News

Buffalo 8 Buys Comedy-Drama ‘Beyond The Likes’ – Cannes

Exclusive: Buffalo 8 Distribution has acquired comedy-drama Beyond the Likes at the Cannes Film Festival. Set in Chicago in 2008, it stars Matt Rife (Wild ‘n Out), Don Benjamin (Him), Terrance J (Think Like a Man), Stephanie Nur (1883), Andrew Bach (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) and George Lopez (George Lopez) and follows five friends navigating adulthood and stumbling upon the formula to become the world’s first influencers. When Cam (Benjamin), the group’s aspiring model, meets wealthy Abu Dhabi heiress Nefertari (Nur), their instant connection leads to a clash of cultures. Rhyan Lamarr is the director and Adam Key (NCIS: Los Angeles) is the writer. Shooting took place in Abu Dhabi, Chicago and L.A., with Elijah Long and Qais Qandil the producers. Grady Craig, Buffalo 8’s President, negotiated the deal and is an exec producer along with Buffalo 8 co-founders Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor.

Think-Film Impact Production is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a packed Cannes schedule.

The UK-based impact specialist is presenting a Marche panel on the Plage des Palmes at 15.00 today on Film, Storytelling and Confrontation, ahead of Eugene Jarecki’s Special Screenings title The Six Billion Dollar Man about Julian Assange’s battle against extradition to the US.

Jarecki, Wikileaks ambassador Joseph Farrell, and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson will discuss censorship with TIFF programmer Thom Powers; while Assange is set to attend Wednesday’s world premiere.

The panel will be followed by the inaugural Cannes Golden Globe prize for documentary,...

Joyful Noise brings together for the first time country music legend Dolly Parton and hip-hop royalty Queen Latifah in a hilarious, heart-felt celebration of music and spirit. To celebrate this joyous ode to the life-affirming soul choirs across the country, we are giving away the Joyful Noise soundtrack, which features a number of song collaborations from both Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah, as well as tracks from stars Keke Palmer, Kris Kristofferson, and the Our Lady of Perpetual Tears Choir. Its sure to bring your house down! And what better way to listen to this all-new music than with a Sony Desktop Player System that features MP3, Am/FM, and CD capabilities. Its time to wake the neighbors and dream a whole lot louder! Enter our Joyful Noise contest today! Details are below.

We're giving away the following prizes:

Joyful Noise Soundtrack CDSony Desktop MP3, Am/FM, CD Player System

Here's How To Win!

Christian Bale as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller The Dark Knight Rises, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Tm and © DC Comics Photo by Ron Phillips

Just in time for the new year, Warner Bros. has released their slate of films scheduled from January 2012 through December 2012. Some noticeables on the list include Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Wrath Of The Titans, The Gangster Squad, Ben Affleck’s Argo, The Untitled Jay Roach Comedy on August 10th, Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Below are a few new images, along with descriptions and trailers. From the lineup below, appears that Warner Bros. will be box office champs by year end.

Joyful Noise

(L-r) Dolly Parton as G.G. Sparrow and Queen Latifah as Vi Rose Hill in Alcon Entertainment’s “Joyful Noise,...

Oscar® nominees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton star in Joyful Noise, a funny and inspirational story of music, hope, love and renewal.

The small town of Pacashau, Georgia, has fallen on hard times, but the people are counting on the Divinity Church Choir to lift their spirits by winning the National Joyful Noise Competition. The choir has always known how to sing in harmony, but the discord between its two leading ladies now threatens to tear them apart. Their newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill (Latifah), stubbornly wants to stick with their tried-and-true traditional style, while the fiery G.G. Sparrow (Parton) thinks tried-and-true translates to tired-and-old.Shaking things up even more is the arrival of G.G..s rebellious grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan). Randy has an ear for music, but he also has an eye for Vi Rose.s beautiful and talented daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer), and the sparks...

Group Sales Tickets For Pre-opening Buyout Screenings Now Available for Joyful Noise!

Interested Organizations, Choirs, Schools, And Faith Groups Should Email Wbgroupsales@Warnerbros.Com or Call Toll Free: 866-719-4407 For Theaters.

Pre-opening Buyouts: Advance Events Are Available Throughout The Day And Evening On Thursday, January 12, 2012, One Day Prior To The Film.S National Release. For Pre-opening Buyouts Only, There Is A Minimum Requirement Of 300 Seats Or The Largest Auditorium In The Complex. Requests Must Be Submitted No Later Than January 5, 2012. Other Rules Apply.

Post-opening: Group Tickets May Be Purchased Directly At The Theater. For Help Finding A Theater In Your Area, Please Email Wbgroupsales@Warnerbros.Com or Call Toll Free: 866-719-4407.

Oscar® nominees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton star in “Joyful Noise,” a funny and inspirational story of music, hope, love and renewal.

The small town of Pacashau, Georgia, has fallen on hard times, but the people are...

Funeral arrangements have been set for movie marketing pioneer Joseph Farrell and will be private, his publicist said Thursday. Farrell died Dec. 7. He was 76. Also read: Movie Marketing Innovator Joseph Farrell Dead at 76 Farrell is survived by his wife, Italian actress Jo Champa and his 7-year-old son, Sean. "Jo Champa Farrell and Sean wish to thank everyone for their outpouring of cards, flowers, food and calls that have warmed their hearts at this difficult time in their life," Joseph Farrell's publicist said in a statement. The family is asking for donations to...

For many movie fans, the movie trailer has become an event. A rest stop on the long journey to your highly anticipated film where you get refueled with excitement long before you see the final product. For others, movie trailers in front of a feature are how they first learn about films that may later become something truly special to them. Whether you fall into column A, column B or somewhere in between, advertising upcoming movies before another seems like a no-brainer. However, if wasn't for Joseph Farrell, we might not have trailers today. Farrell was a legendary Hollywood marketing genius who is not only credited with creating the movie trailer, but also had a hand in test screenings, tracking, quadrants and more. He passed away Wednesday at the age of 76. Farrell was the former head of The National Research Group, which was one of the leading market research firms in all of Hollywood.

Legendary movie marketing innovator Joseph Farrell died this morning of natural causes. He was 76. Farrell is the former chairman and CEO of The National Research Group which quickly became the leading market research firm in the film industry, serving studios and filmmakers and distributors worldwide. Among the services he introduced, now taken for granted by the film industry, are “trackings”, “test screenings”, “trailer” and TVspot testing and norms by “quadrants” and other socio-demographics analyses, and “early warning” forecasting of movies’ box office potential. In 2003 Farrell created Fp Productions with a first-look deal at Disney where he was special advisor to the chairman. In 2009 Fp Productions went indie and its feature films include Joy Full Noise to be released in January by Warner Bros, and The Leonardo Job in development with Alcon Entertainment. Farrell continued as a marketing consultant to top executives at several major studios and investment banking groups.

Trailer for Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton and Keke Palmer. The Warner Bros. Pictures comedy helmed and scripted by Todd Graff opens on January 13th, 2012. Joyful Noise tells of two choir members who have clashing opinions on how to win the naitonal choir contest. Also in the cast are Courtney B. Vance, Judd Lormand, Jesse L. Martin and Chloe Bailey. The film marks the first directorial job for Graff since 2009's Bandslam comedy. Joseph Farrell, Catherine Paura, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Michael G. Nathanson produce.

Trailer for Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton and Keke Palmer. The Warner Bros. Pictures comedy helmed and scripted by Todd Graff opens on January 13th, 2012. Joyful Noise tells of two choir members who have clashing opinions on how to win the naitonal choir contest. Also in the cast are Courtney B. Vance, Judd Lormand, Jesse L. Martin and Chloe Bailey. The film marks the first directorial job for Graff since 2009's Bandslam comedy. Joseph Farrell, Catherine Paura, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Michael G. Nathanson produce.

Financing and production company Alcon Entertainment is in final negotiations to acquire, finance and produce the David Twohy (The Fugitive, Pitch Black, G.I. Jane) screenplay The Leonardo Job, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-ceo's Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Twohy is attached to direct as well.

An action thriller about the heist of the "lost" Leonardo da Vinci painting "The Battle of Anghiari"; the story involves two rival master thieves hired to go to Florence to track down the "mythical" painting. These experts use high tech and old tricks to prove the painting exists and pinpoint its location - hidden behind another masterpiece. They are forced to combine skills when their schemes to steal the painting get more complicated and dangerous after they discover they are not the only ones pursuing the hidden treasure.

Michael G. Nathanson, Joseph Farrell and Catherine Paura will produce along with Johnson and Kosove.

Joseph Farrell and Catherine Paura, founders of the market research firm National Research Group, are getting into the producing game by launching their FP Ventures banner with a multiyear motion picture production deal with Walt Disney Studios. Under the terms of the unusual deal, Farrell and Paura will also counsel Disney executives on market planning worldwide and will continue to serve as consultants to NRG's other studio clients.