"You didn't have to go all crazy just to get the three of us together!" Film Movement has revealed an official trailer for Mother, Couch, a very strange dark comedy from filmmaker Niclas Larsson making his feature directorial debut. This premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last fall to plenty of mixed reviews, one of the big discoveries from last year's fest even though critics are divided on it. Three children are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a display couch in a furniture store. Which sends them all on an existential odyssey. TIFF intro adds: Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Ellen Burstyn star in this sublime and eccentric story about the grand expanse that parents occupy within our lives and the family that has to come together to help you find your way. The cast also includes F. Murray Abraham, Lake Bell, and Taylor Russell.
- 5/10/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn are a toxic son-mother duo just in time for Mother’s Day.
The aptly titled indie film “Mother, Couch” marks first time filmmaker Niclas Larsson’s directorial debut. Larsson penned the script based on Jerker Virdborg’s novel “Mamma I Soffa” that centers on a dysfunctional family trying to convince their mother (Burstyn) to leave a department store.
A trio of estranged children — David (McGregor), Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) — must figure out how to escape the eerie store that is owned by identical twins Marco and Marcus (F. Murray Abraham) and daughter Bella (Taylor Russell). The film becomes a descent into madness and mayhem as the store melts into a surreal purgatory where the two families must purge their long-withheld resentments.
“Mother, Couch” is produced by Ella Bishop and Pau Suris for Suris/Bishop Films, Alex Black for Lyrical Media, and Sara Murphy for Fat City.
The aptly titled indie film “Mother, Couch” marks first time filmmaker Niclas Larsson’s directorial debut. Larsson penned the script based on Jerker Virdborg’s novel “Mamma I Soffa” that centers on a dysfunctional family trying to convince their mother (Burstyn) to leave a department store.
A trio of estranged children — David (McGregor), Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) — must figure out how to escape the eerie store that is owned by identical twins Marco and Marcus (F. Murray Abraham) and daughter Bella (Taylor Russell). The film becomes a descent into madness and mayhem as the store melts into a surreal purgatory where the two families must purge their long-withheld resentments.
“Mother, Couch” is produced by Ella Bishop and Pau Suris for Suris/Bishop Films, Alex Black for Lyrical Media, and Sara Murphy for Fat City.
- 5/10/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
North American indie distributor Film Movement is set to co-release Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch!” starring Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans and Taylor Russell with LA-based studio and distributor Memory in North America.
Based on the book “Mamma | Soffa” by Jerker Virdborg, the fim had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival followed by San Sebastian’s 2023 New Directors, and has since continued its run through the festival circuit, most recently winning Best Nordic Film at this year’s Goteborg Film Festival. Film Movement and Memory are planning a theatrical release later this year, while Charades is representing the international rights to the film at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.
“Mother, Couch!” is the story of a family mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store after their elderly Matriarch (Burstyn) refuses to get up from one of the display couches, leaving her three estranged...
Based on the book “Mamma | Soffa” by Jerker Virdborg, the fim had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival followed by San Sebastian’s 2023 New Directors, and has since continued its run through the festival circuit, most recently winning Best Nordic Film at this year’s Goteborg Film Festival. Film Movement and Memory are planning a theatrical release later this year, while Charades is representing the international rights to the film at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.
“Mother, Couch!” is the story of a family mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store after their elderly Matriarch (Burstyn) refuses to get up from one of the display couches, leaving her three estranged...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) has signed on to star opposite Anne Hathaway in Warner Bros Motion Picture Group’s currently untitled new film from David Robert Mitchell, the filmmaker behind titles like It Follows and Under the Silver Lake.
Pic’s logline is under wraps, though it’s previously been described as a “thrill-ride” to be shot in Imax. Mitchell will direct from his own original script and produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot, and Jackson Pictures’ Matt Jackson. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as executive producers. Sheila Walcott and Zach Hamby are overseeing the project for Wbmpg.
Recently reprising his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Disney+’s Emmy-nominated limited series of the same name, McGregor won an Emmy for his starring turn on Netflix’s Halston, also appearing in films like Birds of Prey, Doctor Sleep and Christopher Robin.
Pic’s logline is under wraps, though it’s previously been described as a “thrill-ride” to be shot in Imax. Mitchell will direct from his own original script and produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot, and Jackson Pictures’ Matt Jackson. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as executive producers. Sheila Walcott and Zach Hamby are overseeing the project for Wbmpg.
Recently reprising his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Disney+’s Emmy-nominated limited series of the same name, McGregor won an Emmy for his starring turn on Netflix’s Halston, also appearing in films like Birds of Prey, Doctor Sleep and Christopher Robin.
- 2/13/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Mother, Couch, the Niclas Larsson-directed film, took the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the Göteborg Film Festival. The film was awarded Sek 400,000, which is about $38,000.
The film stars Ewan McGregor, who had also received an honorary Dragon Award during 47th edition of the festival.
Mother, Couch made its debut at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The debut film by Larsson is based on Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa, a story of three children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store.
Other winners at Göteborg included Oona Airola’s Best Acting award for The Missile, with Juan Sarmiento G. taking the award for cinematography and Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land taking the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Full list of winners Best Nordic Film
Mother, Couch
Best Acting
Oona Airola...
The film stars Ewan McGregor, who had also received an honorary Dragon Award during 47th edition of the festival.
Mother, Couch made its debut at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The debut film by Larsson is based on Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa, a story of three children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store.
Other winners at Göteborg included Oona Airola’s Best Acting award for The Missile, with Juan Sarmiento G. taking the award for cinematography and Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land taking the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Full list of winners Best Nordic Film
Mother, Couch
Best Acting
Oona Airola...
- 2/4/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch” was awarded the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at Goteborg, taking home the considerable amount of Sek 400,000.
Led by Ewan McGregor – this year’s recipient of the Honorary Dragon Award – the U.S.-Swedish-Danish co-production also features Ellen Burstyn and “Bones and All” breakout Taylor Russell, making it one of the starriest Goteborg winners in recent years.
“My therapist was wrong! I pitched him this idea a few years ago and he said: ‘Don’t do it.’ I am from here and this festival has meant the world to me. Standing on this stage is a bit surreal,” said Larsson.
Jurors Lena Endre, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, William Spetz, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion appreciated the way it shows “how difficult it is to let go of the past, accept loss and finally embrace the future.” They praised “original and bold storytelling, with a lot of humor,...
Led by Ewan McGregor – this year’s recipient of the Honorary Dragon Award – the U.S.-Swedish-Danish co-production also features Ellen Burstyn and “Bones and All” breakout Taylor Russell, making it one of the starriest Goteborg winners in recent years.
“My therapist was wrong! I pitched him this idea a few years ago and he said: ‘Don’t do it.’ I am from here and this festival has meant the world to me. Standing on this stage is a bit surreal,” said Larsson.
Jurors Lena Endre, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, William Spetz, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion appreciated the way it shows “how difficult it is to let go of the past, accept loss and finally embrace the future.” They praised “original and bold storytelling, with a lot of humor,...
- 2/3/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch took the Dragon award for best Nordic film at Goteborg Film Festival, which held its closing ceremony this evening.
The Swedish-us drama received the 400,000 Sek prize from the five-person jury, consisting of actors Lena Endre and William Spetz, and directors Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The jury chose the film for its “original and bold storytelling with a lot of humour; with the use of creative cinematography and sharp and witty dialogue.”
Mother, Couch centres on three children who are brought together when their mother...
The Swedish-us drama received the 400,000 Sek prize from the five-person jury, consisting of actors Lena Endre and William Spetz, and directors Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Tonia Noyabrova and Anna Novion.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The jury chose the film for its “original and bold storytelling with a lot of humour; with the use of creative cinematography and sharp and witty dialogue.”
Mother, Couch centres on three children who are brought together when their mother...
- 2/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rose Glass’s romantic thriller Loves Lives Bleeding is set to open the 20th edition of Glasgow Film Festival (Gff) on February 28.
The UK filmmaker’s follow-up to Saint Maud stars Kristen Stewart as a gym owner who falls for a bodybuilder with criminal connections. The A24 feature will receive its UK premiere at Glasgow following its debut at Sundance earlier this month.
John Archer’s documentary Janey, about Scottish stand-up comedian Janey Godley as she embarks on her final tour following a terminal cancer diagnosis, will close the festival on March 10.
Gff has secured eight world premieres (see below...
The UK filmmaker’s follow-up to Saint Maud stars Kristen Stewart as a gym owner who falls for a bodybuilder with criminal connections. The A24 feature will receive its UK premiere at Glasgow following its debut at Sundance earlier this month.
John Archer’s documentary Janey, about Scottish stand-up comedian Janey Godley as she embarks on her final tour following a terminal cancer diagnosis, will close the festival on March 10.
Gff has secured eight world premieres (see below...
- 1/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival unveiled its 2024 lineup today, featuring 250 feature films set to screen across ten days, with highlights including Handling the Undead, Norwegian filmmaker Thea Hvistendahl’s feature debut, starring Renate Resinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie. Other buzzy titles include the Finish title The Missile from filmmaker Miia Tervo and Morbius director Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaker with Madame Luna.
Handling the Undead opens the festival following its debut bow at Sundance. The pic, an adaptation of a novel by Let The Right One In writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, tells the story of three families recently left in mourning after the passing of loved ones. Suddenly, the power grid goes out, and the deceased begin to move.
Guests set to pass through Gothenburg include actor Ewan McGregor, who will receive the festival’s honorary dragon award for career achievement. He will also be in town to...
Handling the Undead opens the festival following its debut bow at Sundance. The pic, an adaptation of a novel by Let The Right One In writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, tells the story of three families recently left in mourning after the passing of loved ones. Suddenly, the power grid goes out, and the deceased begin to move.
Guests set to pass through Gothenburg include actor Ewan McGregor, who will receive the festival’s honorary dragon award for career achievement. He will also be in town to...
- 1/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Festival selection includes Nikolaj Arcel’s ‘The Promised Land’ and Ernst De Geer’s ‘The Hypnosis’.
Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.
The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.
Scroll down for the list of festival titles
The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land,...
Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.
The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.
Scroll down for the list of festival titles
The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Actors Ewan McGregor, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, directors Ruben Östlund, Ernst de Geer, Ramata-Toulaye Sy and Cannes Film Festival honcho Thierry Frémaux are some of the stellar guests set to walk the red carpet at the 47th edition of Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival.
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
- 1/9/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the competition titles selected for its 47th edition, which runs from January 26 to February 4. (Scroll down for the full list).
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
- 1/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Scottish actor will present ‘Mother, Couch’ and classic ‘Trainspotting’.
Sweden’s Goteborg Film Festival will present its 2024 Honorary Dragon award to Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.
McGregor will attend the festival to receive the award, where he will also participate in an Actors Talk, and present the Nordic premiere of Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch, in which McGregor plays the lead.
The Honorary Dragon award ceremony will be in conjunction with a screening of Danny Boyle’s 1996 classic Trainspotting, followed by an on-stage conversation with McGregor.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation,...
Sweden’s Goteborg Film Festival will present its 2024 Honorary Dragon award to Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.
McGregor will attend the festival to receive the award, where he will also participate in an Actors Talk, and present the Nordic premiere of Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch, in which McGregor plays the lead.
The Honorary Dragon award ceremony will be in conjunction with a screening of Danny Boyle’s 1996 classic Trainspotting, followed by an on-stage conversation with McGregor.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Ewan McGregor is set to receive the Honorary Dragon Award at this year’s Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden.
The “Star Wars” and “Trainspotting” star will attend the festival to collect the honor and participate in an Actors Talk. He will also be present at the Nordic premiere of his latest film, Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch,” and a retrospective of his most notable films will be featured at the festival.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation and a saber-swinging franchise holder in the pop-cultural center of the galaxy. But above all, he is an incredibly skilled artist,” Göteborg Film Festival artistic director Jonas Holmberg said in a statement. “By mastering stylized extravagance, literary precision and nuanced realism with the same relaxed self-evidence, Ewan McGregor has shown that he is one of the truly great actors of our time.
The “Star Wars” and “Trainspotting” star will attend the festival to collect the honor and participate in an Actors Talk. He will also be present at the Nordic premiere of his latest film, Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch,” and a retrospective of his most notable films will be featured at the festival.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation and a saber-swinging franchise holder in the pop-cultural center of the galaxy. But above all, he is an incredibly skilled artist,” Göteborg Film Festival artistic director Jonas Holmberg said in a statement. “By mastering stylized extravagance, literary precision and nuanced realism with the same relaxed self-evidence, Ewan McGregor has shown that he is one of the truly great actors of our time.
- 1/4/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Scottish star Ewan McGregor will receive this year’s Honorary Dragon Award, a lifetime achievement honor, at Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival.
McGregor will attend the Göteborg event, which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4, and will present the Nordic premiere screening of his latest feature, Mother, Couch. McGregor stars alongside Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle as three siblings bought together when their eccentric mother, played by Ellen Burstyn, sits herself down on a couch in a vintage furniture store and refuses to get up. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson, Mother, Couch is adapted from Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
McGregor will receive his Dragon Award following a screening of his 1996 breakthrough Trainspotting, after which he will participate in an onstage conversation.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a...
McGregor will attend the Göteborg event, which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4, and will present the Nordic premiere screening of his latest feature, Mother, Couch. McGregor stars alongside Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle as three siblings bought together when their eccentric mother, played by Ellen Burstyn, sits herself down on a couch in a vintage furniture store and refuses to get up. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson, Mother, Couch is adapted from Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s novel Mamma i soffa. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
McGregor will receive his Dragon Award following a screening of his 1996 breakthrough Trainspotting, after which he will participate in an onstage conversation.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a...
- 1/4/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival has tapped actor Ewan McGregor to receive its honorary dragon award for career achievement during its 47th edition, running from January 26 to February 4.
McGregor will attend Göteborg to receive the award, participate in an ‘actors talk’ Q&a session, and present the Nordic premiere of Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch, in which he plays the leading role alongside Taylor Russell. The festival will also host a retrospective of McGregor’s films.
Some of McGregor’s most notable credits include Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, and the Star Wars trilogy. The Scottish actor is next set to exec produce and star in Paramount+ & Showtime’s A Gentleman in Moscow.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation, and a saber-swinging franchise holder in the pop-cultural center of the galaxy,” said Jonas Holmberg,...
McGregor will attend Göteborg to receive the award, participate in an ‘actors talk’ Q&a session, and present the Nordic premiere of Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch, in which he plays the leading role alongside Taylor Russell. The festival will also host a retrospective of McGregor’s films.
Some of McGregor’s most notable credits include Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, and the Star Wars trilogy. The Scottish actor is next set to exec produce and star in Paramount+ & Showtime’s A Gentleman in Moscow.
“Ewan McGregor is an androgynous symbol of the Cool Britannia era, a romantic icon for the millennial generation, and a saber-swinging franchise holder in the pop-cultural center of the galaxy,” said Jonas Holmberg,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced a new batch of mostly international titles set to launch in its Festival Favorites and Treasures strands, including the international premiere of U.S. actor-turned-director Jennifer Esposito’s New York City mob drama “Fresh Kills.”
Inspired by Esposito’s upbringing in Staten Island, “Fresh Kills” – in which Esposito co-stars with Annabella Sciorra – bowed stateside at the Tribeca Festival in June.
Other international talents peppered throughout the Red Sea sections likely to be making the trek to Saudi include Anna Kendrick with her period crime drama “Woman of the Hour”; David Oyelowo, producer of high-profile soccer doc “Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story”; Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn for Swedish director Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch”; Serena and Venus Williams as executive producers of “Copa 71,” the story of the groundbreaking 1971 Women’s World Cup; and French writer-director Laetitia Colombani with her drama “The Braid.
Inspired by Esposito’s upbringing in Staten Island, “Fresh Kills” – in which Esposito co-stars with Annabella Sciorra – bowed stateside at the Tribeca Festival in June.
Other international talents peppered throughout the Red Sea sections likely to be making the trek to Saudi include Anna Kendrick with her period crime drama “Woman of the Hour”; David Oyelowo, producer of high-profile soccer doc “Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story”; Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn for Swedish director Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch”; Serena and Venus Williams as executive producers of “Copa 71,” the story of the groundbreaking 1971 Women’s World Cup; and French writer-director Laetitia Colombani with her drama “The Braid.
- 11/9/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman Of The Hour and family drama Mother Couch, starring Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn, are headed to the third edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, running from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah.
The titles will play in the Festival Favorites sidebar which was announced on Thursday alongside the event’s Red Sea: Treasures strand.
Kendrick directs and stars in Netflix-acquired drama Woman Of The Hour as a woman whose path crosses notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala, whilst in Niclas Larsson’s first film Mother Couch, McGregor plays a man whose mother squats the family furniture store.
Further films in the line-up – showcasing 21 buzzy festival titles from the last 12 months – include the David Oyelowo produced documentary Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story; Women’s World Cup doc Copa 71, executive produced by Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Esposito’s Fresh Kills,...
The titles will play in the Festival Favorites sidebar which was announced on Thursday alongside the event’s Red Sea: Treasures strand.
Kendrick directs and stars in Netflix-acquired drama Woman Of The Hour as a woman whose path crosses notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala, whilst in Niclas Larsson’s first film Mother Couch, McGregor plays a man whose mother squats the family furniture store.
Further films in the line-up – showcasing 21 buzzy festival titles from the last 12 months – include the David Oyelowo produced documentary Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story; Women’s World Cup doc Copa 71, executive produced by Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Esposito’s Fresh Kills,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The San Sebastian International Film Festival has long been considered the most intimate of the A-list festivals, neatly wrapping up a hectic fall festival season as delegates descend on the enchanting seaside city in Northern Spain. But in the last few years, the event has cemented itself into a festival reputed for championing new talent and emerging voices across all sections of its programming.
Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.
This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands,...
Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.
This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
What happens when an immovable object meets a fatigued force that keeps whacking its head against said object in defeated frustration? That’s the question proposed by Niclas Larsson’s debut feature, “Mother, Couch.” Executive produced by and starring the once-boyish, now often forlorn Ewan McGregor, the film follows David, a frumpy middle-aged family man whose mother (Ellen Burstyn) plants herself on an old couch in the storage room of a furniture outlet, flatly refusing to vacate the premises. Though Larsson builds from the increasingly existential dilemma in striking ways, “Mother, Couch” finds itself caught running in place before grasping for sentimentality in its final minutes.
The central kerfuffle kicks off as David surveys the far-flung outlet Bob’s Furniture, tagging along with his older brother, Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans). The dim swamp of a business lays out an absorbing, homely stage for the drama, with awkwardly arranged floor plans and...
The central kerfuffle kicks off as David surveys the far-flung outlet Bob’s Furniture, tagging along with his older brother, Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans). The dim swamp of a business lays out an absorbing, homely stage for the drama, with awkwardly arranged floor plans and...
- 9/16/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Furniture stores are strange places. The liminal feeling they give off is something like a life-size dollhouse or home you once lived in but can’t remember when. If you’ve ever been into an Ikea, chances are you thought about what it’d be like to spend the night in one of the staged rooms that has a sink with no running water.
A friend told me once that when she was younger, her parents would take her and her older sister to Bob’s Furniture for snacks and movies. While her parents would pretend to shop around for a pressboard dresser, she and her sister would raid the store’s self-serve cafe for popcorn, ice cream, candy, cookies and then sit down in the store’s small theater while something like “Finding Nemo” or “Shrek” played.
At its core, Swedish director Niclas Larsson’s debut feature “Mother, Couch,...
A friend told me once that when she was younger, her parents would take her and her older sister to Bob’s Furniture for snacks and movies. While her parents would pretend to shop around for a pressboard dresser, she and her sister would raid the store’s self-serve cafe for popcorn, ice cream, candy, cookies and then sit down in the store’s small theater while something like “Finding Nemo” or “Shrek” played.
At its core, Swedish director Niclas Larsson’s debut feature “Mother, Couch,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Like the humongous going-out-of-business furniture store where Mother, Couch takes place, the movie is a collection of intriguing pieces that mostly sit there unassembled or out of context, their potential unfulfilled. Exhibit A among the elements banging around this echo chamber of strained surrealism is the committed ensemble cast. It’s led by Ewan McGregor, as a stressed-out husband and father who’s trying, with little help from anyone around him, to lure his mother (a bewigged and scowling Ellen Burstyn) out of the retail outlet where she’s planted herself.
Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle round out the story’s central trio of siblings, with Taylor Russell and F. Murray Abraham also inhabiting its peculiar world, a place that isn’t what it seems. Whatever drew this strong cast to Niclas Larsson’s debut feature remains elusive in the finished product, which stirs up questions about the illogical...
Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle round out the story’s central trio of siblings, with Taylor Russell and F. Murray Abraham also inhabiting its peculiar world, a place that isn’t what it seems. Whatever drew this strong cast to Niclas Larsson’s debut feature remains elusive in the finished product, which stirs up questions about the illogical...
- 9/13/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Timm Kröger’s feature debut title is being sold by Paris-based sales outfit Charades.
Picturehouse Entertainment has taken UK and Ireland rights for Timm Kröger’s Venice competition title The Theory Of Everything from Paris-based sales outfit Charades.
German director Kröger’s black-and-white metaphysical noir is set in the Swiss Alps in the winter of 1962. It centres on a young doctor-to-be attending an international convention where he finds a mysterious pianist, a bizarre cloud formation in the sky and a dark, booming secret under the mountain, all part of the titular “theory of everything.”
The genre-hopping film is produced by Germany’s ma.
Picturehouse Entertainment has taken UK and Ireland rights for Timm Kröger’s Venice competition title The Theory Of Everything from Paris-based sales outfit Charades.
German director Kröger’s black-and-white metaphysical noir is set in the Swiss Alps in the winter of 1962. It centres on a young doctor-to-be attending an international convention where he finds a mysterious pianist, a bizarre cloud formation in the sky and a dark, booming secret under the mountain, all part of the titular “theory of everything.”
The genre-hopping film is produced by Germany’s ma.
- 9/13/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
One of the great joys of a film festival is poring through the film program to see what stands out beyond the big galas and headlining premieres. Whether it's a particularly striking still image, the right talent attached, or an intriguing concept, it's so much fun to see what's on offer. One such film that stood out in the packed program of the Toronto International Film Festival is "Mother, Couch," which immediately compelled me with a single-line synopsis: "Three estranged children come together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store." It didn't hurt that the cast was stacked to the nines: Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, Taylor Russell, F. Murray Abraham, and Ellen Burstyn all feature.
The debut from Niclas Larsson, "Mother, Couch" delivers on its premise while simultaneously offering something stranger, bolder, and more dreamlike than I could have anticipated. The...
The debut from Niclas Larsson, "Mother, Couch" delivers on its premise while simultaneously offering something stranger, bolder, and more dreamlike than I could have anticipated. The...
- 9/11/2023
- by Barry Levitt
- Slash Film
Take a bit of Kafka, throw in some Buñuelian realism, add a dose of John Cheever (circa The Swimmer) and then hand the recipe over to a first-time feature-making Swedish director with fond memories of a childhood spent in Ikea furniture stores, then put together an A-List cast, and you essentially have Mother, Couch.
A World Premiere this weekend at the Toronto Film Festival, this truly surreal, metaphysical mind trip will not be to everyone’s taste, but the cast, including a couple of Oscar winners, will make it go down easier even if some of it more closely resembles a thespian exercise at the Actor’s Studio, rather than a major motion picture. It certainly is watchable, and writer/director Niclas Larsson makes the most of his adaptation of Jerker Virdborg’s book, Mamma I Sofa which centers on a seemingly normal outing to a furniture store but turns...
A World Premiere this weekend at the Toronto Film Festival, this truly surreal, metaphysical mind trip will not be to everyone’s taste, but the cast, including a couple of Oscar winners, will make it go down easier even if some of it more closely resembles a thespian exercise at the Actor’s Studio, rather than a major motion picture. It certainly is watchable, and writer/director Niclas Larsson makes the most of his adaptation of Jerker Virdborg’s book, Mamma I Sofa which centers on a seemingly normal outing to a furniture store but turns...
- 9/10/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Excellent performances from Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle are wasted on a baffling, surreal family indie
Heads will be left thoroughly scratched by this rather bewildering curio, a rambling yet not entirely ineffectual comedy-drama about a fractured family forced together by unusual circumstance, starting out somewhat of this world before falling headfirst into surrealist fantasy. Affection for Mother, Couch! might be amplified by the recent phenomenal success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, another film using quirky, fantastical elements to tell the story of a family unit in crisis, but even the many, many hardcore fans of this year’s best picture winner will struggle to hold on until the end here, on a rickety runaway train hurtling towards disaster.
Its passengers at least seem blissfully unaware of their fate. The crackerjack ensemble gives it their all, almost enough to save a script written with...
Heads will be left thoroughly scratched by this rather bewildering curio, a rambling yet not entirely ineffectual comedy-drama about a fractured family forced together by unusual circumstance, starting out somewhat of this world before falling headfirst into surrealist fantasy. Affection for Mother, Couch! might be amplified by the recent phenomenal success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, another film using quirky, fantastical elements to tell the story of a family unit in crisis, but even the many, many hardcore fans of this year’s best picture winner will struggle to hold on until the end here, on a rickety runaway train hurtling towards disaster.
Its passengers at least seem blissfully unaware of their fate. The crackerjack ensemble gives it their all, almost enough to save a script written with...
- 9/9/2023
- by Benjamin Lee in Toronto
- The Guardian - Film News
There is something so haunting about “Mother, Couch” that the term surreal doesn’t quite cover it. Could it be a recent career-best-of-many performance by Ellen Burstyn, or the realization that why, yes, Lara Flynn Boyle has an uncanny resemblance to the iconic actress and is perfectly cast as her daughter?
Or is it just how frazzled Ewan McGregor becomes as he starts contemplating whether or not he is a bad parent to his young children while his onscreen wife, played by Lake Bell, is drowning in her own swirl of domestic stress? In short, “Mother, Couch” is a triumph that marks, bafflingly, writer-director Niclas Larsson’s feature debut.
To start with the title, “Mother, Couch” does very well need the comma: This is a presentation of a nameless Mother (Burstyn), one whose title is solely in reference to the fact that she has spawned a trio of children — David...
Or is it just how frazzled Ewan McGregor becomes as he starts contemplating whether or not he is a bad parent to his young children while his onscreen wife, played by Lake Bell, is drowning in her own swirl of domestic stress? In short, “Mother, Couch” is a triumph that marks, bafflingly, writer-director Niclas Larsson’s feature debut.
To start with the title, “Mother, Couch” does very well need the comma: This is a presentation of a nameless Mother (Burstyn), one whose title is solely in reference to the fact that she has spawned a trio of children — David...
- 9/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The way Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson describes his trickery of an all-star cast for Mother Couch – led by Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle, Taylor Russell and F. Murray Abraham – you’d have thought he’d mined a CIA manual for Cold War field agents to shoot his directorial debut on a soundstage in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I think a powerful tool for directors is to actually misdirect,” Larsson, a former child actor turned filmmaker, told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Mother Couch, based on the existential novel Mamma i Soffa by Swedish novelist Jerker Virdborg, takes place entirely in a remote furniture store, where Mother (Burstyn) is seated on a green couch and refuses to get up and leave.
That has her three estranged children – David (McGregor), Gruffudd (Ifans) and Linda (Boyle) — questioning with varied trust...
“I think a powerful tool for directors is to actually misdirect,” Larsson, a former child actor turned filmmaker, told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Mother Couch, based on the existential novel Mamma i Soffa by Swedish novelist Jerker Virdborg, takes place entirely in a remote furniture store, where Mother (Burstyn) is seated on a green couch and refuses to get up and leave.
That has her three estranged children – David (McGregor), Gruffudd (Ifans) and Linda (Boyle) — questioning with varied trust...
- 9/9/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Licorice Pizza and If Beale Street Could Talk producer Sara Murphy arrives at TIFF this week with the intimate yet ambitious feature Mother, Couch, the first project produced under Fat City, the production label she launched last year alongside War Pony producer Ryan Zacarias.
Starring Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, and Ellen Burstyn, the pic is written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson in his feature film debut. The story is adapted from a novel of the same name by Swedish filmmaker Jerker Virdborg.
“The book is very different from the film,” Larsson said of his adaptation. “In fact, the first thing I asked Jerker was how free I could be with the adaptation, and he said, ‘Look, steal whatever you want to steal, and go with it.’ So that’s that’s what I did.”
The biggest change Larsson made on screen was moving the story from Sweden to the US.
Starring Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, and Ellen Burstyn, the pic is written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Niclas Larsson in his feature film debut. The story is adapted from a novel of the same name by Swedish filmmaker Jerker Virdborg.
“The book is very different from the film,” Larsson said of his adaptation. “In fact, the first thing I asked Jerker was how free I could be with the adaptation, and he said, ‘Look, steal whatever you want to steal, and go with it.’ So that’s that’s what I did.”
The biggest change Larsson made on screen was moving the story from Sweden to the US.
- 9/8/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Daddio, Lee, Boy Kills World, North Star, Woman Of The Hour, Hell Of A Summer among TIFF picks.
Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller, Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn in a taxi cab, and Ewan McGregor in the story of estranged siblings trying to coax their mother out of a furniture store sofa are just some of the storylines of acquisition titles screening at 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
This year’s selection boasts a number of feature directorial debuts from Anna Kendrick, Kristin Scott Thomas, Chris Pine, and Finn Wolfhard, as well as sophomore outings by Michael Keaton and Viggo Mortensen.
Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller, Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn in a taxi cab, and Ewan McGregor in the story of estranged siblings trying to coax their mother out of a furniture store sofa are just some of the storylines of acquisition titles screening at 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
This year’s selection boasts a number of feature directorial debuts from Anna Kendrick, Kristin Scott Thomas, Chris Pine, and Finn Wolfhard, as well as sophomore outings by Michael Keaton and Viggo Mortensen.
- 9/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Here comes the fall festival circuit during the history-making double union strike. In these still uncharted waters, there remain quite a few unknowns. For instance, it’s unclear how interim agreements — either signed or not — will affect a project’s potential for pickup. Then, there is the question of whether AMPTP studios — supposedly sitting on stockpiles of cash — will be looking to buy given a lack of new content, or if they will abstain with an uncertain negotiating road ahead.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
- 9/7/2023
- by Mia Galuppo and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
Carefree Days will open the New Directors section in San Sebastian Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn are among the stars featuring in this year's New Directors Line-up at San Sebastian Film Festival, which has just been announced.
They both star in Niclas Larsson's Mother, Couch!, the Swedish director's debut film, which sees three estranged siblings trying to persuade their mum to leave a couch in a furniture store. The section will open with Chinese film Carefree Days the second feature fromLiang Ming (“Wisdom Tooth”). The section will close with Beyond The Fog, directed by Daichi Murase and produced by Naomi Kwase.
Other films in the line-up include Nicole Midori's Last Shadow At First Light, which follows a teenager haunted by trauma.
The festival has also announced its showcase of Latin American films, Horizontes Latinos. Paula Hernández will open the section with The Ravaging Wind,...
They both star in Niclas Larsson's Mother, Couch!, the Swedish director's debut film, which sees three estranged siblings trying to persuade their mum to leave a couch in a furniture store. The section will open with Chinese film Carefree Days the second feature fromLiang Ming (“Wisdom Tooth”). The section will close with Beyond The Fog, directed by Daichi Murase and produced by Naomi Kwase.
Other films in the line-up include Nicole Midori's Last Shadow At First Light, which follows a teenager haunted by trauma.
The festival has also announced its showcase of Latin American films, Horizontes Latinos. Paula Hernández will open the section with The Ravaging Wind,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Charades and UTA Independent Film Group have boarded “Mother, Couch,” the high-profile feature debut of Niclas Larsson, which has just dropped its first-look image, shared in exclusivity with Variety.
An all-star cast is led by Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle and F. Murray Abraham and now Lake Bell.
Charades will handle international sales, with UTA selling the film for the U.S. “Mother, Couch” is set to world premiere at September’s Toronto Intl. Film Festival, bowing in its Special Presentations section. It then segues for its European premiere at the San Sebastian’s New Directors competition.
Produced by Lyrical Media (“How to Blow Up a Pipeline”), Fat City, launched last year by Sara Murphy and Ryan Zacarias, and Suris/Bishop Films, New York-based and specializing in development. It is co-produced with Sweden’s high-flying regional production fund Film I Vast and Denmark’s Snowglobe,...
An all-star cast is led by Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, Rhys Ifans, Lara Flynn Boyle and F. Murray Abraham and now Lake Bell.
Charades will handle international sales, with UTA selling the film for the U.S. “Mother, Couch” is set to world premiere at September’s Toronto Intl. Film Festival, bowing in its Special Presentations section. It then segues for its European premiere at the San Sebastian’s New Directors competition.
Produced by Lyrical Media (“How to Blow Up a Pipeline”), Fat City, launched last year by Sara Murphy and Ryan Zacarias, and Suris/Bishop Films, New York-based and specializing in development. It is co-produced with Sweden’s high-flying regional production fund Film I Vast and Denmark’s Snowglobe,...
- 7/31/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The line-up includes Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch! starring Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell and Ellen Burstyn
San Sebastian International Film Festival has unveiled the 11 first and second features competing for the New Directors award.
Among the selection is Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch! starring Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell and Ellen Burstyn. The film is a co-production between the US, Sweden and Denmark and sees three estranged siblings brought back together by their mother’s bizarre behaviour.
The strand will open with Miang Ling’s second film Carefree Days which follows a 25-year-old woman with a terminal illness who embarks on...
San Sebastian International Film Festival has unveiled the 11 first and second features competing for the New Directors award.
Among the selection is Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couch! starring Ewan McGregor, Taylor Russell and Ellen Burstyn. The film is a co-production between the US, Sweden and Denmark and sees three estranged siblings brought back together by their mother’s bizarre behaviour.
The strand will open with Miang Ling’s second film Carefree Days which follows a 25-year-old woman with a terminal illness who embarks on...
- 7/27/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Swedish pic Mother, Couch! starring Taylor Russell and Ewan McGregor alongside Ellen Burstyn is one of the titles San Sebastian has set to compete for its New Directors award during its 71st edition, running September 22 — 30.
The film is from the debut feature filmmaker Niclas Larsson and follows three estranged children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store. The previously unannounced film is a US – Danish – Swedish co-production. Unlike the other titles announced today, the mystery project had no accompanying image.
Eleven productions from nineteen countries will compete for San Sebastian’s Kutxabank-New Directors Award. Of all the selected movies, seven are debut works, while the rest are second features. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award comes with a 50,000 euro cash prize divided equally between the director and the distributor of the film in Spain. Films in the New Directors section are also...
The film is from the debut feature filmmaker Niclas Larsson and follows three estranged children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store. The previously unannounced film is a US – Danish – Swedish co-production. Unlike the other titles announced today, the mystery project had no accompanying image.
Eleven productions from nineteen countries will compete for San Sebastian’s Kutxabank-New Directors Award. Of all the selected movies, seven are debut works, while the rest are second features. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award comes with a 50,000 euro cash prize divided equally between the director and the distributor of the film in Spain. Films in the New Directors section are also...
- 7/27/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor Title ‘Mother, Couch!’ to Bow at San Sebastian’s New Directors Sidebar
Starring “Bones and All’s” Taylor Russell, Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn, “Mother, Couch!” the feature debut of Sweden’s Niclas Larsson, features in a currently 11-title lineup of San Sebastian’s 2023 New Directors section, the most important sidebar at the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world.
Notable in Trey Edward Shults’ raved-reviewed debut “Waves,” Russell stars in “Mother, Couch,” billed as dark dramedy that, produced by Lyrical Media and Suris/Bishop Films, has largely flown under the radar. Though “Mother, Couch!” Is his feature debut, Larsson is a high-profile short filmmaker, his Vatten (2013) earned the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Göteborg, and 2015’s “The Magic Dinner” starred Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour.
Section’s other highest-profile title is supernatural art house drama “Last Shadow at First Light,” shot between Singapore and Japan and directed by Nicole Midori and described by Variety as examining “the intangible nature...
Notable in Trey Edward Shults’ raved-reviewed debut “Waves,” Russell stars in “Mother, Couch,” billed as dark dramedy that, produced by Lyrical Media and Suris/Bishop Films, has largely flown under the radar. Though “Mother, Couch!” Is his feature debut, Larsson is a high-profile short filmmaker, his Vatten (2013) earned the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Göteborg, and 2015’s “The Magic Dinner” starred Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour.
Section’s other highest-profile title is supernatural art house drama “Last Shadow at First Light,” shot between Singapore and Japan and directed by Nicole Midori and described by Variety as examining “the intangible nature...
- 7/27/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
After unveiling a few titles, the Toronto International Film Festival has now dropped the initial 60 films taking part in their Galas and Special Presentations line-up when the festival takes place from September 7-17.
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
- 7/24/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Toronto International Film Festival is back for another big year.
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
- 7/24/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
The Toronto Film Festival is betting on a “star-studded” event with a strong U.S. presence in September as it unveiled 60 films for its highest-profile Gala and Special Presentations programs amid historic Hollywood strikes.
Roy Thomson Hall will host a world premiere for Craig Gillespie’s GameStop short-squeeze saga Dumb Money, which stars Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen; and there will be international bows for U.S. director Chloe Domont’s Sundance hit Fair Play that went to Netflix, and another Netflix title, Nyad, a biopic about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad to star Jodie Foster and Annette Bening from Free Solo directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
TIFF earlier announced a Gala world premiere for Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, a soccer comedy that stars Will Arnett and Michael Fassbender and is set for an upcoming Searchlight Pictures release.
Of course, it remains to...
Roy Thomson Hall will host a world premiere for Craig Gillespie’s GameStop short-squeeze saga Dumb Money, which stars Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen; and there will be international bows for U.S. director Chloe Domont’s Sundance hit Fair Play that went to Netflix, and another Netflix title, Nyad, a biopic about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad to star Jodie Foster and Annette Bening from Free Solo directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
TIFF earlier announced a Gala world premiere for Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, a soccer comedy that stars Will Arnett and Michael Fassbender and is set for an upcoming Searchlight Pictures release.
Of course, it remains to...
- 7/24/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bert Marcus, founder and CEO of Bert Marcus Productions, has signed with Range Media Partners. Marcus will be represented by a core team consisting of Matt Graham, Cj Cook, Tyler Henry, Ben Grayson and Rich Cook.
“Bert is a creative engine, his mind works at a million miles an hour,” Graham, Range Media Partners’ co-founder and managing partner, said announcing the signing. “He is always finding the most interesting way into a world as a storyteller which is what has made his films so sticky. We believe his creativity, experience and resources are a force multiplier for us on the unscripted side of our business. We are beyond thrilled to collaborate with such a talent.”
Bert Marcus Productions creates and oversees unscripted feature film and television content, while Bert Marcus Film is the company’s scripted feature film and television arm, working toward the company’s overall mission to “craft distinctive,...
“Bert is a creative engine, his mind works at a million miles an hour,” Graham, Range Media Partners’ co-founder and managing partner, said announcing the signing. “He is always finding the most interesting way into a world as a storyteller which is what has made his films so sticky. We believe his creativity, experience and resources are a force multiplier for us on the unscripted side of our business. We are beyond thrilled to collaborate with such a talent.”
Bert Marcus Productions creates and oversees unscripted feature film and television content, while Bert Marcus Film is the company’s scripted feature film and television arm, working toward the company’s overall mission to “craft distinctive,...
- 7/14/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
- 4/10/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced the television nominations for the 2020 DGA Awards on Monday, honoring “Ted Lasso,” “WandaVision,” and “The Queen’s Gambit” as examples of some of the finest directorial work that the medium has to offer.
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
Range Media Partners, a new management firm staffed with veteran Hollywood agents, has announced a slew of filmmaker signings.
Tim Van Patten, the Emmy Award-winning director, writer and creator behind shows like “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire” and the recent HBO hit “Perry Mason,” has joined the firm.
Van Patten is joined by Swedish-born Niclas Larsson, an award-winning commercial director and writer who also helmed the whimsical two-part Vogue series “The Magic Diner,” featuring Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour.
Ricky Staub and Dan Walser, the creative team behind “Concrete Cowboy,” are also on board. The official TIFF selection stars Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin, and was purchased by Netflix following its festival premiere. The pair operate through their production company Neighborhood Films, which counts an apprenticeship program that recruits the formerly incarcerated to help them develop a versatile skill set that they can parlay into future opportunities.
Also on deck is Corin Hardy,...
Tim Van Patten, the Emmy Award-winning director, writer and creator behind shows like “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire” and the recent HBO hit “Perry Mason,” has joined the firm.
Van Patten is joined by Swedish-born Niclas Larsson, an award-winning commercial director and writer who also helmed the whimsical two-part Vogue series “The Magic Diner,” featuring Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour.
Ricky Staub and Dan Walser, the creative team behind “Concrete Cowboy,” are also on board. The official TIFF selection stars Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin, and was purchased by Netflix following its festival premiere. The pair operate through their production company Neighborhood Films, which counts an apprenticeship program that recruits the formerly incarcerated to help them develop a versatile skill set that they can parlay into future opportunities.
Also on deck is Corin Hardy,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Range Media Partners has strengthened its filmmaker roster, signing Tim Van Patten, Niclas Larsson, Ricky Staub & Dan Walser, Corin Hardy and Cédric Jimenez.
Van Patten is the Emmy-winning director, creator/writer whose credits include Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos and most recently Perry Mason.
Larsson is an award winning commercial director/writer; Staub and Walser are the creative duo behind Concrete Cowboy, which they wrote and Staub directed. Pic premiered at virtual Toronto and stars Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin.
Hardy is a filmmaker, illustrator, sculptor and writer whose credits include The Hallow, The Nun, and Gangs Of London. Jimenez is the French producer, director and writer behind The Connection, The Man With The Iron Heart, and Stronghold, which makes its debut on Netflix this Christmas.
The filmmakers stay with their agencies: Van Patten is repped by CAA; Larsson is UTA, attorney Warren Dern and commercial agent Mjz; Hardy is WME...
Van Patten is the Emmy-winning director, creator/writer whose credits include Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos and most recently Perry Mason.
Larsson is an award winning commercial director/writer; Staub and Walser are the creative duo behind Concrete Cowboy, which they wrote and Staub directed. Pic premiered at virtual Toronto and stars Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin.
Hardy is a filmmaker, illustrator, sculptor and writer whose credits include The Hallow, The Nun, and Gangs Of London. Jimenez is the French producer, director and writer behind The Connection, The Man With The Iron Heart, and Stronghold, which makes its debut on Netflix this Christmas.
The filmmakers stay with their agencies: Van Patten is repped by CAA; Larsson is UTA, attorney Warren Dern and commercial agent Mjz; Hardy is WME...
- 12/8/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Aleksandra Terpinska’s “Other People” and Peter Dourountzis’s “Rascal” won the inaugural Arte Kino International Prize at the 10th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival’s Co-Production Village.
The award was given by Remi Burah, who runs Arte France Cinéma and launched in 2016 ArteKino Festival, a European online festival in partnership with the digital service Festival Scope. Each “Other People” and “Rascal” will receive 2000 Euros.
Mixing comedy, drama and musical, “Other People” tells the story of a man who lives with his mum and teenage sister who starts a romance with Iwona, a woman in her early 40’s who cannot cope with her marriage. “Other People” was selected as part of this year’s focus on Poland. Terpinska’s last short “The Best Fireworks Ever” premiered at Cannes’s Critics’ Week and won two awards.
Meanwhile, “Rascal” in a French-language thriller following a charming young man who arrives in...
The award was given by Remi Burah, who runs Arte France Cinéma and launched in 2016 ArteKino Festival, a European online festival in partnership with the digital service Festival Scope. Each “Other People” and “Rascal” will receive 2000 Euros.
Mixing comedy, drama and musical, “Other People” tells the story of a man who lives with his mum and teenage sister who starts a romance with Iwona, a woman in her early 40’s who cannot cope with her marriage. “Other People” was selected as part of this year’s focus on Poland. Terpinska’s last short “The Best Fireworks Ever” premiered at Cannes’s Critics’ Week and won two awards.
Meanwhile, “Rascal” in a French-language thriller following a charming young man who arrives in...
- 12/19/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
20 films selected for Co-Production Village, including 11 first features.
The Les Arcs Film Festival, celebrating its 10th year in 2018, has unveiled its selection of co-production projects for this year’s Industry Village.
Running December 15-18, the event is a financing platform for feature films in development across Europe.
This year, 20 projects have been selected, including a new film from Carla Simon, whose Summer 93 won best first feature at this year’s Berlinale. Her new project Each Of Us is being co-directed with Anne Zohra Berrached and Meritxell Colell and produced by Spain’s Alhena Production.
Also at the event is Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen...
The Les Arcs Film Festival, celebrating its 10th year in 2018, has unveiled its selection of co-production projects for this year’s Industry Village.
Running December 15-18, the event is a financing platform for feature films in development across Europe.
This year, 20 projects have been selected, including a new film from Carla Simon, whose Summer 93 won best first feature at this year’s Berlinale. Her new project Each Of Us is being co-directed with Anne Zohra Berrached and Meritxell Colell and produced by Spain’s Alhena Production.
Also at the event is Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen...
- 11/21/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
According to Market Watch "Hannover House, the entertainment distribution division of Target Development Group, Inc., has partnered with producer Roham Ghodsi's Illusion Film Studios for the production of "Dances With Werewolves", a thriller by screenwriter David Chirchirillo based on the legendary, supernatural transformative powers of some Native American Indian warriors. The film will be produced in 3D for theatrical release in 2012 through Hannover House, which will also represent the film for sales and licensing throughout all of North and South America. Chad Ferrin will direct the film with Nicole Reid and Niklas Larsson sharing producing duties with Ghodsi. Hannover House principals Eric Parkinson and Fred Shefte are executive producers." Synopsis Winter, 1864. William...
- 6/17/2010
- www.ohmygore.com/
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