SXSW REVEALS FULL 2012 FEATURE FILM LINEUP

By Dan Schoenbrun

SXSW has announced their complete 2012 feature film slate. Over 90 films will screen across the festival’s ten categories, including the already announced opening night premiere of Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods and a special preview screening of Lena Dunham’s new HBO series Girls.

New additions include the sixteen films premiering in narrative and documentary competition. The eight films competing on the narrative side include Booster, directed by Matt Ruskin, Eden, directed by Megan Griffiths, Gayby, directed by Jonathan Lisecki, Gimme the Loot, directed by Adam Leon, Los Chidos, directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Pilgrim Song, directed by Martha Stephens, Starlet, directed by Sean Baker, and The Taiwan Oyster, directed by Mark Jarrett.

On the documentary side, the eight competing films include Bay of All Saints, directed by Annie Eastman, Beware of Mr. Baker, directed by Jay Bulger, The Central Park Effect, directed by Jeffrey Kimball, Jeff, directed by Chris James Thompson, Seeking Asian Female, directed by Debbie Lum, The Sheik and I, directed by Caveh Zahedi, The Source, directed by Jodi Wille & Maria Demopoulos, and Welcome to the Machine, directed by Avi Zev Weider.

Other lineup highlights include the world premieres of Nelson George’s The Announcement, Adele Romanski’s Leave Me Like You Found Me, Tim Sutton’s Pavilion, Jay & Mark Duplass’ Do-Deca-Pentathalon, Matthew Lillard’s Fat Kid Rules the World, and a special in-progress screening of Drew Denicola’s documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.

The full feature film lineup:

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.

Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)

Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan … Read the rest

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR “SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED” DIRECTOR COLIN TREVORROW

Safety Not Guaranteed might be the first feature film based on an internet meme.  In 2005, a newspaper classified ad from 1997 started to spread across the web, depicted a mulleted man who claimed to be seeking, “Somebody to go back in time with me.”  The ad, which also specified, “this is not a joke” was eventually revealed to be exactly that, a fake listing published to fill out space in the paper.

But that hasn’t stopped director Colin Trevorrow from crafting his first feature film around it.  Produced by Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf of Big Beach (Little Miss Sunshine, Our Idiot Brother), Safety Not Guaranteed stars Mark Duplass as Kenneth, the apparent time traveller. When a cynical journalist (Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza) goes undercover to write a story about Kenneth, she finds herself connecting and relating to him in unexpected ways.

Filmmaker:   How did you come across the meme that Safety Not Guaranteed is based on? At what point did you realize that you wanted to adapt it into a feature film?

Trevorrow: My writing partner, Derek Connolly, saw the ad a few years ago. It had become a huge joke online, there were parody videos, and he wondered, “What if this is a real guy and he’s being mocked by all these people? How does it make him feel?” Derek constructed a narrative that used the ad as a jumping off point to tell a richer story. Yes, Kenneth is a shotgun-wielding backwoods scientist gearing up for time travel—but beneath that he’s a real human being who believes something is possible and won’t listen to anyone who tells him different. That’s what drew me to it.

Filmmaker:  Since your source material was very limited, how did you, Derek, and Mark Duplass go about fleshing out Kenneth’s character?

Trevorrow: Mark Duplass zeroed in on aspects of Kenneth that really brought another layer to the character and grounded the movie in reality. Behind the self-serious bravado, this guy is a very lonely individual. As an adult, he’s not quite fully formed. That comes across more … Read the rest

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR “JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME” WRITER-DIRECTORS MARK AND JAY DUPLASS

Last year Mark and Jay Duplass ventured into the world of studio filmmaking when they made the dramedy Cyrus for Fox Searchlight. At this year’s TIFF the Duplass brothers and Searchlight will premiere their next effort, Jeff, Who Lives at Home, starring Jason Segel, Ed Helms and Susan Sarandon.

Filmmaker: Tell us a little about what your film is about?

Duplass Bros: It’s about a 30 year-old guy named Jeff (Jason Segel) who believes, heavily, in fate. He bides his time in his mom’s basement, eagerly awaiting the day that the universe will deliver his destiny upon him. When his mom sends him out one morning to get some wood glue, Jeff starts getting some signs that today might be his big day.

Filmmaker: What were the motivations behind telling this story?

Duplass Bros: We’ve always loved the idea of what we call the “epically small” in movies… that there are big, funny, beautiful things happening in the most boring and unexpected of places. In many ways, Jeff is a grand, sweeping adventure story about two brothers (Segel and Ed Helms) finding themselves and their place in the world. It just happens to be set in the banal strip malls of middle america instead of in space (or Narnia).

Filmmaker: Did you always have Jason Segel in mind to play Jeff?

Duplass Bros: Jason came to mind very early on. The character of Jeff is very unique. Yes, he’s a stoner. But he’s a believer, and he’s sad, but he also needed to be inherently funny to watch. Jason is such a complex and wonderful person. He really got that combination of “funny sad” that was required for this character.

Filmmaker: What do you hope audiences will take away from your film?

Duplass Bros: Life can be awesome. It may suck and disappoint most of the time, but sometimes it’s fucking awesome and full of incredible surprises.

Filmmaker: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from making Cyrus and how did it help you with making Jeff, Who Lives at Home?

Duplass Bros: Our movies are about the people … Read the rest

THE DUPLASS BROTHERS TALK STUDIOS AND SNUGGLING

Alica Van Couvering’s interview with Mark and Jay Duplass in the current issue of Filmmaker was conducted at the Sundance Film Festival, where their latest film, Cyrus, premiered. Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill, the film is a comedy/drama about mid-life romance and the borderline aggro-child that stands in its way. Alicia’s interview was filmed by Zak Forsman, Kevin Shah and the Sabi Pictures team, and here’s an edit of their conversation. See more videos on our YouTube channel. The film opens Friday, June 18.

… Read the rest

CINEVEGAS SNAPSHOTS

“Humpday” stars Joshua Leonard and Mark Duplass mingle and interview during the daily CineVegas Happy Hour.

At the CineVegas Filmmaker Brunch, IFC‘s Arianna Bocco played a game of “Distribution Roulette” whereby distrib heads from different companies were given a fictitious film’s brief description. Then they had to give their best strategy for the film’s release.

A panel of judges awarded the best pitch a round-trip air ticket from Southwest Airlines.

The winner: Magnolia‘s Tom Quinn. For this “edgy, sexy indie” Quinn said, “I’d recruit strippers to do group sales. You’re laughing but I think that’s worth its weight in gold.”… Read the rest

LYNN SHELTON, “HUMPDAY” By Nick Dawson

Lynn Shelton has worked in a variety of creative forms for most of her life, but seems to have found her true voice in the role of writer-director. A Seattle native, Shelton spent her formative years immersed in painting, writing poetry, taking pictures and acting. She was a stage actress for ten years (and was told she was destined to work in film), and subsequently studied for an MFA in Photography at NYC’s School of Visual Arts. She then began working in film, both as an editor on movies such as The Outpatient (2002) and Hedda Gabler (2004) and as the creator of experimental and documentary projects The Clouds That Touch Us Out of Clear Skies (2000) and The Fruits of Our Labors (2005). Shelton made her feature debut as a writer-director with We Go Way Back, a poignant film centered on a twentysomething actress reflecting on her teenage life, which won the Grand Prize at Slamdance in 2006. She followed this up with the fantastically funny My Effortless Brilliance, about two old friends whose paths in life have diverged, which was released last year by IFC.

Humpday, Shelton’s third feature, is in many ways a companion piece to My Effortless Brilliance, as it revisits the idea of two college buddies who attempt to reignite their friendship after a period apart. This film, however, has a killer hook, as early on in the movie its two “bromantic” leads, devoted husband Ben (mumblecore director Mark Duplass) and wild adventurer Andrew (The Blair Witch Project‘s Josh Leonard), pledge to have sex with each other. During a night of debauchery, the pair decide to make a film for Hump, Seattle’s amateur porn festival, which will have the novelty of featuring non-gay intercourse between two very heterosexual men, and what begins as a drunken dare becomes a promise neither is willing to back down from. Humpday is a true crowdpleaser, and certainly fulfills the rich comic potential of its outrageous premise, but it is more than simply an absurd tale of one-upmanship. Whereas the Apatow model for such … Read the rest

LYNN SHELTON, “HUMPDAY”

By Nick Dawson

MARK DUPLASS AND JOSHUA LEONARD IN DIRECTOR LYNN SHELTON’S HUMPDAY. COURTESY MAGNOLIA PICTURES.

Lynn Shelton has worked in a variety of creative forms for most of her life, but seems to have found her true voice in the role of writer-director. A Seattle native, Shelton spent her formative years immersed in painting, writing poetry, taking pictures and acting. She was a stage actress for ten years (and was told she was destined to work in film), and subsequently studied for an MFA in Photography at NYC’s School of Visual Arts. She then began working in film, both as an editor on movies such as The Outpatient (2002) and Hedda Gabler (2004) and as the creator of experimental and documentary projects The Clouds That Touch Us Out of Clear Skies (2000) and The Fruits of Our Labors (2005). Shelton made her feature debut as a writer-director with We Go Way Back, a poignant film centered on a twentysomething actress reflecting on her teenage life, which won the Grand Prize at Slamdance in 2006. She followed this up with the fantastically funny My Effortless Brilliance, about two old friends whose paths in life have diverged, which was released last year by IFC.

Humpday, Shelton’s third feature, is in many ways a companion piece to My Effortless Brilliance, as it revisits the idea of two college buddies who attempt to reignite their friendship after a period apart. This film, however, has a killer hook, as early on in the movie its two “bromantic” leads, devoted husband Ben (mumblecore director Mark Duplass) and wild adventurer Andrew (The Blair Witch Project‘s Josh Leonard), pledge to have sex with each other. During a night of debauchery, the pair decide to make a film for Hump, Seattle’s amateur porn festival, which will have the novelty of featuring non-gay intercourse between two very heterosexual men, and what begins as a drunken dare becomes a promise neither is willing to back down from. Humpday is a true crowdpleaser, and certainly fulfills the rich comic potential of its outrageous premise, but it is … Read the rest

“BAGHEAD” writer-directors, Mark and Jay Duplass

Penis size was definitely an issue on Baghead. In fact, we could have used a LOT more than 10 percent extra, but we would have been glad to have as much as we could get. Now please don’t think we’re superficial. We generally don’t concern ourselves with such things. We’ve traditionally viewed ourselves as nice, sweet brothers who lean toward more personal, relationship-oriented films like The Puffy Chair. Maybe we were even better off making these sensitive films with the limited equipment God gave us, you know? But Baghead turned out to be one demanding, feisty little bugger. And we just didn’t quite have the manpower to get the film under our control. In the end, Baghead broke loose from our feeble reigns and became what it wanted to become, and we sat back in fear and watched it happen.

Next time we’re thinking of hiring Vincent Gallo (haven’t personally seen Brown Bunny, but we hear good things).

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 8:30 pm -- Prospector Square Theatre, Park City]… Read the rest

NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTION PANEL

By Scott Macaulay

I posted below a response to Sujewa in the comments section, but I thought I’d repost it here along with a few notes coming out of the panel I moderated last night sponsored by the IFP entitled “Distribution Now! Distribution How?” Prompted by IFC’s opening of Caveh Zahedi’s I am a Sex Addict this week, the panel brought Zahedi together with two other filmmakers – Susan Leber, producer of Down to the Bone, and Jay Duplass, writer/director of the upcoming The Puffy Chair, whose films took the long road to getting their features in theaters. (Down to the Bone opened last year from Laemmle/Zellner distribution, and The Puffy Chair shows up in June from Roadside Attractions in partnership with Netflix.)

My response to Sujewa: “The panel went really well, I thought, although maybe someone in the audience would be a better person to answer that question. I thought the panelists were all smart, articulate, candid and funny (the latter of which is important to keep people’s attention). I think the audience was surprised and perhaps a tiny bit bummed out the financial bleakness of it all — there were some folks there who are putting together their own films and seeking investors, and the makers of both Puffy Chair and Down to the Bone both said that they forgoed some sure revenue in the ancillary markets in order to gamble on the theatrical releases. There was some good demystification going on too in terms of the role of festivals and prestigious sales agents — they are all key parts of the process, but at the same time, they are no guarantees as the filmmakers explained.

At the end of the day, I hope people took away from it that one’s passion for making a film has to also drive the distribution as well.”

And some notes from the panel:

1. Two of the three filmmakers used a producer’s rep – in both cases, Cinetic Media – to sell their films at their festival premieres. Leber premiered at Sundance without a rep and picked up Stephen Raphael after … Read the rest