Valerie Complex

EXCLUSIVE: The Titmouse Foundation, the nonprofit created by the team behind the powerhouse animation studio Titmouse (Big Mouth, Venture Bros., Beavis and Butt-Head, The Legend of Vox Machina), in partnership with Warrior Art Camp has a new scholarship course that enables equitable education for animators looking to advance their careers. Entitled Future Art Directors Program, […]

EXCLUSIVE: More than a hit song, “Stand By Me,” by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Ben E. King, has transcended the notion of a “standard”—it’s been recorded more than 1,000 times and has made more appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart than any other song. Music and media producer Spencer Proffer and his music-anchored […]

Watch Billboard Music Awards EXCLUSIVE: Plucky announced the formation of Plucky Pictures and the option of two key properties to launch the division. This milestone is a major move for Plucky on its mission to create engaging content across all media. This news comes as the company acquired options on two properties: The Survivalist series […]

The nonprofit Sundance Institute today revealed an additional honoree of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s fundraiser, Opening Night Gala: Celebrating 40 Years, which will take place on January 18, 2024, at the DeJoria Center in Utah. The gala kicks off the 40th Sundance Film Festival. This year, former Sundance Institute Board Chair and trustee Pat […]

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment announced today the acquisition of North American distribution rights to Katie Burrell’s feature debut Weak Layers. The film is directed and co-written by Burrell (who also stars), and Andrew Ladd, also stars Chelsea Conwright and Jadyn Wong. Weak Layers will arrive in theaters in top 50 markets and in select mountain towns […]

LA3C Livestream Hello, and welcome to the Scene to Seen Podcast! I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline. On today’s episode, we’re talking to documentarian Nancy Kates, director of PBS documentary Brother Outsider: The Life Of Bayard Rustin, about the civil rights activist and the architect of the March on Washington […]

In an era where the Marvel Cinematic Universe frequently shuttles between multiverse escapades and interplanetary conflicts, Nia DaCosta‘s The Marvels emerges as a breath of fresh air, eschewing bombast for a nuanced exploration of its characters. DaCosta, alongside writers Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, anchors the superhero spectacle in the tangible and personal, making the […]

EXCLUSIVE: Stars Collective, a Los Angeles-based film finance and mentorship arm, has announced the launch of Stars Asian International Film Festival – a new capsule film showcase to take place in Los Angeles November 12-16. The festival, which will include a dozen feature selections celebrating Asian cinema, will spotlight a broad range of exceptional films […]

Crunchyroll has acquired North American and select global theatrical rights to Spy x Family Code: White, with Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures teaming to release the first film installment of the TV series. The TV series Spy x Family originally debuted on April 9, 2022; the second season launched October 7 on Crunchyroll. The original stand-alone story […]

EXCLUSIVE: Crunchyroll is rolling out a one-day-only private pop-up installation “Makoto Shinkai: A Journey from Voices of a Distant Star through Suzume,” which will explore the complete works of Japanese animation filmmaker Makoto Shinkai. The event from Crunchyroll in cooperation with CoMix Wave Film, Story Inc and Toho Co. will be held November 19 at […]

EXCLUSIVE: Writer, director Todd Turner’s film The December Cross starring Jennifer Esposito (Fresh Kills), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), Judd Hirsch (The Fablemans), Grace Van Dien (Stranger Things), Neal McDonough (Minority Report), Mila Harris (No Exit), and Stelio Savante (Infidel), has landed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement to start principal photography in Kentucky. The film is set in […]

The Sundance Institute on Wednesday unveiled details for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s January 18 opening-night gala that kicks off the festival’s 40th edition. Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan will be honored with the first Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award, while Celine Song and Maite Alberdi — who premiered their respective films Past Lives and The Eternal […]

EXCLUSIVE: Yale Productions appoints Michael Day its new Head of Production—as announced today by Yale Entertainment’s Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman. Previously, Day collaborated with Yale Productions as a producer on a string of successful projects, including Rare Objects, As They Made Us, and The Kill Room. Continuing this partnership, he notably produced and directed the dark comedy/thriller Clawfoot, which stars […]

EXCLUSIVE: Capelight Pictures said Tuesday that it is partnering with Blue Fox Entertainment to present Fantefilm’s Norwegian family Christmas feature Teddy’s Christmas in U.S. theaters nationwide on December 1, 2023. The film stars Zachary Levi (Shazam!) as the voice of the animated title character, Teddy, in the English-dubbed version of Andrea Eckerbom‘s hit Norwegian CGI-live […]

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Risher assumes the role of CEO at Dark Matter TV, a CTV player in the horror + entertainment landscape. As CEO, Risher will spearhead the programming for Tricoast Worldwide’s AVOD division and premier destination for horror and genre enthusiasts. “Nick has grown up surrounded by the magic of filmmaking and has an innate […]

EXCLUSIVE: UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance are co-repping North American rights and Protagonist Pictures has come on board to handle international rights to Summer Camp. The film stars Diane Keaton (First Wives Club, Annie Hall) and Kathy Bates (Titanic, Misery) along with Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave, The Book of Clarence). Rounding out the ensemble […]

Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex Associate editor and film writer at Deadline! Now I’ve been off and on for a while, personal tragedies, the actors and writer strike, other work projects held me back for a bit, but I am back with a whole new lineup of […]

Launched in 2021, Inevitable Foundation is a non-profit that invests in disabled writers and filmmakers so they can achieve artistic and financial freedom and use film and television to destigmatize disability and mental health globally. The organization announced the selection of Jenn Lloyd, Marc Muszynski, and Sheridan O’Donnell as its 2023 Accelerate Fellows. All three […]

EXCLUSIVE: Fusion Entertainment has signed Monica Sorelle (director and co-writer), Robert Colom (co-writer and producer) and Chris Renois (actor), the trio behind the acclaimed independent drama Mountains. The film premiered at Tribeca Festival, where it received Special Jury Mention for Best Narrative Film. It also won the audience award at BlackStar and was an official […]

NewFest, the LGBTQ+ film festival, has announced the award winners for the festival’s 35th anniversary run. The Grand Jury prizes included Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance for Narrative Feature, Goran Stolevski’s Housekeeping For Beginners for International Feature, Daniel Goncalves’s Acsexybility for Documentary Feature, and Nyala Moon’s Dilating For Maximum Results for New York Short. The announcement, […]