Co-financing, co-production forum takes place September 11-12.
New projects involving the producer of The Babadook, Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Lemon Tree filmmaker Eran Riklis will be front and centre when the first in-person Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (Iff) in three years kicks off at TIFF next month.
Now in its 17th year, the two-day co-financing and co-production market takes place from September 11-12 in association with TIFF and features 42 feature film producer teams – 20 from Canada and 22 from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Scotland and the US.
The producers will participate in one-on-one producer...
New projects involving the producer of The Babadook, Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Lemon Tree filmmaker Eran Riklis will be front and centre when the first in-person Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (Iff) in three years kicks off at TIFF next month.
Now in its 17th year, the two-day co-financing and co-production market takes place from September 11-12 in association with TIFF and features 42 feature film producer teams – 20 from Canada and 22 from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Scotland and the US.
The producers will participate in one-on-one producer...
- 8/29/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Co-financing, co-production forum takes place September 11-12.
New projects involving the producer of The Babadook, Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Lemon Tree filmmaker Eran Riklis will be front and centre when the first in-person Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (Iff) in three years kicks off at TIFF next month.
Now in its 17th year, the two-day co-financing and co-production market takes place from September 11-12 in association with TIFF and features 42 feature film producer teams – 20 from Canada and 22 from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Scotland and the US.
The producers will participate in one-on-one producer...
New projects involving the producer of The Babadook, Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Lemon Tree filmmaker Eran Riklis will be front and centre when the first in-person Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (Iff) in three years kicks off at TIFF next month.
Now in its 17th year, the two-day co-financing and co-production market takes place from September 11-12 in association with TIFF and features 42 feature film producer teams – 20 from Canada and 22 from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Scotland and the US.
The producers will participate in one-on-one producer...
- 8/29/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Members of the Australian Directors’ Guild have had the chance to hear from some of the country’s most established filmmakers over the past five months as part of the Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ sessions.
Consisting of 40 weekly one-hour webinars fronted by industry mentors, the initiative is due to start again this week following a short break, with Claire McCarthy (The Turning) to share insights from her career on Thursday.
It comes after contributions from Gillian Armstrong, Rachel Perkins, Rolf de Heer, Samantha Lang, Corrie Chen, Ben Lawrence, Ana Kokkinos, Megan Riakos, Josephine Mackerras, Robert Connolly, Garth Davis, Sally Aitken, Jub Clerc, Kriv Stenders, Tom Zubrycki, Anna Broinowski, Peter Andrikidis, Jasmin Tarasin, and Glendyn Ivin.
The sessions are moderated by Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary who is responsible for collating questions from those tuning in.
She has tried to focus on topics covering the practical aspects of directing that cannot be learned from a book,...
Consisting of 40 weekly one-hour webinars fronted by industry mentors, the initiative is due to start again this week following a short break, with Claire McCarthy (The Turning) to share insights from her career on Thursday.
It comes after contributions from Gillian Armstrong, Rachel Perkins, Rolf de Heer, Samantha Lang, Corrie Chen, Ben Lawrence, Ana Kokkinos, Megan Riakos, Josephine Mackerras, Robert Connolly, Garth Davis, Sally Aitken, Jub Clerc, Kriv Stenders, Tom Zubrycki, Anna Broinowski, Peter Andrikidis, Jasmin Tarasin, and Glendyn Ivin.
The sessions are moderated by Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary who is responsible for collating questions from those tuning in.
She has tried to focus on topics covering the practical aspects of directing that cannot be learned from a book,...
- 9/6/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone. Alice has no other option but to set a meeting with the bank and figure...
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone. Alice has no other option but to set a meeting with the bank and figure...
- 6/18/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
To celebrate the 40 years since its inception, the Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) will launch a series of mentoring sessions from some of its most high profile members, starting this week.
Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ consists of 40 60-minute Zoom forums in a moderated Q&a format that will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from April 8.
Each Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ webinar will be provided free-of-charge to Adg members across Australia and will include on-notice and ‘from the floor’ questions.
Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary will moderate the forums, with president Samantha Lang to introduce the inaugural session mentor – Adg’s first president, Gillian Armstrong.
Armstrong said she was “delighted” to have the opportunity to “hopefully assist and inspire” the next generation of director members.
“It’s hard to believe it’s 40 years since a passionate and noisy group of us gathered around my kitchen table to form some sort of guild to protect Australian directors,...
Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ consists of 40 60-minute Zoom forums in a moderated Q&a format that will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from April 8.
Each Adg-40 ‘First-Hand’ webinar will be provided free-of-charge to Adg members across Australia and will include on-notice and ‘from the floor’ questions.
Adg strategy and development executive Ana Tiwary will moderate the forums, with president Samantha Lang to introduce the inaugural session mentor – Adg’s first president, Gillian Armstrong.
Armstrong said she was “delighted” to have the opportunity to “hopefully assist and inspire” the next generation of director members.
“It’s hard to believe it’s 40 years since a passionate and noisy group of us gathered around my kitchen table to form some sort of guild to protect Australian directors,...
- 4/5/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
More than 50% of the Awards won by female directors
The Australian Directors’ Guild announced the winners of the 2020 Adg Awards last month via a virtual ceremony hosted from Sydney.
The Awards were notable for the number of female directors to win Adg Awards – 10 of the 19 Awards were won by women, a reflection of the industry’s move towards gender parity.
The Adg thanks its sponsors for their support in making the Awards such as great success.
Principal Partner
1. Asdacs
Major Partners
1. Media Super
2. Kaleidoscope
Major Government Partners
1. Screen Australia
2. Create Nsw/City of Sydney
Gold
1. ABC
2. Panavision
3. The Post Lounge
4. Dockland Studios Melbourne
5. Animal Logic
6. Screenrights
7. Aftrs
8. Fremantle
9. Actf
Silver
1. Seven
Bronze
1. Shanahan
2. Photoplay
Supporters
1. Hla
2. Rgm
3. Creative Content Australia
Ben Lawrence has took out the Best Direction of a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) Award for Hearts & Bones.
Amongst the many female directors to be applauded this year,...
The Australian Directors’ Guild announced the winners of the 2020 Adg Awards last month via a virtual ceremony hosted from Sydney.
The Awards were notable for the number of female directors to win Adg Awards – 10 of the 19 Awards were won by women, a reflection of the industry’s move towards gender parity.
The Adg thanks its sponsors for their support in making the Awards such as great success.
Principal Partner
1. Asdacs
Major Partners
1. Media Super
2. Kaleidoscope
Major Government Partners
1. Screen Australia
2. Create Nsw/City of Sydney
Gold
1. ABC
2. Panavision
3. The Post Lounge
4. Dockland Studios Melbourne
5. Animal Logic
6. Screenrights
7. Aftrs
8. Fremantle
9. Actf
Silver
1. Seven
Bronze
1. Shanahan
2. Photoplay
Supporters
1. Hla
2. Rgm
3. Creative Content Australia
Ben Lawrence has took out the Best Direction of a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) Award for Hearts & Bones.
Amongst the many female directors to be applauded this year,...
- 11/10/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The 6-day conference will run online from November 20-26.
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, and Mouly Surya from Indonesia are among the speakers confirmed for the second annual Asia Pacific Screen Forum, which will run online from November 20-26.
Events in the six-day conference will be accessible to participants across the continent, as well as in-person at the Home Of The Arts venue in Gold Coast, Australia.
The schedule includes panels, smaller-scale roundtable discussions, and a screening programme.
Chen, whose second feature Wet Season was recently selected as Singapore’s entry for the 2020 Oscar international feature award, will take part in...
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, and Mouly Surya from Indonesia are among the speakers confirmed for the second annual Asia Pacific Screen Forum, which will run online from November 20-26.
Events in the six-day conference will be accessible to participants across the continent, as well as in-person at the Home Of The Arts venue in Gold Coast, Australia.
The schedule includes panels, smaller-scale roundtable discussions, and a screening programme.
Chen, whose second feature Wet Season was recently selected as Singapore’s entry for the 2020 Oscar international feature award, will take part in...
- 10/27/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Ben Lawrence took home the main prize – Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M+) – at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards, for his debut narrative feature Hearts and Bones.
Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.
Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.
The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...
Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.
Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.
The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...
- 10/19/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
In Josephine Mackerras’s French language drama Alice, Emilie Piponnier stars as an ordinary middle-class young mother and housewife who discovers that her husband has been living a double life. The film, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize earlier this year, has been a real passion project for Mackerras who also wrote and oversaw every aspect of the production. With next to no money and unable to find a producer who shared her vision, the filmmaker convinced 22 actors and 27 technicians to help the project off the ground with next to no money.
On the surface, Alice Ferrand (Piponnier) appears to have it all. Adored by her husband Francois (Martin Swabey) and envied by their friends for their seemingly perfect relationship, the mother-of-one couldn’t be happier with her lot in life. Alice’s cookie cutter lifestyle starts to unravel when it transpires that Francois has spent all of their savings before disappearing without trace.
On the surface, Alice Ferrand (Piponnier) appears to have it all. Adored by her husband Francois (Martin Swabey) and envied by their friends for their seemingly perfect relationship, the mother-of-one couldn’t be happier with her lot in life. Alice’s cookie cutter lifestyle starts to unravel when it transpires that Francois has spent all of their savings before disappearing without trace.
- 7/24/2020
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Emilie Piponnier does her best as a single mother plunged into crisis but this shallow story does not do its subject justice
This debut feature from Australian director Josephine Mackerras was a success at last year’s SXSW festival; it is well acted and all hangs together in plot terms. But its depiction of high-end sex work is glib and naive.
This debut feature from Australian director Josephine Mackerras was a success at last year’s SXSW festival; it is well acted and all hangs together in plot terms. But its depiction of high-end sex work is glib and naive.
- 7/22/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Though fortunate enough to enjoy a run on the festival circuit, French drama Alice is now set for its release in the UK, available this weekend on select digital platforms. The film, which focuses in on a woman who is left with nothing but debt when her husband packs up and leaves, turns to the world of prostitution, and this brings out a fine performance from the leading star Emilie Piponnier. We had the pleasure of speaking to the actress (based in France) alongside the film’s Aussie director, Josephine Mackerras – as we had a conversation bright and early in the morning in Europe, though as you’ll be able to see from the video below, was nearing bedtime over in Australia.
We discuss the project at length, and the balancing between the comedic elements of the film and the more profound and dramatic. We also chat about roles for...
We discuss the project at length, and the balancing between the comedic elements of the film and the more profound and dramatic. We also chat about roles for...
- 7/22/2020
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sophie Hyde, pictured here on the set of ‘Animals’, has been nominated for two Adg Awards.
First-time feature directors Thomas Wright (Acute Misfortune), John Sheedy (H is for Happiness), Ben Lawrence (Hearts and Bones) and Natalie Erika James (Relic) will vie for the Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film ($1 million or over) against Sophie Hyde (Animals) and Wayne Blair (Top End Wedding).
Up in the $1 million or under category are Josephine Mackerras for Alice, Imogen Thomas for Emu Runner, Lucy Colman for Hot Mess, Luke Sullivan for Reflections In The Dust and Samuel Van Grinsven for Sequin In A Blue Room.
The Adg announced nominees for its annual awards today, with winners to be announced in Sydney at a ceremony October 19. A record 202 entries were received this year, up from 117 in 2019.
“At these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we come...
First-time feature directors Thomas Wright (Acute Misfortune), John Sheedy (H is for Happiness), Ben Lawrence (Hearts and Bones) and Natalie Erika James (Relic) will vie for the Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film ($1 million or over) against Sophie Hyde (Animals) and Wayne Blair (Top End Wedding).
Up in the $1 million or under category are Josephine Mackerras for Alice, Imogen Thomas for Emu Runner, Lucy Colman for Hot Mess, Luke Sullivan for Reflections In The Dust and Samuel Van Grinsven for Sequin In A Blue Room.
The Adg announced nominees for its annual awards today, with winners to be announced in Sydney at a ceremony October 19. A record 202 entries were received this year, up from 117 in 2019.
“At these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we come...
- 7/14/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Chicago – Both the Music Box Theatre and the Gene Siskel Film Center have continued their at-home screenings, due to the physical theaters having to close during the pandemic quarantine. Below are the updates to their current offerings.
Music Box Theatre Presents Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 6, Alice, Deerskin, Straight Up, Lucky Grandma and Magnolia Pictures Documentaries
Chicagoland Shorts Vol 6
Photo credit: MusicBoxTheatre.com
The Music Box Theatre will get a percentage of the proceeds from any screening. Click site link below for details.
Scheduled: Now until the theater re-opens.
Description: Chicagoland Shorts Vol 6 is the annual Windy City overview of local short films works, presented by Full Spectrum Productions. See the Music Box website for a list of the films.
Alice Emilie Piponnier is the perfect wife and mother, living happily with her husband Francois and their son in an apartment in Paris. When her credit cards are declined one day while shopping,...
Music Box Theatre Presents Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 6, Alice, Deerskin, Straight Up, Lucky Grandma and Magnolia Pictures Documentaries
Chicagoland Shorts Vol 6
Photo credit: MusicBoxTheatre.com
The Music Box Theatre will get a percentage of the proceeds from any screening. Click site link below for details.
Scheduled: Now until the theater re-opens.
Description: Chicagoland Shorts Vol 6 is the annual Windy City overview of local short films works, presented by Full Spectrum Productions. See the Music Box website for a list of the films.
Alice Emilie Piponnier is the perfect wife and mother, living happily with her husband Francois and their son in an apartment in Paris. When her credit cards are declined one day while shopping,...
- 5/20/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It’s a relatively slim week in new releases, even by the standards of the ongoing coronavirus shutdown — although there are a few gems to be found, if you hunt hard enough. Families have “Scoob!” which Warner Bros. decided to make available directly via digital, following the recent success of “Trolls World Tour.” And grownups can check out Tom Hardy playing the shell of a notorious gangster in “Capone.” Here are the week’s new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them.
High-profile on-demand studio and indie offerings:
Capone (Josh Trank)
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon, iTunes and other on-demand platforms.
In “Capone,” Tom Hardy, as the aging, broken-down, not-all-there Al Capone, acts under a corpse-gray mask of desiccated-mobster makeup. Is “Capone” a fascinatingly idiosyncratic twilight-of-the-mobster drama? Or is it a “Saturday Night Live” sketch with pretensions? It may be a bit of both.
High-profile on-demand studio and indie offerings:
Capone (Josh Trank)
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Where to Find It: Rent on Amazon, iTunes and other on-demand platforms.
In “Capone,” Tom Hardy, as the aging, broken-down, not-all-there Al Capone, acts under a corpse-gray mask of desiccated-mobster makeup. Is “Capone” a fascinatingly idiosyncratic twilight-of-the-mobster drama? Or is it a “Saturday Night Live” sketch with pretensions? It may be a bit of both.
- 5/15/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone.
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone.
- 5/15/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In Luis Buñuel’s “Belle de Jour,” a housewife slips out during the day to an elite brothel, where she’s able to explore kinky fantasies she wouldn’t dare suggest to her husband. It’s one of the most daring films ever made, not so much because of anything it overtly depicts as what this controversial classic reveals about the infinitely complicated psychology of human sexuality.
Director Josephine Mackerras’ “Alice” shares that rebel spirit, thrusting its demure leading lady into some of those same shadows. But unlike Catherine Deneuve’s masochistic character, young married mother Alice Ferrand isn’t trying to feed any particular fetish when she starts work for a high-class Paris brothel. Rather, she discovers this hidden world quite by accident the day her credit cards stop working, after calling phone numbers she finds among her husband’s private records. She agrees to become an escort since...
Director Josephine Mackerras’ “Alice” shares that rebel spirit, thrusting its demure leading lady into some of those same shadows. But unlike Catherine Deneuve’s masochistic character, young married mother Alice Ferrand isn’t trying to feed any particular fetish when she starts work for a high-class Paris brothel. Rather, she discovers this hidden world quite by accident the day her credit cards stop working, after calling phone numbers she finds among her husband’s private records. She agrees to become an escort since...
- 5/15/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
"I'd like to know how much you charge." Monument Releasing has debuted a new Us trailer for an indie French drama titled simply Alice, marking the feature debut of writer / director Josephine Mackerras. The film won the Grand Jury Award top prize at the SXSW Film Festival last year, and played at numerous other festivals all over the world. French actress Emilie Piponnier stars as the titular Alice. After discovering that her husband's addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, she finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child. Also stars Martin Swabey, Chloe Boreham, & Juliette Tresanini. This looks strikingly provocative, and seriously compelling, challenging audiences to rethink their prejudices in order to understand motivations and identify in a whole new light. Here's the official Us trailer (+ new poster) for Josephine Mackerras' Alice, direct from YouTube: She did everything right,...
- 5/6/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: U.S. outfit Monument Releasing is returning to the ‘virtual theatrical’ model with SXSW 2019 Grand Jury winner Alice.
After trialing the release model with Sundance title Pahokee this past week, Monument will release Alice online with theatrical partners in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on May 15. A Tvod release will follow on August 4.
Consumers can buy a virtual ticket from a participating venue of their choice with Monument splitting revenue with theaters.
The film stars French actress Emilie Piponnier in a breakout performance as Alice, who discovers that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless. After he abandons them, she becomes drawn into the world of high-end prostitution in order to care for herself and her son. Also starring are Martin Swabey and Chloe Boreham.
The film is written, directed, and produced by Josephine Mackerras and executive produced by Elliot Grove. Festival play also included Rio,...
After trialing the release model with Sundance title Pahokee this past week, Monument will release Alice online with theatrical partners in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on May 15. A Tvod release will follow on August 4.
Consumers can buy a virtual ticket from a participating venue of their choice with Monument splitting revenue with theaters.
The film stars French actress Emilie Piponnier in a breakout performance as Alice, who discovers that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless. After he abandons them, she becomes drawn into the world of high-end prostitution in order to care for herself and her son. Also starring are Martin Swabey and Chloe Boreham.
The film is written, directed, and produced by Josephine Mackerras and executive produced by Elliot Grove. Festival play also included Rio,...
- 5/5/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Chicago Critics Film Festival Runs May 17th – 23rd. Stephen Tronicek is covering the event for We Are Movie Geeeks
Today I had to arrive at 5 pm instead of 3 pm, so I had more time to explore the city. The great thing I’ve noticed about the past few days is that because Ccff replays films, it gives you time to explore and have time to yourself. Chicago is really a beautiful place to spend a day walking around.
The first film of last night’s lineup was already strong. The Short History of the Long Road, directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy is the type of optimistic, sentimental fare that we need in the trying times that we live in. Long Road follows Nola (a never better Sabrina Carpenter), a teenager living in a vintage van with her father (Steven Ogg). After a devastating event changes her life forever, Nola must...
Today I had to arrive at 5 pm instead of 3 pm, so I had more time to explore the city. The great thing I’ve noticed about the past few days is that because Ccff replays films, it gives you time to explore and have time to yourself. Chicago is really a beautiful place to spend a day walking around.
The first film of last night’s lineup was already strong. The Short History of the Long Road, directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy is the type of optimistic, sentimental fare that we need in the trying times that we live in. Long Road follows Nola (a never better Sabrina Carpenter), a teenager living in a vintage van with her father (Steven Ogg). After a devastating event changes her life forever, Nola must...
- 5/22/2019
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Tribeca, SXSW award-winners 'Initials S.G.', 'Alice', 'Tito' on Visit Films Cannes slate (exclusive)
Ryan Kampe to show teaser footage fromupcoming adventure doc The Sanctity Of Space, punk rock doc White Riot.
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a bumper sales slate led by Tribeca Film Festival Nora Ephron Award winner Initials S.G.
The roster includes Tribeca selection Crshd, SXSW winners Alice, Saint Frances and Tito, SXSW selection The Wall Of Mexico, and Sundance selection Adam.
Visit will screen Lucía Garibaldi’s Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition best award-winner The Sharks, about a girl’s sexual awakening in a small beach town. Kampe will also present teaser footage from...
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a bumper sales slate led by Tribeca Film Festival Nora Ephron Award winner Initials S.G.
The roster includes Tribeca selection Crshd, SXSW winners Alice, Saint Frances and Tito, SXSW selection The Wall Of Mexico, and Sundance selection Adam.
Visit will screen Lucía Garibaldi’s Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition best award-winner The Sharks, about a girl’s sexual awakening in a small beach town. Kampe will also present teaser footage from...
- 5/13/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Hello everybody, what’s up? You’re listening to the Roobla Podcast with me, Tom Salmon! The show that dives into music, film and games and everything else in between.
My guest on this week’s episode is Josephine Mackerras, who wrote, directed and produced her debut feature film Alice (2019) starring Emilie Piponnier and Martin Swabey. The film had its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival on the 10th of March and won the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and CherryPicks Female First Feature Award.
We jumped into Josephine’s filmmaking career, the double standard women face within society and what her dream film project would be, all right before she headed off to SXSW and her debut film stormed the festival!
You can read L Steed’s glowing review of Alice right now!
My guest on this week’s episode is Josephine Mackerras, who wrote, directed and produced her debut feature film Alice (2019) starring Emilie Piponnier and Martin Swabey. The film had its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival on the 10th of March and won the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and CherryPicks Female First Feature Award.
We jumped into Josephine’s filmmaking career, the double standard women face within society and what her dream film project would be, all right before she headed off to SXSW and her debut film stormed the festival!
You can read L Steed’s glowing review of Alice right now!
- 4/4/2019
- by Thomas Salmon
- The Cultural Post
Josephine Mackerras’ Alice, winner of SXSW 2019’s Best Narrative Feature prize, tells the story of a mild-mannered Parisian woman who becomes a sex worker to save her home. When Alice (the magnifique Emilie Piponnier) discovers that her husband Francois (the detestable Martin Swabey) has squandered their funds on prostitutes, she becomes one herself—not out of revenge, but as an act of self-empowerment, controlling her own fate by defying the males in her life who, until then, controlled her.
Impactful performances by Piponnier, Swabey and Chloe Boreham are central to this microbudget study in gender stereotypes—as is the heartfelt heft of writer/director Mackerras.…...
Impactful performances by Piponnier, Swabey and Chloe Boreham are central to this microbudget study in gender stereotypes—as is the heartfelt heft of writer/director Mackerras.…...
- 3/27/2019
- by Dylan Kai Dempsey
- IONCINEMA.com
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival launched plenty of buzz for many anticipated studio releases, from Jordan Peele’s “Us” to Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart,” but these movies don’t tell the whole story. The Austin gathering showcased 102 features and episodic across nine days, and it remains unclear where many of those titles will surface next. But even if they didn’t garner the same level of hype, many of the smaller-scale narratives and documentaries at SXSW 2019 deserve audiences beyond the insular film festival circuit.
These highlights may not generate massive deals, but in today’s malleable distribution landscape, there are many of ways that strong, original storytelling can find audience. Here’s our usual plea that buyers take a chance on these worthy films that still need homes.
“Alice”
The opening minutes of “Alice” make the case for Emilie Piponnier to be a movie star, and the rest of the movie keeps it up.
These highlights may not generate massive deals, but in today’s malleable distribution landscape, there are many of ways that strong, original storytelling can find audience. Here’s our usual plea that buyers take a chance on these worthy films that still need homes.
“Alice”
The opening minutes of “Alice” make the case for Emilie Piponnier to be a movie star, and the rest of the movie keeps it up.
- 3/18/2019
- by Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Much of the buzz at this year’s SXSW Film Festival originated with the starry, studio-driven Headliners category, where Jordan Peele’s “Us” and work-in-progress action-comedy “Stuber” played to enthusiastic audiences. Night after night for nearly the entire nine-day festival, SXSW unveiled such high-profile titles to enthusiastic audiences at Paramount Theater — a major coup for an event that’s proven to Hollywood marketing strategists that it can serve as an ideal launchpad for horror (“A Quiet Place”), action (“Atomic Blonde”), and comedies (“Sausage Party”).
SXSW had a record nine Headliners this year, plus a handful of high-impact political docs, including “Running With Beto” and “Knock Down the House” (the latter one of a dozen films selected to play Austin so soon after Sundance). But such movies make up less than 10% of a festival that’s still first and foremost about discovering and sharing outside-the-box new independent films: SXSW boasts more...
SXSW had a record nine Headliners this year, plus a handful of high-impact political docs, including “Running With Beto” and “Knock Down the House” (the latter one of a dozen films selected to play Austin so soon after Sundance). But such movies make up less than 10% of a festival that’s still first and foremost about discovering and sharing outside-the-box new independent films: SXSW boasts more...
- 3/17/2019
- by Peter Debruge, Joe Leydon and Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Audiences at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, are famously enthusiastic, cheering for movies with the same kind of bring-down-the-house applause they show bands at the event’s overlapping music fest — so it can be helpful to know which movies they really loved when the 10-day showcase winds to an end and SXSW announces its Audience Awards.
These popular prizes, tallied via ballots at screenings in each category, follow several days after the Grand Jury awards, announced midway through the festival. The SXSW juries selected Josephine Mackerras’ French-language “Alice” in the narrative feature competition and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syria-set “For Sama” as the top documentary.
Passholders and the general public clearly also responded to “For Sama,” which won the Audience Award in the same category, while “Running With Beto” — about the Senatorial campaign of local favorite and presidential contender Beto O’Rourke — took the Documentary Spotlight prize.
These popular prizes, tallied via ballots at screenings in each category, follow several days after the Grand Jury awards, announced midway through the festival. The SXSW juries selected Josephine Mackerras’ French-language “Alice” in the narrative feature competition and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ Syria-set “For Sama” as the top documentary.
Passholders and the general public clearly also responded to “For Sama,” which won the Audience Award in the same category, while “Running With Beto” — about the Senatorial campaign of local favorite and presidential contender Beto O’Rourke — took the Documentary Spotlight prize.
- 3/16/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The opening minutes of “Alice” make the case for Emilie Piponnier to be a movie star, and the rest of the movie keeps it up. As the eponymous centerpiece of the 2019 SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner, Piponnier dominates every frame, with a mesmerizing screen presence that pushes the drama well beyond its formulaic premise and visible microbudget constraints. Nevertheless, French director Josephine Mackerras’ understated debut operates on the same intimate wavelength as Piponnier’s simmering desperation — and, eventually, her newfound sense of pride — as a woman who becomes a sex worker to support her child. That premise may not change the world, but “Alice” succeeds as a sturdy window into one woman’s quest to take control of her oppressive world. If a festival breakout narrative counts for anything, it should advance the careers of the women on both sides of the camera.
At first, Alice maintains a cozy domestic...
At first, Alice maintains a cozy domestic...
- 3/14/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The SXSW Film Festival unveiled the 2019 Jury and Special Award winners for 26th edition of the fest at Austin’s Paramount Theater with Josephine Mackerras-directed drama Alice winning in the Narrative Feature Competition and Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts’s For Sama taking top honors for the Documentary Feature Competition. Short films and other juried sections, including Film Design Awards were also presented.
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
- 3/13/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Josephine Mackerras' marital drama 'Alice' won the top prize for best narrative feature at the South by Southwest Awards on Tuesday night at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas.
The French film is Mackerras' feature directorial debut and explores the collapse of a seemingly perfect marriage. Emilie Piponnier stars as the title character who becomes a sex worker after discovering that her husband Francois, played by Martin Swabey, has taken all of their money and spent it -- including her inheritance from her father.
'Alice' also won the inaugural CherryPicks Female First Award, presented to a first-time female filmmaker.
The best documentary award went to the British production 'For Sama,' directed by Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts. 'For Sama' tells the story of al-Khateab's journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
The French film is Mackerras' feature directorial debut and explores the collapse of a seemingly perfect marriage. Emilie Piponnier stars as the title character who becomes a sex worker after discovering that her husband Francois, played by Martin Swabey, has taken all of their money and spent it -- including her inheritance from her father.
'Alice' also won the inaugural CherryPicks Female First Award, presented to a first-time female filmmaker.
The best documentary award went to the British production 'For Sama,' directed by Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts. 'For Sama' tells the story of al-Khateab's journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
- 3/13/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The SXSW Film Festival has announced the winners of the its Narrative and Documentary Competitions. The winners were unveiled during a ceremony at Austin’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday, alongside several other prizes for features and shorts from across the the SXSW lineup.
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
- 3/13/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Following the news they would open with the world premiere of Jordan Peele’s Us, the 2019 South by Southwest by Southwest Film Festival have announced their features and episodic premieres lineup.
Among the slate is a handful of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum, Chris Morris’s Four Lions follow-up The Day Shall Come starring Anna Kendrick, and Riley Stearns’ Faults follow-up The Art of Self-Defense. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart will premiere at the festival as will Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s new comedy formerly titled Flarsky.
“As we head into our 26th edition, we couldn’t be more excited to once again share a completely fresh SXSW 2019 slate with our uniquely smart and enthusiastic SXSW audience,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “As always, we looked for a wide range of work, contemplating scale, style, tenor and tone. We...
Among the slate is a handful of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum, Chris Morris’s Four Lions follow-up The Day Shall Come starring Anna Kendrick, and Riley Stearns’ Faults follow-up The Art of Self-Defense. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart will premiere at the festival as will Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s new comedy formerly titled Flarsky.
“As we head into our 26th edition, we couldn’t be more excited to once again share a completely fresh SXSW 2019 slate with our uniquely smart and enthusiastic SXSW audience,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “As always, we looked for a wide range of work, contemplating scale, style, tenor and tone. We...
- 1/16/2019
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced its feature lineup for the 2019 film festival, which will include Matthew McConaughey’s “The Beach Bum,” Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut “Booksmart” and Shia Labeouf’s “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”
Jordan Peele’s “Us” was previously announced as the festival’s Opening Night film.
Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear,” starring Camila Morrone and James Badge Dale, “The Highwaymen” starring Kevin Coster, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates, Logan Marshall Green’s “Adopt a Highway” starring Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix, “The Day Shall Come” starring Anna Kendrick and Denis O’Hare, and “Villains” starring Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe have also been added to the lineup.
Also Read: SXSW 2019: Olivia Wilde, A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Katzenberg Among Featured and Keynote Speakers
Nearly 8,500 films were submitted this year. Feature films in the lineup screen in the following categories: Narrative Feature Competition,...
Jordan Peele’s “Us” was previously announced as the festival’s Opening Night film.
Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear,” starring Camila Morrone and James Badge Dale, “The Highwaymen” starring Kevin Coster, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates, Logan Marshall Green’s “Adopt a Highway” starring Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix, “The Day Shall Come” starring Anna Kendrick and Denis O’Hare, and “Villains” starring Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe have also been added to the lineup.
Also Read: SXSW 2019: Olivia Wilde, A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Katzenberg Among Featured and Keynote Speakers
Nearly 8,500 films were submitted this year. Feature films in the lineup screen in the following categories: Narrative Feature Competition,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
The 26th edition of the SXSW Film Festival will feature movies directed by Harmony Korine and Olivia Wilde, an untitled romantic comedy starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron and a concert film with comedian Kathy Griffin.
The annual gathering in Austin, Texas, which starts on March 8, will open with Jordan Peele’s “Us,” which was previously announced. The thriller stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.
There will be 102 features and TV episodes featured over nine days.
In recent years, SXSW has upped its game as a festival that covers a lot of ground. It reliably launches a few spring studio hits, such as last year’s “The Quiet Place” and “Blockers,” and also discovers under-the-radar storytellers. For attendees, there’s also keynote addresses with filmmakers and actors.
The standouts in this year’s lineup include Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” a much-anticipated comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg and Zac Efron.
The annual gathering in Austin, Texas, which starts on March 8, will open with Jordan Peele’s “Us,” which was previously announced. The thriller stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.
There will be 102 features and TV episodes featured over nine days.
In recent years, SXSW has upped its game as a festival that covers a lot of ground. It reliably launches a few spring studio hits, such as last year’s “The Quiet Place” and “Blockers,” and also discovers under-the-radar storytellers. For attendees, there’s also keynote addresses with filmmakers and actors.
The standouts in this year’s lineup include Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” a much-anticipated comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg and Zac Efron.
- 1/16/2019
- by Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
SXSW 2019 ias unveiled the current features and episodic premieres for the 26th edition of the film festival, running March 8 – 17, 2019 in Austin, Texas. Jordan Peele’s highly-anticipated “Get Out” follow-up “Us” was previously announced as the Festival’s Opening Night film, while Olivia Wilde, Jessica Brillhart, and Marti Noxon have already been announced as this year’s Film Keynotes.
Highlights of this year’s film lineup include a number of already-buzzed-about features, including Harmony Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” Wilde’s feature directorial debut “Booksmart,” and an untitled new feature from Jonathan Levine starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron (previously called “Flarsky”). A new documentary about Beto O’Rourke’s recent congressional run will debut in the documentary section, and Robert Rodriguez will screen his microbudget feature “Red 11” in the Visions section. The music-tinged festival will also screen new docs about David Crosby, Rick Rubin, Garth Brooks, and Taylor Swift.
Highlights of this year’s film lineup include a number of already-buzzed-about features, including Harmony Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” Wilde’s feature directorial debut “Booksmart,” and an untitled new feature from Jonathan Levine starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron (previously called “Flarsky”). A new documentary about Beto O’Rourke’s recent congressional run will debut in the documentary section, and Robert Rodriguez will screen his microbudget feature “Red 11” in the Visions section. The music-tinged festival will also screen new docs about David Crosby, Rick Rubin, Garth Brooks, and Taylor Swift.
- 1/16/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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