A production assistant who worked on the Max original series “Search Party” has accused showrunner Charles Rogers of drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2020.
A past investigation by the network into the alleged assault cleared Rogers, but Evan Schwartz said he was “gaslit” into “exonerating” the writer-producer in social media posts shared on Saturday.
“The facts speak for themselves as evidenced by this individual’s decision to retract his own statement amid a thorough, third-party investigation which found no wrongdoing. Charles unequivocally denies this claim regarding a mutually consensual relationship,” an individual close to Rogers said in a statement to TheWrap.
This is a selfie Charles Rogers took on my phone the morning after sexually assaulting me in 2020. I was his driver on the shoot for Search Party. After he took this selfie he joked, “I have a lawyer in case someone me too’s me”. I don’t remember falling asleep that night.
A past investigation by the network into the alleged assault cleared Rogers, but Evan Schwartz said he was “gaslit” into “exonerating” the writer-producer in social media posts shared on Saturday.
“The facts speak for themselves as evidenced by this individual’s decision to retract his own statement amid a thorough, third-party investigation which found no wrongdoing. Charles unequivocally denies this claim regarding a mutually consensual relationship,” an individual close to Rogers said in a statement to TheWrap.
This is a selfie Charles Rogers took on my phone the morning after sexually assaulting me in 2020. I was his driver on the shoot for Search Party. After he took this selfie he joked, “I have a lawyer in case someone me too’s me”. I don’t remember falling asleep that night.
- 1/8/2024
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed Jarreau Carrillo, the actor-filmmaker whose new short The Vacation has generated substantial buzz on the ground at Sundance 2023.
Carrillo wrote, directed and co-stars in the film, which follows a Black man who attempts to take a vacation. It was conceived as a proof of concept for his first feature, The Last to Survive in America, which Range will now help get off the ground. Julius Pryor and Marttise Hill of Pryor Hill Productions are attached to produce.
“I’m extremely humbled and grateful to have Range’s support on my debut feature film The Last To Survive In America,” Carrillo told Deadline. “Forging a partnership with a team of experienced industry representatives at this point in my career is empowering & exciting.”
Originally from Seattle and of Filipino and African American descent, Carrillo is a graduate of Morehouse College and has an Mfa in Directing from NYU Tisch.
Carrillo wrote, directed and co-stars in the film, which follows a Black man who attempts to take a vacation. It was conceived as a proof of concept for his first feature, The Last to Survive in America, which Range will now help get off the ground. Julius Pryor and Marttise Hill of Pryor Hill Productions are attached to produce.
“I’m extremely humbled and grateful to have Range’s support on my debut feature film The Last To Survive In America,” Carrillo told Deadline. “Forging a partnership with a team of experienced industry representatives at this point in my career is empowering & exciting.”
Originally from Seattle and of Filipino and African American descent, Carrillo is a graduate of Morehouse College and has an Mfa in Directing from NYU Tisch.
- 1/25/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Search Party is renowned for its zaniness and larger-than-life guest stars, so it’s only natural that its upcoming invitees are of the highest caliber: the legendary John Waters and ever-enigmatic Jeff Goldblum.
In its forthcoming final season (all 10 episodes drop on HBO Max Friday, Jan. 7), Dory may be alive, but she’s heading straight for another terrifying journey when she joins a flamboyant tech billionaire named Tunnel Quinn (Goldblum) on a philanthropic endeavor sparked by her near-death experience. (And let’s just say Goldblum is at his absolute Goldblum-iest.)
More from TVLineAnd Just Like That... Recap: Face TimeAnd Just Like That.
In its forthcoming final season (all 10 episodes drop on HBO Max Friday, Jan. 7), Dory may be alive, but she’s heading straight for another terrifying journey when she joins a flamboyant tech billionaire named Tunnel Quinn (Goldblum) on a philanthropic endeavor sparked by her near-death experience. (And let’s just say Goldblum is at his absolute Goldblum-iest.)
More from TVLineAnd Just Like That... Recap: Face TimeAnd Just Like That.
- 1/6/2022
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
The long and winding road of “Search Party” is really something and to that end, has there ever been a comedy series that has evolved as much as this one? Created by “Fort Tilden” filmmakers Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter (“The Eyes Of Tammy Faye“), beginning on TBS and then graduating to HBO Max eventually, “Search Party” began a dark satire and send-up of millennial life and culture, all twisted up in a mystery: the search for a missing girl, whom the protagonist (Alia Shawkat), went to school with, but barely knows.
Continue reading ‘Search Party’ Season 5 Trailer: HBO Max’s Loopy Dark Satire Comes To An End In January at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Search Party’ Season 5 Trailer: HBO Max’s Loopy Dark Satire Comes To An End In January at The Playlist.
- 12/21/2021
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Some folks get into getting a dog bricklaying practice the idea of family before making kids and painting fences. But what if chickens became part of the equation? Deadline reported that actress Haley Bennett is reteaming with her Cyrano director Joe Wright and Swallow‘s producer Mollye Asher on the book to film adaptation of Jackie Polzin’s Brood. All three will produce with Bennett also eyeing to star in the project.
Asher, who began with low budget indie items such as 2014’s She’s Lost Control and Fort Tilden, really climbed up the indie producing ladder when she teamed with Chloé Zhao on her first three indie features including the Oscar-winning Nomadland.…...
Asher, who began with low budget indie items such as 2014’s She’s Lost Control and Fort Tilden, really climbed up the indie producing ladder when she teamed with Chloé Zhao on her first three indie features including the Oscar-winning Nomadland.…...
- 12/8/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Topic Studios has signed a first-look deal with The Population, formed by “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, “I Carry You With Me” producer Mynette Louie and Derek Nguyen.
The deal, announced Thursday, expands the relationship between Topic and Louie, currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television.
Topic Studios produced the ACLU documentary “The Fight,” Kevin Macdonald’s upcoming legal thriller “The Mauritanian,” “The Climb” and recently wrapped production on Daniel Antebi’s NYC-set pandemic comedy “God’s Time.” Topic Studios is also ramping up its scripted television division, having set up two dramas arising from their previous first-look deal with Tracy Oliver, including the just-announced adult thriller “Savannah” with Pkm Productions for Amazon Studios. Topic Studios is also developing an English-language adaptation of the Israeli comedy, “Nehama.”
“We love that Topic Studios, as an independent studio, has the capacity to pivot and innovate, which is more important now than ever,...
The deal, announced Thursday, expands the relationship between Topic and Louie, currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television.
Topic Studios produced the ACLU documentary “The Fight,” Kevin Macdonald’s upcoming legal thriller “The Mauritanian,” “The Climb” and recently wrapped production on Daniel Antebi’s NYC-set pandemic comedy “God’s Time.” Topic Studios is also ramping up its scripted television division, having set up two dramas arising from their previous first-look deal with Tracy Oliver, including the just-announced adult thriller “Savannah” with Pkm Productions for Amazon Studios. Topic Studios is also developing an English-language adaptation of the Israeli comedy, “Nehama.”
“We love that Topic Studios, as an independent studio, has the capacity to pivot and innovate, which is more important now than ever,...
- 12/17/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Topic Studios has entered a first-look deal with Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher, and Derek Nguyen’s The Population, the production company behind I Carry You with Me and Swallow. The multi-faceted deal covers all media and includes film, television, non-fiction and podcasts.
Topic Studios’ new partnership with The Population expands the relationship with Emmy-nominated Louie. They are currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television. The deal comes as The Population continues to bolster diversity and, at the same time, ramp up for awards season including Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures) produced by Asher. In addition, The Population is putting some shine their first two films, the aforementioned I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics) from director Heidi Ewing and Swallow (IFC Films) from director Carlo Mirabella-Davis. They are currently in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s action-thriller Catch the Fair One.
“Topic Studios has a...
Topic Studios’ new partnership with The Population expands the relationship with Emmy-nominated Louie. They are currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television. The deal comes as The Population continues to bolster diversity and, at the same time, ramp up for awards season including Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures) produced by Asher. In addition, The Population is putting some shine their first two films, the aforementioned I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics) from director Heidi Ewing and Swallow (IFC Films) from director Carlo Mirabella-Davis. They are currently in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s action-thriller Catch the Fair One.
“Topic Studios has a...
- 12/17/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Created by “Fort Tilden” writer/directors Charles Rogers, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and filmmaker Michael Showalter (“The Big Sick“), the series “Search Party” has become one of the sharpest, unpredictable, and insightful shows on television about identity, denial, and self-actualization—not something you’d likely expect from a would-be millennial comedy on TBS. But “Search Party,” now graduated to HBO Max which recently premiered its third season, has always been much more emotionally complex than it’s looked on the surface.
Continue reading ‘Search Party’ Creators On The Unpredictable Evolution Of Their Irreverent Millennial Murder Mystery Comedy [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Search Party’ Creators On The Unpredictable Evolution Of Their Irreverent Millennial Murder Mystery Comedy [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 7/10/2020
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Producers Mollye Asher (“The Rider”), Mynette Louie (“The Tale”) and Derek Nguyen (director of “The Housemaid”) announced the launch of a new production company on Tuesday called The Population.
The group will focus on producing film and TV projects by or about women, people of color, the Lgbtqia+ community and other underrepresented groups. Producer Mary Jane Skalski will serve as senior advisor to The Population.
The Population will also premiere the film “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)” by director Heidi Ewing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s “Catch the Fair One.” The Population also has several other projects in development including a feminist horror film based on a true survival story in Mexico and a true-crime series set among the Asian American and working-class communities in Detroit.
Also Read: 'First Cow' Director Kelly Reichardt Wins...
The group will focus on producing film and TV projects by or about women, people of color, the Lgbtqia+ community and other underrepresented groups. Producer Mary Jane Skalski will serve as senior advisor to The Population.
The Population will also premiere the film “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)” by director Heidi Ewing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s “Catch the Fair One.” The Population also has several other projects in development including a feminist horror film based on a true survival story in Mexico and a true-crime series set among the Asian American and working-class communities in Detroit.
Also Read: 'First Cow' Director Kelly Reichardt Wins...
- 1/7/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Shows about the misadventures of twentysomethings are a television staple, but the TBS breakout Search Party -- with its sly combination of suspenseful thrills and tons of character-driven laughs -- is in a class all its own.
Alia Shawkat, whose rising profile includes work on Arrested Development and Transparent, plays Dory, the face of this ragtag search party. Dory’s restlessness to do something meaningful with her life leads her to look for former schoolmate Chantal Witherbottom after happening on a missing person sign at the series outset. She winds up dragging her reluctant friends into the search: her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend Drew (Stranger Things’ John Reynolds), her aggressively vapid-seeming besties Portia (Meredith Hagner, of Younger and Strangers on Facebook Watch) and Elliott (John Early, of the Wet Hot American Summer Netflix series and High Maintenance), and her ex-boyfriend-turned-journalist Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall, who also stars on The Mayor).
By the season one finale, the four friends...
Alia Shawkat, whose rising profile includes work on Arrested Development and Transparent, plays Dory, the face of this ragtag search party. Dory’s restlessness to do something meaningful with her life leads her to look for former schoolmate Chantal Witherbottom after happening on a missing person sign at the series outset. She winds up dragging her reluctant friends into the search: her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend Drew (Stranger Things’ John Reynolds), her aggressively vapid-seeming besties Portia (Meredith Hagner, of Younger and Strangers on Facebook Watch) and Elliott (John Early, of the Wet Hot American Summer Netflix series and High Maintenance), and her ex-boyfriend-turned-journalist Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall, who also stars on The Mayor).
By the season one finale, the four friends...
- 11/17/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
When Peter Vack scored a role over the summer playing Lola Kirke’s boyfriend on the Amazon series “Mozart in the Jungle,” he used the money to direct his first feature. The actor had scored in dozens of low-budget projects and directed a short film a few years earlier, but he had reason to believe nobody else was going to back his feature-length debut.
“Just imagine the first sentence of the pitch,” said Vack, over lunch at Soho House. “‘It’s about two people who share an anal fetish, and I’m thinking of my sister to play the lead.’ I knew this particular endeavor was not something I’d be able to find investors for.”
The movie, by the way, was called “Assholes.” It premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the inaugural Adam Yauch Hornblower Award (a prize reserved for unique filmmaking visions); it also jolted audiences and critics alike,...
“Just imagine the first sentence of the pitch,” said Vack, over lunch at Soho House. “‘It’s about two people who share an anal fetish, and I’m thinking of my sister to play the lead.’ I knew this particular endeavor was not something I’d be able to find investors for.”
The movie, by the way, was called “Assholes.” It premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the inaugural Adam Yauch Hornblower Award (a prize reserved for unique filmmaking visions); it also jolted audiences and critics alike,...
- 10/6/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
This year’s SXSW Film Festival is currently raging in Austin, Texas, complete with a packed slate that should keep festival attendees pretty happy in between bouts of chowing down breakfast tacos and basking in the good ol’ Texas sunshine. As ever, the festival features a strong lineup of both fresh premieres and festival favorites, new and returning stars, and plenty of opportunities for talent to break out on the festival stage.
From filmmakers to actors (and, sometimes, both at the same time), familiar faces looking to try a new craft to total newbies, this year’s festival has plenty of stars on the rise to look out for (ouch, so bright).
Read More: SXSW 2017: 13 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival
Who’s going to break out in a big way at this year’s festival? We’ve got some ideas.
Ansel Elgort, actor, “Baby Driver”
If you...
From filmmakers to actors (and, sometimes, both at the same time), familiar faces looking to try a new craft to total newbies, this year’s festival has plenty of stars on the rise to look out for (ouch, so bright).
Read More: SXSW 2017: 13 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival
Who’s going to break out in a big way at this year’s festival? We’ve got some ideas.
Ansel Elgort, actor, “Baby Driver”
If you...
- 3/10/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
TBS has two brand-new comedies premiering this fall. The first is “People of Earth,” starring Wyatt Cenac about a support group for alien abductees, and the second is “Search Party,” a dark comedy mystery starring Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”) who makes it her personal mission to find a missing college acquaintance.
Shawkat plays Dory, a bored personal assistant of a rich housewife who needs some fulfillment in her life. The series also stars John Early (“High Maintenance”), John Reynolds (“Stranger Things”), Meredith Hagner (“Veep”), and Brandon Micheal Hall (“Broad City”). Check out the exclusive Nancy Drew-inspired key art below.
Read More: Laff Review: Amber Tamblyn’s ‘Paint It Black’ Shows That Loss Isn’t a Zero Sum Game
The show is executive-produced by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter, as well as Tony Hernandez (“Broad City,” “Inside Amy Schumer”) and Lilly Burns (“Difficult People,” “Younger”) of Jax Media.
Shawkat plays Dory, a bored personal assistant of a rich housewife who needs some fulfillment in her life. The series also stars John Early (“High Maintenance”), John Reynolds (“Stranger Things”), Meredith Hagner (“Veep”), and Brandon Micheal Hall (“Broad City”). Check out the exclusive Nancy Drew-inspired key art below.
Read More: Laff Review: Amber Tamblyn’s ‘Paint It Black’ Shows That Loss Isn’t a Zero Sum Game
The show is executive-produced by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter, as well as Tony Hernandez (“Broad City,” “Inside Amy Schumer”) and Lilly Burns (“Difficult People,” “Younger”) of Jax Media.
- 9/12/2016
- by Annakeara Stinson
- Indiewire
“Mary + Jane”
September 5 on MTV
What Is It? From the writer/directors behind the cult favorite “Josie and the Pussycats” adaptation, this series follows two “ganjapeneurs” who run a weed delivery service in Los Angeles.
I’ll Like It If I Like… The “Broad City” influence is pretty clear, as the show is focused on the tight friendship between Jordan (Scout Durwood) and Paige (Jessica Rothe) and their stoner antics.
Why Should I Care? Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont’s unique approach to satirizing La hipster culture really help this show stand out from the pack of other female-led comedies, while also promising a more surreal touch. Durwood and Rothe also make for an enjoyable pairing. For fans of the pot comedy genre, it’s an easy sell.
“Atlanta”
September 6 on FX
What is it? Donald Glover of “Community” fame returns to TV in his most ambitious project yet, which he produces,...
September 5 on MTV
What Is It? From the writer/directors behind the cult favorite “Josie and the Pussycats” adaptation, this series follows two “ganjapeneurs” who run a weed delivery service in Los Angeles.
I’ll Like It If I Like… The “Broad City” influence is pretty clear, as the show is focused on the tight friendship between Jordan (Scout Durwood) and Paige (Jessica Rothe) and their stoner antics.
Why Should I Care? Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont’s unique approach to satirizing La hipster culture really help this show stand out from the pack of other female-led comedies, while also promising a more surreal touch. Durwood and Rothe also make for an enjoyable pairing. For fans of the pot comedy genre, it’s an easy sell.
“Atlanta”
September 6 on FX
What is it? Donald Glover of “Community” fame returns to TV in his most ambitious project yet, which he produces,...
- 9/6/2016
- by Ben Travers, Liz Shannon Miller and Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Simon Brew Jul 18, 2016
A sequel to Paul Feig's Ghostbusters movie is set to be given the greenlight by Sony...
Ghostbusters finally opened in America this past weekend, notching up a $46m opening weekend that's somewhere in the middle of what was being aimed for. Sony, meanwhile, has been quick to confirm that we're set to meet Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig's Ghostbusters again.
“I expect Ghostbusters to become an important brand and franchise,” Sony's chief of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer told The Wrap. “While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen", he said. It's unclear as of yet if Feig will return, once Sony hits the greenlight button.
The Ghostbusters reboot has been met with a mixed but generally positive reception by critics and audiences who have actually seen the movie. It was held off...
A sequel to Paul Feig's Ghostbusters movie is set to be given the greenlight by Sony...
Ghostbusters finally opened in America this past weekend, notching up a $46m opening weekend that's somewhere in the middle of what was being aimed for. Sony, meanwhile, has been quick to confirm that we're set to meet Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig's Ghostbusters again.
“I expect Ghostbusters to become an important brand and franchise,” Sony's chief of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer told The Wrap. “While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen", he said. It's unclear as of yet if Feig will return, once Sony hits the greenlight button.
The Ghostbusters reboot has been met with a mixed but generally positive reception by critics and audiences who have actually seen the movie. It was held off...
- 2/15/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Jose here. As a non-American, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite Us holiday because it's the time of the year when it's socially acceptable for people to put marshmallows and cranberries on everything. A practice which I refuse to stop during the other 364 days of the year, but which for 24 hours helps me bond with the people I love, as I argue about why movies with subtitles are as nourishing as turkey and gravy.
Other than complex carbs, I'm also thankful for
...J.Law away from Dior's gold and diamond shackles. She has rarely looked better than in the black Ralph Lauren she wore to one of the Mockingjay: Part 2 premieres.
...Charlotte Rampling's skinny jeans in 45 Years.
...3D movies that challenge everything I thought about the medium (thank you Gaspar Noe and Wim Wenders)
...for world cinema, and for the opportunity I've had to talk to so many international filmmakers this year.
Other than complex carbs, I'm also thankful for
...J.Law away from Dior's gold and diamond shackles. She has rarely looked better than in the black Ralph Lauren she wore to one of the Mockingjay: Part 2 premieres.
...Charlotte Rampling's skinny jeans in 45 Years.
...3D movies that challenge everything I thought about the medium (thank you Gaspar Noe and Wim Wenders)
...for world cinema, and for the opportunity I've had to talk to so many international filmmakers this year.
- 11/26/2015
- by Jose
- FilmExperience
Exclusive: New York-based producer Mollye Asher [pictured] is gearing up for a summer 2016 shoot of her next production You & Me Both.
Jennifer Cho Suhr will direct the film from her own script. The story follows two estranged Korean-American sisters (one of whom is a recovering drug addict) who, after the death of their adoptive mother, take a road trip from Iowa to Alaska to find their birth mother.
The film will soon cast for a summer 2016 shoot, possibly in Canada standing in for the Us. Carolyn Mao is also producing.
As an independent producer, Asher’s credits include Sundance and Cannes selection Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Fort Tilden and She’s Lost Control.
You & Me Both was selected for a Tribeca All Access Grant in 2015 and Nalip’s Diverse Women in Media Residency Lab 2015. Mao also went through Film Independent’s Producing Lab.
Asher is attending Goa’s Film Bazaar representing New York-based Gamechanger Films, which focuses...
Jennifer Cho Suhr will direct the film from her own script. The story follows two estranged Korean-American sisters (one of whom is a recovering drug addict) who, after the death of their adoptive mother, take a road trip from Iowa to Alaska to find their birth mother.
The film will soon cast for a summer 2016 shoot, possibly in Canada standing in for the Us. Carolyn Mao is also producing.
As an independent producer, Asher’s credits include Sundance and Cannes selection Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Fort Tilden and She’s Lost Control.
You & Me Both was selected for a Tribeca All Access Grant in 2015 and Nalip’s Diverse Women in Media Residency Lab 2015. Mao also went through Film Independent’s Producing Lab.
Asher is attending Goa’s Film Bazaar representing New York-based Gamechanger Films, which focuses...
- 11/24/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette are best friends dealing with pregnancy and cancer in this ho-hum British dramedy
Female friendship is a dynamic that is so rarely touched on screen and even when it is, the topic of conversation usually revolves around men. It’s why the Bechdel Test exists. So it’s worth celebrating a particularly ripe time in both TV and film with shows such as Broad City and Girls and films like Mistress America, Fort Tilden and Clouds of Sils Maria all providing depth and humour to an under-served audience.
Related: I Saw the Light review: Tom Hiddleston electrifies dull Hank Williams biopic
Continue reading...
Female friendship is a dynamic that is so rarely touched on screen and even when it is, the topic of conversation usually revolves around men. It’s why the Bechdel Test exists. So it’s worth celebrating a particularly ripe time in both TV and film with shows such as Broad City and Girls and films like Mistress America, Fort Tilden and Clouds of Sils Maria all providing depth and humour to an under-served audience.
Related: I Saw the Light review: Tom Hiddleston electrifies dull Hank Williams biopic
Continue reading...
- 9/13/2015
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
The first hour or so of the Williamsburg comedy “Fort Tilden” is an endurance test. Watching aimless hipsters Harper (Bridey Elliott) and Allie (Clare McNulty) snipe at each other and everyone around them is rather like being forced to listen to a loud and inane conversation between two nasty idiots on the bus. By the fifth time the two start whining about how they need coffeeeee soooooo baaaaad (like, Omg), you start hoping writer-directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers will do you a solid and have their defiantly unlikable characters hit by a truck. Stat. Unlikability is a tricky game.
- 8/13/2015
- by Inkoo Kang
- The Wrap
“The distress is authentic,” Harper (Bridey Elliott) says, describing a barrel on a beach, admiring its organically worn qualities in contrast to a similar barrel that she and Bff Allie (Clare McNulty) impulse-bought on a Brooklyn street corner mere hours before. Of course, that barrel now sits at the bottom of their stairs, devoid of umbrellas or whatever it is they feel like filling it with, while this one rests freely on the sand, a somehow superior bit of nothing. Is it a spoiler to say that these two broke girls do in fact make it to Fort Tilden when the entire plot of “Fort Tilden,” insomuch as there is one, concerns their misguided day-long adventure to locate said beach? Perhaps it’s a tad trite to say that the journey matters more than the destination, but in the case of Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers’ comedy, it really does.
- 8/12/2015
- by William Goss
- The Playlist
Read More: SXSW Review: Why 'Fort Tilden,' A Satire of Privileged Young Brooklynites, Won the Grand Jury Prize Directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers look to take some jabs at millennials in their debut feature "Fort Tilden," showing how absurd the iPhone- and iced coffee-filled lives of post-adolescents can be. The SXSW winner is heavy on the iced coffee in this clip, as Allie and Harper, played by Clare McNulty and Bridey Elliott, are shocked to find that not everyone knows how coffee and ice are a natural pairing. The official synopsis reads: "Fort Tilden -- New York City's secluded seaside nirvana where, like flies to honey, Brooklyn's hip millennial set flocks on sweltering weekend afternoons for unbridled summertime indulgence. Amidst the vexing stagnation of quarter-life crises, Allie (McNulty) struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper (Elliott) awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams.
- 8/12/2015
- by Ethan Sapienza
- Indiewire
If you happened upon a grimy, abandoned barrel sitting on the street, your first thoughts might run to, Ew, or even, How many spiders does that probably contain? In this very important way, you are different from deliriously privileged hipsters Harper (Bridey Elliott) and Allie (Clare McNulty), whom we follow in the new comedy Fort Tilden (out this Friday in New York). These two Brooklynites spy that street barrel and immediately respond to its "wear" — how authentic! — and start making an overpriced deal with the dude who just happens to be sitting next to it. Their hilariously blinkered perspective led our critic David Edelstein to call Fort Tilden a "cheerfully caustic comic odyssey," even if satirizing hipsters is a little bit like shooting fish in a ... well, you know.
- 8/11/2015
- by Kyle Buchanan
- Vulture
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"Hot Pursuit"
Critics torched this crime comedy, but you can judge for yourself. Reese Witherspoon plays a by-the-book cop trying to protect Sofia Vergara's drug lord wife as they race through Texas. The Blu-ray featurettes may actually be better than the movie. There's "The Womance," showing Reese and Sofia's on-set antics; "Say What?" where Reese and Sofia try to speak the other's language; "Action Like a Lady," where they show the making of all the stunts; and an alternate ending. The DVD just has "The Womance."
"Unfriended"
During their usual group video chat, high school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure in this horror thriller. It pretty much polarized critics -- some really liked, some Really disliked -- so be prepared for either reaction.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"Hot Pursuit"
Critics torched this crime comedy, but you can judge for yourself. Reese Witherspoon plays a by-the-book cop trying to protect Sofia Vergara's drug lord wife as they race through Texas. The Blu-ray featurettes may actually be better than the movie. There's "The Womance," showing Reese and Sofia's on-set antics; "Say What?" where Reese and Sofia try to speak the other's language; "Action Like a Lady," where they show the making of all the stunts; and an alternate ending. The DVD just has "The Womance."
"Unfriended"
During their usual group video chat, high school friends are terrorized by an unseen figure in this horror thriller. It pretty much polarized critics -- some really liked, some Really disliked -- so be prepared for either reaction.
- 8/10/2015
- by Gina Carbone
- Moviefone
In the cheerfully caustic comic odyssey Fort Tilden, two privileged, 20-something Williamsburg slackers, Harper (Bridey Elliott) and Allie (Clare McNulty), decide they deserve a day off from doing nothing and head across Brooklyn in their rompers on bikes to the beach at Fort Tilden, where they plan to meet up with cute guys (Jeffrey Scaperrotta and Griffin Newman) they chatted with at a rooftop concert and take molly and get laid. The movie is broad and mean and for a while very funny, but even when it goes sour — when the world slaps them in the face for their sins — it doesn’t lose its momentum.Directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers keep the timing brisk and have the taste to make even their whiniest, silliest characters deliciously whiny and silly. I loved the toxically dweebish neighbor (Neil Casey), the dealer–cult figure of Prospect Park (Peter Vack), the pair...
- 8/7/2015
- by David Edelstein
- Vulture
Read More: SXSW Review: Why 'Fort Tilden,' A Satire of Privileged Young Brooklynites, Won the Grand Jury Prize Indiewire's Springboard column profiles up-and-comers in the film industry worthy of your attention. You're going to have an opinion about Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers' "Fort Tilden" or, at least, that's how the SXSW winner is being marketed to movie-goers. The purposely uncomfortable comedy won the Narrative Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2014 and is finally getting a theatrical and VOD release later this summer. Written and directed by former Nyu classmates Bliss and Rogers, the feature follows best pals Allie (Clare McNulty) and Harper (Bridey Elliott) as they attempt to venture across Brooklyn to Fort Tilden beach to hang out with some hot dudes they're interested in getting to know better (yes, in a Biblical sense). Their quest is complicated by a number of problems, from their almost...
- 7/31/2015
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Read More: Orion Releasing Acquires SXSW 2014 Award Winner 'Fort Tilden' It's been more than a year since it snagged the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, but Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers' millennial indie "Fort Tilden" is finally gearing up for a theatrical release. "Fort Tilden" drew passionate responses from critics for its distinct humor and worldview, and fared well on the festival circuit last year, with an additional prize-winning run at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, but it was only in March that Orion Releasing acquired distribution rights to the film, which is now set for an August release. The official synopsis reads as follows: "Amidst quarter-life crises, Allie struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun responsibilities for the day when a pair of good-looking...
- 7/14/2015
- by David Canfield
- Indiewire
In order to carve out a niche for themselves and forge an identity independent of Sundance, the SXSW Film Festival championed a lot of micro-indies and low-budget films that defined the “mumblecore” scene. After some years, some argued the quality of the films wasn’t very strong, but the press was good enough for SXSW to keep embracing some dynamic, but sometimes questionable and unpolished work. This came to a head at SXSW 2014, where Grand Jury Award prizewinner “Fort Tilden” extremely divided critics into a fairly binary love or hate camp with the hate side being rather vituperative. Read More: 2014 SXSW Film Festival Winners Include 'Fort Tilden,' 'The Great Invisible,' 'True Detective' & More But a year after its worldwide debut in Austin, “Fort Tilden” is finally here and non-festival audiences can judge for themselves. Directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers “Fort Tilden” focuses on the...
- 7/14/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Transparency is the new black. Some directors know that their film set is going to get crammed up the wazoo by paparazzi, so maybe the best way to control the narrative is write it yourself. Paul Feig has been rather busy showing off his “Ghostbusters.” He’s revealed the new Ecto-1 car, the proton packs and today as Comic-Con kicks into full swing, Feig has unveiled the first official shot of the cast in their “Ghostbusters” garb. “Ghostbusters” of course stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. And you might have heard that the cast has been recently rounded out by Chris Hemsworth, Andy Garcia, Michael Kenneth Williams, and "Fort Tilden" actor Neil Casey. “Ghostbusters” arrives in theater July 22, 2016. Check out the new photo and recent tweets below. #whoyougonnacall pic.twitter.com/hnrSjhCqSl — Paul Feig (@paulfeig) July 10, 2015 #whattheygonnadrive pic.twitter.com/bBLEhrfTEQ — Paul Feig (@paulfeig) July 8, 2015 ...
- 7/10/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
The leads are set, the supporting cast is rounding itself out, and now Paul Feig's female reinterpretation of Ghostbusters just found its villain through "SNL" writer Neil Casey. Casey becomes the fifth comedian from the late-night program involved in this re-imagining, behind leads Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, alum Kristen Wiig and supporting player Cecily Strong. He also joins other lead Melissa McCarthy and fellow supporting members Andy Garcia, Michael K. Williams and Chris Hemsworth in the July 22, 2016-set comedy, currently in production in New York City. In addition to writing for Lorne Michaels' show, Casey also dabbled his pen in "The Kroll Show" and "Inside Amy Schumer." As an actor he's performed in number of projects, including Feig's Yahoo series "Other Space," in addition to appearances on "Veep," "Broad City," and "The League." This is not only the first studio movie he'll ever do, but will only be...
- 7/7/2015
- by Will Ashton
- Rope of Silicon
As well as Andy Garcia and Michael K Williams, Neil Casey has now joined Ghostbusters as its lead villain...
Update
Here's a further piece of Ghostbusters casting news to add to the story below. Paul Feig's movie has cast Neil Casey as its lead villain, reports Deadline. Casey is a writer and actor who's worked on Saturday Night Live, and his acting work includes Veep and Fort Tilden. He's also appeared in Paul Feig's Yahoo series, Other Space.
In fact, here he is in that very show...
Casey will be playing a character called Rowan, but that's all we know about him for the time being. More as we hear it.
Our story from yesterday, regarding the casting of Andy Garcia and Michael K Williams, follows right here...
Production continues on Paul Feig's new take on Ghostbusters, which is being headlined by Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig.
Update
Here's a further piece of Ghostbusters casting news to add to the story below. Paul Feig's movie has cast Neil Casey as its lead villain, reports Deadline. Casey is a writer and actor who's worked on Saturday Night Live, and his acting work includes Veep and Fort Tilden. He's also appeared in Paul Feig's Yahoo series, Other Space.
In fact, here he is in that very show...
Casey will be playing a character called Rowan, but that's all we know about him for the time being. More as we hear it.
Our story from yesterday, regarding the casting of Andy Garcia and Michael K Williams, follows right here...
Production continues on Paul Feig's new take on Ghostbusters, which is being headlined by Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig.
- 7/7/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
We're entering the dog days of summer -- the perfect time to binge-watch some new TV shows and movies on Amazon. You can do it outside, if you want, to not feel so guilty. But why feel guilty about streaming all eight seasons of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"? It's pretty, pretty good. You can also buy movies like the amazing "Mad Max: Fury Road," which hits Amazon Instant Video on August 11.
Amazon just issued its list of new titles available for streaming on Prime and available for purchase through Amazon Instant Video. (If you missed the July titles, here they are.) So check out all the August additions below.
New in August - Available for Streaming on Prime
TV
Olympus Season 1 -- 8/1/2015
Curb Your Enthusiasm- Complete Series -- tbd
Wishenpoof - Original -- tbd
Movies
The Patriot -- 8/1/2015
The Longest Day -- 8/1/2015
Unforgiven -- 8/1/2015
The Legend of Longwood --...
Amazon just issued its list of new titles available for streaming on Prime and available for purchase through Amazon Instant Video. (If you missed the July titles, here they are.) So check out all the August additions below.
New in August - Available for Streaming on Prime
TV
Olympus Season 1 -- 8/1/2015
Curb Your Enthusiasm- Complete Series -- tbd
Wishenpoof - Original -- tbd
Movies
The Patriot -- 8/1/2015
The Longest Day -- 8/1/2015
Unforgiven -- 8/1/2015
The Legend of Longwood --...
- 7/6/2015
- by Gina Carbone
- Moviefone
Read More: SXSW Review: Why 'Fort Tilden,' A Satire of Privileged Young Brooklynites, Won the Grand Jury Prize After winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, "Fort Tilden" is finally getting ready to premiere in theaters this summer. The comedy stars Clare McNulty and Bridey Elliott as Allie and Harper, two millennials struggling with their quarter-life crises, who decide to blow off their responsibilities for the day to go to a secluded beach with two guys. Throughout the film, Allie procrastinates preparing to join the Peace Corps and Harper waits for money from her father to pursue her unclear artistic dreams, all while facing new challenges along the way. The film will be released in New York on August 14 and in Los Angeles in mid-August, with a national release to follow. Check out the bright, angsty poster for "Fort Tilden" above.
- 6/29/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
Jan Miller is a connector – and she loves doing it! Supporting producers around the world is in her DNA. After she invited us to speak at the second Strategic Partners in Halifax, (which she created and directed for 15 years), we would then meet Jan regularly in Cuba, Berlin and Cannes where she is a regular moderator at the Producers’ Network Breakfasts. Cartegena was also on her regular beat. She is in demand everywhere as a trainer for directors, writers and producers of pitching and content development as well as an international consultant, from regular events like Poland’s ScriptEast, to Guangzhou, Manaus, Capetown, Glasgow, Yellowknife and most recently, Tehran to name just a few of the more exotic locales.
After bringing the stars in alignment to launch Canada’s first national film school, the National Screen Institute and its highly regarded Features First and Drama Prize programs almost three decades ago, Jan moved from Canada’s west to the east coast where she launched Strategic Partners, Canada’s premiere international co-production market.
In Sp’s 10th year, Jan was approached by Nadja Radojevic of the The Erich Pommer Institut – Epi to partner on a brand new training concept Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap) where Jan Miller serves as its Head of Studies. Together they have developed the program in to one-of-a-kind training that brings together experienced producers from Europe, Canada and the U.S. with a team of Experts, to develop projects for international co-production and co-venturing. Tap is co-presented by the Erich Pommer Institut and the Canadian Media Production Association – Cmpa. Industry partners are Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund.
Always responding to the industry, Tap began with only European and Canadian involvement but both Nadja and Jan realized bringing U.S. indie producers into the mix would take the program to a whole other level. Each year, three additional producers from beyond these three ‘regions’ are also selected to participate in this two-module program.
The Tap 2015 line-up includes producers from India, Australia and Mexico. And now in its 7th year, Tap, responding to the industry needs, has opened its program to independent producers with international television series projects in development as well.
This year’s expert line-up of award winning producers include Belladonna’s René Bastian of Belladonna Productions whose film “ Cold in July” is directed by Jim Mickie, and whose newest film “Live Cargo” was presented at Ifp’s No Borders and Us in Progress this past month, K5’s Oliver Simon, Dynamic Television’s Klaus Zimmermann (“100 Code”, “Borgia”, “Death In Paradise”, “The Transporter”), international television consultant Lorri Faughan (“Pillars Of The Earth”), and Buffalo Gal’s Phyllis Laing, (“Aloft”, “Keyhole”, Heaven is for Real”) of Buffalo Gal Pictures, Canada, who was herself a Tap’er in its very first year.
Jan says that they often draw on previous Tap producer talent to come back as resources as so many have remarkable track records.
The Erich Pommer Institut of Germany is a leading training provider in the European media industry dealing with cutting-edge legal and economic topics. Nadja Radojevic, has recently moved into the CEO and Director of Training.
Epi was founded in 1998. Erich Pommer himself was the producer of “Metropolis” and “The Blue Angel”. He left Germany in the war and his grandson, Erich Pommer is a Los Angeles entertainment attorney. The Institute’s core business is advanced professional training in film and media. Aside from Trans Atlantic Partners which is held in Berlin in June and in Halifax in September post Tiff, Epi hosts a European TV Drama Series Lab following the American model with top showrunners and Scandinavian trainers. Now in its fourth edition - former editions featured Showrunners James Manos (“Sopranos”), Carol Flint (“West Wing”, “Emergency Room”), Frank Spotnitz (“The X-Files”), Simon Mirren (“Criminal Minds”) and Glen Mazzara of “Walking Dead” – David Semel, Executive Producer “Madam Secretary”, Co-Executive Producer “House MD” and Director of “The Man in the High Castle”, “Hannibal”, Hemlock Grove”, “Homeland”, “Heroes”will be trainer amongst others.
Epi also hosts Essential Legal Framework, a program consisting of three independent workshops for European professionals on negotiating, European coproduction and digital strategies. A national section for German speakers only, runs four hours a day with 20-30 seminars per year. Its focus is on media law and deals with television, film production, labor and tax revisions which – one of their best-selling seminars as there have recently been quite a lot of changes in tax law in Germany. Classes in film financing and film funding are also popular.
There is also a Copyright Policy Congress, Writers Room Simulation and other conventions featuring various current topics relevant to the media industry. In fall Epi is pioneering with Epi e:training starting with a course on European Co-Production. Epi e:training is offering crucial knowledge and business insights by top-level experts online – at your own pace and wherever and whenever you want. “We developed the online training program according to the demands of today’s media industry. It offers more flexibility and adapts to individual preferences," comments Nadja Radojevic. Epi is located at the historic Babelsberg Studios and can be found at www.epi-medieninstitut.de
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap) is designed for experienced film and television producers from Europe, Canada and the U.S. including 3 additional seats for International producers. The 24 Tap 2015 producers below were selected by the Erich Pommer Institut (Epi) (Germany) and the Canadian Media Production Association (Cmpa) (Canada).
European Producers
-Simon Amberger, Germany (Producer, "Eastalgia", Molodist Int. Ff 2012, Tallinn Int. Ff 2013 | Producer, Blockbustaz, 2014, Winner ZDFneo TV Lab 2014 | Producer, Ada, 2014)
-Sebastien Aubert, France ("Patardzlebi" (Brides), 2014, Berlinale 2014, 3rd Audience Award)
-Rudolf Biermann, Czech Republic (Producer, "Kawasaki's Rose," 2009, Berlinale 2010, Ecumenical Award Panorama Section, Czech Lion 2010 | Executive Producer, "I Served the King of England," 2006, Berlinale 2006, Fipresci Critics Award | Producer, "Garden," 1995, Karlovy Vary Iff 1995, Jury Award)
-Jacqueline de Goeij, Belgium (Producer, "Allez, Eddy!," 2012, Chemnitz Ff, Main Prize & Diamant Award For Most Convincing Acting Performance Of A Child, Palm Springs Best of the Fest Selection | Producer, "Zus & Zo," 2002, Academy Awards, Nominee Best Foreign Language Film, Dutch Ff, Golden Calf Best Actor)
-Sylvia Günthner, Germany (Producer, "Bela Kiss: Prologue," 2013, Twisted Celluloid Ff Ireland 2013, Audi Festival of German Films Australia 2014)
-Martin Heisler, Germany (Producer, "Houston," 2013, Sundance Ff 2013, Independent Ff Boston 2013, Special Prize of the Jury | Producer "Forget Me Not," 2012, Ff Locarno, Settima Della Critica 2012, Best film | Producer "David Wants to Fly," 2010, Berlinale 2010)
-Rachel Lysaght, Ireland (Producer, "Patrick's Day," 2015, Ifta 2014, Best Script, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Sound | Producer, "One Million Dubliners," 2014, TV Award Sandford Saint Martin Trust, UK, Irish Ff Boston 2015, Director's Choice, Galway Film Fleadh Ireland 2014, Best Feature Documentary)
-Christof Neracher, Switzerland (Producer, "War" (Chrieg), 2014, San Sebastian Ff 2014, Max Ophüls 2014, Max Ophüls Prize | Producer Vitus, 2006, Shortlist Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film 2006, Berlinale 2006, AFI Fest 2006, Audience Award)
-Diarmid Scrimshaw, UK (Producer / Production Co., "Tyrannosaur," 2012, Sundance 2011, Best Director, Satellite Awards 2011, Best First Feature)
Canadian Producers
-Coral Aiken, Canada (Producer, Big Muddy, 2014, Toronto Iff 2014, Arizona Iff 2015 | Producer, "The People Garden")
-Patrick Banister, Canada (Executive Producer, "Bitten," 2014 | Executive Producer, "Whistler," 2006)
-John Barbisan, Canada (Executive Producer, "Bitten," 2014 | Executive Producer, "Whistler," 2006)
-Amy Belling, Canada (Producer / DoP / Cam Op / Post Supervisor, Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, 2014, Toronto Iff 2014, Santa Barbara Iff 2015 | Producer / DoP / Cam Op / Post Super, Stress Position, 2013, Sci Fi London 2013, Las Vegas Ff 2013, Best Cinematography / Best Supporting Actor)
-Isaac Clements, Canada (Senior Production Executive, "The Pinkertons," 2014-15 | Production Executive, "Sunnyside,"2014-15 | Associate Producer, "Silent Night," 2012)
-Jeff Kopas, Canada (Producer / Director / Writer, "An Insignificant Harvey," 2011, Busan Iff 2012, Audience Award)
-Linda Ludwick, Canada (Exec. Producer/Producer: "Mohawk Girls Season 2," 2014, Yorkton Ff 2015, Banff Media Festival 2015 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Smoke Traders," 2012, Yorkton Ff 2013 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Reel Injun," 2009, 3 Gemini awards 2010 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Moose TV," 2006, "Cfpta" 2008)
-Robyn Wiener, Canada (Producer, "Numb," 2015 | Producer, "Black Fly," 2014, Viff 2014 , Marché du Film Telefilm Perspective Canada Cannes 2015| Co-Producer / Line Producer, "Lawrence & Holoman," 2013, "Viff" 2013, Best Director | Co-Producer / Line Producer, "American Mary," 2012, London Fright Ff 2012)
American Producers
-Mollye Asher, USA (Producer, "Fort Tilden," 2015, SXSW 2014 Grand Jury Prize | Producer, "She's Lost Control," Independent Spirit Award Nominee 2015, Berlinale 2014 | Producer, "Songs My Brother Taught Me," 2015, Sundance 2015, Cannes 2015)
-Diane Houslin, USA (Producer, "Yelling to the Sky," 2011)
-Tommy Oliver, USA (Producer, 1982, 2015, Toronto Ff 2013, Austin Ff 2013, Marquee Audience Award | Producer, "The Perfect Guy," 2015 | Producer, "Kinyarwanda," 2011, Sundance Ff 2011, World Audience Award, AFI Fest 2011, Audience Award)
-Riel Roch Decter, USA (Producer, "The Wait," 2014, South by Southwest 2013, Deauville 2013 | Producer, "Bottled Up," 2014, Tribeca Film Festival 2013 | Producer, "Life After Death from Above 1979," 2014.
International Producers
-Vivek Kajaria, India (Producer, "Fandry," 2014, Indian Ff of La 2014, Grand Jury Prize Best Film, Fipresci India 2014, Film Critic Award Best Indian Film 2013 | Presenter, "Anumati," 2013, National Film Award for Best Actor 2013, New York Indian Ff 2013, Best Film Award | Producer, "Siddhant," 2015, Mumbai 2014)
-Ozcar Ramirez Gonzalez, Mexico (Producer, "Ciclo," 2013, DocsDF 2012, Vancouver Latino Iff 2013, Audience Award | Producer, "The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man," 2013, Tokyo Iff 2011, La Iff 2012 | Producer, "Days of Grace," 2012, Cannes Iff 2011, Guadalajara Iff 2012, Best Director, Best Score, Press Award)
-Lisa Shaunessy, Australia (Executive Producer, "Killing Ground," 2016 | Co-Producer, "Black & White & Sex," 2012, Iff Rotterdam 2012, Sydney Ff 2011, Best Experimental Film | Producer, "Hipsters," Sbs Australia, 2015)
Who is Jan Miller and how did she arrange such an organization?
It’s in Jan’s nature to look for opportunities to support the individual filmmaker, her local industry and work internationally as well. Most recently Jan served as an international consultant for the Canadian Media Production Association helping to develop their international strategy and contributing to Cmpa led delegations to Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. In March she led a delegation of 18 production companies to the Hk Filmart for Creative BC and Cmpa BC.
Jan divides her time on Tap, on international contracts, on teaching and on Wift-at.
How do you see the place of women in the film industry?
Recognizing that there was a real need in Atlantic Canada for women to come together and support, celebrate and learn from each other in the industry, I started Women in Film and Television - Atlantic which I headed up as Founding Chair and architect for six years. During this time I was working with a remarkable team to launch Women Making Waves an annual Conference that brings in the best female talent to offer master classes, panels, conversations and networking opportunities to men and women in the industry. I continue as one of the organization’s primary resources and mentors. And most recently, strongly believing that women in the industry need to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills and business strategies, I worked with Mount Saint Vincent University’s Centre for Women in Business, to launch Wift-at’s first six month Advanced Management and Mentoring Program.
Can you explain your connection to the music business?
Close to a decade ago, I was approached by Canada’s vibrant east coast music industry to adapt my pitching workshop into a program that has become “export readiness for the music industry”... During this intensive workshop I work with artists, bands and managers to develop their communication and pitch skills to present their work to international music supervisors, festival programrs and tour managers in 1-2-1 meetings. It was a very steep learning curve, but I loved the challenge of redesigning her training to fit a new market.
Can you explain your connection to romance writers?
When the Music Export Readiness workshops took off, other disciplines began approaching me to ask if I could adapt her teaching for a workshop for Romance Writers wanting to pitch to potential film and TV producers and then theatre practitioners wanting to pitch their properties internationally. My un-designed career path came full circle!
How did you come into the film world?
I first came into the entertainment industry through my theatre troupe that performed clown and mask shows internationally for 10 years as one of Canada’s cultural calling cards. During this period I successfully auditioned for a short film and the seed was planted …
What do you do in Nova Scotia? (or What did you do?)
Amazingly I call home Nova Scotia. Living 40 feet from the ocean, I connect daily to the world and travel the world almost as often. I am an international resource for the local industry and mentor talent both for the short term and long term as the demand requires. My husband and I also breed standard poodles!
How would you sum up your “portfolio”?
I am an initiator, a passionate connector devoted to helping people do what they want to do well.
After bringing the stars in alignment to launch Canada’s first national film school, the National Screen Institute and its highly regarded Features First and Drama Prize programs almost three decades ago, Jan moved from Canada’s west to the east coast where she launched Strategic Partners, Canada’s premiere international co-production market.
In Sp’s 10th year, Jan was approached by Nadja Radojevic of the The Erich Pommer Institut – Epi to partner on a brand new training concept Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap) where Jan Miller serves as its Head of Studies. Together they have developed the program in to one-of-a-kind training that brings together experienced producers from Europe, Canada and the U.S. with a team of Experts, to develop projects for international co-production and co-venturing. Tap is co-presented by the Erich Pommer Institut and the Canadian Media Production Association – Cmpa. Industry partners are Telefilm Canada and Canada Media Fund.
Always responding to the industry, Tap began with only European and Canadian involvement but both Nadja and Jan realized bringing U.S. indie producers into the mix would take the program to a whole other level. Each year, three additional producers from beyond these three ‘regions’ are also selected to participate in this two-module program.
The Tap 2015 line-up includes producers from India, Australia and Mexico. And now in its 7th year, Tap, responding to the industry needs, has opened its program to independent producers with international television series projects in development as well.
This year’s expert line-up of award winning producers include Belladonna’s René Bastian of Belladonna Productions whose film “ Cold in July” is directed by Jim Mickie, and whose newest film “Live Cargo” was presented at Ifp’s No Borders and Us in Progress this past month, K5’s Oliver Simon, Dynamic Television’s Klaus Zimmermann (“100 Code”, “Borgia”, “Death In Paradise”, “The Transporter”), international television consultant Lorri Faughan (“Pillars Of The Earth”), and Buffalo Gal’s Phyllis Laing, (“Aloft”, “Keyhole”, Heaven is for Real”) of Buffalo Gal Pictures, Canada, who was herself a Tap’er in its very first year.
Jan says that they often draw on previous Tap producer talent to come back as resources as so many have remarkable track records.
The Erich Pommer Institut of Germany is a leading training provider in the European media industry dealing with cutting-edge legal and economic topics. Nadja Radojevic, has recently moved into the CEO and Director of Training.
Epi was founded in 1998. Erich Pommer himself was the producer of “Metropolis” and “The Blue Angel”. He left Germany in the war and his grandson, Erich Pommer is a Los Angeles entertainment attorney. The Institute’s core business is advanced professional training in film and media. Aside from Trans Atlantic Partners which is held in Berlin in June and in Halifax in September post Tiff, Epi hosts a European TV Drama Series Lab following the American model with top showrunners and Scandinavian trainers. Now in its fourth edition - former editions featured Showrunners James Manos (“Sopranos”), Carol Flint (“West Wing”, “Emergency Room”), Frank Spotnitz (“The X-Files”), Simon Mirren (“Criminal Minds”) and Glen Mazzara of “Walking Dead” – David Semel, Executive Producer “Madam Secretary”, Co-Executive Producer “House MD” and Director of “The Man in the High Castle”, “Hannibal”, Hemlock Grove”, “Homeland”, “Heroes”will be trainer amongst others.
Epi also hosts Essential Legal Framework, a program consisting of three independent workshops for European professionals on negotiating, European coproduction and digital strategies. A national section for German speakers only, runs four hours a day with 20-30 seminars per year. Its focus is on media law and deals with television, film production, labor and tax revisions which – one of their best-selling seminars as there have recently been quite a lot of changes in tax law in Germany. Classes in film financing and film funding are also popular.
There is also a Copyright Policy Congress, Writers Room Simulation and other conventions featuring various current topics relevant to the media industry. In fall Epi is pioneering with Epi e:training starting with a course on European Co-Production. Epi e:training is offering crucial knowledge and business insights by top-level experts online – at your own pace and wherever and whenever you want. “We developed the online training program according to the demands of today’s media industry. It offers more flexibility and adapts to individual preferences," comments Nadja Radojevic. Epi is located at the historic Babelsberg Studios and can be found at www.epi-medieninstitut.de
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap) is designed for experienced film and television producers from Europe, Canada and the U.S. including 3 additional seats for International producers. The 24 Tap 2015 producers below were selected by the Erich Pommer Institut (Epi) (Germany) and the Canadian Media Production Association (Cmpa) (Canada).
European Producers
-Simon Amberger, Germany (Producer, "Eastalgia", Molodist Int. Ff 2012, Tallinn Int. Ff 2013 | Producer, Blockbustaz, 2014, Winner ZDFneo TV Lab 2014 | Producer, Ada, 2014)
-Sebastien Aubert, France ("Patardzlebi" (Brides), 2014, Berlinale 2014, 3rd Audience Award)
-Rudolf Biermann, Czech Republic (Producer, "Kawasaki's Rose," 2009, Berlinale 2010, Ecumenical Award Panorama Section, Czech Lion 2010 | Executive Producer, "I Served the King of England," 2006, Berlinale 2006, Fipresci Critics Award | Producer, "Garden," 1995, Karlovy Vary Iff 1995, Jury Award)
-Jacqueline de Goeij, Belgium (Producer, "Allez, Eddy!," 2012, Chemnitz Ff, Main Prize & Diamant Award For Most Convincing Acting Performance Of A Child, Palm Springs Best of the Fest Selection | Producer, "Zus & Zo," 2002, Academy Awards, Nominee Best Foreign Language Film, Dutch Ff, Golden Calf Best Actor)
-Sylvia Günthner, Germany (Producer, "Bela Kiss: Prologue," 2013, Twisted Celluloid Ff Ireland 2013, Audi Festival of German Films Australia 2014)
-Martin Heisler, Germany (Producer, "Houston," 2013, Sundance Ff 2013, Independent Ff Boston 2013, Special Prize of the Jury | Producer "Forget Me Not," 2012, Ff Locarno, Settima Della Critica 2012, Best film | Producer "David Wants to Fly," 2010, Berlinale 2010)
-Rachel Lysaght, Ireland (Producer, "Patrick's Day," 2015, Ifta 2014, Best Script, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Sound | Producer, "One Million Dubliners," 2014, TV Award Sandford Saint Martin Trust, UK, Irish Ff Boston 2015, Director's Choice, Galway Film Fleadh Ireland 2014, Best Feature Documentary)
-Christof Neracher, Switzerland (Producer, "War" (Chrieg), 2014, San Sebastian Ff 2014, Max Ophüls 2014, Max Ophüls Prize | Producer Vitus, 2006, Shortlist Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film 2006, Berlinale 2006, AFI Fest 2006, Audience Award)
-Diarmid Scrimshaw, UK (Producer / Production Co., "Tyrannosaur," 2012, Sundance 2011, Best Director, Satellite Awards 2011, Best First Feature)
Canadian Producers
-Coral Aiken, Canada (Producer, Big Muddy, 2014, Toronto Iff 2014, Arizona Iff 2015 | Producer, "The People Garden")
-Patrick Banister, Canada (Executive Producer, "Bitten," 2014 | Executive Producer, "Whistler," 2006)
-John Barbisan, Canada (Executive Producer, "Bitten," 2014 | Executive Producer, "Whistler," 2006)
-Amy Belling, Canada (Producer / DoP / Cam Op / Post Supervisor, Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, 2014, Toronto Iff 2014, Santa Barbara Iff 2015 | Producer / DoP / Cam Op / Post Super, Stress Position, 2013, Sci Fi London 2013, Las Vegas Ff 2013, Best Cinematography / Best Supporting Actor)
-Isaac Clements, Canada (Senior Production Executive, "The Pinkertons," 2014-15 | Production Executive, "Sunnyside,"2014-15 | Associate Producer, "Silent Night," 2012)
-Jeff Kopas, Canada (Producer / Director / Writer, "An Insignificant Harvey," 2011, Busan Iff 2012, Audience Award)
-Linda Ludwick, Canada (Exec. Producer/Producer: "Mohawk Girls Season 2," 2014, Yorkton Ff 2015, Banff Media Festival 2015 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Smoke Traders," 2012, Yorkton Ff 2013 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Reel Injun," 2009, 3 Gemini awards 2010 | Exec. Producer/Producer, "Moose TV," 2006, "Cfpta" 2008)
-Robyn Wiener, Canada (Producer, "Numb," 2015 | Producer, "Black Fly," 2014, Viff 2014 , Marché du Film Telefilm Perspective Canada Cannes 2015| Co-Producer / Line Producer, "Lawrence & Holoman," 2013, "Viff" 2013, Best Director | Co-Producer / Line Producer, "American Mary," 2012, London Fright Ff 2012)
American Producers
-Mollye Asher, USA (Producer, "Fort Tilden," 2015, SXSW 2014 Grand Jury Prize | Producer, "She's Lost Control," Independent Spirit Award Nominee 2015, Berlinale 2014 | Producer, "Songs My Brother Taught Me," 2015, Sundance 2015, Cannes 2015)
-Diane Houslin, USA (Producer, "Yelling to the Sky," 2011)
-Tommy Oliver, USA (Producer, 1982, 2015, Toronto Ff 2013, Austin Ff 2013, Marquee Audience Award | Producer, "The Perfect Guy," 2015 | Producer, "Kinyarwanda," 2011, Sundance Ff 2011, World Audience Award, AFI Fest 2011, Audience Award)
-Riel Roch Decter, USA (Producer, "The Wait," 2014, South by Southwest 2013, Deauville 2013 | Producer, "Bottled Up," 2014, Tribeca Film Festival 2013 | Producer, "Life After Death from Above 1979," 2014.
International Producers
-Vivek Kajaria, India (Producer, "Fandry," 2014, Indian Ff of La 2014, Grand Jury Prize Best Film, Fipresci India 2014, Film Critic Award Best Indian Film 2013 | Presenter, "Anumati," 2013, National Film Award for Best Actor 2013, New York Indian Ff 2013, Best Film Award | Producer, "Siddhant," 2015, Mumbai 2014)
-Ozcar Ramirez Gonzalez, Mexico (Producer, "Ciclo," 2013, DocsDF 2012, Vancouver Latino Iff 2013, Audience Award | Producer, "The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man," 2013, Tokyo Iff 2011, La Iff 2012 | Producer, "Days of Grace," 2012, Cannes Iff 2011, Guadalajara Iff 2012, Best Director, Best Score, Press Award)
-Lisa Shaunessy, Australia (Executive Producer, "Killing Ground," 2016 | Co-Producer, "Black & White & Sex," 2012, Iff Rotterdam 2012, Sydney Ff 2011, Best Experimental Film | Producer, "Hipsters," Sbs Australia, 2015)
Who is Jan Miller and how did she arrange such an organization?
It’s in Jan’s nature to look for opportunities to support the individual filmmaker, her local industry and work internationally as well. Most recently Jan served as an international consultant for the Canadian Media Production Association helping to develop their international strategy and contributing to Cmpa led delegations to Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. In March she led a delegation of 18 production companies to the Hk Filmart for Creative BC and Cmpa BC.
Jan divides her time on Tap, on international contracts, on teaching and on Wift-at.
How do you see the place of women in the film industry?
Recognizing that there was a real need in Atlantic Canada for women to come together and support, celebrate and learn from each other in the industry, I started Women in Film and Television - Atlantic which I headed up as Founding Chair and architect for six years. During this time I was working with a remarkable team to launch Women Making Waves an annual Conference that brings in the best female talent to offer master classes, panels, conversations and networking opportunities to men and women in the industry. I continue as one of the organization’s primary resources and mentors. And most recently, strongly believing that women in the industry need to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills and business strategies, I worked with Mount Saint Vincent University’s Centre for Women in Business, to launch Wift-at’s first six month Advanced Management and Mentoring Program.
Can you explain your connection to the music business?
Close to a decade ago, I was approached by Canada’s vibrant east coast music industry to adapt my pitching workshop into a program that has become “export readiness for the music industry”... During this intensive workshop I work with artists, bands and managers to develop their communication and pitch skills to present their work to international music supervisors, festival programrs and tour managers in 1-2-1 meetings. It was a very steep learning curve, but I loved the challenge of redesigning her training to fit a new market.
Can you explain your connection to romance writers?
When the Music Export Readiness workshops took off, other disciplines began approaching me to ask if I could adapt her teaching for a workshop for Romance Writers wanting to pitch to potential film and TV producers and then theatre practitioners wanting to pitch their properties internationally. My un-designed career path came full circle!
How did you come into the film world?
I first came into the entertainment industry through my theatre troupe that performed clown and mask shows internationally for 10 years as one of Canada’s cultural calling cards. During this period I successfully auditioned for a short film and the seed was planted …
What do you do in Nova Scotia? (or What did you do?)
Amazingly I call home Nova Scotia. Living 40 feet from the ocean, I connect daily to the world and travel the world almost as often. I am an international resource for the local industry and mentor talent both for the short term and long term as the demand requires. My husband and I also breed standard poodles!
How would you sum up your “portfolio”?
I am an initiator, a passionate connector devoted to helping people do what they want to do well.
- 6/22/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Read More: Orion Releasing Acquires SXSW 2014 Award Winner 'Fort Tilden' Sam Friedlander’s feature film directorial debut "Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant" has been acquired by Orion Releasing, a company focused on multi-platform releases via specialized theatrical runs and premium video on demand services, and Latin American distribution through MGM. Directed by Sam Friedlander and written by Mike Sikowitz, the comedy tells the story of Larry Gaye, a rebellious ladies man who is forced to spring into action when his airline tries to replace human flight attendants with robots. Expert flight attendant Larry has to battle a FlightPal200 (Romijn) to prove why human customer service can never be replicated properly by robots. "Larry Gaye" stars Mark Feuerstein ("Royal Pains") as Larry, and features a stellar ensemble cast including Danny Pudi, Jayma Mays, Rebecca Romijn, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Ian Gomez, Henry...
- 5/7/2015
- by Anya Jaremko-Greenwold
- Indiewire
Read More: Orion Releasing Acquires SXSW 2014 Award Winner 'Fort Tilden' Arc Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to the civil war drama "Echoes of War." Directed and co-written by Kane Senes, the Texas-set film follows recently widowed Wade Riley (James Badge Dale) returning home from fighting for the Confederacy only to find another conflict waiting for him. "We are proud to release this powerful film and distribute 'Echoes of War' across all platforms," Arc Entertainment's Head of Acquisitions, Scott Moesta. "The cast delivers a powerful performance shedding the truths and hardships of war." Arc Entertainment will release the western thriller in theaters and on demand May 15. Read More: Alchemy Acquires North American Rights To 'Moonwalkers' at SXSW...
- 3/19/2015
- by David Ballard
- Indiewire
Emblematic of the protracted journey that its clueless protagonists embark on, almost 365 days since it premiered, Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers’ SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner will have travelled far and wide until finally landing a suitor. Starring Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty, IndieWIRE reports that Fort Tilden will receive a theatrical/multi-platform/VOD release this August via the relaunched Orion Releasing label.
Gist: Fort Tilden: New York City’s secluded seaside nirvana where, like flies to honey, Brooklyn’s hip millennial set flocks on sweltering weekend afternoons for unbridled summertime indulgence. Amidst the vexing stagnation of quarter-life crises, Allie (McNulty) struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper (Elliott) awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun responsibilities for the day when a pair of good-looking guys invites them along for a carefree Fort Tilden afternoon.
Worth Noting: Look...
Gist: Fort Tilden: New York City’s secluded seaside nirvana where, like flies to honey, Brooklyn’s hip millennial set flocks on sweltering weekend afternoons for unbridled summertime indulgence. Amidst the vexing stagnation of quarter-life crises, Allie (McNulty) struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper (Elliott) awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun responsibilities for the day when a pair of good-looking guys invites them along for a carefree Fort Tilden afternoon.
Worth Noting: Look...
- 3/19/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Orion Releasing has picked up U.S. and Latin America distribution rights to SXSW’s 2014 Grand Jury Prize winner for Best Narrative Film “Fort Tilden,” the company announced Wednesday. Written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the day-in-the-life comedy follows two slacker Brooklynites (played by Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty) experiencing mishap after mishap on a journey to the beach. The film will be released theatrically and on VOD in August 2015. Also Read: SXSW Party Report in Pictures: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, Ronda Rousey, Ryan Gosling (Photos) “Fort Tilden” was produced by Mollye Asher and Geoff Mansfield and executive producers.
- 3/19/2015
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Comedy will be released theatrically and on VoD in August.
Orion Releasing has acquired Us and Latin American distribution rights to SXSW 2014 Grand Jury winner Fort Tilden.
Written and directed Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the comedy stars Bridley Elliott and Clare McNulty as slacker Brooklynites who experience mishap after mishap on a journey to the beach.
The film will be released theatrically and on VoD in August.
Josh Braun from Submarine negotiated the deal with Orion on behalf of the film-makers.
Fort Tilden was produced by Mollye Asher and Geoff Mansfield and executive producers Ariana Ciri Bernstein and Zach Gerbarg.
Bliss and Rogers have since signed on to write for Netflix’s upcoming series Wet Hot American Summer.
Orion Releasing has acquired Us and Latin American distribution rights to SXSW 2014 Grand Jury winner Fort Tilden.
Written and directed Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the comedy stars Bridley Elliott and Clare McNulty as slacker Brooklynites who experience mishap after mishap on a journey to the beach.
The film will be released theatrically and on VoD in August.
Josh Braun from Submarine negotiated the deal with Orion on behalf of the film-makers.
Fort Tilden was produced by Mollye Asher and Geoff Mansfield and executive producers Ariana Ciri Bernstein and Zach Gerbarg.
Bliss and Rogers have since signed on to write for Netflix’s upcoming series Wet Hot American Summer.
- 3/18/2015
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: SXSW Review: Why 'Fort Tilden,' A Satire of Privileged Young Brooklynites, Won the Grand Jury Prize Orion Releasing, a company focused on multi-platform releases via specialized theatrical runs and premium video on demand services, has acquired U.S. distribution rights to "Fort Tilden." Written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the film's acquisition comes after a full year of acclaimed festival wins, including the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Film at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2014 Independent Film Festival Boston. The comedy-drama was also nominated for the Audience Choice Award at the 2014 Chicago International Film Festival. Starring Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty as two slacker Brooklynites experiencing mishap after mishap on a journey to the beach, "Fort Tilden" will receive a theatrical and VOD release in August 2015. Read...
- 3/18/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
“No testicle is safe” is my favorite phrase in the long synopsis for Female Pervert, a new feature about to premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival. “Like Lena Dunham” is my least favorite. Not because I have anything against Dunham, but her name and her show are mentioned way too much in the promotion of other women filmmakers and other movies and TV series about hip femmillennials, especially those living in the big city. Last year, on the eve of Sundance, Obvious Child was being likened to Girls, sight unseen. And Appropriate Behavior writer-director Desiree Akhavan was heavily compared to Dunham (now Akhavan is actually a cast member on Girls for the new season). There was also Fort Tilden, which debuted at SXSW, easily looked at as a Girls wannabe. For some it can in fact be a positive selling point, but for many others it can be a negative. Female Pervert...
- 1/20/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
There really isn't all that much to talk about with this week's MPAA bulletin, though I can bring to your attention Cake, a film Cinelou Releasing picked up for release out of Toronto and they're going to try and get Jennifer Aniston in the awards conversation with it. Other than that you have the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy The Interview and Liam Neeson is back as Bryan Mills in Tak3n. Check out the full bulltin below. Cake Rated R For language, substance abuse and brief sexuality. Release Date: January 2015 (getting an Oscar qualifying run in December) Dirty Dealing Rated R For sexuality, nudity and language. Fort Tilden Rated R For language, sexual content, some graphic nudity and brief drug use. The Interview Rated R For pervasive language, crude and sexual humor, nudity, some drug use and bloody violence. Release Date: December 25, 2014 The Intruders Rated PG-13 For some violence,...
- 11/19/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Ifp announced its 2014 slate of 133 new films in development and works in progress selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers. Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, this one-of-a-kind event takes place September 14-18, 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
- 7/25/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
The 2014 Lower East Side Film Festival concluded their 11-day run this past weekend and have just announced the winners. The judges included Ilana Glazer (Comedy Central's "Broad City"), Tony Award-winning actor Denis O'Hare (“True Blood,” “American Horror Story"), Grammy Award-winning musician Marky Ramone, Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning Producer Dana Brunetti (“House of Cards") and more. See the winners and a short video of the festival's highlights below. 2014 Lower East Side Film Festival Winners Best Feature: "Fort Tilden" Director: Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers Writer: Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers Audience Award:"Sidewalk Traffic"Director: Anthony L. FisherWriter: Anthony L. Fisher Neighborhood Award:"The Sturgeon Queens"Director: Julie CohenWriter: Julie Cohen Best Animated Short: "Johnny Express"Director: Kyungmin...
- 6/24/2014
- by Oliver MacMahon
- Indiewire
• Tom Hiddleston will star (and sing) as Hank Williams in an upcoming biopic about the country legend. I Saw The Light will be directed by Marc Abraham (Flash of Genius), who adapted the script from Colin Escott’s biography of Williams. Quite different than his role in The Avengers, Hiddleston will sing from the entire Williams catalog, with songs like “Hey, Good Lookin’,” after the rights were secured through a deal with Sony Atv. The film will follow Williams’ rise to fame before dying of heart failure at age 29. [Deadline]
• Demi Moore (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle) has replaced Sex and the City...
• Demi Moore (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle) has replaced Sex and the City...
- 6/13/2014
- by Jake Perlman
- EW - Inside Movies
Title: Fort Tilden Director: Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers Starring: Bridey Elliott, Clare McNulty, Griffin Newman, Jeffrey Scaperrotta, Neil Casey, Alyssia Reiner, Will Hines, Peter Vack. We all know that road trips are never about the destination, but about the journey. Naturally the one of self-discovery; even when the trip is a simple route from Brooklyn to the Rockaway Peninsula, that becomes crazed for the mishaps that happen along the way. This is how writer-directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers decide to make their protagonists Allie (Clare McNulty) and Harper (Bridey Elliott) confront their life standpoints. In the midst of their respective quarter-life crises, Allie procrastinates preparing for her forthcoming [ Read More ]
The post Fort Tilden Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Fort Tilden Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 5/11/2014
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
Despite being in just its third year, the Montclair Film Festival debuted a robust lineup of films and special events today that boasts an impressive array of A-List comedy talent. The festival is set to open with the Jon Favreau-directed comedy, "Chef," which premiered at SXSW last month and is slated for theatrical release in May. "Fort Tilden," another SXSW alum, will also screen at Mff as the festival's Centerpiece. In addition to hosting over 90 screenings, Mff will also bring back its popular conversation series with talent the likes of Kevin Smith, Patrick Wilson, Michael Moore, Julie Taymor and Stephen Colbert. Mff has also partnered with the Blackhouse Foundation on an entire day of conversations with prominent African American filmmaking talent including filmmaker and author Nelson George, "Precious" executive producer Lisa Cortes and editors Sam Pollard and Lewis Erskine. Mff will take place April 28-May 4. See below for the full lineup of films,...
- 4/2/2014
- by Shipra Gupta
- Indiewire
South by Southwest 2014 felt even larger this year with additions of Keynote speakers, its countless conference events, and of course, the music. South by Southwest is truly the convergence of all things talent and nothing showcases this better than the vast array of films screened this year.With 133 feature films screened across 10 venues, 11 screens, and over 9 days, SXSW 2014 has come to a close. This year saw, as with many years in the past, a great collection of headliners, festival favorites, filmmaker debuts, and oddball favorites.
Signing off from Austin, TX, see y’all next year! If you missed any of our coverage of SXSW, check out the links below:
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Bad Words
Directed by Jason Bateman
In his directorial debut, Bateman pulls little punches. In a script that strings along profanity like letters in a spelling bee challenge word, most will cringe, others will laugh, and a few will cringe while laughing.
Signing off from Austin, TX, see y’all next year! If you missed any of our coverage of SXSW, check out the links below:
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Bad Words
Directed by Jason Bateman
In his directorial debut, Bateman pulls little punches. In a script that strings along profanity like letters in a spelling bee challenge word, most will cringe, others will laugh, and a few will cringe while laughing.
- 3/16/2014
- by David Tran
- SoundOnSight
Shawn Christensen’s Before I Disappear has won (15) the 2014 SXSW narrative feature audience award, while Diana Whitten’s Vessel triumphed in the documentary section.
Diego Luna’s Cesar Chavez earned the narrative spotlight audience award and Ben Knight and Travis Rummel took the documentary prize for DamNation.
The 24 Beats Per Second category will be announced via sxsw.com on March 17 as first screenings were still remaining at time of writing on Saturday (15).
The audience awards follow the previously announced juried awards, which included grand jury winners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers’ Fort Tilden for narrative feature and Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible for documentary feature.
Complete 2014 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: Before I Disappear
Shawn Christensen
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: Vessel
Director: Diana Whitten
Documentary Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: DamNation
Director: Ben Knight and Travis Rummel
Narrative Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: Cesar Chavez
Directors: Diego Luna
Visions...
Diego Luna’s Cesar Chavez earned the narrative spotlight audience award and Ben Knight and Travis Rummel took the documentary prize for DamNation.
The 24 Beats Per Second category will be announced via sxsw.com on March 17 as first screenings were still remaining at time of writing on Saturday (15).
The audience awards follow the previously announced juried awards, which included grand jury winners Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers’ Fort Tilden for narrative feature and Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible for documentary feature.
Complete 2014 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners:
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: Before I Disappear
Shawn Christensen
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: Vessel
Director: Diana Whitten
Documentary Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: DamNation
Director: Ben Knight and Travis Rummel
Narrative Spotlight
Audience Award Winner: Cesar Chavez
Directors: Diego Luna
Visions...
- 3/16/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
With the 2014 SXSW Film Festival drawing to an end, the organization just announced this year's Audience Awards, chosen by the festival's attendees, who hit up movie screenings all across Austin, TX.
Shawn Christensen's "Before I Disappear" won the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition, and Diana Whitten's flick, "Vessel" earned the Audience Award in the Documentary Feature Competition.
Awards in the respective categories were also given to to Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers’ "Fort Tilden," as well as Margaret Brown's documentary, "The Great Invisible."
"Cesar Chavez," directed by Diego Luna, won the Audience Award in the Narrative Spotlight, set to premiere on March 28th through Pantelion Films, and Ben Knight and Travis Rummel's film, "DamNation" won the Documentary Spotlight.
Take a look at the list of winners below!
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: "Before I Disappear"
Director: Shawn Christensen
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner:...
Shawn Christensen's "Before I Disappear" won the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition, and Diana Whitten's flick, "Vessel" earned the Audience Award in the Documentary Feature Competition.
Awards in the respective categories were also given to to Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers’ "Fort Tilden," as well as Margaret Brown's documentary, "The Great Invisible."
"Cesar Chavez," directed by Diego Luna, won the Audience Award in the Narrative Spotlight, set to premiere on March 28th through Pantelion Films, and Ben Knight and Travis Rummel's film, "DamNation" won the Documentary Spotlight.
Take a look at the list of winners below!
Narrative Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner: "Before I Disappear"
Director: Shawn Christensen
Documentary Feature Competition
Audience Award Winner:...
- 3/15/2014
- GossipCenter
The 2014 SXSW Film Festival comes to a close today and just a few days after the awards presentation of their jury prizes, they've announced this year's Audience Awards, selected by those who attended screenings in the festival's 10 venues across the Austin, Texas area. Shawn Christensen's Before I Disappear , expanded from his Oscar-winning short "Curfew," won the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition, while Diana Whitten's Vessel won the same award in the Documentary Feature Competition. The jury gave their awards in those respective categories to Sarah-Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers. Fort Tilden and Margaret Brown's documentary The Great Invisible . This was a departure from last year when both the jury and audience awards went to Destin Daniel...
- 3/15/2014
- Comingsoon.net
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