Tara Talbot (Victoria Sanchez) draws a crowd wherever she goes in Wolf Girl. Everyone’s jaws naturally slacken whenever she walks into a room. And for her entire life, Tara has been okay with others’ stares and gasps — after all, people pay good money to see the infamous “Wolf Girl” in Harley Dune’s traveling freak-show. Yet, something has changed in Tara. The social alienation that comes with her “werewolf syndrome” has finally gotten to her, and she now wishes to be anything but different.
While promoted as a werewolf-horror movie, this Canadian-Romanian production quickly reveals itself to be a coming-of-age tale with only occasional moments of terror to qualify its genre classification. Lori Lansens’ screenplay comes much closer to being a gothic allegory with heavy psychological overtones. The story puts an emphasis on not only Tara’s longing and loneliness, but also the inner workings of characters on the other side of the cage,...
While promoted as a werewolf-horror movie, this Canadian-Romanian production quickly reveals itself to be a coming-of-age tale with only occasional moments of terror to qualify its genre classification. Lori Lansens’ screenplay comes much closer to being a gothic allegory with heavy psychological overtones. The story puts an emphasis on not only Tara’s longing and loneliness, but also the inner workings of characters on the other side of the cage,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: OUTtv Media Group (Omg) is partnering with Producer Entertainment Group (Peg), to launch OUTtv USA, an SVOD service dedicated to premium LGBTQ+ content. OUTtv marks the first LGBTQ+ Apple TV channel and is now available on the Apple TV app.
OUTtv debuts today and is available for a seven-day trial on the Apple TV app. Subscriptions will be $2.99 per month. OUTtv is expected to launch across other marquee SVOD platforms later this year.
“We are delighted to deepen and evolve our relationship with Peg further by bringing OUTtv to America”, said Brad Danks, CEO, OUTtv Media Group. The real potential and impact will come from the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ content that we will develop, produce and distribute together.”
“Demand for premium, authentic queer content is at an all time high, said Jacob Slane, Partner, Producer Entertainment Group. “We’re proud to join Omg to bring their long standing history of...
OUTtv debuts today and is available for a seven-day trial on the Apple TV app. Subscriptions will be $2.99 per month. OUTtv is expected to launch across other marquee SVOD platforms later this year.
“We are delighted to deepen and evolve our relationship with Peg further by bringing OUTtv to America”, said Brad Danks, CEO, OUTtv Media Group. The real potential and impact will come from the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ content that we will develop, produce and distribute together.”
“Demand for premium, authentic queer content is at an all time high, said Jacob Slane, Partner, Producer Entertainment Group. “We’re proud to join Omg to bring their long standing history of...
- 3/29/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Following its high profile UK and Irish cinema reopening release this Summer, the heartwarming comedy drama Stage Mother arrives on digital download and DVD on 16th November to offer everyone at home the glitz and glam we all need right now! To celebrate, we are giving away a DVD bundle consisting of Stage Mother, Whitney, Moonlight and Love is Strange.
Stage Mother sees conservative, Texas church-choir director Maybelline inheriting her recently deceased son’s drag club, and surprising her closed-minded husband, and everyone else she knows, by moving alone to San Francisco to save the club from bankruptcy. In this raucous, racy new environment, she begins to open up and find new meaning for her life, even becoming a mother-figure to the club’s flamboyant performers… until a surprise visit threatens to upend her new life. Directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Cloudburst) Stage Mother also stars A-listers Lucy Liu (Elementary) and...
Stage Mother sees conservative, Texas church-choir director Maybelline inheriting her recently deceased son’s drag club, and surprising her closed-minded husband, and everyone else she knows, by moving alone to San Francisco to save the club from bankruptcy. In this raucous, racy new environment, she begins to open up and find new meaning for her life, even becoming a mother-figure to the club’s flamboyant performers… until a surprise visit threatens to upend her new life. Directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Cloudburst) Stage Mother also stars A-listers Lucy Liu (Elementary) and...
- 11/8/2020
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
From director Thom Fitzgerald and screenwriter Brad Hennig, the indie dramedy Stage Mother follows conservative Texas church choir director Maybelline (Jacki Weaver), a grieving mother who learns that she’d inherited her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Leaving her closed-minded husband behind, she becomes determined to find new meaning for her life by redecorating the club and redesigning their show in a way that helps her connect with and get to know her son again. During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Aussie actress Jacki Weaver talked about why the drag world is so …...
- 8/25/2020
- by Christina Radish
- Collider.com
Once Upon a Time, There Was Light in My Life: Fitzgerald Soars with Bittersweet Melodrama
A testament for the continual importance of narratives which explore the fractured and compromised trajectories of LGBTQ+ themes and characters arrives in the form of Stage Mother, the latest film from director Thom Fitzgerald. On paper, it sounds like something you’ve seen before, especially if you’re a consumer of indie queer cinema in the US—and to be fair, it’s quite reminiscent of the kinds of characters and stories which flourished in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where films and television weren’t always entirely focused on coming out stories and high school trauma but a wide range of phases and scenarios.…...
A testament for the continual importance of narratives which explore the fractured and compromised trajectories of LGBTQ+ themes and characters arrives in the form of Stage Mother, the latest film from director Thom Fitzgerald. On paper, it sounds like something you’ve seen before, especially if you’re a consumer of indie queer cinema in the US—and to be fair, it’s quite reminiscent of the kinds of characters and stories which flourished in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where films and television weren’t always entirely focused on coming out stories and high school trauma but a wide range of phases and scenarios.…...
- 8/21/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Giving a leading role to Jacki Weaver is something any filmmaker should be commended for. The veteran actress is a welcome presence anywhere, no matter the topic. Casting her as the lead in a fish out of water type dramedy? Well, that should be the main ingredient to a delicious cinematic dish. Unfortunately, Stage Mother ends up more like a fast food dish when you were hoping for fine dining. Does it mostly get the job done? Sure, but it also doesn’t particularly satisfy you. The premise, along with Weaver’s talents, ultimately keep this from being something that leaves an impression on you. Opening this week, it’s a missed opportunity for something wonderful. The movie is a dramedy, focused on a southern woman evolution in the Bay Area. When Maybelline (Weaver), a conservative, Texas church-choir director finds out that her son Rickey (Eldon Thiele) has passed away from a drug overdose,...
- 8/18/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Older titles continue to dominate post-lockdown UK box office.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Jul 24-26) Total gross to date Week 1 Onward (Disney) £48,142 £5.43m 7 2 Trolls World Tour (Universal) £35,053 £177,798 3 3 Dreambuilders (Signature Entertainment) £25,711 £45,951 2 4 Dirty Dancing (Lionsgate) £24,836 £293,319 167 5 Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (extended) (Warner Bros) £24,136 £24,136 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26.
The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is back in the UK and Ireland box office chart as a lack of major new releases sees audiences turn to old favourites.
Disney continued to lead the post-lockdown box office, with Pixar animation Onward holding the top slot with £60,000 across 148 locations from...
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Jul 24-26) Total gross to date Week 1 Onward (Disney) £48,142 £5.43m 7 2 Trolls World Tour (Universal) £35,053 £177,798 3 3 Dreambuilders (Signature Entertainment) £25,711 £45,951 2 4 Dirty Dancing (Lionsgate) £24,836 £293,319 167 5 Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (extended) (Warner Bros) £24,136 £24,136 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26.
The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is back in the UK and Ireland box office chart as a lack of major new releases sees audiences turn to old favourites.
Disney continued to lead the post-lockdown box office, with Pixar animation Onward holding the top slot with £60,000 across 148 locations from...
- 7/27/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Warner is opening ’The Way Back’ starring Ben Affleck in Germany.
As cinemas begin to reopen again in many territories, Screen is tracking which films are being released in key territories each week.
UK and Ireland, opening Friday July 24
Without major studio tentpoles driving audiences to cinemas, takings in the UK and Ireland remain low compared to pre-lockdown and were up just 1.8% last weekend despite a 27% increase in reopened sites.
But a raft of independent features and the re-release of a fantasy blockbuster may translate into a stronger weekend, as exhibitors hope to see audience confidence grow in returning to cinemas.
As cinemas begin to reopen again in many territories, Screen is tracking which films are being released in key territories each week.
UK and Ireland, opening Friday July 24
Without major studio tentpoles driving audiences to cinemas, takings in the UK and Ireland remain low compared to pre-lockdown and were up just 1.8% last weekend despite a 27% increase in reopened sites.
But a raft of independent features and the re-release of a fantasy blockbuster may translate into a stronger weekend, as exhibitors hope to see audience confidence grow in returning to cinemas.
- 7/24/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦¬1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦¬1101325¦Gabriele Niola¦35¦¬158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
The late Richard Benner’s 1977 “Outrageous!” blazed trails as both a hit Canadian export and positive screen depiction of gay life, two relative rarities at the time. Even then, some gay viewers found the funny-sad friendship between a hairdresser/professional drag queen and a young schizophrenic woman a bit old-fashioned. But everybody was won over by Craig Russell’s stage impersonations of Hollywood stars — schmaltz and camp being a reliable combination for gay cinema with crossover ambitions.
That formula has scarcely altered 43 years later for “Stage Mother.” It’s the latest from Thom Fitzgerald, whose 1997 “The Hanging Garden” was also shot in Nova Scotia, and helped herald a new, perhaps more politically bold and artistically adventuresome generation of gay Canadian filmmakers. His more recent work has fitted into a time-tested mould of sentimental seriocomedy, however. This tale of a small-town Texas matron who inherits her estranged son’s San Francisco drag bar offers up smiles,...
That formula has scarcely altered 43 years later for “Stage Mother.” It’s the latest from Thom Fitzgerald, whose 1997 “The Hanging Garden” was also shot in Nova Scotia, and helped herald a new, perhaps more politically bold and artistically adventuresome generation of gay Canadian filmmakers. His more recent work has fitted into a time-tested mould of sentimental seriocomedy, however. This tale of a small-town Texas matron who inherits her estranged son’s San Francisco drag bar offers up smiles,...
- 7/2/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
"Ma'am - it's not polite to stare!" Momentum Pictures has debuted the official trailer for an indie dramedy titled Stage Mother, the latest film from filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald. When the conservative, Texas church-choir director Maybelline inherits her recently deceased son's drag club in San Francisco called "Pandora's Box", she surprises her closed-minded husband and everyone else she knows by moving alone to Sf to save the club from bankruptcy. Jacki Weaver stars as Maybelline, who quickly becomes a mother-figure to the club's many flamboyant performers. Described as a "dance in your seat, music-infused comedy-drama that boasts a fiery supporting cast" including Lucy Liu, Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor, and drag superstar Jackie Beat. This looks kinky and funny, an uplifting story about learning to let go of your prejudice and celebrate pride instead. And Jacki Weaver always rocks. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Thom Fitzgerald's Stage Mother, direct from YouTube: When conservative,...
- 6/26/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Following news last week that Stage Mother, Thom Fitzgerald’s comedy starring Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu, had sold to Momentum Pictures for North America and Altitude for UK, sales agent Film Mode Entertainment has inked a series of further Cannes deals on the title.
The pic has now gone to Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Japan (Regents), Taiwan (Deepjov), Middle East (Eagle Films), and South Africa (African Entertainment Distributors).
The movie debuted at Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Brad Hennig wrote the screenplay, which follows a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s drag club and tries to save it from bankruptcy. Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor and Jackie Beat are also in the cast.
“We love seeing audiences dancing in their seats, laughing and crying all at the same time. It’s evident that even in these trying times,...
The pic has now gone to Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Japan (Regents), Taiwan (Deepjov), Middle East (Eagle Films), and South Africa (African Entertainment Distributors).
The movie debuted at Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Brad Hennig wrote the screenplay, which follows a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s drag club and tries to save it from bankruptcy. Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor and Jackie Beat are also in the cast.
“We love seeing audiences dancing in their seats, laughing and crying all at the same time. It’s evident that even in these trying times,...
- 6/26/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Momentum Pictures has bought North American rights to Stage Mother, Thom Fitzgerald’s comedy starring Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu, and has set an August 21 day-and-date release for the pic.
The movie debuted at Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Brad Hennig wrote the screenplay, which follows a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s drag club and tries to save it from bankruptcy. Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor and Jackie Beat are also in the cast.
The deal was negotiated between Dylan Wilcox on behalf of Momentum Pictures and Clay Epstein for sales rep Film Mode Entertainment.
“We are excited to be distributing Stage Mother in the United States and Canada. It is such a special film; the perfect mix of tenderness, poignancy and laugh-out-loud humor with an incredible cast. We feel privileged to share Thom and Brad’s work with the world,...
The movie debuted at Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Brad Hennig wrote the screenplay, which follows a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s drag club and tries to save it from bankruptcy. Adrian Grenier, Mya Taylor and Jackie Beat are also in the cast.
The deal was negotiated between Dylan Wilcox on behalf of Momentum Pictures and Clay Epstein for sales rep Film Mode Entertainment.
“We are excited to be distributing Stage Mother in the United States and Canada. It is such a special film; the perfect mix of tenderness, poignancy and laugh-out-loud humor with an incredible cast. We feel privileged to share Thom and Brad’s work with the world,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Twelve world premieres among line-up.
Frameline has announced the full programme for the virtual Frameline44 Pride Showcase that runs from June 25-28 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco Pride.
Presented in partnership with the Castro Theatre, the four-day event features 12 world premieres, one international premiere, three North American Premieres, and two Us premieres.
The roster includes Jessica Swale’s Summerland starring Gemma Arterton, who will participate in a live Q&a following the film; Thom Fitzgerald’s valentine to San Francisco Stage Mother, which will include a live Q&a with Jacki Weaver, Mya Taylor, and Jackie Beat...
Frameline has announced the full programme for the virtual Frameline44 Pride Showcase that runs from June 25-28 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco Pride.
Presented in partnership with the Castro Theatre, the four-day event features 12 world premieres, one international premiere, three North American Premieres, and two Us premieres.
The roster includes Jessica Swale’s Summerland starring Gemma Arterton, who will participate in a live Q&a following the film; Thom Fitzgerald’s valentine to San Francisco Stage Mother, which will include a live Q&a with Jacki Weaver, Mya Taylor, and Jackie Beat...
- 6/12/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Jacki Weaver.
Jacki Weaver is starring alongside Naomi Watts and The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln in Penguin Bloom, the adaptation of Bradley Trevor Greive and Cameron Bloom’s novel directed by Glendyn Ivin.
Lincoln plays Cameron Bloom, the husband of Watt’s Sam Bloom in the drama based on the true story of a young Sydney family who struggle to come to terms with a near-fatal accident that left their mother paralyzed.
An unlikely ally enters their lives in the form of an injured Magpie chick, which the family dubbed ‘Penguin’ due to her black and white plumage.
Weaver portrays Jan, Sam’s mother. Newcomers Griffin Murray-Johnston, Felix Cameron and Abe Clifford-Barr, who were discovered in a nationwide search by casting directors Kirsty McGregor and Stevie Ray, play the Bloom’s children.
Rounding out the cast are Rachel House as Sam’s Kiwi kayak coach Gaye Hatfield, Leeanna Walsman...
Jacki Weaver is starring alongside Naomi Watts and The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln in Penguin Bloom, the adaptation of Bradley Trevor Greive and Cameron Bloom’s novel directed by Glendyn Ivin.
Lincoln plays Cameron Bloom, the husband of Watt’s Sam Bloom in the drama based on the true story of a young Sydney family who struggle to come to terms with a near-fatal accident that left their mother paralyzed.
An unlikely ally enters their lives in the form of an injured Magpie chick, which the family dubbed ‘Penguin’ due to her black and white plumage.
Weaver portrays Jan, Sam’s mother. Newcomers Griffin Murray-Johnston, Felix Cameron and Abe Clifford-Barr, who were discovered in a nationwide search by casting directors Kirsty McGregor and Stevie Ray, play the Bloom’s children.
Rounding out the cast are Rachel House as Sam’s Kiwi kayak coach Gaye Hatfield, Leeanna Walsman...
- 7/31/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Jacki Weaver and Adrian Grenier enjoy San Francisco’s drag scene in this exclusive first-look from comedy-drama Stage Mother, being shopped at the Afm by Film Mode Entertainment. Lucy Liu and Mya Taylor also star in the film, about a conservative Texas church-choir director who finds a new meaning in life after she inherits her son’s drag club.
Stage Mother, which is shooting in Canada, is being directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Splinters) from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes).
“Audiences will be jumping up in their seats singing, dancing and shedding a tear in this ...
Stage Mother, which is shooting in Canada, is being directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Splinters) from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes).
“Audiences will be jumping up in their seats singing, dancing and shedding a tear in this ...
- 11/3/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Jacki Weaver and Adrian Grenier enjoy San Francisco’s drag scene in this exclusive first-look from comedy-drama Stage Mother, being shopped at the Afm by Film Mode Entertainment. Lucy Liu and Mya Taylor also star in the film, about a conservative Texas church-choir director who finds a new meaning in life after she inherits her son’s drag club.
Stage Mother, which is shooting in Canada, is being directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Splinters) from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes).
“Audiences will be jumping up in their seats singing, dancing and shedding a tear in this ...
Stage Mother, which is shooting in Canada, is being directed by Thom Fitzgerald (Splinters) from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes).
“Audiences will be jumping up in their seats singing, dancing and shedding a tear in this ...
- 11/3/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Entourage star Adrian Grenier and Tangerine breakout Mya Taylor are joining Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu in the dramatic comedy Stage Mother, which is set in the drag queen world of San Francisco. Thom Fitzgerald is directing.
Grenier will play Nathan and Taylor will portray Cherry, a transgender drag queen. For her starring role in Tangerine, Taylor, a trailblazing Lgbtq icon, became the first openly transgender actor to win an Independent Spirit Award.
Written by Brad Hennig, Stage Mother centers on a conservative church-choir director (Weaver) who moves to San Francisco to run her late son’s drag club.
Film Mode Entertainment and Branded Pictures Entertainment ...
Grenier will play Nathan and Taylor will portray Cherry, a transgender drag queen. For her starring role in Tangerine, Taylor, a trailblazing Lgbtq icon, became the first openly transgender actor to win an Independent Spirit Award.
Written by Brad Hennig, Stage Mother centers on a conservative church-choir director (Weaver) who moves to San Francisco to run her late son’s drag club.
Film Mode Entertainment and Branded Pictures Entertainment ...
Entourage star Adrian Grenier and Tangerine breakout Mya Taylor are joining Jacki Weaver and Lucy Liu in the dramatic comedy Stage Mother, which is set in the drag queen world of San Francisco. Thom Fitzgerald is directing.
Grenier will play Nathan and Taylor will portray Cherry, a transgender drag queen. For her starring role in Tangerine, Taylor, a trailblazing Lgbtq icon, became the first openly transgender actor to win an Independent Spirit Award.
Written by Brad Hennig, Stage Mother centers on a conservative church-choir director (Weaver) who moves to San Francisco to run her late son’s drag club.
Film Mode Entertainment and Branded Pictures Entertainment ...
Grenier will play Nathan and Taylor will portray Cherry, a transgender drag queen. For her starring role in Tangerine, Taylor, a trailblazing Lgbtq icon, became the first openly transgender actor to win an Independent Spirit Award.
Written by Brad Hennig, Stage Mother centers on a conservative church-choir director (Weaver) who moves to San Francisco to run her late son’s drag club.
Film Mode Entertainment and Branded Pictures Entertainment ...
The Toronto Intl. Film Festival has added Denys Arcand’s crime thriller “The Fall of the American Empire” and 18 other Canadian films to its lineup.
Nine of the films are directed by women and 14 are world premieres.
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, senior programmer. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south.”
“The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry, Maxim Roy, Yan England, and Rémy Girard and centers Landry’s character discovering two bags of money and facing a moral dilemma. Arcand was inspired to make the film after learning about the 2010 murder of two people in a Montreal boutique.
Sony Classics bought the...
Nine of the films are directed by women and 14 are world premieres.
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, senior programmer. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, myth to documentary, and romance to a dystopic vision of our neighbours to the south, this year’s Canadian films come from every region in the country, stretching from east to west and north to south.”
“The Fall of the American Empire” stars Alexandre Landry, Maxim Roy, Yan England, and Rémy Girard and centers Landry’s character discovering two bags of money and facing a moral dilemma. Arcand was inspired to make the film after learning about the 2010 murder of two people in a Montreal boutique.
Sony Classics bought the...
- 8/1/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 new titles to its 2018 festival lineup, comprised entirely of features directed by Canadian filmmakers. Each year, Tiff highlights the films that hail from its own shores in a standalone announcement, and this year it includes nine new films from female directors, six debut features, a number of titles from fixtures of the Canadian film scene, and the world premiere of three films that showcase some of the country’s Indigenous talent.
The festival will also play home to a special event world premiere and tribute dedicated to the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart, centered around his final film, “Sharkwater Extinction.” Stewart passed away in 2017 while working on the film, a followup to his 2006 documentary “Sharkwater.”
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, Tiff Senior Programmer, in an official statement. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy,...
The festival will also play home to a special event world premiere and tribute dedicated to the late filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart, centered around his final film, “Sharkwater Extinction.” Stewart passed away in 2017 while working on the film, a followup to his 2006 documentary “Sharkwater.”
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,” said Steve Gravestock, Tiff Senior Programmer, in an official statement. “Ranging from science fiction to fantasy,...
- 8/1/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
New films from Canadian filmmakers Denys Arcand, Maxime Giroux, Jennifer Baichwal and Bruce Sweeney have been added to 2018 Toronto International Film Festival lineup, which announced its slate of Canadian films on Wednesday.
Nine of the films are directed by women, fsix are debut features and 14 are world premieres.
Canadian features will include Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire,” Giroux’s “The Great Darkened Days” and Sweeney’s “Kingsway.”
Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy,' 'A Star Is Born' Highlight Toronto Film Festival Lineup
The Canadian documentaries include Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky’s “Anthropocene,” Ron Mann’s “Carmine Street Guitars” and Thom Fitzgerald’s “Splinters.”
Three of the films – Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s “Edge of the Knife,” Darlene Naponse’s “Falls Around Her” and Miranda de Pencier’s “The Grizzlies” – feature indigenous talent.
A special event will screen the documentary “Sharkwater Extinction,...
Nine of the films are directed by women, fsix are debut features and 14 are world premieres.
Canadian features will include Arcand’s “The Fall of the American Empire,” Giroux’s “The Great Darkened Days” and Sweeney’s “Kingsway.”
Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy,' 'A Star Is Born' Highlight Toronto Film Festival Lineup
The Canadian documentaries include Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky’s “Anthropocene,” Ron Mann’s “Carmine Street Guitars” and Thom Fitzgerald’s “Splinters.”
Three of the films – Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s “Edge of the Knife,” Darlene Naponse’s “Falls Around Her” and Miranda de Pencier’s “The Grizzlies” – feature indigenous talent.
A special event will screen the documentary “Sharkwater Extinction,...
- 8/1/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Anthropocene and The Fall Of The American Empire are among films joining the line-up.
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 Canadian titles to its line-up, among them the world premieres of documentary Anthropocene, Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater Extinction and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies.
The new titles for the forty-third edition of the festival – which runs from September 6 to 16 - include nine films directed by women and five debut features and senior programmer Steve Gravestock emphasised the diversity represented.
Scroll down for full line-up
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,...
The Toronto International Film Festival has added another 19 Canadian titles to its line-up, among them the world premieres of documentary Anthropocene, Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater Extinction and Miranda de Pencier’s feature directorial debut The Grizzlies.
The new titles for the forty-third edition of the festival – which runs from September 6 to 16 - include nine films directed by women and five debut features and senior programmer Steve Gravestock emphasised the diversity represented.
Scroll down for full line-up
“We’re especially proud to present such a diverse group of films,...
- 8/1/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its Canadian film lineup, including world premieres for the latest films by Maxime Giroux, Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein and Thom Fitzgerald.
Tiff also announced that Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will also receive a world premiere in Toronto after it bypassed Cannes. Set in the early 2000s, Dolan's seventh film centers on an American TV star, played by Kit Harington, and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be (Jacob Tremblay) living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in England.
The French Canadian auteur for artistic reasons edited Jessica ...
Tiff also announced that Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will also receive a world premiere in Toronto after it bypassed Cannes. Set in the early 2000s, Dolan's seventh film centers on an American TV star, played by Kit Harington, and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be (Jacob Tremblay) living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in England.
The French Canadian auteur for artistic reasons edited Jessica ...
The Toronto Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its Canadian film lineup, including world premieres for the latest films by Maxime Giroux, Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein and Thom Fitzgerald.
Tiff also announced that Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will also receive a world premiere in Toronto after it bypassed Cannes. Set in the early 2000s, Dolan's seventh film centers on an American TV star, played by Kit Harington, and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be (Jacob Tremblay) living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in England.
The French Canadian auteur for artistic reasons edited Jessica ...
Tiff also announced that Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will also receive a world premiere in Toronto after it bypassed Cannes. Set in the early 2000s, Dolan's seventh film centers on an American TV star, played by Kit Harington, and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be (Jacob Tremblay) living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in England.
The French Canadian auteur for artistic reasons edited Jessica ...
Jacki Weaver, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu have joined the dramatic comedy “Stage Mother,” set in the drag queen world of San Francisco.
The film is currently in pre-production. Rights for the film will be available at the Cannes Film Festival Market through Film Mode Entertainment. The film begins shooting later this year in Canada with Thom Fitzgerald shooting from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (“The Hot Flashes”).
Weaver will portray a conservative Texas church-choir director inheriting her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Following her heart, she surprises her closed-minded husband and everyone else she knows by moving on her own from Texas to San Francisco save the club from bankruptcy.
Producers are J. Todd Harris through his Branded Pictures, Idiot Savant’s Anne Clements, 4K Productions’ Laurie Lacob and Emotion Pictures’ Doug Pettigrew. Executive producers are Clay Epstein, Brad Hennig and Thom Fitzgerald.
The film is currently in pre-production. Rights for the film will be available at the Cannes Film Festival Market through Film Mode Entertainment. The film begins shooting later this year in Canada with Thom Fitzgerald shooting from a script by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (“The Hot Flashes”).
Weaver will portray a conservative Texas church-choir director inheriting her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Following her heart, she surprises her closed-minded husband and everyone else she knows by moving on her own from Texas to San Francisco save the club from bankruptcy.
Producers are J. Todd Harris through his Branded Pictures, Idiot Savant’s Anne Clements, 4K Productions’ Laurie Lacob and Emotion Pictures’ Doug Pettigrew. Executive producers are Clay Epstein, Brad Hennig and Thom Fitzgerald.
- 5/1/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Jacki Weaver (Silver Lining’s Playbook), Taye Diggs (Chicago) and Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) are to lead cast in comedy Stage Mother, set in the drag queen world of San Francisco. Currently in pre-produciton, Film Mode, which handles world sales, will be shopping the movie in Cannes with shoot is due to get underway in Canada later this year.
Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald (Cloudburst) is helming the movie penned by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes). The cute story follows a conservative Texas church-choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Following her heart, she surprises her closed-minded husband and everyone else she knows by moving on her own from Texas to San Francisco save the club from bankruptcy. In this raucous, racy new environment, she begins to open up and find new meaning for her life, even becoming a mother figure...
Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald (Cloudburst) is helming the movie penned by San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes). The cute story follows a conservative Texas church-choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Following her heart, she surprises her closed-minded husband and everyone else she knows by moving on her own from Texas to San Francisco save the club from bankruptcy. In this raucous, racy new environment, she begins to open up and find new meaning for her life, even becoming a mother figure...
- 5/1/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Film Mode to launch Cannes sales; production set for later this year in Canada.
Jacki Weaver, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu have joined Stage Mother, which Film Mode will introduce to worldwide buyers in Cannes next week.
The project is scheduled to begin shooting later this year in Canada with Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald at the helm.
Stage Mother centres on the conservative director of Texas church choir who gets a new lease of life when she leaves her narrow-minded husband and moves to San Francisco after she inherits her recently deceased son’s financially stricken drag club. Brad Hennig...
Jacki Weaver, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu have joined Stage Mother, which Film Mode will introduce to worldwide buyers in Cannes next week.
The project is scheduled to begin shooting later this year in Canada with Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald at the helm.
Stage Mother centres on the conservative director of Texas church choir who gets a new lease of life when she leaves her narrow-minded husband and moves to San Francisco after she inherits her recently deceased son’s financially stricken drag club. Brad Hennig...
- 5/1/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jacki Weaver, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu have signed on to star in Stage Mother, the new feature from Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald (The Hanging Garden).
Weaver (The Silver Linings Playbook) will star as Maybelline, a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Surprising everyone, she moves to San Francisco to try and save the club from bankruptcy.
San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes) penned the screenplay.
Currently in preproduction, Stage Mother is set to begin shooting in Canada later this year.
Branded Pictures Entertainment's J. Todd Harris is producing...
Weaver (The Silver Linings Playbook) will star as Maybelline, a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Surprising everyone, she moves to San Francisco to try and save the club from bankruptcy.
San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (The Hot Flashes) penned the screenplay.
Currently in preproduction, Stage Mother is set to begin shooting in Canada later this year.
Branded Pictures Entertainment's J. Todd Harris is producing...
- 5/1/2018
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jacki Weaver, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu have signed on to star in <em>Stage Mother</em>, the new feature from Canadian director Thom Fitzgerald (<em>The Hanging Garden</em>).
Weaver (<em>The Silver Linings Playbook</em>) will star as Maybelline, a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Surprising everyone, she moves to San Francisco to try and save the club from bankruptcy.
San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (<em>The Hot Flashes</em>) penned the screenplay.
Currently in preproduction, <em>Stage Mother </em>is set to begin shooting in Canada later this year.
Branded Pictures Entertainment's J. Todd Harris is ...
Weaver (<em>The Silver Linings Playbook</em>) will star as Maybelline, a conservative Texas church choir director who inherits her recently deceased son’s San Francisco drag club. Surprising everyone, she moves to San Francisco to try and save the club from bankruptcy.
San Francisco screenwriter Brad Hennig (<em>The Hot Flashes</em>) penned the screenplay.
Currently in preproduction, <em>Stage Mother </em>is set to begin shooting in Canada later this year.
Branded Pictures Entertainment's J. Todd Harris is ...
The Whistler Film Festival and the Vancouver-based Praxis Centre for Screenwriters have announced the six Canadian screenwriters selected to participate in the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab, a joint feature script development program to be held from December 1 to 5 during the Whistler Film Festival + Summit. In addition, the parties have confirmed that the management of the program will move to Whistler.
Focused on advancing feature-length projects at the script stage into production by facilitating feedback and mentorship from industry experts across the business spectrum, the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab is designed to analyze the writer's intentions, rethink script-to-screen strategies, and chart a course for eventual production. Participants will engage in business tailored group discussions, one-on-one industry meetings, a boot camp pitch session, and a master class, as well as receive the opportunity to attend festival screenings and industry events. Advisors will include highly accomplished producers and other industry executives with extensive market knowledge.
The six screenwriters and projects selected for Wff Praxis Screenwriter Lab 2015 include:
Andrew McEvoy (BC) with suspenseful family drama "The Sounding Line"
Jesse Heffring (QC) with thought-provoking sci-fi thriller "Everything is Supernova"
Joadie Jurgova (Ns) with psychological drama "Trespassers Will Be Executed"
Katherine Wagner (BC) with character-driven sports thriller "Omertà"
Sara Beth Edwards (BC) with action/thriller "The Waitress"
Steven Owad (Ab) with small town drama of race and violence "Love in the Age of Terror"
After 28 years as an exclusive program of the School of Contemporary Arts at Sfu, the Praxis Centre for Screenwriters is moving into an expanded partnership with the Whistler Film Festival. Praxis founder and longtime Director, Sfu Professor Patricia Gruben, will continue as Director of the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab, but management of the workshop will move to Whistler. The parties are taking a break from the annual competition in order to shift the program to a June to December schedule in 2016. This year, instead of a new intake of scripts, six projects from previous workshops will be invited to return for a four-day business immersion experience during the Whistler Film Festival + Summit.
Since 1986, Praxis’ Fall and Spring workshop series for feature film scripts have brought together independent screenwriters from across the country to work with intensively with key film industry personnel in private and group sessions to develop both creative skills and marketing opportunities for their projects. More than 200 feature film and Mow screenplays by Canadian writers have been selected for an intensive workshop process with an exclusive list of international industry professionals, making Praxis a leader in the development of Canadian screenwriters. Praxis Fellows have come from all ten provinces and the Yukon, and advisors have covered a range from Hollywood producers, writers, and directors such as Christine Vachon and Michael Miner to independent Canadian screenwriters such as Atom Egoyan and Don McKellar. Over thirty-five Praxis scripts have been produced to date, including Mina Shum's "Double Happiness," Thom Fitzgerald's "The Hanging Garden," and Jacob Tierney's "The Trotsky," which opened the Whistler Film Festival in 2009.
“The Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab aligns Praxis’ leadership in the development of Canadian screenwriters and flagship feature screenplay competition with our robust slate of project development programs, Festival and industry Summit,” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw, Executive Director of the Whistler Film Festival Society. “Our ultimate goal is to have completed projects get developed and premiere in Whistler.”
"With this new program, which is focused on business development for screenplays that we've already worked with creatively, we'll connect with the great opportunities the Festival provides – connecting with directors, producers, marketing executives as well as Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch," says Praxis Director Patricia Gruben. "Plus, we'll be able to see the latest Praxis-workshopped film, "Numb," which is having its North American premiere at Wff."
From December 2 to 6, 2015, the Whistler Film Festival + Summit (Wff) will celebrate its 15th anniversary with fresh films, special guests, unique industry initiatives, epic events, and time to play in North America’s premiere mountain resort destination.
Focused on advancing feature-length projects at the script stage into production by facilitating feedback and mentorship from industry experts across the business spectrum, the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab is designed to analyze the writer's intentions, rethink script-to-screen strategies, and chart a course for eventual production. Participants will engage in business tailored group discussions, one-on-one industry meetings, a boot camp pitch session, and a master class, as well as receive the opportunity to attend festival screenings and industry events. Advisors will include highly accomplished producers and other industry executives with extensive market knowledge.
The six screenwriters and projects selected for Wff Praxis Screenwriter Lab 2015 include:
Andrew McEvoy (BC) with suspenseful family drama "The Sounding Line"
Jesse Heffring (QC) with thought-provoking sci-fi thriller "Everything is Supernova"
Joadie Jurgova (Ns) with psychological drama "Trespassers Will Be Executed"
Katherine Wagner (BC) with character-driven sports thriller "Omertà"
Sara Beth Edwards (BC) with action/thriller "The Waitress"
Steven Owad (Ab) with small town drama of race and violence "Love in the Age of Terror"
After 28 years as an exclusive program of the School of Contemporary Arts at Sfu, the Praxis Centre for Screenwriters is moving into an expanded partnership with the Whistler Film Festival. Praxis founder and longtime Director, Sfu Professor Patricia Gruben, will continue as Director of the Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab, but management of the workshop will move to Whistler. The parties are taking a break from the annual competition in order to shift the program to a June to December schedule in 2016. This year, instead of a new intake of scripts, six projects from previous workshops will be invited to return for a four-day business immersion experience during the Whistler Film Festival + Summit.
Since 1986, Praxis’ Fall and Spring workshop series for feature film scripts have brought together independent screenwriters from across the country to work with intensively with key film industry personnel in private and group sessions to develop both creative skills and marketing opportunities for their projects. More than 200 feature film and Mow screenplays by Canadian writers have been selected for an intensive workshop process with an exclusive list of international industry professionals, making Praxis a leader in the development of Canadian screenwriters. Praxis Fellows have come from all ten provinces and the Yukon, and advisors have covered a range from Hollywood producers, writers, and directors such as Christine Vachon and Michael Miner to independent Canadian screenwriters such as Atom Egoyan and Don McKellar. Over thirty-five Praxis scripts have been produced to date, including Mina Shum's "Double Happiness," Thom Fitzgerald's "The Hanging Garden," and Jacob Tierney's "The Trotsky," which opened the Whistler Film Festival in 2009.
“The Wff Praxis Screenwriters Lab aligns Praxis’ leadership in the development of Canadian screenwriters and flagship feature screenplay competition with our robust slate of project development programs, Festival and industry Summit,” says Shauna Hardy Mishaw, Executive Director of the Whistler Film Festival Society. “Our ultimate goal is to have completed projects get developed and premiere in Whistler.”
"With this new program, which is focused on business development for screenplays that we've already worked with creatively, we'll connect with the great opportunities the Festival provides – connecting with directors, producers, marketing executives as well as Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch," says Praxis Director Patricia Gruben. "Plus, we'll be able to see the latest Praxis-workshopped film, "Numb," which is having its North American premiere at Wff."
From December 2 to 6, 2015, the Whistler Film Festival + Summit (Wff) will celebrate its 15th anniversary with fresh films, special guests, unique industry initiatives, epic events, and time to play in North America’s premiere mountain resort destination.
- 9/23/2015
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
The newly-rebranded aGLIFF Polari film festival kicked off Wednesday evening at the Stateside Theatre with an introduction from Film Programming Director Curran Nault, who explained his philosophy of diversity and inclusiveness in the programming selections this year. He then presented Queer Youth Media Project student Valentina Weatherspoon, who showed two short films she made: Not My Type and Sick Kids, both of which were under 2 minutes and showed great potential for a first-time filmmaker. A third short, an experimental piece called A Place for Us, left the audience bemused before the opening-night feature, Cloudburst (pictured above).
Cloudburst, directed by Thom Fitzgerald, stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as Stella and Dot, a lesbian couple in their seventies who have been together for over 30 years. A health scare prompts Dot's granddaughter to trick the blind old woman into signing a power of attorney, and then forcibly removes her to be placed in a nursing home.
Cloudburst, directed by Thom Fitzgerald, stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as Stella and Dot, a lesbian couple in their seventies who have been together for over 30 years. A health scare prompts Dot's granddaughter to trick the blind old woman into signing a power of attorney, and then forcibly removes her to be placed in a nursing home.
- 10/7/2012
- by Mike Saulters
- Slackerwood
I have been anxiously awaiting Fantastic Fest 2012 (September 20-27) ever since the carnivalesque tomfoolery of the Fantastic Fest 2011 closing party. Year after year, Tim League and the Fantastic Fest programmers have totally blown me away with their impeccable curating of genre films. And the parties… Oh, the parties! If my liver could talk, the stories it would tell… If history serves, Fantastic Fest 2012 will continue to expand upon its awesomeness, so this year will probably be ten times more amazing than last year’s festival. The announcements that Fantastic Fest has made so far with the first wave and second wave of programming have already solidified the fact that this will be the best damn Fantastic Fest of them all. First off, Tim Burton will be in attendance at the world premiere of Frankenweenie on the opening night of Fantastic Fest 2012. Sure, I have not been a fan of most of his recent work, but...
- 9/4/2012
- by Don Simpson
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Outfest -- the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival -- is kicking off its 30th anniversary celebrations tomorrow night with a screening of Jeffrey Schwarz's "Vito" and a tribute to the one-and-only John Waters. What will follow is 10 days showcasing the best Lgbt cinema of the past year, which -- in something of a rare occasion -- isn't simply one or two great films and then countless filler. It's been a pretty exceptional year for Lgbt films, and if you're in Los Angeles over the next little bit, Outfest is a pretty great opportunity to see why. Indiewire offers 13 best bets below, though there's also quite a bit more where that came from, so check out the festival's full program here. "Cloudburst," written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald “Cloudburst” comes nearly fifteen years after writer-director Thom Fitzgerald made his directorial debut with “The Hanging Garden.” But unlike...
- 7/11/2012
- by Peter Knegt and Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Thom Fitzgerald’s "Cloudburst" and Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall's "Call Me Kuchu" topped the winners of the audience awards at Frameline36 the San Francisco International Lgbt Film Festival, which came to a close this Sunday. The Festival drew together an audience of 57,000 over 11 days of screenings, culminating with a screening of the forementioned "Cloudburst," which stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as aging New England lesbians that go on a road trip to Canada to get married. Other major honors at the fest included the juried First Feature Award, which went to Negar Azarbayjani’s "Facing Mirrors," the first Iranian narrative film with a transgender protagonist. Honorable mention went to director Sally El Hosaini's story of two Egyptian brothers living in inner London, "My Brother The Devil." Taking home the Outstanding Documentary Feature Award was Yariv...
- 6/27/2012
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Lgbt nonprofit media arts organization Frameline has announced the 36th edition of its annual film festival: Frameline36. The festival will run in San Francisco from June 14-22 and feature 217 films from more than 30 countries. Jeffrey Schwarz's documentary "Vito," which chronicles the life of gay activist Vito Russo, will open the festival. Other films screening at the festival include Jonathan Lisecki's "Gayby," Ira Sachs' "Keep the Lights On," and Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall’s "Call Me Kuchu." Frameline36 also will feature a retrospective on 1990s New Queer Cinema with Gregg Araki's "The Living Dead," Cheryl Dunye's "The Watermelon Woman" and Alex Sichel's "All Over Me." The festival will close with Thom Fitzgerald’s "Cloudburst," which follows a lesbian couple who breaks out of a nursing home to get married in Canada. ...
- 5/23/2012
- by Devin Lee Fuller
- Indiewire
Cloudburst
Written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald
Canada, 2011
The story of a gay couple battling against social stigma has become an old, tired genre, so it’s only appropriate that in Thom Fitzgerald’s lesbian road trip film, Cloudburst, the two leading ladies share a combined age of about 140. Although it’s initially humorous and deeply affecting, this road trip runs out of gas half way, and instead, relies on artificial melodrama to take it to its final destination.
Starring acting heavyweights Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, the story is about two lesbian women, Stella and Dot, who have been living together in Maine for 31 years. However, when Dot (Fricker) is hospitalized after a fall at their home, her granddaughter (Kristin Booth from Below Zero) sends her to a nursing home to be properly looked after.
Not wanting to lose her, Stella (Dukakis), breaks Dot out of the home and,...
Written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald
Canada, 2011
The story of a gay couple battling against social stigma has become an old, tired genre, so it’s only appropriate that in Thom Fitzgerald’s lesbian road trip film, Cloudburst, the two leading ladies share a combined age of about 140. Although it’s initially humorous and deeply affecting, this road trip runs out of gas half way, and instead, relies on artificial melodrama to take it to its final destination.
Starring acting heavyweights Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, the story is about two lesbian women, Stella and Dot, who have been living together in Maine for 31 years. However, when Dot (Fricker) is hospitalized after a fall at their home, her granddaughter (Kristin Booth from Below Zero) sends her to a nursing home to be properly looked after.
Not wanting to lose her, Stella (Dukakis), breaks Dot out of the home and,...
- 5/17/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
I can't remember a time I went to the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) press launch and looked over the list of films and saw so many I was interested in seeing. The claim to fame for over the years is to call it the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States. This is a fact I've often taken issue with as I don't equate quantity with quality. Granted, there has been a large number of quality features to play the fest over the years, including Golden Space Needle (Best Film) winners such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), My Life as a Dog (1987), Trainspotting (1996), Run Lola Run (1999), Whale Rider (2003) and even recent Best Director winner, Michel Hazanavicius's Oss 117: Nest of Spies in 2006. That said, looking over this year's crop of films I see a lot of films I will be doing my absolute best to see.
- 4/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
QFest opens today (Sunday April 21st) in St. Louis. QFest, the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is celebrating it’s fifth year with a terrific line-up of films spotlighting Gay and Lesbian filmmakers and themes. QFest is a Cinema St. Louis event and this year is presented by Tla Releasing, a Us film distribution company whose primary output is Lgbt-related films from all over the world. All films will be shown at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). Individual tickets are $12 general admission or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs. Advance tickets are available through the Tivoli Theatre box office or online at Landmark Theatres’ web site
Here’s the line-up for the QFest films playing today and tonight:
Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.
Cloudburst- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald
In this moving comedy, Oscar-winning...
Here’s the line-up for the QFest films playing today and tonight:
Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.
Cloudburst- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald
In this moving comedy, Oscar-winning...
- 4/22/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
QFest, the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is celebrating it’s fifth year with a terrific line-up of films spotlighting Gay and Lesbian filmmakers and themes. QFest is a Cinema St. Louis event and this year is presented by Tla Releasing, a Us film distribution company whose primary output is Lgbt-related films from all over the world.
QFest begins this Sunday, April 22nd and runs through Thursday, April 26, 2012, at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the diversity and inherent complexities of living an alternative lifestyle in today’s society. This year’s event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts.
Here’s the line-up for this year’s QFest:
Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.
Cloudburst- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald
In this moving comedy, Oscar®-winning actresses...
QFest begins this Sunday, April 22nd and runs through Thursday, April 26, 2012, at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the diversity and inherent complexities of living an alternative lifestyle in today’s society. This year’s event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts.
Here’s the line-up for this year’s QFest:
Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.
Cloudburst- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald
In this moving comedy, Oscar®-winning actresses...
- 4/19/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Cloudburst
Directed by Thom Fitzgerald
Written by Thom Fitzgerald
Canada, 2911
The story of two gay lovers battling against social stigma has become an old, tired genre, so it’s only appropriate that in Thom Fitzgerald’s lesbian road trip film, Cloudburst, the two leading ladies share a combined age of about 140. Initially humorous and deeply affecting, this road trip runs out of gas half way, and instead, relies on artificial melodrama to take it to its final destination.
The film stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as Stella and Dot, two women who have been clandestinely living together in Maine for 31 years. When Dot is hospitalized following a fall at her home, her granddaughter resolves to place her in a nursing home where she can be properly looked after. Stella, not wanting to lose her, breaks Dot out of the home and, together, they head for Nova Scotia, where gay and lesbian marriage is legal.
Directed by Thom Fitzgerald
Written by Thom Fitzgerald
Canada, 2911
The story of two gay lovers battling against social stigma has become an old, tired genre, so it’s only appropriate that in Thom Fitzgerald’s lesbian road trip film, Cloudburst, the two leading ladies share a combined age of about 140. Initially humorous and deeply affecting, this road trip runs out of gas half way, and instead, relies on artificial melodrama to take it to its final destination.
The film stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as Stella and Dot, two women who have been clandestinely living together in Maine for 31 years. When Dot is hospitalized following a fall at her home, her granddaughter resolves to place her in a nursing home where she can be properly looked after. Stella, not wanting to lose her, breaks Dot out of the home and, together, they head for Nova Scotia, where gay and lesbian marriage is legal.
- 3/29/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
Jason Sperb's new book, Disney's Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden Histories of Song of the South, will be out soon from the University of Texas Press.
In other news. "Barbara, a slow-burning drama set in communist East Germany from director Christian Petzold, is the front runner for this year's Lolas, Germany's equivalent of the Oscar, with eight nominations, including best film." Scott Roxborough has more in the Hollywood Reporter; the Süddeutsche Zeitung has the full list. The awards will be presented in Berlin on April 27.
Los Angeles. "Maya Deren's best-known achievement, her remarkable 1943 dream-poem Meshes of the Afternoon, was just the beginning of a too-brief career," writes Tom von Logue Newth in the Weekly. "Her output would extend from experiments in psychodrama, like Meshes and Witch's Cradle, a fascinating, barely edited collaboration with Marcel Duchamp made during Deren's short period in Hollywood; to highly personal dance...
In other news. "Barbara, a slow-burning drama set in communist East Germany from director Christian Petzold, is the front runner for this year's Lolas, Germany's equivalent of the Oscar, with eight nominations, including best film." Scott Roxborough has more in the Hollywood Reporter; the Süddeutsche Zeitung has the full list. The awards will be presented in Berlin on April 27.
Los Angeles. "Maya Deren's best-known achievement, her remarkable 1943 dream-poem Meshes of the Afternoon, was just the beginning of a too-brief career," writes Tom von Logue Newth in the Weekly. "Her output would extend from experiments in psychodrama, like Meshes and Witch's Cradle, a fascinating, barely edited collaboration with Marcel Duchamp made during Deren's short period in Hollywood; to highly personal dance...
- 3/23/2012
- MUBI
BFI London's 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival opens tonight with a lineup that boasts at least a dozen feature films that could be marketed as mainstream. So why is it still a niche event?
Tonight sees the opening of the 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival at the BFI in London, making it one of the longest-running gay-focused events in the UK. I recall being there in 1988. As a young lesbian from the sticks I was bowled over by its sophistication, but could not for the life of me understand much of what appeared on the screen. All I can remember is being surprised at glimpses of sex and genitalia and confused about the artsy focus. Today it is more mainstream, and definitely more accessible with its feature-length dramas and political (rather than avant garde) documentaries about serious issues around the world, but it remains a niche interest within the film festival circuit.
Tonight sees the opening of the 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival at the BFI in London, making it one of the longest-running gay-focused events in the UK. I recall being there in 1988. As a young lesbian from the sticks I was bowled over by its sophistication, but could not for the life of me understand much of what appeared on the screen. All I can remember is being surprised at glimpses of sex and genitalia and confused about the artsy focus. Today it is more mainstream, and definitely more accessible with its feature-length dramas and political (rather than avant garde) documentaries about serious issues around the world, but it remains a niche interest within the film festival circuit.
- 3/23/2012
- by Julie Bindel
- The Guardian - Film News
The actor talks about her latest role, the importance of her Greek ancestry and having a sideline as a gay icon
That was a long phone number. Where on earth are you?
I'm in Cyprus. I came here to do a play called Mama Pou Pas? with Mimi Denisi but unfortunately she had a car accident and the play got cancelled, so I'm doing a concert reading of Rose (1) instead, ahead of taking the production to Israel. So yeah, I'm in a hotel in Greek Cyprus.
How important is your Greek ancestry (2)?
It's important in that it's who I am. But it's also made me feel like I was an outsider and that I never quite fit in – both in relation to Greek culture and mainstream Us culture. Growing up, I was always kind of torn between those two worlds, never quite according enough respect to either one. But that's Ok.
That was a long phone number. Where on earth are you?
I'm in Cyprus. I came here to do a play called Mama Pou Pas? with Mimi Denisi but unfortunately she had a car accident and the play got cancelled, so I'm doing a concert reading of Rose (1) instead, ahead of taking the production to Israel. So yeah, I'm in a hotel in Greek Cyprus.
How important is your Greek ancestry (2)?
It's important in that it's who I am. But it's also made me feel like I was an outsider and that I never quite fit in – both in relation to Greek culture and mainstream Us culture. Growing up, I was always kind of torn between those two worlds, never quite according enough respect to either one. But that's Ok.
- 3/23/2012
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
After the phenomenal success of last year’s twenty fifth anniversary celebrations, the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival returns this coming week for its twenty sixth instalment, with another internationally flavoured and diverse line-up. Last year defied the recession and saw punters turn out to support the ailing festival which was under threat of being scrapped, luckily its back with a ten day slot devoted to the best new, old and experimental queer filmmaking. With a huge line-up of over sixty screenings and handful of talks and debates there is a lot to be seen, so here I am just going to pick some key highlights and a few personal choices.
Obviously the opening and closing night galas are the most hyped and talked about, and this year it would seem, for especially good reasons. Opening the festivities (for a third time) is Canadian-American director Thom Fitzgerald with Cloudburst,...
Obviously the opening and closing night galas are the most hyped and talked about, and this year it would seem, for especially good reasons. Opening the festivities (for a third time) is Canadian-American director Thom Fitzgerald with Cloudburst,...
- 3/19/2012
- by Tom Day
- Obsessed with Film
The 26th BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (Llgff) has announced that its opening film on Friday, March 23 will be Cloudburst Directed by Thom Fitzgerald, the award-winning road movie stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as a septuagenarian lesbian couple. Fitzgerald said: "I'm thrilled and tickled that the BFI has chosen Cloudburst to open its 26th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. "To me, the BFI is more than a national treasure; it's a cultural icon of worldwide significance. It represents the best in film exhibition and preservation. I deeply appreciate its (more)...
- 2/9/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Thom Fitzgerald's "Cloudburst" - a lesbian romance starring Oscar winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker - has proved a considerable favorite on the Canadian film festival circuit. In the past two weeks, the film has won laurels at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax (People's Choice Award; Atlantic Canada Award for Best Screenplay), Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival (Audience Choice Award); and Edmonton International Film Festival (Best Canadian Film; runner-up ...
- 10/4/2011
- Indiewire
The 31st annual Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Canada announced its lineup, which this year boasts 189 films and an array of events. Andrew Bush's "Roller Town" will have its world premiere as the Opening Gala screening, and was described by the festival as "a slapstick parody of the late 1970’s roller skate movies filmed in Halifax." Thom Fitzgerald's "Cloudburst" and Sarah Polley's "Take this Waltz" will also have Gala ...
- 8/23/2011
- Indiewire
Ouat Media Distribution, North America’s largest international short film distribution company, has named Brad Horvath their new head of acquisitions. Horvath's previous work centered primarily around television and feature film production (notably Thom Fitzgerald's AIDS drama "3 Needles"), and he also produced short films, music videos and documentaries (Dolly Parton literacy doc "The Book Lady") that have been licensed to television and have screened at international film festivals. “We are ...
- 1/7/2011
- Indiewire
Jason Priestley will direct Mud PuppyJason Priestley has signed on to direct the romantic comedy Mud Puppy, from Angel Entertainment and Lexico Prods.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film centers on a playboy wine-lover battling a female environmentalist for control of a frog-plagued wine vineyard.
Mud Puppy is based on a true story about a British Columbia vineyard overcome by pesky amphibians. Monica Hilborn penned the script.
No word on casting. Production is set for summer 2011.
In other Canadian film news, Vincenzo Natali is to direct the big-screen adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 masterwork Neuromancer, it was announced Thursday by indie producer Fire Development Inc. and pay TV operator Astral Media's the Harold Greenberg Fund.
Joseph Khan was previously tapped to direct the Gibson novel, with Hayden Christensen starring, before Natali stepped in to lens the picture.
Neuromancer tells the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film centers on a playboy wine-lover battling a female environmentalist for control of a frog-plagued wine vineyard.
Mud Puppy is based on a true story about a British Columbia vineyard overcome by pesky amphibians. Monica Hilborn penned the script.
No word on casting. Production is set for summer 2011.
In other Canadian film news, Vincenzo Natali is to direct the big-screen adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 masterwork Neuromancer, it was announced Thursday by indie producer Fire Development Inc. and pay TV operator Astral Media's the Harold Greenberg Fund.
Joseph Khan was previously tapped to direct the Gibson novel, with Hayden Christensen starring, before Natali stepped in to lens the picture.
Neuromancer tells the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired...
- 5/7/2010
- MovieWeb
The Harold Greenberg Fund Script Program, a financing program from the entertainment company Astral Media, unveiled twenty-four upcoming Canadian films - chosen out of ninety-nine films - that will get its financial support.
Moreover, the selection of films include Neuromancer, an adaptation of William Gibson's cyberpunk novel directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube), and Prisoner of Tehran, from Kari Skogland (Fifty Dead Men Walking). If you're an enthusiast of literature, you'll notice the presence of the film Cockroach, which is an adaptation of a novel by award-winning author Rawi Hage.
Now, without further ado, let's have a cursory look at the films that will get funded.
Story Optioning
Bottle Rocket Hearts
Sonia Hosko, Michelle Mama and Stephanie Markowitz
Screenwriter: Zoe Whittall and Linsey Stewart
Cockroach
Films du Boulevard Inc.
Screenwriter: Arto Paragamian
The Program
Acqua Films Inc.
Screenwriter: Hal Niedzviecki
Consecrated Ground
Emotion Pictures Inc.
Screenwriter: Thom Fitzgerald
Prisoner of Tehran
Miracle Pictures Inc.
Moreover, the selection of films include Neuromancer, an adaptation of William Gibson's cyberpunk novel directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube), and Prisoner of Tehran, from Kari Skogland (Fifty Dead Men Walking). If you're an enthusiast of literature, you'll notice the presence of the film Cockroach, which is an adaptation of a novel by award-winning author Rawi Hage.
Now, without further ado, let's have a cursory look at the films that will get funded.
Story Optioning
Bottle Rocket Hearts
Sonia Hosko, Michelle Mama and Stephanie Markowitz
Screenwriter: Zoe Whittall and Linsey Stewart
Cockroach
Films du Boulevard Inc.
Screenwriter: Arto Paragamian
The Program
Acqua Films Inc.
Screenwriter: Hal Niedzviecki
Consecrated Ground
Emotion Pictures Inc.
Screenwriter: Thom Fitzgerald
Prisoner of Tehran
Miracle Pictures Inc.
- 5/6/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
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.