US Briefs: Lionsgate dates 'Hacksaw Ridge'

Lionsgate will open Hacksaw Ridge directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield on November 4, in wide release.

Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Vince Vaughn also star in the Cross Creek Pictures, Demarest Media, Icon Productions, Pandemonium, and Permut Presentations drama about of Desmond Doss, the WWII serviceman who became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal Of Honor.

Bill Mechanic, Brian Oliver, David Permut, Terry Benedict, Paul Currie, Bruce Davey, William D. Johnson, and Tyler Thompson produce.

The Shack will open on March 3, 2017, in wide release, from Summit Entertainment and was originally set for November 18 this year.

• The 59th San Francisco International Film Festival has wrapped and announced the juried winners of its Golden Gate Awards. Philippe Lesange of Canada won the New Directors (Narrative Feature) Prize for The Demons. Click here for the full list of winners.
• Sundance Institute has announced the eight first-time filmmakers for its Directors Lab, set to run in Utah from May 30-June 23. The chosen ones include former Screen International Star Of Tomorrow 2012 Kibwe Tavares with The Kitchen (UK). Click here for the full roster.
• The Provincetown International Film Festival will present Cynthia Nixon with the 2016 Excellence in Acting Award at this year’s festival, running from June 15-19 in Massachusetts. The festival will open with Captain Fantastic and close with Strike A Pose. For the full line-up click here.
• The team at CNN Films has expanded, with Los Angeles-based Courtney Sexton promoted to vice-president of CNN Films, Dana Panagopoulos promoted to director of production at CNN Films and CNN Original Series, and Molly Harrington promoted to manager of CNN Original Series. Alex Hannibal has joined from the Tribeca Film Institute as associate director of CNN Films, while Ryan Robinson arrives from VH1 as business coordinator for the LA team. In New York, Sierra Cowan has joined from Discovery Communications’ Destination America as manager of development for CNN and HLN Original Series, while new development coordinator for the team in New York, Katie Isaacson, spent the past two years in series development at HLN. The team is led by Amy Entelis, executive vice-president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide.