Exclusive: Lifetime has given a green light to The Gabby Petito Story (working title) movie, with Emmy-nominated Thora Birch attached to co-star and direct in her helming debut. The movie, part of Lifetime’s Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative, comes as the anniversary of Gabby Petito’s disappearance and murder approaches this fall.
The Gabby Petito Story will explore Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder. The movie will film in Utah this summer and premiere later this year.
Birch will play Gabby’s mom, Nichole Schmidt.
The disappearance of Gabby Petito captured America’s attention, setting off a nationwide search for the 22-year-old travel blogger after her parents reported her missing in September 2021, when she failed to return home following her cross country...
The Gabby Petito Story will explore Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder. The movie will film in Utah this summer and premiere later this year.
Birch will play Gabby’s mom, Nichole Schmidt.
The disappearance of Gabby Petito captured America’s attention, setting off a nationwide search for the 22-year-old travel blogger after her parents reported her missing in September 2021, when she failed to return home following her cross country...
- 5/5/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
A case study of the success of "Awake: The Life of Yogananda" will highlight the second annual Illuminate Film Festival’s "Conscious Film Convergence," a series of workshops and panels offering filmmakers – those with experience as well as those just starting out – the opportunity to learn about developing, producing and distributing conscious films, May 27-31 in Sedona, Arizona.
After its southwest premiere at last year’s inaugural Illuminate Film Festival, "Awake: The Life of Yogananada," the unconventional biography of the legendary East Indian mystic, went on to screen at 250 venues across North America and booked more than 30,000 tickets through the Gathr® theatrical on-demand platform. At this year’s Festival, the filmmakers and their distribution partners will discuss how they combined strategic partnerships, grassroots marketing and a hybrid distribution model to gross over $1 million at the U.S. box office within the first three months of release.
Additional panels at the Conscious Film Convergence, the first gathering of significant industry executives in this independent film genre, will feature master distribution strategist Peter Broderick and industry icons Barnet Bain ("What Dreams May Come," "The Celestine Prophecy"); Elizabeth Sheldon, Senior Vice President at Kino Lorber; and Abramorama President Richard Abramowitz, among others, as part of the Festival’s five days of life-affirming cinematic works that encourage audiences to ponder existence more deeply than their daily routines.
The Illuminate Film Festival curates narrative features, documentaries and shorts in the mind-body-spirit genre, featuring inspirational human journey stories and themes related to mindfulness, self-discovery, body-mind science, yoga, meditation, spiritual practice, organic and plant-based food movements and sustainable living.
“As a launching platform for conscious cinema, our goal is to get enlightening content into movie theaters across the globe,” said Illuminate Film Festival Executive Director and Founder Danette Wolpert. “The Conscious Cinema Movement has reached a tipping point. Conscious concepts, once trivialized, have become mainstream thanks to moguls like Oprah, Russell Brand, Deepak Chopra and Russell Simmons. The Illuminate Film Festival is poised to establish conscious cinema as a viable business sector within the independent film business.”
The Conscious Film Convergence schedule is:
Friday, May 29
• Spotlight Conversation with Barnet Bain:
Bain, a television and film industry veteran whose credits include Oscar-winning "What Dreams May Come," Emmy-nominated "Homeless to Harvard," spiritual classic "The Celestine Prophecy" and the new documentary, "When I Was Young I Said I Would Be Happy," will tell you that to make a conscious film, you must first become a conscious individual. In this Q&A with Barnett, attendees will discover how to connect with their true calling and unleash their full creative potential.
• Conscious Film Financing: "The Connected Universe"
Perhaps it’s fitting that a film that explores the science behind the interconnection of all things has just become the highest funded documentary in Indiegogo history with over $290 thousand raised via the popular crowdfunding website. Join "The Connected Universe" director Malcom Carter and others for insight into cracking the crowdsourcing code.
Saturday, May 30
• The Conscious Cinema Accelerator:
Five applicants will be invited to participate in 20-minute speed meetings for personalized project and career coaching from veteran film professionals in conscious film production, finance, marketing and distribution. Submissions: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/ConsciousCinemaAccelerator.
• Powered By Your Audience with Peter Broderick
How can a filmmaker increase their independence and build a sustainable career that goes far beyond one film? Distribution guru Peter Broderick presents a comprehensive guide to help filmmakers develop and maximize their “own” audience and establish a strong foundation from which they can build a long-lasting filmmaking career. Using examples from across the Us and around the world, he will demonstrate how filmmakers are aggregating their audiences film by film and becoming empowered by followers who champion their work.
• Million Dollar Movie: "Awake: The Life of Yogananda" Case Study
Panelists: "Awake" Director Paola di Florio, Producer Peter Rader (CounterPoint Films); Richard Abramowitz (President, Abramorama); Richard Matson (Head of Distribution & Acquisitions, Gathr); The inaugural Illuminate Film Festival in 2014 was a launching platform for "Awake: The Life of Yogananada," the unconventional biography of the legendary East Indian mystic, whose box office success has turned the heads of distribution executives nationwide. Is this a model that can be replicated? Find out.
• Champions of Conscious Cinema: Meet the Distributors
Panelists: Elizabeth Sheldon (Senior Vice President, Kino Lorber), Richard Cohn (President, Beyond Words), Richard Abramowitz (President, Abramorama), Brian Parsons (Head of Content Partnerships, Tugg); Abundant Internet connectivity and social media tools beckon today’s filmmaker to flirt with the very real possibility of self-distribution, while the lure of traditional distribution offers remains strong. Join the leaders of conscious film distribution as they explore the pros and cons of "all-rights” vs. "hybrid" distribution, debate the logic of day-and-date releasing and consider direct engagement via theatrical-on-demand. Learn your best options for theatrical, broadcast, video-on-demand and educational distribution as panelists share their outlook on the future of conscious cinema and the factors they consider before acquiring a film.
Sunday, May 31
• Conscious Cinema Summit (Industry Guests Only): a roundtable discussion with conscious film industry visionaries and media change-makers to discuss how conscious cinema can become a viable business independent film-sector business. Conversations will range from how to define conscious cinema to new business models to brainstorming new collaborative strategies to increase quality, quantity and availability of conscious cinema around the globe.
To register for the Conscious Film Convergence, visit Here!
The 2015 Festival will feature 22 films and more than 50 expert facilitators, practitioners, healers, performers, musicians, speakers and new thought leaders. In addition to the panels and films, the Festival’s series of “View and Do” events will let audiences more deeply integrate a movie’s message into their lives.
The full list of films exhibiting at the 2015 Illuminate Film Festival are online. For more information, visit Here!
After its southwest premiere at last year’s inaugural Illuminate Film Festival, "Awake: The Life of Yogananada," the unconventional biography of the legendary East Indian mystic, went on to screen at 250 venues across North America and booked more than 30,000 tickets through the Gathr® theatrical on-demand platform. At this year’s Festival, the filmmakers and their distribution partners will discuss how they combined strategic partnerships, grassroots marketing and a hybrid distribution model to gross over $1 million at the U.S. box office within the first three months of release.
Additional panels at the Conscious Film Convergence, the first gathering of significant industry executives in this independent film genre, will feature master distribution strategist Peter Broderick and industry icons Barnet Bain ("What Dreams May Come," "The Celestine Prophecy"); Elizabeth Sheldon, Senior Vice President at Kino Lorber; and Abramorama President Richard Abramowitz, among others, as part of the Festival’s five days of life-affirming cinematic works that encourage audiences to ponder existence more deeply than their daily routines.
The Illuminate Film Festival curates narrative features, documentaries and shorts in the mind-body-spirit genre, featuring inspirational human journey stories and themes related to mindfulness, self-discovery, body-mind science, yoga, meditation, spiritual practice, organic and plant-based food movements and sustainable living.
“As a launching platform for conscious cinema, our goal is to get enlightening content into movie theaters across the globe,” said Illuminate Film Festival Executive Director and Founder Danette Wolpert. “The Conscious Cinema Movement has reached a tipping point. Conscious concepts, once trivialized, have become mainstream thanks to moguls like Oprah, Russell Brand, Deepak Chopra and Russell Simmons. The Illuminate Film Festival is poised to establish conscious cinema as a viable business sector within the independent film business.”
The Conscious Film Convergence schedule is:
Friday, May 29
• Spotlight Conversation with Barnet Bain:
Bain, a television and film industry veteran whose credits include Oscar-winning "What Dreams May Come," Emmy-nominated "Homeless to Harvard," spiritual classic "The Celestine Prophecy" and the new documentary, "When I Was Young I Said I Would Be Happy," will tell you that to make a conscious film, you must first become a conscious individual. In this Q&A with Barnett, attendees will discover how to connect with their true calling and unleash their full creative potential.
• Conscious Film Financing: "The Connected Universe"
Perhaps it’s fitting that a film that explores the science behind the interconnection of all things has just become the highest funded documentary in Indiegogo history with over $290 thousand raised via the popular crowdfunding website. Join "The Connected Universe" director Malcom Carter and others for insight into cracking the crowdsourcing code.
Saturday, May 30
• The Conscious Cinema Accelerator:
Five applicants will be invited to participate in 20-minute speed meetings for personalized project and career coaching from veteran film professionals in conscious film production, finance, marketing and distribution. Submissions: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/ConsciousCinemaAccelerator.
• Powered By Your Audience with Peter Broderick
How can a filmmaker increase their independence and build a sustainable career that goes far beyond one film? Distribution guru Peter Broderick presents a comprehensive guide to help filmmakers develop and maximize their “own” audience and establish a strong foundation from which they can build a long-lasting filmmaking career. Using examples from across the Us and around the world, he will demonstrate how filmmakers are aggregating their audiences film by film and becoming empowered by followers who champion their work.
• Million Dollar Movie: "Awake: The Life of Yogananda" Case Study
Panelists: "Awake" Director Paola di Florio, Producer Peter Rader (CounterPoint Films); Richard Abramowitz (President, Abramorama); Richard Matson (Head of Distribution & Acquisitions, Gathr); The inaugural Illuminate Film Festival in 2014 was a launching platform for "Awake: The Life of Yogananada," the unconventional biography of the legendary East Indian mystic, whose box office success has turned the heads of distribution executives nationwide. Is this a model that can be replicated? Find out.
• Champions of Conscious Cinema: Meet the Distributors
Panelists: Elizabeth Sheldon (Senior Vice President, Kino Lorber), Richard Cohn (President, Beyond Words), Richard Abramowitz (President, Abramorama), Brian Parsons (Head of Content Partnerships, Tugg); Abundant Internet connectivity and social media tools beckon today’s filmmaker to flirt with the very real possibility of self-distribution, while the lure of traditional distribution offers remains strong. Join the leaders of conscious film distribution as they explore the pros and cons of "all-rights” vs. "hybrid" distribution, debate the logic of day-and-date releasing and consider direct engagement via theatrical-on-demand. Learn your best options for theatrical, broadcast, video-on-demand and educational distribution as panelists share their outlook on the future of conscious cinema and the factors they consider before acquiring a film.
Sunday, May 31
• Conscious Cinema Summit (Industry Guests Only): a roundtable discussion with conscious film industry visionaries and media change-makers to discuss how conscious cinema can become a viable business independent film-sector business. Conversations will range from how to define conscious cinema to new business models to brainstorming new collaborative strategies to increase quality, quantity and availability of conscious cinema around the globe.
To register for the Conscious Film Convergence, visit Here!
The 2015 Festival will feature 22 films and more than 50 expert facilitators, practitioners, healers, performers, musicians, speakers and new thought leaders. In addition to the panels and films, the Festival’s series of “View and Do” events will let audiences more deeply integrate a movie’s message into their lives.
The full list of films exhibiting at the 2015 Illuminate Film Festival are online. For more information, visit Here!
- 5/11/2015
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Peter Fonda will star in the upcoming film adaptation of Milton's Secret, based on the children's book by Eckhart Tolle and Robert Friedman. The two-time Oscar nominee, who became famous for co-writing and starring in 1969's Easy Rider, will play the grandfather of the story's central character, Milton, a young boy who is dealing with being bullied in school. Story: Peter Fonda Joins 'Copperhead' Movie Shoot in New Brunswick Barnet Bain, a producer on What Dreams May Come and Homeless to Harvard, will direct the family drama, and he wrote the script with Donald Martin. Bain is also
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- 3/27/2013
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Allen Gardner
Pier Paolo Pasolini’S Trilogy Of Life (Criterion) Pier Paolo Pasolini was Italy’s last Neo-Realist, a product of post-ww II Europe who was fervently Catholic, openly gay, defiantly Marxist, and one of the most original voices of the 20th century’s second half. Before his brutal murder in 1975 (after the premiere of his still-controversial swan song, “Salo”), Pasolini directed a trilogy of films based on masterpieces of medieval literature: Boccaccio’s “The Decameron,” Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” and “The Thousand and One Nights (also known as “The Arabian Nights”). The three films celebrate the uninhibited, earthy, raw carnal nature of the original texts, leaving little to the imagination, but also offering Pasolini’s own very unique and pointed views on modern society, consumerism, religious and sexual mores (and hypocrisies), and an unexpurgated celebration of the human body, both male and female. Extraordinary production design by Dante Ferretti and another evocative,...
Pier Paolo Pasolini’S Trilogy Of Life (Criterion) Pier Paolo Pasolini was Italy’s last Neo-Realist, a product of post-ww II Europe who was fervently Catholic, openly gay, defiantly Marxist, and one of the most original voices of the 20th century’s second half. Before his brutal murder in 1975 (after the premiere of his still-controversial swan song, “Salo”), Pasolini directed a trilogy of films based on masterpieces of medieval literature: Boccaccio’s “The Decameron,” Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” and “The Thousand and One Nights (also known as “The Arabian Nights”). The three films celebrate the uninhibited, earthy, raw carnal nature of the original texts, leaving little to the imagination, but also offering Pasolini’s own very unique and pointed views on modern society, consumerism, religious and sexual mores (and hypocrisies), and an unexpurgated celebration of the human body, both male and female. Extraordinary production design by Dante Ferretti and another evocative,...
- 11/14/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
NEW YORK -- War coverage from Iraq boosted the 24-hour news channels to the top of the basic cable ranks in April, leaving general entertainment networks in the dust. While Fox News Channel and CNN dominating most of the elder demographics, TNT managed to tie FNC for first place for the month among viewers 18-49 with a 1.1 rating. Up from a 1.0 in April 2002, TNT also topped all entertainment networks in total viewers, 18-34 and 25-54 with help from coverage of the NBA playoffs, particularly the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves series. Most other entertainment networks were either flat or down in most demos from April 2002, including Lifetime, which nevertheless had the month's highest-rated non-news program among total viewers, the original movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (5.6 million viewers).
- 4/30/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thora Birch and Juliette Lewis have teamed up to star as sisters in the indie thriller Silence Becomes You for writer-director Stephanie Sinclaire. Toby Stephens, who starred as the villain Gustav Graves in MGM's Die Another Day, has been cast as the man who comes between them. Shooting on the project is under way in Ireland. It follows the story of two sisters -- bound together by more than blood -- who bring home a man on a dare only to see the situation spiral out of control. Sinclaire is also producing alongside Dragonfly Films' Karl Richards and Brian Freeston along with Sun Gateway Entertainment. Jack Cardiff, a veteran British cinematographer, will serve as a consultant on the film. Birch is repped by manager Jack Birch of Keep the Peace Prods. and attorney Brad Small of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. She next stars in the true-life tale Homeless to Harvard, set to air April 7 on Lifetime Television. Lewis, represented by WMA, is onscreen in DreamWorks Pictures' Old School opposite Luke Wilson. Stephens is repped by WMA. His credits include Possession and The Great Gatsby.
- 3/14/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Lifetime has signed Thora Birch to star in a film based on a true story about a homeless teenager who turns her life around and ends up at Harvard University. Scheduled to go into production early next year, Homeless to Harvard (working title) is expected to air on Lifetime in the second quarter of 2003. Birch (American Beauty, Ghost World) will play Liz Murray, who was raised by poor, drug-addicted parents yet managed to win a New York Times scholarship that landed her in the Ivy League. Harvard is produced by Patriach Pictures in association with Barnet Bain Productions. Birch is repped by manager Jack Birch and attorney Brad Small.
- 10/7/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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