It’s that time again, when Deadline decamps to New York City to bring you the latest installment of our Contenders Film series, with the lowdown on some of our favorite Oscar-season possibilities.
Today’s installment, live and in-person at The Times Center in Manhattan, offers some show-stopping talent (see the full lineup and schedule of panels below).
One of the juiciest much-awaited stories this season is Universal Pictures’ She Said, the Maria Schrader-directed telling of the investigation behind New York Times’ 2017 exposé of Harvey Weinstein that launched the #MeToo movement in Hollywood. Based on the 2019 book by the story-breaking journalists Jodi Kantor and Meghan Twohey, Zoe Kazan will be here to talk about her role as Kantor, starring opposite Carey Mulligan as Twohey.
As with She Said, stories based on truth tend to rank high among Oscar contenders, and this year is no exception. In Chinoye Chukwu’s Till, we get a devastatingly close-up look at the real-life lynching in 1955 of 14-year-old Emmett Till, and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s trajectory toward life as a civil rights activist. Chukwu will speak about his work on the film from Orion Pictures and United Artists Releasing, joined on a panel with Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Mamie, and co-star John Douglas Thompson.
Also taking to the Contenders stage in the true-life department is Netflix’s The Good Nurse. Starring Jessica Chastain as Nurse Amy Loughren and Eddie Redmayne as her serial-killer co-worker Charlie Cullen, the film, penned by 1917 Oscar-winner Krysty Wilson-Cairns, explores how Loughren came to expose Cullen’s crimes. This one’s also based on a journalist’s book — Charles Graeber’s true-crime story. Director Tobias Lindholm and producer Scott Franklin join to discuss.
Also from Netflix — although fictional this time, based on the 1985 novel by Don DeLillo — comes Noah Baumbach’s latest, White Noise. The Marriage Story writer and director will be here to dig into this environmental disaster tale starring his frequent collaborator—and partner in life—Greta Gerwig, along with Adam Driver and producer David Heyman.
From fellow streamer Apple Original Films, we have Causeway, starring Jennifer Lawrence as an Afghanistan vet struggling to adjust to civilian life following a traumatic brain injury. Producer Justine Ciarrochi will join to discuss the film. Also from Apple, Reginald Hudlin will join in to talk about his Sidney Poitier documentary Sidney.
As usual we have a smorgasbord of themes and genres on display including RRR, from director and co-writer S.S. Rajamouli, who’ll discuss his Indian Telugu-language fictional story centering on a clash between historical leaders in the wake of a young girl’s kidnapping in India.
Plus, we’ll be taking a look at Italian mobster drama Nostalgia from director and co-writer Mario Martone, who’ll be on stage with his co-writer Ippolia Di Majo to discuss the story about a longtime friendship divided by organized crime.
Follow our coverage of the day on Deadline at on social media at #DeadlineContenders, and check back Monday when we launch out streaming site featuring video of all eight panels.
Here is today’s lineup (all times are ET and approximate):
9-10:20 am – Breakfast
10:30 a.m. – Opening Remarks
ORION PICTURES/UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING
10:35-10:50 a.m. – Till
Chinonye Chukwu (Writer/Director)
Danielle Deadwyler (Actor)
John Douglas Thompson (Actor)
APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS
10:53-11:08 a.m. – Causeway
Justine Ciarrochi (Producer)
11:09-11:24 a.m. – Sidney
Reginald Hudlin (Director)
VARIANCE FILMS
11:30-11:45 a.m. – RRR
S.S. Rajamouli (Co-Writer/Director)
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
11:51 a.m.-12:06 p.m. – She Said
Zoe Kazan (Actor)
BREAKING GLASS PICTURES
12:09-12:24 p.m. – Nostalgia
Mario Martone (Co-Writer/Director)
Ippolita Di Majo (Co-Writer)
NETFLIX
12:30-12:45 p.m. – The Good Nurse
Tobias Lindholm (Director)
Scott Franklin (Producer)
12:46-1:01 p.m. – White Noise
Noah Baumbach (Director/Writer/Producer)
Greta Gerwig (Actor)
Adam Driver (Actor)
David Heyman (Producer)