News

“Telemarketers” docuseries subject Patrick J. Pespas has been reported missing, according to limited series helmer Adam Bhala Lough. Lough, who co-directed the recent HBO docuseries with Sam Lipman-Stern, took to X (previously known as Twitter) over the weekend to share, “Pat is missing, and [his wife] Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him. Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him.”

“Telemarketers” centers on a New Jersey-based call center that previously employed Lipman-Stern, Lough’s cousin. Pespas was featured in the docuseries as a salesperson who worked for Civic Development Group. Lough and Lipman-Stern began investigating the workplace after its employer, CDG, allegedly stole donations people made for different organizations through the telemarketing scheme; the docuseries takes place over the course 20 years. The Safdie brothers and Danny McBride produced the HBO three-part docuseries.

Pespas went missing from his home in Easton, Pennsylvania on...

Two decades ago, Civic Development Group put a lot of people to work who couldn’t find it anywhere else. The telemarketing company employed high school dropouts, convicted felons, and drug addicts, many of whom felt as though they’d found their calling at a company that incentivized them to unwittingly participate in a high-stakes grift.

As they juggled calls on behalf of policemen unions and other charitable organizations, inadvertently duping gullible targets into opening their wallets, they had no idea how little money actually went to the organizations themselves. In truth, CDG was making a killing, keeping 90 percent of all donations — while its staffers treated the office as a hedonistic playground.

The footage of those antics provides the backbone for the first episode of “Telemarketers,” directors Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern’s gritty and often darkly funny look at the CDG’s scam and the wider conspiracy of...

Showtime has ordered the comedy series “The Curse,” which hails from Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. Both will also star in the series alongside Emma Stone.

The half-hour series is said to explore how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

Fielder will direct and executive produce in addition to starring and co-creating the series. Co-creator Benny Safdie will also executive produce with his brother Josh Safdie under their Elara Pictures banner. Stone will executive produce via Fruit Tree. Ravi Nandan will executive produce for A24, which will produce the series. A24 also produced the current Showtime series “Moonbase 8.”

“The fierce intelligence and wit of the incomparable Emma Stone make her the perfect partner with the ingenious minds of the Safdie brothers and the subversive comedy of Nathan Fielder,” said Amy Israel,...

With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.

There will never be another “Hoop Dreams,” nor is “Lenny Cooke” — a documentary that traces the rise and fall of its title subject, a New York City prodigy who was the number 1-ranked high school basketball player in the country in 2001 — trying to be. The no-frills first feature-length documentary from brothers Benny and Joshua Safdie is a less exhaustive, less sweeping sibling to Steve James’ critically acclaimed 1994 film, but it poses similar sociopolitical questions about race and class that continue to be very relevant today, while finding success on its own terms.

Cooke was considered one of the top NBA prospects while still in his junior year in high school, but he never quite saw his “rise,” because he was never drafted,...

From the Safdie brothers comes a crime drama starring Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Jason Leigh. And if a film having the “certified fresh” stamp of approval from Rotten Tomatoes means anything at all to you then you should probably check out the film Good Time. We have all the details on the in-home release below.

Santa Monica, CA (September 14, 2017) – No crime goes unpunished when the hypnotic action-thriller Good Time heads to Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD November 21 from Lionsgate. Racing against the clock to get his brother out of jail, Connie Nikas finds himself trying to make some quick hustles while evading arrest on the colorful streets of New York. Directed by the visionary Safdie Brothers (Heaven Knows What, Lenny Cooke) and starring Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga franchise, The Rover) and Oscar® nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh (Best Supporting Actress, The Hateful Eight, 2015), the Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh™ film,...

One of my favorite memories of Josh and Benny Safdie is sitting at a table with them at a gala event where they were receiving an award: their attention was on their phones the entire time because the Knicks were playing. The Safdies’ twin obsessions with basketball and filmmaking came together three years ago in making the documentary Lenny Cooke, about the rise and fall of a one-time basketball prodigy who was a rival to LeBron James. One of the most remarkable thing about the film is the way LeBron is used as a main character in the film, primarily through […]...

The Isa of the Day segment of SydneysBuzz resumes for the Cannes Film Festival 2015. ISAs, or International Sales Agents, help to bring films into global distribution by selling distribution rights to distributors worldwide.Topics include new trends in distribution and sales, inspirational success stories, film slates and more. A worthy read for any serious filmmaker looking to have a better understanding of the chain of business between producing a film and sharing it with the world.

About Stray Dogs

Based in Paris, Stray Dogs Films is a dynamic film distribution & sales company with a commitment to distributing quality films and sharing the unheard voices of filmmakers from around the world. Stray Dogs Films aims to create original and provocative films with a clear vision and make a positive mark on global cinema. Stray Dogs’ debut slate features Ben and Joshua Safdie’s Heaven Knows What starring Arielle Holmes as a young heroin addict who finds mad love on the streets of New York.

Founder of Stray Dogs Films Nathan Fisher is a shining example of the new wave of young, open-minded entrepreneurs in global distribution and film sales. His last position before he started his own company was Head of Sales for the Other Angle Pictures. Nathan also spent his first days in the film industry as an intern for Voltage, Anonymous Content, and Wild Bunch in Los Angeles.

What’s important to understand about Nathan is that he is open to new forms of distribution technology – especially in this time where the younger generations are consuming most of their content online. Nathan also works hard to share the voices of filmmakers from outside the west. Grabbing a backpack and hopping a plane to Trinidad or the Philippines just to spend time with unknown filmmakers is the norm for him. His work to share these unheard voices is necessary in a time where Hollywood dominates theatres worldwide.

Founder of Stray Dogs Nathan Fischer shares more:

We decided to launch Stray Dogs and focus on director-driven edgy films, because I think there is an increasing appetite for these types of films in the market. Many established sales agents already focus on dramas for more mature audiences, but I think director-driven genre movies really appeal to a younger audience, which is more likely to watch these films in other ways like VOD. There is a space for that in the market, which is overcrowded with traditional dramas, and we are trying to fill that gap.

Down the road, I believe the frontier between sales agents and distributors will be redefined. The sales agents will have to sometimes take on the role of distributors, set up releases and work closely with festivals, exhibitors and VOD platforms, and do the PR themselves. That’s what I’m trying to set up with my own company.

I lived in Los Angeles for a couple years, working an assistant and intern to various sales agents and producers like Voltage and Anonymous Content. I interned at Wild Bunch for a while, and also worked for talent and acquisition for several distributors.

My last job was Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Other Angle Pictures. I’ve had many short experiences, but very diverse. It was great to be able to understand the roles from all those great people and places.

I think we’re at the stage where we need to take steps and just try to do different things. It’s good when you don’t have much experience, because you’re less reluctant to try new things. A sales agent can be an actual partner of the movie.

I also travel a lot and lived in Asia for about a year. I got very inspired while I was there, and that’s why this work makes sense for me. I’m excited to represent films from these countries that I discovered and love very much.

We’re really excited to be working with talented directors from the equatorial south. We’re building long-term relationships with them and trying to get their films out there in different ways. We take more chances and create real partnerships with these filmmakers.

I was just in the Philippines. I personally travel to these places and hang out with the filmmakers. It’s very exciting. My backpacking years are not so far behind me! I actually stay in youth hostels and producers are happy because I don’t cost them too much. I prefer to spend money on market screenings or anything that really helps the movie. Spending time with the filmmakers, keeping my eyes open and developing long-term relationships with them – that’s what I want to do right now before I don’t want to travel as much. Now I can go anywhere and I love it.

Stray Dogs Slate:

On A Long Breath 3D (On A Long Breath)

Heaven Knows What

Ruined Heart

Sunrise (Arunoday)

I Stay With You (Me Quedo Dontigo)

God Loves The Fighter

Thy Womb (Sinapupunam)

Possessed (Sapi)

The Life of Lenny Cooke

Manpower...

“Heaven Knows What is a horrifying and remarkable piece of cinema that feels both alarmingly alive and alien given its subject matter,” wrote Ty Landis in his glowing review from Tiff 2014. This heroin addiction drama from Ben and Joshua Safdie, is the best of its kind since Requiem for a Dream, as it’s described in this new trailer.

Arielle Holmes and Caleb Landry Jones star in a story about an NYC couple battling addiction while taking part in a love affair. Here’s the full synopsis:

Harley loves Ilya. He gives her life purpose, sets her passion ablaze. So when he asks her to prove her love by slitting her wrists, she obliges with only mild hesitation, perhaps because of her other all-consuming love: heroin.

In Heaven Knows What, by celebrated filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie (Lenny Cooke, Daddy Longlegs), Arielle Holmes is Harley in her searing film debut,...

“Heaven Knows What” is the latest film from Josh and Ben Safdie. The brothers' first two features, "The Pleasure Of Being Robbed" and "Daddy Longlegs" put them on the radar and appeared at top-tier festivals around the world. Meanwhile, their first feature documentary “Lenny Cooke” hit both the Tribeca Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. And now, you can watch the new trailer for their latest which is also earning them a fair share of attention. The story takes place in New York City’s Upper West Side, telling the tale of two heroin-addicted lovers played by Arielle Holmes and Caleb Landry Jones. The film is based on the true stories told in the book "Mad Love In New York City" written by Holmes, and our review called the movie "a strident, difficult watch" but one that is "nonetheless a truthful, specific film." The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the C.

Ioncinema.com’s Top 3 Critics’ Picks offers a curated approach to the usual quandary: what would you recommend I see in theaters this month? All appearing on the 2014 film festival circuit, the latest from the Safdie Brothers and French filmmakers Quentin Dupieux and Thomas Cailley are an alluringly fresh trio of options for May ’15.

Reality (Réalité) – Quentin Dupieux

May 1st – Limited Release

Distributor: IFC Midnight

Awards & Fests: This premiered in the Horizons section at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival and got plenty of fest play with notable stops at Sitges ’14, AFI Fest ’14 and Rotterdam ’15.

What the critic’s are saying?: Despite the mixed-bag reactions out of Venice, IFC Midnight acquired the rights last November to this micro-nutty versioner of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. IndieWIRE (A-) cautions future audiences by saying that “some viewers may find grating — is that it’s guaranteed to leave audiences scratching their heads...

Filmmakers Ben and Joshua Safdie have worked together on numerous short films over the years. However, the duo have only worked on one feature film to date, the 2010 film Go Get Some Rosemary. The duo, however, are once again behind a feature film, called Heaven Knows What.

The film, which focuses on a couple in the midst of drug addiction, is based on the story of Arielle Holmes, who also stars in the film, making her acting debut. Holmes used to live in New York City and was addicted to heroin, managing to disengage herself from the drug just months before the movie began filming. Holmes wrote her memoir as she battled through recovery to get clean, which in turn formed the basis for the screenplay for this film. The screenplay itself is written by Ronald Bronstein, who also worked with the Safdie brothers on Go Get Some Rosemary, and Joshua Safdie.

Filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie are bringing their film “Heaven Knows What” to SXSW. The film, starring “X-Men: First Class” star Caleb Landry-Jones and Arielle Holmes in her acting debut, focuses on Holmes’ tough real life experiences. “Harley loves Ilya. He gives her life purpose, sets her passion ablaze. So when he asks her to prove her love by slitting her wrists, she obliges with only mild hesitation, perhaps because of her other all-consuming love: heroin. In Heaven Knows What, by celebrated filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie (Lenny Cooke, Daddy Longlegs), Arielle Holmes is Harley in her searing film debut, based on her real-life story of l’amour fou, heroin addiction, [ Read More ]

The post Celebrated Indie Film Heaven Knows What To Screen at SXSW appeared first on Shockya.com.

Drug addiction has been explored countless times on the big screen, but we may have never seen a story so grimy, brutal and intense as what seems to be on display in the red band trailer for Heaven Knows What. Directed by Josh & Benny Safdie, this film looks like a raw glimpse into the true story of a young woman who lived an unbelievable life addicted to drugs on the streets of New York City. The trailer itself is a bit trippy, giving just a taste of what the film might be like to experience as we follow Harley (Arielle Holmes acting out her real-life story) and her harrowing addiction. This one could be really hard to actually watch. Here's the red band trailer for Josh & Benny Safdie's Heaven Knows What from Radius-twc: Heaven Knows What is directed by Josh & Benny Safdie (Lenny Cooke, Daddy Longlegs), who co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein.

Josh and Benny Safdie’s filmmaking sensibilities are perhaps best summed up by the finale of 2009′s Daddy Longlegs. Unable to hire movers for their spur of the moment decamp to Roosevelt Island, Lenny (Ronald Bronstein) tasks his sons with hoisting their refrigerator onto his back, bootleg straps in hand. Atop Lenny’s spine, the near industrial-sized fridge is then caught between the closing doors of the tram, culminating in a moment that is hilarious, pitiful, and unexpectedly affecting. For years, the Safdies had been perfecting this brand of physical comedy, verisimilitude, cheeky humor and creeping sadness, all rendered on film with a handheld long lens, until 2012′s Lenny Cooke coaxed them outside their comfort […]...

Josh and Benny Safdie’s filmmaking sensibilities are perhaps best summed up by the finale of 2009′s Daddy Longlegs. Unable to hire movers for their spur of the moment decamp to Roosevelt Island, Lenny (Ronald Bronstein) tasks his sons with hoisting their refrigerator onto his back, bootleg straps in hand. Atop Lenny’s spine, the near industrial-sized fridge is then caught between the closing doors of the tram, culminating in a moment that is hilarious, pitiful, and unexpectedly affecting. For years, the Safdies had been perfecting this brand of physical comedy, verisimilitude, cheeky humor and creeping sadness, all rendered on film with a handheld long lens, until 2012′s Lenny Cooke coaxed them outside their comfort...

Brothers Josh and Benny Safdie have wrapped principal photography on their follow-up to Lenny Cooke.

Heaven Knows What marks the filmmakers’ first non-documentary feature since Daddy Longlegs in 2010 and stars Arielle Holmes.

The youngster plays a fictionalised version of herself in the story of a street kid whom the Safdies met on the subway.

Caleb Landry Jones also stars in the tale of a young homeless couple in love battling addiction on the streets of New York.

The Safdies (pictured) co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein. The film is a coproduction between Iconoclast Films and fledgling Elara Pictures, which the Safdies established with Sebastian Bear-McClard and Oscar Boyson.

Title: Lenny Cooke Directors: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie Steve James’ superb documentary “Hoop Dreams” set the bar for complex examinations of high school basketball players with lofty aspirations of making it to the NBA. But of course just as new dreams of playing professional basketball are realized each year, more are dashed against the shoals of cold, hard reality. A sobering if terrifically frustrating look at a kid who went from can’t-miss to never-was arrives in the form of “Lenny Cooke,” a nonfiction film about the same-named, top-rated teenage hoops prospect, a contemporary of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, who maxed out his high school eligibility early and then spurned [ Read More ]

The post Lenny Cooke Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

An intimate portrait of a near-forgotten high school basketball phenom turned undrafted afterthought, Lenny Cooke is the first documentary from the young New York wunderkinds Benny and Josh Safdie. Given that their previous films, The Pleasure of Being Robbed and Daddy Longlegs (I miss its original title, Go Get Some Rosemary), were intimate, 16 millimeter throwbacks to another era of rough and tumble New York independent filmmaking, this film comes as a surprise in a way. Made by self-professed basketball fanatics in the midst of a season of discontent (poor Knicks), Lenny Cooke is a project that predates any of the Safdies narrative efforts. An emotionally […]...

An intimate portrait of a near-forgotten high school basketball phenom turned undrafted afterthought, Lenny Cooke is the first documentary from the young New York wunderkinds Benny and Josh Safdie. Given that their previous films, The Pleasure of Being Robbed and Daddy Longlegs (I miss its original title, Go Get Some Rosemary), were intimate, 16 millimeter throwbacks to another era of rough and tumble New York independent filmmaking, this film comes as a surprise in a way. Made by self-professed basketball fanatics in the midst of a season of discontent (poor Knicks), Lenny Cooke is a project that predates any of the Safdies narrative efforts. An emotionally […]...

New York filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie are known for their irreverent urban narratives "The Pleasure of Being Robbed" and "Daddy Longlegs," both of which contain a naturalistic quality that suggests they could work wonders with non-fiction. With "Lenny Cooke," they've done just that: Partly a found footage documentary about former high school basketball star Lenny Cooke, who in 2001 ranked highest in the country, the movie follows Cooke from his promising teen years through the series of disappointments that follow, constructing a beguiling American tragedy that defies genre categorization and eventually veers into magic realism even as it remains tethered to a true story. The Safdies have stood out over the last few years for continually challenging audience expectations even while seeming to adhere to conventional storytelling traditions, and that's certainly true here: You've never seen a sports movie like this before. Early on, it's clear that the Safdies find their subject.

Just over a decade ago, Lenny Cooke was a stand-out high school basketball player destined for the NBA; some scouts even considered him to be a better player than LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, Cooke's contemporaries. Thirteen years have passed and Cooke has vanished from basketball altogether. Cooke never made it to the NBA, he never even played college ball; instead, he floundered around in semi-pro and foreign leagues for a while, until injuries got the better of him. With their documentary Lenny Cooke, directors Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie passively observe Cooke's rise and fall. They do not necessarily try to explain why Cooke's life took such a drastic turn for the worse, though Lenny Cooke does suggest that a lot of factors were at play, such as the NBA draft's nefarious relationship with high schoolers and Cooke's overconfidence and laziness; but probably the biggest blow to...

The Chicago premiere screenings for the documentary film Lenny Cooke, which Tambay reviewed last month (Here) are set to take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago from Friday Nov. 39 until Thursday Dec. 5.Co-directed by Ben and Joshua Safdie and chronicling the all too common story of too much too soon, Cooke documents the sad story of Lenny Cooke who, over a decade ago, was ranked the number one high school basketball player in the country and was destined for NBA greatness.However, bad advice, bad timing, youthful arrogance and a serious lack of discipline resulted in Cooke crashing and burning his career before it even started.In addition to the screenings,...

Opening with Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive the latest edition of the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland (22-27 October 2013) has screened some of the most important American independent films of the year. Being the only festival of its class in Eastern and Central Europe the festival has become the most important venue to connect American filmmakers with European buyers and audiences through programs like U.S. in Progress Wrocław (23-25 October 2013).

This year's program taking place at the New Horizons cinema presented 80 movies out of which 42 are Polish premieres, 3 are European premieres and 1 is a World Premiere. Among them 10 documentaries and 17 feature films competed for cash prizes in the audience-vote competitions.

The first competitive section - Spectrum ($10,000 audience award for the Best Narrative Feature) included films that have been well-received here in the U.S such as A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, and Bluebird by Lance Edmands. The second competition - American Docs ($5,000 audience award for Best Documentary Feature) had a selection of films depicting varied current issues in American society including Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, Our Nixon by Penny Lane, Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha and Before You Know It by Pj Raval.

The American Film Festival also ran a retrospective of Shirley Clarke and presented Polish premieres of high-profile films such as As I Lay Dying by James Franco, Quentin Dupieux’s Wrong Cops, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein’s Lovelace, Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon, Touchy Feely by Lynn Shelton, At Any Price by Ramin Bahrani, and Maladies by Carter. The festival also screened Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Sundance hit Don Jon along several U.S. in Progress participants and festival hits like I Used to be Darker by Matt Porterfier and Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Patrick Carbone. Lastly, a special section titled 'Masterpieces of American Cinema 90 Years of Warner Bros." showed 14 digitally-remastered productions by the studio from The Jazz Singer by Alan Crosland (1927) through A Clockwork Orange ,The Exorcist and Christopher Nolan’s Inception

The festival will close on October 27th with Steven Soderbergh's Emmy Award-winning film Behind the Candelabra.

All competitions titles:

Spectrum

American Milkshake by David Andalman, Mariko Munro, USA 2012, 82'

Blue Highway by Kyle Smith, USA 2013, 70'

Coldwater by Vincent Grashaw, USA 2013, 104'

The Spectacular Now by James Ponsoldt, USA 2013, 95'

Drinking Buddies by Joe Swanberg, USA 2013, 90'

Lily by Matt Creed, USA 2013, 85'

A Teacher by Hannah Fidell, USA 2013, 75'

Blue Caprice by Alexandre Moors, USA 2013, 93'

Pearblossom Hwy by Mike Ott, USA 2012, 78'

Afternoon Delight by Jill Soloway, USA 2013, 105'

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors by Sam Fleischner, USA 2013, 102'

Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton, USA 2013, 96'

The Cold Lands by Tom Gilroy, USA 2013, 100'

In a World... by Lake Bell, USA 2013, 93'

A Song Still Inside by Gregory Collins, USA 2013, 82'

Bluebird by Lance Edmands, USA 2013, 90'

American Docs

Big Easy Express by Emmett Malloy, USA 2012

Off Label by Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher, USA 2012

Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia by Nicholas Wrathall, USA, Italy 2013

Fall and Winter by Matt Anderson, USA 2013

The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney, USA 2013

Lenny Cooke by Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie, USA 2012

Our Nixon by Penny Lane, USA 2013

Northern Light by Nick Bentgen, USA 2013

Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton by Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, USA 2013

Before You Know It by Pj Raval, USA 2012

U.S. Progress Projects

This year 6 projects in the final production stages were chosen to take part in the two-day workshop knows as U.S. in Progress Wroclaw (23-25 October, 2013). The event presents the American independent projects to European buyers, post-production houses and festivals in order to help them achieve completion and to foster the circulation and distribution of these films in Europe.

Selected from over 40 submission the chosen projects are the dramas Lake Los Angeles by Mike Ott (produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari), Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott (produced by Jessica Caldwell ) and Some Beasts by Cameron Nelson (produced by Ashley Maynor and Courtney Ware), crime story Wild Canaries by Lawrence Michael Levine (produced by Sophia Takal, Kim Sherman and McCabe Walsh), frontier black comedy Sun Belt Express by Evan Wolf Buxbaum (producers: Noah Lang and Iyabo Boyd) and Summer of Blood – a New York vampire comedy by director-producer Onur Tukel.

The prizes are awarded by a jury of professionals and include post-production services from European partner companies worth almost $60.000 and promotional services from other partners. Us in Progress’ partners are: Platige Image (Warsaw), Di Factory (Warsaw), Alvernia Studios (Krakow), composer Maciej Zielinski of Soundflower Studio (Warsaw), Soundplace (Warsaw), DCinex (Belgium), Vsi (Paris), Europa Distribution, Cicae and Cannes Marche du Film’s Producers Network.

U.S. in Progress Wrocław (formerly Gotham in Progress) was started in 2011 by the New Horizons Association and Black Rabbit Film. Previous films presented at the event included, among others: I Used To Be Darker by Matt Porterfield, American Milkshake by David Andalman (both shown at Sundance Ff in 2013), Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Carbone (Berlinale Generation, Tribeca), Bluebird by Lance Edmands (Tribeca, Karlovy Vary), Jason Cortlund & Julia Halperin’s Now, Forager: a Film About Love and Fungi (Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, Gotham Awards nominee), Amy Seimetz’s Sun Don’t Shine (SXSW, Edinburgh Iff, Gotham Awards nominee) and Devyn Waitt’s Not Waving But Drowning (Sarasota Ff).

U.S. in Progress Wrocław is supported by the City of Wrocław, American Embassy in Warsaw and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

For more information on the American Film Festival and the U.S. in Progress projects visit Here...

The 10th anniversary of the Venice Film Festival's independent Venice Days sidebar announced their program, which will be nestled inside the 70th anniversary of Venice itself. Over the past decade the program has offered up many notable premieres, including Sarah Polley's "Stories We Tell" last year, as well as Ramin Bahrani's "Man Push Cart," Denis Villeneuve's "Incendies," Jean-Marc Vallee's "C.R.A.Z.Y." and Hubert Sauper's "Darwin's Nightmare." This year, 12 films will follow in their footsteps in a lineup that's unusually American-centric, which is partly due to a partnership the program made with the Tribeca Film Festival for this year. That partnership saw Tribeca choose a U.S. title to screen at the event (and then Venice will do the same at Tribeca). That film was Josh and Benny Safdie’s documentary "Lenny Cooke," which joins U.S. entries like Sean Gullette’s “Traitors,” John Krokidas's "Kill Your Darlings,...

The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).

Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.

Official Selection

Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film

A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.

La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film

Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.

Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film

A political thriller about an Israeli secret service officer and a Palestinian informant.

Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere

A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.

Kill Your Darlings by [link...

The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).

Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.

Official Selection

Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film

A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.

La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film

Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.

Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film

A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.

Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere

A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.

Kill Your Darlings by [link...

The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).

Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.

Official Selection

Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film

A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.

La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film

Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.

Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film

A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.

Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere

A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.

Kill Your Darlings by [link...

The tenth edition of the Venice Days program at the Venice International Film Festival unfolds from August 28 through September 7. Its lineup, consisting of 12 feature films, two shorts, three special events and two special screenings, focuses heavily but not exclusively on debuts. Included in this year's just-announced program are John Krokidas' "Kill Your Darlings," starring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherien Dabis' "May in the Summer," Josh and Benny Safdie's "Lenny Cooke," and Ava DuVernay's short film "The Door." Full lineup below. All debut films are in the running for the Lion of the Future Debut Film award at the Venice International Film Festival. Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour ("Wadjda"), the country's first woman filmmaker, is heading the jury. Feature Films: Alienation by Milko Lazarov - First filmWith Christos Stergioglou, Mariana Jikich,Ovanes Torosyan, Iva OgnyanovaBulgaria, World PremiereProduction: Bulgarian National TelevisionA sardonic fairy tale, primordial...

Moments before the Toronto Int. Film Festival makes their first wave announcement of 70 plus titles, Venice Days (which several in the industry equate to Venice’s answer to Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight) have announced their line-up of twelve competing films with a slew of special screenings. Among the familiar items we find a pair from Sundance in John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings and Cherien Dabis’ May In The Summer seemingly receiving their international premieres. The North American strong section also includes the world preems in Bruce Labruce’s Montreal-shot (see pic above) Gerontophilia, Sean Gullette’s (expanded short into feature length film) Traitors, and the India-Canadian co-production of Richie Mehta’s Siddharth (the tale of a chain-wallah who travels across India in search of his missing son) which on papers comes across as a more potent version of fantasy film Slumdog Millionaire. Also from the U.S. and part of the growing trend of festival-pairing,...

When we asked the 2013 Tribeca filmmakers what schools they went to, we were not expecting such a diverse crop of responses.  While a fair number did not attend film school, Nyu was heartily represented.  Boston University, Tel Avivi University and the program at University of Florida (now at Wake Forest) all were fairly well represented.  Compare this list to the Sundance filmmakers from earlier this year. Academy of Film and Television in Warsaw Tomasz Wasilewski ("Floating Skyscrapers") AFI Kat Coiro ("A Case of You") Jenée Lamarque ("The Pretty One") Boston University Chiemi Karasawa ("Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me") Ben Safdie ("Lenny Cooke") Josh Safdie ("Lenny Cooke") California College of the Arts Banker White ("The Genius of Marian") Carnegie Mellon University Kat Coiro ("A Case of You") Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Claudio Giovannesi ("Alì Blue Eyes") Danish Film School Michael Noer ("Northwest") Interlochen Arts Academy Kat Coiro ("A...

Lenny Cooke, directed by Josh and Benny Safdie (Daddy Longlegs), is an astonishing documentary centering around promising basketball star, Lenny Cooke, who in 2001 was the highest ranked high school basketball in the nation, ranked above even Amar’e Stoudemaire, LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony. Through happenstance and perhaps Cooke’s lack of motivation, Cooke was never drafted into the NBA, and now lives in obscurity in Virginia, overweight and struggling to get by financially. The impetus of Lenny Cooke came with the film’s producer, Adam Shopkorn, who was followed the headlines about Cooke in 2001 and convinced the rising star to be the focus of his documentary. When Cooke didn’t make it to the NBA, the project was temporarily shelved, but then Shopkorn approached the Safdies to help finish the film. The Safdies and Shopkorn then went to Virginia to film Cooke in the present time, and they bridged the older footage with the new to...

Imagine living every day of your life knowing that you are more famous for not amounting to anything than you are for your actual success. In Josh and Benny Safdie’s documentary, Lenny Cooke, the eponymous subject struggles with that exact reality. The film chronicles Cooke’s life from 2001, when he was ranked as the number one high school basketball player in the nation – higher than than LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony – to the present, as he lives in relative obscurity in Virginia, overweight and struggling to earn a living. The question the film sets out to answer is what went wrong. The Safdies, making their documentary debut here, weave together a gut-wrenching tale of missed opportunities, sheer chance and reconciliation with the past. Very luckily supplied with hours of footage capturing Cooke in the most pertinent moments of his saga, the Safdies bridge the past to the present with excellent vérité-style cinematography and their keen ability...

New York filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie are known for their irreverent urban narratives "The Pleasure of Being Robbed" and "Daddy Longlegs," both of which contain a naturalistic quality that suggests they could work wonders with non-fiction. With "Lenny Cooke," they've done just that: Partly a found footage documentary about former high school basketball star Lenny Cooke, who in 2001 ranked highest in the country, the movie follows Cooke from his promising teen years through the series of disappointments that follow, constructing a beguiling American tragedy that defies genre categorization and eventually veers into magic realism even as it remains tethered to a true story. The Safdies have stood out over the last few years for continually challenging audience expectations even while seeming to adhere to conventional storytelling traditions, and that's certainly true here: You've never seen a sports movie like this before. Early on, it's clear that the Safdies find their subject.

Lenny Cooke, the documentary debut from Josh and Benny Safdie (Daddy Longlegs) follows its eponymous subject from his position as highest ranked high school basketball player in the nation to his fall from grace and into relative obscurity. In this unflinching documentary, skillfully compiled of hours of footage of Cooke in his basketball playing heyday to current footage of his quiet life in Virginia, the Safdies weave together an incredibly moving story that is wholly true but features nearly operatic peaks and valleys. Cooke was once ranked higher than Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James, and this film shows how chance and motivation brought his dreams crumbling down, and how he wants others to learn from his experience. My full review will be posted after the film makes its world premiere at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival later this week, but I’ll just tease that it’s definitely something to seek out. And...

Josh and Benny Safdie are brothers and were born and raised in both Queens and Manhattan in New York City. They shared that they're "interested in characters, in feelings and the moment -- all fodder for our wild attraction to filmmaking." Together they make films of all lengths. They share an equal passion for film and basketball, calling them moody mediums that "keep them present and that stimulate them and at the same time provide some form of an escape." What it's about: It's about an American martyr named Lenny Cooke, who was once the #1 ranked high school basketball player in the USA. It's about the American dream, but the idea not the story and what happens when that dream becomes a reality before it is fully realized. What else should audiences know?: "There's a real glory to being the best or nothing at all." On the challenges: "We...

Tribeca’s 12th annual festival, running from April 17-28, recently announced the lineup for the 7th annual Espn Sports Film Festival. “Founded to broaden the audience for independent film through stories about sports and competition,” all of this year’s Espn Sports Film Festival films will screen at Tribeca Cinemas on Saturday, April 27. The films also screen prior to April 27 throughout the Festival, starting from Friday, April 19th with the gala premiere of Kevin Connolly’s Big Shot. Big Shot “chronicles John Spano’s fraudulent purchase of the New York Islanders. In 1997, Spano bought the New York Islanders for a staggering $165 million. The scheme behind Spano’s acquisition of the team is revealed as Big Shot takes viewers behind the scenes of the biggest fraud in hockey history.” See below for the official press release.

2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces The 2013 Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival Lineup

World Premiere of Kevin Connolly...

The Tribeca Film Festival already has a slate of interesting independent and documentary films lined up this year, to which it can now add another group — the slate for this year’s Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival, which runs concurrent with the Tribeca. The program will kick-off with Kevin Connolly’s Big Shot, which will serve as the program’s gala premiere. The program will also include four installments from Espn’s “Nine for IX” series, designed to commemorate the anniversary of Title IX and women in sports.

“We produce our films with the intention of capturing both the glory...

Tribeca Film Festival organizers on Wednesday announced 46 of the 89 feature films screening at the New York-set festival starting next month, including selections in the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film sections, as well as out-of-competition Viewpoints screenings.

"Big Men," a documentary about American corporations pursuing oil reserves in Africa, will serve as the opening night film for the World Documentary portion; "Bluebird," a small-town drama featuring "Girls" star Adam Driver, will kick-off the World Narrative slate. "Flex Is Kings," a documentary about Brooklyn street performers, is the Viewpoints opener. All three films premiere on April 18. The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 17 through April 28, with "Mistaken For Strangers," a documentary about The National, serving as the fest's opening night film.

"Our competition selections embody the quality and diversity of contemporary cinema from across the globe,” Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frederic Boyer said in a release. “The cinematic proficiency that...

The Tribeca Film Festival announced the first half of its 2013 movie slate today, including its World Narrative and Documentary Competition film categories, along with selections from the out-of-competition Viewpoints section, which highlights international and independent cinema. Festival organizers reviewed more than 6,000 submissions to select 89 feature-length films from 30 different countries for this year’s festival, which boasts 53 world premieres. “Our competition selections embody the quality and diversity of contemporary cinema from across the globe,” said Frederic Boyer, Tribeca’s artistic director. “The cinematic proficiency that harnesses this lineup is remarkable and we’re looking forward to sharing these new perspectives, powerful performances,...