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The fifth annual NewFest Pride summer film series has a sizzling lineup. IndieWire can announce that NewFest Pride 2025 will feature the New York premiere of Sundance winner “Plainclothes” starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, as well as the highly-anticipated opening night film “Jimpa,” which was previously announced.

Highlights also include an early screening of “And Just Like That…” and a free outdoor screening of Cristina Costantini’s “Sally” in partnership with the Meatpacking District Business Improvement District and Rooftop Films. NewFest Pride will take place May 29 to June 2 to kick-off LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

“In a moment when LGBTQ+ rights are under renewed attack, telling our stories boldly and unapologetically is an act of both defiance and hope,” NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff said. “The films in this year’s NewFest Pride lineup reflect the depth, diversity, and power of queer experiences — from urgent political documentaries to joyful celebrations of identity.

BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival (March 19-30) has unveiled its full line-up, with 56 features across three strands, exploring subjects such as Kenya’s ballroom scene and the appeal of dating apps.

The programme has films and shorts from 41 countries, with six world premiere features. These include Kenyan filmmaker Njoroge Muthoni’s documentaryHow To Live, which explores Nairobi’s vibrant ballroom scene and celebrates queer African joy.

In Yu-jin Lee’s Manok, the owner of a South Korean lesbian bar must return to her small hometown after clashing with the city’s younger queer community.

Buenos Aires-set comedy drama Few...

Paris-based sales outfit Memento International has rebranded as Paradise City Sales and will operate under Emilie Georges and Naima Abed’s Paris and London-based Paradise City banner moving forward.

The sales arm aims to board projects from early stages produced by Paradise City like Anthony Chen’s 2023 Sundance title Drift starring Cynthia Erivo, and Hailey Gates’ Sundance Jury Grand Prize-winning Atropia, on which Paradise City is a producer. It will continue to acquire some 10 films per year from independent producers and balance emerging talent with established filmmakers.

Paradise City Sales is at EFM with Hungarian filmmaker Lili Horvát’s English-language...

The 39th annual Teddy Awards, the longest-running LGBTQ+ prizes at a major film festival, arrive at a time of increasing challenges for queer communities worldwide. Against a backdrop of controversial policies and rising anti-lgbtq+ sentiment in several countries, the awards spotlight films that offer a counterpoint to global hostility toward gender diversity and queer rights.

Michael Stütz, head of the Panorama section since 2019, observed that queer cinema has become an integral part of the festival’s fabric. “I can’t remember a recent year where there was no queer film in [the main] competition in Berlin,” he said, highlighting how recent years have seen a shift toward a more balanced representation and inclusion of voices from Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities.

This year’s program features a number of projects with political resonance. Among them is Billy Shebar and David Roberts’ documentary portrait, Monk in Pieces, a study of composer...

This year marks the 39th annual Teddy Award honors, the longest-running LGBTQ+ prizes at any major film festival. While the Feb. 21 closing ceremony is business as usual for the Berlinale, global events could make this one of the most important years in Teddy history.

U.S. President Trump is implementing numerous anti-transgender policies, withdrawing President Biden’s executive order making federal agencies enforce a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that sex discrimination laws include LGBTQ discrimination, and even declaring that there are only two sexes – seemingly oblivious to children born intersex, a plot point in one of this year’s biggest Oscar contenders. His appointee Elon Musk regularly makes anti-trans statements and endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD party, which has opposed some gay rights. And rapper Kanye West has proudly aligned himself with the Nazi party, unaware or unconcerned that it persecuted Black people like him during Hitler’s reign.

Yet for now,...

Making its international debut in Berlin, Shatara Michelle Ford’s sophomore feature “Dreams in Nightmares” follows queer Black femmes on an impromptu road trip across the American Midwest in search of a fourth friend who has seemingly disappeared.

Laid off from her job as a creative writing teacher, Z (Denée Benton) spontaneously heads from Los Angeles to New York City to visit college friends Tasha (Sasha Compère) and Lauren (Dezi Bing). A night out leads to a cross-country road trip the following day as they realize none of the group has heard from their friend Kel (Mars Storm Rucker) for a worrying amount of time — what follows is a cathartic odyssey filled with joy and healing.

The genesis of Ford’s “Dreams in Nightmares,” which screens in Berlin’s Panorama, was a “need for using [their] imagination and encouraging others to do the same.” They sensed the feeling of exhaustion and...

Even in conversation, it’s easy to see why Shatara Michelle Ford is such a good director. The “Test Pattern” and “Dreams in Nightmares” filmmaker is clear, direct, goal-oriented, and focused. Asked by IndieWire their hopes for this year’s Berlin Film Festival, where their sophomore feature will screen in the Panorama section and continue to seek distribution, Ford doesn’t fuss: “Buy my movie, give me a job.”

Those two things shouldn’t be tough for a film as good as “Dreams in Nightmares” and for a filmmaker as exciting as Ford, but Ford is well-aware of how tenuous the American independent film market is these days. Case in point: the film actually premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival on August 1, 2024. Berlin is only its second stop.

Ford’s “Dreams in Nightmares” follows four long-time friends, all queer Black women in their mid-thirties, as they embark on a road...

“The Ugly Stepsister” — the Cinderella-inspired horror that emerged from Sundance as one of the festival’s buzziest titles — has sold worldwide for Memento International.

From director Emilie Blichfeldt and a beauty-horror reimagining of the classic fairy tale — the film already sold to Shudder for North America, the U.K. and Australia-New Zealand before it’s world premiere in Park City, while Mer Film and Scanbox will release it in Scandinavia.

The film has also now sold to Esc FIlms (France), Capelight (Germany and Austria), Beta Films (Spain), Lev Cinema (Israel), Ads (Hungary), Cay Films (Romania), Cine Canibal (Latin America), New Select (Japan), House of M (Thailand), Pt Falcon (Indonesia), Estin Film (Baltics) and Vendetta Filmes (Portugal). Negotiations are reportedly ongoing in Italy, Greece and Ukraine, among others.

“The Ugly Stepsister” follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business,...

The 75th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from 13 to 23 February. This year, the festival held in the capital of Germany since 1951 will present more than 200 films, of which 60 are produced or co-produced by Asian countries.

1001 Frames (2025) by Mehrnoush Alia (World Premiere)

Iran, USA, 87′

In the studio of a well-known director, female actors audition for the role of Scheherazade in “A Thousand and One Nights”. However, they gradually realise that the director has more in mind than just casting the leading role.

A Letter to David (2025) by Tom Shoval (World Premiere)

Israel, USA, 74′

In 2013, David Cunio starred in Tom Shoval’s debut feature “Youth”, which revolved around two brothers kidnapping a schoolmate. In 2023, Cunio was abducted and since then, he has been held hostage in Gaza. With this documentary, Shoval sends him a cinematic letter.

A Story about Fire (2025) by Li Wenyu (World Premiere)

China, 85′

The legend of Ran...

The BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival (March 19-30) will close with the UK premiere of Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s erotic thriller Night Stage.

The Brazilian feature, which has its world premiere at the Berlinale, centres around an affair between an actor and a politician whose sexual desires lead them into escalating circumstances. The directors previously won the jury award at Berlinale Panorama in 2018, and the Teddy award for best LGBTQ feature film in the festival, for debut Hard Paint.

Also arriving at BFI Flare after a Berlin premiere is Shatara Michelle Ford’s Dreams In Nightmares which...

Memento International has taken on international sales rights for Shatara Michelle Ford’s second feature Dreams In Nightmares, a road movie about a trio of queer Black friends on a life-changing journey that will play in Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama selection.

The film follows the three protagonists as they set off across the US on a search to find a missing fourth friend, revealing truths about themselves and contemporary American society along the way. It stars Denée Benton, Sasha Compère, Charlie Barnett, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mars Storm Rucker and Dezi Bing.

Ford produces alongside Pin-Chun Liu of US/Taiwan outfit 120E Films,...

The Berlin Film Festival’s 2025 Panorama section will launch with Welcome Home Baby, a psychological horror film from Austrian director Andreas Prochaska, leading a lineup of 34 films from 28 countries. The section head Michael Stütz unveiled the full program that addresses societal fractures, health systems, and democratic instability on Thursday.

Prochaska’s film reimagines the homeland horror genre as a response to 1950s German-language cinema. The selection continues its genre focus with the Norwegian body horror The Ugly Stepsister, Turkish political thriller Confidante, and Taiwanese gangster narrative Silent Sparks.

German productions hold a significant presence this year with six films. Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay presents the conspiracy thriller Hysteria, while five female directors bring new works. Debut features come from Nele Mueller-Stöfen with Delicious and Sarah Miro Fischer with The Good Sister. Ina Weisse reunites with Nina Hoss for Cicadas.

The documentary selections include Martina Priessner’s The Moelln Letters, examining the 1993 racist arson attacks in Mölln,...

The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the first wave of titles for its 75th edition, including features in its Panorama, Berlinale Special and Generation strands.

An initial 12 titles have been revealed for Panorama, of which eight are world premieres. These include Paul, a documentary by Canadian filmmaker Denis Cote, who has played in competition at Berlin four times with titles including Vic + Flo Saw A Bear and That Kind Of Summer. His latest follows a man struggling with social anxiety who finds refuge in serving women who invite him to clean their homes.

Scroll down for full list of...

The Berlin Film Festival forges a new path next year with the first year under new artistic director Tricia Tuttle, who succeeds Carlo Chatrian and brings a background as a journalist and curator to the annual German showcase. This year’s festival runs February 13-23, and also in new positions this year are Jacqueline Lyanga and Michael Stütz, both serving as co-directors of programming.

With bigger announcements to come, the Berlinale unveiled its first wave of titles across the Panorama and Berlinale Special gala lineups on Tuesday. As previously announced, Tom Tykwer’s “The Light” is opening this coming 75th edition. Filmmakers getting a boost from today’s announcement include Denis Côté, Michel Gondry, and Ira Sachs, all bringing new films to the festival.

In the Berlinale Special lineup, German director Jan-Ole Gerster debuts the neo-noir thriller “Islands,” starring Sam Riley and Stacy Martin. Per the festival synopsis, in the film,...

The Berlin Film Festival has named the first dozen titles for its 2025 Panorama lineup, Berlin’s main sidebar, and there are a few familiar faces in the mix.

Berlinale regular Ira Sachs will return with Peter Hujar’s Day, starring Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall, a feature based on a 1974 conversation between photographer Hujar and his friend Linda Rosenkrantz, offering insight into the New York art scene. Canadian filmmaker and fellow Berlinale alum Denis Côté is back in Panorama with Paul, a documentary on a cleaner who uses his job cleaning homes and sharing his routines on social media to help combat depression and social anxiety.

Other Panorama titles announced Tuesday include Emilie Blichfeldt’s Danish horror feature Den stygge stesøsteren (The Ugly Stepsister), a dark twisted fairy tale, which will premiere in Sundance; Frelle Petersen’s Hjem kaere hjem, a social realist drama on the life of an elder...

Michel Gondry and Ira Sachs are among the headline filmmakers set to debut new feature works within the sidebar competitions at next year’s Berlin Film Festival.

The German festival announced the pair this afternoon as part of its first crop of confirmed titles.

Gondry will screen Maya, Give Me a Title in Berlin’s Generation sidebar. The festival’s website describes the film as Gondry’s “stop-motion love letter to his daughter Maya brings to life a poetic and amusing journey that invites you to dream and laugh.”

Also set for the Generation competition is Our Wildest Days (I Agries Meres Mas) by Greek filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos who is best known for his 2019 short film The Distance Between Us and the Sky, which won the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. He also created the popular Greek series Milky Way.

Related:...

The Belin Film Festival has unveiled its Panorama lineup, including new works by Denis Côté, Ira Sachs, Michel Gondry and Shatara Michelle Ford, among others.

Sachs’ movie, “Peter Hujar’s Day,” stars Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall. Set for an international premiere in Berlin, the film portrays a 1974 conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and his friend Linda Rosenkrantz, set against the backdrop of the New York art scene of the time.

Côté’s film, “Paul,” is a documentary about a man struggling with depression and social anxiety who found refuge in serving women who invite him to clean their homes.

Gondry’s “Maya, Give Me a Title” is described by the festival as a “stop-motion love letter to his daughter Maya brings to life a poetic and amusing journey that invites you to dream and laugh.” It features the voice of “The Count of Monte-Cristo” star Pierre Niney.

Ford’s “Dreams in Nightmares,...

The Sundance Film Festival might be moving in 2028, but until then, it’s parking itself back in Park City for another edition of what are expected to be just under 100 features and 50 shorts. The second Sundance under the supervision of new festival director (and IndieWire co-founder) Eugene Hernandez takes place January 23 through February 2, with the lineup expecting to start trickling out next week.

Ahead of the announcement, however, IndieWire has the scoop on films we’re hearing will be in Utah this year and the ones — some long-gestating indies, others secret surprise drops — we’re hoping will pop there. Some expected titles, like Celine Song’s “Past Lives” follow-up “Materialists” or “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” from Kogonoda either aren’t finished yet or are holding out for Cannes and into the fall festivals. Others, like Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s “Hot Milk,” have been on this list before.

David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland,...

Shatara Michelle Ford’s latest film Dreams in Nightmares takes shape as four close friends embark on a trip. Seeking answers about another friend who’s become distant, professors Z and Tasha team with poet Lauren on a journey from Brooklyn to Iowa City. Their search ultimately opens windows into each woman’s soul.

Directed by Ford and premiering at Philadelphia’s BlackStar Film Festival, the film follows the trio’s two-week road adventure. Throughout job struggles and worries over their absent pal Kel, their bond proves resilient. Yet tensions also simmer beneath the laughs, deeper questions emerging between each rest stop.

While road movies typically depict driving as freedom, Ford reshapes expectations. Their unflinching look considers Black queer existence in America through subtle but profound themes. Economic realities, the weight of prejudice, and a lack of community resources all lurk beyond road signs for these characters.

Still, hope glimmers...

Shatara Michelle Ford’s sophomore feature Dreams in Nightmares is a Black road trip film with a big heart, full of warmth, healing, and beauty. With their debut film Test Pattern, Ford announced themselves as an essential new voice in Black cinema, with a focus on the lives and struggles of Black women. Here, Ford tackles similar themes with a wider scope that includes Black femmes, queer love, and non-monogamous relationship structures. An even mix of comedy and drama, Dreams in Nightmares is a work that feels both casual and cathartic.

Laid off from her teaching job, Z (Denée Benton) is unsure how to move forward. What’s a creative writing professor to do without students? Is teaching what she really wants, or is it time to switch gears? Z often dreams of a doorway opening into the unknown, but she always wakes before walking through it. Her loving partner...

“Dreams In Nightmares” starts from a very familiar place. Three friends go on a journey to search for a fourth, in the process discovering new truths about themselves. A main character even announces that they want “the quintessential American road trip.” But as the audience settles into what they think will be a story frequently told, Shatara Michelle Ford’s sophomore film reveals itself to be much more than that. The film, which premiered as the opening night presentation at Philadelphia’s Blackstar Film Festival, punctures those expectations to deliver something grander and more poetic.

A university professor and a business consultant who have recently been laid off from their respective jobs, Z (Denée Benton) and Tasha (Sasha Compère) are spending time together to cope with the unemployment blues. They join their friend Lauren (Dezi Bing), a poet who works odd jobs to make ends meet, on a trip to...

Three cross-coastal best friends reunite for a spontaneous road trip across the American underbelly in Dreams in Nightmares, the sophomore feature from writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford. Though a significant pivot in theme and scope from their lean yet intense debut feature Test Pattern, Ford’s latest continues to plainly indicts the oppression that finds Black, femme, queer bodies at a stark institutional disadvantage. After being laid off from their respective jobs in academia and finance, Z (Denée Benton) and Tasha (Sasha Compère) hop on the phone to reschedule a planned trip to the Dominican Republic. Instead of lounging in paradise, Tasha […]

The post “I Wanted to Make a Black, Gay Paris, Texas“: Shatara Michelle Ford on Their BlackStar-Premiering Sophomore Feature Dreams in Nightmares first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Three cross-coastal best friends reunite for a spontaneous road trip across the American underbelly in Dreams in Nightmares, the sophomore feature from writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford. Though a significant pivot in theme and scope from their lean yet intense debut feature Test Pattern, Ford’s latest continues to plainly indicts the oppression that finds Black, femme, queer bodies at a stark institutional disadvantage. After being laid off from their respective jobs in academia and finance, Z (Denée Benton) and Tasha (Sasha Compère) hop on the phone to reschedule a planned trip to the Dominican Republic. Instead of lounging in paradise, Tasha […]

The post “I Wanted to Make a Black, Gay Paris, Texas“: Shatara Michelle Ford on Their BlackStar-Premiering Sophomore Feature Dreams in Nightmares first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The title of Shatara Michelle Ford’s new film, Dreams in Nightmares, is a declarative statement, gesturing at once toward the world the director builds in their sophomore project and an understanding of Black queer existence in the United States. In spite of persistent national violence, Black queer people have always created loving, thriving communities. These pockets of joy — whether between friends, chosen family or neighbors — are soothing reveries interrupting often cruel realities. In Dreams in Nightmares, Ford borrows from and remixes the road movie to construct a vision of Black femmes finding peace.

Premiering at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, Dreams in Nightmares chronicles a two-week journey in which three Black femmes set out to find a missing friend. Kel (Mars Storm Rucker) has never been the best communicator, but when Z (Denée Benton), Lauren (Dezi Bing) and Tasha (Sasha Compère) all have trouble reaching them, worry sets in.

When Shatara Michelle Ford’s “Dreams in Nightmares” premieres Thursday night at the BlackStar Film Festival, it will, like all productions, be the result of the work of many. In the case of the “Test Pattern” filmmaker’s sophomore feature, it will also be the result of the work of many people who united together behind a set of “production community guidelines” that Ford and their producers shared with the cast and crew during every step of the film’s production.

These guidelines were originally shared in the official press notes for the film, but they were so striking, so heartening, that IndieWire is now sharing them in full below. And while one of the tenants of these guidelines holds that mistakes will be made — and Ford is quick to note that these concepts “aren’t perfect” — there’s much here that any production could and should be inspired by.

BlackStar Projects, the organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown and Indigenous film and media artists, announced today the full program for its 2024 BlackStar Film Festival. This 13th edition of BlackStar takes place August 1 – 4 at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, with additional screenings, parties and events at various venues in Center City Philadelphia. Among the highlights are the Opening Night selection, Dreams in Nightmares, writer/director Shatara Michelle Ford’s feature follow-up to their acclaimed Gotham and Spirit Award-nominated debut, Test Pattern. Dreams in Nightmares tells the story of three Black queer femmes on a Midwestern road trip […]

The post BlackStar Projects Releases Full Schedule of Programs for 2024 Film Festival first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

BlackStar Projects, the organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown and Indigenous film and media artists, announced today the full program for its 2024 BlackStar Film Festival. This 13th edition of BlackStar takes place August 1 – 4 at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, with additional screenings, parties and events at various venues in Center City Philadelphia. Among the highlights are the Opening Night selection, Dreams in Nightmares, writer/director Shatara Michelle Ford’s feature follow-up to their acclaimed Gotham and Spirit Award-nominated debut, Test Pattern. Dreams in Nightmares tells the story of three Black queer femmes on a Midwestern road trip […]

The post BlackStar Projects Releases Full Schedule of Programs for 2024 Film Festival first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Rising acclaimed filmmaker Shatara Michelle Ford has completed their highly anticipated sophomore feature, following their Indie Spirit- and Gothams-nominated debut “Test Pattern.” Ford (who uses they/she/their pronouns) will premiere their “Dreams in Nightmares” as the opening night film at this year’s BlackStar Film Festival on August 1.

Ford’s “Test Pattern,” a standout debut from 2019, also premiered at BlackStar that same year. The film was distributed by Kino Lorber and went on to be nominated for three Gotham Awards, including Best Picture and three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature. Billed by this writer as a “perceptive look at sexual assault and relationships,” Ford’s film was one of the finest of the year, and spelled the beginning of a very exciting career for the filmmaker.

Where as “Test Pattern” was, per today’s official announcement, “a tense thriller exploring the aftermath of a sexual assault...

For many working in the film industry, winning an Oscar marks the pinnacle of a Hollywood career, the end goal, the most major of major achievements. And while this year’s Academy Awards brings back many stalwart nominee regulars, the most exciting thing about the 2022 pool is the number of rising stars and emerging talents.

As the Oscars 2022 telecast strives to bring in a wider audience, its brightest new stars — some celebrating their first nominations, others enjoying renewed attention or simply a part of the year’s best films — make it clear that the future of Hollywood is shaping up to be fresh and new indeed.

As we inch ever-closer to the big night on March 27, let’s celebrate its breakouts right now.

The “Coda” Cast and Crew

“Coda” star Marlee Matlin has no need to break out. The iconic actress/activist has already knocked down plenty of Hollywood barriers,...

Who were the big winners at the 37th Independent Spirit Awards, presented on Sunday, March 6, at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California? Scroll down for the complete list of results in all categories, updated throughout the ceremony as the awards were handed out.

SEE2022 Oscars guild awards scorecard: ‘King Richard’ reigns over SAG and Ace Eddies to grab early lead

These awards are unique in that they are limited to American films made for under $20 million; films made outside the United States are eligible for Best International Feature. And the awards are decided in two stages. In the first round, committees of film professionals, experts, and critics choose the nominees. In the second round, the entire Film Independent membership gets to vote for the winners. Members include industry insiders, but also anyone in the general public who wish to pay yearly dues starting at $95 per year.

The Oscars...

The 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out Sunday at the Santa Monica Pier, with comedy power couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally serving as hosts.

There weren’t too many surprises throughout the night. Troy Kotsur won the first award of the evening, Best Supporting Male Actor for “Coda,” very much as predicted. Taylour Paige took home Best Female Lead Actor, for “Zola,” while Simon Rex, of “Red Rocket,” walked away with Best Male Lead. Ruth Negga won Best Supporting Female Actor for “Passing,” beating out Jessie Buckley from “The Lost Daughter.”

But Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of the Elena Ferrante book won the three other categories in which it was nominated — Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Feature — and was the night’s biggest victor. Gyllenhaal gave three effusive thank you speeches, spreading her appreciation around to her cast, crew, financiers, publicist, husband and mother. “Women in film!

Three awards ceremonies are taking place the weekend of March 5. On Saturday, a double dose of the Art Directors Guild (Adg) and American Cinema Editors Awards (Ace Eddies), and on Sunday, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, airing on IFC.

Paying special attention to Adg and Ace Eddies since there’s Oscar crossover, we’re expecting a couple of surprises at both. On the Adg side, “Dune” and “Nightmare Alley” should reign triumphant, but “Don’t Look Up” may overcome fellow Netflix property “The Lost Daughter.”

At Ace Eddies, there’s a possible upset on the drama side in the favor of “King Richard’s” Pamela Martin, besting Joe Walker for “Dune.” On the other hand, “Tick, Tick … Boom!” is expected to sneak past “Licorice Pizza.”

What’s most interesting is that there is very little to no presence of the presumed Oscar frontrunners this weekend, including Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,...

Exclusive: 7 Days, the romantic comedy from The Resident co-creator Roshan Sethi that stars Geraldine Viswanathan and Karan Soni, now has a release date and a trailer. Cinedigm, which acquired the pic in November after its premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, will release it wide in theaters March 25.

The news comes as the rom-com is up for an Independent Spirit Award this weekend for Best First Feature.

Soni (Deadpool) and Viswanathan star in the film, which was co-written by Sethi and Soni, partners in real life. The plot revolves around a pair of Indian-American twentysomethings who find themselves bonding in unusual circumstances following a dud date set arranged by their conservative parents.

Zenobia Shroff, Aparna Nancherla, Gita Reddy and Mark Duplass also star. Liz Cardenas and Mel Eslyn are producers, with Jay and Mark Duplass, Soni, Sethi and Viswanathan executive producing. Maddie Buis is co-producer.

Check out the trailer above.

Unlike some of its A-list competitors at the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards, Shatara Michelle Ford’s debut film “Test Pattern” was funded on nine credit cards the director took out themself.

Awards shows like the Spirits and the Gothams are known for highlighting the possibilities of indie cinema, but there isn’t always a clear through line among those filmmaker’s experiences. All contenders are labeled “low budget” projects: the Gothams set a $35 million budget cap for eligibility, and the Spirits are even stricter, stopping nominations at $22.5 million. But any discussion of “millions” still leaves a wide range — the term “micro-budget” exists for a reason — and there’s also the question of where the money comes from in the first place. For example, “Zola” and “The Lost Daughter,” two of the most nominated films at the Spirits, were financed by A24 and Endeavor Content, respectively.

“I had tried to get...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2021, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

By many metrics, 2021 was a terrible year. Whether it was the persistence of a global pandemic and the ineffectiveness of those in charge to properly manage it or the increasing inanity of Film Twitter discourse clogging one’s timeline every day, it often felt like there was nowhere to seek relief from this year’s woes. But there was salvation somewhere: inside the films themselves. Despite what some may lead you to believe, and despite the perhaps rather milquetoast quality of many of this year’s award candidates, 2021 was the best year for cinema we’ve seen in quite some time.

Whether you were able to head back to theaters at some point during the year or remained watching from the safety of your own home, there...

For our most comprehensive year-end feature we’re providing a cumulative look at The Film Stage’s favorite films of 2021. We’ve asked contributors to compile ten-best lists with five honorable mentions—a selection of those personal lists will be shared in coming days—and from tallied votes has a top 50 been assembled.

So: without further ado, check out our rundown of 2021 below, our ongoing year-end coverage here (including where to stream many of the below picks), and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2022.

50. This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)

Framed as an epic fable and shot like a myth, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is another beautiful, tragic diary entry on the history and people of his home country Lesotho. His focus shifts from the metaphorical relationship of Mother, I am Suffocating, This...

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Saturday on the best films and performances of 2021, with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Japanese Oscar entry Drive My Car taking Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and earning Hamaguchi Runner-Up in the race for Best Director.

The Power of the Dog‘s Jane Campion prevailed in the latter category, with Red Rocket‘s Simon Rex taking Best Actor and Parallel Mothers‘ Penélope Cruz claiming Best Actress. The award for Best Documentary went to Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Summer of Soul, with the prize for Best Animation going to Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated Neon pic, Flee, and that for Best Film Not in the English Language going to Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association is a group made up of L.A. area print and digital journalists, which today deliberated on winners and runners-up in a total of 14 categories. Last year,...

The voting for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s (Lafca) best films and best performances of 2021 took place virtually on Saturday. The awards were announced via the group’s Twitter account. throughout the day. The top prizes went to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” for Best Picture, plus Best Director, Best Actor Simon Rex (“Red Rocket”), and Best Actress Penelope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”). See the full list below.

Other top winners of the awards included Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” which took runner-up in several categories, as well as the music documentary, “Summer of Soul.”

Last year’s top prize for Best Picture went to Steve McQueen’s omnibus film “Small Axe,” with eventual Best Picture Oscar winner “Nomadland” as the runner-up. Carey Mulligan won Best Actress for “Promising Young Woman,” Chadwick Boseman won Best Actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Youh-jung Youn won Best Supporting Actress for “Minari,...

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca) announced the winners of their 47th annual awards on Sunday (Dec. 20). These California-based reviewers are the second major critics group to reveal their list of winners, as their New York counterparts went first last Friday (Dec. 3). The Gotham critics named the Japanese import “Drive My Car” as Best Picture and the Cali crew concurred. Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” tells the story of a stage actor and director who is happily married to a playwright, who mysteriously disappears.

Last year the west coasters opted to award their top prize to a TV series: “Small Axe,” a 5-part anthology series that streamed on Amazon. In 2019, Lafca previewed the Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards when it went with “Parasite.” Prior to that the L.A. critics had lined up with the Oscars in both 2016 and 2017, when they foretold the upsets by...

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Lafca) voted on the best achievements in film in 2021 on Saturday, announcing its award winners through its Twitter account.

The organization named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s breakout drama “Drive My Car” as the best film of the year, with “The Power of the Dog” taking the runner-up slot. Lafca flipped the two in the category of best director, awarding “Power of the Dog” helmer Campion with Hamaguchi as the runner-up. With its best picture win, “Drive My Car” has become one of fourteen films to win the top prize from the Lafca and New York Film Critics Circle. Each of these films has gone on to become a best picture nominee.

Other big winners included Simon Rex in “Red Rocket” for best actor, Penélope Cruz in “Parallel Mothers” for best actress and Ariana DeBose in “West Side Story” for best supporting actress. Best supporting actor...

The 2022 Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced Tuesday, December 14. So who made the cut at these kudos, which celebrate the best in American independent films? Scroll down to see the full 2022 Indie Spirits nominations list. Remember, only American-made movies with budgets under $20 million were eligible for consideration.

These Spirit contenders were decided by nominating committees that included film critics, film programmers, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, actors, past nominees and winners, and members of Film Independent’s Board of Directors. Winners will be chosen by all of Film Independent’s eligible members, including industry insiders and any movie fans who sign up for membership starting at $95 per year.

These awards have come to be a significant preview of the Oscars as the motion picture academy embraces more independent films. Six of the last 10 Spirit champs for Best Feature went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture including last year’s double dipper “Nomadland,...

Distributor A24 and Zola led nominations as the Film Independent Spirit Awards revealed their 37th annual nods in a pre-taped presentation hosted by Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall and Naomi Watts. The Spirit Awards are skedded for Sunday, March 6, 2022 — live and in-person this year back on the beach in Santa Monica, and broadcast on IFC.

A24’s Zola, by Janicza Bravo and based on a Twitter chain from a riotous road trip, was recognized for Best Feature Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Female Lead and Supporting Male. Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon with Joaquin Phoenix took four nods including feature, director and screenplay. Accolades were rounded out by two nominations for Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, for Best Male Lead, Simon Rex ,and Best Supporting Female, Suzanna Son. The Humans, directed by Stephen Karam based on his one-act play, was nominated in cinematography.

Netflix and Neon took nine nods each, with...

“Zola,” a darkly comic look at a part-time stripper’s Florida trip gone horribly wrong, topped nominations for the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards, picking up a leading seven nods.

But the film, which is based on a Twitter thread that went viral, faces fierce competition in the best feature category. It’s up against “The Novice,” a twisty thriller that scored five nominations, as well as “The Lost Daughter,” an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name, which scored four nominations. Rounding out the feature film race are “A Chiara,” an Italian-language family drama, and “C’mon C’mon,” a warm-hearted look at an uncle’s relationship with his young nephew.

The nominations were announced Tuesday by Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall and Naomi Watts. Returning in-person in 2022 after going virtual due to Covid in 2021, the awards highlight and celebrate movies that are, for the most part, produced and...

It’s IndieWire’s now-familiar – and still very true – reframe: anyone who thinks this year (read: any year) has been bad for movies simply hasn’t seen enough of them. While the 2021 landscape looked a fair bit different than that of 2020 – for one thing, in-person festival attendance and theater-going returned, if cautiously and with plenty of new protocols – the ability to see films beyond the big screen has only continued apace. And while many might bemoan the degradation of the “movie-going experience,” no matter how you saw the best of this year’s beefy batch, it was worth it.

Look no further than our top two films, both new offerings from some of contemporary cinema’s most enduring and exciting auteurs, for proof that the delivery service is hardly as important as the art being, well, delivered. Jane Campion’s masterful, menacing “The Power of the Dog” premiered at Venice,...

The 31st annual Gotham Awards is a key stop in the awards season marathon, especially for lower-budget indies looking for some traction for the Oscars race. However, not every likely Oscar contender found itself up for Gothams, including “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and “The Harder They Fall,” as they exceeded the $35 million budget limit for nominees.

For the first time, international documentaries were eligible in the best documentary feature category. Additionally, the new award breakthrough nonfiction series is among category updates for the year, as well as outstanding lead performance, outstanding supporting performance and outstanding performance in a new series, from the television side. Outstanding lead performance, breakthrough performance and outstanding supporting performance were all gender neutral categories, with eight men and 14 women nominated.

Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” ran away with the evening, scoring the most amount of wins with prizes in best feature, breakthrough director for Maggie Gyllenhaal,...

The Gotham Awards were handed out on November 29 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. So who won at these annual indie film kudos from The Gotham Film and Media Institute, which streamed on YouTube and Facebook? Scroll down for the complete list of winners in all categories.

Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and “Passing” went in as the two most nominated films with five apiece, but that didn’t automatically mean they were the front-runners. Categories at these awards are judged by panels of just a handful of industry insiders, often leading to unexpected, under-the-radar winners. You can’t count anyone out at an event where unique juries review all the nominated material.

Seersvp now for November 30: Film producers panel with ‘Being the Ricardos,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘tick, tick… Boom!’

That means these awards can be quite idiosyncratic — they’re independent thinkers, and not...

The Gotham Awards took place on November 29 in Lower Manhattan, back in their usual prime slot at the start of the awards season. The event marks the first significant awards ceremony of the season, ahead of most critics groups and guilds.

Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.

Kristen Stewart received this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other...

The Gotham Awards will be the first awards body on the independent circuit to choose its winners for the year on Monday.

On the film side, two Netflix features lead the tally, both from debut women filmmakers — Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter.” There isn’t always an obvious blueprint to predicting this group. As we saw with last year’s two tied categories, things could get interesting at Cipriani Wall Street. The Gotham are just the start of a busy week that has a great influence on the Oscar race. After Monday’s first critics and guild screening of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Wednesday’s unveiling of Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,” Thursday brings us the National Board of Review selections before the New York Film Critics Circle weighs in on Friday.

As for the television side, the Gothams will...

An indie film that had it’s world premiere at the Blackstar Film Festival (coined as the Black Sundance) in 2019 and was released by Kino Lorber this past February is easily the surprise nomination for this year’s Gotham Awards. Shatara Michelle Ford‘s Test Pattern received a nomination for Best Feature, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award for it’s filmmaker and an Outstanding Lead Performance nom for Brittany S. Hall.

On first glance, the November 29th award gala will be a battle between two Netflix items (and first-time works) from actresses-turned-director in Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter) and Rebecca Hall (Passing).…...

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter and Rebecca Hall’s Passing, both from Netflix, swept the top nominations for the Gotham Awards this year as the independent film honors and awards-season portal unveiled its noms list Thursday morning ahead of an in-person ceremony next month.

The Lost Daughter was nominated in the Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Screenplay for Gyllenhall, lead performance for Olivia Colman and Supporting Performance for Jessie Buckley. Passing scored four noms including Best Feature.

Others in the Best Feature category include The Green Knight (A24), Pig (Neon) and Test Pattern (Kino Lorber).

Films released from March 1-December 31, 2021 and TV series from Oct. 1, 2020-September 30, 2021 were eligible. See full list of nominations below.

A24 and Netflix each had 10 nominations overall. Others were spread across distributors. A24 titles included Red Rocket; lead performance nods to Taylour Paige...