United Airlines found themselves the focus of the Internet’s fury on Monday when horrifying footage was posted of a bloodied passenger being dragged off one of their planes. And the company’s response didn’t seem to help things.
An unnamed passenger was violently removed from an aircraft at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday, after he refused to volunteer to give up his seat on an overbooked flight.
Passengers were offered up to $1000 to leave the flight and make room for United employees who needed the spots. When no one volunteered, United followed Department of Transportation procedures and...
An unnamed passenger was violently removed from an aircraft at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday, after he refused to volunteer to give up his seat on an overbooked flight.
Passengers were offered up to $1000 to leave the flight and make room for United employees who needed the spots. When no one volunteered, United followed Department of Transportation procedures and...
- 4/11/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
A monstrous transformation threatens to literally tear a family apart in Clown. With Dimension Films and Anchor Bay Entertainment releasing the movie on Blu-ray and DVD on August 23rd, Daily Dead spoke with Clown co-star Laura Allen about what attracted her to the role of Meg, working with Peter Stormare, one of her favorite scenes that was cut from the movie, and more.
What made you say “yes” to taking on this movie with this crazy concept?
Laura Allen: I was in New York City in the fall of 2012, I had a brand new baby in my hotel in SoHo, and I was given the script. I started reading Meg’s story in Clown, and was getting the fact that everything’s so primal. She’s pregnant and she’s terrified and she’s just interested in the survival of her family. There were steps that she made and...
What made you say “yes” to taking on this movie with this crazy concept?
Laura Allen: I was in New York City in the fall of 2012, I had a brand new baby in my hotel in SoHo, and I was given the script. I started reading Meg’s story in Clown, and was getting the fact that everything’s so primal. She’s pregnant and she’s terrified and she’s just interested in the survival of her family. There were steps that she made and...
- 8/19/2016
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
We chatted to Spider-Man reboot director Jon Watts about his previous film, Cop Car, and his comic book inspirations…
Jon Watts’ next job is no secret – he’ll be directing the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man reboot, for Marvel Studios and Sony. They signed him up off the strength of his last film – his second feature, Cop Car.
Cop Car is something of a hybrid between a road comedy and a crime thriller, where Kevin Bacon stars as a crooked cop on the hunt for the two young runaways that have taken a joyride in his eponymous vehicle.
Ahead of Cop Car’s disc release in the UK (and it's available on demand now), we chatted to Jon Watts on the phone about the film, his directorial debut (the underrated 2014 horror flick, Clown) and the comic book inspirations behind his next project…
So, we’re here to talk about Cop Car – which you wrote and directed.
Jon Watts’ next job is no secret – he’ll be directing the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man reboot, for Marvel Studios and Sony. They signed him up off the strength of his last film – his second feature, Cop Car.
Cop Car is something of a hybrid between a road comedy and a crime thriller, where Kevin Bacon stars as a crooked cop on the hunt for the two young runaways that have taken a joyride in his eponymous vehicle.
Ahead of Cop Car’s disc release in the UK (and it's available on demand now), we chatted to Jon Watts on the phone about the film, his directorial debut (the underrated 2014 horror flick, Clown) and the comic book inspirations behind his next project…
So, we’re here to talk about Cop Car – which you wrote and directed.
- 10/3/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
While "Cop Car" was unveiled to strong reviews at Sundance 2015, by the time I viewed it I was seeing it through the prism of a Marvel executive checking out the chops of a would-be director for "Spider-Man." And you can see how they would think that Jon Watts has the right stuff--he clearly knows how to write (with partner Chris Ford) and shoot, build laughs, characters and tension. And there are several superb set pieces worthy of a serious student of Steven Spielberg, Sergio Leone and William Friedkin. In "Cop Car" two ten-year-old two boys in Colorado come across an abandoned cop car and take it on a lark. They embark on an adventure. They don’t think about consequences. Watts reveals strategic bits of info, like a beer bottle placed on the hood of the car, measures out details we need to know, like a cache of guns in the back seat,...
- 8/14/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
While we're still waiting for Eli Roth to turn his Grindhouse trailer for the bloody horror Thanksgiving into a feature length film, another project with the same writers is coming sooner. Robot & Frank writer Chirs Ford and Jon Watts teamed with Roth to turn the fake horror trailer Clown into a feature length film. Watts is directing the film starring Andy Powers as a loving father who finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize the suit is part of an evil curse that turns its wearer into a killer. Now the first trailer for the twisted film is here, ensuring that anyone who isn't already scared of clowns will be soon. Here's the first trailer for Jon Watts' Clown from The Film Stage: Clown is produced by horror mastermind Eli Roth and directed by Jon Watts, from a script he co-wrote with Chris Ford.
- 1/10/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Director Jake Schreier talks about his new film, which explores the relationship of an elderly man with a robot hired to care for him, and wonders if such interactions could become the norm
Frank Langella on Robot & Frank: 'I'd rather make love in reality than on a machine'
To see Robot & Frank is, by and large, to like it. It was the first film snapped up at Sundance last year – before The Sessions, before Beasts of the Southern Wild. It's been showered with awards, love-bombed at festivals, and its director, Jake Schreier, tipped as a key name of his generation. Yet one person remained unimpressed.
"I have this friend from Ukraine," says Schreier, sat politely beside a big iron sheep in a London hotel lobby. "She could not understand the movie at all. She was like: 'Why would they not take care of crazy grandpa? Why would they leave him with robot?...
Frank Langella on Robot & Frank: 'I'd rather make love in reality than on a machine'
To see Robot & Frank is, by and large, to like it. It was the first film snapped up at Sundance last year – before The Sessions, before Beasts of the Southern Wild. It's been showered with awards, love-bombed at festivals, and its director, Jake Schreier, tipped as a key name of his generation. Yet one person remained unimpressed.
"I have this friend from Ukraine," says Schreier, sat politely beside a big iron sheep in a London hotel lobby. "She could not understand the movie at all. She was like: 'Why would they not take care of crazy grandpa? Why would they leave him with robot?...
- 3/9/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Although Robot & Frank hits our cinema screens this week, it was last Autumn at the London Film Festival where we were given the opportunity to speak to the film’s director Jake Schreier, to discuss his fantastic debut feature film.
Set in the near future, Robot & Frank tells the story of an elderly man named Frank (Frank Langella) who is persuaded into having a Robot (Peter Sarsgaard) come and look after and assist him. Although initially against the idea completely, soon Frank comes round to his new friend when he realises that this tool can be manipulated into helping him conduct some ambitious robberies…
Schreier discusses his delight at getting Langella on board and the wonderful performance he puts in, as well collaborating with screenwriter Christopher Ford – an old school friend. He also tells us about constructing the “near future” depicted within the movie, and what he believes his very...
Set in the near future, Robot & Frank tells the story of an elderly man named Frank (Frank Langella) who is persuaded into having a Robot (Peter Sarsgaard) come and look after and assist him. Although initially against the idea completely, soon Frank comes round to his new friend when he realises that this tool can be manipulated into helping him conduct some ambitious robberies…
Schreier discusses his delight at getting Langella on board and the wonderful performance he puts in, as well collaborating with screenwriter Christopher Ford – an old school friend. He also tells us about constructing the “near future” depicted within the movie, and what he believes his very...
- 3/8/2013
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It is a rare opportunity to see a film that could be visually engaging, clever in its plot and dialogue, thought provoking and capture the very heart of humanity, change and what life can be like to all of us when we get older. I am sure you would hope this would be one of those films.
With a cast that is solid: Frank Langella (Masters of the Universe, Frost/Nixon - Oscar Nominated), Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking - won an Oscar, Lorenzo’s Oil - Oscar nominated) and Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Boys Don’t Cry, Knight & Day), you would hope that they would be able to carry the film forward and be engaging. A script by first time big screen writer Christopher Ford would be an uncertain bet and one could forgive the ensemble for trying too hard with dealing the near future. A subject’s...
With a cast that is solid: Frank Langella (Masters of the Universe, Frost/Nixon - Oscar Nominated), Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking - won an Oscar, Lorenzo’s Oil - Oscar nominated) and Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Boys Don’t Cry, Knight & Day), you would hope that they would be able to carry the film forward and be engaging. A script by first time big screen writer Christopher Ford would be an uncertain bet and one could forgive the ensemble for trying too hard with dealing the near future. A subject’s...
- 2/26/2013
- Shadowlocked
Each year, the awards season comes to a close with two of the biggest ceremonies in the Us. Tonight is of course the best known, with the Academy Awards being the most prestigious handed out in the industry. But every year, the previous night is reserved for recognising the achievements in filmmaking outside of the studio system with the Independent Spirit Awards.
I’m a big fan of the Independent Spirit Awards, and look forward to their results every year. Last night, some of the finest talents across the independent industry were recognised, and Silver Linings Playbook came away on top with an impressive four category wins.
David O. Russell’s latest feature took home the Best Feature award, it won him personally the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards, and Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkable performance in it won her the Best Female Lead award.
Derek Connolly’s script in...
I’m a big fan of the Independent Spirit Awards, and look forward to their results every year. Last night, some of the finest talents across the independent industry were recognised, and Silver Linings Playbook came away on top with an impressive four category wins.
David O. Russell’s latest feature took home the Best Feature award, it won him personally the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards, and Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkable performance in it won her the Best Female Lead award.
Derek Connolly’s script in...
- 2/24/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Although there rarely seems to be much (if any) overlap between the Independent Spirit Awards and the Oscars when it comes to the winners, it's always nice to see some of these movies getting recognition when they will likely be ignored by the Academy. Silver Linings Playbook does not seem to have much of a shot at winning anything tonight (with the exception of Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress), but it dominated the competition last night winning 4 out of the 5 categories it was nominated in including Best Picture. Jennifer Lawrence also won for Best Female Lead and David O. Russell won Best Director and Best Screenplay. Other winners included The Sessions co-stars John Hawkes for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt for Best Supporting Female, while Matthew McConaughey won Best Supporting Male for his performance in Magic Mike. Amour took home the Best Foreign Film Award and The Invisible War won Best Documentary.
- 2/24/2013
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
It would be the film with the juju in David O. Russell’s zany black comedy that was the toast of the 28th Independent Spirit Awards beating Beasts Of The Southern Wild – its fiercest rival in all major categories. Silver Linings Playbook cleaned up, grabbing Best Feature, Director, Screenplay and Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence – the heavy favorite for tomorrow’s Oscar. Fox Searchlight might have grabbed only one award for Beasts in the Cinematography category, but it’s other Sundance pick-up The Sessions managed to nab a pair of acting prizes for Helen Hunt and Oscar snubbed John Hawkes for Best Male Lead. In our favorite grant categories, Adam Leon (Gimme the Loot) nabbed the Someone to Watch Award (last year it went to Mark Jackson), the Piaget Producers Award went to Mynette Louie (she produced Tze Chun’s sophomore film Eye of Winter which we are keeping...
- 2/24/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It's one of the biggest night's in the independent film industry, and as the 2013 Spirit Awards come to an end, we grant you with the complete list of winners!
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities flocked to Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best and brightest from the world of independent film.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes (The Sessions) and Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey ("Magic Mike") scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt (The Sessions) took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the John Cassavetes award, which pays homage to the best film created...
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities flocked to Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best and brightest from the world of independent film.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes (The Sessions) and Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey ("Magic Mike") scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt (The Sessions) took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the John Cassavetes award, which pays homage to the best film created...
- 2/24/2013
- GossipCenter
It's one of the biggest night's in the independent film industry, and as the 2013 Spirit Awards come to an end, we are granting you with the complete list of victors!
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities headed over to the Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best Indie films from the past year.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt took was honored with a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the honor of the John Cassavetes, which pays homage to the best film created with a budget under $500,000.
Take a look...
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities headed over to the Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best Indie films from the past year.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt took was honored with a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the honor of the John Cassavetes, which pays homage to the best film created with a budget under $500,000.
Take a look...
- 2/24/2013
- GossipCenter
David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" was the big winner at the 28th annual Independent Spirit Awards held in Santa Monica, CA this afternoon and hosted by Andy Samberg. "Silver Linings" took home the Best Feature, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Director, and Screenplay trophies.
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
- 2/24/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" had a heyday at the 28th Independent Spirit Awards, taking home four prizes out of five nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence.
"The Sessions" also got its due after being shut out at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. John Hawkes beat out "Silver Linings'" Bradley Cooper for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt won Best Supporting Female. Also worth noting? Matthew McCounaghey's Best Supporting Male win for "Magic Mike," and his Best Male Lead loss for "Killer Joe."
Here is the full list of Independent Spirit Awards 2013 winners:
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Ira Sachs, "Keep the Lights On"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
David O. Russell,...
"The Sessions" also got its due after being shut out at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. John Hawkes beat out "Silver Linings'" Bradley Cooper for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt won Best Supporting Female. Also worth noting? Matthew McCounaghey's Best Supporting Male win for "Magic Mike," and his Best Male Lead loss for "Killer Joe."
Here is the full list of Independent Spirit Awards 2013 winners:
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Ira Sachs, "Keep the Lights On"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
David O. Russell,...
- 2/24/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The weekend’s other big movie awards ceremony—the Independent Spirit Awards—was held this afternoon in Santa Monica, Calif., with Andy Samberg on board as host. The big winner was David O. Russell’s romantic dramedy Silver Linings Playbook, which took home four prizes: best feature, best director, best actress, and best screenplay. But there was plenty of love spread around the year’s top indies. Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook – Winner
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ira Sachs,...
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook – Winner
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ira Sachs,...
- 2/24/2013
- by Josh Rottenberg
- EW - Inside Movies
Today the 2013 Spirit Awards were handed out and it was a dominating effort from Silver Linings Playbook as it won Best Picture, Director (David O. Russell), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) and Screenplay (Russell). The only award it was nominated for and didn't win was Best Actor where Bradley Cooper lost to John Hawkes for The Sessions, but that's only a minor blip on the radar when you win this big. Among the early awards handed out, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower won for Best First Feature while Derek Connolly won for Best First Screenplay for the romantic sci-fi film Safety Not Guaranteed. Then the Twitterverse exploded with a Best Supporting Actor win for Matthew McConaughey and his work in Magic Mike, which, for a time, seemed like it may be able to eek into that last Supporting slot at the Oscars. No dice, a Spirit Award it will have to be.
- 2/23/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Some of the best movies from this year are being celebrated on Feb. 23 at the Independent Spirit Awards — and HollywoodLife.com is live streaming the red carpet just for you!
Andy Samberg will host the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23, the awards show that celebrates independent films and showcases the best of the year to a bigger audience. While some A-Listers are such as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are nominated, other actors and films that are also nominated will surely be added to your must-see list! Keep reading to watch the live red carpet now!
The Independent Spirit Awards air on Feb. 23 at 10Pm Et on IFC. See the full list of nominations below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights on
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
Andy Samberg will host the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23, the awards show that celebrates independent films and showcases the best of the year to a bigger audience. While some A-Listers are such as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are nominated, other actors and films that are also nominated will surely be added to your must-see list! Keep reading to watch the live red carpet now!
The Independent Spirit Awards air on Feb. 23 at 10Pm Et on IFC. See the full list of nominations below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights on
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
- 2/23/2013
- by Christopher Rogers
- HollywoodLife
Members of the Sloan Jury at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, chosen by the Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, also participated in the Science in Film Forum Panel at the Festival. The members of the 2013 Sloan Jury were: Paula Apsell (Senior Executive Producer, Nova and Nova ScienceNow, Director, Wgbh Science Unit), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain, Pi), Scott Burns (writer, Contagion, Pu-239, The Informant and producer, An Inconvenient Truth), Dr. André Fenton (Professor of Neural Science at the Center for Neural Science at New York University), Dr. Lisa Randall (Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Harvard University, author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World).
2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”
"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."
For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.
Feature Film Prize Jury
The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
Science in Film Forum Panel
The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.
Juror and Panelist Bios
Paula Apsell
As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Darren Aronofsky
Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.
Dr. André Fenton
Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.
Dr. Lisa Randall
Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative, a collaboration between Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, or depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging new ways. Activities include the Science in Film Forum, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Sloan Commissioning Grant, and the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Scientists, engineers, mathematicians are – like filmmakers - some of the most imaginative and adventurous thinkers of our time, and the Alfred P. Sloan Science in Film initiative has fostered awareness of and engagement with these fascinating themes in independent film for the last 10 years.”
"We are thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary with Sundance, which has been such a great partner in our nationwide effort to encourage filmmakers to engage with science and technology themes and characters,” said Doron Weber, Vice President, Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Anyone who looks at the incredible list of winning films, from Shane Carruth's Primer and Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man to Jake Scheirer’sRobot and Frank and Musa Syeed's Valley of Saints—or at the amazing screenplays that have been developed through the Sloan Fellowship at Sundance Institute Labs and the Sloan Commissioning Grant—will see that science and technology can reveal the human condition in ways previously unseen and undreamt of."
For more information about the Science in Film initiative, along with updated content, a complete list of supported filmmakers, trailers for completed films, and an interview with Jake Schreier (director, Robot and Frank, 2012 Sloan Prize Winner), visit www.sundance.org/science-in-film.
Feature Film Prize Jury
The Sloan Jury determines the recipient of the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Film Festival which is presented to an outstanding Festival feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. The Prize includes a $20,000 cash award by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Previous Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winners include: Jake Schreier and Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank, and Musa Syeed, Valley of Saints (2012); Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth (2011); Diane Bell, Obselidia(2010); Max Mayer, Adam (2009); Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer (2008); Shi-Zheng Chen, Dark Matter (2007); Andrucha Waddington, The House of Sand (2006); Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man (2005), Shane Carruth, Primer(2004) and Marc Decena, Dopamine (2003). Several past winners have also been awarded Jury Awards at the Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize for Primer, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Sleep Dealer and the Excellence in Cinematography Award for Obselidia.
Science in Film Forum Panel
The Science in Film Forum Panel takes place at Sundance Film Festival on January 22 at 2:30 p.m. Mt at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Sloan Jurors Aronofsky, Burns, Dr. Fenton and Dr. Randall will engage in conversation with moderator Paula Apsell.
Juror and Panelist Bios
Paula Apsell
As Director of the Wgbh Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of the PBS science series Nova, Paula Apsell has overseen the production of hundreds of acclaimed science documentaries, including such distinguished miniseries as The Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene, Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Making Stuff with David Pogue and the magazine spin-off Nova scienceNOW. Nova is the nation’s most watched science series, a top site on pbs.org, and recipient of every major broadcasting honor, including the Emmy®, the Peabody®, and the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton. Paula has won numerous individual awards and has served on many boards including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. She was recently journalist in residence at Uc Santa Barbara’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Darren Aronofsky
Academy Award® Nominated Director Darren Aronofsky was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His most recent film, Black Swan, won Natalie Portman the Academy Award® for Best Actress and received four other nominations, including Best Picture. The film received scores of other accolades, appeared on over 200 critical Top Ten lists, and swept the 2011 Independent Spirit Award with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Prior to Black Swan, Darren directed The Wrestler. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. He also directed The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and Requiem for a Dream, which was named to over 150 Top Ten lists. Darren’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. He is currently at work on Noah, based on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Darren the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award, and he has won three Independent Spirit Awards.
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Burns is screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant! and co-wrote the Academy Award® winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass. He was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award® winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Scott recently completed production on Side Effects, a psychological thriller, slated for release in early 2013. It stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum and is again directed by Steven Soderbergh with Scott writing and producing along with Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Currently, Scott is writing The Library, a stage play based on the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School with Steven Soderbergh directing and Kennedy/Marshall producing. The play is under development at the Public Theater in New York City. Scott began his career in advertising and was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign. His advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.
Dr. André Fenton
Dr. André Fenton, is a neuroscientist, biomedical engineer and entrepreneur working on three related problems: how brains store information in memory; how brains coordinate knowledge to selectively activate relevant information and suppress irrelevant information; and how to record electrical activity from brain cells in freely-moving subjects. André and colleagues identified PKMzeta as the first memory storage molecule, a discovery identified by Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, as one of the ten most important breakthroughs in all the science reported in 2006. Recordings of electrical brain activity in André’s lab are elucidating the physiology of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It was recently discovered that preemptive cognitive training during adolescence changes the brain sufficiently to prevent the adult brain dysfunction and cognitive impairments that arises from brain damage during early life in a schizophrenia-related animal model. André is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. He founded Bio-Signal Group Corp., which is developing an inexpensive, miniature wireless Eeg system for functional brain monitoring of patients in emergency medicine applications and other clinical scenarios.
Dr. Lisa Randall
Dr. Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University where she is Frank J. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. Her research connects theoretical insights addressing puzzles in our current understanding of the properties of matter, the universe, and space. Dr. Randall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People” of 2007, was among Esquire Magazine's “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and was one of 40 people featured in “The Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary issue" in 2008. Dr. Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven’s Door (2011) were featured on the lists of New York Times 100 Most Influential Books. Her ebook, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published last summer.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Founded in 1934, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy that makes grants in science, technology and economic performance. This Sloan-Sundance partnership forms part of a broader national program by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater; to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology; and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the popular imagination. Over the past decade, the Foundation has partnered with some of the top film schools in the country – including AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Nyu, UCLA, and USC – and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production and an annual first-feature award for alumni. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting and film production workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca Film Festival and with Film Independent. As more finished films emerge from this developmental pipeline—four features were completed this year, with half a dozen more on deck—the foundation has also partnered with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Arthouse Convergence to screen science films in up to 40 theaters nationwide. The Foundation also has an active theater program and commissions over a dozen science plays each year from the Ensemble Studio Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club and Playwright Horizons.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
- 2/2/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Apocalypse
Written and Directed by Andrew Zuchero
Many filmmakers attempt to do too much with a low-budget, short film. Worse yet, some will often make their short too long. While short films in theory are far more easy to produce than feature films, they do present an artist with one major roadblock: Trying to cram a clever story into so little time isn’t an easy task. While many shorts use the same structure and story telling techniques as longer films, the film’s turning points come at a much quicker pace. Therefore, a five minute film, should have less than a minute worth of exposition. The most successful shorts are those that concentrate on a simple idea. In The Apocalypse, written and directed by Andrew Zuchero, an idea can be deadly, and the beauty of the film is how Zuchero spins a very simple idea into something far more twisted.
Written and Directed by Andrew Zuchero
Many filmmakers attempt to do too much with a low-budget, short film. Worse yet, some will often make their short too long. While short films in theory are far more easy to produce than feature films, they do present an artist with one major roadblock: Trying to cram a clever story into so little time isn’t an easy task. While many shorts use the same structure and story telling techniques as longer films, the film’s turning points come at a much quicker pace. Therefore, a five minute film, should have less than a minute worth of exposition. The most successful shorts are those that concentrate on a simple idea. In The Apocalypse, written and directed by Andrew Zuchero, an idea can be deadly, and the beauty of the film is how Zuchero spins a very simple idea into something far more twisted.
- 1/20/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Before you can take a breath after the Gotham awards, the Independent Spirit Award nominations have rolled out (here’s the official list), and not without some notable parallels. For the most part, the Best Feature lineup is hardly surprising, perhaps with the exception of Bernie, which was an entertaining film from an excellent director, but this is a slot that could have been filled by something more deserving. The other selections are a bit more typical, with Moonrise Kingdom, The Silver Linings Playbook, and Beasts of the Southern Wild all critical darlings from the past year (though Beasts should really be in the Best First Feature category, but this has more to do with producer credits than director Benh Zeitlin). It’s great to see Ira Sachs’ latest, Keep the Lights On receiving the continued attention as well, one of the very few significant Lgbt related films this year.
- 11/29/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
And just like that, awards season is upon us. I'd like to say that it's a time of year when your chances of seeing a great film in theatres are significantly increased, but I don't know if that's entirely true. Either way, the Independent Spirit Awards kicked things off today with their full list of nominations, which could potentially influence Oscar chances for some filmmakers and actors. I'm guessing that at least a few of these folks will be in the running. David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom led the way with 5 nominations each, while Beasts of the Southern Wild and Keep the Lights On both earned 4. It's awesome to see Matthew McConaughey recognized for both Magic Mike and Killer Joe, but a little disappointing that The Imposter was overlooked for Best Documentary. What do you think of this year's Spirit Award nominees?...
- 11/27/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The 28th Annual Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced eaelier today and while Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook both grabbed five noms a piece, it is Bernie, Keep The Lights On and Beasts of the Southern Wild who are glowing with their four noms each. Our jeers, cheers and snubs commentary shall be coming soon. Here are the entire list of nominees for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards:
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
- 11/27/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Nominations for the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced today and were led by Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook with five nominations each followed closely by fellow Best Feature nominees Beasts of the Southern Wild and Keep the Lights On as well as Ava DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere, each with four nominations. Richard Linklater's Bernie was the fifth Best Feature nominee while Middle of Nowhere found its four nominations largely in the acting categories with Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo and Lorraine Toussant all being nominated and the fourth for the John Cassavetes Award, which goes to the "best" film made for under $500,000. Looking over the list of nominees I can't help but shrug at the screenplay nomination for Ruby Sparks (a film I loathed), but it's nice to see some First Time Feature love for Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The nominees have just been announced for the 28th Annual Independent Spirit Awards which will be held on February 23rd.
Five films have scored nominations for the top award of the night - Best Feature. They include "Beasts Of The Southern Wild," "Bernie," "Keep The Lights On," "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Silver Linings Playbook."
Four of those five also scored nominations for best director with Julia Loktev's work on "The Loneliest Planet" taking over for Richard Linklater's "Bernie". Here's the full list of nominees:
"Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" topped the overall list with five nominations each, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Middle of Nowhere" and "Keep the Lights On" came next with four nominations each.
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
Five films have scored nominations for the top award of the night - Best Feature. They include "Beasts Of The Southern Wild," "Bernie," "Keep The Lights On," "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Silver Linings Playbook."
Four of those five also scored nominations for best director with Julia Loktev's work on "The Loneliest Planet" taking over for Richard Linklater's "Bernie". Here's the full list of nominees:
"Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" topped the overall list with five nominations each, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Middle of Nowhere" and "Keep the Lights On" came next with four nominations each.
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Hot on the heels of last night's indie-spirited Gotham Awards are today's nominations for Film Independent's 28th annual Independent Spirit Awards; the proverbial Oscars of Indie film.
In years past the Independent Spirit Award nominations have served as an indicator of future Oscar nominees, but we'll have to wait and see if that is the case for 2013, keeping in mind a few of the organization's key eligibility requirements: i.e. a film's budget cannot exceed $20 million and must have been made and distributed in America.
Check out the complete nominations list, announced by Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana and Common, after the jump!
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Ira Sachs, "Keep The Lights On"
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Best Male Lead
Jack Black,...
In years past the Independent Spirit Award nominations have served as an indicator of future Oscar nominees, but we'll have to wait and see if that is the case for 2013, keeping in mind a few of the organization's key eligibility requirements: i.e. a film's budget cannot exceed $20 million and must have been made and distributed in America.
Check out the complete nominations list, announced by Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana and Common, after the jump!
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Ira Sachs, "Keep The Lights On"
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Best Male Lead
Jack Black,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Kara Warner
- MTV Movies Blog
Silver Linings Playbook and Moonrise Kingdom led the Independent Spirit Award nominations with five each, including best picture.
Other best picture contenders were Bernie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Keep the Lights On.
With big-screen behemoths like Lincoln, Argo, and Les Miserables dominating Oscar talk, Film Independent’s awards — chosen by filmmakers, actors, critics, and festival programers — cast the spotlight on some smaller films that are nonetheless worthy of consideration this award season.
A little more analysis is on the way, but for now here are the nominees:
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell,...
Other best picture contenders were Bernie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Keep the Lights On.
With big-screen behemoths like Lincoln, Argo, and Les Miserables dominating Oscar talk, Film Independent’s awards — chosen by filmmakers, actors, critics, and festival programers — cast the spotlight on some smaller films that are nonetheless worthy of consideration this award season.
A little more analysis is on the way, but for now here are the nominees:
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Actors Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana and Common presented the nominees for the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards in a press conference on Tuesday, November 27 at 10:00 am at The W Hotel in Hollywood.
Both "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" lead the nominations including best picture where they will compete with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Bernie," and "Keep the Lights On."
Directors Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom") and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") are also nominated in the best director category along with Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet"), Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
And actor Matthew McConaughey's transformation is now complete. He is nominated for both best actor ("Killer Joe") and best supporting actor ("Magic Mike").
Winners of the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on February 23, 2013 when they will hold their traditional Saturday afternoon awards show...
Both "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" lead the nominations including best picture where they will compete with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Bernie," and "Keep the Lights On."
Directors Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom") and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") are also nominated in the best director category along with Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet"), Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
And actor Matthew McConaughey's transformation is now complete. He is nominated for both best actor ("Killer Joe") and best supporting actor ("Magic Mike").
Winners of the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on February 23, 2013 when they will hold their traditional Saturday afternoon awards show...
- 11/27/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The nominations for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning by actors Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana, and Common. Nominees for Best Feature include Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Bernie, Keep The Lights On, Moonrise Kingdom, and Silver Linings Playbook. Starlet was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is given one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm Et/Pt on IFC.
2013 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
Beasts of the Southern Wild Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn Bernie Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne,...
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm Et/Pt on IFC.
2013 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
Beasts of the Southern Wild Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn Bernie Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Robot & Frank
Directed by Jake Schreier
Written by Christopher Ford
USA, 2012
When writers play tricks with their audience, they have to be careful for two major reasons. First, they need to execute those tricks deftly, but more importantly, the stories they create can’t exist solely to pull a fast one on us. Robot & Frank begins with a low-key and endearing concept—an aging cat burglar is given a robot butler to help him in his daily routine—but has a third act that feels engineered simply so the writer can shout “Gotcha!” at the viewer.
Frank Langella stars as Frank, who lives in a country house in Cold Spring, NY, in the near future. Technology has progressed to the point where video calls are common and libraries are becoming obsolete, at least as we know them in their current form. Frank lives by himself and is rapidly becoming senile,...
Directed by Jake Schreier
Written by Christopher Ford
USA, 2012
When writers play tricks with their audience, they have to be careful for two major reasons. First, they need to execute those tricks deftly, but more importantly, the stories they create can’t exist solely to pull a fast one on us. Robot & Frank begins with a low-key and endearing concept—an aging cat burglar is given a robot butler to help him in his daily routine—but has a third act that feels engineered simply so the writer can shout “Gotcha!” at the viewer.
Frank Langella stars as Frank, who lives in a country house in Cold Spring, NY, in the near future. Technology has progressed to the point where video calls are common and libraries are becoming obsolete, at least as we know them in their current form. Frank lives by himself and is rapidly becoming senile,...
- 8/31/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
If you haven't made a point of seeing Robot & Frank yet, then what are you waiting for? The quirky heist movie with a ton of heart premiered back at the Sundance Film Festival to a crowd who absolutely fell hard for Frank Langella's cranky-yet-lovable senior as he attempted to navigate a world he couldn't remember. But when a robot comes along to assist Frank in his daily activities, the duo soon return to Frank's criminal past with hilarious and heartbreaking results. In honor of Robot & Frank, which expands to more theaters this weekend, we're giving away two posters signed by Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, director Jake Schreier and screenwriter Christopher Ford. In order to win one of these posters, all you have to do is leave a comment telling...
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- 8/23/2012
- by Erik Davis
- Movies.com
Eli Roth is all over the place in the news this week, with The Man In The Iron Fists inspiring avid support, a film he co-wrote with RZA and is producing. He’s also shepherding The Last Exorcism 2 to the big screen, the sequel to the original that he also produced. He’s also hard at work on the Netflix TV show Hemlock Grove, a monster murder mystery. To top it off, he’s bringing his vision of horror to Las Vegas with the Goretorium, a “haunt” replete with “a 60′s inspired lounge complete with caged zombie go-go girls, another horror-themed bar, a kickass gift shop and a wedding chapel.” The Goretorium launches September 27th, in plenty of time for the Halloween crowd. Today, we discovered an interview in which Eli Roth discusses the Goretorium as well as The Last Exorcism 2, and in another interview, he teased an update on Thanksgiving,...
- 8/23/2012
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Ever since it achieved the cult status it was going for with Grindhouse, Eli Roth’s faux-trailer Thanksgiving - much like Robert Rodriguez’s faux-trailer Machete - has been moving closer and closer to becoming a real trailer for a real feature film.
Apparently the horror auteur has “cracked the story” for the feature version of the home-cooked horror story, working with the writers of Clown, an upcoming horror film Roth is producing.
Here’s what the filmmaker had to say regarding the project [Beyond the Thrills via Shock Til You Drop]:
“[We] figured out how to make it really, really scary, and a reason to do it. Before Jon [Watts] starts shooting Clown he’s got a window. We’ll have a draft [of the script] soon”
The other writer involved is one Christopher Ford, the man responsible for Robot and Frank, the Sundance film that painfully wastes Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon and James Marsden. Whatever reason Ford, Watts and Roth...
Apparently the horror auteur has “cracked the story” for the feature version of the home-cooked horror story, working with the writers of Clown, an upcoming horror film Roth is producing.
Here’s what the filmmaker had to say regarding the project [Beyond the Thrills via Shock Til You Drop]:
“[We] figured out how to make it really, really scary, and a reason to do it. Before Jon [Watts] starts shooting Clown he’s got a window. We’ll have a draft [of the script] soon”
The other writer involved is one Christopher Ford, the man responsible for Robot and Frank, the Sundance film that painfully wastes Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon and James Marsden. Whatever reason Ford, Watts and Roth...
- 8/23/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Out promoting his new Las Vegas attraction, Goretorium, Eli Roth dropped an update on Behind the Thrills regarding the feature film version of his faux Grindhouse trailer, Thanksgiving. It's been five years since the preview made its debut in between the Quention Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature and fans have endured five long years of rumors surrounding a Thanksgiving feature. But, according to Roth, it's finally "going to happen."
"I'm working with the Clown writers on it," Roth told Behind the Thrills. Clown is another project Roth is shepherding for writers Jon Watts and Christopher Ford (Robot and Frank). The film concerns a man who dresses up as a party clown one day and finds he cannot remove the costume and it soon becomes a permanent fixture.
Read more...
"I'm working with the Clown writers on it," Roth told Behind the Thrills. Clown is another project Roth is shepherding for writers Jon Watts and Christopher Ford (Robot and Frank). The film concerns a man who dresses up as a party clown one day and finds he cannot remove the costume and it soon becomes a permanent fixture.
Read more...
- 8/23/2012
- shocktillyoudrop.com
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