News

Exclusive: Gia Sandhu (The Mysterious Benedict Society) has signed on to executive produce and star in Alterations, the first feature from writer-director Sean Wainsteim.

In the film, a woman and a non-verbal girl serving as live-in caregivers are invited to stay in a house where their every desire is fulfilled, as long as they mend mysterious clothing for fairytale creatures.

Sandhu will play Leila, the woman traveling with rebellious 12-year-old Nadia and a suitcase of her belongings, who is desperate for a safe place to call home. When she finds a situation that seems too good to be true, she’s willing to ignore some… odd occurrences and make the best of things. As she starts to uncover her role in a larger narrative, Leila is forced to balance her time with Nadia with explorations into her own power, creativity and ability to change.

Rosemary Dunsmore, John Stocker and Shazdeh Kapadia...

Antonia Campbell-Hughes thriller gets sales deal

Exclusive: For the Cannes virtual market, Great Point has boarded world sales on thriller Black Medicine starring Antonia Campbell-Hughes (3096 Days), Orla Brady (American Horror Story), Amybeth McNulty (Anne With An E) and John Connors (Cardboard Gangsters). Signature Entertainment recently acquired distribution rights for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with the UK release slated for 12 July. The first feature for Colum Eastwood, who wrote and directed, the movie follows a disgraced medic who carries out clandestine surgeries for the criminal underworld. When she unwittingly helps a young woman escape from a vicious gang, she must choose between breaking her medical oath or crossing her ruthless employers. Pic was financed by Northern Ireland Screen and Yellowmoon, Janine Cobain produced for 23Ten; executive producers are Martin Brennan and Tim Palmer.

Grandave Picks Up The Atlantic City Story

Exclusive: Tamara Nagahiro, Grandave International president, is...

Existential malaise is the theme of this quiet drama from newcomer Henry Butash, who cut his teeth in postproduction on two films by Terrence Malick – Song to Song and Knight of Cups. Evidence of this résumé is found all over the camerawork, which floats around its subjects like The Tree of Life, capturing their movements with a serene yet realist quality.

The subjects are Jane (Jessica Hecht) and Arthur (Mike Faist), two lonely souls who meet in a sprawling Atlantic City casino. Jane eyes the young man at a roulette table, having meandered across the floor in an almost trance-like state. This sequence is entirely non-verbal, allowing us to feel Jane’s reverie as she immerses herself in the ambience of ringing slot machines and murmuring croupiers.

Jane has been numbed by her husband’s infidelity, yet her pain goes deeper than that. She’s rudderless, unfulfilled. What has brought her to this point?...

After highlighting the most overlooked films of 2020, today we’re putting a spotlight on the films that need a home to be seen in the first place: the 40 or so films (and honorable mentions) that we loved on the festival circuit that are still seeking U.S. distribution.

Acting also as a 2020 preview, we hope that highlighting these titles spurs some distributor interests and a release in the next twelve months. Featuring favorites from Berlinale, SXSW, Sundance, TIFF, NYFF, Rotterdam, and beyond, make sure to follow us on Twitter to get the latest distribution updates. As we move into 2021, one can also track all of our upcoming festival coverage here.

200 Meters (Ameen Nayfeh)

In a time where the Israeli occupation of Palestine is still causing the deaths of children, the separation of families, and the oppression of Palestinian citizens, a film like 200 Meters becomes even more necessary and relevant.

Striving to overcome their feelings of despair about the obstacles in their lives is a continuous struggle that protagonists are regularly forced to contend with in relatable cinematic character studies. That’s certainly the case for the two vulnerable heroes in the new drama, ‘The Atlantic City Story.’ The movie powerfully explores how the protagonists’ chance […]

The post Interview: Henry Butash Talks The Atlantic City Story (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Despite a relatively unassuming title, Henry Butash’s ruminative feature debut, The Atlantic City Story, is a quietly profound, muted character study, following two wayward souls at a crossroads in their lives, looking to the faux-glamour of Atlantic City as a possible escape. While hitting familiar narrative beats, the film features a career-best performance by notable character actor Jessica Hecht and relative newcomer Mike Faist (perhaps most famous for his work in Dear Evan Hansen), marking an auspicious debut for the first-time director.

Trapped in a seemingly routine marriage, Jane (Hecht) decides to flee her suburban Jersey life on her birthday, buying a bus ticket and, ultimately, a hotel room in the casino. Perhaps unsure herself why she is taking the trip, she wanders through the casino floor before finding a roulette table where Arthur (Faist) is sitting. Arthur, with his layered coats and baseball hat tucked low to his eyes,...