killer films is a new york city-based independent film production company founded by movie producers christine vachon and pamela koffler in 1995 .

the company has produced a number of the most acclaimed american independent films over the past two decades including far from heaven ( nominated for four academy awards ) , boys do n't cry ( academy award winner ) , one hour photo , kids , hedwig and the angry inch , happiness , velvet goldmine , safe , i shot andy warhol , swoon , i 'm not there ( academy award nominated ) , kill your darlings , still alice ( academy award winner ) and carol ( nominated for six academy awards ) .

killer films executive produced todd haynes ' five episode hbo miniseries mildred pierce featuring kate winslet and guy pearce , which went on to win five emmys , a golden globe and a screen actors guild award .

in 2014 , killer films merged with glass elevator media to form killer content , inc .

killer films

the film is produced by killer films ’ pamela koffler , number 9 films ’ elizabeth karlsen and stephen woolley , killer films’ christine vachon and bold films’ michel litvak and gary michael walters .
glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it ' s like to work at killer films , including salaries , reviews , office photos , and more . this is the killer films company profile . all content is posted anonymously by employees working at killer films .
christine vachon and pamela koffler ' s indie film production company killer films and ip incubator glass elevator media are merging to form killer content .
killer content , the parent company of killer films , has reorganized its operations into three divisions after teaming with the fledgling non - profit org two brass brads . killer films , headed by christine vachon and pamela koffler , remains an autonomous unit focusing on entertainment content . killer content now is the umbrella org for films , entertainment and branded content [ … ]
killer content , the parent company of killer films , has reorganized its operations into three divisions after teaming with the fledgling non - profit org two brass brads .
vachon and koffler ' s killer films is one of the most recognized players in the indie space . over the past 15 years , killer films has produced over 70 films , including daniel radcliffe ' s kill your darlings and the truman capote biopic infamous .
showtime presents in association with chicago public radio , killer films , inc . , left / right , inc .
christine vachon and david hinojosa of killer films are producing , along with gary hamilton and executive producer brian beckmann .
killer films , headed by christine vachon and pamela koffler , remains an autonomous unit focusing on entertainment content . killer content now is the umbrella org for films , entertainment and branded content while the newly created killer impact is dedicated to investing in media properties that promote or advocate for social issues and concerns .
pam koffler and christine vachon ( “carol , ” “still alice” ) produce for killer films and elizabeth karlsen and stephen woolley ( “carol , ” “made in dagenham” ) will produce for number 9 films . bold films’ chairman michel litvak will produce for bold films . ceo for bold films gary michael walters will executive produce .
killer films at present is developing the novel “only ever yours” as a film and tv property . the oakland - based yth org will be a beneficiary via killer impact of profits from “only ever yours . ”
i applied online . the process took 1 day . i interviewed at killer films ( new york , ny ) in april 2012 .
while we are always happy to hear from you , please note that killer content and its companies , including killer films , killer films media and killer impact , does not accept or consider unsolicited submissions . therefore , we ask that you refrain from sending any creative materials , including , but not limited to narrative scripts , articles , ideas , suggestions , treatments , stories , artwork or other materials . this is to avoid any misunderstandings if your ideas are similar to those we have developed independently . any communication or material you do transmit to the site by electronic mail or otherwise will be treated as non - confidential and non - proprietary and shall be deemed the property of and may be used by killer content and its companies , including killer films , killer films media and killer impact , for any purpose , including , but not limited to reproduction , disclosure , transmission , publication , broadcast and posting .
london — keira knightley is in talks to star in biopic “colette , ” which reunites the producers behind “carol , ” number 9 films and killer films . “still alice’s” wash westmoreland is directing the film .
bona fide productions will have a first look deal and killer films will have an exclusive first - look deal in both film and television for two years .
london — keira knightley is in talks to star in biopic “colette , ” which reunites the producers behind “carol , ” number 9 films and killer films . “still alice’s” wash westmoreland is directing the film . bold films will finance and co - produce the pic , with hanway films handling worldwide sales . the screenplay is by westmoreland and the late richard [ … ]
the launch of killer impact was announced sunday at san francisco’s yth live conference , a gathering of youth , health and technology advocates , by actress morgan saylor ( “homeland” ) . saylor stars in killer films’ drama “white girl , ” which screened at sundance this year . killer impact said it will invest 25 % of net revenues from various projects with relevant charitable orgs .
producers are christine vachon and david hinojosa for killer films along with page and mara . executive producers are robert halmi jr . and jim reeve through their great point media and karri o’reilly .
killer content is in the midst of developing branded content for banking giant ubs and conde nast , among others .
are the other films making waves this weekend ( literally in one case ) .
audience voting determines the winner of three awards from among the films in competition .
christine vachon and pamela koffler founded the indie powerhouse killer films in 1995 . the company has produced a number of the most acclaimed american indpendent films over the past two decades including far from heaven ( nominated for four academy awards ) , boys don’t cry ( academy award winner ) , one hour photo , and i’m not there ( academy award nominated ) . killer films executive produced mildred pierce , the emmy - award winning hbo series starring kate winslet . most recently , killer produced the oscar nominated still alice , for which julianne moore was awared a golden globe and an academy award , and carol . killer is also producing the new television series z : the beginning of everything for amazon .
pic is produced by christine vachon for killer films ( “boys don’t cry” ) and rose ganguzza . goldcrest ’s nick quested and pascal degove , together with jill samuels , are serving as executive producers .
becomes ceo of the new york - based killer content , while vachon and koffler will serve as co - presidents .
killer films credits include “still alice , ” “carol , ” “boys don’t cry” and “far from heaven . ” it had four films screen at sundance this year — “goat , ” “weiner dog , ” “frank & lola” and “white girl” — and just wrapped on todd haynes’ “wonderstruck” for amazon studios .
“bona fide productions , killer films and le grisbi productions each have a long history of making critically acclaimed and award - winning films with accomplished filmmakers , ” said roy price , head of amazon studios in a statement . “we’re proud to be working with each of them and excited about our future creative collaborations . ”
the pic , which is sure to be a sought - after project at the european film market , is currently in pre - production . killer films’ christine vachon and david hinojosa will produce . caa is handling domestic rights .
david hinojosa david hinojosa is head of production & development at killer films . he has overseen production on over a dozen features , including all she wrote , wiener dog , kyra , goat , frank & lola , white girl , nasty baby and kill your darlings , as well as the upcoming beatriz at dinner from miguel arteta and mercy from tali shalom - ezer . prior to killer films , david worked at the weinstein company and focus features .
pamela koffler is an award - winning producer who in 1995 co - founded new york - based indie powerhouse killer films with partner christine vachon . since founding killer films , she has gone on to produce some of the most celebrated american indie films including , academy award® winning films far from heaven , boys don ' t cry , one hour photo , hedwig and the angry inch , happiness , i shot andy warhol , dirty girl , then she found me , and savage grace . in television , koffler executive produced the emmy® nominated tv movie mrs . harris in 2005 and the golden globe winning miniseries , mildred pierce for hbo .
in february killer optioned the new york times’ multimedia feature “the displaced , ” about child refugees , for adaptation as a tv series .
the company has signed exclusive first - look deals with bona fide productions , killer films and le grisbi productions , variety has learned . the pacts put the streaming giant in business with the makers of such film classics as “birdman” and “far from heaven . ” they come just two weeks before the cannes film festival where amazon will be on hand to premiere todd haynes’ “wonderstruck , ” which killer films produced , and lynne ramsay’s “you were never really here . ”
burn later’s paul bernon , sam slater and david bernon produced with han west and houston king . killer films’ christine vachon and david hinojosa , bravo and gelman are exec producing , and rowan riley of burn later is co - producing .
a showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year .
renowned filmmakers and films about far - reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries .
koffler entered the picture around that time , working on two dark films that cemented killer films ' reputation as the beating epicenter of ' 90s alt - cinema : larry clark ' s kids and mary harron ' s i shot andy warhol .
we had a good partnership , good synergy and were making great stuff ,
says koffler ,
so we just called ourselves a company .
their company name came from the production company they had formed for 1997 ' s office killer .
killer content will focus on producing content for a variety of platforms , relying on longstanding relationships with established independent talent and emerging directors and stars .
ethan hawke and amanda seyfried will star in “first reformed , ” a new thriller from “raging bull’s” paul schrader . arclight films and killer films are teaming on the picture out of the toronto international film festival . the picture overflows with institutional intrigue and shadowy corporate forces . it follows an ex - military chaplain ( hawke ) , who is wrecked by [ … ]
advising european producers on transatlantic co - production opportunities and working with killer films on its development slate . lenny ' s recent investments included lynne ramsay ' s we need to talk about kevin , paddy considine ' s tyrannosaur and ben wheatley ' s kill list .
christine vachon and david hinojosa of killer films will produce along with brian young of three six zero entertainment . filming will begin in february on the pic , which will be shot on 65mm film and exhibit in 70mm . wme global is repping the film’s worldwide rights . .
additionally , killer content announced that union editorial , a leading global creative editorial firm , is an investor in the company . advisory board members include union editorial president
christine vachon ' s ' a killer life ' film producer christine vachon ' s new book is a killer life : how an independent film producer survives deals and disasters in hollywood and beyond . she has produced more than 30 feature films , including infamous , far from heaven , one hour photo and boys don ' t cry . this book is a follow - up to vachon ' s best - selling first book , shooting to kill .
“we love doug’s extraordinary script and working with daniel is one of the rare treats in the business … this is thrilling for everyone at killer , ” vachon said .
arclight films and killer films are teaming on the picture out of the toronto international film festival . the picture overflows with institutional intrigue and shadowy corporate forces . it follows an ex - military chaplain ( hawke ) , who is wrecked by grief over the death of his son . seyfried plays a member of his church whose husband , a radical environmentalist , commits suicide , setting the plot in motion .
killer films at present is shepherding the keira knightley starrer “colette , ” a biopic of the french author ; a film adaptation of the brian selznick novel “wonderstruck” and a pilot for amazon , “z , ” based on the therese ann fowler book “z : a novel of zelda fitzgerald . ”
funny balloons and versatile films are jointly representing international rights and co - repping north american rights with the uta independent film group .
michael simmonds michael simmonds is a cinematographer with a long history of credits including killer films’ deep powder and at any price , the civil war on drugs , project nim , plastic bag , goodbye solo , chop shop , and anna nicole and at least four projects in post including the last of robin hood .
christine said , ' i want to produce your next film , '
recalls haynes , now 54 .
it meant a great deal to me because i respected her so much .
that led to the experimental poison ( 1991 ) — one of the films that launched the new queer cinema movement with which killer films would become synonymous . a string of lgbt films followed : swoon , go fish , 1995 ' s stonewall .
people were really starved for [ gay ] content then , which is obviously not the case today ,
says vachon .
bold films will finance and co - produce the pic , with hanway films handling worldwide sales . the screenplay is by westmoreland and the late richard glatzer , who co - wrote and co - directed “still alice . ” filming will start in may in budapest .
steven raphael with over 20 years in the film industry , raphael had been passionately devoted to bringing quality films to the us marketplace . prior to founding required viewing , raphael was senior vice president of acquisitions and co - productions at usa films ( now focus features . during that period he was involved in the theatrical campaigns for such films as : being john malkovich , gosford park , and traffic .
through cinetic media , sloss has facilitated the sale and / or financing of well over 400 films including before midnight , prince avalanche , ai weiwei : never sorry , safety not guaranteed , friends with kids , we need to talk about kevin , red state , the kids are all right , precious , i’m not there , napoleon dynamite , little miss sunshine , and super size me . sloss has executive produced over 60 films including before midnight , bernie , and the academy award® - winning the fog of war and boys don’t cry . his law clients include killer films , richard linklater , kevin smith , bob dylan , john hamburg , justin lin , jake kasdan , the isle of man’s cinemanx and big beach films .
from horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification , these films will keep you wide awake , even at the most arduous hour .
it ' s a good week / bad week on the home market . the good news is there are four films coming out this week that earned some level of awards season buzz . the bad news . . . there are four films coming out this week that earned some level of awards season buzz and they scared away the competition . two of those four films are strong enough to be contenders for pick of the week ,
carol almost didn ' t happen . producer elizabeth karlsen had spent years developing it , with blanchett attached , when previous director john crowley fell out . she was commiserating with vachon when haynes ' schedule suddenly opened up ( killer films has produced all of haynes ' films ) , and the two producers decided to take the picture to him . within months , the rest of the financing on the $ 11 . 8 million project fell into place , and cameras were rolling in cincinnati by january 2014 .
london — daniel radcliffe is to star in “brooklyn bridge , ” which will be scripted and directed by douglas mcgrath ( “emma” ) . goldcrest will finance and sell international rights to the pic , which will be introduced to distributors at the european film market in berlin . pic is produced by christine vachon for killer films ( “boys don’t cry” ) [ … ]
amazon studios is bringing three award - winning indie production companies into the fold . the company has signed exclusive first - look deals with bona fide productions , killer films and le grisbi productions , variety has learned . the pacts put the streaming giant in business with the makers of such film classics as “birdman” and “far from heaven . ” they come [ … ]
killer impact will be headed by ceo crystal wald , a founding board member of two brass brads . the new york - based outfit launched last year with the goal of investing in and nurturing socially relevant content .
the midrash st . louis film award celebrates st . louis - related films of honesty and artistry that portray the need or the hope for reconciliation or redemption . these are among the most powerful and worthy themes that films should explore . eligible work for the midrash st . louis film award includes feature and short films largely shot in st . louis or directed by filmmakers with strong local ties . the award comes with a cash prize of $ 500 .
few films are as deserving of the label “masterpiece” as rocco and his brothers , which finally gets a blu - ray release worthy of its tragic depths .
a jury gives interfaith awards to both a documentary and a narrative , choosing from among 10 competition films ( five in each category ) , which were selected for their artistic merit ; contribution to the understanding of the human condition ; and recognition of ethical , social , and spiritual values . the selected films :
annette handley chandler has produced films for paramount pictures , disney , pbs , abc and cbs . in 2002 , she won an emmy as executive producer of
christine vachon’s killer films produces alongside bron studios . this is the type of upmarket yet accessible fare that vachon has excelled at in the past , including last year’s critically acclaimed carol with cate blanchett and rooney mara . number 9 films’ elizabeth karlsen and stephen wooley were the lead producers on that terrific picture and shepherded the project through its development phase onto the screen . vachon has reunited with that film’s director todd haynes on wonderstruck , with julianne moore , which amazon is financing . the script for wonderstruck is said to have wowed buyers .
he will next be seen starring opposite zoe kazan in cbs films and eones’s romantic comedy “the f word , ” as well as starring opposite juno temple in the horror - thriller “horns , ” which is based on joe hill’s best - selling book . all three films screened at the toronto film festival last year .
film producer christine vachon ' s new book is a killer life : how an independent film producer survives deals and disasters in hollywood and beyond . she has produced more than 30 feature films , including infamous , far from heaven , one hour photo and boys don ' t cry . this book is a follow - up to vachon ' s best - selling first book , shooting to kill .
i don ' t think there ' s a quintessential killer film ,
says koffler .
we stand for a certain level of quality , hopefully intelligence , a daring in terms of themes — but always respectful of the marketplace .
killer films is the label of veteran producers christine vachon ( pictured ) and pamela koffler . in addition to “wonderstruck , ” which stars julianne moore , the company has produced “still alice , ” “carol , ” and “wiener - dog” ( an amazon acquisition out of 2016’s sundance film festival ) . the company also produced “z : the beginning of everything , ” a biography series about zelda fitzgerald , for amazon’s original series arm .
the success of boys don ' t cry led killer films into an unlikely partnership with someone with deep hollywood connections : er and west wing showrunner john wells . through his production deal with warner bros . , wells was instrumental in ushering the next decade of killer films projects , including a trio of haynes titles : 2002 ' s douglas sirk - ian melodrama far from heaven ( nominated for four oscars ) , 2007 bob dylan biopic i ' m not there ( featuring blanchett in a gender - bending turn as the folk hero ) and mildred pierce , a 2011 hbo miniseries that received five emmys . the producers appreciated the luxury of hbo ' s deep pockets , koffler says , while remaining true to their art house roots :
we would never say no to making a huge - budget movie . i think it would be fun . so never say never .
“great storytelling always has some social impact . what’s different now is that we have a formal structure to give back through campaigns , community building and contributions to organizations who are already out there tackling important issues , ” added adrienne becker , ceo of killer content .
the result was a brave and compelling creative in the form of ‘silent killer movie’ promoted through a digital advertising campaign and non - skippable pre - roll on youtube which directed students to a urltoken microsite where they could view the what seemed to be the trailer for a horror movie which was in fact a public safety awareness film . as a primary audience of horror films , attracting students through the movie trailer was the ideal platform to engage them .
, directed by ric burns . a former literary agent , ms . handley chandler was also a programming executive for abc entertainment in los angeles , overseeing development and the production of 20 films
indeed , over the past two decades ( killer films celebrates its 20th birthday this year ) , vachon , 52 , and her professional partner , pamela koffler , 49 , have earned a reputation for unmatched resilience and resourcefulness in the rough - and - tumble indie film world . but there ' s nothing remotely roach - like about their output . and their latest , todd haynes ' carol , could mark the company ' s biggest commercial and critical success yet .
brett gelman is toplining lemon , an indie drama he co - wrote with janicza bravo , who made her feature helming debut on the project . burn later productions and killer films are producing and the pic just wrapped principal photography . the cast includes gelman’s married co - star judy greer , michael cera , nia long , fred melamed , shiri appleby , rhea perlman , david paymer , gillian jacobs , megan mullally , martin starr , jeff garlin and marla gibbs .
perry has edited two award - winning feature films , days of grey by ani simon - kennedy , and karaoke girl , by visra vichit - vadakan , and several award - winning shorts , including daughters by chloe zhao . together these went on to play at 100 + festivals and win dozens of awards internationally . he has served as consultants on films that premiered at sundance , tribeca , berlin , & cannes and were nominated for independent spirit awards . before feature films , perry directed short films , documentaries , commercials , and digital content , including the momentarily # 1 video in the world . in his capacity as one of the founding members of huge studio in brooklyn , perry has worked with clients such nike , google , apple , samsung , audi and the white house .
nowadays , killer films is focused on keeping things spry enough to stay relevant and innovative in a volatile media landscape . case in point : the company merged last year with digital - media company glass elevator and rebranded itself as the more versatile - sounding killer content . the company runs an mfa program at the state university of new york at stony brook , where vachon urges students to banish the word
filmmaker
from their vocabularies .
we have to call ourselves storytellers , content - makers ,
she says , echoing a central talking point from her south by southwest keynote talk in march .
if you want to go into the business today , you have to be prepared to make your stories work on all different kinds of platforms .
ask killer films co - founder christine vachon — the workhorse producer behind such oscar - decorated art house gems as boys don ' t cry , far from heaven and last year ' s still alice — for the secret to the longevity of her new york city - based production company , and she offers a very new york city metaphor :
we ' re like cockroaches after the nuclear blast . we just , like , eat plaster . we do whatever it takes .
christine vachon (
boys don ' t cry
) will produce
nasty baby
through her killer film banner along with david hinojosa and charlie dibe (
damsels in distress
) . pablo larrain and juan de dios larrain ' s chilean company fabula is also producing .
one - of - a - kind moments highlighting new independent works that add to the unique festival experience . an evolving section , this year includes episodic work , short films and live post - screening discussions .
the new filmmakers forum ( nff ) annually presents the emerging director award . five works by first - time feature filmmakers compete for the prize , which includes a $ 500 cash award . the selected films :
marco williams — whose films have been nominated three times for the sundance film festival grand jury prize — is an award - winning documentary filmmaker and professor of film production at new york university’s tisch school of the arts .
arclight films will finance the film and handle global rights . buyers will get a crack on nabbing territories at toronto . financing was also arranged by david gonzales of northside , which represents schrader with johnnie planco of parseghian planco .
burns continues to write , direct , star in and produce his films , including the paramount classics relationship comedy sidewalks of new york , purple violets , nice guy johnny and newlyweds . in a groundbreaking deal , purple violets was the first feature film to premiere exclusively on itunes . burns expanded on this new model of digital distribution to include cable video on demand to reach even wider audiences and successfully released two films , nice guy johnny and newlyweds via these platforms in 2010 and 2011 .
hawke appeared in “the magnificent seven , ” which kicked off this year’s toronto international film festival . his other credits include “boyhood” and “training day . ” seyfried’s work includes the hbo series “big love” and the films “dear john” and “mama mia . ”
his first feature , swoon , was awarded berlin’s caligari prize , stockholm’s fipresci prize , best cinematography at sundance and the open palm at the gotham awards . it was named one of the top 100 american independent films by the bfi . his film savage grace premiered in cannes , played opening night in zurich and screened at festivals including sundance , stockholm , london and tribeca . it was nominated for a spirit award and named one of the top ten films of 2008 by the los angeles times , artforum and paper . as a producer his features include i shot andy warhol and go fish . he was a writer of cindy sherman’s office killer . he has also created shorts and installations including they are lost to vision altogether , geoffrey beene 30 , plain pleasures , third known nest , every wandering cloud , tigers , hurricane and from silence .
midrash st . louis engages myriad aspects of american culture — hot topics , deep subjects , music , arts , and film — and seeks to give and receive commentary on the subjects and issues that matter to people in st . louis and that form and shape our views and lives . the midrash st . louis film award celebrates st . louis - related films of honesty and artistry that portray the need or the hope for reconciliation or redemption . these are among the most powerful and worthy themes that films should explore . eligible work for the midrash st . louis film award includes feature and short films largely shot in st . louis or directed by filmmakers with strong local ties . the award comes with a cash prize of $ 500 .
a u . s . documentary special jury award for storytelling was presented to : strong island ( director : yance ford ) — examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free , this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception , and re - imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake , challenging us to change .
among the many films in which steinman has been involved are zero dark thirty , killing them softly , the ides of march , the wrestler , the hurt locker , little miss sunshine , and an education . steinman holds ba and jd degrees from harvard university .
it’s called “happy end . ” we shot that film in the north of france , and it’s about a family . it’s very , very critical and very political , but it’s also very funny . it has all the qualities of the best films of michael haneke .
as stated in variety , effie t . brown “is a case study of what it takes to get independent films off the ground in today’s marketplace : large doses of private equity , some location incentives and a little help from fests and script labs . . . ”
motion picture film stills or motion picture footage from films in moma ' s film collection cannot be licensed by moma / scala . for licensing motion picture film footage it is advised to apply directly to the copyright holders . for access to motion picture film stills please contact the
complete with behind - the - scenes diary entries from the sets of vachon ' s best - known films , shooting to kill offers all the satisfactions of an intimate memoir from the frontlines of independent filmmaking , from one of its most successful agent provocateurs - and survivors .
but for the company behind velvet goldmine and hedwig and the angry inch , the glittery allure of indie filmmaking remains .
christine is like a chinese acrobat , with 12 sticks spinning many , many plates ,
says koffler , who herself prefers to work on
one project at a time .
among the dishes currently in heavy rotation are todd solondz ' s wiener - dog , a sort - of sequel to the director ' s 1995 welcome to the dollhouse ( killer films produced his 1998 film happiness ) , and a kind of murder , another adaptation of a highsmith thriller , starring jessica biel and patrick wilson . both are slated for release in 2016 .
juries gives interfaith awards to both a documentary and a narrative , choosing from among 10 competition films ( five in each category ) , which were selected for their artistic merit ; contribution to the understanding of the human condition ; and recognition of ethical , social , and spiritual values .
adrienne becker , ceo , killer films media and killer content , inc . adrienne becker is currently producing properties for film , television , digital and live entertainment . formerly , adrienne was an entrepreneur - in - residence at creative artists agency , partner at the media farm , and ceo of dailycandy , inc . she has also served as senior vice president at the nielsen company and interactive corp . adrienne got her start on an airport tarmac in philadelphia , where she held her first critically important position holding a rope line for then governor bill clinton . she then went on to hold positions at the department of labor and as a press secretary on the ’96 campaign . she holds an m . a . in communications from the annenberg school , university of pennsylvania , and a b . a . with honors in political science from washington university in st . louis . adrienne regularly writes for the huffington post and sits on the boards of the made in new york media center , youth + tech + health , the story pirates and the b - stem project with women in technology .
“we couldn’t be happier that the silent killer movie film is gaining the creative recognition it deserves . a creative , brave idea and a professionally created movie , cast with up and coming actors ; it’s a creative asset which delivers a lifesaving message in a clear , powerful and truly effective manner . we’d like to thank our client gas safe register for being brave enough to embrace the agency idea . ”
a few years later , a grad student at columbia university ' s film program named kimberly peirce was so deeply in debt , she couldn ' t afford to retrieve the dailies of her thesis project from the lab . a mutual friend introduced her to vachon .
she said , ' why don ' t i pay to get them out and we take a look at them ? '
peirce recalls . that short became the basis for 1999 ' s boys don ' t cry , a film , decades ahead of its time , about the murder of transgender teen brandon teena . the part earned hilary swank an oscar and in doing so lifted killer films ' profile to unprecedented heights .
pollard’s feature career as an editor started in the mid - 1970s with films such as “body and soul” and “style wars . ” during the 1980s , he also edited for the highly acclaimed children’s television programs “vegetable soup” and “3 - 2 - 1 - contact , ” receiving two emmys .
degove , managing director of goldcrest films , said : “having daniel’s involvement is a massive coup for the film , not only is he perfect for the role , but he’s consistently proved himself to be one of the very few actors who is genuinely a massive draw for audiences of all ages . ”
flying the flag as we have for past sundances , deadline co - editor - in - chief , film mike fleming jr . and myself will lead our coverage out of park city , salt lake and more with breaking news on the deals , the films , the panels , and the scene .
made in cuba — we are proud to present these three cinematic and affecting cuban short documentaries , reflecting sundance institute’s longstanding commitment to international artists . these films were guided by the institute’s documentary film program in collaboration with la escuela internacional de cine y tv ( eictv ) and the guardian multimedia program .
a u . s . documentary special jury award for storytelling was presented by robert greene to : strong island / u . s . a . , denmark ( director : yance ford ) — examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free , this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception , and re - imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake , challenging us to change .
amazon has only been releasing movies theatrically for a little over a year , but it’s already made a splash , picking up three oscars this year for “manchester by the sea” and “the salesman , ” as well as releasing movies from the likes of woody allen and spike lee . the deals are a sign that amazon is increasingly interested in getting involved in films from their inception as opposed to simply acquiring completed films on the festival circuit . it’s also a signal of the company’s big ambitions . like major studios , which routinely hand out production deals , it wants to forge enduring business relationships with top talent .
greta schiller is an independent director and producer of documentaries for television , festivals , theatrical and educational distribution . all movie guide writes “director greta schiller has traveled the world making extensively researched and highly informative films” . her career was launched in 1984 with the theatrical release and pbs broadcast of her first feature documentary film , before stonewall . a classic , before stonewall won two emmy awards and continues to dazzle . time out , london , called it : “a near perfect blend of personal story and historical archive” . she continues to make cutting edge films on a wide variety of topics - from human rights to environmental rights .
she shot martin scorsese’s documentary no direction home : bob dylan and was then a camera operator on the director’s concert film shine a light . she has been the cinematographer on several concert films , including jonathan demme’s neil young : heart of gold ; julian schnabel’s lou reed’s berlin ; and michel gondry’s dave chappelle’s block party .
rachel fleit , creative director , killer films media . rachel fleit is writer , director and producer based in brooklyn , ny and was the co - founder and chief creative officer at honor , a designer luxury womenswear brand from 2009 - 2015 . at honor , rachel directed and produced all creative content for 17 collections . prior to launching honor , from 2002 - 2009 , rachel was a chief fundraiser and producer at chashama , anita durst’s prolific arts institution which transformed vacant commercial real estate into arts spaces . throughout her career , rachel has developed , directed and produced films , live performances and public art on behalf of fashion , lifestyle and luxury brands . rachel is also a proud advocate for women with alopecia and has been featured on vogue . com , wmagazine . com , elle . com , wsj . com , harpersbazaar . com , teenvogue . com , stylelikeu . com and refinery29 . com , in the new york times and new york magazine . she was the recipient of the susan b . anthony award from the national organization of women in 2008 and serves on the advisory board of the point series .
scott was a writer on the nbc one hour drama smash and has developed and written projects for cbs studios , universal tv and flower films . he is currently developing several shows and casting his feature film directing debut , slipstream . his scripts have been finalists in the nicholl screenwriting competition , slamdance screenplay competition and the austin film festival .
almost out of necessity , white finds a particularly prominent motif throughout haynes’s work : a fascination with the out - of - line family . with the exception of dottie gets spanked ( 1993 ) , all of his films deal with marital breakdown . most notably , safe ( 1995 ) , which gets heavily aligned with jeanne dielman ( 1975 ) for its many allusions to akerman’s film . in fact , white goes so far as to parallel the films , asking : “does carol ( julianne moore ) live the same kind of alienated existence that drives jeanne ( delphine seyrig ) to murder ? if so , does carol enact a nonviolent form of resistance to the domestic torpor ? ” while this serves as more of a rhetorical gesture ( white does not actually seek exact solutions ) , it solidifies how haynes is being psychologized in this particular study—as a filmmaker that must begin with cinema before anything else . that is , his films seem to come from previous films , but , to return to his alteration of the b . ruby rich claim , haynes finds a certain pathos that allows his films to not only avoid being derivative ( pinpointing the sensibility of influence is often difficult , which makes white’s work all the more essential ) , but stake out territory as something more than pastiche for the melodrama set . white’s only significant misstep is in his discussion of far from heaven , stating that haynes is “like a dj remixing a dozen tracks . ” while the assertion is meant to be complimentary , the “filmmaker as dj” line is not only tired , but pejorative at this point . in fact , it serves to reinforce the “homo - pomo” line that the bulk of white’s book seeks to revise .
prior to usa films , raphael was sr . vice president of publicity and marketing at gramercy pictures / polygram where he was responsible for national campaigns on four weddings and a funeral , priscilla queen of the desert , dead man walking , elizabeth , fargo , the usual suspects , shallow grave , bound , the big lebowski and cold comfort farm .
the awards ceremony marked the culmination of the 2017 festival , where 119 feature - length and 68 short films — selected from 13 , 782 submissions — were showcased in park city , salt lake city and sundance , utah , alongside new episodic work , panels , music and new frontier . the ceremony was live - streamed ; video is available at urltoken .
prior to joining caa in 2007 , steinman was a partner in sloss law office , a boutique entertainment law firm where he represented producers , financiers , writers and directors , and negotiated the sales of finished films . steinman began his career representing banks , private equity firms , entertainment conglomerates and other companies as a corporate lawyer at simpson thacher & bartlett , in new york .
crooks has a strong reputation for supporting filmmakers and his instinct has taken him from backing andrew and kevin macdonald and john hodge whose shallow grave became a spectacular international film debut for director danny boyle , to gilles mackinnon with small faces , writer paul laverty with ken loach ' s carla ' s song , peter mullan with orphans , and saul metzstein and jack lothian with late night shopping . he also supported the co - production partnership between gillian berrie ' s glasgow - based sigma films and peter aalbeck jensen ' s and lars von trier ' s danish production house , zentropa films and bankrolled the advance party slate which led to the production of andrea arnold ' s red road , winner of the prix du jury at the 2006 cannes film festival .
dan steinman dan steinman is an agent in the film finance group of creative artists agency ( caa ) , an entertainment and sports agency based in los angeles with offices in nashville , new york city , london , and beijing . steinman works in the new york office , where he specializes in packaging and arranging financing for motion picture projects and handling the sales of finished films .
in conjunction with the st . louis film critics organization , sliff holds juried competitions for documentary and narrative features . the awards are named in honor of the late st . louis post - dispatch critics joe pollack ( narrative ) and joe williams ( documentary ) . the winners are picked by two juries of st . louis film critics . sliff chose eight films to compete in each category :
in conjunction with the st . louis film critics organization , sliff holds juried competitions for documentary and narrative features . the awards are named in honor of the late st . louis post - dispatch critics joe pollack ( narrative ) and joe williams ( documentary ) . the winners are picked by two juries composed of st . louis film critics . sliff chose eight films to compete in each category .
tom kalin tom kalin’s award winning , critically acclaimed work traverses diverse forms , from experimental video installations to narrative feature films . in his experimental work , kalin often takes inspiration from literary sources and addresses contemporary issues such as displacement , urban isolation and homophobia . in these works and as a part of the aids activist collective gran fury , kalin has done significant work to change public opinion of aids .
congrats to all of 2017 ' s winners ! it ' s another great year at sundance , with a bunch of outstanding films that deserve all the recognition . i ' ve seen most of the winners this year , including three of the audience award winners : chasing coral , crown heights , and joshua : teenager vs superpower . i was expecting step to win the audience award for u . s . documentary ( because it ' s so inspiring and exciting ) , but i ' m very happy to see chasing coral win because it ' s such a wonderful doc ( read my review ) . i highly recommend seeking out any film mentioned above - they ' re worth seeing . as always , these are only sundance awards and not the only good films to see from the fest . review last year ' s winners here . recap all of our sundance 2017 coverage .
le grisbi productions is the shingle of john lesher . its credits include “fury , ” “black mass , ” and “birdman . ” upcoming releases include scott cooper’s “hostiles , ” a western with christian bale and rosamund pike , and “white boy rick , ” a crime drama with matthew mcconaughey and jennifer jason leigh . the company will have an exclusive first - look deal for any “indie - sized” films it is making . the pact runs for two years .
but of course there was the combination of this film and the other film last year , “things to come , ” and i got many awards for both films in this country . i have nothing much more to say . i was very , very happy that it got all this recognition because the movie was successful in america — i mean , as successful as a french film can be successful , you know ? i’m not saying it’s a major blockbuster .
marc schiller marc schiller , founder and ceo of bond strategy and influence , known , until recently , as electric artists , is an accomplished advertising and marketing executive with decades of industry and entrepreneurial knowledge , in the areas of brand strategy , creative corporate consulting , cultural curation and public relations . marc and bond create innovative influencer strategy campaigns that deliver success for a diverse client base , from independent films and media companies to hospitality giants and fortune 500 corporations .
“la la land , ” a throwback musical set in present - day los angeles , received seven honors , the most of any film , including best picture , actress ( emma stone ) , actor ( ryan gosling ) and director ( damien chazelle ) . the world war ii - set “hacksaw ridge , ” a career comeback for director mel gibson , and the modern - day western “hell or high water , ” released with cbs films , each nabbed three .
sam morrill sam morrill is senior curator at vimeo where he has worked since 2009 . in fall 2010 , sam began curating the celebrated vimeo staff picks channel and has since shifted his focus primarily toward video curation . he currently lives in his hometown of brooklyn , ny following a few detours in vermont and havana , cuba . in addition to his work at vimeo , sam has produced several short films and music videos and is also the co - founder of rockabus .
for the latter director , she was also the cinematographer on the award - winning eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and be kind rewind . ms . kuras has additionally been the director of photography on such features as ted demme’s blow , mary harron’s i shot andy warhol , and harold ramis’ analyze that . her earlier films include steve mclean’s postcards from america , jill godmilow’s roy cohn / jack smith , douglas keeve’s unzipped , richard wenk’s just the ticket , and scott silver’s the mod squad .
sundance institute | amazon studios producers awards anish savjani and neil kopp ( producers , i don’t feel at home in this world anymore . ) and joslyn barnes ( producer , strong island ) received the 2017 sundance institute | amazon studios producers awards . the award recognizes bold vision and a commitment to continuing work as a creative producer in the independent space , and grants money ( via the sundance institute feature film program and documentary film program ) to emerging producers of films at the sundance film festival .
simone pero producer , visiting faculty simone pero is president and founder of for impact productions , a strategic marketing and production firm specializing in the confluence of content and social action . simone is currently a producer on the tale , starring laura dern , ellen burstyn and common . she led film impact and outreach campaigns for the c word , executive produced by morgan freeman , and the emmy - nominated documentary hit escape fire : the fight to rescue american healthcare , directed by matthew heineman & susan froemke . she co - produced the pbs award - winning short body & soul : diana & kathy and advised on last year ' s sxsw award - winner a woman like me , starring lili taylor . in addition to her producing work , simone is part of the leadership team creating suny ' s first - ever mfa in film at stony brook in association with killer films . a former corporate executive in cable television , ms . pero was vice president , corporate communications at mtv and director of communication and marketing at rainbow media / cablevision , and she began her career serving in the u . s . government . ms . pero is the new incoming president of new york women in film and television and is an alumna of stony brook university .