In today’s film news roundup, Sony moves “Grudge” into the “Toy Story 4” slot, “Who Will Write Our History” gets distribution and 60 companies from 15 countries will be making their AFM debut as market exhibitors.
RELEASE DATE
Sony Pictures has moved “Grudge,” its reboot of the 2004 supernatural thriller “The Grudge,” forward to June 21 from Aug. 16.
The film stars Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. The 2004 film was a remake of the 2002 Japanese film “Jun-On: The Grudge,” which centers on a curse created when someone dies in rage or sorrow.
“Grudge” is directed by Nicolas Pesce for Ghost House and Good Universe. Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce for Ghost House with Nathan Kahane and Erin Westerman executive producing for Good Universe alongside Schuyler Weiss, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, John Middleton, and Andrew Pfeffer.
“Grudge” becomes the second title dated for June 21, joining Pixar-Disney’s “Toy Story 4.”
DISTRIBUTION DEAL
Abramorama has reached an agreement with Katahdin Productions and Playmount Productions for the U.S. and Canadian theatrical distribution of Roberta Grossman’s Holocaust documentary “Who Will Write Our History.”
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The film, based on the book by the historian Samuel Kassow, centers on the clandestine effort by Polish Jews to document what went on inside the Warsaw Ghetto after the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in an area of 1.3 square miles. The film is written, produced and directed by Grossman and executive produced by Nancy Spielberg.
Abramorama will open the film in New York at the Quad Cinema on Jan. 18 and at multiple Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, followed by engagements around the country.
“Who Will Write Our History” had its world premiere in August at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival where it
received the best documentary feature award.
AFM COMPANIES
The American Film Market has announced that at least 60 companies from 15 countries will be making their AFM debut as market exhibitors.
The new exhibitors include companies come from Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Hungary, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and United States. The market will include more than 400 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and overall participants from more than 80 counties.
New exhibiting companies for this year includes Bona Film Group, Digital Content LLC, GloriaFX, Gravitas Ventures, Loco Films, Locus Corporation, Mandarin Motion Pictures Distribution Limited, Match Point, North of Two, Pink Parrot Media, Riki Group, Tangren Cultural Film Group, Vedado Communications, Viva Communications Inc., and Youku.
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
The Costume Designers Guild will honor Ruth E. Carter with the Career Achievement Award at the 21st CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards) on Feb. 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Career Achievement Award recognizes leaders who have made a lasting impact on Costume Design. Past recipients include designers Joanna Johnston, Jeffrey Kurland, Ellen Mirojnick, Julie Weiss, April Ferry, Eduardo Castro, Judianna Makovsky, Colleen Atwood, Sandy Powell and Ann Roth.
She has garnered two Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design for Spike Lee’s “Malcom X” and Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” as well as an Emmy nomination in 2016 for the reboot of “Roots.” Carter is the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award in costume design.
She has worked in the industry for over three decades with over forty films credits including “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Selma,” “Black Panther” and “Marshall.”