Happy Thursday, friends.
Thanks to everyone who joined us in Austin to celebrate our SXSW film and TV teams — and to our partners at Futurific Studios, ARRI Rental, Frame.io, and Lighthouse International Film Festival. Grab your Frame.io party photos here!
A big theme this SXSW: new methods of creative distribution and marketing. From our executive breakfast with Kinema, to the Duplass Brothers’ advocacy for an Indie TV renaissance, to the role of theatrical releases in extending the life of shows… everyone’s talking about what comes next in a changed industry. What green shoots do you see? Let us know on the app… and read on below.
Roll of Honor
Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hello to featured members on the app.
What to Watch This Weekend: Cat & Mouse Games
Manhunt: Search For Lincoln’s Assassin. “A thrilling, thoughtful snapshot of a nation in flux” (THR). Thank you to Costume Designer Katie Irish for the sketches above! Check out more coverage in Katie’s Portrait posts. Friday on Apple TV+.
Alice & Jack: On-Again, Off-Again Affair. “While Alice & Jack is very much a swoony romance… it's more honest about human behavior than most romances allow” (RogerEbert.com). Jussi Rautaniemi, Editor; Connie Farr, Music Supervisor. Sunday on PBS’ MASTERPIECE.
Photographer: Struggle to Get ‘The Shot.’ The series turns the lens on seven iconic photographers “as they work to create images that will stand the test of time” (PetaPixel). Gene Gallerano, Elena Gaby, Producers; Narkwor Kwabla, Associate Producer; Shelby Hougui, Nick August Perna, Editors; Peter Jensen, Dan Enrique, Assistant Editors; Jacopo Campaiola, Cinematographer. Monday on NatGeo.
What We’re Reading: SXSW x Oscar Redux
SXSW 2024: How 41 Cinematographers Shot Their Narrative Features. “What unites all of the responses is a concern with how the cinematography brings audiences closer to each film’s characters.” Congrats to Portrait members in the mix: Molly Scotti; Veronica Bouza; Jackson Hunt; John Rosario; Nico Navia; Oscar Ignacio Jiménez; Lowell Meyer; Christine Ng; Ava Benjamin Shorr; Matt Irwin; Sebastian Klinger; Robert Leitzell; Ludovica Isidori; Charlotte Hornsby.
Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot in the Oscar Winners Circle. We loved reading this examination of the Oscar-winning short doc in the Jazz newsletter The Gig.
Oscars: Busy, Eclectic, Existential? If you haven’t got your Oscar fix yet, read up on the critiques at CNN & Vulture & THR. And check out Portrait members behind the winning and nominated films.
On the Festival and Awards Circuit
CPH:Dox films and attendees (Happening Now!)
GLAAD Awards nominees (Today!)
NAACP Image Award nominees (Sunday!)
Hot Docs selects Forum Projects for 2024. Congrats to Emma Francis-Snyder, Tiffany Fisher-Love, Elaine Epstein, Robin Hessman, Ina Fichman, Elijah Stevens, Geeta Gandbhir, Yael Bridge, Jeremy Flood, Yoni Golijov, Mars Verrone.
On the Acquisitions Beat: SXSW and Beyond
SXSW Acquisitions
The Queen of My Dreams. LevelK sells U.K. and More International Markets. (Variety).
Grand Theft Hamlet. Altitude Boards SXSW Doc About Actors Who Staged Hamlet Production Inside ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Video Game (Deadline).
Plastic People. Rainmaker Content Bags SXSW Feature Doc on Hidden Crisis Of Microplastics (Deadline).
HBO set to premiere 5 Original Docs: Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion, STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., Ren Faire, The Truth Vs Alex Jones, MoviePass, MovieCrash
Two of last year’s big SXSW titles have found buyers:
Americana with Lionsgate. Nigel Bluck, Cinematographer.
Late Bloomers with Vertical. Megan Masur SOC, Steadicam Operator; John de Menil, Cinematographer; Anna Greenfield, Writer; Emily McCann Lesser, Co-Producer; Sam Bisbee, Producer; Michelle Twarowska, Cast
Acquisitions Beyond SXSW
Grasshopper Film Acquires The 50, Doc on Incarcerated Substance Abuse Counselors. Brenton Gieser, Director, Producer, Editor.
Sundance Genre-Bender Your Monster Lands At Vertical. Will Stone, Cinematographer; Bamike Ogunrinu, Makeup Dept. Head; Lana Young, Actor.
Greenwich Acquires N.A. Rights To Uncropped About Photographer James Hamilton. Judith Mizrachy, Producer; Marika Hacking, Francesco Saviano, Cinematographers; Arlene Muller, Additional Cinematography; Matt Eller, Art Director; Debra Mcclutchy, Crew.
SXSW Reviews Roundup
Arcadian. “Nicolas Cage's Shudder Horror Is a Must-See” (Collider).
Grand Theft Hamlet. “A Captivating Staging of Shakespeare in ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Changes the Game” (Variety).
Magpie. “Sam Yates’s slow-burn debut about a marriage under strain fields an impressive performance from its producer, Daisy Ridley” (Screen Daily).
Monkey Man. “As a director, [Dev Patel] grants an intoxicatingly gruesome vision of the kind of gritty vehicles he could steer in the future” (Screen Daily).
My Dead Friend Zoe. “Kyle Hausmann-Stokes Film Unveils The Invisible Wounds Of War” (Deadline).
Omni Loop. “Ayo Edebiri's Sci-Fi 'Groundhog Day' Riff Will Rip Your Heart Out” (Collider)
I Saw The TV Glow. “A dark tale of pop-culture obsession and self-discovery” (AV Club).
Road House: “Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Road House’ Remake Punches Way Above Its Weight” (The Daily Beast).
This Is A Film About The Black Keys: “Rock Doc Considers The Price Of Success” (The Playlist).
The Truth vs. Alex Jones: “A Vivid Portrait of a Villain on Trial”(THR).
We Strangers: “Psychic Satire Is a Promising SXSW Debut” (IndieWire).
Window of Opportunity
aka The Discover Tab 🔍
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.
Film Independent Episodic Lab (3/11 deadline)
Claims Conference Grant (3/15 deadline)
The To Be Commissioned Initiative (3/15 deadline)
Michael Collier Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting (3/15 deadline)
Nostos Screenwriting Retreats (3/15 deadline + discount)
MamaCash Resilience Fund (3/17 deadline)
Film Independent Directing Intensive (3/18 deadline)
McKnight Fellowship (3/18 deadline)
Canadian Writers Program (3/21 deadline)
Creative Capital Award (3/22 deadline)
HollyShorts Screenplay Contest (3/22 deadline + discount)
Austin Screenplay Competition (3/22 deadline + discount)
Points North Fellowship (3/25 deadline)
The Writers Lab (3/28 deadline + discount)
Kickstarter Long Story Short (3/31 deadline)
See more spring + rolling deadlines in our interactive database in the app.
Jobs/Gigs Roundup
Have a job to share? Share it on the app or fill out our form.
Director, Global Content Strategy & Production - B2B, Live Nation.
Director, Strategy - FOX Entertainment Global, FOX Entertainment.
Head of Content & Production, Feastables.
Director, Development - Live Events & Specials, NBCUniversal.
Executive Producer - League of Legends, Riot Games.
Editor, Univision Communications Inc.
Director, Film and Documentary Studio, FIFTH SEASON.
Manager, Awards & Publicity, NBCUniversal.
Principle VFX Artist, VVater.
Video Producer/Editor- Full Time, Plum Productions.
Video Producer/Editor, Variety.
Producer, Video On Demand, Atmosphere.
Manager, Physical Production (Feature), Skydance.
See more jobs/gigs in our interactive, filterable database in the app.
End Credits: Portrait Post of the Week
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