Pinky Promise Films founder and CEO Jessamine Burgum and president Kara Durrett forego a formula, recipe or expectations of the end result when they choose who to work with on their films.
Burgum founded the production company during the 2020 Covid pandemic and gravitated toward Durrett while working together as a financier and producer on 2021’s well-received indie, “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” from director Adamma Ebo and starring Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown.
“Sometimes we can get hung up on this mystical idea of people’s mandates and ‘If you make the exact right thing that you think people are looking for, then it’s going to win the lottery,’” Burgum told TheWrap of indie filmmaking ahead of debuting their latest film “I Don’t Understand You” at SXSW. “But ultimately, people just have to make the things that they want to make.”
“If you’re always chasing what...
Burgum founded the production company during the 2020 Covid pandemic and gravitated toward Durrett while working together as a financier and producer on 2021’s well-received indie, “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.” from director Adamma Ebo and starring Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown.
“Sometimes we can get hung up on this mystical idea of people’s mandates and ‘If you make the exact right thing that you think people are looking for, then it’s going to win the lottery,’” Burgum told TheWrap of indie filmmaking ahead of debuting their latest film “I Don’t Understand You” at SXSW. “But ultimately, people just have to make the things that they want to make.”
“If you’re always chasing what...
- 3/23/2024
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Amazon MGM Studios has tapped Taylor Chukwu (The Mysterious Benedict Society) to script The Truth About Mrs. Claus, a new film based on the same-name book by Meena Harris that is currently in development.
The story takes place at the North Pole, where every elf dreams of being part of Santa’s workshop. But only a select few get to know an amazing secret: Mrs. Claus is the true force behind Christmas. Through the eyes of a precocious elf girl who dreams of something more, we set off on a journey to meet the world’s most brilliant and secretive entrepreneur.
Hillman Grad Productions and Phenomenal Media will produce, with Tori Sampson executive producing. Rishi Rajani, Rocio Melara, and Travis Ing will oversee for Hillman Grad.
Prior to adaptating The Truth About Mrs. Clause, Chukwu served as a staff writer on Disney+’s series The Mysterious Benedict Society, based...
The story takes place at the North Pole, where every elf dreams of being part of Santa’s workshop. But only a select few get to know an amazing secret: Mrs. Claus is the true force behind Christmas. Through the eyes of a precocious elf girl who dreams of something more, we set off on a journey to meet the world’s most brilliant and secretive entrepreneur.
Hillman Grad Productions and Phenomenal Media will produce, with Tori Sampson executive producing. Rishi Rajani, Rocio Melara, and Travis Ing will oversee for Hillman Grad.
Prior to adaptating The Truth About Mrs. Clause, Chukwu served as a staff writer on Disney+’s series The Mysterious Benedict Society, based...
- 12/14/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Shane Atkinson’s “Laroy,” a crime thriller laced with dark comedy, swept three major prizes at the 49th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
- 9/9/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Speedy Ortiz finally got to play a concert for NPR’s Tiny Desk series recently, just ahead of their new album Rabbit Rabbit.
Although bandleader Sadie Dupuis’ other project Sad13 did play a Tiny Desk (Home) concert back in 2020, bringing her main band to the Tiny Desk was a decade in the making — literally. As Dupuis recalls, the band were first invited to the office in 2013, but schedule conflicts (and no time to rehearse) meant they had to politely decline for the time being.
Speedy Ortiz’s request to “do it later” ended up taking quite a while, but their long-awaited Tiny Desk Concert is worth the wait. With seven players total, the band’s four-song set spanned their entire discography, playing one song from each of their albums: “The Graduates” from 2015’s Foil Deer, “Scabs” from Rabbit Rabbit, “Lucky 88” from 2018’s Twerp Verse, and “Plough” from their debut LP Major Arcana.
Although bandleader Sadie Dupuis’ other project Sad13 did play a Tiny Desk (Home) concert back in 2020, bringing her main band to the Tiny Desk was a decade in the making — literally. As Dupuis recalls, the band were first invited to the office in 2013, but schedule conflicts (and no time to rehearse) meant they had to politely decline for the time being.
Speedy Ortiz’s request to “do it later” ended up taking quite a while, but their long-awaited Tiny Desk Concert is worth the wait. With seven players total, the band’s four-song set spanned their entire discography, playing one song from each of their albums: “The Graduates” from 2015’s Foil Deer, “Scabs” from Rabbit Rabbit, “Lucky 88” from 2018’s Twerp Verse, and “Plough” from their debut LP Major Arcana.
- 8/31/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
Deauville American Film Festival will forge ahead with its honorary tributes to stars such as Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Peter Dinklage and Joseph Gordon-Levitt despite the fact that they won’t be in attendance due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The festival’s artistic director, Bruno Barde, told Variety ahead of the event’s press conference on Thursday that he empathized with actors and writers who are on strike to “protect themselves against the dangers of artificial intelligence.”
“AI has always existed in cinema and it’s now posing a threat to screenwriters, set designers, dubbers and, of course, to actors whom we’re using the image of. Cinema is an art that elevates humankind, and artificial intelligence does the exact opposite. It’s a danger,” Barde said.
And while he stands in solidarity with the strike, he has opted “to maintain all the tributes which will pay homage to careers...
The festival’s artistic director, Bruno Barde, told Variety ahead of the event’s press conference on Thursday that he empathized with actors and writers who are on strike to “protect themselves against the dangers of artificial intelligence.”
“AI has always existed in cinema and it’s now posing a threat to screenwriters, set designers, dubbers and, of course, to actors whom we’re using the image of. Cinema is an art that elevates humankind, and artificial intelligence does the exact opposite. It’s a danger,” Barde said.
And while he stands in solidarity with the strike, he has opted “to maintain all the tributes which will pay homage to careers...
- 8/17/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
New York, NY – The 22nd Tribeca Film Festival announced their Jury Prizes for 2023 on June 15th. Best U.S. Narrative was rewarded to “Cypher,” directed by Chris Moukarel, a narrative of rapper Tierra Whack. Best International Narrative goes to A Strange Path” and Best Documentary is “Between the Rains.”
“A Strange Path” (Dir: Guto Parente) is a Brazilian film concerning a filmmaker who returns home and encounters his estranged father. “Between the Rains” (Dir: Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira) is a coming-of-age story that follows an orphan as he adapts to radically changing climate conditions in Northern Kenya.
Click Tribeca At Home, June 19th-July 2nd, 2023
Photo credit: TribecaFilm.com
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative,...
“A Strange Path” (Dir: Guto Parente) is a Brazilian film concerning a filmmaker who returns home and encounters his estranged father. “Between the Rains” (Dir: Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira) is a coming-of-age story that follows an orphan as he adapts to radically changing climate conditions in Northern Kenya.
Click Tribeca At Home, June 19th-July 2nd, 2023
Photo credit: TribecaFilm.com
Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories – U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories – Narrative,...
- 6/18/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The 22nd Tribeca Festival, presented by Okx, announced its winners for its competition categories on Thursday. Top honors at the ceremony, held at Racket NYC, went to “Cypher” for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, “A Strange Path,” for Best International Narrative Feature and “Between the Rains” for Best Documentary Feature. Awards were given in the following competition categories: Feature Film, Short Film, Audio Storytelling, Immersive, Games, Human / Nature, AT&T Untold Stories, and Tribeca X.
Speaking about Chris Moukarbel’s “Cypher,” the jury declared that its victory was for “its kaleidoscopic use of music, created imagery and found materials, in service of an interrogation of celebrity, conspiracy culture and the nature of narrative reality itself.”
Speaking to the victory bestowed upon Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path,” the Jury commented: “In considering the International Narrative Feature Award, one film rose to the top with its surprising warmth and deeply compelling storytelling.
Speaking about Chris Moukarbel’s “Cypher,” the jury declared that its victory was for “its kaleidoscopic use of music, created imagery and found materials, in service of an interrogation of celebrity, conspiracy culture and the nature of narrative reality itself.”
Speaking to the victory bestowed upon Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path,” the Jury commented: “In considering the International Narrative Feature Award, one film rose to the top with its surprising warmth and deeply compelling storytelling.
- 6/15/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Cypher, written and directed by Chris Moukarbel, took the best U.S. narrative feature prize at the Tribeca Festival. The pseudo-documentary about the rise of Tierra Whack world premiered here last week. The jury cited “its kaleidoscopic use of music, created imagery and found materials, in service of an interrogation of celebrity, conspiracy culture and the nature of narrative reality itself.”
Smoking Tigers won Best Performance in the U.S. narrative category for Ji-Young Yoo as well as Best Screenplay for So Young Shelly Yo, who directed the film about a Korean-American girl staggering under her parents’ separation in her feature directorial debut. Best Cinematography went to Caroline Costa for The Graduates, directed by Hannah Peterson, about a high school senior facing the one-year mark of a tragic school shooting that took her boyfriend.
The 22nd annual Tribeca Festival runs June 7-18. It announced the winning storytellers today at an awards ceremony at Racket NYC.
Smoking Tigers won Best Performance in the U.S. narrative category for Ji-Young Yoo as well as Best Screenplay for So Young Shelly Yo, who directed the film about a Korean-American girl staggering under her parents’ separation in her feature directorial debut. Best Cinematography went to Caroline Costa for The Graduates, directed by Hannah Peterson, about a high school senior facing the one-year mark of a tragic school shooting that took her boyfriend.
The 22nd annual Tribeca Festival runs June 7-18. It announced the winning storytellers today at an awards ceremony at Racket NYC.
- 6/15/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2023 Tribeca Festival has announced its award winners across various competition categories, with Cypher, A Strange Path and Between the Rains among the films winning the top prizes.
Cypher won the founders award for best U.S. narrative feature with the prize going to director Chris Moukarbel.
Cypher follows YouTube rapper Tierra Whack, going behind the scenes of concerts and music videos as she navigates fame and receives praise until a seemingly innocuous fan interaction begins a series of increasingly unsettling events that follow Tierra and her team to Dubai as they start to question being watched as a part of fame.
A Strange Path dominated the international narrative competition, winning best feature (Guto Parente), performance (Carlos Francisco), screenplay (Parente) and cinematography (Linga Acácio).
Between the Rains won best documentary feature (Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira) and cinematography in a doc feature (Brown).
Smoking Tigers, which was the first...
Cypher won the founders award for best U.S. narrative feature with the prize going to director Chris Moukarbel.
Cypher follows YouTube rapper Tierra Whack, going behind the scenes of concerts and music videos as she navigates fame and receives praise until a seemingly innocuous fan interaction begins a series of increasingly unsettling events that follow Tierra and her team to Dubai as they start to question being watched as a part of fame.
A Strange Path dominated the international narrative competition, winning best feature (Guto Parente), performance (Carlos Francisco), screenplay (Parente) and cinematography (Linga Acácio).
Between the Rains won best documentary feature (Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira) and cinematography in a doc feature (Brown).
Smoking Tigers, which was the first...
- 6/15/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Cypher,” a drama about the astronomical rise of rapper Tierra Whack, and “A Strange Path,” which follows a young filmmaker who returns to his country of Brazil during the pandemic to reconnect with his father, won the top prizes for U.S. narrative feature and international narrative feature, respectively, at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
“Between the Rains,” a film that captures the Turkana-Ngaremara community as they contend with prolonged drought, took home the award for documentary feature. The festival, which dropped the word “film” from its name in 2021, hosts more than 600 events across New York City and hands out awards in categories including short film, audio storytelling and games. This year’s edition ends on June 18.
“We take great pride in recognizing this year’s collection of diverse, trailblazing works and creators,” said Cara Cusumano, festival director and VP of programming. “Today’s honorees are a compelling testament that...
“Between the Rains,” a film that captures the Turkana-Ngaremara community as they contend with prolonged drought, took home the award for documentary feature. The festival, which dropped the word “film” from its name in 2021, hosts more than 600 events across New York City and hands out awards in categories including short film, audio storytelling and games. This year’s edition ends on June 18.
“We take great pride in recognizing this year’s collection of diverse, trailblazing works and creators,” said Cara Cusumano, festival director and VP of programming. “Today’s honorees are a compelling testament that...
- 6/15/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Filmmaker Tyler Taormina (Ham on Rye) has wrapped production on Long Island on Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point, a Christmas comedy to star Michael Cera (Life & Beth), Elsie Fisher (Barry), Maria Dizzia (The Good Nurse), Francesca Scorsese (We Are Who We Are), Ben Shenkman (Billions), Gregg Turkington (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Sawyer Spielberg (Masters of the Air) and newcomer Matilda Fleming.
Written by Taormina, Eric Berger and Kevin Anton, the film watches as four generations of the Balsano family gather for what may be the last Christmas in the family home. As they lose themselves in rowdy celebration, cousins Emily and Michelle sneak away to a winter wonderland, where suburban teenagers find their rebellious paradise.
The project hails from Omnes Films and was produced in association with Crypto Castle Productions and Puente Films. Producers included Cera, Krista Minto, Taormina, David Croley Broyles and Duncan Sullivan. The executive producers are Jeremy Gardner,...
Written by Taormina, Eric Berger and Kevin Anton, the film watches as four generations of the Balsano family gather for what may be the last Christmas in the family home. As they lose themselves in rowdy celebration, cousins Emily and Michelle sneak away to a winter wonderland, where suburban teenagers find their rebellious paradise.
The project hails from Omnes Films and was produced in association with Crypto Castle Productions and Puente Films. Producers included Cera, Krista Minto, Taormina, David Croley Broyles and Duncan Sullivan. The executive producers are Jeremy Gardner,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Premiering Saturday night in the Tribeca Film Festival’s Spotlight Narrative category, Eric Larue is an intense and devastating account of the after effects of a school shooting, but the focus is almost entirely on the parents of that boy who shot and killed three male classmates and is now in prison. Adapted by Brett Neveu from his own 2002 stage play, it has taken on new weight in the two decades since it was first presented at Chicago’s Red Orchid Theatre in light of the seemingly endless numbers of school shootings and the fact that the number one cause for deaths of young people is now by gun. But for his feature film directorial debut actor Michael Shannon was most interested in looking at the effects of this traumatic life-changing incident from the point of view of the parents, those of the kids killed, and particularly the pair of...
- 6/11/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Graduates,” which counts Chloé Zhao and John Cho among its executive producers and gets its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, revolves around school shooting survivors who are unable to move on even one year later. It’s a compelling subject, for sure, but one on which no dramatic treatments have been nearly as astute or profound as what’s already been in the news.
Genevieve (Mina Sundwall of Netflix’s “Lost in Space”), who lost her boyfriend in a shooting and owes her teacher several assignments, doubts her test score is sufficient to get her into college and contemplates taking a gap year post-graduation. Ben (Alex R. Hibbert of “Moonlight”), who lost his friend and coworker at his part-time job, has transferred and quit the basketball team before dropping out of high school entirely. John (Cho), who lost his son, continues to coach at the school even though...
Genevieve (Mina Sundwall of Netflix’s “Lost in Space”), who lost her boyfriend in a shooting and owes her teacher several assignments, doubts her test score is sufficient to get her into college and contemplates taking a gap year post-graduation. Ben (Alex R. Hibbert of “Moonlight”), who lost his friend and coworker at his part-time job, has transferred and quit the basketball team before dropping out of high school entirely. John (Cho), who lost his son, continues to coach at the school even though...
- 6/10/2023
- by Martin Aubert Tsai
- The Wrap
With 109 narrative and documentary features, as well as a bevy of shorts, TV series, podcasts, games and live music events, the Tribeca Festival offers a wide range of media in its 22nd year.
“It’s all about creating an entire festival program that harmonizes together,” says Tribeca Festival director and VP of programming, Cara Cusuamno. “The idea of discovery is a touchpoint that we come back to quite a lot. Whether it’s the discovery of a specific voice, an artist, or first-time creator in film, television, immersive or the discovery of the audience itself experiencing something that they had not sought out before.”
The festival runs June 7-18. As always, Tribeca Festival will spotlight a number of projects directed by boldface names including Frank Marshall (“Rather”), Chelsea Peretti (“First Time Female Director”) and Steven Soderbergh (“Full Circle”).
“It’s quality first,” says Cusuamno. “These projects would not be in...
“It’s all about creating an entire festival program that harmonizes together,” says Tribeca Festival director and VP of programming, Cara Cusuamno. “The idea of discovery is a touchpoint that we come back to quite a lot. Whether it’s the discovery of a specific voice, an artist, or first-time creator in film, television, immersive or the discovery of the audience itself experiencing something that they had not sought out before.”
The festival runs June 7-18. As always, Tribeca Festival will spotlight a number of projects directed by boldface names including Frank Marshall (“Rather”), Chelsea Peretti (“First Time Female Director”) and Steven Soderbergh (“Full Circle”).
“It’s quality first,” says Cusuamno. “These projects would not be in...
- 6/7/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Tribeca Festival has announced the lineup of its 2023 festival, which includes new films from actors Chelsea Peretti and David Duchovny and documentaries about Rock Hudson and news anchor Dan Rather.
This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres.
Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.
This year’s festival also spotlights a number of films directed by actors, such as “First Time Female Director” by Peretti; “Maggie Moore(s)” by...
This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres.
Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.
This year’s festival also spotlights a number of films directed by actors, such as “First Time Female Director” by Peretti; “Maggie Moore(s)” by...
- 4/18/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
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