News

BayView Entertainment, LLC have released the drama I Am Gitmo on Digital Platforms including to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.

I Am Gitmo will arrive on AVOD Digital Platforms worldwide from 26th November 2024.

2024 Theatrical release in NY and LA; 1 award win and 2 nominations: Best Actor winner and nominated for Best Film and Best Director at Mabella Film Festival 2023

I Am Gitmo is from Writer and Director Philippe Diaz and the film stars Sammy Sheik, Eric Pierpoint and Paul Kampf.

Synopsis:

Taken from his home, Gamel Sadek, a Muslim schoolteacher, is delivered to a CIA black site and accused of involvement in 9/11. Despite insisting the accusations are false, Gamel is chained, hooded, and sent on a cargo plane to Guantanamo Bay. John Anderson, a military interrogator, is brought out of retirement and assigned to Gamel’s case. Despite relentless beatings, starvation, and torture, Gamel maintains he has no affiliation with al-Qaeda.

Exclusive: Roselyn Sanchez is set to make her feature directorial debut with Diario, Mujer & Café, a feature she penned currently in production in her native Puerto Rico.

The film stars Angélica Vale (La Fea Más Bella), Marisé Álvarez (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Karla Monroig and Angelique Burgos as best friends known as the Tiki Tikis who embark on an experience of a lifetime when they reunite for an action-packed girl’s trip throughout Puerto Rico. Their friendship and strong female bond become a catalyst of growth and empathy. It’s the trip they didn’t know they needed.

Sanchez is best known for her acting roles in films like Rush House 2, The Game Plan and Act of Valor and TV’s Fantasy Island for Fox, Devious Maids for Lifetime and the CBS procedural Without A Trace. Most recently, she wrote and directed the award-winning short Satos,...

Even more exciting Pigeon Shrine FrightFest news… Catalyst Studios has announced the UK cinema release of their eagerly awaited gothic horror film, Broken Bird. The film, which will celebrate its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, is set to open this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on 30th August 2024.

Broken Bird marks the feature directorial debut of Joanne Mitchell, a seasoned horror storyteller with nearly 15 years of experience in the genre. The film is an adaptation of Mitchell and Tracey Sheals’s 2018 award-winning short, Sybil, with the screenplay penned by Dominic Brunt. This haunting tale delves deep into the psyche of Sybil Chamberlain, a character whose life is a tapestry of sorrow, isolation, and dark fascination.

Sybil Chamberlain, portrayed by Rebecca Calder, is a quiet, creative individual with a peculiar set of hobbies—taxidermy and poetry. Her days are spent working at a funeral parlour, surrounded by the deceased,...

Film and television producer, management and sales company 5X Media has hired Madrid-based producer-manager Michael Kaufman to build and run its first European outpost.

Kaufman brings more than 20 years of experience working in Spain, the United States, China, Ireland, Argentina and Israel and will operate out of Madrid.

He recently had a first-look deal with Moonrise Pictures working on a range of US projects with writers-directors like Tessa Blake, Liz Benjamins, J. Todd Harris, and The Lehrer Boys with companies such as Mmc Studios, Creativity Capital, and Paramount Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer.

The executive brings a client roster that includes Spain-based Argentinian writer-showrunner Juan Carballo,...

Scott Einbinder’s 5X Media has set its sights on Europe and is tying with ex-Queer Eye and Wife Swap producer Michael Kaufman.

The nascent studio, which is run by Alon Shtruzman and Gil Goldschein, will open in Madrid under Kaufman’s leadership. Among the clients entering the 5X fold with Kaufman are Spain-based Argentinian writer/showrunner Juan Carballo (Netflix’s El Amor Después Del Amor), producer/showrunner Anne Clements (The Kill Room), writers the Lehrer Brothers (Tubi’s The Freak Brothers), producer/writer/director Paul Kampf and 2Team Productions (Come Closer). Clements and Kampf are in production on Undercard, which stars Wanda Sykes and is shooting in Puerto Rico, as well as Harvest, starring Matthew McNulty and Angus Macfadyen and filming in Serbia.

5X currently has offices in LA and Cape Town, having launched in January 2023, as we revealed at the time. Well-known international TV execs Alon Shtruzman and...

Exclusive: L.A. filmmaker Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal has won the first edition of Stage 32 and Catalyst Studios’ Empowering Women Script Competition for her social impact film Backlog.

The drama is inspired by the real-life U.S. Senate Hearing to end the national backlog of millions of untested rape kits.

It follows a young college sexual assault victim who becomes a key witness. After years of reclaiming her life following a brutal attack that was never brought before the courts due to an untested rape kit, she musters her strength to be a voice of hope for women globally.

Rosenthal will receive a $5,000 option and be eligible for up to $3 Million in financing for the film from Catalyst Studios.

She will also be mentored by outgoing Berlinale Managing Director Mariette Rissenbeek, who will be taking on some development and production projects following her departure from the festival at the end of this year’s edition.

Exclusive: Catalyst Studios is producing and launching world sales on boxing drama Undercard, written and to be directed by Tamika Miller (Honor Student) and set to star Emmy winner Wanda Sykes in her first dramatic film role.

The movie will chart the story of a female boxing trainer (Sykes), who after abandoning her son, rises from the ashes to coach him in the biggest fight of his career.

The film is currently in pre-production, with Catalyst introducing the film to buyers at this week’s European Film Market.

Pic is co-written by Anita M. Cal and is produced by Anne Clements, Catalyst Studios’ Paul Kampf and Mark Pennell, with Catalyst Chairperson Holly Levow executive-producing.

Comedian and actress Sykes is best known for roles in History Of The World: Part II, The Upshaws, Monster In Law and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her latest comedy special I’m An Entertainer was nominated for a Golden Globe,...

Exclusive: Industry training platform Stage 32 has revealed the 11 finalists selected for its inaugural Empowering Women Script Competition, running in collaboration with production company Catalyst Studios.

Beyond offering a competition platform, the initiative will also provide ongoing development support and mentorship to the female and non-binary finalists.

“It’s not just about finding the next great script. This program fosters the talents of promising artists and empowers their voices to change the world,” said Stage 32 Managing Director Amanda Toney.

The winning writer will receive a guaranteed $5,000 option for their script and is eligible for up to $3,000,000 in financing from Catalyst for production.

In addition to financial support, the Catalyst team will collaborate with the winning writer on development, while Stage 32 will provide educational support for script development.

The partners also announced that outgoing Berlinale Managing Director Mariette Rissenbeek has joined the program as a mentor for the winner.

Catalyst Studios...

Exclusive: Catalyst Studios has tapped Serbian helmer Milena Grujic (A.S. (25), The Future is Bright and Unbearable) to direct action title Verified Target. The project will star international cast including Dominka Walo (Psy 3: W imie Zasad) Sebastian Hulk (All Quiet on the Western Front), Martin Wuttke (Inglorious Bastards), and Maria Erwolter (1899).

Verified Target is a high-octane English-language action film that tells the tale of a disillusioned hit woman who discovers the organization she works for is no longer a force for good. Her target has been falsely verified, she refuses to “take the shot” and now becomes a target on the hit list of the firm she once worked for.

The film, which begins filming in Belgrade, Serbia this week, is produced by Marija Bereta and Dragan Ivanovic, who heads Bandur Film in Belgrade. Catalyst Studios’ Holly Levow is executive producing.

“I like to push my own limits, collaborate with creative minds,...

Exclusive: Fledgling U.S. production company Catalyst Studios has announced eight-part docuseries EmpowHer going behind the scenes of the films on its inaugural slate driven by six female and non-binary directors and producers.

Catalyst Studios was launched last May as a joint venture between social entrepreneur Holly Levow and producer Paul Kampf of Equitas Entertainment, and Mark Pennell of Beacon Pictures, with a focus on emerging talent and diverse storytelling.

EmpowHer will follow the journeys of filmmakers from across Catalyst Studios’ slate including Michelle Salcedo with Switch & Bait, starring Otmara Marrero and Katie Clarkson-Hill; Joanne Mitchell with Sybil; Siri Rødnes with Follow Me starring Connie Nielsen, and Colombian auteur Ana Maria Hermida with the recently announced coming-of-age feature film Alix.

Further filmmaker subjects include Tamika Miller and Milena Grujic with soon-to-be-announced projects.

The series will track the filmmakers from pre-production, through filming,...

Colombian auteur Ana Maria Hermida (“The Firefly”) is directing an all-star cast in Catalyst Studios’ “Alix.”

The film introduces Cristal Aparcio (“Enfermeras”) to international audiences in the title role of Alix. Based on Hermida’s script, the film also stars Natalia Reyes (“Terminator Dark Fate”), Roberto Urbina (“Snowpiercer”), Carlos Bardem (“El Cid”) and Carolina Guerra (“Animal Kingdom”). Principal photography has begun in the jungles of Rio Claro, Colombia.

A redemptive coming-of-age tale about the discovery of inner strength and new beginnings, the film is a magic realist tale that tells the story of Conejo (Urbina), a skilled soldier, and a young girl, Alix (Aparicio), who he recruits to be a child soldier in the Colombian jungle under the command of the charismatic Ramon (Bardem). Alix, innocent and optimistic, deals with the trauma of her hard circumstances by letting her imagination journey to a magical realm.

“Alix” is produced by Lemore Syvan,...

Joanne Mitchell has racked up more than thirty screen acting credits over the course of a career that goes back thirty years – and Deadline reports that she is now making her feature directorial debut with a psychological horror film called Sybil! Filming is underway in Belgrade, with Rebecca Calder (Wrath of Man) starring alongside James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Sacharissa Claxton (Sandman), Rupert Proctor (Notting Hill), Robyn Rainsford (Letters to April), and Jay Taylor (Red Tails).

Mitchell crafted the story for Sybil with Tracey Sheals, and even directed a 12 minute short version of the concept a few years ago. Dominic Brunt (the 2021 thriller Evie) has written the screenplay for the feature version of Sybil, which will be a twisted tale of a lonely mortician and her macabre quest for the perfect family. The Mortician’s life can be a lonely one. But there are always opportunities for love and revenge.

Exclusive: Joanne Mitchell (The Outing) has signed on to direct the psychological horror Sybil, starring Rebecca Calder (Love Me Do), James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Sacharissa Claxton (Sandman).

Written by Dominic Brunt, Joanne Mitchell, and Tracey Sheals based on an original story by Sheals, the flick is billed as a twisted tale of a lonely mortician and her macabre quest for the perfect family. The Mortician’s life can be a lonely one. But there are always opportunities for love and revenge, the synopsis reads.

The pic is produced by Zoe Stewart (Hush) with Cataslyst Studios’ Holly Levow, Mark Pennell, and Paul Kampf. Principal Photography recently began in Belgrade. The cast is rounded out by Rupert Proctor (Notting Hill), Robyn Rainsford (Letters to April), and Jay Taylor (Red Tails).

“We have an extraordinarily talented cast and crew to bring the bizarre and macabre world of Sybil to life,...

Billed as being “Hitchcockian,” the upcoming psychological thriller Follow Me has landed Connie Nielsen (Nobody) as its star, with Variety first reporting the news this afternoon.

Siri Rødnes (“A Gambler’s Guide to Dying”) is directing for Catalyst Studios.

Sam Hunt and Stef Dawson (Hunger Games trilogy) also star.

Written by Mark Pennell, Follow Me is described as a “tense psychological thriller with all the twists and turns of a classic Hitchcockian thriller, pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between relationships to reveal that money, secrets and deception is a deadly mix.”

The film is being produced by Devin Digonno for Catalyst Studios. Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing.

The post ‘Follow Me’ – Connie Nielsen Starring in “Hitchcockian” Psychological Thriller appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Connie Nielsen is set to star in the psychological thriller “Follow Me” from Catalyst Studios.

The “Gladiator” and “Wonder Woman” star will play the lead role in the film, directed by auteur Siri Rødnes (“A Gambler’s Guide to Dying”). Sam Hunt and Stef Dawson, will co-star opposite Nielsen.

Principal photography will begin in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 25. The film is being produced by Devin Digonno for Catalyst Studios. Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing.

Written by Catalyst’s Mark Pennell, “Follow Me” is described as a “tense” psychological thriller with “all the twists and turns of a classic Hitchcockian thriller, pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between relationships to reveal that money, secrets and deception is a deadly mix.”

Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films.

Otmara Marrero (“Start-Up”) and Katie Clarkson-Hill (“Hanna”) are set to star in Catalyst Studios actioner “Switch & Bait.”

Directed by Michelle Saledo, the pic is the first project of Catalyst Studios to begin physical production. Catalyst launched its banner in May with an initial slate of six feature films directed, produced and centered on female protagonists.

Principal photography began in Belgrade, Serbia, this past week. Megan Messmer and Veronica Caicedo are producing, while Catalyst Studios’ Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing. Highland Film Group is handling the worldwide sales on the title.

“Switch & Bait” is based on a script written by Russell Gewirtz (“Inside Man”) and tells the story of a seemingly naïve call girl (Clarkson-Hill) who escapes the clutches of a notorious gangster with a cell phone containing all his secrets. A tough female cop (Marrero), who may or may not be crooked, is given the job to get the witness,...

Michelle Salcedo will direct “The Body,” a new thriller from Catalyst Studios. The film boasts a script from “Inside Man” and “Righteous Kill” writer Russel Gewirtz. Salcedo previously directed “Woman of the House.”

Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films. “The Body” is about a “tough, female, Detroit cop” on a mission to transport a witness across the country and arrive safely in the Motor City. “The Body” will be produced by Meg Messmer and Veronica Caicedo, along with Levow, Pennell and Kampf. Production is due to commence in Belgrade and surrounding areas in the fall of 2022, with Bandur Film providing production services. Highland Film Group is handling worldwide sales.

“There is great demand for the female voice in the marketplace and we will focus on that tremendous opportunity” said Levow,...

Exclusive: U.S. production company Catalyst Studios is launching with a slate of female-fronted projects that will be repped for sales by Highland Film Group.

Attorney Holly Levow (Imprisoned) has partnered with Mark Pennell (Storm Warning) and Paul Kampf (Imprisoned) to form Catalyst which will have a focus on feature films from emerging talent and with diverse storytelling. The company says its mission is to invest in new filmmakers with multi-picture deals.

The company’s initial slate will include six features directed, produced by and centered on female protagonists. The firm is a joint venture between Levow’s and Kampf’s Equitas Entertainment, and Beacon Pictures, where Pennell serves as Head of Special Projects and New Business.

The first film on the docket will be Alix, described as a “redemptive coming-of-age fantasy”. Written and directed by Ana Maria Hermida (The Firefly), the film charts the subject of sex trafficking in the jungles of Colombia.

Laurence Fishburne stars in the character driven narrative Imprisoned, as he plays a vengeful prison warden named Daniel Calvin. Dylan Burke (Juan Pablo Raba) is a reformed ex-convict who is now settled down with a loving woman named Maria (Juana Acosta). Daniel is determined to exact revenge over Dylan and ultimately the film becomes a [...]

The post “Imprisoned’ Director Paul Kampf Is A Man Of Many “Hats” appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Exclusive: Cinema Libre Studio has acquired North American distribution rights to Imprisoned, the indie drama starring Laurence Fishburne, Juana Acosta and Juan Pablo Raba along with Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos.

Directed by Paul Kampf, the pic was filmed entirely in Puerto Rico in 2017, and was among the last productions to shoot before Hurricane Maria hit and devastated the island. Cinema Libre will now return the film there for its world premiere September 10, followed by a 15-theater rollout on the island September 12. The film will be released in select cities in the U.S. beginning September 13.

“It was important for us to hold the Imprisoned premiere in Puerto Rico, as the film has a powerful Latin cast including Juan Pablo Raba, Juana Acosta, Jon Huertas, Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos,” Kampf said. “Imprisoned was the last project filmed on the island before hurricane Maria hit in 2017 and we...

Acting students, if they're lucky, find classes that are satisfying, challenging, and fully worth the time and money. But once in a while, they wind up in a class that rises above and beyond mere satisfaction. Something about the rapport between instructor and students—and among students themselves—clicks perfectly. Everyone ends up making sweet, surprising artistic leaps forward.When you find a class like that, it's only natural to want to keep the magic going. Actors sometimes decide to take the play they've been exploring in their scene study class, secure a theater, and put the whole thing up for an audience. Usually those plans fall apart pretty quickly. A week after the last class meeting, everyone has moved on to the next endeavor. But Back Stage found actors who didn't lose the momentum—who managed to collaborate with fellow students to create fully realized productions. These performers generously...