• Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Mind-Bending Indie Thriller THE ENDLESS to Open in Theaters on March 23rd | Trailer

    ,
    The Endless The mind-bending thriller The Endless directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will open in theaters on March 23rd, 2018.   The film stars Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Emily Montague, Lew Temple, Tate Ellington and James Jordan. Following their Lovecraftian modern cult classic Spring, acclaimed filmmakers Moorhead and Benson return with this mind-bending thriller that follows two brothers who receive a cryptic video message inspiring them to revisit the UFO death cult they escaped a decade earlier. Hoping to find the closure that they couldn’t as young men, they’re forced to reconsider the cult’s beliefs when confronted with unexplainable phenomena surrounding the camp. As the members prepare for the coming of a mysterious event, the brothers race to unravel the seemingly impossible truth before their lives become permanently entangled with the cult. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXB0DK3upGY

    Read more

  • LOVE AFTER LOVE Starring Chris O’Dowd and Andie MacDowell, Sets March 30th Release Date | VIDEO

    Andie MacDowell as Suzanne in LOVE AFTER LOVE. Love After Love directed by Russell Harbaugh and starring Chris O’Dowd and Andie MacDowell, takes an unblinking look at a family navigating their way forward in the shadow of a shared loss. IFC Films will release Love After Love in theaters and on demand March 30th, 2018. Suzanne (Andie MacDowell) and Glenn (Gareth Williams) are college theatre professors, enjoying a playful, tempestuous marriage surrounded by students and family. Their two sons are Nicholas (Chris O’Dowd), a successful book editor in a relationship with Rebecca (Juliet Rylance), and Chris (James Adomian), perpetually attempting to find an outlet for his vague, impassioned creativity. When Glenn becomes ill with cancer, the family waits out his last Summer days together. Glenn’s eventual death prompts curious, contradictory reactions: Nicholas jettisons his long-term relationship with Rebecca and becomes haphazardly engaged to his father’s student, Emilie (Dree Hemingway); Suzanne, now displaced as mother and wife, begins to see a series of men; Chris lurches forward, careening from failure to failure while pursuing an artistic career. Ill-equipped to attend to their mounting emotional needs, the family finds release in alternatively abhorrent and joyful ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUb2z6yT_bI

    Read more

  • Indie Thriller “JOSIE” Starring Sophie Turner, Dylan McDermott Eyes a March 2018 Release Date

    JOSIE starring Sophie Turner, Dylan McDermott Eric England’s thriller “Josie” starring Sophie Turner, Dylan McDermott, and Jack Kilmer will be released day-and-date in theaters in March 2018 via Screen Media Films. The residents of a small, southern town are forever changed when the tattooed, sweet-talking stranger Josie (Sophie Turner) struts into town. Striking up relationships with a local young punk Marcus (Jack Kilmer) and her loner neighbor Hank (Dylan McDermott), she quickly becomes a hot topic of local gossip. But her true intentions for arriving in town are far more sinister when her dark past comes to light. “Anthony’s story is populated with such rich characters and emotions. It was a privilege to explore and create that world with artists like Dylan and Sophie. I’m truly excited for audiences to see their performances,” said director Eric England.

    Read more

  • Watch Trailer for Award-Winning Documentary THE PEACEMAKER, Portrait of International Peacemaker Padraig O’Malley

    documentary The Peacemaker The award winning documentary The Peacemaker, directed by James Demo, is an intimate portrait of Padraig O’Malley, an international peacemaker who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself.   The film takes us from Padraig’s isolated life in Cambridge, Massachusetts to some of the most dangerous crisis zones on Earth – from Northern Ireland to Kosovo, Nigeria to Iraq – as he works a peacemaking model based on his recovery from addiction. We meet Padraig in the third act of his life in a race against time to find some kind of salvation for both the world and himself. The Peacemaker will open in New York at Cinema Village on Friday, February 9, 2018 ahead of a wider release.
    DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – JAMES DEMO In 1971, Padraig O’Malley gambled his college scholarship on the Ali-Frazier fight, lost and dropped out of Harvard. He landed at The Plough and Stars, a pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he met a number of Irish ex-pats. Through those contacts O’Malley eventually got involved in solving The Troubles in Northern Ireland, even famously bringing Nelson Mandela into the Northern Irish peace process. I first heard about Padraig four decades later, while I was having a pint at the Plough, which he now owned. At the time, Padraig was in Iraq, moving in and out of the Green Zone, trying to get warring parties to meet with Northern Irish and South African chief-negotiators who had helped settle major conflicts in the past. It surprised me that the owner of this little corner bar was risking his life to do this kind of work. I had to know more. I got in touch with Padraig and asked him to meet with me. He explained that he never went into his bar because he was a recovering alcoholic, so we agreed to meet late one night in a Boston-area library. He told me the incredible story of his life and how his recovery from addiction informed his current work. I asked him if I could follow him during a new reconciliation effort he was launching in divided cities in conflict zones. As we filmed, and I spent more time with Padraig, it became clear that the conflict I was documenting was more personal, even existential. Four continents and five years later I wrapped production on The Peacemaker, about an extraordinary man who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself. – James Demo

    Read more

  • VIDEO: Watch Evan Rachel Wood as a Rebel in New ALLURE Trailer

    Allure starring Evan Rachel Wood. Samuel Goldwyn Films has released a new trailer for Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s Allure starring Evan Rachel Wood. The film previously titled A Worthy Companion, was an Official Selection of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival; and will open in theaters on March 16, 2018 in New York and Los Angeles, plus available on Demand and Digital. In the film, Laura (Evan Rachel Wood) works as a house cleaner for her father’s company but her personal life is not so pristine. Rough around the edges, looking for love in all the wrong places, her heartbreaking behavior points to hardships of the past. One day on the job, in yet another house, Laura meets Eva (Julia Sarah Stone), a quiet teenager unhappy with her disciplined life. In Eva, Laura rediscovers an innocent tenderness. In Laura, Eva finds a thrilling rebel who can bring her into unknown territories. The mutual attraction soon morphs into obsession as Laura convinces Eva to run away and secretly come live with her, perilously raising the stakes for the young, impressionable girl as Laura’s emotional instability becomes increasingly clear. As their world closes in, they must unearth certain truths to find a way out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IvU4gZfKOQ

    Read more

  • Filmmakers: Apply for $25,000 SFFILM / Vulcan Productions Environmental Fellowship

    ,
    SFFILM SFFILM, in partnership with Vulcan Productions, has launched a new support program designed for nonfiction filmmakers, adding to its slate of artist development offerings for independent storytellers from across the US. The SFFILM / Vulcan Productions Environmental Fellowship kicked off yesterday with an open call for applications for fellowships for mid-career or established filmmakers telling powerful stories about conservation and environmental issues. The winner of the inaugural SFFILM / Vulcan Productions Environmental Fellowship will receive:
    • A $25,000 cash grant
    • Guidance from advisors with expertise in the specific environmental issue they are exploring
    • Travel to San Francisco and Seattle to participate in workshops on filmmaking and environmental activism
    • Lesson plans for educational outreach, developed by SFFILM Education staff
    • Strategic consultation from SFFILM and Vulcan Productions staff, including SFFILM and Vulcan filmmakers and policy, science and technology experts, as well as documentary mentors, who will advise the fellow artistically while providing industry support that will allow the filmmakers to successfully enter fundraising and production
    SFFILM and Vulcan Productions share the belief that filmmakers tackling stories about climate change and the natural world need and deserve meaningful financial and creative support, particularly as environmental and scientific research and initiatives are being threatened. The SFFILM / Vulcan Productions Environmental Fellowship is geared towards mid-career or established documentary filmmakers from across the United States who are addressing pressing environmental issues through compelling storytelling and who are in the development or early production phase of their projects. “We’re thrilled to partner with Vulcan Productions to ensure great documentaries are being made about such a crucial subject as the environment, which is dear to us both,” said SFFILM Director of Artist Development, Caroline von Kühn. “This fellowship adds to SFFILM’s commitment to supporting filmmakers at the early development stage and to surround them with filmmaker advisors and environmental thought leaders in the Bay Area to support such critical stories being told.” “Stories about the environment and conservation that inform and enlighten have never been more important,” said Carole Tomko, General Manager and Creative Director of Vulcan Productions. “SFFILM is the perfect partner to support emerging filmmakers in telling these vital stories. Through the SFFILM / Vulcan Environmental Fellowship, we hope to enable greater storytelling on today’s critical environmental issues.” In addition to receiving funding resources and consultation services from SFFILM and Vulcan Productions, fellows will benefit from an SFFILM residency, accompanying guidance from the SFFILM Mentorship Advisory Board—an established network of directors, producers, editors, managers, and legal consultants to help navigate their looming funding and producing concerns—and additional documentary mentors. The fellowship selection process will seek out documentary features with an emphasis on powerful stories, compelling storytelling, and a focus on pressing issues of the environment or conservation. The program is open to mid-career and established documentary filmmakers across the US who are in the development or early production phase of their projects. Stories and subjects may be from any country. The application for the SFFILM / Vulcan Productions Environmental Fellowship is now open, and will close on March 5.

    Read more

  • 2018 New York International Children’s Film Festival Reveals Opening Lineup + VR Mini Fest

    ,
    [caption id="attachment_26446" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Clockwise: Lu Over the Wall, White Fang, Wolves in the Walls, A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2 Clockwise: Lu Over the Wall, White Fang, Wolves in the Walls, A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2[/caption] This year’s 2018 New York International Children’s Film Festival opens on Friday, February 23rd, with the East Coast premiere of anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa’s Lu Over the Wall. Boasting a distinctive, off-kilter animation style, eye-popping color palette, and outrageous music, Yuasa’s latest gem is, at its core, a captivating coming of age story. The eponymous Lu is a manic mermaid with a show-stopping voice who helps Kai, a gifted teenager unfulfilled by small-town life, discover his own. Winner of the Grand Prize Cristal Award at Annecy 2017, Lu evokes charming hints of Miyazaki, but claims a frenetic energy and surreal, freewheeling structure all its own. Rounding out Opening Weekend is the Saturday, February 24th, Opening Spotlight screening of Academy Award®-winning director and NYICFF alum Alexandre Espigares’ debut feature, White Fang. An ambitious animated retelling of the classic Jack London novel, White Fang employs the voice work of Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Eddie Spears, and Paul Giamatti to tell the epic journey of White Fang’s life from pup to sled-dog to abused prizefighter and beyond, set in the gorgeously rendered landscape of the Pacific Northwest frontier. On Saturday, March 10, NYICFF presents a special sneak peek Centerpiece screening of The Austere Academy: Parts 1 & 2, the highly-anticipated first episodes of Netflix’s original program A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and based on the Lemony Snicket series by Daniel Handler, this lauded adaptation is hailed as having “a respect for the ability of young minds to perceive offbeat, incongruous humor, the very quality that made the books so successful in the first place” (The New York Times). The new season returns with an all-star cast, including the brilliant Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, and plenty of nefarious schemes to catch the Baudelaire orphans. Season 2 releases March 30 only on Netflix. The 2018 Festival will also showcase the inaugural edition of VR JR., a full weekend of Virtual Reality experiences, a special VR creators’ talk, and demos uniquely curated to provide a thoughtful point of entry for children and families to explore this new medium. Taking place Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, the pioneering program showcases the latest VR projects that place kids at the helm of their own immersive story world. Projects include the East Coast premiere of the Neil Gaiman picture book adaptation Wolves in the Walls, directed by Pete Billington, and Golden Globe-nominated director Jorge Gutiérrez’s Son of Jaguar, a new Google Spotlight Story placing viewers into the story of a family of Mexican wrestlers. The 21st anniversary of the Oscar qualifying Festival will run from February 23rd to March 18th, 2018

    OPENING NIGHT:

    LU OVER THE WALL, dir. Masaaki Yuasa (Japan) – 2018, East Coast premiere, Animation, 107 minutes Though obedient to his family, Kai’s quiet life in a traditional Japanese seaside town starts to rock and roil when he secretly joins a band with his classmates. His true interest is where they practice —on the foreboding Merfolk Island—a place that turns out to be even wilder than the town lore suggests. Enter Lu: a mermaid girl with the soul and voice of a pop star, who steals the show in this shape-shifting, musical/anime hybrid.

    OPENING SPOTLIGHT:

    WHITE FANG, dir. Alexandre Espigares (France/Luxembourg/USA) – 2018, East Coast premiere, Animation, 85 minutes NYICFF alum and Oscar®-winning short film director Alexandre Espigares returns with his feature debut, a thrilling and thought-provoking adaptation of Jack London’s classic tale. White Fang and his fellow canines call the rugged beauty of the Yukon territory home, but with the Gold Rush of the 1890s they are thrust against the harsh life of profit-seeking prospectors. Will the tribal leader or a new peacekeeping couple offer White Fang another path?

    CENTERPIECE:

    A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: SEASON 2, THE AUSTERE ACADEMY, dirs. Barry Sonnenfeld and Daniel Handler (USA) – 2018, Special Preview Screening, Live Action, 98 minutes (Parts 1 & 2)

    VIRTUAL REALITY:

    VR JR., Interactive VR Experiences and VR JR. Talk High-quality, innovative programming into new digital realms, offering the first dedicated Virtual Reality mini-fest for kids and families.

    Read more

  • Kino Lorber will Release GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI Documentary | Trailer

    Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami The documentary GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI that world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival will be released by Kino Lorber in theaters in early April, with a VOD and home media release set for Fall 2018. The film marks the second collaboration between Kino Lorber and Sophie Fiennes, following the company’s release of the director’s previous feature film, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow. Zeitgeist Films, currently in a distribution partnership with Kino Lorber, also released two other documentaries directed by Sophie Fiennes: The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology and The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, both featuring renowned philosopher Slavoj Zizek. Kino Lorber CEO wrote in a prepared statement: “I saw Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones documentary in the front row at its TIFF premiere — she was literally way larger than life. But the film and the woman are no less so in the back row … It’s a jaw-dropping experience that ricochets artfully between the intimate and galactic, the personal and the public worlds of an iconic superstar. I can’t wait to bring this unique cinematic encounter to North American audiences — one sure to engender many, many new Grace Jones fans.” Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami re-invents the music documentary as an electrifying journey through the performance, private and public worlds of pop cultural icon Grace Jones. Jones’ bold aesthetic echoes throughout the film as director Sophie Fiennes creates a powerful cinematic experience, contrasting breathtaking musical sequences with intimate personal footage, ultimately reaching beyond the iconic mask. The film also features renowned photographer and Jones’ frequent creative collaborator Jean-Paul Goude, as well as Jamaican duo Sly and Robbie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKx4Rag680g

    Read more

  • FrightFest Announces Glasgow Film Festival 2018 Line-up, Kicks off with GHOST STORIES

    [caption id="attachment_26416" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Ghost Stories Ghost Stories[/caption] FrightFest, the horror fantasy event returns to Glasgow Film Festival for its 13th year, from Thursday March 1, to Saturday March 3, 2018. This year’s bold line-up, once again housed at the iconic Glasgow Film Theatre, embraces the latest horror, fantasy and sci-fi discoveries from ten countries, spanning four continents, reflecting the world-wide popularity of the genre. Ghost Stories remains one of the scariest stage shows ever seen and on Thursday night FrightFest kicks off with a special screening of Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s smash hit phenomenon. Starring Martin Freedman, Paul Whitehouse, as well as Nyman, this unforgettable screen adaptation terrifies in a whole new thrilling and chilling dimension. Jeremy and Andy will be attending. This is followed by the Scottish premiere of Brian O’Malley’s supernatural romance The Lodgers, a masterful Irish set Gothic ghost story, starring Charlotte Vega and David Bradley. Friday’s line-up lunges into vampiric action with the UK premiere of Dragos Buliga’s The Wanderers: Quest of the Demon Hunter, an inspired modern twist on Transylvanian mythology. This is followed by the world premiere of writer/director Kelly Greene’s pastiche gem Attack of the Bat Monsters. If you liked The Love Witch, this is your new retro-perfect jam and Kelly will be in attendance. Next up is the UK premiere of The Ravenous, writer/director Robin Aubert’s surreal and wickedly humorous addition to the Living Dead canon. The 8.45pm presentation is the UK premiere of the powerfully gripping Cold Skin. At the vanguard of French extreme cinema, director Xavier Gens made his name with Frontiere(s) and The Divide. Now he brings us a stunning adaptation of Albert Sánchez Piñol’s acclaimed novel that’s part H.P. Lovecraft, part Joseph Conrad and Xavier will be at the festival to discuss his film. Rounding off the evening is the European premiere of Primal Rage, a creature feature that blows the lid off traditional Bigfoot mythology. Special effects guru/director Patrick Magee has created an intelligent, cunning primitive warrior being guaranteed to terrify. Getting the Saturday program off to a demonically hellish start is the UK premiere of Paul Urkijo’s visually breath-taking fantasy The Blacksmith and the Devil a vivid Basque fairy-tale, produced by Spanish legend Alex de la Iglesia, This is followed by the European premiere of supernatural chiller Pyewacket, a beautifully paced, dread-filled study of occult belief by writer/director Adam MacDonald. Next up is the UK premiere of Friendly Beast, Gabriela Amaral Almeida’s intense shocker, which explores the latent evil within us all. Climb on board for a fiendishly tense slay-ride as the evening programme kicks off with the UK premiere of director Adam Marcus’ savvy seasonal shocker Secret Santa. Marcus will be joined onstage by some of the cast and producers. Following this is the much anticipated UK premiere of Tigers Are Not Afraid, an unflinching South of the Border cautionary fable, an audacious mix of Pan’s Labyrinth and Narcos, which firmly announces director Issa López as a rising star of Mexico’s New Wave cinema. This year’s global celebration of the genre ends on an adrenalin-fuelled high with the European premiere of Neil Mackay’s ultra-violent, action-packed thriller Sixty Minutes to Midnight. Actor Arnold Sydney Junior and producer Frank Leraci will be in Glasgow to introduce the movie. Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director, said today: “With our bold choices and the quality of programming, FrightFest is once again positioned to deliver at our beloved second home in Glasgow. It’s no surprise to us that the genre has just had its biggest and most successful year. If you’ve ever attended one of our events, you’ll know exactly why. For FrightFest will always create a communal space where the pure enjoyment of the occasion is paramount and a vital shared experience. Welcome to our Pleasure Dome, FrightFest- Glasgow-style”.

    Read more

  • Directors of Documentaries “Icarus” “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” “City of Ghosts” among 5 Nominated for Directors Guild of America Awards

    ,
    [caption id="attachment_15896" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Abacus: Small Enough to Jail[/caption] The directors of five documentaries have been nominated for the Directors Guild of America for the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2017.  “Directors are driving the push to more distinctive television, eye-catching commercials and powerful documentaries,” said Schlamme. “From 30-second spots to multi-hour mini-series, the nominees across these nine categories are leading that charge. We are proud to honor the tremendous range of excellence found in the projects nominated today. Congratulations to all of the nominees.” The winners will be announced at the 70th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

    Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

    The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2017 are (in alphabetical order): KEN BURNS & LYNN NOVICK The Vietnam War PBS This is Mr. Burns’ and Ms. Novick’s second DGA Award nomination. They were previously nominated in this category in 2007 for The War. BRYAN FOGEL Icarus Netflix This is Mr. Fogel’s first DGA Award nomination. MATTHEW HEINEMAN City of Ghosts Amazon This is Mr. Heineman’s second DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary in 2015 for Cartel Land. STEVE JAMES Abacus: Small Enough to Jail PBS This is Mr. James’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary in 1994 for Hoop Dreams, and was also nominated in this category in 2008 for At the Death House Door (co-directed with Peter Gilbert) and 2011 for The Interrupters. ERROL MORRIS Wormwood Netflix This is Mr. Morris’s fourth DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in this category in 1999 for Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter, Jr. and in 2003 for The Fog of War. Mr. Morris was also nominated in the Commercials category in 2003 for “Pager” and “Alternative Fuel” (Miller), “Bernard” and “Kathryn” (Nike) and “Meanwhile” (Cisco).

    Read more

  • Alex Gibney’s New Docu Series “Dirty Money” to Debut on Netflix on January 6 | Trailer

    Dirty Money - Alex Gibney Dirty Money, from Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney, is a thrilling six-part investigative series that provides an up-close and personal view into untold stories of scandal and corruption in the world of business. Using first-hand accounts from perpetrators and their victims, combined with rarely-seen video footage, Dirty Money is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. “Dirty Money” will debut globally on Netflix on January 26, 2018. Episodes and directors include: HARD NOx (Directed by Alex Gibney) – Gibney reveals shocking new details about VW’s corporate deceit, and exposes the unholy alliance between governments and automakers that allowed the automaker to put tens of thousands of lives at risk — all for the sake of a $500 part. PAYDAY (Directed by Jesse Moss) – Targeting unsuspecting Americans, a group of payday lenders made millions off small loans with undisclosed charges, inflated interest rates and incomprehensible rules. But the way the laws are written, is that a crime or just business? DRUG SHORT (Directed by Erin Lee Carr) – Wall Street short-sellers expose a scam that regulators overlook: how Big Pharma gouges patients in need of life-saving drugs. CARTEL BANK (Directed by Kristi Jacobson) – For decades, HSBC, one of the world’s largest banks, laundered hundreds of millions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels. Senator Elizabeth Warren, dogged journalists and prosecutors try to hold the bankers to account. But will they be judged “too big to jail?” THE MAPLE SYRUP HEIST (Directed by Brian McGinn) – In Canada, maple syrup is worth more than oil. When $20 million of syrup goes missing, the trail leads back to an epic battle between cartels and the little guy. THE CONFIDENCE MAN (Directed by Fisher Stevens) – A rollicking profile of the rise and reign of TRUMP Inc. Weaving together a tapestry of tales in real estate booms and busts, Stevens lays out how Donald Trump’s business career transformed from epic failures into a consummate branding machine that propelled him into office. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsplLiZHbj0

    Read more

  • Directors of “Lady Bird” “Patti Cake$” “Wind River” Earn Nominations for 2017 Directors Guild of America Feature Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_19920" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Patti Cake$ Patti Cake$[/caption] Directors Guild of America President Thomas Schlamme announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, and also for First-Time Feature Film Director for 2017. “2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the DGA Awards, and filmmaking has reached new heights with each passing year. These nominees embody the excellence that comes to life when unique vision, craft and skill come together in pursuit of masterful storytelling,” said Schlamme. “Being nominated by their peers is what makes this award especially meaningful for directors, and I congratulate all of the nominees for their outstanding work.”

    Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film

    The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2017 are (in alphabetical order): GUILLERMO del TORO The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Mr. del Toro’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: J. Miles Dale Production Manager: Dennis Chapman First Assistant Director: Pierre Henry Second Assistant Director: Tyler Delben This is Mr. del Toro’s first DGA Award nomination. GRETA GERWIG Lady Bird (A24) Ms. Gerwig’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: Lila Yacoub, Danielle Blumstein, Jamin O’Brien (New York Crew) First Assistant Directors: Jonas Spaccarotelli, Cedric Vara (New York Crew) Second Assistant Directors: Brendan Lee, Dana Zolli (New York Crew) Second Second Assistant Directors: Lillian Awa, Teri Barber This is Ms. Gerwig’s first DGA Award nomination. MARTIN McDONAGH Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Mr. McDonagh’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Bergen Swanson Assistant Unit Production Manager: Peggy Robinson First Assistant Director: Peter Kohn Second Assistant Director: Paula Case Second Second Assistant Director: Spencer Taylor This is Mr. McDonagh’s first DGA Award nomination. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN Dunkirk (Warner Bros.) Mr. Nolan’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: David Witz, Christine Raspillere (France Unit), Chris Brock (UK Unit), Nicky Tüske (Netherlands Unit) First Assistant Directors: Nilo Otero, William Pruss (France Unit), Willem Quarles van Ufford (Netherlands Unit) Second Assistant Director: Eric Lasko, Nicolas Baldino (France Unit), Alexis Chelli (France Unit), Clément Comet (France Unit) Second Second Assistant Director: Alina Gatti This is Mr. Nolan’s fourth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Inception in 2010, for The Dark Knight in 2008 and for Memento in 2001. JORDAN PEELE Get Out (Universal Pictures) Mr. Peele’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: Marcei A. Brown, Rick A. Osako (Fairhope Unit) First Assistant Director: Gerard DiNardi Second Assistant Directors: Ram Paul Silbey, Marc Newland (Fairhope Unit), Jack McKenna (New York Unit) Second Second Assistant Director: Maggie Ballard Location Manager: Kurt Engler (New York Unit) This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Peele. He is also nominated in the First-Time Feature Film category for Get Out.

    Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film

    The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director for 2017 are (in alphabetical order): GEREMY JASPER Patti Cake$ (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Mr. Jasper’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Sara Blechman First Assistant Director: Inna Braude Second Assistant Director: Natasha Rivera Second Second Assistant Director: Lucas Isabella Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Alice Johnson This is Mr. Jasper’s first DGA Award nomination. WILLIAM OLDROYD Lady Macbeth (Roadside Attractions) Mr. Oldroyd’s Directorial Team: Production Manager: Robert K. Harm Unit Manager: Eugene Galbrath First Assistant Director: George Every Second Assistant Director: Richard Stanley Jan Harris This is Mr. Oldroyd’s first DGA Award nomination. JORDAN PEELE Get Out (Universal Pictures) Mr. Peele’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: Marcei A. Brown, Rick A. Osako (Fairhope Unit) First Assistant Director: Gerard DiNardi Second Assistant Directors: Ram Paul Silbey, Marc Newland (Fairhope Unit), Jack McKenna (New York Unit) Second Second Assistant Director: Maggie Ballard Location Manager: Kurt Engler (New York Unit) This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Peele. He is also nominated in the Feature Film category for Get Out. TAYLOR SHERIDAN Wind River (Acacia Entertainment) Mr. Sheridan’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Christopher H. Warner First Assistant Director: Nicolas Harvard Second Assistant Director: Jason Altieri Second Second Assistant Director: Kristina Massie This is Mr. Sheridan’s first DGA Award nomination. AARON SORKIN Molly’s Game (STX Entertainment) Mr. Sorkin’s Directorial Team: Unit Production Managers: Lyn Lucibello-Brancatella, Stuart M. Besser, Michael Beugg (Los Angeles Unit) Assistant Unit Production Manager: Bart Lipton (Los Angeles Unit) First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic Second Assistant Directors: Penny Charter, Travis Rehwaldt (New York Unit), Paula Case (Los Angeles Unit) Second Second Assistant Directors: Conor Griff (New York Unit), Drew Ritson (New York Unit), Bryan Snodgrass (Los Angeles Unit) Location Manager: Dena Ghieth (New York Unit) This is Mr. Sorkin’s first DGA Award nomination.

    Read more