Twin Directors Make Big-Screen Debut With 'Kin,' Starring James Franco
*By Amanda Weston*
The twins Josh and Jonathan Baker's evident passion helped them land established stars and newcomers with big potential for their first major film project.
The film ["Kin"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac5wrM2uYbk) is marketed as "a pulse-pounding crime thriller with a sci-fi twist," that tells the story of two brothers on the run from criminals and "otherworldly soldiers" armed with a mysterious weapon. The cast includes Hollywood veterans Dennis Quaid, James Franco, and Zoë Kravitz, and the young actor Myles Truitt in his first feature film role.
"If you've got something cool, people want to work on something cool," Josh said an interview Friday on Cheddar. "So I think we had something that felt a little fresh and a little different, and it was amazing that you put it in front of these people and they are interested."
The co-directors said the film was a collaborative process ー with each other and the actors. Though they didn't have as much feature-film experience as their cast, the brothers had no problem giving direction.
"I'd also say the more professional the actor is, the more they're kind of like 'look, just tell me what you guys want and we'll figure it out together,'" said Josh. "So someone like Dennis? Easy to work with."
Finding new faces was a process. For one of the main characters of the film, Eli, producers considered about 200 young actors before casting Truitt. He had an emotional maturity that is hard to find in child actors, Josh said, adding they were "lucky" to find him.
"He had a real subtlety about him, and a lot of it is observed through his eyes without dialogue, which he was great at," said Jonathan.
As streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix become more popular destinations for features than movie screens, Jonathan said he was honored their film would play in a cinema. "Kin" will be in theaters Aug. 31, including some IMAX theaters.
Josh said he felt lucky "Kin" would get a theatrical release because so many small and medium films are being phased out of theaters for big-budget blockbuster fare.
"This is built for people that love sophisticated, character-driven storytelling," said Jonathan. "This is a sci-fi, but it's also a lot of other things. There's a real intimacy to that. It's not a giant blockbuster. I think people that are dying for something a little more unique, a little different, will love this."
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjIyNjM=).
Digital mental health company Little Otter recently announced it closed a $22 million Series A round. Little Otter was founded in 2020 by a mother-daughter team, which based the company on the idea that a child's mental health can only be addressed by treating the whole family through technology available to everyone. Little Otter CEO and co-founder Rebecca Egger and her mother, Little Otter Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and co-founder Dr. Helen Egger joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Cheddar News to break down the battle between two NFT collections by Phunky Ape Yacht Club and PHAYC that are selling plagiarized Bored Ape Yacht Club designs.
Covid-19 has changed the way we view wellness. Jillian Hughes, communications director of Mental Health America, joins Cheddar News to discuss breaking the stigma around mental health. Justin Davis, CEO and co-founder of Spectrum Labs, weighs in on how social media impacts our wellbeing. Lastly, Precision Nutrition CEO Timothy Jones advices us on what trends to watch in 2022.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Founder of Unlimited Tomorrow breaks down how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible; Chief Technology Officer of Zebra Technologies explains what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Mystery of the Roman Skulls.'
According to a recent analysis from ProPublica and the Wall Street Journal an analysis of Facebook posts, internal company documents, and interviews reveal key evidence about the social media giant's role in January 6 insurrection. National Reporter at ProPublica Craig Silverman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
In the fight against climate change, much of the conversation revolves around reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or methane - and attempting to raise oxygen levels. But there's another gas - hydrogen - that could play a big role in the fight for the climate. Marco Alvera, CEO of Italian energy infrastructure company Snam and author of the book, 'The Hydrogen Revolution,' joined Cheddar Climate to explain the role hydrogen plays in helping achieve a net-zero future.
Vietnam's first global automaker is coming to the United States. VinFast unveiled the company's full EV lineup of five models at CES 2022. A reservation program for its first two electric vehicles, the VF 326 and the VF e35, officially opened on Wednesday, with the company set to announce the vehicle's retail prices in the U.S. and Vietnamese markets. VinFast is also one of the world's first automakers to apply blockchain technologies to the process of certifying reservations, payments, and eventually vehicle ownership. VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
