share my creativity with hospitalised children and give them the gift of creativity. These children have inspired me...

News broke last week that porn star Princess Donna is working on a new project with James Franco. While no other details were revealed at the time, today we can tell you that we believe the project is a film centring on the famous silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Franco released several photos from the production this week, one of which features a slate from the film dated December 20th, 2012.

From the photo, which is seen above, we can tell that the film features at least 28 scenes, which suggests at least a long form short film, if not a feature length project. The slate also tells us the film is being shot by Bruce Cheung, the Dop from Tar.

Interestingly enough, Franco wrote a piece for The Huffington Post on Jerry Stahl’s book I, Fatty back in June, so it isn’t surprising that he is now creating...

Starring James Franco in the lead, Tar is a collaborative effort between twelve students that has perhaps the greatest cast of any student film ever made.

The film will be debuting at the International Rome Film Festival next month, and the first two images from the film have surfaced online.

Based on the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, C. K. Williams, the film is written and directed by Edna Biesold, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Gabrielle Demeestere, Alexis Gambis, Shruti Ganguly, Brooke Goldfinch, Omar Zuniga Hidalgo, Shripriya Mahesh, Pamela Romanowsky, Tine Thomasen, and Virginia Urreiztieta, with supervision from Franco himself.

Franco stars as C. K. Williams, alongside Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, Bruce Campbell, and Henry Hopper, who will be playing the younger version of the poet.

Tar will be making its world premiere in Rome next month, and hopefully will be picked up at the festival for distribution elsewhere.

James Franco doesn't stop for one second. Currently filming "As I Lay Dying," Franco has been busy overseeing two other projects this year, omnibus efforts by Nyu grad students, "Tar" and "Black Dog Red Dog," based the poems of C.K. Williams and Stephen Dobyns, respectively. And one of them is ready to see the light day. The Rome Film Festival has announced that "Tar" will make be making its world premiere (as well as a Franco short entitled "Dreams," of course) as it rolls out the red carpet next month. Remember these names -- Edna Biesold, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Gabrielle Demeestere, Alexis Gambis, Shruti Ganguly, Brooke Goldfinch, Omar Zuniga Hidalgo, Shripriya Mahesh, Pamela Romanowsky, Tine Thomasen, Virginia Urreiztieta -- because they are students-turned-filmmakers, and undoubtedly some of them will be moving on to even bigger and better things. The project saw Franco working the phones a...

Organisers of the Tribeca Film Festival have announced this year's line-up of 60 short films, 22 of which are world premieres.

The international festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and real-estate investor Craig Hatkoff to help revitalise Manhattan's Tribeca neighbourhood following the 9/11 terrorist attack.

The 2011 event - presented by founding sponsor American Express - will run from April 20 to May 1. The 60 shorts represent 21 countries, including the UK, and feature stars from around the globe.

In a new development this year, the recipient of the Tff Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Oscars without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with Academy rules.

The short film program, drawn from 2,862 submissions, will be presented in eight thematic programs, which are detailed below.

There is a broad spectrum of styles and storytelling, from zombies taking over Manhattan to the humanitarian effort in Haiti.

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday announced its lineup of 60 short films, 22 of which are world premieres.

A new wrinkle at this year’s festival is the recipient of the Tff Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

Drawn from 2,862 submissions, the short-film program represents 21 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.

The following is a listing of the selected short films in the eight programs in which they will be presented, with descriptions provided by the festival.

2011 Tribeca Film Festival Short Film Program

Off the Grid (Documentary)

Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll are a few of the topics explored in these thought-provoking short documentaries.

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday announced its lineup of 60 short films, 22 of which are world premieres.

A new wrinkle at this year’s festival is the recipient of the Tff Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

Drawn from 2,862 submissions, the short-film program represents 21 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.

The following is a listing of the selected short films in the eight programs in which they will be presented, with descriptions provided by the festival.

2011 Tribeca Film Festival Short Film Program

Off the Grid (Documentary)

Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll are a few of the topics explored in these thought-provoking short documentaries.