It’s common for adolescents to hide their passions from their peers and family out of fear of humiliation, especially if your passion involves slash fiction, a genre of fan fiction that focuses on the relationships and sexual attraction of fictional characters of the same sex. The new film “Slash” follows high school freshman Neil (Michael Johnston) who writes his slash fiction in secret until he meets the older Julia (Hannah Marks) who pushes him to publish it online. But when the site moderator takes an interest in his stories, a new world opens up for Neil. It co-stars Michael Ian Black (“The State”), Missi Pyle (“Gone Girl”), Tishuan Scott (“Results”), Sarah Ramos (“Parenthood”), Peter Vack (“Mozart in the Jungle”), Violett Beane (“Tower”) and more. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: ‘Slash’ Review: A Sweet, Semi-Satisfying Coming-Of-Age Story for The Comic-Con Crowd
The film is directed by Clay Liford.
Read More: ‘Slash’ Review: A Sweet, Semi-Satisfying Coming-Of-Age Story for The Comic-Con Crowd
The film is directed by Clay Liford.
- 12/16/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
The number of parties in Park City, Utah, during Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals can be overwhelming for any festgoer who wants to experience more than just the extensive film programming available. To balance between screenings, interviews and parties, I select a few events to attend each year.
Most important are the film commission events, which provide a great opportunity to network with industry colleagues and learn about movie projects supported by the film associations. The Texas Association of Film Commissions hosted their annual Film Texas reception last week, with representatives from various film commissions including Kim LeBlanc from the Texas Film Commission and Janis Burklund, director of the Dallas Film Commission, both seen above with Results star Tishuan Scott.
The San Antonio Film Commission also hosted an event with director Drew Mayer-Oakes in attendance. Both events provided a great opportunity to discuss the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program.
Most important are the film commission events, which provide a great opportunity to network with industry colleagues and learn about movie projects supported by the film associations. The Texas Association of Film Commissions hosted their annual Film Texas reception last week, with representatives from various film commissions including Kim LeBlanc from the Texas Film Commission and Janis Burklund, director of the Dallas Film Commission, both seen above with Results star Tishuan Scott.
The San Antonio Film Commission also hosted an event with director Drew Mayer-Oakes in attendance. Both events provided a great opportunity to discuss the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program.
- 2/2/2015
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Director Chris Eska's topowerful Civil War drama "The Retrieval," is now streaming on Netflix. Star Tishuan Scott won the Jury Award for Best Actor at last year's SXSW Film Festival, for his performance as Nate, a fugitive freed man who comes across a young boy and his uncle, both who are sent by a gang of bounty hunters to capture him. The film was also the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s "August Evening" has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by...
- 11/26/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Despite the lottery-esque sounding odds, the U.S Dramatic Competition section which produces the finest American indie specimens such as Frozen River, Winter’s Bone, Blue Valentine, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station and Whiplash is fairly consistent in terms of quality. Last year’s crop of sixteen have almost all had their theatrical releases with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter being the last one out of the gates (pegged with an early 2015 release). Last week we individually looked at our top 80 Sundance Film Fest Predictions (you’ll find 30 other titles worth considering in our intro) and below, we’ve split the list into narrative and non-fiction film items and have both identified and color-coded our picks in an AtoZ cheat sheet. You’ll find 2015′s answer to Whiplash located somewhere in the stack below. Click on the individual titles below, for the film’s profile.
- 11/19/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess turned out to be the feel good film of Sundance and that’s not because the early gamers are particularly charming, but rather, better things come in small packages. Following Funny Ha Ha (2002), Mutual Appreciation (2005) and Beeswax (2009), this 30-something filmmaker, who in some circles is known as the godfather of the Mumblecore movement didn’t waste much time between the ’13 Sundance Film Fest Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize winning micro-feature and his fifth, more macro-type budgeted ensemble project. Guy Pearce toplines alongside Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall, SXSW Special Jury Prize Best Actor winner Tishuan Scott (The Retrieval) and Boyhood‘s Zoe Graham. Filming began in mid-summer on Results, and we’re assuming correctly by the first glimpse (see pic above) we got in September that this will bow in Park City with the director’s habitual stopover at SXSW.
- 11/13/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
If Joe Swanberg can go Hollywood, working with folks like Jake Johnson, Olivia Wilde and Anna Kendrick on recent projects, then so too can fellow mumblecore director Andrew Bujalski. The "Mutual Appreciation" and "Computer Chess" director has quietly started putting his next movie together, and it features a pretty killer lineup of talent, with names you'll recognize, for what sounds like a pretty promising project. Thanks to a buried mention in The New York Times and an Instagram photo by actor Tishuan Scott, it has been revealed that Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Constance Zimmer, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker and Anthony Michael Hall will star in "Results." Not a bad lineup at all. So what's it about? According to a Craigslist casting call for the extra, the story revolves around "Kat and Trevor, personal trainers, and what happens when out-of-shape and newly wealthy Danny enters their lives." So...the...
- 6/20/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Deceptively simple and deeply cutting. A remarkable little film, a marvel of American indie filmmaking and of stories typically overlooked. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
So deceptively simple. And so deeply cutting. The year is 1864. Skirting American Civil War battlefields, and with, naturally, no notion that the end of the war is in sight, is 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), who manages to survive as a free young black man, barely, by working, with his uncle, Marcus (Keston John), for a white bounty hunter, Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.), who retrieves runaway slaves from the North and returns them to their “rightful” owners in the South. But their latest assignment, to ensnare Nate (Tishuan Scott: Computer Chess) for Burrell, has been a challenge for Will. For while Marcus is brusque and self-serving — or is he, too,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
So deceptively simple. And so deeply cutting. The year is 1864. Skirting American Civil War battlefields, and with, naturally, no notion that the end of the war is in sight, is 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), who manages to survive as a free young black man, barely, by working, with his uncle, Marcus (Keston John), for a white bounty hunter, Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.), who retrieves runaway slaves from the North and returns them to their “rightful” owners in the South. But their latest assignment, to ensnare Nate (Tishuan Scott: Computer Chess) for Burrell, has been a challenge for Will. For while Marcus is brusque and self-serving — or is he, too,...
- 4/11/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Variance Films has partnered up with director Chris Eska to release his powerful Civil War drama The Retrieval, which opened in New York City at Film Forum yesterday, April 2nd, before expanding to additional theaters beginning April 18th. To buy tickets click Here.Prior to his starring turn in Chris Eska’s acclaimed sophomore effort The Retrieval, Tishuan Scott had starred in several short films, along with a supporting role in the 2012 based-on-a-true-story film Alcatraz Prison Escape: Deathbed Confession. Scott, who received an M.F.A in acting from UCLA, can also be seen in Computer Chess, Symphony of...
- 4/3/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Low-budget period indie films are rare in and of themselves, but to find one which inhabits the war-torn south with such authenticity and veracity as Chris Eska’s The Retrieval is rarer still. Set towards the end of the Civil War, the picture follows young Will (Ashton Sanders), a former slave. Along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John), Will has fallen under the sway of brutal bounty hunter Burrell (an eerily effective Bill Oberst Jr.), who threatens to kill them unless they can retrieve escaped slave Nate (Tishuan Scott). Crossing lush forests that double as battlefields, Will and Nate struggle to survive […]...
- 4/3/2014
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Low-budget period indie films are rare in and of themselves, but to find one which inhabits the war-torn south with such authenticity and veracity as Chris Eska’s The Retrieval is rarer still. Set towards the end of the Civil War, the picture follows young Will (Ashton Sanders), a former slave. Along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John), Will has fallen under the sway of brutal bounty hunter Burrell (an eerily effective Bill Oberst Jr.), who threatens to kill them unless they can retrieve escaped slave Nate (Tishuan Scott). Crossing lush forests that double as battlefields, Will and Nate struggle to survive […]...
- 4/3/2014
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Variance Films has partnered up with director Chris Eska to release his powerful Civil War drama The Retrieval, which opened in New York City at Film Forum yesterday, April 2nd, before expanding to additional theaters beginning April 18th. To buy tickets click Here.Star Tishuan Scott won the Jury Award for Best Actor at last year's SXSW Film Festival, for his performance as Nate, a fugitive freed man who comes across a young boy and his uncle, both who are sent by a gang of bounty hunters to capture him. The film was also the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland...
- 4/3/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Now playing at Film Forum in New York, The Retrieval is a drama set during the U.S. Civil War that is charged with emotion. In my review, I endeavored to convey the mood of the piece: "The film's strengths are cumulative, gathering force as the story develops and the characters are revealed more fully." Nothing speaks louder and more accurately than the film itself, however, and happily we have an exclusive clip that will give you an idea of the atmosphere created by the actors and director Chris Eska. In the scene, runaway slave Nate (Tishuan Scott) arrives at a farm with young orphan Will (Ashton Sanders) in tow, only to get a different reaction than he expected. Taken out of context of the movie as a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/3/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Chris Eska crafted the finely-honed, modern-day drama August Evening, which featured a resilient, stoic Mexican immigrant who dealt with life's challenges as they arose. The Retrieval is Eska's followup, and it's a similar, low-key, high-quality affair that etches portraits of two African-American men at different stages of their lives during the Civil War era. Specifically, the film follows Will (Ashton Sanders), an orphan boy on the cusp of adulthood, and Nate (Tishuan Scott), a man who is the target of a "retrieval." Will works under the terribly firm hand of his uncle Marcus (Keston John), who is a bounty hunter in the business of returning runaway slaves. Having (seemingly) no other viable choice, the 13-year-old Will obeys and assists Marcus in his nefarious activities, which...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/2/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Films that deal with American slavery often focus on physical violence, projecting psychic scars onto slaves as a consequence of it. There are some movies, though, that more fully concentrate on American slavery's lasting emotional wounds, in which hearts stay entrapped even after bodies have been freed. The Retrieval, which begins in the rural South in 1864, is one.
It follows Will (Ashton Sanders), a troubled black teen who makes his living by earning and betraying the trust of fellow free blacks on behalf of a pack of white bounty hunters. Will travels north with his brute capitalist uncle Marcus (Keston John) to bring back soulful freedman Nate (Tishuan Scott) to be slaughtered, with the cover story that Nate's brother is sick and needs his care.
Tension for...
It follows Will (Ashton Sanders), a troubled black teen who makes his living by earning and betraying the trust of fellow free blacks on behalf of a pack of white bounty hunters. Will travels north with his brute capitalist uncle Marcus (Keston John) to bring back soulful freedman Nate (Tishuan Scott) to be slaughtered, with the cover story that Nate's brother is sick and needs his care.
Tension for...
- 4/2/2014
- Village Voice
It’s unusual to experience both a deep sadness and feel uplifted at the same time, but The Retrieval manages to accomplish this flawlessly. There is no shortage of well-made films to make us happy and inspired, there is even a great selection of stellar films that leave us feeling depressed and miserable, but how many films have you seen that actually, in some strange way, leave you suspended in an emotional juxtaposition between the two extremes?
Written, directed and produced by Chris Eska, this gem of last year’s SXSW film festival (2013) stands as a beacon of powerful storytelling shining brightly through the dark veil of history from which it is born. The Retrieval takes place in 1864 in the midst of the Unites States Civil War. This is the story of Will, a 13-year old boy left behind by his father to be exploited by Marcus (Keston John). Marcus works as a bounty hunter,...
Written, directed and produced by Chris Eska, this gem of last year’s SXSW film festival (2013) stands as a beacon of powerful storytelling shining brightly through the dark veil of history from which it is born. The Retrieval takes place in 1864 in the midst of the Unites States Civil War. This is the story of Will, a 13-year old boy left behind by his father to be exploited by Marcus (Keston John). Marcus works as a bounty hunter,...
- 4/2/2014
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Repo Men: Eska’s Latest a Gripping Coming of Age Narrative
Certain to be referred to as an indie film counterpart to Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 Django Unchained due to its depiction of black men involved in Civil War era bounty hunting, director Chris Eska’s emotionally engaging sophomore film, The Retrieval, is a resonant and haunting coming of age narrative that’s as adeptly written as it is performed. Tishuan Scott’s win for Breakthrough Performance at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival seems well placed, and will hopefully be an accolade that funnels some attention to the rather somber film.
It’s 1864 and America is in the last leg of the Civil War. Will (Ashton Sanders), who is 13 years of age, works with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) for a band of bounty hunters led by Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.). Generally, Burrell and co. hunt down runaway slaves, using Will...
Certain to be referred to as an indie film counterpart to Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 Django Unchained due to its depiction of black men involved in Civil War era bounty hunting, director Chris Eska’s emotionally engaging sophomore film, The Retrieval, is a resonant and haunting coming of age narrative that’s as adeptly written as it is performed. Tishuan Scott’s win for Breakthrough Performance at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival seems well placed, and will hopefully be an accolade that funnels some attention to the rather somber film.
It’s 1864 and America is in the last leg of the Civil War. Will (Ashton Sanders), who is 13 years of age, works with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) for a band of bounty hunters led by Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.). Generally, Burrell and co. hunt down runaway slaves, using Will...
- 4/1/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
ComingSoon.net has your exclusive first look at a clip from writer/director Chris Eska's The Retrieval , opening on April 2 and starring Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst Jr., Christine Horn, Alfonso Freeman and Raven Ledeatte. 1864: as war ravages the nation, on the outskirts of the Civil War business as usual continues for slave-owners and traders. The Retrieval follows Will, a fatherless 13-year-old boy, who survives by working with a white bounty hunter gang who sends him to earn the trust of runaway slaves and wanted freedmen in order to lure them back to the South. On a dangerous mission into the free North to find Nate, a fugitive freedman, things go wrong, and Will and Nate find themselves alone and on the run. As the bond between them...
- 3/28/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Variance Films has partnered up with director Chris Eska to release his powerful Civil War drama The Retrieval, starting with a special preview engagement, beginning this Friday, March 14th in Atlanta at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, followed by an opening in New York City at Film Forum on April 2nd, before expanding to additional theaters beginning April 18th. Prior to his starring turn in Chris Eska’s acclaimed sophomore effort The Retrieval, Tishuan Scott had starred in several short films, along with a supporting role in the 2012 based-on-a-true-story film Alcatraz Prison...
- 3/12/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Variance Films has partnered up with director Chris Eska to release his powerful Civil War drama The Retrieval, starting with a special preview engagement, beginning this Friday, March 14th in Atlanta at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, followed by an opening in New York City at Film Forum on April 2nd, before expanding to additional theaters beginning April 18th. Star Tishuan Scott won the Jury Award for Best Actor at last year's SXSW Film Festival, for his performance as Nate, a fugitive freed man who comes across a young boy and his uncle, both who are sent by a...
- 3/12/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
"If you don't bring this man back, I'll find ya and put you in the ground." Today's indie trailer is for a Civil War dramatic thriller titled The Retrieval, which won a Breakthrough Performance Award at SXSW 2013. Ashton Sanders plays a boy assigned by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted freedman, played by Tishuan Scott, and bring him back to the South. The two begin to form a bond and things get complicated. The cast includes Keston John, Bill Oberst Jr and Christine Horn. I'm not sure how we just found this film now, but it looks fantastic - stunning cinematography, powerful story, heart-wrenching performances. Wow. Watch the full theatrical trailer for Chris Eska's The Retrieval, in high def from Apple: On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy (Ashton Sanders) is sent by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted freedman and bring him back to the South,...
- 3/2/2014
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Earlier this month, Variance Films announced that they'd partnered up with director Chris Eska to release his powerful Civil War drama The Retrieval - a film we've covered quite comprehensively on this blog, reviewing it, as well as interviewing the filmmaker, and one of the film's stars in Tishuan Scott.The film's release will begin with a special preview engagement, beginning March 14th in Atlanta at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, followed by an opening in New York City at Film Forum on April 2nd, before expanding to additional theaters beginning April 18th. Set in 1864, toward the end of the Civil...
- 2/28/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Variance Films will partner with Chris Eska for the theatrical release of Civil War drama The Retrieval.
Following a preview engagement starting on March 14 in Atlanta, the film will open in New York on April 2 prior to expansion on April 18.
Eska wrote and directed the 1864-set tale of a fatherless 13-year-old boy who corrals runaway slaves and freemen for a white bounty hunter gang.
Newcomer Ashton Sanders and Tishuan Scott star and Scott earned the breakthrough acting prize at SXSW 2013.
Jacob Esquivel and Jason Wehling produced The Retrieval and Alan Berg, Tom Borders and Sibyl Avery Jackson served as executive producers.
Yerka has teamed up with Random Media to distribute recent Sundance documentary selection Mirage Men across digital platforms.
Following a preview engagement starting on March 14 in Atlanta, the film will open in New York on April 2 prior to expansion on April 18.
Eska wrote and directed the 1864-set tale of a fatherless 13-year-old boy who corrals runaway slaves and freemen for a white bounty hunter gang.
Newcomer Ashton Sanders and Tishuan Scott star and Scott earned the breakthrough acting prize at SXSW 2013.
Jacob Esquivel and Jason Wehling produced The Retrieval and Alan Berg, Tom Borders and Sibyl Avery Jackson served as executive producers.
Yerka has teamed up with Random Media to distribute recent Sundance documentary selection Mirage Men across digital platforms.
- 2/13/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Screening at the 2nd Toronto Black Film Festival (Tbff), which kicked off yesterday, February 11, running through the 16th, is The Retrieval - a film well deserving of our appreciation and attention. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s August Evening) has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by newcomer Ashton Sanders, who is sent along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) by a gang of bounty hunters to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted freed man. It’s an unexplored part of history dealing with slavery, especially on film; a complex and jarring dilemma of...
- 2/12/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Chris Eska’s award-winning sophomore film The Retrieval is schedule to screen at the upcoming Pan African Film Festival that takes place in Los Angeles, CA, which runs from February 6-17, 2014, celebrating its 22nd anniversary. Star Tishuan Scott won the Jury Award for Best Actor at last year's SXSW Film Festival, for his performance as Nate, a fugitive freed man who comes across a young boy and his uncle, both who are sent by a gang of bounty hunters to capture him. The film was also the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival. Eska, who admits he is very hands-on, specific and “directorly” when it...
- 2/4/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
I hope you have been following the series of interviews with filmmaker and cast of the Civil War-set drama The Retrieval, which premiered to much acclaim at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. If you’re just catching up, make sure you read my review of the film Here, interview with writer/director Chris Eska Here and our interview with SXSW Jury Award winner for best actor, Tishuan Scott, Here. Young newcomer Ashton Sanders delivers another amazing performance as Will, a 13 year-old boy sent by a gang of bounty hunters along with his cousin Marcus to capture a fugitive ex-slave. His character is at the very center of the narrative. A guilt-ridden Will is in the dilemma of turning in a man...
- 4/22/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Prior to his starring turn in Chris Eska’s acclaimed sophomore effort The Retrieval, Tishuan Scott had starred in several short films, along with a supporting role in the 2012 based-on-a-true-story film Alcatraz Prison Escape: Deathbed Confession. Scott, who received an M.F.A in acting from UCLA, can also be seen in the upcoming films Computer Chess, Symphony of the Universe and Cry of the Butterfly. He is also funding, via Indiegogo, his short film Aristotle, The Apostle, in which Scott hopes to educate the public about recycling and the preservation of animal life (click on This campaign link for more info). In the Civil War-set, quietly searing drama The Retrieval, which premiered...
- 4/15/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Chris Eska's Civil War-set drama The Retrieval, about a boy sent up north by a gang of bounty hunters to con a freed man into his capture, was the winner of the jury award for Best Narrative film at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival this past Sunday April 7. The Retrieval premiered at this year's SXSW, where it garnered a grand jury prize for Best Actor (Tishuan Scott). I had the pleasure of interviewing the film's director and cast; those interviews should be up in the next couple of days. Ashland also gave a jury award for Best Feature Length Documentary to the Roger Ross Williams-directed God Loves Uganda. Uganda, which centers on how radical American Christian...
- 4/10/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Independent filmmakers have typically steered clear of historical dramas because of the unruly budgets that are associated with recreating accurate costume and production design, but that did not scare away writer-director Chris Eska (August Evening) from making a Civil War drama. Eska enlisted the people who care most about historical accuracy, Civil War reenactors, to round out his cast and assist with the authenticity of the costume design and props. It also helps that The Retrieval is limited to only three primary characters who spend a majority of the film roaming across the densely wooded (and ageless) forests of East Texas. Eska’s unwavering desire to achieve perfection in his productions does not hurt matters either, because the production quality of The Retrieval is damn near flawless. Speaking of flawless, that just about describes Ashton Sanders, Keston John and Tishuan Scott’s performances as well. We sat down with Chris Eska...
- 3/24/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The Retrieval, which premiered at SXSW this year, almost slipped under our noses prior to our preview of it a little over a month ago. It’s a film well deserving of our appreciation and attention. Writer/director Chris Eska (2007’s August Evening) has crafted a very unique and cleverly scripted tale about a young boy named Will, played impressively by newcomer Ashton Sanders, who is sent along with his uncle Marcus (Keston John) by a gang of bounty hunters to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted freed man. It’s an unexplored part of history dealing with slavery, especially on film; a complex and jarring dilemma of slaves who are promised a reward for...
- 3/19/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
The best stories of the week from Toh! SXSW: Review: In Lovely and Devastating Narrative Spotlight Entry "Good Night," No One Goes Gently Review: Gorgeous, Meditative "The Retrieval," Starring Jury Award Winner Tishuan Scott (Clip) Review Update: Christopher Abbott of "Girls" and Gaby Hoffmann Lead Jury Award Winning Ensemble Cast in "Burma" "Bellflower" Producer Granshaw Talks Directorial Debut "Coldwater" "Loves Her Gun" Star Trieste Kelly Dunn Talks Improv, Roadtripping and Directors Destin Cretton Talks Grand Jury Winner "Short Term 12," Immaturity and the Mystery of Indie Film's Future Interviews: Tina Fey Talks Her Post-"30 Rock" Career, "Admission" and Oscar Hosting Alex Gibney Talks Bradley Manning, Julian Assange and New Doc "We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks" (Exclusive Video) Television: SXSW 2013: "Bates Motel" Preview a Few Cuts Under Its Pre-"Psycho" Potential News: "Girls" Creator Lena Dunham Poses for Playboy and Answers Twenty...
- 3/15/2013
- by TOH!
- Thompson on Hollywood
I've been a fan of Austin filmmaker Chris Eska's work since 2007, when his beautifully shot and quietly affecting feature August Evening became one of my favorite Texas films. So I had high hopes for his new feature, the historical drama The Retrieval -- and I'm happy to report that it lived up to my expectations in every way. In a word, The Retrieval is outstanding.
The Retrieval is thematically complex, but the story is deceptively simple. Set during the Civil War, the film follows 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), a fatherless boy who has taken up with a bounty hunter gang. Gang leader Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.) sends Will on a risky mission to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted man with a lucrative bounty on his head. To ensure Will's return with Nate, Burrell threatens the boy with death if he doesn't bring back his quarry.
Will and his...
The Retrieval is thematically complex, but the story is deceptively simple. Set during the Civil War, the film follows 13-year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), a fatherless boy who has taken up with a bounty hunter gang. Gang leader Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.) sends Will on a risky mission to retrieve Nate (Tishuan Scott), a wanted man with a lucrative bounty on his head. To ensure Will's return with Nate, Burrell threatens the boy with death if he doesn't bring back his quarry.
Will and his...
- 3/15/2013
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
The Austin, Texas music-film-interactive festival is often ground zero for emerging talent working in sometimes divergent, sometimes complimentary, media and when it comes to the business of movies, South by Southwest has been especially important to indie filmmakers looking to get noticed, make their mark and start amassing some buzz in the hopes that a distributor comes knocking and a bigger audience can enjoy their work.
With the 2013 SXSW film fest coming to the end of its nine-day run, members of the jury, who range from critics, journalists, filmmakers and bloggers, chose writer-director Destin Cretton's Short Term 12, starring Rami Malek, John Gallagher Jr. and a stand-out Brie Larson (21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs the World "United States of Tara") as a troubled young woman who works at a teen foster facility, as the Grand Jury winner, in the Narrative Feature category.
Other winners in that category include Special Jury Prize (ensemble) for Burma,...
With the 2013 SXSW film fest coming to the end of its nine-day run, members of the jury, who range from critics, journalists, filmmakers and bloggers, chose writer-director Destin Cretton's Short Term 12, starring Rami Malek, John Gallagher Jr. and a stand-out Brie Larson (21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs the World "United States of Tara") as a troubled young woman who works at a teen foster facility, as the Grand Jury winner, in the Narrative Feature category.
Other winners in that category include Special Jury Prize (ensemble) for Burma,...
- 3/13/2013
- by Andrea Miller
- Cineplex
The Grand Jury and Special Award winners of the 2013 SXSW Film Festival were revealed Tuesday in Austin. Destin Cretton's "Short Term 12," starring Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. as foster care workers dealing with their own troubled pasts, has taken the Narrative Feature prize, while Ben Nabors' "William and the Windmill," focusing on the author and subject of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," has been awarded the Documentary prize. Carlos Puga's "Burma," led by strong Christopher Abbott and Gaby Hoffmann, has appropriately taken the Ensemble Cast prize, while the deserving Tishuan Scott of Chris Eska's gorgeously lensed African-American Civil War drama "The Retrieval" (watch an exclusive clip here) has won the Jury Acting prize. Full list below.Documentary Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: William And The WINDMILLDirector: Ben Nabors Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: ToubaDirector of Photography: Scott Duncan Special Jury Recognition for...
- 3/13/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Jury Awards for the 2013 SXSW Film Festival were announced tonight, with the major awards going to narrative feature “Short Term 12” and documentary “William and the Windmill.” The eligible films were those in the narrative feature and documentary feature competition categories; the Audience Awards, to be announced March 16, are culled from all feature categories save headliners and special events. A complete list of tonight’s winners is below. Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: “William and the Windmill,” director: Ben Nabors Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: “Touba,” Director of Photography Scott Duncan Special Jury Recognition for Directing: “We Always Lie To Strangers,” directors: Aj Schnack & David Wilson Narrative Feature COMPETITIONGrand Jury Winner: “Short Term 12,” director: Destin Daniel Cretton Special Jury Recognition for Ensemble Cast: “Burma”Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Christopher McCann, Dan Bittner, Emily Fleischer, Jacinta Puga, Matt McCarthy, Kelly Aucoin Special Jury Recognition for Acting: Tishuan Scott,...
- 3/13/2013
- backstage.com
The 2013 SXSW Film Festival award were handed out tonight at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, with "William and the Windmill" and "Short Term 12" winning the jury prizes in the documentary and narrative categories, respectively. Full list of announced winners: Documentary Feature Grand Jury Winner: "William and the Windmill"Special Jury Prize (Cinematography): "Touba" Special Jury Prize for Directing: "We Always Lie to Stangers" Narrative Feature Grand Jury Winner: "Short Term 12" Special Jury Prize (Ensemble Cast): "Burma" Special Jury Prize (Acting): Tishuan Scott, "The Retrieval" Short Film Jury Awards Narrative Short Winner: "Ellen Is Leaving" (Honorable Mentions: "Sequin Raze" and "Skin") Documentary Shorts Winner: "Slomo" Animated Shorts Winner: "Oh Willy" Midnight Shorts Winner: "The Apocalypse" Music Videos Winner: Vitalic, "Stamina" Texas High School Short Film Jury Award: ...
- 3/13/2013
- by Nigel M. Smith and Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Chris Eska crafted the finely-honed, modern-day drama August Evening, which featured a resilient, older Mexican immigrant who stoicly dealt with life's challenges as they arose. The Retrieval is Eska's followup, and it's a similar, low-key, high-quality affair that etches portraits of two African-American men at different stages of their lives during the Civil War era. Specifically, the film follows Will (Ashton Sanders), an orphan boy on the cusp of adulthood, and Nate (Tishuan Scott), a man who is the target of a "retrieval." Will works under the terribly firm hand of his uncle Marcus (Keston John), who is a bounty hunter in the business of returning runaway slaves. Having (seemingly) no other viable choice, the 13-year-old Will obeys and assists Marcus in his nefarious activities,...
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- 3/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival this month is the Civil War drama The Retrieval (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others. Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man. A very intriguing...
- 3/7/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
South by Southwest (SXSW) is just one of many film festivals, we here at Sound On Sight cover yearly. The fest, which takes place every spring in Austin, Texas, began in 1987, and has continued to grow in size every year. The fest announced the first wave of films back in early January, and the lineup included some highly anticipated films such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Evil Dead, Downloaded and Spring Breakers. Now the full lineup has been announced, and it just might be one of the best lineups the festival has ever programmed.
SXSW takes place March 8-16 in Austin Texas. Here are just some of the films we are excited about.
Narrative Feature Competition – This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,191 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Awful Nice
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Sklar, Screenwriter: Alex Rennie
Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when...
SXSW takes place March 8-16 in Austin Texas. Here are just some of the films we are excited about.
Narrative Feature Competition – This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,191 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Awful Nice
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Sklar, Screenwriter: Alex Rennie
Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when...
- 2/1/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival is the Civil War drama The Retrieval, which we hadn't heard of before today (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others. Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: "On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty...
- 2/1/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
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