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Exclusive: UK-French sales company Alief has acquired world sales rights to Megan Seely’s dark comedy Puddysticks in which she co-stars alongside Mamoudou Athie and Dan Bakkedahl.

Seely plays Liz, a burned-out videogame designer who discovers a mysterious society of adults who heal their darkest secrets through childlike play.

Led by the alluring figure of Sylvester Cromwell (Bakkedahl), the group compels each member to reveal their most shameful memory as part of the process but when Liz finally musters the courage to share her darkest trauma, her world turns upside down.

Puddysticks is actress, writer and filmmaker Seely’s first feature length film after well-travelled short film My Loyal Audience, TV show Every Year On My Half Birthday and taking co-writing credits on 2017 feature The Mad Whale.

Her acting credits include the Filipino and American musical The Girl Who Left Home and Twist.

The Austin Film Festival has announced its first wave of screenings for its upcoming 30th anniversary event.

Oscar winner Emerald Fennell’s new film Saltburn has been chosen as the festival’s opening night selection. The MGM and Amazon Studios title stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike, and is described as “a wicked tale of privilege and desire.” It’s the sophomore effort by the acclaimed Promising Young Woman filmmaker, who will be in attendance.

This year also includes several world premieres, such as Lena Headey’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, which stars Headey’s Game of Thrones co-star Michelle Fairley, along with James Nelson Joyce.

Other notable titles (full list and descriptions below) include the debut feature American Fiction from writer-director Cord Jefferson, which stars Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross. Also, screenwriter Brian Helgeland returns to Aff with his newest project, Finestkind,...

Exclusive: Zoë Kravitz has rounded out the cast for her directorial debut Pussy Island, with Christian Slater (Dr. Death), Alia Shawkat (Search Party) and Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise) signing on for roles, along with Adria Arjona (Morbius), Haley Joel Osment (Goliath), Liz Caribel Sierra (God’s Time), Levon Hawke (The Crowded Room), Trew Mullen (Sunny Family Cult), Saul Williams (Akilla’s Escape), Cris Costa and Kyle MacLachlan (Blue Velvet).

The actors join an ensemble that also includes Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum and Simon Rex, as previously announced.

The MGM genre pic written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum follows Frida (Ackie), a young and clever Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Tatum). When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime.

Exclusive: Principal photography has completed on under-the-radar comedy feature Not An Artist, whose ensemble cast we can reveal as Ciara Bravo (Cherry), Rosalind Chao (Mulan), Cleopatra Coleman (The Last Man On Earth), Clark Moore (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), GaTa (Dave), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Alexi Pappas (Olympic Dreams), Horatio Sanz (Black Monday), Robert Schwartzman (The Princess Diaries), Matt Walsh (Veep), and rapper/actor/filmmaker Bobby “RZA” Diggs (Californication).

The movie follows a young woman (Pappas) who is accepted into a residency program created by the wealthy enigmatic benefactor known only as “The Abbott” (RZA) for high-potential artists suffering from creative constipation. The artists sign a legally binding agreement to complete a creative project of choice during their one-month stay – or quit the arts forever.

Meanwhile, the woman’s father, (Walsh) a physician, is drifting through America’s National Parks, practicing telemedicine from an Rv. Following a series of mistakes,...

So, getting tired of the frigid ole’ February (of course you sufferin’ folks in the southern states might have to dig out a windbreaker or sweater). Here in the Midwest, it’s still more than a bit nippy, with some occasional falling flakes. What better time for a multiplex getaway to…Pyeongchang, South Korea. And while we’re at it, how about a quick jump in the “Wayback” machine and get there (almost two years ago to the day) just in time for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games? But this is not a sports documentary, but rather a two-person romantic “dramedy” with the games as a backdrop. Now, filmmakers have done this for years, shooting a story “on the fly” using a big gathering. A few flicks from the past come to mind. Elvis Presley romanced and sang his way through 1962 Seattle for It Happened At The World Fair. As for sports,...

With the 2020 summer Olympics around the corner, the timing of the release of the IFC Films romantic comedy Olympic Dreams couldn’t be any more perfect — but this isn’t an ordinary rom-com or a film about the Olympics.

Directed by Jeremy Teicher, who co-wrote it with his wife and real-life Olympian Alexi Pappas and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), the film was actually shot on location during the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang 2018 in Athletes Village. This marks the first time a feature was shot at a the Olympics. To add to that, the film was shot using improvisation of the script in just two weeks.

“Olympic Dreams is IFC Films to its core,” Arianna Bocco, Evp, Film Acquisitions & Production, tells Deadline. “It’s original, independent filmmaking.”

Kroll and Pappas star in the love story between two unlikely — and lonely — people who...

To many, Nick Kroll is just a comedian, albeit quite the creative comedic force. Whether it’s his hit Netflix show Big Mouth, the broadway show Oh Hello!, or any number of other things, Kroll is a big deal within comedy. However, he’s also an underrated actor, something he’s able to display in Olympic Dreams, an independent romance that he stars in and co-wrote. All of the skills that he’s put out into the world aimed at laughter and satire and in evidence here, just used instead for dramatic and romantic effect. Unsurprisingly, Kroll proves more than adept at evoking a whole new range of emotions from his audience. The film is a romance set during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Set almost entirely within the Olympic Athlete Village, a young cross-country skier named Penelope (Alexi Pappas) at loose ends after her competition forms a bond with a volunteer...

Director Jeremy Teicher and writer/actor Alexi Pappas already made a film about the latter’s Olympic ambitions entitled Tracktown. Shot two years before she placed 17th in the women’s 10,000m event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, it dealt with a physically injured athlete forced into taking a break amidst the chaos of Olympic Trials preparation. It was therefore only natural that the pair would choose to tackle a story dealing with the psychological and emotional experience of qualifying and competing too. Bolstered by her first-hand knowledge of what it was like to be an athlete on the ground alongside the couple’s shared history as filmmakers, the International Olympic Committee invited them aboard their Olympic Art Project and provided unprecedented access to film at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.

The result is Olympic Dreams, a heartfelt and introspective journey that delves within the human psyche caught in stasis. Teicher acted...

Olympic Dreams IFC Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Jeremy Teicher Screenwriter: Alexi Pappas, Jeremy Teicher, Nick Kroll Cast: Alexi Pappas, Nick Kroll, Gus Kenworthy, Morgan Schild Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 2/3/20 Opens: February 14, 2020 Jeremy Teicher’s movie is about a rom-com about competing in […]

The post Olympic Dreams Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Nick Kroll and real-life Olympian Alexi Pappas are a winning duo in their new film Olympic Dreams.

In a People exclusive look at the first trailer for the film, Kroll, 41, stars as Ezra, a dentist who volunteers to work with athletes inside of the Olympic’s Athletes Village where he meets Penelope (Pappas), a cross country skier competing in the games.

Despite their chemistry, the pair run into trouble in their burgeoning relationship.

“I’m just afraid,” Ezra says, to which Penelope responds, “I wake up every day a little bit afraid, but its good fear, like afraid for how well it can go.

Nick Kroll and cross-country skier Alexi Pappas star in the SXSW premiere.

On the eve of the Afm, UK sales outfit Sc Films International has snapped up international rights to Jeremy Teicher’s sports- based romantic comedy, Olympic Dreams which premiered at SXSW in April.

It is said to be the first scripted film to be shot in the ‘athlete’s village’ during an Olympic Games and filmed during the Winter Games held in PyeongChang in South Korea in 2018. Real-life Olympic athlete Alexi Pappas plays a cross-country skier who falls in love wtih a volunteer dentist, played by Nick Kroll,...

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Olympic Dreams,” a romance shot on location at the 2018 Winter Olympics co-starring Nick Kroll and real-life Olympian Alexi Pappas. The film draws on Pappas’ experiences in the Rio Olympic Games of 2016, and she shares a writing credit on the project with director Jeremy Teicher.

The couple previously co-directed the 2016 drama “Tracktown,” which starred Pappas as long-distance runner who attempts to take a break in the midst of stressful training sessions. That movie caught the attention of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who watched it on a plane and selected Pappas as one of four athletes chosen to participate in last year’s artists-in-residence program.

“Olympic Dreams” was initially conceived as a series of narrative short films, which were posted to the Olympic Channel, but Pappas and Teicher convinced the Olympics to allow them to cut a feature-length story out of the footage.

This month’s BAMcinemaFest isn’t just for New York cinephiles. The annual Brooklyn festival routinely boasts a slate that includes some of the year’s best indie offerings from festivals earlier in the year, and while the latest edition is no exception, it also has a number of notable world premieres and under-the-radar offerings.

This year’s festival will open on June 12 with the New York premiere of Lulu Wang’s lauded family dramedy “The Farewell,” starring Awkwafina. The film debuted at Sundance earlier this year to massive critical acclaim, and A24 will release it later this year. The festival will close with Diana Peralta’s “De Lo Mio” on June 22, which follows the “story of ride or die New York sisters who reunite with their estranged brother in the Dominican Republic following their father’s death.”

In between, there are a number of distinctive cinematic experiences, including 18 NY premieres,...

The Chicago Critics Film Festival Runs May 17th – 23rd. Stephen Tronicek is covering the event for We Are Movie Geeeks

My entire Day Three of the Chicago Critics Film Festival could be defined as me watching a movie, calling it the best film I’ve seen at the festival so far, watching another movie, and rethinking the previous statement.

Yesterday’s line up was one great work after the other and the first feature of the day, Our Time Machine, was no exception. While the film follows the creation of a puppet play written and co-directed by Chinese artist Maleonn, the focus of the piece is not on the play. It is rather on the relationship that created that play: the one between Maleonn and his father. Our Time Machine is a wondrous blend of beautiful puppet imagery and even more beautiful family drama. On top of that, the artistic...

Bam has released the full lineup for its 11th annual BAMcinemaFest, a “platform for both emerging and established filmmakers as well as unconventional and often overlooked films,” which will run this year from June 12 — 23. This year’s 12-day festival includes 18 NY premieres, one U.S. premiere, and three world premieres.

Gina Duncan, Associate Vice President of Film, told IndieWire of the programming picks, “We have the same goal every year: to present the best American independent cinema being made today. But this is the first year that I’ve felt the films fit together as a cohesive whole; they are linked by a naturalness, an intimate focus, and boundless creativity. As the larger film conversation continues to focus on record-breaking box offices, it feels defiant to present a program that centers film as art.”

This year’s festival will open on June 12 with the New York premiere of Lulu Wang...

Director Peter Strickland’s “In Fabric” starring “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie is set to open the fifth Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, the organization has announced today along with their film lineup.

The festival in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., will take place May 22-26 and feature several films’ U.S. debuts. In addition to the narrative feature categories, a short films program will include 50 narrative, documentary, animated, experimental and episodic shorts.Strickland’s horror comedy from A24 follows the life of a cursed dress as it travels to different owners, all with devastating consequences.

“We’re excited to bring such an amazing and eclectic lineup of films to this milestone year of our festival,” said festival director Shira Dubrovner. “We’re also thrilled to be hosting over 100 filmmakers this year, who will get to experience all the scenic wonder that the Eastern Sierras has to offer.”

A panel of jurors,...

Exclusive: Jeremy Teicher and Alexi Pappas, the multi-hyphenate duo whose Olympic Dreams, starring Nick Kroll and Pappas, premiered at this year’s SXSW film festival, have signed with Apa.

Olympic Dreams was shot on location at the 2018 Winter Olympics and tells the story of an athlete (played by Pappas) and a volunteer (played by Kroll) who share a special but limited time together in the Olympic Village. Co-written by Pappas, Teicher, and Kroll, and directed by Teicher (who also was a one-person crew), Olympic Dreams is the first narrative feature film ever shot in a real-life Olympic Village.

Teicher and Pappas’s 2016 film Trackdown, starring Pappas, Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley, was developed through the Sundance Lab, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Pictures.

Teicher’s first film, the 2014 award-winning Tall as the Baobab Tree, was inspired by true stories from...

Describing a movie as “sweet” may be interpreted by some as damnation with the faintest praise. But, really, there is no more appropriate adjective for “Olympic Dreams,” an engagingly wistful dramedy about opposites attracted while adrift far from home. Set against the backdrop of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where indie filmmaker Jeremy Teicher multitasked in semi-guerrilla, one-man-band style as director, cinematographer and sound-recorder, it glides gracefully across stretches of familiar territory and pleasant surprises, propelled by the appealingly complementary lead performances of Nick Kroll and Alexi Pappas, who share co-scripting credit with Teicher.

Teicher was granted freedom to film in around the Olympic Village, where athletes, officials and trainers were housed, as well as at various competition venues, and Pyeongchang eateries and night spots. As a result, there is a virtually nonstop sense of cinema verité-style verisimilitude throughout the film, greatly enhancing the illusion — or is it an illusion?...

South MountainIn my last dispatch from Austin I pinpointed the Visions section as a shortcut to South by Southwest’s generally more adventurous programming, if only to facilitate sifting through a number of arcane plot summaries. High-profile acts are bound to the festival thanks to tradition, release date timing, and in some cases city loyalty (think Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Terrence Malick’s Song to Song; both were shot in Austin and both ultimately premiered at SXSW). It would seem that some worthy but inconspicuous titles could easily fall between the cracks, though pioneers like Barry Jenkins prove otherwise. This year’s Global section I found particularly fertile, with titles ranging from X&Y, artist Anna Oddell’s experimental film inquisition of public personas and gender roles, to Marlén Viñayo’s Cachada: The Opportunity, a documentary about a group of working-class Salvadoran women that stage a performative re-enactment of their traumatic life stories.

Guest contributor Tony Ruggio reporting from SXSW...

Olympic Dreams, starring comedian Nick Kroll and real-life Olympic athlete Alexi Pappas, is both innovative and a little mundane. Shot behind the curtain in Olympic Village during Pyongyang, it’s a romantic two-hander set against the 2018 games. It also doubles as a real deep-dive into an unknowable subculture. Blurring the lines between narrative and documentary, with many athletes and employees playing themselves, director Jeremy Teicher is a one-man band capturing the unglamorous side of the games. The dorm-like bedrooms, spare game rooms, and impending doom of life after it’s all over...

From “Miracle” to “Chariots of Fire” to “Eddie the Eagle” and more, there are dozens of movies recounting the most triumphant moments in Olympic history lionizing the determination of the athletes and the significance of the moment. Yet none of them dropped you into the setting of the Olympics figuratively much less literally. This is what precisely makes writer, director and cinematographer Jeremy Teicher’s “Olympic Dreams” unique and something of a game changer for the genre.

Continue reading ‘Olympic Dreams’: Nick Kroll Delivers A Winning Dramatic Turn, But The Movie Never Crosses The Finish Line [SXSW Review] at The Playlist.

Getting a feature film into SXSW is a big accomplishment for an independent filmmaker. It’s an important building block toward a full-time career in the industry, but for many it is not an achievement that can, in and of itself, pay the bills. IndieWire asked 30 directors premiering scripted narrative features in one of four SXSW 2019 categories how, when they are not making independent films, do they make a living? Here’s what they had to say.

Sandy K Boone (“J.R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius”): I am a licensed realtor and have sold luxury real estate for over 30 years for my day-to-day living.

Travis Stevens (“Girl on the Third Floor”): Since 2010 I’ve been fortunate enough to pay my rent by producing independent films.

Emily Ting (“Go Back to China”): I’ve been working as the Creative Director for my family’s...

Exclusive: The SXSW comedy Olympic Dreams is a different kind of film. For one, it’s the first scripted film shot during the Olympics. Secondly, it was shot by a one-person crew that consisted of director Jeremy Teicher. And third, it features Alexi Pappas a real-life Olympian that competed at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. She stars opposite Nick Kroll and in the exclusive clip (watch above), the gold medal romance is giving off some intimate Before Sunset vibes.

The film, which was co-written by Teicher, Pappas, and Kroll, takes place in the highly exclusive Athlete Village and was actually shot during the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 (Olympian Gus Kentworthy also makes an appearance!). The story follows Penelope (Pappas), a young cross-country skier who had a disappointing finish in her competition. She befriends a volunteer dentist named Ezra (Kroll) and two share a special — but short — time together while at the games.

South by Southwest is that rare thing, a film festival that caters to both the art-house crowd and the masses. Just take last year’s gathering in Austin, Texas. It launched one of the biggest movies of 2018 with “A Quiet Place,” put Kay Cannon on the map as a director with “Blockers,” and discovered the indie gem “Thunder Road.”

In addition to all the barbecue and parties in downtown Austin, this year’s SXSW offers a promising-as-ever slate: including Jordan Peele’s next movie, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, and Charlize Theron as the next president of the United States. Speaking of politicians, both Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (“Knock Down the House”) and Beto O’Rourke (“Running With Beto”) are subjects of documentaries playing at the festival. Here are the 11 buzziest films at SXSW 2019.

“Us”

Perhaps the most anticipated movie of this year’s SXSW is Peele’s latest feature after his Oscar-winning opus,...

The first half of January is always busy in the film community, as Oscar voting comes to a close and the Sundance Film Festival starts its engine. This year, the SXSW Film Festival threw its cowboy hat into the ring, pushing up the initial announcement of its film lineup instead of waiting until after Sundance. The result is an even more complex window into major festival premieres and potential discoveries that will distinguish the first quarter of 2019.

The move is partly the result of Sundance ending later than usual; while the festival normally goes until the end of January, this year, it ends February 3. The constrained timeline also impacted SXSW’s earlier submission deadline, and meant that its programming team had to scramble to lock in this year’s selection. “We were tighter about no exceptions to the deadline,” said SXSW Director of Film Janet Pierson in an interview. “We had to be decisive sooner.

In our exclusive clip from Tracktown, Rachel Dratch pays an unexpected visit that provokes a (perhaps) surprising response from her daughter, Alexi Pappas.  Pappas is a former Olympic runner; she co-wrote the semi-autobiographical script with Jeremy Teicher and they directed the film together.  Synopsis: Plumb Marigold (Alexi Pappas) is a famous but lonely distance runner preparing for the biggest race of her life: The Olympic Trials. But when an injury forces her to take an unexpected day off, Plumb wanders into a bakery where the aimless boy behind the counter catches her eye. In this story that captures the experience of a young Olympic hopeful, many of the actors are actual Olympic athletes -- including co-writer/director and lead actor Pappas.  Setting a film in the athletic...

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

After premiering last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the coming-of -age sports comedy “Tracktown” is finally making its way to theaters and On Demand next month.

In anticipation of its release, IndieWire has an exclusive clip from the film in which we see the determination of Olympic hopeful Plumb Marigold, played by real-life Olympian Alexi Pappas, despite being forced to take a day off from her hardcore training regime. Plumb is determined to make it onto the Olympic team with absolutely no distractions getting in the way — except perhaps the nice boy who works at the bakery who catches her eye.

Read More: Laff Review: ‘Tracktown’ Is A Different Kind of Sports Movie

The quirky feature, which Pappas co-wrote and co-directed alongside Jeremy Teicher, follows Plumb after a minor injury makes her adjust a rather unforgiving schedule and she finds that her life as an athlete may...

"If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done." Samuel Goldwyn has released a trailer for an indie drama titled Tracktown, a sort-of semi-autobiographical story of an Olympic athlete and her trials and tribulations in life and love. That athlete is Alexi Pappas, a Greek-American long distance runner who competed for Greece in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She stars in, co-writes, and co-directs this film, taking on the full responsibility of bringing her story to the big screen. Also starring Chase Offerle, Rachel Dratch, Andy Buckley, Rebecca Friday, and Sasha Spencer. Her two biggest obstacles: a twisted ankle, a boy she meets that makes he heart beat. This looks charming. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Alexi Pappas & Jeremy Teicher's Tracktown, direct from YouTube: Plumb Marigold is a famous but lonely distance runner preparing for the biggest race of her life: The Olympic Trials.

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Exclusive: The 12th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival announced its official selections for the 2017 event featuring films with Alec Baldwin, Dylan McDermott, John Cleese, Daphne Zuniga and more. Opening night will feature Michael Mailer’s newest film, “Blind,” a romantic-drama, starring Alec Baldwin, Demi Moore and Dylan McDermott. Closing night will wrap up the festival with “Albion: The Enchanted Stallion,” a family fantasy adventure, starring John Cleese, Debra Messing, Jennifer Morrison and Stephen Dorff.

Retrospective Screenings will include Daphne Zuniga appearance at the festival honoring the 30th anniversary of “Spaceballs.” Also in this category will be “The Greatest Show on Earth,” from 1952 directed by Cecile B. DeMille, which won the Oscar for Best Pictures and Best Writing in 1953. The screening will honor the closing of the Ringling Bros.

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Grasshopper Film has announced the acquisition of all U.S. distribution rights to Michael Almereyda’s new documentary “Escapes,” a dynamic portrait of Hampton Fancher, executive produced by Wes Anderson. “Escapes” will open in theaters this summer followed by a VOD and Home Video release in the fall.

“Escapes” showcases the storytelling talents of Hampton Fancher, flamenco dancer, film and TV actor, and the unlikely producer and screenwriter of the landmark sci-fi classic “Blade Runner,” as well as screenwriter on the upcoming sequel “Blade Runner 2049.” Fancher’s running commentary – with a little help from Philip K. Dick and Ridley Scott – works in concert with extensive archival footage as Fancher relates death-defying escapades from a remarkable life.

Al Pacino, Bono among talking heads in documentary profile. Separately, The Orchard has picked up Rotterdam premiere Super Dark Times, while Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films acquire Tracktown.

The distributor has picked up North American rights to Italian filmmaker Pappi Corsicato’s profile of the artist and filmmaker.

Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait was created using a blend of material from Schnabel’s personal archives, newly filmed footage of the artist, and commentary from friends, family, actors and artists including Al Pacino, Mary Boone and Bono. Valeria Golino produced.

Cohen Media Group plans a theatrical release in May at the relaunched Quad Cinema in New York.

Charles S. Cohen, chairman and CEO of Cohen Media chairman and CEO Group Charles S. Cohenannounced that Cmg has acquired North American rights to Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait. The distributor

“Julian Schnabel is a brilliant artist and filmmaker and we are thrilled to bring the very personal...

It’s rare, if not unheard of: a first-time feature film director who is also an Olympic athlete. Such is the case with competitive long distance runner Alexi Pappis, who, along with her boyfriend Jeremy Teicher (one of Filmmaker‘s 25 New Faces of 2013), co-wrote and co-directed Tracktown, a new feature film which will have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 4. In addition, Pappas, who will compete for Greece at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Brazil, stars as Plumb Marigold, a young Olympic hopeful trying to find balance in life. Filmed and set in the real-life “Tracktown,” […]...

Exclusive: It’s fitting that world-class middle distance runner Alexi Pappas is about to run ahead of NBC and its by-now-familiar athlete featurettes the network scatters throughout its Olympics coverage. That’s because she and her filmmaker boyfriend Jeremy Teicher have made Tracktown, a semi-autobiographical movie she also stars in that will have its world premiere Saturday at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The bow comes two months before the start of the Rio Games…...

We’d like to give as much insight into the project other than cast list and title, but Adam Leon‘s sophomore film has been existing somewhere off the radar. His debut became the Cinderella story of 2012 for micro-budgeted American indies. Gimme the Loot won the Grand Jury – Best Narrative Feature prize at the 2012 SXSW Film Fest and then became one of the rare SXSW-selected titles to break into Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. Nominated for the Gotham Awards’ Breakthrough Director Award and both a nominee (for Best First Feature) and winner (Someone to Watch Award) at the Indie Spirits Awards, we imagine that the coin helped fund his larger-budgeted follow up. Working with another young cast, Tramps includes actors Callum Turner (Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room) and newcomers Grace Van Patten and Michal Vondel.

Gist: Tbd.

Production Co./Producers: Dark Arts’ Andrea Roa (Unexpected), Joshua Astrachan...

Some say, write what you know. I guess the idiom here would be to…run with what you know. A project that producer Laura Wagner received support on via Sffs and the Sundance Institute, Tracktown is the sum of a devotion to a sport and a creative collaboration that sprung up at Dartmouth College. Grads Jeremy Teicher and Alexi Pappas combined forces (both personally and professionally) in 2012 on the micro feature Tall as the Baobab Tree, and they are currently in finish line mode with their second creative collaboration. Teicher (featured in Filmmaker Mag’s Top 25 in 2013) co-wrote/directed/produced the project with Pappas who stars an literally borrows from her blistered feet days of the sport. Lensing on Tracktown began back in October of 2014 in Eugene, Oregon and the film also includes players such as newbie Chase Offerle, Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley.

Gist: This follows Plumb Marigold (Pappas...

We got no qualms with being flat out wrong with our predictions set, but we’re thinking we might sort of still be in the know with this prediction…perhaps a full year too early. With production having taken place in 2014, we can imagine that Israeli-born/NYC-based/Tisch Ido Fluk reserved 2015 for post prod activities such as color mixing and working the score with now considered veteran Sundance attendees in Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans (Nasty Baby). Starring Dana Stevens in the lead, with a supporting cast that includes Malin Akerman, Kerry Bishé, and Oliver Platt, The Ticket now sports a longer list of producers and is definitely a title to look out for in ’16.

Gist: Written by Fluk and Sharon Mashishi, this is the cautionary tale of James (Dan Stevens), a blind man who miraculously regains the sight he lost at age 13. In doing so he loses his moral compass,...

Sundance Institute today announced the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, both held the week of July 28 at the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. These activities are part of the Institute’s year-round Creative Producing Initiative, which encompasses a series of Labs, Fellowships and other signature events that support independent producers. The Creative Producing Labs and Summit wrap the summer season of 10 residential Labs hosted in Utah by Sundance Institute, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent film and theater projects from the United States and around the world.

Nine films, both documentary and narrative, will participate in the Labs (July 28 – August 1), where they will work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative producing, communication and problem-solving skills in all stages of film production. These Producing Fellows will also receive ongoing creative and strategic support throughout the year, as well as direct granting for further development and production. This year’s Fellows represent nine projects identified by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and Documentary Film Program. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, ”Independent producers play a critical role in discovering, fighting for and shaping original voices. Sundance Institute is committed to developing and supporting independent producers whose skills and tenacity are critical to maintaining the health and vibrancy of independent film.”

Immediately following the Labs, the Summit (August 1-4) takes place. The Creative Producing Summit is a three-day, invitation-only gathering that connects 40 independent filmmakers with more than 50 top film industry professionals including producers, distributors, sales agents, financiers and broadcasters to build a dialogue on film producing and the state of the independent film industry. Programmed events include case study sessions, panels, roundtable discussions, one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. Panelists this year include Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Christine Vachon (Killer Films), Tom Quinn (Radius-twc), Paul Mezey (Journeyman Pictures), Rena Ronson (UTA), Ron Yerxa (Bona Fide Productions),

Diane Weyermann (Participant), Jessica Lacy (ICM), John Sloss (Cinetic), Jess Search (BritDoc), Kevin Iwashina (Preferred Content), Lois Vossen (Independent Lens), Ian Bricke (Netflix) and Josh Braun (Submarine).

Feature Film Creative Producing Lab

The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab allows emerging narrative feature film producers to work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative and strategic instincts and skills in all stages of film production. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"),Pam Koffler ("Boys Don’t Cry"), Jay Van Hoy ("Love is Strange") and Julie Lynn ("Albert Nobbs").

The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Feature Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:

Black Bats

Producing Fellows: Adam Hendricks and John Lang

Feeling cast out from society, two teens form a romantic relationship under the belief that they’re transforming into monsters. What begins as fantasy ends with horrific consequences as they both lose touch with reality. (Writer/Director: Rick Spears)

Adam Hendricks has had over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, including development positions at The Jinks/Cohen Company and Macari Edelstein Entertainment. Adam left development to raise financing and produce the independent feature film Caroline and Jackie (Tribeca Ff 2012). He developed and produced a variety of web series for Fourth Wall Studios, including Dirty Work, winner of the 2012 Emmy for Original Interactive Programming. In 2013, Adam partnered with John Lang to form Divide & Conquer, a production company specializing in independent films, as well as commercials for clients including Ford, EA Sports and Victory Motorcycles.

John Lang began his career in Austin, Texas, working with the Austin Cinemathéque and South by Southwest Film Festival. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2008, John has worked in a variety of fields within the film industry including production, development, festivals, and sales. In 2011, John joined Rough & Tumble Films as a development and production executive, where he co-produced We Gotta Get Outta this Place (Tiff 2013). In 2013, John partnered with Adam Hendricks to form the commercial and feature film production company, Divide & Conquer.

I’m No Longer Here

Producing Fellows: Gerry Kim and Mayuran Tiruchelvam

Following the death of his older brother, a teenage Mexican boy is forced to migrate to New York City. When he arrives, he quickly realizes that the violence plaguing his home is no match for the feelings of alienation and loneliness he experiences in America. (Writer/Director: Fernando Frias)

Gerry Kim & Mayuran Tiruchelvam formed Dodgeville Films to produce humanistic narrative and documentary films. Their most recent documentary, "To Be Takei," a portrait of actor/activist GeorgeTakei, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Starz Digital Media. Gerry produced House of Suh, a feature documentary that premiered at HotDocs in 2010 and aired on MSNBC. Mayuran wrote and co-produced "The Girl is in Trouble," executive produced by Spike Lee, and line-produced "The Mend," which premiered at SXSW in 2014. In addition to " I’m No Longer Here," Gerry and Mayuran are developing Christina Choeʼs Nancy, which was selected for the 2013 Ifp Emerging Storytellers Lab, the 2013 Venice Film Festivalʼs Biennale College Cinema Program, and Film Independentʼs Fast Track. They are in post-production on the documentary Farewell, Ferris Wheel, a participant in the 2014 Film Independent Documentary Lab. They received their MFAs from Columbia University in New York City.

Microchip Blues

Producing Fellow: Riel Roch Decter

Fed up with his mundane existence working at the microchip factory, Jimmy teams up with a washed up mystic scientist to build the world's fastest microchip, win back his ex-girlfriend and save his factory from going quantum. (Writer/Director: Aaron Beckum)

Riel Roch Decter is a Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based producer and the Co-Founder of Memory, a new media and film company. Riel began his career as the Director of Production for the independent production company Olympus Pictures working on such films a "Rabbit Hole" and "Beginners." He has produced numerous awarding-winning films including the short "Night Giant"and the feature film The Wait, starring Jena Malone and Chloë Sevigny which premiered at SXSW 2013.

Tracktown, USA

Producing Fellow: Laura Wagner

In a small American town obsessed with competitive running, a famous but sheltered and lonely young runner rebels against her parents, coach and everything she’s ever known in the midst of her first Olympic Trials. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremy Teicher, Co-Writer: Alexi Pappas)

Laura Wagner is an independent producer, founder of Bay Bridge Productions and current resident at San Francisco Film Society’s FilmHouse. She recently produced the feature film"It Felt Like Love" by Eliza Hittman, which premiered at Sundance in 2013 and opened in theaters in 2014. She also produced the film "Memorial Day" by Josh Fox, and she was Associate Producer of the documentary "John Leguizamo: Tales from a Ghetto Klown," which premiered on PBS and "Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey," the award-winning Imax film directed by the creators of "Stomp."

We the Animals

Mark Silverman Honoree & Producing Fellow: Jeremy Yaches

Based on the bestselling novel by Justin Torres,We the Animals is about the brutal yet loving dynamic of a mixed-race working class family, seen through the eyes of the youngest son, as he discovers his heritage, his sexuality and his madness. (Co-Writer/Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Co-Writer: Dan Kitrosser)

Jeremy Yaches is an Emmy-nominated producer and co-founder of Public Record, a production company that specializes in film, TV, branded content, and commercials. He produced the award-winning documentary "In A Dream," which has screened all over the world and was broadcast on HBO. A graduate of Boston University, Jeremy lives and works in Brooklyn.

Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab

The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab allows documentary filmmakers to work intensively with award-winning Creative Advisors to hone their craft. The Lab includes sessions on financing, creative distribution, marketing and outreach for independent documentary films. This year’s Creative Advisors include Producers Bonni Cohen ("The Island President"), Brenda Coughlin ("Dirty Wars"), Josh Penn (Court 13) in addition to Nancy Willen (Acme PR), Jess Search (Britdoc), and Josh Braun (Submarine).

The Fellows and projects selected for the 2014 Documentary Film Creative Producing Fellowship are:

Transgender Youth Documentary

Director: Eric Juhola

Producer: Jeremy Stulberg

The Mathis Family in Colorado Springs struggle when their 6-year-old transgender daughter, Coy, is banned from the girl's bathroom at her elementary school. Coy's parents hire a lawyer to fight back and the family is thrust into the media spotlight, causing their lives to change forever.

Eric Juhola founded the film and television production company Still Point Pictures and produced the Gotham Award nominated documentary "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," winning 8 best documentary prizes at festivals around the world, followed by a theatrical release and Us broadcast on the Sundance Channel. Eric has additionally directed and produced documentaries and specials for Itvs/PBS, Discovery Channel, MTV, TLC, and TruTV, and has been featured at many film festivals including Tribeca.

Jeremy Stulberg is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and motion picture editor. His feature documentary, "Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa," co-directed with his sister Randy, screened at over 40 film festivals in the Us and Europe Jeremy has produced and edited award winning documentaries and feature films such as "My Mother’s Garden" (HotDocs, MSNBC) and "White Horse" (Berlin Ff 2008, HBO).

(T)error

Co-Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe

"(T)error" is the inside story of ******, an active counterterrorism informant for the FBI. Filmed on the ground, it captures the dramatic unraveling of the informant's 20-year career with the Bureau after the target of his investigation realizes that he’s been set up.

Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Lyric R. Cabral is an independent documentary filmmaker and photojournalist based in New York City. Cabral's photography has been recently published through the Gordon Parks Foundation, the Aperture Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Photography Initiative, and National Geographic Channel UK.

David Felix Sutcliffe is an independent documentary filmmaker recently named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His first film, "Adama," was broadcast on PBS in November 2011. Sutcliffe has worked as a cinematographer on films in Paris, Indonesia, Kenya, and Kansas, and has taught documentary film for the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Brooklyn Arts Council since 2003.

Uncertain

Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Anna Sandilands & Ewan McNicol

On the shores of a dying lake, neighbors in the once outlaw town of Uncertain, Texas, are haunted by their pasts and battling demons for a future more certain—a tender, humorous southern gothic tale.

Anna Sandilands is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Ewan McNicol she has made the short films "The Roper," "Missing," "Ufologist," "Dirt Racer," and "Oil Man" and make TV commercials and communications for clients including Google, Apple, Nike, Nokia and BlackBerry. Anna was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.

Ewan McNicol is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer and partner of Lucid Inc. a communications company that makes work for clients based in real stories and documentary films. With Anna Sandilands, his work has received awards including the Webby for Best Documentary, The One Club’s One Screen award for Best Documentary, an Effie and been nominated for a Cinema Eye award. Their films have been screened at film festivals including Sundance, BFI London International Film Festival, Edinburgh, SXSW, True/False, Seattle, Hot Docs, Silverdocs, Visions du Reel and Idfa. Ewan was named Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 Fresh Faces To Watch” in 2013.

Speed Sisters

Producer: Avi Goldstein

The Middle East’s first all-women motor racing team has come together in Palestine. What will it take to go further and faster than anyone thought they could? Speed Sisters captures the drive to follow your dreams against the odds, leaving in its trail shattered stereotypes about gender and the Arab world.

Avi Goldstein co-founded SocDoc Studios to produce story-driven films that engage audiences with social issues. He recently completed the documentary film "Fire Lines" (to be distributed by Journeyman Pictures) with the Ma'an Network in Bethlehem and Common Ground Productions. Avi received an BA in Psychology from Princeton University and was previously a consultant at Vantage Partners, a Boston-based negotiation and relationship management consulting firm spun out of the Harvard Negotiation Project. He recently completed an Ma in Non-Profit Management and Leadership, and facilitates interest-based negotiation and problem-solving skills workshops for high schools students. "Speed Sisters" is his first feature-length documentary.

Sundance Institute

Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theater artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as "Born into Brothels," "Trouble the Water," "Son of Babylon," "Amreeka," "An Inconvenient Truth," "Spring Awakening," "I Am My Own Wife," "Light in the Piazza" and "Angels in America."Join Sundance Institute on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

As we know, a passage through the many Sundance labs doesn’t guarantee a gold ticket for Park City in January, but undoubtably its certainly a professional nudge in the right direction. A total of nine films (5 fiction) will be heading to the Labs (July 28 – August 1) with this year’s Creative Advisors including folk we’ve mentioned on several occasion here in Paul Mezey (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Pam Koffler (Boys Don’t Cry), Jay Van Hoy (Love is Strange) and Julie Lynn (Albert Nobbs). Among this year’s summer camp for film producers we have the likes of Riel Roch Decter (who produced 2013 SXSW entry The Wait

from helmer M. Blash) and producer Laura Wagner (from Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love fame). Here are the projects and producers heading up to the mythic location. Press release follows.

Feature Film Creative Producing Lab

The Feature Film Creative...

Sundance Institute has announced the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, both of which take place from July 28-August 1 at the Sundance Resort in Utah.

The Creative Producing Labs and Summit mark the climax of the summer season of 10 residential Labs hosted by Sundance Institute.

Nine films have been selected for the Labs. Producing Fellows will also receive ongoing creative and strategic support throughout the year in addition to direct granting for further development and production.

The three-day summit takes place immediately after the Labs and is an invitation-only event connecting 40 film-makers with industry professionals.

This year’s confirmed panellists include Josh Braun of Submarine, Preferred Content’s Kevin Iwashina, Christine Vachon of Killer Films, Spc co-president Michael Barker, Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions and Participant Media’s Diane Weyermann.

”Independent producers play a critical role in discovering, fighting for and shaping original voices,” said Sundance...

Mubi, the online streaming service, has partnered with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival to bring past festival highlights to over 200 countries around the globe. Mubi will screen a selection of retrospective titles from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival via its popular website, making these thought-provoking films available to audiences across the world to watch and discuss. Titles began screening on Mubi 2 days ago, March 18, and they include a few titles previously highlighted on this blog, like Hatian filmmaker Raoul Peck's Moloch Tropical, and the Senegalese drama Tall as the Baobab Tree, directed by Jeremy Teicher. "This is another great film festival to...

Mubi is excited and proud to announce a partnership with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, whose London festival begins today and runs through March 28. To celebrate the 2014 festival, Mubi is mounting a retrospective of highlights from the festival's past. The following films—all shown at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival—will be given 30-day runs on Mubi in an extensive range of countries around the world beginning today.

Moloch Tropical (Raoul Peck, 2009)

The Red Chapel (Mads Brügger, 2009)

! Women Art Revolution (Lynn Hershmann-Leeson, 2010)

5 Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi, 2011)

Brother Number One (Annie Goldson, Peter Gilbert, 2011)

99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (Aaron Aites, Audrey Ewell, Nina Krstic, Lucian Read, 2013)

Alias Ruby Blade: A Story of Love and Revolution (Alex Meillier, 2013)

Tall as the Baobab Tree (Jeremy Teicher, 2013)

The festival will continue its on-the-ground events throughout the year, including its other central film festival in New York in June.

A year after its launch, VOD initiative Iffr In the Cloud is looking to boost viewers by increasing its online visibility.

Iffr In The Coud, Rotterdam’s collaboration with digital distributor Under The Milky Way is now a year old – and lessons are being learned on both sides on how to maximize the impact of the festival’s films in their own iTunes room.

“It’s not like you press a button and the film is online,” said Jacobine van der Vloed, manager of Iffr In The Cloud.

Jeremy Teicher’s Tall As The Baobab Tree was the first Iffr title to appear on iTunes through Iffr In The Cloud. Initially, the film was available in Belgium and Luxembourg and sold slowly. The Netherlands was added in January and the aim is to spread to around 40 territories.

The attraction of the scheme for Rotterdam producers is obvious.

They don’t have to make an investment up front...

The following is a guest post by Jeremy Teicher, who debut feature, Tall as the Baobab Tree, landed him on Filmmaker‘s “25 New Faces” list in 2013. A documentary-narrative hybrid, the film was shot in Sinthiou Mbadane, Senegal – a small rural village with no running water or access to electricity – with nonprofessional actors and a four-person crew. Tall as the Baobab Tree premiered a year ago at Rotterdam and is out now on VOD through iTunes, SundanceNOW, YouTube and a host of other digital platforms thanks to Sundance Artist Services and Iffr in the Cloud. I thought the […]...

The following is a guest post by Jeremy Teicher, who debut feature, Tall as the Baobab Tree, landed him on Filmmaker‘s “25 New Faces” list in 2013. A documentary-narrative hybrid, the film was shot in Sinthiou Mbadane, Senegal – a small rural village with no running water or access to electricity – with nonprofessional actors and a four-person crew. Tall as the Baobab Tree premiered a year ago at Rotterdam and is out now on VOD through iTunes, SundanceNOW, YouTube and a host of other digital platforms thanks to Sundance Artist Services and Iffr in the Cloud. I thought the […]...

Belle

The 2014 Athena Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of narrative, documentary and short films.

The New York Premiere of Belle, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and directed by Amma Asante, is the Athena Film Festival’s Opening Film, screening on Thursday evening. Decoding Annie Parker, starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton and directed by Steven Bernstein, is the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and will be screened on Friday evening. Geraldine Ferraro: Paving The Way, directed by her daughter, Donna Zaccaro, is the festival’s Closing Film, screening on Sunday evening.

The festival honors extraordinary women in the film industry and showcases films that address women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world. Now in its fourth year, the festival runs from Thursday, February 6 through Sunday, February 9 on the Barnard College campus in Morningside Heights. Artemis Rising Foundation is the Founding Sponsor of the Festival.

The Book Thief

Among...

The San Francisco Film Society has announced the eight finalists for its fifth annual Hearst Screenwriting Grant. The $15,000 grant will be awarded to a screenwriter who has been practicing for five years, and who has previously written a minimum of one feature screenplay. The 2013 finalists include Destin Cretton ("Short Term 12"); and Eliza Hittman and Jeremy Teicher, both of whom were recently named as Filmmaker Magazine's "25 Faces of Independent Cinema." The winner will be announced in mid-September.2013 Sffs / Hearst Screenwriting Grant Finalists:Eliza Hittman — ASkye, a teenage girl living in rural Pennsylvania, catches a Greyhound bus on a secret journey to New York City to do something for which she might never be forgiven. Hittman’s previous work includes It Felt Like Love (2013). For more information visit elizahittman.com. Tariq Tapa — The Best That Tomorrow Will BringA recently homeless widow drives cross-country on a parade float, hoping to meet the grandson she.

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival celebrates its 24th edition this year by expanding to two venues (now with screenings not only at Film Society at Lincoln Center but also downtown at IFC Center). The festival opens with the documentary "Anita," about Anita Hill, and closes with realist fiction film "Tall as a Baobab Tree," which was filmed in Senegal by American Jeremy Teicher. With these wide-ranging styles in the 20-film program (including the hybrid masterpiece "The Act of Killing" by Joshua Oppenheimer) basic questions about the festival are brought up: What are the goals of these films? Is it education, activist recruitment, or the shifting of paradigms? And what role does storytelling play in these goals? One of the key stories to emerge is tenacity of activists, who often find themselves in that position through circuitous routes. When Anita Hill appeared before the senate in 1991 to speak out about...

Said to be inspired by true stories, Grand comme le Baobab (Tall as the Baobab Tree) tells the tale of a teenage girl who hatches a plan to rescue her 11-year-old sister from an arranged marriage. Directed by Jeremy Teicher (his feature film debut), the film is a scripted follow-up to his Student Academy Award-nominated documentary titled This Is Us (which premiered at the American Ambassador's residence in Dakar, Senegal). Baobab's synopsis reads: Coumba and her little sister Debo are the first to leave their family’s remote African village, where meals are prepared over open fires and water is drawn from wells, to attend school in...

As we reach the end of an inspiring year for cinema, here are ten titles that stood out for me in 2012, and an explanation of why I chose each of them. Although I saw many of these at film festivals, so they may not make it to your local art house cinema, in the coming year you may be able to catch them at small festivals of different national/regional cinemas in your city, or at least on DVD.

From Thursday to Sunday (De Jueves a domingo)(dir. Dominga Sotomayor)

On a family road trip through rural Chile, a young girl witnesses her parents’ marriage fall apart.

-For its tender portrayal of childhood, complete with extroverted playfulness and introverted worry. For its subtle but consistent exploration of foreground versus background space, which reflects two separations: between children and adults, and between husband and wife.

Neighbouring Sounds (O som ao redor) (dir.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Jeremy Teicher’s feature debut begins with Coumba (Dior Ka) and her younger sister, Debo (Oumul Ka), beautifying themselves for the day ahead. Exam results loom for Coumba, who is evidently the promise of her family, yet when her older brother falls out of the giant baobab tree, the subsequent medical bills put her bright future at risk. Their devout Muslim father aims to marry Debo off in order to settle the 200,000 franc debt, yet Coumba aims to try and rustle up the funds herself and save her sister, even if at the expense of her planned life trajectory.

Though Teicher’s film crawls along for one running in at merely 82 minutes, there is a pressing urgency to the central dilemma once it kicks off, compounded by the addition of other quandaries, such as Coumba’s teacher advising her to go to the police about her father’s plan.