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A 14-year-old is obliged to stay at her grandparents’ lake home after her impulsive mom elopes and prioritizes her new husband. At the competitive music camp across the water, a determined young violinist pushes himself to be named first chair, sacrificing the personal connections he covets more. Meanwhile, at the local bar, a fisherman finds an unlikely ally in catching the whopper that’ll change his life. And finally, at a family-run bed-and-breakfast, two sisters make the most of their summer before the older one heads off to college.

The location, rather than the characters or their independent narrative strands, serves to unify the four sketches that comprise “Sunfish and Other Stories on Green Lake.” Set in writer-director Sierra Falconer’s old stomping grounds — among the cozy, neighborly community that surrounds a scenic lake in northern Michigan — the pleasantly laconic anthology film debuted in U.S. dramatic competition at Sundance.

The opening moments of Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) are pictures of idyll. Ducks bob in a row across the water. A basketball hoop stands surrounded by trees, waiting for someone to come out and play. A girl swings lazily in a hammock. Especially at a time when it so often feels like the world is burning down (maybe literally, depending on where you are), the scenes feel like a much-needed break.

But if Sunfish is a vacation, it’s the kind that’s less about escaping into a fantasy than about trying on a different reality: learning your way around the terrain, getting to know the locals, falling into their everyday rhythms. Once it’s over, you’ll resume your normal life to find not much has changed. For those 87 minutes, though, it’s just nice to get to drop in on its world.

Overly precious punctuation notwithstanding,...

Exclusive: Karsen Liotta (Blackbird), daughter of the late Ray Liotta, is headlining an anthology indie pic that has been handed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement.

Liotta is leading Sunfish (& Other Stories On Green Lake), the debut feature from short film writer-director Sierra Falconer, alongside Marceline Hugot (Julia & Julie) and Wayne Duvall.

The anthology follows the residents of a small town and the lake that binds them together. The four stories weave together themes of belonging, coming of age, and rural lake life, exploring a deeper commentary about community, the collateral damage that ensues from the changes in our lives, and how it can reverberate in relationships and the process of maturation.

Also featuring in Sunfish are Adam Lefevre (Ozark), Dominic Bogart (American Primeval), Emily Hall (Lumina), Maren Heary (She Said), Tenley Kellogg (Faith Under Fire) and Jim Kaplan (Marry Me) in leading roles. Supporting...

Jennifer Lawrence is making the most of her Italian getaway and sightseeing with her good friend Aziz Ansari. The X-Men: Apocalypse star took some downtime from the film's press tour, and was spotted out in Monteriggioni, Italy on Friday alongside the Masters of None star, his brother Aniz, and other pals. The actress sported a patterned sundress and covered her bleached blonde hair with a wide-brimmed hat. Over the weekend, Lawrence and Ansari attended the intimate wedding of the actress's best friend Laura Simpson. They were among 25 guests who attended the event at the Borgo Stomennano Hotel in Tuscany, Italy.

Jennifer Lawrence is making the most of her Italian getaway and sightseeing with her good friend Aziz Ansari. The X-Men: Apocalypse star took some downtime from the film's press tour, and was spotted out in Monteriggioni, Italy on Friday alongside the Masters of None star, his brother Aniz, and other pals. The actress sported a patterned sundress and covered her bleached blonde hair with a wide-brimmed hat. Over the weekend, Lawrence and Ansari attended the intimate wedding of the actress's best friend Laura Simpson. They were among 25 guests who attended the event at the Borgo Stomennano Hotel in Tuscany, Italy.

Jennifer Lawrence stepped out of the spotlight over the weekend to attend the intimate wedding of her best friend Laura Simpson. Lawrence was among 25 guests who attended the event at the Borgo Stomennano Hotel in Tuscany, Italy. The X-Men: Apocalypse star, who wore a lilac slip dress, was spotted spending time at the event with Los Angeles bartender Kevin "Boosh" Burtch - a friend of the newlyweds who likely walked down the aisle with Lawrence and didn't appear to be a date, according to a source. Ahead of the wedding, the actress, 26, was seen arriving at the local airport in...

Jennifer Lawrence stepped out of the spotlight over the weekend to attend the intimate wedding of her best friend Laura Simpson. Lawrence was among 25 guests who attended the event at the Borgo Stomennano Hotel in Tuscany, Italy. The X-Men: Apocalypse star, who wore a lilac slip dress, was joined at the event by Los Angeles bartender Kevin "Boosh" Burtch. Lawrence and Burtch likely walked down the aisle together and were not each other's dates to the event. Ahead of the wedding, the actress, 26, was seen arriving at the local airport in Florence by private jet on Thursday at 9 a.m.

“If you had a fleeting chance to escape a life of drudgery and poverty, of living hand-to-mouth in a closeknit rural community, would you take it?”

That’s exactly the thing with Winter’s Bone, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell‘s 2006 novel of the same name.

The film was written and directed by Debra Granik, and stars lovely Jennifer Lawrence.

Winter’s Bone stars Lawrence as an Ozark teen named Ree Dolly, the sole guardian to her younger siblings, who is forced to search for her missing father in order to save her family’s home.

One of the people she goes to is Uncle Teardrop, played by John Hawkes, an intimidating relative who may have the answer to her father’s whereabouts.

“I think she was strong and stubborn and determined and she had a heart that was almost too big for her,” Lawrence said, describing her character, and...

This is the Pure Movies review of Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik and starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Shelley Waggener and Lauren Sweetser. Notable for scooping the Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic offering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, like previous winner Frozen River, Winter's Bone is a low-budget slice of American indie filmmaking that revolves around a desperately poor, rural community. Filmed in the Ozarks in Southern Missouri, it follows 17-year-old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) in her attempts to hold her family together. Her father has jumped bail and disappeared. Her mother has suffered a nervous breakdown, leaving Ree alone to care for her younger siblings.

Best DirectorDarren Aronofsky'Black Swan'In many ways, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" is similar to his previous film, "The Wrestler." Both lead characters are dedicated artists struggling with inner demons. To express themselves, they have only their bodies. Their age, injuries, and mental stability threaten to undermine their art.However, in "Black Swan," Aronofsky masterfully adds another layer. He parallels the journey of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) with the tale of "Swan Lake," the tragic ballet in which she performs. The astute viewer will notice his use of black and white in the set pieces of almost every scene, alluding to the contrast between the white and black swans. He adds elements of horror, drama, and paranoia, all of which exist in "Swan Lake." He directs the actors in such a way that you aren't ever sure what is fantasy and what is reality. All of these elements add...

The 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards were presented last night at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, with the rural drama "Winter's Bone" taking home the prizes for best feature and best ensemble."Littlerock" won the award for "best film not playing at a theater near you," which comes with a one-week run at New York's Cinema Village and advertising in The New York Times. A total of 30 films were nominated, and the winners are as follows:Best Feature"Winter's Bone," Roadside AttractionsBest Documentary"The Oath," Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/POVBreakthrough DirectorKevin Asch, "Holy Rollers," First Independent PicturesBreakthrough ActorRonald Bronstein, "Daddy Longlegs," IFC FilmsBest Ensemble PerformanceJennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Devin Breznahan, "Winter's Bone," Roadside AttractionsBest Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You"Littlerock," Small Form FilmsThe Festival Genius Audience Award"Waiting for Superman," Walden Media...

Tough drama Winter's Bone is fast emerging as an Oscar favourite after landing the Best Feature title at the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York on Monday.

Director Debra Granik's acclaimed new movie stars Jennifer Lawrence as an impoverished teen who goes in search of her drug dealer father after learning he's put the family home up as a bail bond.

The chilling tale proved to be a hit with judges at the Gotham event, which is considered by many to open the awards season, taking home the best picture award ahead of Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan and Annette Bening and Julianne Moore's family drama The Kids Are All Right. Blue Valentine and Let Me In were also nominated in the category.

Winter's Bone went on to claim the Best Ensemble Performance for its cast, which also includes John Hawkes, Dale Dickey and Lauren Sweetser, although Lawrence lost out on the Breakthrough Actor title to Daddy Longlegs star Ronald Bronstein.

Speaking about her film's win, Granik tells the Hollywood Reporter, "The year started with getting recognition at Sundance, so that was a very intense night. It doesn't get any easier, though, to win awards."

Kevin Asch was named Breakthrough Director for Holy Rollers, a drama about an Orthodox Jew who embarks on a career as a drug pusher, while Laura Poitras' study on the war on terrorism in The Oath was hailed as Best Documentary.

Education system documentary Waiting For Superman earned the Festival Genius Audience Award, which was determined by online voting, and Mike Ott's Littlerock scored the prize for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.

In addition to the competitive awards, Hilary Swank, Robert Duvall, Aronofsky and movie mogul James Schamus were each presented with a career tribute.

Honouring his Get Low co-star Duvall, Bill Murray told the crowd, "He is better than all of you... He is better than me, too."

Black Swan star Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Leighton Meester and Anthony Mackie were also among the guests at the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, hosted by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci and held at Manhattan's Cipriani Wall Street restaurant.

Last year's Best Feature winner, The Hurt Locker, went on to win the Academy Awards' Best Picture prize.

Winter's Bone took home the top award Tonight at the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony in New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street.

This year's winners mostly came from films which were shown earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. 30 films received nominations in seven competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Festival Genius Audience Award and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You®. Hit the jump to read the full list of winners and the official press release.

Winter's Bone was one of my favorite movies of the year, and you can bet that it will get a few nominations at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Picture. If you haven't seen the movie yet, now is the time to watch it!

Here is the press release with the list of award winners:

New York, NY (November...

Tough drama Winter's Bone is fast emerging as an Oscar favourite after landing the Best Feature title at the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York on Monday.

Director Debra Granik's acclaimed new movie stars Jennifer Lawrence as an impoverished teen who goes in search of her drug dealer father after learning he's put the family home up as a bail bond.

The chilling tale proved to be a hit with judges at the Gotham event, which is considered by many to open the awards season, taking home the best picture award ahead of Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan and Annette Bening and Julianne Moore's family drama The Kids Are All Right. Blue Valentine and Let Me In were also nominated in the category.

Winter's Tale went on to claim the Best Ensemble Performance for its cast, which also includes John Hawkes, Dale Dickey and Lauren Sweetser, although Lawrence lost out on the Breakthrough Actor title to Daddy Longlegs star Ronald Bronstein.

Speaking about her film's win, Granik tells the Hollywood Reporter, "The year started with getting recognition at Sundance, so that was a very intense night. It doesn't get any easier, though, to win awards."

Kevin Asch was named Breakthrough Director for Holy Rollers, a drama about an Orthodox Jew who embarks on a career as a drug pusher, while Laura Poitras' study on the war on terrorism in The Oath was hailed as Best Documentary.

Education system documentary Waiting For Superman earned the Festival Genius Audience Award, which was determined by online voting, and Mike Ott's Littlerock scored the prize for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.

In addition to the competitive awards, Hilary Swank, Robert Duvall, Aronofsky and movie mogul James Schamus were each presented with a career tribute.

Honouring his Get Low co-star Duvall, Bill Murray told the crowd, "He is better than all of you... He is better than me, too."

Black Swan star Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Leighton Meester and Anthony Mackie were also among the guests at the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, hosted by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci and held at Manhattan's Cipriani Wall Street restaurant.

Last year's Best Feature winner, The Hurt Locker, went on to win the Oscar's Best Picture prize.

The Independent Filmmaker Project have announced the winners of the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards. Winter’s Bone was the big winner, landing both “Best Feature” and “Best Ensemble Performance.” The other honorees include Holy Rollers, Daddy Longlegs, Littlerock, The Oath, and Waiting for Superman.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

If you want to know who went away emptyhanded, you can check out the full list of nominees here.

Best Feature: Winter’S Bone

Directed by Debra Granik; Produced by Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin

Released by Roadside Attractions

Best Documentary: The Oath

Directed and produced by Laura Poitras

Released by Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/Pov

Breakthrough Director Award: Kevin Asch

Writer and director, Holy Rollers

Released by First Independent Pictures

Breakthrough Actor Award: Ronald Bronstein

Actor, Daddy Longlegs

Released by IFC Films

Best Ensemble Performance Award: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt,...

What was once a Sundance darling is now a Gothams Award winner! Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone" won big at the 20th Gotham Independent Film Awards taking home the Best Feature and the Best Ensemble Performance awards.

It's safe to say that "Winter's Bone," which earned two Sundance prizes last January including Best Drama Film and Screenwriting, is on its way to the Academy Awards. ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)

"The Hurt Locker" started its ascend to Oscar victory last year with its two-punch Best Feature and Best Ensemble Gotham Awards.

Here's the complete list of winners and nominees of the 20th Gotham Independent Film Awards: (Winners are highlighted)

Best Feature

Black Swan -- Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Blue Valentine -- Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)

The Kids Are All Right -- Lisa Cholodenko,...

hollywoodnews.com: The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today the winners at the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony in New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street.

Presented by Ifp, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film and the first major honors of the film awards season. As previously announced, the awards ceremony streamed live in its entirety to a global audience via a partnership with The Big Live, Inc. You can see the show at www.ifp.org.

A total of 30 films received nominations in seven competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Festival Genius Audience Award and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You®.

For the first time, Ifp will honor the recipient of the Best Film Not Playing at a...

[1] Tonight, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) held the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony in New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street. The winners were comprised mostly of films which played earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. A total of 30 films received nominations in seven competitive categories, including: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, Festival Genius Audience Award and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You®. Hit the jump to read the full list of winners and the official press release. Winners Announced New York, NY (November 29, 2010) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, announced today the winners at the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony in New York City’s Cipriani Wall Street. Presented by Ifp, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ is one of the leading awards for independent film...

Winter’S Bone is a powerful story set within, and was filmed around the Missouri Ozarks. It’s been a personal favorite of my from 2010 and for many film critics as well. The cast, the direction and the music are all authentic and the entire experience is based in simplicity and reality. Without further indulgence, I recommend reading my review of the film for more information, or just take a leap of faith and watch this incredible film and make your own decision.

Los Angeles Times | Nov. 29, 2010 7:29 p.m. Pt

Breaking: ‘Winter’s Bone’ wins top Gotham Awards

Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” a gritty drama about an Ozark Mountain teenager who puts herself in danger in her desperate search for her meth-maker father, was named best film of 2010 at the 20th-anniversary Gotham Film Awards on Monday evening in New York.

The Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance in January,...

The winners for the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced tonight. The awards organized by the Independent Feature Project already announced the recipients of their honorary awards handed out this evening, including filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, actors Hilary Swank and Robert Duvall, and Focus Features CEO James Schamus. Tonight's marquee category awards at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC are considered the first major ceremony of the awards season: Best Feature Winter’s Bone Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions) Best Documentary The Oath Laura Poitras, director/producer (Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/Pov) Best Ensemble Performance Winter’s Bone Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan (Roadside Attractions) Breakthrough Director Kevin Asch for Holy Rollers (First Independent Pictures) Breakthrough Actor Ronald Bronstein in Daddy Longlegs (IFC Films) Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Littlerock Mike Ott, director; Frederick Thornton,...

If you ask me: this was a fight between an underdog in Winter’s Bone and a favorite in The Kids Are All Right (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo). The underdog won. With Jennifer Lawrence not winning in Breakthrough Actor award category, this serves as the consolation prize for the actress, but a testament to the cast of almost unknown actors that gave the Ozarks portion of aural America true personality. This goes to Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt and Kevin BreznahanOther Noms: The Kids Are All Right Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson (Focus Features) Life During Wartime Shirley Henderson, Ciarán Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renée Taylor, Michael Kenneth Williams (IFC Films) Please Give Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Ann Guilbert, Lois Smith,...

Earlier this week, awards season really kicked off with the year's first actual awards announcement: The Gotham Independent Film Awards. Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone" led the pack with three nominations, including best feature, best ensemble performance (for Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Kevin Breznahan), and best breakthrough performance (Lawrence). Those are the same three nominations Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" grabbed last year in the ...

So how do you define “independent” again?

The nominees for Ifp’s 20th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards (which some refer to as the official start to awards season) were announced moments ago.

The Gotham Awards will be held on November 29th. More here: http://gotham.ifp.org.

Here’s the list of “Independent Film” nominees:

Best Feature

Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Blue Valentine

Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)

The Kids Are All Right

Lisa Cholodenko, director; Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Jordan Horowitz, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann, producers (Focus Features)

Let Me In

Matt Reeves, director; Simon Oakes, Alex Brunner, Guy East, Tobin Armbrust, Donna Gigliotti, John Nording, Carl Molinder, producers (Overture Films)

Winter’s Bone

Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions...

The nominees for the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced today by the Independent Filmmaker Project. Twenty-six films were nominated across six categories. The selections were chosen by 20 film critics, journalists, and curators. The awards ceremony will be held on Nov. 29 in Manhattan. Previous winners for Best Feature include "The Hurt Locker" (2009), "Into the Wild" (2007), and "Capote" (2005).In addition to the film awards, career tributes will be given to actors Robert Duvall and Hilary Swank, director Darren Aronofsky, and Focus Features CEO James Schamus. The nominees are as follow:Best Feature "Black Swan"Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)"Blue Valentine"Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)"The Kids Are All Right"Lisa Cholodenko, director;  Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Jordan Horowitz, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann, producers (Focus Features)"Let Me In"Matt Reeves,...

Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone" led the nominations for the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, which were announced this afternoon. "Bone" took three nominations, including best feature, best ensemble performance (for Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Kevin Breznahan), and best breakthrough performance (Lawrence). In the best feature category, the film was joined by Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," Derek Cianfrance's "Blue Valentine," Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids ...

Empire have posted an exclusive new clip from Artificial Eye’s Winter’s Bone, an adaptation of the 2006 novel by Daniel Woodrell.

Directed by Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival where it picked up the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film, subsequently leading to it’s UK distribution.

Winter’s Bone features performances from Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt and Dale Dickey.

Ree Dolly (Lawrence), a 17-year-old girl, is the sole responsible “adult” in her impoverished Ozark family. She finds herself forced to track her fugitive father, a longtime crystal meth maker, through the most hardcore of the local criminal network after she learns that he has put their home up as his bail bond. She will have to endure a series of harrowing encounters and experiences before she uncovers the mystery of her dad’s disappearance and sees...

Artificial Eye have just sent us the brand new trailer for Winter’s Bone which is based on the book by Daniel Woodrell. The movie is directed by Debra Granik and stars Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Sheryl Lee, Lauren Sweetser and Tate Taylor.

It’s set for release 17th September in the UK.

Synopsis: 17 year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) embarks on a mission to find her father in the stark and hostile landscape of the Ozark Woods, Missouri. Having used the family home as leverage to secure bail and then disappearing without a trace, Ree’s father has left his family with nothing but the prospect of eviction. As carer for a sick mother and two young siblings, Ree realises that her only option is to track down her father — or his body – in order to save the house from repossession and secure her family’s future.

Director Debra Granik's new film Winter's Bone will be released on DVD and Blu-ray October 26. The standard DVD will be priced at $27.98 Srp with the Bd priced at $29.99 Srp. You can take a look at the cover art for both releases and the special features below. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey and Garret Dillahunt.

After her deadbeat father jumps bail and mysteriously disappears, 17-year-old Ree Dolly must find a way to track him down or she'll be left without a home or custody of her two young siblings. To avoid losing everything, Ree must hack through the lies and threats looming everywhere in her rural town to piece together the dangerous truth about her father - without getting herself killed - in this taut, pulse-pounding thriller.

Special Features:

Deleted scenesAudio Commentary with Director Debra Granik and Cinematographer Michael McDonough"The Making of Winter's Bone...

Directed by: Debra Granik

Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell (novel)

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Shelley Waggener, Lauren Sweetser

Jessup Dolly has had a long history with meth amphetamines in the small community of the Ozark Mountains. The man's a cooker, and a good one; as such, he's cultivated a deep involvement with the criminal underground of his small impoverished town.

He's also disappeared while out on bond. His daughter, Ree Dolly, soon finds that her dad had used their ancestral home as collateral for bail. If she can't find her father, alive or dead, then the small family - which includes her two young siblings and her nearly catatonic mother - will be put out of their home and onto the street with barely a dollar to their names.

While Jessup was an addict and a criminal, Ree has kept herself clean.

John Hawkes on playing Teardrop in Winter's BoneJohn Hawkes is one of those actors that might not have the name recognition of the A-list Hollywood elite, but his performances have certainly created a lasting career in and out of the Hollywood system. From big screen performances in films like Identity, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miami Vice and American Gangster along with roles like Sol Starr in Deadwood and Dustin Powers in Eastbound & Down, Hawkes is certainly a diverse performer in a variety of different genres. Hawkes returns to the silver screen this weekend playing the rugged character Teardrop in the new film Winter's Bone, which opens in limited release on June 11. I recently had the chance to speak with this talented actor over the phone and here's what he had to say.

Can you talk about your first reactions to this script and how you came across this project?...

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Photo: Roadside Attractions Winter's Bone was acquired by Roadside Attractions out of Sundance and has been set for a June 11 release and today the official site has released a first look at the poster (which you see to the right), the New York Times debuted the trailer (which is at the bottom of this article) and Roadside has delivered 12 new images from the film.

Directed by Debra Granik, marking her second feature film, Winter's Bone is an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's novel centering on 17 year-old Ree Dolly, played by Jennifer Lawrence whom anyone who saw last year's The Burning Plain will remember as Kim Basinger's teenaged daughter. Ree sets out to track down her father, who put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared. If she fails, Ree and her family will be turned out into the Ozark woods. Challenging...

In indie film, we have new images from two Roadside Attractions releases. First up - Winter's Bone debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is helmed by Debra Ganik who adapts alongside Anne Rosellini based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell. The film won two awards at Sundance - The Grand Jury Prize (dramatic) as well as the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Kevin Breznahan, Isaiah Stone and Shelley Waggener. It's a limited release June 11, 2010, but definitely worth viewing. Make sure you read our review (5/5). Next up, there are three new images in from "Princess Kaiulani" starring Q'orianka Kilcher, Barry Pepper, Will Patton, Shaun Evans and Jimmy Yuill. The Marc Forby-helmed and written drama opens May 14th in limited areas...

Wow, we made it, and to think this is just the early round of Oscar consideration. By the time we hit the November time frame this list of 87 total films will most likely be whittled down to what I assume will be about 30 or so titles of actual contenders. The real question is just how many from this preliminary list will be left standing once we get to that point? 20? 15? Less?

No matter, this is all for fun anyway as well as taking a moment to introduce you to a few films you may not have known were coming out this year. After all, isn't it better to be "in the know" so you can impress your friends?

In today's fourth and final installment we have the final 13 individual films to make my preliminary list followed by the ten films I can currently see as Animated Feature Film contenders as...

link: http://makingof.com/posts/watch/1297/the-cast-of-winter-s-bone

Director Debra Granik's film "Winter's Bone" won big last month at the Sundance Film Festival. Not only did the independent movie secure distribution with Roadside Attractions, it also was awarded the dramatic competition grand jury prize. The ensemble cast sat down with MakingOf to share how they got involved with the project, what filming in the Ozarks was like and how they each connected with Granik and their characters.

The film, which tells the story of an Ozark Mountain girl who hunts down her missing father in hopes of saving their home, was adapted from the Daniel Woodrell novel of the same name. The cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Tate Taylor, Casey MacLaren, Cody Brown and Charlotte Lucas.

To watch the full interview click here

To watch an exclusive interview with director Debra Granik click...

Not all of the great film festivals are outside of the U.S. Even if you can’t book a ticket to Cannes or Berlin, you should be able to afford a flight out to Austin, Texas for SXSW, which is a festival for not only movies, but music and video games as well. Like the years before, the line-up for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival is the goods. Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass will open up the fest and then there will be other great-looking films throughout including The Duplass Brothers’ Cyrus, SNL’s hard-r adaptation of MacGruber, Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, and Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways, just to name a few. If you’re going to this year’s SXSW, let me know so I can steal your identity and go in your place.

The 2010 SXSW Film Festival will run from March 12-20. Check out the...

Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.

With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.

Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.

Check out the full list...

Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.

This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.

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The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.

Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).

Headliners

Big names, big talent:  Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...

One month, 280 films and 70,000 words later, my guide to the films of 2010 is now complete. I hope you've enjoyed reading it all - it's been utterly exhausting but an ultimately rewarding venture I've been single-handedly pulling together since early December. If you have liked it, my only request is that you help spread the word about it now that it's all done.

If you're a fellow blogger or site owner, please give it a plug on your site. If you're a reader, give it a mention on Facebook, Twitter or other online places you might venture. A lot of effort went into this, the greatest reward so far has been seeing it talked about and hearing your reactions. I'm glad many of you have gotten a lot of use out of the previous pages, so I hope you enjoy this final part:

Vincere

Opens: 2010

Cast: Filippo Timi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Corrado Invernizzi,...

Welcome to a new series here at Cinematical where we'll shine a spotlight on different films premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in January.

With two weeks until the 2010 Sundance Film Festival officially launches, we're trying our best to give you a more intimate taste of the festival by showcasing not only some of the films premiering this year, but also the directors behind them. Next up in our exclusive series is Winter's Bone, from director Debra Granik. Back in 2004, Granik premiered her debut feature, Down to the Bone, at the Sundance Film Festival, and now she's back several years later with another unique story about a female protagonist struggling to fight the odds stacked against her.

Winter's Bone will premiere in the Us Dramatic Competition category at Sundance, and it stars Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Kevin Breznahan, Tate Taylor, Casey MacLaren, Cody Brown and Charlotte Lucas.

Photo: Sundance Today the Sundance Institute announced the films that will be in competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in both the U.S. and International dramatic and documentary categories. The festival will run from January 21-31 in Park City, Utah. There are a few changes this year as there will be no opening-night picture and the festival will take select festival films to eight cities during as the fest plays out.

Last year notable films such as this year's major Oscar contenders Precious and An Education debuted at Sundance 2009 as did audience and critical favorite (500) Days of Summer.

As for this year's crop I have highlighted a few titles among the list below in red, but I have primarily done so considering the names attached to the pictures not necessarily based on any advanced buzz I've heard around any of the films. Names to look out for include Ryan Gosling,...

Although the Sundance Film Festival might have tried to wring some extra sunshine from its selections last year, the 2010 lineup looks to be back to its typical mirthless self. One could say it has gone from "You gotta give 'em hope" to "You gotta give 'em mope."

"That's our filmmakers," festival director John Cooper said with an amused mix of pride and resignation. "There's some lightness in here somewhere."

Yes, it's wedged back behind the assassinations, political corruption, war carnage, crumbling educational system and Khmer Rouge revelations. The fest, which runs Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah, might start to feel like 11 Days of Glummer.

But perhaps that's to be expected. The implosion of the independent distribution system amid the ever-present threats of a maimed economy and two wars has provided festival organizers and filmmakers an opportunity to cut loose and follow their probing passions,...