“The Convert” is a new historical action thriller, directed by Lee Tamahori, starring Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melborne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline Mckenzie, Lawrence Makoare, Dean O’Gorman, Ariki Turner and Duane Evans, opening July 12, 2024 in theaters:
“…’Thomas Munro’, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand finds himself…
“…at the center of a long-standing battle between two ‘Māori’ native tribes…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…’Thomas Munro’, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand finds himself…
“…at the center of a long-standing battle between two ‘Māori’ native tribes…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 6/5/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The recently released trailer for “The Convert,” starring Guy Pearce, has captured the attention of cinema enthusiasts and historical drama fans alike. Directed by renowned filmmaker Lee Tamahori, the film promises to be a compelling journey into the turbulent times of early 19th century New Zealand.
A Tale of Transformation and Conflict
“The Convert” is set in the early 1830s, a period marked by cultural upheaval and the clash between indigenous Maori traditions and European colonial influences. The story revolves around Thomas Munro, portrayed by Guy Pearce, a deeply troubled former soldier who seeks redemption by becoming a Christian missionary. Munro’s quest for salvation leads him to New Zealand, where he encounters a world vastly different from his own.
As the trailer unfolds, viewers are introduced to the stark beauty of New Zealand’s landscapes, juxtaposed with the brutal realities of colonial expansion. Munro’s journey is fraught with moral dilemmas and violent confrontations,...
A Tale of Transformation and Conflict
“The Convert” is set in the early 1830s, a period marked by cultural upheaval and the clash between indigenous Maori traditions and European colonial influences. The story revolves around Thomas Munro, portrayed by Guy Pearce, a deeply troubled former soldier who seeks redemption by becoming a Christian missionary. Munro’s quest for salvation leads him to New Zealand, where he encounters a world vastly different from his own.
As the trailer unfolds, viewers are introduced to the stark beauty of New Zealand’s landscapes, juxtaposed with the brutal realities of colonial expansion. Munro’s journey is fraught with moral dilemmas and violent confrontations,...
- 6/4/2024
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
"Only blood redeems blood. Magnolia Pictures has debuted the US trailer for a film called The Convert from New Zealand, made by Kiwi filmmaker Lee Tamahori. He used to make big Hollywood action movies for years, then went back to New Zealand to make more intimate dramas about his homeland - I loved his last one The Patriarch from 2016. Tamahori’s new action-filled historical epic stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes. A lay preacher arrives at a British settlement in 1830s. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes. In addition to Pearce, this also stars Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Rangimai, Antonio Te Maioha,...
- 6/4/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Magnet is bringing an intense trailer for Lee Tamahori’s action drama The Convert to theaters and on-demand on July 12, 2024, but not before footage from the film spills blood online. The gripping tale of survival stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes. The Convert trailer is ambitious and brutal, displaying a power clash for control over land and loyalty.
Lee Tamahori’s The Convert premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 as part of a special presentation. Before the screening, festival organizers released the following description of the film:
As the tall ship carrying preacher Thomas Monro (Guy Pearce) arrives on the shores of the settler town of Epworth, he enters a world he could scarcely have imagined. Despite the growing colonial British...
Lee Tamahori’s The Convert premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 as part of a special presentation. Before the screening, festival organizers released the following description of the film:
As the tall ship carrying preacher Thomas Monro (Guy Pearce) arrives on the shores of the settler town of Epworth, he enters a world he could scarcely have imagined. Despite the growing colonial British...
- 6/4/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
As part of Variety‘s Global Conversations Summit at the Cannes 2024 Film Festival, Variety executive editor Tatiana Siegel sat down with New Zealand Film Commission CEO Annie Murray and Philippa Mossman, head of International Screen Attraction at New Zealand Film Commission, to talk about the country’s thriving film industry.
Murray’s most recent project is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now the next year is making their short films.
Murray’s most recent project is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now the next year is making their short films.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Sydney Film Festival (June 5-16) has unveiled the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 71st edition, including six features that are set to premiere at Cannes this month.
Fresh from playing in Competition at Cannes will be Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Sydney Film Prize in 2012 with Alps. Further Palme d’Or contenders selected for Sydney include Grand Tour from Portugal’s Miguel Gomes, whose Arabian Nights won the Sydney Film Prize in 2015; Christophe Honoré’s French-Italian comedy Marcello Mio; and Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama All We Imagine As Light.
Fresh from playing in Competition at Cannes will be Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Sydney Film Prize in 2012 with Alps. Further Palme d’Or contenders selected for Sydney include Grand Tour from Portugal’s Miguel Gomes, whose Arabian Nights won the Sydney Film Prize in 2015; Christophe Honoré’s French-Italian comedy Marcello Mio; and Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama All We Imagine As Light.
- 5/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rosamund Pike has joined the cast of Lionsgate’s Now You See Me 3 in the latest instalment in the adventures of the thieving illusionists known as the Four Horsemen.
While details of Pike’s role remain under wraps the studio said it will be “pivotal”. She joins previously announced Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt.
Ruben Fleischer will return to direct and the project is being conceived as the launch pad for the future of the franchise. The logline has not been disclosed.
At time of writing it was expected that original cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson,...
While details of Pike’s role remain under wraps the studio said it will be “pivotal”. She joins previously announced Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt.
Ruben Fleischer will return to direct and the project is being conceived as the launch pad for the future of the franchise. The logline has not been disclosed.
At time of writing it was expected that original cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson,...
- 5/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rocket Science announced today that it will fully finance and launch international sales in Cannes on the sci-fi horror 11817 to be directed and produced by Louis Leterrier.
The French filmmaker’s Carrousel Studios, Rocket Science, Thank You Studios, Chernin Entertainment, and 3 Arts Entertainment are producing.
Matthew Robinson, whose credits include The Invention Of Lying, wrote the screenplay about a family of four trapped inside their house by inexplicable forces.
As modern luxuries and essential supplies start to run out, the family must adapt to survive and outsmart whoever or whatever is imprisoning them.
Casting is currently underway. CAA Media Finance represents North American rights.
The French filmmaker’s Carrousel Studios, Rocket Science, Thank You Studios, Chernin Entertainment, and 3 Arts Entertainment are producing.
Matthew Robinson, whose credits include The Invention Of Lying, wrote the screenplay about a family of four trapped inside their house by inexplicable forces.
As modern luxuries and essential supplies start to run out, the family must adapt to survive and outsmart whoever or whatever is imprisoning them.
Casting is currently underway. CAA Media Finance represents North American rights.
- 5/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Lee Tamahori’s historical action epic The Convert has been acquired for distribution in multiple territories, including Magnolia Pictures in North America for a July 12 release date.
The film world premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, and stars Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie and Lawrence Makoare.
UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment has also closed deals with Germany’s Capelight Pictures, Spain’s Divisa Red, WW for Benelux, Front Row Entertainment in the Middle East, Monolith Films for Poland, Arna Media for Cis and the Baltic States, Blitz for Ex-Yugoslavia, Ascot Elite for Switzerland, The Film Group for Greece and Cyprus,...
The film world premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, and stars Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie and Lawrence Makoare.
UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment has also closed deals with Germany’s Capelight Pictures, Spain’s Divisa Red, WW for Benelux, Front Row Entertainment in the Middle East, Monolith Films for Poland, Arna Media for Cis and the Baltic States, Blitz for Ex-Yugoslavia, Ascot Elite for Switzerland, The Film Group for Greece and Cyprus,...
- 5/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Dark Winds and Blood Quantum actor Kiowa Gordon and Sera-Lys McArthur (Café Daughter, Outlander) have joined the cast of Many Wounds, a contemporary re-imagining of Lee Tamahori’s ground-breaking 1994 Maori film Once Were Warriors, set among indigenous communities in Canada.
Skye Pelletier (Prey) stars in Many Wounds as Mashka, a young teenager on the cusp of being swallowed up by a colonial system meant to further the goals of assimilation who becomes a warrior to protect his family.
Ojibway filmmaker Jeremy Torrie, who wrote and is directing Many Wounds, and producing the film together with Métis producer Tanya Brunel, said he drew on his own personal, painful experiences growing up indigenous in Winnipeg for the script.
“Our intention with this film is to reveal some uncomfortable truths about the effects of generations of forced assimilation and genocide by the Canadian government toward our peoples for a society largely unaware of how deep the wounds go,...
Skye Pelletier (Prey) stars in Many Wounds as Mashka, a young teenager on the cusp of being swallowed up by a colonial system meant to further the goals of assimilation who becomes a warrior to protect his family.
Ojibway filmmaker Jeremy Torrie, who wrote and is directing Many Wounds, and producing the film together with Métis producer Tanya Brunel, said he drew on his own personal, painful experiences growing up indigenous in Winnipeg for the script.
“Our intention with this film is to reveal some uncomfortable truths about the effects of generations of forced assimilation and genocide by the Canadian government toward our peoples for a society largely unaware of how deep the wounds go,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Bond movie Die Another Day used CG for a key effect in the movie – and director Lee Tamahori has been reflecting on it.
Die Another Day, released in 2002, was the 20th James Bond film, the final outing in the tuxedo for Pierce Brosnan, and a massive hit at the time. A rare 007 outing directed by a non-British filmmaker, Lee Tamahori, its opening in particular strongly hinted at the darker direction that James Bond would take in the years ahead.
But also, the movie is known for some of its less realistic-feeling moments. There’s the invisible car of course, which is explained in the film and has its basis in actual technology, but still feels daft. And then there’s the moment where Bond goes very CG.
Lee Tamahori joined the SpyHards podcast just before Christmas, and I’ve just caught up with the episode now. It’s a really interesting chat too,...
Die Another Day, released in 2002, was the 20th James Bond film, the final outing in the tuxedo for Pierce Brosnan, and a massive hit at the time. A rare 007 outing directed by a non-British filmmaker, Lee Tamahori, its opening in particular strongly hinted at the darker direction that James Bond would take in the years ahead.
But also, the movie is known for some of its less realistic-feeling moments. There’s the invisible car of course, which is explained in the film and has its basis in actual technology, but still feels daft. And then there’s the moment where Bond goes very CG.
Lee Tamahori joined the SpyHards podcast just before Christmas, and I’ve just caught up with the episode now. It’s a really interesting chat too,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Since his breakthrough 1994 feature Once Were Warriors, a troubling and fiery coming-of-age story indie set in New Zealand’s Maōri community, Lee Tamahori has almost exclusively resided in the realm of pulpy B-grade action cinema. From directing Pierce Brosnan’s final Bond in Die Another Day to Ice Cube in XXX: State of the Union to making a Guy Ritchie-lite actioner about Saddam Hussein’s son (The Devil’s Double), Tamahori has a strong familiarity with cheesy espionage plotlines and passable entertainment. Both sides of Tamahori’s filmography come together in his latest historical epic The Convert––results are expectedly mixed.
Presented in a decidedly prestige manner with sweeping camerawork and a plotline that decides to burn slow in building the relationships of its characters, The Convert tells of John Munro (Guy Pearce), a British preacher who is brought to the settlement of Epworth to help serve the community of settlers there.
Presented in a decidedly prestige manner with sweeping camerawork and a plotline that decides to burn slow in building the relationships of its characters, The Convert tells of John Munro (Guy Pearce), a British preacher who is brought to the settlement of Epworth to help serve the community of settlers there.
- 9/25/2023
- by Soham Gadre
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Classic New Zealand novel Once Were Warriors, memorably adapted for film by Lee Tamahori in 1994, is getting a TV adaptation from Wheel Of Time exec Rick Selvage and the novel’s author Alan Duff.
A companion novel penned by Duff called Once Were Warriors: Generations is also being lined up.
Duff is teaming with Onphaya’s Selvage and the latter’s producing partner, Peta Johnson, who will both serve as executive producers.
In the original novel and film a family descended from Māori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.
Once Were Warriors: Generations will bring the Heke family forward 30 years to the present day with a new generation of characters and stories.
According to producers, “political aspirations, financial schemes, cultural clashes, and a search for redemption are at the core of this series filtered through the distinctive Māori culture...
A companion novel penned by Duff called Once Were Warriors: Generations is also being lined up.
Duff is teaming with Onphaya’s Selvage and the latter’s producing partner, Peta Johnson, who will both serve as executive producers.
In the original novel and film a family descended from Māori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.
Once Were Warriors: Generations will bring the Heke family forward 30 years to the present day with a new generation of characters and stories.
According to producers, “political aspirations, financial schemes, cultural clashes, and a search for redemption are at the core of this series filtered through the distinctive Māori culture...
- 9/20/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with latest: The Toronto Film Festival began September 7 in Ontario with opening-night movie The Boy and the Heron, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. It kicked off a lineup for the fest’s 48th edition that included world premieres of GameStop pic Dumb Money, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Kristin Scott Thomas’ Scarlett Johansson pic North Star, Chris Pine’s Poolman, Michael Keaton-directed Knox Goes Away, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, Grant Singer’s Reptile, Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, Lee Tamahori’s The Convert and Alex Gibney’s doc In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
- 9/18/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury, Valerie Complex, Pete Hammond, Todd McCarthy and Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
New Zealand-born director Lee Tamahori has dabbled in big-budget Hollywood film-making as well as more intimately-scaled films exploring his Māori heritage. So he brings both skills to bear in his sweeping, early 19th-century period drama about Māori conflict— ostensibly crafting a founding myth for New Zealand.
Continue reading ‘The Convert’ Review: Guy Pearce Stars In Lee Tamahori’s Stunning, Sweeping & Action-Packed Historical Epic [TIFF] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Convert’ Review: Guy Pearce Stars In Lee Tamahori’s Stunning, Sweeping & Action-Packed Historical Epic [TIFF] at The Playlist.
- 9/10/2023
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
When lay minister Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) first reaches the shores of New Zealand in 1830, he does so on a white horse. A religious British man riding into a far-off land on his milky stallion is the picture of a white savior if there ever was one. But director Lee Tamahori has other plans for this well-spoken man of God in his blood-soaked period drama “The Convert,” his first feature film outing since 2016’s soapy “The Patriarch.”
From the onset, the stunning vistas, handsomely photographed by Gin Loane, signal the underlying theme of the narrative: Survival belongs to the strongest, a precept that grows in significance as the plot progresses. The fierce introduction to this unforgiving environment is a shot of a large bird making a smaller one its prey in one swift motion. Through such imagery, Tamahori aims to imbue the violence that permeates with a primal quality, obeying...
From the onset, the stunning vistas, handsomely photographed by Gin Loane, signal the underlying theme of the narrative: Survival belongs to the strongest, a precept that grows in significance as the plot progresses. The fierce introduction to this unforgiving environment is a shot of a large bird making a smaller one its prey in one swift motion. Through such imagery, Tamahori aims to imbue the violence that permeates with a primal quality, obeying...
- 9/9/2023
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Variety Film + TV
It was a joke that kickstarted Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne’s film career and, as she freely admits, not a good one.
After a casting call went out around schools in her region of New Zealand for Taika Waititi’s beloved comedy-drama Hunt for the Wilderpeople, her parents forced her to audition. “They made me do it — I didn’t even want to do it,” she says. 15 at the time, she was asked to sing a song and tell a joke. So in the ‘Marae’ — the traditional Maori meeting house (Ngatai-Melbourne is Maori, of Ngāti Porou and Ngai Tūhoe descent) — they recorded a video of her singing and telling her grandfather’s favourite one-liner.
“Ok, I’m just gonna say it,” she says, speaking to THR from Auckland. “What’s the difference between a bird and a fly? A bird can fly, but a fly can’t bird.”
Poor joke though it may have been,...
After a casting call went out around schools in her region of New Zealand for Taika Waititi’s beloved comedy-drama Hunt for the Wilderpeople, her parents forced her to audition. “They made me do it — I didn’t even want to do it,” she says. 15 at the time, she was asked to sing a song and tell a joke. So in the ‘Marae’ — the traditional Maori meeting house (Ngatai-Melbourne is Maori, of Ngāti Porou and Ngai Tūhoe descent) — they recorded a video of her singing and telling her grandfather’s favourite one-liner.
“Ok, I’m just gonna say it,” she says, speaking to THR from Auckland. “What’s the difference between a bird and a fly? A bird can fly, but a fly can’t bird.”
Poor joke though it may have been,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Domestic distributor Bleecker Street is in negotiations to acquire rights to “Fackham Hall,” a British spoof of “Downton Abbey” and other costume dramas. Sales outfit The Veterans is pre-selling international territories. And as international buyers face a potential drought of Hollywood product due to strikes, the market is offering other promising presale titles.
WME Independent is pre-selling James Madigan’s “The Beast,” with Samuel L. Jackson in negotiations to star. He’ll play a U.S. president who fights a coup in his battle-ready, bomb-proof limousine with grenades and shotguns. As he rides through a violent wasteland of chaos and unrelenting carnage, he must learn to control The Beast — and the monster inside himself — to save his life, the life of a Secret Service agent (Joel Kinnaman of “Suicide Squad” fame) and his country. Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval, Fifth Season, Film 44’s John Logan Pierson and Peter Berg are producing...
WME Independent is pre-selling James Madigan’s “The Beast,” with Samuel L. Jackson in negotiations to star. He’ll play a U.S. president who fights a coup in his battle-ready, bomb-proof limousine with grenades and shotguns. As he rides through a violent wasteland of chaos and unrelenting carnage, he must learn to control The Beast — and the monster inside himself — to save his life, the life of a Secret Service agent (Joel Kinnaman of “Suicide Squad” fame) and his country. Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval, Fifth Season, Film 44’s John Logan Pierson and Peter Berg are producing...
- 9/7/2023
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
The James Bond franchise was led by actor Pierce Brosnan in the 90s and early 2000s. After his departure from the series, however, Brosnan felt his Bond films might have left a lot to be desired.
One area Brosnan would’ve liked to see his movies improve upon had been his sex scenes.
Pierce Brosnan called his sex scenes in the James Bond franchise pathetic Pierce Brosnan | Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Brosnan had a few complaints about his incarnation of the 007 agent. During his tenure as the character, Brosnan wasn’t sure if his movies ever went far enough with Bond. In a 2014 interview with The Telegraph, the actor asserted that his Bond felt watered down.
“I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger and Sean,” he said. “It was a very hard one to grasp the meaning of, for me. The violence was never real,...
One area Brosnan would’ve liked to see his movies improve upon had been his sex scenes.
Pierce Brosnan called his sex scenes in the James Bond franchise pathetic Pierce Brosnan | Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Brosnan had a few complaints about his incarnation of the 007 agent. During his tenure as the character, Brosnan wasn’t sure if his movies ever went far enough with Bond. In a 2014 interview with The Telegraph, the actor asserted that his Bond felt watered down.
“I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger and Sean,” he said. “It was a very hard one to grasp the meaning of, for me. The violence was never real,...
- 5/27/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
With over 100 acting credits to his name, many of which are bonafide legendary performances, Anthony Hopkins has proven himself time and again as one of the best actors of his generation, and possibly of all time. After graduating from London's famed Royal Academy of Dramatic in 1963, Hopkins began his career on the stage, tackling the bard, as well as classic and modern plays at the Royal Court Theatre and The Old Vic. He also regularly appeared on British television, taking on episodic guest roles in shows like "The Man in Room 17" and "Department S."
In 1968's "The Lion in Winter, " Hopkins had his cinematic breakout role as Richard the Lionheart. Often remembered for the best actress tie between Katharine Hepburn (as Eleanor of Aquitaine) and Barbra Streisand (for "Funny Girl") at the Academy Awards, "The Lion in Winter" saw Hopkins more than hold his own against stalwarts Hepburn and Peter O'Toole.
In 1968's "The Lion in Winter, " Hopkins had his cinematic breakout role as Richard the Lionheart. Often remembered for the best actress tie between Katharine Hepburn (as Eleanor of Aquitaine) and Barbra Streisand (for "Funny Girl") at the Academy Awards, "The Lion in Winter" saw Hopkins more than hold his own against stalwarts Hepburn and Peter O'Toole.
- 5/14/2023
- by Rachel Ho
- Slash Film
They say “sex sells” in Hollywood, right? But what about drugs? After all, once the production code was lifted, successful counterculture drug movies like Easy Rider gave way to the indie auteur movement in American cinema in the 1960s and 70s, where Hollywood renegades like Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese picked up the mantle and went on to make all-time classics like Scarface and Goodfellas decades later. In the interim, there has been no shortage of critical and commercial drug movie successes, be they Blow, Sicario, Traffic, The Wolf of Wall Street, you name it.
So then, Wtf Happened to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Seriously. How does such an authentic movie from the altered mindstate of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, one directed by the venerated filmmaker Terry Gilliam and featuring unforgettable performances by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro… how does a movie like that stumble...
So then, Wtf Happened to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Seriously. How does such an authentic movie from the altered mindstate of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, one directed by the venerated filmmaker Terry Gilliam and featuring unforgettable performances by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro… how does a movie like that stumble...
- 4/27/2023
- by Jake Dee
- JoBlo.com
The James Bond franchise is known for including over-the-top action sequences with effects to match 007’s epic displays of derring-do. Still, there’s a chance for mediocrity in all things, even when the world’s most famous fictional spy is a part of the equation. Speaking with Yahoo! Movies, Bond film director Lee Tamahori says he regrets decisions made about filming the infamous kitesurfing sequence for Die Another Day. According to Tamahori, he wishes he didn’t use CGI for the scene. CGI is standard in film today, but Die Another Day hit theaters in 2002 when VFX methods were still rough around the edges. Watching the clip online, I can see why Tamahori cringes at the sight of Bond’s all-too-fake tsunami surfing.
“The only thing I’d do differently [with Die Another Day] would be the kitesurfing sequence,” Tamahori told Yahoo! Movies. “I don’t know how you’d do it differently.
“The only thing I’d do differently [with Die Another Day] would be the kitesurfing sequence,” Tamahori told Yahoo! Movies. “I don’t know how you’d do it differently.
- 12/12/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Diamonds might be forever, but James Bond isn’t. At least not naturally. While the character has survived 60 years, the changing mores and attitudes of several generations, and multiple recastings, it is never a foregone conclusion that 007 will soldier on into the next decade. And in 1995, things looked particularly perilous for the character just as Pierce Brosnan slipped into the tuxedo.
Brosnan was, of course, famously cast as Bond before that moment, having been slated to appear nearly a decade earlier in The Living Daylights (1987). But due to a television contract, he was forced to drop out of a role that millions of television viewers thought he was perfect for. In the interim, the world changed. The Cold War that defined Ian Fleming’s early spate of Bond novels, and certainly 007’s post-World War II persona, had ended. The early ‘90s were an era of good feelings and dubious optimism,...
Brosnan was, of course, famously cast as Bond before that moment, having been slated to appear nearly a decade earlier in The Living Daylights (1987). But due to a television contract, he was forced to drop out of a role that millions of television viewers thought he was perfect for. In the interim, the world changed. The Cold War that defined Ian Fleming’s early spate of Bond novels, and certainly 007’s post-World War II persona, had ended. The early ‘90s were an era of good feelings and dubious optimism,...
- 11/19/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Poor Michael Madsen. Ever since cutting off that cop's ear in "Reservoir Dogs," the veteran actor has had to be content with playing the villain. Even a role in family favorite "Free Willy" couldn't change the perception of the actor as a bad guy following his turn as Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's classic. That's despite his apparent desire to play the good guy. Madsen is (almost) always the villain — which is why he must have been pretty relieved to appear as a James Bond ally in "Die Another Day"... even if it was in "Die Another Day."
While the movie itself is remembered for its campy tone and generally ending Pierce Brosnan's tenure as Bond on a low note, it isn't without its highlights. And Madsen as Nsa agent Damian Falco just happens to be one of them. Between the ice palaces and truly abject CGI, Madsen's...
While the movie itself is remembered for its campy tone and generally ending Pierce Brosnan's tenure as Bond on a low note, it isn't without its highlights. And Madsen as Nsa agent Damian Falco just happens to be one of them. Between the ice palaces and truly abject CGI, Madsen's...
- 11/8/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
“Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood is to return to New Zealand in the leading role of “Bookworm,” a family adventure-comedy to be directed by Ant Timpson. The project is being launched next week at the American Film Market by sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment.
The film’s story sees 12-year-old Mildred’s life turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and estranged, American magician father, Strawn Wise (Wood), comes to look after her. Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness. There the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding – a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
Considering that Mildred has read every book on camping, but never been into the wilds, and that Strawn is more at home on the Las Vegas strip than in the Southern Alps, the potential for mishap is significant.
The film’s story sees 12-year-old Mildred’s life turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and estranged, American magician father, Strawn Wise (Wood), comes to look after her. Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness. There the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding – a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
Considering that Mildred has read every book on camping, but never been into the wilds, and that Strawn is more at home on the Las Vegas strip than in the Southern Alps, the potential for mishap is significant.
- 10/25/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Emma Mason is joining from Dda.
Emma Mason has joined UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment in the newly-created role of head of marketing and publicity.
Mason is working on multiple Cannes titles for Mister Smith including Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, Tony Goldwyn’s Inappropriate Behavior starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro, and Martha Stephens’ Big Rig with Vanessa Hudgens.
She is joining from Dda where she worked for five years.
Cannes 2022: Screen’s dailies...
Emma Mason has joined UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment in the newly-created role of head of marketing and publicity.
Mason is working on multiple Cannes titles for Mister Smith including Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, Tony Goldwyn’s Inappropriate Behavior starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro, and Martha Stephens’ Big Rig with Vanessa Hudgens.
She is joining from Dda where she worked for five years.
Cannes 2022: Screen’s dailies...
- 5/22/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Emma Mason is joining from Dda.
Emma Mason has joined UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment in the newly-created role of head of marketing and publicity.
Mason is working on multiple Cannes titles for Mister Smith including Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, Tony Goldwyn’s Inappropriate Behavior starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro, and Martha Stephens’ Big Rig with Vanessa Hudgens.
She is joining from Dda where she worked for five years.
Cannes 2022: Screen’s dailies...
Emma Mason has joined UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment in the newly-created role of head of marketing and publicity.
Mason is working on multiple Cannes titles for Mister Smith including Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, Tony Goldwyn’s Inappropriate Behavior starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro, and Martha Stephens’ Big Rig with Vanessa Hudgens.
She is joining from Dda where she worked for five years.
Cannes 2022: Screen’s dailies...
- 5/22/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Mister Smith Entertainment has tapped Emma Mason as head of marketing and publicity, the company revealed on Friday.
Mason has been overseeing marketing and publicity for Mister Smith Entertainment’s Cannes slate, including features “The Convert” from Lee Tamahori starring Guy Pearce, an action movie about a preacher in 1830s New Zealand, and “Inappropriate Behavior” from Tony Goldwyn starring Bobby Cannavale, about a man’s relationship with his neurodiverse child (and which features Robert De Niro in a major supporting role).
She has also been working on Cannes offerings such as Martha Stephens’ “Big Rig,” which will see “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens play a trucker, and Lucy Hale rom-com “Which Brings Me To You,” about a woman who sets out to have a one night stand at a wedding which doesn’t go according to plan.
Mason comes from Dda, where she spent 5 years as a producers’ rep...
Mason has been overseeing marketing and publicity for Mister Smith Entertainment’s Cannes slate, including features “The Convert” from Lee Tamahori starring Guy Pearce, an action movie about a preacher in 1830s New Zealand, and “Inappropriate Behavior” from Tony Goldwyn starring Bobby Cannavale, about a man’s relationship with his neurodiverse child (and which features Robert De Niro in a major supporting role).
She has also been working on Cannes offerings such as Martha Stephens’ “Big Rig,” which will see “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens play a trucker, and Lucy Hale rom-com “Which Brings Me To You,” about a woman who sets out to have a one night stand at a wedding which doesn’t go according to plan.
Mason comes from Dda, where she spent 5 years as a producers’ rep...
- 5/20/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Guy Pearce and Te Kohe Tuhaka lead the cast of “The Convert,” an epic New Zealand-set action drama film being directed by Lee Tamahori. Mister Smith Entertainment is representing sales rights and will launch the project at the Cannes film market.
The story sees Pearce portray a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes. The script was written by Shane Danielsen (“Errors of the Human Body”) and Tamahori, after originating from a screen story by Michael Bennet (“Matariki”).
The producers on the film are Robin Scholes, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Andrew Mason and Troy Lum.
“The Convert” is an official New Zealand Australia co-production, between Auckland based Jump Film & Television and Sydney based Brouhaha Entertainment. Film...
The story sees Pearce portray a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes. The script was written by Shane Danielsen (“Errors of the Human Body”) and Tamahori, after originating from a screen story by Michael Bennet (“Matariki”).
The producers on the film are Robin Scholes, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Andrew Mason and Troy Lum.
“The Convert” is an official New Zealand Australia co-production, between Auckland based Jump Film & Television and Sydney based Brouhaha Entertainment. Film...
- 5/6/2022
- by Patrick Frater and K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Guy Pearce is to play the lead in epic action feature The Convert from Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori.
Mister Smith Entertainment will launch global sales at Cannes later this month on the feature, which is set in early 19th century New Zealand and kicks off principal photography in September.
The King’s Speech and Mare of Easttown star Pearce will play Thomas Munro, a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Māori tribes.
Tamahori said it has been “20 years since Guy Pearce and I talked about working together.”
He added: “Guy is a brilliant actor and to have him onboard will allow me to sleep easy at night, for I know he will inhabit the...
Mister Smith Entertainment will launch global sales at Cannes later this month on the feature, which is set in early 19th century New Zealand and kicks off principal photography in September.
The King’s Speech and Mare of Easttown star Pearce will play Thomas Munro, a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Māori tribes.
Tamahori said it has been “20 years since Guy Pearce and I talked about working together.”
He added: “Guy is a brilliant actor and to have him onboard will allow me to sleep easy at night, for I know he will inhabit the...
- 5/6/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The action feature is set in 1830s New Zealand.
Guy Pearce has signed to star in Lee Tamahori’s The Convert which UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment will introduce to international buyers at Cannes this month.
The action feature will shoot later this year.
It is co-produced by Auckland-based Jump Film & Television and Australia’s Brouhaha Entertainment. It follows a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand where his violent past is drawn into question and his faith is put to the test when he’s caught in the middle of a war between Māori tribes.
Guy Pearce has signed to star in Lee Tamahori’s The Convert which UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment will introduce to international buyers at Cannes this month.
The action feature will shoot later this year.
It is co-produced by Auckland-based Jump Film & Television and Australia’s Brouhaha Entertainment. It follows a lay preacher who arrives at a British settlement in 1830s New Zealand where his violent past is drawn into question and his faith is put to the test when he’s caught in the middle of a war between Māori tribes.
- 5/6/2022
- by Melissa Kasule
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sebastian de Souza, Eddie Marsan and Rich Sommer have boarded the Chloe Domont-directed finance world thriller opposite Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich.
The MRC and T-Street emerging filmmaker label movie, which Deadline first told you about, is already in production.
de Souza stars as Leo in Hulu and MRC Television’s The Great from Oscar-nominated Tony McNamara. Prior to this, he starred as Gareth in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Normal People, for Hulu and the BBC, directed by the Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson. He was seen in the iconic role of Sandro Botticelli in the second season of Medici, opposite Sean Bean, Daniel Sharman and Bradley James on Netflix. Prior to this, he played a guest lead in the feature Pixie, opposite Alec Baldwin and Olivia Cooke, directed by Barnaby Thompson. He also played Edmund in Claire McCarthy’s feature Ophelia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,...
The MRC and T-Street emerging filmmaker label movie, which Deadline first told you about, is already in production.
de Souza stars as Leo in Hulu and MRC Television’s The Great from Oscar-nominated Tony McNamara. Prior to this, he starred as Gareth in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Normal People, for Hulu and the BBC, directed by the Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson. He was seen in the iconic role of Sandro Botticelli in the second season of Medici, opposite Sean Bean, Daniel Sharman and Bradley James on Netflix. Prior to this, he played a guest lead in the feature Pixie, opposite Alec Baldwin and Olivia Cooke, directed by Barnaby Thompson. He also played Edmund in Claire McCarthy’s feature Ophelia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Hopscotch Films and eOne colleagues Troy Lum and Jason Hernandez have partnered to launch a new distribution company, Kismet, with a stated commitment to local films and an international slate that includes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
Joining Julia Ducournau’s horror-thriller are other acquisitions from Cannes like Mamoru Hosoda’s sci-fi anime Belle and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut feature, French romance Anaïs in Love.
Kismet titles also include Zach Braff’s A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman; Nick Cassavettes’ Cus and Mike; Queen Bees, featuring Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret and Christopher Lloyd; Flore Vasseur’s Bigger Than Us, produced by Marion Cotillard; Jean-Albert Lievre’s Whale Nation and Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, released last weekend.
Lum is the founder of Hopscotch Films and Hopscotch Features, and former managing director of eOne Asia Pacific, while Hernandez is eOne’s former head of theatrical sales Anz.
Joining...
Joining Julia Ducournau’s horror-thriller are other acquisitions from Cannes like Mamoru Hosoda’s sci-fi anime Belle and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut feature, French romance Anaïs in Love.
Kismet titles also include Zach Braff’s A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman; Nick Cassavettes’ Cus and Mike; Queen Bees, featuring Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret and Christopher Lloyd; Flore Vasseur’s Bigger Than Us, produced by Marion Cotillard; Jean-Albert Lievre’s Whale Nation and Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, released last weekend.
Lum is the founder of Hopscotch Films and Hopscotch Features, and former managing director of eOne Asia Pacific, while Hernandez is eOne’s former head of theatrical sales Anz.
Joining...
- 8/5/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Former eOne Asia Pacific boss Troy Lum is officially launching new Australia-New Zealand distributor Kismet, with a slate of projects including Cannes hits and pre-sale titles.
Kismet is headed by Lum, founder of local indie Hopscotch, and Jason Hernandez, former Head of Theatrical Distribution at eOne Australia and New Zealand.
As previously noted out of Cannes, the company have acquired Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning horror-thriller Titane (pictured), Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda’s eye-catching fairytale Belle, and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut feature, the French romance Anaïs In Love. Titane will be the company’s first release in November.
In addition to its festival acquisitions, Kismet’s lineup also includes Zach Braff’s A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman; Nick Cassavettes’ Cus And Mike, which tells the story of Mike Tyson’s legendary trainer and manager Cus D’Amato; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am, based...
Kismet is headed by Lum, founder of local indie Hopscotch, and Jason Hernandez, former Head of Theatrical Distribution at eOne Australia and New Zealand.
As previously noted out of Cannes, the company have acquired Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning horror-thriller Titane (pictured), Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda’s eye-catching fairytale Belle, and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s debut feature, the French romance Anaïs In Love. Titane will be the company’s first release in November.
In addition to its festival acquisitions, Kismet’s lineup also includes Zach Braff’s A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman; Nick Cassavettes’ Cus And Mike, which tells the story of Mike Tyson’s legendary trainer and manager Cus D’Amato; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am, based...
- 8/4/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Hopscotch Features’ Troy Lum and Andrew Mason have joined forces with UK producer Gabrielle Tana to form a new production house, Brouhaha Entertainment.
The company combines their respective slates, with upcoming projects including Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, starring Michelle Williams; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am, based on the novel by Anna Funder; Lee Tamahori’s The Convert; Richard E. Grant’s Majesty and Patrick Dickinson’s Cottontail.
To be based across Sydney and London, the company has received investment via the Calculus Creative Content Eis Fund, which was launched in June 2019 in association with the British Film Institute (BFI).
The fund aims to support the growth of dynamic and ambitious UK companies, and has also backed the likes of Wonderhood Studios, Raindog Films, Maze Theory and Maven Screen Media.
Tana is the producer of the Oscar-nominated Philomena, The Invisible Woman and most recently, Netflix’s The Dig, from Australian director Simon Stone.
The company combines their respective slates, with upcoming projects including Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, starring Michelle Williams; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am, based on the novel by Anna Funder; Lee Tamahori’s The Convert; Richard E. Grant’s Majesty and Patrick Dickinson’s Cottontail.
To be based across Sydney and London, the company has received investment via the Calculus Creative Content Eis Fund, which was launched in June 2019 in association with the British Film Institute (BFI).
The fund aims to support the growth of dynamic and ambitious UK companies, and has also backed the likes of Wonderhood Studios, Raindog Films, Maze Theory and Maven Screen Media.
Tana is the producer of the Oscar-nominated Philomena, The Invisible Woman and most recently, Netflix’s The Dig, from Australian director Simon Stone.
- 7/21/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Firm will operate from London and Sydney.
UK producer Gabrielle Tana is partnering with Australia’s Troy Lum and Andrew Mason on Brouhaha Entertainment, a new production company based in London and Sydney.
Brouhaha is backed by the Calculus Creative Content Eis Fund, which launched in 2019 to use the UK government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme to support indie firms.
The BFI initiated the Fund although has no financial investment in it.
The Brouhaha slate will combine the upcoming projects of Tana, Lum and Mason. They include Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand starring Michelle Williams; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am; Lee Tamahori...
UK producer Gabrielle Tana is partnering with Australia’s Troy Lum and Andrew Mason on Brouhaha Entertainment, a new production company based in London and Sydney.
Brouhaha is backed by the Calculus Creative Content Eis Fund, which launched in 2019 to use the UK government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme to support indie firms.
The BFI initiated the Fund although has no financial investment in it.
The Brouhaha slate will combine the upcoming projects of Tana, Lum and Mason. They include Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand starring Michelle Williams; Kate Dennis’ All That I Am; Lee Tamahori...
- 7/19/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Calculus Creative Content Eis Fund, and other funds managed or advised by Calculus, has invested in Brouhaha Entertainment, a newly formed outfit which combines the slates of seasoned producers Gabrielle Tana, Troy Lum and Andrew Mason.
Tana produced the Oscar-nominated “Philomena,” “The Invisible Woman” and “The Dig.” Lum founded Hopscotch Films which became Australia’s leading independent distributor before being acquired by Entertainment One in 2011. Lum produced “Saving Mr Banks,” “The Water Diviner” and “Adore.” Mason’s producer credits include “Dark City,” “The Matrix” and “Silent Hill.” Together, the trio have produced 27 films and nine television projects.
Upcoming Brouhaha productions include Karim Aïnouz’s “Firebrand,” Kate Dennis’ “All That I Am,” Lee Tamahori’s “The Convert,” Richard E. Grant’s “Majesty” and Patrick Dickinson’s “Cottontail.” Brouhaha is based in Sydney and London.
The fund is managed by Calculus Capital with Stargrove Pictures acting as media advisor. The Stargrove Pictures’ team,...
Tana produced the Oscar-nominated “Philomena,” “The Invisible Woman” and “The Dig.” Lum founded Hopscotch Films which became Australia’s leading independent distributor before being acquired by Entertainment One in 2011. Lum produced “Saving Mr Banks,” “The Water Diviner” and “Adore.” Mason’s producer credits include “Dark City,” “The Matrix” and “Silent Hill.” Together, the trio have produced 27 films and nine television projects.
Upcoming Brouhaha productions include Karim Aïnouz’s “Firebrand,” Kate Dennis’ “All That I Am,” Lee Tamahori’s “The Convert,” Richard E. Grant’s “Majesty” and Patrick Dickinson’s “Cottontail.” Brouhaha is based in Sydney and London.
The fund is managed by Calculus Capital with Stargrove Pictures acting as media advisor. The Stargrove Pictures’ team,...
- 7/19/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Producers Gabrielle Tana (Philomena), Troy Lum (Saving Mr. Banks) and Andrew Mason (Dark City) are joining forces to set up production banner Brouhaha Entertainment, which will be based in the UK and Australia.
The trio have already been busy forming their initial slate, with the following projects in the works: Majesty (dir: Richard E Grant), Firebrand (dir: Karim Aïnouz), All That I Am (dir: Kate Dennis), The Convert (dir: Lee Tamahori), and Cottontail (dir: Patrick Dickinson).
The company is receiving backing from the UK Eis fund Calculus Creative Content, which was launched in 2019 to support British indies and has made six investments to date. Stargrove Pictures identified the investment and its CEO Stephen Fuss will join the Brouhaha board.
Tana was Oscar nominated for Philomena, starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, and is also behind recent Netflix pic The Dig. Lum and Mason previously teamed on Russel Crowe pic The Water Diviner.
The trio have already been busy forming their initial slate, with the following projects in the works: Majesty (dir: Richard E Grant), Firebrand (dir: Karim Aïnouz), All That I Am (dir: Kate Dennis), The Convert (dir: Lee Tamahori), and Cottontail (dir: Patrick Dickinson).
The company is receiving backing from the UK Eis fund Calculus Creative Content, which was launched in 2019 to support British indies and has made six investments to date. Stargrove Pictures identified the investment and its CEO Stephen Fuss will join the Brouhaha board.
Tana was Oscar nominated for Philomena, starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, and is also behind recent Netflix pic The Dig. Lum and Mason previously teamed on Russel Crowe pic The Water Diviner.
- 7/19/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
For Rena Owen, it was the role of a lifetime.
Since rocketing to international prominence in 1994 in Lee Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors, in which she played an abused wife in a family descended from Maori warriors, the New Zealand actor has had a steady career of film and TV roles, including parts in Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) and George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2002), alongside Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood in The Last Witch Hunter (2015), and in recurring roles in Freeform fantasy series Sirens, and Seth MacFarlane’s The ...
Since rocketing to international prominence in 1994 in Lee Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors, in which she played an abused wife in a family descended from Maori warriors, the New Zealand actor has had a steady career of film and TV roles, including parts in Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) and George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2002), alongside Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood in The Last Witch Hunter (2015), and in recurring roles in Freeform fantasy series Sirens, and Seth MacFarlane’s The ...
For Rena Owen, it was the role of a lifetime.
Since rocketing to international prominence in 1994 in Lee Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors, in which she played an abused wife in a family descended from Maori warriors, the New Zealand actor has had a steady career of film and TV roles, including parts in Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) and George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2002), alongside Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood in The Last Witch Hunter (2015), and in recurring roles in Freeform fantasy series Sirens, and Seth MacFarlane’s The ...
Since rocketing to international prominence in 1994 in Lee Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors, in which she played an abused wife in a family descended from Maori warriors, the New Zealand actor has had a steady career of film and TV roles, including parts in Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) and George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2002), alongside Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood in The Last Witch Hunter (2015), and in recurring roles in Freeform fantasy series Sirens, and Seth MacFarlane’s The ...
Born in New Zealand to a family of Chinese doctors, action maven Roseanne Liang describes herself as a “classic immigrant-child overachiever” who’d never questioned that she was destined to become a doctor until she got into medical school.
She deferred her acceptance for a year and decided to take classes that aligned more closely with her personal interests. “I was obsessed with Pixar and computer animation, so I did computer science and film theory,” says Liang, whose “Shadow in the Cloud” blends CG gremlins with a feminist action hero.
A big fan of Weta, Liang watches “Terminator 2” every year and dreams of directing a James Cameron-esque extravaganza.
Upon discovering her passion, she switched tracks and pursued a master’s in film. In school, “I was writing vampire and action movies,” she says, but at the advice of a professor, “I took a detour into moviemaking that was more accessible to me,...
She deferred her acceptance for a year and decided to take classes that aligned more closely with her personal interests. “I was obsessed with Pixar and computer animation, so I did computer science and film theory,” says Liang, whose “Shadow in the Cloud” blends CG gremlins with a feminist action hero.
A big fan of Weta, Liang watches “Terminator 2” every year and dreams of directing a James Cameron-esque extravaganza.
Upon discovering her passion, she switched tracks and pursued a master’s in film. In school, “I was writing vampire and action movies,” she says, but at the advice of a professor, “I took a detour into moviemaking that was more accessible to me,...
- 2/25/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Break, which is one of Rutger Hauer’s finals movies, will be getting a multiplatform release via Conduit Presents, the distribution division of Conduit Now.
Conduit Presents acquired the Michael Elkin-directed crime sports drama and has set a release for Jan. 5, 2021.
Break follows a young inner city kid who is wasting his talents on petty crime. He has the ability to become a world-champion snooker player, if only he can overcome his circumstances, his ties to the mob, and himself. Sam Gittins, and Jamie Foreman also star. Elkin also wrote. The pic is produced by Dean Fisher and Terri Dwyer. Break reps Elkin’s feature directorial debut following an acting resume which includes such credits as the UK TV series EastEnders, Undercover Hooligan, and Aux starring John Rhys-Davies.
Elkin says, “Break is essentially a rags-to-riches, urban drama about a London kid trying to make a break from all...
Conduit Presents acquired the Michael Elkin-directed crime sports drama and has set a release for Jan. 5, 2021.
Break follows a young inner city kid who is wasting his talents on petty crime. He has the ability to become a world-champion snooker player, if only he can overcome his circumstances, his ties to the mob, and himself. Sam Gittins, and Jamie Foreman also star. Elkin also wrote. The pic is produced by Dean Fisher and Terri Dwyer. Break reps Elkin’s feature directorial debut following an acting resume which includes such credits as the UK TV series EastEnders, Undercover Hooligan, and Aux starring John Rhys-Davies.
Elkin says, “Break is essentially a rags-to-riches, urban drama about a London kid trying to make a break from all...
- 9/18/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Gavin worked on films including ‘Gandhi’ and ‘Whale Rider’.
Bill Gavin, a former executive at the UK’s Goldcrest Films who worked on films including Gandhi and Whale Rider, has died aged 83 at his home in Auckland, New Zealand after a short illness.
The industry veteran worked on several award-winning features throughout his career as an independent sales agent, distributor, exhibitor and producer.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Gavin began his career as a motor racing journalist and moved to the UK in the early 1960s after securing a contract to report on successful Kiwi Formula One drivers competing overseas.
Bill Gavin, a former executive at the UK’s Goldcrest Films who worked on films including Gandhi and Whale Rider, has died aged 83 at his home in Auckland, New Zealand after a short illness.
The industry veteran worked on several award-winning features throughout his career as an independent sales agent, distributor, exhibitor and producer.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Gavin began his career as a motor racing journalist and moved to the UK in the early 1960s after securing a contract to report on successful Kiwi Formula One drivers competing overseas.
- 5/28/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Jeremy Thomas’s Brit sales and production firm HanWay is rebranding catalog label HanWay Select to The Collections as part of a drive to highlight and propel its significant library of more than 350 movies.
HanWay has struck a deal with UK distributor Arrow Films to handle distribution and restorations in the UK of the Jeremy Thomas collection, with films including multi-Oscar winning epic The Last Emperor, John Malkovich-Debra Winger romance The Sheltering Sky and David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch. Arrow recently re-released HanWay’s David Bowie-starrer Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.
HanWay is currently restoring around five titles a year with recent updates including David Cronenberg’s Crash, which screened at Venice. Upcoming is Gary Oldman’s Nil By Mouth.
We also understand the company is close to striking a deal with a well known filmmaker to bring around 20 movies into The Collections fold.
The catalog drive...
HanWay has struck a deal with UK distributor Arrow Films to handle distribution and restorations in the UK of the Jeremy Thomas collection, with films including multi-Oscar winning epic The Last Emperor, John Malkovich-Debra Winger romance The Sheltering Sky and David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch. Arrow recently re-released HanWay’s David Bowie-starrer Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.
HanWay is currently restoring around five titles a year with recent updates including David Cronenberg’s Crash, which screened at Venice. Upcoming is Gary Oldman’s Nil By Mouth.
We also understand the company is close to striking a deal with a well known filmmaker to bring around 20 movies into The Collections fold.
The catalog drive...
- 5/5/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not seen “The New Decas,” the season 5 premiere of Showtime’s “Billions.”
Can the group of hardcore characters who fuel the “Billions” universe overcome their baser instincts to find success and happiness? These are the broad themes of the fifth season of “Billions,” Showtime’s twisty-turny drama series set against the backdrop of New York’s investment and high-finance community.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien, series co-creators and showrunners, join the Variety After Show, presented by National Geographic, to break down the season premiere and offer some insights about the rest of the season ahead. The opener, “The New Decas,” was penned by Koppelman and Levien and directed by Matthew McLoota.
In the Q&a with Variety business editor Cynthia Littleton, Koppelman notes that the challenge of steering a new season is always to take the characters to new places while continuing the overarching storylines.
Can the group of hardcore characters who fuel the “Billions” universe overcome their baser instincts to find success and happiness? These are the broad themes of the fifth season of “Billions,” Showtime’s twisty-turny drama series set against the backdrop of New York’s investment and high-finance community.
Brian Koppelman and David Levien, series co-creators and showrunners, join the Variety After Show, presented by National Geographic, to break down the season premiere and offer some insights about the rest of the season ahead. The opener, “The New Decas,” was penned by Koppelman and Levien and directed by Matthew McLoota.
In the Q&a with Variety business editor Cynthia Littleton, Koppelman notes that the challenge of steering a new season is always to take the characters to new places while continuing the overarching storylines.
- 5/4/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
There is a pathetic beauty to Calm With Horses which breaks and warms your heart in equal measure. The characters in Nick Rowland’s West of Ireland set film speak wistfully of Cork as if it is a far off land and for most of them – shackled tight to their ugly lives – it is as far out of reach as the escape to Mexico a bumbling minion proposes when things start to go awry.
Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) is a man of few words. His life as a promising young boxer derailed after a fight went horribly wrong and sent him careening into the deadly embrace of The Devers. This shambolic crime family rule over the cracked pavements, terraces and cattle sheds of the locale with nicotine-stained fists and perplexing priorities.
Arm was recruited into the fold by Devers nephew Dympna (Barry Keoghan), a smalltown rat boy whose family...
Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) is a man of few words. His life as a promising young boxer derailed after a fight went horribly wrong and sent him careening into the deadly embrace of The Devers. This shambolic crime family rule over the cracked pavements, terraces and cattle sheds of the locale with nicotine-stained fists and perplexing priorities.
Arm was recruited into the fold by Devers nephew Dympna (Barry Keoghan), a smalltown rat boy whose family...
- 4/21/2020
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Just last week we posed a question to our readers: Wtf happened to Adrien Brody? As it turns out, The Pianist and The Grand Budapest Hotel actor was completing work on several new projects, including Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, Andrew Dominik's biographical drama Blonde, Lee Tamahori's action-thriller Emperor, and Charlie Day's El Tonto comedy. Ask and…...
- 12/19/2019
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Lyon, France — Manuel Chiche is riding high. Since June, his boutique distribution outlet The Jokers set admission records with Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” selling nearly 1.7 million tickets in France and still going strong as the film heads into its 19th week in theaters. Indeed, “Parasite” is now the second most successful Palme d’Or winner of the 21st century at the French box office – but don’t expect Chiche or any of his outfits to scale up as a result.
“We want to remains as artisans, in a business that doesn’t always allow for that,” says the French exec, who also runs reissue outfit La Rabbia. On the occasion of this year’s Lumière Festival, Variety sat down with Chiche for a kind state of the industry on the French reissue landscape.
Is there a particular time of year most amenable to reissues?
In France, it’s always in the summer.
“We want to remains as artisans, in a business that doesn’t always allow for that,” says the French exec, who also runs reissue outfit La Rabbia. On the occasion of this year’s Lumière Festival, Variety sat down with Chiche for a kind state of the industry on the French reissue landscape.
Is there a particular time of year most amenable to reissues?
In France, it’s always in the summer.
- 10/16/2019
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Nz On Air and the New Zealand Film Commission are funding the development of 10 drama series ideas with international and domestic appeal.
The initiative, Raupapa Whakaari Drama to the World, will support each writer/producer team to develop high-end scripted series with an initial grant of Nz$10,000.
Each team will attend a series drama lab held in conjunction with Script to Screen, where international advisers will give feedback on story and market to assist the teams to further develop their concepts and strengthen appeal to the international marketplace.
Following the lab and submission of the re-worked projects, four teams will be selected to receive additional development funding of up to Nz$80,000.
Nzfc CEO Annabelle Sheehan said: “There really has never been a better time to tell stories than now, thanks to the global expansion of mega platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and now Disney with Disney+ and its takeover of Hulu this week.
The initiative, Raupapa Whakaari Drama to the World, will support each writer/producer team to develop high-end scripted series with an initial grant of Nz$10,000.
Each team will attend a series drama lab held in conjunction with Script to Screen, where international advisers will give feedback on story and market to assist the teams to further develop their concepts and strengthen appeal to the international marketplace.
Following the lab and submission of the re-worked projects, four teams will be selected to receive additional development funding of up to Nz$80,000.
Nzfc CEO Annabelle Sheehan said: “There really has never been a better time to tell stories than now, thanks to the global expansion of mega platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and now Disney with Disney+ and its takeover of Hulu this week.
- 5/16/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
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