Noticias

Zooey Deschanel is widely recognized for her deadpan comedy roles but the actress expanded her portfolio by working in dramatic roles with projects like Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), and The Driftless Area (2015). However, portraying the role of Jess Day on the Fox sitcom, New Girl was what fans usually remember her by, since she was one of the lead cast, who was there from the beginning to the end of the series.

Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day in New Girl [ Credit: Peacock | Youtube ]However, spending years on a project was a different experience than working on a movie project, with the actress sharing her insights on the struggles behind the making of 7 season series.

Zooey Deschanel Reflects on Her Time in New Girl

During a recent interview with Lewis Howes, she delves into the personal side of her story, giving an insight into the challenges of her career in Hollywood.

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Anton Yelchin’s tragic death Sunday came just three weeks before the 27-year-old actor was set to start shooting his directorial debut, “Travis,” which he also wrote.

The crime thriller was scheduled to start production on July 11 in what Yelchin called “the lonely landscape of the San Fernando Valley,” said his friend and collaborator Keith Kjarval, a producer on the movie. Callum Turner was set to play the title character alongside co-stars Alia Shawkat and Milla Jovovich. The film centered on an actor and amateur photographer who witnesses the murder of a young woman after following her back to her apartment.

Read More: Anton Yelchin Dead at 27: ‘Star Trek’ Actor Dies in ‘Freak Accident’

“We were calling it a voyeuristic crime thriller,” Kjarval said. “It was neo-noir, very urgent in morality, like a Dardennes brothers film.” Marilyn Manson was in talks to do the score for the movie, which...

The Hollywood community is in mourning once again, after news broke earlier today that Anton Yelchin has died from a freak car accident. The actor was found dead at his home in the San Fernando Valley early this morning, pinned between his car and a concrete mailbox. As news of this tragic death started to spread, several of the actor's co-stars, friends, colleagues and others in the Hollywood community mourned his death on social media. Paramount Pictures also released the following statement regarding the beloved actor's death.

"All of us at Paramount join the world in morning the untimely passing of Antony Yelchin. As a member of the Star Trek family, he was beloved by so many and he will missed by all. We share our deepest condolences with his mother, father and family."

The actor is probably best known for playing Chekov in J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek, its...

The entertainment community is in mourning once again today, as a young actor passed away far too soon. Anton Yelchin, who plays Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek movies, including next month's Star Trek Beyond, has passed away at the age of 27. While details are still coming in, the actor appears to have died from a freak car accident.

Deadline reports that the actor was found by his friends early this morning, pinned by his car against a brick mailbox and security gate, apparently crushed to death by his own vehicle. No foul play is suspected in this car accident, although no further details were given. Here's what the actor's publicist Jennifer Allan had to say in a brief statement.

"Actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning. His family requests you respect their privacy at this time."

TMZ reveals that the actor's friends became...

“Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin has died in what’s being called a freak accident. According to TMZ, a friend went to the performer’s home in the San Fernando Valley late last night after Yelchin missed a rehearsal hours earlier; once there, he found Yelchin “pinned between his car and a brick mailbox, which was attached to a security gate.” Yelchin was 27.

Read More: Anton Yelchin (1989 — 2016): A Career Retrospective in Photos

Law-enforcement officers, who do not suspect foul play, further told TMZ that the engine was running when Yelchin’s body was discovered and that the car was in neutral. They do not know why the actor, whose driveway is on a steep incline, exited his vehicle in the first place. Paramount released the following statement: “All of us at Paramount join the world in morning the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin. As a member of the ‘Star Trek’ family,...

Romance, crime, and ideas about time and interconnectedness, "The Driftless Area" stars Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel in this unique story about a young man, caught up in extraordinary circumstances. And today we have an exclusive look at the movie. Based on the novel by Tom Drury, and also featuring Aubrey Plaza, John Hawkes, Alia Shawkat, Ciarin Hinds, and Frank Langella, this neo-noir tale follows Pierre, who returns to his hometown, runs afoul of a local criminal, and unexpectedly falls head over heels for a mysterious young woman. Here's the official synopsis: “No one knows if Pierre fell for the wrong girl or was just unlucky in love.” Based on the novel of the same title by Tom Drury, Zachary Sluser’s neo-noir, metaphysical romance centers on a budding love affair that causes a ripple effect in a quiet town. After his parents’ death, an affable bartender, Pierre Hunter (Anton Yelchin...

Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods Krampus (horror; Adam Scott, Toni Collette; rated PG-13) Ride Along 2 (action-comedy; Ice Cube, Kevin Hart; includes gag reel; rated PG-13) Jane Got a Gun (action; Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor; rated R) Son of Saul (drama; Geza Rohrig, Levente Molnar; rated R) The Driftless Area (drama-thriller; Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel; rated R) High-Rise (drama-action based on novel by J.G. Ballard; Tom...

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I'd never heard of The Driftless Area until about three minutes ago, but after watching this trailer (via Yahoo), I'm curious to see it. Anton Yelchin stars as a guy who meets the ghost of a woman (Zooey Deschanel) who was killed in a fire, and she convinces him to get revenge on the people who killed her. Not exactly your typical "boy meets girl" story, huh? I'm not a huge fan of Yelchin and Deschanel, and that premise sounds like a Nicholas Sparks fantasy filtered through a revenge lens, but as soon as I saw the supporting cast, that got my attention in a big way. John Hawkes, Frank Langella, Ciaran Hinds, Alia Shawkat, and Aubrey Plaza round out the cast.

The movie doesn't appear to be coming to theaters, but it'll hit VOD and DVD on April 26th.

No one knows if Pierre fell for the wrong girl...

"The one who did this to you, he's gunna be made to pay." Sony has debuted a trailer for this direct-to-vod drama called The Driftless Area, which features an impressive cast but that's about it. Anton Yelchin stars along with Alia Shawkat (both of them play a punk rock band in A24's Green Room as well), plus the cast includes Zooey Deschanel, Frank Langella, Aubrey Plaza, John Hawkes and Ciarán Hinds. This story is described as "a contemporary fable about the ways we struggle to control time and fate in a possibly predetermined universe". The trailer introduces this as some kind of ghost story, where Yelchin can see a girl killed in a fire, and he tries to figure out what happened. Now I see why this is skipping theaters. Here's the first official trailer for Zachary Sluser's The Driftless Area, originally from Yahoo: Pierre Hunter (Anton Yelchin), a bartender with unyielding optimism,...

It’s very hard to tell how much the first trailer for The Driftless Area gives away, but it sure seems like it gives up a doozy of a twist within the first thirty seconds about the main character of Stella (Zooey Deschanel). That said, it looks like there’s room for at least a dozen more curveballs in this strange blend of crime thriller, melodrama, and wistful romance.

Set in a small town, the story follows a melancholic bartender named Hunter (Anton Yelchin) who finds love when he returns to his family home after the death of his parents. But this love story doesn’t feel like the usual manic pixie dream girl romance that Deschanel’s been unfairly typecast in. A sense of profound loss hangs over the trailer, as Yelchin becomes tangled with a small-town criminal played by John Hawkes, and his crew of dangerous associates.

Directed by Zachary Sluser,...

A film with Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, Aubrey Plaza, John Hawkes, Frank Langella, Alia Shawkat, and Ciarán Hinds shouldn’t be flying so far under the radar. The Driftless Area premiered last spring at the Tribecca Film Festival, where it was met with mixed reviews. Based on the trailer for the surreal crime love story, it’s easy to see why. We got our first look at […]

The post ‘The Driftless Area’ Trailer: Have You Started Any Fires Lately? appeared first on /Film.

Hoping to prove there’s still life – and love – after death, director Zachary Sluser (via Yahoo) has premiered the first trailer for atypical romance film The Driftless Area, bringing together Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and New Girl star Zooey Deschanel in key roles.

Lifted from Tom Drury’s novel of the same name, the story orbits around Yelchin’s lonesome Pierre Hunter, a young man who falls head over heels for Deschanel’s Stella. Complications arise, though, particularly in the form of Stella’s dark past which leads Pierre on a crash course with John Hawkes’ seedy criminal.

Also starring Aubrey Plaza, John Hawkes, Alia Shawkat, Ciarin Hinds, and Frank Langella, perhaps the one thing that has us cautiously optimistic about Sluser’s adaptation is the way in which it blends together different genres. Your typical rom-com this is not, with elements dark comedy and even neo-noir spliced into the narrative.

Debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival last spring, playing a couple of smaller festivals afterward, and then quietly disappearing from the radar, don't worry if you haven't heard about "The Driftless Area." But the picture has re-surfaced with the first trailer as it gears up to be released... on home video. Read More: Tribeca Review: 'The Driftless Area' Starring Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, John Hawkes, & More Starring Zooey Deschanel, Anton Yelchin, Aubrey Plaza, John Hawkes, Alia Shawkat, Ciarin Hinds, and Frank Langella, the film from Zachary Sluser, based on the book by Tom Drury, this is a romance that mixes neo-noir, magical realism and more into an ambitious mix of genres. Here's the synopsis: “No one knows if Pierre fell for the wrong girl or was just unlucky in love.” Based on the novel of the same title by Tom Drury, Zachary Sluser’s neo-noir, metaphysical romance centers...

We humans often like to think of ourselves as creatures of habit. It helps compartmentalize our world, making order out of chaos. As someone who operates quite often from his head, habits are important. Writing movie reviews, attempting to express in words an experience which often goes quite beyond such language help me as much as it excites me. It is me hurtling towards the chaos, ratcheting up the intensity on an imaginary dial, wrestling it into the calm arms of fate... my fate. But what if there was no chaos? What if that was just another way to compartmentalize something far more complex, nuanced, and ultimately quite simple. Like Anton Yelchin's quiet, soft gazed Pierre says in Zachary Sluser's debut feature The Driftless Area......

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

There’s no way around it folks…it’s truly festival season! Between the recently concluded Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival as well as the currently gearing up New York Film Festival, Oscar hopefuls are finding places to screen everywhere. Not all fests are designed to be Academy Award contender showcases though, with some meant to highlight independent film. The Sundance Film Festival is the cream of that crop (with some titles there developing into awards players), with the Tribeca Film Festival another of them. Next month though, a smaller fest is screening an interesting flick that I wanted to mention quickly. It’s the Aruba International Film Festival and the opening screening is The Driftless Area. I saw it back at Tribeca and enjoyed the work from Zooey Deschanel there, so I wanted to give it a moment in the sun. The film is an indie...

Anyone ready for a little fun in the sun with some great movies as well? If so the Aruba International Film Fest might be right up your alley. Taking place October 7-11, 2015, the Aiff lineup is no slouch. Highlights include Cannes Jury Prize winning The Lobster, Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet, and the SXSW-premiering fest hit The Final Girls. Check out the full lineup below. Opening Night Film (Narrative)The Driftless Area / U.S. & Canada  (Director: Zachary Sluser, Screenwriters: Tom Drury, Zachary Sluser) Based on the novel of the same title by Tom Drury, Sluser's neo-noir, metaphysical romance centers on a budding love affair that causes a ripple effect in a quiet town.Cast: Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, John Hawkes, Alia Shawkat, Frank Langella, Aubrey Plaza, Ciarán...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Cargo Entertainment and Radiant Films International have entered into a multi-faceted, strategic partnership to expand their combined production, finance and sales capabilities for commercial feature films. This alliance was recently announced by Cargo’s CEO and Managing Partner, Marina Grasic, and Jan Korbelin Managing Partner and Radiant’s President and CEO, Mimi Steinbauer.

Cargo Entertainment is an international sales agent, distributor, producer and packager of filmed entertainment, while Radiant Films International is an international sales company funded through private equity sources which acquires and distributes theatrical feature films. Their similar visions and business capabilities make this partnership a logical move towards mutual growth.

As the first step in their new collaboration, Cargo has made an investment in Radiant with Steinbauer assuming the additional role of Cargo’s President of Distribution. Steinbauer and the sales team which includes newly appointed Radiant Senior Vice President John Short, will handle foreign sales for all Cargo titles under the newly formed partnership with immediate effect.

With a focus on combining their respective areas of expertise to build a slate of high quality commercial films, Cargo and Radiant are actively looking to jointly finance, produce and launch 4 to 6 new films per year.

The companies will work side by side on joint initiatives but continue to operate as two separate entities. Radiant Films International has a dynamic slate of titles being sold at Cannes including the newly announced romantic comedy "Carrie Pilby" starring Hailee Steinfeld and Tom Wilkinson.

“Mimi is one of the savviest sales executives in the business with a proven track record balancing sales on specialty as well as high profile commercial films such as "The Hurt Locker," "Blue Valentine," "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy and "The Matrix." The strength of her experience make her a perfect partner as we look to substantially increase the scope of our productions. It’s a great partnership and we look forward to making a number of significant announcements to take us to that next level shortly,” said Cargo’s CEO and Managing Partner, Marina Grasic.

“Marina and Cargo have built a reputation for producing high quality theatrical films that resonate with buyers across the globe. As they build on that reputation and expand their production operations with even bigger budget films, we are delighted to be partnering with Cargo. We look forward to this being just the beginning of a long and successful relationship,” said Steinbauer.

Cargo’s current completed titles include the comedy "Welcome to Me," which had the highest grossing per screen average among limited releases at the U.S. box office opening weekend and stars Kristen Wiig who produces alongside Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jessica Elbaum and Cargo’s Grasic. Their other titles include the political thriller "Zipper" which world-premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and stars Patrick Wilson and Dianna Agron from executive producer Darren Aronofosky. U.S. distributor Alchemy is releasing both films and will distribute "Zipper" later in the year.

Cargo’s upcoming films include the suspense thriller "The Price" with Noomi Rapace, currently in pre-production.

Additional titles on Radiant’s slate include the thriller "Take Down" directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Ed Westwick, Jeremy Sumpter, Phoebe Tonkin and Sebastian Koch and the unconventional romance "The Driftless Area" starring Zooey Deschanel and Anton Yelchin which made its world-premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Both films are making their market screening premieres at the Cannes Film Market. Their other titles include two films coming to U.S. theatres in June: IFC Films’ "Hungry Hearts" starring Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher who both won Coppa Volpi Awards at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival selection "Madame Bovary" starring Mia Wasikowska, Ezra Miller and Paul Giamatti to be released by Alchemy.

Other projects include "Dare to Be Wild" starring Emma Greenwell (“Shameless”) and Tom Hughes (BBC2’s “The Game”) and "Whatever Makes You Happy" in pre-production, set to star Susan Sarandon.

Exclusive: Hailee Steinfeld and Tom Wilkinson will star in the adaptation of Caren Lissner’s Ya novel that Mimi Steinbauer and her team introduce to buyers on the Croisette.

Principal photography is set for September on Carrie Pilby, in which Steinfeld plays a genius Harvard graduate who tries to find love and happiness in New York with the help of a simple checklist.

Susan Johnson makes her feature directorial debut from the adapted screenplay by Kara Holden and Dean Craig.

Eddie Izzard, Vanessa Bayer, Jason Ritter and Ben Winchell round out the key cast.

Suzanne Farwell and Susan Cartsonis produce alongside Johnson, while Elaine Harris is an executive producer. UTA Independent Film Group and ICM Partners jointly handle North American rights.

“I knew I had to come aboard the project as soon as I finished reading the script,” said Steinbauer (pictured). “It is one of the most delightful and heartwarming screenplays I’ve read in ages. This...

Boldly indulging in matter-­of-­fact humor that questions the nature of fate in both provocative and approachable ways, as you struggle to garner control of your destiny from what may have always been a predetermined outcome, can be a harrowing experience for many people. But first-time feature film writer-director Zachary Sluser powerfully approached spiritual understanding, as well as how one person’s actions grippingly influence other people’s lives, in his new independent drama, ‘The Driftless Area.’ The filmmaker, who based the movie on Tom Drury’s novel of the same name, never passed judgment on the author’s characters, and always treated them with dignity, as they humanely explore how everyone’s actions inadvertently influence [ Read More ]

The post Tribeca 2015 Interview: Zachary Sluser Talks The Driftless Area (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

First-time feature writer-director Zachary Sluser clearly has something to say about metaphysics, the idea that we’re all connected and karma, but none of it makes much of an impression due to the extremely loose, bemusing and rather dull narrative in The Driftless Area. The movie opens with a scene between Pierre (Anton Yelchin) and Shane (John Hawkes). Pierre’s stranded on the side of the road and Shane’s nice enough to give him a lift, but eventually the two get into an argument and Shane gives Pierre the boot. However, instead of driving off and leaving Pierre in the dust, Shane accidentally drives his truck off the road, giving Pierre the opportunity to get back at him and take off with his bag of stolen cash. It’s an amusing opening that introduces two curious characters who inadvertently get into a madcap scuffle, but immediately after, the charm...

Ponderously exploring pedestrian notions of the universe and connectedness, while mixing in familiar coming-of-age conflicts of love, death, and loss, and sprinkled with bumbling neo-noir crime and even magical realism, “The Driftless Area” is an overloaded, but generally underwhelming and meandering story about small town existence, fate, and the meaning of life. Based on the novel by Tom Drury, the story is ostensibly about an unremarkable, luckless 24-year-old man named Pierre (played by an unassertive Anton Yelchin) who returns to life as a bartender in his Midwest hometown after his parents die and gets fatefully involved with a dangerous, but semi-idiotic career criminal named Shane (John Hawkes). It’s hackneyed plot — which feels more contrived and arbitrary than convincing about chance and the mysteries of coincidence — strains to connect disparate characters and their cosmic destinies in any organic or believable manner. Read More: The 20 Most Anticipated Movies Of The...

Read More: Meet the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Filmmakers First-time feature director Zachary Sluser hit the jackpot with his new film "The Driftless Area," with a cast of star talent like Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, and John Hawkes. The film is about a bartender named Pierre (Yelchin) who returns to his small hometown following his parents’ death. Back home, he meets and falls in love with the mysterious Stella (Deschanel), and is eventually thrown into a strange cat-and-mouse game with a criminal (Hawkes). The film also stars Alia Shawkat, Frank Langella, Aubrey Plaza, and Ciarán Hinds. What's your film about in 140 characters or less? "The Driftless Area" is a contemporary fable about the ways we struggle to control time and fate in a possibly predetermined universe. Now what's it Really about? Pierre Hunter (Anton Yelchin), a bartender with unyielding optimism, returns to his tiny hometown after his parents’ death. When he falls for the.

"Enemy," "Martha Marcy May Marlene," "Simon Killer," "The One I Love," "5 To 7" — even if you don't know the names Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, you've undoubtedly heard the work of the very prolific composing duo. This year alone they've had compositions in three Sundance films ("Last Days In The Desert," "Nasty Baby," "The Wolfpack") and now comes the Tribeca Film Festival where you'll hear even more from them in "The Driftless Area" and "Franny." And today, we've got an exclusive listen to "Franny's Theme" from the latter picture. Written and directed by Andrew Renzi, and starring Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James, Clarke Peters, Cheryl Hines, and Dylan Baker, the drama follows a rich eccentric man who worms his way into the lives of a deceased friend’s young daughter and her new husband. And the theme music certainly evokes a drama with...

Matt Sayles/AP

Zooey Deschanel is everyone’s favourite loveable weirdo, with her main role playing the part of head-in-the-clouds school teacher Jess Day in New Girl on Fox.

The 35-year-old can play a whole range of roles, but she will be remembered for her quirky, often socially-awkward characters nailing the deadpan humour, and earning her a way towards a soft spot in the hearts of her fans.

Her acting career has dipped into three separate decades, and while New Girl is her biggest lead role, she’s featured in a range of box-office productions including: The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and (500) Days Of Summer, while she’s starred as the main love interest for Jim Carrey in Yes Man, and Will Ferrell in the festive favourite, Elf.

New Girl is where most of her time is being invested, and she hasn’t featured in a film since medieval comedy,...

President and CEO Mimi Steinbauer has hired the former Voltage Pictures senior executive as she seeks to broaden the company’s content creation mandate.

Short arrives as senior vice-president and will work on international sales in tandem with Steinbauer on a slate that includes imminent Tribeca world premiere The Driftless Area with Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel and teen action-thriller Take Down, currently in post-production.

The new hire is also tasked with building his relationships in China and other Asian markets as Radiant Films International explores co-production and co-financing opportunities.

“John is the perfect addition to the Radiant team, bringing a wealth of experience in the foreign sales world having developed a strong network and relationships with buyers,” said Steinbauer.

“He is passionate and dedicated to what he does and is eager to grow and push the company forward as we enter this exciting phase of expansion.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Radiant...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

New work from William Monahan, Henry Hobson, Adrián García Bogliano and Neil Labute are among the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screening selections announced on Thursday.

Tribeca Film Festival top brass announced the Spotlight section of 40 films comprising 23 narratives and 17 documentaries.

Twenty-four are world premieres, among them Monahan’s thriller Mojave, Labute’s Dirty Weekend and Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie that Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions snapped up before Toronto before pulling the premiere.

Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil follow-up Scherzo Diabolico plays in Midnight and is one of four world premieres in the five-strong genre strand.

Special Screenings include the world premiere of documentary Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions (pictured).

Work In Progress screenings include LoveTrue, the latest documentary from 2011 Best Documentary Feature Award winner Alma Har’el. Patrick Creadon, who directed 2011 entry Wordplay, will show a cut of All Work, All Play, which centres on the world of video game arena competitions.

“The Spotlight...

Exclusive: New films from Pathe, StudioCanal, Gaumont among haul.

Fledgling Turkish distributor Fabula Films has finalised deals for ten films from the Afm, including Nicolas Winding Refn’s next film The Neon Demon from Gaumont and StudioCanal’s 3D animation Robinson.

After securing 20 films at Toronto the outfit has bolstered its slate with Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins biopic, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, and awards contender Selma, both from Pathe.

The latter is set for a February 2015 release.

From StudioCanal, the company acquired English-language 3D animation Robinson, produced by nWave, Zac Efron drama We are Your Friends, and Stephen Frears’ Lance Armstrong drama starring Ben Foster.

Post-World War II drama Labyrinth of Lies was bought from Beta Cinema, while the new film by Patrice Leconte Do Not Disturb was picked up from Wild Bunch. The company also acquired Bankside’s crowdpleaser X+Y, starring Asa Butterfield as a socially awkward teenage maths prodigy.

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Despite the lottery-esque sounding odds, the U.S Dramatic Competition section which produces the finest American indie specimens such as Frozen River, Winter’s Bone, Blue Valentine, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station and Whiplash is fairly consistent in terms of quality. Last year’s crop of sixteen have almost all had their theatrical releases with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter being the last one out of the gates (pegged with an early 2015 release). Last week we individually looked at our top 80 Sundance Film Fest Predictions (you’ll find 30 other titles worth considering in our intro) and below, we’ve split the list into narrative and non-fiction film items and have both identified and color-coded our picks in an AtoZ cheat sheet. You’ll find 2015′s answer to Whiplash located somewhere in the stack below. Click on the individual titles below, for the film’s profile.

With a trio of short films under his belt, Zachary Sluser hit indie film pay dirt with a measuring cup full of Sundance vets for his directorial debut. Starring Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, John Hawkes and supporting perfs from Alia Shawkat, Aubrey Plaza, Frank Langella and Ciaran Hinds, The Driftless Area wouldn’t be out of place at the fest as it is being tipped as a neo-noir dark romantic dramedy. Production began this past May in Vancouver, Canada with cinematographer Fjord Daniel Voldheim (Ragnarok) collaborating with a score supplied by Saunder Jurriaans & Daniel Bensi (Enemy).

Gist: Based on the novel of the same title by Tom Drury who co-wrote the screenplay with Sluser, this tells the story of a young man by the name of Pierre Hunter (Yelchin) who falls in love with a mysterious woman named Stella (Deschanel) and finds himself in a game out of cat and...

Garnering fund and lab support on both sides of the Atlantic, Down By Law has been tailored with BFI coin support and with the giving hands of three recent Institute initiatives: Sundance’s 2013 Documentary Film Grant, 2014 July Documentary Edit and Story Lab, and the 2014 Creative Producing Summit. George Amponsah’s third docu film looks to be an explosive, observational hybrid type docu that is surely being readied for the World Docu section and Mark Duggan’s story might echo some of the issues that have been brought up with Ferguson, Missouri.

Gist: This follows several years in the lives of two of the closest friends of Mark Duggan, the man whose death at the hands of armed police sparked the UK riots of 2011.

Production Co./Producers: Dionne Walker.

Prediction: World Documentary Competition.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic). Tbd (international)

More 2015 Sundance Film Festival Predictions 2015 Sundance Film Festival Predictions:...

Coverage of Isa’s (international sales agents) has resumed for The American Film Market. This segment follows leaders and innovation in the world of international film sales and distribution.

The trailblazing and accomplished Mimi Steinbauer started Radiant Films International over two and a half years ago and has been in the film business for over twenty years. She has played an essential role in the financing and sales for over 500 films, including the Academy Award nominated "Blue Valentine", Robert Rodriguez’s "Machete", "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", "The Hurt Locker", "The Matrix", "Rush Hour 2", "The Notebook", and "Three Kings".

Mimi also served as the Vice President of Distribution at New Line Cinema, Sales and Distribution Consultant for Voltage Pictures, President of International Sales and Distribution at Franchise Pictures, and Head of International Television at Trimark Pictures.

Mimi shares her experience and talks more about Radiant's films at The American Film Market:

I was excited to start my own company. International Sales has changed over the years. If you’re in sales now, you’re involved in finding the product, closing financing, and then also doing sales. In doing all three of those things, it only makes sense to have my own company and be in charge of the product that I’m selling. That’s why I started Radiant.

I’ve been working in the film industry for 20 years - working for bigger companies like New Line Cinema and then smaller companies as well – and have been involved in finding the projects and dealing with sales. Starting Radiant was a natural step into doing my own thing.

What type of films are you looking for?

We're handling 16 titles. My intention is to carry six to eight films per year, so we’re pretty selective in what we pick up. Everything we’ve had so far has gone out theatrically, so that’s been our guideline - everything we work on is of theatrical quality.

For me, it’s important to understand the sales angle so I can sell it to the buyers, but it's also for the buyers so they can sell it to their local audiences.

Projects that I respond to have to be unique and interesting, because I feel like projects right now have to be massive in scope or something very enticing and special.

What are you showing at Afm?

Right now, we have "Rudderless" in cinemas, which is William H. Macy's directorial debut. It’s a beautiful musical drama about the power of a parent’s love.

We’re screening two complete films at Afm: "Madame Bovary" (with Mia Wasikowska and Paul Giamatti) and "Hungry Hearts", which won best actor and best actress at Venice.

We also will show film footage for the first time at Afm. One is "Take Down", a young adult action film, and "The Driftless Area", a romance/ thriller film.

Did you ever see yourself in International Film Sales?

I started in production in Austria, so I never saw myself in this world of international sales. I didn’t even know that it existed, and then I came to Los Angeles to do the Peter Stark program for producing at USC.

From there, I got into a production company that made a film based on rights that they owned - this brought them into the world of international sales, and it's how I got in: working on contracts and financing. It wasn’t the plan, but it’s a perfect fit because it’s speaks to my international background and interests. I love the idea of going to a film market and meeting with someone from a different culture every half hour. It's really amazing.

What inspires you in your work?

Many of the world's most interesting films come from independent cinema. I’m the first person to go out and see The Avengers movies – I love the big films - but independent film is incredibly important. There are amazing films and filmmakers out there, and it’s important to share their stories with audiences around the world.

Learn more about the Radiant Films Slate here.

About Radiant Films:

Founded by international sales veteran, Mimi Steinbauer, who is President and CEO, Radiant Films International, is an international sales company funded through private equity sources which acquires and distributes between 6-8 theatrical titles per year.

Radiant's current slate includes the recently announced "Whatever Makes You Happy" with Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney and Stephen Amell all in discussions to star, two films making their market premieres at Afm: "Madame Bovary" with Mia Wasikowska, Paul Giamatti and Ezra Miller which world premiered at the Telluride Film Festival followed by debuts at the Toronto and London Film Festivals and Saverio Constanzo’s "Hungry Hearts" starring Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher, who both won Coppa Volpi Awards at the Venice Film Festival. Radiant will also be showing brand new footage from two films at Afm: the thriller "Take Down", directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Ed Westwick, Jeremy Sumpter, Phoebe Tonkin and Sebastian Koch as well as "The Driftless Area" starring Zooey Deschanel, Anton Yelchin and Frank Langella. Their slate also includes William H. Macy's feature film directorial debut "Rudderless", starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin and Selena Gomez which is currently in theatres and on VOD in the Us via Samuel Goldwyn Films/Paramount.

Emile Hirsch and Zoe Kravitz have been cast in Vincent-n-Roxxy.

The pair will take the title roles in Gary Michael Schultz's crime drama.

The Unified Pictures movie centres around the romance between down-on-their-luck rebels Roxxy (Kravitz) and Vincent (Hirsch).

Their love is threatened when the violence of their past catches up with them.

Hirsch was most recently seen in the Bonnie and Clyde television miniseries.

Kravitz is best known for her role in X-Men: First Class. She starred in Divergent and will return for its sequel, Insurgent.

Unified Pictures recently completed principal photography on dark comedy The Driftless Area, which stars Zooey Deschanel, Anton Yelchin, John Hawkes, Aubrey Plaza, Frank Langella and Ciaran Hinds.

Yelchin and Megalyn Echikunwoke were formerly attached to star in Vincent-n-Roxxy.

John Hawkes delivers a superb performance in Low Down as noted jazz pianist Joe Albany who played with musical greats Charlie Parker and Miles Davis but was torn between his musical ambition, his devotion to his teenage daughter (Elle Fanning), and a debilitating heroin addiction. The bio-pic opening October 24th is directed by experimental filmmaker Jeff Preiss in his feature debut and based on the memoirs of Albany’s daughter Amy-Jo Albany who co-wrote the screenplay with Topper Lilien. Set in the colorful, seedy world of struggling musicians and artists in 1970’s Hollywood, the film boasts a first-rate cast that also includes Glenn Close, Lena Heady, and Peter Dinklage. In an exclusive interview, the Oscar nominated actor spoke about how he first heard about the project after meeting with producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, the appeal of the character, his preparation, not wanting to glorify heroin, working with Fanning and Close,...

Elisabeth Moss and Nathasha Lyonne are joining the already cast Olivia Wilde as the principle female players and Luke Wilson is re-teaming with The Skeleton Twins (a brilliant Sundance dramedy - see trailer below) dp Reed Morano in the cinematographer’s directorial debut. Produced by Wilde, Matt Tauber (Autumn Blood), Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert (upcoming The Driftless Area), Margot Hand and executive produced by Jennifer Levine and Jason Cloth, Meadowland will commence shooting in New York City next month.

Gist: Written by Chris Rossi, this follows a couple, Sarah (Wilde) and David (Wilson) who deal with the unthinkable in the wake of their son’s disappearance. David, a New York City policeman, attempts a more traditional form of healing, only to lose his moral compass. Sarah goes down an unexpected path towards acceptance as she places herself in increasingly dangerous situations.

Worth Noting: Perhaps taking a page from Elisabeth Moss,...

Frank Langella has been set to star opposite Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic, the Matt Ross-directed drama that will start filming shortly in Albuquerque. Langella just completed the independent film The Driftless Area in Vancouver, co-starring with Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel, and he co-stars in the upcoming 5 To 7, which opened at Tribeca and also stars Yelchin and Glenn Close. All three films are planned for release in 2015. Langella is represented by Paradigm.

Kellan Lutz, Anton Yelchin and Taryn Manning have joined the growing cast of the indie drama Experimenter, which stars Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder.

The plot is based on the true story of controversial social psychologist Dr. Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard), who designed the Obedience Experiments at Yale University in 1961. The study examined the behavior of test subjects who thought they were sending electric shock waves to a friendly stranger.

Kellan Lutz is portraying actor William Shatner, who played Milgram in a 1970 TV movie. Anton Yelchin is playing Rensaleer, a man who resists authority, while Taryn Manning will play a test subject named Mrs. Lowe, who is deeply affected by the experiment and rebels against it. Also starring are Anthony Edwards as Miller, the first person to participate in the experiments, and Edoardo Ballerini as Milgram's best friend.

Michael Almereyda (Cymbeline) is directing from his own original screenplay, with production...

Its title is terrible, but the romantic drama The Driftless Area is fast gathering an incredible cast. Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel are set to star, while John Hawkes, Frank Langella, Ciaran Hinds, Alia Shawkat and Aubrey Plaza will lend support. Reporting out of the Cannes Film Festival, THR revealed that Aubrey Plaza is the latest addition to the cast. The Driftless Area is currently seeking distribution while its director, Zachary Sluser, shoots the film in Vancouver. Following a string of short films, The Driftless Area marks Zachary Sluser's directorial debut. The drama is based on a novel by Tom Drury, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Sluser. Check out the official synopsis for the novel The Driftless Area below: "Set in the rugged region of the Midwest that gives the novel its title, The Driftless Area is the story of Pierre Hunter, a young bartender with unfailing optimism, a...

• Robert De Niro is set for Bus 757, a thriller about a card dealer aiming to rob a bank by taking a group of bus travelers hostage and using them as collateral. De Niro’s character is the owner of the casino in question. Scott Mann (The Tournament) will direct. His upcoming projects include the boxing drama Hands of Stone, staring Edgar Ramirez, and the cop thriller Candy Store, with Keira Knightley and Omar Sy. [Deadline]

• Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) has boarded The Driftless Area. She’ll co-star alongside Zooey Deschanel, Alia Shawkat, Anton Yelchin, John Hawkes and Frank Langella in...

The Driftless Area has debuted a first look photo featuring stars Zooey Deschanel and Anton Yelchin, as Radiant Films International takes the drama to Cannes. The Driftless Area is adapted from Tom Drury's novel and tells the tale of an unconventional romance centered around death, love and fate. Quiet and resourceful bartender Pierre (Anton Yelchin) returns to his hometown after the death of his parents. He soon falls for the enigmatic Stella (Zooey Deschanel), and is unwittingly drawn into a circle of fate pitting him against a volatile criminal named Shane (John Hawkes). Check it out as Zooey Deschanel and Anton Yelchin come to gripes with their situation in this latest image out of Cannes.

The Driftless Area comes to theaters in 2015 and stars Zooey Deschanel, Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Ciarán Hinds, John Hawkes, Frank Langella. The film is directed by Zachary Sluser.

Here’s a first look at the unconventional romance The Driftless Area starring Zooey Deschanel and Anton Yelchin.

Co-written by and based on Tom Drury’s acclaimed novel of the same title, The Driftless Area, stars Zooey Deschanel, Anton Yelchin and John Hawkes, and tells the tale of an unconventional romance about death, love and fate. Pierre’s life is saved by a beautiful stranger, and their pasts catch up with them in a violent and transcendent finale.

The film also features Frank Langella and Ciaran Hinds and is directed by Zachary Sluser.

Yelchin is featured alongside Dakota Johnson in the upcoming film Cymbeline. Deschanel stars on the Fox TV series “New Girl” and was last seen on the big screen in 2011′s Our Idiot Brother.

Currently shooting in Vancouver, Radiant Films International is handling foreign sales at the Cannes Film Market.

The post Zooey Deschanel And Anton Yelchin Star...

Dark comedy “The Driftless Area” has added Aubrey Plaza to star opposite Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel, according to THR. Alia Shawkat, John Hawkes and Frank Langella round out the cast of the film which is now shooting in Vancouver. The indie film co-written and directed by Zachary Sluser centers around the mysterious Stella (Deschanel), who falls for Yelchin’s bartender Pierre. Their new romance is tested when Pierre runs afoul of some bad guys, led by Hawkes’ criminal Shane. “The Driftless Area” is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Drury and is so named for the [...]

The post Aubrey Plaza Joins Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel in ‘The Driftless Area’ appeared first on Up and Comers.

The first The Driftless Area image from director Zachary Sluser's unconventional romance film has been released. Based on the Tom Drury novel of the same name, the pic tells the story of the young love between a bartender (Anton Yelchin) and a mysterious woman (Zooey Deschanel) that becomes threatened when the bartender gets mixed up with a dangerous crook and a bag of stolen cash. This first image gives us a look at the two leads looking intently into each other’s eyes, and THR adds that Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza has also been added to the cast. Production is currently underway in Vancouver. Hit the jump to check out the first The Driftless Area image. The film also stars John Hawkes, Frank Langella, Ciaran Hinds, and Alia Shawkat. Here’s the official synopsis for The Driftless Area: Co-written by and based on Tom Drury’s...

At one point a few years ago, Paul Greengrass was looking to make a biopic on legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix with Anthony Mackie in the lead. But when the Hendrix estate wouldn't sign off on the project, it fell apart and everyone moved on. But now, things are moving again. Mackie is back to play the axeman, with Ol Parker ("Now Is Good") at the helm of the movie "which chronicles the last nine days of Hendrix's life." Thandie Newton is on board to play Hendrix's wife, with Noomi Rapace eyed to play his ex-girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. The project is currently being shopped at Cannes, no production start has been tabled, and we'll see what the Hendrix family has to say about this. Let's just hope the filmmakers get clearance to use his actual music. [The Wrap] Aubrey Plaza is using her break from "Parks and Recreation" to join "The Driftless Area" with Anton Yelchin,...

Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza has joined the cast of The Driftless Area, starring Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, John Hawkes and Frank Langella. The film, an adaptation of Tom Drury's novel of the same title, is now shooting in Vancouver. Zachary Sluser, who co-wrote the screenplay with Drury, is directing. The movie centers on the young love between a bartender and a mysterious woman. Their relationship is threatened after the bartender, Pierre, gets mixed up with a dangerous crook and his bag of stolen cash. Photos: Stars and Their Sunglasses at Cannes Keith Kjarval is producing through his Unified Pictures

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Mimi Steinbauer has shown first footage in Cannes.

Buyers have been flocking to Radiant International’s Take Down, which is set to start shooting on June 2.

The story of rich kids who fight back when their remote boot camp colony comes under siege has gone in the Middle East (Gulf) and Portugal (Lusomundo).

Square One is understood to have picked up German rights, although Steinbauer could not be reached to confirm. A Company picked up Cis and Eastern Europe before the market.

Ed Westwick [pictured], Dominic Sherwood, Jeremy Sumpter and Phoebe Tonkin star.

Steinbauer has been screening Rudderless, the hot seller from William H Macy that debuted in Sundance.

Unified Pictures and Bron Studios’ The Driftless Area commenced shooting in Vancouver on the first day or Cannes and stars Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel and Frank Langella.

Also drawing heat is the Mia Wasikowska, Paul Giamatti and Ezra Miller starrer Madame Bovary. Steinbauer has been...

Exclusive: Pre-visualisation of the fantasy horror, starring Johnny Galecki, Chloë Sevigny and Anjelica Huston, to show in Cannes.

Johnny Galecki, Chloë Sevigny and Anjelica Huston will star in Bron Studios and Gilbert Films’ The Master Cleanse, a potent brew of dark humour and David Cronenberg-style body-horror.

Xyz Films shops international rights and is showing a pre-visualisation of the fantasy horror here, while Wme Global arranged financing and represents North America.

The Master Cleanse centres on a heartbroken man who attends a spiritual retreat, only to discover that the course releases more than everyday toxins and traumatic experiences.

Jordan Horowitz produces for La-based Gilbert Films, alongside Aaron L Gilbert for Vancouver-based Bron Studios, currently in production on Cannes market title The Driftless Area starring Zooey Deschanel, and Galecki for Alcide Bava Pictures.

The Kids Are All Right producer Gary Gilbert serves as executive producer with Todd Masters, Margot Hand and John Raymonds.

Production is set...

Frank Langella has joined Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel on the Unified Pictures and Bron Studios romance The Driftless Area, which Radiant Films International is selling in Cannes.

Shooting is scheduled to start in Vancouver on May 14 on the story of a young romance threatened by a crook and his bag of loot.

John Hawkes, Alia Shawkat and Ciaran Hinds round out the key cast.

Zachary Sluser will direct and Unified’s Keith Kjarval produces with Aaron L Gilbert through Bron Studios in association with CW Media Finance. CAA packaged the project and represents Us rights.

Nicole Romano at Anonymous Content manages Sluser and serves as executive producer.

“Frank Langella is a powerful character actor who elevates every project he is associated with and lights up the screen with his effortless acting skills,” said Radiant chief Mimi Steinbauer.

“As such, he is a welcome addition to The Driftless Area cast as the film begins production.”...

Frank Langella has joined the cast of Zachary Sluser's upcoming romance The Driftless Area. The film already stars Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, John Hawkes, Ciar&#225n Hinds and Alia Shawkat.

The project is an adaptation of Tom Drury's romance novel with the same title. It centers on a bartender named Pierre and his relationship with a mysterious woman. Their relationship is jeopardized when he gets involved with a thief and a stolen bag of money.

Zachary Sluser is directing from a script he co-wrote with author Tom Drury. Unified Pictures' Keith Kjarval is producing with Aaron L. Gilbert from Bron Studios. Principle photography is slated to begin on May 14th in Vancouver.

The Driftless Area comes to theaters in 2015.