Film News Roundup: Frank Grillo, Luke Wilson Join Bruce Willis in Sci-Fi Movie ‘Cosmic Sin’

In today’s film news roundup, Frank Grillo and Luke Wilson join the cast of “Cosmic Sin,” the interrupted Miami Film Festival unveils its winners and the BAMcinemaFest and Provincetown festivals call off their events.

CASTINGS

Frank Grillo, Luke Wilson and Adelaide Kane have joined Bruce Willis in the independent science-fiction action movie “Cosmic Sin.”

The Exchange and Saban Films announced the castings Monday as production wrapped. Corey Large and Edward Drake wrote and directed. Large also produced with Johnny Messner and Stephen Eads serving as executive producers.

“Cosmic Sin” follows a group of warriors and scientists who must fight to protect and save their race when a hostile alien species with the power to infect and take over human hosts sets its sights on a futuristic human society. The project was introduced to buyers at the 2020 European Film Market by The Exchange. Saban Films previously acquired the North American rights.

Grillo recently starred in “Donnybrook” and “Point Blank” and in the “Captain America” and “Purge” series. Wilson’s recent credits include “Zombieland: Double Tap.” The news was first reported by Deadline.

FILM FESTIVALS

The Miami Film Festival, which was closed prematurely on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, announced its winners on Monday.

Dudley Alexis’ “When Liberty Burns,” which explores Miami’s 1980 race riots in Liberty City stemming from the fatal police beating of Arthur McDuffie, won the $30,000 Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award. Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Knight Made in MIA Award is for feature-length films of any genre that are shot and set in south Florida.

“La Llorona,” directed by Jayro Bustamante and produced by La Casa de Produccíon of Guatemala in co-production with Mexico, won the $40,000 Knight Marimbas Award, given to the film that best exemplifies richness and resonance for cinema’s future. The Narrative Feature Film Audience Award went to “90 Minutes,” a portrait of contemporary Honduras through the lens of its societal obsession with soccer, and the newly created Documentary Feature Film Audience Award went to Magnolia Pictures’ “The Fight,” depicting the struggles of a quartet of ACLU lawyers.

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This summer’s 12th annual BAMcinemaFest has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was previously scheduled to open June 11.

“BAMcinemaFest is incredibly important to us, as it provides an opportunity for our curated film program to champion the work of artists that we feel are shaping the future of cinema and responding to the issues of our time,” said Gina Duncan of the festival in a statement.

“As we were reviewing films this year, we noticed themes of collective action, safe spaces, and deeper connections — themes that are at the center of our year-round programming,” Duncan added. “We take very seriously BAMcinemaFest’s important role in providing bold, independent works with their NYC premieres, and we are working on ways to showcase many of the fantastic films we’ve seen in the curatorial process later this fall, when we can safely gather together again and celebrate them in a cinema.”

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With the growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, the Provincetown International Film Festival has called off this year’s event, previously scheduled for June 17-21.

“While this decision was a very difficult one for the Provincetown Film Society’s staff and Board of Directors, we know it was the right one,” said Rachael Brister, CEO of the Provincetown Film Society and executive director of the Provincetown International Film Festival. “The health and safety of our local town and the supportive community of filmmakers, film industry professionals and audiences that travel to Provincetown each year for the film festival is our chief priority. We hope to present programming in 2020 that not only moves our mission forward but will also galvanize our community at a time when the need to come together (virtually or otherwise) is vital.”