Exclusive: Harvardwood announced its Writers Competition winners and award for Most Staffable TV Writers. Now in its 18th year, the renowned competition has experienced exciting growth in submissions to the Feature category.
Notably, last year’s feature winner has returned to win once more with a new project. The TV category is headlined by writers from the Harvardwood Writers Program, which has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic and has expanded its global participation. The writers will be mentored by leading TV and film professionals, read by top producers, and considered for representation at established agencies and management companies.
“We are proud to elevate these talented writers and to build on our track record as a source of and resource to diverse and compelling artists of all experience levels,” says Harvardwood founder Mia Riverton Alpert.
The winners of the Harvardwood Writers Competition in each category are:
Feature Category Winner:...
Notably, last year’s feature winner has returned to win once more with a new project. The TV category is headlined by writers from the Harvardwood Writers Program, which has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic and has expanded its global participation. The writers will be mentored by leading TV and film professionals, read by top producers, and considered for representation at established agencies and management companies.
“We are proud to elevate these talented writers and to build on our track record as a source of and resource to diverse and compelling artists of all experience levels,” says Harvardwood founder Mia Riverton Alpert.
The winners of the Harvardwood Writers Competition in each category are:
Feature Category Winner:...
- 4/29/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Coming right off far too many (which is to say, any) archaic and draconian birth control-centered debates in the halls of Washington, D.C., now’s a fitting time to dredge up another similar topic. According to Deadline, Katonah Pictures will chronicle the Roe v. Wade case in A Question of Choice, their developing adaptation of Sarah Weddington‘s non-fiction book.
Weddington found herself at the center of this groundbreaking case in the early ’70s, in which the U.S. Supreme Court extended female medical rights to abortions (several factors notwithstanding); she’s, hence, the center of Question, which shows the 27-year-old “in way over her head, [having] won her first and only court case with repercussions that reverberate just as loudly today as they did back then.” Producers Dan Abrams and Chris Salvaterra deemed it a mixture of The Verdict, Erin Brockovich, and The Paper Chase — one that “will attract top-tier talent.
Weddington found herself at the center of this groundbreaking case in the early ’70s, in which the U.S. Supreme Court extended female medical rights to abortions (several factors notwithstanding); she’s, hence, the center of Question, which shows the 27-year-old “in way over her head, [having] won her first and only court case with repercussions that reverberate just as loudly today as they did back then.” Producers Dan Abrams and Chris Salvaterra deemed it a mixture of The Verdict, Erin Brockovich, and The Paper Chase — one that “will attract top-tier talent.
- 4/5/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Katonah Pictures has optioned the film rights to Sarah Weddington's memoir "A Question of Choice" reports Deadline.
The story, set in 1971, deals with how the then fresh from law school 26-year-old Weddington won her first and only court case. Said case however would change history - 'Roe v. Wade', the landmark decision declaring anti-abortion laws unconstitutional.
Thirty years on Weddington is believed to still be the youngest person ever to argue in front of the United States Supreme Court. Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams will produce.
The story, set in 1971, deals with how the then fresh from law school 26-year-old Weddington won her first and only court case. Said case however would change history - 'Roe v. Wade', the landmark decision declaring anti-abortion laws unconstitutional.
Thirty years on Weddington is believed to still be the youngest person ever to argue in front of the United States Supreme Court. Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams will produce.
- 4/5/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Former Paramount and Participant Media exec Chris Salvaterra and indie producer Dan Abrams’ upstart Katonah Pictures banner has optioned the life rights of Sarah Weddington along with her memoir A Question of Choice. In 1971, at the age of 26 and fresh out of law school, Weddington found herself arguing her first federal court case. The venue was the United States Supreme Court, and the case was Roe V. Wade, the landmark decision that declared anti-abortion laws unconstitutional and has been highlighted by Time as one of the “80 Days That Changed the World.” Even now, Weddington is believed to be the youngest person ever to argue in front of the Supreme Court. The film focuses on how Weddington, in way over her head, won her first and only court case with repercussions that reverberate just as loudly today as they did back then. In a statement, Salvaterra and Abrams said: “We...
- 4/5/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Summit Entertainment wants to ensure we know they are responsible for more than those annoying Twilight movies. Here’s a look at their 2012 release schedule although release dates are subject to change.
Summit Entertainment Presents
A di Bonaventura Pictures Production
Man On A Ledge
Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts Of CITÉ Soleil)
Written by Pablo F. Fenjves
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Red, Salt, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) and Mark Vahradian (Transformers)
Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash Of The Titans,
Terminator Salvation), Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days, W., The 40-year-old Virgin), Jamie Bell (King Kong, Billy Elliot), Anthony MacKie (The Hurt Locker, Million Dollar Baby, 8 Mile), Ed Burns (27 Dresses), Titus Welliver (The Town), Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick (TV’S The Closer) and Ed Harris (National Treasure: Book Of Secrets, A History Of Violence)
From the ledge of the 25th floor of a NYC skyscraper, where one wrong step means death,...
Summit Entertainment Presents
A di Bonaventura Pictures Production
Man On A Ledge
Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts Of CITÉ Soleil)
Written by Pablo F. Fenjves
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Red, Salt, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) and Mark Vahradian (Transformers)
Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash Of The Titans,
Terminator Salvation), Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days, W., The 40-year-old Virgin), Jamie Bell (King Kong, Billy Elliot), Anthony MacKie (The Hurt Locker, Million Dollar Baby, 8 Mile), Ed Burns (27 Dresses), Titus Welliver (The Town), Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick (TV’S The Closer) and Ed Harris (National Treasure: Book Of Secrets, A History Of Violence)
From the ledge of the 25th floor of a NYC skyscraper, where one wrong step means death,...
- 1/11/2012
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Rising star Sebastian Stan ("Captain America," "Kings") and Australian actor Socratis Otto ("Home and Away") have joined the cast of the thriller "Gone" at Summit Entertainment, Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment reports Variety.
The story centers on a kidnap survivor who attempts to find the same kidnapper whom she believes has abducted her sister.
Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley, Erin Carufel and Emily Wickerhsham star while Heitor Dhalia will direct from a script by Allison Burnett.
Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra, Dan Abrams, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi will produce with shooting to kick off next month in Portland, Oregon.
The story centers on a kidnap survivor who attempts to find the same kidnapper whom she believes has abducted her sister.
Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley, Erin Carufel and Emily Wickerhsham star while Heitor Dhalia will direct from a script by Allison Burnett.
Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra, Dan Abrams, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi will produce with shooting to kick off next month in Portland, Oregon.
- 4/30/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Captain America star Sebastian Stan and Aussie thesp Socratis Otto have joined the cast of Summit Entertainment’s thriller Gone.
Stan and Otto will join the previously announced Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley and Emily Wickerhsham. Awarded Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia will direct Gone thriller from a script by Allison Burnett whose debut novel, Christopher, was a finalist for the 2004 Pen Center USA Literary Award.
The story follows a young woman called Jill (Seyfried) who returns home from working the night shift to find her sister’s bed totally empty. She is assured that the serial killer of whom she was held hostage two years before, has come back to finish a long job. The police don’t believe Jill, who knows time is limited. With no one else to turn to, she leaves to find her sister and lastly face her kidnapper.
For the roles Stan and Otto...
Stan and Otto will join the previously announced Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley and Emily Wickerhsham. Awarded Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia will direct Gone thriller from a script by Allison Burnett whose debut novel, Christopher, was a finalist for the 2004 Pen Center USA Literary Award.
The story follows a young woman called Jill (Seyfried) who returns home from working the night shift to find her sister’s bed totally empty. She is assured that the serial killer of whom she was held hostage two years before, has come back to finish a long job. The police don’t believe Jill, who knows time is limited. With no one else to turn to, she leaves to find her sister and lastly face her kidnapper.
For the roles Stan and Otto...
- 4/30/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
Erin Carufel has joined the cast of Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment's thriller "Gone."According to Variety, the cast includes Amanda Seyfried, Emily Wickersham, Wes Bentley and Jennifer Carpenter.Heitor Dhalia is directing from a script by Allison Burnett.The film centers on a kidnapping survivor (Seyfried) who tries to find the killer whom she believes has kidnapped her sister. Shooting will begin in April.Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing alongside Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams. Summit will distribute the film in the U.S.Carufel can be currently seen in "The Lincoln Lawyer."...
- 3/29/2011
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Emily Wickersham, Wes Bentley and Jennifer Carpenter have joined the cast of Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment's thriller "Gone."According to Variety, Amanda Seyfried will star in the film.Heitor Dhalia is directing from a script by Allison Burnett.The film centers on a kidnapping survivor (Seyfried) who tries to find the killer whom she believes has kidnapped her sister. Shooting will begin in April.Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing alongside Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams. Summit will distribute the film in the U.S.Wickersham can be seen currently in "I Am Number Four."Carpenter is a regular on Showtime's "Dexter." Bentley was recently seen in "Jonah Hex."...
- 3/11/2011
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Variety reports that Emily Wickersham, Wes Bentley and Jennifer Carpenter will co-star in Gone opposite Amanda Seyfried. Heitor Dhalia will direct the thriller from a script by Allison Burnett. In the Summit Entertainment release, Jill Parrish (Seyfried) returns home from the night shift to find her sister's bed empty and she is convinced that the serial killer who kidnapped her two years before has come back to finish the job. But the police do not believe her and Jill knows time is running out. With no one to turn to, Jill sets off to find her sister and face her abductor once and for all. Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing alongside Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams. Shooting is scheduled to start in April.
- 3/9/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Emily Wickersham, Wes Bentley and Jennifer Carpenter have joined Gone, starring Amanda Seyfried. Lakeshore Entertainment' Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi produce alongside Sidney Kimmel Entertainment's Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams. Summit Entertainment has secured U.S. distribution rights to the film being directed by Heitor Dhalia from a script by Allison Burnett (Fame, Untraceable, Resurrecting the Champ). The plot of Gone follows a kidnap survivor who tries to find the same killer whom she believes has abducted her sister. Seyfried joined the project in February and filming starts next month. Other than the Gone movie, Lakeshore, Sidney Kimmel and Summit are partnering on the upcoming fantasy romance film Adaline. The trio previously partnered for the upcoming Lionsgate release The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe and Marisa Tomei and Katherine Heigl starrer One for the Money.
- 3/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Emily Wickersham, Wes Bentley and Jennifer Carpenter have joined Gone, starring Amanda Seyfried. Lakeshore Entertainment' Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi produce alongside Sidney Kimmel Entertainment's Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams. Summit Entertainment has secured U.S. distribution rights to the film being directed by Heitor Dhalia from a script by Allison Burnett (Fame, Untraceable, Resurrecting the Champ). The plot of Gone follows a kidnap survivor who tries to find the same killer whom she believes has abducted her sister. Seyfried joined the project in February and filming starts next month. Other than the Gone movie, Lakeshore, Sidney Kimmel and Summit are partnering on the upcoming fantasy romance film Adaline. The trio previously partnered for the upcoming Lionsgate release The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe and Marisa Tomei and Katherine Heigl starrer One for the Money.
- 3/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Wes Bentley ("American Beauty"), Jennifer Carpenter ("Dexter") and Emily Wickersham ("I Am Number Four") have all signed onto the thriller "Gone" at Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment reports Variety.
The story centres on a kidnap survivor (Amanda Seyfried) who attempts to find the same killer whom she believes has abducted her sister.
Heitor Dhalia directs from a script penned by Allison Burnett and shooting is scheduled to kick off in April.
Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams are producing while Summit Entertainment will distribute the film within North America.
The story centres on a kidnap survivor (Amanda Seyfried) who attempts to find the same killer whom she believes has abducted her sister.
Heitor Dhalia directs from a script penned by Allison Burnett and shooting is scheduled to kick off in April.
Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra and Dan Abrams are producing while Summit Entertainment will distribute the film within North America.
- 3/9/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The career paths of most former “child stars” are usually clearly set by their early twenties. In the case of Amanda Seyfried, after playing the necessarily simple part of Karen Smith in Mean Girls, she had more or less settled into a steady stream of prestigious Us television series broken up, on occasion, by minor film roles. However, having been cast in the title role in the upcoming Red Riding Hood, it appears that Miss Seyfried is now in demand as a leading lady in the fickle world of Hollywood cinema and has been signed up to star in Heitor Dahlia’s thriller, Gone.
Dalhia is considered fairly hot directorial property at the moment having drawn praise for his incredibly ambitious version of Crime and Punishment set in Sao Paolo, Nina, he was similarly lauded for follow up, O Cheiro do Ralo. Gone will be Dalhia’s first English language...
Dalhia is considered fairly hot directorial property at the moment having drawn praise for his incredibly ambitious version of Crime and Punishment set in Sao Paolo, Nina, he was similarly lauded for follow up, O Cheiro do Ralo. Gone will be Dalhia’s first English language...
- 2/11/2011
- by Ben Szwediuk
- Obsessed with Film
Summit Entertainment has picked up domestic distribution rights to the just announced thriller "Gone" starring Amanda Seyfried ("Dear John," "Mamma Mia") says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story revolves around a young woman named Jill (Seyfried) who returns home from her night shift to find her sister's bed empty and is convinced a serial killer who kidnapped her two years before has come back to finish the job.
The police don't believe her. With no one to turn to, and time running out, she plans to face her abductor once and for all.
Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia makes his English-language debut with this feature which begins shooting in April.
Allison Burnett penned the script while Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra, Dan Abrams, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing.
The story revolves around a young woman named Jill (Seyfried) who returns home from her night shift to find her sister's bed empty and is convinced a serial killer who kidnapped her two years before has come back to finish the job.
The police don't believe her. With no one to turn to, and time running out, she plans to face her abductor once and for all.
Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia makes his English-language debut with this feature which begins shooting in April.
Allison Burnett penned the script while Sidney Kimmel, Chris Salvaterra, Dan Abrams, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing.
- 2/10/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
CANNES -- The great expose of the meat-packing industry was Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, his 1906 muckraking novel that shocked a nation and led to stricter federal controls over food safety. Eric Schlosser's 2001 Fast Food Nation not only confirmed that many meat safety issues remain unsolved but portrayed a country so addicted to grab-and-eat junk food that a fifth of its adolescents are obese and major health issues abound. Which is why Richard Linklater's curious attempt to make a narrative feature from that nonfiction book is so disappointing. Following up on Morgan Spurlock's wildly successful indie film Super Size Me, critics of fast food were hoping that a one-two punch would further raise consciousness among consumers and purveyors alike. Alas, Fast Food Nation is punchless.
What Linklater and Schlosser arrive at in their screenwriting collaboration is a collection of characters inhabiting or passing through the medium-sized Colorado berg of Cody, a kind of Our Town set in strip malls and fast-food joints that make Cody look like Anywhere USA with nothing distinctive about the place. That lack of definition extends, unfortunately, to the characters -- all are well-known types, but few are individuals.
It's hard to see this Fox Searchlight release having much impact in U.S. art houses, where our poor dietary habits, mistreatment of undocumented workers and cynical business practices are old news. The film plays better in Europe, where it says all the things people here love to hear about America.
The conceit of the movie has every character tangentially connected to fast food, from the executive from Mickey's fast-food restaurant chain (Greg Kinnear) sent to the town's big meat-packing plant to investigate contamination in the company's meat, to high schoolers who work at Mickey's (Ashley Johnson, Paul Dano), undocumented plant workers Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ana Claudia Talancon, Wilmer Valderrama), their coyote (Luis Guzman), the predatory line boss (Bobby Cannavale), a rancher (Kris Kristofferson), a meat buyer (Bruce Willis) and the young political activist Lou Taylor Pucci) willing to commit acts of eco-terrorism.
The movie never decides whether it wants to be The Jungle or Our Town. Characters' story lines keep intersecting the film's journalistic purpose, throwing off both ambitions.
Some characters take you out of the movie altogether. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke shows up as Johnson's uncle and for several scenes lectures her on the dead-end nature of life in Cody, none of which is necessary because his niece and the movie's viewers are already in agreement on that point.
Promising story lines disappear, like Kinnear's radicalized exec, who gets a lecture from Willis on the realities of Big Food Business in America and then drops out of the picture. And the movie's astonished examination of the exploitation of illegal aliens is hardly a revelation.
Nevertheless, the movie thumbs through the book's chapters with its cardboard characters. You get the sexual harassment of female plant workers, wretched plant conditions, a bloody industrial accident and -- in the movie's "money" shot saved for last -- the butchering of cows and ripping apart of carcasses to make more Mickey's burgers.
Yet the lives of these characters are too dull to compel interest, and the shock value of the documentary excursions has little impact other than perhaps to alter dinner plans after the movie.
FAST FOOD NATION
Fox Searchlight Pictures
A Recorded Picture Co. presentation in association with HanWay Films, Participant Prods. and BBC Films
Credits:
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Eric Schlosser
Based on the book by: Eric Schlosser
Producers: Jeremy Thomas, Malcolm MacLaren
Executive producers: Jeff Skoll, Ricky Strauss, Chris Salvaterra, Ed Saxon, Peter Watson, Eric Schlosser, David M. Thompson
Director of photography: Lee Daniel
Production designer: Bruce Curtis
Music: Friends of Dean Martinez
Costumes: Kari Perkins, Lee Hunsaker
Editor: Sandra Adair
Cast:
Don: Greg Kinnear
Mike: Bobby Cannavale
Cindy: Patricia Arquette
Amber: Ashley Johnson
Tony: Esai Morales
Sylvia: Catalina Sandino Moreno
Paco: Lou Taylor Pucci
Coco: Ana Claudia Talancon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 112 minutes...
What Linklater and Schlosser arrive at in their screenwriting collaboration is a collection of characters inhabiting or passing through the medium-sized Colorado berg of Cody, a kind of Our Town set in strip malls and fast-food joints that make Cody look like Anywhere USA with nothing distinctive about the place. That lack of definition extends, unfortunately, to the characters -- all are well-known types, but few are individuals.
It's hard to see this Fox Searchlight release having much impact in U.S. art houses, where our poor dietary habits, mistreatment of undocumented workers and cynical business practices are old news. The film plays better in Europe, where it says all the things people here love to hear about America.
The conceit of the movie has every character tangentially connected to fast food, from the executive from Mickey's fast-food restaurant chain (Greg Kinnear) sent to the town's big meat-packing plant to investigate contamination in the company's meat, to high schoolers who work at Mickey's (Ashley Johnson, Paul Dano), undocumented plant workers Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ana Claudia Talancon, Wilmer Valderrama), their coyote (Luis Guzman), the predatory line boss (Bobby Cannavale), a rancher (Kris Kristofferson), a meat buyer (Bruce Willis) and the young political activist Lou Taylor Pucci) willing to commit acts of eco-terrorism.
The movie never decides whether it wants to be The Jungle or Our Town. Characters' story lines keep intersecting the film's journalistic purpose, throwing off both ambitions.
Some characters take you out of the movie altogether. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke shows up as Johnson's uncle and for several scenes lectures her on the dead-end nature of life in Cody, none of which is necessary because his niece and the movie's viewers are already in agreement on that point.
Promising story lines disappear, like Kinnear's radicalized exec, who gets a lecture from Willis on the realities of Big Food Business in America and then drops out of the picture. And the movie's astonished examination of the exploitation of illegal aliens is hardly a revelation.
Nevertheless, the movie thumbs through the book's chapters with its cardboard characters. You get the sexual harassment of female plant workers, wretched plant conditions, a bloody industrial accident and -- in the movie's "money" shot saved for last -- the butchering of cows and ripping apart of carcasses to make more Mickey's burgers.
Yet the lives of these characters are too dull to compel interest, and the shock value of the documentary excursions has little impact other than perhaps to alter dinner plans after the movie.
FAST FOOD NATION
Fox Searchlight Pictures
A Recorded Picture Co. presentation in association with HanWay Films, Participant Prods. and BBC Films
Credits:
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Eric Schlosser
Based on the book by: Eric Schlosser
Producers: Jeremy Thomas, Malcolm MacLaren
Executive producers: Jeff Skoll, Ricky Strauss, Chris Salvaterra, Ed Saxon, Peter Watson, Eric Schlosser, David M. Thompson
Director of photography: Lee Daniel
Production designer: Bruce Curtis
Music: Friends of Dean Martinez
Costumes: Kari Perkins, Lee Hunsaker
Editor: Sandra Adair
Cast:
Don: Greg Kinnear
Mike: Bobby Cannavale
Cindy: Patricia Arquette
Amber: Ashley Johnson
Tony: Esai Morales
Sylvia: Catalina Sandino Moreno
Paco: Lou Taylor Pucci
Coco: Ana Claudia Talancon
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 112 minutes...
- 5/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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