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From Elizabeth Nichols’s Flying Lessons, to Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s Union, to now Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg’s Emergent City (likewise EP’d by Stephen Maing), corporate takeovers of NYC and the inherent Gotham vs. Goliath battles they spawn seem to be in the documentary air this year. And while Flying Lessons and Union clearly cast entities like corrupt Croman Real Estate and anti-labor Amazon as the respective baddies, Emergent City is surprisingly not much interested in blaming Jamestown Properties, the conglomerate behind Industry City, the largest privately owned industrial property in New York, for the rapid gentrification of […]

The post “I Was Shocked To Be the Only Person There with a Camera”: Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg on their Tribeca-Debuting Doc about Industry City Development, Emergent City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

From Elizabeth Nichols’s Flying Lessons, to Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s Union, to now Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg’s Emergent City (likewise EP’d by Stephen Maing), corporate takeovers of NYC and the inherent Gotham vs. Goliath battles they spawn seem to be in the documentary air this year. And while Flying Lessons and Union clearly cast entities like corrupt Croman Real Estate and anti-labor Amazon as the respective baddies, Emergent City is surprisingly not much interested in blaming Jamestown Properties, the conglomerate behind Industry City, the largest privately owned industrial property in New York, for the rapid gentrification of […]

The post “I Was Shocked To Be the Only Person There with a Camera”: Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg on their Tribeca-Debuting Doc about Industry City Development, Emergent City first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

“Are you getting what you want, bitch?” Philly Abe, the focus of Elizabeth Nichols’s Flying Lessons, repeatedly offers similarly styled examples of “director-subject negotiations,” in which the latter grumbles before giving the former what they want, now with the added gift of self-reflexive dramatic tension. Director-subject relations are currently an especially fashionable topic; at this year’s True/False Film Fest, Flying Lessons provided its most interesting treatment. Abe is presented first as a representative of a vibrant and unprofessionalized ’80s downtown NYC arts scene but has an equally important relationship to the filmmaker, whose presence […]

The post True/False Film Fest 2024: Creative Subjects first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

“Are you getting what you want, bitch?” Philly Abe, the focus of Elizabeth Nichols’s Flying Lessons, repeatedly offers similarly styled examples of “director-subject negotiations,” in which the latter grumbles before giving the former what they want, now with the added gift of self-reflexive dramatic tension. Director-subject relations are currently an especially fashionable topic; at this year’s True/False Film Fest, Flying Lessons provided its most interesting treatment. Abe is presented first as a representative of a vibrant and unprofessionalized ’80s downtown NYC arts scene but has an equally important relationship to the filmmaker, whose presence […]

The post True/False Film Fest 2024: Creative Subjects first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

At the True/False Film Festival, packed with an array of nonfiction films from around the globe, there’s an overarching sense of connection and familiarity that emerges by the end of the four-day documentary showcase. True/False has held court in the charming college town of Columbia, Missouri as a haven for documentary film lovers for 21 years. IndieWire was particularly taken with the conversations that ensued throughout the festival — from Q&As to post-screening chit-chat — as we streamed out of the city’s historic theaters. Subtler conversations arose between the films themselves.

While the settings of the films were varied — Michigan to Mumbai, Armenia to Alphabet City — the best films touched on universal ideas: the connection between art and selfhood, changing political landscapes, and preparations for death and departure from this world. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s festival, all of which are still looking for U.

'Awkward' is up for Favorite Cable TV Comedy, and Nikki is urging fans of the MTV comedy hit to exercise their right to vote. You're welcome. Nikki DeLoach may not play the best mom in the world on Awkward — I think we all remember the effects of Lacey's infamous "carefrontation" letter — but when it comes to her craft, Nikki's dedication knows no bounds. "It meant a heck of a lot to us that we were nominated," she tells HollywoodLife.com, "so we want all of our fans to go out and vote for us. And no one else." "We really want to win this one," she adds. "It's nice to be acknowledged by the critics and to get great reviews, but it's equally as nice to have your fans speak out and vote. We're so stoked about [the nomination.]" Awkward is up against some fierce competition, including It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Hot In Cleveland,...

No stranger to traumatized characters, Maggie Grace ("Taken," "Lost") appears in the new trailer for Derek Magyar's "Flying Lessons" as 25-year-old Sophie Conway, a young woman who returns, her life a shambles, to the small town where she grew up. As she grapples--aided by more than a few drinks--with the tug of nostalgia and the disappointments of frustrated dreams, Sophie tries to sort out relationships with her mother (Christine Lahti) and an old lover (Jonathan Tucker) who still carries an ardent flame. Read More: The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This November Having stormed from several rooms, shed a river of tears and rejected the sympathetic overtures of family and friends, Sophie seems, by trailer's end, to find some measure of solace as she resolves to wipe her slate clean. The precise sources of Sophie's unhappiness remain unidentified in this brief clip, but her redemption looks to hinge on an unusual relationship with.

Maggie Grace has had an excellent few years, first really making a name for herself back in Lost and then Taken, and two years since its production was completed, her leading role in Flying Lessons is finally about to debut in Us theatres.

Grace stars as the young twentysomething returning home to a town she’d wanted to put behind her, and now Yahoo Movies have debuted the new Us trailer for the film, ahead of its theatrical release next month.

“With her life at crossroads, 25 year old Sophie Conway (Maggie Grace) returns to the small town she always tried to forget. Once home, she’s faced with past lovers, a tangled relationship with her mother, and Harry Pleasant, and Alzheimer’s patient who in quite an opposite fashion, shares in Sophie’s truggle to remember.”

Derek Magyar makes his directorial debut, with Thomas Kuehl similarly making his debut penning the script.

Trailer for Derek Magyar's Flying Lessons, starring Maggie Grace Yahoo's premiered the trailer for the New Films Cinema indie drama, which also includes Christine Lahti, Hal Holbrook, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker and Joanna Cassidy. With her life at a crossroads, 25 year old Sophie Conway returns home to the small town she always wanted to forget. Once home, she is faced with the friends and lovers she left behind, a tangled relationship with her Mother, and Harry Pleasant, an Alzheimer's Disease patient who, in an opposing way, shares Sophie's struggle to remember. Derek Magyar directs from the script by Thomas Kueh and Benjamin Statler.

Trailer for Derek Magyar's Flying Lessons, starring Maggie Grace Yahoo's premiered the trailer for the New Films Cinema indie drama, which also includes Christine Lahti, Hal Holbrook, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker and Joanna Cassidy. With her life at a crossroads, 25 year old Sophie Conway returns home to the small town she always wanted to forget. Once home, she is faced with the friends and lovers she left behind, a tangled relationship with her Mother, and Harry Pleasant, an Alzheimer's Disease patient who, in an opposing way, shares Sophie's struggle to remember. Derek Magyar directs from the script by Thomas Kueh and Benjamin Statler.

Actor Derek Magyar piloted a new course into producing and directing with his new movie Flying Lessons, which is this month arriving in select theaters with the aim of attracting attention for awards season.

At first slotted to act in the indie heartbreaker, his passion for the project and his relationship with its creators saw him plucked from the stage and dropped into the director's chair.

It tells the story of 25-year-old Sophie Conway (Lost's Maggie Grace), who has hit rock bottom and returns to her hometown and all the baggage she's left behind.

While struggling against a tangled relationship with her mother, portrayed by Academy Award winner Christine Lahti, Sophie finds solace in her bond with an Alzheimer's patient (Oscar nominee Hal Holbrook) as she battles to remember her own troubled past.

Magyar also recently wrapped the adventure thriller Phantom, in which he plays Garin alongside David Duchovny, William Fichtner and Ed Harris.

Interview With Derek Magyar On Flying Lessons

Teenagers often dream about attending college far away from home, so they can gain some independence and experience life on their own. But in today's tough economic market, more and more young adults are returning home to live with their parents after they graduate from college. Their struggle to readjust living with their parents is one major issue first-time director Derek Magyar tackles in Flying Lessons, his acclaimed feature debut.

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A few short films, forgettable cameos on popular TV shows, telemovies that don.t get much exposure . it.s the early days of acting that are the hardest to get through. The line between struggling actor and thriving artist is a fine one, reserved for those who possess the charisma and talent to outshine their co-stars. American actor Derek Magyar has crossed that line, evolving from .that guy in that one episode of that show. to an actor with starring roles, juggling producing and directing. .What I.ve learned is epic., he says of his directorial debut, Flying Lessons, which was released in theatres on December 2. .It.s changed me as a man and as a filmmaker; I go into my next projects with such a different eye and so much...

A new face has joined the world of Twilight. Star of the hit television series, Lost, and the Liam Neeson action thriller, Taken, Maggie Grace will be appearing in the two part final installment of the franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.

Grace will be playing Irina, one of the Denali sisters and a member of the Denali Coven, who were close friends to the Cullen family and fellow vegetarian vampires. When Irina's lover is killed, she blames the Cullens and takes action, leading to a ripple of very bad things.

Along with Lost and Taken, Grace has also appeared in movies like The Fog, Knight & Day, and Flying Lessons, with a few more on the way including Faster.

Franchise screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg (Dexter, Step Up) is currently working on the scripts for the two-part Breaking Dawn finale. The two movies will be helmed by Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, and Dreamgirls director Bill Condon.

By Robert W. Welkos

The life of a Hollywood blogger can be exciting.

There are red-carpet premieres to attend. Oscar races to handicap. Film festivals in far-off locales to visit. Movie stars and cutting-edge directors to interview. And throughout the day, you have the freedom to voice your opinion on the Internet and people actually seem to care about what you think.

But being a Hollywood blogger also takes a personal toll.

“I consider it a 24-hour job,” said Sasha Stone of Awards Daily.

“Some day they’ll find me lying on the floor or dying at my desk. I believe in dying at my desk,” said Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere.

“It’s almost like vaudeville. For very little pay, you have to go out and give four or five performances a day and deal with the peanut gallery, the comments section, people barking back at you,” said Tom O’Neil of Gold Derby.

I'm in Santa Barbara for its 25th film fest: 196 films, 18 world premieres, 28 U.S. premieres and a program from 45 countries. The festival runs through Sunday, Feb. 14. Per usual, I'm ensconced in a twee bungalow at the Simpson House--sweet muffins on arrival, Laura Ashley decor, fringed pillows and lamp shades, white venetian blinds, stone fireplace, hot tub, soft bed, classical music. The fest starts off Thursday night with the world premiere of Flying Lessons, from rookie director Derek Magyar. Shot locally in the Santa Ynez Valley, the film stars Christine Lahti, Hal Holbrook and Lost's Maggie Grace. Friday brings Sandra Bullock's American Riviera Award. Pete Hammond does the honors, while Leonard Maltin will interview Saturday night's Modern Master, James Cameron. Santa Barbara, like ...

Two hundred films including 18 World Premieres, 28 U.S. Premieres and titles representing 45 countries are on tap for the silver edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The Festival, whose motto this year is “11 Amazing Days, 10 Starry Nights,” begins Thursday, February 4 through Sunday, February 14. The 25th Sbiff will open with the World Premiere of “Flying Lessons” directed by Derek Magyar in his directorial debut and …...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which kicks off Feb. 4, will open with the world premiere of Derek Magyar's "Flying Lessons," starring Christine Lahti, Maggie Grace, Jonathan Tucker, Cary Elwes, Joanna Cassidy and Hal Holbrook.

The fest runs through Feb. 14, when it closes with the world premiere of George Gallo's "Middle Men," starring Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson, James Caan, Kelsey Grammer and Kevin Pollak.

The 25th edition of the event, overseen by director Roger Durling, will feature 200 films, including 18 world premieres and 28 U.S. premieres.

Events include Jeff Bridges Day on Feb. 14, which features screenings of "The Last Picture Show," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Starman" and "The Contender" and an appearance by the actor, followed by a screening of "Crazy Heart."

Performers and filmmakers to be honored during the festival include Sandra Bullock, Colin Firth, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Julianne Moore, Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Christoph Waltz, Emily Blunt,...

Derek Magyar's feature film debut "Flying Lessons" has been selected to serve as opening night film at the 25th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which kicks off Feb. 4 and runs through Feb. 14.

The movie tells of a young woman, played by Maggie Grace of "Lost," who abandons her life in Los Angeles, to return to her home town and estranged mother, played by Christine Lahti. The cast also includes Jonathan Tucker, Cary Elwes, Joanna Cassidy and Hal Holbrook. It's the first film shot in the Santa Barbara area to open the fest.

"I am truly honored and humbled to have my directorial debut premiere as the opening night gala for Sbiff," Magyar said. "Not only is 'Flying Lessons' a perfect fit for this festival, but the fact that we shot the entire movie in Santa Ynez Valley, makes it feel like we've come full circle."

Magyar directed...

Hartford Stage, The Mark Twain House & Museum and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has announced that Oscar-nominee HAl Holbrook will make a rare appearance at the Hartford Lincoln Center on Saturday, January 23rd at 7:30pm in Mark Twain Tonight! - his acclaimed Tony Award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. Holbrook will be taking a brief break from the set of his upcoming feature film Flying Lessons, where he plays a retired officer and war veteran with Alzheimer's Disease.

Who doesn't love a woman with issues? Maggie Grace played the scorned rich girl turned poor after her father suddenly died on the ABC hit show Lost. Having to con her way through life, Shannon Rutherford finds a way to trick her stepbrother Boone into giving her everything she wants. It helps that Boone is in love with her and would do anything for his stepsister. Juicy, right? Things only heat up when the survivors of Flight 815 crash on a deserted island and Shannon sparks up a relationship with Sayid officer in the Iraqi Republican Guard. So is the blonde vixen heading back to Hawaii to film the final season of Lost (TV) or what? The final season of Lost (TV) is only a few months away and we are hearing that one cast member might not make it back to the island. Remember Maggie Grace? She played Shannon Rutherford on thirty-five episodes of Lost.

Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker have joined the cast of "The Next Three Days," Paul Haggis' thriller at Lionsgate.

Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks topline the movie, which revolves around a woman imprisoned for a murder she claims she didn't commit and her husband who tries to vindicate her.

Wilde will play a young mother who befriends the husband; Tucker will play a street tough running a meth lab.

Shooting begins this week in Pittsburgh.

Haggis, his Highway 61 Films partner Michael Nozik and Fidelite's Marc Missonnier and Olivier Delbosc are producing.

Wilde is in the cast of Fox's "House," which returned to high ratings last week, and stars opposite Garrett Hedlund in "Tron Legacy." She is repped by Wme and Kass & Stokes Management.

Tucker, repped by Wme and Booh Schut Co., starred for Haggis in "The Black Donnellys" and "In the Valley of Elah." He also has appeared...

James Mangold’s upcoming espionage thriller may not have a title, but its cast is rounding out nicely.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are already on board, and now Maggie Grace is apparently in talks for a supporting role, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She would play Diaz’s sister, who is getting married and excited Diaz will be walking her down the aisle in place of their deceased father.

The film, which has tentatively been referred to as "the Wichita project," centers around a single woman (Diaz), whose blind date with a seemingly-harmless man (Cruise) upturns her life when he turns out to be a super spy. Thanks to the Cruise character, she ends up embarking on an action-packed journey to project an infinite power source from some bad guys.

The screenplay — which sounds like a hybrid of Mission: Impossible 3 and Collateral, to borrow from two recent Cruise...

Taken starlet Maggie Grace is getting ready to thrill again, as she joins James Mangold's still-untitled spy flick, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.The film follows Diaz's lonesome lady who turns up for a blind-date which ends up on a rollercoaster ride with super spy (Cruise) whose job is to guard a powerful and potentially infinite power source. Grace has been drafted to play the little sister about to get married with the expectation that Diaz will walk her down the aisle following the death of their father. Lost actress Grace's star is on the rise currently having just taken the female lead alongside Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker for the English language remake of The Experiment and also taking to the skies with indie-flick Flying Lessons.Mangold's thriller shoot kicks off this October in Boston. Also shooting in the area will beBen Affleck's The Town -...

Maggie Grace is in negotiations to join Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in Fox's untitled Wichita project, a spy thriller directed by James Mangold.

The project centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

Grace is playing Diaz's sister, who is getting married, excited that Diaz will take the place of their late father and walk her down the aisle.

Mangold's partner Cathy Konrad is producing with Todd Garner, Steve Pink and Joe Roth.

Grace has been on fire since starring as Liam Neeson's daughter in "Taken," which has raked in more than $224 million worldwide.

She recently wrapped playing the female lead opposite Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker in Sony's "The Experiment" and is shooting "Flying Lessons.

The indie drama "Flying Lessons" has a cast now. Christine Lahti, Maggie Grace, Hal Holbrook, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker and Joanna Cassidy have been cast in the story of a young woman coming to terms with her father's suicide when she returns to her small town. First-timer Derek Magyar will direct from a screenplay by Thomas Kuehl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Benjamin Statler is producing, Mark Johnson ("My Sister's Keeper") is executive producing. Filming is scheduled to begin Aug. 24 in Santa Ynez, California. Magyar, an actor whose credits include "Boy Culture" and "Star Trek: Enterprise," is the son of Dezso Magyar, who ran the American Film Institute for 14 years and is now a film professor at Chapman...

Christine Lahti, Maggie Grace, Hal Holbrook, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker and Joanna Cassidy have been cast the indie drama "Flying Lessons." The story tells of a young woman who coming to terms with her father's suicide when she returns to the small town of her origin. First time director Derek Magyar will helm from the writing by Thomas Kuehl. Benjamin Statler is producing. Filming is scheduled to begin Aug. 24 in Santa Ynez, California.

Indie drama "Flying Lessons" is preparing for takeoff.

Christine Lahti, Maggie Grace, Hal Holbrook, Cary Elwes, Jonathan Tucker and Joanna Cassidy have been cast in the story of a young woman coming to terms with her father's suicide when she returns to her small town. First-timer Derek Magyar will direct from a screenplay by Thomas Kuehl.

Benjamin Statler is producing, Mark Johnson ("My Sister's Keeper") is executive producing. Filming is scheduled to begin Aug. 24 in Santa Ynez, Calif.

Magyar, an actor whose credits include "Boy Culture" and "Star Trek: Enterprise," is the son of Dezso Magyar, who ran the American Film Institute for 14 years and is now a film professor at Chapman University. The younger Magyar is repped by Fortitude.

Kuehl, a development exec at Ryan Murphy Prods., reached the semifinals of the Nicholl Fellowship with his script.

Lahti is repped by Icm and Management 360, Grace by Icm and 1 Management,...

Sony Pictures just released another new movie trailer from the upcoming thriller “Obsessed” by director Steve Shill (Dexter, Knight Rider) and starring Beyonce Knowles (Cadillac Records, Dream Girls), Idris Elba (The Wire, The Unborn), Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil: Extinction), Bruce McGill (Sweetwater), Scout Taylor-Compton (Love at First Hiccup) and Christine Lahti (Flying Lessons). “Obsessed” from Screen Gems will be in theaters everywhere on April 24, 2009. Synopsis: A Scotland Yard inspector (Roland Culver) on a murder case has a husband (David Farrar), his mistress (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and a housekeeper for suspects. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and trailers from “Obsessed”.

Sony Pictures recently released this new movie clip from the upcoming thriller “Obsessed” by director Steve Shill (Dexter, Knight Rider) and starring Beyonce Knowles (Cadillac Records, Dream Girls), Idris Elba (The Wire, The Unborn), Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil: Extinction), Bruce McGill (Sweetwater), Scout Taylor-Compton (Love at First Hiccup) and Christine Lahti (Flying Lessons). “Obsessed” from Screen Gems will be in theaters everywhere on April 24, 2009. Synopsis: A Scotland Yard inspector (Roland Culver) on a murder case has a husband (David Farrar), his mistress (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and a housekeeper for suspects. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and trailers from “Obsessed”.

Sony Pictures just released this new movie trailer from the upcoming thriller “Obsessed” by director Steve Shill (Dexter, Knight Rider) and starring Beyonce Knowles (Cadillac Records, Dream Girls), Idris Elba (The Wire, The Unborn), Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil: Extinction), Bruce McGill (Sweetwater), Scout Taylor-Compton (Love at First Hiccup) and Christine Lahti (Flying Lessons). “Obsessed” from Screen Gems will be in theaters everywhere on April 24, 2009. Synopsis: A Scotland Yard inspector (Roland Culver) on a murder case has a husband (David Farrar), his mistress (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and a housekeeper for suspects. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and trailers from “Obsessed”.

Sony Pictures recently released another new movie trailer from the upcoming thriller “Obsessed” by director Steve Shill (Dexter, Knight Rider) and starring Beyonce Knowles (Cadillac Records, Dream Girls), Idris Elba (The Wire, The Unborn), Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil: Extinction), Bruce McGill (Sweetwater), Scout Taylor-Compton (Love at First Hiccup) and Christine Lahti (Flying Lessons). “Obsessed” from Screen Gems will be in theaters everywhere on April 24, 2009. Synopsis: A Scotland Yard inspector (Roland Culver) on a murder case has a husband (David Farrar), his mistress (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and a housekeeper for suspects. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and trailers from “Obsessed”.

Sony Pictures released this brand new movie trailer from the upcoming thriller “Obsessed” by director Steve Shill (Dexter, Knight Rider) and starring Beyonce Knowles (Cadillac Records, Dream Girls), Idris Elba (The Wire, The Unborn), Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil: Extinction), Bruce McGill (Sweetwater), Scout Taylor-Compton (Love at First Hiccup) and Christine Lahti (Flying Lessons). “Obsessed” from Screen Gems will be in theaters everywhere on April 24, 2009. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and trailers.