Creo has announced the jury for the 2024 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards.
Director Justin Chadwick serves as chair for the second year in a row. He is joined on the jury by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, co-founders and co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics; cinematographer Rob Hardy ASC, Bsc; cinematographer Kate Reid Bsc; cinematographer Robert Primes ASC; and Australian filmmaker Unjoo Moon.
Chadwick said, “It is such a pleasure to return as Chair of this new prestigious panel of decorated creatives. Last year, we brought to the forefront 30 exceptionally talented filmmakers from across the world, each of whom had the unique chance to access the inner workings of the industry in Los Angeles, opening doors to career-launching opportunities. From my own experience, the art of the short film is by no means one to be underestimated, and I look forward to discovering more brilliant, talented individuals through this upcoming selection.”
In...
Director Justin Chadwick serves as chair for the second year in a row. He is joined on the jury by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, co-founders and co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics; cinematographer Rob Hardy ASC, Bsc; cinematographer Kate Reid Bsc; cinematographer Robert Primes ASC; and Australian filmmaker Unjoo Moon.
Chadwick said, “It is such a pleasure to return as Chair of this new prestigious panel of decorated creatives. Last year, we brought to the forefront 30 exceptionally talented filmmakers from across the world, each of whom had the unique chance to access the inner workings of the industry in Los Angeles, opening doors to career-launching opportunities. From my own experience, the art of the short film is by no means one to be underestimated, and I look forward to discovering more brilliant, talented individuals through this upcoming selection.”
In...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay and Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety Film + TV
Leonine’s Fred Kogel To Be Feted In Zurich
Leonine CEO Fred Kogel is to receive the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award, which has previously gone to executives including Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. The Leonine boss will accept the award during the Zurich Summit industry conference on Sunday, October 1. Prior to setting up German studio Leonine, Kogel served as Head of Entertainment at Zdf and Managing Director of SAT1, where he was responsible for the station’s merger into ProSiebenSat.1 Media Ag. He was CEO of Constantin Film Ag from 2003 – 2009, working on Oscar nominees including Downfall and The Baader Meinhof Complex. “Fred Kogel has built Leonine from the ground up, a new entertainment company for the digital age that brings together the most exciting artists and successful producers, allowing them to focus on their core strengths while the studio takes care of services such as Hr,...
Leonine CEO Fred Kogel is to receive the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award, which has previously gone to executives including Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. The Leonine boss will accept the award during the Zurich Summit industry conference on Sunday, October 1. Prior to setting up German studio Leonine, Kogel served as Head of Entertainment at Zdf and Managing Director of SAT1, where he was responsible for the station’s merger into ProSiebenSat.1 Media Ag. He was CEO of Constantin Film Ag from 2003 – 2009, working on Oscar nominees including Downfall and The Baader Meinhof Complex. “Fred Kogel has built Leonine from the ground up, a new entertainment company for the digital age that brings together the most exciting artists and successful producers, allowing them to focus on their core strengths while the studio takes care of services such as Hr,...
- 8/2/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Last year, 144 documentary features were eligible for an Academy Award, but in reality, less than a third of those docs had a chance of making the 15-film shortlist. That, in part, is because garnering a spot on that competitive list requires not only a beautifully crafted film constructed by a talented director and crew, but also money.
In the past decade, platforms with deep pockets — Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney +, Netflix — began to spend on documentary award campaigns in ways that, prior to 2010, were unfathomable to the nonfiction film community. Before streamers came onto the scene, lobbying and marketing a doc during award season meant, if you were lucky, that a distributor took out a few “For Your Consideration” ads and hosted a handful of screenings. Now, depending on who the distributor is, FYC ads are plentiful, and small screenings have been transformed into events at New York’s Crosby and Whitby hotels,...
In the past decade, platforms with deep pockets — Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney +, Netflix — began to spend on documentary award campaigns in ways that, prior to 2010, were unfathomable to the nonfiction film community. Before streamers came onto the scene, lobbying and marketing a doc during award season meant, if you were lucky, that a distributor took out a few “For Your Consideration” ads and hosted a handful of screenings. Now, depending on who the distributor is, FYC ads are plentiful, and small screenings have been transformed into events at New York’s Crosby and Whitby hotels,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
For their mask-free, post-covid return, the Cannes and Venice film festivals played to their strengths: doubling down on red carpet glamour and old-world elegance.
Cannes’ jaw-dropping display for Top Gun: Maverick — including a supersonic flyover courtesy of the French air force — reestablished the Gallic fest as the go-to location for the launch of big-ticket tentpoles.
Venice’s combination of classy backdrop — celebrities arriving by boat behind the Hotel Excelsior — and up-close fan connection — the teen crowds camped out on the Lido red carpet — made it the ideal stage to present this year’s most anticipated art house features, including Todd Field’s Tár starring Cate Blanchett, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale with Brendan Fraser, both of which are already Oscar frontrunners, and more eclectic offerings, including Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal love story starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell.
Downtown Toronto has,...
For their mask-free, post-covid return, the Cannes and Venice film festivals played to their strengths: doubling down on red carpet glamour and old-world elegance.
Cannes’ jaw-dropping display for Top Gun: Maverick — including a supersonic flyover courtesy of the French air force — reestablished the Gallic fest as the go-to location for the launch of big-ticket tentpoles.
Venice’s combination of classy backdrop — celebrities arriving by boat behind the Hotel Excelsior — and up-close fan connection — the teen crowds camped out on the Lido red carpet — made it the ideal stage to present this year’s most anticipated art house features, including Todd Field’s Tár starring Cate Blanchett, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale with Brendan Fraser, both of which are already Oscar frontrunners, and more eclectic offerings, including Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal love story starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell.
Downtown Toronto has,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Etan Vlessing and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to the documentary Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb, on the heels of its June 12th world premiere in the Spotlight Documentary section of the Tribeca Film Festival.
The film’s subjects are Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Caro and legendary editor Robert Gottlieb, who have worked and fought together for 50 years, forging one of publishing’s most iconic and productive partnerships. Now 86, Caro is working to complete the final volume of his masterwork, The Years of Lyndon Johnson; Gottlieb, 91, waits to edit it. The task of finishing their life’s work looms before them.
Directed by Gottlieb’s daughter, Lizzie Gottlieb, Turn Every Page explores Caro and Robert Gottlieb’s remarkable creative collaboration, including the behind-the-scenes drama of the making of Caro’s The Power Broker and the Lbj series. With humor and insight, the unique double portrait reveals the work habits,...
The film’s subjects are Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Caro and legendary editor Robert Gottlieb, who have worked and fought together for 50 years, forging one of publishing’s most iconic and productive partnerships. Now 86, Caro is working to complete the final volume of his masterwork, The Years of Lyndon Johnson; Gottlieb, 91, waits to edit it. The task of finishing their life’s work looms before them.
Directed by Gottlieb’s daughter, Lizzie Gottlieb, Turn Every Page explores Caro and Robert Gottlieb’s remarkable creative collaboration, including the behind-the-scenes drama of the making of Caro’s The Power Broker and the Lbj series. With humor and insight, the unique double portrait reveals the work habits,...
- 6/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
While Hollywood blockbusters such as “Dune” and “No Time to Die” are dominating the U.S. box office, foreign-language specialty titles are proving their theatrical mettle in the early post-pandemic era.
Driven by Bong Joon Ho’s historic best picture win for “Parasite” in 2019, U.S. awards season has never been more open to non-English-language fare, with Julia Ducournau’s shocking “Titane,” Valdimar Jóhannsson’s chilling “Lamb” and Asghar Farhadi’s sobering “A Hero” getting Oscar buzz in categories beyond international feature film.
Where larger U.S. distributors now buy fewer of these titles, independent outfits like A24, Neon, IFC Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films have stepped forward during the pandemic, scooping up the hottest foreign-language movies on the festival circuit.
“One of the things that is most amazing now is that there are so many [U.S.] companies that do foreign films; it’s not one or two companies that dominate,...
Driven by Bong Joon Ho’s historic best picture win for “Parasite” in 2019, U.S. awards season has never been more open to non-English-language fare, with Julia Ducournau’s shocking “Titane,” Valdimar Jóhannsson’s chilling “Lamb” and Asghar Farhadi’s sobering “A Hero” getting Oscar buzz in categories beyond international feature film.
Where larger U.S. distributors now buy fewer of these titles, independent outfits like A24, Neon, IFC Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films have stepped forward during the pandemic, scooping up the hottest foreign-language movies on the festival circuit.
“One of the things that is most amazing now is that there are so many [U.S.] companies that do foreign films; it’s not one or two companies that dominate,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cause of death unknown at time of writing.
Director Roger Michell, best known for Notting Hill, Venus, My Cousin Rachel and Morning Glory has died, his publicist confirmed to Press Association. He was 65.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on 22 September,” read the statement.
Michell recently attended Telluride with The Duke. The cause of death had not been announced at time of writing.
Born in South Africa Michell returned to the UK with his British family and went...
Director Roger Michell, best known for Notting Hill, Venus, My Cousin Rachel and Morning Glory has died, his publicist confirmed to Press Association. He was 65.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on 22 September,” read the statement.
Michell recently attended Telluride with The Duke. The cause of death had not been announced at time of writing.
Born in South Africa Michell returned to the UK with his British family and went...
- 9/23/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Cannes is back, in slightly altered form. It’s hotter in July. Crowds are smaller, hotels are not full, nor are the screenings in the market; many of the usual attendees stayed home, from top critics from the New York and Los Angeles Times and IMDb chief Col Needham to Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard (his partner Michael Barker made the trip).
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
- 7/7/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Tribeca may have been the first big in-person film event of 2021, but it wasn’t clear what it told us about the year ahead. From anticipated premieres to lower-profile films, ambiguity loomed large.
The 20th edition launched June 9 with the world premiere in all five boroughs of Jon M. Chu’s movie of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” from relaxed lawn chairs on the Oval in Battery Park to the mask-free 91-year-old United Palace in Washington Heights. Mostly, outdoor venues at The Battery and a reopened Pier 76 at the Hudson River Park were the main attractions during the festival, which offered 56 world premieres out of 66 feature titles. Many of them were also available online, along with shorts, VR offerings, podcasts, and conversations with the likes of Gina Prince-Bythewood and Bradley Cooper and his “Nightmare Alley” director Guillermo del Toro.
Needless to say, movies were only part of the equation,...
The 20th edition launched June 9 with the world premiere in all five boroughs of Jon M. Chu’s movie of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” from relaxed lawn chairs on the Oval in Battery Park to the mask-free 91-year-old United Palace in Washington Heights. Mostly, outdoor venues at The Battery and a reopened Pier 76 at the Hudson River Park were the main attractions during the festival, which offered 56 world premieres out of 66 feature titles. Many of them were also available online, along with shorts, VR offerings, podcasts, and conversations with the likes of Gina Prince-Bythewood and Bradley Cooper and his “Nightmare Alley” director Guillermo del Toro.
Needless to say, movies were only part of the equation,...
- 6/19/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Tribeca may have been the first big in-person film event of 2021, but it wasn’t clear what it told us about the year ahead. From anticipated premieres to lower-profile films, ambiguity loomed large.
The 20th edition launched June 9 with the world premiere in all five boroughs of Jon M. Chu’s movie of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” from relaxed lawn chairs on the Oval in Battery Park to the mask-free 91-year-old United Palace in Washington Heights. Mostly, outdoor venues at The Battery and a reopened Pier 76 at the Hudson River Park were the main attractions during the festival, which offered 56 world premieres out of 66 feature titles. Many of them were also available online, along with shorts, VR offerings, podcasts, and conversations with the likes of Gina Prince-Bythewood and Bradley Cooper and his “Nightmare Alley” director Guillermo del Toro.
Needless to say, movies were only part of the equation,...
The 20th edition launched June 9 with the world premiere in all five boroughs of Jon M. Chu’s movie of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” from relaxed lawn chairs on the Oval in Battery Park to the mask-free 91-year-old United Palace in Washington Heights. Mostly, outdoor venues at The Battery and a reopened Pier 76 at the Hudson River Park were the main attractions during the festival, which offered 56 world premieres out of 66 feature titles. Many of them were also available online, along with shorts, VR offerings, podcasts, and conversations with the likes of Gina Prince-Bythewood and Bradley Cooper and his “Nightmare Alley” director Guillermo del Toro.
Needless to say, movies were only part of the equation,...
- 6/19/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
It was, to quote a certain Victorian author, the best of times and the worst of times at the Sundance Film Festival. Or, in the words of another one of history’s great scribes: “The players gonna play, play, play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”
Those, of course, are the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” And while the song isn’t featured in Swift’s documentary “Miss Americana” — most likely, as a result of a legal battle with Scooter Braun, who now owns the catalog of most of Swift’s hits — there was still plenty to see and hear. “Miss Americana” is packed with montages set to music, behind-the-scenes song writing sessions, surprising confessions and cameos from Swift’s cats, Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey. The Netflix documentary, the most high-profile film to premiere at this year’s Sundance, delivers — especially for the die-hard Swifties.
Those, of course, are the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” And while the song isn’t featured in Swift’s documentary “Miss Americana” — most likely, as a result of a legal battle with Scooter Braun, who now owns the catalog of most of Swift’s hits — there was still plenty to see and hear. “Miss Americana” is packed with montages set to music, behind-the-scenes song writing sessions, surprising confessions and cameos from Swift’s cats, Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey. The Netflix documentary, the most high-profile film to premiere at this year’s Sundance, delivers — especially for the die-hard Swifties.
- 1/31/2020
- by Ramin Setoodeh and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors will meet early Saturday to select their choices for the 11th annual Governors Awards. The special meeting is three months earlier than the usual post-Telluride Labor Day weekend date because the Academy — along with the rest of its accelerated calendar — has moved up the date for the Governors Awards from November 16 to Sunday, October 27. The nearly three-week jump backward reflects a similar shift for the February 9, 2020 Oscars.
The Governors’ Ball is a non-televised awards program that always draws a sizable contingent of Oscar contenders to the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland to celebrate the honorary Oscar winners as well as the occasional Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Awards.
The changed date comes partly because outgoing AMPAS president John Bailey (the board will elect his successor in August) wanted a hand in the selection.
The Governors’ Ball is a non-televised awards program that always draws a sizable contingent of Oscar contenders to the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland to celebrate the honorary Oscar winners as well as the occasional Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Awards.
The changed date comes partly because outgoing AMPAS president John Bailey (the board will elect his successor in August) wanted a hand in the selection.
- 5/31/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all worldwide rights to Michael Angelo Covino’s “The Climb” (excluding France and German-speaking Europe), the distributor announced Friday.
The film premiered at this month’s Cannes Film Festival and stars Covino, Kyle Marvin, Gayle Rankin, Talia Balsam, George Wendt and Judith Godrèche. Covino and Marvin wrote the screenplay.
The film follows Kyle and Mike, who are best friends — until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée. Topic Studios produced and financed the film. Covino, Marvin and Noah Lang produced, while Michael Bloom, Ryan Heller Adam Pincus and Gilda Moratti executive produced.
Also Read: Cannes Report, Day 10: 'Mektoub, My Love' Trolls, 'The Traitor' Sells Out
“To know my first movie will open with the same logo as so many of my favorites is hard to fathom,” Covino said, offering praise for Sony Classics co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker. “I can’t wait to work with Tom,...
The film premiered at this month’s Cannes Film Festival and stars Covino, Kyle Marvin, Gayle Rankin, Talia Balsam, George Wendt and Judith Godrèche. Covino and Marvin wrote the screenplay.
The film follows Kyle and Mike, who are best friends — until Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée. Topic Studios produced and financed the film. Covino, Marvin and Noah Lang produced, while Michael Bloom, Ryan Heller Adam Pincus and Gilda Moratti executive produced.
Also Read: Cannes Report, Day 10: 'Mektoub, My Love' Trolls, 'The Traitor' Sells Out
“To know my first movie will open with the same logo as so many of my favorites is hard to fathom,” Covino said, offering praise for Sony Classics co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker. “I can’t wait to work with Tom,...
- 5/24/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
amFAR’s glamorous annual event tied to the Cannes Film Festival always has been a highpoint in turning out the fashion looks we associate with the Riviera event. It adds to the mystique of the festival and helps set it apart from others. This year was no different in that regard — but completely different in another. The event, now known as amFAR Gala Cannes, previously was called Cinema Against AIDS as a way of directly tying into the festival itself, and when Harvey Weinstein was a key poster boy for the event he made sure the stars and jury members always found their way to the Hotel du Cap in Antibes for this huge event, and before that at Moulin des Mougins nearby before it grew even bigger.
Those coming in search of some hot outfits and elaborate get-ups would not be disappointed, but the big movie star turnout we...
Those coming in search of some hot outfits and elaborate get-ups would not be disappointed, but the big movie star turnout we...
- 5/24/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Now in its 72nd year, the Cannes Film Festival promises to offer its signature cocktail of glamour and cinephilia, a feast of rosé-lubricated moviegoing that unspools against the glittering backdrop of the Côte d’Azur. At the Palais, a seaside cathedral to all things film, the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Bill Murray, Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas are expected to walk the red carpet at one star-studded premiere after another.
But the engine that drives Cannes, and the reason that entertainment companies from around the globe shoulder the cost of flying their talent and teams to the South of France and housing them for the better part of two weeks, is that the festival also has a vibrant market. It’s one that offers everything from grindhouse favorites to auteur-driven fare. Agents and producers deplane in Nice ready to sell buyers on completed movies or scripts...
But the engine that drives Cannes, and the reason that entertainment companies from around the globe shoulder the cost of flying their talent and teams to the South of France and housing them for the better part of two weeks, is that the festival also has a vibrant market. It’s one that offers everything from grindhouse favorites to auteur-driven fare. Agents and producers deplane in Nice ready to sell buyers on completed movies or scripts...
- 5/7/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Distributor plans theatrical release on singer/songwriter.
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up worldwide rights to the documentary about singer/songwriter John Prine documentary tentatively titled John Prine: Hello In There.
Zachary Fuhrer directs the feature, which is in post-production and tells the story of the mysterious performer who broke out with an album he wrote while a Chicago postman, and went on to create an occasionally surreal body of work that included Angel From Montgomery.
Production began as Prine prepared to release his first album in 13 years, and followed him throug a resurgence that took him from Radio City Music Hall...
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up worldwide rights to the documentary about singer/songwriter John Prine documentary tentatively titled John Prine: Hello In There.
Zachary Fuhrer directs the feature, which is in post-production and tells the story of the mysterious performer who broke out with an album he wrote while a Chicago postman, and went on to create an occasionally surreal body of work that included Angel From Montgomery.
Production began as Prine prepared to release his first album in 13 years, and followed him throug a resurgence that took him from Radio City Music Hall...
- 2/10/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab will honor Michael Barker, Sony Pictures Classic’s co-president and co-founder, with this year’s Force-of-Nature filmmaking award.
The accolade seeks to honor extraordinary personalities committed to the development of cinema. Barker is being recognized for his work as a “cultural master-builder” at United Artists Classics, Orion Classics, and most recently Sony Pictures Classics. Longtime Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick was presented with the inaugural award in 2018.
“Over the last 35 years, passionately as a distributor and producer, Michael Barker (along with Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom) has opened the doors to the finest works of world cinema – from Kurosawa to Fassbinder, from Almodovar to Zhang Yimou and so many more,” said Renen Schorr, the film lab’s founder and director. “Both in art-house and in mainstream — and everything in-between — he chiefly created a cinematic and challenging dialogue between world continents and human beings.”
Barker...
The accolade seeks to honor extraordinary personalities committed to the development of cinema. Barker is being recognized for his work as a “cultural master-builder” at United Artists Classics, Orion Classics, and most recently Sony Pictures Classics. Longtime Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick was presented with the inaugural award in 2018.
“Over the last 35 years, passionately as a distributor and producer, Michael Barker (along with Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom) has opened the doors to the finest works of world cinema – from Kurosawa to Fassbinder, from Almodovar to Zhang Yimou and so many more,” said Renen Schorr, the film lab’s founder and director. “Both in art-house and in mainstream — and everything in-between — he chiefly created a cinematic and challenging dialogue between world continents and human beings.”
Barker...
- 2/6/2019
- by Nate Nickolai
- Variety Film + TV
They came. They saw. They bought a lot.
That’s more or less the story of the 2019 edition of the Sundance Film Festival. It was a return to the free-spending days of a couple of years ago, as buyers decided to ignore the cautionary tales and write checks as if “Patti Cake$” and “The Birth of a Nation” never happened. “Late Night,” Mindy Kaling’s look at diversity in writer’s rooms, picked up a massive $13 million domestic distribution deal, a record price for stateside rights. The political thriller “The Report” and heart-warming comedy “Brittany Runs A Marathon” nabbed $14 million global pacts. And “Blinded by the Light,” an ode to all things Bruce Springsteen, scored a $15 million worldwide sale to New Line, the biggest of the festival.
Distributors and agents insist that all the money sloshing around Park City isn’t attributable to festival fever, the dreaded virus that encourages...
That’s more or less the story of the 2019 edition of the Sundance Film Festival. It was a return to the free-spending days of a couple of years ago, as buyers decided to ignore the cautionary tales and write checks as if “Patti Cake$” and “The Birth of a Nation” never happened. “Late Night,” Mindy Kaling’s look at diversity in writer’s rooms, picked up a massive $13 million domestic distribution deal, a record price for stateside rights. The political thriller “The Report” and heart-warming comedy “Brittany Runs A Marathon” nabbed $14 million global pacts. And “Blinded by the Light,” an ode to all things Bruce Springsteen, scored a $15 million worldwide sale to New Line, the biggest of the festival.
Distributors and agents insist that all the money sloshing around Park City isn’t attributable to festival fever, the dreaded virus that encourages...
- 2/1/2019
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The cast and creators of “Pose,” along with “Dear White People” writer-director Justin Simien and Sony Pictures Classic will be honored at Outfest’s Legacy Awards on Oct. 28. The event is a key fundraiser for the organization’s Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, dedicated to preserving Lgbtq movies.
Cast and Creators of ‘Pose’
Trailblazer Award
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster credits the cast and creators of the FX show about New York’s Lgbt ball scene in the 1980s with turning TV on its head. “To me, it’s revolutionary,” he says.
But co-creator Steven Canals recalls a time not long ago when he struggled to get “Pose” off the ground.
“I was in and out of executives’ offices where I was being told, ‘This show just doesn’t have legs. You’ll never find an audience,’” he says. “To be in a place where the show is now being honored is beyond.
Cast and Creators of ‘Pose’
Trailblazer Award
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster credits the cast and creators of the FX show about New York’s Lgbt ball scene in the 1980s with turning TV on its head. “To me, it’s revolutionary,” he says.
But co-creator Steven Canals recalls a time not long ago when he struggled to get “Pose” off the ground.
“I was in and out of executives’ offices where I was being told, ‘This show just doesn’t have legs. You’ll never find an audience,’” he says. “To be in a place where the show is now being honored is beyond.
- 10/26/2018
- by Matthew Carey
- Variety Film + TV
In the summer, Outfest celebrates the latest Lgbtq movies and short films in downtown L.A. During the fall, the non-profit organization turns its attention to legacy: It honors key entertainment figures working today, while raising money to help ensure that past landmark Lgbtq movies do not vanish before our eyes.
The annual Outfest Legacy Awards serve as the key fundraiser for Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, a preservation initiative in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive. UCLA’s archive contains more than 40,000 Lgbtq pieces — from fiction to nonfiction films, home movies and news reports. Among the project’s restored films: “Different From the Others,” the earliest known movie with a gay protagonist.
The German silent feature from 1919 was nearly destroyed by the Nazis, who objected to the story about two male musicians whose love is threatened by blackmail. Within a year of its release, the movie was banned from public...
The annual Outfest Legacy Awards serve as the key fundraiser for Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, a preservation initiative in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive. UCLA’s archive contains more than 40,000 Lgbtq pieces — from fiction to nonfiction films, home movies and news reports. Among the project’s restored films: “Different From the Others,” the earliest known movie with a gay protagonist.
The German silent feature from 1919 was nearly destroyed by the Nazis, who objected to the story about two male musicians whose love is threatened by blackmail. Within a year of its release, the movie was banned from public...
- 10/26/2018
- by Matthew Carey
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics Co-Presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker are back at the Cannes Film Festival this year, making a deal on Nadine Labaki’s Competition title Capernaum early in the proceedings. As with many films the duo acquires here and at other fests, it could be put forward during awards season.
Spc has won 15 Foreign Language Oscars, including this year for Sebastian Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman, and also had nominee Loveless this year which they acquired during Cannes 2017. On that film and 2018’s first pick-up, they moved fast. Bernard explains his and Barker’s experience goes a long way towards swiftly identifying potential and being able to move quickly.
In the video above, he says, “Michael and I have been doing this together since 1979… If you looked inside our head as we’re watching a film here, I think it’s very different now, especially now, than a...
Spc has won 15 Foreign Language Oscars, including this year for Sebastian Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman, and also had nominee Loveless this year which they acquired during Cannes 2017. On that film and 2018’s first pick-up, they moved fast. Bernard explains his and Barker’s experience goes a long way towards swiftly identifying potential and being able to move quickly.
In the video above, he says, “Michael and I have been doing this together since 1979… If you looked inside our head as we’re watching a film here, I think it’s very different now, especially now, than a...
- 5/12/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
If a film festival takes place in the South of France with almost no movie stars, will the rest of the world care?
That’s the conundrum facing the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The annual celebration of cinema has never faced so many questions about its future and just how much clout it still has with U.S. studios, filmmakers and A-list actors. Though the kickoff for Cannes is still six days away, the elite gathering is already swirling in controversy.
In April, Cannes took a swing at Netflix by caving in to French theater owners and banning the streaming service from showing any of its movies in competition.
In keeping with an anti-technology stance, the festival is also forbidding selfies on its glamorous red carpet (good luck with that). And in the era of #MeToo and Time’s Up, there aren’t many female directors or stars in the lineup.
That’s the conundrum facing the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The annual celebration of cinema has never faced so many questions about its future and just how much clout it still has with U.S. studios, filmmakers and A-list actors. Though the kickoff for Cannes is still six days away, the elite gathering is already swirling in controversy.
In April, Cannes took a swing at Netflix by caving in to French theater owners and banning the streaming service from showing any of its movies in competition.
In keeping with an anti-technology stance, the festival is also forbidding selfies on its glamorous red carpet (good luck with that). And in the era of #MeToo and Time’s Up, there aren’t many female directors or stars in the lineup.
- 5/3/2018
- by Ramin Setoodeh and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
After seven years without offering tax incentives for film and TV production, New Jersey is poised to implement aggressive new benefits to producers that would be worth up to $425 million over five years. Proponents and observers of the humming production scene in and around New York City say the move is likely to trigger more shoots in the state and the construction of new studio space.
Democratic legislators in New Jersey passed a bill that would extend credits of up to 30% (capped at $75 million a year) for qualified film and TV production expenses and up to 20% (with an annual cap of $10 million) for digital media content production. The program would last through 2023. Eight South Jersey counties will see slightly higher incentives than the rest of the state, 35% for film and TV and 25% for digital. Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated he will sign the tax measure into law in the coming...
Democratic legislators in New Jersey passed a bill that would extend credits of up to 30% (capped at $75 million a year) for qualified film and TV production expenses and up to 20% (with an annual cap of $10 million) for digital media content production. The program would last through 2023. Eight South Jersey counties will see slightly higher incentives than the rest of the state, 35% for film and TV and 25% for digital. Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated he will sign the tax measure into law in the coming...
- 4/30/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Andrew Hansen recently did something he hasn’t done since high school. He went to see “Love, Simon” at the movie theater — twice.
Since buying a MoviePass subscription in January, Hansen, a 43-year-old transcriber for college classes, has seen roughly a dozen movies, including all of the recent best picture Oscar nominees. For just under $10 a month, the New York City native can check out a movie a day at a cinema. That’s less than the cost of a single ticket at any Manhattan multiplex.
“I’m seeing movies I wouldn’t normally spend $16 or $17 on, and I don’t feel guilty about it,” says Hansen. “I’d never see a movie in theaters twice before MoviePass. I could never have justified the expense.”
As he’s saved money, Hansen has been busy evangelizing, urging friends and family to sign up for the service. He’s not alone. Since...
Since buying a MoviePass subscription in January, Hansen, a 43-year-old transcriber for college classes, has seen roughly a dozen movies, including all of the recent best picture Oscar nominees. For just under $10 a month, the New York City native can check out a movie a day at a cinema. That’s less than the cost of a single ticket at any Manhattan multiplex.
“I’m seeing movies I wouldn’t normally spend $16 or $17 on, and I don’t feel guilty about it,” says Hansen. “I’d never see a movie in theaters twice before MoviePass. I could never have justified the expense.”
As he’s saved money, Hansen has been busy evangelizing, urging friends and family to sign up for the service. He’s not alone. Since...
- 4/17/2018
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Weinstein Company assets will be purchased by the Ron Burkle-backed Maria Contreras-Sweet, and all things Weinstein will be removed from whatever remains. After a nearly four-decade run, the legacy of the most successful specialized distributor in history comes down to the last five tumultuous months that mark an inglorious (if not inglourious) end.
The Weinsteins made its first big Oscar splash in 1990 with “My Left Foot,” but they’d already been around for some time. Long before I covered box office for IndieWire, I spent 30 years as a film buyer, booking for theaters — and was a first-hand witness to Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s rise. Here’s my perspective on how they grew from a small outlier to an indie powerhouse.
“Bob Weinstein on the line. He says he’s from Buffalo.”
Back in 1981, phone calls were announced by a receptionist. As a young film buyer for M&R Theaters,...
The Weinsteins made its first big Oscar splash in 1990 with “My Left Foot,” but they’d already been around for some time. Long before I covered box office for IndieWire, I spent 30 years as a film buyer, booking for theaters — and was a first-hand witness to Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s rise. Here’s my perspective on how they grew from a small outlier to an indie powerhouse.
“Bob Weinstein on the line. He says he’s from Buffalo.”
Back in 1981, phone calls were announced by a receptionist. As a young film buyer for M&R Theaters,...
- 3/6/2018
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The film was one of the most acclaimed specialized films of the year; boasted elevated festival attention, strong initial limited grosses; and won major critics’ group awards for its lead performer. It had its first wide release after the Oscar nominations. By the next weekend its gross stood at $10 million. That film was eventual Best Actress-winner “Room” from A24. The bleak drama went on to gross less than $15 million. After the film passed the three-month release mark, the distributor smartly offered streaming before the Oscars, in order to add far more revenue at its moment of maximum attention.
This provides necessary context for current Best Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay and Song Oscar contender “Call Me by Your Name.” Over the last few days, social media erupted with a denunciation of Sony Pictures Classics for somehow botching its release. “Call Me by Your Name” has “only” grossed just over $11 million after...
This provides necessary context for current Best Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay and Song Oscar contender “Call Me by Your Name.” Over the last few days, social media erupted with a denunciation of Sony Pictures Classics for somehow botching its release. “Call Me by Your Name” has “only” grossed just over $11 million after...
- 1/30/2018
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Christmas movies suggest family-friendly, heartwarming tales, designed for peak holiday family moviegoing. And then there’s the other kind — the late-breaking, high-profile, A-list titles designed to hit the box office and Oscar voters’ consciousness. Some of these launched at prestige fall film festivals (“Downsizing,” “Molly’s Game,” “Hostiles,” “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool”); others are bonafide awards contenders (Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread”); and some, like Hugh Jackman vanity musical “The Greatest Showman,” will soon skid into either bad reviews or audience reaction, or both.
Herewith, a ranking of the Christmas movies in order of their likely Oscar prospects.
“The Post” (Fox, December 22)
Metascore: 82.
Strengths: Steven Spielberg’s riveting paean to newspaper journalism and freedom of the press couldn’t be more timely. Early reviews are strong for this true story about The Washington Post’s publication of the Pentagon Papers,...
Herewith, a ranking of the Christmas movies in order of their likely Oscar prospects.
“The Post” (Fox, December 22)
Metascore: 82.
Strengths: Steven Spielberg’s riveting paean to newspaper journalism and freedom of the press couldn’t be more timely. Early reviews are strong for this true story about The Washington Post’s publication of the Pentagon Papers,...
- 12/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed the rights to Michael Mayer’s “The Seagull,” starring four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening, two-time nom Saoirse Ronan and Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, the studio announced on Tuesday. The film is an adaption of the classic 19th Century Russian play by Anton Chekhov, highlighting the unrequited desire of several characters that have fallen in love with people that want someone else. “If I could dream up the perfect company to release my film, I would conjure Sony Classics,” said Mayer in a statement. “ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard have released so many brilliant and...
- 10/24/2017
- by Sean Burch
- The Wrap
Most major studios outside of Disney would like to advance the narrative that a shortened theatrical window with the emergence of premium VOD is a given future reality. But Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents and founders Tom Bernard and Michael Barker have heard otherwise from exhibition. “I’ve talked to a lot of the major theater chains and they feel that they really want to hold strong,” Bernard told Deadline at our Tribeca Studio regarding the majors’ pitch for a…...
- 4/21/2017
- Deadline
Deadline’s studio at the Tribeca Film Festival kicked off the first of five talent-filled days at the NYC fest with visits by Zoey Deutch and Max Winkler (Flower), Julian Sands (The Escape), Tom Bernard & Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics, and many more. Photographer Mark Mann is behind the lens for our series of photo sessions and video interviews. Click on the image above to open the gallery, and follow Deadline for more photos and video interviews from Tribeca. P…...
- 4/21/2017
- Deadline
We may be two months into 2017, but this weekend feels like the time to finally bring 2016’s year in film to a close. With that in mind, at one of the independent film world’s biggest annual gatherings, we took the opportunity to ask some of this year’s nominees what they’d like to see in the months to come. Some spoke about their personal projects, while others looked toward the industry as a whole.
Overall, the consensus of the day’s honorees centered on inclusion. Regardless of the people behind these films, they all recognized the opportunity for film to showcase a wider view of the world.
Read More: 2017 Independent Spirit Awards: Full Winners List — Updating Live
Below are selected comments from our conversations with this year’s nominees.
Lily Gladstone, “Certain Women”
“This is the year of ‘Moonlight,’ so everything is going to be different after this.
Overall, the consensus of the day’s honorees centered on inclusion. Regardless of the people behind these films, they all recognized the opportunity for film to showcase a wider view of the world.
Read More: 2017 Independent Spirit Awards: Full Winners List — Updating Live
Below are selected comments from our conversations with this year’s nominees.
Lily Gladstone, “Certain Women”
“This is the year of ‘Moonlight,’ so everything is going to be different after this.
- 2/26/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
As voters hover over their ballots, which are due February 21, the Best Foreign-Language Feature category presents a dilemma that’s unique to this year. Traditionally, many don’t vote in this category unless they’ve seen all the films. While the Academy sends links as well as screeners for all five nominees, it’s an honor system.
No one’s asking them to do anything differently now, but this year they may have a different reason to vote. Three out of the five documentary short Oscars focus on fallout from the Syrian conflict, as does documentary feature “Fire at Sea.”
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation” and whose second Oscar-nominated film, “The Salesman” (Cohen Media), is playing on more than 65 screens and could pass the $1 million mark this weekend, grabbed a lot of press when he canceled his plans to attend the February 26th...
No one’s asking them to do anything differently now, but this year they may have a different reason to vote. Three out of the five documentary short Oscars focus on fallout from the Syrian conflict, as does documentary feature “Fire at Sea.”
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation” and whose second Oscar-nominated film, “The Salesman” (Cohen Media), is playing on more than 65 screens and could pass the $1 million mark this weekend, grabbed a lot of press when he canceled his plans to attend the February 26th...
- 2/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
As voters hover over their ballots, which are due February 21, the Best Foreign-Language Feature category presents a dilemma that’s unique to this year. Traditionally, many don’t vote in this category unless they’ve seen all the films. While the Academy sends links as well as screeners for all five nominees, it’s an honor system.
No one’s asking them to do anything differently now, but this year they may have a different reason to vote. Three out of the five documentary short Oscars focus on fallout from the Syrian conflict, as does documentary feature “Fire at Sea.”
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation” and whose second Oscar-nominated film, “The Salesman” (Cohen Media), is playing on more than 65 screens and could pass the $1 million mark this weekend, grabbed a lot of press when he canceled his plans to attend the February 26th...
No one’s asking them to do anything differently now, but this year they may have a different reason to vote. Three out of the five documentary short Oscars focus on fallout from the Syrian conflict, as does documentary feature “Fire at Sea.”
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar in 2012 for “A Separation” and whose second Oscar-nominated film, “The Salesman” (Cohen Media), is playing on more than 65 screens and could pass the $1 million mark this weekend, grabbed a lot of press when he canceled his plans to attend the February 26th...
- 2/18/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Psychological thriller recently wrapped production in Paris.
Sony Pictures Classics (Spc) has picked up North American rights to the French-language thriller, continuing its association with the director after the 2011 drama Carnage.
RatPac Entertainment will partner on distribution with Spc, who negotiated for the rights with Jeff Berg of Northside Services.
Emmanuelle Seigner stars as a Parisian author with writer’s block who encounters a mysterious woman at a book signing played by Eva Green. Wassim Beji of Wy Productions serves as producer.
Olivier Assayas and Polanski adapted Based On A True Story from Delphine de Vigan’s novel of the same name.
“I am very pleased that Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing Based On A True Story in North America,” Polanski said. “Sony Classics is a company that has long tradition in supporting European cinema. I am looking forward to working again with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.’
Spc said: “Based...
Sony Pictures Classics (Spc) has picked up North American rights to the French-language thriller, continuing its association with the director after the 2011 drama Carnage.
RatPac Entertainment will partner on distribution with Spc, who negotiated for the rights with Jeff Berg of Northside Services.
Emmanuelle Seigner stars as a Parisian author with writer’s block who encounters a mysterious woman at a book signing played by Eva Green. Wassim Beji of Wy Productions serves as producer.
Olivier Assayas and Polanski adapted Based On A True Story from Delphine de Vigan’s novel of the same name.
“I am very pleased that Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing Based On A True Story in North America,” Polanski said. “Sony Classics is a company that has long tradition in supporting European cinema. I am looking forward to working again with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.’
Spc said: “Based...
- 2/14/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Festival reveals the state of the indie film market, and 2017 will be remembered as the year of Amazon Studios and Netflix. And given the festival’s robust TV and Vr programs,, which were dominated by Google and Facebook/Oculus, there’s further digital disruption ahead.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
- 1/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Sundance Festival reveals the state of the indie film market, and 2017 will be remembered as the year of Amazon Studios and Netflix. And given the festival’s robust TV and Vr programs, which were dominated by Google and Facebook/Oculus, there’s further digital disruption ahead.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
- 1/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
While the Sundance Film Festival 2017 doesn’t quite have the auteur-driven major premieres such as Manchester by the Sea and Certain Women last year, near the top of our most-anticipated films is Luca Guadagnino‘s follow-up to A Bigger Splash, Call Me By Your Name. Ahead of the premiere later this month, it’s now been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for around $6 million, according to THR.
An adaptation of André Aciman‘s novel, scripted by James Ivory and the director, it follows a 17-year-old boy who begins a romance with his father’s house guest. Taking the role of the boy is Interstellar star Timothée Chalamet while Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) plays his father and Armie Hammer takes the role of the house guest. It’s also been revealed that Sufjan Stevens, whose last album Carrie & Lowell was one of 2015’s best, has written and performed original songs for the film.
An adaptation of André Aciman‘s novel, scripted by James Ivory and the director, it follows a 17-year-old boy who begins a romance with his father’s house guest. Taking the role of the boy is Interstellar star Timothée Chalamet while Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) plays his father and Armie Hammer takes the role of the house guest. It’s also been revealed that Sufjan Stevens, whose last album Carrie & Lowell was one of 2015’s best, has written and performed original songs for the film.
- 1/8/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Studios and mini-majors always use the end of year to launch their best awards contenders, but the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is known for something else among film distributors: a dumping ground for bad movies. Starting around Black Friday every year, a wave of crappy titles hit theaters like clockwork. What’s driving this annual offloading of lousy product?
Read More: Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema: Why New York Cinephiles Could Lose a ‘Crown Jewel’
Studios have avoided releasing films in early December for decades, fearing that the end of the year crunch and holiday shopping will keep people out of theaters. This creates an opening for distributors that need to get bad movies off their books in a hurry.
“If I were a studio and I had a film that I knew wasn’t going to do very well but I had to put it on 1,000 screens, you can...
Read More: Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema: Why New York Cinephiles Could Lose a ‘Crown Jewel’
Studios have avoided releasing films in early December for decades, fearing that the end of the year crunch and holiday shopping will keep people out of theaters. This creates an opening for distributors that need to get bad movies off their books in a hurry.
“If I were a studio and I had a film that I knew wasn’t going to do very well but I had to put it on 1,000 screens, you can...
- 12/12/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
One of the questions surrounding “Moonlight” was whether it would find its way to movie screens in African-American neighborhoods. That’s not standard arthouse territory, and with no bankable stars and an unconventional story, the A24 platform release didn’t offer much to suggest a wide theatrical audience.
Read More: ‘Moonlight’: How the Transformative Power of An Unexpected Role Changed Naomie Harris’ Career — Consider This
Six weeks since its October 21 release, “Moonlight” has bucked the trend with $8 million in box office and counting and holding more than 600 screens — including those in African-American communities. The film was the big winner at Monday night’s Gotham Awards in New York, taking home awards for Best Feature, the Audience Award, the Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance, and Best Screenplay for writer-director Barry Jenkins. It has a Metascore of 99, making it one of the platform’s best-reviewed movies of the decade.
A24 recently took the film nationwide,...
Read More: ‘Moonlight’: How the Transformative Power of An Unexpected Role Changed Naomie Harris’ Career — Consider This
Six weeks since its October 21 release, “Moonlight” has bucked the trend with $8 million in box office and counting and holding more than 600 screens — including those in African-American communities. The film was the big winner at Monday night’s Gotham Awards in New York, taking home awards for Best Feature, the Audience Award, the Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance, and Best Screenplay for writer-director Barry Jenkins. It has a Metascore of 99, making it one of the platform’s best-reviewed movies of the decade.
A24 recently took the film nationwide,...
- 12/1/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Before Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics scooped up Paul Verhoeven’s provocative thriller “Elle,” starring Isabelle Huppert as a videogame entrepreneur who refuses to allow her violent rape in her own home to ruin her life.
Sony co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, with Cannes raves behind them, have booked “Elle” for November 11, smack in the middle of awards season. Will France submit Verhoeven’s first French-language film?
Maybe yes, maybe no. But it doesn’t matter. The movie is Verhoeven’s best in years and in any case, Huppert has a shot at a Best Actress Oscar nomination. At 63, Huppert believably plays a younger woman in her sexual prime, bringing all her experience to bear on the role, which was adapted from a French novel by an American screenwriter (David Birke) and then translated back into French when Huppert came aboard. She elevates the character into almost making sense.
Read More: 16 Women Who Popped at Cannes
She doesn’t miss a beat. She doesn’t call the cops. She changes the locks, gets an Std test, buys pepper spray and learns how to use a gun. She’s a sophisticated, elegant, powerful, modern woman who lives alone, runs her own company, manipulates her family, has sex with whomever she fancies, and is free to do as she pleases.
Typically, Verhoeven refuses to supply psychological underpinnings for what she does. But Huppert makes us believe. With critics and awards-savvy Spc behind it, this commercial movie could wind up a North American hit this fall.
“Elle” will open a week ahead of Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals,” which Focus Features will release November 18. At $20 million, the project was the biggest acquisition of Cannes 2015.
Ford adapted the thriller from Austin Wright’s 1993 novel; it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, and it’s produced by George Clooney’s Smoke House Pictures. The film wrapped production last December; it’s expected to expand its release on November 23 and go wide December 9.
Related storiesCannes Film Festival Awards 2016Cannes Today: New Talent EmergesHow Will the Cannes Film Festival Impact the Rest of the Year in Film? (Podcast)...
Sony co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, with Cannes raves behind them, have booked “Elle” for November 11, smack in the middle of awards season. Will France submit Verhoeven’s first French-language film?
Maybe yes, maybe no. But it doesn’t matter. The movie is Verhoeven’s best in years and in any case, Huppert has a shot at a Best Actress Oscar nomination. At 63, Huppert believably plays a younger woman in her sexual prime, bringing all her experience to bear on the role, which was adapted from a French novel by an American screenwriter (David Birke) and then translated back into French when Huppert came aboard. She elevates the character into almost making sense.
Read More: 16 Women Who Popped at Cannes
She doesn’t miss a beat. She doesn’t call the cops. She changes the locks, gets an Std test, buys pepper spray and learns how to use a gun. She’s a sophisticated, elegant, powerful, modern woman who lives alone, runs her own company, manipulates her family, has sex with whomever she fancies, and is free to do as she pleases.
Typically, Verhoeven refuses to supply psychological underpinnings for what she does. But Huppert makes us believe. With critics and awards-savvy Spc behind it, this commercial movie could wind up a North American hit this fall.
“Elle” will open a week ahead of Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals,” which Focus Features will release November 18. At $20 million, the project was the biggest acquisition of Cannes 2015.
Ford adapted the thriller from Austin Wright’s 1993 novel; it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, and it’s produced by George Clooney’s Smoke House Pictures. The film wrapped production last December; it’s expected to expand its release on November 23 and go wide December 9.
Related storiesCannes Film Festival Awards 2016Cannes Today: New Talent EmergesHow Will the Cannes Film Festival Impact the Rest of the Year in Film? (Podcast)...
- 5/27/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Cannes Film Festival doesn’t much care what the American public likes. Hollywood entries at Cannes 2016, which included recent releases “Money Monster and “The Nice Guys,” played out of competition. And most of the award winners won’t register at the North American box office, no matter how much the critics adore them.
However, there was another set of movies at Cannes. While largely ignored by the jury, these titles have serious aspirations to make a mark at the arthouse this year — and at the Oscars next year. They’re the Cannes films you’re most likely to see.
Here’s our ranking of the movies with distributors that most likely to reach a sizable North American audience this fall.
1. “Loving” Director: Jeff Nichols Distributor: Focus Features
Stars: Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga Release date: November 4, 2016 Cannes section: Competition Reviews: Metascore: 71 Critics’ take: Some reviewers admired this sincere biopic,...
However, there was another set of movies at Cannes. While largely ignored by the jury, these titles have serious aspirations to make a mark at the arthouse this year — and at the Oscars next year. They’re the Cannes films you’re most likely to see.
Here’s our ranking of the movies with distributors that most likely to reach a sizable North American audience this fall.
1. “Loving” Director: Jeff Nichols Distributor: Focus Features
Stars: Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga Release date: November 4, 2016 Cannes section: Competition Reviews: Metascore: 71 Critics’ take: Some reviewers admired this sincere biopic,...
- 5/26/2016
- by Anne Thompson and Graham Winfrey
- Thompson on Hollywood
Cannes Film Festival veterans Michael Barker and Tom Bernard are in town this year with two movies in Competition, Pedro Almodovar’s Julieta and recent pick-up Elle by Paul Verhoeven. The Sony Pictures Classics chiefs visited the Deadline Studio this week to chat about both titles and share their views on how the market has changed. We also got in some interesting red carpet anecdotes involving cowboy boots and Mike Tyson. Check out our chat above. Bernard, who’s here for…...
- 5/15/2016
- Deadline
Deadline's studio at the Cannes Film Festival kicked off seven talent-filled days on the Croisette with visits by Woody Allen, director of opening night's Café Society, along with actors Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Corey Stoll and Kristen Stewart. Also stopping by the studio were Money Monster producers Lara Alameddine and Daniel Dubiecki, Roy Price of Amazon Studios, Tom Bernard and Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics, and many more. Photographer Mark Mann is…...
- 5/13/2016
- Deadline
"My big question is: Are the hotels going to step up security?" says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, who admits he's skittish about the threat of a terrorist attack during the festival. "I'd be happy to see dogs roaming the lobby of the Carlton." A simulated terrorist attack April 21 in Cannes — followed by the wide circulation of a video of the exercise — has left some festivalgoers feeling more vulnerable, especially in light of reports that the Islamic State has set its sights on European beach destinations. But Palais president Claire-Anne Reix dismissed concerns
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- 5/6/2016
- by Rhonda Richford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the wake of controversy surrounding this year’s Oscar nominations, the La Film Festival is embracing diversity, announcing that Ricardo de Montreuil’s “Lowriders” will open this year’s festival, which will also honor filmmakers Ryan Coogler (“Creed”) and Ava DuVernay (“Selma”). Coogler will serve as Laff’s 2016 Guest Director, while DuVernay and Array Releasing will receive the festival’s annual Spirit of Independence Award, which honors those who advance the cause of independent film and champion creative freedom. The Spirit of Independence Award has previously been given to Don Cheadle, George Clooney, David O. Russell, Tom Bernard and Michael Barker,...
- 4/5/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
The night before the SXSW Film Festival got under way, Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, defended his communal love of film in theaters. "In pursuing the new future, we cannot decimate the past," he said in his acceptance speech as one of the honorees at the Texas Film Awards, the annual benefit for Richard Linklater's now 30-year-old Austin Film Society.
Watching the Sony Classics reel, the crucial art films I grew up on over the decades sped past. From Truffaut's "The Last Metro" and Merchant/Ivory's "Howards End" to more recent Oscar-winners "Blue Jasmine," "Alice" and "Son of Saul," I felt a twinge of loss. SXSW is all about change, and forward motion. But in our rush toward digital immediacy, we lose something too.
While Barker and partner Tom Bernard's Sony Classics remains the very model of a theatrically driven and adaptive studio specialty subsidiary, the world is changing around them. 35 mm is no longer a viable exhibition format, directors have to fight to shoot with celluloid, and distributors are increasingly challenged to lure consumers away from mobile and home-viewing options in favor of a theater.
Also fighting the good fight is Linklater. He announced construction on the Austin Film Society's new two-screen theatre, "showing repertory, international and arthouse films every day of the week," which will boast a 35 mm projector. Meanwhile, more local exhibitors are turning to alternative content like TCM Classic Movies to grab their customers—most of whom are well over 30, if not 60.
Linklater has enjoyed an enviably idiosyncratic career since his pre-sxsw 1991 Sundance breakout "Slacker" (picked up by Barker and Bernard). He's moved through a wide range of budgets and subjects, from animated "Waking Life" and the walking and talking "Before Sunrise" series to "Dazed and Confused," which Alphaville's Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks made with Universal chairman Tom Pollock. Universal couldn't figure out how to sell a Texas coming of age film with a young indie filmmaker and no-name cast (including Ben Affleck and Matthew "all right, all right" McConaughey) at the box office; "Dazed and Confused" eventually emerged as a cult homevideo classic.
After Linklater made commercial hit "School of Rock" in 2003 at Paramount, the studio developed the 1980 Austin film that became "Everybody Wants Some!!" And, as he said at his New York pre-sxsw party, it was still tough to get it made. The film took a decade to go into production, just as "Boyhood" hit big and headed for awards contention. However, it may be deja vu all over again: Cast with unknowns, the movie is hugely entertaining, shot with the same "Dazed and Confused" aesthetic (and many of the same crew, including long-time Linklater editor Sandra Adair), and Paramount is hedging its bets: "Everybody Wants Some!!" will go out via platform release April 1.
It's a struggle that speaks to why, these days, emerging film directors tend to find more work in television, from SXSW stars the Duplass brothers, who keep their film budgets low, to director-actress Amy Seimetz ("The Killing," "The Girlfriend Experience") and Lena Dunham, whose HBO series "Girls" launched SXSW Film's move into television premieres. These are now major draws, from "Broad City" panels to the outdoor preview exhibit “Welcome to Annville," which ties to AMC’s supernatural comic-book drama, "Preacher" (November) starring Dominic Cooper (from executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg); that will premiere at SXSW March 14.
As for the movies at SXSW, buzz has started as film buffs spread the word on opening-night titles like Joey Klein's bleak romance "The Other Half," starring real-life couple Tatiana Maslany and Tom Cullen. But it can be tough for the film side of SXSW to grab attention from the rest of the festival — even after President Obama had left town.
At SXSW 2016, everyone hovers on street corners searching for their Uber or Lyft drivers. Downtown Austin resembles San Diego's Comic-Con with its countless showrooms, meet-up tables, and brand marketing opportunities like the "Mr. Robot" ferris wheel, Capital One House, and pedicabs bedecked with HBO's "Game of Thrones.
As at Comic-Con and Sundance, the noise of the corporate world trying to nab a piece of the smart digital-driven demo at SXSW has gotten a lot louder. Interactive was SXSW's growth engine for four years, but attendance stabilized in 2015 and 2016 (2015 attendance included 30,000 music, 33,000 interactive and 20,000 film participants). "'Twas the night before SXSW and all through this hotel lobby bar there are Interactive nerds drinking wine talking about Macs and Minecraft," tweeted The Daily Beast's @jenyamato.
SXSW attendees lined up around the block to get into fashion and lifestyle site Refinery29's opening night high-school-themed "The School of Self Expression" party, serving miniaturized high school snacks on molded cafeteria trays to guests including Kate Bosworth.
"SXSW is about youth and the future," eight-year SXSW veteran and Refinery29 cofounder Philippe von Borries told me. "It's forward looking, but it's a dude-centric world. SXSW events used to attract diehard geeks who love technology. It then became about big marketing events, as brands started coming in. That's blown up in the last few years. Now there’s a much larger female presence, more style, more creativity in the air."
Targeted to millennial women, Refinery29 lures 150 million visitors a month with content ranging from horoscopes to in-depth interviews with Hillary Clinton, pushed out via social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. "It's about self-expression and empowering women, bringing content from incredible female voices from around the world: style, fashion, beauty, global issues, health, wellness," said Von Borries.
And it may be companies like Refinery29 that will shape the future of SXSW. Video is driving Refinery29's next evolution; at Sundance, it announced the "Shatterbox Anthology," a 12-part series of shorts directed by women. Produced by Killer Films' Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler, it will debut this spring with "Kitty," the directing debut of actress Chloe Sevigne. And Von Borries is proud of Jill Soloway's darkly irreverent six-part comedy series "The Skinny," about a young woman with an eating disorder, which "goes to places other media companies are not going."...
Watching the Sony Classics reel, the crucial art films I grew up on over the decades sped past. From Truffaut's "The Last Metro" and Merchant/Ivory's "Howards End" to more recent Oscar-winners "Blue Jasmine," "Alice" and "Son of Saul," I felt a twinge of loss. SXSW is all about change, and forward motion. But in our rush toward digital immediacy, we lose something too.
While Barker and partner Tom Bernard's Sony Classics remains the very model of a theatrically driven and adaptive studio specialty subsidiary, the world is changing around them. 35 mm is no longer a viable exhibition format, directors have to fight to shoot with celluloid, and distributors are increasingly challenged to lure consumers away from mobile and home-viewing options in favor of a theater.
Also fighting the good fight is Linklater. He announced construction on the Austin Film Society's new two-screen theatre, "showing repertory, international and arthouse films every day of the week," which will boast a 35 mm projector. Meanwhile, more local exhibitors are turning to alternative content like TCM Classic Movies to grab their customers—most of whom are well over 30, if not 60.
Linklater has enjoyed an enviably idiosyncratic career since his pre-sxsw 1991 Sundance breakout "Slacker" (picked up by Barker and Bernard). He's moved through a wide range of budgets and subjects, from animated "Waking Life" and the walking and talking "Before Sunrise" series to "Dazed and Confused," which Alphaville's Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks made with Universal chairman Tom Pollock. Universal couldn't figure out how to sell a Texas coming of age film with a young indie filmmaker and no-name cast (including Ben Affleck and Matthew "all right, all right" McConaughey) at the box office; "Dazed and Confused" eventually emerged as a cult homevideo classic.
After Linklater made commercial hit "School of Rock" in 2003 at Paramount, the studio developed the 1980 Austin film that became "Everybody Wants Some!!" And, as he said at his New York pre-sxsw party, it was still tough to get it made. The film took a decade to go into production, just as "Boyhood" hit big and headed for awards contention. However, it may be deja vu all over again: Cast with unknowns, the movie is hugely entertaining, shot with the same "Dazed and Confused" aesthetic (and many of the same crew, including long-time Linklater editor Sandra Adair), and Paramount is hedging its bets: "Everybody Wants Some!!" will go out via platform release April 1.
It's a struggle that speaks to why, these days, emerging film directors tend to find more work in television, from SXSW stars the Duplass brothers, who keep their film budgets low, to director-actress Amy Seimetz ("The Killing," "The Girlfriend Experience") and Lena Dunham, whose HBO series "Girls" launched SXSW Film's move into television premieres. These are now major draws, from "Broad City" panels to the outdoor preview exhibit “Welcome to Annville," which ties to AMC’s supernatural comic-book drama, "Preacher" (November) starring Dominic Cooper (from executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg); that will premiere at SXSW March 14.
As for the movies at SXSW, buzz has started as film buffs spread the word on opening-night titles like Joey Klein's bleak romance "The Other Half," starring real-life couple Tatiana Maslany and Tom Cullen. But it can be tough for the film side of SXSW to grab attention from the rest of the festival — even after President Obama had left town.
At SXSW 2016, everyone hovers on street corners searching for their Uber or Lyft drivers. Downtown Austin resembles San Diego's Comic-Con with its countless showrooms, meet-up tables, and brand marketing opportunities like the "Mr. Robot" ferris wheel, Capital One House, and pedicabs bedecked with HBO's "Game of Thrones.
As at Comic-Con and Sundance, the noise of the corporate world trying to nab a piece of the smart digital-driven demo at SXSW has gotten a lot louder. Interactive was SXSW's growth engine for four years, but attendance stabilized in 2015 and 2016 (2015 attendance included 30,000 music, 33,000 interactive and 20,000 film participants). "'Twas the night before SXSW and all through this hotel lobby bar there are Interactive nerds drinking wine talking about Macs and Minecraft," tweeted The Daily Beast's @jenyamato.
SXSW attendees lined up around the block to get into fashion and lifestyle site Refinery29's opening night high-school-themed "The School of Self Expression" party, serving miniaturized high school snacks on molded cafeteria trays to guests including Kate Bosworth.
"SXSW is about youth and the future," eight-year SXSW veteran and Refinery29 cofounder Philippe von Borries told me. "It's forward looking, but it's a dude-centric world. SXSW events used to attract diehard geeks who love technology. It then became about big marketing events, as brands started coming in. That's blown up in the last few years. Now there’s a much larger female presence, more style, more creativity in the air."
Targeted to millennial women, Refinery29 lures 150 million visitors a month with content ranging from horoscopes to in-depth interviews with Hillary Clinton, pushed out via social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. "It's about self-expression and empowering women, bringing content from incredible female voices from around the world: style, fashion, beauty, global issues, health, wellness," said Von Borries.
And it may be companies like Refinery29 that will shape the future of SXSW. Video is driving Refinery29's next evolution; at Sundance, it announced the "Shatterbox Anthology," a 12-part series of shorts directed by women. Produced by Killer Films' Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler, it will debut this spring with "Kitty," the directing debut of actress Chloe Sevigne. And Von Borries is proud of Jill Soloway's darkly irreverent six-part comedy series "The Skinny," about a young woman with an eating disorder, which "goes to places other media companies are not going."...
- 3/13/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Sydney's Buzz
The night before the SXSW Film Festival got under way, Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, defended his communal love of film in theaters. "In pursuing the new future, we cannot decimate the past," he said in his acceptance speech as one of the honorees at the Texas Film Awards, the annual benefit for Richard Linklater's now 30-year-old Austin Film Society. Watching the Sony Classics reel, the crucial art films I grew up on over the decades sped past. From Truffaut's "The Last Metro" and Merchant/Ivory's "Howards End" to more recent Oscar-winners "Blue Jasmine," "Alice" and "Son of Saul," I felt a twinge of loss. SXSW is all about change, and forward motion. But in our rush toward digital immediacy, we lose something too. While Barker and partner Tom Bernard's Sony Classics remains the very model of a theatrically driven and adaptive studio specialty...
- 3/13/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- The Playlist
The night before the SXSW Film Festival got under way, Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, defended his communal love of film in theaters. "In pursuing the new future, we cannot decimate the past," he said in his acceptance speech as one of the honorees at the Texas Film Awards, the annual benefit for Richard Linklater's now 30-year-old Austin Film Society. Watching the Sony Classics reel, the crucial art films I grew up on over the decades sped past. From Truffaut's "The Last Metro" and Merchant/Ivory's "Howards End" to more recent Oscar-winners "Blue Jasmine," "Alice" and "Son of Saul," I felt a twinge of loss. SXSW is all about change, and forward motion. But in our rush toward digital immediacy, we lose something too. While Barker and partner Tom Bernard's Sony Classics remains the very model of a theatrically driven and adaptive studio specialty...
- 3/13/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
The Criterion Collection will launch in the U.K., Variety reports:
Sphe will bring selected titles from Criterion’s extensive catalog and future new release slate to the U.K. for the first time. The first wave of films, featuring all the supplements from the U.S. editions along with their exclusive artwork and packaging, are “Grey Gardens,” “It Happened One Night,” Roman Polanski’s “Macbeth,” “Only Angels Have Wings,” “Speedy” and “Tootsie.”
Watch Bradford Young discuss shooting Denis Villeneuve‘s Story of Your Life:
David Bordwell looks at Tony Rayns‘ new book on In the Mood For Love:
In fewer than a hundred pages, many of...
The Criterion Collection will launch in the U.K., Variety reports:
Sphe will bring selected titles from Criterion’s extensive catalog and future new release slate to the U.K. for the first time. The first wave of films, featuring all the supplements from the U.S. editions along with their exclusive artwork and packaging, are “Grey Gardens,” “It Happened One Night,” Roman Polanski’s “Macbeth,” “Only Angels Have Wings,” “Speedy” and “Tootsie.”
Watch Bradford Young discuss shooting Denis Villeneuve‘s Story of Your Life:
David Bordwell looks at Tony Rayns‘ new book on In the Mood For Love:
In fewer than a hundred pages, many of...
- 3/7/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
The specialty distribution world is shifting. At Sundance, the media spotlight was on Amazon and Netflix, as established vets like Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight were forced to play a higher stakes game. That's not something Spc co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard care to do. They've watched many new players come and go over the years, overbidding to get into the game, and then folding when the chips run out. Read More: How Sony Pictures Classics Bought Four Films at Sundance But this is different. Digital disrupters Amazon and Netflix aren't going anywhere. And if they figure out after some experimentation that they need to change their approach, they will. They're not competing on the same playing field as a studio specialty subsidiary focused on theatrical distribution. Amazon is a gigantic online retailer that wants to lure potential customers, and can dip into its deep pockets to do so.
- 2/25/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
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