Anniversary screenings include Park City hits Napoleon Dynamite, Mississippi Masala, The Babadook.
Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the 53 shorts as well as the eight films celebrating the festival’s 40th edition – a list which includes Park City hits Napoleon Dynamite, Mississippi Masala, and The Babadook.
The 40th edition celebration screenings and events are set for the second half of the festival from January 23-26, 2024, with a slate of retrospective programming that will bring alumni artists together for conversations and gatherings.
Sundance Film festival runs January 18-28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles...
Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the 53 shorts as well as the eight films celebrating the festival’s 40th edition – a list which includes Park City hits Napoleon Dynamite, Mississippi Masala, and The Babadook.
The 40th edition celebration screenings and events are set for the second half of the festival from January 23-26, 2024, with a slate of retrospective programming that will bring alumni artists together for conversations and gatherings.
Sundance Film festival runs January 18-28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles...
- 12/12/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Fifteen authors of books that were recently chosen for The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “The 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time” will convene on a panel — which is being advertised as “the greatest gathering of its kind ever” — this Saturday afternoon in Hollywood as part of AFI Fest.
The event, which will take place inside the historic Tcl Chinese Theater and will run from 4 p.m. -5:30p.m., is open to members of the public free of charge provided they reserve their tickets in advance via Fest.AFI.com/GreatestFilmBooks.
Participating in a discussion about the origins and impact of their books will be A. Scott Berg (Goldwyn: A Biography), Cameron Crowe (Conversations with Wilder), Nancy Griffin (Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood), Aljean Harmetz (The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power...
The event, which will take place inside the historic Tcl Chinese Theater and will run from 4 p.m. -5:30p.m., is open to members of the public free of charge provided they reserve their tickets in advance via Fest.AFI.com/GreatestFilmBooks.
Participating in a discussion about the origins and impact of their books will be A. Scott Berg (Goldwyn: A Biography), Cameron Crowe (Conversations with Wilder), Nancy Griffin (Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood), Aljean Harmetz (The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power...
- 10/27/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Standing behind a large curtain at the Cultural Center Theater in the small Appalachian city of Charleston, West Virginia, Kathy Mattea readies herself to welcome another audience to NPR’s Mountain Stage.
“[Mountain Stage] has reinforced and magnified my long-held belief that music is really important,” Mattea, a Charleston native, tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Music and hospitality — that’s what it’s all about. And those two things? That’s West Virginia right there.”
With snowflakes falling onto the mountains cradling the state capitol on this particular January night, Mountain Stage listeners...
“[Mountain Stage] has reinforced and magnified my long-held belief that music is really important,” Mattea, a Charleston native, tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Music and hospitality — that’s what it’s all about. And those two things? That’s West Virginia right there.”
With snowflakes falling onto the mountains cradling the state capitol on this particular January night, Mountain Stage listeners...
- 3/25/2023
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
The Austin Film Society will honor Jonathan Majors, Michael De Luca and Janet and John Pierson at the 21st annual Texas Film Awards, taking place March 3 at Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch, located outside of Austin, Tex.
Majors will receive the Rising Star Award, while De Luca, the co-chair and CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, will be honored for his impact on global cinema. The Piersons, the “first couple” of independent cinema, will be inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame and celebrated for their contributions to the independent film industry and impact on Austin and Texas, helping to grow the SXSW Film & TV Festival.
Texas native Edi Patterson will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies.
Majors stars in the upcoming Marvel movie “Ant Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” alongside Paul Rudd, opening Feb. 17, as well as Ryan Coogler’s “Creed III” opposite Michael B. Jordan,...
Majors will receive the Rising Star Award, while De Luca, the co-chair and CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, will be honored for his impact on global cinema. The Piersons, the “first couple” of independent cinema, will be inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame and celebrated for their contributions to the independent film industry and impact on Austin and Texas, helping to grow the SXSW Film & TV Festival.
Texas native Edi Patterson will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies.
Majors stars in the upcoming Marvel movie “Ant Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” alongside Paul Rudd, opening Feb. 17, as well as Ryan Coogler’s “Creed III” opposite Michael B. Jordan,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
The newly-minted SXSW Film & TV Festival will now have a new director along with its new name.
The 2023 festival will be helmed by Claudette Godfrey, taking over for longtime mentor Janet Pierson, who ran SXSW for 15 years as VP Director. Pierson will transition into a “Director Emeritus” role.
“Leading SXSW Film (now SXSW Film & TV) starting in 2008 at the age of 50 was a wonderful, and quite unexpected, adventure,” Pierson said in a press statement. “It’s been glorious to present so much great work at our unique event, yielding so many transformative experiences for creators and audience alike.”
Pierson continued, “I’m intensely proud of the work our small and very mighty team has accomplished. Now, 15 years and 14 events later, it feels right to hand the reins to the new Director, Film & TV, Claudette Godfrey. Claudette and I began working together in 2008 and she has been a significant collaborator and...
The 2023 festival will be helmed by Claudette Godfrey, taking over for longtime mentor Janet Pierson, who ran SXSW for 15 years as VP Director. Pierson will transition into a “Director Emeritus” role.
“Leading SXSW Film (now SXSW Film & TV) starting in 2008 at the age of 50 was a wonderful, and quite unexpected, adventure,” Pierson said in a press statement. “It’s been glorious to present so much great work at our unique event, yielding so many transformative experiences for creators and audience alike.”
Pierson continued, “I’m intensely proud of the work our small and very mighty team has accomplished. Now, 15 years and 14 events later, it feels right to hand the reins to the new Director, Film & TV, Claudette Godfrey. Claudette and I began working together in 2008 and she has been a significant collaborator and...
- 10/5/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
"Clerks" is a one-of-a-kind cult gem, a rude and raw low-budget comedy about a couple of clerks at a local convenience store. Director Kevin Smith made his debut feature by maxing out his credit cards and filming after closing the very store in which he worked, and it paid off — "Clerks" launched Smith's career and an entire "View Askewniverse" of movies, comic books, and a short-lived ABC cartoon series.
What many fans don't know is that "Clerks" once had a very different ending, but Smith was convinced to cut it by his mentors, Bob Hawk and John Pierson. If Smith had kept his original, incredibly bleak ending, it's extremely unlikely...
The post The Clerks Ending We're Glad Didn't Happen appeared first on /Film.
What many fans don't know is that "Clerks" once had a very different ending, but Smith was convinced to cut it by his mentors, Bob Hawk and John Pierson. If Smith had kept his original, incredibly bleak ending, it's extremely unlikely...
The post The Clerks Ending We're Glad Didn't Happen appeared first on /Film.
- 9/17/2021
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
What more can you say about a guy who’s been an open book for the last two-and-a-half decades? Herein lies the challenge of Malcolm Ingram’s warm, American Masters-style portrait of friend Kevin Smith, the kind of guy who frankly feels like a friend to all of his fans. The film, titled Clerk, allows others besides Silent Bob to contribute to the Smith story, chronicling his extensive career in filmmaking, comics, e-commerce, and podcasting.
The documentary begins with a moving confessional as the young Smith records a video thanking his dad before going off on his first adventure, leaving his Jersey shore enclave of Highlands for an accelerated film program in Vancouver. While in Canada, Smith would link up with Scott Mosier, producer of his earlier films until years later when Mosier decides to take a sabbatical and become a director in his own right with The Grinch.
While...
The documentary begins with a moving confessional as the young Smith records a video thanking his dad before going off on his first adventure, leaving his Jersey shore enclave of Highlands for an accelerated film program in Vancouver. While in Canada, Smith would link up with Scott Mosier, producer of his earlier films until years later when Mosier decides to take a sabbatical and become a director in his own right with The Grinch.
While...
- 3/17/2021
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
The Criterion Channel launches Monday, replacing that void left in cinephile hearts everywhere after the shuttering of FilmStruck just four months ago.
Subscribers can expect very little difference on the new service that wasn’t previously available on the Criterion Collection’s home at FilmStruck.
The service’s core, permanent library available on launch day is the over 1,000 movies, 350 shorts and 3500 supplemental materials that make up the Janus Film library. These are the classic arthouse films that for decades have been a mainstay in DVD restorations as part of the Criterion Collection.
Also Read: Why the New Criterion Channel Streaming Service Won't Be a 'Netflix Killer'
Criterion President Peter Becker referred to The Criterion Channel as “an art house at your house,” adding that the library is made up of the “last name” filmmakers that any movie buff should know well: (Michelangelo) Antonioni, (Jean-Luc) Godard, (François) Truffaut, (Akira) Kurosawa,...
Subscribers can expect very little difference on the new service that wasn’t previously available on the Criterion Collection’s home at FilmStruck.
The service’s core, permanent library available on launch day is the over 1,000 movies, 350 shorts and 3500 supplemental materials that make up the Janus Film library. These are the classic arthouse films that for decades have been a mainstay in DVD restorations as part of the Criterion Collection.
Also Read: Why the New Criterion Channel Streaming Service Won't Be a 'Netflix Killer'
Criterion President Peter Becker referred to The Criterion Channel as “an art house at your house,” adding that the library is made up of the “last name” filmmakers that any movie buff should know well: (Michelangelo) Antonioni, (Jean-Luc) Godard, (François) Truffaut, (Akira) Kurosawa,...
- 4/8/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The Criterion Channel, the streaming service that is bringing classic films back online after the widely lamented shutdown last fall of WarnerMedia’s FilmStruck, has set the lineup for its launch on April 8. (See it below.)
The channel features the same Criterion Collection and Janus Films titles that were on FilmStruck, which went dark last fall, prompting a backlash among a long list of A-list directors, not to mention thousands of fans of the service. FilmStruck had been an effort to take the DNA of Turner Classic Movies into the streaming realm, with hundreds of Criterion titles at its core. Original programming from FilmStruck will also be back on the new channel, including Adventures in Moviegoing, Meet the Filmmakers, Observations on Film Art and 10 seasons of John Pierson’s Split Screen.
Subscriptions are $10.99 per month or $99.99 a year. A promotional offer lowers the lifetime price for those who sign up...
The channel features the same Criterion Collection and Janus Films titles that were on FilmStruck, which went dark last fall, prompting a backlash among a long list of A-list directors, not to mention thousands of fans of the service. FilmStruck had been an effort to take the DNA of Turner Classic Movies into the streaming realm, with hundreds of Criterion titles at its core. Original programming from FilmStruck will also be back on the new channel, including Adventures in Moviegoing, Meet the Filmmakers, Observations on Film Art and 10 seasons of John Pierson’s Split Screen.
Subscriptions are $10.99 per month or $99.99 a year. A promotional offer lowers the lifetime price for those who sign up...
- 3/22/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Neil Labute will premiere three new one-act plays Off Broadway in January as the St. Louis Actors’ Studio returns to New York for its fourth theater festival named for the Reasons to Be Pretty playwright.
Labute himself will direct the world premiere of one of the plays: Unlikely Japan, starring Billions actress Gia Crovatin. The other two plays, written by Labute, are the world premiere of Great Negro Works of Art, directed by John Pierson and starring KeiLyn Durrell; and, in its New York premiere, The Fourth Reich, directed by Pierson and starring Eric Dean White.
Performances of the one-acts begin January 10, 2019, at Off Broadway’s The Davenport Theatre, with opening night set for January 14. The festival engagement runs through January 27.
The New York staging marks the fourth incarnation here of the Labute New Theater Festival, a project of the St. Louis Actors’ Studio...
Labute himself will direct the world premiere of one of the plays: Unlikely Japan, starring Billions actress Gia Crovatin. The other two plays, written by Labute, are the world premiere of Great Negro Works of Art, directed by John Pierson and starring KeiLyn Durrell; and, in its New York premiere, The Fourth Reich, directed by Pierson and starring Eric Dean White.
Performances of the one-acts begin January 10, 2019, at Off Broadway’s The Davenport Theatre, with opening night set for January 14. The festival engagement runs through January 27.
The New York staging marks the fourth incarnation here of the Labute New Theater Festival, a project of the St. Louis Actors’ Studio...
- 11/29/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” (Briarcliff Entertainment) opens Friday in over 1,700 theaters. The release comes in a year that has seen three documentaries gross over $10 million: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” “Rbg,” and “Three Identical Strangers.” But those successes pale against Moore’s: Three of his films grossed over $30 million at 2018 ticket prices, with “Fahrenheit 9/11” at a staggering $178 million.
As always, Moore is his film’s marketing campaign; he’s gambling that he can recreate the appeal of “Bowling For Columbine” and “9/11″after a decade of seeing his films face declining results. His biggest hits came in the early George W. Bush years, when he was positioned as part of the resistance. (His last two documentaries came while Obama was president.) His last film, “Where To Invade Next,” grossed just $3.8 million in February 2016 — but that was months before anyone took Donald Trump seriously.
This cycle works both ways. Moore...
As always, Moore is his film’s marketing campaign; he’s gambling that he can recreate the appeal of “Bowling For Columbine” and “9/11″after a decade of seeing his films face declining results. His biggest hits came in the early George W. Bush years, when he was positioned as part of the resistance. (His last two documentaries came while Obama was president.) His last film, “Where To Invade Next,” grossed just $3.8 million in February 2016 — but that was months before anyone took Donald Trump seriously.
This cycle works both ways. Moore...
- 9/20/2018
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Garbage’s Shirley Manson and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry will unite at the South by Southwest 2019 conference to deliver a joint keynote speech, a conversation with Prs Foundation’s Keychange program. Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom and writer-director Marti Noxon (Sharp Objects) will also speak at the event, set for March 8th through 17th in Austin, Texas.
The featured speakers for SXSW 2019 include Jason Blum in conversation with John Pierson; 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; musician Amanda Palmer; author Michael Pollan; and media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff,...
The featured speakers for SXSW 2019 include Jason Blum in conversation with John Pierson; 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; musician Amanda Palmer; author Michael Pollan; and media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff,...
- 9/10/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
The initial slate of Keynotes and Featured Speakers for 2019’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival have been announced and they include Academy Award-nominated Jason Blum, Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson as well as Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom. The fest kicks off March 8 and continues through March 17, 2019.
Known for its diverse, collaborative and inventive community, SXSW presents ideas that encourage and empower its audience of creative professionals to achieve their goals. Other speakers announced include 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; world-renowned architect Bjarke Ingels; artist and musician Amanda Palmer; co-founder of Upworthy and Fellow at the New America Foundation Eli Pariser; New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan; media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff; Benevolent AI CEO Joanna Shields; futurist and author Amy Webb; and more.
SXSW Conference programming is organized into 25 tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence, presented in a variety of session formats.
Known for its diverse, collaborative and inventive community, SXSW presents ideas that encourage and empower its audience of creative professionals to achieve their goals. Other speakers announced include 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; world-renowned architect Bjarke Ingels; artist and musician Amanda Palmer; co-founder of Upworthy and Fellow at the New America Foundation Eli Pariser; New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan; media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff; Benevolent AI CEO Joanna Shields; futurist and author Amy Webb; and more.
SXSW Conference programming is organized into 25 tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence, presented in a variety of session formats.
- 9/10/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Jason Blum, Marti Noxon, Kevin Systrom and Shirley Manson have been selected as speakers at next year’s South by Southwest Conference.
The quartet were among the high-profile name announced Monday in the first wave of keynote and featured speakers for the 2019 conference, running concurrently with the SXSW Film Festival on March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Keynotes announced include Instagram CEO Systrom, interviewed by TechCrunch editor-at-large Josh Constine, and a keynote conversation between Shirley Manson, lead vocalist of the rock band Garbage, singer-songwriter Lauren Mayberry of the Scottish electronic pop band Chvrches, and writer, producer, and director Marti Noxon.
Among the featured speakers revealed are Jason Blum in conversation with John Pierson; writer and 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; architect Bjarke Ingels; artist and musician Amanda Palmer; co-founder of Upworthy and Fellow at the New America Foundation Eli Pariser; New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan; media theorist...
The quartet were among the high-profile name announced Monday in the first wave of keynote and featured speakers for the 2019 conference, running concurrently with the SXSW Film Festival on March 8-17 in Austin, Texas.
Keynotes announced include Instagram CEO Systrom, interviewed by TechCrunch editor-at-large Josh Constine, and a keynote conversation between Shirley Manson, lead vocalist of the rock band Garbage, singer-songwriter Lauren Mayberry of the Scottish electronic pop band Chvrches, and writer, producer, and director Marti Noxon.
Among the featured speakers revealed are Jason Blum in conversation with John Pierson; writer and 2017 Time Person of the Year Susan Fowler; architect Bjarke Ingels; artist and musician Amanda Palmer; co-founder of Upworthy and Fellow at the New America Foundation Eli Pariser; New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan; media theorist...
- 9/10/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
In the counterculture haven of the Santa Monica Mountains’ Topanga Canyon, three sets of brothers celebrated their surprise Netflix Emmy contender “Wild Wild Country:” Directors Chapman Way, 31, and his 27-year-old brother Maclain; twin New Yorkers Josh and Dan Braun, whose rising production and sales company Submarine Entertainment shepherded the documentary; and executive producers Mark Duplass and his brother Jay, who served as the Ways’ mentors.
“Wild Wild Country” is the Ways’ second Netflix documentary after 2014’s “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” another Submarine title, about their grandfather Bing Russell’s Portland, Ore. baseball team. Former Portland Mavericks player Uncle Kurt and Aunt Goldie Hawn were on hand to toast their success.
The Ways told the Brauns about their discovery of controversial ’80s cult figure Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his fierce lieutenant Ma Anand Sheela, and their run-ins with the tiny town of Antelope, Ore. The colorful and often unbelievable escalating...
“Wild Wild Country” is the Ways’ second Netflix documentary after 2014’s “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” another Submarine title, about their grandfather Bing Russell’s Portland, Ore. baseball team. Former Portland Mavericks player Uncle Kurt and Aunt Goldie Hawn were on hand to toast their success.
The Ways told the Brauns about their discovery of controversial ’80s cult figure Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his fierce lieutenant Ma Anand Sheela, and their run-ins with the tiny town of Antelope, Ore. The colorful and often unbelievable escalating...
- 8/28/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
In the counterculture haven of the Santa Monica Mountains’ Topanga Canyon, three sets of brothers celebrated their surprise Netflix Emmy contender “Wild Wild Country:” Directors Chapman Way, 31, and his 27-year-old brother Maclain; twin New Yorkers Josh and Dan Braun, whose rising production and sales company Submarine Entertainment shepherded the documentary; and executive producers Mark Duplass and his brother Jay, who served as the Ways’ mentors.
“Wild Wild Country” is the Ways’ second Netflix documentary after 2014’s “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” another Submarine title, about their grandfather Bing Russell’s Portland, Ore. baseball team. Former Portland Mavericks player Uncle Kurt and Aunt Goldie Hawn were on hand to toast their success.
The Ways told the Brauns about their discovery of controversial ’80s cult figure Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his fierce lieutenant Ma Anand Sheela, and their run-ins with the tiny town of Antelope, Ore. The colorful and often unbelievable escalating...
“Wild Wild Country” is the Ways’ second Netflix documentary after 2014’s “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” another Submarine title, about their grandfather Bing Russell’s Portland, Ore. baseball team. Former Portland Mavericks player Uncle Kurt and Aunt Goldie Hawn were on hand to toast their success.
The Ways told the Brauns about their discovery of controversial ’80s cult figure Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his fierce lieutenant Ma Anand Sheela, and their run-ins with the tiny town of Antelope, Ore. The colorful and often unbelievable escalating...
- 8/28/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Unlike Sundance or Cannes, the SXSW Film Festival has undergone rapid changes over the past decade. Tied in with the swirling chaos of its Interactive and Music sections, the Austin-based event is known for the discovery of low-budget features and as a launch pad for edgy studio projects favored by the city’s hipsters.
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
Much of SXSW’s identity took shape during the early aughts, when current iTunes independent film coordinator Matt Dentler brought a range of new American talent into the program. When he left in 2008 for a job in New York, incoming SXSW film producer Janet Pierson was a programming newcomer but a veteran of scene. With her husband, John Pierson, she shepherded the careers of independent filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Errol Morris. With SXSW, she was tasked with funneling that experience into the ever-changing ecosystem of film and television.
To commemorate her 10th year...
- 3/9/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This July will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Saturday, July 1 Changing Faces
What does a face tell us even when it’s disguised or disfigured? And what does it conceal? Guest curator Imogen Sara Smith, a critic and author of the book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, assembles a series of films that revolve around enigmatic faces transformed by masks, scars, and surgery, including Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966).
Tuesday, July 4 Tuesday’s Short + Feature: Premature* and Ten*
Come hitch a ride with Norwegian director Gunhild Enger and the late Iranian master...
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Saturday, July 1 Changing Faces
What does a face tell us even when it’s disguised or disfigured? And what does it conceal? Guest curator Imogen Sara Smith, a critic and author of the book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, assembles a series of films that revolve around enigmatic faces transformed by masks, scars, and surgery, including Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966).
Tuesday, July 4 Tuesday’s Short + Feature: Premature* and Ten*
Come hitch a ride with Norwegian director Gunhild Enger and the late Iranian master...
- 6/26/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
For two years back in the late ’90s and early aughts, producer, filmmaker, author and cinephile John Pierson hammered together the lovingly Diy television series, which introduced movie buffs to all manner of filmmakers and their creations over the course of 60-plus episodes. “Split Screen” was IFCtv’s signature series from 1997-2001, boasting such guests as Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Mary Harron, Katherine Dieckmann and many, many more.
Late last year, the cult classic found a new home over on streaming service FilmStruck, which began releasing episodes of the series on their Criterion Channel in December, with a tiered rollout planned.
Read More: ‘Split Screen’: 9 Reasons You Should Watch FilmStruck’s Revival of TV’s Best-Ever Series About Indie Film
On Wednesday night in New York City, the series’ reintroduction to the cultural consciousness continued apace, as Pierson and a group of some of his most famous...
Late last year, the cult classic found a new home over on streaming service FilmStruck, which began releasing episodes of the series on their Criterion Channel in December, with a tiered rollout planned.
Read More: ‘Split Screen’: 9 Reasons You Should Watch FilmStruck’s Revival of TV’s Best-Ever Series About Indie Film
On Wednesday night in New York City, the series’ reintroduction to the cultural consciousness continued apace, as Pierson and a group of some of his most famous...
- 5/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This April will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Monday, April 3 The Chaos of Cool: A Tribute to Seijun Suzuki
In February, cinema lost an icon of excess, Seijun Suzuki, the Japanese master who took the art of the B movie to sublime new heights with his deliriously inventive approach to narrative and visual style. This series showcases seven of the New Wave renegade’s works from his career breakthrough in the sixties: Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), an off-kilter whodunit; Youth of the Beast (1963), an explosive yakuza thriller; Gate of Flesh (1964), a pulpy social critique; Story of a Prostitute (1965), a tragic romance; Tokyo Drifter...
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Monday, April 3 The Chaos of Cool: A Tribute to Seijun Suzuki
In February, cinema lost an icon of excess, Seijun Suzuki, the Japanese master who took the art of the B movie to sublime new heights with his deliriously inventive approach to narrative and visual style. This series showcases seven of the New Wave renegade’s works from his career breakthrough in the sixties: Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), an off-kilter whodunit; Youth of the Beast (1963), an explosive yakuza thriller; Gate of Flesh (1964), a pulpy social critique; Story of a Prostitute (1965), a tragic romance; Tokyo Drifter...
- 3/29/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.She h
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.She h
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
With Sundance behind us, the next major American festival is waiting in the wings. The SXSW Film Festival lineup has landed, and there’s a lot to dig through.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
- 1/31/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Not going out this year? You can party along just fine with these 8 live options, available on both TV and streaming. From network specials to Netflix’s hilariously clever “live” offerings, we’ve got something for everyone in the family, confetti and funny hats not included.
Take a peek!
Read More: ‘Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe’: Watch the ‘Black Mirror’ Creator’s Hour-Long Political Takedown
Times Square New Year’s Eve Webcast
The webcast will feature live musical performances, hourly countdowns, behind-the-scenes stories and star-studded interviews as anticipation builds towards the midnight countdown and the famous Ball Drop.
Host: Jonathan Bennett, star of “Mean Girls” and host of “Cake Wars”
Location: Times Square
Guests: Gavin DeGraw, Rachel Platten, Silento
Start time: 6:00 Pm Et, in tandem with the official Ball Raising
Where to watch: The show will be streamed live on multiple websites, starting at 5:55 Pm Et, including TimesSquareNYC.
Take a peek!
Read More: ‘Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe’: Watch the ‘Black Mirror’ Creator’s Hour-Long Political Takedown
Times Square New Year’s Eve Webcast
The webcast will feature live musical performances, hourly countdowns, behind-the-scenes stories and star-studded interviews as anticipation builds towards the midnight countdown and the famous Ball Drop.
Host: Jonathan Bennett, star of “Mean Girls” and host of “Cake Wars”
Location: Times Square
Guests: Gavin DeGraw, Rachel Platten, Silento
Start time: 6:00 Pm Et, in tandem with the official Ball Raising
Where to watch: The show will be streamed live on multiple websites, starting at 5:55 Pm Et, including TimesSquareNYC.
- 12/31/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The haunting Rolling Stones documentary “Gimme Shelter” helped close the book on the ’60s. Nearly a half-century later, writer/director Jody Hill argues that those terrors remain fresh.
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
Legendary documentary filmmaking duo Albert and David Maysles, along with Charlotte Zwerin, captured the excess and fatal mishandling of the landmark Altamont Free Concert in December 1969. Following the Stones through their American tour and invitation to headline the fateful show, the film eventually embeds itself in the Altamont audience, looking on as a murder plays out beneath the band’s performance.
For our fourth installment in our “Movies That Inspire Me” conversation series, presented in partnership with FilmStruck, we spoke to Hill about how the film slowly unfolds from an impeccably made rock doc into something with a more sinister edge. Hill describes a film that,...
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
Legendary documentary filmmaking duo Albert and David Maysles, along with Charlotte Zwerin, captured the excess and fatal mishandling of the landmark Altamont Free Concert in December 1969. Following the Stones through their American tour and invitation to headline the fateful show, the film eventually embeds itself in the Altamont audience, looking on as a murder plays out beneath the band’s performance.
For our fourth installment in our “Movies That Inspire Me” conversation series, presented in partnership with FilmStruck, we spoke to Hill about how the film slowly unfolds from an impeccably made rock doc into something with a more sinister edge. Hill describes a film that,...
- 12/12/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Anyone who knows independent film history also knows “Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes,” a memoir by seminal producer’s rep John Pierson of his role in launching the careers of filmmakers such as Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, and Richard Linklater. Between 1997 and 2001, Pierson had a new way to spotlight talented filmmakers with IFC’s “Split Screen.” Now FilmStruck has acquired “Split Screen” streaming rights and, starting this Saturday, the original episodes will become available, with six episodes added every six weeks. Pierson spoke to IndieWire by phone and shared his thoughts as to why the show still belongs on your radar.
The Late ’90s Were an Optimistic Moment
Whether it’s showing somebody you know, somebody you should know, or somebody you may never know because we featured some wacky people who never went anywhere — that sense of optimism permeates most everything we did. To me, this is a nice...
The Late ’90s Were an Optimistic Moment
Whether it’s showing somebody you know, somebody you should know, or somebody you may never know because we featured some wacky people who never went anywhere — that sense of optimism permeates most everything we did. To me, this is a nice...
- 12/9/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
John Pierson’s ‘Split Screen’: FilmStruck Announces New Streaming Home For Seminal Television Series
For two years back in the late nineties and early aughts, producer, author and all-around film lover John Pierson hit the road alongside his own group of fellow cinephiles to explore the filmmaking scene in a variety of venues and with a ton of exciting guests.
The venture resulted in his beloved television series “Split Screen,” which introduced movie buffs to all manner of filmmakers and their creations over the course of 60-plus episodes. “Split Screen” was IFCtv’s signature series from 1997-2000, boasting such guests as Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Mary Harron, Katherine Dieckmann and many, many more.
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
While the series has long been available online in bits and pieces, it’s now bound for a brand new internet home, where it will be available in all its wild glory,...
The venture resulted in his beloved television series “Split Screen,” which introduced movie buffs to all manner of filmmakers and their creations over the course of 60-plus episodes. “Split Screen” was IFCtv’s signature series from 1997-2000, boasting such guests as Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Mary Harron, Katherine Dieckmann and many, many more.
Read More: Watch: ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín Discusses ‘Movies That Inspire Me’ in New IndieWire Video Series Presented by FilmStruck
While the series has long been available online in bits and pieces, it’s now bound for a brand new internet home, where it will be available in all its wild glory,...
- 12/6/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Today we’re launching a new video series of which we’re extremely proud: It’s “Movies That Inspire Me,” presented by FilmStruck. We’ve interviewed a host of great directors, all of whom have taken films to the Sundance Film Festival, about their favorite classic films streaming on FilmStruck from the Turner Classic Movies and Criterion Collection. And the conversations we’ve had are surprising as well as, yes, inspiring.
First up is Pablo Larraín. Currently the director of Oscar contenders “Jackie” and “Neruda,” he brought “No” to Sundance in 2012. His first inspiration is John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under The Influence” (which you can watch on FilmStruck here.)
Upcoming is Larraín talking about the music of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Three Colors: Blue,” as well as appearances by Jody Hill (“The Foot Fist Way,” “Eastbound & Down”), who talks about his love for the Maysles’ Bros. “Gimme Shelter” and Roman Polanski...
First up is Pablo Larraín. Currently the director of Oscar contenders “Jackie” and “Neruda,” he brought “No” to Sundance in 2012. His first inspiration is John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under The Influence” (which you can watch on FilmStruck here.)
Upcoming is Larraín talking about the music of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Three Colors: Blue,” as well as appearances by Jody Hill (“The Foot Fist Way,” “Eastbound & Down”), who talks about his love for the Maysles’ Bros. “Gimme Shelter” and Roman Polanski...
- 12/5/2016
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Thanks to John Pierson (who also discovered the indie documentary smash hit Hoop Dreams), IFC’s “Split Screen” aired our Blair Witch Tapes pitch tape with some interview footage of Ed, Dan, and Gregg for context on August 15, 1997. It was a subversive… Continue Reading →
The post The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 2 – Getting to the Woods appeared first on Dread Central.
The post The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 2 – Getting to the Woods appeared first on Dread Central.
- 8/8/2016
- by Ben Rock
- DreadCentral.com
Read More: Attention, Documentary Filmmakers: Industry Experts Give 5 Tips on How to Craft the Perfect Pitch Indie filmmakers are always looking for ways to up their production value, putting their time, energy and limited funds toward locations, lighting, production design, casting and renting the most expensive cameras they can afford. In the age of easy-to-use, high quality digital audio recorders that are so small they fit in the boom operator's cargo pants pocket, what often gets taken for granted is sound. According to festival programmers, like SXSW head Janet Pierson, this is a huge mistake and can be a fatal flaw for a low budget film. "If the sound isn’t clear, it’s a deal breaker," she said. Pierson, whose festival is where filmmakers like Benh Zeitlin, Lena Dunham and Joe Swanberg were discovered, told Indiewire that every year poor sound is a deciding factor as the SXSW programming...
- 12/1/2015
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Read More: The 12 Breakouts of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival Janet Pierson, Head of South by Southwest Film, has announced Jody Arlington will now lead SXSW Film Press and Publicity, which includes running communications for the SXSW Film Conference and Festival. The next edition of the festival will run March 11-19, 2016. "We are excited to have Jody join the SXSW family," said Pierson in a statement. "Her achievements in directing PR for arts institutions...plus her ardent support of artist-driven storytelling and the converging platforms and disciplines transforming the art and business of media creation and exhibition make her a great addition to our team." "SXSW has always been my favorite festival, serving as the home and launchpad for some of our industry's most exciting talent," added Arlington. "Its nexus at the heart of film, interactive and music; its edgy and Diy spirit in beautiful Austin, TX; and Janet Pierson and her team's.
- 6/29/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Im Global has picked up international rights outside the Us and South-East Asia to Chinese action comedy Hollywood Adventures, produced by Justin Lin.
Directed by Timothy Kendall, the Chinese and English-language film was mostly shot in Los Angeles and stars Huang Xiaoming, Tong Dawei and Vicky Zhao Wei. It was backed by Beijing-based Enlight Pictures and Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Entertainment. A wide Chinese release has been scheduled for June 26.
In addition to Lin, producers on the film include Anne Clements, John Pierson and Lin’s partner in Perfect Storm Entertainment, Troy Craig Poon.
Im Global is also selling Wuershan’s big-budget adventure The Ghouls, co-produced by Wanda Pictures, Huayi Brothers and Enlight Pictures, at Cannes. “We’re seeing more of these big Chinese movies that in terms of production values and visual sophistication can compete with anything out there,” said Im Global chief Stuart Ford.
Under its output deal with Huayi Brothers, Im Global is also...
Directed by Timothy Kendall, the Chinese and English-language film was mostly shot in Los Angeles and stars Huang Xiaoming, Tong Dawei and Vicky Zhao Wei. It was backed by Beijing-based Enlight Pictures and Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Entertainment. A wide Chinese release has been scheduled for June 26.
In addition to Lin, producers on the film include Anne Clements, John Pierson and Lin’s partner in Perfect Storm Entertainment, Troy Craig Poon.
Im Global is also selling Wuershan’s big-budget adventure The Ghouls, co-produced by Wanda Pictures, Huayi Brothers and Enlight Pictures, at Cannes. “We’re seeing more of these big Chinese movies that in terms of production values and visual sophistication can compete with anything out there,” said Im Global chief Stuart Ford.
Under its output deal with Huayi Brothers, Im Global is also...
- 5/16/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at the 22nd South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival have announced the feature line-up for the upcoming festival, set to run from March 13-21 in Austin, Texas.
SXSW will showcase 145 features. The line-up includes 60 films from first-time film-makers and comprises 100 world premieres, 13 North American premieres and 11 Us premieres.
Head of film Janet Pierson and her team of programmers culled selections from a record 2,385 feature-length submissions composed of 1,614 Us and 771 international features. The record of 7,335 total submissions marks a 13% gain on 2014.
For the first time the number of films in the juried Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature selections have risen from eight to ten. The complete Conference line-up and schedule will be released on February 17.
Besides the Narrative Feature Competition and Documentary Feature Competition selections listed below, feature entries include Judd Apatow’s work-in-progress comedy Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer in Special Events, music film 808 (pictured) in 24 Beats Per Second and Alex Garland’s sci-fi...
SXSW will showcase 145 features. The line-up includes 60 films from first-time film-makers and comprises 100 world premieres, 13 North American premieres and 11 Us premieres.
Head of film Janet Pierson and her team of programmers culled selections from a record 2,385 feature-length submissions composed of 1,614 Us and 771 international features. The record of 7,335 total submissions marks a 13% gain on 2014.
For the first time the number of films in the juried Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature selections have risen from eight to ten. The complete Conference line-up and schedule will be released on February 17.
Besides the Narrative Feature Competition and Documentary Feature Competition selections listed below, feature entries include Judd Apatow’s work-in-progress comedy Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer in Special Events, music film 808 (pictured) in 24 Beats Per Second and Alex Garland’s sci-fi...
- 2/3/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
With 100 world premieres selected from 2,385 submissions, this year's SXSW Film Festival rivals Sundance for the sheer volume of new work that will be unveiled during the 22nd edition of the festival, which runs March 13 - 21 in Austin, Texas. However, SXSW stands apart from other festivals with its unique identity, which is dominated by much smaller titles in its narrative and documentary competition sections — both of which have grown from eight to 10 films. In a phone call with Indiewire, festival producer Janet Pierson emphasized that the overall selection reflected a meticulous process in which every film was programmed to fit the agenda of the festival as a whole. "We pick each one for a very specific reason," she said. "I know it's hard for people to get their heads around, but that's the desire from our side." To elaborate, Pierson offered her thoughts on a number of titles throughout this year's lineup.
- 2/3/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The world premiere of Ondi Timoner’s Brand: A Second Coming will open the festival in Austin, Texas, on March 13.
The film charts the British comedian and writer’s career as political activist and self-styled revolutionary.
Head of film Janet Pierson and her team unveiled a handful of other titles that will screen during the festival in advance of the full programming announcement on February 3.
They include: the North American premiere of Alex Garland’s feature directorial debut Ex Machina; Michael Showalter’s comedy Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field; Karyn Kusama’s thriller The Invitation; Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! about singer Mavis Staples; Adam Hootnick documentary Son Of The Congo, which followes NBA star Serge Ibaka’s return to his homeland; and A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story by Sara Hirsh Bordo, about the anti-cyber bullying figurehead.
“Firebrand Ondi Timoner’s bold and lively documentary on Russell Brand knocked us out with its humour...
The film charts the British comedian and writer’s career as political activist and self-styled revolutionary.
Head of film Janet Pierson and her team unveiled a handful of other titles that will screen during the festival in advance of the full programming announcement on February 3.
They include: the North American premiere of Alex Garland’s feature directorial debut Ex Machina; Michael Showalter’s comedy Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field; Karyn Kusama’s thriller The Invitation; Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! about singer Mavis Staples; Adam Hootnick documentary Son Of The Congo, which followes NBA star Serge Ibaka’s return to his homeland; and A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story by Sara Hirsh Bordo, about the anti-cyber bullying figurehead.
“Firebrand Ondi Timoner’s bold and lively documentary on Russell Brand knocked us out with its humour...
- 1/8/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Funny or Die friends Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Dave Franco are bringing their brand of humor to the SXSW Film festival this year in Neighbors, directed by The Muppets scribe Nick Stoller. Neighbors is about a young couple (Rogen and Rose Byrne) who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby. The comedy joins already announced films including Jon Favreau’s food truck sendup Chef and the much-anticipated premiere of the Veronica Mars movie at this year’s fest. The full lineup includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, 76 world premieres, 10 North American premieres,...
- 1/30/2014
- by Laura Hertzfeld
- EW - Inside Movies
SXSW Film Festival producer Janet Pierson has one of more challenging roles among North American festival programmers. Unlike any other festival, SXSW commands voluminous attention for its non-film ingredients, including the ever-expanding Interactive conference and the chaotic Music portion. It arrives on the tail of Sundance and Berlin, but just before Tribeca and Cannes. Along with the crowded market at the top of the year, SXSW has its own integrity to look after. The festival quickly accumulated a reputation over the past decade for championing ultra-low budget film productions and bringing a lot of emerging talent to the foreground of media attention. With another edition of SXSW just around the corner and the program's 109 features recently announced, Pierson spoke to Indiewire about the festival's latest. You received 1,482 U.S. feature submissions and 614 international features. Overall, submissions were up by 7%. Were you surprised by this increase? No, not...
- 2/1/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
South by Southwest is selling out this year – but in a good way. The film festival unveiled its 2013 lineup on Thursday, and festival director Janet Pierson told TheWrap that this year the films just feel more accessible, and, dare she say, commercial than in year's past. Don't fret South By loyalists, the lineup includes plenty of quirky and unnerving entrants, and most of the films in competition are from unknown or less established filmmakers. Pierson does that intentionally. Why make Carlos Puga compete against Richard Linklater? Or a documentary about...
- 1/31/2013
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Austin is set to burn up and tear up the silver screen in March. The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) announced the full slate of films for the fest Thursday, adding a special Burning Love event and the Dave Grohl documentary Sound City to the lineup, amongst a slew of other films and digital projects from indie filmmakers and major stars alike.
Joining already announced films including The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Spring Breakers, and the Evil Dead remake are over 100 films, from Sundance hits Prince Avalanche and Before Midnight to Maladies with James Franco and Catherine Keener.
“We have an incredibly unique environment,...
Joining already announced films including The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Spring Breakers, and the Evil Dead remake are over 100 films, from Sundance hits Prince Avalanche and Before Midnight to Maladies with James Franco and Catherine Keener.
“We have an incredibly unique environment,...
- 1/31/2013
- by Laura Hertzfeld
- EW - Inside Movies
"We want you to have a good time," said SXSW Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson, kicking off the event last night with the world premiere of the Joss Whedon-penned post-modern horror blast "The Cabin in the Woods." Judging by the screams, near-constant laughs and whooping applause of the crowd, Pierson got her wish. The night marked a bittersweet moment for the film, which sat around for three years after it was shelved when original distributor MGM filed for bankruptcy. Lionsgate has since salvaged it, wisely timing its release to coincide with Whedon's blockbuster "The Avengers," opening a month after "Cabin." Whedon, director/co-writer Drew Goddard and "Cabin" stars Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Anna Hutchison and Kristen Connolly all took part in a Q&A after the screening. Jenkins poked fun at the delay, saying it took so long to hit theaters "because it stinks." ...
- 3/10/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Crime thrillers, gay-straight families, international journeys, genre-bending horror flicks, and foul-mouthed banter between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are some of the highlights of the 2012 SXSW Film Festival, which announced its full line-up today for the eight-day event, running from March 9 – 17 in Austin, Texas. 21 Jump Street will have its world premiere at the festival as the Centerpiece film, and the music doc Big Easy Express — which chronicles a train ride with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show — will close the festival on March 17.
“This year we have this sense that there’s a lot of bold,...
“This year we have this sense that there’s a lot of bold,...
- 2/1/2012
- by Adam B. Vary
- EW - Inside Movies
In 1991 two films changed the landscape of indie cinema by making the frugality of the budget a selling point. Where are the microbudget film directors now?
Hollywood has always operated on the principle that more is more: each time the most expensive film ever made arrives in cinemas, budgetary extravagance becomes a major selling point. But 20 years ago, the Us independent sector stumbled upon its own marketing equivalent: the microbudget. Suddenly it became apparent that a film's financial shortcomings could be exploited to its advantage.
In 1991, two films changed the landscape of indie cinema and the way in which it was sold. Richard Linklater's Slacker, which drops in on around 100 misfits and eccentrics during 24 hours in Austin, Texas, and Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, a tale of young no-hopers in New York's housing projects, marked the start of a phenomenon – frugality as a marketing hook
Neither were the...
Hollywood has always operated on the principle that more is more: each time the most expensive film ever made arrives in cinemas, budgetary extravagance becomes a major selling point. But 20 years ago, the Us independent sector stumbled upon its own marketing equivalent: the microbudget. Suddenly it became apparent that a film's financial shortcomings could be exploited to its advantage.
In 1991, two films changed the landscape of indie cinema and the way in which it was sold. Richard Linklater's Slacker, which drops in on around 100 misfits and eccentrics during 24 hours in Austin, Texas, and Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, a tale of young no-hopers in New York's housing projects, marked the start of a phenomenon – frugality as a marketing hook
Neither were the...
- 9/23/2011
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Another Earth
Directed by Mike Cahill
2011, USA
“Does anybody have any idea what they’re about to see?” The question from Janet Pierson, producer of the SXSW Film Festival, elicits a rumbling of shouts from the audience at the Paramount Theater. So many films are being yelled out at the same time that Pierson can’t understand a single one. Each year SXSW screens a secret film and during the days leading up to it, participants fill each other’s ears with rumors about what it’s going to be. That morning while standing in line for my press passes, I heard a rumor that the secret screening was going to be Cowboys and Aliens.
There were no aliens on screen that afternoon, but there was a parallel world looming large overhead. The secret film was Another Earth, which premiered at Sundance this year and won both the Special Jury Prize for the U.
Directed by Mike Cahill
2011, USA
“Does anybody have any idea what they’re about to see?” The question from Janet Pierson, producer of the SXSW Film Festival, elicits a rumbling of shouts from the audience at the Paramount Theater. So many films are being yelled out at the same time that Pierson can’t understand a single one. Each year SXSW screens a secret film and during the days leading up to it, participants fill each other’s ears with rumors about what it’s going to be. That morning while standing in line for my press passes, I heard a rumor that the secret screening was going to be Cowboys and Aliens.
There were no aliens on screen that afternoon, but there was a parallel world looming large overhead. The secret film was Another Earth, which premiered at Sundance this year and won both the Special Jury Prize for the U.
- 3/15/2011
- by Alice Gray
- SoundOnSight
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Jason Eisener’s bum-sploitation film “Hobo With a Shotgun,” which stars Rutger Hauer as a hobo wielding a shotgun, is one of many intriguing features announced as part of SXSW’s “Midnighters” schedule. This year’s Festival runs March 11-19 in Austin, Texas.
”Our midnight programs are the bloody, beating heart of SXSW,” said SXSW Film Conference & Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “Since the beginning, midnight films have been an essential ingredient to what makes SXSW so exciting and fun, and this year’s selections are no exception.”
Pierson isn’t exaggerating. In addition to “Hobo,” SXSW has programmed 150 short films, five “Midnighters” and five films screening as part of the “SXFantastic” program.
From the release:
Midnighters
Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.
Films screening in Midnighters are:
Attack The Block (UK-England)
Director & Writer: Joe Cornish
A funny,...
Hollywoodnews.com: Jason Eisener’s bum-sploitation film “Hobo With a Shotgun,” which stars Rutger Hauer as a hobo wielding a shotgun, is one of many intriguing features announced as part of SXSW’s “Midnighters” schedule. This year’s Festival runs March 11-19 in Austin, Texas.
”Our midnight programs are the bloody, beating heart of SXSW,” said SXSW Film Conference & Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “Since the beginning, midnight films have been an essential ingredient to what makes SXSW so exciting and fun, and this year’s selections are no exception.”
Pierson isn’t exaggerating. In addition to “Hobo,” SXSW has programmed 150 short films, five “Midnighters” and five films screening as part of the “SXFantastic” program.
From the release:
Midnighters
Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.
Films screening in Midnighters are:
Attack The Block (UK-England)
Director & Writer: Joe Cornish
A funny,...
- 2/10/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
It's time to pack your bags for Austin once again, movie buffs.
The film lineup for the 2011 South By Southwest Festival has been announced and with it comes some highly anticipated flicks. While music still dominates the SXSW scene, the film screenings at the fest have become an intricate part of the week (this year's SXSW goes from March 11-20.) In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, overall submissions for films to be featured at the fest were up 23% this year.
Sixteen films (eight features and eight documentaries) will compete in the 2011 fest, including features "96 Minutes" (starring Brittany Snow and Christian Serratos) and "A Year in Mooring" (starring Josh Lucas and James Cromwell).
A few films that made their debut at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival will make the leap from snowy Park City to Austin, including Morgan Spurlock's latest doc, "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," and...
The film lineup for the 2011 South By Southwest Festival has been announced and with it comes some highly anticipated flicks. While music still dominates the SXSW scene, the film screenings at the fest have become an intricate part of the week (this year's SXSW goes from March 11-20.) In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, overall submissions for films to be featured at the fest were up 23% this year.
Sixteen films (eight features and eight documentaries) will compete in the 2011 fest, including features "96 Minutes" (starring Brittany Snow and Christian Serratos) and "A Year in Mooring" (starring Josh Lucas and James Cromwell).
A few films that made their debut at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival will make the leap from snowy Park City to Austin, including Morgan Spurlock's latest doc, "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," and...
- 2/3/2011
- by Aly Semigran
- MTV Movies Blog
"It's Here!" tweets SXSW. "It" being, of course, the features lineup for this year's South by Southwest Film Festival, running March 11 through 19. Michael Cieply's already scanned the titles for the New York Times and has decided that the keyword here is "minimalist." IndieWIRE's Anne Thompson has spoken with festival director Janet Pierson, noting that she "goes out of her way to distinguish SXSW as a different kind of discovery fest from Sundance… Pierson doesn't consider SXSW, whose submissions were up 23% this year, to function as a market at all (although some sales are made there). 'We live in a more raw, Diy, emerging place,' she says, pointing out that SXSW alums Joe Swanberg and Mike Tully showed their films at Sundance this year. 'We're a creative collaborative petri dish of new emerging voices, risk-taking films where people are learning and trying new things. If we have a personality, we skew toward a naturalistic style,...
- 2/2/2011
- MUBI
The South by Southwest Film Festival has never historically been a market. Set in March in Austin's vibrant film community, nourished by the concurrent SXSW Interactive Fest and the wildly popular Music Fest to follow, SXSW Film Fest has continued under the canny direction of Janet Pierson to nourish indie newcomers, launch male-driven commercial comedies (Simon Pegg sci-fi comedy Paul would be this year's example) and pull a young hip moviegoing demo. One hot ticket this March will be Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood. Last year's SXSW breakouts include Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture, Aaron Katz's Cold Weather, Gareth Edwards' Monsters and the doc Marwencol. (Full 2011 line-up is posted below.) Pierson goes out of her way to distinguish SXSW as a different kind ...
- 2/2/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
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