Film producers

Click here to read the full article. Production has begun in Brisbane, Australia , on dramatic comedy film “ A Savage Christmas .” The story is that of a trans woman who, after years of estrangement, returns home for Christmas with her new boyfriend. Expecting her transition to be the focus, it is instead overshadowed by family secrets and lies which threaten not only their lives but another Christmas lunch. More from Variety VFX Veteran Alaric McAusland to Head DNEG Facility in Sydney Cate Blanchett Wraps Warwick Thornton's 'The New Boy' David Thewlis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Maia Mitchell Head Cast of Disney Series 'The Artful Dodger,' Australian Twist on Charles Dickens Story The film is written, directed and produced by feature debutant Madeleine Dyer, who has pitched it as stylistically resembling “Death at a Funeral” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” Screen Australia’s head of content Grainne Brunsdon said the film “blends off-beat humor while … [Read more...] about Trans Drama Film ‘A Savage Christmas’ Under Way in Australia

Click here to read the full article. In the run-up to February’s Berlin Film Festival , Madrid-based Latido Films has pounced on “Sica,” the fiction feature debut of Carla Subirana, one of a hard-to-miss vibrant new generation of Barcelona-based women directors and producers now galvanizing the Catalan film scene. In a frequent alignment between the two companies, Spanish distribution will be handled by Adolfo Blanco’s A Contracorriente Films, one of Spain’s top indie distributors. More from Variety Berlinale Satire About Gender Roles 'Mammalia' Boarded by Lights On, Trailer Debuts (EXCLUSIVE) Totem Films Boards New Project From 'And Then We Danced' Director Levan Akin (EXCLUSIVE) Heather Graham, Tom Hopper Lead Western 'Place of Bones,' Highland Preps Sales for EFM (EXCLUSIVE) Also written by Subirana, the film is produced by another new Catalan generation leading-light: Director-producer Alba Sotorra whose latest outing behind the cameras, “The … [Read more...] about Berlin Generation Title ‘Sica’ Swooped On by Latido Films (EXCLUSIVE)

Click here to read the full article. Bowfinger Int’l Pictures, run by Spanish actor-director Santiago Segura and producing partner María Luisa Gutiérrez, and Beta Fiction Spain (BFS), the Spanish affiliate of Germany’s Beta Film, have teamed up to produce “Infiltrada” (“Infiltrated”) the true story of a young Spanish policewoman who infiltrated the Basque separatist group, ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, translated as Basque Homeland and Liberty). To be directed by Bilbao-based helmer Arantxa Echevarría, the feature film based on true events follows the 20-year old policewoman, known only by her alias Aranzazu Berradre Marín, who managed to embed herself with members of the terrorist group, even sharing living quarters with them. More from Variety 'Lobo Feroz,' Spanish Remake of Israeli Revenge Thriller 'Big Bad Wolves,' Drops Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) Spain Box Office, 2022: 49% Up On 2021, But Still Significantly Short of Pre-Pandemic Levels Latido Re-Teams with … [Read more...] about Spain’s Bowfinger Int’l Pictures, Beta Fiction Spain Partner on Spanish Terrorist Org Film, ‘Infiltrada’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Click here to read the full article. MTV Documentary Films has acquired worldwide rights to “The Eternal Memory,” Maite Alberdi’s follow-up to her Oscar-nominated feature “The Mole Agent.” The doc premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and will have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival next month as part of the “Panorama” section. More from Variety 'A Little Prayer' Review: 'Junebug' Writer Angus MacLachlan Gives Us Another Unforgettable Southern Family Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires U.S. Rights to Harrowing Ukrainian Anti-War Drama 'Klondike' (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Accidental Getaway Driver' Review: Sluggish Fact-Based Crime Drama Squanders Its Cinematic Premise The film was produced by Alberdi, Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín and Rocío Jadue. It is executive produced by Marcela Santibañez, Daniela Sandoval, Nicholas Hooper, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Chandra Jessee and Rebecca Lichtenfeld. MTV Documentary … [Read more...] about MTV Documentary Films Buys Sundance Documentary ‘The Eternal Memory,’ Maite Alberdi’s Follow-Up to Oscar-Nominated ‘Mole Agent’

PARK CITY, Utah – The Sundance Film Festival’s first in-person gathering since 2020, held Jan. 19-29, delivered on its reputation with a fine number of clever, insightful, aching movies; a handful of special onstage moments; and a fresh passel of first-time filmmakers. Back in the saddle but also straddling the online/in-person divide created by COVID, indie film’s biggest homecoming had its Park City and Salt Lake City theaters humming but also made nearly all its films available for online screening, which makes good on the Sundance Institute’s commitment to presenting a festival that is accessible to people with disabilities. “I believe in small stories about really big things,” actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus told the industry publication “Variety.” She was referring in part to her lead role in “You Hurt My Feelings,” one of the festival’s wisest comedies. But Louis-Dreyfus also nailed something vital and authentic about the festival and independent cinema’s sweet spot: So here are … [Read more...] about 10 takeaways from the Sundance Film Festival, in person again

Sandeva (right) with Paolo Gumabao Czech actress Sara Sandeva was recently in the Philippines for almost two weeks to shoot some of the scenes in the romantic film “Spring in Prague” with leading man Paulo Gumabao. Lester Dimaranan’s film is an “old-fashioned romance,” according to its writer Eric Ramos. Sara plays a tourist who comes to the country and meets Paulo, who happens to be a resort owner, and eventually falls in love. Something happens that forces Sara to go back home, and more complications also force Paulo to fly to Prague. Here in the Philippines, scenes were shot in Puerto Galera, Mindoro and Tagaytay City. The Santo Niño de Praga in Manila will also be highlighted in the film. “Although I miss my family and my boyfriend who are all in Prague (capital city of the Czech Republic), I never felt homesick,” disclosed Sara during a media gathering organized by the movie’s producer, Borracho Films Productions, a few days before she flew back home. “We had so much … [Read more...] about Czech actress Sara Sandeva on what it was like to make a film in PH

Ovvian Castrillo Hill produced the documentary series EX-SITU about the history of the Filipino community in Canada’s Peace region. YOUTUBE Ovvian Castrillo-Hill, 50, of Fort St. John, British Columbia finished a documentary series on the history and experiences of the Filipino community in Canada’s Peace region. For her series, EX-SITU: Thriving In Our New Bayan , Castrillo-Hill interviewed individuals on their new lives in Canada. She is moving on to a new project as she was again selected through the Telus STORYHIVE Voices program for emerging content creators. Her second EX-SITU (meaning living and thriving in a place that’s not one’s habitat) series, EX-SITU Interaction, will focus on how Filipinos adapt to a new cultural environment. Castrillo-Hill’s first EX-SITU series has eight episodes. EX-SITU Interaction will have six 25-minute episodes. The Filipinos make up the largest group of immigrants in the Peace Region, and Castrillo-Hill, a first-time filmmaker, … [Read more...] about Artist films Filipino immigrant life in Canada’s Peace Region

Click here to read the full article. Filmmaker Kenneth Karlstadt has conjured a chaotic coming of age story, “Kids In Crime,” for Norway’s TV2. The writer-director grew the project out from his well received short, “The Hunger,” into eight short episodes. It’s a format hoped to attract younger audiences aged 16-22, who are surrounded by many alternative forms of entertainment through social media, games, and streamers. It is unclear how well this strategy worked, but the show proved to be one of 2022’s most successful shows for TV2, according to Brede Havland, producer for Einar Film Drama. It has also been nominated for the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize 2023 . More from Variety Oscar Nominee Selma Vilhunen Puts Open Relationship at the Heart of 'Four Little Adults,' First Clip Debuts (EXCLUSIVE) Göteborg TV Confab Spotlights 42 Series, Best Practices to Safeguard Nordic Drama Dynamic Television Swoops on NRK's Dramedy 'Dates in Real Life' (EXCLUSIVE) … [Read more...] about ‘The Hunger’s’ Kenneth Karlstadt on His Restless New Series ‘Kids In Crime’

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. In 2019, to mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in the United States, The New York Times Magazine published The 1619 Project . It was the beginning of an ongoing long-form journalism initiative, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, that reframes the history of slavery in America and explores how it touches nearly every aspect of modern life. The 1619 Project has been used as a curriculum in some 4,500 classrooms ; it has also been adapted into a podcast and a best-selling book that features essays by contributors about slavery’s legacy. And on Thursday, it finally makes its way to the screen in the form of a six-part documentary series on Hulu. Each episode of the TV series adapts an essay from the book and touches on themes such as “music,” or “democracy.” As an executive producer and the show’s narrator, Ms. Hannah-Jones … [Read more...] about A New Series, ‘In Service of Our Ancestors’

The historic Hollywood compound of two Oscar winners, actress Helen Mirren and director Taylor Hackford , has just been relisted for $16,995,000. The couple had initially put it on the market for $18,500,000 in 2021. The expansive property can also be rented for $39,995 a month. Anyone eyeing this remarkable property might be tempted to take another close look now that it's back at a discounted price. 'In the heart of Hollywood' “This is an unparalleled opportunity to obtain a 6.5-acre property in an amazing close-in Hollywood Hills location like no other, affording the ultimate in privacy and convenience,” says Joyce Rey , who is co-listing the property with Stephen Apelian . Both are Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property specialists affiliated with the Beverly Hills office of Coldwell Banker Realty. "No other property offers a beautiful setting, sophisticated styling, exceptional views, and supreme privacy, all in the heart of Hollywood,” Rey says. It's an … [Read more...] about Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford Slice the Price on Their Hollywood Estate