When a former CIA asset goes on a killing spree to blackmail the agency, an ex-agent who swore to never return is brought back into the fold. Based on the book of the same name, the 2023 action thriller The Bricklayer stars Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev, and Clifton Collins Jr. The film, from director Renny Harlin (The Misfits), was written by Matt Johnson (Into the Blue) and Hanna Weg (The Garden of Last Days).
Stream it now.
Check it out at the top of this page.
German journalist Greta Becker (Veronica Ferres) was just found dead in her hotel in Greece. It’s the third murder of a journalist in a month, and the public blames the CIA. (Becker’s reporting was highly critical of US intelligence.) Suspecting a plot to blackmail the CIA, the agency brings back to the fold grizzled former agent Steve Vail (Eckhart), who nowadays works as...
Stream it now.
Check it out at the top of this page.
German journalist Greta Becker (Veronica Ferres) was just found dead in her hotel in Greece. It’s the third murder of a journalist in a month, and the public blames the CIA. (Becker’s reporting was highly critical of US intelligence.) Suspecting a plot to blackmail the CIA, the agency brings back to the fold grizzled former agent Steve Vail (Eckhart), who nowadays works as...
- 4/12/2024
- by Ingrid Ostby
- Tudum - Netflix
Earlier this month, The Bricklayer, the latest action film from Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight director Renny Harlin, was given a theatrical, On Demand, and Digital release. We’ve previously shared interviews with the film’s stars Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev, and now JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray has sat down for an interview with Harlin himself! The primary focus of this interview is The Bricklayer, of course, but it also branches out with mentions of other Harlin projects like The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea. You can check it out in the embed above.
Bumbray really enjoyed The Bricklayer, giving the film a 7/10 review you can read at This Link. If you’d like to watch the movie, you can do so on Amazon.
Based on a bestselling book by former FBI agent Noah Boyd (aka Paul Lindsay), The Bricklayer has the following synopsis: A...
Bumbray really enjoyed The Bricklayer, giving the film a 7/10 review you can read at This Link. If you’d like to watch the movie, you can do so on Amazon.
Based on a bestselling book by former FBI agent Noah Boyd (aka Paul Lindsay), The Bricklayer has the following synopsis: A...
- 1/22/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Bricklayer Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev, Tim Blake Nelson, Ilfenesh Hadera, Clifton Collins Jr.
Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Hanna Weg, Matt Johnson
Review of Harlin’s Action Thriller “The Bricklayer” Does it Live Up to the Promise of a Gripping Espionage Tale?(Photo Credit –IMDb)
What’s Good: Harlin’s dynamic direction and Eckhart’s compelling lead performance elevate the film, delivering thrilling action with well-choreographed fight sequences. The movie’s brisk pace, stunning Greek settings, and a mix of archetypal characters create an engaging experience. The cinematography by Matti Eerikainen and other technical aspects showcase expertise, making it visually appealing.
What’s Bad: Despite its strengths, “The Bricklayer” succumbs to some conventional spy tropes and noticeable conveniences in the plot. Overtly cheesy dialogues hinder the impact, and the central conflict fails to establish a palpable sense of peril, falling short of elevating the stakes required for the genre.
Star Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev, Tim Blake Nelson, Ilfenesh Hadera, Clifton Collins Jr.
Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Hanna Weg, Matt Johnson
Review of Harlin’s Action Thriller “The Bricklayer” Does it Live Up to the Promise of a Gripping Espionage Tale?(Photo Credit –IMDb)
What’s Good: Harlin’s dynamic direction and Eckhart’s compelling lead performance elevate the film, delivering thrilling action with well-choreographed fight sequences. The movie’s brisk pace, stunning Greek settings, and a mix of archetypal characters create an engaging experience. The cinematography by Matti Eerikainen and other technical aspects showcase expertise, making it visually appealing.
What’s Bad: Despite its strengths, “The Bricklayer” succumbs to some conventional spy tropes and noticeable conveniences in the plot. Overtly cheesy dialogues hinder the impact, and the central conflict fails to establish a palpable sense of peril, falling short of elevating the stakes required for the genre.
- 1/12/2024
- by Hari P N
- KoiMoi
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Clifton Collins Jr., Nina Dobrev, Ilfenesh Hadera, Tim Blake Nelson, Oliver Trevena | Written by Hanna Weg, Pete Travis | Directed by Renny Harlin
We’ve had The Gardener, The Baker, The Painter, and now The Bricklayer joins the list of men of violence who’ve taken up peaceful professions only to find out that in some jobs you can never truly leave your past behind.
Steve Vail was one of the C.I.A. ‘s most dependable agents, even if his lack of respect for procedure made him less than popular with his superiors. Disillusioned, he now finds solace in masonry, “When I hold a brick in my hand I know exactly what it is and what it will do every single time. It’s form is its function”
Radek was a C.I.A. asset working under Vail until he was compromised and his family murdered. He went rogue...
We’ve had The Gardener, The Baker, The Painter, and now The Bricklayer joins the list of men of violence who’ve taken up peaceful professions only to find out that in some jobs you can never truly leave your past behind.
Steve Vail was one of the C.I.A. ‘s most dependable agents, even if his lack of respect for procedure made him less than popular with his superiors. Disillusioned, he now finds solace in masonry, “When I hold a brick in my hand I know exactly what it is and what it will do every single time. It’s form is its function”
Radek was a C.I.A. asset working under Vail until he was compromised and his family murdered. He went rogue...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Exclusive: The Renny Harlin action thriller The Bricklayer, starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) and Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), has been picked up by Vertical for a day-and-date release in the U.S. early next year.
An adaptation of the same-name novel by former FBI agent Paul Lindsay — who used the pen name Noah Boyd — the film also stars Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), and Ilfenesh Hadera (Billions). The story is that of a rogue insurgent blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the agency is responsible. As other nations begin turning against the U.S., the CIA must lure Steve Vail (Eckhart) — their most brilliant and rebellious operative — out of retirement. With an elite and deadly skill set, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
An adaptation of the same-name novel by former FBI agent Paul Lindsay — who used the pen name Noah Boyd — the film also stars Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), and Ilfenesh Hadera (Billions). The story is that of a rogue insurgent blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the agency is responsible. As other nations begin turning against the U.S., the CIA must lure Steve Vail (Eckhart) — their most brilliant and rebellious operative — out of retirement. With an elite and deadly skill set, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
- 10/25/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen Media announced today the acquisition of all North American rights to the action film The Bricklayer.
Directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) and written by Matt Johnson (Into The Blue) and Hanna Weg (Septembers of Shiraz) based on a novel by Noah Boyd, the film stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Olympus Has Fallen, Thank You for Smoking), Nina Dobrev (xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Let’s Be Cops), Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld,” Jockey) Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley, Naked Singularity), and Ilfenesh Hadera (Baywatch).
Screen Media is planning a day-and-date theatrical and on demand release summer 2023.
In The Bricklayer. someone is blackmailing the CIA – assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the US, the CIA must lure its most brilliant – and rebellious – operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
Directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) and written by Matt Johnson (Into The Blue) and Hanna Weg (Septembers of Shiraz) based on a novel by Noah Boyd, the film stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Olympus Has Fallen, Thank You for Smoking), Nina Dobrev (xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Let’s Be Cops), Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld,” Jockey) Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley, Naked Singularity), and Ilfenesh Hadera (Baywatch).
Screen Media is planning a day-and-date theatrical and on demand release summer 2023.
In The Bricklayer. someone is blackmailing the CIA – assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the US, the CIA must lure its most brilliant – and rebellious – operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
- 5/23/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to Renny Harlin’s actioner The Bricklayer from Millennium Films, slating the pic for release in theaters and on VOD next summer. The Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company has also unveiled a new still from the film, starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) and Nina Dobrev (xXx: Return of Xander Cage), which can be found below.
In The Bricklayer, someone is blackmailing the CIA—assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the U.S., the CIA must lure its most brilliant—and rebellious—operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy. Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley) and Ilfenesh Hadera (Paramount’s Baywatch) also star.
The Bricklayer is the second title in Screen Media’s output deal with Millennium Films,...
In The Bricklayer, someone is blackmailing the CIA—assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the U.S., the CIA must lure its most brilliant—and rebellious—operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy. Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley) and Ilfenesh Hadera (Paramount’s Baywatch) also star.
The Bricklayer is the second title in Screen Media’s output deal with Millennium Films,...
- 5/23/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oliver Trevena has signed on to star alongside Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev in the action-thriller, The Bricklayer, which is heading into production in Europe next month.
In the film from director Renny Harlin, based on the novel by Noah Boyd, someone is blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the U.S., the CIA must lure its most brilliant – and rebellious – operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
Hanna Weg and Matt Johnson penned the script. G-Base’s Alan Siegel, Butler and Danielle Robinson are producing with Eclectic Pictures’ Heidi Jo Markel, and Millennium Media’s Jeffrey Greenstein, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, Yariv Lerner and Rob Van Norden. Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and Tanner Mobley from Millennium are serving as exec producers.
In the film from director Renny Harlin, based on the novel by Noah Boyd, someone is blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it look like the agency is responsible. As the world begins to unite against the U.S., the CIA must lure its most brilliant – and rebellious – operative out of retirement, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy.
Hanna Weg and Matt Johnson penned the script. G-Base’s Alan Siegel, Butler and Danielle Robinson are producing with Eclectic Pictures’ Heidi Jo Markel, and Millennium Media’s Jeffrey Greenstein, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, Yariv Lerner and Rob Van Norden. Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and Tanner Mobley from Millennium are serving as exec producers.
- 2/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Shaun the Sheep Movie 2: A sequel to the delightful animated adventure Shaun the Sheep Movie is on its way. Pre-production on Shaun the Sheep Movie 2 will begin in January 2017; Richard Starzak will once again direct. No details on the story have been revealed yet; the original comedy saw the farm animals take a trip to the big city. [Aardman] The Beautiful and the Damned: We just heard that Jennifer Lawrence may portray Zelda Fitzgerald and now comes word that Scarlett Johansson (Hail, Caesar!, above) also wants to play the socialite in a separate movie titled The Beautiful and the Damned. Hanna Weg wrote the script, inspired in part by recently uncovered information suggesting that Zelda's husband F. Scott Fitzgerald passed off some of her literary ideas as his...
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- 10/26/2016
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
Barely a week has passed since we brought you the news that Jennifer Lawrence had signed on to spearhead a Zelda Fitzgerald biopic and already, a second, competing period drama has emerged.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, confirming it is McU stalwart Scarlett Johansson that is attached to develop this rival project. Bearing the title The Beautiful and the Damned after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated novel, The Beautiful and Damned, the tome documents Scott and Zelda’ fiery relationship during the peak of the Jazz Age, and we understand that Johansson’s feature has full backing from both Millennium Films and the Fitzgerald estate. Hanna Weg (Septembers of Shiraz) has been elected to hash out a screenplay, and the search is already underway for a director to take point at the helm.
Millennium president Mark Gill had the following to say about Zelda’s fascinating story.
“It was the height of the Jazz Age,...
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, confirming it is McU stalwart Scarlett Johansson that is attached to develop this rival project. Bearing the title The Beautiful and the Damned after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated novel, The Beautiful and Damned, the tome documents Scott and Zelda’ fiery relationship during the peak of the Jazz Age, and we understand that Johansson’s feature has full backing from both Millennium Films and the Fitzgerald estate. Hanna Weg (Septembers of Shiraz) has been elected to hash out a screenplay, and the search is already underway for a director to take point at the helm.
Millennium president Mark Gill had the following to say about Zelda’s fascinating story.
“It was the height of the Jazz Age,...
- 10/26/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Looks like stories about Zelda Fitzgerald are the next big trend in the entertainment industry. Yesterday, we wrote how Ron Howard is eying the director's chair on a Zelda movie with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role, and now THR reports that Scarlett Johansson is developing a competing project that she'll star in.
Zelda has often been portrayed as little more than a socialite and the wife of famed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, but she was a creative force to be reckoned with in her own right. In fact, the new Johansson movie, which is being called The Beautiful and the Damned after an F. Scott book titled The Beautiful and Damned, "has secured the cooperation of the Fitzgerald estate and will incorporate newly unearthed transcripts from a sanatorium in which Zelda Fitzgerald was confined that indicate her husband misappropriated his wife's ideas as his own." That's a pretty big...
Zelda has often been portrayed as little more than a socialite and the wife of famed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, but she was a creative force to be reckoned with in her own right. In fact, the new Johansson movie, which is being called The Beautiful and the Damned after an F. Scott book titled The Beautiful and Damned, "has secured the cooperation of the Fitzgerald estate and will incorporate newly unearthed transcripts from a sanatorium in which Zelda Fitzgerald was confined that indicate her husband misappropriated his wife's ideas as his own." That's a pretty big...
- 10/25/2016
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
The collective of leading film industry voices has launched to finance and produce films, documentaries, TV and other forms of media dedicated to the empowerment of women.
We Do It Together (Wdit) will work with male and female directors, actors, and producers who share its vision to develop a slate of gender-led films and ensure a future of opportunities for known and emerging voices within the industry.
The non-profit will raise money from grants, governments, corporate sponsors, and individual donations and plans to unveil its first title in Cannes.
The advisory board comprises such figures as Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Queen Latifah, Catherine Hardwicke, Hany Abu-Assad, Zhang Ziyi, Amma Asante, and Juliette Binoche, among others.
Board of directors are: Albert Berger; Dda partner Dana Archer; The Gersh Agency’s Sandra Lucchesi; Mosaic manager Paul Nelson; producer-director Carol Polakoff; producer Shelby Stone; producer and philanthropist Chiara Tilesi; and writer-producer Hanna Weg.
The organisation...
We Do It Together (Wdit) will work with male and female directors, actors, and producers who share its vision to develop a slate of gender-led films and ensure a future of opportunities for known and emerging voices within the industry.
The non-profit will raise money from grants, governments, corporate sponsors, and individual donations and plans to unveil its first title in Cannes.
The advisory board comprises such figures as Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Queen Latifah, Catherine Hardwicke, Hany Abu-Assad, Zhang Ziyi, Amma Asante, and Juliette Binoche, among others.
Board of directors are: Albert Berger; Dda partner Dana Archer; The Gersh Agency’s Sandra Lucchesi; Mosaic manager Paul Nelson; producer-director Carol Polakoff; producer Shelby Stone; producer and philanthropist Chiara Tilesi; and writer-producer Hanna Weg.
The organisation...
- 2/24/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The collective of leading film industry voices has launched to finance and produce films, documentaries, TV and other forms of media dedicated to the empowerment of women.
We Do It Together (Wdit) will work with male and female directors, actors, and producers who share its vision to develop a slate of gender-led films and ensure a future of opportunities for known and emerging voices within the industry.
The non-profit will raise money from grants, governments, corporate sponsors, and individual donations and plans to unveil its first title in Cannes.
The advisory board comprises such figures as Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Queen Latifah, Catherine Hardwicke, Hany Abu-Assad, Zhang Ziyi, Amma Asante, and Juliette Binoche, among others.
Board of directors are: Albert Berger; Dda partner Dana Archer; The Gersh Agency’s Sandra Lucchesi; Mosaic manager Paul Nelson; producer-director Carol Polakoff; producer Shelby Stone; producer and philanthropist Chiara Tilesi; and writer-producer Hanna Weg.
The organisation...
We Do It Together (Wdit) will work with male and female directors, actors, and producers who share its vision to develop a slate of gender-led films and ensure a future of opportunities for known and emerging voices within the industry.
The non-profit will raise money from grants, governments, corporate sponsors, and individual donations and plans to unveil its first title in Cannes.
The advisory board comprises such figures as Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Queen Latifah, Catherine Hardwicke, Hany Abu-Assad, Zhang Ziyi, Amma Asante, and Juliette Binoche, among others.
Board of directors are: Albert Berger; Dda partner Dana Archer; The Gersh Agency’s Sandra Lucchesi; Mosaic manager Paul Nelson; producer-director Carol Polakoff; producer Shelby Stone; producer and philanthropist Chiara Tilesi; and writer-producer Hanna Weg.
The organisation...
- 2/24/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Continuing their support for women directors, Horizon Award co-founding producers Cassian Elwes, Lynette Howell Taylor, and Christine Vachon, announced the winners of the second annual Horizon Award. Academy Award nominee Chloë Sevigny will bestow up-and-coming filmmakers Macarena Gaona, Juliette Gosselin, Shanice Malakai Johnson, and Florence Pelletier with the Horizon Award at a reception in Park City, Utah, with creative talent, producers, entertainment executives and media in attendance to celebrate these rising women directors and their achievements in independent filmmaking.
The Horizon Award ceremony and reception will take place on Sunday, January 24th, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the WireImage Portrait Studio at Village at the Lift (825 Main Street, Park City), co-hosted by Jeff Vespa.
The Horizon Award is an annual award that seeks to identify and mentor talented, up-and-coming female directors – the primary goal being to support women directors early enough in their development to help them overcome the hurdles in advancing their learning curve and careers.
In addition to the Horizon Award, the four winners will receive grants from the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. The Foundation supports the artistic achievements of female filmmakers through a series of grants that reflect Adrienne Shelly’s dedication to the art of filmmaking and her own successful transition from actress to filmmaker.
This year’s winners are:
Horizon Award First Place
Juliette Gosselin (University of Quebec in Montreal) & Florence Pelletier (Concordia University, Montreal)
Co-directors of "Mes Anges à Tête Noire"
Horizon Award Runners-Up
Macarena (Macqui) Gaona (New York University) Director of "Channel 999 and Channel 1000"
Shanice Malakai Johnson (Scottsdale Community College) Director of "End to the Suffering"
On making the announcement, Cassian Elwes said: “I’m so excited to announce the winners of the second annual Horizon Award. This year’s overwhelming number of submissions and caliber of work made it very hard indeed to pick just one winner – the jury identified one grand prize winner, and two runners-up. Additionally, we have added new partners to our already formidable team – proving that not only is the move towards gender equality in the zeitgeist, but that there are very real advocates amongst our peers. After the recent summit for systemic change (hosted by Sundance and Women in Film), I am more convinced than ever that we can make a difference and that history is on our side. I remain steadfastly committed to the idea that, one day soon, women will have exactly the same opportunities as men to direct movies.”
Franklin Leonard, Founder and CEO of The Black List and one of the award’s original advocates added: “We are passionate supporters of this award that recognizes fresh voices and perspectives in storytelling. This effort mirrors our own effort – the Black List's 500 Feminist Films project, created by our Director of Community, Kate Hagen. We look forward to mentoring the winners in the year to come.”
The jury was comprised of 38 influential directors, producers, and executives from the filmmaking community who viewed 483 short film submissions from over 200 colleges and universities world-wide, including the U.S., Canada, England, Australia, India, China, South Africa, Scotland, France, Mexico, Portugal, Columbia, Brazil, Russia, Serbia, the Ukraine, and more. This year, submissions increased by over one hundred from last year, with additional countries and universities participating. Submissions were received from Nyu, USC, UCLA, Chapman, Emerson, Penn State, Loyola Marymount, University of Wisconsin, University of Washington, Syracuse, Tcu, Ryerson (Toronto), Oxford, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Delhi, and more.
Now in its second year, the Horizon Award provides an all-expense-paid trip for the winning female college students to the Sundance Film Festival, where they will have the opportunity to present their films to some of the industry’s most influential names. The winners receive mentorship, festival access, and important introductions by Elwes, Howell, and Vachon to agents, producers, executives, festival staff, and other influencers throughout the Sundance Film Festival.
The Horizon Award was founded by producer, Cassian Elwes ("Margin Call," "All is Lost," "Dallas Buyers Club"), and Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, in response to a Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles study that revealed that only 4.2% of the top 100 films each year from 2002-2013 were directed by women. Elwes partnered with Howell ("Captain Fantastic," "Mississippi Grind," "Big Eyes," "The Place Beyond the Pines:), and Vachon ( "Goat," "Carol," "Boys Don’t Cry," "One Hour Photo," "Far From Heaven"), to create the award as an opportunity for young female directors to have mentorship and networking opportunities in conjunction with Sundance, the home of American Independent film.
You can see links for more info on the study:
Phase I and II
Phase III
Sponsors and Partners for the 2016 Horizon Award are: The Black List, CreativeFuture, The Creative Mind Group, Done To Your Taste Catering, FilmLA, Indiegogo, Mprm Communications, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Sundance Institute, Twitter, Verge, Vimeo, WireImage, Adina Design, and Women in Film. This impressive group has come together to support an award that they hope will continue to identify, nurture, and launch the careers of future female directors for years to come.
Full List of Jurors:
Stephanie Allain Producer ("Dear White People," "Hustle & Flow")
Dori Begley Magnolia Pictures (Svp, Acquisitions)
Amy Berg Director ("Janis: Little Girl Blue," "Deliver Us From Evil," "Prophet’s Prey")
Arianna Bocco IFC Films (Svp, Acquisitions & Co-Productions)
Robbie Brenner The Firm (Partner, President of Film)
Susan Carter Hall Painter
Amal ElWardi Zeal Media Company (Producer)
Cassian Elwes Producer ("Margin Call," "All is Lost," "Dallas Buyers Club")
Janet Grillo Director ("Jack of the Red Hearts," "Fly Away")
Poppy Hanks Macro Venture (Svp, Development & Production)
Catherine Hardwicke Director ("Miss You Already," "Red Riding Hood," "Twilight")
Lynette Howell Taylor Producer ("Captain Fantastic," "Mississippi Grind," "Big Eyes")
Liza Johnson Director ("Elvis & Nixon," "Return," "Hateship Loveship," "In the Air")
Eda Kowan Lionsgate (Svp, Acquisitions & Co-Productions)
Gina Kwon Amazon Studios (Executive, Comedy)
Helen Lee-Kim Good Universe (Partner, Head of International)
Laura Lewis CAA (Agent, Film Finance)
Alix Madigan Broad Green Pictures (Head, Creative)
Marianna Palka Actress/Director ("I’m the Same,""Always Worthy," "Good Dick")
Bruna Papandrea Pacific Standard (Producer/Partner)
Keri Putnam Sundance Institute (Executive Director)
Dee Rees Director ("Bessie," “Empire”)
Laura Rister Untitled Entertainment (Head of Production)
Rena Ronson UTA (Partner)
Michelle Satter Sundance Institute (Director, Feature Film Program)
Cathy Schulman Stx Entertainment (President & Chief Content Officer)
Lauren Selig Shake and Bake Productions (Executive Producer)
Mary Jane Skalski Producer ("The Visitor," "Mysterious Skin," "The Station Agent")
Lara Thompson E1 Entertainment (Svp, Worldwide Acquisitions)
Christine Vachon Producer ("Goat," "Carol," "Boys Don’t Cry")
Ruth Vitale CreativeFuture (CEO)
Angie Wang Director ("Cardinal X")
Hanna Weg Producer ("Septembers of Shiraz")
Tanya Wexler Director ("Hysteria," "Finding North," "Ball in the House")
Joanne Wiles ICM (Partner/Agent, Motion Picture Talent)
Pam Williams Pam Williams Productions ("Lee Daniels’ The Butler," "Fail Safe")
Lisa Wilson The Solution Entertainment (Co-Founder/Partner)
So Yong Kim Director ("Love Song," "For Ellen," "In Between Days")...
The Horizon Award ceremony and reception will take place on Sunday, January 24th, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the WireImage Portrait Studio at Village at the Lift (825 Main Street, Park City), co-hosted by Jeff Vespa.
The Horizon Award is an annual award that seeks to identify and mentor talented, up-and-coming female directors – the primary goal being to support women directors early enough in their development to help them overcome the hurdles in advancing their learning curve and careers.
In addition to the Horizon Award, the four winners will receive grants from the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. The Foundation supports the artistic achievements of female filmmakers through a series of grants that reflect Adrienne Shelly’s dedication to the art of filmmaking and her own successful transition from actress to filmmaker.
This year’s winners are:
Horizon Award First Place
Juliette Gosselin (University of Quebec in Montreal) & Florence Pelletier (Concordia University, Montreal)
Co-directors of "Mes Anges à Tête Noire"
Horizon Award Runners-Up
Macarena (Macqui) Gaona (New York University) Director of "Channel 999 and Channel 1000"
Shanice Malakai Johnson (Scottsdale Community College) Director of "End to the Suffering"
On making the announcement, Cassian Elwes said: “I’m so excited to announce the winners of the second annual Horizon Award. This year’s overwhelming number of submissions and caliber of work made it very hard indeed to pick just one winner – the jury identified one grand prize winner, and two runners-up. Additionally, we have added new partners to our already formidable team – proving that not only is the move towards gender equality in the zeitgeist, but that there are very real advocates amongst our peers. After the recent summit for systemic change (hosted by Sundance and Women in Film), I am more convinced than ever that we can make a difference and that history is on our side. I remain steadfastly committed to the idea that, one day soon, women will have exactly the same opportunities as men to direct movies.”
Franklin Leonard, Founder and CEO of The Black List and one of the award’s original advocates added: “We are passionate supporters of this award that recognizes fresh voices and perspectives in storytelling. This effort mirrors our own effort – the Black List's 500 Feminist Films project, created by our Director of Community, Kate Hagen. We look forward to mentoring the winners in the year to come.”
The jury was comprised of 38 influential directors, producers, and executives from the filmmaking community who viewed 483 short film submissions from over 200 colleges and universities world-wide, including the U.S., Canada, England, Australia, India, China, South Africa, Scotland, France, Mexico, Portugal, Columbia, Brazil, Russia, Serbia, the Ukraine, and more. This year, submissions increased by over one hundred from last year, with additional countries and universities participating. Submissions were received from Nyu, USC, UCLA, Chapman, Emerson, Penn State, Loyola Marymount, University of Wisconsin, University of Washington, Syracuse, Tcu, Ryerson (Toronto), Oxford, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Delhi, and more.
Now in its second year, the Horizon Award provides an all-expense-paid trip for the winning female college students to the Sundance Film Festival, where they will have the opportunity to present their films to some of the industry’s most influential names. The winners receive mentorship, festival access, and important introductions by Elwes, Howell, and Vachon to agents, producers, executives, festival staff, and other influencers throughout the Sundance Film Festival.
The Horizon Award was founded by producer, Cassian Elwes ("Margin Call," "All is Lost," "Dallas Buyers Club"), and Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, in response to a Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles study that revealed that only 4.2% of the top 100 films each year from 2002-2013 were directed by women. Elwes partnered with Howell ("Captain Fantastic," "Mississippi Grind," "Big Eyes," "The Place Beyond the Pines:), and Vachon ( "Goat," "Carol," "Boys Don’t Cry," "One Hour Photo," "Far From Heaven"), to create the award as an opportunity for young female directors to have mentorship and networking opportunities in conjunction with Sundance, the home of American Independent film.
You can see links for more info on the study:
Phase I and II
Phase III
Sponsors and Partners for the 2016 Horizon Award are: The Black List, CreativeFuture, The Creative Mind Group, Done To Your Taste Catering, FilmLA, Indiegogo, Mprm Communications, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Sundance Institute, Twitter, Verge, Vimeo, WireImage, Adina Design, and Women in Film. This impressive group has come together to support an award that they hope will continue to identify, nurture, and launch the careers of future female directors for years to come.
Full List of Jurors:
Stephanie Allain Producer ("Dear White People," "Hustle & Flow")
Dori Begley Magnolia Pictures (Svp, Acquisitions)
Amy Berg Director ("Janis: Little Girl Blue," "Deliver Us From Evil," "Prophet’s Prey")
Arianna Bocco IFC Films (Svp, Acquisitions & Co-Productions)
Robbie Brenner The Firm (Partner, President of Film)
Susan Carter Hall Painter
Amal ElWardi Zeal Media Company (Producer)
Cassian Elwes Producer ("Margin Call," "All is Lost," "Dallas Buyers Club")
Janet Grillo Director ("Jack of the Red Hearts," "Fly Away")
Poppy Hanks Macro Venture (Svp, Development & Production)
Catherine Hardwicke Director ("Miss You Already," "Red Riding Hood," "Twilight")
Lynette Howell Taylor Producer ("Captain Fantastic," "Mississippi Grind," "Big Eyes")
Liza Johnson Director ("Elvis & Nixon," "Return," "Hateship Loveship," "In the Air")
Eda Kowan Lionsgate (Svp, Acquisitions & Co-Productions)
Gina Kwon Amazon Studios (Executive, Comedy)
Helen Lee-Kim Good Universe (Partner, Head of International)
Laura Lewis CAA (Agent, Film Finance)
Alix Madigan Broad Green Pictures (Head, Creative)
Marianna Palka Actress/Director ("I’m the Same,""Always Worthy," "Good Dick")
Bruna Papandrea Pacific Standard (Producer/Partner)
Keri Putnam Sundance Institute (Executive Director)
Dee Rees Director ("Bessie," “Empire”)
Laura Rister Untitled Entertainment (Head of Production)
Rena Ronson UTA (Partner)
Michelle Satter Sundance Institute (Director, Feature Film Program)
Cathy Schulman Stx Entertainment (President & Chief Content Officer)
Lauren Selig Shake and Bake Productions (Executive Producer)
Mary Jane Skalski Producer ("The Visitor," "Mysterious Skin," "The Station Agent")
Lara Thompson E1 Entertainment (Svp, Worldwide Acquisitions)
Christine Vachon Producer ("Goat," "Carol," "Boys Don’t Cry")
Ruth Vitale CreativeFuture (CEO)
Angie Wang Director ("Cardinal X")
Hanna Weg Producer ("Septembers of Shiraz")
Tanya Wexler Director ("Hysteria," "Finding North," "Ball in the House")
Joanne Wiles ICM (Partner/Agent, Motion Picture Talent)
Pam Williams Pam Williams Productions ("Lee Daniels’ The Butler," "Fail Safe")
Lisa Wilson The Solution Entertainment (Co-Founder/Partner)
So Yong Kim Director ("Love Song," "For Ellen," "In Between Days")...
- 1/22/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Sundance Institute and The Royal Film Commission - Jordan announced the six projects selected for the 10th anniversary of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, which took place October 28 to November 1 in Amman, Jordan. Created as a cornerstone of the Institute’s deep commitment to artists in the Middle East, the Lab has supported over seventy artists from more than a dozen countries.
The two first features produced from the inaugural 2005 Lab premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Pomegranates and Myrrh," written and directed by Najwa Najjar (Palestine) and "Amreeka," written and directed by Cherien Dabis (Palestine/Jordan/Us). Notable alums of the Lab also include Mohammed Al Daradji ( "Son of Babylon" ) and Sally El Hosaini ( "My Brother The Devil" ).
More recently, 2009 Rawi alumna Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia) premiered her first feature "Wadjda" at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. It was soon acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and was distributed to critical and audience acclaim from around the world. "Wadjda" is the first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first ever by a Saudi female filmmaker.
The 10 th anniversary events in Amman included a panel on the craft of screenwriting led by Al Mansour, a public screening of "Zindeeq"by Lab Advisor Michel Khleifi, and a reception designed to connect local artists with filmmakers from across the region. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Stories told by independent artists, whether working in the U.S. or internationally, provide remarkable windows into other cultures, and deepen understanding. Ten years into our work in the Middle East, we look forward to continuing to give voice to artists in the region.”
Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Feature Film Program, said, “We deeply value our collaboration with the Royal Film Commission as well as the artists we have supported in the Middle East over the past 10 years. The films that have emerged from the Lab have reflected upon many of the region’s important cultural and political moments over the past decade. I am proud to see the work of these artists enriching the broader culture with unique and impactful stories."
George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission, said,“We are proud of what this Lab has accomplished over the past ten years. It is safe to say that Rawi, with the support of the Sundance Institute has become a recognized contributor to the development of Arab feature films. Cinematic works, which were born in Rawi, have been featured in major films festivals and released in cinema screens globally, exposing our Arab culture and heritage to the world.”
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level. The Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and managed by Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Founding Director Michelle Satter and International Director Paul Federbush.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie"), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar ("Eyes Of A Thief" , "Pomegranates And Myrrh" ), Hanna Weg ( "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" ), Jon Raymond ( "Night Moves," "Wendy and Lucy" ), and Michel Khleifi ( "Zindeeq" ).
The six artists selected for the 2014 Rawi Screenwriters Lab include:
Shake
Writer and Director: Deema Dabis (Jordan)
Free-spirited Kareemah decides to leave her home in Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream when she accepts an offer to tour Palestine with an international circus troop. As she struggles to manage her insecurities as a first-time performer, she is continuously shaken up by the complexities of life in Palestine.
Dabis received an Mfa in Cinema from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. From a young age she has always been in love with stories and believes fiercely that the power of creation and a new vision will not only bring healing and insight into our world but also has the potential to create alternative narratives and realities. She is working on a number of projects including her first short film The Sri Lankan , which received funding from the Jordan Film Fund.
Baghdad Perfume
Writer and Director: Roua Ahmad (Iraq)
The tale of a middle-class family and their struggles during the darkest period in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. As the occupation becomes more oppressive and water and electricity begin to run out, the family of three tries to stay together through kidnapping, illness, and the increasing danger of staying in Baghdad.
Ahmad was born on 1983 in Iraq. She received a certificate of participation from USC School of Cinematic Art and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Programming. She later got her Mfa in Directing and Editing from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. Filmmaking has been her ambition since the age of 12. After graduation she worked as an editor and screenwriter for a television production company. Her short films include The Last Hour , and have been screened and nominated for awards in 12 film festivals around the world.
Killer of the Selawa
Writer and Director: Islam Azzazi (Egypt)
Co-Writer: Charles Akl (Egypt)
In the tense atmosphere following the revolution in Egypt, a man spends the night in a remote villa on the outskirts of Alexandria, trying to obtain a permit for his father’s weapons. After news spreads of a vicious, mythical beast in the area, the man finds himself caught up in a murderous accident.
Since his Dostoyevski inspired thesis project, Al-Kharaz (Beads) , Azzazi has directed and produced numerous Documentaries and short films. His documentaries include Wujouh Al-Fayoum (Fayoum Portraits) and Dominate Your Eyes. He has also produced and directed the short film Nahar we Leil (Day & Night), 2006. Azzazi has worked at El-Warsha Theatre Company where he coached actors and photographed theatrical productions. In 2007 he established a new production company Wika with three other filmmakers.
Charles Akl works as a writer, director, editor, art critic and photographer. After graduating from the University of Alexandria’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2006, he has worked in several domains ranging from architecture design to writing and editing for several arts publications, including Magaz. Akl has also worked as the program coordinator at Al Mawred Al Thaqafy.
Tide
Writer and Director: Hussen Ibraheem (Lebanon)
A man and woman struggle in the aftermath of their son’s death. As the tide approaches their coastal home and they make their way by car to a relative’s house in the mountains, they must confront the tension the tragedy has created between them.
Ibraheem is an independent filmmaker, born in Beirut, Lebanon. After getting his BA in Architecture, Ibraheem followed his love for animation working as a freelance storyboard artist and character designer. Ibraheem was granted a scholarship from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts where he studied directing and cinematography. His second short film produced at Rsica, Typo, is currently touring 13 film festivals in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, USA, UK, and Italy.
The Golden Cap Club
Writer and Director: Merva Faddoul (Lebanon)
A young girl comes of age as the organized world of the adults crumbles during the invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. Determined to win a trip to Disneyland, she collects bottle caps in an attempt to find the ‘golden cap,’ as her family tries to distract her from the sudden challenges they face.
Faddoul is an award-winning writer and director. She recieved an Mfa in Film Production from the University of Southern California and a BA in Communications from the Lebanese American University. Her short films have won grants from National Geographic and the Doha Film Institute and they have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide including the Cannes Short Film Corner, Human Rights Nights (Italy), Doha-Tribeca Film Festival, and Tricycle Cinema in London. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the International Academy of WebTV.
Snow
Writer and Director: Omaima Hamouri (Palestine)
Eight year-old Dina believes that an old family curse is behind the conflict that arises each summer between her parents, and becomes convinced that snow is the only way to solve their problems. With the help of her grandmother, she resolves to delay her parents’ divorce until the first snowfall.
Hamouri was born in 1988 in Jerusalem. She received her bachelor degree in Mass Media from Al-Quds University, followed by an Mfa in Editing and Screenwriting from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan. With a never-ending passion for telling human stories through film, Omaima is now working as an independent filmmaker.
The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program is supported by The Annenberg Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Rt Features, Time Warner Foundation, The Lincoln Motor Company, Red Crown Productions, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hp, Steve Bing, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Microsoft, The Rockefeller Foundation, Nhk Enterprises, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, 3311 Productions, The Ammon Foundation, Firestone / von Winterfeldt Family Fund, Ford Foundation, Philip Fung-A3 Foundation, SAGIndie, Grazka Taylor, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund.
Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
Since its founding in 1981, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) has supported an extensive list of ground-breaking independent films. Ffp films making their premieres this year include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), Cutter Hodierne’s Fishing Without Nets (winner of the Directing Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), and Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (winner of the Best of Next Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival). Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station , Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox , Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda , Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild , Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene , Dee Rees’ Pariah , Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre , Andrea Arnold's Red Road , Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know , Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now , Josh Marston’s Maria Full of Grace , Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas , John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream , Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry , Walter Salles’ Central Station , Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals , Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca , Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight , and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs .
undance.org/featurefilm
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to connect audiences to their work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling as art and as a compelling and powerful way to inform, inspire and unite people. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook , Instagram,Twitter and YouTube.
The two first features produced from the inaugural 2005 Lab premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Pomegranates and Myrrh," written and directed by Najwa Najjar (Palestine) and "Amreeka," written and directed by Cherien Dabis (Palestine/Jordan/Us). Notable alums of the Lab also include Mohammed Al Daradji ( "Son of Babylon" ) and Sally El Hosaini ( "My Brother The Devil" ).
More recently, 2009 Rawi alumna Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia) premiered her first feature "Wadjda" at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. It was soon acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and was distributed to critical and audience acclaim from around the world. "Wadjda" is the first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first ever by a Saudi female filmmaker.
The 10 th anniversary events in Amman included a panel on the craft of screenwriting led by Al Mansour, a public screening of "Zindeeq"by Lab Advisor Michel Khleifi, and a reception designed to connect local artists with filmmakers from across the region. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Stories told by independent artists, whether working in the U.S. or internationally, provide remarkable windows into other cultures, and deepen understanding. Ten years into our work in the Middle East, we look forward to continuing to give voice to artists in the region.”
Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Feature Film Program, said, “We deeply value our collaboration with the Royal Film Commission as well as the artists we have supported in the Middle East over the past 10 years. The films that have emerged from the Lab have reflected upon many of the region’s important cultural and political moments over the past decade. I am proud to see the work of these artists enriching the broader culture with unique and impactful stories."
George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission, said,“We are proud of what this Lab has accomplished over the past ten years. It is safe to say that Rawi, with the support of the Sundance Institute has become a recognized contributor to the development of Arab feature films. Cinematic works, which were born in Rawi, have been featured in major films festivals and released in cinema screens globally, exposing our Arab culture and heritage to the world.”
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level. The Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and managed by Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Founding Director Michelle Satter and International Director Paul Federbush.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie"), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar ("Eyes Of A Thief" , "Pomegranates And Myrrh" ), Hanna Weg ( "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" ), Jon Raymond ( "Night Moves," "Wendy and Lucy" ), and Michel Khleifi ( "Zindeeq" ).
The six artists selected for the 2014 Rawi Screenwriters Lab include:
Shake
Writer and Director: Deema Dabis (Jordan)
Free-spirited Kareemah decides to leave her home in Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream when she accepts an offer to tour Palestine with an international circus troop. As she struggles to manage her insecurities as a first-time performer, she is continuously shaken up by the complexities of life in Palestine.
Dabis received an Mfa in Cinema from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. From a young age she has always been in love with stories and believes fiercely that the power of creation and a new vision will not only bring healing and insight into our world but also has the potential to create alternative narratives and realities. She is working on a number of projects including her first short film The Sri Lankan , which received funding from the Jordan Film Fund.
Baghdad Perfume
Writer and Director: Roua Ahmad (Iraq)
The tale of a middle-class family and their struggles during the darkest period in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. As the occupation becomes more oppressive and water and electricity begin to run out, the family of three tries to stay together through kidnapping, illness, and the increasing danger of staying in Baghdad.
Ahmad was born on 1983 in Iraq. She received a certificate of participation from USC School of Cinematic Art and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Programming. She later got her Mfa in Directing and Editing from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. Filmmaking has been her ambition since the age of 12. After graduation she worked as an editor and screenwriter for a television production company. Her short films include The Last Hour , and have been screened and nominated for awards in 12 film festivals around the world.
Killer of the Selawa
Writer and Director: Islam Azzazi (Egypt)
Co-Writer: Charles Akl (Egypt)
In the tense atmosphere following the revolution in Egypt, a man spends the night in a remote villa on the outskirts of Alexandria, trying to obtain a permit for his father’s weapons. After news spreads of a vicious, mythical beast in the area, the man finds himself caught up in a murderous accident.
Since his Dostoyevski inspired thesis project, Al-Kharaz (Beads) , Azzazi has directed and produced numerous Documentaries and short films. His documentaries include Wujouh Al-Fayoum (Fayoum Portraits) and Dominate Your Eyes. He has also produced and directed the short film Nahar we Leil (Day & Night), 2006. Azzazi has worked at El-Warsha Theatre Company where he coached actors and photographed theatrical productions. In 2007 he established a new production company Wika with three other filmmakers.
Charles Akl works as a writer, director, editor, art critic and photographer. After graduating from the University of Alexandria’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2006, he has worked in several domains ranging from architecture design to writing and editing for several arts publications, including Magaz. Akl has also worked as the program coordinator at Al Mawred Al Thaqafy.
Tide
Writer and Director: Hussen Ibraheem (Lebanon)
A man and woman struggle in the aftermath of their son’s death. As the tide approaches their coastal home and they make their way by car to a relative’s house in the mountains, they must confront the tension the tragedy has created between them.
Ibraheem is an independent filmmaker, born in Beirut, Lebanon. After getting his BA in Architecture, Ibraheem followed his love for animation working as a freelance storyboard artist and character designer. Ibraheem was granted a scholarship from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts where he studied directing and cinematography. His second short film produced at Rsica, Typo, is currently touring 13 film festivals in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, USA, UK, and Italy.
The Golden Cap Club
Writer and Director: Merva Faddoul (Lebanon)
A young girl comes of age as the organized world of the adults crumbles during the invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. Determined to win a trip to Disneyland, she collects bottle caps in an attempt to find the ‘golden cap,’ as her family tries to distract her from the sudden challenges they face.
Faddoul is an award-winning writer and director. She recieved an Mfa in Film Production from the University of Southern California and a BA in Communications from the Lebanese American University. Her short films have won grants from National Geographic and the Doha Film Institute and they have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide including the Cannes Short Film Corner, Human Rights Nights (Italy), Doha-Tribeca Film Festival, and Tricycle Cinema in London. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the International Academy of WebTV.
Snow
Writer and Director: Omaima Hamouri (Palestine)
Eight year-old Dina believes that an old family curse is behind the conflict that arises each summer between her parents, and becomes convinced that snow is the only way to solve their problems. With the help of her grandmother, she resolves to delay her parents’ divorce until the first snowfall.
Hamouri was born in 1988 in Jerusalem. She received her bachelor degree in Mass Media from Al-Quds University, followed by an Mfa in Editing and Screenwriting from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan. With a never-ending passion for telling human stories through film, Omaima is now working as an independent filmmaker.
The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program is supported by The Annenberg Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Rt Features, Time Warner Foundation, The Lincoln Motor Company, Red Crown Productions, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hp, Steve Bing, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Microsoft, The Rockefeller Foundation, Nhk Enterprises, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, 3311 Productions, The Ammon Foundation, Firestone / von Winterfeldt Family Fund, Ford Foundation, Philip Fung-A3 Foundation, SAGIndie, Grazka Taylor, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund.
Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
Since its founding in 1981, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) has supported an extensive list of ground-breaking independent films. Ffp films making their premieres this year include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), Cutter Hodierne’s Fishing Without Nets (winner of the Directing Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), and Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (winner of the Best of Next Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival). Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station , Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox , Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda , Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild , Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene , Dee Rees’ Pariah , Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre , Andrea Arnold's Red Road , Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know , Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now , Josh Marston’s Maria Full of Grace , Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas , John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream , Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry , Walter Salles’ Central Station , Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals , Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca , Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight , and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs .
undance.org/featurefilm
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to connect audiences to their work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling as art and as a compelling and powerful way to inform, inspire and unite people. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook , Instagram,Twitter and YouTube.
- 11/10/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Wadjda is one of the films to have previously benefited from the Rawi Screenwriters Lab The Sundance Institute and The Royal Film Commission - Jordan have announced the six projects selected for the 10th anniversary of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, which took place October 28 to November 1 in Amman, Jordan. Shake, Bagdhad Perfume, Killer Of The Selawa, Tide, Snow and The Golden Cap Club all made the list.
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar (Eyes Of A Thief, Pomegranates And Myrrh), Hanna Weg (Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet), Jon Raymond (Night Moves, Wendy and Lucy...
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar (Eyes Of A Thief, Pomegranates And Myrrh), Hanna Weg (Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet), Jon Raymond (Night Moves, Wendy and Lucy...
- 11/5/2014
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Adrien Brody is joining Salma Hayek and Shoreh Aghdashloo in the thriller The Septembers Of Shiraz, which Millennium Films and now will start shooting June 9. The pic, directed by The Sapphires helmer Wayne Blair, is based on the New York Times bestseller by Dalia Sofer, was adapted by Hanna Weg and launched at Berlin’s Efm in February. It is the true story of a secular Jewish family caught in the Islamic revolution in Iran, and their journey to overcome and ultimately escape from the deadly tyranny that swept their country and threatened to extinguish their lives at every turn. Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel and Danielle Robinson are producing under their G-Base banner, along with Heidi Jo Markel and Weg. Eclectic Pictures also is working on the production which will be based at Millennium’s Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, and also will shoot in Israel. Brody is repped by Paradigm.
- 4/10/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Renny Harlin's Hercules: The Legend Begins (formerly Hercules 3D ), is set to debut its full trailer at New York Comic Con this Saturday, October 12. Today, however, leading man Kellan Lutz is debuting a sneak preview of the trailer via his WhoSay account. Check it out in the player below along with nine new stills in our gallery viewer at the bottom of this page! Hercules: The Legend Begins is written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg with a cast that also includes Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, and "Spartacus" star Liam McIntyre. It is targeting a March 2014 release.
- 10/10/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Two weeks before production was scheduled to start, James Franco has pulled out of the film adaptation of Andre Dubus III's contemporary thriller novel "Garden Of Last Days" at Millennium Entertainment.
As a result, the $3 million project has been shut down and won't proceed. Franco committed to both direct and star in the project late April, with $500,000 already spent on pre-production costs.
Based on the book by Andre Dubus III, the story follows three interwoven and ultimately explosive stories - a stripper and single mother, a lonely man who gets thrown out of the strip club, and a rich foreigner on the brink of committing a terrifying act.
Hanna Weg adapted the script and was to produce along with Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy.
Franco's exit is said to be due to a disagreement with Millennium over the crew he wanted to hire.
As a result, the $3 million project has been shut down and won't proceed. Franco committed to both direct and star in the project late April, with $500,000 already spent on pre-production costs.
Based on the book by Andre Dubus III, the story follows three interwoven and ultimately explosive stories - a stripper and single mother, a lonely man who gets thrown out of the strip club, and a rich foreigner on the brink of committing a terrifying act.
Hanna Weg adapted the script and was to produce along with Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy.
Franco's exit is said to be due to a disagreement with Millennium over the crew he wanted to hire.
- 6/28/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: What is it lately with directors walking off their own movies just before production starts? Two weeks before he was scheduled to begin production as director and star of Garden Of Last Days, James Franco pulled out of the film today. I’m told that effectively scraps a film that had $500,000 spent so far, a $3 million budget and a July 10 production start date. It’s the second time a filmmaker bailed late in the game, after Lynn Ramsay exited Jane Got A Gun hours before production was to start. That film held it together, but I’m told that this will shut down. Franco, currently in theaters in This Is The End, committed to direct and star in late April, just as he was preparing to unveil his latest film, As I Lay Dying screens in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. I’m hearing that Franco’s...
- 6/27/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Twitch has uncovered the first poster to the upcoming Hercules 3D , starring Kellan Lutz. They've also learned that actor Scott Adkins has joined the film and will play the role of King Amphitryon. In addition, "Spartacus" star Liam McIntyre has also beem confirmed to join the film in an unspecified role. Renny Harlin will direct the 3D feature film from a script written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. Harlin has described the film as being more akin to the Ridley Scott film Gladiator than "flying horses." Hercules 3D is targeting a March 2014 release.
- 5/25/2013
- Comingsoon.net
James Franco has cast the lead in his adaptation of Andre Dubus III’s singularly intense novel “The Garden of Last Days,” and he had to go all the way to Westeros to find her: Emilia Clarke, who plays the dragon-loving Daenerys Targaryen on the smash HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. She will play a Florida stripper who brings her 3-year-old daughter to work with her on the fateful night that she ends up dancing for several of the terrorists who would be involved in 9/11. It’s unclear whether or not Franco is also writing the adaptation of the novel, but given his extensively hands-on approach, it’s probably safe to assume he won’t just write and direct but he’ll also co-star, cater and do costume design. Millennium/Nu Image is financing the movie, with Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Hanna Weg,...
- 5/2/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
It’s all about a Florida strip club in the upcoming The Garden of Last Days movie! And what definitely sounds great is that James Franco is on board to direct this adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name written by Andre Dubus III. But, as you already see from our title – that’s not all, ’cause we’ve just learned that Emilia Clarke is set to play the female lead in the whole thing. Find more details in the rest of this report… So, at this moment we know that Franco will direct the movie from a script written by Hanna Weg, and the...
Click to continue reading Emilia Clarke To Star In James Franco’s Adaptation Of The Garden Of Last Days! on www.filmofilia.com...
Click to continue reading Emilia Clarke To Star In James Franco’s Adaptation Of The Garden Of Last Days! on www.filmofilia.com...
- 5/2/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
Emilia Clarke's landed her first role after signing with CAA in October, and joins Garden of Last Days. The film looks at family and sexual values over one night in a stripe club in Florida where Clarke apparently plays a stripper who brings her three-year-old daughter to work. That's quite a leap from her role as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's excellent Game of Thrones series. Garden of Last Days is being financed by Nu Image/Millennium Films. Producing the film are Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Hanna Weg, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy.
- 5/2/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"Game of Thrones" actress Emilia Clarke will star in James Franco's "The Garden of Last Days" for Nu Image/Millennium.
Adapted from the 2008 novel by Andre Dubus III, the story explores family and sexual values over the course of a night set in a Florida strip club.
Clarke will play a stripper who brings her 3-year-old daughter to work.
Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Hanna Weg, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy are producing. Shooting begins in July.
Source: THR...
Adapted from the 2008 novel by Andre Dubus III, the story explores family and sexual values over the course of a night set in a Florida strip club.
Clarke will play a stripper who brings her 3-year-old daughter to work.
Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Hanna Weg, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy are producing. Shooting begins in July.
Source: THR...
- 5/2/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
James Franco has set “Game of Thrones” badass Emilia Clarke to play the female lead in his next directorial venture, “The Garden of Last Days”, according to THR. Franco will also take a starring role in the adaptation of the Andre Dubus III novel of the same name. Hanna Weg adapted the novel, which is [...]
The post “Game of Thrones” Star Emilia Clarke to Headline James Franco’s “Garden of Last Days” appeared first on Up and Comers.
The post “Game of Thrones” Star Emilia Clarke to Headline James Franco’s “Garden of Last Days” appeared first on Up and Comers.
- 5/2/2013
- by Linda Ge
- UpandComers
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke will topline The Garden of Last Days, James Franco’s latest directorial effort. This is the first gig for Clarke since signing with CAA in October. Last Days is being financed by Nu Image/Millennium with Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Hanna Weg, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy producing. Photos: 'Game of Thrones' Season 3 Preview Adapted from the 2008 novel by Andre Dubus III (House of Sand and Fog), The Garden of Last Days explores family and sexual values over the course of a night set in a Florida strip club. In one
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- 5/1/2013
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles, April 30: Actor James Franco is set to direct and act in the big-screen adaptation of Andre Dubus III's best-selling novel "Garden of Last Days".
The 35-year-old has signed on to helm the big screen adaptation of the eponymous book, reports deadline.com.
Scottish actor Gerard Butler is co-producing the movie with Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson and Hanna Weg. Weg has also written the film's script.
Ians...
The 35-year-old has signed on to helm the big screen adaptation of the eponymous book, reports deadline.com.
Scottish actor Gerard Butler is co-producing the movie with Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson and Hanna Weg. Weg has also written the film's script.
Ians...
- 4/29/2013
- by Machan Kumar
- RealBollywood.com
Never one to rest when there are projects to be made (we like to imagine he’s had a special Franco Signal built to alert him when there’s a new assignment), James Franco is lining up his next directing gig, an adaptation filming Andre Dubus III’s The Garden Of Last Days.Dubus – whose House Of Sand And Fog was adapted for the screen in 2003 – published the book in 2009. Enigma writer Hanna Weg crafted the script, which is a modern-day thriller set in the criminal underbelly of America.Three stories warp and weave around each other, following a stripper who brings her three-year-old daughter to work, an angry, bitter man who is thrown out of the strip club and a foreigner on Us soil with a seemingly endless supply of cash and some dark intentions. Though the novel is set around the time of 9/11, Dubus has apparently given his...
- 4/29/2013
- EmpireOnline
James Franco is set to both direct and play a key role in the contemporary thriller "The Garden of Last Days" for Millennium Films.
Hanna Weg ("Enigma") is penning this adaptation of the novel by Andre Dubus III ("House Of Sand And Fog"), though the film will shift the action to present day New York rather than keep the 9/11 time setting of the book.
The story involves three interwoven story lines - a stripper forced to bring her three-year-old daughter to work; an angry, loner who gets thrown out of the club; and a foreigner with an endless supply of cash about to commit a terrifying act.
Weg, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy will produce.
Shooting begins July 8th in New York once Franco wraps his role in "Good People". Franco is in Cannes this year with his adaptation of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying...
Hanna Weg ("Enigma") is penning this adaptation of the novel by Andre Dubus III ("House Of Sand And Fog"), though the film will shift the action to present day New York rather than keep the 9/11 time setting of the book.
The story involves three interwoven story lines - a stripper forced to bring her three-year-old daughter to work; an angry, loner who gets thrown out of the club; and a foreigner with an endless supply of cash about to commit a terrifying act.
Weg, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson, Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy will produce.
Shooting begins July 8th in New York once Franco wraps his role in "Good People". Franco is in Cannes this year with his adaptation of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying...
- 4/29/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
I know what you’re thinking: What’s that elusive James Franco up to these days? Deadline reports the ever-busy multi-hyphenate has lined up his next directing gig, an adaptation of Andre Dubus III’s novel “The Garden of Last Days”, which he will of course also play a starring role on screen in. Hanna Weg adapted the [...]
The post James Franco to Direct and Star in Adaptation of “The Garden of Last Days” appeared first on Up and Comers.
The post James Franco to Direct and Star in Adaptation of “The Garden of Last Days” appeared first on Up and Comers.
- 4/28/2013
- by Linda Ge
- UpandComers
Exclusive: James Franco, whose film As I Lay Dying screens in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes next month, has locked in his next directorial outing. He’ll helm and play a starring role in Garden of Last Days, an adaptation of the bestselling book by House Of Sand And Fog author Andre Dubus III. Shooting will begin July 8 in New York. Millennium Films is financing. The film is being produced by Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Danielle Robinson and Hanna Weg. Weg, who scripted the Michael Apted-directed Enigma, wrote the script. Longtime Franco collaborators Vince Jolivette and Miles Levy will also produce. Pic is a contemporary thriller set in the seamy underside of American life about three interwoven and ultimately explosive stories: A stripper out of options who brings her 3-year-old daughter to work; an angry, lonely man who gets thrown out of the club; and a...
- 4/27/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Hercules casts Spartacus: War of the Damned star Liam McIntyre in Renny Harlin film Liam McIntrye has boarded Millennium/Nu Image's film where he'll play a young army captain who becomes Hercules’ (Lutz) most trusted companion on the battlefield. Sean Hood and Hanna Weg wrote the script which tells of when an evil king deceives Herculses and his captain, they are sold into slavery and must fight, side-by-side to earn their beloved freedom. This is the second Hercules project in the works at the moment. The other is the larger Brett Ratner film starring Dwayne Johnson which hits theaters on July 25th, 2014. Hercules 3D via Millennium, will open the March before that.
- 4/23/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"Spartacus: War of the Damned" star Liam McIntrye has signed on to play an army captain in Renny Harlin's upcoming action project, Hercules 3D . The Hollywood Reporter has the news, saying that McIntyre's character is a trusted friend of Kellan Lutz's Hercules. Hercules 3D is one of two dueling Hercules films set to hit theaters in 2014. The Brett Ratner-directed Hercules will star Dwayne Johnson and arrives on the big screen July 25, 2014. Hercules 3D is said to be aiming for a March release. Hercules 3D features a screenplay by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. (Photo Credit: Andres Otero / WENN.com)...
- 4/22/2013
- Comingsoon.net
This week we reported that a separate Hercules movie was in the works with Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) in the director's chair. Superherohype has shared a poster for Hercules 3D. The film has been in development since 2007, and has a script penned by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg.
Here is what Harlin had to say about the film:
It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses. I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie. I wish them luck. Ancient Greek mythology is an endless source of good stories ... Let's see both movies be successful.
Brett Ratner is directing the other Hercules film, which stars Dwayne Johnson. Hercules 3D is set for release on March 2014. Check out the sales...
Here is what Harlin had to say about the film:
It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses. I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie. I wish them luck. Ancient Greek mythology is an endless source of good stories ... Let's see both movies be successful.
Brett Ratner is directing the other Hercules film, which stars Dwayne Johnson. Hercules 3D is set for release on March 2014. Check out the sales...
- 2/10/2013
- by Jim Napier
- GeekTyrant
Earlier this week, we reported that Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger helmer Renny Harlin will direct Millennium Films' Hercules 3D , which is a different project from the Brett Ratner-directed Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson. We now have sales art for the film, which has been in development since 2007 and features a script written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing," Harlin said. "It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses. I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie. I wish them luck. Ancient Greek mythology is an endless source of good stories ... Let's see both movies be...
- 2/7/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Harlin has yet to cast his film but will rush into production to beat rival Hercules movie directed by Brett Ratner
Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin is returning to Hollywood film-making, after signing on to direct one of two competing Hercules movies.
Harlin, whose career took a nosedive in the mid-1990s with the infamous Geena Davis box office bomb Cutthroat Island, has been handed a $70m (£44m) budget for Hercules 3D. The film will be fast-tracked into production in an effort to beat a rival Brett Ratner-directed film about the Greek demigod into cinemas.
Ratner's version already has Dwayne Johnson in the lead and is expected to hit the big screen in August 2014. Harlin's take does not yet have a cast but is nevertheless heading to multiplexes five months earlier, with a shoot in Sofia, Bulgaria, as soon as May this year.
"I'm so excited and feel very blessed,...
Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin is returning to Hollywood film-making, after signing on to direct one of two competing Hercules movies.
Harlin, whose career took a nosedive in the mid-1990s with the infamous Geena Davis box office bomb Cutthroat Island, has been handed a $70m (£44m) budget for Hercules 3D. The film will be fast-tracked into production in an effort to beat a rival Brett Ratner-directed film about the Greek demigod into cinemas.
Ratner's version already has Dwayne Johnson in the lead and is expected to hit the big screen in August 2014. Harlin's take does not yet have a cast but is nevertheless heading to multiplexes five months earlier, with a shoot in Sofia, Bulgaria, as soon as May this year.
"I'm so excited and feel very blessed,...
- 2/5/2013
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Looks like we've got rival Hercules movies being made. Brett Ratner and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson are developing one for Paramount and MGM, and today it was announced that Millennium Films is making one as well called Hercules 3D.
The studio has hired Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin to bring the movie to life. The studio is hoping to get their project made and released before Ratner's is released on August 8th, 2014. Millennium has been developing their project since 2007, and the script for it was written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. The director talked about their vision of the film saying, "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses." When talking about the other film being made he said,
I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films,...
The studio has hired Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin to bring the movie to life. The studio is hoping to get their project made and released before Ratner's is released on August 8th, 2014. Millennium has been developing their project since 2007, and the script for it was written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. The director talked about their vision of the film saying, "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses." When talking about the other film being made he said,
I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films,...
- 2/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Is anyone brave enough to take on the might of The Rock? Renny Harlin apparently fancies his chances, as he’s now set to direct Millennium’s Hercules 3D, which will go up against the Dwayne Johnson/Brett Ratner movie about the Greek demigod.The Millennium version, which has been in development since 2007, is based more on the actual myths of Hercules, with a script by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg, albeit with a revisionist re-telling of the story.If all goes well, the company wants the movie cast and Harlin shooting by May in Bulgaria with a $70 million budget, targeting a March 2014 release.Ratner’s take, on the other hand, is being co-produced by MGM and Paramount after wandering in development (and lodging in the director’s head) for a few years. It’s based on Radical Studios’ Hercules: The Thracian Wars and finds the muscle-bound man-mountain tasked with...
- 2/4/2013
- EmpireOnline
Western culture is ripe with Greek mythology which has remained in the consciousness of Westerners for years, so much so that a production with such imaginings seems to be quite fruitful. That’s what would be next for Millennium Studios and Renny Harlin.
Since 2007, “Hercules 3D” has been in the works, first written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. Not only does it have to fight the ill omen of delay, but also a competing project with much more hype: Brett Ratner’s “Hercules: The Thracian Wars.” Unlike “Hercules 3D,” this interpretation will come August of 2014, and seems to have all the trappings of a summer action blockbuster. This is especially true when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will play Hercules.
Millennium’s version will seem to be a trifle bit more dramatic.
Harlin says:
“It’s not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It’s closer to ‘Gladiator’ than flying horses.
Since 2007, “Hercules 3D” has been in the works, first written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. Not only does it have to fight the ill omen of delay, but also a competing project with much more hype: Brett Ratner’s “Hercules: The Thracian Wars.” Unlike “Hercules 3D,” this interpretation will come August of 2014, and seems to have all the trappings of a summer action blockbuster. This is especially true when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will play Hercules.
Millennium’s version will seem to be a trifle bit more dramatic.
Harlin says:
“It’s not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It’s closer to ‘Gladiator’ than flying horses.
- 2/4/2013
- by Ruben Gonzalez
- LRMonline.com
While Brett Ratner is working on putting together Hercules with Dwayne Johnson for an August 2014 release, it's time for Hollywood to do their usual competing projects rigamarole. Heat Vision has word that Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger director Renny Harlin is working on Hercules 3D, a big budget take on the Greek hero set up at Millennium. Production is slated to begin in May with an eye towards beating Ratner's project at Paramount and MGM to theaters by arriving in March of 2014. Sounds like we're looking at another Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman competition for supremacy in 2014. Read on! Though no cast seems to be in place yet, the project has been in development at Millennium since 2007 with a script from Conan the Barbarian wrtier Sean Hood and newcomer Hanna Weg that takes a revisionist approach to Hercules. Harlin says, "It's not a comic ...
- 2/4/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin is to make a 3D Hercules movie.
The Finnish filmmaker, whose credits also include Deep Blue Sea and The Long Kiss Goodnight, will helm the fantasy epic for Millennium, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie is being targeted for release before MGM and Paramount's rival Hercules blockbuster, which is being directed by Brett Ratner with Dwayne Johnson in the lead role for release in August 2014.
Harlin's Hercules, penned by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg, is described as a revisionist take on the Greek myth.
"It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses," he said.
The filmmaker added of the potential rivalry between the two Hercules projects: "I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character.
"Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie.
The Finnish filmmaker, whose credits also include Deep Blue Sea and The Long Kiss Goodnight, will helm the fantasy epic for Millennium, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie is being targeted for release before MGM and Paramount's rival Hercules blockbuster, which is being directed by Brett Ratner with Dwayne Johnson in the lead role for release in August 2014.
Harlin's Hercules, penned by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg, is described as a revisionist take on the Greek myth.
"It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses," he said.
The filmmaker added of the potential rivalry between the two Hercules projects: "I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character.
"Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney animated movie.
- 2/4/2013
- Digital Spy
In the early '90s, action-movie director Renny Harlin was in his prime, helming hits like Die Hard 2: Die Harder and the Sylvester Stallone-vehicle Cliffhanger. Unfortunately, he then sunk his reputation with not one but two box office flops starring his then wife Geena Davis, Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Since then, Harlin's been chipping away with lesser-known titles, but could be poised for a comeback with the big-budget action-adventure Hercules 3D. THR reports Millennium is giving Harlin the director's chair on their $70 million movie that will focus on the legend of Greek demigod Hercules. In development since 2007, Millennium's screenplay penned by Hanna Weg and Sean Hood promises a gritty revision on the standard telling of this myth, one that Harlin describes as less cartoonish fantasy and more Gladiator. Following features with mid-range budgets like The Covenant and Exorcist: The Beginning, this 3D spectacle marks Harlin's...
- 2/4/2013
- cinemablend.com
Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger," "Deep Blue Sea") is set to direct the $70 million-budget "Hercules 3D" at Millennium Films.
Millennium has been developing this revisionist take on the legend since 2007. Sean Hood and Hanna Weg penned the script which ditches the comic book and fantasy elements in favour of a "Gladiator" and "Troy"-style approach.
Eight leading roles are expected to be in the next few weeks, with production aiming to begin this coming May in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The aim is to get the film in theaters by March 2014, ahead of Brett Ratner's rival "Hercules" film at Paramount and MGM. That film stars Dwayne Johnson and is set for an August 8th 2014 release, and is expected to have more of a fantasy tone.
Les Weldon and Danny Lerner are producing.
Source: THR...
Millennium has been developing this revisionist take on the legend since 2007. Sean Hood and Hanna Weg penned the script which ditches the comic book and fantasy elements in favour of a "Gladiator" and "Troy"-style approach.
Eight leading roles are expected to be in the next few weeks, with production aiming to begin this coming May in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The aim is to get the film in theaters by March 2014, ahead of Brett Ratner's rival "Hercules" film at Paramount and MGM. That film stars Dwayne Johnson and is set for an August 8th 2014 release, and is expected to have more of a fantasy tone.
Les Weldon and Danny Lerner are producing.
Source: THR...
- 2/4/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Die Hard 2 and Exorcist: The Beginning director Renny Harlen has signed up to bring Millenium's Hercules 3D to the big screen. With a budget of $70 million, the studio are hoping to cast Eight leading roles within the next few weeks in order to start production this May in Bulgaria. They're hoping to have the film out by March 2014 in order to beat Paramount and MGM's rival project which director Brett Ratner and star Dwayne Johnson are teaming up on for an August 8th, 2014 release. With a script written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg, Harlin told the site that his take will be a lot different to other versions. "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing. It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses. I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character." As for...
- 2/4/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
THR is reporting that Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin will direct Hercules 3D from Millennium Films, not to be confused with the MGM and Paramount Pictures Hercules film starring Dwayne Johnson. Hercules 3D has been in development since 2007 and the film features a script written by Sean Hood and Hanna Weg. "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing," Harlin said. "It's closer to Gladiator than flying horses.. Harlin also spoke about 'competing' with the Brett Ratner helmed film (which is scheduled to be released August 8, 2014). "I think these are very different kinds of movies in their approach to this legendary character. Obviously, Hercules has been portrayed in many different films, such as the Disney...
- 2/4/2013
- Comingsoon.net
It was recently announced that Paramount Pictures and MGM hired Dwayne Johnson and director Brett Ratner or a new "Hercules" movie, which will hit theaters on August 8th, 2014. Now comes word that Millennium Films is planning to begin shooting its own $70 million "Hercules" movie in May in Bulgaria, and then have the film in theaters by March of 2014, just ahead of Ratner's version. Millennium just hired Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) to direct from a script by Sean Hood (Conan the Barbarian) and Hanna Weg. "It's not a comic book, cartoony fantasy thing," said Harlin. "It's closer to 'Gladiator' than flying horses."...
- 2/4/2013
- WorstPreviews.com
Gerard Butler, last seen chasing Jennifer Aniston in The Bounty Hunter, returned to more serious fare by boarding the FBI thriller The Bricklayer for Millennium Films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Butler signed on to play former FBI agent Steve Vail, who leaves behind his new job as a Chicago bricklayer to help the FBI capture a criminal gang involved in a deadly extortion scheme. Hanna Weg started work adapting the 2010 Noah Boyd (the pseudonym for former FBI agent Paul Lindsay) novel for the screen with Millennium president Mark Gill and Millennium colleagues Boaz Davidson and John Thompson managing the film.
- 8/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Gerard Butler, last seen chasing Jennifer Aniston in The Bounty Hunter, returned to more serious fare by boarding the FBI thriller The Bricklayer for Millennium Films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Butler signed on to play former FBI agent Steve Vail, who leaves behind his new job as a Chicago bricklayer to help the FBI capture a criminal gang involved in a deadly extortion scheme. Hanna Weg started work adapting the 2010 Noah Boyd (the pseudonym for former FBI agent Paul Lindsay) novel for the screen with Millennium president Mark Gill and Millennium colleagues Boaz Davidson and John Thompson managing the film.
- 8/9/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
News coming out of The Hollywood Reporter has Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum teaming up to star in Michael ‘Grey Gardens’ Sucsy’s The Vow. Production of the Spyglass financed project is set to commence at the end of August in Chicago an Toronto, under the stewardship of producers Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman and Paul Taublieb.
The romantic drama tells the real-life story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, a New Mexico couple whose live were thrown into chaos by a car-crash in 1993 just two months after their wedding,which left the newly-wed bride in a coma. Duty- and love-bound, her husband remains by her side devoted, until she wakes to find that she has no memory of their relationship. He then sets about wooing her in an attempt to win her heart once more. Sounds vaguely familiar, with plot elements reminiscent of amnesiac rom-coms While You Were Sleeping,...
The romantic drama tells the real-life story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, a New Mexico couple whose live were thrown into chaos by a car-crash in 1993 just two months after their wedding,which left the newly-wed bride in a coma. Duty- and love-bound, her husband remains by her side devoted, until she wakes to find that she has no memory of their relationship. He then sets about wooing her in an attempt to win her heart once more. Sounds vaguely familiar, with plot elements reminiscent of amnesiac rom-coms While You Were Sleeping,...
- 6/20/2010
- by Simon Gallagher
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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