At press time, a special screening of the feature City of Ember was slated for this week on the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Los Angeles. The movie opens nationwide on Oct. 10.
The film’s cast includes Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Tim Robbins, Harry Treadway (Brothers of the Head) and Martin Landau. City of Ember is a Walden Media and Playtone co-production produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. The script was penned by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands) based on a best selling novel by Jeanne Duprau.
While there was no word as to critics’ reviews of the film as we put this issue of SHOOT to bed, City of Ember merited this column’s attention because of its director, Gil Kenan, who graduated from Inner-City Filmmakers in 1994.
It was in the summer of ’93 that commercials editor Fred Heinrich and his wife, producer Stephanie Lipner, launched Inner-City Filmmakers, an organization offering free industry training to talented, disadvantaged high school students throughout Greater Los Angeles. The program has also helped secure paid entry-level jobs for many grads.
The May ’92 riots in Los Angeles served as a catalyst for Heinrich and Lipner, prompting them to form the group as a way to make a positive difference in the lives of youngsters who might not otherwise get the chance to become part of the film community. Fast-forward to today and the nonprofit organization has provided training and hands-on experience in different aspects of filmmaking to assorted graduates who have different ethnic backgrounds and come from low-income families.
Heinrich recalled that the purpose of Inner-City Filmmakers hit home for him during its first year, when students from Bell High School, in Bell, Calif., brought in their school video yearbook, which included five obituaries. “That underscored the fact that we need to somehow help create some opportunities for underprivileged young people living in the inner city,” he observed.
After completing his instruction at Inner-City Filmmakers, Kenan went on to become a graduate of the master’s class at UCLA’s film school. City of Ember is Kenan’s second theatrical motion picture. He made his feature directorial debut with Monster House which earned an Academy Award nomination for best animated movie in 2007. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, Monster House not only was directed by but also co-written by Kenan.
On the strength of the film, Kenan also earned an Annie Awards nomination from ASIFA-Hollywood for best directing in an animated feature production as well as a Chicago Film Critics Association Awards nomination as most promising director.
Kenan’s ascent to mainstream feature filmmaking represents the power of trying to do good, of Heinrich and Lipner taking an idea designed to help others and then working to make it a reality. It’s also a stellar example of how good, in this case the Inner-City Filmmakers program, can come out of bad, namely the rioting that broke out in the wake of the initial acquittal of police officers in the high-profile Rodney King beating case.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More