The CW has released trailers for its new series for the 2023-24 season: the AMC Studios-produced drama 61st Street; Canadian series Children Ruin Everything, Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, The Spencer Sisters and Sullivan’s Crossing; UK series Everyone Else Burns; documentary film series I Am; reality series Fboy Island; and German eco-thriller drama series The Swarm. You can read about each and watch below.
61St Street
Produced by AMC Studios. From Peter Moffat, J. David Shanks and Outlier Society and executive producers Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich, Hilary Salmon. The propulsive thriller courses through the dark heart of the infamous Chicago criminal justice system as police and prosecutors investigate a deadly drug bust that threatens to unravel the police department’s code of silence. Cast includes Courtney B. Vance, Aunjanue Ellis, Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green.
Children Ruin Everything...
61St Street
Produced by AMC Studios. From Peter Moffat, J. David Shanks and Outlier Society and executive producers Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich, Hilary Salmon. The propulsive thriller courses through the dark heart of the infamous Chicago criminal justice system as police and prosecutors investigate a deadly drug bust that threatens to unravel the police department’s code of silence. Cast includes Courtney B. Vance, Aunjanue Ellis, Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green.
Children Ruin Everything...
- 5/18/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Writers Lab has set Shari Albert (Fishtown), Stephanie Bast (FrankenFamily), Kelly Campbell (Pyramid Scheme), Shari Lynette Carpenter (Translate), Nic Cohen (Artemis One), Rebecca Dreyfus (Men), Gwen Goodkin (The Plant), Tamara Maloney & Maeve McQuillan (Darkened Room), Arianna Ortiz, Zuri Rice (Green Hill), Roses Urquhart (This Is My Body) and Robin Shanea Williams (Adrienne Is Always Single) as the participants and projects for its eighth annual lab, supporting women screenwriters over the age of 40.
Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman have renewed their support for The Writers Lab, which will return to its in-person format for script development in 2022. The Lab has re-doubled its efforts to amplify the voices of women writers, calling for greater inclusion of their stories in film and television, in response to growing threats to women’s rights, with genre scripts (particularly comedies) and historical stories about pioneering women being seen most...
Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman have renewed their support for The Writers Lab, which will return to its in-person format for script development in 2022. The Lab has re-doubled its efforts to amplify the voices of women writers, calling for greater inclusion of their stories in film and television, in response to growing threats to women’s rights, with genre scripts (particularly comedies) and historical stories about pioneering women being seen most...
- 9/20/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
New titles join previously announced I Like Movies.
Visit Films has expanded its TIFF sales slate and will handle world rights on LGBTQ+ teen coming-of-age drama Soft (previously announced by the festival as Pussy) and world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to Indigenous anthology feature We Are Still Here.
Toronto filmmaker Joseph Amenta’s Soft follows three adolescent queer friends who live in the underbelly of Toronto. With summer break upon them, they revel in their newfound freedom, roaming the city and becoming enraptured in the nightlife scene.
When a friend of the group goes missing, the bond between...
Visit Films has expanded its TIFF sales slate and will handle world rights on LGBTQ+ teen coming-of-age drama Soft (previously announced by the festival as Pussy) and world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to Indigenous anthology feature We Are Still Here.
Toronto filmmaker Joseph Amenta’s Soft follows three adolescent queer friends who live in the underbelly of Toronto. With summer break upon them, they revel in their newfound freedom, roaming the city and becoming enraptured in the nightlife scene.
When a friend of the group goes missing, the bond between...
- 8/30/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Opening the 26th Fantasia Int’l Film Festival in Montreal on July 14, writer-director Kc Carthew’s “Polaris” is her sophomore pic after her multi-award-winning debut feature, “The Sun at Midnight” (2017). A teaser, bowing exclusively in Variety, reveals a dystopian thriller set in a frigid, snow-blanketed wasteland.
An expansion of her award-winning short film “Fish out of Water,” which also bowed at Fantasia in 2015, “Polaris” turns on Sumi, a young girl who has been raised by a polar bear. Set in 2144, it follows Sumi as she tries to evade capture from a ruthless Morad hunting party. She stumbles across Frozen Girl with whom she strikes an unlikely alliance. “Together they race ahead of the vindictive hunters towards the only guiding light Sumi knows, the Polaris star,” the synopsis goes.
The teaser opens on Sumi as she plays and rides on her polar bear mother, played by the only professional acting polar bear in the film industry,...
An expansion of her award-winning short film “Fish out of Water,” which also bowed at Fantasia in 2015, “Polaris” turns on Sumi, a young girl who has been raised by a polar bear. Set in 2144, it follows Sumi as she tries to evade capture from a ruthless Morad hunting party. She stumbles across Frozen Girl with whom she strikes an unlikely alliance. “Together they race ahead of the vindictive hunters towards the only guiding light Sumi knows, the Polaris star,” the synopsis goes.
The teaser opens on Sumi as she plays and rides on her polar bear mother, played by the only professional acting polar bear in the film industry,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Forum aims to match 2Slgbtq+ feature projects with backers and distributors.
Exclusive: Projects from Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Finland and the US have been set to participate in this year’s Inside Out Finance Forum, taking place June 2-4 in Toronto.
The forum is staged by Inside Out, the Canadian 2Slgbtq+ film festival and content distributor, and designed to provide queer-led creative teams with 2Slgbtq+ content an opportunity to pitch their projects directly to decision makers.
Among the eight feature projects to be presented at the sixth annual forum are Curses!, a US-produced satire set in Colonial America, with...
Exclusive: Projects from Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Finland and the US have been set to participate in this year’s Inside Out Finance Forum, taking place June 2-4 in Toronto.
The forum is staged by Inside Out, the Canadian 2Slgbtq+ film festival and content distributor, and designed to provide queer-led creative teams with 2Slgbtq+ content an opportunity to pitch their projects directly to decision makers.
Among the eight feature projects to be presented at the sixth annual forum are Curses!, a US-produced satire set in Colonial America, with...
- 5/24/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The broad strokes are familiar: a couple dealing with emotional strife goes away for a weekend, lands at a rustic/terrifying cabin, and finds themselves at the mercy of murderous freaks. The basic plot of Pat Mills’ “The Retreat” is so basic that it helped frame the tongue-in-cheek “Cabin in the Woods,” which itself unpacked and poked fun at all manner of horror tropes. Mills’ film, which screenwriter Alyson Richards loosely based on her own cabin-in-the-woods experience, attempts to subvert that setup by centering it around a lesbian couple.
Seeing a pair of women (Tommie-Amber Pirie and Sarah Allen) occupy roles usually owned by straight couples, and bolstered by a plot that hinges on their sexuality, is its own kind of subversion. However, the real twist of “The Retreat” goes beyond that. What if, “The Retreat” wonders, they weren’t just a lesbian couple but a pair of women hellbent...
Seeing a pair of women (Tommie-Amber Pirie and Sarah Allen) occupy roles usually owned by straight couples, and bolstered by a plot that hinges on their sexuality, is its own kind of subversion. However, the real twist of “The Retreat” goes beyond that. What if, “The Retreat” wonders, they weren’t just a lesbian couple but a pair of women hellbent...
- 5/19/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
With cinemas closed in much of the world and viewers watching films via streaming platforms, genre filmmakers at this week’s Frontières could be forgiven for primarily looking to Ott services to distribute their projects.
Genre films, of course, have increasingly found a home in recent years on SVODs. Mainstream platforms like Netflix have enjoyed success with the likes of sci-fi thriller “Bird Box,” while specialist platforms like AMC Networks-owned streamer Shudder, which features horror, thriller and supernatural fiction titles, have emerged as significant buyers at festivals and markets.
Yet, despite the inexorable rise of streaming platforms and the struggles of theaters amid Covid-19 cinema shutdowns, many of the producers and directors pitching projects on June 25 at Frontières – the annual Cannes Film Market dedicated to genre film – say they remain keen on a theatrical release alongside streamer distribution.
“We’re keen to find the best home for our film,...
Genre films, of course, have increasingly found a home in recent years on SVODs. Mainstream platforms like Netflix have enjoyed success with the likes of sci-fi thriller “Bird Box,” while specialist platforms like AMC Networks-owned streamer Shudder, which features horror, thriller and supernatural fiction titles, have emerged as significant buyers at festivals and markets.
Yet, despite the inexorable rise of streaming platforms and the struggles of theaters amid Covid-19 cinema shutdowns, many of the producers and directors pitching projects on June 25 at Frontières – the annual Cannes Film Market dedicated to genre film – say they remain keen on a theatrical release alongside streamer distribution.
“We’re keen to find the best home for our film,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
Projects about biohacking, werewolves, Kung-Fu and even killer fingernails and the menopause are among those being presented at this week’sFrontières Platform Cannes for genre films.
A co-presentation between the Cannes Film Market and Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival, this year’s Frontières selection is also notable for featuring a large number of genre projects by female filmmakers and centered on female characters. The projects also come from as far afield as Argentina, Israel and Russia, well as the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
Taking place online on June 25, the 4th Frontières has two distinct strands. The Buyers Showcase will present six projects that have recently been completed or are in post-production, and screens footage for buyers, sales agents and festival programmers. The Proof of Concept Presentation, meanwhile, will screen teaser trailers for seven projects looking for financing partners.
Surveying the 13 projects, newly appointed Frontières executive director Annick Mahnert...
A co-presentation between the Cannes Film Market and Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival, this year’s Frontières selection is also notable for featuring a large number of genre projects by female filmmakers and centered on female characters. The projects also come from as far afield as Argentina, Israel and Russia, well as the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
Taking place online on June 25, the 4th Frontières has two distinct strands. The Buyers Showcase will present six projects that have recently been completed or are in post-production, and screens footage for buyers, sales agents and festival programmers. The Proof of Concept Presentation, meanwhile, will screen teaser trailers for seven projects looking for financing partners.
Surveying the 13 projects, newly appointed Frontières executive director Annick Mahnert...
- 6/24/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
Works include The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films, Amp International.
Frontières has announced the final selection of projects for its annual Cannes platform as it prepares to return for the fourth year to the Marché du Film as part of the upcoming online edition.
They include proof of concepts for Rules For Werewolves, a feature-length adaptation of the SXSW short entry with Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) attached to star, Argentinian filmmaker Tamae Garateguy’s Dogman, and Buyer’s Showcase sales title The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films and Amp International.
The 2020 slate focuses on emerging voices in...
Frontières has announced the final selection of projects for its annual Cannes platform as it prepares to return for the fourth year to the Marché du Film as part of the upcoming online edition.
They include proof of concepts for Rules For Werewolves, a feature-length adaptation of the SXSW short entry with Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) attached to star, Argentinian filmmaker Tamae Garateguy’s Dogman, and Buyer’s Showcase sales title The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films and Amp International.
The 2020 slate focuses on emerging voices in...
- 5/13/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Works include The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films, Amp International.
Frontières has announced the final selection of projects for its annual Cannes platform as it prepares to return for the fourth year to the Marché du Film as part of the upcoming online edition.
They include proof of concepts for Rules For Werewolves, a feature-length adaptation of the SXSW short entry with Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) attached to star, Argentinian filmmaker Tamae Garateguy’s Dogman, and Buyer’s Showcase sales title The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films and Amp International.
The 2020 slate focuses on emerging voices in...
Frontières has announced the final selection of projects for its annual Cannes platform as it prepares to return for the fourth year to the Marché du Film as part of the upcoming online edition.
They include proof of concepts for Rules For Werewolves, a feature-length adaptation of the SXSW short entry with Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) attached to star, Argentinian filmmaker Tamae Garateguy’s Dogman, and Buyer’s Showcase sales title The Paper Tigers represented by Xyz Films and Amp International.
The 2020 slate focuses on emerging voices in...
- 5/13/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Genre industry initiative Frontières has unveiled the titles taking part in its 2020 Cannes showcase, which this year will be held online as part of the Marché du Film’s digital incarnation.
Presented by the Montreal fest Fantasia and the Marché on June 25, the event involves a buyers’ showcase featuring six projects recently completed or in post, and proof of concept presentations of a further eight early-stage projects.
Among those selected os the Xyz and Amp repped The Paper Tigers, female-driven and directed werewolf thriller Bloodthirsty from the producer of Harpoon, and Rules For Werewolves starring Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard.
Access to the showcases will be available to professionals accredited to this year’s Marche, as well as select industry representatives invited by Frontières organizers. There are also networking events planned.
Here’s the full list of projects.
Buyers’ Showcase
Bloodthirsty (Canada)
Director: Amelia Moses
Producer: Michael Peterson (775 Media Corp...
Presented by the Montreal fest Fantasia and the Marché on June 25, the event involves a buyers’ showcase featuring six projects recently completed or in post, and proof of concept presentations of a further eight early-stage projects.
Among those selected os the Xyz and Amp repped The Paper Tigers, female-driven and directed werewolf thriller Bloodthirsty from the producer of Harpoon, and Rules For Werewolves starring Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard.
Access to the showcases will be available to professionals accredited to this year’s Marche, as well as select industry representatives invited by Frontières organizers. There are also networking events planned.
Here’s the full list of projects.
Buyers’ Showcase
Bloodthirsty (Canada)
Director: Amelia Moses
Producer: Michael Peterson (775 Media Corp...
- 5/13/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Frontieres, the industry initiative for genre film professionals, has named an 11-strong lineup for its 2020 Financing & Packaging Forum.
Frontieres runs three events throughout the year: the Forum, which this year will be held in Sweden in February, the Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film which is held during the Cannes festival in May, and finally the International Co-Production Market at Montreal’s Fantastia festival in July.
The year’s Forum relocates from Helsinki to Karlskrona, Sweden, and will run February 27-29. It is co-organized with The Carl International Film Festival and Nordic Factory, and marks the first collaboration between Frontieres, the Swedish Film Institute and Norwegian Film Institute, and a returning collaboration with the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
This year’s slate features a majority of women directors as participants. Jen Handorf, whose credits as a producer include Alice Lowe’s Prevenge and Ben Parker’s The Chamber,...
Frontieres runs three events throughout the year: the Forum, which this year will be held in Sweden in February, the Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film which is held during the Cannes festival in May, and finally the International Co-Production Market at Montreal’s Fantastia festival in July.
The year’s Forum relocates from Helsinki to Karlskrona, Sweden, and will run February 27-29. It is co-organized with The Carl International Film Festival and Nordic Factory, and marks the first collaboration between Frontieres, the Swedish Film Institute and Norwegian Film Institute, and a returning collaboration with the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
This year’s slate features a majority of women directors as participants. Jen Handorf, whose credits as a producer include Alice Lowe’s Prevenge and Ben Parker’s The Chamber,...
- 1/30/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, the Gotham Awards have been set for Dec. 2, “The Twentieth Century” and “Feast of the Seven Fishes” are acquired and The Writers Lab selects a dozen participants.
Awards Date
The Independent Filmmaker Project announced that the 29th Ifp Gotham Awards will take place this year at Cipriani in New York City on Dec. 2.
The Gotham Awards are one of the first major shows during awards season. Submissions for the competitive categories opened Thursday and close on Sept. 19. Categories include Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Breakthrough Actor, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award and two television categories – Breakthrough Series (over 40 minutes) and Breakthrough Series (under 40 minutes).
Last year, Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” won the Best Feature Award, following previous winners “Call Me By Your Name,” “Moonlight,” “Spotlight” and “Birdman.”
Nominees will be announced Oct. 24.
Acquisitions
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.
Awards Date
The Independent Filmmaker Project announced that the 29th Ifp Gotham Awards will take place this year at Cipriani in New York City on Dec. 2.
The Gotham Awards are one of the first major shows during awards season. Submissions for the competitive categories opened Thursday and close on Sept. 19. Categories include Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Breakthrough Actor, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award and two television categories – Breakthrough Series (over 40 minutes) and Breakthrough Series (under 40 minutes).
Last year, Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” won the Best Feature Award, following previous winners “Call Me By Your Name,” “Moonlight,” “Spotlight” and “Birdman.”
Nominees will be announced Oct. 24.
Acquisitions
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.
- 8/2/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
New York Women in Film & Television and The Writers Lab co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon have revealed the 12 screenwriters to participate in The Writers Lab, which celebrates its fifth year. The program has also unveiled their roster of mentors.
The Writers Lab launched in 2015 and is the only lab in the world devoted exclusively to script development for women writers over the age of 40. It creates a springboard to the next stage of production and expands the boundaries of today’s commercial narrative film. Many past participants have seen their scripts optioned and/or are actively working in writers’ rooms.
The program, which is presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, is supported by Oscar-winning actresses and Big Little Lies stars Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.
“I am so proud The Writers Lab has thrived and grown in these five years, and has functioned as a...
The Writers Lab launched in 2015 and is the only lab in the world devoted exclusively to script development for women writers over the age of 40. It creates a springboard to the next stage of production and expands the boundaries of today’s commercial narrative film. Many past participants have seen their scripts optioned and/or are actively working in writers’ rooms.
The program, which is presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, is supported by Oscar-winning actresses and Big Little Lies stars Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.
“I am so proud The Writers Lab has thrived and grown in these five years, and has functioned as a...
- 8/1/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Inside Out, Canada’s largest Lgbtq film festival, distributor, and booster of Lgbtq content, has unveiled to Variety the 10 feature projects and eight international executives participating in its third annual Finance Forum.
“There’s a great variety to the projects this year,” Inside Out executive director Andria Wilson said before the official Finance Forum announcement. “We’ve got docs in the lineup for the first time, and two really exciting U.K. projects. The directors and producers represent a diverse cross-section of perspectives, both from their lived experiences and their bodies of work.” The festival’s 2019 film slate will be announced May 3.
The Finance Forum takes place May 30-31, during the 29th edition of the Toronto Lgbt Film Festival. The first and only Lgbtq finance event of its kind in the world, Inside Out’s forum holds an open submission call, and also reaches out to international film funds, institutions,...
“There’s a great variety to the projects this year,” Inside Out executive director Andria Wilson said before the official Finance Forum announcement. “We’ve got docs in the lineup for the first time, and two really exciting U.K. projects. The directors and producers represent a diverse cross-section of perspectives, both from their lived experiences and their bodies of work.” The festival’s 2019 film slate will be announced May 3.
The Finance Forum takes place May 30-31, during the 29th edition of the Toronto Lgbt Film Festival. The first and only Lgbtq finance event of its kind in the world, Inside Out’s forum holds an open submission call, and also reaches out to international film funds, institutions,...
- 4/29/2019
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Tianna Nori, Mark Matechuk, Krista Madison, Porter Randell, Rachel Sellan, James Murray, Mark Ettlinger, Jeff Sinasac | Written by John Ainslie, Alyson Richards | Directed by John Ainslie
Not to be confused with the 2011 film of the same name, The Resident (retitled for the UK from The Sublet) is actually the latest horror film from Canadian genre outfit Black Fawn Films – the folks behind movies such as Antisocial and its sequel, The Drownsman and Bite. Their latest is less and out-and-out effects-filled horror a la Bite; instead relying much more on psychological scares and slow-brooding terror. And, despite falling into familiar territory, it works
The films follows Joanne and her husband Geoff, who move into a new apartment – and right from the get-go they should’ve known there was something amiss with their new place. After all, who would move into an apartment without meeting anyone to collect the keys And...
Not to be confused with the 2011 film of the same name, The Resident (retitled for the UK from The Sublet) is actually the latest horror film from Canadian genre outfit Black Fawn Films – the folks behind movies such as Antisocial and its sequel, The Drownsman and Bite. Their latest is less and out-and-out effects-filled horror a la Bite; instead relying much more on psychological scares and slow-brooding terror. And, despite falling into familiar territory, it works
The films follows Joanne and her husband Geoff, who move into a new apartment – and right from the get-go they should’ve known there was something amiss with their new place. After all, who would move into an apartment without meeting anyone to collect the keys And...
- 6/13/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Toronto-based Edyson Entertainment is set to begin production on the body-positive comedy in Hamilton, Ontario.
The film marks Pat Mills’ second feature after Guidance premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Edyson’s Alyson Richards and Lithium Studios’ Mike MacMillan will produce the film starring newcomer Michelle McLeod, Scott Thompson, Bruce Gray and Anastasia Philips. Davis will make a special appearance.
“Pat [Mills] is one of the freshest voices in filmmaking today; the team is excited to be heading back into production on this hilarious comedy,” said Richards. “That the film happens to have such an incredible underlying message of body-positivity is a huge bonus. It’s important for us to put good things out into the world.”
Search Engine Films will distribute Don’t Talk To Irene in Canada.
Telefilm Canada, Shaw Rocket Fund, The Movie Network, Ontario Media Development Corp., Search Engine Films, The Harold Greenberg Fund, and Vigilante Productions are partnering to finance.
The film marks Pat Mills’ second feature after Guidance premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Edyson’s Alyson Richards and Lithium Studios’ Mike MacMillan will produce the film starring newcomer Michelle McLeod, Scott Thompson, Bruce Gray and Anastasia Philips. Davis will make a special appearance.
“Pat [Mills] is one of the freshest voices in filmmaking today; the team is excited to be heading back into production on this hilarious comedy,” said Richards. “That the film happens to have such an incredible underlying message of body-positivity is a huge bonus. It’s important for us to put good things out into the world.”
Search Engine Films will distribute Don’t Talk To Irene in Canada.
Telefilm Canada, Shaw Rocket Fund, The Movie Network, Ontario Media Development Corp., Search Engine Films, The Harold Greenberg Fund, and Vigilante Productions are partnering to finance.
- 6/23/2016
- by govi2016@lawnet.ucla.edu (Alec Govi)
- ScreenDaily
Don’t Talk to Irene
Director: Pat Mills
Writer: Pat Mills
Writer/director Pat Mills was one of our favorite discoveries out of 2014 following the premiere of his debut Guidance at the Toronto International Film Festival (Strand distributed the film in late August of 2015 and it’s currently streaming on Netflix). The Toronto based filmmaker is already at work on his sophomore feature, Don’t Talk to Irene, a project which took home the Best Screenplay award at the 2013 Austin Film Festival. Returning once more to the developmental hell of high school, the film is a body positive teen dance movie about a 16 year old named Irene who dreams of becoming a cheerleader despite the cruelty of her peers. Just prior to production, the choreographer Mills had been circling to hire for the film, Nicole Arbour, ended up in a social media firestorm with an insensitive YouTube video titled “Dear...
Director: Pat Mills
Writer: Pat Mills
Writer/director Pat Mills was one of our favorite discoveries out of 2014 following the premiere of his debut Guidance at the Toronto International Film Festival (Strand distributed the film in late August of 2015 and it’s currently streaming on Netflix). The Toronto based filmmaker is already at work on his sophomore feature, Don’t Talk to Irene, a project which took home the Best Screenplay award at the 2013 Austin Film Festival. Returning once more to the developmental hell of high school, the film is a body positive teen dance movie about a 16 year old named Irene who dreams of becoming a cheerleader despite the cruelty of her peers. Just prior to production, the choreographer Mills had been circling to hire for the film, Nicole Arbour, ended up in a social media firestorm with an insensitive YouTube video titled “Dear...
- 1/5/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The distributor has acquired all Us rights to Pat Mills’ comedy that premiered in Toronto.
Guidance will screen at the upcoming Miami International Film festival and stars the Ottawa-born Mills as a former child actor who fakes his way into a job as a high school counsellor.
Pat Mills talks about Guidance
Zaire Bentham, Tracey Hoyt, Kevin Hanchard, Alex Ozerov and Eleanor Zichy round out the cast.
Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing negotiated the deal with The Film Sales Company’s Andrew Herwitz and Jason Ishikawa on behalf of Edyson Entertainment.
Strand plans an autumn theatrical release.
Edyson Entertainment’s Alyson Richards produced with Mike Macmillan and the participation of Telefilm Canada. Richards also served as executive producer alongside Ed Gernon.
Guidance will screen at the upcoming Miami International Film festival and stars the Ottawa-born Mills as a former child actor who fakes his way into a job as a high school counsellor.
Pat Mills talks about Guidance
Zaire Bentham, Tracey Hoyt, Kevin Hanchard, Alex Ozerov and Eleanor Zichy round out the cast.
Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing negotiated the deal with The Film Sales Company’s Andrew Herwitz and Jason Ishikawa on behalf of Edyson Entertainment.
Strand plans an autumn theatrical release.
Edyson Entertainment’s Alyson Richards produced with Mike Macmillan and the participation of Telefilm Canada. Richards also served as executive producer alongside Ed Gernon.
- 2/26/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
John Bain’s Search Engine Films has acquired Canadian rights from Edyson Entertainment to the Discovery selection following its world premiere on Friday.
Pat Mills stars in his feature directorial debut as an irresponsible adult who bluffs his way into a job as a high school counsellor.
The development comes only one day after Andrew Herwitz’s The Film Sales Company licensed world sales rights to Edyson.
Also starring in the dark comedy are Zhara Bentham, Eleanor Zichy and Tracey Hoyt.
“We set out to make a movie that really captured Pat’s wonderful, idiosyncratic voice but the feedback we’ve been getting on a commercial level has been genuinely exciting,” said producer Alyson Richards.
“The number of people who have come out in support of this film has been wonderful but when we were approached by John Bain to partner up, it was a dream come true.”...
Pat Mills stars in his feature directorial debut as an irresponsible adult who bluffs his way into a job as a high school counsellor.
The development comes only one day after Andrew Herwitz’s The Film Sales Company licensed world sales rights to Edyson.
Also starring in the dark comedy are Zhara Bentham, Eleanor Zichy and Tracey Hoyt.
“We set out to make a movie that really captured Pat’s wonderful, idiosyncratic voice but the feedback we’ve been getting on a commercial level has been genuinely exciting,” said producer Alyson Richards.
“The number of people who have come out in support of this film has been wonderful but when we were approached by John Bain to partner up, it was a dream come true.”...
- 9/6/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Edyson Entertainment has closed a deal with Andrew Herwitz’ Film Sales Company for world sales rights to Guidance, which received its world premiere in Discovery last night (Sept 5).
Pat Mills wrote and stars in his feature directorial debut about a self-delusional, alcoholic former child star who lies his way into a high school guidance counsellor job.
Zhara Bentham, Eleanor Zichy and Tracey Hoyt also star in the dark comedy.
“Guidance is funny and irreverent but also has a big heart,” said Herwitz. “There is so much great material in the film, that whoever buys it will be able to cut a great trailer. I am confident this is one buyers and ultimately audiences will go for.”
Producers Alyson Richards and Ed Gernon launched Toronto and Los Angeles-based Edyson Entertainment and cut a first-look deal with Content Media in July 2013.
“When it comes to finding a sales agent, above all else, we look for...
Pat Mills wrote and stars in his feature directorial debut about a self-delusional, alcoholic former child star who lies his way into a high school guidance counsellor job.
Zhara Bentham, Eleanor Zichy and Tracey Hoyt also star in the dark comedy.
“Guidance is funny and irreverent but also has a big heart,” said Herwitz. “There is so much great material in the film, that whoever buys it will be able to cut a great trailer. I am confident this is one buyers and ultimately audiences will go for.”
Producers Alyson Richards and Ed Gernon launched Toronto and Los Angeles-based Edyson Entertainment and cut a first-look deal with Content Media in July 2013.
“When it comes to finding a sales agent, above all else, we look for...
- 9/6/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
“Everybody knows that teenagers are going to drink and smoke drugs. If you do it with them, everybody has fun!”
Today I raise a shot glass of vodka to the Tiff Official Selection "Guidance", which is also the directorial debut of Pat Mills. It's the story of David Gold , an alcoholic, sexually repressed 36 year old guy who still hangs on to his long ago success as a child actor. After being axed from his job as a voice over on self-help soundtracks made for women who need to up their confidence, David fakes his resume to land a job as a high school guidance counsellor. A natural transition, of course.
"Guidance" is a must-see and a moving, laugh out loud romp from start to finish. The brilliant comedic timing hits within the first moments as the sound engineer at David’s voice over job says, “Apparently our female customers would like the voice of a heterosexual man feeding them their affirmations.” David replies with the perfect beat, “No, I’m not gay. I just have a gentle voice.”
David poses as “Roland Brown”, a high school guidance counselor he finds on Youtube, to play the part of Grusin High’s new guidance counselor. His emotional and hilarious journey is refreshing, as he’s honest with his students about his drinking problem (while offering them shots like a good bartender would) and coaches his teenage girls how to flirt and be sluts with the guys. It’s the kind of character that makes you wish your high school counselor was upfront about being an alcoholic, because you know he really was.
Without a doubt, "Guidance" will get the nods it deserves at Tiff, and will continue to bedazzle viewers with it’s vodka guzzling, self-help affirming hilarity at other significant festivals down the road. My suggested affirmation for the creators of Guidance: I am worthy of awards, international festivals and distribution, because I am funny, touching, and gosh darn it, festival goers like me.
Executive Producer/Producer Alyson Richards and Producer Mike MacMillan share what went into making this unique and outrageously entertaining film:
Alyson Richards talks about how Guidance was unexpectedly sold. A good example of why it’s necessary to have more than one project to pitch:
I originally went in to pitch a different project to Telefilm Canada, but the person I met with felt that project wasn't yet ready. Just before I was leaving he asked "What else do you have"? I mentioned Guidance and his eyes lit up. He was totally into it.
What makes "Guidance" unique compared to other projects you’ve worked on?
Mike MacMillan: I really love working on black comedy, more than anything because I find it really great when people are laughing on set. For this, I was really drawn to this script, because it was hilarious - I actually laughed out lout when I read it. The team was amazing as well - we really had so much fun and became a film family. That’s hard to find, and it’s really something to hold on to for other projects.
Has Pat Mills directed other films?
Alyson: He has directed shorts, but this is actually his first feature, and I think he did an amazing job transitioning to long form. Funnily enough, he wasn't originally going to play the lead, but we forced him to audition - now I can't picture anybody else playing the role. He hasn't acted professionally since he was a kid, but you'd never guess it from his performance.
What has been the overall response to Guidance so far?
Mike: Everyone has laughed really hard at our test screenings, and has really enjoyed it. It’s really fun, which I think is great.
What's next?
Alyson: Up next is another comedy called "Don't Talk To Irene" that is written and will be directed by Pat. The script is hilarious, and recently won best comedy script at the Austin Film Festival. We are in the middle of putting together the financing, and plan on shooting next summer.
Today I raise a shot glass of vodka to the Tiff Official Selection "Guidance", which is also the directorial debut of Pat Mills. It's the story of David Gold , an alcoholic, sexually repressed 36 year old guy who still hangs on to his long ago success as a child actor. After being axed from his job as a voice over on self-help soundtracks made for women who need to up their confidence, David fakes his resume to land a job as a high school guidance counsellor. A natural transition, of course.
"Guidance" is a must-see and a moving, laugh out loud romp from start to finish. The brilliant comedic timing hits within the first moments as the sound engineer at David’s voice over job says, “Apparently our female customers would like the voice of a heterosexual man feeding them their affirmations.” David replies with the perfect beat, “No, I’m not gay. I just have a gentle voice.”
David poses as “Roland Brown”, a high school guidance counselor he finds on Youtube, to play the part of Grusin High’s new guidance counselor. His emotional and hilarious journey is refreshing, as he’s honest with his students about his drinking problem (while offering them shots like a good bartender would) and coaches his teenage girls how to flirt and be sluts with the guys. It’s the kind of character that makes you wish your high school counselor was upfront about being an alcoholic, because you know he really was.
Without a doubt, "Guidance" will get the nods it deserves at Tiff, and will continue to bedazzle viewers with it’s vodka guzzling, self-help affirming hilarity at other significant festivals down the road. My suggested affirmation for the creators of Guidance: I am worthy of awards, international festivals and distribution, because I am funny, touching, and gosh darn it, festival goers like me.
Executive Producer/Producer Alyson Richards and Producer Mike MacMillan share what went into making this unique and outrageously entertaining film:
Alyson Richards talks about how Guidance was unexpectedly sold. A good example of why it’s necessary to have more than one project to pitch:
I originally went in to pitch a different project to Telefilm Canada, but the person I met with felt that project wasn't yet ready. Just before I was leaving he asked "What else do you have"? I mentioned Guidance and his eyes lit up. He was totally into it.
What makes "Guidance" unique compared to other projects you’ve worked on?
Mike MacMillan: I really love working on black comedy, more than anything because I find it really great when people are laughing on set. For this, I was really drawn to this script, because it was hilarious - I actually laughed out lout when I read it. The team was amazing as well - we really had so much fun and became a film family. That’s hard to find, and it’s really something to hold on to for other projects.
Has Pat Mills directed other films?
Alyson: He has directed shorts, but this is actually his first feature, and I think he did an amazing job transitioning to long form. Funnily enough, he wasn't originally going to play the lead, but we forced him to audition - now I can't picture anybody else playing the role. He hasn't acted professionally since he was a kid, but you'd never guess it from his performance.
What has been the overall response to Guidance so far?
Mike: Everyone has laughed really hard at our test screenings, and has really enjoyed it. It’s really fun, which I think is great.
What's next?
Alyson: Up next is another comedy called "Don't Talk To Irene" that is written and will be directed by Pat. The script is hilarious, and recently won best comedy script at the Austin Film Festival. We are in the middle of putting together the financing, and plan on shooting next summer.
- 9/4/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Another company of a Canadian TV producer is setting its sights on the U.S. scripted market. Alyson Richards (HBO Canada’s Living in Your Car, Quality Balls) has launched Edyson Entertainment, which will have offices in Los Angeles and Toronto. Veteran longform producer Ed Gernon (Joan of Arc, Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows) will head up Edyson’s U.S. operation, marking the former Alliance Atlantis executive’s return to the business. Edyson plans to develop and produce TV projects with an emphasis on scripted drama and longform/miniseries. “Not only is the TV landscape beginning to shift back toward miniseries, Ed’s forte, but the longform pre-sale co-production model he helped pioneer is beginning to find its way into TV series financing as well,” Richards said. For distribution, the company has signed a first-look deal with UK-, Toronto- and La-based distributor Content Media Corp. led by...
- 6/25/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Toronto -- John Ralston, Ingrid Kavelaars and Colin Cunningham are to top-line the Canadian pay TV sitcom "Living In Your Car," executive produced and directed by David Steinberg ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") for indie producer The Nightingale Co.
The 13-part comedy, created and written by George F. Walker, Joseph Kay and Dani Romain, is shooting in Toronto and nearby Hamilton to Nov. 24 and will bow on Canada pay TV networks Movie Central and the Movie Network in 2010.
The Canadian comedy portrays Ralston in the lead role of Steve Unger, a fallen corporate executive-turned-grifter who clings to his lost empire by making his home in a luxury sedan. Kavelaars plays Lori Unger, while Cunningham is Steve Unger's slippery lawyer.
Steinberg, Walker and Romain share the executive producer credits with Debbie Nightingale, with Joseph Kay and Alyson Richards producing.
The 13-part comedy, created and written by George F. Walker, Joseph Kay and Dani Romain, is shooting in Toronto and nearby Hamilton to Nov. 24 and will bow on Canada pay TV networks Movie Central and the Movie Network in 2010.
The Canadian comedy portrays Ralston in the lead role of Steve Unger, a fallen corporate executive-turned-grifter who clings to his lost empire by making his home in a luxury sedan. Kavelaars plays Lori Unger, while Cunningham is Steve Unger's slippery lawyer.
Steinberg, Walker and Romain share the executive producer credits with Debbie Nightingale, with Joseph Kay and Alyson Richards producing.
- 9/22/2009
- by By Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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