In today’s film news roundup, Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth are starring in a horror-thriller, shooting has started in the Mojave Desert on “American Desert” and BAFTA announces its scholarship recipients.
PRODUCTION STARTS
“Designated Survivor” star Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth will star in the upcoming Thailand-set horror-thriller feature film, “Death of Me,” from “Saw” franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman.
Principal photography is expected to begin Wednesday. “Death of Me” was written by Ari Margolis & James Morley III and David Tish. The story centers on a couple on an exotic holiday who awaken one morning with a hangover and no recollection of what transpired. When playing back the video of their previous night, they learn they participated in a ritual that somehow ended with the husband murdering the wife — though she’s actually very much alive.
Producers are Lee Nelson and David Tish of EMA and Charles Dorfman of Samuel Marshall Productions. Executive producers are David Buelow on behalf of EMA, David Gilbery on behalf of Media Finance Capital, Michael Klein and Christopher D’Elia of Dobre Films, and Tannaz Anisi and Greg Schenz for 13 Films. The film is financed by Media Finance Capital, Samuel Marshall Productions and EMA. 13 Films is handling international rights.
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“I have been so lucky in my career to work in such amazing and unique places,” Bousman said. “Shooting this film in Thailand and getting to work with such talented actors and crew is a dream come true. I am excited for people to see this incredibly macabre and suspenseful tale we have been working very hard on.
Hemsworth is represented by Uta and Fourward. Maggie Q is represented by CAA and Untitled Management. Bousman is represented by Verve and Zero Gravity Management. The news was first reported by Screen.
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Will Brandt, Ruby Modine, Michael Ironside, Robert LaSardo, Callum Blue, and Amber Coney have been tapped to star in the independent drama “American Desert.”
RBW International Inc. is the production company. The film follows an Afghanistan vetern who finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of drugs, violence, and toxic love that eventually has him running — and hiding — for his life.
Adrian Bartol is directing from a script he co-wrote with Brandt. Production on the film commenced July 28 in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Producers plan to release the film in mid-to-late 2019.
BAFTA AID
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has reported a financial contribution of $113,500 to its 20 U.S. scholars this year.
Nine students were selected to study in New York institutions and 11 were awarded scholarships through BAFTA Los Angeles. The students originate from the U.K., the U.S., Ghana, Peru and Iran, with special scholarships targeting underrepresented groups and communities.
“At BAFTA, we make it a priority to foster and support the next generation of talented filmmakers. It is vital that we give them the opportunity to tell their own stories,” said BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Kieran Breen. The recipients include:
Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship:
- Bella Randle Racklin: Social Documentary Film at School of Visual Arts
- Rhys Jones: Filmmaking (MFA) at New York University
- Clare Byrne: Writing for Film and Television (MFA) at University of Southern California
- Lola Blanche Higgins: Film Directing (MFA) at American Film Institute
- Catherine Wignall: Screenwriting (MFA) at University of California, Los Angeles
BAFTA New York Documentary Scholarship in Honor of John Grist
- Rafael Samanez: Film, Documentary Specialization (MFA) at City College of New York
BBC America Diversity Scholarships
- Zubaira Ahmed: Television Production (MFA) at Brooklyn College
- Emmanuel Adu Poku: Film, Documentary Specialization (MFA) at City College of New York
DLT Entertainment Scholarship
- Taylor Silver: Television Production (MFA) at Brooklyn College
HBO Scholarship
- Rashad Frett: Graduate Film (MFA) at NYU Tisch School of the Arts
King Features Animation Scholarship
- Jess Hock: Cinema Arts (MFA) at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Taffner Family Charitable Trust Scholarship in Honor of Donald Taffner Sr. and Eleanor Taffner
- Bahareh Khosravi: Television Production (MFA) at Brooklyn College
Woman of Her Word Disabilities Scholarships
- Shannon Ryan: Cinema Arts (MFA) at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
- Shannan Shaughnessy: Cinema Arts (MFA) at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Nigel Lythgoe Television Scholarship
- Edward Hancox: Film and Media Production (MFA) at University of Texas at Austin
Hunter Foundation Scholarship
- Rachel Main: Dramatic Writing (MFA) at New York University
- Gavin Laing: Producing for Film, Television and New Media (MFA) at University of Southern California
Access for All Scholarship
- Hena Ashraf: Film Directing (MFA) at University of California, Los Angeles
- Robert Treves: Screen Scoring (MM) at University of Southern California
- Edward Howarth: Screenwriting (MFA) at Boston University
