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Former Pixar layout artist Colin Levy — whose credits include Inside Out, Monsters University, and Finding Dory — will make his feature directorial debut on The Rift.

Variety reports that Kaylee Kaneshiro (“Legacies”), Anna Akana (“A Million Little Things”) and Braxton Fannin (“Law & Order: Organized Crime”) will star in the sci-fi horror film.

It follows five surviving members of a cult who reunite for a weekend retreat in the remote desert, hoping to find closure. But when prophecies of their former leader start to come true, they question whether he was right all along.

Brandon Botta & Casey Tollett Botta (“MacGyver”) penned the script, which was discovered through Roadmap Writers, a platform that connects emerging writers with industry professionals.

“The Rift ignites the curious, inner-child part of me that’s still searching for answers,” said Levy. “I hope to honor what the Bottas have crafted — a sharp, reality-bending pressure cooker that explores...

“The Rift,” a sci-fi horror feature from producer Frank Ponce (“The Line”) and director Colin Levy (“Skywatch”), has locked its principal cast with filming set to commence this July in New Mexico, it was unveiled at the Cannes Film Market.

The project will star Kaylee Kaneshiro, known for her work in “Legacies,” alongside Anna Akana (“Jupiter’s Legacy”) and Braxton Fannin (“If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing”).

Penned by Casey and Brandon Botta, the narrative follows estranged cult survivors who reunite in the remote desert hoping for closure only to discover the prophecy they once fled may be coming true. The screenplay was discovered through Roadmap Writers, a platform connecting emerging writers with industry professionals.

Ponce, who produces through his Rabbit Hole Films banner, described the script as “the most chilling and emotionally resonant genre script I’ve read in years,” adding: “We’re assembling a dream cast and crew to bring...

Circle of Confusion, the talent management and production company behind “The Walking Dead,” has joined production and finance outfit Carte Blanche and Roadmap Writers’ genre screenwriting competition.

Josh Dove at Circle is handling their side of the partnership alongside Kyle Stroud and Frank Ponce at Carte Blanche and Joey Tuccio and Dorian Connelley at Roadmap Writers.

Carte Blanche will be greenlighting and fully financing at least one genre film. The script will have no more than five characters and five locations, and will focus on a contained, character-driven story. “Timecrimes,” “Buried,” “Monsters,” “Locke,” “Another Earth” and “Oxygen” serve as artistic inspiration.

The competition’s jury consists of producer Liz Cardenas (“7 Days”), Carolina Groppa, who is the executive in charge of production at Issa Rae’s ColorCreative, Giselle Johnson of Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems and Pixar alumnus Colin Levy, who is currently developing sci-fi series “Skywatch” for Peacock. They will decide the top three scripts,...

Exclusive: Kyle Stroud and Frank Ponce of production and finance outfit Carte Blanche, which has credits including Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, are partnering with Joey Tuccio and Dorian Connelley’s Roadmap Writers to launch a genre screenwriting competition.

Carte Blanche will greenlight and finance at least one feature that comes through the initiative at a budget of sub-1M, though this figure could be increased depending on the elements involved such as cast.

Scripts should have no more than five characters and five locations, and will focus on a contained, character-driven story. Projects including Timecrimes, Buried, and Monsters are all cited as comps, the producers said.

The competition’s jury will consist of producer Liz Cardenas of A24’s A Ghost Story, Carolina Groppa, who is in charge of production at Issa Rae’s ColorCreative, Giselle Johnson of Sony/Screen Gems (Don’t Breathe), and Pixar alumni Colin Levy.

The classic 1977 action comedy “Smokey and the Bandit” is getting the TV treatment.

Ucp, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door are teaming to develop a series based on the Burt Reynolds movie.

The series is being written by “Pineapple Express” director David Gordon Green and regular collaborator Brian Sides. MacFarlane and Green are both executive producing.

“Smokey and the Bandit” is an epic adventure of family, small-town crime, unlikely heroes, legend and legacy. Inspired by the genre of 70s and 80s drive-in double-features, the series will “explore the crossroads where humble realities meet those larger-than-life, all in a blast of tailpipe exhaust.”

The original film was produced by Universal Pictures and starred Reynolds, who passed away just over two years ago, in the iconic role of Bo “Bandit” Darville. Bandit was payed to bootleg 400 cases of Coors beer across the country from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Tip “T.I.” Harris are teaming up to bring NYPD’s first hip-hop cop to CBS All Access.

Actor/rapper Harris (House of Lies, Boss) will star in the streamer’s potential drama Twenty Four Seven, based on the book Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First “Hip-Hop Cop” by Derrick Parker and Matt Diehl, our sister site Deadline reports. Parker (played by Harris) worked on some of the biggest criminal cases in rap history, including the shooting at Club New York...

Former Pixar artist Colin Levy's dystopian sci-fi short film Skywatch is being adapted for TV thanks to Peacock, with Upc and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door producing. Upc and Peacock recently landed the rights to the short, which they'll use to pitch the series. The short, which features a brief appearance by Jude Law, revolves around a teen with impressive…...

A “Skywatch” series based on the viral short film of the same name is being developed for Peacock by Ucp and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door.

The short was made by Colin Levy and has racked up over a million views since December. Ucp and Peacock got the rights to the short, which they’ll use as a proof-of-concept for the series, in a competitive situation.

The subsequent series is described as the following: “When an outcast teen hacks into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to pull a prank on his school bully, he accidentally crashes a dangerous prototype – and finds himself entangled in a life-and-death conspiracy.”

Levy will direct “Skywatch,” and will write and executive produce with Mike Sundy. MacFarlane and Erica Huggins will executive produce for Fuzzy Door, with Andre Danylevich for Lightning Hill Pictures, and Jon Huddle and Russell Hollander for Fourth Wall Management. Ucp, a division of Universal Studio Group,...

A dystopian sci-fi project from a former Pixar employee has landed at Peacock with Ucp and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door producing.

The streamer is adapting Skywatch, based on a short film written and directed by ex-Pixar artist Colin Levy, into a series after landing the rights in a competitive situation.

Skywatch started out as a ten-minute short film, which featured a brief appearance from Jude Law and was six years in the making with some Kickstarter contributions.

It tells the story of an outcast teen, who hacks into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to pull a prank on his school bully, he accidentally crashes a dangerous prototype – and finds himself entangled in a life-and-death conspiracy. You can watch the film below.

Levy, who has worked on films including Inside Out and Finding Dory, and his fellow Pixar colleague Mike Sundy co-wrote a feature script based on the short film and Ucp,...

Former Pixar artist Colin Levy’s sci-fi proof of concept short “Skywatch” is being adapted into an original series for NBCUniversal streamer Peacock.

In a competitive situation, Ucp and Peacock landed the rights to Levy’s project. The series will be written and executive produced by Levy and Mike Sundy, with Levy attached to direct. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins will exec produce on behalf of Fuzzy Door. Also exec producing are Lightning Hill Pictures’ Andre Danylevich and Fourth Wall Management’s Jon Huddle and Russell Hollander. Universal Studio Group’s Ucp is the studio.

The original 10-minute short, written and directed by Levy and produced by Danylevich, was a passion project funded via Kickstarter that took six years to create, with the help of volunteer artists led by VFX Supervisor Sandro Blattner. It featured Uriah Shelton, Zach Callison and a cameo by Jude Law. Levy and Sundy co-wrote a...

Seth MacFarlane continues to add to his slate of projects at NBCUniversal.

Universal Studio Group’s Ucp and Peacock have landed rights to viral short film Skywatch in a competitive situation, The 10-minute proof of concept short, written and directed by former Pixar artist Colin Levy, was created over six years with help from volunteer artists, led by VFX supervisor Sandro Blattner, and a Kickstarter campaign (and features a brief appearance by Jude Law). MacFarlane will executive produce via his Fuzzy Door Productions.

Skywatch centers on a teenager who hacks into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to play a prank on ...

Seth MacFarlane continues to add to his slate of projects at NBCUniversal.

Universal Studio Group’s Ucp and Peacock have landed rights to viral short film Skywatch in a competitive situation, The 10-minute proof of concept short, written and directed by former Pixar artist Colin Levy, was created over six years with help from volunteer artists, led by VFX supervisor Sandro Blattner, and a Kickstarter campaign (and features a brief appearance by Jude Law). MacFarlane will executive produce via his Fuzzy Door Productions.

Skywatch centers on a teenager who hacks into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to play a prank on ...

"Initiate Project_Osprey." Skywatch is a fun, gripping sci-fi short film that is worth a quick watch. This is made by independent filmmaker Colin Levy, who previously worked at Pixar as a Camera & Staging Artist before jumping full-time into filmmaking himself. Skywatch isn't just a clever short, it's also a showcase for budding filmmakers. Levy also released a video that explains how they were able to get Jude Law to appear in their film. He's only there for a few seconds at the end, but it's a nice cameo and adds some gravitas to this project. Sometimes this kind of big name helps filmmakers get the attention they need to break in. Both videos are worth a watch, to see the short they made and a deep dive into how they made it. Skywatch is set in the near future when drone delivery is commonplace and some hacker kids take...

It’s very rare that we cover short films on /Film these days, but when one as impressive as Skywatch comes along, we’re happy to make an exception. The sci-fi thriller short is the brainchild of independent filmmaker Colin Levy, who left his job at Pixar Animation Studios to finish his short about two teen hackers […]

The post ‘Skywatch’: Incredible VFX and an A-List Cameo Bolster This Impressive Sci-Fi Short Film appeared first on /Film.

Exclusive: Now in its 31st year, the American Pavilion is moving with the times and bringing inclusion and representation to the forefront with its showcase of films by emerging filmmakers. This year, 29 films will make their debut on the Croisette. The global stories include 17 female directors, six documentaries and 11 Lgbtq narratives that are relevant to the times.

The new films will be featured in five showcases: Student Short Films, Student Documentaries, Emerging Filmmaker Short Films, Emerging Filmmaker Documentaries and Emerging Filmmaker Lgbtq Showcase Films. All are part of the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase series. Some of the films feature actors including M. Emmet Walsh, Wallace Langham, Michelle Davidson, among others.

“We have such great diversity amongst the films and international filmmakers, with more than half of this year’s films directed or co-directed by women,...

Film and animation maker Colin Levy, who currently works at Pixar Animation Studios as a camera and staging artist, was the recipient of the YoungArts award at the age of 19. It’s a talent-based scholarship program that spans the performing, visual and literary arts. The honor was presented to him in New York City by none other than Martin Scorsese. Levy was also given the opportunity to meet with Scorsese one on one, enjoy a personal tour of his office and check out his editing bays (where he met longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker). Levy describes meeting with the director: "Martin Scorsese was intimidating, to say the least. But very jovial, very talkative, and he took me seriously. (Or convinced me, at least.) I pretty much kept my mouth shut. Every...

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You may have heard this one before: several years ago a young filmmaker (Colin Levy) wrote to Martin Scorsese asking which films he should see in order to broaden his cinematic horizons. Much to his surprise, the director answered him and provided a list, through his assistant, of 39 essential foreign films to watch – or as many are calling it, the 39 films you should see before you die. It’s been making the rounds over the last few years, but because it originated on Reddit, its authenticity was questioned. Well, Levy retweeted Cinephilia & Beyond, who reposted the list today, and that's as good an excuse as any to share it as well. As you’d imagine, it’s a terrific list for cinephiles, or anyone looking to begin or broaden their film education. Naturally, many of these films are already part of The Criterion Collection, but there’s bound to be...

Why Watch? You can’t see this short film on YouTube anymore. As reported at Cartoon Brew, Sony had it taken down from the site despite zero Sony-made images or sounds appearing in it. Fortunately, you can still watch Sintel online in all its CGI glory. Directed by Pixar animator Colin Levy, it follows a tragic, obsessed warrior who is on the hunt for a dragon. Not to kill it, but to save it. Even at four years old, the animation resonates, and the story resounds powerfully. Like most action shorts, it begins with a balletic fight scene proving our hero’s dominance, but unlike most action shorts, it heads in an uneasy direction marked by ferocity of purpose and the blindness of loyalty. Such is this adventurer’s hamartia. What Will It Cost? About 13 minutes. A New Short Film Every Weekday...

Sintel Short Film. Colin Levy‘s Sintel (2010) short film stars Thom Hoffman and Halina Reijn. Sintel‘s plot synopsis: “The film follows a girl named Sintel who is searching for a baby dragon she calls Scales. A flashback reveals that Sintel found Scales with its wing injured and helped care for it, forming a close [...]

Continue reading: Sintel (2010) Short Film: Halina Reijn Searches for Lost, Baby Dragon...

You've got to watch this fantastic CG animated fantasy short film called "Sintel." It was created using the free, open source 3D creation suite Blender. I was really impressed with what they pulled off. I also really liked that story. 

The film follows a girl named Sintel who is searching for a baby dragon she calls Scales. A flashback reveals that Sintel found Scales with its wing injured and helped care for it, forming a close bond with it. By the time its wing recovered and it was able to fly, Scales was caught by an adult dragon. Sintel has since embarked on a quest to rescue Scales, fending off beasts and warriors along the way. She eventually comes across a cave housing an adult and baby dragon, the latter of which she believes to be Scales. 

The film has a sad ending, so I just wanted to prepare you for that.

Not all short films have to have impressive special effects to make them great. I love coming across short films, and we've featured a few that ended up getting picked up by studios. Some have been good, others have been mediocre. I still think there's a belief out there that special effects make a story better, I don't believe that. What makes a film great is a solid story and script. Sure, special effects give us some eye candy, but it's pointless if the story is shallow.

Here's an awesome live-action short film called The Secret Number with a solid story that doesn't rely on special effects. It was created over a period of two years by a team of young filmmakers from the Savannah College of Art and Design. It was directed by Colin Levy, and it's based on the short story by Igor Teper. It's a really refreshing...

Young filmmaker Colin Levy reached out to Martin Scorsese asking him for some film recommendations to further his cinematic education and Scorsese's assistant responded with the following list and a note that read: Mr. Scorsese asked that I send this your way. This should be a jump start to your film education! The list is comprised of 39 foreign films and I've gone through and put a little check mark next to those that I have personally seen, which, I guess, means I have 19 films I need to begin to explore. Of those I haven't seen, Rocco and His Brothers and Children of Paradise are two I've meant to watch for a long time. Rocco was one Francis Ford Coppola told me was one of his favorite films back when I interviewed him for Tetro and I've still yet to give it a watch. (slacking) According to the post from Colin at Reddit,...

I am a huge fan of short films but the problem is, there are 100 times more shorts made than features, therefor trying to figure out which are worth your time can be quite the chore. That is how the YoungCuts Film Festival can help. The event which kicks off tomorrow, showcases the very best student short films from around the world. So if you are in Montreal and are trying to find something productive to do with your rainy weekend, I highly recommend heading down to check it out. Here is all the info.

The Young Cuts Film Festival takes place at Guzzo Spheretech, 3500 Boul. Côte-Vertu. Here’s how to get there:

If you are going by Metro, get off at StationCôte-Vertu and take the 121 bus going West.

Tickets can be purchased at Guzzo Spheretech the day of the screenings or you can buy tickets or passes from our site...

Recently Michael Ryan joined the Sound On Sight team, helping us out with our Fantasia Film Festival coverage, and well he has been pretty much a blessing. What people don’t know is that Michael is also the is the Festival Director for the YoungCuts Film Festival. The fest is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the announcement of 2011’s Top 100 short films by the world’s best young filmmakers 25 and under. Oasis HD will present the films at Montreal’s Guzzo Spheretech theatres from Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd.

Here is the press release:

The Festival starts with a free screening 1Pm on Friday, presented as part of les Journées de la Culture. Featuring films by young Quebec filmmakers, the opening screening is designed to show high school students the kinds of films that they can aspire to produce at the Cegep level.

Virgin Radio 96 presents the festival...

Blender Foundation has officially premiered its independently produced short film Sintel online for your viewing enjoyment.  The project was initially funded by thousands of Internet donors of the Blender community, and later backed by the Netherlands Film Fund, to showcase the capabilities of the free, open source 3D animation suite Blender.  The beautiful 15-minute short, about a lonely girl on a quest to find her pet dragon, was created by an international group of artists called the Durian team and directed by Colin Levy.

Watch the film below or check out the official Sintel website to download the short or pre-order the 4 DVD set with extra, a documentary, and the ability to re-create and re-render the film yourself.

Blender Foundation has officially premiere online its independently produced animated short Sintel. 

This independent production was financed by the Blender community, supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, CineGrid Amsterdam, and with sponsorship from several international companies. The primary aim of the film is to showcase what Blender, an open source 3D animation package, is capable of but if the previous efforts of the Blender studio are anything to go by we can expect the results to be very entertaining indeed.

The script was inspired by a number of story suggestions by Martin Lodewijk around a Cinderella character (Cinder in Dutch is "Sintel"). Screenwriter Esther Wouda then worked with director Colin Levy to create a script with multiple layers, with strong characterization and dramatic impact as central goals.

In the film we meet a lonely girl - spoken by Halina Reijn - who is saved on a barren snowfield by a...