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Fox’s Joel McHale-hosted baking competition “Crime Scene Kitchen” has revealed James Beard Award-winning pastry chef and Cronut creator Dominique Ansel and “Animal Control” star Ravi Patel are set as guest judges for upcoming episodes of Season 3.

“Crime Scene Kitchen” is a culinary guessing game in which baking duos are tasked with decoding what type of treat was made in the kitchen, when all that’s left are the crumbs, flour trails and a few elusive clues. They must then recreate the recipe for celebrity judges chef Curtis Stone and cake artist Yolanda Gampp, who will determine how closely their sweet treat matches the missing dessert.

Each episode includes a safety bake in the first round and concludes with an elimination bake that knocks one team out of the competition. At the end of the season, the group left standing after all the baking and sleuthing wins “Crime Scene Kitchen’s” $100,000 grand prize.

Filming has begun on Tom Waller’s true-crime thriller, “Kiss of the Con Queen,” with real-life victim Eoin O’Brien (“The Last Full Measure”) taking the lead role. He plays actor duped by an impersonator to travel to Indonesia on the promise of auditions for a leading role in a DC origins series, only to discover that he had been scammed by the infamous Con Queen of Hollywood.

In the real world, the alleged perpetrator, 41-year-old Indonesian food blogger Hargobind Tahilramani, is accused of pretending to be both male and female Hollywood executives and having swindled hundreds of victims of millions of dollars. He was arrested in 2020 after an FBI manhunt and is currently in prison in the U.K. where he is fighting against possible extradition to the U.S. The U.K. court hearings have been dramatic and disturbing.

A chunk of the filming on Waller’s film has already...

Much has been made of titles being quietly removed from HBO Max over the last few week, but while the number of films departing the service in September is substantial, at least subscribers have a heads up.

As is the case every month, various movies are due to leave HBO Max in September, and below we’ve got the full list of which films are leaving and when so you can prioritizing some viewing options. Noteworthy removals include the 2021 Warner Bros. thriller “The Little Things” starring Denzel Washington (leaving Sept. 16), the 2020 “Freaky Friday” horror riff “Freaky,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films, the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, “Super 8,” “Tootsie” and the Nancy Meyers classic “The Holiday.”

Check out the full list of what’s leaving HBO Max in September below.

September 4

Meet the Patels, 2014

September 5

Turner Classic Movies: Follow the Thread, 2022

September 8

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, 2018

September 9

Horrible Bosses 2,...

Exclusive: Ravi Patel is set to join Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, starring Zachary Levi. Academy Award nominee Carlos Saldanha is on board to direct with Lil Rel Howery and Zooey Deschanel also starring in the film.

David Guion & Michael Handelman wrote the screenplay, based on Crockett Johnson’s best-selling children’s book. John Davis is producing through Davis Entertainment. Published in 1955, the book told the story of a 4-year-old who, with the power of his crayon, created worlds around him. The book was a smash and was followed by six more.

Patel will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Valet, which will be released later this year. He will recur in the Showtime highly anticipated drama Three Women opposite Betty Gilpin, Shailene Woodley, and DeWanda Wise. Patel recently starred in the docuseries Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness for HBO Max and Bhaag Beanie Bhaag for Netflix,...

Exclusive: New York-based distributor FilmRise has acquired North American rights to completed sci-fi romance-drama The Time Capsule, starring Todd Grinnell (Hollywoodland), Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool), Baron Vaughn (Grace And Frankie), KaDee Strickland (Private Practice) and Ravi Patel (Meet The Patels).

Erwann Marshall’s feature directorial debut, set in the near future, charts the story of a politician fresh off an electoral loss who escapes to his family’s summer lake house. His vacation is disrupted by the appearance of his first love, who has just returned from a 20-year space voyage and hasn’t aged a day.

The Landier Entertainment film was written by Chad Fifer and Erwann Marshall, produced by Amanda Marshall, and exec-produced by Michael Landier, with Dobré Films’ Ves D’Elia and Michael Klein also serving as executive producers.

The deal was negotiated by Katie Carroll, Manager, Independent Film Acquisitions for FilmRise, and Charlotte Lichtman, Agent, International and Independent Film for ICM Partners.

Exclusive: Ravi Patel (Wonder Woman 1984) will join the cast of Showtime’s upcoming drama Three Women. He will appear opposite stars Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise and Betty Gilpin. The hourlong series is based on the nonfiction bestseller by Lisa Taddeo, who has adapted her book. Principal photography is set to begin in the coming months.

In Three Women, a group of women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Gilpin will star as Lina, a homemaker in Indiana who, after a decade in a passionless marriage, embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane (Wise), a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie, a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher of an inappropriate relationship. Lastly, Gia (Woodley), a...

Exclusive: Ravi Patel, Amaury Nolasco and John Pirruccello have boarded Lionsgate’s English-language remake of the hit French film The Valet directed by Richard Wong.

In the film, Samara Weaving will play Olivia, a movie star who enlists parking valet Antonio, played by Eugenio Derbez, to pose as her lover to cover for a relationship with a married man. As a Latinx valet, the hardworking Antonio usually moves through the world anonymously, but through the ruse, he comes to be seen as the worthy person he always has been.

The Valet is written by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, the team that penned Derbez’s hit film Overboard, which took in $91 million worldwide. Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell produce through their 3Pas Studios banner.

Patel plays Kapoor, a private investigator. Patel most recently starred in Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984 as Babajide. He stars next in Paul A. Kaufman...

Stars from Veep, The Daily Show, Community, Orange Is The New Black, Toy Story, Meet The Patels, Westworld — and even an Avenger — convened for a last-minute push to voters to stress the importance of voting in person on Election Day in a Zoom parody that poked fun at the recent spate of TV and film fundraiser reunions being held for the Democratic Party.

The witty bit — which was written by film and TV producer Stephen Levinson, Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green and Veep showrunner David Mandel — sees the slew of TV stars barging into one another’s virtual reunions, thinking they were calling in for ...

Stars from Veep, The Daily Show, Community, Orange Is The New Black, Toy Story, Meet The Patels, Westworld — and even an Avenger — convened for a last-minute push to voters to stress the importance of voting in person on Election Day in a Zoom parody that poked fun at the recent spate of TV and film fundraiser reunions being held for the Democratic Party.

The witty bit — which was written by film and TV producer Stephen Levinson, Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green and Veep showrunner David Mandel — sees the slew of TV stars barging into one another’s virtual reunions, thinking they were calling in for ...

Until 2014, Ravi Patel was just another comedian, making ends meet with bit parts in movies, guest appearances on TV shows, and even commercials. Then came Meet the Patels an award-winning documentary that followed Patel as he tried to please his parents by finding an Indian wife. That film raised his profile considerably, landing him [...]

The post How Ravi Patel Wound Up Getting His ‘Happiness’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness is a four-part buddy comedy docuseries that follows actor/documentarian/philanthropist Ravi Patel (Meet the Patels) as he travels the world seeking answers surrounding life’s universal questions. At each stop throughout this comedically heartfelt journey, Patel is joined by a friend or family member, with whom he shares a big conflict or question about life. His travels take him to Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Denmark to explore the traditional customs of the people they meet and experience their unique approaches to life’s most pressing matters Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness is produced by Whalerock Industries. Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness will premiere on Thursday, August 27 on HBO Max! You can view the trailer for the four-part docuseries below:...

To mark the release of Come As You Are on 17th August, we’ve been given 3 merchandise bundles, including a copy of the film on DVD, to give away.

Inspired by a true story – three young men with disabilities, played by Grant Rosenmeyer (The Royal Tenenbaums), Hayden Szeto (The Edge of Seventeen) and Ravi Patel (Meet the Patels), flee their overbearing parents for a road trip to a brothel in Montreal, that caters to people with disabilities, in order to lose their virginity and embrace their

independence. Academy Award nominee, Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), stars as their jaded nurse driver, Janeane Garofalo and C.S. Lee (Dexter) also star as concerned parents hot on their trail. A remake of the award winning, critically acclaimed 2011 Belgian film Hasta LA Vista, based on true story and experiences of Asta Philpot, who features in the film.

Watch our exclusive Come As You Are interviews here:...

HBO Max has acquired “Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness,” a four-part original series from CNN.

The buddy comedy docuseries will now become an HBO Max Original. It follows actor, documentarian and philanthropist Ravi Patel (“Meet the Patels”) as he “travels the world seeking answers surrounding life’s universal questions,” according to the streaming service.

It is set to debut on August 27.

Here is the full synopsis:

“At each stop throughout this comedically heartfelt journey, Patel is joined by a friend or family member, with whom he shares a big conflict or question about life. He travels to Mexico with his parents to discuss retirement and aging; Japan with his wife to explore parenting and gender roles; Korea with his entrepreneur friend to confront their issues with work/life balance; Denmark with his Muslim friend to explore an immigration crisis not unlike ours here in America. Driven by an obsession to constantly learn and grow,...

HBO Max has acquired the CNN four-part original series Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness for a August 27 premiere on the WarnerMedia streaming service. The buddy comedy docuseries follows actor/documentarian/philanthropist Ravi Patel (Meet the Patels) as he travels the world seeking answers surrounding life’s universal questions.

Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness had been produced for WarnerMedia’s CNN and was one of the top highlights of the cable news network’s March upfront presentation for advertisers. It will now become an HBO Max original. The strategy has been used between sibling linear networks and streaming platforms, including Nat Geo’s docuseries The World According To Jeff Goldblum moving to Disney+.

At each stop throughout his journey on the show, Patel is joined by a friend or family member, with whom he shares a big conflict or question about life. He travels to Mexico with his parents...

Production officially began this month in the U.K. on Season 2 of Netflix’s “The Witcher,” the streaming service announced today. The series was renewed for an eight-episode second season — planned to be released in 2021 — a month before its December 2019 release.

Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s books (which were also adapted into a popular video game series), “The Witcher” tells the story of Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous witcher, who travels from town to town accepting missions in exchange for “coin.” The first season of Netflix’s “The Witcher” proved to be a success for the streaming platform, as it was reportedly viewed by 76 million households within the first four weeks of its release. That makes for a lot of individuals getting “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” stuck in their head.

Geralt of Rivia himself, Henry Cavill, is set to return for “The Witcher’s” sophomore season. As are...

Production on fantasy epic “The Witcher” Season 2 has commenced in the U.K., with a planned launch in 2021, Netflix announced.

The show also announced seven new cast members joining “The Witcher” for S2, including Kristofer Hivju, the Norwegian actor who played the red-bearded wilding leader Tormund Giantsbane on “Game of Thrones.”

Netflix last month claimed “The Witcher” Season 1 was tracking to be its biggest original TV series debut to date. However, that’s according to a new metric invented by the company that found 76 million member households watched at least 2 minutes of the show in the first four weeks after its Dec. 20 release.

The streamer renewed “The Witcher” for Season 2 last fall with an eight-episode order, more than a month before the freshman season hit the streaming service. The show represents “a massive new franchise that we’ll develop season after season,” Netflix chairman/CEO Reed Hastings said on the...

Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju, who played Game of Thrones‘ Tormund Giantsbane, is among the seven announced cast additions for The Witcher Season 2, which has commenced production with an eye on a 2021 Netflix release.

Hivju has joined the fantasy saga in the role of Nivellen, who perhaps best can be described in non-spoilery terms as a recluse.

More from TVLineSandra Oh to Lead Netflix Dramedy From Amanda Peet, GoT CreatorsStranger Things: Priah Ferguson Upped to Series Regular for Season 4Ryan Murphy's Star-Packed Hollywood Gets Spring Premiere Date at Netflix

The other new characters cast include Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coën,...

Netflix has added new seven cast members for season 2 of The Witcher as production begins in the UK for a planned 2021 launch.

Joining the second season are Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, and recent graduate Mecia Simson, as Francesca.

Returning for season two are Henry Cavill, who leads the cast of The Witcher saga, playing the role of Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra returns as the sorceress Yennefer, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as fan-favourite Jaskier.

The series will be directed by Stephen Surjik (Umbrella Academy) who will direct 201 and 202, Sarah O’Gorman (Cursed) for episodes 203 and 204, Ed Bazalgette (The Last Kingdom) for episodes 205 and 208, and Geeta Patel (Meet The Patels) for episodes 206 and...

“Game of Thrones” alum Kristofer Hivju is taking his talents from Westeros to The Continent. The actor, who played Tormund on the now-ended HBO fantasy series, has been cast as Nivellen on Season 2 of “The Witcher,” which went into production this month in the U.K., Netflix revealed Friday.

Other series newcomers for the second installment of the Henry Cavill-led fantasy epic, which is set to launch in 2021, include Yasen Atour (“Young Wallender”) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (“Peaky Blinders”) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (“Fast and Furious 9”) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (“The Danish Girl”) as Lydia and Mecia Simson as Francesca.

Like Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia, the characters Coen, Lambert and Eskel are witchers a.k.a. monster hunters in Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s “Witcher” novels, which the Netflix series is based on. Per the books, Vereena is a vampire who...

Too often, we define marginalized groups as targets of oppression or as social justice fighters, but rarely as just regular people who wake up every day, pee, go to work and have sex like the rest of the world. Director Richard Wong attempts to offer this more humanized narrative that centers on disabled characters in his surprisingly tender new comedy, “Come As You Are.”

But in doing so, he provokes a similarly important thought: Why are all the leads played by able-bodied actors?

Inspired by Asta Philpot’s real-life journey, “Come As You Are” is an intriguing rom-com slash coming-of-age tale along the lines of “American Pie,” except told through the perspective of three disabled young men with dreams of escaping their fiercely guarded lives and getting laid. The abrasive Scotty, who uses a wheelchair, lives with his mother and caregiver, Liz (Janeane Garofalo), who is tethered to him so...

Exclusive: La management firm Grandview has promoted manager Priya Satiani to partner.

Satiani’s actor and writer-director client list includes Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz (Joker), Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency), Cleopatra Coleman (In The Shadow Of The Moon), Angela Sarafyan (Westworld), David Rysdahl (Nine Days), Taylour Paige (White Boy Rick), Wade Allain Marcus (Grown-ish), Sarah Yarkin (Single Parents), Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Ravi Patel (Meet The Patels).

The appointment marks the first internal partner promotion for the ascending Grandview, which was founded in 2014 and at the time mostly represented writers.

Satiani joined three years ago, before that running her own company, Genesis Entertainment. She started out at ICM.

“It’s exciting to be a part of the leadership team here at Gva and to be the first female partner with a group of people I truly admire,” she told us.

Exclusive: We hear that Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights to Richard Wong’s road trip comedy Come As You Are which made its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival.

Pic centers around three young men with disabilities who flee their overbearing parents on a road trip to a brothel in Montreal catering to people with special needs. Sam (Precious lead actress Oscar nominee and Empire‘s Gabourey Sidibe), a traveling nurse, drives the three guys across the border as they go on this trip to lose their virginity and embrace their independence. Janeane Garofalo and C.S. Lee also star. Pic will be released early next year.

“Richard Wong perfectly balances the sweet, funny, and dramatic moments anchored by the outstanding performances from Grant, Hayden, Ravi, and Gabourey. We’re thrilled to bring such a hilarious movie...

Exclusive: We are hearing that both Ravi Patel and Gabriella Wilde are joining Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984. Their roles are being kept under wraps.

The film which is already in production stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal. Earlier this week Insecure star and co-producer Natasha Rothwell boarded the DC sequel. Last weekend, Gadot, Pine and director Patty Jenkins showed off footage from the Nov. 1, 2019 release at San Diego Comic-Con.

Patel wrote, starred and co-directed the comedy documentary Meet The Patels which is currently being adapted into a feature length film which he will also direct and is currently writing with sister Geeta Patel. He has starred on numerous television series including Master of None, Wrecked, and Grandfathered and starred in such movies as Transformers as well as the upcoming Point Grey-produced Charlize Theron comedy Flarsky due out in February. Patel is currently working on a...

“We wanted to do something where the viewer is the lead character,” reveals “Door No. 1” creator Nora Kirkpatrick, who wrote and directed the first-ever interactive live-action Vr comedy. “We wanted you to have a sense of responsibility in this story and be a part of the story” so that “the story can’t continue without you.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Kirkpatrick above.

See Emmy spotlight: Hulu showcases virtue of Vr with ‘Door No. 1,’ an interactive comedy series by Nora Kirkpatrick

Viewers walk through the shoes of Alex, who is attending his 10-year high school reunion. Shown in a full 360 degrees, the Hulu original allows audiences to pick and choose what paths to take at key points in the story. You can bust a move on the dance floor, pursue a former flame, confront a bully, or get high with the janitor (Snoop Dogg).

“Every viewer who watches will...

The TV academy is to be applauded for embracing new technology with the introduction of Emmy Awards for the likes of Best Original Interactive Program. One of the most innovative contenders in that category this year is the Hulu live-action Vr comedy series, “Door No. 1.”

Nora Kirkpatrick, who was a standout on season 9 of “The Office” as Dwight’s would-be girlfriend, goes behind the camera as both writer and director of this breakthrough program. The immersive experience is shown in a full 360 degrees and allows the viewer to pick and choose at key points in the story.

See 2018 Emmys calendar: Two-week voting starts June 11, nominations on July 12, ceremony on September 17

You walk in the shoes of Alex, who is attending a 10-year high school reunion. Part of the appeal of “Door No. 1” is that repeated viewings take the audience on different paths, with new decisions to be made at various junctures in the story.

Bravo is expanding its development slate with eight new reality projects. The announcement comes on the heels of the greenlight of 11 new and 20 returning series as the network gears up for seven nights of original programming beginning this fall.

The new projects include Will You Marry Us, from Ravi Patel and Pilgrim media based on Patel’s Emmy-winning documentary Meet the Patels, and Flying High, from Jenny Daly’s T Group Productions. Also on the slate is Raising the Bar: Hong Kong a docuseries that follows American nightlife power players in Asia.

Bravo is beefing up its development slate by adding eight new series, the cable network announced Monday.

The news comes on the heels of Bravo announcing orders for 11 new shows and 20 returning shows as they plan to expand to seven nights a week of original programming beginning in Fall 2018.

“Bravo offers a wide scope of programming that gives viewers many options to escape their normal reality mixing humor and fun with layered storytelling resulting in addictive series that offer unique worlds and characters,” said Rachel Smith, senior vice president of development for Bravo Media. “With this new slate of development, we’re testing unexpected environments and loud formats that aim to attract a wide audience while staying true to what makes Bravo so distinct.”

Read the official descriptions for the eight series now in development below.

“Raising the Bar: Hong Kong”

Produced by Monkey with Will Macdonald and David Granger serving as executive producers.

Hulu publicly unveiled the trailer and a behind-the-scenes video for its new virtual reality (Vr) comedy “Door No. 1” Friday. The comedy, which was written and directed by Nora Kirkpatrick of “The Office” fame and produced by AOL’s Ryot exclusively for Hulu, is set to debut on the service on May 24.

Door No. 1 is a kind of live-action multiple choice comedy adventure about a ten-year high school reunion. The show puts the viewer into the middle of the action by making her or him a protagonist of the show: Alex, one of the former students attending the reunion.

Alex doesn’t talk throughout the show, but can decide to take multiple paths through the story, and make many bad decisions along the way — it’s a high school reunion, after all.

The cast for Door No. 1 included Steve Little (“Eastbound and Down”), Ravi Patel, Kyle Bornheimer (“Casual”), Missi Pyle...

The Toronto International Film Festival synopsis calls Iram Haq’s latest film What Will People Say an “empathetic story of family, community, and culture.” I would call it straight up social horror made scarier when you discover that it was partly inspired by the artist’s own life. That festival description had me anticipating a road to catharsis wherein a culture clash between strictly conservative Pakistani Muslim values and a more liberal European lifestyle would force young Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) and her parents (Adil Hussain’s Mirza and Ekavali Khanna’s Mother) to seek common ground and begin understanding where the other comes from. That is most assuredly not what happens, though. Instead we watch a nightmare unfold that often appears to possess just one logical end: death.

This is a film about oppression wielded behind closed doors. It’s about hypocrisy, mistrust, and the struggle felt by second-generation immigrants everywhere.

The Us theatrical distributor, with creditors in the Us and Europe, will “pursue an orderly liquidation.”

Troubled Us theatrical distributor Alchemy has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with estimated liabilities of between $50m and $100m and creditors in the Us and Europe.

In a statement on its web site Alchemy said it will “pursue an orderly liquidation” and has released its entire staff.

The company’s bankruptcy filing says Alchemy has estimated assets of between $10m and $50m and creditors including Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Wme Entertainment in the Us, Protagonist Pictures and The Works in the UK, Insomnia World Sales and Artedis in France and Adriana Chiesa Enterprises in Italy.

Alchemy has recently handled the Us distribution of films including Meet The Patels (pictured), with $1.7m the company’s highest grossing release, Gaspar Noe’s Love, Sophie Barthes’ Madame Bovary and Black Souls (Anime Nere).

At the 2015 Cannes festival Alchemy bought Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster (pictured...

Subverting the Unexpected

At the end of the 20th century, Bobcat Goldthwait’s legacy read like a cheap joke: He was a screaming comedian from the eighties best known as Zed in the “Police Academy” franchise who once tried at his hand at directing a movie (“Shakes the Clown”). Those achievements barely skimmed the surface of Goldthwait’s ability, as the ensuing years made clear, when Goldthwait completely transformed his career into one of the most provocative American filmmakers working today. With the microbudget “Sleeping Dogs Lie” (aka “Stay”), Goldthwait showed his potential to funnel taboo subject matters into oddly touching, relatable human dramas, a proclivity he kicked up to a whole new level with the subversive black comedy “World’s Greatest Dad,” which features Robin Williams in one of his all-time great roles.

Goldthwait has kept innovating, with each new movie offering a fresh perspective on the naive assumptions...

In recent decades, some of the best documentary films — including Oscar-winners such as Bowling for Columbine and Searching for Sugar Man, and, more recently, festival favorites Point and Shoot and Meet the Patels — have have relied on animation to tell compelling nonfiction stories in nontraditional ways. It’s a technique audiences have grown accustomed to and nonfiction filmmakers have learned to adopt with varying degrees of success. While in the past, documentary purists might have posited that animation had no place in non-fiction storytelling, it’s now largely accepted that even observational documentaries involve some degree of manipulation. If anything, by using animation in a documentary, the manipulation is more […]...

Top brass announced on Tuesday the 42 world premieres selected for the Us Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, La Muse, and Nightfall Competitions to screen at the festival, set to run from June 1-9 in Los Angeles.

Derrick Borte’s London Town (UK), Maria Govan’s Play The Devil (pictured, Trinidad-Bahamas-usa) are among the World Fiction Competition entries, while Amber Tamblyn’s Paint It Black (USA) plays in the Us Fiction Competition.

The Documentary Competition includes Out Of Iraq (Canada-Iraq-Lebanon-usa) by Eva Orner and Chris McKim, and Darren Lynn Bousman’s Abattoir (USA) plays in genre section Nightfall, and Actors Of Sound (Argentina-Finland-Germany-India-Ireland-usa) screens in the La Muse programme.

Across the five feature competition categories, 43% of the films are directed by women and 38% by people of colour.

As previously announced, the opening night film is the world premiere of Ricardo De Montreuil’s Lowriders, while this year’s guest director is Ryan Coogler. Ava DuVernay and Array...

The La Film Festival has unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, Nightfall and La Muse sections. The festival runs June 1-9 at the ArcLight Cinemas. “Our Programming team, led by Roya Rastegar and Jennifer Cochis, killed it,” said festival director Stephanie Allain. “The competition lineup of 42 world premieres echoes Film Independent’s mission to celebrate diversity and showcases a multitude of innovative, fresh voices. We can’t wait to share these films with audiences and industry alike, and, following years which saw films like ‘Meet the Patels,’ ‘Code Black,’ ‘Nightingale,’ ‘The Drew,’ ‘Out of My Hand’ and...

Cover art and release details have been revealed for John La Tier’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale of a man haunted by his heinous crime, The Tell-Tale Heart will be released on DVD and VOD on April 5th.

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA (March 23, 2016) — Alchemy is proud to announce the home entertainment release of the haunting, The Tell-tale Heart, directed by John La Tier. Starring Rose McGowan (Charmed, Scream, Grindhouse, Jawbreaker, The Blac), Patrick John Flueger (The 4400, The Princess Diaries, NBC’s Chicago P.D.), Academy Award® nominee Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, HBO’s The Sopranos), Jacob Vargas (Next Friday, Selena, Traffic, Jarhead), and Damon Whitake. The Tell-tale Heart has a running time of 82 minutes and is not rated. The Tell-tale Heart is available on DVD and VOD April 5th, 2016.

A haunting account of a tormented man, haunted by the heart of a man he murdered,...

Ravi Patel is an American actor of East Indian descent known for his part on Fox’s TV series Past Life as well as his current appearances in Grandfathered and Netflix’s Master of None alongside Aziz Ansari. He also co-directed and starred in the award-winning documentary Meet the Patels. Ravi Patel: Early Life and Switch to Acting Patel was […]

The post Ravi Patel Bio: In His Own Words appeared first on uInterview.

Alchemy is in deep trouble. Its most anticipated title, "The Lobster," has been sold to A24; it's facing "financial discrepancies," and major cutbacks. However, while other indie distributors fend off attacks from upstart new-platform competitors like Netflix and Amazon, the undoing of Alchemy may stem from an enemy considered all but toothless: The DVD business.  Sixteen months ago, Virgo Investment Group acquired B-movie producer Avi Lerner's Millennium Entertainment specialty distribution arm and rebranded it as Alchemy. It soon found surprise success with "Meet the Patels," a comedic documentary about actor Ravi Patel that grossed $1.7 million domestically. Alchemy's acquisitions team began to assemble a promising slate for 2016, including the Cannes-acclaimed "The Lobster." But by the end of 2015, that potential would start to crumble as a new merger forced Alchemy into a liquidity crisis that now threatens its...

Could Marlon Brando return to the Oscars posthumously? The documentary Listen to Me Marlon made the finals for the Best Documentary Oscar even though documentaries about Hollywood stars and movies aren't typically so favorited. Note that Ingrid Bergman's documentary --also famously "in her own words" -- and the enjoyable Tab Hunter: Confidential and the Sundance sensation The Wolfpack about living through the movies weren't as lucky and did not make the finals.

The 15 Finalists

Amy (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr winner) Best of Enemies (Nbr top 5, Spirit nominee) Cartel Land (Gotham nominee) Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief He Named Me Malala Heart of a Dog (Gotham nominee, Spirit nominee) The Hunting Ground (PGA nominee) Listen to Me Marlon (Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham nominee)

The Look of Silence (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham winner, Spirit nominee) Meru (PGA nominee, Spirit nominee) 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten...

The 2016 Oscar nominations are still more than a month away, but the Academy has already narrowed down its list for one category. The short list for best feature documentary is out, and it doesn't include many surprises: Alex Gibney's Scientology exposé Going Clear, Kirby Dick's campus rape investigation The Hunting Ground, Michael Moore's top-secret latest Where to Invade Next, and Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse profile Amy have each made the cut. So have He Named Me Malala, What Happened, Miss Simone?, and We Come As Friends. A few notable exclusions: HBO's Kurt Cobain doc Montage of Heck, the Iris Apfel doc Iris, Ravi and Geeta Patel's Meet the Patels, and Steve Jobs: The Machine. In total, 15 documentaries will compete for five nominations. Here's the full list: AmyBest of EnemiesCartel LandGoing Clear: Scientology and the Prison of BeliefHe Named Me MalalaHeart of a DogThe Hunting...

Read More: Watch: 'Meet the Patels' Trailer Brings Romantic Comedy to the Documentary Genre Documentarian Geeta Patel recently joined the International Documentary Association for a discussion of her latest film, "Meet the Patels," with Indiewire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene. Joing Patel were her brother and co-director Ravi, co-producer Janet Fries Eckholm and Patel's own parents.  "Meet the Patels" follows Geeta's brother, actor Ravi Patel, as he attempts to find a woman to marry. While this may not seem like the most difficult task out there, Patel's conservative Indian parents and their high expectations and standards complicate the matter significantly. The film is mostly shot during the Patel's family vacation and examines the role that family plays in finding lifelong love. "Meet the Patels" is currently in limited release; in the meantime, you can check out clips from the Ida discussion below. Patel's Parents on Their Only...

Ravi Patel’s first role as a call-center operator in Michael Bay’s Transformers had him working the notorious “Apu” accent. Eight years on and the actor is in the midst of his own transformation, from token Indian to charming disruptor. Patel’s splashy 2015 documentary (and soon, feature film) Meet the Patels features his actual family weighing in as he tries to find a wife the vintage, arranged way. He parlayed that naturalism into TV ubiquity of a kind typically elusive to brown men in Hollywood: as an unaccented sous chef on the ABC comedy Grandfathered, and a struggling, lovable — and very real — Indian-American actor on Aziz Ansari’s bingeable new comedy, Master of None. Vulture recently talked to Patel about working with Ansari, marriage, and his conflicted relationship with the infamous accent.Ravi Patel: From your name, I’m guessing you’re Indian. It’s true. Meet the Patels is real for me.

As is always the case around this time of year, the Academy has given us a hint as to what’s eligible for nominations in certain categories. Today, I have the recently released list of eligible contenders in Best Documentary Feature to share with you all. There’s 124 docs in total hoping to score one of the five slots open at the Academy Awards. Historically, Oscar is fairly picky with their subject matter, but they do throw up some curveballs from time to time. This year, they’ll have as unique a choice to make as any, especially considering how there’s no true frontrunner right now. Of the numerous titles in contention, there’s a large group that bears specifically keeping an eye on. Just a small sample includes 1971, Above and Beyond, Amy, The Armor of Light, Batkid Begins, Best of Enemies, Cartel Land, The Diplomat, Every Last Child,...

Titles include Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary, Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next and Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land.

Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.

Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.

A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .

The submitted features in alphabetical order are:

Above And Beyond

All Things Must Pass

Amy

The Armor Of Light

Ballet 422

Batkid Begins

Becoming Bulletproof

Being Evel

Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery

Best Of Enemies

The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution

Bolshoi Babylon

[link...

Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on

Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.

Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.

A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on...

One hundred twenty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 88th Academy Awards.

Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Above and Beyond”

“All Things Must Pass”

“Amy”

“The Armor of Light”

“Ballet 422”

“Batkid Begins”

“Becoming Bulletproof”

“Being Evel”

“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”

“Best of Enemies”

“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”

“Bolshoi Babylon”

“Brand: A Second Coming”

“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”

“Call Me Lucky”

“Cartel Land”

“Censored Voices”

“Champs”

“CodeGirl”

“Coming Home”

“Dark Horse”

“Deli Man”

“Dior and I”

“The Diplomat”

“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”

“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”

“Dreamcatcher”

“dream/killer”

“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”

“Eating Happiness”

“Every Last Child”

“Evidence of Harm”

“Farewell to Hollywood...

Ben-Hur

MGM and Paramount Pictures have pushed back the release of Timur Bekmambetov's "Ben-Hur" remake by nearly six months - from February 26th 2016 to an August 12th 2016 opening. Jack Huston stars in the film as the titular Jewish prince betrayed into slavery by Messala (Toby Kebbell).

The reasoning here seems to be financial - Paramount has had success in late Summer in recent years with both "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot, and the studio wants to exploit that along with utilising the upcoming Olympics as an advertising platform. [Source: Variety]

Meet the Patels

Fox Searchlight is reportedly developing a narrative feature remake of the recently released documentary "Meet The Patels". Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel will return to co-direct from their own script.

30-year-old Ravi starred as himself in the film, a first-generation Indian-American pressured by his parents to agree to an...

Exclusive: Fox Searchlight has acquired remake rights to Meet The Patels, the documentary released last month by Alchemy. The remake will be written and co-directed by the sibling team of Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel. They co-directed the docu. Ravi, an actor, starred as himself in the film. Meet The Patels and its filmmakers were discovered at the Los Angeles Film Festival where the film –which is part live action docu, with some animation — won the Audience Award…...

Meet the Patels

Written by Matthew Hamachek, Billy Mcmillin, Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel

Directed by Geeta Patel & Ravi Patel

U.S.A., 2014

Dating isn’t easy, and no one would agree with that statement more than Ravi Patel. In Meet the Patels, Ravi, a nearly 30-year old first generation Indian-American, agrees to let his parents help him find a wife through their traditional methods. Meet the Patels is a charming and engaging documentary, which follows the trials and tribulations of a man balancing his own wants against familial expectations.

The film picks up in the aftermath of Ravi’s break up with Audrey, his girlfriend of 2-years. Audrey’s whimsical personality, great sense of humour, and striking beauty make her the perfect woman for Ravi in every way except for one — she’s not Indian. Knowing that his parents wouldn’t approve of Audrey, Ravi kept their 2-year relationship a secret.

Alchemy is promoting veteran exec Brooke Ford, who has been with the company since its First Look incarnation, to Executive Vice President of Marketing, Acquisitions & Productions, and New York transplant Jeff Deutchman to Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions. In her expanded role, marketing exec Ford will now oversee Alchemy’s film acquisitions team in addition to continuing to oversee the company's traditional platform and day-and-date marketing campaigns. Ford will continue to report to CEO Bill Lee, while Deutchman, who also gets a promotion, from VP to Senior VP of Acquisitions, will now report to Ford in his role as curator of the company’s project pipeline as it continues to expand and diversify. Alchemy's theatrical 2015 release slate includes breakout documentary "Meet the Patels," which is a rare Alchemy release to cross the theatrical $1 million mark. Still to come are Cannes titles "The Lobster," Gaspar Noé's...

When you work on a film for over six years, you get a little attached. So when it was time to do a theatrical release for "Meet the Patels," we created a grassroots campaign from the very beginning, making sure that the tone and message of the film were reflected in the entire campaign. In other words, the independent filmmaking continued. Now don't judge, but here are our top seven guerilla tactics. 1. Put your parents to work. As independent filmmakers, you will never have the huge advertising budget of "Mission Impossible" (as much as Ravi thinks he's Tom Cruise…he's not), but what you do have is people who care about you and your film. We shamelessly put our parents to work. Dad has been running this grassroots campaign from his living room from five in the morning until he goes to sleep at night. (Go to our "Meet the Patels...