Netflix has shared a new trailer for the documentary Power, which traces the history of policing in the United States, from 18th century slave patrols and publicly funded police departments in the 19th century to police protests in the Sixties and 2020s.
A speaker in the Netflix trailer raises the question: Who is more powerful, the people or the police? The trailer highlights the racially charged history of policing, particularly how slaves, indigenous people, and working class people were the target of unregulated violence, and how the past informs police brutality within American cities.
A speaker in the Netflix trailer raises the question: Who is more powerful, the people or the police? The trailer highlights the racially charged history of policing, particularly how slaves, indigenous people, and working class people were the target of unregulated violence, and how the past informs police brutality within American cities.
- 4/22/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
When Power begins, before we see anything onscreen, we hear the voice of director Yance Ford, preparing the audience for information about the police that may be difficult to swallow. For those of us who have been politically radicalized — either in the past during landmark events like the Rodney King riots or the recent present in the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd — what we see in Ford’s tightly edited 85-minute documentary feature may not be surprising. But for the vast majority of people in America, the police are still considered trustworthy arbiters of law and order dedicated to keeping us safe. That is why, during the 2020 protests, “abolish the police” was quickly rebranded by liberal pundits as “defund the police.” Even with this softer message, the public outcry fell on deaf ears. And soon, the movement faltered.
Ford seems to be responding directly to that failure with Power,...
Ford seems to be responding directly to that failure with Power,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Jourdain Searles
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This isn’t a meteorology blog. We’re under no obligation to inform you that–despite a historically slow ski season start–the snow now falling across Northern Utah’s Wasatch Valley is voluminous and omnipresent. All the better excuse for sequestering oneself inside the weatherproofed walls of Park City’s myriad Sundance screening venues. And whether you’re a Sundance programmer, filmmaker, critic, industry wonk or civilian attendee, one thing is certain: there are currently a lot of granola bars getting smushed in a lot of people’s pockets.
Of course, our favorite among these snowblind wretches are our own Film Independent Fellows proudly debuting their new works at the festival. And by “Fellows” here we of course mean filmmakers who have been directly supported by Film Independent’s Lab Programs, Project Involve, Fast Track and Fiscal Sponsorship programs, as well as Emerging Filmmaker Award winners and grant recipients.
Of course, our favorite among these snowblind wretches are our own Film Independent Fellows proudly debuting their new works at the festival. And by “Fellows” here we of course mean filmmakers who have been directly supported by Film Independent’s Lab Programs, Project Involve, Fast Track and Fiscal Sponsorship programs, as well as Emerging Filmmaker Award winners and grant recipients.
- 1/20/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
In 1991 five pictures in production under the auspices of Afghan Film were interrupted. What We Left Unfinished is about those movies mid-making, but also in part the story of Afghanistan's film industry. This is not Mariam Ghani's first documentary, but her first feature. A compact 71 minutes, it manages to cover complicated history with clarity. Archive footage from a variety of sources, including the Krasnogorsk Institute, is assembled to support interviews with a variety of film-makers and actors.
Their interrupted films are five in number: The April Revolution, Downfall, Wrong Way, Agent, and The Black Diamond. Propaganda about regime change, intelligence thrillers, dramas about smuggling. Made with approval from a temporarily generous state, their production already complicated by coup, counter-coup, Communist invasion, their interruption just adds to their intrigue.
There's background provided by text, crisp subtitling and end titles all constructed by the multi-hyphenated Ghani. Ian Olds contributes to a project.
Their interrupted films are five in number: The April Revolution, Downfall, Wrong Way, Agent, and The Black Diamond. Propaganda about regime change, intelligence thrillers, dramas about smuggling. Made with approval from a temporarily generous state, their production already complicated by coup, counter-coup, Communist invasion, their interruption just adds to their intrigue.
There's background provided by text, crisp subtitling and end titles all constructed by the multi-hyphenated Ghani. Ian Olds contributes to a project.
- 8/8/2021
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Adapted from Steve Erickson’s brilliant and hypnotic 2007 novel of the same name, this is a story about someone who thinks that movies are the most precious things in the universe; someone who believes that cinema reveals the work of God, and that celluloid hides the secrets of all creation in the space between sprocket holes. Franco, on the other hand, has always maintained a somewhat messier “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” approach to artistic creation. Prolific to the point of self-parody before reports of sexually exploitative behavior slowed him down, he’s been emboldened by a digital culture that rewards volume and encourages disposability.
That isn’t meant to be a criticism so much as a statement of fact. Franco is a creature of the 21st century, far better equipped to pay homage to “The Room” than to solve the hidden mysteries of George Stevens’ “A Place in the Sun.
That isn’t meant to be a criticism so much as a statement of fact. Franco is a creature of the 21st century, far better equipped to pay homage to “The Room” than to solve the hidden mysteries of George Stevens’ “A Place in the Sun.
- 9/19/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Assembling a few found shards from the recent history of endlessly broken Afghanistan, “What We Left Unfinished” is cultural archaeology of special interest to cineastes. Miriam Ghani’s film spotlights five features that were abandoned during that nation’s Communist era (1978-1991), their fate decreed by regime changes or the vagaries of censorship. Excerpts from surviving footage plus latter-day interviews with the filmmakers highlight the fragility of artistic creation under even less turbulent circumstances, and provide insight into a hitherto largely inaccessible period in which strict political messaging nonetheless permitted a great deal of intriguing celluloid expression.
Six years in the making, the U.S.-based Ghani’s first feature (she’s done a number of prior shorts and installations on post-war Afghani issues) is basically a collaboration with the state film institute Afghan Films, which has safeguarded a large if haphazard body of homegrown movies though seemingly never-ending national upheaval.
Six years in the making, the U.S.-based Ghani’s first feature (she’s done a number of prior shorts and installations on post-war Afghani issues) is basically a collaboration with the state film institute Afghan Films, which has safeguarded a large if haphazard body of homegrown movies though seemingly never-ending national upheaval.
- 5/3/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
In 2006, documentary filmmaker Garrett Scott died unexpectedly, shocking the film community. His film, Occupation: Dreamland, co-directed with Ian Olds, won the Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award two days after his death. In the aftermath of this tragedy, his friends and collaborators founded the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. The idea of the grant is to support first-time feature documentary makers by emulating a formative experience Garrett and Ian had when making Occupation: Dreamland. He visited Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina, where he met with many people from the doc community. Full Frame is a […]...
- 5/10/2018
- by Jason Osder
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In 2006, documentary filmmaker Garrett Scott died unexpectedly, shocking the film community. His film, Occupation: Dreamland, co-directed with Ian Olds, won the Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award two days after his death. In the aftermath of this tragedy, his friends and collaborators founded the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. The idea of the grant is to support first-time feature documentary makers by emulating a formative experience Garrett and Ian had when making Occupation: Dreamland. He visited Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina, where he met with many people from the doc community. Full Frame is a […]...
- 5/10/2018
- by Jason Osder
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every city has a learning curve. In Burn Country, opening today from Samuel Goldwyn, an exiled Afghan writer (Dominic Rains) arrives in rural California eager to immerse himself in the culture and customs of an American town. He befriends an unbalanced local (James Franco) in his search to “get to the source of things,” as he describes it, but the outsider soon becomes confronted by a culture he can’t quite comprehend. Burn Country marks Ian Olds’s first foray into fiction filmmaking after a pair of documentaries shot in Iraq and Afghanistan. Below, Olds speaks about the film’s origins, the Northern California landscape and his prior […]...
- 12/9/2016
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
James Franco can toggle between blockbusters, indies, comedies and dramas without a missing a beat. Later this month, he’ll appear in “Why Him?” but if you’re looking for something slightly edgier from the actor, you’ll want to seek out “Burn Country.”
Read More: ‘King Cobra’ Starring James Franco Is A True Crime Trifle [Review]
Directed by Ian Olds and featuring a strong cast including Dominic Rains, Melissa Leo, Rachel Brosnahan and Thomas Jay Ryan, the film follows Osman, a former fixer for Western journalists reporting on the war in Afghanistan.
Continue reading Exclusive: Take A Ride With James Franco In Clip From ‘Burn Country’ at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘King Cobra’ Starring James Franco Is A True Crime Trifle [Review]
Directed by Ian Olds and featuring a strong cast including Dominic Rains, Melissa Leo, Rachel Brosnahan and Thomas Jay Ryan, the film follows Osman, a former fixer for Western journalists reporting on the war in Afghanistan.
Continue reading Exclusive: Take A Ride With James Franco In Clip From ‘Burn Country’ at The Playlist.
- 12/6/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival finished up in April, and some of the festival’s films are receiving theatrical releases around the end of the year. One of these films is “Burn Country,” formerly known as “The Fixer,” which follows former war journalist Osman (Dominic Rains) who lands in a small bohemian town in Northern California working as a crime reporter for the local newspaper. Living on the couch of his friend’s mother (Melissa Leo) and eager to get to work, he befriends local townsfolk, like hot tub craftsman Lindsay (James Franco) and local actress Sandra (Rachel Brosnahan). But when Lindsay goes missing, Osman goes after him and discovers corruption and violence that run deep. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Tribeca Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
The film is co-written and directed by Ian Olds.
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Tribeca Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
The film is co-written and directed by Ian Olds.
- 11/22/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
A small northern California town is plunged into chaos in the nail-biting first trailer for Burn Country, Ian Olds’ upcoming thriller that’s pegged for release on December 9.
Told through the lens of Osman (Dominic Rains), a war reporter still assimilating back into normal life following a tour in Afghanistan, Burn Country orbits around a chilling murder investigation that involves Melissa Leo’s world-weary detective. Eager to cut his teeth as the town’s budding new crime reporter, Osman begins to strike up a friendship with the wildly unstable Lindsay (James Franco) and Sandra, an elusive free spirit played here by Rachel Brosnahan. What begins as an innocent venture into the town’s subculture turns into something much, much darker. Formerly titled The Fixer, documentarian Ian Olds is the filmmaker behind the lens.
Part Fargo, part Twin Peaks, look for Burn Country to open in select theaters on December 9. The...
Told through the lens of Osman (Dominic Rains), a war reporter still assimilating back into normal life following a tour in Afghanistan, Burn Country orbits around a chilling murder investigation that involves Melissa Leo’s world-weary detective. Eager to cut his teeth as the town’s budding new crime reporter, Osman begins to strike up a friendship with the wildly unstable Lindsay (James Franco) and Sandra, an elusive free spirit played here by Rachel Brosnahan. What begins as an innocent venture into the town’s subculture turns into something much, much darker. Formerly titled The Fixer, documentarian Ian Olds is the filmmaker behind the lens.
Part Fargo, part Twin Peaks, look for Burn Country to open in select theaters on December 9. The...
- 10/27/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Ian Olds’ drama “Burn Country,” then known as “Fixer,” premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where its star Dominic Rains won the Best Actor prize. The thriller was then acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Pictures, who have now released a new trailer ahead of its December release.
In “Burn Country,” Rains portrays Osman, an Afghan journalist who leaves behind his life as a fixer for Western reporters and moves to a small town in Northern California where he takes a job with a local newspaper. When a dead body turns up, he finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation. Melissa Leo co-stars as Osman’s mother’s best friend and local cop, James Franco is the unstable hot tub craftsman Lindsay and Rachel Brosnahan is Sandra, an elusive local actress. Check out the trailer below.
Read More: ‘King Cobra’ Trailer: James Franco and Christian Slater Star...
In “Burn Country,” Rains portrays Osman, an Afghan journalist who leaves behind his life as a fixer for Western reporters and moves to a small town in Northern California where he takes a job with a local newspaper. When a dead body turns up, he finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation. Melissa Leo co-stars as Osman’s mother’s best friend and local cop, James Franco is the unstable hot tub craftsman Lindsay and Rachel Brosnahan is Sandra, an elusive local actress. Check out the trailer below.
Read More: ‘King Cobra’ Trailer: James Franco and Christian Slater Star...
- 10/26/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
"You got a scoop?" Samuel Goldwyn has debuted a trailer for an indie drama titled Burn Country, which premiered at Tribeca earlier this year. The film is a fictional feature version of a real-life story of a "fixer" journalist from Afghanistan who decides to move to a town on the coast in Northern California. However, once he begins working at a newspaper there he gets drawn into the strange "backwoods of this small town", stumbling into local corruption and other dangers. Iranian actor Dominic Rains stars as Osman, and the cast includes Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Thomas Jay Ryan, Tim Kniffin, and James Oliver Wheatley. This looks damn good, like it offers a unique perspective not often seen on film. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Ian Olds' Burn Country, originally from EW.com: After being exiled from Afghanistan, a former war journalist (Dominic Rains) who...
- 10/25/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Refresh for latest… Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Pictures have acquired Ian Olds’ mystery thriller Burn Country, which was called The Fixer when it premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Dominic Rains, who won the Best Actor prize at that fest, stars alongside Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan and Thomas Jay Ryan. A December 9 day-and-date is planned, and Mongrel International is selling international rights at the Toronto Film Festival. Rains stars…...
- 9/9/2016
- Deadline
Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Pictures have acquired from CAA the mystery thriller Burn Country (formerly The Fixer) directed by Ian Olds.
Paul Felten and Olds wrote the screenplay to the film starring Tribeca Us Narrative Competition best actor winner Dominic Rains, Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan and Thomas Jay Ryan.
Mongrel International handles international sales in Toronto on the story of an Afghan man who served as a fixer for Western journalists during the war in Afghanistan.
When he settles in a small town in northern California and finds work as a crime reporter, the new arrival uncovers the town’s dark secrets.
Caroline von Kuhn’s Ace Productions produced in association with Night & Day Pictures, Rabbit Bandini Productions, Gigi Films, Amphora Pictures, Green Street Film Company, Heart-Headed Productions, Raa Ventures and Relic Pictures.
Samuel Goldwyn plans a December 9 day-and-date theatrical and VOD release.
Paul Felten and Olds wrote the screenplay to the film starring Tribeca Us Narrative Competition best actor winner Dominic Rains, Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan and Thomas Jay Ryan.
Mongrel International handles international sales in Toronto on the story of an Afghan man who served as a fixer for Western journalists during the war in Afghanistan.
When he settles in a small town in northern California and finds work as a crime reporter, the new arrival uncovers the town’s dark secrets.
Caroline von Kuhn’s Ace Productions produced in association with Night & Day Pictures, Rabbit Bandini Productions, Gigi Films, Amphora Pictures, Green Street Film Company, Heart-Headed Productions, Raa Ventures and Relic Pictures.
Samuel Goldwyn plans a December 9 day-and-date theatrical and VOD release.
- 9/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Charlotte Mickie and her team will kick off sales on the Croisette on Ian Olds’ recent Tribeca winner.
CAA brokered the deal and represents North American rights to the film.
The Fixer stars Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Thomas Jay Ryan, and newcomer Dominic Rains, who won the Us narrative best actor prize for the title role in Tribeca.
The story follows a former fixer for Us journalists in Afghanistan who relocates to smalltown America where he becomes embroiled in a local mystery.
Olds and Paul Felten wrote the screenplay and Caroline von Kuhn’s Ace Productions produced in association with Night & Day Pictures, Rabbit Bandini Productions, Gigi Films, Amphora Films, Green Street Film Company, Heart-Headed Productions, Raa Ventures and Relic Pictures.
CAA brokered the deal and represents North American rights to the film.
The Fixer stars Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Thomas Jay Ryan, and newcomer Dominic Rains, who won the Us narrative best actor prize for the title role in Tribeca.
The story follows a former fixer for Us journalists in Afghanistan who relocates to smalltown America where he becomes embroiled in a local mystery.
Olds and Paul Felten wrote the screenplay and Caroline von Kuhn’s Ace Productions produced in association with Night & Day Pictures, Rabbit Bandini Productions, Gigi Films, Amphora Films, Green Street Film Company, Heart-Headed Productions, Raa Ventures and Relic Pictures.
- 5/3/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Mongrel International has boarded sales, excluding Canada and the U.S., on Tribeca title The Fixer. The deal was brokered by CAA, which has North America. The drama will make its market debut in Cannes next week. Directed by Ian Olds, who co-wrote with Paul Felten, it stars Melissa Leo, James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Thomas Jay Ryan, and newcomer Dominic Rains. Rains scooped the Best Actor prize at Tribeca last month. Inspired by Olds’ documentary about an Afghani guide…...
- 5/2/2016
- Deadline
David Byrne is all smiles as Bill Ross lV and Turner Ross' Contemporary Color captures two awards Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Contemporary Color, under Dp Jarred Alterman and with the Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz, Devonté Hynes, Nelly Furtado, Nico Muhly, Ira Glass, St. Vincent, Money Mark, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, providing some of the music to David Byrne's color guard extravaganza, has scored twice at this year's Tribeca Film Festival awards.
Us Narrative Competition winners
Dean, directed by Demteri Martin; Actor Dominic Rains in Ian Olds' The Fixer; Actress Mackenzie Davis in Sophia Takal's Always Shine; Cinematography - Michael Ragen for Justin Tipping's Kicks; Screenplay - Ingrid Jungermann for her Women Who Kill. The Nora Ephron Prize - Rachel Tunnard for Adult Life Skills; Albert Maysles Award - David Feige for Untouchable. Best New Narrative Director - Priscilla Anany for Children Of The Mountain.
Contemporary Color, under Dp Jarred Alterman and with the Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz, Devonté Hynes, Nelly Furtado, Nico Muhly, Ira Glass, St. Vincent, Money Mark, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, providing some of the music to David Byrne's color guard extravaganza, has scored twice at this year's Tribeca Film Festival awards.
Us Narrative Competition winners
Dean, directed by Demteri Martin; Actor Dominic Rains in Ian Olds' The Fixer; Actress Mackenzie Davis in Sophia Takal's Always Shine; Cinematography - Michael Ragen for Justin Tipping's Kicks; Screenplay - Ingrid Jungermann for her Women Who Kill. The Nora Ephron Prize - Rachel Tunnard for Adult Life Skills; Albert Maysles Award - David Feige for Untouchable. Best New Narrative Director - Priscilla Anany for Children Of The Mountain.
- 4/23/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Top brass at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival presented by At&T have announced selections in the Us Narrative, International Narrative and Documentary Competition strands.
The films comprise 55 out of 110 features that will play during the 15th edition of the New York festival from April 13-24. The festival will present features films in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Sections on March 8.
Also included in Wednesday’s announcement are the out-of-competition Viewpoints titles.
The world premiere of Bill Ross and Turner Ross’ Contemporary Color will open the World Documentary competition on April 14, while the world premiere of Kicks by Justin Tipping will open the Us Narrative competition.
The world premiere of Madly directed by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan will open the International Narrative Competition. Viewpoints will open with the world premiere of Nerdland directed by Chris Prynoski.
One third of the festival’s feature films are directed by women...
The films comprise 55 out of 110 features that will play during the 15th edition of the New York festival from April 13-24. The festival will present features films in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Sections on March 8.
Also included in Wednesday’s announcement are the out-of-competition Viewpoints titles.
The world premiere of Bill Ross and Turner Ross’ Contemporary Color will open the World Documentary competition on April 14, while the world premiere of Kicks by Justin Tipping will open the Us Narrative competition.
The world premiere of Madly directed by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan will open the International Narrative Competition. Viewpoints will open with the world premiere of Nerdland directed by Chris Prynoski.
One third of the festival’s feature films are directed by women...
- 3/2/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Tribeca Film Festival announced today its first wave of selections, including its newly created U.S. and International Narrative Competitions. Encompassing 18 films between them, the sections feature works by several Filmmaker 25 New Faces (Sophia Takal, Ian Olds, Ingrid Jungermann, Cecilia Aldarondo, and Alma Har’el) as well as new work by Demitri Martin and Tracy Droz Dragos, director (with Andrew Droz Tragos) of the Sundance winner Rich Hill. Each section will have an Opening Night film. The U.S. Narrative Competition unspools with Justin Tipping’s San Francisco-set youth crime drama, Kicks. The International Narrative Competition opens with Madly, an anthology […]...
- 3/2/2016
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Shot in June in Los Angeles, The Force features Olivia Thirlby and Ben Feldman in the pole position as newly married urbanites with a faint degree of amnesia with a supporting cast familiar indie face offerings of Adam Goldberg, Analeigh Tipton, Scott Haze, Lesley Ann Warren, Betsy Brandt, John Ross Bowie, Jon Heder, Alison Sudol and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. Latin American/Los Angeles transplanted AFI alumni visual artist and painter Rafael Palacio Illingworth got his start with another relationship-themed dramedy with the micro budgeted Macho (2009) and in-between features he filmed some commercial spots and put out a pair of shorts with one bringing him to the Venice Film Festival.
Gist: Thirlby and Feldman play a couple confronted by the fear that settling down and getting married means their carefree days as city-dwelling young adults coming to an abrupt and depressing end. Both are tempted by the allure of another life...
Gist: Thirlby and Feldman play a couple confronted by the fear that settling down and getting married means their carefree days as city-dwelling young adults coming to an abrupt and depressing end. Both are tempted by the allure of another life...
- 11/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It would be a futile exercise to try to pigeonhole this filmmaker into one category and just looking at the work samples that have crossed into Sundance territory he has
2007’s short Bomb, brought an unproduced screenplay The Western Habit at the 2011 January Screenwriters Lab and was the editor on the 2013’s kink. However, Ian Olds is better known for his docu features contributions in Occupation: Dreamland (winner of a 2006 Independent Spirit Award) and Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi. He has two different films on the burner with the Sffs backed (2011 Sffs / Hearst Screenwriting Grant Recipient and Fall 2013, Spring 2014 & Spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant Recipient) The Fixer (the feature film version) that might break in early 2016. Starring James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Melissa Leo and Dominic Rains, they were still making casting announcements in early August, but we’re feeling that this might have crossed the finish line in time.
2007’s short Bomb, brought an unproduced screenplay The Western Habit at the 2011 January Screenwriters Lab and was the editor on the 2013’s kink. However, Ian Olds is better known for his docu features contributions in Occupation: Dreamland (winner of a 2006 Independent Spirit Award) and Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi. He has two different films on the burner with the Sffs backed (2011 Sffs / Hearst Screenwriting Grant Recipient and Fall 2013, Spring 2014 & Spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant Recipient) The Fixer (the feature film version) that might break in early 2016. Starring James Franco, Rachel Brosnahan, Melissa Leo and Dominic Rains, they were still making casting announcements in early August, but we’re feeling that this might have crossed the finish line in time.
- 11/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice Film Festival Biennale College – Cinema sidebar is like a low-lying fruit tree that hasn’t yet been picked, and from the past two editions Sundance programmers have basketed Tim Sutton’s Memphis (2014) and Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia’s H. (2015). We’re thinking the fest might go three for three with The Fits. Anna Rose Homer fiction feature debut hasn’t yet be shown outside the Lido and it’s coming into 2016 with terrific critical buzz with THR calling it a “rough-diamond discovery” French institute Cahiers du cinéma giving the film major props. The filmmaker touched several facets of the film indie film biz over the years getting her feet wet as a camera assistant, with grip credits for Afterschool and Tiny Furniture and her most recent gigs were as a producer on Jody Lee Lipes’ Ballet 422 and still photographer on Matt Wolf’s Teenage. The Fits, which benefited...
- 11/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The 14 finalists for the latest round San Francisco Film Society / Kenneth Ranin Foundation Filmmaking Grants include "A Ciambra," writer/director Jonas Carpignano's follow-up to Cannes sensation and AFI Fest selection "Mediterranea," and "As I Lay Dying" editor Ian Olds' portrait of an Afghan journalist in Northern California, "The Fixer." Winners will be announced in November. Read More: "Introducing the New Auteurs and American Independents of AFI Fest 2015" Up to $300,000 will be awarded to one or more of the finalists, part of more than $3 million awarded through the grant program since its inception in 2009. Winners also receive customized benefits through Filmmaker360, the San Francisco Film Society’s filmmaker services program, including one-on-one project consultations, project feedback, fundraising assistance, resource and service recommendations, and networking opportunities. Awarded twice annually to narrative features...
- 10/20/2015
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
In a preemptive swoop, the distributor has picked up James Franco’s dramedy about a young man obsessed with cinema who rises through the ranks in 1970s Hollywood.
Franco directs and stars alongside Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver, Joey King and Dave Franco.
Franco and Vince Jolivette produce via their Rabbit Bandini Productions alongside Caroline Aragon and Michael Mendelsohn through his Patriot Pictures.
Paul Felten and Ian Olds adapted the Zeroville screenplay from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name.
Alchemy plans to release the film, currently in post-production, in 2016.
Vice-president of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal with Patriot CEO Mendelsohn.
Franco directs and stars alongside Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver, Joey King and Dave Franco.
Franco and Vince Jolivette produce via their Rabbit Bandini Productions alongside Caroline Aragon and Michael Mendelsohn through his Patriot Pictures.
Paul Felten and Ian Olds adapted the Zeroville screenplay from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name.
Alchemy plans to release the film, currently in post-production, in 2016.
Vice-president of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal with Patriot CEO Mendelsohn.
- 9/12/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Alchemy has acquired North American rights to James Franco's Zeroville, an adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel, with Megan Fox co-starring.
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
- 9/12/2015
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alchemy has acquired North American rights to James Franco's Zeroville, an adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel, with Megan Fox co-starring.
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
- 9/12/2015
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The San Francisco Film Society has revealed the eight finalists for the seventh annual Sffs/Hearst Screenwriting Grant. The $15,000 grant will be awarded to a screenwriter, or screenwriting team, that has been practicing for at least five years and who has previously written at least one feature screenplay. The grant is intended for Us-based writers, with priority given to those whose past works were successfully made into finished films. The winner will be announced mid-October. This year's finalists listed below. One of the past grant winners, Ian Olds, is just now going into production on "The Fixer" starring James Franco. This year, finalists include "Howl" and "The Celluloid Closet" writer/director Rob Epstein, and Maris Curran, whose David Oyelowo-starrer "Five Nights in Maine" premieres in Toronto. Read More: Tiff First Look: David Oyelowo and Dianne Wiest Lead 'Five Nights in Maine' Andrew Burrows-Trotman (writer/director) – If...
- 8/31/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Read More: Melissa Leo Joins James Franco in Ian Olds' Wartime Drama 'The Fixer' Ian Olds' "The Fixer" finally has its title character -- Dominic Rains, known for his roles in "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" and "The Taqwacores." "The Fixer" tells the story of Osman, a Afghan journalist exiled from his country because of war to a small community in Northern California. He begins to work on the local police blotter in an Afghan-style coverage of local crime and gets drawn into the town's subculture. Rains will star in the film alongside James Franco, Melissa Leo, Thomas Jay Ryan, Rachel Brosnahan and Tim Kniffin. Read More: Seeing The Whole Picture: Ian Olds's "Fixer"...
- 8/5/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
Eight filmmaking teams receive the grants to push their projects into the next stage of their creative process, from screenwriting to production. Awarded twice annually, the grants are intended for narrative features that impact the burgeoning Bay Area film community. These are promising projects to watch for. Past films have enjoyed indie success on the festival circuit and theatrically, including Ira Sachs' "Love Is Strange," Destin Cretton's "Short Term 12," Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale Station," which went all the way to win a Cannes prize, and Benh Zeitlin's Best Picture-nominated "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Read More: Melissa Leo Joins James Franco in Ian Olds' Wartime Drama "The Fixer" Several of this year's winners, from Travis Mathews to Ian Olds, already have considerable traction in the indie film scene and received Film Society backing in 2014. Also, "Jones" writer/director Sally El Hosaini was Sffs's...
- 5/28/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
If you’re looking for a comprehensive overview of the not so distant future in American indie film, a reliable sampling is usually found in the bi-annual Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants finalist (and future winners) lists. Grants will be awarded next month, but this finalists’ list overviews a look into the 2016-17 pool of talent and feature films. Among the trio of items that are in various stages of production and we’re keeping tabs on, we have Ian Olds (docu helmer of Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi) who moved into fiction feature filmmaking with The Fixer. Produced by Caroline von Kuhn (Camden Int. Film Fest Managing Director and docu field expert), this is said to include supporting players in the shape of Melissa Leo and James Franco. And speaking of Franco…, Travis Mathews from Interior. Leather Bar. fame has Oscillate Wildly next in line. Beasts of the Southern Wild...
- 4/10/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
15 finalists are up for San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation grants. Up to $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature films now in various stages of production. These grants are given out twice annually, and the spring 2015 recipients will be announced in May. These are promising projects to watch for. Past films have enjoyed indie success on the festival circuit and theatrically, including Ira Sachs' "Love Is Strange," Destin Cretton's "Short Term 12," Ryan Coogler's "Fruitvale Station," which went all the way to win a Cannes prize, and Benh Zeitlin's Best Picture-nominated "Beasts of the Southern Wild." There are a few familiar names on this list with their next projects, like documentary filmmaker Jesse Moss ("The Overnighters"), Ian Olds ("The Fixer," starring James Franco), Travis Mathews, who co-directed "Interior Leather Bar" with Franco, and Boots Riley, the frontman of hip...
- 4/9/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) and Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) have selected the finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants.
Up to $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature film projects at various stages of production. Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative feature films that will have “significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
To date more than $2.8m has been awarded since the launch of the Film Society’s flagship grant programme in 2009. Winners of the spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants will be announced in May.
Spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant Finallists
Blustar – Stella Kyriakopoulos, co-writer-director and Margaret Shin, co-writer
Screenwriting
Chickenshit – Jessica dela Merced, writer-director
Screenwriting
The Fixer – Ian Olds, writer-director, and Caroline von Kuhn, producer
Production
Freeland – Mario Furloni and Kate McLean, co-writer-directors
Screenwriting
Jones – Sally El Hosaini, writer-director
Screenwriting
The Last Black Man In San Francisco– Joseph Talbot, writer-director...
Up to $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature film projects at various stages of production. Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative feature films that will have “significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
To date more than $2.8m has been awarded since the launch of the Film Society’s flagship grant programme in 2009. Winners of the spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants will be announced in May.
Spring 2015 Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grant Finallists
Blustar – Stella Kyriakopoulos, co-writer-director and Margaret Shin, co-writer
Screenwriting
Chickenshit – Jessica dela Merced, writer-director
Screenwriting
The Fixer – Ian Olds, writer-director, and Caroline von Kuhn, producer
Production
Freeland – Mario Furloni and Kate McLean, co-writer-directors
Screenwriting
Jones – Sally El Hosaini, writer-director
Screenwriting
The Last Black Man In San Francisco– Joseph Talbot, writer-director...
- 4/9/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Glenn has been attending the 25th Stockholm Film Festival as a member of the Fipresci jury. Today he looks at James Franco's latest creative endeavour, 'The Sound and the Fury'.
James Franco’s latest isn’t a part of the films I was sent to Sweden to judge, but in my apparent need to one day become the pre-eminent expert on the 36-year-old’s career, I decided to find time for The Sound and the Fury. His second Faulkner adaptation after last year’s As I Lay Dying shows that Franco is improving as a director when it comes to the creation of coherent and engaging cinematic worlds, but while somebody like the equally fast-moving Xavier Dolan is able to take his inspirations and weave them throughout his own auteurial style, Franco’s films still feel like he’s merely copying what he has seen elsewhere without...
James Franco’s latest isn’t a part of the films I was sent to Sweden to judge, but in my apparent need to one day become the pre-eminent expert on the 36-year-old’s career, I decided to find time for The Sound and the Fury. His second Faulkner adaptation after last year’s As I Lay Dying shows that Franco is improving as a director when it comes to the creation of coherent and engaging cinematic worlds, but while somebody like the equally fast-moving Xavier Dolan is able to take his inspirations and weave them throughout his own auteurial style, Franco’s films still feel like he’s merely copying what he has seen elsewhere without...
- 11/13/2014
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
James Franco has recruited a cabal of pals for his “proto-punk Forrest Gump goes to 1970’s Hollywood” lit adaptation Zeroville, now filming in La. Joining Franco and the recently announced Jacki Weaver are Franco’s The Interview co-star Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King, and Horatio Sanz. Franco is directing and stars as a naive loner who’s drawn to the film business, becomes mistaken for a Manson family member and gets hired as a film editor. Paul Felton and Ian Olds adapted the script from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel. Franco is producing with Vince Jolivette for Rabbit Bandini Productions, Caroline Aragon, and Michael Mendelsohn for Patriot Pictures. Union Patriot Capital Management financed the pic and Embankment is selling internationally next month at Afm.
Brad Carter (True Detective, Sons of Anarchy) has been cast in Fox and New Regency’s The Revenant opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
Brad Carter (True Detective, Sons of Anarchy) has been cast in Fox and New Regency’s The Revenant opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
- 10/24/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Their Finest Hour and a Half
Sam Claflin ("The Hunger Games") and Lily James ("Cinderella") are circling the lead roles in "An Education" director Lone Scherfig's "Their Finest Hour and a Half" for BBC Films.
Based on Lissa Evans' 2009 novel, the story follows a WW2 British movie crew trying to boost morale in the wake of the London Blitz. Gabby Chiappe ("Shetland," "The Paradise") is penning the script. Shooting is scheduled to take place in summer 2015. [Source: Deadline]
Ricki and the Flash
Sebastian Stan ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") is set to play the estranged son of Meryl Streep in the Jonathan Demme-directed, Diablo Cody-penned "Ricki and the Flash". Kevin Kline and Rick Springfield also star.
Streep plays a woman chasing her dreams of being a rock star, which resulted in losing her family. Now a grocery store clerk, she gets one final shot at fulfilling her rock and roll destiny.
Sam Claflin ("The Hunger Games") and Lily James ("Cinderella") are circling the lead roles in "An Education" director Lone Scherfig's "Their Finest Hour and a Half" for BBC Films.
Based on Lissa Evans' 2009 novel, the story follows a WW2 British movie crew trying to boost morale in the wake of the London Blitz. Gabby Chiappe ("Shetland," "The Paradise") is penning the script. Shooting is scheduled to take place in summer 2015. [Source: Deadline]
Ricki and the Flash
Sebastian Stan ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") is set to play the estranged son of Meryl Streep in the Jonathan Demme-directed, Diablo Cody-penned "Ricki and the Flash". Kevin Kline and Rick Springfield also star.
Streep plays a woman chasing her dreams of being a rock star, which resulted in losing her family. Now a grocery store clerk, she gets one final shot at fulfilling her rock and roll destiny.
- 10/24/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
James Franco has been on a run of adapting novels recently, and for his latest directorial job, he’s turning Steve Erickson’s 2007 book Zeroville into a film. The new project will find him turning the tables (and cameras) on his This Is The End co-star/director Seth Rogen, with Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Danny McBride, Horatio Sanz, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson and Will Ferrell all also aboard.Zeroville, which Paul Felton and Ian Olds have scripted, finds Franco as a young, movie-obsessed architecture student arriving in Hollywood in 1969 and almost immediately mistaken for one of the perpetrators in the Charles Manson murders.He’s plunged into a world of sex, fame and drugs as the old guard movie studios decline and the renegade directors rise, and he’s present for the big changes in the 1980s.Rogen will be Viking Man, an eccentric, cigar-loving, surf-happy hippy who acts as...
- 10/24/2014
- EmpireOnline
Exclusive: Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell to star; Embankment to sell.
London-based sales and finance outfit Embankment Films has boarded James Franco’s comedy-drama Zeroville, which is now shooting in California, and is shaping up to be among the most-intriguing and fun new projects at the Afm (Nov 5-12)
127 Hours star Franco is directing and will star in the adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel about a naive loner driven to Hollywood in the 1960s by the allure of the movies.
Franco is joined in the all-star cast by Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz.
In recent days, Franco has posted pictures of himself on set with Fox and Ferrell on Twitter and Instagram.
Paul Felton and Ian Olds have adapted Erickson’s novel.
Franco plays a young film-obsessed architecture student with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift (as they...
London-based sales and finance outfit Embankment Films has boarded James Franco’s comedy-drama Zeroville, which is now shooting in California, and is shaping up to be among the most-intriguing and fun new projects at the Afm (Nov 5-12)
127 Hours star Franco is directing and will star in the adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel about a naive loner driven to Hollywood in the 1960s by the allure of the movies.
Franco is joined in the all-star cast by Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz.
In recent days, Franco has posted pictures of himself on set with Fox and Ferrell on Twitter and Instagram.
Paul Felton and Ian Olds have adapted Erickson’s novel.
Franco plays a young film-obsessed architecture student with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift (as they...
- 10/24/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-winning actress pays tribute to the late Robin Williams, with whom she co-starred in one of the comedian and actor’s final films.
Melissa Leo, who won an Oscar for her role in The Fighter, has spoken about Robin Williams calling the late comedian and actor “a very, very special human being and a very, very fine and hardworking actor.”
Leo starred in one of Williams’ final films, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Speaking to ScreenDaily at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where she is on the competition jury, Leo said: “He’s a magical man… It’s a great loss for all of us.”
The actress also recalled their connection over TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, in which Leo starred in nearly 80 episodes and Williams once guest starred in 1994.
“As we were working, I must’ve mentioned to Robin that I was going to work with Jake Gyllenhaal [on Prisoners] and Robin remembered that Jake was his...
Melissa Leo, who won an Oscar for her role in The Fighter, has spoken about Robin Williams calling the late comedian and actor “a very, very special human being and a very, very fine and hardworking actor.”
Leo starred in one of Williams’ final films, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.
Speaking to ScreenDaily at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where she is on the competition jury, Leo said: “He’s a magical man… It’s a great loss for all of us.”
The actress also recalled their connection over TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, in which Leo starred in nearly 80 episodes and Williams once guest starred in 1994.
“As we were working, I must’ve mentioned to Robin that I was going to work with Jake Gyllenhaal [on Prisoners] and Robin remembered that Jake was his...
- 8/22/2014
- ScreenDaily
The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation have unveiled the nine feature film projects that will receive a total of $300,000 in funding from their joint grant program. Several of these burgeoning filmmakers, from Travis Mathews to Ian Olds, already have considerable traction in the indie film scene. The Sffs/Krf Filmmaking Grants, the Film Society's flagship funding initiative, are awarded twice a year to narrative features in all stages of production, with the potential to impact the Bay Area film community. The program has carried a number of significant films to success, including Ira Sachs' 2014 fest hit "Love Is Strange," last year's critics' darlings "Short Term 12" and "Fruitvale Station," and 2013 Best Picture nominee "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Sffs/Krf previously funded writer/director Kat Candler's SXSW fave "Hellion," and they've now awarded her followup project. Sf Film Society executive director Noah Cowan was among the.
- 4/29/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
First Law
Mads Mikkelsen ("Hannibal," "Casino Royale") is set to star in Diego Rafecas' drama "First Law". Set in the jungles of Argentina, Armand Assante and Adriana Barraza co-star.
Based on a true story, the plot centers on two brothers — one under the wing of a shaman, the other working for a corrupt corporation — who must choose where their loyalties lie when their ancestral home faces destruction. [Source: Deadline]
The Fixer
Melissa Leo will join James Franco in Ian Olds' "The Fixer", a film based on the novel by Bernard Malamud. Filming takes place in California and Morocco this Summer.
Franco plays a war journalist who has been in Afghanistan but suddenly finds himself doing crime reporting in Northern California. [Source: Showbiz 411]
Sylvie's Love
Larenz Tate ("Rescue Me") will star in and produce Eugene J. Ashe's "Sylvie's Love" which is set against New York's jazz scene in the late-50s and early-60s.
Mads Mikkelsen ("Hannibal," "Casino Royale") is set to star in Diego Rafecas' drama "First Law". Set in the jungles of Argentina, Armand Assante and Adriana Barraza co-star.
Based on a true story, the plot centers on two brothers — one under the wing of a shaman, the other working for a corrupt corporation — who must choose where their loyalties lie when their ancestral home faces destruction. [Source: Deadline]
The Fixer
Melissa Leo will join James Franco in Ian Olds' "The Fixer", a film based on the novel by Bernard Malamud. Filming takes place in California and Morocco this Summer.
Franco plays a war journalist who has been in Afghanistan but suddenly finds himself doing crime reporting in Northern California. [Source: Showbiz 411]
Sylvie's Love
Larenz Tate ("Rescue Me") will star in and produce Eugene J. Ashe's "Sylvie's Love" which is set against New York's jazz scene in the late-50s and early-60s.
- 2/7/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Melissa Leo has hopped aboard the cast of "The Fixer," from writer/director Ian Olds. Co-written by Paul Felten, the film centers on Gloria (Leo), the erstwhile-hippie sheriff of a small Northern California town opposite Lindsay (James Franco), a volatile hot tub craftsman. The part of Gloria was written with Leo in mind.In "The Fixer," an Afghan journalist exiled from his war-torn country comes to Gloria's town, stirring up shadowy backwoods intrigue involving casual sex, suspicion and unexpected violence. Olds previously worked with Leo on his Sundance short "Bomb" in 2007. In 2009, he directed the documentary "Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi" about a similarly thwarted journalist.DeLisi Creative will launch an international search for the leading role of 28-year-old Osman, who will join Leo and Franco. DeLisi Creative was part of the team behind the search for the Somali pirates in "Captain Phillips."Leo was recently spotted at the Santa Barbara International Film.
- 2/6/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Amid all the insane speculation about the awards chances of a half-dozen movies that are probably all coming out this month, it's nice to be reminded that there is life after January. There are always films on the way and here's news on five of them, new projects all. First up is Ian Olds' indie flick “The Fixer," a Northern California-set drama about an Afghan immigrant who gets deep into the criminal underworld of his new home using his background as a journalists' fixer back in Afghanistan (Olds previously directed a documentary called “Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi”, which was a hit in Tribeca in 2009). The real reason we're psyched for this one, though, is the only casting announcement so far: James Franco as “an unstable hot-tub craftsman called Lindsay.” An unstable hot-tub craftsman called Lindsay, folks. Only in California, and only playable to James Franco. God bless him.
- 12/18/2013
- by Ben Brock
- The Playlist
Casting Net: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael B. Jordan in talks for 'Triple Nine'; Plus James Franco, more
• 12 Years a Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station), and Casey Affleck (Out of the Furnace) are in talks to star in Triple Nine, a crime drama from director John Hillcoat (The Road). Oscar-winners Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) and Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) have also been circling the long-gestating project, which follows a group of corrupt police officers looking to plan a heist. Affleck would be replacing Charlie Hunnam in the pic. [The Wrap]
• James Franco (This Is The End) will lead up The Fixer, an indie from director Ian Olds about an Afghan journalist who relocates to Northern California...
• James Franco (This Is The End) will lead up The Fixer, an indie from director Ian Olds about an Afghan journalist who relocates to Northern California...
- 12/14/2013
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
Two casting updates for you this morning: one for James Franco and another for an actress you might not be familiar with. The Wrap is reporting that Franco will star in the indie drama The Fixer for director Ian Olds. The film is based on Olds' dealing with "fixers," people hired by foreign journalists to help translate, facilitate and gain access for their stories. Ian Olds has some history with fixers; he directed the 2009 documentary Fixer: The Taking Of Ajmal...
- 12/13/2013
- by Jesse Giroux
- JoBlo.com
James Franco is set to star in “The Fixer,” an indie drama that Franco’s frequent collaborator Ian Olds will direct from a script he co-wrote with Paul Felten, TheWrap has learned. The project is inspired by Olds’ work with “fixers” — individuals hired by foreign journalists to facilitate, translate and gain access for their stories. Olds directed the 2009 documentary “Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi,” for which he won the Best New Documentary Filmmaker award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Caroline von Kuhn (“Like the Water”) of Ace Productions will produce with Vince Jolivette of Franco’s Rabbit Bandini banner.
- 12/13/2013
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) announced nine narrative projects that will receive a total of $425,000 in funding.
The Film Society’s flagship Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.
The nine film-making teams were granted the funding to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to post.
“These will be exceptional films, and we are honored to have a part in bringing them into being,” the jury noted in a statement. “Each of these projects explores a unique and authentic world and presents compelling characters that we want to see on the screen.”
The Film Society has a track record of success with previous recipients of the Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants like Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience...
The Film Society’s flagship Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.
The nine film-making teams were granted the funding to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to post.
“These will be exceptional films, and we are honored to have a part in bringing them into being,” the jury noted in a statement. “Each of these projects explores a unique and authentic world and presents compelling characters that we want to see on the screen.”
The Film Society has a track record of success with previous recipients of the Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants like Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience...
- 10/31/2013
- ScreenDaily
The San Francisco Film Society and Kenneth Rainin Foundation have selected the 14 finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants.
The partners will grant more than $300,000 to one or more narrative feature at any stage of production.
The grants are awarded twice a year to projects “that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
More than $2m has been awarded since inception of the grant. Recent winners include Sundance hit Fruitvale Station and SXSW favourite Short Term 12. (pictured.)
Winners of the current shortlist will be announced in late October.
The finallists are:
Doctor, dir Musa Syeed;
Escape From Morgantown, dir Peter Nicks;
The Fixer, dir Ian Olds;
G.E.Z.I., dir Aslihan Unaldi;
Hellion, dir Kat Candler;
Kicks, dir Justin Tipping;
Little Accidents, dir Sara Corangelo;
Los Valientes / The Brave Ones, dir Aurora Guerrero;
Love Land, dir Joshua Tate;
Ma, dir [link=nm...
The partners will grant more than $300,000 to one or more narrative feature at any stage of production.
The grants are awarded twice a year to projects “that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.”
More than $2m has been awarded since inception of the grant. Recent winners include Sundance hit Fruitvale Station and SXSW favourite Short Term 12. (pictured.)
Winners of the current shortlist will be announced in late October.
The finallists are:
Doctor, dir Musa Syeed;
Escape From Morgantown, dir Peter Nicks;
The Fixer, dir Ian Olds;
G.E.Z.I., dir Aslihan Unaldi;
Hellion, dir Kat Candler;
Kicks, dir Justin Tipping;
Little Accidents, dir Sara Corangelo;
Los Valientes / The Brave Ones, dir Aurora Guerrero;
Love Land, dir Joshua Tate;
Ma, dir [link=nm...
- 9/19/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The 6th annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is taking over all three screens of the Factory Theatre for a blow-out four-day event on Sept. 6-9.
Making it’s World Premiere at the fest on the 8th is the highly anticipated President Wolfman, the latest “green movie” by director Mike Davis that he’s cobbled together from public domain footage and feature films and set to an outrageous new soundtrack. The film looks like it promises to be a rollicking good time.
Other highlights of the fest include Guy Maddin‘s latest trippy film noir, Keyhole, about a mobster revisiting his homestead’s old memories; Bob Ray‘s documentary about Austin, Texas’ homegrown Total Badass; Bobcat Goldthwait’s media takedown God Bless America; Michal Kosakowski’s underground murder fantasy documentary hit Zero Killed; Richard Griffin’s funky The Disco Exorcist; and more.
Some of the extra special events of the fest...
Making it’s World Premiere at the fest on the 8th is the highly anticipated President Wolfman, the latest “green movie” by director Mike Davis that he’s cobbled together from public domain footage and feature films and set to an outrageous new soundtrack. The film looks like it promises to be a rollicking good time.
Other highlights of the fest include Guy Maddin‘s latest trippy film noir, Keyhole, about a mobster revisiting his homestead’s old memories; Bob Ray‘s documentary about Austin, Texas’ homegrown Total Badass; Bobcat Goldthwait’s media takedown God Bless America; Michal Kosakowski’s underground murder fantasy documentary hit Zero Killed; Richard Griffin’s funky The Disco Exorcist; and more.
Some of the extra special events of the fest...
- 8/30/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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