“Nuremberg,” a historical thriller set in post-war Germany, will launch its sales through WME Independent at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham, Wrenn Schmidt, Lotte Verbeek and Andreas Pietschmann round out the cast.
The official logline reads: “‘Nuremberg’ chronicles the eponymous trials held by the Allies against the defeated Nazi regime. The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. Shannon will play Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials.”
James Vanderbilt is directing from the script he adapted from the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai. Richard Saperstein, William Sherak, Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt, Istvan Major and Paul Neinstein are producing, along with Walden Medias’s Frank Smith, Benjamin Tappan and Cher Hawrysh. Executive producers include Annie Saperstein, Brooke Saperstein, Beau Turpin, W. Porter Payne, Jr., Géza Deme and Tamás Hajnal.
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American Black Film Festival and Walmart’s Black & Unlimited Announce “Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project” Competition Winners
ABFF and Walmart teamed up for the second annual content creators’ competition which spotlights emerging directors and champions independent filmmaking while providing a platform to showcase a wide range of stories about Black men as fathers.
Three short films have been chosen to screen at the festival, which takes place in Miami Beach, Fla. from June 12-16. Last week, Variety exclusively announced the festival’s competition lineup of narrative and documentary features, including Jussie Smollett’s return to acting in “The Lost Holliday.”
The winning films for this year’s Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project are:
After These Messages (World Premiere)
A single father struggling with university politics as a professor must choose between his job and his daughter whose desire to be authentically herself threatens their livelihood.
USA | 26 min
Director: Khalid Abdulqaadir
Writer: Khalid Abdulqaadir
Producers: Corey McCartney, Kevin Willmott, Talib Kweli, Khalid Abdulqaadir
Cast: Petey McGee, Sanaa Salaam
Black Santa
Every year Henry looks forward to his job working as a mall Santa alongside his son Otis. But as Otis grows older, this may prove to be their last holiday season as a duo.
USA | 10:06 min
Director: Travis Wood
Writers: Travis Wood, Weston Auburn
Producers: Gabriela Díaz Arp, Kiah Clingman
Cast: Theo Haddon, Andrew Tull, Michael Silverblatt
It Takes A Village (World Premiere)
In 1960s Georgia, Lawrence Cooke prepares his son, Isaiah, for his ascension to manhood.
USA | 13:37 min
Director: Joshua Kissi
Writers: Joshua Kissi, Keyla McNeely
Producer: Kagan Sant
Cast: Jackson Abram, Michael Ealy, Nadine Ellis, Mccolm Cephas, Antonio Shamori Washington, Zakai Biagas-Bey, Jamald Gardner, Myron Primes, Newton N Mayenge
The three winning directors will be selected to each receive industry mentorship, a $10,000 cash award and the opportunity to attend and screen their films at the festival, during a program that also includes an onstage panel with an artist and their child to discuss fatherhood and their relationship. Each film will also be featured on the festival’s online global platform, ABFF PLAY, and Walmart’s Black & Unlimited YouTube page from June 17-24.
Gravitas Ventures Acquires ‘Istikhara, New York’ for North American Distribution
Film distribution company Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American rights to Invention Studios’ “Istikhara, New York.” Written and directed by Yasir Masood, the film is set to release May 14 on Apple TV+ and other providers for a limited time. Additionally, Bryn Mooser and Mohannad Malas have signed on as executive producers.
Shot originally with a budget of $15,000 in Brooklyn, New York, the film follows Reza, a 25-year-old aspiring Broadway actor who is hustling as a food delivery courier to make ends meet. “Istikhara, New York” won the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival in 2022.