Month: August 2021

FESTIVAL Taliban hostage drama “And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead,” by Swiss filmmaker Michael Steiner (“The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch”) will open the 17th Zurich Film Festival (Sept. 23 – Oct. 3). The film follows the story of Daniela Widmer (Morgane Ferru) and David Och (Sven Schelker), the Swiss couple were kidnapped and handed over

Director Douglas Mackinnon, whose credits include “Doctor Who,” “Sherlock” and Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens,” still recalls the moment he realized that London was no longer the center of the universe in terms of U.K. film and high-end TV production. He was in his native Scotland, where he was directing a few episodes of “Outlander,” when

Film can provide a vital lens for documenting histories which have otherwise been overlooked or swept away in the wake of a dominant narrative. During a panel at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, titled “The Whole Picture: Adjusting the Lens of History,” a quartet of filmmakers, artists and archivists gathered to discuss how we document

Jennifer Ngo was working as a journalist in London when massive protests broke out in her native Hong Kong in 2019. She watched news feeds and live streams with a mixture of “heartbreak” at the violence and “hope” that Hong Kongers were taking to the streets in the name of democracy once again. “After 2014

Being your own boss sounds like a dream. But for gig workers, that very premise has turned into a nightmare, as Shannon Walsh makes clear in her latest documentary, “The Gig Is Up.” “I’ve been interested in questions around capitalism and exploitation, and technology has always interested me as well,” says Walsh. “And I’m really

Production of “Taiwan Trilogy,” billed as the biggest film project originated from Taiwan, has been put on indefinite hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial problems, the film’s director Wei Te-sheng (“Cape No. 7,” “Seedig Bale”) said on Monday. Filming of the ambitious movie trilogy, that aimed to retell the history of Taiwan starting

Disney’s “Luca” is the first Hollywood picture to get a release in China in weeks, but its opening figures didn’t make that big of a splash — at least, not close to enough to douse the continued reign of Donnie Yen action film “Raging Fire.” The animation directed and co-written by Enrico Casarosa swam to

Spike Lee said he still has “questions” about exactly what happened on 9/11. The New York director — whose new docuseries “NYC Epicenters: 9/11 – 2021½” explores New York City’s darkest day and provides access to those involved — said in a new interview with The New York Times that “people [are] going to make

The official trailer for Marvel’s highly anticipated “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is finally here, following a Sunday night leak on social media. Sony Motion Pictures Group CEO Tom Rothman introduced the trailer, with remarks from Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch. The clip sees Peter Parker face his most brutal foe to date — the past.

“Bullet Train” went off with a bang at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Monday. The first-ever footage from the Brad Pitt action thriller was screened at the annual convention of movie theater owners during an opening night presentation from Sony Pictures. Directed by “Atomic Blonde” helmer David Leitch, the movie follows five assassins on a

Emma Appleton (“The Witcher”) and Bel Powley (“The Morning Show”) have nabbed the lead roles in Working Title Television’s forthcoming adaptation of Dolly Alderton’s memoir “Everything I Know About Love.” Appleton is currently filming FX series “Pistol,” about the Sex Pistols, where she plays the tragic Nancy Spungen, who was murdered by her boyfriend, Sex

Spire Animation Studios, the newly formed feature animation studio co-founded by award-winning producer Brad Lewis (“Ratatouille”) and industry entrepreneur P.J. Gunsagar has tapped animation pioneers from Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky Studios to join its team. Among the creative team are Shawn Krause, Creative Director of Animation and Story, Michael Surrey, Creative Director, Story

Freeform has announced plans for its fourth annual “Halloween Road” activation, which kicks off the network’s haunting ‘31 Nights of Halloween’ programming, with an outdoor immersive experience featuring the worlds of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Hocus Pocus,” “The Addams Family” and more. “Freeform’s Halloween Road” experience will take place at Heritage Square Museum

After a show of support from key players in the organization Monday, Tina Tchen, the embattled president and CEO of Time’s Up Now and the Time’s Up Foundation, will remain in her position, Variety has learned. There was an emergency meeting called Monday morning after a series of missteps by Time’s Up have compromised the group,