Projects include ‘Orange World’, the latest from ’Sunlight’ filmmaker Claire Dix.
Katie Holly’s Irish production company Blinder Films, the outfit behind Extra Ordinary, Mr Malcolm’s List, Love And Friendship and Dublin premiere Sunlight, has re-launched as Keeper Pictures, with an expanded team and a bustling slate of development projects.
Long-standing Keeper Pictures producer Yvonne Donohoe has been promoted to a newly created role, head of creative. Evan Horan, who was associate producer on Mr Malcolm’s List, has been promoted to producer. Amy Carroll has joined as development executive, previously working at South of the River and Kudos,...
Katie Holly’s Irish production company Blinder Films, the outfit behind Extra Ordinary, Mr Malcolm’s List, Love And Friendship and Dublin premiere Sunlight, has re-launched as Keeper Pictures, with an expanded team and a bustling slate of development projects.
Long-standing Keeper Pictures producer Yvonne Donohoe has been promoted to a newly created role, head of creative. Evan Horan, who was associate producer on Mr Malcolm’s List, has been promoted to producer. Amy Carroll has joined as development executive, previously working at South of the River and Kudos,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan and George Clooney add names to open letter.
Industry opposition to the Us Academy’s plan to present four Oscars during commercial breaks in this year’s Academy Awards telecast appears to be growing fast.
On Thursday (Feb 14), industry notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro and David Heyman added their names to the list of signatories to an open letter protesting the plan, which would affect the Oscar presentations in the cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling categories.
At least two trade organisations,...
Industry opposition to the Us Academy’s plan to present four Oscars during commercial breaks in this year’s Academy Awards telecast appears to be growing fast.
On Thursday (Feb 14), industry notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro and David Heyman added their names to the list of signatories to an open letter protesting the plan, which would affect the Oscar presentations in the cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling categories.
At least two trade organisations,...
- 2/15/2019
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan and George Clooney add names to open letter.
Industry opposition to the Us Academy’s plan to present four Oscars during commercial breaks in this year’s Academy Awards telecast appears to be growing fast.
On Thursday (14), industry notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro and David Heyman added their names to the list of signatories to an open letter protesting the plan, which would affect the Oscar presentations in the cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling categories.
At least two trade organisations, meanwhile,...
Industry opposition to the Us Academy’s plan to present four Oscars during commercial breaks in this year’s Academy Awards telecast appears to be growing fast.
On Thursday (14), industry notables including Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro and David Heyman added their names to the list of signatories to an open letter protesting the plan, which would affect the Oscar presentations in the cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling categories.
At least two trade organisations, meanwhile,...
- 2/15/2019
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeffery Rifflard, Derek John Drescher, Michael Draper, Peter Simpson, Dana Millican, Alyssa McKay, Ryan Joiner, Michael J. Prosser, Jeff Kober, Spencer S. Hanley | Written by Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini | Directed by Debra Granik
Will (Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (McKenzie), have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland, Oregon. When their idyllic life is shattered, both are put into social services. After clashing with their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a harrowing journey back to their wild homeland.
Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace is a masterstroke of stoic intensity and a boiling pot of emotional performance from the two leads: in the ever so cleverly charismatic and convincing Ben Foster as Will, and the outstanding role of Tom by the reserve and emotionally compelling Thomasin McKenzie.
Granik continues her trend throughout her filmography – much like her...
Will (Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (McKenzie), have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland, Oregon. When their idyllic life is shattered, both are put into social services. After clashing with their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a harrowing journey back to their wild homeland.
Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace is a masterstroke of stoic intensity and a boiling pot of emotional performance from the two leads: in the ever so cleverly charismatic and convincing Ben Foster as Will, and the outstanding role of Tom by the reserve and emotionally compelling Thomasin McKenzie.
Granik continues her trend throughout her filmography – much like her...
- 11/12/2018
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
It received development backing from Screen Ireland’s latest funding round.
Ireland’s Element Pictures is to reunite with author Emma Donoghue on The Wonder following their successful collaboration on the Oscar-winning Room.
Element will produce Donoghue’s 2016 novel set just after the Irish Famine in the late 1840s, about an 11 year-old girl who is rumoured to have survived without food for months. The project has received €50,000 in development funding from Screen Ireland in its latest round of awards.
Donoghue received one of four Oscar nominations for Room for her adapted screenplay, with the film winning best actress for Brie Larson...
Ireland’s Element Pictures is to reunite with author Emma Donoghue on The Wonder following their successful collaboration on the Oscar-winning Room.
Element will produce Donoghue’s 2016 novel set just after the Irish Famine in the late 1840s, about an 11 year-old girl who is rumoured to have survived without food for months. The project has received €50,000 in development funding from Screen Ireland in its latest round of awards.
Donoghue received one of four Oscar nominations for Room for her adapted screenplay, with the film winning best actress for Brie Larson...
- 11/5/2018
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
It received development backing from Screen Ireland’s latest funding round.
Ireland’s Element Pictures is to reunite with author Emma Donoghue on The Wonder following their successful collaboration on the Oscar-winning Room.
Element will produce Donoghue’s 2016 novel set just after the Irish Famine in the late 1840s, about an 11 year-old girl who is rumoured to have survived without food for months. The project has received €50,000 in development funding from Screen Ireland in its latest round of awards.
Donoghue received one of four Oscar nominations for Room for her adapted screenplay, with the film winning best actress for Brie Larson...
Ireland’s Element Pictures is to reunite with author Emma Donoghue on The Wonder following their successful collaboration on the Oscar-winning Room.
Element will produce Donoghue’s 2016 novel set just after the Irish Famine in the late 1840s, about an 11 year-old girl who is rumoured to have survived without food for months. The project has received €50,000 in development funding from Screen Ireland in its latest round of awards.
Donoghue received one of four Oscar nominations for Room for her adapted screenplay, with the film winning best actress for Brie Larson...
- 11/5/2018
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
I was going to wait until tomorrow to discuss this, but I didn’t want to make the look at the Best Supporting Actor category all about one person. That’s just not fair. So, today we consider this a Supporting Actor tease of sorts. The reason? Yesterday, Bleeker Street announced their category placements, and Ben Foster is going Supporting, as opposed to Lead. Now, Foster has gone from a possible long shot in Best Actor to arguably a likely nominee in Best Supporting Actor. That’s part of what we’ll be discussing today, with his new placement seen tomorrow in the big Supporting Actor piece… As a reminder, the movie is a character study of the highest order. Bleeker Street Media put out this plot synopsis: “Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland,...
- 9/6/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
It's risky calling a movie a work of art – the phrase can make audiences think they'll be taking medicine, swallowing something good for them when they'd rather be gorging on multiplex junk food. But there's no better term to describe the urgency and unbridled emotion of Leave No Trace. You don't just watch it as much as you absorb it until the film's ebb and flow become a part of you.
Writer-director Debra Granik's previous two fiction films are stripped-down versions of survival dramas with women at the forefront:...
Writer-director Debra Granik's previous two fiction films are stripped-down versions of survival dramas with women at the forefront:...
- 6/29/2018
- Rollingstone.com
There’s a fair amount of pressure on Debra Granik’s new indie: Every film she’s taken to Sundance has been a winner, starting with her short “Snake Feed” in 1998. In 2004, her celebrated drama “Down to the Bone” brought awards for both her and then-up-and-coming actress Vera Farmiga. And 2010’s “Winter’s Bone” went on to earn four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture and another for the film’s little-known lead, Jennifer Lawrence.
So yeah, comparisons will be made. But are they fair? Not really. It would be unlikely for any director to achieve the same sort of commercial triumph twice in a row. But it would also be understandably tempting to try.
So kudos to this subtle and intelligent filmmaker, for avoiding the enticement to lock in awards by hitting easy targets. Even the title is suggestive of Granik’s restrained approach: “Leave No Trace” is gentle and intimate and personal,...
So yeah, comparisons will be made. But are they fair? Not really. It would be unlikely for any director to achieve the same sort of commercial triumph twice in a row. But it would also be understandably tempting to try.
So kudos to this subtle and intelligent filmmaker, for avoiding the enticement to lock in awards by hitting easy targets. Even the title is suggestive of Granik’s restrained approach: “Leave No Trace” is gentle and intimate and personal,...
- 6/28/2018
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
There’s no shortage of underrated actors in the movie industry. Frankly, Hollywood is lousy with them. Few are as underrated as Ben Foster, however. Immensely talented and shockingly dedicated to not taking mere paycheck jobs, Foster offers up something special. This week, he again puts forward his huge talents in Leave No Trace, the return to feature filmmaking for Debra Granik, another underrated force. This is a captivating motion picture, one that asks questions without ever offering easy answers. Foster and Granik make a tremendous team, one that creates something deeply memorable. It won’t be for everyone, but in my humble opinion, it’s a must see. The movie is a character study of the highest order. Bleeker Street Media put out this plot synopsis: “Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland,...
- 6/27/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Cinematographer Michael McDonough met director Debra Granik in 1994, when they were both enrolled at the same NYU film studies class. Leave No Trace is their third collaboration, following Down to the Bone and Winter’s Bone, and also marks Granik’s first narrative feature in the eight years following the latter. Leave No Trace follows father Will (Ben Foster) and 12-year-old daughter Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), squatters secretly living in a forest in almost total isolation. When they’re spotted by a hiker, social workers get involved and Tom is torn from the woods, entering the social world and potential friendships for the first time. Prior to […]...
- 1/30/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ron Hogan Sep 6, 2016
Fear The Walking Dead seems to have taken lessons in building quality tension from its parent show...
This review contains spoilers.
2.10 Do Not Disturb
This is the third episode of the second half of the second season of Fear The Walking Dead, and it's the third episode in a row where two scenes have been spliced together in order to compare the situation that the two lead characters face. Alicia is risking her life to save her mother and making enemies of the surviving guests of the hotel in the process, and Chris is choosing how he wants to ride out the apocalypse, either as his father's son or as part of a gang of gun-toting frat bros. As it has for the bulk of the second season, Fear The Walking Dead continues to explore the new world, and the new way to make your way in the world.
Fear The Walking Dead seems to have taken lessons in building quality tension from its parent show...
This review contains spoilers.
2.10 Do Not Disturb
This is the third episode of the second half of the second season of Fear The Walking Dead, and it's the third episode in a row where two scenes have been spliced together in order to compare the situation that the two lead characters face. Alicia is risking her life to save her mother and making enemies of the surviving guests of the hotel in the process, and Chris is choosing how he wants to ride out the apocalypse, either as his father's son or as part of a gang of gun-toting frat bros. As it has for the bulk of the second season, Fear The Walking Dead continues to explore the new world, and the new way to make your way in the world.
- 9/6/2016
- Den of Geek
Despite being one of the most beloved art film directors of the last 30+ years, it’s a shockingly rare occasion that we are blessed with a new picture from filmmaker Terence Davies. With only Of Time And The City, a micro-budget, rarely seen essay film, Davies saw 11 years fall between The House of Mirth and his 2011 film The Deep Blue Sea. Thankfully though, that rate appears to be shrinking as his newest film, Sunset Song, debuts in theaters this weekend, and yet another film entitled A Quiet Passion is running the festival circuit.
But let’s not get ahead of things. Sunset Song premieres in limited release this weekend, and it’s yet another stunning achievement from one of the true masters of this era. Based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel of the same name, Song introduces us to Chris Guthrie, a young woman living with her family on...
But let’s not get ahead of things. Sunset Song premieres in limited release this weekend, and it’s yet another stunning achievement from one of the true masters of this era. Based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel of the same name, Song introduces us to Chris Guthrie, a young woman living with her family on...
- 5/13/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Since October, viewers have watched panic spread on an airplane in AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, and now the 16-part web series is available to watch in its entirety.
“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462” tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane during the earliest moments of the outbreak. Over the course of the series, the plane and the lives of its passengers are put in jeopardy once they discover an infected traveler. The series is written by L. Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by “Fear” director of photography Michael McDonough.
In addition, one of the characters featured in the web series, which is produced by “Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener, will join the cast of “Fear the Walking Dead” season 2.”
Video courtesy of AMC:
Alternate embed via SpoilerTV:
The post...
“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462” tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane during the earliest moments of the outbreak. Over the course of the series, the plane and the lives of its passengers are put in jeopardy once they discover an infected traveler. The series is written by L. Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by “Fear” director of photography Michael McDonough.
In addition, one of the characters featured in the web series, which is produced by “Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener, will join the cast of “Fear the Walking Dead” season 2.”
Video courtesy of AMC:
Alternate embed via SpoilerTV:
The post...
- 3/31/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Get a glimpse of the uneasy, panic-inducing beginning of takeoff in Part 1 of AMC's new web series, Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462.
"The first installment of the 16-part series will debut on AMC.com on Sunday, October 4th and will then air as promos during two commercial breaks within “The Walking Dead” season 6 premiere episode on Sunday, October 11th.
Subsequent episodes of “Flight 462,” each less than one minute long, will debut every Sunday, online and then on-air as promos during new episodes of “The Walking Dead,” for the duration of season 6. In addition, one of the characters featured in the web series, which is produced by “Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener, will join the cast of “Fear the Walking Dead” season 2.
“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462” tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane...
"The first installment of the 16-part series will debut on AMC.com on Sunday, October 4th and will then air as promos during two commercial breaks within “The Walking Dead” season 6 premiere episode on Sunday, October 11th.
Subsequent episodes of “Flight 462,” each less than one minute long, will debut every Sunday, online and then on-air as promos during new episodes of “The Walking Dead,” for the duration of season 6. In addition, one of the characters featured in the web series, which is produced by “Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener, will join the cast of “Fear the Walking Dead” season 2.
“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462” tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane...
- 10/5/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462 will be a companion series to The Walking Dead’s companion series, set on a plane…
Fear The Walking Dead is so successful that AMC has decided to expand the show with a mini-series called Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462.
This mini-series will consist of 16 short episodes, each under a minute long. They will be screened online and on the telly – debuting on the web and then airing during the commercial breaks of The Walking Dead season 6's traditional broadcast (starting with the premiere episode on Sunday the 11th of October in the Us).
Intriguingly, we’ve heard that a character from Flight 462 will join the cast of Fear The Walking Dead for season 2.
As you may have guessed, Flight 462 takes place on a plane and will consist of the passengers realising that one of their fellow travellers has become infected.
L. Signorino...
Fear The Walking Dead is so successful that AMC has decided to expand the show with a mini-series called Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462.
This mini-series will consist of 16 short episodes, each under a minute long. They will be screened online and on the telly – debuting on the web and then airing during the commercial breaks of The Walking Dead season 6's traditional broadcast (starting with the premiere episode on Sunday the 11th of October in the Us).
Intriguingly, we’ve heard that a character from Flight 462 will join the cast of Fear The Walking Dead for season 2.
As you may have guessed, Flight 462 takes place on a plane and will consist of the passengers realising that one of their fellow travellers has become infected.
L. Signorino...
- 9/29/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
Fear The Walking Dead comes to an end next week, but will continue in a way thanks to a planned web series titled Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462. The first instalment of the sixteen part show will air on AMC on October 4th, and will then be repeated during commercial breaks of the season six premiere of The Walking Dead.
From there, the Fear The Walking Dead spinoff will continue online, but is also set to be shown during future episodes of the main series (meaning there’s no way anyone is going to miss them).
The minute long episodes are actually going to introduce characters who will join the cast of Fear The Walking Dead season two, and they’re being produced by showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener. The series is written by L. Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Fear The Walking Dead...
From there, the Fear The Walking Dead spinoff will continue online, but is also set to be shown during future episodes of the main series (meaning there’s no way anyone is going to miss them).
The minute long episodes are actually going to introduce characters who will join the cast of Fear The Walking Dead season two, and they’re being produced by showrunner and executive producer Dave Erickson and co-executive producer David Wiener. The series is written by L. Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Fear The Walking Dead...
- 9/28/2015
- by Josh Wilding
- We Got This Covered
The living dead infection is going airborne. AMC has officially announced an October 4th debut for Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, a new 16-part web series featuring one character who will join the cast of Fear The Walking Dead Season 2:
Press Release: New York, NY – September 28, 2015 – “Fear the Walking Dead” may be concluding its first season this Sunday, October 4th, but “Fear” will continue to spread as AMC rolls out its newest web series, officially titled “Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462,” online beginning this fall. The first installment of the 16-part series will debut on AMC.com on Sunday, October 4th and will then air as promos during two commercial breaks within “The Walking Dead” season 6 premiere episode on Sunday, October 11th.
Subsequent episodes of “Flight 462,” each less than one minute long, will debut every Sunday, online and then on-air as promos during new episodes of “The Walking Dead,...
Press Release: New York, NY – September 28, 2015 – “Fear the Walking Dead” may be concluding its first season this Sunday, October 4th, but “Fear” will continue to spread as AMC rolls out its newest web series, officially titled “Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462,” online beginning this fall. The first installment of the 16-part series will debut on AMC.com on Sunday, October 4th and will then air as promos during two commercial breaks within “The Walking Dead” season 6 premiere episode on Sunday, October 11th.
Subsequent episodes of “Flight 462,” each less than one minute long, will debut every Sunday, online and then on-air as promos during new episodes of “The Walking Dead,...
- 9/28/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
This is a capsule review. A full review will be posted closer to release.
From its opening title cards onward, Sunset Song is promising nothing more or less than a respectful adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel of the same name. An emotional crockpot that slowly plays out over a verdant plot of Scottish farmland, Sunset Song is an impeccable celluloid translation of what it’s like to read an engrossing weepy. This makes the film liable to having chapters more sleepy than sweeping, but the greater whole is brought to life with clearness of purpose, and earnestness of feeling.
Director and adaptor Terence Davies transports you to Gibbon’s harsh but romantic story of a country lass learning to make her life her own. As the young but steadfast Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) sees her family taken away from her over a short span of years, she digs...
From its opening title cards onward, Sunset Song is promising nothing more or less than a respectful adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel of the same name. An emotional crockpot that slowly plays out over a verdant plot of Scottish farmland, Sunset Song is an impeccable celluloid translation of what it’s like to read an engrossing weepy. This makes the film liable to having chapters more sleepy than sweeping, but the greater whole is brought to life with clearness of purpose, and earnestness of feeling.
Director and adaptor Terence Davies transports you to Gibbon’s harsh but romantic story of a country lass learning to make her life her own. As the young but steadfast Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) sees her family taken away from her over a short span of years, she digs...
- 9/18/2015
- by Sam Woolf
- We Got This Covered
★★★☆☆ Earth is the fundamental element of Terence Davis' sumptuous Sunset Song (2015), a lyrical adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's 1932 novel. Like an elegant love letter to the Scottish soil and the endurance of the people it sired, it makes full use of its anamorphic 65mm format with Michael McDonough's stunning landscape compositions. Within them lies the estate of Kinraddie in rural Aberdeenshire where the narrative charts the difficulties suffered by Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) as she navigates early womanhood. While there is hardship and anguish, Davis' deliberate and treatment of the source material ultimately lessens the dramatic impact even while it retains its splendour.
- 9/16/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The proverbial Top Ten List. A sacred tradition passed down by our cinematic elders. This is the fourth time I have partaken in this holy tradition, and one thing has remained constant is that this list is never set in stone. As we catch up with more films we missed or rewatch our favorites it causes us to like a movie more or less causing this list to change. In fact in 2012 and 2013 I ended up seeing my number one film of the year after I wrote up my Top 10. So the question becomes, “Why Do it?”. Well, for one it’s fun. At least I find it an enjoyable exercise as I try to break down the year that was. I watched 163 movies that were released in 2014. Narrowing that 163 down to a Top 10 is a challenge I enjoy.
Looking at 2014 as a whole it is evident it was a pretty good year.
Looking at 2014 as a whole it is evident it was a pretty good year.
- 1/11/2015
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Stars: Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Gilly Gilchrist, Frederick Schmidt, Edna Caskey, Darren Hart, Raphael Sowole, Duncan Airlie James, Anthony Welsh, David Ajala, Jerome Bailey | Written by Jonathan Asser | Directed by David Mackenzie
There are movies that make you think. There are movies that make you question. There are movies that engage you to such a degree you are left emotionally exhausted when all is said and done. Then there are movies like Starred Up that make you do all three and so much more. Director David Mackenzie and screen writer Jonathan Asser have come together to create authentic take on the harsh conditions of prison life in Britain. Raw, brutal, and surprisingly heartfelt it examines the person behind the prison number. Never does it ever attempt to forgive its characters malicious actions—rather it brings us into the hellacious depths of their unruly world.
The term ‘Starred Up...
There are movies that make you think. There are movies that make you question. There are movies that engage you to such a degree you are left emotionally exhausted when all is said and done. Then there are movies like Starred Up that make you do all three and so much more. Director David Mackenzie and screen writer Jonathan Asser have come together to create authentic take on the harsh conditions of prison life in Britain. Raw, brutal, and surprisingly heartfelt it examines the person behind the prison number. Never does it ever attempt to forgive its characters malicious actions—rather it brings us into the hellacious depths of their unruly world.
The term ‘Starred Up...
- 10/8/2014
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Revitalizing the prison film genre by means of raw authenticity and powerful performances, David Mackenzie's ‘”Starred Up” is a bold exploration into the violent mind in the absence of freedom. A young inmate, Eric Love, played stunningly by Jack O'Connell, is adapting to the gritty environment around him. He knows that in this microcosm of hatred, ruthlessness, and frustration, he can only count on himself. However, in the same prison, his father. Neville Love (Ben Mendelsohn), is also serving his sentence. What ensues is a striking story of survival, connections, redemption, and even hope. Directed with incredible attention to the emotional journey of its characters, the film is an intense experience that finds a certain brutal humanity in every scene.
Director David Mackenzie talked to us about the emotionally charged elements of the film, depicting honest violence, and letting the magic of the moment influence his film.
Carlos Aguilar: How did you initially become involved with the project? What drew you to this story?
David Mackenzie : It came to me as a spec script from Jonathan Asser who is a talented first-time writer. He’d written it from personal experience. He has been a therapist for the British prison system. The script felt very strong, detailed, authentic, it had a very interesting kind of language and strong characters. It was not hard for me to like it. It needed some work to get us into the shape that we got today, but it was a very strong first hit as it was. I think Jonathan is a talent and it was great to get it.
Aguilar: Given the complexity of the characters portrayed in "Starred Up," how difficult was it to translate the powerful language on the page and put it into the actors' hands to shape their performance?
David Mackenzie : It’s a hard one to answer because you just do it. They interpret the good things that I hope Jonathan and I brought to the table, that was part of it. The actors also bring things to the table trying not to fall into too many clichés within the context of a genre film essentially about a prison. There are also the potential non-complex or clichéd things that you can do with that, but we tried our hardest to avoid them and to make them human. I think Jonathan's story is filled with human opportunities. Keeping the humanity and the reality of the situation, and the authenticity of the world as close to it as we could was helpful for everyone. I think everyone knew that was the approach we were using, and they filled they characters with as much detail as possible.
Aguilar: With such emotionally charged material as this, what's your approach to realize your vision from page to screen?
David Mackenzie : I look at the script as a set of ingredients. It tells you who is in the scene, it tells you roughly what the actions are, then you go into the environment and you make it come alive. That’s the idea of it. It is really not possible to talk about the specifics of it. You are just in the middle sort of dancing with the material, as a director that’s what I encourage everyone to do. We were trying to keep it very alive, very real, and very close to the material. However, we were also improvising and engaging with whatever was going to come out and give life to the material. It’s about letting the material do one thing, and then letting the magic of the moment do another thing and stirring them together.
Aguilar: What sort of research or preparation did you and your do in order to enhance the realism of the piece?
David Mackenzie : There was a lot of background research, plus being there in a real former prison with some former prison officers and former prisoners to advice us. We needed to be a little bit below the radar in terms of drawing attention to ourselves. We didn’t want to be controversial before the film was made. The real research was the combination of the actual location that we used, the people that we used to advice us, and, obviously, Jonathan’s knowledge.
Aguilar: The violence in the film has this raw and visceral quality to it, did you have any reservations or concerns in terms of its depiction?
David Mackenzie : One of the things that was scariest for me was how to make these set pieces, where the performances were very real, also look realistic. We were trying to make them feel very energized and the way we were shooting the film was a sort of like doing an aestheticized semi-documentary film. Our Dp Michael McDonough and I would never set up a frame. We always had the frame be dictated by the action, even though we both have very cinematic sensibilities. It was like pushing against that. Even within that, you obviously have some things that are much less spontaneous because the action sequences need to be choreographed for safety reasons. The challenge of how to make these non-spontaneous sequences match the others that are much more spontaneous was really hard. We had a great stunt team, they understood the game. It was very important for us to have violence that wasn’t glamorizing it in any way. It wasn’t “cool.” Violence should feel sort of painful, but we were doing that within the context of making it feel like it belongs with the rest of the film. It was a real challenge, but I think we did alright.
Aguilar: One of the strongest thematic elements in the film is this father and son relationship between Eris and Neville, did you want this to be at the center of the story? How did you go about getting these emotions across?
David Mackenzie : For me the heart and soul of the film is the relationship between the son and the father, and the fact that both of them are incredibly emotionally locked down, in particularly Neville. He solidifies his approach to everything so much that he can't move. He doesn’t have a clue of how to be a father and he really doesn’t have an interest in being a father. But somehow rather underneath all of that hardness there is an instinct that he doesn’t understand. It creeps up on him and he has to deal with it. For Eric it's different, he’s been longing to find his father who he hasn’t seen for a long time. He wants to reach out to him, but Neville doesn’t have an interest. My approach was to make sure that each character was doing what they should be doing even if it’s contradicting the other character and to push that across. I wanted the tension between them to be as tangible as possible. I’m really pleased with the way it worked out. Our approach was about letting it happen. The fact that we shot the film sequentially also helped a lot.
Aguilar: It seems like the outside world often dehumanizes those who we cannot see - people in prison for example. Was it your intention to try and bring some humanity back into the way we perceive them?
David Mackenzie : The first thing I wanted to do when I read the script was to take this hard subject and allow the humanity to come out, while also showing the hope, the humor, the need to reach out. Jack’s character Eric has no connection with anyone at the beginning of the film. But by the end of the film he’s developed a connection with his father and other inmates, which is the real source of hope in the film. That’s what I found attractive from the very beginning while reading the script, the opportunity to take a film that existed in a very hard world, a hostile and dangerous environment where there is a lot of tension, and find ways to creep in bits of humanity, bits of heart, and soul.
Aguilar: Can you tell me about your experience working with Jack O'Connell? His performance is absolutely riveting.
David Mackenzie : Working with him was fantastic. He and I discussed early on that we would try to make sure there was a very brave, totally focused, and not held back approach. Jack ran with it, and that was very exciting. Occasionally I had to kind of remind him that he was a boy as well as a man. I wanted to make sure that the softness and the vulnerability of the character was sometimes there because Jack was on fire. I knew from the beginning when I met him that we’d get something amazing, but I think that, because of the process of going on the journey, it became more amazing as we went further along.
Aguilar: Below the violence and the brutal world depicted, what's at the core of the film?
David Mackenzie : I think the film intends to create a really realistic picture of jail and a kid in this jail. It tries to shine a light on the potential humanity as well as the potential struggles that are going on there. I feel like we’ve done that, but there are no easy answers and there are no easy solutions to these things. The people there, no matter what they’ve done, are still human beings. They have their own stories of redemption and hope and everything that all humans have. I hope it is a humanistic experience.
"Starred Up" opens in NYC today at the IFC Center and the Film Society of Lincoln Center. It will open in L.A. on September 5th.
Director David Mackenzie talked to us about the emotionally charged elements of the film, depicting honest violence, and letting the magic of the moment influence his film.
Carlos Aguilar: How did you initially become involved with the project? What drew you to this story?
David Mackenzie : It came to me as a spec script from Jonathan Asser who is a talented first-time writer. He’d written it from personal experience. He has been a therapist for the British prison system. The script felt very strong, detailed, authentic, it had a very interesting kind of language and strong characters. It was not hard for me to like it. It needed some work to get us into the shape that we got today, but it was a very strong first hit as it was. I think Jonathan is a talent and it was great to get it.
Aguilar: Given the complexity of the characters portrayed in "Starred Up," how difficult was it to translate the powerful language on the page and put it into the actors' hands to shape their performance?
David Mackenzie : It’s a hard one to answer because you just do it. They interpret the good things that I hope Jonathan and I brought to the table, that was part of it. The actors also bring things to the table trying not to fall into too many clichés within the context of a genre film essentially about a prison. There are also the potential non-complex or clichéd things that you can do with that, but we tried our hardest to avoid them and to make them human. I think Jonathan's story is filled with human opportunities. Keeping the humanity and the reality of the situation, and the authenticity of the world as close to it as we could was helpful for everyone. I think everyone knew that was the approach we were using, and they filled they characters with as much detail as possible.
Aguilar: With such emotionally charged material as this, what's your approach to realize your vision from page to screen?
David Mackenzie : I look at the script as a set of ingredients. It tells you who is in the scene, it tells you roughly what the actions are, then you go into the environment and you make it come alive. That’s the idea of it. It is really not possible to talk about the specifics of it. You are just in the middle sort of dancing with the material, as a director that’s what I encourage everyone to do. We were trying to keep it very alive, very real, and very close to the material. However, we were also improvising and engaging with whatever was going to come out and give life to the material. It’s about letting the material do one thing, and then letting the magic of the moment do another thing and stirring them together.
Aguilar: What sort of research or preparation did you and your do in order to enhance the realism of the piece?
David Mackenzie : There was a lot of background research, plus being there in a real former prison with some former prison officers and former prisoners to advice us. We needed to be a little bit below the radar in terms of drawing attention to ourselves. We didn’t want to be controversial before the film was made. The real research was the combination of the actual location that we used, the people that we used to advice us, and, obviously, Jonathan’s knowledge.
Aguilar: The violence in the film has this raw and visceral quality to it, did you have any reservations or concerns in terms of its depiction?
David Mackenzie : One of the things that was scariest for me was how to make these set pieces, where the performances were very real, also look realistic. We were trying to make them feel very energized and the way we were shooting the film was a sort of like doing an aestheticized semi-documentary film. Our Dp Michael McDonough and I would never set up a frame. We always had the frame be dictated by the action, even though we both have very cinematic sensibilities. It was like pushing against that. Even within that, you obviously have some things that are much less spontaneous because the action sequences need to be choreographed for safety reasons. The challenge of how to make these non-spontaneous sequences match the others that are much more spontaneous was really hard. We had a great stunt team, they understood the game. It was very important for us to have violence that wasn’t glamorizing it in any way. It wasn’t “cool.” Violence should feel sort of painful, but we were doing that within the context of making it feel like it belongs with the rest of the film. It was a real challenge, but I think we did alright.
Aguilar: One of the strongest thematic elements in the film is this father and son relationship between Eris and Neville, did you want this to be at the center of the story? How did you go about getting these emotions across?
David Mackenzie : For me the heart and soul of the film is the relationship between the son and the father, and the fact that both of them are incredibly emotionally locked down, in particularly Neville. He solidifies his approach to everything so much that he can't move. He doesn’t have a clue of how to be a father and he really doesn’t have an interest in being a father. But somehow rather underneath all of that hardness there is an instinct that he doesn’t understand. It creeps up on him and he has to deal with it. For Eric it's different, he’s been longing to find his father who he hasn’t seen for a long time. He wants to reach out to him, but Neville doesn’t have an interest. My approach was to make sure that each character was doing what they should be doing even if it’s contradicting the other character and to push that across. I wanted the tension between them to be as tangible as possible. I’m really pleased with the way it worked out. Our approach was about letting it happen. The fact that we shot the film sequentially also helped a lot.
Aguilar: It seems like the outside world often dehumanizes those who we cannot see - people in prison for example. Was it your intention to try and bring some humanity back into the way we perceive them?
David Mackenzie : The first thing I wanted to do when I read the script was to take this hard subject and allow the humanity to come out, while also showing the hope, the humor, the need to reach out. Jack’s character Eric has no connection with anyone at the beginning of the film. But by the end of the film he’s developed a connection with his father and other inmates, which is the real source of hope in the film. That’s what I found attractive from the very beginning while reading the script, the opportunity to take a film that existed in a very hard world, a hostile and dangerous environment where there is a lot of tension, and find ways to creep in bits of humanity, bits of heart, and soul.
Aguilar: Can you tell me about your experience working with Jack O'Connell? His performance is absolutely riveting.
David Mackenzie : Working with him was fantastic. He and I discussed early on that we would try to make sure there was a very brave, totally focused, and not held back approach. Jack ran with it, and that was very exciting. Occasionally I had to kind of remind him that he was a boy as well as a man. I wanted to make sure that the softness and the vulnerability of the character was sometimes there because Jack was on fire. I knew from the beginning when I met him that we’d get something amazing, but I think that, because of the process of going on the journey, it became more amazing as we went further along.
Aguilar: Below the violence and the brutal world depicted, what's at the core of the film?
David Mackenzie : I think the film intends to create a really realistic picture of jail and a kid in this jail. It tries to shine a light on the potential humanity as well as the potential struggles that are going on there. I feel like we’ve done that, but there are no easy answers and there are no easy solutions to these things. The people there, no matter what they’ve done, are still human beings. They have their own stories of redemption and hope and everything that all humans have. I hope it is a humanistic experience.
"Starred Up" opens in NYC today at the IFC Center and the Film Society of Lincoln Center. It will open in L.A. on September 5th.
- 8/29/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The title Starred Up refers to the premature transferal of a juvenile to adult prison. In the case of this film, directed by David Mackenzie, said juvenile is 19-year-old inmate Eric Love played with utter ferocity by Jack O'Connell. The overall awe I felt in watching O'Connell here is like the first time I saw Tom Hardy in Nicolas Winding Refn's Bronson, though, while both films focus on unstable prison inmates, you have to strip away all the dark humor and absurdity of Bronson before you can get to the harsh, real world, brutal intensity of Starred Up and it doesn't let up for a second. Eric Love's transfer comes as a result of his violent nature and Mackenzie introduces the audience to Eric's new environment right along with the young man -- strip off your clothes, raise your arms, squat, put your clothes on. He's ushered down the...
- 8/28/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Jack O'Connell gives an electrifying performance as a violent teenager forced to confront parental authority in prison
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Shot (but not set) in Northern Ireland on a tight schedule and even tighter budget, this eye-catching and frequently pulse-pounding drama finds high-risk young offender Eric (Jack O'Connell) being moved up to an adult prison where he...
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Shot (but not set) in Northern Ireland on a tight schedule and even tighter budget, this eye-catching and frequently pulse-pounding drama finds high-risk young offender Eric (Jack O'Connell) being moved up to an adult prison where he...
- 3/23/2014
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Photo: Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions The adaptation of the 19th-century short story by George Moore and subsequent play, Albert Nobbs, is a dull and grey story of a woman pretending to be a man, essentially because that's the only life she's known for some thirty years. Working as a butler in a swank Dublin hotel for the last 17 of those years, she's been pinching pennies and saving her tips, dreaming of the day she can open her own tobacco shop and begin living a life she call her own. Beyond that, a couple of side stories involving supporting characters persist, but there really isn't much more of this story to tell.
Glenn Close has been working on this project for years. She won an Obie Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of the play in the early '80s, but it would...
Photo: Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions The adaptation of the 19th-century short story by George Moore and subsequent play, Albert Nobbs, is a dull and grey story of a woman pretending to be a man, essentially because that's the only life she's known for some thirty years. Working as a butler in a swank Dublin hotel for the last 17 of those years, she's been pinching pennies and saving her tips, dreaming of the day she can open her own tobacco shop and begin living a life she call her own. Beyond that, a couple of side stories involving supporting characters persist, but there really isn't much more of this story to tell.
Glenn Close has been working on this project for years. She won an Obie Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of the play in the early '80s, but it would...
- 9/10/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground "admirably tries, on a minuscule budget, to evoke the spirit of American cinema from 35 years ago: the age of Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall, an era much more hospitable to serious roles for women than the current one." Melissa Anderson in the Voice: "As reported in a New York Times Magazine cover story on the actress in 2006 (three years before her Oscar-nominated performance in Up in the Air), Farmiga has expressed her disgust with the roles offered her by setting scripts on fire: 'I stack up all those crass female characters, all those utterly ordinary women, all those hundreds and hundreds of parts that have no substance or meaning and turn them into a blazing pyre.' It's a shame, then, that Higher Ground never really ignites."
Farmiga plays "Corinne, a Midwest rural woman who embraces a hippie-inflected but paternalistic evangelical community with her high...
Farmiga plays "Corinne, a Midwest rural woman who embraces a hippie-inflected but paternalistic evangelical community with her high...
- 8/26/2011
- MUBI
Principal photography has been completed on “Lay the Favorite”, an audacious dramatic comedy starring Golden Globe winner Bruce Willis (“Red”, “The Sixth Sense”, “Die Hard”), Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Hall (“The Town”, “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”), Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”, “Oceans 12”) and Joshua Jackson (“Cruel Intentions”, “Apt Pupil”) set in the eccentric, wild, extremely funny and lightning-paced world of legal – and illegal – sports gambling, under the direction of Oscar and BAFTA-nominated director Stephen Frears (“The Queen”, “High Fidelity”) from a screenplay by BAFTA- nominated Dv DeVincentis (“High Fidelity”, “Grosse Pointe Blank”). Wild Bunch and Emmett/Furla Films are financing “Lay the Favorite”.
“Lay the Favorite”, based on the book by Beth Raymer, “Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling”, is being produced by BAFTA-nominated Anthony Bregman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Friends With Money”), Randall Emmett (“Rambo”, “16 Blocks”), George Furla (“Rambo”, “16 Blocks”), Dv DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits (“Jane Eyre...
“Lay the Favorite”, based on the book by Beth Raymer, “Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling”, is being produced by BAFTA-nominated Anthony Bregman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Friends With Money”), Randall Emmett (“Rambo”, “16 Blocks”), George Furla (“Rambo”, “16 Blocks”), Dv DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits (“Jane Eyre...
- 7/5/2011
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Ballet drama "Black Swan" triumphed at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards and won for Best Feature, Best Director for Darren Aronofsky, Best Female Lead for Natalie Portman, and Best Cinematography for Matthew Libatique.
Oscar nominee Natalie Portman added this victory to her impressive collection of awards she took home this season, including a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award for Best Actress. Best Supporting Female went to Dale Dickey for "Winter's Bone."
15 Facts about Natalie Portman!
Oscar nominee Natalie Portman added this victory to her impressive collection of awards she took home this season, including a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award for Best Actress. Best Supporting Female went to Dale Dickey for "Winter's Bone."
15 Facts about Natalie Portman!
- 2/27/2011
- Extra
With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)
And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...
- 2/27/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Well, every year the Independent Spirit Awards are handed out the night before the Oscars, and every year, it seems that they are honouring a completely different set of films, despite having a number of overlapping nominees. At this point, it almost seems like you don't want to win a Spirit Award because if you do, it means you won't end up winning the Oscar. Assuming history repeats itself, James Franco's chances of winning Best Actor for 127 Hours just got a little worse (not that he really had a shot in the first place), and Natalie Portman might not be the lock that everyone thinks she is. Black Swan also ended up taking home Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, while John Hawkes and Dale Dickey took home Supporting Actor and Actress awards for Winter's Bone. The Kids Are All Right ended up getting Best Screenplay, while Exit Through the Gift Shop...
- 2/27/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
The debate rages on as to whether the doomed Nina really did dance a "perfect" performance of "Swan Lake" in "Black Swan."
But the Independent Spirit Awards have certainly acknowledged that the movie itself came pretty close to perfection.
"Black Swan" swept the Spirit Awards with wins for Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Darren Aronofsky's operatic tale of fear, loathing and madness at the New York City Ballet won in every category for which it was nominated.
While Natalie Portman may have beaten Jennifer Lawrence in the Best Female Lead category, "Winter's Bone" did take home awards for the performances of two of its supporting players, Dale Dickey and Jack Hawkes.
Meanwhile, the co-host of this year's Oscars, James Franco, won for his lead performance in "127 Hours." The newly PG-13-rated "The King's Speech" won Best Foreign Film and "Exit Through the Gift Shop" won Best Documentary,...
But the Independent Spirit Awards have certainly acknowledged that the movie itself came pretty close to perfection.
"Black Swan" swept the Spirit Awards with wins for Best Feature, Best Female Lead, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Darren Aronofsky's operatic tale of fear, loathing and madness at the New York City Ballet won in every category for which it was nominated.
While Natalie Portman may have beaten Jennifer Lawrence in the Best Female Lead category, "Winter's Bone" did take home awards for the performances of two of its supporting players, Dale Dickey and Jack Hawkes.
Meanwhile, the co-host of this year's Oscars, James Franco, won for his lead performance in "127 Hours." The newly PG-13-rated "The King's Speech" won Best Foreign Film and "Exit Through the Gift Shop" won Best Documentary,...
- 2/27/2011
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
I went 10/13 with my predictions of the Indie Spirits today -- my misfires came in the Best Picture and Best Actress categories thinking that Winter's Bone had the edge over Black Swan. Not that Winter's Bone didn't have a good night (it won in the Best Supporting categories - I thought that Bill Murray had the edge over John Hawkes is where I flubbed as well) but it was indeed a Black Swan event -- with additional wins for Directing (Darren Aronofsky) and Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). You can find the winners in bold below. Best Feature 127 Hours Black Swan Greenberg The Kids Are All Right Winter's Bone Best Director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Danny Boyle, 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Winter's Bone John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole Best Screenplay Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone Nicole Holofcener,...
- 2/27/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor and comedian Joel McHale hosting.
Highlights include: Joel getting caught in a 127 Hours situation with only Dale Dickey, “Banksy” and John Waters to help him out; See how this year’s best feature nominees stack up against porn and the big studios; Catch the Spirit Awards’ version of a dead people montage; and more! The show was produced by Film Independent in association with Dick Clark productions, Inc.
The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 26 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.
The following is a complete list of the winners:
Winners List
Best Feature: 'Black Swan'
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...
Highlights include: Joel getting caught in a 127 Hours situation with only Dale Dickey, “Banksy” and John Waters to help him out; See how this year’s best feature nominees stack up against porn and the big studios; Catch the Spirit Awards’ version of a dead people montage; and more! The show was produced by Film Independent in association with Dick Clark productions, Inc.
The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 26 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.
The following is a complete list of the winners:
Winners List
Best Feature: 'Black Swan'
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...
- 2/27/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
The 2011 Independent Spirit Awards were handed out a few hours ago and Black Swan won in all four categories it was nominated in including Best Picture, Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Actress (Natalie Portman) and Best Cinematography (Matthew Libatique). Winter's Bone earned the most nominations at seven and dominated the supporting categories with wins for both Dale Dickey and John Hawkes, of the two only Hawkes earned an Oscar nomination, but he'll be facing off against both Christian Bale and Geoffrey Rush tomorrow night so I'm not counting on two awards in two days, though his performance in that film is one to remember.
Elsewhere, James Franco won Best Actor for 127 Hours, though he wasn't facing the stiffest of competition when it comes to most talked about performances of the year as he is the only one of the five nominees to also be nominated for an Oscar. Exit Through the Gift Shop...
Elsewhere, James Franco won Best Actor for 127 Hours, though he wasn't facing the stiffest of competition when it comes to most talked about performances of the year as he is the only one of the five nominees to also be nominated for an Oscar. Exit Through the Gift Shop...
- 2/27/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The cool kids of Hollywood are braving the blistering wind to attend the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, and the afternoon's winners may have you wanting to tweak your Oscar picks.
Yes, the awards don't share a voting body -- or even a lot of the same nominees -- but it's fun to see some familiar faces making acceptance speeches after being stuck in their seats for much of award season.
The big winners so far? Oscar host James Franco took home best actor for his role in "127 Hours," "Black Swan" has best picture, director and actress and "Winters' Bone" has swept the supporting categories, with nods going to both Dale Dickey and John Hawkes.
All of the nominees, including winners in bold, are right here:
Best Feature
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"Greenberg"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"Winter's Bone"
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle,...
Yes, the awards don't share a voting body -- or even a lot of the same nominees -- but it's fun to see some familiar faces making acceptance speeches after being stuck in their seats for much of award season.
The big winners so far? Oscar host James Franco took home best actor for his role in "127 Hours," "Black Swan" has best picture, director and actress and "Winters' Bone" has swept the supporting categories, with nods going to both Dale Dickey and John Hawkes.
All of the nominees, including winners in bold, are right here:
Best Feature
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"Greenberg"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"Winter's Bone"
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle,...
- 2/26/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
We're just about a day away from the Spirit Awards (airing on some channel whose name escapes me at 10 pm eastern and pacific). If you're watching the show and want to hear more about the individual nominees and the year and indie film in general, you should surf over to IFC.com's 2011 Spirit Awards Watch & Chat which I'll be hosting with my friend and film critic supreme James Rocchi. James and I will be debating this year's crop of Spirit Award nominees, who got overlooked and overpraised, and commenting on the show as well. Plus, we'll fighting to see who can predict more of the winners, a fight I am almost sure to lose because I am legendarily terrible at this sort of thing. Our chat runs the same time as the Spirit Awards 10pm - 1am eastern (no pacific, sorry, otherwise we'd have to talk for 6 hours straight).
Speaking of those predictions,...
Speaking of those predictions,...
- 2/25/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Debra Granik, director of Winter's Bone, is putting her true feelings about Hollywood aside
There's a scene in Winter's Bone, Debra Granik's award-winning "country noir" thriller, in which the teenage heroine, Ree Dolly, teaches her younger siblings how to skin a squirrel. It only takes a minute, from Ree asking, "You guys want these fried or stewed?", to her brother Sonny tugging out the intestines and wondering if they're good to eat.
Granik is an authenticity freak, so it troubled her when people from the Ozark forests in southern Missouri, where the film is set, complained the scene misrepresented their way of life. One blogger pointed out that no one goes to a supermarket in the movie, as if people in this insular community only eat animals they've killed themselves. Others griped that the incision was too small and the skinning too quick.
"There's a family up the street from where we shot,...
There's a scene in Winter's Bone, Debra Granik's award-winning "country noir" thriller, in which the teenage heroine, Ree Dolly, teaches her younger siblings how to skin a squirrel. It only takes a minute, from Ree asking, "You guys want these fried or stewed?", to her brother Sonny tugging out the intestines and wondering if they're good to eat.
Granik is an authenticity freak, so it troubled her when people from the Ozark forests in southern Missouri, where the film is set, complained the scene misrepresented their way of life. One blogger pointed out that no one goes to a supermarket in the movie, as if people in this insular community only eat animals they've killed themselves. Others griped that the incision was too small and the skinning too quick.
"There's a family up the street from where we shot,...
- 2/25/2011
- by Andrew Purcell
- The Guardian - Film News
As a way of celebrating this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we reached out to as many as we could in an effort to better understand what went into their films, what they've gotten out of the experience, and where they've found their inspiration, both in regards to their work and other works of art that might've inspired them from the past year. Their answers will be published on a daily basis throughout February.
Over the past few weeks, Jennifer Lawrence has complained of the cold, cinematographer Michael McDonough lamented an unforgiving schedule, and Dale Dickey spoke of the challenge of balancing a chainsaw while on a boat. And these were only a few of the obstacles that were overcome under the watchful eye of Debra Granik to make "Winter's Bone" one of the year's most unforgettable films.
That might sound like needless hyperbole,...
Over the past few weeks, Jennifer Lawrence has complained of the cold, cinematographer Michael McDonough lamented an unforgiving schedule, and Dale Dickey spoke of the challenge of balancing a chainsaw while on a boat. And these were only a few of the obstacles that were overcome under the watchful eye of Debra Granik to make "Winter's Bone" one of the year's most unforgettable films.
That might sound like needless hyperbole,...
- 2/24/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Best Male LeadRonald Bronstein"Daddy Longlegs"Beginner's luck? Ronald Bronstein is an award-winning writer-director of indie films. But in writer-directors Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie's film "Daddy Longlegs," he makes his film acting debut. Here he plays Lenny, a divorced father of two young boys who has little grasp on parental responsibility and skill, and even less good judgment.When we first meet Lenny, he pompously mouths off to the school principal in a juvenile defense of his two boys. That scene sets our teeth on edge for what's to come. Lenny takes his sons on vacation with a woman he first met at a bar the night before. He brings the kids to his job as a projectionist, then lets them run wild and even operate the projector—badly. Told he can't bring them again, he gives them a wee dose of sedatives that sends them into Stage 4 sleep for days on end.
- 1/20/2011
- backstage.com
Chicago – New York filmmaker Joe Maggio is fascinated by the pursuit of redemption, particularly in stories featuring characters who may not entirely be worthy of it. His 2001 debut feature “Virgil Bliss” followed a man fresh out of prison as he attempted to build a new life. Maggio’s 2008 drama “Paper Covers Rock” told the story of a suicidal mother who fights to maintain custody of her daughter.
The darkly satirical thriller “Bitter Feast” marks Maggio’s darkest tale to date. Redemption hardly seems possible for vitriolic food blogger Jt Franks (Joshua Leonard), as he finds himself held hostage by Peter Gray (James LeGros), the self-righteous yet deranged celebrity chef whose restaurant he panned. Gray acquires delicious revenge by forcing Franks to cook various dishes to perfection…or else. Hollywood Chicago spoke with Maggio about his own thoughts concerning modern criticism, the advantages and disadvantages of microbudget filmmaking, and the New...
The darkly satirical thriller “Bitter Feast” marks Maggio’s darkest tale to date. Redemption hardly seems possible for vitriolic food blogger Jt Franks (Joshua Leonard), as he finds himself held hostage by Peter Gray (James LeGros), the self-righteous yet deranged celebrity chef whose restaurant he panned. Gray acquires delicious revenge by forcing Franks to cook various dishes to perfection…or else. Hollywood Chicago spoke with Maggio about his own thoughts concerning modern criticism, the advantages and disadvantages of microbudget filmmaking, and the New...
- 1/13/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The nominations of 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced on Tuesday, November 30 in Los Angeles by Jeremy Renner and Eva Mendes. And some movies which have received Oscar buzz such as "127 Hours" and "Black Swan" are touted for Best Feature at the upcoming Spirit Awards.
For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.
The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.
The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...
For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.
The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.
The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...
- 12/1/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Natalie Portman is going to get a stiff competition from Jennifer Lawrence at 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. The nominees for the annual awards dedicated to independent filmmakers have been announced on Tuesday, November 30, and both actresses were unraveled to be among those up for Best Female Lead.
29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.
In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...
29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.
In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...
- 12/1/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
The 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominees have been announced, and there are a lot of great films that are being recognized. Winter's Bone racked up seven nominations after it won Best Feature at the Gotham Awards. Other films on the list include, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, and The Kids Are All Right.There's some great competition this year, 127 Hours, Black Swan, and Winter's Bone are three of the best movies I've seen this year, but I think Winter's Bone will take the win on this one.
These nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million. The awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC with host Joel McHale.
Check out the nominee list below and let us know what you think! Who would you like to see win?
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right...
These nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million. The awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC with host Joel McHale.
Check out the nominee list below and let us know what you think! Who would you like to see win?
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right...
- 11/30/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Haven't seen a little indie called "Winter's Bone" yet? You might want to go ahead and add it to your Netflix queue... that is, if you're interested in seeing what will likely be a top contender for this year's Best Picture Oscar.
After taking home the prizes for best feature and best ensemble performance at last night's 20th Gotham Independent Film Awards, the film was thrown an even juicier awards-season bone this morning, when it received seven nods -- including best feature -- to dominate the Independent Spirit Awards nominations.
Debra Granik scored two nods for directing and co-writing (with Anne Rosellini) "Bone," while Jennifer Lawrence scored a best lead female nomination for her riveting, star-making turn as a woman searching for her father in backwoods Arkansas. Her "Winter's Bone" costars, John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, nabbed nominations for best supporting male and female, respectively. And Michael McDonough earned the film's seventh nod,...
After taking home the prizes for best feature and best ensemble performance at last night's 20th Gotham Independent Film Awards, the film was thrown an even juicier awards-season bone this morning, when it received seven nods -- including best feature -- to dominate the Independent Spirit Awards nominations.
Debra Granik scored two nods for directing and co-writing (with Anne Rosellini) "Bone," while Jennifer Lawrence scored a best lead female nomination for her riveting, star-making turn as a woman searching for her father in backwoods Arkansas. Her "Winter's Bone" costars, John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, nabbed nominations for best supporting male and female, respectively. And Michael McDonough earned the film's seventh nod,...
- 11/30/2010
- by Tom DiChiara
- MTV Movies Blog
The nominees for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning from Los Angeles, once again honouring the year's best independent films shot on shoestring budgets (specifically under $20 million). Leading the pack was Debra Granik's Winter's Bone, which picked up seven nods including Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Male and Female Leads. Considering that the film also just won Best Feature at The Gotham Awards [1] this week, could it be gaining momentum as a possible Oscar contender? Other films with multiple nominations include Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right, John Cameron Mitchell's Rabbit Hole, and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. It was also pretty cool to see The Last Exorcism picking up a few mentions, although Never Let Me Go seems to have been snubbed, getting just one nomination for Best Cinematography. Ouch. We won't find out who wins until Saturday, February 26th, 2011, with a...
- 11/30/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
This morning, Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner presented the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and last night's Gotham Awards big winner, Winter's Bone was this morning's leading nominee with a total of seven nominations including Best Feature, Best Director (Debra Granik), Best Screenplay (Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini), Best Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Female (Dale Dickey), Best Supporting Male (John Hawkes) and Best Cinematography (Michael McDonough).
Coming in second on the nomination list was The Kids are All Right with five, followed by Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole, all with four. The only nominee for Best Feature not to have at least four nominations was Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, which earned three noms.
A few things of note when quickly glancing through the list, Winter's Bone is not only making a hard push for a Best Picture nomination, which now appears to be a certainty just as...
Coming in second on the nomination list was The Kids are All Right with five, followed by Black Swan, Greenberg and Rabbit Hole, all with four. The only nominee for Best Feature not to have at least four nominations was Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, which earned three noms.
A few things of note when quickly glancing through the list, Winter's Bone is not only making a hard push for a Best Picture nomination, which now appears to be a certainty just as...
- 11/30/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Cool! "Winter's Bone" Dominates Independent Spirit Awards Nominations! See Complete List of Nominees
I'm so glad that "Winter's Bone" has been receiving all the accolades. I love this film when it was shown in limited release last summer. The backwoods drama won big at the Gothams Awards winning Best Feature and Best Ensemble, and now, it dominated the Independent Spirit Awards with seven nominations including Best Feature, Director for Debra Granik, Screenplay for Granik and Anne Rosellini, Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence, Supporting Female for Dale Dickey, Supporting Male for John Hawkes, and Cinematography for Michael McDonough. ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)
"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.
Related Links:
"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy
"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans
"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...
"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.
Related Links:
"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy
"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans
"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...
- 11/30/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
After Winter's Bone won Best Feature at the first award ceremony of the season [1] Monday, it kept its momentum up Tuesday by getting seven nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards [2]. That's more nominations than any other film on the list, beating out fellow Best Feature nominees 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, and The Kids Are All Right. These nominations are only given to films which were produced for under $20 million, so other big award contenders like Inception, The Social Network and Toy Story 3 don't qualify. The awards will be handed out on February 26 live on IFC with host Joel McHale. Check out the full list of nominations after the jump. Here are all the nominees. Best Feature (Award given to the Producer) 127 Hours Black Swan Greenberg The Kids Are All Right Winter’s Bone Best Director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Danny Boyle, 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right Debra Granik,...
- 11/30/2010
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
The Spirit Awards, which celebrate the best in independent film, are handed out each year the night before the Oscars and are generally ignored by most. This year, they'll be hosted by Joel McHale, which means they'll still be largely ignored except for the McHale bits we all watch on YouTube the next day.
The nominations have been announced. They're pretty much what you'd expect, which is to say: If it's an indie film you've heard of in 2010, it's probably been nominated.
Best Film
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole
Best Screenplay
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime...
The nominations have been announced. They're pretty much what you'd expect, which is to say: If it's an indie film you've heard of in 2010, it's probably been nominated.
Best Film
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole
Best Screenplay
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime...
- 11/30/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
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