In an industry filled with hundreds of music festivals around the globe, a decade in, there’s still nothing else quite like Form.
For one there’s the venue, the tiny experimental eco-city of Arcosanti, smack dab in the middle of the Arizona desert about an hour north of Phoenix. Then there’s the size; whereas major festivals are bringing in tens to hundreds of thousands of fans, Form sells out at just a couple thousand tickets.
And yet, the festival has managed to punch above its weight and book...
For one there’s the venue, the tiny experimental eco-city of Arcosanti, smack dab in the middle of the Arizona desert about an hour north of Phoenix. Then there’s the size; whereas major festivals are bringing in tens to hundreds of thousands of fans, Form sells out at just a couple thousand tickets.
And yet, the festival has managed to punch above its weight and book...
- 6/12/2024
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
How would you like to spend a special Father’s Day with your dad? Here’s a suggestion — why not sit down for a couple of hours and watch one of these movies that’s all about fathers, both terrific and horrible? Our ranked photo gallery above includes many fine suggestions, all of which feature an Oscar-winning performance by an actor who plays a father where that role was pivotal to the plot.
Though there are thousands of films in which one character happens to be a father, you won’t find them all on this list. Besides the fact that these 17 films contain a paternal performance that won an Academy Award, they show a wide array of what it means to be a father. There’s the courageous father, the inspirational dad, the loving father and even the monstrous father. Lead and supporting actors include Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis,...
Though there are thousands of films in which one character happens to be a father, you won’t find them all on this list. Besides the fact that these 17 films contain a paternal performance that won an Academy Award, they show a wide array of what it means to be a father. There’s the courageous father, the inspirational dad, the loving father and even the monstrous father. Lead and supporting actors include Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis,...
- 6/11/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
South Korean comedy drama Victory is to world premiere as the opening film of this year’s New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) where lead actress Lee Hye-ri will be honoured with the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award.
The performer, better known as Hyeri, will attend the festival to receive the honour on July 12 ahead of the premiere of Victory at New York’s Lincoln Center.
Hye-ri will introduce the film alongside director Park Beom-soo and co-star Park Se-wan. All three will also attend a post-screening Q&a.
The Rising Star Asia Award recognises emerging talent from Asian cinema...
The performer, better known as Hyeri, will attend the festival to receive the honour on July 12 ahead of the premiere of Victory at New York’s Lincoln Center.
Hye-ri will introduce the film alongside director Park Beom-soo and co-star Park Se-wan. All three will also attend a post-screening Q&a.
The Rising Star Asia Award recognises emerging talent from Asian cinema...
- 6/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Neon has dated their fifth Cannes Palme D’Or winner Anora for Oct. 18 per Comscore in what will be a limited release.
October is the traditional launch pad for Neon with their Palme D’Or winning fare including 2019’s ultimate Oscar Best Picture winner Parasite (Oct. 11), 2021’s Titane (Oct 1), 2022’s Triangle of Sadness (Oct. 7), and last year’s Oscar winner Anatomy of a Fall (Oct. 13). Of the five, and granted it was pre-pandemic, Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite did the best at the domestic B.O. with $53.3M, arguably the fourth highest grossing foreign language (and foreign produced) movie stateside after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life Is Beautiful and Zhang Yimou’s Hero.
Anora follows a high class stripper from Brooklyn, played by Better Things‘ Mikey Madison, who falls in love and soon marries a Russian oligarch’s son. The family has problems with her and complications ensue. Some critics have...
October is the traditional launch pad for Neon with their Palme D’Or winning fare including 2019’s ultimate Oscar Best Picture winner Parasite (Oct. 11), 2021’s Titane (Oct 1), 2022’s Triangle of Sadness (Oct. 7), and last year’s Oscar winner Anatomy of a Fall (Oct. 13). Of the five, and granted it was pre-pandemic, Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite did the best at the domestic B.O. with $53.3M, arguably the fourth highest grossing foreign language (and foreign produced) movie stateside after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life Is Beautiful and Zhang Yimou’s Hero.
Anora follows a high class stripper from Brooklyn, played by Better Things‘ Mikey Madison, who falls in love and soon marries a Russian oligarch’s son. The family has problems with her and complications ensue. Some critics have...
- 6/4/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday, May 25 following two weeks packed with screenings, stars, press and parties. With the prizes having been handed out for the festival’s 77th anniversary, we can now start looking at what contenders might be in the best spot to get into the upcoming Oscar race. Let’s examine the winners from this year’s festival and see the history that each category has when it comes to the Oscars.
In recent years, we’ve seen the festival serve as a huge springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. Three of the last four winners of the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, have nabbed Best Picture nominations: “Parasite” (2019), “Triangle of Sadness” (2022) and “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Other big winners at recent festivals that became big Oscar players include “Drive My Car,” “The Zone of Interest” and “BlacKkKlansman.” This year’s...
In recent years, we’ve seen the festival serve as a huge springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. Three of the last four winners of the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, have nabbed Best Picture nominations: “Parasite” (2019), “Triangle of Sadness” (2022) and “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Other big winners at recent festivals that became big Oscar players include “Drive My Car,” “The Zone of Interest” and “BlacKkKlansman.” This year’s...
- 5/25/2024
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The Anne Hathaway- and Jessica Chastain-starring psychological thriller “Mothers’ Instinct” is set for release in Chinese theaters.
Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel.
The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens. That likely sets it in competition with “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” as another English-language title releasing on that date, Variety has confirmed.
The film has had a handful of international releases and is also set for a North American outing at an unspecified date through Neon. The China release follows an agreement between sales firm Anton Corp and Chinese distributor Jl Film.
Jl Film...
Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel.
The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens. That likely sets it in competition with “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” as another English-language title releasing on that date, Variety has confirmed.
The film has had a handful of international releases and is also set for a North American outing at an unspecified date through Neon. The China release follows an agreement between sales firm Anton Corp and Chinese distributor Jl Film.
Jl Film...
- 5/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Watermelon Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights for Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly’s documentary Life Is Beautiful about his experiences after he became stranded in Norway in 2014 when Gaza’s borders were shut indefinitely.
The distribution agreement, which includes all North American theatrical and ancillary rights, was negotiated in Cannes by Munir Atalla, head of Production and Acquisitionat Watermelon Pictures and Esther van Messel of First Hand Films.
Jabaly was attending a film festival in Tromsø in 2014, when the borders to Gaza closed. Little did he know that it would be seven years before he could see his family again.
While waiting for the situation to change, Mohamed’s friends back home tell him to seek asylum or get married to stay in Norway. But Mohamed refuses to give up his Palestinian identity and insists on being recognized for his work.
After being denied a work permit after several appeals,...
The distribution agreement, which includes all North American theatrical and ancillary rights, was negotiated in Cannes by Munir Atalla, head of Production and Acquisitionat Watermelon Pictures and Esther van Messel of First Hand Films.
Jabaly was attending a film festival in Tromsø in 2014, when the borders to Gaza closed. Little did he know that it would be seven years before he could see his family again.
While waiting for the situation to change, Mohamed’s friends back home tell him to seek asylum or get married to stay in Norway. But Mohamed refuses to give up his Palestinian identity and insists on being recognized for his work.
After being denied a work permit after several appeals,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmax has nabbed sales rights to “May I Speak With the Enemy,” a biopic focusing on the Spanish Civil War years of Miguel Gila, who went on to pioneer stand-up in Spain. Gila developed a comedy of the absurd informed by his experiences in the conflict.
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
“May I Speak With the Enemy” is produced by Pecado Films, a producer on Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” and Arcadia Motion Pictures, behind Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts.”
Co-written by Alexis Morante from an original idea by Pecado producer José Alba, “May I Speak” stars newcomer Oscar Lasarte, a comedian and magician, as a young Gila, just 17 when he heads for the trenches, to suffer through battles, hunger and a botched execution by a drunken firing squad.
The experiences inspired one of his most famous sketches, where he phones up the enemy to ask them to stop the war and,...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Kinology has boarded international sales to “The Big War,” an epic €30-million live action-cgi characters hybrid movie which will mark the directorial comeback of “La Haine” filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz.
The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.
Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”
Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...
The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.
Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”
Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...
- 5/10/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Concert documentary, “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” directed by Neo Sora, will open in mainland Chinese cinemas on May 31.
The film had its world premiere in official selection at the Venice festival last year. That was followed by an acclaimed run at the New York, London and Camerimage festivals.
Japanese composer Sakamoto, who was awarded an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy and two Golden Globes, had a four-decade career that stretched from techno-pop to Oscar winning scores on films including “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” “The Last Emperor,” and “The Revenant.”
Sakamoto died in March last year after a lengthy struggle with cancer. Before his demise, he curated and performed piano at a final concert, comprising 20 pieces of music that he chose and ordered himself.
The concert film includes his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period to his iconic “Emperor” film score and meditative final album, “12.” Variety‘s review of the film called it a “glorious final performance.
The film had its world premiere in official selection at the Venice festival last year. That was followed by an acclaimed run at the New York, London and Camerimage festivals.
Japanese composer Sakamoto, who was awarded an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy and two Golden Globes, had a four-decade career that stretched from techno-pop to Oscar winning scores on films including “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” “The Last Emperor,” and “The Revenant.”
Sakamoto died in March last year after a lengthy struggle with cancer. Before his demise, he curated and performed piano at a final concert, comprising 20 pieces of music that he chose and ordered himself.
The concert film includes his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period to his iconic “Emperor” film score and meditative final album, “12.” Variety‘s review of the film called it a “glorious final performance.
- 5/8/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The impact of the Israel-Hamas war covered extensively by the world media and saturating social media platforms has Middle Eastern directors and their films suddenly in the spotlight on the international film festival circuit.
At Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary festival that kicks into gear this weekend, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly has brought his documentary Life is Beautiful to Toronto for a North American premiere. The film follows his exile to Norway caused by an earlier 2014 regional conflict and thwarted efforts to get back to his family in Gaza.
“The film has unfortunately become more relevant to what’s going on these days. I was hoping to release the film in a more peaceful situation,” Jabaly tells The Hollywood Reporter. The irony is his documentary debuted at the IDFA Festival in Amsterdam in November 2023, soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel sparked a wider Israel-Gaza conflict...
At Hot Docs, Canada’s largest documentary festival that kicks into gear this weekend, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly has brought his documentary Life is Beautiful to Toronto for a North American premiere. The film follows his exile to Norway caused by an earlier 2014 regional conflict and thwarted efforts to get back to his family in Gaza.
“The film has unfortunately become more relevant to what’s going on these days. I was hoping to release the film in a more peaceful situation,” Jabaly tells The Hollywood Reporter. The irony is his documentary debuted at the IDFA Festival in Amsterdam in November 2023, soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel sparked a wider Israel-Gaza conflict...
- 4/26/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters lead the nominations for the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will be held during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Both features picked up seven nominations apiece for the awards, focused on Arab films that were produced and premiered outside of the Arab world in 2023. Overseen and run by the Cairo-based Arab Cinema Centre (Acc), it was voted on by 209 critics from 72 countries and the winners will be announced during Cannes on May 18.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
This year’s nominees range from Sudan,...
Both features picked up seven nominations apiece for the awards, focused on Arab films that were produced and premiered outside of the Arab world in 2023. Overseen and run by the Cairo-based Arab Cinema Centre (Acc), it was voted on by 209 critics from 72 countries and the winners will be announced during Cannes on May 18.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
This year’s nominees range from Sudan,...
- 4/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
‘Four Daughters’ & ‘Goodbye Julia’ Lead Nominations For 8th Edition Of Critics Awards For Arab Films
Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated documentary Four Daughters and Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s Lupita Nyong’o-EPed drama Goodbye Julia lead the nominations in the eighth edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.
Hybrid work Four Daughters, exploring the story of a real-life Tunisian mother who lost two of her daughters to Isis after they were radicalized by a local preacher, world premiered in Competition in Cannes last year.
The film won Cannes’ Golden Eye for Best Documentary and also went on to be nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama Goodbye Julia was also at Cannes in 2023, making history as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival across its 76 editions, with a debut in Un Certain Regard. It represented Sudan at in the 2023-24 Oscar race but was not nominated.
Set against the backdrop of the 2011 South Sudan Independence referendum,...
Hybrid work Four Daughters, exploring the story of a real-life Tunisian mother who lost two of her daughters to Isis after they were radicalized by a local preacher, world premiered in Competition in Cannes last year.
The film won Cannes’ Golden Eye for Best Documentary and also went on to be nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama Goodbye Julia was also at Cannes in 2023, making history as the first Sudanese film to play in the festival across its 76 editions, with a debut in Un Certain Regard. It represented Sudan at in the 2023-24 Oscar race but was not nominated.
Set against the backdrop of the 2011 South Sudan Independence referendum,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
On the heels of its successful world launch at IDFA, the critically-acclaimed anti-colonial pic “Our Land, Our Freedom,” sold by First Hand Films, has landed a deal with BBC Africa Eye.
“Our Land, Our Freedom,” a Kenyan/U.S./Portuguese co-production, and the upcoming India-set “Kalari,” to be pitched in Visions du Réel docu festival’s Swiss Films Previews showcase, epitomize what First Hand Films stands for.
“What’s important for First Hand Films is defending diversity, minorities, female voices and new talent,” said Esther van Messel, CEO of the doc sales, production and Swiss distribution shingle, ahead of Visions du Réel in Nyon, Switzerland.
“We are so very pleased about this sale, our very first on the film,” said the seasoned doc specialist van Messel.
Co-directed by L.A.-based Meena Nanji and her Kenyan counterpart Zippy Kimundu, the feature tells of Kenyan woman Wanjugu Kimathi’s search for the...
“Our Land, Our Freedom,” a Kenyan/U.S./Portuguese co-production, and the upcoming India-set “Kalari,” to be pitched in Visions du Réel docu festival’s Swiss Films Previews showcase, epitomize what First Hand Films stands for.
“What’s important for First Hand Films is defending diversity, minorities, female voices and new talent,” said Esther van Messel, CEO of the doc sales, production and Swiss distribution shingle, ahead of Visions du Réel in Nyon, Switzerland.
“We are so very pleased about this sale, our very first on the film,” said the seasoned doc specialist van Messel.
Co-directed by L.A.-based Meena Nanji and her Kenyan counterpart Zippy Kimundu, the feature tells of Kenyan woman Wanjugu Kimathi’s search for the...
- 4/7/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Injecting traces of whimsy into a historical tragedy is a precarious thing. If you do it well, you get Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, but if you do it poorly, you get Netflix’s All the Light We Cannot See. And it isn’t some clear-cut empirical thing, since Life Is Beautiful and Jojo Rabbit are Oscar-winning classics for some and unbearable pablum to others. (Me, I am Others.)
One person’s “restraint” is another person’s “excessively muted” and yet another person’s “still too darned sentimental.”
I’m here to praise Showtime’s A Gentleman in Moscow for its general restraint. The limited series take on Amor Towles’ 2016 novel tiptoes along an allegorical line, without toppling over into either outright whimsy or voyeuristic gawking at the flawed idealism and generational traumas of the Bolshevik Revolution. It’s a dark story that still has some levity,...
One person’s “restraint” is another person’s “excessively muted” and yet another person’s “still too darned sentimental.”
I’m here to praise Showtime’s A Gentleman in Moscow for its general restraint. The limited series take on Amor Towles’ 2016 novel tiptoes along an allegorical line, without toppling over into either outright whimsy or voyeuristic gawking at the flawed idealism and generational traumas of the Bolshevik Revolution. It’s a dark story that still has some levity,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter Weir, who has not released a movie since 2010’s The Way Back, is likely never going to make another one again. The Australian director, who is known for giving some of the most acclaimed films of all time, talked recently about his long 14-years-absence from filmmaking.
Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar Award | Photo: Screengrab/Oscars/YouTube
The four-time Best Director Oscar nominee, while attending the Festival de la Cinémathèque in Paris, said that he is retired now, which is shocking to the admirers of his works.
SUGGESTED5 Worst ‘Best Picture’ Wins in History That Made Fans Doubt The Oscars’ Credibility
Let’s have a look at two of his movies that deserved an Oscar win for sure, but they could not despite high critical applause.
The Truman Show (1998)
Peter Weir has been nominated six times for Oscars, including four times for best director, without any win. One of...
Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar Award | Photo: Screengrab/Oscars/YouTube
The four-time Best Director Oscar nominee, while attending the Festival de la Cinémathèque in Paris, said that he is retired now, which is shocking to the admirers of his works.
SUGGESTED5 Worst ‘Best Picture’ Wins in History That Made Fans Doubt The Oscars’ Credibility
Let’s have a look at two of his movies that deserved an Oscar win for sure, but they could not despite high critical applause.
The Truman Show (1998)
Peter Weir has been nominated six times for Oscars, including four times for best director, without any win. One of...
- 3/19/2024
- by Prantik Prabal Roy
- FandomWire
2023 was a miraculous year for German actress Sandra Huller. Not only did she receive critical acclaim for her riveting portrayal of a woman on trial for murdering her husband in France’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” she was also praised for her role as the wife of a Nazi commander in the United Kingdom’s German-language “The Zone of Interest.” Indeed, there was much interest in Huller and her two films. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for “Anatomy.” And both “Anatomy” and “Zone” landed slots for Best Picture, as well as Best Director bids for Justine Triet and Jonathan Glazer, respectively.
As I was speaking to academy members ahead of last Sunday’s ceremony, I detected a surprisingly robust amount of support for Huller. And many of those who had voted for her mentioned her work in “The Zone of Interest.” It really did seem...
As I was speaking to academy members ahead of last Sunday’s ceremony, I detected a surprisingly robust amount of support for Huller. And many of those who had voted for her mentioned her work in “The Zone of Interest.” It really did seem...
- 3/14/2024
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
The King of Monsters finally has his share of Oscars glory.
In an ironic triumph of small over large, Japanese monster movie sensation Godzilla Minus One — which was made for only about $15 million — beat out four big-budget Hollywood tentpoles to win the best visual effects category. It’s the first time in decades that a non-u.S. studio film has won the category. Despite its deep influence on the history of visual effects in cinema, this year was the first time in the Godzilla franchise’s seven-decade history that it was nominated for an Oscar.
Godzilla Minus One was written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also headed up the film’s VFX team, which included Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima. The team is now Japan’s first-ever winner of the best visual effects Oscar. In another rarity, a director winning the category has only occurred once before...
In an ironic triumph of small over large, Japanese monster movie sensation Godzilla Minus One — which was made for only about $15 million — beat out four big-budget Hollywood tentpoles to win the best visual effects category. It’s the first time in decades that a non-u.S. studio film has won the category. Despite its deep influence on the history of visual effects in cinema, this year was the first time in the Godzilla franchise’s seven-decade history that it was nominated for an Oscar.
Godzilla Minus One was written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also headed up the film’s VFX team, which included Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima. The team is now Japan’s first-ever winner of the best visual effects Oscar. In another rarity, a director winning the category has only occurred once before...
- 3/11/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 96th Academy Award Ceremony is approaching, and the buzz around the Oscars has evolved to an astounding height. Looking back at history, the Oscars have created several significant moments elevating actor’s career. However, all stars don’t have the same blessing.
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Who wouldn’t want to win an Oscar? The award has been one of the most prestigious accolades for achievement in almost every category related to movies. However, in another turn of events, winning an Oscar may not be as good as you might think. An idea called the Oscars Curse has altered the fate of several celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry.
Oscars Curse Victims, Matthew McConaughey, and Halle Berry Are Among Prominent
Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Several actors have witnessed the downfall of their careers after winning an Oscar. Of course, any filmmaker and actor or anyone...
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Who wouldn’t want to win an Oscar? The award has been one of the most prestigious accolades for achievement in almost every category related to movies. However, in another turn of events, winning an Oscar may not be as good as you might think. An idea called the Oscars Curse has altered the fate of several celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry.
Oscars Curse Victims, Matthew McConaughey, and Halle Berry Are Among Prominent
Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Several actors have witnessed the downfall of their careers after winning an Oscar. Of course, any filmmaker and actor or anyone...
- 3/9/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
Nearly two months into its box office run, "Godzilla Minus One" continues to make noise. Toho's surprise hit entry in the long-running franchise is riding high, having recently secured a historic Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects, with the black and white "Minus Color" edition of the film hitting theaters over the weekend. The combination of events was enough to give the film a healthy boost on what figures to be its final weekend in theaters in the U.S. But it's going out with a bang and some impressive milestones under its belt.
Takashi Yamazaki's widely-acclaimed "Godzilla" film pulled in $2.7 million in its most recent weekend (in large part thanks to the black and white version), putting it back in the top 10 on the charts, per The Numbers. That also finally pushed it over the $100 million mark at the global box office. It has now earned $55 million...
Takashi Yamazaki's widely-acclaimed "Godzilla" film pulled in $2.7 million in its most recent weekend (in large part thanks to the black and white version), putting it back in the top 10 on the charts, per The Numbers. That also finally pushed it over the $100 million mark at the global box office. It has now earned $55 million...
- 1/30/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Toho’s Godzilla Minus One just made its way back into U.S. theaters over the weekend with a brand new black & white version of the Oscar-nominated movie, and along with that new release comes a major bit of news. The film has now crossed over $55 Million in total U.S. box office, making it the #3 Highest Grossing Foreign Language Film in U.S. history!!
Godzilla Minus One passed Hero ($53.7 million) and Parasite ($53.3) to claim that honor. The critically acclaimed film’s worldwide total currently stands at a massive $102.6 million.
The only international films ahead of Godzilla Minus One at the U.S. box office are:
#1 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $128.5 million (U.S.) #2 – Life Is Beautiful – $57.5 million (U.S.)
Godzilla Minus One is currently just $2.5 million shy of Life Is Beautiful‘s U.S. box office total, which would put it in the #2 spot for international films at the U.
Godzilla Minus One passed Hero ($53.7 million) and Parasite ($53.3) to claim that honor. The critically acclaimed film’s worldwide total currently stands at a massive $102.6 million.
The only international films ahead of Godzilla Minus One at the U.S. box office are:
#1 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $128.5 million (U.S.) #2 – Life Is Beautiful – $57.5 million (U.S.)
Godzilla Minus One is currently just $2.5 million shy of Life Is Beautiful‘s U.S. box office total, which would put it in the #2 spot for international films at the U.
- 1/29/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Toho International’s Godzilla Minus One – with an Oscar nom and a $2.6 million estimated three-day gross – was no. 10 at the U.S. box office in week 9, and hit a milestone Friday. The giant radioactive reptile, on 2,001 screens, became the third highest-grossing foreign-language film Stateside passing Hero and Parasite.
Godzilla’s cume will pass an estimated $55 million this weekend.
The film by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe was on about 2,050 screens. The number is quadruple last week’s footprint as it prepares to exit theaters with a bang on Feb. 1. That gives it only a few days to overtake the no. 2 foreign-language film spot currently held by Life Is Beautiful. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in first place remains pretty un-catchable.
Meanwhile, Bollywood has a big one. Hindi action thriller Fighter from Viva Entertainment grossed $3.74 million in 662 locations, for a no. five spot at the...
Godzilla’s cume will pass an estimated $55 million this weekend.
The film by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe was on about 2,050 screens. The number is quadruple last week’s footprint as it prepares to exit theaters with a bang on Feb. 1. That gives it only a few days to overtake the no. 2 foreign-language film spot currently held by Life Is Beautiful. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in first place remains pretty un-catchable.
Meanwhile, Bollywood has a big one. Hindi action thriller Fighter from Viva Entertainment grossed $3.74 million in 662 locations, for a no. five spot at the...
- 1/28/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are emerging in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.
This week we explore Italian movie hit There’s Still Tomorrow, which begins rolling out on cinema screens worldwide this spring with other key deals underway after a stellar release back home last fall, where it is now the ninth highest-grossing film in the history of the country’s box office.
Name: There’s Still Tomorrow
Country: Italy
Producer: Wildside
Seller: Vision Distribution
Where you can watch: In cinemas worldwide (see distributor list below)
For fans of: Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful, Ettore Scola’s A Special Day,...
This week we explore Italian movie hit There’s Still Tomorrow, which begins rolling out on cinema screens worldwide this spring with other key deals underway after a stellar release back home last fall, where it is now the ninth highest-grossing film in the history of the country’s box office.
Name: There’s Still Tomorrow
Country: Italy
Producer: Wildside
Seller: Vision Distribution
Where you can watch: In cinemas worldwide (see distributor list below)
For fans of: Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful, Ettore Scola’s A Special Day,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Here are five recommendations you can stream on Screambox right now.
The Collector
If the triumphant return of the Saw franchise has you in the mood for more trap-laden horrors, look no further than The Collector — which was originally conceived as a prequel to Saw that would show Jigsaw’s original story. When producers passed on the idea, writers Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan (Saw IV-vii) reworked it into an original script, which Dunstan directed in 2009.
A slasher/home invasion hybrid for the so-called “torture porn” era, The Collector stars Criminal Minds‘ Josh Stewart as struggling ex-con Arkin. A planned heist at his new employer’s home to repay a debt becomes deadly when he...
Here are five recommendations you can stream on Screambox right now.
The Collector
If the triumphant return of the Saw franchise has you in the mood for more trap-laden horrors, look no further than The Collector — which was originally conceived as a prequel to Saw that would show Jigsaw’s original story. When producers passed on the idea, writers Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan (Saw IV-vii) reworked it into an original script, which Dunstan directed in 2009.
A slasher/home invasion hybrid for the so-called “torture porn” era, The Collector stars Criminal Minds‘ Josh Stewart as struggling ex-con Arkin. A planned heist at his new employer’s home to repay a debt becomes deadly when he...
- 1/18/2024
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Seoul-based sales company Finecut has acquired international sales rights to horror thriller Noise ahead of the upcoming European Film Market.
Presented by Kc Ventures and produced by Studio Finecut (Christmas Carol), the film is currently in post-production. Finecut will present first-look images at EFM.
The pic follows a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance and attracting a malevolent presence. The synopsis reads: As the story unravels, a bone-chilling secret and mystery entity are revealed after the unnerving noises. The film delves into the unsettling issue of floor noise, a prevalent concern in contemporary societies.
Noise marks the feature debut of director Kim Soo-jin, whose short film The Line played the Cinefondation Selection at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. Lee Sun-bin takes on the role of a woman with a hearing aid searching for her missing sister. Kim Min-seok takes on the role of the missing sister’s boyfriend. The downstairs neighbor is portrayed by Rye Kyung-soo, known for The Bequeathed.
Recent Finecut sales titles include the drama Victory, directed by Park Beom-su (Red Carpet) and produced by Anna Lee’s Annapurna Films with backing from Mindmark. Set on a remote island, the film revolves around two girls who form a cheerleading club and start supporting the local under-achieving soccer team.
The cast was headed by Lee Hye-ri, a member of K-pop group Girl’s Day, and Park Se-wan (Life Is Beautiful), along with rising actor Lee Jeong-ha (Moving).
Presented by Kc Ventures and produced by Studio Finecut (Christmas Carol), the film is currently in post-production. Finecut will present first-look images at EFM.
The pic follows a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance and attracting a malevolent presence. The synopsis reads: As the story unravels, a bone-chilling secret and mystery entity are revealed after the unnerving noises. The film delves into the unsettling issue of floor noise, a prevalent concern in contemporary societies.
Noise marks the feature debut of director Kim Soo-jin, whose short film The Line played the Cinefondation Selection at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. Lee Sun-bin takes on the role of a woman with a hearing aid searching for her missing sister. Kim Min-seok takes on the role of the missing sister’s boyfriend. The downstairs neighbor is portrayed by Rye Kyung-soo, known for The Bequeathed.
Recent Finecut sales titles include the drama Victory, directed by Park Beom-su (Red Carpet) and produced by Anna Lee’s Annapurna Films with backing from Mindmark. Set on a remote island, the film revolves around two girls who form a cheerleading club and start supporting the local under-achieving soccer team.
The cast was headed by Lee Hye-ri, a member of K-pop group Girl’s Day, and Park Se-wan (Life Is Beautiful), along with rising actor Lee Jeong-ha (Moving).
- 1/15/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Festival selection includes Nikolaj Arcel’s ‘The Promised Land’ and Ernst De Geer’s ‘The Hypnosis’.
Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.
The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.
Scroll down for the list of festival titles
The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land,...
Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.
The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.
Scroll down for the list of festival titles
The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Actors Ewan McGregor, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, directors Ruben Östlund, Ernst de Geer, Ramata-Toulaye Sy and Cannes Film Festival honcho Thierry Frémaux are some of the stellar guests set to walk the red carpet at the 47th edition of Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival.
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.
For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.
“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...
- 1/9/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the competition titles selected for its 47th edition, which runs from January 26 to February 4. (Scroll down for the full list).
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...
- 1/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
January 1999. One quarter of a century ago. I attended the Golden Globe Awards for the first time (as an accredited member of the press) — and it was a night that I’ll never forget.
Interestingly enough, the most memorable moment of the night for me wasn’t having Best TV Supporting Actress co-winner Camryn Manheim (“The Practice”) quiz me on lines from 1997’s hit comedy “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.”
Rather, it was when I was practically escorted out of the backstage press room for expressing my shock when Lauren Bacall announced Jim Carrey as the year’s Best Drama Actor for “The Truman Show,” beating out the likes of Tom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan,” Ian McKellen in “Gods and Monsters” and Nick Nolte in “Affliction.” (My money had been on McKellen.)
Even Carrey himself was in a state of disbelief, wisecracking that the Globe made him a...
Interestingly enough, the most memorable moment of the night for me wasn’t having Best TV Supporting Actress co-winner Camryn Manheim (“The Practice”) quiz me on lines from 1997’s hit comedy “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.”
Rather, it was when I was practically escorted out of the backstage press room for expressing my shock when Lauren Bacall announced Jim Carrey as the year’s Best Drama Actor for “The Truman Show,” beating out the likes of Tom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan,” Ian McKellen in “Gods and Monsters” and Nick Nolte in “Affliction.” (My money had been on McKellen.)
Even Carrey himself was in a state of disbelief, wisecracking that the Globe made him a...
- 1/7/2024
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
Three decades after the 1915 Armenian Genocide, an optimistic American Armenian returns to his Sovietized homeland, only be thrown in prison under flimsy circumstances. From his squalid jail cell, he peers daily into the home and inner life of one of his Armenian prison guards, and inadvertently finds the cultural connection he’d been searching for. This broad premise informs the sentimental comedy-drama of “Amerikatsi” (or “The American”), Armenia’s shortlisted international Oscar submission. Written and directed by Michael A. Goorjian, who also stars in the leading role, it’s a moving work about diasporic yearning, coming to us as history repeats itself, after more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to flee Nagorno-Karabakh earlier this year.
The movie’s dreamlike prologue follows a young Armenian boy escaping the brutality of the Ottoman Army during World War I, peering out of a tiny hole in an ornate luggage trunk. The interior of...
The movie’s dreamlike prologue follows a young Armenian boy escaping the brutality of the Ottoman Army during World War I, peering out of a tiny hole in an ornate luggage trunk. The interior of...
- 12/28/2023
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
The current Oscar frontrunners for Best Actor and Best Actress according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users are Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”). However, they both face serious competition from the stars of “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. If the co-stars both win, “Maestro” would be the first film since “As Good As It Gets” to win both lead acting Oscars.
SEEBradley Cooper (‘Maestro’) makes Critics Choice Awards history
“Maestro” chronicles the decades-long relationship between conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Mulligan). Their love story spans over 30 years from the time they met at a party in 1946 and continuing through their quarter-century marriage. But winning matching Oscars isn’t easy. To date only seven films have won both lead acting awards. They are:
“It Happened One Night” (1934) – Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) – Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher...
SEEBradley Cooper (‘Maestro’) makes Critics Choice Awards history
“Maestro” chronicles the decades-long relationship between conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Mulligan). Their love story spans over 30 years from the time they met at a party in 1946 and continuing through their quarter-century marriage. But winning matching Oscars isn’t easy. To date only seven films have won both lead acting awards. They are:
“It Happened One Night” (1934) – Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) – Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher...
- 12/27/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Roberto Benigni, whose film “Life Is Beautiful” won three Oscars in 1999, has come out of the woodwork to support Matteo Garrone’s Golden Globe-nominated “Io Capitano,” which is Italy’s current Oscar candidate for best international feature film.
The revered yet reclusive Italian actor/director, whose most recent big screen role is playing Geppetto in Matteo Garrone’s hit 2019 live-action adaptation of “Pinocchio,” is clearly a big fan of “Io Capitano” (the title translates to “Me Captain”). The movie narrates the Homeric journey of two young African men, Seydou and Moussa, who decide to leave Dakar to reach Europe.
Garrone’s immigration drama realistically depicts their plight through the pitfalls of the desert, the horrors of detention centers in Libya and the dangers of the sea. Variety critic Guy Lodge in his review called “Io Capitano” the director’s “most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since Garrone’s international breakthrough with ‘Gomorrah’ 15 years ago.
The revered yet reclusive Italian actor/director, whose most recent big screen role is playing Geppetto in Matteo Garrone’s hit 2019 live-action adaptation of “Pinocchio,” is clearly a big fan of “Io Capitano” (the title translates to “Me Captain”). The movie narrates the Homeric journey of two young African men, Seydou and Moussa, who decide to leave Dakar to reach Europe.
Garrone’s immigration drama realistically depicts their plight through the pitfalls of the desert, the horrors of detention centers in Libya and the dangers of the sea. Variety critic Guy Lodge in his review called “Io Capitano” the director’s “most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since Garrone’s international breakthrough with ‘Gomorrah’ 15 years ago.
- 12/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
‘There’s Still Tomorrow’: The Italian Box Office Success Sparking Discussion About Domestic Violence
There’s Still Tomorrow, the new film that has just passed Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to become the most-watched movie in Italy this year, opens on a domestic scene. Delia, played by actress-turned-director Paola Cortellesi, wakes up next to her husband, Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea). “Buongiorno!” she says, brightly. Without a word, he slaps her. Hard. Then, as the soundtrack swells with a 40s romantic tune, Delia gets up to start her day. Violent abuse, it appears, is as much a part of her routine as brushing her hair and getting dressed for work.
It’s a shocking scene. At first, it looks like There’s Still Tomorrow, shot in stark black-and-white, will be a tribute to Italian neo-realist classics like Bicycle Thieves and Rome Open City. But this is no kitchen sink social drama. First come the one-liners: “All the problems started when people stopped marrying their cousins!” Ivano’s father-in-law complains to Delia.
It’s a shocking scene. At first, it looks like There’s Still Tomorrow, shot in stark black-and-white, will be a tribute to Italian neo-realist classics like Bicycle Thieves and Rome Open City. But this is no kitchen sink social drama. First come the one-liners: “All the problems started when people stopped marrying their cousins!” Ivano’s father-in-law complains to Delia.
- 12/18/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Greta Gerwig (courtesy Warner Bros.), Bradley Cooper (courtesy Netflix), Christopher Nolan (courtesy Universal Pictures), Martin Scorsese (courtesy Apple TV+)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Our preview of this year’s awards season has already touched on the contenders for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Now it’s time to...
Our preview of this year’s awards season has already touched on the contenders for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Now it’s time to...
- 12/4/2023
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
White Bird.The repeatedly delayed film White Bird, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R.J. Palacio, follows an elderly Jewish woman looking back on her youth in France during World War II, particularly the time she spent hiding from the Nazis. The framing is odd: She is telling this tale to impart a lesson to her grandson, a bully character from a different, earlier novel by Palacio, Wonder. Both stories are part of a wider fictive universe authored by Palacio, the “World of Wonder,” which comprises spinoff books, film adaptations, and merchandise, all branded with the poptimistic slogan/hashtag “Choose Kind.” A friendly schoolmate refusing to persecute White Bird’s protagonist for being Jewish is implicitly an example of “choosing kind,” divorced from any historically based understanding of solidarity or resistance to fascism. More problematically, White Bird has as its epigraph George Santayama’s famous quote “Those who can’t...
- 11/28/2023
- MUBI
IDFA – the largest documentary film festival in the world — has just wrapped its 36th edition, and it was a memorable one by every definition. Two hundred and fifty films screened in Amsterdam, representing work from across the globe –the Middle East to Africa, Asia, North and South America, and Europe.
In a special edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we report on the festival from Amsterdam, speaking on the ground with five notable filmmakers, including Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, who came to IDFA for the European premiere of his new Netflix documentary Stamped From the Beginning, an examination of how racist ideas have permeated American culture.
Sex researcher Shere Hite
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham tells us how European audiences reacted to her award-winning documentary The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular American sex researcher who became a sensation after the publication of her book The Hite Report in the 1970s,...
In a special edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we report on the festival from Amsterdam, speaking on the ground with five notable filmmakers, including Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, who came to IDFA for the European premiere of his new Netflix documentary Stamped From the Beginning, an examination of how racist ideas have permeated American culture.
Sex researcher Shere Hite
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham tells us how European audiences reacted to her award-winning documentary The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular American sex researcher who became a sensation after the publication of her book The Hite Report in the 1970s,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Brendan Fraser is ready to continue his revival, landing his first leading role after winning the Academy Award for The Whale. Fraser will star in Hikari’s Rental Family, which comes from a script co-written by Hikari and Stephen Blahut.
As per Deadline, Rental Family “follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.” Filming will begin in spring 2024 in Japan. No other cast has been announced outside of Brendan Fraser at this time.
So far, Brendan Fraser has avoided the post-Oscar slump that the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Adrian Brody (The Pianist) and so many others have suffered. In fact, his first picture after his Best Actor win was for Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon.
As per Deadline, Rental Family “follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.” Filming will begin in spring 2024 in Japan. No other cast has been announced outside of Brendan Fraser at this time.
So far, Brendan Fraser has avoided the post-Oscar slump that the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Adrian Brody (The Pianist) and so many others have suffered. In fact, his first picture after his Best Actor win was for Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon.
- 11/21/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly is leaving the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam with a major award: Best Director in International Competition for his film Life Is Beautiful. But where he goes next is uncertain – he can’t return to Gaza for the time being because the border is closed as the Israel-Hamas war rages on.
Amid the prestige and excitement of premiering a film at IDFA, the world’s biggest documentary festival, his thoughts, for obvious reasons, have been back in his homeland.
“Of course, it’s not easy when people come and ask you how are you? And then what should you say?” he tells Deadline. “It’s really difficult even to speak, but then silence also doesn’t help at this stage in our life.”
Director Mohamed Jabaly, at right, with camera.
“Making films,” he continues, “or speaking about it became kind of heavy on our shoulders and...
Amid the prestige and excitement of premiering a film at IDFA, the world’s biggest documentary festival, his thoughts, for obvious reasons, have been back in his homeland.
“Of course, it’s not easy when people come and ask you how are you? And then what should you say?” he tells Deadline. “It’s really difficult even to speak, but then silence also doesn’t help at this stage in our life.”
Director Mohamed Jabaly, at right, with camera.
“Making films,” he continues, “or speaking about it became kind of heavy on our shoulders and...
- 11/18/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
IDFA Winner Mohamed Jabaly, Director of ‘Life Is Beautiful,’ Reflects on Events in Home City of Gaza
Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly, who won the best director award at documentary festival IDFA on Thursday for “Life Is Beautiful,” has expressed his sense of helplessness amid the rising death toll in Gaza, where he was born.
On Oct. 7, Hamas – a terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2006 – launched coordinated attacks in Israel, killing over 1,200 civilians, and taking over 240 civilian hostages. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza and has launched a ground offensive. More than 11,500 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Jabaly told Variety: “I have so much pain inside me, I don’t know how I am even able to speak these words.”
“If the whole world can’t stop what’s happening, to make a ceasefire…it’s just a feeling of being trapped,” said Jabaly. “Even walking in the street is really difficult these days. Just knowing that [loved ones] have been under the bombs for over a month,...
On Oct. 7, Hamas – a terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2006 – launched coordinated attacks in Israel, killing over 1,200 civilians, and taking over 240 civilian hostages. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza and has launched a ground offensive. More than 11,500 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Jabaly told Variety: “I have so much pain inside me, I don’t know how I am even able to speak these words.”
“If the whole world can’t stop what’s happening, to make a ceasefire…it’s just a feeling of being trapped,” said Jabaly. “Even walking in the street is really difficult these days. Just knowing that [loved ones] have been under the bombs for over a month,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Documentary chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother.
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary 1489, which chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother, has won the best film award in international competition at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
The title 1489 refers to the anonymous number of a “body of an individual missing in action,” and was the number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his military service when the conflict between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) flared up again in September...
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary 1489, which chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother, has won the best film award in international competition at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
The title 1489 refers to the anonymous number of a “body of an individual missing in action,” and was the number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his military service when the conflict between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) flared up again in September...
- 11/17/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Armenian war documentary 1489, from director Shoghakat Vardanyan, has won the top prize for best film at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). The prize comes with a 15,000 euro ($16,000) cash bursary.
In the film, Vardanyan records her and her family’s efforts to find out what happened to her brother, Soghomon, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his mandatory military service when a conflict broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in September 2020. Soghomon went missing in action, identified only with the anonymous number 1489.
The IDFA jury said 1489 was “a film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see. And ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The...
In the film, Vardanyan records her and her family’s efforts to find out what happened to her brother, Soghomon, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his mandatory military service when a conflict broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in September 2020. Soghomon went missing in action, identified only with the anonymous number 1489.
The IDFA jury said 1489 was “a film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see. And ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The...
- 11/17/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Documentaries about the impact of war claimed two of the top prizes as the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam handed out awards Thursday night.
1489, directed by Armenian filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan, won Best Film in International Competition. The film revolves around the disappearance of the director’s 21-year-old brother, Soghomon Vardanyan, who went missing in the early days of the renewed fighting in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area Armenians refer to as Artsakh.
The award comes with a €15,000 cash prize. The jury members of the International Competition were Emilie Bujès, Francesco Giai Via, Tabitha Jackson, Ada Solomon, and Xiaoshuai Wang.
‘1489’
Jurors called 1489, “A film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival—to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see.
1489, directed by Armenian filmmaker Shoghakat Vardanyan, won Best Film in International Competition. The film revolves around the disappearance of the director’s 21-year-old brother, Soghomon Vardanyan, who went missing in the early days of the renewed fighting in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area Armenians refer to as Artsakh.
The award comes with a €15,000 cash prize. The jury members of the International Competition were Emilie Bujès, Francesco Giai Via, Tabitha Jackson, Ada Solomon, and Xiaoshuai Wang.
‘1489’
Jurors called 1489, “A film that acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence. Cinema as a tool of survival—to allow us all, to look at the things we would rather not see.
- 11/17/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s “1489,” which follows the director’s family after her brother goes missing while serving in the Armenian army, won documentary festival IDFA’s best film prize Thursday.
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
- 11/16/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Is this the year of Sandra Hüller?
The German actress is currently starring in not one, but two high-profile projects that might have the goods to carry her through awards season.
Hüller’s versatility is on display in Neon’s Palme d’Or-winning courtroom thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” where she plays a woman accused of murdering her husband, and A24’s Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest,” where she plays a woman whose husband was one of history’s most notorious murderers. In the former, Hüller speaks English, with a smattering of French; in the latter, she appears as Hedwig Höss, the wife of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, registering her evil in her native German. The roles couldn’t be more distinctive, and the rare double act is already earning Hüller comparisons to international screen sirens like Ingrid Bergman, Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit...
The German actress is currently starring in not one, but two high-profile projects that might have the goods to carry her through awards season.
Hüller’s versatility is on display in Neon’s Palme d’Or-winning courtroom thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” where she plays a woman accused of murdering her husband, and A24’s Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest,” where she plays a woman whose husband was one of history’s most notorious murderers. In the former, Hüller speaks English, with a smattering of French; in the latter, she appears as Hedwig Höss, the wife of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, registering her evil in her native German. The roles couldn’t be more distinctive, and the rare double act is already earning Hüller comparisons to international screen sirens like Ingrid Bergman, Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit...
- 11/16/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Feel-good stories out of Gaza are not exactly plentiful at present, making “Life Is Beautiful” something of an anomaly. Though the predicament depicted — Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly’s unplanned long exile due to closed borders and political shifts — is hardly upbeat in outline, his ebullient personality insists on emphasizing humor and warmth. Thus this chronicle of a one-month visit to Norway that drags on for seven years ends up an incongruously charming footnote to a much larger conflict that just keeps escalating. Jabaly’s doc will appeal to programmers looking for something that touches on its backgrounding issues without being “divisive.” By the same token, however, this likable first-person documentary seems almost too apolitically innocuous for this fraught moment in time.
Frizzy-haired Jabaly, who clearly has no qualms about being his own camera subject, is introduced saying “There was no film school in Gaza. … I had to learn by doing.
Frizzy-haired Jabaly, who clearly has no qualms about being his own camera subject, is introduced saying “There was no film school in Gaza. … I had to learn by doing.
- 11/14/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
First Hand Films is at IDFA with a busy slate including portmanteau project ’The Ten Commandments’.
Toei has acquired Japanese rights to Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour’s completed Billy Elliot-style US doc Call Me Dancer, from Switzerland’s First Hand Films. The sales outfit is now talking to buyers about the remaining rights, including North America, at IDFA this week.
The film follows a teen with a passion to dance who struggles against the disapproval of his family. It was made with support from Zdf/Arte, yes Docu and Ebs. North American rights are still available.
First Hand Film...
Toei has acquired Japanese rights to Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour’s completed Billy Elliot-style US doc Call Me Dancer, from Switzerland’s First Hand Films. The sales outfit is now talking to buyers about the remaining rights, including North America, at IDFA this week.
The film follows a teen with a passion to dance who struggles against the disapproval of his family. It was made with support from Zdf/Arte, yes Docu and Ebs. North American rights are still available.
First Hand Film...
- 11/13/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Documentary’s gatekeepers are playing it awfully safe lately, in the estimation of Orwa Nyrabia, artistic director of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, the world’s largest documentary film festival.
In conversation with Deadline before the start of the 36th edition of the festival, Nyrabia assessed the landscape of nonfiction film, finding streaming platforms and other distributors inordinately risk averse.
“I think post pandemic especially, it seems like everybody in the distribution space is really striving to make up lost money,” he told Deadline. “And this is translating into really only betting on very, very clearly winning horses. So, everybody is looking for films with preexisting IP. I mean, they don’t say so. But when I look at what it is that is really working [for them], it is all about celebrities who have their audience predefined, and when that’s not possible, then relying on preset formats such as serial killers and crime.
In conversation with Deadline before the start of the 36th edition of the festival, Nyrabia assessed the landscape of nonfiction film, finding streaming platforms and other distributors inordinately risk averse.
“I think post pandemic especially, it seems like everybody in the distribution space is really striving to make up lost money,” he told Deadline. “And this is translating into really only betting on very, very clearly winning horses. So, everybody is looking for films with preexisting IP. I mean, they don’t say so. But when I look at what it is that is really working [for them], it is all about celebrities who have their audience predefined, and when that’s not possible, then relying on preset formats such as serial killers and crime.
- 11/13/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Pfi has issued a petition demanding IDFA acknowledge the festival’s earlier statement ”unjustly criminalises Palestinian voices and narratives”.
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has again found itself caught in the middle as the fall-out from the war between Israel and Hamas spills out to Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and into the festival space.
The Palestine Film Institute (Pfi) has today issued a strongly-worded statement in which it has demanded IDFA acknowledge that the festival’s earlier statement ”unjustly criminalises Palestinian voices and narratives” and has withdrawn from all IDFA market participation.
The Pfi statement is in reference to...
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has again found itself caught in the middle as the fall-out from the war between Israel and Hamas spills out to Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and into the festival space.
The Palestine Film Institute (Pfi) has today issued a strongly-worded statement in which it has demanded IDFA acknowledge that the festival’s earlier statement ”unjustly criminalises Palestinian voices and narratives” and has withdrawn from all IDFA market participation.
The Pfi statement is in reference to...
- 11/12/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
One of the most acclaimed movies of 1998 is “Pleasantville,” starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, William H. Macy and Joan Allen. Written and directed by four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross, the film is a creative fantasy drama about two 1990s teen siblings who are transported to a 1950s family sitcom and then slowly begin to transform the dull, colorless world into someplace better. Released 25 years ago in October 1998, “Pleasantville” only grossed about $50 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. But it did end up receiving three Oscar nominations. Read on for Gold Derby’s tribute to the “Pleasantville” 25th anniversary.
Most of the nation’s critics gave enthusiastic notices to “Pleasantville,” including Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, who picked it as the second-best film of 1998 and wrote that it “is the kind of parable that encourages us to re-evaluate the good old days and take a fresh look at...
Most of the nation’s critics gave enthusiastic notices to “Pleasantville,” including Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, who picked it as the second-best film of 1998 and wrote that it “is the kind of parable that encourages us to re-evaluate the good old days and take a fresh look at...
- 11/3/2023
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
This year’s edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) will open with the world premiere of “A Picture to Remember” by Olga Chernykh. The film, which received the support of the IDFA Bertha Fund in 2022, is a deeply personal account of the ongoing war in Ukraine and its violent history, seen through the prism of three generations of women.
The full program for the festival’s 36th edition was announced earlier today by IDFA’s artistic director Orwa Nyrabia, who stated the festival’s opening film is “both personal and political,” adding that “the director does not shy away from trying to build a cinematic world with fragile elements. The courage and originality of the film’s approach opens up to a much larger worldview.”
Before announcing this year’s full lineup, Nyrabia took a moment to acknowledge the current Israel-Hamas war: “To us, respecting the human...
The full program for the festival’s 36th edition was announced earlier today by IDFA’s artistic director Orwa Nyrabia, who stated the festival’s opening film is “both personal and political,” adding that “the director does not shy away from trying to build a cinematic world with fragile elements. The courage and originality of the film’s approach opens up to a much larger worldview.”
Before announcing this year’s full lineup, Nyrabia took a moment to acknowledge the current Israel-Hamas war: “To us, respecting the human...
- 10/18/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
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