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From premieres to existing classics, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on Paramount+ this month.

The legendary RuPaul Charles is upping the stakes with all-new franchise of the Emmy-winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race” with the premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars.” In this new show, 12 queens from all around the globe will compete for a grand prize and a place in the international pavilion at the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

And that’s not the only beloved property giving something new. The final season of the Paramount+ original series “Seal Team” is also set to hit the streamer this month.

Along with the new content, there are loads of existing films and shows coming to the platform, including family favorites like “We Bought a Zoo” and “Hotel for Dogs.” Staple movies like “Pulp Fiction” and “The Big Short” will also be available to watch.

See the full...

Screen Scotland has outlined its six-year strategy, setting out plans for economic and creative growth within the Scottish film and TV sector through to 2030/31.

The strategy aims to increase the screen sector gross value added (Gva) impact to £1bn within the Scottish economy by 2030/31.

In 2021, the year most recently surveyed, the broad screen sector in Scotland employed 10,940 full-time equivalent workers, with an overall economic contribution to Scotland’s economy of £627.1m. As well as seeing a minimum 55% further growth in Gva in the next six years, Screen Scotland wants a parallel 55% increase in full time equivalent workers to 17,000.

Key ambitions...

Once upon a time, in a world not so far away, if you wanted to make a phone call, you would have to find a claustrophobic box that housed the invention of Antonio Meucci, Elisha Gray and the one who actually owns the patent on the invention: Alexander Graham Bell: We’re talking of course about the Telephone. For many of you the idea that you couldn’t just reach into your pocket and grab your own personal device that allows you to communicate with anyone and everyone on this big blue planet is unfathomable, yet as recently as just twenty years ago, the sight of someone walking on a street talking to themselves was actually quite the peculiar spectacle. It is with that bit of knowledge that an idea thought up in the 60’s was given a modern day twist to focus on the last remaining telephone kiosk...

The two-year programme for Scotland-based producers will be delivered by Julia Short and Trc.

Four Scotland-based producers will each receive a bursary of up to £30,000 in the first year as part of new two-year Screen Scotland initative called Film FastTrack.

The producers will also receive tailored training which will include script development, finance, business coaching, and negotiation sessions, and be given opportunity to extend into a second year.

Verve Pictures co-founder Julia Short will lead the programme with Glasgow-based training provider Trc.

“The landscape for developing independent feature film has rarely been so challenging, both in the sense that producers...

Welcome to the Ghostface Glossary, a guide to every horror reference and nod throughout the first five films of the Scream franchise.

After a lot of pausing, rewinding, and zooming in, as well as researching, we’re catching all of the many horror-specific references Williamson, Craven, and Co. included in this beloved postmodern slasher franchise. If we’ve forgotten any glaring ones, kindly let us know.

This guide will exclude homages from previous Scream films and their respective sequels— we’re only looking at outside horror franchises and inspirations, because any red-blooded Ghostface fan is likely already aware of those. (Goes without saying that the beloved faux franchise ‘Stab’(s) 1-8 will also not be counted, since, even though our neon green ‘Stab’ t-shirts and mock VHS tapes feel very real, it’s still a very fake franchise). If we’ve forgotten any glaring ones, kindly let us know.

“You...

With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania representing the best opening of the franchise, we wanted to know what your favorite Paul Rudd movie is. Are you more a fan of his comedic roles or has his turn as Ant-Man been more your speed? Instead of listing all of the Marvel films separately, we used Ant-Man to represent all his ventures in the miniature making suit. if you don’t see your favorite, please let us know in the comments.

Favorite Paul Rudd MovieMac and Me (1988)Clueless (1995)Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)Romeo + Juliet (1996)The Locusts (1997)Overnight Delivery (1998)The Object of My Affection (1998)200 Cigarettes (1999)The Cider House Rules (1999)Wet Hot American Summer (2001)The Shape of Things (2003)2 Days (2003)Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)P.S (2004)The Baxter (2005)The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)The Oh in Ohio (2006)Diggers (2006)Night at the Museum (2006)Reno 911!: Miami (2007)I Could Never Be Your Woman...

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Cinematographer Tom Richmond, whose résumé included work on such films as Stand and Deliver, Killing Zoe, Little Odessa, Slums of Beverly Hills and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, has died. He was 72.

Richmond died Friday in New York City, Anthony Jannelli, head of cinematography at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, told The Hollywood Reporter (Richmond also taught at NYU). The cause of death was not immediately available.

Richmond, who was the director of photography on nearly four dozen features, also shot Keenan Ivory Wayans’ I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), Scott Silver’s Johns (1996), Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) and Todd Solondz’s Palindromes (2004).

He won the best cinematography prize at Sundance in 2006 for his work on Right at Your Door, a drama about a terrorist attack involving chemical bombs.

He received Spirit Award nominations for Stand & Deliver...

Disney+ will adapt Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Mind from page to screen as an upcoming movie. The project comes from Big Beach, Participant, EveryWhere Studios LLC and Disney Branded Television. Amber Sealey (No Man of God) will direct from an adapted screenplay written by Daniel Siepleman (Humanitas Prize winner for On the Basis of Sex).

Disney Branded Television’s take on the award-winning novel follows multitalented 12-year-old Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy, played by newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor who was cast in the lead role following a worldwide search.

Melody has a quick wit and sharp mind, but due to her being non-verbal and using a wheelchair, she is not given the same academic opportunities as her classmates. However, when a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential, she encourages Melody to participate in mainstream education, where greater successes – and challenges – await.

The production team...

Exclusive: Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group’s film and television division have launched the Hyde Park Entertainment & Warner Music Entertainment Asian Women Fellowship.

The initiative, run in partnership with Film Independent, will showcase women-identifying writers and writer-directors who are Asian or part of the Asian diaspora. The Fellowship is aligned with Hyde Park Entertainment and Warner Music Group’s shared, ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

With guidance from leading industry advisors, the winners will continue to develop and package their feature projects, with the goal of shopping the final screenplays to major studios and streamers. Industry advisors and supporters include Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao; Gemma Chan; Independent Spirit Award winner Lulu Wang; and Gurinder Chadha.

Sari Arambulo, the program’s inaugural fellow, was chosen from an initial set of ten finalists and has been awarded a $12,5K grant and development support.

Radiohead have finally detailed their upcoming reissue focusing on the sessions that birthed the band’s dual masterpieces, 2000’s Kid A and 2001’s Amnesiac.

Kid A Mnesia — which celebrates the 20th/21st anniversary of the two albums — arrives November 5th via Xl Recording. Like the stocked Ok Computer 20th anniversary reissue Oknotok, Kid A Mnesia includes the original two LPs — Kid A, Rolling Stone’s Number One album of the 2000s, and Amnesiac — as well as a third disc, dubbed Kid Amnesiae, that features outtakes, alternate versions and unreleased music...

With Covid-19 vaccinations now widely available, the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is returning for its seventh year of on-screen scares from August 12th–19th. One of the many great things about this year's festival is that it will be a combination of in-theater screenings and virtual streamings, and following the lineup announcement for the in-theater festival experience, Festival Directors Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman have now unveiled the killer programming for the festival's virtual experience that attendees throughout the United States can enjoy from the comfort of their own homes!

Comprised of 8 feature film world premieres (including The History of Metal and Horror), 37 short film premieres, and an immersive virtual reality experience, the virtual programming for Popcorn Frights is an eclectic slate of insightful scares!

You can purchase In-Theater All-Access Badges here and Virtual Passes here. As previously announced, a portion of the proceeds from this year's Popcorn Frights will go...

Production in Russia has continued apace throughout much of the coronavirus pandemic, and a broad slate of titles launching at the virtual edition of this year’s European Film Market — from high-concept period dramas to psychological thrillers to horror pics — will look to tap into international interest in the fast-growing industry. “For us, it’s business as usual — boosting that potential,” says Vadim Vereshchagin, CEO of Central Partnership.

During EFM, Vereshchagin’s production and distribution outfit will launch sales on a raft of titles including “The World Champion,” a drama based on the legendary 1978 chess match between Soviet world champion Anatoly Karpov and the dissident Viktor Korchnoi. The co-production with Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe and pubcaster Russia-1 is directed by Alexey Sidorov, who helmed the WWII blockbuster “T-34.”

Set in the noir atmosphere of 1920s Russia, “December” follows the last days of Sergey Yesenin, a famous Russian poet and...

His debut feature August at Akiko’s premiered at the 2018 Intl. Rotterdam Film Festival and he quickly followed this up by with his sophomore feature I Was a Simple Man – a project that he workshopped/and received support via the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs (we got to interview him), IFP Film Week, Film Independent’s Fast Track, Sundance Catalyst, and received a Jerome Foundation grant. Steve Iwamoto, Constance Wu and Tim Chiou star in a project filmed in Hawaii.

Gist: Was a Simple Man is a ghost story set in the pastoral countryside of the north shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.…...

While international audiences have gotten used to Russian auteurs on red carpets from the Croisette to the Dolby Theatre, where directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev and Kantemir Balagov (“Beanpole”) have scooped up prestigious awards and Oscar nods, more and more Russian filmmakers are focused on making a splash in the global market.

Buoyed by high-octane actioners and genre titles with slick special effects, international sales for Russian films have been rising roughly 20% per year, according to film promotion body Roskino. During the Cannes virtual market, many foreign buyers may be tempted to give the country’s commercial fare a second look. “It’s the perception that needs to change,” says Central Partnership CEO Vadim Vereshchagin. “Our productions are at the same level as the European productions right now.”

Central Partnership has a strong Cannes slate that includes “Chernobyl,” a big-budget actioner about the aftermath of the nuclear power plant meltdown,...

Tim Marshall with Christina Radburn (second from left).

Writer-director Tim Marshall’s debut feature Followers is among 10 projects from around the world selected to participate in the Toronto-based Inside Out Lgbtq Film Finance Forum.

Developed from his eponymous short which had its world premiere in competition at Sundance followed by SXSW in 2015, the dark comedy follows Lynn Walters, a grieving widow who sees a vision of Jesus on the shorts of young, queer aqua aerobics instructor Rudi.

Convinced Rudi has been sent from God to heal and reinvigorate her life, Lynn hopes he will somehow fill the void left by her dead husband while he endures a toxic relationship with Jim, his older life coach.

Melbourne-based Frances Wang-Ward and Christina Radburn (who produced the short) will produce, with Robyn Kershaw as Ep.

The fourth edition of the Lgbtq Forum will take place online from May 26-29, featuring one-on-one meetings with reps from Netflix,...

Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972; age: 45) is an American actress and writer. Her role in the 2000 comedy film The Whole Nine Yards brought her wide recognition. She then went on to play secondary roles in the films Saving Silverman (2001), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), Identity (2003), Syriana (2005), The Ex (2006), The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) and 2012 (2009). Peet has also appeared in the 1999 […]

Source: uInterview

The post Amanda Peet Bio: In Her Own Words – Video Exclusive, News, Photos appeared first on uInterview.

It’s been a wild week at Warner Bros. and DC Films. In the past few days we’ve learned there’s Joker spinoff movie in the works, slated to be directed by Todd Phillips, and possibly executive produced by Martin Scorsese, that will be part of a new strand of non-continuity DC pictures. Speaking of which, Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” may be part of those offshoots, even as Ben Affleck‘s starring role remains in question.

Continue reading ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel On Fast Track at The Playlist.

After teasing fans on social media with a series of clues about her latest music video-short film-mystery project, Selena Gomez has unveiled “Bad Liar,” the poster for which she shared three times on Instagram on Monday, June 12. The poster reads “a film by Jesse Peretz,” though the “film” is a music video in which Gomez plays three separate characters. (She previously released a different “Bad Liar” music video exclusively on Spotify).

Read More: ‘The Fundamentals of Caring’ Review: Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez Can’t Salvage This Netflix Release

A co-executive producer on HBO’s “Girls” and director of 18 episodes of the show, Peretz has also directed episodes of Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” “Nurse Jackie” and “New Girl,” among other show. A feature film director with credits including Paul Rudd’s “Our Idiot Brother” and “The Ex,” starring Zach Braff and Amanda Peet, Peretz is currently prepping “Juliet,...

Recipient of $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Fast Track Grant named.

Film Independent has announced the 10 projects and 24 filmmakers selected for the 14th annual Fast Track film finance market.

The programme, held during the imminent Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-22), helps producer-director teams advance their projects through meetings with industry executives, financiers, agents and managers, distributors, production companies, and granting organisations.

Participants will spend three days attending meetings with the aim of building relationships and gaining exposure for their projects.

2017 Fast Track Projects and Fellows are:

Blow The Man Down Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (co-writers,co-directors), Drew Houpt (producer)

Cantering Hikari (writer,director,producer) Peter Maestrey (producer)

Farewell Tour Sean Hackett (writer,director), Frederick Thornton (producer)

Followers Tim Marshall (writer,director), Christina Radburn (producer)

Maybe Tomorrow Eliza Lee (writer,director), Michelle Sy (producer), Sophia Chang (executive producer)

Radiant Annika Glac (writer,director), Robyn Kershaw (producer)

Son Of A Very Important Man Najwa Najjar (writer,director), Hani...

This story originally appeared in the Nov. 17, 1980 issue of People.

His Roles May Veer Far from the Straight and Narrow, but John Hurt Acts on a Fast Track

Only one part is now out of the question: Husband.

A depraved Roman emperor, a brilliantly outrageous homosexual, an eccentric junkie convict, a tortured student murderer, a pitiable sideshow freak, an astronaut who has his chest ripped open from the inside by an alien monster… Hardly everyday folk, but 40-year-old British actor John Hurt—who has portrayed them all—is no mundane talent. “I don’t believe there is any such thing as an ordinary person,...

Through the past 47 years on television, Sesame Street has been one of our most enduring cultural touchstones, as generations of children have learned letters, numbers, sharing, and cooperation at the feet of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Elmo. So a leap to the big screen is such a natural idea, it’s surprising it’s only happened twice, with 1985’s Follow That Bird, and 1999’s The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland.

But keeping to Sesame Workshop’s roughly-every-15-years schedule, a return to the big screen is in the works. Deadline reports that Warner Bros., whose sister company HBO now airs Sesame Street before passing episodes to PBS for a second run, has hired David Guion and Michael Handelman, the screenwriting duo behind Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, Dinner For Schmucks, and the Zach Braff vehicle The Ex.

It’s too soon to tell what ...

It was 1 of 10 projects selected for the 14th annual Film Independent Fast Track film finance market earlier this year, where producer-director teams meet with top industry executives – financiers, agents, managers, distributors, granting organizations, and production companies – and… Continue Reading →...

It’s been just over a week since Pokemon Go debuted on mobile devices and the game has taken the world by storm (at least in the territories in which it’s been made available so far). Pokemon has always been a popular Nintendo property, but the popularity of this game is something fascinating and wonderful. People […]

The post Will the Popularity of ‘Pokemon Go’ Fast Track a Live-Action ‘Pokemon’ Movie? appeared first on /Film.

The transition of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival continues. Geographically, the fest has moved away from downtown to multiple Arclight locations. Opening night in Hollywood, Ricardo de Montreuil’s coming-of-age East L.A. drama “Lowriders,” starring Demián Bichir and Theo Rossi as father and estranged ex-con son, signaled the fest’s mission: Provide a diverse program directed by rising filmmakers: among the 42 competition films, 87% are first-and-second-timers, 43% are women and 38% are people of color, while 90% of the 58 total festival films are world premieres.

Developed by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, “Lowriders” (written by Cheo Hodari Coker, Joshua Beirne-Golden, Elgin James, and Justin Tipping), finally got made when the budget dropped—under Universal’s low-budget producing partner, Jason Blum—from $20 million to $5 million. The grittiness helps the scruffy, colorful movie, which Laff head Stephanie Allain loved for being “so Los Angeles, so culturally rich,” she told the Arclight crowd. “Made by filmmakers of color, ‘Lowriders’ embodies our mission.” (The film will go out under a Universal label that remains to be seen, per Blum.)

Since Allain took over in 2014, the festival has lost some of its key programming talent (David Ansen, Doug Jones, Maggie McKay); the sprawling program is now commandeered by film professor Roya Rastegar (Bryn Mawr College). Very much in charge is Laff’s high-powered director, studio-trained producer Allain (“Boyz ‘n the Hood,” “Hustle & Flow”), who has pulled her friend Elvis Mitchell into a role as year-round “curator,” which basically means hosting Q & As at Film Independent-programmed events at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

As Laff becomes more local, eclectic, multi-cultural, and interactive, the Laff seeks to occupy a niche and grow its audience via a more populist, less international festival.

Truth is, only a few top-ranked film festivals a year are must-attend destinations packed with high-end world premieres and star attendees. Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Venice, New York, and Telluride top the list. So there’s some logic to opting out of that competitive arena. Increasingly, fests like Tribeca and SXSW are pushing outside the area of indie film to create alluring events for audiences, from interactive transmedia showcases and TV series premieres to high-profile panels, Q & As, and “Master Classes.” So it makes sense to brand Laff with an identifiable niche.

Giving people awards and tributes is another route pursued by awards-friendly fests like Santa Barbara and Palm Springs, hence Saturday Laff will award “Selma” director Ava DuVernay as well as her distribution company Array Releasing (her own “Middle of Nowhere” plus “Ashes and Embers,” “Mississippi Damned,” “Kinyarwanda,” and “Restless City”) with the annual Spirit of Independence Award given to members of the independent film community who “advance the cause of independent film and champion creative freedom.” Last year, Array bought La Film Festival Us Fiction award-winner “Out of My Hand” for distribution, along with “Ayanda.”

Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”) is the 2016 Festival’s Guest Director; he’s offering a master class on sound design for “Creed.” And Nate Parker hosted a screening of Sundance Oscar contender “Birth of a Nation.” This weekend also brings a panel of women cinematographers.

The question is whether Allain’s quest for diversity will coincide with choosing the best movies, ones that create buzz for must-see titles—so far, actress Amber Tamblyn’s directing debut, “Paint It Black,” debuting Friday night at Lacma, has earned the most advance word of mouth. Established fest circuit titles such as Roger Ross Williams’ autism doc “Life, Animated,” closing night border film “Desierto” from Jonás Cuarón (“Gravity”), starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Mike Birbliglia and Ira Glass’s latest collaboration, improv comedy “Don’t Think Twice,” starring Keegan-Michael Key, are all worth seeing.

But for many of the unknown titles unspooling this week, audiences and buyers will just have to check them out and spread the word, good or bad. Otherwise, they’ll disappear into the ether.

Here are Indiewire’s Laff picks so far.

Related stories2016 Los Angeles Film Festival Awards: 'Heis (chronicles)', 'Blood Stripe' & 'Political Animals' Win BigThe TV Director's Hurdle: Why A Small-Screen Actor Is Making An Indie Feature To Get His Foot In The DoorFilm Independent Announces The 10 Projects Selected for Fast Track and Recipient Of Alfred P. Sloan Grant...

With one of last year’s Sundance intoxicatingly cute natured discoveries in Lola Kirke (from Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America) toplining, the reasonable five-year morphing phase into a larger feature film canvas, and the welcomed addition of actress Breeda Wool who got to work with the same character, we could easily see this slice of Lgbt grab a coveted spot. While it might have the queer factor working for it, Awol, the feature film version actually stems from a 2011 Sundance premiered short of the same title. Production took place at the very beginning of the year with major thumbs up support from Tribeca Film Festival where the film (not yet finished) landed the Iwc Filmmaker Award and this past summer, Deb Shoval‘s feature debut was submitted to Champs-Elysées Film Festival’s Us in Progress. Chosen for Film Independent’s Fast Track and Ifp’s Narrative Completion Lab, Shoval...

Iwan Thomas became the first crestfallen celebrity contestant to exit Strictly Come Dancing last weekend along with professional dance partner Orla Jordan.

The 42-year-old Olympic athlete told Digital Spy that he would have liked "nicer" comments from some of the stricter judges, because while he admits he's not a natural dancer, he put his all into his performances.

"To put so much hard work into something and then you get - I won't say the word slated but you know when you get remarks that you think are slightly unfair then it's quite hard to take," he recalled of the comments made by judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.

"Look, I know I'm not a good dancer, but I think it would have been nicer to hear something along the lines of, 'I know you're clearly not a good dancer but respect to you for throwing everything into that dance'.

This Labor Day weekend, New York’s biggest electronic music festival makes its highly anticipated return as Electric Zoo: Transformed. The three day festival has received a complete makeover, and is expecting to draw over 50,000 fans from all over the country to Randall’s Island Park. There’s still time to grab tickets and join the chaos, but for those of us abstaining from the festivities, the entire three days will be live streamed thanks to T-Mobile.

Starting Friday, Sept. 4th at 5pm Est, fans can tune in to Beatport’s Twitch Channel to watch the chaos free-of-charge. The broadcast will last until Sunday’s final performance, including sets from Above & Beyond, The Chemical Brothers, Alesso, and more. Also, for those of you heading to the festival grounds today, don’t forget to flash your T-Mobile powered device to get access to the Fast Track Entrance and party like a VIP the entire weekend.

Sundance Institute has announced the participants for its weeklong Creative Film Producing Initiative at the Sundance Resort in Utah, July 27 – August 3, including nine feature film and documentary projects for the Creative Producing Labs and more than 50 industry leaders for the Creative Producing Summit.

The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.

The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (

"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).

The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).

The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),

Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).

The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:

"50 Miles From Boomtown"

Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman

After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).

Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.

"Bexar County"

Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.

In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)

Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.

Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.

"Dolores"

Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt

A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)

Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.

"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"

Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari

When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)

Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.

"The Space Between"

Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee

A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)

Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.

The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:

"Brick"

Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca

"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.

Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.

Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.

"The Island and the Whales" (working title)

Directore/Producer: Mike Day

The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.

Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.

"The Road From Hainan"

Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang

State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.

"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.

"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"

Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi

"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.

Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.

Today, Film Independent announced the 10 projects selected for the 13th annual Fast Track film financing market. Held during the Los Angeles Film Festival, now underway, the program helps producer/director teams push their projects forward through 60 meetings with top industry decision-makers, from financiers and agents to managers, distributors and granting organizations and production companies. Three days of intensive meetings will offer exposure and networking opportunities for filmmakers. The Fast Track is supported by Film Independent Artist Development lead funder Time Warner Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Nea Art Works, Efilm, Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television and Netflix.  At the annual Film Independent Fast Track Welcome Dinner, Film Independent also presented two Alfred P. Sloan grants to support films that explore science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers and mathematicians: Michael Almereyda's...

Film Independent has announced the 10 projects and 21 filmmakers to be put on its 2015 Fast Track Program, as well as the two films that received $70,000 in Alfred P. Sloan grants. Held as a part of the Los Angeles Film Festival, “Fast Track is designed to help producer-director teams ‘fast track’ their projects forward through 60 meetings with top industry executives [including] financiers, agents, managers, distributors, granting organizations, and production companies,” according to a statement. This year’s projects include Anil Baral’s “Ethel,” a film based on the true story about a couple accused of stealing the secret to the atomic bomb; “Dark Forest,” written and directed by Elena Greenlee about a hipster-millennial exploring the “psychedelic world of Amazonian shamanism”; a dark comedy titled “Millie to the Moon” about a woman who is relieved from taking care of her sick mother and autistic brother, and decides she wants to explore space and men...

Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen will host the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 21, live on IFC at 2:00 pm Pt / 5:00 pm Et, from executive producer Joel Gallen.

Also Read: Spirit Awards Get Live Broadcast for 30th Anniversary

Read the full release from Film Independent:

Film Independent President Josh Welsh announced today that Fred Armisen and Kristen Bell will co-host the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The nonprofit, which also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at Lacma, will hold the 30th annual awards ceremony as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday,...

“I’ve become so disturbed by younger people!” “What? Younger people?” The trailer for Noah Baumbach’s forthcoming Frances Ha follow-up While We’re Young is undoubtedly the only teaser for a Ben Stiller vehicle to frame itself with quotes from Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder. Older couple Stiller and Naomi Watts meet younger partners Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried and ends up wandering around Bushwick; musings on aging and maturity follow, but it’s funny anyway. It’s also very nice to see Charles Grodin back in action, in his first feature since 2006’s The Ex. The film opens March 27.

“I’ve become so disturbed by younger people!” “What? Younger people?” The trailer for Noah Baumbach’s forthcoming Frances Ha follow-up While We’re Young is undoubtedly the only teaser for a Ben Stiller vehicle to frame itself with quotes from Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder. Older couple Stiller and Naomi Watts meet younger partners Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried and ends up wandering around Bushwick; musings on aging and maturity follow, but it’s funny anyway. It’s also very nice to see Charles Grodin back in action, in his first feature since 2006’s The Ex. The film opens March 27.

Will Ferrell is set to tackle William Shakespeare in a new comedy that is currently being developed at Sony. The currently untitled film follows the story of a Shakespearean theater company who are all hell-bent on doing The Bard justice. Information regarding the comedy is currently still at a minimum, and Variety reports that the screenplay for the film is still in its early stages too, with David Guion and Michael Handelman hired to write it. Unfortunately, the screenwriting pair haven.t really delivered anything of note that will make you think that Will Ferrell.s upcoming Shakespearean salvo will actually be worthwhile. David Guion and Michael Handelman.s previous credits have included Dinner For Schmucks and The Ex, both of which possessed almost zero laughs and were also instantly forgettable. Another reason to be a tad alarmed about the development of this new project is that both of the...

Much like the characters implied by the title, Zombieland 2 keeps coming back to life. The original writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, have been thinking about a sequel for years and eventually spun some of those ideas into a Amazon TV pilot. The show was not picked up, and most thought that was the end. Like a […]

The post ‘Zombieland 2′ Back on Fast Track With New Writer appeared first on /Film.

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...

Today marks the release of actor/filmmaker Zach Braff’s second directorial outing in Wish I Was Here, and it’s only his second film in a decade, after making his writing and directing debut with Garden State. During the past decade, he hasn’t even done too much in the way of movies, even after he left his hit television show Scrubs. Still, he’s got a new flick in theaters and I’m thrilled to have him back. Oddly enough though, a few articles this week have sort of bemoaned his return, so I wanted to counteract that negativity with some positivity, since I’m quite fond of his talents and hope he’s here to stay now. So, once again, I’m providing the optimist’s counterpoint. Braff spent the past ten years trying to get different projects off the ground, but they just never came to pass.

wiki

Alan Pardew has suggested that he won’t be afraid to use Newcastle new-boy Ayoze Perez in the Premier League next season as our efforts to sign a striker continue to falter.

The 22-year-old forward joined from Spanish Segunda Division club Tenerife earlier this month – our first permanent acquisition in 18-months – and was expected to spend the campaign acclimatising to life in England in the development squad under the guidance of Magpies great Peter Beardsley.

But a report in the Shields Gazette states that Perez will undergo extra strength and conditioning work during pre-season to prepare him for the speed and ferocity of the top-flight in a clear indication that Pardew will hasten his elevation into the first-team with a new forward seemingly not forthcoming.

“He’s slight, and has a bit of work to do in terms of his body and getting up to speed in the Premier League,...

One of the biggest toy franchises in the world is in a race to the big screen. Sony has just signed a deal with with Mattel to make a movie version of Barbie. Jenny Bicks (What A Girl Wants, Rio 2) is writing the script, with the studio hoping to be shooting by the end of […]

The post Barbie Movie on Fast Track From Sony and Mattel appeared first on /Film.

When news broke Monday that Avengers star Scarlett Johansson was expecting her first child, movie fans wondered: What’s going to happen to Avengers: Age of Ultron? More importantly, what’s going to happen to Black Widow in Age of Ultron? With principal photography set to start in the next month and Johansson reportedly due in August, it seems as though the actress’ pregnancy will align directly with the film’s shooting window.

In other words: that signature outfit and a baby bump won’t exactly mix.

So what’s a franchise to do? We’re pretty confident they wouldn...

Director-producer teams are now invited to apply to Film Independent's Fast Track, the three-day film financing market that takes place in June during the La Film Fest (2014 dates Tba).The filmmakers selected for Fast Track will get a chance to meet with financiers, production companies and industry professionals with the goal of finding funding for their movies.Submitted projects must be feature length films, narrative and documentary, that are compelling and original. Fast Track is open to documentaries that have begun or completed production and are seeking finishing funds. Narratives must not have begun principal photography. One of the eligible Fast Track projects will receive Film Independent's Alfred P. Sloan Fast Track grant, a $15,000 production grant for a science based narrative film. Plus, all Fast Track filmmakers receive a pass to Laff 2014.Interested? You can apply here.

• Bruce Willis (Die Hard) is set to star in the action thriller Captive, taking over for the previously rumored Arnold Schwarzenegger. Simon Brand (Unknown) is directing with a script by Benjamin van der Even (Che: Part Two) and Kario Salem (Chasing Mavericks) from a story by Nicolai Fuglsig. Willis will play a real estate developer who gets kidnapped and held for ransom while at work in Brazil. Production is set to begin in March. [Deadline]

• Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) will play the woman who claimed to be the Grand Russian Duchess Anastasia, in Duchess. The film will be directed by Arie Posin...

Yo! Listen up! I'll make this short and sweet! Nikyatu Jusu (you know her, right?) is fundraising for her feature film debut, a thriller she compares to contemporary classics like City Of God and Amores Perros, titled Free The Town, set in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Simple premise: the lives of 3 strangers collide in the midst of witch-hunting "season" in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Amongst its early accolades, the script was one of 10 projects selected for Film Independent's 11th annual Fast Track program at the Los Angeles Film Festival, this year, and was also picked for the 4th edition of the Durban FilmMart, in July. Nikyatu needs to raise $15,000 in...

• Chris Evans may be best known for playing the straitlaced Captain America, but that doesn’t mean he’s content to just rest on his superhero laurels. The Avengers star will make his feature directorial debut with the romance 1:30 Train, which he’ll also star in and produce alongside McG. The story, penned by Ronald Bass (Stepmom), is disarmingly similar to the idea behind Before Sunrise, and follows two strangers who meet in New York and spend the night together. Evans plans to shoot the movie before he begins work on The Avengers: Age of Ultron. [Deadline]

• Jack Black (School of Rock...

Charles Grodin is returning to the big screen, playing Naomi Watts' father in Noah Baumbach's indie "While We're Young," TheWrap has learned. It will be Grodin's first feature film in seven years. He was last seen alongside Zach Braff and Jason Bateman in the 2006 comedy "The Ex." Watts and Ben Stiller star as a married couple that strikes up an unlikely friendship with a free-spirited younger couple, to be played by Adam Driver ("Girls") and Amanda Seyfried ("Lovelace"). Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, is expected to co-star as a...

The Flash is on the fast track to visit Arrow this season, raising many questions. How will Dr. Barry Allen’s alter ego manage to be fleet on his feet in the CW series’ powerless world? What exactly will his fancy footwork look like? Will The Flash clash with Green Arrow?

DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and Arrow showrunner Andrew Kreisberg were lightning-quick to field those queries and others in a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Here’s what was learned:

* Barry Allen will be introduced in Episodes 8 and 9 of Arrow Season 2 (opening Oct. 9), as a forensics scientist working...

Last week Friday, Film Independent announced the 22 filmmakers and 10 projects selected for its 11th annual Fast Track program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fast Track Welcome Luncheon, during the ongoing Los Angeles Film Festival.  The program is an intensive, three-day film-financing market, during which participants are connected with established financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals who can move their current projects forward. I'll be highlighting those projects that will be of most interest to this blog, starting with this one: Third Girl from the Left - an adaptation of Martha Southgate's...

Film Independent has announced the 22 filmmakers and 10 projects selected for its 11th annual Fast Track program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fast Track Welcome Luncheon, during the ongoing Los Angeles Film Festival.  The program is an intensive, three-day film-financing market. During programmed one-on-one meetings, participants are connected with established financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals who can move their current projects forward. And congrats are in order for Nikyatu Jusu, A. Sayeeda Clarke and Vincent Harris - the 3 filmmakers of African descent that I immediately recognized - who are among...

Jake Rosati and Matty McKibben may have started off in an Awkward. bromance on the MTV series hit, but that relationship doesn't even come close to what Brett Davern and Beau Mirchoff have off set. The Awkward. stars are best buds when not filming--as this should come as no surprise to fans of the show--and we recently caught up with Davern to talk about the friendship, and what comes next for Jake in Season 3.

| Related: Three Scenes With Awkward's Brett Davern |

| Related: Greer Grammer On Cast Inside Jokes And Jenna And Sadie Relationships |

| Related: Desi Lydic And Greer Grammer Give A Behind-The-Scenes Look |

We have to get right to it. Let's talk about your bromance with Beau.

Brett Davern: I hope that I can speak for him saying that I want to make it official and announce that we are officially in a bromance. In a full-on bromance.

They...