Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.
Earlier this week, the state of California released a seemingly innocuous list of upcoming films set to receive tax credits for their production. Among that list — which only includes films that are operating with budgets larger than $75 million — there was at least one title that stood out in a huge, boundary-busting way. As Women and Hollywood confirms, Ava DuVernay’s next film, a big screen adaptation of the Madeleine L’Engle classic “A Wrinkle in Time,” will be made with a budget that will exceed $100 million. That a female director is helming such a deep-pocketed live-action film is news in and of itself — DuVernay joins a select club that so far only includes Kathryn Bigelow (“K-19: The Widowmaker”) and Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”) — but that’s not all, because DuVernay is now starting her own club.
Earlier this week, the state of California released a seemingly innocuous list of upcoming films set to receive tax credits for their production. Among that list — which only includes films that are operating with budgets larger than $75 million — there was at least one title that stood out in a huge, boundary-busting way. As Women and Hollywood confirms, Ava DuVernay’s next film, a big screen adaptation of the Madeleine L’Engle classic “A Wrinkle in Time,” will be made with a budget that will exceed $100 million. That a female director is helming such a deep-pocketed live-action film is news in and of itself — DuVernay joins a select club that so far only includes Kathryn Bigelow (“K-19: The Widowmaker”) and Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”) — but that’s not all, because DuVernay is now starting her own club.
- 8/4/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Ava DuVernay went from zero to sixty in the last few years, from being the first African-American woman to win the Sundance director prize (in 2012 for her second film, “Middle of Nowhere”) to Best Picture Oscar nominee with “Selma” in 2015. Shortly thereafter, Marvel offered her the chance to direct “Black Panther,” which she gave careful deliberation before she turned it down.
“It wasn’t the right project for me,” she told the crowd at the ArcLight 5 in Culver City this weekend. “It was the perfect project for Ryan Coogler,” she told moderator Elvis Mitchell. “He’s going to shake it up and present it to you on a silver platter!”
What’s exciting about “Black Panther,” she added, is that it boasts “an African superhero and a black bad guy, too.” She wants to see what happens when filmmakers of color “are playing with the big toys,” she said.
Accepting...
“It wasn’t the right project for me,” she told the crowd at the ArcLight 5 in Culver City this weekend. “It was the perfect project for Ryan Coogler,” she told moderator Elvis Mitchell. “He’s going to shake it up and present it to you on a silver platter!”
What’s exciting about “Black Panther,” she added, is that it boasts “an African superhero and a black bad guy, too.” She wants to see what happens when filmmakers of color “are playing with the big toys,” she said.
Accepting...
- 6/6/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The transition of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival continues. Geographically, the fest has moved away from downtown to multiple Arclight locations. Opening night in Hollywood, Ricardo de Montreuil’s coming-of-age East L.A. drama “Lowriders,” starring Demián Bichir and Theo Rossi as father and estranged ex-con son, signaled the fest’s mission: Provide a diverse program directed by rising filmmakers: among the 42 competition films, 87% are first-and-second-timers, 43% are women and 38% are people of color, while 90% of the 58 total festival films are world premieres.
Developed by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, “Lowriders” (written by Cheo Hodari Coker, Joshua Beirne-Golden, Elgin James, and Justin Tipping), finally got made when the budget dropped—under Universal’s low-budget producing partner, Jason Blum—from $20 million to $5 million. The grittiness helps the scruffy, colorful movie, which Laff head Stephanie Allain loved for being “so Los Angeles, so culturally rich,” she told the Arclight crowd. “Made by filmmakers of color, ‘Lowriders’ embodies our mission.” (The film will go out under a Universal label that remains to be seen, per Blum.)
Since Allain took over in 2014, the festival has lost some of its key programming talent (David Ansen, Doug Jones, Maggie McKay); the sprawling program is now commandeered by film professor Roya Rastegar (Bryn Mawr College). Very much in charge is Laff’s high-powered director, studio-trained producer Allain (“Boyz ‘n the Hood,” “Hustle & Flow”), who has pulled her friend Elvis Mitchell into a role as year-round “curator,” which basically means hosting Q & As at Film Independent-programmed events at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
As Laff becomes more local, eclectic, multi-cultural, and interactive, the Laff seeks to occupy a niche and grow its audience via a more populist, less international festival.
Truth is, only a few top-ranked film festivals a year are must-attend destinations packed with high-end world premieres and star attendees. Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Venice, New York, and Telluride top the list. So there’s some logic to opting out of that competitive arena. Increasingly, fests like Tribeca and SXSW are pushing outside the area of indie film to create alluring events for audiences, from interactive transmedia showcases and TV series premieres to high-profile panels, Q & As, and “Master Classes.” So it makes sense to brand Laff with an identifiable niche.
Giving people awards and tributes is another route pursued by awards-friendly fests like Santa Barbara and Palm Springs, hence Saturday Laff will award “Selma” director Ava DuVernay as well as her distribution company Array Releasing (her own “Middle of Nowhere” plus “Ashes and Embers,” “Mississippi Damned,” “Kinyarwanda,” and “Restless City”) with the annual Spirit of Independence Award given to members of the independent film community who “advance the cause of independent film and champion creative freedom.” Last year, Array bought La Film Festival Us Fiction award-winner “Out of My Hand” for distribution, along with “Ayanda.”
Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”) is the 2016 Festival’s Guest Director; he’s offering a master class on sound design for “Creed.” And Nate Parker hosted a screening of Sundance Oscar contender “Birth of a Nation.” This weekend also brings a panel of women cinematographers.
The question is whether Allain’s quest for diversity will coincide with choosing the best movies, ones that create buzz for must-see titles—so far, actress Amber Tamblyn’s directing debut, “Paint It Black,” debuting Friday night at Lacma, has earned the most advance word of mouth. Established fest circuit titles such as Roger Ross Williams’ autism doc “Life, Animated,” closing night border film “Desierto” from Jonás Cuarón (“Gravity”), starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Mike Birbliglia and Ira Glass’s latest collaboration, improv comedy “Don’t Think Twice,” starring Keegan-Michael Key, are all worth seeing.
But for many of the unknown titles unspooling this week, audiences and buyers will just have to check them out and spread the word, good or bad. Otherwise, they’ll disappear into the ether.
Here are Indiewire’s Laff picks so far.
Related stories2016 Los Angeles Film Festival Awards: 'Heis (chronicles)', 'Blood Stripe' & 'Political Animals' Win BigThe TV Director's Hurdle: Why A Small-Screen Actor Is Making An Indie Feature To Get His Foot In The DoorFilm Independent Announces The 10 Projects Selected for Fast Track and Recipient Of Alfred P. Sloan Grant...
Developed by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, “Lowriders” (written by Cheo Hodari Coker, Joshua Beirne-Golden, Elgin James, and Justin Tipping), finally got made when the budget dropped—under Universal’s low-budget producing partner, Jason Blum—from $20 million to $5 million. The grittiness helps the scruffy, colorful movie, which Laff head Stephanie Allain loved for being “so Los Angeles, so culturally rich,” she told the Arclight crowd. “Made by filmmakers of color, ‘Lowriders’ embodies our mission.” (The film will go out under a Universal label that remains to be seen, per Blum.)
Since Allain took over in 2014, the festival has lost some of its key programming talent (David Ansen, Doug Jones, Maggie McKay); the sprawling program is now commandeered by film professor Roya Rastegar (Bryn Mawr College). Very much in charge is Laff’s high-powered director, studio-trained producer Allain (“Boyz ‘n the Hood,” “Hustle & Flow”), who has pulled her friend Elvis Mitchell into a role as year-round “curator,” which basically means hosting Q & As at Film Independent-programmed events at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
As Laff becomes more local, eclectic, multi-cultural, and interactive, the Laff seeks to occupy a niche and grow its audience via a more populist, less international festival.
Truth is, only a few top-ranked film festivals a year are must-attend destinations packed with high-end world premieres and star attendees. Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Venice, New York, and Telluride top the list. So there’s some logic to opting out of that competitive arena. Increasingly, fests like Tribeca and SXSW are pushing outside the area of indie film to create alluring events for audiences, from interactive transmedia showcases and TV series premieres to high-profile panels, Q & As, and “Master Classes.” So it makes sense to brand Laff with an identifiable niche.
Giving people awards and tributes is another route pursued by awards-friendly fests like Santa Barbara and Palm Springs, hence Saturday Laff will award “Selma” director Ava DuVernay as well as her distribution company Array Releasing (her own “Middle of Nowhere” plus “Ashes and Embers,” “Mississippi Damned,” “Kinyarwanda,” and “Restless City”) with the annual Spirit of Independence Award given to members of the independent film community who “advance the cause of independent film and champion creative freedom.” Last year, Array bought La Film Festival Us Fiction award-winner “Out of My Hand” for distribution, along with “Ayanda.”
Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”) is the 2016 Festival’s Guest Director; he’s offering a master class on sound design for “Creed.” And Nate Parker hosted a screening of Sundance Oscar contender “Birth of a Nation.” This weekend also brings a panel of women cinematographers.
The question is whether Allain’s quest for diversity will coincide with choosing the best movies, ones that create buzz for must-see titles—so far, actress Amber Tamblyn’s directing debut, “Paint It Black,” debuting Friday night at Lacma, has earned the most advance word of mouth. Established fest circuit titles such as Roger Ross Williams’ autism doc “Life, Animated,” closing night border film “Desierto” from Jonás Cuarón (“Gravity”), starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Mike Birbliglia and Ira Glass’s latest collaboration, improv comedy “Don’t Think Twice,” starring Keegan-Michael Key, are all worth seeing.
But for many of the unknown titles unspooling this week, audiences and buyers will just have to check them out and spread the word, good or bad. Otherwise, they’ll disappear into the ether.
Here are Indiewire’s Laff picks so far.
Related stories2016 Los Angeles Film Festival Awards: 'Heis (chronicles)', 'Blood Stripe' & 'Political Animals' Win BigThe TV Director's Hurdle: Why A Small-Screen Actor Is Making An Indie Feature To Get His Foot In The DoorFilm Independent Announces The 10 Projects Selected for Fast Track and Recipient Of Alfred P. Sloan Grant...
- 6/3/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Since any New York cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Metrograph
“Fassbinder’s Top 10” offers Salò on Friday, Walsh‘s The Naked and the Dead & Visconti‘s The Damned on Saturday, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Sunday. All are on 35mm.
Roman Polanski‘s Frantic shows this Sunday, as does Ashes and Embers.
Spirited Away and The Cat Returns play as part of “Studio Ghibli Weekends.
Metrograph
“Fassbinder’s Top 10” offers Salò on Friday, Walsh‘s The Naked and the Dead & Visconti‘s The Damned on Saturday, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Sunday. All are on 35mm.
Roman Polanski‘s Frantic shows this Sunday, as does Ashes and Embers.
Spirited Away and The Cat Returns play as part of “Studio Ghibli Weekends.
- 4/29/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Via Array Releasing, Haile Gerima's rarely-screened "Ashes and Embers" is currently touring the country (USA), and is also now available on Netflix. The restored 1982 drama about a Vietnam war veteran struggling to come to terms with his role in the war and as a Black man in America, is being released through Array Classics, which was recently created to introduce under-seen and under-appreciated works of cinema to new audiences. "Ashes and Embers" premiered last month as part of the "Array @ The Broad" bi-monthly film series in Los Angeles. It continues to tour nationwide. For upcoming playdates, see the above poster. Over the weekend,...
- 3/28/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Array Releasing, the Los Angeles-based film collective, has announced a partnership with Netflix for the release of the Haile Gerima-directed classic, “Ashes and Embers.” The Ava Duvernay-led distribution company has focused on the amplification of diversity in film and is seemingly doing a fine job at increasing their visibility by collaborating with such a massive platform like Netflix. The film, after all, had never been released until being recently unveiled at screenings, and will at last make its debut on the streaming platform soon. Read More: Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing Picks Up 'Ashes and Embers' Restoration "Ashes and Embers" is about an African-American army veteran who is forced to face his traumatizing past all the while dealing with the present reality of political chaos. Ultimately, he has to retrace his steps as he attempts to forge a future. The release of the film is certainly timely,...
- 3/1/2016
- by Nix Santos
- Indiewire
Array Releasing premieres Haile Gerima's rarely-screened 1982 drama about a Vietnam war veteran struggling to come to terms with his role in the war and as a Black man in America - "Ashes and Embers." The restored film is being released through a new initiative known as Array Classics, which has been created to introduce under-seen and under-appreciated works of cinema to new audiences. "Ashes and Embers" premiered last week Thursday as part of the "Array @ The Broad" bi-monthly film series in Los Angeles, which will be followed by engagements at The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY...
- 3/1/2016
- by Brandon Wilson
- ShadowAndAct
Read More: Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing Picks Up 'Ashes and Embers' Restoration Filmmaker Ava DuVernay's distribution collective Array has made its 11th theatrical acquisition with photographer-turned-director Amanda Marsalis' "Echo Park." The company, which is dedicated to spotlighting the entertainment efforts of people of color and female filmmakers, will finally give the film a theatrical release after it toured numerous festivals back in 2014. The official synopsis reads: "'Echo Park' takes viewers inside a diverse East Los Angeles neighborhood where residents contend with life and love while being challenged to define themselves in spite of their zip code. Sophie (Mamie Gummer) flees from her life of status and security, developing an unexpected romance with Alex (Anthony Okungbowa), who is also in search of a new start." "Echo Park" world premiered at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival and is an official selection of...
- 2/3/2016
- by Lauren Townsend
- Indiewire
With each new month comes the same old lesson about catching all your favorite movies before they leave Netflix. If you haven’t watched The Naked Gun yet, you should do that is what I’m saying. But what do you get in return? A lot actually! We get the original series Fuller House and Judd Apatow’s Love. They’re also adding the final season of Mad Men, the first season of Better Call Saul, and one of the most popular teen movies of all time, Cruel Intentions.
On the Amazon Prime front, check out below to see what you’ll be able to stream for free and what’s going to have a cost. Let’s watch!
All Title Dates are Subject to Change
Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only
Available 2/1/16
A Picture of You (2014)
Armageddon (1998)
Better Call Saul: Season 1
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Collateral Damage (2002)
Cruel Intentions (1999)
A Faster Horse...
On the Amazon Prime front, check out below to see what you’ll be able to stream for free and what’s going to have a cost. Let’s watch!
All Title Dates are Subject to Change
Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only
Available 2/1/16
A Picture of You (2014)
Armageddon (1998)
Better Call Saul: Season 1
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Collateral Damage (2002)
Cruel Intentions (1999)
A Faster Horse...
- 2/1/2016
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
We're 7 days away from the beginning of another month - a time when Netflix reveals its usual monthly streaming library edits; so if any of the below listed movies and/or TV series coming to the streaming platform are of interest to you, make note of them now. Titles of note include "Losing Isaiah" (1995), "Lila & Eve" (2015), "Dope" (2015), as well as "Ashes and Embers" (1982). Check out the full list of additions below: February 1st Better Call Saul: Season 1 A Picture of You (2014) Better Call Saul: Season 1 Armageddon (1998) Charlie's Angels (2000) Collateral Damage (2002) Cruel Intentions (1999) A Faster Horse (2015) Full Metal...
- 1/25/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Original series coming to Netflix in February, include Judd Apatow's "Love," starring Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs; "Fuller House;" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny," the sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning Ang Lee movie.
You can also catch up with the first season of "Better Call Saul" and the final season of "Mad Men."
Also debuting, several 2015 films, including the well-reviewed indie "Dope" and French director Gasper Noe's controversial "Love" (not to be confused with the Apatow comedy series!)
Here's the full list of what's new on Netflix in February 2016.
Available Feb. 1, 2016
"A Picture of You" (2014)
"Armageddon" (1998)
"Better Call Saul": Season 1
"Charlie's Angels" (2000)
"Collateral Damage" (2002)
"Cruel Intentions" (1999)
"A Faster Horse" (2015)
"Full Metal Jacket" (1987)
"Game Face" (2015)
"Jennifer 8" (1992)
"Johnny English" (2003)
"The Little Engine That Could (2011)
"The Lizzie Borden Chronicles": Season 1
"Losing Isaiah (1995)
"Masha's Tales": Season 1
"My Side of the Mountain" (1969)
"Para Elisa" (2012)
"Pokémon: Xy":...
You can also catch up with the first season of "Better Call Saul" and the final season of "Mad Men."
Also debuting, several 2015 films, including the well-reviewed indie "Dope" and French director Gasper Noe's controversial "Love" (not to be confused with the Apatow comedy series!)
Here's the full list of what's new on Netflix in February 2016.
Available Feb. 1, 2016
"A Picture of You" (2014)
"Armageddon" (1998)
"Better Call Saul": Season 1
"Charlie's Angels" (2000)
"Collateral Damage" (2002)
"Cruel Intentions" (1999)
"A Faster Horse" (2015)
"Full Metal Jacket" (1987)
"Game Face" (2015)
"Jennifer 8" (1992)
"Johnny English" (2003)
"The Little Engine That Could (2011)
"The Lizzie Borden Chronicles": Season 1
"Losing Isaiah (1995)
"Masha's Tales": Season 1
"My Side of the Mountain" (1969)
"Para Elisa" (2012)
"Pokémon: Xy":...
- 1/25/2016
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing has acquired director Haile Gerima’s rarely-seen classic Ashes And Embers and will give it full restoration, followed in February by the film’s first-ever theatrical release. The restoration and distribution deal comes as part of a new initiative within Array Releasing, which identifies seldom-seen films and introduces them to new audiences. Made in 1982, Ashes And Embers played the Berlin International Film Festival in 1983, where Gerima…...
- 12/17/2015
- Deadline
Ava DuVernay‘s Array Releasing has acquired Haile Gerima’s rarely seen 1982 drama “Ashes and Embers” and scheduled the film for restoration and distribution in February through a new initiative known as Array Classics, it was announced Thursday. “Ashes and Embers” follows an African-American Vietnam veteran wrestling with a turbulent past and a chaotic political climate to make a future for himself. The film won the Fipresci Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1983. It has never been released in theaters, though it will screen on Feb. 25 as part of the Array @ The Broad bi-monthly film series in...
- 12/17/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Read More: Exclusive: Array Releasing Sets Theatrical Dates for 2015 Pickups - 'Ayanda' & 'Out of My Hand' Array Releasing, the La-based film collective founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, has acquired the never-before-released "Ashes and Embers," one of the landmark films of Haile Gerima. The movie won the Fipresci Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1983 but was never picked up for U.S. distribution. Array is planning a restoration for February 2016 through a new initiative known as Array Classics. "Ashes and Embers" tells the story of an African-American Vietnam vet wrestling with a turbulent past and a chaotic political climate to make a future for himself. The movie marks the first film that will tour across the United States under the Array Classics banner, which will seek to identify seldom-seen cinematic gems and introduce those works to new audiences. "We, like many across the world, regard Mr. Gerima as a master.
- 12/16/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.