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British star Josh O’Connor dons a cowboy hat and heads to Colorado in Max Walker-Silverman’s tender drama “Rebuilding,” alongside Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”) and Lily Latorre.

“I really love that man,” Walker-Silverman tells Variety.

“In ‘The Crown’ or ‘La Chimera,’ he was struggling for a way out of this very formal masculinity. Prince Charles’ masculinity is different from Colorado rancher’s masculinity, but the challenge is actually very similar.”

O’Connor plays Dusty, whose ranch has burned down in a wildfire. He doesn’t know how to go on or how to provide for his young daughter. But he’s not alone in a small community that’s literally still picking up the pieces.

“These small, ‘regional’ films can be tough. You need people who are kind and generous,” continues the director, also praising Fahy – “She can be so strong and so fragile” – and Reis.

Film producers from Variety‘s 10 Producers to Watch List gathered at the Bentonville Film Festival for a panel moderated by Jenelle Riley to share their producing journeys and provide a glimpse into how they tackle different challenges on set.

Trevor Wall recalled starting out as an intern at Will Smith’s company on the Sony lot and then transitioning to assistant work and manning the reception. “I distinctly remember the first time Will called, and I panicked because you gotta understand, a Black kid in the 90s, Will was the man, he’s the man. I looked up to him so much, so when I first heard his voice on the phone, I basically panicked and just put him on hold, and when I picked back up, he wasn’t even there anymore,” Wall said.

Jesse Hope (“Rebuilding”) also gave an anecdote about early career stumbles. “My real first job...

Exclusive: Picturehouse Entertainment has acquired UK-Ireland rights to Max Walker-Silverman’s Rebuilding starring Josh O’Connor, Lily Latorre, Maghann Fahy, Kali Reis and Amy Madigan.

The Sundance 2025 premiere follows a cowboy living in emergency accommodation after losing his ranch to wildfires, who reconciles with his ex-wife and estranged daughter.

Picturehouse will announce a release date in due course; mk2 handles international sales.

The film is produced by Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey and Paul Mezey. Executive Producers are Jan McAdoo, Jack McAdoo, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Sakurako Fisher, Douglas Choi, Alex C. Lo, Philipp Engelhorn, Bill Way, Elliott Whitton, Andrew Goldman and O’Connor.

“Rebuilding,” a drama starring Josh O’Connor as a cowboy who loses his ranch to wildfires, has sold U.S. rights to Bleecker Street. The film premiered at Sundance and will debut in theaters later this year.

Max Walker-Silverman directed “Rebuilding,” which follows Dusty, a rancher who is forced into a Fema camp and unexpectedly reconnects with his estranged daughter and ex-wife while reconstructing his life alongside fellow survivors. Lily Latorre (“Run Rabbit Run”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Kali Reis (“True Detective”) and Amy Madigan (“Field of Dreams”) round out the cast.

Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the performance of O’Connor, a 34-year-old British actor best known for “The Crown” and “Challengers.” In his review, Gleiberman wrote, “He’s an authentic presence, scraggly and taciturn in a soulful way, and he communicates the quiet anguish at the heart of Dusty, a character who has lost everything.

Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to the Sundance drama Rebuilding starring Josh O’Connor, with mk2 Films boarding international sales heading into Cannes.

‘Rebuilding’: Sundance Review

Max Walker-Silverman’s film follows Dusty, a cowboy who loses his ranch in a wildfire and reconnects with his estranged daughter and ex-wife as he reconstructs his life alongside fellow survivors in an emergency camp.

Lily Latorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, and Amy Madigan round out the cast. Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey and Paul Mezey served as producers, and O’Connor is among the executive producers.

Bleecker Street’s Miranda King negotiated the...

Bleecker Street has picked up U.S. distribution rights to Max Walker-Silverman’s Rebuilding, repping the distributor’s second collaboration with the filmmaker after his 2022 directorial debut A Love Song. A release date is planned for later this year.

Rebuilding debuted in the Premieres Section at the Sundance Film Festival and stars Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Lily Latorre (Run Rabbit Run), Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus), Kali Reis (True Detective) and Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams).

Pic follows Dusty, a cowboy who loses his ranch to devastating wildfires. Forced into a Fema camp, he unexpectedly begins reconnecting with his estranged daughter and ex-wife and reconstructing his life alongside fellow survivors.

Rebuilding is produced by Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey and Paul Mezey. EPs are Jan McAdoo, Jack McAdoo, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Sakurako Fisher, Douglas Choi, Alex C. Lo, Philipp Engelhorn, Bill Way, Elliott Whitton, Andrew Goldman and Josh O’Connor.

Bleecker Street recently acquired the U.

The Josh O’Connor drama that premiered out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Rebuilding, has landed at Bleecker Street for the U.S.

Max Walker-Silverman directs the film, which also stars Lily Latorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis and Amy Madigan. Walker-Silverman worked with Bleecker on his last movie, A Love Song.

In Rebuilding, O’Connor stars as a rancher who loses his ranch in a wildfire and moves into a Fema camp, where he reconnects with her daughter, ex-wife and his larger community.

“Upending clichés about rugged individualism, Rebuilding looks toward a communal vision of courageousness and reinvention, a way to move forward without negating the past — especially when the remnants of that past have been reduced to ash,” reads The Hollywood Reporter’s review out of Sundance, where the film received near-universal praise.

Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey and Paul Mezey produced the film. Executive Producers include Jan McAdoo,...

Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to “Rebuilding,” a wildfire drama from director Max Walker-Silverman and starring Josh O’Connor, Lily Latorre and Meghann Fahy. The film premiered at Sundance this past January and will be the opening film of the San Francisco Film Festival this Thursday.

O’Connor stars in the film as Dusty, a cowboy who loses his ranch to devastating wildfires. Forced into a Fema camp, he begins to put his life back together alongside other survivors and unexpectedly forms new bonds with his estranged daughter and ex-wife. Kali Reis and Amy Madigan also star in the film.

Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey and Paul Mezey are producers on the film. O’Connor is executive producer alongside Jan McAdoo, Jack McAdoo, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Sakurako Fisher, Douglas Choi, Alex C. Lo, Philipp Engelhorn, Bill Way, Elliott Whitton, and Andrew Goldman.

Bleecker Street will release “Rebuilding” later this year,...

The 2025 Sffilm Festival lineup is finally here!

The Sffilm Festival will take place April 17 to 27 in theaters across San Franciscoʼs Marina and Presidio neighborhoods, the Mission, and in Berkeley. The festival lineup includes over 150 films from more than 50 countries including 11 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, and six US Premieres. All feature films in competition, special events, and Marquee sections are California premieres. There are also 11 Sffilm Supported titles which are projects that received support from the organizationʼs youth education and artist development programs as grants, residencies, or funding, reflecting the year round mission of Sffilm. This is the largest-ever showcase of Sffilm Supported projects ever in the festival.

“I am over the moon that we are back with 11 days of screenings, special Tributes, Awards, free talks, our annual Industry Days Conference, parties, city tours, and much more. It has been a delight to curate over 150 films for this...

Filmmaker Max Walker-Silverman’s A Love Song premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022 to much critical acclaim but little fanfare because of its low-key nature. His higher sophomore feature, Rebuilding, is such a beautiful film — both narratively and visually — that it left few dry eyes in the packed audience of its Sundance premiere, and despite having a higher profile cast, it does not sacrifice the qualities that made Walker-Silverman’s debut so special.

Rebuilding Review

Rebuilding follows a rancher who takes up residence in a Fema disaster camp after his ranch and home are completely destroyed by a wildfire, as he struggles to find and understand the meaning of home and community. While this story might seem like fodder for “poverty porn,” in the hands of a filmmaker like Walker-Silverman, it becomes something much more poetic and profound.

Related The Wedding Banquet Sundance Review — Cute but Safe Lgbtqia+ Rom-Com Remake

Of course,...

Talk about timely.

In a movie that looks tailor-made to debut at the Sundance Film Festival, British actor Josh O’Connor tries on an American Southwest accent to take on the role of Colorado rancher, Dusty, whose life (along with those of his few neighbors in the very rural Rocky Mountain community in which his family has lived and worked for generations) comes crashing down when a devastating wildfire destroys everything. On top of all that, he is living alone after splitting with his wife Ruby (a fine Meghann Fahy) who has moved in nearby with her mother Bess (Amy Madigan), taking their young daughter Callie Rose (Lily Latorre) with her. Finding a temporary roof over his head in a Fema pop-up trailer park planted in the middle of nowhere but with zero guarantee of stability, Dusty doesn’t quite understand what is happening to his dreams and how it all came to this.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicks off this week in Park City, Utah, launching the first major festival of the year and one of the biggest markets for film. Sundance is, of course, home to a slew of independent films seeking distribution. It’s where movies like “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Fruitvale Station” and “Palm Springs” got their start, and this year’s lineup is chock-full of true indies looking for a home.

Below, TheWrap rounded up some of the buzziest titles for sale at this year’s festival.

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna appear in Kiss of the Spider Woman by Bill Condon (Sundance) “Kiss of the Spider-Woman”

Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva,...

A Love Song(the much traveled and critically acclaimed Sundance 2022 title) filmmaker Max Walker-Silverman is back in his home state of Colorado for round two. Production on his currently untitled project (coined as a rebuilding project) is set with producers Dan Janvey (won Oscar for Nomadland), Paul Mezey and Jesse Hope. Hope and Janvey were producers on his debut film. Here is the logline, we’ll try to find out who will be cast in the lead roles.

After losing the old family ranch to a wildfire, a cowboy, Dusty, winds up in a small Fema camp in the vast American West.…...

Everything Everywhere All at Once cleaned up at the 38th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning seven awards, including best feature.

Stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan each collected another award to add to their hauls, taking home best lead performance and best supporting performance, respectively, while Stephanie Hsu won best breakthrough performance. The film’s writer-directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won the Spirit Award for best director and best screenplay, and Paul Rogers won for his editing work.

Heading into the show, Everything Everywhere All at Once led the film nominations with eight nods, winning every category in which it was nominated. Jamie Lee Curtis also was nominated but lost to her Eeao co-star Quan for best supporting performance.

On the TV side, The Bear was named best new scripted series, with Ayo Edebiri taking home the award for best supporting performance in a new scripted series.

Celebrating its 38th edition, the Film Independent Spirit Awards have unveiled their 2023 nominations, with the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once leading the pack with eight nominations while Todd Field’s TÁR secured seven. Along with those two, rounding out the Best Feature nominations were Bones and All, Our Father, the Devil, and Women Talking. Elsewhere, some of our favorites of the year––including Aftersun, Murina, The African Desperate, The Cathedral, After Yang, All That Breathes, Saint Omer, and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed––were recognized.

Check out the nominations below ahead of the March 4 ceremony.

Best Feature (Award given to the producer)

Bones and All

Producers: Timothée Chalamet, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Luca Guadagnino, David Kajganich, Lorenzo Mieli, Marco Morabito, Gabriele Moratti, Theresa Park, Peter Spears

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Producers: Daniel Kwan, Mike Larocca, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang

Our Father, the Devil

Producers: Ellie Foumbi,...

Click here to read the full article.

The 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations in film categories were revealed Tuesday morning.

Taylour Paige and Raúl Castillo announced this year’s movie nominees in a livestream on Film Independent’s YouTube channel.

A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once leads the nominations with eight nods including best feature, directing and screenplay (for filmmaking duo Daniels). Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu were also honored for their performances. Other leading Oscar contenders landing Spirit Awards nods include Focus Features’ Tàr (which earned seven nominations, among them for Todd Field’s direction and writing, as well as performances from Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss), United Artists’ Bones and All (recognized with three nods including for its performances from Taylor Russell and Mark Rylance) and A24’s The Inspection (earning nods for actors Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union, in addition...

“Bones and All,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Our Father, the Devil,” “Tár” and “Women Talking” have have been nominated as the best independent films of 2022 at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which announced its nominations on Tuesday morning by Taylour Paige and Raúl Castillo.

Acting nominees in the gender-neutral categories include Brian Tyree Henry for “Causeway,” Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss for “Tár,” Regina King for “Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul” and Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Those three acting nominations for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” along with a Breakthrough Performance nom for Stephanie Hsu, pushed that film to eight nominations, the most of any film. “Tár” finished second with seven nominations, followed by “Aftersun” with five and “Palm Trees and Power Lines,” “Women Talking” and “Emily the Criminal” with four each.

Also Read:

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once...

“A Love Song,” a drama that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival starring Dale Dickey and Wes Studi, has been acquired by both Bleecker Street and Sony’s Stage 6 Films.

The two distributors together took the film’s worldwide rights, with Bleecker handling the domestic theatrical rollout for a release later this summer.

“A Love Song” is the feature film debut of writer and director Max Walker-Silverman, and it will next screen at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section.

“A Love Song” follows Faye (Dickey), who stations herself at an idyllic lakeside campsite in the Colorado Mountains – cooking simple meals, retrieving crawfish from a trap, and scanning her old box radio for a station. But Faye is also awaiting the arrival of Lito (Studi), a childhood sweetheart she hasn’t seen in decades. When Lito arrives, the two widowed companions spend an evening reminiscing about their lives,...

The small and powerful Sundance drama “A Love Song” has found worldwide distribution in Sony’s Stage 6 Films and Bleecker Street, Variety has learned exclusively.

The acclaimed two-hander about love, loss and loneliness is led by Dale Dickey and honorary Academy Award winner Wes Studi.

The film, sitting at 93% fresh on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, marks the writer-director debut of Max Walker-Silverman. Bleecker Street will release the film to domestic theaters this summer, while Stage 6 is currently charting the international release strategy.

Dickey plays Faye, a wanderer who stations herself at an idyllic campsite in the Colorado Mountains – cooking simple meals, retrieving crawfish from a trap and scanning her old box radio for a station. She also awaits the arrival of Lito (Studi), a childhood sweetheart she hasn’t seen in decades. The two widowed companions spend a meaningful evening reminiscing.

“These two characters have both loved and lost, and...

Max Walker-Silverman’s A Love Song pits a pair of reconnected childhood sweethearts—both now widowed—against the backdrop of an intimate American West. Shot in rural Colorado in the midst of the Covid pandemic, the film required precautions in excess of what was stipulated in then-new union guidelines, necessitating everyone involved to enter and form a “bubble” for the duration of production. First-time producer Jesse Hope discusses the difficulties and rewards of such an approach and how his experience working on sets with directors like Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers prepared him to take the reins. Filmmaker: Tell me about the […]

The post “The Biggest Challenge Facing Producers and the Film Industry at Large Is an Unhealthy Relationship to Labor”: Producer Jesse Hope on A Love Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Max Walker-Silverman’s A Love Song pits a pair of reconnected childhood sweethearts—both now widowed—against the backdrop of an intimate American West. Shot in rural Colorado in the midst of the Covid pandemic, the film required precautions in excess of what was stipulated in then-new union guidelines, necessitating everyone involved to enter and form a “bubble” for the duration of production. First-time producer Jesse Hope discusses the difficulties and rewards of such an approach and how his experience working on sets with directors like Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers prepared him to take the reins. Filmmaker: Tell me about the […]

The post “The Biggest Challenge Facing Producers and the Film Industry at Large Is an Unhealthy Relationship to Labor”: Producer Jesse Hope on A Love Song first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

If ever there was what we can affectionately call a “Sundance movie,” it is A Love Song, a micro-small, actor-driven heartfelt drama set in the rural west mountainous region of Colorado from first time feature writer/director Max Walker-SIlverman. Premiering in the Next section of the Sundance Film Festival tonight this is a deliberately paced look at two lonely lives of former childhood friends now leading a seemingly nomadic existence in the aftermath of grief over the loss of their individual spouses as they forge a tentative reunion that might – or might not – lead to romance, even as they have reached their senior years. In an odd way it is the perfect companion piece for last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, Nomadland, a movie also set in the sparse surroundings of the Southwest and focusing on a particular character, now alone, heading out on the road following the end...

Films Boutique has scooped world sales rights to Max Walker-Silverman’s “A Love Song” which is set to world premiere at Sundance and has also been selected for the Berlinale Panorama section.

“A Love Song” stars Dale Dickey (“Winter’s Bone”) and Wes Studi (“The Last of the Mohicans”) who won the Academy Honorary Award in 2020.

Penned and directed by Max Walker-Silverman, “A Love Song” unfolds at an idyllic campsite in the Colorado Mountains, where a woman, Faye, spends her days listening to birds, catching crawfish from the lake, and scanning her old radio for a station. But most of all, Faye is waiting for Lito, a childhood sweetheart she hasn’t seen in decades. “A Love Song” is lushly lensed by Alfonso Herrera Salcedo (“El hoyo en la cerca”).

“I consider ‘A Love Song’ a piece of my home, and so it’s a particular pleasure to partner with Films...