Following a premiere at last year’s SXSW, writer-director-star Kit Zauhar’s acclaimed second feature This Closeness is now arriving this summer after an extensive festival tour. Also starring Zane Pais, Ian Edlund, Jessie Pinnick and Kate Williams, the drama was picked up by Factory 25 and will now begin a theatrical run at IFC Center on June 7 followed by an expansion and streaming release on Mubi on July 3. Ahead of the rollout, the first trailer has arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Tessa and Ben are staying in Philly for the weekend to attend Ben’s high school reunion. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the couple has to rent a room in a stranger’s apartment. That stranger is Adam, whose loneliness is immediately obvious to his new guests. Adam quickly becomes an unwilling voyeur to the most private parts of the couple’s life. While Ben seeks validation from old classmates,...
Here’s the synopsis: “Tessa and Ben are staying in Philly for the weekend to attend Ben’s high school reunion. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the couple has to rent a room in a stranger’s apartment. That stranger is Adam, whose loneliness is immediately obvious to his new guests. Adam quickly becomes an unwilling voyeur to the most private parts of the couple’s life. While Ben seeks validation from old classmates,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Kit Zauhar’s sophomore feature “This Closeness” follows the promise of her 2021 debut “Actual People,” which demonstrated she could tell an immersive story with few resources. Her microbudget feature “This Closeness,” a Narrative Spotlight premiere of SXSW 2023, is now about to open from Factory 25 on June 7, followed by a Mubi streaming premiere on July 3. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.
Per IndieWire’s 2023 SXSW preview, “This Closeness” “wields its lo-fi constraints with tremendous sophistication and insight. The entire story takes place within the constraints of a Philadelphia apartment, booked by a young couple (Zauhar and Zane Pais) for a high school reunion weekend; once there, they find themselves dealing with the awkward loner (Ian Edlund) who lives there. As tensions mount, the movie dances an elegant line between cringe-comedy and erotic thriller, with Zauhar’s character, an Asmr YouTuber, developing an enigmatic bond with their temporary roommate while...
Per IndieWire’s 2023 SXSW preview, “This Closeness” “wields its lo-fi constraints with tremendous sophistication and insight. The entire story takes place within the constraints of a Philadelphia apartment, booked by a young couple (Zauhar and Zane Pais) for a high school reunion weekend; once there, they find themselves dealing with the awkward loner (Ian Edlund) who lives there. As tensions mount, the movie dances an elegant line between cringe-comedy and erotic thriller, with Zauhar’s character, an Asmr YouTuber, developing an enigmatic bond with their temporary roommate while...
- 4/23/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Brooklyn-based indie film distribution and production company Factory 25 has acquired North American theatrical rights on writer-director Kit Zauhar’s sophomore feature This Closeness, which debuted at SXSW 2023.
The film will begin its theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York City on June 7, with further engagements and a worldwide digital release on Mubi on July 3.
The film stars Zane Pais (Margot At The Wedding) and Ian Edlund with Zauhar also starring as she did on her first feature Actual People, which debuted at Locarno in 2021. Factory 25 also released that film. Actress and singer Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) and multimedia artist Kate Williams round out the cast.
Following SXSW, This Closeness screened at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival, where it received a special jury mention for best ensemble cast in the New American Cinema Competition.
This Closeness is produced...
The film will begin its theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York City on June 7, with further engagements and a worldwide digital release on Mubi on July 3.
The film stars Zane Pais (Margot At The Wedding) and Ian Edlund with Zauhar also starring as she did on her first feature Actual People, which debuted at Locarno in 2021. Factory 25 also released that film. Actress and singer Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) and multimedia artist Kate Williams round out the cast.
Following SXSW, This Closeness screened at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival, where it received a special jury mention for best ensemble cast in the New American Cinema Competition.
This Closeness is produced...
- 4/19/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Few films capture the trials and tribulations of twenty-something waywardness rooted in economic realities of today so eloquently and humorously as Ryan Martin Brown’s feature debut Free Time, as I noted in my March preview. Led by Colin Burgess in a beautifully articulated performance of neurotic self-sabotage, this portrait of “the Great Resignation” more than makes up for its small scale with keen observations on what it means to have a creatively satisfying life. Accompanied by the strong supporting cast of Rajat Suresh, Holmes, James Webb, Eric Yates, Jessie Pinnick, and Rebecca Bulnes, Free Time feels like the promising beginnings of a new era in NYC indie filmmaking.
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release beginning at New York’s Quad Cinema this Friday, I spoke with Ryan Martin Brown about developing his first feature, his approach to comedy, being inspired by The Heartbreak Kid and The Jerk, the...
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release beginning at New York’s Quad Cinema this Friday, I spoke with Ryan Martin Brown about developing his first feature, his approach to comedy, being inspired by The Heartbreak Kid and The Jerk, the...
- 3/20/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"I think this is good for me... I think I'm gonna go out and live life. Live life to the fullest..." Cartilage Films has unveiled an official trailer for an indie comedy titled Free Time, marking the feature directorial debut of indie filmmaker Ryan Martin Brown. This first premiered at the 2023 Indy Film Fest last year, with stops at the Boston, Montclair, and Nashville Film Festivals as well. Led by Colin Burgess and featuring a wide ensemble of New York's funniest performers, Ryan's debut feature is an uproarious comedy — filmed on location in the midst of America's "Great Resignation" — about the search for meaning in the modern world. Approaching the end of his twenties and his relative youth, a man decides to quit his cushy desk job and "embrace life" - only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom. Also starring Rajat Suresh, Holmes,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the most promising American indies of the year, Ryan Martin Brown’s Free Time brings together Colin Burgess, Rajat Suresh, Holmes, James Webb, Eric Yates, Jessie Pinnick, and Rebecca Bulnes for a story about a man rethinking his life’s path. Ahead of a NYC opening on March 22 at Quad Cinema, LA opening on March 29 at Landmark Westwood, and Chicago opening on April 12 at Gene Siskel Film Center from Cartilage Films, the first trailer has now arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Drew is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and “embrace life.” Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it’s not long until Drew realizes he has no idea what to do with his newfound freedom. Led by Colin Burgess and featuring a wide ensemble of New York City’s funniest performers,...
Here’s the synopsis: “Drew is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and “embrace life.” Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it’s not long until Drew realizes he has no idea what to do with his newfound freedom. Led by Colin Burgess and featuring a wide ensemble of New York City’s funniest performers,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Drew (Colin Burgess) believes he’s gonna have a bunch of sex if he just quits his desk job. In “Free Time” (as in reality), it doesn’t quite work out that way.
In Ryan Martin Brown’s debut feature film, shot over 10 days on the streets of New York, the main character hits a quarter-life crisis — hard. Drew chooses life over work … until he realizes life isn’t really happening while everyone else is at work. Drew quickly cycles through hobbies (including literally cycling), friends, and every which way to watch a DVD. As it turns out, what he really wants is the mundanity of structure. Drew wants a job.
If stand-up comedian and actor Burgess feels like perfect casting as the lead, well, that’s probably because the movie was written for him, Brown said. “Free Time,” distributed by Cartilage Films, also stars Rajat Suresh (“Severance”), Holmes (“Welcome to Flatch”), James Webb,...
In Ryan Martin Brown’s debut feature film, shot over 10 days on the streets of New York, the main character hits a quarter-life crisis — hard. Drew chooses life over work … until he realizes life isn’t really happening while everyone else is at work. Drew quickly cycles through hobbies (including literally cycling), friends, and every which way to watch a DVD. As it turns out, what he really wants is the mundanity of structure. Drew wants a job.
If stand-up comedian and actor Burgess feels like perfect casting as the lead, well, that’s probably because the movie was written for him, Brown said. “Free Time,” distributed by Cartilage Films, also stars Rajat Suresh (“Severance”), Holmes (“Welcome to Flatch”), James Webb,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Cartilage Films has taken worldwide rights to Ryan Martin Brown’s feature directorial debut, Free Time for a 2024 domestic release.
Pic stars Colin Burgess as Drew, who is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and “embrace life” — only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom. Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it’s not long before Drew’s search for meaning leads him back in the direction of his recently vacated post. Brown also wrote the pic which stars Rajat Suresh, Holmes (Welcome to Flatch), Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd), Michael Patrick Nicholson (Socks on Fire), James Webb and Eric Yates,
Free Time was produced by Mackenzie Jamieson, Paula Andrea González-Nasser, Justin Zuckerman and Nolan Kelly.
Pic stars Colin Burgess as Drew, who is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and “embrace life” — only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom. Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it’s not long before Drew’s search for meaning leads him back in the direction of his recently vacated post. Brown also wrote the pic which stars Rajat Suresh, Holmes (Welcome to Flatch), Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd), Michael Patrick Nicholson (Socks on Fire), James Webb and Eric Yates,
Free Time was produced by Mackenzie Jamieson, Paula Andrea González-Nasser, Justin Zuckerman and Nolan Kelly.
- 8/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s pilot season — when broadcast networks decide which of dozens of prospective shows should become full-fledged series.
TheWrap’s complete network pilot guide will keep you up to speed on the status of every project under consideration by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. In cases where they’ve already ordered a show to series, we’ll say so.
Check back often for regular updates.
ABC: Comedy / Drama
CBS: Comedy / Drama
The CW: Drama
Fox: Comedy / Drama
NBC: Comedy / Drama
ABC Comedy
Happy Accident
Writer(s): Jon Pollack, Abraham Higginbotham
Director: Kat Coiro
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television/ABC Studios
Logline: Two Pittsburgh families — a father with three adult daughters, and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son — are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed. (Single camera)
Cast: Matt Walsh, Joanna Garcia Swisher, Vanessa Williams, Elliot Knight, Kether Donohue, Jessie Pinnick, Robert Smith...
TheWrap’s complete network pilot guide will keep you up to speed on the status of every project under consideration by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. In cases where they’ve already ordered a show to series, we’ll say so.
Check back often for regular updates.
ABC: Comedy / Drama
CBS: Comedy / Drama
The CW: Drama
Fox: Comedy / Drama
NBC: Comedy / Drama
ABC Comedy
Happy Accident
Writer(s): Jon Pollack, Abraham Higginbotham
Director: Kat Coiro
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television/ABC Studios
Logline: Two Pittsburgh families — a father with three adult daughters, and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son — are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed. (Single camera)
Cast: Matt Walsh, Joanna Garcia Swisher, Vanessa Williams, Elliot Knight, Kether Donohue, Jessie Pinnick, Robert Smith...
- 3/26/2019
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) and former Life Sentence star Elliot Knight are set as series regulars opposite Matt Walsh, Joanna Garcia Swisher, Vanessa Williams and Kether Donohue in Happy Accident, ABC’s single-camera family comedy pilot from Modern Family writers Abraham Higginbotham and Jon Pollack, 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios.
Written and executive produced by Higginbotham and Pollack, Happy Accident revolves around two Pittsburgh families — a father, Bud (Walsh), with three adult daughters (Swisher as Eleanor), and a hotel lounge singer (Williams as Sherri) with her med student son (Knight)— who are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed.
Pinnick will play Samantha “Sammy” Bennett, the baby of the family and a tomboy. Knight is Kenan, Sherri’s son, who has a need for control and order.
Pinnick is known for playing the titular role in feature Princess Cyd. She’s repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Innovative Artists.
Written and executive produced by Higginbotham and Pollack, Happy Accident revolves around two Pittsburgh families — a father, Bud (Walsh), with three adult daughters (Swisher as Eleanor), and a hotel lounge singer (Williams as Sherri) with her med student son (Knight)— who are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed.
Pinnick will play Samantha “Sammy” Bennett, the baby of the family and a tomboy. Knight is Kenan, Sherri’s son, who has a need for control and order.
Pinnick is known for playing the titular role in feature Princess Cyd. She’s repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Innovative Artists.
- 2/20/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Betty Dodson has made a career out of teaching women to masturbate, but she’s only one woman. “You first have to be self-sexual, and then you can have sex with other people,” Dodson said recently, summarizing a life philosophy that has crowned her the grand dame of radical sex positivity. “The love affair — the sex affair — that we have with ourselves is the primary one. It should be ongoing throughout our life, and we should honor it.”
Dodson’s ideas reached a wider audience last fall, when “Broad City” sent Ilana to a sex therapist named Betty in search of her lost orgasm. (The culprit: Donald Trump.) Titled “Witches,” the episode spawned countless think pieces and was a standout in a series that has promoted sex positivity from the beginning. But “Broad City” is a comedy, and while its impact is vast, it is largely felt by a self-selecting...
Dodson’s ideas reached a wider audience last fall, when “Broad City” sent Ilana to a sex therapist named Betty in search of her lost orgasm. (The culprit: Donald Trump.) Titled “Witches,” the episode spawned countless think pieces and was a standout in a series that has promoted sex positivity from the beginning. But “Broad City” is a comedy, and while its impact is vast, it is largely felt by a self-selecting...
- 2/12/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In 2017 many of us went to the movies to try and find what we feared we would lose in real life. I found myself particularly drawn to films led by women and people of color that would reassure me that there was something worth staying alive and fighting for when it seemed the world was on fire. By the third time I found myself sitting down to watch Wonder Woman on the big screen, popcorn and candy in hand, I realized I kept coming back because its powerful message compelled me to return. When Amazon princess Diana explains, “Only love can save this world. So I stay. I fight, and I give,” it was as if the movies were giving me a mission: go out and be the best person you can be, help others, and come back to us when you need to refuel. So, here’s what I...
- 1/3/2018
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
Coming-of-age story Princess Cyd is a last-minute addition to best-of-the-year lists, while even Daniel Craig enjoys himself in Steven Soderbergh’s crime caper
It’s the last day of 2017, all the “best of the year” lists have been compiled, read and discarded, yet a few hours remain for me to champion a last-minute highlight, silently shuffled off to an online-only premiere in the UK after touring American art houses to strong notices. Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd (on iTunes and Amazon) is a soft-treading beauty, warm, light and perceptive on fragile questions of feminine sexuality, gender identity and finding your place in your skin.
It’s a coming-of-age story, though the two women on whom it focuses – motherless, 16-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) and her middle-aged writer aunt, Miranda (Rebecca Spence) – are equally undefined in certain ways: what exact number does “coming of age” refer to anyway?
Continue reading...
It’s the last day of 2017, all the “best of the year” lists have been compiled, read and discarded, yet a few hours remain for me to champion a last-minute highlight, silently shuffled off to an online-only premiere in the UK after touring American art houses to strong notices. Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd (on iTunes and Amazon) is a soft-treading beauty, warm, light and perceptive on fragile questions of feminine sexuality, gender identity and finding your place in your skin.
It’s a coming-of-age story, though the two women on whom it focuses – motherless, 16-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) and her middle-aged writer aunt, Miranda (Rebecca Spence) – are equally undefined in certain ways: what exact number does “coming of age” refer to anyway?
Continue reading...
- 12/31/2017
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
“Lady Bird” won big at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards last night, taking home Best Picture, Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Laurie Metcalf), and Most Promising Filmmaker (Greta Gerwig) from the Windy City. “Call Me by Your Name” had a strong showing as well, picking up prizes for Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet, who also won Most Promising Performer) and Best Supporting Screenplay.
Christopher Dunkirk was named Best Director for his work on “Dunkirk,” with Willem Dafoe of “The Florida Project” winning yet another Best Supporting Actor laurel and Jordan Peele being honored with Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.” Full list of winners below.
Read More:2017 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: ‘Call Me by Your Name’ Wins Both Best Picture and Best Actor
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Director
Guillermo Del Toro...
Christopher Dunkirk was named Best Director for his work on “Dunkirk,” with Willem Dafoe of “The Florida Project” winning yet another Best Supporting Actor laurel and Jordan Peele being honored with Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.” Full list of winners below.
Read More:2017 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: ‘Call Me by Your Name’ Wins Both Best Picture and Best Actor
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Director
Guillermo Del Toro...
- 12/13/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Chicago – The eclectic coming-of-age love story, “Call Me By Your Name” topped the nominations list with eight for the 2017 Chicago Film Critics Association (Cfca) Film Awards, to be announced on Wednesday, December 13th. Director Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of Andre Aciman’s novel garnered nods for Best Picture, Guadagnino for Best Director, and acting noms for Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg and Timothee Chalamet.
The rest of the field for Best Picture has a variety of genres and themes. Christopher Nolan’s epic “Dunkirk” shares the stage with Greta Gerwig’s intent autobiographical “Lady Bird,” Guillermo Del Toro’s magical “The Shape of Water” and the strange-but-heralded “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The symbolic horror of “Get Out” got first time director Jordan Peele a nomination (joining first timer Greta Gerwig), the late Harry Dean Stanton was recognized for Best Actor in “Lucky,” and Willem Dafoe got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “The Florida Project.
The rest of the field for Best Picture has a variety of genres and themes. Christopher Nolan’s epic “Dunkirk” shares the stage with Greta Gerwig’s intent autobiographical “Lady Bird,” Guillermo Del Toro’s magical “The Shape of Water” and the strange-but-heralded “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” The symbolic horror of “Get Out” got first time director Jordan Peele a nomination (joining first timer Greta Gerwig), the late Harry Dean Stanton was recognized for Best Actor in “Lucky,” and Willem Dafoe got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “The Florida Project.
- 12/11/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Princess CydStephen Cone has been making movies at a steady clip for over a decade and yet remains largely unknown. It is a momentous and wholly deserved occasion then for him to receive a retrospective at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Despite mixed receptions and even more erratic distribution patterns, his collection of films isn’t as motley as one might think. While each might tiptoe in a different direction, they maintain a hand in the Stephen Cone universe, imprinted by the same particular humanistic insight. In one of his earliest films, In Memoriam (2011), a young man so subsumed with the sudden death of a couple, fallen from a roof during the throes of pleasure, conducts his own investigation into their ill-fated demise. Innocuous curiosity masks what is essentially an existential inquiry and takes a self-referential pivot when he decides to recreate and film the events,...
- 11/7/2017
- MUBI
As we gear up for an awards season ripe with many quality queer films, it’s important to remember smaller successes who may get lost in the shuffle. Lgbt-themed film festivals Outfest and Frameline kicked off the summer, while New York’s own NewFest wrapped up last week. It’s always thrilling to see a gay film get awards attention, like the kind lavished on Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name” and foreign language contender “Bpm (Beats Per Minute).” But it’s been a banner year for nuanced queer films across the board, and especially ones from queer-identified filmmakers.
From up-and-comers making splashy debuts, to longtime favorites who have stepped up their game, the filmmakers on this list represent a varied swath of not only the Lgbt spectrum, but vastly different artistic styles. That means they have the potential to reach different audiences — and open up perspectives across demographics.
From up-and-comers making splashy debuts, to longtime favorites who have stepped up their game, the filmmakers on this list represent a varied swath of not only the Lgbt spectrum, but vastly different artistic styles. That means they have the potential to reach different audiences — and open up perspectives across demographics.
- 11/3/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In brief—this interview is long as is—Stephen Cone’s new feature Princess Cyd begins with what’s almost a feint: a phone call to 911 reporting trouble next door and a potentially helpless young girl, heard before we actually see now-grown protagonist Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) on the soccer field. 16-year-old Cyd comes to Chicago to spend some time away from her father, crashing with her writer aunt Miranda (Rebecca Spence). They’re opposites: Cyd’s all body and bluntly atheist, Miranda is cerebral and Christian. The question of what happened to Cyd fades away over the course of a seemingly low-key movie in which Cyd […]...
- 11/2/2017
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every now and then a film sneaks up on you and catches your eye. “Princess Cyd” is one of those films that you might not have heard about yet, but you should probably have on your radar. In the new trailer for the film, it’s clear that a lot of heart went into this story about a young girl coming-of-age in a Chicago summer.
Jessie Pinnick plays Cyd, a teenage girl visiting her author Aunt in Chicago for the summer.
Continue reading ‘Princess Cyd’ Trailer: Add This Film To Your Must-See List This Fall at The Playlist.
Jessie Pinnick plays Cyd, a teenage girl visiting her author Aunt in Chicago for the summer.
Continue reading ‘Princess Cyd’ Trailer: Add This Film To Your Must-See List This Fall at The Playlist.
- 10/24/2017
- by Charles Dean
- The Playlist
Too often, the nuances of female desire and exploration are painted with broad strokes by filmmakers of all stripes, but especially male ones. Which is why Stephen Cone’s beautifully rendered portrait of one teen’s innocent romantic experiments comes as such a delightful surprise. But there is more at play in “Princess Cyd,” which also explores a middle-aged woman’s relationship to her sexuality in equally delicate measures. The relationship between the two women is the film’s major driving force, which is apparent in the first trailer for the engaging and understated film.
“Princess Cyd” follows 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin (Jessie Pinnick) over a summer visit to her novelist aunt (Rebecca Spence) in Chicago. Estranged since the death of Cyd’s mother, Miranda and Cyd gently dance around each other as they re-establish an adult relationship. Meanwhile, Cyd seeks guidance during her dalliance with cute neighborhood barista Katie...
“Princess Cyd” follows 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin (Jessie Pinnick) over a summer visit to her novelist aunt (Rebecca Spence) in Chicago. Estranged since the death of Cyd’s mother, Miranda and Cyd gently dance around each other as they re-establish an adult relationship. Meanwhile, Cyd seeks guidance during her dalliance with cute neighborhood barista Katie...
- 10/19/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
"It is not a handicap to have one thing, but not another..." Wolfe Releasing has debuted the first official trailer for Stephen Cone's latest film Princess Cyd, a light coming-of-age comedy set mostly in Chicago. The story follows a young 16-year-old woman who goes to spend the summer with her novelist aunt at her home in Chicago's suburbs, discovering her sexual attraction to another girl in the neighborhood. Newcomer Jessie Pinnick stars as Cyd, and the cast includes Rebecca Spence, Malic White, James Vincent Meredith, Tyler Ross, and Matthew Quattrocki. I caught this just recently at the London Film Festival, and while it is solid overall, none of it really impressed me and it doesn't have anything unique to say at the end. There's so many other better films exactly like this, but it's also not that bad either. Take a look below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster...
- 10/19/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There are few directors working today that love their characters more than Stephen Cone. After reaching a wider audience with one of 2015’s best films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, he’s returning this year with Princess Cyd. Following a 16-year-old’s summer in Chicago, where she clashes and connects with her aunt and learns more about her own sexuality and faith, the first trailer has landed. Also, if you’re in NYC and have yet to see Cone’s film, a retrospective will be held at the Museum of Moving Image from November 3-12.
In a rare A-grade review for Princess Cyd, we said, “Watching his films, one gets a sense that he doesn’t use the medium simply to tell stories but to exercise his curiosity and discover the things that make us human. In the hands of another filmmaker, Princess Cyd‘s two leads would’ve been...
In a rare A-grade review for Princess Cyd, we said, “Watching his films, one gets a sense that he doesn’t use the medium simply to tell stories but to exercise his curiosity and discover the things that make us human. In the hands of another filmmaker, Princess Cyd‘s two leads would’ve been...
- 10/18/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Last year was a windfall year for Lgbtq cinema, thanks to a historic Best Picture win for “Moonlight” and Park Chan-wook’s exquisite “The Handmaiden” both receiving critical and commercial acclaim. While these highly deserving queer stories rose to the top, many smaller Lgbt films were either forgotten or simply nowhere to be found.
Read More: Lgbt Superheroes: Why ‘Wonder Woman’ Couldn’t Be The Lesbian Avenger We Need
Hollywood studios have begun to shoehorn blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gay stories into an endless stream of remakes and TV adaptations, and there is a wide range of indies exploring the breadth of queer stories with ever-expanding joy and nuance. While it’s still difficult to get a gay film made (or any film, for that matter), it’s wonderful that, only halfway through 2017, there are already so many queer films on the horizon. Which is why we think it’s important to celebrate them now,...
Read More: Lgbt Superheroes: Why ‘Wonder Woman’ Couldn’t Be The Lesbian Avenger We Need
Hollywood studios have begun to shoehorn blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gay stories into an endless stream of remakes and TV adaptations, and there is a wide range of indies exploring the breadth of queer stories with ever-expanding joy and nuance. While it’s still difficult to get a gay film made (or any film, for that matter), it’s wonderful that, only halfway through 2017, there are already so many queer films on the horizon. Which is why we think it’s important to celebrate them now,...
- 6/29/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
It takes an incredible amount of restraint not to tie your film up with a neat little bow, but nothing could be more fitting for a filmmaker as committed to truth-telling as Stephen Cone is. In his latest film, “Princess Cyd,” the Chicago-based writer-director renders his deeply human characters so precisely, it’s as if they stepped right off the screen and into your living room. The two central women are equal parts charming, awkward, yearning and lost. In short, they’re real. Their complexity is all the more impressive coming from a male filmmaker — Cone proves it’s possible for men to write sexually liberated, empowered, autonomous women.
Though billed as a coming-of-age story, “Princess Cyd” is much more about relationships between women, across generations and through layers of grief. Specifically, it’s the story of sixteen-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) and her Aunt, a well-known novelist named Miranda Ruth (Rebecca Spence). Cyd’s mother died when she was young, and she’s been living with her father in South Carolina. When Miranda agrees to host the rambunctious teen for the summer, the two relatives find themselves thrust into familial intimacy despite not knowing much about each other.
Read More: ‘Paris Can Wait’ Review: Eleanor Coppola and Diane Lane Bring Mature Charm to a Road Trip Romantic Comedy
Cyd, for instance, is about the only person in Chicago (certain circles, anyhow) who doesn’t know her Aunt’s work. When Miranda offers her a book, she casually replies: “I don’t really read.” Cyd would rather sunbathe on Miranda’s manicured lawn than talk about “books ‘n stuff,” and Miranda bravely digs up her old swimsuit to join. She’s a cool Aunt, offering Cyd beer and encouraging her various summer flings, but she’s less prepared for Cyd’s prying about her own romantic life. “Do you ever have sex?” Cyd asks bluntly, and Miranda sheepishly admits it’s been a while.
Exchanges like that give the film its restrained friction, while avoiding the predictable traps. Miranda doesn’t balk, but she’s clearly taken aback. Cyd might be an obnoxious snoop, but she’s also genuinely curious. It’s a keen illustration of Miranda’s discomfort with her newfound maternal role. Earlier, she hesitates awkwardly before spreading sunscreen on Cyd’s back. It’s one of those masterfully subtle moments that calls up every other time Cyd has not had a mother to rub her back or brush her hair. Miranda has invested in her work over her family, and we see what that sacrifice entails through her interactions with Cyd.
Cyd’s casual sexual exploration is a breath of fresh air. She is as interested in the cute gardener neighbor as she is in the cute barista, Katie (Malic White). Katie sports a throwback mullet/mohawk combination, and when Cyd tells Miranda that she kind of looks like a boy, she replies, “Maybe she is a boy.” “Yeah, maybe so,” Cyd says, shrugging. It’s a casual handling of gender and sexuality that more movies should emulate. The same goes for the understated sex scenes; the most explicit shot is of Cyd masturbating. (Masturbation scenes should be required in any coming-of-age about female sexuality).
Miranda’s sexuality, or lack thereof, is also something of a revelation. With a premise that begs for lessons learned, and a film landscape that loves to make everything about sex, Miranda’s self-satisfied celibacy is nothing short of radical. “It is not a handicap to be one way and not the other,” Miranda tells Cyd in an inspired monologue. Standing over a kitchen full of dirty dishes, finally dishing it back to the saucy teenager she is trying desperately to love, Miranda is the very picture of modern motherhood.
Read More: 20 New Movies That Will Define This Year in Indie Cinema, From ‘The Big Sick’ to ‘A Ghost Story’
Spence is entirely captivating as Miranda — resolute and warm at the same time. A seasoned Chicago actress, she commands the screen with a graceful strength like a cross between Diane Lane and Amy Brenneman. If show business made any sense, her star would be on the rise.
Cone packs a lot into 90 minutes, and as such there are a few loose ends. Cyd and Miranda rarely discuss the deep void between them, their shared loss. Cyd’s questions about heaven seem a little childish compared to her refreshing sexual maturity, and Miranda’s religious beliefs seem unnecessarily shoehorned into a story with plenty to explore. Miranda’s artist salon is a spirited group scene in the film’s second half, but reads like a play for literary references and a missed opportunity for Cone to poke fun at Miranda (and maybe himself). Cyd’s gossip session with two older lesbians is a highlight, however.
Loose ends are to be expected in a film more interested in life as it is than some over-stimulating fantasy. “Princess Cyd” is a triumphant little film — little in the detailed moments it creates, not the content of its character. Anchored by complicated, smart, funny women, “Princess Cyd” is a rare delight of a film and a model for others to follow.
Grade: A-
“Princess Cyd” premiered at the Maryland Film Festival in May. It is being distributed by Wolfe Releasing.
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Though billed as a coming-of-age story, “Princess Cyd” is much more about relationships between women, across generations and through layers of grief. Specifically, it’s the story of sixteen-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) and her Aunt, a well-known novelist named Miranda Ruth (Rebecca Spence). Cyd’s mother died when she was young, and she’s been living with her father in South Carolina. When Miranda agrees to host the rambunctious teen for the summer, the two relatives find themselves thrust into familial intimacy despite not knowing much about each other.
Read More: ‘Paris Can Wait’ Review: Eleanor Coppola and Diane Lane Bring Mature Charm to a Road Trip Romantic Comedy
Cyd, for instance, is about the only person in Chicago (certain circles, anyhow) who doesn’t know her Aunt’s work. When Miranda offers her a book, she casually replies: “I don’t really read.” Cyd would rather sunbathe on Miranda’s manicured lawn than talk about “books ‘n stuff,” and Miranda bravely digs up her old swimsuit to join. She’s a cool Aunt, offering Cyd beer and encouraging her various summer flings, but she’s less prepared for Cyd’s prying about her own romantic life. “Do you ever have sex?” Cyd asks bluntly, and Miranda sheepishly admits it’s been a while.
Exchanges like that give the film its restrained friction, while avoiding the predictable traps. Miranda doesn’t balk, but she’s clearly taken aback. Cyd might be an obnoxious snoop, but she’s also genuinely curious. It’s a keen illustration of Miranda’s discomfort with her newfound maternal role. Earlier, she hesitates awkwardly before spreading sunscreen on Cyd’s back. It’s one of those masterfully subtle moments that calls up every other time Cyd has not had a mother to rub her back or brush her hair. Miranda has invested in her work over her family, and we see what that sacrifice entails through her interactions with Cyd.
Cyd’s casual sexual exploration is a breath of fresh air. She is as interested in the cute gardener neighbor as she is in the cute barista, Katie (Malic White). Katie sports a throwback mullet/mohawk combination, and when Cyd tells Miranda that she kind of looks like a boy, she replies, “Maybe she is a boy.” “Yeah, maybe so,” Cyd says, shrugging. It’s a casual handling of gender and sexuality that more movies should emulate. The same goes for the understated sex scenes; the most explicit shot is of Cyd masturbating. (Masturbation scenes should be required in any coming-of-age about female sexuality).
Miranda’s sexuality, or lack thereof, is also something of a revelation. With a premise that begs for lessons learned, and a film landscape that loves to make everything about sex, Miranda’s self-satisfied celibacy is nothing short of radical. “It is not a handicap to be one way and not the other,” Miranda tells Cyd in an inspired monologue. Standing over a kitchen full of dirty dishes, finally dishing it back to the saucy teenager she is trying desperately to love, Miranda is the very picture of modern motherhood.
Read More: 20 New Movies That Will Define This Year in Indie Cinema, From ‘The Big Sick’ to ‘A Ghost Story’
Spence is entirely captivating as Miranda — resolute and warm at the same time. A seasoned Chicago actress, she commands the screen with a graceful strength like a cross between Diane Lane and Amy Brenneman. If show business made any sense, her star would be on the rise.
Cone packs a lot into 90 minutes, and as such there are a few loose ends. Cyd and Miranda rarely discuss the deep void between them, their shared loss. Cyd’s questions about heaven seem a little childish compared to her refreshing sexual maturity, and Miranda’s religious beliefs seem unnecessarily shoehorned into a story with plenty to explore. Miranda’s artist salon is a spirited group scene in the film’s second half, but reads like a play for literary references and a missed opportunity for Cone to poke fun at Miranda (and maybe himself). Cyd’s gossip session with two older lesbians is a highlight, however.
Loose ends are to be expected in a film more interested in life as it is than some over-stimulating fantasy. “Princess Cyd” is a triumphant little film — little in the detailed moments it creates, not the content of its character. Anchored by complicated, smart, funny women, “Princess Cyd” is a rare delight of a film and a model for others to follow.
Grade: A-
“Princess Cyd” premiered at the Maryland Film Festival in May. It is being distributed by Wolfe Releasing.
Related stories'And Then I Go' Review: We Need to Talk About This Disturbing Coming-of-Age Drama'Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press' Review: Hulk Hogan's Gawker Trial Gets a Big, Scary Context'Transformers: The Last Knight' Review: Here's the Most Ridiculous Hollywood Movie of the Year...
- 6/23/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Is there a director more generous to his characters than Stephen Cone? Watching his films, one gets a sense that he doesn’t use the medium simply to tell stories but to exercise his curiosity and discover the things that make us human. In the hands of another filmmaker, Princess Cyd‘s two leads would’ve been pitted against each other and engaged in battle until a facile discovery in the denouement made them realize how much they had in common and led to a warm reconciliation. But not in Cone’s film, perhaps for the very notion that no one else is interested in telling the stories of characters such as these — perhaps because no one else can.
We first hear of Cyd through an emergency call, where we learn two people have died in a shooting that leaves only a little girl behind as the survivor. When we...
We first hear of Cyd through an emergency call, where we learn two people have died in a shooting that leaves only a little girl behind as the survivor. When we...
- 6/17/2017
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
Princess CydNow in its ninth season, BAMcinemaFest has become New York’s premiere festival for gems of American indie cinema, expertly culled from the best of the fests thus far this year. While hosting works from numerous local Brooklynites like Alex Ross Perry, whose Golden Exits will close the event, the intimate festival also boasts an exceptional assortment of films from across the country, this year no short on mysteries, overt and clandestine. The selection’s varying styles are all a testament to the diversity of independent filmmaking that is alive and well in America today.Director Aaron Katz returns with Gemini, a lo-fi L.A.-set noir circling around a movie starlet Heather (Zoe Kravitz) and her devoted assistant Jill (Lola Kirke). Always the expert examiner of relationships in miniature, Katz plumbs beyond the quandary of the employer-employee transactional one here to capture the fragile peculiarities and tender idiosyncrasies of a female friendship.
- 6/14/2017
- MUBI
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Focus Features has acquired the North American and select international rights to Jason Reitman’s “Tully.” Written by Diablo Cody, the comedy stars Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass and Ron Livingston.
“Tully” tells the story of Marlo (Theron), a mother of three who is gifted a night nanny by her brother (Duplass). Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully (Davis). The film will premiere in U.S. theaters on April 20, 2018.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Oscilloscope Picks Up ‘November,’ The Orchard Buys ‘Flower’ and More
– Electric Entertainment has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Rob Reiner’s “Lbj,...
– Focus Features has acquired the North American and select international rights to Jason Reitman’s “Tully.” Written by Diablo Cody, the comedy stars Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass and Ron Livingston.
“Tully” tells the story of Marlo (Theron), a mother of three who is gifted a night nanny by her brother (Duplass). Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully (Davis). The film will premiere in U.S. theaters on April 20, 2018.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Oscilloscope Picks Up ‘November,’ The Orchard Buys ‘Flower’ and More
– Electric Entertainment has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Rob Reiner’s “Lbj,...
- 5/5/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Coming-of-age drama to screen at BAMcinemaFest in New York in June.
Wolfe Releasing has acquired director Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd, which receives its world premiere at the Maryland Film Festival on Thursday.
The specialist Lgbtq distributor will screen the coming-of-age drama at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinemaFest in June, followed by a theatrical and digital release later this year.
The drama starring Rebecca Spence and Jessie Pinnick centres on 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin who pays a visit to her novellist aunt in Chicago over the summer.
Eager to escape life with her depressive single father, Cyd falls for a girl in the neighbourhood while she and her aunt gently challenge each other in the realms of sex and spirit. Grace Hahn, Madison Ginsberg and Cone produced.
Princess Cyd marks Wolfe Releasing’s third collaboration with Cone after Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and The Wise Kids.
“It is impossible to overstate how important the faith...
Wolfe Releasing has acquired director Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd, which receives its world premiere at the Maryland Film Festival on Thursday.
The specialist Lgbtq distributor will screen the coming-of-age drama at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinemaFest in June, followed by a theatrical and digital release later this year.
The drama starring Rebecca Spence and Jessie Pinnick centres on 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin who pays a visit to her novellist aunt in Chicago over the summer.
Eager to escape life with her depressive single father, Cyd falls for a girl in the neighbourhood while she and her aunt gently challenge each other in the realms of sex and spirit. Grace Hahn, Madison Ginsberg and Cone produced.
Princess Cyd marks Wolfe Releasing’s third collaboration with Cone after Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and The Wise Kids.
“It is impossible to overstate how important the faith...
- 5/4/2017
- ScreenDaily
Wolfe Releasing has acquired Princess Cyd, the coming-of-age drama from director Stephen Cone starring Rebecca Spence and Jessie Pinnick. The distributor made the deal ahead of the pic’s world premiere tomorrow at the Maryland Film Festival. A theatrical and digital release later this year is planned. The pic follows 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin (Pinnick) while visiting her novelist aunt (Spence) in Chicago over the summer. Eager to escape life with her depressive…...
- 5/4/2017
- Deadline
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