Consider it a three-pronged debut–for one, the feature Robot & Frank will make its world premiere at next month’s Sundance Film Festival. Furthermore, the movie is the very first out of Park Pictures Features, the narrative feature company formed earlier this year (SHOOT, 7/12) by commercial production house Park Pictures. Additionally, Robot & Frank marks the feature directorial debut of Jake Schreier, who’s on Park Pictures’ spotmaking roster.
Set in the future, Robot & Frank follows aging curmudgeon Frank (portrayed by Frank Langella), a confused loner with a love for books. His sole friend is a librarian named Jennifer (Susan Sarandon) whom he regularly visits. Other than his library outings and weekly visits from his son, Frank lives a quiet life until his grown-up kids (James Marsden, Liv Tyler) install a caretaker robot to look after their dad and an unlikely friendship begins.
Schreier reflected on having his first feature selected for Sundance’s Premieres, an out-of-competition showcase of dramatic films from new and established directors. “It’s quite an honor but I don’t have time to rest on any laurels,” said Schreier, noting that he was at press time in the middle of putting some final touches on the film.
Producing Robot & Frank are the four partners in Park Pictures Features, director Lance Acord and executive producer Jackie Kelman Bisbee–founders of Park Pictures–and film producers Galt Niederhoffer and Sam Bisbee.
Robot & Frank was written by Chris Ford, based on his thesis short film at NYU, which Schreier produced. “A few years ago, we were looking for a feature property to develop and Chris’ short came to mind as a project that was interesting and achievable,” recalled Schreier. “For the feature-length version, a lot has been added to that original story, various layers and new plot elements.”
The timing proved just right in that when Park Features was in the works, a draft of Robot & Frank was ready. “Galt, Sam, Jackie and Lance were enthusiastic about the project and we developed it from there,” said Schreier.
Robot & Frank is the latest addition to Niederhoffer’s Sundance pedigree. Over the years, she has produced eight features that have been screened in competition at the Sundance Festival–with seven winning awards, including Grace Is Gone which garnered the Sundance Audience Award in 2007.
Schreier has been active in commercials at Park Pictures, with multiple jobs for Verizon–including the iPhone introductory spot–out of mcgarrybowen, New York, and a Sony PlayStation project for TBWA Paris.
“Park Pictures is a great place to be–they have a great working relationship with agencies like mcgarrybowen,” said Schreier. “I was excited about coming here long before they started a feature division, in part because this is a company that’s home to people to make films–Lance Acord, Alison Maclean. I’ve been a big fan of Lance for a long time.”
Matt Lloyd was the DP on Robot & Frank, described by Schreier as a rising star whom “we were lucky to get.” Schreier noted that Lloyd recently shot second unit for Oliver Stone’s new movie.
Spot on
Other filmmakers with commercialmaking affiliations whose work made the 2012 Sundance grade include:
o Lauren Greenfield, a noted photographer and documentarian who’s handled for commercials and branded content by Chelsea. Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles was selected not only for Sundance’s documentary competition but also for screening on opening night. The film tells the story of a wealthy couple building the biggest house in America–a sprawling, 90,000 square-foot palace inspired by Versailles–when their business empire falters due to the economic crisis. their rags-to-riches-to-rags tale uncovers the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream.
o Armando Bo whose commercialmaking exploits come out of Buenos Aires production house Rebolucion. His feature The Last Elvis (El Ultimo Elvis) was chosen for Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The movie centers on a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who believes he is the reincarnation of the King. He struggles to shake free from reality and live his musical dream.
o Quentin Dupieux, a filmmaker on the Partizan roster, wrote and directed Wrong, also a contender in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The movie introduces us to Dolph as he searches for his lost dog while encountering certain characters along the way who compromise his sanity, if not his identity.
o Lauded documentarian Stacy Peralta, whose commercialmaking home is Nonfiction Unlimited, helmed About Face, an out-of-competition documentary premiere. The film revolves around six teenage boys who come together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, reinventing their sport and themselves as they evolve from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the world.
o Dylan Southen and Will Lovelace, repped as a duo under the thirtytwo moniker by London’s Pulse Films, saw their Shut Up And Play The Hits gain inclusion into Sundance’s Park City At Midnight series featuring unruly, genre-defying flicks. This documentary follows LCD Soundsystem front man James Murphy over a crucial 48-hour period, from the day of their final gig at Madison Square Garden to the morning after, marking the official end of one of the world’s top live bands. Earlier this year, thirtytwo was selected for Saatchi & Saatchi’s New Directors Showcase at Cannes.
o Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, who are repped by production house PRETTYBIRD, also made the Park City At Midnight cut with Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie. The storyline follows two guys who are give a billion dollars to make a movie only to see their Hollywood dreams go awry. So they decide to rehabilitate a run-down shopping mall in an attempt to make their money back.
o Laurence Thrush who’s with Knickebockerglory stateside and Suneeva in Canada. Thrush wrote and directed Pursuit of Loneliness which was selected for Sundance’s NEXT<=> program, billed as presenting pure, bold works by promising filmmakers who show a forward-thinking approach to storytelling. In this film, an elderly patient die in a county hospital leaving no known next of kin. Over the next 24 hours, four central character try to find a family member to contact regarding the death of this anonymous individual.
Short program
As for directors with spot ties who scored Sundance inclusion via their short films, among the notables are:
o Matt Lenski, who recently joined Supply & Demand Integrated, made the U.S. Documentary Short Films program with The Meaning of Robots which is about a 65-year-old man who has spent the past 10 years shooting an epic stop-motion robot sex film in his apartment.
o Lucy Walker, also of Supply & Demand Integrated, saw her The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom gain a U.S. Documentary Short Film slot. As previously reported (SHOOT, 11/18), Cherry Blossom is one of eight films to make the Academy Award Short Subject shortlist. Three to five of those shorts will be nominated for a 2012 Oscar.
o The mono-monikered Nieto of Paranoid U.S. had his short Lazarov earn inclusion in Sundance’s International Short Film program. The film centers on a handful of Russian scientists working secretly to resurrect the Soviet Union as a world power.
o Julie Pott, who’s on the roster of Hornet, made Sundance’s International Animated Short Films program with Belly.
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is slated for January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. A complete list of films is available here.
