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Paramount Pictures has launched the first official trailer for Parker Finn's eagerly awaited Smile 2, a sequel to his 2022 psychological supernatural horror smash hit that was a critical and commercial success globally back in 2022. 

The upcoming follow-up stars Naomi Scott (Power Rangers; Aladdin) as global pop sensation Skye Riley. who before embarking on her new world tour, "begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control."

In addition to Scott, the supporting cast features Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson.

With Kyle Gallner reprising his role as Joel, it sounds like the sequel will pick up almost immediately after the events of the previous installment with Joel having inherited the...

A24 gave the surreal comedy Dream Scenario (JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray gave the film a 7/10 review you can read Here) a theatrical release in early November, but if you missed it during its big screen run, we have some good news to share with you today: you can now watch Dream Scenario in the comfort of your own home! The film has received a PVOD release and is available for rent or purchase on Amazon at This Link.

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli from his own screenplay, Dream Scenario was produced by Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster and stars the legendary Nicolas Cage as Paul Matthews, a hapless family man who finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

Cage...

"All ya'll are suspects!!" Screen Media has unveiled an official trailer for Helen's Dead, a strange murder mystery whodunit comedy directed by the producer K. Asher Levin. This looks like something everyone will avoid before even looking at the footage. Red Box trash. Helen's Dead follows the story of Addie, played by Dylan Gelula. After a terrible breakup with her boyfriend, Addie goes to confront her friend about cheating allegations and accidentally steps into a murder scene. For some random reason, now it's up to Addie to find Helen's killer before it's too late. Too late for what? They'll kill again? Get away with it? Who knows. It also stars Emile Hirsch, Tyrese Gibson, Dylan Gelula, Oliver Cooper, Matilda Lutz (as dead Helen), & Annabelle Dexter-Jones. Reminds me of the series "The Afterparty", but with junk characters and no actual humor. // Continue Reading ›...

Just last week, JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch the surreal comedy Dream Scenario at the Toronto International Film Festival, giving the film a 7/10 review you can read at This Link. Now A24, which will be giving Dream Scenario a theatrical release on November 10th, has unveiled a trailer for the film – and you can check it out in the embed above!

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli from his own screenplay, Dream Scenario was produced by Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster and stars the legendary Nicolas Cage as Paul Matthews, a hapless family man who finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

Cage is joined in the cast by Julianne Nicholson, who recently won an Emmy...

Have you been dreaming of Nicolas Cage? That's the question that Kristoffer Borgli's R-rated dark comedy "Dream Scenario" is asking. Cage plays a hapless, unassuming educator named Paul Matthews who might as well be the image next to the dictionary definition of "average, middle-aged white man." He wears sensible sweaters over collared shirts, there's a bit more salt than pepper in his beard, and his hairline hasn't been visible from the front for many, many years.

And yet, millions of strangers from all across the globe are starting to see him in their dreams. Sometimes he's a hero. Sometimes he's a bystander in the crowd. Paul's newfound stardom was exciting at first, but now he has to reckon with the reality that his presence is unwelcome and deeply traumatizing for countless people. Because sometimes, Paul is an absolute nightmare, invading people's dreams as if Freddy Krueger were a suburban dad.

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the world premieres of ten features that will be included in the 2023 Platform Programme for this year’s festivities. Anita Lee, the Chief Programming Officer of TIFF, has shared her excitement for this year’s entries, “I am delighted to announce that we have an international dream jury with acclaimed filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki, and Anthony Shim as jury members for the Platform programme at TIFF. Together, they represent the bold and independent spirit of the Platform Prize.”

Robyn Citizen, Director, Programming & Platform Lead, has added her own statement of enthusiasm for the line-up they have compiled. “We are thrilled to present this year’s extraordinary films in the Platform programme, and especially delighted to present Kristoffer Borgli’s latest film Dream Scenario, starring Nicolas Cage, as Platform’s opening film. This surrealist satire-comedy has sharp, timely observations about social media culture...

Exclusive: Ming-Na Wen (The Book of Boba Fett) and Esai Morales (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One) have signed on to star alongside Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) in the long-gestating sci-fi thriller Persephone, from director Jeffrey Morris (Oceanus: Act One).

Morris’ first feature follows refugees from a dying earth, who are traveling aboard an enormous space vessel called Odyssey. Their destination is Proxima b—a planet orbiting the nearest star. When a crew is dispatched to repair a shield designed to protect their colony from deadly solar flares, a computer malfunction causes them to crash-land on the alien planet. The crew then discover that they may not be the only life on this hostile world. A mystery unfolds that may not only derail their mission, but also prevent the colonists from ever setting foot on the planet.

Morris penned the script, also co-authoring a companion novel with New York Times bestselling...

In “The Violent Heart,” the latest film from director Kerem Sanga (“First Girl I Loved”), actress Grace Van Patten plays an 18-year-old girl looking for escape who gets swept up in a romance with a 24-year-old man (Jovan Adepo) with a troubled history When deeply buried secrets of their small town are revealed, reverberations of the violent past threaten to tear the couple apart.

Continue reading ‘The Violent Heart’: Grace Van Patten Talks Romantic Thrillers Like ‘Badlands’ & Wanting To Work With Yorgos Lanthimos [Interview] at The Playlist.

Good movies can get away with murder, while bad movies can’t get away with anything. Classic Hollywood melodramas — often soldered together by strained coincidences and Shakespearian twists of fate — depended on that eternal truth of high-key storytelling almost as much as they did on the celluloid required to shoot them. Douglas Sirk and George Stevens linger in the collective imagination because they knew how to swing for the fences without making audiences cry foul.

Director Kerem Sanga may not be working at quite the same level, but his stirring new film pays effective tribute to the likes of “Magnificent Obsession” and “A Place in the Sun” through its vivid self-belief that audiences will buy anything so long as they get enough bang for their buck.

For the majority of its running time, “The Violent Heart” appears to have more in common with the sullen indie romances of today than...

"The problem is that boy you were with..." Gravitas has debuted the official trailer for an indie romantic drama titled The Violent Heart, a tale of two star-crossed lovers. This initially premiered at the Deauville Film Festival last year, and is slated for a VOD release in February. Fifteen years after the murder of his older sister, Daniel finds himself falling for Cassie, a vivacious high school senior. The film is described as a "southern gothic-inspired Romeo & Juliet story set in the American heartland." Yep. Starring Jovan Adepo as Daniel, and Grace Van Patten as Cassie, along with Mary J. Blige, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Lukas Haas. This the latest film from former commercials director Kerem Sanga and, oddly, is produced by Shawn Levy & Tobey Maguire. This film looks like it carefully navigates some complex topics, telling a nuanced story of love and growth. Here's the official US ...

Dylan Gelula brings a captivating authenticity to her characters that makes them seem like they go on living outside the frame. Look at her work in Flower, Support The Girls, and First Girl I Loved, to name a few. Her latest performance as Maggie in the SXSW winner Shithouse is a revelation. It snuck up on me and left me moved and in awe. On this episode she talks about her instinctual, untrained approach to this craft that she claims she hasn’t fully wrapped her arms around yet. I ask her about some specific moments from Shithouse and about working […]...

Dylan Gelula brings a captivating authenticity to her characters that makes them seem like they go on living outside the frame. Look at her work in Flower, Support The Girls, and First Girl I Loved, to name a few. Her latest performance as Maggie in the SXSW winner Shithouse is a revelation. It snuck up on me and left me moved and in awe. On this episode she talks about her instinctual, untrained approach to this craft that she claims she hasn’t fully wrapped her arms around yet. I ask her about some specific moments from Shithouse and about working […]...

Better Things‘ Pamela Adlon is staying in business with FX Productions, signing a new overall deal with the studio behind the critically praised series. Under the pact, Adlon will continue to develop both scripted and unscripted programming exclusively for FX, as well as potentially other divisions of Walt Disney Television.

Additionally, FX confirmed a season 5 renewal for Better Things, on which Adlon executive produces, writes, directs and stars. It’s expected to air in 2021. The renewal was initially revealed in April as part of FX’s programming slate. Just today, the series received two Television Critics Association Award nominations — for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, as well as a nomination for Adlon for Individual Achievement in Comedy.

“We are truly honored to work with Pamela,” said Eric Schrier, President, FX Entertainment. “She is one of the most talented artists in the business, which is exemplified through her work as a producer/showrunner,...

Cloudy Rhodes.

Filmmaker and photographer Cloudy Rhodes is carving out quite a career, helped by mentors Justin Kurzel and Samantha Lang.

Rhodes, who identifies as non-binary, was born in Bondi to hippie parents who named her after the sky, and grew up in Sydney’s northern beaches.

(For the sake of consistency this article will refer to Cloudy as she, although she often uses the pronouns them and they).

After leaving school she pursued photography and pro-surfing. The turning point came when Justin Kurzel saw some of her photographs and encouraged her to become a filmmaker.

A recurring theme in her work is queer narratives which are uplifting. “I want to focus on telling positive stories to queer kids and stories that give people hope,” she tells If.

Currently Rhodes is writing and will direct one of the segments of Masc, a seven-part anthology which will give female and non-binary perspectives on contemporary masculinity,...

While the 2020 SXSW Film Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus, IndieWire is covering select titles from this year’s edition.

It’s a shame that Cooper Raiff’s “Shithouse” didn’t get a chance to screen at this year’s SXSW, because . And that’s all the more true because it sounds like such a potential nightmare on paper: Written, directed, and co-edited by its reluctant 22-year-old star with some help from his friends, Raiff’s vulnerable Diy gem tells a coming-of-age story about a mopey college freshman who’s struggling with the whiplash of leaving home.

More from IndieWire'Freeland' Review: 'Krisha' Breakout Gives a Devastating Performance as an Aging Pot Dealer'i Used to Go Here' Review: Gillian Jacobs Carries a Funny and Smart Study of Millennial Ennui

He meets a girl, they spend a magical night together, things get awkward in the morning but maybe they’ll...

Multi-hyphenate Pamela Adlon has signed with CAA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively.

Due to the ongoing dispute between the Writers Guild and the talent agencies, however, CAA will not be representing Adlon for writing. In addition to writing, Adlon is an actress, producer, and director. She continues to be repped by Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty Agency for voice-over work along with Felker Toczek and ID PR.

Most recently, Adlon co-created the critically-acclaimed FX series “Better Things” on which she stars and serves as writer, producer, and director. She was nominated for a lead actress Emmy in 2017 and a Golden Globe in 2018 for her work on the series, with the show having also won a Peabody Award in 2016. FX renewed the show for a fourth season back in March, which is slated to air in 2020.

Prior to “Better Things,” Adlon acted in, wrote for, and produced the FX comedy “Louie,...

Exclusive: Veteran indie film producer Ross Putman has been hired as an agent at Verve, where he will work alongside Amy Beecroft in the agency’s independent film sales and finance division Verve Ventures.

The move comes as Putman’s latest film as producer, the romantic comedy Plus One, is set to premiere next month at the Tribeca Film Festival. Andrew Rhymer and Jeff Chan directed the pic, which Putman produced alongside Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films and Studio71. Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine star.

He also just wrapped production on Kerem Sanga’s The Violent Heart, which Putman produced with 21 Laps and 3311. Grace Van Patten, Jovan Adepo, and Mary J Blige star in Sanga’s follow-up to the 2016 Sundance prizewinner First Girl I Loved. Upcoming projects include the punk rock indie comedy Dinner in America, also produced with Red Hour.

Putman, who began his career in development before...

Mary J. Blige and Lukas Haas are joining the coming-of-age romance The Violent Heart, with stars Grace Van Patten and Jovan Adepo.

Writer-director Kerem Sanga (First Girl I Loved) is behind the feature that is set just outside Nashville, Tennesse. It follows Cassie (Van Patten), a college-bound senior on the cusp of graduation, and her budding relationship with a local mechanic named Daniel (Adepo), who dreams of becoming a Marine. As they fall for each other, the details surrounding Daniel's tragic and violent past inevitably catch up with them.

Blige will play Nina, a mother who manages to hold her ...

Mary J. Blige and Lukas Haas are joining the coming-of-age romance The Violent Heart, with stars Grace Van Patten and Jovan Adepo.

Writer-director Kerem Sanga (First Girl I Loved) is behind the feature that is set just outside Nashville, Tennesse. It follows Cassie (Van Patten), a college-bound senior on the cusp of graduation, and her budding relationship with a local mechanic named Daniel (Adepo), who dreams of becoming a Marine. As they fall for each other, the details surrounding Daniel's tragic and violent past inevitably catch up with them.

Blige will play Nina, a mother who manages to hold her ...

Veteran manager and producer and Madhouse co-founder Adam Kolbrenner (Prisoners) has launched a new management company, Lit Entertainment Group, based in Los Angeles. Joining Kolbrenner will be literary managers Kendrick Tan and Carrie Isgett with additional managers to be announced soon.

For the past 12 years, Kolbrenner had been partnered with manager-producer Robyn Meisinger, since the two were appointed in 2006 to head up Los Angeles-based management and production outfit Kustom Entertainment, which they relaunched as Madhouse Entertainment. In 2011, Alcon Entertainment acquired a controlling stake in the boutique management firm which has now been dissolved, with Kolbrenner and Meisinger parting ways. Meisinger has since joined Anonymous Content.

Kolbrenner produced Oscar-nominated film, Prisoners, for Warner Bros/Alcon Entertainment, written by Lit client Aaron Guzikowski. Kolbrenner also executive produced Netflix’s recent holiday film, Christmas Chronicles starring Kurt Russell, written by Lit client Matt Lieberman based on an original idea by Designated Survivor creator David Guggenheim,...

Given his smart mouth and prickly attitude, it's hard to imagine Deadpool with friends, but he does warm up to some X-Men mutants - mainly the snarky Negasonic Teenage Warhead, an atomic energy-blasting punk. Brianna Hildebrand has reprised her role as the sassy mutant in Deadpool 2, albeit with a fresh new hairstyle and outfit. Though she's relatively new to the entertainment industry, you may have seen Hildebrand in her other works!

The 21-year-old actress made her onscreen debut in the web series Annie Undocumented, which revolves around a teenage girl who finds out that she's an undocumented immigrant. The web series has enjoyed a lot of critical praise, receiving an accolade for Best Web Series at the 2014 New York TV Festival. In the show, Hildebrand plays Jen, the titular character's best friend.

She made her first feature-length film debut in First Girl I Loved, playing one of the main characters,...

Den Of Geek Jul 14, 2017

Brianna Hildebrand - Deadpool's Negasonic Teenage Warhead - joins The Exorcist, as it moves onto a private island...

What a wonderful place for an exorcism. The Exorcist season 2 will venture out of Chicago to a private island in the Pacific Northwest. And, in other news, Deadpool's has been cast as one of the female leads.

She will fit into a foster home storyline, on the island. One of the kids in the home is a demon who catches the attention of roving exorcists Tomas Ortega and Marcus Keane. Hildebrand will play Verity, a teen about to turn 18, who's on her way out of the house.

Hildebrand recently starred in Kerem Sanga’s First Girl I Loved, and will reprise her role as Negasonic Teenage Warhead in the upcoming Deadpool 2. She will next be seen in Tragedy Girls, an independent dark comedy.

Fox's The Exorcist...

Max Winkler’s “Flower” is nothing if not a coming-of-age story, but it’s explicitly clear from the very first scene that the film’s teen characters have already lost their innocence a long time ago. We open in the front seat of a cop car, as 17-year-old Erica (“Before I Fall” star Zoey Deutch, acing another tricky lead role) gives a dispassionate blowjob to a uniformed police officer. Not that she doesn’t enjoy giving head — Erica has a sketchbook filled with immaculate drawings of every penis that she’s ever put in her mouth — but, like just about all of her sexual encounters to date, this hook up is purely transactional. When the cop asks her where she learned to suck dick like that, Erica bluntly replies: “Middle school.”

It’s a simple grift, and one that’s never played for titillation: Erica uses her jailbait charms to...

(l-r) Lisa Shaunessy and Leonie Mansfield (photo credit: Nick Prokop).

Experienced producers Lisa Shaunessy ('Killing Ground') and Leonie Mansfield ('Kick-Ass 2')] recently formed a new venture, Arcadia. The company was created with the aim to produce projects with 80 per cent female writers, directors and protagonists.

They work alongside former international sales agent Alexandra Burke, who runs Arcadia.s distribution arm. Shaunessy and Mansfield talk to Jackie Keast about their decision to come together. ..

Lisa Shaunessy:.

The start of Arcadia was so organic, it took us all by surprise. A casual dinner, some red wine, a desire to tell women.s stories, work with great filmmakers, reach international audiences. You know, the usual.

I feel like I was looking for my tribe for such a long time and these two incredibly talented, smart, internationally experienced, similarly-thinking women just walked into my life at the right time.

(l-r) Lisa Shaunessy and Leonie Mansfield (photo credit: Nick Prokop).

Experienced producers Lisa Shaunessy ('Killing Ground') and Leonie Mansfield ('Kick-Ass 2')] recently formed a new venture, Arcadia Films. The company was created with the aim to produce projects with 80 per cent female writers, directors and protagonists.

They work alongside former international sales agent Alexandra Burke, who runs Arcadia.s distribution arm. Shaunessy and Mansfield talk to Jackie Keast about their decision to come together. ..

Lisa Shaunessy:.

The start of Arcadia was so organic, it took us all by surprise. A casual dinner, some red wine, a desire to tell women.s stories, work with great filmmakers, reach international audiences. You know, the usual.

I feel like I was looking for my tribe for such a long time and these two incredibly talented, smart, internationally experienced, similarly-thinking women just walked into my life at the right time.

Exclusive: Recently launched Arcadia heads to Utah with survival thriller.

Recently launched Australian production and sales outfit Arcadia has signed Sundance 2016 romance-drama First Girl I Loved for world sales.

Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) and Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), star in writer-director Kerem Sanga’s film, which won an Audience Award in Park City.

The coming of age story follows Anne (Gelula), a seventeen-year-old who fallsl in love with Sasha (Hildebrand), the most popular girl at her La public high school.

When Anne tells her best friend Clifton about the romance he does his best to get in the way.

The deal was negotiated by producers Psh Collective and Arcadia’s Alexandra Burke, who commented: “We’re thrilled to have this beautiful film by Kerem Sanga and the great team at Psh Collective. It marks the new wave of teen films, and judging by its success at Sundance Film Festival alongside the Us theatrical and VOD release, plus outstanding...

Exclusive: Recently launched Arcadia heads to Utah with survival thriller.

Recently launched Australian production and sales outfit Arcadia has signed Sundance 2016 romance-drama First Girl I Loved for world sales.

Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) and Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), star in writer-director Kerem Sanga’s film, which won an Audience Award in Park City.

The coming of age story follows Anne (Gelula), a seventeen-year-old who fallsl in love with Sasha (Hildebrand), the most popular girl at her La public high school.

When Anne tells her best friend Clifton about the romance he does his best to get in the way.

The deal was negotiated by producers Psh Collective and Arcadia’s Alexandra Burke, who commented: “We’re thrilled to have this beautiful film by Kerem Sanga and the great team at Psh Collective. It marks the new wave of teen films, and judging by its success at Sundance Film Festival alongside the Us theatrical and VOD release, plus outstanding...

The late Ingmar Bergman is best known for films such as “Fanny and Alexander,” “Smiles Of A Summer Night” and “Wild Strawberries,” among many others. With a career spanning over 60 years, he’s recognized as one of the most accomplished and influential auteurs of all time.

Many cinephiles know about his work and films, but there’s one in particular that was unknown to many, until now.

According to Reuters, a previously unknown script written by Bergman for a collaboration with Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini, titled “Sixty-Four Minutes With Rebecka,” will be turned into a movie by Swedish director Suzanne Osten.

Read More: The Essentials: The 15 Greatest Ingmar Bergman Films

The screenplay, written in 1969, was shelved after the project fell through and later found in the early 2000s when Bergman donated his collections to set up what would be the Ingmar Bergman Foundation. The “highly intense” story revolves...

Kerem Sanga’s latest film “First Girl I Loved” follows two teens who struggle with their first queer romance and the complicated feelings that arise from first love and fluid sexual identity. The film follows Anne (Dylan Gelula), a high school senior who falls head over heels for softball star Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand), but when Anne tells her best friend Clifton (Mateo Arias) about it, he tries to sabotage the relationship out of jealousy. The film co-stars Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”), Tim Heidecker (“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”), Cameron Esposito (“Take My Wife”) and more. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.

Read More: Review: ‘First Girl I Loved’ Is A Woozy And Wonderful Queer Teen Romance

Dylan Gelula is best known for her recurring roles in popular TV shows like “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Casual,” and previously “Chasing Life” and “Jennifer Falls.” Meanwhile, Brianna Hildebrand is best...

In his third indie directorial effort, “First Girl I Loved,” which won the “Best of Next” audience award at Sundance 2016, writer/director Kerem Sanga tackles the complicated and high-stakes world of teenage sexuality, which is hard enough even if you’re not queer. So it’s infinitely more difficult for self-possessed loner Anne (Dylan Gelula) when she falls hard and fast for softball star Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand).

Continue reading ‘First Girl I Loved’ Is A Sensitive Exploration Of Sexual Identity [Review] at The Playlist.

Editor’s Note: After a two-week vacation break, we are back with an expanded selection to catch up on what we missed! Enjoy below.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

13th (Ava DuVernay)

Humanity gave birth to inequality. The American experience is rooted in institutionalized racial inequity. Our forefathers came to this nation either by choice or by force. Once here, this distinction coalesced into a convoluted caste system driven by notions of survival and supremacy,...

Don’t be afraid, familiarity with Stiles White’s 2014 horror offering “Ouija” isn’t required to enjoy Mike Flanagan’s inventive and often flat-out horrifying prequel, “Ouija: Origin of Evil.” While Flanagan, who previously helmed the chiller “Oculus” and the well-received festival hit “Hush,” builds in some necessary links between the two films, his “Ouija” happily exists as its own standalone feature — albeit one kitted out with a seemingly never-ending slew of nods to the rest of the genre.

Flanagan and co-writer Jeff Howard wear their influences on their sleeves, offering up a veritable cornucopia of horror tricks and tropes that mostly succeed on their own, and “Ouija” giddily zips between haunted house thriller, exorcism drama and skillful period piece, all wrapped up in a neat and terrifying little bow.

“Ouija” and its characters are forced to wrestle with the nature of belief at every turn — belief in “the spirit world,...

Anne (Dylan Gelula) is kind of raggedy and unformed. Her neck hangs in a semi-permanent hunch, and her lips are always slightly open, as though she’s constantly looking for a word that she just can’t seem to find. A blue streak runs through her matted brown hair, which sometimes knots into a handful of dreadlocks that dangle off to one side. She’s 17, a virgin, and she’s about to fall in love for the first time. Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand, unrecognizable from her “Deadpool” breakthrough as Negasonic Teenage Warhead ) is a different story — she practically sparkles. The star of her high school’s softball team, she’s prim and proper, with dimples riveted deep into each cheek. She’s also probably a virgin, but Sasha’s not the type of person to talk about such things in public.

Of course, being 17 often means not knowing what type of person you are quite yet,...

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

Full Lineup Announcements

– The Denver Film Festival (Dff), produced by Denver Film Society (Dfs), has announced its full festival lineup including all feature film selections, short films and complete sidebars. “Our 39th Festival program truly has something for everyone — from the delightful dance-filled comedies of Tribute guests Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon to the diverse slate of works that makes up our country of focus, Spain, from timely and serious documentaries such as ‘Do Not Resist’ and ‘Jackson’ to the always curious and creepy Late Night Showcase,” said Brit Withey, Artistic Director. Other highlights include “I, Daniel Blake,” “The Ornithologist” and “Off the Rails.”

During the 12-day Festival, DFF39 will present more than 200 titles representing local, national and international independent films, as well as industry panels, workshops,...

Back in January 2016, First Girl I Loved won the Best Of Next Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival; nine months later, it has been scooped up by Fullscreen. The self-proclaimed “youth media company” has picked up Kerem Sanga’s teen drama and will give it a theatrical release.

First Girl I Loved tells the story of a lesbian high school romance between an outsider (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Dylan Gelula) and a popular girl (Deadpool’s Brianna Hildebrand). Several Hollywood notables, including Tim Heidecker and Pamela Adlon, have supporting roles in the film. The It Gets Better project, which seeks to empower Lgbt youths is helping with the film’s promotion.

Fullscreen’s plan is to distribute First Girl I Loved in a limited number of U.S. theaters beginning on October 18th. In December, the film will arrive on the company’s recently-launched streaming video on-demand service, which is also called Fullscreen.

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

Full Lineup Announcements

– The fiercely independent 17th Annual Woodstock Film Festival presents an outstanding lineup of films to be shown in Woodstock, New York, as well as Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties, and Kingston. The festival runs October 13 – 16.

The festival opens on October 13 with the World Premiere of “Blind,” a romantic narrative feature written by Michael Mailer (son of famed American author Norman Mailer) and starring Alec Baldwin (who will attend the screening with Mailer) and Demi Moore. You can find out more about the slate right here.

– The Mill Valley Film Festival, presented by the California Film Institute, has announced the complete lineup for the 39th edition of the Festival, taking place October 6 – 16. The 11-day event will screen films across Marin County and will feature premieres, panel discussions,...

Most people got to known Brianna Hildebrand for the very first time through her scene-stealing performance as Negasonic Teenage Warhead in Deadpool. But if you were at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, you might have seen her a bit earlier. Hildebrand hit the festival with First Girl I Loved, a tender coming-of-age drama directed by Kerem Sanga (The Young Kieslowski). […]

The post ‘First Girl I Loved’ Trailer: Two Girls Navigate Love and Identity in Sundance Coming-of-Age Drama appeared first on /Film.

"What are we doing here?" A trailer has debuted for an indie coming-of-age romantic drama called First Girl I Love, which I saw at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This sweet little flick is about an awkward love triangle that forms when Anne, played by Dylan Gelula, realizes she is in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her high school, played by Brianna Hildebrand. She confesses this to her friend Clifton, played by Mateo Arias, who has a thing for her and he gets jealous and it all starts to get awkward. This is a pretty good film, a bit cheesy at times, but it's another solid cinematic story about young first love. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Kerem Sanga's First Girl I Loved, direct from YouTube: Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her La public high school.

A trailer has arrived for First Girl I Loved, a romantic coming of age tale about growing up and opening up. It concerns 17-year-old Anne (Dylan Gelula) who falls in love with a girl (Brianna Hildebrand) at their public school in La. Unfortunately, she tells her secret to her best friend (Mateo Arias) — who has a crush of his own — causing him to try and get in the way of their budding romance.

The third film from writer-director Kerem Sanga, he took home the Audience Award at Sundance for the Next section. The trailer promises a sweet yet crushing portrayal of young love and the triumphs and trials that come with accepting who you are and running with it. See it below along with a poster — with a nod to Indiewire — for the film that also stars Pamela Adlon and Cameron Esposito.

First Girl I Loved hits theaters October 18th.

Young love is always a flurry of excitement and terror, dominated by a wide-eyed sense of wonder and joy. But it can be difficult if two people aren’t on the same page, and even more difficult if two people are in the closet. The new film “First Girl I Loved,” which won the Next Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, follows Anne (Dylan Gelula), a high school senior and yearbook volunteer who falls in love with Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand), the most popular girl at her high school. But when Anne tells her best friend Clifton (Mateo Arias), who has always harbored a secret crush, he tries to sabotage their relationship out of jealousy. The film also stars Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”), Tim Heidecker (“Tim & Eric”), Cameron Esposito (“Take My Wife”), Erik Griffin (“Workaholics”), and Jennifer Prediger (“Apartment Troubles”). Watch the exclusive trailer below.

Read More: ‘First Girl I Loved...

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Chicago – That’s a wrap! After seven days of fantastic films and packed houses, the 4th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) had their closing night on May 26th, 2016, with the film “Operator” – featuring Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), and directed by Logan Kibens. HollywoodChicago.com was at the event for all the celebrity appearances, and photographer Joe Arce got these Exclusive Portraits.

The Ccff was created by the Chicago Film Critics Association in 2013, and the 4th annual event took place at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre. The festival offered a selection of films comprised of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works covering a wide variety of genres, and it’s currently the only major film critics group hosting its own festival.

The only honor given at the fest is the Audience “Favorite” Award, to acknowledge the film-loving patrons at the Ccff.

Chicago – Exclusive! Free festival 7-packs! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of guaranteed festival 7-packs up for grabs to the fourth-annual 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre from the Chicago Film Critics Association!

Michael Peña and other stars will be in attendance at Q&As!

The festival runs from Friday, May 20, 2016 to Thursday, May 26, 2016 at the Music Box Theatre. Created by the Chicago Film Critics Association in 2013, the Ccff offers a selection of films comprised of recent festival favorites. It also features as-yet-undistributed works from a wide variety of filmmakers ranging from award winners to talented newcomers chosen by members of the organization. The Ccff is the only current example of a major film critics group hosting its own festival. It brings together an eclectic array of films ranging from raucous comedies and foreign-made dramas to thought-provoking documentaries, midnight genre films and shorts programs.

The River Run International Film Festival wrapped its 18th edition in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with its narrative feature award going to Anna Rose Holmer’s The Fits, which was, in the words of the jury, “an audacious debut from a promising American talent.”

Best documentary feature went to Mike Plunkett’s Salero, about one of the last salt gatherers in Bolivia. The jury praised that film “for its astonishing visuals, narrative acuity and ability to showcase characters that go against the grain.”

The Fits, a Venice Biennale College project that also played at Sundance, also won best actress for its impressive young newcomer Royalty Hightower.

Interestingly, there is a link between the two top winners — debutant director Holmer from The Fits also served as a producer on Salero.

The jury’s best ensemble performance went to Jackson Martin, Nick Serino and Reece Moffett in Sleeping Giant, with best director honours for Romania’s Radu Muntean for One...

Hollywood producer Ross Putman is frustrated with the way women are described in film scripts, and on Wednesday he decided to do something about it. Putman, who recently produced the indie film First Girl I Loved, vented his frustrations via Twitter, posting real-life excerpts from scripts that show female roles introduced more like objects than characters. "These are intros for female leads in actual scripts I read. Names changed to Jane, otherwise verbatim. Update as I go. Apologies if I quote your work," Putman wrote on a new Twitter account he calls @femscriptintros. Jane, 28, athletic but sexy. A natural beauty.

Hollywood producer Ross Putman is frustrated with the way women are described in film scripts, and on Wednesday he decided to do something about it. Putman, who recently produced the indie film First Girl I Loved, vented his frustrations via Twitter, posting real-life excerpts from scripts that show female roles introduced more like objects than characters. "These are intros for female leads in actual scripts I read. Names changed to Jane, otherwise verbatim. Update as I go. Apologies if I quote your work," Putman wrote on a new Twitter account he calls @femscriptintros. Jane, 28, athletic but sexy. A natural beauty.

Nate Parker’s directorial debut claimed the Us Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and corresponding audience award at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, capping off a barnstorming week for the slave revolt drama.

Last week The Birth Of A Nation sparked a bidding frenzy that resulted in the biggest on-site deal in the festival’s history as Fox Searchlight paid $17.5m for worldwide rights.

Sonita, Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s film about a rapping Afghan teenager opposed to arranged marriage, earned similar double honours as it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and audience awards.

The Us Grand Jury Prize: Documentary award went to Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s Weiner, while the audience voted for Brian Oakes’ Jim: The James Foley Story.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic went to Elite Zexer’s Sand Story and the audience choice was Carlos del Castillo’s Between Land And Sea.

In other winners:...

The different ways in which we communicate — and don’t — get a real workout in the high-school-lesbian romance First Girl I Loved. Its central couple is a classic coming-of-age mismatch: Anne (Dylan Gelula, excellent), is a nerdy, gawky (but of course actually quite pretty) yearbook editor, and Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand, similarly excellent) is a softball star. Neither of them quite understands what’s going on: Anne is clearly romantically drawn to her more popular, beautiful classmate, and Sasha finds herself reciprocating, though the question of whether they’re an actual thing is one they themselves dance around. And the way they speak — or, rather, all the ways they “speak” — reflects that.All around these kids swirls a matrix of communication: voice-over, multiple languages, text messages, innuendo, made-up diction, fake accents, even softball signals. Writer-director Kerem Sanga finds stylistic ways to express this diversity of speech. Words gain multiple malleable meanings.

With February 12th swiftly approaching, Milan Records have finally unveiled the full track list for the upcoming original motion picture soundtrack for 20th Century Fox's R-rated superhero extravaganza Deadpool, which stars Ryan Reynolds (Mississippi Grind) as the titular hero with Morena Baccarin (Gotham), T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley), Ed Skrein (The Transporter Refueled), Gina Carano (Fast & Furious 6), Brianna Hildebrand (First Girl I Loved), Stefan Kapicic (Big Miracle), and Leslie Uggams (Nurse Jackie) rounding out his supporting cast. The score features original compositions from Tom Holkenborg a.k.a. Junkie Xl, who recently received acclaim for his amazing work on George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road and who is also scoring Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. As for the rest of the soundtrack, well, it should be interesting to say the least... A few of the artists featured are Dmx, Salt-n-Pepa, Neil Sedaka, Juice Newton, and Wham!

The Sundance Film institute has released the line-up of film for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Going to Sundance is one of my favorite events of the year. I love going because you never know what kind of movies you're going to see. Sometimes they are great films that amaze and entertain, other times they completely suck ass, but that's all part of the fun of going to the festival. It's an awesome experience for any hardcore movie geek, and if you ever get a chance to go, you need to.

The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.

Some of...

We might look back to 2015’s 10 film line-up as a true vintage year for the Next section. With the likes of Rick Alverson’s Entertainment, Sebastián Silva’s Nasty Baby, Matt Sobel’s Take Me to the River, Sean Baker’s Tangerine and section winner Josh Mond’s James White, we’d be hard pressed to say that this year’s 10 selected film selection is a better crop, but so far with names such as Tim Sutton and his super secretive third film (Dark Night – see pic above), video helmer we adore in Nicolas Pesce’s debut (The Eyes of My Mother), short film Yearbook fest winner Bernardo Britto’s first (Jacqueline Argentine), big Slamdance home run hitter with The Dirties’ Matt Johnson (Operation Avalanche) and the Venice to Park City bound The Fits from Anna Rose Holmer are all films we eagerly await. Here is the 10 section of what the fest calls “pure,...