For a writer whose specialty was his mad rush of words — careening, excessive, gloriously offensive and thoroughly “gonzo,” to use a word he may well have coined — Hunter S. Thompson has long been an irresistible image to put on screen. He was played by Johnny Depp in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Bill Murray in “Where the Buffalo Roam” and a few others, and now it’s Willem Dafoe’s turn in Patricia Arquette’s directorial debut, “Gonzo Girl.”
Rather, it’s Dafoe’s turn to play somebody like Hunter S. Thompson. In the movie, which had its world premiere on Thursday night as one of the opening-night attractions of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Dafoe is “Walker Reade,” a wild-eyed journalist and author who lives in Woody Creek, Colorado and loves guns, drugs, alcohol and messing with people — not necessarily in that order. The fact that all of...
Rather, it’s Dafoe’s turn to play somebody like Hunter S. Thompson. In the movie, which had its world premiere on Thursday night as one of the opening-night attractions of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Dafoe is “Walker Reade,” a wild-eyed journalist and author who lives in Woody Creek, Colorado and loves guns, drugs, alcohol and messing with people — not necessarily in that order. The fact that all of...
- 9/8/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The actor makes an underwhelming first feature as film-maker, a thinly etched adaptation of Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical book
There’s a certain image associated with gonzo journalism – daring, confessional, subversive, male. For all its successes and groundbreaking candor, it’s a style conflated with male ego and excess, the extremes of drugs, adventure and eccentricity that men could afford to pursue.
Gonzo Girl, the directorial debut of the actor Patricia Arquette, seems, at least on the surface, to be interested in complicating that image, or at least adding some footnotes. The 107-minute film, written by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell and based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Cheryl Della Pietra, focuses on a young female assistant to a stand-in for Hunter S Thompson in the summer of 1992. Like her real-life counterpart, Alley Russo (Camila Morrone) is a bookish recent grad with literary aspirations who takes a gig assisting...
There’s a certain image associated with gonzo journalism – daring, confessional, subversive, male. For all its successes and groundbreaking candor, it’s a style conflated with male ego and excess, the extremes of drugs, adventure and eccentricity that men could afford to pursue.
Gonzo Girl, the directorial debut of the actor Patricia Arquette, seems, at least on the surface, to be interested in complicating that image, or at least adding some footnotes. The 107-minute film, written by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell and based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Cheryl Della Pietra, focuses on a young female assistant to a stand-in for Hunter S Thompson in the summer of 1992. Like her real-life counterpart, Alley Russo (Camila Morrone) is a bookish recent grad with literary aspirations who takes a gig assisting...
- 9/8/2023
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
The Toronto Film Festival pulled the curtain off its lineup for this year’s Discovery and Midnight Madness sections with notable titles respectively teeing off both programs’ opening nights: Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl and Borat director Larry Charles’ Dicks: The Musical from A24.
The Midnight Madness section counts 10 features, seven of which are world premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily boasts world and international premieres, includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total program are featured in this year’s Discovery; that lineup is known for being a window to contemporary world cinema with first and second movies from frosh filmmakers. With Midnight Madness films, it’s anything goes.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programs for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.
The Midnight Madness section counts 10 features, seven of which are world premieres. The Discovery lineup, which primarily boasts world and international premieres, includes 26 titles. Notably, 13 female filmmakers representing 50% of the total program are featured in this year’s Discovery; that lineup is known for being a window to contemporary world cinema with first and second movies from frosh filmmakers. With Midnight Madness films, it’s anything goes.
“We’re excited to be showcasing new voices, audacious vision, and genre-bending cinema,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “TIFF’s Discovery and Midnight Madness programs for 2023 will once again prove to be the ultimate destination for tastemakers and experience seekers.
- 8/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
What would you do to escape a bad marriage?
Such is the question that most noirs seem to hinge on, and now, Neil Labute’s mystery-thriller “Out of the Blue” challenges the extent to which a femme fatale can drive a man to murder.
Diane Kruger stars as blonde bombshell Marilyn Chambers, an angst-filled mother to a teen daughter (“Bodies Bodies Bodies” breakout Chase Sui Wonders) who strikes up a Nsfw relationship with ex-con Connor Bates (Ray Nicholson). The film premieres August 26.
Written and directed by “American Gigolo” series scribe Neil Labute, “Out of the Blue” hones in on Marilyn’s seduction of Connor, who is on probation following time served for assault. Connor works at the local library where he crosses paths with wealthy Marilyn, who is openly seeking a killer to give her husband the ax. What? It’s probably cheaper than divorce.
Hank Azaria stars as Connor’s probation officer,...
Such is the question that most noirs seem to hinge on, and now, Neil Labute’s mystery-thriller “Out of the Blue” challenges the extent to which a femme fatale can drive a man to murder.
Diane Kruger stars as blonde bombshell Marilyn Chambers, an angst-filled mother to a teen daughter (“Bodies Bodies Bodies” breakout Chase Sui Wonders) who strikes up a Nsfw relationship with ex-con Connor Bates (Ray Nicholson). The film premieres August 26.
Written and directed by “American Gigolo” series scribe Neil Labute, “Out of the Blue” hones in on Marilyn’s seduction of Connor, who is on probation following time served for assault. Connor works at the local library where he crosses paths with wealthy Marilyn, who is openly seeking a killer to give her husband the ax. What? It’s probably cheaper than divorce.
Hank Azaria stars as Connor’s probation officer,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Patricia Arquette is set to make her feature directorial debut with Rh Negative Entertainment and Catch & Release Films’ adaptation of Gonzo Girl, starring Camila Morrone, Willem Dafoe and Arquette. The film is based on the acclaimed same-name novel by Cheryl Della Pietra and will be adapted by Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell.
Tom Heller is producing through Rh Negative Entertainment as is Frank Hall Green through Catch & Release Films, Cameron O’Reilly through Bayard Productions and Arquette. Heller and Green have been the driving force on pushing this through with production is set to begin this week in Utah.
The novel is set in 1992, and follows an aspiring writer Alley Russo (Morrone) has an exciting new job, as the assistant to legendary “gonzo journalist” Walker Reade (Dafoe), living in his compound / party house in Aspen. Under orders to help the famously chaotic Walker settle down to work on...
Tom Heller is producing through Rh Negative Entertainment as is Frank Hall Green through Catch & Release Films, Cameron O’Reilly through Bayard Productions and Arquette. Heller and Green have been the driving force on pushing this through with production is set to begin this week in Utah.
The novel is set in 1992, and follows an aspiring writer Alley Russo (Morrone) has an exciting new job, as the assistant to legendary “gonzo journalist” Walker Reade (Dafoe), living in his compound / party house in Aspen. Under orders to help the famously chaotic Walker settle down to work on...
- 7/19/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Turkish director Nisan Dag, who is a Columbia Film School Graduate, made a splash at Slamdance and other fests in 2015 with debut feature “Across the Sea,” a relationship drama that she co-directed. Her followup “When I’m Done Dying,” directed solo this time, delves into the world of hip-hop subculture in Istanbul’s slums where the cheap and deadly drug known as bonzai gets in the way of a 19-year-old aspiring rapper’s musical ambitions as well as his love affair with an older affluent DJ.
“When I’m Done Dying,” made in collaboration with rapper Da Poet (Ozan Erdogan), who is one of the top beat makers in Turkey, is being sold internationally by Magnolia Pictures. It will world premiere on Saturday at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, which is taking place as physical event. Variety spoke exclusively to Nisan Dag about the challenges of bringing this bold tale to the screen.
“When I’m Done Dying,” made in collaboration with rapper Da Poet (Ozan Erdogan), who is one of the top beat makers in Turkey, is being sold internationally by Magnolia Pictures. It will world premiere on Saturday at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, which is taking place as physical event. Variety spoke exclusively to Nisan Dag about the challenges of bringing this bold tale to the screen.
- 11/19/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Newcomers join Sundance docs Assassins, The Fight on sales slate.
Magnolia Pictures International has added two titles to its Cannes Marché du Film Online slate, boarding worldwide rights to London-set immigrant drama Listen, and Istanbul-set love story When I’m Done Dying.
Listen chronicles the struggles of a Portuguese immigrant couple in London whose children are taken away by social services.
Ruben Garcia, Portuguese actress and singer Lucia Moniz (Love Actually), Sophia Myles, and Maisie Sly, star of British Oscar-winning short The Silent Child, star in Ana Rocha De Sousa’s first feature, currently in post.
The film is produced...
Magnolia Pictures International has added two titles to its Cannes Marché du Film Online slate, boarding worldwide rights to London-set immigrant drama Listen, and Istanbul-set love story When I’m Done Dying.
Listen chronicles the struggles of a Portuguese immigrant couple in London whose children are taken away by social services.
Ruben Garcia, Portuguese actress and singer Lucia Moniz (Love Actually), Sophia Myles, and Maisie Sly, star of British Oscar-winning short The Silent Child, star in Ana Rocha De Sousa’s first feature, currently in post.
The film is produced...
- 6/11/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
With one of last year’s Sundance intoxicatingly cute natured discoveries in Lola Kirke (from Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America) toplining, the reasonable five-year morphing phase into a larger feature film canvas, and the welcomed addition of actress Breeda Wool who got to work with the same character, we could easily see this slice of Lgbt grab a coveted spot. While it might have the queer factor working for it, Awol, the feature film version actually stems from a 2011 Sundance premiered short of the same title. Production took place at the very beginning of the year with major thumbs up support from Tribeca Film Festival where the film (not yet finished) landed the Iwc Filmmaker Award and this past summer, Deb Shoval‘s feature debut was submitted to Champs-Elysées Film Festival’s Us in Progress. Chosen for Film Independent’s Fast Track and Ifp’s Narrative Completion Lab, Shoval...
- 11/23/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Deb Shoval’s adaptation of her award-winning short (Awol), Carson Mell’s feature film debut (Another Evil) and Gabe Klinger’s Porto, Mon Amour starring Anton Yelchin and Lucie Lucas (see prod photo above) are among the half dozen projects in post-production that were selected for the U.S. in Progress Paris workshop. With all the buzz surrounding Cannes, we lost track of the unveiling of Champs-Élysées Film Festival’s selection which has also provided us with a possible preview of possible Sundance and SXSW titles for the 2016 campaign. Here are the six projects:
Another Evil, directed by Carson Mell (produced by Riel Roch Decter and Sebastian Pardo)
Awol – Deb Shoval (produced by Jessica Caldwell, L.A. Teodosio and Michel Merkt)
Diverge – James Morrison (produced by David Mandel and Noah Lang)
Live Cargo – Logan Sandler (produced by Thymaya Payne) ;
Porto Mon Amour – Gabe Klinger (produced by Rodrigo Areias, Nicolas R. de la Mothe,...
Another Evil, directed by Carson Mell (produced by Riel Roch Decter and Sebastian Pardo)
Awol – Deb Shoval (produced by Jessica Caldwell, L.A. Teodosio and Michel Merkt)
Diverge – James Morrison (produced by David Mandel and Noah Lang)
Live Cargo – Logan Sandler (produced by Thymaya Payne) ;
Porto Mon Amour – Gabe Klinger (produced by Rodrigo Areias, Nicolas R. de la Mothe,...
- 5/13/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Sun Belt Express and Lake Los Angeles win main prizes.
The third Us in Progress Wrocław - a works-in-progress event targeted at Us independent filmmakers and European buyers - has handed its main prizes to Sun Belt Express and Lake Los Angeles.
This year, six films selected from around 40 submissions competed for prizes consisting of post-production and promotional services worth $60,000.
The main awards went to Sun Belt Express by Evan Wolf Buxbaum, produced by Noah Lang and Iyabo Boyd, and Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott, produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari.
Sun Belt Express received Di image post-production from Platige Image studio (Warsaw), foley from Aeroplan Studio (Warsaw), final sound mix from Alvernia Studios (Kraków) and soundtrack from composer Maciej Zieliński of Soundflower Studio (Warsaw).
Lake Los Angeles was offered Di image post-production from Di Factory studio (Warsaw), foley from Aeroplan Studio (Warsaw), Dcp creation from Dcinex, subtitling from Vsi Paris/Chinkel and the promotional award from Europa...
The third Us in Progress Wrocław - a works-in-progress event targeted at Us independent filmmakers and European buyers - has handed its main prizes to Sun Belt Express and Lake Los Angeles.
This year, six films selected from around 40 submissions competed for prizes consisting of post-production and promotional services worth $60,000.
The main awards went to Sun Belt Express by Evan Wolf Buxbaum, produced by Noah Lang and Iyabo Boyd, and Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott, produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari.
Sun Belt Express received Di image post-production from Platige Image studio (Warsaw), foley from Aeroplan Studio (Warsaw), final sound mix from Alvernia Studios (Kraków) and soundtrack from composer Maciej Zieliński of Soundflower Studio (Warsaw).
Lake Los Angeles was offered Di image post-production from Di Factory studio (Warsaw), foley from Aeroplan Studio (Warsaw), Dcp creation from Dcinex, subtitling from Vsi Paris/Chinkel and the promotional award from Europa...
- 10/27/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Opening with Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive the latest edition of the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland (22-27 October 2013) has screened some of the most important American independent films of the year. Being the only festival of its class in Eastern and Central Europe the festival has become the most important venue to connect American filmmakers with European buyers and audiences through programs like U.S. in Progress Wrocław (23-25 October 2013).
This year's program taking place at the New Horizons cinema presented 80 movies out of which 42 are Polish premieres, 3 are European premieres and 1 is a World Premiere. Among them 10 documentaries and 17 feature films competed for cash prizes in the audience-vote competitions.
The first competitive section - Spectrum ($10,000 audience award for the Best Narrative Feature) included films that have been well-received here in the U.S such as A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, and Bluebird by Lance Edmands. The second competition - American Docs ($5,000 audience award for Best Documentary Feature) had a selection of films depicting varied current issues in American society including Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, Our Nixon by Penny Lane, Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha and Before You Know It by Pj Raval.
The American Film Festival also ran a retrospective of Shirley Clarke and presented Polish premieres of high-profile films such as As I Lay Dying by James Franco, Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong Cops, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein’s Lovelace, Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon, Touchy Feely by Lynn Shelton, At Any Price by Ramin Bahrani, and Maladies by Carter. The festival also screened Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Sundance hit Don Jon along several U.S. in Progress participants and festival hits like I Used to be Darker by Matt Porterfier and Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Patrick Carbone. Lastly, a special section titled 'Masterpieces of American Cinema 90 Years of Warner Bros." showed 14 digitally-remastered productions by the studio from The Jazz Singer by Alan Crosland (1927) through A Clockwork Orange ,The Exorcist and Christopher Nolan’s Inception
The festival will close on October 27th with Steven Soderbergh's Emmy Award-winning film Behind the Candelabra.
All competitions titles:
Spectrum
American Milkshake by David Andalman, Mariko Munro, USA 2012, 82'
Blue Highway by Kyle Smith, USA 2013, 70'
Coldwater by Vincent Grashaw, USA 2013, 104'
The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, USA 2013, 95'
Drinking Buddies by Joe Swanberg, USA 2013, 90'
Lily by Matt Creed, USA 2013, 85'
A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, USA 2013, 75'
Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, USA 2013, 93'
Pearblossom Hwy by Mike Ott, USA 2012, 78'
Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, USA 2013, 105'
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors by Sam Fleischner, USA 2013, 102'
Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, USA 2013, 96'
The Cold Lands by Tom Gilroy, USA 2013, 100'
In a World... by Lake Bell, USA 2013, 93'
A Song Still Inside by Gregory Collins, USA 2013, 82'
Bluebird by Lance Edmands, USA 2013, 90'
American Docs
Big Easy Express by Emmett Malloy, USA 2012
Off Label by Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher, USA 2012
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, USA, Italy 2013
Fall and Winter by Matt Anderson, USA 2013
The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, USA 2013
Lenny Cooke by Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie, USA 2012
Our Nixon by Penny Lane, USA 2013
Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, USA 2013
Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, USA 2013
Before You Know It by Pj Raval, USA 2012
U.S. Progress Projects
This year 6 projects in the final production stages were chosen to take part in the two-day workshop knows as U.S. in Progress Wroclaw (23-25 October, 2013). The event presents the American independent projects to European buyers, post-production houses and festivals in order to help them achieve completion and to foster the circulation and distribution of these films in Europe.
Selected from over 40 submission the chosen projects are the dramas Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott (produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari), Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott (produced by Jessica Caldwell ) and Some Beasts by Cameron Nelson (produced by Ashley Maynor and Courtney Ware), crime story Wild Canaries by Lawrence Michael Levine (produced by Sophia Takal, Kim Sherman and McCabe Walsh), frontier black comedy Sun Belt Express by Evan Wolf Buxbaum (producers: Noah Lang and Iyabo Boyd) and Summer of Blood – a New York vampire comedy by director-producer Onur Tukel.
The prizes are awarded by a jury of professionals and include post-production services from European partner companies worth almost $60.000 and promotional services from other partners. Us in Progress’ partners are: Platige Image (Warsaw), Di Factory (Warsaw), Alvernia Studios (Krakow), composer Maciej Zielinski of Soundflower Studio (Warsaw), Soundplace (Warsaw), DCinex (Belgium), Vsi (Paris), Europa Distribution, Cicae and Cannes Marche du Film’s Producers Network.
U.S. in Progress Wrocław (formerly Gotham in Progress) was started in 2011 by the New Horizons Association and Black Rabbit Film. Previous films presented at the event included, among others: I Used To Be Darker by Matt Porterfield, American Milkshake by David Andalman (both shown at Sundance Ff in 2013), Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Carbone (Berlinale Generation, Tribeca), Bluebird by Lance Edmands (Tribeca, Karlovy Vary), Jason Cortlund & Julia Halperin’s Now, Forager: a Film About Love and Fungi (Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, Gotham Awards nominee), Amy Seimetz’s Sun Don’t Shine (SXSW, Edinburgh Iff, Gotham Awards nominee) and Devyn Waitt’s Not Waving But Drowning (Sarasota Ff).
U.S. in Progress Wrocław is supported by the City of Wrocław, American Embassy in Warsaw and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
For more information on the American Film Festival and the U.S. in Progress projects visit Here...
This year's program taking place at the New Horizons cinema presented 80 movies out of which 42 are Polish premieres, 3 are European premieres and 1 is a World Premiere. Among them 10 documentaries and 17 feature films competed for cash prizes in the audience-vote competitions.
The first competitive section - Spectrum ($10,000 audience award for the Best Narrative Feature) included films that have been well-received here in the U.S such as A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, and Bluebird by Lance Edmands. The second competition - American Docs ($5,000 audience award for Best Documentary Feature) had a selection of films depicting varied current issues in American society including Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, Our Nixon by Penny Lane, Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha and Before You Know It by Pj Raval.
The American Film Festival also ran a retrospective of Shirley Clarke and presented Polish premieres of high-profile films such as As I Lay Dying by James Franco, Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong Cops, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein’s Lovelace, Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon, Touchy Feely by Lynn Shelton, At Any Price by Ramin Bahrani, and Maladies by Carter. The festival also screened Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Sundance hit Don Jon along several U.S. in Progress participants and festival hits like I Used to be Darker by Matt Porterfier and Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Patrick Carbone. Lastly, a special section titled 'Masterpieces of American Cinema 90 Years of Warner Bros." showed 14 digitally-remastered productions by the studio from The Jazz Singer by Alan Crosland (1927) through A Clockwork Orange ,The Exorcist and Christopher Nolan’s Inception
The festival will close on October 27th with Steven Soderbergh's Emmy Award-winning film Behind the Candelabra.
All competitions titles:
Spectrum
American Milkshake by David Andalman, Mariko Munro, USA 2012, 82'
Blue Highway by Kyle Smith, USA 2013, 70'
Coldwater by Vincent Grashaw, USA 2013, 104'
The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, USA 2013, 95'
Drinking Buddies by Joe Swanberg, USA 2013, 90'
Lily by Matt Creed, USA 2013, 85'
A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, USA 2013, 75'
Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, USA 2013, 93'
Pearblossom Hwy by Mike Ott, USA 2012, 78'
Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, USA 2013, 105'
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors by Sam Fleischner, USA 2013, 102'
Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, USA 2013, 96'
The Cold Lands by Tom Gilroy, USA 2013, 100'
In a World... by Lake Bell, USA 2013, 93'
A Song Still Inside by Gregory Collins, USA 2013, 82'
Bluebird by Lance Edmands, USA 2013, 90'
American Docs
Big Easy Express by Emmett Malloy, USA 2012
Off Label by Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher, USA 2012
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, USA, Italy 2013
Fall and Winter by Matt Anderson, USA 2013
The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, USA 2013
Lenny Cooke by Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie, USA 2012
Our Nixon by Penny Lane, USA 2013
Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, USA 2013
Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, USA 2013
Before You Know It by Pj Raval, USA 2012
U.S. Progress Projects
This year 6 projects in the final production stages were chosen to take part in the two-day workshop knows as U.S. in Progress Wroclaw (23-25 October, 2013). The event presents the American independent projects to European buyers, post-production houses and festivals in order to help them achieve completion and to foster the circulation and distribution of these films in Europe.
Selected from over 40 submission the chosen projects are the dramas Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott (produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari), Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott (produced by Jessica Caldwell ) and Some Beasts by Cameron Nelson (produced by Ashley Maynor and Courtney Ware), crime story Wild Canaries by Lawrence Michael Levine (produced by Sophia Takal, Kim Sherman and McCabe Walsh), frontier black comedy Sun Belt Express by Evan Wolf Buxbaum (producers: Noah Lang and Iyabo Boyd) and Summer of Blood – a New York vampire comedy by director-producer Onur Tukel.
The prizes are awarded by a jury of professionals and include post-production services from European partner companies worth almost $60.000 and promotional services from other partners. Us in Progress’ partners are: Platige Image (Warsaw), Di Factory (Warsaw), Alvernia Studios (Krakow), composer Maciej Zielinski of Soundflower Studio (Warsaw), Soundplace (Warsaw), DCinex (Belgium), Vsi (Paris), Europa Distribution, Cicae and Cannes Marche du Film’s Producers Network.
U.S. in Progress Wrocław (formerly Gotham in Progress) was started in 2011 by the New Horizons Association and Black Rabbit Film. Previous films presented at the event included, among others: I Used To Be Darker by Matt Porterfield, American Milkshake by David Andalman (both shown at Sundance Ff in 2013), Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Carbone (Berlinale Generation, Tribeca), Bluebird by Lance Edmands (Tribeca, Karlovy Vary), Jason Cortlund & Julia Halperin’s Now, Forager: a Film About Love and Fungi (Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, Gotham Awards nominee), Amy Seimetz’s Sun Don’t Shine (SXSW, Edinburgh Iff, Gotham Awards nominee) and Devyn Waitt’s Not Waving But Drowning (Sarasota Ff).
U.S. in Progress Wrocław is supported by the City of Wrocław, American Embassy in Warsaw and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
For more information on the American Film Festival and the U.S. in Progress projects visit Here...
- 10/26/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Pierogis and paczkis aside, another thing we like about the Polish is the Wroclaw’s Us in Progress initiative, which is already at year three (fifth edition if you include the Paris) and reported by Screen Daily, have selected the lucky six projects (October 23rd-25th) where filmmaker/producing teams will take part in what is essentially: first looks of U.S. indie films for European buyers with a cash prize (post production coin) decided by a jury. Among the noteworthy names we have the likes of Littlerock‘s Mike Ott, Gabi on the Roof in July‘s Lawrence Levine and Onur Tukel (writer on Michael Tully’s Septien, director behind 2012′s Richard’s Wedding). Here is our researched look at the six (of which we can expect a couple of items to end up at Sundance next January).
Happy Baby
Director/Writer: Stephen Elliott
Producer: Jessica Caldwell (Electrick Children...
Happy Baby
Director/Writer: Stephen Elliott
Producer: Jessica Caldwell (Electrick Children...
- 9/27/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Six projects selected for this year’s works-in-progress event targeted at Us independent filmmakers and European buyers.
Poland’s Us in Progress Wrocław event has announced the six projects that will feature in its 2013 edition.
The two-day works-in-progress event presents Us films in the final stages of production stages to European buyers, post-production houses and festivals in order to help them achieve completion and to foster the circulation and distribution of Us indie films in Europe.
The invite-only screenings and one-to-one meetings will take place as part of of the 4th American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland (Oct 23-25).
The films, selected from around 40 submissions, include:
Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott (produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari),
Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott (produced by Jessica Caldwell )
Some Beasts by Cameron Nelson (produced by Ashley Maynor and Courtney Ware)
Wild Canaries by Lawrence Michael Levine (produced by Sophia Takal, Kim Sherman and McCabe Walsh)
Sun Belt Express by [link...
Poland’s Us in Progress Wrocław event has announced the six projects that will feature in its 2013 edition.
The two-day works-in-progress event presents Us films in the final stages of production stages to European buyers, post-production houses and festivals in order to help them achieve completion and to foster the circulation and distribution of Us indie films in Europe.
The invite-only screenings and one-to-one meetings will take place as part of of the 4th American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland (Oct 23-25).
The films, selected from around 40 submissions, include:
Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott (produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari),
Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott (produced by Jessica Caldwell )
Some Beasts by Cameron Nelson (produced by Ashley Maynor and Courtney Ware)
Wild Canaries by Lawrence Michael Levine (produced by Sophia Takal, Kim Sherman and McCabe Walsh)
Sun Belt Express by [link...
- 9/27/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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