Created Equal[/caption]
Six years after stunning audiences with his shocking documentary, Dark Girls, actor/director Bill Duke returns to directing with the legal thriller Created Equal. Created Equal, based on the novel, Created Equal written by Roger A. Brown, will World Premiere at the 2017 American Black Film Festival on Thursday, June 15, 4pm, at the Miami Beach Cinematheque (1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL).
In a world where gender equality remains a critical issue, this controversial film, doesn’t set out to challenge the Catholic Church doctrine, but asks a very modern question… Should women be allowed into seminaries to study for the priesthood? “Created Equal is a film that gives you a voyeur experience into the stained glass ceiling that exists in the Catholic Church and asks the question about women being allowed into seminaries without actually taking sides,” shares Bill Duke. “We are so excited that the American Black Film Festival has officially selected our film as a world premiere and look forward to the conversation that is created around this highly debated topic.”
The film stars Broadway actor and singer Aaron Tveit (Grease Live!) Latina actress Edy Ganem (Devious Maids), Yohance Myles (Shots Fired), veteran actors Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire) and GregAlan Williams (Greenleaf).
Desperate to become a priest in the Catholic Church, Alejandra “Allie” Batista (Edy Ganem) turns to Thomas Reilly (Aaron Tveit), a successful lawyer who files suit against the Archdiocese of New Orleans for sex discrimination without justifiable cause. As Allie’s case starts to make national headlines, both she and Tommy face serious backlash from the people in their lives. The trial unfolds and an extremist concocts a plot to stop the heresy against the church by attacking Alejandra and attempting to kill her if she doesn’t back off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Bw2UFlonMFilms
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Bill Duke Directed Indie Thriller CREATED EQUAL to World Premiere at American Black Film Festival | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_22655" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Created Equal[/caption]
Six years after stunning audiences with his shocking documentary, Dark Girls, actor/director Bill Duke returns to directing with the legal thriller Created Equal. Created Equal, based on the novel, Created Equal written by Roger A. Brown, will World Premiere at the 2017 American Black Film Festival on Thursday, June 15, 4pm, at the Miami Beach Cinematheque (1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL).
In a world where gender equality remains a critical issue, this controversial film, doesn’t set out to challenge the Catholic Church doctrine, but asks a very modern question… Should women be allowed into seminaries to study for the priesthood? “Created Equal is a film that gives you a voyeur experience into the stained glass ceiling that exists in the Catholic Church and asks the question about women being allowed into seminaries without actually taking sides,” shares Bill Duke. “We are so excited that the American Black Film Festival has officially selected our film as a world premiere and look forward to the conversation that is created around this highly debated topic.”
The film stars Broadway actor and singer Aaron Tveit (Grease Live!) Latina actress Edy Ganem (Devious Maids), Yohance Myles (Shots Fired), veteran actors Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire) and GregAlan Williams (Greenleaf).
Desperate to become a priest in the Catholic Church, Alejandra “Allie” Batista (Edy Ganem) turns to Thomas Reilly (Aaron Tveit), a successful lawyer who files suit against the Archdiocese of New Orleans for sex discrimination without justifiable cause. As Allie’s case starts to make national headlines, both she and Tommy face serious backlash from the people in their lives. The trial unfolds and an extremist concocts a plot to stop the heresy against the church by attacking Alejandra and attempting to kill her if she doesn’t back off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Bw2UFlonM
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Sundance Selects to Release Jeff Unay’s THE CAGE FIGHTER Documentary
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The Cage Fighter[/caption]
Jeff Unay’s documentary and directorial feature debut The Cage Fighter that premiered earlier this year at the 2017 San Francisco International Film Festival has been acquired by Sundance Selects for release in the US. It was written, directed and photographed by Jeff Unay.
The Cage Fighter is the story of a man in the fight of his life. Joe Carman is a blue-collar Washington State boilermaker and master plumber, a loving father and husband. Unable to cope with stresses at home, reeling from his wife’s recent illness and an ongoing custody battle, Joe escapes back into the fighting cage — the one place he’d promised never to set foot again. By trading his inner pain for physical blows, Joe struggles to heal himself and come to terms with his past. In the fighting cage, life’s problems are as simple as they are acute; but there, unlike in the real world, an old fighter can at least go down swinging.
“I am very excited that we are partnering with Sundance Selects to bring The Cage Fighter to the public,” said Jeff Unay, director. “Their prestigious label/brand of films coupled together with their penchant to distribute their films to the widest possible audience is extremely promising and very important to our film. We are proud to be part of the Sundance Selects family.”
“Jeff Unay’s impressive and beautiful debut unfolds like a narrative film in which the story of Joe Carman and his journey is portrayed with empathy and universal accessibility. We can’t wait to share his story with audiences across the country,” said Arianna Bocco, EVP of Acquisitions and Productions.
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French Musical Comedy FOOTNOTES to Open in New York on July 14
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Footnotes[/caption]
The French musical comedy Footnotes directed by Paul Calori and Kostia Testut will open in New York on Friday, July 14th at the Village East Cinema with a national release to follow.
Inspired by the films of Jacques Demy and Stanley Donen,Footnotes is a whimsical and original musical comedy about Julie, a young woman struggling to make ends meet in France’s radically changing economy. Living out of a backpack, Julie spends her days jumping from job to job until she’s finally offered a temporary stockroom position at a women’s luxury shoe factory. After making friends with the boss’s spunky receptionist Sophie and the ever-charming factory truck driver Samy, Julie thinks the hard times are behind her. But Julie’s dreams of stability collapse when management threatens to close down the factory. As her intrepid group of female colleagues get together to go on strike, Samy and the other truck drivers decide to side with the company’s scheming CEO. Julie must choose whether to keep a low profile (and a shot at permanent employment) or to resist and fight back on the picket line.
Footnotes stars Pauline Etienne, Olivier Chantreau, François Morel, Loïc Corbery and Julie Victor; and was an Official Selection of Palm Springs International Film Festival, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, Filmfest DC and many more.
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Watch Chilling First Trailer for Australian Indie Thriller LOST GULLY ROAD
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Lost Gully Trailer[/caption]
Here is the first trailer for the Australian thriller Lost Gully Trailer directed by Donna McRae. The film tells the story of Lucy, a directionless young woman who travels to a secluded cottage in the forest to wait for her sister. With no television and little communication with the outside world she spends her days alone and drinking to pass the time. That is, until her unexpected host decides to keep her company…
Lucy is played by Adele Perovic (The Code), with supporting cast Eloise Mignon (The Cherry Orchard), John Brumpton (The Loved Ones), and Jane Clifton (Prisoner, Cell Block H).
Lost Gully Trailer is directed by Donna McRae, who’s debut film Johnny Ghost (2012) was hailed as “Stylistically removed from your average gore film and just as chilling as some of the best “ by Fangoria, called an “immediate classic” by Hellnotes, and given 5 stars from Filmthreat.
The film features beautiful cinematography from Laszlo Baranyai (HSC, ACS), exquisite production design from visual artist Michael Vale, and a haunting score by Dave Graney and Clare Moore.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates and soon to be announced festival dates.
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French Film AFTER LOVE Starring Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) Opens in NYC on August 9 | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_22630" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
After Love[/caption]
The French film, After Love, (L’économie du couple) directed by Joachim Lafosse and starring Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), and Cédric Kahn will open theatrically at The Quad in NYC on Wednesday, August 9, with a national release to follow.
From the director of Our Children, Joachim Fosse, comes the story of Boris (Cédric Kahn) and Marie (Bérénice Bejo), a couple who have decided to separate after 15 years together. They have two girls that they adore, but tensions rise as cash-strapped Boris continues to live in the family home. Neither of the two is willing to compromise, making their apartment a war zone.
After Love captures with great magnitude, the painfully intimate, harrowingly drama, emotional and financial complexities of a separation, at the end of a long love story.
The film was an official selection at Directors Fortnight – Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, London Film Festival, AFI Fest and many more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDpmIYR6kmY
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Watch Trailer for Country Music Film FOREVER MY GIRL, in Theaters on January 19
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Forever My Girl[/caption]
If you like country music or just music in general, definitely watch the official trailer for Forever My Girl. The film written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf, and based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin, will be released in theaters January 19, 2018. (updated)
Forever My Girl tells the story of country music super-star Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the altar choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised. When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.
In addition to Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, the film stars Abby Ryder Fortson, Travis Tritt, Judith Hoag and John Benjamin Hickey.
The film features Original Songs:
“Don’t Water Down My Whiskey”
Written by Brett Boyett and Jackson Odell
Performed by Alex Roe
“Enough”
Written by Brett Boyett and Jackson Odell
Performed by Alex Roe
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Emmy Winner Cady McClain’s SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT to East Coast Premiere at SOHO International Film Festival
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Seeing is Believing: Women Direct[/caption]
Emmy winning actress-turned-director Cady McClain’s Seeing is Believing: Women Direct will make its East Coast Premiere and is an Official Selection of the 2017 SOHO International Film Festival, screening Monday, June 19 at Village East Cinemas.
Seeing is Believing: Women Direct is a documentary series directed, executive produced, written and edited by Cady McClain about women directors who are on the front lines of the field: from major award winners and those in the vanguard of television and feature films, to graduate students and frustrated auteurs. The first episode recently made its World Premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival, where it won an Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short. Now, McClain will debut a feature-length version at SOHO International Film Festival.
McClain has spent the past year traveling the globe, speaking to female directors of film and television and documenting their stories. The outcome is a feature film and a serialized documentary, providing insider access to the skills and tools needed to succeed as a woman in the directing field.
When only 1.9% of the top 100 films are directed by women, it is a symptom of a larger problem: an ingrained cultural bias against women’s ability to lead. McClain believes the best way to create change is to show proof that the bias is based on outdated and false ideas. Considering all aspects of the directing experience, the series will show how these women drive through obstacles creative, cultural and professional. The series is also intended to serve as peer-to-peer mentorship for anyone of any gender looking for guidance and real world experience as they pursue their dreams of becoming a visual storyteller.
Last fall, McClain started an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign for the project’s post-production, which successfully met and then surpassed its $50,000 goal by 16%. Donations were fully tax-deductible due to not-for-profit sponsorship from The Film Collaborative. The series also received a micro grant and social media support from Awesome Without Borders via the Harnisch Foundation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67qp3vjIGU
“We are so excited to be sharing our feature-length version of this documentary with the SOHO International Film Festival this June,” said Cady McClain. “My husband (who is a producer on this doc) and I are both veterans of the festival having screened his narrative feature (I was his AP) and my short (he was my PA!) in 2013 and 2015. We’ve found the audiences at SOHO to be full of savvy film lovers and caring filmmakers. The personal support from the festival of our work is truly meaningful to us both.”
The 50 interviewees include: Sarah Gavron (Suffragette, Brick Lane), Meera Menon (Equity), Oscar winner Lee Grant (Down and out in America), Lesli Linka Glatter (EP/Director, Homeland), Betty Thomas (highest grossing female director: The Brady Bunch Movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeekquel) Bethany Rooney (200+ hours primetime TV & co-author of Directors Tell the Story), Lizzie Borden (Born In Flames, Working Girls (Sundance Jury Prize), two-time Oscar-winner Sarah Kernochan (documentaries: Marjoe, Thoth), Emmy-winner Anne Makepeace (I. M. Pei: Building China Modern, Robert Capa in Love and War), Rusudan Glurdijdze (Karlovy Vary winner: House of Others), Marianna Palka (Sundance: Good Dick, Bitch), Nicole Conn (lesbian genre films: A Perfect Ending, Elena Undone), producer Deborah Del Prete (Ender’s Game, The Spirit), plus John Wells (ER, West Wing), Mike Robin (Major Crimes), Deborah Riley Draper (Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution) and many more.
The producing team: Lead Producer: Kate Super (Director/Producer: Women on the Edge), Additional Producers: Amanda Quinn Olivar (Board member, The Chimaera Project), Kimberly McCullough (Director: Pretty Little Liars), Jon Lindstrom (Director: How We Got Away With It) and Li Lu (Director: There Is a New World Somewhere).
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The Orchard to Release Jordan Ross’ Directorial Debut THUMPER from 2017 Tribeca | Video Clip
[caption id="attachment_22607" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Thumper[/caption]
Jordan Ross’s directorial debut Thumper, starring Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black) has been acquired by The Orchard for release this year. The gritty crime thriller, which debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, was written and directed by Ross (Emmy Award-winner for True Life) and also stars Eliza Taylor (The 100), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), Ben Feldman (Mad Men), Grant Harvey (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) and Daniel Webber (11.22.63).
Set in a town of low-income and fractured families, Thumper is centered around a group of teens that are lured into working for a dangerous drug dealer. A new girl arrives into town hiding a dangerous secret that will impact everybody and change their lives forever.
“Thumper is a movie so real, so authentic in its direction and performances, we were floored this was Jordan’s directorial debut,” said Paul Davidson, The Orchard’s EVP Film and Television. “There’s no doubt that this affecting drama will engage audiences, and we’re thrilled to be working with the entire team on its release.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnQvgIwHTKw
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Flying Lotus’ Psychedelic Nightmare KUSO from 2017 Sundance to Open in Theaters on July 21 | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_19996" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
A film still from Kuso by Steven Ellison.[/caption]
Flying Lotus’ psych-out nightmare Kuso which made a buzzy debut at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, will open theatrically in New York and Los Angeles from July 21, and be available on Shudder.
Kuso marks the feature directorial debut from Steve, the filmmaking alter-ego of Steve Ellison, better known as music producer, DJ and rapper Flying Lotus. Ellison’s name has become synonymous with creative innovation, having released five seminal studio albums, a slew of audio-visual marvels and, in the process, gaining two Grammy nominations including one for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly.
Broadcasting through a makeshift network of discarded televisions, Kuso depicts the aftermath of Los Angeles’s worst earthquake nightmare. Viewers travel between screens and aftershocks into the twisted lives of the survived, experiencing a hallucination that is Cronenberg meets Ren & Stimpy .
Using music, special effects and animation to take a unique look at the dark history of America, KUSO brings different characters and stories to the screen, and features a predominantly black cast. As an artist, renaissance man and auteur in the making, Steve’s work has been compared to the work of David Lynch and Matthew Barney.
The film features Hannibal Buress (NEIGHBORS, Broad City ), Anders Holm (Workaholics, The Mindy Project), Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Eastbound and Down), and iconic Funk musician George Clinton, the film also includes an original score and musical collaborations with Aphex Twin and Akira Yamaoka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRYASntddo
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French Film FALSE CONFESSIONS Starring Isabelle Huppert Sets US Release Date | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_22569" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
False Confession[/caption]
False Confessions, a film directed by Luc Bondy, starring Academy Award nominee Isabelle Huppert (Elle), and Louis Garrel (Mon Roi) will open in New York on July 14 at Lincoln Plaza Cinema and at Angelika Film Centerand; at the Laemmle Royal in LA on July 21. A national release will follow.
Luc Bondy’s final feature film as director draws talent from both stage and screen to bring Marivaux’s play into 21st century Paris. Bondy staged the play and directed the movie at the same time, using the same actors for both productions.
Isabelle Huppert commands the screen as Araminte, the wealthy widow who unwittingly hires the smitten Dorante (Garrel) as her accountant. Secrets and lies accumulate as Dorante and his accomplice, Araminte’s manservant Dubois (Yves Jacques), manipulate not only the good-hearted Araminte, but also her friend and confidante, Marton (Manon Combes). Dorante, by turns pitiable and proficient, but always deferential to his social better, walks a fine line in his quest to arouse an equal desire in the object of his affections. Bulle Ogier delivers a memorable turn as Araminte’s mother, who suspects the young man’s intentions, but wants to push her daughter into the arms of an aged, hard-up Count (Jean-Pierre Malo). Filmed in part on-site at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the film blurs the distinction between stage and screen, offering a new turn on this classic take on the psychology of love.
After Luc Bondy’s death in 2015, his wife Marie-Louise Bischofberger contributed to the completion ofFalse Confessions to achieve her late husband’s vision for the film.
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Catya Plate Returns to 2017 Brooklyn Film Festival with World Premiere of MEETING MACGUFFIN | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_22516" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller[/caption]
Award winning Brooklyn filmmaker and artist Catya Plate, whose film “Hanging By A Thread” won the Spirit Award for Animation at the Brooklyn Film Festival in 2014, is back with the World Premiere of the stop motion animated film Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller at this year’s 20th Brooklyn Film Festival which runs from June 2 to 11, 2017.
“Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller” was successfully crowd funded via Hatchfund and features the remarkable voices of Hollywood celebrities Richard Horvitz and Misty Lee.
“Meeting MacGuffin” continues the tale which began in a post-apocalyptic future where humankind had fallen apart. A new breed of scientists, the Clothespin Freaks, had been reassembling human fragments to create an alternate form of humanity. Guided by LF, an animated sign, they travel with the nearly-finished new humans called Homeys, through underground caverns to complete their reconstitution and meet Gormal MacGuffin, a wise, blue-eyed groundhog climatologist with expertise in water renewal who prepares the Homeys for their mission to restore balance to decimated Earth.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, and raised in Germany, Catya completed her BFA at the Werkkunstschule, Köln, before coming to New York on a Fulbright Scholarship for post-graduate studies at School of Visual Arts. She has been exhibiting regularly and internationally since the mid-1980’s. Her work can be found in many public and private collections worldwide, including the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art Library in New York City. Articles and reviews of Plate’s films, exhibition and installation projects have appeared, among others, in Film Threat, The New York Times and The Independent.
Meeting MacGuffin: An Animated Ecological Thriller Screenings at Brooklyn Film Festival:
Monday, June 5th, 6:30pm, Syndicated Cinema, 40 Bogart St., Brooklyn, NY 11206
Saturday, June 10, 7pm, NY Media Center, 30 John St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
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RLJ Entertainment to Release Thriller THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM Starring Olivia Cooke | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_22559" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Limehouse Golem[/caption]
The thriller The Limehouse Golem directed by Juan Carlos Medina (Painless), that world premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival will be released in theaters and On Demand on September 8, by RLJ Entertainment.
Based on the novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” by Peter Ackroyd, the film was written by the acclaimed writer Jane Goldman (Kingsmen, The Woman in Black), and stars Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Underworld), Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, “Bates Motel”), Douglas Booth (Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, Noah), Daniel Mays (“Line of Duty”) and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Homes, “Ray Donovan”).
The city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneaking SUSPICION he’s being set up to fail. Faced with a long list of suspects, including music hall star Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), Kildare must get help from a witness who has legal troubles of her own (Olivia Cooke), so he can stop the murders and bring the killer to justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCJp8-MebGY