May 2024 - Unspool Hollywood

REAL TO REEL: A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE 2024

Streaming giant Netflix hosted an exceptional evening of panels at FYSEE, their official For Your Consideration events spaces. The panels showcased Netflix’s documentaries THE Greatest Night In Pop, Beckham, American Nightmare, Arnold, High On The Hog, Escaping Twin Flames, Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only, Life On Our Planet, Our Planet II, Sly And Wham!

Directors Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins,, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE; Photot; Yevette Renee

Directors Lesley Chilcott, ARNOLD, Rashidi Harper, KEVIN HART & CHRIS ROCK: HEADLINERS ONLY, Thom Zimny, SLY and Chris Smith, WHAM!. Photo: Yevette Renee

Music Composers Photo: Yevette Renee

Director and Executive Producer Cecilia Peck, ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES Executive Producer and Editor Inbal Lessner, ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES Photo: Yevette Renee

Host Stephen Satterfield, HIGH ON THE HOG Executive Producer and Author Dr. Jessica B. Harris, HIGH ON THE HOG Executive Producer Fabienne Toback, HIGH ON THE HOG Executive Producer Karis Jagger, HIGH ON THE HOG Photo: : Yevette Renee

Director Bao Nguyen, THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP Photo: Yevette Renee

‘THE BIG CIGAR’ the Story of Black Founder Huey Newton Fleeing From the FBI to Cuba Streaming on Apple TV+

Director: Don Cheadle, Damon Thomas, Tiffany Johnson
Based on The Big Cigar by Joshuah Bearman
Developed by: Jim Hecht
Starring: André Holland, Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, Marc Menchaca
Genre: Biographical drama, Thriller Mini-series
Country: United States, Canada
Language: English
Run time: 3 episodes, 39 minutes
Run time: 3 episodes, 39 minutes

Jim Hecht developed the story based on Joshuah Bearman’s Playboy article about Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton and how he fled from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and made his way to Cuba. A manhunt for his capture was a top priority for the FBI

The Big Cigar stars André Holland, Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, and Marc Menchaca.

Run time: 3 episodes, 39minutes
Director: Don Cheadle, Damon Thomas, Tiffany Johnson
Based on The Big Cigar by Joshuah Bearman
Developed by: Jim Hecht
Starring: André Holland, Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, Marc Menchaca
Genre: Biographical drama, Thriller Mini-series
Country: United States, Canada
Language: English
Executive producers: Janine Sherman Barrois, Joshuah Bearman, Don Cheadle, Joshua Davis, Jim Hecht, Arthur Spector, Laurence Andries, Gwendolyn M. Parker, Ben Rosenblatt, Valerie Woods
Producers: Dan Kaplow, Adam Ben Frank, Joshua Levey
Cinematographer: Suki Medencevic, Mirosław Baszak, Carmen Cabana
Editors: John Peter Bernardo, Avril Beukes, Kyle Bond, Rebecca Valente
Production companies: Epic, Jim Hecht Productions, Folding Chair Productions, Warner Bros. Television
Composer: Robert Glasper

“The Imaginary Friend” an Award Winning Extraordinary Immersive Experience Headed to Annecy International Animation Film Festival, June 10-14, 2024

VR Director: Steve Hallema
Produces: Corine Meijers
Lead designer Koen Koopman

Become an Imaginary Friend!

A grieving child struggles to separate reality from fantasy. He creates YOU–his (imaginary) friend–to fight the monsters in his mind. Although you have fun together, he starts to grow disconnected from his surroundings... Are you helping, or just making things worse?

Synopsis: The Imaginary Friend invites you to take part in the vivid imagination of Daniel, a grieving eight-year-old struggling with the line between reality and fantasy.

Become Daniel’s imaginary friend and let him share his world with you. Discover his joys and anxieties, even help him fight his demons head-on. However, as you spend time together, Daniel’s surroundings don’t quite understand. Why is he talking to himself? Is he crazy? When his father intends to fix him, Daniel needs to figure out his feelings before disconnecting from reality completely...

About VR and its unique storytelling possibilities/ Explanation of Technical Advancements:

One of the great possibilities of VR is its power to directly include a player in its story- telling and allow them to be (almost) entirely present in the story world. The Imaginary Friend boldly seeks to push player involvement, setting out to create a personal experience where the player can actively engage with its lead character. With this unique challenge in interactive storytelling, the project utilises an exciting development in the field of VR: Volumtetric video.

Volumetric video is a new technology that captures live performers in 3D, allowing our team to move real actors freely in the virtual space of the project. All the while, ensuring that the expressions and emotions of the performances are preserved. The team also pushes this technology further by making it interactive. Something no other Volumetric video project has done on this scale and with similar dramatic impact. Pioneering a technique called ‘head retargeting’, the team was able to subtly turn the actors head in the direction of the player. This contributes to the player feeling like they’re acknowledged by the lead character, greatly enhancing the connection you make during the experience.

Lionsgate’s “BLACKWATER LANE” in Theaters and Digital/On Demand on June 21st: View New Trailer

Director: Jeff Celentano
Writer: Elizabeth Fowler, based on the successful New York Times bestselling book by B.A. Paris
Starring Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Calton, and Natalie Simpson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Minka Kelly, Dermot Mulroney and Maggie Grace star in Blackwater Lane, a supernatural thriller based on the wildly successful New York Times bestselling book by B.A. Paris. After witnessing a tragedy on a dangerous country road, Cass is visited by a ghostly presence and begins to question her sanity. As these otherworldly experiences intensify, Cass is driven closer to the brink until she begins to assemble the pieces of a horrific plot against her.

Director: Jeff Celentano
Writer: Elizabeth Fowler, based on the successful New York Times bestselling book by B.A. Paris
Starring Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Calton, and Natalie Simpson
Producers: Shaun Sanghani, Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar, Elizabeth Fowler, Warren Ostergard
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Lionsgate’s YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER- Starring J.K. Simmons- In Theaters, On Digital and On Demand May 17th: View New Clip

POSTER_YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER (Lionsgate)

Release Date: In Theaters on May 17, 2024
(In Theaters, On Digital and On Demand)

Director: Michelle Schumacher
Writers: Carolyn Carpenter, Michelle Schumacher
Starring: J.K. Simmons, Fernanda Urrejola, Allen Leech, Isabelle Anaya, Graham Patrick Martin, Olivia Simmons
Genre: Thriller
Rating: R for violent content including suicide, language, drug use and brief sexual content
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Director Michelle Schumacher’s film ‘YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER’ tells the story of Miranda, a young woman already suffering from acute anxiety due to a past tragedy, faces a new terror when a serial killer chooses her as his new target. In a harrowing hunt through the woods, Miranda finds strength she never knew she had as she tries to elude her murderous tracker. Academy Award® winner J.K. Simmons stars in a spine-chilling thriller about the strength of family and the astonishing power of the human spirit.

ABOUT MICHELLE SCHUMACHER
Michelle is an award-winning writer, director and producer and has been a working actor and member of Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Actors Equity Association (AEA) for more than 30 years. Michelle’s professional contracts include Film, Television and Broadway Theatre.

Michelle was nominated for Best Directorial Debut at Camerimage Film Festival 2017 for I'm Not Here. Her short film Dr. Vanostrand won Best Black Comedy in the National Film Challenge and The Floor was a semi-finalist in the Sundance/Sci-Fi Channel’s Short Film contest.

Distributors: Lionsgate and Grindstone Entertainment Group
Director: Michelle Schumacher
Writers: Carolyn Carpenter, Michelle Schumacher
Starring: J.K. Simmons, Fernanda Urrejola, Allen Leech, Isabelle Anaya, Graham Patrick Martin, Olivia Simmons
Genre: Thriller
Rating: R for violent content including suicide, language, drug use and brief sexual content
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Producer: Randle SchumacherProducer: Randle Schumacher, p.g.a.
Production company: Rubber Tree Production
Casting: Anne McCarthy, C.S.A and Kellie Roy, C.S.A
Music: Joe Simmons
Costume Designer: Greg LaVoi
Editor: Evan Ahlgren
Production Designer: Jordan Crockett
Director of Photography: Pietro Villani

Hallmar’s Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home Premieres: Friday, May 17 at 9/8c on Hallmark Mystery; Hallmark Movies Now Subscribers Get Early Access Starting May 2

Stars: Amanda Schull and Brendan Penny

Dr. Rachel Hunt (Schull) is a smart and intuitive small-town family doctor. Once a trauma surgeon in the US army, after losing her husband in combat, she retired her commission and is now settling into a quiet, new life back home with her widowed father (Gerard Plunkett, Travelers) and her teenaged twins, Chloe (Isla Crerar, The Stand) and Matthew (Jett Klyne, WandaVision).

When favorite patient Ross Alexander (Greg Kean, #XMAS) suddenly dies shortly after Rachel gave him a clean bill of health, she cannot shake the feeling that there is more to it. Her attempt to involve the authorities is met with resistance by charming police detective Jack Quinn (Penny), who wants to help, but is not convinced that this is anything more than a death by natural causes. Rachel puts her background in military forensics to work and starts to investigate what could possibly have caused the beloved newspaper editor’s death. With support from community friends, new and old, Rachel persuades Quinn to keep digging. But when finding the search for a killer puts Rachel’s life in danger, she realizes that smalltown life will not be nearly as quiet as she had planned.

“Who Is Stan Smith?” Opens May 3rd in Los Angeles and New York and in over 50 Markets May 10th: View New Clip: View New Clip

Release date: May 3, 2024
Director: Danny Lee
Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA

“Who Is Stan Smith?” film tells the story of the groundbreaking athlete who went from being one of the world’s greatest tennis stars, to a leading civil rights and AIDS activist, blazing a trail along the way with his namesake Adidas sneakers – the iconic shoe that has become a fashion statement for hip hop musicians and celebrities for more than 50 years. The film features extensive interviews with Stan Smith, his family, and many of the world’s most famous athletes and celebrities including John McEnroe, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Donald Dell.

Release date: May 3, 2024
Director: Danny Lee
Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Distributor: Monkey Wrench Films helmed by Tom Putnam and Henry C. Lystad
Executive producers: LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, Alexandra Dell, and Donald Dell
Producers: UNINTERRUPTED within The SpringHill Company (TSHC), and in association with CALICO

“Wild Eyed and Wicked” June 11th Release on TVOD/Digital and Cable On Demand: Check out new trailer

Release: June 11^thon TVOD/Digital and Cable On Demand
Director and Writer: G.S. Foxwood
Starring: Molly Kunz, Michael X. Sommers, Stefanie Estes, and Colleen Camp
Genre: Horror
Run time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Country: United States

G.S. Foxwood’s feature film debut, the fantasy psychological horror film "Wild Eyed and Wicked" stars Molly Kunz (Widows, The Irrational), Michael X. Sommers (Sense8), Stefanie Estes (Soft & Quiet), and the iconic Colleen Camp (Clue).

It follows Lily Pierce (Kunz) in her attempt to strike back at the medieval creature that’s haunted her family for generations. In order to do so, she must reconnect with her estranged father, Gregory (Sommers), a disgraced history professor, and learn how to draw upon a time of steel and blade when armor-clad knights rode out and dueled monsters to the death.

Estes, Camp, and Claire Saunders round out the cast and story. Shot in 16 days, the real-life family farm outside of Philadelphia where the movie was shot is also where the film’s writer/director grew up and now lives. The story of Lily Pierce is inspired by Elizabeth Foxwood experiences helping herself and others build paths to recovery regarding trauma and mental health battles, all part of her world as a medical doctor in NYC and Pennsylvania.

Follow on social media
Website: www.wildeyedandwicked.com
Instagram: @wild_eyed_and_wicked

Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Director and Writer: G.S. Foxwood
Starring: Molly Kunz, Michael X. Sommers, Stefanie Estes, and Colleen Camp
Producers: Big Bad Film’s Powell Robinson and Patrick R Young, Executive Producer: Elizabeth Foxwood, New Mythology Productions.

THE BLUE ANGELS Exclusively in IMAX theatres for one-week only beginning Friday, May 17th and streaming globally on Prime Video beginning Thursday, May 23rd

Release dates: May 17, 2024 IMAX
May 23, 2024 Amazon Prime Video
Director: Paul Crowder
Run time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Country: United States:
Language: English

Soar with The Blue Angels in a brand-new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage that chronicles a year with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron—from selection through the challenging training and demanding show season—showcasing the extraordinary teamwork, passion, and pride that fuels America’s best, the Blue Angels.

Release dates: May 17, 2024 IMAX, May 23, 2024 Amazon Prime Video
Director: Paul Crowder
Run time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Country: United States:
Language: English
Producers: Glen Powell, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Mark Monroe, J. J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella
Music: James Everingham, Stewart Mitchell
Production companies: Bad Robot, Zipper Bros. Films, Sutter Road Picture Company, Diamond Docs, Barnstorm Productions, IMAX Entertainment, Dolphin Films
Distributer: Amazon MGM Studios