Frank J. Avella
@Fjaklute
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Award-winning screenwriter/playwright. Lured, Vatican Falls, Consent, Fig Jam, Froci. RT critic. GALECA. NYCFO. The Contending (please subscribe)
NYC area
Joined September 2009
3 Ways to Tell Stories of Sexual Abuse Onstage #vaticanfalls
https://t.co/WPCIqG9Gkp via @AmericanTheatre
americantheatre.org
The writers of ‘Vatican Falls,’ ‘How I Learned to Drive,’ and ‘Downstate’ take varied approaches to depicting pedophiles—and reckoning with what they deserve.
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🚨🚨 HUGE #OscarsPredictions Update!!! 🚨🚨 Following this week's #oscars2026 short list reveal, we predict all categories! #Oscars
@heydudemeg @JoeyMoser83 @fayeslittlehomo @MarkLikesMovies @phillipsreframe @head_wizard @ClarenceMoye @Fjaklute
https://t.co/rGmc4SKkZf
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2025’s 13 Best NYC Shows: ‘John Proctor,’ ‘Dead Outlaw,’ ‘Oedipus,’ ‘Purpose,’ ‘Liberation,’ ‘Ghosts’ & ‘Punch’ Top List @TheContending #bestshowsonandoffbroadway
thecontending.com
Theater on-and off-Broadway, started out quite strong in 2025, but the promise of an exciting fall never really materialized, with
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VIDEO: Diane Lane On the Struggles To Have Her Daring, Timely New Film ‘Anniversary’ Be Seen @TheContending @TheAcademy @Lionsgate #anniversaryfilm #dianelane
thecontending.com
In Jan Komasa’s intense, absorbing and disturbing thriller, Anniversary, Diane Lane plays Ellen Taylor, an affluent, privileged Georgetown professor married
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Oscars 2026: A Few Terrific Surprises & Obvious Choices On International Feature Short List 15 @TheContending @TheAcademy @neonrated #Sirât #kokuho #homebound
thecontending.com
The Academy announced short lists in 10 categories today including International Feature. Here are the 15 films that are moving
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NYFCO & SEFCA Announce 2025 Winners: Both Choose ‘One Battle After Another’ As Best Film @TheContending @NYFCOOfficial @SEFilmCritics @FocusFeatures #onebattleafteranother
thecontending.com
The New York Film Critics Online and the Southeastern Film Critics Association both announced their list of film awards for
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Oscars 2026: International Feature Short List Predictions & Analysis Of 85 Of 86 Official Oscar Submissions @TheContending @TheAcademy @neonrated @GKIDSfilms #internationalfeatureoscarshortlist #oscars2026
thecontending.com
With preliminary Oscar voting almost over—it ends at 5pm PST on December 12th—and the shortlists being revealed on December 16th,
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VIDEO: Tom Blyth On His Bold, Diverse Roles In ‘Plainclothes,’ ‘Wasteman,’ ‘The Fence’ & ‘People We Meet On Vacation’ @TheContending @netflix @MagnoliaPics #tomblyth #peoplewemeetonvacation #plainclothes #hungergames #wasteman #balladofsongsandsnakes
thecontending.com
Brit born thesp Tom Blyth is wasting no time when it comes to taking on a slew of daring, diverse
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‘Altered States,’ ‘Él,’ ‘Misericordia,’ ‘King And Country’ & ‘Scoop’ On 4K/Blu-ray Via @Criterion & @KinoLorber @TheContending #KenRussell #LuisBuñuel #AlainGuiraudie #JosephLosey #WoodyAllen
thecontending.com
Some recent 4K-UHD and Blu-ray recommendations. Altered States — 4K-UHD/Blu-Ray — Criterion Courtesy of Criterion The late, great Oscar-winning writer
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VIDEO: ‘Left-Handed Girl’ Director Shih-Ching Tsou On Her Two Decades In the Making Film, Taiwan’s Oscar Entry @TheContending @netflix @TheAcademy #lefthandedgirl #netflix #shihchingtsou #seanbaker #internationalfeatureoscar
thecontending.com
Shih-Ching Tsou’s first foray into filmmaking was co-writing and co-directing the indie, Take Out, in 2004 with Sean Baker. She
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New York Film Festival 2025: ‘Pillion:’ Best Queer Film With Award-Worthy Work by Alexander Skarsgård @TheContending @TheNYFF @FilmLinc #NYFF63 #pillion #AlexanderSkarsgard #HarryMelling
thecontending.com
This year’s NYFF offers a plethora of queer stories plunging into areas of LGBTQ life that aren’t often explored, certainly
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VIDEO: Does The Academy Have ‘No Other Choice’ But To Finally Recognize Park Chan-wook? @TheContending @TheAcademy @neonrated #nootherchoice #parkchanwook
thecontending.com
Celebrated South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook has created a clever, ambitious, sometimes-stinging satire on the ever-growing class divide and how
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VIDEO: ‘Panopticon’ Director George Sikharulidze On How The Current Regime Has Seized Control Over Georgia’s Film Industry @TheContending @TheAcademy #panopticonfilm #georgesikharulidze
thecontending.com
Georgian-American writer-director George Sikharulidze’s stunning first feature, Panopticon, follows 18-year-old Sandro (a spellbinding Data Chachua in his first major screen
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James Cameron should feel like the King of the World as the 3rd installment of AVATAR (FIRE AND ASH) sears the screens. This is a visually enveloping, emotionally gripping film that stands with the first two as cinematic classics. @avatar3news @20thcentury #AvatarFireandAshTH
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VIDEO: Maria Friedman On Sondheim Connection, Translating Stage To Screen With ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ @sonyclassics @TheContending #merrilywerollalong #sondheim #mariafriedman #jonathangroff #danielradcliffe
thecontending.com
Maria Friedman is one of the UK’s most celebrated stage performers and has been nominated for nine Olivier Awards, winning
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VIDEO: ‘The Altar Boy, the Priest, and the Gardener:’ Catholic Sex Abuse Survivor Anthony Venegas Abarca’s Brave Decision To Tell His Story @TheContending @TheAcademy #thealtarboytgepriestandthegardener #catholicsexabusesurvivor
thecontending.com
Juan Manuel Fernández’s The Altar Boy, The Priest And The Gardener, is Costa Rica’s International Feature submission, one of 13
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I feel validated!
Really enjoyed #SongSungBlue. The Kate Hudson Oscar talk is legit. She’s fantastic and so is Hugh Jackman. Wholly original and heartwarming.
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‘Chess’ Broadway Revival: Tremendous Showcase For Lea Michelle & Aaron Tveit @TheContending @chessbway #chessbway #leamichelle #aarontveit
thecontending.com
The musical Chess has had quite the checkered and tumultuous past. Much like Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, the show
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