Director Carla Gutierrez wanted to give artist Frida Kahlo to the people, specifically the people of Mexico who call her an icon. Though Gutierrez herself is a Peruvian immigrant, as a woman from Latin America she was familiar with the acclaimed artist and felt a deep protectiveness of her.
“She’s become such a big icon and there [are] a lot of communities [who] claim her,” Gutierrez told TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman while at TheWrap’s Sundance Portrait and Interview Studio presented by Nfp. “We see ourselves reflected in her art and in her image,” she said.
“I wanted to work on this because I had, like many of us, a connection to her art,” said Gutierrez. “I had not seen a film that had really focused on her voice, completely.” The former editor turned director knew there was a lot of material out there, but much of it wasn’t obvious.
“She’s become such a big icon and there [are] a lot of communities [who] claim her,” Gutierrez told TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman while at TheWrap’s Sundance Portrait and Interview Studio presented by Nfp. “We see ourselves reflected in her art and in her image,” she said.
“I wanted to work on this because I had, like many of us, a connection to her art,” said Gutierrez. “I had not seen a film that had really focused on her voice, completely.” The former editor turned director knew there was a lot of material out there, but much of it wasn’t obvious.
- 1/20/2024
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Actress Carol Kane has played all manner of colorful characters, but her role as music teacher Carla in Nathan Silver’s “Between the Temples,” playing in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is one that connected to a deep part of her Jewish identity.
“It’s important to stand up and be proud of who you are,” Kane said during a discussion with TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman at TheWrap’s Sundance interview studio. “Especially right now with the world in such chaos and pain. I don’t think you can crawl into a hole and hide. You have to claim who you are. You can’t control what the response to that will be.”
“Between the Temples” follows a cantor named Ben (Jason Schwartzman) who has a crisis of faith. He reconnects with his gradeschool music teacher, played by Kane, who is training to have her Bat Mitzvah.
“It’s important to stand up and be proud of who you are,” Kane said during a discussion with TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman at TheWrap’s Sundance interview studio. “Especially right now with the world in such chaos and pain. I don’t think you can crawl into a hole and hide. You have to claim who you are. You can’t control what the response to that will be.”
“Between the Temples” follows a cantor named Ben (Jason Schwartzman) who has a crisis of faith. He reconnects with his gradeschool music teacher, played by Kane, who is training to have her Bat Mitzvah.
- 1/20/2024
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
(Warning: Big “Saltburn” spoilers ahead.)
“Well, it was mostly based on the family I murdered.”
So said Emerald Fennell during a discussion of the film she wrote and directed, “Saltburn,” that was part of TheWrap Screening Series. She was, of course, joking about what inspired her latest movie, but her deadpan delivery fit right into the tonal razor’s edge that “Saltburn” assuredly walks, straddling horror, melodrama and pitch-black comedy. It’s the story of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an Oxford student of modest means with a tragic backstory who befriends and becomes infatuated with an aristocratic classmate named Theo Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. When Oliver joins Theo at Saltburn, his family’s dazzlingly posh estate, Oliver’s true motivations become evident.
“I wanted to make a Gothic romance and something that would make people do the things it’s done, which is make people feel something: laugh and...
“Well, it was mostly based on the family I murdered.”
So said Emerald Fennell during a discussion of the film she wrote and directed, “Saltburn,” that was part of TheWrap Screening Series. She was, of course, joking about what inspired her latest movie, but her deadpan delivery fit right into the tonal razor’s edge that “Saltburn” assuredly walks, straddling horror, melodrama and pitch-black comedy. It’s the story of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an Oxford student of modest means with a tragic backstory who befriends and becomes infatuated with an aristocratic classmate named Theo Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. When Oliver joins Theo at Saltburn, his family’s dazzlingly posh estate, Oliver’s true motivations become evident.
“I wanted to make a Gothic romance and something that would make people do the things it’s done, which is make people feel something: laugh and...
- 1/9/2024
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
The American Film Institute led TheWrap’s 2023 annual ranking of the top 50 film schools in the United States.
The invaluable resource provides a definitive list of the most exceptional film schools of all types across the United States, offering helpful insights into the schools that shape the future of the film industry for prospective film students, parents, and industry professionals.
TheWrap’s rankings are based on a variety of factors, including class size, student body diversity, scholarships, networking opportunities, new facilities, faculty, original programs and alumni success. To compile a list that includes everything from small graduate conservatories to huge public universities, TheWrap also surveyed former and current film school deans and other experts for their candid input on which schools they thought were performing above or below expectations.
“We’re proud to once again release our ranking of the top 50 film schools in the United States,” said Sharon Waxman,...
The invaluable resource provides a definitive list of the most exceptional film schools of all types across the United States, offering helpful insights into the schools that shape the future of the film industry for prospective film students, parents, and industry professionals.
TheWrap’s rankings are based on a variety of factors, including class size, student body diversity, scholarships, networking opportunities, new facilities, faculty, original programs and alumni success. To compile a list that includes everything from small graduate conservatories to huge public universities, TheWrap also surveyed former and current film school deans and other experts for their candid input on which schools they thought were performing above or below expectations.
“We’re proud to once again release our ranking of the top 50 film schools in the United States,” said Sharon Waxman,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jeremy Bailey
- The Wrap
You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here for more information.
Sony’s chairman of global TV studios Ravi Ahuja warned that the end of the peak TV era will likely “be painful for most companies,” as cost-cutting measures across the industry leads to less shows and money spent on marketing.
Ahuja, who also manages corporate development, said that while he hopes the big media companies are done with layoffs after this year’s staff reduction efforts, he predicts the changing streaming business model will find media power players cutting back on content production and promotion over the next two years.
“You’ll see a little bit of the air coming out of the balloon,” Ahuja told TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman during a spotlight conversation at TheGrill, the publication’s annual business conference, on Wednesday. “The portfolio shows may...
Sony’s chairman of global TV studios Ravi Ahuja warned that the end of the peak TV era will likely “be painful for most companies,” as cost-cutting measures across the industry leads to less shows and money spent on marketing.
Ahuja, who also manages corporate development, said that while he hopes the big media companies are done with layoffs after this year’s staff reduction efforts, he predicts the changing streaming business model will find media power players cutting back on content production and promotion over the next two years.
“You’ll see a little bit of the air coming out of the balloon,” Ahuja told TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman during a spotlight conversation at TheGrill, the publication’s annual business conference, on Wednesday. “The portfolio shows may...
- 10/4/2023
- by Jose Alejandro Bastidas
- The Wrap
You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here for more information.
Mattel CEO and Chairman Ynon Kreiz discussed reshaping the company from a strictly toy-based enterprise to a powerhouse film producer with this summer’s blockbuster “Barbie.”
“Mattel is one of the most iconic companies in corporate America and what really appealed to me was to transform the toy business and capture full value from the intellectual properties,” Kreiz told TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman during a spotlight conversation at TheGrill, the publication’s annual business conference, on Wednesday.
“I saw an opportunity to transform the company from being a toy manufacturer to an IP company that manages franchises. This is where we realized that the people who buy our product aren’t just consumers, they’re fans. Once you know you have fans in the audience, it changes the conversation.
Mattel CEO and Chairman Ynon Kreiz discussed reshaping the company from a strictly toy-based enterprise to a powerhouse film producer with this summer’s blockbuster “Barbie.”
“Mattel is one of the most iconic companies in corporate America and what really appealed to me was to transform the toy business and capture full value from the intellectual properties,” Kreiz told TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman during a spotlight conversation at TheGrill, the publication’s annual business conference, on Wednesday.
“I saw an opportunity to transform the company from being a toy manufacturer to an IP company that manages franchises. This is where we realized that the people who buy our product aren’t just consumers, they’re fans. Once you know you have fans in the audience, it changes the conversation.
- 10/4/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Speakers for TheGrill 2023 from across entertainment, media and tech industries joined TheWrap for dinner at Tesse Restaurant on Tuesday, kicking off the annual conference.
Attendees included Mattel chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz, president of worldwide marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures Group Josh Goldstine, director of computer science and AI laboratory at MIT Daniela Rus, chairman of Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures entertainment corporate development Ravi Ahuja, and other industry-leading figures.
WrapPRO’s flagship event is being held on Wednesday at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. Attendees are being treated to expert speakers and panels discussing topics including the future of the entertainment industry, M&a, streaming, AI and more.
Photo by Ted Soqui
Peter Csathy and Sharon Waxman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap, TheGrill 2023 Dinner at the Tesse Restaurant
Photo by Ted Soqui
Sharon Waxman, Ravi Ahuja, Chairman, Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development, and Edward Menicheschi, President...
Attendees included Mattel chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz, president of worldwide marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures Group Josh Goldstine, director of computer science and AI laboratory at MIT Daniela Rus, chairman of Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures entertainment corporate development Ravi Ahuja, and other industry-leading figures.
WrapPRO’s flagship event is being held on Wednesday at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. Attendees are being treated to expert speakers and panels discussing topics including the future of the entertainment industry, M&a, streaming, AI and more.
Photo by Ted Soqui
Peter Csathy and Sharon Waxman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, TheWrap, TheGrill 2023 Dinner at the Tesse Restaurant
Photo by Ted Soqui
Sharon Waxman, Ravi Ahuja, Chairman, Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development, and Edward Menicheschi, President...
- 10/4/2023
- by Natalie Korach
- The Wrap
After four days of negotiations, the Hollywood studio chiefs and Writers Guild negotiators will meet yet again on Sunday, the two sides said in a joint statement on Saturday night.
“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday,” it read.
Just two hours earlier, the studios made what they said was their best and final offer to the Writers Guild. A tentative deal was expected Sunday on a new labor contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producer, but it was unclear if the renewed talks represented a new wrinkle.
The anticipated resolution would mean a potential ending to one of the two strikes that has shut down Hollywood through the summer and past Labor Day.
After 144 days on the picket lines, writers and studios had narrowed negotiations as of Saturday to two issues: artificial...
“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday,” it read.
Just two hours earlier, the studios made what they said was their best and final offer to the Writers Guild. A tentative deal was expected Sunday on a new labor contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producer, but it was unclear if the renewed talks represented a new wrinkle.
The anticipated resolution would mean a potential ending to one of the two strikes that has shut down Hollywood through the summer and past Labor Day.
After 144 days on the picket lines, writers and studios had narrowed negotiations as of Saturday to two issues: artificial...
- 9/24/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The Writers Guild of America West’s former chief negotiator David Young has been pulling the strings on negotiations with the Hollywood studios, Hollywood showrunners said in a private text group.
According to a text shared on Friday night in a 500-member WhatsApp group of showrunners: “Turns out the WGA negotiating committee calls David and runs everything by him.”
The text went on to say that on Thursday night, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had agreed to a deal — but Young told them to go back and “ask for those other two points and ‘squeeze their nuts the same way we did the agents.'”
The text continued, “That’s what happened and that’s who’s been behind the scenes this entire time, hence why it’s taking so long.”
The WGA did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Young left...
According to a text shared on Friday night in a 500-member WhatsApp group of showrunners: “Turns out the WGA negotiating committee calls David and runs everything by him.”
The text went on to say that on Thursday night, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had agreed to a deal — but Young told them to go back and “ask for those other two points and ‘squeeze their nuts the same way we did the agents.'”
The text continued, “That’s what happened and that’s who’s been behind the scenes this entire time, hence why it’s taking so long.”
The WGA did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Young left...
- 9/23/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
A meeting between Writers Guild of America leaders and top showrunners has been scheduled for Thursday, TheWrap has learned. The move comes amid increased concerns about restlessness among the members of the WGA concerning the length of the ongoing strike. The financially brutal work stoppage, which began on May 2, has now gone on past four months.
As TheWrap previously reported, Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and other A-list showrunners had been demanding answers from WGA negotiating leadership, including chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman. They had concerns about whether the guild was motivated to get to a deal.
“The showrunners are quite pissed,” declared a high-level studio executive speaking to TheWrap. “They are mad at the guilds and feel that they are not responding to the studios’ offer. Now even the higher-paid members of the guild are expressing concern over the inability to end the strike.
As TheWrap previously reported, Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and other A-list showrunners had been demanding answers from WGA negotiating leadership, including chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman. They had concerns about whether the guild was motivated to get to a deal.
“The showrunners are quite pissed,” declared a high-level studio executive speaking to TheWrap. “They are mad at the guilds and feel that they are not responding to the studios’ offer. Now even the higher-paid members of the guild are expressing concern over the inability to end the strike.
- 9/12/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Director Taika Waititi was so passionate while speaking about colonialism and New Zealand at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his latest movie that he broke a microphone — after repeatedly punching it.
Waititi was introducing his newest movie “Next Goal Wins” when the funny moment’s followup was captured by TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman.
The hilarious Taika Waititi breaks the mic that he pummeled with his fists in talking about colonialism and his movie, Next Goal Wins, #TIFF23 pic.twitter.com/JNJweK5qfx
— Sharon Waxman (follow me on Threads @sharonwaxman (@sharonwaxman) September 10, 2023
The director continued on with his intro and is seen commenting, “It’s very important to show ourselves on screen … I hope you enjoy the film, and before we start I would like to acknowledge the land that we’re on and the people who are from this land.”
The movie — which stars Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss...
Waititi was introducing his newest movie “Next Goal Wins” when the funny moment’s followup was captured by TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman.
The hilarious Taika Waititi breaks the mic that he pummeled with his fists in talking about colonialism and his movie, Next Goal Wins, #TIFF23 pic.twitter.com/JNJweK5qfx
— Sharon Waxman (follow me on Threads @sharonwaxman (@sharonwaxman) September 10, 2023
The director continued on with his intro and is seen commenting, “It’s very important to show ourselves on screen … I hope you enjoy the film, and before we start I would like to acknowledge the land that we’re on and the people who are from this land.”
The movie — which stars Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss...
- 9/10/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Warner Bros. Discovery’s global head of corporate research Tania Missad is leaving the company amid discussions of departmental restructuring, two individuals familiar with the matter told TheWrap.
According to one individual, Missad is leaving after engaging in discussions about restructuring the research department and considers the exit ahead of any potential changes a mutual decision between her and Wbd.
That individual told TheWrap that Wbd is still in discussions about the departmental restructuring and that no decisions have been made.
Though, a second individual with knowledge said the restructuring would effectively “wipe out” the cable research department, which tracks with the lessening importance of linear TV to the future of the industry.
A Wbd representative declined to comment for this article.
Missad joined Warner Bros. as a VP in 2016 from Mattel as the company was expanding its research department. She went on to become SVP of global research at...
According to one individual, Missad is leaving after engaging in discussions about restructuring the research department and considers the exit ahead of any potential changes a mutual decision between her and Wbd.
That individual told TheWrap that Wbd is still in discussions about the departmental restructuring and that no decisions have been made.
Though, a second individual with knowledge said the restructuring would effectively “wipe out” the cable research department, which tracks with the lessening importance of linear TV to the future of the industry.
A Wbd representative declined to comment for this article.
Missad joined Warner Bros. as a VP in 2016 from Mattel as the company was expanding its research department. She went on to become SVP of global research at...
- 8/2/2023
- by Jethro Nededog
- The Wrap
Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs are being tapped to consult with Disney CEO Bob Iger, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and others about the future of the entertainment giant’s linear properties as they relate to the company’s streaming strategy, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
Staggs, who previously served as Disney’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, departed the company in 2016 and went on to found Candle Media in 2021, which has a number of brands including Moonbug Entertainment and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.
Mayer, who was the architect of Disney’s streaming strategy, left to run TikTok in 2020 and joined Candle Media in 2022 as Staggs’ co-ceo. For years, Mayer served as Iger’s top strategic M&a partner, helping steer the acquisitions of Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.
Disney and Candle Media didn’t immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment. Puck first reported the news.
Staggs, who previously served as Disney’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, departed the company in 2016 and went on to found Candle Media in 2021, which has a number of brands including Moonbug Entertainment and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.
Mayer, who was the architect of Disney’s streaming strategy, left to run TikTok in 2020 and joined Candle Media in 2022 as Staggs’ co-ceo. For years, Mayer served as Iger’s top strategic M&a partner, helping steer the acquisitions of Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.
Disney and Candle Media didn’t immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment. Puck first reported the news.
- 7/31/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
WrapPRO is free this week. See the inside scoops, expert analysis and exclusive data subscribers get daily. Click here for more information.
“Barbie” is a sure box office hit, but is it a feminist one?
As the movie was raking in moviegoers over its premiere weekend, women found themselves in a lively debate on whether they had the right to criticize the box office hit.
Among the most strident discourses on social media, women and others from marginalized groups prefaced their comments with statements akin to “It’s flawed, but I liked it” or suggested they were afraid to share any opinion perceived as critical.
“I am a little bewildered,” TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman tweeted on Sunday. “The power of ‘Barbie’ and success of the movie is undeniable. And yet women who I talk to said they found the movie heavy-handed, ‘preachy’ (heard that a lot) [and] ‘good’ but not particularly entertaining.
“Barbie” is a sure box office hit, but is it a feminist one?
As the movie was raking in moviegoers over its premiere weekend, women found themselves in a lively debate on whether they had the right to criticize the box office hit.
Among the most strident discourses on social media, women and others from marginalized groups prefaced their comments with statements akin to “It’s flawed, but I liked it” or suggested they were afraid to share any opinion perceived as critical.
“I am a little bewildered,” TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman tweeted on Sunday. “The power of ‘Barbie’ and success of the movie is undeniable. And yet women who I talk to said they found the movie heavy-handed, ‘preachy’ (heard that a lot) [and] ‘good’ but not particularly entertaining.
- 7/27/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
WrapPRO is free this week. See the inside scoops, expert analysis and exclusive data subscribers get daily. Click here for more information.
Former CNN president Jeff Zucker has requested a retraction for a Variety report that characterized him as desperate to acquire the network, an individual close to Zucker told TheWrap.
Variety is facing intense backlash in response to a report published Tuesday by executive editor Tatiana Siegel that claimed Zucker has spent the last year courting billionaires to secure funding in an effort to purchase CNN.
A Zucker confidant noted that the former CNN chief is “more baffled than angry” with the claims made in the report.
Throughout the story, Siegel characterizes Zucker as deeply bitter about his departure from CNN in 2022 and hell-bent on finding a way back to the network. The piece alleges that Zucker intended to court billionaires at a Formula One race in Abu Dhabi...
Former CNN president Jeff Zucker has requested a retraction for a Variety report that characterized him as desperate to acquire the network, an individual close to Zucker told TheWrap.
Variety is facing intense backlash in response to a report published Tuesday by executive editor Tatiana Siegel that claimed Zucker has spent the last year courting billionaires to secure funding in an effort to purchase CNN.
A Zucker confidant noted that the former CNN chief is “more baffled than angry” with the claims made in the report.
Throughout the story, Siegel characterizes Zucker as deeply bitter about his departure from CNN in 2022 and hell-bent on finding a way back to the network. The piece alleges that Zucker intended to court billionaires at a Formula One race in Abu Dhabi...
- 7/27/2023
- by Natalie Korach
- The Wrap
TheWrap’s 2023 Shortlist Film Festival descended on Los Angeles’ Culver Theater Wednesday night to screen this year’s nominated shorts, host a panel talk-back with nominated filmmakers and toast the evening’s winners and stars of tomorrow at an after-screening reception at the nearby Culver Hotel.
Documentary short “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” and director Nathan Truesdell took home the evening’s top prize, the Industry Award, while the evening’s Audience Award went to Sean Wang’s documentary ”Năi Nai & Wài Pó” and Ralph Parker III’s ”Sammy, Without Strings“ earned the Student Audience Award.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival was sponsored by Kodak, The Los Angeles Film School, Scriptation, The Camera Division, Blackmagic Design and New York Festivals.
Click through the gallery to see the full evening of programming as led by TheWrap moderators, founder CEO Sharon Waxman and executive editor of awards Steve Pond.
Documentary short “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” and director Nathan Truesdell took home the evening’s top prize, the Industry Award, while the evening’s Audience Award went to Sean Wang’s documentary ”Năi Nai & Wài Pó” and Ralph Parker III’s ”Sammy, Without Strings“ earned the Student Audience Award.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival was sponsored by Kodak, The Los Angeles Film School, Scriptation, The Camera Division, Blackmagic Design and New York Festivals.
Click through the gallery to see the full evening of programming as led by TheWrap moderators, founder CEO Sharon Waxman and executive editor of awards Steve Pond.
- 7/13/2023
- by Photographed by Ted Soqui for TheWrap
- The Wrap
TheWrap is proud to present the 12 finalist films in the 2023 ShortList Film Festival, chosen from award-winning shorts from across the world in the past year. This year’s films tell personal stories that captivate and inspire — including a film about two Chinese grandmothers, a film about scuba diving in the ruins of a tsunami and one film about the LAPD blowing up a neighborhood.
The films – which include narrative, documentaries and animation - are available to watch and vote on from June 28 through July 12, exclusively on TheWrap.
The award-winning short film that is chosen by TheWrap’s Industry Jury will be honored with the prestigious Industry Prize. This year’s jury comprises award-winning producer Christine Vachon, director Elegance Bratton, veteran producer Amy Baer and PR veteran Joshua Jackson. The Shortlist is programmed by respected short film programmer Landon Zakheim.
The top-ranking short film that receives the most online votes will...
The films – which include narrative, documentaries and animation - are available to watch and vote on from June 28 through July 12, exclusively on TheWrap.
The award-winning short film that is chosen by TheWrap’s Industry Jury will be honored with the prestigious Industry Prize. This year’s jury comprises award-winning producer Christine Vachon, director Elegance Bratton, veteran producer Amy Baer and PR veteran Joshua Jackson. The Shortlist is programmed by respected short film programmer Landon Zakheim.
The top-ranking short film that receives the most online votes will...
- 6/28/2023
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
TheWrap took home four first-place Southern California Journalism Awards at the Los Angeles Press Club’s 65th annual awards ceremony held Sunday at L.A.’s Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
Sharon Waxman, TheWrap’s founder and editor-in-chief, won the Entertainment Feature on Film category with her story about the HFPA’s failure to meet its reform goal and the embarrassing ouster of one of its members in her story, “Golden Globes Falls Short of 300 Voter Goal by 101, Expels Reformist Member Frank Rousseau for Falsifying Stories (Exclusive).
The category’s nominees included GQ and Variety, as well as TheWrap’s Andi Ortiz, who was nominated for her oral history of the cult that has grown around Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” since its 1993 release, “How ‘Hocus Pocus’ Went From Box Office Bomb to Disney’s Halloween Darling.“
Reporter Sharon Knolle was nominated for two awards and won in both categories. In the Entertainment Feature on TV/Radio,...
Sharon Waxman, TheWrap’s founder and editor-in-chief, won the Entertainment Feature on Film category with her story about the HFPA’s failure to meet its reform goal and the embarrassing ouster of one of its members in her story, “Golden Globes Falls Short of 300 Voter Goal by 101, Expels Reformist Member Frank Rousseau for Falsifying Stories (Exclusive).
The category’s nominees included GQ and Variety, as well as TheWrap’s Andi Ortiz, who was nominated for her oral history of the cult that has grown around Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” since its 1993 release, “How ‘Hocus Pocus’ Went From Box Office Bomb to Disney’s Halloween Darling.“
Reporter Sharon Knolle was nominated for two awards and won in both categories. In the Entertainment Feature on TV/Radio,...
- 6/26/2023
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters,” winner of the L’Oeil d’Or Award for best documentary at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been acquired for U.S. distribution. Kino Lorber will open the film theatrically this Fall, following stops on the international festival circuit, and followed by a digital and home video release on all major platforms.
“Four Daughters” was the sole Arab film in Main Competition at Cannes this year, and Sharon Waxman of TheWrap wrote that it “takes us into the intimate, inner circle of family ties to tell a larger story of our time.” The picture concerns the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters, detailing a family history through interviews and reenactments to deconstruct how the two eldest kids were radicalized to the point of joining Isis.
“We were immediately captivated by Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful documentary Four Daughters, a...
“Four Daughters” was the sole Arab film in Main Competition at Cannes this year, and Sharon Waxman of TheWrap wrote that it “takes us into the intimate, inner circle of family ties to tell a larger story of our time.” The picture concerns the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters, detailing a family history through interviews and reenactments to deconstruct how the two eldest kids were radicalized to the point of joining Isis.
“We were immediately captivated by Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful documentary Four Daughters, a...
- 6/22/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
This week on TheWrap-Up podcast, TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman spoke with Bridget Everett, star of the HBO comedy series “Somebody Somewhere.”
The discussion begins in Manhattan, Kansas, not only the birthplace of Everett but the setting for the HBO series in which she plays Sam, a woman trying to find happiness in the wake of her sister’s death.
“My childhood was a lot different, a lot of the people I grew up with who I’m still friends with were all church, family, faith, football on weekends,” Everett said of how the show’s portrayal of Manhattan life compares to her upbringing. “It was largely sort of a straight, heteronormative vibe back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”
That said, when she met with creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen about working on something together at HBO, they pitched a number of elements that resonated deeply with Everett.
The discussion begins in Manhattan, Kansas, not only the birthplace of Everett but the setting for the HBO series in which she plays Sam, a woman trying to find happiness in the wake of her sister’s death.
“My childhood was a lot different, a lot of the people I grew up with who I’m still friends with were all church, family, faith, football on weekends,” Everett said of how the show’s portrayal of Manhattan life compares to her upbringing. “It was largely sort of a straight, heteronormative vibe back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”
That said, when she met with creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen about working on something together at HBO, they pitched a number of elements that resonated deeply with Everett.
- 6/16/2023
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
The ShortList Film Festival, TheWrap’s short film festival, returns after a two year hiatus, streaming online from June 28 to July 12.
The ShortList Film Festival celebrates the best of the work of up-and-coming filmmakers worldwide, choosing 12 finalists among dozens of award-winning shorts submitted to the festival.
Those finalists will stream online for two weeks, eligible to be voted on by TheWrap readers for the Audience Prize, as well as be judged for the Industry Prize by an esteemed jury of movie industry professionals.
Also Read:
Cannes 2023 and the Shaky Movie Business: Film Finance Beckons but AI Terrifies
A student film winner will be chosen from among 10 student entries, each representing a top-ranked film school.
“We are incredibly excited to showcase these films and celebrate the talent and creativity of these award-winning filmmakers. We know how much this festival means to our community – and we are honored to help build the careers of these young filmmakers,...
The ShortList Film Festival celebrates the best of the work of up-and-coming filmmakers worldwide, choosing 12 finalists among dozens of award-winning shorts submitted to the festival.
Those finalists will stream online for two weeks, eligible to be voted on by TheWrap readers for the Audience Prize, as well as be judged for the Industry Prize by an esteemed jury of movie industry professionals.
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Cannes 2023 and the Shaky Movie Business: Film Finance Beckons but AI Terrifies
A student film winner will be chosen from among 10 student entries, each representing a top-ranked film school.
“We are incredibly excited to showcase these films and celebrate the talent and creativity of these award-winning filmmakers. We know how much this festival means to our community – and we are honored to help build the careers of these young filmmakers,...
- 6/1/2023
- by TheWrap Staff
- The Wrap
The Los Angeles Press Club has announced nominees for the 65th SoCal Journalism Awards, highlighting media excellence throughout the region, and TheWrap has earned 8 nominations.
The winners will be named during a ceremony held June 25, 2023 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
TheWrap’s founder and editor-in-chief, Sharon Waxman, was nominated as an individual for her ongoing WaxWord blog series.
Reporter Sharon Knolle received two nominations. First for her examination of the sequel series to “Sex and the City” and whether the show negatively portrays women in middle age, entitled “Is ‘And Just Like That’ … Ageist? Why Carrie and Her Friends Seem Over the Hill at 50.“
A second nod came for a look at how women fare in the current comedy scene: “Forget Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle – Female Comics Say Stand-Up Has ‘Never Been Safe’ for Women.”
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Ben Smith Talks Digital Media’s Death Dive:...
The winners will be named during a ceremony held June 25, 2023 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
TheWrap’s founder and editor-in-chief, Sharon Waxman, was nominated as an individual for her ongoing WaxWord blog series.
Reporter Sharon Knolle received two nominations. First for her examination of the sequel series to “Sex and the City” and whether the show negatively portrays women in middle age, entitled “Is ‘And Just Like That’ … Ageist? Why Carrie and Her Friends Seem Over the Hill at 50.“
A second nod came for a look at how women fare in the current comedy scene: “Forget Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle – Female Comics Say Stand-Up Has ‘Never Been Safe’ for Women.”
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Ben Smith Talks Digital Media’s Death Dive:...
- 5/13/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Comcast’s investigation into ousted NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell stemmed from a complaint filed by CNBC anchor and senior international correspondent Hadley Gamble.
“The investigation into Mr. Shell arose from a complaint by my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” Gamble’s attorney Suzanne McKie of Farore Law said in a statement. “Given these circumstances, it is very disappointing that my client’s name has been released and her privacy violated.”
Gamble, who is based from CNBC’s Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi, covers energy, geopolitics and financial markets and is the anchor of “Capital Connection.” She also presents CNBC’s popular documentary franchise ‘Access: Middle East’, where she speaks to world leaders, international CEOs and philanthropists. She has worked at CNBC since 2010.
Two sources familiar with Gamble’s situation at CNBC told TheWrap that her contract was up and had not been renewed, a decision she learned...
“The investigation into Mr. Shell arose from a complaint by my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” Gamble’s attorney Suzanne McKie of Farore Law said in a statement. “Given these circumstances, it is very disappointing that my client’s name has been released and her privacy violated.”
Gamble, who is based from CNBC’s Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi, covers energy, geopolitics and financial markets and is the anchor of “Capital Connection.” She also presents CNBC’s popular documentary franchise ‘Access: Middle East’, where she speaks to world leaders, international CEOs and philanthropists. She has worked at CNBC since 2010.
Two sources familiar with Gamble’s situation at CNBC told TheWrap that her contract was up and had not been renewed, a decision she learned...
- 4/24/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Comcast president Mike Cavanagh will permanently replace ousted NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, an insider confirmed to TheWrap.
Cavanagh, who was named president in October 2022, joined Comcast in 2015 as the company’s chief financial officer after spending more than 20 years in the financial services industry. Immediately prior to joining Comcast, he briefly served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of The Carlyle Group, a leading global alternative asset manager.
Additionally, he served as co-ceo of JPMorgan Chase’s corporate & investment bank from 2012 to 2014, where he oversaw all investment banking, cash management, investor services and the largest global markets and trading business in the world. Before that, he served as JPMorgan’s chief financial officer for six years, helping the bank successfully navigate the financial crisis. In addition, at JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor firms, Mike held various key positions, including CEO of the firm’s Treasury & Securities Services division, head of strategy and planning,...
Cavanagh, who was named president in October 2022, joined Comcast in 2015 as the company’s chief financial officer after spending more than 20 years in the financial services industry. Immediately prior to joining Comcast, he briefly served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of The Carlyle Group, a leading global alternative asset manager.
Additionally, he served as co-ceo of JPMorgan Chase’s corporate & investment bank from 2012 to 2014, where he oversaw all investment banking, cash management, investor services and the largest global markets and trading business in the world. Before that, he served as JPMorgan’s chief financial officer for six years, helping the bank successfully navigate the financial crisis. In addition, at JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor firms, Mike held various key positions, including CEO of the firm’s Treasury & Securities Services division, head of strategy and planning,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
This year’s five Oscar-nominated documentary filmmakers agree: In an especially crowded content landscape, finding a story that they have to tell is critical. “Compelled, obsessed — I mean, you have to really love [a topic]. You have to just feel like it has a gravitational pull towards you,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” director Laura Poitras said.
“A film is very often like a fever dream. You jump off a cliff,” said Shaunak Sen, the director of “All That Breathes.” “It just takes a sort of life of its own.”
Poitras and Sen were recently joined by fellow 2023 nominees Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Simon Lereng Wilmont (“A House Made of Splinters”) and Daniel Roher (“Navalny”) in a panel hosted by TheWrap’s CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman in Los Angeles. The wide-ranging discussion, held as part of TheWrap’s Oscar-Nominated Documentary Features Showcase and its 2022-2023 Awards Season Screening Series,...
“A film is very often like a fever dream. You jump off a cliff,” said Shaunak Sen, the director of “All That Breathes.” “It just takes a sort of life of its own.”
Poitras and Sen were recently joined by fellow 2023 nominees Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Simon Lereng Wilmont (“A House Made of Splinters”) and Daniel Roher (“Navalny”) in a panel hosted by TheWrap’s CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman in Los Angeles. The wide-ranging discussion, held as part of TheWrap’s Oscar-Nominated Documentary Features Showcase and its 2022-2023 Awards Season Screening Series,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Alexei Navalny “is the only prisoner in the Russian penal system to be in perpetual solitary confinement,” according to Daniel Roher, whose documentary about the Russian opposition leader, “Navalny,” has been nominated for an Oscar.
In a conversation with TheWrap CEO and editor in chief Sharon Waxman earlier this week, Roher described the disturbing torture Navalny is allegedly enduring behind bars, where he has been since 2021. “He finds himself in a particularly dangerous position,” Roher said. “He is right now in a very small cell and these guys will weaponize other prisoners as biological agents, and they’ll bring in someone who has tuberculosis or Covid to spend 12 hours in the cell with him. And then of course, Navalny will get sick and they’ll take him to the prison infirmary, deny him civilian medical care, then they’ll inject him with who knows what.
“We know that in the last month,...
In a conversation with TheWrap CEO and editor in chief Sharon Waxman earlier this week, Roher described the disturbing torture Navalny is allegedly enduring behind bars, where he has been since 2021. “He finds himself in a particularly dangerous position,” Roher said. “He is right now in a very small cell and these guys will weaponize other prisoners as biological agents, and they’ll bring in someone who has tuberculosis or Covid to spend 12 hours in the cell with him. And then of course, Navalny will get sick and they’ll take him to the prison infirmary, deny him civilian medical care, then they’ll inject him with who knows what.
“We know that in the last month,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
A push toward onscreen inclusivity, for reasons both artistic and commercial, can be summed up in two films released in early 2018. Walt Disney’s “Black Panther” featured mostly Black actors and Black characters. Universal’s “Pacific Rim: Uprising” featured a protagonist who just happened to be played by an actor who looked more like John Boyega than Charlie Hunnam.
Both serve the worthwhile end-game of more varied onscreen representation. Randall Park’s directorial debut, “Shortcomings,” is explicitly a character comedy about Asian American characters that isn’t entirely or just about being Asian American.
Penned by Adrian Tomine and based on his 2007 graphic novel, “Shortcomings” focuses on young Aapi protagonists who are flawed, complex, messy and still figuring things out. That’s what the cast liked best about the film, as explained when Justin Min, Sherry Cola and Ally Maki stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The...
Both serve the worthwhile end-game of more varied onscreen representation. Randall Park’s directorial debut, “Shortcomings,” is explicitly a character comedy about Asian American characters that isn’t entirely or just about being Asian American.
Penned by Adrian Tomine and based on his 2007 graphic novel, “Shortcomings” focuses on young Aapi protagonists who are flawed, complex, messy and still figuring things out. That’s what the cast liked best about the film, as explained when Justin Min, Sherry Cola and Ally Maki stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The...
- 1/24/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
There are several features at this year’s Sundance Film Festival exploring young women on the threshold of going from girl to woman. One of them, director Laurel Parmet’s “The Starling Girl,” examines that transition through the lens of a teenager, played by “Little Women’s” Eliza Scanlen, growing up in a Christian fundamentalist community.
Parmet, Scanlen, and costars Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt and Austin Abrams stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge to discuss the film with TheWrap’s editor-in-chief, Sharon Waxman.
For Parmet, the story compelled her to look at her own upbringing. Scanlen’s character, Jem, falls into a relationship with an older man, played by Lewis Pullman, that mimicked a relationship Parmet had when she was younger. “Sexual shame and seeking approval in men are really these universal experiences for women no matter how you grew up,” Parmet said.
Parmet, Scanlen, and costars Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt and Austin Abrams stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge to discuss the film with TheWrap’s editor-in-chief, Sharon Waxman.
For Parmet, the story compelled her to look at her own upbringing. Scanlen’s character, Jem, falls into a relationship with an older man, played by Lewis Pullman, that mimicked a relationship Parmet had when she was younger. “Sexual shame and seeking approval in men are really these universal experiences for women no matter how you grew up,” Parmet said.
- 1/23/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Best known for playing a bluegrass-singing mother with an ill daughter in the Oscar-nominated “The Broken Circle Breakdown” and a relentless cop on the television show “Code 37,” actress Veerle Baetens donned a director’s cap for her feature debut “When it Melts.”
Based on Lize Spit’s novel “The Melting,” the film premiered in this year’s Sundance World Feature Competition. The actress-turned director and Rosa Marchant — who plays the film’s protagonist in her childhood years — joined Sharon Waxman to discuss the picture’s unflinching, uncompromising look at the lingering impact of childhood trauma with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Explaining the film’s cryptic title, Baetens argued it’s about how the protagonist isolates herself after a childhood incident, and how such trauma makes her a frozen person. “It’s a beautiful metaphor for people who have experienced trauma to be in a frozen state of mind,...
Based on Lize Spit’s novel “The Melting,” the film premiered in this year’s Sundance World Feature Competition. The actress-turned director and Rosa Marchant — who plays the film’s protagonist in her childhood years — joined Sharon Waxman to discuss the picture’s unflinching, uncompromising look at the lingering impact of childhood trauma with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Explaining the film’s cryptic title, Baetens argued it’s about how the protagonist isolates herself after a childhood incident, and how such trauma makes her a frozen person. “It’s a beautiful metaphor for people who have experienced trauma to be in a frozen state of mind,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Fifty years after Judy Blume took the young adult literary scene by storm, the author is having a renaissance year. As the first-ever adaptation of “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” heads to theaters, fans will get a glimpse at the writer herself in the documentary “Judy Blume Forever.”
On the eve of the film’s Sundance premiere, co-directors and producers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok checked in with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Pardo was on a road trip, listening to Blume’s audiobook reading of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” when the idea began to take shape.
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‘20 Days in Mariupol’ Filmmakers on the Necessity of Documenting the ‘Unbearable Human Pain’ of Ukraine War (Video)
“This amazing magical effervescent voice fills the car, and I started thinking about Judy Blume as a person, who was the woman behind these characters...
On the eve of the film’s Sundance premiere, co-directors and producers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok checked in with TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge.
Pardo was on a road trip, listening to Blume’s audiobook reading of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” when the idea began to take shape.
Also Read:
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ Filmmakers on the Necessity of Documenting the ‘Unbearable Human Pain’ of Ukraine War (Video)
“This amazing magical effervescent voice fills the car, and I started thinking about Judy Blume as a person, who was the woman behind these characters...
- 1/21/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
After a group of Ukrainian journalists were able to escape the city of Mariupol, which fell under siege at the beginning of Russia’s invasion, they felt their work was incomplete. With more than 30 hours of unpublished footage, the AP journalists teamed up with PBS Frontline to create what would become “20 Days in Mariupol,” premiering this weekend at Sundance.
Director-producer Mstyslav Chernov, still photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, and PBS producer Michelle Mizner stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge for a discussion about their new documentary.
“We felt an obligation [as] journalists, as well as Ukrainians,” Chernov told TheWrap’s CEO and Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman. “This is our community. This is our country. And we do feel an obligation to keep telling these stories to make sure that everything that was possible to document will stay in history.”
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Indigo...
Director-producer Mstyslav Chernov, still photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, and PBS producer Michelle Mizner stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge for a discussion about their new documentary.
“We felt an obligation [as] journalists, as well as Ukrainians,” Chernov told TheWrap’s CEO and Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman. “This is our community. This is our country. And we do feel an obligation to keep telling these stories to make sure that everything that was possible to document will stay in history.”
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Indigo...
- 1/21/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
There have been documentaries about all manner of rock ‘n’ roll figures, and at this year’s Sundance Film Festival alone there’s two. Alongside telling the story of Little Richard, Sundance unveiled director Alexandria Bombach’s tribute to the Indigo Girls, “It’s Only Life After All.” The documentary aims to break down the success of the popular folk rock duo and how they broke ground being out about their sexuality.
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, the Indigo Girls, stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge alongside the documentary’s director, Bombach, to discuss the film.
The band came to prominence in the late-1980s, releasing nine studio albums between 1988 to 2007. They’ve become icons of the LGBTQ movement for their unwillingness to hide their sexuality, as well as being staunch activists for the environment and Native American rights.
“There weren’t a lot of openly queer artists,...
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, the Indigo Girls, stopped by TheWrap’s Portrait and Video Studio at The Music Lodge alongside the documentary’s director, Bombach, to discuss the film.
The band came to prominence in the late-1980s, releasing nine studio albums between 1988 to 2007. They’ve become icons of the LGBTQ movement for their unwillingness to hide their sexuality, as well as being staunch activists for the environment and Native American rights.
“There weren’t a lot of openly queer artists,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
TheWrap continues to expand its best-in-class editorial team, and has hired new editors to head up its film and television coverage. Kristen Lopez will serve as the site’s Film Editor and Jose Alejandro Bastidas joins as its new TV Editor, the company announced on Tuesday.
Lopez and Bastidas will be responsible for managing, mentoring and growing their respective editorial teams, in addition to editing and writing film and television news and features. The new hires come on the heels of the promotion of two new co-executive editors, Adam Chitwood and Jethro Nededog, who were former assistant managing editors at TheWrap, promoted on Jan. 1.
“TheWrap continues to build out the most talented editorial team covering entertainment, and Kristen and Jose are smart, passionate and very exciting additions to that roster,” said TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman. “I am so excited to see their ideas enhance our editorial offerings.”
Lopez...
Lopez and Bastidas will be responsible for managing, mentoring and growing their respective editorial teams, in addition to editing and writing film and television news and features. The new hires come on the heels of the promotion of two new co-executive editors, Adam Chitwood and Jethro Nededog, who were former assistant managing editors at TheWrap, promoted on Jan. 1.
“TheWrap continues to build out the most talented editorial team covering entertainment, and Kristen and Jose are smart, passionate and very exciting additions to that roster,” said TheWrap founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman. “I am so excited to see their ideas enhance our editorial offerings.”
Lopez...
- 1/17/2023
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
This story about “Women Talking” star Claire Foy first appeared in the Awards Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
“Women Talking” is a quiet film that goes deep into the righteous anger of women who have been violently abused for years and finally decide: No more. It is based on a shocking true story of the serial rape of a group of Mennonite women in Bolivia over several years.
Why Claire Foy, the elegant British actress best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II in the highbrow series “The Crown,” chose to explore the roiling emotions raised by this narrative and portray one of the women leaders who debate stark decisions — from violence to remaining passive — is surprising indeed. “It was like nothing I’d ever read,” said Foy of the film written and directed by Sarah Polley from the novel by Miriam Toews. “It’s more honest to the...
“Women Talking” is a quiet film that goes deep into the righteous anger of women who have been violently abused for years and finally decide: No more. It is based on a shocking true story of the serial rape of a group of Mennonite women in Bolivia over several years.
Why Claire Foy, the elegant British actress best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II in the highbrow series “The Crown,” chose to explore the roiling emotions raised by this narrative and portray one of the women leaders who debate stark decisions — from violence to remaining passive — is surprising indeed. “It was like nothing I’d ever read,” said Foy of the film written and directed by Sarah Polley from the novel by Miriam Toews. “It’s more honest to the...
- 1/9/2023
- by BY SHARON WAXMAN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY CORINA MARIE
- The Wrap
Having already won acclaim and a slew of awards for her breakout turn as Queen Elizabeth II on the first two seasons of “The Crown,” Claire Foy is earning some of the best reviews of her career (and some Oscar buzz) for her key supporting turn in Sarah Polley’s awards-season favorite “Women Talking.”
Foy stands out alongside a superb ensemble, partially because she is among the more confrontational and conventionally outraged of the group. After learning that the men of her isolated Mennonite colony are drugging and raping its women in the middle of the night, her Salome wants something approximating violent retribution if not outright war. Meanwhile, those around her debate whether to forgive, to flee or to fight back.
“She’s really frustrated, feels betrayed, murderous,” Foy said. “Her anger and her rage is pretty righteous and proportional.”
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Foy stands out alongside a superb ensemble, partially because she is among the more confrontational and conventionally outraged of the group. After learning that the men of her isolated Mennonite colony are drugging and raping its women in the middle of the night, her Salome wants something approximating violent retribution if not outright war. Meanwhile, those around her debate whether to forgive, to flee or to fight back.
“She’s really frustrated, feels betrayed, murderous,” Foy said. “Her anger and her rage is pretty righteous and proportional.”
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The Home Edit Founders Say Hello Sunshine...
- 12/14/2022
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
There was a full circle moment at the Power Women Summit today, as TheWrap CEO and co-founder Sharon Waxman welcomed “She Said” producer Dede Gardner and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz to talk about a pivotal scene from their film.
As Waxman pointed out in her introduction, the Power Women Summit was founded in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and “She Said” happens to be a powerful retelling of the New York Times’ investigation into allegations against Harvey Weinstein, reporting that would ultimately lead to the beginnings of the #MeToo movement.
Watch Anatomy of a Scene: “She Said” in the video above.
The sequence that Gardner and Lenkiewicz chose involves reporter Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) as she travels overseas to interview Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton), a former Weinstein colleague who spoke out against the disgraced film producer during the Times investigation.
What’s really incredible about the scene is that Waxman,...
As Waxman pointed out in her introduction, the Power Women Summit was founded in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and “She Said” happens to be a powerful retelling of the New York Times’ investigation into allegations against Harvey Weinstein, reporting that would ultimately lead to the beginnings of the #MeToo movement.
Watch Anatomy of a Scene: “She Said” in the video above.
The sequence that Gardner and Lenkiewicz chose involves reporter Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) as she travels overseas to interview Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton), a former Weinstein colleague who spoke out against the disgraced film producer during the Times investigation.
What’s really incredible about the scene is that Waxman,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
This interview with the cast of “The Woman King” first ran in the Guild & Critics Awards / Documentaries issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
By any reasonable calculation, “The Woman King” was a risky movie to make. Set in 19th-century Africa, starring a huge cast of mainly Black women actors — many of them not widely known — it faced big questions about whether the movie would find its audience.
Incredibly, it did. Willed into existence by a team that included director Gina Prince-Bythewood and producers Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Mario Bello and Cathy Schulman, the release from Sony’s TriStar Pictures has made more than 90 million at the global box office since its September release. Critics have also embraced the film (as have audiences: It has a 99 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), with the L.A. Times’ Justin Chang identifying the movie’s hat trick of taking “an old-fashioned template to deliver...
By any reasonable calculation, “The Woman King” was a risky movie to make. Set in 19th-century Africa, starring a huge cast of mainly Black women actors — many of them not widely known — it faced big questions about whether the movie would find its audience.
Incredibly, it did. Willed into existence by a team that included director Gina Prince-Bythewood and producers Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Mario Bello and Cathy Schulman, the release from Sony’s TriStar Pictures has made more than 90 million at the global box office since its September release. Critics have also embraced the film (as have audiences: It has a 99 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), with the L.A. Times’ Justin Chang identifying the movie’s hat trick of taking “an old-fashioned template to deliver...
- 11/30/2022
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
This story about “Corsage” and Vicky Krieps first appeared in the International Film issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
In “Corsage,” Vicky Krieps does more than give a hauntingly convincing portrayal of the iconic “Empress Sisi,” the 19th-century Austrian monarch Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, as familiar to central Europeans as Queen Elizabeth was in current times. She also brings her own wit, politics and feminist views to what has been hailed as a modern interpretation of a tragic tale of celebrity, in collaboration with writer-director Marie Kreutzer. Krieps’ performance, which won her the Best Performance award in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, required her to endure breath-defying corsets and learn to ride sidesaddle, among other tortures of 19th-century womanhood. Still, the forced ennui of life in a gilded cage may have been the most exquisite torture of them all...
In “Corsage,” Vicky Krieps does more than give a hauntingly convincing portrayal of the iconic “Empress Sisi,” the 19th-century Austrian monarch Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, as familiar to central Europeans as Queen Elizabeth was in current times. She also brings her own wit, politics and feminist views to what has been hailed as a modern interpretation of a tragic tale of celebrity, in collaboration with writer-director Marie Kreutzer. Krieps’ performance, which won her the Best Performance award in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, required her to endure breath-defying corsets and learn to ride sidesaddle, among other tortures of 19th-century womanhood. Still, the forced ennui of life in a gilded cage may have been the most exquisite torture of them all...
- 11/29/2022
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
Kevin Mayer is not running Disney, and in his interview at TheGrill on Wednesday, he declined to speculate on what he would do if he were in CEO Bob Chapek’s shoes, but that didn’t stop him from weighing in on the Mouse House and the debate over whether it could get by without two of its larger brands, ESPN and ABC.
TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman asked Mayer Wednesday if Disney could “do without” both ESPN and ABC after he had raised the question as to whether either brand truly fit within the company’s portfolio.
“I think they could. Not sure they they should or will, but they certainly could,” Mayer said.
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Kevin Mayer Predicts TikTok Will Outlast Other Social Media (Video)
Mayer — who is now the co-ceo of Candle Media, the media company that owns Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and the Cocomelon company Moonbug Entertainment...
TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman asked Mayer Wednesday if Disney could “do without” both ESPN and ABC after he had raised the question as to whether either brand truly fit within the company’s portfolio.
“I think they could. Not sure they they should or will, but they certainly could,” Mayer said.
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Kevin Mayer Predicts TikTok Will Outlast Other Social Media (Video)
Mayer — who is now the co-ceo of Candle Media, the media company that owns Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and the Cocomelon company Moonbug Entertainment...
- 10/13/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
After 11 seasons, Steven Levitan didn’t exactly get the sendoff for his hit series “Modern Family” that he’d anticipated. The series came to an end just as the world began shutting down amid the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic — which was both disappointing and relieving for the showrunner.
“In a weird way, it took the edge off. ‘Modern Family’ wasn’t my biggest worry. That wasn’t going to top my head when the world was shut down. But it gave me time to think and to figure out what I really wanted to do and what I don’t want to do anymore, and that’s how I kind of ended up here,” he told TheWrap Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman during Wednesday’s TheGrill conference.
Now, Levitan has launched his next comedy series, “Reboot.” The Hulu comedy about a revived sitcom explores complicated relationships with friends, family...
“In a weird way, it took the edge off. ‘Modern Family’ wasn’t my biggest worry. That wasn’t going to top my head when the world was shut down. But it gave me time to think and to figure out what I really wanted to do and what I don’t want to do anymore, and that’s how I kind of ended up here,” he told TheWrap Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman during Wednesday’s TheGrill conference.
Now, Levitan has launched his next comedy series, “Reboot.” The Hulu comedy about a revived sitcom explores complicated relationships with friends, family...
- 10/13/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
Steven Levitan, creator of “Reboot” and co-creator of “Modern Family,” has joined TheGrill 2022 for a Spotlight Conversation with TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman to discuss using comedy and satire to influence pop culture and what it takes to make a hit sitcom in 2022.
When “Modern Family” premiered on ABC in 2009, not only did it revive the popularity of network sitcoms, but it also shifted audiences’ perspectives about LGBTQ relationships and mixed-race marriages. Two years after the series ended, Levitan has made the move to streaming, premiering his latest sitcom “Reboot” on Hulu last month. The series explores complicated relationships with friends, family and co-workers while poking fun at the industry. Hear it first-hand from Steve, on stage, on Wednesday, October 12!
Other impressive speakers from amazing companies have been added to TheGrill as the gathering of industry leaders nears.
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When “Modern Family” premiered on ABC in 2009, not only did it revive the popularity of network sitcoms, but it also shifted audiences’ perspectives about LGBTQ relationships and mixed-race marriages. Two years after the series ended, Levitan has made the move to streaming, premiering his latest sitcom “Reboot” on Hulu last month. The series explores complicated relationships with friends, family and co-workers while poking fun at the industry. Hear it first-hand from Steve, on stage, on Wednesday, October 12!
Other impressive speakers from amazing companies have been added to TheGrill as the gathering of industry leaders nears.
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- 10/7/2022
- by Emily Vogel
- The Wrap
If romance novels, reality dating shows, and romcoms have taught us anything, it’s that people love love. What’s more, people love watching others attempt to find their one true love, no matter what path they take to get there.
In Shekhar Kapur’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” that path looks a little different than what some audiences are used to, as two childhood friends, portrayed by Lily James and Shazad Latif, go on an adventure to find love via arranged marriage.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?” premiered on September 10, 2022 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Kapur and several cast and crew members stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio to discuss the film with TheWrap’s editor in chief Sharon Waxman.
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In Shekhar Kapur’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” that path looks a little different than what some audiences are used to, as two childhood friends, portrayed by Lily James and Shazad Latif, go on an adventure to find love via arranged marriage.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?” premiered on September 10, 2022 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Kapur and several cast and crew members stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio to discuss the film with TheWrap’s editor in chief Sharon Waxman.
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- 9/21/2022
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
Zarifa Ghafari was only 26 when she became the mayor of Maidan Shar, which made her the youngest mayor in Afghanistan history (and one of the only women to ever hold the position). About a year and a half into her tenure, the Taliban took control of the country with dire consequences for its citizens, women’s rights and Ghafari in particular.
Marcel Mettelsiefen and Tamana Ayazi capture the lead-up to these events in their documentary “In Her Hands,” which held its world premiere at the Toronto film festival. The director duo and Ghafari sat down at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to talk about how the film came together and Ghafari’s journey.
Ayazi and Mettelsiefen first began working together in 2017, when the Taliban and the U.S. government entered into peace negotiations.
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Marcel Mettelsiefen and Tamana Ayazi capture the lead-up to these events in their documentary “In Her Hands,” which held its world premiere at the Toronto film festival. The director duo and Ghafari sat down at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to talk about how the film came together and Ghafari’s journey.
Ayazi and Mettelsiefen first began working together in 2017, when the Taliban and the U.S. government entered into peace negotiations.
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- 9/21/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
The story at the heart of the opera “Carmen” stuck in Benjamin Millepied’s mind from his childhood into his adulthood. With his new film by the same name, the choreographer-turned-director has reimagined George Bizet’s 19th century original into a modern immigration tale set on the present-day U.S./Mexican border. Melissa Barrera plays Carmen and Paul Mescal, her love interest, Aidan.
Millepied, Barrera and Mescal stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman about adapting the tragic love story about a femme fatale for modern audiences while remaining true to Carmen’s character.
“This [is a] story that we’ve seen over and over and over about, you know, people crossing the border to freedom to seek safety, to seek a better life, running away from danger,” Barrera said. “The reason that...
Millepied, Barrera and Mescal stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman about adapting the tragic love story about a femme fatale for modern audiences while remaining true to Carmen’s character.
“This [is a] story that we’ve seen over and over and over about, you know, people crossing the border to freedom to seek safety, to seek a better life, running away from danger,” Barrera said. “The reason that...
- 9/20/2022
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
If nothing else, the tale of Tanya Tucker is one worthy of its own epic country music song and, as “The Return of Tanya Tucker — Featuring Brandi Carlile” shows, even its own documentary.
Country music legend Tucker scored her first major hit, “Delta Dawn,” in 1972, when she was 13 years old and since then, has painstakingly crafted a career despite the ups and downs that come with fame. But it had been 17 years since Tucker had released an album of original music, but with fellow country singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile by her side, she returned to the studio. And at the very last moment, so did a film crew.
Director Kathlyn Horan stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to discuss “The Return of Tanya Tucker — Featuring Brandi Carlile” with TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman, and explained how she came to be involved in the project.
Country music legend Tucker scored her first major hit, “Delta Dawn,” in 1972, when she was 13 years old and since then, has painstakingly crafted a career despite the ups and downs that come with fame. But it had been 17 years since Tucker had released an album of original music, but with fellow country singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile by her side, she returned to the studio. And at the very last moment, so did a film crew.
Director Kathlyn Horan stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to discuss “The Return of Tanya Tucker — Featuring Brandi Carlile” with TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman, and explained how she came to be involved in the project.
- 9/20/2022
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
Werner Herzog is the writer and director of nearly 80 films, not including the countless others that live inside his head. The brain’s astonishing capacity for such ideas – among many other things – is the subject of the German auteur’s latest documentary, “Theater of Thought,” which premiered at Telluride and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Herzog stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to discuss what he learned during the filmmaking process and more.
“There was always a deep fascination about what goes on in our minds: what makes us love, fall in love, hatred, language, architecture, our ideas, our movies, everything,” Herzog told Sharon Waxman, Editor and CEO of TheWrap. “And it’s all created in our brains.”
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Though Herzog considers himself a...
Herzog stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF to discuss what he learned during the filmmaking process and more.
“There was always a deep fascination about what goes on in our minds: what makes us love, fall in love, hatred, language, architecture, our ideas, our movies, everything,” Herzog told Sharon Waxman, Editor and CEO of TheWrap. “And it’s all created in our brains.”
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Though Herzog considers himself a...
- 9/15/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
When Paul Weitz directed Lily Tomlin in 2015’s “Grandma,” little did he know he would get the idea for a follow-up film, “Moving On,” which would star Tomlin and Jane Fonda.
“Around when ‘Grandma’ came out, I met Jane through that and Lily called me up and said, ‘Jane, and I would love it if you’d write something for us,'” director Paul Weitz told Sharon Waxman at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree star in “Moving On,” which tells the story of two old friends who reconnect at a funeral and plot to take their revenge on a widower who wronged them in the past.
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“It kind of stuck in my head,...
“Around when ‘Grandma’ came out, I met Jane through that and Lily called me up and said, ‘Jane, and I would love it if you’d write something for us,'” director Paul Weitz told Sharon Waxman at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree star in “Moving On,” which tells the story of two old friends who reconnect at a funeral and plot to take their revenge on a widower who wronged them in the past.
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‘Devotion’ Star Jonathan Majors on How Playing the U.S. Navy’s First Black Aviator Made Him a Better Actor (Video)
“It kind of stuck in my head,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
‘Corsage’ Star Vicky Krieps on Playing a ‘Princess Imprisoned in the Image of Being a Woman’ (Video)
Vicky Krieps, the actress from Luxembourg who introduced herself to a new audience by playing a headstrong woman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread,” has come to TIFF 2022 with “Corsage,” a drama about a woman Krieps has felt a connection to since she was 15: Austrian Empress Elisabeth.
Krieps and director Maria Kreutzer stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival to talk about “Corsage,” which follows the Empress (Krieps) on her 40th birthday, an age that, according to 19th century Bavarian society, made her an old woman. Feeling increasingly isolated by both royal circles and her own husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), Elisabeth finds herself imprisoned by her own elite status and starts looking for any way to rebel against it, no matter how small.
Krieps said that growing up, she felt free to do whatever she wished and admired...
Krieps and director Maria Kreutzer stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival to talk about “Corsage,” which follows the Empress (Krieps) on her 40th birthday, an age that, according to 19th century Bavarian society, made her an old woman. Feeling increasingly isolated by both royal circles and her own husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), Elisabeth finds herself imprisoned by her own elite status and starts looking for any way to rebel against it, no matter how small.
Krieps said that growing up, she felt free to do whatever she wished and admired...
- 9/13/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
“The film possessed me.”
That is how Tilda Swinton described how she came to star in “The Eternal Daughter,” her third pairing with director Joanna Hogg, and a sequel to their two previous collaborations, “The Souvenir” and “The Souvenir: Part II.”
The actress’ choice of words is fitting, since the new film is a ghostly, mysterious tale of a filmmaker, Julie, who’s caring for her elderly mother, Rosalind, in their family’s grand home in the country. Swinton reprises her “Souvenir” role as Rosalind and also takes on the role of Julie, who was played in the previous movies by Swinton’s own daughter Honor Swinton Byrne.
During a visit to TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival, Swinton and Hogg discussed “The Eternal Daughter” with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief, Sharon Waxman, explaining that the idea for the film came from a deeply personal place.
That is how Tilda Swinton described how she came to star in “The Eternal Daughter,” her third pairing with director Joanna Hogg, and a sequel to their two previous collaborations, “The Souvenir” and “The Souvenir: Part II.”
The actress’ choice of words is fitting, since the new film is a ghostly, mysterious tale of a filmmaker, Julie, who’s caring for her elderly mother, Rosalind, in their family’s grand home in the country. Swinton reprises her “Souvenir” role as Rosalind and also takes on the role of Julie, who was played in the previous movies by Swinton’s own daughter Honor Swinton Byrne.
During a visit to TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival, Swinton and Hogg discussed “The Eternal Daughter” with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief, Sharon Waxman, explaining that the idea for the film came from a deeply personal place.
- 9/13/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
“Gutsy,” which is now streaming on Apple TV+, plunged Hillary and Chelsea Clinton deeper into their goal of telling the stories of gutsy women that they began with their 2019 “The Book Of Gutsy Women.” With many of their previous subjects having passed away, they turned their attention to other female trailblazers from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Amy Schumer to advocates fighting child marriage, promoting indigenous representation and fostering supportive communities for LGBTQ+ people.
Hillary and Chelsea Clinton stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman about their experience behind the camera as producers as well as the current state of womanhood in the U.S. and beyond.
As the pair reflected on what it meant to fight back against misogynistic forces in schools, religious institutions and social media, Chelsea noted, “We...
Hillary and Chelsea Clinton stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman about their experience behind the camera as producers as well as the current state of womanhood in the U.S. and beyond.
As the pair reflected on what it meant to fight back against misogynistic forces in schools, religious institutions and social media, Chelsea noted, “We...
- 9/12/2022
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
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