Indie film Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerEXCLUSIVE: American Pie and American Beauty actress Mena Suvari will star in Inheritance, a family film from Mustard Seed Entertainment.John K.D. Graham wrote and directed the film, which follows estranged siblings returning to their familial estate to claim the inheritance their mother left behind.

The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled further details of its inaugural Zurich Market, a pop-up film market created to provide independent movies that would have screened at a major film festival an opportunity to present to international buyers. Zurich and Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival are collaborating on the event, which will see around 20 new indie titles screen in local cinemas during the Swiss festival from Sept.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorEXCLUSIVE: Production quietly began last month in London on pandemic-inspired feature Alone, which marks the directorial debut of Kirsty Bell, CEO of UK financier Goldfinch.

Abortion is a subject that runs through the core of Saint Frances, the debut film written by and starring rising talent Kelly O’Sullivan. But until O’Sullivan’s own parents read the press coverage of the film, they didn’t know that their daughter had had an abortion several years ago.

Jill Goldsmith A restart for film and television is bearing down but looming uncertainty around COVID-19 insurance has the business on edge.Pandemic insurance disappeared in March. Three months later there’s still no viable alternative to put many independent producers back on a path to completion bond backed financing.

Fernando Sulichin is used to doing things differently. The veteran producer and CEO of New Element Media has established a reputation for working with maverick auteurs — Oliver Stone, Sean Pean, Abel Ferrara, Michael Winterbottom, Larry Clark, Harmony Korine — and finding creative ways to get films made that don't fit the industry's cookie-cutter models.

Screen Media Ventures President David Fannon will be attending this year’s Cannes markets by way of Connecticut. He is, like so many of the now homebound buyers and sellers that plan on making the most of the Virtual Cannes Market, working from home offices, basements and kitchen tables.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorEXCLUSIVE: Archstone Entertainment will launch world sales on superhero indie film The Hyperions at the upcoming Cannes virtual market.Writer-director Jon McDonald’s previously announced action-comedy sees Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) star as Professor Ruckus Mandelbaum who in 1960 invents the ‘Titan badge’, which gives humans superpowers. He creates an unusual family of superheroes who rise to fame and prestige.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAs the world slowly recovers from the coronavirus crisis and theaters start reopening, sales agents and distributors, whose business traditionally drives the independent film sector, are facing an uncertain future while trying to make the best of this year’s abbreviated festival circuit.

If you don’t know the name John Wildman, you’re missing out. Not only is he a talented filmmaker, Wildman is currently a journalist, as well as one of the most passionate film publicists out there.

By Andreas Wiseman

Oldenburg is not letting the novel coronavirus pandemic stop it. The independent film festival, dubbed by some as "Germany's Sundance," said Friday it will be going ahead as planned this year, from Sept.

John Sloss, founder and principal of Cinetic Media, is the consummate mover and shaker in the independent film business. But a conversation with Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos a few years ago changed his view of television forever.

“Charm City Kings” won over many critics in its Sundance premiere earlier this year, and likely would have been doing the same in Texas this week if it were showing, as planned, at the canceled South by Southwest Film Festival.

By Nellie Andreeva