HBO acquired the feature documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart about the legendary band who wrote more than 1,000 songs, including twenty number one hits throughout their career. The film chronicles the rise of the iconic group, consisting of brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb, their music and its evolution over the years. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart will debut on HBO later this year and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
NIGHTSTREAM – formed as a banner uniting five US genre festivals — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights — who have all been affected by COVID-19, unveiled its program of films and special events set to take place virtually next month.
Following its critically acclaimed World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the dramedy film The Duke, directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) and starring Oscar winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren.
Normally held in late September, Aspen Filmfest moves to October with some of the most buzzed films of the season, including the Frances McDormand “Nomadland,” the new documentary from Oscar-winning Colorado filmmaker Bryan Fogel “The Dissident” and a drive-in screening of the Spike Lee/David Byrne concert film “American Utopia.”
HBO Max has greenlit “Not So Pretty”, a new docuseries from award-winning investigative filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s Jane Doe Films. The four episode, half-hour investigation-driven project will bring awareness to the lurking dangers in the commodities we all use every day without question for makeup, skin-care, nails, and hair. Not So Pretty is currently in production.
IFC Midnight will release killer-thriller Hunter Hunter, starring Devon Sawa (Final Destination, Idle Hands) and Nick Stahl (Bully, Disturbing Behavior) with Camille Sullivan (The Man in the High Castle), and Summer Howell (Curse of Chucky). The film, directed and written by Shawn Linden, will be released on December 18th, 2020.
Sony Pictures Classics will release Florian Zeller’s The Father in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 18, 2020, followed by most major markets on Christmas Day. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Iranian film Careless Crime (Jenayat-e bi deghat) by Shahram Mokri will have its North American Premiere at the 56th Chicago International Film Festival in the International Feature Film competition after its World Premiere in the Orizzonti competition in Venice, where it was awarded the Bisato d’Oro award.
The Indian short film CatDog directed by Ashmita Guha wins the Orona – Nest Award at the 2020 San Sebastian International Film Festival. The award which comes with 10,000 euros is given to a film “for its bold but intimate storytelling capable of suggesting the depth of fictional and also real power games”. The Speech directed by Haohao Yan received a Special Mention.
”Habitual,” the second feature film from writer/director Johnny Hickey comes to theaters and VOD this November, Friday the 13th. The psychological drug thriller/horror film stars Johnny Hickey, Chris ‘CT” Tamburello (MTV’s Real World and The Challenge), Stanley Bruno, Ally Doody, Anthony Hoang, Jaylee Hickey, Dottie Daigle, and Emilee Fitzpatrick.
The documentary-thriller hybrid The Infiltrators, co-directed by Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer) and Cristina Ibarra (Las Marthas, “Dirty Laundry: A Homemade Telenovela”) makes its national broadcast debut on Monday, October 5, 2020 on POV’s 33rd season on PBS at 10p.m. ET. The film will also be available to stream for free at pov.org until November 5, 2020.
NewFest, the New York LGBTQ Film Festival, finally unveiled the complete lineup for this year’s 32nd edition of the festival. The festival will kick off with the New York City premiere of Francis Lee’s Ammonite starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet and Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan. and will close with the virtual New York premiere of Faraz Shariat’s Teddy Award-winner No Hard Feelings.