Marielle Heller News

Put on your comfiest cardigan and spend some quality time with Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks when he takes on the role of a lifetime as childhood icon and broadcast legend Fred Rogers in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, coming to digital February 4 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD February 18 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Sundance Institute invites champions of independent storytelling to attend An Artist at the Table Presented by IMDbPro, Sundance Institute's annual fundraising event hosted on the first night of the Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, January 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah. During the celebratory event, Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, will be honored with the Vanguard Award for Philanthropy. Proceeds from the evening will advance Sundance Institute's mission and programs that discover, support and amplify risk-taking and exciting independent film, media and theatre artists.  In addition to Presenting Sponsor IMDbPro, the event is supported by Lead Sponsor the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

Sundance Institute invites champions of independent storytelling to attend An Artist at the Table Presented by IMDbPro, Sundance Institute's annual fundraising event hosted on the first night of the Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, January 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah. During the celebratory event, Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, will be honored with the Vanguard Award for Philanthropy. Proceeds from the evening will advance Sundance Institute's mission and programs that discover, support and amplify risk-taking and exciting independent film, media and theatre artists. In addition to Presenting Sponsor IMDbPro, the event is supported by Lead Sponsor the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

The La Paloma Prisoner Project is Raquel Almaƶán's theatre and outreach project about the reclamation of identity by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, and sharing those stories through workshops, advocacy and community partnerships. Developed from her longstanding work with incarcerated and impacted communities, the associated play, LA PALOMA PRISONER, directed by Estefanía Fadul, will have its World Premiere at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop (79 East 4th Street between Bowery & 2nd Avenue) alongside a series of initiatives aimed at raising awareness and inciting action towards the end of global mass incarceration. The play is a New Georges Supported Production. Performances begin April 19, 2020 and run through May 9, 2020. Tickets will be available at https://www.nytw.org/show/la-paloma-prisoner/. To make an advance reservation, please visit www.lapalomaprisonerproject.com

Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, and Director Marielle Heller talk about who Mister Rogers was at his core and how he made an impact on the world.

TIFF Co-Heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente today announced the first round of titles selected for the Gala and Special Presentations programmes at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival. This first batch of films from the 2019 Official Selection features 18 Galas and 38 Special Presentations.

Sundance Institute, in collaboration with A24, invites fans and supporters of independent cinema to celebrate writer/director Lulu Wang with a special premiere screening of her film The Farewell and afterparty at The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Wang, an alumna of Sundance Institute's 2017 FilmTwo Initiative, will be honored with the Institute's annual Vanguard Award presented by Acura at the summer benefit. Proceeds from the evening will advance Sundance Institute's mission and programs that discover, support and amplify risk-taking and exciting independent artists across film, theatre and media. 

Filmmakers from the U.S., Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Kingdom have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. At the Directors Lab (May 27-June 18), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot, and edit key scenes from their scripts, working in an immersive, hands-on environment with support from accomplished advisors to build their craft as directors and make key discoveries in collaboration with their actors and key crew. Immediately following, the Screenwriters Lab (June 20-24) provides the opportunity to process the insight gained from the Directors Lab through one-on-one story sessions with screenwriter advisors, and find inspiration and guidance for continued development of their screenplays.

New Georges presents the co-world premiere of Leap and the Net Will Appear, by Chana Porter, and directed byTara Ahmadinejad. Leap and the Net Will Appear will play June 16-30, 2019 in The Sam at The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street New York, NY 10007), with opening night set for June 18, 2019. New Georges is an Anchor Partner at The Flea.

The fourth annual FilmTwo Initiative launches today in LA to support the career sustainability of thirteen artists developing their second features. FilmTwo encompasses two days of focused programming, including a writing workshop (led by Joan Tewkesbury), industry mentoring sessions, and one-on-one story meetings, kicking off a year of tailored creative and tactical support as part of the Institute's continuum of support for artists at key inflection points in their careers. The FilmTwo Initiative is supported by Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) tonight announced the winners of the 2019 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio/audio, promotional, and graphic animation categories at concurrent ceremonies at the Edison Ballroom in New York City and The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Melissa McCarthy is masterful in the captivating account, based on a true story, of Lee Israel, a best-selling celebrity biographer in the 1970s and '80s. When Lee (McCarthy) comes to the realization that she's no longer en vogue, she spins her art form into a perilous web of lies, deceit and outright crime to get back on top.

The Athena Film Festival (AFF) at Barnard College announced today its film slate, including opening night, closing night, and centerpiece films, as well as additional programming for the 2019 festival. The ninth annual festival, co-founded by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College and Women and Hollywood, will take place February 28 to March 3, 2019, at Barnard College in New York City. AFF showcases films, television and content that tell the extraordinary stories of fierce and fearless female leaders from all walks of life. Stories of ambition, courage, and resilience amplify the voices of strong, bold women, curating a public discourse on gender equality, and changing the cultural conventions surrounding leadership.

According to Collider, the nominations have been announced for the 2019 Dorian Awards. The awards celebrate the best and brightest in film, TV, artistic accomplishment of the year.

Sony Pictures has announced the title for the upcoming movie about children's TV host Mister Rogers, which stars Tom Hanks.

The Broadway engagement of Mike Birbiglia's The New One, directed by Seth Barrish, officially opened last night, November 11 at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street). BroadwayWorld was there, and you can check out photos from the red carpet below!

Carmen Cusack has been cast in the Mister Rogers film, starring Tom Hanks, according to Deadline. Cusack will play the longtime Mister Rogers' Neighborhood producer, Margy.

Two-time Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks is Mister Rogers in TriStar Pictures' Untitled Mr. Rogers / Tom Hanks Project, coming to a neighborhood near you October 2019.

Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing the writers' contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today the full schedule of films and panels for the 25th Anniversary festival, this October 25-November 1. AFF's feature film slate includes 23 World, North American, and US Premieres, a robust retrospective series, and highly anticipated marquee titles, including Steve McQueen's and Gillian Flynn's modern-day thriller Widows, Peter Farrelly's dramedy period piece Green Book starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, Mike Leigh's period piece Peterloo,  Mickey Rourke-starring boxing drama Tiger, Paul Dano's Wildlife starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, and Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges family drama Ben is Back bowing as AFF's Centerpiece selection, with writer/director Peter Hedges in attendance.

Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, today announced its official program selections for the 45th edition of the Telluride Film Festival. TFF's celebration of artistic excellence brings together cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen over sixty feature films, short films and revival programs representing twenty-two countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Student Programs and Festivities. Telluride Film Festival takes place Friday, August 31 - Monday, September 3, 2018.