No One Can Greenlight Anything Anymore
Plus: The Wackiest Ways You've Met Creative Collaborators; Is Writing for TV Over; and Mark Duplass's Crowdfunding Bet
Happy Thursday, friends — and thank you to everyone who joined us over SXSW opening weekend. Now’s a great time to jump into our rolodex of attendees on the Portrait app to see who you met.
Our friends at ShotDeck hit the windy streets of Austin to chat with Portrait DPs Jared Levy, Joshua Zucker-Pluda, Ryan Thomas, Sarah Whelden, and Cory Fraiman-Lott about the wildest ways they've connected with creative collaborators. Use promo code PORTRAIT2025 for 35% off annual and monthly subscriptions at ShotDeck.
And now, beyond Austin – here's what you're releasing and talking about this week. Let’s dive in.
Roll of Honor:
Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hi to featured Portrait members on the Portrait app.
What to Watch This Weekend
Rule Breakers and Risk Takers
Mickey 17. “Mickey 17 is remarkable for the savagery of its satire of 21st-century capitalism” (Slate). Liz Niles, EP: Picture Post; Lee Herrick, ADR Supervisor. In Theaters Now.
Opus. “103 minutes of genre-defying thrills that refuse to pigeonhole itself, both through style and content, is not to be sniffed at for a feature debut” (Newsweek). Josh Bachove, Producer; Aimee McGuire, Actor; Anastasia Cummings, Script Supervisor; Angelique Midthunder, Casting Director; Madeline McCue, Makeup Artist; Chase Heard, Hair Department Head; Philip McGowan, Mixing & Recording Engineer; Ben Zales, Music Editor. In Theaters Friday.
The 8th Day. “This indie gem promises a fresh take on the heist genre” (FiLMOFiLiA). Alexandra Chando, Director. In Theaters Friday.
Fresh Takes, Familiar Faces
Daredevil: Born Again. “A breathtaking example of what it means to revisit a known hero while offering him new reasons to fight for justice” (Variety). Sean Pollock, Script Supervisor; Oryan Landa, Set Tutor; Victoria Korty, Assistant Location Manager; Tristan Waldroop, Balloon Lighting Technician. Disney+
Moana 2. “A hurtling Disneyland rollercoaster ride that small children, especially, are bound to enjoy” (BBC). Dana Ledoux Miller, Director; Christian Olan-Geddes, Visual Effects Artist; Carlos Cabral, Visual Effects Supervisor / Visual Effects Supervisor. Disney+
Family Bonds, Baggage, and Belly Laughs
Deli Boys. “It’s smartly written, festooned with quirky business, farcical situations, droll asides. It’s built on great performances, even in the smallest roles, that ground the wackiness and so make things only funnier” (LA Times). Fawzia Mirza, Maureen Bharoocha, Directors. Hulu.
Long Bright River. “A beautifully structured series, Long Bright River is about sisterhood, connection and the truths often buried under deep-seated guilt and shame” (Variety). William Rexer, DP; Amy Williams, Production Designer; Mylene Santos, Supervising Art Director; Aoshuang Zhang, Assistant Art Director; Michael Burke, Camera Operator; Robert Lugo, Hair Stylist. Peacock.
What We’re Reading
Michael Bay and James Cameron bemoan state of industry: ‘No one can greenlight anything anymore’.
Celebrating 20 Years of YouTube: ‘Everyone comes to YouTube and then everything grows’.
Will the Nonfiction Hotlist “reverse power dynamics for creators”?
On the Festival Circuit: SXSW Edition
SXSW 2025: All of Deadline’s movie reviews. Say hi to the filmmakers who made 95% of SXSW films and TV in the app.
Announced at SXSW: AppleTV+ sets spring premiere for doc Deaf President Now! Jonathan Furmanski, DP; Mars Feehery, Production Designer; Greg Francis, Re-recording Mixer; Sean Drummond, Production Consultant; Michel Holbrook, Audio Post Supervisor.
Only in Austin: Robert Rodriguez launches fan-driven indie action studio Brass Knuckle Films.
Get the Look from SXSW 2025: How 45 DPs shot their festival features. Say hi to the DPs in the Portrait app.
And Beyond…
Mark Duplass is independently releasing The Long Long Night via crowdfunding and community screenings with Portrait partners Kinema and Seed & Spark. Congrats to Christie Marchese and Emily Best.
Hot Docs unveils Special Presentations lineup. Click I’m attending in the app.
On the Acquisitions Beat
Cinetic Media boards Marc Maron doc Are We Good? Tim Rummel, Sean Bradley, EPs; Natalie Ancona, Derek Boonstra, Editors; Ethan Goldman, Producer; Jordan McNeile, DP.
Zeitgeist, Kino Lorber acquire A Photographic Memory. Rachel Elizabeth Seed, Director, Writer, DP; Maida Lynn, EP; Beth Levison, Producer; Will Allegra-Garofalo, Editor; Jessica Wolfson, Co-Producer; Eric Jenkins-Sahlin, Associate Producer; Christopher Stoudt, Editor; Brad Kimbrough, Assistant Editor; Ana Lydia Monaco, Recreation Field Producer; Sebastian Vaskio, Sound Effects Editor; Katie Green, Russell Sheaffer, Ilie Mitaru, Cecilia Aldarondo, Additional Photography; Keith Fulton, Additional Editor; Dana Reilly, Recreation Field Producer.
Netflix acquires Sundance award-winning doc The Perfect Neighbor. Geeta Gandbhir, Director; Sam Bisbee, Producer; Anthony Rhoads, Motion Graphics; Viridiana Lieberman, Editor; Danielle Massie, AP; Reuben Rogak, Assistant Editor; Giuseppe Cappello, Dialogue Editor / Sound Effects Editor.
Canadian distributor New Mountain Films acquires The Courageous. Jasmin Gordon, Director; Brigitte Hofer, Sales Agent.
Window of Opportunity 🔎
See more funding, deadlines, and jobs in the Portrait app
Exciting opportunity from our partners at Switchboard: Are you a filmmaker or writer with a compelling TRUE story to share? Switchboard Magazine is acquiring completed short docs, as well as story pitches for upcoming issues.
You can read more about their submission guidelines here. And don't forget - they have a 50/50 profit share model - so you have a direct stake in the success of anything you publish.
Closing Soon: March Deadlines
Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.
The Doc Society Climate Fund (3/14 deadline)
BRIClab (3/14 deadline)
Claims Conference Grants (3/15 deadline)
AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program (3/15 deadline)
Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List (3/15 deadline + discount)
Nostos Screenwriting Retreat (3/17 deadline + discount)
Stowe Writers' Retreats (3/17 deadline + discount)
Telly Awards (3/28 deadline)
Inevitable Foundation Accelerate Fellowship (3/31 deadline)
Roy W Dean Spring Grant (3/31 deadline + waivers)
Humanitas New Voices Fellowship (3/31 deadline)
First Flights Short Film Fund (3/31 deadline)
Select Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
Paid Writing Casting Call, The PH Podcast.
Creative Director of Media & Shows, Ramsey Solutions.
VP of Film & TV Development, Balboa Productions.
Seasonal Music Editor, The National Football League.
Senior Director, Programme & Delivery, Paramount.
Senior Art Director, Disney.
Director of Programming, Teton Ridge.
Lead Animator, Disney.
Head of Studio Operations, Electronic Arts.
Camera Operator/Video Editor, Craft Studios.
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.