Month: April 2021

Copenhagen documentary film festival CPH:DOX sees the world premiere of “Children of the Enemy,” which captures the journey of a Swedish-Chilean man to a Syrian prison camp to rescue his grandchildren, after their parents – members of the Islamic State terrorist group – are killed. Director Gorki Glaser-Müller spoke to Variety about the film, and

Natalia Almada, who won best director at Sundance this year for her mesmerizing film “Users,” is eager to continue the cinematic journey she began in that work with plans to next explore the boundaries of human endurance and the desire to discover the unknown. “Users,” which is screening at the Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX)

“Only in our forest can you sleep in peace,” says Davi Kopenawa, a shaman and elder of the Yanomami community — the indigenous population of the rainforest terrain on the Brazilian-Venezuelan border. His words, enticing as they sound, aren’t an invitation to visitors, but a warning to his own. As the Yanomami’s unchanged, elemental way

Californian Uber driver Annette breaks down in tears at the wheel of the car she can scarcely afford to fill with gas. In Lagos, Mitchell rarely sleeps through the night for fear of missing out on one of the more lucrative online tasks listed on Mechanical Turk. In Paris, Leila tries to wrangle backpay for

Jessica Beshir’s mesmeric Sundance hit “Faya Dayi” won big at Visions du Réel on Saturday, scooping both its top Grand Jury Prize as well as a Fipresci International Critics Award. The prize – and Beshir’s surprised but ecstatic acceptance via Zoom from New York – brought to a climax a festival which, as director Emile

As Hollywood gears up to celebrate the best in film at this Sunday’s Oscars, another awards show — The Razzies — is honoring the worst. Sia’s feature directorial debut, “Music,” which drew backlash for its portrayal of people with autism, was the big winner — or shall we say, loser — of the night. The

Three crew members from the production of French comedy “Serial (Bad) Weddings 3” died in a car accident on Friday night. A fourth crew member is currently in critical condition. The events were first reported by local newspaper La Nouvelle Republique. The three crew members — whose names are still unknown but who are aged

This year, the Academy Awards will not allow acceptance speeches on Zoom, but that doesn’t mean you can’t virtually gather with your friends to watch the Oscars. However, before you unmute to discuss the best and worst red carpet looks and groan about what will win versus what should win, take a few minutes to

“Mortal Kombat” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” are locked in a fierce battle for box office dominance. “Demon Slayer” has a slight edge at this point, earning $9.5 million from 1,598 locations on Friday. The Funimation and Aniplex of America release is based on an anime series and enters the U.S. after enjoying huge

Between the releases of HBO’s “Mortal Kombat” and casting hype for adaptations of “The Last of Us” and “Borderlands,” videos games adaptations are having a moment. Despite some notable missteps, recent entries into video game movie canon like “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” and “Sonic the Hedgehog” suggest Hollywood versions of beloved franchises may be leveling up.

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you have not seen “Mortal Kombat,” available now in theaters and on HBO Max. Director Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” builds the groundwork for what could be a gory action franchise, and star Joe Taslim already told Variety that he’s signed up for four more movies if Warner Bros. decides

The unexpected Academy Award run of “My Octopus Teacher,” Netflix’s hit, heartfelt documentary about a filmmaker’s unlikely relationship with an octopus living off the coast of South Africa, marks a rare Oscar nomination for an African documentary. But perhaps it should come as no surprise. These are widely hailed as boom times for documentary filmmaking,

Cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen is used to working with non-traditional filmmaking techniques, methods and in unique environments. In fact, it’s kind of her thing. Over the last decade, the Norwegian film director and cinematographer has solved innovative tech challenges with and for David Attenborough, the rock band Queen, Apollo11’s 50th-anniversary installation for NASA and was a

Novelist Michael Chabon has issued a lengthy apology for not speaking up sooner about producer Scott Rudin’s abuses, saying that he witnessed Rudin mistreat his staff but kept quiet about it because he accepted that was how Hollywood worked. “I’m ashamed,” Chabon wrote on Medium. “I regret, and I want to apologize for, my part

Charles “Chuck” Fries, the longtime film and TV producer who helped introduce the TV movie concept and shepherded films including “Cat People,” died April 22. He was 92. Over his six decade-plus career, he participated in the production of more than 5,000 episodes of television, 140 television movies and mini-series and more than 40 theatrical