Month: August 2021

Tel Aviv-based sales outfit and advisory firm Cinephil is linking up with London’s WestEnd Films for a new joint venture that will see the companies unite on development, financing and sales. The deal comes as Cinephil founder and managing director Philippa Kowarsky recently stepped down from the business — a leading sales firm whose credits include the
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Wim Wenders says cinema is facing an “existential crisis” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of streaming services, urging film lovers to “fight” for movie theaters, and calling on his fellow filmmakers to rise to the challenge at a time when their voices are needed more than ever before. “[The pandemic] made
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As previously reported last September, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard and Cat Power’s Chan Marshall have all contributed original music for the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s new film “Flag Day,” which will be released Aug. 20 via Republic Records and Vedder’s Seattle Surf imprint. The first single, “My Father’s Daughter,” features the vocal debut
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A range of topics dominating television industry headlines in the U.K. will be front and center at the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival (Aug. 23-26), the event’s chiefs promise. The proposed privatization of Channel 4 and global streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus stealing a march over U.K. public service broadcasters have dominated
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Universal Music Greater China, part of Universal Music Group, has unveiled plans to significantly expand its recorded music activities in the Middle Kingdom. It aims to create a multi-label structure, intensify its focus on local artists and repertoire activities and local-language artists. Universal Music Group is part of French media conglomerate Vivendi, which has been
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German sales outfit The Playmaker Munich, formerly ARRI Media International, has shared with Variety the international trailer of psychological thriller “Wolka,” produced by leading Icelandic banner Sagafilm with Poland’s Film Produkcja. The feature will bow as a market premiere at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films, Scandinavia’s major film showcase which runs Aug. 24-27. The atmospheric trailer follows Anna
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Lakeside Studio and Penrith Lakes Development Corporation Monday announced an agreement to develop a world-class purpose-built film studio and production training facility in Western Sydney. The move is promoted by producer James Vernon, who positions it as a means to service the growth in demand for new content now that the Disney-owned Fox Studios are
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Noted Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi has penned an open letter calling on the world to wake up to the impact of the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan. She calls for protection for filmmakers and for women in general against the brutal militants who have overrun the country amid the final U.S. withdrawal of forces. Karimi’s
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Wounds, both physical and psychological, become scars with time. But whether those scars are to be hidden or worn as badges of honor — evidence less of past trauma than of subsequent strength and healing — becomes the surprisingly resonant dilemma at the heart of Charlotte Colbert’s witty, weird horror-drama debut, which scooped the First
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There’s a moment in “The Sacred Spirit,” Chema García Ibarra’s beguiling feature debut shot on 16mm, when viewers get uncomfortable wondering if the director realizes the playful tone he’s taking makes light of a deeply troubling situation. The concern is unwarranted — Ibarra fully understands what he’s doing — but the fact that the film
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It’s common to talk about scene-stealers — performers who, allowed to go wild and blessed with the ability and fearlessness to do so, dominate whatever project they’re in. Jennifer Coolidge seems like that type of star: In HBO’s “The White Lotus,” the perennial character actress makes big, bold choices. But they’re so keyed into the
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Despite concerns the delta variant would keep moviegoers at home, Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi action comedy “Free Guy” had a better-than-expected start at the domestic box office. The movie, from Disney and 20th Century Studios, collected $26 million from 4,165 North American theaters. Given its production budget above $100 million, those ticket sales wouldn’t be much
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Describing its world premiere on the opening night of the Sarajevo Film Festival as “magic,” Oscar-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović (“No Man’s Land”) called his latest feature “a love letter to our city,” offering it as a beacon of hope in troubled times to the people of Sarajevo. Speaking to Variety the day after the
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Indian Media Entertainment Network (IMEN) has revealed a robust film and series slate that will keep it busy through 2023. First up is action film, Nilesh Sahay’s “Squad,” introducing Rinzing Denzongpa, which was shot extensively in Belarus. When the six-year-old granddaughter of India’s leading scientist is kidnapped, India sends a crack team led by a
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Has a golden age of music videos returned? You might think so, looking just at the last four months in the output of director Andrew Donoho, who’s helped singer Bella Poarch graduate from TikTok star to flat-out star-star with the captivating video for “Build a Bitch” in June and, just this weekend, its equally audacious
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According to Ryan Reynolds, a “Free Guy” sequel is in the cards. Reynolds, who stars in the action comedy film, tweeted the news on Saturday. “Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo! #irony,” Reynolds wrote. Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy
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Simu Liu, the star of Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has appeared to respond to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s remarks that the film’s release plan is “an interesting experiment.” Following the opening of “Free Guy” this weekend, “Shang-Chi” is set to be one of the first Disney films
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