Film News Roundup: Mickey Rourke’s ‘Adverse’ Opens Fantasporto Festival
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – In today’s film news roundup, a Mickey Rourke crime drama will premiere in Portugal, a film about the Purdue Pharma scandal is in the works and the documentary “After Parkland” will be shown at 100 locations on the second anniversary of the Parkland shootings.
FESTIVAL OPENER
The world premiere of ’s crime drama “Adverse” will take place on Feb. 28 as the opening film of the 40th Fantasporto Oporto Film Festival in Portugal — the country’s largest film festival.
Rourke stars as an underworld boss who hires a rideshare driver, porotrayed by Thomas Nicholas, whose younger sister is in debt to a dangerous crime syndicate. “Adverse” also stars Penelope Ann Miller, Lou Diamond Phillips, Sean Astin and Kelly Arjen.
“Adverse” is directed by Brian A. Metcalf from his own script. The film is produced by Metcalf, Nicholas, Arjen and executive produced by Scott Katzman, Lise Romanoff, Sergio Rizzuto and Ben Chan. The film is a Black Jellybeans Production in association with Red Compass Media, Inc. and Vision Films as its worldwide sales agent.
PROJECT LAUNCH
David Glasser’s 101 Studios will fully finance and globally distribute a feature film about David Armstrong, the journalist who took on Purdue Pharma.
Armstrong’s reporting during a four-year investigation included discovering evidence that, in order to maximize their profits, members of the Sackler family knew of and supported Purdue’s concealment of the strength and addiction risks of the drug OxyContin.
The film will be written and directed by husband-wife filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly (“Beneath the Harvest Sky”). 101 Studios and Marquee Entertainment’s Linda McDonough will produce and finance the film. Glasser, David Hutkin and Bob Yari will executive produce.
“I am pleased that the story of this crisis, which has impacted so many families, will be shared with a movie audience,” Armstrong said. “I am impressed with the vision Gita and Aron have for telling this story and confident it will resonate with audiences.”
CAA Media Finance, which arranged financing for the film, brokered the deal, which was negotiated by Glasser and James Allen, the filmmakers, along with CAA and Anonymous Content.
‘DAY OF CONVERSATION’
Kino
Lorber has announced the documentary “After Parkland” will screen in over 100 U.S. cities across on Feb. 12 to commemorate the second anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Led by social impact agency Picture Motion, a coalition of individuals and organizations have signed on to host to the screenings to create meaningful conversation that will lead to tangible change in 2020, including a voter registration drive powered by TurboVote.
Participants include national and local chapters of March for Our Lives, Moms Demand Action, Young Democrats, Alliance for Youth Action, Gays Against Guns and the League of Women Voters.
“After Parkland” centers on the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, which left 17 dead. Filmmakers Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman traveled to Parkland, Fla., with producer Stephanie Wash and began filming students who endured gunfire and parents who lost their children. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, is produced by Jeanmarie Condon and Steven Baker.
