Price Productions Wraps On ‘Mad Props’ Doc; ‘Dotty & Soul’, ‘Best Clown’, ‘The Pilgrim’ Acquired; Lavine/Burns Prize Calls For Entries – Film Briefs

EXCLUSIVE: Price Productions has wrapped production on Mad Props, a new feature documentary featuring iconic actors Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and more.

The film from director Juan Pablo Reinoso is said to follow a handsome nerd as he journeys the globe to turn the conventional art world on its head, proving to historians and critics alike that movie props are as important an art form as the greatest paintings and sculptures in history.

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Keli Price produced for Price Productions, along with Reinoso and LookBook Films’ Melanie Sweeney, with Tom Biolchini and Colin Tucker serving as EPs. Englund is repped by Third Hill Entertainment, JR Talent Group and Miloknay Weiner; Henriksen by APA and Henriksen Talent Management; Rourke by APA, Framework Entertainment and Edelstein, Laird & Sobel; and Price by Revenant Entertainment and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.

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EXCLUSIVE: Quiver Distribution has acquired North American rights to the comedy Dotty & Soul, written and directed by Adam Saunders. The film, starring Saunders and Emmy and Golden Globe nom Leslie Uggams, is slated for release on digital and VOD in May.

World premiering at last year’s San Diego Film Festival, Dotty & Soul tells the story of hot shot entrepreneur Ethan Cox (Saunders), who is poised to sell his self-driving car company and make his investors filthy rich. But when his politically incorrect Halloween costume gets tweeted, the ensuing social media firestorm nearly ends Ethan’s career. Desperate to find a way forward, Ethan hatches a plan to hire 71-year-old snack cart vendor, Dotty (Uggams), to pose as his company’s figurehead, with Ethan still managing from behind the wings.

Also starring Margot Bingham, Gary Owen, M. Emmet Walsh and David Koechner, Dotty & Soul is a Footprint Features and Azuspeak production. Saunders and Avril Z. Speaks produced the film, with Linh Tran, Danny Zamost and Eddie Rubin serving as EPs. Judah Klatzker negotiated the deal on behalf of Quiver, with The Exchange’s Nat McCormick on behalf of the filmmakers.

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EXCLUSIVE: 1091 Pictures has claimed U.S rights to the Back40 Pictures-produced comedy Best Clown, starring Ashley Shelton (Something, Anything), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!) and Robyn Lively (Cobra Kai), slating it for release on VOD in May.

The film written and directed by Shelton has her playing the anxiety-ridden Ruby (aka ‘Sundrop the Clown’), who undertakes a journey of self-exploration while competing in one of the nation’s biggest clown competitions.

Clayne Crawford and Bo Clancey produced through Back40 Pictures and Victorhouse Films, with Massey Willingham and Carrie Anne Willingham serving as executive producers. Lev Avery-Peck negotiated the deal on behalf of 1091 Pictures.

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EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has nabbed North American rights to the feature drama The Pilgrim, slating it for release across VOD platforms on March 14.

Written and directed by Joshua Benson, The Pilgrim tells the story of Will (Jeff Worden), an American architect living in London, who is thrust into an odyssey through the American West upon learning of his estranged mother’s death. The Copeland Pictures production also stars Rebekah Stein, Rachel Colwell, Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Lou Llobell, and Emerald Clark. Benson and Worden served as the film’s producers.

The deal to acquire The Pilgrim was negotiated between Freestyle Digital Media and Alex Nohe of Blood Sweat and Honey. Watch its trailer below.

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The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation are now calling for entries for the fifth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, recognizing exemplary accomplishment in historical documentaries.

The award, established in 2019, recognizes one late-stage doc that uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life using archival materials. It’s presented each fall at a ceremony at the Library of Congress, with the winner receiving $200,00 to put toward a film’s production and distribution. The runner-up for the prize receives $50,000 toward finishing, marketing, distribution and outreach, with four additional finalists taking home $25,000 each.

Since the establishment of the Lavine/Burns prize in 2019, more than $1.45MM has been distributed to filmmakers, whose works have gone on to release in theaters, as well as on PBS and other platforms. Submissions for this year’s edition may be made through May 15. Further information on guidelines can be found here.

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