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Exclusive: Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to SXSW road-trip drama The Unknown Country starring Certain Women and Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone and Raymond Lee (Top Gun: Maverick).

In director Morrisa Maltz’s indie pic, an unexpected invitation rushes a grieving young woman into a road trip through the American Midwest towards the border between Texas and Mexico. The young woman, Tana, navigates the complex, post-2016 election social climate, and a natural landscape that is increasingly surreal. Along the way, she bonds with unexpected people who are unknown to her yet intrinsically familiar.

The Unknown Country is produced by Katherine Harper and Laura Heberton alongside executive producers Miranda Bailey and Natalie Whalen of Cold Iron Pictures (Super). Executive producers include Ty Gordon of Wooden Fingers Studios, Rachel Crouch, Gill Holland, Steve Malouf, Matthew C. Mills and Veronica Nickel.

The sale was negotiated by Music...

Exclusive: Kelly Jenrette, an Emmy nominee for her guest stint on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, How to Get Away With Murder’s Matt McGorry, Sasha Compere (Miracle Workers), Gil Ozeri (Big Mouth), and Bernard David Jones (The Mayor) are set to co-star in Uncorked, the Netflix feature written and directed by Insecure Ep Prentice Penny.

The group joins previously announced stars Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, and Mamoudou Athie in the pic which is loosely based on Penny’s family history.

Currently shooting in Memphis, Tennessee, and later in Paris, the film follows a young man who strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.

Datari Turner is producing alongside Chris Pollack of Forge Media, Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman, Argent Pictures’ Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens, and Ben Renzo, as well as Penny.

Mandalay...

Principal photography set to begin on November 10 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mamoudou Athie, Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance will star for Netflix in veteran TV writer Prentice Penny’s feature directorial Uncorked.

The father-son story about love and sacrifice is loosely based on Penny’s own family history and tells of a young man who strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.

Principal photography is set to begin on November 10 in Memphis, Tennessee. Filming will also take place in Paris, France.

“It’s rare that...

Courtney B. Vance, Claws star Niecy Nash, and Mamoudou Athie are attached as the leads in Uncorked, a father-son story loosely based on the family history of Insecure Ep and showrunner Prentice Penny, who wrote and is directing the pic for Netflix.

A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. producer Datari Turner is producing this project with Forge Media’s Chris Pollack, Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman, Argent Pictures’ Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens, and Ben Renzo, as well as Penny. Patrick Raymond and Veronica Nickel will serve as exec producers while, Argent partners Drew Brees, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, and Derrick Brooks are co-exec producers.

Uncorked follows a young man, fueled by his love of wine, who strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.

Filming is slated to begin November 10 with production set to take place in Memphis,...

Prentice Penny will make his feature film directorial debut for Netflix with “Uncorked,” which he also wrote, the streaming giant announced on Wednesday.

The film will star Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Courtney B. Vance, Emmy-nominated Niecy Nash and “The Get Down” actor Mamoudou Athie.

The film follows a young man, fueled by his love of wine, who strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.

Also Read: 'Insecure' Showrunner Prentice Penny Breaks Down the 'Show Within a Show' in Season 3

“Uncorked” is described as a father-son story about love, sacrifice and following your heart. The film is loosely based on Penny’s own family history.

“It’s rare that black people get to tell a father-son story without the father’s absence serving as the catalyst for the story,” Penny said in a statement. “That was...

Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, and Mamoudou Athie will star in the father-son drama “Uncorked” for Netflix.

“Uncorked” is loosely based on the family history of “Insecure” showrunner Prentice Penny, who is directing from his own script in his feature directorial debut. Principal photography will begin Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. Filming will also take place in Paris, France.

The story centers on a young man who’s fueled by his love of wine and strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.

“It’s rare that black people get to tell a father-son story without the father’s absence serving as the catalyst for the story,” Penny said. “That was never my experience and I think it’s more important than ever that art reflects our humanity and who we are as regular people, rather than...

Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance will star in Netflix's Uncorked, the feature directorial debut for Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny.

Fueled by his love of wine, a young man, played by Mamoudou Athie, strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he will take over the family barbecue business.

Datari Turner, Forge Media’s Chris Pollack, Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman and Argent Pictures’ Jill Ahrens will produce, along with Ryan Ahrens, Ben Renzo and Penny. Executive producers are Mandalay Pictures’ Patrick Raymond and Veronica Nickel. Co-executive producers are NBA stars Tony Parker and ...

Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance will star in Netflix's Uncorked, the feature directorial debut for Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny.

Fueled by his love of wine, a young man, played by Mamoudou Athie, strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he will take over the family barbecue business.

Datari Turner, Forge Media’s Chris Pollack, Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman and Argent Pictures’ Jill Ahrens will produce, along with Ryan Ahrens, Ben Renzo and Penny. Executive producers are Mandalay Pictures’ Patrick Raymond and Veronica Nickel. Co-executive producers are NBA stars Tony Parker and ...

Against the field of all narrative films at this year’s recently concluded SXSW, Netflix’s small but worthwhile First Match emerged as the winner of the Audience Award competition. That seems appropriate since this engaging film about a largely abandoned young African American girl who joins the boys wrestling team at her Brooklyn high school is about someone who triumphs against all odds. But as I say in my video review above, it doesn’t follow the typical pattern of most underdog Hollywood sports movies, and we are the better for it.

At its heart it really is a father-daughter story, but also not typical in that family genre. Based on writer-director Olivia Newman’s 2011 short film, the first-time feature helmer has expanded it and gone much deeper into the world of her lead character Monique (Elvire Emanuelle). When we first meet her she is being tossed out once...

Exclusive: The Hunger Games actress Isabelle Fuhrman has been tapped as the lead in Full Moon Films’ indie drama Tape, along with Thom Bishops (The Tale, Time Out of Mind) and tyro Annarosa Mudd. Deborah Kampmeier is directing the film from her own script, and will also produce the project with Veronica Nickel (First Match) from Full Moon.

Based on a true story, the pic follows a young, ambitious actress (Fuhrman), who meets a producer (Bishops) at an open call audition. Taken with her, he invites her to his hotel to discuss another role. What he doesn’t know is that another actress (Mudd), is waiting to exact her revenge against him.

Fuhrman, who co-starred on Showtime’s Masters Of Sex, is reuniting with Kampmeier, who wrote and directed the 2007 film Hounddog, which marked Fuhrman’s feature debut.

Ken and Marie Romanski will serve as exec producers. Additional casting is...

Bankside Films, CAA represent family drama in Cannes.

Octavia Spencer will join Jim Parsons and Claire Danes in the drama A Kid Like Jake from That’s Wonderful Productions.

Bankside Films will commence international sales in Cannes on the film that will shoot this summer in New York, while CAA is handling North American sales.

Based on his Lincoln Center Play, A Kid Like Jake was adapted for film by Daniel Pearle and will be directed by Silas Howard.

On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg Wheeler have high hopes for their son Jake, a bright and precocious four-year-old who happens to prefer Cinderella to GI Joe.

Aware they can’t afford private school tuition, Judy, the director of Jake’s preschool, encourages them to accentuate Jake’s ‘gender variant’ expression to help him stand out and try to get a scholarship.

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Coming of age drama has posted strong returns during a limited opening in the Us.

Altitude Film Distribution has picked up Barry Jenkins’s awards season contender Moonlight for release in the UK and Ireland.

Premiering to rave receptions at Telluride and garnering similar praise from berths at festivals in Toronto, New York and London, the intense and emotional coming of age drama stars Trevante Rhodes in the story of a young African American man growing up in a tough Miami neighbourhood.

Altitude struck the deal with sales agent A24, who are handling Us distribution where the film has returned a healthy $1.47m from its initial limited release and is set to expand over the coming weeks.

Altitude’s Will Clarke commented: “Moonlight is one of those life-affirming films that immerses you in its universal themes and kaleidoscopic view of life but told with such emotional intimacy, delicacy and beauty that no-one could fail to be moved...

"With Tobias Lindholm’s outstanding A War, [Venice's] Orizzonti sidebar presented a film that ventured a more nuanced representation of war" than Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation, argues Veronica Nickel in a dispatch to Filmmaker. Variety's Guy Lodge: "Beautifully acted across the board, A War serves as a particularly gutsy, internally roiling showcase for Pilou Asbaek, who so impressed as a resourceful hostage in A Hijacking." Praise goes out to Tuva Novotny for her performance as well. Having premiered in Venice, A War now heads to Toronto. We've got more reviews, the trailer and a clip. » - David Hudson...

"With Tobias Lindholm’s outstanding A War, [Venice's] Orizzonti sidebar presented a film that ventured a more nuanced representation of war" than Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation, argues Veronica Nickel in a dispatch to Filmmaker. Variety's Guy Lodge: "Beautifully acted across the board, A War serves as a particularly gutsy, internally roiling showcase for Pilou Asbaek, who so impressed as a resourceful hostage in A Hijacking." Praise goes out to Tuva Novotny for her performance as well. Having premiered in Venice, A War now heads to Toronto. We've got more reviews, the trailer and a clip. » - David Hudson...

The premiere post-tiff destination (September 20-25th) in the film community and a major leg up for narrative and non-fiction films in development, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced a whopping 140 projects selected for the Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week. Made up of several sections (Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight on Documentaries), we find latest updates from the likes of docu-helmers Doug Block (112 Weddings) and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), and among the narrative items we find headliners in Andrew Haigh (coming off the well received 45 Years), Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls and Madame Bovary), Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal (Stranger Things) and new faces in Sundance’s large family in Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Olivia Newman (First Match). Here...

Los Cabos International Film Festival will offer, within its industry activities, a total of Usd $227,000 to support projects from Mexico, the U.S.A. and Canada.

In its Third Edition, in an effort to contribute the development and consolidation of the North American film industry, presents as part of its industry activities, the first Mexico-usa-Canada Co-production Forum .

Los Cabos Film Festival , announces the 13 participant projects in the Forum:

Afronauts by Frances Bodomo (USA). Coward by Boris Rodriguez, an Anne Marie Gélinas production (Canada). The Other Tom by Rodrigo Plá, a Sandino Saravia production (Mexico). First Match by Olivia Newman, a Veronica Nickel and Chanelle Elaine production (USA). Away from Meaning by Olivia Luengas Magaña, a Vanessa Romo Gutiérrez production (Mexico). Butterfly by Maria Saakya, a Jeff Kalousdian production (USA). Museum by Alonso Ruizpalacios, a Manuel Alcalá and Alberto Muffelman production (Mexico). Permanent by Colette Burson, a Haroula Rose and Joshua Blum production (USA). Taganga by Ciro Guerra, a Katrin Pors and Serge Noel production (Canada- Colombia). Wolverine Hotel by Patricia Chica, a Byron A. Martin production (Canada). X Quinientos by Juan Andrés Arango, a Edher Campos and Yanick Letourneau production (Canada- Mexico- Colombia). I’m No Longer Here by Fernando Frías, a Gerry Kim and Mayuran Tiruchelvam production (Mexico- USA). Yamaha 300 by Jorge Michel Grau, a Mayra Espinosa Castro production (Mexico - USA). Representatives from each project will have access to a series of one-to-one meetings with key members of the international film industry and potential co-producers.

The Co-production Forum Jury, composed of Fabien Westerhoff , Sales and Distribution Director at WestEnd Films (UK), Nick Ogiony , Sales Agent at Creative Artists Agency (USA) and Lyse Lafontaine , renowned Canadian producer, will announce the winning project at the Festival, which will receive a cash prize of Usd $8,000.

Also, the recognized studios Splendor - Omnia Mantarraya will award a prize valued at Usd$30,000 to one of the participating projects, consisting of a 40 hours of color correction, 40 hours of sound mixing, accommodation and food for two people in Tepoztlán, Mexico.

Supporting the completion of Mexican feature or documentary films in post-production stage, Los Cabos Film Festival has announced the six films participating in the second Work In Progress Mexico :

El charro de Toluquilla by José Villalobos Romero, a Sergio Adrián Morkin and José Villalobos Romero production. Charity by Marcelino Islas Hernández, a Santiago García Galván production. Heirs by Jorge Hernández Aldana, a Michel Franco production. Light Feet by Juan Carlos Núñez, a Henry Lesperance Álvarez production. You Will Know what to Do with Me by Katina Medina Mora, a Gerardo Gatica and Alberto Muffelmann production. Holy Days by Alejandra Márquez Abella, a Nicolás Celis and Sebastián Celis production.

Jaie Laplante, Director of the Miami International Film Festival (USA), Nicole Mackey, Vice President of sales agency Fortissimo Films (UK), and Nate Bolotin, Xyz Films cofounder (USA), as members of the Work In Progress Mexico Jury, will evaluate six films that compete for a cash prize of Usd$10,000 .

The TV station Fox+ will also award a prize of Usd $30,000 to one of the participating films (the equivalent to the anticipated purchase of broadcast rights for Latin America and the Caribbean, excluding Brazil through the channel’s windows). And the outstanding post-production company Chemistry will award a prize worth Usd $45,000 consisting of 80 hours of color correction, 40 hours of conform and digital mastering, and packaging in Dcp.

In addition, the two winning films of the Post-production Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund , each received from Labodigital’s Usd $52,000 in post-production services. These two films will also be part of the Work In Progress Mexico selection.

Oscilloscope Laboratories plans a 2014 release after it announced that it had acquired all North American rights to Sam Fleischner’s Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors .

Directed by Fleischner from a script by Rose Lichter-Mark and Micah Bloomberg, the film tells the story of Ricky, a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who gets lost in the New York City subway system.

While his mother searches for him above ground, the sensory-sensitive Ricky is exposed to the cacophony, eccentricity and menace found in New York’s underground.

Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival where it won the special jury prize in the narrative feature section and had its international premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

It will next be seen in Sundance’s inaugural Next Weekend festival which starts on Thursday [8] and runs through Aug 8 in Los Angeles.

“We knew this film was an ideal fit for...

Oscilloscope Laboratories plans a 2014 release after it announced that it had acquired all North American rights to Sam Fleischner’s Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors .

Directed by Fleischner from a script by Rose Lichter-Mark and Micah Bloomberg, the film tells the story of Ricky, a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who gets lost in the New York City subway system.

While his mother searches for him above ground, the sensory-sensitive Ricky is exposed to the cacophony, eccentricity and menace found in New York’s underground.

Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival where it won the special jury prize in the narrative feature section and had its international premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

It will next be seen in Sundance’s inaugural Next Weekend festival which starts on Thursday [8] and runs through Aug 8 in Los Angeles.

“We knew this film was an ideal fit for...

Cinedigm Entertainment Group has acquired North American distribution rights to writer-director Jared Moshé’s Western “Dead Man’s Burden.” The company plans a 2013 theatrical release followed by digital, VOD and DVD releases. Clare Bowen, David Call and Barlow Jacobs star in the post-Civil War-era story of a couple dealing with a mining company that is trying to buy their New Mexico land. The film had its premiere at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival and will next screen at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Read More: Laff Review: Jared Moshé's 'Dead Man's Burden' Does Justice To Its Western Roots Veronica Nickel produced the project; Jennifer Chikes, Ruth Mutch and Nick Quested are executive producers. “Jared has created a classic Western in which his eye for detail and love of the genre come through in every scene,” said Cinedigm acquisitions exec Vincent Scordino. “The result...

Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors" Tweetable Logline: When an autistic boy runs away from his immigrant family into the NYC subway, he forces his family to reconcile their differences. Elevator Pitch: When a young autistic boy runs away from his Mexican-immigrant family on the fringes of New York City, he embarks on an odyssey that forces his splintered family to reconcile their differences. Production Team: Director: Sam Fleishner ("Wah Do Dem") Producers: Veronica Nickel ("Dead Man's Burden," "Nor'easter"), Craig Shilowich ("Frozen River," "Dark Horse"), SeeThink Films, M ss ng P eces Dp: Adam Jandrup Production Design: Sara White About the...

Up now on Filmmaker’s curated Kickstarter page is Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, the second feature from Sam Fleischner. The production is in the final days of its campaign and could use your help. What follows is a guest blog post from producer Veronica Nickel.

What do we want?! When do we want it?!

The next question in that cheer should be: how in the hell do we get what we want right now?

Sam Fleischner’s answer must be to assemble the best incognito team that you can find and get out and make your movie.

Undeterred by a false start last year, Sam aims to get his film Stand Clear of the Closing Doors off the ground and into production this fall. I came on board as the final piece of what seems to be a deft group of filmmakers. When first pitched the project, I...

The year is 1870, and a fragmented America still strains to pick up the pieces from a savage Civil War. Martha (exciting newcomer Clare Bowen, ABC’s “Nashville”) and her husband Heck (David Call, Tiny Furniture) are living on a homestead Martha.s father purchased on the rural New Mexico frontier and struggle to make ends meet. When a mining company expresses interest in buying their land, Martha and Heck see their ticket to a better life.

Pictured: Clare Bowen as “Martha” photo by Philip De Jong

Their hopeful plans are soon complicated when Martha.s oldest brother Wade (Barlow Jacobs, Shotgun Stories).whom she had thought killed during the war .returns to the family homestead after learning of their father.s death. A defector to the Union Army, Wade soon discovers that Martha is hiding secrets of her own. As the two siblings become reacquainted, torn between a desire to...