Join NYWIFT courtesy of Shudder for a Halloween-themed virtual screening of Bad Things, available to watch Friday, October 20th – Friday, October 27th.
The screening will be followed by a live virtual conversation with director Stewart Thorndike, producer Lexi Tannenholtz, production designer and executive producer Amy Williams, and producer Lizzie Shapiro on Friday, October 27th. Moderated by NYWIFT Board Member Okema T. Moore.
Following its premiere at Tribeca and just in time for Halloween, Bad Things stars Gayle Rankin (The Greatest Showman, Glow), Hari Nef (Barbie), and Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story). Come experience the film that Indiewire described as a “queer-take on The Shining with a killer cast that is a great amount of fun.”
When a group of friends escape the city to spend the weekend in an abandoned hotel, a pervading eerie energy begins to illuminate the cracks in their little family unit. Ruthie Nodd (Gayle Rankin) inherits the hotel from her grandmother and with bad childhood memories threatening to burst to the surface, Ruthie wants to sell the hotel and never return. But her partner Cal (Hari Nef) drags her there in the hopes of returning it to its former glory. They are joined by their amiable friend Maddie (Rad Pereira) and mysterious grifter Fran (Annabelle Dexter-Jones). As the friends dance, cook, flirt, and fight, they find themselves entwined in the hotel’s seductive embrace and start doing bad things to each other.
Screening: Film can be accessed through Shudder (7 day free trial available once you register on their site)
Q&A Date: Friday, October 27th, 2023
Time: 5 PM – 6 PM ET
Location: Virtual (Zoom link for Q&A will be included in confirmation email)
Cost: Free to watch Q&A on 10/27
Panelists
Lexi Tannenholtz is a producer based in NYC. Lexi most recently produced Shudder’s BAD THINGS by Stewart Thorndike starring Gayle Rankin and Molly Ringwald which premiered at the Tribeca Festival 2023. She also produced Utopia Films’ CHESTNUT by Jac Cron starring Natalia Dyer (NewFest 2023) and BOOGER by Mary Dauterman (Fantasia 2023). She is also an executive producer on Grace Glowicki’s sophomore feature DEAD LOVER. Lexi participated in the invite only Tribeca Festival Creators Market in both 2022 and 2023 and is a 2022 Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow. Her films have screened at Sundance, SXSW and Outfest and she has worked in partnership with Netflix, FX, Comedy Central and Adult Swim. Other work includes THE DREAM on Hulu, Chris Gethard’s docu stand-up special, HALF MY LIFE on Amazon and a BROAD CITY documentary which premiered at the 92nd Street Y in conversation with Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson and Whoopi Goldberg.
Emmy winner Amy Williams grew up in Novi Michigan, outside of Detroit. She studied at Michigan State University, where she earned a Degree in Art History and Political Philosophy. After graduation, she moved to New York City, managing and curating for contemporary art galleries The Leo Koening Gallery, MOCADC, and Stephen Stux Gallery.
In 2006 she began working in film and television, quickly amassing a body of work that includes features JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD and LOVE IS STRANGE. Both were 2014 Sundance Film festival selections while her film, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, premiered at the festival as well. Other films like THE MAIDS ROOM, LAST WEEKEND, LONGEST WEEK, HUNGRY HEARTS, and the critically acclaimed and award-winning films from director Ira’s Sachs KEEP THE LIGHTS ON and LOVE IS STRANGE add to her impressive catalog of films. In 2014, her scenic work led to her first Emmy win for A CRIME TO REMEMBER and an Art Director’s Guild Nomination for the second season of MASTER OF NONE. More recently, Amy’s work can be viewed in the Judd Apatow series CRASHING for HBO, the series THE WILDS for Amazon, the 2021 Tribeca Festival hit and IFC Midnight film WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING and BAD THINGS, THE MILL the limited series WE CRASHED (Apple TV+), the upcoming feature THE IDEA OF YOU directed by Michael Showalter, and the A24 film DEATH OF A UNICORN.
Lizzie Shapiro is a producer at The Space Program. She most recently produced Brittany Snow’s PARACHUTE and Aristotle Torres’ STORY AVE in competition at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. PARACHUTE received Special Jury Awards for both Directing and Performance, and STORY AVE received the Special Jury Award for Cinematography. She also premiered Stewart Thorndike’s BAD THINGS and James Gallagher’s SONGS ABOUT FUCKING at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Additionally, she produced the 2022 Independent Spirit Cassavetes Award winner SHIVA BABY (SXSW ’20, TIFF ’20) and MICKEY AND THE BEAR (SXSW ’19, Cannes ’19) that both premiered to critical acclaim and were distributed by Utopia Films. Lizzie is also serving as a Co-Executive Producer on the Adam McKay/Emma Seligman SUGAR BABY series currently in development at HBO. She is the 2023 SXSW recipient of the Janet Pierson Champion Producing award, and the 2022 recipient of the Independent Spirit Producing Award.
Okema T. Moore (moderator) is an Emmy-nominated PGA producer and rising director, as well as a writer and actor. A 2021 Directing Fellow for Minorities In Film’s inaugural branded lab, she has directed and produced content for the likes of Lifetime, Netflix, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, FOX, and Disney/Marvel. 2021 also marked Okema’s first Showrunner title, as she showran and directed BRIC TV’s first late night variety talk show, Hella Late! with Hollie Harper. This banner year also included serving as director and EP for a new sketch series presently being shopped. Prior to being a for-hire director, Okema began to stretch her directing muscle with her own indie work and a series of award-winning short plays off-off Broadway. Since then, she’s built a successful career producing TV shows such as Kenya Barris’ Klutch Academy for BET, and Beat Bobby Flay andThe Kitchen on The Food Network. Okema has also produced a host of unscripted shows and documentaries/docu series including Oprah’s Color of Care, Founding In ColorSeason 2 on Peacock, and Nomad with Carlton McCoy on CNN. However, her heart is now geared towards a focus in scripted television and navigating a successful career in that world. Okema serves on the boards of NYWIFT and the Black TV & Film Collective. She is committed to continuing to lift while she climbs, to build up womxn, queer, IPOC and Black creatives, as she simultaneously strives for a successful future as a TV writer, director, and showrunner.
This program will take place virtually as a webinar via Zoom. Please register in advance, and all registrants will receive a link to attend the webinar the day of the event.
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
