Focus Features

Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, is set to honor Focus Features at this year's Point Honors New York gala on April 16, 2012. Accepting the Point Inspiration Award will be Focus Features CEO James Schamus and President Andrew Karpen.

"The ethos of Focus Features and its films - celebrating diverse experiences, questioning the norm, promoting intellectual curiosity and creative expression - are the same qualities we encourage in our Point Scholars," said Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Point Foundation. "Films like MILK and PARIAH speak to the values of diversity and empowerment Focus shares with Point and the LGBT community. It is so important that young people have an opportunity to watch films like these, where maybe they can for the first time find representations of themselves on the screen, and come away awed and inspired."

Focus Featurs has made and distributed such ground breaking work as Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and Gus Van Sant's MILK, as well as recently releasing such powerful LGBT-themed words as Lisa Cholodenko's THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, Mike Mills' BEGINNERS (with Christopher Plummer being Oscar-nominated for playing a dad who comes out later in life), and Dee Rees' PARIAH. Other great LGBT-themed Focus films include Todd Haynes' FAR FROM HEAVEN, François Ozon's 8 WOMEN, and Pawel Pawlikowski's MY SUMMER OF LOVE. And FOCUS WORLD has James Franco's THE BROKEN TOWER available for digital distribution. Prior to co-founding Focus, CEO James Schamus was involved in a number of groundbreaking LGBT films, as Executive Producer of Todd Haynes's Poison and Tom Kalin's Swoon; and as Producer and co-screenwriter of Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet.

For complete info, see our press release.

Out of Sundance 2012, Focus Features has acquired fest favorite FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL..., a debut comedy form director Jamie Travis with a star-studded cast and a hilarious set up. The film, written by Lauren Anne Miller & Katie Anne Naylon, focuses on two women -- Lauren (Lauren Anne Miller) and Katie (Ari Graynor) -- who, short on cash, decide to share a New York apartment together. When Lauren realizes that Katie works as at-home phone-sex operator, she decides to join in, and the two  create a profitable business and lasting friendship. The cast also includes Justin Long, Mark Webber, James Wolk, and Nia Vardalos. Focus CEO James Schamus commented, "The FOR A GOOD TIME... team have crafted that rarest of combinations -- a wildly funny comedy that's also a genuine and heartfelt celebration of friendship and love. We're so proud to join them in bringing to the world a film that not only lifted its cheering audiences at Sundance to their feet, but lifted our spirits, too."  For full info, go to the official Press Release.

With MOONRISE KINGDOM ahead, Video DJ kogonada spins together a lovely concoction of scenes, all shot from above, from Wes Anderson films, set to Jonathan Elias' song "More to See."

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY Co-Screenwriter Peter Straughan joins Larry Mantle of KPCC to talk about the travails and triumphs of adapting John le Carré's classic spy novel. On the KPCC site, there's a podcast of the radio show with Mr. Straughan talking about the complexity of adapting the complicated spy yarn and le Carré's enthusiasm for the project, as well as the tragedy of losing his wife and co-screenwriter, Bridget O'Connor, to cancer right before the film went into production. Great stuff.

In "Spy Work," a profile/interview of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY's Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman in LA, the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, Eric Estrin talks with the actor about his life and work. With photographs by Andrew Macpherson. The piece starts with an amazing story about how Oldman was beaten up by real punks on the set of Sid & Nancy, and then moves forward in time to Oldham wrestling with himself over taking the role of George Smiley in TINKER, especially after Alec Guinness had made the character  so famous. Oldman recalls, "That stopped me from committing to the project immediately. I had to slay the dragon in my head for about a month before I said yes." Lucky for us, the the part of him who wanted the role won.

In a lovely little video, the very chic writer/director of PARIAH, Dee Rees, talks to Italian Vogue about the film, herself and the path she took to get PARIAH on the screen. See the whole video here.

The funny NPR show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" recently invited TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY's Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman to join in. In the "Not My Job" section, where they ask celebrities to answer question about subjects they know nothing about, Mr. Oldman was asked three questions about the shiny, happy singing group Up With People. Test your knowledge, and then listen to the whole show at the "Wait, Wait" site. Here is one of the questions from host Peter Sagal:

The first Up With People concert at Mackinaw Island had a very unexpected act. Was it, A: Glenn Close, the actress, singing her own composition "The Happy Song." B: the young Vincent Furnier, soon to be known as Alice Cooper? Or C: the two year old Michael Stipe of REM mumbling happy birthday?

Cinema pundit David Poland delivers TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY's Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman in a very rich and expansive video as part of his DP/30 series. Oldman ranges about working, his career, public expectations and why TINKER, TAILOR was such a good movie. As one comment put it, "I could listen to this man talk for hours."

In case you doubt the dramatic power of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY's Oscar-nominated Gary Oldman, you need only see his tour de force reading of the "Jersey Shore" episode recap on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Snooki has never sounded so intriguing. You can see the whole show on Jimmy Kimmel's site.

This one looks to be great. Eric Bana (seen above from his recent turn in HANNA) and Rebecca Hall are signed up to star in an upcoming untitled international thriller to begin production in April from Focus Features and Working Title Films. The film is from an original screenplay by Steven Knight, who'd originally penned David Cronenberg's Russian mafia yarn EASTERN PROMISES, and will be directed by John Crowley, who gained international attention with his Boy A. In the thriller, two ex-lovers, Martin (Bana) and Claudia (Hall) find their loyalties tested and their lives at risk when they are joined together on the defense team in a terrorism trial. Focus CEO James Schamus and President Andrew Karpen said, "Working Title and John Crowley have not only crafted a nail-biting thriller, but an emotional rollercoaster as well - one that speaks to the heart of the human condition in our time."  Get the full press release here.