Month: October 2020

It’s been a gargantuan week for Amazon Studios’ Sacha Baron Cohen sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” From both a critical perspective and the cultural zeitgeist, it’s truly having a moment. This is all unfolding just before the most important election of our time — and of course there are more important issues to focus on, but

National Research Group (NRG) has tapped Chris Rethore as its chief strategy officer. A veteran executive, he previously served as chief operating officer at MarketCast, where he created a custom research practice and expanded into new entertainment verticals. He also integrated several businesses in social analytics (Fizziology), brand strategy (Insight Strategy Group) and sports (Turnkey

MGM has bought the Johnny Depp drama “Minamata” and has set an awards-season release of Feb. 5, 2021, through its revived American International Pictures label. MGM also acquired all rights to “Minamata” in Canada, Germany and Switzerland. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Set in 1971, Depp portrays photojournalist Eugene Smith,

Film Republic, a London-based specialist sales agent, has acquired the international rights to feature debutant Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s “The Salt in Our Waters.” The film had its world premiere at the British Film Institute London Film Festival earlier this month, followed by its Asian premiere at the Busan Film Festival. “The Salt in Our Waters”

The central question of this awards season: Will the Oscar ceremony take place April 25 as announced? This decision will affect hundreds of people and millions of dollars. Oscar is the alpha dog and that one evening has a ripple effect on every other year-end kudos, similar to the scrambling when Oscar shifted dates in 2003 and again this

Lionsgate has named former Facebook executive Kamala Avila-Salmon as the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s first head of inclusive content. The role is aimed at developing and implementing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and strategies to increase and reflect global diversity in Lionsgate’s films and home entertainment. The announcement was made Friday by Jen Hollingsworth, chief

Saudi Arabian-Palestinian actor Dina Shihabi, who appeared in Amazon series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and Netflix’s “Altered Carbon,” has been attached to play the lead role of Asya in Saudi-U.S. production “Hajj to Disney.” The project was one of the buzz titles at the CineGouna Platform event at the El Gouna Film Festival, where the

Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù wouldn’t have considered themselves hardcore fans of the horror genre before shooting “His House,” but were drawn to the terrifying film for other reasons. The pair spoke on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast about the making of their new thriller, which has just hit Netflix in time for Halloween. (Listen below!)

For “Spell” director Mark Tonderai, the movie serves as more than a hoodoo spirit-filled thriller — it’s his comeback story. After helming “House at the End of the Street,” the 2012 film of the same genre starring Jennifer Lawrence that raked in $44 million worldwide — opportunities to create another film of that magnitude were

Miriam Haley, the former “Project Runway” production assistant who testified at Harvey Weinstein’s trial earlier this year, filed a civil lawsuit against the producer on Friday. Weinstein was convicted in February of sexually assaulting Haley at his Soho apartment in July 2006. He was also convicted of third-degree rape of another woman, Jessica Mann. He