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Every year, hundreds of films are produced, but only a handful of them ever receive the expensive and sustained advertising push needed to muscle their way into the public consciousness. Most movies are completely unheard of to all but die-hard cinephiles and film festival-goers. Often there are incredible films hidden among these unknowns.

Earning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is no easy task. A perfect score may not mean that a film is perfect, but it does indicate that every critic has given it a good review. Whether they rely on stunning cinematography, breathtaking performances, or innovative storytelling, films that have achieved this high honor somehow manage to please everyone.

Paper Spiders Inverts the Mother/Daughter Dynamic It Showcases a Relationship Full of Both Love and Trauma

Paper Spiders centers on Dawn (Lili Taylor), a recently widowed woman struggling with mental illness, and Melanie (Stefania Lavie Owen), her teenage daughter. An uncomfortable...

Exclusive: Comedian Tom Papa has announced that his new Netflix special, Home Free, will premiere on the service on October 29.

Filmed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., the special is Papa’s third for the streamer, following What a Day (2022) and You’re Doing Great! (2020). In it, he holds nothing back, as his kids are finally out of the house and it’s just him, his wife and a bunch of animals ready to return to their glory days. Tom has seen a lot over the years, from close calls with a pachinko ball to late night 7-Eleven runs, and he’s sharing all his thoughts as he parties on into the next stage of life.

Troy Miller directed the special, executive produced by Brian Volk-Weiss and Cisco Henson. Comedy Dynamics served as the production company.

One of the best-known comics in the States, who has been working...

Entertainment Squad has acquired worldwide rights to Midas and will release the film, the feature debut of writer/director Tj Noel-Sullivan described as “a fresh and socially relevant take on the classic heist genre,” in theaters in the U.S. on June 28.

“The film follows a charismatic college dropout who recruits his best friends to rob the health insurer that denied his mom’s coverage,” said Entertainment Squad, the boutique distribution company founded by industry veteran Shaked Berenson. “After things take a dark turn, the trio must wrestle with the limits of their greed.”

Starring Laquan Copeland (The Dirty South), Preet Kaur (Finding Tony), Federico Parra (series The Equalizer), Lucy Powers (Voyeur), and Bob Gallagher (Bad Senator), the movie was shot in Hartford, Conn., which is nicknamed the “insurance capital of the world.”

The Hartford Film Company, founded by Noel-Sullivan, produced the film alongside Kristina Cuello and Erik Bloomquist.

“Midas...

Shaked Berenson’s Los Angeles-based Entertainment Squad has signed an output deal with Jessica Butland’s fast-rising Australian theatrical distributor Radioactive.

The companies collaborated on the New Zealand release of Lili Taylor mental health dramedy Paper Spiders (pictured) and the partnership continues later this year with the release of Sophie Galibert’s 2022 Tribeca Festival Audience Award winner Cherry later this year as well as horror-comedy Summoning Sylvia co-directed by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse.

Berenson and Butland are scouring for acquisitions at the Cannes market.

“We have been very impressed with the organisation Jessica has built within a very short period,...

Stupid Ears Films , Cellar Door Films produced.

Shaked Berenson’s production and distribution company Entertainment Squad has acquired Christopher Fox’s dramatic thriller Rub and is launching international sales on the Croisette this week.

Micah Spayer portrays Neal, a lonely everyman who is bullied at work and unlucky in love. At the suggestion of a co-worker he decides to go to a massage parlour which changes his life.

Jennifer Figuereo (Lola) plays a sex-worker who forms an unlikely bond with Neal. Westley Barrington Artope (The Get Down) and Pj Landers (Kingpin) round out the key cast.

Fox’s Stupid Ears...

Exclusive: Entertainment Squad has picked up North American rights to the critically acclaimed coming-of-age comedy Cherry, which won an Audience Award at SXSW last year upon its bow in the Online Premieres section. The film directed by Sophie Galibert and starring Alexandria Trewhitt (From Scratch) is slated for release in theaters this spring.

Related Story Oliver Stone Documentary ‘Nuclear Now’ Acquired By Abramorama, Giant Pictures Related Story Saudi Arabia's Film AlUla Begins Construction On Large Studio Complex Related Story 'Motherly' Lands U.S. Deal With Entertainment Squad Ahead Of Fright Fest London Bow

Written by Galibert, Arthur Cohen and Anne-Claire Jaulin, Cherry follows a young woman (Trewhitt) who has 24 hours to make the most important decision of her life: whether or not to keep an unplanned pregnancy.

Shincy Lu, Galibert, Phillipe Gompel and Cohen produced the pic, which also stars Hannah Alline (Doom Patrol) and Angela Nicholas (Deadwood).

Entertainment Squad...

Peyton List is a well-known name in the entertainment industry. With a career spanning several years, she has appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows.

In this article, we will look at all of Peyton List’s movies and TV shows, providing a complete and up-to-date list. From her early roles to her most recent appearances, we will examine the complete range of Peyton List’s work. Whether you’re a long-time fan or just discovering her for the first time, this article is the perfect guide to Peyton List’s movies and TV shows. So, if you want to know everything about Peyton List movies and TV shows, you’re in the right place.

Peyton List Movies

Peyton List made her first TV debut at age four in the soap opera “As the World Turns” and hasn’t stopped since then. The American actress has built an admirable acting and modeling career.

Shaked Berenson’s company sets September 1 US release.

Shaked Berenson’s LA-based distribution and sales company Entertainment Squad has acquired worldwide rights to the dramatic thriller Root Letter from Japan’s Ammo Inc. and California-based Ammo Entertainment and will launch international sales in Toronto.

Emmy-nominated Sonja O’Hara directed from David Ebeltoft’s adapted screenplay based on the video game from Kadokawa Games.

Danny Ramirez from Top Gun: Maverick stars as Carlos, an impoverished teen, who sets off to help an old school pen pal, Sarah, who tells him she has killed someone.

Carlos uncovers a criminal plot involving Sarah’s...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday revealed the 276 feature films that are eligible for consideration at the 94rd Oscars, which are set to air live March 27 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The number is 90 fewer than last year’s 366, but this year’s eligibility period was only 10 months.

To be eligible for Best Picture consideration, films must have submitted a confidential Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards entry as part of the submission requirements. Nominations voting begins January 27 and concludes on February 1. The Oscar nominations will be revealed on Tuesday, February 8.

Today’s news comes about a month after the Academy released its shortlists in the International Film, Documentary Feature, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Sound and the Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Shorts categories.

Here is the full list of films eligible for Best Picture at the 94rd annual Academy Awards,...

Exclusive: Yale Productions has signed producer Anne Clements of Idiot Savant Pictures to an overall deal, Deadline has learned.

Clements’ deal with the company led by partners Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman will see her shepherding the development and production of several new films in the coming year.

Her first feature, Quinceañera—helmed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland—won several major awards including the Sundance Film Festival’s coveted Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize, a Humanitas Prize and Film Independent’s John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature. She’s also worked on films including the Lili Taylor drama Paper Spiders and the comedy Stage Mother, starring Jacki Weaver, Lucy Liu and Adrian Grenier, along with such series as Fox’s Fantasy Island and Starz’s Bmf.

Past projects Clements has produced with Yale Productions include Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman; Mayim Bialik’s directorial debut, As Sick as They Made Us,...

The 31st annual Gotham Awards is a key stop in the awards season marathon, especially for lower-budget indies looking for some traction for the Oscars race. However, not every likely Oscar contender found itself up for Gothams, including “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and “The Harder They Fall,” as they exceeded the $35 million budget limit for nominees.

For the first time, international documentaries were eligible in the best documentary feature category. Additionally, the new award breakthrough nonfiction series is among category updates for the year, as well as outstanding lead performance, outstanding supporting performance and outstanding performance in a new series, from the television side. Outstanding lead performance, breakthrough performance and outstanding supporting performance were all gender neutral categories, with eight men and 14 women nominated.

Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” ran away with the evening, scoring the most amount of wins with prizes in best feature, breakthrough director for Maggie Gyllenhaal,...

The Gotham Awards were handed out on November 29 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. So who won at these annual indie film kudos from The Gotham Film and Media Institute, which streamed on YouTube and Facebook? Scroll down for the complete list of winners in all categories.

Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and “Passing” went in as the two most nominated films with five apiece, but that didn’t automatically mean they were the front-runners. Categories at these awards are judged by panels of just a handful of industry insiders, often leading to unexpected, under-the-radar winners. You can’t count anyone out at an event where unique juries review all the nominated material.

Seersvp now for November 30: Film producers panel with ‘Being the Ricardos,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘tick, tick… Boom!’

That means these awards can be quite idiosyncratic — they’re independent thinkers, and not...

The Gotham Awards took place on November 29 in Lower Manhattan, back in their usual prime slot at the start of the awards season. The event marks the first significant awards ceremony of the season, ahead of most critics groups and guilds.

Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.

Kristen Stewart received this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other...

by Nick Taylor

With the 2021 Gotham Awards just a week away, we thought it’d be fun to highlight a handful of nominated films that could use some attention. It’s always worthwhile to sort through that exclusive group of widely available, barely distributed, minimally buzzed films hiding between the noteworthy early releases and the awards players that won’t legally exist to the moviegoing public for a few more weeks. Inon Stampanier’s Paper Spiders, which earned an Outstanding Lead Performance nomination for Lili Taylor, falls safely into this lucky group. So, to start with a good film that deserves a moment in the spotlight, and as tribute to all the Lili Taylor gays out there, we begin our little tour here!

Paper Spiders - a title that won’t make any sense until the last few minutes - centers itself on the relationship between college-bound high school senior...

Ahead of a ceremony on November 29, this year’s Gotham Awards nominations have been unveiled, featuring some of the year’s finest cinema. Among the nominations are some personal favorites here at The Film Stage, including Drive My Car, Faya Dayi, The Worst Person in the World (a film that still doesn’t have an actual 2021 U.S. release date), Test Pattern, and El Planeta.

This year, the Gothams made a switch to have all performance categories be gender neutral, with those categories have been restructured into Outstanding Leading and Supporting Performance categories for feature films, joining the already existing Breakthrough Performer category.

Check out the film nominations for the Gotham Awards below.

Best Feature

The Green Knight

David Lowery, director; Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, David Lowery, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, producers (A24)

The Lost Daughter

Maggie Gyllenhaal, director; Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charles Dorfman,...

The annual Gotham Awards is, once again, the first prominent awards ceremony out of the gate during Oscar season, thanks to this morning’s nominations announcement. Films with budgets exceeding $35 million are automatically disqualified from Gotham Awards consideration. For this reason, major Oscar contenders from Netflix, such as Jane Campion’s Venice winner “Power of the Dog,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “Tick Tick Boom,” Jeymes Samuels’ “The Harder They Fall,” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” did not make the cut.

Prior to the nominations announcement, the Gotham Awards confirmed that Kristen Stewart would be the recipient of this year’s Performer Tribute thanks to her performance in “Spencer.” Other honorees include Eamonn Bowles (who is receiving the Industry Tribute), the cast of “The Harder They Fall” (receiving the Ensemble Tribute), and Campion (who is receiving the Director’s Tribute).

The Gotham Awards don’t always line up with the Oscars,...

Exclusive: Entertainment Squad has acquired rights to Motherly, a home invasion thriller directed by Craig David Wallace, ahead of its world premiere at Fright Fest London later this month. The Horror Collective, the genre label of Shaked Berenson’s Entertainment Squad, plans a day-and-date U.S. release November 16.

Avi Federgreen, Lucky Dime Films’ Laura Tremblay and Raven Banner Entertainment produced the pic. Raven Banner is repping international rights at the upcoming American Film Market.

The pic, penned by Wallace and Ian Malone, revolves around a single mother who is attacked by a vengeful couple who believe she’s responsible for their daughter’s murder. Lora Burke (Poor Agnes), Tessa Kozma (Hallmark’s A Christmas Carousel), Kristen MacCulloch (Psycho Goreman) and Nick Smyth (Video on Trial) star.

Wallace and Malone are behind the Canadian horror comedy series Todd & The Book of Pure Evil, for which they were recently nominated for a...

“Paper Spiders” opens on a dynamic played out in countless American coming-of-age stories, as bright-eyed high school senior Melanie (Stefania Lavie Owen) and her doting single mother Dawn (Lili Taylor) tour the USC college campus on which the former has her heart set. As Melanie gawps in wonder, Dawn surveys the place with a critical eye, asking neurotic, embarrassing mom questions about campus security and the like: California is, after all, practically a whole country away from their Erie Canal, and she’s not quite ready for her only child to fly that far from the nest. What parent can’t relate? Yet as Inon Shampanier’s heartfelt, honestly acted domestic drama unfolds, this needy mother-daughter bond turns less familiar and more frightening. It’s not the teen’s lack of protection anyone need fear once left to her own devices, but that of her increasingly irrational parent.

For Dawn,...

Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke toplines Lionsgate’s Above Suspicion, the Phillip Noyce-directed crime thriller that debuts in select theaters and on digital and on-demand platforms Friday. Jack Huston, Sophie Lowe, Austin Hébert, Karl Glusman, Chris Mulkey, Omar Miller, Kevin Dunn, Thora Birch and Johnny Knoxville also co-star in the film, which is based on a true story of one of the most notorious crimes in FBI history.

Clarke plays Susan Smith, a woman desperate to escape a seedy life of crime and drugs in a Kentucky coal mining town. When newly minted FBI agent Mark Putnam (Huston) recruits Susan as his informant for a high-profile case, she believes her bad luck may finally be changing. But as Susan and Putnam’s relationship deepens, so does the danger, setting them both on a collision course with deadly consequences.

“Shot in the area in which the real story took...

Dawn (Lili Taylor) is afraid. The neighbour has damaged the tree at the edge of her garden. It's just a little thing, but he's also been throwing things into her garden. Little things add up. She sees him watching her. Then, at night, she hears somebody just outside her house. Why won't anybody listen when she tries to get help?

In the vast majority of films, Dawn's fears would turn out to be justified. In the majority of real life situations, they would not. Daughter Melanie (Stefania Lavie Owen) loves her mum and wants to protect her, but gradually comes to the realisation that she might be seriously mentally ill.

A sensitive and artfully constructed film, Paper Spiders, which has its roots in co-writer Natalie Shampanier's own life experience, explores the relationship between two people trying to act rationally and lovingly in a world which makes less and less sense.

When filmmakers set out to tell stories about declining mental health it becomes something of a high wire act to engage an audience without exploiting the subject matter or plunging into melodrama. Without the tabloid lure of a famous life at its core, and in less careful hands, Paper Spiders was in danger of falling into the safety net of broken woman tropes we have seen too many time before.

Instead, co-writers Inon Shampanier (who also directs) and Natalie Shampanier have crafted a small but poignant and authentic look at the impact of psychosis, elevated by the powerful performances of Lili Taylor and Stefania Lavie Owen, and shaded by their real experiences. The Shampaniers were inspired by Natalie’s mother’s own struggle with persecutory delusional disorder.

Melanie (Stefania Lavie Owen) and her mum Dawn (Lili Taylor) share a close bond – drawn tighter by the sudden death of Mel’s...

Lili Taylor and Stefania Lavie Owen in Paper Spiders

A smart, sensitive and often funny story about supporting a loved one with a mental illness, Paper Spiders has won widespread acclaim from critics and will soon be available on a screen near you. It was written by husband and wife team Inon and Natalie Shampanier and directed by the former, with Lili Taylor playing Dawn, who suffers from delusional disorder, and Stefania Lavie Owen as her teenage daughter, Melanie. When Inon, Natalie and I met up to speak about it, I began by talking about the subgenre of films out there is which people – usually women – become convinced that somebody is out to get them. In most of those films, nobody will believe them, but their suspicions turn out to be justified. Was this film conceived as a more realistic take on that sort of premise?

They didn’t want to rely on a twist,...

"Do you have any idea what I'm going through!?" Entertainment Squad has released an official trailer for Paper Spiders, an indie drama from filmmaker Inon Shampanier (The Millionaire Tour). This originally premiered at the Boston and Warsaw Film Festivals last year, and opens in theaters starting this May. This award-winning coming-of-age drama is about a high-schooler trying any way she can to help her mother's deteriorating mental health after she begins to show signs of paranoid delusions. This heartfelt drama stars Peyton List, Lili Taylor, Max Casella, David Rasche, Stefania Lavie Owen, Jennifer Cody, Ian Nelson, and Tom Papa. Paper Spiders hits theaters across the country on May 7th, which is Mother's Day weekend and the start of Mental Health Awareness Month. This looks quite good, and very deeply moving. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Inon Shampanier's Paper Spiders, direct from YouTube: Dawn (Lili Taylor) recently lost her...

Entertainment Squad has picked up the North American rights to Paper Spiders, a comedy-drama from director by Inon Shampanier. Lili Taylor, Stefania Lavie Owen, Ian Nelson and Peyton List star in the indie film, which will be released in select theaters on Mother’s Day weekend and will be available to rent and own on North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms starting on May 7. Written by Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier, the plot follows a high school senior whose life turns upside down as her mother’s paranoid delusions spiral out of control.

Producers are Idiot Savant Pictures’ Anne Clements and the late Ash Christian of Cranium Entertainment who passed away last year. Cercamon is selling foreign rights at the current European Film Market.

“We are thrilled to share this film, which features outstanding performances from Lili Taylor and Stefania Lavie Owen as a mother-daughter grappling with mental illness,...

It’s been eight years since twin brother directing duo Ramon and Silvan Zürcher’s “The Strange Little Cat” caught the eye of audiences around the world, playing at major festivals in Turkey, India, Argentina, Portugal and beyond. The pair has finally returned, this time to Berlin, where their second feature of a trilogy on human togetherness, “The Girl and the Spider,” screens in the Encounters section.

Spread out across six small apartments and the micro-community which resides there, “The Girl and the Spider” turns primarily on Lisa, moving out, and her roommate Mara, left behind. As furniture is disassembled and reassembled, painting touched up and possessions divided, the future of several relationships hang in the balance as emotions swing to opposite extremes and loyalties are established and broken.

“The Girl and the Spider” is co-produced by Switzerland’s Beauvoir Film and the brother’s own label Zurcher Film. Dubai-based...

Exclusive: Lili Taylor (Perry Mason), Tamara Podemski (Four Sheets to the Wind) and Tom Pelphrey (Ozark) are set as series regulars opposite Josh Brolin in Amazon’s mystery drama Outer Range, from playwright Brian Watkins, Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and Amazon Studios.

Created by Watkins, Outer Range centers on Royal Abbott (Brolin), a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness.

Taylor will portray Cecilia Abbott, the matriarch of the Abbott family. Cecilia is a woman of deep faith, which she finds tested as never before. Podemski will play Deputy Sheriff Joy. A life-long cop, Joy is running for county sheriff, and is the first gay Native American to ever do so in Wyoming. Pelphrey is Perry Abbott, the dutiful, eldest Abbott son, who is torn up inside by the lingering mystery of his missing wife.

Watkins...

Mental illness isn’t an easy topic to adapt for the big screen since doing so oftentimes forces a writer into making the choice between pain and hope. Not everyone survives an affliction like delusional disorder and not everyone who suffers from it is able to hold onto a support system with the strength to help. For every story you hear about a person giving up his/her dream to be with someone they love as a constant tethered to reality comes another where the volatility became too much to bear before necessitating an escape with no turning back. There’s a delicate balance that must be struck between those ends of the spectrum because one generally doesn’t exist in isolation from the other. It’s a struggle without any clear answers.

For director Inon Shampanier and co-writer Natalie Shampanier to tackle something so complex is therefore commendable whether...

Exclusive: Stefania Lavie Owen, who has starred in Netflix’s Messiah and Hulu’s Chance, has joined the cast of Sweet Tooth.

Deadline understands that she is a series regular on the upcoming Netflix drama, which is based on the DC Vertigo comic and comes from Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey, Jim Mickle, Beth Schwartz and Warner Bros. TV.

Owen plays Bear, a teenage, dystopic activist who’s the leader of the Animal Army. Her army of teens leads a moral crusade, fighting against the humans that lead to society’s collapse while protecting all Hybrids.

She is the latest actor to join the series following the arrival of The Flash’s Neil Sandilands, who plays General Steven Abbot, and Dania Ramirez, Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie and Adeel Akhtar. Will Forte has a recurring role, while James Brolin serves as the narrator.

This comes as the...

Paper Spiders Cranium Entertainment/Idiot Savant Pictures Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Inon Shampanier Writer: Natalie Shampanier & Inon Shampanier Cast: Lily Taylor, Stefanía Lavie Owen, Peyton List, Ian Nelson, David Rasche, Max Casella, Michael Cyril Creighton, Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 9/18/20 You do not often see […]

The post Paper Spiders Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Inspired by personal experience with a loved one, husband-and-wife screenwriting partners Inon and Natalie Shampanier take a straightforward and empathetic approach to their story of one woman’s persecutory delusional disorder, or what’s sometimes referred to in lay terms as paranoia. Paper Spiders is a message film, but one that’s spiked with welcome humor, and its excellent cast is led by the reliably compelling Lili Taylor as the afflicted woman, tormented and tormenting, and Stefania Lavie Owen as her smart and sensitive daughter.

The film is concerned with dispelling the shame attached to mental illness, as well as the ...

Inspired by personal experience with a loved one, husband-and-wife screenwriting partners Inon and Natalie Shampanier take a straightforward and empathetic approach to their story of one woman’s persecutory delusional disorder, or what’s sometimes referred to in lay terms as paranoia. Paper Spiders is a message film, but one that’s spiked with welcome humor, and its excellent cast is led by the reliably compelling Lili Taylor as the afflicted woman, tormented and tormenting, and Stefania Lavie Owen as her smart and sensitive daughter.

The film is concerned with dispelling the shame attached to mental illness, as well as the ...

Ash Christian, an Emmy award-winning producer, actor, filmmaker and founder of Cranium Entertainment, died in his sleep on Thursday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was 35.

Born on Jan. 16, 1985, in Paris, Tex., Christian began writing and directing short films at the age of 14, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams just two years later. He wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film, “Fat Girls,” in 2006 at just 19 years old. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won an award for outstanding emerging talent at L.A. Outfest.

In 2014, Christian won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding special-class short-format daytime program for “mI Promise.” He shared the award with his producing partner Anne Clements and executive producers Lauralee Bell and Scott Martin.

Christian went on to act in several television shows including “The Good Fight,” “The Good Wife” and “Law and Order,” but found his true calling with production.

Ash Christian, an Emmy Award-winning producer, actor and filmmaker, died in his sleep on Thursday, August 13 while vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was 35 years old. Ash was a prolific filmmaker, with numerous projects in various stages of production, including many set to start filming this year. Under his own company, Cranium Entertainment, Christian developed and produced thought-provoking feature films for both specialized and mainstream audiences. He went on to produce dozens of award-winning films and productions, including Hurricane Bianca, 1985, Hello Again, Social Animals, and Coyote Lake. His current projects included As Sick As They Made Us, Mayim Bialik’s directorial debut starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen and Simon Helberg; Nightfall with Matt Bomer and Sam Worthington, directed by Addison McQuigg (Bloodline); and The Sixth Reel, directed by and starring Charles Busch and co-directed by Carl Andress; Chick Fight with Malin Akerman, Fortune Feimster, and Alec Baldwin; and Paper Spiders,...

The coming-of-age film Paper Spiders will open a virtual version of the Dances With Films Festival, the producers announced today.

Dwf:la’s 2020 lineup has more than 200 titles, including narrative features, documentaries, pilots, web series, music videos, short films, and films by young people. The entire festival, running Thursday August 27 through Sunday September 6, will be in real time, allowing interactive experiences, including a virtual red carpet, lounges with trivia nights and signature cocktails, panel discussions, and Q&a sessions.

Ticket prices will be lowered this year, owing to the virtual setup. Pre-sale tickets start at $11 through August 26 and then will go to $15. Tickets will be available on the website, http://dwfla.com

Paper Spiders stars Lili Taylor, Stefania Lavie Owen, Peyton List and Max Casella. The film is directed by Inon Shampanier and written by Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier. The story is a bittersweet coming of age mother/daughter tale that...

Exclusive: Dubai-based Cercamon has boarded international sales on Paper Spiders, starring Lili Taylor, Stefania Lavie Owen and Peyton List. The drama will be handled by Cercamon outside North America and will be proffered to buyers, including a promo reel, at the Efm which kicks off today in Berlin.

The film is directed by Inon Shampanier and is based on his and Natalie Shampanier’s original screenplay. It tells a bittersweet coming of age story in the shadow of mental illness. Recently-widowed Dawn experiences growing anxiety as her daughter Melanie plans to move away for college. An altercation with a hostile new neighbor aggravates Dawn’s condition and she begins to show signs of paranoid delusions. Melanie attempts a series of interventions to help her mom, but Dawn’s paranoia spirals out of control. Challenging Dawn’s reality of persecution threatens to destroy their loving relationship. Melanie is forced to make...

Exclusive: Former Disney Channel star Peyton List is set to play opposite Lili Taylor and Stefania Lavie Owen in Paper Spiders, the Inon Shampanier-directed indie drama about coming-of-age in the shadow of mental illness. Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier wrote the script for the film, which will shoot in in Syracuse, NY.

List will play the best friend to Owen’s character, Melanie, a high school senior struggling to help her mother Dawn (Taylor), whose paranoid delusions spiral out of control.

Producers are Anne Clements of Idiot Savant Pictures and Cranium Entertainment’s Ash Christian.

List is perhaps best known for her role as Emma Ross in Disney Channel’s Jessie series and its spinoff Bunk’d. She also starred in the Hulu series, Light As A Feather, and recurred on n YouTube Red’s Cobra Kai series. On the film side, she’ll next appear in MGM’s Valley Girl musical comedy remake.

Exclusive: Lili Taylor and Stefania Lavie Owen have been set to star in Paper Spiders, an indie drama that is being directed by Inon Spampanier based on a script by Inon Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier. Shooting gets underway this month in Syracuse, NY.

Owen, currently onscreen in Harmonie Korine’s The Beach Bum, is playing Melanie, a high school senior struggling to help her mother Dawn (Taylor), whose paranoid delusions spiral out of control. The pic is described as a bittersweet story about coming of age in the shadow of mental illness.

Idiot Savant Pictures’ Anne Clements and Cranium Entertainment’s Ash Christian are producing.

Taylor’s recent film credits include The Nun and upcoming indie The Evening Hour. She’s reppped by Apa and Untitled Entertainment. Owen, next up in the Netflix suspense thriller Messiah, is with Paradigm and McKeon/Myones Entertainment. Natalie and...