Maggie Gyllenhaal to topline “The Kindergarten Teacher” indie drama

PanARMENIAN.Net - Maggie Gyllenhaal has come on board to star in and produce the independent drama “The Kindergarten Teacher”, with filming starting on July 10 in New York, Variety said.

Maven Pictures is producing the film, based on Nadav Lapid’s Israeli film of the same name. Producers on the film are Maven Pictures co-founders Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray, Gyllenhaal, and Talia Kleinhendler.

Sara Colangelo is directing from her own adapted screenplay. Jenny Halper brought the project to Maven.

The story centers on a kindergarten teacher who grows more and more numb each day she remains stuck in her mundane Staten Island life. When she discovers what may be a prodigious five-year old poet in her class, she becomes obsessed with the child and his talent — risking her career, family, and freedom.

Gyllenhaal received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in “Crazy Heart.” She won a Golden Globe for her work in the BBC miniseries “The Honourable Woman.” Her other film credits include “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang,” “Won’t Back Down,” and “Frank.”

Maven Pictures previously produced “The Kids Are All Right,” “Bernie,” and “Grace Is Gone.” The Israeli film “The Kindergarten Teacher” won the Grand Prize and $20,000 at the new talent competition at the 2015 Taipei Film Festival. It was Lapid’s second feature.

The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.