Tag: Dee Rees

WAMG At The PARANORMAN World Premiere

WAMG was at the World Premiere of Focus Features’ ParaNorman at Universal City Walk Sunday, August 5, 2012 with Leslie Mann, Anna Kendrick, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jeff Garlin, among others… and we’ve got photos from the red carpet!

*All photographs are property WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS

PARANORMAN voice actors Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Tempestt Bledsoe, Tucker Albrizzi, Jeff Garlin, Jodelle Ferland; moviemakers Sam Fell (director), Chris Butler (director/screenwriter), and Travis Knight (producer/lead animator); other guests include Aasha Davis, Amy Brenneman,   Bella Thorne, Billy Unger, Breckin Meyer, Cimorelli, Daphne Blunt, Dave Foley, Dee Rees, Dylan Riley Snyder, Emma Kenney, Ernie Hudson, Gilles Marini, Holly Marie Combs, Judd Apatow, Justine Ezarik, Katherine McNamara, Kevin Misher, Lorene Scafaria, Ming-Na, Olivia Holt, Ricki Lake, Rob Morrow, Samantha Mumba, Sanaa Hamri, Shane Acker, Sierra McCormick, Taylor Armstrong, Taylor Spreitler, Teala Dunn, Tia Carrere, Tom Sizemore, Wayne Brady and many more!

ParaNorman is set in the town of Blithe Hollow, whose locals profit from mining the town’s history as the site, 300 years ago, of a famous witch hunt. 11-year-old Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee of Let Me In and The Road) spends much of his days appreciating the finer points of scary movies and studying ghost lore. In fact, Norman is gifted with the ability to see and speak with the dead, such as his beloved grandmother (Elaine Stritch). Most days, he prefers their company to that of his flustered father (Jeff Garlin), spacey mother (Leslie Mann), and deeply superficial older sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick). At middle school, Norman dodges bullying Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), confides in the impressionable Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), and tries to tune out his blowhard teacher Mrs. Henscher (Alex Borstein).

Norman is unexpectedly contacted by his odd uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman), who floors him with the revelation that a centuries-old witch’s curse is real and is about to come true, and that only Norman will be able to stop it from going into overdrive and harming the townspeople. Once a septet of zombies – led by The Judge (Bernard Hill) – suddenly rises from their graves, Norman finds himself caught in a wild race against time alongside Courtney, Alvin, Neil, and Neil’s musclebound older brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) as Sheriff Hooper (Tempestt Bledsoe) chases them all. Worse, the town is up in arms and taking up arms. Norman bravely summons up all that makes a hero – courage and compassion – as he finds his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: www.Paranorman.com

FACEBOOK: www.Facebook.com/Paranorman

INSTAGRAM: Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/L4B8i7tSQJ/

TWITTER: www.Twitter.com/Paranorman Twitter Hashtag: #ParaNorman

 

Focus Features’ PARANORMAN, MPAA-rated “PG,” opens August 17th

Focus Features Acquires Worldwide Rights To PARIAH

NEW YORK, January 28th, 2011 – Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to the contemporary drama PARIAH, the debut feature from writer/director Dee Rees. PARIAH world-premiered In Competition this past week at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Spike Lee is among the feature’s executive producers. PARIAH is produced by Nekisa Cooper.

In tandem with the PARIAH acquisition, Focus has engaged Ms. Rees to write a screenplay. The script deal is for a new feature-length film that the writer/director would conceive.

PARIAH is one of the Festival’s most acclaimed entries this year; Kyle Smith of The New York Post wrote that PARIAH is “emotionally satisfying…with a likeable and believable heroine at its core.” Andrew Barker of Variety wrote that actress Adepero Oduye gives “a wonderful lead performance.”

The feature is an expansion of Ms. Rees’ short film of the same name, which screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ms. Oduye, who had starred in the short film, portrays Alike (pronounced “ah-lee-kay”), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister (Sahra Mallesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the support of her best friend Laura (Pernell Walker), she is especially eager to find a girlfriend. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity – sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.

Focus Features CEO James Schamus said, “Dee Rees has made a debut film that celebrates with astonishing artistry the journey of a young woman who simply never gives up on the power of love. We’re thrilled to join her on this next step of a remarkable journey.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Focus Features. They’re such smart marketers and they love movies, so that we knew Focus was the perfect home for Pariah. We are excited for the film to reach the broadest audience possible,” said Ms. Rees.

In addition to Mr. Lee, the executive producers of Pariah are Jeff Robinson, Sam Martin, Mary Jane Skalski, Susan Lewis, Ann Bradley, Stefan Nowicki, Benjamin Weber, Joey Carey, Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, Judith Hefland, Douglas A. Eisenberg, and Matthew J. Simon.

Visit the film’s official site HERE, on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE.

 

Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

In addition to Pariah, the Focus Features slate includes Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right, nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress (Annette Bening), and winner of 2 Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture [Comedy/Musical]; Academy Award-winning writer/director Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, which won the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture at the 2010 Venice International Film Festival; Kevin Macdonald’s Roman epic adventure The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell; Cary Fukunaga’s romantic drama Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender; Joe Wright’s adventure thriller Hanna, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett; Mike Mills’ comedy/drama Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer; and Lone Scherfig’s romance ONE DAY, based on the bestselling novel, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.

 

Focus Features and Focus Features International are part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 88% owned by General Electric and 12% owned by Vivendi.