ITV Studios’ longstanding Director of Production Sally Debonnaire, a former Managing Director of Talkback and Avalon, is to step down after a decade, and her team is to be restructured.
Debonnaire is calling time on an illustrious forty-year career that has seen her spend the last decade leading ITV Studios’ global production management teams, overseeing the group’s expansion to a 60-label business. She was previously Managing Director of The X Factor producer Talkback before moving to do the same at Starstruck indie Avalon Television and subsequently heading up the BBC’s in-house production department. She moved to ITV Studios in 2012 and will depart early next year.
Debonnaire’s departure is initiating a restructure that will see Head of Production For Drama And Continuing Drama Matt Cleary promoted to Director of Production, Scripted, Head of Production Daytime Helen Killeen doing the same for Non-Scripted and ITV Sport Head of Production...
Debonnaire is calling time on an illustrious forty-year career that has seen her spend the last decade leading ITV Studios’ global production management teams, overseeing the group’s expansion to a 60-label business. She was previously Managing Director of The X Factor producer Talkback before moving to do the same at Starstruck indie Avalon Television and subsequently heading up the BBC’s in-house production department. She moved to ITV Studios in 2012 and will depart early next year.
Debonnaire’s departure is initiating a restructure that will see Head of Production For Drama And Continuing Drama Matt Cleary promoted to Director of Production, Scripted, Head of Production Daytime Helen Killeen doing the same for Non-Scripted and ITV Sport Head of Production...
- 10/19/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
We’ve been huge fans of Aussie comedian Aaron McCann ever since he wrote, directed and starred as one half of Henry & Aaron in a series of hilarious comedy shorts dating back more than a decade. Since then he has co-directed the brilliant mockumentary Top Knot Detective, and now helms a surreal new comedy web series, Hug the Sun, funded by Screen Australia and Screenwest & Lottery West. The brainchild of comedians and stars Xavier Michelides and Ben Russell, Hug the Sun spoofs the beloved religious and educational children’s programming of our youth, while taking a darkly subversive twist into the warm, welcoming arms of pagan idolatry. To quote the press release: “The Children’s TV show ‘Hug the Sun’ ran between 1989-1991....
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- 5/4/2021
- Screen Anarchy
French outfit is handling a trio of Berlinale titles including Golden Bear contender All The Dead Ones.
Paris-based Indie Sales has acquired world sales rights to Teboho Edkins’ documentary Days Of Cannibalism ahead of its premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama Dokumente section.
Shot in the southern African country of Lesotho, the work explores the impact of the arrival of a wave of Chinese entrepreneurs on its rural communities, which traditionally made their living from cattle farming.
Edkins, who describes the feature as a “contemporary documentary western”, captures the simmering tensions as forces of capitalism challenge the old order and traditions.
Paris-based Indie Sales has acquired world sales rights to Teboho Edkins’ documentary Days Of Cannibalism ahead of its premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama Dokumente section.
Shot in the southern African country of Lesotho, the work explores the impact of the arrival of a wave of Chinese entrepreneurs on its rural communities, which traditionally made their living from cattle farming.
Edkins, who describes the feature as a “contemporary documentary western”, captures the simmering tensions as forces of capitalism challenge the old order and traditions.
- 1/30/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Celebrating its 72nd edition this year, the Locarno Film Festival has been the birthplace for the finest in international arthouse cinema and this year’s lineup looks to continue the tradition. Ahead of the festival, running August 7-17, the full slate has been announced.
Top highlights include the world premieres of Pedro Costa’s Vitalina Varela (pictured above), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Ben Rivers & Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Krabi, 2562, Ben Russell’s Color-blind, Denis Côté’s Wilcox, Fabrice Du Welz’s Adoration, as well as a new 12-minute short film from Yorgos Lanthimos titled Nimic and starring Matt Dillon. Other titles that have caught out eye are Echo, from Sparrows director Rúnar Rúnarsson, and A Girl Missing, from Harmonium director Koji Fukada.
The festival will also kick off with some star power as Patrick Vollrath’s 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, will premiere. Check out the lineup below,...
Top highlights include the world premieres of Pedro Costa’s Vitalina Varela (pictured above), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Ben Rivers & Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Krabi, 2562, Ben Russell’s Color-blind, Denis Côté’s Wilcox, Fabrice Du Welz’s Adoration, as well as a new 12-minute short film from Yorgos Lanthimos titled Nimic and starring Matt Dillon. Other titles that have caught out eye are Echo, from Sparrows director Rúnar Rúnarsson, and A Girl Missing, from Harmonium director Koji Fukada.
The festival will also kick off with some star power as Patrick Vollrath’s 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, will premiere. Check out the lineup below,...
- 7/17/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ovid.TV, the newly launched streaming platform created by eight independent-film distributors, is expanding its library. The service has made 10 new titles available to watch, most notably Ben Rivers & Ben Russell’s “A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness” — a Locarno 2013 premiere that travels from an Estonian commune to a Norwegian black-metal show without losing a beat.
Even in the wake of FilmStruck’s closure, the streaming space for film is increasingly crowded. The Criterion Channel officially launches next Monday, April 8, with considerably larger ventures from Disney, Apple, and WarnerMedia forthcoming; even so, Ovid fills such a particular niche that its offerings are unlikely to be found elsewhere. Full information on the 10 new titles:
“A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness” (dir. Ben Rivers & Ben Russell): This festival favorite follows a mysterious character through three seemingly disparate moments in his life.
“Alena” (dir. Daniel di Grado): A transfer...
Even in the wake of FilmStruck’s closure, the streaming space for film is increasingly crowded. The Criterion Channel officially launches next Monday, April 8, with considerably larger ventures from Disney, Apple, and WarnerMedia forthcoming; even so, Ovid fills such a particular niche that its offerings are unlikely to be found elsewhere. Full information on the 10 new titles:
“A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness” (dir. Ben Rivers & Ben Russell): This festival favorite follows a mysterious character through three seemingly disparate moments in his life.
“Alena” (dir. Daniel di Grado): A transfer...
- 4/5/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
An epic concert from nearly a half-century ago, sports documentaries that break the mold, a look at the American Midwest, a document of a film that never was — these were just a few of the subjects and stories that this year’s documentary offerings brought us. With 2018 wrapping up, we’ve selected 16 features in the field that left us most impressed, so check out our list below and, in the comments, let us know your favorites.
Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack)
A time capsule that’s as fresh and powerful an experience as it must have been when recorded live in Watts in 1972, Amazing Grace is arguably one of the year’s most-anticipated films arriving after years of litigation and a fetal technical glitch that was finally resolved thanks to digital workflows and persistence. What remains is a powerful and captivating performance by the great Aretha Franklin as she opts to...
Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack)
A time capsule that’s as fresh and powerful an experience as it must have been when recorded live in Watts in 1972, Amazing Grace is arguably one of the year’s most-anticipated films arriving after years of litigation and a fetal technical glitch that was finally resolved thanks to digital workflows and persistence. What remains is a powerful and captivating performance by the great Aretha Franklin as she opts to...
- 12/13/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“Directly opposite is the Elkridge Hotel. It can’t be entered. I wonder what’s inside. Is the block/cube poured full of colour, or transparency, with the road/pavement continuing on the floor?” —An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in GTA Online, Michael CroweA ride in an autonomous taxi through a speculative future city via a lecture-cum-film performance, Hello, City! is surely one of the more immediately eye-catching prospects at this year’s Open City Documentary Festival in London. The set-up will be reminiscent of Sam Green’s performative documentaries like A Thousand Thoughts (2018) and The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller (2012). In this instance, speculative architect Liam Young, co-founder of the London think tank Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today, will act as tour guide to the city of the future while a big screen blend of documentary footage and computer-generated imagery illustrate and illuminate his words. What promises to...
- 10/4/2018
- MUBI
Damned SummerL.A.’s cinematic landscape finally feels boundless with the addition of Locarno in Los Angeles, now in their second year. For its second edition, beginning Thursday at the Downtown Independent, the festival—curated by Acropolis Cinema founder Jordan Cronk and co-artistic director Robert Koehler—is focusing on award-winning films from Switzerland’s 70th Locarno Festival. The program includes opening night selection Ilian Metev’s 3/4 (Filmmakers of the Present Golden Leopard), Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ Cocote (Signs of Life Award), and Wang Bing’s Mrs. Fang (International Competition Golden Leopard). Locarno in L.A. includes 14 nonfiction and narrative films and 5 shorts, including this year’s centerpiece film, Ben Russell’s Good Luck. Shot on 16mm film, the documentary follows two mining communities: one, a government-owned copper mine in Bor, Serbia, operating 400m underground where dank darkness pervades. At the other, in the Brokopondo district of Suriname, laborers...
- 4/3/2018
- MUBI
Well, it’s that time of year again. Yes, the Portland International Film Festival is set to begin for it’s 41st edition, and it’s going to be one of the festival’s best yet. Need some proof? Well, among it’s numerous feature length films and short works, there are films from names as iconic as Abbas Kiarostami and genuine discoveries like documentaries from directors Ben Russell and Filipa Cesar. And that’s just where this lineup begins. Here are ten (or more so eleven, but who’s counting) films that you need to see from this year’s bewildering Piff lineup.
10. Jeanette, The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc
When imagining the type of film that would be the result of a retelling of the early life of Joan of Arc, Bruno Dumont’s Jeanette is not the austere biography one would truly expect. Instead, telling the story...
10. Jeanette, The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc
When imagining the type of film that would be the result of a retelling of the early life of Joan of Arc, Bruno Dumont’s Jeanette is not the austere biography one would truly expect. Instead, telling the story...
- 2/16/2018
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
For its second edition, Locarno in Los Angeles is doing things a little differently: This year’s festival, which runs April 5—8 at the Downtown Independent, will focus on award-winning titles from the vaunted Swiss fest. That includes Wang Bing’s “Mrs. Fang” (International Competition Golden Leopard), Metev’s “3/4,” (Filmmakers of the Present Golden Leopard), and Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ “Cocote” (Signs of Life Award).
“Locarno Festival has always paid great attention to U.S. cinema, bringing to Europe some of the best examples of a truly independent cinematic spirit; now having the opportunity to showcase our selection in the city of cinema is a great counterpoint to that,” said Locarno Festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian in a statement. “Therefore I’m happy that, after a successful first edition, Locarno in Los Angeles is back with an expanded program, including last edition’s major winners. I salute the work...
“Locarno Festival has always paid great attention to U.S. cinema, bringing to Europe some of the best examples of a truly independent cinematic spirit; now having the opportunity to showcase our selection in the city of cinema is a great counterpoint to that,” said Locarno Festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian in a statement. “Therefore I’m happy that, after a successful first edition, Locarno in Los Angeles is back with an expanded program, including last edition’s major winners. I salute the work...
- 2/8/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Earlier today the folks at the Northwest Film Center announced the full line-up for this year’s Portland International Film Festival, and have published a Pdf for all to read online. The printed copies will be making their way around town this week.
The Northwest Film Center is proud to reveal the 41st Portland International Film Festival (Piff 41) lineup. This year’s Festival begins on Thursday, February 15th and runs through Thursday, March 1st. Our Opening Night selection is the new comedy The Death of Stalin from writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). The film, adapted from the graphic novel by Fabien Nury, stars Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin. The Death of Stalin will screen simultaneously on Opening Night at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum (1219 Sw Park Ave) and on two screens at Regal Fox Tower 10 (846 Sw Park Ave).
Check...
The Northwest Film Center is proud to reveal the 41st Portland International Film Festival (Piff 41) lineup. This year’s Festival begins on Thursday, February 15th and runs through Thursday, March 1st. Our Opening Night selection is the new comedy The Death of Stalin from writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). The film, adapted from the graphic novel by Fabien Nury, stars Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin. The Death of Stalin will screen simultaneously on Opening Night at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum (1219 Sw Park Ave) and on two screens at Regal Fox Tower 10 (846 Sw Park Ave).
Check...
- 1/30/2018
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Every year, new films premiere at festivals around the world with the hopes of obtaining distribution so they can be seen by general audiences. Of course, not every film ends up with that fate: some don’t get accepted to festivals, others screen at smaller festivals with less publicity, and even the ones that do end up premiering at a major fest aren’t guaranteed a deal. This results in great films falling through the cracks, ignored and/or forgotten because of their perceived profitability rather than their quality.
Here are ten films from 2017 that (to the best of my knowledge) have yet to find a Us distributor, films that will hopefully get the chance to be viewed by general audiences sooner rather than later, if at all.
Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)
Vivian Qu’s Angels Wear White is a film about women, or more specifically the way women...
Here are ten films from 2017 that (to the best of my knowledge) have yet to find a Us distributor, films that will hopefully get the chance to be viewed by general audiences sooner rather than later, if at all.
Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)
Vivian Qu’s Angels Wear White is a film about women, or more specifically the way women...
- 12/31/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
For our most comprehensive year-end feature, we’re providing a cumulative look at The Film Stage’s favorite films of 2017. We’ve asked our contributors to compile ten-best lists with five honorable mentions — those personal lists will be shared in the coming days — and, after tallying the votes, a top 50 has been assembled. (For the first time ever, our #1 overall pick wasn’t #1 on anyone’s personal list, showing how collective of a choice it truly was.)
It should be noted that, unlike our previous year-end features, we placed no requirement on a selection being a U.S theatrical release, so you may see some repeats from last year and a few we’ll certainly be discussing more during the next. So, without further ado, check out our rundown of 2017 below, our complete year-end coverage here (including where to stream many of the below picks), and return in the coming...
It should be noted that, unlike our previous year-end features, we placed no requirement on a selection being a U.S theatrical release, so you may see some repeats from last year and a few we’ll certainly be discussing more during the next. So, without further ado, check out our rundown of 2017 below, our complete year-end coverage here (including where to stream many of the below picks), and return in the coming...
- 12/30/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
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