It's Oscars Weekend (Psst... 94% of nominated films were made by Portrait Members)
Plus: Portrait Hits SXSW, YouTube's 1 Billion Monthly Podcast Viewers, And A Messy Future For Indie Film
Happy Thursday, friends.
We can’t wait to see you at our Make A Splash Party next week in Austin with ShotDeck, Switchboard, DPA, Dubfrog and Dolly Card… and a two-story snake slide.
DO NOT FORGET to RSVP. We got written up in a “hottest parties” list (ahem) so you know it’s gonna be the place to be!
Let’s dive in to the rest of this week’s roundup.
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hi to featured Portrait members on the Portrait app.
What to Watch This Weekend
Vigilantes, Veterans, and Volatile Encounters
My Dead Friend Zoe. “A visceral look at the veteran experience and the kinds of loss we can’t easily describe or process” (IndieWire). Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, Director, Writer; Jeff Annison, EP; Ali Greer, Editor; Mélé Egbe, Hairstylist & Make up Artist. In Theaters Friday.
Cold Wallet. A “tense vigilante thriller” (THR). Cutter Hodierne, Director; Benjamin Wiessner, Producer; Tom Paul, Sound Mixer; Andrew Silagy, Patrick Taylor, Composers; Tory Harder, Assistant Editor; Sam Widdoes, Production Counsel. In Theaters Friday.
Riff Raff. “The film’s action rarely leaves the secluded holiday home, and seeing these personalities collide has its thrills” (RogerEbert.com). Dito Montiel, Director; Tony Griffin, Christopher Reid, Co-EPs; Marc Goldberg, Producer; Kassandra DeAngelis, Production Designer; James Baker, Sound Mixer; Sebastian Slayter, Ronin Operator. In Theaters Friday.
Heroes, Rebels, and the Fight for Change
Venom: The Last Dance. “Injects some fun into the superhero franchise” (Chicago Sun Times). Chris Lyons, Gold Teeth; Chris Edwards, Props; Samuel Cox, Wig Maker. Netflix.
Things Will Be Different. “An auspicious effort to amalgamate what touches the heart and what tickles the brain” (Variety). Michael Felker, Director, Writer, Editor; Alissa Wehrli, Costume Designer; David Lawson, EP; Jori Felker, Actor. Hulu.
Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest. “Utterly essential” (THR). Geeta Gandbhir, Leslie Asako Gladsjo, Directors; Bryan Gentry, DP; Eric Johnson, SVP of Sound. Max.
Catch these Nominees Finally Streaming Before the Oscars
September 5. “Perfectly captures the inner turmoil of journalists juggling professional responsibility with moral uncertainty” (Reel Reviews). Hansjörg Weissbrich, Editor; Leonie Zykan, Costume Designer; Alex David, Co-Writer; Lorenz Dangel, Composer; Lucinda Syson, Casting Director. Paramount+.
Nickel Boys. “A mesmerizing, uniquely told story — of memory, of injustice, of friendship, of survival.” (Seattle Times). Lianna Mae Smith, Scenic Painter; Timotheus Davis, Assistant Art Director; Christy C. Beshears, Set Dec. MGM+.
What We’re Reading
YouTube hits more than 1 billion monthly active podcast viewers.
Technicolor on the brink of collapse amid ‘severe financial challenges.’
Indie Spirit Awards: guests forecast a ‘messy’ future for independent film.
Sugarcane Directors: artists have a ‘responsibility’ as world changes. Emily Kassie, Director.
On the Festival & Awards Circuit
The 97th Academy Awards are on Sunday.
94% of Oscar-nominated films were made by Portrait members!
Everything you need to know here and some insider analysis from DPs of 4 nominated films.
Plus, the show must go on: Oscars producers never considered scrapping the show in the wake of the wild fires in LA.
Other Festival & Awards News:
NAACP Image Awards announced. See 34 winning Portrait members in the app.
Berlinale Award winners announced. See winning film teams in the app.
Film Independent Spirit Awards winners announced. See 41 winning Portrait members in the app.
The ASC Awards announced its winners. Congratulations to Portrait member Sam Mccurdy, ASC, BSC for “Shōgun” – “Crimson Sky”.
True/False kicks off today. See the 58 members with films at the festival.
On the Industry and Acquisitions Beat
Netflix in lead to acquire Sundance doc Selena Y Los Dinos at auction. Isabel Castro, Director; David Blackman, Daniel Torres, Producers; Camilo Lara, Music; Lorena Duran, DP; Kendall Marianacci, Associate Producer.
Magnolia Pictures acquires 40 Acres. Jennifer Holness, Producer; Dev Singh, Editor; Ainslie S. Wiggs, Background Casting Director; Sandy Pereira, Editor; Marc Lamothe, Props; Neil Morris, Art Director; Peter Cosco, Production Designer; Chancelle Mulela, Antonio Hines Makeup Department Heads; Stacie Merriman, Hair Department Head.
Shudder acquires Dead Mail. Zachary Weil, Brett Arndt, Producers.
Jamie Lee Curtis boards Trüebadour as EP. Congrats to Jonathan Hsu’s Hsubox Productions.
Window of Opportunity 🔎
See more funding, deadlines, and jobs in the Portrait app
Portrait members are invited to a charity fundraising screening of JessZilla, as it kicks off its theatrical run TONIGHT in Atlanta. The screening is at the Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Atlanta and all ticket sales will go towards the film team’s goal of $20,000 to create a fund in Jesselyn "JessZilla" Silva's memory. See Emily Sheskin’s post on Portrait and feel free to donate here.
Closing Soon: February & March Deadlines
Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.
A-Doc Impact Fellowship (2/28 deadline)
AAPI Futures Impact Producer Fellowship (Feb 28 deadline)
Black History Makers Grant (2/28 deadline)
Calabar Gallery Art Residency at coLAb Arts (2/28 deadline)
Stowe Writers' Retreats (3/3 deadline + discount)
Docs-In-Progress (3/3 deadline)
Kinolime Script-To-Screen Feature Competition (3/5 deadline)
Cannes Producers Network Fellowship (3/6 deadline)
Canadian Executive Residency Program (3/13 deadline)
The Doc Society Climate Fund (3/14 deadline)
Claims Conference Grants (3/15 deadline)
Page Awards (3/15 deadline)
Select Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Our friends and Portrait members at Optimist are hiring a Manager of Marketing & Fundraising to help amplify impact through storytelling. If you’re a strategic communicator with experience in marketing, fundraising, and digital campaigns, apply here!
Senior Producer, CNN News Central 7am, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Senior Promo Producer, Paramount.
VP, Lifetime Programming, A+E Networks.
Director, Acquisitions Lifetime & LMN, A+E Networks.
Senior Researcher, Consumer Insights - Film Intelligence, Netflix.
Head of Red Bull Media Network, Central, Red Bull.
VP, Visual Effects, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Producer II, CNN Digital Video Production, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Visual Effects Designer (CT), Disney.
Senior Videographer, First Horizon Bank.
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
End Credits: Portrait Post of the Week
Until next week, friends. See you on the Portrait app.
Portrait is an invite-only network and professional platform for creative careers. Apply to join or nominate a friend.