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The dark comedy Hippo is unlike any other film, but it's also business as usual for Eric Roberts and Eliza Roberts. The two actors have been partners both on and off-screen for decades. In Hippo. Eliza stars as the mother Ethel, while Eric provides the distinctive narration for this story told entirely in black and white.

In an interview with Cbr, Eliza and Eric spoke about reuniting with Hippo director/co-writer Mark H. Rapaport for this quirky coming of age film, and working on the same project without being in the same scene. They also talked about what makes their professional dynamic work as well as their personal one, and looked back at their extensive credits. Plus, would Eric be interested in returning to Frasier with the revival being a hit with fans?

Cbr: You had previously worked with Hippo director and co-writer Mark H. Rapaport on another movie. So...

An unusual family lives an unusual life in Mark H. Rapaport’s Hippo, one of the stranger films that has played at the Fantasia Film Festival. Rapaport drops us into a suburban dystopic home where society’s rules don’t seem to apply, and no subject is too taboo to elicit nervous laughter. Hippo (Kimball Farley) and his Hungarian adopted sister Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger) share a troubling relationship with each other and their mother, Ethel (Eliza Roberts), as they approach adulthood wholly unprepared for the world outside their doors. A young man on the verge of adulthood, Hippo is an odd duck. He spends his days playing video games, bossing around his mother, and searching for automatic weapons on the internet. It’s the late ‘90s, two of these...

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At long last, Mark H. Rapaport's darkly comedic and disturbing feature directorial debut Hippo is finally reaching theaters over a year after its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival. Ahead of its limited release, Collider is excited to share an exclusive sneak peek highlighting the troubling relationship between step-siblings Hippo and Buttercup, played by Kimball Farley and Lilla Kizlinger respectively. The monochrome film is their twisted coming-of-age story, exploring how they approach life outside the confines of society with their mother. Their bond is described as akin to a Greek myth, with the devout Hungarian Catholic immigrant Buttercup practically worshipping the ground that her video-game-addicted brother walks on, even though he's more interested in ruling over their home.

“It would be good for you to socialize with someone. Even the pedophiles!”

Such is the timeless maternal advice that Ethel (Eliza Roberts) offers her stunted adolescent son, known only as Hippo (Kimball Farley), with the hopes of getting him out of the house for a few hours. The unremarkable young man is typically laser-focused on playing Nintendo 64, masturbating against his own stuffed hippopotamus, and drinking milk that he despises because he values bone density above all else. It’s the kind of reclusive existence that causes even his legal guardian to wonder if being molested would be that much of a social downgrade.

But protecting her kids from pedophiles has never been Ethel’s strong suit. The time that she devotes to discussing hypothetical pedophiles at the local pool would be far better spent looking into the very real pedophile that her stepdaughter has invited into their home. The...

The critically acclaimed Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice — which the former president has repeatedly denounced — is heading to cinemas in a somewhat surprising place: Russia.

The film, written by veteran Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman and directed by rising Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi, has landed a Russian distribution deal and is scheduled to open on 800 screens across the country on Friday. Moscow-based distributor Arna Media is handling the release after acquiring the local rights to the film last month from U.K. sales agent Rocket Science. Sources close to the film say that only modest cuts were required to get the movie into Russia.

The Russia release plan stands somewhat in contrast to the real Donald Trump’s reportedly cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has drastically curtailed any artistic expression he deems unwelcome to his regime’s interests. Moscow has raided concerts and fined musicians who have...

"Let us bear humble witness." Kinematics has debuted a trailer for a weird little indie film called Hippo, a kooky creation from filmmaker Mark H. Rapaport as his feature debut. It premiered at last year's Fantasia Film Festival and it also played at the Calgary Underground Film Festival earlier this year. Hippo, a peculiar adolescent, and his Hungarian step-sister Buttercup struggle to come of age in late 90s America, under the roof of a mother who has been institutionalized at least once. Reviews describe the film as "an avant-garde sex comedy that unleashes the quirks of Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch to their weirdest extents." Huh. Adding that it also "doesn't hold back in exploring taboo subjects... yet offering riotous laughter through the characters' absurdity." The indie film stars Kimball Farley, Lilla Kizlinger, Eliza Roberts, and Eric Roberts. This definitely won't be for everyone, but adventurous cinema nerds should check it out anyway.

Hippo examines the coming-of-age of two step-siblings: Hippo, a video-game addicted teenager and Buttercup, a Hungarian Catholic immigrant with a love of classical music and Jesus. Like the Ancient Greek Aphrodite, Buttercup’s love is unrequited by a brother who prefers to indulge the art of war and chaos. The result is a hormone-fueled, tragicomic waking nightmare that must be seen to be believed. Mark H. Rapaport's comedy drama, Hippo, is coming the theaters on November 12th. Hippo premiered at Fantasia last Summer, where Josh and I caught it. I couldn't quite explain what I had witnessed at the time, but Josh could, which is why he reviewed it and has been quoted in the official trailer. Take a look for yourself down below and...

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The timely and improbably nuanced Donald Trump origins movie, The Apprentice, almost didn’t make it to cinemas in time for the U.S. presidential election. For much of the past year, in fact, the film appeared to be falling victim to the very same Trumpian tactics of ruthless media manipulation that it seeks to scrutinize.

The Apprentice received rave reviews and an 8-minute standing ovation after its Cannes Film Festival premiere in May. Simultaneously, though, reports emerged that the film’s principal financier, Kinematics — founded by producer Mark Rapaport, son-in-law of the billionaire and known Trump donor Dan Snyder — had objections to a pivotal scene in the movie where a young Donald rapes his then-wife Ivana Trump. Days later, Trump’s real-life lawyers filed a cease and desist letter threatening to sue the producers and any future distributors of The Apprentice.

Given the film’s content, the meta nature...

The Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival (Shiff) is set to return to the historic towns of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, New York, from October 10 to 13, 2024. Nestled in the heart of America’s supernatural folklore, the festival promises an eclectic mix of premieres, tributes, and exclusive screenings, all designed to celebrate genre cinema in the birthplace of Washington Irving’s legendary tales.

This year’s Shiff boasts a line-up that will appeal to both classic cinema enthusiasts and fans of the supernatural. Among the highlights is a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. To mark this occasion, D23—The Official Disney Fan Club—will guide festival-goers through an enchanting event filled with rare behind-the-scenes footage, special guests, and surprises that aim to bring Disney nostalgia to life.

Adding to the festivities is a tribute to iconic director Tim Burton, with a 30th-anniversary...

The first trailer for the Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan as the businessman and former U.S. president, has been released. The film follows Trump’s rise to fame and his time learning from influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong.

According to the logline, the film is “a dive into the underbelly of the American empire.” Director Ali Abbasi’s feature, written by Gabe Sherman, also stars Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump and Martin Donovan as Fred Trump Sr. The film premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

Set in 1970s America, the film centers around Trump’s relationship with Cohn, who served as Senator Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel during the Army-McCarthy hearings. Cohn was thrust into the limelight as a prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice at the espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, leading...

Though Donald Trump was the one who hosted “The Apprentice,” Ali Abbasi’s new film turns him into the apprentice.

After Trump hosted the reality series of the same name, director Abbasi is putting his own twist on the title for a buzzy festival feature biopic starring Sebastian Stan as the controversial businessman turned infamous U.S. president.

In the first trailer for the film, we see Trump taking a “Faustian deal” with right-wing lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) starting in the late ’70s and early ’80s, grooming him into the politician he would become today. According to the synopsis, “Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé — someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.” Trump’s marriage to Ivana Trump (Maria Bakalova) and relationship with his family including Fred Trump Sr. (Martin Donovan) are also fictionalized onscreen.

The film...

The Apprentice filmmakers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to ensure Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump film, one of the hottest tickets in Telluride, reaches its widest audience when it opens less than one month before the US presidential election.

Crowdfunding campaign ‘Release The Apprentice’ comes days after it was confirmed that Briarcliff Entertainment has set an October 11 US release for the dramatised account of Trump’s formative relationship with mentor Roy Cohn. Trump contests the election with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on November 5.

Donations will mostly be funnelled into marketing costs to support the feature, which reportedly cost in the region of $16m to make.

The producers of The Apprentice, the controversial Donald Trump biopic, are doing something unconventional as they are launching a Kickstarter to get the film a longer theatrical window. Directed by Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump and follows his early career during the '70s, particularly his working relationship with his mentor Roy Cohen played by Jeremy Strong. The Trump campaign has tried to block the film's release, particularly due to a scene of Trump sexually assaulting his then-wife Ivana Trump, played by Maria Bakalova.

While the Trump campaign has tried to halt the release of the movie, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the US theatrical distribution rights and has set The Apprentice for release on October 11, 2024. Meanwhile, StudioCanal has acquired the film's UK distribution. Due to some conflicts behind the scenes regarding the film's financiers, the producers of The Apprentice have now started a Kickstarter called "Release...

Here’s confirmation of news we’ve been inching towards for a while. Dan Snyder-backed Kinematics, one of the main financiers of upcoming Donald Trump movie The Apprentice, has exited the project.

James Shani’s Rich Spirit, an exec producer on the much-discussed film, has acquired Kinematics’ interest. Check out the statement below. A large chunk of the backstory is here. The film debuted at Cannes to good reviews and had its U.S. festival launch at Telluride this past weekend.

Today the film’s distributor Briarcliff released a first clip for the movie and the filmmakers launched a Kickstarter campaign to boost the film’s distribution. Still no sign of a Trump lawsuit over its release, as we have also been reporting. The film is being lined up for an October 11 launch stateside.

Statement from Kinematics today:

“Kinematics has closed a deal for James Shani’s Rich Spirit...

“The Apprentice,” the controversial Donald Trump biopic, has removed a major hurdle as it plots a fall theatrical release. Kinematics, which is owned by Dan Snyder, the billionaire former owner of the Washington Commanders, has closed a deal for James Shani’s Rich Spirit to acquire the company’s interest in the political drama. That’s important because Snyder, who is a Trump supporter, was reportedly furious about the film’s unflattering depiction of the real estate mogul and former president as a drug-abusing philanderer who was heavily influenced by disgraced attorney and fixer, Roy Cohn. Kinematics attributed its departure to “creative differences.” Shani’s company was one of the film’s other backers.

Financial terms of the equity sale were not disclosed. In a release touting the deal, Kinematics said it financed the film’s production and that its involvement was overseen by its founder, Mark Rapaport and its president,...

The producers and filmmakers behind “The Apprentice” are positioning their movie as the film that Donald Trump and corporate America don’t want you to see — and now they want your help so that more average Joes can see it. Specifically, they want your money.

Producers have launched a Kickstarter campaign in a bid to fuel the movie’s marketing, cover some anticipated legal fees, and hold more screenings. An individual with knowledge of the campaign told IndieWire a small percentage of the money raised will go to attorney fees, while the majority is going toward marketing. There are rewards for the financial support, including getting your names in the credits, getting to stream the film, or for some of the top backers, having dinner with the producers and getting invited to an eventual New York city premiere.

Generally speaking, promotion of a film mirrors the film’s production budget.

The controversial movie Donald Trump doesn’t want people to see is still being lined up for a pre-election release in the U.S.

The Apprentice, which made waves at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, is due for release stateside by Briarcliff, as we first reported. October 11 has been the date we’ve heard for a while now, but uncertainty has been fueled by a dispute with financier Kinematics, which is backed by Trump supporter Dan Snyder who reportedly took umbrage at the film’s depiction of the former Potus. The players have been inching towards a resolution and hopes are that it will be fully resolved in a matter of days.

The movie is due to roll out internationally from mid-late October with dates already set in multiple key markets. Last we heard, Kinematics was being bought out of the movie with its $5 million investment back and a premium of around $2M.

Exclusive: The movie Donald Trump doesn’t want people to see is going global.

While intrigue continues to surround the film’s U.S. release prospects, Cannes Competition title The Apprentice, about Trump’s rise to power, has been sold to key independent distributors in a host of international markets where demand has been strong.

International sales firm Rocket Science has set deals for the film’s release in Italy (Bim), Spain (Vertigo Films), Scandinavia (Nordisk), Benelux (The Searchers), Greece (Odeon), Portugal (Lusomundo), Eastern Europe (M2), Japan (Kino), Latin America (Sun), Israel (Lev Cinema), Airlines (Skeye) and Australia & New Zealand (Madman).

Deals were recently announced for UK (Studio Canal), France (Metropolitan) and Germany, Austria & Switzerland (Dcm). Mongrel is releasing in Canada via a pact sealed by producers.

Some of these deals were set before Cannes while others were inked on the Croisette where the film debuted last month to largely...

“The Apprentice,” a scathing portrait of a young Donald Trump, dominated the Cannes Film Festival, scoring with critics, sparking an eight-minute standing ovation and prompting a fiery response from the 45th president’s legal team.

But nearly two weeks after its “bigly” premiere, the film still doesn’t have a U.S. distributor. Despite strong reviews, feverish media attention, a red-hot director in Ali Abbasi and a starry cast that includes Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice” remains up for grabs.

Sources close to the dealmaking say there are several potential buyers in the mix representing both theatrical distributors and streamers, and new offers continue to trickle in. But one of those sources revealed that none of the major studios are bidding, including their specialty labels like the Disney-owned Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics or Focus, which is owned by Universal. Even some of the most daring indie distributors like Neon,...

One of the most anticipated moments of the 77th Cannes Film Festival finally arrived Monday night with the world premiere of the Donald Trump drama The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as a young version of the real estate mogul in his pre-maga days.

Only Francis Ford Coppola’s wildly ambitious swan song Megalopolis had inspired more pre-premiere chatter and curiosity at this year’s edition of the glamorous French film festival. Ahead of its unveiling, virtually no one had seen The Apprentice, as the movie reportedly was finished only days before its premiere.

Ali Abbasi, Stan, Martin Donovan and Maria Bakalova walked the Cannes red carpet for the premiere. Only Jeremy Strong, who plays notorious political fixer Roy Cohn in the film, was not in attendance.

Directed by acclaimed Iranian-Danish filmmaker Abbasi and written by Gabe Sherman, The Apprentice explores Donald Trump’s rise to power in 1980s America under...

Studiocanal has acquired UK and Ireland rights for Ali Abbasi’s Cannes Palme d’Or contender The Apprentice.

Billed as an exploration of the underbelly of U.S. politics, the biographical film stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, Jeremy Strong as firebrand Roy Cohn, Martin Donovan as Fred Trump Sr, and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump.

The film is produced by Daniel Bekerman for Scythia Films, Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde for Tailored Films, and Abbasi and Louis Tisné for Film Institute.

Executive Producers are Amy Baer, Mark H. Rapaport, Emanuel Nunez, Josh Marks, Grant S. Johnson, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross, Thorsten Schumacher, Niamh Fagan, Gabe Sherman, Lee Broda, James Shani, Andrew Frank and Greg Denny.

Rocket Science are handling International Sales on the project, which was financed by Kinematics, Head Gear Films, Screen Ireland, Film i Vast, The Danish Film Institute and National Bank of Canada.

Studiocanal has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Competition next week.

Rocket Science is handling international sales.

The company will release the film in UK-Ireland cinemas in 2024.

Directed by Border and Holy Spider filmmaker Abbasi and written by Gabe Sherman, The Apprentice charts a young Donald Trump’s rise to power through a Faustian deal with influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.

Sebastian Stan stars as Trump, with Jeremy Strong as Cohn, Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, and Martin Donovan as Fred Trump Sr.

The Apprentice is...

StudioCanal on Thursday unveiled the acquisition of Ali Abbasi’s Cannes competition entry The Apprentice for the U.K. and Ireland, with a release planned for later this year. The film is an exploration of Donald Trump’s rise to power in 1980s America.

Directed by Abbasi and written by Gabe Sherman, the film stars Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee and Berlin Silver Bear winner Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy) as Trump; Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award winner Jeremy Strong (Succession) as his firebrand mentor Roy Cohn; Martin Donovan (Tenet) as Fred Trump Sr.; and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) as Ivana Trump.

The Apprentice is “a dive into the underbelly of the American empire,” according to a plot description. “It charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.

The Apprentice film explores Trump's real estate beginnings and relationship with mentor Roy Cohn in a corrupt world. Sebastian Stan portrays a young Trump, with Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn. Maria Bakalova and Martin Donovan also star. The movie, premiering at Cannes, reveals Trump's rise before The Apprentice.

An early glimpse of Ali Abbasi's The Apprentice reveals Sebastian Stan portraying a young Donald Trump, with Jeremy Strong playing Roy Cohn, in an intriguing first-look image (via Vanity Fair). The upcoming film, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, is described as an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit. The film examines Trump's efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the '70s and '80s, also digging into his relationship with infamous attorney Cohn. Alongside Stan and Strong, Maria Bakalova and Martin Donovan also star,...

Sebastian Stan is continuing to be a master of disguise.

After portraying Tommy Lee in Hulu series “Pam and Tommy” and transforming via prosthetics for “A Different Man,” Stan is now taking on the role of a lifetime: Donald Trump. Stan leads “The Apprentice,” directed by “Border” and “Holy Spider” filmmaker Ali Abbasi from a script by Gabe Sherman.

“The Apprentice” is debuting at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in competition alongside buzzy features like Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” and David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.”

“The Apprentice” centers on Trump’s (Stan) rise to fame following what the official description calls a “Faustian deal” with right-wing lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Trump’s marriage to Ivana Trump (Maria Bakalova) and relationship with his family including Fred Trump Sr. (Martin Donovan) are also interrogated onscreen. The film...

The first-look image of Sebastian Stan as a young, pre-tv star and pre-president Donald Trump in buzzy upcoming biopic “The Apprentice” has been revealed.

Ali Abbasi’s feature — which has just been announced as part of the 2024 Cannes main competition — charts Trump’s ascent to power through what is described as a “Faustian deal” with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (seen in the still being portrayed by Jeremy Strong). As the synopsis reads, “‘The Apprentice’ is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire.”

The hot button film, written by Gabe Sherman and likely to cause a stir on both sides of the political fence, also stars Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump and Martin Donovan as Fred Trump Sr.

Producers include Daniel Bekerman for Scythia Films (Canada), Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures (Denmark), Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde for Tailored Films (Ireland), Abbasi and Louis Tisne...

Immediately off the back of its inclusion in the Cannes competition line-up, Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice has dropped a first look of Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn.

Billed as an exploration of power and ambition, set in a world of corruption and deceit, The Apprentice will examine Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, also digging into his relationship with infamous attorney Cohn. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of a major American dynasty. Filled with larger than life characters, it will reveal the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers.

Maria Bakalova is starring as Ivana Trump and Martin Donovan is Fred Trump Senior in the movie from Iranian-Danish director Abbasi, who most recently had Holy Spider in Cannes competition.

In the past hour,...

It’s official: Donald Trump — or at least a fictionalized version of him — is heading to Cannes.

The prestigious French film festival unveiled its 2024 official film selection Thursday in Paris, and Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice was among the titles revealed for the event’s main competition.

The biographical drama stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and explores his career as an aspiring real estate tycoon in the New York City of the 1970s and 1980s. The film is described as a mentor-protégé narrative that documents the start of an American dynasty and tackles themes including power, corruption and deception. It delves into the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn, the New York City prosecutor oft-remembered for working with Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.

The movie’s official logline reads: “The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young...

Exclusive: Martin Donovan (Special Ops: Lioness) will star alongside Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova in The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi’s indie that has Stan playing a young Donald Trump.

Donovan will play Trump’s father, Fred Trump Sr., who built a real estate fortune that was instrumental in his son’s rise. As we were first to report, Strong will portray infamous attorney Roy Cohn, with Bakalova as the younger Trump’s first wife, Ivana.

An exploration of power and ambition, set in a world of corruption and deceit, The Apprentice hinges on Donald Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, also digging into his relationship with the aforementioned Cohn. A mentor-protege story filled with larger-than-life characters, the film charts the origins of a major American dynasty and reveals the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers.

Sebastian Stan is set to portray a young Donald Trump in a movie from filmmaker Ali Abbasi.

The Apprentice began principal photography this week and features an ensemble cast that includes Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova. The film focuses on Trump as he builds his real estate business in New York City in the 1970s and ’80s, according to media reports.

Abbasi (Holy Spider) is directing from a script by Gabriel Sherman. The latter’s biography of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room, was the basis for Showtime’s 2019 miniseries The Loudest Voice that starred Russell Crowe.

The Apprentice is described as a mentor-protégé narrative that documents the start of an American dynasty and tackles themes including power, corruption and deception.

Producers of The Apprentice are Daniel Bekerman of Scythia Films, Jacob Jarek of Profile Pictures and Ruth Treacy of Taylored Films. Executive producing are Sherman,...

Hippo, directed by Mark H. Rapaport, is an avant-garde sex comedy that unleashes the quirks of Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch to their weirdest extents. The film takes place in the mid-'90s and revolves around a deeply troubled family, tackling subjects like narcissism, sexual urges, and unconventional education. Hippo doesn't hold back in exploring taboo subjects like incest, making viewers feel uncomfortable yet offering riotous laughter moments through the characters' absurdity.

Imagine if Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch got together to make a sex comedy, given free rein to unleash all of their quirks to their fullest, weirdest extents. That might give you an idea of what you're in for when you watch Hippo, written and directed by Mark H. Rapaport.

It's certainly not a traditional, 'pure' sex comedy. The film is incredibly dense, even though it takes place almost entirely in a single location with only a handful of characters.

Kimball Farley in Hippo

Mark Rapaport and I first met back in 2021 when he produced and starred in a breakthrough low budget horror comedy which he described as “the first Jeffrey Epstein film,” Berlinale Best First Feature award winner The Scary Of Sixty-First. At the time he was trying to break into directing, and he told me about a film called Hippo which he had shot during Covid lockdowns. Now, in 2023, Hippo is screening as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival. When we got a few minutes to catch up, I asked him about the film, a dysfunctional family comedy, and how it was shaped by being made it that restrictive context.

Lilla Kizlinger, Jesse Pimentel and Eliza Roberts in Hippo

“The writing process started during Covid, and it did come from the place of ‘What can we make right now?’” he says. “That's a combination of Covid and also just,...

An unusual family lives an unusual life in Mark H. Rapaport’s Hippo, one of the stranger films playing at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival. Rapaport drops us into a suburban dystopic home where society’s rules don’t seem to apply, and no subject is too taboo to elicit nervous laughter. Hippo (Kimball Farley) and his Hungarian adopted sister Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger) share a troubling relationship with each other and their mother, Ethel (Eliza Roberts), as they approach adulthood wholly unprepared for the world outside their doors. A young man on the verge of adulthood, Hippo is an odd duck. He spends his days playing video games, bossing around his mother, and searching for automatic weapons on the internet. It’s the late ‘90s, two of these three...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

UTA has boarded world sales on Mark H. Rapaport’s Fantasia premiere “Hippo.”

“We are very excited for this one,” said UTA’s Billy Offer, admitting a number of distributors have already expressed interest.

“It’s so oddly relatable and so singular in its approach, and vision, that we really wanted to help make sure it got the right platform to shine. Fantasia is a perfect launchpad for this type of film.”

Produced by Kinematics in association with Rough House Pictures, it counts Danny McBride and David Gordon Green among its executive producers.

“Hippo’s’ strange and dark humor is quintessential viewing and a wonderful reminder of why we all got into indie filmmaking in the first place,” Gordon Green told Variety, calling it “a brilliant feature debut.”

In the film, Hippo and his adopted sister Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger) live in complete isolation with their unstable mother. But Buttercup keeps...

Montreal event runs July 20-August 9.

Nicolas Cage will receive the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award while the Montreal event (July 20-August 9) will close with Quebcois collective Rkss’s We Are Zombies.

The closing film is based on the French comic book series Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies That Ate The World) and takes place in a world where zombies are referred to as “living impaired” and roam among ordinary people.

Megan Peta Hill (Riverdale), Alexandre Nachi (1991) and Derek Johns (The Boys) star in the feature from Rkss comprising François Simard,...

As reported by Variety, Nicolas Cage is set to receive this year's Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at Fantasia International Film Festival. While chatting with the outlet about the National Treasure star's talents, artistic director Mitch Davis praised Cage's acting abilities.

Davis stated, "He is one of the most individualistic and captivating screen presences in the last 40 years. Beyond his unique charisma, the kinds of atypical characters he's been drawn to and what he can bring to them is so special and rare."

He continued, "Audiences lose their minds when he goes to these energetically extreme places: 'Vampire's Kiss' was my first experience with that and I was absolutely floored. But they are also transfixed by the quiet, textured qualities he brings to more somber characters. He's a one-of-a-kind treasure in American film."

The artistic director noted that Cage is no stranger to genre films and has found plenty of...

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to run from from July 20th through August 9th at the Concordia Hall Cinema in Montreal, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. In May, they announced the first wave of titles that will be showing at this year’s festival. Last month, the second wave was announced. Now, the titles that make up the third and final wave have been unveiled – and along with that comes the announcement that Nicolas Cage will be receiving the Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at this year’s show!

The Fantasia International Film Festival has chosen to honor Nicolas Cage this year because he “has brought a wide variety of unforgettable people to life in works that are as memorable as the characters he portrayed, with textured performances that have been among the most exciting and unique from...

Nicolas Cage will pick up this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at Fantasia.

“He is one of the most individualistic and captivating screen presences in the last 40 years. Beyond his unique charisma, the kinds of atypical characters he’s been drawn to and what he can bring to them is so special and rare,” artistic director Mitch Davis told Variety.

“Audiences lose their minds when he goes to these energetically extreme places: ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ was my first experience with that and I was absolutely floored. But they are also transfixed by the quiet, textured qualities he brings to more somber characters. He’s a one-of-a-kind treasure in American film.”

Throughout the years, Cage has been embracing genre cinema, admitted Davis. And it has embraced him back.

“He’s someone who sincerely loves cinema and has always embraced genre storytelling. I wish he could have been in the...

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to commence from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

After two packed waves of programming, the festival unveils its third wave of programming this morning, bringing exciting world premieres and the announcement of Nicolas Cage as this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award recipient.

From the press release:

We Are Zombies

The 27th edition of the festival will end on an especially riotous note with the World Premiere of We Are Zombies, the latest from internationally beloved Quebecois cult collective Rkss (Summer Of ’84) – François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont MANGÉ Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World), the film is set in a society where zombies, referred to as “living-impaired,” roam among us...

Nicolas Cage is set to receive a career tribute award at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, organizers announced on Thursday.

Fantasia earlier unveiled a world premiere for Sympathy for the Devil, which stars Cage and reunites director Yuval Adler with Joel Kinnaman after The Secrets We Keep. As part of that screening, North America’s largest genre fest will honor Cage in Montreal with this year’s Cheval Noir career achievement award after a four-decade run in Hollywood where his film credits include Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Face/Off and Wild at Heart.

Fantasia will also close its 27th edition with We Are Zombies, from the Canadian cult film collective Rkss, led by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.

Fantasia in its final lineup announcements also booked world premieres for director Mark H. Rapaport’s comedy of discomfort Hippo,...

Eleven years after making his feature writing and directing debut with the comedy American Animal (a film he also starred in), Matt D’Elia is ready to make his second feature – and this time he’s making a “genre-bending relationship horror thriller” called A Void. Variety reports that Aya Cash (The Boys) has signed on to star in the film alongside Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) and Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World).

Set to begin filming next year, A Void will tell the story of

troubled lovers Sarah and Nick, lifelong urbanites and intellectuals, who move from the city to the country to start a new chapter. As their repressed traumas become more evident, so too do the cracks in their relationship. These problems are only compounded when they encounter a mysterious anomaly on their property: An inexplicable black void that, according to all laws of physics, shouldn...

Visit Films will represent worldwide rights on the genre-bending relationship horror-thriller “A Void,” the latest feature from ”American Animal” director and star Matt D’Elia.

The film will be presented to buyers at next week’s American Film Market, and begin production in 2023.

“A Void” centers on troubled lovers Sarah and Nick, lifelong urbanites and intellectuals, who move from the city to the country to start a new chapter. As their repressed traumas become more evident, so too do the cracks in their relationship. These problems are only compounded when they encounter a mysterious anomaly on their property: An inexplicable black void that, according to all laws of physics, shouldn’t and can’t exist — and yet, there it is.

As Sarah and Nick attempt to understand what they’ve stumbled upon, bizarre and terrifying events begin to take place, both in their dreams and in their waking lives.

“A Void” is written by D’Elia.

There’s alchemy at work in Dasha Nekrasova’s debut film “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the kind that can turn what’s old into what’s new. Equal parts ’70s-style paranoia thriller, Polanski-infused apartment horror, “Eyes Wide Shut” homage, and empathetic critical commentary on the conspiracy theories craze, this hallucinatory pastiche is even more than the sum of its cinematically riveting parts.

Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn) are apartment-hunting in New York City. That alone is the stuff of horror. But in their case they find an ideal place right away — a shockingly cheap flat on the Upper East Side. They commit to it on the spot, despite an odd tarot card being left behind that suggests some ominous symbology. (Anyone who’s moved into a Manhattan pad and discovered a Pentagrama Esoterico sign on the wall and thought “What’s that about?” can relate.)

One day, an...

Exclusive: IFC Midnight has obtained the U.S. distribution rights to Pledge, a college frat horror-thriller, which was directed by Daniel Robbins. The pic, written by Zachary Weiner, had its U.S. premiere at Screamfest and will get a theatrical release in January.

Zachery Byrd, Aaron Dalla Villa, Zachary Weiner, Phillip Andre Botello, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Jesse Pimentel, Joe Gallagher, Jean-Louis Droulers, and Erica Boozer star in the film.

The story centers on three nerdy college freshmen, who have been rejected and ridiculed by just about every fraternity on campus, are invited to an off-campus to a party at a secluded mansion. There they are treated like princes by the resident brothers and the party is everything they dreamed college would be—beautiful women, drinking, and most importantly, a cool group of guys willing to accept them as one of their own. When the friends are presented with an opportunity to pledge the elite social club,...

Let’s talk about flix bay-bee… (you sang that, didn’t you?)

Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre

• Release Date: Tbd; Head here for details

• Written By: Josh Vargas, Jvstin Whitney

• Directed By: Josh Vargas

• Starring: Andrew Bourgeois, Bobby Haworth, Travers Laville, Garret West, Parrish Randall

This must be my lucky year, creeps! Less than a month into this bad bastard and I’m already reviewin’ the second fright flick in my beloved metal/horror genre! And no matter what you think of these kinds o’ flicks, ya can’t deny they have the snappiest titles in the horror biz! Don’t believe me? Just slap yer putrid peepers on the name of this thing: Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre! While the title grabs the ol’ attention by the short and curlies, let’s see if everything else about this rock n’ roll nightmare can live up to that monstrous moniker.

Hairmetal Shotgun...

The Rlj Entertainment brand has acquired first-time filmmaker Daniel Robbins’ genre tale.

Uncaged centres on a college student who tries to learn why he sleepwalks and uncovers a terrifying secret.

Robbins co-wrote with Mark Rapaport and Looch Gelfand.

Yoni Frager, Rapaport, Robbins and Adam Werth produced, while the executive producers are BoulderLight Pictures’ J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules.

The latter two negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers with Mark Ward of Rlj Entertainment.

Rlj Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Daniel Robbins’ horror-thriller “Uncaged” under its Image Entertainment brand, TheWrap has learned. Robbins is a first-time filmmaker who co-wrote the script with Mark Rapaport and Looch Gelfand. Robbins and Rapaport also produced the film with Yoni Frager and Adam Werth. Ben Getz and Gene Jones (“The Sacrament”) star in “Uncaged,” which follows a college student who attempts to discover the cause of his sleepwalking, only to uncover a terrifying secret. Also Read: Joe Dante's Horror Comedy 'Burying the Ex' Acquired by Image Entertainment (Exclusive) “Uncaged” was executive produced...

It always makes us happy to learn about a young up-and-coming filmmaker making his very first movie, which is precisely what Daniel Robbins has just done. After releasing a short film last year, Robbins heads into feature film horror territory with Uncaged, and we've got the skinny for ya today.

Uncaged just wrapped production in New York, and it's expected to debut later this year. Check out the first stills from the flick, which stars Gene Jones, who made quite an impression in The Sacrament!

Written by Robbins and Mark Rapaport, the film also stars Kyle Kirkpatrick, Ben Getz, Garrett Hendricks, and Michelle Cameron.

Bloody Disgusting nabbed the first stills. Check one out below, and hit up their site for the other.

Synopsis

After several nights of waking up in the woods, a troubled teen straps a camera to himself to document how he’s getting there, only to find...