Exclusive: Swede Caroline, a British mockumentary starring Jo Hartley (After Life) and Aisling Bea from Nicola Pearcey, formerly President, Lionsgate UK & Europe, and now CEO of Picnik Entertainment, has landed both a theatrical and digital release.
Belstone Pictures, Deadbeat Studios, and Pearcey’s Picnik Entertainment will jointly send the pic into cinemas on April 19, with Sky Cinema set to premiere the film later this year. The deal with Sky was closed by Finn Bruce of Belstone on behalf of the filmmakers and by Rachel Trawicki and Alexander Wright for Sky.
Swede Caroline is the debut feature of directing duo Brook Driver and Finn Bruce, who previously collaborated on SXSW Special Jury Prize-winning Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break. Swede Caroline was penned by Driver. The story is centered around the eccentric world of competitive vegetable growing. The plot follows Caroline as she readies herself for the big championship when the...
Belstone Pictures, Deadbeat Studios, and Pearcey’s Picnik Entertainment will jointly send the pic into cinemas on April 19, with Sky Cinema set to premiere the film later this year. The deal with Sky was closed by Finn Bruce of Belstone on behalf of the filmmakers and by Rachel Trawicki and Alexander Wright for Sky.
Swede Caroline is the debut feature of directing duo Brook Driver and Finn Bruce, who previously collaborated on SXSW Special Jury Prize-winning Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break. Swede Caroline was penned by Driver. The story is centered around the eccentric world of competitive vegetable growing. The plot follows Caroline as she readies herself for the big championship when the...
- 2/23/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: WME Independent has unveiled the first image of Haley Bennett in the upcoming 19th Century champagne drama Clicquot ahead of launching sales on the title at the European Film Market.
Bennett stars in the titular role of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, who is popularly known in France as the “Grande Dame of Champagne”.
This real-life historic figure defied convention to take over her late husband’s fledgling wine business in Reims in 1805 after being widowed at the age of 27.
The production, announced on Deadline last year, is based on the 2008 novel The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo.
Filming took place the French regions of Chablis and Reims last fall.
Thomas Napper () directs from a screenplay by Erin Dignam (Land, Submergence) and Christopher Monger (Temple Grandin).
Other previously announced cast members include Tom Sturridge (DC Comics and Netflix’s The Sandman,...
Bennett stars in the titular role of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, who is popularly known in France as the “Grande Dame of Champagne”.
This real-life historic figure defied convention to take over her late husband’s fledgling wine business in Reims in 1805 after being widowed at the age of 27.
The production, announced on Deadline last year, is based on the 2008 novel The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo.
Filming took place the French regions of Chablis and Reims last fall.
Thomas Napper () directs from a screenplay by Erin Dignam (Land, Submergence) and Christopher Monger (Temple Grandin).
Other previously announced cast members include Tom Sturridge (DC Comics and Netflix’s The Sandman,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge & Sam Riley Set For ‘Clicquot’ About The Rise Of French Champagne House
Exclusive: Haley Bennett is set to star as the titular role in Clicquot from writers Erin Dignam (Land, Submergence) and Christopher Monger (Temple Grandin).
Directed by Thomas Napper (Jawbone), the pic chronicles the gritty journey in the early years of the Veuve Clicquot vineyard in 19th century France and brings to life the fascinating young woman behind the iconic orange label. The feature is based on the novel The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo. Production began in the French regions of Chablis and Reims on October 24.
As Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, Bennett will be joined by cast members Tom Sturridge (DC Comics and Netflix’s The Sandman, Irma Vep), Sam Riley (upcoming Firebrand, Maleficent), Leo Suter (Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla), and Anson Boon (Pistol, 1917).
Christina Weiss Lurie (Persuasion) will produce alongside Bennett, with Joe Wright and John Bernard as EPs.
Directed by Thomas Napper (Jawbone), the pic chronicles the gritty journey in the early years of the Veuve Clicquot vineyard in 19th century France and brings to life the fascinating young woman behind the iconic orange label. The feature is based on the novel The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo. Production began in the French regions of Chablis and Reims on October 24.
As Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, Bennett will be joined by cast members Tom Sturridge (DC Comics and Netflix’s The Sandman, Irma Vep), Sam Riley (upcoming Firebrand, Maleficent), Leo Suter (Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla), and Anson Boon (Pistol, 1917).
Christina Weiss Lurie (Persuasion) will produce alongside Bennett, with Joe Wright and John Bernard as EPs.
- 10/31/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Alicia Vikander (Blue Bayou) is replacing Michelle Williams as Queen Catherine Parr in the royal thriller Firebrand from Brazilian helmer Karim Ainouz (The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão), Deadline has confirmed. She’ll star alongside Jude Law, who is set to portray King Henry VIII.
Ainousz’s first English-language feature, based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s bestselling historical novel Queen’s Gambit, centers on Parr—Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, who was the only one to avoid banishment or death.
By the time young Catherine Parr (Vikander) married the deteriorating, increasingly despotic King Henry VIII (Law), she had no assurances of a happy marriage; in fact, she had no assurances of surviving this marriage at all. Of her predecessors, two were thrown out, one died in childbirth and two were beheaded. While Catherine tried to keep her head about her to navigate the politics of her position, she brought a secret agenda.
Ainousz’s first English-language feature, based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s bestselling historical novel Queen’s Gambit, centers on Parr—Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, who was the only one to avoid banishment or death.
By the time young Catherine Parr (Vikander) married the deteriorating, increasingly despotic King Henry VIII (Law), she had no assurances of a happy marriage; in fact, she had no assurances of surviving this marriage at all. Of her predecessors, two were thrown out, one died in childbirth and two were beheaded. While Catherine tried to keep her head about her to navigate the politics of her position, she brought a secret agenda.
- 3/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sales
U.S. sales agent Outsider Pictures has boarded Abhinandan Banerjee‘s Indian film “The Cloud & the Man” (Manikbabur Megh), while European sales agent The Open Reel is on board Joan Gómez Endara‘s Colombia/Panama project “The Red Tree.” Both films are in the first features competition at the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where they will have their world premieres.
“The Red Tree” is a road movie that tells a story about three people at very different stages of life. It is produced by Sonia Barrera, Joan Gómez Endara and Viviana Gómez for Big-Sur Película. The cast includes Carlos Vergara, Shaday Velasquez and Jhoyner Salgado.
“The Cloud & the Man” revolves around a lonely middle-aged man whose dull life changes when he notices a cloud in the sky that seems to follow him all the time. It is produced by Bauddhayan Mukherji and Monalisa Mukherji for Little Lamb Films...
U.S. sales agent Outsider Pictures has boarded Abhinandan Banerjee‘s Indian film “The Cloud & the Man” (Manikbabur Megh), while European sales agent The Open Reel is on board Joan Gómez Endara‘s Colombia/Panama project “The Red Tree.” Both films are in the first features competition at the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where they will have their world premieres.
“The Red Tree” is a road movie that tells a story about three people at very different stages of life. It is produced by Sonia Barrera, Joan Gómez Endara and Viviana Gómez for Big-Sur Película. The cast includes Carlos Vergara, Shaday Velasquez and Jhoyner Salgado.
“The Cloud & the Man” revolves around a lonely middle-aged man whose dull life changes when he notices a cloud in the sky that seems to follow him all the time. It is produced by Bauddhayan Mukherji and Monalisa Mukherji for Little Lamb Films...
- 10/14/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In a ceremony marked by laughter, tears, a lot of hugs and a celebration of a return to watching films al vivo, the 36th Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg) came to a close with the presentation of a long list of prizes to some of Latin America’s top filmmakers, many whose names are well-known in Mexico and across the region and many whose names will, no doubt, be well-known in the future.
In a contradiction fit for the movies, Rodrigo Guardiola and Gabriel Nuncio’s “The Comedian,” a film all about failure, took top honors as this year’s best Mexican film in competition with cinematographer Mario Secco scooping the best cinematography prize for his work on the film.
“It’s wonderful that this movie exists,” said Nuncio at the ceremony. “The truth is, I got to work with very talented people on this movie and I think that...
In a contradiction fit for the movies, Rodrigo Guardiola and Gabriel Nuncio’s “The Comedian,” a film all about failure, took top honors as this year’s best Mexican film in competition with cinematographer Mario Secco scooping the best cinematography prize for his work on the film.
“It’s wonderful that this movie exists,” said Nuncio at the ceremony. “The truth is, I got to work with very talented people on this movie and I think that...
- 10/10/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Backup Systems, the owner of the cloud-based app MovieChainer, has acquired a strategic stake in Moonday, the new AI-powered social and professional network dedicated to the film and TV industry.
MovieChainer launched five years ago and allows right-holders to model and track the legal and financial structure of their film projects. MovieChainer and Moonday will unveil new data-centric features for the industry the fourth quarter.
“Our services address the same clients, and while our respective promises are and will remain distinct, it rapidly became clear to us that several of our respective features could benefit from such synergies” said Olivier Bronckart, Moonday’s CEO and co-founder.
Sandrine Legrand, head of product strategy and partnerships for MovieChainer, said the company’s “underlying philosophy is that our products constantly need to evolve to adapt to our clients’ needs and deliver a better user experience.”
Jean-Baptiste Babin, the co-founder of Backup Systems, said...
MovieChainer launched five years ago and allows right-holders to model and track the legal and financial structure of their film projects. MovieChainer and Moonday will unveil new data-centric features for the industry the fourth quarter.
“Our services address the same clients, and while our respective promises are and will remain distinct, it rapidly became clear to us that several of our respective features could benefit from such synergies” said Olivier Bronckart, Moonday’s CEO and co-founder.
Sandrine Legrand, head of product strategy and partnerships for MovieChainer, said the company’s “underlying philosophy is that our products constantly need to evolve to adapt to our clients’ needs and deliver a better user experience.”
Jean-Baptiste Babin, the co-founder of Backup Systems, said...
- 7/12/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based Charades Films has boarded Carlota Pereda’s rural thriller “Piggy” (“Cerdita”), one of the most awaited feature debuts of the year from Spain.
Written and directed by Pereda, “Piggy” is produced by Morena Films and France’s Backup Media, the outfit behind “Still Alice,” “Submergence” and Ari Folman’s Cannes entry “Where Is Anne Frank.” Charades will handle world sales rights on “Piggy,” while Filmax, a frequent backer of first time directors, will distribute the film in Spain.
Starring Laura Galán, Richard Holmes and Carmen Machi, “Piggy” expands on Pereda’s short of the same title which marked her breakthrough as a film director and won 90 awards, including the Spanish Academy Goya Award for best short film in 2019, the José María Forqué Award for best fiction short and a Slamdance Russo Brothers Fellowship.
Though “Piggy” represents her feature debut, Pereda has an extensive C.V. as a director and writer.
Written and directed by Pereda, “Piggy” is produced by Morena Films and France’s Backup Media, the outfit behind “Still Alice,” “Submergence” and Ari Folman’s Cannes entry “Where Is Anne Frank.” Charades will handle world sales rights on “Piggy,” while Filmax, a frequent backer of first time directors, will distribute the film in Spain.
Starring Laura Galán, Richard Holmes and Carmen Machi, “Piggy” expands on Pereda’s short of the same title which marked her breakthrough as a film director and won 90 awards, including the Spanish Academy Goya Award for best short film in 2019, the José María Forqué Award for best fiction short and a Slamdance Russo Brothers Fellowship.
Though “Piggy” represents her feature debut, Pereda has an extensive C.V. as a director and writer.
- 6/24/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Naomi Ackie is in final negotiations to portray Whitney Houston in Sony’s upcoming musical biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
Stella Meghie (“The Photograph”) is directing the film from a screenplay by “Bohemian Rhapsody” writer Anthony McCarten. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is slated to release at Thanksgiving of 2022.
“We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston. Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life,” Meghie said.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” follows the life and times of Houston, the iconic artist behind timeless hits like “I Will Always Love You” and “How Will I Know.” Houston, who died in 2012, made her acting debut in the 1992 romantic thriller “The Bodyguard.”
“Naomi Ackie...
Stella Meghie (“The Photograph”) is directing the film from a screenplay by “Bohemian Rhapsody” writer Anthony McCarten. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is slated to release at Thanksgiving of 2022.
“We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston. Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life,” Meghie said.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” follows the life and times of Houston, the iconic artist behind timeless hits like “I Will Always Love You” and “How Will I Know.” Houston, who died in 2012, made her acting debut in the 1992 romantic thriller “The Bodyguard.”
“Naomi Ackie...
- 12/15/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
In down-to-the-wire San Sebastian Festival business, Madrid-based Latido Films has pounced on world sales rights to Nicolás Postiglione’s debut feature “Immersion” (“Inmersión”), a Chilean suspense-thriller – and potential political metaphor for those who want to see it – starring Pablo Larraín regular Alfredo Castro.
“Immersion” is based on a screenplay by Postiglione and two film directors in their own right: Fast-rising Argentine director Agustín Toscano whose 2018 “The Snatch Thief” played in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; and Moises Sepúlveda, whose “The Illiterate” premiered at Venice’s International Critics’ Week.
Before being shopped at San Sebastian, “Immersion” was screened in late August at the inaugural Lima-Toulouse Cine en Construcción.
Postiglione’s feature debut, “Immersion” turns on a middle-class father Ricardo (Castro) who takes his two daughters to their lakeside family house in southern Chile.
Out on a yacht one day, they see three young local fishermen waving at them from another boat which is rapidly taking on water.
“Immersion” is based on a screenplay by Postiglione and two film directors in their own right: Fast-rising Argentine director Agustín Toscano whose 2018 “The Snatch Thief” played in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; and Moises Sepúlveda, whose “The Illiterate” premiered at Venice’s International Critics’ Week.
Before being shopped at San Sebastian, “Immersion” was screened in late August at the inaugural Lima-Toulouse Cine en Construcción.
Postiglione’s feature debut, “Immersion” turns on a middle-class father Ricardo (Castro) who takes his two daughters to their lakeside family house in southern Chile.
Out on a yacht one day, they see three young local fishermen waving at them from another boat which is rapidly taking on water.
- 9/26/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri’s Compelling Pictures have closed a deal to produce and finance a feature adaptation of Michael Connelly’s recent New York Times bestseller Fair Warning which is being seen as a potential franchise. Connelly will write the screen adaptation and produce alongside O’Sullivan and Kalligheri. Two-time Emmy nominee Jeffrey Pollack (Laurel Canyon) will also produce.
Fair Warning was released this summer and is the third in Connelly’s series of books about investigative journalist Jack McEvoy, who has often been cited as the character most closely resembling the author in real life, with Connelly himself having been a crime reporter for years.
The murder mystery is set around the rapidly evolving ‘wild west’ world of DNA sequence data harvesting; specifically in regard to such data being sold for profit within an industry that has no oversight. It delves into the murky moral questions...
Fair Warning was released this summer and is the third in Connelly’s series of books about investigative journalist Jack McEvoy, who has often been cited as the character most closely resembling the author in real life, with Connelly himself having been a crime reporter for years.
The murder mystery is set around the rapidly evolving ‘wild west’ world of DNA sequence data harvesting; specifically in regard to such data being sold for profit within an industry that has no oversight. It delves into the murky moral questions...
- 9/15/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
North American release set for later this month.
After a busy summer of sales on survival thriller Let It Snow, Arclight Films has locked in another key deal for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Signature Entertainment will handle Stanislav Kapralov’s feature film debut in the territories.
The latest piece of business follows summer deals for Japan (Hark & Company), Middle East (Falcon Films) and Africa (Black Sheep Films), Greece (Spentzos), and McF Megacom (former Yugoslavia).
Grindstone has set a September 22 North American VoD release on Let It Snow, which stars Ivanna Sakhno as a snowboarder who gets separated...
After a busy summer of sales on survival thriller Let It Snow, Arclight Films has locked in another key deal for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Signature Entertainment will handle Stanislav Kapralov’s feature film debut in the territories.
The latest piece of business follows summer deals for Japan (Hark & Company), Middle East (Falcon Films) and Africa (Black Sheep Films), Greece (Spentzos), and McF Megacom (former Yugoslavia).
Grindstone has set a September 22 North American VoD release on Let It Snow, which stars Ivanna Sakhno as a snowboarder who gets separated...
- 9/11/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
After winning the Nightfall Award at last year's Los Angeles Film Festival, Elle Callahan's Head Count has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films for North American distribution this June.
Featuring a shape-shifting monster terrorizing a group of friends in Joshua Tree, Head Count is slated for a theatrical and digital release on June 14th. We have the full press release below with more details, and in case you missed it, read Patrick Bromley's interview with Callahan.
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired North American rights to Elle Callahan’s horror film Head Count. The film stars Isaac W. Jay, Ashleigh Morghan, Bevin Bru, Billy Meade, Hunter Peterson, Chelcie May, Tory Freeth, Michael Herman, Amaka Obiechie, Sam Marra, and Cooper Rowe. Head Count premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and won the Nightfall Award. The film will be released in...
Featuring a shape-shifting monster terrorizing a group of friends in Joshua Tree, Head Count is slated for a theatrical and digital release on June 14th. We have the full press release below with more details, and in case you missed it, read Patrick Bromley's interview with Callahan.
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired North American rights to Elle Callahan’s horror film Head Count. The film stars Isaac W. Jay, Ashleigh Morghan, Bevin Bru, Billy Meade, Hunter Peterson, Chelcie May, Tory Freeth, Michael Herman, Amaka Obiechie, Sam Marra, and Cooper Rowe. Head Count premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and won the Nightfall Award. The film will be released in...
- 3/28/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Madrid — Sergi López and Laia Marull co-star in rites-of-passage drama “La Inocencia” (Innocence), the feature debut of Lucía Alemany, a key name in a generation of often very young women cineastes now energizing Catalan cinema.
Starring Carmen Arrufet in her first lead role, and Joel Bosqued (“Que baje dios y lo vea”), “Innocence” marks a follow-up to Alemany’s multi-prized short “14 Years and a Day.” Produced by Morena Films, and a take on adolescent angst, budding sexuality and daughter-mother conflict set in a nosy Spanish village where privacy is near impossible, the short marked out Alemany, an alum of Barcelona’s Escac film school, as very much a director to track.
In production from Aug. 6 in Alemany’s home village of Traiguera, in the region of Castellón, central eastern Spain, “Innocence” comes with strong backing. Alemany has been championed by Iciar Bollaín, one of Spain’s most foremost women directors,...
Starring Carmen Arrufet in her first lead role, and Joel Bosqued (“Que baje dios y lo vea”), “Innocence” marks a follow-up to Alemany’s multi-prized short “14 Years and a Day.” Produced by Morena Films, and a take on adolescent angst, budding sexuality and daughter-mother conflict set in a nosy Spanish village where privacy is near impossible, the short marked out Alemany, an alum of Barcelona’s Escac film school, as very much a director to track.
In production from Aug. 6 in Alemany’s home village of Traiguera, in the region of Castellón, central eastern Spain, “Innocence” comes with strong backing. Alemany has been championed by Iciar Bollaín, one of Spain’s most foremost women directors,...
- 8/20/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winner Jim Broadbent has joined Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard in the 1930s-set thriller Six Minutes to Midnight.
The film, which has now begun production in the U.K., also stars Carla Juri (Blade Runner 2049, Someone Like Me), James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Cloud Atlas) and Jones (Submergence, Set Fire to the Stars), with additional castmembers Maria Dragus (Graduation, Mary Queen of Scots), Tijan Marei (Ellas Baby, 4 Blocks) and Franziska Brandmeier (Am Tag die Sterne, Das Parfum).
Directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) and written by Celyn Jones (Keepers, Set Fire to the Stars), Izzard and Goddard, Six Minutes to Midnight is based on ...
The film, which has now begun production in the U.K., also stars Carla Juri (Blade Runner 2049, Someone Like Me), James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Cloud Atlas) and Jones (Submergence, Set Fire to the Stars), with additional castmembers Maria Dragus (Graduation, Mary Queen of Scots), Tijan Marei (Ellas Baby, 4 Blocks) and Franziska Brandmeier (Am Tag die Sterne, Das Parfum).
Directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) and written by Celyn Jones (Keepers, Set Fire to the Stars), Izzard and Goddard, Six Minutes to Midnight is based on ...
Oscar winner Jim Broadbent has joined Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard in the 1930s-set thriller Six Minutes to Midnight.
The film, which has now begun production in the U.K., also stars Carla Juri (Blade Runner 2049, Someone Like Me), James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Cloud Atlas) and Jones (Submergence, Set Fire to the Stars), with additional castmembers Maria Dragus (Graduation, Mary Queen of Scots), Tijan Marei (Ellas Baby, 4 Blocks) and Franziska Brandmeier (Am Tag die Sterne, Das Parfum).
Directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) and written by Celyn Jones (Keepers, Set Fire to the Stars), Izzard and Goddard, Six Minutes to Midnight is based on ...
The film, which has now begun production in the U.K., also stars Carla Juri (Blade Runner 2049, Someone Like Me), James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Cloud Atlas) and Jones (Submergence, Set Fire to the Stars), with additional castmembers Maria Dragus (Graduation, Mary Queen of Scots), Tijan Marei (Ellas Baby, 4 Blocks) and Franziska Brandmeier (Am Tag die Sterne, Das Parfum).
Directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) and written by Celyn Jones (Keepers, Set Fire to the Stars), Izzard and Goddard, Six Minutes to Midnight is based on ...
Academy Award® winner Dame Judi Dench and Emmy Award® winner Eddie Izzard are to reunite on Andy Goodard’s Six Minutes to Midnight.
Dench and Izzard have previously acted together as mother and son in Victoria and Abdul. This new production, which has just commenced principal photograph with filming taking place over 6 weeks in various locations across Wales, is based on true events.
The film is set in the Summer of 1939. Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) has taken a last minute and controversial role teaching English to the daughters of high-ranking Nazis at the Augusta-Victoria College, Bexhill-on-Sea – a finishing school on the south coast of England. Despite the storm clouds forming across Europe, the girls continue to learn deportment, Shakespeare, fitness and how to be a faithful member of Hitler’s League of German Girls.
Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench), and her devout assistant Ilse...
Dench and Izzard have previously acted together as mother and son in Victoria and Abdul. This new production, which has just commenced principal photograph with filming taking place over 6 weeks in various locations across Wales, is based on true events.
The film is set in the Summer of 1939. Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) has taken a last minute and controversial role teaching English to the daughters of high-ranking Nazis at the Augusta-Victoria College, Bexhill-on-Sea – a finishing school on the south coast of England. Despite the storm clouds forming across Europe, the girls continue to learn deportment, Shakespeare, fitness and how to be a faithful member of Hitler’s League of German Girls.
Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench), and her devout assistant Ilse...
- 7/3/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
There are very few directors who have made both top-notch narrative films and documentaries, among them Michael Apted, Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and a recent addition to the list, Cannes juror Ava DuVernay. But the German director Wim Wenders, who won the Palme d’Or for the masterful “Paris, Texas” in 1984 and recently was nominated for Oscars for the remarkable documentaries “Pina” and “The Salt of the Earth,” has to be near the top of the list.
And now he’s come to the Cannes Film Festival with “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word,” a modest and prosaically titled film about the Roman Catholic pontiff who has made it his mission to work on behalf of the poorest and most troubled, even if it means veering closer to controversial liberation theology than to the usual priorities of the Church.
The first thing to say about Wenders appearing at Cannes is that it’s probably a good thing that he’s doing so with a documentary. The 72-year-old director’s last few narrative films have been real duds: “Every Thing Will Be Fine,” “The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez” and “Submergence” were clunky and awkward.
Also Read: Cannes Film Festival 2018 Preview: No Selfies, No Netflix, No Problem
Meanwhile, his two prior documentaries were deserving Oscar nominees. 2011’s “Pina” was a bold and magical performance film about the pioneering choreographer Pina Bausch, with a brilliant use of 3D to create the spaces in which Bausch’s art could take place, while 2014’s “The Salt of the Earth” was a lyrical and incisive look at Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, the father of Wenders’ co-director, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.
“Pope Francis,” in many ways, is far closer to “Pina,” which is focused on performances of Bausch’s work, than to “The Salt of the Earth.” In fact, it’s also of a piece with other Wenders films like “Buena Vista Social Club,” because it is, in essence, a performance film.
That’s not to say that the pontiff sings or dances in the movie; his performance lies in conversation. The heart of the movie is Pope Francis sitting in a chair — sometimes a red brocade chair in a room with burnt orange walls, sometimes a pale chair in a garden surrounded by trees, with a church steeple in the distance — and delivering a message.
One of his first comments is, “The world today is mostly deaf,” and from there he spends the early stretches of the film upbraiding the Church for its emphasis on wealth. “I wanted a poor Church for the poor,” he says, and a moment later, “We either serve God or we serve money … As long as the Church is placing its hope on wealth, Jesus is not there.”
Also Read: Is Something Wrong With This Picture? Pope Francis Meets Trump
From there, we get a veritable Pope Francis’ Greatest Hits: washing the feet of poor South Americans (he himself is Argentinian), saying that it’s the duty of church officials to report pedophilia to the authorities, visiting refugees in Greece, decrying Donald Trump’s border wall and commenting, “If a person is gay and is searching for the Lord, who am I to judge him?”
The whole point of the film, driven home by black-and-white reenactments, is that the pope is a revolutionary in the mold of his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, who sought to moderate a truce between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades. But in tone and approach, this is an understated, affectionate film, more reverential than revolutionary; it’s less a portrait of the pope than a recital by him, with the boldness of his ideas undercut by the modesty of their telling.
In one way, that’s a strength of “Pope Francis” because it simply presents the man as he is, with a simplicity befitting the pope’s own demeanor. It’s not going to make converts out of anybody — I was raised Catholic, I’m definitely not one anymore and all the movie did was convince me that the pope is a good man.
Then again, Pope Francis is a healer, not a proselytizer. And Wenders knows enough to stand back and let him say his piece and make his peace.
Read original story Cannes Review: Pope Francis Documentary Is a Modest Film About a Bold Man At TheWrap...
And now he’s come to the Cannes Film Festival with “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word,” a modest and prosaically titled film about the Roman Catholic pontiff who has made it his mission to work on behalf of the poorest and most troubled, even if it means veering closer to controversial liberation theology than to the usual priorities of the Church.
The first thing to say about Wenders appearing at Cannes is that it’s probably a good thing that he’s doing so with a documentary. The 72-year-old director’s last few narrative films have been real duds: “Every Thing Will Be Fine,” “The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez” and “Submergence” were clunky and awkward.
Also Read: Cannes Film Festival 2018 Preview: No Selfies, No Netflix, No Problem
Meanwhile, his two prior documentaries were deserving Oscar nominees. 2011’s “Pina” was a bold and magical performance film about the pioneering choreographer Pina Bausch, with a brilliant use of 3D to create the spaces in which Bausch’s art could take place, while 2014’s “The Salt of the Earth” was a lyrical and incisive look at Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, the father of Wenders’ co-director, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.
“Pope Francis,” in many ways, is far closer to “Pina,” which is focused on performances of Bausch’s work, than to “The Salt of the Earth.” In fact, it’s also of a piece with other Wenders films like “Buena Vista Social Club,” because it is, in essence, a performance film.
That’s not to say that the pontiff sings or dances in the movie; his performance lies in conversation. The heart of the movie is Pope Francis sitting in a chair — sometimes a red brocade chair in a room with burnt orange walls, sometimes a pale chair in a garden surrounded by trees, with a church steeple in the distance — and delivering a message.
One of his first comments is, “The world today is mostly deaf,” and from there he spends the early stretches of the film upbraiding the Church for its emphasis on wealth. “I wanted a poor Church for the poor,” he says, and a moment later, “We either serve God or we serve money … As long as the Church is placing its hope on wealth, Jesus is not there.”
Also Read: Is Something Wrong With This Picture? Pope Francis Meets Trump
From there, we get a veritable Pope Francis’ Greatest Hits: washing the feet of poor South Americans (he himself is Argentinian), saying that it’s the duty of church officials to report pedophilia to the authorities, visiting refugees in Greece, decrying Donald Trump’s border wall and commenting, “If a person is gay and is searching for the Lord, who am I to judge him?”
The whole point of the film, driven home by black-and-white reenactments, is that the pope is a revolutionary in the mold of his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, who sought to moderate a truce between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades. But in tone and approach, this is an understated, affectionate film, more reverential than revolutionary; it’s less a portrait of the pope than a recital by him, with the boldness of his ideas undercut by the modesty of their telling.
In one way, that’s a strength of “Pope Francis” because it simply presents the man as he is, with a simplicity befitting the pope’s own demeanor. It’s not going to make converts out of anybody — I was raised Catholic, I’m definitely not one anymore and all the movie did was convince me that the pope is a good man.
Then again, Pope Francis is a healer, not a proselytizer. And Wenders knows enough to stand back and let him say his piece and make his peace.
Read original story Cannes Review: Pope Francis Documentary Is a Modest Film About a Bold Man At TheWrap...
- 5/13/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
In an eclectic career spanning half a century, Wim Wenders continues to channel the zeitgeist: his romantic thriller “Submergence” recently opened in the U.S. and his documentary “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word” is set to premiere at Cannes.
Wenders helped define New German Cinema with his road-movie trilogy starting in 1974, “Alice in the Cities,” “Wrong Move” and “Kings of the Road”). Over the years, he has also brought to the big screen timely social commentary, a unique perspective on the American experience, and exuberant celebrations of music and dance in “Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Soul of a Man” and “Pina.” The filmmaker is also busy restoring past films, including 1987 classic “Wings of Desire.”
Variety first mentioned Wenders in an Aug. 26, 1970 report about financing for his upcoming project “The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick” (based on a novel and referred to as “Goal Keeper Frightened...
Wenders helped define New German Cinema with his road-movie trilogy starting in 1974, “Alice in the Cities,” “Wrong Move” and “Kings of the Road”). Over the years, he has also brought to the big screen timely social commentary, a unique perspective on the American experience, and exuberant celebrations of music and dance in “Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Soul of a Man” and “Pina.” The filmmaker is also busy restoring past films, including 1987 classic “Wings of Desire.”
Variety first mentioned Wenders in an Aug. 26, 1970 report about financing for his upcoming project “The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick” (based on a novel and referred to as “Goal Keeper Frightened...
- 5/4/2018
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Art houses got an infusion of fresh blood this weekend, as a wide range of films did business in limited release. Three new films directed by women showed interest, led by the strong showing of the documentary “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” (Kino Lorber), and two landed among the highest Metascores of the year: “The Rider” (Sony Pictures Classics) and “Zama” (Strand.)
A wider release for bigger-budget and more mainstream “Beirut,” even with decent reviews, didn’t fare as well. And two high profile festival films, tennis biopic “Borg Vs. McEnroe” (A24) and Win Wenders’ “Submergence” (Goldwyn) joined the Sundance premiere “Come Sunday” (Netflix) for token theater dates while pulling eyeballs in home venues.
A wider release for bigger-budget and more mainstream “Beirut,” even with decent reviews, didn’t fare as well. And two high profile festival films, tennis biopic “Borg Vs. McEnroe” (A24) and Win Wenders’ “Submergence” (Goldwyn) joined the Sundance premiere “Come Sunday” (Netflix) for token theater dates while pulling eyeballs in home venues.
- 4/15/2018
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Submergence Trailer 2
The second movie trailer for Submergence (2017) has been released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The first trailer for Submergence gave the viewer a great sense of the parallel story-lines within the film. This trailer gives the viewer a looks at the film’s action aspects and spy drama.
Submergence‘s plot synopsis: [...]
Continue reading: Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer 2: Jihadists Hold Spy James McAvoy Captive
The post Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer 2: Jihadists Hold Spy James McAvoy Captive appeared first on FilmBook.
The second movie trailer for Submergence (2017) has been released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The first trailer for Submergence gave the viewer a great sense of the parallel story-lines within the film. This trailer gives the viewer a looks at the film’s action aspects and spy drama.
Submergence‘s plot synopsis: [...]
Continue reading: Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer 2: Jihadists Hold Spy James McAvoy Captive
The post Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer 2: Jihadists Hold Spy James McAvoy Captive appeared first on FilmBook.
- 3/7/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"I want to be beside you..." Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed a new official Us trailer for the romantic drama thriller titled Submergence, the latest feature made by prolific German filmmaker Wim Wenders. We posted the original international trailer for this when it arrived in January, now we get to see a bit more with this Us trailer. The film stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy as lovers, who are separated and isolated: "In a room with no windows on the eastern coast of Africa, an Englishman, James More, is held captive by jihadist fighters. Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. In their confines they are drawn back to the Christmas of the previous year, where a chance encounter on a beach in Normandy led to an intense and enduring romance." The cast includes Alexander Siddig,...
- 3/2/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
If the saying goes that love conquers all, then Wim Wenders follows that adage to the very depths of the ocean in “Submergence.” The sadly soggy drama will perhaps interest fans of Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, but unfortunately, there’s not much else to recommend outside of that.
Based on the book by J.M. Ledgard, with a script by Erin Dignam (Sean Penn’s widely panned “The Last Face,” so, you know, temper expectations) the story follows a British secret agent and a bio-mathematician who fall in love, and yes, the movie is as preposterous as that sounds.
Based on the book by J.M. Ledgard, with a script by Erin Dignam (Sean Penn’s widely panned “The Last Face,” so, you know, temper expectations) the story follows a British secret agent and a bio-mathematician who fall in love, and yes, the movie is as preposterous as that sounds.
- 3/2/2018
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy make for a very attractive couple in the first U.S. trailer for their romantic thriller Submergence — exclusive to People!
Directed by Wim Wenders (Pina), the film is based on the novel of the same name by J. M. Ledgard.
McAvoy plays a British Secret Service agent who’s taken hostage by Jihadist fighters while on a mission in Somalia. Thousand of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders (Vikander) prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. Both stuck in their confines, the pair are drawn back to the Christmas of the previous year,...
Directed by Wim Wenders (Pina), the film is based on the novel of the same name by J. M. Ledgard.
McAvoy plays a British Secret Service agent who’s taken hostage by Jihadist fighters while on a mission in Somalia. Thousand of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders (Vikander) prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. Both stuck in their confines, the pair are drawn back to the Christmas of the previous year,...
- 3/1/2018
- by Nigel Smith
- PEOPLE.com
Sneak Peek footage, plus images from director Wim Wenders' "Submergence", based on the novel of same name by J. M. Ledgard, starring Alicia Vikander ("Tomb Raider") and James McAvoy ("X-Men: Dark Phoenix"):
"...on the eastern coast of Africa, a Scotsman, 'James More', is held captive by terrorists. . Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, 'Danielle Flinders' prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor..."
Cast also includes Alex Hafner, Celyn Jones, Harvey Friedman, Audrey Quoturi and Charlotte Rampling.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Submergence"...
"...on the eastern coast of Africa, a Scotsman, 'James More', is held captive by terrorists. . Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, 'Danielle Flinders' prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor..."
Cast also includes Alex Hafner, Celyn Jones, Harvey Friedman, Audrey Quoturi and Charlotte Rampling.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Submergence"...
- 2/2/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy are both part of blockbuster franchises. While Vikander has Tomb Raider coming up, she also appeared in Jason Bourne not too long ago. Meanwhile, McAvoy will play Professor X for the fourth time in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix and he’s also reprising his role as The Horde in Glass, a […]
The post ‘Submergence’ Trailer: James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander’s Love Knows No Bounds appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Submergence’ Trailer: James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander’s Love Knows No Bounds appeared first on /Film.
- 1/31/2018
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
The first trailer has been released for Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy's upcoming film Submergence. The movie seems like a romance film, but each of the characters are on their own separate thrilling adventures. Here's the synopsis:
Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy) meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission. They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognize in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service. He's involved in a mission in Somalia to track down a source for suicide bombers infiltrating Europe. Danielle 'Danny' Flinders is a bio-mathematician working on a deep sea diving project to support her theory about the origin of life on our planet. Soon, they are worlds apart. James is taken hostage...
Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy) meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission. They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognize in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service. He's involved in a mission in Somalia to track down a source for suicide bombers infiltrating Europe. Danielle 'Danny' Flinders is a bio-mathematician working on a deep sea diving project to support her theory about the origin of life on our planet. Soon, they are worlds apart. James is taken hostage...
- 1/30/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Move over, Paul Rudd. After teasing Evangeline Lilly’s ass-kicking dominance in the first movie, “Ant-Man and The Wasp” will finally let the “Lost” favorite loose in what promises to be another slick and funny crime caper. The sequel brings Peyton Reed back to the director’s chair and finds Michael Douglas reprising the role of Hank Pym. Michelle Pfeiffer joins the cast in the role of Janet van Dyne.
Read More:‘Black Panther’ First Reactions Praise Ryan Coogler’s ‘Iconic’ and ‘Incredible’ Marvel Movie: ‘It Will Save Blockbusters’
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is set after the events of “Captain America: Civil War” and finds Rudd’s Scott Lang attempting to balance his Ant-Man duties with the responsibility of being a father. His new mission finds him teaming up with Lilly’s Hope van Dyne, now the new Wasp, in an attempt to bring to light secrets form her family’s past.
Read More:‘Black Panther’ First Reactions Praise Ryan Coogler’s ‘Iconic’ and ‘Incredible’ Marvel Movie: ‘It Will Save Blockbusters’
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is set after the events of “Captain America: Civil War” and finds Rudd’s Scott Lang attempting to balance his Ant-Man duties with the responsibility of being a father. His new mission finds him teaming up with Lilly’s Hope van Dyne, now the new Wasp, in an attempt to bring to light secrets form her family’s past.
- 1/30/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Submergence Trailer Wim Wenders‘ Submergence (2017) movie trailer stars James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, Alexander Siddig, Celyn Jones, and Mohamed Hakeemshady. Submergence‘s plot synopsis: based on the novel by J.M. Ledgard, “In a room with no windows on the eastern coast of Africa, an Englishman, James More, is held captive by jihadist fighters. [...]
Continue reading: Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer: James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander’s Romance Endures Separation...
Continue reading: Submergence (2017) Movie Trailer: James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander’s Romance Endures Separation...
- 1/30/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"I want to be beside you..." Lionsgate UK has debuted the first official trailer for a romantic drama thriller titled Submergence, which also happens to be the latest feature film made by prolific German filmmaker Wim Wenders (yeah, seriously). The film stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy as great lovers, but with a only-in-the-movies pitch: "In a room with no windows on the eastern coast of Africa, an Englishman, James More, is held captive by jihadist fighters. Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders prepares to dive in a submersible to the ocean floor. In their confines they are drawn back to the Christmas of the previous year, where a chance encounter on a beach in Normandy led to an intense and enduring romance." The cast includes Alexander Siddig, Celyn Jones, and Reda Kateb. This reminds me a bit of Zemeckis' film Allied, but with a deep sea,...
- 1/29/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In addition to Lisa Langseth’s sisterhood drama “Euphoria,” Alicia Vikander also hit last year’s fall film festival circuit with Wim Wenders’ globe-trotting romance “Submergence.”
Read MoreAlicia Vikander on Learning Accents in a Foreign Language and Her Favorite Robots
“Submergence” is based on the novel of the same name by J. M. Ledgard. Vikander and James McAvoy play a deep-sea researcher and a water engineer, respectively. The lovers are striving to reconnect although separated by oceans, continents, and civil war. Alex Hafner and Charlotte Rampling co-star.
The movie is the latest from the legendary German filmmaker Wim Wenders. He’s been having better luck as documentarian in recent years than as a narrative filmmaker. Non-fiction efforts “Pina” and “The Salt of the Earth” have received critical acclaim, while features like “Everything Will Be Fine,” shot in 3D and starring James Franco, have been widely panned.
“Submergence” opens in the U.
Read MoreAlicia Vikander on Learning Accents in a Foreign Language and Her Favorite Robots
“Submergence” is based on the novel of the same name by J. M. Ledgard. Vikander and James McAvoy play a deep-sea researcher and a water engineer, respectively. The lovers are striving to reconnect although separated by oceans, continents, and civil war. Alex Hafner and Charlotte Rampling co-star.
The movie is the latest from the legendary German filmmaker Wim Wenders. He’s been having better luck as documentarian in recent years than as a narrative filmmaker. Non-fiction efforts “Pina” and “The Salt of the Earth” have received critical acclaim, while features like “Everything Will Be Fine,” shot in 3D and starring James Franco, have been widely panned.
“Submergence” opens in the U.
- 1/29/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Author: Zehra Phelan
James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander have to fight for their love story in the newly released trailer for Submergence.
The trailer delves into the dreamy depths of two lovers, separated by work, neither one ever knowing if they will again be reunited after McAvoy’s James is cruelly taken hostage.
Directed by Wim Wenders, the film stars James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, Alexander Siddig
Submergence is out in cinemas May 18th
Submergence Official Synopsis
Submergence is a love story that takes us into the extremely different worlds of our two protagonists, Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy). They meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission. They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognize in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service.
James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander have to fight for their love story in the newly released trailer for Submergence.
The trailer delves into the dreamy depths of two lovers, separated by work, neither one ever knowing if they will again be reunited after McAvoy’s James is cruelly taken hostage.
Directed by Wim Wenders, the film stars James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, Alexander Siddig
Submergence is out in cinemas May 18th
Submergence Official Synopsis
Submergence is a love story that takes us into the extremely different worlds of our two protagonists, Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) and James More (James McAvoy). They meet by chance in a remote hotel in Normandy where they both prepare for a dangerous mission. They fall in love almost against their will, but soon recognize in each other the love of their lives. When they have to separate, we find out that James works for the British Secret Service.
- 1/29/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Jumping between narrative and documentary films as of late, Wim Wenders’ latest finds him on the former side. The love story Submergence follows Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) as a bio-mathematician prepping for a dive into the bleakest depths of the Greenland Sea when she crosses paths with James More (James McAvoy), a spy about to be shipped off to Somalia on a reconnaissance mission. The combination of talent had us hopeful this could be a return to form for Wenders, but unfortunately, we weren’t big fans of it at Tiff.
Joseph Falcone said in his review, “More so unbearably simple than outright cliched, Erin Dignam’s script — an adaptation of J.M. Ledgard’s novel of the same name — tosses tidbits of exposition and halfhearted, intentional, yet ineffectively sullen discourse at the viewer without any real adhesive to combine the fragments. It is enough to put the story together yourself,...
Joseph Falcone said in his review, “More so unbearably simple than outright cliched, Erin Dignam’s script — an adaptation of J.M. Ledgard’s novel of the same name — tosses tidbits of exposition and halfhearted, intentional, yet ineffectively sullen discourse at the viewer without any real adhesive to combine the fragments. It is enough to put the story together yourself,...
- 1/29/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It has been a while since Wim Wenders (“Wings Of Desire,” “Paris, Texas“) has a truly great narrative film, and unfortunately, the wait continues. The director’s latest, “Submergence,” is another disappointment, a nearly howlingly bad romantic drama that threads together a creaky and overwrought romantic tragedy.
Based on the book by J.M. Ledgard, with a script by Erin Dignam (who is gaining the wrong reputation after having also penned Sean Penn’s critical disaster “The Last Face”), the film stars James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander, and follows a British secret agent and a bio-mathematician who fall madly in love after meeting at a very fancy, exclusive resort.
Continue reading ‘Submergence’ Trailer: Alicia Vikander & James McAvoy Fall In Love at The Playlist.
Based on the book by J.M. Ledgard, with a script by Erin Dignam (who is gaining the wrong reputation after having also penned Sean Penn’s critical disaster “The Last Face”), the film stars James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander, and follows a British secret agent and a bio-mathematician who fall madly in love after meeting at a very fancy, exclusive resort.
Continue reading ‘Submergence’ Trailer: Alicia Vikander & James McAvoy Fall In Love at The Playlist.
- 1/26/2018
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The 2018 edition of the Glasgow Film Festival (Feb 21 – March 4) revealed its full line-up this evening, including Scottish premieres of You Were Never Really Here, Submergence and In The Fade.
Doctor Who star Karen Gillan will world premiere her debut feature as a director, The Party’s Just Beginning, in Glasgow. Gillan was also recently announced as the patron of the festival’s expanding youth strand.
As previously reported, the festival will open with a screening of Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animation Isle Of Dogs.
In total, the festival will host 13 world and European premieres, 77 UK premieres and 52 Scottish premieres.
Further world premieres include Felipe Bustos Sierra’s Nae Pasaran, a Scottish made documentary that will close their year’s festival, Douglas King’s feature debut Super November, and Donal O’Ceilleachair’s documentary The Camino Voyage.
European premieres include David Tennant-starring rom-com You, Me And Him, and...
Doctor Who star Karen Gillan will world premiere her debut feature as a director, The Party’s Just Beginning, in Glasgow. Gillan was also recently announced as the patron of the festival’s expanding youth strand.
As previously reported, the festival will open with a screening of Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animation Isle Of Dogs.
In total, the festival will host 13 world and European premieres, 77 UK premieres and 52 Scottish premieres.
Further world premieres include Felipe Bustos Sierra’s Nae Pasaran, a Scottish made documentary that will close their year’s festival, Douglas King’s feature debut Super November, and Donal O’Ceilleachair’s documentary The Camino Voyage.
European premieres include David Tennant-starring rom-com You, Me And Him, and...
- 1/24/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
As the most prominent Swedish actress in Hollywood today, it stands to reason that Alicia Vikander would want to support talented Swedish filmmakers, especially ones close to her heart. Long before “Ex Machina” made her a household name, Vikander starred in two films from Swedish director Lisa Langseth, “Pure” (2010) and “Hotell” (2013). Now, Vikander is producing as well as starring (opposite Eva Green) in Langseth’s English-language debut, the ominous and lush “Euphoria.” In the newly released first trailer, full of lush greenery and ominous tensions, “Euphoria” could be a stunner.
Read More:‘Euphoria’ First Trailer: Alicia Vikander and Eva Green Are Damaged Sisters
Also starring the inimitable Charlotte Rampling, “Euphoria” stars Vikander and Green as estranged sisters on a mysterious trip through the European countryside. When they arrive at the sun-soaked country manor house, the true purpose of the rip slowly begins to dawn on Ines (Vikander). Set in the near future,...
Read More:‘Euphoria’ First Trailer: Alicia Vikander and Eva Green Are Damaged Sisters
Also starring the inimitable Charlotte Rampling, “Euphoria” stars Vikander and Green as estranged sisters on a mysterious trip through the European countryside. When they arrive at the sun-soaked country manor house, the true purpose of the rip slowly begins to dawn on Ines (Vikander). Set in the near future,...
- 12/27/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The renowned graphic novel from Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura comes to life in the feature film I Kill Giants, which has been acquired for Us distribution by Rlje Films. In today's Horror Highlights we also have a look at Comet TV's December viewing guide, the Indiegogo campaign for a Twin Peaks fan project, and we also enter the woods to watch the eerie short film The Temple of Lilith.
Rlje Films Acquires Us Distribution Rights to I Kill Giants: Press Release: "Los Angeles, Dec. 5, 2017 – Rlje Films, a brand of Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje), Umedia and Xyz Films announced today that Rlje has acquired the U.S. rights to the highly anticipated I Kill Giants, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to critical praise. Based on the acclaimed Man of Action graphic novel by Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura with a screenplay by Joe Kelly, the film was directed by Anders Walter,...
Rlje Films Acquires Us Distribution Rights to I Kill Giants: Press Release: "Los Angeles, Dec. 5, 2017 – Rlje Films, a brand of Rlj Entertainment (Nasdaq: Rlje), Umedia and Xyz Films announced today that Rlje has acquired the U.S. rights to the highly anticipated I Kill Giants, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to critical praise. Based on the acclaimed Man of Action graphic novel by Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura with a screenplay by Joe Kelly, the film was directed by Anders Walter,...
- 12/6/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The thought of Alicia Vikander and Eva Green starring in the same movie is enticing enough, but the fact they’re playing sisters in “Euphoria” is almost too amazing to handle. The drama marks the third directorial effort from Lisa Langseth, the Swedish filmmaker who put Vikander on the radar of Hollywood by casting her as the lead in dramas “Pure” and “Hotell.” “Euphoria” marks a coming home of sorts for Vikander, and it should be a knockout.
Read More:Alicia Vikander Explains How a ‘Wonderfully Brutal’ Creative Bond Turned Her Into an Indie Producer
“Euphoria” follows Vikander and Green’s estranged sisters as they travel through Europe and attempt a difficult and ominous reconciliation. The supporting cast includes Charles Dance, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Stanley, and Adrian Lester. The film was shot in Munich, Germany and the German Alps.
The drama had its world premiere in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Read More:Alicia Vikander Explains How a ‘Wonderfully Brutal’ Creative Bond Turned Her Into an Indie Producer
“Euphoria” follows Vikander and Green’s estranged sisters as they travel through Europe and attempt a difficult and ominous reconciliation. The supporting cast includes Charles Dance, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Stanley, and Adrian Lester. The film was shot in Munich, Germany and the German Alps.
The drama had its world premiere in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
- 11/28/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Below you will find our favorite films of the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival, as well as an index of our coverage.Top Picksfernando F. CROCE1. First Reformed (Paul Schrader)2. Zama (Lucrecia Martel)3. Western (Valeska Grisebach)4. Ex Libris (Frederick Wiseman)5. Faces Places (Agnès Varda, Jr)6. Manhunt (John Woo)7. Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Bruno Dumont)8. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler)9. The Day After (Hong Sang-soo)10. Let the Corpses Tan (Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani)Kelley DONG1. Rose Gold (Sarah Cwynar), Strangely Ordinary This Devotion (Dani Restack, Sheilah Wilson Restack)3. Good Luck (Ben Russell)4. Manhunt (John Woo)5. The Third Murder (Hirokazu Kore-eda), Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)Daniel KASMAN1. Ex Libris (Frederick Wiseman)2. First Reformed (Paul Schrader)3. Zama (Lucrecia Martel)4. Strangely Ordinary This Devotion (Dani Restack, Sheilah Wilson Restack)5. I Love You, Daddy (Louis C.K.)6. Rose Gold (Sarah Cwynar)7. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler)8. below-above (André...
- 9/19/2017
- MUBI
I can’t really be held accountable for believing that the combined efforts of legendary German auteur Wim Wenders, Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander, and the fervid James McAvoy would spawn a piece of cinema teeming with heartache and intrigue, can I? Well, as their supposed romantic thriller Submergence would have it, the thought should’ve been long purged from my mind using electroconvulsive therapy. Wenders’ deep sea exploration of love and separation, doesn’t generate enough of the former for the latter to ever matter. Dabbling in topical themes like climate change and terrorism, all while attempting to execute a Bond-esque, star-crossed lovers narrative. Submergence’s commentary ultimately conveys a whole lot of nothing.
Danielle Flinders (Vikander) is a bio-mathematician prepping for a dive into the bleakest depths of the Greenland Sea to gather specimens in a submersible. James More (McAvoy), a spy about to be shipped off to Somalia on a reconnaissance mission,...
Danielle Flinders (Vikander) is a bio-mathematician prepping for a dive into the bleakest depths of the Greenland Sea to gather specimens in a submersible. James More (McAvoy), a spy about to be shipped off to Somalia on a reconnaissance mission,...
- 9/18/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Strangely Ordinary This DevotionHello Danny and Fern, I'll start with personal news: the bad news is that I've had to significantly cut down my over-ambitious pre-tiff schedule to recuperate from several days worth of sensory overload. The good news is that my ankle is healing! Here is some bad Tiff news: for all I said in my last correspondence about contradictions, I wanted to add a belated disclaimer. Sometimes plot (and more importantly, thought) holes are nothing more than just that. Though it starts with a bang, former Veep show-runner Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin trips over its own footing with a flimsy jab at the legacy of its own subject, smugly presented as an original hot take. In Iannucci's Communist Russia, the Soviet Union's top players are man-children with no backbone. Together, these bumbling idiots (played by a cast of stuttering, screaming Americans and Brits) mourn their...
- 9/14/2017
- MUBI
There are few directors that cinephiles continue to hold out hope that they have another great movie in them like Wim Wenders. Aside from documentaries like “The Salt Of The Earth” and “Pina,” it feels like an entire generation has passed since the German auteur, despite working a prolific clip, has delivered a truly great feature film. While major actors continue to line up and work for the filmmaker, recent efforts like “Every Thing Will Be Fine” and “The Beautiful Days Of Aranjuez” have failed to connect critically, and certainly haven’t commercially.
Continue reading James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander Fall In Love In Wim Wenders’ ‘Submergence’ [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading James McAvoy & Alicia Vikander Fall In Love In Wim Wenders’ ‘Submergence’ [Tiff Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/12/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“Breathe” sets out to offer a very specific kind of emotional experience and never wavers from that goal. The swooning period piece from director Andy Serkis tracks the decades of survival by Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield), a man stricken with polio in the ’50s who survived on a breathing machine for some 40 years, and the devotion of his wife Diana (Claire Foy) who stuck by his side that entire time. It’s a gorgeous, romantic drama that earns its emotional resonance without venturing beyond the most familiar beats.
The movie may not register as the most obvious choice of a debut for Serkis, best known as Hollywood’s preeminent motion-capture performer, whose credits range from Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” to Caesar in the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy, but its elegant, old-fashioned appeal shrouds the sophisticated performance at its center. Garfield, who spends the majority of the...
The movie may not register as the most obvious choice of a debut for Serkis, best known as Hollywood’s preeminent motion-capture performer, whose credits range from Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” to Caesar in the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy, but its elegant, old-fashioned appeal shrouds the sophisticated performance at its center. Garfield, who spends the majority of the...
- 9/12/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
From the beginning of Alicia Vikander’s onscreen acting career, there has been one constant for the Oscar winner: her creative bond with filmmaker Lisa Langseth. The fellow Swede cast Vikander in her very first feature film, the 2010 drama “Pure,” followed by the 2013 offering “Hotel”; now the pair are at it again with Langseth’s “Euphoria,” bowing at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.
Langseth and Vikander’s work together has always been compelled by big questions answered through unique stories told from a feminine perspective. “Euphoria” is no different, following a pair of mismatched sisters (Vikander and Eva Green) who reunite to go on a mysterious trip, as bidden by Green’s Emilie, who has scores of secrets she’s keeping from her own sister. Those secrets result in major revelations between the pair, but also force the audience to confront greater issues that apply to no less than life-and-death decisions.
Langseth and Vikander’s work together has always been compelled by big questions answered through unique stories told from a feminine perspective. “Euphoria” is no different, following a pair of mismatched sisters (Vikander and Eva Green) who reunite to go on a mysterious trip, as bidden by Green’s Emilie, who has scores of secrets she’s keeping from her own sister. Those secrets result in major revelations between the pair, but also force the audience to confront greater issues that apply to no less than life-and-death decisions.
- 9/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Wim Wenders’s globe-trotting tale of two lovers separated by circumstance is handsomely told but stilted dialogue and genre confusion weigh it down
There’s a lot going on in Wim Wenders’s latest, and arguably most accessible, film, Submergence. It’s a love story, it’s a spy thriller, it’s an underwater adventure, it’s about terrorism, it’s about climate change, it’s about being ghosted by text (!). But ultimately – sadly, predictably – it’s also a bit of a mess.
Related: C'est la Vie! review – underpowered party planner comedy that offers little to chew on
Continue reading...
There’s a lot going on in Wim Wenders’s latest, and arguably most accessible, film, Submergence. It’s a love story, it’s a spy thriller, it’s an underwater adventure, it’s about terrorism, it’s about climate change, it’s about being ghosted by text (!). But ultimately – sadly, predictably – it’s also a bit of a mess.
Related: C'est la Vie! review – underpowered party planner comedy that offers little to chew on
Continue reading...
- 9/11/2017
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Choked by overwrought trappings and suffocated by an unforgiving narrative structure, Wim Wenders’ “Submergence” is only bolstered by a pair of sterling performances from stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, both of whom somehow rise above the lackluster film they’re sunk into. Based on J.M. Ledgard’s novel of the same name and adapted by screenwriter Erin Dignam (who previously penned Sean Penn’s much-maligned “The Last Face”), the film revels in playing up hinky parallels that rarely coalesce into anything of much substance. It sinks.
Flipping between time periods and points of view, the film opens with Vikander, a professor and scientist obsessed with the literal bottom of the ocean, who is embarking on the biggest journey of her career, but just can’t seem to care about it because the man she loves won’t answer her phone calls. It’s already a jarring twist that Vikander’s Danielle,...
Flipping between time periods and points of view, the film opens with Vikander, a professor and scientist obsessed with the literal bottom of the ocean, who is embarking on the biggest journey of her career, but just can’t seem to care about it because the man she loves won’t answer her phone calls. It’s already a jarring twist that Vikander’s Danielle,...
- 9/11/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Alicia Vikander and Eva Green star in Euphoria as two estranged sisters who take a mysterious European trip and are forced to grapple with their complicated family history. Also featuring Charlotte Rampling, the drama is Vikander’s third collaboration with director Lisa Langseth (after 2009’s Pure and 2013’s Hotel) as well as the first film from Vikander's namesake company Vikarious Productions.
Ahead of Euphoria’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Vikander (who is also in the Tiff title Submergence) and Langseth spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about exploring sisterhood onscreen and propelling female-directed films forward.
What...
Ahead of Euphoria’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Vikander (who is also in the Tiff title Submergence) and Langseth spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about exploring sisterhood onscreen and propelling female-directed films forward.
What...
- 9/11/2017
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
13 years after he spent a month eating nothing but McDonald’s, “Super-Size Me” director (and human guinea pig) Morgan Spurlock has opened a fast-food restaurant of his own. Of course, anyone who’s seen Spurlock’s breakthrough 2004 documentary knows that he’s not just in it for the money — you couldn’t pay that guy to eat another Big Mac, let alone produce them by the billions. Spurlock has come a long way since his $65,000 film earned $22 million at the box office and inspired a revolution in how Americans are sold their heart attacks, but his ethos hasn’t changed. Once again, he’s decided to become part of the problem in order to solve it. This time, however, the problem he’s grappling with is one for which he’s partially responsible.
If “Super-Size Me” was about the danger of calories, the hugely watchable “Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
If “Super-Size Me” was about the danger of calories, the hugely watchable “Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
- 9/11/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sebastián Lelio’s “Disobedience” is a beautiful, fraught, and emotionally nuanced drama that wrestles with hard questions about the tension between the life we’re born into and the one we choose for ourselves. The title alone suggests a holy status quo, as well as a biblical impulse to spurn it. A lesbian love story that’s set in a community where unmarried men and women aren’t even allowed to touch each other and the patriarchy has made itself divinely unimpeachable, the film uses the preordination of sexuality as a lens through which to confront the strictures of faith and the role they impose on self-identity. And it does that with a sex scene in which Rachel Weisz delicately spits into Rachel McAdams’ mouth.
The movie opens inside an Orthodox synagogue in the London suburb of Hendon, where the frail rabbi (Anton Lesser) is sermonizing about how free will...
The movie opens inside an Orthodox synagogue in the London suburb of Hendon, where the frail rabbi (Anton Lesser) is sermonizing about how free will...
- 9/11/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Though far from the best Abdellatif Kechiche movie, “Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno” is certainly the most Abdellatif Kechiche movie. Running just over three hours, the film is the first in a planned trilogy (number two is already finished; three has yet to be shot) that promises the definitive taxonomy of the “Blue is the Warmest Color” maestro at his best and worst. “Canto Uno” alone finds Kechiche returning to the themes and aesthetic approaches that have made him one of France’s most richly acclaimed contemporary voices, while at the same time seriously over-indulging in the leery excesses that place him among the country’s most controversial ones as well.
As in “The Secret of the Grain,” this latest film also about very specific Franco-Tunisian identity, but apart from two opening quotations explicitly designed to point out the similarities between the Koran and the New Testament, the director isn...
As in “The Secret of the Grain,” this latest film also about very specific Franco-Tunisian identity, but apart from two opening quotations explicitly designed to point out the similarities between the Koran and the New Testament, the director isn...
- 9/11/2017
- by Ben Croll
- Indiewire
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