As a former child dancer, maybe it shouldn’t surprise anyone that 21-year-old Talia Ryder moved so gracefully into singing, directing and acting. But don’t make her choose just one. “I really like making things, whether that’s acting, directing, choreography or all of the above,” she says.

Since her 2020 film debut in the Sundance abortion drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” the Indie Spirit nominee has brought her naturalistic acting to “West Side Story,” “Master,” “Do Revenge” and “Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between.” She returns to the festival circuit with “Dumb Money,” Craig Gillespie’s comedy about the 2021 GameStop stock craze, which had a TIFF Gala premiere Sept. 8. and begins its theatrical rollout Sept. 15.

“It was such an insane moment in time,” says Ryder, who was interviewed before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “Everyone was on their phones, and I felt involved in that story — a good friend was pretty invested in it, financially and emotionally. Instead of [the film] totally being from the perspective of big Wall Street guys, you see how all kinds of people are affected.”

Given her impressive work, it is surprising to learn that the soft-spoken Buffalo, N.Y. native became an actress by chance. “I’ve been a dancer since I was little — that was what I wanted to do. [But] on my 12th birthday, my grandma took me to see ‘Matilda the Musical’ [on B’way] and I begged my mom to let me audition. I didn’t consider it acting — it was the dancing that inspired me — and when they asked, ‘Can you sing?’ I [fibbed], ‘Of course!’” she laughs.

Similar twists of fate guide the protagonist she plays in Sean Price Williams’ road comedy “The Sweet East,” which hits the New York Film Festival on Oct. 10. “I rarely see a teenage character who’s so complex and confusing,” Ryder says. “I think she’s figuring out her point of view as she goes. That’s what’s so beautiful about the character—she’s doesn’t know her place in this world and is desperate to figure it out.”

Ryder helmed a half-hour short about her trip to Cannes with “East,” and several of its crew members worked on her directing debut this summer: her friend Del Water Gap’s music video, “All We Do is Ever Talk,” which she also choreographed. “It’s really nice to be able to create with people that you know and trust,” she says.

Ryder may return to Sundance with Jack Begert’s drama “Little Death,” reportedly playing a woman struggling with addiction. “It’s another strange, sweet indie film I’m excited about,” she says. But the project that seems closest to her heart is James Napier Robertson’s “Joika,” based on the true story of Joy Womack, an American ballerina who made history by being accepted into Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy. It premieres Sept. 9 at the Deauville Film Festival. “I’m trying to keep dance a part of my professional life,” she says. “It was such a dream to be able to do everything all at once.”

Source: variety.com

Talia attended CFDA and Spotify NYFW Kick Off Hosted by Mayor Eric Adams and Thom Browne on 7 September. Click on the gallery link below to see all new photos.

Utopia has acquired North American rights to “The Sweet East,” a contemporary travelogue that marks the feature directing debut of Sean Price Williams. The sale comes after the film debuted at Director’s Fortnight during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Williams has a reputation as one of the most talented cinematographers in the independent film space, having previously worked with the likes of the Safdie Brothers, Alex Ross Perry, Michael Almereyda, Abel Ferrara and Albert Maysles. Here, he brings a script by cult film critic Nick Pinkerton to the screen.

Critics hailed the film as fresh and often funny, while praising the performance of Talia Ryder, who played a key supporting role in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” In “The Sweet East,” she plays Lillian, who runs away while on a school trip, encountering everyone from white supremacists and Islamic radicals to neo-punks and woke avant-gardists. The film also stars Simon Rex (“Red Rocket”), Earl Cave (“True History of the Kelly Gang”), Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Jeremy O. Harris (“Emily in Paris”), Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria”) and Rish Shah (“Do Revenge”).

“Much in the spirit of the making of ‘The Sweet East,’ Utopia offers a daring partnership for further exploring the possibilities of indie film distribution,” Williams said. “We greatly look forward to collaborating with this progressive film distributor as the current state of cinema and distribution require a new vision.”

Utopia is eyeing a fall release in the U.S. “The Sweet East” recently screened as part of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and was also just announced as an official selection of the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival.

“Long celebrated for his cinematography, Sean Price Williams shows his mastery as an auteur in his own right with ‘The Sweet East,’ his distinctly nonconformist odyssey of modern America,” said Danielle DiGiacomo, Utopia’s head of content. “Utopia is honored to take on his long-awaited debut and collaborate on a release that will be remembered as a seminal work of our time.”

A production of Marathon Street and Base 12, “The Sweet East” is produced by Craig Butta, Alex Coco and Alex Ross Perry; executive produced by Jimmy Kaltreider and David Kaplan, with cinematography by Willams and editing by Stephen Gurewitz.

This deal was negotiated by DiGiacomo on behalf of Utopia, and Laura Nacher of The Match Factory and Craig Butta on behalf of the filmmakers.

Source: variety.com

Talia attended the Saint Laurent SS24 Menswear Collection Presentation In Berlin yesterday. Click on the gallery link below to see all new photos.