Month: January 2022

Hiventy, one of France’s leading post-production companies, is seeing rising demand across its range of services, including film processing, dubbing and subtitling, post-production, film restoration and BluRay mastering. It has operations in France, Poland, Singapore, Vietnam, Kenya and Nigeria. Hiventy has one of the few film lab services in Europe. CEO Thierry Schindele says that

Speaking at a panel organized by Paris Images Online, Hélène Dudragne, film commissioner at Film Paris Region, confirmed that four new studios are to be built in Paris and the surrounding area. The announcement came on the heels of a round-table – and weeklong industry gathering – where all too many conversations circled back to

Building on the critical success and renewed public interest drummed up by the Canal Plus series “The Bureau,” and inspired by the U.S. Defense Department’s various Hollywood liaison offices, France’s Ministry of Armed Forces launched its own outreach post, opening the Mission Cinéma in 2016. Meant to be a one-stop-shop for all production needs, the

As international streamers arrive on the scene with strict sustainability requirements and European climate laws force a 55% reduction in greenhouse gases over the next decade, the French collective EcoProd has taken a more proactive role assisting the local production industry. Launched in 2009 by the Ile-de-France Film Commission, in partnership with social protection group

“Don’t Look Up” has hit a nerve in a way that’s rare for films to do. That’s partly because it addresses an urgent, hot-button topic — climate change — with a film that’s partly a cry for help, partly a black comedy. The movie, written and directed by Adam McKay, with a story by David

In today’s high-tech world, there are as many ways to make an animated film as there are film genres. Each year’s top animated features span everything from family fare to real-life documentaries and everything in between, and today’s animation directors have as many, or as few, tools at their disposal to tell their stories as

Warner Bros. and HBO Max have nabbed “Am I OK?,” a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson as a woman grappling with her sexuality. The movie premiered this week to mostly positive reviews at the virtual Sundance Film Festival. Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne co-directed “Am I OK?,” which was written by Lauren Pomerantz and produced

“Free Chol Soo Lee” has been acquired by global distributor, streamer and production company MUBI. The documentary, which premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival, will come to U.S. theaters in 2022, with release plans in other territories (Latin America, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey, the U.K. and other parts of North America) to

Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”) and Regina King (“The Harder They Fall”) sat down for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon Studios. For more, click here. Regina King and Aunjanue Ellis have shared the screen twice, in 2004’s “Ray” and 2018’s “If Beale Street Could Talk.” In both outings, the actors

In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard. Maria Schrader, an Emmy winner for directing the Netflix series “Unorthodox,” is also a Berlin Silver Bear winning

When “King Richard” star Aunjanue Ellis and “The Harder They Fall’s” Regina King paired off for Variety‘s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon, Ellis asked King to dish on one of her favorite performances from her fellow actor — Marcee Tidwell in 1996’s “Jerry Maguire.” “You’re taking me back to a long time ago. I

One of the most controversial movies to emerge from this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a documentary called “Jihad Rehab,” which follows a group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees. Directed by American filmmaker Megan Smaker — a former California firefighter who spent five years in Yemen — the film follows several Yemeni men who were

Another weekend, another easy No. 1 spot at the box office for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Columbia Pictures’ monster MCU hit is continuing to run circles around its competition, staying atop the domestic box office in its seventh weekend of release. “No Way Home” is projected to rake in an additional $10.4 million over the

Personal and political turmoil face a serene camera in “Klondike,” a vision of the ongoing war in Donbass war that brooks no compromise in depicting the severe impact of the conflict on the region’s civilians — in particular, the innocent women to whom the film is dedicated. Ukrainian writer-director Maryna Er Gorbach largely assumes the

It’s always a kick to encounter a documentary about a subject after you’ve seen the deluxe scripted and acted Hollywood version. “Lucy and Desi,” Amy Poehler’s film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — their love, their showbiz partnership, their revolutionary influence on the creative landscape of television, their meshing and clashing spirits — is

A coalition of Hollywood crafts unions announced on Friday evening that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract. The coalition of five bargaining groups represents about 7,500 electricians, drivers, plumbers, laborers, animal trainers and others. The three-year agreement must still be approved by a vote of the membership. No details of

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to the Sundance award-winning documentary “Descendant,” by filmmaker Margaret Brown (“The Order of Myths,” “Be Here to Love Me: Townes Van Zandt,” “The Great Invisible”). Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, will present the Participant feature alongside Netflix later this year. The film follows members of

Showtime Documentary Films has acquired “2nd Chance,” about the life and legacy of Richard Davis, from director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger,” “99 Homes,” “Chop Shop”). The feature length-documentary centers on Davis, the charming and brash inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest, who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked.