Month: December 2019

BUENOS AIRES  — For much of this century, Argentina’s Axel Kuschevatzky led a double life. On one hand, he served as a hugely hard-working movie producer for Telefe, then Telefonica Studios, then Viacom Intl. Media Networks, bringing their much-needed finance and promotion clout to some of the finest South American titles of the last decade:

Sales agent Ilaria Gomarasca is stepping down from Paris-based Pyramide International to become head of First Cut Plus, a program to assist filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe. First Cut Plus, which is touted as the only initiative of this type supported by Europe’s MEDIA program this year, is being launched in tandem with the Karlovy Vary fest’s Industry

Even Spider-Man gets a little star-struck around Will Smith. Though Tom Holland has co-starred with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, meeting his “Spies in Disguise” co-star for the first time was a pretty special experience for the 23-year-old star — partially because of the venue. “It was kind of crazy, you know, because

Confrontational revenge drama “The Nightingale” was the big winner in the feature film category of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. “Lambs of God” was dominant in the TV section. “The Nightingale” was named as best film. Jennifer Kent additionally won the best director and best screenplay awards. Giving her a night

Will Smith has spoken out in support of his “Aladdin” co-star Mena Massoud, who said in an interview that he hasn’t had a single audition since he starred in the Disney live-action remake, which hit theaters back in May. When told about Massoud’s claim on the red carpet for his upcoming animated film “Spies in

December 4, 2019 6:42PM PT Stylist Micaela Erlanger nodded to horror film “Us” with Lupita Nyong’o’s press tour wardrobe: “It was just the right amount of spooky, but we kept it fashion-forward.” March 8 “With Lupita, we always like to have a narrative and tell a story through the fashion choices,” Erlanger says. “‘Us’ is

CMC Pictures has acquired rights in North America to “The Rescue,” the Chinese big-budget action film that is expected to dominate Chinese New Year. The distributor will release the film in theaters on Jan. 25, 2020 in the U.S. and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. The film is directed by Dante Lam (“Operation

Audiences may think they understand how the women at Fox News ended the 20-year reign of Roger Ailes in 2016, but Lionsgate’s “Bombshell” shows that the situation was much more complex and nuanced than the headlines. “I always want to get past the obvious,” says director Jay Roach. “I want to know what’s really going

In today’s film news roundup, the Big Screen Classics series lineup is unveiled, surfing documentary “And Two If by Sea” finds a home and Austin Studios gets a director. EVENTS Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies have unveiled the fourth annual TCM Big Screen Classics series, highlighted by the 60th anniversary release of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”

December 4, 2019 4:38PM PT Animation companies, Singapore’s Robot Playground Media and Malaysia’s The R&D Studio are co-producing original animated anthology “Spectrum.” The anthology will consist of seven short films inspired by the heritage and shared culture of Singapore and Malaysia. The project enjoys the support of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the

December 4, 2019 4:21PM PT In addition to producing content, Tonko House has an eye on what comes next, creating a series of educational efforts that are extensive for a company still in its relative infancy. The company’s first project as a fully formed studio was an online computer-painting course designed to share skills its

Singapore cinema will claim a share of the spotlight at the ongoing Asia TV Forum & Market, where some 80 local media companies are promoting their wares at the Singapore Pavilion. The crop of local movies for 2020 looks substantial. Local powerhouse mm2 Entertainment leads the way with a line-up from several genres. Ong Kuo

Five years ago, art directors Robert Kondo and Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi traded in stability at Pixar for the unknown as they launched Tonko House, a Berkeley-based multimedia production company. Since then, they’ve developed a range of projects and educational initiatives to support their mission of telling stories that inspire curiosity and increase social awareness. Mere

A record 92 animated short films have qualified for the 92nd Academy Awards, a list that will be winnowed to 10 contenders when shortlist is announced Dec. 16. Alongside entries such as Sony’s “Hair Love” and Magic Light Pictures’ “Zog,” challengers include lauded films from animators such as Tomek Popakul’s “Acid Rain,” Siqi Song’s “Sister”