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Nardeep Khurmi’s “Land of Gold,” which won AT&T’s Untold Stories award at the Tribeca Film Festival, will have a limited theatrical release on May 5 before premiering May 15 on HBO Max.

The film follows a first-generation Punjabi truck driver and terrified father-to-be who discovers a young Mexican-American girl inside his trailer after taking a last-minute job before his baby is due.

Khurmi wrote, directed and stars in the film opposite Caroline Valencia (“Only Murders in the Building”), Pallavi Sastry (“The Walking Dead: Dead City”), Iqbal Theba (“Glee”), and Riti Sachdeva (“High Maintenance”). Keertana Sastry produced the film alongside Pallavi Sastry and Simon Taufique. It marks Khurmi’s feature directorial debut after helming a variety of shorts (“Unknown Caller”) and episodic TV series (“The Achiever”).

“My goal is to tell underrepresented stories, creating an empathetic space for audiences to connect with people, cultures, and experiences they may know little about,...

Eight Fellows to receive year-round support.

Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Huesera director Michelle Garza are among the eight participants selected for the Sundance Institute’s fifth annual Momentum Fellowship.

The initiative supports and provides coaching to mid-career artists from historically marginalised communities and is aimed at talent who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment like an acclaimed feature or series.

The 2023 Momentum Fellows are: Francisca Alegria (whose debut feature The Cow Who Sang A Song Into the Future premiered at Sundance 2022); Rita Baghdadi (Sirens premiered at Sundance 2022 and and won the Outfest grand jury prize); Mexico’s Michelle Garza...

Sundance Institute announced the eight participating filmmakers selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program “designed to support and provided coaching to midcareer artists with a focus on career development during a pivotal moment in their creative practice.”

The program was designed to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities and filmmakers that have “recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment” (like a TV show or movie). The Momentum Fellowship provides each artist with a ”full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career.” The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

Among the Momentum Fellows are “Aftersun” director Charlotte Wells and “Nanny” filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu.

“The most ingenious part of Momentum is its timing at this precarious point in our careers as we all consider our futures beyond the first film.

Sundance Institute on Thursday announced the eight participants selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program at the nonprofit designed to support and provide coaching to mid-career artists with a focus on career development.

Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to Elevate, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team,...

"If we don't solve the mystery, ancient evil will be unleashed!" Apple has revealed the official trailer for Surfside Girls, a fun adventure series streaming on their service later this summer in August. Quick wits lead to daring discoveries for beachside besties Sam and Jade as they sleuth out supernatural mysteries and hunt for hidden treasure in their sleepy hometown of Surfside – but they may have to stop trouble before it washes ashore. Based on the best-selling graphic novel series by Kim Dwinell. Follow Jade and Sam, who are psyched to spend their summer riding the waves and catching the rays. That is until they meet a ghost. The girls dive head first into a mystery about a pirate ship and a cursed treasure. Starring YaYa Gosselin as Sam and Miya Cech (from Marvelous & the Black Hole) as Jade, with Spencer Rebello, Catia Ojeda, Jacob Vargas, Adan Maverick Carcaño,...

Beloved doll and book line American Girl is getting two new live-action specials. Mattel, Inc. announced on Wednesday that it is partnering with HBO Max and Cartoon Network on a pair of American Girl specials that will debut in 2022 and 2023.

The first special will focus on American Girl’s 2022 Girl of the Year, Corinne Tan, and is set to premiere this December on Cartoon Network followed by a next-day streaming debut on HBO Max. A second special will premiere in 2023.

First up, the 60-minute special “American Girl: Corrine Tan” (working title) “follows 13-year-old ski enthusiast Corinne Tan as she navigates her parents’ recent divorce while her 10-year-old sister, Gwynn, dad, mom, and stepdad Arne have adjusted to their new roles in this blended family. She discovers a new purpose when she challenges herself to train a rambunctious puppy named Flurry to become a search and rescue dog. ‘American Girl: Corinne...

Miya Cech has been acting since she was 6 years old, but she really has her sights on becoming a director. So when she met the writer and director of "Marvelous and the Black Hole," Kate Tsang, at her audition for the film, it felt like fate.

"I met Kate, who was this super-cool writer, director," she tells Popsugar. "She was Asian American. I knew I was 100 percent positive that I wanted to be a director. And I walked out of that audition, and I was like, 'Mom, I just met the coolest director. And I have to be a part of this movie.'"

In "Marvelous and the Black Hole," Cech plays Sammy, a teen who's spiraling after the recent death of her mother. A chance encounter with Margot (Rhea Perlman), a magician, sends her down a path toward finding her own magic and healing her grief. "It's not sugarcoated,...

Sony Pictures Classics art heist caper The Duke, Neon’s tender Petite Maman, and Charlotte from Good Deed Films, an animated biopic with mature themes, open an eclectic specialty weekend ready to draw older crowds if they’re ready to return.

Younger demos are back when they like the pic, as per A24s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Families also, based on Sonic The Hedgehog 2. With CinemaCon opening Monday to set the theatrical table for the rest of 2022 and beyond, NATO chief John Fithian predicts the reluctance of the 35 to 40 crowd is “definitely going to change.”

“I think the growth is going to come as much from smaller budget films as from blockbusters,” he tells Deadline ahead of the first full-blown confab of exhibitors, studios and indie distributors since Covid. Audiences that have stayed the most at home are “the most excited about coming back out,” he said.

Magic can be found in the most unlikely places in Kate Tsang’s debut feature “Marvelous and the Black Hole.” Like, for instance, the restroom at a community college summer program, where rebellious and angry teenager Sammy meets her unlikely mentor Margot (Rhea Perlman), a children’s magician who sets her on a surprising journey of personal healing.

“Marvelous and the Black Hole” is a whimsical coming-of-age story about processing life and loss through storytelling and sleight of hand.

Sammy, who has been grieving her mother’s death through bouts of light vandalism, is presented with a choice by her stern father, Angus after her latest infraction, which resulted in a toilet paper-filled bathroom stall, a sweet shiner and disciplinary action. She can either attend a summer course in entrepreneurship (with perfect grades) or get sent to a “scared straight”–style military camp. Sullen Sammy reluctantly decides to comply with community college.

The 2022 Sundance Film Festival may have already passed, but let’s not forget about 2021. Some films take a minute to find their feet, find their distributor, and or find a window that best suits that film’s release. Written and directed by Kate Tsang, “Marvelous And The Black Hole” seems to be one of those kinds of movies.

Read More: ‘Marvelous And The Black Hole’: An Angsty Teenager Finds Solace In Magic & An Unlikely Friendship [Sundance Review]

The film stars Miya Cech, Rhea Perlman, Leonard Nam, Paulina Lulu, Kannon Omachi, Jae Suh Park, and Jonathan Salvin.

Continue reading ‘Marvelous And The Black Hole’ Trailer: Sundance Comedy Teams Up A Teenage Delinquent & Surly Magician at The Playlist.

"You reminded me of me when I was your age... I wasted a lot of time being angry." FilmRise has finally unveiled the trailer for this fun coming-of-age indie film called Marvelous and the Black Hole, which originally premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival. It was one of my faves of last year's fest, and it's opening in select theaters this April after more than a year of waiting. A teenage delinquent teams up with a surly children's party magician to navigate her dysfunctional family and inner demons. Miya Cech stars as Sammy, an angsty teen who gets into all kinds of trouble. But that changes when she meets Margot, played tenderly by Rhea Perlman, a magician who teaches her the power of magic. The cast also includes Keith Powell, Leonardo Nam, and Paulina Lule. I wrote a glowing review of this last year – it's a delightful "film filled...

You’re never too old to believe in magic.

That’s the guiding philosophy behind writer-director Kate Tsang’s “Marvelous and the Black Hole,” which tells the story of a young delinquent who forms an unlikely friendship with an older magician. FilmRise has given Variety exclusive access to the trailer for the film (above), which opens in select theaters on April 22.

The coming-of-age comedy tells the story of Sammy (Miya Cech), a Chinese American teenager who keeps acting out in the wake of family trouble. She meets Margot (Rhea Perlman), a professional magician who’s old enough to be her grandmother, and the odd couple change each other’s lives for the better.

Tsang said the film, which premiered to rave reviews at Sundance last year, was inspired by her own experiences.

“Much of Margot and Sammy’s relationship was inspired by my relationship with my grandfather,” Tsang said. “He...

Exclusive: FilmRise has acquired North American distribution rights to well-received Sundance and Tribeca title Marvelous And The Black Hole, starring four-time Emmy-winner Rhea Perlman (The Mindy Project) and Miya Cech (Always Be My Maybe).

The coming-of-age comedy follows the story of an unlikely bond between a young girl and an eccentric magician.

Pic was produced by Carolyn Mao and marks Kate Tsang’s feature film directorial debut. Recent festival play includes the Mill Valley Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival and the Sun Valley Film Festival.

The deal was negotiated by Katie Carrol, Manager, Independent Film Acquisition, for FilmRise, and Adriana Banta, Director at 30 West.

Danny Fisher, CEO of FilmRise commented: “The combination of releasing Kate Tsang’s directorial debut film featuring the terrific performance of 2021 Sundance Film Festival breakout star Miya Cech opposite the masterful comic timing of Rhea Perlman in a unique coming of age comedy, was irresistible. This...

Presented by the California Film Institute, the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 7-17, 2021. The Mvff is an acclaimed eleven-day cinema event celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema. Located just north of San Francisco, it’s known as a filmmakers’ festival, and the West Coast launch pad for many Academy Award®-winning films, annually showcasing 200 films from over 50 countries. The Mvff creates a community that celebrates the best in international film as well as Tributes and Spotlights with major film talents. Below, we’ve got the whole roster of their Asian / Asian American film slate.

Features

Anima (Mo Er Dao Ga) A tale of tested fraternal bonds and ecological catastrophe shot on location in Mongolia’s national parklands, writer-director Cao Jinling’s gorgeous, thrilling drama forces viewers to ask themselves: What happens when we disrupt the harmony of our world? And how can we restore the balance?...

“The evolution of art is in constant flux,” says Ethan Hawke. “I don’t know what the future will bring.”

Hawke, one of this year’s Vision Award recipients at the 10th iteration of the Sun Valley Film Festival, has been championing independent cinema since he first emerged on the big screen as a teenager in such films as “Explorers” and the Oscar-winning “Dead Poets Society.” By the time he starred as intellectual slacker extraordinaire Troy Dyer in Ben Stiller’s now-cult classic “Reality Bites,” Hawke was the pop cultural embodiment of Generation X and the epitome of 1990s 20-something, post-collegiate ennui.

A four-time Oscar nominee — most recently for his 2014 turn in Richard Linklater’s experimental drama “Boyhood” — Hawke’s debut small-screen project, the Showtime pre-Civil War miniseries “The Good Lord Bird,” comes to the Sun Valley fest as not only a rousing example of American historical fiction, but Hawke’s unwavering commitment to high-quality,...

The Sun Valley Film Festival has announced its film slate and honorees, who will include Ethan Hawke, Shaka King and Gal Gadot.

As Svff Vision Award Recipients, Hawke and Gadot are recognized for their contributions to the art of cinema. Over his three decades in the industry, Hawke has earned four Academy Award nominations, acted in numerous beloved movies like “Dead Poets Society” and the “Before” trilogy and most recently made his TV debut with Showtime’s “The Good Lord Bird.” Gadot has similarly left a mark on pop culture, particularly in becoming synonymous with Wonder Woman. Outside of her superhero role, she executive produced the National Geographic documentary series “Impact” and will star in Fox’s remake of “Death on the Nile.”

King will be honored with the Pioneer Award, presented by Variety, for his work as an industry innovator and embodying the trailblazing spirit. His studio feature directorial debut,...

13 is a hard age. No longer a child, not yet an adult, and nowhere to channel that teen angst, which is even rawer for angry delinquent Sammy Ko (Miya Cech), who is struggling to overcome the grief over losing her mother. So Sammy breaks things at her school and tattoos little x’s on her […]

The post ‘Marvelous and the Black Hole’ Review: A Sweet but Slight Coming-of-Age Comedy About Letting a Little Magic Into Your Life [Sundance 2021] appeared first on /Film.

Not quite adult enough to be young adult, and not quite a children’s film either, Kate Tsang’s “Marvelous and the Black Hole” is a sweet-natured throwback, the kind of film a parent might wish their young teen would watch, rather than whichever dystopian franchise or fanfic adaptation they’re currently involved with. A set-your-watch-by-it riff on the unlikely-friendship-helps-two-lonely-people formula, this time involving a troubled schoolgirl and a stage magician, it is however so nicely performed and takes such honest pleasure in the flourishes of its little magic show, that only a hard heart would mention that the palmed coins and hidden cards of its construction were visible all along.

Thirteen-year-old Sammy is played by rising TV star Miya Cech (best known in film as the younger version of Ali Wong’s character in “Always Be My Maybe”), who deserves as big a breakout as so small a movie can give her.

Kate Tsang’s debut film Marvelous and the Black Hole follows thirteen-year-old Sammy Ko (Miya Cech), who struggles with delinquency shortly after the death of her mother. After meeting Margot (Rhea Perlman), a magician dead set on taking Sammy as her assistant, Sammy reluctantly begins a friendship with her and learns to heal through the expressive art of sleight of hand. Editor Cyndi Trissel tells us how they captured actual magic in the film’s final cut. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired […]

The post "The Film Is Quite Literally Magic and Realism": Editor Cyndi Trissel on Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Kate Tsang’s debut film Marvelous and the Black Hole follows thirteen-year-old Sammy Ko (Miya Cech), who struggles with delinquency shortly after the death of her mother. After meeting Margot (Rhea Perlman), a magician dead set on taking Sammy as her assistant, Sammy reluctantly begins a friendship with her and learns to heal through the expressive art of sleight of hand. Editor Cyndi Trissel tells us how they captured actual magic in the film’s final cut. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired […]

The post "The Film Is Quite Literally Magic and Realism": Editor Cyndi Trissel on Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

To put it simply, Sammy (Miya Cech) isn’t doing too well. She’s as angsty as any other 13-year-old on a good day and vandalizing school on a bad one, assuming she’s actually at school. Chalk it up to early adolescence, sure, but it’s mostly because of family issues. Her mother has passed away and her dad, Angus (Leonardo Nam), is already seeing someone new named Marianne (Paulina Lule). Sammy isn’t a big fan of hers. Beyond giving her the silent treatment at dinner, she also… has fantasies later on about chopping her in half with a chainsaw, blood spewing everywhere?

Yes, yes she does. It’s not like this is some running gag or the type of content Marvelous and the Black Hole latches onto, but it’s emblematic of something. Despite the cutesy humor and script that is approached with the tone that would...

Chicago – The compact 2021 Sundance Film Festival is on the sixth day of seven, but the offerings are still coming. This year’s festival is virtual and online, meaning anyone with a ticket or a pass can indulge in the film offerings throughout the festival, which runs until Wednesday, February 3rd.

For the premieres of 2021, the cutting edge potential influencer films and all the ancillary new voice filmmakers, the Sundance Film Festival is the one that begins every film year with the movies that ultimately become the talk of the town and the gatherer of year end awards. Your ticket to the festival is your chance to see these films and filmmakers before the general public.

Jockey

Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Sundance Institute – an organization founded by actor Robert Redford in 1980 – and dedicated to the growth of independent artists.

13-year-old Sammy Ko (Miya Cech) is a problem child. Prone to skipping class, smoking cigarettes, and mouthing off to her teachers, she’s the opposite of the meek model student Hollywood typically imagines when writing young Asian-American characters. Our scowling heroine’s got baggage, and a lot of pent-up anger, in part because things are beginning to get serious between her workaholic dad, Angus (Leonardo Lam), and his girlfriend, Marianne (Paulina Lule).

Continue reading ‘Marvelous And The Black Hole’: An Angsty Teenager Finds Solace In Magic & An Unlikely Friendship [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

At 13 you’re too young to be treated like an adult, and you’re also not fully out of the weeds of those icky preteen years. Being stuck in that unstable place can lead to acts of rebellion and bad behavior, and in “Marvelous and the Black Hole,” Kate Tsang’s cute coming-of-age comedy, Sammy (Mia Cech) is about as insufferable as anyone could be on the verge of 14. She skips class, smokes cigarettes, badmouths her father, and spews venom at any authority figure in her path. That is, until she meets Margot (Rhea Perlman), a kooky magician who hasn’t entirely matured either. Their unlikely bond forms the basis for this twee trifle that opens a window into the pangs of growing up, and though well-meaning, leaves a saccharine aftertaste. Still, it’s .

After she’s caught vandalizing her school bathroom, and even worse shows up at home with a black eye,...

Kate Tsang’s debut film Marvelous and the Black Hole follows thirteen-year-old Sammy Ko (Miya Cech), who struggles with delinquency shortly after the death of her mother. After meeting Margot (Rhea Perlman), a magician dead set on taking Sammy as her assistant, Sammy reluctantly begins a friendship with her and learns to heal through the expressive art of sleight of hand. Dp Nanu Segal explains how they captured the intimacy of a teenage girl’s internal and external worlds and the “meeting of the minds” between Kate Tsang’s script and her own visual approach. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]

The post "Organic Beauty and Inherent Quirks": Dp Nanu Segal on Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Kate Tsang’s debut film Marvelous and the Black Hole follows thirteen-year-old Sammy Ko (Miya Cech), who struggles with delinquency shortly after the death of her mother. After meeting Margot (Rhea Perlman), a magician dead set on taking Sammy as her assistant, Sammy reluctantly begins a friendship with her and learns to heal through the expressive art of sleight of hand. Dp Nanu Segal explains how they captured the intimacy of a teenage girl’s internal and external worlds and the “meeting of the minds” between Kate Tsang’s script and her own visual approach. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]

The post "Organic Beauty and Inherent Quirks": Dp Nanu Segal on Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

How did events of 2020—any of them—change your film, either in the way you approached it, produced it, post-produced it, or are now thinking about it? Marvelous and The Black Hole is about trying to find light in dark times. My producer and I were in the middle of rushing to finish post for a festival deadline when everything shut down in March. Working on this joyful film during a national crisis and pandemic was a continuing lesson to be patient with myself, keep going, and to really celebrate each win. I hope it brings the audience some hope during difficult times.

The post "A Continuing Lesson to Be Patient with Myself": Director Kate Tsang | Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

How did events of 2020—any of them—change your film, either in the way you approached it, produced it, post-produced it, or are now thinking about it? Marvelous and The Black Hole is about trying to find light in dark times. My producer and I were in the middle of rushing to finish post for a festival deadline when everything shut down in March. Working on this joyful film during a national crisis and pandemic was a continuing lesson to be patient with myself, keep going, and to really celebrate each win. I hope it brings the audience some hope during difficult times.

The post "A Continuing Lesson to Be Patient with Myself": Director Kate Tsang | Marvelous and the Black Hole first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.