John Ridley on his Post-Rodney King Verdict Riots Doc Let It Fall

He wrote 12 Years a Slave and tackled anti-Muslim prejudice, homophobia and immigration in his American Crime TV series. Now, 25 years after the Rodney King "not guilty" verdict sparked riots in Los Angeles, Oscar-winning writer-director-producer John Ridley takes another deep dive into American dysfunction with Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992. Opening theatrically April 21 and airing on ABC April 28, the documentary examines a decade's worth of catastrophic decisions culminating in the six-day uprising that cost 55 lives and more than a billion dollars in property damage.

The Filmmakers Behind the Sweeping Historical Epic The Promise

Although best known for 2004's Hotel Rwanda, Terry George has written or written and directed a half dozen films about areas of conflict, notably his own childhood homeland, Northern Ireland. With The Promise, which opens April 21, George addresses the genocide of Armenians in what is now Turkey during World War I. The murder of approximately 1.5 million is well documented, yet Turkish authorities have never acknowledged it.

Norman Director Joseph Cedar on his Unusual, Poignant new Film

In Joseph Cedar’s new film, the titular character, Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) might as well be homeless. And jobless, with (mostly) no family. And yet, he’s everywhere, seems to know everyone, and has an iPhone he clings to like a figurative lifeline. Given the strange and informal role he’s cut out for himself in life, it pretty much is. Norman: the Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer chronicles just that,

Talking to The Lost City of Z Writer/Director James Gray

Introducing his new film, The Lost City of Z, to a full house at the National Geographic Society auditorium, writer-director James Gray confessed to something he termed "a bit embarrassing": He originally hadn't considered the ecological aspects of the Amazon-set saga that was making its Washington debut in March as part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. That facet of the tale was revealed to him only when he reached the area of Brazil explored in the early 20th century by his protagonist,

The Legendary Werner Herzog on Craft, Opening two Films Today & More

"Have you ever experienced the desert?"

Nicole Kidman, playing real-life early-20th-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell in Queen of the Desert, directs that question to the desk-bound bureaucrats who try to stop her from exploring the Arabian peninsula. But the question could be posed just as naturally by the man who wrote that line, Werner Herzog.

The German-bred, L.A.-based writer-director is known for movies that brave deserts,

Hot off Get Out, Warner Bros. Looking at Jordan Peele to Helm Akira

Jordan Peele is on fire. The co-creator of Key & Peele, one of the most influential sketch comedy shows of all time, is coming off his blockbuster smash Get Out, his directorial debut, no less, which is a commercial and critical hit. Get Out has already grossed over $150 million and has generated extraordinary amounts of buzz, as well as serious think pieces on Peele’s ability to dissect racism in ways no other filmmaker has done.

Director Oz Perkins Takes It Slow in The Blackcoat’s Daughter Shocker

Oz Perkins wrote and directed The Blackcoat's Daughter (opening in theaters and On Demand March 31) determined to create a  slow-burn horror film in the classic mold. The story: two teenagers (Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men and British actress Lucy Boynton) go mad when they're abandoned at their devil-infested prep school over winter break. Separately, a depressed young woman (Emma Roberts) treks through the night on a mysterious mission her own.

Joe Swanberg Gambles on Jake Johnson’s Poker Hand in Win It All

Director Joe Swanberg never played a game of cards in his life, but he totally relates to the poker player at the heart of his new movie Win It All (opening April 7 on Netflix). "As an independent filmmaker I feel like a gambler all the time," he says. "Especially as someone who puts my own money into my own movies, I really know that feeling of taking a big risk and not knowing what's going to happen."

The Boss Baby‘s Director & Producer Talk Baldwin, Childhood, Dr. Seuss

Director Tom McGrath (the Madagascar movies) admits that his very funny and heartwarming new animated film, The Boss Baby is both a tribute and apology to his older brother. It is the story of a seven-year-old named Tim whose blissful life is turned upside down by the arrival of a baby brother. As Tim’s parents dote on the new arrival, they somehow never notice that the baby has a suit and tie,

SXSW 2017: Bill Pullman & Director Jared Moshe on the Making of The Ballad of Lefty Brown

The Ballad of Lefty Brown was an audience favorite at SXSW for its classic western style and fresh storytelling. Bill Pullman (Independence Day) played the title role, but it was a character that diverged from the leading man parts that he is famous for. As the sidekick to Senator Johnson (Peter Fonda) in 1889 Montana, Lefty learns a difficult lesson when the brutal west doesn’t always honor honesty and loyalty as he’s come to believe it would.

SXSW 2017: California Dreams Blurs the Line Between Doc & Narrative

California Dreams is a bizarre study of five Southern Californians trying to make it in Hollywood. The film features Cory Zacharia who has hopes of becoming an actor, but seems unaware that he’s already the lead in the film. Billed as a documentary, the movie has some hallucinatory moments like a running gag of Cory being chased by a Dog the Bounty Hunter impersonator and collecting twenty-dollar bills that fall from the sky in a field just when he needs them.

SXSW2017: Austin Production La Barracuda Has Real Bite

Shot and filmed in Austin by local filmmakers Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin, La Barracuda was a hometown darling at SXSW. The suspense drama stars Texas native Allison Tolman (Fargo) as Merle, the tone-deaf daughter of a country music legend. When a mysterious woman appears and introduces herself as Merle’s half sister, Sinaloa (Sophie Reid), tensions flare. Everyone in the family has their suspicions of her true intentions that range from selfish to sinister.

SXSW 2017: Talking with The Transfiguration Filmmakers About the Vampire Thriller

The Transfiguration is a gritty urban vampire story that ditches the typical startling horror vibe of monster movies for the shock of a realistic bloodthirsty killer. Adding to the film’s discomfort is the innocence and confusion of the quiet teenage predator. Raised by his older brother, Milo (Eric Ruffin) is lonely and doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend the consequences of his actions. When fellow angst ridden teen Sophie (Chloe Levine) takes an interest in him,

SXSW 2017: Mommy Dead and Dearest Documents an Unbelievable True Story

Mommy Dead and Dearest is a chilling thriller with countless twists that draws you in immediately and doesn’t let go. When Dee Dee Blanchard was found stabbed to death and her critically ill and disabled daughter Gypsy Rose goes missing, an entire Midwest town feared for her safety. Days later, Gypsy is found in Wisconsin, mentally sound, healthy, and able to walk. The plot might sound like a James Patterson novel, but Mommy Dead and Dearest is a documentary and the wild tale is true.

Director Olivier Assayas on Tailoring Personal Shopper for Kristen Stewart

French director Olivier Assayas may have tailored Personal Shopper to its star, Kristen Stewart, but Assayas doesn’t take credit for Stewart’s career boom in acclaimed indies like Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and in more mainstream fare such as Woody Allen’s Cafe Society and Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, all released in 2016.

“I was the right person at the right time,”

SXSW 2017: Talking with The Hero Director Brett Haley

SXSW darling The Hero was a tender exploration of love, loneliness, and typecasting. The story follows former western star Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) who spent his life overshadowed by that one big role. When a cancer diagnosis strikes, he struggles to define his legacy and connect with people who knew the man better than the myth.

There’s possibly no actor who understands the frustrations of being stereotyped better than Sam Elliott.

Director Danny Boyle Talks T2 Trainspotting

There’s no lack of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’roll in T2 Trainspotting. The long-awaited sequel to director Danny Boyle’s darkly comic and stylized ode to youthful anarchy and heroin addiction that shook the cinematic landscape in 1996 lands in U.S. theaters on Friday. The Scottish gang of four as well as the actors who brought them to life are all back – Ewan McGregor’s scampish Rent Boy, Jonny Lee Miller as con man Sick Boy,

SXSW 2017: The Strange Ones Directors Play With Your Perceptions

Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein’s feature-length debut The Strange Ones is a slow burning, twisted coming-of-age story co-starring Alex Pettyfer and 14 year old James Freedson-Jackson, who won SXSW’s Special Jury Prize for breakthrough performance. He’s immensely deserving of the accolade, delivering a performance of almost unnerving poise for a 14-year-old actor. It had begun its life as a short six years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86nhhNV058

The feature film opens with two brothers on the run.

SXSW 2017: Mark Weber’s Genre-Defying Stunner Flesh and Blood

In his label-defying fourth film as director, actor/writer/director Mark Weber (Green Room, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) has delivered a subtly powerful shot to the heart with Flesh and Blood. Calling the film “reality cinema,” Weber has turned the camera on his mother, Cheri Honkala, his half-brother Guillermo Santos, and himself, turning his unconventional upbringing and tight-knit, highly atypical family into a moving portrait of a uniquely American story. In fact,

SXSW 2017: Karen Skloss on her Mind-Bending Prom Thriller The Honor Farm

Prom. For some kids, it’s the night of their young lives. For most everybody else, it’s kind of a let down, a bunch of hype for what turns out to be a fairly forgettable dance, rented tuxedos and dresses you’ll never wear again, and the realization that riding around in the back of a limo can be a nauseous affair. For the characters in writer/director Karen Skloss’s The Honor Farm, however, prom is the beginning to a trippy,