Film financier BondIt Media Capital has closed a new co-financing partnership with Cineverse for North American production, acquisition and distribution of film projects.
First up under the deal is distribution support for Cineverse (and its horror division Bloody Disgusting) for upcoming Terrifier 3, the third installment in the worldwide cult horror phenomenon featuring Art the Clown.
Micro-budget Terrifier 2 released in the fall of 2022 grossed more than $15 million in worldwide box office. The production companies behind the film, Dark Age Cinema and The Coven, re-teamed with filmmaker Damien Leone (and David Howard Thornton as Art the Clow) for Terrifier 3, which wrapped production in New York last month and is set for an October 11, 2024 theatrical release.
Cineverse (formerly Cinedigm) and led by former MGM chairman Chris McGurk has previously said the film will “unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.
First up under the deal is distribution support for Cineverse (and its horror division Bloody Disgusting) for upcoming Terrifier 3, the third installment in the worldwide cult horror phenomenon featuring Art the Clown.
Micro-budget Terrifier 2 released in the fall of 2022 grossed more than $15 million in worldwide box office. The production companies behind the film, Dark Age Cinema and The Coven, re-teamed with filmmaker Damien Leone (and David Howard Thornton as Art the Clow) for Terrifier 3, which wrapped production in New York last month and is set for an October 11, 2024 theatrical release.
Cineverse (formerly Cinedigm) and led by former MGM chairman Chris McGurk has previously said the film will “unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.
- 5/7/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Actor-turned-executive Ella Wahlestedt on Wednesday announced the launch of Quarterlife Pictures, an L.A.-based production company dedicated to developing and producing women-centric and impactful narratives across film and TV.
Quarterlife will look to blend meaningful storytelling with commercial viability, focusing on stories in the genre and science fiction space. Its emphasis on women-fronted projects comes at a critical time, with a new study reporting a near 10-year low in female-led films. Already, the company has struck a strategic partnership with award-winning production house, CreativeChaos vmg, to collaborate on an undisclosed high-end docuseries.
Wahlestedt began her career as an actress, with credits including Relativity Media’s Earth to Echo, Lifetime’s Army Wives, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. She later joined Buffalo 8 Productions, known for its work on Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Max Original The Fallout starring Jenna Ortega, and award-winning...
Quarterlife will look to blend meaningful storytelling with commercial viability, focusing on stories in the genre and science fiction space. Its emphasis on women-fronted projects comes at a critical time, with a new study reporting a near 10-year low in female-led films. Already, the company has struck a strategic partnership with award-winning production house, CreativeChaos vmg, to collaborate on an undisclosed high-end docuseries.
Wahlestedt began her career as an actress, with credits including Relativity Media’s Earth to Echo, Lifetime’s Army Wives, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. She later joined Buffalo 8 Productions, known for its work on Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Max Original The Fallout starring Jenna Ortega, and award-winning...
- 4/3/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Plan B Entertainment has started a new micro budget film finance initiative to produce and finance lower cost films which will be led by newly hired Caddy Vanasirikul. The veteran film producer and acquisition and production executive will manage Plan B’s forthcoming slate in this sector.
The first film under this new initiative is Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Olmo, which recently completed shooting in New Mexico under an interim agreement. Co-written with Vanesa Garnica and directed by Eimbcke, and produced with Erendira Nunez LariosEréndira Núñez Larios and Michel Franco’s Teorema, the bilingual story is about 14 year-old Olmo, who must take care of his bedridden father who has Multiple Sclerosis. But when Olmo’s goddess neighbor Nina Sandoval invites him to a party, his world is turned upside down.
Eimbcke’s feature directorial debut Temporada de patos (Duck Season) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won...
The first film under this new initiative is Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Olmo, which recently completed shooting in New Mexico under an interim agreement. Co-written with Vanesa Garnica and directed by Eimbcke, and produced with Erendira Nunez LariosEréndira Núñez Larios and Michel Franco’s Teorema, the bilingual story is about 14 year-old Olmo, who must take care of his bedridden father who has Multiple Sclerosis. But when Olmo’s goddess neighbor Nina Sandoval invites him to a party, his world is turned upside down.
Eimbcke’s feature directorial debut Temporada de patos (Duck Season) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won...
- 12/1/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Industry veterans Amanda Sherwin, Mike Messina and Seth Needle are teaming up to launch Blue Harbor Entertainment, a new distribution, marketing and consulting company. The news comes as the American Film Market kicks off this week in Santa Monica where the executives will be on the ground looking for partners. Blue Harbor is looking to distribute 10 to 15 feature film releases per year, as well as provide advisory services to third parties. The trio are currently negotiating multiple deals.
“Blue Harbor provides an alternative path for filmmakers — the opportunity to hire their distributor, and work with them, collaboratively and transparently, to bring their films to audiences,” said Needle. “Whether that’s something they decide once they have a completed picture, during the packaging stage or somewhere in between, we are here to help them craft a strategy for success.”
Blue Harbor Entertainment says it will offer marketing and distribution services, overseeing...
“Blue Harbor provides an alternative path for filmmakers — the opportunity to hire their distributor, and work with them, collaboratively and transparently, to bring their films to audiences,” said Needle. “Whether that’s something they decide once they have a completed picture, during the packaging stage or somewhere in between, we are here to help them craft a strategy for success.”
Blue Harbor Entertainment says it will offer marketing and distribution services, overseeing...
- 10/31/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian distributor LevelFilm has hired two executives from Sphere Films in leadership roles.
Olivier Gauthier-Mercier joins as VP, distribution and Lainie Elton as VP, sales and acquisitions. Gauthier-Mercier was previously VP, distribution at Sphere Films where he oversaw the releases of Ari Aster’s “Beau is Afraid,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up” and Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun.”
Lainie Elton returns to LevelFilm after heading up licensing and digital strategy at Sphere Films as a vice president. Elton was previously VP, sales at LevelFilm for five years shepherding “Firecrackers,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and “The Assistant.” The executive was also instrumental in establishing LevelFilm’s relationships with Netflix and Rogers.
Upcoming LevelFilm releases include musical biopic “Dreamin’ Wild,” starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina and Walton Goggins and Ben Kingsley-led drama “Jules.’ At the Toronto International Film Festival 2023, LevelFilm has Elliot Page-produced queer cheer drama “Backspot,...
Olivier Gauthier-Mercier joins as VP, distribution and Lainie Elton as VP, sales and acquisitions. Gauthier-Mercier was previously VP, distribution at Sphere Films where he oversaw the releases of Ari Aster’s “Beau is Afraid,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up” and Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun.”
Lainie Elton returns to LevelFilm after heading up licensing and digital strategy at Sphere Films as a vice president. Elton was previously VP, sales at LevelFilm for five years shepherding “Firecrackers,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and “The Assistant.” The executive was also instrumental in establishing LevelFilm’s relationships with Netflix and Rogers.
Upcoming LevelFilm releases include musical biopic “Dreamin’ Wild,” starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina and Walton Goggins and Ben Kingsley-led drama “Jules.’ At the Toronto International Film Festival 2023, LevelFilm has Elliot Page-produced queer cheer drama “Backspot,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sonia Nassery Cole to direct drama based on life of ethnomusicologist Dr. Ahmad Sarmast.
Sonia Nassery Cole, director of Afghanistan’s 2010 Oscar submission The Black Tulip, is lining up to direct The Last Piano In Afghanistan for Citizen Skull And Shadowplay Features.
The producers have announced the project in Cannes, where they are meeting with sales agents ahead of a late 2023 shoot in Morocco.
The Last Piano In Afghanistan is based on the life of ethnomusicologist Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, who grew up loving music and relocated from Afghanistan to Australia under Taliban rule, only to return home after the US-led invasion in the early 2000s.
Sonia Nassery Cole, director of Afghanistan’s 2010 Oscar submission The Black Tulip, is lining up to direct The Last Piano In Afghanistan for Citizen Skull And Shadowplay Features.
The producers have announced the project in Cannes, where they are meeting with sales agents ahead of a late 2023 shoot in Morocco.
The Last Piano In Afghanistan is based on the life of ethnomusicologist Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, who grew up loving music and relocated from Afghanistan to Australia under Taliban rule, only to return home after the US-led invasion in the early 2000s.
- 5/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The production and management company Citizen Skull is expanding with the launch of a Btl division to represent cinematographers, production designers, costumers, editors and others.
Leading the charge will be Liz Williamson (formerly of Wpa), who is supported by Gerard George (formerly of Screen Talent Agency) and Mike Diaz. New signings at Citizen Skull that come with the expansion include Emmy winning cinematographer Petr Cikhart (The Amazing Race) and production designer Flora Ortega (God’s Country).
Citizen Skull has previously produced such titles as Collision, 12 Feet Deep, Heartthrob, Oak Room and Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, continuing to produce 5-7 titles a year, with writers, directors and actors also being repped on the management side.
***
Taylor Gray
Exclusive: Taylor Gray (High Expectations) has signed on for a role opposite Frankie Muniz and Violett Beane in Robert Rippberger’s sci-fi thriller Renner, which is heading into production this summer.
Leading the charge will be Liz Williamson (formerly of Wpa), who is supported by Gerard George (formerly of Screen Talent Agency) and Mike Diaz. New signings at Citizen Skull that come with the expansion include Emmy winning cinematographer Petr Cikhart (The Amazing Race) and production designer Flora Ortega (God’s Country).
Citizen Skull has previously produced such titles as Collision, 12 Feet Deep, Heartthrob, Oak Room and Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, continuing to produce 5-7 titles a year, with writers, directors and actors also being repped on the management side.
***
Taylor Gray
Exclusive: Taylor Gray (High Expectations) has signed on for a role opposite Frankie Muniz and Violett Beane in Robert Rippberger’s sci-fi thriller Renner, which is heading into production this summer.
- 5/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It is often said that the secret to becoming a successful entrepreneur is finding a need and filling it. When Santa Monica-based BondIt Media Capital launched in 2013, it zeroed in on the deposits productions must leave with SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE and other guilds to ensure that their members get paid in a timely fashion.
The company co-founders — CEO Matthew Helderman and COO Luke Taylor — knew from their experience working in the production trenches that these deposits, which sometimes take up to six months to be returned, can create a significant cash flow problem for low-budget projects during principal photography.
So they decided to offer a deal: producers would pay the unions, then BondIt would reimburse their cash outlay, minus a fee (typically 12%-15%), and collect the deposits when they were returned.
It wasn’t exciting, it wasn’t big-time, but it was a foot in the door.
“No other financiers...
The company co-founders — CEO Matthew Helderman and COO Luke Taylor — knew from their experience working in the production trenches that these deposits, which sometimes take up to six months to be returned, can create a significant cash flow problem for low-budget projects during principal photography.
So they decided to offer a deal: producers would pay the unions, then BondIt would reimburse their cash outlay, minus a fee (typically 12%-15%), and collect the deposits when they were returned.
It wasn’t exciting, it wasn’t big-time, but it was a foot in the door.
“No other financiers...
- 5/10/2023
- by Todd Longwell
- Variety Film + TV
Nat McCormick has been promoted to president of worldwide sales and distribution at Los Angeles-based film and TV sales, finance and production company The Exchange.
McCormick currently leads worldwide sales and distribution on the company’s roster of films and has played an instrumental role in the company’s success over the past 10 years.
He most recently served as EVP of worldwide sales and distribution and prior to that was director of international sales and operations at Im Global, and director of international sales and acquisitions for Affinity International during his two decades in the entertainment industry.
Additionally, Paige Williams...
McCormick currently leads worldwide sales and distribution on the company’s roster of films and has played an instrumental role in the company’s success over the past 10 years.
He most recently served as EVP of worldwide sales and distribution and prior to that was director of international sales and operations at Im Global, and director of international sales and acquisitions for Affinity International during his two decades in the entertainment industry.
Additionally, Paige Williams...
- 8/24/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
ABC and CNN lead the nominations for the 43rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, which were announced Thursday by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).
NATAS also revealed that Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of “PBS NewsHour,” and Sir David Attenborough will receive honorary awards at this year’s ceremonies. The news categories, where Woodruff will be honored, will be presented on Wednesday, Sep. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Edt and the ceremony for the documentary categories, where Attenborough will be honored, will be held Thursday, Sep. 29th at 7:30 p.m. Edt. Attenborough’s many docuseries include “Life on Earth,” “The Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth.”
Also Read:
Emmy Awards: Is the Television Academy Representing Audience Demand? | Charts
A number of the nominated news segments, reports and documentaries were dedicated to the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, including those by ABC, CBS, NBC, The New Yorker,...
NATAS also revealed that Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of “PBS NewsHour,” and Sir David Attenborough will receive honorary awards at this year’s ceremonies. The news categories, where Woodruff will be honored, will be presented on Wednesday, Sep. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Edt and the ceremony for the documentary categories, where Attenborough will be honored, will be held Thursday, Sep. 29th at 7:30 p.m. Edt. Attenborough’s many docuseries include “Life on Earth,” “The Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth.”
Also Read:
Emmy Awards: Is the Television Academy Representing Audience Demand? | Charts
A number of the nominated news segments, reports and documentaries were dedicated to the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, including those by ABC, CBS, NBC, The New Yorker,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Photo: ‘Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street’ ‘Street Gang’ - Behind the Scenes of Childhood Behind every great show are hundreds of people that devote their time to making it great. ‘Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street’ is about the people that knew how important this was and spent most of their lives making it. This documentary goes back in time and explores the beginnings of the show and what it was going to be. Through archival footage and present and past interviews of the creators, HBO does a remarkable job telling the origin story of one of the most popular children’s programming ever. Every journey has its twists and turns and this is no exception. The dark is shown, but the light of the show will forever shine brighter. Related article: Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary, Reactions, Making Of - Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya,...
- 12/28/2021
- by Jack Colin
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineGolden Globe Nominations: Succession, Morning Show, Ted Lasso Lead TV PackSuccession Season 3 Finale Recap: This Isn't Family...
With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.
More from TVLineGolden Globe Nominations: Succession, Morning Show, Ted Lasso Lead TV PackSuccession Season 3 Finale Recap: This Isn't Family...
- 12/12/2021
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
The Oscar shortlists hit Hollywood on Dec. 21, with filmmakers and artisans alike waiting to see if their pics have made it. It’s another Covid-challenged year, with theaters still not running at full capacity and screening links de rigueur even as widespread vaccinations boost the confidence in getting back in a cinema. The films below have been gaining traction on the awards circuit so far, but given the contours of kudos campaigns, surprises can and will emerge. Critics groups are beginning to weigh in and some guild nominations are imminent. Oscar nominations will be announced Feb. 8, with the ceremony taking place March 27.
Documentary Feature
This category once again offers up an embarrassment of riches, with films such as Denmark’s “Flee” leading the pack — the Sundance winner recently won a Gotham award. “Flee” can also grab noms in animation and international feature. NatGeo’s lineup includes John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci,...
Documentary Feature
This category once again offers up an embarrassment of riches, with films such as Denmark’s “Flee” leading the pack — the Sundance winner recently won a Gotham award. “Flee” can also grab noms in animation and international feature. NatGeo’s lineup includes John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci,...
- 12/11/2021
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street Trailer — Marilyn Agrelo‘s Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021) movie trailer has been released by HBO. The Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street trailer stars Frank Biondo, Linda Bove, Fran Brill, Northern Calloway, Christopher Cerf, David D. Connell, Joan [...]
Continue reading: Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street (2021) Movie Trailer: Marilyn Agrelo’s Doc Chronicles the Early Days of the Educational Kids TV Show...
Continue reading: Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street (2021) Movie Trailer: Marilyn Agrelo’s Doc Chronicles the Early Days of the Educational Kids TV Show...
- 11/26/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"Sunny days, furry friends, classic songs, and a whole lot of heart." HBO has unveiled their own full trailer for the acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, made by doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom). This intiially premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and already opened in theaters back in April (watch the first trailer). The doc film chronicles the improbable origins and expansion of the groundbreaking show that not only changed children's TV, but it also had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation. With over 20 interviews with original writers, cast, and crew, and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, Street Gang is told from the inside with humor and emotion, weaving together personal narratives and eyewitness accounts. The film explores the original mission of the "gang" that created this cultural phenomenon, spanning 50-plus years and reaching more than 150 countries. Even though this...
- 11/23/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Michael Strahan is taking a very far-out trip as a passenger on Blue Origin’s next flight to space, the Good Morning America co-anchor announced on Tuesday’s show.
Strahan will be part of a crew of six passengers taking off on Dec. 9, marking the third human spaceflight from Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Amazon Eyes Mass Effect Series, Epix's From Trailer and MoreTVLine Items: 4400 Taps Original Star, Kal Penn's FX Comedy Pilot and MoreDid Flash 'Level Up' Too Much? Was Seal Team Sexy+? Is Discovery Captain Indeed Reckless? And More TV Qs!
“Blue Origin,...
Strahan will be part of a crew of six passengers taking off on Dec. 9, marking the third human spaceflight from Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Amazon Eyes Mass Effect Series, Epix's From Trailer and MoreTVLine Items: 4400 Taps Original Star, Kal Penn's FX Comedy Pilot and MoreDid Flash 'Level Up' Too Much? Was Seal Team Sexy+? Is Discovery Captain Indeed Reckless? And More TV Qs!
“Blue Origin,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
Sesame Street has become one of the most important and enduring television programs in American history, but there was a time, back in the mid-1960s when it was just a concept—and a bold one.
“The goal and plan was to reach children that were being underserved within education due to poverty and racism,” noted Ellen Scherer Crafts, producer of the HBO documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, during its panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “The goal was to educate all children.”
The film examines the key figures who took the show from concept to reality, including creators Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, and other vital contributors like Jim Henson, whose Muppets delighted the young target audience, and composer Joe Raposo, who wrote the title theme song, as well as “Bein’ Green” and countless others.
“Some of the most beautiful quotes in the film,...
“The goal and plan was to reach children that were being underserved within education due to poverty and racism,” noted Ellen Scherer Crafts, producer of the HBO documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, during its panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “The goal was to educate all children.”
The film examines the key figures who took the show from concept to reality, including creators Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, and other vital contributors like Jim Henson, whose Muppets delighted the young target audience, and composer Joe Raposo, who wrote the title theme song, as well as “Bein’ Green” and countless others.
“Some of the most beautiful quotes in the film,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event, our virtual showcase of the year’s leading nonfiction, gets underway Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt. This year’s lineup of 25 movies reflects the growing availability of documentary content across a variety of platforms: Showtime and HBO, streamers HBO Max, Netflix, Discovery+, Hulu, Amazon Studios, and Apple TV+, as well as theatrical distributors Neon, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When Brian O’Shea founded the worldwide film sales and finance company The Exchange in 2011, streaming was still in its infancy, release windows were numerous and robust and DVD pre-sales could still provide a big chunk of a movie’s budget. In the ensuing decade, the landscape has undergone a rapid series of dramatic shifts, but the L.A.-based company has survived and prospered, acquiring, financing and selling more than 200 films, with budgets ranging from $5 million to $90 million, including Universal’s “2 Guns,” starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg; Sundance Award-winners “The Spectacular Now” and “Obvious Child,” and doc “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.”
“We’ve had success in keeping all options open and maintaining relationships and building new relationships along the way,” says Nat McCormick, exec VP of worldwide distribution for The Exchange. “Always having our ear to the ground, we know how to best navigate things,...
“We’ve had success in keeping all options open and maintaining relationships and building new relationships along the way,” says Nat McCormick, exec VP of worldwide distribution for The Exchange. “Always having our ear to the ground, we know how to best navigate things,...
- 10/28/2021
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Robin Smith joins company as head of factual content.
Toronto-based distributor levelFILM has acquired KinoSmith and signed a multi-year partnership with Blue Ice Documentary Fund (Bid) to manage the Bid library and partner on new acquisitions.
The transaction will enable the companies to build a more robust distribution partnership for Bid factual production investments. As part of the deal, the KinoSmith library of content and former KinoSmith president and current CEO of Blue Ice Docs Robin Smith will join the levelFILM team.
Smith will act as the company’s head of factual content and oversee the combined entity’s library of documentaries,...
Toronto-based distributor levelFILM has acquired KinoSmith and signed a multi-year partnership with Blue Ice Documentary Fund (Bid) to manage the Bid library and partner on new acquisitions.
The transaction will enable the companies to build a more robust distribution partnership for Bid factual production investments. As part of the deal, the KinoSmith library of content and former KinoSmith president and current CEO of Blue Ice Docs Robin Smith will join the levelFILM team.
Smith will act as the company’s head of factual content and oversee the combined entity’s library of documentaries,...
- 10/6/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
(Editor’s Note: IndieWire’s coverage of the 2021 IDA Documentary Screening Series is presented by the Amazon Original Documentaries “Val” and “My Name is Pauli Murray.“)
IndieWire and International Documentary Association have again partnered for the organization’s annual Screening Series, which will take place virtually, in addition to select screenings in various venues in Los Angeles including the Hollywood Legion Theater and the Landmark Theatre in West LA. Following the screenings, IndieWire will be posting written and video coverage of moderated Q&As featuring filmmakers and subjects.
“IDA is proud to present a thoughtful selection of films that represent a multiplicity of voices, perspectives, and styles,” said IDA Director Rick Perez. “Our inclusive curatorial approach reflects our values and commitment to recognizing the role that the documentary form plays in helping audiences better understand the world around them.”
Theatrical screenings are as follows.
“The Rescue” (Hollywood Legion Theater), Monday,...
IndieWire and International Documentary Association have again partnered for the organization’s annual Screening Series, which will take place virtually, in addition to select screenings in various venues in Los Angeles including the Hollywood Legion Theater and the Landmark Theatre in West LA. Following the screenings, IndieWire will be posting written and video coverage of moderated Q&As featuring filmmakers and subjects.
“IDA is proud to present a thoughtful selection of films that represent a multiplicity of voices, perspectives, and styles,” said IDA Director Rick Perez. “Our inclusive curatorial approach reflects our values and commitment to recognizing the role that the documentary form plays in helping audiences better understand the world around them.”
Theatrical screenings are as follows.
“The Rescue” (Hollywood Legion Theater), Monday,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
New Indie
Emma Seligman’s impressive “Shiva Baby” (Utopia) premieres on Blu-ray this month, and it’s a blisteringly funny, character-based comedy about a young Danielle (played by Rachel Sennott) whose rootless life when she attends a shiva with her parents (Fred Melamed and Polly Draper), only to encounter the boyfriend who’s financially supporting her, his wife — whom Danielle didn’t know existed — and Danielle’s ex-girlfriend. It’s a full buffet of misunderstandings, awkward encounters, and scene-stealing character actors, with a cast that also includes Jackie Hoffman, Dianna Agron, and Molly Gordon.
Also available: A jaded clickbait reporter has an unforgettable encounter in the indie comedy “15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot” (Kino Lorber); over-the-hill kung fu disciples rouse themselves from mid-life torpor to avenge the death of their master in the martial-arts comedy “The Paper Tigers” (Well Go USA Entertainment).
New Foreign
Eytan Fox’s cultural-generational...
Emma Seligman’s impressive “Shiva Baby” (Utopia) premieres on Blu-ray this month, and it’s a blisteringly funny, character-based comedy about a young Danielle (played by Rachel Sennott) whose rootless life when she attends a shiva with her parents (Fred Melamed and Polly Draper), only to encounter the boyfriend who’s financially supporting her, his wife — whom Danielle didn’t know existed — and Danielle’s ex-girlfriend. It’s a full buffet of misunderstandings, awkward encounters, and scene-stealing character actors, with a cast that also includes Jackie Hoffman, Dianna Agron, and Molly Gordon.
Also available: A jaded clickbait reporter has an unforgettable encounter in the indie comedy “15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot” (Kino Lorber); over-the-hill kung fu disciples rouse themselves from mid-life torpor to avenge the death of their master in the martial-arts comedy “The Paper Tigers” (Well Go USA Entertainment).
New Foreign
Eytan Fox’s cultural-generational...
- 7/8/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Columnist (Ivo van Aart)
Never read the comments—a universal rule for all writers who publish, share, or create on the internet. No matter what you say or how you say it, there will always be a troll ready to disparage your work or you personally. They don’t need a reason beyond their ability to do so. They don’t need a salient point either. And it’s precisely because they possess neither that they ultimately live rent-free inside the minds of everyone they attack with artificial anonymity. One doesn’t even have to read their words to feel their pain because knowing they exist eats at you regardless.
The Columnist (Ivo van Aart)
Never read the comments—a universal rule for all writers who publish, share, or create on the internet. No matter what you say or how you say it, there will always be a troll ready to disparage your work or you personally. They don’t need a reason beyond their ability to do so. They don’t need a salient point either. And it’s precisely because they possess neither that they ultimately live rent-free inside the minds of everyone they attack with artificial anonymity. One doesn’t even have to read their words to feel their pain because knowing they exist eats at you regardless.
- 5/7/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A new documentary, Street Gang, traces the early days, radical roots and creative energy of the groundbreaking childhood TV show
In 1970, cast members of Sesame Street, still in its first season on public television, traveled the country to gauge interest in the iconoclastic new show and its strange, magnetic array of puppet characters. The program was, at the time, an experiment, both as a madcap mosaic of creative talent, especially puppeteer Jim Henson and his cast of singularly endearing Muppets – and as a test of television’s potential as an educational medium, with eight expert-designed learning objectives measured in test groups of small children.
Related: Strings attached: why we’re still in love with puppet TV shows...
In 1970, cast members of Sesame Street, still in its first season on public television, traveled the country to gauge interest in the iconoclastic new show and its strange, magnetic array of puppet characters. The program was, at the time, an experiment, both as a madcap mosaic of creative talent, especially puppeteer Jim Henson and his cast of singularly endearing Muppets – and as a test of television’s potential as an educational medium, with eight expert-designed learning objectives measured in test groups of small children.
Related: Strings attached: why we’re still in love with puppet TV shows...
- 5/5/2021
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Screen Media has snapped up U.S. rights to Millennium Media’s suspense thriller Till Death starring Transformers actress Megan Fox. A summer theatrical and on demand release is planned.
Till Death begins with Emma (Fox) waking up, handcuffed to her dead husband after a romantic evening in their secluded lake house. Trapped and isolated in the dead of winter, she must fight off hired killers and escape her husband’s twisted plan.
The pic is directed by S.K. Dale (award-winning horror short The Coatmaker) who is making his feature directorial debut here. The role reps Fox’s first genre role since the 2009 Diablo Cody scripted horror pic Jennifer’s Body.
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Orphan and the upcoming prequel Esther), Tanner Mobley (The Piper), Yariv Lerner (The Outpost), Les Weldon (The Expendables), Rob Van Norden (Jolt) and Jeffrey Greenstein (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) produce. Till Death co-stars Callan Mulvey (Russo...
Till Death begins with Emma (Fox) waking up, handcuffed to her dead husband after a romantic evening in their secluded lake house. Trapped and isolated in the dead of winter, she must fight off hired killers and escape her husband’s twisted plan.
The pic is directed by S.K. Dale (award-winning horror short The Coatmaker) who is making his feature directorial debut here. The role reps Fox’s first genre role since the 2009 Diablo Cody scripted horror pic Jennifer’s Body.
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Orphan and the upcoming prequel Esther), Tanner Mobley (The Piper), Yariv Lerner (The Outpost), Les Weldon (The Expendables), Rob Van Norden (Jolt) and Jeffrey Greenstein (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) produce. Till Death co-stars Callan Mulvey (Russo...
- 5/4/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Distributor plans summer theatrical, VOD release.
Screen Media has acquired all US rights from Millennium Media to the Megan Fox thriller Till Death and plans a summer theatrical and on-demand release.
S.K. Dale’s (horror short The Coatmaker) feature directorial debut co-stars Callan Mulvey (Russo Brothers’ upcoming The Gray Man), Eoin Macken (George Rr Martin’s Nightflyers), Aml Ameen (HBO’s I May Destroy You) and Jack Roth (Medici).
Based on Jason Carvey’s screenplay that made it on to the Blood List, the yearly compilation of the best unproduced genre scripts, Till Death finds Emma (Fox) handcuffed to...
Screen Media has acquired all US rights from Millennium Media to the Megan Fox thriller Till Death and plans a summer theatrical and on-demand release.
S.K. Dale’s (horror short The Coatmaker) feature directorial debut co-stars Callan Mulvey (Russo Brothers’ upcoming The Gray Man), Eoin Macken (George Rr Martin’s Nightflyers), Aml Ameen (HBO’s I May Destroy You) and Jack Roth (Medici).
Based on Jason Carvey’s screenplay that made it on to the Blood List, the yearly compilation of the best unproduced genre scripts, Till Death finds Emma (Fox) handcuffed to...
- 5/4/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
It’s May, and when it comes to entertainment, that means only one thing: the beginning of the summer movie season. Except maybe not this year. While theaters have started to stir back to life and resume business as usual as more of the moviegoing public gets vaccinated and feels safe returning to theaters, for the second year in a row the summer movie season has been punted a little down the road.
Sure, there are some movies coming out, some compelling-looking ones, too. But it now looks like the...
Sure, there are some movies coming out, some compelling-looking ones, too. But it now looks like the...
- 4/30/2021
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
Theater chain will have over 30 spots reopen by end of July
Alamo Drafthouse has announced its reopening dates for 15 theater locations across the country, including its locations in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles.
The Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn will open on May 7, and the Los Angeles location in downtown will open on May 28, and the remaining spots will all reopen throughout the end of July. By the end of the summer, Alamo’s circuit footprint will be doubled compared to the theaters current open locations, with over 30 spots across the country, including the Dallas, Omaha, San Francisco, Lubbock, Laredo, and Yonkers areas back into the lineup.
While reopening has been difficult for all theaters, Alamo Drafthouse’s premium in-theater dining has created an additional challenge, and the new 15 locations are reopening with enhanced safety protocols, Hvac upgrades and technology upgrades that they boast makes them safer than supermarkets, bars and restaurants.
Alamo Drafthouse has announced its reopening dates for 15 theater locations across the country, including its locations in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles.
The Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn will open on May 7, and the Los Angeles location in downtown will open on May 28, and the remaining spots will all reopen throughout the end of July. By the end of the summer, Alamo’s circuit footprint will be doubled compared to the theaters current open locations, with over 30 spots across the country, including the Dallas, Omaha, San Francisco, Lubbock, Laredo, and Yonkers areas back into the lineup.
While reopening has been difficult for all theaters, Alamo Drafthouse’s premium in-theater dining has created an additional challenge, and the new 15 locations are reopening with enhanced safety protocols, Hvac upgrades and technology upgrades that they boast makes them safer than supermarkets, bars and restaurants.
- 4/29/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
(Interactive chart with estimates below)
As Hollywood buckled up for the Oscar showdown at Union Station, the specialty box office saw a new release sweep the floors in its theatrical debut.
This week, Bleecker Street released the comedy Together, Together, starring Ed Helms and comic Patti Harrison. The pic follows a young loner Anna (Harrison) who is hired as a surrogate for Matt (Helms), a single man in his 40s. The two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
Together, Together racked up $522,440 in its opening weekend. At 665 runs in 136 markets, the Nikole Beckwith-helmed film performed decently in the LA and NY markets, selling out multiple evening shows.
The specialty box office saw two other new releases, though much smaller than Together.
Screen Media Films’ Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street and Gravitas’ Sweet...
As Hollywood buckled up for the Oscar showdown at Union Station, the specialty box office saw a new release sweep the floors in its theatrical debut.
This week, Bleecker Street released the comedy Together, Together, starring Ed Helms and comic Patti Harrison. The pic follows a young loner Anna (Harrison) who is hired as a surrogate for Matt (Helms), a single man in his 40s. The two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
Together, Together racked up $522,440 in its opening weekend. At 665 runs in 136 markets, the Nikole Beckwith-helmed film performed decently in the LA and NY markets, selling out multiple evening shows.
The specialty box office saw two other new releases, though much smaller than Together.
Screen Media Films’ Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street and Gravitas’ Sweet...
- 4/27/2021
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
Ed Helms is looking forward to fatherhood in the Bleecker Street comedy Together Together, which hits select theaters today. Also starring Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro and Julio Torres, the film was written and directed by Nikole Beckwith.
In the pic, a young loner Anna (Harrison) is hired as the surrogate for Matt (Helms), a single man in his 40s. The two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries, and the particulars of love.
Together Together had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Check out the trailer below.
Also in limited theaters today is The Space Between, the coming-of-age story starring Julia Goldani Telles, William Fichtner, Jackson White, Paris Jackson, Andy Daley, and Golden Globe-winning actor Kelsey Grammer.
The film marks the directorial debut from Dallas Buyers Club producer Rachel Winter. Set during the 90s LA music scene, the...
In the pic, a young loner Anna (Harrison) is hired as the surrogate for Matt (Helms), a single man in his 40s. The two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries, and the particulars of love.
Together Together had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Check out the trailer below.
Also in limited theaters today is The Space Between, the coming-of-age story starring Julia Goldani Telles, William Fichtner, Jackson White, Paris Jackson, Andy Daley, and Golden Globe-winning actor Kelsey Grammer.
The film marks the directorial debut from Dallas Buyers Club producer Rachel Winter. Set during the 90s LA music scene, the...
- 4/23/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the standouts from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year was the documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street. The documentary from Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) dives into the origins of the beloved children’s program Sesame Street, a groudbreaking venture that dared to use television to educate children at a […]
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Trailer Reveals the Origins of the Beloved Children’s TV Show appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Trailer Reveals the Origins of the Beloved Children’s TV Show appeared first on /Film.
- 4/6/2021
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
"Those were revolutionary times." Screen Media has released an official trailer for acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, directed by the doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom). This premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and will be arriving in theaters + on VOD soon. The film chronicles the improbable origins and expansion of the groundbreaking show that not only changed children's TV, but it also had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation. Inspired by Michael Davis' best-selling book of the same name. With more than 20 interviews with original writers, cast, and crew, and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, Street Gang is told from the inside with humor and emotion, weaving together personal narratives and eyewitness accounts. The film explores the original mission of the "gang" that created this cultural phenomenon, now spanning 50-plus years and reaching more than 150 countries. Whether or not you're a fan of the show,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It’s played all over the world in countless languages, but if you grew up in North America, chances are nothing is more beloved from your childhood than the children’s educational program “Sesame Street.” And it’s hard to understand and put in context just how groundbreaking “Sesame Street” was at the time, and how influential; a project that saw the power of television in the 1970s and aimed to create an entertaining tool that would also teach children. But that’s exactly what’s done in the critically-acclaimed documentary, “Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street.
Continue reading ‘Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street’ Trailer: The Children’s Television Workshop Gets The Spotlight at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street’ Trailer: The Children’s Television Workshop Gets The Spotlight at The Playlist.
- 4/6/2021
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Screen Media today released the first official trailer for the critically acclaimed “Sesame Street” documentary, “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.” Directed by Marilyn Agrelo (“Mad Hot Ballroom”) and inspired by Michael Davis’ eponymous nonfiction New York Times bestseller, the documentary chronicles the improbable origins of the groundbreaking children’s television show that had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation worldwide.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews, including from IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland, who called the film “loving and wide-ranging,” adding: “Initially conceived of as a then-revolutionary combination of children’s entertainment and educational instruction — literally inventing the idea of educational TV — ‘Sesame Street’ has only maintained and expanded its lofty ambitions over the course of more than five decades. That success, Agrelo’s film sagely argues, was no accident, but instead the product of careful, considerate, and forward-thinking planning.
The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews, including from IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland, who called the film “loving and wide-ranging,” adding: “Initially conceived of as a then-revolutionary combination of children’s entertainment and educational instruction — literally inventing the idea of educational TV — ‘Sesame Street’ has only maintained and expanded its lofty ambitions over the course of more than five decades. That success, Agrelo’s film sagely argues, was no accident, but instead the product of careful, considerate, and forward-thinking planning.
- 4/6/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
If you were a child during the last five-plus decades, chances are strong that you’ve had a healthy dose of Sesame Street. A new documentary, which made its premiere at Sundance Film Festival a few months ago, explores the groundbreaking history of the iconic show and its real-world effects on equality, education, and representation worldwide. Based on Michael Davis’ book, Marilyn Agrelo’s documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street will arrive in theaters this month, followed by a digital debut next month, and now the first trailer has arrived.
Joh Fink said in his review, “Sidestepping the curse that has befallen lesser behind-the-scenes documentaries taking on subjects with an immense archival body amassed over the course of decades, Marilyn Agrelo’s fascinating and well-constructed Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a focused look at the show’s origins before it became an international cultural juggernaut.
Joh Fink said in his review, “Sidestepping the curse that has befallen lesser behind-the-scenes documentaries taking on subjects with an immense archival body amassed over the course of decades, Marilyn Agrelo’s fascinating and well-constructed Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a focused look at the show’s origins before it became an international cultural juggernaut.
- 4/6/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The history and impact of Sesame Street is explored in the new trailer for the upcoming documentary, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, which will arrive in theaters April 23rd, and on-demand services May 7th.
Directed by Marilyn Agrelo, Street Gang is based on Michael Davis’ 2008 book of the same name, which chronicles how Sesame Street went from an out-there experiment in children’s television to a groundbreaking show with a tremendous influence not just on television, but education and representation around the world.
The new trailer offers...
Directed by Marilyn Agrelo, Street Gang is based on Michael Davis’ 2008 book of the same name, which chronicles how Sesame Street went from an out-there experiment in children’s television to a groundbreaking show with a tremendous influence not just on television, but education and representation around the world.
The new trailer offers...
- 4/6/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The new entries include In The Same Breath, from One Child Nation director Nanfu Wang.
Hot Docs has revealed an additional 13 documentary features set to screen in the Special Presentations section of this year’s festival.
Among films that will get their international premieres in the section are In the Same Breath, director Nanfu Wang’s investigation (which had its world premiere at Sundance) into Covid-19 and the global health crisis it sparked; Homeroom, director and cinematographer Peter Nicks’ look at the anxieties and stress of a senior high school class; Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, about the creators,...
Hot Docs has revealed an additional 13 documentary features set to screen in the Special Presentations section of this year’s festival.
Among films that will get their international premieres in the section are In the Same Breath, director Nanfu Wang’s investigation (which had its world premiere at Sundance) into Covid-19 and the global health crisis it sparked; Homeroom, director and cinematographer Peter Nicks’ look at the anxieties and stress of a senior high school class; Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, about the creators,...
- 3/16/2021
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Undergods, a fantasy thriller anthology movie directed by Chino Moya in his feature directorial debut. A May 7 day-and-date release in theaters and on-demand is planned.
The pic is a collection of darkly humorous fantasy tales about failed societies and doomed fortune told via a pair of corpse collectors who roam the desolate streets of an unknown city chatting humorously about their dreams, in which a series of men see their worlds fall apart through a visit from an unexpected stranger.
Geza Rohrig, Johann Meyers, Ned Dennehy, Hayley Carmichael, Michael Gould, Khalid Abdalla, Jan Bijvoet, Eric Godon, Tanya Reynolds, Tadhg Murphy, Katariina Unt, Sam Louwyck, Kate Dickie, Adrian Rawlings and Burn Gorman star.
Gravitas’ VP Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Kirk D’Amico of Myriad Pictures, which continues to handle worldwide sales.
***
Veteran TV director Matthew Penn has been set to Badge of Trust,...
The pic is a collection of darkly humorous fantasy tales about failed societies and doomed fortune told via a pair of corpse collectors who roam the desolate streets of an unknown city chatting humorously about their dreams, in which a series of men see their worlds fall apart through a visit from an unexpected stranger.
Geza Rohrig, Johann Meyers, Ned Dennehy, Hayley Carmichael, Michael Gould, Khalid Abdalla, Jan Bijvoet, Eric Godon, Tanya Reynolds, Tadhg Murphy, Katariina Unt, Sam Louwyck, Kate Dickie, Adrian Rawlings and Burn Gorman star.
Gravitas’ VP Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Kirk D’Amico of Myriad Pictures, which continues to handle worldwide sales.
***
Veteran TV director Matthew Penn has been set to Badge of Trust,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
EFM Deal For Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street
Exclusive: Following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, LevelFilm acquired Canadian rights to documentary Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street out of the virtual EFM. The film goes inside the minds of the Sesame Street creators, artists, writers, and educators who together established one of the most influential programs in TV history. Directed by Marilyn Agrelo, the doc was inspired by Michael Davis’s book chronicling the rise of the popular children’s show. The deal was negotiated by Hudakoc and John Bain, Head of Distribution at levelFILM and Mike Messina, EVP of Distribution, for Screen Media. It was produced by Trevor Crafts and Ellen Scherer Crafts of LA-based Macrocosm Entertainment, with producer Lisa Diamond. “Much like in the rest of the world, Sesame Street is beloved in Canada,” said David Hudakoc,...
Exclusive: Following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, LevelFilm acquired Canadian rights to documentary Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street out of the virtual EFM. The film goes inside the minds of the Sesame Street creators, artists, writers, and educators who together established one of the most influential programs in TV history. Directed by Marilyn Agrelo, the doc was inspired by Michael Davis’s book chronicling the rise of the popular children’s show. The deal was negotiated by Hudakoc and John Bain, Head of Distribution at levelFILM and Mike Messina, EVP of Distribution, for Screen Media. It was produced by Trevor Crafts and Ellen Scherer Crafts of LA-based Macrocosm Entertainment, with producer Lisa Diamond. “Much like in the rest of the world, Sesame Street is beloved in Canada,” said David Hudakoc,...
- 3/10/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen Media is making the Tony Hale comedy “Eat Wheaties!” a part of its balanced breakfast and has acquired the U.S. rights to the film. The distributor is planning a release in theaters and on demand April 30.
“Eat Wheaties!” is directed by Scott Abramovitch and stars Hale as Sid Straw, a man who desperately tries to prove that he knows a celebrity — in this case, Elizabeth Banks — only for his creepy messages to her to go viral and get him banned from his college reunion. With his life at a crossroads, he sets out to rediscover the best version of himself and hires an inexperienced lawyer to help clear his name.
The story is an adaptation of a 2003 novel by Michael Kun called “The Locklear Letters,” but is modernized for the social media era (and updated from celebrity Heather Locklear). “Eat Wheaties!” also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Danielle Brooks,...
“Eat Wheaties!” is directed by Scott Abramovitch and stars Hale as Sid Straw, a man who desperately tries to prove that he knows a celebrity — in this case, Elizabeth Banks — only for his creepy messages to her to go viral and get him banned from his college reunion. With his life at a crossroads, he sets out to rediscover the best version of himself and hires an inexperienced lawyer to help clear his name.
The story is an adaptation of a 2003 novel by Michael Kun called “The Locklear Letters,” but is modernized for the social media era (and updated from celebrity Heather Locklear). “Eat Wheaties!” also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Danielle Brooks,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Sidestepping the curse that has befallen lesser behind-the-scenes documentaries taking on subjects with an immense archival body amassed over the course of decades, Marilyn Agrelo’s fascinating and well-constructed Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a focused look at the show’s origins before it became an international cultural juggernaut. Keying in primarily on the show’s first twenty years––including the development of the Children’s Television Workshop, whose $8 million dollar budget was funded partially by the US Department of Education––the film is an affectionate look at the power of TV to transform early childhood education, using Madison Avenue advertising techniques to teach the alphabet. The very act of creating education programing with inner-city children rather than suburban children in mind proved to a radically political act, and the film unpacks early decisions that set the tone without expanding too ploddingly on its legacy as...
- 2/6/2021
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
With Sundance going virtual this year, the festival’s organizers predicted that its program would reach more audiences than ever before. IndieWire’s annual Sundance critics survey, presented by AMC+, was a beneficiary of the unusual format. As critics tuned into the festival from around the world, a record 376 accredited journalists voted in this year’s survey to determine the best movies of the festival, a nearly 100 percent increase from last year’s record high. The volume of critics this year illustrates how much the buzz for several movies from the festival is likely to translate into critical support for a handful of movies, starting with the highest-profile opening night selections.
“Coda,” the crowdpleaser that opened U.S. Dramatic Competition and scored four awards at the festival, won Best Film in the survey. “Summer of Soul,” the music documentary directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, topped the survey’s Best Documentary category.
“Coda,” the crowdpleaser that opened U.S. Dramatic Competition and scored four awards at the festival, won Best Film in the survey. “Summer of Soul,” the music documentary directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, topped the survey’s Best Documentary category.
- 2/5/2021
- by Eric Kohn and Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
by Jason Adams
Okay so I was maybe the easiest mark in the world, broad and tall as Snuffleupagus, for Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, Marilyn Agrelo's documentary adaptation of Michael Davis' book about the origins of the PBS puppet upstart turned cultural touchstone. I have, after all, read that book more than once. And for another like maybe most of you reading this my first playmates in this world were all Sesame Street inspired -- I had dolls, I had books and records; heck I could show you right now a photo of me in kindergarten wearing Big-Bird-patterned pants (but then I'd have to kill you)...
Okay so I was maybe the easiest mark in the world, broad and tall as Snuffleupagus, for Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, Marilyn Agrelo's documentary adaptation of Michael Davis' book about the origins of the PBS puppet upstart turned cultural touchstone. I have, after all, read that book more than once. And for another like maybe most of you reading this my first playmates in this world were all Sesame Street inspired -- I had dolls, I had books and records; heck I could show you right now a photo of me in kindergarten wearing Big-Bird-patterned pants (but then I'd have to kill you)...
- 2/3/2021
- by JA
- FilmExperience
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, which was forced to take place largely online, with scattered outdoor screenings and socially-distanced events in cities around the country. But the pandemic has also impacted Sundance creatively, leading to an opening four days in which filmmakers have used a variety of techniques and genres to grapple with the issues of a virus that was just beginning to surface when the last in-person Sundance took place in Park City a year ago.
The most obvious example is the opening-night documentary “In the Same Breath” from Chinese-born director Nanfu Wang, who came to Park City straight from China in January 2020, and then found she couldn’t rejoin her husband and son there because of the pandemic lockdown. Her film includes wrenching footage from Wuhan in the early days of the virus but expands to look at the Chinese...
The most obvious example is the opening-night documentary “In the Same Breath” from Chinese-born director Nanfu Wang, who came to Park City straight from China in January 2020, and then found she couldn’t rejoin her husband and son there because of the pandemic lockdown. Her film includes wrenching footage from Wuhan in the early days of the virus but expands to look at the Chinese...
- 2/1/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Documentaries like I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story and Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey have already dug into a couple slices of the magic that makes Sesame Street so beloved by children and adults alike. Now Marilyn Agrelo‘s new film Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (inspired by Michael Davis’ book […]
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Review: A Loving Tribute to the Groundbreaking Children’s TV Show [Sundance 2021] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Review: A Loving Tribute to the Groundbreaking Children’s TV Show [Sundance 2021] appeared first on /Film.
- 2/1/2021
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
It is impossible to have grown up in the United States and not have had Sesame Street make some sort of effect on you. Starring Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and Oscar the Grouch, the public access television show is perhaps the most revolutionary and important television show ever to air in the United States. So, being tasked with the challenge of telling the creation, history, and significance of this show was not something taken lightly by director Marilyn Agrelo and for the group of people around the world who got to watch the premiere of Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, they may all agree, it was a slam dunk!
The documentary begins at the tail end of 1960s when a women by the name of Joan Ganz Cooney came up with the idea of a children’s show that would be meant to educate but also entertain.
The documentary begins at the tail end of 1960s when a women by the name of Joan Ganz Cooney came up with the idea of a children’s show that would be meant to educate but also entertain.
- 1/31/2021
- by Nathan McVay
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Last summer, as protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the nation, parents who wanted to talk to their young children about racism had support from “Sesame Street.”
“Not all streets are like Sesame Street,” Elmo’s dad, Louie, said in a special episode of the long-running children’s television series that was produced in conjunction with CNN. “Across the country, people of color, especially in the Black community, are being treated unfairly because of how they look, their culture, race, and who they are. What we are seeing is people saying, ‘Enough is enough.’”
The special was widely praised for its progressive message, one that stayed true to the show’s original vision as developed by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett in the late 1960s. Those origins are explored in the new film “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street,” which debuts at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Not all streets are like Sesame Street,” Elmo’s dad, Louie, said in a special episode of the long-running children’s television series that was produced in conjunction with CNN. “Across the country, people of color, especially in the Black community, are being treated unfairly because of how they look, their culture, race, and who they are. What we are seeing is people saying, ‘Enough is enough.’”
The special was widely praised for its progressive message, one that stayed true to the show’s original vision as developed by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett in the late 1960s. Those origins are explored in the new film “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street,” which debuts at the Sundance Film Festival.
- 1/31/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
“Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” has the good fortune to be arriving with about a hundred more built-in advantages than most documentaries. Offering up vintage backstage footage of Jim Henson and Frank Oz operating the Muppets feels a little like Henry Houdini coming back to reveal all his secrets. For parts of a nostalgically inclined audience, almost everything beyond that might be gravy. Yet that’s almost the least of the pleasures in a highly satisfying HBO documentary (premiering at the Sundance Film Festival) that wisely places roughly equal emphasis on how the sausage was made and how the culture was changed. It’s hard to ask for much more than a doc that captures creatives thoughtfully sneaking the civil revolution as well as basic education into children’s TV and includes a Muppets blooper reel.
As key veterans of the show’s early days discuss the...
As key veterans of the show’s early days discuss the...
- 1/31/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The director of the documentary “Street Gang” says that “Sesame Street” may be an institution today, but it faced a number of roadblocks on its road to staying on the air for the last 50 years. In the ’60s, the iconic show got pushback from white families, who objected to its integrated cast, but also from Black parents who didn’t like how one Muppet represented their entire culture.
In its early days, Mississippi’s public broadcasting station refused to air “Sesame Street” because numerous white families didn’t like that the show featured white and Black children and adults living on the same street. The documentary “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street,” which is premiering at Sundance this weekend, explains that local stations eventually caved because the show was so wildly popular on commercial networks.
But one of the lesser-known stories early on was about a character named Roosevelt Franklin,...
In its early days, Mississippi’s public broadcasting station refused to air “Sesame Street” because numerous white families didn’t like that the show featured white and Black children and adults living on the same street. The documentary “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street,” which is premiering at Sundance this weekend, explains that local stations eventually caved because the show was so wildly popular on commercial networks.
But one of the lesser-known stories early on was about a character named Roosevelt Franklin,...
- 1/30/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The most important achievement of Marilyn Agrelo’s documentary “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” is to take us back to a world in which “Sesame Street” didn’t exist – an all but impossible task anymore, because it represented such a seismic shift in children’s entertainment. But in the late 1960s, it was sort of inconceivable that a kids’ show wouldn’t talk down to its audience; the various “Howdy Doody” and “Bozo the Clown” iterations that filled the airwaves were mostly televised babysitters and/or salesmen.
Continue reading ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Entertainingly Dissects the Creation of a Classic [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’ Entertainingly Dissects the Creation of a Classic [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 1/30/2021
- by Jason Bailey
- The Playlist
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