Bella Thorne’s latest project is set to open one of Italy’s most popular film festival.
Saint Clare, starring the 26-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer and Ryan Phillippe, will open Italy’s Taormina Film Festival.
Described as a “thriller,” the film is based on Don Roff’s novel Clare at Sixteen.
Set in a small town, the story follows a solitary young woman who is haunted by voices that lead her to assassinate ill-intended people and get away with it until her last kill sucks her down a rabbit hole riddled with corruption, trafficking, and visions from the beyond.
The film is directed by Italian film director and screenwriter Mitzi Peirone, who also co-wrote the script with Guinevere Turner.
Thorne stars in the titular role with Philippe and Rebecca DeMornay (Wedding Crashers) supporting.
The film was produced by David Chackler, Arielle Elwes and Joel Michaely.
The original soundtrack is by Zola Jesus.
“We couldn’t have dreamed of a better debut for our oneiric film than the gorgeously historic Taormina,” said Peirone. “We are elated and humbled, especially for a picture that delves into spiritual beauty, female sainthood, and fate, there is no better home in the world than Sicily.”
Thorne returns to Taormina after guest curating a gala evening at last year’s festival.
The 26-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer will make her feature directorial debut with Color Your Hurt, the true story of a young gay man growing up in the Bible Belt.
Thorne has started the casting process on the project, which is based on her original screenplay and a short film she has made called Unsettled, which is in post-production.
Filming is being lined up for the Midwest and Italy in spring of this year.
The Midnight Sun and Babysitteractress made Unsettled in June 2023 (around the same time her short film Paint Her Reddebuted at the Taormina Film Festival) with producers JenGatien and Eddie Alcazar. It was edited by Ron Dulin with additional editing from Alfonso Gonçalves.
Gatien will produce Color Your Hurt along with David Lipper and Robert A. Daly Jr. of Latigo Films, Dani Druz and Mark Emms, with Adam Sigal and actor CG Lewis serving as executive producers.
Previously, Thorne worked with Sigal, Druz and Lipper and Daly on The Tower, currently in post-production, Gatien on Midnight Sun, and Alcazar on Divinity, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year.
“Color Your Hurt is not just a screenplay; it’s one of the most inspiring projects I’ve ever penned. As I step into my new role as a movie director, it symbolizes the beginning of a truly impactful and exhilarating chapter in my career. I could not be more honored to tell a true story that has moments I deeply connect with,” said Thorne.
“Bella is remarkably talented, and Bob Daly and I want to support her vision in what is a very important story that needs to be told,” added Lipper.
Thorne, who has also released music, in 2019 directed adult short film Her & Him.
The 25-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer will star opposite Jack Kilmer in The Tower, one of 102 projects to have been granted a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement following the launch of the actors strike.
The fantastical drama, from filmmaker Adam Sigal, will also feature Cam Gigandet and Chris Mullinax.
The film currently in production is billed as a dark tale about a mysterious mermaid trapped and forgotten for years in the water tower of a small Southern town.
Sigal described it as his “attempt to interpret the isolation and wanderlust I felt growing up in a small Southern town.”
The Tower is among the projects that began shooting shortly before the SAG-AFTRA strike launched and went on pause in the wake of the walkout until the securement of a SAG waiver.
Of his project’s ability to move forward amidst the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Sigal said, “It breaks my heart that there are so many actors, writers and crews unable to work at the moment, and I realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to finish this film. I am incredibly grateful to SAG for continuing to support independent film, and as soon as we wrap, the cast of The Tower and I will be out there on the picket lines beside our fellow actors and writers, fighting for what they deserve.”
Rising to fame with her starring role on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, Thorne has since appeared in numerous films including Blended, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Netflix’s The Babysitter and its sequel, Amityville: The Awakening and Infamous.
Bella Thorne is expanding her resume with work behind the camera…
The 25-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer, who has some 130 credits after nearly 20 years in Hollywood, recently debuted her short film Paint Her Redand also guest curated the ‘Influential Shorts’ evening at the Taormina Film Festival for which she presented a diverse selection of half a dozen cutting edge works.
It’s part of Thorne’s next chapter as she strives to make her mark behind the camera.
“Directing has always been something that I’ve just loved. When I’m on set, I’m behind the camera. I’m asking the DP questions. I’m wondering, and that’s always been how it was for me since really, really young,” Thorne told Deadline.
Thorne’s short, an unapologetically raw work, co-stars her and young influencer Julet Sterner in a series of powerful vignettes showing a woman’s journey as she struggles to break free of the patriarchy and the implications of the male gaze.
“The whole film is like a giant metaphor for what we feel like, these boxes that we were born into, the song that we keep singing… you sing this song and then at some point, you say, what are the words to this song? Do I know the words. You look around and you’re kind of questioning but you’re dancing too,” said Thorne.
“That’s why that line I wrote is in there – I just keep on dancing and they want me to keep dancing – I think that that’s a nice metaphor for society and how we feel and how we just keep going, even through all the warning signs… we just still keep dancing.”
Thorne’s character emerges as a movie starlet whose life appears to be embroiled with a seedy cigar-smoking producer, with the storyline hinting at a murky backdrop of sexual harassment and abuse.
The actress, who has spoken openly about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, says the film is not uniquely about the film industry.
“It’s much bigger than Hollywood. The story is told within this outlook but it’s really something that no matter where you go in life, you’re finding it,” she said.
In the final scene, the actress breaks free of a male body suit to reveal her true self.
“The ending started with an idea of how it feels to take him off you. I’ve spoken about this in the past. When you have been abused and sexually abused, you kind of wear it on your skin, like a dirty cologne, that is just attached to you, you can’t get him off you. You look in the mirror and he’s there, he’s all over your face and your skin and, and there’s something horrifying about that.”
Israeli writer, director and producer Oren Moverman provides the male voiceover mixing poetry and prose, through which the protagonist tells her story for most of the film.
“I have worked on some other things with Oren and he’s just such an amazing writer and amazing creator… He’s always taken an interest in me as a director and said,’ I know you’ve got it in you, kiddo,” recounted Thorne.
“He was like, ‘I don’t act.’ And I’m like, ‘Can you come to this ADR booth, please. And here’s the script, here’s the short, it would really mean the world to me. He loved it, so he did it and trusted me with it.”
Thorne says that the move into directing with Paint Her Red is a natural progression after years of using writing as a means to process explore and process past traumas and events in her life.
As Paint Her Red began its festival journey at Taormina, Thorne has already shot another short film based on a harrowing true story recounted to the actress by a close friend, who then insisted on playing their own role in the work.
“I felt like it would help them get through this time in their life. We just shot it and he wanted to act as himself… the bravery and the courage that it takes somebody to relive these kinds of things,” she says.
The actress-filmmaker reveals that she is so pleased with the end result that she now plans to expand the work to feature-length movie.
“Once you start you just can’t stop. It’s kind of like a tattoo. You just get more and more obsessed and in love and you just keep adding,” she says of her newfound love of directing.
Bella Thorne’s latest film is preparing to have its first international showing…
The 25-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer’s feature Divinity, hailing from Bolivian American director Eddie Alcazar, is set to premiere internationally at the Taormina Film Festival on June 29th in Italy.
Writer and director Alcazar and stars Thorne, Karrueche Tran and Moises Arias will appear at the Teatro Antico for the celebration.
The feature, produced by Steven Soderbergh, was reportedly acquired at Sundance by Utopia and Sumerian for seven figures.
It will also screen in Germany at the Munich Film Festival and in Canada at Fantasia Film Festival this summer.
Divinity is set in an otherworldly human existence where scientist Sterling Pierce (Scott Bakula) is on a quest for immortality, slowly creating the building blocks of a groundbreaking serum named “Divinity.” Jaxxon Pierce (Stephen Dorff), his son, now controls and manufactures his father’s once-benevolent dream.
Society on this barren planet has been entirely perverted by the supremacy of the drug, whose true origins are shrouded in mystery. Two mysterious brothers (Jason Genao and Arias) arrive with a plan to abduct the mogul, and with the help of a seductive woman named Nikita (Tran), they will be set on a path hurtling toward true immortality.
“Divinity is a creative tour-de-force. We are fortunate to be screening the film’s European premiere after its success at Sundance. I look forward to welcoming Eddie Alcazar and the film’s cast to the premiere in Taormina. It will surely be one of the highlights of the Festival this year,” said Barrett Wissman, the Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director.
Prior to his success with Divinity, Alcazar directed The Vandal, executive produced by Darren Aronofsky, which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. Additionally, he directed the feature-length sci-fi thriller Perfect (2018), executive produced by Soderbergh through his company Brainfeeder Films and produced 2016’sKuso.
The Bolivian American writer-director is teaming up with British gaming mogul Paul Wedgwood to launch the Los Angeles and London-based production company Entropy Pictures.
Alcazar’s most recent project is the Sundance Film Festival thriller Divinity, starring Stephen Dorff, Bella Thorne and Scott Bakula.
Wedgwood, who most recently executive-produced thriller The Kill Room starring Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, was a co-founder of successful video game developer Splash Damage.
The duo’s new film, TV and transmedia firm Entropy will look to “seed and develop IP which is character-driven, high-concept and has commercial appeal”. The company will look to make three to five films a year with financial backing from Wedgwood’s investment firm Supernova Capital.
Veteran games and studio executive Nick Bridger will serve as Head of Development and Production, while line producer James Allen — who has worked on all of Alcazar’s productions — is also aboard.
The first film on the slate is a hybrid live action-animated thriller called Absolute, which Alcazar wrote and will direct as his next feature, producing alongside Wedgwood.
The film follows a pair of college friends who are working on a device that will change humanity’s relationship with the universe. The device can transport a person into a neighboring dimension using one’s mind to complete a roadmap. When one of the friends experiences a devastating relationship breakup, he makes a choice to enter the portal they have created in search of a better version of his girlfriend.
According to the partners, financing is in place and the film is due to shoot this summer.
Alacazar wrote, directed and produced Divinity with a guiding hand from Steven Soderbergh, who served as executive producer. The black and white Sundance NEXT project is set in an otherworldly human existence where a serum named “Divinity” is all powerful.
“Creating a foundation for this type of film is very motivating as there are so many opportunities to explore different worlds and each can lend itself to many formats such as film, digital and animation to truly immerse the audience in a specific style of emotion,” said Alcazar. “Ultimately this is a story about young adults striving to be recognized and significant in an imperfect world. They follow grandiose ideas in order to give their lives meaning and end up realizing peace of mind and love are found in simplicity, not absolute perfection.”
Wedgwood added: “I want to work with the most talented storytellers in the business – and Eddie is of course in that upper echelon of multitalented next generation writer/directors who really challenge audiences. In Absolute, he has created a gripping and evocative story that is a distinctly original cinematic experience. This is the type of bold film that will define Entropy.”
Wedgwood commented about Entropy: “As a company, we see ourselves as hyper-creative, nimble and collaborative. Eddie, Nick and myself are creators at heart and have complex projects we’ll develop and nurture very carefully. With the film landscape continuing to shift and evolve, our approach to championing distinctive material and bringing our creative visions to life is what drives us. I’m thrilled to start this exciting new endeavor with Eddie and Nick and work creatively and collaboratively to build a specialized brand.”
Added Alcazar: “With Entropy, we have an exciting new model for making films – one that empowers creators and their vision. Paul and I share a unique creative vision and underlying business philosophies that will fuel us as we grow the company and our output.”
The 26-year-old Dominican actor, who starred in Bridge & Tunneland 13 Reasons Why has joined the supporting cast of the thriller Saint Clare.
The film stars Bella Thorne, Ryan Phillippe, Rebecca De Mornay, Frank Whaley, Bart Johnson and Dylan Flashner.
Currently in post-production, Saint Clare follows Clare Bleecker (Thorne), a quiet catholic college student with a divine vocation for killing. Phillippe will play the role of Timmons, a police officer investigating the latest murder in the small town, with Clare as his prime suspect. Whaley will portray Mailman Bob, a ghost from Clare’s past, with Johnson pulling double duty as twin brothers Joe and Randall, and Flashner set for the supporting role of Wade.
Castellanos will portray the role of Truman, a mysterious college student who becomes one of Clare’s friends and then a love interest.
Also among cast are Myrom Kingery, Erica Dasher and Joy Rovaris.
Mitzi Peirone directed the film, based on Don Roff’s novel. Peirone has also scripted the indie movie with American Psycho‘s Guinevere Turner. David Chackler,Arielle Elwes and Joel Michaely are producers.
Foresight Unlimited is handling foreign sales. Screen Media has slated the film for release in North American theaters in 2023.
The 52-year-old Mexican-American media personality, Emmy-winning journalist and actress, is starring in Vito Schnabel-led dark comedy The Trainer, which has wrapped filming in Los Angeles, New York and the Bahamas.
Sanchez, who gained fame as an entertainment reporter and news anchor, is part of a cast that includes Paris Hilton, Finneas O’Connell, Sandra Seacat and journalist Gayle King.
Written by Schnabel and Jeff Solomon, the film is based on the former’s original story. It unfolds over eight days of sleep-deprived chaos and follows Jack (Schnabel), a down-on-his-luck fitness expert living with his mother in Los Angeles, who takes a maniacal swing at fame and fortune, trying to realize his version of the American dream.
Tony Kaye directed the film boasting one of the most eclectic ensembles in recent memory, which also includes Julia Fox, Steven Van Zandt, Taylour Paige, Stephen Dorff,John McEnroe, Gina Gershon, Luka Sabbat, Gus Van Sant, Lenny Kravitz, Beverly D’Angelo, Colleen Camp, Gavin Rossdale, Soo Joo Park, Brock O’Hurn, Bella Thorne, Laird Hamilton and Duke Nicholson.
Schnabel, Kaye and Jeremy Steckler are producing The Trainer, with George Paaswell serving as executive producer.
Sanchez has been seen on programs likeThe View, KTTV Fox 11’s Good Day LA, the Fox 11 Ten O’clock News, Extra,Larry King Live,The Joy Behar Showand Showbiz Tonight. Past film credits include Ted 2, White House Down, Celeste & Jesse Forever, We Bought a Zoo, Fantastic Fourand Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Akeelah and the Bee, The Longest Yard, The Day After Tomorrowand Fight Club. She’s also been seen on series like Rake, Dirtand Girlfriends, among others.
Sanchez also notably founded aerial production company Black Ops Aviation and serves as Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.
The 24-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer will star in the thriller Saint Clare, co-written by Guinevere Turner.
The film will follow Clare Bleecker (Thorne), a quiet catholic college student with a divine vocation for killing. The story is based on the novel Clare at 16by Don Roff, with its novel sequel out in 2023.
Producers are in negotiations with Rebecca DeMornay to join the cast, with additional casting of other key roles underway.
Production is scheduled to begin soon in Kentucky.
The film will be directed by Mitzi Peirone, who has also scripted with Turner (who co-wrote the screenplay for cult Bret Easton Ellis adaptation American Psycho).
Screen Media has picked up worldwide rights to the project and will have its Foresight Unlimited division launch international sales at this month’s Cannes Film Festival market. Screen Media will distribute the film in the U.S.
Thorne is best known for her roles in several films and shows, including Midnight Sun, The DUFF, The Babysitterseries and Amityville: The Awakening, as well as television like Famous In Loveand Paradise City.
Screen Media said: “With such a talented pedigree, we’re thrilled to be continuing our relationship with Cassian Elwes and his Elevated Films banner and working with Bella Thorne again on this powerful project that will captivate audiences.”
Producer Arielle Elwes added: “We’re thrilled to be working with the incredible Bella Thorne; she is so perfect for the role. Mitzi is the real thing, and I can’t wait to see what she cooks up for what will be a great franchise.”
The 24-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer has been cast in the indie film Divinity.Thorne is among the final cast members to be announced for the film, alongside Scott Bakula.
The project is the latest collaboration between Steven Soderbergh and Eddie Alcazar. Cypress Hills’ DJ Muggs will serve as musical composer.
Chris Santos, Danielia Maximillian, Lydia Bielen, and Emily Willis round out the cast.
Previously announced actors leading the project include Stephen Dorff, Jason Genao, Moises Arias, Karrueche Tran, and Mike O’Hearn.
Divinity follows otherworldly brothers (Genao & Arias) that are hellbent on stopping a mogul (Dorff) who is close to unraveling the secrets behind immortality.
The film includes elements of Alcazar’s “Metascope” technique which combines stop motion animation and live-action sequences. The technique was featured in his short film The Vandal, a collaboration with Darren Aronofsky, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021.
Divinity is targeting completion ahead of the film festival circuit.
Alcazar previously worked with his mentor Soderbergh on his feature debut Perfect, released in 2018, a sci-fi thriller starring Abbie Cornish,Rainey Qualley, Courtney Eaton, and Tao Okamoto.