Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024 Lineup Released

Posted on January 17, 2024 by admin

sbiff2024 The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced today the highly anticipated lineup for the 39th edition, which will run February 7 to 17, 2024. The festival will showcase 45 world premieres and 77 U.S. premieres from 48 countries, along with tributes featuring the year’s top talent, panel discussions, and free community education and outreach programs.

“We have a wonderfully eclectic program this year from 48 countries around the world,” said Claudia Puig, Programming Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “We are especially proud that half of our slate of films are directed by women, and a large percentage by under-represented filmmakers. We know there will be something for everyone at our festival– and likely quite a lot for most. Nearly three-quarters of the films we’re showcasing have never been seen before in the US. We’re excited to introduce these films to audiences and thrilled that filmmakers from nearly every continent will be on hand to meet those attending SBIFF, and share in the communal love of film.”

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Governors Ball Announces 2024 Lineup Post Malone, The Killers, SZA To Headline

Posted on January 16, 2024 by admin

gball Today, Governors Ball, New York’s premier music festival, announced the lineup for its 2024 installment, marking the festival’s triumphant return to the iconic Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens during New York’s Music Month on June 7, 8 and 9.

This year’s lineup includes stellar headlining performances from Maplewood, NJ native, Grammy Award-winner SZA, 9x Grammy Award-nominee, Syracuse native and three-time Gov Ball alumni, Post Malone, and 5x Grammy-nominated, returning headliner and ASCAP Vanguard Award recipients, The Killers.

The lineup also includes an expanded presence of Latin music with artists like Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro and Farruko, to name a few. Plus the topline talents of 21 Savage, Dominic Fike, Carly Rae Jepsen, Reneé Rapp, Labrinth, Sabrina Carpenter and Don Toliver. Gov Ball is also pleased to welcome festival debut performances from Victoria Monét, Sexyy Red, TV Girl, Goth Babe, Alex G, Jessie Murph, Teezo Touchdown, Tyla, Kevin Abstract and much more.

“I’m thrilled to welcome everyone back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for this year’s Governors Ball, featuring headliners SZA, Post Malone and The Killers,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “We’re deeply grateful for the economic activity the festival will generate for Queens, and we’re even more grateful that the festival is partnering with some of our local nonprofits, including Chhaya, Elmhurst/Corona Recovery Collective and the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, to work with our local food vendors and other community groups doing important empowerment work.”

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Sundance 2024: Top Ten Feature Films From Its First Four Decades

Posted on January 16, 2024 by admin

before-sunrise Zero to oneToday, in advance of the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicking off on January 18, the nonprofit Sundance Institute is commemorating the four decades of extraordinary independent filmmaking presented at the Festival with the results of a survey taken by the filmmaking communities on their top ten feature films that have screened at the Festival since it began in 1985.

In honor of this milestone Festival, filmmakers, critics, and industry members shared their personal top 10 lists. Over 500 people participated — pouring over the nearly 4,000 feature films that have been presented at the Festival — and below is the collective top 10 list of the Sundance Film Festival films that have touched hearts and changed lives.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival will take place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25–28, 2024. This year marks the 40th edition of the Festival, bringing together audiences in Utah and beyond to celebrate Sundance’s rich history of supporting engaging new stories and groundbreaking independent artists. Tickets are on sale now at festival.sundance.org.

What from the 2024 Festival will make the top ten list in the future?

40th Edition All Time Top Ten Films Selected by the Filmmaking Community

10. Blood Simple (1985), Joel and Ethan Coen
9. Y tu mamá también (2002), Alfonso Cuarón
8. Boyhood (2014), Richard Linklater
7. Before Sunrise (1995), Richard Linklater
6. sex, lies and videotape (1989), Steven Soderbergh
5. Memento (2001), Christopher Nolan
4. Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
3. Get Out (2017), Jordan Peele
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992), Quentin Tarantino
1. Whiplash (2014), Damien Chazelle
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Official Trailer for “Bosco” Released Starring Aubrey Joseph as Bosco

Posted on January 15, 2024 by admin

bosco The prison escape movie “Bosco” from Peacock’s YouTube stars Aubrey Joseph as Bosco.

Based on the story of Quawntay ‘Bosco” Adams, the film is set for release on February 2, 2024.

It features Aubrey Joseph as “Bosco”, Nikki Blonsky as “Tammy”, Tyrese Gibson as “Tootie”, Vivica A. Fox as “Willa”, Theo Rossi as “Ramos”, and Thomas Jane as “Hunt”.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
In 2006 over two million Americans were incarcerated but only one managed to escape a federal maximum-security wing while under 24-hour surveillance – Quawntay “Bosco” Adams. For the chance to be at his first child’s birth, he planned an ingenious escape with the help of a lonely Missouri woman that he meets by replying to a personal ad.

“Orion And The Dark” Second Trailer Released

Posted on January 14, 2024 by admin

Orion-And-The-Dark The second trailer for the fantasy adventure film from DreamWorks Animation’s “Orion And The Dark” has been release.

On the film shows Follows Orion, a young boy who is afraid of heights, pets, and rendered nearly catatonic by the worst of all perils: the dark. The Dark takes Orion on a nighttime trip to prove to the youngster that the only thing to fear is fear itself.

Directed by Sean Charmatz, “Orion And The Dark” is set for release on Netflix on February 02, 2024.

The voice cast of “Orion And The Dark” includes Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, and Werner Herzog.

The film follows a boy with an active imagination, who faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Dark.

Here is the second trailer for “Orion And The Dark”.

Sundance Institute Announces 2024 Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive Fellows

Posted on January 13, 2024 by admin

Sundance Institute announced today the fellows selected for its 2024 Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive programs, which provide emerging artists with a creative and nurturing space to develop their first and second independent features. Out of over 3,400 submissions, 12 projects were selected for the annual Screenwriters Lab, where 16 fellows will further develop their scripts under the guidance of experienced creative advisors. The Screenwriters Lab will take place from January 13–17 at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah.

The lab will be led by Michelle Satter (Founding Senior Director, Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs) and Ilyse McKimmie (Deputy Director, Feature Film Program), with Artistic Director Jessie Nelson and creative advisors Ritesh Batra, Linda Yvette Chávez, Scott Frank, Phil Hay, Marielle Heller, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Kemp Powers, Dee Rees, Howard Rodman, Dana Stevens, Joan Tewkesbury, Bill Wheeler, Tyger Williams, Virgil Williams, and Doug Wright.

“We are excited to welcome this cohort to our global community of bold, visionary artists, developing stories that are a powerful force for empathy, vital culture-changing conversations, and audience engagement,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director, Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs. “The Screenwriters Lab is just the beginning of our connection to the 16 selected artists. Each artist is provided with year-round customized creative and strategic support throughout the journey of getting their films made. It is a privilege to watch their projects take seed at the Labs in the mountains of Utah and ultimately evolve into some of the world’s groundbreaking films.”
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“Self Reliance”, Jake Johnson’s Directorial Debut On Hulu Today

Posted on January 12, 2024 by admin

Comedy thriller “Self Reliance” is a film written, directed by and starring Jake Johnson in his feature length directorial debut. It is set to debut in Hulu on Friday, January 12th.

“Self Reliance” follows a middle-aged man (Jake Johnson, “New Girl”), after he is invited into a limo by famous actor Andy Samberg, his dull life takes a thrilling turn.

Here, Johnson is offered a chance to win a million dollars in a dark web reality TV show, where assassins from all over the world attempt to kill him for 30 days. The catch? He can’t be killed if he’s not entirely alone, leading him to recruit an unlikely team to help him survive.

“Self Reliance” is produced by Lonely Island and Walcott Productions, while Ali Bell, Joe Hardesty and Jake Johnson serve as producers and executive producers include Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone.

“Love Like the Falling Petals”, Keisuke Uyama’s Bestselling Novel Hits US Bookshelves

Posted on January 12, 2024 by admin

The Japanese bestselling novel “Love Like the Falling Petals” by Keisuke Uyama has just been released across America. First published by Shueisha, Inc. in 2017, the romance novel which explores the beauty and pain of young love, became a runaway bestseller in Japan, selling more than 700,000 copies, and also inspired a popular, live-action Netflix movie of the same name in 2022.

“Growing up, dreaming I would one day become a writer, I never thought that my stories would be read outside of Japan and reach people around the world,” said novelist and accomplished screenwriter Keisuke Uyama. “I am deeply moved and excited about the English-language edition of Love Like the Falling Petals.”

“I first got to know the story of Love Like The Falling Petals through the Netflix film,” said cover artist Heikala, a Finnish artist who resides in Tokyo. “Then when I got the chance to read the book, I was touched by the way that Uyama depicts the varying forms of love in his book.”
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St. Mercy: Godland Leaps Into A New Era Of Obsession – The Gods Of The Golden Age Of Hollywood

Posted on January 11, 2024 by admin

Top Cow Productions, Inc. is set to partner with EP1T0ME Studios, Inc. once again for the forthcoming St. Mercy: Godland, to be published by Image Comics. In this new, four-issue installment of the hit action/adventure comic book series—by writer John Zuur Platten (Jurassic World: Evolution, Wanted: Weapons of Fate) and artist Atilio Rojo (Cyber Force, A.R.C.) with lettering by Troy Peteri—Mercy will be catapulted from the dangers of the Incan Empire and the American West into the ruthless, golden era of 1930s Hollywood.

“No matter where Mercy goes or what era she’s in, she can’t escape her curse,” said Platten. “In Godland, while the setting shifts from the Wild West to what was then called Hollywoodland, Mercy’s unwanted duty remains the same—protect the Incan gold, death be damned.”

Rojo added: “Mercy is relentless; we cannot wait for readers to reunite with her, to see our version of 1930s Hollywood, to meet the new cast from that era, and to experience the wild action scenes.”

“Mercy’s journey feels unique and unexpected,” said Lee Thomas, Creative Director at EP1T0ME. “[It] reminds us of the eclectic journeys of Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark or Quantum Leap’s Sam Beckett.”
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Official Trailer for Horror Thriller “Abigail” Released

Posted on January 11, 2024 by admin

abigail-movie “Children can be such monsters,” says the film’s tagline.

“Abigail” stars Melissa Barrera (Scream franchise, In the Heights), Dan Stevens (Gaslit, Legion), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Freaky), William Catlett (Black Lightning, True Story), Kevin Durand (Resident Evil: Retribution, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Angus Cloud (Euphoria, North Hollywood) as the kidnappers and Alisha Weir (Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, Darklands) as Abigail.

In the film, after a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

“Abigail” is from Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground, Zombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Scream franchise, Ready or Not).

The film produced by William Sherak (Scream franchise, Ready or Not), Paul Neinstein (Scream franchise; executive producer, The Night Agent) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Scream franchise) for Project X Entertainment, by Tripp Vinson (Ready or Not, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) and by Radio Silence’s Chad Vilella (executive producer Ready or Not and Scream franchise). The executive producers are Ron Lynch and Macdara Kelleher.