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A Quiet Place: Day One is an experience where moviegoers witness the day the world went quiet in this terrifying continuation of the A Quiet Place universe. When Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) returns home to New York City, her simple trip turns into a harrowing nightmare when mysterious creatures that hunt by sound attack. Accompanied by her cat Frodo and an unexpected ally (Joseph Quinn), Samira must embark on a perilous journey through the city that has suddenly gone silent, where the only rule is to stay quiet to stay alive. Djimon Hounsou and Alex Wolff also star in this intensely suspenseful thriller.

The visual storytelling in A Quiet Place: Day One delivered a powerful and immersive cinematic journey that relied heavily on imagery to convey its narrative and emotional depth. From glimpses of monstrous forms to sound visualization of the characters, the beauty of the film literally permeated the screen...

Exclusive: Peacock is headed to Ancient Egypt with Cleo, a one-hour dramedy in development from writer Jessica Runck (Man With A Plan), Jane the Virgin developer/showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, TrillTV and CBS Studios, where Urman is under an overall deal.

Written by Runck, with Urman serving as as showrunner, Cleo revolves around Cleopatra, an overqualified young woman who is forced to hide her intelligence behind make-up, clothes and men to earn the respect she needs to hang on to her job: being queen of Egypt. A dramatic comedy set in ancient Egypt that proves not much has changed in two thousand years, Cleo shares the feminist take of Urman’s Peabody Award-winning Jane the Virgin.

Runck and Urman executive produce with Kaplan and Brian Morewitz for Kapital Entertainment, Wendi Trilling for TrillTV, along with Joanna Klein and Karen Forman. CBS Studios is the studio.

Exclusive: Filmmaker Vincent Grashaw has signed with Gersh for representation.

Grashaw is a writer, director and producer who most recently directed and produced the horror-thriller What Josiah Saw, which premiered to critical praise at the Fantasia Film Festival and garnered several awards on the festival circuit, before being acquired by Shudder for release on August 4th.

He will next direct the boxing dramedy Bang Bang, with Randomix Productions’ Ran Namerode and Angelia Adzic producing alongside Cole Payne of Traverse Media. The original spec script was written by Grashaw’s fellow Gersh client, Will Janowitz. The project is fully financed and actively being cast by Sig De Midguel & Stephen Vincent, with production to kick off later this fall.

Grashaw’s past work includes the 2017 drama And Then I Go, based on the 2004 novel Project X by Jim Shepard. Premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the film starred Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long and Tony Hale.

We might be in the mid-August, dog days of summer, but horror season is just around the corner. Spirit Halloween stores have popped up and are open, Pumpkin Spice Latte are back in shops and grocery stores and on Shudder, the 31 days of Halloween have become the 61 days of Halloween

For horror fans it’s never too early for the spooky season and with that comes these movies to check out on Shudder.

Streaming now – What Josiah Saw.

The southern gothic horror movie stars Robert Patrick (The Terminator), Nick Stahl (Sin City), Scott Haze (Child Of God) and Kelli Garner (Lars And The Real Girl)

The film is the third feature from American filmmaker Vincent Grashaw and world premiered to high praise at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and went on to win awards at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Screamfest, and more.

After two decades,...

Netflix’s Latest Turkish Series

At a press conference today in Istanbul, Netflix announced Original drama series Midnight At the Pera Palace, produced by Karga Seven Pictures Turkey, the Turkish production arm of LA-based production company Karga Seven Pictures, part of the Red Arrow Studios group. The eight-episode Turkish-language time-travel series has started production in multiple locations in Turkey. The show is focused on a young journalist called Esra and her encounter with the legendary Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul from where she travels back in time to 1919. The story is inspired by the non-fiction book of the same name written by Charles King, and was created for TV by Emre Sahin, Kelly McPherson and Sam Anzel, written by Elif Usman, and directed by Emre Sahin. The series is executive produced by Sarah Wetherbee, Kelly McPherson and Emre Sahin for Karga Seven Pictures.

Stars Align For BAFTA Cymru

BAFTA’s...

This year has seen every film festival struggling to find ways to present new films to their audience safely, without risk of infection, in the midst of a global pandemic. And after long and serious discussion, Grimmfest will be going ahead in a new format for 2020 – offering a roster of feature film premieres and shorts programmes across a new online platform.

Grimmfest’s live event at the Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, will be postponed until spring 2021. But fear not, a new online alternative “virtual festival” will run from 7 – 11 October 2020 and will present over 19 features, two short film showcases, and an exclusive Q&a with the Master of Horror himself, Mick Garris, who will also be receiving a Lifetime achievement award.

And what’s more, Grimmfest have released info on the first selection of premieres that will screen as part of the new venture. From the press release:

A focus on...

Tagline: "Your Countdown Has Begun." Horror thriller Triggered is a film about nine characters and bomb vests. Each friend has a suicide bomb vest strapped to their chest; each vest has a countdown timer. And, these nine characters must work together to survive a devious plot. As well, Triggered is currently in post-production. Shot in South Africa, this feature is slated for an appearance in Santa Monica, at this year's American Film Market. The film was shot by Alastair Orr (House on Willow Street) and stars: Sean Cameron Michael (Broken Darkness), Reine Swart ("Z Nation") and Steven John Ward. Recently, a movie poster was released for the film and the graphic can be found here. The film poster shows a character with axe-in-hand. Also, the film's synopsis mentions stealing another person's time, through murder. These friends must turn on each other to survive! And, the characters' time is running out...

Kew Media Distribution have announced they will be releasing the new horror feature Itsy Bitsy on UK digital platforms from 14th October. Directed and produced by Micah Gallo (Wick) alongside special effects master Dan Rebert (True Blood), Itsy Bitsy stars Bruce Davison, Elizabeth Roberts, Denise Crosby, Arman Darbo and Chloe Perrin.

Itsy Bitsy weaves a character-driven story of responsibility, love and loss set against a terrifying backdrop of chilling scares and monstrous legends. When Kara (Elizabeth Roberts) a single mother struggling to raise two children in New York City, receives a job offer to work as a private nurse in the mid-West, it’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. So, she uproots her family, moving them to the remote farm owned by Walter (Golden Globe®-winner Bruce Davison), a semi-retired antiquities appraiser who has multiple sclerosis. At first, things seem normal enough. But what Kara doesn’t know is...

CAA represents Us rights; deal expected soon.

International Film Trust (Ift) has boarded sales rights to Sundance selection To The Stars and will kick off talks with buyers in Cannes.

CAA represents Us rights and a Us deal is expected soon. Ift head of international Todd Olsson will present colour and black-and-white versions of the film to international buyers on the Croisette.

Martha Stephens (Land Ho!) directed the coming-of-age story about a shy farmer’s daughter in 1960s Oklahoma who strikes up a friendship with a lively city transplant that will change their lives forever.

Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) and...

The Columbine massacre happened in 1999. It’s crazy to think it’s been over twenty years because we seem to have a new school shooting every month now. And as they grew in prevalence, the conversation surrounding them shifted from tragedy to politicization. Gus Van Sant’s Elephant arrived in 2003 as a poetic psychological display unconcerned with pretending to know answers. It documented the experience of this tragic event as an emotional confluence between troubled souls on both sides of the gun — the mundane taking on meaning beyond its façade. With the help of a 24-hour news cycle, however, this notion of problematic complexity has been erased. Now it’s monster versus victim. It’s mental illness versus gun control. The empathy necessary to solve this terrifying epidemic ceases to exist.

Choosing to tell a story on this subject in 2018 must therefore combat many more prejudices and preconceptions than at...

Ben Dickey

For an event that’s only in its 6th edition, the Louisiana International Film Festival (April 18–22) already seems to have dramatically changed the film landscape of the city of Baton Rouge and nearby towns. Fostering the development of a cinephile community and supporting local creators through its mentorship program, this regional outfit thrives thanks to its carefully selected slate and engaged audiences.

Program Director Ian Birnie, who was has been involved with Liff since its inception in 2013, has consistently assembled a selection of films comprised of accessible crowd-pleasers (this year with Streaker), unexpected foreign language gems (Double Lover), well-crafted American indies (American Animals), and Louisiana-made productions highlighting homegrown talent (Cut Off). Well-attended screenings, even for the more obscure titles, confirmed the notion that people are interested in watching what the fest has to offer beyond the galas and parties.

Choosing Ethan Hawke’s Blaze as the Opening Night...

Being a teenager is hard. We’ve all been through it and survived, coming out the other end hopefully a healthy and curious adult. For some though, it can be literal hell on Earth, with potentially deadly issues. This week, one such independent film opens that seeks to tackle it. It’s called And Then I Go, a drama that tackles some truly important things. There’s a fine line to walk between examination and exploitation, but this movie does it quite well. In fact, it’s one of the more surprising indies of 2018 so far. It really sneaks up on you and leaves its mark. Consider me impressed. The movie is a character study of sorts, focused in on teenagers and how bullying/exclusion can lead to tragic results. This is the IMDb plot synopsis: “In the cruel world of junior high, Edwin suffers in a state of anxiety...

The Orchard’s “And Then I Go” culminates in a school shooting carried out by a pair of eighth graders, a story that has only grown more relevant since its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival last June. Arman Darbo plays Edwin, a distressed outcast with loving parents (Justin Long and Melanie Lynskey) and a caring principal (Tony Hale, two-time Emmy-winner for “Veep”). His lone friend since kindergarten is Robby, aka “Flake” (Sawyer Barth, “Bridge of Spies”), whose father collects firearms.

Jokes about getting back at their locker-jamming bullies transform into concrete plans to kill classmates. Still, the film “isn’t elegiac or fatalistic, nor is it a dread-filled slog toward an inevitable conclusion. There are glimmers of hope along the way,” wrote IndieWire’s Michael Nordine in his B review, likening the film to Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

Brett Haley and Jim Shepard...

"You've got to help me with this kid, Budzinski." The Orchard has debuted a trailer for the indie drama And Then I Go, directed by Vincent Grashaw, based on Jim Shepard's novel "Project X". The film stars Arman Darbo and Sawyer Barth as friends in middle school. "In the cruel world of junior high, two friends suffer in a state of anxiety and alienation. Misunderstood by their families and demoralized at school, their fury simmers quietly until an idea for vengeance offers them a terrifying release." The full cast includes Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long, Tony Hale, Carrie Preston, Melonie Diaz, Royalty Hightower, Michael Abbott Jr., and Sean Bridgers. This played at a number of smaller film festivals last year, and is going straight to VOD for release. It looks like a strong indie film about growing up as an awkward kid in school. Here's the official Us trailer (+ posters...

Justin Long and Donald Faison are set for a ride on The Wave.

The indie feature follows an image-obsessed attorney (Long) that changes course on a high-stakes insurance case when a life-changing, drug-induced night on the town with co-workers, including Jeff (Faison), ends up changing his outlook on life.

Gille Klabin will direct from a screenplay by Carl Lucas. Lucas will also produce with Joshua Bunting via their EchoWolf Productions.

Long most recently starred opposite Cobie Smulders in Literally, Right Before Aaron and the coming-of-age indie And Then I Go. He is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Felker Toczek.

Faison starred opposite Adam Scott in Netflix’s Little Evil and was in Lionsgate's Paula...

You may not have liked going to school as a kid, but you probably didn’t hate it as much as Edwin. In his opening narration, the eighth-grader, played by an impressive Arman Darbo, refers to his school as the reason he can’t sleep at night, a clique-filled nightmare and a “big shit-pile floating downstream.” At the bottom of that stream, caught in the wake and crashing against the rocks, he and his best friend are trying — and failing — to make it through each day undisturbed.

Read More: Laff 2017: 10 Festival Picks, from ‘My Friend Dahmer’ to ‘Everything Beautiful Is Far Away’

A coming-of-age drama about kids who may never actually come of age, “And Then I Go” reads as a less abrasive “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” Vincent Grashaw’s adaptation of Jim Shepard’s 2004 novel “Project X” isn’t about red flags and warning signs so much as the toxic combination of angst, detachment and alienation that makes terrible decisions seem like the only recourse to kids who don’t know — or don’t believe — that the problems they’re facing will one day seem insignificant.

“Kids like you used to get their butts kicked when I was a kid,” Edwin’s kind-but-exhausted principal (Tony Hale, living up to the tradition of comic TV actors going serious for the indies) tells him after one especially sarcastic visit to the office. “They still do,” responds the troubled youth, who’s as quick-witted as he is confused. Cut to: Edwin and his best friend Flake getting their asses kicked by a couple of soccer players.

It takes all of 15 minutes to glean that this film’s narrative trajectory probably isn’t leaning toward reconciliation and catharsis. Edwin doesn’t seem likely to emerge from his adolescent ordeals changed for the better, and his parents (Melanie Lynskey and Justin Long) aren’t going to have an aha moment where they realize how to connect with their son. No, this movie’s arc is signaled by a question Flake asks Edwin: “Wanna see my dad’s guns?”

Rather than try to remake Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant,” as Tim Sutton did in “Dark Night,” Grashaw has crafted an intimate, sympathetic character study. The focus is on Edwin rather than what he may or may not eventually do, which is largely at the behest of his angry bestie. They’re making a list and checking it twice, but it’s clear all along that Flake (real name Roddy) is more committed to the idea than our wayward protagonist. Will they or won’t they?

Read More: As the Los Angeles Film Festival Struggles for Relevancy, a New Director Has Big Ideas For Change

Grashaw keeps us guessing. “And Then I Go” isn’t elegiac or fatalistic, nor is it a dread-filled slog toward an inevitable conclusion. There are glimmers of hope along the way, and a group art project goes surprisingly well — Edwin’s parents suggest taking a trip to the lake they used to visit every summer — and suggestions that the boy will find a way to weather this storm. By the time the end arrives, we’re as surprised as Edwin and Flake want their classmates to be.

Grade: B

“And Then I Go” premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. It is currently seeking distribution.

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The psychological and emotional hurdles facing teenage boys that are sometimes given only passing notice by parents and teachers form the centerpiece of And Then I Go. A disturbing drama of teen disaffection, Vincent Grashaw’s feature provides an essential and insightful perspective that will resonate with audiences attuned to the challenges of adolescence.

Not every kid has an emotionally traumatic junior high experience, but for students like Edwin (Arman Darbo), the pressure to navigate the teen social scene, perform academically and satisfy parental expectations can create unbearable stress. In fact it’s so bad that he suffers from frequent insomnia, often...

And Then I Go Review And Then I Go (2017) Film Review from the 23rd Annual Los Angeles Film Festival, a movie directed by Vincent Grashaw, starring Arman Darbo, Sawyer Barth, Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long, Tony Hale, Carrie Preston, Melonie Diaz, Royalty Hightower, [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: And Then I Go: An Unflinching Drama That Hesitates At The End [La Film Festival 2017]...

The Los Angeles Film Festival starts June 14 with Colin Trevorrow’s “The Book of Henry” as its opening-night film, but in its 23rd year the festival still hasn’t found its proper place on the film calendar.

Produced by Film Independent, Laff has always been something of a feathered fish. Some of this stems from its summer timeframe: It arrives at mid-year, more than two months before new awards contenders reveal themselves at Telluride and long after acquisitions festivals like Toronto and Sundance have done their work (with support from SXSW and Tribeca that follow) .

Laff has tried to make lemons into organic lemonade: Under the direction of recently departed Stephanie Allain, the Laff moved away from the quality international fare favored by former programmer David Ansen to embrace its indie roots and chase world premieres from under-represented demographics.

It’s a worthy-minded strategy, but the result was a lineup...

The Los Angeles Film Festival starts June 14 with Colin Trevorrow’s “The Book of Henry” as its opening-night film, but in its 23rd year the festival still hasn’t found its proper place on the film calendar.

Produced by Film Independent, Laff has always been something of a feathered fish. Some of this stems from its summer timeframe: It arrives at mid-year, more than two months before new awards contenders reveal themselves at Telluride and long after acquisitions festivals like Toronto and Sundance have done their work (with support from SXSW and Tribeca that follow) .

Laff has tried to make lemons into organic lemonade: Under the direction of recently departed Stephanie Allain, the Laff moved away from the quality international fare favored by former programmer David Ansen to embrace its indie roots and chase world premieres from under-represented demographics.

It’s a worthy-minded strategy, but the result was a lineup...

This year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, better known as Laff if you’re fun, has unveiled its full slate of 2017 offerings, including new offerings from Vincent Grashaw, Leena Pendharkar, Hong Sangsoo, Lea Thompson and many more. The slate includes 48 feature films, 51 short films, 15 high school short films and 10 short episodic works representing 32 countries. The festival’s five competitions feature 37 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres and 9 North American Premieres. Across the competition categories, 42% of the films are directed by women and 40% are directed by people of color.

“Our competitions reflect who Film Independent is as an organization,” said La Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “Within each section you’ll find discovery, diversity, and promising talent both in front of and behind the camera.” Programming Director Roya Rastegar added, “The films curated for the 2017 competition reflect the changing political climate’s impact on emerging independent filmmakers, who are compelled to tell stories about the power of conviction,...

The days are getting longer and the nights are getting warmer, which means that we're edging ever closer to this year's La Film Festival. Taking place June 14th–22nd, the La Film Festival's 2017 competition lineup has been unveiled, and of particular interest for genre fans is the Nightfall section, which includes Colin Minihan's It Stains the Sands Red, Julius Ramsay's Midnighters, and Amanda Evans' Serpent.

Press Release: Los Angeles (May 9, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, unveiled the official U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, La Muse and Nightfall sections. The 2017 La Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of feature films, shorts and episodic series, along with programs such as Coffee Talks and Future Filmmakers Showcase. The La Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood,...

Kering has expanded its six year old role in cinema collaboration to supporting the ‘Women at Sundance’ this year which includes The Sundance Fellowship Program which provides year-long support to a diverse group of six selected female filmmakers.

Cecilia Aldarondo, Elyse Steinberg, Rebecca Green, Janicza Bravo, Elizabeth Wood, and Laurens Grant

Although the six women chosen as Sundance Fellows are at various stages in their careers, all are actively attempting to fulfill their potential and create sustainable careers in a highly competitive environment.

Support includes stipends to come to Sundance Film Festival where they begin with their journey working with Sundance staff defining clear and realistic goals for the fellowship year. Each Fellow is paired an industry leader as mentor and a distinguished professional life coach to guide her through her own personal and professional development over the course of the year. Among the many opportunities for networking and learning...

Tony Hale is celebrating the holidays with a grand comedy and music event for IFC, “Joe’s Pub Presents: A Holiday Special.” The affair will be taped in front of a live audience at the iconic Joe’s Pub inside the Public Theater in downtown Manhattan on November 30, and air as a one-hour special in December.

The special will include a variety of holiday themed performances from comics, singers and actors including Bridget Everett, Jo Firestone, Jen Kirkman and Nick Thune, with many more artists to be announced shortly. The funk and soul group The Dap-Kings will be the house band for the night.

“A Holiday Special” is the first collaboration between IFC and Show Shop, who serve as producers. Executive producers are Frank Garritano and Alex Coletti, with Coletti directing.

Read More: ‘Veep’s’ Tony Hale Says Show’s Producers Give Actors Freedom to ‘Play With the Material’ During...

I like to tell myself there is great success to be found in the details. A justification for my own obsessive nature? Probably, but often true. Getting sucked up inside the tornado of sweeping, acute tasks necessary to get a film made has been easy. Distribution plans, business plans, breakdowns, pavement pounding, relationship building, due diligence and rewriting. Important details appear less important and fall by the way side. But, like Dorothy landing in Oz, I eventually find myself back in the land of detail. For example: a look book.

This is an important one. For me, forgetting about this tool is stupid for two big reasons. First, it’s a creative reprieve from production mayhem; second, it’s fucking fun. Oh, turns out there are several other reasons why a look book is incredibly useful, like pitching and other stuff, which are cool but I want to talk about the fun part.

Focus Features has announced 2012 release dates for three of its upcoming movies, Being Flynn (March 2), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (April 20), and Moonrise Kingdom (May 25). Being Flynn and Moonrise Kingdom are slated for limited release, while Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is opening wide.

Being Flynn, based on Nick Flynn's autobiography Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, will open against The Lorax, Project X, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters on March 2. Being Flynn stars Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore, and Paul Dano.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is going up against Ms One: Maximum Security, Chimpanzee, The Lucky One, Scary Movie 5, and The Wettest County on April 20. Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, and Connie Britton star in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson, will compete with Men in Black III...