Exclusive: The Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson sci-fi thriller Mercy is adding four with A Star Is Born‘s Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi and Kylie Rogers.
Timur Bekmambetov directs the Amazon MGM Studios project, which was penned by Marco van Belle. It follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime, and must prove his innocence is a future where capital crime has swelled.
True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Blinders’ Annabelle Wallis also star in the movie which is hitting theaters on Aug. 15, 2025.
Gersh, Affirmative Entertainment repped Gavron began his career with a breakout lead role in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, for which he earned a nomination for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Independent Film Awards. In addition to A Star Is Born, he also starred in the limited series Ghosts of Beirut, two seasons of Godfather of Harlem for MGM+,...
Timur Bekmambetov directs the Amazon MGM Studios project, which was penned by Marco van Belle. It follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime, and must prove his innocence is a future where capital crime has swelled.
True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Blinders’ Annabelle Wallis also star in the movie which is hitting theaters on Aug. 15, 2025.
Gersh, Affirmative Entertainment repped Gavron began his career with a breakout lead role in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, for which he earned a nomination for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Independent Film Awards. In addition to A Star Is Born, he also starred in the limited series Ghosts of Beirut, two seasons of Godfather of Harlem for MGM+,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed actor Cory Michael Smith (May December) for representation in all areas, with an eye toward securing him new opportunities across film, television, theater and more.
The signing comes off of Smith’s supporting role in May December, Netflix’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated drama from director Todd Haynes, which was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2023. In the film scripted by Samy Burch, he played Georgie, a son from the former relationship of Gracie (Julianne Moore), who has become the subject of a scandal after entering into a relationship with, and ultimately marrying a man she first met as a pet store worker at just 13 years old.
Currently, Smith is in production on Jason Reitman’s SNL 1975, chronicling the events leading up to Saturday Night Live‘s debut, which has him playing actor and comedian Chevy Chase.
Previously, he’s starred on Gillian Flynn...
The signing comes off of Smith’s supporting role in May December, Netflix’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated drama from director Todd Haynes, which was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2023. In the film scripted by Samy Burch, he played Georgie, a son from the former relationship of Gracie (Julianne Moore), who has become the subject of a scandal after entering into a relationship with, and ultimately marrying a man she first met as a pet store worker at just 13 years old.
Currently, Smith is in production on Jason Reitman’s SNL 1975, chronicling the events leading up to Saturday Night Live‘s debut, which has him playing actor and comedian Chevy Chase.
Previously, he’s starred on Gillian Flynn...
- 3/20/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Austin-based American indie filmmaker Yen Tan of Pit Stop (2013) and 1985 (2018) fame will have Margaret Cho topline his next feature film project which appears to be setting up shop shortly and looks at loss and visits one person’s human connections through a new lens. Co-written alongside Clay Liford (Slash – 2016), All That We Love is being produced by Ley Line Entertainment’s Theresa Steele Page, Rebecca Green (editor-in-chief of the excellent industry read Dear Producer) and Ten Acre Films’ Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams. Production will likely take place in Texas in the second quarter.
The death of a beloved pet compels Emma (Cho) to have a midlife crisis and examine the fragility of her relationships.…...
The death of a beloved pet compels Emma (Cho) to have a midlife crisis and examine the fragility of her relationships.…...
- 4/25/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Vondie Curtis-Hall (Harriet), Lilli Cooper (Broadway’s Tootsie), Dominic Fumusa (13 Hours) and Matt Dallas (Kyle Xy) have signed on to star alongside Steven Grayhm in the indie drama Sheepdog, which Grayhm is directing from his own script.
The film going into production later this month in western Massachusetts tells the story of a therapy-averse combat veteran (Grayhm) who is court ordered into treatment after his plan to unite an ex-con and his daughter shows him that he must put himself back together first.
Exec produced by Joe Newcomb (Dallas Buyers Club) of Truth Entertainment, Sheepdog is a co-production with Grayhm’s Team House Studios, which two years ago premiered its indie thriller The Secret of Sinchanee at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival. Joining Grayhm as producers are Lynn d’Angona and Ric Smith.
Grayhm’s Team House will look, during the course of the shoot,...
The film going into production later this month in western Massachusetts tells the story of a therapy-averse combat veteran (Grayhm) who is court ordered into treatment after his plan to unite an ex-con and his daughter shows him that he must put himself back together first.
Exec produced by Joe Newcomb (Dallas Buyers Club) of Truth Entertainment, Sheepdog is a co-production with Grayhm’s Team House Studios, which two years ago premiered its indie thriller The Secret of Sinchanee at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival. Joining Grayhm as producers are Lynn d’Angona and Ric Smith.
Grayhm’s Team House will look, during the course of the shoot,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
FX’s “Dave” will return for season 3 with a lineup of guest stars including Demi Lovato, Don Cheadle, Killer Mike, Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox, Rick Ross, Travis Barker, Usher and more. Dave Burd, star and executive producer of the series, announced the names on Thursday during FX’s portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour.
The third season of the series premieres April 5 on Fxx and will stream on Hulu the next day. In the third season, Dave headlines his first-ever tour — looking for love along the way.
“Dave” is co-created by Burd and Jeff Schaffer, and executive produced by the pair along with Luvh Rakhe, Vanessa McGee, Kris Eber, Rob Rosell, Kevin Hart and Hartbeat Productions, Scooter Braun, Marty Bowen, Mike Hertz and Sb Projects’ James Shin and Scott Manson. The series is produced by FX Productions.
Also in television news today:
Trailers
Netflix has shared the...
The third season of the series premieres April 5 on Fxx and will stream on Hulu the next day. In the third season, Dave headlines his first-ever tour — looking for love along the way.
“Dave” is co-created by Burd and Jeff Schaffer, and executive produced by the pair along with Luvh Rakhe, Vanessa McGee, Kris Eber, Rob Rosell, Kevin Hart and Hartbeat Productions, Scooter Braun, Marty Bowen, Mike Hertz and Sb Projects’ James Shin and Scott Manson. The series is produced by FX Productions.
Also in television news today:
Trailers
Netflix has shared the...
- 1/13/2023
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix Launches Created By Initiative Offering Script Development Deals to Underrepresented Writers
As part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the streamer has announced its first-ever Netflix Created By Initiative, which aims to increase representation of underrepresented talent behind the camera and that, in turn, facilitates more wholistic on-screen portrayals. The program will host 14 mid-level film and series writers who will be offered script development deals.
To identify talent, the platform harnessed expertise from six leading organizations that are at the forefront of creating access to underrepresented creators within the industry, including The National Hispanic Media Coalition, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Native American Media Alliance, The Black TV and Film Collective, Outfest and Inevitable Foundation. Each partner organization nominated candidates from their own writers programs, with the streamer selecting the final recipients.
Also Read:
SAG Awards to Stream Live on Netflix Beginning in 2024
The inaugural group of writers selected for this program are: Zach Anner and Gillian Grassi, Arun Croll,...
To identify talent, the platform harnessed expertise from six leading organizations that are at the forefront of creating access to underrepresented creators within the industry, including The National Hispanic Media Coalition, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Native American Media Alliance, The Black TV and Film Collective, Outfest and Inevitable Foundation. Each partner organization nominated candidates from their own writers programs, with the streamer selecting the final recipients.
Also Read:
SAG Awards to Stream Live on Netflix Beginning in 2024
The inaugural group of writers selected for this program are: Zach Anner and Gillian Grassi, Arun Croll,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The Shield alum Michael Chiklis has signed with Gersh for representation.
The Winning Time actor is currently recurring as infamous Celtic owner Red Auerbach in the HBO drama from producers Adam McKay and Kevin Messick. Chiklis recently starred in and directed an episode of Howard Gordon’s Fox anthology series The Accused, and he will appear in the upcoming indie feature The Senior, directed by Rod Lurie and produced by Mark Ciardi.
Chiklis played detective Vic Mackey in The Shield for FX, which earned him an Emmy. He also played the action hero The Thing/Ben Grimm in the Fantastic Four film franchise.
His other film credits include Eagle Eye, opposite Shia Labeouf, a turn in feature film Don’t Look Up, playing Curly in The Three Stooges, Larry Peerce’s Wired, and the Netflix family feature Hubie Halloween, which he appeared opposite Adam Sandler.
The Shield alum Michael Chiklis has signed with Gersh for representation.
The Winning Time actor is currently recurring as infamous Celtic owner Red Auerbach in the HBO drama from producers Adam McKay and Kevin Messick. Chiklis recently starred in and directed an episode of Howard Gordon’s Fox anthology series The Accused, and he will appear in the upcoming indie feature The Senior, directed by Rod Lurie and produced by Mark Ciardi.
Chiklis played detective Vic Mackey in The Shield for FX, which earned him an Emmy. He also played the action hero The Thing/Ben Grimm in the Fantastic Four film franchise.
His other film credits include Eagle Eye, opposite Shia Labeouf, a turn in feature film Don’t Look Up, playing Curly in The Three Stooges, Larry Peerce’s Wired, and the Netflix family feature Hubie Halloween, which he appeared opposite Adam Sandler.
- 11/29/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Back together in person after two years of going virtual during the pandemic, the Austin-based SXSW Film Festival has announced its juried prizes. As in previous editions, the awards show happened at the midpoint of the nine-day event, before SXSW’s music events suck much of the attention away from film screenings.
The top prize in narrative feature competition went to “I Love My Dad,” written and directed by James Morosini, who also stars as a younger version of himself in this uncomfortable retelling of how he was catfished by his father (played by Patton Oswalt).
“Morosini displays massive empathy as a filmmaker to get into the mind of the father he feels betrayed by, and also as an actor portraying the impact of that betrayal,” said the jury, who also gave special jury prizes to the cast and crew of “It Is in Us All” and Elizaveta Yankovskaya, star of the Russian film “Nika.
The top prize in narrative feature competition went to “I Love My Dad,” written and directed by James Morosini, who also stars as a younger version of himself in this uncomfortable retelling of how he was catfished by his father (played by Patton Oswalt).
“Morosini displays massive empathy as a filmmaker to get into the mind of the father he feels betrayed by, and also as an actor portraying the impact of that betrayal,” said the jury, who also gave special jury prizes to the cast and crew of “It Is in Us All” and Elizaveta Yankovskaya, star of the Russian film “Nika.
- 3/16/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The 2022 jury and special award winners of the 29th SXSW Film Festival were unveiled on Tuesday night out of Austin, Texas. Feature films receiving jury awards were selected from the narrative and documentary competitions. Juried awards for shorts, design, and Xr experience were also announced.
Special awards announced included: Louis Black “Lone Star” Award, Adobe Editing Award, Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, Zeiss Cinematography Award, the Mailchimp Support the Shorts Award, and the Fandor New Voices Award.
All 2022 film categories will be eligible for category-specific audience awards, which will be certified by the accounting firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter. Online screenings and audience award voting will conclude 9 a.m. Ct on Monday, March 21. Winners will be announced via sxsw.com that week.
“It was extraordinary to gather together in person again after so long and we are so grateful to the filmmakers and audience who joined us at SXSW 2022 in...
Special awards announced included: Louis Black “Lone Star” Award, Adobe Editing Award, Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, Zeiss Cinematography Award, the Mailchimp Support the Shorts Award, and the Fandor New Voices Award.
All 2022 film categories will be eligible for category-specific audience awards, which will be certified by the accounting firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter. Online screenings and audience award voting will conclude 9 a.m. Ct on Monday, March 21. Winners will be announced via sxsw.com that week.
“It was extraordinary to gather together in person again after so long and we are so grateful to the filmmakers and audience who joined us at SXSW 2022 in...
- 3/16/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Chris Messina (Birds of Prey), Cory Michael Smith, Aida Turturro (The Sopranos), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) and newcomer Grace Edwards have boarded Call Jane, which is now in production in Connecticut.
In the women’s rights drama, directed by Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, they will star opposite previously announced cast members Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Kata Mara.
Emerging from a script by Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi, with revisions by Nagy, that made The Black List, Call Jane is set during the summer of 1968, which sees protests rock the Democratic National Convention. Against this backdrop, we follow Joy Griffin (Banks), a housewife and mother who experiences a life-threatening pregnancy that no doctor will allow her to terminate. After finding herself out of options, with little time to lose, Joy discovers a network of women who facilitate safe abortions for women in need—no questions asked. The...
In the women’s rights drama, directed by Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, they will star opposite previously announced cast members Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Kata Mara.
Emerging from a script by Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi, with revisions by Nagy, that made The Black List, Call Jane is set during the summer of 1968, which sees protests rock the Democratic National Convention. Against this backdrop, we follow Joy Griffin (Banks), a housewife and mother who experiences a life-threatening pregnancy that no doctor will allow her to terminate. After finding herself out of options, with little time to lose, Joy discovers a network of women who facilitate safe abortions for women in need—no questions asked. The...
- 5/3/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The SXSW Film Festival has revealed its Jury and Special Award winners of the 28th edition of the fest, which took place virtually this week. The Megan Park-directed high school shooting tragedy The Fallout took the top award in the Narrative Feature category, while Jeremy Workman’s portrait of Lily Hevesh, Lily Topples the World, won in the Documentary Feature category.
Also on the narrative side, Kelley Kali and Angelique Molina’s I’m Fine Thanks for Asking) won a Special Jury Recognition for Multi-hyphenate Storyteller. Martin Edralin’s Islands also took home a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Performance for actor Rogelio Balagtas.
In the docu feature competition Rachel Fleit’s Introducing, Selma Blair was honored with Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling. Meanwhile, Nicholas Bruckman’s Not Going Quietly scored Special Jury Recognition for Humanity in Social Action.
“We are so honored by the 2021 filmmakers...
Also on the narrative side, Kelley Kali and Angelique Molina’s I’m Fine Thanks for Asking) won a Special Jury Recognition for Multi-hyphenate Storyteller. Martin Edralin’s Islands also took home a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Performance for actor Rogelio Balagtas.
In the docu feature competition Rachel Fleit’s Introducing, Selma Blair was honored with Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling. Meanwhile, Nicholas Bruckman’s Not Going Quietly scored Special Jury Recognition for Humanity in Social Action.
“We are so honored by the 2021 filmmakers...
- 3/19/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has selected the 11 screenwriters that will participate in the ninth annual Screenwriters Intensive which will take place digitally on March 4-5. The writers selected are Radhika Apte, William Kwok, Tulica Singh, Timothy Ware, Daniel Klein, Jo Hatcher, Chy Chi, Xavier Coleman, Joyce Sherri, Brian Robau and Jessica Mendez Siqueiros.
The Intensive is a two-day workshop for emerging independent writers and writer/directors developing their first fiction features. The writers, which are from traditionally underrepresented communities, will have the opportunity to refine their stories under the guidance of established writers and the Institute’s Feature Film Program, led by Ilyse McKimmie, Deputy Director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, and the program’s Founding Director, Michelle Satter.
“We are inspired by this group of dynamic artists, who are each telling indelible stories with specificity, boldness, and their own distinctive style,” said McKimmie “It’s a privilege to bring them...
The Intensive is a two-day workshop for emerging independent writers and writer/directors developing their first fiction features. The writers, which are from traditionally underrepresented communities, will have the opportunity to refine their stories under the guidance of established writers and the Institute’s Feature Film Program, led by Ilyse McKimmie, Deputy Director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, and the program’s Founding Director, Michelle Satter.
“We are inspired by this group of dynamic artists, who are each telling indelible stories with specificity, boldness, and their own distinctive style,” said McKimmie “It’s a privilege to bring them...
- 3/4/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Yen Tan, whose feature 1985 debuted at SXSW in 2018, has signed on to helm Beauty, the story of Julia Pastrana, a woman who suffered from the rare genetic condition hypertrichosis. In the 1800s, showman Theodore Lent made her a worldwide attraction.
The pic will be produced by Mark Amin for Sobini Films and David Permut for Permut Presentations. Tyler Boehm and Cami Winikoff will executive produce for Sobini Films, with Yen Tan and Hutch, who teamed on 1985, penning the screenplay
Amin most recently produced and directed the Civil War drama Emperor, and has previous credits as a producer including Jt Leroy, Miles Ahead, and Mary Shelley. Permut was Oscar nominated for Hacksaw Ridge and has upcoming credits including The Legend Of Cocaine Island to star Will Ferrell at Netflix, and the Barry Levinson-directed Sheela starring Priyanka Chopra at Amazon.
“Yen Tan is an extraordinary filmmaker with a reputation for...
The pic will be produced by Mark Amin for Sobini Films and David Permut for Permut Presentations. Tyler Boehm and Cami Winikoff will executive produce for Sobini Films, with Yen Tan and Hutch, who teamed on 1985, penning the screenplay
Amin most recently produced and directed the Civil War drama Emperor, and has previous credits as a producer including Jt Leroy, Miles Ahead, and Mary Shelley. Permut was Oscar nominated for Hacksaw Ridge and has upcoming credits including The Legend Of Cocaine Island to star Will Ferrell at Netflix, and the Barry Levinson-directed Sheela starring Priyanka Chopra at Amazon.
“Yen Tan is an extraordinary filmmaker with a reputation for...
- 10/6/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2019-2020 movie awards season got underway on Monday night, December 2, with the presentation of the Gotham Awards for independent film. Presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), these prizes are decided by juries of industry peers and have honored Oscar winners like “Sideways” (2004), “Capote” (2005), “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Spotlight” (2015) and “Moonlight” (2016). So who took top honors this year? Scroll down for the complete list in all 10 categories, updated live as they were announced.
“Marriage Story,” “The Farewell” and “Uncut Gems” led the nominations with three apiece. Those three films were up for Best Feature along with “Hustlers” and “Waves.”
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
“Marriage Story” was the highest-profile Oscar contender among those nominees, but did that mean it was a surefire winner? The jury voting process opens the door for underdogs and left-field choices like last year’s champ “The Rider,” which beat Oscar...
“Marriage Story,” “The Farewell” and “Uncut Gems” led the nominations with three apiece. Those three films were up for Best Feature along with “Hustlers” and “Waves.”
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
“Marriage Story” was the highest-profile Oscar contender among those nominees, but did that mean it was a surefire winner? The jury voting process opens the door for underdogs and left-field choices like last year’s champ “The Rider,” which beat Oscar...
- 12/3/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Actress Virginia Madsen has signed with Buchwald. She most recently was a part of the DC Universe streamed series Swamp Thing.
Madsen also has wrapped production on Operation Christmas Drop, opposite Kat Graham and Alexander Ludwig, which is set to premiere on Netflix in 2020. She also appeared in the independent features Her Smell, directed by Alex Ross Perry, opposite Elisabeth Moss and Cara Delevigne, and Yen Tan’s 1985.
Additionally, she is in discussions to reprise her role in MGM’s remake of the Clive Barker cult classic Candyman, with Nia DaCosta directing and executive produced by Jordan Peele.
Her film credits include the David O. Russell feature Joy, opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and Bradley Cooper; Burn Your Maps, opposite Vera Farmiga and Jacob Tremblay; Robert Altman’s last film, A Prairie Home Companion; Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker; and the 2004 Alexander Payne film Sideways, for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
Madsen also has wrapped production on Operation Christmas Drop, opposite Kat Graham and Alexander Ludwig, which is set to premiere on Netflix in 2020. She also appeared in the independent features Her Smell, directed by Alex Ross Perry, opposite Elisabeth Moss and Cara Delevigne, and Yen Tan’s 1985.
Additionally, she is in discussions to reprise her role in MGM’s remake of the Clive Barker cult classic Candyman, with Nia DaCosta directing and executive produced by Jordan Peele.
Her film credits include the David O. Russell feature Joy, opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and Bradley Cooper; Burn Your Maps, opposite Vera Farmiga and Jacob Tremblay; Robert Altman’s last film, A Prairie Home Companion; Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker; and the 2004 Alexander Payne film Sideways, for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
- 7/31/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
On Monday, Taylor Swift released a video for her new song “You Need to Calm Down,” the second single from her forthcoming album, “Lover.” Taking a page from Beyoncé’s book, Swift shares a directing credit with filmmaker Drew Kirsch, as well an Ep credit with frequent “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judge and choreographer Todrick Hall. Clad exclusively in pink (millennial and other shades), Swift waltzes through a kaleidoscopic set that is colored in astroturf greens and chlorinated blues. An early shot has Swift dumping cotton candy into a blender — a perfect metaphor for the bubble-gum-hued visuals and dizzying parade of Lgbtq celebrity cameos to follow.
Released in the middle of Pride month, “You Need to Calm Down” is Swift’s attempt at producing a gay anthem. Despite staying silent during the 2016 election, prompting many to speculate that she voted for Donald Trump, Swift has amped up her activism in the last two years,...
Released in the middle of Pride month, “You Need to Calm Down” is Swift’s attempt at producing a gay anthem. Despite staying silent during the 2016 election, prompting many to speculate that she voted for Donald Trump, Swift has amped up her activism in the last two years,...
- 6/21/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Emmy-winning director Daniel Sackheim has signed on as executive producer and director of HBO’s upcoming straight-to-series drama Lovecraft Country. Additionally, Abbey Lee has joined as a series regular in a recasting, and Jamie Chung and Jordan Patrick Smith are set for recurring roles on the high-profile project, from Misha Green, Oscar winner Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw Productions, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros Television.
Penned by Green based on the 2016 novel from Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathyan Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bel) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.
Lee will play Christina Braithwhite,...
Penned by Green based on the 2016 novel from Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathyan Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bel) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.
Lee will play Christina Braithwhite,...
- 6/14/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
We highlight recent home video releases of indie, foreign, documentary, grindhouse and classic movies, as well as TV shows. Check them all out below. New Indie One of the best films of 2018 you may well have missed is Yen Tan’s powerful period drama 1985 (Wolfe), starring Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) as a young gay man who returns to Texas from New York City to spend Christmas with his parents (played with subtle poignancy by Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis). Set in the early years of the HIV-aids epidemic, the film examines the secrecy and judgments that tore so many families apart, and it’s an evocative examination of this very specific time and place, shot in stunning black and white and featuring a powerful script (by Tan) and a talented ensemble. Seek...
- 2/6/2019
- by Alonso Duralde
- Movies.com
One day after making waves by announcing it had rescinded “Bohemian Rhapsody”‘s nomination in light of new sexual misconduct allegations against Bryan Singer, the GLAAD Media Awards announced the Lgbtq-inclusive films and TV shows that did make the cut for its annual awards.
Notable for cinephiles, this year GLAAD expanded its Outstanding Film – Limited Release category to ten films to reflect the breadth of Lgbtq images in indie film. The category includes two Rachel Weisz vehicles, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” and Sebastián Lelio’s “Disobedience,” as well as Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Yen Tan’s “1985,” and Jeremiah Zagar’s “We the Animals.”
In the absence of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” wide release films honored include “Deadpool 2,” “Blockers,” and Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking teen coming out movie “Love, Simon.” On the TV side, GLAAD singled out dramas such as “Billions,” “Pose,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,...
Notable for cinephiles, this year GLAAD expanded its Outstanding Film – Limited Release category to ten films to reflect the breadth of Lgbtq images in indie film. The category includes two Rachel Weisz vehicles, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” and Sebastián Lelio’s “Disobedience,” as well as Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Yen Tan’s “1985,” and Jeremiah Zagar’s “We the Animals.”
In the absence of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” wide release films honored include “Deadpool 2,” “Blockers,” and Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking teen coming out movie “Love, Simon.” On the TV side, GLAAD singled out dramas such as “Billions,” “Pose,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,...
- 1/25/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
What's newly available for home viewing this week? Herewith a very quick survey of new releases and/or great deals
DVD/Blu-Ray
• All About Nina -Festival critics loved it (and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's performance) but it was lost in theaters. Can it find a second life now?
• Fahrenheit 11/9 -Michael Moore didn't make the doc finalist list this year but his new doc is now on DVD
• A Simple Favor -Paul Feig and two terrific actresses, perfectly cast, delivered one of the year's best comic surprises
• Venom - The Spider-Man spinoff that was so successful we're sure to get loads of other villain spinoffs of superhero movies. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to threaten you.
New iTunes 99¢ Deals
I do not know what possessed them but they have a Ton of great films for 99¢ this week (there's usually just a couple of must-sees). That's a price point we can...
DVD/Blu-Ray
• All About Nina -Festival critics loved it (and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's performance) but it was lost in theaters. Can it find a second life now?
• Fahrenheit 11/9 -Michael Moore didn't make the doc finalist list this year but his new doc is now on DVD
• A Simple Favor -Paul Feig and two terrific actresses, perfectly cast, delivered one of the year's best comic surprises
• Venom - The Spider-Man spinoff that was so successful we're sure to get loads of other villain spinoffs of superhero movies. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to threaten you.
New iTunes 99¢ Deals
I do not know what possessed them but they have a Ton of great films for 99¢ this week (there's usually just a couple of must-sees). That's a price point we can...
- 12/19/2018
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Corey Michael Smith plays a son coming out to his conservative Texas family in Yen Tan’s compassionate, beautifully acted film
There is no national memorial to the Aids fallen, writer Tom Crewe pointed out recently in the London Review of Books. No, but there is a wave of films being made to remember the dead. After 120 Beats per Minute, the French movie about Aids activists, here’s a small-scale family drama of real gentleness and emotional complexity about a young man returning to Texas to tell his Christian family that he is gay and living with Aids. It’s desperately moving, with a few tissues-at-the-ready scenes, but wrapped too in a soft blanket of sadness.
The film is shot on grainy black and white as if to show what a different world it was in 1985, as Aids tore through the gay community. Cory Michael Smith is Adrian, home for...
There is no national memorial to the Aids fallen, writer Tom Crewe pointed out recently in the London Review of Books. No, but there is a wave of films being made to remember the dead. After 120 Beats per Minute, the French movie about Aids activists, here’s a small-scale family drama of real gentleness and emotional complexity about a young man returning to Texas to tell his Christian family that he is gay and living with Aids. It’s desperately moving, with a few tissues-at-the-ready scenes, but wrapped too in a soft blanket of sadness.
The film is shot on grainy black and white as if to show what a different world it was in 1985, as Aids tore through the gay community. Cory Michael Smith is Adrian, home for...
- 12/12/2018
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
The family unit in 1985
Black and white dramas about AIDS set in small town religious communities may not be the kind of thing that grabs the attention of awards voters, but Yen Tan's 1985 has attracted an impressive amount of critical support, especially given its low budget. Starring Carol alumnus Cory Michael Smith, with Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis and Jamie Chung in support, it's one of the best ensemble pieces of the year. Smith's Adrian is a young man returning to his family home for Christmas, trying to reconcile himself to their strict religious values as they try to cope with the reality of his sexuality, something they hesitate to mention. Adrian is dealing with a terrible personal loss and it's really the love between the characters - stronger than their conflicts - that makes the film stand out. Director Yen Tan agreed to answer some questions in the run-up to.
Black and white dramas about AIDS set in small town religious communities may not be the kind of thing that grabs the attention of awards voters, but Yen Tan's 1985 has attracted an impressive amount of critical support, especially given its low budget. Starring Carol alumnus Cory Michael Smith, with Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis and Jamie Chung in support, it's one of the best ensemble pieces of the year. Smith's Adrian is a young man returning to his family home for Christmas, trying to reconcile himself to their strict religious values as they try to cope with the reality of his sexuality, something they hesitate to mention. Adrian is dealing with a terrible personal loss and it's really the love between the characters - stronger than their conflicts - that makes the film stand out. Director Yen Tan agreed to answer some questions in the run-up to.
- 12/11/2018
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics a question pertaining to the contemporary movie landscape.
This week’s question: What’s a criminally under-appreciated 2018 movie that people should be sure to watch before the end of the year?
Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly), Freelance
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to Yen Tan’s exquisite AIDS crisis drama “1985”–a compassionate and gorgeously shot black & white film that follows a young, closeted man as he visits his conservative parents in a small Texan town and harbors heartbreaking secrets. It’s a true tearjerker, delicately small-scaled and features some of the most fully-realized character journeys I’ve seen on screen this year. I believe it comes out on DVD/Blu mid-December; hopefully it will be available for digital rental at that point as well.
Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM), Solzy at the Movies/Freelance
Even though it’s certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes,...
This week’s question: What’s a criminally under-appreciated 2018 movie that people should be sure to watch before the end of the year?
Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly), Freelance
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to Yen Tan’s exquisite AIDS crisis drama “1985”–a compassionate and gorgeously shot black & white film that follows a young, closeted man as he visits his conservative parents in a small Texan town and harbors heartbreaking secrets. It’s a true tearjerker, delicately small-scaled and features some of the most fully-realized character journeys I’ve seen on screen this year. I believe it comes out on DVD/Blu mid-December; hopefully it will be available for digital rental at that point as well.
Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM), Solzy at the Movies/Freelance
Even though it’s certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes,...
- 12/3/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
When Michael Chiklis read the script for Yen Tan’s black-and-white film 1985, which centers on a closeted gay man during the AIDS epidemic, he knew he had to join the project.
“I was in New York City in the theater community in 1985, which was very Dickensian. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, everything was nice and right in front of me and I was excited about starting my new career and at the same time, it was an incredibly frightening time as there was a plague that was taking ...
“I was in New York City in the theater community in 1985, which was very Dickensian. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, everything was nice and right in front of me and I was excited about starting my new career and at the same time, it was an incredibly frightening time as there was a plague that was taking ...
- 11/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
When Michael Chiklis read the script for Yen Tan’s black-and-white film 1985, which centers on a closeted gay man during the AIDS epidemic, he knew he had to join the project.
“I was in New York City in the theater community in 1985, which was very Dickensian. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, everything was nice and right in front of me and I was excited about starting my new career and at the same time, it was an incredibly frightening time as there was a plague that was taking ...
“I was in New York City in the theater community in 1985, which was very Dickensian. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, everything was nice and right in front of me and I was excited about starting my new career and at the same time, it was an incredibly frightening time as there was a plague that was taking ...
- 11/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After last year’s stateside success with Call Me By Your Name, Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is back with a “re-imagining” of Dario Argento’s 1970s classic Suspiria. The update, which stars Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz, heads to theaters this weekend via Amazon Studios. Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman is out with his latest film, Monrovia, Indiana. Wiseman, who helped define the big screen non-fiction genre over the decades, has yet to receive awards recognition, though his latest, released via his Zipporah Films label, could change that. Susan Sarandon stars in Viper Club from YouTube Originals and Roadside Attractions, the largest U.S. theatrical release for a YouTube financed feature. Neon is heading out with Scandinavian-based filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s Border, based on a story by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. Following its bow as the opening night film at New York Lgbt film festival NewFest,...
- 10/26/2018
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
New York City’s struggle to cope with the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s has been well documented in films such as “Longtime Companion,” “The Normal Heart,” and yes, even “Rent.” NYC was affected by the illness more than any other American city, especially within its gay community.
There was fear, hate, and hysteria and “1985,” crafted by Malaysian-born writer/director Yen Tan, has the intention of showing us how things have not changed all that much thirty years later.
Continue reading Intimate AIDS Drama ‘1985’ Is Heartfelt And Authentic With Great Performances [Review] at The Playlist.
There was fear, hate, and hysteria and “1985,” crafted by Malaysian-born writer/director Yen Tan, has the intention of showing us how things have not changed all that much thirty years later.
Continue reading Intimate AIDS Drama ‘1985’ Is Heartfelt And Authentic With Great Performances [Review] at The Playlist.
- 10/26/2018
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
With this week’s news that the Trump administration is moving to define transgender people out of existence and roll back civil rights protections, Wednesdays’s opening of the 30th annual New York Lgbt Film Festival, Newfest, couldn’t be timelier or more important. That was on the minds of Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, and Michael Chiklis, who star in the fest’s award-winning opening night film, “1985.”
On the rooftop of the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC Hotel, the stars opened up about writer-director Yen Tan’s personal film, which subtly explores divisions in America’s heartland as a closeted young man (Smith) heads home to Texas to face his religious parents (Chiklis and Madsen) near the start of the AIDS crisis.
“I moved to NYC in the spring of 1985 and I was a member of the theater community. It was a terrifying time and we all knew many people who got sick,...
On the rooftop of the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC Hotel, the stars opened up about writer-director Yen Tan’s personal film, which subtly explores divisions in America’s heartland as a closeted young man (Smith) heads home to Texas to face his religious parents (Chiklis and Madsen) near the start of the AIDS crisis.
“I moved to NYC in the spring of 1985 and I was a member of the theater community. It was a terrifying time and we all knew many people who got sick,...
- 10/25/2018
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Yen Tan Has Been Making Movies For Over 15 Years, But Says ‘Being a Queer Asian’ Has Hurt His Career
While working on his latest drama, “1985,” writer-director Yen Tan was approached by the agent for one of the movie’s stars. The agent noticed that Tan, who has been making movies around Texas for over 15 years and received an Independent Spirit Award for his Sundance-acclaimed 2013 feature “Pit Stop,” had no representation. In Tan’s recollection, the agent told him, “I don’t want to be blunt, but I think you being Asian has a lot to do with it.”
Tan, who was raised in Malaysia but immigrated to Dallas when he was 19, said he wasn’t surprised by the admission. “I’m really glad he said that,” Tan said in an interview, “and that it was a white person saying that to me, because I always felt that. A lot of people like me sort of internalize that, and wonder if it’s that or something else. I’m glad...
Tan, who was raised in Malaysia but immigrated to Dallas when he was 19, said he wasn’t surprised by the admission. “I’m really glad he said that,” Tan said in an interview, “and that it was a white person saying that to me, because I always felt that. A lot of people like me sort of internalize that, and wonder if it’s that or something else. I’m glad...
- 10/25/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Prepare to break out the handkerchiefs several times during writer-director Yen Tan’s “1985,” a deeply emotional tearjerker and family story set in a year when an HIV diagnosis was effectively a death sentence. This is a realistic, discreet, yet exploratory film that earns its tears honestly and scrupulously.
Gay, closeted, and HIV-positive Adrian comes home to Texas for Christmas for what he knows will probably be the last time. Tan’s camera keeps a polite and empathetic distance from Adrian and his parents Dale (Michael Chiklis) and Eileen (Virginia Madsen), both of whom are very religious, and his little brother Andrew.
The set-up of this story admittedly doesn’t sound too promising, and the very grainy black-and-white cinematography might be a problem for some viewers, but “1985” is a film that is full of virtues, not least the acting talent of its cast, who are all expert at conveying a lot...
Gay, closeted, and HIV-positive Adrian comes home to Texas for Christmas for what he knows will probably be the last time. Tan’s camera keeps a polite and empathetic distance from Adrian and his parents Dale (Michael Chiklis) and Eileen (Virginia Madsen), both of whom are very religious, and his little brother Andrew.
The set-up of this story admittedly doesn’t sound too promising, and the very grainy black-and-white cinematography might be a problem for some viewers, but “1985” is a film that is full of virtues, not least the acting talent of its cast, who are all expert at conveying a lot...
- 10/24/2018
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
NewFest kicks off on Wednesday, celebrating the 30th year of New York City’s premier queer film festival. Each year, NewFest presents some of the buzziest titles from all over the world, but it also plays home to brand-new fiction films and documentaries that you can’t see anywhere else.
International titles with strong acclaim are some of the best films in this year’s slate, many making their NYC debuts: the Kenyan lesbian love story Rafiki, which premiered at Cannes, is the festival’s International Centerpiece; Mario from the Locarno Film Festival; and Hard Paint from the Berlin Film Festival. Yen Tan’s critically acclaimed AIDS drama 1985 starring Cory Michael Smith will open the festival, followed by Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased as the U.S. Centerpiece. NewFest closes out with Making Montgomery Clift, directed by the actor’s nephew Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon.
We selected 10 titles...
International titles with strong acclaim are some of the best films in this year’s slate, many making their NYC debuts: the Kenyan lesbian love story Rafiki, which premiered at Cannes, is the festival’s International Centerpiece; Mario from the Locarno Film Festival; and Hard Paint from the Berlin Film Festival. Yen Tan’s critically acclaimed AIDS drama 1985 starring Cory Michael Smith will open the festival, followed by Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased as the U.S. Centerpiece. NewFest closes out with Making Montgomery Clift, directed by the actor’s nephew Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon.
We selected 10 titles...
- 10/23/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
1985 A Yen Tan Film Starring Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis and Jamie Chung NYC Press Screening Wednesday, October 10th 10:00am The Quad Cinema 34 W. 13th St, New York 10011 Synopsis: Having been gone for three years, closeted advertising executive Adrian (Cory Michael Smith, “Gotham”) returns to his Texas hometown for …
The post Yen Tan’s “1985” starring Cory Michael Smith | NY Press Screening (Wednesday), Opens Oct. 26 in NY/La appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...
The post Yen Tan’s “1985” starring Cory Michael Smith | NY Press Screening (Wednesday), Opens Oct. 26 in NY/La appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...
- 10/8/2018
- by Horrornews.net
- Horror News
NewFest, the New York-set Lgbtq film festival that is celebrating its 30th year, has unveiled its full linuep of movies ahead of its run October 24-30. As previously announced, the fest opens with Yen Tan’s AIDS drama 1985 starring Gotham‘s Corey Michael Smith, The Gifted‘s Jamie Chung, Aidan Langford, Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis.
This year’s slate includes the New York Centerpiece screening of the Matt Smith-starring Mapplethorpe; the Telluride-bowing Boy Erased starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges as the U.S. Centerpiece; and the International Centerpiece Rafiki, Wanuri Kahiu’s pic that has been banned in its native Keyna for centering on a relationship between two women.
Also on tap is the Documentary Centerpiece film Dykes, Camera, Action. The fest will close with Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon’s Making Montgomery Clift.
This year’s lineup features programming from 32 countries, with 46 feature films,...
This year’s slate includes the New York Centerpiece screening of the Matt Smith-starring Mapplethorpe; the Telluride-bowing Boy Erased starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges as the U.S. Centerpiece; and the International Centerpiece Rafiki, Wanuri Kahiu’s pic that has been banned in its native Keyna for centering on a relationship between two women.
Also on tap is the Documentary Centerpiece film Dykes, Camera, Action. The fest will close with Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon’s Making Montgomery Clift.
This year’s lineup features programming from 32 countries, with 46 feature films,...
- 9/21/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite and Marielle Heller’s Melissa McCarthy-starrer Can You Ever Forgive Me? will get Centerpiece slots at next month’s Hamptons Film Festival.
The fest released its full line-up today, adding Steve McQueen’s Widows and the East Coast premiere of Felix Van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy to the previously announced slate.
Lanthimos’ The Favourite stars Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in the tale of two cousins fighting to be the court favorite of Queen Anne. The film will be the fest’s Friday Centerpiece, while Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes the Sunday Centerpiece slot.
The Hamptons fest runs Oct. 4-8.
In addition to the previously announced films, the Narrative Competition films will include the New York Premiere of Yen Tan’s 1985, the U.S. Premiere of Eva Trobisch’s All Good, Ali Abbasi’s Border, the U.S. Premiere of Zsófia Szilágyi’s One Day,...
The fest released its full line-up today, adding Steve McQueen’s Widows and the East Coast premiere of Felix Van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy to the previously announced slate.
Lanthimos’ The Favourite stars Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in the tale of two cousins fighting to be the court favorite of Queen Anne. The film will be the fest’s Friday Centerpiece, while Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes the Sunday Centerpiece slot.
The Hamptons fest runs Oct. 4-8.
In addition to the previously announced films, the Narrative Competition films will include the New York Premiere of Yen Tan’s 1985, the U.S. Premiere of Eva Trobisch’s All Good, Ali Abbasi’s Border, the U.S. Premiere of Zsófia Szilágyi’s One Day,...
- 9/17/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” adds to its cast, Afm announces its programming, “Bullitt County” gets a release, and “1985” will open NewFest.
Castings
CBS Films and eOne have hired Lorraine Toussaint, Dean Norris, and Gil Bellows for the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” movie.
The film is being directed by André Øvredal from a script by Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan from the bestselling trilogy of books by Alvin Schwartz. Del Toro is producing with Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of Hivemind along with J. Miles Dale and Elizabeth Grave.
The movie follows a group of teens who must solve the mystery surrounding a wave of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small town. Previously announced cast members include Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn.
CBS Films...
Castings
CBS Films and eOne have hired Lorraine Toussaint, Dean Norris, and Gil Bellows for the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” movie.
The film is being directed by André Øvredal from a script by Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan from the bestselling trilogy of books by Alvin Schwartz. Del Toro is producing with Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of Hivemind along with J. Miles Dale and Elizabeth Grave.
The movie follows a group of teens who must solve the mystery surrounding a wave of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small town. Previously announced cast members include Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn.
CBS Films...
- 9/13/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
"You left home just as soon as you could." Wolfe Releasing has debuted an official trailer for an indie drama title 1985, the latest film made by Malaysian-American filmmaker Yen Tan. This premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and a number of other film festivals this year, so it definitely has some clout and acclaim. 1985 stars Cory Michael Smith as a closeted young man living in New York City in 1985, who heads home to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis. There he reconnects with his brother and friend, and attempts to have a real conversation with his religious parents. Starring Virginia Madsen & Michael Chiklis as his parents, along with Jamie Chung, Aidan Langford, and Bryan Massey. This was shot in high-contrast black-and-white on 16mm, which connects it even more with the setting and adds another layer of dramatic tension to the storytelling. Check this out.
- 8/28/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Outfest Los Angeles Lgbtq Film Festival has unveiled winners for its 2018 edition that wrapped Sunday, with Jeremiah Zagar’s We the Animals taking the U.S. Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize and Jamie Patterson’s Tucked scoring the Best Narrative Audience Award among the honors.
Drew Droege, who starred in the Michael Urie-directed Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, won the U.S. Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance. The top documentary winners included T Cooper’s Man Made in the audience category and Jamal Sims’ When the Beat Drops landing the grand jury prize.
The Orchard acquired North American rights to We The Animals, based on Justin Torres’ debut novel, after it took the Next Innovator Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It will hit theaters sometime this year. Tucked, meanwhile, inked an output deal with Gravitas Ventures last week ahead of its world premiere.
Drew Droege, who starred in the Michael Urie-directed Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, won the U.S. Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance. The top documentary winners included T Cooper’s Man Made in the audience category and Jamal Sims’ When the Beat Drops landing the grand jury prize.
The Orchard acquired North American rights to We The Animals, based on Justin Torres’ debut novel, after it took the Next Innovator Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It will hit theaters sometime this year. Tucked, meanwhile, inked an output deal with Gravitas Ventures last week ahead of its world premiere.
- 7/23/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
As far as gay film festivals go, Outfest takes the cake. Now in its 36th year, the Los Angeles-based festival is the country’s leading Lgtbq film festival, supporting independent queer film and filmmakers for over three decades. This year, two thirds of the program is directed by women, people of color, and/or trans filmmakers. “The reason we put on this festival is to encourage the Lgbtq community and the wider community — mainstream culture — to recognize the inherent value and infinite diversity,” said Outfest head programmer Lucy Mukerjee. “We have to continue to celebrate and showcase queer artists so they can get the same level of access and opportunity as white male directors.”
Outfest is celebrating its first year as an Academy Award-qualifying shorts festival, meaning any short that wins a grand jury prize will be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Following the examples set by Tribeca and Sundance festivals,...
Outfest is celebrating its first year as an Academy Award-qualifying shorts festival, meaning any short that wins a grand jury prize will be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Following the examples set by Tribeca and Sundance festivals,...
- 7/12/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Gay fests are currently showing a restoration of the late Arthur J. Bressan Jr.’s “Buddies,” a microbudgeted drama that arrived in 1985 as the first-ever narrative feature about the AIDS crisis, one resolutely from the viewpoint of the already hard-hit gay community. A few months later network TV waded in with the acclaimed “An Early Frost,” which like most early mainstream treatments of the subject took a perspective designed to soften up AIDS-phobic Middle America — that of “respectable” parents coming to terms with their sons’ homosexuality as well as probably terminal illnesses.
Bridging the two 30-odd years later is Yen Tan’s fine “1985,” which expands on ideas first explored in his short of the same name two years ago. This excellent drama presents an ’80s flashback perhaps even more uncomfortably familiar to many gay men who survived that era than the stricken Manhattan of “Buddies” or the upscale suburbia of “Frost.
Bridging the two 30-odd years later is Yen Tan’s fine “1985,” which expands on ideas first explored in his short of the same name two years ago. This excellent drama presents an ’80s flashback perhaps even more uncomfortably familiar to many gay men who survived that era than the stricken Manhattan of “Buddies” or the upscale suburbia of “Frost.
- 6/28/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Scoot McNairy becomes the newest cast member of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and deals close for “40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie” and “1985.”
Casting
Scoot McNairy has been cast in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
The drama, set against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders, hits theaters on Aug. 9, 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the murders of actress Sharon Tate and four others at the hands of Manson’s followers.
DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, former star of a western TV series, while Pitt will play his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth. McNairy will play the role of a fictional cowboy named Business Bob Gilbert, a character in the western TV series. The cast also includes Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino,...
Casting
Scoot McNairy has been cast in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
The drama, set against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders, hits theaters on Aug. 9, 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the murders of actress Sharon Tate and four others at the hands of Manson’s followers.
DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, former star of a western TV series, while Pitt will play his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth. McNairy will play the role of a fictional cowboy named Business Bob Gilbert, a character in the western TV series. The cast also includes Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino,...
- 6/22/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Yen Tan’s emotionally wrought AIDS drama “1985” will see a theatrical rollout from Wolfe Releasing this October, the company announced Wednesday,
The distributor is also eyeing an awards push for lead Cory Michael Smith (“Gotham”), an individual familiar with their plans told TheWrap.
Well-reviewed out of this year’s SXSW Film Festival, the black-and-white film follows a young man who visits his Texas hometown at the holidays for potentially the last time, as he battles the disease at the height of its historical mortality rate.
Also Read: Hollywood So Straight: Studio Films With Lgbt Characters Dropped to Record Low Last Year
“Smith has the kind of very severe male beauty and moral gravity that distinguished the leading men in Jacques Demy’s movies from the 1960s. He has the ability to suggest profound levels of decency and despair while also somehow never losing an astringent quality that keeps some of...
The distributor is also eyeing an awards push for lead Cory Michael Smith (“Gotham”), an individual familiar with their plans told TheWrap.
Well-reviewed out of this year’s SXSW Film Festival, the black-and-white film follows a young man who visits his Texas hometown at the holidays for potentially the last time, as he battles the disease at the height of its historical mortality rate.
Also Read: Hollywood So Straight: Studio Films With Lgbt Characters Dropped to Record Low Last Year
“Smith has the kind of very severe male beauty and moral gravity that distinguished the leading men in Jacques Demy’s movies from the 1960s. He has the ability to suggest profound levels of decency and despair while also somehow never losing an astringent quality that keeps some of...
- 6/20/2018
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Wolfe Releasing has obtained the theatrical distribution rights to writer-director Yen Tan’s Texas-set family drama 1985 following its world premiere at SXSW this year. Gotham‘s Cory Michael Smith stars alongside Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Golden Globe winner Michael Chiklis (The Shield), and Jamie Chung (Fox’s The Gifted). The pic is set for release in October. Inspired by Tan’s short film of the same name, the plot follows Adrian (Smith), a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis. Burdened with an unspeakable tragedy in New York, Adrian reconnects with his brother (Aidan Langford) and estranged childhood friend (Chung), as he struggles to divulge his dire circumstances to his religious parents (Madsen and Chiklis). Producers are Ash Christian of Cranium Entertainment and HutcH of MuseLessMime Productions. The deal was negotiated by Jim Stephens, President of Wolfe Releasing,...
- 6/20/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
The 7th annual Champs-Elysees Film Festival closed on Tuesday in Paris with an awards ceremony followed by the French premiere of Damsel, the Zellner brothers’ darkly comic Western starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska.
Matt Porterfield’s Baltimore-set drama Sollers Point, which stars McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi and Zazie Beetz, received the top jury prize for an American independent feature. The film was released in the U.S. last month by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The audience award for a U.S. feature went to Yen Tan’s debut 1985, a drama about a young gay man returning to his conservative Texas town. The film ...
Matt Porterfield’s Baltimore-set drama Sollers Point, which stars McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi and Zazie Beetz, received the top jury prize for an American independent feature. The film was released in the U.S. last month by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The audience award for a U.S. feature went to Yen Tan’s debut 1985, a drama about a young gay man returning to his conservative Texas town. The film ...
- 6/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The 7th annual Champs-Elysees Film Festival closed on Tuesday in Paris with an awards ceremony followed by the French premiere of Damsel, the Zellner brothers’ darkly comic Western starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska.
Matt Porterfield’s Baltimore-set drama Sollers Point, which stars McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi and Zazie Beetz, received the top jury prize for an American independent feature. The film was released in the U.S. last month by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The audience award for a U.S. feature went to Yen Tan’s debut 1985, a drama about a young gay man returning to his conservative Texas town. The film ...
Matt Porterfield’s Baltimore-set drama Sollers Point, which stars McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi and Zazie Beetz, received the top jury prize for an American independent feature. The film was released in the U.S. last month by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The audience award for a U.S. feature went to Yen Tan’s debut 1985, a drama about a young gay man returning to his conservative Texas town. The film ...
- 6/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Talks to continue on Behold My Heart, Madeline’s Madeline.
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a sales slate that encompasses SXSW selection 1985, Tribeca entries Maine and Slut In A Good Way, and documentary City Of Joel, among others.
Kampe and his team will continue talks on Behold My Heart starring Marisa Tomei, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Madeline’s Madeline.
1985 (pictured) stars Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Michael Chiklis, and Jamie Chung and follows a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.
Burdened...
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a sales slate that encompasses SXSW selection 1985, Tribeca entries Maine and Slut In A Good Way, and documentary City Of Joel, among others.
Kampe and his team will continue talks on Behold My Heart starring Marisa Tomei, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Madeline’s Madeline.
1985 (pictured) stars Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Michael Chiklis, and Jamie Chung and follows a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.
Burdened...
- 5/4/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Sarasota Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its full film lineup, which includes Bo Burnham's directorial debut, 1985, an AIDS crisis drama starring Virginia Madsen.
The festival's centerpiece section will screen 1985, Yen Tan's indie about a closeted gay man unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which stars Madsen and Cory Michael Smith. Also screening is Eighth Grade, Burnham's portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality, which debuted at Sundance.
Madsen and Burnham will be in Sarasota to host their screenings. And the spotlight ...
The festival's centerpiece section will screen 1985, Yen Tan's indie about a closeted gay man unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which stars Madsen and Cory Michael Smith. Also screening is Eighth Grade, Burnham's portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality, which debuted at Sundance.
Madsen and Burnham will be in Sarasota to host their screenings. And the spotlight ...
- 3/21/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Sarasota Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its full film lineup, which includes Bo Burnham's directorial debut, 1985, an AIDS crisis drama starring Virginia Madsen.
The festival's centerpiece section will screen 1985, Yen Tan's indie about a closeted gay man unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which stars Madsen and Cory Michael Smith. Also screening is Eighth Grade, Burnham's portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality, which debuted at Sundance.
Madsen and Burnham will be in Sarasota to host their screenings. And the spotlight ...
The festival's centerpiece section will screen 1985, Yen Tan's indie about a closeted gay man unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which stars Madsen and Cory Michael Smith. Also screening is Eighth Grade, Burnham's portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality, which debuted at Sundance.
Madsen and Burnham will be in Sarasota to host their screenings. And the spotlight ...
- 3/21/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bringing a short titled 1985 to South by Southwest only two years ago, writer/director Yen Tan is back at the festival this year with the feature version. Starring Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis, Jamie Chung and Aidan Langford, the film follows Adrian (Smith), a closeted young man who goes home for the holidays, coming into collision with his family over his sexual identity and struggling to reveal his dire circumstances to them. “In a nutshell, it's…...
- 3/10/2018
- Deadline
If the Oscars’ shut-out of the French film “Bpm (Beats Per Minute)” is any indication, Hollywood is still put off by AIDS films, no matter how brilliant. “1985” is arresting in the same way as Robin Campillo’s epic portrait of Act Up Paris, though its story is much quieter. Set in Texas, “1985” follows a young man named Adrian (Cory Michael Smith), who returns to his small Texas hometown to visit his family for Christmas. It’s clear in the weighted silences and stilted small talk that Adrian hasn’t kept in close touch with his religious family.
He stands tall over his brusque father (Michael Chiklis) at baggage claim, as they try to remember the last time he was home. His mother (Virginia Madsen) greets him warmly, though her pleading to call up his estranged childhood friend Carly (Jamie Chung) clearly bothers him. His younger brother Andrew (Aidan Langford) is...
He stands tall over his brusque father (Michael Chiklis) at baggage claim, as they try to remember the last time he was home. His mother (Virginia Madsen) greets him warmly, though her pleading to call up his estranged childhood friend Carly (Jamie Chung) clearly bothers him. His younger brother Andrew (Aidan Langford) is...
- 3/10/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Prepare to break out the handkerchiefs several times during writer-director Yen Tan’s “1985,” a deeply emotional tearjerker and family story set in a year when an HIV diagnosis was effectively a death sentence. This is a realistic, discreet, yet exploratory film that earns its tears honestly and scrupulously. Gay, closeted, and HIV-positive Adrian (Cory Michael Smith, “Gotham”) comes home to Texas for Christmas for what he knows will probably be the last time. Tan’s camera keeps a polite and empathetic distance from Adrian and his parents Dale (Michael Chiklis) and Eileen (Virginia Madsen), both of whom are very religious, and...
- 3/10/2018
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.