News

Exclusive: Maddie Ziegler (My Old Ass) and Levi Miller (Kraven the Hunter) are set to star in Shiver, a feature adaptation of the New York Times bestselling YA fantasy novel by Maggie Stiefvater.

Claire McCarthy (Ophelia) will direct. Andy Fickman had been attached to a prior iteration of the project, as we first reported.

Currently in production in Vancouver, the film follows Grace, who was attacked by a pack of wolves as a child. However, one of them — a yellow-eyed wolf — saved her, creating an inexplicable bond between them. Years later, she meets a young man named Sam with the exact same yellow eyes and immediately feels a connection to him. Their love story unfolds against the backdrop of mystical events, mysterious disappearances, and intrigues that reveal to Grace the true nature of Sam and his connection to the wolves. At the same time, as winter approaches, Sam must fight...

Exclusive: Empirical Evidence’s management division has signed American filmmaker Carson Lund, who directed Eephus, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight section.

Eephus was acquired by Music Box Films out of Cannes for U.S. distribution and will release the film theatrically in March 2025. The film is set to have its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival this week.

The comedy-drama, which uses amateur baseball to reflect on the passage of time, charts how a men’s veteran baseball game stretches to extra innings on a beloved field’s final day before demolition.

Lund is a founding member of the LA-based filmmaker collective Omnes Films. Eephus marks the second project from Omnes Films to screen in the Directors’ Fortnight section along with Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point, which Lund shot.

Next up, Lund is producing Omnes Films’ Raccoon...

"Don't be afraid. I'm not here to take you... You can help me. And I can help you." It's time to discover new worlds. Time to explore unique galaxies and strange planets. A Thousand Suns is the latest creation from a filmmaker known as "Macgregor", produced by a company called Blackmilk Studio. The sci-fi anthology series set in the distant future has launched online - all six episodes (to start) are available on YouTube for free. Macgregor says his team of filmmakers, including Ruairi Robinson & Tyson Wade Johnston, worked to craft "films that serve as a gateway to our hopes, dreams... and nightmares." We posted a trailer last week, and now the first round of films are out. This is similar to Neill Blomkamp's Oats Studios or the Love Death + Robots series on Netflix, featuring fresh ideas brought vividly to life in films that are under 10 minutes. So...

"In the vastness of space and time, many tales weave into one, under the light of a thousand suns." There's an exciting original sci-fi series about to launch next week. A Thousand Suns is the latest creation from a filmmaker known as "Macgregor", produced by a company called Blackmilk Studio. There's not much out yet about the plot or the different stories. There will be a total of six anthology episodes to watch: Episode 1 - Ice; Episode 2 - Red; Episode 3 - Exodus; Episode 4 - Deal; Episode 5 - Bug; & Episode 6 - Tomorrow Land. Macgregor says his team of filmmakers, including Ruairi Robinson & Tyson Wade Johnston, worked to craft "films that serve as a gateway to our hopes, dreams... and nightmares." This seems like a sleek live-action anthology series akin to Love Death + Robots that will tell various sci-fi stories. I'm really digging the footage in this teaser, and will be...

Streamline brings us a captivating exploration of self-destruction; Jason Isaacs and Levi Miller team up in this emotionally charged tale of a young boy on the verge of sporting greatness only for his just released from prison father to disturb his equilibrium.

Just as our main character is, we are submerged into the idyllic setting of nature. Grey and green tones consume the screen in a dreamy manner only to be immediately interrupted by the familiar sound of an Apple alarm tone. The harsh reality of a 15-year-old boy trying to make it as a pro swimmer; non-stop early mornings come rain or shine, then a full day of school. The familiar sight of cupping bruises down his back and a toned physique insinuates the fact this boy is dedicated yet; it seems rest is in order before some life changing trails if he is going to fight his body’s state of fatigue.

Don’t expect the usual narrative arc for this surprising drama about an Olympics-aspiring swimmer navigating the choppy waters of adolescence

The talented athlete, the tough-love coach, the upcoming championship or tryout that will test the protagonist’s resolve. You know this story; you’ve seen it before. Providing any innovation in the highly templated sports movie is no easy task, but as writer-director Tyson Wade Johnston makes clear in his emotionally gripping swimming-themed coming-of-age film co-executive-produced by Ian Thorpe, the genre is evergreen so long as storytellers prioritise good drama over any achievement in the pool or on the field.

If you’re like me, you are not greatly moved by the feat of somebody shaving one hundredth of a second off another person’s freestyle record. But like in the 2016 TV adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ novel Barracuda, which also follows an Olympics-aspiring swimmer navigating the choppy waters of...

Director and producer Nadia Tass will chair the jury for this year’s CinefestOZ, which had its full line-up announced in Perth yesterday.

The filmmaker will helm voting on the $100,000 CinefestOZ prize, adjudicating in-competition finalists Here Out West, Nitram, River, and The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.

Tass is among the directors to have their work showcased at the event, with her documentary, Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story, announced among the Australian premieres in the line-up.

Speaking to If, she said the festival had always been “invigorating”.

“The event is so elegant, but at the same time it is not empty,” she said.

“There is so much about films that is discussed, both in terms of the creative process and films as pieces of entertainment or communication with an audience.

“They have really thought about how they are going to excite people to come to the event.”

Tass...

‘High Ground’.

With Melbourne cinemas closed and most of those still in operation averaging capacities of 10 – 20 per cent, Madman Entertainment sensibly has decided to release Stephen Johnson’s High Ground next year.

The 1930s-set drama, which stars Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey, Aaron Pedersen, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr, was originally slated to open on July 9.

It will join a number of other Aussie titles dated for 2021, including Glendyn Ivin’s Penguin Bloom (January 1) and Robert Connolly’s The Dry (April 8), both Roadshow releases.

Inspired by true events, scripted by Chris Anastassiades and produced by Maggie Miles, Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, Johnson, David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, High Ground has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special screenings section of the Berlin International Film Festival.

“High Ground obviously has had its trajectory post-Berlinale world premiere impacted by Covid-19,” Madman MD Paul Wiegard tells If.

“With...

‘Relic’

While some distributors are cutting back, Umbrella Entertainment plans to release approximately 18 titles in cinemas this year, up from 14 in 2019.

The distributor has high hopes for its Australian acquisitions which run the gamut of genres from drama, horror and Western to sci-fi.

“We’re passionate about overcoming the cultural cringe that Australian audiences still have a tendency to display and are dedicated to fostering new Australian talent,” Umbrella head of acquisitions Ari Harrison tells If.

“As a small, close-knit team, we aim to concentrate our efforts on films that we love and can support from the ground up. We want to work hand-in-hand with the filmmakers with the goal of getting their film ‘out there’ so that it finds its audience.

“Essentially we aim to ensure that the films we acquire have the capacity for national theatrical success in Australia and New Zealand, with potential for continued growth via their ancillary platforms.

Australian Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe said to be circling project as swim consultant.

Levi Miller, who starred in Pan opposite Hugh Jackman, will play the lead in and Jason Isaacs is in negotiations to join the Australian swim drama Streamline, which Arclight Films represents for worldwide sales.

The story centres on a 15-year-old swimming prodigy known simply as “Boy” who self-destructs after his father is released from jail. Isaacs would play the father.

Five-time Australian Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe is also said to be circling the project as a swim consultant and mentor for the production.

Commercials and...

‘Escape and Evasion.’

Bronte Pictures is set to produce four features next year after signing deals for two films and a feature documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Pascal Borno’s Conquistador Entertainment acquired worldwide rights to Storm Ashwood’s thriller Escape and Evasion, which follows a soldier who returns home in search of solace after his men are killed in Burma.

Instrum International agreed to handle global sales on Around the World, a documentary on freestyle football written and directed by David Amouzegh, Tom Cheve and Clement Reubrecht.

Vertical Entertainment collared North American rights to Ashwood’s debut feature The School, a supernatural horror/thriller which Bronte Pictures co-produced with Lunar Pictures’ Jim Robison.

The film starring Megan Drury as a surgeon whose son has fallen into a coma and who becomes trapped in an abandoned school where she is threatened by feral children, will open in Us...

Here’s the new Viewfinder List, the entertainment industry survey which polls studio executives, producers and creatives for their top 10 short films, commercials and/or music videos. This is similar to The Black List, as the Viewfinder List honors short form content and the directors who made them. The list was created by producer Jeff Schroeder, Aaron Schmidt (Langley Park Pictures) and Patrick Chu (FilmNation). In recent years, some of the shorts have been optioned and some of their directors have gotten jobs — and hey, the attention never hurts. This year’s top vote-getter, Fool’s Day, was directed by Cody Blue Snider, the son of Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. Here is the website where it is possible to watch the shorts:

Related:

Viewfinder List 2012

Viewfinder List 2011

Votes: 17

Fool’s Day, directed by Cody Blue Snider

Agents: WME – Roger Green, Solco Schuit

Managers: Circle of Confusion – Zach Cox

Votes: 15

Noah,...

This week I am finally far enough removed from Halloween to get back to a genre of short film I really enjoy and I hope you do too – science fiction! Lunar is set in the year 2057, the Us penitentiary system has become overburdened. In an attempt to provide relief a prison was built on the moon! Now some of you may think this sounds familiar, yes there was that awful movie Lockout that had a space station penitentiary. This however, makes use of that giant floating mass that we see in the sky at night, so that is pretty nifty. What differentiates the prison on the moon to normal prisons (besides the 238,900 miles) you may ask, there is no early parole, there is no sentence limit, nobody ever returns!

The story focuses on Heath Ryder and his attempt to escape the sinister lunar prison. Created by Tyson Wade Johnston, Lunar...

How is this as vote of confidence? About a week after his short film Lunar hit the web, CAA has signed Tyson Wade Johnston for representation. The 22-year-old Australian signed with the agency in a competitive situation generated by the buzz from the seven-minute short, which he wrote, directed and produced on a budget of around $5,000. Lunar is set in a strict robot-patrolled Los Angeles in 2057, and is centered on a man who is arrested after trying to steal bread for his family and is sent to the penal colony on the moon.

read more...

A few months ago we posted the trailer for this sci-fi short film called Lunar. Today we have the full short for you to watch, and as you'll see, it ended up being impressively cool! The short was written and directed by Tyson Wade Johnston, and this is the synopsis,

Set in Los Angeles City, 2057, an outlaw is captured and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment on the Lunar penitentiaries. To reunite with his family, he must become the first convict to escape the corrupt system and return to Earth.

This is a great story concept, and it's executed extremely well in this short. This is stunning work, and it's one of those shorts that I could see a studio picking up. Check it out for yourself!

It's time to experience a new vision of the future with Lunar, the latest short from up-and-coming sci-fi filmmaker Tyson Wade Johnston (follow him @TysonWade). Some of you may recognize that name, as we've featured Johnston's other short film Seed last year, plus the trailer for this new Lunar short back in June. I really admire Johnston's short films, he seems to have a grasp on storytelling, worldbuilding and visual effects and does a good job bringing all of these elements together in an entertaining package. Check out this short about an outlaw sentenced to imprisonment on the Moon who tries to escape. View it below. Synopsis from Vimeo: "Set in Los Angeles City, 2057, an outlaw is captured and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment in the Lunar penitentiaries. To reunite with his lost love, he must become the first convict to escape the corrupt system and return to Earth.

Here's an awesome concept trailer for a sci-fi thriller called Lunar. The trailer was written and directed by Tyson Wade Johnston, and this could be the next film concept to be picked up by a studio. It's got an impressive level of quality, and it seems like it has a cool story. Here's a short synopsis:

Set in Los Angeles City, 2057, an outlaw is captured and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment in the Lunar penitentiaries. To reunite with his lost love, he must become the first convict to escape the corrupt system and return to Earth.

Check out the concept trailer, and let us know if you think this will make for a good feature film.

Lunar (2013) Teaser from Tyson Wade Johnston on Vimeo.

 

Thanks to Gt reader Jeremy Stanz for sending this our way!

"I can fix all of this." Whoa. This looks really, really good. I just caught wind of a kick ass teaser trailer for a new sci-fi short film from Tyson Wade Johnston, a name you may not recognize yet but should be getting familiar with. Johnston is a talented up-and-coming filmmaker following the steps of Neill Blomkamp. His first short was called Seed, set on an distant alien planet, which we featured back in October. His next film is Lunar, set in the year 2057, about an outlaw sentenced to imprisonment on the Moon who tries to escape. The full short will be out later this summer, but this is an impressive tease with solid VFX work throughout. Synopsis from Vimeo: "Set in Los Angeles City, 2057, an outlaw is captured and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment in the Lunar penitentiaries. To reunite with his lost love, he must become the...

Give this one a chance, people! Another new sci-fi short has debuted in full online this week, and it was another we featured the trailer for previously. It's a film called Seed, directed by Tyson Wade Johnston, set on a planet named Gaia, where "an isolated mission and discovers unearthly horrors". Justin Zachary stars as the merc in this. While I know the reaction to the original short trailer when first posted it was very negative, I think this final product is pretty damn good. The visual effects are improved, it is a bit long, but tells an interesting story with some sleek, minimal, impressive sci-fi visuals. Try to enjoy what it does show. Watch the full-length short film Seed, made by Tyson Wade Johnston, in high def from Vimeo/YouTube: Set in the year 2071, where technology has brought mankind to the brink of colonization on a planet named Gaia,...

Here's a cool looking trailer for a sci-fi horror short film called Seed being directed by Tyson Wade Johnston. The movie looks like it has some promise, and I'm interested in seeing more. 

Heres' the Synopsis:

Set in the year 2071, where technology has brought mankind to the brink of colonization on a planet named Gaia, one man takes on an isolated mission and discovers unearthly horrors that could bring an end to life on this planet.

Watch the trailer for the independent short, and let us know if you like what you see!

Thanks to Gt reader Ronny for the heads up!