Despite casting Willem Dafoe and working with a $2 million budget — the biggest in Sean Baker’s career — the director knew that his sixth feature, “The Florida Project,” couldn’t abandon what’s become his personal trademark: populating his films with untapped talent.
Read More:Willem Dafoe On What He Learned From Working With Non-Actors on ‘The Florida Project’ — Exclusive
“For me, Spike Lee was always one that really did it right,” Baker said. “He would have big A-list stars in his films, and then he would always give fresh faces to some of the bigger supporting characters. He would be introducing so many new faces to the world, new talent to the industry, which is I think really important.”
“The Florida Project” has received glowing reviews (IndieWire gave it an A-, and it’s currently rated 95 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and received multiple awards, including Golden Globes and SAG nominations for Dafoe.
Read More:Willem Dafoe On What He Learned From Working With Non-Actors on ‘The Florida Project’ — Exclusive
“For me, Spike Lee was always one that really did it right,” Baker said. “He would have big A-list stars in his films, and then he would always give fresh faces to some of the bigger supporting characters. He would be introducing so many new faces to the world, new talent to the industry, which is I think really important.”
“The Florida Project” has received glowing reviews (IndieWire gave it an A-, and it’s currently rated 95 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and received multiple awards, including Golden Globes and SAG nominations for Dafoe.
- 12/15/2017
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2014 discoveries”…
Sean Baker: 1) Ruben Östlund – After being blown away by Force Majeure, I made sure to check out all of Östlund’s previous works and they are all amazing. I haven’t been this excited about an emerging filmmaker since discovering Ulrich Seidl back in 2001. 2) Soundcloud. Of course I was aware of it prior to 2014 but over the course of the year, I discovered what a valuable tool it is for indie filmmakers. Soundcloud not only exposes you to new trends in music but allows you to reach out directly to artists. We scored Tangerine with extremely high quality music tracks for a fraction of what licensing with music labels would normally cost. It allowed both parties to work directly with one another and make mutually beneficial deals. 3) Iced Sea Salt Coffee... go to 85°C Bakery – A Taiwanese chain of coffee...
Sean Baker: 1) Ruben Östlund – After being blown away by Force Majeure, I made sure to check out all of Östlund’s previous works and they are all amazing. I haven’t been this excited about an emerging filmmaker since discovering Ulrich Seidl back in 2001. 2) Soundcloud. Of course I was aware of it prior to 2014 but over the course of the year, I discovered what a valuable tool it is for indie filmmakers. Soundcloud not only exposes you to new trends in music but allows you to reach out directly to artists. We scored Tangerine with extremely high quality music tracks for a fraction of what licensing with music labels would normally cost. It allowed both parties to work directly with one another and make mutually beneficial deals. 3) Iced Sea Salt Coffee... go to 85°C Bakery – A Taiwanese chain of coffee...
- 1/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Sundance kicks off this week, and while we're packing up our boots and parkas for Utah, we've got a few looks at some of the work that will be premiering there this weekend, and will no doubt be on your radar this year. Back at SXSW in 2012, we became huge fans of Sean Baker and his film, "Starlet." A sensitive and lyrical portrayal of an unlikely friendship between porn actress Jane (Dree Hemingway) and elderly Sadie (Besedka Johnson), Baker's approach to portraying the seedy porn world of the San Fernando Valley was unlike anything we've seen (we may have called it "mumbleporn" in our review). He's back with his latest film, "Tangerine," premiering in the Sundance 2015 Next program, and we've got some exclusive stills to share. Co-starring the most excellent James Ransone, who played a no good boyfriend in "Starlet," and appears to be playing a similar character here, the...
- 1/22/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
Bored with male protagonists? Blue Is the Warmest Colour and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire put women first
With the film industry's male bias once more in the headlines – a new study reveals only 15% of major releases feature a female protagonist – this week's top DVD releases are gratifying exceptions. For Blue Is the Warmest Colour (Artificial Eye, 18), the severe age certificate prompted by its explicit, exquisitely tender love scenes bars the audience who would most immediately identify with its delicate impressions of adolescent sexual curiosity and insecurity. Richly deserving of its Palme d'Or win at Cannes last year, Abdellatif Kechiche's porous, persuasive character study yields an astonishing performance from Adèle Exarchopoulos as a gangly secondary school student whose chance encounter with a blue-haired painter (Léa Seydoux) gradually unlocks her adult identity.
There are flashes of romantic need in the second outing for Katniss Everdeen, stoic warrior queen of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate,...
With the film industry's male bias once more in the headlines – a new study reveals only 15% of major releases feature a female protagonist – this week's top DVD releases are gratifying exceptions. For Blue Is the Warmest Colour (Artificial Eye, 18), the severe age certificate prompted by its explicit, exquisitely tender love scenes bars the audience who would most immediately identify with its delicate impressions of adolescent sexual curiosity and insecurity. Richly deserving of its Palme d'Or win at Cannes last year, Abdellatif Kechiche's porous, persuasive character study yields an astonishing performance from Adèle Exarchopoulos as a gangly secondary school student whose chance encounter with a blue-haired painter (Léa Seydoux) gradually unlocks her adult identity.
There are flashes of romantic need in the second outing for Katniss Everdeen, stoic warrior queen of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate,...
- 3/17/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
New English Language One of the best films of 2012 that very few people saw was Starlet (Music Box Films), starring Dree Hemingway (daughter of Mariel) as a struggling actress in the San Fernando Valley who forms an unlikely friendship with 85-year-old widow Sadie (Besedka Johnson, in her one and only film role; she passed away earlier this year). Writer-director Sean Baker is perhaps best known as the creator of TV’s Greg the Bunny, but as a filmmaker (Prince of Broadway, Take Out), he’s proven himself a masterful storyteller of the lives of people on the fringe of society. Starlet won a very deserved Independent Spirit Award for its extraordinary ensemble cast. Also available: Upstream Color (Cinedigm), the haunting and perplexing sophomore film from writer-director...
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- 6/1/2013
- by Alonso Duralde
- Movies.com
The low-budget indie drama Starlet, beautifully shot by Radium Cheung, sensitively directed and edited by Sean Baker (the documentaries Prince of Broadway and Take Out), and performed with sparkling confusion by Dree Hemingway and genuine warmth by Besedka Johnson, follows a friendship that develops between two women, one younger, one older. And something about it rubs me the wrong way. When I first saw the film at SXSW in 2012, it quickly struck me as smug and inauthentic, an impression that lasted throughout the movie and made it difficult to resist the urge to walk out, so much so that I had no desire to write about it. A second viewing on Blu-ray opened up some of the attributes that I missed -- most notably...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/14/2013
- Screen Anarchy
The contest is over and Random.org has chosen these 3 lucky winners: Anita, Steven Chan and Matt. Email sam@discdish.com by May 22 to claim your prize. Thanks!
Dree Hemingway (l.) and Stella Maeve in Starlet.
The good people of Music Box Films Home Entertainment have provided Disc Dish with three (3) Blu-ray editions of the just-released independent drama Starlet to give away to three lucky Disc Dish readers!
The acclaimed 2012 film focuses on the unlikely cross-generational friendship that develops between a young aspiring actress in Los Angeles and an elderly woman when their two worlds collide in a most unexpected way. Starring Dree Hemingway (great granddaughter of Ernest and daughter of Mariel) stars as sweet-smiling, blond-tressed 21-year-old Jane, and the late Besedka Johnson as the elderly woman who holds a fateful yard sale one hot L.A. day, Starlet is directed and co-written by Sean Baker. The well-received film led...
Dree Hemingway (l.) and Stella Maeve in Starlet.
The good people of Music Box Films Home Entertainment have provided Disc Dish with three (3) Blu-ray editions of the just-released independent drama Starlet to give away to three lucky Disc Dish readers!
The acclaimed 2012 film focuses on the unlikely cross-generational friendship that develops between a young aspiring actress in Los Angeles and an elderly woman when their two worlds collide in a most unexpected way. Starring Dree Hemingway (great granddaughter of Ernest and daughter of Mariel) stars as sweet-smiling, blond-tressed 21-year-old Jane, and the late Besedka Johnson as the elderly woman who holds a fateful yard sale one hot L.A. day, Starlet is directed and co-written by Sean Baker. The well-received film led...
- 5/8/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Los Angeles — Besedka Johnson, who became an actress at age 85 and won praise for last year's movie "Starlet," has died. She was 87.
Johnson died on April 4 at Glendale Memorial Hospital of complications following surgery for a bacterial infection, her son, Jim Johnson, told the Los Angeles Times ( ). http://lat.ms/Z7qH66
Besedka Johnson played the cranky widow Sadie, who befriends Dree Hemingway in last year's movie. It was her only role.
"Besedka showed that no age is too old to do what you dream. I loved her dearly," Hemingway said in a statement.
Johnson got the part when an executive producer for the movie saw her in the locker room at a Ymca gym in Los Angeles and asked her to audition.
"I thought it has got to be a great big joke," Besedka Johnson later said, but "when you're this old, it's like let's just go along with it and see what happens.
Johnson died on April 4 at Glendale Memorial Hospital of complications following surgery for a bacterial infection, her son, Jim Johnson, told the Los Angeles Times ( ). http://lat.ms/Z7qH66
Besedka Johnson played the cranky widow Sadie, who befriends Dree Hemingway in last year's movie. It was her only role.
"Besedka showed that no age is too old to do what you dream. I loved her dearly," Hemingway said in a statement.
Johnson got the part when an executive producer for the movie saw her in the locker room at a Ymca gym in Los Angeles and asked her to audition.
"I thought it has got to be a great big joke," Besedka Johnson later said, but "when you're this old, it's like let's just go along with it and see what happens.
- 4/10/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: May 7, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $34.95
Studio: Music Box
Dree Hemingway (l.) and Stella Maeve in Starlet.
An unlikely cross-generational friendship develops between a young aspiring actress and an elderly woman when their two worlds collide in the 2012 independent film drama Starlet, starring Dree Hemingway.
Ms. Hemingway (great granddaughter of Ernest and daughter of Mariel) stars as Jane, a sweet-smiling, blond-tressed 21-year-old looking to become an actress, who generally spends most of her time hanging around, getting high with her dysfunctional roommates, and taking care of her Chihuahua, Starlet. Drifting and driving around the sun-dappled San Fernando Valley, Jane one day finds a pile of cash stashed inside an old thermos she’s purchased at a yard sale held by the elderly and sad Sadie (Besedka Johnson). Prompted by a growing sense of morality and guilt, Jane strikes up a tentative friendship with Sadie. Secrets emerge as Jane and Sadie’s relationship grows,...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $34.95
Studio: Music Box
Dree Hemingway (l.) and Stella Maeve in Starlet.
An unlikely cross-generational friendship develops between a young aspiring actress and an elderly woman when their two worlds collide in the 2012 independent film drama Starlet, starring Dree Hemingway.
Ms. Hemingway (great granddaughter of Ernest and daughter of Mariel) stars as Jane, a sweet-smiling, blond-tressed 21-year-old looking to become an actress, who generally spends most of her time hanging around, getting high with her dysfunctional roommates, and taking care of her Chihuahua, Starlet. Drifting and driving around the sun-dappled San Fernando Valley, Jane one day finds a pile of cash stashed inside an old thermos she’s purchased at a yard sale held by the elderly and sad Sadie (Besedka Johnson). Prompted by a growing sense of morality and guilt, Jane strikes up a tentative friendship with Sadie. Secrets emerge as Jane and Sadie’s relationship grows,...
- 3/14/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
It would be the film with the juju in David O. Russell’s zany black comedy that was the toast of the 28th Independent Spirit Awards beating Beasts Of The Southern Wild – its fiercest rival in all major categories. Silver Linings Playbook cleaned up, grabbing Best Feature, Director, Screenplay and Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence – the heavy favorite for tomorrow’s Oscar. Fox Searchlight might have grabbed only one award for Beasts in the Cinematography category, but it’s other Sundance pick-up The Sessions managed to nab a pair of acting prizes for Helen Hunt and Oscar snubbed John Hawkes for Best Male Lead. In our favorite grant categories, Adam Leon (Gimme the Loot) nabbed the Someone to Watch Award (last year it went to Mark Jackson), the Piaget Producers Award went to Mynette Louie (she produced Tze Chun’s sophomore film Eye of Winter which we are keeping...
- 2/24/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Russell's Slp win four major Spirit Awards 2013 -- and that's no surprise As every awards-season pundit was expecting, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook was the big winner at this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards, though the dramatic comedy featuring a couple of mentally unbalanced characters failed to make a clean sweep. Distributed by The Weinstein Company, Slp won Spirits for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence). (Pictured above: Lawrence and Cooper get into a fight in Slp.) On the other hand, the Best Actor Award didn't go to Slp's Bradley Cooper: John Hawkes was the winner for The Sessions, and so was his leading lady, Helen Hunt, the winner in the Best Supporting Actress category. The Best Supporting Actor was Matthew McConaughey for Steven Soderbergh's comedy-drama and box-office success Magic Mike, featuring McConaughey, Channing Tatum, and Matt Bomer as dancers / strippers in various degrees of undress.
- 2/24/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" was the big winner at the 28th annual Independent Spirit Awards held in Santa Monica, CA this afternoon and hosted by Andy Samberg. "Silver Linings" took home the Best Feature, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Director, and Screenplay trophies.
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
- 2/24/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Today the 2013 Spirit Awards were handed out and it was a dominating effort from Silver Linings Playbook as it won Best Picture, Director (David O. Russell), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) and Screenplay (Russell). The only award it was nominated for and didn't win was Best Actor where Bradley Cooper lost to John Hawkes for The Sessions, but that's only a minor blip on the radar when you win this big. Among the early awards handed out, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower won for Best First Feature while Derek Connolly won for Best First Screenplay for the romantic sci-fi film Safety Not Guaranteed. Then the Twitterverse exploded with a Best Supporting Actor win for Matthew McConaughey and his work in Magic Mike, which, for a time, seemed like it may be able to eek into that last Supporting slot at the Oscars. No dice, a Spirit Award it will have to be.
- 2/23/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
5. Amour – Dir. Michael Haneke (Austria)
Winner of the Palme D’or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, the second for auteur Michael Haneke, much mention has been made about this being Haneke’s warmest, most human film. I agree that the film is quite moving, giving us two cinematic legends at their late career best, Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant (who came out of retirement to do the film), and a moving supporting performance from Haneke favorite, Isabelle Huppert. However, I don’t really agree with classifying this as a warm or even human picture. Haneke’s glacially cold gaze doesn’t warm up at all here, simply showing us a final act of kindness born just as much out of pragmatic selfishness as it could be out of love. This is an unflinching look at the cruelty of life and nature, and those desperately looking for evidence of Haneke losing...
Winner of the Palme D’or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, the second for auteur Michael Haneke, much mention has been made about this being Haneke’s warmest, most human film. I agree that the film is quite moving, giving us two cinematic legends at their late career best, Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant (who came out of retirement to do the film), and a moving supporting performance from Haneke favorite, Isabelle Huppert. However, I don’t really agree with classifying this as a warm or even human picture. Haneke’s glacially cold gaze doesn’t warm up at all here, simply showing us a final act of kindness born just as much out of pragmatic selfishness as it could be out of love. This is an unflinching look at the cruelty of life and nature, and those desperately looking for evidence of Haneke losing...
- 12/31/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Chicago – Sean Baker’s “Starlet” is about an incredibly unlikely friendship between two women six decades apart and, like a lot of acclaimed independent films, it plays like an interesting short story adapted to celluloid. The first forty-five minutes of Baker’s debut really work, as the writer/director works with his two talented leads to craft an interesting character study. When the film has to get into more depth regarding its characters futures and pasts, it falters a bit but there’s still a lot to like here.
Jane (the beautiful Dree Hemingway, daughter of Mariel) is a porn star, although that’s not even revealed until well into the film in an explicit way that would earn the flick an Nc-17 if it weren’t unrated. Jane’s life seems relatively empty, smoking down in her non-descript apartment with her two easily distracted roommates, Melissa (Stella Maeve...
Chicago – Sean Baker’s “Starlet” is about an incredibly unlikely friendship between two women six decades apart and, like a lot of acclaimed independent films, it plays like an interesting short story adapted to celluloid. The first forty-five minutes of Baker’s debut really work, as the writer/director works with his two talented leads to craft an interesting character study. When the film has to get into more depth regarding its characters futures and pasts, it falters a bit but there’s still a lot to like here.
Jane (the beautiful Dree Hemingway, daughter of Mariel) is a porn star, although that’s not even revealed until well into the film in an explicit way that would earn the flick an Nc-17 if it weren’t unrated. Jane’s life seems relatively empty, smoking down in her non-descript apartment with her two easily distracted roommates, Melissa (Stella Maeve...
- 12/7/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The 28th Annual Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced eaelier today and while Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook both grabbed five noms a piece, it is Bernie, Keep The Lights On and Beasts of the Southern Wild who are glowing with their four noms each. Our jeers, cheers and snubs commentary shall be coming soon. Here are the entire list of nominees for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards:
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
- 11/27/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Nominations for the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced today and were led by Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook with five nominations each followed closely by fellow Best Feature nominees Beasts of the Southern Wild and Keep the Lights On as well as Ava DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere, each with four nominations. Richard Linklater's Bernie was the fifth Best Feature nominee while Middle of Nowhere found its four nominations largely in the acting categories with Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo and Lorraine Toussant all being nominated and the fourth for the John Cassavetes Award, which goes to the "best" film made for under $500,000. Looking over the list of nominees I can't help but shrug at the screenplay nomination for Ruby Sparks (a film I loathed), but it's nice to see some First Time Feature love for Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Having taken home the Best Picture award at last night’s Gotham Independent Film Awards, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom finds itself nominated in the same category in the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards, with the full list of nominations announced tonight.
Anderson’s latest film has been nominated in a healthy five categories – Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Male, and Best Cinematography – with David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook also racking up an impressive five nominations, adding Best Female Lead and Best Male Lead to Best Feature, Director, and Screenplay.
Also coming in as strong contenders are Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone; Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the Best Female Lead category for her performance in Smashed; Colin Trevorrow in the Best First Feature category for Safety Not Guaranteed, and Derek Connolly in the Best First Screenplay for the same film; director Benh Zeitlin and Beasts of the Southern Wild...
Anderson’s latest film has been nominated in a healthy five categories – Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Male, and Best Cinematography – with David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook also racking up an impressive five nominations, adding Best Female Lead and Best Male Lead to Best Feature, Director, and Screenplay.
Also coming in as strong contenders are Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone; Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the Best Female Lead category for her performance in Smashed; Colin Trevorrow in the Best First Feature category for Safety Not Guaranteed, and Derek Connolly in the Best First Screenplay for the same film; director Benh Zeitlin and Beasts of the Southern Wild...
- 11/27/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Silver Linings Playbook and Moonrise Kingdom led the Independent Spirit Award nominations with five each, including best picture.
Other best picture contenders were Bernie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Keep the Lights On.
With big-screen behemoths like Lincoln, Argo, and Les Miserables dominating Oscar talk, Film Independent’s awards — chosen by filmmakers, actors, critics, and festival programers — cast the spotlight on some smaller films that are nonetheless worthy of consideration this award season.
A little more analysis is on the way, but for now here are the nominees:
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell,...
Other best picture contenders were Bernie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Keep the Lights On.
With big-screen behemoths like Lincoln, Argo, and Les Miserables dominating Oscar talk, Film Independent’s awards — chosen by filmmakers, actors, critics, and festival programers — cast the spotlight on some smaller films that are nonetheless worthy of consideration this award season.
A little more analysis is on the way, but for now here are the nominees:
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Actors Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana and Common presented the nominees for the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards in a press conference on Tuesday, November 27 at 10:00 am at The W Hotel in Hollywood.
Both "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" lead the nominations including best picture where they will compete with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Bernie," and "Keep the Lights On."
Directors Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom") and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") are also nominated in the best director category along with Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet"), Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
And actor Matthew McConaughey's transformation is now complete. He is nominated for both best actor ("Killer Joe") and best supporting actor ("Magic Mike").
Winners of the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on February 23, 2013 when they will hold their traditional Saturday afternoon awards show...
Both "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Moonrise Kingdom" lead the nominations including best picture where they will compete with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Bernie," and "Keep the Lights On."
Directors Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom") and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") are also nominated in the best director category along with Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet"), Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
And actor Matthew McConaughey's transformation is now complete. He is nominated for both best actor ("Killer Joe") and best supporting actor ("Magic Mike").
Winners of the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on February 23, 2013 when they will hold their traditional Saturday afternoon awards show...
- 11/27/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The nominations for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning by actors Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana, and Common. Nominees for Best Feature include Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Bernie, Keep The Lights On, Moonrise Kingdom, and Silver Linings Playbook. Starlet was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is given one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm Et/Pt on IFC.
2013 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
Beasts of the Southern Wild Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn Bernie Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne,...
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm Et/Pt on IFC.
2013 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
Beasts of the Southern Wild Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn Bernie Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“We have been expropriated from our own language by education, from our songs by reality TV contests, from our cities by surveillance, from our friends by wage-labour and from our flesh by mass pornography.”
—Invisible Committee in The Coming Insurrection.
Mass pornography, more than love, will tear us apart. By pornography we intend here the (post-)industrial and addictive apparatus obsessively consumed online, for the filming of a sexual intercourse is as ‘sinful,’ voyeuristic and ‘indecent’ as any other filmed act, and it is in fact as old as cinema itself. Far from being a transgressive genre, mass-mediated pornography is the ultimate act of subjugation, insofar as it monopolises sexual urges to shelve them in the digital supermarket of desire. Providing us with an unspoken but shared vocabulary, the pervasive and instantly available rule of virtual sex can erase experience, libidinal exploration and, most unforgivably, shared carnal bliss. The almost utopian aspect of sex,...
—Invisible Committee in The Coming Insurrection.
Mass pornography, more than love, will tear us apart. By pornography we intend here the (post-)industrial and addictive apparatus obsessively consumed online, for the filming of a sexual intercourse is as ‘sinful,’ voyeuristic and ‘indecent’ as any other filmed act, and it is in fact as old as cinema itself. Far from being a transgressive genre, mass-mediated pornography is the ultimate act of subjugation, insofar as it monopolises sexual urges to shelve them in the digital supermarket of desire. Providing us with an unspoken but shared vocabulary, the pervasive and instantly available rule of virtual sex can erase experience, libidinal exploration and, most unforgivably, shared carnal bliss. The almost utopian aspect of sex,...
- 11/15/2012
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- MUBI
Why She's On Our Radar: As the daughter of Woody Allen muse Mariel Hemingway and great-granddaughter of legendary author Ernest Hemingway, 24-year-old model/actress Dree Hemingway had a lot riding on her back at SXSW earlier this year when she premiered "Starlet" -- a film that features her in her first lead role. She hit it out of the park, impressing audiences and critics with a vulnerable and star-making turn (apt given the title of Sean Baker's drama) as Jane, a 21-year-old La transplant who develops a deep bond with an elderly woman (Besedka Johnson) after a chance encounter. The film opens in select theaters this Friday. What's Next: "Right now, the biggest thing that’s in the works for me is that I’m going home to England to visit my boyfriend’s family," Hemingway told Indiewire, laughing. "I’m reading scripts, I really just want to find...
- 11/8/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
[Editor's note: This interview was conducted at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival.]
Sean Baker’s third feature film, Starlet, finds him exploring the world of sun soaked California through the eyes of porn star Jane, played by model come actress Dree Hemingway. Coming off his last film, Prince of Broadway and her successful modeling career, Baker and Hemingway came together to tell the story of the unlikely relationship that emerges between Jane and Sadie (85 year-old newcomer Besedka Johnson) when Jane stumbles upon a stash of money in an old relic bought at Sadie’s yard sale.
In his new film, Baker uses a more contained, locked down camera style then his previous works yet also incorporated more improvisation into his storytelling. Hemingway, for her part, engulfed herself in the role, spending time with adult film stars in an attempt to learn the lingo and embody the lifestyle. Below, Baker and Hemingway discuss their work methods, individually and together, what it was like...
Sean Baker’s third feature film, Starlet, finds him exploring the world of sun soaked California through the eyes of porn star Jane, played by model come actress Dree Hemingway. Coming off his last film, Prince of Broadway and her successful modeling career, Baker and Hemingway came together to tell the story of the unlikely relationship that emerges between Jane and Sadie (85 year-old newcomer Besedka Johnson) when Jane stumbles upon a stash of money in an old relic bought at Sadie’s yard sale.
In his new film, Baker uses a more contained, locked down camera style then his previous works yet also incorporated more improvisation into his storytelling. Hemingway, for her part, engulfed herself in the role, spending time with adult film stars in an attempt to learn the lingo and embody the lifestyle. Below, Baker and Hemingway discuss their work methods, individually and together, what it was like...
- 11/5/2012
- by Jesse Klein
- IONCINEMA.com
We scour the interwebs for the coolest movie news and more so you don't have to ...
Juggalos, Team Breezy, Little Monsters: What's in a name? From Trekkies to Twihards, Vulture lists a few standard conventions to follow or flout when it comes time to give your fandom an official name.
Found footage movies can be so good.... or So Bad. Upon the release of "Paranormal Activity 4," Film.com ranks the Top 5 and Bottom 5 of the subgenre. Did they get it right?
This could very well be the best cult horror comedy about an evil, foul-mouthed, blade-wielding turkey this year. Moviefone stares in awe at the trailer for "ThanksKilling 3" (you didn't miss "2," as it never existed) and sits down to a table of other ridiculous horror movies.
Okay, yeah, they probably could've done better than "Don't Ever Cross Alex Cross." The Playlist targets movie marketing teams with a list...
Juggalos, Team Breezy, Little Monsters: What's in a name? From Trekkies to Twihards, Vulture lists a few standard conventions to follow or flout when it comes time to give your fandom an official name.
Found footage movies can be so good.... or So Bad. Upon the release of "Paranormal Activity 4," Film.com ranks the Top 5 and Bottom 5 of the subgenre. Did they get it right?
This could very well be the best cult horror comedy about an evil, foul-mouthed, blade-wielding turkey this year. Moviefone stares in awe at the trailer for "ThanksKilling 3" (you didn't miss "2," as it never existed) and sits down to a table of other ridiculous horror movies.
Okay, yeah, they probably could've done better than "Don't Ever Cross Alex Cross." The Playlist targets movie marketing teams with a list...
- 10/19/2012
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
Sean Baker.s Starlet, an independent character-builder starring Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson, held its world premiere at the 2012 South By Southwest Film Festival, where it generated raves for the chemistry between the leads and the understated pacing of its relationship story. Music Box Films will be getting the film into theaters later this year, and they have prepped this trailer in preparation to give fans an idea what to expect. We.re sharing it below: As you can see, the film puts the two ladies together through a contrived scenario: Hemingway.s flighty Jane finds a stash of cash buried in an item that she purchases at Sadie.s (Johnson) garage sale. But after they .cute meet,. Jane kind of refuses to leave, because she.s oddly fascinated with the elderly San Fernando Valley resident. Jane has emotional issues, and she pushes to befriend Sadie in hopes of figuring...
- 10/18/2012
- cinemablend.com
Sean Baker's anticipated follow-up his acclaimed micro-budget indie "Prince of Broadway," "Starlet," turned heads at SXSW for its provocative subject matter, something you wouldn't have guessed after watching the just-released first trailer for the drama. "Starlet" stars fashion model and actress Dree Hemingway as Jane, a 21 year-old aspiring actress who insists on forming an unconventional friendship with elderly widow Sadie (Besedka Johnson) following a chance encounter at the latter's yard sale. After Jane discovers money in the old thermos that she purchased from Sadie, the trailer spirals forward, showcasing a glimpse of the women's relationship through a montage of bingo games, car rides, and shared conversation. In all of its innocence and subtlety, the trailer for "Starlet" seems to find its strength in the smallest of moments -- and brings into question everything that isn't revealed. ...
- 10/16/2012
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
An unlikely friendship forms between 21 year-old Jane and the elderly Sadie after Jane discovers a hidden stash of money inside an object at Sadie’s yard sale. Starring Dree Hemingway (yes,...
- 10/15/2012
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Check out this new teaser poster for Sean Baker's "Starlet." While the first poster, which we debuted here, featured sun-soaked star Dree Hemingway (one of Variety's Actors to Watch), the second capitalizes on her legs and the film's titular character, Starlet. The film, which arrives in theaters November 9, recently won the critics' Fipresci prize at the Reykjavik Film Festival and the Junior Jury's First Prize at Locarno. It debuted at SXSW (where Besedka Johnson won a Special Jury Prize for her performance) and has a busy festival slate ahead, including the Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, AFI Fest, BFI London, Warsaw, Viennale, Chicago and Thessaliniki. Starlet (played by Boondock), has his own movie-worthy story, which you can read below, courtesy of the director. Don't let the candy-colored poster or Boondock's face decieve you; "Starlet" is for grown-ups. Our interview with Baker is here. Boonee, whose proper name is...
- 10/10/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
The AFI Film Fest (11.01-11.08) have announced the line-ups for our favorite sections at the fest in the Young American selections and New Auteurs section and they’ve managed to stack up on titles that are amongst the year’s best and which in the case of two films were mysteriously passed over by the likes of Telluride, Tiff and Nyff. Michel Franco’s After Lucia (see pic above) and Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer will be making the Los Angeles premieres accompanied by the best title to come out of the Main Comp at this year’s Cannes edition in Sergei Loznitsa’s In the Fog. This trio will be joined by a trio of gems that recently premiered at Tiff in: Maja Miloš’ Clip, Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die and Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking. In the Young American Selections we find some filmmakers (Sean Baker and Amy...
- 10/3/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
This week's announcement that Olivier Père, former programmer of Cannes's Directors' Fortnight, will be stepping down from his post at the helm of the Festival del Film Locarno marks the end of brief but important era for this film festival, one of the longest-running in the world. In just three years, Père has helped to put the annual event back on the festival map, drawing an annual influx of celebrities and industry-types for red-carpet world premieres, jury prizes, and lifetime achievement awards. Perhaps more than ever in its sixty-six-year history, Locarno is an important station on the fall festival circuit, forecasting the slates of Toronto and New York and providing useful international gateway for cinema from all over the world.
This year's festival featured a characteristically dizzying mix of international festival ephemera, an Otto Preminger retrospective, and much-heralded appearances by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Alain Delon, and Harry Belafonte on the festival's main stage,...
This year's festival featured a characteristically dizzying mix of international festival ephemera, an Otto Preminger retrospective, and much-heralded appearances by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Alain Delon, and Harry Belafonte on the festival's main stage,...
- 8/29/2012
- MUBI
ICM Partners has signed Sean Baker, after the film he wrote and directed, Starlet, premiered at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival and sold to Music Box. The film stars Dree Hemingway, James Ransone, and Besedka Johnson, who received a Special Jury Recognition Award for her performance. Baker wrote/directed Prince of Broadway, which won Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival, among other accolades. He was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards for Prince Of Broadway and Take Out.
- 6/11/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Music Box Films has acquired all North American rights to Sean Baker’s “Starlet,” which had its premiere in competition at the SXSW Film Festival in March. The indie distributor plans a fall theatrical release. “Starlet” stars Dree Hemingway as a young adult-film actress who befriends an octogenarian after they have a confrontation at a yard sale and she finds a stash of money in an antique. Besedka Johnson, the 85-year old actress who plays the elderly woman, was given a special prize at SXSW for her performance. “Although we didn’t make the connections until after we saw ‘Starlet,’ we’ve enjoyed everything Sean Baker has done from ‘Greg the Bunny’ through ‘Prince of Broadway,’ so in retrospect it’s not surprising we fell for ‘Starlet’,” said Music Box managing director Ed Arentz. “As we branch out into American independent releases it’s exciting to be...
- 5/16/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
North American rights for Sean Baker's Starlet, starring Mariel Hemingway's daughter Dree, have gone to Music Box Films. Variety reports that the deal was made today at the opening of Cannes, and the distributor plans to release the film this fall. Starlet, produced by Patrick Cunningham, Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Chris Maybach, Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri, made its SXSW Film Fest premiere this year. The story follows the relationship between a 21-year-old and an elderly woman after the younger woman finds a stash of money inside a relic from the elderly woman's past. The film marked the bigscreen debut of 85 year-old Besedka Johnson.
- 5/16/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
North American rights for Sean Baker's Starlet, starring Mariel Hemingway's daughter Dree, have gone to Music Box Films. Variety reports that the deal was made today at the opening of Cannes, and the distributor plans to release the film this fall. Starlet, produced by Patrick Cunningham, Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Chris Maybach, Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri, made its SXSW Film Fest premiere this year. The story follows the relationship between a 21-year-old and an elderly woman after the younger woman finds a stash of money inside a relic from the elderly woman's past. The film marked the bigscreen debut of 85 year-old Besedka Johnson.
- 5/16/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We're going to be taking our sweet time wrapping up this year's SXSW Film Festival, looking over one section at a time and allowing for digressions and occasional notes on films that screened in Berlin and Sundance as well, focusing on what's interesting, skimming over what's not. Before we begin, a few pointers to overviews of the festival in general: IndieWIRE and the Playlist have indexed their extensive coverage and Eric Kohn's had an end-of-the-fest chat with Ben Kenigsberg and Matt Singer; James Francis Flynn posted a diary at Cinespect; and, in his podcasts for the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Kut.org, Eugene Hernandez has interviewed a slew of filmmakers and touched on broader issues with a wide range of critics: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
On to the Narrative Feature Competition, eight films in all, of which I saw none; it was only after the festival was over that I realized...
On to the Narrative Feature Competition, eight films in all, of which I saw none; it was only after the festival was over that I realized...
- 3/20/2012
- MUBI
Sean Baker’s film “Starlet” wants to play a little trick on you. It’s a fun trick, and it might be more enjoyable figuring it out on your own, but it’s the most important and interesting part of the movie, so it’s hard to talk about its merits without giving it away. In fact, the main crux of the film isn’t interesting enough without the drama of the environment, the truth of which is slowly revealed throughout the first half of the film. You may be able to figure it out within the first sequence, but the fun is in how the film tells you what’s up.
"Starlet" centers on Jane, a young, listless woman who doesn’t really have any meaningful connections in her life until she discovers that a thermos she bought at a yard sale is filled with a stash of money.
"Starlet" centers on Jane, a young, listless woman who doesn’t really have any meaningful connections in her life until she discovers that a thermos she bought at a yard sale is filled with a stash of money.
- 3/14/2012
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
With the film portion of the South By Southwest Film Festival slowly winding down -- and with those crazy music-only people seemingly turning Austin into a deleted scene from "Southland Tales" -- what better time to give out some festival awards! SXSW did just that on Tuesday night, honoring the graffiti drama "Gimme the Loot" and the rock documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker," about Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Fun! Other winners included Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and even "X-Men: First Class"? Sure thing.
Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners.
Feature Film Jury Awards
Documentary Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Special Jury Recognition for Performance:
Jamie Chung - "Eden...
Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners.
Feature Film Jury Awards
Documentary Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker"
Director: Jay Bulger
Narrative Feature Competition
Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot"
Director: Adam Leon
Special Jury Recognition for Performance:
Jamie Chung - "Eden...
- 3/14/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
With the film portion of the South By Southwest Film Festival slowly winding down -- and with those crazy music-only people seemingly turning Austin into a deleted scene from "Southland Tales" -- what better time to give out some festival awards! SXSW did just that on Tuesday night, honoring the graffiti drama "Gimme the Loot" and the rock documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker," about Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Fun! Other winners included Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and even "X-Men: First Class"? Sure thing. Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal and Festival Favorites Audience Awards will be announced separately Saturday, but for now, check out these SXSW winners. Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: "Beware of Mr. Baker" Director: Jay Bulger Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: "Gimme The Loot" Director: Adam Leon Special Jury Recognition for Performance: Jamie Chung - "Eden...
- 3/14/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Moviefone
Jay Bulger's biopic of drummer Ginger Baker wins grand jury prize for documentary, while Adam Leon's tale about graffiti artists wins prize for narrative fiction
Drum roll please ... Beware of Mr Baker, a biopic of Cream drummer Ginger Baker, has taken the grand jury prize for documentary at SXSW. Jay Bulger's film shared the festival's highest prize with Adam Leon's Gimme the Loot, which took the grand jury prize for narrative fiction for its depiction of a pair of lovable graffiti artists facing off against their rivals on the streets of New York.
Both films earned positive reviews after their world premieres at the festival this week. "Like the graffiti art it documents, it's a lovingly handmade affair," said Indiewire's Eric Kohn of Leon's film. The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore described the Baker documentary as "an affectionate but unfawning portrait that finds the drummer of Cream...
Drum roll please ... Beware of Mr Baker, a biopic of Cream drummer Ginger Baker, has taken the grand jury prize for documentary at SXSW. Jay Bulger's film shared the festival's highest prize with Adam Leon's Gimme the Loot, which took the grand jury prize for narrative fiction for its depiction of a pair of lovable graffiti artists facing off against their rivals on the streets of New York.
Both films earned positive reviews after their world premieres at the festival this week. "Like the graffiti art it documents, it's a lovingly handmade affair," said Indiewire's Eric Kohn of Leon's film. The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore described the Baker documentary as "an affectionate but unfawning portrait that finds the drummer of Cream...
- 3/14/2012
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Jury and Audience Award winners were handed out Tuesday evening in Austin as the 2012 South By Southwest Film Festival heads into its final stretch. For the first time this year, winners were announced in every category available at the festival, giving jurors a chance to choose from the 132 films that screened over the course of the fest. Jay Bulger.s Beware of Mr. Baker took home the Grand Jury prize in the Documentary Featrure category, while Adam Leon.s Gimme the Loot won in the Narrative competition. Special Jury Recognition for Performance went to Jamie Chung (Eden), Besedka Johnson (Starlet), and Nico Stone (Booster). Audience Awards, meanwhile, went to Annie Eastman.s Bay of All Saints in the documentary category and Megan Griffiths. Eden on the Narrative Feature category. .It.s been amazing this year to hear over and over again about the high range of quality across the board,...
- 3/14/2012
- cinemablend.com
Gimme the Loot (pictured), Adam Leon’s entirely winning story of two young graffiti artists discovering their own relationship as they seek to tag Shea Stadium (er… Citi Field), picked up the top Narrative Jury Prize at tonight’s SXSW awards ceremony. The Documentary Jury prize went to Beware of Mr. Baker, Jay Bulger’s portrait of famed rock drummer Ginger Baker.
The jury gave Special Recognitions for three outstanding performances in dramatic features: Jamie Chung’s starring role in Eden; Nico Stone’s in Booster; and Besedka Johnson’s debut in Starlet. The 85-year-old Johnson, who plays a bitter widower forming an unlikely friendship with a sweet porn actress (Dree Hemingway), was discovered at a gym by one of the film’s producers and asked to audition.
Audience Awards went in the Documentary category to Annie Eastman’s Bay of All Saints and in the Narrative category to Megan Griffiths’ Eden.
The jury gave Special Recognitions for three outstanding performances in dramatic features: Jamie Chung’s starring role in Eden; Nico Stone’s in Booster; and Besedka Johnson’s debut in Starlet. The 85-year-old Johnson, who plays a bitter widower forming an unlikely friendship with a sweet porn actress (Dree Hemingway), was discovered at a gym by one of the film’s producers and asked to audition.
Audience Awards went in the Documentary category to Annie Eastman’s Bay of All Saints and in the Narrative category to Megan Griffiths’ Eden.
- 3/14/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
With the film portion of SXSW festival half-over, they’ve announced their top jury winners. Taking home highest honors in narrative competition was Gimme the Loot, a film that used Kickstarter to help raise funds. The synopsis is as reads: “As Malcolm and Sofia’s latest graffiti masterpiece is buffed by a rival gang, these two determined Bronx teens must hustle, steal, and scheme to get spectacular revenge and become the biggest writers in the City.” It sounds like an interesting concept and will be looking forward to a chance to check it out after its big win.
On the documentary side, Jay Bulger‘s Beware of Mr. Baker took home top honors. The documentary explores the life of Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream and Blind Faith, who now lives in South Africa. Also featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. Check out the trailer and more info...
On the documentary side, Jay Bulger‘s Beware of Mr. Baker took home top honors. The documentary explores the life of Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream and Blind Faith, who now lives in South Africa. Also featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. Check out the trailer and more info...
- 3/14/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
SXSW is barely 24 hours away from starting (catch up with part one and part two of our preview pieces here), and at this point, it's important to be reminded that one of the things that makes the festival unique is a particular focus on the crossover between music and film, something that's been a special interest of ours since the very earliest days of The Playlist. SXSW doesn't just have a whole sidebar dedicated to music documentaries (with this year's batch including films centered on LCD Soundsystem, Paul Simon and Big Star), and a music festival that runs alongside, but the films screened seem to attract a disproportionate number of scores by indie and rock musicians.
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
- 3/8/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Okay… by this point, we can all acknowledge that The Raid‘s Redemption subtitle is silly and unneeded — in spite of whatever future plans Sony may have — so we can either a) get used to it, or b) just call it The Raid, nothing more and nothing less. I’m opting for the latter.
With that unnecessary intrusion out of the way, I can also tell you that a new, redemptive (I’ll stop now) U.S. poster has come in from Collider; if you’ve seen the initial piece by this point, however, it should look mighty familiar. (Save for a new tint, some nice quotes, and ten extra letters at the bottom.)
Take a look below, read our Sundance review here, and see the film when it opens on March 23rd:
Taking us further down the line of festival alumni is FilmSchoolRejects, who’ve landed the exclusive poster...
With that unnecessary intrusion out of the way, I can also tell you that a new, redemptive (I’ll stop now) U.S. poster has come in from Collider; if you’ve seen the initial piece by this point, however, it should look mighty familiar. (Save for a new tint, some nice quotes, and ten extra letters at the bottom.)
Take a look below, read our Sundance review here, and see the film when it opens on March 23rd:
Taking us further down the line of festival alumni is FilmSchoolRejects, who’ve landed the exclusive poster...
- 2/24/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
#54. Starlet Director: Sean BakerWriter(s): Baker and Chris BergochProducers: Blake Ashman, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Francesca Silvestri Distributor: Rights Available The Gist: This explores the unlikely friendship between Jane (Dree Hemingway), a twenty-one year old free spirit, and Sadie (Besedka Johnson) an eighty-five year old recluse - both living in the San Fernando Valley...(more) Cast: Dree Hemingway (left in pic above), Besedka Johnson and James Ransone List Worthy Reasons...: His cinema-verité styled aesthetic demonstrated in 2004's Take Out and more recently, the well-traveled Prince of Broadway (2009) makes Sean Baker's Pov better than Google's streetview. When it comes to detailing the microcosms, his docu-treament will most certainly aid in detailing one young adults journey into the seedy world of porn. Could be a break-out role for Dree Hemingway (yes that family). Release Date/Status?: Currently in the editing stages, this should be ready midway...
- 1/6/2012
- IONCINEMA.com
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