AWARDS HEADLINES
Awards 2016: ‘The Look of Silence’s’ Adi Rukun on Making History on the First Oscar Nominated Doc “Where Survivors Confront Perpetrators”
The soft-spoken optometrist in Joshua Oppenheimer’s Oscar-nominated documentary has found himself labelled a hero for survivors of the Indonesian genocide that occurred in 1965 and 1966. In the documentary, Rukun faces the perpetrators of the mass slaughter to find the truth behind his older brother’s murder during that time. In an interview with SSN, Oppenheimer said Rukun’s actions are unprecedented in the history of cinema. (SSN)
Awards 2016: Oscar Nominated Composer Carter Burwell Talks ‘Carol’ – “The Music is a Character in the Film”
Todd Haynes’ film has six Oscar nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Costume Design, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score for Carter Burwell. SSN sat down with Burwell for an exclusive chat about his process and how he approached this elegant and passionately tender love story. (SSN)
Awards 2016: ‘Spotlight’s’ Filmmaking Lessons: Turning a Downbeat Story into an Uplifting One & Enlightening a Well-Trodden Subject
What makes a given film compelling is not just its subject matter, but the skill of the filmmakers who take us on a journey with them. Spotlight explores one of the most horrific crimes of our time — the abuse of thousands of children by priests of the Catholic Church. We know how the story ends. We know that the reporters from The Boston Globe won a Pulitzer for their investigative efforts. Yet the film packs a wallop audiences simply don’t anticipate. Why? (SSN)
OTHER HEADLINES
Exec Shuffle for 2/22/16: Nicole Seligman Leaving Sony, Fox Sports Partners with NextVR, Citizen Skull Prod. Launches CSP Management
In other deals, HBO signs a huge agreement with Hulu Japan, Vivendi has begun a hostile takeover for French vidgame company Gameloft, and Fandango makes a big purchase. There’s a lot more this week, so click on the link to read on. (SSN)
Amy Adams Is the Latest Movie Star To Turn To TV, Will Top Line Adaptation Of Gillian Flynn’s ‘Sharp Objects’
Academy Award-nominated actress has signed on to star in the adaptation of the book by the Gone Girl author. Jean-Marc Vallee has also signed on to direct the high-profile WME package, which is being shopped to cable and streaming outlets by Entertainment One and Blumhouse Productions. Story follows a reporter — fresh from a brief stay at a psychiatric hospital — who must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. (LF)
NBC Finds Its Female Lead For the Upcoming DC Comics Comedy Pilot, ‘Powerless’
Vanessa Hudgens has been cast in the show, which will be her first gig after Grease Live, for which she received rave reviews. Based on characters from the DC universe, Powerless is a workplace comedy set at one of the worst insurance companies in America — with the twist being that it also takes place in the universe of DC Comics. The show is about the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of super heroes and villains. (VAR)
Peacock Network Also Lands an Actor With a Certain Set Of Skills To Lead Its ‘Taken’ Series
Network’s straight-to-series adaptation of the hit movie franchise, has cast its lead, tapping The Vikings co-star Clive Standen to play younger Bryan Mills, the character portrayed in the movies by Liam Neeson. (DH)
It Appears Those Dire Rumors Are Not True: Zack Snyder Still Directing ‘Justice League’, Willl Start Shooting In April
After word had leaked that Warner Bros. is not happy with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which will have a lengthy 151-minute running time), it looked like the studio might replace Snyder as director of the massive, two-part superhero megafilm. Now, Snyder has confirmed that he is still directing and will start shooting April 11th at the Warner Bros. Leavesden studios in England, with various locations around London and Iceland. (COL)
After Months of Speculation, Martin Freeman’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Character Finally Revealed
Freeman is playing Everett Ross, a stalwart in the Marvel comic books. Ross is traditionally the US government’s man in Wakanda, which brings Freeman into Black Panther’s (Chadwick Boseman) world and makes Freeman a safe bet to be get a broader role in the standalone Black Panther movie. In Civil War he’s part of the Joint Counter Terrorist Center. (EMP)
One Month Later: A Comprehensive Look At All the Movies Sold At This Year’s Sundance Film Festival
Many of the films that premiere at the Sundance Film Festival are hoping to attract a distributor and find a bigger audience, be it in theaters around the country or distributed through digital VOD. Throughout the festival we will be reporting on all of the movies sold at Sundance 2016. This list should help give you an idea about which movies may someday be available to you either theatrically of VOD. (SF)