Bleecker Street has set release dates for its fall awards slate, the largest roster of films the indie distributor has ever put forward in a single year, revealing the lineup exclusively to Variety.
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Among the titles are Alex Gibney’s “Musk,” the anticipated documentary examining the businessman Elon Musk, which will be released alongside HBO Documentary Films and Universal Pictures Content Group; Anton Corbijn’s thriller “A Talent for Murder” starring Helen Mirren and Alden Ehrenreich, which will be co-distributed with LD Entertainment; “Tender Loving Care,” the next film from seven-time Oscar-nominated writer and director Mike Leigh that stars Marion Bailey and recent Oscar nominee Kate O’Flynn; and a yet-to-be-titled drama, formerly known as “Harmonia,” from director Guy Nattiv that stars recent Tony and Emmy nominee Carrie Coon.
Each of the films will debut at the upcoming major fall festivals this year, including Venice, Telluride and Toronto.
“We are extremely enthusiastic about the strength and range of our fall slate, from an epic investigation of one of the world’s most notorious figures, a legendary actress transforming into a legendary author, a highly personal and compelling journey into a sinister cult, and the latest from one of the world’s most humanist filmmakers,” said Kent Sanderson, CEO of Bleecker Street. “We can’t wait to bring all of these brilliant films to audiences at festivals throughout the season and to a broad audience theatrically.”
“Tender Loving Care,” set for release Dec. 4, brings Leigh back to audiences with a film described as “an insightful exploration of the contemporary world.” Plot details still remain under wraps, but excitement still mounts as it stars his longtime partner Marion Bailey (Netflix’s “The Crown”), Paul Jesson (“Mr. Turner”), Kate O’Flynn (recently Emmy-nominated for “Widow’s Bay”) and Alice Bailey Johnson (“Hard Truths”). Leigh, 83, has received dozens of accolades across his seven-decade career. Among them are seven Oscar nominations, which include directing and writing the Palme d’Or-winning “Secrets and Lies,” along with “Vera Drake” and three additional solo screenplay bids for “Topsy-Turvy,” “Happy Go-Lucky” and “Another Year.” The film is produced by Georgina Lowe.
Gibney’s doc will get a theatrical run beginning Oct. 16. An epic look behind Musk, the world’s most heralded “inventor-entrepreneur,” the documentary probes a figure with enormous influence over the world we all live in. Gibney is a two-time Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker who picked up his first nomination 20 years ago for “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and won for “Taxi to the Dark Side” (2007). His other acclaimed films include the DGA-nominated “Client 9” (2010) and “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” (2015), along with “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God” (2012), “We Steal Secrets” and “The Armstrong Lie” (2013), the latter two for which he was double-nominated at the BAFTAs.
“Musk” is produced by Gibney, Jessie Deeter and Erin Edeiken from Jigsaw Productions; Zhang Xin and Joey Marra from Closer Media; Nick Shumaker and Jessica Grimshaw from Anonymous Content; and Dana O’Keefe from Double Agent. Executive producers include Double Agent’s Michael Heimler, Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann and Emily Selinger; Richard Perello from Jigsaw; William Horberg from Closer Media; David Levine from Anonymous Content; and Kent Sanderson and Tyler DiNapoli for Bleecker Street.
Formerly known as “Harmonia,” the new and still-officially-untitled film from writer and director Guy Nattiv is set in the 1980s and is inspired by his grandmother’s experience with an insidious cult. The film is set for release on Jan. 8, 2027, but will be put up for an awards qualifying run in November. The movie stars Coon, coming off a Tony nomination for lead actress in a play for “Bug” and an Emmy nomination for lead drama actress for the third season of “The Gilded Age,” who, according to sources, delivers a standout performance that could put her in the hunt this season for her first Oscar bid. The film also stars Lily James, Odessa Young, Tracy Letts and Bella Ramsey.
The film tells the story of Rita (Coon), who is unraveling from past wounds and meets a radiant young spiritual leader (James) after a chance encounter. Following her into an all-female commune, Rita leaves her life and family behind until her daughters, Ella (Ramsey) and Jo (Young), embark on a dangerous journey to rescue their mother. Once immersed in the cult’s remote facility, they find themselves inexorably drawn into the leader’s labyrinthine web of pseudo-spiritual and psychological manipulation. Nattiv is an Oscar winner for best live action short for the 2018 film “Skin,” and helmed the Golda Meir biopic “Golda” with Mirren in 2023.
Speaking of Mirren, “A Talent for Murder” will drop in theaters on Oct. 26. A twisty, dramatic thriller from Dutch auteur Corbijn, the film is based on the 2014 play “Switzerland,” written by Australian playwright, screenwriter and novelist Joanna Murray-Smith, who is also adapting it for the screen. It stars Academy Award winner Mirren (“The Queen”), recent Tony Award winner Ehrenreich (featured actor in a play for “Becky Shaw”) and “House of the Dragon” star Olivia Cooke.
The film follows a callow young literary agent from New York (Ehrenreich) who is sent to Switzerland to persuade celebrated writer Patricia Highsmith (Mirren) to write one final installment of the Ripley anthology.
Magnolia Mae’s Gabrielle Tana and LD Entertainment’s Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon serve as producers. Also producing are Brouhaha’s Troy Lum and Andrew Mason; Jim Robison and Kurt Martin for Lunar Pictures; Carolyn Marks Blackwood for Magnolia Mae Films; Karl Spoerri at Switzerland’s Zurich Avenue; and Andrea Occhipinti for Italy’s Lucky Red. The movie was financed by Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology and LD Entertainment.
Early awards buzz is already building around several of the titles, which has screened for festival programmers. Bailey, a two-time SAG ensemble winner for “The Crown” in 2020 and 2021, is said to be a “powerhouse” in Leigh’s film, alongside O’Flynn, who could add even more accolades to her breakout year. Coon and James are viewed as viable contenders in best actress and supporting actress, respectively, for the Nattiv drama. And Mirren could find herself back in the best actress race for the biopic role, following near misses for “Woman in Gold” and “Trumbo.”
“Musk” presents a more ambitious endeavor. While it will contend in the documentary feature category, Bleecker plans to submit the the film in all eligible categories, including best picture. No documentary has ever been nominated in the Academy’s top category. However, the prospect has surfaced as a talking point across various awards seasons with acclaimed films like “Hoop Dreams,” “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Life Itself.”
Bleecker previously announced it will also release the horror-thriller “Victorian Psycho,” starring Maika Monroe, Jason Isaacs and Thomasin McKenzie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Earlier this year, Bleecker Street’s event cinema division, Crosswalk, enjoyed box office success with “Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience,” released across North America, and with Adam Shankman’s “Stop! That! Train!” starring RuPaul, released June 12. The next Bleecker release will be Crosswalk and LD Entertainment’s live-theater capture of the Tony- and Grammy-winning hit musical “Hadestown: The Musical” on July 24.
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