Ketchup Entertainment announced today that they have acquired North American rights to the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Memory, written and directed by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Michel Franco. The film stars Academy Award ® winner Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper and Josh Charles. It premiered in Competition at the 80th Venice Film Festival earning an eight-minute standing ovation, with Sarsgaard going on to receive the Volpi Cup for Best Actor from the Jury. It also screened to great acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is screening at AFI this Saturday, October 28th with Franco and Sarsgaard in attendance and will open theatrically this December.
Memory follows Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) a social worker who leads a simple and structured life until Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they...
Memory follows Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) a social worker who leads a simple and structured life until Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they...
- 10/30/2023
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard have both officially entered the Oscar race for their extraordinary performances in Michel Franco’s “Memory.” However, the awards campaign has announced that Sarsgaard’s riveting turn as a man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will be submitted for supporting actor consideration at the major ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, SAG and Academy Awards. His Oscar-winning co-star Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) will vie for lead actress.
Written and directed by Franco, the film was recently acquired by Ketchup Entertainment for North American distribution and will receive an Oscar-qualifying run in December. It premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where Sarsgaard received the Volpi Cup for best actor from the Jury, joining the ranks of past honorees such as Brad Pitt (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) and River Phoenix (“My Own Private Idaho”). It was later screened at the Toronto,...
Written and directed by Franco, the film was recently acquired by Ketchup Entertainment for North American distribution and will receive an Oscar-qualifying run in December. It premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where Sarsgaard received the Volpi Cup for best actor from the Jury, joining the ranks of past honorees such as Brad Pitt (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) and River Phoenix (“My Own Private Idaho”). It was later screened at the Toronto,...
- 10/28/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
On the website for Mubi, the international cinema platform describes itself in several ways: “A streaming service? A curator? A publisher? A distributor? A cinema lover? Yes.”
Yet in a recent online conversation hosted by Sundance Collab, the Sundance Institute’s educational service, Mubi Chief Content Officer Jason Ropell added another facet to Mubi’s motives: Netflix alternative.
Ropell, the former head of Amazon Studio’s film division, said in a revealing conversation with Sundance programmer John Nein that, while Mubi takes SVOD rights for both films it buys and produces in-house, it takes a more expansive approach to other revenue streams, from theatrical to PVOD.
“In contrast, Netflix will create or buy a film and it will only be on Netflix,” Ropell said. “It’s the exclusive access to the platform that’s their value proposition. Our job is to support films through every facet of the distribution chain.
Yet in a recent online conversation hosted by Sundance Collab, the Sundance Institute’s educational service, Mubi Chief Content Officer Jason Ropell added another facet to Mubi’s motives: Netflix alternative.
Ropell, the former head of Amazon Studio’s film division, said in a revealing conversation with Sundance programmer John Nein that, while Mubi takes SVOD rights for both films it buys and produces in-house, it takes a more expansive approach to other revenue streams, from theatrical to PVOD.
“In contrast, Netflix will create or buy a film and it will only be on Netflix,” Ropell said. “It’s the exclusive access to the platform that’s their value proposition. Our job is to support films through every facet of the distribution chain.
- 8/17/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Exhibition stocks were up today on news from Bloomberg that Amazon is going to commit a reported 1 billion to theatrical releases annually.
We hear that such a plan is truly in its early days — read Amazon doesn’t have an executive yet to lead MGM theatrical. Capisce? Since Amazon bought MGM, it has been trying to figure out how to put the genie back in the bottle: Amazon committed heavily to theatrical with reported box office numbers and wide releases during the Jason Ropell-Bob Berney-Ted Hope administration — sometimes releasing pics through distribution partners such as Lionsgate, STX, Roadside Attractions and Bleecker Street before bringing it in-house under IFC day-and-date distribution czar Mark Boxer. When Jen Salke took charge of the studio in 2018, she pivoted to a Netflix-like theatrical/streaming model with limited theatrical releases over a shorter or day-and-date window synced with a Prime Video drop.
We hear that such a plan is truly in its early days — read Amazon doesn’t have an executive yet to lead MGM theatrical. Capisce? Since Amazon bought MGM, it has been trying to figure out how to put the genie back in the bottle: Amazon committed heavily to theatrical with reported box office numbers and wide releases during the Jason Ropell-Bob Berney-Ted Hope administration — sometimes releasing pics through distribution partners such as Lionsgate, STX, Roadside Attractions and Bleecker Street before bringing it in-house under IFC day-and-date distribution czar Mark Boxer. When Jen Salke took charge of the studio in 2018, she pivoted to a Netflix-like theatrical/streaming model with limited theatrical releases over a shorter or day-and-date window synced with a Prime Video drop.
- 11/23/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
- 7/25/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization that puts on the yearly film festival in Park City, has announced the entrants for its Producers Lab and Producers Summit.
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
- 7/25/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has named the participants for its 2022 Producers Lab and Summit, both of which are set to take place in person this year at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort.
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
- 7/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: WWE Superstar Liv Morgan will make her film debut in Yale Entertainment’s darkly comic thriller, The Kill Room. She joins an ensemble that also includes Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Manganiello, Maya Hawke, Debi Mazar, Larry Pine, Dree Hemingway and Leah McSweeney, as previously announced.
The film centers on hitman Reggie (Manganiello), his boss (Jackson), an art dealer (Thurman) and their money laundering scheme that accidentally turns the hitman into an overnight Avant-Garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the underworld. Morgan will play an art purist who bemoans the vapidness of art dealers.
Nicol Paone is directing from Jonathan Jacobson’s script. Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, and Jon Keeyes are producing under their Yale Productions banner alongside Anne Clements of Idiot Savant Pictures, Paone, Thurman, Dannielle Thomas and Jason Weinberg from Untitled Entertainment, William Rosenfeld of Such Content, and Bill Kenwright of Bk Studios.
The film centers on hitman Reggie (Manganiello), his boss (Jackson), an art dealer (Thurman) and their money laundering scheme that accidentally turns the hitman into an overnight Avant-Garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the underworld. Morgan will play an art purist who bemoans the vapidness of art dealers.
Nicol Paone is directing from Jonathan Jacobson’s script. Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, and Jon Keeyes are producing under their Yale Productions banner alongside Anne Clements of Idiot Savant Pictures, Paone, Thurman, Dannielle Thomas and Jason Weinberg from Untitled Entertainment, William Rosenfeld of Such Content, and Bill Kenwright of Bk Studios.
- 6/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Marking her first feature since she won a Best Actress Oscar for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain and Dopesick and The Batman star Peter Sarsgaard have just wrapped on Michel Franco’s (New Order) new film, which we can reveal is called Memory.
Plot details are being kept under lock and key but the English-language project is rumoured to revolve around a New York City staycation. Also starring are Merritt Wever (Birdman), Josh Charles (Dead Poets Society), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), and Jessica Harper (Suspiria).
The project marks Franco’s second American-set film after 2015’s Chronic, and marks the fifth collaboration between the filmmaker and cinematographer Yves Cape. Pic wrapped shooting in New York last Friday.
Franco, a festival-favourite, won the Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for recent feature New Order. Four of his films have played at Cannes, three winning prizes.
The film is produced...
Plot details are being kept under lock and key but the English-language project is rumoured to revolve around a New York City staycation. Also starring are Merritt Wever (Birdman), Josh Charles (Dead Poets Society), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), and Jessica Harper (Suspiria).
The project marks Franco’s second American-set film after 2015’s Chronic, and marks the fifth collaboration between the filmmaker and cinematographer Yves Cape. Pic wrapped shooting in New York last Friday.
Franco, a festival-favourite, won the Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for recent feature New Order. Four of his films have played at Cannes, three winning prizes.
The film is produced...
- 5/23/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Ioc Refugee Olympic Team competing in the Tokyo Olympics is set to be the subject of a feature documentary from For Sama director Waad Al-Kateab.
Al-Kateab, who was nominated for an Oscar for her Syrian Civil War documentary, is helming the doc, which is produced by The White Helmets and Virunga producer Joanna Natasegara, who runs Violet Films, and Bryn Mooser and his non-fiction studio Xtr.
The doc is backed by Airbnb founder Joe Gebbia, who exec produces alongside Jason Ropell and Nevine Mabro and Xtr’s Justin Lacob and Kathryn Everett.
Al Kateab and Natasegara have had unprecedented access to the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team before, during and after the 2020 Games, which saw 29 athletes competing in Tokyo, originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to capture the stories of these inspirational athletes on their way to competing at the...
Al-Kateab, who was nominated for an Oscar for her Syrian Civil War documentary, is helming the doc, which is produced by The White Helmets and Virunga producer Joanna Natasegara, who runs Violet Films, and Bryn Mooser and his non-fiction studio Xtr.
The doc is backed by Airbnb founder Joe Gebbia, who exec produces alongside Jason Ropell and Nevine Mabro and Xtr’s Justin Lacob and Kathryn Everett.
Al Kateab and Natasegara have had unprecedented access to the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team before, during and after the 2020 Games, which saw 29 athletes competing in Tokyo, originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to capture the stories of these inspirational athletes on their way to competing at the...
- 8/4/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“For Sama” director Waad Al-Kateab is in Tokyo filming a documentary about the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team for Xtr.
Al-Kateab, a Syrian filmmaker who received an Oscar nomination for “For Sama,” is working with Oscar-winning producer Joanna Natasegara on the project. They have had access to the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team before and during the 2021 Games. The team consists of 29 athletes competing in Tokyo, originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to capture the stories of these inspirational athletes on their way to competing at the biggest sports event in the world,” said Al-Kateab. “So much of their experience I recognize in my own journey as a refugee and I feel very committed to representing their heart, determination and resilience in a way that they deserve. Despite the hardship for anyone leaving their homeland behind, the Refugee Olympic Team stories are a moving contribution of ambition,...
Al-Kateab, a Syrian filmmaker who received an Oscar nomination for “For Sama,” is working with Oscar-winning producer Joanna Natasegara on the project. They have had access to the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team before and during the 2021 Games. The team consists of 29 athletes competing in Tokyo, originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to capture the stories of these inspirational athletes on their way to competing at the biggest sports event in the world,” said Al-Kateab. “So much of their experience I recognize in my own journey as a refugee and I feel very committed to representing their heart, determination and resilience in a way that they deserve. Despite the hardship for anyone leaving their homeland behind, the Refugee Olympic Team stories are a moving contribution of ambition,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-nominated director Waad Al-Kateab will direct a documentary feature following the Ioc Refugee Olympic Team, Xtr announced Wednesday morning.
The film is in production at the Tokyo Olympics, where Al-Kateab and producer Joanna Natasegara are following the team consisting of 29 athletes originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
Director Al-Kateab made her Oscar-nominated directorial debut with “For Sama,” which followed her own experience as a journalist who elected to stay with her husband and young daughter in the embattled city of Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War. After “For Sama” won four BAFTA awards, making it the most nominated documentary in BAFTA’s history, Al-Kateab started the “Action For Sama,” advocacy campaign which raises awareness on Syrian conflicts.
Oscar-winning producer Natasegara will produce the film alongside Bryn Mooser, a former Peace Corps worker and Oscar-nominated producer who founded the nonfiction film and television studio Xtr in 2019.
“I am so...
The film is in production at the Tokyo Olympics, where Al-Kateab and producer Joanna Natasegara are following the team consisting of 29 athletes originating from 11 countries, and residing in 13 host nations.
Director Al-Kateab made her Oscar-nominated directorial debut with “For Sama,” which followed her own experience as a journalist who elected to stay with her husband and young daughter in the embattled city of Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War. After “For Sama” won four BAFTA awards, making it the most nominated documentary in BAFTA’s history, Al-Kateab started the “Action For Sama,” advocacy campaign which raises awareness on Syrian conflicts.
Oscar-winning producer Natasegara will produce the film alongside Bryn Mooser, a former Peace Corps worker and Oscar-nominated producer who founded the nonfiction film and television studio Xtr in 2019.
“I am so...
- 8/4/2021
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Producer deal to start on June 2.
Ted Hope is stepping down as Amazon Studios movies co-head and has signed a multi-year, first-look producing deal with the streaming giant.
Hope will consult on several films planned for release in 2020 and produce select projects on the upcoming development slate. His producing deal starts on June 2.
Matt Newman and Julie Rapaport expand their roles as co-heads of the Original Movies team, reporting to head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, who said the group would be “in good hands as they continue their collaborative leadership.”
The division’s recent films include Late Night, Brittany Runs A Marathon,...
Ted Hope is stepping down as Amazon Studios movies co-head and has signed a multi-year, first-look producing deal with the streaming giant.
Hope will consult on several films planned for release in 2020 and produce select projects on the upcoming development slate. His producing deal starts on June 2.
Matt Newman and Julie Rapaport expand their roles as co-heads of the Original Movies team, reporting to head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, who said the group would be “in good hands as they continue their collaborative leadership.”
The division’s recent films include Late Night, Brittany Runs A Marathon,...
- 5/28/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Producer deal to start on June 2.
Ted Hope is stepping down as Amazon Studios movies co-head and has signed a multi-year, first-look producing deal with the streaming giant.
Hope will consult on several films planned for release in 2020 and produce select projects on the upcoming development slate. His producing deal starts on June 2.
Matt Newman and Julie Rapaport expand their roles as co-heads of the Original Movies team, reporting to head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, who said the group would be “in good hands as they continue their collaborative leadership.”
The division’s recent films include Late Night, Brittany Runs A Marathon,...
Ted Hope is stepping down as Amazon Studios movies co-head and has signed a multi-year, first-look producing deal with the streaming giant.
Hope will consult on several films planned for release in 2020 and produce select projects on the upcoming development slate. His producing deal starts on June 2.
Matt Newman and Julie Rapaport expand their roles as co-heads of the Original Movies team, reporting to head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, who said the group would be “in good hands as they continue their collaborative leadership.”
The division’s recent films include Late Night, Brittany Runs A Marathon,...
- 5/28/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
John Lynch is exiting his post as head of production and operations at Amazon Studios, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Lynch had been with the company since 2012 but notified the staff about his departure on Friday. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
In June, head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney left the company following the expiration of his four-year contract. And in 2018, Jason Ropell left his post as head of motion pictures — he was replaced by Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman. Roy Price exited in late 2017, at which point Jennifer Salke stepped in to run film and TV operations.
Also Read: Amazon Studios' Jennifer Salke and AMC's Sarah Barnett on Developing a Diverse Film and TV Slates | Video
Amazon Studios’ releases this year include “The Report,” “The Aeronauts,” “Late Night,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Seberg” and “Honey Boy,” some of which are getting awards buzz.
Lynch had been with the company since 2012 but notified the staff about his departure on Friday. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
In June, head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney left the company following the expiration of his four-year contract. And in 2018, Jason Ropell left his post as head of motion pictures — he was replaced by Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman. Roy Price exited in late 2017, at which point Jennifer Salke stepped in to run film and TV operations.
Also Read: Amazon Studios' Jennifer Salke and AMC's Sarah Barnett on Developing a Diverse Film and TV Slates | Video
Amazon Studios’ releases this year include “The Report,” “The Aeronauts,” “Late Night,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Seberg” and “Honey Boy,” some of which are getting awards buzz.
- 11/15/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
John Lynch, the head of production and worldwide operations at Amazon Studios, is leaving the company, Deadline has confirmed. He had been in the post since 2012, according to his profile on LinkedIn.
Amazon declined comment, but it’s the latest departure on the streamer’s film side, now overseen by Julie Rapaport, Matt Newman and Ted Hope. Head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney exited in June following the expiration of his four-year contract.
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited in late 2017, and Jennifer Salke was brought aboard in February 2018 to run both the film and TV operations after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Rapaport, Newman and Hope report to Salke.
Amazon’s film releases this year include The Aeronauts and The Report upcoming as well as Late Night.
Variety...
Amazon declined comment, but it’s the latest departure on the streamer’s film side, now overseen by Julie Rapaport, Matt Newman and Ted Hope. Head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney exited in June following the expiration of his four-year contract.
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited in late 2017, and Jennifer Salke was brought aboard in February 2018 to run both the film and TV operations after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Rapaport, Newman and Hope report to Salke.
Amazon’s film releases this year include The Aeronauts and The Report upcoming as well as Late Night.
Variety...
- 11/15/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
John Lynch is leaving Amazon Studios, the streaming service where he served as head of production and operations, Variety has learned.
Rumors began swirling earlier this week that Lynch was out at the company. Lynch has been with Amazon since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Lynch notified staff of his departure on Friday. It’s unclear what led to his exit. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
Lynch isn’t the only high-ranking employee to leave Amazon Studios this year. In June, Bob Berney, a widely respected indie film executive, stepped down as head of marketing and distribution. The studio has yet to name a replacement. In 2018, Jason Ropell left as head of motion pictures. He was ultimately replaced by the tag team of Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman.
The moves come as Amazon Studios is plotting a much different course on the feature film front than...
Rumors began swirling earlier this week that Lynch was out at the company. Lynch has been with Amazon since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Lynch notified staff of his departure on Friday. It’s unclear what led to his exit. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
Lynch isn’t the only high-ranking employee to leave Amazon Studios this year. In June, Bob Berney, a widely respected indie film executive, stepped down as head of marketing and distribution. The studio has yet to name a replacement. In 2018, Jason Ropell left as head of motion pictures. He was ultimately replaced by the tag team of Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman.
The moves come as Amazon Studios is plotting a much different course on the feature film front than...
- 11/15/2019
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
This week, Amazon Studios became a standard-bearer for the issue impacting every specialized distributor: Exactly how is it supposed to get people to watch their movies?
Exhibit A is the failure of “Late Night,” for which Amazon paid $13 million in North American rights. With 2,200 screens in its second week, the well-reviewed “Late Night” saw a per-screen average of $2,367, and will likely end its run at or near $20 million.
Exhibit B is the exit of Bob Berney, head of Amazon Studios’ marketing and distribution. He decided that when his four-year contract expired on June 15, it was the right time to leave. “I fulfilled my deal and we did some great stuff,” he told IndieWire. “I am proud of the team. I want to move on. I’ve done everything I think I can do there.”
Already, Salke is making moves to right the ship. Although Amazon launched declaring its intent to honor traditional theatrical windows,...
Exhibit A is the failure of “Late Night,” for which Amazon paid $13 million in North American rights. With 2,200 screens in its second week, the well-reviewed “Late Night” saw a per-screen average of $2,367, and will likely end its run at or near $20 million.
Exhibit B is the exit of Bob Berney, head of Amazon Studios’ marketing and distribution. He decided that when his four-year contract expired on June 15, it was the right time to leave. “I fulfilled my deal and we did some great stuff,” he told IndieWire. “I am proud of the team. I want to move on. I’ve done everything I think I can do there.”
Already, Salke is making moves to right the ship. Although Amazon launched declaring its intent to honor traditional theatrical windows,...
- 6/27/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
This week, Amazon Studios became a standard-bearer for the issue impacting every specialized distributor: Exactly how is it supposed to get people to watch their movies?
Exhibit A is the failure of “Late Night,” for which Amazon paid $13 million in North American rights. With 2,200 screens in its second week, the well-reviewed “Late Night” saw a per-screen average of $2,367, and will likely end its run at or near $20 million.
Exhibit B is the exit of Bob Berney, head of Amazon Studios’ marketing and distribution. He decided that when his four-year contract expired on June 15, it was the right time to leave. “I fulfilled my deal and we did some great stuff,” he told IndieWire. “I am proud of the team. I want to move on. I’ve done everything I think I can do there.”
Already, Salke is making moves to right the ship. Although Amazon launched declaring its intent to honor traditional theatrical windows,...
Exhibit A is the failure of “Late Night,” for which Amazon paid $13 million in North American rights. With 2,200 screens in its second week, the well-reviewed “Late Night” saw a per-screen average of $2,367, and will likely end its run at or near $20 million.
Exhibit B is the exit of Bob Berney, head of Amazon Studios’ marketing and distribution. He decided that when his four-year contract expired on June 15, it was the right time to leave. “I fulfilled my deal and we did some great stuff,” he told IndieWire. “I am proud of the team. I want to move on. I’ve done everything I think I can do there.”
Already, Salke is making moves to right the ship. Although Amazon launched declaring its intent to honor traditional theatrical windows,...
- 6/27/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sources say veteran’s decision unrelated to disappointng box office of ‘Late Night’.
Bob Berney, the indie darling who served four years as head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios, is leaving the company.
Screen understands the move is voluntary and comes after the conclusion of a four-year contract that brought Berney from the relaunched Picturehouse, where he served as CEO, to Amazon Studios.
Berney’s team will report in the interim to Matt Newman, one of three senior executives who along with Ted Hope and Julie Rappaport reports to studio head Jennifer Salke.
According to sources veteran Berney...
Bob Berney, the indie darling who served four years as head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios, is leaving the company.
Screen understands the move is voluntary and comes after the conclusion of a four-year contract that brought Berney from the relaunched Picturehouse, where he served as CEO, to Amazon Studios.
Berney’s team will report in the interim to Matt Newman, one of three senior executives who along with Ted Hope and Julie Rappaport reports to studio head Jennifer Salke.
According to sources veteran Berney...
- 6/25/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Veteran indie distribution executive Bob Berney is leaving Amazon Studios, sources said. It was his decision and came at the end of his four-year contract, which just ended last week.
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited, and Jennifer Salke was brought in to run both the film and TV operations, this after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Timing is coincidental but unrelated to the disappointing returns of the Nisha Ganatra-directed Late Night, which stars Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling (who wrote it), and for which Amazon paid $13 million, the most ever paid in a U.S. rights deal for a film that premiered at the Sundance Film festival. After its first two weekends, the film has grossed $10.6 million domestically.
This was more about Berney wanting to move on,...
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited, and Jennifer Salke was brought in to run both the film and TV operations, this after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Timing is coincidental but unrelated to the disappointing returns of the Nisha Ganatra-directed Late Night, which stars Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling (who wrote it), and for which Amazon paid $13 million, the most ever paid in a U.S. rights deal for a film that premiered at the Sundance Film festival. After its first two weekends, the film has grossed $10.6 million domestically.
This was more about Berney wanting to move on,...
- 6/25/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
It was close to midnight when Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke got the text. The company had failed in its quest to acquire “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” a body image dramedy that captivated Salke when she saw it at Sundance. A sales agent on the project messaged her to say that a competitor offered a higher number, and unless Amazon stepped up significantly with its bid, the company would be out of the running. But Salke would not budge on the price, and collapsed into bed defeated.
Then she remembered her pitch meeting with “Brittany” writer-director Paul Downs Colaizzo, who a day earlier said his father worked at an Amazon fulfillment center in Missouri. She looked him up on the company phone directory, screen-grabbed his profile and sent it back to the sales agent asking, “Doesn’t this count for a few million?”
Minutes later her phone rang. It was the film’s executive producer,...
Then she remembered her pitch meeting with “Brittany” writer-director Paul Downs Colaizzo, who a day earlier said his father worked at an Amazon fulfillment center in Missouri. She looked him up on the company phone directory, screen-grabbed his profile and sent it back to the sales agent asking, “Doesn’t this count for a few million?”
Minutes later her phone rang. It was the film’s executive producer,...
- 2/18/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
In an unprecedented Sundance Film Festival deal haul for a single distributor, Amazon Studios gave the clearest indication of its movie future by paying a record near $50 million for five films. The acquisition avalanche began with the fest’s first big pact for Late Night (record $13M for U.S. rights). Within a matter of days, Amazon bought Brittany Runs A Marathon ($14M for world rights), The Report ($14M for world rights), Honey Boy ($5 million) and One Child Nation. It might have gotten a sixth, the Festival Favorite Award-winning documentary Knock Down the House, which went for a record $10 million to Netflix. But the fit was wrong because the film’s heroine, freshman congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, was simultaneously bashing Amazon for its since-abandoned tax incentive-laden plan to build NYC headquarters near her congressional district.
“That may have been part of it, because we were engaged in that negotiation and then [the film] went elsewhere,...
“That may have been part of it, because we were engaged in that negotiation and then [the film] went elsewhere,...
- 2/18/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Salke spoke to Screen about screening giant’s change in film strategy.
Following Jason Ropell’s exit and last week’s news that Julie Rapaport has been promoted to co-head of movies alongside Ted Hope and Matt Newman, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke is actively reshaping her film division.
Salke spoke to Screen ahead of a Prime Video launch event in London (Oct 2), and said that while the film division was “in a transitional moment” and she was “in the process of evaluating our strategy”, Amazon wasn’t planning to abandon the independent/prestige features that have been the division...
Following Jason Ropell’s exit and last week’s news that Julie Rapaport has been promoted to co-head of movies alongside Ted Hope and Matt Newman, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke is actively reshaping her film division.
Salke spoke to Screen ahead of a Prime Video launch event in London (Oct 2), and said that while the film division was “in a transitional moment” and she was “in the process of evaluating our strategy”, Amazon wasn’t planning to abandon the independent/prestige features that have been the division...
- 10/1/2018
- by Matt Mueller
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios has promoted senior executive Julie Rapaport to serve as co-head of its movies division, where she will lead a new unit focused on big-budget projects that appeal to wider audiences.
This seems to align with Amazon’s overarching content strategy on the series side as well, as it moves away from arthouse pieces like Transparent toward tentpole properties like Lord Of The Rings. Rapaport will work alongside movies co-heads Ted Hope (who will oversee prestige titles) and Matt Newman, reports The Wrap, and all three will report to Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke. Salke is still seeking a senior executive to oversee Amazon’s overall movies division following the departure of Jason Ropell in July.
“I want to stress that across series and movies, all divisions hold quality first and foremost as their bar,” Salke said in a statement. “With Julie joining Ted and Matt, this clears the...
This seems to align with Amazon’s overarching content strategy on the series side as well, as it moves away from arthouse pieces like Transparent toward tentpole properties like Lord Of The Rings. Rapaport will work alongside movies co-heads Ted Hope (who will oversee prestige titles) and Matt Newman, reports The Wrap, and all three will report to Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke. Salke is still seeking a senior executive to oversee Amazon’s overall movies division following the departure of Jason Ropell in July.
“I want to stress that across series and movies, all divisions hold quality first and foremost as their bar,” Salke said in a statement. “With Julie joining Ted and Matt, this clears the...
- 9/27/2018
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Slate includes Lucy And Desi, Union.
Seeking to broaden its reach and champion bigger budget films with broader appeal alongside the existing art house slate, Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies.
In her role, Rapaport will work alongside fellow interim co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman. All three report to head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke. Meanwhile the search goes on to replace Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell, who left the company recently.
Rapaport will lead a new division focused on expanding the current film slate with higher budget films...
Seeking to broaden its reach and champion bigger budget films with broader appeal alongside the existing art house slate, Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies.
In her role, Rapaport will work alongside fellow interim co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman. All three report to head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke. Meanwhile the search goes on to replace Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell, who left the company recently.
Rapaport will lead a new division focused on expanding the current film slate with higher budget films...
- 9/27/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke made it clear on Wednesday that big changes are coming to the company’s struggling film business.
Less than a week after Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself” flopped, the executive moved quickly to stabilize her film team and to encourage the faltering division to start developing more commercial fare. As part of that push, Salke promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of the film division and tasked her with producing bigger-budget films that will appeal to broader tastes. The restructure puts a band-aid on the “Life Itself” debacle and echoes the same marching orders given to the TV division last year from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself: Deliver hits.
Indeed, the pressure is on for a division that’s been operating in limbo for the better part of a year. The ouster of Salke’s predecessor Roy Price, an eccentric executive who was fired after being accused of sexual harassment,...
Less than a week after Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself” flopped, the executive moved quickly to stabilize her film team and to encourage the faltering division to start developing more commercial fare. As part of that push, Salke promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of the film division and tasked her with producing bigger-budget films that will appeal to broader tastes. The restructure puts a band-aid on the “Life Itself” debacle and echoes the same marching orders given to the TV division last year from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself: Deliver hits.
Indeed, the pressure is on for a division that’s been operating in limbo for the better part of a year. The ouster of Salke’s predecessor Roy Price, an eccentric executive who was fired after being accused of sexual harassment,...
- 9/26/2018
- by Matt Donnelly and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Under new management after the scandal-tainted departure of film and television leader Roy Price, Amazon Studios is now run by ex-NBC executive Jennifer Salke, who has wasted no time overhauling Amazon’s television content. She is now addressing the direction of the movie side. After pushing out Jason Ropell, whose duties have been jointly shared by production head Ted Hope and Matt Newman, head of strategic initiatives and international distribution, Salke is adding a new co-head of movies, promoting Julie Rapaport from within.
Three-year-Amazon veteran Rapaport will lead a new division focused on films appealing to wider audiences as she works alongside fellow Co-Heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
Arthouse veteran Hope, who had been running the overall movies division with Newman in the interim, will continue to oversee the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established auteurs.
Three-year-Amazon veteran Rapaport will lead a new division focused on films appealing to wider audiences as she works alongside fellow Co-Heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
Arthouse veteran Hope, who had been running the overall movies division with Newman in the interim, will continue to oversee the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established auteurs.
- 9/26/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Under new management after the scandal-tainted departure of film and television leader Roy Price, Amazon Studios is now run by ex-NBC executive Jennifer Salke, who has wasted no time overhauling Amazon’s television content. She is now addressing the direction of the movie side. After pushing out Jason Ropell, whose duties have been jointly shared by production head Ted Hope and Matt Newman, head of strategic initiatives and international distribution, Salke is adding a new co-head of movies, promoting Julie Rapaport from within.
Three-year-Amazon veteran Rapaport will lead a new division focused on films appealing to wider audiences as she works alongside fellow Co-Heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
Arthouse veteran Hope, who had been running the overall movies division with Newman in the interim, will continue to oversee the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established auteurs.
Three-year-Amazon veteran Rapaport will lead a new division focused on films appealing to wider audiences as she works alongside fellow Co-Heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
Arthouse veteran Hope, who had been running the overall movies division with Newman in the interim, will continue to oversee the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established auteurs.
- 9/26/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Slate includes Lucy And Desi, Union.
Seeking to broaden its reach and champion bigger budget films with broader appeal alongside the existing art house slate, Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies.
In her role, Rapaport will work alongside fellow interim co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman. All three report to head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke. Meanwhile the search goes on to replace Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell, who left the company recently.
Rapaport will lead a new division focused on expanding the current film slate with higher budget films...
Seeking to broaden its reach and champion bigger budget films with broader appeal alongside the existing art house slate, Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies.
In her role, Rapaport will work alongside fellow interim co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman. All three report to head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke. Meanwhile the search goes on to replace Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell, who left the company recently.
Rapaport will lead a new division focused on expanding the current film slate with higher budget films...
- 9/26/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to Co-Head of Movies in which she’ll lead a new division that will focus on building a slate of movies geared toward wider audiences. While Amazon Studios vice president Ww head of motion pictures Jason Ropell exited this summer, we understand Amazon is still looking for a replacement for him.
Rapaport will oversee a slate of pics with larger budgets, keeping in Amazon’s wheelhouse for singular cinematic voices.
Upcoming projects for the new division include the Aaron Sorkin-scripted Lucille Ball feature Lucy and Desi, and Union scripted by Robert Schenkkan, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt attached to produce, about the head of the post-Civil War infantry tasked with fighting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
In her job as Senior Manager, Development, Production and Acquisitions, Rapaport co-managed the team under co-head Ted Hope and was responsible for overseeing the upcoming Beautiful Boy...
Rapaport will oversee a slate of pics with larger budgets, keeping in Amazon’s wheelhouse for singular cinematic voices.
Upcoming projects for the new division include the Aaron Sorkin-scripted Lucille Ball feature Lucy and Desi, and Union scripted by Robert Schenkkan, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt attached to produce, about the head of the post-Civil War infantry tasked with fighting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
In her job as Senior Manager, Development, Production and Acquisitions, Rapaport co-managed the team under co-head Ted Hope and was responsible for overseeing the upcoming Beautiful Boy...
- 9/26/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios on Wednesday announced that it has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of Movies, where she will lead a new division focused on films appealing to wider audiences.
Rapaport will work alongside fellow co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
“Keeping in mind the diverse range of tastes of our Prime Video customers, we are focused on continually expanding our content offerings,” said Salke in a statement. “I want to stress that across series and movies, all divisions hold quality first and foremost as their bar. With Julie joining Ted and Matt, this clears the pathway to further expand our robust movies slate to include more widely engaging stories that audiences will connect with. Julie is a talented and highly respected creative executive and leader and we are thrilled to see her step into this expansive role.”
Salke is,...
Rapaport will work alongside fellow co-heads Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with all three reporting to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
“Keeping in mind the diverse range of tastes of our Prime Video customers, we are focused on continually expanding our content offerings,” said Salke in a statement. “I want to stress that across series and movies, all divisions hold quality first and foremost as their bar. With Julie joining Ted and Matt, this clears the pathway to further expand our robust movies slate to include more widely engaging stories that audiences will connect with. Julie is a talented and highly respected creative executive and leader and we are thrilled to see her step into this expansive role.”
Salke is,...
- 9/26/2018
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies.
She will head the film division with Ted Hope and Matt Newman, but her portfolio will be different. Rapaport, who has been with Amazon since 2015, is being tasked with finding more broadly commercial films.
Her promotion comes at a time of change for the e-retailer’s entertainment division. The film unit has been floundering in recent months, fielding a string of flops that includes “Life Itself,” a critically reviled drama that premiered to a disastrous $2.1 million. It also struck out with the likes of “You Were Never Really Here,” “Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” and “Wonder Wheel,” a Woody Allen drama that premiered as the #MeToo movement brought renewed attention on sexual abuse allegations against the filmmaker. Amazon’s last major hit was 2017’s “The Big Sick,” an Oscar-nominated comedy that earned $56.4 million globally.
Amazon...
She will head the film division with Ted Hope and Matt Newman, but her portfolio will be different. Rapaport, who has been with Amazon since 2015, is being tasked with finding more broadly commercial films.
Her promotion comes at a time of change for the e-retailer’s entertainment division. The film unit has been floundering in recent months, fielding a string of flops that includes “Life Itself,” a critically reviled drama that premiered to a disastrous $2.1 million. It also struck out with the likes of “You Were Never Really Here,” “Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” and “Wonder Wheel,” a Woody Allen drama that premiered as the #MeToo movement brought renewed attention on sexual abuse allegations against the filmmaker. Amazon’s last major hit was 2017’s “The Big Sick,” an Oscar-nominated comedy that earned $56.4 million globally.
Amazon...
- 9/26/2018
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies, where she will work alongside Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with an eye to wider movie releases.
All three co-heads will report to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. Hope will continue overseeing the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established masters like Amazon's hit Manchester by the Sea, while Rapaport’s division will handle films with larger budgets and wider releases in mind.
Jason Ropell earlier stepped down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division in July, a move that led to Hope and Newman being named co-heads, reporting to ...
All three co-heads will report to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. Hope will continue overseeing the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established masters like Amazon's hit Manchester by the Sea, while Rapaport’s division will handle films with larger budgets and wider releases in mind.
Jason Ropell earlier stepped down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division in July, a move that led to Hope and Newman being named co-heads, reporting to ...
- 9/26/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Amazon Studios has promoted Julie Rapaport to co-head of movies, where she will work alongside Ted Hope and Matt Newman, with an eye to wider movie releases.
All three co-heads will report to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. Hope will continue overseeing the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established masters like Amazon's hit Manchester by the Sea, while Rapaport’s division will handle films with larger budgets and wider releases in mind.
Jason Ropell earlier stepped down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division in July, a move that led to Hope and Newman being named co-heads, reporting to ...
All three co-heads will report to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. Hope will continue overseeing the prestige titles from emerging filmmakers and established masters like Amazon's hit Manchester by the Sea, while Rapaport’s division will handle films with larger budgets and wider releases in mind.
Jason Ropell earlier stepped down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division in July, a move that led to Hope and Newman being named co-heads, reporting to ...
- 9/26/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Apple is going shopping in Canada.
Variety has learned that at least one of the digital giant’s top entertainment-programming executives, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, will head to the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Execs for the streaming giant will arrive with checkbooks in hand as they look to make potential acquisitions that could fill out the content pipeline for the company’s still-under-wraps entertainment service.
Apple leaders won’t be the only deep-pocketed digital executives in Toronto. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, who joined the company earlier this year, will make her first trip to the festival as a potential buyer. Salke is expected to arrive in Toronto today.
Amazon has in recent years been a presence at festivals. Under previous entertainment head Roy Price, the company was an aggressive buyer at Sundance and SXSW last year. But with Amazon Studios in transition earlier this year...
Variety has learned that at least one of the digital giant’s top entertainment-programming executives, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, will head to the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Execs for the streaming giant will arrive with checkbooks in hand as they look to make potential acquisitions that could fill out the content pipeline for the company’s still-under-wraps entertainment service.
Apple leaders won’t be the only deep-pocketed digital executives in Toronto. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, who joined the company earlier this year, will make her first trip to the festival as a potential buyer. Salke is expected to arrive in Toronto today.
Amazon has in recent years been a presence at festivals. Under previous entertainment head Roy Price, the company was an aggressive buyer at Sundance and SXSW last year. But with Amazon Studios in transition earlier this year...
- 9/5/2018
- by Daniel Holloway
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios head of unscripted Heather Schuster has departed the company after less than a year on the job, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Schuster was named to the position last October, filling the vacancy left by Conrad Riggs during the executive shakeup following the ouster of former programming boss Roy Price.
Schuster’s exit comes after an investigation into her corporate conduct, according to Deadline. Citing an unnamed source, the site reported that the investigation stemmed from concerns about Schuster’s verbal behavior.
Also Read: Amazon Greenlights New Shows From Greg Daniels, Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe
Schuster was tapped to oversee all of Amazon’s unscripted efforts, which include Jeremy Clarkson’s “Top Gear” follow-up “The Grand Tour” and the sports docuseries “All or Nothing.”
She is a veteran of Ryan Seacrest Productions and her All3Media-backed company Morocco Junction Entertainment. Her other producer credits include “The Apprentice,...
Schuster was named to the position last October, filling the vacancy left by Conrad Riggs during the executive shakeup following the ouster of former programming boss Roy Price.
Schuster’s exit comes after an investigation into her corporate conduct, according to Deadline. Citing an unnamed source, the site reported that the investigation stemmed from concerns about Schuster’s verbal behavior.
Also Read: Amazon Greenlights New Shows From Greg Daniels, Nicole Kidman and Lena Waithe
Schuster was tapped to oversee all of Amazon’s unscripted efforts, which include Jeremy Clarkson’s “Top Gear” follow-up “The Grand Tour” and the sports docuseries “All or Nothing.”
She is a veteran of Ryan Seacrest Productions and her All3Media-backed company Morocco Junction Entertainment. Her other producer credits include “The Apprentice,...
- 8/7/2018
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
This has been a good summer at the arthouse, but as Oscar season approaches, it’s clear that the pressures on the specialty film world have never been greater. Fox Searchlight will soon have to prove itself in the Disney hothouse, while Annapurna believes its model can best traditional studios. Amazon is in the midst of a full-scale overhaul, and is looking for a new leader. And everyone’s facing a shrinking specialty market and feels intense pressure from Netflix, which barely engages in theatrical distribution.
Fox Searchlight Has a New Home
Obviously, as Rupert Murdoch’s sale of his Twentieth Century Fox movie and television assets to Disney moves forward, Fox Searchlight is in that mix. So far, Disney executives have been friendly, but current Fox Film chairwoman Stacey Snider wasted no time announcing new multi-year deals — and exalted chairman titles — for 18-year Searchlight veterans Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley,...
Fox Searchlight Has a New Home
Obviously, as Rupert Murdoch’s sale of his Twentieth Century Fox movie and television assets to Disney moves forward, Fox Searchlight is in that mix. So far, Disney executives have been friendly, but current Fox Film chairwoman Stacey Snider wasted no time announcing new multi-year deals — and exalted chairman titles — for 18-year Searchlight veterans Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
This has been a good summer at the arthouse, but as Oscar season approaches, it’s clear that the pressures on the specialty film world have never been greater. Fox Searchlight will soon have to prove itself in the Disney hothouse, while Annapurna believes its model can best traditional studios. Amazon is in the midst of a full-scale overhaul, and is looking for a new leader. And everyone’s facing a shrinking specialty market and feels intense pressure from Netflix, which barely engages in theatrical distribution.
Fox Searchlight Has a New Home
Obviously, as Rupert Murdoch’s sale of his Twentieth Century Fox movie and television assets to Disney moves forward, Fox Searchlight is in that mix. So far, Disney executives have been friendly, but current Fox Film chairwoman Stacey Snider wasted no time announcing new multi-year deals — and exalted chairman titles — for 18-year Searchlight veterans Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley,...
Fox Searchlight Has a New Home
Obviously, as Rupert Murdoch’s sale of his Twentieth Century Fox movie and television assets to Disney moves forward, Fox Searchlight is in that mix. So far, Disney executives have been friendly, but current Fox Film chairwoman Stacey Snider wasted no time announcing new multi-year deals — and exalted chairman titles — for 18-year Searchlight veterans Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Amazon Studios' top film executive, Jason Ropell, has deparated the company as recently-ascended Studios chief Jennifer Salke takes the company’s film business in a new direction. Ropell had served as Amazon Studios' VP and head of motion pictures worldwide for the past three years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Amazon's Ted Hope, head of motion picture production, and Matt Newman, who oversees international distribution and strategic initiatives, will serve as interim co-heads of film, Screen Daily reports, as the company searches for a permanent replacement. During that time, Ropell will remain onboard as a consultant.
Salke replaced former Amazon Studios head Roy Price in February, after Price was forced to resign in the face of sexual harassment allegations. Following Price’s departure, Amazon has sought to pivot toward more commercially broad projects with international appeal -- such as a forthcoming Lord Of The Rings series adaptation -- as...
Amazon's Ted Hope, head of motion picture production, and Matt Newman, who oversees international distribution and strategic initiatives, will serve as interim co-heads of film, Screen Daily reports, as the company searches for a permanent replacement. During that time, Ropell will remain onboard as a consultant.
Salke replaced former Amazon Studios head Roy Price in February, after Price was forced to resign in the face of sexual harassment allegations. Following Price’s departure, Amazon has sought to pivot toward more commercially broad projects with international appeal -- such as a forthcoming Lord Of The Rings series adaptation -- as...
- 7/24/2018
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Jason Ropell has stepped down as head of Amazon film division, an individual familiar with the decision told TheWrap.
While abrupt, the insider said the move was amicable as new Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke continues to put her stamp on the streaming giant.
Production chief Ted Hope and international distribution and strategic initiatives head Matt Newman will serve as interim leaders until Ropell is replaced. Salke is looking to change direction in the group, the individual said, which has focused primarily on prestige dramas that enjoy full theatrical releases and awards campaigns.
Also Read: First Episode of 'Jack Ryan' Looks Like a Much-Needed Subversion of Its Source Material
Their slate is also packed for fall, with the hotly anticipated Luca Gudagnino film “Suspiria,” and Timothee Chalamet addiction drama “Beautiful Boy.”
Ropell is the second major Amazon Studios exec to leave in the past year. Studio head Roy Price stepped...
While abrupt, the insider said the move was amicable as new Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke continues to put her stamp on the streaming giant.
Production chief Ted Hope and international distribution and strategic initiatives head Matt Newman will serve as interim leaders until Ropell is replaced. Salke is looking to change direction in the group, the individual said, which has focused primarily on prestige dramas that enjoy full theatrical releases and awards campaigns.
Also Read: First Episode of 'Jack Ryan' Looks Like a Much-Needed Subversion of Its Source Material
Their slate is also packed for fall, with the hotly anticipated Luca Gudagnino film “Suspiria,” and Timothee Chalamet addiction drama “Beautiful Boy.”
Ropell is the second major Amazon Studios exec to leave in the past year. Studio head Roy Price stepped...
- 7/24/2018
- by Jeremy Fuster and Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Breaking: Jason Ropell has stepped down from the leadership of Amazon Studios, where he has been vice president Ww head of motion pictures for three of the six years he has spent there. The exit is amicable, and Ropell took the action basically after Amazon chief Jennifer Salke told him that she wanted to take the movie division in a different direction, one with bigger budgets and commercial risks. That seems to presage a move away from the tastemaker fare that has distinguished Amazon since it got into the movie business, first as a financier/producer, and now as the distributor of films it makes and acquires at festivals.
Sources said that Ropell stepped down because he could see the changes in store. He is staying on for the near future as a consultant as the division is reconstituted. For now, Ted Hope will be in charge along with Matt Newman,...
Sources said that Ropell stepped down because he could see the changes in store. He is staying on for the near future as a consultant as the division is reconstituted. For now, Ted Hope will be in charge along with Matt Newman,...
- 7/24/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Jason Ropell is out as the head of Amazon Studio’s film division, Variety has confirmed.
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim leaders of the unit, but neither man is expected to take on the job full time, according to an insider. Ropell has been with Amazon for six years, two and a half of which have been spent in the movie end of the business. He will serve as a consultant for the company. Hope is currently head of film production and Newman is in charge of international film strategy.
Amazon will conduct a search for Ropell’s replacement. His ouster comes as newly minted Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke is shaking things up. Although nothing has been set in stone, Salke is moving the company in a different direction and is believed to be looking to back projects on both the film and television front...
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim leaders of the unit, but neither man is expected to take on the job full time, according to an insider. Ropell has been with Amazon for six years, two and a half of which have been spent in the movie end of the business. He will serve as a consultant for the company. Hope is currently head of film production and Newman is in charge of international film strategy.
Amazon will conduct a search for Ropell’s replacement. His ouster comes as newly minted Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke is shaking things up. Although nothing has been set in stone, Salke is moving the company in a different direction and is believed to be looking to back projects on both the film and television front...
- 7/24/2018
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Ted Hope and Matt Newman named interim co-heads of film department.
Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell is departing the company as it shifts direction under the leadership of Jennifer Salke.
Ted Hope and Matt Newman have stepped up to serve as interim co-heads of the film department.
The reason for Ropell’s departure was unclear at time of writing, although he will stay as a consultant for the immediate future. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has ordered Amazon Studios to enhance its film and TV offering to encompass more broadly commercial fare.
Amazon Studios had...
Amazon Studios worldwide head of the motion picture group Jason Ropell is departing the company as it shifts direction under the leadership of Jennifer Salke.
Ted Hope and Matt Newman have stepped up to serve as interim co-heads of the film department.
The reason for Ropell’s departure was unclear at time of writing, although he will stay as a consultant for the immediate future. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has ordered Amazon Studios to enhance its film and TV offering to encompass more broadly commercial fare.
Amazon Studios had...
- 7/24/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jason Ropell is stepping down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim co-heads, reporting to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Ropell, who had been with Amazon for more than six years, had been overseeing production, distribution and marketing for all of Amazon's original and acquired films as vp worldwide motion pictures. He is expected to serve as a consultant to the company while the transition takes place.
The move comes as Jennifer Salke — who was named head of Amazon Studios this year, succeeding Roy ...
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim co-heads, reporting to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Ropell, who had been with Amazon for more than six years, had been overseeing production, distribution and marketing for all of Amazon's original and acquired films as vp worldwide motion pictures. He is expected to serve as a consultant to the company while the transition takes place.
The move comes as Jennifer Salke — who was named head of Amazon Studios this year, succeeding Roy ...
- 7/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jason Ropell is stepping down as the head of Amazon Studios' film division, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim co-heads, reporting to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Ropell, who had been with Amazon for more than six years, had been overseeing production, distribution and marketing for all of Amazon's original and acquired films as vp worldwide motion pictures. He is expected to serve as a consultant to the company while the transition takes place.
The move comes as Jennifer Salke — who was named head of Amazon Studios this year, succeeding Roy ...
Ted Hope and Matt Newman will serve as interim co-heads, reporting to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Ropell, who had been with Amazon for more than six years, had been overseeing production, distribution and marketing for all of Amazon's original and acquired films as vp worldwide motion pictures. He is expected to serve as a consultant to the company while the transition takes place.
The move comes as Jennifer Salke — who was named head of Amazon Studios this year, succeeding Roy ...
- 7/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
While Amazon Studios under new leader Jennifer Salke has come out swinging on the TV front, growth on the feature film front will continue to stress quality over volume. Expansion will come as will overall deals with talent, but there is no ambition to compete with the booming film slate of Netflix.
In an interview with Deadline, Salke acknowledged that the movie business “is all new for me, and I won’t pretend I’m an expert,” she said. Looking for its Game of Thrones, Amazon made a seismic commitment with the Jrr Tolkien estate for a Lord of the Rings series, even before it had any conversations with Peter Jackson, who breathed life into Middle Earth with three billion dollar grossing Best Picture winning Lotr films and a trio of billion dollar grossing The Hobbit films.
The movie strategy, led by Worldwide Head Of Motion Pictures Jason Ropell and Motion Picture Production head Ted Hope, will continue to stay in the lane it has established, one that has led to prestige hits like Manchester By The Sea and The Big Sick. Those two were festival acquisitions of completed films. While Salke hasn’t ruled out the occasional opportunistic festival pickup deal, Amazon’s clear evolving toward homegrown productions and script stage buys.
“I don’t know that [the movie ambitions] will match The Lord of the Rings [deal], but I think what you’ll see is the film strategy will evolve,” Salke said. “We’re in the middle of talking about that right now, and it will, in the same way the television side, you know, the aperture will widen on the size of the audience that we’re going to draw in.”
Amazon Studios is most often compared to fellow streaming service Netflix, the latter of which is putting pictures into production as a rate that exceeds most major studios, to premiere directly on its streaming service. Amazon is content to stay in the tastemaker lane it has established, which starts its revenue waterfall with a full theatrical release cycle with P&A. The company has transitioned from engaging indie distributors for theatrical releases – Roadside Attractions released Manchester By The Sea and Lionsgate released The Big Sick – to self releasing theatrically under seasoned distribution vet Bob Berney, before its films take their exclusive Svod window on Amazon Prime.
While Amazon exited its plans to distribute the legally problematic Terry Gilliam-directed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote before the film prevailed in litigation and closed the Cannes Film Festival, and while it has not dated the problematic Woody Allen-directed Rainy Day In New York that was expected this year, Amazon has a strong slate of awards-caliber films for the fall. Aside from Cold War, the black and white film that won Best Director at Cannes for Pawel Pawlikowski, Amazon will unveil at the fall festivals the Luca Guadagnino-directed English language remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria; there is the Plan B-produced Beautiful Boy, the Felix Van Groenigen-directed adaptation of the story of David Sheff, a journalist and his gifted son Nic when the latter falls into a life and death struggle with meth addiction, with Steve Carell and Call Me By Your Name Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet starring. Then there is Life Itself, a generational drama written and directed by This is Us creator Dan Fogelman that stars Oscar Isaac, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Cooke, Olivia Wilde and Samuel L. Jackson. Amazon made a preemptive $10 million U.S. rights deal with financier FilmNation a month before that film would have premiered at the last Sundance, where it was expected to be the biggest deal of the festival. Though that deal predated her, Salke has a strong relationship with Fogelman, since This Is Us was one of her biggest victories at NBC.
As for the comparisons to Netflix, Salke made clear Amazon Studios will scale up at its own pace and stay in its lane.
“Not to say that Ted [Sarandos]’s not going to be owning a prestige space, but we are going to continue with what we’ve created and that is movies that we love, including Manchester and The Big Sick and others that have succeeded for us. We want to be able to widen that out. There may be some evolution there, but we have no plan to pull it apart or anything like that.
“I think it’s going to be a combination [of homegrown films and acquisitions,]” she said. “We’ve already met with multiple big studios on acquisitions and partnerships with them, in addition to overall deals that are going to be announced that encompass a film component. If Universal didn’t have a deal for Jordan Peele’s movies, that would be one. Creators, writers, directors, you’ll hear about some of those deals coming up shortly, for originals, and some that will go straight to platform. We’re talking about all of that. So, I think it’ll encompass all of it. But we’re not going to be in the huge volume game. I think you can look for similar volume, just divided up in a different way, and I think there wo’ll be some bigger budget movies that will be part of that strategy.”
The goal will continue to generate between 10 and 19 films per calendar year with films meant to challenge viewers.
“Beautiful Boy and Life Itself represent to me what I’m talking about,” she said. “They invite more people in. Beautiful Boy is difficult subject matter, of course. But with that cast and the execution and the relate-ability of family and unconditional love, I think the movie will reach out and bring a lot of people in. Life Itself is similar, and it has the Dan Fogelman touch that I certainly love, and I think audiences are starving for. Audiences want to feel something, to invest in character. And then we have Suspiria in there also. I think you’re going to continue to see more of a variety, and as Jason and his team expands, so will the pipeline.
“The fact that we’re embracing the theatrical release, I hope to be able to present that to the talent community as an enticement to create their home here and that they’ll be able to strategize the things that they want to do,” Salke said.
In an interview with Deadline, Salke acknowledged that the movie business “is all new for me, and I won’t pretend I’m an expert,” she said. Looking for its Game of Thrones, Amazon made a seismic commitment with the Jrr Tolkien estate for a Lord of the Rings series, even before it had any conversations with Peter Jackson, who breathed life into Middle Earth with three billion dollar grossing Best Picture winning Lotr films and a trio of billion dollar grossing The Hobbit films.
The movie strategy, led by Worldwide Head Of Motion Pictures Jason Ropell and Motion Picture Production head Ted Hope, will continue to stay in the lane it has established, one that has led to prestige hits like Manchester By The Sea and The Big Sick. Those two were festival acquisitions of completed films. While Salke hasn’t ruled out the occasional opportunistic festival pickup deal, Amazon’s clear evolving toward homegrown productions and script stage buys.
“I don’t know that [the movie ambitions] will match The Lord of the Rings [deal], but I think what you’ll see is the film strategy will evolve,” Salke said. “We’re in the middle of talking about that right now, and it will, in the same way the television side, you know, the aperture will widen on the size of the audience that we’re going to draw in.”
Amazon Studios is most often compared to fellow streaming service Netflix, the latter of which is putting pictures into production as a rate that exceeds most major studios, to premiere directly on its streaming service. Amazon is content to stay in the tastemaker lane it has established, which starts its revenue waterfall with a full theatrical release cycle with P&A. The company has transitioned from engaging indie distributors for theatrical releases – Roadside Attractions released Manchester By The Sea and Lionsgate released The Big Sick – to self releasing theatrically under seasoned distribution vet Bob Berney, before its films take their exclusive Svod window on Amazon Prime.
While Amazon exited its plans to distribute the legally problematic Terry Gilliam-directed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote before the film prevailed in litigation and closed the Cannes Film Festival, and while it has not dated the problematic Woody Allen-directed Rainy Day In New York that was expected this year, Amazon has a strong slate of awards-caliber films for the fall. Aside from Cold War, the black and white film that won Best Director at Cannes for Pawel Pawlikowski, Amazon will unveil at the fall festivals the Luca Guadagnino-directed English language remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria; there is the Plan B-produced Beautiful Boy, the Felix Van Groenigen-directed adaptation of the story of David Sheff, a journalist and his gifted son Nic when the latter falls into a life and death struggle with meth addiction, with Steve Carell and Call Me By Your Name Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet starring. Then there is Life Itself, a generational drama written and directed by This is Us creator Dan Fogelman that stars Oscar Isaac, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Cooke, Olivia Wilde and Samuel L. Jackson. Amazon made a preemptive $10 million U.S. rights deal with financier FilmNation a month before that film would have premiered at the last Sundance, where it was expected to be the biggest deal of the festival. Though that deal predated her, Salke has a strong relationship with Fogelman, since This Is Us was one of her biggest victories at NBC.
As for the comparisons to Netflix, Salke made clear Amazon Studios will scale up at its own pace and stay in its lane.
“Not to say that Ted [Sarandos]’s not going to be owning a prestige space, but we are going to continue with what we’ve created and that is movies that we love, including Manchester and The Big Sick and others that have succeeded for us. We want to be able to widen that out. There may be some evolution there, but we have no plan to pull it apart or anything like that.
“I think it’s going to be a combination [of homegrown films and acquisitions,]” she said. “We’ve already met with multiple big studios on acquisitions and partnerships with them, in addition to overall deals that are going to be announced that encompass a film component. If Universal didn’t have a deal for Jordan Peele’s movies, that would be one. Creators, writers, directors, you’ll hear about some of those deals coming up shortly, for originals, and some that will go straight to platform. We’re talking about all of that. So, I think it’ll encompass all of it. But we’re not going to be in the huge volume game. I think you can look for similar volume, just divided up in a different way, and I think there wo’ll be some bigger budget movies that will be part of that strategy.”
The goal will continue to generate between 10 and 19 films per calendar year with films meant to challenge viewers.
“Beautiful Boy and Life Itself represent to me what I’m talking about,” she said. “They invite more people in. Beautiful Boy is difficult subject matter, of course. But with that cast and the execution and the relate-ability of family and unconditional love, I think the movie will reach out and bring a lot of people in. Life Itself is similar, and it has the Dan Fogelman touch that I certainly love, and I think audiences are starving for. Audiences want to feel something, to invest in character. And then we have Suspiria in there also. I think you’re going to continue to see more of a variety, and as Jason and his team expands, so will the pipeline.
“The fact that we’re embracing the theatrical release, I hope to be able to present that to the talent community as an enticement to create their home here and that they’ll be able to strategize the things that they want to do,” Salke said.
- 6/11/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios’ mission is to make commercial art films headed for critical, festival and (sometimes) awards acclaim. Despite some missteps, its slate shows signs of a developing strategy. In 2017, Amazon made a big splash at Cannes with two auteur-driven Competition films from Todd Haynes (“Wonderstruck”) and Lynne Ramsay (“You Were Never Really Here”), and wound up with a Best Actor prize for Joaquin Phoenix. Now, the company is back at the festival with competition entry “Cold War,” an immediate sensation that suggests the company is still very much in the game.
Last fall, Amazon dominated the New York Film Festival with opener “Last Flag Flying” from Richard Linklater, “Wonderstruck” as the centerpiece gala, and Woody Allen’s scandal-tainted “Wonder Wheel” closing it out — but taking those movies into the crowded fall marketplace was another matter. They floundered. A year later, the company seems to be trying to learn from its...
Last fall, Amazon dominated the New York Film Festival with opener “Last Flag Flying” from Richard Linklater, “Wonderstruck” as the centerpiece gala, and Woody Allen’s scandal-tainted “Wonder Wheel” closing it out — but taking those movies into the crowded fall marketplace was another matter. They floundered. A year later, the company seems to be trying to learn from its...
- 5/11/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
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