In Macdara Vallely’s gritty coming-of-age urban drama "Babygirl," a nuyorican teen named Lena, portrayed by breakthrough actress Yainis Ynoa (Starz’s "Power"), has taken more of a parental role to her own self-centered single mother Lucy (Rosa Arredondo), whose past includes a series of failed relationships with untrustworthy men. Single mother Lucy has been placing the burden of caring for her infant on her angst-ridden teenage daughter Lena, who also works as a cashier at a local supermarket in the Bronx. Aside from dealing with the responsibility of caring for her baby sister, Lena’s burgeoning sexuality has triggered a self-defense mechanism when it comes to a...
- 8/26/2015
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
Now a lot more of you will finally be able to see Macdara Vallely's Tribeca Film Festival 2012 selection, "Babygirl," which I've just been informed will become available on iTunes and VOD on August 25, 2015. Starring rising star Yainis Ynoa (Starz's "Power"), "Babygirl" follows Bronx teenager Lena, who, for as long as she can remember, has watched her mother Lucy squander her life away on a series of deadbeat men. When Victor, her mom’s latest boy toy, starts hitting on Lena, she sets up a trap to expose Victor for the creep that he is... but the plan backfires, as young Lena finds herself trapped in a twisted love-triangle...
- 8/19/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Upcoming productions include Ahd Kamel’ s My Driver and I.
Former Doha Film Institute (Dfi) director of film financing Paul Miller is setting up shop in the Netherlands.
The veteran producer, who has moved to the country for family reasons, has recently launched consultancy firm Internal Affairs with Us-based producer Dan Lindau and is working on several feature projects under his Escape Pictures company banner.
“Internal Affairs is a consultancy advising clients on everything from best practices to film financing to production in the filmed entertainment as well as commercials,” said Miller, who is attending the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 21-Feb 1) as a speaker on one of the industry panels as well as at the producer-focused Rotterdam Lab.
“We’re already working with a company in Qatar and are probably going to start working with some companies in the Netherlands,” added Miller, who retains good contacts in the Middle East after his Dfi stint.
“I’m going...
Former Doha Film Institute (Dfi) director of film financing Paul Miller is setting up shop in the Netherlands.
The veteran producer, who has moved to the country for family reasons, has recently launched consultancy firm Internal Affairs with Us-based producer Dan Lindau and is working on several feature projects under his Escape Pictures company banner.
“Internal Affairs is a consultancy advising clients on everything from best practices to film financing to production in the filmed entertainment as well as commercials,” said Miller, who is attending the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 21-Feb 1) as a speaker on one of the industry panels as well as at the producer-focused Rotterdam Lab.
“We’re already working with a company in Qatar and are probably going to start working with some companies in the Netherlands,” added Miller, who retains good contacts in the Middle East after his Dfi stint.
“I’m going...
- 1/25/2015
- ScreenDaily
The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (Iprhff) kicks off Wednesday Nov. 13th in Nueva York City celebrating the best in Boricua filmmaking. Opening with crowd-pleaser El Clown, Iprhff started just 3 years ago to pay tribute to the legacy of Puerto Ricans, they have a steady roster of films showcasing “pioneering, historically significant films and documentaries, contemporary shorts and features, and other innovative films”. This years spokesperson is no other Rockaway Beach native, Lauren Velez (Dexter). While the festival is still in its young stages and some of these films have been in release (and some shot years ago) it's still a treat for those yet to discover them. LatinoBuzz picked out some of our faves.
Babygirl, (81 minutes)
Director: Macdara Vallely
Producer: Alan Maher, R. Paul Miller, Felix Werner, Kathrin Werner
Set in the Bronx, Babygirl is a bitter-sweet drama about teenager Lena who, since she can remember, has watched her mom Lucy squander her life on a series of deadbeat men. When Victor, her mom’s latest boy toy, starts hitting on her Lena sets up an elaborate honey-trap, hoping to show her mom what a scumbag the guy really is. But the plan backfires. Trapped in a twisted love-triangle between Victor and her mom, Lena finally realizes that the only way out is to stand up and finally confront some difficult home truths. Baby girl premiered at last years Tribeca where lead actress Yainis Ynoa was greatly acclaimed but oddly enough the film didn't get the festival attention it deserved, it did get a limited release.
Trailer
El Clown , (105 minutes)
Director: Pedro Adorno, Emilio Rodriguez
Producer: Emilio Rodriguez
El Clown, Emilio Rodriguez and Pedro Adorno’s tale of a circus clown’s rise to stardom as a pitchman, tracks the erosion of creativity through corporate branding with a healthy dose of absurdism. Pic’s sly portrait of the artist as a conflicted clown is rich in the meticulous craftsmanship it celebrates, its consummate slapstick deflating any overwrought Pagliacci operatics or facile art-vs.-commerce preciousness. Intelligent crowd-pleaser reps a rousing triumph for the burgeoning Puerto Rican film industry and, with savvy handling, could conjure a niche for itself under the indie big top. —Variety
Trailer
Lemon , (85 minutes)
Director: Laura Brownson, Beth Levinson
Producer: Dan Cogan, Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the ‘hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past. In this intricately crafted documentary, Lemon follows one man’s harrowing journey to bring his life story to the stage while battling the demons from his past.
Trailer
Read our interview with Lemon Andersen Here
Machetero , (99 minutes)
Director: Vagabond Beaumont
Producer: Vagabond Beaumont
Post 9/11 definitions, ideas and notions of terrorism are challenged in this highly controversial and experimental film. Machetero is an allegorical narrative that follows French journalist Jean Dumont played by Isaach de Bankolé (The Keeper, Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Mandalay) to a New York prison where he interviews Pedro Taino a so called “Puerto Rican Terrorist” played by Not4Prophet (lead singer of the Puerto Punk band Ricanstruction). Pedro is a self-described Machetero fighting to free Puerto Rico from the yoke of United States colonialism. He is obsessed with freedom, freedom for his country, his people and for himself. Jean questions Pedro about his decisions to use violence as a means to achieve that freedom. As Jean and Pedro speak, another story unfolds. A ghetto youth played by Kelvin Fernandez (in his first starring role) grows up in the ghetto streets and crosses paths with Pedro. Pedro sees potential in the ghetto youth and reawakens a revolutionary spirit instilled in from childhood by a mentor in Puerto Rico.
Trailer
Read our interview with Vagabond Beaumont Here
For their roster and schedule check them out Here
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Babygirl, (81 minutes)
Director: Macdara Vallely
Producer: Alan Maher, R. Paul Miller, Felix Werner, Kathrin Werner
Set in the Bronx, Babygirl is a bitter-sweet drama about teenager Lena who, since she can remember, has watched her mom Lucy squander her life on a series of deadbeat men. When Victor, her mom’s latest boy toy, starts hitting on her Lena sets up an elaborate honey-trap, hoping to show her mom what a scumbag the guy really is. But the plan backfires. Trapped in a twisted love-triangle between Victor and her mom, Lena finally realizes that the only way out is to stand up and finally confront some difficult home truths. Baby girl premiered at last years Tribeca where lead actress Yainis Ynoa was greatly acclaimed but oddly enough the film didn't get the festival attention it deserved, it did get a limited release.
Trailer
El Clown , (105 minutes)
Director: Pedro Adorno, Emilio Rodriguez
Producer: Emilio Rodriguez
El Clown, Emilio Rodriguez and Pedro Adorno’s tale of a circus clown’s rise to stardom as a pitchman, tracks the erosion of creativity through corporate branding with a healthy dose of absurdism. Pic’s sly portrait of the artist as a conflicted clown is rich in the meticulous craftsmanship it celebrates, its consummate slapstick deflating any overwrought Pagliacci operatics or facile art-vs.-commerce preciousness. Intelligent crowd-pleaser reps a rousing triumph for the burgeoning Puerto Rican film industry and, with savvy handling, could conjure a niche for itself under the indie big top. —Variety
Trailer
Lemon , (85 minutes)
Director: Laura Brownson, Beth Levinson
Producer: Dan Cogan, Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the ‘hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past. In this intricately crafted documentary, Lemon follows one man’s harrowing journey to bring his life story to the stage while battling the demons from his past.
Trailer
Read our interview with Lemon Andersen Here
Machetero , (99 minutes)
Director: Vagabond Beaumont
Producer: Vagabond Beaumont
Post 9/11 definitions, ideas and notions of terrorism are challenged in this highly controversial and experimental film. Machetero is an allegorical narrative that follows French journalist Jean Dumont played by Isaach de Bankolé (The Keeper, Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Mandalay) to a New York prison where he interviews Pedro Taino a so called “Puerto Rican Terrorist” played by Not4Prophet (lead singer of the Puerto Punk band Ricanstruction). Pedro is a self-described Machetero fighting to free Puerto Rico from the yoke of United States colonialism. He is obsessed with freedom, freedom for his country, his people and for himself. Jean questions Pedro about his decisions to use violence as a means to achieve that freedom. As Jean and Pedro speak, another story unfolds. A ghetto youth played by Kelvin Fernandez (in his first starring role) grows up in the ghetto streets and crosses paths with Pedro. Pedro sees potential in the ghetto youth and reawakens a revolutionary spirit instilled in from childhood by a mentor in Puerto Rico.
Trailer
Read our interview with Vagabond Beaumont Here
For their roster and schedule check them out Here
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 11/13/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
New York films often reflect back Manhattan's cool visual tones, blues and slates as cold and forbidding as a glass-box skyscraper. It's kind of what people expect. There's a warmer New York, though, shot through with orange and yellow, canopied by trees, and populated with strong and fragile people, and Macdara Vallely puts his camera there for Babygirl. This small, gentle coming-of-age story, exceedingly well-cast, introduces Yainis Ynoa as Lena, a 16-year-old girl growing up in the Bronx. You learn everything about the principal characters in the film's opening moments, a tight haiku of inner-city domesticity in which Lena's promiscuous mother, Lucy (Rosa Arredondo), is bullied by a recent ex-boyfriend, the father of her infant son. Here is Lucy's irresponsibility and tendenc...
- 10/2/2013
- Village Voice
Irish Film New York (Ifny) played host to Irish President Michael D Higgins at a screening of the Oscar-winning movie, “The Shore” at the Lincoln Center. As a writer, a poet, and Ireland's first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, attended the event which was very close to his heart during his first official visit to New York. The President took part in a panel discussion on Irish storytelling with filmmakers Macdara Vallely, Marion Quinn and Ifny Director Niall McKay after the screening. President Higgins shared his views on many issues of contemporary Irish filmmaking, including its portrayal of immigration within an Irish context, the balance between creating art and achieving commercial success, and the importance of an organic creative process. Terry George, director of “The Shore”, said he was heartened to see Michael D Higgins in the Áras, considering his support and passion for the arts.
- 5/4/2012
- IrishCentral
It's a surprise that "Babygirl" director Macdara Vallely hails from Ireland. His new film, premiering at The Tribeca Film Festival, hums and buzzes with the authentic regional pleasures of the Bronx, the dialects, the smoky bodegas, the sizzling summer pavement. "Babygirl," which follows the struggles of a small Puerto Rican family, certainly passes the smell test to this particular critic, capturing the neighborhood's particular charms and unmistakable ethnic identity.
Newcomer Yanis Ynoa is precocious teen Lena, blossoming into a woman, and ready to take on responsibilities she previously avoided. While Max Fischer interpreted this period of growth in "Rushmore" as the need to meet girls, Lena somehow takes her sixteenth birthday as a cue to protect her single mother Lucy (Rosa Arrendono). Mom still has a smoldering sensuality and a desire for youth, to the point where she remains attracted to younger men. This gets her close to twentysomething smoothie...
Newcomer Yanis Ynoa is precocious teen Lena, blossoming into a woman, and ready to take on responsibilities she previously avoided. While Max Fischer interpreted this period of growth in "Rushmore" as the need to meet girls, Lena somehow takes her sixteenth birthday as a cue to protect her single mother Lucy (Rosa Arrendono). Mom still has a smoldering sensuality and a desire for youth, to the point where she remains attracted to younger men. This gets her close to twentysomething smoothie...
- 4/24/2012
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
What economic crisis? Irish film is competing strong as ever on the international circuit, and for proof see the three new Irish films debuting at this month’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York, the brainchild of Robert De Niro, who created the event in the aftermath of September 11. First up comes the Irish writer and director Macdara Vallely’s debut Tribeca feature film Babygirl. When a young girl’s mother gets sweet talked by an on-the-surface thoughtful young man, she sets out to expose him for the player he really is. There’s a little more to it than that of course, because Babygirl is set in a section of the Bronx that will be familiar to many Irish New Yorkers. What emerges is an intimate portrait of a community and its daily struggles, as seen through the eyes of the Irish writer and director who makes his home there.
- 4/19/2012
- IrishCentral
Irish born and bred Macdara Vallely has a theater background; he moved to New York City in 2000 and -- skipping film school -- began making films in order to reach a wider audience than he could on the stage. He debuted with the feature "Peacefire" in 2008, which he adapted from his own award-winning play. The film went on to win awards at the Galway Film Fleadh, the European First Feature Festival at Angers and the Annonay Film Festival. What it's about: Set in the Bronx, "Babygirl" is a drama about a teenage girl, who finds herself trapped in a love-triangle with her mom's latest boyfriend. Director Vallely says: "I wrote 'Babygirl' a few summers ago shortly after witnessing a real-life incident on a 2 train in the Bronx. A lot of my directorial decisions were influenced by a desire to try recreate that slice-of-life moment. We had decided we...
- 4/17/2012
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Zak Hilditch's Transmission The film lineup for the 2012 Tribeca Online Film Festival has been unveiled. Four world premiere feature selections from the Tribeca Film Festival, and five short films, three of which are world premieres, will be available during the online Festival at tribecaonline.com. Each film will have limited screening windows and capacity. Reservations begin on April 10 for American Express Cardmembers and April 16 for the general public. Online viewers will be able to vote for Best Feature Film ($10,000 prize) and Best Short Film ($5,000 prize). Winners will be announced at the Tribeca festival awards on April 26. Both Tribeca festivals run April 18-29. There will also be a "social voting competition": The feature and short that receive the most Facebook likes will each receive a separate $500 prize." Those winners will be announced on April 30. Below is the Tribeca Online Film Festival movies (synopses from the Toff press release): Babygirl,...
- 4/9/2012
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
2012 Tribeca Film Festival announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections
HollywoodNews.com: The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, along with selections for the out-of-competition Viewpoints section—the program established last year that highlights personal stories in international and independent cinema. Forty-six of the 90 feature-length films were announced. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 at locations around New York City.
The Festival was curated by a new programming team this year. Frédéric Boyer has joined Tff as Artistic Director, having most recently served as Artistic Director and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has expanded his role in overseeing the Festival program. Genna Terranova has been promoted to Director of Programming and Cara Cusumano returns as Programmer.
“It’s been so gratifying to watch the new programming...
The Festival was curated by a new programming team this year. Frédéric Boyer has joined Tff as Artistic Director, having most recently served as Artistic Director and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has expanded his role in overseeing the Festival program. Genna Terranova has been promoted to Director of Programming and Cara Cusumano returns as Programmer.
“It’s been so gratifying to watch the new programming...
- 3/6/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Tribeca Film Festival announced half of this year’s movie showcase, the 11th edition of the New York celebration set for April 18-29. James Franco’s behind-the-scenes General Hospital feature, Francophrenia, will have its North American premiere in the Viewpoints section – the program established last year that highlights more personal stories. “He’s kind of constructed this really interesting and well-crafted film about that experience that plays with the boundaries of documentary,” says Genna Terranova, Tribeca’s director of programming. “It’s a bit tongue in cheek, as James himself can be. He’s a bit enigmatic and the film is as well.
- 3/6/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
With The Five-Year Engagement set as the opening title for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, they’ve announced more of the line-up today with World Narrative & Documentary Features as the Viewpoint titles. We’ve got the next film from The Exploding Girl director Bradley Rust Gray, Jack and Diane (as well as a first look about featuring Juno Temple, thanks to Styd).
There is a new Harmony Korine short as well Kate Bosworth‘s While We Were Here and The Girl, starring Abbie Cornish. James Franco also has his latest film, Francophrenia, featuring footage from his performance on General Hospital. Nothing sticks out too greatly yet, but if I see something as interesting as Beyond the Black Rainbow or Magic Valley like last year, I’ll be a happy man. Check it out below and come back Thursday for the rest of the announcement.
World Narrative Feature Competition
• All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos...
There is a new Harmony Korine short as well Kate Bosworth‘s While We Were Here and The Girl, starring Abbie Cornish. James Franco also has his latest film, Francophrenia, featuring footage from his performance on General Hospital. Nothing sticks out too greatly yet, but if I see something as interesting as Beyond the Black Rainbow or Magic Valley like last year, I’ll be a happy man. Check it out below and come back Thursday for the rest of the announcement.
World Narrative Feature Competition
• All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos...
- 3/6/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
SXSW kicks off later this week, but once your done slurping the BBQ sauce off your fingers, pack your backs and head north to Manhattan as the Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up to unspool in April. To whet cinephile appetites, organizers have dropped the lineup for the World Narrative Feature Competition, World Documentary Feature Competition and Viewpoints lineups and there are plenty of titles to take note of.
Among the narratives, the anticipated "Jack And Diane" from Bradley Rust Gray will make its world premiere. Starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough, the film takes a teenage lesbian love tale and twists the formula, with one of them revealing she's a werewolf. Add to that a cast rounded out by Dane DeHaan, Jena Malone and pop star Kylie Minogue (as a tattooed lesbian, of course) and you can see why this will be one of the hottest tickets at the fest.
Among the narratives, the anticipated "Jack And Diane" from Bradley Rust Gray will make its world premiere. Starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough, the film takes a teenage lesbian love tale and twists the formula, with one of them revealing she's a werewolf. Add to that a cast rounded out by Dane DeHaan, Jena Malone and pop star Kylie Minogue (as a tattooed lesbian, of course) and you can see why this will be one of the hottest tickets at the fest.
- 3/6/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Filming is currently underway on the set of 'Losing It', a new film written and directed by Northern Irish filmmaker Macdara Vallely (Peacefire, Fiorghael). The coming of age feature film is being produced by Samson Films in association with Escape Pictures and is shooting in New York. The post production will take place in Dublin's ScreenScene. Produced by Samson Films' David Collins (Once) and Escape Pictures' Paul Miller (The Pest) the film stars newcomers Yainis Ynoa, Flaco Navaja (Fighting, Pride and Glory), Rosa Arredondo (Feel the Noise).
- 9/30/2010
- IFTN
"Cherrybomb," "Peacefire," "Identities," "Gabriel Byrne: Stories from Home" and "The Secret of Kells" will receive U.S. premieres at the Los Angeles Irish Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 23-27 at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
"We are proud to be bringing five U.S. premieres to festival audiences," festival director Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman said. "The strong lineup for the 2009 Los Angeles Irish Film Festival continues to demonstrate that the new wave of filmmaking in Ireland is maturing, and we are pleased to be able to provide a forum for its storytelling tradition."
Conor McPherson's supernatural drama "The Eclipse," starring Ciaran Hinds and Aidan Quinn, will kick off the fest.
The festival will close with a tribute to Irish playwright Hugh Leonard, who died in Dublin in February, with a screening of "Da," the classic film based on his Tony-award winning, semi-autobiographical stage play.
"We are proud to be bringing five U.S. premieres to festival audiences," festival director Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman said. "The strong lineup for the 2009 Los Angeles Irish Film Festival continues to demonstrate that the new wave of filmmaking in Ireland is maturing, and we are pleased to be able to provide a forum for its storytelling tradition."
Conor McPherson's supernatural drama "The Eclipse," starring Ciaran Hinds and Aidan Quinn, will kick off the fest.
The festival will close with a tribute to Irish playwright Hugh Leonard, who died in Dublin in February, with a screening of "Da," the classic film based on his Tony-award winning, semi-autobiographical stage play.
- 8/18/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Peacefire', the debut feature by writer-director Macdara Vallely, has scooped the Prix du Jury Award at the Annonay Film Festival in France (30 January - 9 February 2009). Produced by mayFLY entertainment and funded by through Northern Ireland Screen's low-budget feature fund, 'Peacefire' is set against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland peace process and stars John Travers (Closing the Ring) as a young un-political man whose chance meeting with detective Gerry Doherty (Five Minutes of Heaven) drags him into political violence...
- 2/19/2009
- IFTN
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