Dylan Bruce and Parisa Fitz-Henley are no strangers to passionate fans of genre material. Bruce spent three seasons on the popular BBC America series Orphan Black while Fitz-Henley appeared as Luke Cage's wife Reva Connors on both Netflix-Marvel series Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

Bruce is amused when it's pointed out to him that he has hopped from one character with a funny name ("Big Dick" Paul) to another ("Bobo"). "Bobo is actually derived from the French word 'beau' which is 'handsome' so I'll take it. There's worse things to be called."

Fitz-Henley is more than happy to join in at poking fun at Bruce. "I wish they could've gotten a handsome guy, though. That would've been helpful. They were like, 'He's such a good actor it doesn't matter that he's not that good-looking.'"

Of course they are more than professional enough to also introduce their characters. Bruce begins by introducing Bobo Winthrop. "He's the proprietor of the local pawn shop that's been there since the late 1800's. There's a lot of interesting relics in there. He comes to Midnight to escape a nefarious past that ends up catching up with him and jeopardising everything he's built in Midnight. He's a good guy but if you mess with his peeps he'll mess with you back."

I play Fiji Cavanugh," begins Fitz-Henley. "I'm a witch in the town. I didn't grow up there but I grew up with a relationship with the town. It's become my real home and I protect it as much as I can with whatever I can and I protect it's inhabitants however I can. This guy, Bobo, is Fiji's best friend and she's head over heels in love with him but for a very, very, very, very, very big reason she can't ever let him know."

"But Bobo's a dodo, he thinks she's out of his league so we got that going on. Fiji's out of everyone's league, man. She's in a world of her own," beams Bruce.

"You see our friendship develop and go through the ups and downs that a friendship goes through but in Charlaine Harris land, those ups and downs are pretty intense," says Fitz-Henley.

The show offers not only a diverse cast bringing to life romance, action, and all the supernatural goodness one would expect from a Charlaine Harris property adapted for live-action. It also brings social commentary that relates a world of fantasy to the world of the viewers.

"I think it's really important in this day and age to have that," says Bruce. "I'm glad we have our little things that we add in there that people will catch onto. It's all about togetherness though."

Fitz-Henley was amazed at just how much the show's writing related to socially relevant issues, even before certain topics became as big in the news and social discourse. "I saw things that were reflected in the society around us after we shot them, where I was like, 'Wait, where did you get that from?' Because it's in the news today and we're shooting it today so you wrote it months ago. I feel like our writing team is so on point and so cares about what's happening in the world that you see it come through in what we do."

Bruce gets exposed for being a bit of an overachiever in his extensive preparation for the role. Sarah Ramos, who plays Creek on the series, had claimed in an earlier interview that Bruce finished reading all three of the books of the series in one day. "I don't think it was one day," says a bashful Bruce.

Fitz-Henley is quick to chime in on the matter. "How did you know he was an overachiever? He is!"

"Not only the Midnight books, Bobo's in a different series called the Lily Bard series and I read those as well," continues Bruce.

"And then he read all the books that his character reads," adds Fitz-Henley.

"Yeah, I did cause he likes Jack Reacher. I like to read!" admits Bruce.

Fitz-Henley may not be as voracious a reader as Bruce but she had her own back-knowledge that further incentivised her to joining Midnight, Texas. "I wasn't as familiar with Charlaine Harris' writing as I was with Monica Breen's work. I'm huge into Lost, huge into Fringe, so when I saw she was doing this, I was just like, 'Oh my god! This is crazy! I really want to work with her!' I just had this every strong, intuitive feeling that this was the right project for me."

Watch our interview with Dylan Bruce and Parisa Fitz-Henley here:

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The inaugural Split Screens Festival began on Friday June 2 and wrapped on Thursday June 8 with jam-packed programming ranging from fan-favourites Mr. Robot and Orphan Black to more indie darlings such as The Girlfriend Experience and Brockmire.

Program director and seasoned film/television critic Matt Zoeller Seitz spoke to us leading up to the festival's premiere and shared that the preparation for a new festival involved playing to their strengths by focusing more on talent and programming based in the New York area. Seitz also took care to keep the fans in mind when selecting shows to highlight, being aware of the power of fandoms such as Orphan Black's Clone Club and Hannibal's Fannibals.

"This is a festival for fans."

Listen to our full interview with Matt Zoeller Seitz here:

Rami Malek attended a one-on-one panel in which he answered many questions about the inner mechanisms of playing Elliot Alderson on USA Network's Mr. Robot. Questions from the moderator and audience ranged from the wear-and-tear of playing such dark material, the portrayal of mental illness, and the filming of the show's complex sequences. Watch the panel here:

With the final season about to premiere, the Clone Club turned out in full force from all over the world in order to attend this send-off panel to the beloved sci-fi series. The cast answered questions about the technical aspects of filming the show, reminisced about the journey, and were moved to tears as many fans in the audience shared stories of the show helping them to come to terms with their sexual orientation. Watch the Orphan Black panel here:

Keeping in line with groundbreaking characters and representation, the series Billions held a panel that focused on the character of Taylor, the first major gender non-binary character to appear on television. In attendance were the show's producers as well as actor Asia Kate Dillon, who is also non-binary, to discuss the character's creative origins, their journey on the series thus far, and more. Watch the Billions panel here:

Brockmire stars Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet delivered tremendous laughs, particularly when Azaria unleashed a wealth of impersonations and characters. But they also shared greater insight into their alcoholic characters, thoughts on social media, and what's to come in season 2. Watch the Brockmire panel here:

Following a screening of the show's first season finale, The Girlfriend Experience co-creators/writers/directors Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz (via Skype call) discussed their creative process as the driving force behind the series, the complexity of the season finale, and shared hints as to how they would be approaching the season season. Watch The Girlfriend Experience panel here:

Following a last-minute cancellation of the Underground panel, a replacement panel was added to the programming. As the original panel was to take place before an already-scheduled Hannibal panel, the Split Screens team were fast-thinking and added another Hannibal panel to lead into it. This one involved a screening of the penultimate episode "The Number of the Beast Is 666" followed by a quick panel with series actor Raúl Esparza, who agreed to come earlier for the audience. Watch his solo panel here:

The final panel of Split Screens was the originally planned Hannibal one that followed a screening of the series finale "The Wrath of the Lamb" to a room full of Fannibals donning flower crowns. Following the screening, Raúl Esparza and a team of creative individuals inspired by Hannibal spoke about how the series inspired them. Bryan Fuller also joined in to speak on the panel via Skype. Watch the full Hannibal panel here:

Despite being a new festival, Split Screens has delivered a high quality of programming and demonstrated a skilled adaptability in their recovery after a last-minute panel cancellation. Program director and moderator Matt Zoeller Seitz was personable with the panelists and engaging with the largely fan-dominant audience. Split Screens has all the makings of becoming a massively popular festival stop for TV-lovers in years to come.

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A new festival, Split Screens Festival, is set to premiere in New York City from June 2-8. Curated by author and critic Matt Zoller Seitz and taking place at New York's IFC Center, Split Screens will be a celebration of quality television programming with star-studded panels and screenings to take place. Though even more programming is set to be added, we're already eager to get in there and experience all the previews and conversations surrounding so many fan-favourite and premiere shows. Though we already have the current full schedule posted here, we thought it best to highlight a few that were particularly efficient in capturing our attention.

The Deuce

The Deuce is a highly anticipated HBO period drama produced by and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, who will be attending the festival to promote the new series, had our curiosity piqued first by its exciting premise. A drama involving sex work, the emerging porn industry in the 1970s, organised crime, and HBO's high budgets conducive to upping the visuals and styling of period pieces? What's not to enjoy?! But Maggie Gyllenhaal's involvement and role as a producer proves particularly enticing, given the headlines she made for addressing the misogynistic treatment she faced in the industry when being told she was too old to play a love interest for a particular project. By assuming a more significant position of power, we hope that she will use this platform to push against long-standing problems in the industry with the portrayal of women.

The show will have a screening/panel on Friday June 2 at 7:00PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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Mr. Robot

Mr. Robot is a compelling drama on the USA Network surrounding a group of hacker vigilantes determined to undermine corporate corruption. Though the series has catapulted its star Rami Malek into stardom and an Emmy win, the first for a person of colour in the Best Actor in a Drama category in nearly two decades, it's also built a strong reputation for gripping writing and plots brimming with social commentary more relevant than ever in a world uneasy due to social and political tensions. Rami Malek will be in attendance for the Split Screens Festival as the panel dives deeply into the mechanisms of the enigmatic lead character, Elliot.

The show will have a screening/panel on Saturday June 3 at 4:30PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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The Get Down

The Get Down is a criminally under-appreciated Netflix series co-created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adley Guirgis. With all the dazzle one would expect from a Baz Luhrmann project, this musical drama boasting a cast of talented actors of colour that excel in playing stories that are poignant in addressing social issues including race and sexuality. With strong visuals and lush colours, there's a bountiful array of content to discuss with series co-executive producer Stephen Adley Guirgis and supervising producer Nelson George, who will both be in attendance.

The show will have a screening/panel on Sunday June 4 at 2:30 PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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Orphan Black

Before we even get into all that is brilliant about Orphan Black, can we address how exciting it is that so much of the cast and crew will be attending the Split Screens Festival? Actors Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavials, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kristian Bruun, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyne Brochu, Ari Millen, and executive producers Graeme Manson and John Fawcett will all come together in a send-off to the BBC America series that has captivated the hearts of the members of its dedicated, passionate fanbase. Tatiana Maslany in many ways has revolutionized the art form of acting with her many complex, multi-faceted portrayals of the many clones on the series. Maslany was at the center of a targeted campaign dedicated to gaining her a mainstream acting award, as genre series are often ignored by the larger critical award shows. Those efforts eventually paid off in 2016 when Maslany won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. This panel is an absolute must for any members of the Clone Club in the New York area.

The show will have a screening/panel on Tuesday June 6 at 6:30PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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Underground

The WGN series is a period piece set during the 19th century and focuses on the Underground Railroad that worked tirelessly to help slaves escape to freedom. A recent episode "Minty" served a bottle episode focused entirely on a speech given by Harriet Tubman. Tubman was portrayed by activist/actress Aisha Hinds who will be in attendance with director Anthony Hemingway to discuss this powerful piece of television.

The show will have a screening/panel on Thursday June 8 at 7:00PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

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FROM JUNE 2-8,

NYC'S IFC CENTER CELEBRATES THE ART OF TELEVISION

WITH STAR-STUDDED SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

Inaugural Week-Long Event, Programmed By Critic/Author Matt Zoller Seitz,

To Feature Exclusive Screenings and Panels Spotlighting Critically-Acclaimed Scripted Series

World Premiere Screening of HBO’s Highly Anticipated Drama

'The Deuce' Kicks Off Curated Lineup On Friday, June 2nd; Featured Content To Include: 'Better Call Saul,' 'Billions,' ‘Brockmire,’ ‘Difficult People,’ 'The Get Down,' 'The Girlfriend Experience,' 'Mr. Robot,' ‘Orphan Black,’ ‘Search Party,’ ‘Underground’ Plus Other Special Events To Be Announced

Specials Guests Include Hank Azaria, Sarah Violet Bliss, Lilly Burns, Asia Kate Dillon, John Fawcett, Nelson George, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Anthony Hemingway, Aisha Hinds, Lodge Kerrigan, Julie Klausner, Brian Koppelman, Rami Malek, Tatiana Maslany, Michelle MacLaren, Graeme Manson, Michael McKean, Amanda Peet, George Pelecanos, Charles Rogers, Amy Seimetz and More

Tickets on Sale Beginning May 11

[New York, May 11, 2017] – IFC Center today announced the first portion of its impressive lineup for the inaugural Split Screens Festival taking place Friday, June 2 through Thursday, June 8, 2017, at the IFC Center in New York City.  Throughout the week, the festival will host a series of special events celebrating the art and craft of TV with exclusive screenings and vibrant panel conversations featuring the biggest and boldest names in scripted content.  Tickets to the public go on sale beginning Thursday, May 11.

Curated by one of television's biggest fans, author and critic Matt Zoller Seitz, the festival will be anchored by four signature categories: PREMIERES, an opportunity for audiences to be  among the first to screen an anticipated new series; CLOSE-UP, focused primarily on the work of one or two celebrated actors in a series; SHOWCASE, which will take a deeper look at a series through the lens of its creators, producers and stars;  and REWIND, revisiting an iconic episode of television via a screening and conversation with the creatives who have brought their vision to life. 

The festival's opening night will kick-off with a world PREMIERE of HBO’s highly anticipated new NYC period drama, “The Deuce” followed by a Q&A with series producer and co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal, pilot director Michelle MacLaren and series co-creator George Pelecanos.  Additional highlights throughout the week include: SHOWCASE events on acclaimed series “Difficult People” (Hulu), “The Get Down” (Netflix), “Orphan Black” (BBC AMERICA), and “Search Party” (TBS); REWIND panels on “The Girlfriend Experience”(STARZ), and “Underground” (WGN America); CLOSE-UP conversations featuring Asia Kate Dillon of “Billions" (Showtime), Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet of “Brockmire” (IFC), Rami Malek, star of “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), and the many faces of Michael McKean who currently stars as Chuck McGill on “Better Call Saul” (AMC). 

Additional festival programs and special events, including awards presentations, will be announced in the coming days.

Most festival screenings and panel discussions will be hosted and moderated by Split Screens artistic director Matt Zoller Seitz. As Editor-in-Chief of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, and the author of TV (The Book) and studies on Wes Anderson, Oliver Stone and Mad Men, Seitz, the ultimate TV fan, knows that audiences can't get enough of good television content.

Seitz said: "First and foremost, I am a fan--so studying the great work of these casts and creators has been an honor. What we have done in this inaugural Split Screens Festival is to cull what we believe to be the best of the best in today's content landscape and it has been thrilling and as a creative myself, incredibly humbling. I look forward to having both powerful and meaningful dialogue throughout the week and am excited about the opportunity to share art and craft of these programs with passionate and enthusiastic TV fans from NY and beyond."  

“We are thrilled to welcome the first-ever Split Screens Festival to New York City next month,” said Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner, Julie Menin. “Our city’s television production industry is booming like never before, and the Festival is an ideal venue to celebrate and reflect upon the groundbreaking content being created in this increasingly popular medium. I thank the IFC Center for their partnership and encourage New Yorkers to experience this celebration of creativity in the entertainment world.”

Ticket information:

• Tickets for the opening night premiere of “The Deuce” are $30 ($25 IFC Center members)

• Tickets for individual events are $12-$19 ($10-$16 IFC Center members)

• A festival pass, providing admission to all festival programs, is available for $125 ($95 IFC Center members)

Tickets and festival passes are available online at splitscreensfestival.com, or in person at the IFC Center box office at 323 Sixth Ave. (at West 3^rd St.), open daily 10:30am-10:00pm

Event details and additional program announcements are available at splitscreensfestival.com

SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 2  

7:00PM - “THE DEUCE” (HBO) OPENING NIGHT PREMIERE 

In person: Series producer and co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal, pilot director Michelle MacLaren and series co-creator George Pelecanos

To download image click HERE

Split Screens premieres the pilot episode of HBO’s eagerly anticipated New York period drama from executive producers David Simon and George Pelecanos (The Wire), about the rise of the porn industry in and around Times Square in the 1970s. The cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal as an entrepreneurial sex worker and James Franco as twin brothers who serve as fronts for the Mafia. True to form for a producing team that shepherdedThe Wire and Treme into existence, The Deuce is a beating-heart-of-the-city drama that explores the interconnectedness of characters from different social classes and ethnicities, some of whom find themselves at odds over money, honor and the obligation to uphold the law. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 3  

4:30 PM – “MR. ROBOT” (USA Network) CLOSE-UP with Rami Malek 

In person: Actor Rami Malek

To download image click HERE

It’s tricky enough to be the lead actor on a TV drama, more so when you’re in almost every scene, and trickier still when your character narrates the show. USA Network’s Golden Globe^®award winner Mr. Robot tasks its star, Rami Malek, with all these responsibilities, then adds more: It’s one of the most relentlessly interior shows, inviting you into the headspace of its lead character—computer expert and secret vigilante hacker Elliot Alderson—and showing you the world as he sees it. 

Through clips and discussion, the event takes a deep dive with Malek into his performance as the show’s title character. Playing an introvert turned underground revolutionary, Malek shapes his role through research and prep work, posture and gestures, and even the way he modulates his voice between Elliot’s dialogue with different characters and his voiceover narration directly to the audience.

9:00 PM – “SEARCH PARTY” (TBS) - SHOWCASE 

In person: Series creators, co-directors and executive producers Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, and Executive Producer Lilly Burns 

To download image click HERE

It’s rare to encounter a TV series that could accurately be described as a satire, much less an unsparing one, but Search Party absolutely qualifies. It’s a mystery about people trying to get to the bottom of a young woman’s disappearance, but that’s just what’s happening on the surface. The mystery is the gimmick that draws you in so that this exceptional and surprising show — credited to a rogue’s gallery of executive producers, including Michael Showalter, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers, Lilly Burns and Tony Hernandez  — can work its dark magic. Chantal’s vanishing is a device that the show uses to explore Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) world and make uncomfortable observations about modern life, in particular the tendency to confuse the ego-stroking virtual busywork of the text- and social media-driven era for actual, meaningful action. There’s an even deeper level to this series, something on the order of an existential quest, a long journey into the heroine’s emotional interior. The condition of believing oneself sensitive while feeling very little has rarely been examined with such exactness.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

2:30 PM - “THE GET DOWN” (Netflix) - SHOWCASE 

In person: Series co-executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis, supervising producer Nelson George

To download image click HERE

“Unfold your own myth,” blares a graffiti tag on the skin of a subway car in The Get Down. Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis’s 1970s musical melodrama about the birth of hip-hop and the fall of dirty-glorious Gotham is forever characterizing itself this way: like a rapper nimbly reframing a story as he tells it. It’s a multimedia work—television, cinema, a novel, a scrapbook; collage, decoupage, a montage barrage. The sheer, shameless entertainment value of The Get Down camouflages how formally inventive it is. The gleeful way that the image texture changes from shot to shot (1970s TV news video, 16mm, what looks like enhanced YouTube footage) suggests the filmmakers are glorying in a crazy-quilt aesthetic instead of knocking themselves out trying to make every piece seem like part of a seamless whole. The show is sampling pop culture history, New York City history and music history to create its own sound.

4:30 PM – “DIFFICULT PEOPLE” (Hulu) - SHOWCASE

In person: Series creator, executive producer, writer and star Julie Klausner

To download image click HERE

Julie Klausner’s series about brilliant, acerbic, self-defeating best buds on the fringes of stardom is tailor-made for the YouTube era, when artists and entertainers act as their own agents, publicists and managers and watch their colleagues’ successes and failures unfold in real time, with envy or glee, depending.

Julie (Klausner) and Billy (Billy Eichner) keep hatching schemes like a couple of Lucy Ricardos, even though their quest is motivated less by a burning urge to express themselves than a lust for fame and comfort. They pop others’ delusions and preserve their own, but even at their pettiest, there are moments when they speak the truth, and some of their most penetrating insights have to do with the show you’re watching and the medium that spawned it. One of Difficult People’s fiercest convictions is that a sitcom’s first obligation is to be funny and engaging, a surprisingly contrarian point of view now that every form of scripted entertainment is striving to subvert rather than embrace proven formulas. “When did comedies become 30-minute dramas?” Billy asks, with an aghast tone that suggests Difficult People is not interested in becoming one. The upcoming third season of Difficult People premieres Tuesday, August 8 on Hulu. 

6:15 PM – “BETTER CALL SAUL” (AMC) - CLOSE-UP with Michael McKean  

In person: Michael McKean and series co-creator and co-executive producer Peter Gould

To download image click HERE

Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s improbably just-as-good prequel to Breaking Bad, is a showcase for ace character actors, none as sneakily great as Michael McKean, who costars as the slippery hero’s straight-arrow older brother, Chuck McGill. Chuck is a feared trial lawyer at a top Albuquerque, New Mexico law firm who claims to be hypersensitive to electricity, and is equally allergic to laziness and ethical short cuts. In lesser hands, he could have been an amusing if one-note foil. But McKean, a wizardly comic actor with the soul of a Method chameleon, imbues him with so many layers of personality, all operating simultaneously, that you can’t help feeling for him and understanding Chuck even when the character grates on you. This close-up panel will explore McKean’s collaboration with the character’s creator, writer-producer Peter Gould, and delve into McKean’s long and varied history as a dramatic and comedic actor and improvisational comic.

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

6:30 PM – “ORPHAN BLACK” (BBC AMERICA) -SHOWCASE 

In person: Actors Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kristian Bruun, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyne Brochu and Ari Millen, and Executive Producers Graeme Manson and John Fawcett

To download image click HERE

BBC AMERICA’s clone conspiracy thriller stars Emmy^® award winner Tatiana Maslany as multiple genetically identical women. But this is not merely a series about clones; it’s a continuous study in nature versus nurture that routinely puts Maslany in conversations with iterations of herself, and each iteration feels like a distinct human being rather than a sketch-comedy caricature. Graeme Manson and John Fawcett create a maze-like world where the reflections can not only talk, but have their own opinions. The result is sorcery, and Maslany is at the center, playing as many as four personalities at once while a constellation of gifted supporting players, including, Jordan Gavaris, Kristian Bruun, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyn Brochu, and others swirl around her. The show’s bottomless inventiveness and persistent sense of fun are infectious. In addition to the suspense generated by the story itself, there’s a secondary thrill from watching the cast and crew struggle to top themselves in sheer outrageousness.

8:45 PM - “BILLIONS” (Showtime) CLOSE-UP with Asia Kate Dillon

In person: Actor Asia Kate Dillon and creators David Levien and Brian Koppelman

To download image click HERE

In its second season, Showtime’s hit drama series Billions made history by introducing TV’s first gender non-binary major character, Taylor Mason, an intern at Axe Capital (played by Asia Kate Dillon) who unexpectedly becomes a favorite of macho hedge funder Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). Dillon, who uses the singular they pronoun, auditioned for the role shortly after playing the racist skinhead Brandy on Netflix’sOrange is the New Black. Sharing the stage with series creators and executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, they will discuss the second season of Billions and the fine points of playing a trailblazing character in a medium where starkly defined gender roles still rule the perceptions of casting directors and viewers alike.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

7:00 PM – “BROCKMIRE” (IFC) CLOSE-UP with Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet  

In person: Series executive producer and star Hank Azaria and star Amanda Peet

To download image click HERE

Although he’s perhaps best known as one of the versatile repertory actors on The Simpsons, Hank Azaria is also a formidable live-action performer who can adjust his body to suit the needs of a role as deftly as he can his voice. Jim Brockmire, a minor-league sportscaster struggling with alcoholism and his own monstrous ego, gives the actor a rare opportunity to hold the spotlight for the entire running time of a series, as a character he’s been developing for years. The results are dazzling.

He’s matched by Amanda Peet, who brings a no-nonsense toughness to the role of Jules James, the owner of both the team and a local bar. Peet is equally comfortable as a romantic leading lady, a kitchen-sink drama actress and a pratfaller, and she gets to combine all three of those talents here. This detailed one-on-one discussion will delve into Peet and Azaria’s varied careers, their chemistry on the show, and the ne points of bringing these two eccentric characters to life. 

8:45 PM –“THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE” (STARZ)REWIND with “Separation” episode  

In person: Co-executive producers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz

To download image click HERE

The most narratively complex single episode of an ongoing series since the hero of Louie went to China, this alternately unnerving, baffling and hilarious half-hour of The Girlfriend Experience works as a psychological X-ray of the show’s heroine, escort Christine (Riley Keough); a play within a play; and a meditation on voyeurism, exhibitionism, sex, and acting. Co-written by series creators Amy Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan, and directed by Kerrigan, the episode doesn’t just avoid the traditional sorts of closure that TV viewers tend to crave; it throws the totality of the show’s first season into question, making us question the intent and substance of everything we’ve seen. As such, it owes less to current trends in scripted TV, even the most rarified kinds, than to 1960s European art cinema classics like Blow-Up, Last Year at Marienbad and The Exterminating Angel.

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

7:00 PM –“UNDERGROUND” (WGN America, produced by Sony Pictures Television) - REWIND with “Minty” episode  

In person: Actor Aisha Hinds and executive producer/director Anthony Hemingway

To download image click HERE

WGN America’s groundbreaking series “Underground” made television history with the extended episode “Minty” that originally aired April 12. Featuring an hour-long solo, and career-defining performance, Aisha Hinds brings Harriet Tubman back to life, as she delivers a monumental and definitive speech in character as the Underground Railroad's most famous conductor.  Set in 1858 against the backdrop of a nation deeply divided by race, class and gender, Tubman makes a passionate plea to abolitionists to shift their thinking as she challenges them to take swift action against those who are determined to oppress others.  “Minty,” was written by series co-creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, and directed by Emmy and Golden Globe Award^® winner Anthony Hemingway.

ABOUT SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

Split Screens Festival is an annual event produced and presented by IFC Center, one of New York’s leading independent cinemas, and is organized by the core team of its successful DOC NYC documentary film festival, including Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, Partnerships Director Deborah Rudolph and Operations Director Dana Krieger. Collaborating with broadcasters, cable networks and streaming services, the festival will highlight great content from a range of platforms to bring together the creative talent behind TV’s most acclaimed shows and sophisticated New York audiences.

ABOUT IFC CENTER

IFC Center is a five-screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village that opened in June 2005 following an extensive renovation of the historic Waverly Theater. IFC Center presents the very best in new foreign-language, American independent and documentary features to audiences and is also known for its innovative repertory series and festivals, showing short films before its regular features in the ongoing “Short Attention Span Cinema” program, and special events such as the guest-programmed “Movie Nights” and frequent in-person appearances by filmmakers. In 2010, IFC Center launched the acclaimed DOC NYC festival, a high-profile showcase that celebrates nonfiction filmmaking and is now the largest documentary festival in the US. For additional theater information, current and upcoming program details and more, visit ifccenter.com.

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Show Floor Hours Thursday: 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM Friday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Saturday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Panel Hours Thursday: 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM Saturday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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“THE ONLY WAY FORWARD IS TO GO BACK.”- Sarah Manning

SLIP FURTHER DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH BBC AMERICA’S BRAND NEW TRAILER FOROPRHAN BLACK SEASON FOUR.

CLICK TO VIEW

Get ready Clone Club! BBC AMERICA released an eerie new teaser for Orphan Black that leaves breadcrumbs along the way for viewers to slip further down the rabbit hole with their favorite “sestras.” When the drama returns this spring, heroine Sarah Manning sets off to track down an elusive and mysterious ally tied to the clone who started it all – Beth Childs. She’ll follow Beth’s footsteps into a dangerous relationship with a potent new enemy, heading in a horrifying direction that could end the sisterhood and their lives forever. Orphan Black Season Four premieres April 2016. Click the link above to view. 

BBC AMERICA also revealed new clone MK, the masked self-aware loner who has lurked unseen in the shadows of the conspiracy from the beginning. This new addition will finally be able to provide answers to the most haunting questions. What new truths will she reveal to the sisterhood and how will it change their lives? But more importantly, is she friend or foe..? Find out when Orphan Black returns April 2016. 

In the lead up to the season four premiere, BBC AMERICA has teamed up with Entertainment Weekly to launch the Orphan Black Fan Art Poster contest.  With an avid fan base that’s displayed creativity beyond measure, the contest invites viewers of the hit series to submit season four art for the chance to win a grand prize of $10,000 and a private screening of the all-new season in their hometown.The winning artwork will be featured as part of the Orphan Black promotional campaign with a print ad in Entertainment Weekly, billboards, and prime position on the channel and across all Orphan Black social platforms. Paintings, drawings, illustrations, stop-motion animation, photos, videos, interpretive sculptures, and all other forms of artistic expression can be submitted for a chance at the grand prize.

20 finalists will also receive a custom print of their artwork signed by the Orphan Black cast. Fans can submit at www.bbcamerica.com/orphanblackposter until February 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

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Rachel wakes after her surgery to get a new eye courtesy of clone-Krystal. She's in an all-wooden room and appears to be alone, but she finds an envelope on the nearby desk. Removing her bandage, she finds one impressive, slightly-cyber-looking eye.

Sarah, Felix, and Mrs S bring Kendall Malone to Scott, who will be doing tests on her and hopefully keeping her hidden from Castor. We also learn that the reason she looks different from Sarah is because the two strains of DNA combining cause her traits to manifest differently.

Dr. Coady tells Rudy that they'll need to go after the original but the only clone that hasn't gone underground is Alison, who is still busy campaigning. But Helena is also still with Alison and Donnie, who surprises Helena with Jesse, the tow-truck driver whom Helena hit it off with last season.

Cosima goes to visit Shay to apologise for accusing her of shady dealings and Shay is not happy because of the threats Delphine laid on her. Cosima is thoroughly apologetic but can't let Shay in on all the secrets of Clone Club so it looks like this relationship is kaput.

Ferdinand pays a visit to Delphine at Leda. He wants to run off with Rachel and be in charge of Top Side and Leda. But Ferdinand's in for a surprise, as Sarah is there to offer a one-time deal. She also tells him that she was the one who was pretending to be Rachel the last time he came to visit. Sarah is willing to offer up samples of Malone in exchange for destroying Castor and Coady. Delphine says he's the lesser of two evils.

Cosima is the one brought in to take Kendall Malone's samples. Though Kendall's snappy with the biting comments, Cosima's warmth and compassion convinces Kendall to give up the samples to help save her life.

Sarah and Felix track down Mark and Gracie to a seedy motel room, and Felix even kicks the door in to get to them. Mark seems willing to help without much work on Sarah and Felix's part. He had thought he'd spend his last few months with Gracie before he died but this is his only chance for a cure.

Mrs. S tells her mother that if need be, she'll destroy her genetic material with an acid bath. She also wants revenge for John. She promises that if anything goes wrong, she'll be putting Kendall in that acid bath.

Delphine wants Rachel moved to a secure facility and orders Nealon to have her moved. After Nealon leaves, Delphine notices that "Rachel" has unusually manicured nails and then "Rachel" wakes up and smacks her in the face. She determines quickly that the patient in the bed is Krystal, who thankfully still has her eye. She wants to know what's going on and why weird things keep happening to her. Did they just need to take a sample of her eye? We're certainly glad she still has it.

Rachel is also confused about where she is too. She's being watched though security cameras and sees the name "Finch" nearby. She demands to know who's keeping her there but gets no response.

Helena catches Jess up on everything that happened since they were away, including the prison break and soap-making. She's all prepared to hook up with Jesse in his truck but then she gets a call from brother-sestra Felix and learns that her family needs help. Jesse's willing to wait, though.

Alison is at the polls with Donnie, and Rudy is lurking nearby to follow her and her campaign school-bus. Donnie knows they're being watched though and gives Alison a heads-up and texts Sarah to let her know. Sarah is also tasked with punching Mark in the face repeatedly for a cover story, we think.

Alison's campaign bus makes a pit-stop to lure Rudy out of his truck. He heads into the garage where Helena is waiting for him. She's taping weapons to her hands, saying it's "prison rules." He doesn't want to tape his knife so she kicks the duct tape into his nose. Some time later, a bloody-faced Rudy calls Coady to say he's found the original, turning the phone to show Kendall, and sends Coady the location. But it's actually Mark in disguise.

Helena still has Rudy to fight, though with his glitches it's not much of a fight. She gets a screwdriver into his arm, forcing him to drop his knife. Cody arrives at the location and sends some of her goons inside. But then Ferdinand shows up and shoots here driver dead and apprehends Coady, saying she won't find what she's looking for there.

A dying Rudy shares childhood memories with Helena. Rudy ponders their similarities, but she tells him they're not alike, given that Rudy is a rapist. But she does lovingly stroke her dying brother's face.

Mrs. S gets Kendall to share more information. Duncan had visited her some years after his original harvesting to admit what he had done and the fear he held for his life. Everything had gone wrong but he was able to hide the original, Kendall, and there was one child outside of it all that was hidden in the foster system (Sarah). She also mentioned something about Neolution. Kendall put Sarah in Mrs. S' custody because she had the connections to keep her hidden; it was the one last piece of her own foul life. Kendall and Mrs. S are able to have a moment of reconciliation.

Delphine has Dr. Nealon in holding. She wants answers on who he works with and Rachel's whereabouts. He tells her to turn on the screen, which she does, and finds the surveillance feed of Rachel. Delphine also seems to know about Neolution, something Nealon claims has infiltrated and manipulated all the moving pieces of this, including Leda, Top Side, and Castor.

Ferdinand comes to collect samples from Kendall, while it's implied that Ferdinand's man taking the samples is actually part of Neolution. Nealon offers Delphine a place in Neolution but when she refuses, he attacks her and displays a worm coming from out of his mouth. Delphine gets a shot off into Nealon's chest, who ominously tells her that she won't live till morning. She takes the worm out of Nealon's mouth using a pair of pliers and calls Sarah to tell her that she can't let Ferdinand have the samples and that both Leda and Castor are run by Neolution. She says to tell Ferdinand that Rachel is still alive and was taken by Neolution.

When Ferdinand hears this, he goes on a rage and beats his goon with a bat. The man admits to being a Neolutionist, and Ferdinand hates Neolutionists so he's now apparently part of Team Leda-Clone because he refuses to hand over Kendall's samples. He wants Kendall hidden, Mrs. S has connections, and tells them all to head out while he'll dispose of this Neolutionist's body.

Delphine goes to Shay's to apologise to her and gives them their blessing, promising to not stand between her and Cosima. She also tells Shay that she can tell Cosima everything if she wants. Looks like Shay has more secrets after all. She also tells Shay to give Cosima a card; it's of the Dyad Institute and has 324B21 written on the back.

The gang all comes together for a dinner party at Bubbles, where Alison gets the call that she beat Marcie Coates. The only one not present is Kendall, who is resting up before the trip she'll be taking to disappear. Sarah and Art note how not everyone is present, and everyone toasts to Beth. Helena also toasts to Kira's "little face." Alison then toasts her victory and that they'll all face whatever comes next together. She also thanks Donnie for standing by her through everything. Cosima then gets called outside by Delphine, who asks her to keep the genome sequence and Kendall secret and safe. The two mend fences and Delphine kisses her goodbye. Delphine then heads to her car in the garage and upon realising she's not alone, turns to ask, "What will happen to her?" She is then shot in the chest. The identity of her shooter is not shown.

Rachel finally gets a visit; it's a little Leda clone named Charlotte who says that "she" said that Rachel will be her new mum. The "she" in question is Professor Duncan, Rachel's mother, who steps out to identify herself.

Meanwhile, Mrs. S, and Kendall arrive in Iceland where Sarah is reunited with Kira.

Orphan Black will return to BBC America for Season 4 in 2016.

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