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Exclusive: Vertical acquired North American rights to Rosemead, a dramatic thriller inspired by true events that marks the feature directing debut of veteran cinematographer Eric Lin, and a star showcase for Lucy Liu. The film has drawn critical acclaim at its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, and won Best Narrative Feature at the Bentonville Film Festival, Days ago, Rosemead won the Prix du Public Ubs audience award at the Locarno Film Festival, where Liu also accepted its Career Achievement Award. Vertical plans to release the film exclusively in theaters this December.

Rosemead centers on an ailing woman who uncovers a terrifying secret: her teenage son is consumed by violent impulses. As her health rapidly declines, she’s forced into a desperate struggle—how far will she go to stop what she fears he is becoming, and what is she willing to sacrifice to protect him? Set within the quiet...

Lucy Liu had a night to remember as she made a stunning appearance at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. She not only attended the photocall and premiere of her new drama Rosemead but was also honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her exceptional contributions to cinema throughout her three-decade career.

Jump to a Look:

1. Radiant in White: Paolo Sebastian Dress & Aldo Heels 2. Regal Glamour: Naeem Khan Couture & Sam Edelman Heels 3. Lucy Liu’s Most Memorable Shoe Moments

For such a special occasion, Lucy Liu naturally dressed the part in two stunning embroidered dresses, one by Paolo Sebastian and another by Naeem Khan. Both fashion houses are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, and Liu pulled each look with regal elegance. She paired the stunning dresses with sophisticated yet straightforward heels by Aldo and Sam Edelman, balancing glamour with simplicity and ease.

Lucy Liu embraces regal elegance in...

Locarno, Switzerland — Unspooling in sweltering humidity, Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, Europe’s biggest mid-Summer movie event, sometimes dazzled, led by an ebullient Emma Thompson.

More than anything else, in industry terms, it underscored how major festivals in the world just below the Big Five of Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto, are now realigning and surging as part of a global movie economy. That is as true of Locarno, best known as a bastion of high-art auteurs – as in different ways of San Sebastián, Karlovy Vary and Tallinn to name the smaller “A” list festivals in Europe.

Following, 10 takeaways from Locarno – with more to come – including what Thompson, Jackie Chan, Alexander Payne and Lucy Liu said at the Swiss fest, Locarno’s global distribution dynamics, buzz titles and multifarious Locarno dealing.

The Stars

Emma Thompson dazzled and showed how stars can conquer an audience whether delivering her acceptance speech...

Lucy Liu received Locarno Film Festival’s career achievement award Thursday, and presented her new film “Rosemead,” which had its international premiere at the festival. Liu talked with Variety about the film, which she stars in and produces.

In Eric Lin’s film, Liu plays Irene Chao, a Chinese-American single parent who is battling health issues, while caring for a son who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The film is based on a true story, and is inspired by an L.A. Times article by Frank Shyong.

“The heartbreak is not only what happened but how it happened: knowing that there were other options, but that Irene felt there weren’t any,” Liu says.

The film deals with a range of ideas within the Chinese-American community regarding mental health, from the son’s Chinese therapist to Irene’s friend who believes he should be treated with herbs and chanting to others...

Distribution is harder to secure than financing for independent film in the US, according to a panel of leading indie producers.

Speaking on a panel about the art and commerce of Asian American cinema at the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), producer Mynette Louie said: “Distribution is the main problem right now, not financing.

“There’s such a bottom line with distribution right now, particularly if you’re not making an obvious commercial film with white people in it because most of the decision makers at these distribution companies are still white people who don’t really understand how...

Set to take place August 6-16, the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival has now unveiled its promising lineup. Among the highlights are the world premieres of Radu Jude’s second feature of 2025, Dracula; Alexandre Koberidze’s Dry Leaf; Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron; Maureen Fazendeiro’s The Seasons; Le Lac from Jean-Luc Godard’s collaborator Fabrice Aragno; Ben Rivers’ Mare’s Nest; Abdellatif Kechiche’s long-awaited sequel Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due; Sho Miyake’s Two Seasons, Two Strangers; and many more.

“Building the program of the Locarno Film Festival means engaging with the living matter of contemporary cinema. A cinema that unfolds while the world is undergoing violent upheavals, while we witness – in real time – horrors that we had only read about in history books or studied in archival footage,” said Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director.

He continues, “The question is simple, and brutal in its inevitability:...

Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival will debut 17 features, including new works by Radu Jude and Abdellatif Kechiche, as part of its 2025 competition. This year’s event runs from August 6 to 16.

The festival announced its competition lineups this morning. The Radu Jude feature is his much-talked-about Dracula. The film was shot in Transylvania and is said to blend several takes on the Dracula story. Teasing the project as last year’s Locarno Film Festival, Jude said: “I am from Romania. My father is actually from Transylvania. It’s time that someone from Romania does a Dracula film. It’s only Hollywood that has done it 1,000 times. We shouldn’t let Hollywood dominate our Dracula.”

The Abdellatif Kechiche feature is Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due, the third edition in his controversial Mektoub series. Ben Rivers, a Locarno regular, will debut his latest feature, Mare’s Nest. Scroll down for the full Loarno lineup.

It’s shaping up as an award-winning summer for actress-producer Lucy Liu.

On Saturday night Liu received the Rising to the Challenge Award at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, an honor that “recognizes artists who champion storytelling that breaks barriers and broadens representation.”

It wasn’t her only award of the night. Her new drama Rosemead, directed by Eric Lin, won Best Narrative at the 11th edition of the festival chaired by Geena Davis. Liu produced the film and stars as “Irene,” a Chinese immigrant who simultaneously faces a personal health crisis and the alarming descent of her son into schizophrenia.

“Rosemead captures the terrifying realities of motherhood in our contemporary era,” wrote the jury, comprised of filmmaker Marie Jamora (guest artistic director of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women) and filmmaker Bomani J. Story (The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster). “When culture, society, and healthcare break down,...

Rosemead, starring Lucy Liu as a terminally ill woman desperate to protect her son, took home the Best Narrative Award at the 11th annual Bentonville Film Festival.

Also a producer on the film, Liu was additionally honored with the Rising to the Challenge Award, a prize "given to a select few artists in the history of Bentonville Film Festival and honoring those who represent the true impact of supporting independent film both in front of and behind the camera."

Cofounded by Academy Award winner Geena Davis, the Arkansas-based fest also handed out Best Documentary, which went to The Librarians, Kim A. Snyder's examination of library workers facing censorship in Texas.

Best Homegrown, an award reserved for filmmakers hailing from Arkansas, was won by Sovereign. Directed by Christian Swegal, the film — inspired by true events — tells the story of a father and son with anti-governmental leanings and stars Nick Offerman,...

The Bentonville Film Foundation, in collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, announced the winners of its 11th Annual Bentonville Film Festival on Saturday.

“Rosemead,” starring Lucy Liu, took the top prize, winning the best narrative award for a feature film. In addition, Liu was presented with the Rising to the Challenge Award, given to artists who support independent film and “put their talent, passion and experience on the line in the service of empowering stories that are otherwise underrepresented.” Directed by Eric Lin, “Rosemead” premiered earlier this month at the Tribeca Film Festival and centers on a mother faced with an impossible choice. The film has received excellent reviews, particularly for Liu’s transformative performance. In a statement, the jury that voted on the prize noted: “Director Eric Lin sparks real-world conversations about the society we’re living in through an intimate, unflinching film based on true...

The film Rosemead opens with a memory that feels like a ghost. In the soft glow of a motel room, a family dances, full of life. It’s a fleeting image of a past that no longer exists for Irene and her son, Joe. Back in the present-day San Gabriel Valley, the joy has been replaced by a quiet, suffocating tension.

Irene, played by Lucy Liu, is a widowed immigrant mother who channels her strength into the neat, orderly world of her print shop. Her son Joe, once a bright student, now moves through life like a phantom, his mind clouded by a severe mental illness that took root after his father’s death. The air between them is thick with unspoken fears.

Rosemead is not a story with easy answers. It is a slow, methodical study of a family being crushed by two separate, inescapable crises. Irene is not...

The sunny strip-mall mundanity of Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley is the fascinating setting for Eric Lin’s dark directorial debut, the unsettling and not entirely successful story of a widow struggling with her son’s mental illness. Based, very closely, on a series of real-life events that occurred in 2015 and were documented two years later by journalist Frank Shyong in the L.A. Times (be warned: the headline alone is one massive spoiler), Rosemead works better as a character study than it does as an issue movie about mental health. Though it takes a little while to get used to seeing Lucy Liu as a meek and humble mother, the film builds to a most unexpected crescendo, giving the actress her best role in years, one that could even get traction in awards season.

There is an obvious, instant comparison with Michelle Yeoh’s character in Everything Everywhere All at Once,...

Lucy Liu will be honored with a career achievement award at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival where the U.S. multi-hyphenate known for iconic roles in “Kill Bill” and “Charlie’ s Angels” will present the international premiere of Eric Lin’s “Rosemead.”

In “Rosemead,” which just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Liu reinvents herself as an immigrant widow in private turmoil over how best to deal with her son’s mental health issues, as Variety Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge puts it in his review. Debruge praised the film for Liu’s “career-redefining performance” that “explodes the slinky action-figure box that “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kill Bill” built around her.”

Liu’s career began with her breakout role in “Ally McBeal” that earned her both Emmy and SAG nominations. Her subsequent credits include standout TV series like “Why Women Kill,” “Elementary,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Star Wars: Visions,” and “A Man in Full.

Lucy Liu will attend the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland this summer to receive a career achievement award and present the international premiere of her film Rosemead, organizers unveiled on Tuesday, highlighting that she is “widely celebrated for her iconic performances across film, television, and stage.”

The festival will bestow the honor upon Liu on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 14, with the star afterwards set to present her film Rosemead about the Asian American mental health crisis, alongside the film’s cast and crew. The actress plays a Chinese immigrant battling a terminal illness while navigating her son’s worsening schizophrenia in Eric Lin’s directorial debut that premiered at Tribeca.

The festival audience will also have an opportunity to see and hear Liu the following day during a public conversation event.

“With a career spanning over three decades, critically acclaimed actress and filmmaker Lucy Liu...

Charlie’s Angels star Lucy Liu will be honored with a Career Achievement Award at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in August.

The lakeside festival will also host the international premiere of Eric Lin’s Rosemead, featuring a critically acclaimed performance by Liu.

The award ceremony and screening will take place on Locarno’s Piazza Grande on August 14. The following day, Liu will participate in an on stage conversation about her career.

With a career spanning over three decades, actress and filmmaker has starred in films that have collectively grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide, with credits including Kill Bill, Charlie’ s Angels, Chicago, Set It Up, Presence, and Red One.

Rosemead stars Liu as an ailing woman racing against time to protect her son from his violent obsessions in a drama inspired by true events. Liu also serves as a producer.

Liu first broke out with her performance as ambitious Chinese-American lawyer Ling Woo in Ally McBeal,...

In Rosemead, Eric Lin crafts a modest and heartbreaking story of domestic isolation and mental health in the Asian American community. The film, which premieres at Tribeca, stars Lucy Liu as Irene, an intrepid Chinese mother battling a terminal illness while navigating the painful realities of her son’s worsening schizophrenia. Joe (a fine Lawrence Shou) was once a star student and celebrated swimmer at Rosemead High School, but his father’s death triggered the young man’s latent psychological problems and he’s been struggling ever since.

Many immigrant communities either ignore mental health challenges or see symptoms as evidence of spiritual deviance. It can be difficult for those in need to get the help required. Based on a true story, Rosemead compassionately captures the various layers — from community rejection to inadequate state responses — that come with trying to find support. The film’s intimate scope — it takes place...

In a historic legal decision last year, a Michigan jury found the parents of a 15-year-old school shooter responsible for the deaths their son had caused. Could they have prevented it? Based on an upsetting true story, director Eric Lin’s “Rosemead” focuses on a Chinese single mother who takes drastic measures to deal with her son’s dark impulses, substituting one tragedy for something equally unthinkable. Even more shocking than the film’s outcome is the career-redefining performance given by lead actor Lucy Liu, who explodes the slinky action-figure box that “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kill Bill” built around her, revealing the erstwhile “Ally McBeal” star in a completely different light.

As recently widowed Irene Chao, Liu trades her signature strut for a self-effacing shuffle, using makeup not to accentuate her beauty but to downplay it. In “Rosemead” (named for the east Los Angeles neighborhood where this true story took...

Lucy Liu has been in Rosemead for years. No, she hasn’t taken up residence in the SoCal city – but the community within L.A. County’s San Gabriel Valley has left an indelible mark on the actor as both the setting and title of her latest film, “Rosemead,” a passion project that’s taken hold of her for over seven years.

The film (which was actually produced largely in New York) dramatizes the tragic true story revealed in a 2017 Los Angeles Times article by Frank Shyong about a terminally ill mother and her schizophrenic teenage son.

“I don’t know that anyone really would believe it if it wasn’t a true story,” Liu, who also serves as a producer, tells Variety over Zoom ahead of the “Rosemead” world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Friday. “It resonates with me because we’re missing this. We don’t have this story.

The 24th annual Tribeca Film Festival 2025 kicked off Wednesday, June 4, with the world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Screening at the Beacon Theatre, the HBO original two-part documentary offers an expansive look into the legendary artist’s life, tracing the love, loss, and personal struggles that profoundly influenced his songwriting.

The opening night of the fest was attended by the film’s producer Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Mariska Hargitay, Whoopi Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, Gary Goetzman, Steve Zahn, Rick Gomez, and many more. Joel, who is recovering from an illness, did not attend tonight.

The festival’s feature film slate includes Rose Byrne and Octavia Spencer starring in Tow; The Best You Can starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick marking their first co-starring roles in 20 years; Rosemead starring Lucy Liu; Dragonfly with Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn; and Everything’s Going to be Great starring Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney.

From spring into the start of summer, the festival season keeps on rolling. Cannes just gave a jumpstart to the movie year ahead, but the 24th edition of the Tribeca Festival, happening all over New York City June 4 through 15, is here with another ambitious, genre-crossing lineup. This year’s festival — celebrating film, television, immersive storytelling, music, audio storytelling, iconic movie revivals, and more — boasts nearly 120 features across narrative and documentary forms. Tribeca also boasts a massive shorts program.

The festival, which understandably dropped “Film” from its name in 2022 two decades after starting in 2002 from Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff as a way to boost Lower Manhattan after September 11, offers its most musically inclined programming yet this year. Tribeca launches Wednesday, June 4 with the world premiere of opening nighter “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” an ode to the hit-making piano man. Elsewhere, Miley Cyrus’ visual album “Something...

The Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas will kick off June 16 with the drama East of Wall, one of many highlights of the 11th edition of the cinematic showcase led by Oscar winner Geena Davis.

East of Wall, which premiered at Sundance, is written and directed by Kate Beecroft. “Inspired by the real lives of Tabatha and Porshia Zimiga, and with a cast of predominantly non-professional actors playing themselves, East of Wall is an authentic portrayal of the modern American West,” the festival said in a release. Beecroft and the Zimigas will be in attendance for a moderated conversation to follow the film.

“We are thrilled to open the festival with a film that speaks so genuinely to the power of female resilience,” said Bff president Wendy Guerrero. “The raw, gorgeous landscapes are matched by the vulnerability and passion of the women and girls at the heart of East of Wall.

The BFFoundation (Bff), in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting partner Coca-Cola, has today announced the full lineup for the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival (Bff), launching next month. As ever, the festival remains committed to building a slate around inclusion and authentic representation.

This year’s festival will showcase 28 feature competition films, including 9 world premieres, plus the newly-launched Homegrown Competition highlighting powerful stories from filmmakers based in or filming in Arkansas. Of this year’s competition slate, 66 percent of the films are from creators identifying as female or gender non-conforming; 51 percent identify as Bipoc, Asian, or Pacific Islander; 29 percent identify as Lgbtqia+; 18 percent are filmmakers over the age of 50; and 12 percent identify as a person with a disability.

The festival, which was founded by Geena Davis and backed by Wal-Mart, celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, a period that’s been marked by profound growth, both for the festival and...

Theo James’ upward trajectory looks to be continuing, with the “White Lotus” breakout and star of “The Gentlemen” joining upcoming gangster thriller “The Bookie & the Bruiser” alongside Vince Vaughn.

The film — which was first announced by Variety last year — sees James take over from Adrien Brody, with the recent Oscar winner for “The Brutalist” originally set to star.

From writer-director S. Craig Zahler (“Bone Tomahawk”), the film is being repped for international rights by Anton, who will continue sales at the Marche du Film. UTA Independent Film Group and Range Select arranged the financing and are representing the North American distribution rights.

“The Bookie & the Bruiser” is set in 1959 New York City and features a pensive, Jewish fellow named Rivner (James) and an oversized Italian American tough named Boscolo (Vaughn). Having served in World War II, the two return as changed men, no longer fitting into their old lives.

The Tribeca Festival is this year launching a festival within a festival, adding a Storytelling Summit in which emerging and mid-career creators can engage with entertainment industry leaders like Nia DaCosta, David Leitch, Leslye Headland and Lucy Liu.

The 11-day event, running June 5-15 at Spring Studios, will feature talks, workshops, case studies and networking events in the form of six thematic tracks.

Luminaries sessions will consist of in-depth talks with artists like DaCosta, talking about her career trajectory including Candyman and The Marvels; married producing partners Leitch and Kelly McCormick, who will discuss their advocacy for stunt design as a storytelling too and their upcoming Nobody 2 sequel and Problemista and Fantasmas‘ Julio Torres on his prolific creativity. There will also be talks with Steve Buscemi, Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal and Jeremy O. Harris.

Industry Now sessions will feature guidance on producing, financing and distribution including choosing stories and...

Miley Cyrus’ visual album world premiere will lead the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival line-up.Presented by Okx, the event will run from 4 to 15 June in New York City, and bosses have now unveiled a wide-ranging schedule of documentary, narrative and animated features for the dates – including a documentary produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. Other high-profile appearances are set to include performers such as Billy Idol, Becky G and Eddie Vedder will accompany select screenings.Jane Rosenthal, 68, co-founder of the Tribeca Festival and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, described the long-running New York event as a creative sanctuary ahead of its 2025 run. She was quoted by Variety saying: “Tribeca has always been more than a festival – it’s a home for artists navigating an ever-changing industry and an ever-changing world.“We’re proud of the ecosystem we’ve cultivated and can’t wait to share it with the world this June.”The event will...

Miley Cyrus' visual album and a Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary are among the films in the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival lineup.

Something Beautiful, the visual companion to Cyrus' new album of the same name directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, and Brendan Walter, will have its world premiere at the festival. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the Grammy-winning singer.

Yanuni, produced by DiCaprio and directed by Richard Ladkani, is part of the closing night gala. The doc follows "the fearless Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia, who has survived six assassination attempts as she leads a relentless fight to defend her people's land alongside her husband, Hugo Loss, a steely Special Forces Unit ranger."

As previously announced, the Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes will open the festival, which runs June 14-15.

The feature film lineup includes Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's first costarring film in 20 years, The Best You Can; Tow,...

The 2025 Tribeca Festival, presented by Okx, has revealed its lineup of documentary, narrative and animated features, including the premiere of Miley Cyrus’ visual album, a Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary and films starring Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. This year’s fest will run from June 4 to 15 in New York City.

The festival kicks off on June 4 with the previously announced world premiere of “Billy Joel: And So It

Goes,” directed by Emmy winners Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin. The world premiere of Miley Cyrus’ visual album “Something Beautiful,” directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, Brendan Walter and produced by Tribeca alum Panos Cosmatos (“Beyond the Black Rainbow”), will be followed by an exclusive conversation with Cyrus.

The documentary lineup also features chart-topping performers like Counting Crows and Culture

Club. Billy Idol, Becky G and Eddie Vedder will deliver exclusive performances following the

world premiere of their films, while members of Metallica,...

Music documentaries figure prominently in the features line-up of 2025 Tribeca Festival in June, when audiences will get first looks at new films about Metallica, Billy Idol and Culture Club, and Depeche Mode.

Metallica Saved My Life and Billy Idol Should Be Dead – both directed by Jonas Åkerlund – receive their world premieres in New York, as do Fernando Frías’s Depeche Mode: M; Matt Finlin’s Matter Of Time featuring Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder; Alison Eastwood’s Culture Club; Amy Scott’s Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?; and Miley Cyrus’s visual album Something Beautiful.

Programme highlights expected...

Tribeca Festival 2025 is out with the slate of documentary, narrative and animated features for its 24th edition, a intriguing lineup showcasing music legends, key cultural figures and stories from emerging and established voices. The fest runs June 4-15 in New York City.

Films includes Rose Byrne, Demi Lovato and Octavia Spencer in Tow; The Best You Can with Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick; Rosemead starring Lucy Liu; Dragonfly with Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn; and Everything’s Going To Be Great starring Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney.

The world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes will open the festival, which again leans into music documentaries and live acts, including the world premiere of Miley Cyrus’ visual album Something Beautiful, followed by a sit-down with Cyrus. Counting Crows and Culture Club, Billy Idol, Becky G and Eddie Vedder will perform after their films world premiere. Members of Metallica, Depeche Mode,...

Atomic Features, the production company co-founded by Daniel Ragussis (“Imperium”) and Dennis Lee (“Fireflies in the Garden”), has closed, what it is describing as “a significant” new round of equity financing. The round was led by Fanghua Jiang, Li Jing, and Lanfu Yang.

The company says the new investments will enable it to expand its development slate, adding between four to eight new projects, as well as launch a production fund to finance the first three films it is developing — real-time disaster thriller, “Black Tuesday”; the horror movie, “Breed”; and the dystopian thriller, “The Oasis.”

The company offers a different type of development methodology than the traditional Hollywood model by working with directors from the inception of a project, and relies upon a formalized notes-giving process pioneered by Ragussis in his Notes for Execs workshop, which launched in 2019 and has included participants from such companies as Warner Bros., Universal, Fox and Disney.

The 2024 Sffilm Rainin grant recipients have officially been unveiled.

IndieWire can announce that 17 feature films were awarded $425,000 in cash grants, benefitting 22 filmmakers. Two projects have especially buzzy producers: Joie Estrella Horwitz’s “Dreamland” is produced by recent “The Fire Inside” screenwriter and “Mufasa” director Barry Jenkins, while Lucy Liu is producing “Rosemead.”

The Sffilm Rainin grant is the largest granting body for the development and production of independent narrative feature films in the U.S. The flagship partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation specifically supports films that address social justice issues — the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges — in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme, or setting.

Awards are made to multiple projects once a year, for screenwriting, development, and post-production. Recipients receive an unrestricted cash grant of up to $25,000 for screenwriting, development, or post-production, and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, Sffilm’s artist residency space.

Atomic Features, the production company co-founded by Daniel Ragussis (“Imperium”) and Dennis Lee (“Fireflies in the Garden”), has launched a new development fund, having secured financing from a consortium of investors led by Cxm Enterprises, Davis & Associates, and Pine Valley Investments.

Atomic’s development fund will employ the formal methodology devised by Ragussis as the founder of Notes for Execs, the industry’s first workshop to help executives give better notes to screenwriters.

Notes for Execs launched in 2019 and has included participants from Warner Brothers, Universal, Fox and Disney, as well as multiple management companies and agencies. Ragussis was also formerly Head of Development for Lucas Foster’s Anvl Entertainment.

The fund utilizes this approach to development, but applies it to director-driven projects, offering a new model to bring films to market. Each project from Atomic will start with bringing on board a director, offering Atomic’s portfolio of writers...

From “Ally McBeal” to “Elementary” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s

“Presence,” Lucy Liu has created memorable characters, and the actor is also an accomplished artist. But, as Gold House readies to bestow her with the Legend award May 11 at the Gold Gala, she says, “It’s so moving. To be honored among your peers and the Asian community, in general, is a destination. It’s a little bit like your family and your family that you may not know. There’s a feeling of pride, and this extension of culture, which is different from the people that you work with that are not necessarily from the same place. I know from my life, my parents were not really that into this career, so it’s very touching.”

Liu spoke with Variety ahead of the Gold Gala to reflect on her recent and upcoming projects, painting...