News

The Sundance Institute has today named the jurors who will preside over awards for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The 16-person lineup features everyone from Coda star Marlee Matlin to We Need To Talk About Cosby‘s W. Kamau Bell, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton and actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan.

Matlin will assess the awards potential amongst titles in U.S. Documentary Competition with Slave Play creator Jeremy O. Harris and Never Rarely Sometimes Always filmmaker Eliza Hittman. Bell, meanwhile, will oversee U.S. Documentary Competition, being joined in that arena by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz (A Thousand Cuts) and editor Carla Gutiérrez (Julia).

While Wild Nights with Emily filmmaker Madeleine Olnek will preside alone over the Next section, Cretton has been assigned to the Short Film Program Competition, being joined there by artist-filmmaker Deborah Stratman and Marie-Louise Khondji, who founded the free streaming platform,...

Independent film distributor Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to documentary feature “Hockeyland.”

Directed by Tommy Haines (“Saving Brinton”), the film follows rival high school hockey teams in Minnesota’s North Country, one of the breeding grounds for hockey greats who go onto to collegiate and professional play, including the National Hockey League (NHL). Fast on-ice action is paired with an observational approach to examine two communities and their teen heroes through debilitating injuries, off-ice troubles, family health concerns, and the expectations of being a future star in the NHL.

“Hockeyland” is produced by Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne, and J.T. Haines, executive produced by Carson Kipfer and is a production of Northland Films, a Midwest-based nonfiction film company. The film has played leading documentary film festivals including Doc NYC, Big Sky, Seattle, Milwaukee and RiverRun.

Greenwich co-president Ed Arentz said: “Tommy and Andrew are Minnesota natives and as...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the gospel documentary Stay Prayed Up, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival and Doc NYC, for release in theaters on June 17.

The film from directors D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning tells the story of Lena Mae Perry, who has spent the last 50 years sharing and sharpening her voice as the steadfast bandleader of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches throughout the South and lifted hearts as far away as Ireland. Pic invites audiences into “Mother” Perry’s close-knit community as the 83-year-old strives to extend The Branchettes’ sacred song ministry ever forward, following the ensemble as they record their first live album—a hallmark in the canon of Black gospel groups. Mikel Barton, Phil Cook, Lena C. Williams and Leslie Raymond served as the feature’s producers.

“We believe Stay Prayed Up offers a well-timed,...

Greenwich Entertainment has taken North American rights to dark comedy-drama “Concerned Citizen,” which had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. Salzgeber has taken the rights for Germany and Austria. Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal is selling the film.

Idan Haguel’s film, a satirical parable on the insidious ways in which privilege can unleash the prejudice within, centers on Ben, who thinks of himself as a liberal and enlightened gay man, living in the perfect apartment with his boyfriend Raz. All that’s missing to complete the picture is a baby, which the couple are trying to make a reality.

Meanwhile, Ben decides to improve his up-and-coming neighborhood in gritty south Tel Aviv by planting a new tree on his street. But his good deed soon triggers a sequence of events that leads to the brutal police arrest of an Eritrean immigrant. The guilt trip that ensues...

Exclusive: Famke Janssen (X-Men franchise), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Sharlto Copley (District 9), Quinn Copeland (Peacock’s Punky Brewster) and twins Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti (Big Little Lies) have joined the cast of Boy Kills World, an upcoming action-thriller produced by Sam Raimi and more.

They’re set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Bill Skarsgård, Yayan Ruhian, Jessica Rothe, Andrew Koji and Isaiah Mustafa.

Based on an original idea by German filmmaker Moritz Mohr, who here makes his feature directorial debut, Boy Kills World is billed as a one-of-a-kind action spectacle set in a dystopian fever dream reality. It centers on Boy (Skarsgård), a deaf mute with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death. Portraying the film’s antagonists—the Van Der Koy...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Ilinca Calugareanu’s documentary A Cops and Robbers Story, with plans for a day-and-date release January 14.

The film’s subject is Corey Pegues, who in the 1990s found himself embroiled in a life of crime as a member of New York’s City’s infamous Supreme Team gang. After a near-death incident forces Pegues away from the streets, he unexpectedly emerges as a rising star in the NYPD. But when his former life is revealed, Pegues’s police career is threatened, raising the perennial question of who deserves – and who doesn’t deserve – a second chance in life.

The feature which made its world premiere at Doc NYC 2020 was produced by Mara Adina, Calugareanu’s collaborator on the 2015 doc Chuck Norris vs. Communism. Brenda Robinson exec produced with Julie Parker Benello, Erika Olde, Nion McEvoy, Sam Roseme, Tanja Tawadjoh, John Battsek,...

Whether a viewer in 1896 or 2020, cinema has always been a dynamic and variable experience. Cinema as an event—as a manifestation of a meeting point between the art of moving images and an audience, big or small—has never fit any one definition, and this last year, so severely disrupted by a global pandemic, has deeply underscored the versatility and resilience of our great love.Our viewing this year, like that of so many, has been strange: compromised, confrontational, escapist, euphoric, painful, revelatory—encompassing all of the reactions one can have to film. How we encountered our favorite movies and most meaningful cinematic experiences of the year was hardly new: A by-now-normal mix of festivals, theatres, various subscription and transactional streaming services, as well as private screener links and gems buried on over-stuffed hard drives. But for most of the year, the communal experience shrunk to living rooms and glowing screens.

With what was supposed to be the summer movie season now just another relic of this pandemic-blasted year, and the rest of 2020’s major film releases in a continuing state of flux, it’s important to note that there has still been a fairly steady stream of new films coming out, some in limited theatrical release but others largely available via video on demand and streaming services.

With that in mind, and with the customary “opening weekend” a rather fluid and ambiguous term as well, below is a rundown of films we’ve caught in the past month, along with information on where you can find and watch them. Some are good, some not so much, but your mileage may vary for each. The important thing to know is that movies are still coming out–just not always in the ways we expect.

She Dies Tomorrow

Although it was released back on Aug.

The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out Saturday in recognition of the best in indie films from 2019.

Willem Dafoe won the first award, Best Supporting Male, for his role in “The Lighthouse.” “Uncut Gems” won Best Editing, while the Best Documentary award went to “American Factory.” Best Cinematography went to Jarin Blaschke for “The Lighthouse.”

Kelly Reichardt was awarded The Bonnie Award, which recognizes a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant. The John Cassavetes Award, given to the best feature made for under $500,000, was given to “Give Me Liberty.”

Also Read: Independent Spirit Awards 2020: Aubrey Plaza's Best Jokes (So Far)

“Parasite” won Best International Film. Zhao Shuzhen won Best Supporting Female for her role in “The Farewell.” “Marriage Story” won Best Screenplay. Adam Sandler won Best Male Lead for his performance in “Uncut Gems” and Renée Zellweger received the Best Female Lead for her role in “Judy.

Between the internet and impeachment hearings, there were certainly plenty of reasons to stay home in 2019, but those who ventured out to movie theaters were rewarded with a fascinating array of work, even if some of those films were produced by and destined for one streaming service or another. And while #FilmTwitter might have argued over the effects of Netflix on the filmgoing experience, several observers noted that the back-and-forth discussions about “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story” meant that the service was doing a lot to put adult-aimed dramas in front of viewers and into the public discourse.

11-20 (alphabetically): “Charlie Says,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” “The Farewell,” “Fast Color,” “Long Shot,” “The Nightingale,” “Non-Fiction,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” “Wild Nights with Emily”

10. “High Life”

Director Claire Denis’ bleak vision of the future posits that mankind’s journey into outer...

Over the course of the last four years, there has been at least one queer film in the Oscar race each year. “Carol” in 2016, “Moonlight” in 2017, “Call Me by Your Name” and “A Fantastic Woman” in 2018, “The Favourite” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2019. Alas, barring any big surprises, the streak may be broken at next year’s ceremony. That’s not a reflection of the many excellent Lgbtq films released this year, of which there are a variety. Celine Sciamma’s stunning masterpiece “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was passed over as France’s Oscar submission in favor of Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” and Levan Akin’s powerful coming-of-age story “And Then We Danced” was recently left off the short list for Best International Feature.

Oscars or not, there is still so much to celebrate in queer cinema. More and more filmmakers are not only embracing queer characters and storylines,...

Exclusive: Fyi has given a 10-episode series order to Big star David Moscow’s From Scratch, which follows the actor, producer and adventurer on a worldwide expedition making meals literally from scratch. It’s set for premiere Sunday, February 16 at 6 Pm Et on Fyi.

In From Scratch, after being presented a recipe from a chef, David must hunt, dive, gather, forage and grow each ingredient to remake the meal, revealing the overwhelming amount of work, craftmanship and passion that brings everyday ingredients into the kitchen. In its first season, Moscow milks a water buffalo for fresh mozzarella, harvests salt from the ocean, presses olive oil, and dives for octopus in rough waters. Along the way he spotlights acclaimed chefs, restaurants and cultures around the world: from crafting a local sustainable Scandinavian feast with Chef Jari Vesivalo in Helsinki, to a statewide wild goose chase for a Northeast fall meal with New York Chef Dan Kluger,...

Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.

Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse have emerged as the top contenders for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods apiece while A24 leads the distributor pack on 18 nominations.

Adam Sandler from Uncut Gems will face off against The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson and others for best lead male and the Safdie brothers and Robert Eggers are among the best director nominees for each film, respectively.

Other best feature nominees announced on Thursday (21) are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.

Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.

Uncut Gems has emerged as the top contender among nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, with the Adam Sandler drama getting nominations in five categories including best feature.

Other best feature nominees are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.

The Lighthouse also got five Spirit Award nominations and other films with multiple citations included Give Me Liberty and Honey Boy with four each and Clemency, Hustlers, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Luce, Marriage Story and The Third Wife with three each.

The 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced Thursday, November 21. So who made the cut at these kudos, which celebrate the best in American independent films? Scroll down to see the full list of nominees for the 2020 Indie Spirits. Remember, only American-made movies with budgets under $20 million were eligible for consideration.

These Spirit contenders were decided by nominating committees that included film critics, film programmers, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, actors, past nominees and winners, and members of Film Independent’s Board of Directors.

Winners will be chosen by all of Film Independent’s eligible members, including industry insiders and any movie fans who sign up for membership starting at $95 per year.

These awards have come to be a significant preview of the Oscars as the motion picture academy embraces more independent films. Five of the last six Spirit champs for Best Feature went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Two dark and unruly films released by A24, Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse” and the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” led all films in nominations for the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent announced on Thursday.

In the Best Feature category, “Uncut Gems” was joined by Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.”

“Uncut Gems” was the only film nominated in both the Best Feature and Best Director categories, though “Marriage Story” was nominated in the former category and was also voted the special John Cassavetes Award, which goes to a film’s director, cast and casting director.

Also Read: 'Marriage Story,' 'The Farewell,' 'Uncut Gems' Top Gotham Award Nominations

“Honey Boy” and “Give Me Liberty” received four nominations each, while “Hustlers,” “Clemency” and “Luce” received three.

As usual, the Spirit Awards’ system of...

One of the more perplexing series announcements that came with Apple TV+ is the new comedy “Dickinson.” Starring Hailee Steinfeld, the show follows the life of Emily Dickinson, which has already recently been told in “A Quiet Passion” and “Wild Nights With Emily.” This new take, though, seems more in the vein of young adult fare like “Riverdale” instead of alongside those more typical period pieces.

Continue reading ‘Dickinson’ Trailer: Apple TV+ Takes A Comedic Approach To The Life Of The Legendary Poet at The Playlist.

Every time a bloated, conventional, cradle-to-grave biopic garners more attention than cinephiles deem palatable, the same question arises. Why is it the cinematic explorations of our world’s most creative people — from Freddie Mercury to Sylvia Plath — routinely lack creativity?

And while all the detractors could really do to dent “Bohemian Rhapsody” was mock its hacky editing on Twitter, it’s more constructive to champion the rare antidotes to the biopic formula.

Continue reading ‘Wild Nights With Emily’ Director Discusses Working With Molly Shannon & The Revisionist Emily Dickinson Comedy [Interview] at The Playlist.

Some specialty distributors waded into a weekend that was all but set to be dominated by Avengers: Endgame. Sony Classics’ bio-drama The White Crow by Ralph Fiennes took the mantle with an $80,675 gross in five theaters, averaging $16,135, the highest per theater average of the weekend’s limited release newcomers.

Self-release doc Hesburgh by Patrick Creadon played two runs for $18,150, while Abramorama tuned Carmine Street Guitars with an exclusive outing in New York, grossing $7,081.

New Releases

Carmine Street Guitars (Abramorama) New [1 Theater] Weekend $7,081, Cume $10,216

Hesburgh (O’Malley Creadon Productions) New [2 Theaters] Weekend $18,150, Average $9,075

If The Dancer Dances (Monument Releasing) New [1 Theater] Weekend $5,000

The White Crow (Sony Pictures Classics) New [5 Theaters] Weekend $80,675, Average $16,135

Returning/Second Weekend

Family (The Film Arcade) Week 2 [107 Theaters] Weekend $102,720, Average $960, Cume $126,522

Little Woods (Neon) Week 2 [29 Theaters] Weekend $34,310, Average $1,183, Cume $116,475

Red Joan (IFC Films) Week 2 [45 Theaters] Weekend $165,204, Average $3,671, Cume $222,257

Holdovers / Third+ Weekends

Her Smell (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 3 [40 Theaters] Weekend $34,835, Average $870, Cume $171,725

Long Day’s Journey Into...

Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson in Wild Nights With Emily. Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment.

Molly Shannon is spot-on in the serio-comic Wild Nights With Emily, a completely different take on the personal life of poet Emily Dickinson, portraying her as a sharp-witted woman in a lifelong romantic relationship with her sister-in-law Susan, played by Susan Ziegler. This is not how we usually think of the reclusive poet.

Writer/director Madeleine Olnek drew on Dickinson’s own personal letters to craft a film portrait of Dickinson that is strongly feminist and Lgbtq but also just plain fun and unexpectedly entertaining. The key to that is Molly Shannon. Shannon runs with the idea with comic glee. She is a lot of fun to watch, upending Victorian conventions just out of view, in her signature style, with Susan Ziegler providing a good foil to her wilder moments. Olnek also adds an ironic, comic...

Cannes 2018 crime-dramedy Under The Silver Lake by David Robert Mitchell came out on top among the weekend’s crowded roster of specialty newcomers, which mostly had slow launches. The A24 title had a long journey to its theatrical release. The title, which stars Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough, grossed $40,157 in two locations over the Easter and Passover holiday weekend, averaging $20,079, the highest per theater average among releases as of Sunday morning.

IFC Films’ Red Joan was the only other limited release starter to have a per theater average with five figures. Starring Dame Judi Dench as Joan Stanley, the Kgb’s longest-serving British spy, the feature grossed $40,631 in four locations, averaging $10,158. The company said Sunday it is expecting to “see a nice bump today from matinee audiences” who are fans of Dench. Red Joan will expand to the top five markets next weekend including Chicago, San Francisco, D.C. and...

Wild Nights With Emily, now playing in New York and Los Angeles, offers audiences a different Emily Dickinson from the reclusive poet that’s generally been depicted. Based on her own play of the same name, writer/director Madeleine Olnek shows us a feisty, relatable and passionate figure portrayed by Emmy nominee Molly Shannon. Using Dickinson’s poetry and letters to her sister-in-law Susan (Susan Ziegler) as well as extensive research, Olnek reintroduces us to one of America’s most admired writers with a funny and compelling drama that celebrates her life and work. James Kleinmann spoke exclusively to filmmaker Madeleine Olnek for HeyUGuys.

Molly Shannon in Wild Nights With Emily. Greenwich Entertainment.

James Kleinmann: You clearly have a real passion for Emily Dickinson, it comes across in the film and all the research that you must have done. When did you first became intrigued by her and what drew...

Plenty of new and varied titles entered the specialized market this week. But despite some decent reviews and considerable distribution support, none have generated the level of response that could lead to totals in the range of $5 million or more. This is not good for hungry arthouses.

“Her Smell” (Gunpowder & Sky) boasted the best per screen average, boosted by in-theater appearances by star Elisabeth Moss and director Alex Ross Perry. “Teen Spirit” (Bleecker Street), “Wild Nights With Emily” (Greenwich) and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (Kino Lorber) also showed early potential ahead of wider release.

Opening

Her Smell (Gunpowder & Sky) – Metacritic: 70; Festivals include: Toronto, New York 2018

$39,058 in 3 theaters; PTA: $13,019

Alex Ross Perry’s latest film, featuring a bravura Elisabeth Moss performance as an aging 90s rocker confronting multiple demons, opened in New York and Toronto. Some shows added Q&As with Perry or Moss. Another challenging personal film aimed...

The cosmos somehow aligned for this to be the weekend in which two headlining actors star as singers in two limited releases that open in the same frame — albeit with quite different stories… In the end, it seems both Gunpowder & Sky’s Her Smell and Bleecker Street’s Teen Spirit mostly split the audiences — or shared them. Her Smell took the edge with the highest per theater average of a crowded weekend. The title grossed $39,058 in the Sunday morning estimate, averaging $13,019 in three locations. Teen Spirit has the second-best PTA. The Bleecker Street release played one more gig than Her Smell. In four theaters, the title starring Elle Fanning grossed $44,361, averaging $11,090.

Only slightly below Teen Spirit in the Sunday estimate is Greenwich Entertainment’s Wild Nights With Emily with Molly Shannon starring as Emily Dickinson. The 2018 SXSW premiere by filmmaker Madeleine Olnek played to $33K in three New York and L.

What a tremendous breath of fresh air this is. Usually, period pieces or biopics of figures such as Emily Dickinson, they tend to be rather dry. Then, there’s Wild Nights with Emily, which takes a far more lighthearted route. In fact, this is basically a dramedy, which you’d never expect based on the premise. That’s what makes the film really work, too. It’s not a movie that’s stuffy or antiseptic in any way. It’s clever, witty, and brimming with life. Hitting theaters this weekend, it’s a really pleasant surprise and a real showcase for both its filmmaker as well as its star. The movie is a period piece, one that’s actually a mix of comedy and drama, which is pretty rare. Taking from her private letters, this work presents Emily Dickinson (Molly Shannon) not as a recluse, but instead the way she actually was,...

In the storied history of “Saturday Night Live,” Molly Shannon is one of the few performers whose characters are as famous as they are. You can trace a pretty straight line from Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna to Molly Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, and her intensely wacky characters paved the way for Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon.

While many former cast members go on to blockbuster comedy success, fewer have sought out — and secured — serious acting careers. “Barry” has made Bill Hader a peak-tv darling, nobody saw Will Forte’s “Nebraska” performance coming, and Wiig has worked with an enviable roster of directors. It’s far more common to go the way of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, or Will Ferrell, who built empires on broad studio comedies.

Shannon, by contrast, didn’t follow any of those paths: Instead, she’s become the ultimate tragicomic actress. From working with her...

Amy Seimetz wouldn’t say if she was among the many women directors that Marvel reportedly contacted about directing “Black Widow,” the long-awaited spin-off around the sole female superhero from “The Avengers,” but her coy smile gave a lot away.

“I’ve taken meetings on a lot of these things, and then I back away, because I don’t want to get stuck,” she said. “It’s not really my voice, and I think it’s important for women to do commercial movies, but when they do commercial movies, they continue to have a sphere to develop their voice, as opposed to suddenly jumping to a Marvel movie.”

It’s a philosophy that speaks to her unique career trajectory. It was late afternoon at New York’s Bowery Hotel, where the restless 37-year-old was in town from Los Angeles to be honored by Rooftop Films at the nonprofit screening series...

Warner Bros.’ “Shazam!” is powering its way to a super second weekend, retaining its No. 1 spot at the box office with an estimated $22 million.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s remake of “Hellboy” is getting scorched, with just $12 million estimated from 3,303 domestic locations in its debut weekend. That number would place it at No. 3 after Universal’s body-swap comedy “Little,” with about $15 million.

“Shazam!” has so far generated $76 million domestically for WB and New Line, with another $126 million overseas. David F. Sandberg directed the film, which stars Zachary Levi as the titular superhero.

The third “Hellboy” adaptation is coming in below earlier projections, which had placed it in the $16 million to $20 million range. The film, starring “Stranger Things'” David Harbour in the titular role, took in $4.93 million on Friday. It cost about $50 million to produce, so if estimates hold, “Hellboy’s” start could look ominous.

The original 2004 film, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro,...

There’s a common screenwriter trick called “saving the cat” — a well-trodden shortcut to build instant sympathy for your protagonist by having them show kindness to an animal. Pay attention and you’ll see it everywhere, but nowhere more audaciously than in Italian director Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman.”

Early in the film, small-town dog groomer Marcello (Marcello Fonte) learns of an animal in dire straits, a poor dog stuffed into a freezer by pair of nervous house burglars. How does Marcello learn this distressing information? Why, he’s the burglar’s getaway driver, and once he drops them off he turns right around to break into the house anew in order to save the pooch.

(Fret not, he succeeds.)

Also Read: 'Mary Magdalene' Film Review: Rooney Mara Plays Jesus' Gal Pal in Snoozy Epic

It’s a daring move that banks a lot of good will — and thankfully so, because...

Terence Davies did a fine job writing and directing “A Quiet Passion,” a biopic about the life of the late poet Emily Dickinson, whose legacy has been shrouded in a blanket of tales about chronic pain, unrequited love, and a generally dismal existence of literary obscurity. The accepted story of Dickinson and the one Davies stuck with is that she toiled in solitary self-confinement, refusing to see visitors. But in “Wild Nights With Emily,” writer-director Madeleine Olnek proffers an alternative — and perhaps much more truthful — history of this iconic lesbian of literature: What if Emily actually had fun?

With a tone evocative of “Drunk History,” the film approaches storytelling with a whimsical air, where period authenticity of every object and costume isn’t necessarily the focus. They filmed in Los Angeles (at the Heritage Square Museum), so Olnek clearly had to contend with harsher SoCal natural light than Dickinson would have had in New England,...

Considering how packed the fall slate can be, distributors often hold their stranger, bolder films for a spring release when they have the opportunity to better thrive. That’s certainly the case this April, when some of the most daring releases will hit theaters, along with some promising studio fare, must-see documentaries, and more.

Matinees to See: The Wind (4/5), Suburban Birds (4/5), Pet Sematary (4/5), Sauvage/Wild (4/10), Dogman (4/12), Teen Spirit (4/12), Girls of the Sun (4/12), Wild Nights with Emily (4/12), Rafiki (4/19), Little Woods (4/19), Carmine Street Guitars (4/24), Jt LeRoy (4/26), and The White Crow (4/26)

15. Mary Magadalene (Garth Davis; April 12)

Chalk this one up to mere curiosity more than anything else. The downfall of The Weinstein Company meant that a number of films were left by the wayside, waiting to be picked up by other distributors. One that has taken awhile is Mary Magdalene, a Biblical drama from Garth Davis (Lion). After getting an Easter-timed released elsewhere last year,...

Occasionally, some trailers slip through the cracks. That’s where a trailer roundup comes in handy. Below, watch as Taylor Schilling tries to bond with a juggalo, Molly Shannon plays Emily Dickinson, Dolph Lundgren fights zombies, and more films that may not have huge blockbuster heat, but are still worth checking out. Family In Family, Taylor Schilling is […]

The post Trailer Roundup: ‘Family’, ‘Wild Nights With Emily’, ‘Relaxer’, ‘Who Would You Take to a Deserted Island?’, ‘Dead Trigger’, ‘Kevin Hart: Irresponsible’, ‘Our Planet’ appeared first on /Film.

Last year, film fans were enraptured with Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” and its tale of an unknown love triangle involving Queen Anne and two women. This year, if you’re looking for your next hilarious story of a famous woman and her hidden love affair, then perhaps “Wild Nights with Emily” is for you.

Read More: The 25 Best Films Of 2019 We’ve Already Seen

As seen in the trailer, “Wild Nights with Emily” follows the story of the famous poet Emily Dickinson and her intense relationship with her childhood friend-turned-sister-in-law Susan.

Continue reading ‘Wild Nights With Emily’ Trailer: Molly Shannon Shows A New Side To Famous Poet Emily Dickinson at The Playlist.

"Let me tell the real story about this special poet." Greenwich Entertainment has debuted an official trailer for an indie dramedy titled Wild Nights with Emily, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival last year and also stopped by the Seattle, Sarasota, Edinburgh, Hamptons, Philadelphia, and Provincetown Film Festivals. Wild Nights with Emily shows us the little known other side of the writer Emily Dickinson's life, in particular her relationship with another woman, based on her private letters. Molly Shannon stars as Emily Dickinson, in love with an editor who admires her for more than her ability to write. Described as a "timely critique of how women's history is rewritten, Wild Nights with Emily remains vibrant, irreverent and tender--a perhaps closer depiction of Emily Dickinson's real life than anything seen before." Also stars Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Dana Melanie, and Joel Michaely. Amusing and witty. Here's the...

Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon looks to rewrite the legacy of Emily Dickinson in the new trailer for the upcoming biopic, Wild Nights With Emily, out April 12th.

Written and directed by Madeleine Olnek, the film seeks to recast Dickinson not as a delicate, virginal recluse, but a lively, clever writer who found love through a life-long relationship with her sister-in-law, Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson (played by Susan Ziegler). Presented as a comedy of manners, the trailer teases the romance with a mix of passion and humor, like when...

Adam Kersh has departed Brigade Marketing, the New York boutique agency he co-founded in 2010.

During Kersh’s tenure, he established Brigade in the indie film sphere and grew the firm’s footprint substantially, launching films at Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, Tiff and Venice, and propelling their profiles during awards season.

In an email to industry peers, Kersh wrote “Please note I am moving in a new direction professionally…For those of you traveling to SXSW, I hope to see you in Austin next weekend.”

Kersh will continue in film publicity with clients such as The Duplass Brothers, Lynn Shelton and The Florida Project filmmaker Sean Baker. Kersh will be at SXSW on Shelton’s new pic Sword of Trust and with Amy Seimetz who stars in the fest’s closing night film Pet Sematary.

Kersh will also continue to segue into indie feature producing, his previous credits including Madeline’s Madeline...

In today’s film news roundup, Molly Shannon’s “Wild Nights with Emily” and Motke Dapp’s “Other Versions of You” get distribution, Robert Patrick is up for a role as an FBI agent and “Nutcracker” writer Ashleigh Powell signs with CAA.

Acquisitions

Greenwich Entertainment has bought “Wild Nights with Emily,’ a dramatic comedy about Emily Dickinson starring Molly Shannon.

The film, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, was written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. Greenwich will release the film theatrically early next year.

Shannon’s role captures the vivacious, irreverent side of the poet that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman, using Dickinson’s own words.

“Madeleine’s witty, madcap yet poignant and absolutely necessary version of Emily’s life is an Emily we’ve never seen before, but one that has been hiding in plain sight all along,...

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired distribution rights to Wild Nights With Emily, the dramatic comedy about Emily Dickinson that premiered at SXSW this year. Directed and penned by Madeleine Olnek, the pic stars SNL alum Molly Shannon and will be released in theaters in early 2019.

Shannon portrays the vivacious, irreverent side of the poet that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. The pic, supported by Harvard University Press and the Guggenheim Foundation, uses Dickinson’s own words to shed new light on the celebrated poet. Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant), Susan Ziegler (The Foxy Merkins) and Brett Gelman (Twin Peaks: The Return) co-star.

Olnek produced the film with Casper Andreas, Max Rifkind-Barron and Anna Margarita Albelo.

Cinetic Media’s Eric Sloss, on behalf of the filmmaker, negotiated the deal with Greenwich’s Ed Arentz.

Distributor plans early 2019 theatrical release.

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired Us rights to the Emily Dickinson drama and SXSW selection Wild Nights With Emily starring Molly Shannon.

Madeleine Olnek wrote and directed the feature about the life and love of the celebrated 19th century American poet and depicts her lesser-known vivaciousness and irreverence, including her lifelong romance with another woman.

The filmmakers secured permission from Harvard University Press to use Dickisnon’s own words in the film, and received research support from the Guggenheim foundation.

“Madeleine’s witty, madcap yet poignant and absolutely necessary version of Emily’s life is an...

Dana Melanie (Wild Nights With Emily) and Rafael Cebrian (Narcos) have joined the upcoming third season of Netflix’s tween series Greenhouse Academy as series regulars.

Melanie will take over the role of Emma Geller in a recasting, previously played by Aviv Buchler in seasons one and two. Cebrian will be playing new character Enzo.

Created by Giora Chamizer, Greenhouse Academy is set at an elite Southern California boarding school where students from two rival dormitories combine forces to thwart an evil plot.

Greenhouse Academy is co-written by Chamizer and Paula Yoo. Nutz Productions, a subsidiary of Ananey Communications, produces the series for Netflix.

Melanie’s latest film Wild Nights With Emily, premiered in March at SXSW. Melanie play’s young Emily Dickinson opposite Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, and Brett Gelman. She is also in development on a series she penned based on a book she optioned earlier this year.

Alan Alda will be awarded the Hamptons International Film Festival’s Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award.

The festival established the award in 2017, honoring Cavett himself. The Hiff, now in its 26th year, opens Oct. 4 with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Kindergarten Teacher” and closes Oct. 8.

“Alan Alda is one of those now rare actors who in his career continues to distinguish himself on Broadway, in films and on television,” said Hiff co-chairman Alec Baldwin. “Of course, most people remember Alda for his starring role in the seminal TV series ‘M*A*S*H,’ but Alda is also great in the movies and on stage.”

Alda has won seven Emmys and wrote many of the episodes on “M*A*S*H.” He appeared in continuing roles on “ER,” “The West Wing,” “30 Rock,” “The Blacklist,” “The Big C,” “Horace and Pete,” and “The Good Fight.” He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role...

As far as gay film festivals go, Outfest takes the cake. Now in its 36th year, the Los Angeles-based festival is the country’s leading Lgtbq film festival, supporting independent queer film and filmmakers for over three decades. This year, two thirds of the program is directed by women, people of color, and/or trans filmmakers. “The reason we put on this festival is to encourage the Lgbtq community and the wider community — mainstream culture — to recognize the inherent value and infinite diversity,” said Outfest head programmer Lucy Mukerjee. “We have to continue to celebrate and showcase queer artists so they can get the same level of access and opportunity as white male directors.”

Outfest is celebrating its first year as an Academy Award-qualifying shorts festival, meaning any short that wins a grand jury prize will be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Following the examples set by Tribeca and Sundance festivals,...

John Waters has penned all his books in Provincetown, Mass., and most of his movies, too. The iconic indie filmmaker of such campy classics as “Female Trouble” and “Hairspray” was born and raised in Baltimore, but it’s the “gay fishing village” on the tip of Cape Cod where he’s been summering for the past 53 years, writing in the mornings and bicycling about town.

Waters has also been a steady and celebrated fixture at the Provincetown Intl. Film Festival, kicking off its 20th edition June 13, enticing filmmakers to attend the event.

“I usually write one of the letters to every director that’s come to the fest talking them into coming, and I think every one of them has had a great time,” says Waters, who will present “Tangerine” and “The Florida Project” writer-director Sean Baker with the fest’s Filmmaker on the Edge award.

“Baker would make the best spy,...

Amy Seimetz, a director on Donald Glover’s “Atlanta” and the co-creator of the Starz series “The Girlfriend Experience,” has signed an overall production deal with FX Productions, Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions announced Tuesday.

Under the pact, Seimetz will develop new television projects exclusively for FX.

“Amy is an extremely talented multi-hyphenate artist and we are proud to have her join the family of outstanding writers, producers and directors working at FX productions,” said Schrier. “Her passion for storytelling is evident in all of her work, and we look forward to developing new series that showcase her talent.”

Also Read: 'Atlanta' Renewed for Season 3 at FX

Seimetz directed two episodes of “Atlanta”s second season — aka “Robbin’ Season” — “Helen” and “Champagne Papi.”

She is the co-creator and executive producer on “The Girlfriend Experience,” a Golden Globe-nominated series...

Amy Seimetz has signed an overall deal with FX Productions. The agreement will see Seimetz develop new television projects exclusively for Fxp.

“Amy is an extremely talented multi-hyphenate artist and we are proud to have her join the family of outstanding writers, producers and directors working at FX productions,” said Eric Schrier, co-president of original programming for FX. “Her passion for storytelling is evident in all of her work, and we look forward to developing new series that showcase her talent.”

Seimetz is the co-creator and executive producer of Starz series “The Girlfriend Experience,” which drew wide critical acclaim and earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2017 for actor Riley Keough. Season two of the anthology drama ended its Starz run in December.

An independent film and television veteran in front of and behind the camera, Seimetz recently collaborated with FX on the second season of “Atlanta,” directing two episodes — “Helen” and “Champagne Papi.

FX Productions has signed multihyphenate Amy Seimetz to an overall production deal. The writer, director, producer and actress will develop new TV projects exclusively for the company.

Seimetz has become an important voice in indie cinema and television during the past decade. She has appeared in and/or worked on more than a dozen films that have screened at the SXSW Film Festival including her directorial debut Sun Don’t Shine, which won a special jury prize in 2012 and was nominated for two Gotham Awards.

She likely is best known as the co-creator and executive producer of Starz’s series The Girlfriend Experience, based on the Steven Soderbergh film. She also directed the “Helen” and “Champagne Papi” episodes of the FX comedy Atlanta.

Seimetz is the latest Atlanta creative to ink an overall deal with FX Productions, following Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson and Hiro Murai.

Seimetz’s film acting credits include Upstream Color,...

The 44th Seattle International Film Festival announced its winners at the festival’s concluding ceremony Sunday, with Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” taking home prizes for best film and best actress for star Elsie Fisher. Mister Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” which has drawn attention since the release of its nostalgic trailer, won the best documentary prize for director Morgan Neville.

See the full list of winners below.

Best Film

“Eighth Grade,” directed by Bo Burnham (USA 2018)

Best Documentary

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” directed by Morgan Neville (USA 2018)

Best Director

Gustav Möller, “The Guilty” (Denmark 2018)

Best Actor

Miguel Ángel Solá, “The Last Suit” (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017)

Best Actress

Elsie Fisher, “Eighth Grade” (USA 2018)

Best Short Film

“Emergency,” directed by Carey Williams (USA 2017)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision

Presented by Women in Film – Seattle

Dana Nachman, “Pick of the Litter” (USA 2017)

Siff...

Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights With Emily, starring Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson, will open the 2018 Provincetown International Film Festival, while Ondi Timoner’s Mapplethorpe, starring Matt Smith as the influential photographer, will serve as the closing-night film.

The fest, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is set to run June 13-17 in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

“For our 20th anniversary festival, we are absolutely thrilled to present a lineup featuring new work by a group of extraordinarily talented filmmakers, and we are especially proud that all five of our Spotlight films are directed by women,” commented artistic director Lisa Viola in announcing...

Rooftop Films released the first round of titles screening in its popular summer series, including Robert Pattinson in David and Nathan Zellner’s “Damsel,” which will make its New York premiere in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood cemetery. The series features a slew of the year’s most highly-anticipated festival favorites, including Bart Layton’s “American Animals,” and Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen,” and a sneak preview of Carlos López Estrada’s “Blindspotting,” starring “Hamilton” actor Daveed Diggs.

“Rooftop Films is famous for creating fun, custom-curated, large-scale events that augment the

experience of watching our favorite new films,” said Dan Nuxoll, Artistic Director of Rooftop Films. “This year we have put extra effort into adding exciting components to every event, including a performance from the vivacious Arkansas drag queens from Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s ‘The Gospel of Eureka.'”

Rooftop is introducing two new venues this year: Brooklyn Army Terminal and Green-Wood Cemetery,...

Debates over Emily Dickinson's personal life are a staple not just among literary scholars and poetry lovers but with assemblers of Lgbt histories eager to add another gay genius to the pantheon. Treating the argument as if it were settled once and for all, Madeleine Olnek's Wild Nights With Emily is unambiguous in showing the poet as the lifelong lover of her sister-in-law Susan Dickinson (nee Gilbert), and as nothing like the reclusive spinster of popular myth. The merits of its scholarship may be a moot point, as the humble production and peculiar tone of Wild Nights will likely —...