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Director Matthew Mishory and producer-financier Bradford L. Schlei have acquired rights to the L.A.-set punk novel “What We Do Is Secret” by Thorn Kief Hillsberry.

Mishory, director of “Mosolov’s Suitcase” and “Fioretta,” will direct the film adaptation, which will enter development immediately, and produce with Schlei through their Rubber Ring Films. Schlei’s credits include “Swingers,” “Spun” and “Some Folks Call It a Slingblade.” Author and screenwriter Tony O’Neill will adapt the book.

The film adaptation will have a different title than the book, since there was already a 2007 film named “What We Do Is Secret,” which starred Shane West as Darby Crash of the Germs.

The tragic story of acclaimed punk band the Germs, whose lead singer Crash overdosed and died in 1980, also provides inspiration for this new project, which has the working title “Under the Big Black Sun” (not to be confused with the X...

Fledgling US distributor and international sales agency The Forge, led by longtime producer and Vashon Island Film Festival director Mark Mathias Sayre, is heading to Cannes with a slate including Civil War epic Freedom’s Path.

Brett Smith’s drama stars Gerran Howell, Rj Cyler, and Ewen Bremner and centres on a Union solider who flees battle and is rescued by a free Black man operating a section of the Underground Railroad.

The roster includes Matthew Mishory’s documentary Fioretta, which will open in the US through Gravitas Ventures and profiles lawyer and philanthropist Randy Schoenberg’s search for his oldest recorded ancestor.

Exclusive: Actor Lior Ashkenazi has boarded Israeli-American filmmaker Matthew Mishory’s Mosolov’s Suitcase, exploring the life and legacy of Ukrainian, early Soviet era, avant-garde composer Alexander Mosolov.

Ashkenazi, who is Israel’s biggest acting star, is known for his award-winning performances in Israeli features Late Marriage, Footnote, Foxtrot, Walk On Water and Karaoke as well as HBO series Our Boys.

He is currently appearing opposite Helen Mirren in Guy Nattiv’s Golda Meir bio-pic Golda.

Mosolov’s Suitcase is a joint production between Alvaro Fernandez at L.A.-based Monolithic Films; Gidi Avivi at Vice Versa Films in Tel Aviv, and Rubber Ring Films, the joint Santa Monica-based company of Mishory and Bradford L. Schlei.

The upcoming picture is described as a hybrid, black-and-white meditation on the titular’s subject’s controversial life, told through three stories about creation and individualism in the face of state power.

In the first of three intersecting plotlines,...

How much does personal history humanize world history? Genealogist Randy Schoenberg sets out to answer that existential question in Matthew Mishory’s documentary “Fioretta,” which captures his quest to share his centuries-long family history as a prime example of the persecution and murders of Jews in Austria during a horrific time in history.

Randy leads the Schoenberg family affair, which brings together various generations on a trek to Vienna to revisit the graves of and memorials to his ancestors. Randy himself was previously portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the narrative feature “Woman in Gold” after he sued the Austrian government in 2005 on behalf of Holocaust survivor Maria Altmann (played by Helen Mirren) to return five Gustav Klimt paintings that were stolen from her family by the Nazis.

Now, Randy wants to reclaim the city of Vienna itself for his own family, as well as seek out the gravestone of his oldest known ancestor,...

A documentary about musician Pete Doherty will have its world premiere at this year’s Zurich Film Festival in the Sounds section.

Described as “an intimate film portrait of his scandalous rockstar life,” “Peter Doherty — Stranger in My Own Skin” is helmed by Doherty’s wife, Katia deVidas. Doherty will present the film in-person, and also perform live following the documentary’s screening.

“The biopic chronicles the British rockstar who, after reaching the pinnacle of his career, sinks into the depths of a serious drug addiction,” Zff artistic director Christian Jungen said in a statement. “His wife, director and musician Katia deVidas, followed the wild life of the Libertines frontman at close quarters for over 10 years. We’re looking forward to welcoming them both to Zurich.”

The Sounds section of Zff, which launched last year, showcases feature or documentary films centered on musical themes or that feature exceptional soundtracks. This...

A feature length documentary about the 2021 fatal overdose of TV relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman’s teenage son is in production via Steven Cantor’s Stick Figure Entertainment and Rubber Ring Films.

Berman’s 16-year-old son, Sammy Chapman, died after taking a pill he bought through Snapchat that was laced with fentanyl. A synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nih). Chapman’s February 2021 death garnered national attention.

“Nationwide, fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 45 and over 300 people die every day in America from Fentanyl poisoning,” says Sam Chapman, Berman’s husband. “The drug that killed our son Sammy was delivered to a house like a pizza.”

Filmmaker Matthew Mishory, founder of Rubber Ring Films, will direct the docu, which is currently in production.

Mishory will follow...

Director Matthew Mishory and producer and financier Bradford L. Schlei announced the start of production for Rubber Ring Films’ and Schlei’s Stone Canyon Entertainment’s “Finding Fioretta,” which will start early next year.

The feature documentary chronicles the life of genealogist Randol Schoenberg who is on a quest to find the centuries-old gravestone of his oldest known ancestor — a woman who died in the 1600s in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, Italy. In 2005, Schoenberg successfully sued the Austrian government on behalf of Holocaust survivor Maria Altmann, recovering the five Gustav Klimt paintings stolen from her family by the Nazis. That case inspired the movie “Woman in Gold” starring Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren.

Mishory spoke about the project, saying, “America’s obsession with genealogy is really an obsession with storytelling.” He added, “Randy has made it his life’s work to tell a 500-year story about his family, and...

Exclusive: Bradford L. Schlei’s Stone Canyon Entertainment has acquired Daniel Gordis’ prize-winning nonfiction book Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, to adapt into a television docuseries. Director Matthew Mishory (Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile) will serve as creator and direct all six episodes. Production is expected to begin in 2022.

Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award, A Concise History of a Nation Reborn is described as “the first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day.” In the book, Gordis relays the drama of the Jewish people’s story and the creation of the state, illustrating how Israel became a cultural, economic and military powerhouse—but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes.

The producers will film additional material for the series’ final episode to cover the period since the book’s publication,...

Stone Canyon Entertainment has announced the start of production on “Who Are the Marcuses,” a feature documentary about a mysterious couple who donated half a billion dollars to Israel, the largest single gift in the history of the state.

Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers Marc Bennett and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth. Filming is set to begin in Israel and in Austin, Texas in the first quarter of the year for a 2022 release. The film pieces together the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus (pictured), who lived in a modest San Diego apartment and bequeathed half a billion dollars to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to study water management.

The couple hoped their gift would help bring about regional conflict resolution in Israel and peace through water. The film will explore how they invested their nest egg...

One of those great Hollywood talents who died far too young, James Dean didn't live the familiar Hollywood life we read about in magazines today. His life off camera wasn't the source of tabloid stories and entertainment news, but part of that has to do with the lack of time he had to really become a fixture of Hollywood's party scene. His professional career only lasted from 1951 to 1956, and his most famous role as Jim in Rebel Without a Cause was one of the last films he ever worked on. Matthew Mishory's Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean tells the story of how the titular icon worked his way up into the spotlight at the dawn of his career. It's a story rife with introspection and sexual orientation and it's likely not the version of James Dean many people are familiar with.

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Writer-director Matthew Mishory uses fact and fiction to take us inside the life of James Dean as an up and coming actor in Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, currently available on DVD from Wolfe Video. James Preston stars as James Dean, who is on the cusp of becoming a worldwide star in 1951. We have a contest lined up where fans of this cherished actor can take home the DVD, which takes one unique look at the man's life. Read on for how you can win.

Winners Receive:

A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951 DVD

Here's How To Win!

Just "Like" (fan) the MovieWeb Facebook page (below) and then leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

If you already "Like" MovieWeb, just leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

Set primarily in the early 1950s and...

Fans of the legendary icon James Dean will probably love the film “A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951,” coming out June 4 on DVD. The film, distributed by Wolfe Video, shows the life of Dean when he was an up-and-coming actor in the early 1950s. Here’s more about “A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951″: Set primarily in the early 1950s and focusing on James Dean’s experiences as an up-and-coming actor in Los Angeles, Writer/Director Matthew Mishory’s “A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951″ is a series of revealing and sometimes dreamlike vignettes that blend biographical and fictionalized elements to present pivotal moments in a remarkable [ Read More ]

The post Win A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951 Via ShockYa’s Twitter Giveaway! appeared first on Shockya.com.

★★☆☆☆ Sumptuous looks and an enticing central subject may be enough to attract audiences to Matthew Mishory's A Portrait Of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951, but what it possesses in visual beauty, it sadly lacks in substance. Opening oddly to a prologue involving poet Arthur Rimbaud, we are quickly transported to 1950s La where we meet undergrad James Dean at UCLA. James Preston plays the legendary (yet short-lived) screen star and certainly has the looks of the doomed Hollywood icon, sporting wavy curls and thick-rimmed Ray-Ban wayfarers, capturing an enjoyable level of petulance, with his languished looks.

We see Dean interact with fellow students in acting classes overseen by his theatre professor (David Pevsnor), drunken sex-scenes with other young men and scenes of him hanging by the pool, topping up his tan with predatory agent Roger (Edward Singletary) at his side. This is accompanied by the odd scene in the desert at Joshua Tree,...

What began as a short film, Joshua Tree 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, became a feature film almost by the insistence of social media. Director/writer Matthew Mishory says the initial shoot for the film took place in Joshua Tree, California, over a few days in 2010. When he returned to Los Angeles, he edited a trailer and posted it online, not thinking much of what would happen. Almost immediately the trailer went viral and expectation was that it was going to be a feature film. “Our production team got together and decided, well, we really ought to be making …...

Wolfe Releasing has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to writer-director Matthew Mishory's "A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951" ("Aka Joshua Tree: 1951, A Portrait of James Dean"), the company announced on Tuesday.   The film stars James Preston ("The Gates"), Dan Glenn (TV's "Pushing Daisies"), newcomer Dalilah Rain, Edward Singletary, Jr., Robert Gant and Erin Daniels in an intimate portrait of Dean (left) as he is on the cusp of achieving fame as both an actor and an icon.   Following its theatrical run through June 2013, the film will be released by Wolfe on VOD and DVD in 2013.

Wolfe Releasing has acquired American and Canadian rights to Matthew Mishory's "A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951." The film, which stars James Preston in the title role, offers an intimate look at Dean as an up-and-comer in Los Angeles just before widespread recognition of his status as a major talent -- and, ultimately, an icon. "Joshua Tree" has screened at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Rio International Film Festival, the Frameline Festival and elsewhere. Wolfe will release "Joshua Tree" in 2013 on VOD and DVD. Wolfe president Maria Lynn collaborated with representatives from The Film Collaborative and Iconoclastic Features to broker the deal.  ...

Jonathan Caouette made a name for himself some years back with his debut feature "Tarnation," a manic, prodding look into his family, created on the cheap using home videos and the trusty iMovie program. His stock blew up, and a successful screening at the Sundance Film Festival eventually lead to him helming the "All Tomorrow's Parties" documentary and a personal horror short "All Flowers In Time."

But the story about Caouette and his mother Renee Leblanc wasn't over, and the director revisited this for "Walk Away Renee," a documentary that serves as a sequel/proper-ending to his astonishingly affecting first film. You can check out "Walk Away Renee" right now online at SundanceNow, and in preparation for its release we spoke to Jonathan about its germination, the difficulty of making a work so intimate, and what he's up to for his next project.

Isn't That The Title Of...

Fans of...

Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean

Written and directed by Matthew Mishory

USA, 2012

Let’s posit a hypothetical – what if the iconic James Dean was gay? Well, let’s answer one hypothetical question with another – what if Fellini made a Dolce & Gabbana commercial instead of La Dolce Vita?

What does one have to do with the other? Absolutely nothing, but that seems to be all that happens in Matthew Mishory’s Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean. A film with plenty of flare but a shocking lack of form, Joshua Tree is all pomp and no circumstance.

Set in his early career, the film follows the life of James Dean (James Preston), from his acting classes in university, to his emergence as an up-and-coming Hollywood prospect. With sequences inspired by sexual speculation, the film interweaves a series of libidinous sketches to form a sensuous, and definitively homoerotic,...

I can't remember a time I went to the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) press launch and looked over the list of films and saw so many I was interested in seeing. The claim to fame for over the years is to call it the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States. This is a fact I've often taken issue with as I don't equate quantity with quality. Granted, there has been a large number of quality features to play the fest over the years, including Golden Space Needle (Best Film) winners such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), My Life as a Dog (1987), Trainspotting (1996), Run Lola Run (1999), Whale Rider (2003) and even recent Best Director winner, Michel Hazanavicius's Oss 117: Nest of Spies in 2006. That said, looking over this year's crop of films I see a lot of films I will be doing my absolute best to see.

The sudden death of actor David Carradine has the Vancouver-based producers of the film Portland scrambling to fill a major role. The indie film, by writer/director Matthew Mishory, has pushed back its production schedule in Vancouver, Portland and Laguna Beach, Calif. Carradine was to play the role of a priest in the film. "Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time," said executive producers Adrian Salpeter and Elizabeth Levine of Vancouver-based Random Bench Productions. Carradine died in Bangkok, during production of the feature film Stretch. Carradine appeared in more than 100 feature films and best known for his role as 'Kwai Chang Caine', a Shaolin priest who roamed the American frontier in the TV series Kung Fu, 1972-75. He played Caine's grandson in the 1990's Toronto-lensed syndicated series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and enjoyed renewed success as an actor in director Quentin Tarantino's 2 part Kill Bill features.

Independent Film "Portland" Mourns Loss Of David Carradine Actor David Carradine was set to co-star in the feature film entitled Portland shooting in Los Angeles, CA and Portland, Or this summer. Los Angeles, CA, June 4, 2009 - The cast, crew, and producing team behind the feature film Portland are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic passing of co-star David Carradine on the eve of principal photography. Portland was set to be David's next film and was his only project currently in pre-production. Helmed by Matthew Mishory, the picture stars Erin Daniels, Jonathan Caouette, Steven Martini, Renee Victor, and Alex Schemmer. Carradine was set to play a pivotal role in the film and this has been a great loss for the entire Portland family. "An actor of David Carradine's stature behind our film meant the world to us," said executive producers Adrian Salpeter and Elizabeth Levine of Random Bench Productions.

Toronto -- The death of actor David Carradine has forced a recast of what was to be his next project, the indie drama "Portland," on the eve of principal photography in Portland, Los Angeles and along the Pacific coast.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time," executive producers Adrian Salpeter and Elizabeth Levine of Vancouver-based Random Bench Productions said in a statement.

Carradine was to co-star in the feature about the death of a young wanderer that connects a trio of damaged souls. The ensemble cast includes Erin Daniels, Jonathan Caouette ("Tarnation"), Steven Martini, Renee Victor and Alex Schemmer.

The project from writer/director Matthew Mishory will go ahead, with Iconoclastic Features and Random Bench Productions co-producing the U.S./U.K./Canada feature.

Moviemaker Martin Scorsese and actor Michael Madsen have paid tribute to David Carradine, who died on Thursday.

The Kill Bill star's naked body was discovered hanging in a Bangkok, Thailand hotel suite. Local reports suggested he committed suicide but a statement from Carradine's representative indicates the actor died when a sex act went wrong.

Rumours Carradine died attempting auto-erotic asphyxiation - where victims achieve heightened sexual pleasure by restricting their air supply - are backed up by a quote a Bangkok police officer gave to British newspaper The Sun.

Stars from the big screen have offered their fond memories of the actor, who had a career spanning back to the 1960s.

Madsen, Carradine's co-star in Quentin Tarantino's martial arts films Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2., is still in shock after hearing of the demise of his friend - a man he regarded as his "brother".

The pair had a close relationship after starring together in the fighting franchise movies and regularly kept in touch between projects.

Madsen reveals he was planning to contact the actor just last week (beg25May09) - and will forever regret not picking up the phone.

He says, "David was one of the first actors I ever worked with when I started my career and the closest person to a brother that I ever had in my life. It is shocking to me that he is no longer with us.

"I had been thinking about calling him for the last several days and advise anybody who has been thinking about reaching out to a loved one to do so. I have so many great memories of David that I wouldn't even know where to begin. He has a very special place in my heart."

Director Scorsese, who worked with the late actor on 1972 movie Boxcar Bertha, recalls Carradine being a "wonderful spirit" who dedicated his life to making movies.

He says, "I was deeply saddened by the news of David Carradine's passing. We met when we made Boxcar Bertha together, almost 40 years ago. I have very fond memories of our time together on that picture and on Mean Streets, where he agreed to do a brief cameo. David was a great collaborator, a uniquely talented actor and a wonderful spirit. He loved movies, acting in movies, making movies and he was always extremely generous."

And the producers of what was to be Carradine's next project are also mourning the loss of the "irreplaceable" star.

Adrian Salpeter and Elizabeth Levine, executive producers of indie film Portland, released a joint statement saying, "An actor of David Carradine's stature behind our film meant the world to us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

"The team is committed to this film and are considering other actors to replace the irreplaceable David Carradine. The producers and all involved are moving forward with the production in his memory. Mr. Carradine was truly a living legend of stage and screen, having worked with Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Ingmar Bergman and Quentin Tarantino, among many others, in a career that spanned nearly five decades."

The film's writer/director Matthew Mishory adds, "Every filmmaker aspires to work with an iconic actor like David Carradine. He was one of a kind."...

The rebirth of the gay rights movement and the battle over legalizing same-sex marriage will be the focus of the new indie documentary "A Non-Issue?"

The doc will follow Dr. John Corvino, a philosopher, lecturer and author of "The Gay Moralist," as he crisscrosses the nation engaging and debating those most against gay marriage. Personal stories will be showcased.

Robert Zimmer Jr. ("Half-Life"), Matthew Mishory ("Fellowship of the Dice") and Michael Einheuser ("InZer0") are producing. Mishory is directing as well.

"Existing illusions that 2008 America is a 'post-gay' society, that sexual orientation is a 'non-issue,' that the culture war is over -- were immediately vanquished," the producers said of the recent passage of Proposition 8 in California, which bans same-sex marriage. "The filmmakers believe the time to speak is now."

Production is set to start next year, with high-definition lensing from cinematographer Rachel Morrison.