Copyright Variety
U.S. in Progress, organized by Poland’s Tauron American Film Festival, has announced its winners. In total, 20 awards with a combined value of $160,000 were presented to projects in post-production. “Mackenzie,” about a girl who runs away from home to marry her crush, TV idol Mackenzie Astin, was awarded Platige Image post-production services worth up to $10,000. The film is directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons and produced by Fitzsimmons and Jaffe Zinn. Suzi Yoonessi’s “Mother Wolf,” produced by MediaPro and Aspire Productions, received color correction services worth up to $10,000 from Black Photon. The film was also awarded $25,000 worth of virtual studio services for its next project from ATMVirtual. The film stars Melissa Leo as a grandmother who finally has the opportunity to realize her lifelong dream of visiting Japan – that is, until she suddenly needs to take care of her grandchildren. Money is tight, so she decides to explore the strange phenomenon of OnlyFans that her friends have been talking about. Yoonessi stated that the project was born from grief and resilience and was inspired by her own immigrant mother, with her children featuring in the film. She stated: “The film transforms hardship into a sharp, humorous and magical tale about survival, love and legacy.’” Erotic thriller “Night Nurse,” by Georgia Bernstein, portrays a retirement community and the complicated relationship between a con man and his nurse. “My grandmother frequently received scam calls, but only one lured her to the bank. The caller was supposedly my brother,” Bernstein admitted, explaining that the project “grew out of this scene.” “I became drawn to this liminal space between love and exploitation.” Produced by Missing Link Productions and Ruby Mannequin Films, the film received an award from Orka for image post up to $10,000, as well as a sound mix up to $6,000 from Soundflower. It was also offered a ticket to Poland by New Europe Film Sales. Julia Fox stars in Millicent Hailes’s “Perfect,” in which the world is devastated by a contaminated water supply. “It’s about falling for the illusion of something flawless, only to realize it’s far from it.” Perfect was awarded deliverables from DI Factory worth up to $5,000 and a grant of $20,000 from Wrocław Feature Film Studio to producer Liz Cardenas to use its studio and equipment for a future production. Additionally, the Lower Silesia Film Centre (DCF) invited Cardenas on a location scouting trip in the region. The film is produced by Freenjoy, Steak & Rose, and Ten to the Six Pictures. In “Pocket Dream,” offered opening title design or VFX (up to $5,000) from XANF and foley recording (up to $5,000) from Aeroplan, Stacy Martin (“Nymphomaniac”) stars as a wealthy woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who meets a struggling waiter named Theo, played by Spike Fearn. Directed by Sam Guest and Julia Baylis, also behind “Wiggle Room,” it questions “whether the American Dream still exists in our contemporary world,” they said in a joint statement. “As filmmakers wrestling with our own beliefs, we push Theo into a dark world full of greed and amoral ugliness, daring him to keep his innocent views intact.” Anarene Films, Discordia, Tanbark and Simone Films produce. Talia Lugacy’s “Ruby Road,” produced by Acoustic Pictures and Witchcraft Motion Picture Company, received $10,000 worth of VFX from XANF, and Earworks and Aeroplan were awarded $10,000 each for sound post-production. The film tells the story of a character played by Frances Fisher, who is joined by Bill Paxton and Lauren Holly, and who is facing terminal illness. A former school bus driver, she embarks on a long journey. Lugacy described it as “an existential dive into a dying woman’s memory, dreams and the fragments of her American life. As a collaboration between people on all sides of the political spectrum in the U.S., it stands alone as a testament to the power of a collective narrative to break barriers and build common ground.” Fixafilm and New Europe Film Sales were also impressed by “She Keeps Me Young,” offering $5,000 worth of VFX, as well as sales and promotional consultancy services and script consultation on director Doron Max Hagay’s next project. The story follows the complications that arise in female friendships when one of the characters decides to pose for a high school photography project. International Pigeon Production and Tiny Giant are producing the film. Hagay noted the film looks at how “our culture screams at us to be Empowered and Fierce, while our lives are full of adaptation, settling and giving in. It’s also about the everyday neurosis and ordinary cruelty present in certain friendships and relationships.” “Take Me Home,” produced by Cyprian Films New York and All Caps, was awarded $5,000 worth of color grading services from Fixafilm. The story is inspired by director Liz Sargent’s real life. “Liz is the middle child of 11 siblings. Her parents are white, they had four biological children and adopted seven – six from Korea and several with disabilities,” explained producer Apoorva Charan while presenting the project in Poland. “The film explores the question of what happens when the parents age into disability and can no longer care for their children.” Her sister Anna plays a version of herself. “It’s a social realist drama and we explore some of the big questions around health care in American through this intimate family piece.” Finally, “Unknownia” – a feature-length animated film produced by Electric Chinoland and Mubi – received image post services worth up to $10,000 from DI Factory, as well as sound services worth up to $5,000 from Aeroplan and score recording supervision worth up to $4,000 from Soundflower. It is directed by Dash Shaw, famous for “Cryptozoo.” “All the artwork is hand-painted and hand-drawn,” said producer Kyle Martin. “On the surface, the plot is about a girl who needs to learn how to transform into a dragon to save her father. But it’s really a coming-of-age story about wealth, greed and the experience of learning that your role models are just ordinary people with flaws of their own. You might need to trust your own moral compass.” “I’m thrilled that U.S. in Progress and the Tauron American Film Festival have become a part of this amazing group of nine projects selected to meet Polish post-production studios and generous partners and discover the beauty of Wrocław and Warsaw,” said festival director Ula Śniegowska. “Two road movies, an erotic thriller and a feature animation, a family drama, and a self-discovery movie selected for this year program mark a new wave of U.S. filmmakers, mostly women, that we hope will reach the screens next year with our support.”
