We spoke with four young filmmakers about the future of film, and they’re not fans of TikTok; Sony introduces a new short film competition with cash prizes; R.I.P. Goodfellas actor Paul Sorvino; Arizona is getting a brand new film and TV studio to take advantage of its new tax incentives. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
The Future of Film: We spoke to four young filmmakers — ages 18-22 — about the future of film — and they kept surprising us. For example: Though they’re of prime TikTok age, all prefer full-length feature films. “TikTok and online video stuff is not an escape the way that movies are,” says Foxhole filmmaker Jack Fessenden. “They just remind you more and more of your own peer group and maybe the ways in which you don’t fit in.” The other filmmakers are Hellbender co-director Zelda Adams, Therapy Dogs director Ethan Eng, and Avalon Fast, whose DIY girl-horror film Honeycomb played last night at the Fantasia Film Festival.
Acacia Building New Arizona Film Studio: Arizona has many of the same cinematic advantages as neighbors California and New Mexico, both of which are film and TV powerhouses. But it has never approached their levels of success. The state hopes that may change with the recently passed Motion Picture Production Program bill, which beefs up the state’s previously weak tax incentives for film and TV productions. Now Acacia Filmed Entertainment plans to develop a brand-new studio lot. Read our full story here, especially if you’re a filmmaker considering a shoot in Arizona.
A Danish Filmmaker’s Perspective on U.S. Healthcare: I was fascinated talking to Swamp Lion writer-director Torben Bech about how a bunch of Scandanavians shot a neo-Western movie in a few dusty towns on the Texas border. He told me how, after growing up with free healthcare in Denmark, he got quite a shock when he moved to California and realized the consequences of getting sick or injured without health insurance. So he made a movie about a Texan father who resorts to smuggling drugs in order to pay for his son’s cancer treatments. Read all about it here.
Indy Shorts Winners: In addition to taking home Indy Shorts Fest’s Pioneering Spirit Award, honoree Coleman Domingo also took home the Audience Choice Awards for his shorts “New Moon” and “North Star” this weekend. Read the full list of Academy Award qualifying winners here.
New Opportunity for Short Filmmakers: Sony has started a new annual awards program for short films called the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. It’s free to enter and the goal is to elevate original voices from around the world. Thirty filmmakers will be chosen for the first annual awards on Feb. 23 and flown out to Los Angeles, where six winners chosen by a jury will receive cash prizes. And after the awards ceremony, all 30 filmmakers will get to participate in workshops and panels led by Sony executives. The deadline to apply is December 13, and you can apply here.
R.I.P. Paul Sorvino: The beloved Goodfellas actor has died at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Dee Dee, as well as his daughter Mira Sorvino, who tweeted: “My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed. My heart is rent asunder- a life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over. He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. I’m sending you love in the stars Dad as you ascend.”
Luca Guadagnino’s Cannibal Movie: Bones and All, Guadagnino’s much-talked-about cannibal love story starring Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell as a pair of disenfranchised drifters, is heading to the Venice Film Festival. “There is something about the disenfranchised, about people living on the margins of society that I am drawn toward and touched by. I love these characters,” he told Deadline. “The heart of the movie is tender and affectionate towards them.”
I’ll Leave You With This: A great scene of Sorvino in Goodfellas.
Main Image: Paul Sorvino in Goodfellas
Share:
