The biblical thriller Mary has reportedly wrapped production in Morocco, and Deadline reveals that the film will feature Sir Anthony Hopkins in another royal role after portraying the former King of Asgard, Odin, as well as Lear in the Prime original film, King Lear. Hopkins plays King Herod in the thriller that’s directed by DJ Caruso, whose credits include Disturbia, Eagle Eye and the Vin Diesel actioner xXx: Return of Xander Cage. He joins newcomer Noa Cohen, who plays the titular role. Cohen was chosen after a worldwide casting search and happened to grow up an hour away from where Mary was born in Israel. Cohen can be seen in the Israeli YA series My Nephew Bentz, Infinity and the 2022 feature Silent Game.
The plot synopsis, per Deadline, reads,
“In coming-of-age story Mary, the title character is shunned following the otherworldly conception of her child and forced into hiding.
The plot synopsis, per Deadline, reads,
“In coming-of-age story Mary, the title character is shunned following the otherworldly conception of her child and forced into hiding.
- 4/10/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Paul Lindsay was a former FBI agent and Vietnam veteran who sought to utilize his investigative and military expertise in creating a series of espionage novels, published under the pseudonym Noah Boyd. Unfortunately, that effort only got as far as a second volume before Lindsay died of leukemia in 2011. The first one has been in feature development since that year, initially as a vehicle for Gerard Butler. It’s Aaron Eckhart instead who assumes the mantle of Jack Reacher-like hero Steve Vail in “The Bricklayer,” a screen translation that appears to take considerable liberties with the source material, likely to take advantage of locations and resources afforded by its multinational funding.
The result, largely set in Greece, is an entertaining thriller that constitutes one of globe-trotting director Renny Harlin’s better recent joints, alongside Chinese productions “Bodies at Rest” and “Skiptrace.” Handled in his best slick, colorful, fast-paced fashion, it...
The result, largely set in Greece, is an entertaining thriller that constitutes one of globe-trotting director Renny Harlin’s better recent joints, alongside Chinese productions “Bodies at Rest” and “Skiptrace.” Handled in his best slick, colorful, fast-paced fashion, it...
- 1/3/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
The Protege Review — The Protege (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Martin Campbell and starring Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, David Rintoul, Patrick Malahide, Ray Fearon, Ori Pfeffer, Robert Patrick, Florin Piersic Jr., Tudor Chirila, Velizar Binev, George Pistereanu, Eva Nugyen Thorsen, Tanja Keller and Taj Atwal. Director Martin Campbell delivers an [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: The Protege (2021): Maggie Q and Michael Keaton Face Off in Quality Action Picture...
Continue reading: Film Review: The Protege (2021): Maggie Q and Michael Keaton Face Off in Quality Action Picture...
- 9/9/2021
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Chicago – I’ve always felt that the line between being a spy or an assassin has always been blade-thin. Both kill people based on the orders of someone else.
They are always highly trained in fighting and gun-fu. There is a great chance that they will be absolutely charming and unusually attractive because the job demands it.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Hell, they might even be prone to age-inappropriate relationships that stem from mommy or daddy issues. The true deciding factor on your future path will depend on who picks you to be your mentor, and here is where we find the origin of The Protégé.
There are few genres as forgiving as the action genre. Here you’ll find that the plot is the least important element as long as the leads are charismatic enough, and the fight choreography is on point. There is so much more than that to love in...
They are always highly trained in fighting and gun-fu. There is a great chance that they will be absolutely charming and unusually attractive because the job demands it.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Hell, they might even be prone to age-inappropriate relationships that stem from mommy or daddy issues. The true deciding factor on your future path will depend on who picks you to be your mentor, and here is where we find the origin of The Protégé.
There are few genres as forgiving as the action genre. Here you’ll find that the plot is the least important element as long as the leads are charismatic enough, and the fight choreography is on point. There is so much more than that to love in...
- 8/21/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Jai Courtney, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale, Laverne Cox, Constantine Gregory, Ori Pfeffer, David Bradley, Susan Sarandon, Lewis Ian Bray | Written by Scott Wascha | Directed by Tanya Wexler
Tanya Wexler, director of the brilliant indie crime caper Buffaloed, returns for yet another film about a strong, feisty woman – in this case Lindy (Kate Beckinsale) a former bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal. After Justin, the first guy she’s ever fallen for is murdered, she goes on a revenge-fueled rampage to find the killer while the cops pursue her as their chief suspect.
Remember Crank? The 2006 Jason Statham starring film from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor? Well Jolt could be seen as something of a sister movie to that film – with Beckinsale’s Lindy...
Tanya Wexler, director of the brilliant indie crime caper Buffaloed, returns for yet another film about a strong, feisty woman – in this case Lindy (Kate Beckinsale) a former bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal. After Justin, the first guy she’s ever fallen for is murdered, she goes on a revenge-fueled rampage to find the killer while the cops pursue her as their chief suspect.
Remember Crank? The 2006 Jason Statham starring film from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor? Well Jolt could be seen as something of a sister movie to that film – with Beckinsale’s Lindy...
- 7/30/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Is it her extremely high cortisol level that makes young Lindy a rage monster ready to slam a kid’s face into a piece of cake after he jumps his turn? Or did a rage-fueled adolescence under the rocky guardianship of a drug-addled mother and alcoholic father make it so said cortisol became extremely high? I don’t think screenwriter Scott Wascha cares which is which as long as his fast-paced, Susan Sarandon-narrated prologue montage can let us know an adult Lindy (Kate Beckinsale) is too uncontrollable for even the military to utilize her laundry list of skills. She’s tried as many physically punishing and brutally violent activities as possible to curb her aggression. Turns out only one thing consistently works: self-administered electrical shocks.
Director Tanya Wexler’s aptly named Jolt picks up right when this new therapy arrives. Lindy’s psychiatrist (Stanley Tucci’s Dr. Munchin) knows...
Director Tanya Wexler’s aptly named Jolt picks up right when this new therapy arrives. Lindy’s psychiatrist (Stanley Tucci’s Dr. Munchin) knows...
- 7/22/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Amazon Prime has debuted a new trailer for the upcoming movie ‘Jolt’ starring Kate Beckinsale.
Lindy is a beautiful, sardonically funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.
Directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.
Also in trailers – Trailer drops for Sopranos prequel movie ‘The Many Saints of Newark...
Lindy is a beautiful, sardonically funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.
Directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.
Also in trailers – Trailer drops for Sopranos prequel movie ‘The Many Saints of Newark...
- 6/30/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Jolt (2021) Movie Trailer: Kate Beckinsale has a Rare Violent Disorder that Explodes After a Tragedy
Jolt Trailer — Tanya Wexler‘s Jolt (2021) movie trailer has been released by Amazon Prime Video. The Jolt trailer stars Kate Beckinsale, Stanley Tucci, Jai Courtney, Bobby Cannavale, Laverne Cox, Susan Sarandon, David Bradley, and Ori Pfeffer. Crew Scott Wascha and Louis Waymouth wrote the screenplay for Jolt. Dominic Lewis created the music for [...]
Continue reading: Jolt (2021) Movie Trailer: Kate Beckinsale has a Rare Violent Disorder that Explodes After a Tragedy...
Continue reading: Jolt (2021) Movie Trailer: Kate Beckinsale has a Rare Violent Disorder that Explodes After a Tragedy...
- 6/30/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"Jolt" directed by Tanya Wexler, stars Kate Beckinsale ("Underworld") , Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, Susan Sarandon ("Joe") and Stanley Tucci, streaming July 23, 2021 on Amazon Prime Video:
"...'Lindy' is a sardonically-funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, ' that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device.
"Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him dead the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime's prime suspect..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
"...'Lindy' is a sardonically-funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, ' that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device.
"Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him dead the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime's prime suspect..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
- 6/29/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"What is it about gross old men always underestimating women?" Amazon has unveiled an official trailer for an energetic action comedy called Jolt, the latest from filmmaker Tanya Wexler. This is dropping on Prime Video in July right in the middle of the summer, and looks like a wild ride. Jolt is apparently a bit of a female-twist on Crank, with Kate Beckinsale in the lead role as a bouncer. She stars as Lindy, a woman with a slightly-murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal. After the first guy she's ever fallen for is murdered, she goes on a revenge-fueled rampage to find the killer while the cops pursue her as their suspect. The excellent cast includes Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.
- 6/29/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Tanya Wexler directed; Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox among key cast.
Amazon Studios has acquired Millennium Media’s Kate Beckinsale thriller Jolt and will release on Prime Video on July 23.
Tanya Wexler directed the story of Lindy, a woman who uses a special electrode device to control a rare neurological disorder whereby she experiences sporadic bouts of homicidal rage.
When the man she loves is murdered, Lindy embarks on a revenge mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect. Scott Wascha wrote the screenplay.
Rounding out the key cast are Bobby Cannavale,...
Amazon Studios has acquired Millennium Media’s Kate Beckinsale thriller Jolt and will release on Prime Video on July 23.
Tanya Wexler directed the story of Lindy, a woman who uses a special electrode device to control a rare neurological disorder whereby she experiences sporadic bouts of homicidal rage.
When the man she loves is murdered, Lindy embarks on a revenge mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect. Scott Wascha wrote the screenplay.
Rounding out the key cast are Bobby Cannavale,...
- 6/18/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Amazon will drop the Millennium Media Kate Beckinsale action movie Jolt on July 23.
The pic, directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Scott Wascha, also stars Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.
Jolt centers around Lindy, a beautiful, sardonically-funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.
Millennium also has the Ryan Reynolds-Samuel L. Jackson sequel...
The pic, directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Scott Wascha, also stars Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley, Ori Pfeffer, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.
Jolt centers around Lindy, a beautiful, sardonically-funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.
Millennium also has the Ryan Reynolds-Samuel L. Jackson sequel...
- 6/18/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios has nabbed the Kate Beckinsale action-comedy Jolt, from Hysteria director Tanya Wexler, ahead of next week’s Cannes Virtual Market.
Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley and Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci appearing, the Millennium Media feature, which has been described as a female version of Crank, is now set to land on Amazon Prime on July 23.
Written by Scott Wascha, Jolt sees Beckinsale play Lindy, a badass bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal....
Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley and Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci appearing, the Millennium Media feature, which has been described as a female version of Crank, is now set to land on Amazon Prime on July 23.
Written by Scott Wascha, Jolt sees Beckinsale play Lindy, a badass bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal....
- 6/18/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Amazon Studios has nabbed the Kate Beckinsale action-comedy Jolt, from Hysteria director Tanya Wexler, ahead of next week’s Cannes Virtual Market.
Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley and Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci appearing, the Millennium Media feature, which has been described as a female version of Crank, is now set to land on Amazon Prime on July 23.
Written by Scott Wascha, Jolt sees Beckinsale play Lindy, a badass bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal....
Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, David Bradley and Ori Pfeffer, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci appearing, the Millennium Media feature, which has been described as a female version of Crank, is now set to land on Amazon Prime on July 23.
Written by Scott Wascha, Jolt sees Beckinsale play Lindy, a badass bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal....
- 6/18/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Way of the Wind
Terrence Malick turns to Jesus for what will stand as his tenth narrative feature The Way of the Wind (which was the recently announced new title of the project formerly known as The Last Planet). Malick has reunited with Hidden Life Dp Jorg Widmer and his cast consists of Geza Rohrig, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, Aidan Turner, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione, Lorenzo Gioielli, Mathieu Kassovitz and Ali Suliman. The elusive Malick, thus far, has won both the Golden Bear (1998’s The Thin Red Line) and the Palme d’Or (2011’s The Tree of Life).…...
Terrence Malick turns to Jesus for what will stand as his tenth narrative feature The Way of the Wind (which was the recently announced new title of the project formerly known as The Last Planet). Malick has reunited with Hidden Life Dp Jorg Widmer and his cast consists of Geza Rohrig, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, Aidan Turner, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione, Lorenzo Gioielli, Mathieu Kassovitz and Ali Suliman. The elusive Malick, thus far, has won both the Golden Bear (1998’s The Thin Red Line) and the Palme d’Or (2011’s The Tree of Life).…...
- 1/5/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Thousands of members of Israel’s entertainment industry convened in Tel Aviv Thursday night for a socially distanced protest calling on the government to provide desperately needed aid.
The event began with a laser light show depicting “150” in huge numbers inside a ticking clock, a reference to the 150,000 entertainment industry workers in the country. Tens of thousands have already lost their jobs, while many more are on unpaid leave. Following the light show, participants lined up to sign a wall-sized petition addressed to the prime minister.
While gatherings bans are in place in Israel, political protests are one of the exceptions to the rule providing protesters maintain distancing guidelines. Police were concerned, however, that some participants were not abiding to the restrictions Thursday night.
Singer Aviv Geffen, one of the protest organizers, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him to discuss the crisis. “There is a disaster happening,...
The event began with a laser light show depicting “150” in huge numbers inside a ticking clock, a reference to the 150,000 entertainment industry workers in the country. Tens of thousands have already lost their jobs, while many more are on unpaid leave. Following the light show, participants lined up to sign a wall-sized petition addressed to the prime minister.
While gatherings bans are in place in Israel, political protests are one of the exceptions to the rule providing protesters maintain distancing guidelines. Police were concerned, however, that some participants were not abiding to the restrictions Thursday night.
Singer Aviv Geffen, one of the protest organizers, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him to discuss the crisis. “There is a disaster happening,...
- 4/24/2020
- by Amy Spiro
- Variety Film + TV
The Last Planet
In all likelihood, we’re perhaps being wishful thinkers suggesting Terrence Malick will be unveiling his next project, The Last Planet only a year after the long-gestating A Hidden Life was finally unveiled in 2019. Scant details have been revealed about financing, but Malick has reunited with Hidden Life Dp Jorg Widmer and his cast consists of Geza Rohrig, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, Aidan Turner, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione and Lorenzo Gioielli.…...
In all likelihood, we’re perhaps being wishful thinkers suggesting Terrence Malick will be unveiling his next project, The Last Planet only a year after the long-gestating A Hidden Life was finally unveiled in 2019. Scant details have been revealed about financing, but Malick has reunited with Hidden Life Dp Jorg Widmer and his cast consists of Geza Rohrig, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mark Rylance, Aidan Turner, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione and Lorenzo Gioielli.…...
- 1/2/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: The Hobbit and Poldark star Aidan Turner is the latest name to join Terrence Malick’s starry, under-the-radar life of Christ movie The Last Planet. Turner will play the Apostle Andrew.
Snippets have been seeping out over the last few months about the project, which will tell the story of Christ’s life through a series of parables. Pic has been shooting in Italy.
Son of Saul star Geza Rohrig will play Jesus, Matthias Schoenaerts will portray Apostle Peter, and Mark Rylance will be Satan. We understand the cast also includes Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione and Lorenzo Gioielli.
Speaking at the Deauville film festival this month, Rylance told the Guardian, “Terry wrote four versions of the character of Satan and I thought I would play only one.
Snippets have been seeping out over the last few months about the project, which will tell the story of Christ’s life through a series of parables. Pic has been shooting in Italy.
Son of Saul star Geza Rohrig will play Jesus, Matthias Schoenaerts will portray Apostle Peter, and Mark Rylance will be Satan. We understand the cast also includes Joseph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Douglas Booth, Tawfeek Barhom, Martin McCann, Ori Pfeffer, Shadi Mar’i, Makram Khoury, Numan Acar, Emilio De Marchi, Bjorn Thors, Alfonso Postiglione and Lorenzo Gioielli.
Speaking at the Deauville film festival this month, Rylance told the Guardian, “Terry wrote four versions of the character of Satan and I thought I would play only one.
- 9/26/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
"Why are you helping Israel?" Netflix has debuted an official trailer for a spy thriller titled The Angel, the latest feature from Israeli director Ariel Vromen. Not to be confused with Luis Ortega's film El Angel (also the same title), which premiered at Cannes this year, this tells a different story about an Egyptian spy who helped save Israel. The Angel stars Marwan Kenzari as Ashraf Marwan, Egyptian President Nasser's son-in-law and one of Israeli Intelligence's most precious assets. Also starring Toby Kebbell, Hannah Ware, Waleed Farouq Zuaiter, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Sasson Gabay, Miki Leon, Ori Pfeffer, and Slimane Daz. This looks solid, featuring slick filmmaking and thrilling espionage. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Ariel Vromen's The Angel, direct from Netflix's YouTube: Ariel Vromen's The Angel tells the true story of Ashraf Marwan (Marwan Kenzari), who was Egyptian President Nasser's son-in-law, and a special advisor and...
- 8/15/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Traffik
Stars: Paula Patton, Omar Epps, William Fichtner, Missi Pyle, Luke Goss, Roselyn Sanchez, Dawn Olivieri, Laz Alonso, Claude Duhamel, Lorin McCraley | Written and Directed by Deon Taylor
Following her firing from her job at the Sacramento post, a romantic getaway is just what Brea and her boyfriend John need. But the trip, descends into terror when the pair run into a brutal biker gang. Luckily, they escape to a secluded mountain estate for the weekend, but their short-lived joy ends when the gang turn up at their front door demanding they give them what they want. Brea and John are forced into a deadly fight for their lives against a ring of criminals who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
On paper Traffik sounds like a cracking thriller reminiscent of the classic thrillers of the 90s – high concept, with a solid cast and a story that touches...
Stars: Paula Patton, Omar Epps, William Fichtner, Missi Pyle, Luke Goss, Roselyn Sanchez, Dawn Olivieri, Laz Alonso, Claude Duhamel, Lorin McCraley | Written and Directed by Deon Taylor
Following her firing from her job at the Sacramento post, a romantic getaway is just what Brea and her boyfriend John need. But the trip, descends into terror when the pair run into a brutal biker gang. Luckily, they escape to a secluded mountain estate for the weekend, but their short-lived joy ends when the gang turn up at their front door demanding they give them what they want. Brea and John are forced into a deadly fight for their lives against a ring of criminals who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
On paper Traffik sounds like a cracking thriller reminiscent of the classic thrillers of the 90s – high concept, with a solid cast and a story that touches...
- 8/6/2018
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
If you count the Sundance premiere of “Mandy,” Nicolas Cage has had no less than five films released in a span of five months — and 2018 isn’t half over yet. Quality doesn’t usually accompany such quantity, though in fact, three of the five (“Mom and Dad” and “The Humanity Bureau” as well as “Mandy”) have been pretty damn good. Balancing things out have been derivative thriller “Looking Glass” and, now, derivative crime meller “211.”
The latter’s publicity materials make a great deal of the film being inspired by a 1997 shootout between the Lapd and bank robbers. But apart from the huge amount of gunfire exchanged, there’s scant resemblance between that event and what’s depicted in York Alec Shackleton’s feature, which comes off as a rote, overstuffed compilation of genre cliches with pedestrian handling of action elements and frequent notes of maudlin contrivance. Nor does it help...
The latter’s publicity materials make a great deal of the film being inspired by a 1997 shootout between the Lapd and bank robbers. But apart from the huge amount of gunfire exchanged, there’s scant resemblance between that event and what’s depicted in York Alec Shackleton’s feature, which comes off as a rote, overstuffed compilation of genre cliches with pedestrian handling of action elements and frequent notes of maudlin contrivance. Nor does it help...
- 6/7/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
St. Louis Jewish Film Festival
Plaza Frontenac Cinema
Tuesday, June 5 at 7pm
Austria/Israel – In English, German and Hebrew with English subtitles
Director: Amichai Greenberg
Feature: 96 mins.
With introduction by Susan Balk, co-author of “Vienna’s Conscience” and Founding Director of Hate Brakers
In the taut Israeli-Austrian thriller/mystery The Testament, Israeli historian Dr. Yoel Halberstam (Ori Pfeffer) is leading a team from the Jerusalem Holocaust Institute in high-profile court battle to preserve a site where 200 Jewish forced laborers were massacred and buried in Austria in March 1945. But the Israeli preservationists are racing a ticking clock, as the Austrian town of Lendsdorf is demanding proof of a mass grave before halting plans for a new development on the site. Halberstam must find it before the deadline set by the court. Unless the mass grave is found, the building plan will go ahead and the site will be obliterated.
The Israeli...
Plaza Frontenac Cinema
Tuesday, June 5 at 7pm
Austria/Israel – In English, German and Hebrew with English subtitles
Director: Amichai Greenberg
Feature: 96 mins.
With introduction by Susan Balk, co-author of “Vienna’s Conscience” and Founding Director of Hate Brakers
In the taut Israeli-Austrian thriller/mystery The Testament, Israeli historian Dr. Yoel Halberstam (Ori Pfeffer) is leading a team from the Jerusalem Holocaust Institute in high-profile court battle to preserve a site where 200 Jewish forced laborers were massacred and buried in Austria in March 1945. But the Israeli preservationists are racing a ticking clock, as the Austrian town of Lendsdorf is demanding proof of a mass grave before halting plans for a new development on the site. Halberstam must find it before the deadline set by the court. Unless the mass grave is found, the building plan will go ahead and the site will be obliterated.
The Israeli...
- 6/5/2018
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Momentum Pictures and Millennium Films have released the first trailer for Nicolas Cage's new action film 211. The film is based on the true story of one of the longest and bloodiest events in police history. Here's the synopsis:
Officer Mike Chandler (Cage) and a young civilian passenger as they find themselves under-prepared and outgunned when fate puts them squarely in the crosshairs of a daring bank heist in progress by a fearless team of highly trained and heavily armed men. The title, 211, refers to the police code in the state of California for a robbery.
If you're a fan of Nicolas Cage then the movie looks like it's worth watching. This actually looks like a pretty kickass role for him to take on. It looks better than a lot of films that he's been doing these days.
The the movie was written and directed by York Shackleton, and the movie also stars Cory Hardrict,...
Officer Mike Chandler (Cage) and a young civilian passenger as they find themselves under-prepared and outgunned when fate puts them squarely in the crosshairs of a daring bank heist in progress by a fearless team of highly trained and heavily armed men. The title, 211, refers to the police code in the state of California for a robbery.
If you're a fan of Nicolas Cage then the movie looks like it's worth watching. This actually looks like a pretty kickass role for him to take on. It looks better than a lot of films that he's been doing these days.
The the movie was written and directed by York Shackleton, and the movie also stars Cory Hardrict,...
- 4/24/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
"Shots fired! Shots fired!" Momentum Pictures has released the official trailer for an action thriller titled 211, or #211, which is a reference to the police code "211" - meaning a robbery in progress. Inspired by one of the "longest and bloodiest bank heists in history", the film is described as a combination of End of Watch meets Black Hawk Down. Does it look like that description? See for yourself below. Nicolas Cage stars as a police officer who takes a civilian on a ride along, then gets caught up in this violent bank robbery heist. In addition to Cage, it also stars Cory Hardrict, Michael Rainey Jr., Ori Pfeffer, Weston Cage, Sophie Skelton and Alexandra Dinu. This looks like an all-out, action-packed, very intense bank robbery movie. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for York Alec Shackleton's 211, direct from YouTube: A film inspired by one of the longest and bloodiest real-life events in police history.
- 4/23/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Adrien Brody and John Malkovich co-star in funky crime thriller titled Bullet Head, from writer/director Paul Solet. The movie is about three career criminals who end up stuck inside a warehouse after finding money inside. A vicious dog keeps them trapped inside the building. We're getting our first look at the trailer for the movie that stars Brody and Malkovich, along with Antonio Banderas, Ori Pfeffer, Alexandra Dinu, Velizar Binev, Owen Davis, and Cristina Segovia.
The movie seems to have a decent cast, but will it be a decent movie? You be the judge:...
The movie seems to have a decent cast, but will it be a decent movie? You be the judge:...
- 11/17/2017
- by Kristian Odland
- GeekTyrant
"It's all there. - the motherload." Saban Films has debuted the first official trailer for a funky crime thriller titled Bullet Head, from writer/director Paul Solet. The film is about three career criminals who end up trapped inside a warehouse together, after finding money inside. A deranged dog keeps them stuck in the building. Starring Adrien Brody and John Malkovich, along with Antonio Banderas, Ori Pfeffer, Alexandra Dinu, Velizar Binev, Owen Davis, and Cristina Segovia. This seems like it could be a cool film, but I'm not too sure this one pulled that off, though I am curious at least. You may want to take a look. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Paul Solet's Bullet Head, direct from YouTube: A highly-stylized crime story reminiscent of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. As three career criminals find themselves trapped in a warehouse with the law closing in and an even worse threat waiting inside,...
- 11/15/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Testament will screen at Plaza Frontenac Cinema (Lindbergh Blvd. and Clayton Rd, Frontenac, Mo 63131) as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Showings are Monday, Nov. 6 at 7pm (purchase tickets Here) and Thursday, Nov. 9 at 2:15pm (purchase tickets Here).
In the taut Israeli-Austrian thriller/mystery The Testament, focuses on Dr. Yoel Halberstam (Ori Pfeffer), an Israeli historian with the Jerusalem Holocaust Institute, who is leading a high-profile court battle to preserve a site in Austria where 200 Jewish forced laborers were massacred and buried in March 1945. But the Israeli team working to preserve the site are racing a ticking clock, as the Austrian town of Lendsdorf is preparing to build on the site and is demanding proof of a mass grave before halting that plan. The problem is that witnesses are few and no one knows the exact location of the mass grave. Halberstam must find...
In the taut Israeli-Austrian thriller/mystery The Testament, focuses on Dr. Yoel Halberstam (Ori Pfeffer), an Israeli historian with the Jerusalem Holocaust Institute, who is leading a high-profile court battle to preserve a site in Austria where 200 Jewish forced laborers were massacred and buried in March 1945. But the Israeli team working to preserve the site are racing a ticking clock, as the Austrian town of Lendsdorf is preparing to build on the site and is demanding proof of a mass grave before halting that plan. The problem is that witnesses are few and no one knows the exact location of the mass grave. Halberstam must find...
- 11/9/2017
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Heard the one about the Holocaust-investigating rabbi who finds out he's actually a goy? This is the situation, rich with comic potential, played out with plodding seriousness in writer-director Amichai Greenberg's frustratingly inert feature debut The Testament (Ha'Edut). Taking as its starting point two notorious real life massacres from the final days of World War II, the Israeli-Austrian coproduction bowed in the Orizzonti section at Venice. Despite its widescreen cinematography, the picture is a distinctly small-screen proposition, one which may play best in educational contexts.
Ori Pfeffer is ennui inducingly low key in the underwritten central role of Yoel, a sadsack fortysomething estranged...
Ori Pfeffer is ennui inducingly low key in the underwritten central role of Yoel, a sadsack fortysomething estranged...
- 9/18/2017
- by Neil Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Author: Zehra Phelan
Warning: This news bulletin contains a trailer with a suggested parental guidance notice, should be the words uttered when witnessing the brand new red band trailer for Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson’s hilarious profanity-laden The Hitman’s Bodyguard.
Related: Ryan Reynolds News
Reynolds and Jackson team us as a formidable pair in the trailer for The Hitman’s Bodyguard, which is set to Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You (a tongue in cheek nod to her film The Bodyguard), see’s Reynolds as the world’s top protection agent, looking slick in his grey suit, good looks and vanity-fuelled personality getting more than he bargains for when he is called upon to guard the life of notorious hitman played by an angry potty-mouthed Jackson. It’s an all out gun totting action comedy that from the trailer alone will have you doubled up...
Warning: This news bulletin contains a trailer with a suggested parental guidance notice, should be the words uttered when witnessing the brand new red band trailer for Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson’s hilarious profanity-laden The Hitman’s Bodyguard.
Related: Ryan Reynolds News
Reynolds and Jackson team us as a formidable pair in the trailer for The Hitman’s Bodyguard, which is set to Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You (a tongue in cheek nod to her film The Bodyguard), see’s Reynolds as the world’s top protection agent, looking slick in his grey suit, good looks and vanity-fuelled personality getting more than he bargains for when he is called upon to guard the life of notorious hitman played by an angry potty-mouthed Jackson. It’s an all out gun totting action comedy that from the trailer alone will have you doubled up...
- 4/13/2017
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Hugo Weaving has joined the cast of Mel Gibson's star-studded Australian film Hacksaw Ridge.
Weaving will join Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths and Richard Roxburgh in the film, which is now in production.
Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of conscientious objector, Desmond Doss (Garfield), who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun..
Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.
Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He is the only conscientious objector to ever win the Us Medal of Honour.
Weaving will play Garfield's son, Tom Doss.
Producers of the film include Bill Mechanic, Bruce Davey, Paul Currie, David Permut and executive Producer,...
Weaving will join Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths and Richard Roxburgh in the film, which is now in production.
Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of conscientious objector, Desmond Doss (Garfield), who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun..
Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon.
Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He is the only conscientious objector to ever win the Us Medal of Honour.
Weaving will play Garfield's son, Tom Doss.
Producers of the film include Bill Mechanic, Bruce Davey, Paul Currie, David Permut and executive Producer,...
- 10/19/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
.
Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Teresa Palmer and Ben O.Toole are among a large contingent of Aussies who are appearing in Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson.s WW2 drama now shooting in New South Wales.
The screenplay by Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace chronicles the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield).
In the battle of Okinawa Doss, an Army medic who believed the war was just but that killing was wrong, saved 75 soldiers without firing a gun.
As previously announced Sam Worthington is playing Captain Glover, who led the 77th Sustainment Brigade, with Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell, whose job was to get the new recruits ready for battle. Luke Bracey is Smitty Ryker, the alpha dog of the Doss. platoon.
Palmer plays Doss.s sweetheart Dorothy Shutte and Griffiths is his mother Bertha Doss. Roxburgh is Colonel Stelzer and O.Toole is Corporal Jessop.
The...
Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Teresa Palmer and Ben O.Toole are among a large contingent of Aussies who are appearing in Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson.s WW2 drama now shooting in New South Wales.
The screenplay by Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace chronicles the true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield).
In the battle of Okinawa Doss, an Army medic who believed the war was just but that killing was wrong, saved 75 soldiers without firing a gun.
As previously announced Sam Worthington is playing Captain Glover, who led the 77th Sustainment Brigade, with Vince Vaughn as Sergeant Howell, whose job was to get the new recruits ready for battle. Luke Bracey is Smitty Ryker, the alpha dog of the Doss. platoon.
Palmer plays Doss.s sweetheart Dorothy Shutte and Griffiths is his mother Bertha Doss. Roxburgh is Colonel Stelzer and O.Toole is Corporal Jessop.
The...
- 9/29/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Last year, USA Network cleaned house; cancelling or ending TV shows like Rush, White Collar, Burn Notice, and Covert Affairs. They have several new shows in the works and are hoping that series like Dig will bring better ratings. Will Dig be a hit or a flop? Cancelled or renewed for a second season? We'll have to wait and see.
On the Dig TV show, a dedicated and headstrong FBI agent named Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) takes a job stationed in Israel under the guidance of his new boss (and occasional lover) Lynn Monahan (Anne Heche). While investigating a young American's murder, Connelly uncovers an ancient international conspiracy -- one that threatens to change the course of human history. The rest of the cast includes Ori Pfeffer, Melinda Page Hamilton, Alison Sudol, Regina Taylor, David Costabile, and Lauren Ambrose.
(more…)...
On the Dig TV show, a dedicated and headstrong FBI agent named Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) takes a job stationed in Israel under the guidance of his new boss (and occasional lover) Lynn Monahan (Anne Heche). While investigating a young American's murder, Connelly uncovers an ancient international conspiracy -- one that threatens to change the course of human history. The rest of the cast includes Ori Pfeffer, Melinda Page Hamilton, Alison Sudol, Regina Taylor, David Costabile, and Lauren Ambrose.
(more…)...
- 3/19/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
I blame Lost for most of the problems with Dig, USA‘s new investigation thriller, but frankly, I blame Lost for a lot of things.
The show is the latest entrant in the limited-run mystery genre, and revolves around Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs), an FBI agent working in Israel, finding himself caught up in a bizarre conspiracy that spans the globe. Having caught sight of a redhead, who sticks out like a sore thumb among the crowds in Israel, Connelly follows her to the dig she’s been working on. It’s a massive archeological exploration of caves under the city. They stumble on an odd religious rite being performed by people who aren’t supposed to be there.
It isn’t as odd as it might seem to viewers, because we’ve already been introduced to some very “old school” Jews (no, really, really old school) who are fantastically...
The show is the latest entrant in the limited-run mystery genre, and revolves around Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs), an FBI agent working in Israel, finding himself caught up in a bizarre conspiracy that spans the globe. Having caught sight of a redhead, who sticks out like a sore thumb among the crowds in Israel, Connelly follows her to the dig she’s been working on. It’s a massive archeological exploration of caves under the city. They stumble on an odd religious rite being performed by people who aren’t supposed to be there.
It isn’t as odd as it might seem to viewers, because we’ve already been introduced to some very “old school” Jews (no, really, really old school) who are fantastically...
- 3/17/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Network: USA Network
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: March 5, 2015 -- Tbd
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Jason Isaacs, Anne Heche, Ori Pfeffer, Melinda Page Hamilton, Alison Sudol, Regina Taylor, David Costabile, and Lauren Ambrose.
TV show description:
Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) is a dedicated, headstrong FBI agent and Quantico-trained criminologist. Anxious to leave his personal demons behind, Peter takes a job stationed in Israel under the guidance of his new boss (and occasional lover) Lynn Monahan (Anne Heche).
(more…)...
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: March 5, 2015 -- Tbd
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Jason Isaacs, Anne Heche, Ori Pfeffer, Melinda Page Hamilton, Alison Sudol, Regina Taylor, David Costabile, and Lauren Ambrose.
TV show description:
Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) is a dedicated, headstrong FBI agent and Quantico-trained criminologist. Anxious to leave his personal demons behind, Peter takes a job stationed in Israel under the guidance of his new boss (and occasional lover) Lynn Monahan (Anne Heche).
(more…)...
- 3/17/2015
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
TV Picks: Tomorrow night brings a new episode of USA’s event series, Dig!“Catch You Later” sees Peter (Jason Isaacs) continue his personal quest to find the murderer of a young American while also pursuing the escaped Yussef Khalid (Omar Metwally). Peter and Detective Golan Cohen (Ori Pfeffer) forge an uneasy alliance as Peter grapples with staying one step ahead of his partner. Elsewhere, Avram’s (Guy Selnik) journey with the red heifer to Israel encounters a dangerous road block. Meanwhile, Tad Billingham (David Costabile) and his disciples prepare Josh (Zen McGrath) for a new life and an event that could alter […]...
- 3/11/2015
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
USA Network on Thursday night started its Dig, a 10-part event series in the vein of The Da Vinci Code. Will you continue along on this religiously tinged murder mystery?
VideosDig Sneak Peek: USA Network Drama Uncovers Israel’s ‘Darkest Secrets’
Dig stars Jason Isaacs (Awake) as Peter Connelly, an FBI agent who in the midst of a jurisdictional battle with the local police in Jerusalem crosses paths with a young woman who, we eventually learn, is the spitting image of his dead daughter. When Peter again bumps into the redheaded beauty, Emma, they get to talking and then (Earmuffs,...
VideosDig Sneak Peek: USA Network Drama Uncovers Israel’s ‘Darkest Secrets’
Dig stars Jason Isaacs (Awake) as Peter Connelly, an FBI agent who in the midst of a jurisdictional battle with the local police in Jerusalem crosses paths with a young woman who, we eventually learn, is the spitting image of his dead daughter. When Peter again bumps into the redheaded beauty, Emma, they get to talking and then (Earmuffs,...
- 3/6/2015
- TVLine.com
"The Big Bang Theory" did an episode in which Amy ruins "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for Sheldon by pointing out that for all of the action and adventure, "Indiana Jones plays no role in the outcome of the story. If he weren’t in the film, it would turn out exactly the same." I've watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark" subsequently and, thankfully, Amy didn't actually ruin the movie. I can't dispute her regarding the main character's agency, but it's still an awesome movie, one of the genre's most thrilling achievements. You cannot, it turns out, ruin "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by pointing out a structure flaw. You also, fortunately, cannot ruin "Raiders of the Lost Ark" by doing a dreadful story about nefarious forces searching for the Ark of the Covenant, or Ark-adjacent artifacts. But if you could ruin "Raiders of the Lost Ark" merely by desecrating its dramatic objective,...
- 3/5/2015
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
This review is based off the first three episodes, which were provided to us prior to broadcast.
USA is investing a whole lot of energy in touting its new limited series Dig, and after just one installment (three were distributed to press for review purposes), it’s easy to see why. A high-octane conspiracy thriller set against the backdrop of a sprawling excavation in the ancient city of Jerusalem, Dig is bigger and bolder than anything the network has ever attempted, a Da Vinci Code-esque tale of murderous, religious zealots and shadowy organizations preparing for nothing less than the prophecized end of days, told over the course of a single, 10-episode season.
Jason Isaacs stars as FBI agent Peter Connelly, who unearths a sinister plot that dates back 2000 years as he investigates the brutal murder of a beautiful archaeologist (Alison Sudol). The victim is somehow connected to another case, involving...
USA is investing a whole lot of energy in touting its new limited series Dig, and after just one installment (three were distributed to press for review purposes), it’s easy to see why. A high-octane conspiracy thriller set against the backdrop of a sprawling excavation in the ancient city of Jerusalem, Dig is bigger and bolder than anything the network has ever attempted, a Da Vinci Code-esque tale of murderous, religious zealots and shadowy organizations preparing for nothing less than the prophecized end of days, told over the course of a single, 10-episode season.
Jason Isaacs stars as FBI agent Peter Connelly, who unearths a sinister plot that dates back 2000 years as he investigates the brutal murder of a beautiful archaeologist (Alison Sudol). The victim is somehow connected to another case, involving...
- 3/5/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Dig is the new show coming to USA, and it looks like it might just take over television.
With Jason Isaacs and Anne Heche leading things, and an investigation that apparently takes us to multiple sites around the globe, this looks like one that will definitely have people talking.
Take a look at a new promo for the show, as well as a set of Making Of videos the show has released, and get ready for this one, which hits on March 5th.
Dig – New Promo Spot
Dig Making Of Set USA's Dig The Making of Dig - Part 1 - Cast & Producers06:59 The Making of Dig - Part 2 - Conspiracy Theories06:15 The Making of Dig - Part 3 - On Location04:33 The Making of Dig - Part 4 - A Look Ahead03:42
The action thriller “Dig” tells the story of a murder mystery set against the backdrop of modern day Jerusalem,...
With Jason Isaacs and Anne Heche leading things, and an investigation that apparently takes us to multiple sites around the globe, this looks like one that will definitely have people talking.
Take a look at a new promo for the show, as well as a set of Making Of videos the show has released, and get ready for this one, which hits on March 5th.
Dig – New Promo Spot
Dig Making Of Set USA's Dig The Making of Dig - Part 1 - Cast & Producers06:59 The Making of Dig - Part 2 - Conspiracy Theories06:15 The Making of Dig - Part 3 - On Location04:33 The Making of Dig - Part 4 - A Look Ahead03:42
The action thriller “Dig” tells the story of a murder mystery set against the backdrop of modern day Jerusalem,...
- 2/18/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
The mystery behind USA Network’s upcoming drama “Dig” keeps getting deeper and more intense.
Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, the network released its 15-second spot for the series with a screaming child and a group of religious figures huddled in a dark tunnel.
“You have seen things you are not supposed to see,” a weary voice warns in the video.
Also read: USA Sets Premiere Date for Event Series ‘Dig’ From ‘Homeland,’ ‘Heroes’ Producers
The teaser cuts quickly to star Jason Isaacs making his way through a dark corridor and an overview of a crowded street in Jerusalem.
A...
Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, the network released its 15-second spot for the series with a screaming child and a group of religious figures huddled in a dark tunnel.
“You have seen things you are not supposed to see,” a weary voice warns in the video.
Also read: USA Sets Premiere Date for Event Series ‘Dig’ From ‘Homeland,’ ‘Heroes’ Producers
The teaser cuts quickly to star Jason Isaacs making his way through a dark corridor and an overview of a crowded street in Jerusalem.
A...
- 1/30/2015
- by Alicia Banks
- The Wrap
Princess (2014) Film Review from the 37th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer, starring Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, and Adar Zohar Hanetz. Sexual abuse and the exploitation of minors seems to be one of the more resounding themes of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and this film fits right into [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Princess: Unsettling, Captivating Film Opens Eyes [Sff 2015]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Princess: Unsettling, Captivating Film Opens Eyes [Sff 2015]...
- 1/30/2015
- by Drew Stelter
- Film-Book
Princess
Written & Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer
Israel, 2014
Evoking the same unsettling brilliance of Atom Egoyan’s best work, Princess is a challenging psychological drama that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Israeli filmmaker, Tali Shalom-Ezer, takes on the unspeakable subject of child molestation in a brave, creative way, empowering rather than pitying her victim. This is a haunting, beautiful film that shines a unique light on a very dark subject.
Adar (Shira Haas) is a bright but disaffected 12 year-old girl who spends most of her time sleeping or avoiding school. Her mom, Alma (Keren Mor), works as a nurse, which means her boyfriend Michael (Ori Pfeffer) and Adar spend most of their days alone together. Michael is playful and gregarious with Adar, engaging her more as a peer than a protector. There’s nothing overtly wrong with their rambunctious play sessions, but every time Michael calls Adar his “little...
Written & Directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer
Israel, 2014
Evoking the same unsettling brilliance of Atom Egoyan’s best work, Princess is a challenging psychological drama that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Israeli filmmaker, Tali Shalom-Ezer, takes on the unspeakable subject of child molestation in a brave, creative way, empowering rather than pitying her victim. This is a haunting, beautiful film that shines a unique light on a very dark subject.
Adar (Shira Haas) is a bright but disaffected 12 year-old girl who spends most of her time sleeping or avoiding school. Her mom, Alma (Keren Mor), works as a nurse, which means her boyfriend Michael (Ori Pfeffer) and Adar spend most of their days alone together. Michael is playful and gregarious with Adar, engaging her more as a peer than a protector. There’s nothing overtly wrong with their rambunctious play sessions, but every time Michael calls Adar his “little...
- 1/28/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Twelve year-old Adar (Shira Haas) lives with her mom, Alma (Keren Mor), and while her father left some time ago her mom’s boyfriend, Michael (Ori Pfeffer) has become a permanent part of their lives. He’s unemployed and spends his days at home, and over time he and Adar have developed a routine of playful role-playing where they take on personas and pretend to fight. He only refers to her as a he, his prince, but shortly after Adar gets her first period the game takes a darker turn. Michael crosses a devastating line, and the next day Adar’s aimless wandering brings her in contact with a boy named Alan (Adar Zohar-Hanetz) who bears a striking resemblance to her. Their silent introduction consists of mirrored movements and shared smiles, and when she brings him home to stay a few days her mom and Michael tentatively approve unaware of how his presence will affect them all...
- 1/27/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
USA Network’s ambitious new six-episode event drama series “Dig” will premiere on Mar. 15.
From Tim Kring (“Heroes”) and Gideon Raff (“Homeland”), “Dig” stars “Harry Potter” and “Awake” star Jason Isaacs as Peter, an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem who, while investigating a murder of a young female archaeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2,000 years in the making.
See photos: The Scene at TCA: Funny, Frank and Flippant Quotes From the 2015 TV Press Tour
Isaacs stars on the thriller alongside Anne Heche, Lauren Ambrose, David Costabile, Richard E. Grant, Omar Metwally, Ori Pfeffer and Alison Sudol.
Previously set to debut in the fall,...
From Tim Kring (“Heroes”) and Gideon Raff (“Homeland”), “Dig” stars “Harry Potter” and “Awake” star Jason Isaacs as Peter, an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem who, while investigating a murder of a young female archaeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2,000 years in the making.
See photos: The Scene at TCA: Funny, Frank and Flippant Quotes From the 2015 TV Press Tour
Isaacs stars on the thriller alongside Anne Heche, Lauren Ambrose, David Costabile, Richard E. Grant, Omar Metwally, Ori Pfeffer and Alison Sudol.
Previously set to debut in the fall,...
- 1/15/2015
- by Jethro Nededog
- The Wrap
Superficially speaking, the ingredients of "stereotypical" Sundance dramas can be kitchen sink theatrics, taboo sexuality, and domestic distress, and certainly "Princess" hints at all of those. But like anything, if the elements are pulled with panache, creativity and truth, that's all that matters. And the first trailer for Sundance entry "Princess" promises something unique and perhaps a little bit strange. Written and directed by Tali Shalom Ezer, and starring Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, and Adar Zohar Hanetz, the story tracks the relationship between twelve year-old girl and her stepfather than that takes on some unsavory dimensions. Here's the official synopsis: While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar's role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. "Princess"...
- 12/31/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
John Nein was not always a Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival — it’s only been eight years. When he began at Sundance in 2002 he was always watching movies of course. More than that, like John Cooper said, he just didn’t shut up when he was in the room; he was opinionated and spoke his opinions. He also always liked international cinema as he was born in Ireland and grew up in The Netherlands, Belgium and London where his father worked for international companies. When he was 12 he came to the U.S.
The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
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The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
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- 12/6/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The competition movie line-up has been revealed for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 22nd to February 1st 2015. Below the announcement video you'll find the U.S. and World Competition categories, as well as the Next section.
Out of the 12,166 submissions that the festival received this year only 185 were selected. It looks like there are going to be a lot of great films this year. I always enjoy going to Sundance because you never know what film gems are just waiting to be seen.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy,...
Out of the 12,166 submissions that the festival received this year only 185 were selected. It looks like there are going to be a lot of great films this year. I always enjoy going to Sundance because you never know what film gems are just waiting to be seen.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy,...
- 12/4/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Today the first wave of titles playing at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival were announced and while the majority of the titles are new to me the names in front of the camera most certainly are not as you'll see the likes of Michael Fassbender, Nicole Kidman, Saoirse Ronan, Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Jack Black, James Marsden, Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Jemaine Clement, Sarah Silverman, Toni Collette, Vincent Cassell and many, many more among the titles featured. I have collected several photos from many of the films playing the festival, which will take place from January 22 - February 1 in Utah next year. Today's selection includes the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition and Next program. I'll be adding a few more pictures soon enough, but for now, have a look and see what stands out.
- 12/3/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Titles such as Eskil Vogt’s Blind and David Wnendt’s Wetlands landed the most acclaim and Alejandro Fernandez Almendras’ To Kill a Man won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the dozen offerings. This year we have John Maclean’s Slow West (starring Michael Fassbender), previous Sundance winner Anne Sewitsky returning with Homesick, and the highly anticipated title from Ariel Kleiman in the Vincent Cassel starrer, Partisan and a Nicole Kidman vehicle in Kim Farrant’s Strangerland (see pic above). Here are the dirty dozen from all corners of the world:
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won’t be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco,...
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won’t be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco,...
- 12/3/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
America’s hottest and most eagerly anticipated film festival is nearly upon us! Running January 22 to February 1, 2015 in Park City, Utah, the annual Sundance Film Festival has launched its initial lineup of in-competition films in the Dramatic, World Cinema, Documentary and Next slates. In all, 66 films were announced in this initial lineup, with the Premieres and Documentary Premieres arriving December 8 and the Short Film slate arriving December 9.
Among the lineup, as always, are some intriguing prospects. The Us Dramatic Competition features films starring stars such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine (Z for Zachariah), Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor (The D Train), Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman (The Overnight), and Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back), among many others, and new films from recently hot directors including Alfonso-Gomez Rejon, Andrew Bujalski, and Craig Zobel.
Among the lineup, as always, are some intriguing prospects. The Us Dramatic Competition features films starring stars such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine (Z for Zachariah), Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor (The D Train), Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman (The Overnight), and Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back), among many others, and new films from recently hot directors including Alfonso-Gomez Rejon, Andrew Bujalski, and Craig Zobel.
- 12/3/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
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