The 2022 Sundance Film Festival arguably was among the best years for recent breakout filmmakers. Several new filmmakers jumped out as promising voices: Cooper Raiff with “Cha Cha Smooth,” Nikyatu Jusu with “Nanny,” and Julian Higgins with “God’s Country.” But arguably, the film that popped the most, perhaps because of its second life on Netflix and streaming services, was John Patton Ford’s “Emily The Criminal” starring Aubrey Plaza.
Continue reading Margaret Qualley, Glenn Powell & Ed Harris Join A24’s ‘Huntington’ From Director John Patton Ford at The Playlist.
Continue reading Margaret Qualley, Glenn Powell & Ed Harris Join A24’s ‘Huntington’ From Director John Patton Ford at The Playlist.
- 5/1/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
When the Directors Guild of America reached a tentative new collective bargaining agreement with the AMPTP over the weekend, all eyes turned back to the writers (now on strike for over a month), and to the actors, who will announce the results of its own strike authorization vote this week as it begins studio negotiations.
Conventional wisdom held that a DGA deal could serve as a framework for writers, just as it did in 2007-08, when the DGA reached a deal on the 73rd day of the WGA’s 100-day work stoppage. But both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have made clear the outcome of the DGA would not impact their own negotiating agendas.
“Thrilled that the DGA was able to use the power of the WGA’s labor action to secure a deal that works for them,” writer-producer Amy Berg said in a tweet thread. “We proposed a number of these terms…...
Conventional wisdom held that a DGA deal could serve as a framework for writers, just as it did in 2007-08, when the DGA reached a deal on the 73rd day of the WGA’s 100-day work stoppage. But both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have made clear the outcome of the DGA would not impact their own negotiating agendas.
“Thrilled that the DGA was able to use the power of the WGA’s labor action to secure a deal that works for them,” writer-producer Amy Berg said in a tweet thread. “We proposed a number of these terms…...
- 6/5/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Scott Stoops has been elevated to Partner at management and production co. Good Fear Content, Partners Chris Bender and Jake Weiner announced on Tuesday.
Related Story Buchwald Promotes Rob Kim to Co-Head of West Coast Related Story Banijay, Fremantle, All3Media & Zdf Debate Market Economics And Writers' Strike: "When One Door Closes, Another Opens" — Series Mania Related Story Danny DeVito Sets Fall Broadway Return With Daughter Lucy In Theresa Rebeck Play 'I Need That'
A manager at Good Fear since its 2015 founding, Stoops’ roster includes numerous prominent writers and directors across film and TV, a number of which have reached EP or Co-ep level. Among his most notable clients is Megan McDonnell, who was the first writer in on Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, after serving as a staff writer on the Emmy-winning WandaVision and its forthcoming spin-off Agatha: Coven of Chaos, as well as Apple’s Dark Matter. Others include Rayna McClendon,...
Related Story Buchwald Promotes Rob Kim to Co-Head of West Coast Related Story Banijay, Fremantle, All3Media & Zdf Debate Market Economics And Writers' Strike: "When One Door Closes, Another Opens" — Series Mania Related Story Danny DeVito Sets Fall Broadway Return With Daughter Lucy In Theresa Rebeck Play 'I Need That'
A manager at Good Fear since its 2015 founding, Stoops’ roster includes numerous prominent writers and directors across film and TV, a number of which have reached EP or Co-ep level. Among his most notable clients is Megan McDonnell, who was the first writer in on Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, after serving as a staff writer on the Emmy-winning WandaVision and its forthcoming spin-off Agatha: Coven of Chaos, as well as Apple’s Dark Matter. Others include Rayna McClendon,...
- 3/21/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
’80s Horror
While the new release horror offerings are lacking this month, leave it to The Criterion Channel to deliver the ultimate series for the season. ’80s Horror features a great number of classics and underseen titles, including films by John Carpenter (Prince of Darkness), Tobe Hooper (The Funhouse), David Cronenberg (Scanners), Michael Mann (The Keep), and Paul Schrader (Cat People), along with Wolfen, The Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, Vampire’s Kiss, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and many more. Get ready for some thrills.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Atlantis (Ben Russell)
Piecing together a whirlpool of shimmering images from a trip to Malta, experimental filmmaker Ben Russell raises the fabled utopian city of Atlantis from the sea. Russell’s...
’80s Horror
While the new release horror offerings are lacking this month, leave it to The Criterion Channel to deliver the ultimate series for the season. ’80s Horror features a great number of classics and underseen titles, including films by John Carpenter (Prince of Darkness), Tobe Hooper (The Funhouse), David Cronenberg (Scanners), Michael Mann (The Keep), and Paul Schrader (Cat People), along with Wolfen, The Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, Vampire’s Kiss, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and many more. Get ready for some thrills.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Atlantis (Ben Russell)
Piecing together a whirlpool of shimmering images from a trip to Malta, experimental filmmaker Ben Russell raises the fabled utopian city of Atlantis from the sea. Russell’s...
- 10/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Photo: ‘God’s Country’ Shades of Influence In Julian Higgins’s debut feature, ‘God’s Country’ we don’t hear his protagonist speak for the first several minutes. Sandra (Thandiwe Newton), a university professor in Western Montana, solemnly watches a casket slide into a crematorium. Later, she takes her pickaxe to the frozen topsoil to bury the ashes, where nothing but the sound of clinking metal whispers to the Montana sky. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy. The shots are vast, wide, and empty. As barren as the plains they capture,...
- 9/29/2022
- by Patrick Lynott
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Brett Morgen’s kaleidoscopic ode to David Bowie landed at no 10 in North America this weekend, singing up 1.225 million on 170 screens – exclusively Imax.
The 7,207 PSA for the Neon distributed Moonage Daydream – expanding to about 600 screens next week — was the best of the ten, which all debuted on north of 2,000 screens.
Directed, written and produced by Morgen, Moonage is the number one music doc opening post pandemic, and the best opening for a post-Covid documentary on less than 200 screens, second only to Roadrunner (Focus Features), which went out on 900+ screens its opening weekend in April of 2021. Over the last 52 weeks, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch was the only film released on fewer than 200 screens to surpass a 1.2M gross, Neon noted. Morgen hosted nearly sold out Q&a’s opening weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theater in LA.
The doc took in 592k Fri./373k Sat.
The 7,207 PSA for the Neon distributed Moonage Daydream – expanding to about 600 screens next week — was the best of the ten, which all debuted on north of 2,000 screens.
Directed, written and produced by Morgen, Moonage is the number one music doc opening post pandemic, and the best opening for a post-Covid documentary on less than 200 screens, second only to Roadrunner (Focus Features), which went out on 900+ screens its opening weekend in April of 2021. Over the last 52 weeks, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch was the only film released on fewer than 200 screens to surpass a 1.2M gross, Neon noted. Morgen hosted nearly sold out Q&a’s opening weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theater in LA.
The doc took in 592k Fri./373k Sat.
- 9/18/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
A steady flow of specialty films starts this weekend with the return of a key player to cinemas and a broader arthouse slate that will expand steadily into awards season. This is still a weird theatrical landscape but independent distributors and theater owners have agreed for months that there’s no recovery without a brisker pace of new releases
Indie distributors also appreciate that the weekend’s big studio release, The Woman King with Viola Davis, is a classic battle epic, yes, but also a story for adults, and for women. Another wide release, A24’s XXX prequel Pearl, skews young but — it’s still indie.
“I think we are starting to get a full complement of movies to see. Adult movies that are smart and funny,” says one specialty distribution executive. It’s been a long wait. “Patience is a virtue we need to have a lot of. These may not [all] be huge movies,...
Indie distributors also appreciate that the weekend’s big studio release, The Woman King with Viola Davis, is a classic battle epic, yes, but also a story for adults, and for women. Another wide release, A24’s XXX prequel Pearl, skews young but — it’s still indie.
“I think we are starting to get a full complement of movies to see. Adult movies that are smart and funny,” says one specialty distribution executive. It’s been a long wait. “Patience is a virtue we need to have a lot of. These may not [all] be huge movies,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
“God’s Country” was reviewed by TheWrap out of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
“God’s Country” is the latest offering in a trend of reimagining both the Western and the thriller, as this film is also tagged, with Black leads. Thandiwe Newton, a 2018 Emmy winner for “Westworld,” stars as Sandra Guidry in an adaptation of James Lee Burke’s 1992 short story “Winter Light” about a college professor who gets into a battle of wills with two hunters who trespass on her property in Montana.
For filmmaker Julian Higgins, his feature-length debut is the second time around for the core story. Back in 2015, Higgins directed a successful short of the same name with, in keeping with the story, an older white male protagonist as lead. Obviously, a Black female star brings a different nuance to the narrative, but the real question may be whether Higgins and his story collaborator Shaye Ogbonna, a Black male writer,...
“God’s Country” is the latest offering in a trend of reimagining both the Western and the thriller, as this film is also tagged, with Black leads. Thandiwe Newton, a 2018 Emmy winner for “Westworld,” stars as Sandra Guidry in an adaptation of James Lee Burke’s 1992 short story “Winter Light” about a college professor who gets into a battle of wills with two hunters who trespass on her property in Montana.
For filmmaker Julian Higgins, his feature-length debut is the second time around for the core story. Back in 2015, Higgins directed a successful short of the same name with, in keeping with the story, an older white male protagonist as lead. Obviously, a Black female star brings a different nuance to the narrative, but the real question may be whether Higgins and his story collaborator Shaye Ogbonna, a Black male writer,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Wrap
Writer-director Julian Higgins creates a neo-Western thriller led by the fantastic Thandiwe Newton as a college professor who confronts two trespassing hunters. What follows is a gripping thriller that you need to see until its very last shot. I spoke with Higgins to talk about his interest in making the film, its
The post “God’s Country” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.
The post “God’s Country” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.
- 8/25/2022
- by manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
God’s Country Trailer — Julian Higgins‘ God’s Country (2022) movie trailer has been released by IFC Films. The God’s Country trailer stars Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beatty. Crew Shaye Ogbonna and Julian Higgins wrote the screenplay for God’s Country. Poster God’s Country Movie Poster Plot Synopsis God’s Country‘s plot synopsis: [...]
Continue reading: God’S Country (2022) Movie Trailer: Thandiwe Newton vs. Hunters in Julian Higgins’ Neo-Western Thriller...
Continue reading: God’S Country (2022) Movie Trailer: Thandiwe Newton vs. Hunters in Julian Higgins’ Neo-Western Thriller...
- 7/30/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
IFC has debuted a new trailer for Julian Higgins ‘God’s Country’ featuring Thandiwe Newton.
A black former police officer turned professor in a rural college town is drawn into an escalating battle of wills that puts her most deeply held values to the test in this modern Western.
Directed by Julian Higgins, the film stars Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Kai Lennox, Jefferson White & Tanaya Beatty.
Also in trailers – “Who knows if there is foul play here…” New trailer lands for ‘Bad Sisters’
The movie hits US cinemas on September 16th.
The post Thandiwe Newton stars in trailer for ‘God’s Country’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
A black former police officer turned professor in a rural college town is drawn into an escalating battle of wills that puts her most deeply held values to the test in this modern Western.
Directed by Julian Higgins, the film stars Thandiwe Newton, Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Kai Lennox, Jefferson White & Tanaya Beatty.
Also in trailers – “Who knows if there is foul play here…” New trailer lands for ‘Bad Sisters’
The movie hits US cinemas on September 16th.
The post Thandiwe Newton stars in trailer for ‘God’s Country’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 7/29/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"Out here things are a little different... Most folks handle this sort of thing amongst themselves." IFC Films has unveiled the first official trailer for God's Country, an indie Neo-Western thriller from filmmaker Julian Higgins. This first premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and it earned some rave reviews, despite mostly flying under the radar during the festival. The title is a reference to the land which it takes place on - Thandiwe Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural town in the snowy lands of the American West. When this grieving college professor confronts two hunters that she catches trespassing on her property, she's drawn into an escalating battle of wills with catastrophic consequences for all. It's a remarkably tense thriller with some exceptional cinematography, but most of all a towering, magnificent performance from Newton. The indie cast features Jeremy Bobb,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Thandiwe Newton ventures to the frosted depths of the forest in IFC Films’ “God’s Country,” inspired by James Lee Burke’s short story “Winter Light.” In the film, Newton portrays Sandra Guidry, a college professor living in a rural town while grieving the recent loss of her mother. On the day of the funeral, Sandra finds a mysterious truck parked in her driveway that belongs to hunters looking to hunt on her property. Sandra is soon drawn into a battle of escalating wills in the Western-set thriller.
“God’s Country” is directed Julian Higgins, who co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Ogbonna. Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beatty also star. The film first at 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and is produced by Miranda Bailey, Halee Bernard, Julian Higgins, and Amanda Marshall. Executive producers include Jason Beck and Anthony Ciardelli.
Director Higgins said in a press statement that he...
“God’s Country” is directed Julian Higgins, who co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Ogbonna. Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox, and Tanaya Beatty also star. The film first at 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and is produced by Miranda Bailey, Halee Bernard, Julian Higgins, and Amanda Marshall. Executive producers include Jason Beck and Anthony Ciardelli.
Director Higgins said in a press statement that he...
- 7/28/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Julian Higgins, the writer, director and producer behind the Sundance breakout God’s Country, has signed with A3 Artists Agency for representation.
Higgins’ feature directorial debut, based on the short story “Winter’s Light” by James Lee Burke, is set in the snowy wilderness of the American West. In the character-driven thriller, BAFTA and Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural college town who discovers a mysterious red truck parked in her driveway, and soon learns it belongs to a pair of local hunters seeking to enter the forest behind her house. Sandra turns them away politely but firmly – her experience tells her these are not the sort of men to welcome freely into her world. But they won’t take no for an answer, and soon Sandra finds herself drawn into an escalating battle of wills that puts...
Higgins’ feature directorial debut, based on the short story “Winter’s Light” by James Lee Burke, is set in the snowy wilderness of the American West. In the character-driven thriller, BAFTA and Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural college town who discovers a mysterious red truck parked in her driveway, and soon learns it belongs to a pair of local hunters seeking to enter the forest behind her house. Sandra turns them away politely but firmly – her experience tells her these are not the sort of men to welcome freely into her world. But they won’t take no for an answer, and soon Sandra finds herself drawn into an escalating battle of wills that puts...
- 2/24/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Screenplay based on short story by renowned crime writer James Lee Burke.
IFC Films has picked up North American rights to Julian Higgins’ feature debut God’s Country starring Thandiwe Newton following its world premiere at virtual Sundance 2022 last month.
Newton plays a troubled Black professor living and working in a rural college town in the American West who gets into an escalating feud when local hunters use her land to enter a forest.
Rounding out the key cast are Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox and Tanaya Beatty.
Higgins adapted the screenplay with Shaye Ogbonna from the short...
IFC Films has picked up North American rights to Julian Higgins’ feature debut God’s Country starring Thandiwe Newton following its world premiere at virtual Sundance 2022 last month.
Newton plays a troubled Black professor living and working in a rural college town in the American West who gets into an escalating feud when local hunters use her land to enter a forest.
Rounding out the key cast are Jeremy Bobb, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson White, Kai Lennox and Tanaya Beatty.
Higgins adapted the screenplay with Shaye Ogbonna from the short...
- 2/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “God’s Country,” a thriller and modern-day Western starring Thandiwe Newton that premiered at this year’s Sundance.
Julian Higgins directed the film that stars Newton as a reclusive college professor living in a small, Western town who gets into an escalating battle of wills with two locals who insist upon parking their truck and trespassing onto her land.
IFC Films plans to release “God’s Country” theatrically in fall 2022.
“God’s Country” is based on a short story called “Winter Light” by author James Lee Burke. Higgins and writer Shaye Ogbonna first adapted the story as a short film before expanding it as a feature, but this time turning the character into a Black woman and expanding the part and character’s backstory significantly.
While the film has the trappings of a thriller and Western, it’s far more of an intimate, slow-burn...
Julian Higgins directed the film that stars Newton as a reclusive college professor living in a small, Western town who gets into an escalating battle of wills with two locals who insist upon parking their truck and trespassing onto her land.
IFC Films plans to release “God’s Country” theatrically in fall 2022.
“God’s Country” is based on a short story called “Winter Light” by author James Lee Burke. Higgins and writer Shaye Ogbonna first adapted the story as a short film before expanding it as a feature, but this time turning the character into a Black woman and expanding the part and character’s backstory significantly.
While the film has the trappings of a thriller and Western, it’s far more of an intimate, slow-burn...
- 2/11/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Julian Higgins’ feature directorial debut God’s Country, starring BAFTA and Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton, on the heels of its debut at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. It will release the film won in a bidding war in theaters this fall.
The acquisition is IFC Films’ third out of this year’s virtual festival, following its pick-up of the horror-thrillers Resurrection (starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth) and Watcher (starring Maika Munroe), and marks the seventh for its parent company AMC Networks.
Higgins and Shaye Ogbonna scripted God’s Country, which is based on the short story “Winter’s Light” by James Lee Burke. In the character-driven thriller set in the snowy wilderness of the American West, Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural college town who discovers a mysterious red truck parked in her driveway,...
The acquisition is IFC Films’ third out of this year’s virtual festival, following its pick-up of the horror-thrillers Resurrection (starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth) and Watcher (starring Maika Munroe), and marks the seventh for its parent company AMC Networks.
Higgins and Shaye Ogbonna scripted God’s Country, which is based on the short story “Winter’s Light” by James Lee Burke. In the character-driven thriller set in the snowy wilderness of the American West, Newton plays Sandra Guidry, a Black professor living and working in a rural college town who discovers a mysterious red truck parked in her driveway,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
With Sundance going virtual for the second year in a row, audiences could once again explore the lineup from around the world, including accredited critics and journalists. This year, 135 of them participated in IndieWire’s annual Sundance critics survey of the best films at the festival, and the results speak to the range of movies that stood out in this year’s lineup.
While several films from the festival have yet to secure distribution, the ones with the most support in our survey found it over the past two weeks, suggesting that buyers and critics saw eye to eye this year. “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the sophomore effort from 24-year-old filmmaker Cooper Raiff, dominated the survey in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie marks Raiff’s second in two years, following his 2020 debut “Shithouse,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
While several films from the festival have yet to secure distribution, the ones with the most support in our survey found it over the past two weeks, suggesting that buyers and critics saw eye to eye this year. “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the sophomore effort from 24-year-old filmmaker Cooper Raiff, dominated the survey in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie marks Raiff’s second in two years, following his 2020 debut “Shithouse,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Eric Kohn and Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
With nearly every feature film at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival reviewed, it’s time to wrap up the first major cinema event of the year. We already got the official jury and audience winners here, and now it’s time to highlight our favorites.
Our Sundance contributors have shared their top picks from the festival, also including a handful of shorts (with a more substantial shorts overview coming soon). Check out everything below and stay tuned to our site, and specifically Twitter, for acquisition and release date news on the below films in the coming months.
Mitchell Beaupre
1. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
2. After Yang (kogonada)
3. Speak No Evil (Christian Tafdrup)
4. God’s Country (Julian Higgins)
5. A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman)
6. Resurrection (Andrew Semans)
7. Nanny (Nikyatu Jusu)
8. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
9. Emergency (Carey Williams)
10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde)
John Fink
1. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier...
Our Sundance contributors have shared their top picks from the festival, also including a handful of shorts (with a more substantial shorts overview coming soon). Check out everything below and stay tuned to our site, and specifically Twitter, for acquisition and release date news on the below films in the coming months.
Mitchell Beaupre
1. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
2. After Yang (kogonada)
3. Speak No Evil (Christian Tafdrup)
4. God’s Country (Julian Higgins)
5. A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman)
6. Resurrection (Andrew Semans)
7. Nanny (Nikyatu Jusu)
8. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
9. Emergency (Carey Williams)
10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde)
John Fink
1. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier...
- 2/1/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
by Matt St Clair
Thandiwe Newton has been a riveting screen presence throughout her career whether or not the films haven’t matched her level of excellence. With just a sharp glance or an emotive line reading, she always finds ways to grab your attention . The new Sundance thriller God’s Country, helmed and co-written by Julian Higgins, is finally a star vehicle worthy of her beguiling gifts...
Thandiwe Newton has been a riveting screen presence throughout her career whether or not the films haven’t matched her level of excellence. With just a sharp glance or an emotive line reading, she always finds ways to grab your attention . The new Sundance thriller God’s Country, helmed and co-written by Julian Higgins, is finally a star vehicle worthy of her beguiling gifts...
- 1/30/2022
- by Matt St.Clair
- FilmExperience
A few thrillers have premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival that feature vulnerable and underestimated women, but none of them carry the quiet, enigmatic power of Thandiwe Newton in God’s Country, a frigid neo-western that moves glacially but thoughtfully through topics of class, race, and gender. As Sandra, a college professor living alone with her dog in the vast Montana wilderness, Newton exudes a gravitational force, carrying a stern and inscrutable countenance that her character will eventually use to her advantage in an ongoing dispute with two white men. In a pocket of the country that feels lawless and bitterly divided, Sandra is unafraid to begin a vindictive war of escalation, even if it means stripping away everything important in her life.
Directed by Julian Higgins, and based on James Lee Burke’s short story, “Winter Light,” God’s Country introduces Sandra cloaked in the aftermath of death. In the final weeks before Christmas,...
Directed by Julian Higgins, and based on James Lee Burke’s short story, “Winter Light,” God’s Country introduces Sandra cloaked in the aftermath of death. In the final weeks before Christmas,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jake Kring-Schreifels
- The Film Stage
In God’s Country, Thandiwe Newton stars as Sandra, a college professor in the American West, who faces an uphill battle in her workplace to have her opinions and skills properly acknowledged. When she sees two hunters trying to access the neighboring mountains, her initial request to ask them to leave is met with resistance, and […]
The post 2022 Sundance Film Festival Interview: Writer-Director Julian Higgins and Co-Writer Shaye Ogbonna on ‘God’s Country’ appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post 2022 Sundance Film Festival Interview: Writer-Director Julian Higgins and Co-Writer Shaye Ogbonna on ‘God’s Country’ appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 1/25/2022
- by Abe Friedtanzer
- ShockYa
Thandiwe Newton, as she now spells her first name, finally gets a role she can really sink her teeth into with God’s Country, a disturbing, unusually class-and-race-conscious modern Western that paints a pretty despairing view of human relations in red state America. Methodically paced and dominated by negative emotions all around, director/co-writer Julian Higgins takes his own sweet time exploring the troubling, unfriendly mindsets on both sides of the fence. Fences, in fact, would have been a very apt title for this quietly simmering study of people who bring little but ill-will to the table.
Higgins must have a thing about academics and trespassing; his 2004 debut feature Mending Wall dealt with conflicts in a small New England town, while his 2015 short Winter Light (apologies to Ingmar Bergman) centered on a battle between a college professor and two hunters intruding on his property. In his new film, which is set in a mountainous,...
Higgins must have a thing about academics and trespassing; his 2004 debut feature Mending Wall dealt with conflicts in a small New England town, while his 2015 short Winter Light (apologies to Ingmar Bergman) centered on a battle between a college professor and two hunters intruding on his property. In his new film, which is set in a mountainous,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Showtime has put in development Jumpmen, a sneaker industry drama from writer Shaye Ogbonna (God’s Country). Justin Hillian is overseeing the project as part of his overall deal with Showtime, and producing along with 3 Arts.
Created and executive produced by Ogbonna, Jumpmen is a high-energy insider drama about the cutthroat world of the sneaker industry, centering on a self-made sneaker exec turned industry power broker. As the business changes around him, and old friends become adversaries, he must decide what’s more important-industry capital or cultural relevance.
Ogbonna co-wrote the screen adaptation for thriller God’s Country with Julian Higgins. Based on James Lee Burke’s short story Winter’s Light and directed by Higgins, the film is slated to make its world premiere at the virtual Sundance Film Festival this Sunday, Jan. 23. Starring Thandiwe Newton, God’s Country follows a grieving college professor as she confronts two...
Created and executive produced by Ogbonna, Jumpmen is a high-energy insider drama about the cutthroat world of the sneaker industry, centering on a self-made sneaker exec turned industry power broker. As the business changes around him, and old friends become adversaries, he must decide what’s more important-industry capital or cultural relevance.
Ogbonna co-wrote the screen adaptation for thriller God’s Country with Julian Higgins. Based on James Lee Burke’s short story Winter’s Light and directed by Higgins, the film is slated to make its world premiere at the virtual Sundance Film Festival this Sunday, Jan. 23. Starring Thandiwe Newton, God’s Country follows a grieving college professor as she confronts two...
- 1/19/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Cara Buono (Stranger Things) and Kai Lennox (Green Room) are set as leads opposite Elle Fanning in Hulu drama The Girl From Plainville, from The Post writer Liz Hannah and Dr. Death exec producer Patrick Macmanus. Colton Ryan, Chloë Sevigny and Norbert Leo Butz also star.
Written by Hannah and Macmanus and produced by UCP, The Girl From Plainville stars Fanning as Michelle Carter and is inspired by the true story of her controversial “texting suicide” case. Based off the Esquire article by Jesse Barron, the limited series will explore Carter’s relationship with Conrad “Coco” Roy III (Ryan) and the events that led to his death and, later, her controversial conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
Buono will play Gail Carter, Michelle’s (Fanning) mother. At first, it’s hard to crack Gail, but as the series progresses, she becomes introspective about her own skills as a mother. Gail tries...
Written by Hannah and Macmanus and produced by UCP, The Girl From Plainville stars Fanning as Michelle Carter and is inspired by the true story of her controversial “texting suicide” case. Based off the Esquire article by Jesse Barron, the limited series will explore Carter’s relationship with Conrad “Coco” Roy III (Ryan) and the events that led to his death and, later, her controversial conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
Buono will play Gail Carter, Michelle’s (Fanning) mother. At first, it’s hard to crack Gail, but as the series progresses, she becomes introspective about her own skills as a mother. Gail tries...
- 8/30/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles based filmmaker Julian Higgins (a past Student Academy Award winner) began tinkering around with the long form of his current project with a 2015 short Winter Light – based on James Lee Burke’s short story. After a paying gig in television’s Guidance, this past February Higgins took to the epoque friendly backdrop of Montana for a neo-Western thriller starring Thandie Newton. God’s Country was recently included in Film Music and Sound Design Lab at the Sundance Institute.
Gist: Written by Shaye Ogbonna, Newton plays a grieving college professor living on her own at the edge of the national forest.…...
Gist: Written by Shaye Ogbonna, Newton plays a grieving college professor living on her own at the edge of the national forest.…...
- 11/18/2020
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
What would “Suicide Squad” look like if it were comprised of Quentin Tarantino characters instead of comic book villains? A new parody trailer is up to that test.
Loot Crate Productions has produced a short teaser comprised of lookalike actors playing “Pulp Fiction’s” Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), “Inglourious Basterds’” Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), “Django Unchained’s” Django (Jamie Foxx) and “Kill Bill’s” bride assassin (Uma Thurman) and Gogo “Chiaki Kuriyama.” There’s even a Tarantino character who has the director’s voice and mannerisms down to a T.
“We’re going to go somewhere very bad to do some very bad things to some very bad people,” the Tarantino character says in the roughly two-and-a-half minute faux trailer. There’s as much blood and bodies in the teaser as in any sequence from one of Tarantino’s movies, plus riffs on several of the unforgettable Tarantino one-liners.
Loot Crate Productions has produced a short teaser comprised of lookalike actors playing “Pulp Fiction’s” Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), “Inglourious Basterds’” Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), “Django Unchained’s” Django (Jamie Foxx) and “Kill Bill’s” bride assassin (Uma Thurman) and Gogo “Chiaki Kuriyama.” There’s even a Tarantino character who has the director’s voice and mannerisms down to a T.
“We’re going to go somewhere very bad to do some very bad things to some very bad people,” the Tarantino character says in the roughly two-and-a-half minute faux trailer. There’s as much blood and bodies in the teaser as in any sequence from one of Tarantino’s movies, plus riffs on several of the unforgettable Tarantino one-liners.
- 8/1/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Ave Maria,” Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films)
“Bad Hunter,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View)
“Bis Gleich (Till Then),” Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films)
“Contrapelo (Against the Grain),” Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films)
“Day One,” Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute)
“Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut),” Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien)
“The Free Man (Zi You Ren),” Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei National University of the Arts)
“Shok,” Jamie Donoughue, director (Eagle Eye Films)
“Stutterer,” Benjamin Cleary, director (Bare Golly Films)
“Winter Light,...
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Ave Maria,” Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films)
“Bad Hunter,” Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View)
“Bis Gleich (Till Then),” Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films)
“Contrapelo (Against the Grain),” Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films)
“Day One,” Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute)
“Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut),” Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien)
“The Free Man (Zi You Ren),” Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei National University of the Arts)
“Shok,” Jamie Donoughue, director (Eagle Eye Films)
“Stutterer,” Benjamin Cleary, director (Bare Golly Films)
“Winter Light,...
- 11/20/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences announced on Thursday the shortlists for both categories.
The live-action selections were culled from 144 eligible submissions while there were 60 for animation.
Members of the short films and feature animation branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting and will next select five nominees.
Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 10 live-action films appear below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Ave Maria, Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films);
Bad Hunter, Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View);
Bis Gleich (Till Then), Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films);
Contrapelo (Against the Grain), Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films);
Day One, Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute);
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie...
The live-action selections were culled from 144 eligible submissions while there were 60 for animation.
Members of the short films and feature animation branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting and will next select five nominees.
Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 10 live-action films appear below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Ave Maria, Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films);
Bad Hunter, Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View);
Bis Gleich (Till Then), Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films);
Contrapelo (Against the Grain), Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films);
Day One, Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute);
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie...
- 11/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences announced on Thursday its shortlist from 144 submissions.
Members of the short films and feature animation branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting and will next select five nominees.
Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 10 films appear below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Ave Maria, Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films);
Bad Hunter, Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View);
Bis Gleich (Till Then), Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films);
Contrapelo (Against the Grain), Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films);
Day One, Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute);
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien);
The Free Man (Zi You Ren), Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei...
Members of the short films and feature animation branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting and will next select five nominees.
Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 10 films appear below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
Ave Maria, Basil Khalil, director, and Eric Dupont, producer (Incognito Films);
Bad Hunter, Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Dries Phlypo, producer (A Private View);
Bis Gleich (Till Then), Philippe Brenninkmeyer, producer, and Tara Lynn Orr, writer (avenueROAD Films);
Contrapelo (Against the Grain), Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, director, and Pin-Chun Liu, producer (Ochenta y Cinco Films);
Day One, Henry Hughes, director (American Film Institute);
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), Patrick Vollrath, director (Filmakademie Wien);
The Free Man (Zi You Ren), Quah Boon-Lip, director (Taipei...
- 11/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: Where I Shot It: How the Filmmakers Found the Perfect Locations for 'The Revenant' [Editor's Note: This article is presented in partnership with the Montana Film Office, a central information source for on-location filmmakers. Click here to learn more.] In July of 2013, award-winning director Julian Higgins teamed up with actress-producer Abigail Spencer ("Rectify," "Mad Men," "Suits") and actor-producer Josh Pence ("The Social Network," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Draft Day") to create the short film "Here and Now." Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard selected "Here and Now" as the winner of Canon’s “Project Imaginat10n” Film Contest. Higgins, Spencer and Pence teamed up again for "Winter Light," a short film adapted from a story by acclaimed best-selling author James Lee Burke. The existentialist film stars Raymond J. Barry...
- 11/18/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Read More: Bentonville Film Festival Announces Theatrical Release Dates for Winners, Along with First Symposium Tour The first annual Laguna Film Festival, founded by 18-year-old filmmaker Austin Fickman, has announced its opening night slate and full lineup. The festival will screen short films from around the world. Lff's Opening Night Special Presentation films include: "Curt is," dir. Brendan Hearne "Minimum Wage," dir. Joey Alley "Solemates," dir. Bryce Dallas Howard "Taking Flight," dir. Brandon Oldenberg "The Testimony," dir. Vanessa Block "Winter Light," dir. Julian Higgins To see the full festival lineup, click here. The Lff will screen select films in competition and feature panel discussions with Hollywood professionals geared towards emerging filmmakers and will run October 16-18. Read More: 24th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival Announces Jury and Audience Award Winners...
- 10/15/2015
- by Aubrey Page
- Indiewire
Read More: In Their Own Words: Indie Directors Share Essential Filmmaking Tips Held in the historic West Hollywood venue Pearl's Sunset Strip, the evening kicked off with a panel discussion featuring filmmakers Julian Higgins (winner, Ron Howard Canon Competition; AFI alumnus), Nate Kelly (Upm on Untitled Kelly Reichardt Project) and Andrew Smith (filmmaker, "The Slaughter Rule," "Winter In The Blood") with Montana Film Commissioner Deny Staggs about the production opportunities available to filmmakers. All three filmmakers drew from their experiences shooting in Montana over the course of what turned out to be a very lively discussion moderated by Indiewire Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Dana Harris -- a discussion that explored the topic of shooting on location from both a budgetary and creative standpoint. For more panel specifics, you can click here to read our coverage. Read More: David Lowery's Production...
- 6/17/2015
- by Shipra Harbola Gupta
- Indiewire
Read More: 7 Best Apps for Filmmakers: Pre-Production Location scouting is perhaps the most crucial step when it comes to preparing to shoot a film, but it rarely achieves the same degree of visibility enjoyed by some of its more "glamorous" counterparts — cinematography, editing and sound design, to name a few. Locations and incentives were the main topics discussed during a lively discussion at Pearl’s Sunset Strip on Monday night. Co-hosted by Indiewire, the Montana Film Office, Headframe Spirits and the Audience Awards, the discussion featured Montana film commissioner Deny Staggs in conversation with filmmakers Julian Higgins (winner, Ron Howard Canon Competition; AFI Alumnus), Nate Kelly (Upm on Untitled Kelly Reichardt Project) and Andrew Smith (filmmaker, "The Slaughter Rule," "Winter in the Blood"), all of whom have experience shooting in the state. Indiewire Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Dana Harris served as moderator for the discussion,...
- 6/17/2015
- by Conor Soules
- Indiewire
Loot Crate released a crazy fun zombie short film called "Fear" for your viewing entertainment. This short was inspired by the hit video game Dead Rising 3 and was made with the support of Capcom. The story follows a group of zombie apocalypse survivors who find a "supply of Zombrex in the wastes of Los Perdidos." They use what they find to put together some insane zombie killing weapons, and they go to work brutally kicking zombie ass.
The short was directed by Julian Higgins, who sent us the video to share with you. It's a fantastically well-made film packed full of entertainment and lots of violence and blood. I've enjoyed playing the games in this franchise over the years, and this is a great film that fans of the game are sure to enjoy. For those of you not familiar with what Loot Crate is, here's a description:
Loot Crate...
The short was directed by Julian Higgins, who sent us the video to share with you. It's a fantastically well-made film packed full of entertainment and lots of violence and blood. I've enjoyed playing the games in this franchise over the years, and this is a great film that fans of the game are sure to enjoy. For those of you not familiar with what Loot Crate is, here's a description:
Loot Crate...
- 10/13/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
After their 2013 short film “Here and Now” was selected by Ron Howard as the winner of Canon's “Project Imaginat10n” film contest, producers Abigail Spencer, Josh Pence, Justin Allen and director Julian Higgins are reteaming on a new short film titled “Winter Light,” which will star Raymond J. Barry (“Justified”), Vincent Kartheiser (“Mad Men”), Q'orianka Kilcher (“The New World”), Michael Bofshever (“United 93″) and Pence (“The Social Network”). Adapted by screenwriter Wei-Ning Yu from a short story by bestselling author James Lee Burke, “Winter Light” is a modern-day revisionist Western set against the sweeping backdrop of the snow-covered Montana wilderness.
- 3/11/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
[Editor's Note: All filmmakers want to be noticed and contests are one way to make that happen. But what does it take to make a film that wins? This is part of a series of five articles that profile the winning directors of Canon's Project Imaginat10n and how they created their incredible short films. To learn more about Project Imagination, please go Here.] If it weren't for Julian Higgins’ lead actress, his film short "Here and Now" would have never been made or gone on to become one of the winning films in Canon's Project Imaginat10n film contest. "It's all about the personal relationships," Higgins explained. Through his cinematographer friend, Andrew Wheeler (who would go on to shoot "Here and Now"), Higgins was put in touch with Josh Pence ("The Social Network," "The Dark Knight Rises"), the lead actor in the short, who, in turn, introduced him to actress Abigail Spencer ("Rectify," "Mad Men"). As it turns out, Spencer was the one to hear about the contest. "We'd...
- 11/11/2013
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Just one year after nabbing the honors of Best Director and Best Drama at the College Television Awards for his short film Thief, 26-year-old Julian Higgins Monday night made his official small screen debut at the helm of Fox's House. The episode centered on a questionable member of the U.S. army, likened to Wikileaks informant Bradley Manning. The storyline fit nicely with Higgins' background, as his short film was set in Iraq and focused on current events. Photos: 17 Midseason Shows Premiering in 2012 So how did Higgins go from an AFI collegiate award winner to House
read more...
read more...
- 4/3/2012
- by Sophie A. Schillaci
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Liv Mjönes, Ruth Vega Fernandez, With Every Heartbeat Breakthrough Selections Expecting: In Chile, a young girl and her boyfriend wait for a black-market drug to take effect in this tense and insightful examination of teen pregnancy. Dir/Scr Francisca Fuenzalida. Chile. U.S. Premiere. Light Of Mine: Rapidly going blind, photographer Owen and his wife Laura take a life-changing trip to Yellowstone National Park where they experience a beauty that rivals their tragedy. Dir Brett Eichenberger. Scr Jill Remensnyder. USA. Three And A Half: Three women risk everything and travel to the northwest Iranian border in hopes of escaping prison and reuniting with their comrades. Dir/Scr Naghi Nemati. Cast Samaneh Vafaiezadeh, Shooka Karimi, Negar Hassanzadeh, Mehdi Poormoosa. Iran. U.S. Premiere. With Every Heartbeat: In this Swedish romantic drama, uptight Mia attends her father’s engagement party and not only gains a stepmother, but also a new lover,...
- 10/23/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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