By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Three original films by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen will debut at the New York Film Festival this year, organizers said Monday. The "12 Years a Slave" director will get the opening night slot for the 1980s-set music romance "Lovers Rock" in addition to two other premieres for films in his anthology series.
McQueen's "Small Axe" anthology is comprised of five films telling stories about London's West Indian community from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.
"It's an incredible honor and also very humbling to show three of my films at the New York Film Festival," McQueen said in a statement. "It's especially meaningful for me at this particular time to share these stories as a Black man of West Indian heritage."
The other two films premiering are "Mangrove," with "Black Panther" actor Letitia Wright, which tells the true story of a group of Black activists called the Mangrove 9 who clashed with police in the 1970s and "Red, White and Blue," another true story about a man, Leroy Logan, who joins the police to try to inspire change from within. John Boyega stars.
"Steve McQueen is one of the essential artists of our time, and he reaches a new level of mastery with the Small Axe films," said Dennis Lim, the festival's programming director. "These are works of historical drama that speak powerfully and urgently to our present moment of reckoning over police brutality and systemic racism."
The five films will premiere later this year on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and on BBC One.
Dates haven't been set for the 58th edition of the New York Film Festival because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic but organizers say that specifics will be announced in the coming weeks. The festival is planning to proceed with outdoor and virtual screenings, and, where possible with safety protocols, indoor screenings too.
Director Chloe Zhao's " Nomadland," with Frances McDormand, was previously announced as a centerpiece screening.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More