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Sydney Sweeney has the goods to punch her way into the Oscar race for “Christy.”

The talented actress completely transforms in “Christy,” a bruising, emotionally charged biopic about groundbreaking boxer Christy Martin. Directed by Australian filmmaker David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”), the film chronicles Martin’s rise as the most recognizable female boxer in the late 1980’s America, as well as the harrowing 2010 attempt on her life by her husband and former trainer.

The film bowed at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to a strong response, positioning Sweeney for a serious run at a best actress nomination — if the right campaign materializes.

Martin was onstage with Sweeney, Michôd and the rest of the cast as the Princess of Wales Theatre crowd hollered.

“Christy, you are absolutely incredible, and I’m so honored. I’m gonna cry! Oh my God, you’re so inspirational,” Sweeney said while wiping back tears.

Independent film is going through tough times. This year’s Sundance Film Festival had a record-low number of sales in January. As the broader film industry battles contraction and a challenging box office environment, it’s getting harder for anything without IP or A-list stars to get made — especially without the backing of one of the major studios.

Which makes Topic Studios’ run this year so remarkable. The production company run by founder and CEO Michael Bloom was behind three indies that secured theatrical releases, all opening in theaters over the last month.

“Splitsville,” a screwball comedy from filmmakers Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin that stars Dakota Johnson and...

The Maika Monroe and Jason Isaacs-led horror movie Victorian Psycho has officially found a new home. Isaacs is best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie series. More recently, he played the standout role of Timothy Ratliff in the HBO series The White Lotus.

Horror is not Isaacs' most common genre, but it is one that he has dabbled in before. Back in 2016, Isaacs starred in the Gore Verbinski-helmed feature A Cure for Wellness, which also featured scream queen Mia Goth. As such, Victorian Psycho is a chance for the dramatic actor to delve back into this genre.

Bleecker Street has now confirmed that they...

Bleecker Street has picked up US rights from Anton to Zachary Wigon’s upcoming horror thriller Victorian Psycho starring Maika Monroe and Jason Isaacs. Production began in Ireland this week.

Thomasin McKenzie also stars in the story set in Victorian England about an eccentric governess that arrives at a remote gothic manor, where strange happenings stir suspicion that she is not what she seems.

The film is based on the novel of the same name released in February by Virginia Feito, who also wrote the screenplay. Bleecker Street plans to release the feature theatrically nationwide in 2026.

Screen first reported that...

The tense but tender story of a criminal dad who reunites and/or runs off with his child at a crucial point in both of their lives, Nick Rowland’s “She Rides Shotgun” is the kind of movie you’ve seen so many times before in one form (“Paper Moon”) or another (“Leave No Trace”) that it really just lives or dies on whether it gets the characters right.

In this case, the well-trafficked road to perdition can be rather bumpy at times, and it’s prone to long detours where a straight line would have been more effective. It’s easy to forgive the occasional pothole or wrong turn when you care this much about the man behind the wheel — and, of course, about the little girl sitting in the passenger seat beside him.

The man is Nate McClusky, and he’s just been released from maximum-security prison to...

There’s a film out there that’s pulled off something rare—every critic who’s seen it loves it. That movie is ‘Leave No Trace’, a 2018 drama that’s earned a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, holding strong with over 250 reviews. It’s a story about a father and daughter living off the grid, and it’s got a grip on anyone who watches it.

The plot centers on Will, a war veteran, and his teenage daughter, Tom, who’ve carved out a life in the forests near Portland, Oregon. They’re not just camping—they’re hiding, avoiding society’s rules. When authorities find them, they’re forced into a world that feels foreign. The story follows their struggle to adapt and their pull back to the wild, where they feel free. Directed by Debra Granik, the film is based on Peter Rock’s novel ‘My Abandonment’, which draws from a real-life tale,...

The Night Agent's Gabriel Basso is saddling up for a role in a new Western drama. He'll star in Cowboy, a movie centering around the lives of a group of rodeo performers. Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) and Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks) are also set to star in the film. Deadline reports that Cowboy has begun production.

The film will be the directorial debut of Cameron Duddy, a member of the country group Midland. Duddy also wrote the film's script with bandmate Jess Carson; Midland's third member, Mark Wystrach (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), will co-star in the film alongside Basso, Foster, Pankow, and retired Tennessee Titans tackle Taylor Lewan. The film will focus on a troupe of traveling rodeo performers, who seek fame amidst the drudgery of life on the road and the dangerous, punishing sport in the arena. Says Duddy, "This is a personal story for me.

Kent Sanderson has been promoted from president to CEO at Bleecker Street following the death earlier this year of Andrew Karpen.

“Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” said Sanderson. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honouring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy will always remain an inherent part of our DNA.”

Los Angeles-based Sanderson, one of the most insightful minds in the independent film sector, joined Bleecker in 2014 when...

Bleecker Street has elevated Kent Sanderson to CEO, succeeding the company’s co-founder Andrew Karpen who died in April from brain cancer.

With Sanderson’s promotion, Bleecker Street’s long-time executive Tyler Dinapoli has been named president and chief marketing officer while Rachel Allen has been upped to executive VP of publicity.

Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with Bleecker Street since its inception in 2014. Karpen, a former CEO of Focus Features, established the independent studio with a mission to make movies for adult audiences. The company has released roughly 70 films over 10 years, including “Logan Lucky,” “Captain Fantastic,” “Trumbo” and “Sasquatch Sunset.”

Sanderson was elevated to president in late 2023 and previously served as Bleecker’s head of acquisitions and ancillary distribution. In his prior role, he led the acquisition of Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace,” Steven Soderbergh’s “Logan Lucky” and Gavin Hood’s “Eye in the Sky” while overseeing...

Kent Sanderson has been elevated to Chief Executive Officer of Bleecker Street from his former role as President, succeeding Bleecker Street founder Andrew Karpen who passed away in April from glioblastoma.

Additionally, Tyler Dinapoli has been named president and Chief Marketing Officer. Both Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with the company since its inception in 2014 and, according to an official release, “have been instrumental in shaping the company’s slate and strategy.”

Meanwhile, Rachel Allen has been upped from SVP to EVP of Publicity.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” Sanderson said in a Tuesday statement. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow,...

Bleecker Street has promoted president Kent Sanderson to be its new CEO, taking the reins from Bleecker Street founder Andrew Karpen, who passed away in April from glioblastoma.

The indie distributor has also promoted Tyler Dinapoli as its new President and Chief Marketing Officer and Rachel Allen to EVP of Publicity. Both Karpen and Dinapoli have been with Bleecker Street from the very beginning when Karpen founded the company back in 2014.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” Sanderson said in a statement. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy will always remain an inherent part of our DNA.”

Sanderson had previously...

Bleecker Street said Tuesday that it has promoted president Kent Sanderson to CEO, taking on the role previously held by company founder Andrew Karpen, who died in April after a battle with brain cancer.

Tyler Dinapoli has been named President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Both Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with the company since its inception in 2014 and have been key in shaping the distributor’s slate and strategy.

Bleecker Street

In addition, Rachel Allen who has been raised to from SVP, Publicity to EVP, Publicity.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” said Sanderson. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy...

All About Netflix’s Hidden Gem With A 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score!(Photo Credit –Netflix)

Leave No Trace has quietly resurfaced, now streaming across Netflix in multiple regions and appearing on other platforms. Even though it’s not a noisy blockbuster, the film has earned something louder than hype: unanimous praise.

Rotten Tomatoes, the watchful critic barometer, rarely hands out perfect scores, but here’s where this quiet, haunting story stands out. It’s one of the most-reviewed films to hold a pristine 100% rating, and that doesn’t happen often.

Leave No Trace: Life In The Margins

The film follows a father, Will, and his teenage daughter, Tom, tucked away from society in the dense woods on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Their life is quiet, self-sustaining, and seemingly untouched by the chaos beyond the trees, but the stillness cracks after a single misstep forces them into contact with a world they’ve long avoided.

Ben Foster is a man with mangling and mutilation on his mind in a new Collider-exclusive clip of the new thriller Sharp Corner. Cobie Smulders also stars in this adaptation of a Russell Wangersky short story, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. The film, which was shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is set to be released later this year.

In the clip, Foster (Hell or High Water) plays Josh McCall, a man who lives near the sharp corner of the title. It's spelled doom for a number of motorists, and as the clip demonstrates, that hasn't been good for Josh's mental health. He and his wife, Rachel, have some dinner guests over, but Josh can't stop himself from talking about Kyle, a young man who recently perished on the corner. He describes, in gruesome detail, how the car's passenger survived, but the driver was...

Andrew Karpen, the founder and CEO of indie distributor Bleecker Street, the former co-ceo of Focus Features, and an all-around icon as an indie film executive, has died. He was 59.

Karpen died on Monday, April 28. In 2024, he had been diagnosed with a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, detailing the extent and severity of his condition in a piece in Deadline.

“Our industry has lost a giant” said Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street’s President and Andrew’s longtime friend. “Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives.”

Karpen founded Bleecker Street as a New York City-based independently financed studio in August 2014, having released more than 75 films including titles like “Logan Lucky,” “Leave No Trace,” “The Assistant,” “Rumours,” “Mass,” “The Starling Girl,...

Bleecker Street Media founder and CEO Andrew Karpen died Monday from glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer that upended his life when it was discovered in January 2024. He was 59.

Karpen has been a fixture in the independent film space for decades, and went from co-ceo of Focus Features to form Bleecker Street Media in 2014. Bleecker has released more than 75 films since then, theatrical releases across all genres. That includes films from auteurs like Steven Soderbergh (Logan Lucky), Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), andOscar-nominated films including Captain Fantastic and Trumbo. He was known as the epitome of class; an executive you could look in the eye and trust what he told you. He turned 59 on April 18.

Deadline detailed the ordeal that Karpen and his wife Pam went through, a piece I wrote to spur donations to help the work of Dr. John Boockvar, a neurosurgeon at the Brain...

Exclusive: Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Manny Jacinto (Freakier Friday), and Fiona Shaw (Bad Sisters) will topline The Stalemate, an absurdist Western comedy from first-time feature filmmaker Nicholas Arioli, who’s directing from his own script.

Currently in production in Santa Fe, New Mexico, The Stalemate focuses on a robber (Jacinto) and sheriff (Foster) who, out of bullets and far from town, must negotiate their way out of an absurd, unending chase in the Old West.

“I spent many years writing this completely absurd movie,” Arioli said, “and I’m honored to work with such an incredible team who are as excited as I am to bring it to life. The Stalemate is part wacky buddy comedy, part poignant Western elegy – and just straight up a ton of fun. We can’t wait to share it!”

Producers of the film are Molly Conners and Amanda Bowers of Phiphen, Andrew Bosworth of Warden Shortbow,...

Before Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” heads into Oscars weekend with two nominations following a fruitful awards season as a critical darling for Searchlight Pictures, who acquired the film during a late-night bidding war following the Sundance premiere, it’s hard to believe the film was turned down by nearly every single distributor they approached originally.

In the wake of those “discouraging” rejections, Eisenberg, who also stars in the film alongside Kieran Culkin, decided to try out the independent financing route through Topic Studios, whose previous films include “Spencer,” “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” “Theater Camp,” “Leave No Trace,” the Best Picture Oscar winner “Spotlight” and many more.

“When we met Topic, it was such a great relief, because they loved the movie. They understood that the tone was unusual, and they appreciated the movie for what it is, as opposed to questioning it or wanting it to be something different,...

Movies about irresponsible parenting in the great outdoors have become something of an arthouse subgenre over the past decade. Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic, Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, India Donaldson’s Good One and Philippe Lesage’s Who by Fire all feature children coming of age in the wilderness as their fathers mess up in one way or another. If there’s perhaps one takeaway from all of these films, it’s to be on guard the next time your dad asks you to go on a long hike or camping trip.

Unfortunately, such a warning was never issued to Roy (Woody Norman), the 13-year-old protagonist of French writer-director Vladimir de Fontenay’s latest feature, Sukkwan Island. Embarking with his father, Tom (Swann Arlaud), on an extended séjour to an isolated cabin somewhere in the Norwegian fjords, Roy soon finds himself facing various life or death scenarios while Tom gradually flies off the handle.

Horror fans should be drooling over this one. A24 has picked up the U.S. rights to “Victorian Psycho,” a horror-thriller film that will star “The Substance” actress Margaret Qualley and “Leave No Trace” actress Thomasin McKenzie, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire.

“Victorian Psycho” is a reunion between Qualley and “Sanctuary” director Zachary Wigon, who is directing the film based on an upcoming novel by author Virginia Feito (“Mrs. March”). Feito also wrote the script based on her book.

The horror pedigree doesn’t stop there, as “Longlegs” producer Dan Kagan is producing the film, as is “The Night House” producer Sebastien Raybaud. Wigon will also produce in association with Anonymous Content. Nick Shumaker and Bard Dorros will executive produce.

“Victorian Psycho” is, naturally, set in Victorian England and follows an eccentric governess who arrives at a remote gothic manor where strange happenings stir suspicion that she’s not what she seems.

Exclusive: A24 has pre-bought domestic rights to buzzy horror package Victorian Psycho, which will star Margaret Qualley (The Substance) in the lead role alongside Thomasin Mckenzie (Leave No Trace).

As we revealed ahead of AFM, Zachary Wigon (Sanctuary) directs from a script by author Virginia Feito (Mrs. March), based on her upcoming novel of the same name. Multiple U.S. buyers were keen on the project.

Set in Victorian England, the film sees an eccentric governess arrive at a remote gothic manor, where strange happenings stir suspicion that she’s not what she seems. Production is due to begin in March 2025.

Pic is produced by Dan Kagan (Longlegs) under his Traffic. banner as well as Sebastien Raybaud (Greenland) and Wigon, in association with Anonymous Content. Nick Shumaker and Bard Dorros will executive-produce.

This marks the second collaboration between Wigon and Qualley, following Wigon’s dominatrix thriller Sanctuary, which premiered at...

A 2018 drama movie, directed by Debra Granik, surprisingly holds many major distinctions for a drama movie. Leave No Trace, released theatrically on June 29, 2018, initially made a name for itself at the 2018 Sundance Festival.

Starring the likes of Ben Foster and Jeff Kober, Leave No Trace unfortunately failed to make an impact during its limited theatrical run, amassing a grand total of $7 million. However, the movie has since become a bit of a cult classic, and most notably boasts of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, alongside a 78% Popcorn Meter Score.

Impressive, to say the least, because, unlike most major box office giants, Leave No Trace did not have a star-studded cast, and instead relied on its storytelling, a unique plot, and some impressive performances.

Leave No Trace is the most-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes boasting a 100% score A still from Leave No Trace. | Amazon Prime

Leave No Trace was written by Granik and Anne Rosellini,...

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Sean Baker’s “Anora” its Best Picture for 2024. The critics group also awarded stars Mikey Madison and Yura Borisov with the Best Leading Performance and Best Supporting Performance, respectively. This year, the Lafca decided to spread the wealth and awarded two performers in each category, which remain gender neutral.

The Lafca spread the wealth around, but Baker also received the runner-up prizes for both Best Director and Best Screenplay. Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” was named runner-up in the Best Picture category.

With New York kicking off awards season with the Gotham Awards and the NYFCC releasing their winners, the West coast finally jumped into the fray, with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announcing their winners for 2024 on Sunday, December 8.

Lafca previously unveiled that John Carpenter will be receiving the Career Achievement Award during its ceremony on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles,...

Though Debra Granik is no stranger to Sundance — 2004’s Down to the Bone, 2018’s Leave No Trace and 2010’s Oscar-nominated (in four categories) Winter’s Bone all premiered in Park City — I was a bit surprised to see the indie vet’s name attached to a project at the fest’s 40th edition earlier this year. Unlike the director’s prior critically-acclaimed films, Conbody vs Everybody is neither narrative nor a traditional feature doc, but a documentary in five chapters that took Granik and her longtime collaborators, EP Anne Rosellini and EP/editor Victoria […]

The post “Doc Filmmaking Can Be a Very Weird Process of Interpersonal Negotiations”: Debra Granik on Conbody vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Though Debra Granik is no stranger to Sundance — 2004’s Down to the Bone, 2018’s Leave No Trace and 2010’s Oscar-nominated (in four categories) Winter’s Bone all premiered in Park City — I was a bit surprised to see the indie vet’s name attached to a project at the fest’s 40th edition earlier this year. Unlike the director’s prior critically-acclaimed films, Conbody vs Everybody is neither narrative nor a traditional feature doc, but a documentary in five chapters that took Granik and her longtime collaborators, EP Anne Rosellini and EP/editor Victoria […]

The post “Doc Filmmaking Can Be a Very Weird Process of Interpersonal Negotiations”: Debra Granik on Conbody vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Exclusive: Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho) is set to star alongside Margaret Qualley in Victorian Psycho, the new psychological horror thriller reteaming Qualley with Zachary Wigon, who helmed her acclaimed Neon dominatrix thriller Sanctuary.

Recently introduced to buyers at AFM by Anton, which is representing international rights and co-repping domestic, in addition to fully financing the film, Victorian Psycho is based on the upcoming novel from bestselling author Virginia Feito (Mrs. March), who adapted the screenplay.

The story is set in 1858, watching as an eccentric young governess named Winifred Notty (Qualley) arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there...

The 2007 Christian Bale and Russel Crowe-led Western film 3:10 to Yuma will be available to stream on Paramount+ starting Nov. 1. The James Mangold-directed movie also stars Peter Fonda (Easy Rider), Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), Ben Foster (Leave No Trace), Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien), Vanessa Shaw (Hocus Pocus) and Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower).

3:10 to Yuma is a remake of the 1957 Delmer Daves film of the same name and is based on the 1953 short story Three-Ten to Yuma by Elmore Leonard. In the movie, which is set in 1884 in the Arizona Territory, Bale plays Dan Evans, a poor rancher who agrees to transport a notorious outlaw, Ben Wade, played by Crowe, to a train that will take him to court to be tried in Yuma.

Related One of Christian Bale's Best Movies Is Getting a Remake

A new take on one of Christian Bale's best non-...

The events leading up to July 1978 and the birth in Manchester of the world’s first “test tube baby” — the tabloid term for the process known more soberly as IVF (in vitro fertilization) — are fascinating by any metric. It’s a story of determination, skill and genuine genius, focusing on three modest and largely unsung heroes driven in the main by a spirit of pure human kindness. Fascinating as that is, however, Ben Taylor’s warm, intelligent and never less than respectful movie, which received its world premiere at the London Film Festival this week, struggles to harness the same kind of lightning that science did.

Ostensibly an ensemble piece, Joy is actually a vehicle for the charming Thomasin McKenzie, the young New Zealand actress who broke out in 2018’s Leave No Trace and makes a welcome return to drama here. In a rare instance of age-appropriate casting, she plays Jean Purdy,...

Variety will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bleecker Street with a cocktail party and awards presentation to Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen on Oct. 5 at the New York Film Festival. Karpen will be honored with the Variety Vanguard Award for his exemplary leadership and extensive contributions to the indie film community. Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh will give remarks and present the award.

The invite-only cocktail party will also celebrate the New York Premiere of Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” which Bleecker is releasing Dec. 6 in a qualifying run, followed by a Jan. 10 nationwide rollout. The film stars Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets and Lies”), alongside Leigh regular Michele Austin, and explores deep-rooted family dynamics with humor, pathos and Leigh’s singular view into the human condition.

Karpen founded Bleecker Street in August 2014. Having guided the company through a time of immense industry disruption and change, he has established...

Men will literally become fixated on car accidents that keep happening on a dangerous road near their new house instead of going to therapy. At least, that’s the case for Ben Foster’s Josh in “Sharp Corner,” an often remarkably well-acted psychological thriller about a pitiful man who can’t stop looking out from his home in the hopes passing cars will crash. It’s a work that serves as yet another strong showcase for Foster, who has been great in standout leading roles in “Leave No Trace” and “Hell or High Water.”

Now this new film from writer-director Jason Buxton (“Blackbird”) gets to where it needs to in one piece (even as its many motor vehicles do not), further proving to be another sturdy character study that is made into something greater by a fantastic Foster.

“Sharp Corner,” which premiered Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, is...

Cinema isn’t dead, long live cinema! (Pronounced cheenima.)

So the Venice Film Festival — aka La Biennale as it’s known around the Lido — launched into its 81st edition on Wednesday, August 28 with a chatty day of press conferences, a world premiere, and a Golden Lion ceremony for an American screen icon. And it’s an especially hot day with temperatures in the low 30 degrees Celsius (or the upper 80s in Fahrenheit; I’m trying to get into my Italian spin here) and attendees in under-air-conditioned venues like the Sala Grande schvitzing into the night. Heads up: Bring a paper fan.

Last year’s Venice saw a festival deprived of top-drawer talent due to the then-ongoing writers and actors strikes. That’s not the case in 2024, where all the stars of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” could come out for their world premiere, not just Tim Burton and his girlfriend Monica Bellucci (who...

Oscar-nominated U.S. director Debra Granik (“Winter’s Bone”) will preside over the jury of the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons (Orizzonti) section dedicated to more cutting-edge works.

Granik will be joined on the Horizons jury by Iranian writer, director and producer Ali Asgari (“Terrestrial Verses”); Syrian film director and screenwriter Soudade Kaadan (“The Day I Lost My Shadow”); Greek director, screenwriter and producer Christos Nikou (“Apples”); Swedish actress and director Tuva Novotny (“Britt-Marie Was Here”); Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Reisz (“Explanation for Everything”); and Italian screenwriter and director Valia Santella (“I Can See It in Your Eyes”).

“Winter’s Bone” won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2010 and was nominated for four Oscars, including best picture and best adapted Screenplay for Granik and co-writer Anne Rosellini. Her first film, “Down to the Bone,” won Granik the best director prize at Sundance in 2004. In 2015, Granik completed the feature doc “Stray Dog.” Her 2018 film,...

Plot: An epic saga of the various groups who try to settle the ever-expanding horizon of the old West.

Review: Kevin Costner’s Horizon might be the most ambitious movie undertaking since Lord of the Rings. Think about it – Kevin Costner has sunk a huge chunk of his own personal fortune into making an epic Western saga, with a second movie only weeks away from hitting theatres, regardless of whether or not the first makes him any money. If that weren’t enough, he’s already started shooting pieces of the third film, and he’s sworn he’ll be making a fourth film as well. Given the scope of his ambitions, it’s hard to truly judge Horizon – Chapter 1 as a standalone film, with it so clearly part of a much bigger whole.

Running three hours (with credits), Costner, who also directed, produced and co-wrote the film (with Jon Baird...

In the world of celebrity documentaries, hagiographies reign supreme. Rare is the film that fulfills its promises of intimacy, vulnerability and never-before-seen perspectives. The films are generally risk-avoidant exercises that have perfected the optical illusion of making subjects seem closer than they actually are.

I Am: Celine Dion abandons tricks of the eye for an unflinching look at the subject’s new reality. The doc chronicles the Canadian singer’s struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome (Sps), a rare neurological disorder that causes muscular rigidity and severe spasms. After years of gesturing toward symptoms related to the condition, Dion shared a full account of her health issues in a December 2022 Instagram post. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you,” Dion says in the video, looking into the camera with warm intensity. Her voice trembles with the weight of sadness and disappointment. She continues:...

Debra Granik put stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Thomasin McKenzie on the map with her films Winter’s Bone and Leave No Trace respectively. After Good One premiered in Sundance and then went to Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, there’s a sense that India Donaldson has just done the same thing for Lily Collias. As the positive buzz has built around the movie, the attention has focused on the startlingly subtle and emotional performance given by Collias, who plays Sam, a 17-year-old who accompanies her father Chris (James Le Gros) and his best friend Matt (Danny McCarthy) on a camping trip.

Donaldson’s film offers an accessible entry on a fun weekend in the woods, as the men squabble and Sam, who seems to outwit the pair of them without even trying, attempts to mediate. But as the movie unfolds, tensions ratchet, and Collias is tasked with navigating a character who begins to feel increasingly alone.

While film criticism aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes are useful in helping to determine the broad critical consensus that a film received, simplifying the response to a film into a score is not necessarily a useful form of engaging with art. Rotten Tomatoes works like a binary, and in actuality, theres much more to a good review than whether a film is simply rotten or fresh. Metrics like Rotten Tomatoes may claim to democratize the art of criticism, but theyre largely useless for those looking for more nuanced opinions. However, overwhelming critical support from an aggregator like Rotten Tomatoes can shed a spotlight on films that would not have otherwise received as much attention from a mainstream audience. Debra Graniks 2018 family drama Leave No Trace may have been a film that many slept on while it was in theaters, but its 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes should hopefully encourage a wider audience to check it out.

Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster and Pablo Schreiber will join the previously announced Alan Ritchson in the action thriller “Motor City.”

Potsy Ponciroli will direct the picture. Production begins July 10 in New Jersey and AlUla, Saudi Arabia as part of Stampede Ventures’ 10-picture slate deal with Film AlUla.

Greg Silverman and Jon Berg will produce for Stampede Ventures, alongside Rohini Singh, Paramdeep Singh and Manmeet Singh of Astro Lion Pictures, and Cliff Roberts and Chad St. John, who also penned the script. Mike Tadross Jr. and Eric Hedayat will executive produce.

Black Bear represents international rights with WME Independent co-representing domestic rights with Stampede, and Sacker Entertainment Law overseeing production legal.

“Motor City” follows John Miller (Ritchson), a Detroit auto-worker whose life and girlfriend (Woodley) are taken away from him when he’s framed by a local gangster (Foster) and sent to prison. On his release, Miller unleashes a maelstrom of...

A new image has been released from a documentary on famous singer Celine Dion's life. The documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, will be available globally on June 25. The documentary is directed by Irene Taylor (Leave No Trace). It will give audiences a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness. According to Deadline, the documentary was filmed over the course of a year. In it, Dion discusses her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis. According to Amazon, the documentary serves as a love letter to her fans. "As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans," Dion says.

On its 10th Anniversary, independent film studio Bleecker Street is celebrating its past while looking towards its future. Huzzah! Woohoo! The vibrant film distributor company has revealed a video to celebrate their 10th anniversary, featuring a look at their upcoming 2024 slate. Bleecker Street was formed in August 2014 by CEO Andrew Karpen, who is the former co-ceo of Focus Features. His new company is based in New York City and it was named after 65 Bleecker Street, the street address of Karpen's other company Focus Features. This brand new studio was established with the goal to distribute "smart house" films that combine the entertainment of studio blockbusters with the artistic indie allure. Even if you don't know them by name, you definitely know some of the films they've released over the last 10 years: I'll See You In My Dreams, Arctic, The Art of Self-Defense, Logan Lucky, Eye in the Sky, Leave No Trace,...

“Rumours” is on the way. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Bleecker Street, the indie film studio, has released a new highlight sizzle reel emphasizing their greatest hits film accomplishments and a tease of what’s to come with never-before-seen footage. Some of Bleecker Street’s most notable titles include Steven Soderbergh’s “Logan Lucky,” “Eye in the Sky,” “Kitty Green’s “The Assistant,” Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” and “Captain Fantastic” (which earned Viggo Mortensen a Best Actor Oscar nomination), and many more, but it’s the upcoming titles that are the most compelling.

Continue reading Bleecker Street Gives First Look At Guy Maddin’s ‘Rumours’ With Cate Blanchett & Alicia Vikander & More Upcoming Titles at The Playlist.

Exclusive: In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Bleecker Street has unveiled a reel showcasing both where the company has been and where it’s headed, unveiling never-before-seen footage from numerous upcoming titles.

Titles nearest on the horizon that are teased include Nathan and David Zellner’s acclaimed Sundance pic Sasquatch Sunset, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, which opens in select theaters April 12, and Tony Goldwyn’s family dramedy Ezra, out May 31. Others include Julia von Heinz’s Treasure (June 14), starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry; Jocelyn Moorhouse’s comedy The Fabulous Four (July 26), starring Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph; Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi pic Slingshot (August 23), starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishbourne and Emily Beecham; and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths (October 18), starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Then, there’s Uberto Pasolini’s The Return, starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and Charlie Plummer, and the film Rumours with Cate Blanchett,...

Neon Intl. has added to its growing EFM slate with Jason Buxton’s “Sharp Corner,” starring Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders. The company, launched last year as the sales arm of Neon, will launch the project in Berlin.

The under-the-radar feature, now in post-production, is based on the short story from Russell Wangersky’s Giller Prize-shortlisted collection “Whirl Away,” and marks Buxton’s follow up to his debut film, 2012’s ”Blackbird,” which won the best first feature in Toronto and picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Écrans Juniors.

“Sharp Corner” follows a dedicated family man who becomes obsessed with saving the lives of the car accident victims on the sharp corner in front of his house — an obsession that could cost him everything.

The film, a Canadian-Irish co-production, is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, Screen Nova Scotia, Ontario Creates and in association with Bell Media/Crave.

Since helming the Academy Award-nominated “Winter’s Bone” in 2010, Debra Granik has enjoyed shifting between a further dabble into feature-length filmmaking (“Leave No Trace”) in addition to documentary work (“Stray Dog”), which, when coupled with her eclectic decades-strong filmography clearly showcases an overabundance of ability and flair for skillfully adapting to any subject that comes her way. Another comfortable entry on her resume exists in “Conbody Vs Everybody, “a six-part docu-series with a concept unlike anything she’s tackled prior while continuing to demonstrate her knack for creating something compelling while also supremely relevant to this day and age.

Continue reading ‘Conbody Vs Everybody’ Review: Debra Granik Looks At Former Convicts Receiving A Lifeline A Gym Like No Other [Sundance] at The Playlist.

Conbody Vs Everybody sees Debra Granik (Stray Dog) returning to documentary after 2018’s Leave No Trace and also breaking into the world of episodic series. The film follows Coss Marte as he creates a gym inspired by his own prison work outs in hopes of breaking the cycle of recidivism. Two episodes of Conbody Vs Everybody will premiere at Sundance 2024. Below, series cinematographers Sean Hanley, Kefentse Johnson and Eric Phillips-Horst share how they all got involved in the film, how their personal styles blended with Granik’s and the challenges of shooting a series over many years. See all responses to […]

The post “Debra is Incredibly Skilled at Recognizing What Will Remain Salient”: DPs Sean Hanley, Kefentse Johnson and Eric Phillips-Horst on Conbody Vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Conbody Vs Everybody sees Debra Granik (Stray Dog) returning to documentary after 2018’s Leave No Trace and also breaking into the world of episodic series. The film follows Coss Marte as he creates a gym inspired by his own prison work outs in hopes of breaking the cycle of recidivism. Two episodes of Conbody Vs Everybody will premiere at Sundance 2024. Below, series cinematographers Sean Hanley, Kefentse Johnson and Eric Phillips-Horst share how they all got involved in the film, how their personal styles blended with Granik’s and the challenges of shooting a series over many years. See all responses to […]

The post “Debra is Incredibly Skilled at Recognizing What Will Remain Salient”: DPs Sean Hanley, Kefentse Johnson and Eric Phillips-Horst on Conbody Vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Debra Granik, whose most recent work was the 2018 Sundance premiere Leave No Trace, returns to documentary with Conbody Vs Everybody, an episodic series that marks her first entry in the medium. The series follows Coss Marte, an ex-convict who starts a gym with the aim of breaking the cycle of recidivism and fending off gentrification in New York City’s Lower East Side. Editing the series is Tory Stewart, editor of Stray Dog, Granik’s 2014 documentary, and also a contributor on Leave No Trace and Winter’s Bone. Below, she talks about how the edit and the series evolved over many years and the time capsule […]

The post “Some Moments Feel Like They’re from a Totally Different World”: Editor Tory Stewart on Conbody Vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Debra Granik, whose most recent work was the 2018 Sundance premiere Leave No Trace, returns to documentary with Conbody Vs Everybody, an episodic series that marks her first entry in the medium. The series follows Coss Marte, an ex-convict who starts a gym with the aim of breaking the cycle of recidivism and fending off gentrification in New York City’s Lower East Side. Editing the series is Tory Stewart, editor of Stray Dog, Granik’s 2014 documentary, and also a contributor on Leave No Trace and Winter’s Bone. Below, she talks about how the edit and the series evolved over many years and the time capsule […]

The post “Some Moments Feel Like They’re from a Totally Different World”: Editor Tory Stewart on Conbody Vs Everybody first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Welcome to the Scene to Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline.

I have a disclaimer. I talk to actress Thomasin Mackenzie, director William Oldroyd, script writers Ottessa Moshfeg and Luke Goebel, about the Neon film Eileen, but this episode is going to be split into two.

First half is a separate interview with Thomasin Mackenzie and the second half is a full interview with Moshfegh, Goebel and Oldroyd. Think of this as the Eileen hour! Hope you can cut me some slack because they couldn’t record together!

Eileen is adapted from the novel of the same name written by Ottessa Moshfeg. Alongside Mackenzie, the film stars Ann Hathaway, Shea Wigham, Marin Ireland, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan.

The film is set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their...

Finestkind features a star-studded cast, including an Emmy nominee and Academy Award winner, bringing familiar faces and talent to the crime thriller drama. The film follows two brothers who turn to a Boston crime syndicate to pay off their debt, leading to unexpected conflict and trouble. The four central characters in the movie are Tom, Charlie, Mabel, and Ray, portrayed by Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, and Tommy Lee Jones, respectively.

Finestkind features a cast comprised of an Emmy Award nominee, an Academy Award winner, a Critics' Choice Award nominee, and plenty of other familiar faces (and a handful of new ones). The 2023 crime thriller drama was directed and written by Brian Helgeland, most known for L.A. Confidential, Mystic River, and 42. The film tells the story of two brothers who work as fishermen in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and are unexpectedly forced to get involved with a Boston crime syndicate to pay a debt.

Although the mainstream audience might not have seen Thomasin McKenzie until her starring role in the Taika Waititi-helmed war dramedy Jojo Rabbit, where she played a young Jewish hideaway escaping the Nazis, the budding actress gave a heartbreaking and powerful performance in Debra Granik's 2018 film Leave No Trace. With many favorable reviews across the board, the film achieved near-universal acclaim, focusing on McKenzie and her co-star Ben Foster's performances. For those that are excited about seeing her in future projects, Leave No Trace is essential viewing to grasp the acting prowess that Thomasin McKenzie is capable of.