‘Nuremberg’ Nazi Drama to Launch Sales at Cannes Film Festival

“Nuremberg,” a historical drama set in post-war Germany, will launch its sales through WME Independent at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham, Wrenn Schmidt, Lotte Verbeek and Andreas Pietschmann round out the cast.

The official logline reads: “‘Nuremberg’ chronicles the eponymous trials held by the Allies against the defeated Nazi regime. The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. Shannon will play Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials.”

James Vanderbilt is directing from the script he adapted from the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai. Richard Saperstein, William Sherak, Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt, Istvan Major and Paul Neinstein are producing, along with Walden Medias’s Frank Smith, Benjamin Tappan and Cher Hawrysh. Executive producers include Annie Saperstein, Brooke Saperstein, Beau Turpin, W. Porter Payne, Jr., Géza Deme and Tamás Hajnal.

American Black Film Festival and Walmart’s Black & Unlimited to Host Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project Competition

The American Black Film Festival and Walmart’s Black & Unlimited will host the second annual Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project content creators’ competition at this year’s festival. The initiative spotlights emerging directors to champion independent filmmaking while providing a platform to showcase a wide range of stories about Black fatherhood.

The festival, taking place in Miami Beach, Fla. from June 12-16, set its competition lineup of narrative and documentary features last week, including Jussie Smollett’s return to acting in “The Lost Holliday.”

This year’s Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project program will include premieres for the top three winners of the filmmaker competition and an onstage panel with an artist and their child to discuss fatherhood and their relationship.

The three winning directors will be selected to each receive industry mentorship, a $10,000 cash award and the opportunity to attend and screen their films at the festival. Each film will also be featured on the festival’s online global platform, ABFF PLAY, and Walmart’s Black & Unlimited YouTube page from June 17-24.

Gravitas Ventures Acquires ‘Istikhara, New York’ for North American Distribution

Film distribution company Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American rights to Invention Studios’ “Istikhara, New York.” Written and directed by Yasir Masood, the film is set to release May 14 on Apple TV+ and other providers for a limited time. Additionally, Bryn Mooser and Mohannad Malas have signed on as executive producers.

Shot originally with a budget of $15,000 in Brooklyn, New York, the film follows Reza, a 25-year-old aspiring Broadway actor who is hustling as a food delivery courier to make ends meet. “Istikhara, New York” won the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival in 2022.