The ‘existential drama’ I ORIGINS which premiered on Saturday at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival has been acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures for release in the U.S. The film is scheduled to be released in 2014. Directed and written by Mike Cahill, I ORIGINS is his second feature following ANOTHER EARTH which Fox Searchlight acquired at Sundance in 2011. The film stars Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Steven Yeun and Archie Panjabi.
The Mitt Romney documentary, “MITT,” from director Greg Whiteley, which provides an intimate, rarely seen, behind-the-scenes look at a candidate running for the presidency, will premiere exclusively on Netflix on Friday, January 24th.
FINAL RECIPE by Gina Kim
The Korean film FINAL RECIPE by Gina Kim will open the Culinary Cinema program of the 64th Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival, which will be held from February 9 to 14, 2014. “We like it hot… but don’t let it burn” is the motto of the 2014 Culinary Cinema program. In FINAL RECIPE, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) plays the producer of an extremely glamorous cooking contest who becomes entangled in a family drama.
GOD HELP THE GIRL by Stuart Murdoch
The Generation 14plus program of the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival will open with the British musical feature GOD HELP THE GIRL by Stuart Murdoch. In his directorial debut, founder and lead singer of the band Belle and Sebastian gives what the festival describes as a profound and charming account of a summer love in the beat clubs of Glasgow. Stuart Murdoch and his leading actors, Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray, are expected to attend the premiere on February 7, 2014.
Zach Braff’s comedy film WISH I WAS HERE, was quickly acquired by Focus Features after its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival over the weekend. WISH I WAS HERE is Braff’s follow-up to his indie breakout hit GARDEN STATE. WISH I WAS HERE was directed by Zach Braff from a screenplay he wrote with his brother, Adam; and stars Zach Braff along with Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Joey King, Pierce Gagnon and the late James Avery. Braff made headlines when he announced that WISH I WAS HERE would be funded by the crowd-funding site Kickstarter.
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS made up for its lack of a Oscar nomination by winning the The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures at the 25th Producers Guild Awards held last night at the Beverly Hilton. Directed by Alex Gibney, the film is described as the definitive story of Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks, and explores the people and events behind the upstart website that rocked the U.S. government, ushered in a new era of transparency and ignited an information war. FRUITVALE STATION was honored with the Stanley Kramer Award which was presented by star Michael B. Jordan.
Lynn Shelton’s LAGGIES starring Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Sam Rockwell which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, was acquired by A24 for U.S. release. A24 is planning a summer theatrical release for the film.
SAG-AFTRA presented its coveted Actor statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2013 at the “20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards” in ceremonies attended by film and television’s leading actors, held Saturday, January 18, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. Honored with awards were Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey and Lupita Nyong’o for performances in motion pictures.
Just before its world debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Pivot, the cable network from Participant Media and Univision News acquired the U.S. TV rights to ‘CESAR’S LAST FAST’ from Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee. CESAR’S LAST FAST, the documentary about the famed labor organizer, will premiere simultaneously in English and Spanish on the two networks – Pivot and the Univision Network– respectively.
DINOSAUR 13, one of the opening night films of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival has been acquired by CNN Films and Lionsgate, and will be released theatrically, with a North American broadcast premiere on CNN/U.S. DINOSAUR 13 is a documentary by filmmaker Todd Miller, who followed the odyssey of paleontologist Peter Larson of South Dakota’s Black Hills Institute of Geological Research after his history-making find: a nearly intact 65 million year-old fossilized skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex, they named “Sue.”
KHUMBA
The USA Film Festival unveiled the schedule and film lineup for the 30th annual KidFilm® Festival taking place Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26, 2014 at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas, Texas. In honor of KidFilm’s 30th Anniversary this year, all programs will be presented FREE to the community. This year, the Festival salutes favorite children’s book authors and celebrates magical creatures and our four-legged friends! From an invisible dog who helps his best bud, to a zebra who learns to accept himself despite having only half his stripes, and a mouse and bear, who overcome their differences to form a unlikely friendship, this year’s program features adventure-filled films for audiences of any age!
ERNEST & CELESTINE
The 17th New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival announced the jury and a slate preview for the upcoming festival, which runs March 7 to 30, 2014, at New York’s DGA Theater, IFC Center, Scholastic Theater, SVA Theatre, and Village East Cinema. Films on the lineup include the US Premiere of AMAZONIA (France), BOY AND THE WORLD (Brazil), and the Theatrical Premiere of the English Version of ERNEST & CELESTINE (France); and Special Preview Screening of MUPPETS MOST WANTED and RIO 2. The 2014 jury includes actors Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Susan Sarandon, Uma Thurman, and Jeffrey Wright and filmmakers and animators John Canemaker, Bill Plympton, Henry Selick, Gus Van Sant and Taika Waititi. As an Oscar®-qualifying festival, NYICFF jury winners qualify for consideration for the 2015 Academy Awards® in the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories.