Unfortunately even her talents cannot save perfunctory tale of a discontented American woman who inherits an Italian crime family
Not even the fierce wattage of Toni Collette’s talent can light up this hokey crime comedy, a kind of wacky mobster spin on the idea of the unhappy American woman finding herself and learning to love again in a luxury Euro-tourist paradise; Mafia Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, perhaps. It’s directed by Catherine Hardwicke from a story idea by French author and film-maker Amanda Sthers, who gave us Madame – another film into which Collette tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to breathe some life.
Here she plays Kristin, an empty-nester whose son has just gone away to college; she is bored and unfulfilled by her job as a big pharma PR, and her husband turns out to be a cheating slimeball. Then she receives news that her Italian grandfather has...
Not even the fierce wattage of Toni Collette’s talent can light up this hokey crime comedy, a kind of wacky mobster spin on the idea of the unhappy American woman finding herself and learning to love again in a luxury Euro-tourist paradise; Mafia Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, perhaps. It’s directed by Catherine Hardwicke from a story idea by French author and film-maker Amanda Sthers, who gave us Madame – another film into which Collette tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to breathe some life.
Here she plays Kristin, an empty-nester whose son has just gone away to college; she is bored and unfulfilled by her job as a big pharma PR, and her husband turns out to be a cheating slimeball. Then she receives news that her Italian grandfather has...
- 11/15/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
13 titles have received funding in the latest round from the £7m per year UK Global Screen Fund.
A raft of UK Cannes titles are among the 13 features to receive awards given out by the British Film Institute (BFI) in the latest round of funding from the £7m per year UK Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf), supporting international opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector.
These include Jessica Hausner’s Club Zero, on which Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge is the UK producer and will receive the award; Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex, with the funding going to Emily Leo...
A raft of UK Cannes titles are among the 13 features to receive awards given out by the British Film Institute (BFI) in the latest round of funding from the £7m per year UK Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf), supporting international opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector.
These include Jessica Hausner’s Club Zero, on which Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge is the UK producer and will receive the award; Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex, with the funding going to Emily Leo...
- 7/7/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The comedy Moving On, the latest Jane Fonda / Lily Tomlin collaboration, reached theatre screens back on March 17th. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game franchise, was released on March 31st. The “Nicolas Cage as Dracula” comedy Renfield followed on April 14th. So did the “Russell Crowe vs. the forces of evil” film The Pope’s Exorcist and the action comedy Mafia Mamma. Now they’re all set to reach Vudu, Fandango’s premium on-demand video service, on the same day, and that day is tomorrow. May 2nd!
Viewers will be able to watch each of the films in Sd, HD, or Uhd for the following prices: Renfield, The Pope’s Exorcist and Mafia Mamma will be available for $24.99, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for $19.99, and Moving On for $12.99.
Written and directed by Paul Weitz, Moving On has the following synopsis: Jane Fonda...
Viewers will be able to watch each of the films in Sd, HD, or Uhd for the following prices: Renfield, The Pope’s Exorcist and Mafia Mamma will be available for $24.99, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for $19.99, and Moving On for $12.99.
Written and directed by Paul Weitz, Moving On has the following synopsis: Jane Fonda...
- 5/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
For filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke‘s latest feature, she went for the funny. Mafia Momma offers a solid collection of talented performers including Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, and Sophia Nomvete, for a little R-rated comedy. The story involves Kristin, a woman who finds that her grandfather was a major player in the mafia. After he is killed, she is unexpectedly invited to his funeral, and suddenly finds herself on a wild adventure. Based on a story by Amanda Sthers, the screenplay was written by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon.
Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci are absolute class. And yes, it’s a thrill speaking to the two. As well, Toni Collette and Sophia Nomvete were utterly hilarious to chat with. The two opened up about the dark comedy, and their chemistry was wonderful even off-screen in an interview. We also spoke with Catherine Hardwicke and Monica Bellucci about taking on this particular tale.
Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci are absolute class. And yes, it’s a thrill speaking to the two. As well, Toni Collette and Sophia Nomvete were utterly hilarious to chat with. The two opened up about the dark comedy, and their chemistry was wonderful even off-screen in an interview. We also spoke with Catherine Hardwicke and Monica Bellucci about taking on this particular tale.
- 4/14/2023
- by JimmyO
- JoBlo.com
Watching Mafia Mamma, a slapstick farce about a middle-aged American woman who abruptly inherits an Italian mob empire, you can imagine its star, Toni Collette, in an episode of The Sopranos. She’s got Carmela‘s icy-blonde look and, by the end of the movie, commands a room like Tony. But here, it’s all in the service of an unabashedly screwball story — and Collette shines with an all-out silliness you’ve never seen before.
“I literally had the time of my life!” Collette tells Rolling Stone of Mafia Mamma.
“I literally had the time of my life!” Collette tells Rolling Stone of Mafia Mamma.
- 4/14/2023
- by Miles Klee
- Rollingstone.com
No one is having as much fun as Toni Collette.
The Golden Globe, SAG Award, and Emmy winner leads mob boss comedy “Mafia Mamma” from director Catherine Hardwicke, marking a reunion since their 2015 film “Miss You Already.” A spoof cross between “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “The Godfather” with a dash of an “In Her Shoes” makeover, “Mafia Mamma” puts Collette in the driver’s seat — not that she needed any permission.
“The experience of making it was the most joyous of my career,” Collette told IndieWire during a recent interview. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
The script was sent to Collette during the Covid lockdown, and she immediately thought of Hardwicke. “It just made me laugh so much. I just thought, ‘Man, if this can do this for me at this time, I want to bring this to life.’ I had such a special...
The Golden Globe, SAG Award, and Emmy winner leads mob boss comedy “Mafia Mamma” from director Catherine Hardwicke, marking a reunion since their 2015 film “Miss You Already.” A spoof cross between “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “The Godfather” with a dash of an “In Her Shoes” makeover, “Mafia Mamma” puts Collette in the driver’s seat — not that she needed any permission.
“The experience of making it was the most joyous of my career,” Collette told IndieWire during a recent interview. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
The script was sent to Collette during the Covid lockdown, and she immediately thought of Hardwicke. “It just made me laugh so much. I just thought, ‘Man, if this can do this for me at this time, I want to bring this to life.’ I had such a special...
- 4/13/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Mafia Mamma coulda been a contender, a sharp idea to throw an unsuspecting wife, mother and frustrated businesswoman into a new life as the head of an Italian crime family. Instead, though blessed to have the wonderful Toni Collette in the title role, it becomes a pasta with too many ingredients. This is not to say general audiences won’t be pleased, but this is a movie that feels like we have seen it too many times before. You certainly will have a few laughs, admire the Roman scenery and root for Collette’s success, but it is pretty mild when it should have been wickedly smart with this kind of premise. Married to the Mob it is not.
Collette plays Kristin Balbano Jordan, an American in the midst of a life crisis. Her only son Domenick (Tommy Rodger) is going off to college, she catches her deadbeat husband Paul...
Collette plays Kristin Balbano Jordan, an American in the midst of a life crisis. Her only son Domenick (Tommy Rodger) is going off to college, she catches her deadbeat husband Paul...
- 4/12/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
You never want bad films to happen to great actors, but every once in a while one of your favorites inevitably turns up in an unfortunate and miscalculated clunker. Sadly, Catherine Hardwicke’s “Mafia Mamma” is that movie for Toni Collette. While she is one of the most fearless and versatile actors working today, Collette looks somewhat lost here as the story’s accidental crime boss on a quest to, well, “Eat Pray F*ck” (as one character in the film so elegantly puts it).
Despite having directed a fiercely diverse slate of genre-spanning blockbusters and indies across TV and the big screen—she’s done everything from “Thirteen,” to “Twilight” and “Miss Bala”— even Hardwicke seems a little bewildered in a script jointly penned by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, based on an original story by Amanda Sthers.
Collette plays Kristin, a sunny and frantic Californian with a college-aged son,...
Despite having directed a fiercely diverse slate of genre-spanning blockbusters and indies across TV and the big screen—she’s done everything from “Thirteen,” to “Twilight” and “Miss Bala”— even Hardwicke seems a little bewildered in a script jointly penned by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, based on an original story by Amanda Sthers.
Collette plays Kristin, a sunny and frantic Californian with a college-aged son,...
- 4/12/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
Though “The Godfather” is referenced a few times in “Mafia Mamma,” a fluffy comedy starring Toni Collette as a reluctant mob boss, the lack of direct quotes seems like a missed opportunity. There’s no “make her an offer she can’t refuse” joke, for instance, the moment American mom Kristin (Collette) is strong-armed into inheriting one of Italy’s most powerful crime families. And while Kristin’s arc perfectly matches the sentiment of “great men are not born great, they grow great,” this slam dunk was passed up for a more generalized approach.
The frivolous slapstick and unique premise of “Mafia Mamma” has much more in common with “Analyze This” than it does “The Godfather,” though the execution is not as clever. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”) from a script by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon with story credit to Amanda Sthers, “Mafia Mamma” tried to fit a...
The frivolous slapstick and unique premise of “Mafia Mamma” has much more in common with “Analyze This” than it does “The Godfather,” though the execution is not as clever. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”) from a script by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon with story credit to Amanda Sthers, “Mafia Mamma” tried to fit a...
- 4/12/2023
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Artist International Group has signed French actor Kev Adams whose work spans acting, screenwriting and producing.
Adams can most recently be seen in his original comedy Maison De Retraite (Retirement Home), where he plays a young convict forced to work in a retirement home after being sentenced to community service. Directed by Thomas Gilou and co-starring Gérard Depardieu, Adams also co-wrote and produced the comedy, which was among the top grossing French-language films of 2022 with over 2 million tickets sold. A sequel is currently underway.
Adams is also coming off his Netflix stand-up special, Kev Adams: The Real Me, and the original comedy feature Happy Nous Year (Stuck With You), also for Netflix.
Other notable credits include starring as Aladdin in both installments of his hit franchise: The New Adventures of Aladdin and Aladdin 2, which together grossed $55M.
Kev then made his English-language debut alongside Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon...
Adams can most recently be seen in his original comedy Maison De Retraite (Retirement Home), where he plays a young convict forced to work in a retirement home after being sentenced to community service. Directed by Thomas Gilou and co-starring Gérard Depardieu, Adams also co-wrote and produced the comedy, which was among the top grossing French-language films of 2022 with over 2 million tickets sold. A sequel is currently underway.
Adams is also coming off his Netflix stand-up special, Kev Adams: The Real Me, and the original comedy feature Happy Nous Year (Stuck With You), also for Netflix.
Other notable credits include starring as Aladdin in both installments of his hit franchise: The New Adventures of Aladdin and Aladdin 2, which together grossed $55M.
Kev then made his English-language debut alongside Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon...
- 3/16/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
With “Cocaine Bear” notching another win in Universal’s recent run of “silly cinema” hits alongside “Violent Night” and “M3gan,” Bleecker Street is offering up its own escapist high concept pitch. “Mafia Mamma” stars Toni Collette as an American who inherits her grandfather’s business in Italy only to discover that the family business is the mafia.
With help from the firm’s consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she is placed in the position of having to acclimate to her new role as the head of a crime family while avoiding war with a rival family. This trailer — which you can see below — focuses on its protagonist and fish-out-of-water scenario, including Collette admitting she’s never seen “The Godfather” and giving momentary thought to using her newfound crime powers to whack her cheating husband.
Also Read:
Toni Collette’s ‘Mafia Mamma’ Lands at Bleecker Street for Domestic Distribution
The film is being...
With help from the firm’s consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she is placed in the position of having to acclimate to her new role as the head of a crime family while avoiding war with a rival family. This trailer — which you can see below — focuses on its protagonist and fish-out-of-water scenario, including Collette admitting she’s never seen “The Godfather” and giving momentary thought to using her newfound crime powers to whack her cheating husband.
Also Read:
Toni Collette’s ‘Mafia Mamma’ Lands at Bleecker Street for Domestic Distribution
The film is being...
- 2/28/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
“Under the Tuscan Sun” meets “The Godfather” in the latest comedy from multi-hyphenate Toni Collette.
The “Hereditary” star plays an insecure American who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy in “Mafia Mamma,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), Collette hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, Alfonso Perugini, Sophia Nomvete, Eduardo Scarpetta, Tim Daish, and Tommy Rodger also star.
Hardwicke directs from a script by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon. Lead star Collette produces along with Christopher Simon and Amanda Sthers.
Hardwicke previously told IndieWire’s Kate Erbland that she strives to emphasize “complex female characters” onscreen.
“I think now, as women, we want to see somebody that takes charge of their life and does the very best they can in their power to escape, fight back,...
The “Hereditary” star plays an insecure American who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy in “Mafia Mamma,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), Collette hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, Alfonso Perugini, Sophia Nomvete, Eduardo Scarpetta, Tim Daish, and Tommy Rodger also star.
Hardwicke directs from a script by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon. Lead star Collette produces along with Christopher Simon and Amanda Sthers.
Hardwicke previously told IndieWire’s Kate Erbland that she strives to emphasize “complex female characters” onscreen.
“I think now, as women, we want to see somebody that takes charge of their life and does the very best they can in their power to escape, fight back,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Artist International Group (Aig) has signed an exclusive representation deal with Selectors, a UK based incubator of IP and producer of fact-based stories across audio, non-scripted, and scripted Film & TV productions.
Founded by William Ralston, a journalist based in London, and entertainment producer and financier Goldfinch, Selectors sources and develops ambitious stories for a worldwide audience in partnership with some of the leading journalists in the industry. In the 12 months since its launch, the company has set up multiple properties with top-tier partners in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
Partnering with Vertigo Films and Palomar Pictures, Selectors is producing a documentary about Iceland’s largest bitcoin heist; and with Cineflix they’re producing a documentary about a secret CIA mission to the top of Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India, involving a lost nuclear device and mystery that burns strong today.
In collaboration with Blanchard House,...
Founded by William Ralston, a journalist based in London, and entertainment producer and financier Goldfinch, Selectors sources and develops ambitious stories for a worldwide audience in partnership with some of the leading journalists in the industry. In the 12 months since its launch, the company has set up multiple properties with top-tier partners in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
Partnering with Vertigo Films and Palomar Pictures, Selectors is producing a documentary about Iceland’s largest bitcoin heist; and with Cineflix they’re producing a documentary about a secret CIA mission to the top of Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India, involving a lost nuclear device and mystery that burns strong today.
In collaboration with Blanchard House,...
- 2/9/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: French-Italian actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu has signed with David Unger’s Artist International Group for management.
Leroy-Beaulieu currently stars alongside Lily Collins in Darren Star’s hit Netflix series Emily in Paris, which returns for its third season on December 21. The actress there plays Sylvie, the fierce French boss of Emily (Collins) at the Parisian marketing firm, Savoir. She is otherwise best known for appearing in three seasons of the acclaimed comedy-drama Call My Agent! from Netflix and France 2.
Leroy-Beaulieu launched her career on the stage before making her screen debut in Roger Vadim’s Surprise Party. She then went on to star in the Academy Award-nominated Three Men and a Cradle, for which she received a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress. Other notable credits include starring in Andrzej Wajda’s Les Possédés, Philippe Le Guay’s Les Deux Fragonard, and Robert Enrico’s and Richard T. Heffron’s La Révolution Française.
Leroy-Beaulieu currently stars alongside Lily Collins in Darren Star’s hit Netflix series Emily in Paris, which returns for its third season on December 21. The actress there plays Sylvie, the fierce French boss of Emily (Collins) at the Parisian marketing firm, Savoir. She is otherwise best known for appearing in three seasons of the acclaimed comedy-drama Call My Agent! from Netflix and France 2.
Leroy-Beaulieu launched her career on the stage before making her screen debut in Roger Vadim’s Surprise Party. She then went on to star in the Academy Award-nominated Three Men and a Cradle, for which she received a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress. Other notable credits include starring in Andrzej Wajda’s Les Possédés, Philippe Le Guay’s Les Deux Fragonard, and Robert Enrico’s and Richard T. Heffron’s La Révolution Française.
- 12/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Bleecker Street has dropped the first teaser trailer for Mafia Mamma, an action-comedy starring the great Toni Collette as an unlikely mob boss.
Mafia Mamma follows an insecure American woman who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. The film is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) and written by Michael J. Feldman & Debbie Jhoon. Toni Collette also serves as a producer on Mafia Mamma alongside Christopher Simon and Amanda Sthers. The concept might not have worked as well with another actor leading the movie, but we’ve Toni Collette rarely steers us wrong.
Related Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net: Knives Out, Namor, She-Ra, Spirited Away, 300
When Mafia Mamma was first announced, Catherine Hardwicke said: “Toni is one of the most...
Mafia Mamma follows an insecure American woman who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. The film is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) and written by Michael J. Feldman & Debbie Jhoon. Toni Collette also serves as a producer on Mafia Mamma alongside Christopher Simon and Amanda Sthers. The concept might not have worked as well with another actor leading the movie, but we’ve Toni Collette rarely steers us wrong.
Related Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net: Knives Out, Namor, She-Ra, Spirited Away, 300
When Mafia Mamma was first announced, Catherine Hardwicke said: “Toni is one of the most...
- 12/2/2022
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Veteran manager Aleksey Ageyev — who while repping a roster of top global filmmakers, has produced more than 30 scripted series and features — has joined David Unger’s global management company Artist International Group as Partner.
Ageyev brings to Aig clients including 2021 Tribeca prize-winning filmmaker Levan Koguashvili (Brighton 4th); screenwriter Elena Kiseleva, who co-wrote Andrey Konchalovskiy’s 2020 Venice Special Jury Prize winner Dear Comrades!; screenwriter Andrey Zolotarev (Sputnik); and showrunner Roman Kantor, among others.
Prior to joining Artist International Group, Ageyev headed up the global talent management company PlusSeven as well as the Los Angeles-based Storyworld Entertainment, where he specialized in adapting foreign formats for the U.S. market. Notable credits include To the Lake and Seven Seconds, both for Netflix.
“International projects are the future of our industry. David Unger has been nurturing international voices for two decades,” said Ageyev. “With our combined efforts, we...
Ageyev brings to Aig clients including 2021 Tribeca prize-winning filmmaker Levan Koguashvili (Brighton 4th); screenwriter Elena Kiseleva, who co-wrote Andrey Konchalovskiy’s 2020 Venice Special Jury Prize winner Dear Comrades!; screenwriter Andrey Zolotarev (Sputnik); and showrunner Roman Kantor, among others.
Prior to joining Artist International Group, Ageyev headed up the global talent management company PlusSeven as well as the Los Angeles-based Storyworld Entertainment, where he specialized in adapting foreign formats for the U.S. market. Notable credits include To the Lake and Seven Seconds, both for Netflix.
“International projects are the future of our industry. David Unger has been nurturing international voices for two decades,” said Ageyev. “With our combined efforts, we...
- 11/21/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Amanda Sthers, the critically acclaimed French author, filmmaker and producer, who’s at the Venice Film Festival with the feature documentary “Bonnie,” will produce “Love Birds,” an animated film with an inclusive message, aimed at family audiences.
Sthers will produce the big-budget feature through her recently launched L.A.-based outfit Idea(L) and has teamed up with one of France’s leading animation studios, Tat, whose credits include “The Jungle Bunch” franchise.
Based on Sthers’ idea, the English-language “Love Birds” is written by Debbie Jhoon and J. Michael Feldman, the writing duo behind “Mafia Mamma,” Catherine Hardwicke’s crime comedy with Toni Collette, which Sthers also created and is producing.
“Love Birds” revolves around a female lovebird who travels the country to find her crush. She travels with an annoying but amusing pigeon, and will discover that all forms of love exists in nature, from gay couples to single moms or stepfamilies,...
Sthers will produce the big-budget feature through her recently launched L.A.-based outfit Idea(L) and has teamed up with one of France’s leading animation studios, Tat, whose credits include “The Jungle Bunch” franchise.
Based on Sthers’ idea, the English-language “Love Birds” is written by Debbie Jhoon and J. Michael Feldman, the writing duo behind “Mafia Mamma,” Catherine Hardwicke’s crime comedy with Toni Collette, which Sthers also created and is producing.
“Love Birds” revolves around a female lovebird who travels the country to find her crush. She travels with an annoying but amusing pigeon, and will discover that all forms of love exists in nature, from gay couples to single moms or stepfamilies,...
- 9/5/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Darko Perić, the Serbian actor best known for his breakout role as Helsinki in Netflix’s award-winning Spanish series Money Heist, has signed with Artist International Group for management.
Created by Álex Pina, the critically acclaimed series known internationally as La casa de papel is one of Netflix’s most-watched of all time, with a Korean offshoot currently airing and a spinoff titled Berlin in the works. The show watches as an unusual group of robbers attempt to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history—stealing 2.4 billion euros from the Royal Mint of Spain. Perić’s character Helsinki is one of the eight people recruited by the enigmatic figure known as “The Professor” (Álvaro Morte) to pull the job off.
Perić has also starred in projects including Fernando León de Aranoa’s A Perfect Day alongside Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, Creamatorio for Canal+...
Created by Álex Pina, the critically acclaimed series known internationally as La casa de papel is one of Netflix’s most-watched of all time, with a Korean offshoot currently airing and a spinoff titled Berlin in the works. The show watches as an unusual group of robbers attempt to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history—stealing 2.4 billion euros from the Royal Mint of Spain. Perić’s character Helsinki is one of the eight people recruited by the enigmatic figure known as “The Professor” (Álvaro Morte) to pull the job off.
Perić has also starred in projects including Fernando León de Aranoa’s A Perfect Day alongside Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, Creamatorio for Canal+...
- 7/26/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Filippo Scotti, the Italian actor known for his critically acclaimed breakout role in the Paolo Sorrentino film The Hand of God, has signed with Artist International Group for management.
The 2021 drama set in 1980s Naples had Scotti playing Fabietto, a football-loving kid whose uncertain but promising future as a filmmaker is shaped when a family tragedy strikes. While the 22-year-old had merely a few credits when he was picked to star in Sorrentino’s autobiographical film for Netflix, the project propelled him into international recognition. When it made its world premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival, he found himself recognized with the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actor.
The up-and-coming actor is currently featured in Prada’s Men’s Fall Fashion 2022 campaign, alongside Oscar- and Emmy-winner Rami Malek, Jeff Goldblum, Damson Idris, Asa Butterfield and more.
CEO David Unger founded Artist International Group in 2017. Together with Aig...
The 2021 drama set in 1980s Naples had Scotti playing Fabietto, a football-loving kid whose uncertain but promising future as a filmmaker is shaped when a family tragedy strikes. While the 22-year-old had merely a few credits when he was picked to star in Sorrentino’s autobiographical film for Netflix, the project propelled him into international recognition. When it made its world premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival, he found himself recognized with the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actor.
The up-and-coming actor is currently featured in Prada’s Men’s Fall Fashion 2022 campaign, alongside Oscar- and Emmy-winner Rami Malek, Jeff Goldblum, Damson Idris, Asa Butterfield and more.
CEO David Unger founded Artist International Group in 2017. Together with Aig...
- 7/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Award-winning screenwriter Brock Norman Brock has signed with Artist International Group for management.
Brock most recently co-wrote the script for Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s acclaimed drama The Mustang, starring Matthias Schoenaerts. That title, about a convict who trains wild mustangs as part of a rehabilitation program, was released by Focus Features in 2019.
Brock is perhaps best known for co-writing Nicolas Winding Refn’s critically acclaimed 2009 feature, Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, which told the story of the notorious British criminal of the same name. That Vertigo Films title premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and was in competition at Sundance, as well as the Sydney Film Festival, where it won Best Film.
Brock began his career in theater, seeing his play Here is Monster, directed by Mark Ravenhill, secure a nomination for the Verity Bargate Award, celebrating emerging playwrights. He also adapted the cult novel Yardie for Warp and StudioCanal,...
Brock most recently co-wrote the script for Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s acclaimed drama The Mustang, starring Matthias Schoenaerts. That title, about a convict who trains wild mustangs as part of a rehabilitation program, was released by Focus Features in 2019.
Brock is perhaps best known for co-writing Nicolas Winding Refn’s critically acclaimed 2009 feature, Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, which told the story of the notorious British criminal of the same name. That Vertigo Films title premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and was in competition at Sundance, as well as the Sydney Film Festival, where it won Best Film.
Brock began his career in theater, seeing his play Here is Monster, directed by Mark Ravenhill, secure a nomination for the Verity Bargate Award, celebrating emerging playwrights. He also adapted the cult novel Yardie for Warp and StudioCanal,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Ukrainian-Canadian-American filmmaker Vadim Perelman has inked with Artist International Group for management.
Perelman made his directorial debut in 2003 with House Of Sand And Fog, which went on to be nominated for three Oscars including Best Actor Ben Kingsley, Best Supporting Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and Best Original Score James Horner.
The pic, which also starred Jennifer Connelly, repped Perlman’s first screenplay credit. Drawn to the story, having been shaped by his own immigrant experience, Perelman adapted the screenplay alongside Shawn Otto from Andre Dubus III’s international bestseller of the same name. DreamWorks acquired domestic distribution rights and released the film to great critical acclaim.
Perelman’s second feature film, The Life Before Her Eyes, starred Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Also an adaptation, the pic followed a woman whose survivor’s guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart.
Perelman made his directorial debut in 2003 with House Of Sand And Fog, which went on to be nominated for three Oscars including Best Actor Ben Kingsley, Best Supporting Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and Best Original Score James Horner.
The pic, which also starred Jennifer Connelly, repped Perlman’s first screenplay credit. Drawn to the story, having been shaped by his own immigrant experience, Perelman adapted the screenplay alongside Shawn Otto from Andre Dubus III’s international bestseller of the same name. DreamWorks acquired domestic distribution rights and released the film to great critical acclaim.
Perelman’s second feature film, The Life Before Her Eyes, starred Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Also an adaptation, the pic followed a woman whose survivor’s guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart.
- 5/13/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sonia Yuan, who stars in Japan’s first Best Picture Oscar nominee Drive My Car, has signed with Artist International Group for management.
The film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, which adapted a 2014 short story by Haruki Murakami, has broken out as a phenomenon over the course of the 2021-22 awards season, also garnering Oscar noms for Best International Feature, Director and Adapted Screenplay, among many other accolades. It centers on Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director who, after his wife’s unexpected death, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. There, he begins to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind.
Yuan plays Janice Chang, the English- and Mandarin-speaking female protagonist of the Chekov play that Kafuku is putting on. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last summer and will be available for streaming on HBO Max...
The film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, which adapted a 2014 short story by Haruki Murakami, has broken out as a phenomenon over the course of the 2021-22 awards season, also garnering Oscar noms for Best International Feature, Director and Adapted Screenplay, among many other accolades. It centers on Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director who, after his wife’s unexpected death, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. There, he begins to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind.
Yuan plays Janice Chang, the English- and Mandarin-speaking female protagonist of the Chekov play that Kafuku is putting on. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last summer and will be available for streaming on HBO Max...
- 2/22/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Bleecker Street has secured North American rights to Catherine Hardwicke’s new action-comedy, “Mafia Mamma,” starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel.
Collette stars in the film as a suburban American woman, who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire and must learn navigate her new role as the head of the family business, defying everyone’s expectations.
Based on an original idea by acclaimed French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers, Hardwicke directs from a screenplay written by Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman. The film goes into production on location in Italy in May.
The logline reads: “Kristin is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful, musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie. That’s when she receives a life-changing phone call from Bianca (Bellucci), her estranged grandfather’s trusted consigliere,...
Collette stars in the film as a suburban American woman, who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire and must learn navigate her new role as the head of the family business, defying everyone’s expectations.
Based on an original idea by acclaimed French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers, Hardwicke directs from a screenplay written by Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman. The film goes into production on location in Italy in May.
The logline reads: “Kristin is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful, musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie. That’s when she receives a life-changing phone call from Bianca (Bellucci), her estranged grandfather’s trusted consigliere,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Catherine Hardwicke’s action-comedy Mafia Mamma, starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel, which is heading into production in Italy in May.
The Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta production is based on an original idea from acclaimed French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. It centers on Kristin (Collette), who is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie. That’s when she receives a life-changing phone call from Bianca (Bellucci), her estranged grandfather’s trusted consigliere, telling her he is dead and that she must attend the funeral in Italy.
Egged on by Jenny,...
The Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta production is based on an original idea from acclaimed French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. It centers on Kristin (Collette), who is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie. That’s when she receives a life-changing phone call from Bianca (Bellucci), her estranged grandfather’s trusted consigliere, telling her he is dead and that she must attend the funeral in Italy.
Egged on by Jenny,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Principal photography on Mafia Mamma set to begin in May in Italy.
Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Catherine Hardwicke’s action-comedy Mafia Mamma starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel.
Mafia Mamma tells of a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire and, guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere, defies expectations as the new head of the family business.
Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman wrote the screenplay based on an original idea by French novellist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Cornerstone handles all international sales.
Principal photography on Mafia Mamma is...
Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Catherine Hardwicke’s action-comedy Mafia Mamma starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel.
Mafia Mamma tells of a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire and, guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere, defies expectations as the new head of the family business.
Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman wrote the screenplay based on an original idea by French novellist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Cornerstone handles all international sales.
Principal photography on Mafia Mamma is...
- 2/9/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bleecker Street has acquired domestic rights to Catherine Hardwicke’s new action comedy “Mafia Mamma” starring Toni Collette, the company announced on Wednesday.
The film also stars Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel. The film is set to go into production this May in Italy.
“Mafia Mamma” centers on a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
“Mafia Mamma” is a Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta Production based on an original idea by French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. The screenplay was written by Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman.
The film is produced by Collette under her Vocab Films banner together with Sthers through Idea(L) and New Sparta’s Christopher Simon. Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson from Bleecker Street will serve as Executive Producers.
The film also stars Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel. The film is set to go into production this May in Italy.
“Mafia Mamma” centers on a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
“Mafia Mamma” is a Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta Production based on an original idea by French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. The screenplay was written by Debbie Jhoon and Michael J. Feldman.
The film is produced by Collette under her Vocab Films banner together with Sthers through Idea(L) and New Sparta’s Christopher Simon. Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson from Bleecker Street will serve as Executive Producers.
- 2/9/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: UK sales firm Cornerstone has sold out international territories on Catherine Hardwicke package Mafia Mamma starring Toni Collette.
The movie will follow a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. Twilight filmmaker Hardwicke is directing.
Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel are also starring with production due to begin in Italy in late spring, 2022. Gomorrah producer Cattleya has newly boarded as an executive producer. Additional casting is in process.
Cornerstone has cut deals with Signature (UK), Square 1, Dea Planeta / Tripictures (Spain), Scanbox (Scandi), and Bf Distribution (Lat Am).
Pre-sales have also closed with Unicorn Media (Cis), Vertical (Eastern Europe), Monolith (Poland), Blitz (Former Yugoslavia), Belga (Benelux) and Tanweer (Greece and Turkey).
Sales to remaining territories including Australia and New Zealand, France,...
The movie will follow a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. Twilight filmmaker Hardwicke is directing.
Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel are also starring with production due to begin in Italy in late spring, 2022. Gomorrah producer Cattleya has newly boarded as an executive producer. Additional casting is in process.
Cornerstone has cut deals with Signature (UK), Square 1, Dea Planeta / Tripictures (Spain), Scanbox (Scandi), and Bf Distribution (Lat Am).
Pre-sales have also closed with Unicorn Media (Cis), Vertical (Eastern Europe), Monolith (Poland), Blitz (Former Yugoslavia), Belga (Benelux) and Tanweer (Greece and Turkey).
Sales to remaining territories including Australia and New Zealand, France,...
- 11/22/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe and Emmy winning actress Sharon Stone has inked with Artist International Group.
The writer, humanitarian and also author rose to prominence with her breakout role in Paul Verhoeven’s $353M worldwide grossing blockbuster Basic Instinct and she went on to star alongside Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Casino, a performance that garnered her widespread critical acclaim and a series of awards and nominations including the Oscar nom for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Other notable performances include starring in Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall, Phillip Noyce’s Sliver, Luis Llosa’s The Specialist and Nick Cassavetes’ Alpha Dog, to name a few.
Stone also recently starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Ratched and in Steven Soderbergh’s biographical comedy-drama The Laundromat, also on Netflix.
Stone was recently honored with the Golden Icon Award, the highest accolade at the Zurich Film Festival,...
The writer, humanitarian and also author rose to prominence with her breakout role in Paul Verhoeven’s $353M worldwide grossing blockbuster Basic Instinct and she went on to star alongside Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Casino, a performance that garnered her widespread critical acclaim and a series of awards and nominations including the Oscar nom for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Other notable performances include starring in Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall, Phillip Noyce’s Sliver, Luis Llosa’s The Specialist and Nick Cassavetes’ Alpha Dog, to name a few.
Stone also recently starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Ratched and in Steven Soderbergh’s biographical comedy-drama The Laundromat, also on Netflix.
Stone was recently honored with the Golden Icon Award, the highest accolade at the Zurich Film Festival,...
- 11/15/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Toni Collette (Knives Out) and Monica Bellucci (Spectre) will star in Catherine Hardwicke’s comedy (Twilight) Mafia Mamma.
Hardwicke has also tapped Rob Huebel (The Descendants) to star alongside Collette and Bellucci.
Pic is a comedy about a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
Cornerstone will handle international sales and begin deal-making at next month’s virtual American Film Market. CAA Media Finance is overseeing the U.S. sale.
The film is a Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta Production based on an original idea by French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Producers are Collette (United States of Tara) under her Vocab Films banner together with Sthers (Madame) through Idea(L) and New Sparta’s Christopher Simon (The Killing of a Sacred Deer...
Hardwicke has also tapped Rob Huebel (The Descendants) to star alongside Collette and Bellucci.
Pic is a comedy about a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire, and guided by the Firm’s trusted consigliere defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
Cornerstone will handle international sales and begin deal-making at next month’s virtual American Film Market. CAA Media Finance is overseeing the U.S. sale.
The film is a Vocab Films, Idea(L) and New Sparta Production based on an original idea by French novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Producers are Collette (United States of Tara) under her Vocab Films banner together with Sthers (Madame) through Idea(L) and New Sparta’s Christopher Simon (The Killing of a Sacred Deer...
- 10/13/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Toni Collette has been cast in “Mafia Mamma,” an action comedy about a suburban mom who unexpectedly inherits her grandfather’s Mafia empire.
Catherine Hardwicke, the filmmaker of “Twilight” and “Thirteen,” is directing the movie, which is expected to begin production in Italy in late spring 2022. Debbie Jhoon and J. Michael Feldman wrote the screenplay. The cast also includes Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel.
Collette is best known for her Academy Award-nominated turn in “The Sixth Sense,” as well as “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Hereditary” and “Knives Out.” In “Mafia Mamma,” she channels her comedic roots as Kristen, a mom who unwittingly finds herself as the new boss of the fiercest Mafia family in Southern Italy.
The logline reads: “Kristin is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful, musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie.
Catherine Hardwicke, the filmmaker of “Twilight” and “Thirteen,” is directing the movie, which is expected to begin production in Italy in late spring 2022. Debbie Jhoon and J. Michael Feldman wrote the screenplay. The cast also includes Monica Bellucci and Rob Huebel.
Collette is best known for her Academy Award-nominated turn in “The Sixth Sense,” as well as “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Hereditary” and “Knives Out.” In “Mafia Mamma,” she channels her comedic roots as Kristen, a mom who unwittingly finds herself as the new boss of the fiercest Mafia family in Southern Italy.
The logline reads: “Kristin is facing a slew of challenges. Her only son is desperate to leave for college, her boss is a sexist pig, and she just caught her unsuccessful, musician husband (Huebel) cheating with a groupie.
- 10/13/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles-based producer Thomas Augsberger is launching Erm Docs, a new documentary division at his Eden Rock Music label whose first title, “Reinventing Mirazur,” will world premiere at the San Sebastian Festival.
A portrait of the extraordinary daring of Argentine-born chef Mauro Colagreco whose three Michelin star restaurant, Mirazur, on France’s Mediterranean coast, was awarded Best Restaurant in the World, “Reinventing Miramar” marks the latest title from French filmmakers Frank Ribière and Vérane Frediani. Prominent producers on France and Spain’s genre scene, they have opened up a parallel second career as director-writers of high-quality culinary doc-features of substance with titles such as Netflix’s “Steak Revolution” and “A la Récherche des femmes chefs.”
Also in the pipeline at Erm Docs is “Bonnie,” a portrait of famed casting agent Bonnie Timmermann directed by Simon Wallon and produced with Amanda Sthers; and “Form Doc,” about the Form Arcosanti Film & Arts...
A portrait of the extraordinary daring of Argentine-born chef Mauro Colagreco whose three Michelin star restaurant, Mirazur, on France’s Mediterranean coast, was awarded Best Restaurant in the World, “Reinventing Miramar” marks the latest title from French filmmakers Frank Ribière and Vérane Frediani. Prominent producers on France and Spain’s genre scene, they have opened up a parallel second career as director-writers of high-quality culinary doc-features of substance with titles such as Netflix’s “Steak Revolution” and “A la Récherche des femmes chefs.”
Also in the pipeline at Erm Docs is “Bonnie,” a portrait of famed casting agent Bonnie Timmermann directed by Simon Wallon and produced with Amanda Sthers; and “Form Doc,” about the Form Arcosanti Film & Arts...
- 9/17/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Actress Daphne Patakia has inked with Artist International Group for management.
She’ll be represented at Aig by partner Chris Prapha and founder David Unger.
Patakia most recently starred in Benedetta, the latest film from Paul Verhoeven, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The historical drama about a nun in 17th-century Italy, who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, is currently showing in French cinemas. It’s set to be released in the United States later this year.
The actress is currently shooting the second season of French television series Ovni(s) for Canal+.
She has also starred opposite Matt Dillon in Nimic, a short film directed by three-time Oscar nominee Yorgos Lanthimos as well as Tony Gatlif’s Djam, which premiered at the the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. She is also known for her role as...
She’ll be represented at Aig by partner Chris Prapha and founder David Unger.
Patakia most recently starred in Benedetta, the latest film from Paul Verhoeven, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The historical drama about a nun in 17th-century Italy, who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, is currently showing in French cinemas. It’s set to be released in the United States later this year.
The actress is currently shooting the second season of French television series Ovni(s) for Canal+.
She has also starred opposite Matt Dillon in Nimic, a short film directed by three-time Oscar nominee Yorgos Lanthimos as well as Tony Gatlif’s Djam, which premiered at the the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. She is also known for her role as...
- 8/11/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Pierfrancesco Favino and Kelly Reilly star in Amanda Sthers’ film.
Vision Distribution, headed up by Italian sales veteran Catia Rossi, has announced its first significant deal for the 2021 Marche.
Square One Entertainment has acquired all rights for Germany and Austria to Promises, the new film by French author/filmmaker Amanda Sthers based on her novel of the same name.
Promises is an English-language romantic drama about an unfulfilled love affair between a man and a woman, played in the film by Pierfrancesco Favino (last year’s Venice best actor winner for Padrenostro) and UK actress Kelly Reilly (Britannia).
Jean Reno,...
Vision Distribution, headed up by Italian sales veteran Catia Rossi, has announced its first significant deal for the 2021 Marche.
Square One Entertainment has acquired all rights for Germany and Austria to Promises, the new film by French author/filmmaker Amanda Sthers based on her novel of the same name.
Promises is an English-language romantic drama about an unfulfilled love affair between a man and a woman, played in the film by Pierfrancesco Favino (last year’s Venice best actor winner for Padrenostro) and UK actress Kelly Reilly (Britannia).
Jean Reno,...
- 7/11/2021
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Pierfrancesco Favino and Kelly Reilly lead the cast of this film, which the French director and writer has adapted from her own international bestseller. Following on from 2017’s Holy Lands, which was shot between Israel and Belgium and starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Efrat Dor and James Caan in its cast, Amanda Sthers is stepping behind the camera once again to film Promises, a work based upon the French director and writer’s international bestseller of the same name, which was published by Grasset in 2015. Shooting on English-language work Promises has been underway in Rome for a few days now, with the set scheduled to move on to the Lazio coast and to London over the next seven weeks. Leading the cast is Italy’s Pierfrancesco Favino (honoured with an award at the most recent Venice Film Festival for his part in Padrenostro) alongside Brit Kelly Reilly (seen in this year’s Eight.
French multi-hyphenate Amanda Sthers (“Holy Lands”) has recruited the U.K.’s Kelly Reilly, Italy’s Pierfrancesco Favino and France’s Jean Reno for English-language romantic drama “Promises,” set in Italy and London, which started shooting in Rome on Monday.
Based on Sthers’ novel by the same title, “Promises” turns on an unfulfilled love affair between Alexander, played by Favino — who won best actor at Venice last year for his role in Italian drama “Padrenostro” — and Laura, played by Reilly.
Commenting on her casting choices, Sthers in a statement noted that she grew up watching movies from around the globe and therefore “allowed myself to choose talent over everything else, and wanted the global sentiment of the film reflected in casting.”
“Together, Favino and Reilly look like a quintessential cinematic couple bringing a sense of timelessness to our story,” Sthers added.
Rounding out the cast are Cara Theobold (“Downton Abbey...
Based on Sthers’ novel by the same title, “Promises” turns on an unfulfilled love affair between Alexander, played by Favino — who won best actor at Venice last year for his role in Italian drama “Padrenostro” — and Laura, played by Reilly.
Commenting on her casting choices, Sthers in a statement noted that she grew up watching movies from around the globe and therefore “allowed myself to choose talent over everything else, and wanted the global sentiment of the film reflected in casting.”
“Together, Favino and Reilly look like a quintessential cinematic couple bringing a sense of timelessness to our story,” Sthers added.
Rounding out the cast are Cara Theobold (“Downton Abbey...
- 3/23/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a Golden Globe winner for his performance as Elvis Presley in the miniseries Elvis and nominated for The Tudors, has signed for management with Artist International Group. Meyers will next be seen starring in Cj Entertainment’s remake of Hide & Seek and as Sir James Brooke in director Michael Haussman’s historical feature Rajah.
Meyers most recently appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons 4 of Michael Hirst’s Emmy winning historical drama Vikings. Meyers also recently starred in director Harald Zwart’s German and English language WW2 feature, The 12th Man, and alongside James Caan and Rosanna Arquette in Amanda Sthers’ feature Holy Lands for Studio Canal.
Throughout his career, Meyers has worked with acclaimed directors such as Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, JJ Abrams, Julie Taymor and Neil Jordan in films that include Ride With The Devil, Match Point, Mission: Impossible III and Bend It Like Beckham.
Meyers most recently appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons 4 of Michael Hirst’s Emmy winning historical drama Vikings. Meyers also recently starred in director Harald Zwart’s German and English language WW2 feature, The 12th Man, and alongside James Caan and Rosanna Arquette in Amanda Sthers’ feature Holy Lands for Studio Canal.
Throughout his career, Meyers has worked with acclaimed directors such as Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, JJ Abrams, Julie Taymor and Neil Jordan in films that include Ride With The Devil, Match Point, Mission: Impossible III and Bend It Like Beckham.
- 5/6/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
UK-based American actor Jay Benedict has died aged 68 as a result of complications from Covid-19, his family members and representatives have confirmed.
A statement posted on his website said, “It is with profound sorrow that we must announce Jay’s death on the 4th of April due to complications arising from a Covid-19 infection.”
More from DeadlineActors' Equity Calls For Federal Cobra Subsidies As Unemployment Claims By New York Arts Workers Skyrockets 3,880%FCC Says It Won't Be "Arbiter" Of Whether Broadcasters Should Fact Check Donald Trump's Coronavirus Press BriefingsIs Coronavirus Near The Bottom Of Its Second Act? Syd Field Might Have Had Thoughts
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear client Jay Benedict, who this afternoon lost his battle with Covid-19. Our thoughts are with his family ❤️
— Tcg ArtistManagement (@TCGArtist) April 4, 2020
Across a 40-year stage and screen career, Benedict clocked up a string...
A statement posted on his website said, “It is with profound sorrow that we must announce Jay’s death on the 4th of April due to complications arising from a Covid-19 infection.”
More from DeadlineActors' Equity Calls For Federal Cobra Subsidies As Unemployment Claims By New York Arts Workers Skyrockets 3,880%FCC Says It Won't Be "Arbiter" Of Whether Broadcasters Should Fact Check Donald Trump's Coronavirus Press BriefingsIs Coronavirus Near The Bottom Of Its Second Act? Syd Field Might Have Had Thoughts
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear client Jay Benedict, who this afternoon lost his battle with Covid-19. Our thoughts are with his family ❤️
— Tcg ArtistManagement (@TCGArtist) April 4, 2020
Across a 40-year stage and screen career, Benedict clocked up a string...
- 4/6/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Artist International Group CEO David Unger and Saram Entertainment CEO Soyoung Lee have launched a full-service, internationally-driven talent representation joint venture where they will rep a diverse set of clients across film and television from their Seoul and Los Angeles based offices. The goal is to produce and package film, television and local language content.
“Together we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive growth from international opportunities and partnerships,” Unger said. “Today, more than ever, content across film and television must speak to diverse audiences with global appeal.”
Artist International Group clients include Hanee Lee (Extreme Job), Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tom Welling (Smallville), Mallika Sherawat (Time Raiders), Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long), Siwon Choi (Dragon Blade) and Saïd Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman) as well as writer and director clients Amanda Sthers (Madame), Tony Kaye...
“Together we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive growth from international opportunities and partnerships,” Unger said. “Today, more than ever, content across film and television must speak to diverse audiences with global appeal.”
Artist International Group clients include Hanee Lee (Extreme Job), Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tom Welling (Smallville), Mallika Sherawat (Time Raiders), Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long), Siwon Choi (Dragon Blade) and Saïd Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman) as well as writer and director clients Amanda Sthers (Madame), Tony Kaye...
- 11/18/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Manager Chris Prapha has joined David Unger’s global management company Artist International Group as a partner. He brings with him a roster of global talent that includes Julia Ormond, Jordi Molla and Nastassja Kinski among others.
Previously at Anonymous Content and Charles Finch’s Artist Independent, Prapha developed extensive relationships in the international market. “The future of the industry is global and the inclusion of diverse talent has allowed for new and transformative collaborations across borders,” he said.
Unger added, “Together we have a true understanding of the greater global scale when it comes to championing international talent and ideas across different territories and cultures. We’re very excited to provide our clients with a more global approach.”
Founded by Unger, Artist International Group counts a diverse, multi-cultural roster with clients from the U.S., UK,...
Previously at Anonymous Content and Charles Finch’s Artist Independent, Prapha developed extensive relationships in the international market. “The future of the industry is global and the inclusion of diverse talent has allowed for new and transformative collaborations across borders,” he said.
Unger added, “Together we have a true understanding of the greater global scale when it comes to championing international talent and ideas across different territories and cultures. We’re very excited to provide our clients with a more global approach.”
Founded by Unger, Artist International Group counts a diverse, multi-cultural roster with clients from the U.S., UK,...
- 6/8/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Veteran talent agent and manager David Unger has launched Artist International Group, a global talent management, branding and content production company. Unger will be CEO and continue to represent actors, writers, directors and financiers as well as produce film and television projects under the banner. He said the company will have offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong.
Unger launches the venture with clients that include Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tom Welling (Smallville), Patrick Bruel (A Bag of Marbles), Hanee Lee (Extreme Job), Mallika Sherawat (Time Raiders), Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long), Siwon Choi (Dragon Blade) and Saïd Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman). Writer-director clients include Amanda Sthers (Madame), Tony Kaye (American History X), Francesco Carrozzini (Franca: Chaos and Creation) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) among others.
As reflected by the talent list,...
Unger launches the venture with clients that include Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha), Tom Welling (Smallville), Patrick Bruel (A Bag of Marbles), Hanee Lee (Extreme Job), Mallika Sherawat (Time Raiders), Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long), Siwon Choi (Dragon Blade) and Saïd Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman). Writer-director clients include Amanda Sthers (Madame), Tony Kaye (American History X), Francesco Carrozzini (Franca: Chaos and Creation) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) among others.
As reflected by the talent list,...
- 5/13/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Venture has strategic presence in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong.
Former talent agent David Unger has launched global talent management, branding and content production company Artist International Group with a client stable that includes Michelle Yeoh, Anil Kapoor, Roger Avary, and Tony Kaye.
Unger will serve as CEO and continue to represent filmmakers and financiers, and produce film and television projects at the venture. The focus will be on representing clients from the Us, UK, France, Italy, India, South Korea, and China, among other territories.
Artist International Group will have a strategic presence in Los Angeles, New York,...
Former talent agent David Unger has launched global talent management, branding and content production company Artist International Group with a client stable that includes Michelle Yeoh, Anil Kapoor, Roger Avary, and Tony Kaye.
Unger will serve as CEO and continue to represent filmmakers and financiers, and produce film and television projects at the venture. The focus will be on representing clients from the Us, UK, France, Italy, India, South Korea, and China, among other territories.
Artist International Group will have a strategic presence in Los Angeles, New York,...
- 5/13/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
"I hope the strange adventure you're on is bringing you happiness..." Studiocanal UK has released the official UK trailer for the Israeli drama Holy Lands, the latest feature film written and directed by French filmmaker Amanda Sthers. James Caan stars in Holy Lands as Harry Rosenmerck, an Ashkenazi Jewish American cardiologist, who decides to leave everything to become a pig farmer in the Holy Land. Filmed in the iconic landscapes of Israel, Holy Lands is "a universal story about love, family, loss and tolerance, told with incredible humour and heart through career best performances by a stellar ensemble cast." The film shows that, "even in the most dysfunctional of families, what matters is the courage to say what has been left unsaid." This also stars Tom Hollander, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rosanna Arquette, Efrat Dor, Reem Kherici, Patrick Bruel, and Loai Nofi. Looks a bit odd, but seems like a heartfelt and honest film.
- 4/11/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
James Caan plays an unhappy New Yorker starting a ludicrously inappropriate new life in Israel
A good performance from Tom Hollander can’t save this stodgy, ungainly and strangely reactionary family drama from the French writer-director Amanda Sthers, whose sticky Parisian comedy Madame was released here last year.
James Caan plays Harry, an ageing Jewish guy who is estranged from his wife and grown-up children, and has left New York for Nazareth in Israel, to breed pigs, of all the hilariously inappropriate things. Why? To annoy everyone, and maybe even annoy himself, in some restlessly unhappy way. His son David (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a dramatist and a gay man who has a play on Broadway about his exasperating old dad, based on the unanswered letters that he is sending him. Harry’s daughter Annabelle (Efrat Dor) is a neurotic thirtysomething still dependent on an allowance from Harry for her analyst’s bills.
A good performance from Tom Hollander can’t save this stodgy, ungainly and strangely reactionary family drama from the French writer-director Amanda Sthers, whose sticky Parisian comedy Madame was released here last year.
James Caan plays Harry, an ageing Jewish guy who is estranged from his wife and grown-up children, and has left New York for Nazareth in Israel, to breed pigs, of all the hilariously inappropriate things. Why? To annoy everyone, and maybe even annoy himself, in some restlessly unhappy way. His son David (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a dramatist and a gay man who has a play on Broadway about his exasperating old dad, based on the unanswered letters that he is sending him. Harry’s daughter Annabelle (Efrat Dor) is a neurotic thirtysomething still dependent on an allowance from Harry for her analyst’s bills.
- 4/4/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
New Cnc report provides lowdown on budgets, pay and box office for female-directed films in France.
Female directors accounted for 23.3% of feature films shot in France in 2017, according to a new report by the Cnc looking at every aspect of female representation in the country’s film and TV industry between 2008 and 2017.
The comprehensive 122-page study, released to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, is a joint study between France’s National Cinema Centre and Audiens, the body which manages compulsory social security payments for film and TV professionals
The study showedt between 2008 to 2017, the number of films...
Female directors accounted for 23.3% of feature films shot in France in 2017, according to a new report by the Cnc looking at every aspect of female representation in the country’s film and TV industry between 2008 and 2017.
The comprehensive 122-page study, released to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, is a joint study between France’s National Cinema Centre and Audiens, the body which manages compulsory social security payments for film and TV professionals
The study showedt between 2008 to 2017, the number of films...
- 3/8/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
If you’re interested in a movie where James Caan plays a grumpy old retired cardiologist raising pigs in Israel, and one who used to be married to a younger woman, played by Rosanna Arquette, who now is stricken with terminal cancer, and who is also estranged from his playwright son (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose latest opus, titled Origins, punctuates the drama with several symbolic interpretive dance pieces, then maybe — just maybe — the film Holy Lands could be for you.
But for the rest of us, this treacly and overwrought piece of mishegoss from French novelist turned director Amanda Sthers is ...
But for the rest of us, this treacly and overwrought piece of mishegoss from French novelist turned director Amanda Sthers is ...
- 1/22/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you’re interested in a movie where James Caan plays a grumpy old retired cardiologist raising pigs in Israel, and one who used to be married to a younger woman, played by Rosanna Arquette, who now is stricken with terminal cancer, and who is also estranged from his playwright son (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose latest opus, titled Origins, punctuates the drama with several symbolic interpretive dance pieces, then maybe — just maybe — the film Holy Lands could be for you.
But for the rest of us, this treacly and overwrought piece of mishegoss from French novelist turned director Amanda Sthers is ...
But for the rest of us, this treacly and overwrought piece of mishegoss from French novelist turned director Amanda Sthers is ...
- 1/22/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
A starry cast, including Harvey Keitel and Rossy de Palma, can’t save this sentimental tale of super-rich Americans in Paris
Madame is an oddity in some ways: a brisk, cynical-yet-sentimental farce set among super-rich American expatriates in Paris, the first English-language film from French director, dramatist and novelist Amanda Sthers (born Amanda Queffélec-Maruani). It’s weirdly dated, and the Pygmalion plot device and metropolitan sexiness make it look like a movie that could have come out in the mid-60s.
As it stands, Madame is probably destined to be viewed on late-night TV or long-haul flights. Yet it has a very good cast. Harvey Keitel is wealthy Bob, now on his sleek second wife (and former golf instructor) Anne, icily insistent on her newfound social prestige – stylishly played by Toni Collette. Bob is in financial trouble and needs to unload a Caravaggio in his possession. To facilitate this, Anne...
Madame is an oddity in some ways: a brisk, cynical-yet-sentimental farce set among super-rich American expatriates in Paris, the first English-language film from French director, dramatist and novelist Amanda Sthers (born Amanda Queffélec-Maruani). It’s weirdly dated, and the Pygmalion plot device and metropolitan sexiness make it look like a movie that could have come out in the mid-60s.
As it stands, Madame is probably destined to be viewed on late-night TV or long-haul flights. Yet it has a very good cast. Harvey Keitel is wealthy Bob, now on his sleek second wife (and former golf instructor) Anne, icily insistent on her newfound social prestige – stylishly played by Toni Collette. Bob is in financial trouble and needs to unload a Caravaggio in his possession. To facilitate this, Anne...
- 7/19/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
MaryAnn’s quick take… What starts out as a genial drawing-room satire on class and snobbery soon turns to a sly romantic comedy about the fantasy of romance and the crushing expectations placed on women. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about women; love Toni Collette
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
A dinner party by a wealthy, connected American couple on an extended sojourn in Paris is about to be ruined — ruined, I tell you! — when Bob’s (Harvey Keitel: Isle of Dogs, Youth) adult son, Steven (Tom Hughes: About Time), from a previous marriage turns up unannounced at the last minute and suddenly there will be 13 at the table. Horrors! Anne (Toni Collette: Please Stand By, Unlocked) won’t have this — it’s...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
A dinner party by a wealthy, connected American couple on an extended sojourn in Paris is about to be ruined — ruined, I tell you! — when Bob’s (Harvey Keitel: Isle of Dogs, Youth) adult son, Steven (Tom Hughes: About Time), from a previous marriage turns up unannounced at the last minute and suddenly there will be 13 at the table. Horrors! Anne (Toni Collette: Please Stand By, Unlocked) won’t have this — it’s...
- 4/4/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
wide
Pacific Rim: Uprising [my review]
Emily Carmichael and Kira Snyder cowrite this science fiction action movie about soldiers in giant robots who fight monsters. Features a gender balanced cast including Cailee Spaeny, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, Ivanna Sakhno, and Rinko Kikuchi. (male director)
Unsane [my review]
Claire Foy stars as a woman caught up in a bureaucratic snafu at a mental hospital. (male writers and director)
Midnight Sun [my review]
Bella Thorne stars as a teenage girl who finally meets the boy of her dreams. (male writer and director)
limited
Beauty and the Dogs [IMDb] pictured
Kaouther Ben Hania writes and directs this drama about a young Tunisian woman (Mariam Al Ferjani) fighting for justice after she is raped.
Madame [IMDb]
Amanda Sthers writes and directs this satire about a wealthy woman (Toni Collette) and her maid (Rossy de Palma).
Elis [IMDb]
Andréia Horta stars in this biopic of Brazilian singer Elis Regina. Cowritten by Vera Egito.
Pacific Rim: Uprising [my review]
Emily Carmichael and Kira Snyder cowrite this science fiction action movie about soldiers in giant robots who fight monsters. Features a gender balanced cast including Cailee Spaeny, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, Ivanna Sakhno, and Rinko Kikuchi. (male director)
Unsane [my review]
Claire Foy stars as a woman caught up in a bureaucratic snafu at a mental hospital. (male writers and director)
Midnight Sun [my review]
Bella Thorne stars as a teenage girl who finally meets the boy of her dreams. (male writer and director)
limited
Beauty and the Dogs [IMDb] pictured
Kaouther Ben Hania writes and directs this drama about a young Tunisian woman (Mariam Al Ferjani) fighting for justice after she is raped.
Madame [IMDb]
Amanda Sthers writes and directs this satire about a wealthy woman (Toni Collette) and her maid (Rossy de Palma).
Elis [IMDb]
Andréia Horta stars in this biopic of Brazilian singer Elis Regina. Cowritten by Vera Egito.
- 3/23/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Dinner parties are usually quite enjoyable in real life. But in the movies they tend to not go very well, as demonstrated by the disastrous gatherings featured in the recent Dinner With Beatriz and The Party. Nothing quite as dramatic occurs at the upscale soiree depicted in the new comedy directed by Amanda Sthers (You'll Miss Me), which is a shame since the labored Madame fails to rise to the level of sophisticated social satire to which it aspires.
The film's stars are Toni Collette and Harvey Keitel, but the proceedings are stolen right out from under their noses by...
The film's stars are Toni Collette and Harvey Keitel, but the proceedings are stolen right out from under their noses by...
- 3/20/2018
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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