News

Mubi has unveiled next’s streaming lineup, featuring notable new releases, including Felipe Gálvez’s The Settlers, Éric Gravel’s Full Time, C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata, and Benjamin Mullinkosson’s The Last Year of Darkness.

This March also brings Elaine May’s Ishtar, four features by Mia Hansen-Løve, and a collection of films shot by women cinematographers, with Claire Denis’ Bastards, shot by Agnès Godard, and more. Next month’s collection also features retrospectives of radical German director Margarethe Von Trotta, experimental animator Suzan Pitt, and additions to their continuing retrospective of Takeshi Kitano.

Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.

March 1st

The German Sisters, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta

The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta

The Promise, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three...

Sundance turns 40 this year and AMC Networks is celebrating the film festival’s big 4-0 with the release of a curated lineup of dozens of movies that previously debuted at the event, including “Birth/Rebirth,” “Sleeping with Other People,” “Savage Grace” and “Heathers,” for streamer AMC+.

A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.

“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.

Actual People.Because when I fall into the abyss, I go straight into it, head down and heels up, and I'm even pleased that I'm falling in just such a humiliating position, and for me I find it beautiful.—Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers KaramazovHumiliation is one of humanity’s cruelest jokes, one of its most repugnant punishments. The Latin root of the word, “humus,” translates to “earth,” or “dirt,” the idea that a person loses dignity and returns to something inhuman, crude and trampled on. The fear of being humiliated is a specter persuasive enough to shrink whole personalities, curtail ambitions, end life as someone knew it. Many mainstream filmmakers avoid its narrative possibilities because, maybe, to degrade a character would mean to degrade the film itself. I don’t think that’s the case. To see humiliation depicted onscreen can be like witnessing a corpse flower blooming: compelling, strange,...

When filmmaker-actor-writer Miranda July was approached about narrating the documentary Fire of Love, she didn’t see herself as an obvious choice.

“I was like, I don’t know,” she recalls, “I’m not like a narrator per se.”

Then there was the subject matter of the film – which has gone on to earn an Oscar nomination – the story of French couple Katia and Maurice Krafft, who gave their lives to the study of volcanology.

“What do I know about volcanoes? Nothing,” July tells Deadline. But then the film took hold of her. “I watched this sort of early version, I guess an early cut. And I was so shocked that at the end I was really emotional, as if volcanoes were my thing. And I realized, oh, it’s just this devotion that I relate to. That just kind of punched me in the chest or something.”

Miranda July...

The Sundance Film Festival has always been one of the premiere places for discovery, providing a launching pad for breakout films en route to mainstream acclaim and awards. But oftentimes, the best of Sundance — films that are truly original, fresh, and worthy — go on to smaller victory laps. These are the festival’s hidden gems, and though they might not be getting Oscar nods, they’re just as deserving of our attention. In advance of this year’s virtual fest, we’ve partnered with AMC+ to assemble a varied list of past Sundance stunners. Featuring early films from the likes of Miranda July and the Safdie’s to Spike Lee’s adaptation of a hit Broadway musical, all of these gems are available via AMC+ streaming platform.

“Daddy Longlegs”

The brothers Safdie are, by now, an indie household name — but a decade ago, they burst onto the map with this captivating dramedy.

Photo: 'Kajillionaire'/Focus Features There’s no one quite like Miranda July. The actor/director/performance artist-writer-singer-sculptor-app designer-activist-fashionista is perhaps the most ‘multi’ of multi-hyphenated creatives working today. A quick look at her popular Instagram reveals a dizzying array of projects, sketches, and calls to action. Constant in July’s art is a sense of intimacy, immediacy, and spontaneous wonder. Regardless of how ‘trivial’ or ‘serious’ the subject matter is, July engages with it with earnest curiosity and a sense of play. In a world grappling with the disconnecting forces of greed, corruption, and a deeply disruptive global pandemic, a new feature film from Miranda July is a welcome gift indeed. Right from its title, 'Kajillionaire' comes across distinctly as a Miranda July production. As a filmmaker, July has always had a knack for appellations. She cleverly dubbed her debut feature, an ensemble piece, Me and You and Everyone We Know.

By Abe Friedtanzer

I still remember when I convinced a few high school friends that the next movie for us to watch together should be Me and You and Everyone We Know. I was fully enthralled by the feature directorial debut of writer-director Miranda July, which explored unconventional romances and perspectives, and, to me, was the definition of experimental and arthouse filmmaking at the time. My friends were not quite as amused, and are still probably angry at me for making them watch it if they haven’t fully blocked it from their memories fifteen years later.

July’s follow-up, The Future, was intriguing but ultimately disappointing. I was nonetheless very much on board to see July’s latest, released a full nine years after her second, when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. For the first time, July doesn’t appear in her film, and...

An acclaimed novelist, performance artist, and independent filmmaker, Miranda July is a genre of her own—quite literally—this week on Be Reel.

Listen: ‘Best In Show’ At 20: Christopher Guest Invented The Community Theater Of Bizarro Docs Before It Became Reality [Podcast]

We’re searching for answers to this alienation human condition in the just-released “Kajillionaire” (2020), “Me and You and Everyone We Know” (2005), and “The Future” (2011).

Continue reading The Familiar, But Strange Relationships In Miranda July’s Films [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.

Miranda July‘s latest film “Kajillionaire” is in theaters now and numerous critics are hailing it as the director’s best work to date. The comedy-drama stars Evan Rachel Wood as a young woman who swindles her way through life alongside her scheming parents, played by Academy Award nominees Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger. One day, they bring in a stranger (Gina Rodriguez), after which things become more complicated. This Focus Features title is available in select theaters on Sept. 25 and will come to VOD on Oct. 16.

“Kajillionaire” currently sits at a positive 79 on Metacritic, besting July’s previous two films, “Me and You and Everyone We Know” (2005) and “The Future” (2011). An impressive 28 of 29 reviews are positive with just one mixed and zero negative. The film is at a very fresh 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus stating: “Whether you see ‘Kajillionaire’ as refreshingly unique or simply bizarre will...

In the new Miranda July film, “Kajillionaire” — which Focus Features bought after the Sundance Film Festival this year, seemingly a lifetime ago, and which will hit theaters Sept. 25 — Evan Rachel Wood plays Old Dolio, the third in a trifecta of scam artists. Her partners are Robert and Theresa Dyne, played darkly and comically in equal measure by Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger. Robert and Theresa incidentally are Old Dolio’s parents, and have raised her to be a grifter in the small-scale deceptions that keep them semi-housed and fed. Wood learned of the role through a mutual friend she and July share, and the two of them had dinner together in December 2017 after Wood had read the script. It’s not often that Miranda July makes a movie, after all — “Kajillionaire” is only her third feature, including her 2005 debut, “Me and You and Everyone We Know” — so Wood “shot to the moon” in excitement,...

IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “Little Fish,” a sci-fi love story set in the aftermath of a pandemic that stars Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell.

IFC Films plans a February 5, 2021 release for “Little Fish,” which was an official selection for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in the U.S. Narrative Competition.

Chad Hartigan, the Sundance award-winning director behind “This is Martin Bonner,” directed “Little Fish” based on a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin and a short story by Aja Gabel.

The film is set in the aftermath of a pandemic in which victims begin to lose their memories and affects one newlywed couple not long after they’ve first fallen met and fallen in love. When O’Connell’s character contracts the disease, the young couple will do anything to hold onto the memory of their love.

“Little Fish” is produced by Tim Headington and Lia Buman of Tango Entertainment,...

Money Monsters: July Returns with Poignant Puzzle of Curious Criminals

Con artists come in all shapes and sizes, but nowhere are they as decidedly low yield in their grift game than the trio of shambolic criminals in Kajillionaire, the long awaited third film from the singular artist Miranda July.

While best remembered for her Sundance winning debut Me and You and Everyone We Know back in 2005, July’s particularly offbeat visionary style is easily confused with a legion of quirky misfits or twee American indie exercises. However, as her latest, most complex narrative reminds us, she’s an elevated storyteller with this unabashed exercise sporting her own specific aesthetic, defying the usual established formulas of characterization in another portrait of the loopy, irreverent grace presented in her unique worldview.…...

IFC Films has nabbed Chad Hartigan’s “Little Fish,” a love story set in a post-pandemic world that will have an eerie resonance when viewed in light of the coronavirus crisis.

The deal is for North American rights. IFC, which has remained active during Covid-19, releasing films such as “The Nest” and “The Trip to Greece,” will debut the picture on Feb. 5, 2021. “Little Fish” stars Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”), Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”), Raúl Castillo (HBO’s “Looking”), and French singer-songwriter Soko. “Little Fish” boasts a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin based on a short story by Aja Gabel.

According to the official log line, “Little Fish” unfolds in a world where a pandemic has broken out. The disease causes its victims to lose their memories. Newlyweds Emma (Cooke) and Jude (O’Connell) have to grapple with this painful new reality. After Jude contracts the disease, the young couple struggles to...

Hollywood studios have become more innovative in recent months, hosting drive-in launch events and virtual screening parties to celebrate new projects in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. So, for the release of their latest film, Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire,” Focus Features planned something new.

The studio has launched a virtual retrospective of the award-winning filmmaker’s work, titled “Made Up: The Multiplicity of Miranda July.” For the special showcase, Focus Features partnered with the Brooklyn Academy of Music and American Cinematheque to host a three-day event for their members, as well as July’s fans. The virtual program is now live and will run through Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. Pt.

“Whether it was 2020 or any other year, our team at Focus have always looked for ways to push the boundaries to celebrate the great filmmakers we work with,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski says. “Miranda’s vast artistry across...

TheGrill welcomes “Kajillionaire” writer and director Miranda July for the prestigious Spotlight Conversation on Wednesday at TheGrill, TheWrap’s signature business conference held virtually from September 22-24.

July, an author and artist along with being a writer-director, will discuss her career and her latest film “Kajillionaire” starring Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins and Gina Rodriguez in a one-hour conversation with Wrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman.

“Kajillionaire” had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Focus Features on September 25. The film is about two con artists (Jenkins and Winger) who have spent 26 years training their only daughter to swindle, scam and steal at every turn, a unique fable told in July’s singular voice. The film won early laudatory reviews such as Antony Lane’s remark in The New Yorker: “July uses ‘Kajillionaire’ to present her credentials as a transcendentalist of the humdrum.”

“Kajillionaire” (Focus Features)

Previously July wrote,...

Most Oscar observers know the 93rd Academy Awards will be far from routine this year. But I am wondering whether some possible contenders that are directed by a woman could benefit somehow from this extended season. Given the push back last year when no female made the cut in the director’s race, including Greta Gerwig for her Best Picture-nominated remake of “Little Women,” perhaps the rather unusual circumstances this year will allow more of a spotlight be put on woman filmmakers. Only five women have ever been a directing nominee, with Gerwig being the most recent candidate for 2017’s “Lady Bird,” while Kathryn Bigelow is the lone female winner for her 2009 war film “The Hurt Locker.”

The good news is that there are at least 10 notable lady filmmakers whose work could turn out to be awards worthy when nominations are announced on March 15, 2021. Take the poll below and pick...

"She learned to forge before she learned to write." Focus Features has finally revealed an official trailer for the spunky indie comedy Kajillionaire, the latest feature written & directed by indie filmmaker Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know). This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and is currently set for release in September after initially being scheduled for the summer. A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they're planning. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, with Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins, and Gina Rodriguez. Described as a "a profoundly moving and wildly original comedy." The trailer features the song "Mr. Lonely" performed by Angel Olsen & Emile Mosseri (the film's composer). Definitely looks quite kooky and unique. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Miranda July's Kajillionaire, direct from Focus' YouTube: Con-artists Theresa...

In Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire,” Evan Rachel Wood dons a gruff, monotone accent and plays a con artist who from birth has been taught by her parents to steal, swindle and scam, but not much else.

She’s the anchor to July’s latest offbeat, indie gem, which Focus Features picked up out of Sundance this year and morphs into a profound and original comedy and coming of age story.

“Most people want to be kajillionaires. That’s how they get you hooked. Hooked on sugar, hooked on caffeine, ha ha ha! Cry cry cry! Me, I prefer to just skip,” Richard Jenkins says in the first trailer for the film.

Also Read: 'Kajillionaire' Film Review: Miranda July Is Back With Offbeat Tale of Swindling Family

Wood stars in “Kajillionaire” as Old Dolio, who has been brought up by her parents, played by Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins,...

No matter how the fall movie season ends up shaping out in these uncertain times (will audiences be back in theaters?), one thing that will remain consistent is Miranda July’s “Kajillionare” being one of the must-see indie films of the season. July’s first feature film since 2011’s “The Future” earned some of the best buzz out of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival thanks to the writer-director’s mastery of comic tone and her dynamite ensemble cast featuring Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins, and Gina Rodriguez.

The official synopsis for “Kajillionaire” from Focus Features reads: “Con-artists Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) have spent 26 years training their only daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), to swindle, scam, and steal at every opportunity. During a desperate, hastily conceived heist, they charm a stranger (Gina Rodriguez) into joining their next scam, only to have their entire world turned upside down.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu)

From Escape from Alcatraz to Cool Hand Luke to The Shawshank Redemption, cinema is rich with not only prison films focused on the plight of the prisoner, but also depicting wardens in an evil light. Clemency, winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival, flips the script in both ways, both turning the spotlight on a warden and painting her in an empathetic, complicated light. Led by Alfre Woodard, she gives a riveting, emotional performance as the Bernadine Williams, a woman who is stuck between the demands of her grueling job and a disintegrating marriage, and can’t give her all to both.

It's July, which means it's time for Barnes & Noble's biannual 50%-off Criterion sale (it also comes around in November). Criterion has been putting out some amazing releases this year including Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Great Escape, Me and You and Everyone We Know, and more. That's not to mention the great titles they have on the horizon like Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits, Marriage Story, Brute Force, and others. Since we're all cooped up inside (or at least should be; please don't be going to …...

Miranda July’s “Me and You and Everyone We Know” premiered at Sundance in late January 2005, a few short weeks before YouTube went live on Valentine’s Day the following month. MySpace was in its infancy, Twitter hadn’t even been conceived, and Facebook was still new enough that most people just used it to “poke” strangers they didn’t have the courage to wave at in class.

While Paul Haggis’ “Crash” typified the kind of movies people were making about modern dislocation (read: self-absolving security blankets that wanted you to think a little irony would be enough to erase society’s oldest stains), Miranda July’s first feature poked its head into arthouse theaters with the prognosis to a problem that most of us hadn’t been able to put a finger on yet. July’s debut feature wasn’t the first movie about the internet (a sub-genre that...

They were Luca Guadagnino’s series We Are Who We Are and Us filmmaker Miranda July’s Kajillionaire.

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has revealed Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s series We Are Who We Are and Us filmmaker Miranda July’s Kajillionaire had been selected for the parallel section this year, before it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The section has also endorsed French journalist and documentarian David Dufresne’s upcoming documentary Monopoly Of Violence (Un pays qui se tient sage), exploring police violence against demonstrators involved in yellow vest protests which began in October 2018.

Directors’ Fortnight announced it...

Logan Lerman, who recently displayed a wide range of anger in the Amazon Prime series Hunters, and John Hawkes, who began his career in the 1980s and has distinguished himself in a host of films and TV shows from Hollywood (Deadwood) and the independent world (Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know) since then, star together in End of Sentence, which hits VOD today. As if that weren't enough, Sarah Bolger, who recently blazed in A Good Woman Is Hard to Find and has been elevating films and TV shows whenever she appears, also stars, which should be enough to convince anyone to check out End of Sentence, even without knowing the synopsis or watching the trailer. But, if you need those things...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

As everything is going wonky in the world, it’s only fitting that July is early this year. Even more fitting that it’s not the month, but the filmmaking lady, Miranda July. It bears celebrating that quite recently this past spring, July, a unique filmmaker, novelist, and all/around multifaceted artist, shepherded her unforgettable first feature, Me and You and Everyone We Know, to Blu-ray as a definitive Criterion edition. Not only does it contain the first high-definition release of her award-collecting 2005 film, it also serves as an excellent career retrospective up to that time. Humbly displaying its lovingly controlled thrift store aesthetic as July’s off-kilter ensemble long for connection in her contemporary average-ville, Me and You and Everyone We Know is unquestionably the work...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The film-maker on her new movie about con artists, the trials of home-schooling, and the role Roseanne Barr played in her early career

Miranda July, 46, is an acclaimed Us film-maker, author and artist. Kajillionaire, her third film, and first for almost a decade, was a hit at Sundance and will be released later this year; her debut, 2005’s Me and You and Everyone We Know, is being honoured with a Criterion Collection edition. There is also the release of a chunky, eponymous monograph that traces her idiosyncratic creative output, with commentary from the likes of Spike Jonze, Carrie Brownstein and David Byrne. She lives in Los Angeles with the director Mike Mills and their child, Hopper.

How are you coping with lockdown in La?

You know, holding up. I’m healthy, as is my family. And now we’re a bit more used to this new schedule, wherein I teach...

))<>((

forever.

If you have seen “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” writer-director-artist Miranda July’s hilarious and poignant 2005 feature, you will instantly recognize the above symbol, which has entered the alternative zeitgeist, become a popular tattoo, and taken a cultural life of its own since then. But there is a lot more to July’s touching portrayal of humans yearning for affirmation and intimacy than the catchiest hook of the film—a collection of interconnected vignettes both shocking and delicate.

Continue reading Miranda July Discusses The Criterion Release Of ‘Me And You And Everyone We Know’ & Art During A Pandemic [Interview] at The Playlist.

In an aim to help now-shuttered independent theaters, IFC Films will allow cinemas to screen 200 of its library titles for free once they open back up. The distributor hopes that favorites like “Frances Ha,” “Y Tu Mamá También,” and even “The Human Centipede” will help drive audiences back to theaters in the coming months, a time when fewer and fewer new releases are being scheduled.

The Indie Theater Revival Project‘s offerings will be available to theaters beginning May 29, with traditional rental fees for library titles waived for theaters in the first 30 days that they’re open, starting from whatever date they reopen their doors. That means more money in the pockets in the form of ticket sales for local theater owners who have been faced with a near-zero revenue stream after closing their doors last month.

More from IndieWireHow France Is Supporting Its Film Industry During a Global CrisisWhy...

Curated retrospectives include Cannes winners, genre, family documentaries.

IFC Films has launched The Indie Theater Revival Project and curated 20 retrospective programmes for Us theatres when they emerge from lockdown, offering library titles for free during the first month they open.

The selections comprise approximately 200 films spanning IFC Films’ 20-year history – the company celebrates its anniversary this year – and IFC Films said on Tuesday (21) it will make them available to cinemas starting on May 29.

Theatres will be able to book any number of the retrospective programmes, in part or in total, any time through the first month after they reopen. No...

Curated retrospectives to be made available for participating theatres.

IFC Films announced on Tuesday (21) The Indie Theater Revival Project and has curated 20 retrospective programmes for Us theatres to screen when they reopen in the weeks and months ahead.

The selections comprise approximately 200 films spanning IFC Films’ 20-year history – the company celebrates its anniversary this year – and will make them available to cinemas starting on May 29.

Theatres will be able to book any number of the retrospective programmes, in part or in total, any time through the first month after they reopen. No film rental will be due for any of...

In an effort to help independently-owned movie theaters recover from the coronavirus pandemic, IFC Films announced on Tuesday that it will offer over 200 of its films to those theaters without any rental fees. This will help give those theaters some classic films to screen when they reopen while they wait for new films to be released.

“Independent theaters across the country have been essential partners for us at IFC Films, and we would not be where we are today without their support,” the distributor announced in a statement. “We wanted to take the first step and let theaters know that we are committed to helping them reopen their doors by providing a selection of films to program while the new release landscape gets back to normal.”

Dubbed “The Indie Revival Project,” the program will offer selections from IFC’s catalog in various curated packs, including a “Yes We Cannes!” program...

IFC Films is offering embattled indie theaters hundreds of films from its library to screen when they re-open from their mass Covid-19 related shutdown.

The movies, which include such IFC classics as “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Boyhood,” will be made available to cinemas without any rental fees. The retrospective program boasts roughly 200 films. Theaters will not be charged any film rental.

“We are honoring the partnership we’ve had with theaters over the last 20 years and we’re sending them a message of solidarity and gratefulness,” said Lisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films. “They’ve been with us since beginning and when they come back, we want to be there with them.”

The indie studio is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and had been putting together programming to honor the occasion. After coronavirus closed most theaters in March, IFC began to rethink its plans.

“This was a positive way...

The coronavirus pandemic is not only effecting movie theaters, it’s also causing some trouble in the home video world, too. As a result, some physical release copies are being delayed while studios push digital. As always, I remain committed to physical media, but for now, I’m going to have to make an exception for some […]

The post New on Blu-ray and Digital: ‘Little Women’, ‘Just Mercy’, ‘Me and You and Everyone We Know’, ‘Underwater’, ‘Vfw appeared first on /Film.

Latest deal trickles in after Park City.

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Miranda July’s recent Sundance premiere Kajillionaire starring Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger.

Focus Features will distribute the film in the Us and Universal Pictures International will handle international.

Kajillionaire centes on a family of low-stakes grifters who invite a chipper young woman into their insular world and watch as she turns it upside-down.

Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produced with Youree Henley. Plan B’s Brad Pitt, Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, and Jillian Longnecker served as executive producers.

Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire” is still in the black, but a different distributor has won the project out of the Sundance Film Festival.

With a late-hitting bid, Focus Features is closing in on a deal for worldwide rights to the movie in a sale worth somewhere in the mid-seven-figure range, insiders said. Universal’s prestige label came in nearly a week after A24, the previously reported frontrunner for the film, made an initial offer, sources added. If the deal closes, Focus will distribute the movie domestically, while Universal Pictures International will oversee its foreign roll-out.

July is a native of the Park City festival and one of its quirkiest, most beloved voices. She has numerous awards from the Cannes Film Festival for her notable movie “Me and You and Everyone We Know.” Her latest, which comes almost 10 years after her last directorial effort “The Future,” stars Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez,...

The world is a weird place. Miranda July knows that, but the rest of us sometimes forget. Or maybe we just don’t want to admit how bizarre it is that society more or less agrees that back rubs and hot tubs and flavored chips and McRibs are an appropriate reward for a bazillion years of human development. It’s not until you visit a foreign country, or watch a foreigner trying to make sense of your own, that it starts to register just how weird it all is. That’s what artists do: Like Martian anthropologists, they see things differently, and they reflect them back to us in such a way that we can too.

With “Kajillionaire,” July devises a fresh strategy to offer an outsider’s perspective, focusing on 26-years-young Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), the oddly named daughter in a family of scammers — a dysfunctional “scamily,” if ever there was one.

Stories about con artist families speak to desperate times, and we’re apparently living through them, because each of the last three years have brought new cinematic entries to the genre. First came Hirokazu Kore-eda’s delicate “Shoplifters,” followed by Bong Joon Ho’s zany “Parasite,” both of which centered on offspring wondering if their family values might be off-kilter. Now comes Miranda July’s “Kajillionaire,”

Elevated by an extraordinary Evan Rachel Wood performance that finds her character literally discovering her free will, “Kajillionaire” splits the difference between “Shoplifters” and “Parasite”: It’s an understated dramedy with bite, oscillating from the implication that family bonds are bullshit to the conclusion that everybody deserves a little tough love.

It’s been 15 years since July’s acclaimed debut “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” and nine since “The Future,” but the prolific multimedia performance artist has maintained a striking clarity of vision during that time.

It may have been nine years since Miranda July’s last film, The Future, premiered at Sundance, but if there’s any doubt at all about her prolific nature as a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist, the year ahead should put paid to it.

Saturday night in Park City, July will premiere Kajillionaire, her third feature film, with a cast that includes Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger. It’s a heist movie like you’ve never seen; an unconventional comedy about a family of grifters scraping their way through life, imbued with July’s trademark humanity as it delivers a heightened exploration of love, family and human connection.

It is only one of a series of projects that will occupy July’s time in the first half of the year. In April, the Criterion Collection will add July’s debut feature, 2005’s Me and You and Everyone We Know,...

Gina Kwon has been named Searchlight Television’s new head of development. She will step into the role starting Jan. 13.

Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum, presidents of production for film and television, shared the news on Thursday.

“We are longtime fans of Gina and thrilled that she will be bringing her impeccable taste, deep relationships and extensive experience working with the world’s best storytellers to Searchlight TV,” they said in a statement.

“Searchlight has been a beacon for the best filmmakers in the world for 25 years, and I’m thrilled to be working with David and Matthew to make inspired, bold and unique tv series that honor its visionary spirit,” Kwon said.

Also Read: What Does That 'Man in the High Castle' Ending Mean?

Kwon’s previous job was co-head of TV comedy at Amazon Studios alongside Ryan Andolina, where they oversaw “Fleabag,” “Transparent,” “One Mississippi,” “Good Omens,” “Catastrophe,...

Searchlight Television has hired Gina Kwon, former Co-Head of TV Comedy at Amazon Studios, as its new Head of Development and Production. She begins her new job on January 13.

“We are longtime fans of Gina and thrilled that she will be bringing her impeccable taste, deep relationships and extensive experience working with the world’s best storytellers to Searchlight TV,” said Searchlight Pictures’ Presidents of Production for Film and Television Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum to whom Kwon will report.

Kwon previously worked alongside Ryan Andolina at Amazon Studios, where they shepherded a slate of award-winning TV shows, including multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner Fleabag, Golden Globe-winning Transparent, One Mississippi, Good Omens, Catastrophe from Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, Undone from Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and Homecoming from Micah Bloomberg, Eli Horowitz and Sam Esmail. Most recently, Kwon developed and oversaw Amazon’s hit show Modern Love, John Carney...

The film world lost a legend last week when Agnès Varda passed away at 90. The heartfelt outpouring of tributes from filmmakers, actors, and critics around the world says a lot about the legacy of the French New Wave icon who inspired so many. But she was most influential to a new generation of women filmmakers, a role she relished.

Varda’s influence is all over the work of Greta Gerwig, Miranda July, Lena Dunham, Kelly Reichardt and Crystal Moselle. Varda herself often expressed admiration for many of these directors when asked about new talent.

Here are just a few of the lessons the godmother of the French New Wave imparted to the next generation of women filmmakers, in their words.

The inspiration to make their first film.

Miranda July (“Me and You and Everyone We Know”): “‘Kung Fu Master’ (‘Le Petit Amour’) was the movie that propelled me to...

We’re not sure if the Madeline’s Madeline experience put Miranda July into the let’s make a movie spirit, but shortly after premiering last January the artist went into her third director outing with the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins. The untitled project went into production in March. Both 2005’s Me and You and Everyone We Know and 2011’s The Future premiered at the fest.

Gist: A woman’s life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they’re planning.

Production Co./Producers: Megan Ellison, Dede Gardner, Youree Henley, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt.…...

The opening lines of the documentary “Half the Picture” say it all: “Over the past 17 years, the number of female directors has actually declined. Our study makes it clear, Hollywood is a straight boys club. Research has found that Hollywood directors are overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male.” These simple statements sum up a slew of shocking statistics.

Filmmaker Amy Adrion deftly documents the standing of women in Hollywood through a series of compelling interviews with many female filmmakers, industry insiders and academics. Her debut film has played at many of the leading festivals, including Sundance, SXSW and Hot Docs. And it is set to screen on Starz starting in late October.

Hollywood likes to pat itself on the back and always take an opportunity to say ‘look how far we’ve come.’ Like when Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director at the Oscars for “The Hurt Locker...

Some movies are statistically designed to be seen by as many viewers as possible. Others are handcrafted in express defiance of commercialism. “Madeline’s Madeline” was definitely not created with mainstream tastes in mind. But by pushing to the edges of her own iconoclastic vision, director Josephine Decker touches on universal truths rarely found inside a multiplex. Will Decker’s experimental psychodrama — her third feature after festival favorites “Butter on the Latch” and “Thou Wast Mild and Lovely”– be for you? Well, the very first line ought to give some indication: “You are not the cat,” an anonymous woman intones hypnotically. “You are inside the cat.” It should be said that things get much weirder from there. So yes, you’ll have to be ready to go with the film’s free-form flow. But the rewards are considerable, beginning with the discovery of striking newcomer Helena Howard playing the the teenage Madeline.

Hulu has confirmed that several of its original series will be debuting new episodes on the streaming service in July, including the first season of the highly anticipated Stephen King thriller “Castle Rock” as well as season 2 of the costume drama “Harlots” and season 4 of the comedy “Casual.”

And there will also be new to Hulu seasons of some of your favorites from other networks, including season 2 of “The Strain,” season 4 of “The Vikings” and season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Likewise, there will be plenty of movies making their first Hulu appearances including the first five films in the “Star Trek” franchise and the Oscar-winning “Rosemary’s Baby.”

See Netflix schedule: Here’s what is coming and leaving in July

Available July 1: TV

Alaska: The Last Frontier: Complete Season 4 (Discovery)

Deadliest Catch: Complete Season 11 (Discovery)

Deadly Women: Complete Season 6 (ID)

Dual Survival: Complete Season 5 (Discovery)

Elementary: Complete Season...

MaryAnn’s quick take… Authoritative and insightful, this essential film gives much needed cultural breathing room to some remarkable Hollywood women to discuss how they are undermined or shut out entirely from the industry. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about women

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film

(learn more about this)

If you’ve been paying the teensiest bit of attention to what’s going on — and not going on — in Hollywood, there isn’t a lot in Half the Picture that will be news to you. But there is so much authority and insight in this film that is it essential viewing nevertheless for anyone who cares about all the great stories we are not seeing on our TVs and in our multiplexes because the voices of women storytellers are far too often stifled.

Chris here. If that headline didn't already give you a moment of chrystalline mental clarity, perhaps the fact that it's not just fantasy will. That's right, the multi-hyphenate artist Miranda July will be returning to cinemas for her yet untitled third feature, this time with a genre bent. Those unfamiliar with the indie darling would do well to research her performance art and writing, but her filmography is as good a start as any of her other works. Her first two idiosyncratic films were 2005's whimsically sad Me and You and Everyone We Know ("... forever.") and 2011's The Future, which was narrated by a stray cat. Both films are touching and deeply original, so don't expect standard heist fare.

But maybe this could be her most mainstream film yet given the enticing cast she's already assembled: Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez, and Richard Jenkins. Wood will play Old...

Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, and Debra Winger will star in Miranda July’s untitled heist movie.

Annapurna and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment are the production companies. “The Beguiled” producer Youree Henley is also on board for the project, in which a woman named Old Dolio has her life turned upside-down when her parents invite an outsider to join their biggest heist yet.

Wood will portray Old Dolio, while Jenkins and Winger have been cast as the parents. Rodriguez is portraying a woman who learns of the family’s secrets.

The project will be July’s third film and the first she will not star in. July wrote, directed, and starred in the 2005 film “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Camera d’Or at Cannes. She also wrote, directed, and starred in 2011’s “The Future.

Miranda July is set to start production on her latest film in late May.

The film follows the story of Old Dolio and how her world is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join their biggest heist yet.

The project will be July’s third film and first she will not star in. Her feature, Me And You And Everyone We Know, which July wrote, directed and starred in, won the Camera d’Or at Cannes and a Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist, and writer. Her most recent book is The First Bad Man, a novel. July’s collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and has been published in twenty-three countries. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, and The New Yorker; It...

Filmmaker, artist, and author Miranda July has partnered with her most high-profile producing team yet for her upcoming third feature. Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “American Hustle,” “Phantom Thread”) and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment (“The Departed,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Moonlight”) will produce July’s untitled next film. “The Beguiled” producer Youree Henley — a previous Annapurna collaborator on “20th Century Women” — will also co-produce.

It’s been seven years since July released “The Future,” and she’ll be back onset in late May. Her latest tale centers on a character named Old Dolio, “and how her world is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join their biggest heist yet.” Unlike with her previous films — which include her Camera d’Or and Sundance Special Jury Prize winner “Me and You and Everyone We Know” (2005) — this time July will stay behind the camera.