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The 2025 Humanitas Prize nominations have been announced, once again honoring television and film writers who masterfully explore the depth of the human experience. This year’s awards will be presented at a Sept. 7 ceremony in Hollywood hosted by actress and comedian Fortune Feimster.

On the TV side, drama nominees include Emmy contenders The Pitt, The Last of Us, The Handmaid's Tale, and Brilliant Minds. Comedy contenders include The Studio, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, A Man on the Inside, and Clean Slate. Limited series being honored include Dying for Sex, Interior Chinatown, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, and Say Nothing.

In the film categories, last year's Oscar contenders Conclave, Nickel Boys, and Sing Sing will battle it out for Best Drama Feature, while Dìdi (弟弟), My Old Ass, and A Real Pain compete in comedy. Inside Out 2, Out of My Mind, and The Wild Robot are nominated for Best Family Feature.

The Humanitas org has revealed nominations for this year’s Humanitas Prizes, which will reveal winners at Avalon Hollywood on Sept. 7, hosted by actress/writer/comedian Fortune Feimster. Among the nominees on the TV side are “The Pitt,” “The Last of Us” and “The Studio,” while film nods include “Inside Out 2” and “The Nickel Boys.”

Also announced on Wednesday: Gina Prince-Bythewood will join Mara Brock Akil in presenting Lena Waithe with one of Humanitas’ top honors, the Voice for Change Award. As Variety first revealed in May, Waithe was chosen for this year’s prize because it “honors those who have created or championed visionary and courageous storytelling.”

A nonprofit that seeks to “honor and empower writers of film and television exploring the human experience,” Humanitas last year honored projects including “Hacks,” “Fellow Travelers,” “Black Cake” and Ava DuVernay‘s “Origin.”

The Humanitas Prizes are for film and television...

Exclusive: 3Point0 Labs has followed up recent strategic moves by signing In the Summers co-producer Luz Films.

Headed by Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell, Luz was created with a mission to make Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse creatives and producers in the film and TV space. Its debut film, In the Summers, was a prize winner at Sundance earlier this year.

“Sergio, Lynette, and Cristobal bring such an authentic desire to foster family and community in everything they do,” said Andrew Cutrow, Chief Business Officer and Head of the Entertainment division of 3Point0 Labs. “They bring a vision that is so core to 3Point0’s mission to build communities and infrastructure globally. Luz is a rocket ship and we are so humbled to be a part of their growth as they take off.”

As we revealed at the time, Luz Films launched in January with former...

Following the success achieved by the Alliance of Women Directors with its Black Directors Advancement Initiative, the organization has launched the Mentor Latina Director Fellowship. Their #MentorLatinaDirectors Initiative is a fellowship program for current directing members who are Latina/x/e-identifying.

The fellowship’s Class of 2024 includes Melissa Balint; Evelyn Belasco; Maria Gabriela Cardenas; Marissa Chibás; Sophia Costanzo; Fiorella Vescovi Garcia; Saray Guidetti; Bettina Hanna; Silvia Lara; Eunice Levis; Gabriela Revilla Lugo; Paulina Manseau; Luisa Novo; Marcella Ochoa; Gabriela Paciel; Jp Perez; Jessica Rae; Michelle Salcedo; Sacha Smith; Ann Valdés; Maria Valdez; Evette Vargas; and Donna Bonilla Wheeler.

“The program was created and developed in response to a pressing need for much higher levels of equality and inclusion, specifically for Latina/x/e-identifying female directors in our industry. We trust this Fellowship will help eliminate barriers to access and success that have systematically excluded such directors. With these goals in mind,...

Exclusive: Sergio Lira, Lynette Coll and Cristobal Güell are launching Luz Films, a newly formed entertainment company founded with the mission of making Latino-focused prestige and elevated-genre content from diverse visionary creatives and producers in the film and TV space.

Lira and Coll will serve as co-CEOs while Guell will serve as CFO.

Through a collaborative community spirit, Luz Films will produce and co-finance projects from the Latino perspective for U.S. and global audiences. The company believes in mentoring and supporting projects from debut filmmakers and connecting them with veteran Latino creatives who can collaborate with these new voices behind the camera and on-screen.

‘While Latinos are one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States, representation for storytellers in the community lags behind other demographics,” the trio shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “Luz Films, named with purpose, embodies ‘light.’ Our mission is to illuminate opportunities. We...

Latino WGA members and their allies descended upon Universal Studios en masse Monday beginning at 5 a.m. to picket on the seventh day of the Hollywood writers strike.

The early arrival for some came as picketers wanted to be visible to trucks attempting to enter through the studio’s gates. Several picket lines in Los Angeles and New York have turned trucks away since contract talks broke off May 1 between the writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The WGA West’s Latinx Writers Committee organized today’s action, which at its height grew to about 300 picketers in Universal City, marching across Lankershim Boulevard from the main gates of the studio to Telemundo and back.

Related: Deadline’s ‘Strike Talk’ Podcast With Billy Ray And Todd Garner: Week One

The list of writers included the Latinx Writers Committee chair Christina Piña and vice chair Jorge Rivera...

Exclusive: The National Hispanic Media Coalition revealed its lineup for the upcoming 7th Annual Offical Latino Film and Arts Festival to be presented virtually from Nov. 26 to 28.

Titles include Welcome to Our World, directed by Alfredo Ramos, with performances by Danny Trejo, Emilio Rivera, and Valente Rodriguez. The feature tells the story of Freddie, a young and irresponsible supermarket box boy who is forced to rise to the occasion when his father (Trejo) has a work-related accident. Freddie must now assume the role of “the man of the house and keep the family from going homeless with hilarious results.

“The Nhmc is proud to work with Official Latino and HBO to ensure that our stories are being told and that we are creating space for Latino artists to thrive,” said Brenda Castillo, President and CEO of the Nhmc. “ The more we can uplift and promote Latinx talent in the entertainment industry,...

Screenwriter Marcella Ochoa is giving a voice to countless Mexican American women who have been forcefully sterilized in the United States with her Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse collaboration Madres. With help from lead actress Ariana Guerra, the pair tackled a real-life horror story using the genre as a tool to bring awareness to a social justice cause that was inspired by Jordan Peele’s 2017 hit Get Out.

Madres tells the story of Mexican American couple Diana (Guerra) and Beto (Tenoch Huerta) who have just relocated to a farming community in California. Diana’s pregnancy becomes mysteriously complicated and she isn’t the first to struggle while pregnant in her adopted town. All roads lead Diana to confusion and imminent danger as she begins to unravel strange occurrences that may be related to a legendary curse, or something more sinister. Madres is currently available to stream via Amazon Prime Video.

Ahead of their premieres this Friday on Amazon Prime Video as part of the Welcome to the Blumhouse celebration, we've been provided with exclusive clips from Ryan Zarazoga's Madres and Axelle Carolyn's The Manor.

Madres: "Beto (Tenoch Huerta) and Diana (Ariana Guerra), a young Mexican-American couple expecting their first child, move to a small town in 1970’s California where Beto has been offered a job managing a farm. Isolated from the community and plagued by confusing nightmares, Diana explores the rundown company ranch where they reside, finding a grisly talisman and a box containing the belongings of the previous residents. Her discoveries will lead her to a truth much stranger and more terrifying than she could have possibly imagined.

Directed by: Ryan Zaragoza

Written by: Marcella Ochoa & Mario Miscione

Starring: Tenoch Huerta, Ariana Guerra, Evelyn Gonzalez, Kerry Cahill, and Elpidia Carrillo

Executive Produced by: Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman,...

Amazon Prime Video recently announced the latest installment of Welcome to the Blumhouse. Featuring films directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero, Maritte Lee Go, Ryan Zaragoza, and Axelle Carolyn, we now have individual trailers for reach film, ahead of their premiere this October!

"Amazon Prime Video is excited to announce this year's installment of "Welcome To The Blumhouse," featuring an all new set of unique, unsettling thrillers developed with an eye towards original, diverse storytelling. Produced by Blumhouse Television and Amazon Studios, Bingo Hell, Black As Night, Madres and The Manor premiere worldwide this October exclusively on Prime Video.

The “Welcome to the Blumhouse” slate once again showcases both well-established and breakout actors collaborating with emerging, predominantly female, directors.

Bingo Hell and Black As Night premiere on October 1, followed by Madres and The Manor on October 8."

Bingo Hell

October 1, 2021

Logline

A feisty senior citizen fights to protect her beloved neighborhood from...

Amazon Prime Video recently announced the latest installment of Welcome to the Blumhouse. Featuring films directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero, Maritte Lee Go, Ryan Zaragoza, and Axelle Carolyn, we now have the trailer for you to watch ahead of the films premiering this October!

"Amazon Prime Video is excited to announce this year's installment of "Welcome To The Blumhouse," featuring an all new set of unique, unsettling thrillers developed with an eye towards original, diverse storytelling. Produced by Blumhouse Television and Amazon Studios, Bingo Hell, Black As Night, Madres and The Manor premiere worldwide this October exclusively on Prime Video.

The “Welcome to the Blumhouse” slate once again showcases both well-established and breakout actors collaborating with emerging, predominantly female, directors.

Bingo Hell and Black As Night premiere on October 1, followed by Madres and The Manor on October 8.

Bingo Hell

October 1, 2021

Logline

A feisty senior citizen fights to protect her beloved...

Amazon Prime Video Announces Latest Installment of “Welcome To The Blumhouse”: "Amazon Prime Video is excited to announce this year's installment of "Welcome To The Blumhouse," featuring an all new set of unique, unsettling thrillers developed with an eye towards original, diverse storytelling. Produced by Blumhouse Television and Amazon Studios, Bingo Hell, Black As Night, Madres and The Manor premiere worldwide this October exclusively on Prime Video.

The “Welcome to the Blumhouse” slate once again showcases both well-established and breakout actors collaborating with emerging, predominantly female, directors.

Bingo Hell and Black As Night premiere on October 1, followed by Madres and The Manor on October 8.

Bingo Hell

October 1, 2021

Logline

A feisty senior citizen fights to protect her beloved neighborhood from an evil force that’s taken over the local bingo hall and is killing the residents in gruesome ways.

Short Synopsis

When a sinister figure threatens the residents of a low-income community,...

Exclusive: Marginal MediaWorks is expanding into scripted series with Hummingbird, an hour-long, LatinX genre series, which was sold to Amazon Studios, following a competitive bidding situation.

The episodic series is described as “a Stephen King-style American Gothic,” loosely inspired by the life of Emmy-winning documentarian Rudy Valdez, who directs. It centers on members of a Mexican American family living in the Midwest that are haunted by sinister forces, while searching for the American dream.

Valdez developed Hummingbird in concert with Marginal MediaWorks’ Founder & CEO, Sanjay Sharma, and writer Marcella Ochoa. Ochoa will write the pilot. She will also exec produce, alongside Sharma and Valdez.

The announcement of Marginal’s first foray into scripted TV was made by Sharma.

“We are thrilled to delve into the world of what we call Mexican Americana – a story about a family lured in by the American dream, only to become haunted by it,...

Amazon & Blumhouse's partnership on "Welcome to the Blumhouse" has proven to be a big hit and they've just announced the next four movies that will be released on Amazon Prime Video in 2021, including The Manor from Axelle Carolyn, Black as Night from Maritte Lee Go, Madres from Ryan Zaragoza, and Bingo from Gigi Saul Guerrero:

"Following the highly-anticipated global launch of “Welcome to the Blumhouse”, Prime Video announced today the next chapter of four films in this collection of eight genre-movies produced by Amazon Studios and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Television. The slate of titles are: The Manor written and directed by Axelle Carolyn, Black as Night from director Maritte Lee Go, Madres directed by Ryan Zaragoza and Bingo from director Gigi Saul Guerrero. The suspenseful thrillers will launch in 2021 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The “Welcome to the Blumhouse” program continues the legacy of original,...

The next chapter of Welcome to the Blumhouse is ready to deliver thrills while highlighting some of today’s emerging and inclusive talent in front of and behind the camera. Amazon Prime Video has unveiled The Manor, Black as Night, Madres and Bingo as the final four films in the eight-film genre anthology. The quartet will debut on the streaming platform in 2021.

Welcome to the Blumhouse kicked off at the beginning of October with its first slate of films including The Lie from Veena Sud, Black Box from up-and-coming writer-director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr., Evil Eye from emerging filmmakers Elan Dassani and Rajeev Dassani, and Nocturne from filmmaker Zu Quirke.

“Coming off the successful launch of the first four films of the program, which has surpassed our expectations, we are excited to reveal the next chapter coming in 2021,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “The spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat thrills continues in...

Amazon on Thursday revealed the next four films to be released next year as part of its “Welcome to the Blumhouse” series. The first four genre movies in the collection launched on Prime Video this month.

Just like the first four films of the program, the next group represents four unique stories that are connected by common themes, including institutional horrors and personal phobias. The “social thrillers,” as Amazon terms them, are helmed by up-and-coming directors.

“Coming off the successful launch of the first four films of the program, which has surpassed our expectations, we are excited to reveal the next chapter coming in 2021,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “The spine-tingling, edge of your seat thrills continues in this next collection of titles that will surely entertain, surprise and shock our global customers.”

The first four in the Blumhouse series are a mixed bag, with IndieWire’s best review going to “Black Box.

Driven by an obsession with the afterlife, a neuroscientist and his research team conduct experiments with a serum that allows them to see the supernatural, but they encounter more than they bargained for when the line between the living and the dead becomes blurred. Starring Bex Taylor-Klaus and Josh Stewart, Discarnate is now available on Digital and On Demand, and The Orchard has provided us with an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers.

Directed by Mario Sorrenti from a screenplay by Mario Miscione and Marcella Ochoa, Discarnate stars Thomas Kretschmann, Nadine Velazquez, Josh Stewart, Chris Coy, Matt Munroe, and Bex Taylor-Klaus.

Discarnate is now available on Digital and On Demand:

http://radi.al/Discarnate

Synopsis: "A neuroscientist becomes obsessed with a drug that allows humans to interact with spirits, but during the clinical trial he inadvertently unleashes a deadly supernatural force on his research team."





The post Researchers...

Supernatural thriller shot in Los Angeles and is in post.

Octane Entertainment heads to the Efm with worldwide sales rights to the supernatural thriller Discarnate starring Thomas Kretschmann.

Shot locally in Los Angeles and currently in post, the film follows a neuroscientist’s obsession with a drug that expands the human mind as he inadvertently unleashes a supernatural force on his team.

Photographer Mario Sorrenti makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Mario Miscione and Marcella Ochoa.

Joining Kretschmann on the cast are Nadine Velazquez, Josh Stewart, and Bex Taylor-Klaus.

“As soon as we finished watching the producers cut of this film I knew that we needed to do whatever it takes to get it,” Octane Entertainment president Jack Campbell said as he made the announcement on Thursday (February 8).

“We’ve had big successes in the elevated genre space lately and Discarnate ticks all the right boxes. Besides pushing us to the edge of our seat...

Efm-bound supernatural thriller is in post.

Octane Entertainment heads to the Efm with worldwide sales rights to the supernatural thriller Discarnate starring Thomas Kretschmann.

Shot locally in Los Angeles and currently in post, the film follows a neuroscientist’s obsession with a drug that expands the human mind as he inadvertently unleashes a supernatural force on his team.

Photographer Mario Sorrenti makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Mario Miscione and Marcella Ochoa.

Joining Kretschmann on the cast are Nadine Velazquez, Josh Stewart, and Bex Taylor-Klaus.

“As soon as we finished watching the producers cut of this film I knew that we needed to do whatever it takes to get it,” Octane Entertainment president Jack Campbell said as he made the announcement on Thursday (February 8).

“We’ve had big successes in the elevated genre space lately and Discarnate ticks all the right boxes. Besides pushing us to the edge of our seat, and the edge of...