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Sean Ellis (II) More at IMDbPro »
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006
1-20 of 30 items from 2013 « Prev | Next »
Cannes 2013 Acquisitions & Deals: Volume 2
24 May 2013 9:27 PM, PDT | Dark Horizons | See recent Dark Horizons news »
2 Autumns, 3 Winters
Film Movement has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Sebastien Betbeder's "2 Autumns, 3 Winters." The story follows two friends in their early-thirties over two falls and three winters, as one falls in love while the other has a stroke.
Lionsgate has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Guillaume Canet’s English-language directorial debut "Blood Ties" in a $2 million deal. Lionsgate's Roadside Attractions will release the film, a remake of "Les Liens Du Sang," which follows two brothers, one a cop and one an ex-con. Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Zoé Saldana, James Caan, Matthias Schoenaerts and Mila Kunis star.
Blue Is The Warmest Color
Sundance Selects has acquired U.S. rights to Abdellatif Kechiche's French-language drama "Blue Is the Warmest Color" starring Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos. The story deals with a young girl's first love and includes explicit lesbian sex scenes. It has also drawn rave reviews at Cannes. »
- Garth Franklin
108 Media, Paladin Take U.S. On ‘Metro Manila’
18 May 2013 8:00 AM, PDT | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Distribution partners 108 Media and Paladin have acquired all North American rights to Sean Ellis’ thriller “Metro Manila.”
The deal, announced at Cannes, comes four months after “Metro Manila” won the audience award for world cinema at Sundance. Fox International Prods. acquired remake rights on the opening day of Cannes.
“Metro Manila” was directed by Ellis and Mathilde Charpentier and written by Ellis and Frankie E. Flowers. Ellis directed the film in Tagalog — a language he doesn’t speak.
The story centers on a poor farmer who leads his family out of their impoverished life in the rice fields of the northern Philippines for a brighter future in Manila. In order to survive he must take the dangerous job of driving armored transports.
Paladin’s Mark Urman and 108′s Abhi Rastogi negotiated the deal with Abigail Walsh of Independent, which is handling international sales, and Jessica Lacy of ICM partners, which represents Ellis. »
- Dave McNary
Paladin and 108 Media Acquire Sundance Hit 'Metro Manila'
18 May 2013 7:38 AM, PDT | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Paladin and 108 Media have partnered to acquire all North American rights to Sean Ellis' Sundance Film Festival prize winning "Metro Manila." The film -- which won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic program at Sundance -- has been picked up internationally , including France (Haut et Court),Spain (Festival Films), Scandinavia (NonStop), Japan (New Selects), Middle East (Front Row), Latin America (HBO), Hungary (Vertigo), Greece (Seven Group), Ex Yugoslavia (Cinemania), Singapore (indies Entertainment), and the Philippines (Captive). Full press release below. Cannes (May 18, 2013) - Distribution partners 108 Media and Paladin have acquired all North American rights to Sean Ellis’ acclaimed thriller, Metro Manila, it was announced by 108 CEO Abhi Rastogi and Paladin President Mark Urman. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for “Best Film” in the World Cinema dramatic competition. Urman and »
- Peter Knegt
Fox International to Remake Sundance Hit Metro Manila
16 May 2013 10:15 AM, PDT | Twitch | See recent Twitch news »
Fox International Productions has bought the remake rights to Metro Manila, the Tagalog-language heist thriller directed by Sean Ellis that won the Sundance World Cinema audience award at the 2013 Park City festival.The original story centres on a Filipino farmer who moves his family closer to Manila in search of a better life. The man finds work as an armoured truck driver and learns he must collude with a corrupt colleague in order to protect his family.Ellis co-wrote the original with Frankie E Flowers and produced with Mathilde Charpentier. According to Screen Daily, Fox International is understood to be eying foreign-language remakes of the thriller and will also develop a version for English-speaking audiences. That's a lot of mileage for the one film. More news as...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]
»
Cannes: Fox Buys Remake Rights To ‘Metro Manila’
15 May 2013 6:38 PM, PDT | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Fox International Prods. has acquired remake rights to Sean Ellis’ Philippine heist thriller “Metro Manila,” four months after its won the audience award for world cinema at Sundance.
Fox announced the deal at Cannes on Wednesday.
“Metro Manila” was directed by Ellis and Mathilde Charpentier and written by Ellis and Frankie E. Flowers. Ellis directed the film in Tagalog — a language he doesn’t speak.
The story centers on a poor farmer who leads his family out of their impoverished life in the rice fields of the northern Philippines for a brighter future in the megacity Manila. In order to survive he must take the most dangerous job in the city, driving armored transports.
Ellis won an Oscar in 2005 for his short film “Cashback,” which he expanded into a feature. He also directed “The Broken,” which premiered at Sundance in 2008.
ICM Partners represents Ellis, and negotiated the deal on his behalf. »
- Dave McNary
Sundance London 2013 – Metro Manila Review
27 April 2013 5:00 AM, PDT | HeyUGuys.co.uk | See recent HeyUGuys news »
Following on from the impressive critical success of Gareth Evans’ profitable Indonesian action thriller The Raid, it appears that travelling to Southeast Asia to make movies is a rather wise move for British filmmakers at present, as Sean Ellis’ Philippines set Metro Manila is a striking piece of cinema, as a powerful tale of family and sacrifice in the face of adversity.
We peer into the poverty stricken lives of Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal) and his wife Mai (Althea Vega), who decide to take their two young daughters to Manila, seeking a brighter future in the capital city. However the hustle and bustle of city life overwhelms this humble family, as they find themselves sleeping rough, desperately searching for paid work. As Mai reluctantly takes employment at a local strip club, Oscar lands a dependable job at an armoured truck company, collecting and delivering prized goods across the city – however »
- Stefan Pape
Sundance London 2013 Review - Metro Manila (2013)
26 April 2013 9:39 AM, PDT | Flickeringmyth | See recent Flickeringmyth news »
Metro Manila, 2013.
Directed by Sean Ellis.
Starring Jake Macapagal, Althea Vega, John Arcilla, Mailes Canapi and Moises Magisa.
Synopsis:
Seeking a brighter future in megacity Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family flee their impoverished life in the rice fields of the northern Philippines. But the sweltering capital's bustling intensity quickly overwhelms them, and they fall prey to the rampant manipulations of its hardened locals.
Before going into Metro Manila, I'd heard that the film had been given some comparisons to 2012s The Raid, but personally I don't think the two can be compared - as Metro Manila is a much better film with a lot more heart.
Telling the story of Oscar Ramirez and his family as they travel from their poverty-stricken rice farm in Philippines to Manila, Sean Ellis's debut feature movie is a beautifully shot, well crafted and brilliantly written drama with a great score and an excellent script. »
- luke-o
Sundance London – Part Three: Living the dream, learning a lesson in ‘The Look of Love’
25 April 2013 11:49 PM, PDT | SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news »
Sean Ellis’ Metro Manila is, so far, most likely to snap up a distribution deal. It’s a thriller in the same vein as City of God; a faux-gritty depiction of indigent struggle that can’t help but give way to generic signposting and neat resolutions. A passable genre entry professing to be something more, the film takes matters seriously enough to be considered as a critique on exploitation and corruption, though its priority is to simply entertain.
The film dives headfirst into its conceit in the opening minutes. Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal) and his wife Mai (Althea Vega) promptly decide they’ve had quite enough of poverty-stricken existence in the Philippine mountains, and set forth with their two children to Metro Manila in the hopes of starting anew. What awaits them there is a less-than-idyllic arrangement; Ramirez joins an armoured truck company and naively walks into a setup with violent repercussions, »
- Ed Doyle
Sundance London: Metro Manila Review
25 April 2013 9:45 AM, PDT | The Hollywood News | See recent The Hollywood News news »
Director: Sean Ellis.
Starring: Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, Althea Vega, Ana Abad-Santos, Moises Magisa.
Running Time: 114 minutes.
Synopsis: Seeking a brighter future in megacity Manila, Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal) and his family flee their impoverished life in the rice fields of the northern Philippines. Though they fall prey to the rampant manipulations of its hardened locals, Oscar catches a lucky break when he’s offered steady work for an armoured truck company. However, the realities of his new job force Oscar to confront some uncomfortable truths.
The premise of Metro Manila is something we have all seen before – a good old-fashioned tale of a family desperate to find a better life in a city they have no real knowledge of. But Metro Manila uses a much more realistic approach, dragging out characters’ stories and heightening plot to create a well thought-out drama.
Oscar Ramirez is the perfect bright-eyed protagonist, albeit »
- Lucy Cave
Sundance London – Metro Manila Review: Riveting, Superbly Directed Crime Drama
24 April 2013 5:19 PM, PDT | Obsessed with Film | See recent Obsessed with Film news »
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Though many will be quick to make comparisons between this film and Gareth Evans’ slam-bang actioner The Raid, Metro Manila is in fact very much the inverse of that film. If Evans’ frantic video game-style movie compensated for its lack of substance with merciless, technically accomplished action, this third feature from Sean Ellis (Cashback, The Broken) goes the opposite way, eschewing relentless set-pieces in favour of well-drawn characters and compelling drama.
Oscar (Jake Macapagal) and Mai (Althea Vega) are a couple who, after being forced to sell their rice stock for one-fifth of its usual value, decide to move with their two children to Manila, with the hope that they can start a new, more prosperous life. After losing their savings through fraud and having to squat in an empty shack, things look up once Oscar gets work as an armoured-truck driver, making friends with his »
- Shaun Munro
This week's new film events
19 April 2013 10:00 PM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
Dead By Dawn | Secret Cinema | Sundance London | I'm So Excited
Dead By Dawn, Edinburgh
The horror festival celebrates its 20th anniversary with a smorgasbord of fresh meat, rancid offal and high-speed pass the parcel (no, really). Veteran gore-merchant Frank Henenlotter presents two of his disgusting classics, Basket Case and Brain Damage, and there's a spread of dependable favourites like Evil Dead II, Hellraiser, The Brood and An American Werewolf In London. Among the newer stuff, a comet unleashes alien/zombie havoc in Paris in Dead Shadows; pottery and backwoods superstition collide in Jug Face; and Vanessa Redgrave features in The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh as a voice from beyond the grave.
Filmhouse, Thu to 28 Apr
Secret Cinema, London
Their motto is "tell no-one", but most people who've been to Secret Cinema want to tell everyone. They get bigger and better every time. Last year's Shawshank Redemption screening saw punters sentenced, »
- Steve Rose
What's on at Sundance London?
14 April 2013 11:17 PM, PDT | Den of Geek | See recent Den of Geek news »
News Den Of Geek 15 Apr 2013 - 07:04
Lots of films make their UK bow at the upcoming Sundance London festival. Here's our round-up...
Heading to the O2 in London from 25-28 April 2013 is the second Sundance London event, a weekend of music, independent films, panel discussions, events, and no shortage of coffee. Good coffee, we hope.
The organisers have announced that they've added a trio of new films to the line-up for the weekend too. Thus, playing will be Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award winner Metro Manila, about a family moving from the poverty of the rice fields to the big city of Manila. That one's been directed by Sean Ellis.
Then there's Jeff Nichols' Mud, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. It's about a pair of teenagers who find a fugitive, and look to help him evade the bounty hunters after him.
The third »
- simonbrew
Three New Films Added To Sundance London Lineup
22 March 2013 9:00 AM, PDT | The Hollywood News | See recent The Hollywood News news »
If you have seen the Sundance London 2013 lineup, you will know that it is already tight packed full of films already. Now you will be happy to know that three more films have been added to the bill. The feature film programme has added A.C.O.D., starring Adam Scott as a grown man still dealing with his parents divorce. They have also added Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, a film about two teenage boys who become friends with a fugitive.
The new UK spotlight section of the festival has put Metro Manila as the star. The film, written and directed by Sean Ellis, is a drama/heist movie set in the Philippines.
We have to say, we are even more excited for the festival now!
Source: Sundance London
»
- Lucy Cave
Three films added to Sundance London
22 March 2013 | eyeforfilm.co.uk | See recent eyeforfilm.co.uk news »
The Sundance Institute has announced that it is adding three films to the Sundance London line-up. They are:
Mud - Jeff Nichols excellent follow-up to Take Shelter, tells the story of two boys who strike up a friendship with a man (Matthew McConaughey) on the run (read our capsule review here
Metro Manila - British director Sean Ellis makes a giant leap forward with this tense and satisfying thriller about a poverty-stricken family who find themselves exploited at every turn when they move to the city. In addition to packing plenty of genre thrills, Ellis and co-writer Frank E Flowers make some fine observations on the state of human rights for those trying to get out from under in the Phillippines.
A.C.O.D. - Unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch Stuart Zicherman's film but it was receiving decent word of mouth out in Park City. It tells the story of Carter, »
- Amber Wilkinson
'Mud,' Starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, Joins Sundance London Lineup
22 March 2013 2:00 AM, PDT | The Hollywood Reporter | See recent The Hollywood Reporter news »
London – Jeff Nichols' Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, is one of a trio of last minute additions to this year's Sundance London. The sophomore edition of Robert Redford's British capital-set film and music festival has also added Stuart Zicherman's A.C.O.D. (written by Ben Karlin and Stuart Zicherman and starring Jessica Alba, Adam Scott and Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to the event's feature film program lineup. Organizers also said Sean Ellis' Metro Manila, a film he co-wrote with Frank E. Flowers has been added to the event's U.K. spotlight sidebar. Sundance London runs April
read more
»
- Stuart Kemp
Metro Manila | Sundance 2013 Review
30 January 2013 9:00 AM, PST | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »
A Better Life: Ellis’ Latest a Masterful Drama of Sacrifice
British director Sean Ellis brings us to the Philippines with his third feature film, Metro Manila, a bleak and often harrowing portrait of a family’s struggle to build a better life for themselves. Ellis first made headlines for his 2006 debut, romantic comedy Cashback, followed by the international led cast of his oblique 2008 horror film, The Broken, and his latest only proves he’s a filmmaker of varying and styles and techniques. Ellis, also serving as cinematographer for the first time, brings us a grim exercise set in the urban underbelly of Manila and it is as desperately moving as it is unpredictable.
When the price of rice drops significantly, poverty stricken Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal) and wife Mia (Althea Vega) decide to move with their two children to Manila to see if they might have better luck in the urban metropolis. »
- Nicholas Bell
Film Festival Coverage Guide: 2013 Sundance
29 January 2013 12:05 PM, PST | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »
Here is a complete listing of the films that were shown/covered by the Ioncinema.com team comprised of Nicholas Bell (Nb), Jordan M. Smith (Js) and Eric Lavallee (El). We’ll be populating this page up until March.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview
Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review
C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review
Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview
Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review
Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video
In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review
Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review
The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review
- Eric Lavallee
Doubling Up: Coogler’s “Fruitvale” and Hoover’s “Blood Brother” are the Toast of Sundance 2013
29 January 2013 12:00 PM, PST | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »
Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale and Steve Hoover’s Blood Brother were the big winners at the 2013 edition of the Sundance Film Festival – both picked up the Audience awards and Grand Jury Prizes in their respective categories. Here’s the complete list of 2013 Sundance Film Festival Award winners:
Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic: “Fruitvale,” directed by Ryan Coogler
Grand Jury Prize, Documentary: “Blood Brother,” directed by Steve Hoover
World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic: “Jiseul,” directed by Muel O
World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary: “A River Changes Course,” directed Kalyanee Mam
Dramatic Audience Award: “Fruitvale,” directed by Ryan Coogler
Documentary Audience Award: “Blood Brother,” directed by Steve Hoover
World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award: “Metro Manila,” directed by Sean Ellis
World Cinema Documentary Audience Award: “The Square,” directed by Jehane Noujaim
The Best of Next Audience Award: “This Is Martin Bonner,” directed by Chad Hartigan
Directing Award, Dramatic: Jill Solloway, “Afternoon Delight”
Directing Award, »
- Eric Lavallee
Fruitvale and Blood Brother winners at Sundance awards 2013
28 January 2013 5:33 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
Fruitvale won both the dramatic jury and audience awards, while Blood Brother did the same in the documentary categories
The Sundance film festival 2013 wrapped up with the announcement of over 35 awards, including the awarding of its influential Us dramatic grand jury prize, which in previous years went to such films as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Winter's Bone, and Precious.
This year the recipent of the top award was Fruitvale, the Ryan Coogler-directed account of the real-life shooting of Oscar Grant in 2008 in Oakland, California. Grant's death at the hands of a transport policeman on the platform of the Fruitvale rapid transport station became a flashpoint for protests and riots. Officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2010. The Hollywood Reporter described it as "powerful dramatic feature film" and "a complex and nuanced story", while slashfilm described it as "simple but stunningly effective". Fruitvale confirmed its festival-favourite status »
- Andrew Pulver
2013 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
27 January 2013 11:08 PM, PST | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience, Next and other special awards of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Park City, Utah. An archived video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at Sundance.org/Festival.
Here's what John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, had to say about this year's festival. "
"The films at our Festival this year truly reflect the unbridled passion, immense talent and diverse stories coming from the independent filmmaking community. I am confident that the awards presented this evening will fuel those films with special promise and that audiences will continue to champion the films they have discovered here."
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of the Sundance Institute, also released a statement.
"The lively dialogue and genuine excitement sparked by the films over the past 10 days is sure to resonate as they further reach »
- MovieWeb
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006
1-20 of 30 items from 2013 « Prev | Next »
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