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Time to celebrate New York independent producer Killer Films, a beacon of flexible creativity and longevity with almost 150 film credits in a tough business from namesake comedy horror Office Killer by Cindy Sherman in 1997 to Celine Song’s 2025 summer hit Materialists.

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, who founded and run the company, have curated a selection for Metrograph this weekend and next featuring I’m Not There, Office Killer, One Hour Photo, Far From Heaven, Zola, Happiness, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and a surprise screening. The duo, who will appear at selected showtimes, spoke with Deadline on the films they chose and the indie film landscape then and now.

The selection “was an attempt to sort of like pick films that were meaningful to us but also represented certain milestones for us. There have been so many eras of the way movies that we make got made and some are truly independent,...

Rian Johnson will receive the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting at this year’s Austin Film Festival. Johnson is set to receive the award during the 2025 Writers Conference. The conference will take place from Oct. 23 to Oct. 26.

The festival will also screen the Texas premiere of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third installment of Johnson’s whodunnit franchise. The film stars Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rian Johnson back to Austin Film Festival as this year’s recipient of the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting,” said Barbara Morgan, Aff’s co-founder and Executive Director. “Rian is an incredibly gifted screenwriter and visionary filmmaker whose body of work and generosity to the next generation of storytellers exemplifies this award. His latest installment in the “Knives Out Mystery” cannon,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

28 Years Later (Danny Boyle)

Armed with a bevy of iPhones, 28 Years Later is definitely an “I’ve still got the moves” gesture from Boyle. It’s a case where his frenetic energy, paired with returning writer Alex Garland’s structurally odd screenplay, creates a film that one never feels a step ahead of––a deep compliment for something about to be unleashed on multiplexes. Even if that doesn’t necessarily result in a great film, per se. – Ethan V. (full review)

Where to Stream: VOD

Celebrating Michael Roemer

Although he passed just a few months ago, Michael Roemer was thankfully alive to see much of his work restored and embraced. The director’s stellar features are now available to stream on the Criterion Channel,...

In the three decades since producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler founded the production company Killer Films, the demise of art-house cinema has been greatly exaggerated — more than once.

“We’ve been doing this for so long that we’ve seen the death of independent film at least three or four times,” Vachon says. “And then we’ve seen it rise from the ashes — usually on the back of something that is really good or super original that nobody saw coming.”

Sure enough, history repeated itself as the latest from Killer, director Celine Song’s romantic comedy “Materialists,” starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, broke out with $51 million globally. The movie’s box office success isn’t a complete surprise — it was distributed by indie favorite A24, features three A-listers and serves as the follow-up to Song’s Oscar-nominated and critically adored debut, “Past Lives.” Yet the film...

The Austin Film Festival will bestow the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting to writer/director Rian Johnson, as part of this year’s Writers Conference, happening Oct. 23 – 26. The festival will also screen Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third installment in the filmmaker’s whodunnit series after “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion.” Both screenplays were nominated for Academy Awards.

“Wake Up Dead Man” sees Daniel Craig return as private detective Benoit Blanc, investigating a new murder and interrogating a new set of quirky suspects. The typically star-studded cast includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church. The film will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before being released on Netflix on Dec. 12.

The award is named after Bill Wittliff, the Austin-born screenwriter of “Lonesome Dove,” “Legends of the Fall...

Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars, movie directors, and sometimes – sometimes – the companies that made the movies those stars and directors made! We were lucky to speak with Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films in honor of Metrograph’s 30th Anniversary program, with screenings starting on August 2, 2025.

Vachon and Koffler speak on curating the celebratory program, which includes Office Killer. We also dish on myself and Conor’s time as interns at Killer many years ago, some B-Sides, and how Killer has survived this ever-changing industry of independent film.

There’s a wonderful discussion about wigs in film (prompted by Colin Farrell’s bad wig in the first act of A Home at the End of the World), an appreciation of Dark Waters getting made and getting discovered to this day, and line producers “carrying the burden of the budget.”

Vachon mourns The Safety...

Exclusive: Manager and producer Brian Young has joined Range. Young most recently operated independently as a manager and produced The Brutalist.

He brings with him a roster of clients that includes the Oscar-nominated, BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning The Brutalist director and co-writer Brady Corbet as well as Oscar-nominated The Brutalist co-writer Mona Fastvold, whose upcoming film, The Testament Of Ann Lee, co-written with Corbet and starring Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Abbott and Lewis Pullman, will premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

Other clients joining him at Range include author and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho), whose novel The Shards is becoming a Ryan Murphy series at FX with Young serving as executive producer. Young also represents filmmaker Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), the estate of Aaliyah alongside her brother Rashad Haughton, writer-director Evan Morgan (The Kid Detective) and actor-musician Shameik Moore

In addition to The Brutalist,...

The hotly-anticipated thrillerLone Wolf starring Bryan Cranston just ran into a major production issue.

Per Deadline, cast, crew members, and vendors who worked on Lone Wolf have reportedly gone unpaid, with the project facing what is reportedly a $2 million shortfall that needs to be made up before production on the film can resume. The report notes that the film's lead actors, which include Cranston and Lily Gladstone, are not among those affected, and that the film's financiers are currently working to close the funding gap in question.

Producer Jordan Wagner, who leads Wagner Media Finance, reportedly told Deadline, "This process has been extremely challenging and, at times, frustrating. We originally stepped in to provide a short-term bridge loan to support the producers and financiers, based on contractual assurances that our capital would be repaid within a matter of months. However, after fully funding our loan, the production encountered significant complications,...

Exclusive: Bryan Cranston has made his position clear regarding the ongoing funding challenges facing indie movie Lone Wolf.

In a message to Deadline, which you can read in full below, the Breaking Bad and Trumbo star said he won’t return to finish filming or promote the feature until all cast and crew that are owed money are paid back in full. A “distressed” Cranston, who himself has been paid for his work to date, has spoken to multiple co-stars who are still owed money.

As we revealed earlier today, there is around a $2M shortfall in funding on the project, whose shoot came to an abrupt halt months ago. Crew, vendors and some cast are still owed at least one week’s wages, and there remains filming to be done. As noted by financier-producer Jordan Wagner to us today, the project suffered a “breakdown in the financing structure”, and...

Exclusive: Months after Deadline’s report of funding trouble on the conspiracy thriller Lone Wolf, starring Bryan Cranston and Lily Gladstone, many of the crew, vendors and some of the cast remain out of pocket, they have told us.

The movie still is facing a shortfall of around $2 million before it can complete, and there still is filming to be done with the lead actors before post-production can start. The financiers have been trying to get on the same page and close the funding gap for months, looking into various paths to funding. The lead actors are not among those still owed money.

Wagner Media Finance, led by producer Jordan Wagner, has had to step in to take over the production entity, having been assigned it from Yale Productions, which recently went bankrupt. Wagner has been a producer on the project from the outset and has credits as a financier including Hypnotic,...

Venice Classics will screen restorations of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Pedro Almodóvar’s Matador as part of an 18-film line-up at the 82nd Venice Film Festival (August 27-Septemer 6).

Lolita is a US-uk co-production, adapted by Kubrick from Nabokov’s novel, with James Mason and Sue Lyon in the leading roles. It first played at Venice in 1962.

Matador is one of Almodóvar’s early works. The 1986 erotic thriller sees Antonio Banderas play a student matador who wrongfully confesses to murder.

Among the four Italian films are Giuseppe De Santis’ once underestimated 1952 filmRome 11:00andLuciano Salce’s 1967 filmI Married You For Fun.

Films by José Luis Guerin, Alberto Rodríguez, and José Mari Goneagaand Aitor Arregi are among the 17 Spanish features selected for the 2025 San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff), taking place from September 19-27.

Guerin’s feature documentary Good Valley Stories sees the return of the director 24 years after winning the festival’s special jury prize for In Construction. The Spain-France co-production documents a suburb in Barcelona where different generations of migrants coexist.

Competing in the main section for the fourth time are Basque filmmakers José Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi with Maspalomas, about an elderly gay man whose life takes a...

Rental Family, Beef director Hikari’s comedy drama and potential awards contender starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser and Shogun’s Takehiro Hira, has been scheduled to open throughSearchlight Pictureson November 21.

The film follows Fraser as a struggling actor in Tokyo who begins working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ as a stand-in to offer support in clients’ lives, gaining insights along the way. Sight Unseen and Knockonwood are the production companies.

Hikari directed episodes of the Netflix show Beef and HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice as well as 2019 Berlinale Panorama audience award (fiction) winner 37 Seconds. Sheco-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut.

One of the icons of independent cinema, Christine Vachon is celebrating 30 years of Killer Films, the production banner she set up in 1995 with Pamela Koffler. Across three decades and more than 100 features — including “Kids,” “Far From Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Carol” — Vachon and Koffler have helped launch the careers of numerous directors and produced box office hits and multi-award winners, several with their long-standing collaborator Todd Haynes.

Just this year, Killer was behind “Materialists,” A24’s hugely successful romantic drama and the sophomore feature from Celine Song, having also produced her multi-Oscar nominated and critically adored debut “Past Lives.”

But for Vachon, her entire career can be traced back to a film that she didn’t produce and, as she admits, isn’t even possible to watch, at least not legally.

“I think in some ways, it really begins with Todd [Haynes]’s first film,...

US producer Christine Vachon spoke positively at the Galway Film Fleadh today (July 10) about working with emerging talent, who she credits with being “what keeps our lifeblood going,” noting, “It’s a hard business not to be cynical in.”

“When you work with a new filmmaker, they’re usually telling a story they waited their whole life to tell,” reflects Vachon, whose most recent film is Celine Song’s Materialists.

“That brings an energy, and it also prevents cynicism. I really do believe cynicism is the thing that can destroy so many creative careers. It’s a hard business not...

Ashley Benson, Emily Alyn Lind, Madelaine Petsch and Sadie Stanley have been tapped for the lead roles in “Pretty Babies,” an indie female friendship drama written and directed by Tyler-Marie Evans, who makes her feature debut.

Set to enter production later this summer, the film follows two teenage girls who run away to Hollywood, chasing stardom, but their dreams lead them into prostitution, trapping them in the dark underbelly of the sex work industry as they travel from Texas to California.

“’Pretty Babies’ is a love letter to Old Hollywood. We’re pushing into something new with this script, and

that excitement has been palpable from the start, and something felt by every collaborator,” said Evans.

Christine Vachon from Killer Films is producing, alongside Jordan Wagner from Wagner Entertainment. Benson will produce. Amanda Larney of Killer Films is associate producing.

“When I first met Tyler-Marie, I knew immediately there was something special about her.

Joel Alfonso Vargas’ debut feature “Mad Bills to Pay” has been acquired by Paris- and Berlin-based company Salaud Morisset for festival, theatrical and non-commercial rights.

After premiering at Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Next Special Jury Award for ensemble cast, the film was picked up by the Berlinale for its Perspective section, and is now about to screen at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The film follows Rico, whose summer is a wild mix of chasing girls and hustling homemade cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach, the Bronx. But when Destiny, his teenage girlfriend, crashes at his place with his family, it’s only a matter of time before his rowdy, carefree days come spiraling down.

Vargas said: “’Mad Bills to Pay’ was born from memories of growing up in the Bronx: the hustler culture, the mad hot summers – of first loves. It was inspired by my...

Irish directorColum Eastwood’shorror film The Morrigan andMark Forbes’class divide documentaryQuiet On Setare among the films set to world premiere at the 37th edition of Galway Film Fleadh, taking place from July 8-13 in Ireland.

Quiet On Set explores class division in the UK film industry and features actors Maxine Peake and Vicky McClure, writer Paul Laverty and filmmakers Sean McAllister and Kolton Lee.

The Morrigan follows an archaeologist who unearths a burial casket of a mummified figure and unleashes an ancient evil upon her team. The cast includes Saffron Burrows, James Cosmo, Toby Stephens and Antonia Campbell-Hughes.

Galway...

Exclusive: Cinetic Media, the preeminent talent management and media advisory company founded by John Sloss, has made three additions to its team, hiring David Karp as a senior manager, Andrea Wax as a manager, and Noah Stahl as a producer.

The trio joins Cinetic at a critical juncture in the growth of the company’s talent management practice, which already reps an award-winning group of writer and director multi-hyphenates, producers, and emerging talent. Going forward, they intend to aggressively pursue growth objectives, with additional manager hires to be announced in the coming months.

“David, Andrea and Noah bring a breadth of experience and talent to Cinetic at a critical moment in the company’s growth,” said Cinetic CEO Sloss. “There is a lot of chatter about how our industry is contracting, but, contrary to that sentiment, we at Cinetic look at the global marketplace and see nothing but storytelling opportunity.

The Southampton Playhouse is celebrating 30 years of legendary indie production banner Killer Films, as IndieWire can announce. The historic theater is set to host Killer Films co-founders Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler with a special screening of Todd Haynes’ cult 1998 film “Velvet Goldmine.” The event will close out Pride month, and also coincide with the release of another Killer Films feature, Celine Song’s “Materialists.”

Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine” centers on a fictional British journalist Arthur Stuart who is investigating the career of a 1970s glam superstar. The iconic film stars Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and Toni Collette. It was the third feature between Haynes and Killer Films, which was founded in 1995.

In addition to the “Velvet Goldmine” screening, the Southampton Playhouse has unveiled its full June programming lineup for its inaugural summer season. Highlights include a conversation event with “Andor” creator Tony Gilroy; a reunion between “When You Finish Saving the World...

Barry Diller’s colorful, candid new memoir Who Knew is a book that can’t help but read a bit like a bookend. Not necessarily for himself, or even for his cohort, but for the era of colorful, candid memoirs authored by Hollywood heavyweights.

It’s an entertaining shelf. Paramount head Bob Evans’ The Kid Stays in the Picture is the lodestar, followed by volumes from a pair of trailblazing female producers: Julia Phillips’ You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again and Lynda Obst’s Hello, He Lied. Those at the margins of the business have told some of the most memorable stories (recall Golden Age sex broker Scotty Bowers’ Full Service), although there have been revealing accounts at or near the top from managers Bernie Brillstein and Jerry Weintraub, indie legend Christine Vachon and the super-agent Michael Ovitz.

These days, two factors are pushing the fun out of memoirs.

The latest “Materialists” ad is reminding audiences that love don’t cost a thing. The unmatched marketing by A24 continues with a video teasing Celine Song’s sophomore film reimagined as a throwback nod to the ’90s Mastercard “Priceless” campaign.

“Materialists” star Dakota Johnson is shown walking through New York City and racking up a tab on the cost of dating: from lip liner to the price of a fancy dinner with a new suitor (Pedro Pascal), it really does get expensive being a single woman. And that’s not even counting the ritzy nuptials if all goes well: As any “Bride Wars” fan knows, that wedding suite at The Plaza goes for $600,000, and apparently Johnson’s onscreen matchmaking skills to get you down the aisle weigh in at $50,000. So how does one budget for the happily ever after? Perhaps a run-in with an ex (Chris Evans), all for the...

What is a producer’s job? On a fundamental level, it’s to put all the pieces together that allow for film and television to be made. Maybe it’s pairing the right material with the right director. Maybe it’s location scouting. Maybe it’s having 10 dinners with that one actor who won’t commit. The role of the producer is every-changing, but there are certain constants the best in the business have learned to adhere to.

Whether it’s Christine Vachon using Celine Song’s script for “Past Lives” as a selling point for the project or Ram Bergman advising Rian Johnson to make “Brick” on a smaller budget than he intended, the greatest producers in cinema today know that setting a project up for success means pinpointing its value. This isn’t just on a financial level, but in terms of popular culture as well. Keep reading...

Following her critically acclaimed directorial debut Past Lives, filmmaker Celine Song returns with Materialists, an A24 romantic drama about love and class.

The plot

The film stars Dakota Johnson as a high-end matchmaker in New York who finds herself torn between her broke but loving ex (Chris Evans) and a wealthy, suave new suitor (Pedro Pascal).

A new trailer for the film was released on Thursday.

The backstory

Song, who wrote and directed the film, has cited classic novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Howards End as key inspirations. Like those literary works, Materialists explores the tension between romantic idealism and the social realities of wealth and marriage.

Johnson told the Associated Press that her character Lucy is at a crossroads in her life.

"She’s sort of at the top of her game in her work and is very disconnected from her heart and focused on being a...

Following her emotional and Oscar-nominated directorial debut Past Lives starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, Celine Song will return to the big screen with a sophomore feature film starring quite the trifecta of big names.

Materialists, also hailing from A24, will feature another love story and triangle of sorts.

Read on for everything we know about Materialists:

When does Materialists come out?

Celine Song’s sophomore film arrives in theaters June 13.

Who is in the cast of Celine Song’s Materialists?

Dakota Johnson will star as matchmaker Lucy. Chris Evans will portray John P, who has history with Lucy, and Pedro Pascal will present Harry C, another option for Lucy’s love life.

A24 recently revealed new character posters for each with descriptive notes below their photographs:

L-r: Pedro Pascal, Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans in ‘Materialists’

What is Celine Song’s Materialists about?

Lucy, an ambitious matchmaker who lives in New York City,...

Dakota Johnson is a matchmaker who gets more than she bargained for in the new trailer for Materialists. The rom-com-with-a-twist comes from the writer/director of the Academy Award-nominated film Past Lives. The film was first announced in February 2024, with producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films attached to the project, along with David Hinojosa of the 2Am production company. A new trailer from A24 just dropped.

Materialists stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. The very brief plot synopsis reads, “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.” The newly released trailer is a major throwback to the style of trailers from the 80s and 90s, with very few of the usual modern-day trailer “hit” sound effects, Madonna’s “Material Girl” plays throughout and it even features a trailer narrator. Pedro Pascal takes a break from...

Dakota Johnson has the toughest job in the world for her latest film, “Materialists”: The actress has to decide between marrying Chris Evans or Pedro Pascal. The trio lead Celine Song’s sophomore A24 film, which of course is about a love triangle — much like Song’s Oscar-nominated drama “Past Lives.”

The logline for “Materialists” reads: “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Evans).” But there are no “Emma” Austenian parallels here: The film is firmly rooted in being an ode to classic 2000s NYC-set romantic dramedies, many of which Evans actually starred in at the time (“What’s Your Number?” remains a criminally underrated Evans performance.)

Zoe Winters, Marin Ireland, Dasha Nekrasova, and Louisa Jacobson co-star in “Materialists.” The trailer also includes an original song by Japanese Breakfast.

Christine Vachon’s Killers Films produces “Materialists” along with David Hinojosa,...

Filmmaker‘s monthly series at New York’s Paris Theater, Filmmaker Magazine Presents, continues in June with two new events coupled with in-person conversations. On Monday, June 2, the Paris will welcome director Tom Kalin and producer Christine Vachon for a Q&a following a screening of 1992’s New Queer Cinema highlight Swoon. Kalin co-wrote and directed this stylish take on the infamous murder trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr., a case that also provided inspiration for the stage play Rope, later adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock. Swoon will show on a 35mm print courtesy of Kalin and the film’s director of photography, Ellen Kuras. On Monday, […]

The post Filmmaker Magazine Presents Swoon and Monsoon Wedding at New York’s Paris Theater first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Filmmaker‘s monthly series at New York’s Paris Theater, Filmmaker Magazine Presents, continues in June with two new events coupled with in-person conversations. On Monday, June 2, the Paris will welcome director Tom Kalin and producer Christine Vachon for a Q&a following a screening of 1992’s New Queer Cinema highlight Swoon. Kalin co-wrote and directed this stylish take on the infamous murder trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr., a case that also provided inspiration for the stage play Rope, later adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock. Swoon will show on a 35mm print courtesy of Kalin and the film’s director of photography, Ellen Kuras. On Monday, […]

The post Filmmaker Magazine Presents Swoon and Monsoon Wedding at New York’s Paris Theater first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The beloved annual Provincetown International Film Festival (Piff) is having a big moment with its buzzy 2025 lineup. IndieWire can announce that leading horror auteur Ari Aster will be honored with the Filmmaker on the Edge title at the festival, which will take place from June 11 to 15 in Provincetown, Ma.

Aster will be in Provincetown to receive the award and participate in conversation with resident artist John Waters on Saturday, June 14, ahead of the nationwide release of his new film “Eddington” on July 18. The secretive 2020-set dark comedy “Eddington” will debut at Cannes; the feature reunites Aster with his “Beau Is Afraid” star Joaquin Phoenix, as well as Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Clifton Collins Jr., and more.

“Ari Aster’s films weave grief, beauty and dread into unforgettable cinematic experiences,” Anne Hubbell, Piff’s Executive Director, said in a press statement. “We’re excited to welcome Ari...

IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast had a very special guest this week, live in New York City, with Christine Vachon. The producer at Killer Films, which she runs with Pamela Koffler, has Celine Song’s “Materialists” coming up after the success of Song’s “Past Lives,” which also earned Vachon her first Oscar nomination, for Best Picture. Vachon has helped steer the careers of Todd Haynes, Todd Solondz, and more filmmakers we love throughout a career dating back to Todd Haynes’ Sundance-bracing queer triptych “Poison” in 1991.

Joining IndieWire “Screen Talk” co-hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio in-person at Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA’s New Directors/New Films, Vachon previewed Song’s new film and mused about the state of moviegoing: “It’s not so much people aren’t going; there’s nothing for people to see,” Vachon said.

“One of the things I love about ‘Past Lives,’ and...

Exclusive: The Bryan Cranston and Lily Gladstone thriller Lone Wolf, which wrapped its shoot in New Mexico at the end of February, has still to pay out dozens of crew members due to funding trouble.

Sources close to the production have told us that there is at least a $1 million shortfall in payroll. Multiple departments are still unpaid for at least one week of work and some producers and financiers remain out of pocket. The picture has yet to close finance.

Lone Wolf has a lot to recommend it. We announced the film last Cannes. Mark Pellington directs the conspiracy thriller about a troubled vet (Gladstone) struggling with addiction who is recruited by a contractor (Cranston) for a covert government plot to assassinate a high-level politician. Cast also includes O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Jennifer Ehle, Chet Hanks and Spencer Garrett. The producing team includes Oscar nominee Christine Vachon and vet Ted Hope alongside others.

IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast is coming back live to New York City this Tuesday, April 8, and you can attend for free.

“Screen Talk” co-hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio (that’s me) will be joined by Academy Award-nominated producer Christine Vachon for a live conversation on April 8 at 3 p.m. at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center. The event will take place as part of the Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center’s ongoing New Directors/New Films celebration of emerging first- and second-time directors.

Vachon, with Pamela Koffler, heads up Killer Films, the company behind such recent Oscar-nominated films as “A Different Man,” “May December,” “Past Lives” (which earned Vachon a Best Picture nomination as a producer), and more, with filmmakers like Todd Haynes, Todd Solondz, and Celine Song (with her upcoming “Materialists”) part of Killer’s regular stable. Vachon got her...

A new open letter signed by around 600 Oscar voters, including Ava DuVernay, Olivia Colman and Javier Bardem, has criticized the leadership of the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its initial response to the recent assault and arrest of Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal.

“It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later,” the open letter updated Friday and signed by AMPAS members across a range of genres, including documentaries, stated.

The AMPAS voters were reacting to a statement put out Wednesday by Academy leaders Bill Kramer and Janet Yang that suggested the beating and arrest of recent Oscar-winner Hamdan Ballal is something Academy members will have “many unique viewpoints” on.

Other well-known Academy members who signed the letter include Mark Ruffalo, Oscar-winning Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer,...

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through another super busy week of news. Sign up here.

‘No Other Land’

American Film Academy criticism: On Monday, Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham wrote in an X post that his Palestinian No Other Land co-director, Hamdan Ballal, had been attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and was later detained by Israeli soldiers. The story has since moved fast. Abraham posted the next day that Ballal had been freed but was badly beaten while in custody. The 24-hour incident then sparked outcry in the film community, with strong statements from institutions including the European Film Academy. Filmmakers and actors such as Christine Vachon, Ezra Edelman, and Mark Ruffalo lent their names to public calls for Ballal’s release. The incident occurred less than a month after No Other Land won the Best Documentary Oscar, a grim fact that Abraham highlighted as...

US industry figures have reacted to Thursday’s news that Sundance Film Festival will relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.

The location change comes after a year-long search and means that after next January’s final edition in Park City, it will be goodbye to the Utah ski resort. For four decades Sundance in Park City has championed thousands of filmmakers and major breakouts like Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Dee Rees, Sian Heder, and Christopher Nolan.

Sony Picture Classics co-president Tom Bernard has been a mainstay at Park City down the years and the company’s many Sundance titles include An Education,...

Exclusive: Abby Ryder Fortson, who starred as Margaret in 2023’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, and as a young Cassie in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), will star in the independently financed feature dramedy, Rated, directed by John Fortson.

Based on his award-winning short film of the same name, Rated the short, quickly captivated the festival circuit, earning rave reviews and 23 awards from over 60 festivals worldwide including Palm Springs Shortfest, Savannah International, Short Shorts Japan, Asthetica UK, Cleveland International, and Rhode Island International.

Rated also stars Christie Lynn Smith, who co-wrote the script with Fortson, Dale Dickey, Spencer Garrett and Darryl Cox.

Jacob Ryan Snovel (Agnes), Kyle Kauwika Harris (The Huntsman) from SafeHouse Films are producing alongside Smith and Fortson under their new production company Loose Leaf Films,...

“No Other Land” co-director Yuval Abraham is detailing what he claims is the lack of support from the Academy for fellow Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal after he was attacked by settlers while in the West Bank and then taken by Israeli soldiers.

Abraham and Ballal co-directed “No Other Land,” which showed the systematic territorial dispossession of a Palestinian community in the West Bank. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Oscars. Palestinian director Ballal was beaten by Israeli settlers at his Susiya home on March 24 and was later detained by authorities. The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police have denied being involved in any beating. Israeli authorities said that Ballal was detained along with several others on suspicion of throwing stones, damaging property and compromising the security of the area. Ballal was later freed and received hospital treatment on March 25.

Now, Israeli director Abraham is calling out the Academy...

Yuval Abraham, one of the filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” has criticized the Academy for not commenting on the attack of his Palestinian co-director Hamdan Ballal.

Ballal was released by Israeli authorities on Tuesday after Abraham wrote on X the day prior that he had gone missing after being attacked. “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co-director of our film ‘No Other Land,’” Abraham said. “They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.”

Reports of Ballal’s attack and detainment sparked a petition calling for his release and statements from organizations like the International Documentary Association. On Wednesday, Abraham called out the Academy in a post on X for not speaking out.

“Sadly, the U.S. Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined...

No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham has claimed that the “US Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers”.

Israeli filmmaker Abraham, who has been active on X in recent days documenting the attack on his co-director Ballal, drew a contrast today between the Academy’s silence and support from The European Academy and “countless other award groups and festivals”. He added: “Several US Academy members—especially in the documentary branch—pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused. We were told that because other Palestinians were beaten up in the settler attack, it could be considered unrelated to the film, so they felt no need to respond.”

https://twitter.com/yuval_abraham/status/1904828586009252249

Abraham called on the Academy to condemn the attack: “While Hamdan was clearly targeted for making No Other Land...

No Other Land’s Palestinian co-director Hamdan Ballal has been freed, after reportedly being attacked by Israeli settlers in his village on the West Bank and arrested.

Ballal’s Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham posted on X in the past hour: “After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family.”

Abraham raised the alarm of Ballal’s assault and detainment in a military base yesterday (March 24).

“After the assault, Hamdan was handcuffed and blindfolded all night in an army base while two soldiers beat him up on the floor,...

Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian co-directors of Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, has been freed after being detained and beaten, according to the documentary’s Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham.

Hamdan Ballal is free and is about to go home to his family

— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) March 25, 2025

After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family.

— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) March 25, 2025

Fellow No Other Land director Basel Adra has posted an image of Ballal in hospital receiving treatment.

Abraham claimed in a post to X today that their co-director was “handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base”. In an earlier post the director said he spoke to Ballal’s lawyer Leah Tsemel who conveyed the report of him being beaten by authorities.

In a separate differing account,...

Update: Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning Israel-Palestine documentary “No Other Land,” has been freed, according to the latest post from co-director Yuval Abraham.

“After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family,” Abraham posted on X on Tuesday.

Previously: A petition to free Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning Israel-Palestine documentary “No Other Land,” has gathered more than 3,700 signatures on Change.org.

Ballal is reportedly missing after being attacked, according to a series of posts on X from co-director Yuval Abraham.

“We, members of the global film community urgently appeal for the immediate release and safety of filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of ‘No Other Land,’ the recipient of this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Reports that Mr. Ballal was forcibly removed by the Israeli army from an ambulance following a brutal attack by settlers,...

Set amidst spring in wine country, every year the 28th Sonoma International Film Festival offers a festive fusion of food, film, and community. Opening March 19, the festival wrapped things up on March 23 after five days of specialty screenings and culinary pleasures with its Grand Jury and Audience awards (see below). This celebration of cinema showcased 93 films from 21 countries, accompanied by an array of film talent and culinary stars. The festival’s diverse lineup included 39 narrative features, 16 documentary features, and 38 short films.

The festival opened with the World Premiere of documentary “Sweet Störy” (Utopia), directed by Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude, about saving a colorful café in a remote area of Sweden. The Centerpiece Film was “On Swift Horses” (Sony Pictures Classics), a period relationship drama starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, and Will Poulter, and the festival closed with Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet” (Bleecker), starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone,...

Celine Song follows up her Oscar-nominated indie Past Lives with Materialists, another film featuring a romantic triangle. This time around it’s Dakota Johnson (Am I Ok?) at the heart of the love triangle, with Chris Evans (Red One) as her ex and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as a possible Mr. Right.

“A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex,” reads A24’s super simple synopsis.

Celine Song wrote and directed the R-rated romantic comedy, and the film features a new song by Japanese Breakfast. Song, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler serve as producers. Song’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Shabier Kirchner, production designer by Anthony Gasparro, editor Keith Fraase, costume designer Katina Danabassis, and casting director Douglas Aibel.

A24 has set a June 13, 2025 theatrical release date.

Poster for A24’s ‘Materialists’

The post...

All I’ve ever wanted is for silly little rom-coms to make a comeback, is that really too much to ask? Thankfully, this time it looks like the movie gods have finally delivered. And if anything can usher back that golden era, it’s this movie, no doubt about it! With a cast featuring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal in a love triangle, fans, including me, are beyond excited!

Pedro Pascal in Materialists || Credits: A24

A24 just dropped the official trailer for Celine Song’s Materialists, her much-anticipated follow-up to Past Lives. And honestly? Disappointment doesn’t stand a chance, not even a sliver of it.

Stop everything! Pedro Pascal is finally a rom-com leading man!

Materialists tells the story of Lucy played by Dakota Johnson, a matchmaker in New York City who finds herself stuck in a romantic tug-of-war. On one side is a wealthy and charming dreamboat played by Pedro Pascal,...

Dakota Johnson is a matchmaker who gets more than she bargained for in the new trailer for Materialists. The rom-com-with-a-twist comes from the writer/director of the Academy Award-nominated film Past Lives. The film was first announced in February 2024, with producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films attached to the project, along with David Hinojosa of the 2Am production company. The trailer from A24 just dropped.

Materialists stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. The very brief plot synopsis reads, “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.” The trailer also features a new original song by Japanese Breakfast. Pedro Pascal takes a break from his usual intense action/dramatic roles for a change of pace with this film as he swoops in as a romantic lead to sweep Johnson off her feet. However, it seems that almost immediately,...

Dakota Johnson is a matchmaker facing a tough decision in her own love life in the trailer for A24’s Materialists.

Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal also star in writer-director Celine Song’s romantic feature that hit theaters June 13. Materialists centers on Lucy (Johnson), a New York City matchmaker who is torn between a wealthy suitor (Pascal) and her flawed ex (Evans).

“When I see your face, I see wrinkles and children that look like you,” Evans tells Johnson in the trailer in an attempt to win her over. “So where does that leave us?”

Later in the footage, Johnson questions her ability to do her job as she feels jaded about romance. “We promise them love, but the math doesn’t add up,” she laments.

Song helmed the feature from her own script. She produces the film alongside David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.

Materialists continues Song’s...

Celine Song is looking to the future after her Oscar-nominated love triangle drama “Past Lives” — and this time, it’s about yet another romantic trio.

Song writes and directs A24 film “Materialists,” starring Dakota Johnson as an ambitious New York City matchmaker who finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal co-star as the two vying for Johnson’s heart. And all that love was also part of the film’s production.

“I really loved it so much,” Johnson said during the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast about filming the feature. “It’s one of those special moments, and I think in my work, every moment I felt so inspired and so connected to both of those dudes [Evans and Pascal] and everyone on that set. It was a wonderful experience.”

She also told IndieWire that Song is a “masterful filmmaker” and she was “very...

Tribeca is further dedicating itself to fostering creative talent — and now, the organization is offering a festival-within-a-festival for the filmmaking community.

IndieWire exclusively announced that the 2025 Tribeca Festival will host its first-ever Storytelling Summit. Originally titled Creators Forum, the Storytelling Summit was created to connect independent storytellers with industry veterans. The inaugural Storytelling Summit includes discussions with iconic indie producer and Killer Films co-founder Christine Vachon, plus comedian/writer/actor Julio Torres, and playwright/actor/screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris.

The Storytelling Summit conference will take place during the 12-day Tribeca Festival, starting after the opening night of Tribeca proper (June 4) and beginning June 5 through 15. Offerings include keynote addresses, panel conversations, roundtable discussions, and workshops, as well as a dedicated space within Spring Studios to use for networking with other attendees. Storytelling Summit badge holders will also have access to the Tribeca Festival’s rush line and complimentary day-of tickets to festival-wide programming.