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‘The Mysterious Case Of Rudolf Diesel’: Priority Pictures Options Douglas Brunt’s Bestselling Crime Thriller

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Priority Pictures, the production company of Emmy-winning producers Lizzie Friedman, Karen Lauder, and Greg Little, has optioned Douglas Brunt‘s NYT bestseller The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel and will develop it for the screen, Deadline has learned. It’s not clear at this point whether the adaptation will be for film or TV.

Also recently named a Best of 2023 Staff Pick by Apple Books, The Mysterious Case tells the true story of Rudolf Diesel, one of history’s greatest inventors, who vanished into thin air on the eve of World War I. His revolutionary invention, the Diesel engine, was highly sought after by global industries and political figures around the world. It had the power to threaten empires and change the fate of nations, turning him and his technology into both a prized asset and a potential threat.

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Vertical Acquires Crime Thriller ‘Mother’s Milk’ Starring Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke & Jack Reynor

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Vertical has picked up rights to the crime thriller Mother’s Milk, directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (As You Are), with plans to distribute it in North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The film in which two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) stars opposite Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon) and Jack Reynor (Midsommar) will hit theaters across North America beginning September 1, debuting in the other territories shortly thereafter.

Written by Joris-Peyrafitte and Madison Harrison, Mother’s Milk follows journalist Marissa Bennings (Swank) who, after the murder of her estranged son, forms an unlikely alliance with his pregnant girlfriend Paige (Cooke) to track down those responsible for his death. Together they confront a world of corruption and drugs in the underbelly of a small city in upstate New York. And as they get closer to the truth, they unearth an even darker secret.

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‘A La Calle’ Nominated for Emmy

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 43RD ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS

NEW YORK (July 28, 2022) – Nominations for the 43rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards were announced today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).

The awards will be presented in two individual ceremonies:

News Categories – Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. EDT

Documentary Categories – Thursday, September 29th, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. EDT

The News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented live at the Palladium Times Square in New York City, and will be streamed live on NATAS’ dedicated viewing platform powered by Vimeo, available on the web at Watch.TheEmmys.TV and via The Emmys® apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku (full list at apps.theemmys.tv).

“At a time when critical, monumental, and world-changing events are more immediately available and accessible than ever before, the work of the journalists and documentarians that bring us the truth of these stories is under tremendous assault. We honor these individuals’ courage and excellence of craft that allows each of us to be better informed and understanding of the issues of our day,” said Adam Sharp, NATAS President & CEO.

See the full list of nominees here

Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media Acquires Drama Film ‘Dear Zoe’ Starring Sadie Sink

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Dear Zoe, a drama film starring Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), has been acquired by Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media and is set to be released in select theaters and on demand beginning November 4, 2022.

Adapted from Philip Beard’s award-winning novel, Dear Zoe, with a screenplay by Marc Lhormer and Melissa Martin, the feature film is directed by Gren Wells and is produced by Zin Haze Productions’ Brenda Lhormer and Marc Lhormer.       

Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy), Jessica Capshaw (Grey’s Anatomy), Justin Bartha (The Hangover), Vivien Lyra Blair (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and rapper, songwriter, and producer Kweku Collins, round out the cast.

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Hilary Swank, Jack Reynor, Olivia Cooke to Lead Opioid Thriller ‘Mother’s Milk’ 

Hilary Swank (“Million Dollar Baby”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”) and Olivia Cooke (“House of the Dragons”) are set to star in the upcoming opioid-themed thriller “Mother’s Milk.”

The film, which recently wrapped production in New York, comes from director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who co-wrote the script with Madison Harrison. Prior credits from the director include Sundance Special Jury Prize winner “As You Are,” and the Margot Robbie-starring “Dreamland.” Aside from the three leads, additional cast includes Dilone, Hopper Penn, Norm Lewis and Karen Aldridge.

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WarnerMedia OneFifty Picks Up Documentary ‘A La Calle’, Sets HBO Max Premiere Date

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE:  WarnerMedia OneFifty have picked up award-winning documentary A La Calle which will premiere on HBO Max on Wednesday, Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy.

Directed by Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo, A La Calle is a firsthand account of the extraordinary efforts of ordinary Venezuelans to reclaim their democracy from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, whose corrupt and brutal policies plunged the country into economic ruin. Working with a network of clandestine camera crews, smuggling hard drives out of Venezuela, the filmmakers spent three years recording exclusive interviews with key opposition figures including Leopoldo López (whose arrest and imprisonment inspired a national movement), Venezuelan democratic leader Juan Guaidó, and grassroots activist Nixon Leal, as well as a host of everyday citizens.

A La Calle is produced by Priority Pictures and Vitamin Productions in association with The Brakefield Company and executive produced by Greg Little, Karen Lauder, and Lizzie Friedman.

“It is an honor to have the film premiere on HBO Max where audiences will now have the chance to experience this beautifully told, powerful story. Our hope is that A La Calle, raises critical awareness about the ongoing humanitarian and political crises in Venezuela,” said EP Little of Priority Pictures.

The film was produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Shawna Brakefield-Haase, p.g.a. (Momentum Generation, Nossa Chape, Girls Can’t Surf), Marcus Cheek, p.g.a., Maxx Caicedo, p.g.a., and Nelson G. Navarrete, p.g.a. David Mosquera is the film’s Director of Photography, and it is edited by Yesenia Higuera, with music by Venezuelan native Elik Álvarez, who includes traditional local instrumentation and musicians in the score.

“OneFifty understands documentary films can be more than just art or entertainment, but a medium through which the world can learn about the most important sociopolitical issues of our time,” said Navarrete and Caicedo.

A La Calle won Doc Aviv “Beyond the Screen Award” at the pic’s Israel festival premiere. A La Calle has also played at Doc NYC (where Navarrete and Caicedo made the Doc NYC “40 Under 40” list), Miami Film Festival, Movies That Matter Film Festival and Activism Competition, Cleveland International Film Festival, as well as the Human Rights Watch Film Festivals in London, Toronto, and Amsterdam, among others.

The documentary campaign’s distinguished panel series featured a private screening and discussion with members of the Council on Foreign Relations at maximum capacity.

Endeavor Content handled domestic sales on behalf of the filmmakers. International rights to the film are still available. The deal was negotiated by Chris Grunden, SVP Content Acquisitions HBO and HBO MAX.

Priority Pictures is a production and financing company owned by producers Lizzie Friedman, Greg Little, and Karen Lauder. Past credits include the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Momentum Generation and the Sundance Award-winning films The Land, The Stanford Prison Experiment, as well as Bel Canto, Ride and Emelie.

WarnerMedia OneFifty is inspired by the nearly 100-year tradition of innovation at Warner Bros. The label serves as the content innovation hub for WarnerMedia. Their mission is to serve as an artist studio where content innovation happens, seeking to bring the best, most compelling untold and artist-forward stories to audiences.

Original Article

Momentum Generation Wins Emmy

By Jake Howard

Long after graduating, the boys from the ‘90s New School continue to collect accolades.

Last night it was announced by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the 40th Annual Sports Emmy Awards that the film “Momentum Generation” was recognized as this year’s Outstanding Long Sports Documentary.

 

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Tribeca Docu ‘Momentum Generation’ Surfs To HBO In TV Deal

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By Patrick Hipes

HBO has acquired U.S. and Canada TV rights to Momentum Generation, the feature-length surfing documentary from Jeff and Michael Zimbalist that won an audience award after its premiere this spring at the Tribeca Film Festival. It will air on HBO on December 11 after Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group’s international digital release set for November 5. Read more

New York Times: “Opera and Film Takes On A New Note in Bel Canto”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/movies/bel-canto-opera-movies-julianne-moore.html

By Michael Cooper

Sept. 7, 2018

“Bel Canto” is the rare film that does not use opera to comment ironically on bloodshed, or signal sinister depravity, or provide the sonic equivalent of a heart-shaped box of chocolates in a moment of slightly cloying Valentine’s Day-style romance. Mixing elements of thriller and romantic drama, “Bel Canto” is not exactly an opera film. But it uses music as character and catalyst, a vital force uniting artist and fan, hostage and guerrilla, plutocrat and revolutionary.

“It’s about the power of art to humanize,” the star soprano Renée Fleming, who recorded the arias by Dvorak and Puccini that Ms. Moore lip-syncs to in the film, said in an interview.

Robert Redford-Produced Surfer Doc to Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival

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‘Momentum Generation’ shows how one house in Hawaii nurtured surfer crew that would “forever reshape worldwide culture in the 1990s”

A crew of surfers who helped change the sport tumble into each other’s company in a new clip from Momentum Generation, a documentary executive-produced by Robert Redford (among others), that’s set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The film tracks the rise of athletes who eventually “win world titles and forever reshape worldwide culture in the 1990s and beyond,” according to a statement from the directors, Jeff and Michael Zimbalist.

In the Momentum Generation teaser, the surfers come together as a group for the first time. “We all knew each other from surfing different amateur events,” Rob Machado says. “But it wasn’t until we stayed at Benji’s house that we became a posse.” Read more

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