“Yasmeen’s Element” opens with a quote about education from Malala Yousafzai. It’s a smart move, immediately bringing the topic to the forefront of the viewing experience while invoking one of the most famous advocates of girls’ education, one who hails from co-writer and Pakistani-American director Amman Abbasi’s country of origin. But the film, an enthralling escapade centered on the title character and co-written by Jeffrey E. Stern and Sana Jafri, doesn’t need it
Eshal Fatima stars as Yasmeen, a 12-year-old student in a North Pakistan village who delights in going to school and spending time with her classmates. One day, the teacher dismisses students early after speaking with soldiers outside the school, assigning everyone one element from the periodic table to present on the next day. In the rush of post-school giggles and games with her friends, Yasmeen loses her element, and sets off on an adventure...
Eshal Fatima stars as Yasmeen, a 12-year-old student in a North Pakistan village who delights in going to school and spending time with her classmates. One day, the teacher dismisses students early after speaking with soldiers outside the school, assigning everyone one element from the periodic table to present on the next day. In the rush of post-school giggles and games with her friends, Yasmeen loses her element, and sets off on an adventure...
- 3/15/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
SXSW top brass have announced an additional 50 titles in the remaining line-up for next month, with world premieres of Alice Lowe’s Timestalker, Dev Patel’s Monkey Man, and Sydney Sweeney starrer Immaculate among the selection.
Playing in Headliner are Monkey Man, Patel’s feature directorial debut revenge story; Michael Mohan’s Immaculate, which Neon will distribute in the US and stars Sweeney as a nun; and A24’s New Year’s Eve comedy sci-fi Y2K starring Rachel Zegler.
Among Narrative Spotlight selections are Lowe’s UK reincarnation rom-com Timestalker (pictured) sold by HanWay Films and starring herself and...
Playing in Headliner are Monkey Man, Patel’s feature directorial debut revenge story; Michael Mohan’s Immaculate, which Neon will distribute in the US and stars Sweeney as a nun; and A24’s New Year’s Eve comedy sci-fi Y2K starring Rachel Zegler.
Among Narrative Spotlight selections are Lowe’s UK reincarnation rom-com Timestalker (pictured) sold by HanWay Films and starring herself and...
- 2/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Following the success of their Halloween trilogy, writer/director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse re-teamed to tackle another esteemed horror property: The Exorcist.
The Exorcist: Believer possesses home video with an audio commentary by David Gordon Green, co-writer Peter Sattler, special makeup FX designer Christopher Nelson, and executive producer Ryan Turek, among other extras.
Here are 15 things I learned from The Exorcist: Believer commentary…
1. The film’s opening soundscape is inspired by a meditation app.
The film’s opening logos are accompanied by droning sounds inspired by calming music on a meditation app that Green uses.
“I am a fan of the mid-afternoon meditation shutdown, and I listen to a little app that’s full of singing bells and chimes and little brain cleansers, so I thought nothing better for our brainwaves than to open our movie with some of the same.”
‘Brainwaves’ was also the code name adopted for the production.
The Exorcist: Believer possesses home video with an audio commentary by David Gordon Green, co-writer Peter Sattler, special makeup FX designer Christopher Nelson, and executive producer Ryan Turek, among other extras.
Here are 15 things I learned from The Exorcist: Believer commentary…
1. The film’s opening soundscape is inspired by a meditation app.
The film’s opening logos are accompanied by droning sounds inspired by calming music on a meditation app that Green uses.
“I am a fan of the mid-afternoon meditation shutdown, and I listen to a little app that’s full of singing bells and chimes and little brain cleansers, so I thought nothing better for our brainwaves than to open our movie with some of the same.”
‘Brainwaves’ was also the code name adopted for the production.
- 12/20/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
To make a film critical of oneself and the values instilled in you by family and society is not an easy task. But that’s exactly what Mohamed Kordofani set out to do with Goodbye Julia. “I wanted this to be a mirror for Sudanese people. I think we, as a community, care too much about how people view us but we don’t care at all about what the people we oppress think.”
The film–screening for free this Tuesday, December 12 as part of Film Independent Presents!–tackles the macro issues of racism, colorism and prejudice within Sudan while concentrating on the growing friendship between two women in Khartoum. The first Mona (Eiman Yousef) is a privileged Sudanese housewife of Arab descent. The other, Julia (Siran Riak), is a poor woman originally from South Sudan and of African descent who ends up being her maid.
Like an Asghar Farhadi...
The film–screening for free this Tuesday, December 12 as part of Film Independent Presents!–tackles the macro issues of racism, colorism and prejudice within Sudan while concentrating on the growing friendship between two women in Khartoum. The first Mona (Eiman Yousef) is a privileged Sudanese housewife of Arab descent. The other, Julia (Siran Riak), is a poor woman originally from South Sudan and of African descent who ends up being her maid.
Like an Asghar Farhadi...
- 12/7/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Film Independent News & More
If you didn't see it in theaters or want to experience it again from the comfort of your couch (and perhaps in the warm glow of the lights from your Christmas tree), The Exorcist: Believer is coming to Digital on December 1st and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 19th via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, and we have a look at the cover art and full list of bonus features for the home media release, including a feature-length commentary with David Gordon Green, Ryan Turek, Peter Sattler, and Christopher Nelson:
Press Release: Universal City, California, November 27, 2023 – Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-rayTM and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism,...
Press Release: Universal City, California, November 27, 2023 – Discover what makes Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer horrifying with never-before-seen bonus content available on Digital December 1, 2023, and 4K Uhd, Blu-rayTM and DVD on December 19, 2023, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new bonus content with cast and filmmaker interviews gives a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, including editing an exorcism,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Hmma) today announced the 2023 nominees for scores and songs in film and other visual media categories. The awards will be presented Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. (Pst) at The Avalon, 1735 Vine Street, in Hollywood, CA.
Song nominees include Oscar-winners Billie Eilish and Finneas for “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes. Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lenny Kravitz, Diane Warren, Metro Boomin, and A$AP Rocky also received nods for their original songs in films.
Composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Robbie Robertson, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, Hans Zimmer (The Creator), among many others.
Films nominated in score, song, onscreen performance, and in...
Song nominees include Oscar-winners Billie Eilish and Finneas for “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes. Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lenny Kravitz, Diane Warren, Metro Boomin, and A$AP Rocky also received nods for their original songs in films.
Composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Robbie Robertson, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, Hans Zimmer (The Creator), among many others.
Films nominated in score, song, onscreen performance, and in...
- 11/2/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s not a coincidence that Volker Schlöndorff’s latest film The Forest Maker, the environmental essay documentary about Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, who found a way to grow trees in the most barren areas of Africa, is opening the 27th Sofia International Film Festival kicking off Thursday in the Bulgarian capital.
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
- 3/16/2023
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent today unveiled the three short films directed by fellows selected to participate in its Global Media Makers Spring 2022 LA Residency. (Watch them here.)
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that fosters relationships between filmmakers and industry professionals in the U.S. and abroad, Gmm is produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The shorts emerged from a collaborative workshop where Fellows were paired with local Film Independent Fellows to create a short, impressionistic, film shot on iPhone, which encompasses their personal views of Los Angeles. The local Fellows participating were Nicholas Naiem Bouier, Winter Dunn, Gem Little, Martina Silcock and Katherine Fairfax Wright.
“Providing our Gmm Fellows a space and time to explore our city of Los Angeles, guided by a local Film Independent Fellow, is central to the mission of the program: building bridges and fostering...
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that fosters relationships between filmmakers and industry professionals in the U.S. and abroad, Gmm is produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The shorts emerged from a collaborative workshop where Fellows were paired with local Film Independent Fellows to create a short, impressionistic, film shot on iPhone, which encompasses their personal views of Los Angeles. The local Fellows participating were Nicholas Naiem Bouier, Winter Dunn, Gem Little, Martina Silcock and Katherine Fairfax Wright.
“Providing our Gmm Fellows a space and time to explore our city of Los Angeles, guided by a local Film Independent Fellow, is central to the mission of the program: building bridges and fostering...
- 8/16/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Firelight Media, Reel South, the Center for Asian American Media (Caam) and World Channel have teamed up to launch “Hindsight,” a documentary short film series chronicling the experiences of Black, Indigenous and people of color (Bipoc) communities in the American South and Puerto Rico during Covid-19 in 2020.
The six short films, available to stream starting July 29 via Reel South and the PBS Video App, will explore the cultural shifts, community ingenuity and pivotal conversations that have defined what it’s like to live through the global pandemic in America.
Each filmmaker worked closely with Firelight, Caam and Reel South through production, receiving financing up to $20,000 and production and distribution mentorships by veteran independent filmmakers. They each also paired with a public media station mentor — Arkansas PBS, Alabama Public Television, South Florida PBS, PBS North Carolina or Louisiana Public Broadcasting — for additional editorial guidance based on local expertise and audiences.
The...
The six short films, available to stream starting July 29 via Reel South and the PBS Video App, will explore the cultural shifts, community ingenuity and pivotal conversations that have defined what it’s like to live through the global pandemic in America.
Each filmmaker worked closely with Firelight, Caam and Reel South through production, receiving financing up to $20,000 and production and distribution mentorships by veteran independent filmmakers. They each also paired with a public media station mentor — Arkansas PBS, Alabama Public Television, South Florida PBS, PBS North Carolina or Louisiana Public Broadcasting — for additional editorial guidance based on local expertise and audiences.
The...
- 7/15/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
A mother and daughter bond on a balcony, soaking in the sights and sounds of Karachi with a strange sort of pre-nostalgia, before embarking on a new life in the US. This is the opening of Amman Abbasi’s beautiful Udaan, which screens this week in the Hindsight Shorts program of CAAMFest (May 13-23). Rendered with loving care and utmost nuance the scene is a reminder of something we in the US so often forget […]
The post “What We Were Met with During the Filming Were the True Difficulties and Trauma that Can be Associated with Migrating”: Amman Abbasi on his CAAMFest-selected short Udaan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “What We Were Met with During the Filming Were the True Difficulties and Trauma that Can be Associated with Migrating”: Amman Abbasi on his CAAMFest-selected short Udaan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/18/2021
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A mother and daughter bond on a balcony, soaking in the sights and sounds of Karachi with a strange sort of pre-nostalgia, before embarking on a new life in the US. This is the opening of Amman Abbasi’s beautiful Udaan, which screens this week in the Hindsight Shorts program of CAAMFest (May 13-23). Rendered with loving care and utmost nuance the scene is a reminder of something we in the US so often forget […]
The post “What We Were Met with During the Filming Were the True Difficulties and Trauma that Can be Associated with Migrating”: Amman Abbasi on his CAAMFest-selected short Udaan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “What We Were Met with During the Filming Were the True Difficulties and Trauma that Can be Associated with Migrating”: Amman Abbasi on his CAAMFest-selected short Udaan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/18/2021
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Utopia has acquired worldwide rights to David Gutnik’s “Materna” ahead of the film’s in-person debut at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
The movie looks at four women, whose lives intersect during an incident on a New York City subway. Kate Lyn Sheil (“She Dies Tomorrow”), Jade Eshete (“Billions”), Lindsay Burdge (“Black Bear”), Assol Abdullina (“First Snow”), Michael Chernus (“Orange Is the New Black”), Rory Culkin (“Castle Rock”) and Sturgill Simpson (the upcoming “Killers of the Flower Moon”) all star. Abdullina and Eshete co-wrote the screenplay with Gutnik.
According to the official logline: “‘Materna’ follows the journeys of four New York women who are isolated by city life, separated by class, politics, race and religion, and yet bound by a shared hunger for identity and connection. With their futures at stake, the characters’ lives are upended by a fateful encounter underground, where their stories of personal transformation become a battle for survival.
The movie looks at four women, whose lives intersect during an incident on a New York City subway. Kate Lyn Sheil (“She Dies Tomorrow”), Jade Eshete (“Billions”), Lindsay Burdge (“Black Bear”), Assol Abdullina (“First Snow”), Michael Chernus (“Orange Is the New Black”), Rory Culkin (“Castle Rock”) and Sturgill Simpson (the upcoming “Killers of the Flower Moon”) all star. Abdullina and Eshete co-wrote the screenplay with Gutnik.
According to the official logline: “‘Materna’ follows the journeys of four New York women who are isolated by city life, separated by class, politics, race and religion, and yet bound by a shared hunger for identity and connection. With their futures at stake, the characters’ lives are upended by a fateful encounter underground, where their stories of personal transformation become a battle for survival.
- 4/28/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
This week, the Native American Media Alliance and its partners announced selected fellows for the 6th annual Native American TV Writers Lab.
Founded in 2016, the Native American TV Writers Lab is an intensive TV scriptwriting workshop, which prepares Native Americans for careers as writers. Its mission is to expand the amount of Native Americans working behind the camera, thereby increasing fair and accurate portrayals of Native Americans on TV. According to the WGA West’s 2020 Inclusion Report, the Native American and indigenous population currently represents just 1.1% of working television writers.
The Native American TV Writers Lab takes fellows through a five-week curriculum, curated by seasoned writing professionals, which consists of daily workshops, seminars and one-on-one mentoring. The goal is to have each writing fellow develop and complete a pilot script within five weeks, whiling honing skills that will enable them to move into positions, as staff writers.
The Native American...
Founded in 2016, the Native American TV Writers Lab is an intensive TV scriptwriting workshop, which prepares Native Americans for careers as writers. Its mission is to expand the amount of Native Americans working behind the camera, thereby increasing fair and accurate portrayals of Native Americans on TV. According to the WGA West’s 2020 Inclusion Report, the Native American and indigenous population currently represents just 1.1% of working television writers.
The Native American TV Writers Lab takes fellows through a five-week curriculum, curated by seasoned writing professionals, which consists of daily workshops, seminars and one-on-one mentoring. The goal is to have each writing fellow develop and complete a pilot script within five weeks, whiling honing skills that will enable them to move into positions, as staff writers.
The Native American...
- 4/3/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Firelight Media, Reel South, and the Center For Asian American Media (Caam) has unveiled six filmmakers chosen for the Hindsight Project, a new initiative that focuses on supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (Bipoc) filmmakers living in the American South and U.S. Territories. Kiyoko McCrae, Dilsey Davis, Anissa Latham, Amman Abbasi, Arleen Cruz-Alicea and Zac Manuel were selected to create short films for a new digital series exploring the experiences of communities of color in the South and in Puerto Rico that reflect the migrations and movements throughout the complicated history of these regions.
The filmmakers selected will work with Firelight Media, Reel South, and Caam through all stages of production and will each receive financing up to $20,000 to produce a short film that seeks to disrupt mainstream narratives and illuminate the issues, communities, and identities of these regions. The filmmakers will receive production and distribution mentorship by veteran indie filmmakers.
The filmmakers selected will work with Firelight Media, Reel South, and Caam through all stages of production and will each receive financing up to $20,000 to produce a short film that seeks to disrupt mainstream narratives and illuminate the issues, communities, and identities of these regions. The filmmakers will receive production and distribution mentorship by veteran indie filmmakers.
- 1/26/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Bron Studios is about to bring some scares to the big screen with coming-of-age thriller The Quench. The studio and Michael Angelo Covino are set to produce the film written by Kyle Marvin, with Amman Abbasi (Dayveon) directing. The film is casting.
The Quench follows Tai, a Vietnamese-American teen who is placed in a rural town after a harrowing encounter with a foster father. His new foster parents provide a nurturing but reclusive lifestyle. The husband, Peter, a knifemaker by trade, introduces Tai to the craft, but as Tai is groomed into a more refined version of himself, being drawn out and shaped by Peter, he quickly discovers the true dangers of becoming the knifemaker’s protégé.
Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert and Anjay Nagpal will serve as executive producers and Solome Williams will oversee development. The Quench marks a reunion for Nagpal and Covino, who worked together on...
The Quench follows Tai, a Vietnamese-American teen who is placed in a rural town after a harrowing encounter with a foster father. His new foster parents provide a nurturing but reclusive lifestyle. The husband, Peter, a knifemaker by trade, introduces Tai to the craft, but as Tai is groomed into a more refined version of himself, being drawn out and shaped by Peter, he quickly discovers the true dangers of becoming the knifemaker’s protégé.
Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert and Anjay Nagpal will serve as executive producers and Solome Williams will oversee development. The Quench marks a reunion for Nagpal and Covino, who worked together on...
- 11/19/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The 17th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) concluded on Sunday with a red carpet and gala that featured the world premiere of director Megha Ramaswamy’s “The Odds”, a coming-of-age tale about two teens who skip school on an important exam day and go on a fantastical journey through Mumbai. The evening also featured the presentation of the festival’s Grand Jury and Audience Choice Awards presented by HBO.
Iffla is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. The festival took place April 11-14, 2019 at Regal L.A. Live: A Barco Innovation Center in Los Angeles, California with the gala presentations at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills. This year’s lineup boasted 5 world premieres, 2 North American premieres, 2 U.S. premieres and 11 Los Angeles Premieres, with films presented in 9 different languages, and 50% of the lineup coming from female directors.
Director Praveen Morchhale...
Iffla is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. The festival took place April 11-14, 2019 at Regal L.A. Live: A Barco Innovation Center in Los Angeles, California with the gala presentations at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills. This year’s lineup boasted 5 world premieres, 2 North American premieres, 2 U.S. premieres and 11 Los Angeles Premieres, with films presented in 9 different languages, and 50% of the lineup coming from female directors.
Director Praveen Morchhale...
- 4/17/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
What's new on home video? For those of us interested in watching indie and foreign films and/or documentaries and/or grindhouse titles and/or classic cinema and/or television shows, the answer is easy: plenty! Here's our guide to the latest and greatest. New Indie You may well have missed Dayveon (FilmRise/Mvd) during its all-too-brief theatrical run in 2017, but it’s a drama that packs a real punch. Amman Abbasi’s directorial debut follows its 13-year-old lead character through a long, hot summer in Arkansas in which the young man finds himself inexorably drawn into gang life. Populated with a cast of newcomers, the film has a neorealist feel that makes the drama that much more powerful. A powerful film from a new cinematic voice. Also available: Director...
- 6/13/2018
- by Alonso Duralde
- Movies.com
The 33rd Independent Spirit Awards took place on Saturday, March 3 in Los Angeles. The full winners list is below.
Best Feature
“Get Out”
Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele
“Call Me by Your Name”
Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman
“The Florida Project”
Producers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou
“Lady Bird”
Producers: Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill, Scott Rudin
“The Rider”
Producers: Mollye Asher, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Chloé Zhao
Best Female Lead
Frances McDormand
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Salma Hayek
“Beatriz at Dinner”
Margot Robbie
“I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan
“Lady Bird”
Shinobu Terajima
“Oh Lucy!”
Regina Williams
“Life and Nothing More”
Best Male Lead
Timothée Chalamet
“Call Me by Your Name”
Harris Dickinson
“Beach Rats”
James Franco
“The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya
“Get Out...
Best Feature
“Get Out”
Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele
“Call Me by Your Name”
Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman
“The Florida Project”
Producers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou
“Lady Bird”
Producers: Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill, Scott Rudin
“The Rider”
Producers: Mollye Asher, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Chloé Zhao
Best Female Lead
Frances McDormand
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Salma Hayek
“Beatriz at Dinner”
Margot Robbie
“I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan
“Lady Bird”
Shinobu Terajima
“Oh Lucy!”
Regina Williams
“Life and Nothing More”
Best Male Lead
Timothée Chalamet
“Call Me by Your Name”
Harris Dickinson
“Beach Rats”
James Franco
“The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya
“Get Out...
- 3/4/2018
- by William Earl
- Indiewire
It’s a paradox: Acting without artifice is so often the aim, but the craft of performance is typically enhanced by study and training. In short, being a good actor isn’t easy, but making it look easy is key. It’s a sink-or-swim proposition for all new actors, but especially those who enter into the field without formal training or are tossed into their first feature before even tacitly deciding that they even want to be actors. But the rewards can be huge, and this year has proven that in spades, from star turns from newcomers like Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in Sean Baker’s festival favorite (and major awards contender) “The Florida Project” to rodeo rider Brady Jandreau, cast as himself in Chloe Zhao’s Cannes breakout “The Rider.”
Read More:‘The Florida Project’ First Trailer: Sean Baker and Willem Dafoe Deliver One of the Year’s Best Indies
But Prince,...
Read More:‘The Florida Project’ First Trailer: Sean Baker and Willem Dafoe Deliver One of the Year’s Best Indies
But Prince,...
- 10/3/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Ten Minute Film School E17: Amman Abbasi on Dayeon, interviewed by guest host Gordon Hight...
- 9/26/2017
- Pastemagazine.com
“with a film like this it’s not so much the dialogue, but the emotion of these characters” – Amman Abbasi
Technically the opening American indie film of Sundance 2017 edition, micro indie Amman Abbasi’s Dayveon received its NY/La release via FilmRise on September 13th.
Continue reading...
Technically the opening American indie film of Sundance 2017 edition, micro indie Amman Abbasi’s Dayveon received its NY/La release via FilmRise on September 13th.
Continue reading...
- 9/19/2017
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Throughout cinema’s history, gangster life has often been depicted in glamorous fashion with an endless access to drugs, guns, women, sports cars, and mansions. Even if these lives are short-lived, filmmakers have long venerated their excess, and one glance at popular culture confirms audiences have reciprocated the fascination. For the characters of Dayveon, however, this way of life is grounded in economic necessity. With the ensemble of mostly non-actors never less than utterly convincing, Amman Abbasi’s debut drama is captivating in its immediacy. Ahead of a release this week, we’re pleased to debut an exclusive clip thanks to FilmRise.
“Utilizing a 4:3 ratio, cinematographer Dustin Lane takes a page from the Robbie Ryan handbook with his symmetrical framing and vibrant color palette reminiscent of the films of Andrea Arnold, finding beauty in both the Arkansas skyline and the black bodies that command the frame,” I said in my review.
“Utilizing a 4:3 ratio, cinematographer Dustin Lane takes a page from the Robbie Ryan handbook with his symmetrical framing and vibrant color palette reminiscent of the films of Andrea Arnold, finding beauty in both the Arkansas skyline and the black bodies that command the frame,” I said in my review.
- 9/12/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Everything stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.” That’s the first thought we hear from Dayveon (Devin Blackmon), the 13-year-old protagonist of Amman Abbasi’s heartfelt debut. And it’s hard to argue with him. Dayveon is suffering from so much senseless sadness, he may as well be literally mired in the backroads mud surrounding his Arkansas home. He lives in a bare, isolated cabin with his sister Kim (Chasity Moore), who loves him but is focused on finding work and raising her toddler (Lachion Buckingham Jr). Dayveon’s father is absent, in seemingly every way. His mother is gone too, perhaps driven mad by grief.
- 9/11/2017
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Dayveon Director: Amman Abbasi Written by: Amman Abbasi, Steven Reneau Cast: Davin Blackmon, Dontrell Bright, Kordell “Kd” Johnson, Chasity Moore, Lachion Buckingham, Marquell Manning Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 8/26/17 Opens: September 13, 2017 A recent issue of the leftist online magazine Counterpunch advises that we are not living in a post-racial society. Never mind […]
The post Dayveon Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Dayveon Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/7/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
It’s not easy to get your feature film debut out in the world, and sometimes you have take a lot of the work on your shoulders. That didn’t stop Amman Abbasi, who wrote, directed, edited, produced, and composed music for “Dayveon,” which earned the support of David Gordon Green, who signed up as an executive producer. Not too bad at all. Now, after a debut at the Sundance Film Festival, the drama is getting ready to open in cinemas.
Continue reading ‘Dayveon’ Trailer: David Gordon Green Introduces A New Cinematic Voice at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Dayveon’ Trailer: David Gordon Green Introduces A New Cinematic Voice at The Playlist.
- 8/16/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
"You in this now, ain't no turning back." FilmRise has unveiled the first official trailer for the indie drama Dayveon, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Dayveon is written and directed by filmmaker Amman Abbasi, who also produced, edited and composed the music for the film. Set in a small rural town in Arkansas, the story follows a boy named Dayveon struggling with his older brother’s death. With no parents and few role models, he soon falls in with the local gang. Despite attempts to pull him out, he ends up being pulled further into this world. The cast includes newcomer Devin Blackmon as Dayveon, as well as Kordell "Kd" Johnson, Dontrell Bright, Chasity Moore, Lachion Buckingham, and Marquell Manning. This had some good buzz coming out of Sundance, looks like it could be a solid film. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Amman Abbasi's Dayveon,...
- 8/16/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Throughout cinema’s history, gangster life has often been depicted in glamorous fashion with an endless access to drugs, guns, women, sports cars, and mansions. Even if these lives are short-lived, filmmakers have long venerated their excess, and one glance at popular culture confirms audiences have reciprocated the fascination. For the characters of Dayveon, however, this way of life is grounded in economic necessity. With the ensemble of mostly non-actors never less than utterly convincing, Amman Abbasi’s debut drama is captivating in its immediacy, despite a script that doesn’t feel fully formed Ahead of a release this fall, the first trailer has now landed.
“Utilizing a 4:3 ratio, cinematographer Dustin Lane takes a page from the Robbie Ryan handbook with his symmetrical framing and vibrant color palette reminiscent of the films of Andrea Arnold, finding beauty in both the Arkansas skyline and the black bodies that command the frame,...
“Utilizing a 4:3 ratio, cinematographer Dustin Lane takes a page from the Robbie Ryan handbook with his symmetrical framing and vibrant color palette reminiscent of the films of Andrea Arnold, finding beauty in both the Arkansas skyline and the black bodies that command the frame,...
- 8/15/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The son of Pakistani immigrants, filmmaker Amman Abbasi grew up in Arkansas, where he still lives and works and which became the set for his debut feature. Departing from the details of his own adolescence, “Dayveon” follows a black teenager over one sweltering summer when he falls in with a local gang. Searching for community in the wake of his older brother’s death, he is drawn to the sense of belonging and violence of his new comrades.
Read More:‘The Florida Project’ First Trailer: Sean Baker and Willem Dafoe Deliver One of the Year’s Best Indies
“Executive produced by David Gordon Green, this poetic rural drama is graced with the same humanist shine that defined ‘George Washington,'” wrote IndieWire’s David Ehrlich in his review out of Sundance earlier this year. “Amman Abbasi’s debut feature revitalizes a familiar coming-of-age story by telling it with a rare sense of truth…...
Read More:‘The Florida Project’ First Trailer: Sean Baker and Willem Dafoe Deliver One of the Year’s Best Indies
“Executive produced by David Gordon Green, this poetic rural drama is graced with the same humanist shine that defined ‘George Washington,'” wrote IndieWire’s David Ehrlich in his review out of Sundance earlier this year. “Amman Abbasi’s debut feature revitalizes a familiar coming-of-age story by telling it with a rare sense of truth…...
- 8/14/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Excusive: Ira prison break drama to get private screening on Croisette.
Visit Films heads to Cannes with a sales slate that includes Ira thriller Maze, SXSW selections M.F.A. and Flesh And Blood, and Us coming-of-age drama Cold November.
Ryan Kampe will also be talking up recent Sundance and Rotterdam selections Family Life and Columbus, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Dayveon.
Kampe has scheduled a private buyers’ screening for Maze starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, and Martin McCann. Lionsgate will distributes in the UK and a number of territories are pre-sold.
The thriller chronicles the mass break-out in 1983 of 38 prisoners from the Maze high security prison.
The film focuses on Larry Marley, the chief architect of the escape, who strikes up a complex friendship with Gordon, a prison warden.
Stephen Burke directs and Jane Doolan of Mammoth Films and Brendan J. Byrne of Cyprus Avenue Films serve as producers. The Irish Film Board, Film Väst, Rte...
Visit Films heads to Cannes with a sales slate that includes Ira thriller Maze, SXSW selections M.F.A. and Flesh And Blood, and Us coming-of-age drama Cold November.
Ryan Kampe will also be talking up recent Sundance and Rotterdam selections Family Life and Columbus, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Dayveon.
Kampe has scheduled a private buyers’ screening for Maze starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, and Martin McCann. Lionsgate will distributes in the UK and a number of territories are pre-sold.
The thriller chronicles the mass break-out in 1983 of 38 prisoners from the Maze high security prison.
The film focuses on Larry Marley, the chief architect of the escape, who strikes up a complex friendship with Gordon, a prison warden.
Stephen Burke directs and Jane Doolan of Mammoth Films and Brendan J. Byrne of Cyprus Avenue Films serve as producers. The Irish Film Board, Film Väst, Rte...
- 5/12/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Rooftop Films has announced its lineup for the 2017 Summer Series. This year’s series will feature more than 45 outdoor screenings in more than 10 venues, including films like Michael Showalter’s Sundance hit “The Big Sick” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “The Bad Batch,” (dates still Tbd).
The series kicks off on Friday, May 19 with “This is What We Mean by Short Films,” a collection of some of the most innovative, new short films of the past year. The screening will take place on the roof of The Old American Can Factory, in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The following night, Saturday, May 20, Rooftop will present a sneak preview screening of Zoe Lister-Jones’ 2017 Sundance entry, “Band Aid,” free and outdoors at House of Vans in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The entire lineup so far is below. Tickets are already for sale.
Friday, May 19
“This is What We Mean by Short Films”
Saturday, May 20
“Band Aid” (Zoe Lister-Jones)
Saturday,...
The series kicks off on Friday, May 19 with “This is What We Mean by Short Films,” a collection of some of the most innovative, new short films of the past year. The screening will take place on the roof of The Old American Can Factory, in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The following night, Saturday, May 20, Rooftop will present a sneak preview screening of Zoe Lister-Jones’ 2017 Sundance entry, “Band Aid,” free and outdoors at House of Vans in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The entire lineup so far is below. Tickets are already for sale.
Friday, May 19
“This is What We Mean by Short Films”
Saturday, May 20
“Band Aid” (Zoe Lister-Jones)
Saturday,...
- 5/5/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Ryan Kampe and his team have closed multiple territories on a raft of recent festival picks.
Shanghai Jushi Films has acquired Chinese rights to Sundance and Rotterdam selection Columbus, Sundance and Berlinale selection Dayveon, SXSW and Rotterdam documentary Rat Film, Rotterdam and Toronto selection X500, and Tribeca award winner Kicks.
Kogonda’s comedy Columbus starring John Cho, Parker Posey, and Haley Lu Richardson, has also gone to Front Row for the Middle East, while FilmRise has picked up North American rights to Amman Abbasi’s Arkansas-set rites-of-passage drama Dayveon.
Binci / Lemon Tree Media has acquired Chinese rights to a slew of titles, including Sundance and Rotterdam selection Family Life directed by Alicia Scherson and Cristián Jiménez, and SXSW and Champs-Élysées award winner From Nowhere by Matthew Newton.
The distributor has also picked up two titles in post-production: Ira prison escape drama Maze starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, and Martin McCann, and thriller...
Shanghai Jushi Films has acquired Chinese rights to Sundance and Rotterdam selection Columbus, Sundance and Berlinale selection Dayveon, SXSW and Rotterdam documentary Rat Film, Rotterdam and Toronto selection X500, and Tribeca award winner Kicks.
Kogonda’s comedy Columbus starring John Cho, Parker Posey, and Haley Lu Richardson, has also gone to Front Row for the Middle East, while FilmRise has picked up North American rights to Amman Abbasi’s Arkansas-set rites-of-passage drama Dayveon.
Binci / Lemon Tree Media has acquired Chinese rights to a slew of titles, including Sundance and Rotterdam selection Family Life directed by Alicia Scherson and Cristián Jiménez, and SXSW and Champs-Élysées award winner From Nowhere by Matthew Newton.
The distributor has also picked up two titles in post-production: Ira prison escape drama Maze starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, and Martin McCann, and thriller...
- 3/20/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Audiences may not realize it, but Rough House Pictures has been a pivotal force in American filmmaking over the past decade.
People know Danny McBride as the snarky, self-aggrandizing star of HBO’s “Eastbound and Down” and “Vice Principals,” shows he created with fellow North Carolina School of the Arts alumni Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. But while McBride’s is the most public face, all three men have become influential figures in the film industry.
Green and McBride are writing the Blumhouse reboot of “Halloween,” while Hill is finishing his third film, a comedy starring Josh Brolin. Green has oscillated from the quiet, Southern gothic tales of “George Washington” and “All the Real Girls” to boisterous comedies like “Pineapple Express.” Hill’s debut, “Foot Fist Way,” got the attention of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, who launched Hill’s TV career and gave him the momentum to direct his first studio film,...
People know Danny McBride as the snarky, self-aggrandizing star of HBO’s “Eastbound and Down” and “Vice Principals,” shows he created with fellow North Carolina School of the Arts alumni Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. But while McBride’s is the most public face, all three men have become influential figures in the film industry.
Green and McBride are writing the Blumhouse reboot of “Halloween,” while Hill is finishing his third film, a comedy starring Josh Brolin. Green has oscillated from the quiet, Southern gothic tales of “George Washington” and “All the Real Girls” to boisterous comedies like “Pineapple Express.” Hill’s debut, “Foot Fist Way,” got the attention of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, who launched Hill’s TV career and gave him the momentum to direct his first studio film,...
- 3/3/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
If there’s one thing missing from the glut of horror movies these days, it’s a modern take on the classic man-with-a-knife-on-the-loose slasher movie.
Read More: John Carpenter Producing New ‘Halloween’ With ‘Eastbound & Down’ Team
Few directors have exploited this premise as brilliantly as John Carpenter’s “Halloween” in 1978, which is why fans of the franchise were thrilled last week when Carpenter announced via his Facebook page that writer-director David Gordon Green and actor-producer Danny McBride were collaborating on a new installment of the franchise. McBride recently shared some details on the project with CinemaBlend:
“You know, it’s not a remake…It’s gonna continue the story of Michael Myers in a really grounded way. And for our mythology, we’re focusing mainly on the first two movies and what that sets up and then where the story can go from there.”
Carpenter will executive produce the film,...
Read More: John Carpenter Producing New ‘Halloween’ With ‘Eastbound & Down’ Team
Few directors have exploited this premise as brilliantly as John Carpenter’s “Halloween” in 1978, which is why fans of the franchise were thrilled last week when Carpenter announced via his Facebook page that writer-director David Gordon Green and actor-producer Danny McBride were collaborating on a new installment of the franchise. McBride recently shared some details on the project with CinemaBlend:
“You know, it’s not a remake…It’s gonna continue the story of Michael Myers in a really grounded way. And for our mythology, we’re focusing mainly on the first two movies and what that sets up and then where the story can go from there.”
Carpenter will executive produce the film,...
- 2/13/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
John Carpenter’s 1978 “Halloween” stands as one of the best horror films ever made. Now after decades of not being involved in the franchise, the filmmaker, who will executive produce a new installment, has announced that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride have joined the new production.
Carpenter shared the news on his Facebook page, adding that Green and McBride, part of the “Eastbound & Down” team, shared their vision for the movie and blew him away.
“David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are joining the project to complete the creative team,” Carpenter announced. “David and Danny will write the script together and David will direct. I will continue in my executive producer role to consult and offer my advice and feedback as needed. David and Danny both came to my office recently with Jason Blum and shared their vision for the new movie and…Wow. They get it. I think you’re gonna dig it.
Carpenter shared the news on his Facebook page, adding that Green and McBride, part of the “Eastbound & Down” team, shared their vision for the movie and blew him away.
“David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are joining the project to complete the creative team,” Carpenter announced. “David and Danny will write the script together and David will direct. I will continue in my executive producer role to consult and offer my advice and feedback as needed. David and Danny both came to my office recently with Jason Blum and shared their vision for the new movie and…Wow. They get it. I think you’re gonna dig it.
- 2/9/2017
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Ryan Kampe arrives at the Efm with a sales roster that includes Sundance premieres Family Life and Columbus, Rotterdam entries X500 and Rat Film, and Oscar-nominated Tanna.
Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari, and Eric Schlosser’s Berlinale Special selection documentary the bomb screens on Friday and explores the power and fascination of nuclear weapons. the bomb premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year as a multimedia installation.
Amman Abbasi’s feature directorial debut Dayveon premiered at Sundance last month and screens in Forum on Friday. Newcomer Devin Blackmon plays the eponymous 13-year-old grieving the loss of his older brother who falls in with a local gang. FilmRise acquired North American rights after the premiere in Park City.
Alicia Scherson and Cristián Jiménez’s Family Life premiered at Sundance before going to the Rotterdam Film Festival. Jorge Becker, Gabriela Arancibia, Blanca Lewin and Cristián Carvajal star in the story of a lonely fabulist who concocts a tale...
Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari, and Eric Schlosser’s Berlinale Special selection documentary the bomb screens on Friday and explores the power and fascination of nuclear weapons. the bomb premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year as a multimedia installation.
Amman Abbasi’s feature directorial debut Dayveon premiered at Sundance last month and screens in Forum on Friday. Newcomer Devin Blackmon plays the eponymous 13-year-old grieving the loss of his older brother who falls in with a local gang. FilmRise acquired North American rights after the premiere in Park City.
Alicia Scherson and Cristián Jiménez’s Family Life premiered at Sundance before going to the Rotterdam Film Festival. Jorge Becker, Gabriela Arancibia, Blanca Lewin and Cristián Carvajal star in the story of a lonely fabulist who concocts a tale...
- 2/8/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
So far it’s a solid mix of narratives and documentaries.Step
It’s safe to say that the ultimate Sundance dream is to sell a film (second to Ava DuVernay casually walking by you, of course). Filmmakers want to sell their films so that their work can reach more audiences and they can hopefully go on to make bigger and better films. Studios want to buy films so that they can compete in the industry. Patrons especially want sales so that when their friends later ask if they want to see this new indie film that just came out they can casually go, “Is that finally out? It seems like Ages since I saw it at Sundance. Also did I tell you that Ava DuVernay walked by me this year? I did? Okay.”
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is entering closing weekend with a decent number of those dream sales already under its belt. As...
It’s safe to say that the ultimate Sundance dream is to sell a film (second to Ava DuVernay casually walking by you, of course). Filmmakers want to sell their films so that their work can reach more audiences and they can hopefully go on to make bigger and better films. Studios want to buy films so that they can compete in the industry. Patrons especially want sales so that when their friends later ask if they want to see this new indie film that just came out they can casually go, “Is that finally out? It seems like Ages since I saw it at Sundance. Also did I tell you that Ava DuVernay walked by me this year? I did? Okay.”
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is entering closing weekend with a decent number of those dream sales already under its belt. As...
- 1/30/2017
- by Siân Melton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Dominic Laperriere has edited three feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: Fishing without Nets (2014), The Free World (2016) and, this year, Dayveon. From first-time director Amman Abbasi, Dayveon tells the story of a 13-year-old boy’s coming-of-age after the violent death of his big brother. Laperriere co-edited the film with Michael Carter. Below, he speaks with Filmmaker about how he got into editing and finding the right balance between moving a plot forward and letting an audience savor the moment. Dayveon premiered at Sundance last week in the Next lineup. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]...
- 1/29/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
From working with non-professionals to writing roles for specific actors to hiring a top casting director, there is no one way to find a great cast for an independent film. IndieWire checked in with the Dramatic Competition and Next directors of Sundance 2017 to find out their secrets.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline” Jenny Slate was attached from the beginning. I wrote the role of Donna in “Obvious Child” for Jenny, and when sitting down to write the next project it was a no-brainer to write another role for her. We then built the family around her with the help of two incredible casting directors, Doug Aibel and Stephanie Holbrook.
Zoe Lister-Jones, “Band Aid” Almost all the actors in the film were either friends or people I had personal connections to, so it was a relatively easy process.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline” Jenny Slate was attached from the beginning. I wrote the role of Donna in “Obvious Child” for Jenny, and when sitting down to write the next project it was a no-brainer to write another role for her. We then built the family around her with the help of two incredible casting directors, Doug Aibel and Stephanie Holbrook.
Zoe Lister-Jones, “Band Aid” Almost all the actors in the film were either friends or people I had personal connections to, so it was a relatively easy process.
- 1/28/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
The Park City deals continued to roll in on Wednesday.
IFC Midnight has picked up Us rights from Films Distribution to Midnight selection Killing Ground.
Damien Power’s directorial debut follows a couple on a weekend getaway who discover an empty tent and a lone toddler.
Aaron Pedersen, Ian Meadows, Harriet Dyer and Aaron Glenane star. Joe Weatherstone and Lisa Shaunessy produced.
Meanwhile FilmRise has picked up North American rights from Visit Films to Dayveon and plans a late spring theatrical release slated.
Arkansas-based filmmaker Amman Abbasi makes his feature directorial debut on the Next drama, which stars newcomer Devin Blackmon as a 13-year-old mourning the death of his older brother who falls in with a local gang.
Abbasi produced alongside Lachion Buckingham and Alexander Uhlmann. Executive producers are David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Brandon James, Lisa Muskat, James Schamus, Joe Pirro, Todd Remis, Isaiah Smallman, and Barlow Jacobs.
IFC Midnight has picked up Us rights from Films Distribution to Midnight selection Killing Ground.
Damien Power’s directorial debut follows a couple on a weekend getaway who discover an empty tent and a lone toddler.
Aaron Pedersen, Ian Meadows, Harriet Dyer and Aaron Glenane star. Joe Weatherstone and Lisa Shaunessy produced.
Meanwhile FilmRise has picked up North American rights from Visit Films to Dayveon and plans a late spring theatrical release slated.
Arkansas-based filmmaker Amman Abbasi makes his feature directorial debut on the Next drama, which stars newcomer Devin Blackmon as a 13-year-old mourning the death of his older brother who falls in with a local gang.
Abbasi produced alongside Lachion Buckingham and Alexander Uhlmann. Executive producers are David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Brandon James, Lisa Muskat, James Schamus, Joe Pirro, Todd Remis, Isaiah Smallman, and Barlow Jacobs.
- 1/25/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
FilmRise has acquired the North American rights to the rural drama “Dayveon,” which premiered last Friday in the Sundance Film Festival’s Next section. The film marks the feature debut for Arkansas-based filmmaker Amman Abbasi.
Read More: ‘Dayveon’ Review: Amman Abbasi’s Debut Pulls A Powerful Coming-Of-Age Story From The Rural Heart Of Arkansas
“Dayveon” follows a 13-year-old boy (newcomer Devin Blackmon) who is mourning the death of his older brother and spends his days roaming around his Arkansas town. After falling in with a local gang, he becomes attracted to the camaraderie and violence of their existence.
The film was produced by Abbasi, Lachion Buckingham, and Alexander Uhlmann and executive produced by David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Brandon James, Lisa Muskat, James Schamus, Joe Pirro, Todd Remis, Isaiah Smallman, and Barlow Jacobs.
“I feel privileged to have been able to share ‘Dayveon’ with audiences in Sundance and...
Read More: ‘Dayveon’ Review: Amman Abbasi’s Debut Pulls A Powerful Coming-Of-Age Story From The Rural Heart Of Arkansas
“Dayveon” follows a 13-year-old boy (newcomer Devin Blackmon) who is mourning the death of his older brother and spends his days roaming around his Arkansas town. After falling in with a local gang, he becomes attracted to the camaraderie and violence of their existence.
The film was produced by Abbasi, Lachion Buckingham, and Alexander Uhlmann and executive produced by David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Brandon James, Lisa Muskat, James Schamus, Joe Pirro, Todd Remis, Isaiah Smallman, and Barlow Jacobs.
“I feel privileged to have been able to share ‘Dayveon’ with audiences in Sundance and...
- 1/25/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
FilmRise has acquired North American rights to Dayveon , the feature-film debut of writer-director Amman Abbasi. This is coming off its world premiere as the opening film at the Sundance Film Festival’s Next sidebar. A spring theatrical release is planned. The pic centers on 13-year-old Dayveon (newcomer Devin Blackmon), who is mourning the death of his older brother and spends his days roaming around his rural Arkansas town. When Dayveon falls in with a local gang, he…...
- 1/25/2017
- Deadline
The dinner party is fertile ground for movies about a handful of characters whose unspoken biases bubble to the surface. From “The Exterminating Angel” to “The Celebration,” this longstanding subgenre is a precise means of examining society at large. In the hands of regular collaborators Miguel Arteta and Mike White, it’s a window into the oppressive forces of wealth and privilege, uniquely suited for our troubled times.
So it goes “Beatriz at Dinner,” an engaging if at times heavy-handed drama about characters from vastly different sociopolitical backgrounds facing their differences. As directed by Arteta from White’s screenplay, its appeal largely stems from a nuanced turn by Salma Hayek as a Mexican immigrant confronting an avaricious hotel mogul (John Lithgow), whose corporate mindset and scandal-ridden career make him an unsubtle avatar for Donald Trump. But Arteta and White handle this incendiary material with a gentle touch, and the result...
So it goes “Beatriz at Dinner,” an engaging if at times heavy-handed drama about characters from vastly different sociopolitical backgrounds facing their differences. As directed by Arteta from White’s screenplay, its appeal largely stems from a nuanced turn by Salma Hayek as a Mexican immigrant confronting an avaricious hotel mogul (John Lithgow), whose corporate mindset and scandal-ridden career make him an unsubtle avatar for Donald Trump. But Arteta and White handle this incendiary material with a gentle touch, and the result...
- 1/25/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers behind the feature-length narrative and documentary films premiering this week to find out what cameras they used and why they chose them. Here are their responses.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
- 1/25/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Fox Searchlight has acquired the worldwide rights to the documentary “Step,” which premiered last Saturday in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Competition section. The price tag for the deal was more than $4 million, Deadline reports.
The directorial debut for Tony Award–winning producer Amanda Lipitz, “Step” follows three high school seniors in inner-city Baltimore and their step dance team, “Lethal Ladies.” Members of the founding class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, the dancers are determined to live up to their school’s founding mandate of sending every graduate to college.
Fox Searchlight also bought the remake rights to the movie, which is a co-production between Stick Figure Productions, in association with Impact Partners, Vulcan Productions and Scott Rudin Productions. The film was produced by Steven Cantor and Lipitz and executive produced by Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous, Jeny Raskin, Scott Rudin, Paul G. Allen, Carole Tomko,...
The directorial debut for Tony Award–winning producer Amanda Lipitz, “Step” follows three high school seniors in inner-city Baltimore and their step dance team, “Lethal Ladies.” Members of the founding class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, the dancers are determined to live up to their school’s founding mandate of sending every graduate to college.
Fox Searchlight also bought the remake rights to the movie, which is a co-production between Stick Figure Productions, in association with Impact Partners, Vulcan Productions and Scott Rudin Productions. The film was produced by Steven Cantor and Lipitz and executive produced by Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous, Jeny Raskin, Scott Rudin, Paul G. Allen, Carole Tomko,...
- 1/25/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Have you guys heard about millennials? Well, Drake Doremus has — he’s one of them! — and he’s got some thoughts about all that random sex they’re having. Doremus, who won Sundance with 2011’s sensitively simple “Like Crazy,” has never met a flimsy romantic premise he couldn’t populate with beautiful people and banal observations. It was only a matter of time before this prolific indie auteur turned his eye toward the hedonistic thunderdome of dating apps.
Set in contemporary Los Angeles, “Newness” tells the story of two horny (but also sad) twentysomethings who mysteriously regain their feelings and fall in love, causing tensions between themselves and their society. This is not to be confused with Doremus’ last film, the sci-fi slog “Equals,” which was set in an emotionless utopia where two horny (but also sad) twentysomethings mysteriously regain their feelings and fall in love, causing tensions between them and their society.
Set in contemporary Los Angeles, “Newness” tells the story of two horny (but also sad) twentysomethings who mysteriously regain their feelings and fall in love, causing tensions between themselves and their society. This is not to be confused with Doremus’ last film, the sci-fi slog “Equals,” which was set in an emotionless utopia where two horny (but also sad) twentysomethings mysteriously regain their feelings and fall in love, causing tensions between them and their society.
- 1/24/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The world inhabited by Dayveon (Devin Blackmon) is filled with the wild, raw beauty of the South, the barely existent convenience stores in derelict shopping strips that prop up the grim economy of rural neighborhoods, and the beat up clapboard houses where everyone struggles to make ends meet. To this thirteen year-old teenager, everything around him is “stupid” as he intones in the opening voiceover of the low-key “Dayveon,” the debut film from Amman Abbasi which acts as a calling card for strong directorial talents that are first displayed here, but are sure flourish even more powerfully in future efforts.
Continue reading Director Amman Abbasi Displays A Compelling Cinematic Voice With The Lyrical ‘Dayveon’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Director Amman Abbasi Displays A Compelling Cinematic Voice With The Lyrical ‘Dayveon’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 1/23/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“I don’t have religion, but if I did it would be probably be the Sundance labs,” said “Patti Cake$”writer/director Geremy Jasper.
“Patti Cake$” is one 20 films premiering this week at the Sundance Film Festival that got their start, at least in part, at the Sundance Institute. (In Jasper’s case, he participated in both the Feature Film Screenwriting and Directing labs.)
The labs are the highest-profile aspect of the Institute. Filmmakers find it invaluable to be in Utah for two to three weeks, removed from their day to day concerns and immersed in their films while getting advice from some of the most talented instructors and filmmakers in the world. In Jasper’s case, the first person he sat down with to discuss the problems in his script’s second act was none other than his hero Quentin Tarantino, who workshopped “Reservoir Dogs” at the Sundance Labs 25 years ago.
“Patti Cake$” is one 20 films premiering this week at the Sundance Film Festival that got their start, at least in part, at the Sundance Institute. (In Jasper’s case, he participated in both the Feature Film Screenwriting and Directing labs.)
The labs are the highest-profile aspect of the Institute. Filmmakers find it invaluable to be in Utah for two to three weeks, removed from their day to day concerns and immersed in their films while getting advice from some of the most talented instructors and filmmakers in the world. In Jasper’s case, the first person he sat down with to discuss the problems in his script’s second act was none other than his hero Quentin Tarantino, who workshopped “Reservoir Dogs” at the Sundance Labs 25 years ago.
- 1/22/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Throughout cinema’s history, gangster life has often been depicted in glamorous fashion with an endless access to drugs, guns, women, sports cars, and mansions. Even if these lives are short-lived, filmmakers have long venerated their excess, and one glance at popular culture confirms audiences have reciprocated the fascination. For the characters of Dayveon, however, this way of life is grounded in economic necessity. With the ensemble of mostly non-actors never less than utterly convincing, Amman Abbasi’s debut drama is captivating in its immediacy, despite a script that doesn’t feel fully formed.
Following the gang-related death of his brother, the 13-year-old Dayveon (Devin Blackmon) is feeling like a lost soul, not wanting his sister Kim’s (Chasity Moore) live-in boyfriend, Bryan (Dontrell Bright) to replace his recently deceased family member.”Everything stupid,” our lead remarks in the opening scene as he bikes through his decaying Arkansas town. Although he’s quick to smile,...
Following the gang-related death of his brother, the 13-year-old Dayveon (Devin Blackmon) is feeling like a lost soul, not wanting his sister Kim’s (Chasity Moore) live-in boyfriend, Bryan (Dontrell Bright) to replace his recently deceased family member.”Everything stupid,” our lead remarks in the opening scene as he bikes through his decaying Arkansas town. Although he’s quick to smile,...
- 1/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The World Dramatic section at the Sundance Film Festival features films from around the globe by filmmakers with fresh, dynamic perspectives, such as the new Georgian film “My Happy Family.” The film follows Manana (Ia Shugliashvili) who announces to her family and family on the eve of her 52nd birthday that she plans to leave home. A wife of 25 years to a good husband, Manana has lived under one roof and co-existed with three generations of family, but suddenly she decides to break from tradition and live on her own in a new apartment. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: Lucy Walker’s Buena Vista Social Club Documentary Pulled From Sundance
The film was directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross. They previously directed the film “In Bloom,” about two friends living in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in 1992 who wand to escape society and their families,...
Read More: Lucy Walker’s Buena Vista Social Club Documentary Pulled From Sundance
The film was directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross. They previously directed the film “In Bloom,” about two friends living in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in 1992 who wand to escape society and their families,...
- 1/20/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Who wouldn’t want to build an entire film around the breakout charms of Jessica Williams? That must have been the thought that crossed filmmaker Jim Strouse’s mind when he cast her in his 2015 Sundance premiere “People Places Things,” in which the former “Daily Show” correspondent stole every single scene she appeared in (no small feat, considering the film afforded Williams her biggest role yet, and she was cast alongside other charmers like Jemaine Clement and Regina Hall). For Strouse’s next feature, he’s — quite smartly — turned his full attention to Williams, who makes a bold bid for movie stardom as the centerpiece of “The Incredible Jessica James.”
The film will likely feel familiar to fans of Strouse’s brand of quirky humor, the kind that doesn’t shy away from using big problems — divorce, infidelity, professional failure — to earn both its laughs and relatability. But it’s...
The film will likely feel familiar to fans of Strouse’s brand of quirky humor, the kind that doesn’t shy away from using big problems — divorce, infidelity, professional failure — to earn both its laughs and relatability. But it’s...
- 1/20/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.