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Cast announced includes Marianne Rendón from Mapplethorpe, Charlie Says.

Principal photography has wrapped in Costa Rica on Los Angeles-based goPOP Films’ supernatural drama Bellyache starring Marianne Rendón from Mapplethorpe and Charlie Says.

Van Ditthavong is directing from his screenplay set in present day about a grieving witch who escapes to a cabin alone to give birth.

The filmmakers also announced that besides Rendón the cast includes Ben Michael Brown (East New York), Christine Kellog-Darrin, and Alex MacNicoll.

Bellyache is being financed through private equity and goPOP Films. Producer Brennan O’Donnell has been based in Costa Rica for more than 20 years...

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.

The Filmmakers Podcast #266: Masterclass on VFX; Directing, Mental Health, and the Making...

Set in an impressively realised world, Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s ambitious debut looks the part but moves too quickly and confusingly for viewers to connect

Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s ambitious debut breaks away from the recent crop of fantasy epics based on existing materials. A mass of tangled storylines spanning decades envelops Anmaere, a post-apocalyptic world containing two cities named Whithren and Levithen, both of which are in a perpetual state of stagnancy. The citizens of the sweltering Whithren dream of escaping to Levithen, a journey made possible only by earning a coveted ticket on one of the ferries that transport horses to the elusive, snow-capped land.

Despite Withren’s industrial griminess, the sun once shone on this forsaken land. Memories of better days haunt the city’s inmates – even those who were born after the mysterious events that cast Anmaere into darkness, the details of which are never specified.

While the reaction to David Lowery’s The Green Knight has run the gamut here at The Film Stage, we can all agree on one thing: its use of visual effects is amongst the most impressive of the year, successfully selling this fantastical Arthurian world with a budget that certainly wasn’t on the levels of its superhero-sized summer competition. Thanks to Weta, Outpost, and Maere Studios, we now have a glimpse behind the process thanks to a pair of visual effects breakdowns. From sky replacements to rendering giants to CGI foxes to adding a great deal of scope, it’s fascinating to see how Lowery and team brought their vision to life.

“The medieval town and the fox were difficult, but known, visual effects problems,” notes Weta VFX supervisor Eric Saindon at Animation Magazine. “The time-lapses and the more arthouse shots were more complicated. Our saving grace was that...

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by Isaac Feldberg to discuss Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s fantasy feature The Wanting Mare, which is now available digitally.

Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.

Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, or stream below.

The Film Stage Show is supported by Mubi, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, Mubi premieres a new film. Whether it’s a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying...

A sort of lyrical fable about a world and time with only the vaguest anchor in something resembling a coherent narrative, “The Wanting Mare” is less of a movie and more of an experience. Spanning multiple generations, and using characters like set dressing, the film by writer/director Nicholas Ashe Bateman looks great, feels profound, and manages to develop a genuine sense of place, even if the audience isn’t sure where it is or what it’s looking at.

Continue reading ‘The Wanting Mare’ Is A Lyrical Fable That Trades Away Substance For Experience [Review] at The Playlist.

The explanatory text that opens “The Wanting Mare,” Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s ambitious, epoch-spanning directing debut, informs us that in the city of Whithren, citizens are desperate to escape by booking passage on the once-a-year transport ship that carries wild horses to the wintry promised land of Levithen. These words, a fantasist’s delight, only barely set the table for what’s to come, a visually enthralling but elliptical and withholding quasi post-apocalyptic drama about three generations of Whithren women who carry with them the burdensome memories of “the world before.”

At times, Bateman’s film feels overstuffed and underexplored, an inconclusive rhetorical argument between a director and his lofty intentions. Otherwise, the Baltimore native announces himself as a top-shelf world-builder-on-a-budget, a painter of luscious digital dreamscapes (and hellscapes).

Indeed, Bateman’s effects are the star here, casting such a vivid and immersive spell that they stoke a strong desire to explore Whithren,...

The pandemic weirdness continues as we hit February and see … Oscar contenders? I’m not going to be talking about the posters for The Father, but it (and others) are debuting to audiences now rather than last December because of the extended nominations period. Add titles Judas and the Black Messiah—which just got a new sheet from Gravillis and Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas—and we’re well past reveling in the usual dump month fare. Hollywood is going to keep us on our toes throughout 2021 with bookending award seasons.

So while some studios look to double their theatrical one-sheets as “For Your Consideration” advertisements chock full of critics’ quotes, you might do well to go a bit further. Seek out the artwork from independent features willing to embrace iconic imagery that complements mood and energy above award aspirations instead. A few are listed below.

It’s been ages since anyone built a complex sci-fi universe fillled with far-reaching mythology and imaginative threats. “The Wanting Mare” tries to get there by starting with a small dose. Writer-director Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s ambitious debut Seeing as most sci-fi franchises on movies and TV stem from existing IP, “The Wanting Mare” scores points on ingenuity alone as the most intriguing form of world-building in the genre since “The Matrix,” though it begs for a bigger picture. Frustrating and immersive in equal doses, Bateman’s slow-burn drama seems content to show us around, with the occasional conflict as an added bonus.

For that reason, some may shrug it off as a half-baked bore. In truth, “The Wanting Mare” begs for deeper readings, and the most fascinating aspect of the movie comes from the way this visibly low-budget enterprise gets away with suggesting so much more than it puts onscreen.

Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen makes his feature directorial debut with Falling, which premieres in theaters, digital and on demand today. Mortensen also wrote, starred in and composed the score for Falling to show us that he’s not just a one-trick pony (but was there any doubt?)

Falling follows John (Mortensen) who lives with his partner, Eric (Terry Chen), and their daughter, Mónica (Gabby Velis) in California. This is far from the rural life from his past. His uber-conservative father, Willis (Lance Henriksen), who is facing early stages of dementia, lives alone on the isolated farm where John grew up. When John brings Willis to Los Angeles in an attempt to relocate him closer to family, their relationship begins to unravel as Willis refuses to change his way of life.

The family drama made its world premiere in 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival before screening at Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Some research on trauma has suggested that it can pass in DNA, from generation to generation; trauma so severe that literally gets written in our genetic coding, which we then pass on to our children. Perhaps it fades or becomes mutated over time, but something is still there, something that becomes part of our brain chemistry, that leaves its traces for years to come. How would that affect our existence, especially if the cause of that trauma was lost in history? The Wanting Mare weaves a strange and fantastical tale where such questions, and others, lurk like a low fog around the ankles of those walking its path. Nicholas Ashe Bateman's feature debut is a strange tale moving between fantasy and futurism, between a fable...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Happy February, everyone! We’re officially in a new month as of today, which means we have a bunch of new digital and VOD releases to look forward to over the next few weeks. So, if you’re looking to escape those wintry temperatures outside and beat the doldrums that often come along this time of year, perhaps some great horror and sci-fi entertainment will help to keep you busy this month.

Check out February’s digital genre releases below and happy streaming!

A Ghost Waits (Arrow) - Exclusively on Arrow February 1st

Tasked with renovating a neglected rental home, handyman Jack quickly finds out why the tenants keep leaving in droves - this house is haunted. The ghost in question is Muriel, herself employed from beyond the veil to keep the home vacant. Against the odds, Jack and Muriel find they have a lot in common… pulse notwithstanding. Having...

It’s my job to cover the entertainment world, and one of my favorite things is when a fascinating-looking project seemingly comes out of nowhere and surprises me with its existence. Such is the case with The Wanting Mare, an intriguing science fiction film written and directed by Nicholas Ashe Bateman that was filmed almost entirely in a […]

The post ‘The Wanting Mare’ Trailer: A Gorgeous Dose of Sci-Fi Futurism appeared first on /Film.

It is rare that a director designs the key art for their film, even in the indie filmmaking world. The last time that I can recall this was P.T. Anderson's design for Magnolia over 20 years ago. This striking poster for Nicholas Ashe Bateman's The Wanting Mare, was (if I have my facts correct) designed by the director, who wears multiple design hats regardless, as he works as a special effects wizard on films as varied as the Oscar winning Free Solo to the more recent Wendy and the upcoming Green Knight. And is the editor for his own short films and this feature. But let us look at the design here. The deep azure, against the dark skin tones and gold highlights. It's hard...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

It's nearly impossible to figure out the plot of The Wanting Mare solely from watching the trailer but one thing is certain: this movie looks spectacular.

Nicholas Ashe Bateman's feature film debut first appeared on the festival circuit last year to much acclaim but it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared but it's now making a comeback as one of the first must-see titles of the new year.

Starring a roster of mostly TV and indie-film actors, The Wanting Mare is a sprawling fantasy tale that follows a young woman named Moira. She's important to this universe but having gown up alone after her mother's death in childbirth, she sets off to forge her own life and her choices have repercussions on the entire world for years to come.

The Wanting...

It’s hard to really discuss what “The Wanting Mare” actually is. It’s a fantasy film, partially. It’s a massive world-building adventure, occasionally. The feature film is also just stunningly beautiful. But to try to explain the plot and intricacies of the new film is a bit of a fool’s errand. Just watch the trailer.

As seen in the trailer, “The Wanting Mare” is a visually stunning epic that spans decades in the life of one woman, Moira, as she tries desperately to leave her home and venture off into the unknown.

Continue reading ‘The Wanting Mare’ Trailer: Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s Directorial Debut Is A Visually Stunning Epic at The Playlist.

"Do you wonder what was before? Before here..." Anmaere Pictures has released an official trailer for The Wanting Mare, which is launching in theaters + on VOD next month. The Wanting Mare is a "technical marvel of digital world-building on the level of Sky Captain and Sin City, having been almost entirely - and unbelievably - shot inside a storage unit in New Jersey. Five years in the making, its hundreds of visual effects seamlessly blend digital landscapes and physical reality, bringing Whithren and its greater world to unbelievable life." Set in Whithren, a line of women pass a single dream through multiple generations. The film follows a group of people making their way in a fantasy world called "Anmaere", equal parts Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, that has evolved into a "modern" setting much like Earth. Starring Jordan Monaghan, Yasmin Keshtkar, Edmond Cofie, Nicholas Ashe Bateman, Josh Clark,...

We recently featured the trailer for Lapsis, an inventive sci-fi indie that will be arriving in February, but it won’t be the only one. It was recently announced that Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s debut The Wanting Mare, which premiered on the festival circuit last year, will now be getting a release on February 5. Shot almost entirely inside a New Jersey warehouse over the course of five years, the film introduces the grand fantasy world of Anmaere that is “the first, intimate chapter in a long line of films about the people, places, and legends” of the imagined locale. Bateman’s work will also be seen this summer as visual effects supervisor of David Lowery’s The Green Knight.

Jake King-Schreifels said in his review, “Making its premiere at Chattanooga Film Festival, The Wanting Mare, the directorial debut of Nicholas Ashe Bateman, can feel overwhelmingly beautiful and purposefully abstract. But unlike previous movies from Carruth,...

One of the most highly anticipated undistributed films of 2020 was Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s feature debut “The Wanting Mare,” a VFX-heavy fantasy that spans generations and the cosmos. After festival play and online buzz, the film has finally found a home thanks to Gravitas Ventures, which will launch “Wanting Mare” in available theaters and on VOD February 5. Watch the trailer below.

Director Bateman previously worked behind the scenes contributing digital effects to films like “Free Solo” and “Wendy,” and most recently served as a VFX supervisor on David Lowery’s upcoming “The Green Knight.” Now,he’s taking the directing reins. Bateman also wrote “The Wanting Mare,” billed as the first in a series of films set on the fictional planet of Anmaere.

IndieWire’s Eric Kohn had high praise for the film on IndieWire’s list of the best undistributed films of 2020:

Director Nicholas Ashe’s haunting sci-fi...

One of the great things about attending small film festivals (either in person or online) is the chance to see films that often get missed at the big ones; films that employ both the epic and the intimate; that utilize their budgets and devote their time to build grand worlds and yet still tell human stories. One such film is The Wanting Mare, a fantastical film that played the festival circuit last year (I reviewed it out of Chattanooga). Its elegant combinatiom of fantasy and science fiction serve as the backdrop to a story of love and loss across three generations of women who live lives of isolation, trauma, and hope. In the world of Anmaere, north of the city of Whithren, wild horses run...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

We're back with a new installment of Horror Highlights! Today, you can watch the trailer for UK Haunters, read the list of winners from Fantaspoa's digital festival, watch the trailer for Wicked Ones, and find out which special guests are slated for The Last Drive-In's summer special!

UK Haunters: "UK Haunters is a vlog style documentary that explores the UK Haunt scene from the Pov of film maker Dan Brownlie as he opens up the UK haunt scene for the world to view. While shooting a feature film at the London Tombs scare attraction (entitled 'The Tombs'), director Dan Brownlie got a peek into the inner workings of how scare attractions work and some of the tricks of the trade. Bowled over by the ingenuity and inventiveness he decided he needed to know more. After searching for more information Dan found there were no documentaries covering the huge UK scene,...

Shane Carruth has been making headlines these last few weeks, but it has nothing to do with a new film from the Primer and Upstream Color director. Rather, he’s executive produced The Wanting Mare, the bold directorial debut of Nicholas Ashe Bateman, which we recently reviewed. Having done a handful of interviews tied to the film’s premiere, Carruth spoke briefly about his two epic, unmade passion projects: A Topiary and The Modern Ocean.

“It’s hard to explain what A Topiary and The Modern Ocean mean to me,” the director told The Playlist. “It would be like saying that I have a daughter or two daughters and now I don’t have them anymore. So the question is, ‘Hey, do you want to revive your daughter?’ Of course, I do. Of course, I do. I love her. I love her. But… I don’t know what I would do with a reanimated corpse.

From the people that brought you Pandemic Parade chapters 1-8, comes yet another thrilling episode featuring Jesse V. Johnson, Casper Kelly, Fred Dekker, Don Coscarelli, Daniel Noah, Elijah Wood and Blaire Bercy.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Wondrous Story of Birth a.k.a. The Birth of Triplets (1950)

Contagion (2011)

The Omega Man (1971)

Panic In The Streets (1950)

The Last Man On Earth (1964)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Innerspace (1987)

The Howling (1981)

The Invisible Man (2020)

The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Where Eagles Dare (1969)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Goldfinger (1964)

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)

Murder On The Orient Express (1974)

Dr. No (1962)

From Russia With Love (1963)

Bellman and True (1987)

Brimstone and Treacle (1982)

Richard III (1995)

Titanic (1997)

Catch 22 (1970)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)

The Graduate (1967)

1941 (1979)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Jaws (1975)

The Fortune (1975)

Carnal Knowledge (1970)

Manhattan...

If you are a fan of mind-bending cinema, a title you might be familiar with is the 2004 science-fiction movie Primer, widely regarded as one of the best movies the genre has to offer. The time travel feature signaled the arrival of a strong new voice in cinema, Shane Carruth, who wrote, directed, edited and scored the film along with acting in it. But despite only making one other movie since Primer, 2013's Upstream Color, Carruth is done with Hollywood after his next project releases.

"I've got one last project in front of me. I shouldn't say anything about it. I'm still defining the edges. But that is it for me. I'm not going to say I'm doing a project and then hope Paramount gives me a deal or whatever the hell. I'm not doing that anymore. There's a thousand other things I'm interested in doing in life that I don't talk about,...

The Wanting Mare

With its striking locations and beautiful light, Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s début feature, The Wanting Mare, looks as if it was show somewhere really exotic. In fact, it was made almost entirely within the confines of a warehouse. The film, which had its première at the Chattanooga Film Festival, is the product of a new generation of technology that’s constantly evolving – and, of course, of Nicholas’ imagination.

Joining me from his home in New Orleans, where he was sitting beside one of the computers that brought the film to life, Nicholas told me that he’d ideally like to live somewhere more like Scotland, where I am. I responded that his fantasy world of Anmaere, for all that the weather there is hot, has a very northern feel about it.

Nicholas Ashe Bateman

“That was a bit of a challenge visually,” he says, “because so much...