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This weekend’s onslaught of smaller new films will have awards contenders and big names to jostle with at the box office. Awards hopefuls Foxcatcher and The Homesman begin their theatrical runs in limited New York and L.A. rollouts, with the former a likely winner in the first weekend when the numbers come in Sunday. The films from Sony Pictures Classics and Roadside Attractions, respectively, tell particularly American stories, though from very different eras. The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart took time off in 2013 to work on his directorial debut. Open Road’s Rosewater, starring Gael García Bernal, will begin its theatrical rollout this weekend. It will be the biggest opener of this weekend’s cadre of specialty newcomers, playing in several hundred locations in the U.S. and Canada. Actor Chris Lowell also makes his filmmaking launch with Beside Still Waters. The project had smooth sailing until it came time for distribution,...

The group of friends who return to the cabin in the woods for a weekend genre is one that gets its share of entrants, though they are often spaced out to a degree, but Beside Still Waters is getting more attention than most, and is getting first-time director Chris Lowell‘s name mentioned quite a bit.

Lowell’s most recent acting effort was the show Enlisted, but many may remember him from Private Practice, or Veronica Mars. Now he’s taking on directing, and co-writing, and this is certainly an interesting choice for a first move.

The movie also stars The Blacklist‘s Ryan Eggold, and a diverse group that you’re likely to recognize. The general premise may sound familiar, but this one has a few new spins to throw at you, including Whiskey Slaps.

Take a look at the trailer, and keep this one in mind.

Mourning the sudden death of his parents,...

Exclusive: Tribeca Film has acquired actor-director Chris Lowell’s indie dramedy Beside Still Waters. The picture marks the directorial debut of TV and film thesp Lowell, who’s best known for his acting turns on Veronica Mars, Private Practice, and Enlisted. Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist) stars as Daniel Thatcher, a young romantic who has fallen on hard times and enlists his childhood friends to relive the glory days of their youth, whether they like it or not.

After the huge success of the Veronica Mars movie campaign on Kickstarter, Lowell and his fellow filmmakers took to the platform to raise $63,000 in finishing funds. The project collected over $207,000, more than tripling its funding goal, and became the 13th most-funded narrative film in Kickstarter’s history. In addition to directing, Lowell scripted with Mohit Narang and produced the dramedy which blends 16mm, Super 8, and his own black and white photography. Saturday Night Live‘s Beck Bennett,...

Chris Lowell, best known for his work in The Help and on Private Practice, is now poised to make his directorial debut with the independent dramatic film, Beside Still Waters. [Variety]

The film will star Ryan Eggold (90210) as a young man who has recently lost his parents and is now faced with the prospect of losing the home of his youth. He decides to invite his high school friends to his house for one more celebration, in the hopes of retaining his childhood friendships and wooing his ex-girlfriend.

Beside Still Waters c0-stars Beck Bennett, Will Brill, Brett Dalton, Erin Darke, Jessy Hodges, Britt Lower, and Reid Scott. Lowell will direct off a script co-written with Mohit Narang. Lowell and Narang will also produce with Steven Gorel, while Jason Potash and Paul Finkel will co-produce through Storyboard Entertainment. The film is set to start shooting in Michigan next week.

Though I...