Viola Davis to be Presented With Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor at Voice Arts Awards – Film News in Brief
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The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences will present Viola Davis with the Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor at the Voice Arts Awards 10th Anniversary Gala. The honor recognizes Davis’ talent, passion for social justice and willingness to tackle social problems through her commitment to the truth.
“This honor was created in furtherance of The Champ’s legacy of embodying resilience and courage in the face of social injustice and adversity. Viola Davis shares those traits,” said Joan Baker, founder and vice President of SOVAS, in a statement.
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The Voice Arts Awards is an annual celebration for nominees and winners in the world of voice acting and associated craft professionals.
“Her journey from humble beginnings to achieving the highly vaunted EGOT status, showcases her unwavering pursuit of excellence,” Baker continued. “And for SOVAS, it is especially heartwarming that Viola is also an exceptional voice actor in animation, TV commercials and, most notably, winning a Grammy for her performance of ‘Finding Me,’ the audiobook for her memoir.”
The Voice Arts Awards will take place on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton.
Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations Announced for 11th Annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards
The Lifetime Achievement Award nominees for the 11th Annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards were announced. The award is given to one make-up artist and one hairstylist to recognize their spectrum of acclaimed work and contributions to film, TV, music videos and theater.
The nominees for make-up are John Caglione, Tommy Cole, Kevin Haney, Ronnie Specter and Brad Wilder. The nominees for hair styling are Judy Alexander-Cory, Cydney Cornell, Ora T. Green, Bunny Parker and Peter Tothpal.
MUAHS “Behind the Slate” panels of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement nominees are now available. Lois Burwell (“The Last Samurai,” “Saving Private Ryan”) moderated the interviews with the make-up nominees, and Barbara Lorenz (“La La Land,” “Terminator: Dark Fate”) interviewed the hairstylist nominees. Dan Evans of IngleDodd Media produced the “Behind the Slate” panels.
The winners will be announced on Nov. 13 and honored at the MUAHS Gala on Feb. 18, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton.
Bleecker Street Acquires U.S. Rights to Biopic ‘One Life,’ Starring Anthony Hopkins
Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Bleecker Street announced it has acquired U.S. rights to “One Life,” starring Anthony Hopkins. The film is planned for a 2024 theatrical release.
Based on Barbara Winton’s book “If It’s Not Impossible…: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton,” the biopic details the life of Nicholas “Nicky” Winton, with Johnny Flynn portraying the younger Winton and Hopkins as his older self.
Winton, a young London broker, visits Prague in December 1938 and convinces Trevor Chadwick and Doreen Warriner of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue as many children as possible before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, the older Winton is haunted by the children he was unable to save. With the BBC show “That’s Life!” re-introducing him to those he helped rescue, the historical drama explores how Winton starts coming to terms with his guilt and grief.
Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp and Marthe Keller also star in “One Life.” The film is directed by James Hawes (“Black Mirror”) and written by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake.
See-Saw Films produced “One Life” and developed it alongside BBC Film. The film was produced by Joanna Laurie, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Guy Heeley. Simon Gillis, Eva Yates, Barbara Winton, Maria Logan, Anne Sheehan and Peter Hampden executive produced. The deal was helmed by Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy on behalf of Bleecker Street with CAA Media Finance and Simon Gillis on behalf of See-Saw Films and Cross City Films. FilmNation Entertainment will handle international sales.
MRKR, New Composer Agency Across Film, Television and Media, Opens in the UK
A new full-service composer agency, MRKR, has opened in the UK.
Started by London-based music recording company AIR Studios, MRKR is co-founded by music industry veteran Gary Downing and led by Kamila Serkebaeva, who serves as director of AIR Studios. The agency will allow their clients across film, television and media to access AIR’s roster of freelance engineers and mastering services, according to the press release.
Downing, who serves as managing director of MRKR, expressed his excitement at the development.
“We have a real opportunity [here with MRKR] to build a distinctive company with a genuine point of difference — able to solve all the problems of the modern composer and artist, and serve the industry in a dynamic way, putting a marker down for what exceptional global representation should look like,” said Downing.
SXSW Sydney 2023 Announces Inaugural Full Festival Lineup
SXSW (South by Southwest) Sydney has announced the full festival lineup for its 2023 inaugural international festival. This marks the first time SXSW is being held outside of its home base in Austin, Texas. The event, which covers topics across entertainment and technology, will take place this weekend from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22.
For a week, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of programming from sessions about AI to screenings of films such as Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” and South Korea’s 2024 Academy Award entry “Concrete Utopia.”
Music artist Chance the Rapper will deliver the festival’s keynote. Other stars will also speak at the event, including Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge”), Naomi Watts (“King Kong”) and “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker.
Prospective attendees can purchase badges, which allow access to all areas of SXSW Sydney, or wristbands, which allow select access to SXSW’s Music, Screen or Games Festivals. Both can be purchased online at sxswsydney.com.
Film Independent Announces Filmmakers Selected for 2023 Producing Lab
The nonprofit arts organization Film Independent has announced the producers chosen for its 23rd annual Producing Lab.
The Producing Lab “is designed to help creative, independent producers develop their skills and further their careers by introducing Fellows to film professionals who can advise them on both the craft and business of independent producing.”
Fellows are paired with experienced creative advisors who help them develop projects throughout the program. Rebecca Green is the lead creative advisor this year and guests speakers will include Jason Michael Berman, Apoorva Charan, Marissa Frobes, Nate Kamiya, Kristen Konvitz, Stephen Lee, Alex Lo, Lauren Mann, Jack Pearkes, Shira Rockowitz, Anita Surendran, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Jeanette Volturno, Lena Vurma and Maria Zuckerman.
“We’re delighted to shepherd this group of devoted creative producers through the Producing Lab and give them a dedicated space to further their projects and careers. We’re thrilled to have feature films both in development and post-production in the program this year and be able to support producers at various stages of the filmmaking process,” said Dea Vazquez, associate director of Fiction Programs.
Additionally, Film Independent awarded the $30,000 Sloan Producers Grant and the $50,000 Sloan Distribution Grant to filmmakers. Fiona Hardingham received the Sloan Producers Grant for her film “Smoke Country” and the Sloan Distribution Grant was given to the film “Radical,” written and directed by Christopher Zella and produced by Benjamin Odell, Joshua Davis and Eugenio Derbez.
“We are pleased to partner with Film Independent for our second decade and to support two outstanding projects, ‘Smoke Country’ and ‘Radical,’ the former a screenplay about the impact of climate change on a working-class family in rural Australia and the latter an inspiring true story about a maverick teacher who transforms the lives of underprivileged students in Mexico,” said Doron Weber, vice president and program director at the Sloan Foundation.
Visit filmindependent.org for more information and an application form.
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