TheWrap’s 2023 Shortlist Film Festival descended on Los Angeles’ Culver Theater Wednesday night to screen this year’s nominated shorts, host a panel talk-back with nominated filmmakers and toast the evening’s winners and stars of tomorrow at an after-screening reception at the nearby Culver Hotel.
Documentary short “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” and director Nathan Truesdell took home the evening’s top prize, the Industry Award, while the evening’s Audience Award went to Sean Wang’s documentary ”Năi Nai & Wài Pó” and Ralph Parker III’s ”Sammy, Without Strings“ earned the Student Audience Award.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival was sponsored by Kodak, The Los Angeles Film School, Scriptation, The Camera Division, Blackmagic Design and New York Festivals.
Click through the gallery to see the full evening of programming as led by TheWrap moderators, founder CEO Sharon Waxman and executive editor of awards Steve Pond.
Documentary short “When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood” and director Nathan Truesdell took home the evening’s top prize, the Industry Award, while the evening’s Audience Award went to Sean Wang’s documentary ”Năi Nai & Wài Pó” and Ralph Parker III’s ”Sammy, Without Strings“ earned the Student Audience Award.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival was sponsored by Kodak, The Los Angeles Film School, Scriptation, The Camera Division, Blackmagic Design and New York Festivals.
Click through the gallery to see the full evening of programming as led by TheWrap moderators, founder CEO Sharon Waxman and executive editor of awards Steve Pond.
- 7/13/2023
- by Photographed by Ted Soqui for TheWrap
- The Wrap
Nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards will be announced live on Wednesday morning by actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy chair Frank Scherma.
Here’s where and when you can stream the announcement live.
What time are the nominations announced?
The 75th Emmy Award nominations will be announced on Wednesday, July 12 at 8:30 am Pt/11:30 am Et.
TheWrap’s awards editor Steve Pond made predictions in 22 Emmy categories, which you can read here.
Are the 75th Emmy Award nominations streaming?
The nominations will be streaming on multiple platforms.
They’ll be streamed live on Emmy.com/nominations.
Or you can stream the nominations via YouTube below:
Who is announcing the 75th Emmy Award nominations?
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy chair Frank Scherma will announce the nominations live Wednesday morning.
Brown received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2021 for “A Black Lady Sketch Show.”
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Emmy Nomination Predictions for Drama,...
Here’s where and when you can stream the announcement live.
What time are the nominations announced?
The 75th Emmy Award nominations will be announced on Wednesday, July 12 at 8:30 am Pt/11:30 am Et.
TheWrap’s awards editor Steve Pond made predictions in 22 Emmy categories, which you can read here.
Are the 75th Emmy Award nominations streaming?
The nominations will be streaming on multiple platforms.
They’ll be streamed live on Emmy.com/nominations.
Or you can stream the nominations via YouTube below:
Who is announcing the 75th Emmy Award nominations?
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy chair Frank Scherma will announce the nominations live Wednesday morning.
Brown received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2021 for “A Black Lady Sketch Show.”
Also Read:
Emmy Nomination Predictions for Drama,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Writer-director Juraj Lerotić didn’t set out to make “Safe Place” (“Sigurno mjesto”) with the intention of playing the character that he based on himself.
Croatia’s submission for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards navigates 24 hours in the life of Damir (Goran Marković) and his family after he attempts to take his own life.
The drama is inspired by true events in Lerotić’s life, something he found himself struggling with when it came time to cast the role of Damir’s brother Bruno.
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“You know, I tried to cast the role, and I’m sure that there were really great actors, but I think I had a blind spot,” Lerotić told moderator Steve Pond at a virtual screening of “Safe Place” as part of TheWrap’s 2022-2023 Awards Season Screening Series. “I think my experience of that,...
Croatia’s submission for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards navigates 24 hours in the life of Damir (Goran Marković) and his family after he attempts to take his own life.
The drama is inspired by true events in Lerotić’s life, something he found himself struggling with when it came time to cast the role of Damir’s brother Bruno.
Also Read:
Oscars International Race Hits 92 Entries, One Short of All-Time Record
“You know, I tried to cast the role, and I’m sure that there were really great actors, but I think I had a blind spot,” Lerotić told moderator Steve Pond at a virtual screening of “Safe Place” as part of TheWrap’s 2022-2023 Awards Season Screening Series. “I think my experience of that,...
- 11/17/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
By now, we all are so familiar with the structure of the music bio-documentary that when we watch one, we know what to expect: the hard-scrabble beginnings, the rise to fame, the pressure of being at the top, the crushing fall, the victorious comeback. VH1’s “Behind the Music” trained us so well.
And that’s precisely what Brett Morgen wanted to avoid when he set out to make a film about David Bowie. “Moonage Daydream,” which premiered in May at the Cannes film festival and showed again at the Toronto fest earlier this week, is a work of nonfiction centered on Bowie, but it’s hardly a traditional tour through the Thin White Duke’s life. As Steve Pond, TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, noted in his review of the film out of Cannes, “Moonage Daydream” “abandons all thought of straightforward narrative in favor of an immersive and purposefully mysterious and chaotic Bowie experience.
And that’s precisely what Brett Morgen wanted to avoid when he set out to make a film about David Bowie. “Moonage Daydream,” which premiered in May at the Cannes film festival and showed again at the Toronto fest earlier this week, is a work of nonfiction centered on Bowie, but it’s hardly a traditional tour through the Thin White Duke’s life. As Steve Pond, TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, noted in his review of the film out of Cannes, “Moonage Daydream” “abandons all thought of straightforward narrative in favor of an immersive and purposefully mysterious and chaotic Bowie experience.
- 9/16/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
For co-writer and director Matt Smukler, “Wildflower” started life as a far cry from the narrative feature film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.
“Really, this was inspired by my niece,” Smukler told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond, during a visit to TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF. “I went out to Las Vegas to shoot a little, tiny, short companion piece for her to get into college. She had no idea how exceptional she was. She actually thought she was very ordinary and didn’t know what to write on a college essay. … And I very quickly realized how exceptional she really is, and how incredible the whole family is.”
Smukler resurfaced the idea while working with co-writer Jana Savage on a different project. The two came to the realization that the best way to serve this coming-of-age story...
“Really, this was inspired by my niece,” Smukler told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond, during a visit to TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at TIFF. “I went out to Las Vegas to shoot a little, tiny, short companion piece for her to get into college. She had no idea how exceptional she was. She actually thought she was very ordinary and didn’t know what to write on a college essay. … And I very quickly realized how exceptional she really is, and how incredible the whole family is.”
Smukler resurfaced the idea while working with co-writer Jana Savage on a different project. The two came to the realization that the best way to serve this coming-of-age story...
- 9/16/2022
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
Showtime announced today that “Nothing Compares,” a documentary feature about Sinéad O’Connor, will debut in select U.S. theaters on Sept. 23 and air on Sept. 30 (for Showtime subscribers) before streaming on Oct. 2. The film will release theatrically in the U.K. and Ireland on Oct. 7.
Directed by Kathryn Ferguson, “Nothing Compares” charts the musician’s rise to global fame and how her outspoken personality led to her eventual exile from mainstream pop music.
As seen in the trailer, the film will draw from archival material, music videos, live performances and unseen footage, focusing on her life from 1987 to 1993. Among other commentators and contemporary musicians, O’Connor gives a new interview in which she reflects on her words and actions from a present-day perspective.
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Showtime Documentary Films Acquires Worldwide Rights to Sinéad O’Connor Doc ‘Nothing Compares’
“Nothing Compares” was an official selection in the World Cinema Documentary Competition...
Directed by Kathryn Ferguson, “Nothing Compares” charts the musician’s rise to global fame and how her outspoken personality led to her eventual exile from mainstream pop music.
As seen in the trailer, the film will draw from archival material, music videos, live performances and unseen footage, focusing on her life from 1987 to 1993. Among other commentators and contemporary musicians, O’Connor gives a new interview in which she reflects on her words and actions from a present-day perspective.
Also Read:
Showtime Documentary Films Acquires Worldwide Rights to Sinéad O’Connor Doc ‘Nothing Compares’
“Nothing Compares” was an official selection in the World Cinema Documentary Competition...
- 9/15/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
“Devotion,” directed by Jd Dillard and starring Glen Powell, Jonathan Majors, Joe Jonas and Christina Jackson, soars into theaters this November. The story, based on the book by Adam Makos, is the second aviation film starring Glen Powell out this year, but he started work on this one (which he also exec-produced) before “Top Gun: Maverick” came along. “Devotion” screened at the Toronto Film Festival, where the cast and director stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio for a discussion about the filmmaking process.
“This predated ‘Top Gun’ by a few years,” Powell told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond. “I read the book six years ago, and this was my passion project. So I think maybe three years into the process, ‘Top Gun’ came along and I had to ask the producers, ‘Hey, I love ‘Devotion.’ Is there a way to do both?’ It’s...
“This predated ‘Top Gun’ by a few years,” Powell told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond. “I read the book six years ago, and this was my passion project. So I think maybe three years into the process, ‘Top Gun’ came along and I had to ask the producers, ‘Hey, I love ‘Devotion.’ Is there a way to do both?’ It’s...
- 9/14/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Hugh Jackman was so touched by French novelist and playwright Florian Zeller’s debut feature film, 2021’s “The Father,” that when Jackman heard Zeller’s follow-up film “The Son” was going to get made, he had an urge in his gut to be a part of the film.
“I heard that ‘The Son’ was going to be made and so I had read the play, and immediately felt in my gut, just a compulsion to play the part, to be part of it, to be part of this story,” Jackman tells Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival. “That felt so urgent to be told the conversations that needed to be had and so I I contacted Florian.”
As Jackman tells it, he did something for the first time he has never done in getting a part in a film.
Also...
“I heard that ‘The Son’ was going to be made and so I had read the play, and immediately felt in my gut, just a compulsion to play the part, to be part of it, to be part of this story,” Jackman tells Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival. “That felt so urgent to be told the conversations that needed to be had and so I I contacted Florian.”
As Jackman tells it, he did something for the first time he has never done in getting a part in a film.
Also...
- 9/14/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
The 74th annual Emmy Awards turned out to be a night of few surprises, with wins playing out largely according to predictions — including TheWrap’s own Steve Pond, who guessed last week that there would be no sweeps as the top shows — “Succession,” “Ted Lasso,” “Squid Game” and “Abbott Elementary” — all duked it out for dominance.
In the end, it was HBO’s limited series “The White Lotus” that took home the most trophies, five, with three wins going to writer-director-executive-producer Mike White.
“Ted Lasso” won four Emmys, repeating its 2021 triumph in supporting actor (Brett Goldstein), lead actor (Jason Sudeikis) and comedy series — and adding directing for a comedy series (M.J. Delaney). “Succession” took home three statuettes, including Outstanding Drama Series, which it last won in 2020.
Netflix’s megahit from South Korea, “Squid Game,” might have lost best drama series to “Succession,” but it did make history: for director Hwang Dong-hyuk and for Lee Jung-jae,...
In the end, it was HBO’s limited series “The White Lotus” that took home the most trophies, five, with three wins going to writer-director-executive-producer Mike White.
“Ted Lasso” won four Emmys, repeating its 2021 triumph in supporting actor (Brett Goldstein), lead actor (Jason Sudeikis) and comedy series — and adding directing for a comedy series (M.J. Delaney). “Succession” took home three statuettes, including Outstanding Drama Series, which it last won in 2020.
Netflix’s megahit from South Korea, “Squid Game,” might have lost best drama series to “Succession,” but it did make history: for director Hwang Dong-hyuk and for Lee Jung-jae,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Tyler Perry on ‘A Jazzman’s Blues,’ a Film 27 Years in the Making, Inspired by His Childhood (Video)
“A Jazzman’s Blues” was a movie adventure 27 years in the making for Tyler Perry, who wrote the screenplay in 1995, the first ever for the prodigious writer-director-actor-magnate. After the project stalled in the mid-2000s, cameras finally started rolling last year in Savannah, Georgia. And in 2022, the sprawling, music-filled Southern Gothic romance of Perry’s dreams was born.
Perry gathered much of his cast, including Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Ryan Eggold, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Lana Young and lead Joshua Boone to sit down with Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of Bayou (Boone) and Leanne (Pfeiffer), who get caught up in the tempest of jazz, secrets, family abuse, and institutional racism. “I was 26 or 27 with great ambition and a lot of time,” Perry said. “Growing up in rural Louisiana, I know these people very well,...
Perry gathered much of his cast, including Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Ryan Eggold, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Lana Young and lead Joshua Boone to sit down with Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of Bayou (Boone) and Leanne (Pfeiffer), who get caught up in the tempest of jazz, secrets, family abuse, and institutional racism. “I was 26 or 27 with great ambition and a lot of time,” Perry said. “Growing up in rural Louisiana, I know these people very well,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
‘The Menu’ Director Mark Mylod on Shift From ‘Succession’ to a Twisted Satire on Fine Dining (Video)
Director Mark Mylod and producer Betsy Koch joined TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to discuss their new film “The Menu,” a dark, bloody satire of the one percent and the restaurants that cater to them.
The film stars Ralph Fiennes as the pretentious, craft-obsessed head chef at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy play a foodie and his very skeptical girlfriend who pay 2,500 to attend an exclusive dinner on this island, but soon find themselves ensnared in the dark secret behind this restaurant that slowly reveals itself with each passing course.
Mylod is an Emmy winner as producer of the acclaimed HBO series “Succession” and has directed episodes of that show, along with “Game of Thrones,” “Entourage,” and “Shameless.” He told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond, that he signed on for “The Menu...
The film stars Ralph Fiennes as the pretentious, craft-obsessed head chef at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy play a foodie and his very skeptical girlfriend who pay 2,500 to attend an exclusive dinner on this island, but soon find themselves ensnared in the dark secret behind this restaurant that slowly reveals itself with each passing course.
Mylod is an Emmy winner as producer of the acclaimed HBO series “Succession” and has directed episodes of that show, along with “Game of Thrones,” “Entourage,” and “Shameless.” He told TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond, that he signed on for “The Menu...
- 9/12/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
While there’s bound to be an immense amount of pressure on any actor cast in the lead role of a Steven Spielberg film, it’s safe to say that the enormity of such a responsibility was increased tenfold for Gabriel Labelle, the star of “The Fabelmans.” Labelle plays Sammy Fabelman, a young aspiring filmmaker in the midst of a chaotic family who, given the semi-autobiographical nature of the movie, serves as the film’s equivalent of Spielberg himself.
According to Labelle, while auditioning for the role, he had no idea what he was in for.
The relative Hollywood newcomer stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond and discuss the circumstances of how he came to appear in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. (The actor can also...
According to Labelle, while auditioning for the role, he had no idea what he was in for.
The relative Hollywood newcomer stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond and discuss the circumstances of how he came to appear in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. (The actor can also...
- 9/12/2022
- by Libby Hill
- The Wrap
Loss is something just about any audience member can relate to, but it’s not necessarily something that everyone can mine for art. Nell Teare, the writer-director-star of the indie film “Bolivar,” faced this challenge head on in telling the story of Maggie (Teare), a professor trying to resume her career and family life after a crushing personal tragedy and divorce. She stifles her sadness by downing glasses of wine and managing a one-night stand with Jake, a bartender (Chris Petrovski) who gets pulled into her increasingly odd behavior.
In a Q&a with TheWrap’s Awards Executive Editor Steve Pond on Aug. 31, Teare was joined by her costar Robert Pine, producing partner Jerry Cope, editor Noah Harald, and casting director Jamie Castro for a special screening in L.A. During the discussion, the writer-director explained that she drew from personal experience to tell this story.
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In a Q&a with TheWrap’s Awards Executive Editor Steve Pond on Aug. 31, Teare was joined by her costar Robert Pine, producing partner Jerry Cope, editor Noah Harald, and casting director Jamie Castro for a special screening in L.A. During the discussion, the writer-director explained that she drew from personal experience to tell this story.
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- 9/3/2022
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
The Film Independent Spirit Awards are moving to gender-neutral acting categories in both film and television this year, Film Independent announced on Tuesday.
“We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender,” Film Independent President Josh Welsh said. “We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female.”
The move makes the Spirit Awards the most high-profile film and television award to introduce gender-neutral acting categories, which are also in use at the Gotham Awards, the British Independent Film Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards, among others. In music, the Grammy Awards eliminated gender-specific categories more than a decade ago.
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Awards...
“We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender,” Film Independent President Josh Welsh said. “We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female.”
The move makes the Spirit Awards the most high-profile film and television award to introduce gender-neutral acting categories, which are also in use at the Gotham Awards, the British Independent Film Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards, among others. In music, the Grammy Awards eliminated gender-specific categories more than a decade ago.
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Awards...
- 8/23/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
The Critics Choice Awards will add a London broadcast to its scheduled U.S. telecast on March 13, the Critics Choice Association announced on Wednesday. On this side of the pond, Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer will host the previously scheduled ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, which The CW and TBS will air live from 7 p.m. — 10 p.m. Et. (Other countries will also pick it up for air.)
Meanwhile, in the U.K., stars will also be gathering at the Savoy Hotel in London for a night-owl celebration that will be, according to the Critics Choice Association, “an integral part of the live telecast.”
“When the pandemic made us move our show date from its traditional kick off in January into the heart of the awards season, we felt the need to add a second stage in London to make sure that all our honorees...
Meanwhile, in the U.K., stars will also be gathering at the Savoy Hotel in London for a night-owl celebration that will be, according to the Critics Choice Association, “an integral part of the live telecast.”
“When the pandemic made us move our show date from its traditional kick off in January into the heart of the awards season, we felt the need to add a second stage in London to make sure that all our honorees...
- 2/16/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
This week on “TheWrap-Up,” host Sharon Waxman and special guest co-host and TheWrap assistant managing editor, audience, Adam Chitwood, take a look at the latest Hollywood headlines, including Disney’s response after the studio was called out for its upcoming live-action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” by “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage.
Then, Sharon and Adam are joined by TheWrap senior TV reporter Tim Baysinger who shares the significance of the recent astronomical Sunday night football ratings for the two NFL playoff games last weekend, the first of which saw Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs come back against the Buffalo Bills to tie the game in the last 13 seconds, before ultimately winning in overtime.
TheWrap Awards editor Steve Pond then arrives to talk all things Sundance 2022, including the film that sold out of the festival for a reported $15 million.
And, for this week’s interview segment,...
Then, Sharon and Adam are joined by TheWrap senior TV reporter Tim Baysinger who shares the significance of the recent astronomical Sunday night football ratings for the two NFL playoff games last weekend, the first of which saw Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs come back against the Buffalo Bills to tie the game in the last 13 seconds, before ultimately winning in overtime.
TheWrap Awards editor Steve Pond then arrives to talk all things Sundance 2022, including the film that sold out of the festival for a reported $15 million.
And, for this week’s interview segment,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
“The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” is one of the most talked-about documentaries at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, both because of its take on the widening gap between the rich and poor in the United States and because Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, is one of the directors, alongside Kathleen Hughes.
Abigail Disney’s name, and the fact that she takes aim at the company co-founded by her grandfather (who died shortly after opening Walt Disney World in Florida in 1971) gives what could have been a run-of-the-mill documentary additional dimension and spark.
Disney and Hughes sat down for an interview at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance Studio and discussed what prompted them to make the film. In a particularly candid moment, Disney expressed doubts about Bob Chapek, the company’s new CEO, who started in home video before moving on to run the consumer products and theme park divisions.
Abigail Disney’s name, and the fact that she takes aim at the company co-founded by her grandfather (who died shortly after opening Walt Disney World in Florida in 1971) gives what could have been a run-of-the-mill documentary additional dimension and spark.
Disney and Hughes sat down for an interview at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance Studio and discussed what prompted them to make the film. In a particularly candid moment, Disney expressed doubts about Bob Chapek, the company’s new CEO, who started in home video before moving on to run the consumer products and theme park divisions.
- 1/28/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Twin sisters Adamma Ebo and Adanne Ebo made their feature film debut at Sundance with “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul,” a faux documentary inspired by their Southern Baptist upbringing in Atlanta.
“We, very quickly, I think, from a young age, got disillusioned with it and started questioning and thinking critically about it,” writer-director Adamma told Steve Pond at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio. “So we decided there was so much reckoning, I think, within ourselves about it, that this was the area I think to explore.”
The filmmakers were joined in the interview by cast members Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall.
Adapted from the Ebo sisters’ short film by the same name, the feature stars Hall as Trinitie Childs, first lady of an Atlanta Megachurch, and Brown as pastor Lee-Curtis Childs. After a sex scandal causes a mass exodus of followers, the couple’s Wander the Greater Path Baptist Church shuts down,...
“We, very quickly, I think, from a young age, got disillusioned with it and started questioning and thinking critically about it,” writer-director Adamma told Steve Pond at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio. “So we decided there was so much reckoning, I think, within ourselves about it, that this was the area I think to explore.”
The filmmakers were joined in the interview by cast members Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall.
Adapted from the Ebo sisters’ short film by the same name, the feature stars Hall as Trinitie Childs, first lady of an Atlanta Megachurch, and Brown as pastor Lee-Curtis Childs. After a sex scandal causes a mass exodus of followers, the couple’s Wander the Greater Path Baptist Church shuts down,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jacquelinne Mejia
- The Wrap
The topics of their films are wide-ranging — but four directors whose movies have made the shortlist for Academy Award consideration for International Feature Film all described their movies as tales of challenging the obstacles to forming essential human connections. Of a total of 92 eligible films, 15 made the final short list.
Four of those 15 finalists joined TheWrap’s Steve Pond for a discussion about the inspiration behind their movies. The list includes Sebastian Meise, director of Austrian entry “Great Freedom;” Blerta Basholli; Fernando León de Aranoa and Maria Schrader,. All four directors also served as writer or co-writer of their movies, and have very personal connections with the stories on screen.
Meise’s “Great Freedom” tells the story of Hans (Franz Rogowski) who is repeatedly imprisoned over decades for being a homosexual. Despite the odds, he establishes a loving relationship with his longtime cell mate, Viktor, a convicted murderer.
Meise said...
Four of those 15 finalists joined TheWrap’s Steve Pond for a discussion about the inspiration behind their movies. The list includes Sebastian Meise, director of Austrian entry “Great Freedom;” Blerta Basholli; Fernando León de Aranoa and Maria Schrader,. All four directors also served as writer or co-writer of their movies, and have very personal connections with the stories on screen.
Meise’s “Great Freedom” tells the story of Hans (Franz Rogowski) who is repeatedly imprisoned over decades for being a homosexual. Despite the odds, he establishes a loving relationship with his longtime cell mate, Viktor, a convicted murderer.
Meise said...
- 1/26/2022
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
Academy Award–nominated director Rory Kennedy (“Last Days in Vietnam”) returned to the Sundance Film Festival this year with a searing investigation into how corporate America prioritized profits over people in the documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.”
Kennedy and screenwriters Mark Bailey (who is married to Kennedy) and Keven McAlester meticulously scrutinize the corporate oversight that eventually led to two fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 Max jets within 5 months of each other in October 2018 and March 2019, causing a total of 346 fatalities.
“I really wanted to know what happened and who was responsible for these crashes, and also to try to make a film where we could learn enough to prevent something like this from happening again,” Kennedy told Steve Pond at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio.
Through interviews with pilots, family members of the victims, politicians like Rep. Peter DeFazio (who led a Congressional investigation into the crashes), former...
Kennedy and screenwriters Mark Bailey (who is married to Kennedy) and Keven McAlester meticulously scrutinize the corporate oversight that eventually led to two fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 Max jets within 5 months of each other in October 2018 and March 2019, causing a total of 346 fatalities.
“I really wanted to know what happened and who was responsible for these crashes, and also to try to make a film where we could learn enough to prevent something like this from happening again,” Kennedy told Steve Pond at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio.
Through interviews with pilots, family members of the victims, politicians like Rep. Peter DeFazio (who led a Congressional investigation into the crashes), former...
- 1/26/2022
- by Jacquelinne Mejia
- The Wrap
Though there’s a lot of nudity and sensuality in “The Crown” star Josh O’Connor’s new film “Mothering Sunday,” he said the hardest part of the film was still shooting during a pandemic rather than having to act while naked.
“I wouldn’t say it was any stranger being naked during Covid times than it was being clothed,” O’Connor told TheWrap’s Steve Pond in a video interview during the Toronto International Film Festival.
But the harder thing for O’Connor was not being able to connect with other people on set to the point or see the real people behind the masks. He admitted that at one point a man greeted him from behind a mask and he had no idea who he was, even though they had been working together for weeks.
“Filmmaking is such a team sport and it’s so much about family and holding each other,...
“I wouldn’t say it was any stranger being naked during Covid times than it was being clothed,” O’Connor told TheWrap’s Steve Pond in a video interview during the Toronto International Film Festival.
But the harder thing for O’Connor was not being able to connect with other people on set to the point or see the real people behind the masks. He admitted that at one point a man greeted him from behind a mask and he had no idea who he was, even though they had been working together for weeks.
“Filmmaking is such a team sport and it’s so much about family and holding each other,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Dune” (finally) premiered Friday at the Venice Film Festival, ahead of its theatrical and HBO Max release on Oct. 22, but mixed reviews seem to signal that the sprawling sci-fi epic may not have been worth the wait, at least for general audiences.
Critics are hailing Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel as a transporting viewing experience — but with about 100 asterisks attached, mostly pertaining to the flatness of the screenplay and a lack of direction to where this mission is exactly headed.
Steve Pond’s review for The Wrap calls “Dune” both “dazzling and frustrating, often spectacular and often slow. It’s huge and loud and impressive but it can also be humorless and bleak,” adding that “it tries valiantly to address the problems of taking on Herbert’s complex epic, which requires a director to spend lots of time setting things up and explaining the world...
Critics are hailing Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel as a transporting viewing experience — but with about 100 asterisks attached, mostly pertaining to the flatness of the screenplay and a lack of direction to where this mission is exactly headed.
Steve Pond’s review for The Wrap calls “Dune” both “dazzling and frustrating, often spectacular and often slow. It’s huge and loud and impressive but it can also be humorless and bleak,” adding that “it tries valiantly to address the problems of taking on Herbert’s complex epic, which requires a director to spend lots of time setting things up and explaining the world...
- 9/3/2021
- by Alex Noble
- The Wrap
Body Horror Shocker Mosquito State – Available On Shudder Today! Check Out This Trailer and New Clip
Mosquito State Is Now Streamingexclusively On Shudder! Check out the trailer:
Mosquito State was the 2020 Venice Film Festival Winner: Bisato d’Oro for Best Cinematography and the 2020 Sitges Film Festival Winner: Best Visual Effects**
The critics love Mosquito State:
“Knapp gives a terrific performance… This highly original, visually torrid take onWall Street and last decade’s global financial crisis celebrates the truemasters of the universe: mosquitoes.”– Phil Hoad, The Guardian
“A haunting show of financial-crisis body horror… Knapp gives a stylizedperformance that recalls Nicolas Cage.”– Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine
“Cronenberg meets Kafka… Knapp commits fully to the hideous spectacle of a man steadily beaten by merciless nature.”– David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
“You could probably call it the Citizen Kane of Wall Street insect movies. Then again, it’s the only Wall Street insect movie. Knapp, in a performance of unnerving calmand unblinkered insanity… manages to get under your skin.
Mosquito State was the 2020 Venice Film Festival Winner: Bisato d’Oro for Best Cinematography and the 2020 Sitges Film Festival Winner: Best Visual Effects**
The critics love Mosquito State:
“Knapp gives a terrific performance… This highly original, visually torrid take onWall Street and last decade’s global financial crisis celebrates the truemasters of the universe: mosquitoes.”– Phil Hoad, The Guardian
“A haunting show of financial-crisis body horror… Knapp gives a stylizedperformance that recalls Nicolas Cage.”– Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine
“Cronenberg meets Kafka… Knapp commits fully to the hideous spectacle of a man steadily beaten by merciless nature.”– David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
“You could probably call it the Citizen Kane of Wall Street insect movies. Then again, it’s the only Wall Street insect movie. Knapp, in a performance of unnerving calmand unblinkered insanity… manages to get under your skin.
- 8/26/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Filmmaker Michael Moore is being sued by a fellow Flint, Michigan businessman who says Moore used a video he owned as part of the 2018 documentary “Fahrenheit 11/9.”
In the lawsuit, Darick Clemons says that he shot cell phone video of then-President Barack Obama visiting Flint in 2016. Clemons says he uploaded that video to YouTube and subsequently copyrighted the video earlier this year.
According to Clemons, Moore used that video in “Fahrenheit 11/9” without permission.
“Plaintiff’s on-the-ground footage gave Defendants a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective on the presidential visit,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff’s choice of words, his race, and his anticipation of the event provided dramatic value for the story Mr. Moore told in the film. Defendants could not have obtained that perspective from any other source, and it certainly contributed to any success the film had.”
The film made $6.7 million in sales and box office, the lawsuit notes, and...
In the lawsuit, Darick Clemons says that he shot cell phone video of then-President Barack Obama visiting Flint in 2016. Clemons says he uploaded that video to YouTube and subsequently copyrighted the video earlier this year.
According to Clemons, Moore used that video in “Fahrenheit 11/9” without permission.
“Plaintiff’s on-the-ground footage gave Defendants a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective on the presidential visit,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff’s choice of words, his race, and his anticipation of the event provided dramatic value for the story Mr. Moore told in the film. Defendants could not have obtained that perspective from any other source, and it certainly contributed to any success the film had.”
The film made $6.7 million in sales and box office, the lawsuit notes, and...
- 8/23/2021
- by Daniel Goldblatt
- The Wrap
“The Sparks Brothers,” Edgar Wright’s debut documentary film about the influential yet below-the-radar pop band Sparks, has set a release date for this summer.
Focus Features is releasing “The Sparks Brothers” domestically on June 18, 2021, following its world premiere at Sundance and its screening at SXSW this week. The film still sits with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sparks is comprised of brothers Russell and Ron Mael, who have released more than 20 albums over the last five decades. They’ve proven to be highly influential, dabbling in experimental ’70s pop and later synth and dance music that inspired artists across genres on the backs of albums like “Kimono My House,” “No. 1 in Heaven” and “Propaganda.”
Wright’s “The Sparks Brothers” dubs Sparks as “your favorite band’s favorite band,” arguing that the duo is criminally overlooked. To build that case, he speaks not only with the enigmas that are the Maelstrom,...
Focus Features is releasing “The Sparks Brothers” domestically on June 18, 2021, following its world premiere at Sundance and its screening at SXSW this week. The film still sits with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sparks is comprised of brothers Russell and Ron Mael, who have released more than 20 albums over the last five decades. They’ve proven to be highly influential, dabbling in experimental ’70s pop and later synth and dance music that inspired artists across genres on the backs of albums like “Kimono My House,” “No. 1 in Heaven” and “Propaganda.”
Wright’s “The Sparks Brothers” dubs Sparks as “your favorite band’s favorite band,” arguing that the duo is criminally overlooked. To build that case, he speaks not only with the enigmas that are the Maelstrom,...
- 3/19/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Oscar nominations morning has come and gone, and TheWrap takes a look at nods that came as a surprise — and who was snubbed.
Snub: Regina King
Regina King was shockingly left out of the Best Director category for “One Night in Miami.” Instead, Thomas Vinterberg took her place for directing “Another Round” (which we discuss below). King had been nominated in the category at the Globes, as well as the Critics Choice Awards.
Surprise: Lakeith Stanfield in Best Supporting
The actor received a surprise nomination in the category Best Supporting Actor… alongside his costar, Daniel Kaluuya, who has been sweeping the awards season for his role in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” David Straithairn, for his role in “Nomadland,” was left out, as was Chadwick Boseman for his role in “Da 5 Bloods.” Of course, Boseman received a Best Actor nod for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Surprise:...
Snub: Regina King
Regina King was shockingly left out of the Best Director category for “One Night in Miami.” Instead, Thomas Vinterberg took her place for directing “Another Round” (which we discuss below). King had been nominated in the category at the Globes, as well as the Critics Choice Awards.
Surprise: Lakeith Stanfield in Best Supporting
The actor received a surprise nomination in the category Best Supporting Actor… alongside his costar, Daniel Kaluuya, who has been sweeping the awards season for his role in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” David Straithairn, for his role in “Nomadland,” was left out, as was Chadwick Boseman for his role in “Da 5 Bloods.” Of course, Boseman received a Best Actor nod for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Surprise:...
- 3/15/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
The 72nd Emmy nominations will be announced July 28 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Pt/11:30 a.m. Et. You can watch the video above or at the official Emmys website.
Leslie Jones will host the event. The “SNL” alum turned “Supermarket Sweep” host be joined by presenters Laverne Cox, Josh Gad and Tatiana Maslany for a virtual ceremony, which is replacing the physical one due to social gathering and production restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Also Read: Reginald Hudlin Joins Jimmy Kimmel as Executive Producer on 2020 Emmys
“Television has played an integral role in navigating these unprecedented times and has brought us together as we remain apart,” Frank Scherma, Television Academy chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We are honored to have these groundbreaking actors, producers and comedians announce this year’s Emmy nominees–whose extraordinary work has been vital to the evolution of the television landscape this season.
Leslie Jones will host the event. The “SNL” alum turned “Supermarket Sweep” host be joined by presenters Laverne Cox, Josh Gad and Tatiana Maslany for a virtual ceremony, which is replacing the physical one due to social gathering and production restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Also Read: Reginald Hudlin Joins Jimmy Kimmel as Executive Producer on 2020 Emmys
“Television has played an integral role in navigating these unprecedented times and has brought us together as we remain apart,” Frank Scherma, Television Academy chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We are honored to have these groundbreaking actors, producers and comedians announce this year’s Emmy nominees–whose extraordinary work has been vital to the evolution of the television landscape this season.
- 7/28/2020
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Charlize Theron’s “The Old Guard” has cracked the Netflix Top 10 most popular Netflix films ever list, the streamer announced on social media Friday.
What is also of note is that director Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director to make the list. Additionally, the film adaptation of the Greg Rucka graphic novel is currently on track to reach 72 million households in its first month.
“The Old Guard is breaking records!” NetflixFilm’s Twitter account announced. “The Charlize Theron blockbuster is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever — and Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director on the list. The film is currently on track to reach 72M households in its first 4 weeks!”
Also Read: The Russo Bros to Direct Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in $200 Million+ Budgeted 'The Gray Man' at Netflix
The Old Guard is breaking records! The Charlize Theron blockbuster is...
What is also of note is that director Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director to make the list. Additionally, the film adaptation of the Greg Rucka graphic novel is currently on track to reach 72 million households in its first month.
“The Old Guard is breaking records!” NetflixFilm’s Twitter account announced. “The Charlize Theron blockbuster is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever — and Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director on the list. The film is currently on track to reach 72M households in its first 4 weeks!”
Also Read: The Russo Bros to Direct Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in $200 Million+ Budgeted 'The Gray Man' at Netflix
The Old Guard is breaking records! The Charlize Theron blockbuster is...
- 7/18/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Sam Hargrave has pulled off a rare feat, going from stunt doubling Chris Evans as Captain America in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” to directing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in “Extraction,” the high-profile action film that premiered on Netflix on April 24.
Hargrave, who earned his chops as stunt coordinator and second-unit director on the last two “Avengers” movies, the Russo brothers’ “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” landed his first directing gig on Extraction thanks to the Russos. They not only agreed to produce “Extraction,” but handed him Joe Russo’s screenplay for the film, the adaptation of a graphic novel about a black-market mercenary (Hemsworth) hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.
“I really liked how kind of simple and primal it was and I liked the all the action set pieces,” Hargrave told TheWrap in a video interview. “Joe is very descriptive when he writes...
Hargrave, who earned his chops as stunt coordinator and second-unit director on the last two “Avengers” movies, the Russo brothers’ “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” landed his first directing gig on Extraction thanks to the Russos. They not only agreed to produce “Extraction,” but handed him Joe Russo’s screenplay for the film, the adaptation of a graphic novel about a black-market mercenary (Hemsworth) hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.
“I really liked how kind of simple and primal it was and I liked the all the action set pieces,” Hargrave told TheWrap in a video interview. “Joe is very descriptive when he writes...
- 4/27/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
The young stars of the abortion drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” auditioned in a bathroom and other nontraditional locations to capture the feeling of what it would be like during production. Director Eliza Hittman and stars Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder dropped by TheWrap Studio at Sundance and described the unconventional way in which they got involved with the project. “I read for Eliza, and after a few rounds I got to test with Sidney, and we spent a day doing scenes on the subway and in bathrooms as a way of auditioning,” Ryder told TheWrap’s Steve Pond. “I like to audition in the world and not in the artificial confines of a rehearsal room where there’s all these added pressure forces like producers and casting directors,” Hittman added. “I’m always trying to break my potential cast out of those environments and get to know them more...
- 3/13/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The young stars of the abortion drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” auditioned in a bathroom and other nontraditional locations to capture the feeling of what it would be like during production.
Director Eliza Hittman and stars Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder dropped by TheWrap Studio at Sundance and described the unconventional way in which they got involved with the project. “I read for Eliza, and after a few rounds I got to test with Sidney, and we spent a day doing scenes on the subway and in bathrooms as a way of auditioning,” Ryder told TheWrap’s Steve Pond.
“I like to audition in the world and not in the artificial confines of a rehearsal room where there’s all these added pressure forces like producers and casting directors,” Hittman added. “I’m always trying to break my potential cast out of those environments and get to know them more...
Director Eliza Hittman and stars Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder dropped by TheWrap Studio at Sundance and described the unconventional way in which they got involved with the project. “I read for Eliza, and after a few rounds I got to test with Sidney, and we spent a day doing scenes on the subway and in bathrooms as a way of auditioning,” Ryder told TheWrap’s Steve Pond.
“I like to audition in the world and not in the artificial confines of a rehearsal room where there’s all these added pressure forces like producers and casting directors,” Hittman added. “I’m always trying to break my potential cast out of those environments and get to know them more...
- 3/10/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Wendy,” Benh Zeitlin’s riff on the iconic Peter Pan tale, was something he dreamed about making his entire life.
“Me and my sister Eliza, who I wrote the film with, really dreamed about making this film our entire lives, and it evolved as we grew up,” Zeitlin told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Sundance Film Festival. “I think that when we looked back at all of our games we played as children, where you were in a world and when you became 13 you were out — you were kicked out of it. In our childhood world, you know, we looked at adults and we just thought, how could that happen to us? What are we gonna lose that’s going turn us into who we are now, which is wild and free and imaginative and what’s gonna turn us into people that we don’t recognize? People who are destroying the planet,...
“Me and my sister Eliza, who I wrote the film with, really dreamed about making this film our entire lives, and it evolved as we grew up,” Zeitlin told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Sundance Film Festival. “I think that when we looked back at all of our games we played as children, where you were in a world and when you became 13 you were out — you were kicked out of it. In our childhood world, you know, we looked at adults and we just thought, how could that happen to us? What are we gonna lose that’s going turn us into who we are now, which is wild and free and imaginative and what’s gonna turn us into people that we don’t recognize? People who are destroying the planet,...
- 2/11/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
“Parasite” was the big winner at Sunday’s Oscars, snagging four statuettes with a historic Best Picture victory among them, but the true star of awards season is a member of Team “Parasite” who joined after the film was completed: Sharon Choi. Choi has been “Parasite’s” tireless Goat interpreter, usually for Oscar-winning writer-director Bong Joon Ho, and luckily for us, Sunday will not be the last we see of her.
As Bong revealed after the Golden Globes, Choi is a filmmaker herself. Backstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Bong shared that she’s currently working on a feature script that he’s clearly dying to read. “You already know she’s a filmmaker,” he said when he fielded the final question about Choi. “She studied film in the university, yeah, so I’m so curious about her script. Actually, she’s writing some feature-length script, I’m so curious about it.
As Bong revealed after the Golden Globes, Choi is a filmmaker herself. Backstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Bong shared that she’s currently working on a feature script that he’s clearly dying to read. “You already know she’s a filmmaker,” he said when he fielded the final question about Choi. “She studied film in the university, yeah, so I’m so curious about her script. Actually, she’s writing some feature-length script, I’m so curious about it.
- 2/10/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
For “Shirley” director Josephine Decker, Elisabeth Moss was always the “top choice” to play famed horror author Shirley Jackson in her drama. “We were all like, let’s get Elisabeth Moss to play Shirley!” Decker told Elisabeth Moss at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio. Fresh off the company’s Oscar win for Best Picture with “Parasite,” Neon has acquired the North American rights to “Shirley,” the biographical film and thriller starring Elisabeth Moss that premiered at Sundance, an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap. Michael Stuhlbarg, Logan Lerman and Odessa Young also star in the film about how Jackson finds inspiration for her next novel after she and her husband take a young couple into their home and form a deep connection with them that tests the bonds of the couple’s young love. Moss was drawn to the project due to the Sarah Gubbins screenplay, as well as the other actors attached.
- 2/10/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Parasite swept at the Oscars on Sunday night with director Bong Joon Ho taking the stage for his speeches — alongside a very special guest.
The South Korean director was aided throughout awards season — and Oscar night — by his interpreter, 25-year-old Sharon Choi, who is a director herself.
Choi has accompanied Bong throughout the awards circuit leading up to Parasite‘s four major Oscar wins, including Best Picture, interpreting for the director and sending out his hilarious, and often touching, messages to American audiences and the world.
Here’s everything to know about the up-and-coming director.
1. She’s been interpreting for Bong since May.
The South Korean director was aided throughout awards season — and Oscar night — by his interpreter, 25-year-old Sharon Choi, who is a director herself.
Choi has accompanied Bong throughout the awards circuit leading up to Parasite‘s four major Oscar wins, including Best Picture, interpreting for the director and sending out his hilarious, and often touching, messages to American audiences and the world.
Here’s everything to know about the up-and-coming director.
1. She’s been interpreting for Bong since May.
- 2/10/2020
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
If there’s one person who spoke the most during the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, it was most likely Sharon Choi. The 25-year-old took the stage at the Dolby Theater four times in order to translate “Parasite” writer-director Bong Joon Ho’s acceptance speeches. Bong was awarded the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, capping a game-changing night where South Korea won its first Oscars ever and the Academy gave Best Picture to a foreign-language film for the first time in 92 years. Choi has been by Bong’s side since the “Parasite” world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The “Parasite” Oscar campaign has taken Choi around the world and to countless awards ceremonies, where more often than not she took the stage with Bong to accept awards. From the Oscars to the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes, Choi was...
- 2/10/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Cynthia Erivo knew that playing Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ biographical film “Harriet” would be no easy task, and it’s a responsibility she didn’t “take lightly.”
“I’m hugely honored to be able to take part in the telling of her story,” Erivo told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Really and truly, she’s the one who did the work. I just get the chance to be there to let people see it.”
Movies about the abolitionist and political activist have long been in development, but Lemmons felt the story should be told by a woman — and that it should be told by her.
Also Read: 'Harriet' Film Review: Kasi Lemmons' Standard-Issue Harriet Tubman Biopic Wastes Big-Screen Opportunity
“At a certain point, I felt my heart beat harder in talking about it with the producers,” she explained. “I thought, this is scary,...
“I’m hugely honored to be able to take part in the telling of her story,” Erivo told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Really and truly, she’s the one who did the work. I just get the chance to be there to let people see it.”
Movies about the abolitionist and political activist have long been in development, but Lemmons felt the story should be told by a woman — and that it should be told by her.
Also Read: 'Harriet' Film Review: Kasi Lemmons' Standard-Issue Harriet Tubman Biopic Wastes Big-Screen Opportunity
“At a certain point, I felt my heart beat harder in talking about it with the producers,” she explained. “I thought, this is scary,...
- 10/30/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Though it might seem like just any other puppet you’d find at the Laika stop-motion animation studio, its hardest challenge yet was creating the furry, plump and bright orange monster that became the title character of their latest film “Missing Link.”
The team of stop motion animators had to determine how to make Link’s belly jiggle as it walked, how to stretch its arms, and how its fur should move in the wind. And like any troublesome actor, that often meant this diva of a puppet frequently showed up late to set.
“This little avocado with a face is the most complicated thing we’ve ever created at the studio,” Brian McLean, Laika’s director of rapid prototyping told TheWrap’s Steve Pond following a screening of “Missing Link” at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. “His simple shape and silhouette was really difficult to figure out how...
The team of stop motion animators had to determine how to make Link’s belly jiggle as it walked, how to stretch its arms, and how its fur should move in the wind. And like any troublesome actor, that often meant this diva of a puppet frequently showed up late to set.
“This little avocado with a face is the most complicated thing we’ve ever created at the studio,” Brian McLean, Laika’s director of rapid prototyping told TheWrap’s Steve Pond following a screening of “Missing Link” at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. “His simple shape and silhouette was really difficult to figure out how...
- 10/20/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The Directors Guild has eliminated films that are released via a “day and date” model in theaters and simultaneously on another platform, dealing a blow to streaming titles competing for awards, the DGA announced Wednesday.
However, the guild said that last year’s winner, Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” as well as all the other nominees for its top film award would still have qualified if the the new rule had been in effect.
The award has been renamed the “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film” from “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film.” The new rule only applies in that category, with day-and-date releases still eligible in the First-Time Feature Film Award category.
They will also continue to be eligible in the DGA’s documentary category, which in the past has nominated theatrical releases alongside nonfiction miniseries like “The Vietnam War” and “O.J.: Made in America.”
Also Read:...
However, the guild said that last year’s winner, Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” as well as all the other nominees for its top film award would still have qualified if the the new rule had been in effect.
The award has been renamed the “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film” from “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film.” The new rule only applies in that category, with day-and-date releases still eligible in the First-Time Feature Film Award category.
They will also continue to be eligible in the DGA’s documentary category, which in the past has nominated theatrical releases alongside nonfiction miniseries like “The Vietnam War” and “O.J.: Made in America.”
Also Read:...
- 6/26/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
.full-width-feature-template .overlay{display:none} Tony Hale and Sophie Turner on the End of ‘Veep’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ TheWrap Emmy magazine: Stars discuss the “liberating and sad” feeling as their HBO juggernauts wrap up By Steve Pond | May 24, 2019 @ 10:34 Am This cover story on Tony Hale and Sophie Turner first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.
On the surface, there wasn’t a lot of similarity between “Game of Thrones” and “Veep.” One was set in a mythical land of dragons, sorceresses and brutal warriors, one in a version of today’s Washington, D.C., that seems less absurd with every new headline out of the Oval Office. One’s a drama, one a comedy.
But the shows had a few things in common, too. Both aired on HBO as part of the network’s signature Sunday-night lineup for most of the last decade, and both...
On the surface, there wasn’t a lot of similarity between “Game of Thrones” and “Veep.” One was set in a mythical land of dragons, sorceresses and brutal warriors, one in a version of today’s Washington, D.C., that seems less absurd with every new headline out of the Oval Office. One’s a drama, one a comedy.
But the shows had a few things in common, too. Both aired on HBO as part of the network’s signature Sunday-night lineup for most of the last decade, and both...
- 5/28/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2019 Cannes Film Festival wrapped its 72nd edition on Sunday by awarding director Bong Joon-ho with the Palme d’Or for “Parasite,” his dark comedy about a lower-class family that schemes to overtake a wealthy household. It was the first time that the Palme d’Or went to a Korean director, and many critics felt that it was the right decision: “Parasite” topped IndieWire’s annual critics survey of the best films at Cannes, with 50 critics participating from around the world.
The outcome marked the second year in a row that a Korean film topped the survey, following the first-place finish for Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” in 2018.
“Parasite” also topped the category for best screenplay. For best director, however, another Cannes favorite ranked highly. French director Celine Sciamma topped that category with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which stars Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant as covert lovers in the 18th century.
The outcome marked the second year in a row that a Korean film topped the survey, following the first-place finish for Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” in 2018.
“Parasite” also topped the category for best screenplay. For best director, however, another Cannes favorite ranked highly. French director Celine Sciamma topped that category with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which stars Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant as covert lovers in the 18th century.
- 5/28/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to “The Whistlers,” a crime movie from Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu that premiered in competition at Cannes, an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap.
Magnolia intends to release “The Whistlers” later this year.
Porumboiu is one of the members of the Romanian New Wave of cinema and is the director of 2006’s “12:08 East of Bucharest” and 2009’s “Police, Adjective,” which won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes that same year. Porumboiu’s latest follows a crooked police officer who wants to free a businessman from an island in the Canaries but has to learn a bizarre local language involving whistling, hissing and spitting in order to do so. Here’s the official synopsis:
Also Read: 'The Whistlers' Film Review: Romanian Wild Ride Runs on Black Humor
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi,...
Magnolia intends to release “The Whistlers” later this year.
Porumboiu is one of the members of the Romanian New Wave of cinema and is the director of 2006’s “12:08 East of Bucharest” and 2009’s “Police, Adjective,” which won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes that same year. Porumboiu’s latest follows a crooked police officer who wants to free a businessman from an island in the Canaries but has to learn a bizarre local language involving whistling, hissing and spitting in order to do so. Here’s the official synopsis:
Also Read: 'The Whistlers' Film Review: Romanian Wild Ride Runs on Black Humor
In “The Whistlers,” not everything is as it seems for Cristi,...
- 5/24/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Xavier Dolan is “enfant terrible” no more. The director has now turned 30, and he got emotional and teary-eyed while introducing his latest film, “Matthias and Maxime,” on Wednesday at Cannes.
And critics could sense that his latest film suggests the director is slowing down and looking back on his youth with more sensitivity and even maturity.
“‘Matthias & Maxime’ deals with friendship and self discovery in a way that will be familiar to fans of Dolan’s previous work, but it is a, dare we say, more mature work,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review, calling the film a return to form despite the young director’s blistering pace and constant presence at Cannes. “There’s a reflection to go with the gleeful, transgressive energy, a sense of looking back fondly at the jarring but seminal moments that form identity.”
Also Read: 'Matthias & Maxime' Film...
And critics could sense that his latest film suggests the director is slowing down and looking back on his youth with more sensitivity and even maturity.
“‘Matthias & Maxime’ deals with friendship and self discovery in a way that will be familiar to fans of Dolan’s previous work, but it is a, dare we say, more mature work,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review, calling the film a return to form despite the young director’s blistering pace and constant presence at Cannes. “There’s a reflection to go with the gleeful, transgressive energy, a sense of looking back fondly at the jarring but seminal moments that form identity.”
Also Read: 'Matthias & Maxime' Film...
- 5/23/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, together for the first time on the big screen. Margot Robbie as the doomed starlet Sharon Tate. And Neil Diamond, Vanilla Fudge and Paul Revere and the Raiders play on the soundtrack. “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is Quentin Tarantino‘s version of 1969 in hippie-dippy Tinseltown when cult leader Charles Manson (James Marsden) was part of the shifting landscape and it freaked out the Cannes crowd in a good way as it currently boasts a 93% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.
The main draw for most when the film opens nationwide on July 26 will likely be its two male leads, with DiCaprio playing a successful TV action star Rick Dalton who no longer quite fits into groove of the growing counter-culture and Pitt as his loyal sidekick and stunt double Cliff Booth. At two hours and 40 minutes, the now-56-year-old former wunderkind director does a lot...
The main draw for most when the film opens nationwide on July 26 will likely be its two male leads, with DiCaprio playing a successful TV action star Rick Dalton who no longer quite fits into groove of the growing counter-culture and Pitt as his loyal sidekick and stunt double Cliff Booth. At two hours and 40 minutes, the now-56-year-old former wunderkind director does a lot...
- 5/22/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
It was Tarantino day on the Croisette. Passholders were ecstatic to see the star power Quentin Tarantino brought to the red carpet along with his ninth film “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” and the reception for the film was just as loud, delivering everything you would expect from a Tarantino film.
“It’s no spoiler to say that “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is big, brash, ridiculous, too long, and in the end, invigorating,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review. “It’s a grand playground for the director to further fetishize old pop culture, to break things and hurt people, and to bring a wide-eyed glee and a robust sense of perversity to the whole craft of moviemaking.”
At the press conference following the premiere screening, Tarantino remembered back to when he was just 6, saying he believes he was taken to the Spahn Ranch for horseback...
“It’s no spoiler to say that “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is big, brash, ridiculous, too long, and in the end, invigorating,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review. “It’s a grand playground for the director to further fetishize old pop culture, to break things and hurt people, and to bring a wide-eyed glee and a robust sense of perversity to the whole craft of moviemaking.”
At the press conference following the premiere screening, Tarantino remembered back to when he was just 6, saying he believes he was taken to the Spahn Ranch for horseback...
- 5/22/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
There’s a fair amount of existential angst at the Cannes Film Festival this year, as those from the movie industry who are here to do business ask themselves what remains of the business to do.
It isn’t a particularly new fact that the Cannes Film Festival occupies an uncomfortable niche in the movie business. The festival brings films from all over the world, often from many of the same directors — this year includes festival regulars from Pedro Almodóvar to Claude Lelouch to Asif Kapadia to the Dardenne brothers — but hardly any of them will get wide distribution around the world, and certainly not at all in the United States.
Movies have become the stuff of superheroes, the world of entertainment has moved to TV content and the people with big money are here for the parties, not to do business.
Also Read: Cannes at the Halfway Point: How...
It isn’t a particularly new fact that the Cannes Film Festival occupies an uncomfortable niche in the movie business. The festival brings films from all over the world, often from many of the same directors — this year includes festival regulars from Pedro Almodóvar to Claude Lelouch to Asif Kapadia to the Dardenne brothers — but hardly any of them will get wide distribution around the world, and certainly not at all in the United States.
Movies have become the stuff of superheroes, the world of entertainment has moved to TV content and the people with big money are here for the parties, not to do business.
Also Read: Cannes at the Halfway Point: How...
- 5/21/2019
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
“A Hidden Life” comes to Cannes with high expectations. For one, it’s Terrence Malick’s most story-driven film since 2005’s “The New World.” For another, the true-life story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian conscientious objector who refused to serve in the Nazi war effort, is the kind of powerful narrative that could even resonate with Academy Awards voters. But if the past decade has proven anything at this point, it’s that it’s hard to know what expect from Malick.
Malick won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2011 for “The Tree of Life,” widely regarded by critics as one of the best films of the 21st century to date. Though they have their fans, his follow-ups haven’t earned the same level of acclaim and devotion. “To the Wonder,” “Knight of Cups,” and “Song to Song” were impressionistic reveries with little plot and lots of poetic voiceover. His...
Malick won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2011 for “The Tree of Life,” widely regarded by critics as one of the best films of the 21st century to date. Though they have their fans, his follow-ups haven’t earned the same level of acclaim and devotion. “To the Wonder,” “Knight of Cups,” and “Song to Song” were impressionistic reveries with little plot and lots of poetic voiceover. His...
- 5/19/2019
- by Christian Blauvelt and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
More premieres and more acquisitions were the name of the game at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, with Amazon Studios and Paramount making big movie deals and Pedro Almodóvar‘s “Pain & Glory” showing to acclaim.
Plus, a surprise performance from Mariah Carey!
See below for the highlights of Cannes, day four:
Les Miserables 2019
Amazon Acquires ‘Les Miserables’ for $1.5 Million
Amazon Studios on Friday acquired U.S. rights to writer and director Ladj Ly’s French-language “Les Misérables,” following the film’s world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
“Les Misérables” is Ly’s first feature and the only debut in the competition section at the festival. The film premiered Wednesday evening to great fanfare. An individual with knowledge of the deal said it was likely around $1.5 million.
Inspired by the 2005 Paris riots, and Ly’s César-nominated short film of the same name, “Les Misérables” takes a provocative look into...
Plus, a surprise performance from Mariah Carey!
See below for the highlights of Cannes, day four:
Les Miserables 2019
Amazon Acquires ‘Les Miserables’ for $1.5 Million
Amazon Studios on Friday acquired U.S. rights to writer and director Ladj Ly’s French-language “Les Misérables,” following the film’s world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
“Les Misérables” is Ly’s first feature and the only debut in the competition section at the festival. The film premiered Wednesday evening to great fanfare. An individual with knowledge of the deal said it was likely around $1.5 million.
Inspired by the 2005 Paris riots, and Ly’s César-nominated short film of the same name, “Les Misérables” takes a provocative look into...
- 5/18/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
If ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ were the cheeseburger of music icon biopics, then ‘Rocketman’ is the sirloin steak – with lobster on the side.” – Dan Wooton, The Sun
Judging from the dazzling reception from the notoriously tough crowd that attends the Cannes International Film Festival, the first true Oscar-worthy film of 2019 has landed. “Rocketman,” the tune-filled Elton John biopic with fantastical touches received a boisterous 4-minute standing ovation after having its world premiere out of competition on the French Rivera.
Given that it is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who also took over the reins of last year’s musical ode to another British pop superstar and gay icon Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” after original helmer Bryan Singer was fired, the critics couldn’t help but compare the two. And, as the quote above suggests, “Rocketman” is a far superior cut of meaty truth-based cinema that currently has a 94% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
See...
Judging from the dazzling reception from the notoriously tough crowd that attends the Cannes International Film Festival, the first true Oscar-worthy film of 2019 has landed. “Rocketman,” the tune-filled Elton John biopic with fantastical touches received a boisterous 4-minute standing ovation after having its world premiere out of competition on the French Rivera.
Given that it is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who also took over the reins of last year’s musical ode to another British pop superstar and gay icon Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” after original helmer Bryan Singer was fired, the critics couldn’t help but compare the two. And, as the quote above suggests, “Rocketman” is a far superior cut of meaty truth-based cinema that currently has a 94% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
See...
- 5/17/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
After Cannes’ opening night film “The Dead Don’t Die” got the festival off to a somewhat slow start with mixed reviews, Wednesday’s two debuts, “Les Misérables” and “Bacurau,” proved that this year’s lineup will have some life in it.
Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” isn’t based on Victor Hugo’s classic story, but it’s set in the same region in France and has the spirit of the original. Ly (picture above) originally directed an acclaimed short in 2017 of the same name that set the stage for this larger feature focused on police brutality and crime. The Guardian critic said Ly’s feature debut had a dose of “humor, cynicism, energy and savvy” and was worthy of some comparisons to previous Palme d’Or winner Jacques Audiard’s “Dheepan.”
Another reviewer even predicted we might already have a prize winner on our hands. “‘Les Miserables,’ Cannes...
Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” isn’t based on Victor Hugo’s classic story, but it’s set in the same region in France and has the spirit of the original. Ly (picture above) originally directed an acclaimed short in 2017 of the same name that set the stage for this larger feature focused on police brutality and crime. The Guardian critic said Ly’s feature debut had a dose of “humor, cynicism, energy and savvy” and was worthy of some comparisons to previous Palme d’Or winner Jacques Audiard’s “Dheepan.”
Another reviewer even predicted we might already have a prize winner on our hands. “‘Les Miserables,’ Cannes...
- 5/16/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
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