By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Martin Scorsese's big-budget mafia epic "The Irishman" will premiere as the opening night film at the 57th New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced Monday.
The selection, with the premiere set for September 27, gives Scorsese a hometown launch for one of his most anticipated films. "The Irishman" is Scorsese's $125 million Netflix film about the reflections of a former Jimmy Hoffa associate and hit man. Its genre and cast — including Robert De Niro as Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino — have long tantalized fans of the 76-year-old filmmaker.
"It's in the milieu of the pictures we've done together and are known for, in a sense, but I hope from a different vantage point," Scorsese said earlier this year at a Tribeca Film Festival event. "Years have gone by and we see things in a special way, I hope."
New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones, a frequent collaborator with Scorsese, said in a statement that "The Irishman" is "the work of masters, made with a command of the art of cinema that I've seen very rarely in my lifetime, and it plays out at a level of subtlety and human intimacy that truly stunned me."
Netflix is planning a robust awards season push for "The Irishman," including a not-yet-dated release in select theaters later this year. How widely Netflix will release it remains to be seen; major theater chains have thus far refused to play films that don't adhere to a traditional exclusive theatrical release window of 90 days. Netflix has said holding movies back from its streaming service doesn't serve its subscribers.
In an interview with The Associated Press in June, Scorsese said Netflix was the only one willing to bankroll the ambitious film, based on Charles Brandt's "I Heard You Paint Houses."
"No one else did. No one else did," said Scorsese, who also turned to Netflix for his Bob Dylan documentary "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese." ''We decided to make it with the understanding that it'll maybe never be shown in theaters. They said, 'You would have a time in theaters' — a few weeks or whatever. I said fine. The idea was to make the movie, you see."
Scorsese has also lamented the major studios' reliance on blockbusters. "I don't do those," said Scorsese. "There's only so much time in your life. I need to make these movies. I just need to. So where do I go?"
The filmmaker on Monday said he was grateful for the New York Film Festival selection (his first as the opening night film) and praised the festival as "critical to bringing awareness to cinema from around the world."
The New York Film Festival runs September 27 through October 13.
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