Eight months after it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” has been officially picked up by HBO Documentary Films, which is buying U.S. and Canada television and streaming rights. Backed by Confluential Films and Rada Studio and directed and produced by respected veterans Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, producer Tommy Oliver (HBO’s “40 Years A Prisoner”), and executive producers Taraji P. Henson and Codie Elaine Oliver, the film will also screen in the Spotlight section of the upcoming 61st New York Film Festival.
To qualify for the Oscars, the film will play in theaters this fall ahead of its 2024 debut on HBO and Max. Sundance always supplies a number of Oscar nominees in the documentary race and “Going to Mars” is a strong contender.
As innovative and unpredictable as its subject, “Going to Mars” travels through time and space,...
To qualify for the Oscars, the film will play in theaters this fall ahead of its 2024 debut on HBO and Max. Sundance always supplies a number of Oscar nominees in the documentary race and “Going to Mars” is a strong contender.
As innovative and unpredictable as its subject, “Going to Mars” travels through time and space,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Former NFL player Andrew Hawkins and his Parks Tower Studios banner have entered into a co-production agreement with Rtg Features, the sister studio to basketball-focused media company Slam, to develop and produce a slate of cross-platform scripted and unscripted projects that spotlight sports and culture.
Hawkins comes to the deal after working with Rtg’s CEO Aron Phillips at Uninterrupted, the L.A.-based athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
As part of the deal, Rtg will come aboard to produce Hawk, a biopic first announced a few years ago that’s based on the true story of Hawkins’ journey to the NFL. Directing the pic is Qasim Basir, the filmmaker with whom Hawkins most recently collaborated as an EP on his critically acclaimed Sundance 2023 drama, To Live and Die and Live.
The film to be produced by Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory...
Hawkins comes to the deal after working with Rtg’s CEO Aron Phillips at Uninterrupted, the L.A.-based athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
As part of the deal, Rtg will come aboard to produce Hawk, a biopic first announced a few years ago that’s based on the true story of Hawkins’ journey to the NFL. Directing the pic is Qasim Basir, the filmmaker with whom Hawkins most recently collaborated as an EP on his critically acclaimed Sundance 2023 drama, To Live and Die and Live.
The film to be produced by Andre Gaines (The One and Only Dick Gregory...
- 6/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Maryam Basir is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles in Lace (2021), A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. (2018) and To Live and Die and Live (2023).
Maryam Basir Biography: Age, Early Life, Family Education
Maryam Basir was born on February 12 in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Information regarding Basir’s family has not been made publicly known. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, she moved to New York City.
Maryam Basir Biography: Career
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Basir revealed how she got started with acting. “I was in New York, just at a bank, and this security guard at the bank was like ‘Are you an actor? Or a model?’” Basir laughed. “And I was like, ‘No.’ And he was like, ‘Well you should be!’ So from that, it kind of put...
Maryam Basir Biography: Age, Early Life, Family Education
Maryam Basir was born on February 12 in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Information regarding Basir’s family has not been made publicly known. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, she moved to New York City.
Maryam Basir Biography: Career
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Basir revealed how she got started with acting. “I was in New York, just at a bank, and this security guard at the bank was like ‘Are you an actor? Or a model?’” Basir laughed. “And I was like, ‘No.’ And he was like, ‘Well you should be!’ So from that, it kind of put...
- 4/13/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
The 12th annual Sun Valley Film Festival runs from March 29th to April 2nd and will feature 18 narrative and documentary titles, including opening night selection, “Fancy Dance,” which is the directorial debut of co-writer Erica Tremblay, and the world premiere of Anthony Mandler’s “Surrounded,” which will close the festival. Award honorees include Josh Brolin, who will receive the Vision Award, and Sophie Thatcher, who will be given the Rising Star Award. “Last year, people were dying to get out, and this year our ticket sales are outpacing 2022. Once again, there’s a strong appetite for live events,” says festival founder and executive director Teddy Grennan.
Svff was launched on the backs of celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, Gary Cooper, and Marilyn Monroe, who took lavish vacations to America’s first destination ski resort. A train, called the Snowball Express, ran from Los Angeles to Sun Valley, and it was common...
Svff was launched on the backs of celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, Gary Cooper, and Marilyn Monroe, who took lavish vacations to America’s first destination ski resort. A train, called the Snowball Express, ran from Los Angeles to Sun Valley, and it was common...
- 3/31/2023
- by Malina Saval and Nick Clement
- Variety Film + TV
Amin Joseph is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his roles in Baywatch (2017) and Snowfall.
Amin Joseph Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Amin Joseph was born on April 26, 1980 (Amin Joesph: age 42) in Queens, New York but was raised in Harlem, New York. He graduated from Rice High School.
Joseph graduated from Howard University before interning at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.
Amin Joseph Biography: Career
Joseph began his acting career with small roles in various films like Rage and Discipline (2004), Jada (2008), Dirty South (2010) and Stock Option (2015).
Some of Joseph’s bigger acting credits include The Mist (2007), The Expendables (2010), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Dope (2015) and Baywatch (2017).
Joseph also had several guest appearances on shows like CSI: Miami, NCIS, Sons of Anarchy, S.W.A.T. and Tales. He was part of the main cast for several shows, including Zane’s Sex Chronicles, Zane’s The Jump Off, Snowfall and Send Help.
Amin Joseph Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Amin Joseph was born on April 26, 1980 (Amin Joesph: age 42) in Queens, New York but was raised in Harlem, New York. He graduated from Rice High School.
Joseph graduated from Howard University before interning at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.
Amin Joseph Biography: Career
Joseph began his acting career with small roles in various films like Rage and Discipline (2004), Jada (2008), Dirty South (2010) and Stock Option (2015).
Some of Joseph’s bigger acting credits include The Mist (2007), The Expendables (2010), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Dope (2015) and Baywatch (2017).
Joseph also had several guest appearances on shows like CSI: Miami, NCIS, Sons of Anarchy, S.W.A.T. and Tales. He was part of the main cast for several shows, including Zane’s Sex Chronicles, Zane’s The Jump Off, Snowfall and Send Help.
- 3/17/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
During the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Christina Chang, Bria Henderson and Harper Hill stopped by to chat with uInterview in between watching movies at the premiere of To Live And Die And Live.
In The Good Doctor, Hill plays Dr. Marcus Andrews, an attending surgeon and eventual president of the hospital. He helps guide the autistic Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) as he completes his residency at the same hospital.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Hill revealed how he deals with medical terminology on the show.
Watch Harper Hill’s uINTERVIEW Now!
“When I’m in Dr. Andrews mode I’m so focused at how I present the medical dialogue,” Hill said. “I say things like, I say we have to resect the catheter from the person’s catharsis and I say that there are different things that Dr. Andrews— because Dr. Andrews is the best surgeon on the show.
In The Good Doctor, Hill plays Dr. Marcus Andrews, an attending surgeon and eventual president of the hospital. He helps guide the autistic Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) as he completes his residency at the same hospital.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Hill revealed how he deals with medical terminology on the show.
Watch Harper Hill’s uINTERVIEW Now!
“When I’m in Dr. Andrews mode I’m so focused at how I present the medical dialogue,” Hill said. “I say things like, I say we have to resect the catheter from the person’s catharsis and I say that there are different things that Dr. Andrews— because Dr. Andrews is the best surgeon on the show.
- 2/27/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
To Live and Die and Live, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, follows film director Muhammad (Amin Joseph) who tries to cope with his stepfather’s death while battling his own drug addiction.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Cory Hardrict, who plays Muhammad’s friend in the film, discussed his favorite moment while shooting in Detroit.
“I loved Detroit, just the texture, the landscape of the city, the rawness,” he began. “Oh there was a lot [of highlights], I love how in the film, there was a real officer they hired to do a scene with me and he started cuffing me for real with my hands, like doing a tactic, and I thought my elbow almost snapped out of place and he didn’t know the difference between acting and realness. And it got a little heated but we shook it out, shook hands afterwards. I but it was like wait a minute,...
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Cory Hardrict, who plays Muhammad’s friend in the film, discussed his favorite moment while shooting in Detroit.
“I loved Detroit, just the texture, the landscape of the city, the rawness,” he began. “Oh there was a lot [of highlights], I love how in the film, there was a real officer they hired to do a scene with me and he started cuffing me for real with my hands, like doing a tactic, and I thought my elbow almost snapped out of place and he didn’t know the difference between acting and realness. And it got a little heated but we shook it out, shook hands afterwards. I but it was like wait a minute,...
- 2/24/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
During the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Christina Chang, Bria Henderson and Harper Hill stopped by to chat with uInterview in between watching movies at the premiere of To Live And Die And Live.
In this exclusive interview with uInterview, the three discussed the best behind-the-scenes moments from The Good Doctor.
“Last season, her character,” Henderson began, pointing to Chang, “Doctor Lim was injured badly and that episode is one of the probably the saddest episodes and more like, most thrilling episodes because like she’s on a gurney, blood is gushing out everywhere but we were laughing the entire time back behind the scenes. It was a funny night.”
Chang chimed in, “It was a long night of filming and on camera, it was a hard, sad episode but behind the scenes, we laughed between every take.”
“Oh yeah, you know what, I’m very professional on the set of the...
In this exclusive interview with uInterview, the three discussed the best behind-the-scenes moments from The Good Doctor.
“Last season, her character,” Henderson began, pointing to Chang, “Doctor Lim was injured badly and that episode is one of the probably the saddest episodes and more like, most thrilling episodes because like she’s on a gurney, blood is gushing out everywhere but we were laughing the entire time back behind the scenes. It was a funny night.”
Chang chimed in, “It was a long night of filming and on camera, it was a hard, sad episode but behind the scenes, we laughed between every take.”
“Oh yeah, you know what, I’m very professional on the set of the...
- 2/21/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
Sundance 2023: ‘Fancy Dance’ Directed by Erica Tremblay
U.S. Dramatic Competition
This is a perfect Sundance film. Regional, authentically true to its roots, it also sounds great, from the Cherokee conversation spoken with total ease and subtitled for English speaking non-Cherokees to the beat of the drum and the music accompanying our two protagonists as they seek their sister and mother.
Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (the luminous Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of losing custody to Jax’s father, Frank (Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world and at the mercy of a failed justice system.
Jax (Lily Gladstone) and Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson)
This debut fiction feature demonstrates the talent of Erica Tremblay, an American writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. We cast a new eye upon the land and the characters who make up the Cherokee nation. (It was filmed and supported by the Cherokee nation. Erica Tremblay recently worked as an executive story editor on Reservation Dogs at FX, where she directed her 1st TV episode. Together with Sterlin Harjo, she developed a series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellowbird (2014) for Paramount+. She was an executive story editor on Dark Winds (2022), produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. Her feature project Fancy Dance (2023) was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs. In 2021, she was awarded the Walter Bernstein Screenwriting Fellowship, the Maja Kristin Directing Fellowship, the Sffilm Rainin Grant and the Lynn Shelton of a Certain Age Grant. Her short film Little Chief (2020) premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was included on IndieWire’s top-10 list of must-see short films at the festival. In addition to writing and directing, she’s also studying her indigenous language.
Director Erica Tremblay
As the sister and her niece make their way through their journey, the harshness of Jax and the kleptomania of Roki transform into understandable traits, especially for Roki who sees shoplifting as a normal adaptation to being constantly short of money. As for Jax, her dykish behavior which elicits disrespect from some men is a shield for her which hides her totally unconditional dedication to family, except when calling her brother, the sheriff, negligent and uncaring about tracking down their sister who has gone missing.
Tremblay’s unflinching exploration of marginalization uses a mystery narrative as a springboard for an oblique coming-of-age story, lovingly and luminously enacted by Gladstone and Deroy-Olson. Tremblay’s juxtaposition of settler violence against the strength of Indigenous communities offers a nuanced account of the human costs of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic and the possibilities of healing for those left behind.
Fancy Dance was produced by four deeply engaged producers: Tommy Oliverwhose film 1982 premiered at Sundance in 2013 and who is here this year with three films, Fancy Dance, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project andYoung. Wild. Free.; longtime programmer for indigenous programming since Sundance first championed the genre N. Bird Runningwater; Forest Whitaker producer of 34 films including this year’s Sundance film To Live and Die and Live and 2013 Sundance great Fruitvale Station; and Heather Rae, born on October 1, 1966 in Venice, California, USA and already producer of 42 films including Mosquito y Mari (Sundance 2012) and Tommy Oliver’s 1982(Sundance 2013). Others are Deidre Backs recipient of the 2021 Sundance Institute Mark Silverman honor as a Sundance Creative Producing Lab fellow and a 2022 Women at Sundance fellow; Nina Yang Bongiovi (30 producer credits), Dylan Brodie (18 credits), two relative newcomers Charlotte Koh, Robert Grigsby Wilson and the writer director herself Erica Tremblay.
While Sundance has morphed over its nearly 40 years from a showcase of small indie regional Americana into a Hollywood hunting ground and showcase of those whose arcs began there but have now made it to the heights, from budgets of $1 million and less to the $30–50 million dollar range, this film is a tribute to all that Robert Redford strove to achieve. It is a classic.
MoviesIndigenousFilm FestivalsWomenInternational Film...
U.S. Dramatic Competition
This is a perfect Sundance film. Regional, authentically true to its roots, it also sounds great, from the Cherokee conversation spoken with total ease and subtitled for English speaking non-Cherokees to the beat of the drum and the music accompanying our two protagonists as they seek their sister and mother.
Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (the luminous Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of losing custody to Jax’s father, Frank (Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world and at the mercy of a failed justice system.
Jax (Lily Gladstone) and Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson)
This debut fiction feature demonstrates the talent of Erica Tremblay, an American writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. We cast a new eye upon the land and the characters who make up the Cherokee nation. (It was filmed and supported by the Cherokee nation. Erica Tremblay recently worked as an executive story editor on Reservation Dogs at FX, where she directed her 1st TV episode. Together with Sterlin Harjo, she developed a series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellowbird (2014) for Paramount+. She was an executive story editor on Dark Winds (2022), produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. Her feature project Fancy Dance (2023) was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs. In 2021, she was awarded the Walter Bernstein Screenwriting Fellowship, the Maja Kristin Directing Fellowship, the Sffilm Rainin Grant and the Lynn Shelton of a Certain Age Grant. Her short film Little Chief (2020) premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was included on IndieWire’s top-10 list of must-see short films at the festival. In addition to writing and directing, she’s also studying her indigenous language.
Director Erica Tremblay
As the sister and her niece make their way through their journey, the harshness of Jax and the kleptomania of Roki transform into understandable traits, especially for Roki who sees shoplifting as a normal adaptation to being constantly short of money. As for Jax, her dykish behavior which elicits disrespect from some men is a shield for her which hides her totally unconditional dedication to family, except when calling her brother, the sheriff, negligent and uncaring about tracking down their sister who has gone missing.
Tremblay’s unflinching exploration of marginalization uses a mystery narrative as a springboard for an oblique coming-of-age story, lovingly and luminously enacted by Gladstone and Deroy-Olson. Tremblay’s juxtaposition of settler violence against the strength of Indigenous communities offers a nuanced account of the human costs of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic and the possibilities of healing for those left behind.
Fancy Dance was produced by four deeply engaged producers: Tommy Oliverwhose film 1982 premiered at Sundance in 2013 and who is here this year with three films, Fancy Dance, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project andYoung. Wild. Free.; longtime programmer for indigenous programming since Sundance first championed the genre N. Bird Runningwater; Forest Whitaker producer of 34 films including this year’s Sundance film To Live and Die and Live and 2013 Sundance great Fruitvale Station; and Heather Rae, born on October 1, 1966 in Venice, California, USA and already producer of 42 films including Mosquito y Mari (Sundance 2012) and Tommy Oliver’s 1982(Sundance 2013). Others are Deidre Backs recipient of the 2021 Sundance Institute Mark Silverman honor as a Sundance Creative Producing Lab fellow and a 2022 Women at Sundance fellow; Nina Yang Bongiovi (30 producer credits), Dylan Brodie (18 credits), two relative newcomers Charlotte Koh, Robert Grigsby Wilson and the writer director herself Erica Tremblay.
While Sundance has morphed over its nearly 40 years from a showcase of small indie regional Americana into a Hollywood hunting ground and showcase of those whose arcs began there but have now made it to the heights, from budgets of $1 million and less to the $30–50 million dollar range, this film is a tribute to all that Robert Redford strove to achieve. It is a classic.
MoviesIndigenousFilm FestivalsWomenInternational Film...
- 2/11/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
To Live and Die and Live, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, follows film director Muhammad (Amin Joseph) who tries to cope with his stepfather’s death while battling his own drug addiction.
In an exclusive interview at the premiere, director Qasim Basir told uInterview founder Erik Meers the most important message from the film.
“That it’s ok,” he stated. “And that a lot more people are dealing with things that this character is dealing with that we don’t know, either publicly or secretly. That you’re not alone.”
Basir also revealed the hardest scene to film.
“The conversation with his mom, no question,” the director answered immediately. “That day was very hot and emotional and we just kept going and doing take after take until we got it right.”
The post Video Exclusive: Director Qasim Basir On His Film ‘To Live & Die & Live...
In an exclusive interview at the premiere, director Qasim Basir told uInterview founder Erik Meers the most important message from the film.
“That it’s ok,” he stated. “And that a lot more people are dealing with things that this character is dealing with that we don’t know, either publicly or secretly. That you’re not alone.”
Basir also revealed the hardest scene to film.
“The conversation with his mom, no question,” the director answered immediately. “That day was very hot and emotional and we just kept going and doing take after take until we got it right.”
The post Video Exclusive: Director Qasim Basir On His Film ‘To Live & Die & Live...
- 2/8/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
In To Live and Die and Live Amin Joseph plays the film director Muhammad. The film focuses on his and his family’s struggles after the death of their stepfather and Muhammad’s drug addiction.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Travina Springer talked about what her character is like in the film.
“I am Muhammad’s sister and we have a very interesting relationship because I’m just not really impressed with my brother and I’d like him to do better,” she explained. “We have a really fun family dynamic in the film. We’re a black Muslim family and that’s not something you see very often in Hollywood.”
Springer also revealed her favorite moments from shooting.
“I would say my favorite moment looking back would be behind the scenes, getting to be very hands-on and creative and make artsy choices as cast,” she said. “There were...
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Travina Springer talked about what her character is like in the film.
“I am Muhammad’s sister and we have a very interesting relationship because I’m just not really impressed with my brother and I’d like him to do better,” she explained. “We have a really fun family dynamic in the film. We’re a black Muslim family and that’s not something you see very often in Hollywood.”
Springer also revealed her favorite moments from shooting.
“I would say my favorite moment looking back would be behind the scenes, getting to be very hands-on and creative and make artsy choices as cast,” she said. “There were...
- 2/8/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
To Live and Die and Live, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, follows film director Muhammad (Amin Joseph) who tries to cope with his stepfather’s death while battling his own drug addiction.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Joseph revealed the hardest part about playing the character.
>Watch Maryam Basir’s uINTERVIEW At Sundance!
“The role was as physically demanding as it was psychologically,” he explained. “But psychologically was probably the toughest. The fact that the character Muhammad deals with substance abuse, depression and anxiety throughout the film can wear a toll on you. But physically it was really demanding, we had a really tough schedule that we had to complete the film in.”
Joseph also told uInterview founder Erik Meers about his most memorable part of the film.
“Probably changing in an airport,” he laughed. “Yeah, probably changing in an airport with no bathroom, no privacy. Just getting it done.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Joseph revealed the hardest part about playing the character.
>Watch Maryam Basir’s uINTERVIEW At Sundance!
“The role was as physically demanding as it was psychologically,” he explained. “But psychologically was probably the toughest. The fact that the character Muhammad deals with substance abuse, depression and anxiety throughout the film can wear a toll on you. But physically it was really demanding, we had a really tough schedule that we had to complete the film in.”
Joseph also told uInterview founder Erik Meers about his most memorable part of the film.
“Probably changing in an airport,” he laughed. “Yeah, probably changing in an airport with no bathroom, no privacy. Just getting it done.
- 2/8/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
Variety magazine celebrated the return of in-person Sundance to Park City, Utah at the MacRo Lodge. Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined writer and director Nicole Holofcener for the premiere of their film “You Hurt My Feelings” followed up a reception at the Variety Sundance cover party, presented by MacRo.
They were joined by co-star Tobias Menzies, “Harlem” cast members Meagon Good and Shoniqua Shandai, “To Live and Die and Live” director Qasim Basir and cast members Skye P. Marshall, Maryam Basir, Amin Joseph and Cory Hardrict, Variety CEO Michelle Sobrino-Stearns and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh.
They were joined by co-star Tobias Menzies, “Harlem” cast members Meagon Good and Shoniqua Shandai, “To Live and Die and Live” director Qasim Basir and cast members Skye P. Marshall, Maryam Basir, Amin Joseph and Cory Hardrict, Variety CEO Michelle Sobrino-Stearns and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh.
- 1/31/2023
- by Meredith Woerner
- Variety Film + TV
A film as convoluted as its title, To Live and Die and Live is a poetic exploration of a new Detroit facing the same problems as the old one. Rust Belt cities throughout the country are undergoing a similar transformation: once built by a hard-working middle class that got their hands dirty and made things, they’ve been hollowed-out and rediscovered by a new generation of gentrifying hipsters who eventually build breweries on every corner.
Films exploring this transformation of Rust Belt cities have primarily been the domain of under-resourced filmmakers working on under-resourced film productions, the kind of work Muhammad Abdullah (Amin Jospeh) seemed to escape making by moving to the coasts. Returning to Detroit for his step-father’s funeral, Muhammad stops first at a night club for a cocaine-filled bender where he encounters Asia (Skye P Marshall), a party girl who lives like she may die young. A...
Films exploring this transformation of Rust Belt cities have primarily been the domain of under-resourced filmmakers working on under-resourced film productions, the kind of work Muhammad Abdullah (Amin Jospeh) seemed to escape making by moving to the coasts. Returning to Detroit for his step-father’s funeral, Muhammad stops first at a night club for a cocaine-filled bender where he encounters Asia (Skye P Marshall), a party girl who lives like she may die young. A...
- 1/26/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Andrew Durham makes his directorial feature debut at the Sundance Film Festival with an adaptation of Alysia Abbott’s remarkably intimate memoir, Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, shortening the title to just Fairyland. The story spans from her childhood to adulthood, capturing a longitudinal look into her relationship with her father in a city that became home. Fairyland is emotionally moving, but Durham’s screenplay trips a bit on bringing the source material to the silver screen.
‘Fairyland’ follows a father and daughter chasing a new life in San Francisco L-r: Cody Fern as Eddie Body, Scoot McNairy as Steve Abbott, and Nessa Dougherty as Younger Alysia Abbott | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Alysia suddenly loses her mother in a tragic car accident. Her father, Steve (Scoot McNairy), sees an opportunity for a new start with his daughter, moving to San Francisco in the 1970s. There, he develops his skills...
‘Fairyland’ follows a father and daughter chasing a new life in San Francisco L-r: Cody Fern as Eddie Body, Scoot McNairy as Steve Abbott, and Nessa Dougherty as Younger Alysia Abbott | Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Alysia suddenly loses her mother in a tragic car accident. Her father, Steve (Scoot McNairy), sees an opportunity for a new start with his daughter, moving to San Francisco in the 1970s. There, he develops his skills...
- 1/26/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It’s been nearly a decade since Justin Simien stormed Sundance with his debut feature “Dear White People.” Premiering in Park City in January 2014 — his first trip to the festival — it marked the realization of a long held dream. The audacious social satire had been Simien’s passion project, inspired by his own college experience and fueled by a concept trailer that went viral and an Indiegogo campaign that raised 40,000 for the cause. The reception to “Dear White People” — for which Simien won the breakthrough talent special jury prize — launched the filmmaker’s career, spawning a four-season Netflix series, his sophomore film “Bad Hair” (which also debuted at Sundance) and Disney’s upcoming “Haunted Mansion.”
Now, he’s back at the festival with a new mission: paying it forward.
“This is my first time going without having a movie there and I’m really excited to do that, because usually I’m a mess,...
Now, he’s back at the festival with a new mission: paying it forward.
“This is my first time going without having a movie there and I’m really excited to do that, because usually I’m a mess,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
To Live and Die and Live centers around Muhammad (Amin Joseph), a film director reflecting on his recently-deceased stepfather while also battling with drug addiction.
Actress Maryam Basir, who plays Muhammad’s sister, talked with uInterview founder Erik Meers about her role at the movie’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
“It was just a very emotional role,” Basir told uInterview exclusively, noting that there was a lot of crying on set.
One of the more memorable things from the shoot was her discovering plantains. “I tried them before but I never liked them, but Amin said, ‘taste this you know just try this one try it again.’ And I tried it and it was life-changing. I’m like this is actually really good!”
Basir also noted there were many beautiful moments getting to know everyone’s story while on set.
Basir has just completed work on the new season of Lace.
Actress Maryam Basir, who plays Muhammad’s sister, talked with uInterview founder Erik Meers about her role at the movie’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
“It was just a very emotional role,” Basir told uInterview exclusively, noting that there was a lot of crying on set.
One of the more memorable things from the shoot was her discovering plantains. “I tried them before but I never liked them, but Amin said, ‘taste this you know just try this one try it again.’ And I tried it and it was life-changing. I’m like this is actually really good!”
Basir also noted there were many beautiful moments getting to know everyone’s story while on set.
Basir has just completed work on the new season of Lace.
- 1/23/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
After 2 years of in-person viewing, the red carpet has made its return to the Sundance Film Festival 2023.
The film industry, actors, and lovers of all things cinemas braved the snowy Park City, Salt Lake City, to view the 130 films, docs, and short films that are now available to view on demand for online viewers.
Audiences came together in-person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth, Alia Shawkat, Skye P. Marshall, Jonathan Majors, Jason Momoa, Michael J. Fox, Daisy Ridley, Alexander Skarsgård, Gael Garcia Bernal, Randall Park, Brooke Shields, and more who walked press lines and red carpets for their world premieres.
Related: Deadline Studio at Sundance Film Festival 2023 – Day 3 – Jennifer Connelly, Ben Whishaw, Alia Shawkat, Cynthia Erivo & More
The 2023 program available online includes all dramatic competition films featuring the buzzed-about movies and docs that include Sometimes I think About Dying...
The film industry, actors, and lovers of all things cinemas braved the snowy Park City, Salt Lake City, to view the 130 films, docs, and short films that are now available to view on demand for online viewers.
Audiences came together in-person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth, Alia Shawkat, Skye P. Marshall, Jonathan Majors, Jason Momoa, Michael J. Fox, Daisy Ridley, Alexander Skarsgård, Gael Garcia Bernal, Randall Park, Brooke Shields, and more who walked press lines and red carpets for their world premieres.
Related: Deadline Studio at Sundance Film Festival 2023 – Day 3 – Jennifer Connelly, Ben Whishaw, Alia Shawkat, Cynthia Erivo & More
The 2023 program available online includes all dramatic competition films featuring the buzzed-about movies and docs that include Sometimes I think About Dying...
- 1/21/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
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