Indiewire

Meet the 2013 Rooftop Filmmakers #7: Matt Johnson Blurs the Line Between Fiction and Reality in 'The Dirties'

Indiewire — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:28:32 GMT

Matt Johnson is a film student from Toronto. Prior to making "The Dirties," he made a webshow called "Nirvana The Band The Show" alongside the same group of collaborators. In addition to directing "The Dirties," Johnson also stars as a bullied, filmmaking teen. What it's about: Two best friends are making an insane action movie about killing all the bullies in their school. When the idea comes up to actually kill their tormentors the line between fiction and reality starts to bend and twist. On the challenges: "Finding the money to make a film that seems so tasteless on paper. We ended up shooting it with 1/10th our intended budget and had to improvise every level of production." What's next: "We're making another fake doc about the Apollo missions in the 1960s." Indiewire invited Rooftop Films 2013 Summer Series directors to tell us about their films, including the challenges they faced and what they're doing next. Go HERE for all the profiles.

Meet the 2013 Rooftop Filmmakers #8: Casimir Nozkowski Parts With His Comic Book Past in 'Childhood Sale'

Indiewire — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:27:08 GMT

Casimir Nozkowski is a writer/director and the co-founder of the Internets Celebrities, an injustice-exposing documentary group. He also sits on Rooftop Films' board of directors. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the AV Club, and on the Brian Lehrer Show, to name a few. Nozkowski's recent work includes the short, "Andrew Sarris: Critic in Focus" which premiered at the 2011 Telluride Film Festival and screened at MOMA in September 2012 and the short "Caffe Capri," which screened at the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival. He also writes and produces promotion for "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." What it's about: I collected comics when I was a kid. And I had a lot. When circumstances forced me to liquidate my collection, my only question was how. Ebay: too much trouble. Throwing them out: too sad. An epic stoop sale that I could film? Just right. On the challenges: "I think the biggest challenge I had with making Childhood Sale was balancing...

Exclusive: Watch Joe Manganiello Dish on New 'True Blood' Season and How He Almost Played Superman in 'Man of Steel'

Madeline Raynor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:27:17 GMT

Joe Manganiello went on Dailymotion's always-entertaining series "Profound Minutiae" with Anthony Layser to talk about his role on "True Blood," with a lot of detours along the way. The "actor, wolf person, and pride of Pittsburgh, PA" started off with a tangent on the dynamics of differentiating the werewolf from the vampire after "Twilight" rather indelicately muddled their mythologies. The two continue their deadpan and sometimes NSFW banter with an in-depth conversation on Arnold Schwartzenegger. Manganiello also revealed that he almost screen-tested for "Man of Steel" (they even started making his suit!), but his "True Blood" duties ultimately got in the way of pursuing it. Stay tuned for tips on how to look like Manganiello, who appears to be allergic to shirts. Watch the video, exclusive to Indiewire, below:

Attention Filmmakers: Here's How to Use Moby's Music For Free in Your Films

Julia Selinger — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:10:36 GMT

Seminal DJ and electronic musician Moby has been making music for decades, beginning with his first solo release in 1991. Since then, Moby has also been vocal about his advocacy for various causes, including The Humane Society, Songs for Tibet, and MoveOn.org. Moby is continuing to combine his love of music and charitable causes by promoting his project Mobygratis. With a website that describes itself as "music for independent filmmakers," the site is a resource for film students and independent and non-profit filmmakers seeking free music for their films. Moby insures that even if the music is used for commercial films, he gets none of the proceeds; instead, all profits go towards The Humane Society. Mobygratis has a catalog of over 150 tracks by Moby that cover a wide breadth of styles and tempos. You can watch the video below for more info.

'The Impossible' Filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona Will Direct the First Two Episodes of Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful'

Alison Willmore — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:40:56 GMT

"Penny Dreadful," Showtime's upcoming "psychosexual horror series" executive produced by Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") has snagged an impressive director for its first two episodes. Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona ("The Impossible") will helm the first two of the eight installments in the season, which will begin shooting in London in the fall.Created, written and executive produced by John Logan ("Hugo," "Skyfall," "Noah"), "Penny Dreadful" weaves together the origin stories of three iconic literary characters -- Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Gray and figures from "Dracula" -- in Victorian London. The series will be Logan and Mendes' first collaboration for the small screen (Mendes EP'd "The Hollow Crown," a new adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henriad," for BBC last year). It will be produced by Mendes' Neal Street Productions.While disaster film "The Impossible" was certainly wrenching, Bayona also has experience directing literary-inflected...

Sundance Selects Acquires Hilla Medalia's Dance Documentary 'Dancing in Jaffa'

Madeline Raynor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:47:07 GMT

Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to Hilla Medalia's documentary "Dancing in Jaffa," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine as he returns to his hometown Jaffa, Israel expecting his old home but greeted by new racial animosity. A firm believer that dance can build self-esteem and social awareness, Dulaine brings his popular Dancing Classrooms program to 5 ethnically diverse Jaffa schools. Dulaine sends the best children to a dance competition, boldly pairing Palestinian and Jewish children and challenging the children's and their family's beliefs. Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: "Hilla Medalia has created a moving film that highlights the power of dance to unite even the most divided of worlds. We expect this film to be talked about well beyond the dance community since it has such a powerful global message." Sundance Selects has a history of championing dance...

Is the Film Industry 'Imploding'? Indiewire's Influencers Respond

Eric Kohn — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:31:50 GMT

For the occasion of the first Indiewire Influencers list, a survey of 40 people and companies impacting the direction of the film industry, the Los Angeles Film Festival hosted a panel in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night sponsored by DIRECTV and Loyola Marymount University - Los Angeles featuring several people from the list. The hour-long conversation opened with a recent news hook: A recent statement made by Steven Spielberg, during an appearance at USC, that the film industry is on the verge of implosion. With panelists currently embroiled in the process of addressing changes to the marketplace of independent film, the reactions to this statement revolved less around the veracity of Spielberg's statement and instead focused on what kinds of models may come next. READ MORE: The 2013 Indiewire Influencers Indiewire editor-in-chief Dana Harris moderated the discussion, which featured innovators from across the landscape of independent film production and distribution (click...

Watch: Ryan Gosling Proves to Be a 'Very Dangerous Boy' in Heart-thumping New 'Only God Forgives' Trailer

Madeline Raynor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:52:10 GMT

The latest trailer for "Only God Forgives," written and directed by Nicholas Winding Refn ("Drive"), offers us a closer look at Julian (Ryan Gosling), the son of a criminal family who seeks revenge for the murder of his brother. His formidable, bloodthirsty mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) demands that the neglected Julian avenge her favorite son by bringing her the killer's head on a silver platter. Take a peek into the dark, tense world of the Bangkok underground, with a pulsing soundscape from Cliff Martinez, in the new trailer below. "Only God Forgives" hits theaters on July 19. Read Indiewire's review of the film from Cannes.

Watch: ESPN Kicks Off Female-Centric Sports Doc Series 'Nine for IX' With Award-Winning Digital Short 'Coach'

Alison Willmore — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:17:11 GMT

ESPN's "Nine for IX" documentary series, a women-centric answer to "30 for 30," will air every Tuesday night on the network at 8pm ET in July and August, kicking off July 2nd with Ava DuVernay's "Venus Vs.," about tennis player Venus Williams. The rest of the schedule: "Pat XO" (7/9), "Let Them Wear Towels" (7/16), "No Limits" (7/23), "Swoopes" (7/30), "The Diplomat" (8/6), "Runner" (8/13), "The '99ers" (8/20) and "Branded" (8/27). The films aren't only all about female sports figures, they're all directed by female filmmakers, including documentarian duos Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Ahead of the TV premieres, ESPN has released a "Nine for IX" short online, below. Directed by Bess Kargman ("First Position") and executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg, "Coach" is a profile of C. Vivian Stringer, one of the most prolific coaches in the history of college basketball. It won best documentary short at Tribeca earlier this year.

2013 Emmy Award Predictions

Peter Knegt — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:17:00 GMT

Indiewire will provide regular updates of our predictions for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be handed out September 22, 2013 with nominations coming July 18th. The nominations will come from an extremely competitive batch of options, from drama ("Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "Homeland," "Game of Thrones," "House of Cards") to comedy ("Girls," "Parks and Recreation," "Louie," the final season of "30 Rock" and the return of "Arrested Development") to television movies and miniseries ("Top of the Lake," "Behind The Candelabra," "The Girl," "Phil Spector"), though keep in mind the Emmys' rather tragic history in handing out undeserving or sometimes downright bizarre nominations (and snubbing of the likes of "The Wire"). Click below for nomination predictions and commentary with regard to the drama, comedy and TV movie/miniseries categories. It's early, so check back as the nominations draw more near for updated predictions.DRAMA CATEGORY...

2013 Emmy Predictions: The Drama Categories

Peter Knegt — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:01:00 GMT

The Emmys haven't exactly been perfect at nominating the most deserving dramatic television -- see the widespread dismissals of the likes of "Sons of Anarchy," "Battlestar: Galactica," "Gilmore Girls," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," and most horrifyingly, "The Wire." But they have improved significantly in recent years, particularly in embracing a new era of intensely acclaimed, mostly cable-made "smart TV." Last year's nominations saw "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland" and "Mad Men" manage a lineup that for the first time ever did not include on of the 4 major broadcast networks, and it's likely that this year will continue the trend. Of those six, "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "Homeland" (which dominated the winners last year, though its second season was not as well-received as its first) seem like total locks. "Game of Thrones" is close behind, with its status as the zeitgeist show sure to help it (not to mention great...

Exclusive: Watch Nicole Kidman Discuss Working With Park Chan-wook in 'Stoker' DVD Extra

Madeline Raynor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:36 GMT

"Stoker," the English-language debut from South Korean director Park Chan-wook, is out on Blu-ray and DVD today. The film tells the disturbing tale of a mysterious uncle who infiltrates a small-town family after the father's recent death in a freak car accident. READ MORE: What to Buy/Rent This Week on DVD/Blu-ray Indiewire has an exclusive peek at a featurette on Chan-wook's process, that comes as an extra on DVD/Blu-ray. Watch Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and more talk about what it was like to import the foreign director's style to America and the challenges of working with a Korean-speaking director.

'The Attack' Director Ziad Doueiri Shares an Exclusive Scene From His Intense Drama, Based on the Best-Selling Novel by Yasmina Khadra

Ziad Doueiri — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:47:05 GMT

Winner of two awards at San Sebastian, Ziad Doueiri's "The Attack," based on the bestselling novel by Yasmina Khadra, opens in theaters on June 21 from Cohen Media Group. Below, Doueiri shares one of his favorite sequences from the film. Official synopsis per Cohen Media: Amin Jaafari is an Israeli Palestinian surgeon, fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, an exemplary career, and many Jewish friends. But his picture perfect life is turned upside down when a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves nineteen dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife Sihem, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the relative security of his adopted homeland and enters the Palestinian territories in pursuit of the truth. Once there, he finds himself in ever more dangerous places and situations. Determined, he presses on seeking answers to questions he never thought he...

Dan Harmon Celebrates His Return to 'Community' By Insulting Season Four, Then Apologizing

Alison Willmore — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:41:15 GMT

"Community" creator Dan Harmon's startling openness with his fans on Twitter, Tumblr and via his podcast/live show Harmontown is one of his most endearing and problematic qualities. It's allowed those who like his work a closeness and an insight into his process and mindset that's rare, and it's gotten him into trouble more than once when something he shared in an essentially public forum the kind of opinions usually only muttered between friends. Harmon was officially reinstated as showrunner of "Community" earlier this month, which meant that he had to actually watch the 13 episodes that make up season four, when he was fired and replaced by David Guarascio and Moses Port. Harmon shared his thoughts on the season on Harmontown, and while he admitted Guarascio, Port and company tried their best, he was not gentle with regard to how he felt about the results: I guess I already knew this, but apparently, I'm quite a genius. I think I feel pretty comfortable expressing any kind of...

The Top Grossing Indie Films of Summer 2013 (A Running List)

Peter Knegt — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:39:00 GMT

The summer movie season is in full swing, and while most of the box office related attention will be paid to the various $100 million opening weekends meeting the likes of various superhero movies, we're keeping a little list of the little guys here at Indiewire. READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: The 50 Indies You Must See While summer as a season will never equal the indie film hotbed that is the fall, in recent years there have actually been quite a few smaller scale breakouts during the studio's favorite months. Last year, for example, summer brought eventual best picture Oscar nominee "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and best documentary Oscar winner "Searching For Sugar Man," not to mention "Moonrise Kingdom," "Take This Waltz," "The Queen of Versailles," "Your Sister's Sister" and "The Loneliest Planet." A month or so ago we previewed the 15 films that might break out (a few of which already seem on their way), but here's a list of the actual box office results for the top...

Criterion Announces September Slate, Highlighting Ingrid Bergman in Films from Roberto Rossellini and Ingmar Bergman

Madeline Raynor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:09:04 GMT

For September, the theme of the Criterion Collection's slate seems to be actor Ingrid Bergman. Criterion will introduce the deluxe box set "3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman," a trio of intensely dramatic collaborations between the game-changing Italian director and one of Hollywood's greatest stars, who would later become his wife. The much-anticipated release features "Stromboli," "Europe '51," and "Journey to Italy": films that have never been available on DVD or Blu-ray in the US. They will soon be available with the trademark array of exciting extras. Continuing the Bergman streak is the release of "Autumn Sonata," the only film Bergman ever made with director Ingmar Bergman, now on DVD and Blu-ray. Rounding out the crop of DVD and Blu-ray releases is "La Cage aux Folles," the groundbreaking comedy that was ahead of its time, telling the story of a gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a drag club and agree to pretend to be straight when the...

Is 'World War Z' Too Smart For Its Own Good?

Eric Kohn — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:53:08 GMT

Max Brooks' 2006 novel "World War Z" portrayed a global zombie outbreak in fragments of reports from around the world that, minus the flesh-eating reanimated corpse factor, could easily have documented more credible diseases. While it roots the same events in the context of one survivor's experiences, the movie version similarly aims to realistically portray society under the strain of an unstoppable virus, to the point where the zombie threat is secondary to the bureaucratic processes it instigates. Not many brains get munched, but plenty of people use them. A close cousin of Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion," Marc Forster's adaption of Brooks' tome juts forward with a grave sense of purpose that only works when generating feelings of nervousness and peril to go along with its big ideas. The walking dead are supporting characters in this sincerely thoughtful drama, which stumbles along in its cold first hour before reaching a more alarmingly suspenseful climax. "World War Z" provokes...

What to Buy/Rent on DVD/Blu-ray This Week: 'Stoker,' 'Rectify,' 'Quartet' and More

Nigel M. Smith and Clint Holloway — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:53:00 GMT

VOD is all the rage right now, and for good reason (check out of June VOD list). But while it's gratifying to know that you can watch pretty much anything with the simple click of a button, there's something comforting about tearing into a DVD/Blu-ray case and popping the disc into your player. That, and not even a VOD film in HD can rival the clarity a Blu-ray disc offers. To keep you up to date with the current goings-on in the home video marketplace, here are the new releases worth your time and money. "Stoker" South Korean maestro Park Chan-wook's first English-language film is a family drama that calls to mind Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" in its unsettling portrayal of small-town life and family secrets. Mia Wasikowska plays India, a teenager who has just lost her father to a freak car accident. From the moment her mysterious Uncle Charlie turns up, he begins inserting himself into her life and that of her mother (Nicole Kidman) in various toxic...

Watch the First Episode of Showtime's New Drama 'Ray Donovan' Online Ahead of Its Premiere

Alison Willmore — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:41:56 GMT

Showtime's new scripted series "Ray Donovan" will debut on Sunday, June 30 at 10pm after the premiere of the final season of "Dexter," but the network's offering the first episode online now -- you can watch it below. Starring Liev Schreiber in his first regular TV role alongside Jon Voight, Paula Malcomson ("Deadwood"), Eddie Marsan ("Happy-Go-Lucky"), Katherine Moennig ("The L Word") and others, the series is centered around a fixer for Los Angeles' rich and powerful whose attempt to establish a life for his family is disrupted by the release of his father from prison. The show comes from "Southland" creator Ann Biderman, with Allen Coulter ("Hollywoodland," "The Sopranos") directing the pilot.

Three Film Festival Tips for New and Emerging Filmmakers

Sean Horlor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:36:40 GMT

Every year, filmmakers flock to international film festivals like Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Venice, and SXSW in search for distribution deals that will take their work to screens around the world. For many independent creators, the combined cost of travel, accommodation, meals and festival fees may eat up a large part of your marketing budget or personal savings. Do the exposure and networking opportunities at festivals for new and emerging filmmakers outweigh the costs? It’s a question filmmakers around the world should ask themselves at the beginning of every festival season. Last week, I did double-duty as a filmmaker and journalist at the 2013 Banff World Media Festival. Here’s what I found out from some key decision-makers at this year’s festival: 1. Cut your teeth at a smaller festival first. Arriving at Cannes or Sundance as a filmmaker without a network or an understanding of how film festivals work is like arriving in Hollywood as an actor without a network or any...

James Franco Tries Out Crowdfunding for 3 Feature Films Based on the Book He Wrote

Bryce J. Renninger — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:12:20 GMT

Fresh off his William Faulkner adaptation "As I Lay Dying," which just had its premiere at Cannes (go HERE for our review), James Franco has just launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo for $500,000 to make a trilogy of feature films based on short stories in his first book (Yes! He wrote a book; there's lots of reminders on the page!). After Kickstarter celeb successes from "Veronica Mars" and Zach Braff, Shemar Moore and Melissa Joan Hart both launched campaigns that had to be cancelled for lack of support (It should be noted that unlike "Mars" creator Rob Thomas and Braff, Hart and Moore weren't really the creators of their projects.) Moore shifted his campaign to IndieGoGo which allows for "flexible funding," a funding arrangement that doesn't require you meet your fundraising goal but allows IndieGoGo to take a larger cut. It's also a feature that is unavailable on Kickstarter, so we could be seeing more of these celebs who could probably find the money...

2013 Emmy Predictions: The Comedy Categories

Peter Knegt — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:31:00 GMT

It was yet another strong year for comedy television, though almost exclusively for returning series. No new comedy series really stands much of a chance of breaking in with the Emmy nominations ("The Mindy Project" is probably the closest thing to a newbie that). But even with no newcomers, the Emmy comedy race is packed. The well-received final season of "30 Rock" and returns of veteran series and longtime Emmy faves "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory" seem like the surest bets (even though "Family" had a very uneven season -- it seems like a permanent Emmy staple), while second seasons of "Girls" and "Veep" could offer up second consecutive nominations for both shows (though given the divisive reaction to the second season of "Girls," it is vulnerable). That leaves one slot, and there's two shows aiming for it: F/X's "Louie," which is arguably the best comedy on television and had a standout season (it's never been nominated, though star/creator Louis C.K. has), and...

5 Best Bets on TV This Week: Marilyn In Her Own Words, 'Hannibal' In Its End Game

Alison Willmore — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:10:04 GMT

Sure, Sunday tends to be overcrowded with high-end TV, including "Mad Men," "True Blood," "Family Tree," and more, but what to watch the rest of the time? Every Monday, we bring you five noteworthy highlights from the other six days of the week. "Love, Marilyn": Broadcast Premiere Monday, Jun 17 at 9pm on HBO Liz Garbus' documentary about Marilyn Monroe focuses on the screen icon's interior life versus how she was perceived, interspersing her papers, journals and poems, as interpreted by actresses like Elizabeth Banks, Glenn Close, Viola Davis and Uma Thurman, with readings from what Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Elia Kazan and Billy Wilder wrote about her. "Independent Lens": "The Revolutionary Optimists" Monday, Jun 17 at 10pm on PBS Maren Grainger-Monsen and Nicole Newnham's film looks at a Kolkata school run by former lawyer Amlan Ganguly who seeks to empower slum children to become activists to fight for human rights and to improve not just their own situation but...

John Cameron Mitchell Announces Neil Patrick Harris to Head to Broadway for 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'

Bryce J. Renninger — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:09:51 GMT

Today the New York Times announced that Neil Patrick Harris will be heading to Broadway for a stint as Hedwig, the East German transgender rocker that is the heart of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Before it became the film that would launch John Cameron Mitchell's ("Shortbus," "Rabbit Hole") film directing career, "Hedwig" was an off-Broadway musical with text by Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. In its original off-Broadway run, Mitchell played Hedwig. Harris, who had a career resurgence after taking a supporting role in CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," hosted this year's Tonys and is hosting this year's Emmys. Mitchell's currently working on a sequel to "Hedwig" and had a recurring role on the last season of "Girls." The one-man show, produced by David Binder ("Legally Blonde," "33 Variations"), is set to premiere in April 2014.

DreamWorks Animation Will Premiere New Original TV Series Based on Its Characters on Netflix

Madeline Raynor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:28:38 GMT

DreamWorks Animation is getting into the TV business with Netflix. Netflix announced today that it will be teaming up with DreamWorks for a multi-year deal to premiere web-original series from the company behind the "Shrek," "Madagascar," "Kung Fu Panda" and "How to Train Your Dragon" franchises on the streaming service. It's the largest deal for original first-run content in Netflix history, and also marks DreamWorks Animation's big venture into bringing the characters from its films to the TV medium (as well as ones from the Classic Media library it acquired, which includes "Casper the Friendly Ghost," "Lassie," "Rocky & Bullwinkle," "The Lone Ranger" and more). The initiative is part of DreamWorks' effort to expand television production and distribution worldwide, and will include over 300 hours of new programming, with the first series stated to air in 2014. READ MORE: DreamWorks is Partnering With Netflix on the Streaming Site's First Original...