Still Talkin' Bout a Distribution Revolution
Plus: Summer Box Office Rebound; Star Turns in Indie Films; Sundance Producers Lab
Happy Thursday, Friends.
As Tribeca comes to a close, don’t miss the news from the fest:
The New Distribution Handbook, launched by our friends Christie Marchese at Kinema and Emily Best at Seed & Spark.
Kerry Washington and Patty Jenkins call for diverse voices in filmmaking: ‘We belong in the room.’
Deadline’s Tribeca review round up, with great writeups of Portrait member films including Brats, Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, Lake George, McVeigh, A Mistake, and The Wasp.
Our Tribeca Block Party Photos! Thank you to everyone who came out, and to our members, friends, and partners at BGDM, WIP, DPA, The Film Collaborative, 8above, and OTV! A big thanks to Frame.io for our photo booth experience.
Now: let’s dive in to everything coming for the week ahead.
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hello to featured members on the app.
What to Watch This Weekend
In Theaters: Powerhouse Indie Performances
Tuesday. “Julia Louis-Dreyfus journeys from denial to acceptance in this imaginative fantasy-drama about grief and motherhood” (NYT). Arttu Salmi, Editor; Elliott Whitton, Producer.
Cora Bora. Watching Megan Stalter, “it’s impossible to come away… without feeling like you’ve just seen the first glimpses of phenomenal new talent” (Daily Beast). Rhianon Jones, Screenwriter; Stacey Davis, Production Counsel; Gerry Pass, Co-EP; Heather Acs, Intimacy Coordinator.
Firebrand. “Jude Law outrageously steals every scene as a horrendously unwell and cross Henry VIII in this Tudor court intrigue drama” (The Guardian). Jateen Patel, Digital Colorist.
Queendom. “To call Gena a drag artist fails to capture just how subversive and courageous are her public ‘performances’” (Observer). Agniia Galdanova, Director; Alice Henty, Consulting Producer; Will Zang, Publicist; Toke Brorson Odin, Composer; Melody Gilbert, Consulting Producer; Igor Myakotin, Producer.
Modern Takes on Classic Genres
Fresh Kills. The film “stands apart because of how it focuses on [mob] wives, girlfriends, and daughters…in a genre that more often pushes them to the margins.” (RogerEbert.com). Maya Moravec, Cast; TV Alexander, Production Designer; Samantha Sprecher, Producer.
Summer Solstice. “A modern twist on the buddy comedy… told from a queer and trans perspective” (Variety). Noah Schamus, Director, Writer; Emily Packer, Editor; Yaron Lotan, Cast; Joyce Lai, Production Designer; Agnes Lin, Key Hair and Make Up Artist.
Ghostlight. “A beautifully woven tale on the constructive ways that life and art reflect, propel, and imitate each other” (Harper’s). Alex Thompson, Director; Pierce Cravens, Producer.
What We’re Reading
New horror storytelling pipeline through AWA and Vertigo Entertainment.
Summer box office rebound continues: Inside Out 2 eyes $135M opening. Todd Elliott, Animator.
AMC, REI Studios, and Mountainfilm will bring “Mountainfilm Adventure Shorts” to theaters this fall. Brian Newman, Consultant.
Red, White and Blue screenings will raise funds for abortion access. Our friends at Level Forward are driving the impact campaign for the Oscar-nominated short. Emma Koh, Production Designer; Laura D'Augello, Co-Producer; Matthew Halla, Lighting.
On the Festival Circuit
Check out the film teams, industry attendees, and group chat on the Portrait app for the following fests this week:
American Black Film Fest (kicked off Wednesday)
Sheffield Doc Fest (kicked off Wednesday)
DC/DOX (kicks off today)
And say congrats to Sundance Institute’s Producers Lab 2024 Fellows, including Portrait members Brenda Avila-Hanna, Mars Verrone, Jillian Schlesinger, Tara Sheffer.
The Acquisitions Beat
Blue Fox acquires horror thriller Wake Up. Arnau Bataller, Composer.
Vertical acquires The Damned ahead Of Tribeca premiere. Niamh Fagan, EP.
Abramorama acquires Join Or Die For North American release. Rebecca Davis, Director, Writer, Producer; E.J. Enriquez, Addl. Cinematography; Chad Cannon, Composer; Inaya Graciana Yusuf, Addl. Editor; Chad Ervin, Editor; Dennis Haggerty, Sound Mixer; Ronan Killeen, DP; Allie Humenuk, Addl. Cinematography; Erik Ljung, Camera Op.
Gkids acquires Season 1 Of ‘League Of Legends’ Animated Series Arcane. Matthew Kulewicz, Asst. Dialogue Editor.
Window of Opportunity 🔍
Check out the Discover Tab on Portrait for grants, programs, festivals, and jobs.
Closing Soon: Programs + Grants
Have an opportunity to share? Post it on the app or fill out our form.
See the full database of upcoming grant, program, and festival deadlines on the app. Here are this week’s deadlines:
The Georgia List (6/15 deadline)
DOC NYC 40 Under 40 (6/15 deadline)
Building Bridges Documentary Fund (6/17 deadline)
Tribeca Through Her Lens (6/17 deadline)
Claims Conference Contest (6/17 deadline)
Film Independent Doc Producing Lab (6/17 deadline)
Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
See all the jobs and gigs for this week on the app. This is just the shortlist :)
SVP, Television Development and Production, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Social Media Director, Sesame Workshop.
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Audience Development, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Senior Casting Director, Entertainment Partners.
Compositor, Digital Matte Painter, FuseFX.
Professor, Film and Television, Savannah College of Art and Design.
Adjunct Professor of Film and Television Production - Producing, USC.
End Credits: Portrait Post of the Week
Until next week, friends. See you on Portrait.
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