Héléna Klotz’s “Spirit of Ecstasy” will open the 2024 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai, while Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s “Mutt” will close it.
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
- 4/19/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights to Lenny and Harpo Guit’s new feature “Heads or Fails,” the duo’s follow-up to Sundance comedy “Mother Schmuckers.”
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
- 1/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Former Mosaic manager Cullen Conly has joined Anonymous Content’s literary department as a manager and producer, based out of the company’s New York office.
Conly started his career in the mailroom at WME before holding positions at Paramount Vantage, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and at ICM Partners, where he was a Motion Picture Literary agent in the company’s New York office. At Mosaic, he was based in LA.
His client list of filmmakers and TV writers includes Oscar-winning filmmaker Sian Heder (Coda), Emmy-winning filmmaker Cory Finley (Landscape with Invisible Hand), Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Kat Candler (Queen Sugar), Laura Moss (Birth/Rebirth), Lindsey Ferrentino (National Theatre at Home: Ugly Lies the Bone), Chad Hodge (Single All the Way), Logan Kibens (The Power), Matt Lutsky (On Becoming a God In Central Florida), Michael Lannan (Looking), Rhys Ernst...
Conly started his career in the mailroom at WME before holding positions at Paramount Vantage, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and at ICM Partners, where he was a Motion Picture Literary agent in the company’s New York office. At Mosaic, he was based in LA.
His client list of filmmakers and TV writers includes Oscar-winning filmmaker Sian Heder (Coda), Emmy-winning filmmaker Cory Finley (Landscape with Invisible Hand), Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Kat Candler (Queen Sugar), Laura Moss (Birth/Rebirth), Lindsey Ferrentino (National Theatre at Home: Ugly Lies the Bone), Chad Hodge (Single All the Way), Logan Kibens (The Power), Matt Lutsky (On Becoming a God In Central Florida), Michael Lannan (Looking), Rhys Ernst...
- 12/8/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Photo credit: ©BAFTA/Vivek Vadoliya, 2023
BAFTA Breakthrough is a wonderful Netflix-supported initiative that celebrates the very best of young talent. In its 10th year, the alumni boasts the likes of Florence Pugh, Tom Holland and Letitia Wright – and this year comes a whole host of exciting new names. One of which caught our eye especially, which is Vivian Oparah, who shone in Peckham-set rom-com Rye Lane, which enamoured viewers with its spring-time release. We discuss what it means to her to be named as a BAFTA Breakthrough artist, and naturally we look back to Rye Lane, to talk about shooting the film, and the lasting, indelible impact it has left. She also looks ahead to a future that we’re gonna consider pretty damn bright.
Watch the full interview with Vivian Oparah here:
See below for the full list of this year’s stars:
UK Breakthroughs (20):
Adjani Salmon,...
BAFTA Breakthrough is a wonderful Netflix-supported initiative that celebrates the very best of young talent. In its 10th year, the alumni boasts the likes of Florence Pugh, Tom Holland and Letitia Wright – and this year comes a whole host of exciting new names. One of which caught our eye especially, which is Vivian Oparah, who shone in Peckham-set rom-com Rye Lane, which enamoured viewers with its spring-time release. We discuss what it means to her to be named as a BAFTA Breakthrough artist, and naturally we look back to Rye Lane, to talk about shooting the film, and the lasting, indelible impact it has left. She also looks ahead to a future that we’re gonna consider pretty damn bright.
Watch the full interview with Vivian Oparah here:
See below for the full list of this year’s stars:
UK Breakthroughs (20):
Adjani Salmon,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A galaxy of 42 emerging creative talents from across the U.S., U.K. and India have been unveiled as the 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort.
The selected talents have worked on some of the most lauded projects over the last several months including “The Last of Us,” “1923,” “Blue Jean,” “Rye Lane,” “Rocket Boys” and “Joyland.”
Breakthrough is BAFTA’s flagship new talent initiative in partnership with Netflix, drawn from creatives working in film, games and television. Awarded to those in the midst of, or on the cusp of their breakthrough moment, the year-long initiative includes one-to-one meetings and career guidance, full voting membership, access to BAFTA events and screenings, as well as networking events, both in the U.K. and internationally.
This year’s cohort comprises creatives spanning craft specialisms from hair and make up, production, editing and games design, to performance, directing and cinematography and is from diverse ethnic backgrounds and abilities.
The selected talents have worked on some of the most lauded projects over the last several months including “The Last of Us,” “1923,” “Blue Jean,” “Rye Lane,” “Rocket Boys” and “Joyland.”
Breakthrough is BAFTA’s flagship new talent initiative in partnership with Netflix, drawn from creatives working in film, games and television. Awarded to those in the midst of, or on the cusp of their breakthrough moment, the year-long initiative includes one-to-one meetings and career guidance, full voting membership, access to BAFTA events and screenings, as well as networking events, both in the U.K. and internationally.
This year’s cohort comprises creatives spanning craft specialisms from hair and make up, production, editing and games design, to performance, directing and cinematography and is from diverse ethnic backgrounds and abilities.
- 11/29/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Six of the 20 UK talents have previously been named Screen Stars of Tomorrow.
Actors Bella Ramsey and Vivian Oparah, and filmmakers Adjani Salmon and Raine Allen-Miller are among 32 talents selected for the 10th anniversary edition of the Bafta Breakthrough programme.
The 2023 edition of the talent-spotting scheme includes 20 UK names, and 12 individuals from the US.
Scroll down for the full 2023 Breakthrough list
Those selected from the UK include Game Of Thrones and The Last Of Us star Ramsey, Dreaming Whilst Black creator Salmon, and Allen-Miller and Oparah, director and star of Rye Lane.
Also included are Blue Jean writer-director Georgia Oakley...
Actors Bella Ramsey and Vivian Oparah, and filmmakers Adjani Salmon and Raine Allen-Miller are among 32 talents selected for the 10th anniversary edition of the Bafta Breakthrough programme.
The 2023 edition of the talent-spotting scheme includes 20 UK names, and 12 individuals from the US.
Scroll down for the full 2023 Breakthrough list
Those selected from the UK include Game Of Thrones and The Last Of Us star Ramsey, Dreaming Whilst Black creator Salmon, and Allen-Miller and Oparah, director and star of Rye Lane.
Also included are Blue Jean writer-director Georgia Oakley...
- 11/29/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s directorial debut, Mutt, is a very chaotic account of one trans man’s 24 hours of reconciliations. The film follows Feña, who transitioned from woman to man just a year ago and has finally settled into a life of his own. Mutt is a 24-hour account of Feña’s misfortunes that make him spiral hard and fast. It’s a compelling story that feels almost like prying into somebody’s personal life with its realistic depictions of daily interactions for the trans community. One couldn’t imagine such a movie could come out even about 5–6 years ago, and it’s a testament to how far we’ve come as consumers.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
Feña lives on his own in New York City and awaits the arrival of his father, whom he’s meeting after 2 years. Feña has a terrible relationship with his mother, who...
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
Feña lives on his own in New York City and awaits the arrival of his father, whom he’s meeting after 2 years. Feña has a terrible relationship with his mother, who...
- 11/17/2023
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
Note: the following blog piece ran earlier this year. We’re re-posting today in honor of Trans Awareness Week, November 12-18. Special thanks to author Adam Vargas.
***
It’s no secret that the moving image can leave a lasting impact, both consciously and subconsciously. This is especially true regarding images of people engaged in struggle and/or enjoying wild success—a phenomenon that supports the necessity for thoughtful representation of people of all backgrounds and experiences in film.
Today, representation is too often conflated with diversity, but they’re not exactly the same thing. Representation goes beyond the surface inclusion of different types of people popular media—it’s about lived experience and authenticity. Of course there are all types of communities that haven’t received much authentic representations of themselves in traditional cinema. For example: the trans community, which is itself unique and disparate far beyond what has been rendered onscreen,...
***
It’s no secret that the moving image can leave a lasting impact, both consciously and subconsciously. This is especially true regarding images of people engaged in struggle and/or enjoying wild success—a phenomenon that supports the necessity for thoughtful representation of people of all backgrounds and experiences in film.
Today, representation is too often conflated with diversity, but they’re not exactly the same thing. Representation goes beyond the surface inclusion of different types of people popular media—it’s about lived experience and authenticity. Of course there are all types of communities that haven’t received much authentic representations of themselves in traditional cinema. For example: the trans community, which is itself unique and disparate far beyond what has been rendered onscreen,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Adam Vargas
- Film Independent News & More
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has revealed a raft of deals for key territories for Ramata-Toulaye Sy‘s feature film debut, “Banel & Adama,” which played in competition in Cannes and makes its North American premiere in Toronto. Variety reviewed it as “a dreamlike debut” in May.
The film just won the Melbourne International Film Festival’s top prize, the Bright Horizons Award.
The film was sold in Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (trigon-films), Scandinavia (Njuta Films), Australia and New Zealand (Ahi), South Korea (Green Narae Media), Spain (Filmin), Greece (Cinobo), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (Afrykamera), and Baltics (From Afar). North America, U.K. and Japan are in discussions among others.
Previously announced deals are Tandem Films for French distribution, who just released the title in France and Pathé BC Afrique is releasing in Senegal on Oct. 4.
Ahead of TIFF, Best Friend Forever also unveiled the international trailer in exclusivity with Variety.
The film just won the Melbourne International Film Festival’s top prize, the Bright Horizons Award.
The film was sold in Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (trigon-films), Scandinavia (Njuta Films), Australia and New Zealand (Ahi), South Korea (Green Narae Media), Spain (Filmin), Greece (Cinobo), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (Afrykamera), and Baltics (From Afar). North America, U.K. and Japan are in discussions among others.
Previously announced deals are Tandem Films for French distribution, who just released the title in France and Pathé BC Afrique is releasing in Senegal on Oct. 4.
Ahead of TIFF, Best Friend Forever also unveiled the international trailer in exclusivity with Variety.
- 9/9/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Re-releases reliably dot the theatrical calendar and this week have a standout. Oldboy, the 2004 Cannes prize-winner, re-released by Neon on its 20th anniversary restored and remastered, grossed $235k on Wednesday and $150k Thursday — for a total cume $385k on 250 screens heading into the weekend.
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
San Francisco, NYC and LA, led by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, are the top-performing cities so far for Park Chan-wook’s classic film — the first screening in U.S. theaters since its original North American release in 2005.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, is released but must find his captor in five days. The critically acclaimed film is the second installment of Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and followed by Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It grossed $15 million worldwide, and saw...
- 8/18/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
A breakout at Sundance, Berlinale and New Directors/New Films this year, Chilean-Serbian writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature Mutt is as scrappy and charming as its canine title. Following a frenzied 24 hours in the life of New York trans man Feña, Mutt explores the constant micro-aggressions that trans people face daily—even in a supposedly hyper-tolerant locale, especially from loved ones—and the connections and community that make these encounters sting a little bit less. Even when Feña faces his capricious ex-boyfriend, moody tween […]
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/18/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A breakout at Sundance, Berlinale and New Directors/New Films this year, Chilean-Serbian writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature Mutt is as scrappy and charming as its canine title. Following a frenzied 24 hours in the life of New York trans man Feña, Mutt explores the constant micro-aggressions that trans people face daily—even in a supposedly hyper-tolerant locale, especially from loved ones—and the connections and community that make these encounters sting a little bit less. Even when Feña faces his capricious ex-boyfriend, moody tween […]
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Movie Could Only Happen at This Budget in New York City”: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz on Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/18/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
“Don’t you want to be, like, a full man?” The ditzy, coke-addled Jenny (Sarah Hermann) isn’t being figurative when she asks that question to Feña (Lio Mehiel), a trans man, in Mutt, writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut. She wants to know whether or not Feña has a penis. “I don’t need a dick for that,” Feña answers.
The didactic cadence of that exchange is the order of the day throughout this film, in which ignorant dolts are prone to sticking their feet in their mouths, followed by Feña responding with an edifying retort. Lungulov-Klotz’s screenplay evinces an obvious sincerity, aiming to examine the difficulties of post-transition experience, but these admirable ambitions are significantly limited by the writing’s often literal-minded dramatizing of its central concerns.
Part of what’s peculiar about Mutt is how it unfolds as if trans discourse hasn’t become widespread in the past decade,...
The didactic cadence of that exchange is the order of the day throughout this film, in which ignorant dolts are prone to sticking their feet in their mouths, followed by Feña responding with an edifying retort. Lungulov-Klotz’s screenplay evinces an obvious sincerity, aiming to examine the difficulties of post-transition experience, but these admirable ambitions are significantly limited by the writing’s often literal-minded dramatizing of its central concerns.
Part of what’s peculiar about Mutt is how it unfolds as if trans discourse hasn’t become widespread in the past decade,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
Having earned Sundance’s first Best Actor award for a trans performer, Lío Mehiel, Mutt arrives with a bit of buzz more historic than critical. Following a festival run that also included Berlinale and New Directros/New Films, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut will open next month from Strand Releasing, ahead of which is a first trailer briefly encapsulating the film’s view of trans experience.
While recognizing its necessary social impacts we were somewhat mixed on the film’s overall form. Writing out of Sundance, Dan Mecca said in his review, “This is the feature debut for Lungulov-Klotz, and in some moments a preciousness shows. The saying ‘kill your darlings’ might come to mind: confessional dialogue that’s telling us what’s already been shown, lingering close-ups that run out of steam before we cut away. Yet there is both an honesty and urgency to what’s onscreen that proves essential.
While recognizing its necessary social impacts we were somewhat mixed on the film’s overall form. Writing out of Sundance, Dan Mecca said in his review, “This is the feature debut for Lungulov-Klotz, and in some moments a preciousness shows. The saying ‘kill your darlings’ might come to mind: confessional dialogue that’s telling us what’s already been shown, lingering close-ups that run out of steam before we cut away. Yet there is both an honesty and urgency to what’s onscreen that proves essential.
- 7/18/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The trailer arrives today for Mutt, the feature debut of writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. The film premiered at Sundance in January, before subsequently screening at Berlinale (winning the Generation 14plus—Best Film award) and closing out this year’s New Directors/New Films. The trans coming-of-age film will open at New York City’s Film Forum later this summer. Here’s the official synopsis: Feña (Mehiel), a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that […]
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/18/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The trailer arrives today for Mutt, the feature debut of writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. The film premiered at Sundance in January, before subsequently screening at Berlinale (winning the Generation 14plus—Best Film award) and closing out this year’s New Directors/New Films. The trans coming-of-age film will open at New York City’s Film Forum later this summer. Here’s the official synopsis: Feña (Mehiel), a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that […]
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/18/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sundance breakout queer coming-of-age film “Mutt” is finally unleashed stateside. Writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut film stars Lío Mehiel as a young trans man named Feña, and the film won Mehiel a Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Strand releases the film in the U.S. this summer, beginning at New York’s Film Forum, and IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer premiere below.
“Mutt” follows Feña across his romances, friendships, and family over the course of one hectic day in New York City, where three people from Feña’s past are thrust back into his life. Having lost touch since transitioning from female to male, he navigates the new dynamics of old relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges of living life in between. Cole Doman, MiMi Ryder, and Alejandro Goic also star.
“Mutt” details Lungulov-Klotz’s own personal experience growing up in New York City as...
“Mutt” follows Feña across his romances, friendships, and family over the course of one hectic day in New York City, where three people from Feña’s past are thrust back into his life. Having lost touch since transitioning from female to male, he navigates the new dynamics of old relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges of living life in between. Cole Doman, MiMi Ryder, and Alejandro Goic also star.
“Mutt” details Lungulov-Klotz’s own personal experience growing up in New York City as...
- 7/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Song accepted the award at London’s Picturehouse Central cinema.
Celine Song’s Past Lives has won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London audience award, bringing the 10th edition of the UK event to a close at the Picturehouse Central cinema.
It is the latest international prize for Song’s debut feature, which launched in the Premieres section at the US Sundance event in January, and topped the Screen jury grid when in competition at the Berlinale.
Studiocanal will release Past Lives in UK cinemas from September 8; A24, which also produced the film, released it in the US last month.
Past Lives...
Celine Song’s Past Lives has won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival: London audience award, bringing the 10th edition of the UK event to a close at the Picturehouse Central cinema.
It is the latest international prize for Song’s debut feature, which launched in the Premieres section at the US Sundance event in January, and topped the Screen jury grid when in competition at the Berlinale.
Studiocanal will release Past Lives in UK cinemas from September 8; A24, which also produced the film, released it in the US last month.
Past Lives...
- 7/9/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Outfest announced the full line up for its 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Festival presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America, taking place July 13 – 23 in venues around Los Angeles and is headquartered at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood. Tickets and passes are available to Outfest members today, and to the general public starting Friday, June 23rd.
The festival also announced that it will be honoring Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone with the James Schamus Ally Award during the festival’s closing night in recognition of allies’ efforts to foster Queer and Trans moving images and to promote our communities’ stories to a broader audience. Additionally, McCarthy and Falcone are both executive producers on Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story, a short documentary directed by Zeb Newman and Michiel Thomas that will be featured at this year’s festival, about a West Hollywood candle shop owner...
The festival also announced that it will be honoring Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone with the James Schamus Ally Award during the festival’s closing night in recognition of allies’ efforts to foster Queer and Trans moving images and to promote our communities’ stories to a broader audience. Additionally, McCarthy and Falcone are both executive producers on Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story, a short documentary directed by Zeb Newman and Michiel Thomas that will be featured at this year’s festival, about a West Hollywood candle shop owner...
- 6/22/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Just two minutes into trans filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s feature debut, Mutt, viewers bear witness to how exposed the main character Feña is to others’ projections about his identity. In the scene, Feña’s father refers to him by his birth name, Fernanda, when he calls and questions how he’ll be able to recognize him at the airport because of his recent transition; moments later, a passerby remarks “Nice Spanglish” after overhearing the call. Yet in situations where such othering has often led to stereotypical queer archetyping onscreen, Feña’s terse rebuttals immediately demonstrate he’s no downtrodden trans trope.
“On the page, Feña was written as a lot more caustic and prickly,” says transmasculine actor and artist Lío Mehiel, who portrays Feña in the film (out Aug. 18) about a hellish day in New York City where everything seems to go wrong. “I’m naturally a pretty soft and...
“On the page, Feña was written as a lot more caustic and prickly,” says transmasculine actor and artist Lío Mehiel, who portrays Feña in the film (out Aug. 18) about a hellish day in New York City where everything seems to go wrong. “I’m naturally a pretty soft and...
- 6/15/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The film is the second by French director Emilie Brisavoine and explores motherhood.
Brussels-based sales company Best Friend Forever has acquired iternational sales for Emilie Brisavoine’s French documentary feature Keeping Mum (Maman Déchire ) ahead of the film’s premiere in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International FIlm Festival (June 30-July 8).
The film is Brisavoine’s second feature following 2015 Cannes Acid title Oh La La Pauline!! Brisavoine is also an actress who starred in Justine Triet’s debut feature Age Of Panic. The film is produced by Nicolas Anthomé of Paris-based Bathysphere Productions.
It about the director’s punk mother,...
Brussels-based sales company Best Friend Forever has acquired iternational sales for Emilie Brisavoine’s French documentary feature Keeping Mum (Maman Déchire ) ahead of the film’s premiere in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International FIlm Festival (June 30-July 8).
The film is Brisavoine’s second feature following 2015 Cannes Acid title Oh La La Pauline!! Brisavoine is also an actress who starred in Justine Triet’s debut feature Age Of Panic. The film is produced by Nicolas Anthomé of Paris-based Bathysphere Productions.
It about the director’s punk mother,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
In the opening moments of Transition, Jordan Bryon, the documentary’s subject and one of its directors, angles his face toward the camera. He moves in close and inspects his chin for hair. There are faint signs of growth, short whiskers that Bryon caresses as he speaks to us.
“My nerves are fucking shot,” he says, alluding to his current circumstances. “There are too many interwoven threads that are becoming very messy.” The precarious situation plaited by these threads is the subject of Bryon’s film, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Co-directed with journalist Monica Villamizar, Transition chronicles Bryon’s gender transition while embedded with a Taliban unit in Afghanistan. The stakes are high for the documentarian, who decided to stay in the country after the insurgents seized the city in August 2021.
Even before the takeover, Afghanistan was no haven for queer people: Same-sex relations were legally banned in 2017, for example.
“My nerves are fucking shot,” he says, alluding to his current circumstances. “There are too many interwoven threads that are becoming very messy.” The precarious situation plaited by these threads is the subject of Bryon’s film, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Co-directed with journalist Monica Villamizar, Transition chronicles Bryon’s gender transition while embedded with a Taliban unit in Afghanistan. The stakes are high for the documentarian, who decided to stay in the country after the insurgents seized the city in August 2021.
Even before the takeover, Afghanistan was no haven for queer people: Same-sex relations were legally banned in 2017, for example.
- 6/9/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
’The Martini Shot’, starring Matthew Modine, John Cleese and Derek Jacobi, will also world premiere.
The Galway Film Fleadh has lined up a number of world premieres of Irish films for this year’s festival, which runs from July 11-16, including Lisa Mulcahy’s Lies We Tell, George Kane’s Apocalypse Clown and The Martini Shot, starring Matthew Modine, John Cleese and Derek Jacobi.
Lies We Tell is the story of an heiress who is forced to embrace her family’s dark legacy, starring Agnes O’Casey, David Wilmot, Holly Sturton and Chris Walley. Produced by Blue Ink Films and backed by Screen Ireland,...
The Galway Film Fleadh has lined up a number of world premieres of Irish films for this year’s festival, which runs from July 11-16, including Lisa Mulcahy’s Lies We Tell, George Kane’s Apocalypse Clown and The Martini Shot, starring Matthew Modine, John Cleese and Derek Jacobi.
Lies We Tell is the story of an heiress who is forced to embrace her family’s dark legacy, starring Agnes O’Casey, David Wilmot, Holly Sturton and Chris Walley. Produced by Blue Ink Films and backed by Screen Ireland,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
It remains needlessly difficult for trans films to secure funding — even ones with big names attached. As exciting new films like “Monica” and “Something You Said Last Night” finally secure overdue releases, a new advent of sensitively rendered trans films is on the horizon. After premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where this critic was impressed by its subtle humor and intimate storytelling, the charming family dramedy “Something You Said Last Night” will hit theaters this summer. IndieWire is proud to premiere the trailer exclusively.
Hailing from first time feature filmmaker Luis De Filippis, “Something You Said Last Night” takes place over a single week during one tight-knit family’s lakeside summer vacation. The film stars magnetic newcomer Carmen Madonia as Renata, a 20-something trans woman who is still navigating the confusion of early adulthood. In a refreshing turn from most trans stories, she has a fairly healthy relationship with her family,...
Hailing from first time feature filmmaker Luis De Filippis, “Something You Said Last Night” takes place over a single week during one tight-knit family’s lakeside summer vacation. The film stars magnetic newcomer Carmen Madonia as Renata, a 20-something trans woman who is still navigating the confusion of early adulthood. In a refreshing turn from most trans stories, she has a fairly healthy relationship with her family,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
New York’s NewFest has announced the full lineup for their third annual NewFest Pride Summer Film Series. The event kicks off LGBTQ+ Pride Month from June 1-5 in New York, and will feature a mix of exclusive in-person premieres/panels, virtual screenings, and social events. The announcement came today from NewFest’s Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director of Programming Nick McCarthy.
“The LGBTQ+ community is once again under attack, making it all the more essential that NewFest continue to loudly and proudly amplify queer voices,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to kick off Pride month by bringing the community together for bold new films, necessary conversations, and celebratory social gatherings. Think you can silence us? Ha. Think again.”
“From family dramas to documentaries to absurdist comedies, this year’s line-up includes an expanse of highly anticipated films that capture the varied ways our...
“The LGBTQ+ community is once again under attack, making it all the more essential that NewFest continue to loudly and proudly amplify queer voices,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “We can’t wait to kick off Pride month by bringing the community together for bold new films, necessary conversations, and celebratory social gatherings. Think you can silence us? Ha. Think again.”
“From family dramas to documentaries to absurdist comedies, this year’s line-up includes an expanse of highly anticipated films that capture the varied ways our...
- 5/9/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Picturehouse and the non-profit Sundance Institute have announced the lineup of feature fiction and documentary films, a specially curated programme of UK-produced short
films and a Gregg Araki retrospective for the 10th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London 2023, taking place from 6 to 9 July at Picturehouse Central.
The Festival will present 11 feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort in January, specially curated for London by the Sundance Institute programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse. The festival will close on 9 July with the UK premiere of You Hurt My Feelings, from acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener. The Brooklyn-set comedy-drama stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies (The Crown) as a couple whose marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears his honest
reaction to her latest book.
The Festival previously announced that it will open on 6 July with the UK premiere of Scrapper,...
films and a Gregg Araki retrospective for the 10th edition of Sundance Film Festival: London 2023, taking place from 6 to 9 July at Picturehouse Central.
The Festival will present 11 feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort in January, specially curated for London by the Sundance Institute programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse. The festival will close on 9 July with the UK premiere of You Hurt My Feelings, from acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener. The Brooklyn-set comedy-drama stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies (The Crown) as a couple whose marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears his honest
reaction to her latest book.
The Festival previously announced that it will open on 6 July with the UK premiere of Scrapper,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Nicole Holofcener’s ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ will close this year’s festival.
Sundance Film Festival: London has revealed further titles in the line-up for its upcoming 10th edition (July 6-9), with Nicole Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings named as the closing night film, and a retrospective on pioneer of queer cinema, Gregg Araki.
The festival will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January, and takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central.
Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings is a Brooklyn-set comedy drama, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as a couple whose...
Sundance Film Festival: London has revealed further titles in the line-up for its upcoming 10th edition (July 6-9), with Nicole Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings named as the closing night film, and a retrospective on pioneer of queer cinema, Gregg Araki.
The festival will present 11 feature films that premiered at the US edition of Sundance in January, and takes place at London’s Picturehouse Central.
Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings is a Brooklyn-set comedy drama, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as a couple whose...
- 5/3/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Film Festival: London 2023 will close with the U.K. premiere of Nicole Holofcener’s “You Hurt My Feelings.”
The comedy-drama is set in Brooklyn and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as a couple whose marriage is thrown into turmoil when she overhears his honest reaction to her latest book.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the U.K. premiere of “Scrapper,” written and directed by Londoner Charlotte Regan, starring Harris Dickinson and newcomers Lola Campbell and Alin Uzun. It follows Georgie, a dreamy 12-year-old girl, who lives happily alone in her London flat, filling it with magic. Suddenly, her estranged father turns up and forces her to confront reality.
Curated by Picturehouse and the Sundance Institute, the 10th edition of the festival is set to take place from July 6-9 July at Picturehouse Central and will showcase 11 feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City,...
The comedy-drama is set in Brooklyn and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as a couple whose marriage is thrown into turmoil when she overhears his honest reaction to her latest book.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the U.K. premiere of “Scrapper,” written and directed by Londoner Charlotte Regan, starring Harris Dickinson and newcomers Lola Campbell and Alin Uzun. It follows Georgie, a dreamy 12-year-old girl, who lives happily alone in her London flat, filling it with magic. Suddenly, her estranged father turns up and forces her to confront reality.
Curated by Picturehouse and the Sundance Institute, the 10th edition of the festival is set to take place from July 6-9 July at Picturehouse Central and will showcase 11 feature films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, the Chilean-Serbian filmmaker whose debut feature Mutt world premiered to stellar reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has signed with UTA and Mosaic for representation in all areas.
Lungulov-Klotz wrote, directed and produced the U.S. Competition drama, which has been picked up for distribution in North America by Strand Releasing. Pic tells the story of Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life, over the course of one day.
Lungulov-Klotz’s lead actor, Mehiel, was awarded Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for his performance, becoming the first trans actor to claim the prize. The film subsequently had its international premiere in the Generation 14+ section of the Berlin Film Festival before going on to close the New Directors/New Films Festival from The Museum of Modern Art and...
Lungulov-Klotz wrote, directed and produced the U.S. Competition drama, which has been picked up for distribution in North America by Strand Releasing. Pic tells the story of Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life, over the course of one day.
Lungulov-Klotz’s lead actor, Mehiel, was awarded Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for his performance, becoming the first trans actor to claim the prize. The film subsequently had its international premiere in the Generation 14+ section of the Berlin Film Festival before going on to close the New Directors/New Films Festival from The Museum of Modern Art and...
- 4/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sundance Prizewinning Trans Drama ‘Mutt’ Finds North American Home With Strand Releasing (Exclusive)
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Sundance award-winning trans drama “Mutt” in the run up to its screening on closing night of New Directors/New Films in New York.
Penned and directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, “Mutt” world premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Lio Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans man bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion, when people who seemed to have disappeared when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. He unexpectedly reconnects with an estranged ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), is suddenly saddled with his wayward little sister (MiMi Ryder), and nervously awaits their father (Alejandro Goic...
Penned and directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, “Mutt” world premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Lio Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans man bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion, when people who seemed to have disappeared when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. He unexpectedly reconnects with an estranged ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), is suddenly saddled with his wayward little sister (MiMi Ryder), and nervously awaits their father (Alejandro Goic...
- 4/7/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Paradigm has signed actor, filmmaker and artist Lío Mehiel for representation in all areas on the heels of their breakout performance in Mutt, which led them to become the first trans actor to nab Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award at this year’s festival.
Related Story CAA Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Palm Trees And Power Lines’ Filmmaker Jamie Dack Related Story Paradigm Hires Varun Monga, Ups Sanam Sarani & Sheridan March To Agents; Paradigm Media's Two Twelve Adds Olivia Annacone Related Story Savanah Leaf's 'Earth Mama', Sundance Prize Winner 'Mutt' To Bookend New Directors/New Films
Mehiel’s first-ever feature, from writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, has them starring as Feña, a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life. Deadline’s Damon Wise, in his review of the film out of Sundance, called Mehiel’s performance “soul-baring” and “pitch-perfect,...
Related Story CAA Signs Sundance Prize-Winning ‘Palm Trees And Power Lines’ Filmmaker Jamie Dack Related Story Paradigm Hires Varun Monga, Ups Sanam Sarani & Sheridan March To Agents; Paradigm Media's Two Twelve Adds Olivia Annacone Related Story Savanah Leaf's 'Earth Mama', Sundance Prize Winner 'Mutt' To Bookend New Directors/New Films
Mehiel’s first-ever feature, from writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, has them starring as Feña, a young, NYC-based trans man navigating the extremes of human emotion with the most important people in his life. Deadline’s Damon Wise, in his review of the film out of Sundance, called Mehiel’s performance “soul-baring” and “pitch-perfect,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Before the summer movie season consumes the local multiplex, discerning cinephiles and festival fans can bone up on some of the best films of the year, thanks to the always-excellent slate on offer at this year’s New Directors/New Films festival. Over the course of the New York City festival, it will play home to films from 41 directors, including 27 features and 11 shorts.
As ever, this year’s Nd/Nf features a variety of films from around the festival circuit, Sundance to Cannes, Venice to Berlin, and more. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off this week with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” In between, film fans can see projects from rising stars, fresh voices, and finally (finally!) get to check out gems like “Joyland,” “Totem,” and “Disco Boy.”
The 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films...
As ever, this year’s Nd/Nf features a variety of films from around the festival circuit, Sundance to Cannes, Venice to Berlin, and more. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off this week with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” In between, film fans can see projects from rising stars, fresh voices, and finally (finally!) get to check out gems like “Joyland,” “Totem,” and “Disco Boy.”
The 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films...
- 3/28/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Sessions to run from March 27-29.
Six transgender storytellers of colour have been selected for the second edition of Sundance Institute’s Trans Possibilities Intensive programme which runs March 27-29.
The 2023 Fellows are: Seyi Adebanjo, Rajvi Desai, Malik Ever, Nick Janaye, Jamie John, and Tee Park Jaehyung.
Moi Santos will lead the sessions and is founder of the Trans Possibilities Intensive. Leadership includes creative advisors including Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe), Félix Endara (Inseen) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), as well as Sundance Institute’s Equity, Impact, and Belonging Program.
Six transgender storytellers of colour have been selected for the second edition of Sundance Institute’s Trans Possibilities Intensive programme which runs March 27-29.
The 2023 Fellows are: Seyi Adebanjo, Rajvi Desai, Malik Ever, Nick Janaye, Jamie John, and Tee Park Jaehyung.
Moi Santos will lead the sessions and is founder of the Trans Possibilities Intensive. Leadership includes creative advisors including Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Aitch Alberto (Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe), Félix Endara (Inseen) and Chase Joynt (Framing Agnes), as well as Sundance Institute’s Equity, Impact, and Belonging Program.
- 3/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“The Five Devils” and “For My Country” won the Emerging Filmmaker and Audience Awards at this year’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center announced Thursday.
Hosted at Lincoln Center every year, the annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival screens a variety of films from contemporary French filmmakers. This year’s edition, which ran from March 2-12, hosted screenings for 21 features, including opening film “Revoir Paris” from Alice Winocour, Arnaud Desplechin’s “Brother and Sister,” Louis Garrel’s “The Innocent,” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Smoking Causes Coughing.”
“The Five Devils,” the sophomore film from “Ava” filmmaker Léa Mysius, stars Sally Dramé as Vicky, a young girl with a supernatural talent for reproducing the scent of anyone and anything she encounters. The movie made its world premiere in May 2022 as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight section, where it received positive reviews from critics.
Hosted at Lincoln Center every year, the annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival screens a variety of films from contemporary French filmmakers. This year’s edition, which ran from March 2-12, hosted screenings for 21 features, including opening film “Revoir Paris” from Alice Winocour, Arnaud Desplechin’s “Brother and Sister,” Louis Garrel’s “The Innocent,” and Quentin Dupieux’s “Smoking Causes Coughing.”
“The Five Devils,” the sophomore film from “Ava” filmmaker Léa Mysius, stars Sally Dramé as Vicky, a young girl with a supernatural talent for reproducing the scent of anyone and anything she encounters. The movie made its world premiere in May 2022 as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight section, where it received positive reviews from critics.
- 3/16/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Christophe Honoré with Anne-Katrin Titze at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Christophe Honoré (Winter Boy), Florent Gouëlou (Three Nights A Week), Vuk Lungulov-Klotz (Mutt), and Georden West (Playland), will participate in a Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Free Talk: Queer Identities On Screen, moderated by filmmaker and Cuny professor Yoruba Richen (director of The Green Book: Guide to Freedom) on Friday, March 10 at 4:00pm inside the Amphitheater of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
Autofiction at Work: An Intimate Portrait of Christophe Honoré at Metrograph
Christophe is also presenting Dans Paris and Sorry Angel, Alain Resnais’s Providence, Catherine Breillat’s 36 Fillette, and Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea in Autofiction at Work: An Intimate Portrait of Christophe Honoré at Metrograph this weekend, curated by Uptown Flicks Adeline Monzier with the support of Unifrance and Villa Albertine.
“As a queer auteur and a...
Christophe Honoré (Winter Boy), Florent Gouëlou (Three Nights A Week), Vuk Lungulov-Klotz (Mutt), and Georden West (Playland), will participate in a Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Free Talk: Queer Identities On Screen, moderated by filmmaker and Cuny professor Yoruba Richen (director of The Green Book: Guide to Freedom) on Friday, March 10 at 4:00pm inside the Amphitheater of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
Autofiction at Work: An Intimate Portrait of Christophe Honoré at Metrograph
Christophe is also presenting Dans Paris and Sorry Angel, Alain Resnais’s Providence, Catherine Breillat’s 36 Fillette, and Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea in Autofiction at Work: An Intimate Portrait of Christophe Honoré at Metrograph this weekend, curated by Uptown Flicks Adeline Monzier with the support of Unifrance and Villa Albertine.
“As a queer auteur and a...
- 3/8/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Lassoing international film titles as far back as last year’s Manuela Martelli’s Chile ’76 and Saim Sadiq’s Joyland and as recent as Berlinale’s Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy, Lila Avilés’ Tótem and Tia Kouvo’s Family Time, the 2023 edition of the New Directors/New Films is loaded in special filmmaker guests from all corners of the globe. One of our Sundance faves in Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama will open the fest and Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Sundance-Berlinale preemed Mutt will be the Closing Night film. Here is the complete lineup and screening dates.
Opening Night
Earth Mama
Savanah Leaf, USA, 2023, 97m
New York Premiere
A devastating and evocative portrait of motherhood refracted through the prisms of race and class, Savanah Leaf’s auspicious debut feature is a deeply affecting work of cinematic humanism.…...
Opening Night
Earth Mama
Savanah Leaf, USA, 2023, 97m
New York Premiere
A devastating and evocative portrait of motherhood refracted through the prisms of race and class, Savanah Leaf’s auspicious debut feature is a deeply affecting work of cinematic humanism.…...
- 3/1/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
A new year means a new New Directors/New Films lineup.
The 2023 festival, presented by the Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center, is set to take place from March 29 through April 9 and boasts films from 41 directors. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” Both premiered at Sundance to acclaim.
In total, the festival boasts 27 features and 11 short films, with screenings taking place at theaters both at MoMA and Flc. Nations represented range from Argentina to Angola, Nigeria to Ukraine.
“This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse,” MoMA film curator and 2023 Nd/Nf co-chair La Frances Hui said in a press statement. “The...
The 2023 festival, presented by the Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center, is set to take place from March 29 through April 9 and boasts films from 41 directors. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” Both premiered at Sundance to acclaim.
In total, the festival boasts 27 features and 11 short films, with screenings taking place at theaters both at MoMA and Flc. Nations represented range from Argentina to Angola, Nigeria to Ukraine.
“This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse,” MoMA film curator and 2023 Nd/Nf co-chair La Frances Hui said in a press statement. “The...
- 2/28/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Today, Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA announce the lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023, which will run from March 29-April 9 in New York City. Boasting 27 feature films and 11 shorts, the 52nd edition of the festival will open with Savanah Leaf’s A24 film Earth Mama and conclude with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, which recently won the Special Jury Award winner at Sundance. “We are thrilled to bookend the 2023 Nd/Nf edition with two remarkable features, directed by up-and-coming artists Savanah Leaf and Vuk Lungulov-Klorz, portraying tormented yet determined characters with sensitivity, authenticity, and a true inspiring artistic vision,” […]
The post Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA Announce Lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA Announce Lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/28/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Today, Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA announce the lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023, which will run from March 29-April 9 in New York City. Boasting 27 feature films and 11 shorts, the 52nd edition of the festival will open with Savanah Leaf’s A24 film Earth Mama and conclude with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, which recently won the Special Jury Award winner at Sundance. “We are thrilled to bookend the 2023 Nd/Nf edition with two remarkable features, directed by up-and-coming artists Savanah Leaf and Vuk Lungulov-Klorz, portraying tormented yet determined characters with sensitivity, authenticity, and a true inspiring artistic vision,” […]
The post Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA Announce Lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA Announce Lineup for New Directors/New Films 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/28/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Taking place between March 29 and April 9 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center, the 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films will commence with Savanah Leaf’s superb debut (and Sundance stand-out) Earth Mama, close with Vuk Lungolov-Klotz’s Mutt (winner of Best Actor at Sundance), and in-between showcase films from 41 directors––27 features, 11 shorts, and (I just counted) most continents.
So says La Frances Hui, Curator at MoMA’s Department of Film and Nd/Nf’s Co-chair: “This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse. The power of cinema to inspire imagination and explore perspectives is evident in the wide range of styles, ideas, and voices in the selection.”
See the full lineup below, including links to our reviews where available,...
So says La Frances Hui, Curator at MoMA’s Department of Film and Nd/Nf’s Co-chair: “This geographically diverse lineup brings together new directors from all over the world presenting works that make bold and creative statements on everything from identity and family to political repression and postcolonial discourse. The power of cinema to inspire imagination and explore perspectives is evident in the wide range of styles, ideas, and voices in the selection.”
See the full lineup below, including links to our reviews where available,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art have set Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama and Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Sundance Special Jury Award winner Mutt, both debut features, as opening and closing film at the 52st edition of their collaboration, New Directors/New Films, running March 29–April 9 in NYC.
The festival will introduce will showcase 27 features and 11 shorts from 41 directors at theaters in both venues.
Mutt star Lio Mehial was awarded a U.S. Special Jury Award for acting at Sundance Film festival for their portrayal of Feña, a twentysomething trans man contending with an onslaught of aggravation, surprise encounters and emotional choices over the course of a single hectic day in New York City. “We were charmed, seduced, and compelled by this fresh new performer as we watched them navigating the intimate complexities of their everyday life and relationships in his search for acceptance,” the jury citation said.
The festival will introduce will showcase 27 features and 11 shorts from 41 directors at theaters in both venues.
Mutt star Lio Mehial was awarded a U.S. Special Jury Award for acting at Sundance Film festival for their portrayal of Feña, a twentysomething trans man contending with an onslaught of aggravation, surprise encounters and emotional choices over the course of a single hectic day in New York City. “We were charmed, seduced, and compelled by this fresh new performer as we watched them navigating the intimate complexities of their everyday life and relationships in his search for acceptance,” the jury citation said.
- 2/28/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Watching Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival evoked nostalgia for the festival’s previous decades, when there was a greater concentration of films that were earnest, realist, short and low budget. Of course, the festival never stopped showcasing films that depict members of marginalised communities but there’s an authentic vibe and leanness in this story of a trans person struggling with early adulthood that recalls American independent cinema before everyone had had high-quality digital cameras, tracking gimbals, drones and extensive production resources.
That’s not to suggest Lungulov-Klotz’s feels cheap or clunky — it’s simply confident enough in its characters to tell its story without sensationalism or stylistic overcompensation. The character in question is Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young trans man trying to keep his life together during a chaotic night and day in New York City, in which the past keeps pulling back at him while the present.
That’s not to suggest Lungulov-Klotz’s feels cheap or clunky — it’s simply confident enough in its characters to tell its story without sensationalism or stylistic overcompensation. The character in question is Feña (Lío Mehiel), a young trans man trying to keep his life together during a chaotic night and day in New York City, in which the past keeps pulling back at him while the present.
- 2/26/2023
- by Jeremy Mathews
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The documentary “On the Adamant” has been named the best film of the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin organizers announced on Saturday.
The film from director Nicolas Philibert follows life in a daycare center located on the Seine in Paris for adults with mental disorders. It is the first documentary to win the festival’s top prize since “Fire at Sea” in 2016.
German director Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, essentially the runner-up award, for his drama “Afire,” while Philippe Garrel won the directing award for “The Plough.” The gender-neutral acting prizes went to Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees” in the leading performance category and Thea Ehre for “Till the End of the Night” in the supporting category.
The jury president was actress Kristen Stewart. The other jurors were actress Goldshifteh Farahani, directors Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude and Carla Simón and Johnnie To and casting director Francine Maisler.
The film from director Nicolas Philibert follows life in a daycare center located on the Seine in Paris for adults with mental disorders. It is the first documentary to win the festival’s top prize since “Fire at Sea” in 2016.
German director Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, essentially the runner-up award, for his drama “Afire,” while Philippe Garrel won the directing award for “The Plough.” The gender-neutral acting prizes went to Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees” in the leading performance category and Thea Ehre for “Till the End of the Night” in the supporting category.
The jury president was actress Kristen Stewart. The other jurors were actress Goldshifteh Farahani, directors Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude and Carla Simón and Johnnie To and casting director Francine Maisler.
- 2/25/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Hummingbirds, the documentary feature debut of directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, has won the Crystal Bear, the top prize for best film, at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival’s Generation 14plus section.
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
In the doc, the two filmmakers examine issue of immigration along the Texas-Mexican border through the lens of their own friendship. The Generation international jury called the film “a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters…their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, is inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughs, and bodies are political and necessary as a way of resistance.”
A special mention in the Generation 14plus section went to Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt, a drama set over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, and centered on a trans man ( Lio Mehiel) who finds his life shaken up by the reemergence of...
- 2/25/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Best Friend Forever has boarded Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s debut feature “Banel & Adama,” a lushly lensed Senegalese female emancipation drama. Now in post, the movie is expected to have its world premiere later this year.
‘Banel & Adama’ is set a remote village of Northern Senegal where Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. Longing for a home of their own, they have decided to live apart from their families. When Adama refuses his blood duty as future chief and informs the village council of his intentions, the whole community is disrupted and chaos ensues.
Sy studied at France’s prestigious film school La Femis and previously directed the short film “Astel” which played at Toronto, New Directors/New Films and Clermont, where it won the Special Jury award, among 80 festivals to date. Ramata, meanwhile, previously co-wrote “Our Lady of the Nil” which played at Toronto, and “Sibel” which played at Locarno and Toronto.
‘Banel & Adama’ is set a remote village of Northern Senegal where Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. Longing for a home of their own, they have decided to live apart from their families. When Adama refuses his blood duty as future chief and informs the village council of his intentions, the whole community is disrupted and chaos ensues.
Sy studied at France’s prestigious film school La Femis and previously directed the short film “Astel” which played at Toronto, New Directors/New Films and Clermont, where it won the Special Jury award, among 80 festivals to date. Ramata, meanwhile, previously co-wrote “Our Lady of the Nil” which played at Toronto, and “Sibel” which played at Locarno and Toronto.
- 2/17/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Brazilian animated feature “Perlimps,” Alê Abreu’s follow up to Oscar-nominated “Boy and the World,” has been sold in key territories by Best Friend Forever ahead of the European Film Market.
“Perlimps” has been picked up for Japan (Child Film and New Deer), China (DDDream), Cis and baltics (Kinologistica), Sweden (Njutafilm) and Portugal (Films4you). Bff is in advanced discussions to close German Speaking territories, Benelux, Spain, Italy and North America. As previously announced, UFO Distribution will release the feature in France.
“Perlimps” was just released last week in Brazil by leading independent outfit Vitrine Filmes and Sony Pictures, which holds Latin American rights.
The fantasy adventure film follows the journey of Claé and Bruô, a pair of secret agents from rival kingdoms who must join forces in spite of their differences to search for the Perlimps, mysterious creatures who can ultimately find a way to peace in times of war.
“Perlimps” has been picked up for Japan (Child Film and New Deer), China (DDDream), Cis and baltics (Kinologistica), Sweden (Njutafilm) and Portugal (Films4you). Bff is in advanced discussions to close German Speaking territories, Benelux, Spain, Italy and North America. As previously announced, UFO Distribution will release the feature in France.
“Perlimps” was just released last week in Brazil by leading independent outfit Vitrine Filmes and Sony Pictures, which holds Latin American rights.
The fantasy adventure film follows the journey of Claé and Bruô, a pair of secret agents from rival kingdoms who must join forces in spite of their differences to search for the Perlimps, mysterious creatures who can ultimately find a way to peace in times of war.
- 2/17/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
A compelling character-based drama that reveals the interior life of a young trans man over roughly 24 hours in New York City, “Mutt” follows Feña (Lío Mehiel) as he tries to navigate a series of events that would be stressful for anyone. Piling on setbacks that specifically challenge someone still working out how to reintroduce himself to old friends and family members, writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz — who is also trans — makes audiences acutely conscious of Feña’s emotional state at every turn. “Mutt,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, sees the first-time helmer creatively using the medium to illustrate how small incidents can chip away at a trans person’s self-confidence and the strength it takes to stay true to that identity.
Feña’s day starts simply enough, focused on trying to borrow a car to pick up his Chilean father (Alejandro Goic) from the airport. Before long,...
Feña’s day starts simply enough, focused on trying to borrow a car to pick up his Chilean father (Alejandro Goic) from the airport. Before long,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
In the film Mutt, viewers follow Feña (Lio Mehiel), a young trans man, as he navigates high school and relationships in New York City.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, writer and director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz discussed why he wanted to make this film.
“Well, I’m transgender and there was such a lack of representation,” he began. “I really wanted to put out there a portrayal of a trans man that takes place within 24 hours where we get to really explore the intimacy of what it’s like to be, you know, a son, an older brother, a lover and just get a sense of the fact that we’re not all alone and that sometimes we just need to reach out and ask for acceptance and it’s going to be there.”
Klotz went on to explain how the film has changed since deciding to make it and how...
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, writer and director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz discussed why he wanted to make this film.
“Well, I’m transgender and there was such a lack of representation,” he began. “I really wanted to put out there a portrayal of a trans man that takes place within 24 hours where we get to really explore the intimacy of what it’s like to be, you know, a son, an older brother, a lover and just get a sense of the fact that we’re not all alone and that sometimes we just need to reach out and ask for acceptance and it’s going to be there.”
Klotz went on to explain how the film has changed since deciding to make it and how...
- 2/10/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
“Mutt,” the Sundance prize-winning feature debut of New York-based filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, has been boarded by Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever.
“Mutt,” which just won the Special Jury Award for actor Lío Mehiel (“WeCrashed”) at Sundance, will next play at the Berlin Film Festival in the Generation 14+ strand. CAA Media Finance is handling North American rights, while Best Friend Forever represents the rest of the world.
Lungulov-Klotz is a Chilean-Serbian filmmaker who previously participated in the Sundance Institute Labs, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Program. His award winning trans-themed short film “Still Liam” played at several festivals and was championed by queer filmmakers Ira Sachs and Silas Howard, who have both become mentors.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day,...
“Mutt,” which just won the Special Jury Award for actor Lío Mehiel (“WeCrashed”) at Sundance, will next play at the Berlin Film Festival in the Generation 14+ strand. CAA Media Finance is handling North American rights, while Best Friend Forever represents the rest of the world.
Lungulov-Klotz is a Chilean-Serbian filmmaker who previously participated in the Sundance Institute Labs, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Program. His award winning trans-themed short film “Still Liam” played at several festivals and was championed by queer filmmakers Ira Sachs and Silas Howard, who have both become mentors.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, “Mutt” follows Feña, a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Big sales were hardly in short supply at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Netflix going wild for “Fair Play,” AppleTV+ shelling out for “Flora and Son,” and Searchlight Pictures snapping up “Theater Camp”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of superior films still looking for homes.
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like the Jonathan Majors-starring “Magazine Dreams”), those in search of the next big director, hungry genre hounds (see: “Divinity”), and even documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact.
And while it’s still early days, given the incredible assortment of films still looking for homes, we can’t help but tout their allure to all interested buyers. These aren’t just...
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like the Jonathan Majors-starring “Magazine Dreams”), those in search of the next big director, hungry genre hounds (see: “Divinity”), and even documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact.
And while it’s still early days, given the incredible assortment of films still looking for homes, we can’t help but tout their allure to all interested buyers. These aren’t just...
- 1/30/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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