News

True Brit Entertainment has revealed a first look image of Pierce Brosnan in the boxing biopic ‘Giant.’

The movie is based on the compelling true-life story of British-Yemeni pugilist Prince Naseem ‘Naz’ Hamed and his rags-to-riches ascent to a World Championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

The story of Hamed’s humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership along with Naz’ unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring, propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of 80’s and 90’s Britain.

Also in news – Paul Giamatti, Joely Richardson & more join cast of ‘Downton Abbey 3’

Amir El-Masry will play Naz, and Brosnan takes on the role of Ingle.

Pierce Brosnan has been cast in the upcoming biopic on boxing British-Yemeni pugilist Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed, ‘Giant’.

Amir El-Masry will also star in the sporting drama that tells the story of Prince Naseem’s rags-to-riches ascent to a World Championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle. El-Masry will play Naz, and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle.

The movie will tell the true story of Hamed’s humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership along with Naz’ unorthodox style, cocky persona and sheer dominance in the ring, propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of 80’s and 90’s Britain.

Also in news – Glen Powell set for Edgar Wright’s...

Pierce Brosnan will star with Amir El-Masry in the sports drama “Giant,” based on the true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags to riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

El-Masry will play Naz and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle. The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale, and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions. AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford will also produce.

AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film.

On board to executive produce are Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions, AGC Studios’ Miguel Palos, Zach Garrett and Anant Tamirisa, BondIt’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, Michael Ewing and True Brit’s Zygi Kamasa.

Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has taken U.K. distribution...

Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry have signed on to star in the sports drama Giant from AGC Studios about the life of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags-to-riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

El-Masry will play Naz, and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle. The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions, it was announced by AGC Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford, who will also produce.

The project is set to begin shooting in Leeds, England in late April. Originally scheduled to shoot all of its interiors in Malta, AGC moved the pic back to the UK to utilize the country’s new Independent Film Tax Credit announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in March.

Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud have signed on to star in the sports drama Giant, written and directed by Rowan Athale with Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions on board as executive producers.

Produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions with AGC Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford, the flick is based on the true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags-to-riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

The pic will follow Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership, Naz’s unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the...

It’s last call for a number of great movies leaving HBO and HBO Max in March. Fortunately, the month is also packed with new movies and shows, but if you were planning to revisit any of the films below, now’s your chance.

The good news is you won’t have to squeeze in any binge-watching – there are no series leaving HBO Max this month, just films. Expiring titles of note include Sam Raimi’s definitive horror films “The Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead 2,” Wes Anderson’s charming coming-of-age romance “Moonrise Kingdom,” the Charlize Theron-led dramedy “Tully,” Judd Apatow’s “The King of Staten Island” starring Pete Davidson, and the musical drama “Dreamgirls,” starring Jennifer Hudson in the role that earned her the Oscar.

There are also several comedy favorites expiring in March, including both “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey,...

“The first thing that I was interested in exploring with Sean was just having the opportunity to play such a different character from roles that I’ve played in the past,” says Nick Robinson about what drew him to “Maid,” the Netflix limited series in which he plays an addict who emotionally abuses his partner Alex (Margaret Qualley) until she leaves with their daughter to try to make a better life. It’s a more sinister role than we’ve seen him play before in projects like “The Kings of Summer,” “Love, Simon,” and “A Teacher.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Seersvp now for November 29: ‘Maid’ panel with Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell, showrunner Molly Smith Metzler, director/EP John Wells

When he read the script by creator Molly Smith Metzler, adapted from the memoir by Stephanie Land, he was struck by the “incredible writing” and how “her picture of Sean was very clear.

Animated feature film “Lamya’s Poem” has its world premiere next week in competition at Annecy Film Festival. Variety speaks to the director, Alex Kronemer, and debuts the first clip from the film.

WestEnd Films, whose library includes Oscar-nominated animation titles such as “The Breadwinner” and “Song of the Sea,” is selling the film and will screen it during the Pre-Cannes Screenings, June 21-25. ICM Partners is handling North America sales.

The film centers on Lamya, a 12 year-old Syrian girl who becomes a refugee. One of her few belongings is a book of poetry by the 13th century poet Rumi. She finds a magical gateway through which she gets to meet Rumi when he was a boy, and helps him write the poem that 800 years later saves her life.

Rumi is voiced by Canadian actor Mena Massoud, who played the lead role in Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin,” directed by Guy Ritchie,...

Aladdin star Mena Massoud has picked up his next big role as he's been tapped by Netflix to star alongside Laura Marano in the upcoming romantic drama The Royal Treatment. Written by Holly Hester Marano, the movie is directed by Rick Jacobson. Ellen Marano and Vanessa Marano for Calabrian Rhode will also produce with Chloe Smith, and Steve Berman and Dan Read will executive produce for Ffi.

The Royal Treatment is a love story following Isabella (Ellen Marano) and Prince Thomas (Mena Massoud). Per Deadline, the story picks up as "Isabella runs her own salon and isn't afraid to speak her mind, while Prince Thomas runs his own country and is about to marry for duty rather than love. When Izzy and her fellow stylists get the opportunity of a lifetime to do the hair for the royal wedding, she and Prince Thomas learn that taking control of their own destiny requires following their hearts.

As August comes to a close, let’s take a look back at everything that arrived on Netflix over the last week of the month, before we tackle what’s to drop on the streaming giant in September.

The week starting August 24th delivered a huge haul of new movies and TV shows of all shapes and sizes. Overall, 28 fresh titles were added to Netflix’s library – 16 films and 12 TV shows – and you can check out the entire list below:

16 New Movies

1Br (2019) A Princess for Christmas (2011) All Together Now (2020) Blaze (2018) Edge of Seventeen (1998) Lingua Franca (2019) Making The Witcher (2020) Netflix Original Morning Glory (2010) Night Comes On (2018) Rising Phoenix (2020) Santana (2020) Strange but True (2019) The Bridge Curse (2020) The Frozen Ground (2013) The Young Messiah (2016) Unknown Origins (Orígenes secretos) (2018) Netflix Original

12 New TV Series

Aggretsuko (Season 3) Netflix Original Baewatch: Parental Guidance (Season 1) Bunk’d (Season 4) Cobra Kai (Seasons 1-2) Netflix Original Emily’s Wonder Lab (Season...

Exclusive: Greg Kinnear is set as the male lead opposite Courteney Cox in Shining Vale, Starz’s horror-comedy pilot from Divorce creator Sharon Horgan and Trial & Error co-creator Jeff Astrof. The half-hour show hails from Warner Bros. Television and Lionsgate in association with Astrof’s Other Shoe Productions, Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s Merman and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment.

Written by Astrof from a story he wrote with Horgan, Shining Vale stems from an idea by Kaplan. It follows a dysfunctional family that moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place. But no one seems to notice except for Pat (Cox), who’s convinced she’s either depressed or possessed – turns out, the symptoms are exactly the same.

Kinnear will play Terry Phelps, Pat’s sweet, sensitive husband. He assumed he was married to the perfect wife until...

Agc International has closed a raft of pre-sales on Little America, the Sylvester Stallone-fronted sci-fi action-thriller they are producing with Balboa Productions.

Major territory deals have closed with Metropolitan in France, Leonine in Germany and Switzerland, Wild Bunch in Italy, and Sun Distribution for pan-Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

Stuart Ford’s firm has also closed deals with Spi in Benelux, Turkey, and pan-Eastern Europe; Parakeet in Cis; Odeon in Greece; Lionsgate India in India; Joy N Cinema in Korea and Vietnam; Fox International for Asia Pay TV; MovieCloud in Taiwan; Sahamongkolfilm in Thailand; Pt Prima in Indonesia; Empire in South Africa; United King in Israel; and Selim Ramia in the Middle East.

Negotiations are ongoing with the few remaining unsold territories as the Efm continues this week. The project has been among the best-sellers at the Berlin event.

Writer-director Rowan Athale (Strange But True) was in Berlin over...

Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone is obviously no stranger to the action genre, having starred in such explosive outings as the Rambo franchise, Cliffhanger, The Expendables movies and the hugely underrated Demolition Man. Well, the actor is ready to add another big blockbusting action flick to his resum&#233 as it has now been confirmed that he will star in the dystopian sci-fi action thriller Little America.

Sylvester Stallone will be joining forces with his fellow action movie powerhouse Michael Bay, who is on board as executive producer for the upcoming project.

Little America takes place in a dystopian future where America has become a bankrupt nation, is now owned by China, and has since turned into a merciless war zone. Stallone will star as a retired Army Ranger who is hired by an Asian billionaire to find his daughter, who has gotten herself stranded somewhere in this ruthless dystopian landscape.

With...

Sylvester Stallone is attached to star in the action movie Little America, which Agc Studios is launching at the European Film Market where it is likely to be among the most in-demand packages.

Set in a dystopian future where America has become bankrupt and turned into a war zone, Sly will play a former Army Ranger hired by an Asian billionaire to find his daughter.

With the highly skilled sister of the missing woman along for the ride, Sly’s Ranger must navigate the dark underbelly of Little America, a walled-off city within a city in Hong Kong where many Americans have fled.

Universal previously won a bidding war for the spec script by Rowan Athale (Strange But True), who will also direct. The project is now hitting the open market with Universal no longer aboard. Transformers and 6 Underground director Michael Bay is executive producing with his outfit Platinum...

Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes executive-producing.

Agc International will launch sales in Berlin on the hot package Little America, an action sci-fi to star Sylvester Stallone on which Michael Bay serves as executive producer.

Agc Studios and Balboa Productions are producing the $30m project. Agc will introduce to international buyers in Berlin next week and jointly handles North American sales with CAA.

Bay’s Platinum Dunes serves as executive producer. 2011 Screen Star of Tomorrow Rowan Athale is directing - his credits include last year’s thriller and Edinburgh International Film Festival premiere Strange But True with Brian Cox, Amy Ryan and Greg Kinnear,...

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.’

In the battle of the sequels Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil beat Sony’s Zombieland: Double Tap last weekend but neither was a match for the third frame of Warner Bros’ juggernaut Joker.

Launching on 60 screens, Universal’s Judy Garland biopic Judy hit a high note while Cinema Live’s Billy Connolly: The Sex Life of Bandages did not generate many laughs or dollars and Icon’s mystery thriller Strange But True bombed.

It was a soft trading weekend at cinemas as the top 20 titles harvested $14.2 million, down 27 per cent on the previous frame, according to Numero.

Todd Phillips’ Joker rang up $4.3 million despite falling by 41 per cent, hoisting its total to $28.5 million. The WB/Village Roadshow/Bron Studios’ production has amassed $738.5 million worldwide: $247.2 million in the Us and $491.3 million internationally, where it now ranks as the fourth biggest DC comics-based blockbuster of all time.

Morelia Film Festival’s (Ficm) Impulso sidebar for pix in progress will run Sunday through Tuesday this coming week, having become one of the territories most important launchpads for Latin American feature films in post-production.

Many of the participating films in recent editions have gone on to find festival success the world around.

Last year, Hari Sama’s “This is Not Berlin” was the talk of the day, and since being finished has made major impacts at Sundance, Tribeca and Malaga. From 2017, Andres Kaiser’s cabin in the woods thriller “Feral” went on to win awards at Los Cabos and participate in several major genre fests across Europe and North America. 2016 hosted Joshua Gil’s “Sanctorum” which closed Venice Critics’ Week this year.

Other standout participants include, but are not limited to: “The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadi’c” from Marta Hernaiz (Berlinale 2018); “Devil’s Freedom” from Everardo González (Berlinale...

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. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

To celebrate the 27th September digital release of Strange But True, we have a copy of the film – redeemable via iTunes – up for grabs courtesy of Vertigo Releasing! Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’s Margaret Qualley stars alongside Love, Simon’s Nick Robinson, Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, and Emmy winner Brian Cox, in an intense, absorbing mystery thriller about trust, tragedy and betrayal.

Strange But True, based on the bestselling novel by John Searles, grabs hold of the viewer from its opening scene, with a young man (the brilliant Nick Robinson) being pursued through the woods, and unfolds into a taut and intriguing mystery thriller that’s impossible to second guess. Margaret Qualley, proves herself to be a beguiling screen presence as Melissa, a young woman with a deep dark secret. Amy Ryan (Birdman) is powerful and emotional as a mother attempting to unravel the mystery of Melissa’s return.

Stars: Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, Amy Ryan, Brian Cox, Greg Kinnear, Blythe Danner, Mena Massoud | Written by Eric Garcia | Directed by Rowan Athale

Strange But True is directed by Rowan Athale (The Rise) and penned by Eric Garcia (Matchstick Men), based on a novel by John Searles. It’s a dark thriller about a woman who shows up at the home of her deceased boyfriends family and tells them she is pregnant with his child. Trouble is, he’s been dead for five years. It’s a obscure and intriguing concept and with a cast that includes Amy Ryan (The Office), Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine), Brian Cox (Adaptation), Nick Robinson (Love Simon), and Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), I was on board. A nice assembled group of actors and a curious plot is easy to be on board with, after all.

We follow Philip (Robinson) who...

With such a busy week now behind us, it’s time to catch up on a few reviews, so you all know what that means…the review round-up is back! Yes, today we’ve got a pair of films to discuss that I wanted to make sure didn’t get ignored. One is the horror comedy Satanic Panic, while the other is the psychological drama Strange But True. Both movies are interesting little independent offerings likely to be swallowed up by the big new release this weekend, but are they better? Well, read on below to see my thoughts on both flicks, at least one of which is a really fun alternative to the larger genre offering in multiplexes now. Read on to find out more… Satanic Panic There’s a small stroke of genius to be found within Satanic Panic, which finds an amusing way to skewer the rich...

The last few years have already afforded us multiple opportunities to reflect on the remarkable talents of Margaret Qualley, an actor who, since breaking out in TV’s “The Leftovers,” has delivered pure, clear-eyed conviction to just about anything: She’s equally persuasive playing an anxious novice nun in “Novitiate,” the regally glamorous Ann Reinking in “Fosse/Verdon” or a dazed, flirty Manson girl in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” These are all good parts in good projects; the utter credibility she brings to “Strange But True” is another kind of achievement. Qualley shows up at the start of Rowan Athale’s daft behind-picket-fences thriller, so pregnant it’s a wonder she can walk at all, to announce with a sweet, straight face that she’s miraculously bearing the child of a boy who died five years before. And we utterly believe her, or at least we believe that she believes herself.

Two summers ago, my boyfriend, Thomas, and I were stuck in traffic on the Long Island Expressway, when my cell lit up with a number I didn’t recognize. Spam, or so I thought, before playing the message: “Hi, John! I’m calling from the wardrobe department on the set of Strange But True. We’re trying to determine what your character would wear in the scene you’re shooting with Amy Ryan this week. Give us a call back.”

Seeing as the majority of my voicemails are robocalls from a woman speaking Chinese, this message was more than a little exciting.

"There's more answers than those you can see." Lionsgate has debuted an official trailer for an odd indie dramatic thriller titled Strange But True, based on John Searles' book of the same name. This domestic suspense-thriller stars quite an impressive cast, lead by Margaret Qualley (the talk of the town thanks to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) plus Nick Robinson, along with Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Blythe Danner, Brian Cox, Connor Jessup, and Mena Massoud. The plot is about a young woman who surprises the family of her deceased boyfriend by telling them she's pregnant with his child years later. She also reconnects with her boyfriend's brother, who might still have feelings for her. The first half of this trailer it seems like oh, this looks like a good drama, why haven't we heard more about this? But by the end it gets totally nuts, deep into "sinister" Wtf is going on territory.

Margaret Qualley has found her next film.

In a People exclusive look at the trailer for Strange But True, the 24-year-old actress and daughter to Andie MacDowell stars as Melissa, a pregnant young woman who claims the father of her child is her high school sweetheart, Ronnie.

The only problem is Ronnie died five years before.

High off her breakthrough role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Qualley as Melissa attempts to convince Ronnie’s family, including his older brother Philip (Nick Robinson) that she’s telling the truth.

“It must seem strange, me showing up here after all these years.

Five years on from the death of older sibling Ronnie (Connor Jessup), Philip (Nick Robinson) has returned to the family home with a broken leg and a bruised ego when his brother’s pregnant ex-girlfriend (Margaret Qualley) arrives at the door with an unlikely story to tell. She believes that the unborn baby is in fact Ronnie’s, an impossible assertion that stuns Philip but incenses his mother, Charlene (Amy Ryan). While Melissa prepares for the baby’s arrival, aided by kindly godparents Bill (Brian Cox) and Gail (Blythe Danner), Philip and Charlene embark on divergent quests to prove and disprove her story respectively, leading the former to a local psychic and the latter to her estranged husband, Dr. Richard Chase (Greg Kinnear).

The second feature from director Rowan Athale and an adaptation of John Searles’ 2002 novel, Strange But True opens with a frantic and frenetic chase sequence in which...

A neo-noir-thriller ensemble piece, Strange But True lands with a bit of a thud. It's a yarn about a young pregnant woman, Melissa (Margaret Qualley), who contacts her former boyfriend's family five years following his unexpected and untimely death, proclaiming that the child she's carrying must be his, as he was the only man with whom she'd ever had sex. The family - mother, father and brother - have since become fractured, attempting to cope with the boy's death in their own respective ways. They are understandably shaken by this impossible claim, and try to solve the mystery.

Melissa lives next-door to the world's sweetest old couple (Brian Cox and Blythe Danner) and, with their help, she prepares for the birth in her tiny cottage with the absolute conviction that the father...

The festival has assembled a strong programme for local audiences.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), proudly proclaiming its status as the world’s longest continually-running film festival (running since 1947) wrapped on Sunday with the world premiere of Adrian Noble’s Mrs Lowry & Son, starring Timothy Spall and Vanessa Redgrave.

The festival opened 10 days earlier with the scrappily entertaining Boyz In The Wood by Scottish director Ninian Dorff, setting the tone for the fifth edition under artistic director Mark Adams.

An eclectic range of features was dotted with the UK premieres of significant homegrown films in 2019 so far – Joanna Hogg’s Sundance-winner The Souvenir,...

An atmospheric thriller with a noir-ish undertow and strong visual style, Strange But True puts a classy spin on familiar ingredients. The twist-heavy, logic-bending plot will test audience patience in places, but the whole package is handsomely crafted and rich in strong performances from a seasoned ensemble cast led by Amy Ryan, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner and Greg Kinnear.

World-premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Rowan Athale's second feature is an international affair. Adapted from a 2002 John Searles novel, it was filmed in Canada by a young Brit director with a mostly American cast. A superior B-movie at heart,...

An atmospheric thriller with a noir-ish undertow and strong visual style, Strange But True puts a classy spin on familiar ingredients. The twist-heavy, logic-bending plot will test audience patience in places, but the whole package is handsomely crafted and rich in strong performances from a seasoned ensemble cast led by Amy Ryan, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner and Greg Kinnear.

World-premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Rowan Athale's second feature is an international affair. Adapted from a 2002 John Searles novel, it was filmed in Canada by a young Brit director with a mostly American cast. A superior B-movie at heart,...

by Nathaniel R

A special Gay Pride edition of our random "Beauty Break" series. Today we celebrate the very talented actor Connor Jessup who just turned 25 this week. We hope you know him from his incredible work in the second season of American Crime or the queer Canadian indie Closet Monster. Next up for Jessup is the British mystery/ thriller Strange But True (which just premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and will be released by CBS films in the Us) and the Netflix adaptation of the family fantasy series Locke & Key (due later this year).

We've been enjoying Jessup on Instagram since his cinephilia is readily apparent. While he's been playing gay characters for some time now, he's officially come out himself, having felt guilty about never stating it publicly, and speaking of his characters from a "neutral" distance. Here's what he has to say after the jump, along...

Scheme Birds Edinburgh International Film Festival is putting Scottish films in the spotlight again this year, with stars including Shauna Macdonald, Jack Lowden, Angus Macfadyen, Peter Mullan and director Mark Cousins joining the line-up.

Among the films announced today is Dundee-shot Schemers, by writer/director David McLean. An autobiographical look at the director’s early years in the music business. Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin's Motherwell-set documentary Scheme Birds - which won the Albert Maysles Award and Best Documentary accolade at Tribeca Film Festival last month - will also screen.

Macfadyen reprises the role of Robert the Bruce, from Braveheart, in a retelling of the story, while Brian Cox stars alongside Blythe Danner in thriller Strange But True.

Scottish-born producer Sophia Shek brings comedy drama Go Back To China to this year’s Festival. Directed by Emily Ting, the film tells the story of Sasha Li, a spoiled rich kid whose father.

Ficunam, the international film festival organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has launched new film lab, Catapulta, in a bid to extend more support to indie films in post.

The open call for its First Cut competition runs from Nov. 27 to Jan. 14.

The 9th Ficunam unspools Feb. 28 to March 10.

Founded in 2011, Ficunam has signed on a new administration led by executive director Abril Alzaga and artistic director Michel Lipkes.

Argentine filmmaker-producer Ivan Granovsky, the co-founder of Mar del Plata Iff’s co-production meetings, LoboLab, has been tapped as the general curator of Catapulta.

“Ficunam champions non-traditional and risky cinema,” said Granovsky, adding: “Catapulta is a commitment to protect and promote the fiercest projects out there.”

“Ficunam intends to help catapult these free and courageous films onto the marketplace,” concurred Alzaga who was the executive co-ordinator of Unam’s Ingmar Bergman Chair in Film and Theater where she managed international co-production projects.

Nick Robinson, Michael Shannon, Britt Robertson, and Alex Pettyfer are starring in the burglary drama “Echo Boomers.”

Based on a true story, the film centers around a group of disillusioned twentysomethings, who break into and steal from the homes of the rich.

Seth Savoy will be making his directorial debut on the movie and helm from his own script. Byron Wetzel, Sean Kaplan, Mike Ware, Jeff Waxman, and James Langer are attached to produce.

Fortitude International holds the foreign rights and is launching sales this week at the American Film Market. CAA Media Finance will represent the domestic rights. Production is scheduled to begin in January.

Robinson, who starred in “Love, Simon” and “Everything, Everything,” will next be seen in the thriller “Strange but True.” Shannon starred in “The Shape of Water,” and received Academy Award nominations for his roles in “Revolutionary Road” and “Nocturnal Animals.” He’s toplined all...

Sharon Strickland.

Finally confirmed as CEO of the Dendy Icon group, Sharon Strickland is keen to continue the company’s growth in exhibition and distribution.

Ticket sales at the 43-screen Dendy circuit are up 26 per cent this year after the opening of the 10-screen Coorparoo cinema in Brisbane last December and the expansion of the Dendy Canberra location from 9 to 15 screens in June 2017.

“We have a very loyal community who value our differentiated movie offering,” says Strickland, formerly the chief operating officer who has been running the company since CEO Greg Hughes departed last December.

The first Dendy Cinema on the Gold Coast will be part of the new Queen Street Village development.

Bruce Davey, Dendy Icon chairman and co-owner with Mel Gibson said: “Sharon has been a tremendous asset to our business over the last eight years and I’m delighted to appoint her to the leadership position to...

UK sales company does strong business on trio of genre titles.

UK sales outfit Bankside Films has sealed a host of deals across three of the titles on its slate.

Rowan Athale’s Strange But True has now sold to Baltic States (Latvian Theatrical Distribution), China (Huanxi Media Group), India (Vista Films), Italy (Notorious Pictures), Latin America (Cdc United Network), Middle East (Front Row Entertainment) and Switzerland (Praesens).

Starring Nick Robinson, Margaret Qualley, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Blythe Danner and Brian Cox, the thriller follows a couple who receive a visit from a pregnant woman claiming their son who died...

Bankside handles international sales in Berlin.

CBS Films has acquired Us rights to the Automatik and First Generation Films mystery-thriller Strange But True starring Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Nick Robinson, and Margaret Qualley. Bankside is handing international sales at the Efm.

Rowan Athale directed from Eric Garcia’s adapted screenplay based on the novel by John Searles about a couple who receive a visit from a pregnant woman claiming their son who died five years ago on Prom Night is the father of her child.

Rounding out the key cast are Brian Cox, Blythe Danner, Mena Massoud, and Connor Jessup.

Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik produced with Christina Piovesan of First Generation Films.

Deepak Nayer and Laure Vaysee of Motion Picture Capital, Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films, Compton Ross and Phil Hunt of Head Gear Films, and John Penotti, Ross Katz, Tim Williams and Brian Kornreich served as executive producers. Motion Picture Capital...

Bankside handles international sales in Berlin.

CBS Films has acquired Us rights to the Automatik and First Generation Films mystery-thriller Strange But True starring Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Nick Robinson, and Margaret Qualley.

Rowan Athale directed from Eric Garcia’s adapted screenplay based on the novel by John Searles. Bankside is handing international sales at the Efm in Berlin.

Strange But True follows a couple who receive a visit from a pregnant woman claiming their son who died five years ago on Prom Night is the father of her child.

Rounding out the key cast are Brian Cox, Blythe Danner, Mena Massoud, and Connor Jessup.

Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik produced with Christina Piovesan of First Generation Films.

Deepak Nayer and Laure Vaysee of Motion Picture Capital, Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films, Compton Ross and Phil Hunt of Head Gear Films, and John Penotti, Ross Katz, Tim Williams and [link=nm...

She welcomed viewers to one of the most unsettling dinner parties put to film with The Invitation, and now Karyn Kusama is getting ready to introduce viewers to a new kind of cult in Destroyer, her upcoming thriller that has now added Nicole Kidman in a lead role:

Press Release: Los Angeles (October 4, 2017) – Academy Award® and Emmy® Award Winner Nicole Kidman (“Big Little Lies,” The Hours) will star in Destroyer, a modern Los Angeles crime thriller to be directed by Karyn Kusama (The Invitation, Girlfight) from an original screenplay by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (The Invitation,Ride Along). 30West will fully finance the film. Academy Award® Nominee Fred Berger (La La Land) of Automatik is producing alongside Hay and Manfredi, who also wrote and produced Kusama’s critically acclaimed film The Invitation. Rocket Science is handling international sales and helped arrange the financing, while ICM Partners and CAA are...

Mena Massoud has come aboard Strange but True, directed by Rowan Athale. He joins Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Nick Robinson, Margaret Qualley and Connor Jessup in the film about a young woman who suddenly finds herself pregnant five years after the death of her boyfriend. When she confronts his family with the idea that this child could be his, the truth begins to unravel. La La Land producer Fred Berger is producing the film, which was written by Eric Garcia based on the…...

Exclusive: Qed International arrives at Afm with worldwide rights to the noir thriller Strange But True starring Imogen Poots, Bill Paxton and Melissa Leo.

Alex and David Pastor will direct based on John Searles’ novel about a young woman who discovers she is pregnant with her boyfriend’s child even through her partner died five years earlier in tragic circumstances. Evan Peters also stars.

Principal photography is earmarked for spring 2014. Fred Berger produces alongside Adrian Guerra, Christina Piovesan, Alex Lalonde and Darryn Welch.

The executive producer roster includes Ross Katz, John Penotti, Tim Williams and Brian Kornreich.

Qed’s Afm slate includes Tom Hardy in Takashi Miike’s Yakuza thriller The Outsider, Peter Billingsley’s Term Life with Vince Vaughn and Hailee Steinfeld as well as Jason Bateman starring opposite Nicole Kidman in his sophomore directorial outing, The Family Fang.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the Pastor brothers and such a strong producing team,” said...

A producer with exquisite taste (In the Bedroom and Lost in Translation are among the few items he has produced) with only the direct-to-hbo Taking Chance under his belt, it looks like after a couple of failed attempts to lift the book to film adaptation of The Amateur American, Ross Katz will now take on the reigns for a project that has actor Nick Kroll’s fingers all over it. THR reports that Katz will direct, Kroll and real-life couple Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale will star in Brother’s Keeper, an indie dramedy produced by Burn Later Productions’ Kroll, Sam Slater and Paul Bernon (Drinking Buddies), Through’ Film’s Marcus Cox and Karrie Cox and exec produced by Jared Goldman (upcoming The Skeleton Twins) and a pair of brothers who have their hands in many cookie jars in the Duplass bros. Shooting begins in January in New York.

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