Smallz + Raskind
The Casting Society (CSA) has announced that Hong Chow (“The Whale,” “The Menu”), Anna Camp (“Pitch Perfect”), Melanie Lynskey (“The Last of Us”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary” ) are among the headliners for their 38th Artios Awards, held in both Los Angeles and New York.
Utkarsh Ambudkar, Paul Walter Hauser, Andrew Leeds, Sam Richardson, Britt Robertson, Glynn Thurman and Tuc Watkins are also performing at the Los Angeles gala alongside host Yvette Nicole Brown. Sarita Choudhury, Jordan E. Cooper, Rory Culkin, Chris Davis, Alex Edelman, Raul Esparza, Katie Finneran, Katrina Lenk, Nicole Ari Parker, Peppermint, Morgan Spector, Celia Rose Goodin, Chris Sullivan and Kuhu Verma will attend the ceremony in New York, with Amber Ruffin hosting.
The Artios Awards have 20 categories spanning film, television and theatre. The ceremony will take place on March 9, Thursday.
Michaud Film Festival Announces Fifth Year Celebration Dates, Call for Submissions
The Michaud Film Festival returns for its fifth year to highlight diverse representation in entertainment, as well as BIPOC and multicultural creatives at its July event. The festival, directed by Noel Braham and Courtney L. Branch, works to amplify underrepresented voices.
“We created this festival as a way to showcase cutting-edge talent and highlight disruptive, bold and remarkable work,” festival co-founder Braham said in a statement. “In the last 5 years it has transformed into something we could never have imagined. Our goal is to ensure that the 2023 Michaud Film Festival is an unforgettable experience for all attendees and gaming industry screenings, sneak peeks, exclusive conversations with creative visionaries, engaging social events, activations and much more – while we further elevate and we serve as a unique space for all artists, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, military service, or other non-merit factor.”
The festival runs July 10-16 at Regal Cinemas at LA Live. Submissions are open for episodes, shorts, feature films and podcasts with a deadline of April 30. See the festival website for eligibility details.
Vanessa Roth, Cathy Ireland to attend ‘Anxious Nation’ Virtual World Premiere.
“Anxious Nation,” the upcoming documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth, will have its global premiere on May 3, followed by a live panel with the film’s cast and crew.
Roth is joined for the virtual call by co-director, writer and producer Laura Morton, along with executive producer Cathy Ireland and cast members Tim Story and Lynn Lyons. Other guests will be announced closer to the film’s debut.
The feature documentary illuminates the state of mental health in the United States, focusing on how subjects aged 11-26 are affected by anxiety. The film also uses personal interviews with families of children navigating anxiety diagnoses.
“Anxiety doesn’t discriminate, it affects people of different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, and the film captures that through its diverse stories,” said Morton, whose teenage daughter is one of the documentary’s participants. “Our children are in crisis and it’s getting worse.”
The virtual screening and conversation is organized in partnership with Area 23a and Lasega Films. “Anxious Nation” will open in US theaters following its world premiere and will be available to stream on May 5 via Anxious National Virtual Cinema.