‘AZI’ (Sundance 2025 short) Palpable tension and one hell of a tease.

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AZI

Azi_poster2024

Montana Mann‘s Sundance 2025 short film AZI is an intriguing cat-and-mouse game of power. A weekend trip away takes an odd but intriguing turn when a challenge presents itself. Seemingly harmless fun turns into something (perhaps) more sinister in a matter of hours.

Azi still 1The dynamic between 17-year-old Azi and her best friend’s father’s new girlfriend moves from passive-aggressive to outright challenge. You can cut the tension with a knife. Mann delivers enough longing looks between Wool and Goodjohn to wager guesses about each woman’s motivation. You’re dying to know what happens next once the screen goes black.

Breeda Wool has a talent for choosing juicy roles in indie films. Any cinephile of the genre knows her work, and her turn as Elizabeth is no exception. Wool brings an aura that is generally unexplainable other than to say you feel compelled to watch her. Dior Goodjohn is utterly captivating in the titular role. Where has she been all my life? Her ability to match Wool’s energy and presence should make heads turn. They make a dazzling pair.

Azi-Still_2Thankfully, a feature-length version of AZI is already in the works. Sundance 2025 audiences are in for one hell of a tease. These are guaranteed seats in butts whenever production is complete. Count me very much in.


Remaining Screening of AZI:

Jan 31, 1:10 PM  MST
Screening

Megaplex Redstone – 2

Park City

Jan 30, 10:00 AM  EST –
Feb 3, 6:55 AM  EST
Online Screening

Inspired by director and writer Montana Mann’s own coming-of-age experience, AZI tells the intimate and timely story of a Persian-American teenager contending with her identity and sexuality. The short follows seventeen-year-old Azi (Dior Negeen Goodjohn) on a weekend away with her best friend’s family, where she unexpectedly forms a mysterious and electric connection with another woman on the trip, Elizabeth (Breeda Wool), resulting in a psychological game that raises complex questions about their motives, power dynamics and the ability to take control of one’s own agency.


Montana Mann is a Persian-American award-winning writer/director from Virginia. Her most recent narrative short film, AZI, world premiered at Palm Springs International Shortfest, and won the SAGindie Award at HollyShorts. The feature adaptation of the same short participated in the 2024 Film Independent Fast Track program. As part of the MENA/SWANA diaspora, her work explores the journey of finding one’s identity as a female living between two cultures.

Producer Steven Snyder is an independent producer who most recently worked with Jim Burke at his company, Innisfree Pictures. There, he worked on the production of Green Book, which won three Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture. He is an executive producer on Dreamin’ Wild, which world premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and was released through Roadside Attractions. He is a 2024 Film Independent Fellow and was selected to participate in Inside Out’s International Finance Forum promoting queer creatives.

 

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‘DETAINED’ (2024) Abbie Cornish stars in a satisfying thriller.

kinogo quiver logoDETAINED

DETAINED poster

SYNOPSIS

In the dead of night, Rebecca (Cornish) wakes in a decrepit precinct, accused of a hit-and-run. But a deadly scuffle reveals a sinister plot. With nowhere to turn, she must uncover the truth before it consumes her. But Rebecca harbors secrets darker than they know.

Abbie Cornish in a scene from DETAINED - Photo Courtesy - Quiver Distribution

The long con is on in this creative bait-and-switch thriller. Filmmaker Felipe Mucci, alongside co-writer Jeremy Palmer, lures us into a mystery that cleverly unravels.

DETAINED boasts a solid ensemble cast. Breeda Wool elevated each film she’s in, and this is no exception. Her effortless vulnerability captivates. Justin H. Min‘s performance is also a standout. I loved him in Shortcomings and The Umbrella Academy. The role of Isaac is yet another display of his talents.

Laz Alonso in a scene from DETAINED - Photo Courtesy - Quiver DistributionLaz Alonzo does a fine job as the hypermasculine group leader, doing his best to keep up with Cornish. Speaking of, Abbie Cornish owns this role. It’s a tour de force. From the moment we see her, it’s already over.

(L-R) Abbie Cornish and Breeda Wool in a scene from DETAINED - Photo Courtesy - Quiver DistributionMucci and Palmer give Cornish the time to work her magic. We know her gears are turning throughout. Watching the dominoes fall is delightful. While I worked out a key plot point relatively early- I watch hundreds of films each year, it never lessened the elaborate twists. I still wondered precisely how we’d get from point A to B. Audiences get a lot to chew on in just over ninety minutes. DETAINED is devilishly satisfying.

VIEW THE TRAILER HERE

Quiver Distribution’s upcoming psychological thriller DETAINED starring Abbie Cornish, Laz Alonso, Moon Bloodgood, John Patrick Amedori, Justin H. Min, and Breeda Wool will open in select theaters and be available on VOD this Friday, August 2nd.

Directed by FELIPE MUCCI

Written by JEREMY PALMER and FELIPE MUCCI

Produced by RYAN SCARINGE

Executive Producers MONICA SUFAR, ABBIE CORNISH, and LAZ ALONSO

For more Thriller coverage, click here!

Bentonville Film Festival 2022 world premiere: ‘The Seven Faces Of Jane’ is a visionary experiment from 8 filmmakers.

THE SEVEN FACES OF JANE

Eight filmmakers come together to create one genre-obliterating film that centers around a woman named Jane. 

Goodbye/Hello

Gillian Jacobs

Jane drops off her daughter at sleepaway camp.

JaneSquared

Gia Coppola

In search of coffee, Jane encounters her doppelganger. 

Tayo

Boma Iluma

Jane reconnects with a previous lover. With super 8 footage overtop flashbacks, this story is pure romantic nostalgia. 

Guardian

Ryan Heffington

Jane rides an emotional and musical rollercoaster from delight to broken-heartedness, celebrating the friendship between her and a friend named Sybil. 

The Lonesome Road

Xan Cassavetes 

Jane picks up a free-spirited hitchhiker. Their drive is a fantasy sequence in more than one way. 

Rose

Julian J. Acosta

Jane encounters a girl running away from her Quinceanera. Their conversation turns to identity and confessions. It’s a celebration of similarities amongst strangers. As Rose, actress Daniela Hernandez is a star. 

The One Who Got Away

Ken Jeong

Community costar Joel McHale reunites with Gilligan Jacobs when Jane flags down a jogger and old friend sharing an intimate past. Jacobs and McHale have explosive chemistry together. When it comes down to it, McHale completely steals this scene. It is a wow of a turn. 

The Audition

Alex Takacs

Jane attends a call for a mysterious audition that begs more questions than answers. Breeda Wool gives us a manic performance you’ll struggle to shake. 

The only visual throughline is Jacobs and Jane’s all-new Ford Mustang Mach E. The automaker worked with producer Roman Coppola to bring the film to life. The stylistic maneuvering never lets you tune out. As each story differs in length and cinematography, The Seven Faces of Jane is an extraordinary film. Bentonville 2022 audiences are in for one wild ride.


Directed by:

Gillian Jacobs, Gia Coppola, Boma Iluma, Ryan Heffington, Xan Cassavetes, Julian J. Acosta, Ken Jeong, Alex Takacs

Starring:

Gillian Jacobs, Anthony Skordi, Chido Nwokocha, Sybil Azur, Emanuela Postacchini, Joni Reiss, Soledad St. Hilaire, Joel McHale, Caroline Ducrocq, Breeda Wool

Produced by:

Roman Coppola p.g.a., Jason Baum p.g.a. Sarah Park. Allison Amon p.g.a. and Luke Ricci

Executive Producers:

Chris Chang, Duffy Culligan, Tara Schaeffer, Alessandro Uzielli and Jordan Weisman

Editors:

Peter Cabada Hagan, Scott Hanson, Armen Harootun, Niles Howard, Jacob Mendel, Michael Wolfe

Cinematographer:

Andy Catarisano

Runtime:

92 minutes


To find out more about Bentonville 2022 click here!

In-Person Festival – June 22 – 26; Virtual Festival – June 22 – July 3

Tribeca Festival 2021 review: ‘Ultrasound’ is a mind-melting film.

Ultrasound

Synopsis: Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he spots a house, knocks on the door and is greeted by an oddly friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie, is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon begins questioning her role in a bizarre experiment, fearing that she’s doing more harm than good.

When I tell you you’re not ready for Ultrasound, I mean that as a huge compliment because this film is a sci-fi mind melt. Boasting an outstanding cast and incredible writing, this is a film that you’ll want to tell everyone about. Three different stories, all equally mysterious, will reel you in with smartly laid-out breadcrumbs. Between exclamations of “Huh?” and “Wait, what?!” I have no doubt you will be hungry for more.

Vincent Kartheiser plays Glen with both a sense of an “everyman” quality and someone with long lingering PTSD. Chelsea Lopez brings a naivete to Cyndi that is spot on. Breeda Wool as Shannon allows the audience a small window into the insanity of this film. Alongside Bob Stephenson’s nuanced performance as Art, Ultrasound is a ping-pong match of converging stories and characters that will confuse, excite, and melt your brain.

The editing becomes increasingly important as the mystery unravels. Ultrasound is relentlessly twisted. There is so much happening in this script, you have to pay careful attention to it all. Ultrasound is best viewed with no preconceived notions. Throw out everything you think you know and take the ride. Tribeca audiences will eat this up. Ultrasound will keep you baffled long after the credits roll. It demands repeat viewing.

Check out the clip below for a preview:

**WORLD PREMIERE**
CAST: Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Breeda Wool, Tunde Adebimpe, Rainey Qualley, Chris Gartin, Bob Stephenson
DIRECTOR: Rob Schroeder