Christine Vachon Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed multi-hyphenate Dan Sickles (Dina) for representation. The agency will focus on finding new opportunities for him in documentary filmmaking, screenwriting, acting and digital content, among other spaces.

K.J. Yossman Sundance Film Festival: London will host an industry program alongside public screenings and events, it has been confirmed, with producer Christine Vachon giving a keynote speech.Hosted by the Sundance Institute and Picturehouse, the four-day industry event in June will be comprised of roundtable meetings, keynotes, masterclasses, themed panel discussions and daily networking drinks enabling attendees to “build their personal networks, understand industry trends, discover new work, and share their own unique storytelling passions with other independent filmmakers.”Attendees will include writers, directors, producers, funders, buyers and sellers with executives from BBC Films, Film 4, Film London, Doc Society, Nowness, Elusian, Bohemia Euphoria, Altitude, Cornerstone, Bankside and HanWay scheduled to speak as well as Alison Owen, Ameenah Ayub Allen, Prano Bailey-Bond, Negeen Yazdi from WME and music supervisor Phil Canning, among many others.

Addie Morfoot ContributorIn early 2019, Casey Neistat began filming “Under the Influence,” about 23-year-old YouTube phenomenon David Dobrik, capturing his evolution from prankster to online celebrity with major brand sponsors and tens of millions of followers across social media platforms. But in 2021, the docu took a turn when a Business Insider story documented sexual-assault allegations by a woman against a former member of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, Dom Zeglaitis. When the article went viral, Dobrik’s world began to collapse around him and Neistat was there to capture it.

Lee Jung-jae of the breakout Netflix hit “Squid Game” and Thuso Mbedu from “The Underground Railroad” took home series acting awards. The 37th show was in keeping with the Spirit Awards’ history of celebrating films and (more recently) television series that embody the independent spirit through a combination of financing, creativity and subject matter.

BEST FEATURE (Award is given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)“A Chiara” (Jonas Carpignano, Paolo Carpignano, Jon Coplon, Ryan Zacarias)“C’mon C’mon” (Chelsea Barnard, Andrea Longacre-White, Lila Yacoub) “The Lost Daughter” (Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler)“The Novice” (Ryan Hawkins, Kari Hollend, Steven Sims, Zack Zucker)“Zola” (Kara Baker, Dave Franco, Elizabeth Haggard, David Hinojosa, Vince Jolivette, Christine Vachon, Gia Walsh)BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)“7 Days” (Director: Roshan Sethi; Producers: Liz Cardenas, Mel Eslyn)“Holler” (Director: Nicole Riegel; Producers: Adam Cobb, Rachel Gould, Katie Mcneill, Jamie Patricof, Christy Spitzer Thornton)“Queen of Glory” (Director: Nana Mensah; Producers: Baff Akoto, Anya Migdal, Kelley Robins Hicks, Jamund Washington)“Test Pattern” (Director/Producer: Shatara Michelle Ford; Producers: Pin-Chun Liu, Yu-Hao Su)“Wild Indian” (Director/Producer: Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.; Producers: Thomas Mahoney, Eric Tavitian)JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Award given to the writer, director and producer of the best feature made for under $500,000.

J. Kim Murphy The Oscar-nominated “Flee” took home the top prize at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors on Tuesday evening at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.Going into the evening, Neon and Participant Media’s “Flee” led the field with a total of seven nominations, while “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” followed with six.Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye also received the organization’s legacy award during the ceremony.

EXCLUSIVE: The Many Saints of Newark star Alessandro Nivola continues to stay busy as he is in talks to star opposite Michelle Williams in Todd Haynes’s Peggy Lee biopic Fever. Nivola will play Dave Barbour in pic. Set up at MGM the feature is written by Doug Wright and produced by Marc Platt, Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler and Reese Witherspoon.

EXCLUSIVE: Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are set to star in A24’s Past Lives, from writer-director Celine Song, with filming set to begin later this year. John Magaro also is on board in a key supporting role.

After starring in Yorgos Lanthimos’s dark comedy The Lobster, Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) and Colin Farrell (The Batman) are set to reunite in Todd Solondz’s new comedy-drama, Love Child.

“I love doing things that are about fashion,” Ryan Murphy tells us on the latest episode of Crew Call.

Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are set to star in Rocket Science’s May December for Carol director Todd Haynes. The screenplay was written by Samy Burch with the story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. Rocket Science is handling international sales beginning at the Virtual Cannes Market, where UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance are representing U.S rights.

Some powerhouse directors are behind the scenes in the new FX docuseries “Pride,” but none are more iconic than Cheryl Dunye. Her 1996 “The Watermelon Woman” was the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian, and 25 years later she is just as prolific, tackling the ’70s in the new series. Her episode is titled “1970s: The Vanguard of Struggle.”

Pride, from Vice Studios and Killer Films, makes the universal personal by presenting its multifaceted story of the queer rights movement in six distinct episodes, by six different queer filmmakers.It’s actually seven directors total, as indie standouts Tom Kalin (Swoon), Andrew Ahn (Spa Night), Cheryl Dunye (Watermelon Woman), Yance Ford (Strong Island), and relative newcomers Ro Haber, and the team of Anthony Caronna and Alex Smith each bring a unique vision to chronicling the queer history

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh from brokering a big Sundance deal for music doc Summer Of Soul, John Sloss’s Cinetic has signed blue-chip producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler and their Killer Films banner for representation in all areas.

Michelle Williams has signed on to play Peggy Lee in a biopic for the legendary singer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The biopic will be directed by Todd Haynes.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterMichelle Williams is on board to portray another entertainment icon, in the Peggy Lee biopic “Fever” for director Todd Haynes, Variety has confirmed.

Also Read: Jessica Chastain Replaces Michelle Williams in HBO's 'Scenes From a Marriage'Witherspoon would still be attached as a producer on “Fever,” however, as would Marc Platt and Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon via their production banner Killer Films.Peggy Lee, born Norma Deloris Egstrom, was an iconic jazz and pop singer who throughout her career dating back to the 1940s recorded over 1,100 songs and composed 270 tracks.

EXCLUSIVE: The long-in-development Peggy Lee biopic Fever, not only looks to have found a new studio to call home but a new star to play the legendary singer. Sources tell Deadline MGM is in talks to come aboard the Peggy Lee biopic Fever, with Academy Award-nominee Todd Haynes set to direct and four-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams on board to star.

Also Read: 'Pose' Star Billy Porter on the 'Huge Connection' Between Coronavirus and AIDS“I’m thrilled to be part of this new space in Hollywood for telling all types of stories from all types of people,” Porter said in a statement to TheWrap.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, FeaturesBy her own admission, Christine Vachon is not a nostalgic person. This would normally make a conversation about the 25th anniversary of her pioneering independent film company Killer Films a challenge but, luckily, recent events have changed her perspective.Vachon attended September’s Venice Intl.

Killer Films, the acclaimed banner from producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, has inked first-look development deals withMGM for both film and scripted television. Under the two-year agreements, MGM and Killer Films will develop and produce feature films and original scripted series across a variety of genres and platforms.

By Anthony D'Alessandro

By Dave McNary