News

Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry-Jones are to star in an identity thriller for British broadcaster Channel 5 from Noel Clarke and Jason Maza’s Unstoppable Film & Television.

The Drowning is the latest drama order for the ViacomCBS network, which has been aggressively ramping up its scripted slate with shows including Cold Call and Penance.

The Drowning starts when Jodie, played by Liar’s Halfpenny, catches sight of Daniel, played by newcomer Cody Molko, a teenage boy, she is convinced she has found her missing son. Whether she is right or not, in that moment her spark of hope is ignited and she commits to a dangerous and transgressive path that will take her to the edge of reason. How far will she go? How far would any of us go to find a missing child?

Since losing her son eight years ago, Jodie has been rebuilding her life...

Dashboard Confessional usher in #ThrowbackThursday with a Spotify playlist that features a mix of video clips and songs to mark the release of Dashboard Confessional’s The Best Ones of the Best Ones compilation album, which will be available on Friday.

Band leader Chris Carrabba personally culled the 50-track Spotify playlist, which includes clips from a 2001 Dashboard Confessional show in Connecticut and “Behind the Song” video introductions. The playlist spans Nineties and early 2000s emo and indie punk classics from artists such as the Promise Ring, the Get Up Kids,...

Exclusive: Andrene Ward-Hammond (Claws) and Ellen Tamaki (Charmed) are set for recurring roles opposite Melissa Roxburgh on the upcoming second season of NBC’s hit missing plane drama series Manifest, from Jeff Rake, Warner Bros. TV, Universal Television and Compari Entertainment.

Clearly influenced by the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, in Manifest, when Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.

Ward-Hammond will play Captain Kate Bowers,...

Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical Before I Fall (thriller-mystery; Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller; rated PG-13) Fist Fight (comedy; Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell; rated R) The Exception (drama-thriller; Christopher Plummer, Lily James; available 5/30 on cable Mod and in theaters; rated R) Collide (action-thriller; Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones; rated PG-13) The Drowning (drama; Josh Charles, Julia Stiles; available 6/1; not rated) I, Daniel Blake (drama; Dave Johns, Hayley Squires...

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Bringing her observational knack to the realm of genre formula, New York auteur Bette Gordon tackles matters of crime, guilt and redemption with a solid grasp of character and place in The Drowning. Overcoming the screenplay’s gaping holes in logic is another matter. Like most thrillers, this story of a child psychologist who’s drawn into the net of a vindictive former patient requires a certain suspension of disbelief. Gordon, who has explored lives in the margins in Variety, Luminous Motion and Handsome Harry, doesn’t quite manage to bridge the gaps or make every corner of the story ring true, but with...

Bette Gordon isn't exactly a prolific filmmaker but she is an indie superstar, making the movies she wants to make in her own way. The result is that we don't get to see a whole lot of her work but when a new one comes around, it's worth taking note.

Gordon's latest is The Drowning, a psychological thriller based on Pat Barker's acclaimed novel "Border Crossing."

Josh Charles stars as Tom Seymour, as a forensic psychologist who is still haunted by his involvement in a case years before which sent a young boy named Danny Miller to prison for a terrible crime. Now years later, the boy is a young man out on release and he's made a re-appearance in Tom's life and it doesn't appear to be accidental.

Along with Charles, the movie also stars Julia Stiles and Ava [Continued ...]...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Montclair Film has announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (Mff), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending. Highlights include “Casting JonBenet,” “Strong Island,” “Lady Macbeth,” “Menashe” and “Beach Rats.”

“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.” Check out the full lineup right here.

– The Film Society...

Distributor plots theatrical release for autumn. Separately, FilmRise acquires Marjorie Prime, Gravitas Ventures takes California Typewriter, Oscilloscope picks up Polina and Summer 1993, and Paladin and Electric Entertainment acquire The Drowning.

The Orchard has acquired all Us distribution rights to Oscar-nominee Raoul Peck’sThe Young Karl Marx.

Peck’s latest film premiered at the Berlinale in February on the heels of his Oscar nomination for the documentary I Am Not Your Negro.

Directed, produced and co-written by Peck with Pascal Bonitzer, The Young Karl Marx explores the origins of the international socialist movement, the emergence of the Communist League and its founding document,The Communist Manifesto written by Marx and Friedrich Engels.

The film paints a portrait of the two young men who, with the support of Marx’s wife Jenny, passionately believed in the vision of a humane society and the revolutionary power of the abused and oppressed. The film stars August Diehl, Stefan Konarske and [link...

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Fox Searchlight will acquire the U.S., Canada and U.K. rights to to “The Old Man And The Gun,” Deadline reports. Director David Lowery’s drama stars Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek and Danny Glover and begins shooting on April 3.

Based on a true story, the film centers on bank robber and 17-time prison escapee Forrest Tucker (Redford). Affleck plays a detective obsessed with bringing Tucker to justice while Spacek plays Tucker’s love interest. The film is produced by Conde Nast Entertainment Wildwood Enterprises and Identity Films.

Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Neon Picks Up Errol Morris’ ‘The B-Side,’ FilmRise Gets Two Sundance Premieres and More

– Grasshopper Film has acquired the U.S. rights...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Exclusive: Over the last five years, Jacksonville, Florida’s Sun-Ray Cinema has carved out a unique space for adventurous film programming while also reinventing how audiences enjoy blockbuster fare in Northeast Florida. Building on those successes, Sun-Ray has now unveiled their Sleeping Giant Fest. From March 30 – April 2, Sleeping Giant Fest promises to “open your eyes and perk your ears to work that often gets lost in the digital streams that dominate our viewing habits today.” The festival aims “to help you navigate an array of choices that often seems dizzying so you can immerse yourself in these so-called ‘less commercial’ films, repertory titles, and screenings with exciting special guests while enjoying the communal experience that the cinema provides.

With forty film and music events over four lively days,...