Ninja Thyberg, whose movie “Pleasure” debuted to rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival, has signed with CAA.
“Pleasure,” an explicit drama about the adult film industry, marked Thyberg’s feature film directorial debut. In 2013, she directed a short of the same name, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival.
The movie takes a look at the Los Angeles porn industry through the lens of newcomer Bella Cherry (portrayed by Sofia Kappel), who moves from a small town in Sweden to pursue her dreams of stardom.
Prior to its premiere at Sundance, Thyberg told Variety she was interesting in holding a mirror to the way media images shape our identity.
“People consume so much pornography today and it’s something that we never discuss publicly or talk about amongst our friends,” she said. “It’s a huge part of our culture that exists in a world of shadows and that made me...
“Pleasure,” an explicit drama about the adult film industry, marked Thyberg’s feature film directorial debut. In 2013, she directed a short of the same name, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival.
The movie takes a look at the Los Angeles porn industry through the lens of newcomer Bella Cherry (portrayed by Sofia Kappel), who moves from a small town in Sweden to pursue her dreams of stardom.
Prior to its premiere at Sundance, Thyberg told Variety she was interesting in holding a mirror to the way media images shape our identity.
“People consume so much pornography today and it’s something that we never discuss publicly or talk about amongst our friends,” she said. “It’s a huge part of our culture that exists in a world of shadows and that made me...
- 3/5/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The feature recently world premiered in Sundance and was feted with a Cannes 2020 special label.
Paris-based sales company Versatile has unveiled a round of fresh deals on Swedish director Ninja Thyberg’s exploration of gender and power in the adult film industry Pleasure, which recently premiered at Sundance.
It has sold to France (The Jokers), Germany and Austria (Weltkino), Spain (Karma Films), Switzerland (Xenix), Canada (MK2 Mile End), Poland (Mayfly), South Korea (Kth) and Taiwan (Moviecloud).
Latin America, Australia/New Zealand and Japan are currently under negotiation. Previously announced deals include to A24 for the US and Mubi for the UK,...
Paris-based sales company Versatile has unveiled a round of fresh deals on Swedish director Ninja Thyberg’s exploration of gender and power in the adult film industry Pleasure, which recently premiered at Sundance.
It has sold to France (The Jokers), Germany and Austria (Weltkino), Spain (Karma Films), Switzerland (Xenix), Canada (MK2 Mile End), Poland (Mayfly), South Korea (Kth) and Taiwan (Moviecloud).
Latin America, Australia/New Zealand and Japan are currently under negotiation. Previously announced deals include to A24 for the US and Mubi for the UK,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The feature recently world premiered in Sundance and was feted with a Cannes 2020 special label.
Paris-based sales company Versatile has unveiled a round of fresh deals on Swedish director Ninja Thyberg’s exploration of gender and power in the adult film industry Pleasure, which recently premiered at Sundance.
It has sold to France (The Jokers), Germany and Austria (Weltkino), Spain (Karma Films), Switzerland (Xenix), Canada (MK2 Mile End), Poland (Mayfly), South Korea (Kth) and Taiwan (Moviecloud).
Latin America, Australia/New Zealand and Japan are currently under negotiation. Previously announced deals include to A24 for the US and Mubi for the UK,...
Paris-based sales company Versatile has unveiled a round of fresh deals on Swedish director Ninja Thyberg’s exploration of gender and power in the adult film industry Pleasure, which recently premiered at Sundance.
It has sold to France (The Jokers), Germany and Austria (Weltkino), Spain (Karma Films), Switzerland (Xenix), Canada (MK2 Mile End), Poland (Mayfly), South Korea (Kth) and Taiwan (Moviecloud).
Latin America, Australia/New Zealand and Japan are currently under negotiation. Previously announced deals include to A24 for the US and Mubi for the UK,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
An actress portrays a nomadic woman leaving her life for the American west, experiencing real people who play versions of themselves. It’s a hit movie from an international female director who made a big splash at Sundance. And if you think I’m talking about Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, you are mistaken. The picture in question is Pleasure by Swedish director Ninja Thyberg, and it’s about a Swedish immigrant’s experience in the LA porn industry.
Acquired by A24 with plans to release uncensored and R-rated versions, Pleasure stars Sofia Kappel as Bella. She arrives in America from Sweden with 25 tattoos, pierced nipples, and is ready to toe the line between business and pleasure. Bella becomes Bella Cherry, an adult actress known for “stunts” (e.g. double anal). It propels her to stardom but, of course, more money for Bella also means more problems with friends lower on...
Acquired by A24 with plans to release uncensored and R-rated versions, Pleasure stars Sofia Kappel as Bella. She arrives in America from Sweden with 25 tattoos, pierced nipples, and is ready to toe the line between business and pleasure. Bella becomes Bella Cherry, an adult actress known for “stunts” (e.g. double anal). It propels her to stardom but, of course, more money for Bella also means more problems with friends lower on...
- 2/18/2021
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
Global distributor, producer and streamer Mubi has snapped up major European markets for hot Sundance title “Pleasure,” which delves into the world of the porn industry in Los Angeles.
The service has acquired all rights to the provocative film in the U.K., Ireland, Italy and Turkey. Directed by Ninja Thyberg, the film recently received its world premiere as part of Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Starring newcomer Sofia Kappel, “Pleasure” tells the story of a young woman (Bella Cherry) who moves from a small town in Sweden to Los Angeles in pursuit of stardom, and lands squarely in the porn industry. Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised “Pleasure” in his review, calling it an “intentionally stark” and “disturbingly authentic” look at what the porn industry has become.
“A movie like ‘Pleasure’ jerks the skeevy, compulsive porn world out of the closet in a way that few movies have,...
The service has acquired all rights to the provocative film in the U.K., Ireland, Italy and Turkey. Directed by Ninja Thyberg, the film recently received its world premiere as part of Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Starring newcomer Sofia Kappel, “Pleasure” tells the story of a young woman (Bella Cherry) who moves from a small town in Sweden to Los Angeles in pursuit of stardom, and lands squarely in the porn industry. Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised “Pleasure” in his review, calling it an “intentionally stark” and “disturbingly authentic” look at what the porn industry has become.
“A movie like ‘Pleasure’ jerks the skeevy, compulsive porn world out of the closet in a way that few movies have,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Sofia Kappel plays young woman seeking stardom in LA porn industry.
A24 has acquired US rights to Ninja Thyberg’s Sundance and Cannes Label selection Pleasure.
Sofia Kappel stars as a young woman seeking stardom in the porn industry in Los Angeles.
A24 plans to release the full uncensored version alongside a new R-rated version later this year.
Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, and Erik Hemmendorff produced the film, and Pape Boye and Violaine Pichon of international sales agent Versatile served as executive producers.
A24 brokered the deal with CAA Media Finance alongside Versatile.
‘Mank’ leads Critics Choice Awards film nominations...
A24 has acquired US rights to Ninja Thyberg’s Sundance and Cannes Label selection Pleasure.
Sofia Kappel stars as a young woman seeking stardom in the porn industry in Los Angeles.
A24 plans to release the full uncensored version alongside a new R-rated version later this year.
Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, and Erik Hemmendorff produced the film, and Pape Boye and Violaine Pichon of international sales agent Versatile served as executive producers.
A24 brokered the deal with CAA Media Finance alongside Versatile.
‘Mank’ leads Critics Choice Awards film nominations...
- 2/8/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A24 has acquired U.S. rights to “Pleasure,” an explicit drama about the adult film industry, following its premiere at the virtual Sundance Film Festival.
A24 will release the full uncensored film, as well as an R-rated version, later this year.
Directed by Ninja Thyberg, “Pleasure” takes a look at the Los Angeles porn industry through the lens of newcomer Bella Cherry (portrayed by Sofia Kappel), who moves from a small town in Sweden to pursue her dreams of stardom.
Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised “Pleasure,” calling it an “intentionally stark” and “disturbingly authentic” look at what the porn industry has become.
“A movie like “Pleasure” jerks the skeevy, compulsive porn world out of the closet in a way that few movies have,” Gleiberman wrote. “That’s a brave thing to, and what makes it work is that Ninja Thyberg, revealing the instincts of a true filmmaker,...
A24 will release the full uncensored film, as well as an R-rated version, later this year.
Directed by Ninja Thyberg, “Pleasure” takes a look at the Los Angeles porn industry through the lens of newcomer Bella Cherry (portrayed by Sofia Kappel), who moves from a small town in Sweden to pursue her dreams of stardom.
Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised “Pleasure,” calling it an “intentionally stark” and “disturbingly authentic” look at what the porn industry has become.
“A movie like “Pleasure” jerks the skeevy, compulsive porn world out of the closet in a way that few movies have,” Gleiberman wrote. “That’s a brave thing to, and what makes it work is that Ninja Thyberg, revealing the instincts of a true filmmaker,...
- 2/8/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
A24 said Monday that it acquired U.S. rights to the Ninja Thyberg-directed 2021 Sundance Film Festival drama Pleasure. This was a film that had been announced as a Cannes title for 2020 before the fest was canceled because of Covid, and made its debut as part of virtual Sundance.
The drama stars Sofia Kappel as an aspiring porn star who arrives from Sweden determined to become a big star. While the drama’s point is to recognize the rape culture and degradation that women are put through in that line of business in Los Angeles, the film itself is about as close to a porn film as any that has been released theatrically in recent memory, with complete nudity and simulated sex that is shocking.
A24 will release the full uncensored version alongside a new R-Rated version later this year.
The film is produced by Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, and Erik Hemmendorff.
The drama stars Sofia Kappel as an aspiring porn star who arrives from Sweden determined to become a big star. While the drama’s point is to recognize the rape culture and degradation that women are put through in that line of business in Los Angeles, the film itself is about as close to a porn film as any that has been released theatrically in recent memory, with complete nudity and simulated sex that is shocking.
A24 will release the full uncensored version alongside a new R-Rated version later this year.
The film is produced by Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå, and Erik Hemmendorff.
- 2/8/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
A24 has acquired the U.S. rights to “Pleasure,” Ninja Thyberg’s film about the pornography and adult entertainment industry in Los Angeles that was a selection of Cannes 2020 and made its world premiere at Sundance.
A24 will release an R-rated version of the narrative feature film as well as an uncensored version, which is sexually explicit in its examination of the porn industry and the predatory practices of managers and male-dominated sets.
Thyberg’s “Pleasure” stars Sofia Kappel as Bella Cherry, who relocates to LA from Sweden in the hopes of making it in the adult entertainment industry as the world’s next big porn star. In its description of the film, Sundance said that it uses nudity in order to “expose rather than titillate.” The film also features a supporting cast of other actors who have had experience in the porn industry.
In TheWrap’s review of the film,...
A24 will release an R-rated version of the narrative feature film as well as an uncensored version, which is sexually explicit in its examination of the porn industry and the predatory practices of managers and male-dominated sets.
Thyberg’s “Pleasure” stars Sofia Kappel as Bella Cherry, who relocates to LA from Sweden in the hopes of making it in the adult entertainment industry as the world’s next big porn star. In its description of the film, Sundance said that it uses nudity in order to “expose rather than titillate.” The film also features a supporting cast of other actors who have had experience in the porn industry.
In TheWrap’s review of the film,...
- 2/8/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A24 has picked up the U.S. rights to Swedish writer-director Ninja Thyberg’s porn industry drama Pleasure after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Sofia Kappel stars as a young Swedish woman keen to break into the adult film industry in Los Angeles with the stage name Bella Cherry in Thyberg’s feature debut. A24 plans to release both a full uncensored version, alongside a new R-Rated version, later this year.
Pleasure was previously announced as an official selection title for Cannes 2020. The ensemble cast includes Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason ...
Sofia Kappel stars as a young Swedish woman keen to break into the adult film industry in Los Angeles with the stage name Bella Cherry in Thyberg’s feature debut. A24 plans to release both a full uncensored version, alongside a new R-Rated version, later this year.
Pleasure was previously announced as an official selection title for Cannes 2020. The ensemble cast includes Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason ...
A24 has picked up the U.S. rights to Swedish writer-director Ninja Thyberg’s porn industry drama Pleasure after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Sofia Kappel stars as a young Swedish woman keen to break into the adult film industry in Los Angeles with the stage name Bella Cherry in Thyberg’s feature debut. A24 plans to release both a full uncensored version, alongside a new R-Rated version, later this year.
Pleasure was previously announced as an official selection title for Cannes 2020. The ensemble cast includes Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason ...
Sofia Kappel stars as a young Swedish woman keen to break into the adult film industry in Los Angeles with the stage name Bella Cherry in Thyberg’s feature debut. A24 plans to release both a full uncensored version, alongside a new R-Rated version, later this year.
Pleasure was previously announced as an official selection title for Cannes 2020. The ensemble cast includes Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason ...
Swedish sports drama Tigers, the story of teenage soccer star Martin Bengtsson, was named the Dragon Award winner for Best Nordic Film at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia’s top film event. The festival was held virtually this year because of the pandemic.
The Tigers film was based on Bengtsson’s autobiography, wherein he wrote of his experiences with top Italian football squad Inter Milan. The screenplay was by Ronnie Sandahl, best known for Janus Metz’s 2017 tennis biopic, Borg vs McEnroe.
The Dragon Award comes with a $478,000 cash prize. Erik Enge, who plays Bengtsson in the film, was named Göteborg’s Best Actor honor.
“Many of the films of this year’s Nordic competition had characters wanting to be the best versions of themselves while struggling with the pressures of success,” said a statement from the Göteborg jury. “The winning film gives a rare glimpse into a world many wish to enter,...
The Tigers film was based on Bengtsson’s autobiography, wherein he wrote of his experiences with top Italian football squad Inter Milan. The screenplay was by Ronnie Sandahl, best known for Janus Metz’s 2017 tennis biopic, Borg vs McEnroe.
The Dragon Award comes with a $478,000 cash prize. Erik Enge, who plays Bengtsson in the film, was named Göteborg’s Best Actor honor.
“Many of the films of this year’s Nordic competition had characters wanting to be the best versions of themselves while struggling with the pressures of success,” said a statement from the Göteborg jury. “The winning film gives a rare glimpse into a world many wish to enter,...
- 2/7/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Swedish helmer-writer Ronnie Sandahl’s “Tigers” – a rare glimpse inside the world of professional soccer following a protagonist who struggles with the pressures of success – came away the biggest winner at Sweden’s 43rd Göteborg Film Festival, scoring the best Nordic film kudo, this year worth approximately $48,000.
The film’s lead actor, Erik Enge, also nabbed the fest’s award for best actor for his subtle, nuanced performance as a 17-year-old professional player hired by the Italian club Inter Milan.
The Golden Globe-nominated Danish film “Another Round,” from director Thomas Vinterberg, claimed the audience choice award for a film in the Nordic competition. Meanwhile, the critics’ jury opted for director-writer Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut, “Pleasure,” a bold and daring documentary-like descent into the subterranean world of the L.A. porn industry, with a tour de force performance from newcomer Sofia Kappel.
Swedish-born, Denmark-based Dp Linda Wassberg claimed the Sven...
The film’s lead actor, Erik Enge, also nabbed the fest’s award for best actor for his subtle, nuanced performance as a 17-year-old professional player hired by the Italian club Inter Milan.
The Golden Globe-nominated Danish film “Another Round,” from director Thomas Vinterberg, claimed the audience choice award for a film in the Nordic competition. Meanwhile, the critics’ jury opted for director-writer Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut, “Pleasure,” a bold and daring documentary-like descent into the subterranean world of the L.A. porn industry, with a tour de force performance from newcomer Sofia Kappel.
Swedish-born, Denmark-based Dp Linda Wassberg claimed the Sven...
- 2/7/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – It was one week of 73 feature films and 50 shorts, and it was shared with a virtual and online audience. The 2021 Sundance Film Festival will be remembered as within the pandemic sphere, but it also was notable for the depth and breadth of their film offerings, and how it reached a larger cinema universe.
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Sundance Institute – an organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1980 – and dedicated to the growth of independent artists. It usually takes place each January in Park City, Utah, and other locations, and is the largest independent film festival in the United States. It includes competitive categories in documentary and dramatic films, both feature length and short works, as well as out-of-competition categories for showcasing new films.
That’s a Wrap!
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
Sundance: Five Films That Stood Out
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Sundance Institute – an organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1980 – and dedicated to the growth of independent artists. It usually takes place each January in Park City, Utah, and other locations, and is the largest independent film festival in the United States. It includes competitive categories in documentary and dramatic films, both feature length and short works, as well as out-of-competition categories for showcasing new films.
That’s a Wrap!
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
Sundance: Five Films That Stood Out
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.
- 2/4/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Pleasure is, in its bones, a classic tale of the corrupting allure of fame. A young starlet-to-be arrives in Hollywood, becomes both entranced and envious of the successful veteran, signs her soul away to become the morally corrupt person she was warned about, and eventually realizes her mistake in thinking pure success would bring her happiness. In Swedish director Ninja Thyberg’s impeccably cast drama, the archetypal aspiring celebrity is Bella Cherry (spectacular first-time actor Sofia Kappel) a nineteen-year-old Swede who moves to the US in search of porn stardom. Though Bella is a newcomer, she understands the game, if not its specific rules, and is soon taking on bigger, better, and more harrowing challenges in a meteoric rise to top and be topped. While the intelligently shot and performed porn epic begins promisingly, its overwhelming heterosexuality, predictable beats, and rushed third act result in a middling conclusion that has...
- 2/3/2021
- by Shayna Warner
- The Film Stage
Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure is an unforgiving exploration of the adult entertainment industry in Los Angeles. After arriving to California from Sweden, young Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) has many expectations of what working in porn will be like. Pleasure pulls no punches in showing just how brutal of a world it can be. Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen stresses the importance of the film being about the conditions of sex work and less about why women do sex work. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
The post "Porn and Sex Work in General is Very Stigmatized": Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Porn and Sex Work in General is Very Stigmatized": Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2021
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure is an unforgiving exploration of the adult entertainment industry in Los Angeles. After arriving to California from Sweden, young Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) has many expectations of what working in porn will be like. Pleasure pulls no punches in showing just how brutal of a world it can be. Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen stresses the importance of the film being about the conditions of sex work and less about why women do sex work. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
The post "Porn and Sex Work in General is Very Stigmatized": Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Porn and Sex Work in General is Very Stigmatized": Editor Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2021
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A husky-voiced Swedish Kesha look-alike lands at Lax and walks up to the customs booth wearing a furry, multi-colored jacket that screams “look at me!” while also whispering “but not too hard.” We already suspect that she’s a porn star, or at least in Los Angeles to become one — there has to be some reason why the opening credits were soundtracked by the unmistakable sounds of performative deep-throats and flesh T-boning against bare thighs — and so we’re in on the gag when the customs agent asks if our girl is in town for business or pleasure. She waits for a beat, and then responds with the naive smile of someone who doesn’t realize she might be giving the wrong answer: “Pleasure.”
Though never again posed in quite such obvious terms, some form of that question is at the heart of every scene in Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature of the same name,...
Though never again posed in quite such obvious terms, some form of that question is at the heart of every scene in Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature of the same name,...
- 2/2/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure is an unforgiving exploration of the adult entertainment industry in Los Angeles. After arriving to California from Sweden, young Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) has many expectations of what working in porn will be like. Pleasure pulls no punches in showing just how brutal of a world it can be. Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins discusses the importance of color in the movie, whether it be in lighting or how natural Bella’s skin looks. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for […]
The post "Reverse the Imagery That We Normally Are Presented Within Adult Film": Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Reverse the Imagery That We Normally Are Presented Within Adult Film": Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2021
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure is an unforgiving exploration of the adult entertainment industry in Los Angeles. After arriving to California from Sweden, young Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) has many expectations of what working in porn will be like. Pleasure pulls no punches in showing just how brutal of a world it can be. Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins discusses the importance of color in the movie, whether it be in lighting or how natural Bella’s skin looks. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for […]
The post "Reverse the Imagery That We Normally Are Presented Within Adult Film": Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Reverse the Imagery That We Normally Are Presented Within Adult Film": Dp Sophie Winqvist Loggins on Pleasure first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2021
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Chicago – The compact 2021 Sundance Film Festival is on the sixth day of seven, but the offerings are still coming. This year’s festival is virtual and online, meaning anyone with a ticket or a pass can indulge in the film offerings throughout the festival, which runs until Wednesday, February 3rd.
For the premieres of 2021, the cutting edge potential influencer films and all the ancillary new voice filmmakers, the Sundance Film Festival is the one that begins every film year with the movies that ultimately become the talk of the town and the gatherer of year end awards. Your ticket to the festival is your chance to see these films and filmmakers before the general public.
Jockey
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Sundance Institute – an organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1980 – and dedicated to the growth of independent artists.
For the premieres of 2021, the cutting edge potential influencer films and all the ancillary new voice filmmakers, the Sundance Film Festival is the one that begins every film year with the movies that ultimately become the talk of the town and the gatherer of year end awards. Your ticket to the festival is your chance to see these films and filmmakers before the general public.
Jockey
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Sundance Institute – an organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1980 – and dedicated to the growth of independent artists.
- 2/2/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
If you had to say what the biggest difference is between the porn industry of the 1970s and the porn industry of today, you’d probably start with the obvious and overwhelming fact that people used to watch porn in grungy movie theaters and now access it on the Internet. You might talk about how even though the porn industry is still driven by a star system, with brand names who treat themselves like multi-media commodities, the larger cosmos of porn has never been more squalidly democratized, with porn festering more than ever in a grimy gray zone between “professional” and “amateur” — between those who do it for a living and those who dip into it for stray cash, desperate circumstances, or simply for kicks.
Yet beyond all that, the real paradigm shift in porn — it’s one that underlies a spiritual shift in the culture — is how extreme so much of it has become.
Yet beyond all that, the real paradigm shift in porn — it’s one that underlies a spiritual shift in the culture — is how extreme so much of it has become.
- 2/2/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
In the half-century since the “adult” film industry emerged as an above-boards legal activity, precious few legit feature films set in that world have emerged that a wider public has found edifying; the great Boogie Nights and not much else. The new Swedish drama Pleasure, a first film from young Swedish director Ninja Thyberg that was selected for last year’s ultimately canceled Cannes Film Festival and has now finally premiered, albeit virtually, at Sundance, now joins the short list of looks at the inner workings of the busy industry that are actually worth seeing.
“Are you here for business or pleasure?,” the U.S. customers officer asks the arriving young Swedish blonde (Sofia Kappel) as she clears customs. Chewing gum in a bored manner, she indicates the latter, although a year later that would by no means be the case. Next we see her, the 19-year-old is madly shaving...
“Are you here for business or pleasure?,” the U.S. customers officer asks the arriving young Swedish blonde (Sofia Kappel) as she clears customs. Chewing gum in a bored manner, she indicates the latter, although a year later that would by no means be the case. Next we see her, the 19-year-old is madly shaving...
- 2/1/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
You’ve heard this tale of superstar dreams many times before. A young talent comes to Hollywood to make it in the entertainment business. Along the way, they are faced with tough choices and question whether it’s really all worth it in the long run. It’s a story that’s been told from the perspective of actors, pop stars, and models, but the over-the-top exploits of “Boogie Nights” notwithstanding, the narrative depiction of a porn star’s rise has been few and far between.
Continue reading Sofia Kappel Is Simply Phenomenal In The Thought-Provoking ‘Pleasure’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Sofia Kappel Is Simply Phenomenal In The Thought-Provoking ‘Pleasure’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 2/1/2021
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
After a prize-winning short of the same name, Swedish director-writer Ninja Thyberg’s “Pleasure,” a drama unfolding within the shadowy world of the adult film industry, premieres in Sundance and moves on to Goteborg and the Dragon competition for best Nordic film.
What inspired the storyline of “Pleasure?”
I’ve been working on the topic for a very long time. I made a short film with the same title. It premiered in Cannes in 2013 and Sundance the year after.
I got the inspiration for that story while writing an essay about porn during a gender studies class at university. But I’ve been interested in porn as a subject for a very long time.
There are many things that fascinate me, but I am interested in gender roles, media images and different stereotypes. It’s very easy to find them in porn. They are very extreme in a lot of porn.
What inspired the storyline of “Pleasure?”
I’ve been working on the topic for a very long time. I made a short film with the same title. It premiered in Cannes in 2013 and Sundance the year after.
I got the inspiration for that story while writing an essay about porn during a gender studies class at university. But I’ve been interested in porn as a subject for a very long time.
There are many things that fascinate me, but I am interested in gender roles, media images and different stereotypes. It’s very easy to find them in porn. They are very extreme in a lot of porn.
- 1/31/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival, beginning Thursday, will look quite different. Forging ahead during the pandemic, they’ve to continue offering some of the year’s finest independent discoveries, with a new online platform, drive-ins, screenings at independent arthouses around the country, and more.
We’ll have extensive coverage from the festival (which one can follow here or on Twitter). Before reviews arrive, we’re counting down our most-anticipated films. If you’re interested in experiencing Sundance from home, one can see available tickets here.
15. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (Jane Schoenbrun)
Year after year, Sundance’s Next section offers independent cinema’s most compelling new voices; one that’s caught our eye is Jane Schoenbrun’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Shot by Daniel Patrick Carbone and scored by Alex G, it follows a teenager (Anna Cobb) whose reality begins blurring when she plays an online horror role-playing game.
We’ll have extensive coverage from the festival (which one can follow here or on Twitter). Before reviews arrive, we’re counting down our most-anticipated films. If you’re interested in experiencing Sundance from home, one can see available tickets here.
15. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (Jane Schoenbrun)
Year after year, Sundance’s Next section offers independent cinema’s most compelling new voices; one that’s caught our eye is Jane Schoenbrun’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Shot by Daniel Patrick Carbone and scored by Alex G, it follows a teenager (Anna Cobb) whose reality begins blurring when she plays an online horror role-playing game.
- 1/25/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The writer-director's debut feature is set in the world of the American porn industry and will star Sofia Kappel in the lead role. Ninja Thyberg's Pleasure, a Swedish-Dutch-French co-production, is one of the titles selected for this year's Cannes label (see the news). The movie, previously known as Jessica, is the writer-director's debut feature. Before working on Pleasure, Thyberg won the Canal+ Award with a short of the same title, which competed in the Cannes Critics' Week back in 2013 and was invited to Sundance in 2014. The same year, her short Hot Chicks won the 1km Film Award at Stockholm, and she was the recipient of the Student Visionary Award at Tribeca for her short Catwalk in 2015. The story, penned by the director herself in tandem with Peter Modestij (6A), revolves around Bella, a young and ambitious 20-year-old girl who travels from Sweden to Los Angeles to become...
Haugesund, Norway — Paris-based Versatile has announced a raft of pre-sales on Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature “Jessica,” set in the adult entertainment industry in L.A.
World distributors that have pre-bought the Swedish drama take in Weltkino for Germany/Austria, Xenix for Switzerland, MK2/Mile End for Canada, Kth for South Korea and Movie Could for Taïwan. Several other territories are being negotiated, said Versatile co-founder Pape Boye.
The latest feature offer from Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff’s Platfform Produktion is one of the most anticipated projects to be pitched at Haugesund’s Nordic Film Market, running Aug. 20-23, and among six contenders for the €50,000 Eurimages Lab Project Award.
Pic is a feature-length version of Thyberg’s short film “Pleasure,” winner of the Canal Plus Critics’ Week Award in 2013 and Sundance foreign short film entry. Jessica is a 20-year-old girl who leaves her native Sweden for L.A. to...
World distributors that have pre-bought the Swedish drama take in Weltkino for Germany/Austria, Xenix for Switzerland, MK2/Mile End for Canada, Kth for South Korea and Movie Could for Taïwan. Several other territories are being negotiated, said Versatile co-founder Pape Boye.
The latest feature offer from Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff’s Platfform Produktion is one of the most anticipated projects to be pitched at Haugesund’s Nordic Film Market, running Aug. 20-23, and among six contenders for the €50,000 Eurimages Lab Project Award.
Pic is a feature-length version of Thyberg’s short film “Pleasure,” winner of the Canal Plus Critics’ Week Award in 2013 and Sundance foreign short film entry. Jessica is a 20-year-old girl who leaves her native Sweden for L.A. to...
- 8/21/2019
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.