New Trailer for Dark Star Picture’s ENTWINED

Director’s Minos Nikolakakis new film ENTWINED tells the story of Panos (Prometheus Aleifer), a city doctor, relocates his practice to a remote village and quickly falls for Danae (Anastasia Rafaella Konidi), who lives in isolation with a mysterious skin condition. Determined to find Danae a cure, Panos learns of her dark secret and that all is not what it seems.

ENTWINED, an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival opens in virtual theaters on Friday, August 28th in Los Angeles, New York and other major cities. And released on VOD on September 8th in U.S. and Canada on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu,  Direct TV, Dish Network and all major cable providers.

 

ENTWINED poster1

Runtime: 89 minutes
Language: Greek with English subtitles
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Distributed in North America by Dark Star Pictures

DARK STAR PICTURES

Dark Star Pictures is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. The company is committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital and home video space. Dark Star’s goal is to create original marketing campaigns directly catered to audiences who will embrace our brand of thought-provoking cinema. The company also services distribution companies and producers in the theatrical, digital, and festival space.

Dark Star Pictures THE PREY New Trailer

THE PREY a new film by director Jimmy Henderson’s opens in VIRTUAL THEATERS on August 21n 2020 in Los Angeles at Laemmle and in New York on Alamo On Demand and major cities.

On VOD in US and Canada on August 25th. Including on  iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu,  Direct TV, Dish Network and all major cable providers.

THE PREY was an official selection at the Busan International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Fantasia Film Festival.

Directed by Jimmy Henderson (JAILBREAK) and written by Jimmy Henderson, Michael Hodgson, Kai Miller.

It stars Byron Bishop, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Nophand Boonyai, Vithaya Pansringarm (ONLY GOD FORGIVES), Gu Shangwei

THE PREY is loosely based on Richard Connell’s story of survival and adventure The Most Dangerous Game,  

Undercover Chinese cop Xin (newcomer Gu Shangwei), is on a secret international mission when a surprise raid puts him in a remote Cambodian jungle prison that plays by its own rules.Ruthless warden (Vithaya Pansringarm of ONLY GOD FORGIVES ) sells prisoners as human prey for rich hunters looking for thrills in the jungle.

After years of hunting down ruthless criminals, Xin suddenly finds himself running for his life. If Xin manages to survive this sadistic game, he’ll walk out of the jungle the same way he came in: as a free man. If Xin fails, he’s just another hunting trophy.
Runtime: 93 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Language: Cambodian and Chinese (Mandarin) with English subtitles
Distributed by LA-based Dark Star Pictures. 

DARK STAR PICTURES

Dark Star Pictures is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. The company is committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital and home video space. Dark Star’s goal is to create original marketing campaigns directly catered to audiences who will embrace our brand of thought-provoking cinema. The company also services distribution companies and producers in the theatrical, digital, and festival space.

New Trailer Jennifer Hudson in “RESPECT” Aretha Franklin Bio

Academy Award Best Supporting Actress, Jennifer Hudson brings the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin to the big screen in “RESPECT”.

“RESPECT” has a limited release on Christmas Day, December 25th. Wide release on January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr Holiday.

Directed by Liesl Tommy, “RESPECT” is his first feature film and written by Tracey Scott Wilson. The cast includes Forest Whitaker as C.L. Franklin, Audra McDonald as Barbara Franklin, Marlon Wayans as Ted White, Aretha’s first husband, Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington, Gilber Glenn Brown as Martin Luther King Jr.

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN Film Review

Von Rydingsvard in her Williamsburg studio on South 5th Street, surrounded by the cedar cast of katul katul, 2002.
Von Rydingsvard in her Williamsburg studio on South 5th Street, surrounded by the cedar cast of katul katul, 2002.

Premieres May 29, 2020 at Film Forum in New York

Opens June 5, 2020 in the major cities of Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and more cities to be announced.

Director: Daniel Traub
Feature Documentary

Director Daniel Traub’s gives an in depth look at the life of sculptor Ursula Von Rydingsvard in his new film URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN.

A compelling story of her birth in Germany, the five years she and her family lived in a displaced person camp prior to her parents and four siblings moving to the United States, her marriage to her husband of nine-years, who was institutionalized with schizophrenia and her eventual rise as one of the few women who specialize in monument sculptors.

Ona, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, 2013.
Ona, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, 2013.

It is fascinating to see how Ursula who grew up during the war and lived in poverty and despair as a displaced person was able to rise to such great heights as an artist. Hearing her speak about being in the 3rd grade and being elected to create posters and other art assignments in school appear to be the spark that ignited her passion for the arts. It is as though the world of art was her calling, her destiny.

One usually thinks of an artist and the creation of their work as an individua effort yet with Ursula, you see her chosen genre of working with large sculptures made out of cedar and eventually working with bronze, requires a team effort. A team she clearly admires and respect. It is a great opportunity for young artist to work and learn from a master of the arts like Ursula. She and her team have lunch together everyday, which gives you a sense of a family unit. That cohesiveness is displayed in the seamlessness of the sculptures that they create together.

Von Rydingsvard drawing cut lines on a 4x4" cedar beam, 2016.
Von Rydingsvard drawing cut lines on a 4x4" cedar beam, 2016.

It was intriguing watching as she traveled to Poland for the first time and see the similarities between of the large, neat stacks of wood used for heating their homes and her large stacks of 4x4 cedar blocks used in her sculptures and other Polish items that had been unknowingly created in her art. It provides an innate connection between her and her family’s homeland.

Composer Simon Taufique original scores provides a great backdrop to Ursula’s life journey from Germany to her new life in the United States.

An enjoyable film about the  humbly beginnings of a woman determined to be an artist. An artist who chose a genre without many woman role models and excelled.

Production Company: Itinerant Pictures
Run time: 57 minutes
Director: Daniel Traub
Producers: Daniel Traub, Ken Kobland, Simon Taufique
Executive Producer: Morning Slayter
Editors: Ken Kobland, Melody London
Cinematographer: Daniel Traub
Composer: Simon Taufique

View Trailer Below

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN- In Virtual Theaters Starting June 5

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD INTO HER OWN

 Premieres Friday, May 29, 2020 at Film Forum in New York.

Open June 5, 2020 in the major cities of Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia with more cities to be announced.

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN is an artistic biography of one of the few women in the world working in monumental sculpture. Von Rydingsvard’s work has been featured in the Venice Biennale and is held in the collections of some of the world’s great museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. But she may be best-known for her staggering, triumphant body of work in public spaces – imposing pieces painstakingly crafted with complex surfaces including: a series of early installations reminiscent of wings in what became New York’s Battery Park; a monumental yet inviting piece outside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and the stunning “Scientia” at M.I.T. which evokes the power of nature and the firing of brain synapses.

In Daniel Traub’s intimate documentary, he goes behind the scenes with von Rydingsvard, as she and her collaborators – cutters, metal-smiths, and others – produce new work, including challenging commissions in copper and bronze. The film also delves into the artist’s personal life, and how it has shaped her work

 

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN
URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN

Born in Poland during the Second World War, she was partly raised in a displaced persons camp and came to the US as a refugee with her nine-person family. Brought up in a blue-collar environment, she became a teacher and then, as a single mother, moved to New York in the 1970s to take up her artistic practice full-time.

Interviews with curators, patrons, family, fellow artists (including luminaries such as artist Sarah Sze and museum director Adam Weinberg), as well as the artist herself, are intertwined with studio visits and behind-the-scenes footage of her mammoth creations being installed. All combine to show how, through sheer talent and determination (and countless planks of cedar), she has become one of the world’s greatest artists (and one of a very few women) working in monumental sculpture.

DANIEL TRAUB is a New York-based filmmaker and photographer. He lived in China from 1998 to 2007, working as cinematographer on documentary films for various networks and production companies, including PBS, German television ZDF and Arte. More recently, Traub directed the feature-length Barefoot Artist about Lily Yeh and her collaborative artworks in war-torn communities and Xu Bing: Phoenix about the condition of Chinese migrant laborers.

Ursula 7

Traub’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago, Slought Foundation in Philadelphia and the Lianzhou Foto Festival in China. His work can be found in public and private collections, such as The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

ABOUT THIS RELEASE
The virtual theatrical release of URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN supports local theaters, museums and arts organizations across the U.S. and Canada. Participating organizations receive a branded page and have no overhead costs in these presentations. The ticket price is $9.99 for a 48-hour streaming period. Of the proceeds, 50% benefits the presenting organization.

ICARUS FILMS
Since 1978, Icarus Films has been a leading distributor of documentary films in North America. Icarus Films meets the needs of activists, educators and service providers, challenging audiences with original creative works.

LIST OF CITY OPENINGS

JUNE 5, 2020
Berkeley (Pacific Film Archive with Q and A), Los Angeles (Laemmle Theaters), San Francisco (Roxie Theater), San Rafael (Rafael Film Center), Chicago (Gene Siskel Film Center with Q and A), Detroit (Detroit Institute Of Arts), Philadelphia (Lightbox Film Center with Q and A), Camas (Liberty Theater), Port Townsend (Rose Theater) and more.

JUNE 12, 2020
Kansas City (Nelson Atkins Museum), Hudson, NY (Time and Space Limited).

JUNE 17, 2020
Houston (MFA Houston).

View the trailer below:

 

I PROMISE a Documentary about Lebron James Public School in Akron

Lebron James

Lebron James new documentary tells the story about his Akron, Ohio school, I Promise.

Dedicated to helping underserved kids. Kids that are dealing with the same challenges Lebron faced as a child.

Lebron James is truly making a difference in the lives kids that live in his hometown of Akron.

View  the trailer below.

Films Coming to the Screen This Weekend: Bloodshot, The Hunt, and more

Vin Diesel Bloodshot

Weekend of March 13, 2020

Bloodshot
Runtime: 1 hr 50 min
Genre: Drama/Fantasay
Rating: PG-13

Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel 'Fast and Furious', 'Guardian of the Galaxy', 'XXX', 'Avengers') and his wife are murdered and he is brought back to life and becomes superhuman.

Directed by David S. F. Wilson. Screenplay by Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer. Story by Jeff Wadlow. Based on Valiant Comics Bloddshot. With Sam Heughan ('Outlander', 'Young Alexander the Great') as Jimmy Dalton, Toby Kebbell ('Dawn of the Planet of the Apes', 'Fantastic Four') as Axe, Lamorne Morris ('New Girl', 'Game Night', 'Sandy Wexler') as Wilfred Wigans.

Produced by Toby Jaffe, Jason Kothari. Music by Steve Jablonsky ('Transformers', 'Deep Water Horizon'). Cinematography by Jacques Jouffret ('The Purge: Election Year', 'Mile 22'). Edited by Jim May ('The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch anfd the Wardrobe'). Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Original Film, Valiant Entertainment, One Race Films, The Hideaway Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.

Watch "BLOODSHOT - Official Trailer

The Hunt
Runtime: 1 hr 55 min
Genre: Thriller
Rating: R

Waking up in the forest and not knowing where they are, 12 average strangers soon realize they are the 'hunted game' for a group of wealthy hunters. Coming to the rescue is Crystal (Betty Gilpin) who flips the script and begins to hunt the hunter.

Directed Craig Zobel ('Z for Zachariah', 'Prince Avalanche'). Written by Nick Cuse ('Watchmen', 'Maniac'), Damon Lindelofn ('Watchmen', 'The Lelftovers').
Based on "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. With Ike Berinholtz, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank.

Produced by Jason Blum ('Get Out', 'BlacKkKlansman'), Damon Lindelof ('Watchmen', 'The Leftovers'). Music by Nathan Barr ('True Blood', 'Flatliners'). Cinematography by Darran Tiernan ('Perry Mason', 'Star Trek: Picard'). Edited by Jane Rizzo ('Leave No Trace', 'Z for Zachariah'). Production companies: Blumhouse Productions, White Rabbit Productions. Distributed by Universal Pictures.

Watch "The Hunt - Official Trailer 

The Informer
1 hr 53 min
Genre: Drama, Tragicomedy
Rating: R

A former special operations soldier and convict, Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman 'Edge of Winter', 'Suicide Squad') working undercover for dirty FBI reenters the Bale Hill Prison to infiltrate the Polish mob drug trade in New York and is double crossed by one of his handlers Montgomery (Clive Owen 'Closer', 'Gemini Man') and and must turn to Grens, New York Police Organized Crime Division.(Common 'The Hate You Give', 'Girls Trip')

Directed by Andrea Di Stefano ('Life of Pi', 'Eat Pray Love'). Screenplay by Matt Cook ('Before I Go to Sleep', 'Brighton Rock'),
Andrea Di Stefano, Rowan Joffe ('Before I Go to Sleep', 'Brighton Rock'). Based on Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom. With Ana de Armas ('Blade Runner 2049', 'Knives Out') as Sofia Hoffman, Rosamund Pike ('Gone Girl', 'Pride and Prejudice').

Watch "THE INFORMER Official Trailer

My Spy
Runtime: 1 hr 42min
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13

After being demoted, CIA operative JJ (Dave Bautista 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2', 'Avengers: Infinity War') is assigned to surveil the Vail family and ends up at the mercy of their 9-year old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman 'Big Little Lies').

Directed by Peter Segal ('Hidden Hills', 'Tommy Boy', 'Grudge Match'). Written by Erich Hoeber ('RED', 'The Meg'), Jon Hoeber ('RED', 'The Meg'). With Kristen Schaal ('The Last Man on Earth', 'Despicable Me 2'), Ken Jeong ('Pineapple Express', 'Hangover I, II, III')
Produced by Dave Bautista ('Blade Runner'), Chris Bender ('American I, II', We're the Millers', 'Hangover I, II, III') , Peter Segal ('Get Smart', 'Grudge Match'), Jake Weiner ('Under the Silver Lake', 'Criminal'), Robert Simonds (STX Entertainment), Jake Weiner ('Under the Silver Lake', 'Criminal'), Gigi Pritzker ('Drive'), Jonathan Meisner ('Avengers: Infinity War', Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2')

Produced by Chris Pender, Peter Segal, Robert Simonds. Music by Dominic Lewis ('How to Train Your Dragon', 'X-Men: First Class'). Cinematography by Larry Blanford ('X-Men, 'Iron Man 3'). Edited by Jason Gourson ('Second Act', 'Blaze'). Production companies: MWM Studios, Good Fear, Dream Boys Entertainment. Distributed by STXfilms.

Watch "My Spy Trailer"

Lost Girls
Runtime: 1 hr 35 min
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Rating: R

With a single focus on finding her missing daughter Shannon Gilbert (Sarah Wisser 'Cabbie'), Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan 'Escape Plan', 'Gone Baby Gone') begins her own investigation and the results forces the police and media to take action.

Directed by Liz Garbus ('Love, Marilyn', 'What Happened, Miss Simone'). Written by Michael Werwie ('Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'). Based on Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker. With Thomasin McKenzie ('Leave No Trace', 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies') as Sherre Gilbert, Gabriel Byrne ('Heredity', 'Mad to be Normal') as Commissioner Doman,
Oona Laurence ('Peter's Dragon', 'Bad Moms') as Sarra Gilbert, Reed Birney ('The Humans') as Dr. Peter Hackett.

Produced by Anne Carey ('The Diary of a Teenage Girl', '20th Century Women'), Kevin McCormick ('Gangster Squad', 'Arthur'). Music by Anne Nikitin ('The Imposter', 'American Animals'). Cinemetagraphy by Igor Martinovic ('The Night Of', 'House of Cards'). Edited by Camilla Toniolo ('Write When You Get Work'). Production companies: Archer Gray, Langley Park Productions. Distributed by Netflix.

Watch "LOST GIRLS Trailer"

Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always
Runtime: 1 hr 41
Genre:   Drama
Rating: PG-13

After an unwanted pregnancy, Autumn (Sidney Flanigan ' ') and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder 'Broadway Kids Against Bullying: I Have a Voice') travel from their home in rural Pennsylvania to New York to end her pregnancy.

Directed and written by Eliza Hittman ('Beach Rats', 'It Felt Like Love'). With Theodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten. Produced by Adele Romanski ('Moonlight', 'If Beale Street Could Talk'), Sara Murphy ('If Beale Street Could Talk', 'The Mountain').

Produced by Lia Buman, Rose Garnett, Tim Headington. Music by Julia Holter ('Bleed for This', 'Own Worst Enemy'). Cinematography by Helene Louvart ('The Invisible Life', 'Happy as Lazzato). Edited by Scott Cummings ('Adversary', 'Buffalo Juggalos'). Production companies: Tango Entertainment, BBC Films, Mutressa Movies, Pastel Productions. Distributed by Focus Features.

Watch "NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS" - Official Trailer