US BRIEFS: Submarine boards Diane Kennedy doc; Shout! takes 'Fender Bender'; Gravitas finds 'Actor For Hire'

Submarine has boarded The Immortal Diana Kennedy documentary currently in production. Elizabeth Carroll directs and Submarine will serve as co-producer and has pre-sold all foreign rights (excluding North America) to Dogwoof Films and Canadian rights to Films We Like.

Submarine represents US rights to the feature about the 92-year-old British cookbook author and world authority on Mexican cuisine.

• Shout! Factory is taking its first step into film production and has acquired all rights to the horror-thriller script Fender Bender by Mark Pavia. The project will go through the company’s genre label Scream Factory, Shout! Factory founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos said on Tuesday. Carl W Lucas and Joshua Bunting of EchoWolf Productions will produce and the shoot is scheduled for later this year in New Mexico.
  
  
• Moon River Studios is lining up a documentary about soul legend James Brown. The US company, based in the state of Georgia, says the film will include up to 16 unreleased songs performed by Brown. RKA Entertainment, Jean Beauvoir and Fred Carpenter are also producing and Moon River is financing with private investors.
  
  
• Gravitas Ventures has acquired US and Canadian VOD rights to Marcus Mizelle’s industry satire Actor For Hire. The film will roll out on VOD on January 1 2016 and is currently screening in more than 20 locations following its debut at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.   
  
  
• Adaptive Studios has hired former Paramount Pictures executive director of strategic planning and business development Grady Gamble as COO and CFO. The company announced recently its plan to bring Sara Benincasa’s novel DC Trip to the big screen in partnership with Van Toffler and Bona Fide Productions. 
  
  
• The filmmakers behind dark comedy Chez Upshaw starring Kevin Pollak, Illeana Douglas, George Coe, Greg Grunberg, Molly Sims and Shane Johnson are self-distributing nationwide on all major digital platforms. Bruce Mason wrote and directed.
  
  
• The San Francisco Film Society and Kenneth Rainin Foundation have selected 14 finalists for the latest round of SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants. To read about the finallists click here.
  
  
• New York City Film Commissioner Cynthia Lópezand the NYC Department Of Small Business Services have launched the Post Production Pathways Program to support the delivery of post-production education, training and job opportunities for New Yorkers.