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Amanda Lipitz

News

Amanda Lipitz

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Broadway Live Capture Gets December Theatrical Release Date
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Sony Pictures Classics announced today that Merrily We Roll Along, the live filmed version of the four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, will arrive in theaters beginning December 5.

Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along will be released by SPC in collaboration with specialty distributor Fathom Entertainment. In addition to the United States, the film is anticipated to be available theatrically in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and additional countries and territories across the globe.

The 2023-2024 Broadway production, also directed by Friedman, helped establish the 1981 Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical as one of the premiere Sondheim works after decades of being considered a lesser entry in the great composer’s catalogue. Merrily We Roll Along repeatedly broke house records at the Hudson Theatre, and recouped its $12 million capitalization in March 2024, six months after beginning performances.

The production’s Tony wins...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 7/16/2025
  • by Greg Evans
  • Deadline Film + TV
‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’ Starring Sarah Snook Officially Recoups Its Broadway Investment
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The Picture of Dorian Gray officially has recouped its investment, producers announced. The play starring Succession‘s Sarah Snook in a solo performance was reportedly capitalized at more than $8 million.

Producers have not confirmed the capitalization amount.

The recoupment announcement comes days after the production’s June 29 final performance. The high-tech production reported a record-breaking final-week gross of $2,092,069, the highest weekly take for the production and the first time it surpassed $2 million in a single week.

The $2M figure marks the second-highest weekly gross for any show, play or musical, in the history of the Music Box Theatre, topped only by Dear Evan Hansen during the week ending December 31, 2017. Throughout its extended run, Kip Williams’ adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel repeatedly topped its own box office records and holds the distinction of being the only non-musical play to gross more than $1 million in a week at the 104-year-old venue.
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 7/2/2025
  • by Greg Evans
  • Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights To Broadway’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Film Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff & Lindsay Mendez
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Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired worldwide rights to the film of the recent hit Tony winning musical performance Merrily We Roll Along starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe, Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff, Tony nominee Lindsay Mendez, Krystal Joy Brown, Katie Rose Clarke and Reg Rogers.

Directed by Maria Friedman, the musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth spans three decades in the lives of three longtime friends – composer Franklin (Groff), playwright Charley (Radcliffe) and writer Mary (Mendez). Originally produced on Broadway in 1981, the musical has some of Sondheim’s most celebrated songs including “Now You Know,” “Not A Day Goes By” and “Old Friends.”

The musical also has presents one of Sondheim’s twistiest and most poignant tricks: Audiences witness the characters’ lives unfold backward, from their fractured adult friendships to their youthful optimism. While the musical has long been considered one of Sondheim’s most difficult to stage,...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 4/1/2025
  • by Greg Evans
  • Deadline Film + TV
‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’ With Sarah Snook Sets Spring Broadway Opening Date, Venue – Update
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Update, Oct. 21: The previously announced The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Succession actor Sarah Snook will open Thursday, March 27, 2025 on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Previews will begin Monday, March 10, 2025. The Picture of Dorian Gray will play a strictly limited engagement for 14 weeks.

Previous, Oct. 1: Following a sold out, critically acclaimed run in the West End, the new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Succession actor Sarah Snook in 26 roles will open on Broadway in March for a limited engagement.

The production is adapted and directed by Kip Williams. The adaptation began at the Sydney Theatre Company, where Williams is the Artistic Director.

The play will mark Snook’s Broadway debut. She won the Olivier Award for the role in the London premiere production. In it, Snook plays all 26 characters in the story.

The official synopsis: “Wilde’s timeless text is revolutionized...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 10/21/2024
  • by Greg Evans
  • Deadline Film + TV
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Sarah Snook to Star in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ On Broadway This Spring
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Sarah Snook will come to Broadway this season in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s book, Snook plays all 26 characters, in a set involving on stage cameras and video screens. She will make her Broadway debut in the play, after starring in the show’s West End run earlier this year and winning an Olivier Award for best actress.

The production is set to open at March 27, 2025 at the Music Box Theatre. Previews begin March 10.

The play, about a man who sells his soul in order to remain youthful, while a painting of him ages, was adapted and directed by Kip Williams, the artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company, where the production originated.

Snook is well-known for her role as Shiv Roy in Succession, for which she earned an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and a Critics Choice Award.

“It was a singular...
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
  • 10/2/2024
  • by Caitlin Huston
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook to Make Broadway Debut in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook, an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress known for her role on the HBO series “Succession,” will make her Broadway debut this spring. She will star in an innovative stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The British production, which has already received positive reviews in London, will open at a Shubert theater in Manhattan for a limited run starting in March.

In the demanding lead role, Snook will portray all 26 characters from the novel. Australian director Kip Williams first developed the adaptation for the Sydney Theater Company, where he works as artistic director. His unconventional staging blends live actors with video shown on on-stage cameras. This allows Snook to dynamically shift between portrayals of each character.

Both Snook and Williams expressed excitement about bringing the acclaimed production to audiences in New York. Snook said she felt “privileged” to perform the story in London,...
See full article at Gazettely
  • 10/2/2024
  • by Naser Nahandian
  • Gazettely
‘The Farewell’ Producer Kindred Spirit Hires Sam Intili As Head Of Creative, Ups Caroline Clark
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Exclusive: The Farewell and Honey Boy producer Kindred Spirit is expanding with the appointment of Sam Intili who joins the company as Head of Creative after departing Animal Kingdom.

Intili will be responsible for “cultivating materials and talent relationships”, with an eye towards strengthening Kindred Spirit’s foothold in the international space. In addition, Caroline Clark has been promoted to Development and Production Executive.

Both roles will report into Kindred Spirit founder Anita Gou as the company gears up on Agnieszka Smoczynska’s English-language debut Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. The movie is now in post with Focus Features.

At Animal Kingdom, Intili sourced financing and distribution for emerging filmmakers. Exec producer credits include Andrew Cummings’ The Origin and Joaquin del Paso’s The Hole in the Fence. Intili is producing Jane Schoenbrun’s feature I Saw The TV Glow with Fruit Tree, A24, and Sarah Winshall,...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 2/2/2022
  • by Andreas Wiseman
  • Deadline Film + TV
Composer Toby Chu on Finding Authentic Sounds for Netflix’s ‘Found’ Documentary
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Filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s documentary “Found,” streaming on Netflix, is a personal tale — her niece Chloe features at the heart of the documentary.

“Found” follows three young women, all adopted from China into American families. Through testing, they discover they are blood-related at a time when they are coming of age. Lipitz follows the individual stories as they gradually come together and travel to China for the first time.

Also at the heart of the film is its score by Toby Chu, who Lipitz discovered by accident. Here, the two talk about their journey making “Found” and the music behind it.

Amanda, how did Toby get on your radar as a composer?

Amanda Lipitz: I come from the Broadway world and music is everything to me. Whatever I’m working on, there’s always a soundtrack in my mind that’s helping inform the storytelling and inspiring me daily. I...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 12/16/2021
  • by Jazz Tangcay
  • Variety Film + TV
‘Found’: Heartfelt Netflix Doc Charts Three Chinese Adoptees Who Rediscover Their Heritage
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Chinese adoption is explored through the eyes of three teenage girls seeking out their roots — and each other — in “Step” director Amanda Lipitz’s “Found.” Weaving together the stories of Chloe, Sadie, and Lily, the film shows how tracing one’s genealogy as a Chinese adoptee in the U.S. can be a difficult task, but with a little help from 23andme and just a bit of pluck, it’s not impossible.

The three high school-aged girls were all born in China but adopted by parents in the United States, and now live in Tennessee and Oklahoma City. After a mail-in DNA test connects them as blood-related cousins, they use social media to bond and eventually join together to travel to China — a place none of them has any firsthand experience of — to examine their past. The uncertainty surrounding their adoption stems from China’s One Child Policy, in effect...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 10/21/2021
  • by Ryan Lattanzio
  • Indiewire
Ethan Philbeck in Found (2012)
Netflix Trailer for 'Found' Doc Following Three Adopted Teenage Girls
Ethan Philbeck in Found (2012)
"You need to have a lot of courage to come back." Netflix has revealed a trailer for an indie documentary film titled Found, the latest from director Amanda Lipitz who earned quite a bit of acclaimed with her doc film Step from a few years ago. This just premiered at the 2021 Hamptons Film Festival, and arrives on Netflix in a few weeks. Three American teenage girls, each adopted from China, come across a life-changing discovery after a DNA service informs them they are cousins. The online reunion sparks a burning desire to visit China, in an attempt to understand their past and to come to terms with their lives so far. Their journey marks the cousins' first in-person meeting, and they band together in search of the answers that hold the key to their past. The film "elegantly sheds light on the resilience of teenage girls and the histories that...
See full article at firstshowing.net
  • 10/8/2021
  • by Alex Billington
  • firstshowing.net
Netflix Releases Trailer for Chinese Adoptee Documentary ‘Found’ (Exclusive)
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“When you know where you come from, you can find the peace in your heart.”

That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.

The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
  • 10/7/2021
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix Releases Trailer for Chinese Adoptee Documentary ‘Found’ (Exclusive)
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“When you know where you come from, you can find the peace in your heart.”

That’s the thesis behind the upcoming Netflix documentary Found, which follows a trio of three American teenage girls – Chloe, Sadie and Lily – who find each other via the genetic lineage site 23andMe and discover that they are all adopted. With the strength of their newfound bond, they decide to embark on the journey of returning to China – and exploring their origin stories – together.

The film’s director (and Chloe’s aunt), Amanda Lipitz (2017’s Step), reached out to the company ...
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
  • 10/7/2021
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix Brings Award Hopefuls ‘Procession’ and ‘A Cop Movie’ to Paris Theater for Doc Showcase (Exclusive)
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Netflix’s awards hopefuls Robert Greene’s “Procession” and Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “A Cop Movie” are heading to Manhattan’s Paris Theater as part of its “New Directions in Documentary” series.

Both hybrid features, which are vying for a spot on this year’s Academy Award doc shortlist, will screen alongside previously celebrated form-bending docus in the upcoming series beginning Oct. 15.

Since 2019 Netflix has operated the 571-seat venue, which the streaming company uses year-round for exclusive theatrical engagements, premieres, special events, retrospectives, and filmmaker appearances.

Curated by Paris Theater programmer David Schwartz, the five-day public event will highlight and celebrate docus that combine elements of fiction and non-fiction into the fabric of their storytelling.

“ ‘Procession’ and ‘A Cop Movie’ are exciting and inventive movies that heighten the documentary form,” says Schwartz. “They find innovative ways to explore truth through deeply personal and dramatic subjects. Their work transcends the formulaic with rigorous fidelity to vision,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 10/5/2021
  • by Addie Morfoot
  • Variety Film + TV
Hidetoshi Nishijima and Tôko Miura in Drive My Car (2021)
Asian and Asian American titles announced at Mill Valley Film Festival
Hidetoshi Nishijima and Tôko Miura in Drive My Car (2021)
Presented by the California Film Institute, the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 7-17, 2021. The Mvff is an acclaimed eleven-day cinema event celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema. Located just north of San Francisco, it’s known as a filmmakers’ festival, and the West Coast launch pad for many Academy Award®-winning films, annually showcasing 200+ films from over 50 countries. The Mvff creates a community that celebrates the best in international film as well as Tributes and Spotlights with major film talents. Below, we’ve got the whole roster of their Asian / Asian American film slate.

Features

Anima (Mo Er Dao Ga) A tale of tested fraternal bonds and ecological catastrophe shot on location in Mongolia’s national parklands, writer-director Cao Jinling’s gorgeous, thrilling drama forces viewers to ask themselves: What happens when we disrupt the harmony of our world? And how can we restore the balance?...
See full article at AsianMoviePulse
  • 9/13/2021
  • by Grace Han
  • AsianMoviePulse
‘Mothering Sunday’ Sets U.S. Premiere at Hamptons International Film Festival
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“Mothering Sunday,” a steamy British drama starring Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor and Olivia Colman, will have its U.S. premiere as the centerpiece film at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

The annual event, running from Oct. 7 through Oct. 13, will also screen Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Clint Bentley’s “Jockey,” Penny Lane’s “Listening to Kenny G” and Rachel Fleit’s “Introducing, Selma Blair.”

“Every year we work to bring our audiences out east a diverse and thoughtful selection of films that excite and expand perspectives. We look forward to welcoming this year’s films and filmmakers to the 29th edition,” said Anne Chaisson, executive director of HamptonsFilm. “We are overjoyed to once again be bringing our community together in celebration of some of the year’s most incredible films.”

As previously announced, The Hamptons International Film Festival will host Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s documentary “Julia,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 9/1/2021
  • by Rebecca Rubin
  • Variety Film + TV
Netflix Acquires China Adoption Documentary ‘Found’
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Netflix has picked up worldwide rights to filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s forthcoming feature documentary Found.

The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.

Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.

Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
  • 8/23/2021
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix Acquires China Adoption Documentary ‘Found’
Image
Netflix has picked up worldwide rights to filmmaker Amanda Lipitz’s forthcoming feature documentary Found.

The film follows the incredible story of three American teenage girls (Chloe, Sadie and Lily) — each adopted from China — who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to China in search of answers.

Netflix plans to release the doc over its platform on Oct. 20.

Lipitz’s directorial debut, the feature-length documentary called Step, premiered to ...
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
  • 8/23/2021
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paramount Plus Releases ‘The Good Fight’ Season 5 Trailer (TV News Roundup)
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Paramount Plus released a trailer for the fifth season of “The Good Fight,” which will premiere on June 24.

In the fifth season, Diane (Christine Baranski) is forced to question whether it’s appropriate for her to help run an African American law firm with Liz (Audra McDonald) after the firm loses two top lawyers. Meanwhile, Marissa (Sarah Steele) and the firm become entangled with Hal Wackner (Mandy Patinkin), a regular Chicagoan who decides to open his own courtroom in the back of a copy shop.

The cast also includes Michael Boatman, Nyambi Nyambi, Zach Grenier and Charmaine Bingwa.

Showrunners Robert and Michelle King co-created the series with Phil Alden Robinson. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Liz Glotzer, William Finkelstein, Jonathan Tolins and Jacquelyn Reingold also serve as executive producers.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Dates

Apple TV Plus announced that the documentary special “Who Are You,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 6/4/2021
  • by Antonio Ferme
  • Variety Film + TV
Sundance 2021 Is All About Acquisitions as Distributors Resist Virtual Fest Launchpad
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For many in the film community, Sundance 2020 was their last live American film festival. A swath of movies and talent debuted before moving on to release on multiple platforms. Some even entered this year’s extended Oscar conversation: “The Father,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Promising Young Woman,” and a long list of stellar documentaries, including “Athlete A,” “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Crip Camp,” “The Painter and the Thief,” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”

One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 12/16/2020
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Indiewire
Sundance 2021 Is All About Acquisitions as Distributors Resist Virtual Fest Launchpad
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For many in the film community, Sundance 2020 was their last live American film festival. A swath of movies and talent debuted before moving on to release on multiple platforms. Some even entered this year’s extended Oscar conversation: “The Father,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Promising Young Woman,” and a long list of stellar documentaries, including “Athlete A,” “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Crip Camp,” “The Painter and the Thief,” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”

One year later and, like every other festival, Sundance is virtual. Also like other festivals: It’s subject to the vagaries of Covid. It’s shorter — seven days instead of 11 — and the tighter selection reflects that. There are 71 features, a nearly 40 percent drop from 118 last year. It also lacks big names, with few distributors choosing to use the festival as a launchpad. “We are not programming to quotas,” said new festival director Tabitha Jackson. “We are making sure we...
See full article at Thompson on Hollywood
  • 12/16/2020
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Thompson on Hollywood
Brenda Robinson Becomes First Black President Of The International Documentary Association
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The International Documentary Association has named Brenda Robinson as its new President of its Board of Directors. She makes history as the organization’s first Black president.

An entertainment attorney, Robinson joined Ida’s Board of Directors in 2018. She succeeds Kevin Iwashina, whose board term ends in December. Her new role as President begins immediately.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to the continued growth of this organization and to lead us forward in fulfilling our mission of championing storytellers while creating a culture of inclusion,” said Robinson.

“I could not be more proud of what we accomplished as a Board during both my term and my presidency,” said Iwashina. “I am confident that Brenda’s leadership will be transformational for the Ida. Although my formal relationship with the organization is coming to an end, my enthusiasm for its long-term success does not,...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 7/16/2020
  • by Dino-Ray Ramos
  • Deadline Film + TV
Carrie Coon
Carrie Coon Has Become One Helluva Voice Actor, and It Wasn’t as Easy as She Makes It Sound
Carrie Coon
When Carrie Coon signed on to star in the scripted podcast “Motherhacker,” she didn’t know exactly what would happen next. She’d taped podcasts before, but her interests skewed toward nonfiction and political series — now, she was the lead of a Gimlet original series, and while that came with its own challenges, Coon also came down with a nasty case of strep throat right before recording.

“There was very little preparation,” Coon said in an interview with IndieWire. “I had the script. I had the dates. I have a toddler, so I did not have time to prepare — that’s just not part of my life right now, preparation. I was really just thinking, ‘Ok, I’m going to go in the studio for six hours, we’re going to record these scripts straight through, and knock them out in three days.’ It just sounded very straightforward.”

Well, it wasn’t.
See full article at Indiewire
  • 11/22/2019
  • by Ben Travers
  • Indiewire
Spotify’s Gimlet Podcasting Arm Sets Fall Fiction Slate, Led By ‘Motherhacker’
The fall slate of new and returning fiction podcasts has been released by Gimlet, led by cyber-thriller Motherhacker, in which a single mother (Carrie Coon) journeys through the dark web.

Starting in October, Gimlet will be releasing one fiction series a month through the end of the year, including its first scripted renewals since Homecoming season 2. Streamer Spotify bought Gimlet Media and fellow podcasting company Anchor earlier this year for a reported $340 million. The newly announced slate reflects a ramping up of the production pace.

Besides Motherhacker, Gimlet will also unveil The Horror of Dolores Roach for a second season, wherein listeners can hear the latest from Roach (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and her life underground. Also back is The Two Princes, with an update on Prince Rupert and Prince Amir’s love story and the adventures they find along the way.

Gimlet’s executive producer for scripted fiction is Mimi O’Donnell.
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 9/12/2019
  • by Bruce Haring
  • Deadline Film + TV
Sean Berney Joins Netflix Acquisitions from Fox Searchlight
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.

Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”

After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
See full article at Thompson on Hollywood
  • 4/4/2018
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Thompson on Hollywood
Sean Berney Joins Netflix Acquisitions from Fox Searchlight
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.

Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”

After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 4/4/2018
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Indiewire
Amanda Lipitz
Exclusive clip: Best Original Song – Jump From The Documentary “Step”
Amanda Lipitz
When I spoke to director and filmmaker Amanda Lipitz last year about her documentary Step, we talked about the song, Jump. Written by Raphael Saadiq, Taura Stinson, and Laura Karpman,...
See full article at AwardsDaily.com
  • 1/11/2018
  • by Jazz Tangcay
  • AwardsDaily.com
15 Movies From Female Filmmakers to See in 2018, From ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ to ‘The Nightingale’
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.

While 2017 was a banner year for female filmmakers — including breakouts like Patty Jenkins, who helmed the second highest-grossing film of the year, and rising stars like Stella Meghie and Amanda Lipitz — next year seems poised to exceed some very high expectations when it comes to both depth of talent and depth of choices.

From new blockbusters from some of our best filmmakers in the business to raucous comedies poised to keep up the reinvention of female-centric comedy, indies from new talents, directing pairs looking to break through, and everything in between, 2018 has a something for every film fan, directed by helmers who just so happen to be women.

Read More:Studios Released Just 7 Films Directed By Women This Summer, and They Might Break the Billion-Dollar Mark

Keep in mind, this list only includes films that have...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 12/22/2017
  • by Kate Erbland
  • Indiewire
Ni repris ni échangé (2013)
Lionsgate Plans English-Language ‘Instructions Not Included’ Remake; Amanda Lipitz To Direct
Ni repris ni échangé (2013)
Exclusive: Lionsgate is planning an English-language remake of the Spanish-language hit Instructions Not Included. Set to direct is Amanda Lipitz, the Tony-winning producer whose first directing effort, Step, won a prize at the last Sundance Film Festival for Inspirational Filmmaking and sold for $4 million in a bidding battle to Fox Searchlight. Lipitz is producing with Scott Rudin a narrative version of that film for Searchlight. The Eugenio Derbez-directed original was…...
See full article at Deadline
  • 12/14/2017
  • Deadline
‘Step’ Director Amanda Lipitz On The Journey Behind Her Acclaimed Sundance Doc [Podcast]
A year ago Amanda Lipitz knew her documentary “Step” would be announced as part of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, but she could only dream the story of three young women from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women would resonate with audiences in Park City. The film became a crowd favorite winning the Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary Category and was acquired by Fox Searchlight for an impressive $4 million.

Continue reading ‘Step’ Director Amanda Lipitz On The Journey Behind Her Acclaimed Sundance Doc [Podcast] at The Playlist.
See full article at The Playlist
  • 11/29/2017
  • by Gregory Ellwood
  • The Playlist
Step (2017)
‘Step’ Documentary Competes For Oscar Attention As Director Amanda Lipitz Plans Fictional Adaptation
Step (2017)
Get Step director Amanda Lipitz talking about the girls at the heart of her film—exuberant members of the step dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women—and she's liable to tear up. "I cry when I talk about them," she tells Deadline. "The girls give me such hope… Their mothers inspire me as a mother. They’re my family. I don’t know how to put into words how much they mean to me." The bond began forming almost a decade ago when Lipitz, a Tony…...
See full article at Deadline
  • 11/16/2017
  • Deadline
Oscar Campaigning, San Francisco Style: Sffilm Doc Stories Showcases Its Contenders
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”

The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).

It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
See full article at Thompson on Hollywood
  • 11/6/2017
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Thompson on Hollywood
D. Chris Smith
Oscar Campaigning, San Francisco Style: Sffilm Doc Stories Showcases Its Contenders
D. Chris Smith
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”

The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).

It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 11/6/2017
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Indiewire
New to Streaming: ‘The Untamed,’ Jean-Luc Godard, ‘Whose Streets?,’ and More
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum (Sophie Bassaler)

When one conjures iconic memories from cinema history, they might be of your favorite shot or sequence, but my mind often travels to behind-the-scenes photos featuring director, cast, crew, and beyond. These photographs often have a unifying connection: they come from Magnum Photos. Since 1947, the photographic cooperative — founded by such iconic names as Robert Capa amd Henri Cartier-Bresson — has been responsible...
See full article at The Film Stage
  • 10/20/2017
  • by Jordan Raup
  • The Film Stage
Amanda Lipitz
Interview: Amanda Lipitz and Step — taking stereotypes and turning them on their head in Step
Amanda Lipitz
Every so often a special documentary comes along that inspires us and warms out hearts leaving us with a feeling that our spirits have been lifted for having seen it.
See full article at AwardsDaily.com
  • 10/18/2017
  • by Jazz Tangcay
  • AwardsDaily.com
Step (2017)
Amanda Lipitz Explains How ‘Step’ Became More Than Just a Dance Documentary
Step (2017)
When Amanda Lipitz started making her Sundance sensation documentary “Step,” she began speaking with a group of inner-city Baltimore high school students before they entered high school. When the girls, who were forming a step team, were in 10th grade, she began filming interviews. When they entered 11th grade, she began filming them verite-style.

Then Freddie Gray was killed.

“I knew I had to throw out everything I’d shot until that point,” she said after a screening of the Michelle Obama–approved film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.

Read More:‘Step’ Review: This Dance Documentary Uplifts The Girls, But Is a Better Story About Community — Sundance 2017

Instead of an exploration of the art of step dancing through the eyes of these girls, “Step” became more than that. It became an exploration of how the young women were able to process such a horrific event, how...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 10/17/2017
  • by Jean Bentley
  • Indiewire
The Final Year (2017)
Doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,’ ‘Jane,’ and ‘Strong Island’
The Final Year (2017)
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.

Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.

Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
See full article at Thompson on Hollywood
  • 9/28/2017
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Thompson on Hollywood
The Final Year (2017)
Doc NYC Announces Its Awards Short List, Including ‘Icarus,’ ‘Jane,’ and ‘Strong Island’
The Final Year (2017)
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has announced its 15-film Short List of Oscar contenders along with its opening-night selection, “The Final Year,” in which Greg Barker follows key members of Barack Obama’s administration during their last year in office. The festival runs November 9-16.

Thom Powers, Doc NYC’s artistic director as well as documentary programmer for Tiff, oversees curation of the Short List of films that may be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. This year contains a spectrum of funders and distributors, including four from Netflix — and none from HBO.

Historically, most Doc NYC picks do land on the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the past four years, the Short List had nine to 10 titles overlap, with four or five titles going on to Oscar nominations. For the last six years, Doc NYC screened the documentary that...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 9/28/2017
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Indiewire
Step documentary review: dance into the future
MaryAnn’s quick take… Covers ground — the lives of black teen girls — that mostly goes unexamined onscreen. It couldn’t be fresher or more important. It’s also wildly entertaining. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about girls and women

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Forget those silly Step Up movies. Even though they are set in the world of hip-hop street-dance competitions that are primarily an “urban” — read: black — phenomenon, they manage to focus almost entirely on white characters. Instead, here’s Step, which is literally the real thing. Hugely cheering and cheer-worthy, this documentary look at a high-school girls’ step team covers so much ground that unforgivably goes mostly unexamined onscreen: it couldn’t be fresher or more important. It’s also wildly entertaining while simultaneously enormously enlightening.

Movies about at-risk boys are plentiful.
See full article at www.flickfilosopher.com
  • 8/16/2017
  • by MaryAnn Johanson
  • www.flickfilosopher.com
David Thewlis, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman (2017)
Studios Released Just 7 Films Directed By Women This Summer, and They Might Break the Billion-Dollar Mark
David Thewlis, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman (2017)
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.

Thank Patty Jenkins — and then thank all the other wonder women who lit up this summer at the box office. This summer, studios released only seven films directed by women (that’s including speciality arms, and even a co-directed production), but the massive success of Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” is poised to push the total take of female-directed studio films over $1 billion.

Nothing sings quite like “a billion dollars” in Hollywood, but what’s even more heartening is the variety of films in this small group.

“Wonder Woman” is the story of the summer, an $800 million superhero that established Jenkins’ supremacy as director of the highest-grossing live-action movie directed by a woman and reestablished the solvency of the creatively stifled Dceu. It also made plain just how desperate audiences are for female-focused blockbusters. The film stayed in...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 8/11/2017
  • by Kate Erbland
  • Indiewire
Step – Review
Tayla Solomon and the “Lethal Ladies of Blysw”. Photo by Jay L. Clendenin. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

The inspirational documentary Step follows a girls’ step dance team at a Baltimore charter high school, both in their quest to win a big step dance competition and to get into college.

The story takes place in 2015, the shadow of the unrest and protests that gripped Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the documentary has echoes of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter as well. All of the girls in this documentary are African-American and low-income, but they are lucky in one way: their high school, which has a staff devoted to their success, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women was founded in 2009 as a small girls-only high school with the mission to get every one of its low-income students into college.

Director...
See full article at WeAreMovieGeeks.com
  • 8/11/2017
  • by Cate Marquis
  • WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Step Review
Author: Linda Marric

Chronicling the senior year of an all-girl high school’s Step Dance team, Amanda Lipitz’s Step is without a doubt one of the most genuinely moving, inspirational and thoroughly entertaining films of the year. This thrilling debut documentary manages to carry an important socio-political message without ever being preachy, moralising or unnecessarily provocative. Set against a background of turmoil and the severe poverty of an inner-city Baltimore neighbourhood, the film shines a light on the struggles faced by a group of girls on the cusp of womanhood, hoping to be the first generation in their respective families to be accepted into college and hopefully go on to to fulfil their full potential.

Founded in 2009, The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women aims to first and foremost help young underprivileged girls from African-American backgrounds prepare for college. With attentive tutoring and daily encouragement from their passionate teachers,...
See full article at HeyUGuys.co.uk
  • 8/8/2017
  • by Linda Marric
  • HeyUGuys.co.uk
Amanda Lipitz
Sundance Hits ‘Step’ & Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Wind River’ Blow Into Theaters – Specialty B.O. Preview
Amanda Lipitz
Amanda Lipitz's Step made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January when the documentary was being picked up for $4 million by Fox Searchlight, which also nabbed remake rights. Now the film opens this weekend at the specialty box office, which is pared down from last week's onslaught of platform heavy-hitters including An Inconvenient Sequel, Detroit and a surprising box office showing from Menashe. Also bowing this weekend is The Weinstein Company’s Wind…...
See full article at Deadline
  • 8/5/2017
  • Deadline
Step (2017)
‘Step’: How the Sundance Documentary Is Emulating ‘Hidden Figures’ to Inspire Underprivileged Kids
Step (2017)
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.

Like any filmmaker, Amanda Lipitz is eager for audiences to turn out for her latest project, the Sundance award-winning documentary “Step.” But Lipitz isn’t eyeing big box office bucks or pushing to topple a rival feature; she just wants the inspirational film to get in front of the people who will be most moved by it, even if they can’t afford the price of admission.

Bolstered by similar campaigns — including a popular push for last year’s “Hidden Figures” — Lipitz and her team think they’ve figured out a way to do just that.

The film, Lipitz’s first, centers on a girls-only step team from inner city Baltimore, and chronicles their senior year as they attempt to win one last big competition, prepare for their future, and face personal hurdles. Even in January,...
See full article at Indiewire
  • 8/4/2017
  • by Kate Erbland
  • Indiewire
Movie Review: The dance-team documentary Step is as feel-good as it is flimsy
The documentary Step profiles three members of a step dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School For Young Women, a small girls’ college-prep charter institution, as they go through their last year of school and prepare for a big annual step competition at Bowie State. There’s Tayla, the everyteen whose mom, a corrections officer, lives vicariously through her; Cori, the valedictorian of the senior class, who has her mind set on a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins; Blessin, the team’s founder and resident diva, who was kicked off the team last year because of her dismal Gpa. As for their teammates, we don’t as much as learn their names; Step’s first-time director, Amanda Lipitz, keeps the film as slick, flattering, and sound-bite-driven as a well-made fundraising video. Over and over, it pitches us reasons to care about these young women—an all-too-perfect example of a documentary...
See full article at avclub.com
  • 8/2/2017
  • by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
  • avclub.com
Step (2017)
‘Step’ Review: Dance and Dreams Bolster Exhilarating High School Doc
Step (2017)
“Step” looks like a dance film, but it’s really a rollercoaster ride about expectations, drive, and achievement. The weight in each rhythmic stomp produced by the young women featured in this movie isn’t just to produce a sound in glorious sync, but to signal a togetherness in an often-brutal world. Amanda Lipitz’s inspiring, Sundance award-winning documentary follows three African American teenage girls in Baltimore as they wend their way through a senior year in which they’re not just contenders for a statewide step dance crown, but also the first graduating class at an all-girls charter school designed with the express.
See full article at The Wrap
  • 8/1/2017
  • by Robert Abele
  • The Wrap
15 Films to See in August
The end of the summer movie season is upon us, which normally means a dry spell for studio releases, and while that indeed looks to be the case, this is one of the best months of the year if one digs a little deeper. From European getaways to redneck heists to dramas about riots and terrorism, there’s an abundance of appealing choices at the cinema this August. See our picks below and let us know what you’re most looking forward to.

Matinees: It’s Not Yet Dark (8/4), This Time Tomorrow (8/4), Icarus (8/4), Machines (8/9), After Love (8/9), In This Corner of the World (8/11), The Nile Hilton Incident (8/11), The Wound (8/16), Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (8/18), What Happened to Monday (8/18), Crown Heights (8/25), Death Note (8/25), The Villainess (8/25), and The Teacher (8/30)

15. Lemon (Janicza Bravo; Aug. 18)

Synopsis: A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his girlfriend of 10 years.

Trailer

Why You Should...
See full article at The Film Stage
  • 8/1/2017
  • by Jordan Raup
  • The Film Stage
Chasing Coral (2017)
2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature
Chasing Coral (2017)
Getting out early can be an advantage in the documentary race, which is often front loaded at January’s Sundance Film Festival. While a raft of movies made their mark, the question is which ones can sustain support through the end of the year.

Among that festival’s breakouts were three Syria documentaries. Daring and timely “City of Ghosts” (July 14, A & E/Amazon Studios), which is Matthew Heineman’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated border drug war thriller “Cartel Land,” will get a major push. Any footage from Syria came from the fearless Raqqa journalists he tracked through Turkey and Germany, where they discover that they are not necessarily safe — anywhere.

It remains to be seen if there will be room for more than one Syrian documentary. HBO Documentary Films is forgoing Emmy consideration for “Winter on Fire” nominee Evgeny Afineevsky’s harrowing “Cries From Syria” (March 10, HBO), planning an Oscar push this fall.
See full article at Indiewire
  • 7/5/2017
  • by Anne Thompson
  • Indiewire
Get Empowered Through Dance in Exclusive Stills from Sundance Winner ‘Step’
One of the most inspirational films at Sundance this year — so much so it won a specific Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking in its U.S. Documentary section — was Amanda Lipitz‘s Step. Following an inner-city, all-girls step dance team in Baltimore as they challenge themselves both on stage and off, they are empowered by their community and bond through the art of dance. Ahead of a release this August from Fox Searchlight, we’re pleased to debut a set of new stills showing the group in action.

“Step, like many documentaries, uses a sport as an entry point to a larger discussion about race, the struggles of those on the lower end of the income spectrum, and the challenges of being a single parent and inner-city life,” we said our review. “It’s a film that is as inspiring as its subjects and may very well encourage those that see it to visit their guidance counselor for advice on their options even if, like Blessing, they may not have the grades nor the family support.”

Check out the exclusive stills above and below, as well as a new featurette, and see the trailer here.

Step is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.

This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, Step embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women worth cheering for.

Step opens on August 4.
See full article at The Film Stage
  • 6/21/2017
  • by Jordan Raup
  • The Film Stage
Amanda Lipitz
'Step' triumphs at AFI Docs
Amanda Lipitz
15th Edition of AFI Docs presents audience awards.

Amanda Lipitz’s Step has won the AFI Docs Audience Award for Best Feature.

The selection premiered at Sundance and follows the Lethal Ladies step dance team from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women in their bid to win the city’s dance competition and become the first women in their families to attend college.

Fox Searchlight paid in the region of $4m for worldwide rights following the world premiere in Park City in January and will release the crowd-pleasing documentary (pictured) later this year.

The award for best short went to Charlie Lyne’s Fish Story, which investigates a mysterious gathering rumoured to have taken place in 1980s Wales when an unlikely group of people with one thing in common came together.

The festival ran from June 14-18 and presented 112 films from 28 countries on subjects ranging from the environment and sports to politics and art.

Six films with...
See full article at ScreenDaily
  • 6/19/2017
  • by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
  • ScreenDaily
Step is Life - New Featurette for Inspiring, Energetic Dance Doc 'Step'
"Strong women together are unstoppable." Fox Searchlight has released a new featurette for the fantastic documentary Step, profiling a step dance group at a school in Baltimore. This doc premiered at Sundance to rave reviews, and was one of the audience's favorites. It's one of the most energetic, inspiring, exciting documentaries I've seen this year and I highly recommend it. This featurette is more of an introduction to "step" and what it is, and where it came from, and why it's so important to these women. If you haven't seen the official trailer, you can check it out here after watching this promo below. Here's to hoping Searchlight can build up buzz and turn this doc into a big hit in theaters. It definitely has my support! Check this out. Here's the new "Step is Life" featurette for Amanda Lipitz's documentary Step, direct from YouTube: You can also still...
See full article at firstshowing.net
  • 6/16/2017
  • by Alex Billington
  • firstshowing.net
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