Exclusive: Dominick Montiglio, who was at the center of one of the most vicious mafia crews in history, is telling his mob story.
Montiglio is telling the story of his involvement in the notorious DeMeo Crew, part of the Gambino crime family who became some of New York’s most dangerous hitmen, in eight-part audio series Mafia Tapes from Investigation Discovery (ID).
After spending years trying to escape his birthright and returning from serving in Vietnam, Dominick Montiglio finally succumbs and joins his family’s “business”— the American Cosa Nostra. His job? Keep an eye on the DeMeo Crew. When things go south, Dominick must choose between his oath of loyalty to the Mafia and his own survival.
Mafia Tapes is hosted by Celia Aniskovich, who has worked on TV series including Netflix’s How to Fix a Drug Scandal and Fear City: New York vs the Mafia as well...
Montiglio is telling the story of his involvement in the notorious DeMeo Crew, part of the Gambino crime family who became some of New York’s most dangerous hitmen, in eight-part audio series Mafia Tapes from Investigation Discovery (ID).
After spending years trying to escape his birthright and returning from serving in Vietnam, Dominick Montiglio finally succumbs and joins his family’s “business”— the American Cosa Nostra. His job? Keep an eye on the DeMeo Crew. When things go south, Dominick must choose between his oath of loyalty to the Mafia and his own survival.
Mafia Tapes is hosted by Celia Aniskovich, who has worked on TV series including Netflix’s How to Fix a Drug Scandal and Fear City: New York vs the Mafia as well...
- 1/10/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Sundance Selects has acquired the U.S. rights to Frank Serpico, director Antonino D’Ambrosio’s documentary about the whistle-blowing New York City cop who exposed police corruption in 1971, inspiring the 1973 film Serpico, starring Al Pacino.
The Gigantic Pictures film, which premiered at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, is the first doc to have Serpico’s cooperation and was produced, written and directed by D’Ambrosio, whose most recent film was We’re Still Here: Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears Revisited, which was broadcast on PBS in 2016. Brooke Devine, Brian Devine and Jason Orans also served as producers, with Brian Devine Sr., Silvija Devine...
The Gigantic Pictures film, which premiered at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, is the first doc to have Serpico’s cooperation and was produced, written and directed by D’Ambrosio, whose most recent film was We’re Still Here: Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears Revisited, which was broadcast on PBS in 2016. Brooke Devine, Brian Devine and Jason Orans also served as producers, with Brian Devine Sr., Silvija Devine...
- 5/18/2017
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Both documentaries focus on 1970s stories.
Film Sales Company president Andrew Herwitz has boarded worldwide sales on two features ahead of their world premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Ellen Goldfarb’s pop culture documentary Dare To Be Different explores Wlir, the independent Us radio station that exposed Americans to the likes of U2, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and The Clash.
Roger Senders produced the film, which premieres on April 27.
Antonino D’Ambrosio directed Frank Serpico, a documentary about the man behind Sydney Lumet’s iconic film Serpico that starred Al Pacino as the officer who exposed corruption in the NYPD.
The reclusive Serpico discusses his work for the first time in the film and is scheduled to attend the April 23 premiere. Jason Orans produced alongside Brooke Devine, Brian Devine, and Antonino D’Ambrosio.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 19-30.
Film Sales Company president Andrew Herwitz has boarded worldwide sales on two features ahead of their world premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Ellen Goldfarb’s pop culture documentary Dare To Be Different explores Wlir, the independent Us radio station that exposed Americans to the likes of U2, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and The Clash.
Roger Senders produced the film, which premieres on April 27.
Antonino D’Ambrosio directed Frank Serpico, a documentary about the man behind Sydney Lumet’s iconic film Serpico that starred Al Pacino as the officer who exposed corruption in the NYPD.
The reclusive Serpico discusses his work for the first time in the film and is scheduled to attend the April 23 premiere. Jason Orans produced alongside Brooke Devine, Brian Devine, and Antonino D’Ambrosio.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 19-30.
- 4/17/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Im Global has acquired international rights to Boaz Yakin horror thriller Boarding School produced by Maven Pictures' co-founders (and prolific filmmakers) Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray and also produced by Scott Lochmus (The Joneses) and Jason Orans (Goodbye Solo). Currently in post, the film stars Will Patton (Remember the Titans), Samantha Mathis (American Psycho), Sterling Jerins (The Conjuring series), Luke Prael (Boy in a Backpack), and Tammy Blanchard (The Good S…...
- 11/4/2016
- Deadline
It’s been a couple months since the last edition of What’s Up Doc? placed Michael Moore’s surprise world premiere of Where To Invade Next at the top of this list and in the meantime much shuffling has taken place and much time has been spent on various new endeavors (namely my Buffalo-based film series, Cultivate Cinema Circle). Finally taking its rightful place at the top, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hagedus’ Unlocking the Cage is in the midst of being scored by composer James Lavino, according to Lavino’s own personal site. Though the project has been taking shape at its own leisurely pace, I’d expect to see the film making its festival debut in early 2016.
Right behind, the American direct cinema masters is a Texan soon to make his non-fiction debut with Voyage of Time. Just two weeks ago indieWIRE reported that Ennio Morricone, who scored...
Right behind, the American direct cinema masters is a Texan soon to make his non-fiction debut with Voyage of Time. Just two weeks ago indieWIRE reported that Ennio Morricone, who scored...
- 11/5/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The fall festival rush is upon us. Locarno is currently ramping up. Venice has released their line-up and Thom Powers and the Toronto International Film Festival team have dropped a bomb with a previously unannounced new feature from powerhouse docu-provocateur Michael Moore. It is truly a miracle that the production of a film such as Moore’s upcoming Where To Invade Next (see still above) managed to go completely undetected by the filmmaking community until it was literally announced to world premiere at one of the largest film festivals in the world. Programmed as a one of the key films in the Special Presentations section at Tiff, the film sees Moore telling “the Pentagon to ‘stand down’ — he will do the invading for America from now on.” Also announced to premiere at Tiff was Avi Lewis’ This Changes Everything, which has slowly been rising up this list, as well as...
- 8/7/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It’s been a surprisingly interesting month of moving and shaking in terms of doc development. Just a month after making his first public funding pitch at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum, legendary doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman took to Kickstarter to help cover the remaining expenses for his 40th feature film In Jackson Heights (see the film’s first trailer below). Unrelentingly rigorous in his determination to capture the American institutional landscape on film, his latest continues down this thematic rabbit hole, taking on the immensely diverse New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights as his latest subject. According to the Kickstarter page, Wiseman is currently editing the 120 hours of rushes he shot with hopes of having the film ready for a fall festival premiere (my guess would be Tiff, where both National Gallery and At Berkeley made their North American debut), though he’s currently quite a ways away from his $75,000 goal.
- 7/6/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Well folks, after a rather long and brutal winter (at least for me here in Buffalo), we are finally heading into the wonderful warmth of summer, but with that blast of sunshine and steamy humidity comes the mid-year drought of major film fests. After the Sheffield Doc/Fest concludes on June 10th and AFI Docs wraps on June 21st, we likely won’t see any major influx in our charts until Locarno, Venice, Telluride and Tiff announce their line-ups in rapid succession. In the meantime, we can look forward to the intriguing onslaught of films making their debut in Sheffield, including Brian Hill’s intriguing examination of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, The Confessions of Thomas Quick, and Sean McAllister’s film for which he himself was jailed in the process of making, A Syrian Love Story, the only two films world premiering in the festival’s main competition.
- 6/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It should come as no surprise that Cannes Film Festival will play host to Kent Jones’s doc on the touchstone of filmmaking interview tomes, Hitchcock/Truffaut (see photo above). The film has been floating near the top of this list since it was announced last year as in development, while Jones himself has a history with the festival, having co-written both Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P. and Martin Scorsese’s My Voyage To Italy, both of which premiered in Cannes. The film is scheduled to screen as part of the Cannes Classics sidebar alongside the likes of Stig Björkman’s Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words, which will play as part of the festival’s tribute to the late starlet, and Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna’s Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (see trailer below). As someone who grew up watching road races with my dad in Watkins Glen,...
- 5/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Now that the busy winter fest schedule of Sundance, Rotterdam and the Berlinale has concluded, we’ve now got our eyes on the likes of True/False and SXSW. While, True/False does not specialize in attention grabbing world premieres, it does provide a late winter haven for cream of the crop non-fiction fare from all the previously mentioned fests and a selection of overlooked genre blending films presented in a down home setting. This year will mark my first trip to the Columbia, Missouri based fest, where I hope to catch a little of everything, from their hush-hush secret screenings, to selections from their Neither/Nor series, this year featuring chimeric Polish cinema of decades past, to a spotlight of Adam Curtis’s incisive oeuvre. But truth be told, it is SXSW, with its slew of high profile world premieres being announced, such as Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The distributor has acquired Us rights to Participant Media’s documentary about the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on Gulf communities.
Margaret Brown directed the SXSW grand jury award-winner.
RADiUS has set a late 2014 theatrical release. “The Great Invisible unfolds like a thriller and Margaret does a brilliant job of uncovering the aftermath of one of the worst disasters our country has ever faced,” said RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, who brokered the deal with Participant and Submarine.
“Participant is proud to re-team with RADiUS to share Margaret Brown’s beautiful, reflective film about the people and places still reeling from the impact of the spill,” said Participant Media evp of documentary films Diane Weyermann.
Participant and RADiUS previously collaborated on Errol Morris’ The Known Unknown.
Brown added: “RADiUS is clearly a great home for documentaries, and I am thrilled to work with them on this very personal film.”
The Great Invisible is a co-production...
Margaret Brown directed the SXSW grand jury award-winner.
RADiUS has set a late 2014 theatrical release. “The Great Invisible unfolds like a thriller and Margaret does a brilliant job of uncovering the aftermath of one of the worst disasters our country has ever faced,” said RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, who brokered the deal with Participant and Submarine.
“Participant is proud to re-team with RADiUS to share Margaret Brown’s beautiful, reflective film about the people and places still reeling from the impact of the spill,” said Participant Media evp of documentary films Diane Weyermann.
Participant and RADiUS previously collaborated on Errol Morris’ The Known Unknown.
Brown added: “RADiUS is clearly a great home for documentaries, and I am thrilled to work with them on this very personal film.”
The Great Invisible is a co-production...
- 8/20/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The distributor has acquired Us rights to Participant Media’s documentary about the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on Gulf communities.
Margaret Brown directed the SXSW grand jury award-winner.
RADiUS has set a late 2014 theatrical release. “The Great Invisible unfolds like a thriller and Margaret does a brilliant job of uncovering the aftermath of one of the worst disasters our country has ever faced,” said RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, who brokered the deal with Participant and Submarine.
“Participant is proud to re-team with RADiUS to share Margaret Brown’s beautiful, reflective film about the people and places still reeling from the impact of the spill,” said Participant Media evp of documentary films Diane Weyermann.
Participant and RADiUS previously collaborated on Errol Morris’ The Known Unknown.
Brown added: “RADiUS is clearly a great home for documentaries, and I am thrilled to work with them on this very personal film.”
The Great Invisible is a co-production...
Margaret Brown directed the SXSW grand jury award-winner.
RADiUS has set a late 2014 theatrical release. “The Great Invisible unfolds like a thriller and Margaret does a brilliant job of uncovering the aftermath of one of the worst disasters our country has ever faced,” said RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, who brokered the deal with Participant and Submarine.
“Participant is proud to re-team with RADiUS to share Margaret Brown’s beautiful, reflective film about the people and places still reeling from the impact of the spill,” said Participant Media evp of documentary films Diane Weyermann.
Participant and RADiUS previously collaborated on Errol Morris’ The Known Unknown.
Brown added: “RADiUS is clearly a great home for documentaries, and I am thrilled to work with them on this very personal film.”
The Great Invisible is a co-production...
- 8/20/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Don't get me wrong... guys can be hellish too, but anyone who has ever had a run-in with a vengeful loony with a vagina can attest to this fact. Case in point: the latest "devilish noir" flick to head our way, A Wife Alone.
The film will be available through major cable/satellite and On Demand enabled platforms across the United States on June 10th.
From the Press Release
A feature film by Justin Reichman, A Wife Alone is a dark psychological thriller about an ill-fated marriage in the suburbs of upstate New York. The plot centers around Jane, an attractive young bride who marries a naive investment banker named Park, desperate to marry before his 30th birthday.
The young, ostensibly happy couple buys a quaint house in a nice neighborhood and settles into the suburban dream before a visit to Park's godparents,...
The film will be available through major cable/satellite and On Demand enabled platforms across the United States on June 10th.
From the Press Release
A feature film by Justin Reichman, A Wife Alone is a dark psychological thriller about an ill-fated marriage in the suburbs of upstate New York. The plot centers around Jane, an attractive young bride who marries a naive investment banker named Park, desperate to marry before his 30th birthday.
The young, ostensibly happy couple buys a quaint house in a nice neighborhood and settles into the suburban dream before a visit to Park's godparents,...
- 5/15/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
The Great Invisible
Director: Margaret Brown
Producer: Jason Orans
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
We’ve been hyping the talents of Margaret Brown the moment she introduced Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt and her follow up sophomore film The Order of Myths to docuphiles. In the oven for a little while now, we’re thinking The Great Invisible might play as a socially conscious Jennifer Baichwal type doc film where the discourse is found in what is being said, but more importantly what is being spoken in a visual sense.
Gist: Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal stories behind the tragic 2010 Bp Oil Spill. The film uncovers how government and corporate interests respond in the wake of an environmental crisis, and the way this affects a region and culture so rooted in nature.
Release Date: SXSW selected the film for their Documentary Comp section.
Director: Margaret Brown
Producer: Jason Orans
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
We’ve been hyping the talents of Margaret Brown the moment she introduced Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt and her follow up sophomore film The Order of Myths to docuphiles. In the oven for a little while now, we’re thinking The Great Invisible might play as a socially conscious Jennifer Baichwal type doc film where the discourse is found in what is being said, but more importantly what is being spoken in a visual sense.
Gist: Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal stories behind the tragic 2010 Bp Oil Spill. The film uncovers how government and corporate interests respond in the wake of an environmental crisis, and the way this affects a region and culture so rooted in nature.
Release Date: SXSW selected the film for their Documentary Comp section.
- 2/11/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
We jumped the gun with our predictions list in 2012 including The Great Invisible among our hopefuls – but forgive the pun, we hope that Margaret Brown shores up in ’14. Brown turned heads in 2004 with Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt, and that alone pretty much wowed all festival programmers including the Sundance folk, who made sure she received red carpet in a tent status for 2008′s The Order of Myths. A filmmaker with Alabama in her blood, we can imagine that the subject came to the filmmaker and not the other way around. After receiving funding/support/coin from Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, Cinereach and the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund (2011). Everything indicates that the better part of the year she was deep in post-production for what should be an affecting, visually sturdy portrait.
Gist: Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal...
Gist: Margaret Brown’s new documentary is an investigation into the personal...
- 11/19/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Email I received says deadline is this Friday, November 16, so you don't have much time! One past participant whose name you'd recognize is Nekisa Cooper (Pariah); also Jason Orans for Tanya Hamilton's Night Catches Us. Through its long-standing partnership with CineMart, Ifp annually selects two producers to participate in the Rotterdam Lab, which runs concurrently with the CineMart co-production market, January 27-30, 2013. The Fellowship is open to producers with at least one narrative feature producing credit who are current Ifp Members at any level. The Rotterdam Lab, a four-day training workshop for producers, is designed to build up their international...
- 11/12/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The Tribeca Film Institute has awarded its annual grants of $15,000 to ten films through its Tribeca All Access program, most notably Ondi Timoner's "Mapplethorpe." Timoner, the only filmmaker to twice win Sundance's Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, will make the transition to narrative film with the project. James Franco has signed on to play the controversial gay photographer. Other notable projects include an untitled documentary about the world's fascination with gold, directed by "Chop Shop" filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, Liliana Greenfield-Sanders' "Bypass," a modern-day Frankenstein retelling, Lee Isaac Chung's "Abigail Harm," and "The New Black," a documentary on the links between the civil rights and Lgbt movements. Full list of films reprinted below: Untitled Ramin Bahrani Gold Documentary Directed and produced by Ramin Bahrani, produced by Jason Orans -- Set in today’s global...
- 1/12/2012
- Indiewire
#43. The Normals - Kevin Patrick Connors I've lost count of how many items Jess Weixler is attached to in my predictions list - but here is another indie comedy with actor Bryan Greenberg in the lead, a supporting perf from indie stalwart John Sayles and with a newbie filmmaker in the driver's seat. Kevin Patrick Connors' has been to Park City before as an Executive Producer on Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and The Normals will be his big coming out party. If accepted, this book adaptation will be part of the Premieres line-up. Gist: Based on the novel by David Gilbert, written by Chris Ciancimino, with a debt collector hot on his trail, Harvard graduate Billy Schine (Greenberg) enrolls in a clinical drug trial to make a quick buck. Carted out of New York City in a shuttle full of oddball characters, Billy and the rest of the guinea pigs,...
- 11/11/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
#26. The Great Invisible - Margaret Brown For the record I'm horrible at predicting what docs show up Sundance, but we're hopeful that after showing The Order of Myths in 2008 that Margaret Brown will be back spilling her third doc into the U.S Docu Comp. section. The Great Invisible received a production grant through the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and recently received some love from the Cinereach folks. Gist: The Great Invisible looks at the global oil economy through the lens of characters that work in the oil and fishing industries on the Gulf Coast. This look into the personal stories behind the tragic 2010 Bp Oil Spill and uncovers how government and corporate interests respond in the wake of an environmental crisis, and the way this affects a region and culture so rooted in nature. Producer: Jason Orans (Goodbye Solo, Dare, Night Catches Us)(Ioncinema.com Preview Page // IMDb...
- 11/9/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
- 2/27/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
“Imagination, Charm, Fantastical Delights” - Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times
From the Producer of “The Joy Luck Club”
魚 年
Year Of The Fish
Featuring Rotoscoped Digital Painting
Debuts on DVD February 8, 2011 from Gigantic Pictures
Bonus Materials Include Audio Commentaries and Exclusive Footage
Overview: Year Of The Fish is a modern-day adaptation of Cinderella based on a 9th Century Chinese variant of the folk-tale, the oldest known version of the story, recorded some 800 years before the better-known European versions. Hailed by critics as “magical,” “refreshing,” and “shouldn’t be missed,” this award-winning independent feature film was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker David Kaplan and shot entirely on location in New York City’s Chinatown. Using a cutting-edge digital painting technique that transforms live-action video into a beautiful, evocative movie with an animated look and giving the aesthetic effect of a painting brought to life, this unforgettable film...
From the Producer of “The Joy Luck Club”
魚 年
Year Of The Fish
Featuring Rotoscoped Digital Painting
Debuts on DVD February 8, 2011 from Gigantic Pictures
Bonus Materials Include Audio Commentaries and Exclusive Footage
Overview: Year Of The Fish is a modern-day adaptation of Cinderella based on a 9th Century Chinese variant of the folk-tale, the oldest known version of the story, recorded some 800 years before the better-known European versions. Hailed by critics as “magical,” “refreshing,” and “shouldn’t be missed,” this award-winning independent feature film was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker David Kaplan and shot entirely on location in New York City’s Chinatown. Using a cutting-edge digital painting technique that transforms live-action video into a beautiful, evocative movie with an animated look and giving the aesthetic effect of a painting brought to life, this unforgettable film...
- 2/6/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
Cool! "Winter's Bone" Dominates Independent Spirit Awards Nominations! See Complete List of Nominees
I'm so glad that "Winter's Bone" has been receiving all the accolades. I love this film when it was shown in limited release last summer. The backwoods drama won big at the Gothams Awards winning Best Feature and Best Ensemble, and now, it dominated the Independent Spirit Awards with seven nominations including Best Feature, Director for Debra Granik, Screenplay for Granik and Anne Rosellini, Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence, Supporting Female for Dale Dickey, Supporting Male for John Hawkes, and Cinematography for Michael McDonough. ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)
"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.
Related Links:
"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy
"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans
"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...
"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.
Related Links:
"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy
"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans
"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...
- 11/30/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Historically the Spirit Awards tend to honor a few of the major Oscar players each year but a win at the Spirits can sometimesLe be the last hurrah, a consolation prize as some would say, if the work is too "edgy" for lack of a less exhaustively employed word. Last year's big winner was Precious (refresh your memory?) It took home Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay. There were only three crossover winners from Spirits to Oscars last year : Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Mo'Nique (Precious) and the screenplay for Precious. (The Hurt Locker was considered a 2008 film.)
So what fared well this year? Black Swan got four nods including Best Actress for "sweet girl" Natalie Portman. But it could peak at the right time. Full list after the jump with Winter's Bone (7) and The Kids Are All Right (5) leading the pack.
Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees.
So what fared well this year? Black Swan got four nods including Best Actress for "sweet girl" Natalie Portman. But it could peak at the right time. Full list after the jump with Winter's Bone (7) and The Kids Are All Right (5) leading the pack.
Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees.
- 11/30/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
- Currently in the fine-tuning the script and financing stages of his Untitled Western period pic, and now in the post Goodbye Solo phase (the theatrical run is in it's final weeks/month with the DVD release coming out this August 25th), Ramin Bahrani will be making a trip out the Venice Film Festival for two reasons: he is one of three members on the international jury for first works, and second, he'll be presenting a short film entitled, Plastic Bag which will premiere as the opening night film of Corto Cortissimo (the short film section). For those lucky enough to be in the city of canals and rubber boots, you might want to circle the date and time of the 7th of September at 17:00 at Sala Perla. The eighteen minute short takes place in a not too distant future, where a Plastic Bag goes on an epic journey
- 8/16/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
- It was following a packed North American premiere at the Toronto Int. Film Festival (where many of the patrons already considered themselves fans of his work) and moments after Goodbye Solo had just won an award at the Venice Film Festival that I had the chance to sit down with filmmaker Ramin Bahrani and discuss his third feature film . Here is that interview. Ramin Bahrani Eric Lavallee: Last year, day for date, you had just completed and showed Chop Shop at Tiff and were just getting ready to begin production on this film. Was Goodbye Solo your quickest shoot?Ramin Bahrani: No. In fact I shot it in thirty days...I’ve shot all three of my films in 30 days which by European standards this is not a lot, but by American independent standards they usually film somewhere between fourteen to twenty days. I came back from Venice
- 3/24/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Fox Searchlight's "The Wrestler" was named best feature at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards. It also scored trophies for actor Mickey Rourke and cinematograper Maryse Alberti.
"The thing I love about the Spirit Awards is every film here is a passion piece; we all bled to get to this room," director-producer Darren Aronofksy said as he accepted the award with fellow producer Scott Franklin at the free-wheeling ceremony held Saturday in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
"I realized while doing special effects on a space movie that I really loved working with actors more than anything else," Aronofsky said about his decision to make a movie about a washed-up wrestler trying to reclaim his life.
In the weekend's first showdown between Rourke and "Milk's" Sean Penn, it was Rourke who triumphed as best male lead.
In a raucous acceptance speech, in which he freely lobbed...
"The thing I love about the Spirit Awards is every film here is a passion piece; we all bled to get to this room," director-producer Darren Aronofksy said as he accepted the award with fellow producer Scott Franklin at the free-wheeling ceremony held Saturday in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
"I realized while doing special effects on a space movie that I really loved working with actors more than anything else," Aronofsky said about his decision to make a movie about a washed-up wrestler trying to reclaim his life.
In the weekend's first showdown between Rourke and "Milk's" Sean Penn, it was Rourke who triumphed as best male lead.
In a raucous acceptance speech, in which he freely lobbed...
- 2/21/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Family drama "Rachel Getting Married", border-smuggling saga "Frozen River" and struggling mother tale "Ballast" have shown their domination on the run for the 2009 Spirit Awards. Upon the announcement of the awards' nominees on Tuesday, December 2, it has been revealed that those three films have collected six counts each.
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
- 12/3/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
By Stephen Saito
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
- 12/2/2008
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
With six nominations each, "Ballast," a drama about survival in the Mississippi Delta, "Frozen River," a portrait of two single moms on the Canadian border, and "Rachel Getting Married," the account of a dysfunctional family wedding, led the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards, announced Tuesday morning.
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
- 12/2/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
L.A.-based Roadside Attractions has picked up domestic rights to Ramin Bahrani's drama "Goodbye Solo," one of a dozen international territories to land the Venice fest prizewinner at Afm.
Set in the director's hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., "Solo" tracks the unlikely, life-changing friendship between a taciturn Southern good ol' boy (Red West) and an extroverted Senegalese taxi driver (Souleymane Sy Savane). It marks the feature debut of Savane and West, a member of Elvis Presley's fabled "Memphis Mafia."
Roadside will give the film a national platform rollout this spring. "Although his first two films ('Man Push Cart' and 'Chop Shop') firmly established Ramin as one of America's most important young filmmakers, 'Solo' is the kind of thinking-man's crowd-pleaser that's going to break him to a much wider audience," said Roadside acquisitions director Dustin Smith, who negotiated the deal with domestic rep Cinetic Media.
Set in the director's hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., "Solo" tracks the unlikely, life-changing friendship between a taciturn Southern good ol' boy (Red West) and an extroverted Senegalese taxi driver (Souleymane Sy Savane). It marks the feature debut of Savane and West, a member of Elvis Presley's fabled "Memphis Mafia."
Roadside will give the film a national platform rollout this spring. "Although his first two films ('Man Push Cart' and 'Chop Shop') firmly established Ramin as one of America's most important young filmmakers, 'Solo' is the kind of thinking-man's crowd-pleaser that's going to break him to a much wider audience," said Roadside acquisitions director Dustin Smith, who negotiated the deal with domestic rep Cinetic Media.
- 11/7/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- [Exclusive Image - click on picture for larger version. Red West (left) and Souleymane Sy Savane (right). Photo Credit: © www.vesic.com, Hooman Bahrani. All rights reserved.] #32. Untitled Ramin Bahrani project Director: Ramin BahraniWriters: Bahareh Azimi and Bahrani Producers: Jason Orans (Flannel Pajamas) and Bahrani, Ted Hope (The Savages) Distributor: Currently Seeking Distribution The Gist: Written by Bahrani and Bahareh Azimi, this is a dramatization between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William (Red West). The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Fact: Actor Red West was Elvis' body guard. Yes, that Elvis. See It: With a knack at discovering the most appealing microcosms of life and creating compelling characters, this filmmaker is one of the more refreshing voices in indie film today and not since Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth have we had the inkling to want to wanna see an exchange between driver and passenger. Get a double dose this year with Chop Shop (no.
- 1/31/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Acclaimed writer-director Ramin Bahrani will make the darkly comic drama Solo for executive producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey of This Is That Prods.
The award-winning creator of Man Push Cart and the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival entry Chop Shop will dramatize the friendship between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William, who will be played by Elvis Presley "Memphis Mafia" member Red West in his first starring role.
The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Solo decides to befriend William, hoping to change his mind in the 12 days before their scheduled ride.
Bahrani wrote the screenplay with his Shop collaborator Bahareh Azimi and is producing the project with Gigantic Films' Jason Orans. Bahrani's Noruz Films, This Is That and Gigantic are the producers. Kate Dean serves as co-producer. This Is That and ITVS are funding the feature, set to begin filming Sept. 19 over five weeks in Winston-Salem, N.C.
As with Cart and Shop, the Iranian-American director mainly will use nonprofessional actors and a neo-realistic style in the vein of early Roberto Rossellini and Ken Loach. Bahrani spent seven months in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Africa searching for his lead actor before discovering newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane in Gotham.
The award-winning creator of Man Push Cart and the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival entry Chop Shop will dramatize the friendship between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William, who will be played by Elvis Presley "Memphis Mafia" member Red West in his first starring role.
The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Solo decides to befriend William, hoping to change his mind in the 12 days before their scheduled ride.
Bahrani wrote the screenplay with his Shop collaborator Bahareh Azimi and is producing the project with Gigantic Films' Jason Orans. Bahrani's Noruz Films, This Is That and Gigantic are the producers. Kate Dean serves as co-producer. This Is That and ITVS are funding the feature, set to begin filming Sept. 19 over five weeks in Winston-Salem, N.C.
As with Cart and Shop, the Iranian-American director mainly will use nonprofessional actors and a neo-realistic style in the vein of early Roberto Rossellini and Ken Loach. Bahrani spent seven months in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Africa searching for his lead actor before discovering newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane in Gotham.
- 8/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Acclaimed writer-director Ramin Bahrani will make the darkly comic drama "Solo" for executive producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey of This Is That Prods.
The award-winning creator of "Man Push Cart" and the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival entry "Chop Shop" will dramatize the friendship between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William, who will be played by Elvis Presley "Memphis Mafia" member Red West in his first starring role.
The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Solo decides to befriend William, hoping to change his mind in the 12 days before their scheduled ride.
Bahrani wrote the screenplay with his "Shop" collaborator Bahareh Azimi and is producing the project with Gigantic Films' Jason Orans. Bahrani's Noruz Films, This Is That and Gigantic are the producers. Kate Dean serves as co-producer. This Is That and ITVS are funding the feature, set to begin filming Sept. 19 over five weeks in Winston-Salem, N.C.
As with "Cart" and "Shop", the Iranian-American director mainly will use nonprofessional actors and a neo-realistic style in the vein of early Roberto Rossellini and Ken Loach. Bahrani spent seven months in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Africa searching for his lead actor before discovering newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane in Gotham.
The award-winning creator of "Man Push Cart" and the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival entry "Chop Shop" will dramatize the friendship between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William, who will be played by Elvis Presley "Memphis Mafia" member Red West in his first starring role.
The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Solo decides to befriend William, hoping to change his mind in the 12 days before their scheduled ride.
Bahrani wrote the screenplay with his "Shop" collaborator Bahareh Azimi and is producing the project with Gigantic Films' Jason Orans. Bahrani's Noruz Films, This Is That and Gigantic are the producers. Kate Dean serves as co-producer. This Is That and ITVS are funding the feature, set to begin filming Sept. 19 over five weeks in Winston-Salem, N.C.
As with "Cart" and "Shop", the Iranian-American director mainly will use nonprofessional actors and a neo-realistic style in the vein of early Roberto Rossellini and Ken Loach. Bahrani spent seven months in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Africa searching for his lead actor before discovering newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane in Gotham.
- 8/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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