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Breaking Film and TV Industry News — March 30

More of this month's news for industry insiders.
IndieWire’s Film & TV Industry Breaking News Roundup

Friday, March 30

– Martin Scorsese will receive the honorary Carrosse d’Or (Golden Coach) award at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight, which celebrates its 50th anniversary as a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival. The filmmaker will be given the award during the opening night of Directors’ Fortnight on May 9. As part of the tribute, Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” will be screened, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker.

Thursday, March 29

– The Tribeca Film Festival has announced the addition of new film, TV, Tribeca Talks, and Tribeca Immersive programming, to round out its 2018 slate.

The festival has added the world premiere of “Horses: Patti Smith and her Band,” Steven Sebring’s documentary film capturing the final performance of Patti Smith’s iconic “Horses” at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Following the special screening at the Beacon Theatre, Smith and her band will perform some of their most popular songs. Tribeca Immersive has added the world premiere of “Jack: Part One.” From the Emmy Award-winning creators of INVASIONS!, ASTEROIDS! and Rainbow Crow comes Baobab Studios’ latest visionary animation that lets viewers enter the world of Jack from the classic fairytale in a groundbreaking blend of VR and immersive theater that must be seen to be believed. Plus, the Tribeca TV program expands with the world premiere of “Enhanced,” an ESPN docuseries from Executive Producers Alex Gibney and Brad Hebert, that explores the frontiers of sports training, technology and recovery, as boundary-pushing innovations propel human athletic achievement to its limits.

TIME’S UP will host its inaugural New York event during the Tribeca Film Festival. The program will feature compelling conversations with activists, filmmakers, storytellers, lawyers and more including early TIME’S UP supporters such as Ashley Judd and Julianne Moore as well as Fatima Goss Graves (National Women’s Law Center), Robin Morgan (celebrated poet and activist), Mónica Ramírez (Alianza Nactional de Campesinas), and more. The day will explore how we got here, the women who came before us to make this work possible, and what’s next for TIME’S UP and beyond.

– The Screen Actors Guild announced key SAG Awards dates, which will honor the outstanding film and television performances of 2018. The 25th annual SAG Awards will take place on Sunday, January 27, 2019, and will be broadcast on TNT and TBS. Submissions for nomination consideration open on July 30, 2018 and will close on October 22. Nominations will be announced on December 12.

– The Producers Guild of America announced panelists for its 10th annual Produced By Conference (PBC), to be held June 9-10 in Los Angeles. Headliners include Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, Kevin Feige, Jim Gianopulos, and Larry Gordon. Newly added panelists include Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato, Dan Bucatinsky, Jack Davis, Andrew Goldberg, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Dan Harmon, David Lancaster, Jordan Horowitz, and Lynette Howell Taylor.

Tuesday, March 27

– Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired U.S. rights to “The Last Race,” renowned photographer Michael Dweck’s feature documentary debut about Riverhead Raceway, the last operating stock-car racetrack on Long Island. Magnolia is targeting a 2018 release for the film, which recently world-premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical and audience acclaim.

– The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced that Jeremy Irons, Morgan Freeman, and Julie Taymor have been added as presenters for the 45th Chaplin Award Gala honoring Helen Mirren on Monday, April 30, 2018 in Alice Tully Hall.

The Chaplin Award Gala will celebrate the Academy Award–winning actress and beloved figure of stage, screen, and television who has bestowed upon the world a series of iconic performances in a career spanning more than 50 years. The annual event will be attended by a host of notable guests and presenters and will include movie and interview clips, culminating in the presentation of the Chaplin Award.

– Marking its 20 anniversary, the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) announced today that acclaimed writer/director Sean Baker will be named the 2018 “Filmmaker on the Edge.” Baker will be in attendance to accept the award in conversation with resident artist John Waters on Saturday, June 16. Additionally, actress Chloë Grace Moretz will receive the festival’s second annual “Next Wave Award,” which recognizes those who have exciting and distinctive voices, take artistic risks, and have a passionate commitment to independent film.

PIFF also announced that the festival will kick off with the New England premiere of “Wild Nights With Emily,” a dramatic comedy about the secret life of Emily Dickinson, portrayed by Molly Shannon. Hailed by IndieWire as “the best lesbian comedy in years,” this independent film explores Dickinson’s vivacious, irreverent side — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival where it received rave reviews. Writer/director Madeleine Olnek was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for the film. The Opening Night Film will screen on Wednesday, June 13 at Provincetown Town Hall.

The Provincetown International Film Festival runs June 13 – 17, 2018 in Provincetown, MA.

– The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) returns to Bentonville, Arkansas May 1-6 and has announced two featured titles: Its Opening Night Selection is the world premiere of Elissa Down’s “The Honor List” and the festival will present a Centerpiece Screening of Lea Thompson’s “The Year of Extraordinary Men.” BFF will team with the founding sponsor for the world premiere of Tracey Aivaz’s short film “The Box,” commissioned by Walmart to celebrate the art of storytelling.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting these trailblazing women in the beautiful region of Northwest Arkansas at the fourth installment of BFF,” said co-founder Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actor and founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. “This IS the Year of the Woman, and BFF is proud to be at the forefront of this seismic change. If they can see it, they can be it!” You can see more information about the festival right here.

– Filmmaker Ursula Meier has been named the President of the Jury of the Caméra d’or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Along with six other jury members, Meier will select the best first film presented in the Official Selection, the Semaine de la Critique, and the Directors’ Fortnight.

“A first film,” said the newly appointed President, “is the place of all possibilities, of all audacity, of all risk-taking, of all madness. It is often said that you should not put everything into a first film but the opposite is true, you should put in exactly that – everything – just as you should put everything into every film while always preserving deep within yourself that original, vital, brutal, wild desire of the first time. What immense excitement and joy to discover all these films!”

Meier and her jury will present the Caméra d’or award at the Closing Ceremony of the Festival de Cannes on Saturday, May 19. The winning film will succeed Léonor Serraille’s “Montparnasse Bienvenüe,” presented in the Official Selection – Un Certain Regard last year.

Monday, March 26

– A24 and John Hodges jointly announced today that Hodges, one of the founding members, will be leaving the studio to focus on future opportunities. Hodges has been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012. No additional changes in management will be made and A24 will continue to develop and produce a growing slate of content across film and television.

“John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful,” noted A24. “Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we can’t wait to see what he does next.”

Added Hodges, “I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. Over the past six years I have been fortunate to work with a diverse group of talented storytellers across film and TV and look forward to continuing those collaborations in my future endeavors.”

A24 was launched in 2012. Since inception it has produced and/or released dozens of film and television projects.

– Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired North American rights to Colin McIvor’s “Zoo.” The film stars Art Parkinson, Penelope Wilton, and Toby Jones. The film is slated for an early June release. Based on a true story, Tom (Art Parkinson) and his misfit friends fight to save Buster the baby elephant during the air raids on Belfast in 1941.

Thursday, March 22

– Vega Baby Releasing, a film finance, production and distribution company, announced today they have entered into a multi-picture deal with writer-director Justin Lee’s Papa Octopus Productions. This deal comes on the tail of Vega Baby’s acquisition of “Big Legend,” Lee’s most recent directorial venture, which will have a multi-platform release this summer.

The deal includes five, fully funded feature films which will be released across North America through Vega Baby’s current worldwide output deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The first film, an action/noir titled “Heavy,” heads into production this summer. The film centers on two hardboiled detectives in a small seaside community that uncover a massive human trafficking ring.

– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to Julien Faraut’s “John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection,” which just had its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. O-Scope will release the film theatrically in August 2018 at Film Forum in New York City, with national expansion to follow.

Written and directed by Faraut and narrated by Mathieu Amalric, the film “revisits the rich bounty of 16-mm-shot footage of the left-handed tennis star John McEnroe, at the time the world’s top-ranked player, as he competes in the French Open at Paris’s Roland Garros Stadium. Close-ups and slow motion sequences of McEnroe competing, as well as instances of his notorious temper tantrums, highlight a ‘man who played on the edge of his senses.’ Far from a traditional documentary, Faraut probes the archival film to unpack both McEnroe’s attention to the sport and the footage itself, creating a lively and immersive look at a driven athlete, a study on the sport of tennis and the human body and movement, and finally how these all intersect with cinema itself.”

Wednesday, March 21

– The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) has announced its full line-up, including its Centerpiece, Spotlight, Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative, Documentary, and Short Films. The Festival also announced its five SFF Focus Panels – Sports in Cinema, Environment, Science, and Sustainability, Women’s Comedic Voices, Redefining Manhood, and Musings on Musicians. You can see the full lineup here.

In the Festival’s Centerpiece section is “1985,” about a closeted gay man, unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, staring Academy Award-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, who will be attendance at the Festival. Also a Centerpiece selection is Bo Burnham’s feature film directorial debut, “Eighth Grade,” a portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality. Burnham will be in attendance for a Q&A following the film’s screening during the Festival.

Tuesday, March 20

– Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival announced its full film lineup for the upcoming 25th edition, April 26 – May 6, at a press conference this morning at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. From 3059 film submissions, this year’s slate will present 246 films and 16 interdisciplinary projects from 56 countries in 14 screening programs, with work by female filmmakers representing 50 per cent of the 2018 program.

“Formidable filmmakers, in unrelenting pursuit of the truth are a hallmark of this year’s Hot Docs Festival programming, and Toronto audiences have the chance to explore stories from around the world, and engage with the people who tell them,” said Shane Smith, director of programming for Hot Docs. “As we celebrate 25 years of Hot Docs, it’s exciting to see that documentary storytelling is as outstanding and outspoken as ever, a vital cultural force in connecting us to our world and to each other.” You can see the full lineup here.

– The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) announced today the screenwriters and mentors for the 18th annual Screenwriters Lab, which will take place April 6 – 8, in East Hampton, New York. The Lab pairs rising screenwriters with established and knowledgeable screenwriters, directors, and producers for a weekend of one-on-one mentoring sessions.

The three selected screenplays for 2018 are Esra Saydam’s “The Mesopotamian,” Anu Valia’s “We Strangers,” and Aemilia Scott’s “Birthday Suit.” Full bios of all Lab participants are included below. For the first time ever, all of the selected lab participants are women. The Master Class will take place at 6:00PM on Saturday, April 7 at the Ross School in East Hampton. Tickets are available for purchase here.

– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Amy Scott’s documentary “Hal,” following its world premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. O-Scope will release the film theatrically in 2018.

Although Hal Ashby directed a remarkable string of acclaimed, widely admired classics throughout the 1970s, he is often overlooked amid the crowd of luminaries from his generation. Amy Scott’s exuberant portrait explores that curious oversight, using rare archival materials, interviews, personal letters, and audio recordings to reveal a passionate, obsessive artist. A Hollywood director who constantly clashed with Hollywood, Ashby’s films were an elusive blend of honesty, irreverence, humor, and humanity. Through HAL, you feel buoyed by Ashby’s love of people and of cinema, a little like walking on water.

– The Austin Film Festival (AFF) has announced a partnership with acclaimed producer Barry Josephson to present the inaugural Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowship as an extension of its 2018 Script Competitions. This new opportunity will provide a one-on-one mentorship in Los Angeles for two fellows – one writer or writing team with a feature script and one writer or writing team with a teleplay pilot – selected from the Final Round of this year’s competition. Fellows will be chosen based on the writers and scripts that imbue the most promise for development.

Finalists in the feature and teleplay pilot categories of the Screenplay Competition will be invited to apply and AFF will select the top writers for Josephson Entertainment to further review. The selected fellows will be announced and presented by Barry Josephson at the Awards Luncheon on October 27, 2018. Each fellow will be flown to Los Angeles to be mentored by Barry and take meetings with various executives from Josephson Entertainment to take their writing to the next level. A maximum of $500 for airfare and maximum of $1200 for hotel will be provided per selected script for each fellow.

Submissions are now open with an Early Deadline of March 30, Regular Deadline of April 20, and Late Deadline of May 15.

– Passion River Films has acquired the rights to Jon Kean’s “After Auschwitz,” a “post-Holocaust” documentary that follows six extraordinary women after their liberation from Nazi concentration camps, capturing what it means to move from tragedy and trauma towards life. Following its North American premiere in Toronto on April 14, the film will have its U.S. theatrical premiere in New York City April 20 and then roll out to select theaters across the country, including Los Angeles and Miami.

Monday, March 19

– This year’s 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, running April 18 – 29, will play home to a number of splashy celebrations, inclduing the anniversaries of “Schindler’s List,” “Scarface,” and “In the Soup,” all supported by big screen showings and star-packed conversations. See the full list of events, including information on passes and tickets, right here.

Director Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special post-screening conversation with Spielberg and actors Liam Neeson, Sir Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davidtz, and more. “Scarface” will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a screening and conversation with director Brian De Palma and actors Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. Anniversary celebrations of “Schindler’s List” and “Scarface” will take place at the Beacon Theatre, tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 20 at 10:00 a.m.

Director Alexandre Rockwell’s hidden treasure, “In the Soup,” celebrates its 25th anniversary with the exclusive world premiere 4K restoration, followed by a conversation with the director, actors Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Beals, Sam Rockwell, and cinematographer Phil Parmet.

Elsewhere at the fest, the Tribeca Talks program returns this year featuring an exciting lineup of discussions with acclaimed filmmakers, artists, entertainers, and icons. Groundbreaking filmmakers participating in the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series include Alexander Payne, Lesli Linka Glatter, Jason Reitman, Laura Poitras, and Nancy Meyers.

Tribeca Talks: Storytellers, which spotlights pioneering creators who work across mediums to tell their stories, will feature an eclectic lineup of entertainers including Bradley Cooper, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee, John Legend, Edward Burns, and Jamie Foxx. Debuting this year is Tribeca Talks: The Journey, which will feature a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker about her career path across multiple endeavors.

Friday, March 16

 The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF), running April 13 – 22, today announced Golden Globe-nominated and Independent Spirit Award-nominated Eric Stoltz’s coming-of-age comedy “Class Rank” as its Opening Night film and Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning Rory Kennedy’s “Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow” as its Closing Night film for the 20th anniversary edition. The festival also announced that renowned actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award-nominated actress Virginia Madsen will be honored with Career Achievement Awards during the closing weekend.

– The 6th Annual Louisiana Film Festival announced its main slate for this year’s event, set to hit Baton Rouge, LA from April 19 – 22, including a special preview screening of Alex Shebanow’s “Fail State” at LSU on Wednesday, April 18.

Opening night features the Louisiana premiere of Ethan Hawke’s “Blaze,” a biopic of the late singer songwriter Blaze Foley that stars Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton Sam Rockwell, Charlie Sexton,
Wyatt Russell, Steve Zahn, and Kris Kristofferson. Closing the festival on April 22 will be the Louisiana premiere of Michael Berry’s “Stuck,” starring Giancarlo Esposito, Amy Madigan, Ashanti, Arden Cho, Omar Chaparro, Gerard Canonico, and Tim Young.

Other highlights include the second edition of the Dan Ireland New Voices/New Visions competition, named after filmmaker and founding LIFF artistic director Dan Ireland, who passed away suddenly in 2016. That lineup includes “And Then I Go,” “Brimstone & Glory,” “The Guilty,” “The Light of the Moon,” “Montparnasse Bienvenue,” and “Stealing Rodin.”

Elsewhere, the Southern Perspectives section includes a selection of films from or focusing on the southern United States. In addition to opening and closing nights, this year’s festival also features two other gala presentations: “American Animals” from director Bart Layton and starring Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Udo Kier, and Ann Dowd; and Brett Haley’s “Hearts Beat Loud,” starring Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Blythe Danner, and Toni Collette. You can see the full lineup right here.

Thursday, March 15

– A24 has announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to “Native Son,” a new adaptation of the groundbreaking Richard Wright novel written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and to be directed by celebrated conceptual artist Rashid Johnson. This will be the first feature film directed by Johnson.

The movie takes place in present day Chicago (Johnson’s hometown), with Ashton Sanders in final negotiations to take on the iconic role of Bigger Thomas.​ The remaining cast in negotiations to join the film features Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, and Bill Camp, with other roles filling out shortly​. Award-winning cinematographer Matthew Libatique will be the director of photography.

– Aspen Film, a year-round film arts and education organization, has announced its program for the 27th Aspen Shortsfest, which will bring the top international filmmaking talent to Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House and Carbondale’s Crystal Theatre from April 3 – 8. The festival explores unique themes through a series of 11 programs that feature the newest and most innovative works of short form cinema. The 2018 slate of films features 4 world premieres, 4 international premieres, 9 North American premieres and 6 US premieres from filmmakers representing 29 countries. More than 2,500 films were considered, and 77 chosen. You can see the full lineup right here.

– GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights to “Fireworks,” from director Nobuyuki Takeuchi and general director Akiyuki Shinbo. GKIDS will release the film theatrically in Summer 2018.

Producer Genki Kawamura follows up his mega-hit “Your Name” with “another tale of star-crossed teenage lovers with a sci-fi fantasy twist. Shy Norimichi and fast-talking Yusuke, are goo-goo-eyed over the same elusive classmate, Nazuna. But Nazuna, unhappy over her mother’s decision to remarry and leave their countryside town, plans to run away and has secretly chosen Norimichi to accompany her. When things don’t go as planned, Norimichi discovers that a glowing multi-color ball found in the sea has the power to reset the clock and give them a second chance to be together. But each reset adds new complications and takes them farther and farther away from the real world – until they risk losing sight of reality altogether.”

– Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, and China-based Ace Film HK Company Limited (ACE) have purchased the New Horizons Picture library, encompassing 270 Roger Corman films and an action sci-fi TV series from Roger and Julie Corman for an undisclosed sum. This deal grants Shout! Factory all rights to the iconic New Horizons library in North America, Europe, Australia, and Russia. ACE secured all rights for China, Asia, Africa, and South America.

Shout! Factory and Ace Film plan to support these 270 titles with a long-term growth strategy that entails new content development, remakes, merchandise licensing programs, digital media initiatives, and content syndication (streaming, TV, EST, and VOD) to domestic and international territories. Future endeavors on the movie/series remake of select film properties will be developed, produced, and distributed either by Shout’s filmed entertainment production and distribution arm, Shout! Studios or ACE and its various strategic partners in Asia.

Wednesday, March 14

– The 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival, running April 4 – 17 at venues in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, has announced its full lineup for this year’s edition. This year’s festival includes 183 films, with 8 world premieres, 5 North American premieres, and 6 U.S. premieres.

The Festival’s Opening Night selection is Silas Howard’s “A Kid Like Jake,” starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, and Octavia Spencer. Closing Night will be Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, and Jack Black. The Festival’s 2018 award and tributes include honors for Wayne Wang (A Tribute to Wayne Wang), Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award), Annette Insdorf (Mel Novikoff Award), and Nathaniel Dorsky (Persistence of Vision Award), along with the previously announced Tribute to Charlize Theron. You can see the full list of films and events right here.

Tuesday, March 13

– The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival has announced its lineup of 55 diverse and engaging short films in competition, including 29 world premieres. The selected shorts include a cross-section of international and U.S. filmmakers and were curated from a record 4,754 submissions. For the second year running, 40% of the selections are directed by female filmmakers.

The short films will be presented in 10 distinct competition programs, which consist of five narrative, three documentary, one animation, and one hybrid program. The Shorts Film program runs throughout the Festival, April 18 – 29. See the full shorts lineup right here.

– Hot Docs has announced 17 additional documentary features that will screen in this year’s Special Presentations program, you can see the new films here. Special Presentations features a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award winners from the recent international festival circuit and works by master filmmakers or featuring some star subjects. Special Presentations will screen as part of the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, running April 26 – May 6.

The complete Special Presentations program and the full selection of films to screen at Hot Docs 2018 will be announced on March 20, including the 2018 opening night film.

– Award-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, director of the “The Florida Project” and “Tangerine,” has been named the 2018 Hirshon Director in Residence at the School of Media Studies at The New School. Baker, who took editing courses at The New School in 2000, will serve as director of the School of Media Studies’ annual Dorothy H. Hirshon Film Festival and lead master classes in which he will share his filmmaking process with students on March 26 and 27.

– Indie Grits Labs, in partnership with the Nickelodeon Theatre, has announced the full schedule of films selected for the 12th annual Indie Grits Festival. Twice named one of the 20 “Coolest Film Festivals” in the world by Moviemaker Magazine [2012 & 2014], this year’s festival offers 83 films celebrating gritty, contemporary culture of the South and Southern stories by filmmakers from all across the country and beyond. For the full schedule of arts, music and cultural events and happenings at this year’s Indie Grits Festival, please visit IndieGrits.org.

Monday, March 12

– NEON has announced the acquisition of Gene Graham’s new documentary, “This One’s For the Ladies.” The film is premiering this evening at the SXSW Film Festival as part of the Documentary Feature Competition. The purchase marks the first pickup for NEON out of this year’s festival. Per the film’s official synopsis, “On Thursday evenings, a children’s karate school transforms into a male strip joint. Hundreds of women convene for a potluck fund raiser and the opportunity to throw singles at the hot New Jersey Nasty Boyz. ‘This One’s For The Ladies’ isn’t just about the tips or the dancing. It’s a heartwarming story about friendship, community, these incredible women and the resilience they show toward whatever comes their way.”

– The San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) Launch program will return this year “to provide a platform for a select group of exceptional films just beginning their distribution journey.” In Launch’s second year, five documentary features within the official lineup of the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival have been selected to have their world premieres. Those films include: Matthew Testa’s “The Human Element,” Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink’s “The Rescue List,” Denali Tiller’s “Tre Masion Dasan,” Alexandra Cuerdo’s “Ulam: Main Dish,” and Suzannah Herbert’s “Wrestle.”

– Magnolia Pictures has announced that they have entered into a co-distribution deal with Great Point Media and will partner on the U.S. release of David and Nathan Zellner’s “Damsel.” Directed by the Zellners, the film stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. The film is also screening today at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, the Zellners’ hometown. It will hit theaters later this summer.

– Nitehawk Cinema’s Nitehawk Shorts Festival will return for a sixth year over November 7 – 12, 2018. The Festival features six days of screenings, special events, and parties that highlights and supports a diverse range of voices in short films. As the festival continues to expand, this year the Festival will also include more prize partners, new workshops and even the inclusion of Nitehawk Cinema’s second location.

– The 13th Annual Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (MBIFF) has set this year’s festival dates for April 16 – 21, 2018.

Thursday, March 8

– Full Frame has announced its lineup for this year’s edition of the festival, and it can be viewed in full right here.

– Boots Riley’s “Sorry to Bother You” will be the Centerpiece event for the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival. The film received support from the festival’s artist development programs at different points in its production, and it will have two back-to-back screenings, one in SF and one in Oakland, where the film is set and was shot.

– Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media will release legendary artist and AIDS activist Vincent Gagliostro’s debut feature “After Louie” released on March 30, 2018 in New York City, day-and-date with a VOD release on digital HD across cable, internet and satellite platforms.

“After Louie” stars Alan Cumming as Sam, an artist and activist from ACT UP who lived through the early years of HIV/AIDS and is struggling with survivor’s guilt and Zachary Booth as Braeden, a seductive younger man that Sam meets in a bar. The pair drop their pants and quickly thereafter Sam drops his emotional guard. The pair develop an intergenerational relationship reawakening Sam’s artistic soul and reviving his wilted heart.

– Curated film streaming platform MUBI has announced its first non-fiction theatrical acquisition, Stephen Nomura Schible’s “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” an intimate documentary about the renowned Japanese composer and how the evolution of his music coincided with his life journeys.

The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, will make its North American bow at the Tribeca Film Festival next month. MUBI will release the film in theaters in the U.S. later this year, followed by an exclusive streaming premiere on MUBI after the conclusion of the theatrical run.

– Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired all U.S. rights to the timely documentary “Half the Picture.” Tackling the issue of gender equality when it comes to the hiring of film and television directors in Hollywood, the film was directed by Amy Adrion. The film will be in theaters in June 2018 and will be available on VOD and Digital HD on July 10, 2018.

Wednesday, March 7

– Seed&Spark, the crowdfunding platform with the highest campaign success rate in the world, has opened the call for submissions for Communal Nightmares, a crowdfunding rally for feature genre films that bring society’s nightmares to life. With partners 3311 Productions and The Orchard, they’re awarding one film $25,000, a first look distribution deal and executive producership.

To participate, filmmakers must submit a crowdfunding campaign for a feature genre film on Seed&Spark by May 1, 2018. All campaigns will launch on May 14, 2018 and end on June 15, 2018. Campaigns that raise a minimum of $7,500 in cash contributions and gather at least 1,000 followers become eligible for the grand prize, which will be announced in late June. The best pitches will make it clear why genre is the best format for telling the story you want to tell. Full entry information and key dates can be found at www.seedandspark.com/nightmares.

– Magnolia Pictures has announced that they have acquired North American rights to “Support the Girls,” the new film from writer/director Andrew Bujalski. Regina Hall stars as a restaurant manager who may not love her job but loves her employees like family. The film co-stars Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHayle, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer, James Le Gros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, and Lea DeLaria.

The film will have its world premiere Friday in the Narrative Spotlight section at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Magnolia plans a theatrical release this year.

– A24 has acquired the feature script “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” written by Kristen Ropuenian, author of the hugely popular New Yorker fiction story “Cat Person.” Upon its publication last December, “Cat Person” turned into a viral phenomenon, becoming the most read fiction story the New Yorker published throughout all of 2017.

“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is Ropuenian’s first foray into the screenwriting space, and infuses a similarly fresh, incisive perspective into the horror genre, mixing together elements of “shrewd character study, mystery, and deep-seeded scares.” This is A24’s first spec purchase, and they are fast-tracking it for production.

– The CW has picked up the 10-hour fantasy-adventure series “The Outpost,” set to air this summer.

“The Outpost” stars Jessica Green (“Ash vs Evil Dead”) as Talon, the lone survivor of a race called “Blackbloods.” Per the logline, “Years after her entire village is destroyed by a gang of brutal mercenaries, Talon travels to a lawless fortress on the edge of the civilized world, as she tracks the killers of her family. On her journey to this outpost, Talon discovers she possesses a mysterious supernatural power that she must learn to control in order to save herself, and defend the world against a fanatical religious dictator.”

Jake Stormoen (“Extinct,” “Mythica”), Imogen Waterhouse (“Nocturnal Animals”, “Braid”) Andrew Howard (“Hatfields and McCoys,” “Hell on Wheels”), Anand Desai-Barochia (“Emmerdale,” “Lake Mead”) and Robyn Malcolm (“Top of the Lake,” “Hostiles”) also star.

Electric Entertainment and Arrowstorm Entertainment are behind the show, from executive producers Dean Devlin (“Stargate,” “The Librarians”), Jonathan Glassner (“Stargate SG-1”) and Jason Faller and Kynan Griffin, who created the series.

The show joins a summer lineup that also includes “Supergirl,” “The Originals,” “The 100,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and “Masters of Illusion.”

– Author and producer Harlan Coben has been named jury president for the first-ever Canneseries TV festival’s official competition, which takes place April 7 to 11. The U.S.-based Coben will be joined on the panel by actress Paula Beer (Germany), screenwriter and director Audrey Fouché (France), actress Melisa Sözen (Turkey), composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Chile/Canada) and actor Michael K. Williams (USA).

The jury will screen the first episodes of ten international series and decide who will take home the six awards handed out on April 11, during an awards ceremony. The ten series competing in the official competition will be announced March 13.

“This is such a tremendous honor for me. We are living in the golden age of TV, so to be able to highlight and judge the best and most innovative new series from all over the globe is a thrill,” declares Harlan Coben.

Coben’s novels include “Home,” “Fool Me Once,” “The Stranger,” “Missing You,” “Six Years,” “Stay Close,” “Live Wire,” “Caught,” “Long Lost” and “Hold Tight.” He’s the creator and executive producer behind the upcoming Netflix drama “Safe,” starring Michael C. Hall, as well as Sky’s British crime drama “The Five.”

Monday, March 5

– Netflix has renewed the Emmy-winning anthology series “Black Mirror” for a Season 5. Check out the teaser announcement below, as well as IndieWire’s Season 4 coverage here.

– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Alexandria Bombach’s award-winning documentary “On Her Shoulders.” The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where Bombach won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary. It will next be presented at SXSW and O-Scope is planning a theatrical release for later in 2018.

Friday, March 2

– “Search Party” co-creator Charles Rogers and series writer Jordan Firstman will screen their new short “Men Don’t Whisper” at this month’s SXSW Film Festival, following a debut at Sundance. Vimeo has acquired the short and will release it on March 14.

The pair are also working with ICM to shop a feature adaptation of the film, which stars both Rogers and Firstman as a gay couple who, “after being emasculated at a sales conference…decide the only way to regain their confidence and prove their masculinity is to sleep with some women. When they meet fellow conference attendees and pleasure seekers Beth (Bridey Elliott) and Dominique (Clare McNulty), it seems like a perfect match. Unfortunately, sealing the deal is easier said than done.”

– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to the latest film from Josephine Decker, “Madeline’s Madeline.” The film had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with an international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was met with universal acclaim. O-Scope is planning a theatrical release for later in 2018.

Of the acquisition, filmmaker Decker said, “Oscilloscope is like the Alice Cooper of film distribution. They rock hard; they throw audiences out of their minds; they never overdose. Many of my favorite films in recent years are Oscilloscope films. They are daring and bold in the films they support, and they know how to reach audiences hungry for a mindfuck. I’m honored to be working with them.”

Thursday, March 1

– SFFILM has announced that acclaimed actor Charlize Theron will be honored during the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival with a special tribute, followed by a screening of her new film, Jason Reitman’s “Tully.” The intimate onstage conversation and the screening will take place Sunday, April 8, at 7:30pm at the Castro Theatre.

– Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has announced that filmmaker Martin Scorsese will be given the inaugural Robert Osborne Award in recognition of his work as a film preservationist and impassioned classic movie fan. The Robert Osborne Award will be given out annually at the TCM Classic Film Festival to a recipient whose work has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic films alive and thriving for generations to come.

The award will be presented on April 26 during opening night of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival.

– The Film Society of Lincoln Center is pleased to announce Mikhail Baryshnikov, Vin Diesel, and Taylor Hackford as the first round of presenters for the 45th Chaplin Award Gala honoring Helen Mirren on Monday, April 30 in Alice Tully Hall.

– FilmRise has acquired from Wild West Productions the worldwide distribution rights to John Keating’s (“Race To World First,”) “Gamechangers: Dreams of Blizzcon,” a feature-length documentary film that enters the intense realm of professional esports.

FilmRise will release the film on June 12. The film was produced by Wild West Productions with producers Peter Billingsley, Daniel Chalfen, Zachary Henderson, and Vince Vaughn.

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