Uncovering the Secrets of The Wizard of Oz Doc The Slippers

Few films have captured the American imagination quite like The Wizard of Oz. Despite its age, the film remains a fabulously imagined time capsule representative of the ingenuity and creativity possible in filmmaking. Though much of the film’s output has become unquestionably iconic, it’s the ruby slippers that are arguably the most memorable piece of culture to last the 77 years since the film’s initial release. But the slippers have had a surprisingly troubled past,

Melissa and Winston Rauch’s Golden Script for The Bronze

In Bryan Buckley's The Bronze, co-written by star Melissa Rauch and her husband Winston, a small town girl who was once America's sweetheart has gone to seed in the most American way possible; by milking her minor celebrity for freebies and handouts. Rauch plays Hope Ann Greggory, a former gymnast whose gusty performance on a ruptured Achilles heel at the world’s most prestigious gymnastics tournament earned an unlikely bronze medal for the U.S.

SXSW 2016: A Q&A With the Writer/Director, Production Designer & Producer of American Fable

Many first time directors might find themselves tempted to make their debut entrance into the world of filmmaking with simple, festival-ready fare, but for Anne Hamilton, the writer and director of American Fable, that approach just wouldn’t do.

Standing as easily one of the most visually striking films to play at this year’s SXSW, American Fable is what Hamilton & Co. have labeled as a “fairytale thriller”

SXSW 2016: A Q&A With Long Nights Short Mornings‘ Director & Star

Writer/director Chadd Harbold’s Long Nights Short Mornings stars Shiloh Fernandez (We Are Your Friends, Evil Dead) as James, a young man looking for love (or perhaps just sex) in New York through a series of connected vignettes, each titled with the name of the woman he's courting (I use this term loosely). These vignettes unfold over the course of what feels like one very long,

SXSW 2016: Writer/Director Sophie Goodhart on her Hilarious My Blind Brother

In the opening sequence of My Blind Brother, you meet Robbie (Adam Scott), physically fit save for the dark shades and the sweaty, anguished man he's pulling along via a tether that suggests his titular affliction. That man is his brother Bill (Nick Kroll), who Robbie has just dragged through an entire Marathon. And although he needs Bill, once they cross the finish line Robbie all but forgets Bill exists, thanking the person who was with him "every step of the way,"…God.

SXSW 2016: Director Todd Bieber & Legendary Sketch Comedians Matt Walsh & Matt Besser on Thank You Del

You've probably never heard of Del Close, but you’ve definitely heard of the people he’s taught, inspired, and helped turn into legends—Bill Murray, Amy Poehler, and Chris Farley to name a few. Director Todd Bieber, who has directed for Comedy Central, Vice, IFC, and more, was approached by legendary sketch performers, actors and co-founders of The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Matt Walsh (Veep, Step Brothers) and Matt Besser (The UCB Show,

Join Jack Huston for a Deadly Chariot Race in 1st Ben-Hur Trailer

Hoo-boy! Director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch), a man who knows his way around an action film, sure looks like he had some fun filming Ben-Hur.  Paramount Pictures just released the first trailer for the film, which opens on August 12, and appears to be a visceral remake of the 1959 classic. Ben-Hur is a legendary tale of betrayal and redemption,

SXSW 2016: Writer/Director Joey Klein, Tatiana Maslany & Tom Cullen on The Other Half

Joey Klein’s The Other Half manages to be both a beautifully shot tone poem about grief and loss, and a deftly written drama about two people at loose ends who find in each other a glimmer of hope. The lead performances from Tom Cullen and Tatiana Maslany are outstanding, and writer/director Klein allows them plenty of room to experiment with the varieties of grief, hope and regret that each character struggles with throughout.

Writer/Director Emmanuelle Bercot on Standing Tall

French actress and director Emmanuelle Bercot took the Cannes Film Festival by storm in 2015. She starred in Maiwenn’s Mon roi (My King) which garnered Bercot the festival’s Best Actress prize. Meanwhile, La Tete haute (Standing Tall), which Bercot cowrote and directed, kicked off the prestigious festival, making Bercot the first female director to open Cannes since 1987.

Bercot says that as an actress and a viewer,

Steven Spielberg & Harrison Ford to Reunite for Indiana Jones

Disney just broke the big news—Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford are reuniting for Indiana Jones, with The Force Awakens super producer Kathleen Kennedy on board to produce. This is pretty major news. Here's the full presser:

SPIELBERG AND FORD REUNITE AS INDIANA JONES RETURNS TO THEATERS JULY 19, 2019

Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019, for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series. Steven Spielberg,

Talking to Eye in the Sky Director Gavin Hood

Entering a conference room in a downtown Washington hotel, South African director Gavin Hood is carrying a book about drones, which are central to his new film, Eye in the Sky. He's clearly fascinated by the technology, as well as the policy questions they raise. Hood mentions his pleasure in visiting D.C., where drone warfare is a matter of widespread professional interest. His previous movies include Rendition,

SXSW 2016: The Duplass Brothers, A Journey that Began in Austin

The Duplass Brothers (Mark and Jay) were back at SXSW on Saturday to discuss their successful careers and provide some words of wisdom to filmmakers who are just starting off. Austin is where is all started for the New Orleans natives; they filmed their first feature film, The Puffy Chair, in Austin.

Their talk had the generous feel of a commencement address—here were two successful alums, grateful and humble, ready to share their hard-earned wisdom.

SXSW 2016: Ilana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson Talk Hillary Clinton, Broad City & More

YAS QUEEN! Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson of Comedy Central’s Broad City brought their special brand of irreverence and humor to SXSW on Saturday. Featured on a panel hosted by Maria Clare’s editor-in-chief, Anne Fulenwider, the friends chatted about their hilarious comedy and so much more.

Starting as a web series, Broad City made its television premiere in January 2014. The third season, which began on February 17, 2016,

SXSW Alumni: Bryan Singer’s Start in Austin

We've already looked at Trey Parker and Matt Stone's SXSW debut, as well as Lena Dunham's. Now we turn our attention to one of the most prolific director's working today. The first edition of SXSW’s film festival hosted the regional premiere of Public Access, the debut feature by Bryan Singer and his screenwriting partner Christopher McQuarrie. Their follow-up, The Usual Suspects,

SXSW 2016: Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some a Perfect Festival Opener

There are few filmmakers out there who have had as big of an impact on their city as Richard Linklater has had on Austin. Festival director Janet Pierson introduced Everybody Wants Some, saying that Linklater was the reason she moved to Austin in the first place. She then handed the reigns over to Lewis Black, founder of the Austin Chronicle and cofounder of Austin's SXSW festival, as well as the director of the documentary Richard Linklater: dream is destiny, 

SXSW Alumni: Lena Dunham’s Start in Austin

Girls creator Lena Dunham can credibly say that her career officially began at the SXSW Film Festival. It started with the rejection of her short film Creative Nonfiction. Instead of giving up on it, Dunham kept working on it and re-submitted the film. The determination paid off— Creative Nonfiction was accepted. When she came to Austin with the film, she not only had what she called "the best week of her life"

The Hilarious Writer/Director Michael Showalter Discusses Hello, My Name Is Doris

Hello, My Name is Doris, the latest comedy from Wet Hot American Summer co-creator Michael Showalter, stars Sally Field as a woman falling in love for the first time. We talk to the writer/director about creating a new type of comic protagonist, landing Sally Field and having to be the bad guy on set.

Hello, My Name is Doris started as a short film.

Watch the new International Trailer for Ghostbusters

We were thrilled when the first official trailer for Paul Feig's Ghostbusters dropped on March 3. Frankly, if you're not excited about watching Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones battle the supernatural in New York, well, maybe you need to have your head examined (or you're a humorless ghost). The new Ghostbusters movie,

SXSW 2016: A Brief List of Some of the Narrative Features We’re Excited About

This week we're headed to the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, where we'll once again run around like lunatics, trying to figure out how to parse 139 features (52 of them from first-time filmmakers), 89 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres and 8 U.S. Premieres. This is to say nothing of the TV lineup, which has grown in recent years, and includes some hottest properties this year from Cinemax, HBO, AMC and more.

Here's just a brief glance at some of what we're excited to see in the narrative feature category.

Writer/Director Dominique Schilling on her Film A Reason

Writer/director Dominieque Schilling's film A Reason centers on a generational clash, moving in often surprising, funny, and all-too-believably painful ways. So in other words, it feels like watching an actual family. We meet Serena (Magda Apanowicz), a young, introverted lesbian and her controlling older brother Nathan (Nathan Hilgrim), who gather, along with the rest of their family, at the house of their elegant, opionionated elderly Aunt Irene (Marion Ross) to hear the reading of her will.