Latest news with #TopicStudios'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy ‘Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson
It's not the first time Topic Studios' EVP of film & documentary Ryan Heller has taken a film he produced to Cannes. In fact, it's not even his first time with a film directed by Michael Covino: their previous collaboration, 'The Climb,' won the Heart Prize in Un Certain Regard at the fest in 2019. But when Topic debuts its new film – the open marriage comedy 'Splitsville,' starring Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Nicholas Braun, Covino and the film's co-writer Kyle Marvin – in Cannes' Premiere section on May 19, it will mark yet another high point in what has been a remarkable year for Heller, who began his showbiz career as a guitarist with the indie rock band Aberdeen City. More from Variety Nicole Kidman Pushes Back on Industry Ageism at Kering Women in Motion Gala in Cannes: 'Invest in Us and Believe in Us Because Our Voices Are So Important' Marie Kreutzer's 'Gentle Monster' Wins ArteKino Prize at Cannes Investors Circle Director of Julian Assange Film 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' Wins Golden Globe Prize for Documentary In January, two documentaries Heller produced ('It's Never Over: Jeff Buckley' and 'Folktales') received rapturous receptions when they premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and, two months later, Kieran Culkin won a support actor Oscar for a film Heller executive produced, writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain.' While Heller is having a good year, he's not immune to the uncertainty wracking the industry, which has been exacerbated by President Trump, who on the eve of Heller's conversation with Variety announced that he was going to put a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films. It's really impossible to generalize. The cost of making movies is high, and I think everybody is looking all over the world for all sorts of opportunities to get money up on screen. We're shooting Jesse Eisenberg's new [untitled musical comedy] movie in New Jersey. We made 'Theater Camp' and 'Shortcomings' in New York. So we certainly don't actively try to [shoot outside the U.S.]. But the independent film business is quite a complex web of international relationships and incentives, and shooting locations are a small part of that. Coming out of the pandemic, the independent films sector was a little slower to come back than others and certainly slower than we all would have liked. Casual moviegoing shifted. It was clear that audiences would still come out for something that was special or felt like an event to them or it really needed to be seen in a communal way. It's probably just sharpened our focus on how we're looking at our own movies and making sure we can really stand by those as communal experiences or sort of mini events. We had a first-look deal with Mike and Kyle and their company, Watch This Ready. We developed a handful of scripts together, including 'Splitsville,' and that script just came together in a moment where we felt like we had an opportunity to get the movie made before the end of 2024. It will be released less than a year from when we started shooting it last September, which is quite exciting. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Best of Variety 'Blue Velvet,' 'Chinatown' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' Arrive on 4K in June All the Godzilla Movies Ranked 'House of the Dragon': Every Character and What You Need to Know About the 'Game of Thrones' Prequel
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Crime of Father Amaro' Exec Producer Laura Imperiale Boards Dominican-Set ‘Black Sheep, White Sheep' by ‘Made in Bangkok' Helmer Flavio Florencio (EXCLUSIVE)
Mexican producer Laura Imperiale at Cacerola Films, whose notable credits include the Oscar-nominated 'The Crime of Father Amaro' starring Gael Garcia Bernal and dark comedy 'Nicotina,' has boarded 'Black Sheep, White Sheep,' the fiction feature debut of documentary filmmaker Flavio Florencio. Drama centers on a romance between a white tourist and a young Caribbean man who, over the course of a fleeting 12-hour layover, confront their desires, vulnerabilities and the unspoken weight of privilege. More from Variety Denzel Washington Gets Surprise Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes During Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' Premiere Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson Nicole Kidman Pushes Back on Industry Ageism at Kering Women in Motion Gala in Cannes: 'Invest in Us and Believe in Us Because Our Voices Are So Important' Set in a Caribbean landscape as stunning as it is conflicted, the film explores themes of racism, racialized desire, migration and tourism as a contemporary form of colonialism, while examining the fragile pursuit of connection between individuals shaped by deeply unequal worlds. Through emotionally resonant dialogue and subtle social insight, 'Black Sheep, White Sheep' explores themes of intimacy, inequality and the possibility of connection and transformation within the span of a single day, offering a socially conscious, gay Caribbean reimagining of Richard Linklater's 'Before Sunrise.' Originally from Argentina and a long-time resident of Mexico, Florencio is best known for his award-winning documentary 'Made in Bangkok,' which chronicles the emotional and transformative journey of Mexican transgender opera singer-actress Morgana Love as she travels to Thailand to undergo sex assignment surgery. 'After our first collaboration in 'Made in Bangkok,' I knew I wanted to keep working with Flavio. He has a perspective that's provocative, unsettling—and urgently needed today. This story challenges privilege and brings to light issues that are rarely explored in Latin American cinema,' said Imperiale. She joins Dominican producer-writer Ulla Prida, at Wooden Boat Prods.) whose 'Under the Same Sun' ('Bajo el mismo sol'), co-written and co-produced with director Ulises Porra, is being presented at Cannes' Marché du Film. Prida first caught international attention with the acclaimed 'Carajita' (2021), which she also co-wrote and produced with Porra. Porra took home the New Directors Award with co-director Silvina Schnicer at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2021, among other prizes. 'After 'Carajita' and 'Bajo el mismo sol,' I felt a deep need to explore a queer narrative within my own country — a subject that still suffers from a lack of visibility. I knew from the beginning it wouldn't be easy, but I firmly believe that it's up to us to drive those changes forward,' said Prida. 'Making a film takes years, so the message we choose to stand behind must be powerful and purposeful — something that truly matters and can help shift the conversation in the right direction,' she added. This will be the first collaboration between the two producers who will tap their respective countries' incentives. 'This film was born from a personal experience and a question that deeply unsettled me: how much of my desire has been shaped by history, race and privilege? I wanted to tell a love story, but I couldn't do it from a place of innocence. With my background in documentary filmmaking, I listened to local voices and tried to understand their perspectives—because sexuality can be political and desire is never free from ideology,' said Florencio who related how the idea for the project began four years ago when he was invited to serve as a jury member at the country's Santo Domingo Global Film Festival. He then made several research trips, working on the ground, interviewing motoconcho drivers and exploring the complex issue—'because tourism isn't always cultural exchange; at times, it's a disguised form of emotional colonialism,' he said. Prida is joined by Lei González of Media Jíbara in the Dominican Republic while, on the Mexican side, Imperiale's co-producers are Florencio and Ignacio Vázquez of Me Río de Janeiro Cine. Casting is underway in New York and the Dominican Republic. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy ‘Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson
It's not the first time Topic Studios' EVP of film & documentary Ryan Heller has taken a film he produced to Cannes. In fact, it's not even his first time with a film directed by Michael Covino: their previous collaboration, 'The Climb,' won the Heart Prize in Un Certain Regard at the fest in 2019. But when Topic debuts its new film – the open marriage comedy 'Splitsville,' starring Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Nicholas Braun, Covino and the film's co-writer Kyle Marvin – in Cannes' Premiere section on May 19, it will mark yet another high point in what has been a remarkable year for Heller, who began his showbiz career as a guitarist with the indie rock band Aberdeen City. More from Variety Nicole Kidman Pushes Back on Industry Ageism at Kering Women in Motion Gala in Cannes: 'Invest in Us and Believe in Us Because Our Voices Are So Important' Marie Kreutzer's 'Gentle Monster' Wins ArteKino Prize at Cannes Investors Circle Director of Julian Assange Film 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' Wins Golden Globe Prize for Documentary In January, two documentaries Heller produced ('It's Never Over: Jeff Buckley' and 'Folktales') received rapturous receptions when they premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and, two months later, Kieran Culkin won a support actor Oscar for a film Heller executive produced, writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain.' While Heller is having a good year, he's not immune to the uncertainty wracking the industry, which has been exacerbated by President Trump, who on the eve of Heller's conversation with Variety announced that he was going to put a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films. It's really impossible to generalize. The cost of making movies is high, and I think everybody is looking all over the world for all sorts of opportunities to get money up on screen. We're shooting Jesse Eisenberg's new [untitled musical comedy] movie in New Jersey. We made 'Theater Camp' and 'Shortcomings' in New York. So we certainly don't actively try to [shoot outside the U.S.]. But the independent film business is quite a complex web of international relationships and incentives, and shooting locations are a small part of that. Coming out of the pandemic, the independent films sector was a little slower to come back than others and certainly slower than we all would have liked. Casual moviegoing shifted. It was clear that audiences would still come out for something that was special or felt like an event to them or it really needed to be seen in a communal way. It's probably just sharpened our focus on how we're looking at our own movies and making sure we can really stand by those as communal experiences or sort of mini events. We had a first-look deal with Mike and Kyle and their company, Watch This Ready. We developed a handful of scripts together, including 'Splitsville,' and that script just came together in a moment where we felt like we had an opportunity to get the movie made before the end of 2024. It will be released less than a year from when we started shooting it last September, which is quite exciting. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Best of Variety 'Blue Velvet,' 'Chinatown' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' Arrive on 4K in June All the Godzilla Movies Ranked 'House of the Dragon': Every Character and What You Need to Know About the 'Game of Thrones' Prequel
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Topic Studios to Produce ‘200 East Main' Series and Podcast Investigating Sean Williams (EXCLUSIVE)
Topic Studios will produce '200 East Main,' a new joint TV and podcast series about the story of Sean Williams, a Tennessee businessman accused and convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting dozens of women as police allegedly covered up his crimes and failed to act on reports of assault. Journalist and Johnson City, Tenn., native Kimu Elolia will produce the series, with Christy Gressman and Christine Connor executive producing for Topic Studios. Elolia, in collaboration with Johnson City journalist Jeff Keeling, has been tracking the story since local rumors began to swirl in 2018, two years before the story gained national attention. '200 East Main' will use Elolia and Keeling's longstanding local ties to tell the story from a 'trauma-informed and community-first perspective, including on-the-ground interviews and exclusive access to inside information as a native to the community,' according to a press release. More from Variety How Topic Studios Shepherded Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain' From Rejection to Critical Triumph Martin Lawrence Sets Television Return in Topic Studios' 'Nehama' English-Language Adaptation Maria Zuckerman Upped to President of Topic Studios 'I grew up with many of the victims named in the lawsuit against the Johnson City Police Department,' Elolia said in a statement. 'This has been an open secret within the community for years and it's a shame that it took unnecessary death and violence for the dozens of victims and survivors to be heard. It is my hope that telling this story will bring justice and closure to victims and their families, and fortify demands for accountability from the people we entrust with our safety.' The project will include interviews with key victims of Williams, many of whom are actively involved in lawsuits or part of a recently settled class action suit against the Johnson City Police Department. 'Working across visual and audio mediums simultaneously, as is typical of our unique process at Topic Studios, is allowing us to tell this important story in the most expansive way possible,' said Topic Studios VP of podcasts Christy Gressman. 'We're very happy to be working with Elolia to develop this series as his deep understanding of the Johnson City community combined with his experience in journalism and podcast producing makes him the perfect person for this project.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
