The Academy has announced the five winners of the 2023 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting who each win a $35,000 prize and mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year.
The recipients will also be featured at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards and Live Read on April 25 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater (pictured), where an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the 2023 winning scripts.
The 2023 winners appear below listed alphabetically:
Brent Delaney, Brownie Mary
At the height of the AIDS crisis, Mary Jane Rathbun illegally distributes cannabis-infused brownies to heal thousands of gay men in...
The recipients will also be featured at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards and Live Read on April 25 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater (pictured), where an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the 2023 winning scripts.
The 2023 winners appear below listed alphabetically:
Brent Delaney, Brownie Mary
At the height of the AIDS crisis, Mary Jane Rathbun illegally distributes cannabis-infused brownies to heal thousands of gay men in...
- 3/4/2024
- ScreenDaily
In the 26th episode of Deadline Strike Talk — which for below the liners signifies half a year without a paycheck that hasn’t come from Uber fares or waiting tables — host Billy Ray hits on a zeitgeist theme that gets voiced a lot by people who just feel that the business isn’t as remotely as exciting or near as much fun as it was before the folly that signatories put themselves into by chasing Netflix as it became the preeminent streamer. The result has put just about every other streamer pursuit in a position of being money losers that have strained the economics, and accelerated the demise of those conglomerates’ traditional networks, and so many other things.
Ray begins by addressing the fear that informs so many moves in Hollywood, and is anathema to great creative work. Joining him are two Hollywood veterans, John Ptak and Marc Evans. While they flourished in different areas,...
Ray begins by addressing the fear that informs so many moves in Hollywood, and is anathema to great creative work. Joining him are two Hollywood veterans, John Ptak and Marc Evans. While they flourished in different areas,...
- 10/27/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Continuing a tradition that began in 1985, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday named four individuals and one writing team as the final winners for the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.
Jennifer Archer from Springwater, Ontario, and Timothy Ware-Hill of Orange, NJ, took two of the spots. The other three went to winners from Southern California including Sam Boyer, J.M. Levine, and the team of Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing. Each individual and the writing team will receive a 35,000 prize and mentorship opportunities from an AMPAS member for their fellowship year.
A live read of selected scenes from all five of the winning scripts will be performed November 9 during the formal awards ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The Nicholl Fellowships was established in 1985 through the support of Gee Nicholl in memory of her husband Don Nicholl.
A total of 5,526 scripts from 85 countries were submitted for this year’s competition.
Jennifer Archer from Springwater, Ontario, and Timothy Ware-Hill of Orange, NJ, took two of the spots. The other three went to winners from Southern California including Sam Boyer, J.M. Levine, and the team of Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing. Each individual and the writing team will receive a 35,000 prize and mentorship opportunities from an AMPAS member for their fellowship year.
A live read of selected scenes from all five of the winning scripts will be performed November 9 during the formal awards ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The Nicholl Fellowships was established in 1985 through the support of Gee Nicholl in memory of her husband Don Nicholl.
A total of 5,526 scripts from 85 countries were submitted for this year’s competition.
- 9/29/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy has announced this year’s Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winners, including four individuals and one writing team. Each individual and writing team will receive a 35,000 prize and mentorship from an Academy member throughout the recipient’s fellowship year.
In addition to the winners being featured at the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards, an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the winning screenplays live at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Nov. 9.
This year’s amateur screenwriters competition received a total of 5,526 scripts from 85 countries. After several rounds that were judged by industry professionals and Academy members, 11 individual screenwriters were selected as finalists, with their scripts read and judged by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee before voting on this year’s winners. The 2022 finalists include Michael Boyle (“8 Habits of Highly Murderous People”), Darcy P. Brislin (“We Sing”), Jake Disch (“The Supremes”), Julian Hooper (“Madame”) and S.
In addition to the winners being featured at the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards, an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the winning screenplays live at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Nov. 9.
This year’s amateur screenwriters competition received a total of 5,526 scripts from 85 countries. After several rounds that were judged by industry professionals and Academy members, 11 individual screenwriters were selected as finalists, with their scripts read and judged by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee before voting on this year’s winners. The 2022 finalists include Michael Boyle (“8 Habits of Highly Murderous People”), Darcy P. Brislin (“We Sing”), Jake Disch (“The Supremes”), Julian Hooper (“Madame”) and S.
- 9/29/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science announced on Thursday that four individuals and one writing team have been selected as winners of the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.
The prize includes 35,000 for each individual and writing team, as well as mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year.
On Nov. 9 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the winning scripts.
Also Read:
All 17 Egot Winners, From Audrey Hepburn to Jennifer Hudson (Photos)
The 2022 winners are:
Jennifer Archer (Springwater, Ontario, Canada), “Into the Deep Blue”
Nick Bennet is rebuilding his life after the death of his mom, a DUI, and mandatory grief counseling. Together with Fiona, his fiery best friend from therapy, they navigate the waters of grief and their growing feelings.
Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing (Los Angeles), “Tape 22”
A music journalist reeling from the...
The prize includes 35,000 for each individual and writing team, as well as mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year.
On Nov. 9 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the winning scripts.
Also Read:
All 17 Egot Winners, From Audrey Hepburn to Jennifer Hudson (Photos)
The 2022 winners are:
Jennifer Archer (Springwater, Ontario, Canada), “Into the Deep Blue”
Nick Bennet is rebuilding his life after the death of his mom, a DUI, and mandatory grief counseling. Together with Fiona, his fiery best friend from therapy, they navigate the waters of grief and their growing feelings.
Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing (Los Angeles), “Tape 22”
A music journalist reeling from the...
- 9/29/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Haley Hope Bartels (Pumping Black), Karin delaPeña Collison (Coming of Age), Byron Hamel (Shade of the Grapefruit Tree), R.J. Daniel Hanna (Shelter Animal) and Laura Kosann (The Ideal Woman) are the screenwriters and scripts chosen as the winners of the 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition, AMPAS announced today.
Each of the five fellows will receive a $35,000 prize, along with mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year, which will see them complete a feature-length screenplay. (The Academy will acquire no rights to the works of its fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.)
From November 8-12, one fellow per day will be featured on the Academy’s YouTube channel, in conversations with filmmakers Destin Daniel Cretton, Phil Lord, Our Lady J, Rawson Marshall Thurber and Olivia Wilde, and other content.
Bartels, Collison, Hamel, Hanna and Kosann’s scripts were chosen from...
Each of the five fellows will receive a $35,000 prize, along with mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year, which will see them complete a feature-length screenplay. (The Academy will acquire no rights to the works of its fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.)
From November 8-12, one fellow per day will be featured on the Academy’s YouTube channel, in conversations with filmmakers Destin Daniel Cretton, Phil Lord, Our Lady J, Rawson Marshall Thurber and Olivia Wilde, and other content.
Bartels, Collison, Hamel, Hanna and Kosann’s scripts were chosen from...
- 11/8/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Five promising writers have been selected as winners of the 2019 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition, out of a total of 7,302 scripts and 12 finalists. The fellows will each receive a generous $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read on Thursday, November 7, 2019, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. For the seventh consecutive year, an ensemble of notable actors will read selected scenes from the winning scripts.
The 2019 winners are (listed alphabetically by author): Aaron Chung, “Princess Vietnam”; Karen McDermott, “Lullabies of La Jaula”; Renee Pillai, “Boy with Kite”; Sean Malcolm, “Mother”; and Walker McKnight, “Street Rat Allie Punches Her Ticket.”
Each writer comes from a unique background: Chung is a film intern at Entertainment One, with a master’s in screenwriting; McDermott is an attorney and English professor, according to her Twitter bio; and McKnight is a novelist,...
The 2019 winners are (listed alphabetically by author): Aaron Chung, “Princess Vietnam”; Karen McDermott, “Lullabies of La Jaula”; Renee Pillai, “Boy with Kite”; Sean Malcolm, “Mother”; and Walker McKnight, “Street Rat Allie Punches Her Ticket.”
Each writer comes from a unique background: Chung is a film intern at Entertainment One, with a master’s in screenwriting; McDermott is an attorney and English professor, according to her Twitter bio; and McKnight is a novelist,...
- 10/4/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
With the abundance of labs and fellowships designed to give up-and-coming filmmakers a much-needed boost, the Nicholl Fellowship — launched in 1986 — still stands above the fray as being one of the most important opportunities for entry into the industry. Each of the winners receives a $35,000 prize with the understanding that they will complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year. Just as important, their winning project instantly becomes a must-read by every agency in Hollywood.
The global competition has awarded 152 fellowships to date. Recent scripts by Nicholl Fellowship alumni include “The Glass Castle” and “Holy Rollers;” additional program veterans have gone on to receive plum writing assignments in film (Pixar’s “Cars 3”) and television (Netflix’s “The Punisher”).
Nine individuals and one screenwriting team were selected as 2017 fellowship recipients from more than 7,000 submissions; the winners are listed in bold:
Vigil Chime, “Bring Back Girl”
Sj Inwards, “Jellyfish Summer”
Max Lance and Jen Bailey,...
The global competition has awarded 152 fellowships to date. Recent scripts by Nicholl Fellowship alumni include “The Glass Castle” and “Holy Rollers;” additional program veterans have gone on to receive plum writing assignments in film (Pixar’s “Cars 3”) and television (Netflix’s “The Punisher”).
Nine individuals and one screenwriting team were selected as 2017 fellowship recipients from more than 7,000 submissions; the winners are listed in bold:
Vigil Chime, “Bring Back Girl”
Sj Inwards, “Jellyfish Summer”
Max Lance and Jen Bailey,...
- 10/3/2017
- by Chris O'Falt and Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Steven Spielberg Does What He Wants: 6 Things Every Fan Must Know About Hollywood’s Biggest Director
We all know that Steven Spielberg floats at the top of the Hollywood food chain. He’s Hollywood’s most reliable director brand, and can get movies made that would never get a greenlight anywhere else — like Oscar-winning historical drama “Lincoln.” His next move? A high-profile Pentagon Papers film rumored to star Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep that Variety reports will open on December 22, and will inevitably be an Oscar contender.
How does he keep his enviable status, even at age 70?
1. Steven does what Steven wants.
Spielberg is a moving target, even for those at Amblin Entertainment who work closely with him every day. While he’s worth some $3 billion and likes to make money, his directing choices are driven by a complicated set of variables. He seeks to avoid any risk of failure. It all depends on where his confidence — and artistic drive — takes him. Is he ready to...
How does he keep his enviable status, even at age 70?
1. Steven does what Steven wants.
Spielberg is a moving target, even for those at Amblin Entertainment who work closely with him every day. While he’s worth some $3 billion and likes to make money, his directing choices are driven by a complicated set of variables. He seeks to avoid any risk of failure. It all depends on where his confidence — and artistic drive — takes him. Is he ready to...
- 3/31/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Steven Spielberg Does What He Wants: 6 Things Every Fan Must Know About Hollywood’s Biggest Director
We all know that Steven Spielberg floats at the top of the Hollywood food chain. He’s Hollywood’s most reliable director brand, and can get movies made that would never get a greenlight anywhere else — like Oscar-winning historical drama “Lincoln.”
How does he keep his enviable status, even at age 70?
1. Steven does what Steven wants.
Spielberg is a moving target, even for those at Amblin Entertainment who work closely with him every day. While he’s worth some $3 billion and likes to make money, his directing choices are driven by a complicated set of variables. He seeks to avoid any risk of failure. It all depends on where his confidence — and artistic drive — takes him. Is he ready to direct a commercial sequel (Disney’s “Indiana Jones 5” brings back Harrison Ford for one last bout in the title role for 2019) or a tentpole packed with innovative VFX (Warner Bros....
How does he keep his enviable status, even at age 70?
1. Steven does what Steven wants.
Spielberg is a moving target, even for those at Amblin Entertainment who work closely with him every day. While he’s worth some $3 billion and likes to make money, his directing choices are driven by a complicated set of variables. He seeks to avoid any risk of failure. It all depends on where his confidence — and artistic drive — takes him. Is he ready to direct a commercial sequel (Disney’s “Indiana Jones 5” brings back Harrison Ford for one last bout in the title role for 2019) or a tentpole packed with innovative VFX (Warner Bros....
- 3/31/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Four individuals and one writing team have been selected as winners of the 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition. The Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee announced the winners via Livestream today. The fellows will each receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read on Thursday, November 3, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. For the fourth consecutive year, an ensemble of actors will be reading selected scenes from the winning scripts.
The 2016 winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
Michele Atkins, “Talking About the Sky” (Seattle, Wa)
Spencer Harvey and Lloyd Harvey, “Photo Booth” (Balgowlah, Australia)
Geeta Malik, “Dinner with Friends” (Los Angeles, CA)
Elizabeth Oyebode, “Tween the Ropes” (Sunnyvale, CA)
Justin Piasecki, “Death of an Ortolan” (Los Angeles, CA)
A total of 6,915 scripts were submitted for this year’s competition. Eleven individual screenwriters and one...
The 2016 winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
Michele Atkins, “Talking About the Sky” (Seattle, Wa)
Spencer Harvey and Lloyd Harvey, “Photo Booth” (Balgowlah, Australia)
Geeta Malik, “Dinner with Friends” (Los Angeles, CA)
Elizabeth Oyebode, “Tween the Ropes” (Sunnyvale, CA)
Justin Piasecki, “Death of an Ortolan” (Los Angeles, CA)
A total of 6,915 scripts were submitted for this year’s competition. Eleven individual screenwriters and one...
- 9/29/2016
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Harvey Weinstein and Steven Spielberg are poised to go head-to-head once again. The Weinstein Co. is moving forward with a drama based on the true story of the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, with Robert De Niro circling the role of Pope Pius IX. The move pits the untitled film against an Amblin Entertainment project on the subject that will mark Spielberg's next directorial effort. Baltasar Kormakur is in talks to direct the Weinstein film, which Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland) is penning. Julia Chasman (25th Hour), who has been developing the property for 15 years, is
read more...
read more...
- 9/14/2016
- by Tatiana Siegel, Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Theater and television writer/director Kimberly Levin didn't wait for CAA to raise financing. She forged ahead with the drama "Runoff," filmed near her hometown Louisville, Kentucky. The film made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year, and opens from Monterey Media this Friday. Levin, who is trained as a biochemist, is a member of the Kentucky Film Board. She raised equity financing in her home state, where friends and family are offering locations. With help from executive producer Julia Chasman ("25th Hour," "Quills"), who discovered the script while judging the Nicholls screenwriting contest, Levin made the film under both DGA and SAG Ultra Low Budget agreements (which gets actors $100 a day plus commission against an eventual sale of the film), making it possible to film the story locally with scale and scope for less than $1 million. Set in a rural farming community, "Runoff" tells the story of Betty.
- 6/25/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Three individual writers and one writing team have been selected as winners of the 2014 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.
Each individual winner and the combined writing team will receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at an awards presentation on Thursday, November 13, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
For the second consecutive year, the event will also feature a live read of selected scenes from the fellows’ winning scripts by members of the Academy.
This year’s winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
Sam Baron, Cambridge, United Kingdom, “The Science of Love and Laughter”
Alisha Brophy, Los Angeles, CA, and Scott Miles, Austin, TX, “United States of Fuckin’ Awesome”
Melissa Iqbal, London, United Kingdom, “The Death Engine”
Sallie West, Charleston, Sc, “Moonflower”
The winners were selected from a record 7,511 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. Eight individual screenwriters and...
Each individual winner and the combined writing team will receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at an awards presentation on Thursday, November 13, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
For the second consecutive year, the event will also feature a live read of selected scenes from the fellows’ winning scripts by members of the Academy.
This year’s winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
Sam Baron, Cambridge, United Kingdom, “The Science of Love and Laughter”
Alisha Brophy, Los Angeles, CA, and Scott Miles, Austin, TX, “United States of Fuckin’ Awesome”
Melissa Iqbal, London, United Kingdom, “The Death Engine”
Sallie West, Charleston, Sc, “Moonflower”
The winners were selected from a record 7,511 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. Eight individual screenwriters and...
- 10/3/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
More and more these days, getting a movie made is about a tenacious filmmaker making it happen. Theater and television writer/director Kimberly Levin didn't wait for CAA to raise financing. She forged ahead with the drama "Runoff," filmed near her hometown Louisville, Kentucky. The film made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival Thursday night, and buyers are circling. Here's Variety's rave review. Levin, who is trained as a biochemist, is a member of the Kentucky Film Board. She raised equity financing in her home state, where friends and family are offering locations. With help from executive producer Julia Chasman ("25th Hour," "Quills"), who discovered the script while judging the Nicholls screenwriting contest, Levin is making the film under both DGA and SAG Ultra Low Budget agreements (which gets actors $100 a day plus commission against an eventual sale of the film), which make it possible to film...
- 6/13/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
More and more these days, getting a movie made is about a tenacious filmmaker making it happen. Theater and television writer/director Kimberly Levin didn't wait for CAA to raise financing. She's forging ahead with an October 11 start for her first film, the drama Land of Tomorrow, near her hometown Louisville, Kentucky. Levin, who is trained as a biochemist, is a member of the Kentucky Film Board. She raised equity financing in her home state, where friends and family are offering locations. With help from executive producer Julia Chasman (25th Hour, Quills), who discovered the script while judging the Nicholls screenwriting contest, Levin is making the film under both DGA and SAG Ultra Low Budget agreements (which gets actors $100 a day plus commission against ...
- 10/3/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
More and more these days, getting a movie made is about a tenacious filmmaker making it happen. Theater and television writer/director Kimberly Levin didn't wait for CAA to raise financing. She's forging ahead with an October 11 start for her first film, the drama Land of Tomorrow, near her hometown Louisville, Kentucky. Levin, who is trained as a biochemist, is a member of the Kentucky Film Board. She raised equity financing in her home state, where friends and family are offering locations. With help from executive producer Julia Chasman (25th Hour, Quills), who discovered the script while judging the Nicholls screenwriting contest, Levin is making the film under both DGA and SAG Ultra Low Budget agreements (which gets actors $100 a day plus commission against ...
- 9/30/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
LONDON -- U.K. indie distributor Tartan Films said Monday it plans to take Jeremy Brock's directorial debut Driving Lessons for a spin in the U.K. and Ireland. Tartan collected the keys for all U.K. and Ireland rights to the picture, which stars a brace of Oscar nominated actors Julie Walters (Calendar Girls) and Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me) alongside Rupert Grint (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). Produced by Julia Chasman (25th Hour) through her production company RubberTreePlant, the movie is based on an original screenplay by Brock and was co-produced by Alexandra Ferguson with executive producer credits going to Edward R. Pressman and Alessandro Camon.
- 3/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"The Invisible Circus" may eventually be remembered as the film that gave Jordana Brewster her first staring role. The young actress, whose previous work includes three years on a daytime soap and a part in the science-fiction thriller "The Faculty", gives this fairly uneventful movie its beating heart. As a teenager trying to learn about the apparent suicid of her elder sister seven years before, Brewster displays a talent for understatement, for letting strong emotions percolate quietly to the surface and trusting in her instincts rather than histrionics.
Unfortunately, Brewster is really the only reason o catch "The Invisible Circus". Cameron Diaz, in a somewhat diaphanous role as the late sister, and Christopher Eccleston, as a man essentially caught between a ghost and an emotionally needy young woman, deliver fine supporting performances, and the filmaking is solid. But the dramatic material, based on a novel by Jennifer Egan, is woefully thin and protracted.
Fine Line certainly can't sell this as a Cameron Diaz film, and there are few other marketing hooks other than the whirlwind tour through such olorful locations as San Francisco, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Portugal. Ultimately, the film may be invisible at the boxoffice as well.
Brewster's Phoebe O'Connor introduces us to the facts of her troubled life. She lives in San Francisco with her moter (Blythe Danner) in 1976, more or less going through the motions since the deaths of first her father (Patrick Bergin) and then her sister Faith (Diaz). Before she starts college and against her mother's wishes, she takes off for Europe, determined to rtrace Faith's route through the continent in hopes of discovering the truth behind her sister's suicide in Portugal.
The key to what happened, she believes, lies with Faith's ex-boyfriend Wolf (Eccleston). And Wolf is also the crux of the problem for wrier-director Adam Brooks in adapting Egan's book to the screen. The film is structured as a classical mystery story where a main character visits various locales and assembles pieces of a puzzle. But these visits amount to little more than sightseeing sinc Wolf is Phoebe's one and only source of information, which he doles out slowly indeed.
The picture of Faith that does emerge is that of a young, headstrong woman, still in an emotional tailspin following the death of her beloved father, recklessly pursung a radical lifestyle and even more radical politics. The latter leads to criminal activity in West Germany that, to her horror, causes a man's death.
But Faith remains elusive -- or perhaps shallow and naive is more like it -- and Wolf comes across les as a character than a conveyer of information. A love affair between him and Phoebe is thoroughly unconvincing, and the film's resolution and denouement are anticlimactic. This extends to Phoebe's return to San Francisco, where she announces to her mothe she has discovered what happened to Faith and her mom shrugs this off and never bothers to ask what she learned.
Virtually no attempt has been made to capture period flavors of either 1976 or the flashbacks to 1969. (The film even insists on calling Wes Berlin simply Berlin, which wouldn't be accurate until 1990.) Sets, costumes and language are all too contemporary to pass for events supposedly taking place a quarter-century ago.
But Brewster shines, anchoring the film with her savvy acting and good loks. One can only anticipate greater things from this talented actress.
THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS
Fine Line Features
An Industry Entertainment production
Producers: Julia Chasman, Nick Wechsler
Writer-director: Adam Brooks
Based on the novel by: Jennifer EganExecutive producer: Tim van Rellim
Director of photography: Henry Braham
Production designer: Robin Standefer
Music: Nick Laird-Clowes
Costume designer: Donna Zakowska
Editor: Elizabeth Kling
Color/stereo
Cast:
Phoebe: Jordana Brewster
Faith: Cameron Diaz
Wolf: Christopher Eccleston
Gail: Blythe Danner
Gene: Patrick Bergin
Young Phoebe: Camilla Belle
Claire: Isabelle Pasco
Eric: Moritz Bleibtreu
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Unfortunately, Brewster is really the only reason o catch "The Invisible Circus". Cameron Diaz, in a somewhat diaphanous role as the late sister, and Christopher Eccleston, as a man essentially caught between a ghost and an emotionally needy young woman, deliver fine supporting performances, and the filmaking is solid. But the dramatic material, based on a novel by Jennifer Egan, is woefully thin and protracted.
Fine Line certainly can't sell this as a Cameron Diaz film, and there are few other marketing hooks other than the whirlwind tour through such olorful locations as San Francisco, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Portugal. Ultimately, the film may be invisible at the boxoffice as well.
Brewster's Phoebe O'Connor introduces us to the facts of her troubled life. She lives in San Francisco with her moter (Blythe Danner) in 1976, more or less going through the motions since the deaths of first her father (Patrick Bergin) and then her sister Faith (Diaz). Before she starts college and against her mother's wishes, she takes off for Europe, determined to rtrace Faith's route through the continent in hopes of discovering the truth behind her sister's suicide in Portugal.
The key to what happened, she believes, lies with Faith's ex-boyfriend Wolf (Eccleston). And Wolf is also the crux of the problem for wrier-director Adam Brooks in adapting Egan's book to the screen. The film is structured as a classical mystery story where a main character visits various locales and assembles pieces of a puzzle. But these visits amount to little more than sightseeing sinc Wolf is Phoebe's one and only source of information, which he doles out slowly indeed.
The picture of Faith that does emerge is that of a young, headstrong woman, still in an emotional tailspin following the death of her beloved father, recklessly pursung a radical lifestyle and even more radical politics. The latter leads to criminal activity in West Germany that, to her horror, causes a man's death.
But Faith remains elusive -- or perhaps shallow and naive is more like it -- and Wolf comes across les as a character than a conveyer of information. A love affair between him and Phoebe is thoroughly unconvincing, and the film's resolution and denouement are anticlimactic. This extends to Phoebe's return to San Francisco, where she announces to her mothe she has discovered what happened to Faith and her mom shrugs this off and never bothers to ask what she learned.
Virtually no attempt has been made to capture period flavors of either 1976 or the flashbacks to 1969. (The film even insists on calling Wes Berlin simply Berlin, which wouldn't be accurate until 1990.) Sets, costumes and language are all too contemporary to pass for events supposedly taking place a quarter-century ago.
But Brewster shines, anchoring the film with her savvy acting and good loks. One can only anticipate greater things from this talented actress.
THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS
Fine Line Features
An Industry Entertainment production
Producers: Julia Chasman, Nick Wechsler
Writer-director: Adam Brooks
Based on the novel by: Jennifer EganExecutive producer: Tim van Rellim
Director of photography: Henry Braham
Production designer: Robin Standefer
Music: Nick Laird-Clowes
Costume designer: Donna Zakowska
Editor: Elizabeth Kling
Color/stereo
Cast:
Phoebe: Jordana Brewster
Faith: Cameron Diaz
Wolf: Christopher Eccleston
Gail: Blythe Danner
Gene: Patrick Bergin
Young Phoebe: Camilla Belle
Claire: Isabelle Pasco
Eric: Moritz Bleibtreu
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 1/25/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY, Utah -- It's not baseball, apple pie or Chevrolet, but few things are more American than a story about a working-class, Polish immigrant family in Detroit. In Theresa Connelly's directorial debut, which premiered over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, "Polish Wedding" takes the audience back to her hometown and its ethnic roots. Its homespun simplicity and family values are refreshing and will undoubtedly play well in Detroit and elsewhere.
Typical first-generation immigrants, the Pzoniaks take a first cut at the American dream as a multiple-income, extended family. Papa (Gabriel Byrne) brings home a slice of bacon as a baker; Mama (Lena Olin) and daughter-in-law perform janitorial duties at a local factory; three grown sons get to play with an 18-wheeler for a living. While elder family members work, the only daughter (Claire Danes), a high school dropout, babysits a nephew as her prepubescent brother puffs on cigarettes in the basement.
The story evolves around the smart, strong, sultry matriarch, played perfectly by Olin, and her daughter, the beautiful Danes as Hala, who looks as virginal as she is seductive. Indeed, the local priest, naive to her reputation, picks Hala to play Mother Mary in the May Day procession. Like mother, like daughter, the Pzoniak women have a tendency to exercise their feminine charms when the Pzoniak men aren't looking. For these professed Roman Catholics, infidelities are sacraments to the self-proclaimed religion of "making love and life."
In keeping with the film's childbirth theme, Connelly's characters mark personal growth in little steps and forge familial bonds through a series of mistakes. With these subjects, her style is predictably maternal. In Connelly's nursing hands, the film is sweet but borders on sappy. The international cast and crew do a superlative job portraying the Pzoniaks as an all-American family. Byrne, as the immigrant baker, looks and acts as if he just got off the boat.
The production designer, Kara Lindstrom, deserves praise for creating the Pzoniak house with its pickle-jar pantry for confessional and its basement, where the family's real and psychic laundry take a bath.
POLISH WEDDING
Credits: Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Julia Chasman, Geoff Stier; Director-screenwriter: Theresa Connelly; Executive producers: Nich Wechsler, Sijurjon Sighvatsoon, Ted Tannebaum; Director of photography: Guy Dufaux; Editors: Curtis Clayton, Suzanne Fenn; Production designer: Kara Lindstrom; Music: Luis Bacalov. Cast: Jadzia Pzoniak: Lena Olin; Bolek Pzoniak: Gabriel Byrne; Hala Pzoniak: Claire Danes; Russell Schuster: Adam Trese; Sofie Pzoniak: Mili Avital; Ziggy Pzoniak: Daniel Lapaine; Roman: Rade Serbedzija. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 100 minutes. Color/stereo.
Typical first-generation immigrants, the Pzoniaks take a first cut at the American dream as a multiple-income, extended family. Papa (Gabriel Byrne) brings home a slice of bacon as a baker; Mama (Lena Olin) and daughter-in-law perform janitorial duties at a local factory; three grown sons get to play with an 18-wheeler for a living. While elder family members work, the only daughter (Claire Danes), a high school dropout, babysits a nephew as her prepubescent brother puffs on cigarettes in the basement.
The story evolves around the smart, strong, sultry matriarch, played perfectly by Olin, and her daughter, the beautiful Danes as Hala, who looks as virginal as she is seductive. Indeed, the local priest, naive to her reputation, picks Hala to play Mother Mary in the May Day procession. Like mother, like daughter, the Pzoniak women have a tendency to exercise their feminine charms when the Pzoniak men aren't looking. For these professed Roman Catholics, infidelities are sacraments to the self-proclaimed religion of "making love and life."
In keeping with the film's childbirth theme, Connelly's characters mark personal growth in little steps and forge familial bonds through a series of mistakes. With these subjects, her style is predictably maternal. In Connelly's nursing hands, the film is sweet but borders on sappy. The international cast and crew do a superlative job portraying the Pzoniaks as an all-American family. Byrne, as the immigrant baker, looks and acts as if he just got off the boat.
The production designer, Kara Lindstrom, deserves praise for creating the Pzoniak house with its pickle-jar pantry for confessional and its basement, where the family's real and psychic laundry take a bath.
POLISH WEDDING
Credits: Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Julia Chasman, Geoff Stier; Director-screenwriter: Theresa Connelly; Executive producers: Nich Wechsler, Sijurjon Sighvatsoon, Ted Tannebaum; Director of photography: Guy Dufaux; Editors: Curtis Clayton, Suzanne Fenn; Production designer: Kara Lindstrom; Music: Luis Bacalov. Cast: Jadzia Pzoniak: Lena Olin; Bolek Pzoniak: Gabriel Byrne; Hala Pzoniak: Claire Danes; Russell Schuster: Adam Trese; Sofie Pzoniak: Mili Avital; Ziggy Pzoniak: Daniel Lapaine; Roman: Rade Serbedzija. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 100 minutes. Color/stereo.
- 1/20/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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