Deadline Hollywood - Contenders Film: London - 10/07/23

A VIRTUAL DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING SERIES

OCTOBER 10 - DECEMBER 12, 2023

Bobi Wine: The People’s President The Disappearance of Shere Hite Satan Wants You Richland To Kill a Tiger Confessions of a Good Samaritan Breaking the News

Invisible Beauty Kokomo City

AMAZON MGM STUDIOS

Saltburn

Emerald Fennell (Director/Producer)

Kharmel Cochrane (Casting Director)

Suzie Davies (Production Designer)

Victoria Boydell (Editor)

Sophie Canale (Costume Designer)

APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS

Killers of the Flower Moon

Ellen Lewis (Casting Director)

Rene Haynes (Indigenous Casting Director)

Jacqueline West (Costume Designer)

Julie O’Keefe (Osage Clothing Consultant)

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Fingernails

Barbie

Christos Nikou (Writer/Director/Producer)

David Heyman (Producer)

Sarah Greenwood (Production Designer)

Jacqueline Durran (Costume Designer)

Ivana Primorac (Hair and Makeup Designer)

Glen Pratt (Visual Effects Supervisor)

Nina Rice (Production Sound Mixer)

TRISTAR AND LEGENDARY

COLUMBIA PICTURES AND APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS

The Book of Clarence

Napoleon

Jeymes Samuel (Writer/Director/Producer)

Ridley Scott (Director/Producer)

Janty Yates (Costume Designer)

Martin Phipps (Composer)

Kate Rhodes James (Casting Director)

Follow Deadline Insider for an exclusive look at what is happening in entertainment. From the years acclaimed films and shows with awards buzz, to the studios and people who help bring these stories to life.

INSIDER.DEADLINE.COM

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Kristie Macosko Krieger (Producer)

Kazu Hiro (Make Up Designer)

Mark Bridges (Costume Designer)

Kevin Thompson (Production Designer)

Sam Fell (Director)

Leyla Hobart (Producer)

Darren Dubicki (Production Designer)

Erik Messerschmidt (Cinematographer)

Kirk Baxter (Editor)

Ren Klyce (Sound Designer)

J.A. Bayona (Writer/Director/Producer)

Sandra Hermida (Producer)

Belén Atienza (Producer)

Todd Haynes (Director)

Christine Vachon (Producer)

Sophie Mas (Producer)

Samy Burch (Writer)

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Director)

Andrew Lazar (Producer)

Bonnie Stoll (Real Life Subject)

Michael Mann (Director/Producer)

Maria Djurkovic (Production Designer)

Erik Messerschmidt (Cinematographer)

The Killer Society of the Snow

May December

NYAD Ferrari

A Return Engagement

BY JOE UTICHI

Welcome back, London.

After sitting it out last year, it’s a thrill to bring Deadline’s Contenders series back to my hometown with such a strong lineup. In such challenging times, it’s good to know quality cinema is never too far away, with films from some of the world’s biggest filmmakers gracing our stage today.

Indeed, it doesn’t get any bigger than Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, David Fincher, Todd Haynes and Michael Mann, and we’ll be taking a look at each of their latest projects. To boot, Mann, Haynes and Scott will all be in the building.

Where else would you find so many living legends of cinema under one roof?

Emerald Fennell, who fulfils the promise of Promising Young Woman with this year’s Saltburn , starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, will be here too. J.A. Bayona will present his Society of the Snow ; Jeymes Samuel will open The Book of Clarence ; Christos Nikou will polish his Fingernails ; and we’ll take a deep dive into NYAD with one half of the directing team, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. Her directing partner, Jimmy Chin, is on assignment somewhere

remote, cooking up another great documentary to follow their hits Meru and Free Solo , so we’ll forgive his absence.

At press time, there were no actors in today’s line-up. While things might have changed by the time you read this—as I write, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP are preparing to sit down for another round of talks following the end of the WGA strike—this year’s round of industrial action has shaped the start of this season inexorably. It was eerie, wandering the streets of Venice, Telluride and Toronto without bumping into Hollywood’s A-list at every

Deadline heads back to the U.K. to showcase some top picks of the season

turn. And yet, as evidenced by the many talented names that will grace our stage today, that is not to suggest that there aren’t exciting stories to tell without them.

To wit, you’ll meet Kazu Hiro, the legendary prosthetics make-up designer responsible for transforming Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill a few years ago for The Darkest Hour . He’s back at work this year with Bradley Cooper on Maestro . Ever wonder how Aardman’s animation classics are designed? Look no further than our panel for Chicken Run: Dawn of

the Nugget , which features production designer Darren Dubicki. And I can tell you from personal experience that costume designer Janty Yates, a frequent collaborator of Ridley Scott’s who worked on his Napoleon , will regale you with gripping stories about her masterful craft. Having just come from the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, where they have an exhibition of costumes and props from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie , I’m particularly excited to see how production designer Sarah Greenwood, costume designer Jacqueline Durran,

and hair and makeup designer Ivana Primorac—among other panellists—brought Barbie Land to life on the big screen. It’s a testament to their hard work that so many of us were able to do the “Barbenheimer” double bill earlier this year without batting a well-manicured eyelash at the change in tone. Great cinema is great cinema, whether it’s gritty and historic or pink and fantastical. And there’s plenty of great cinema on offer at Contenders: London this year. So sit back, relax and enjoy. We’re just getting started. ★

MEET THE MODERATORS

YOUR EMCEE

JOE UTICHI

EXECUTIVE AWARDS EDITOR

Joe oversees Deadline’s awards coverage, including its dedicated print magazine for the Oscar and Emmy seasons, AwardsLine. He also edits Deadline’s special “Disruptors” edition for the Cannes Film Festival and serves as the emcee for its Contenders events. He has been aboard since 2012. Prior to joining, his work regularly appeared in his native U.K.—for outlets including The Sunday Times and The Guardian—and around the world. He has also worked extensively in film and television, producing EPK and production notes and working as a unit publicist. He is a member of BAFTA and has sat on multiple juries for the BAFTA Film Awards.

YOUR MODERATORS

MIKE FLEMING

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, FILM

Mike joined Deadline in 2010 after working at Variety for 20 years as a reporter, writer and columnist. He was not only nationally recognized as Variety’s premiere film reporter but also for his “Dish” and “The Buzz” columns. Mike is known for his industry relationships and his ability to break news wherever it happens, including on the ground at festivals like Sundance, Cannes and Toronto. He also is an author: Doubleday published his book about The Three Stooges, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons, which ABC turned into a telepic executive produced by

Mel Gibson. One of Mike’s early jobs in journalism was editor of the well-known Media Industry Newsletter (MIN). He then joined New York Newsday as a columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines including Playboy, Details, TV Guide and Esquire.

BAZ BAMIGBOYE

COLUMNIST/INTERNATIONAL EDITOR AT LARGE

Baz joined Deadline in 2022 after three decades as entertainment columnist for the U.K. Daily Mail, where he covered film, theatre and television in London, New York and Hollywood. Prior to that he was based in New York for three years for The Sun. He covered crime and entertainment for the London Evening Standard; before that

The Deadline staffers who’ll be guiding you through this year’s Contenders

he worked for local newspapers, and got his start at a London news agency covering general news, criminal courts and entertainment. He has won a U.K. Press Award for show business reporter of the year and received a special British Independent Film Award for services to indie film. He supports Arsenal FC. On occasion he is known to sing. Please don’t allow him to do this.

ANTONIA BLYTH SENIOR AWARDS EDITOR, AWARDSLINE

Antonia has contributed to Deadline and AwardsLine’s print magazines since 2014. A native Brit based in LA, prior to joining she covered West Coast entertainment for ELLE.com, and her work has been featured in The Guardian, U.K. Marie Claire and InStyle. She has written a New York Times bestselling non-fiction book and regularly appears on French television network TF1 as an entertainment expert. She also hosts the podcast 20 Questions on Deadline.

MELANIE GOODFELLOW SENIOR INTERNATIONAL FILM CORRESPONDENT

Melanie joined Deadline in 2022 as Senior International Film Correspondent. She came from U.K. trade Screen International, where she spent a decade covering film and TV news out of France, Europe and the Middle East. She has also worked for Variety and Moving Pictures as well as the U.K. broadsheet

The Independent, entertainment magazine Heat and Japan’s The Daily Yomiuri, working out of London, Rome, Brussels, Tokyo and Jerusalem. Melanie originally trained in journalism

at Reuters and spent four years there in the mid-1990s as a reporter.

DIANA LODDERHOSE

INTERNATIONAL FEATURES EDITOR

Diana has been working in global film journalism since 2005. Before returning to Deadline in 2021 to focus on features for international film and television, she was previously International Reporter for the site. She is based in London and has frequently covered all the major film festivals and markets including Cannes, Berlin, AFM, Toronto and Sundance. Prior to joining Deadline, Diana was the U.K. correspondent for Variety and also covered film news and box office at Screen International.

ZAC NTIM

INTERNATIONAL REPORTER

Zac joined Deadline in 2022 from Insider/Business Insider, where he started as an intern before being promoted to a full reporter. After joining the site’s entertainment team in 2020 he wrote profiles and covered film and TV as well as film festivals. He is currently based in London.

NANCY TARTAGLIONE

INTERNATIONAL BOX OFFICE EDITOR/ SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

Nancy joined Deadline as International Editor in 2011. She covers the global film, television and media business, with a particular focus on international box office and China; as well as various festivals and awards shows. Based in Europe for more than 25 years, Nancy is the former Editor-in-Chief of Hollywood Wiretap, and for 10 years was French Correspondent/Contributing Editor at ScreenDaily.com and Screen

International. She also has worked for The New York Times as a freelance editor for its DealBook blog. Earlier in her career, Nancy was the European Media Correspondent for Inside.com and co-hosted Canal Plus’ film program “Bazar”. Nancy also spent four years as a reporter and editor for Variety in Paris and Los Angeles. Prior to that, she worked in the Paris office of 60 Minutes.

DAMON WISE

FILM EDITOR, AWARDSLINE

Damon has contributed to Deadline since 2017. As a journalist, his film features, interviews and reviews have been published in publications such as Empire, Total Film, The Guardian, The Times and The Financial Times, and as well as covering set visits and junkets, he is a regular attendee at key international film festivals. In 1998 he published his first book, Come By Sunday (Sidgwick & Jackson), a biography of British film star Diana Dors, and he is currently an advisor to the London Film Festival.

ANDREAS WISEMAN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR

Andreas joined Deadline in 2018 covering the international and U.S. film industries and is a regular fixture at major festivals and markets including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and AFM. He is based in London but makes regular forays to Los Angeles. Andreas spent eight years covering the film industry at Screen International and held posts there including Chief Reporter, News Editor and Deputy Editor. He has broken hundreds of stories and has written extensively on harassment and diversity. He has also worked in film production.

Amazon MGM Studios

Saltburn

This psychosexual drama by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell tells a decadent tale of desire and obsession. Set in the mid2000s, the story follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a young Oxford University student who becomes deeply enamored by the charms and aristocratic lifestyle of fellow student Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for the summer.

Apple Original Films

Fingernails

Christos Nikou’s sci-fi romance blurs the lines between human dependence on technology and love. The film predicates itself around a new device that analyzes romantic compatability using fingernails. When Anna (Jessie Buckley) takes a job at a testing facility, her relationship with her partner (Jeremy Allen White) is called into question, despite the machine having declared them perfectly suited.

SALTBURN FINGERNAILS

Apple Original Films

Killers of the Flower Moon

Directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted to screen by Eric Roth from David Grann’s true crime book, Killers of the Flower Moon depicts the unjust serial murders of oil-wealthy Osage Nation Native Americans during the 1920s in Oklahoma. This string of crimes, also known as The Reign of Terror, also led to the formation of the FBI. The film stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons.

Columbia Pictures/ Apple Original Films

Napoleon

This historical epic stars

Joaquin Phoenix as the titular French commander, Napolean Bonaparte, during his rise to power amidst the French Revolution. Directed by Ridley Scott, Napoleon tells the story of the military leader’s origins and his tenacious climb to becoming emperor. The film also explores his fraught and passionate relationship with his wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON NAPOLEON

NEON Ferrari

Directed by Michael Mann, Ferrari follows the jet-set life of ex-Formula 1 racer Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) during the summer of 1957. Pushed to the brink following a series of life crises stemming from the death of his son, a tumultuous marriage and the bankruptcy of his company, he wagers everything on a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.

Netflix

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Sam Fell’s sequel to 2000’s Chicken Run follows Ginger (Thandiwe Newton), who, after escaping Tweedy’s farm, has found a home for her whole flock on a peaceful island sanctuary, far away from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky (Zachary Levi) hatch a little girl named Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete, but back on the mainland, chickenkind comes under attack from a new threat.

The Killer

This spy thriller, based on a French graphic novel series by Alexis ‘Matz’ Nolent, stars Michael Fassbender as an unnamed assassin who embarks on an international manhunt against his employers. Directed by David Fincher and adapted by Andrew Kevin Walker, the film also stars Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.

CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET

FERRARI THE KILLER

Netflix Maestro

The biographical drama

Maestro shines a light on the life of esteemed composer Leonard Bernstein. Co-writer, director and star Bradley Cooper crafts a story showcasing the complex relationship between Bernstein and Felicia Cohn Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) for more than 25 years. Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman and Michael Urie also star.

May December

In May December, directed by Todd Haynes, Natalie Portman plays Elizabeth Berry, an actress tasked with researching a new role based on the life of a woman named Gracie AthertonYoo (Julianne Moore), whom she’ll be playing onscreen. As Elizabeth tries to get closer to her subject, more scandalous secrets unfurl about Gracie’s questionable relationship with her much younger husband (Charles Melton).

NYAD

Based on Diana Nyad’s bestselling autobiography Find a Way, the film follows a specific period of time in the marathon swimmer’s life, as she, at the age of 60, dreams of becoming the first person to complete the ‘Mount Everest’ of swims—executing a 53-hour, 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, through dangerous open ocean without a shark cage. The film is co-directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Annette Bening, Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans star.

Netflix

Society of the Snow Society of the Snow tells the harrowing true story of a group of passengers aboard the illfated Uruguayan Andes flight in 1972. En route to Chile, the Uruguayan rugby team found themselves stranded on a glacier in the heart of the Andes mountains for more than two months. The survivors were forced to resort to extreme measures just to stay alive.

Sony Pictures

The Book of Clarence

Inspired by classic Hollywood epics set in biblical times, Jeymes Samuel’s spiritual feature tells the tale of Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), a down-onhis-luck denizen of Jerusalem embarking on a misguided attempt to capitalize on the rise of celebrity and influence of the Messiah for his personal gain. It’s a journey that leads him to explore the idea of faith and puts him on an unexpected path of his own. Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch and Alfre Woodard also star.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Barbie

Greta Gerwig’s fantasy comedy

Barbie follows the slapstick adventures and journey of self-discovery of popular Mattel dolls Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) after the pair experience an existential crisis upon entering the real world with humans.

America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrell also star.

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW

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