News

You & I, the new movie from longtime independent film producer Summer Shelton, has a simple and familiar premise: Two former lovers unexpectedly cross paths years after they split, and over the course of several emotional conversations, gradually reconnect. It's a straightforward affair, and one we've all seen play out countless times before. To her credit, Shelton, who directed and wrote the movie in addition to starring, offers some unique touches to the tale of Sara (Shelton) and Joseph (Clayne Crawford).

You & I (2024)

Director Summer SheltonWriters Summer SheltonCast Shirlette Ammons, Linds Edwards, Ashley Shelton, Summer Shelton, Clayne CrawfordCharacter(s) Shirlette, Misty, Joseph, Mark, SaraGenres Romance

At the same time, I found myself mostly unmoved by the time the end credits began to roll. It feels like You & I is missing some pieces, and it isn't helped by an ending sequence that goes on for far too long. This stripped-down...

Not unlike how a young Athina Rachel Tsangari ended up being part of a Richard Linklater film, Summer Shelton has been part of the fabric of the American indie scene dating back to a bit appearance in a David Gordon Green’s All the Real Girls. After cutting her teeth as a producer (with a pair of prominent titles in the cinema of Ramin Bahrani), Shelton would put all of one’s chips on the table with her feature debut You & I. A second chance at romance or a proper visit with the past, Shelton is joined by Clayne Crawford for a drama romance that re-examines a dynamic (was it ever meant to be more?)…...

Festivals

American narrative feature projects in rough or final cut seeking finishing funds are now invited to submit to the 2022 edition of U.S. in Progress, which takes place Nov. 9-11 during the 13th American Film Festival (Nov.8-13) in Wroclaw, Poland. The strand pairs American projects in final production stages with European buyers and top Polish image and sound post-production companies and provides awards worth totally $100,000. The head of the Polish Film Institute, Radosław Śmigulski, will award one project with a $50,000 cash award to be spent on post-production, image, sound and/or VFX in Poland and Polish post-production companies Fixafilm, Orka Studio, Black Photon, Xanf and Soundflower Studio are each offering a $10,000 in-kind award.

There is no entry fee, and films can be submitted through the U.S. in Progress website. The final deadline is September 11.

The program’s objective is to inspire U.S. producers to work with Poland,...

With a decade’s worth of producing under her belt (she got her start working on Ramin Bahrani projects beginning with Goodbye Solo) she was selected as Sundance Institute for the Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellow and was the recipient of the 2018 Independent Spirit Piaget Producer’s Award. Summer Shelton went in front the camera, directly behind it, did the number crunching and film editing for her directorial debut, You & I. A 2021 US in Progress selected project, this project is so low on the radar that we don’t have logline but we do know that Shelton was joined by The Killing of Two Lovers‘ Clayne Crawford and Ashley Shelton on a micro shoot.…...

Exclusive: The BFFoundation, the nonprofit organization formed late last year to produce the Geena Davis-chaired Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, is launching a production company that like the foundation and fest will champion women and inclusive voices in filmmaking.

The new Bentonville Way Entertainment already has a slate of films in the pipeline featuring alumni from from past Bentonville fests: the Amber McGinnis-directed Buddy, the Jennifer Gerber-directed Has Been Beauty Queen and Dealing With Dad written and directed by Tom Huang. Kristin Mann will serve as Head of Content.

Bwe will provide local production resources to its films, with the aim to produce in Arkansas whenever possible. The three features are currently in preproduction and expected to go into production in late 2021 and early 2022.

“We are excited that we can further the outcome of our mission by not only amplifying these voices through the festival each year,...

Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.

The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.

The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.

The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.

Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.

The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.

The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.

The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.

Roster of participants includes 44 female producers out of 73 in total.

The latest projects from producers of French Exit and The Babadook are among the roster at the virtual 15th Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (iff) set to run from September 13-14.

The co-financing and co-production market takes place in association with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and serves international and Canadian producers developing mostly English-language projects.

The two-day schedule includes networking opportunities for producers with international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers, as well as an exclusive state-of-the-industry panel discussion, producer drop-in sessions, and access to a TIFF case study on co-productions.

The Tribeca festival drama will launch in cinemas and on VOD in December.

Orion Classics, the multi-platform label relaunched by MGM earlier this year, has acquired all North American and Latin American rights to writer-director Matthew Brown’s Maine.

The drama, which had its world premiere in competition at April’s Tribeca Film Festival, stars Laia Costa and Thomas Mann in the story of a married Spanish woman whose attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail is interrupted by a young American hiker.

Orion Classics will release the film - produced by 2018 Independent Spirit Producer Award winner Summer Shelton, Michael B...

MGM’s new indie arm Orion Classics acquired the North American and Latin American rights to “Maine,” a drama featuring “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” star Thomas Mann.

“Maine” made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival back in April, where it was nominated for Best Narrative Feature. It’s directed, written by and stars Matthew Brown (“In the Treetops”), alongside Mann and Laia Costa of “Life Itself.”

Orion Classics will release the film in theaters on Dec. 13 and on VOD and Digital HD on Dec. 14.

Also Read: Ben Mendelsohn Takes a Welcome Break From Playing Bad Guys in 'The Land of Steady Habits' (Video)

The plot involves a married Spanish woman named Bluebird (Costa) who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo to find clarity; but her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann). Even though the pair develops an emotional...

Orion Classics has acquired North American and Latin American rights to Maine, the Matthew Brown drama that world premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Laia Costa and Thomas Mann, the pic will now hit theaters December 13 ahead of a digital launch the next day.

Costa plays a married Spanish woman named Bluebird who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo to find clarity. Her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann), and they develop an emotional and romantic connection while traveling together. But Bluebird ultimately must face the trail and her feelings alone.

Brown (In the Treetops) wrote and directed. Summer Shelton and Beachside’s Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub are producers, and Costa and Mann executive produced.

The Orion deal comes after it just released the Kate Bosworth action thriller The Domestics.

Orion Classics has acquired all North American and Latin American rights to the hiking drama “Maine,” starring Laia Costa and Thomas Mann.

Written and directed by Matthew Brown, “Maine” premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for best narrative feature. Orion Classics will release the film in theaters on Dec. 13 and on VOD and Digital HD on Dec. 14.

“I am honored to be a part of the Orion Classics’ constellation and am delighted they will be able to share this story with a wide and diverse audience,” said Brown.

“Maine” was produced by Summer Shelton and Beachside’s Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub. Costa and Mann executive produced.

Costa plays a married Spanish woman named Bluebird attempting to solo hike the entire Appalachian Trail to find clarity. Her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker named Lake (Mann). The film, shot on the northern part of the trail,...

Orion Classics has nabbed the North American and Latin American rights to writer-director Matthew Brown's Maine, which bowed at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

The two-hander stars Laia Costa (Life Itself) and Thomas Mann (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) as Appalachian Trail hikers, and will receive a theatrical release Dec. 13, followed a day later by a VOD and digital release.

In Maine, Costa plays a married Spanish woman who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo, only to find her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann).

Summer Shelton, Michael B. Clark and Alex ...

Orion Classics has nabbed the North American and Latin American rights to writer-director Matthew Brown's Maine, which bowed at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

The two-hander stars Laia Costa (Life Itself) and Thomas Mann (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) as Appalachian Trail hikers, and will receive a theatrical release Dec. 13, followed a day later by a VOD and digital release.

In Maine, Costa plays a married Spanish woman who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail solo, only to find her solitude is interrupted by a young American hiker (Mann).

Summer Shelton, Michael B. Clark and Alex ...

Talks to continue on Behold My Heart, Madeline’s Madeline.

Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films heads to the Croisette with a sales slate that encompasses SXSW selection 1985, Tribeca entries Maine and Slut In A Good Way, and documentary City Of Joel, among others.

Kampe and his team will continue talks on Behold My Heart starring Marisa Tomei, and Sundance and Berlinale selection Madeline’s Madeline.

1985 (pictured) stars Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Michael Chiklis, and Jamie Chung and follows a closeted young man returning to his Texas hometown for Christmas during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.

Burdened...

Lodged between the meat market of the Sundance Film Festival every January and the prestige of the Cannes Film Festival every May, the Tribeca Film Festival is an odd duck. Each and every April for the last 16 years, Tribeca has showcased a wife variety of (mostly) independent movies, many of which struggle to see the light of day. Still, there’s always a gem or two in the lineup, and even the occasional Academy Award nominee. With screenings for press beginning before this month is out, now is a solid time to take a look at some of what Tribeca has to offer for 2018. First up, it’s worth noting some of the prior Tribeca titles that have struck my fancy. Last year, it was the grouping of Blame, The Boy Downstairs, and especially Flower that highlighted a rather week lineup. The year before, 2016 featured Between Us, Dean, Don’t Think Twice,...

The 33rd Independent Spirit Awards took place on Saturday, March 3 in Los Angeles. The full winners list is below.

Best Feature

“Get Out”

Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele

“Call Me by Your Name”

Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman

“The Florida Project”

Producers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou

“Lady Bird”

Producers: Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill, Scott Rudin

“The Rider”

Producers: Mollye Asher, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Chloé Zhao

Best Female Lead

Frances McDormand

“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Salma Hayek

“Beatriz at Dinner”

Margot Robbie

“I, Tonya”

Saoirse Ronan

“Lady Bird”

Shinobu Terajima

“Oh Lucy!”

Regina Williams

“Life and Nothing More”

Best Male Lead

Timothée Chalamet

“Call Me by Your Name”

Harris Dickinson

“Beach Rats”

James Franco

“The Disaster Artist”

Daniel Kaluuya

“Get Out...

Call Me by Your Name, Get Out and Lady Bird all had great showings at the 2018 Independent Spirit Award nominations!

The nominees were announced on Tuesday morning, with the Armie Hammer-ledCall Me by Your Name leading the pack with six nominations, followed closely by Jordan Peele's critically acclaimed, genre-bending thriller Get Out with five, and Lady Bird, with four.

All three films are competing for Best Picture, along with The Florida Project and The Rider. The Independent Spirit Awards are sometimes seen as a tea leaf for how the Academy Awards will sway -- the Best Picture winner of this show has gone on to also earn the distinction at the Oscars for five out of the last six years.

Peele earned a nod in the Best Director category, and the film's lead, Daniel Kaluuya is up for Best Male Lead, along with James Franco, who is nominated for The Disaster Artist. In the Best Female...

The nominations for the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards are in, and “Get Out,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Lady Bird,” “Good Time,” and more have dominated this year’s slate.

Read More: 2018 Oscar Predictions

Over the last several years, the Indie Spirits have become both a champion of underdog indies (see Molly Shannon winning Best Supporting Female last year for “Other People”) and a key indicator in which films and performances could end up with the Oscar (Casey Affleck and “Moonlight” for Best Picture last year). John Mulaney and Nick Kroll will return to host the 33rd Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 3.

The full nominations list is below.

Best Feature

“Call Me by Your Name”

“The Florida Project”

“Get Out”

“Lady Bird”

“The Rider”

Best Director

Jonas Carpignano, “A Ciambra”

Luca Guadagnino, “Call Me by Your Name”

Jordan Peele, “Get Out”

Sean Baker, “The Florida Project”

Benny and Josh Safdie,...

Sarah (Samantha Elisofon) is charmed by David (Brandon Polansky) in Rachel Israel's disarming and engagingly outspoken debut feature Keep The Change

Rachel Israel's Keep The Change, a Tribeca Film Festival highlight, deftly brings us into the challenges a couple has with building face-to-face personal relationships. Before the Tribeca World Premiere, Rachel and I discussed the connection to director Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes, At Any Price) and producer Summer Shelton (Sara Colangelo's Little Accidents and Jim Strouse's People Places Things), Adam and Eve-ing with production designer Alina Smirnova (Brian Oakes' Jim: The James Foley Story), casting Brandon Polansky, Samantha Elisofon, Will Deaver, and Nicky Gottlieb, consulting with Drama Therapist Heidi Landis, the Grimms' Frog King, and wanting Keep The Change to be "centered, contained within a neurodivergent world".

Rachel Israel: "I'm working on an adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

David (Polansky), new to a...

David Gordon Green returns to his alma mater to present Manglehorn; local newcomers impress with Homeless feature.Scroll down for full list of winners

RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, wrapped last night with Shawkat Amin Korki’s Memories on Stone winning best narrative feature and Hao Zhou’s The Chinese Mayor winning best documentary feature.

In the audience awards, best of the fest went to honoree Stanley Nelson’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution; best narrative feature went to Anywhere Else by Ester Amrami; best documentary feature went to Marc Silver’s 3 ½ Minutes and best indie was Proud Citizen by Thomas Southerland.

The festival presented 165 films in total in its 17th annual edition; more filmmakers than ever before attended the event.

“Films showcased at our festival this year reflected diverse stories from around the world, immense talent from directors, many trained in Winston-Salem, and a host of passionate projects that are jewels...

The Orchard has picked up North American rights to the recent Berlin European premiere Nasty Baby, while in a separate deal The Film Arcade will distribute People, Places, Things in the Us. Both films premiered in Park City.

Sebastian Silva directed and stars in Nasty Baby (pictured at left) with Kristen Wiig, Tunde Adebimpe, Reg E Cathey and Alia Shawkat.

The film received its world premiere in Sundance and tells of a gay couple who enlist their best friend’s help to make a baby.

Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Charlie Dibe, David Hinojosa and Julia Oh produced and Silva served as and executive producer alongside Christine Vachon, Peter Danner, Pape Boye and Violaine Pichon.

The Orchard will release the film later this year and brokered the deal with UTA Independent Film Group in association with the film’s international sales agent partners Versatile and Funny Balloons.

The Film Arcade has se a summer release for Jim...

The Film Arcade has acquired U.S. rights to People, Places, Things, the Jim Strouse scripted and directed pic that premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of Sundance. Pic, which stars Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Michael Chernus and Stephanie Allynne, will be released this summer. Alex Turtletaub and Michael B. Clark of Beachside produced and Summer Shelton is executive producer. In the film, a recently divorced father must navigate the…...

Little Accidents director Sara Colangelo with Anne-Katrin Titze on casting Elizabeth Banks: "I had seen her in W and I loved her in the role of Laura Bush." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

On a bitterly cold evening following a sold out opening night screening in New York at Cinema Village's #1 theater of Sara Colangelo's smartly woven Little Accidents, starring Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Lofland, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny with Beau Wright, Alexia Rasmussen and James DeForest Parker, I spoke with the director and producers Anne Carey and Summer Shelton and the enthusiastic audience joined in.

Jacob Lofland as Owen: "In the case of Owen's storyline, you might feel the horror of it more standing back."

As we were waiting for the screening to conclude, Sara mentioned to me Mike Nichols' Silkwood, Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and John Ford's How Green Was My Valley as inspirations.

Film Independent top brass have announced the producers selected for the 14th annual Producing Lab.

The 2014 Producing Lab is supported by lead funder Time Warner Foundation with additional funding from the Alfred P Sloan Foundation and National Endowment For The Arts.

The 2014 Producing Lab filmmakers and projects are: 37, Mollye Asher; The Buried Life, Summer Shelton; Commerce, Steven Berger; Dara Ju (Better), Justin Begnaud; Lord Of Vinyl, Dennis Bartok, Joanna Colbert; Operator, Felipe Dieppa; Shale, Traci Carlson; and Slash, Brock Williams.

Film Independent also awarded the $30,000 eighth annual Sloan Producing Grant to Shelton for The Buried Life by Joan Schimke and Averie Storck.

La-based nonprofit Film Independent has unveiled the nine filmmakers and eight projects selected for the 14th annual Producing Lab, a four-week intensive program designed to train aspiring independent producers. Producers bring a feature-length narrative work-in-progress to the Lab for further development, while meeting film professionals and advisors on the craft and business of independent filmmaking. This year’s advisors and guest speakers include Ram Bergman, Lisa Bruce, Karin Chien, Eric d’Arbeloff, Lindsay Doran, Cathy Schulman, and Leslie Urdang. The Lab offers year-round support to Fellows, including access to Film Independent’s annual film educational offerings and the Los Angeles Film Festival. Film Independent also awarded the eighth annual Sloan Producing Grant to producer Summer Shelton for feature film project "The Buried Life" by Joan Schimke and Averie Storck. Shelton received a $30,000 production grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,...

• Oscar nominee Casey Affleck will return to his native Massachusetts to star in and produce a film based on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The script written by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (The Fighter) is based on the book "Boston Strong" by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge and chronicles the massive manhunt to find the two men believed responsible for the bombings and the city's response to the horrific events. [Variety] • Steve Carell will continue his trend of taking on less comedic roles in an untitled thriller from director Gore Verbinski (The Lone Ranger). The film will be the third straight...

Exclusive: Jemaine Clement, best known as one half of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, has linked up with Grace Is Gone helmer James C. Strouse for indie feature People Places Things. New Zealander Clement stars as a newly single, under-employed graphic novelist navigating life, his young twin daughters, a case of writer’s block, a classroom full of students, and a new love while letting go of the woman who left him.

Strouse recently wrapped principal photography, directing from his own script. Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, and Jessica Williams round out the cast of People Places Things. Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub are producing for Big Beach spin-off shingle Beachside. Beachside’s Tim Foley is exec producer alongside Summer Shelton. Sundance award-winner Strouse, a recipient of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, made his writing debut with 2005’s Lonesome Jim for director Steve Buscemi and also penned Grace Is Gone...

Tangerine Entertainment, a production company that focuses on films by women directors, has teamed up with producer Summer Shelton to bring us "Keep the Change," a romantic drama directed by newbie Rachel Israel. Read More: Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell Launch New Female-Driven Production Company Tangerine Entertainment Based on Israel's Columbia thesis short film, "Keep the Change" stars non-professional actors Brandon Polanksy and Samantha Elisofon (both who appeared in the short) as two individuals with autism who fall in love. Polanksy stars as David, a man who tries to hide his high-functioning autism, but is nonetheless forced to attend a support group for people with disabilities. There he meets Elisofon's character, a shy woman with autism. "We were already fans of Summer’s work," Tangerine's Anne Hubbell said. "When she introduced us to Rachel, we saw how deftly and honestly she directed autistic actors to create a universal, emotional...

Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell will work wiht Summer Shelton to produce Keep The Change.

Tangerine Entertainment’s Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell are joining with Summer Shelton to produce writer/director Rachel Israel’s autistic love story, Keep The Change.

Israel builds on her Columbia thesis short film of the same name for her feature directorial debut. Newcomers Brandon Polansky and Samantha Elisofon (pictured) play the lead roles.

The story follows an upper-class charming man who is a high-functioning austistic man who falls in love with a sheltered young autistic woman he meets at a support group.

“I want to portray these magnificent characters in all of their flawed humanity, not a sanitized version of people with disabilities. Identity, classism and sexual prejudices are important and truthful issues we explore in this world,” said Israel. “I am thrilled to have a passionate producing team that shares that vision.”

Hubbell added, “We were already...

Amplify announced today that it has acquired all U.S. rights to Sara Colangelo's acclaimed Sundance drama, Little Accidents.

Inspired by Colangelo's 2010 short of the same name (also a Sundance alum), Little Accidents tells the story of a small coal town reeling from a recent mining disaster; when tragedy strikes again, its inhabitants' buried secrets begin to spill out, threatening to unravel the delicate threads that hold the community together.

The film's ensemble cast includes Boyd Holbrook (Hatfields & McCoys, Gone Girl), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect), Jacob Lofland (Mud), Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer), and Chlo&#235 Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry), Little Accidents delivers big for audiences looking for a smart, emotional, and intelligent film that pulls no punches.

Here's what Amplify's Logan Mulvey had to say about the project in a statement.

"Sara has made a film of true authenticity and accomplishment. We couldn't be more...

Amplify has picked up Us rights to the drama, which as previously announced Premiere Entertainment will sell internationally in Cannes.

Sara Colangelo wrote and directed Little Accidents, which premiered in Sundance and stars Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas, Boyd Holbrook and Chloe Sevigny.

The story takes place in a small American town living under the shadow of a mining accident when a teenage boy goes missing.

Anne Carey, Jason Michael Berman, Thomas B Fore and Summer Shelton produced, while Chris Columbus, Amy Nauiokas, Eleanor Columbus, Ruth Mutch, Richard Loughran, Kwesi Collisson, Mike Feuer, and Todd Feuer served as executive producers.

Kent Sanderson brokered the deal on behalf of Amplify with Wme for the filmmakers.

Premiere Entertainment Group has picked up international sales rights to the Sundance thriller.

Sara Colangelo wrote and directed the film starring Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas, Boyd Holbrook and Chloe Sevigny.  

Little Accidents tells the story of a small American town living under the shadow of a mining accident where a teenage boy goes missing.

Anne Carey, Jason Michael Berman, Thomas B Fore and Summer Shelton produced, while Chris Columbus, Amy Nauiokas, Eleanor Columbus, Ruth Mutch, Richard Loughran, Kwesi Collisson, Mike Feuer, and Todd Feuer served as executive producers.

Premiere Entertainment CEO Elias Axume brokered the deal with Wme Global on behalf of the filmmakers.

Give it a few years, and the Sun Valley Film Festival, nestled in the Gem State's titular resort town, a haven for Hollywood types throughout the years, could be a spring Telluride -- an "it"-event that cinephiles and industry bigwigs won't want to miss.  Below is the full list of 2014 Sun Valley awards winners. The jury: producer Caspar von Winterfeldt, director Fredrik Bond ("Charlie Countryman"), actor Peter Cambor ("NCIS Los Angeles"), actor Michael Weaver, actress Pell James Burns ("Lincoln Lawyer," "Zodiac") and director William Olsson ("An American Affair"). Vision Award:  "Little Accidents" (dir. Sara Colangelo, producers Jason Berman, Anne Carey, Tom Fore and Summer Shelton) "One-In-a-Million Awards," honoring feature length films made for under $1 million: Narrative -- "Blue Ruin" (dir. Jeremy Saulnier) Documentary -- "Antarctica: A Year on Ice" (dir. Anthony Powell) Audience Award: "Supermensch" (dir. Mike Myers) Gem State Award, honoring an Idaho...

Little Accidents

Director: Sara Colangelo

Writer: Sara Colangelo

Producer: Archer Gray Prod’s Anne Carey, TideRock Media’s Jason Michael Berman and Thomas B. Fore, Summer Shelton

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland, Josh Lucas, Alexia Rasmussen

We had this Sundance Institute’s 2011 June Directors and Screenwriters Labs directing debut pegged for Sundance slot and of course we got bits and pieces of the West Virginia backdrop planted in Park City. Little Accidents is a strong debut, lush cinematography from Rachel Morrison and solid narrative and direction choices from first-timer Sara Colangelo.

Gist: In a small American coal town, this follows the disappearance of Jt, a 14 year-old boy in an American coal town which has already seen its share of tragedy after a mining accident. Jt’s disappearance draws together three local residents from very different walks of life. Together they struggle...

Jonas Carpignano will direct the feature version of his Venice 2011 award-winning short A Chjana, one of several films backed by new company Maiden Voyage Pictures.

Maiden Voyage, which launches officially in Sundance with the January 22 world premiere of Little Accidents, will join Audax Films, Court 13, Dcm Productions, Good Lap Productions, Le Grisbi, TideRock Media and Treehouse Pictures in financing and producing Mediterranea.

Maiden Voyage’s Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus, Kwesi Collisson of Mindsmack and Mike Feuer, Todd Feuer, Ruth Mutch and Amy Nauiokas of Archer Gray serve as executive producers on the story of migrant workers in Italy, inspired by real events.

Jason Berman and Thomas Fore of TideRock Media, Anne Carey of Archer Gray and Summer Shelton are the producers.

Wme Global represents Little Accidents (pictured) and Mediterranea.

Jonas Carpignano will direct the feature version of his Venice 2011 award-winning short A Chjana, one of several films backed by new company Maiden Voyage Pictures.

Maiden Voyage, which launches officially in Sundance with the January 22 world premiere of Little Accidents, will join Audax Films, Court 13, Dcm Productions, Good Lap Productions, Le Grisbi, TideRock Media and Treehouse Pictures in financing and producing Mediterranea.

Maiden Voyage’s Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus, Kwesi Collisson of Mindsmack and Mike Feuer, Todd Feuer, Ruth Mutch and Amy Nauiokas of Archer Gray serve as executive producers on the story of migrant workers in Italy, inspired by real events.

Jason Berman and Thomas Fore of TideRock Media, Anne Carey of Archer Gray and Summer Shelton are the producers.

Wme Global represents Little Accidents (pictured) and Mediterranea.

When we first meet 13-year-old Jacob in Kat Candler’s Hellion, he’s hopping on his motorbike and furiously speeding away. In the next scene, he’s demolishing a vehicle in the parking lot of a high school football game as heavy-metal guitars scream. He bashes in the windshield with a bat as his friends decorate the doors with red spray paint. Jacob even seems to get one last shot in after he realizes that a few angry adults have spotted them.

These are deeply angry young men, but Jacob is more nuanced than a rage monster thanks to the...

My crystal ball says this might be 2014′s answer to Winter’s Bone, where tragedy, economics and backdrop are just as strong a character set as the array of players themselves. You can’t get a more perfect Park City “package” than Sara Colangelo’s debut film. Spawned from her award-winning short of the same name (it played at the fest’s 2010 edition) and which would serve as the basis for a feature that became a part of the Sundance Institute’s 2011 June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, before Little Accidents got its mid summer production start, the West Virginia set project attracted the attention of a who’s who of producing talent, Fruitvale Station‘s cinematographer Rachel Morrison and Production Designer Chris Trujillo. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland, Josh Lucas and indie queen starlet Alexia Rasmussen, this will be among the films to beat in the comp.

The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) announced nine narrative projects that will receive a total of $425,000 in funding.

The Film Society’s flagship Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.

The nine film-making teams were granted the funding to help with their next stage of production, from screenwriting to post.

“These will be exceptional films, and we are honored to have a part in bringing them into being,” the jury noted in a statement. “Each of these projects explores a unique and authentic world and presents compelling characters that we want to see on the screen.”

The Film Society has a track record of success with previous recipients of the Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants like Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience...

Production is underway in West Virginia on Sara Colangelo’s feature directorial debut starring Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland and Josh Lucas.

Little Accidents was developed at both the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters and Directors Labs and weaves together the lives of three residents from an Appalachian coal town after a teenage boy goes missing.

Colangelo previously directed the short film of the same name and debuted that at Sundance 2010.

Anne Carey of Archer Gray Productions produces with Jason Michael Berman and Thomas B Fore of TideRock Media alongside Summer Shelton.

Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus of Maiden Voyage serve as executive producers with Amy Nauiokas of Archer Gray, Ruth Mutch of Soaring Flight Productions and Kwesi Collisson, Mike Feuer and Todd Feuer of Mindsmack Productions.

Wme packaged the project and represents sales rights.

Production is underway in West Virginia on the independent drama Little Accidents, the first feature film from writer/director Sara Colangelo. The film, which was developed at both the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters and Directors Labs, will star Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chlo&#235 Sevigny, Jacob Lofland and Josh Lucas.

Little Accidents follows the disappearance of Jt, a 14 year-old boy in an American coal town which has already seen its share of tragedy after a mining accident. Jt's disappearance draws together three local residents from very different walks of life. Together they struggle to navigate the web of secrets surrounding the boy's death, unaware of how connected they truly are.

Colangelo previously directed the award-winning short film by the same name, which debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and explored some of the same themes as her debut feature.

Here's what Archer Gray Productions president Anne Carey had to say in a statement.

Indie starlet Chloë Sevigny, veteran Josh Lucas and Mud discovery Jacob Lofland have joined the already mentioned Elizabeth Banks and Boyd Holbrook in Sara Colangelo’s feature directing debut. We’ve been tracking the filmmaker who made a splash at Sundance with the short of the same name in 2010, and since followed that up with workshopping screenwriting and directing labs. Production on Little Accidents has begun in West Virginia, the army of producers include Anne Carey of Archer Gray Productions, Jason Michael Berman and Thomas B. Fore of TideRock Media, and Summer Shelton with executive producers creds going to Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus of Maiden Voyage, Amy Nauiokas of Archer Gray Productions, Ruth Mutch of Soaring Flight Productions, and Kwesi Collisson, Mike Feuer and Todd Feuer of Mindsmack Productions.

Gist: Set in a small American coal-mining town left devastated by a mining accident that killed 12 men, story explores tragedy...

Exclusive: Production has gotten underway in West Virginia on Little Accidents, an indie drama written and directed by first timer Sara Colangelo. Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland and Josh Lucas are starring in a film developed at both the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters and Directors Labs. In Little Accidents, a 14-year old boy disappears in an American coal town that has already seen its share of tragedy after a mining accident. The disappearance draws together three local residents from very different walks of life to struggle to navigate the web of secrets surrounding the boy’s death, unaware of how connected they truly are. Colangelo directed an award-winning short film by the same name, which debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and explored some of the same themes in this feature. The film is being produced by Anne Carey of Archer Gray Productions, Jason Michael Berman and...

While not all films mentioned below are necessarily guaranteed future place among the Sundance Film Festival elite, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the filmmakers and more importantly the producers backing the future of independent film. Among the eleven project participants below selected for the annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit (July 30 – August 3) in the Feature Film category we find such names as future superstars in Summer Shelton (she worked with Ramin Bahrani) and receives the first ever Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellow, Tory Lenosky (worked as an assistant to Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen) and Lucas Joaquin (second unit producer for Beasts of the Southern Wild). Here is the full press release below.

Feature Film Creative Producing Lab

The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab where narrative feature film producers work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative instincts,...