Indie Entertainment Media is proud to unveil its 2023 Cannes special issue, featuring a story on this year’s Jury President Ruben Östlund by Lena Basse, an exclusive interview with Bobby Colomby and John Scheinfeld on the new documentary What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?, a piece about the legacy of the Festival de Cannes by Claude Brickell, a spotlight on FilmHedge founder Jon Gosier, an event recap of Jonathan Baker’s annual Oscar soirée, interviews with Global Entertainment Showcase panelists Diana Madison, Chadwick Pelletier and Viviane Winthrop; filmmaker Danny A. Abeckaser’s Marché du Film offerings, the official program of the fifth annual French Riviera Film Festival, and much more. And, we simply adore our original cover artwork by New York artist Cindy Shaoul.See you on the Croisette!
IEM’s 2023 Academy Awards Issue is themed “Elvis is Oscar,” featuring a front cover and photo essay celebrating the King of Rock ‘n Roll, starring Jonathan Baker and Dustin Quick. with photographs by Eric Minh Swenson and Tshombe Sampson. The issue also features an interview with Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett by Lena Basse; interviews by yours truly with nominees Kim Magnusson (Ivalu), Cyrus Neshvad (The Red Suitcase), and EO producer Eileen Tasca; a special tribute to iconic actor Paul Sorvino, an editorial by Claude Brickell titled ‘My Policeman: Linear vs. Non-Linear Storytelling’; and a spotlight on legendary fashion designer Sue Wong’s recent party to unveil her Palazzo Marrakesh. We hope you enjoy!
Oscar is alive and well, and this year…. she’s a woman! IEM’s awards issue showcases the “Oscar is a Woman”-themed cover photo shoot featuring Hollywood director/producer Jonathan Baker and international model Erika Stasiuleviciute. Baker has opened his mansion doors once again this year for his annual viewing soirée, collaborating with IEM and French Riviera Film Festival. Also in the issue is an exclusive interview with Danish director Martin Strange-Hansen, nominated for his live action short film “On My Mind,” a sneak peek at artist’s Eva Lanska’s new installation “The Existential Choice,” and a feature by Claude Brickell on architect to the stars Paul R. Williams. The issue also highlights the Women Filmmakers Showcase event taking place on the afternoon before the big day. The event features Morgan Dameron, Anna Fishbeyn, Peggy McCartha, Tracy Vicory-Rosenquest and Dee Wallace, with award-winning filmmaker Sue Vicory as moderator.
Friends, I’m delighted to unveil our annual Park City festival edition of Indie Entertainment Media. The issue honors some of those talented individuals we sadly lost recently, including a bittersweet article by Lena Basse about her friend Jean-Marc Vallée, exclusive interviews with NY-based artist Cindy Shaoul and Vietnamese-American director Mai Thu Huyen, a photo essay spotlighting Las Vegas by Eric Minh Swenson, a feature on the new film Cyrano by Dr. Laura Wilhelm, Claude Brickell’s wisdom on scriptwriting, and of course, our annual Après-ski gift guide. Also featured are the wonderful participants of the 5th annual Indie Entertainment Showcase that will be held virtually on Saturday, January 22 at 11 am MT/ 10 am PT.
La main au collet, TO CATCH A THIEF, de AlfredHitchcock avec Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, 1955 (sur la Cote d'Azur, french riviera)
Swimsuit
Swimming shorts
Indie Entertainment Magazine is pleased to unveil its second annual special Cannes Film Festival Edition. Print edition to be distributed throughout Cannes. Here’s a sneak peek:
Five Official International Oscar Entries and Major Film and Series Premieres Lead a 60-Title Program Celebrating French Cinema and Television
November 3–8, 2026, at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Hollywood
The American French Film Festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a program of 60 films and series at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Hollywood from November 3 through 8, 2026. Announced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, the lineup brings together 31 fiction features, 11 television series, four documentaries and 14 short films, with 58 titles competing for festival awards.
The six-day event will showcase French cinema alongside international French co-productions, combining established filmmakers, emerging talent and numerous North American and U.S. premieres. Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony on November 8.
Among the festival’s announced highlights are five French productions or co-productions selected by their respective countries as submissions for the 2027 Academy Awards’ international feature film category. They include France’s Minotaur, written and directed by Andrey Zviagintsev; Japan’s All of a Sudden, from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi; Belgium’s Coward, directed by Lucas Dhont; Romania’s Fjord, from Cristian Mungiu; and Morocco’s Strawberries, directed by Laïla Marrakchi.
CowardFjordMinotaur
According to the festival announcement, Zviagintsev will attend the presentation of Minotaur, which is being screened in association with MUBI. The program also identifies Fjord as the winner of the 2026 Cannes Palme d’Or.
Other prominent screenings include the first U.S. presentation of Antonin Baudry’s De Gaulle, starring Simon Abkarian as the French leader. Baudry and Abkarian are scheduled to attend a back-to-back marathon presentation on Saturday, November 7, presented in association with Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Marc Fitoussi’s comedy All About Corinne, featuring Isabelle Huppert, will receive its U.S. premiere on November 6. Guillaume Canet’s psychological thriller Karma, starring Marion Cotillard, will make its North American premiere on November 4 in association with Pathé Films.
Stéphane Brizé’s A Good Little Soldier, described in the announcement as a Venice official selection and screenplay award winner, will have its West Coast premiere on November 7. Alexandre Smia’s feature directing debut, the political thriller Jupiter, will screen on November 8 ahead of its release in France.
The festival will open with the Los Angeles premiere of Phuong Mai Nguyen’s animated feature In Waves, presented in association with Netflix. French animation will also be represented by Louis Clichy’s Iron Boy, presented with Sony Pictures Classics, and Blaise, directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Gigne, along with four animated shorts.
Television highlights include the U.S. premieres of R91, A Prophet and Alice: Pioneer of Cinema, as well as the international premiere of One Day We Will Make Love.
Comedy runs throughout the selection, with 14 titles across the feature, series and short-film competitions. Among them is Just an Illusion, the new film from The Intouchables filmmakers Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, featuring Call My Agent! star Camille Cottin. Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine’s The Better Me features Laurent Laffitte in a dual role.
Closing night will feature Anthony Marciano’s The American Dream, a comedy-drama inspired by French basketball agents Bouna Ndiaye and Jérémy Medjana. Starring Jean-Pascal Zadi and Raphaël Quenard, the film follows the agents whose clients have included Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum. Guests connected to the film and its real-life story are expected to attend.
Deputy Director Anouchka van Riel described this year’s selection as “a cinema of resistance,” connecting films about corporate power, inequality and public pressure with stories about illness, friendship and responsibility.
“Between those who fight and those who care, the lineup returns to one question: at a time when intelligence is becoming artificial, what remains human?” van Riel said.
The festival’s educational program will extend those themes to younger audiences. Now in its 18th year, the High School Program is expected to welcome 3,000 students from 60 schools for free screenings and question-and-answer sessions, including students from two public schools traveling from Utah. Organizers say the program has served more than 43,000 students to date.
Executive Producer and Programmer François Truffart, who has held the role since 2004, emphasized the festival’s support for filmmakers from their earliest shorts through international recognition, as well as its commitment to television and female filmmakers.
Organizers report that 24 selections arrive after premieres at major international festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Locarno and Toronto. Nineteen films and series will screen before their release in France, while 18 will be presented in association with U.S. distributors.
The Cannes contingent includes Pierre Salvadori’s The Electric Kiss, Marie Kreuzer’s Gentle Monster, Bertrand Mandico’s Roma Elastica, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s A Woman’s Life and Vincent Garencq’s Forsaken. Seven films will compete for Best First Feature, with selections including A Girl Unknown, Congo Boy, La Gradiva, Madame and A Place for Her.
Audience members will vote in the cinema, television and short-film categories. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association will participate in the Critics’ Award and First Feature Award, while a student jury will select the American Students Award. Separate professional juries will judge series and short films.
Advance ticket sales were scheduled to begin October 8, with online purchasing and applicable reservations available until the night before each screening. Tickets will also be sold at the DGA Theater Complex, located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. For sold-out screenings, additional seats may become available 20 minutes before showtime.
Series screenings are free on a first-come, first-served basis, except for Sunday screenings in the Truffaut theater, which require an RSVP. Complimentary tickets are available to DGA, WGAW and SAG-AFTRA members and one guest. Selected professional panels from Wednesday through Saturday will also be free, followed by complimentary wine and cheese receptions.
All films will be presented in English or with English subtitles. The festival is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a collaboration among the DGA, Motion Picture Association, SACEM and WGA West, in association with France’s CNC.
The fair’s 32nd edition will welcome more than 90 exhibitors and introduce Art Under 10, a companion fair designed for emerging galleries and a new generation of collectors.
International perspectives, a new philanthropic partnership and a more accessible approach to collecting will shape LA Art Show’s return to the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall, January 6–10, 2027. Now entering its 32nd edition, Los Angeles’ longest-established art fair will open the city’s 2027 art season with a program reflecting its multicultural creative landscape. The dates and West Hall location are confirmed on the fair’s website.laartshow
For 2027, LA Art Show welcomes GLAAD as its new charity partner and beneficiary, with 15 percent of ticket proceeds supporting the nonprofit’s work to advance LGBTQ acceptance and inclusive representation across media. GLAAD’s programs span entertainment, news and digital media, using advocacy, research and storytelling to foster greater understanding.
“LA Art Show has always been about more than bringing great art to Los Angeles — it is about creating a place where cultures, ideas, collectors and audiences intersect in meaningful and unexpected ways,” said Kassandra Voyagis, producer and executive director of LA Art Show. “As we enter our 32nd year, we’re proud to build on that legacy while welcoming GLAAD as our new charity partner and Tixr as our new ticketing partner for 2027.”
Tickets are now on sale through Tixr, the fair’s new official ticketing partner.
Alongside LA Art Show, Fine Art Shows—the producer of both LA Art Show and Art Palm Beach—will launch Art Under 10, a companion fair dedicated to emerging galleries and recent contemporary work.
Making its debut January 8–10 in the Convention Center’s adjacent Petree Hall, Art Under 10 will present works created within the past five years, with prices capped at $10,000. The format is designed to give new collectors an accessible entry point into the art market while helping emerging galleries connect with broader audiences. Admission will be included with LA Art Show tickets.artunder10
“Art Under 10 is a natural evolution, designed to make contemporary art more approachable for first-time buyers and a new generation of collectors,” Voyagis said.
The new fair adds a distinct dimension to the week’s programming, pairing LA Art Show’s international reach with a focused introduction to galleries and artists shaping contemporary art.
LA Art Show 2027 will feature more than 90 exhibitors, bringing established participants and first-time galleries together under one roof. Returning exhibitors include JS Gallery from Greece; Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery and Pontone from the United Kingdom; Pigment Gallery from Spain; and U.S. galleries Arcadia Contemporary, Rehs Galleries, Markowicz Fine Art, Provident Fine Art, Palette Contemporary, Bruce Lurie and MRG Fine Art.
Making their LA Art Show debuts are Avant Gallery from Miami, Bluerider ART from Taipei, CRIA from Mexico, Contessa Gallery from Ohio, Nisticovich Gallery from Tel Aviv, Winsor Birch from the United Kingdom, Allegro Studio Art from Michigan and Kaibi Gallery from Japan.
Together, the returning and incoming exhibitors will bring a range of regional perspectives to the fair, creating opportunities for visitors to discover unfamiliar artists alongside established gallery programs.
Beyond the gallery presentations, DIVERSEartLA will explore “The Future as a Collaborative Human Experience,” examining how people imagine, visualize and help shape the future.
Marisa Caichiolo returns to curate the noncommercial platform following her co-curatorial role for the Official Pavilion of Chile at the 61st Venice Art Biennale. The 2027 program will bring cultural institutions into dialogue with architects, artists, designers and lawyers to consider how interdisciplinary collaboration can expand the possibilities of art.
Immersive, nonlinear environments will invite visitors to move through the exhibitions rather than simply observe them, encouraging audiences to consider their own place within a collective future. The approach builds on DIVERSEartLA’s established focus on installations, performance and programming presented by museums and arts organizations.
Following LA Art Show, its East Coast counterpart, Art Palm Beach, will return for its fifth edition January 27–31, 2027, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Together, the two fairs extend Fine Art Shows’ platform across major U.S. art markets, connecting galleries, collectors and cultural communities on both coasts.
LA Art Show runs January 6–10, 2027, at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall. Art Under 10 runs January 8–10 in Petree Hall. For information and tickets, visit www.laartshow.com.
Award-winning filmmaker Caroline Cory welcomed a full house of special guests, media, supporters, and consciousness-minded audiences to the historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Sunday, October 4, for the red-carpet theatrical premiere of Superhuman 2: The Rebirth.
The event marked the theatrical introduction of Cory’s forthcoming four-part documentary series, which is set to launch worldwide through streaming following its theatrical rollout. Building on the success and global conversation generated by Cory’s earlier documentary, Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible, the new project examines extraordinary abilities, consciousness, human potential, the future of medicine, and the possible frontiers of emerging wellness technologies.
“Seeing Superhuman 2: The Rebirth come alive on the big screen, surrounded by such an open, engaged, and inspired audience, was profoundly moving,” says Cory. “This film asks us to reconsider what we believe is possible—not only about consciousness and perception, but about our own innate capacity to heal, evolve, and access our highest human potential that may be far greater than what we have been taught to imagine.”
Following the screening, Cory participated in a dynamic Q&A panel alongside voices featured in and connected to the film’s exploration of expanded human potential. The evening also featured special performances by young musical prodigies violinist Ria Kang and pianist Nico Fumero, adding a powerful live dimension to the event’s theme of creativity, consciousness, and possibility.
Nico Fumero, Ria KangFernando Garibay
Among those in attendance were AGAPE founder Michael Beckwith, who introduced the film and is featured in the documentary; actress Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story); producer Cindy Cowan(Traffic); actress Sofia Milos (CSI, The Sopranos); record producer Fernando Garibay (Lady Gaga, Witney Houston); Jerrie Johnson (Harlem); celebrity photographer Jim Jordan; and many others from entertainment, wellness, media, and the consciousness community.
Michael Beckwith, Caroline CoryNaomi Grossman, Caroline CoryCindy Cowan, Caroline Cory
“Tonight was a celebration of curiosity, connection, and the courage to explore questions that conventional frameworks do not always make room for,” Cory adds. “My hope is that audiences leave the film not with a prescribed answer, but with a deeper sense of wonder—and perhaps a renewed relationship with their own potential.”
Created, written, directed, and produced by Cory, Superhuman 2: The Rebirth explores accounts of extraordinary perceptual and cognitive abilities, including experiments involving blind individuals who appear to perceive without conventional sight. Through interviews, live explorations, and perspectives from scientists, physicians, researchers, and thought leaders, the documentary poses a central question: Are the limits of human potential far more expansive than previously understood?
The project convenes leading voices spanning science, medicine, neuroscience, physics, epigenetics, and wellness, including Bruce H. Lipton, PhD; Gregg Braden; Lynne McTaggart; Leigh Erin Connealy, MD; Michael Bernard Beckwith; Alex Gomez-Marin, PhD; Diane Hennacy, MD; Carlo Ventura, PhD; Gian Piero Abbate, PhD; Enrico Pierangeli, MD; Jeffery Tarrant, PhD; Robert Edward Grant; and Stephen Davis.
Together, the contributors explore questions surrounding perception and the nature of reality, neuroplasticity, the mind-body connection, frequency-based healing, and experiences that may extend beyond conventional models of sensory processing.
“Superhuman 2 is an invitation to look beyond labels and limitations,” comments Cory. “The researchers, physicians, and pioneers in this film represent a broad range of perspectives, but they share an interest in the same essential question: What becomes possible when we approach the human being as more than the sum of our conditioned assumptions?”
NIKKI® Wellness Technology served as the film’s principal partner and is featured as an example of next-generation wearable wellness technology within the documentary’s wider exploration of wellness and human potential.
Developed by Frequency Exchange Corp., the NIKKI platform offers proprietary frequency-based wellness programs designed to support sleep, stress management, energy, recovery, and overall vitality. The documentary incorporates NIKKI’s frequency-based programs as part of its broader conversation about the evolving intersection of wellness, frequency-based medicine, and personal transformation.
Audiences who missed the Beverly Hills premiere—or would like to experience the film again—are invited to a special online premiere on October 30, featuring Gregg Braden, Bruce H. Lipton, Lynn McTaggart, Diane Hennacy, and others. Watch here: superhuman2.com/watch
The full four-part Superhuman 2: The Rebirth docu-series will premiere globally following its theatrical rollout.
For tickets, streaming updates, and additional information, visit Superhuman2.com.
Caroline Cory is an award-winning filmmaker, author, teacher, and founder of Omnium Media. Her work explores consciousness, human potential, healing, and the relationship between mind, matter, and reality. Through documentary filmmaking, experiential research, and educational programs, Cory has built an international audience interested in the unexplored possibilities of human perception and transformation.
Photos Credit: Lizeth Ramirez (Featured image l-r: Moderator Tracy Holland, Caroline Cory, Dalia Burgoin, John Herzog, Diane Hennacy)
Briana Nancie’s “Touch” is finding new momentum in U.S. radio, but the song’s story begins with a more personal question: Can you let yourself imagine love after a life shaped by survival?
Originally released in 2023, “Touch” is receiving renewed attention through a U.S. radio campaign. In a report dated October 7, 2026, the single reached No. 34 on the AC40 chart at National Radio Hits, up from No. 39, with 3,271 points. The report also records 18 stations, three adds, 405 spins and a +97 increase in its third week.
The song appears on several additional charts, including No. 19 on New Music Weekly’s AC40 Indie chart, No. 26 on its Top40 Indie chart and No. 71 on its Hot100 chart. It also reached No. 20 on IMN’s Mainstream Top30 chart.
Nancie wrote “Touch” after hearing an instrumental created by Aznar. Asked what she wanted the song to be about, she answered: her future soulmate. The idea grew into a flirtatious, sensual imagining of two people searching for each other before they meet, with themes of visualization, attraction and vulnerability.
One lyric gives the song its emotional center: “Do you like me or my lifestyle?” It asks whether someone can see beyond the outward image and love the person underneath—their history, ambition and work ethic.
“For a long time, my music was about survival,” Nancie has said. “‘Touch’ was the first time I started asking myself: Can I be vulnerable again? Can I fall in love and dream about something beautiful without being terrified of losing it?”
That question carries particular weight in light of her early life. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nancie was separated from her family during the war as a young child. After nearly two years, she was found in the countryside, and a United Nations presence helped reconnect her with her mother. She moved to Sweden at nine, later spent formative years in France and is now building her creative presence in Los Angeles.
Those experiences inform an artistic identity that crosses languages and genres. Nancie moves between Swedish, English and French, drawing from Afro-Pop, Afrobeats, urban pop and hip-hop. She has described language as a natural form of self-expression rather than a strategy, reflecting the different places and perspectives that have shaped her.
The official “Touch” video, directed by SLK Films, extends the song’s themes through fashion, movement and visual storytelling. For Nancie, music, performance and imagery belong to the same creative world. The video gives the song’s fantasies of attraction and connection a vivid visual setting while keeping the emotional question at its core: what does it mean to be wanted for who you really are?
“When people hear ‘Touch,’ I want the immediate reaction to be feeling fully alive,” Nancie says. She hopes listeners will dance, flirt and enjoy the song’s sensual energy, while also hearing its reminder that no one should have to hide their scars to be worthy of love.
With “Touch” reaching new U.S. radio audiences, Nancie is opening another chapter for a song that pairs playful confidence with emotional honesty. Its invitation is simple: feel the music, imagine what is possible and let yourself be seen.
Emerging from the Shadows: Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg & Korngold, the acclaimed documentary from U.S.-German filmmaker Veronika Emily Pohl, has been named an Official Selection of the Newport Beach Film Festival. The film will screen on October 18, 2026 as part of the festival’s 2026 program.
Produced by Bernhard Fleischer Moving Images GmbH (BFMI), Emerging from the Shadows illuminates the extraordinary artistic legacies of two historically under-recognized composers whose lives were irrevocably shaped by displacement, persecution, survival, and artistic reinvention: Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
The film follows world-renowned cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper and four-time GRAMMY®-nominated conductor Constantine Orbelian as they join the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in Lithuania for a deeply affecting program of works by Weinberg and Korngold. Blending concert performance, archival storytelling, personal reflection, and historical context, the documentary brings renewed attention to music that speaks across generations.
The featured repertoire includes Weinberg’s Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 43 and Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 52, as well as Korngold’s Cello Concerto in C Major, Op. 37. Korngold’s concerto reflects the composer’s artistic return to his Viennese roots following his celebrated career in Hollywood, where he won two Academy Awards® for Best Original Score and helped define the emotional, symphonic language of early film music.
Though their paths unfolded differently, Weinberg and Korngold shared a Jewish heritage and endured the devastating consequences of World War II. Weinberg escaped to Moscow after his family was murdered in the Holocaust, while Korngold fled Vienna and found refuge in the United States, ultimately transforming the sound of Hollywood through his sweeping, operatic musical voice. Their stories, and the music they created in the wake of exile, form the emotional core of Emerging from the Shadows.
“To perform this music is to enter a conversation with history,” says Cooper. “Weinberg and Korngold each transformed personal and collective tragedy into work of remarkable beauty, intimacy, and strength. I am honored that Emerging from the Shadows will screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where their stories can resonate beyond the concert hall and remind us that music has the power to preserve memory and create connection.”
Pohl, whose music-centered documentary work includes projects for ZDF/Arte, SONY Classical, and Deutsche Grammophon, describes the project as “a journey through artistry, history, and identity—honoring two composers whose voices refused to vanish.”
“Music has a profound ability to connect and heal. I hope this film can foster understanding, and allow for human connection in the here and now,” comments Pohl.
As Emerging from the Shadows: Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg & Korngold continues its awards-season campaign, the film is being positioned for consideration by industry organizations, including the Critics Choice Association, Realscreen Awards, and the GRAMMY® Awards. The recognition underscores the documentary’s distinctive fusion of cinematic storytelling, world-class musical performance, and a timely examination of artistic legacy, cultural memory, and resilience.
The documentary’s Newport Beach Film Festival selection follows a growing international profile for the project, including its Eastern European festival debut at the 7th edition of Music Dance Screenings Film Festival Consonance in Tbilisi, Georgia, being shortlisted for the Screen International Global Production Awards at Cannes, and an industry screening at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York earlier this year. It has since received multiple awards and growing critical recognition.
Notably, critic Jeffrey Lyons described it on Lyons Den Radio as “a beautiful documentary about two great composers of classical music forced to flee Hitler,” adding that “even if you’re not a fan of classical music, Emerging from the Shadows is a treat for your ears.”
The companion album, Hidden Legacies, featuring Cooper and Orbelian with the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra performing the film’s repertoire, was released by Delos.
Screening Information:
Film: Emerging from the Shadows: Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg & Korngold
The Fixed Mark, a gripping new short drama from writer/director Spencer Jay Kim, is embarking on its festival run. Blending psychological suspense, supernatural mystery and an intimate human story of grief, the film follows a traumatized 13-year-old orphan whose apparent ability to foresee a devastating act of school violence forces a forensic psychologist to reconsider everything he believes about trauma, memory and time.
The Fixed Mark stars award-winning actor, singer, producer and author Malek Hanna as Dr. Elias Ward and rising actor Alex Lizzul as Nathan “Rainn.” The film also features acclaimed actress, writer and director Danielle Nicolet (The Flash, Central Intelligence) as Ms. Lizotti; actor and voice artist Danny Fehsenfeld (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Young and the Restless) as Rainn’s Stepfather; Nancy Telzerow (My Friend Dahmer) as Rainn’s mother; and writer/director Spencer Jay Kim as Detective Shinn.
Malek Hanna, ALex LizzulHanna, Danielle Nicolet, Spencer Jay Kim
“We’re incredibly proud to begin sharing The Fixed Mark with audiences,” comments Hanna. “Underneath the mystery, this is really a story about a kid desperately trying to be heard. Alex gives such a vulnerable and honest performance, and I think the film asks an important question: What happens when someone is telling us the truth and we’ve already decided not to believe them? Hopefully the film starts a meaningful conversation about how we listen to young people, especially those carrying trauma.”
At the center of The Fixed Mark is Nathan “Rainn” (Lizzul), a vulnerable young boy brought in for evaluation after attempting to warn others about a tragedy before it occurs. Under questioning by forensic psychologist Dr. Elias Ward (Hanna), Rainn shares details that seem impossible for him to know.
“The mystery is what pulls you into The Fixed Mark, but the human story is what stays with you,” says Kim. “At the center of the film is a child carrying tremendous trauma who needs someone to truly hear him. It asks what can happen when truth does not arrive in a form we are prepared to recognize.”
Beneath its supernatural and psychological thriller framework, The Fixed Mark examines the enduring effects of childhood trauma, domestic abuse, grief and violence, while questioning how institutions entrusted with protecting vulnerable young people respond when truth challenges what they are prepared to believe.
Kim approaches the film with an intentionally restrained visual language shaped by psychological compression, silence and performance. Shot in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, The Fixed Mark uses close framing to heighten the sense that Rainn is being contained, studied and pressed inward by the world around him. The film draws tonal inspiration from the atmospheric restraint of Denis Villeneuve and Jonathan Glazer, the emotional intimacy of Ingmar Bergman’s close-ups, and Steven Spielberg’s expressive use of camera movement.
“I wanted the film to resist easy answers,” Kim adds. “Rainn is not there to perform trauma for the audience, and Dr. Ward is not there to solve him like a puzzle. The deeper question is whether we are capable of recognizing truth when it arrives in a form we are not prepared to accept.”
Produced by Hanna, The Fixed Mark is executive produced by Dawn Lizzul and Paul Lizzul. The film’s creative team includes director of photography Ryan Broomberg, production designer and consulting producer Erica Tenaglia, and production sound mixer, sound designer and re-recording mixer Oleksii Laptev.
The Fixed Mark will hold a private industry screening during the 2026 American Film Market in Los Angeles this November, offering industry professionals an early opportunity to experience the film’s provocative exploration of trauma, grief, institutional failure and the elusive nature of truth.
Credits
Title:The Fixed Mark (35 minutes) Format: Short Drama / Psychological Thriller Writer & Director: Spencer Jay Kim Producer: Malek Hanna Executive Producers: Dawn Lizzul, Paul Lizzul Cast: Malek Hanna, Alex Lizzul, Danielle Nicolet, Danny Fehsenfeld, Spencer Jay Kim, Nancy Telzerow
Director of Photography: Ryan Broomberg Production Designer / Consulting Producer: Erica Tenaglia Production Sound Mixer, Sound Designer & Re-Recording Mixer: Oleksii Laptev
poster artwork and photos courtesy of Allegra Ventures LLC.
Award-winning filmmaker Caroline Cory will bring Superhuman 2: The Rebirth to Beverly Hills for a special red carpet theatrical premiere event at the historic Saban Theatre on Sunday, October 4, at 4 p.m.
The highly anticipated feature-film presentation serves as the theatrical introduction to Cory’s forthcoming four-part documentary series, which will later launch worldwide via streaming. The October 4th premiere will invite audiences, special guests, media, and supporters to experience the film’s exploration of consciousness, extraordinary perception, human potential, and emerging wellness technologies on the big screen.
A follow-up to Cory’s successful documentary, Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible, Superhuman 2: The Rebirth examines accounts of extraordinary perceptual and cognitive abilities—including the experiences of blind individuals who appear to perceive without conventional sight. Through interviews, live explorations, and perspectives from scientists, physicians, researchers, and thought leaders, the film poses a profound question: Are the limits of human potential far more expansive than previously understood?
“The Saban Theatre premiere is a meaningful next step for this project,” says Cory. “Superhuman 2: The Rebirth brings together remarkable people, provocative research, and deeply personal stories that encourage us to look beyond accepted limitations and consider what may be possible when we approach human potential with curiosity, compassion, and an open mind.”
Together, these contributors explore questions surrounding consciousness and perception, neuroplasticity, the mind-body connection, healing, frequency, and experiences that may extend beyond conventional models of sensory processing.
The project features leading voices across science, consciousness, medicine, neuroscience, physics, epigenetics, and wellness, including Bruce H. Lipton, PhD; Gregg Braden; Lynne McTaggart; Leigh Erin Connealy, MD; Michael Bernard Beckwith; Alex Gomez-Marin, PhD; Diane Hennacy, MD; Carlo Ventura, PhD; Gian Piero Abbate, PhD; Enrico Pierangeli, MD; Jeffery Tarrant, PhD; Robert Edward Grant; and Stephen Davis.
“Superhuman 2: The Rebirth is a beautifully composed and shot film. The team working with Cory are consummate professionals, and the imagery is crisp and clear… Superhuman 2: The Rebirth needs to be a film we can very easily follow, for the events being recorded are simply astounding and defy comprehension,” – Film Threat
NIKKI® Wellness Technology serves as the film’s principal partner and is featured as an example of next-generation wearable wellness technology. Developed by Frequency Exchange Corp., the NIKKI platform delivers proprietary frequency-based wellness programs intended to support sleep, stress management, energy, recovery, and overall vitality. The documentary incorporates NIKKI’s frequency-based programs within its broader exploration of wellness and human potential.
“Throughout the making of Superhuman 2: The Rebirth, we explored a range of ideas and innovations connected to wellness and human potential,” says Cory. “NIKKI stood out as a compelling example of technology designed to support people in practical, everyday areas such as rest, stress management, energy, and recovery.”
The full four-part Superhuman 2: The Rebirth docu-series will premiere globally following the theatrical rollout. For tickets, streaming updates, and additional information, visit Superhuman2.com.
Created, written, directed, and produced by Caroline Cory, Superhuman 2: The Rebirth is a four-part documentary series exploring human potential, consciousness, extrasensory perception, and the relationship between mind and matter. Building on Cory’s earlier film, Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible, the project brings together live experiments, researchers, physicians, scientists, and thought leaders to examine fundamental questions about perception, reality, and the expanded potential of the human experience.
Sony Pictures’ AFFIRM Films and Mucho Mas Media have released the official trailer for Live Like That, an inspirational drama inspired by a true story and set to open exclusively in theaters nationwide on February 26, 2027.
Written and directed by Dito Montiel and produced by Javier Chapa, the film centers on a family whose world is changed by an unimaginable loss. As their faith is tested, they make the extraordinary choice to answer grief not with anger, but with forgiveness—setting in motion a path toward healing within a community fractured by decades of conflict.
What begins as an intensely personal tragedy grows into a story of compassion, reconciliation and collective hope. Live Like That explores how love, faith and human connection can illuminate even the darkest circumstances, while honoring the enduring impact of one young man’s legacy.
The ensemble cast includes Esai Morales (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning), Roselyn Sanchez (Act of Valor), Cameron Arnett (The Forge), Ian Casselberry (The Odyssey), Richard Cabral (End of Watch), Carlos Pratts (McFarland, USA) and Jesse Garcia (Flamin’ Hot).
The newly released trailer offers a first look at the emotionally resonant film, which brings together an acclaimed cast and a message of unity at a time when stories of empathy and healing feel especially urgent.
Viewers can follow updates at @LiveLikeThatMovie on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or visit LiveLikeThatMovie.com.
Director Ramin Niami’s unconventional new drama Fade Away will have its world premiere at the Matera International Film Festival on October 1, 2026. Shot in Narni and Rome on an iPhone with a minimal crew, the 100-minute feature stars Nicolas Porcelli and Anastasia Bay in a psychologically charged story of love, memory, addiction and unraveling reality.
Written and developed day by day during production, Fade Away follows Anthony, an Italian American writer who returns to Narni after his wife Lara leaves him. As he revisits their once-hopeful relationship—and its deterioration amid his creative struggles and drinking—Lara unexpectedly reappears, setting in motion a narrative that moves between recollection, imagination and a darkly revealing final twist.
Niami embraced an unusually fluid production process, encouraging improvisation and inviting his actors to build fictionalized versions of themselves. “Why wait for endless development and financing? Why not just make the film?” the director says of the project, which prioritizes spontaneity, performance and a poetic visual language over conventional filmmaking structures.
Porcelli leads the cast as Anthony, alongside Bay as Lara, with Amedeo Carlo Capitanelli, Tatiana Klements and Elisa Gabrielli. Iranian New Wave filmmaker Amir Naderi serves as executive producer, lending creative support during the film’s development and editing.
The American French Film Festival marks its 30th anniversary with the Los Angeles premiere of IN WAVES, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s luminous animated feature adapted from AJ Dungo’s acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel. The film opens the festival on November 3 at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood. Passes are now on sale.
Set against the sun-drenched surf culture of Southern California, IN WAVES is a deeply moving love story about a shy teenage boy and the fearless girl who teaches him not only how to surf, but how to embrace life. Their connection is tested when illness takes her away, leaving behind a tender meditation on first love, grief, memory, and the healing pull of the ocean.
Directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen, the English-language animated feature stars Will Sharpe (Flowers, The White Lotus: Season 2) and Academy Award nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once). The Opening Night presentation is offered in association with Netflix.
Fresh from Cannes, where it made history as the first animated feature ever selected to open Critics’ Week, IN WAVES will launch both the festival and its awards competition, running November 3–8, 2026, at the DGA. The film will also receive an additional festival screening on November 7, ahead of its U.S. release by Netflix on December 11.
