News

"If we don't win, I lose everything..." An official trailer has debuted for an indie comedy titled First One In, marking the feature directorial debut of writer / director Gina O'Brien. The film is about a woman who tries to get hired as a real estate agent, but must be a tennis pro to land the job. "During the day in tennis clubs across America, millions of women gather to hit balls at each other. I'm one of them," O'Brien says. "We wear trendy outfits, visors, and elbow and knee braces. We drink coconut water and eat protein bars and take acetaminophen. We are middle-aged women of all shapes, sizes, and athletic ability. Our personal lives may differ from one another, but on some 250,000 courts in the U.S., we're all tennis players. Many of us aren't good, but the competition is as fierce as the pros, sort of, and it's fun material for a screenplay.

Vertical Entertainment has picked up the North American distribution rights to Breaking Fast, a romantic comedy from first-time writer/director Mike Mosallam. The film stars Haaz Sleiman (The Visitor), Michael Cassidy (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Amin El Gamal (Good Trouble). Set to screen at the upcoming Outfest Film Festival, the pic is set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood and follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars –the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan– meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye. Producers are Seth Hauer, Sarah Bazzi, Alex Lampsos, Davin Michaels, and Bay Dariz under his Minutehand Pictures label. Breaking Fast premiered earlier this year at the CineQuest Film Festival is slated for release in US theaters and on VOD early next year.

• Meg Ryan and Kara Hayward are joining Kiernan Shipka in Fan Girl. The film follows a 15-year-old post-Millennial teenager who combines her passions—making movies and idolizing her favorite band—in a final film project. Paul Jarrett is making his directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical film. Gina O'Brien wrote the script. The film also stars Scott Adsit, Joshua Boone, and Bill Sage. All Time Low will lend their music to the soundtrack and will appear as themselves. Jarrett, Nick Huston, and Adam Spielberg in association with Rosetta Films, Filament Productions and Literally Films are producing. O'Brien and Jonathan Gray are executive producing.

Premieres

To showcase the diversity of contemporary independent cinema, this section offers the latest work from American and international directors and world premieres of highly anticipated films.

Adventureland / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Greg Mottola)

In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader. World premiere

Brooklyn's Finest / U.S. (Director: Antoine Fuqua; screenwriter: Michael C. Martin)

After enduring vastly different career paths, three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location. Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin. World premiere

Earth Days / U.S. (Director: Robert Stone)

The history of our environmental undoing through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement. World premiere, closing-night film

Endgame / U.K. (Director: Pete Travis; screenwriter: Paula Milne)

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