News

Daruma provides a welcome counternarrative in a movie world that is frequently ruled by stories about overcoming obstacles. Directed by Alexander Yellen, the film tells the story of Patrick, a soldier in a wheelchair who finds out he has a daughter after the death of her mother. By avoiding conventional representations of disability, this realization propels him into a journey of responsibility.

The title, Daruma, refers to the Japanese daruma doll, which stands for determination and good luck. This decision reflects the film’s attitude, which promotes a complex understanding of disability that accepts imperfections as an integral part of being human. The film embraces Patrick’s complexities rather than portraying his life as a series of challenges, in line with a larger cultural trend toward more real and honest portrayals.

Daruma shifts away from patronizing narratives by casting actors with disabilities in prominent parts. The road trip theme of...

The inaugural ceremony for the The 2024 Indie Awards was hosted at the Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles on Dec. 9. This annual event, which was hosted by Nic Novicki and presented by Slamdance Group, honors independent filmmaking.

“’The Indies’ is where distinctly independent US and Indigenous feature filmmakers and their films will be seen, heard, and properly recognized year after year in Hollywood,” said Indie Awards co-founder Paul Rachman. Indie Awards co-founder Ben Umstead added, “Such recognition is a powerful tool for change of the status quo, and embracing change equals the film industry at its best.”

Chloé Leriche won “Best Narrative Feature” and “The Native Viewpoint Award For Outstanding Indigenous Community Story Collaboration” for “Atikamekw Suns” as well as the “Outstanding Storytelling Craft” award alongside Natalie Lamoureux. Also for “Atikamekw Suns,” Giauco Bermudez won the “Outstanding Technical Achievement” honor.

This film is centered around the true story...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Daruma,” a new film about healing and forgiveness featuring disability advocates and actors Tobias Forrest and John W. Lawson. In select theaters since November 15th and available for digital download on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.

Patrick (Tobias Forrest) is an aimless military veteran, living off a disability pension with no direction toward the future. Everything changes when he learns he has a daughter named Camilla (Victoria Scott), and her mother has just died, leaving Patrick an insurance stake to care for his child. The unprepared and reluctant parent takes her in, but the fit isn’t working. Desperate, he asks an estranged and angry neighbor Robert (John Lawson) to transport them to Camilla’s grandparents, and the road trip becomes the metaphor for establishing some new goals.

”Daruma” is in In select theaters since November 15th and available for...

Disability has had such little representation in movies that the ones that do feature characters with disabilities often come down to them overcoming it like it is a problem in the first place. The filmmaking duo of director Alexander Yellen and writer Kelli McNeil wanted their film “Daruma” to be anything but that. McNeil, who has been working on the script since 2007 wanted her story to be representative of the community but also not force you to have a sympathetic gaze towards it. The result is a bittersweet indie drama that Sundance was once known to screen in the early 2000s.

Premiered to 2 jam-packed screenings at the Slamdance Film Festival (the neighboring festival that now hosts the actual made-for-Sundance indies) thanks to McNeil’s brilliant marketing strategy, “Daruma” is the story of a paraplegic – a bitter war-veteran named Patrick (Tobias Forrest) who has been cashing on his disability checks splurging...

Exclusive: Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired North American rights to Daruma, an indie drama exec produced by Oscar winner Peter Farrelly (Green Book).

Believed to be the first film in American cinematic history to star two authentically-cast disabled lead actors in a narrative not about overcoming a disability, the film hits limited theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Minneapolis on November 15, premiering on digital the same day.

Directed by Alexander Yellen (Z-Nation), Daruma tells the story of Patrick (Tobias Forrest), who discovers he has a daughter as the result of a forgotten fling prior to becoming paralyzed. He takes the girl, Camilla (newcomer Victoria Scott), with the promise of a payout, only to quickly learn that he can’t parent her as she needs. He then enlists the help of his cantankerous neighbor...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, two exceedingly intense highlights from Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, a new beef-sizzling new track from Drake, and a mystical Hozier B-side. Plus, new music from Pearl Jam, James Arthur, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone, “Fortnight” (YouTube)

Taylor Swift, “The Albatross” (YouTube)

Drake, “Push Ups” (YouTube)

Hozier, “Why Would You Be Loved?” (YouTube)

Pearl Jam, “Scared of Fear” (YouTube)

James Arthur feat.

Writer Kelli McNeil says she was already “deeply insecure about [her] work” when she handed over an early draft of Daruma — a drama about Patrick (Tobias Forrest), a veteran and quadriplegic who discovers he’s the father of a young girl born from a one-night stand years earlier — to her fiancé, director-cinematographer Alexander Yellen.

“She goes off to the other room, and I start reading the script, and by page two, I’m laughing,” says Yellen, who’s worked in various capacities on shows like Z Nation and Euphoria. “She goes, ‘This is a drama.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not. It’s a dark comedy and it’s great.’”

McNeil began writing the script back in 2017, long before it would premiere at 2023’s Dances With Films Fest in L.A. and screen last month as part of Slamdance’s Unstoppable program, where Peter Farrelly signed on as executive producer to help bolster its profile.

The 30th Slamdance Film Festival announced its annual Sparky Awards on Thursday evening, with Giuseppe Garau’s The Accident from Italy taking narrative feature grand jury honours and Matt Moyer, Amy Toensing’s Inheritance prevailing in the documentary feature category.

The Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Zoe Eisenberg’s Chaperone and the Episodes Grand Jury Prize went to Restorage by E’an Verdugo.

Audience award winners included Omar Kamara’s African Giants for best narrative feature and Hadley Austin’s Demon Mineral for documentary feature.

The Agbo Fellowship was awarded to Kiarash Dadgar, whose short film The Steak...

The 2024 Slamdance Film Festival has announced its winners with Giuseppe Garau’s The Accident landing the narrative Grand Jury prize, and Matt Moyer and Amy Toensing’s Inheritance landing the top doc prize.

African Giants from director Omar Kamara took the audience award for best narrative feature, with Demon Mineral from Hadley Austin taking the prize for doc feature.

In the Unstoppable section, which feature projects by filmmakers with disabilities, Good Bad Things from director Shane Stanger took the top prize.

“This year’s award-winning films leave an indelible mark on the world of independent cinema. Each one delves into groundbreaking storytelling and the spirit of human resilience, highlighting the extreme filmmaking talent on show at Slamdance ‘24,” said Slamdance director Taylor Miller. “We thank our programmers, sponsors, industry partners, and everyone at The Yarrow for creating an inclusive environment in which the filmmakers have been discovered by record-breaking audiences.”

See...

“Inheritance,” “The Accident” and “Good Bad Things” are among the award winners at the 30th annual Slamdance Film Festival. The winners were announced Thursday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City – The Yarrow in Park City, Utah.

The three films feted the Feature Grand Jury Prizes, while the Audience Awards went to “African Giants,” “Demon Mineral,” “Good Bad Things” and “Night Drives.”

The festival also announced the recipient of their Agbo Fellowship from Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo. It went to Kiarash Dadgar, whose short film “The Steak” was programmed as a part of the Narrative Shorts competition and included a $25,000 prize with mentorship from the brothers.

“This year’s award-winning films leave an indelible mark on the world of independent cinema. Each one delves into groundbreaking storytelling and the spirit of human resilience, highlighting the extreme filmmaking talent on show at Slamdance ’24,” Taylor Miller, Slamdance director, said in a statement.