The Playlist

On The Rise 2012: 10 Directors Who Look To Be Bright Sparks Of The Future

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 15, 2012 2:33 PM
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14 Comments

Features

Like it or not, filmmaking is undeniably a director's medium. It wasn't always like that, of course: it was only the coming of the auteur theory in the 1950s and 1960s that popularized the idea of the director as the person responsible for all that was great and terrible about a picture. And while anyone who's worked in film knows that it's a collaborative medium, there's still no better way of seeing where the form might be going in the next few years than by looking at the directors who've been making splashes of late.

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'Pariah' Director Dee Rees To Helm Indie Love Story 'This Man, This Woman'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 1, 2012 5:57 PM
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News

Director Dee Rees hasn't been in any particular hurry to follow up the acclaimed and excellent "Pariah," but she's not without options. Earlier this year it was reported she was writing a new film entitled "Large Print," about a recently divorced, mid-50s insurance adjuster, she's got a thriller called "Bolo" she's developing with Focus Features and she's working on a project at HBO with Viola Davis. Well, now her slate is beginning to get a little more crowded.

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'Pariah' Director Dee Rees Writing A New Script Called 'Large Print' & Working On An HBO Series With Viola Davis

By Benjamin Wright
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January 26, 2012 8:58 AM
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News

While Spike Lee may be making headlines at the Sundance Film Festival for both his fiery rants and his latest effort “Red Hook Summer,” he took some time out to help boost the profile of a rising filmmaker who is already earning acclaim. Lee appeared alongside Dee Rees of “Pariah” fame (he executive produced the film), and the pair had an extended conversation with New York Times writer David Carr that’s well worth the watch (it's in full below).

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David Cronenberg Says 'Cosmopolis' Will Arrive Next Fall; Terrence Malick's 'The Burial' Is Not Called 'The Burial'

By Jen Vineyard
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December 2, 2011 9:57 AM
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2 Comments

News

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Mike Mills Says Winning Best Feature For 'Beginners' At Gotham Awards "Trippy, Weird Icing On The Cake"

By Jen Vineyard
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November 29, 2011 9:03 AM
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Awards

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'The Tree Of Life' & 'Beginners' Tie For Best Feature At The 2011 Gotham Awards

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 28, 2011 10:59 PM
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4 Comments

Awards

With the New York Film Critics Circle set to announce their award winners tomorrow morning over Twitter (guys, way to make it less meaningless, how about an actual webpage?) and the Gotham Independent Film Awards just wrapped, the fall awards season has officially kicked off. And already, we've got some surprises.

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TIFF '11 Review: 'Pariah' Is So Much More Than Just This Year's 'Precious'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 12, 2011 12:59 PM
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2 Comments

Listen, we understand that sometimes in order to get some attention, indie films need glib comparisons and word out of Sundance this year was that Dee Rees' "Pariah" was this year's "Precious." However, not only is "Pariah" nothing like "Precious", it is so much better and so much more rewarding than anything Lee Daniels' "achieved" with his hysterical, exploitative, ghetto soap opera porno. Real in ways few movies ever are, "Pariah" mixes the coming out and coming-of-age story and pitches it against the backdrop of an African-American family adapting to the shifting cultural sexual tides. The result is a film that is warm and raw, sometimes both at the same time, and is easily one our favorites of the year.

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Watch: Trailer For Sundance Pick, 'Pariah' -- Is This 'Precious' For 2011?

By Edward Davis
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June 10, 2011 5:00 AM
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1 Comment

We're really not sure what's up with the Indigo Girls meets Sarah McLachlan acoustic song that's going on in the beginning of this trailer (ok, we do, but really?), but "Pariah," a 2011 drama that was shown at Sundance 2011 to major acclaim, subsequently picked up by Focus Features, looks pretty damn great.

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