Roundtable Entertainment has announced that they’re teaming up with director Mark Pellington – whose credits include Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, Henry Poole Is Here, The Last Word, The Severing, and Survive, among many other projects – for the adrenaline-fueled human trafficking revenge thriller Mom.
Scripted by Brent Jordan, Mom tells the compelling story of a single mother embarking on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking.
Casting Director Lisa Zagoria, who assembled the cast for the Best Picture winner Coda, will be handling the casting of this film as well.
Pellington had this to say about the project: “Mom is a fast-moving story of protection and revenge. The film explores the true price of violence and the cost of justice, when an ordinary mom is pushed to an extraordinary place. This is a muscular,...
Scripted by Brent Jordan, Mom tells the compelling story of a single mother embarking on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking.
Casting Director Lisa Zagoria, who assembled the cast for the Best Picture winner Coda, will be handling the casting of this film as well.
Pellington had this to say about the project: “Mom is a fast-moving story of protection and revenge. The film explores the true price of violence and the cost of justice, when an ordinary mom is pushed to an extraordinary place. This is a muscular,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Roundtable Entertainment has set the action thriller Mom, with filmmaker Mark Pellington signed on to direct.
Billed as an “adrenaline-fueled” story, the pic follows a single mother who embarks on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking. Casting Director Lisa Zagoria, best known for her work on Best Picture winner Coda, is casting this film, based on a script by Brent Jordan.
Roundtable’s Head of Scripted, John Baldecchi, will produce alongside executive producers Dominic Ianno, Jason Resnick, Sarah Donnelly, Gabe Torres, and Mark Pellington.
“We had been looking to do a movie that felt like a throwback to a movie like Rolling Thunder – something real, gritty, and of the moment; we were thrilled that Gabe Torres brought us this harrowing tale which is based on...
Billed as an “adrenaline-fueled” story, the pic follows a single mother who embarks on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking. Casting Director Lisa Zagoria, best known for her work on Best Picture winner Coda, is casting this film, based on a script by Brent Jordan.
Roundtable’s Head of Scripted, John Baldecchi, will produce alongside executive producers Dominic Ianno, Jason Resnick, Sarah Donnelly, Gabe Torres, and Mark Pellington.
“We had been looking to do a movie that felt like a throwback to a movie like Rolling Thunder – something real, gritty, and of the moment; we were thrilled that Gabe Torres brought us this harrowing tale which is based on...
- 8/31/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Kjersti Paulsen was named the winner of the Semiramis Award for excellence in casting for her work on “The Innocents,” directed by Norway’s Eskil Vogt, at a ceremony Saturday at Torino Film Festival.
The psychological thriller about four kids who suddenly discover they have hidden powers celebrated its world premiere at Cannes, with Variety’s Jessica Kiang praising its “exceptional child performers.”
“The producer, director and I agreed on the importance of finding the right children and gave it the highest priority. All other characters had to wait,” said Paulsen before her win.
“My job is to create an environment where the children feel secure and can join in the role-play we bring them into. Then I need to determine the children’s capacity for empathy, their ability to listen to co-players, imagination and self-confidence.”
“The Innocents”
The award – established in 2016 by the International Casting Directors Network (Icdn) – is...
The psychological thriller about four kids who suddenly discover they have hidden powers celebrated its world premiere at Cannes, with Variety’s Jessica Kiang praising its “exceptional child performers.”
“The producer, director and I agreed on the importance of finding the right children and gave it the highest priority. All other characters had to wait,” said Paulsen before her win.
“My job is to create an environment where the children feel secure and can join in the role-play we bring them into. Then I need to determine the children’s capacity for empathy, their ability to listen to co-players, imagination and self-confidence.”
“The Innocents”
The award – established in 2016 by the International Casting Directors Network (Icdn) – is...
- 11/26/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
“Coda,” “Encanto” and “West Side Story” were received top honors at the 37th annual Artios Awards.
The Casting Society honors excellence in casting across feature films, television and theater. The organization held a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, also celebrating its 40th anniversary.
To kick off the virtual ceremony, a montage commemorating the anniversary as shown, demonstrating the significance of the Casting Society to casting directors and associates, past and present.
“We are so excited to honor these immensely talented, creative and hard-working casting directors tonight,” said Casting Society president Kim Williams. “What a wonderful way to begin Casting Society’s 40th year by celebrating these extraordinary casting directors’ invaluable contributions to the entertainment world.”
Host Danielle Pinnock said in a statement: “It was a tremendous honor to be asked to host this year’s Artios Awards. I’m still pinching myself! To be able to celebrate these industry titans is...
The Casting Society honors excellence in casting across feature films, television and theater. The organization held a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, also celebrating its 40th anniversary.
To kick off the virtual ceremony, a montage commemorating the anniversary as shown, demonstrating the significance of the Casting Society to casting directors and associates, past and present.
“We are so excited to honor these immensely talented, creative and hard-working casting directors tonight,” said Casting Society president Kim Williams. “What a wonderful way to begin Casting Society’s 40th year by celebrating these extraordinary casting directors’ invaluable contributions to the entertainment world.”
Host Danielle Pinnock said in a statement: “It was a tremendous honor to be asked to host this year’s Artios Awards. I’m still pinching myself! To be able to celebrate these industry titans is...
- 3/24/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The Casting Society announced its winners in film, television, and theater on Wednesday night, honoring Best Picture front-runner “Coda,” as well as fellow Oscar nominees “West Side Story,” “Don’t Look Up,” and “Encanto” as part of the 37th annual Artios Awards. The virtual ceremony included numerous bold-face names as presenters – including Steven Spielberg, Best Supporting Actress front-runner Ariana DeBose, Best Supporting Actor leader Troy Kotsur, and Brian Cox – as well as a special honor, the Zeitgeist Award, for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
“Ghosts” actress Danielle Pinnock served as the emcee. “It was a tremendous honor to be asked to host this year’s Artios Awards. I’m still pinching myself! To be able to celebrate these industry titans is a gift I won’t soon forget. I have always been so inspired by the endless creativity and passion that casting directors exhibit: in giving actors a platform to share their...
“Ghosts” actress Danielle Pinnock served as the emcee. “It was a tremendous honor to be asked to host this year’s Artios Awards. I’m still pinching myself! To be able to celebrate these industry titans is a gift I won’t soon forget. I have always been so inspired by the endless creativity and passion that casting directors exhibit: in giving actors a platform to share their...
- 3/24/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Best Picture Oscar nominees Coda, West Side Story and Don’t Look Up were among the winners at the Casting Society’s 37th annual Artios Awards, which were handed out today during a virtual ceremony that streamed live on YouTube. Check out the full list below.
Other films scoring the trophies that honor casting directors include Encanto, The Tender Bar and Spider-Man: No Way Home, which snared the Zeitgeist Award that is presented to a popular film.
On the TV front, winners included the casting crews behind Ted Lasso, The Queen’s Gambit, Pose, Lovecraft Country, Big Mouth and Queer Eye, among others.
“We are so excited to honor these immensely talented, creative and hard working casting directors tonight,” said Casting Society President Kim Williams. “What a wonderful way to begin Casting Society’s 40th year by celebrating these extraordinary casting directors’ invaluable contributions to the entertainment world.”
Ghosts co-star Danielle Pinnock hosted the ceremony,...
Other films scoring the trophies that honor casting directors include Encanto, The Tender Bar and Spider-Man: No Way Home, which snared the Zeitgeist Award that is presented to a popular film.
On the TV front, winners included the casting crews behind Ted Lasso, The Queen’s Gambit, Pose, Lovecraft Country, Big Mouth and Queer Eye, among others.
“We are so excited to honor these immensely talented, creative and hard working casting directors tonight,” said Casting Society President Kim Williams. “What a wonderful way to begin Casting Society’s 40th year by celebrating these extraordinary casting directors’ invaluable contributions to the entertainment world.”
Ghosts co-star Danielle Pinnock hosted the ceremony,...
- 3/24/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The watchword for casting differently abled roles for film and TV has become “authenticity,” certainly that was the quality pursued by those developing “Coda.”
The Apple TV Plus feature centers on the challenges faced by a largely deaf family in a largely hearing world. To the casting team — Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood and Lisa Zagoria — there was never any question but that the Rossis of Gloucester, Mass., must be portrayed by actors who live those challenges in their everyday lives.
But was the talent out there to be found? Initially, confesses writer-director Siân Heder, “I didn’t know if we would be able to find two choices for each role.”
But the casting co-directors were confident: “We’ve been attending theatrical events for decades, literally, celebrating and experiencing the talents of these artists.”
Venerable L.A. institutions including the Fountain Theatre and Deaf/West had highlighted the work of Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant,...
The Apple TV Plus feature centers on the challenges faced by a largely deaf family in a largely hearing world. To the casting team — Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood and Lisa Zagoria — there was never any question but that the Rossis of Gloucester, Mass., must be portrayed by actors who live those challenges in their everyday lives.
But was the talent out there to be found? Initially, confesses writer-director Siân Heder, “I didn’t know if we would be able to find two choices for each role.”
But the casting co-directors were confident: “We’ve been attending theatrical events for decades, literally, celebrating and experiencing the talents of these artists.”
Venerable L.A. institutions including the Fountain Theatre and Deaf/West had highlighted the work of Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Bob Verini
- Variety Film + TV
In the aftermath of #OscarSoWhite, there has been a shift, with actors of color including Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershali Ali and Steven Yuen earning nominations. But the parts these actors inhabited were written specifically for a Black or, in Yuen’s case, a Korean actor.
It was only last year when Riz Amed, the British son of Pakistani immigrants, was nominated of “Sound of Metal,” that the Oscars hinted at a newer trend in diversity in casting.
“Hollywood is finally catching up and we’re able to represent the world as it really is,” says “West Side Story” casting director Cindy Tolan, adding that studios are “following the dollar.”
“If you’re more reflective of life and of the audience, then more people will be interested in your movie or TV show,” says “Macbeth” casting director Ellen Chenoweth.
That shift plays out in a major way in this year’s Oscars: When writing “Macbeth,...
It was only last year when Riz Amed, the British son of Pakistani immigrants, was nominated of “Sound of Metal,” that the Oscars hinted at a newer trend in diversity in casting.
“Hollywood is finally catching up and we’re able to represent the world as it really is,” says “West Side Story” casting director Cindy Tolan, adding that studios are “following the dollar.”
“If you’re more reflective of life and of the audience, then more people will be interested in your movie or TV show,” says “Macbeth” casting director Ellen Chenoweth.
That shift plays out in a major way in this year’s Oscars: When writing “Macbeth,...
- 3/11/2022
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Frank Grillo will star in Man’s Son, a modern horror thriller from director Remy Grillo.
The story centers around a young couple hoping to create an aesthetically pleasing audition tape for an up-and-coming Charles Manson film. But when the couple chooses an eclectic desert Airbnb as the perfect backdrop, the dark events of the audition material slowly slip into their reality. Eventually, they find themselves
intertwined in the sinister plot of an occult leader (played by Grillo).
Josh Plasse and Brev Moss wrote the screenplay, which is inspired by Occult activity in the California desert. Cameras are schedule to roll in March in Yucca Valley, California.
Dare Angel will produce in partnership with Mi Nene. Producers include Plasse, Shakira Barrera, Conor Allyn, and Johnny James Fiore. Bobby McMichael, Chido Nwokocha, and Dennis Echelberger will serve as EPs. The film is casted by Lisa Zagoria, CSA.
Grillo is best...
The story centers around a young couple hoping to create an aesthetically pleasing audition tape for an up-and-coming Charles Manson film. But when the couple chooses an eclectic desert Airbnb as the perfect backdrop, the dark events of the audition material slowly slip into their reality. Eventually, they find themselves
intertwined in the sinister plot of an occult leader (played by Grillo).
Josh Plasse and Brev Moss wrote the screenplay, which is inspired by Occult activity in the California desert. Cameras are schedule to roll in March in Yucca Valley, California.
Dare Angel will produce in partnership with Mi Nene. Producers include Plasse, Shakira Barrera, Conor Allyn, and Johnny James Fiore. Bobby McMichael, Chido Nwokocha, and Dennis Echelberger will serve as EPs. The film is casted by Lisa Zagoria, CSA.
Grillo is best...
- 2/22/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“Belfast,” “Coda,” “King Richard,” “House of Gucci,” “West Side Story” and “The Power of the Dog” are among the films nominated for the 37th Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America.
The awards honor casting directors’ contribution to film, television and theatre. Winners will be revealed on March 17 via a virtual ceremony.
Among the animated features nominated are “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Vivo.”
Lucy Bevan, Avy Kaufman, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold and Cindy Tolan are just some of the casting directors who landed nominations. While the Academy has had a casting branch for the past eight years, it has yet to establish an Oscar for casting.
View the nominations in full below:
Animation
“Encanto” – Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim (Associate)
“Luca” – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-birnbaum (Associate)
“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” – Tamara Hunter
“Raya And The Last Dragon...
The awards honor casting directors’ contribution to film, television and theatre. Winners will be revealed on March 17 via a virtual ceremony.
Among the animated features nominated are “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Vivo.”
Lucy Bevan, Avy Kaufman, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold and Cindy Tolan are just some of the casting directors who landed nominations. While the Academy has had a casting branch for the past eight years, it has yet to establish an Oscar for casting.
View the nominations in full below:
Animation
“Encanto” – Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim (Associate)
“Luca” – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-birnbaum (Associate)
“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” – Tamara Hunter
“Raya And The Last Dragon...
- 2/1/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The 2021 auditions are over, and the Casting Society of America has unveiled the feature nominees for its 37th annual Artios Awards.
Music plays a huge role in several of this year’s hopefuls in the marquee categories including the musicals West Side Story and In the Heights, along with making-of-a-musical pic tick, tick…Boom! Also in the Artios mix are tune-filled toons Luca, Encanto and Vivo.
Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on March 17. See the full list of Artios Awards nominations below, and check out the TV, theater and short-film nominees here.
The casting crews for House of Gucci, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick…Boom! and West Side Story will vie in the marquee Big Budget – Drama category. In the running for Big Budget – Comedy are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, In the Heights and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...
Music plays a huge role in several of this year’s hopefuls in the marquee categories including the musicals West Side Story and In the Heights, along with making-of-a-musical pic tick, tick…Boom! Also in the Artios mix are tune-filled toons Luca, Encanto and Vivo.
Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on March 17. See the full list of Artios Awards nominations below, and check out the TV, theater and short-film nominees here.
The casting crews for House of Gucci, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick…Boom! and West Side Story will vie in the marquee Big Budget – Drama category. In the running for Big Budget – Comedy are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, In the Heights and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...
- 2/1/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The casting branch of the academy is only eight years old and doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society of America has been handing out the Artios Awards for 37 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).
Nominees for feature films were announced on February 1 (the last day of Oscar nominations voting). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed a virtual ceremony on March 17, which is the first day of final Oscar voting.
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
Nominees for feature films were announced on February 1 (the last day of Oscar nominations voting). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed a virtual ceremony on March 17, which is the first day of final Oscar voting.
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
- 2/1/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Casting Society of America has nominated 100 casting directors for 39 different films for the 37th annual Artios Awards, which honor the work of casting directors in eight different feature categories.
“Don’t Look Up” and “The French Dispatch” were among the nominees in the Big Budget Comedy category, “King Richard” and “The Power of the Dog” for Big Budget Drama, “”The Tender Bar,” “Belfast” and “Coda” in the Studio or Independent categories and “The Humans” and “Shiva Baby” in Low Budget and Micro Budget.
With categories covering every genre and budget level, most of the top contenders for this year’s film awards were included, with the exception of “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
Winners will be announced on March 17, though the planned in-person ceremony has been canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominees:
Animation
Encanto - Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim...
“Don’t Look Up” and “The French Dispatch” were among the nominees in the Big Budget Comedy category, “King Richard” and “The Power of the Dog” for Big Budget Drama, “”The Tender Bar,” “Belfast” and “Coda” in the Studio or Independent categories and “The Humans” and “Shiva Baby” in Low Budget and Micro Budget.
With categories covering every genre and budget level, most of the top contenders for this year’s film awards were included, with the exception of “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
Winners will be announced on March 17, though the planned in-person ceremony has been canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominees:
Animation
Encanto - Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim...
- 2/1/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Deaf advocate, and actress Millicent Simmonds hosted last week’s Media Access Awards, in partnership with nonprofit disability services provider Easterseals.
The annual ceremony which aired virtually on ExtraTV.com/MediaAccessAwards and mediaaccessawards.com was founded by Norman Lear and now under the leadership of Deborah Calla and Allen Rucker since 2010, honors those in film and TV who include characters and actors with disabilities. The event pays tribute to individuals, series, and films that have redefined on-screen representation for the disability community, while advancing the portrayal and employment of people with disabilities in Hollywood.
The evening’s honorees were selected by the diversity committees of their professional guilds with awards from the Casting Society of America (CSA), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), and Writers Guild of America (WGA).
For the first time ever, IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, presented the IMDbPro | Media Access Award for Excellence in Directing,...
The annual ceremony which aired virtually on ExtraTV.com/MediaAccessAwards and mediaaccessawards.com was founded by Norman Lear and now under the leadership of Deborah Calla and Allen Rucker since 2010, honors those in film and TV who include characters and actors with disabilities. The event pays tribute to individuals, series, and films that have redefined on-screen representation for the disability community, while advancing the portrayal and employment of people with disabilities in Hollywood.
The evening’s honorees were selected by the diversity committees of their professional guilds with awards from the Casting Society of America (CSA), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), and Writers Guild of America (WGA).
For the first time ever, IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, presented the IMDbPro | Media Access Award for Excellence in Directing,...
- 11/22/2021
- Look to the Stars
At the Media Access Awards on Wednesday, honoree Marlee Matlin summed up the mood by saying that when she came to Los Angeles in 1985, “words like equality and access were so far outside the mainstream of Hollywood, I had to make noise.” Receiving the Maa’s lifetime achievement award “pushes me to be even louder.”
The annual awards have long honored film and TV shows that offer positive portrayals of disabled people. Other honorees, which were announced in advance, included Selma Blair, Troy Kotsur, John Krasinski, Jamie Nieto, Ryan O’Connell, “Luca” producer Andrea Warren and Zeno Mountain Farm.
The Apple film “Coda” was the only winner of multiple awards, with Matlin, her co-star Troy Kotsur and the film’s casting directors Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood and Lisa Zagoria honored. The trio received the casting society of America award, with the film’s writer-director Sian Heder praising them as partners.
The...
The annual awards have long honored film and TV shows that offer positive portrayals of disabled people. Other honorees, which were announced in advance, included Selma Blair, Troy Kotsur, John Krasinski, Jamie Nieto, Ryan O’Connell, “Luca” producer Andrea Warren and Zeno Mountain Farm.
The Apple film “Coda” was the only winner of multiple awards, with Matlin, her co-star Troy Kotsur and the film’s casting directors Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood and Lisa Zagoria honored. The trio received the casting society of America award, with the film’s writer-director Sian Heder praising them as partners.
The...
- 11/18/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
House of Lies star Don Cheadle has joined the cast of the upcoming live reading of the 2011 Black list script El Feugo Caliente. Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), and Natalie Martinez (End of Watch) have also come on board, joining previously announced cast members Roselyn Sanchez, Jaime Camil, Judy Reyes, Stephanie Beatriz, Diego Boneta, Ben Schwartz, and narrator Anthony Mendez. Casting for the readings is handled by Lisa Zagoria of Aquila Wood Casting. Written by…...
- 11/18/2015
- Deadline
On September 20 at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, Victoria Strouse will direct her 2008 Black List script “The Seekers of Perpetual Love” at the next Black List Live! reading series, the organization announced on Friday. Black List Live! features live staged readings of unproduced screenplays, cast with well-known Hollywood actors from Deborah Aquila and Lisa Zagoria of Aquila Wood Casting. They will not be filmed or livestreamed. Also read: The Black List Brings Back Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship “The Seekers of Perpetual Love” originally appeared on the 2008 Black List as “The Apostles of Infinite Love.” The comedy follows...
- 8/8/2014
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
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