“Team Dream” was selected as a finalist in this year’s ShortList Film Festival, presented by TheWrap. You can watch the films and vote for your favorite here.
“Team Dream” documentarian Luchina Fisher knew as soon as she met her subjects Ann E. Smith and Madeline Murphy Rabb that they had a story to tell. Both women are competitive swimmers from Chicago who travel around the country for meets, where they have won dozens of medals. They both enjoyed long, impressive careers (Smith in academia and politics and Murphy Rabb in the art world) before discovering their athletic prowess later in life, post-retirement. Smith is 82 and Murphy Rabb is 76.
They came to competitive swimming through Team Dream, a Chicago-based athletic organization that trains women of color (of all ages) in a variety of sports and was founded by Derrick Milligan, a longtime friend of Fisher’s.
“Besides training Bipoc women in swimming,...
“Team Dream” documentarian Luchina Fisher knew as soon as she met her subjects Ann E. Smith and Madeline Murphy Rabb that they had a story to tell. Both women are competitive swimmers from Chicago who travel around the country for meets, where they have won dozens of medals. They both enjoyed long, impressive careers (Smith in academia and politics and Murphy Rabb in the art world) before discovering their athletic prowess later in life, post-retirement. Smith is 82 and Murphy Rabb is 76.
They came to competitive swimming through Team Dream, a Chicago-based athletic organization that trains women of color (of all ages) in a variety of sports and was founded by Derrick Milligan, a longtime friend of Fisher’s.
“Besides training Bipoc women in swimming,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey rewrote a piece of film history on Dec. 30, when they filed a lawsuit alleging they were sexually exploited in the 1968 film version of “Romeo and Juliet.”
The actors, now 72 and 71, accuse the late director Franco Zeffirelli of coercing them into performing a bedroom scene in the nude, after first promising that they could wear flesh-colored underwear. They also claim that Zeffirelli lied to them when he said that nude images would not be shown.
In fact, the camera lingers on Whiting’s buttocks, and there is a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts. She was 16 and he was 17 at the time. (Their complaint misstated their ages as 15 and 16.)
A studio would never film such a scene today with underage actors, several industry experts say, though doing so is not explicitly forbidden by laws or union rules.
“No studio would touch this with a 10-foot pole,...
The actors, now 72 and 71, accuse the late director Franco Zeffirelli of coercing them into performing a bedroom scene in the nude, after first promising that they could wear flesh-colored underwear. They also claim that Zeffirelli lied to them when he said that nude images would not be shown.
In fact, the camera lingers on Whiting’s buttocks, and there is a brief glimpse of Hussey’s breasts. She was 16 and he was 17 at the time. (Their complaint misstated their ages as 15 and 16.)
A studio would never film such a scene today with underage actors, several industry experts say, though doing so is not explicitly forbidden by laws or union rules.
“No studio would touch this with a 10-foot pole,...
- 1/11/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
An Open Secret director Amy Berg with Doc NYC Artistic Director Thom Powers at the world premiere Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
After the Doc NYC press screening of Amy Berg's latest film An Open Secret was cancelled on November 4, it looked as if the world premiere would not see the light of day. On a chilly fall night in New York City at the Sva Theatre in Chelsea, not only was the film screened on schedule 10 days later as a Special Event but Amy Berg, along with Evan Henzi, one of the film’s subjects and his mother Anita Henzi, BizParentz founders Anne Henry and Paula Dorn, Joey Coleman and journalist John Connolly came for a Q&A after the movie.
An Open Secret world premiere John Connolly, Evan H., Anita H., Joey C., Paula Dorn, Anne Henry, Amy Berg and Thom Powers Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The filmmaker known for...
After the Doc NYC press screening of Amy Berg's latest film An Open Secret was cancelled on November 4, it looked as if the world premiere would not see the light of day. On a chilly fall night in New York City at the Sva Theatre in Chelsea, not only was the film screened on schedule 10 days later as a Special Event but Amy Berg, along with Evan Henzi, one of the film’s subjects and his mother Anita Henzi, BizParentz founders Anne Henry and Paula Dorn, Joey Coleman and journalist John Connolly came for a Q&A after the movie.
An Open Secret world premiere John Connolly, Evan H., Anita H., Joey C., Paula Dorn, Anne Henry, Amy Berg and Thom Powers Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The filmmaker known for...
- 11/15/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Using aliases and fake credentials, two con men have been posing as licensed studio teachers for years, Deadline has learned, giving them access to child actors employed on dozens of low-budget movies and student film projects. In a bizarre coincidence, both men — Kent Linker and Fred Robbins — claimed to be Marty Carlin, an accredited and respected teacher who, at age 83, is retired from on-set work with kids.
California has strict labor laws governing the accreditation of studio teachers responsible not only for educating children working on film and TV productions but also with ensuring their safety and welfare on the set. That includes protecting them from characters like Linker and Robbins.
“It’s especially scary that these impostors are working so much on student films, because you have to wonder what their motivation is,” said Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParents, a nonprofit child actors advocacy group. “They couldn’t be getting paid much,...
California has strict labor laws governing the accreditation of studio teachers responsible not only for educating children working on film and TV productions but also with ensuring their safety and welfare on the set. That includes protecting them from characters like Linker and Robbins.
“It’s especially scary that these impostors are working so much on student films, because you have to wonder what their motivation is,” said Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParents, a nonprofit child actors advocacy group. “They couldn’t be getting paid much,...
- 9/21/2014
- by David Robb, Special To Deadline
- Deadline
So many child actors performed on Broadway last season that the theaters looked like a Chuck E. Cheese’s. That’s how Neil Patrick Harris put it in his opening number of the 67th annual Tony Awards. With performers from “A Christmas Story” and “Annie” flooding the stage—two of nine productions that featured kids—Harris sang, “So many child actors high on Red Bull and endorphins/ They barely come up to your knees, but God, they’re singing like MVPs.” It was a moment that couldn’t be replicated in Los Angeles, where stage opportunities for child actors remain limited. “The labor laws are so restrictive here that it hurts theater,” said Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group. “The shows that put kids on in professional roles here in L.A. have jumped through hoops all over the place to pull that off. They just avoid it if they can.
- 8/14/2013
- backstage.com
Bebe Wood Is the ‘New Normal’ for Child StarsFunny and charming, Wood has secured a place for herself in the biz with her huge talent—and one killer Little Edie Beale impression. The Child Actor’s Tricks to Taking the Perfect Headshot Headshot photographer Robin Lorraine reveals how to take a headshot that makes you stand out and get noticed. How to Handle Not Getting the PartShow biz can be cruel to child actors, but Anne Henry offers some tips for taking rejection like a seasoned pro. How Shakespeare Can Make Your Child a Better ActorKen Ludwig, author of “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare,” shares advice on introducing children to the Bard’s work. Understanding Union Rules and Labor Laws for Child ActorsWhen it comes to young performers, state governments and the unions provide strict guidelines.
- 4/8/2013
- backstage.com
Parents of child actors working outside New York and Los Angeles face a dilemma. If their children’s careers develop, they’ll be given the opportunity to join SAG-aftra, but doing so could limit their opportunities to do nonunion work. Still, there are limited legal protections for actors working outside the major entertainment industry centers. “In the other states, SAG-aftra status is more important because there are some safety regulations and things that don’t exist in those states,” said Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group. “When you’re on set and something is amiss, you can call and they’ll respond quickly. That’s a pretty big deal for kid actors.” California and New York have strict labor laws for child performers. In California, work permits are regulated by age and overtime is illegal for child actors. A parent or guardian must be able to...
- 4/5/2013
- backstage.com
Joe Wallenstein takes his job very seriously. As Director of Physical Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Wallenstein supervises more than 900 undergraduate and graduate students in the production of more than 2000 films each year.“We haven’t had any accidents in over 15,000 films,” says Wallenstein, adding that USC film students work under pretty onerous conditions when it comes to working with child actors. “We only have one [Permit to Employ Minors]. So I tell kids, ‘You don’t want to be the kid that got that permit pulled.’”"In California, labor laws apply to student films so child performers are required to have work permits and students are required to abide by work hours and provide a studio teacher 24/7,” explains Anne Henry, co-founder of BizParentz Foundation, a non-profit corporation providing education and support to parents and children engaged in the entertainment industry. A comprehensive list of...
- 4/17/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Kelly Crisp)
- backstage.com
Kelly Crisp was on set with her son Toliver when she got a call from his manager. Toliver was shooting a Spike Lee–directed anti-smoking public service announcement. The boy's manager called to tell Crisp about an email he had just received from Anne Henry, co-founder of the activist group BizParents.org, regarding a new set of regulations for child performers proposed by the New York State Department of Labor. Crisp, a former public prosecutor and professional mediator, returned home and found the same email waiting in her inbox. After reading the new regulations, she was appalled. A month later she founded her own advocacy organization, Child Performers Coalition, with the intent to persuade the Department of Labor to table its proposal."I don't see any of the provisions favoring productions or performers, save a couple of them," Crisp said. "There are a couple of production-friendly provisions, and there really are no child-friendly provisions.
- 1/12/2011
- backstage.com
With TV shows like "Hannah Montana," "Sonny with a Chance," and "Victorious," Disney has glamourized acting and singing to a whole generation of kids. Not that the idea of being a movie or rock star hasn't always been glamorous: the parties, the cool friends, the money. An article in The Hollywood Reporter reveals that kid actors may get to do cool things and hang out with cool people, but they're not making a lot of money.
The article reveals that a Working kid actor who is not a series regular can expect to make around $50-60,000 a year. A series regular on Disney or Nickelodeon is likely making $110-150,000 a year with contracts preventing them from taking outside work. Ca-ching!? No. Half of that is gone after taxes (40%ish) and the agent (10%) get paid. Managers get 10-15%, attorneys get 5%, and publicists average $3,000/month (most of the kid stars seen in...
The article reveals that a Working kid actor who is not a series regular can expect to make around $50-60,000 a year. A series regular on Disney or Nickelodeon is likely making $110-150,000 a year with contracts preventing them from taking outside work. Ca-ching!? No. Half of that is gone after taxes (40%ish) and the agent (10%) get paid. Managers get 10-15%, attorneys get 5%, and publicists average $3,000/month (most of the kid stars seen in...
- 10/28/2010
- by tara@kidspickflicks.com (Tara the Mom)
- kidspickflicks
Dear Jackie:We recently had a very bad experience with a neglectful, abusive, and incompetent studio teacher. This troublesome teacher is a union member, and the production company has not taken any action other than a warning. I think the lack of action is due to the union issue. I was told, "We can't get rid of her." She has no classroom experience and no education background, but her competency was just one issue. At first she was present all the time on set and said that that was her responsibility—to observe the children on set and insure their welfare. As the weeks went by, she stopped coming to the set and told me that she only needed to be "nearby." "Nearby" meant she remained in the school trailer grading papers from her second job while the kids (both under 16) were in various locations on the sound stage. Other abuses occurred,...
- 2/17/2010
- backstage.com
Dear Jackie:i have two children, ages 8 and 10. My daughters have only done background work for the past two years. They accumulated waivers, and I was misinformed and told to join the Screen Actors Guild, which I did. They enjoy the business so far and have started to study acting.When the kids read for a personal manager, he was quick to point out that they lack the auditioning expertise that a seasoned SAG kid who's been in the business for many years would have. He advised me to have them continue to study at workshops in the city with known people and to consider going the financial-core route. He thinks the only way my kids will be considered for principal work is if they are going out for nonunion jobs. But in researching fi-core on the Internet, I found claims that there are many producers and casting directors who will...
- 11/23/2009
- backstage.com
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