In short: you don’t. Usually. Time and time again, attempts are made to pull this off but it never works, and for good reason. If a story has been already told successfully once, telling it again in the same medium, can only pale in comparison to the original, especially if that original just happens to be what many view as a rarity : a perfect film. And since a new version clearly can’t be better than perfect then why bother? There will be a target on its back even before a single scene is shot and ultimately it will just...

I haven't been able to get the images of Christopher Oroza-Nostas' stunning short film, Savior, out of my head. Clocking in at just under five minutes, Oroza-Nostas' film confronts us with an America that hasn't changed very much over the last fifty years. We have sworn to do better, but when will a better world--a more equal and just world--come to those who are suffering? Savior is eligible for awards consideration for next year's Oscars, and it cannot be forgotten for invoking such a response from its viewer. Shot in stunning black and white, Savior features two dancers, Marem Hassler...

If you'd like to read a full throated defense of Comcast's decision to put the Globes in a time out for a year so you can read Clayton Davis' piece at Variety. But I'm going to offer a different view. I'll start by saying that whatever the HFPA and the activists have to do to work out a solution to the problems they have named and are addressing, that is up to them. It is not for any of us to say what they should do or what people should protest. In America, everyone has a right to protest anything...

The folks in charge of the 23rd Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) did a terrific job pulling off another marvelous event. The hybrid approach to their programming - with screenings offered both in theaters and virtually - led to a comfortable first step back to normalcy. Centered around a community who is clearly heavily invested in the arts, the people in this tropical paradise have made their annual festivity one worth making the trip to attend. Following their gala, SFF announces winners in six genres of film. I had the privilege of being on the jury for the Narrative Feature category....

Tom McCarthy's Stillwater will open this Summer. It stars Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin. Here is the trailer. https://youtu.be/9cq1lPPeMUY  

This, from the Hollywood Reporter: “Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly – and as thoughtfully – as possible remains the top priority for our organization. We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large. Our below timeline demonstrates our commitment to achieving these goals with extreme urgency." You can read the timeline below. Week of May 3 Members meet, consider, and overwhelmingly vote to approve and...

Deadline reports that NBC has decided to cancel the Golden Globes. After celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Cruise and distributers like Amazon and Netflix made public statements about cutting ties with the Hollywood Foreign Press whose new policies did not go far enough, the only next thing was for pressure to be put on Comcast to drop the show to punish them for not going far enough. And they complied. “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” said the Comcast-owned network this morning. “However, change of this magnitude takes time and work,...

The mining village of Cefn Fforest is a small town in South Wales. The lush, flourishing lowlands give way to windswept pastures, yielding an historic time capsule sparsely inhabited by roughly 4,000 working-class people. Jan Vokes (Toni Collette) has found that her way of life in Cefn Fforest has grown rather mundane. She works the early shift at the town grocery and cares for her elderly parents each afternoon. Following her daily obligations, Jan returns to her simple home to care for her apathetic husband, Brian (Game of Thrones' Owen Teale). They've spent their whole lives in the valley. Life...

The 23rd annual Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) kicked off April 30th and runs through May 9th. To compensate for concerns regarding COVID-19, the festival was presented in a hybrid format, featuring outdoor and virtual screenings as well as the regular public theatrical experience. There were many Q&As and conversations, including the one I was fortunate to facilitate with Dream Horse director Euros Lyn. This approach helped the festival continue to thrive and reach both local and national audiences. It also helped make things feel like we are finally getting back to normal, something many of us are striving for following...

You may or may not know this but AwardsDaily has a newsletter. In the past we've used it primarily for sending out breaking news of awards winners. That was all it was for many years now, a perk for AD readers to get our pretty fast news breaks. Lately, we've also been using it to relay dedicated blasts by studios who seem to like this kind of targeted advertising as opposed to ads on the site. Although we understand that this feature has tested the patience of some of our readers, it does help keep AwardsDaily in business. If you...

Nantucket, MA (May 6, 2021) – The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) announced today its programming for the 26th annual edition, which will run from June 17-28. This year’s festival will be presented in a hybrid format with both online and open air screenings and conversations. NFF will open with SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED), by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, a powerful and transporting documentary about 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival. Searchlight Pictures, in cooperation with Disney’s new BIPOC Creators Initiative, will release the film later this year. It will also stream on Hulu. This year’s Centerpiece...