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A24 is closing on Eva Victor’s Sundance hit Sorry, Baby, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Sunday.

Victor’s film — which she wrote, directed and starred in — tells the story of a college professor recovering from sexual assault. Per the logline, “Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least.”

A24 noted that bidding was an incredibly competitive situation, but that the studio is closing on acquiring worldwide rights to the movie. The final price tag is still unknown.

Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi and Kelly McCormack co-star, with Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak as producers. The movie took home Sundance’s Waldo Salt Award for Screenwriting, and earned a 100 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. THR’s Jon Frosch called it “a winning, at times strikingly strong big-screen debut.”

The film also landed on THR...

Sexual violence in film has often been framed in stark binaries — stories of victims and villains, of clear crimes and easy resolutions. But real life is rarely so simple. Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby, produced by Barry Jenkins, exists in the gray spaces, the moments after, the time lost, the things that are never said out loud but press into every interaction. This is a film about aftermaths, not just of sexual assault, but of friendship, ambition, and the quiet, bureaucratic violence of institutions that fail women in their most vulnerable moments.

Victor, who writes, directs, and stars as Agnes, crafts a film that is both structurally unconventional and emotionally raw. Told in a series of vignettes with titles like “The Year with the Baby,” “The Year with the Bad Thing,” and “The Year with the Good Sandwich,” Sorry, Baby understands trauma as something nonlinear, moving in fits and starts,...

Sony Pictures Classics announced Becoming LED Zeppelin will be released exclusively in IMAX on February 7, 2025, in almost 200 theaters. Ahead of the release, IMAX Theatres will be holding one night only early access screenings in eighteen markets on February 5, 2025. Tickets are on sale for both dates now at imax.com/ledzeppelin. A new trailer for the documentary has just been released.

Becoming LED Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds. Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.

The hybrid docu-concert film also unveils a huge amount of rare and unseen Led Zeppelin performance footage. The result is a visceral musical...

Sony Pictures Classics has scheduled a February 14 2025 US release and unveiled a new trailer for its documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin directed by Bernard MacMahon.

The hybrid docu-concert film will open nationwide on 1,000 screens and digs into the legendary British band’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told from the band’s perspective and is the first officially sanctioned film by the surviving band members.

As previously announced, Becoming Led Zeppelin will open exclusively on Imax on February 7, 2025, in almost 200 theatres, and will be available for early access screenings on February 5 in 18 markets.

MacMahon and Allison McGourty wrote the screenplay,...

Talk about controversy. Palestinian supporters and Christians are up in arms over Netflix's new Christmas film, Mary. Despite that, though, Mary now ranks No. 4 on the Netflix "Global Top 10 Movies" with 21.2 million hours viewed and 11.4 million views (per Tudum). Most of the heated controversy swirling about the religious movie has to do with 22-year-old Israeli actress and model Noa Cohen portraying the Virgin Mary in the streaming biblical adaptation.

X/Twitter user @Johnpatrick500 is one of those who are upset, and he indignantly wrote, "“There is something profoundly offensive about having an Israeli actor play Mary, the mother of Jesus, while Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, killing some of the oldest Christian communities in the world and erasing their heritage sites.” Cohen is a relatively new face to the acting game, having appeared in the TV shows Infinity and 8200 most recently. And it’s hard to imagine...

We’ve already gotta whole lotta love for “Becoming Led Zeppelin” — the rock documentary and concert film about one of the greatest bands ever — and that’s just based on its trailer, released Thursday.

The film itself doesn’t come out until February 7, 2025, but it could be worth the wait: Sony Pictures Classics is releasing “Becoming Led Zeppelin” exclusively into nearly 200 U.S. IMAX theaters. It will play in preview screenings across 18 markets for one night on February 5. It will then open nationwide on 1000 screens beginning February 14 (playing some Zeppelin is always a good move on Valentine’s Day).

The film, directed by Bernard MacMahon, is billed as the first “authorized” documentary on the foursome of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and the late John Bonham. It features a never-before-heard interview with Bonham about the band’s trajectory and legacy.

In the first trailer for the film, Bonham...

Sony Pictures Classics will release the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin exclusively on Imax on February 7, 2025, in almost 200 theatres.

Two days prior, Imax Theatres will hold one-night-only early access screenings in 18 markets for the film, which explores the origins of arguably the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

Writer-director Bernard MacMahon’s hybrid docu-concert film digs into the British band’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film by the surviving band members.

Faced with hardly any footage from Led Zeppelin’s early period,...

Sony Pictures Classics announced Becoming LED Zeppelin will be released exclusively in IMAX on February 7, 2025, in almost 200 theaters. Ahead of the release, IMAX Theatres will be holding one night only early access screenings in eighteen markets on February 5, 2025. Tickets are on sale for both dates now at imax.com/ledzeppelin.

Becoming LED Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds. Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.

The hybrid docu-concert film also unveils a huge amount of rare and unseen Led Zeppelin performance footage. The result is a visceral musical experience that will transport audiences into the concert halls of Led Zeppelin’s earliest tours,...

Disney’s Out of My Mind, based on Sharon M. Draper’s bestselling novel, released a touching trailer ahead of World Cerebral Palsy Day (October 6th). The two-minute trailer introduces newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor as Melody, a teen with cerebral palsy who just wants to be heard.

The cast also includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor, and Judith Light. Jennifer Aniston is Melody’s inner voice.

“Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates,” reads Disney’s synopsis. “When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.”

No Man of God‘s Amber Sealey directs and...

Today, Disney+ revealed the trailer and key art for Out of My Mind in partnership with World Cerebral Palsy Day, a global movement celebrated on Oct. 6. Out of My Mind, a Disney Original movie based on the bestselling novel by Sharon M. Draper, premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival and arrives Nov. 22 on Disney+.

Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates.

When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.

The film stars newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor as Melody, alongside acclaimed actors Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor, and Judith Light. Jennifer Aniston portrays Melody’s inner voice.

Filming has begun in Scotland on Big Beach’s adaptation of Borges And Me starring Fionn Whitehead, Luis Gnecco, and Alan Cumming.

Marc Turtletaub directs from a screenplay by Oren Moverman in which the memoir’s author Jay Parini finds himself stuck in a Morris Minor chauffeuring the brilliant, blind Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges through Scotland in 1970.

As a young student, Parini harbours dreams of becoming a writer and struggles to make sense of the 70-year-old, irrepressible Borges, until events take a surreal turn, leading the men to a place where they find common ground. The cast includes Peter Mullan and Harriet Sansom Harris.

Fionn Whitehead and Luis Gnecco are set to star in Borges and Me, an adaptation of Jay Parini’s memoir of his 1970s journey through the Scottish Highlands with renowned Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. Parini is best known for his historical novel The Last Station, which was adapted as an Oscar-nominated feature by Michael Hoffman in 2009.

Dunkirk actor Whitehead, fresh off his performance as Pip opposite Olivia Colman’s Miss Havisham in the FX/BBC production of Great Expectations, will play Parini, with Chilean-Italian Gnecco, best known for his roles in Neruda, No, and A Fantastic Woman, as Borges. The cast also includes Alan Cumming, Peter Mullan, and Harriet Sansom Harris.

In Borges and Me, Parini, a 23-year-old shy student who dreams of becoming a writer, finds himself stuck in chauffeuring the brilliant, blind Borges, aged 70, through Scotland. At first, Parini is at a loss to make sense of the wild,...

Exclusive: Altitude Film Sales has secured international sales on documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin, the first officially sanctioned film on the iconic group.

New deals have been inked for Japan (Tohokushinsha), Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment), Scandinavia and the Baltics (NonStop Entertainment), Czech & Slovak Republics (Cinemart) and Former-Yugoslavia (McF).

Sony Pictures Classics recently acquired Bernard MacMahon’s hybrid docu-concert film for multiple territories including North America.

Powered by “never-before-seen footage”, performances and music, the film explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical and personal origin story. Above is an image from the film capturing the band playing in Stockholm, Sweden, March 1969.

Pic is directed by Bernard MacMahon (American Epic) and written by MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty. It is produced by Paradise Pictures in association with Big Beach alongside executive producers Michael Clark, Alex Turtletaub, Duke Erikson, Cynthia Heusing, David Kistenbroker, Simon Moran, and Ged Doherty. Editing is by Dan Gitlin,...

Exclusive: Vertical has acquired North American rights to Susanna Fogel’s Winner, a political dramedy based on the true story of Nsa whistleblower Reality Winner (Emilia Jones), which world premiered at Sundance 2024. Also starring Connie Britton (Nashville), Zach Galifianakis (A Wrinkle in Time), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) and Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), the film is slated to hit theaters later this year.

Written by Fogel and Kerry Howley, Winner adapts a 2017 New York magazine feature from the latter. This is the coming-of-age story of Reality Winner, a brilliant young misfit from Texas who finds her morals challenged while serving in the U.S. Air Force and working as an Nsa contractor. A sarcastic, gun-lovin’, vegan, yogi, and CrossFit fanatic, Reality is an unconventional hero who ends up being prosecuted for telling the truth, after she’s arrested on suspicion of leaking a classified intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Exclusive: Big Beach, the production company behind Starz’s Vida and Facebook’s Sorry For Your Loss, has landed television rights to Alexandra Tanner’s debut novel Worry.

Worry follows two siblings-turned-roommates, one a 28-year-old media employee, navigating an absurd world on the verge of calamity. The book has been described as a “Seinfeldian” novel of existentialism and sisterhood.

Lesley Arfin, co-creator of Netflix comedy series Love, which starred Gillian Jacobs, has signed on to write the pilot episode alongside Tanner.

Worry was released last week by Scribner and was described by the New York Times as a “fabulous comic novel of young adult angst.”

Set in 2019, it follows 28-year-old Jules Gold — anxious, artistically frustrated, and internet-obsessed — who has been living alone in the apartment she once shared with the man she thought she’d marry when her younger sister Poppy comes to crash. Indefinitely. Poppy, a year and a...

Amber Sealey’s Out of My Mind had a Sundance Film Festival audience feeling all the feels Friday as the Disney+ title had its world premiere at the Library Center Theatre.

The film casts first-time performer Phoebe-Ray Taylor as Melody Brooks, a sixth grader navigating school as a nonverbal wheelchair user with cerebral palsy. With the help of assistive technology and her devoted allies, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it in a fight to be put in a mainstream classroom.

Taylor stars alongside Luke Kirby, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judith Light, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor and others. Jennifer Aniston, who offers her voiceover talents through narration, took to Instagram Stories to praise the film on the occasion of its world premiere. (Aniston was not present in Park City but her history with Sundance dates back to The Good Girl and Friends with Money.

Big Beach, the producer of “Little Miss Sunshine,” A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “The Farewell,” has fully relocated from New York to Los Angeles while building out its ranks.

Keetin Mayakara has been tapped by Big Beach as a producer. As a post producer, she has worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” and most recently, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” another Academy Award nominee. Before joining Big Beach, Mayakara co-produced the “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, and produced Season 2 of HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness.”

Austin Cottle joins the company as its head of finance after starting his career at 20th Century Fox with stints in-house at Netflix and Amazon, as well as on the show side where he oversaw “How to Become a Tyrant” for Netflix and “The Heart of Sergio Ramos” for Prime Video.

Zoe Levine...

Match Me If You Can is a romantic comedy film directed by Marian Yeager. The rom-com film follows the story of a female computer nerd who is fed up with being single but when an online dating service rejects her by calling her “unmatchable”, she speaks out against the company and becomes a spokeswoman for all the frustrated singles out there. Match Me if You Can stars Georgina Reilly, Charlie Bodin, Wilson Bethel, and Brian George. So, if you loved Match Me If You Can here are some similar movies you can watch next.

Love, Guaranteed (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Synopsis: To save her small law firm, earnest lawyer Susan (Rachael Leigh Cook) takes a high-paying case from Nick (Damon Wayans Jr.), a charming new client who wants to sue a dating website that guarantees love. But as the case heats up, so do Susan and Nick’s feelings for each other.

Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to Protagonist Pictures’ sci-fi comedy Jules, starring Oscar winner Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast).

The film is led by Kingsley and also stars Harriet Sansom Harris (Licorice Pizza), Jane Curtin (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Zoe Winters (Succession).

The feature was produced by Deborah Liebling (65) and Andy Daly (Review), Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub (The Miseducation of Cameron Post), and Oscar nominee Marc Turtletaub (Little Miss Sunshine), who also directed the project from a script written by Gavin Steckler (Review).

The movie focuses on Milton (Kingsley) who lives in a small town and is getting more forgetful and isolated with age. “When an extra-terrestrial crash lands in his backyard, destroying his beloved birdbath, the two form an unlikely bond,” according to a plot description.

Bleecker Street previously acquired the North American rights to the feature.

The deal for the U.

Protagonist will screen comedy at London Screenings this month.

Protagonist Pictures has closed key international territories on UFO comedy Jules, starring Ben Kingsley.

Directed by Marc Turtletaub and written by Gavin Steckler, Jules has sold to Neue Visionen for Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Front Row Filmed Entertainment for the Middle East; Siyah Beyaz Film for Turkey; Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand and Leda films for Latin America.

Jules will be released theatrically by Bleecker Street in North America in August. Protagonist will screen the comedy at the London Screenings later this month.

Jules premiered at California’s Sonoma International Film Festival,...

Marc Turtletaub directs, cast also includes Harriet Sansom Harris, Succession’s Zoe Winters and Jane Curtin.

UK sales, finance and production outfit Protagonist Pictures has picked up international sales rights to US filmmaker Marc Turtletaub’s completed UFO comedy Jules.

Ben Kingsley stars alongside Licorice Pizza actor Harriet Sansom Harris, Succession’s Zoe Winters and Jane Curtin.

Protagonist Pictures is launching sales at Cannes. Bleecker Street will release the film theatrically in North America this August.

Kingsley plays a man whose quiet life in a small western Pennsylvania town is upended when a UFO and its alien passenger crashes land in his backyard.

Bleecker Street has acquired the North American rights to the Ben Kingsley-led sci-fi comedy Jules.

Director Marc Turtletaub’s pic, which debuted and won the Stolman Audience Award for best feature at the Sonoma Film Festival, will get an exclusive release in theaters on Aug. 11.

Jules follows Milton, played by Kingsley, who lives a quiet life but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls Jules, and life become complicated when two neighbors discover Jules and the government quickly closes in.

Jules culminates with the three neighbors finding meaning and connection later in life, thanks to the unlikely stranger they meet. The film also stars Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters, Jade Quon and Jane Curtin.

Written by Gavin Steckler, Jules is produced by Debbie Liebling, Andy Daly and Michael B. Clark.

Bleecker Street has acquired the North American rights to “Jules” from director Marc Turtletaub (“Puzzle”) and starring Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters, Jade Quon and Jane Curtin.

Written by Gavin Steckler (“Review”), “Jules” made its world premiere at this year’s Sonoma International Film Festival where it was the opening night film and won the Stolman Audience Award for Best Feature. Bleecker Street will release the film in theaters on August 11.

“Jules” follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.”

However, things become complicated when two neighbors (Harris and Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors...

Exclusive theatrical release set for August 11.

Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Marc Turtletaub’s sci-fi comedy Jules starring Ben Kingsley and has set an August 11 exclusive theatrical release.

The film follows Milton (Kingsley) whose quiet life in a small western Pennsylvania town is upended when a UFO and its alien passenger crashes land in his backyard.

Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial, whom he calls Jules, and things get complicated when two neighbours discover Jules and the government starts to close in. Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters, Jade Quon, and Jane Curtin star.

Gavin Steckler...

Bleecker Street has picked up North American rights to the sci-fi comedy Jules, starring Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi), Emmy nominee Harriet Sansom Harris (Licorice Pizza) and two-time Emmy winner Jane Curtin (3rd Rock from the Sun), slating it for an exclusive theatrical release on August 11th.

The film will contend on its opening weekend with Sony’s Gran Turismo, the Uni horror Last Voyage of the Demeter and Luca Guadagnino’s Uar tennis drama Challengers with Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, with Paramount, Nickelodeon and Point Grey’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to be among the likely holdovers following its launch the weekend prior.

Directed by Marc Turtletaub (Puzzle) from a script by Gavin Steckler (Review), Jules tells the story of Milton (Kingsley), who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and...

In 1982, the same year Sir Ben Kingsley won his Best Actor Oscar for Gandhi, the year’s other big movie was Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. Now, 40 years later, Kingsley has found his own E.T., a sort of combination of that classic with a bit of Cocoon, and perhaps The Father. But Jules, the new dramedy having its world premiere on opening night of the Sonoma Film Festival, marches to its own sweet beat, and represents yet another game attempt to bring that older adult audience back to theaters. A smart distributor should take a close look.

Directed by industry veteran producer and director Marc Turtletaub and written by Gavin Steckler, this slight but engaging, even quirky little film, is a crowd-pleaser that presents Kingsley with a role that fits like a glove, and one we haven’t seen him often do, especially with a full head of hair.

Musician and actor David Bowie has topped a Sky Arts list celebrating the 50 most influential British artists of the last 50 years.

Bowie was named most influential by judges as they commended his influence across the industry and ability to transcend a variety of mediums including music, film and fashion.

A team of judges across music, film and TV, performing arts, literature and visual art were asked to create the list by TV channel Sky Arts in a celebration of British artists past and present and their influence on global culture. The 15-person judging panel, led by DJ, presenter and author Lauren Laverne, included Mobo Awards founder Kanya King, writer Bonnie Greer, film critic Ali Plumb and theater critic Lyn Gardner.

The top 10 also includes artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen (“Small Axe”) in second place; Russell T. Davies in third; fashion designer Vivienne Westwood fourth; playwright Caryl Churchill fifth; dancer-choreographer Michael Clark...

Disney+ announced Monday that Rosemarie DeWitt (“The Staircase”), Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Judith Light (“American Crime Story”) have been added to the cast of “Out of My Mind,” a Disney+ original movie adaptation of Sharon Draper’s award-winning novel of the same name. Also joining the ensemble cast, from director Amber Sealey,” are Michael Chernus (“Severance”) and Courtney Taylor “Insecure.” Production on the streaming exclusive film is underway in Toronto.

“Out of My Mind” follows Melody Brooks (newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor), a girl with cerebral palsy. Melody has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but due to her being non-verbal and using a wheelchair, she is not given the same academic opportunities as her classmates. However, when Katherine, a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential, she encourages Melody to participate in mainstream education, where greater successes – and challenges – await.

Also Read:

‘Turning Red’ Is the...

Exclusive: Rosemarie DeWitt (The Staircase), Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Judith Light (American Crime Story) are set as leads joining Phoebe-Rae Taylor in Out Of My Mind, Disney+’s film adaptation of Sharon Draper’s award-winning novel, from Big Beach, Participant, Everywhere Studios LLC and Disney Branded Television. Also joining the ensemble cast are Michael Chernus (Severance) and Courtney Taylor (Insecure). Production is currently underway in Toronto.

Directed by Amber Sealey (No Man of God) from an adapted screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman (On the Basis of Sex), Out of My Mind follows Melody Brooks (Taylor), a girl with cerebral palsy. Melody has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but due to her being non-verbal and using a wheelchair, she is not given the same academic opportunities as her classmates. However, when Katherine, a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential, she encourages Melody to participate in mainstream education,...

Exclusive: Big Beach has announced that it will produce the upcoming feature Tropical Gothic from Lingua Franca‘s Isabel Sandoval.

Set in the 16th-century Philippines, Tropical Gothic is an allegory on Western colonialism about a Native Priestess who convinces her Spanish master that she is possessed by the spirit of his dead bride, in order to manipulate him into returning the farmland that the Spaniards seized from the native community.

Sandoval and producer Carlo Velayo launched the project in 2020 at the Locarno Open Doors Hub—an international platform for feature projects within Latin America and the Caribbean looking for international collaborations. The pair received the Vff Talent Highlight Award at the Berlinale Talent Project Market in March, with the associated prize money going toward the film’s development. Sandoval will direct from her script and star, with Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub producing for Big Beach, alongside Velayo. Production kicks off later this year.

Disney+ will adapt Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Mind from page to screen as an upcoming movie. The project comes from Big Beach, Participant, EveryWhere Studios LLC and Disney Branded Television. Amber Sealey (No Man of God) will direct from an adapted screenplay written by Daniel Siepleman (Humanitas Prize winner for On the Basis of Sex).

Disney Branded Television’s take on the award-winning novel follows multitalented 12-year-old Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy, played by newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor who was cast in the lead role following a worldwide search.

Melody has a quick wit and sharp mind, but due to her being non-verbal and using a wheelchair, she is not given the same academic opportunities as her classmates. However, when a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential, she encourages Melody to participate in mainstream education, where greater successes – and challenges – await.

The production team...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, 2x Emmy winner Jane Curtin, Harriet Harris and Zoë Winters are starring in the Marc Turtletaub directed Big Beach production Jules, Deadline can report first. Production is already underway in New Jersey on the pic.

The pic, written by Gavin Steckler (Comedy Central’s Review), is about an unusual and unexpected visitor who brings together several people living in a small city in rural Western Pennsylvania.

Turtletaub, who is also the head of Big Beach, is known for his directorial work on the film Puzzle in addition to his producing and executive producing credits which include the Independent Spirit Award-winning film The Farewell starring Awkwafina, the Oscar nominated Tom Hanks Sony feature A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the Oscar nominated Jeff Nichols movie Loving starring Ruth Negga, and 2x Oscar winning movie Little Miss Sunshine. Big Beach next has Ry Russo Young’s docuseries...

Sheila Nevins has set her first projects in her new capacity as head of MTV Documentary Films: the feature “17 Blocks” and short “St. Louis Superman.”

Both titles will have awards qualifying runs in the fall before airing on MTV’s various platforms.

“17 Blocks,” from filmmaker Davy Rothbart, chronicles 20 years in the life of an African-American family living in the shadow of the White House in Washington, D.C. “Superman,” from filmmakers Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan, revolves around the rapper-activist Bruce Franks Jr., who emerged from the protests in Ferguson, Mo. to win election to Missouri House of Representatives.

“At the heart of American democracy, there is an injustice that gnaws at the soul of the have-nots and Davy Rothbart’s ‘17 Blocks’ and Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan’s ‘St. Louis Superman’ are two films that expose both the injustices and courage of Americans who survive against almost insurmountable odds,...

MTV Documentary films unveiled its first two releases under Sheila Nevins Wednesday — Davy Rothbart’s “17 Blocks” and Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan’s “St. Louis Superman.”

The network enlisted Nevins, a longtime HBO producer and executive, to lead its new documentary films devision in May.

“17 Blocks” is described as “a transcendently personal film spanning 20 years in the life of an African American family living mere blocks away from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.”

Also Read: MTV's 'The Hills' Revival Marks Second-Highest Rated Cable Premiere of 2019 Among Young Adults

“St. Louis Superman” is about Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives in 2016.

MTV Documentary’s purchase of the films allows them to qualify for awards consideration. They will both screen at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival in August.

“At the heart of American Democracy,...

During her tenure at HBO, Sheila Nevins reigned atop of the documentary pyramid for decades, adapting to more and more competition and new technology. There’s competition for top documentary talent and Nevins, now running MTV Documentary Films, knows how to get it. Even in the specialty film world, documentaries are about the only thing working these days, as theatrical narrative films are looking less and less commercially viable.

On Thursday, Nevins announced her first two projects for MTV Documentary Films. Both are political: Davy Rothbart directs non-fiction feature “17 Blocks,” spanning 20 years in the life of an African American family living blocks away from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. And Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan’s short film “St. Louis Superman” is about Representative Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives.

“I’d...

During her tenure at HBO, Sheila Nevins reigned atop of the documentary pyramid for decades, adapting to more and more competition and new technology. There’s competition for top documentary talent and Nevins, now running MTV Documentary Films, knows how to get it. Even in the specialty film world, documentaries are about the only thing working these days, as theatrical narrative films are looking less and less commercially viable.

On Thursday, Nevins announced her first two projects for MTV Documentary Films. Both are political: Davy Rothbart directs non-fiction feature “17 Blocks,” spanning 20 years in the life of an African American family living blocks away from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. And Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan’s short film “St. Louis Superman” is about Representative Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives.

“I’d...

MTV Documentary Films has set its first two projects under Sheila Nevins, who as president of HBO Documentary Films won 35 Emmys. The first ones at MTV are: the Davy Rothbart-directed 17 Blocks, a personal film spanning 20 years in the life of an African American family living mere blocks away from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC; and the award-winning Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan-directed short documentary St. Louis Superman, about Representative Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives.

MTV Documentary Films will release both titles this fall to qualify for awards consideration. Each can be seen next month at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival, and each launched at earlier festivals.

Executive produced by Nevins and produced and financed by Big Beach’s Alex Turtletaub, Michael B. Clark and Marc Turtletaub alongside Rachel Deniz and Rothbart,...

Awards campaigns planned for both festival winners.

MTV Documentary Films has announced (July 25) its first two films since launching under former president of HBO Documentary Films Sheila Nevins, and will mount awards campaigns for Emmy-winner Davy Rothbart’s 17 Blocks, and short documentary St. Louis Superman by Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan.

MTV Documentary Films will release both titles this autumn to qualify them for awards consideration. Both will screen at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival in Michigan, which kicks off on July 30.

17 Blocks spans 20 years in the life of an African American family living blocks away from the...

French-Moroccan actor Kamel Labroudi to star as Tunisian street vendor who took his own life as a protest.

German production outfit DETAiLFILM and Paris-based Cinenovo are teaming with Us companies Beachside Films and Anonymous Content on Before The Spring, a drama based on the life of Mohamed Bouazizi.

Bouazizi was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in protest of his treatment by officials; the act of defiance was one of the catalysts for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

Egyptian-British filmmaker Lotfy Nathan is making his narrative feature debut on the project. Nathan’s documentary 12 O’Clock Boys,...

‘Mystify: Michael Hutchence’

Richard Lowenstein’s feature documentary on Michael Hutchence will have its world premiere at the 18th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5.

Produced by Lowenstein, Maya Gnyp and John Battsek for Ghost Pictures and Passion Pictures, Mystify: Michael Hutchence will screen in the documentary competition for best documentary feature, cinematography and editing.

Co-funded by Screen Australia, the film is described as an intimate look at the life of the Inxs lead singer through his many loves and demons, featuring Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen.

Madman Entertainment is the Australian distributor and Dogwoof is handling international sales. The ABC and BBC pre-bought the film.

Lowenstein tells If the doc features live music from Inxs and Max Q, Hutchence’s only completed solo album which was a collaboration with Ollie Olsen, remixed for Atmos, plus archival footage which had been in his attic,...

The Tribeca Film Festival has set its full feature slate for 2019, selecting 103 titles including world premieres of films by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.

The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.

Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.

Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...

The Sunlit Night

German filmmaker David Wnendt goes international with his sixth film, a German-Norwegian-American co-production which will also serve as his English language debut. The Sunlit Night is produced by Jenny Slate, Fabian Gasmia (Hamburg’s Detailfilm), Ruben Thorkildsen (Norway’s Ape&Bjorn) and American producers Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub, the international cast includes Slate, Alex Sharp, Gillian Anderson, Jessica Hecht, and Zach Galifinakis. Wnendt’s breakout feature was his fourth film, the outré Wetlands (read review), which competed in Locarno 2013 and also went on to compete in the World Dramatic lineup at Sundance in 2014.

Gist: Based on Rebecca Dinerstein’s debut novel (who also wrote the screenplay), New York based artist Frances meets the mourning Yasha in Northern Norway, where she has absconded to jumpstart her career as a painter while he’s there to bury his father.…...

MGM’s new indie arm Orion Classics acquired the North American and Latin American rights to “Maine,” a drama featuring “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” star Thomas Mann.

“Maine” made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival back in April, where it was nominated for Best Narrative Feature. It’s directed, written by and stars Matthew Brown (“In the Treetops”), alongside Mann and Laia Costa of “Life Itself.”

Orion Classics will release the film in theaters on Dec. 13 and on VOD and Digital HD on Dec. 14.

Also Read: Ben Mendelsohn Takes a Welcome Break From Playing Bad Guys in 'The Land of Steady Habits' (Video)

The plot involves a married Spanish woman named Bluebird (Costa) who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo to find clarity; but her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann). Even though the pair develops an emotional...

Orion Classics has acquired all North American and Latin American rights to the hiking drama “Maine,” starring Laia Costa and Thomas Mann.

Written and directed by Matthew Brown, “Maine” premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for best narrative feature. Orion Classics will release the film in theaters on Dec. 13 and on VOD and Digital HD on Dec. 14.

“I am honored to be a part of the Orion Classics’ constellation and am delighted they will be able to share this story with a wide and diverse audience,” said Brown.

“Maine” was produced by Summer Shelton and Beachside’s Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub. Costa and Mann executive produced.

Costa plays a married Spanish woman named Bluebird attempting to solo hike the entire Appalachian Trail to find clarity. Her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker named Lake (Mann). The film, shot on the northern part of the trail,...

Orion Classics has nabbed the North American and Latin American rights to writer-director Matthew Brown's Maine, which bowed at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

The two-hander stars Laia Costa (Life Itself) and Thomas Mann (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) as Appalachian Trail hikers, and will receive a theatrical release Dec. 13, followed a day later by a VOD and digital release.

In Maine, Costa plays a married Spanish woman who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo, only to find her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann).

Summer Shelton, Michael B. Clark and Alex ...

Orion Classics has nabbed the North American and Latin American rights to writer-director Matthew Brown's Maine, which bowed at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

The two-hander stars Laia Costa (Life Itself) and Thomas Mann (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) as Appalachian Trail hikers, and will receive a theatrical release Dec. 13, followed a day later by a VOD and digital release.

In Maine, Costa plays a married Spanish woman who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo, only to find her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann).

Summer Shelton, Michael B. Clark and Alex ...

Talks to continue on Behold My Heart, Madeline’s Madeline.

Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a sales slate that encompasses SXSW selection 1985, Tribeca entries Maine and Slut In A Good Way, and documentary City Of Joel, among others.

Kampe and his team will continue talks on Behold My Heart starring Marisa Tomei, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Madeline’s Madeline.

1985 (pictured) stars Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Michael Chiklis, and Jamie Chung and follows a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.

Burdened...

Jenny Slate will star in and produce “The Sunlit Night” with Tony Award winner Alex Sharp.

German director David Wnendt will helm the Norway-set drama, which also stars Zach Galifianakis, Gillian Anderson, and Jessica Hecht.

The movie is adapted from Rebecca Dinerstein’s debut novel, published by Bloomsbury in 2015. Mister Smith will launch sales at the Cannes Film Market.

The pic is a co-production between Deetailfilm in Germany and Ape&Bjørn in Norway, where filming will take place this summer. Producing alongside Slate are Fabian Gasmia and Ruben Thorkildsen, with Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub on the U.S. side.

Set between New York City and the far north of Norway, “The Sunlit Night” follows American painter Frances (played by Slate) and émigré Yasha (Sharp) — an unlikely pair who find each other in the Arctic circle. Frances has arrived to jumpstart her career while Yasha has come to bury...

Jessica Hecht also starring in feature for Look Who’s Back director David Wnendt.

Jenny Slate (Obvious Child) is set to star in and produce The Sunlit Night for director David Wnendt (Look Who’s Back).

Also cast are Tony award-winning actor Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and Jessica Hecht (Breaking Bad).

Mister Smith Entertainment is launching sales on the project in Cannes.

The Sunlit Night is adapted from Rebecca Dinerstein’s novel of the same name. The film is a German-Norwegian co-production between DETAiLFILM in...

Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane star in coming-of-age drama.

The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury prize winner, has landed a UK distribution deal with Vertigo Releasing.

Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck and Jennifer Ehle, the comedy-drama is adapted from Emily Danforth’s coming-of-age novel of the same name.

The story centres on a young girl who is sent to a gay conversion therapy centre after being caught with another girl on prom night. Once there, she forms an unlikely gay community with several of the other teenagers who are staying there.