How do you turn a $20m indie into a streaming phenomenon?

Plus: All the big movie sales this fall; Five burning questions for Hollywood this fall; TIFF recap

Sep 12, 2024

Happy Thursday, friends.

Thank you to everyone who came to our TIFF Filmmaker and Industry Mixer, including our cohost, PostCredit, and our travel sponsor, United for Business.

Miss the party? You can still connect with attendees on the Portrait app. Over 60% of films at TIFF this year were made by Portrait members.

Speaking of connecting:

Say hi to all the Creative Arts Emmy nominees in the Portrait app before the awards are broadcast live on Sunday.
Connect with Camden Film Festival attendees and film teams as the fest kicks off today.

Let’s dive in to what else is up this week.

Roll of Honor

Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hello to featured members on the app.

What to Watch This Weekend

a man and a woman in a car — Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in the Sundance audience favorite *Will & Harper*.

Joyous Odd Couples

Will & Harper. “It’s a generous, sensitive study of allyship and what that really means in the day-to-day” (Guardian). Alex Schmider, Very Special Thanks; Casey Minatrea, Sound Mixer. In Theaters Friday.
Matt and Mara. “Love in all its forms; messy and simple, spoken and unspoken, shared and hidden” (RogerEbert.com). Nikolay Michaylov, Cinematographer; Sam Holling, Electrician. In Theaters Friday.
My Old Ass. “A breezy, joyfully slangy confection that leaves audiences pondering what to ask if given similar time-bending access to hindsight” (Financial Times). Ainslie S. Wiggs, Casting. In Theaters

*Booger* feels like the indie body horror equivalent of Lars von Trier’s *Melancholia*, doing for grief what the latter did for depression; both are portraits of human experience (AWFJ.org)

Unexpected Character Studies

Booger. “A darkly funny, deranged little movie, and at its best it hits you right in the heart” (AV Club). Nell Simon, Costume Designer; Lexi Tannenholtz, Producer; Lizzie Shapiro, Rhianon Jones, EP’s; Tristan Scott-Behrends, Co-EP; George Rush, Legal Counsel. In Theaters Friday.
Winner. “A prickly character portrait, imbued with humor and a headstrong sense of defiance” (Variety). Myron John Tataryn, Executive Producer; Joseph Krings, Editor; Heather McIntosh, Composer; Jessica Smith, Special Thanks. In Theaters Friday.
Rebel Ridge. “a lean, muscular movie… a triumph of small-budget, naturalistic filmmaking” (Associated Press). Dara Hamidi, Digital Compositor; Alex Stylianou, ADR Mixer. Netflix.

'Land of Bad' — “It’s not every day that an independently produced film becomes the #1 movie on Netflix. And it’s even rarer when said indie film isn’t a buzzy festival title, but an action film produced on a shoestring budget outside the United States.” *IndieWire* on Land of Bad.

What We’re Reading

Fall Acquisition Deep Dive: TIFF, Venice, and More

A24 acquires The Brutalist. Kristina Erdely, Casting Director; Emma Kate Wood, Asst. Costume Designer; Bence Szemerey, Still Photographer; Virág Tyekvicska, Art Director; Thomas Pierce, Executive Producer; Máté Ternyik, Colorist; Kelly Peck, Co-Executive Producer; Botond Csizmadia, 2nd Unit Sound Mixer.
Rise and Shine acquires A Sisters’ Tale. Afsaneh Salari, Producer.
Altitude and SquareOne acquire William Tell. Will Matthews, Associate Producer; Lauren Evans, Casting Director.
Mayim Bialik acquires narrative rights to Mom & Dad’s Nipple Factory. Noah Lang, Producer.
Samuel Goldwyn acquires The Last Rifleman. Niamh Fagan, Eloise Singer , EPs.
Freestyle Acquires Daruma. Daniel Zagayer, Gaffer; Gerry Pass, Special Thanks.
A24 acquires Venice premiere Queer. Yannis Drakoulidis, Still Photographer.
Netflix acquires Maria. Constanza Muñoz, Manager Of Production: US; Mathilde Snodgrass, Casting Director.
ESPN orders Billie Jean King ’30 for 30′ doc from Story Syndicate. Dan Cogan, Co-Founder, Story Syndicate.
Black Box Management signs Tell Them You Love Me filmmaker and Portrait member Nick August-Perna.
Prime orders Lisa Frank doc from Mary Robertson’s Maxine. Mary Robertson, Founder of Maxine Productions.

Window of Opportunity 🔍

Check out more grants, deadlines, and jobs in the side menu of the Portrait app.

Closing Soon: Fall Deadlines

Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.

AFI DWW+ (9/13 deadline)
WiM Short Film Grants (9/15 deadline)
Toronto Arts Council Program (9/15 deadline)
The Gotham Awards (9/19 deadline)
From Script to PrePro Lab (9/22 deadline)
Berkeley Narrative Short Film Program (9/23 deadline)
#TakeTheLead Writers' Intensive (9/25 deadline)
Voices with Impact Grant (9/26 deadline)
Working Films Impact Kickstart (9/26 deadline)
Lynn Shelton Grant (9/27 deadline)
BEND BIPOC Women Grant (9/27 deadline)
JFI Filmmakers in Residence (9/27 deadline)
Cannes Film Festival Residence (9/30 deadline)
Black Public Media Open Call (9/30 deadline)
The Athena List (9/30 deadline)
QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab (10/11 deadline)
Toronto Arts Council Program (10/15 deadline)
Squeaky Wheel Residency (10/25 deadline)
Frameline Completion Fund (11/1 deadline)
MPAC Hollywood Fellowship (1/28 deadline)
See the full database on the app

Select Jobs/Gigs Roundup

Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.

VP of Development, International Production, Sony Pictures.
Senior Researcher - Content Consumer Insights, Netflix.
Senior Manager, Acquisition, Disney.
Senior VFX Artist, Jam City.
Head of Video Marketing & Apple TV+ Go to Market Planning, Apple.
TV Director, Spanish Broadcasting.
Director, Paramount.
Senior Editor, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Head of Studios, Valuetainment.
Head of Production, Changing Lives Productions LLC.

See the full list of jobs on the app

End Credits: Post of the Week in the Portrait App.

Until next week, friends. See you on the Portrait app.

Portrait is an invite-only professional network for creative careers. Apply to join or nominate a friend.

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