“Oh, Hi!” has finally found a home.
Worldwide rights to the charming romantic comedy starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, have been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The film was written and directed by Sophie Brooks from a story that Brooks and Gordon conceived together, with a supporting cast that includes Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds and a very funny David Cross.
The official synopsis describes the film as, “Iris (Gordon) and Isaac’s (Lerman) first romantic weekend getaway as a couple goes awry. Convinced that he’s just confused, Iris goes to extreme lengths to prove to him that they are meant to be together.”
“I could not be more thrilled that we have found our home with Sony Pictures Classics. For as long as I can remember, I have loved their films; always marked by distinct voices and elegance,” Brooks said in a statement.
Worldwide rights to the charming romantic comedy starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, have been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The film was written and directed by Sophie Brooks from a story that Brooks and Gordon conceived together, with a supporting cast that includes Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds and a very funny David Cross.
The official synopsis describes the film as, “Iris (Gordon) and Isaac’s (Lerman) first romantic weekend getaway as a couple goes awry. Convinced that he’s just confused, Iris goes to extreme lengths to prove to him that they are meant to be together.”
“I could not be more thrilled that we have found our home with Sony Pictures Classics. For as long as I can remember, I have loved their films; always marked by distinct voices and elegance,” Brooks said in a statement.
- 3/14/2025
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
While Sundance didn’t have a plethora of the late night bidding wars we used to see in the good old days of the festival, the weirdness of the Los Angeles fires and the advent of the online platform have kept sales very slow. Over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance looking for homes. As we previously reported, the hope was that even more distributors could get creative.
Below we’ll update all the acquisitions following the festival festival as they arrive. Here are the movies we think could sell big.
“Oh, Hi!”
Section: Premieres
Buyer: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Sophie Brooks
Cast: Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds
Buzz: SPC nabbed the worldwide rights to director Sophie Brooks’ sophomore feature, a big commitment to the Molly Gordon-led indie comedy that took some time to sell and find the right home. “Oh, Hi!” stars Gordon as Iris...
Below we’ll update all the acquisitions following the festival festival as they arrive. Here are the movies we think could sell big.
“Oh, Hi!”
Section: Premieres
Buyer: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Sophie Brooks
Cast: Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds
Buzz: SPC nabbed the worldwide rights to director Sophie Brooks’ sophomore feature, a big commitment to the Molly Gordon-led indie comedy that took some time to sell and find the right home. “Oh, Hi!” stars Gordon as Iris...
- 3/14/2025
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North and Latin American rights to Rebecca Zlotowski’s French murder mystery film “Vie Privée,” TheWrap has learned.
The project stars Jodie Foster as a renowned psychiatrist who investigates the suspicious death of one of her patients. She is joined by Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Amalric (“Serpent’s Path”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luàna Bajrami (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).
The project’s promo was unveiled at the European Film Market by Goodfellas, which has sold it nearly everywhere worldwide. In France, the film will be released by Ad Vitam.
The film reunites Zlotowski with her longtime producer, Frédéric Jouve, at Les Films Velvet. Zlotowski’s previous credits include 2023 Venice Golden Lion contender “Other People’s Children,” “An Easy Girl,” “Planetarium,” “Grand Central” and “Dear Prudence.”
It also marks Foster’s first French-language role in two decades following her role...
The project stars Jodie Foster as a renowned psychiatrist who investigates the suspicious death of one of her patients. She is joined by Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Amalric (“Serpent’s Path”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luàna Bajrami (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).
The project’s promo was unveiled at the European Film Market by Goodfellas, which has sold it nearly everywhere worldwide. In France, the film will be released by Ad Vitam.
The film reunites Zlotowski with her longtime producer, Frédéric Jouve, at Les Films Velvet. Zlotowski’s previous credits include 2023 Venice Golden Lion contender “Other People’s Children,” “An Easy Girl,” “Planetarium,” “Grand Central” and “Dear Prudence.”
It also marks Foster’s first French-language role in two decades following her role...
- 2/17/2025
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
In one of the first major deals unveiled at the European Film Market, Sony Pictures Classics (“I’m Still Here”) has bought “Vie Privée,” a highly anticipated, humor-laced murder mystery movie starring Jodie Foster and directed by Rebecca Zlotowski (“Other People’s Children”), for North America and Latin America territories.
The Oscar winner stars in the film as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner who mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered. Foster last starred in a French-language film 20 years ago in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated “A Very Long Engagement.”
Foster, who recently won an Emmy and a Golden Globe her turn in HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” stars in “Vie Privée” alongside a flurry of international stars, including Daniel Auteuil and Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Almaric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luana Bajrami...
The Oscar winner stars in the film as renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner who mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered. Foster last starred in a French-language film 20 years ago in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Oscar-nominated “A Very Long Engagement.”
Foster, who recently won an Emmy and a Golden Globe her turn in HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” stars in “Vie Privée” alongside a flurry of international stars, including Daniel Auteuil and Efira (“Other People’s Children”), Mathieu Almaric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Vincent Lacoste (“Lost Illusions”) and Luana Bajrami...
- 2/17/2025
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights worldwide to Sundance prize-winner East Of Wall.
Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, the drama about female resilience in the American West premiered at this year’s festival and won the Audience Award in the Next category.
Tabatha Zimiga and Porshia Zimiga star as themselves alongside Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle in the story, inspired by the Zimigas’ real lives, of a rebellious young horse trainer who provides refuge for a group of wayward teens on her run-down ranch.
Lila Yacoub, Beecroft, Melanie Ramsayer and Shannon Moss produced, with Scott Frank, Al Engemann,...
Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, the drama about female resilience in the American West premiered at this year’s festival and won the Audience Award in the Next category.
Tabatha Zimiga and Porshia Zimiga star as themselves alongside Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle in the story, inspired by the Zimigas’ real lives, of a rebellious young horse trainer who provides refuge for a group of wayward teens on her run-down ranch.
Lila Yacoub, Beecroft, Melanie Ramsayer and Shannon Moss produced, with Scott Frank, Al Engemann,...
- 2/14/2025
- ScreenDaily
Gold Derby’s top news stories for Feb. 14, 2025 First Look at Bridgerton Season 4, launching in 2026 on Netflix
The calendar says it’s still only February 2025, but as it’s Valentine’s Day, the romantic Netflix drama Bridgerton from the production stable of Shonda Rhimes has released first-look photos and footage for the eight-episode fourth season of the series that’s scheduled to premiere sometime next year. While production on the season in London is ongoing, the essential masquerade ball scene is in the can, and snippets from it are included in the sneak-peek video provided on Friday.
The Season 4 logline: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loathe to settle down – until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver, Sophie Baek (Yarin Ha) at his mother’s masquerade ball. It...
The calendar says it’s still only February 2025, but as it’s Valentine’s Day, the romantic Netflix drama Bridgerton from the production stable of Shonda Rhimes has released first-look photos and footage for the eight-episode fourth season of the series that’s scheduled to premiere sometime next year. While production on the season in London is ongoing, the essential masquerade ball scene is in the can, and snippets from it are included in the sneak-peek video provided on Friday.
The Season 4 logline: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loathe to settle down – until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver, Sophie Baek (Yarin Ha) at his mother’s masquerade ball. It...
- 2/14/2025
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights worldwide to “East of Wall,” following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Next category, the company announced on Friday.
Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, “East of Wall” is about female resilience in a marginalized, neglected corner of the American West.
“I am incredibly grateful to have our film championed by, and to be partnered with, Sony Pictures Classics,” Beecroft said in a statement to TheWrap. “This project is deeply personal to everyone involved, and I’m so proud of the bravery my cast showed in sharing their voices — voices that are too often overlooked or pushed aside. I can’t wait for audiences to experience their lives on the big screen.”
The film stars Tabatha Zimiga and Porshia Zimiga playing themselves, as well as Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle.
“East of Wall...
Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, “East of Wall” is about female resilience in a marginalized, neglected corner of the American West.
“I am incredibly grateful to have our film championed by, and to be partnered with, Sony Pictures Classics,” Beecroft said in a statement to TheWrap. “This project is deeply personal to everyone involved, and I’m so proud of the bravery my cast showed in sharing their voices — voices that are too often overlooked or pushed aside. I can’t wait for audiences to experience their lives on the big screen.”
The film stars Tabatha Zimiga and Porshia Zimiga playing themselves, as well as Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle.
“East of Wall...
- 2/14/2025
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired “East of Wall,” a critically acclaimed look at a marginalized, neglected corner of the American West that marks the feature debut of writer and director Kate Beecroft. The film was inspired by real people, with Beecroft convincing Tabatha and Porshia Zimiga, ranchers from the Badlands, to play versions of themselves. “East of Wall” won the Audience Award at Sundance in the Next category.
Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised the film as an “artful debut” and compared it to Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” which Sony Pictures Classics also distributed. Other critics agreed with The Austin Chronicle writing, “As a first-time feature filmmaker, Beecroft’s storytelling technique could stand greater development, but her sense of place and mood is spot-on. Her film will definitely make you want to scrape the mud off your boots before you leave the theatre.”
Tabatha Zimiga stars as a horse trainer who,...
Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised the film as an “artful debut” and compared it to Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” which Sony Pictures Classics also distributed. Other critics agreed with The Austin Chronicle writing, “As a first-time feature filmmaker, Beecroft’s storytelling technique could stand greater development, but her sense of place and mood is spot-on. Her film will definitely make you want to scrape the mud off your boots before you leave the theatre.”
Tabatha Zimiga stars as a horse trainer who,...
- 2/14/2025
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
So much of the American cowboy mythos — the way they talk, the silhouette they cut, the clothes they wear — has been codified, if not invented wholesale, by Hollywood. From first shot to last, Kate Beecroft’s “East of Wall” expands our perception of those iconic horse wranglers to consider the women so often overlooked. In the tradition of Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider,” this eye-opening 21st-century Western was inspired by real people: Debuting writer-director Beecroft convinced the Zimiga family — most notably single mom Tabatha and her daughter, Porshia, a TikTok star and rodeo queen — to participate in a drama extrapolated from their own lives, all but rewriting the genre with the result.
Beecroft derives unquantifiably rich scenic value from the stunning South Dakota backdrops, whether handheld shots of magic-hour vistas or weightless drone shots through the vast, corrugated folds of the Badlands. But it’s the tough, sun-blasted faces of...
Beecroft derives unquantifiably rich scenic value from the stunning South Dakota backdrops, whether handheld shots of magic-hour vistas or weightless drone shots through the vast, corrugated folds of the Badlands. But it’s the tough, sun-blasted faces of...
- 2/6/2025
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
East of Wall explores the story deeply embedded in the rural and familial terrain of South Dakota, presenting a window into the world of Tabatha Zimiga, her daughter Porshia, and their community.
Tabatha, a determined horse trainer, grapples with grief and economic challenges while maintaining her ranch and supporting a group of displaced young people. The narrative unfolds against the stark yet beautiful Badlands, examining the delicate balance between endurance and preservation.
The relationship between Tabatha and Porshia carries weight, complicated by her husband’s death and generational differences. The story intertwines personal struggles with the broader challenge of surviving on the frontier, where family connections represent both support and strain. Roy Waters enters as an external figure offering financial support, which tests Tabatha’s strong sense of independence.
His proposal creates a critical moment of decision—whether to accept external help for financial stability or maintain her core principles.
Tabatha, a determined horse trainer, grapples with grief and economic challenges while maintaining her ranch and supporting a group of displaced young people. The narrative unfolds against the stark yet beautiful Badlands, examining the delicate balance between endurance and preservation.
The relationship between Tabatha and Porshia carries weight, complicated by her husband’s death and generational differences. The story intertwines personal struggles with the broader challenge of surviving on the frontier, where family connections represent both support and strain. Roy Waters enters as an external figure offering financial support, which tests Tabatha’s strong sense of independence.
His proposal creates a critical moment of decision—whether to accept external help for financial stability or maintain her core principles.
- 2/5/2025
- by Enzo Barese
- Gazettely
The degree of difficulty in making East of Wall must have been enormous: a small budget, a series of remote locations, a slew of non-actor performers, and the incredibly arduous task of working with horses. Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, the film stars Tabatha Zimiga as a version of herself. In real life, Zimiga runs a South Dakota ranch where she raises horses she then sells via social media. Her daughter Porshia also stars here, and is quite good. The film as a whole is a fictional narrative wrapped up in the facts of the Zimiga clan. Following the untimely death of her husband, Tabatha is burdened with significant financial responsibilities as well as a large chosen family that lives at her ranch: a number of older children with no place to go have found a home with her and her biological children.
The great Jennifer Ehle plays Tracey,...
The great Jennifer Ehle plays Tracey,...
- 2/5/2025
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Agents have been telling us for years now that the pace of the market at Sundance isn’t what it used to be. Maybe it’s time we started taking them seriously. Just as industry people arrived home from Park City last week, everyone checked the proverbial scoreboard and realized not one world premiere feature had been acquired from Sundance. Where are the sales?!?
The next day, Midnight movie “Together” sold in a $17 million worldwide deal to Neon, a number that matches the high mark of last year’s sale of “It’s What’s Inside” to Netflix and puts it in the upper echelon of all-time Sundance deals. It was a true bidding war, with Searchlight Pictures and A24 also in the mix.
Later that day, a journalist at an event asked Netflix’s Bela Bajaria why Sundance was so “dull” and if this was a sign Netflix is changing course on indie movies.
The next day, Midnight movie “Together” sold in a $17 million worldwide deal to Neon, a number that matches the high mark of last year’s sale of “It’s What’s Inside” to Netflix and puts it in the upper echelon of all-time Sundance deals. It was a true bidding war, with Searchlight Pictures and A24 also in the mix.
Later that day, a journalist at an event asked Netflix’s Bela Bajaria why Sundance was so “dull” and if this was a sign Netflix is changing course on indie movies.
- 2/4/2025
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
It was just a few years ago that Sundance was still famous for its feeding frenzy-like atmosphere as a sales market, with movies like “The Farewell” and “Blindspotting” triggering the sort of all-night bidding wars that have become as much a part of festival legend as the films themselves. While “A Real Pain” commanded similar attention last year, and titles like “Together” (Neon) and “Sorry, Baby” (A24) leveraged buzzy premieres into healthy price tags over just the last few days, the overwhelming majority of the best titles from Sundance 2025 are still looking for a proper home.
We suspect that will change at some point in the immediate future — distributors might not go to Park City with the same “buy now!” mentality they once had, but they still need product. And the product is compelling: From starry indies like “Rebuilding” (Josh O’Connor as a sad cowboy!) to movies of the moment like “Lurker,...
We suspect that will change at some point in the immediate future — distributors might not go to Park City with the same “buy now!” mentality they once had, but they still need product. And the product is compelling: From starry indies like “Rebuilding” (Josh O’Connor as a sad cowboy!) to movies of the moment like “Lurker,...
- 2/4/2025
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
February 2 Update: Ryan White’sCome See Me in the Good Light won theFestival Favorite Award on Sunday, marking the final piece of business for the festival, which endedon February 2.
The US film charts two poets’ “journey through love, life and mortality”.
Original January 31 Report:Sundance Film Festival announced its awards winners on Friday, with grand jury prizes going to Atropia, Seeds, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), and Cutting Through Rocks.
In the audience awards, Twinless, André Is An Idiot, DJ Ahmet, and Prime Minister prevailed.The Next Innovator Award went to Zodiac Killer Project and Next Audience Award was presented to East Of Wall.
The US film charts two poets’ “journey through love, life and mortality”.
Original January 31 Report:Sundance Film Festival announced its awards winners on Friday, with grand jury prizes going to Atropia, Seeds, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), and Cutting Through Rocks.
In the audience awards, Twinless, André Is An Idiot, DJ Ahmet, and Prime Minister prevailed.The Next Innovator Award went to Zodiac Killer Project and Next Audience Award was presented to East Of Wall.
- 2/2/2025
- ScreenDaily
Ahead of the final weekend of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the annual event in Park City, Utah, announced its big winners on Friday, with Atropia, Seeds, and Twinless among those taking the biggest prizes.
“Arriving at our awards ceremony after seven days of connection and discovery is especially rewarding this year,” said Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “We are thrilled to honor these filmmakers fore their inventiveness, generosity, and for their valuable conversations, moments of levity, and deep insights their work has offered.”
See: ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ ‘Sorry, Baby’ and other 2025 Sundance titles that could shape the awards conversation this year
Written and directed by Hailey Gates, Atropia earned the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film, Sundance’s top award. Alia Shawkat stars as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility who falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, and...
“Arriving at our awards ceremony after seven days of connection and discovery is especially rewarding this year,” said Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “We are thrilled to honor these filmmakers fore their inventiveness, generosity, and for their valuable conversations, moments of levity, and deep insights their work has offered.”
See: ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ ‘Sorry, Baby’ and other 2025 Sundance titles that could shape the awards conversation this year
Written and directed by Hailey Gates, Atropia earned the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film, Sundance’s top award. Alia Shawkat stars as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility who falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, and...
- 1/31/2025
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
A still from Atropia by Hailey Gates, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Atropia starring Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner earned the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic Competition award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and Seeds was named the U.S. Documentary Competition winner. The 2025 winners were announced today during a ceremony held at The Ray Theatre in Park City.
Additional Grand Jury Prize winners include Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) and Cutting Through Rocks. Audience Awards went to Twinless (U.S. Dramatic Competition), André is an Idiot (U.S. Documentary Competition), DJ Ahmet (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), Prime Minister (World Cinema Documentary Competition), and East of Wall (Next).
“We congratulate all of our filmmakers and award winners on a successful 2025 Sundance Film Festival and thank them for the stories they shared with our audiences,” stated Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO, Sundance Institute.
Atropia starring Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner earned the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic Competition award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and Seeds was named the U.S. Documentary Competition winner. The 2025 winners were announced today during a ceremony held at The Ray Theatre in Park City.
Additional Grand Jury Prize winners include Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) and Cutting Through Rocks. Audience Awards went to Twinless (U.S. Dramatic Competition), André is an Idiot (U.S. Documentary Competition), DJ Ahmet (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), Prime Minister (World Cinema Documentary Competition), and East of Wall (Next).
“We congratulate all of our filmmakers and award winners on a successful 2025 Sundance Film Festival and thank them for the stories they shared with our audiences,” stated Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO, Sundance Institute.
- 1/31/2025
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Park City, Utah, January 31, 2025 — Today the 2025 Sundance Film Festival awards were presented at a ceremony for the jury and audience award–winning films at The Ray Theatre in Park City, where independent storytelling was celebrated ahead of the Festival’s conclusion. The 2025 Festival, taking place now through February 2, has featured premieres, screenings, talks, events, and more in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. All feature award-winning films are available online nationwide now through February 2. Select award-winning films will screen in person for ticketholders and passholders. Tickets can be purchased at festival.sundance.org/tickets.
Grand Jury Prizes went to Atropia (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Seeds (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was given to Zodiac Killer Project.
Audience awards for films in competition were presented by Acura to Twinless (U.
Grand Jury Prizes went to Atropia (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Seeds (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was given to Zodiac Killer Project.
Audience awards for films in competition were presented by Acura to Twinless (U.
- 1/31/2025
- by Amritt Rukhaiyaar
- High on Films
2025 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners Announced: Atropia (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Seeds (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) (World Cinema Documentary Competition) Awarded Grand Jury Prizes; Next Innovator Award Presented by Adobe Goes to Zodiac Killer Project. Twinless (U.S. Dramatic Competition) and André is an Idiot (U.S. Documentary Competition) Receive Audience Awards Presented by Acura Audience Awards Presented by United Airlines Go to DJ Ahmet (World Cinema Dramatic Competition) and Prime Minister (World Cinema Documentary Competition); East of Wall wins Next Audience Award Presented by Adobe...
- 1/31/2025
- by Eric Green
- Immersive Media
Top L–R: Zodiac Killer Project. Mad Bills to Pay, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Coexistence, My Ass!, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Cutting Through Rocks; Second Row L-r: DJ Ahmet, Two Women, The Things You Kill, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), Plainclothes, Twinless; Third Row L-r: Sorry, Baby, Ricky, Atropia, Selena y Los Dinos, Life After, André is an Idiot; Bottom L–R: The Perfect Neighbor, Seeds, East of Wall, Prime Minister Photo: Sundance Institute
The Sundance Film Festival has announced its winners from this year's festival, with the US Grand Jury prizes going to Atropia and Seeds.
In the World section, the Grand Jury prizes went to Cactus Pears (sabar Bonda) and Cutting Through Rocks. The Next award went to UK director Charlie Shackleton for Zodiac Killer Project.
Atropia, written and directed by Hailey Gates stars Alia Shawkat as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility, who falls in love...
The Sundance Film Festival has announced its winners from this year's festival, with the US Grand Jury prizes going to Atropia and Seeds.
In the World section, the Grand Jury prizes went to Cactus Pears (sabar Bonda) and Cutting Through Rocks. The Next award went to UK director Charlie Shackleton for Zodiac Killer Project.
Atropia, written and directed by Hailey Gates stars Alia Shawkat as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility, who falls in love...
- 1/31/2025
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival has two more days of in-person and online screenings, but the world premieres have been over since Tuesday. This morning, the festival revealed its juried and audience awards. The big winners were “Atropia,” “Seeds,” “Twinless,” “East of Wall,” and “André is an Idiot.”
Read More: ‘Lurker’ Review: Alex Russell masterfully dissects the fanatic in pop star fandom [Sundance]
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic went to Hailey Gates’ “Atropia.” Set during the Iraq War, Alia Shawkat plays a struggling actress who pretends to play an Iraqi in a fake Iraqi city set up to train soldiers in the California desert.
Continue reading ‘Atropia’ Wins Grand Jury Prize At 2025 Sundance Film Festival at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Lurker’ Review: Alex Russell masterfully dissects the fanatic in pop star fandom [Sundance]
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic went to Hailey Gates’ “Atropia.” Set during the Iraq War, Alia Shawkat plays a struggling actress who pretends to play an Iraqi in a fake Iraqi city set up to train soldiers in the California desert.
Continue reading ‘Atropia’ Wins Grand Jury Prize At 2025 Sundance Film Festival at The Playlist.
- 1/31/2025
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival awards were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.
See the list of 2025 winners below, and congrats to all the winners.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Atropia (USA) – Hailey Gates
Directing Award
Ricky (USA) – Rashad Frett
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Sorry, Baby (USA) – Eva Victor
Special Jury Award for Acting
Twinless (USA) – Dylan O’Brien
Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney appear in Twinless by James Sweeney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Greg Cotten.
Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble
Plainclothes – Carmen Emmi
Audience Award
Twinless – James Sweeney
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Seeds (USA) – Brittany Shyne
Directing Award
The Perfect Neighbor (USA) – Geeta Gandbhir
Special Jury Award
Life After (USA) – Reid Davenport
Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling
Selena y Los Dinos (USA) – Isabel Castro
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award...
See the list of 2025 winners below, and congrats to all the winners.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Atropia (USA) – Hailey Gates
Directing Award
Ricky (USA) – Rashad Frett
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Sorry, Baby (USA) – Eva Victor
Special Jury Award for Acting
Twinless (USA) – Dylan O’Brien
Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney appear in Twinless by James Sweeney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Greg Cotten.
Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble
Plainclothes – Carmen Emmi
Audience Award
Twinless – James Sweeney
U.S. Documentary Competition
Grand Jury Prize
Seeds (USA) – Brittany Shyne
Directing Award
The Perfect Neighbor (USA) – Geeta Gandbhir
Special Jury Award
Life After (USA) – Reid Davenport
Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling
Selena y Los Dinos (USA) – Isabel Castro
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award...
- 1/31/2025
- by Prem
- Talking Films
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival — and perhaps its second-to-last in Park City — has wound down with the annual awards ceremony.
On January 31, jurors presented prizes in the competitive sections, including the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and the Next lineup. Jurors across the sections looked at nearly 90 films representing more than 30 countries and territories.
Hailey Gates’ Iraq war satire, starring Alia Shawkat and produced by (among others) Luca Guadagnino, won the festival’s top award: the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic competition. The politically charged comedy, which follows an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility, is still looking for U.S. distribution amid mixed reviews out of Sundance. Meanwhile in that section, Eva Victor’s staggering feature debut “Sorry, Baby,” a startlingly wise and unsentimental depiction of trauma set in American academia, won a Screenwriting prize...
On January 31, jurors presented prizes in the competitive sections, including the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and the Next lineup. Jurors across the sections looked at nearly 90 films representing more than 30 countries and territories.
Hailey Gates’ Iraq war satire, starring Alia Shawkat and produced by (among others) Luca Guadagnino, won the festival’s top award: the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic competition. The politically charged comedy, which follows an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility, is still looking for U.S. distribution amid mixed reviews out of Sundance. Meanwhile in that section, Eva Victor’s staggering feature debut “Sorry, Baby,” a startlingly wise and unsentimental depiction of trauma set in American academia, won a Screenwriting prize...
- 1/31/2025
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
As the Sundance Film Festival heads into its final weekend, the Park City event handed out trophies this morning to this year’s best. See the full list below.
Hailey Gates’ war satire Atropia took the marquee U.S. Grand Jury Prize for dramatic features. Alia Shawkat stars as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility who falls in love with a soldier (Callum Turner) cast as an insurgent, but their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic went to Twinless, James Sweeney’s film about two young men (Dylan O’Brien and Sweeney) who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.
Georgi M. Unkovski’s DJ Ahmet won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and also nabbed the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. It follows Ahmet (Arif Jakup), a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in...
Hailey Gates’ war satire Atropia took the marquee U.S. Grand Jury Prize for dramatic features. Alia Shawkat stars as an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility who falls in love with a soldier (Callum Turner) cast as an insurgent, but their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic went to Twinless, James Sweeney’s film about two young men (Dylan O’Brien and Sweeney) who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.
Georgi M. Unkovski’s DJ Ahmet won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and also nabbed the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. It follows Ahmet (Arif Jakup), a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in...
- 1/31/2025
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The snow from this year’s Sundance Film Festival has mostly melted off of Hollywood’s Dior boots, and as the Utah event draws to a close the time has come to crown a new class of indie filmmaking stars.
Multiple pedigreed juries will hand out prizes to movies in competition on Friday at Park City’s The Ray Theater — where buzzy titles will duke it out for honors including directing, acting, screenwriting and the most coveted honors, the audience award and the grand jury prize.
“Storytelling is important, part of human continuity,” Sundance interim CEO Amanda Kelso said at the top of the ceremony, quoting its founder Robert Redford.
This year’s U.S. dramatic jury consists Reinaldo Marcus Green, Arian Moayed (“Succession”) and Celine Song. Steven Bognar, Vinnie Malhotra, and Marcia Smith are presiding over the domestic documentary section. Actor Elijah Wood is the sole juror for the Next section,...
Multiple pedigreed juries will hand out prizes to movies in competition on Friday at Park City’s The Ray Theater — where buzzy titles will duke it out for honors including directing, acting, screenwriting and the most coveted honors, the audience award and the grand jury prize.
“Storytelling is important, part of human continuity,” Sundance interim CEO Amanda Kelso said at the top of the ceremony, quoting its founder Robert Redford.
This year’s U.S. dramatic jury consists Reinaldo Marcus Green, Arian Moayed (“Succession”) and Celine Song. Steven Bognar, Vinnie Malhotra, and Marcia Smith are presiding over the domestic documentary section. Actor Elijah Wood is the sole juror for the Next section,...
- 1/31/2025
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
This year's awards season is wrapping up, which means it's time to look forward to the films we'll be discussing this time next year. Some of those hopefuls just premiered in Park City during the Sundance festival, which generally provides one of our first glimpses at next year's landscape. If...
- 1/31/2025
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Screening in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Next section, East of Wall is a fictionalized version of the life of Tabatha Zamiga—who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers—and her family after the sudden death of her husband. The film stars its subjects as themselves and was written by debutant writer-director Kate Beecroft while she spent time with the family after a chance meeting on a road trip. Also debuting on East of Wall is producer Shannon Moss. Below, Moss talks about some of the challenges of shooting the film, the industry’s risk-averse nature and the mentors who helped her make […]
The post “If You’re in the Room, Your Voice Matters”: Producer Shannon Moss on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “If You’re in the Room, Your Voice Matters”: Producer Shannon Moss on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/25/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Screening in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Next section, East of Wall is a fictionalized version of the life of Tabatha Zamiga—who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers—and her family after the sudden death of her husband. The film stars its subjects as themselves and was written by debutant writer-director Kate Beecroft while she spent time with the family after a chance meeting on a road trip. Also debuting on East of Wall is producer Shannon Moss. Below, Moss talks about some of the challenges of shooting the film, the industry’s risk-averse nature and the mentors who helped her make […]
The post “If You’re in the Room, Your Voice Matters”: Producer Shannon Moss on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “If You’re in the Room, Your Voice Matters”: Producer Shannon Moss on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/25/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Day 2 of the Sundance Film Festival is in full swing with buzzy premiering films today from director Mary Bronstein’s feature, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; Rashad Frett’s film Ricky, Evan Twohy’s debut feature, Bubble & Squeak, and Rabbit Trap from director Bryn Chainey.
The cast and crew of A24’s latest film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, directed by Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Daniel Zolghadri, and Danielle Macdonald, attended the premiere at the Library Center Theatre. The film follows Linda (Rose Byrne), whose life spirals out of control as she grapples with her child’s mysterious illness, her estranged husband, a missing person, and a deteriorating relationship with her therapist.
Related: Sundance Film Festival 2025: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews
Following this premiere, the festival showcased Ricky, starring Stephan James in the titular role. This film delves into the challenges faced by Ricky,...
The cast and crew of A24’s latest film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, directed by Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Daniel Zolghadri, and Danielle Macdonald, attended the premiere at the Library Center Theatre. The film follows Linda (Rose Byrne), whose life spirals out of control as she grapples with her child’s mysterious illness, her estranged husband, a missing person, and a deteriorating relationship with her therapist.
Related: Sundance Film Festival 2025: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews
Following this premiere, the festival showcased Ricky, starring Stephan James in the titular role. This film delves into the challenges faced by Ricky,...
- 1/24/2025
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
A few years back, according to production notes, writer-director Kate Beecroft took a wrong turn in the middle of hardscrabble horse country and discovered Tabatha Zimiga and her teenage daughter, Porshia, along with their ragtag extended family of blood relations and friends. Playing themselves in Beecroft’s East of Wall, a work that blends documentary observation and fictional storytelling “inspired by real people and certain actual circumstances,” the Zimigas hold the screen like nobody’s business. Like the seemingly godforsaken terrain, the movie takes a while to reveal its potent beauty. But it signals from the get-go, bolstered by a dynamic selection of kick-ass contemporary tracks (including two by Shaboozey), that this is no old-school West.
On her ranch outside the tiny town of Wall, South Dakota, Tabatha, a trainer with an uncanny talent for reading horses, struggles to make a living, via local auctions and TikTok, selling the last-chance...
On her ranch outside the tiny town of Wall, South Dakota, Tabatha, a trainer with an uncanny talent for reading horses, struggles to make a living, via local auctions and TikTok, selling the last-chance...
- 1/24/2025
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In East of Wall, writer-director Kate Beecroft trains her camera on Tabatha Zimiga, who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers while trying to cope with her own precarity. Beecroft found her subject by chance, as the film’s cinematographer, Austin Shelton, explains below. He also talks about how they approached filming Tabatha and her family in a way that was both true to her lives, even when it meant finding unorthodox solutions to make a scene work. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were […]
The post “A New Way of Looking at the American West”: Dp Austin Shelton on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A New Way of Looking at the American West”: Dp Austin Shelton on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In East of Wall, writer-director Kate Beecroft trains her camera on Tabatha Zimiga, who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers while trying to cope with her own precarity. Beecroft found her subject by chance, as the film’s cinematographer, Austin Shelton, explains below. He also talks about how they approached filming Tabatha and her family in a way that was both true to her lives, even when it meant finding unorthodox solutions to make a scene work. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were […]
The post “A New Way of Looking at the American West”: Dp Austin Shelton on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A New Way of Looking at the American West”: Dp Austin Shelton on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
From Vittorio di Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves” to the films of the Safdies and Sean Baker, using non-professional actors has long been a tool filmmakers have employed to add a note of authenticity to their work. And yet, with “East of Wall,” writer/director Kate Beecroft elevates this concept to greater heights, crafting a feature docu-fiction debut that is cinematically and narratively rich, but also takes care to reflect the deeper reality at the heart of its story.
The film stars newcomer Tabatha Zimiga as…Tabatha Zimiga. Joined by her real-life daughter Porshia and a cast made up mostly of the young, motley crew that’s found refuge on her South Dakota horse ranch, Tabatha is not exactly the Mother Goose type. She wears heavy makeup, has tattoos that run down her neck, and shaves half her head to replicate the look of warriors. At the auctions where she sells...
The film stars newcomer Tabatha Zimiga as…Tabatha Zimiga. Joined by her real-life daughter Porshia and a cast made up mostly of the young, motley crew that’s found refuge on her South Dakota horse ranch, Tabatha is not exactly the Mother Goose type. She wears heavy makeup, has tattoos that run down her neck, and shaves half her head to replicate the look of warriors. At the auctions where she sells...
- 1/24/2025
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Our film is centered around the lives of Tabatha Zimiga and her family as they reconcile their unresolved grief after the sudden death of her husband. This film took five years to make. It’s a docu-fiction film, so I lived in this specific area of South Dakota for years—embedding myself for the purpose of […]
The post “Turn Her Trauma into Art” | Kate Beecroft, East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Turn Her Trauma into Art” | Kate Beecroft, East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Our film is centered around the lives of Tabatha Zimiga and her family as they reconcile their unresolved grief after the sudden death of her husband. This film took five years to make. It’s a docu-fiction film, so I lived in this specific area of South Dakota for years—embedding myself for the purpose of […]
The post “Turn Her Trauma into Art” | Kate Beecroft, East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Turn Her Trauma into Art” | Kate Beecroft, East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Premiering in the festival’s Next section, this hybrid film from filmmaker Kate Beecroft follows Tabitha, a horse trainer who houses wayward women in her remote Badlands ranch. As she provides shelter and guidance for her oft-teenage house guests, Tabitha also grapples with the recent death of her husband and mounting financial peril. Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello answers our questions about her collaboration on East of Wall below. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
The post “We Could Really Be Quite Merciless in the Edit”: Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Could Really Be Quite Merciless in the Edit”: Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Premiering in the festival’s Next section, this hybrid film from filmmaker Kate Beecroft follows Tabitha, a horse trainer who houses wayward women in her remote Badlands ranch. As she provides shelter and guidance for her oft-teenage house guests, Tabitha also grapples with the recent death of her husband and mounting financial peril. Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello answers our questions about her collaboration on East of Wall below. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
The post “We Could Really Be Quite Merciless in the Edit”: Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Could Really Be Quite Merciless in the Edit”: Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello on East of Wall first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/24/2025
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
When the first audience to see Kate Beecroft’s feature directorial debut, “East of Wall,” files into its Friday morning premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, they won’t be the only ones seeing it for the first time. Its own stars, including Tabatha Zimiga and her daughter Porshia Zimiga, have yet to view the film. After all, they lived it, sort of.
“I thought about this long and hard,” Beecroft told IndieWire. “If I was going to show it to them at home? South Dakota is like, you walk in the door and no one says hi to you, you don’t want to show emotion. No hugs, nothing. I’ve changed that in them. I’m always like, ‘Get up and hug me.’ But I don’t think it would have that support that Sundance carries, and I think what Tabby and these kids need is to know how amazing they are,...
“I thought about this long and hard,” Beecroft told IndieWire. “If I was going to show it to them at home? South Dakota is like, you walk in the door and no one says hi to you, you don’t want to show emotion. No hugs, nothing. I’ve changed that in them. I’m always like, ‘Get up and hug me.’ But I don’t think it would have that support that Sundance carries, and I think what Tabby and these kids need is to know how amazing they are,...
- 1/23/2025
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
UK filmmakers and talent have a strong showing at Sundance 2025, taking place from January 23 to February 2, 2025 in Park City.
Brides, the feature debut of theatre director and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall,premieres in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.The film, which is written by Suhayla El-Bushra,follows two troubled teenage girls who decide to run away to Syria, is produced by Neon’s Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi from Italian outfit Rosamont.
It was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund,...
Brides, the feature debut of theatre director and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall,premieres in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.The film, which is written by Suhayla El-Bushra,follows two troubled teenage girls who decide to run away to Syria, is produced by Neon’s Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi from Italian outfit Rosamont.
It was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund,...
- 12/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Top L–R: The Legend of Ochi, Rabbit Trap, East of Wall, Seeds Center Row L–R: Rebuilding, Together, Love, Brooklyn, Jimpa Bottom L–R: Hal & Harper, Selena y Los Dinos, The Dating Game, Brides screen at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival‘s lineup will include 87 feature films and six episodic projects. Sundance received 15,775 submissions from 156 countries, including 4,138 feature-length film submissions. The 87 films selected represent 33 countries and territories, with 36 of the chosen films coming from first-time feature filmmakers.
“The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling. Audiences can expect a 2025 program that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally,” stated Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival will run January 23rd through February 2nd. For ticket information, visit festival.sundance.org.
“The Festival is our most significant public program as an Institute and builds...
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival‘s lineup will include 87 feature films and six episodic projects. Sundance received 15,775 submissions from 156 countries, including 4,138 feature-length film submissions. The 87 films selected represent 33 countries and territories, with 36 of the chosen films coming from first-time feature filmmakers.
“The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling. Audiences can expect a 2025 program that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally,” stated Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival will run January 23rd through February 2nd. For ticket information, visit festival.sundance.org.
“The Festival is our most significant public program as an Institute and builds...
- 12/11/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.