News

By now we are used to seeing Actors on Actors every awards season, but one aspect of many of the performances that stand out in the best films of 2024 has been seeing actors as actors. Whether it be Golden Globe winners Demi Moore and Sebastian Stan, who in “The Substance” and “A Different Man,” respectively, both play performers whose brains have been tied in knots by society’s perception of their appearance, to “Sing Sing” stars Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin, and “Ghostlight” star Keith Kupferer all giving Independent Spirit Award-nominated turns in films about men who find healing through the craft of acting on stage. Though each applicable film is executed so differently, they do all point to the creative profession being increasingly compelling subject matter.

“People are drawn to actors because there is this mystery around how do you tap into that thing? How do you do it?...

Kathryn Bernardo is a very good girl gone bad in Petersen Vargas‘ easy-to-digest revenge thriller shown on Netflix. The Filipino actress who has been dominating the country’s TV- and cinema screens since her childhood delivers her standardly good performance in a role that carries the film. Her very presence already guarantees a large viewership, and so does Dolly De Leon‘s which is something Vargas had most probably calculated on from the beginning. Both women are audience magnets and although their full potential isn’t even required for the two roles, they do shine. It is the clash of these two screen titans that brings back the spirit of the 1980s and briefly resurrects the memories of epic wars between Alexis (Joan Collins) & Cristal (Linda Evans) in “Dynasty”. But for that candle to burn longer, we would need more finely developed dramatic moments and less dramatic tears.

Click on...

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s deeply moving drama Ghostlight made a splash last year following its Sundance Film Festival premiere and subsequent summer release. Now, one of Thompson’s prior features, the psychological thriller Rounding, which premiered back at Tribeca Festival in 2022, is now finally getting a release next month. Led by Namir Smallwood, Michael Potts, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always star Sidney Flanigan, the new trailer has now arrived ahead of a February 14 theatrical and digital release.

Here’s the synopsis: “After a traumatic incident during his residency, young medical student James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start. Observing that James is struggling and having difficulty connecting with patients, Dr. Harrison (veteran stage and screen actor Michael Potts) suggests he take a class focused on bedside manner and facilitating deeper relationships with patients. The demons of James’s past begin to catch...

“Ghostlight” and “Saint Frances” writer/director Alex Thompson is back onscreen with another festival hit: “Rounding.”

Thompson’s latest psychological thriller stars “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” breakout Sidney Flanigan as an asthma patient who starts to experience mysterious symptoms. Her stay at the hospital intersects with the arrival of young medical student James Hayman (Namir Smallwood), who previously endured a traumatic incident during his residency before transferring to a rural hospital for a fresh start.

Per the official synopsis, “the demons of James’ past begin to catch up with him when he becomes consumed by the case, and his grip on reality starts to slip as his disturbing nightmares, anxiety-fueled speculations, and physical injuries collide with the harsh realities of the world of medicine.”

Michael Potts and Rebecca Spence also star.

“Rounding” premiered at Tribeca 2022, and went on to screen at Rooftop and the Chicago International Film Festival. The film...

Chicago – It’s New Year’s Eve, so what better day for a look-back to the 10 Best Films of 2024, a soul search exercise in experiences. How do you break down a hundred and a half films in a year to a 10 in the end? Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm gives it his best shot.

If there was one trend that defined 2024, in my observation, was the perhaps beginning of the end of the superhero genre? The only huge hit was Deadpool & Wolverine ($640M), with Venom: The Last Dance in second ($132M) barely reaching its budget in domestic box office. Madame Web, Kraven The Hunter and Joker: Folie Á Deux were box office duds.

I format my 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm and occasional appearances on Missourinet.com. Each of the 10 Best will be in the on-air or audio format for your listening pleasure.

In “Hangdog,” the narrative unfolds with Walt, an aspiring artist adrift in a sea of self-doubt and ennui, who finds himself in the quaint yet disorienting town of Portland, Maine. The initial incident—a moment of neglect where he loses his girlfriend Wendy’s beloved dog, Tony—serves as both a catalyst and a mirror.

This seemingly trivial event spirals into a chaotic quest that reveals the fragility of Walt’s identity and his fraught relationship with Wendy, characterized by her ambition and his inertia. Their dynamic is steeped in the complexities of modern love, where affection is often overshadowed by existential dread.

As Walt starts on a frantic search for Tony, his decision-making process is marred by impulsivity and desperation, reflecting the quintessential struggles of a man grappling with inadequacy. The following chaos—marked by encounters with an eccentric cast of Portland locals—illuminates his failings and the absurdity of his situation.

Visit Films, an independent film sales company is making considerable headway in the global film market. Under Ryan Kampe’s direction, the company has obtained distribution deals for various films, demonstrating the growing international interest in independent filmmaking.

Recent sales have highlighted some outstanding titles. Among them is “Good One,” a gripping backpacker drama by India Donaldson. This film has achieved traction in several key regions, with distributors including Pt Falcon in Indonesia, Big Tree in India, and Gulf Film in the Middle East. Must See Magic has also acquired it in the Cis, Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand, and Starcat in Japan. Conic has also secured rights in the United Kingdom and Ireland after recent acquisitions in France and the Benelux.

Another noteworthy title is “Ghostlight,” a drama developed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thomson that premiered at Sundance. This film has received international notice, with Vendetta...

US sales firm Visit Films has continued to sell widely across its slate, of titles from Cannes, Toronto, SXSW, and Sundance.

India Donaldson’s backpacking drama Good Oneis headed to Indonesia (Pt Falcon), India (Big Tree), the Middle East (Gulf Film), Cis (Must See Magic), Australia-New Zealand (Madman Entertainment) and Japan (Starcat). Previously announced deals closed in France and Benelux and multiple territories are in negotiation, with Conic having acquired for UK-Ireland last week.

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thomson’s Sundance drama Ghostlight has sold to Australia-New Zealand (Vendetta), Latin America (Encripta), Greece (Cinobo), Japan (Nikkatsu) and worldwide airlines excluding...

Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in ‘Anora’ (Courtesy of Neon)

Sean Baker’s Anora and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow lead the Film Independent Spirit Awards 2025 film nominees, with Shōgun topping the list of television nominees. On the film side, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow collected six nominations, followed by Didi with four and Janet Planet, The Apprentice, and Sing Sing with three.

Shōgun scored five Spirit Awards TV nominations, with Baby Reindeer and English Teacher earning four nominations each.

“Since we held our first ceremony in 1985 at a restaurant on La Cienega to last year’s show when viewers around the world joined us at the Santa Monica Beach to celebrate the work of so many artists, Film Independent has continued to support independent filmmakers and enable them to achieve their vision at every stage of their career,” stated Josh Welsh,...

This morning saw the announcements of the 40th edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. The big picture nominees include titles like the film festival darling The Substance, as well as Anora, which is getting high accolades for Mikey Madison‘s performance and Sean Baker’s writing and direction. A24 would naturally snag a ton of nominations that total a whopping 19. This beats last year’s 11-nomination count.

The Independent Spirit Awards will be taking place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, and is set to be held at Santa Monica beach. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant will return as the host. The in-person ceremony will be available to stream live on IMDb and Film Independent YouTube channels, and across other social platforms. You can find the full list of nominations, courtesy of Deadline, below.

Best Feature (Award given to the producer)

Anora

Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan...

Nominations for the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards are in!

The awards show celebrates films budgeted at less than $30 million to produce and must be considered “independent.” There are also TV categories!

For the films, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow got six nominations each. Shogun got the most TV nominations with five total.

The show will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, with Aidy Bryant hosting.

Keep reading to find out more…

Scroll down for the full list of nominees…

Best Feature

Anora

Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow

Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys

Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing

Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton

The Substance

Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner

Best First Feature

Dìdi

Director/Producer: Sean Wang

Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters...

Wow… has it really been 40 years? It sure has, and that’s a reason to celebrate! From our first year at a restaurant on La Cienega Blvd. to a worldwide live stream, the Film Independent Spirit Awards have grown a lot.

That first year the awards, then called the Findie (Friends of Independents) Awards, awarded both Marty & Joel Coen the Best Director prize. Since then, we’ve celebrated artists like Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, Whit Stillman, Robert Rodriguez and Kasi Lemmons, among many, many others. Next month on the blog, we’ll take deep dive into all the history of the awards, so make sure to check back with us to read all about the last 40 years of the Spirit Awards!

This year, we’re headed back to the beach in Santa Monica with returning host and Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant. The show, which will be held at the beach in Santa Monica,...

Nominations have been revealed for the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 22. The film nominations were led by “Anora” and “I Saw the TV Glow” with six each. In the television categories, “Shōgun” garnered the most nominations with five, followed closely by “Baby Reindeer” and “English Teacher” with four apiece. Watch the announcement here and see the full list below.

Julio Torres did well here with four nominations across his feature directorial debut “Problemista” and Max series “Fantasmas.” Indies like “Dídi,” “Janet Planet,” “Sing Sing,” “Ghostlight,” “The People’s Joker,” “In the Summers,” “The Substance,” and “Nickel Boys” also had a good day, racking up multiple nominations across the board. Netflix enjoys multiple nods, for “The Piano Lesson” and “His Three Daughters,” two movies poised to enter into the Oscar race.

The 2024 Spirit Award winners were led by “Past Lives,” “The Holdovers,” and “American Fiction,...

The nominations for the 2025 Spirit Awards have been revealed.

Anora and I Saw the TV Glow lead with six nods each. On the TV side, Shogun dominates with five noms, followed by Baby Reindeer and English Teacher with four each.

Both Anora and I Saw the TV Glow are up for the top prize of best feature, where they’ll face off against three-time nominee Sing Sing (also up for best lead performance for Colman Domingo and supporting performance for Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin) and double nominees Nickel Boys (also up for best cinematography for Jomo Fray) and The Substance (also up for best lead performance for star Demi Moore).

Anora and I Saw the TV Glow are also up for best director (Sean Baker for Anora and Jane Schoenbrun for I Saw the TV Glow), lead performance (Mikey Madison for Anora and Justice Smith for I Saw the TV Glow...

The 40th Annual Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced live on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:00am Pacific/10:00am Eastern on Film Independent’s YouTube channel. Scroll down for the full list of contenders, and find out who wins during a ceremony hosted by comedian Aidy Bryant on Feb. 22, 2025.

The Spirit Awards honor the best achievements in low-budget American filmmaking and and now breakthrough TV programs as well, as decided by the members of Film Independent. The nominating committees comprised writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals. Winners are chosen by film industry insiders as well as everyday film lovers who pay their yearly dues to be part of Film Independent. Members have access to Film Independent’s exclusive nominee screening room online, as well as a number of awards season experiences including special screenings and Q&As.

Film Independent...

Awards season is chugging right along. Next up are the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor the best and brightest in indie cinema and television. To qualify, a film's budget must not exceed $30 million, which means major blockbusters like Wicked and Gladiator II are, obviously, out of the running.

This year,...

Music Box Films’ genre label Doppelgänger Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to director Alex Thompson’s thriller “Rounding” from world sales company Visit Films.

The tense and chilling sophomore feature debuted in 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival and screened at the Chicago Film Festival. Doppelgänger Releasing will open “Rounding” on Jan. 3 in select theaters. The film will hit digital platforms on Feb. 18.

“Rounding” stars Namir Smallwood (“American Rust”), Sidney Flanigan (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Michael Potts, and Tony Award-winning director David Cromer.

After a traumatic experience while treating an elderly patient near the end of her life, resident doctor James Hayman (Smallwood) transfers to a rural hospital in Greenville, Illinois, for the second year of his residency for a fresh start. Having trouble connecting with patients, his superior Dr. Harrison (Potts) urges him to be more personable and take a “Bedside Technique” class.

When James becomes consumed with...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on October 31st, reviewing the film “The Graduates,” a fictional account regarding mourners one year after a tragedy. The film opened in select theaters November 1st, and will roll out through November, see local listings.

A high school was the victim of a mass shooting, and the film is set one year later. The story concerns how three people deal with the loss of a popular student named Tyler. The mourners are two students … Tyler’s girlfriend Genevieve (Mina Sundwall) and best friend Ben (Alex Hibbert), who left the school after the incident… and the school’s basketball coach/Tyler’s father John (John Cho). Each are dealing with the loss in their own way, and each have one more step in the process of coming to terms.

”The Graduates” is in select theaters through November.

Change can be difficult to process no matter how old we are. It can be especially paralyzing during our adolescence when we experience so many things for the first time. We change schools, part ways with our old friends, and try to find a new path. All these things change us in some ways. Hannah Peterson’s “The Graduates” explores the same overwhelming pressure through the eyes of high school students processing a similar sense of transition. Simultaneously, it presents them processing a recent tragedy and how their journeys have more in common than one may assume.

The script mainly follows Genevieve (Mina Sundwall), a young high-school student on her way to graduation. Her close friend, Ben (Alex R. Hibbert) suddenly returns from his school elsewhere, hoping to finish his course remotely before their college. He gets his old part-time job back and seems eager to gain something he has lost during his absence.

To see, as we do in writer-director Hannah Peterson’s debut feature, The Graduates, young adults handing over their backpacks for inspection and flashing ID cards to security personnel as a matter of their morning routine feels uncanny and dystopian, even to those of us who were young at the time of the Jonesboro and Columbine shootings. The film doesn’t exactly encode outrage over political inaction on gun control, but it might well provoke it.

This somber drama about a community reckoning with the violent death of six high-schoolers knows that sometimes words, whether angry or distraught, often aren’t sufficient. It opens with several dialogue-free minutes, with Vicki (Kelly O’Sullivan), a teacher, approaching a memorial to the murdered students in a silent and darkened school hallway, while 12th-grader Genevieve (Mina Sundwall) impassively proceeds through a security checkpoint.

The subdued soundscape persists throughout The Graduates, in interactions broken apart...

Indie genre director Mickey Keating, who broke out with films such as 2015’s “Darling” and 2016’s “Carnage Park,” has wrapped shooting on his latest movie, the crime drama “Crooks.”

The film stars Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”), Angela Trimbur (“Quiz Lady”), Chase Williamson (“John Dies At the End”) and Melora Walters (“Magnolia”).

Per the logline, “Two small-time crooks rob a mob-run poker game in Chicago. Things immediately go wrong, resulting in a high-stakes adventure through the Midwest.”

“’Crooks’ is an incredible opportunity for me to break into the crime movie genre, which I’ve been hoping to do since I started my career,” Keating said in a statement. “This film is a highly stylized celebration of aesthetics ranging from noir to heist to western. I think anyone familiar with my work will see this as a natural progression from my previous films.”

Keating shot the movie in Chicago alongside producers Eddie Linker,...

"Sounds like you're screwed." Ahaha yeah you tell him. Good Deed Entertainment has revealed the official trailer for an indie film titled Hangdog, shot in Maine and set in Maine. This first premiered last year at a bunch of regional film festivals and it will be getting a VOD release in October for anyone who wants to watch. An anxiety-ridden 30-something named Walt embarks on a desperate quest through Portland, Maine to retrieve his stolen dog before his girlfriend returns from a trip – or risk losing them both. Husband & wife filmmakers "Matt and Jen have crafted a charming and engaging grown-up film in Hangdog, and it’s our pleasure to be a part of bringing this crowdpleaser to audiences nationwide this October." Starring Desmin Borges as Walt, Kelly O'Sullivan, Barbara Rosenblat, Steve Coulter, and Catherine Curtin. This looks like an amusing, light, and mostly enjoyable indie comedy giving us a...

Good Deed Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to Hangdog, a comedy movie starring Desmin Borges and Kelly O’Sullivan.

Director Matt Cascella’s feature is scheduled for release via digital platforms on Oct. 25, which will be preceded by advance theatrical screenings in select cities. Rounding out the cast are Barbara Rosenblat, Steve Coulter, Catherine Curtin and rescue dog-turned-performer Mr. Tibbs.

Set in Portland, Maine, Hangdog centers on Walt (Borges), who deals with anxiety while attempting to retrieve his stolen dog before his girlfriend, Wendy (O’Sullivan), returns from a business trip.

The film earned audience awards at the Woods Hole and New Hampshire Film Festivals. It has also screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival, the Berkshire International Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival.

Cascella helmed the film from a script by Jen Cordery. Cascella, Borges, Alyssa Roehrenbeck and Patrick White serve as producers.

“Matt and Jen have crafted...

Indie distributor The Future of Film is Female will release “The Graduates,” the directing debut from Hannah Peterson, in theaters across the U.S. starting Nov. 1.

The first distribution partnership for founder Caryn Coleman’s The Future of Film is Female will begin its roll out in theaters at Metrograph in New York. The distributor plans to release select independent films directed by women or nonbinary directors with a bespoke distribution plan for each film.

“The Graduates” stars Mina Sundwall alongside John Cho, Alex Hibbert, Yasmeen Fletcher, Ewan Manley, Maria Dizzia and Kelly O’Sullivan. In the coming of age drama, Sundwall plays a young woman as she prepares to graduate high school in the aftermath of a tragic event.

It premiered at 2023’s Tribeca Film Festival, winning the best cinematography award on for D.P. Carolina Costa.

Written, directed and edited by Peterson, “The Graduates” is executive producted by Chloé Zhao,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Beast (Bertrand Bonello)

Where to begin with Bertrand Bonello’s wonderful The Beast? It’s been so gratifying to see the initial reaction to the French filmmaker’s tenth feature, after several decades of increasingly remarkable work––the majority of it dark, beautiful, and sleazy. In fact, for what a discomforting and despairing experience much of The Beast is, when I’ve thought back its moments of real, uncomplicated cinematic pleasure, its verve and sense of joyousness, are what mark my memories. It’s romantic, without a capital-r. – David K. (full review)

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Challengers (Luca Guadagnino)

Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers opens in an intentionally disorienting manner: We are in New Rochelle, New York for a tennis challenger.

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight is an emotional drama centered around a grieving family, particularly the father who is coping with the tragedy. The family of three, Dan (Keith Kupferer), Sharon (Tara Mallen), and Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), is played by the real-life couple and their daughter, respectively. The description does not quite prepare you for what you are about to witness. Ghostlight is a sweet, subtle reminder of how often humans, in their worst of times, can find comfort in the arts and community. The film does not reveal until the end what was troubling Dan and his family, and the incident does not come off as the big revelation that it might sound like because throughout the film the family chooses not to talk about it. And it was only during a court hearing that they recalled the incident. Overall, Ghostlight is an emotional watch, emphasizing...

The directorial debut of Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts (writers of Prime Video’s recent rom-com Upgraded), The Duel, is one of the more star-studded independent films in recent memory, boasting a cast led by recognizable faces like Dylan Sprouse and Patrick Warburton. Although it has thin characters and occasionally repetitive humor, The Duel is an entertaining satire that is just provocative enough to work.

The Duel follows two former best friends who find themselves at a crossroads when one sleeps with the other’s girlfriend. This leads them to a mysterious estate, where they engage in a ritual duel to the death. Matthews and Roberts take some very ambitious swings with their directorial debut, and while they don’t all work, it’s at least an intriguing work of satire.

Suggestedi Saw Despicable Me 4 Four Times in a Row in Theaters and Survived. Here’s What Happened… The Duel...

Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast!

I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline. Today, I am chatting with actress Dolly De Leon, veteran stage and screen actress from the Philippines whose star is on the rise in Hollywood.

She received her long-overdue international breakout role in Ruben Östlund’s 2022 critically-acclaimed feature Triangle of Sadness, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters by Neon.

De Leon was awarded the Best Supporting Actor prize by the LA Film Critics Association and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role—the first Filipino to be nominated in an acting category at either association.

More recently, De Leon starred in the Filipino box office sensation A Very Good Girl co-starring Kathryn Bernardo, the drama...

As festivals have increasingly endeavored to showcase more diverse talent, benchmarks of inclusivity occasionally run the risk of feeling like a dutiful checklist.

The Bentonville Film Festival, though, has celebrated — and elevated — underrepresented voices since its inception. Returning for its 10th edition from June 10-16, the northwest Arkansas festival has always taken as its mission statement the centering of work from not only LGBTQ+ and Bipoc creators but also other historically marginalized groups.

That focus shouldn’t be surprising, given that the festival’s roots stretch back to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a nonprofit research organization the actor founded after noticing the disparity in female characters while watching TV series and movies with her daughter.

While co-founder Davis remains Bentonville Film Festival’s chair, president Wendy Guerrero and artistic director Drea Clark, with a combined 19 years of experience with the festival, provide stability and steerage.

“The...

Playwright Annie Baker has already experienced tremendous success on the stage, having won a Pulitzer Prize for her play The Flick and a MacArthur Genius Grant for “mining the minutiae of how we speak, act, and relate to one another and the absurdity and tragedy that result from the limitations of language.” This philosophy is incredibly evident in her subtly moving film debut Janet Planet, which offers an invigorating take on familiar beats and ideas.

Janet Planet follows an introverted 11-year-old girl, Lucy, who spends the summer with her mother Janet, as they spend time with three people who affect them in profoundly different ways. It’s an incredibly restrained, unfussy film that refuses to pander to the audience in narrative or exposition, but it does reward patience in incredible ways.

SUGGESTEDGhostlight Actress Dolly De Leon Discusses Her Booming Career and Her Role in the Amazing Indie (Interview)

Janet Planet is a subtle,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Robot Dreams,” a co-directorial collaboration between Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan of 2019’s “Saint Frances,” from a Kelly O’Sullivan script. Currently in theaters, including Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Based on a popular graphic novel, this Best Animated Feature nominee from this year’s Oscars was created by Pablo Berger in a co-production from Spain/France. The story involves a lonely Dog who finds joy and companionship with a mail order Robot. Their adventures together are interrupted by a beach outing that causes the Robot to be trapped, rusting away on the beach. Can they overcome this separation?

”Robot Dreams” is in theaters Now, including (click link) the Gene Siskel Film Center. Screenplay adapted and directed by Pablo Berger. Not Rated.

Click Here for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “Robot Dreams”

Robot Dreams

Photo credit: Neon...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Ghostlight,” a co-directorial collaboration between Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan of 2019’s “Saint Frances,” from a Kelly O’Sullivan script. Currently in theaters since June 14th.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Dan (Keith Kupferer) is a middle-aged construction worker grieving a family tragedy, and has cut himself off from his devoted wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and talented but troubled daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), Through an accidental circumstance, Dan finds comfort and community in a misfit company of amateur actors. While performing for the first in a low-rent production of a Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Dan is forced to confront his buried emotions.

”Ghostlight” is in theaters Now, since June 14th. Featuring Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Dolly De Leon, Dexter Zollicofer and H.B. Ward. Written by Kelly O’Sullivan. Directed by Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan. Rated “R”

Click...

It was an Inside Out specialty weekend, fairly quiet and with a stream of indies films and more wide releases. The schedule is starting to recover from a strike-induced slump that, however, provided oxygen to some indies.

Small films have been competing for screens with majors at arthouses from Alamo Drafthouse to Landmark since theaters reopened post-Covid and the more of them there are, the harder it is. It’s nice to see major back and the broader box office on a solid footing. But it would also be nice to see more indie breakouts like Civil War, Late Night With The Devil, Immaculate, Wicked Little Letters, One Life or Love Lies Bleeding.

“June is crowded” with indies now, says one distributor. And theaters “don’t have space to support indies in a meaningful way.”

Others are heartened by recent wide-release blowouts. “It’s still a tough market. But I...

In the acclaimed Sundance drama Ghostlight, the heart and soul of the film is the performances. However, what is intriguing about the film is that the main family is played by a family of real-life actors: Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen, and their daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer.

We at FandomWire got the opportunity to speak with the Kupferers about their roles in Ghostlight and what it was like to work together as a family.

Ghostlight Interview

FandomWire: One of the interesting things about your performances in Ghostlight is that you are a family of actors playing a family. Did you find this exciting? Intimidating? Helpful?

Tara Mallen: Was it intimidating?

Katherine Mallen Kupferer: No. I think it was probably more helpful than anything else. Because we already had this built-in chemistry that we didn’t have to work on or try to create since we are a real family. A lot...

Filmmakers Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan made a big splash with their feature debut Saint Frances, which won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2019 before going on to win the John Cassavetes award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Their latest feature, Ghostlight, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it was one of the most acclaimed films of the fest.

We at FandomWire got the opportunity to speak with Thompson and O’Sullivan about Ghostlight, along with their exciting budding careers.

Ghostlight Interview

FandomWire: I think although there are certainly some similarities between your films, they’re all very different in style, tone, and theme. How do you see your approach as filmmakers evolving from your first film to Ghostlight?

Alex Thompson: I’ve always appreciated the storytellers who don’t preempt judgment on their characters and on the scenario, sort of let them be. And I think making...

Filipina actress Dolly De Leon burst onto the international scene in 2022 when she appeared in the Palme d’Or-winning, Best Picture-nominated satire Triangle of Sadness. Although her career on stage and screen has spanned several decades, the lauded turn has earned De Leon an incredible amount of work in both independent and mainstream projects.

FandomWire got the opportunity to speak with De Leon about her latest role in the indie drama Ghostlight.

Ghostlight Interview

FandomWire: Ever since your incredible turn in Triangle of Sadness, you’ve been in massive demand. I’ve already seen you in two films this year, and there’s a third on the way. Do you find it exciting to have this much work coming in? Tiring?

Dolly De Leon: Both. I can’t complain. I mean, if I’m tired, that’s part of it. It’s better to be tired working than to be tired not doing anything.

Many people know David Duchovny for his years playing Agent Mulder on the popular sci-fi series The X-Files, but he’s also a very accomplished writer. For his second outing in the director’s chair, Duchovny adapted his own novel, Bucky F*cking Dent, into the poignant dramedy Reverse the Curse.

We at FandomWire got the opportunity to talk with Duchovny, along with stars Logan Marshall-Green and Stephanie Beatriz, about Reverse the Curse.

Reverse the Curse Interview

FandomWire: All of you have varying degrees of connection to New York. I have to ask… was it hard having to root for the Red Sox in this movie?

Logan Marshall-Green: I didn’t have to cheer for the Red Sox. I think Teddy is a Yankees fan, but not as avid or certainly obsessive as Marty. But it was handed down to him, as you saw in the first scene.

David Duchovny: Yeah,...

Dolly De Leon in Ghostlight Photo: Courtesy of Luke Dyra Fresh off her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle Of Sadness, Dolly De Leon is leading her own troupe of actors in Ghostlight. The new movie from co-directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson (Saint Frances) was acquired by...

Dolly De Leon in GhostlightPhoto: Courtesy of Luke Dyra

Fresh off her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle Of Sadness, Dolly De Leon is leading her own troupe of actors in Ghostlight. The new movie from co-directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson (Saint Frances) was acquired by IFC Films...

Back in January, Sundance 2024 couldn’t have started on a stronger note for those of us who have kicked it off with Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s Ghostlight, a gentle tearjerker and a surprisingly tender comedy, marking the duo’s follow-up to their 2019 feature, Saint Frances. A film on the healing properties of a community of artists and a love letter to the joys of scrappy artmaking, Ghostlight set the right tone from the start for the indie festival with a story about grief, familial bonds and the therapeutic beauty of the artistic process. Written by O’Sullivan and co-directed by […]

The post “…Just Being Aware of How Much Grief There Is In Our Collective Experience All the Time”: Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan on Ghostlight first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Back in January, Sundance 2024 couldn’t have started on a stronger note for those of us who have kicked it off with Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s Ghostlight, a gentle tearjerker and a surprisingly tender comedy, marking the duo’s follow-up to their 2019 feature, Saint Frances. A film on the healing properties of a community of artists and a love letter to the joys of scrappy artmaking, Ghostlight set the right tone from the start for the indie festival with a story about grief, familial bonds and the therapeutic beauty of the artistic process. Written by O’Sullivan and co-directed by […]

The post “…Just Being Aware of How Much Grief There Is In Our Collective Experience All the Time”: Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan on Ghostlight first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Bad Behaviour (Alice Englert)

Watch an exclusive clip above.

Bad Behaviour cannot pick a tone. Over the 107 minutes of Alice Englert’s debut feature, the only consistency comes from constant shifting. Following Lucy (Jennifer Connelly), a former child actor attending an enlightenment retreat, and her daughter, Dylan (Englert), the dark comedy switches between these two stories until they converge in the third act. Neither plotline has enough substance, though, acting like a series of half-baked ideas about wellness, parenthood, and happiness. – Michael F. (full review)

Where to Stream: VOD

Heroes Shed No Tears (John Woo)

In this explosive precursor to his breakout film A Better Tomorrow, director John Woo demonstrates the genesis of his trademark style of hyperkinetic action and violence in...

Ghostlight Image: IFC Films Hollywood studios have, over the last quarter-century, uncannily missed no opportunity to undercut the value proposition of their product. But under-discussed among the myriad reasons for cinema’s increasingly slack grasp on our collective culture is a very simple and straightforward one: Much of the most...

GhostlightImage: IFC Films

Hollywood studios have, over the last quarter-century, uncannily missed no opportunity to undercut the value proposition of their product. But under-discussed among the myriad reasons for cinema’s increasingly slack grasp on our collective culture is a very simple and straightforward one: Much of the most popular...

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson imbue the paradoxes of performing arts so deeply into their film Ghostlight that it even extends to the title. In a poetic sense, the light stand that illuminates an unpopulated theater isn’t for human eyes. It’s to appease or rebuff spirits, depending on who’s asked. But in a practical sense, the ghost light exists to help the living—mostly to avoid a fate like falling into the orchestra pit and joining the dead.

Life subsumes legend for O’Sullivan and Thompson in a worthy follow-up to their previous collaboration on the small-scale humanist triumph, 2020’s Saint Frances. Their ambition broadens significantly in Ghostlight, though their firm footing in sincerity and simplicity isn’t diminished in the slightest. The creative and life partners deliver a moving apologia for the value of theater by exploring its central contradiction: a performance is an act of honesty,...

When filmmakers and partners Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson premiered their “Ghostlight” on the first day of Sundance this January, it wasn’t the only new addition to their growing family they had to share. One month before the duo showed their “Saint Frances” follow-up to an eager Utah audience, they’d welcomed their first child.

For a filmmaking pair already carving out a niche for hard-won, heart-warming indie features (like Indie Spirit and Gotham nominee “Saint Frances”), making it a family affair is just part of the deal. After all, who else is better equipped to release a film while also suffering from massive sleep deprivation than a pair of can-do filmmakers?

As O’Sullivan and Thompson prepare to bring “Ghostlight” to theatrical audiences this week, that attitude and that family bond go a long way, even if the concerns are a little different this time around. Like, sleeping?...

We’ve been waiting for a weekend like this one since last July, as for the first time in almost a year, we finally get a movie that has the potential to open with over $100 million. Fingers crossed! Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

Although Disney and Pixar Animation have had a tough time in recent years due to a combination of the Covid pandemic and the advent of the Disney+ streamer, on Friday it will release “Inside Out 2,” the first theatrically released sequels to one of Pixar’s massive critical and commercial hits in five years.

The original “Inside Out,” directed by three-time Oscar winner and current Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, opened with $90.4 million nine years ago. At the time, it was Pixar’s second-best opening, and it’s still the animation house’s best debut for a non-sequel. This sequel, directed by Kelsey Mann,...

Chicago – Two of the finest filmmakers who have roots in Chicago (college) are Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan. After Kelly wrote the acclaimed “Saint Frances” with Alex directing, their second film is a co-directing effort that is a brilliant meditation on finding one’s self after loss, and doing it through … acting.

Dan (Keith Kupferer) is a middle-aged construction worker grieving a family tragedy, and has cut himself off from his devoted wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and talented but troubled daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), Through an accidental circumstance, Dan finds comfort and community in a misfit company of amateur actors. While performing for the first time in a low-rent production of a Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Dan is forced to confront his buried emotions.

Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan, Music Box Theatre, Chicago

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are up-and-upward cinema creators,...

Previous | Image 1 of 11 | NextJohn C. Reilly, Career Achievement Award honoree.

Chicago – The Red Carpet was for rock … er, cinema … stars at the the 60th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff) Summer Gala, and the directors, actors and film VIPs were present and feted. Patrick McDonald and Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com were also there, and got the stars to pose and talk.

Hosted with raucous glee by “Today Show” personality Al Roker, the night was a luminous event with brilliant speeches, highlighted by Career Achievement Awardee John C. Reilly, who thanked his born-and-bred Chicago upbringing for his movie star career. Also honored was filmmaker Jennifer Reeder (“Knives and Skin”) who received the Tour De Force Award for her progressive feminist filmography, and took us through her journey in a screenplay speech format. Ciff Founder Michael Kutza was also honored, and received a standing ovation.

Also among the Red Carpet attendees...

Visit Films has announced a torrent of recent deals on its slate led by a further key territory sale on Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry Good One.

India Donaldson’s feature debut starring newcomer Lily Collias as a 17-year-old who goes on an awkward backpacking trip with her father and his best friend has gone to Cherry Pickers for Benelux after a previously reported deal with New Story for France.

Multiple territories remain in active negotiation after Cannes, and Metrograph Pictures holds North American rights.

SXSW documentary Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound about the cult post-rock band has been...