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No, she’s not playing a superhero (unless you are a lifelong Tanglewood member) but Cate Blanchett is heard describing how she can stop time in the new, strange trailer for “TÁR,” the mysterious upcoming feature from Todd Field.

It’s been 16 years since Field’s last film, “Little Children,” for which Kate Winslet received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, as did Jackie Earle Haley for Best Supporting Actor and Field himself, shared with Tom Perrotta for Best Adapted Screenplay. Prior to “Little Children” was 2001’s “In The Bedroom,” which accrued five Oscar nominations: Sissy Spacek for Best Actress, Tom Wilkinson for Best Actor, Marisa Tomei for Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay for Field and Robert Festinger, and Best Picture.

Field has spent the years since his awards-heavy films not-quite-getting projects off the ground, like a television adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity” and a movie version of Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian.

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson star in London-set romance; TWC acquired from a promo reel.

The Weinstein Company has moved on North American rights to the Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson romance in a deal with Cornerstone Films.

Joel Hopkins directs Hampstead from a screenplay by Robert Festinger about an American widow who falls for the inhabitant of a hut on London’s Hampstead Heath that is under siege by property developers. James Norton also stars.

Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films are producing the feature, which is financed by Motion Picture Capital and Silver Reel. TWC acquired the film after watching a promo reel.

TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said the film was “a great example of the power we all can have when we stand up for our beliefs and fight for the people and things we care most about, something that is especially important these days.”

“We’re delighted...

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

-The Weinstein Company has acquired the distribution rights for the U.S. and Canada to director Joel Hopkins’s upcoming film “Hampstead.” Written by Robert Festinger, the film stars Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson and James Norton. The project was produced by Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae at Ecosse Films. “Hampstead” focuses on an American widow and her relationship with an unkempt man in the Heath whose lifestyle comes under siege by property developers.

“We’re thrilled to work with Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae and the incredible Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson on this film,” TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said in a statement. “‘Hampstead’ is a great example of the power we all can have when we stand...

The Weinstein Company has acquired North American distribution rights to Hampstead after sparking to a short promo video for the drama insipred by real events. Joel Hopkins is directing the film penned by Robert Festinger and Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson and James Norton topline, and Lesley Manville, Jason Watkins and Simon Callow co-star. Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae at Ecosse Films are producers. The pic was financed by Motion Picture Capital and Silver Reel, with…...

The Weinstein Company has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to “Hampstead,” a drama starring Diane Keaton as an American widow in London. Keaton plays Emily Walters, who has been living on the edge of London’s Hampstead Heath, when one day she sees a group of hooligans attacking a man who lives in a ramshackle dwelling in the massive park. The following day, Walters goes out in search of the man, whose home is now the target of aggressive real estate developers. The film also features Brendan Gleeson and James Norton. Joel Hopkins directed the movie and Robert Festinger wrote the screenplay.

Jason Watkins and Simon Callow have also joined Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson in the Joel Hopkins drama.

Lesley Manville (Another Years), James Norton (Rush), Jason Watkins (The Golden Compass) and Simon Callow (Amadeus) have all signed up for Hampstead.

Inspired by a true story, the plot follows an American widow (Keaton) who becomes involved with an unkempt man (Gleeson) after she sees him attacked by a group of thugs, employed by property developers looking to evict him.

Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey) will direct from a screenplay by Robert Festinger (in The Bedroom). Producers are Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae for Ecosse Films.

Executive producers are Leon Clarance, Mark Woolley, Laure Vaysse, Jo Monk, Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder.

Cornerstone Films is handling international sales. Motion Picture Capital will fully finance the production.

Lesley Manville, James Norton, Jason Watkins, Simon Callow have joined Diane Keaton And Brendan Gleeson in Hampstead with Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey) directing from a script by Robert Festinger (In The Bedroom). Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae from London-based banner Ecosse Films are producing. Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder's Cornerstone Films is handling worldwide sales. Motion Picture Capital will fully finance the production. Hampstead will shoot this…...

Cornerstone Films to oversee international sales and distribution.

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson are attached to star in Hampstead, developed and produced by London-based production firm Ecosse Films.

Inspired by true-life events the film will be directed by Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey), and produced by Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae from Ecosse Films (Nowhere Boy), with a screenplay by Robert Festinger (In the Bedroom).

Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder’s Cornerstone Films will handle international sales including North America and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market (Nov 4-11) in Los Angeles.

Hampstead will commence pre-production early 2016 and will be filmed in and around Hampstead in London.

Inspired by a true story, Keaton will star as an American widow living on the edge of Hampstead Heath who becomes involved with an unkempt man (Gleeson) who lives in a nearby ramshackle hut, after she sees him attacked by a group of thugs...

Cornerstone Films to oversee international sales and distribution.

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson are attached to star in Hampstead, developed and produced by London-based production firm Ecosse Films.

Inspired by true-life events the film will be directed by Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey), and produced by Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae from Ecosse Films (Nowhere Boy), with a screenplay by Robert Festinger (In the Bedroom).

Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder’s Cornerstone Films will handle international sales including North America and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market (Nov 4-11) in Los Angeles.

Hampstead will commence pre-production early 2016 and will be filmed in and around Hampstead in London.

Inspired by a true story, Keaton will star as an American widow living on the edge of Hampstead Heath who becomes involves with an unkempt man (Gleeson) who lives in a nearby ramshackle hut, after she sees him attacked by a group of thugs...

After 2009’s Last Chance Harvey and 2014’s The Love Punch, director Joel Hopkins is turning into somewhat of a specialist in later-life love stories and the complications that arise. He’s dipping into that well again for Hampstead, which will star Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson as people who make a connection in unlikely circumstances. Robert Festinger is behind the script, which was inspired by a true story and developed at Ecosse Films. Keaton will star as Emily Walters, an American widow living on the edge of Hampstead Heath who, despite close friendships and a nice flat, can’t help but worry that she’s drifting through life without a plan. One day, while looking out across the grasslands and trees, she spots a ramshackle hut and its unkempt occupant, who appears to be having trouble with violent attackers. After calling the police and watching them arrive, she goes to check on the man.

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson are attached to star in Hampstead with Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey) directing from a script by Robert Festinger (In The Bedroom). Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae from London-based banner Ecosse Films are producing. Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder's Cornerstone Films will handle worldwide sales and will introduce the project to buyers at Afm in November. Hampstead will commence pre-production early 2016 and will be filmed on…...

Lily Tomlin and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as mother & son in the new film Stars In Shorts.

Think Jesse Tyler Ferguson has been around Hollywood long enough that the likes of working with the legendary Lily Tomlin wouldn’t get him excited?

Think again.

In the new film Stars In Shorts, which features stars like Kiera Knightly, Dame Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Sarah Paulson and Jennifer Morrison in a collection of short movies, Tomlin plays Ferguson’s mother in a short called “The Procession.” Written and directed by Robert Festinger, the film follows Tomlin and Ferguson as they share a ride in a funeral procession of someone they don’t know and, since the short is a comedy, things go a tad bit awry.

Ferguson not only gushed to AfterElton last week about working with Tomlin but he also shared how he really feels about the Emmys, his new foundation with fiancé Justin Mikita,...

If you go see Stars In Shorts expecting to see Colin Firth in casual cargos from Lands End or Julia Styles wearing skin-tight Daisy Dukes, you’ll be disappointed. They’re not that kind of shorts, but they are those kinds of stars, so if you go expecting to see great acting and fine filmmaking, you’ll be rewarded. On the heels of the annual Oscar Nominated Short Films program, ShortsHD presents Stars In Shorts, a collection of short films featuring some of the world’s biggest actors. Many times you only see these films at festivals so I highly recommend the opportunity to see these presented together on the big screen. There is no consistent thread to the seven films other than they star famous actors including some Oscar winners.

The Procession (12 Minutes – Directed by Robert Festinger) – Lily Tomlin and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are mother and son driving in...

Stars in Shorts lives up to its title by presenting a gallery of well-known American and British actors in a compilation of seven short films. Not linked by any common theme or even mood, this anthology is, not surprisingly, a bit of a grab bag. But it nonetheless offers enough pleasures to make for rewarding viewing, especially when it can be consumed in smaller doses upon its impending iTunes and PPV releases. The collection is bookended by two amusing efforts: Robert Festinger’s The Procession, starring Lily Tomlin and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a mother and son who get lost

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We've seen romantic short film anthologies with all-star casts like Paris, je t'aime and New York, I Love You, but this new one doesn't seem to have much effort put into it. Rather than being a series of shorts with a common theme, it seems like this is a collection of some random short films with a lot of big names in an attempt to reel in an audience. It doesn't help that this film is only getting a limited release and this is the first we're hearing of it just two weeks before it arrives, but some audiences might want to see shorts with Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hiddleston, Julia Stiles and more. Watch? Here's the first trailer for Stars in Shorts, originally from YouTube (via The Film Stage): Jay Kamen, Chris Foggin, Benjamin Grayson, Robert Festinger, Rupert Friend, Neil Labute and Jacob Chase direct...

2012 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Short Film Selections

The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by founding sponsor American Express, today announced its lineup of 60 short films, 26 of which are world premieres.

For the second year running, the recipient of the Tribeca Film Festival.s Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. The 2011 Tff Narrative Short Pentecost was nominated for Best Live Action Short at this year.s annual Academy Awards®, while last year.s award-winning Tff documentary short Incident in New Baghdad was nominated for Best Documentary Short.

Tff.s shorts programs chart a wide range of cultural perspectives and geographic coordinates. Drawn from more than 2,800 submissions, the 2012 roster represents 25 countries and territories, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan,...

HollywoodNews.com: The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by founding sponsor American Express, today announced its lineup of 60 short films, 26 of which are world premieres.

For the second year running, the recipient of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. The 2011 Tff Narrative Short Pentecost was nominated for Best Live Action Short at this year’s annual Academy Awards®, while last year?s award-winning Tff documentary short Incident in New Baghdad was nominated for Best Documentary Short.

Tff’s shorts programs chart a wide range of cultural perspectives and geographic coordinates. Drawn from more than 2,800 submissions, the 2012 roster represents 25 countries and territories, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Palestine, Puerto Rico,...

Studio: Millennium | Director: David Schwimmer | Cast: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberator, Viola Davis, Noah Emmerich, Chris Henry Coffey

Release Date: 7/26/11 | Price: Blu-ray $29.99, DVD $28.98

Bonuses: none

Specs: R | 106 min. | Drama | 2.35:1 widescreen | DTS-hd Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 5.1 | English and Spanish subtitles

Ratings (out of 5): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

Featuring a subject that one usually finds in made-for-Lifetime films, Trust is a surprisingly engrossing, well-crafted and finely acted drama that defies its initial movie-of-the-week categorization.

Clive Owen readies for action in Trust.

Directed by David Schwimmer (yep, Friends‘ Ross in his second theatrical feature following the 2007 comedy Run, Fatboy, Run), Trust tells the story of how a solid suburban family is affected after a 14-year-old girl (Liana Liberato) gets into an online relationship with a “friend.” She believes the friend to be a slightly older young man, but he turns out to be a a middle-aged man (Chris Henry Coffey...

Chicago – David Schwimmer’s ‘Trust’ is one of the best films of the year to date that I’m pretty sure you haven’t seen. After playing at the Chicago International Film Festival last fall (where it was easily one of the best works at the fest), it received a far-too-limited release in April and has made barely over $120k Total domestically. Rent it. Watch it. Now.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

What did you miss in theaters? A daring, genuine, heartfelt, remarkable drama about an event that shatters an average family with two of the very-best performances of the year from a brand-new actress and one of our best actors doing some of the best work of his career. Underneath even the most typical family units impending tragedy can loom, and rarely has that been handled with such delicacy and finesse as in “Trust.”

The tragedy in “Trust” involves an absolute scumbag,...

Trust

Stars: Liana Liberato, Chris Henry Coffey, Catherine Keener, Clive Owen | Written by Andy Bellin, Robert Festinger | Directed by David Schwimmer

Though he has to some extent established himself as perfectly capable of directing with his work on Friends and Simon Pegg rom-com Run Fatboy Run, a hard-hitting and serious drama about rape is perhaps not the first thing you might expect from goofy Ross Gellar himself, David Schwimmer. Before even a frame of film rolled, I had to tip my hat to the man for taking such a bold decision. It is pleasing then, that the film is of such high quality.

Trust introduces us to an all-too happy family. Middle child Annie (Liberato) is constantly glued to her laptop or her smartphone, chatting online. Her attention is mostly devoted to a friendly boy who claims to be twenty. Annie becomes concerned, but not scared off when Charlie (Coffey...

For a goodly while, it does feel, depressingly, as if Trust is going to morph into one of those luridly melodramatic made-for-Lifetime flicks gone theatrical feature thanks to the presence of a stellar cast. That director David Schwimmer (Run, Fat Boy, Run) appears to be wasting the intensity of both Clive Owen (The Boys Are Back) and Catherine Keener (Cyrus) is then both a relief -- this is not going to be Oh Dear God, No, Not My Daughter, No! -- and a pity: why cast these two marvelous and powerfully engaging actors if they’re not going to bring the drama? It’s all very low key as Owen and Keener stand aside as the parents of 14-year-old Annie (the excellent Liana Liberato) while she is seduced into terrible situation by an Internet stalker (Chris Henry Coffey, appropriately deeply creepy) who pretends to be something he isn’t. We...

One of the hot properties at Cannes was the film version of Lionel Shriver's bestselling We Need to Talk About Kevin, but it's the rare book that makes a successful film. Here are 5 others that worked.

The next novel to watch as a film is We Need to Talk About Kevin, based on Lionel Shriver's chilling Orange Prize-winning novel, and directed by Lynne Ramsey. A spooky Tilda Swinton plays a mother who wonders what, if any, responsibility she has for her teenage son's murderous rampage, in the film, which had its premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival (early reviews called it "superb" ). Ramsey cowrote the script with Rob Festinger, who also adapted Andre Dubus' short story "The Killings" into the knockout 2001 film In the Bedroom, which was a hit at Sundance and nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Related story...

I know, we’re a little bit late with this one, but you’ll forgive us. We Need To Talk About Kevin is the upcoming Lynne Ramsay’s indie drama that we’ll have a chance to see among the 19 films screening In Competition at this year’s Cannes Film festival.

Definitely an interesting project that is actually an adaptation of Lionel Shriver‘s prize-winning book of the same name, which is already being described as a “powerful, controversial novel about motherhood.”

Co-scripted by Ramsay and writer Rob Festinger, the movie follows Kevin and his mother, Eva. After Kevin goes on a killing spree just days before his 16th birthday, Eva is forced to question whether she ever loved her son and how much she is to blame for what he did.

Movie stars Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, and just in case you’re interested in more details...

David Schwimmer has had a pretty spotty record as a director -- he's mostly crapped out TV movies or a few episodes of the terrible American version of "Little Britain" and his only feature film was the remarkably forgettable Run, Fatboy, Run. He finally sought out material that was much closer to his heart, and the result is Trust, the crushing tale of a freshman girl who gets stalked and sexually violated by an online predator. It plays out like a painstakingly well-crafted Lifetime movie or an afterschool special, but that's more to the layout of the plot rather than the acting and style of the production. Because it is painstakingly well-crafted and soul-crushing to watch. Schwimmer, working from a script by In The Bedroom scribe Robert Festinger and Andy Bellin, creates what amounts to a stylistically interesting and heartrending cautionary example of the potential dangers of living in the digital age.

Chicago – There’s an unsettling potency to relationships that are born online. They take place entirely within the mind, which is capable of producing idealized images never to be equaled by reality. With the right stroke of keys, a savvy writer could potentially seduce a susceptible victim into emotional entrapment. That’s why the Internet is a predator’s playground.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

In light of recent rumors concerning Google’s plans for a facial recognition app, there couldn’t a more appropriate time for a film like “Trust” to be seen and discussed by families across America. A passing glance at the film’s premise may lead one to expect little more than a moralizing weepie destined for Lifetime, but such an assumption could not be further from the truth. This is a film of startling power and wrenching emotion, with several sequences that emit all the painful vulnerability of an open wound.

Reviewed by Barrett Hooper

(from the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival)

Directed by: David Schwimmer

Written by: Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger

Starring: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Viola Davis, Liana Liberato

“Trust” is worlds apart from David Schwimmer’s directorial debut, “Run, Fatboy, Run,” and that’s a very good thing. Not that the latter, a lightweight comedy with Simon Pegg, didn’t have its charms. It’s just that “Trust,” a cautionary tale about a father seeking revenge after his 14-year-old daughter is lured to a hotel room by an online predator, is that much better and that much more mature, both in terms of subject matter and execution.

Clive Owen pulls out all the stops as the grieving father, displaying a barely contained volatility that Owen is particularly adept at as he imagines what the monster did to his little girl. And Catherine Keener as the mother is terrific,...

Reviewed by Barrett Hooper

(from the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival)

Directed by: David Schwimmer

Written by: Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger

Starring: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Viola Davis, Liana Liberato

“Trust” is worlds apart from David Schwimmer’s directorial debut, “Run, Fatboy, Run,” and that’s a very good thing. Not that the latter, a lightweight comedy with Simon Pegg, didn’t have its charms. It’s just that “Trust,” a cautionary tale about a father seeking revenge after his 14-year-old daughter is lured to a hotel room by an online predator, is that much better and that much more mature, both in terms of subject matter and execution.

Clive Owen pulls out all the stops as the grieving father, displaying a barely contained volatility that Owen is particularly adept at as he imagines what the monster did to his little girl. And Catherine Keener as the mother is terrific,...

After his directorial debut Run, Fatboy, Run, David Schwimmer has gotten into more serious territory with his dramatic online predator thriller Trust. There was an initial promo trailer for its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but now we have the first theatrical one. Schwimmer has unsuccesfully battled the R-rating for the film, given by the MPAA. Written by Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger, the film stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Jason Clarke, Liana Liberato, and Viola Davis. Apple has the trailer and poster (which we previously posted) below.

Synopsis: A suburban family is torn apart when 14-year-old Annie (Liana Liberato) meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) are shattered by their daughter’s actions and struggle to support her as she...

Reviewed at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival.

Nothing comes easy in "Trust," a drama about pedophilia that will inevitably face heavy scrutiny should it make it out of Toronto, and even with Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, there's reason to be skeptical. It is at once an attempt to deal with one of the last taboos in a way that keeps audiences engaged and it's directed by one of the stars of "Friends" that refuses to employ the stylistic flourishes or overt moralizing that usually make such films easier to digest. Yet a lack of artistic creativity shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of narrative ambition.

Schwimmer takes the road less traveled with "Trust," the story of a 14-year-old named Annie, who becomes the victim of an online predator after months of IMs and texts with a boy she thinks is her own age, discussing volleyball and the other girls at her school.

In Trust, innocence is portrayed strikingly, beautifully, and then quickly crackles away. Fourteen-year-old Annie (Liana Liberato) is raped by Charlie (Chris Henry Coffey), an online pedophile. Lured to a hotel room, she shows herself to him in a stark red bra and panties, yet visually it is the startling blue of the wallpaper surrounding her that seems to greatly signify her loss of innocence. This is a pitch perfect moment, a snap of the film’s sensibilities; as ominous as this image might seem, it is quite a delicate and inspired one.

Trust’s tale is cautionary – there are a lot of familiar movements and situations – and yet the film elevates itself by being about the emotional impact of this tragedy. There are many mesmerizing flourishes; there is an intricate standoff of perspective between her and her father (Clive Owen): she is engrossed in her own feelings, a constant...

For his debut theatrical feature film as director, David Schwimmer went across the pond for the British comedy Run, Fatboy, Run. It was kind of saccharine, but it had its moments, especially thanks to great talents like Simon Pegg and the highly underrated Dylan Moran. For his next directorial effort, Schwimmer had the benefit of working with terrific actors like Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Viola Davis. The result is as far from broad British comedy as possible, as evidenced in the chilling new trailer for Trust, which is most definitely not a remake of the Hal Hartley classic. Though coincidentally, like Hartley's film before it, this Trust is also premiering at the Toronto Film Festival (next month).

The drama concerns one of every parent's biggest fears since the Internet came along: his or her child being the victim of a sexual predator. Owen and Keener are the parents to...

Could this be the face of a monster? If producers happen to have come across his emotionally-detached character in Antonio Campos' gem of a film Afterschool, then I think we might have found our Kevin in Lynne Ramsay's long waited film which begins lensing this month. - Could this be the face of a monster? If producers happen to have come across his emotionally-detached character in Antonio Campos' gem of a film Afterschool, then I think we might have found our Kevin in Lynne Ramsay's long waited film which begins lensing this month. In Campos' film, Ezra Miller played a teen living in a boarding school, far away from any kind of supervision and stuck with an addiction that is left untreated. I threw some names/faces in the hat prior to this for possible casting choices, but I think Miller is the right stuff for...

There is some movement in the We Need To Talk About Kevin dossier. In development since 2006, here is one more piece of goods news: the production wheels for Lynne Ramsay are turning. Smelling that the production is underway (Tilda Swinton was added to the project during Cannes), Screen Daily reports that distributor Artificial Eye (a world cinema specialist in the U.K) has bought the rights. - There is some movement in the We Need To Talk About Kevin dossier. In development since 2006, here is one more piece of goods news: the production wheels for Lynne Ramsay are turning. Smelling that the production is underway (Tilda Swinton was added to the project during Cannes), Screen Daily reports that distributor Artificial Eye (a world cinema specialist in the U.K) has bought the rights. While no date has been given for production, the "early next year" means we can expect to...