Month: May 2022

Rob Reiner is shooting a documentary about Albert Brooks and he’s lined up some major heavyweights to wax poetic about the filmmaker, actor and all-around comic genius. The director tells Variety that he’s already talked to or is planning to interview fellow comedians such as Larry David, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, James L.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Vanity Fair that the company has learned never to recast iconic “Star Wars” characters following the flop that was “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” The Ron Howard-directed 2018 movie cast Alden Ehrenreich as a younger version of Han Solo, the hot  shot space pilot famously brought to life by Harrison

Lance Bass has become one of the most high profile faces of a controversial viral TikTok trend in which members reenact Amber Heard’s testimony against Johnny Depp. Heard’s testimony finds the “Aquaman” actor recounting the first time Depp allegedly hit her. Bass posted the video on May 16, which is when the Depp-Heard trial resumed

India’s long awaited location shooting incentive scheme is now a reality. At the Cannes Film Market on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur revealed a 30% reimbursement scheme for international productions shooting in India. The Indian federal government will reimburse up to 30% of qualifying production expenditure to a maximum of INR20 million ($260,000).

Bérénice Bejo was thrilled to be asked how she came to be involved in Michel Hazanavicius’ “Final Cut.” The French-Argentine actor — who plays a mad make-up artist in the zombie romp that opened Cannes on Tuesday — revealed that it wasn’t easy convincing director Hazanavicius, who is also her husband, to let her have

Australian film “The Laugh of Lakshmi,” by renowned theater director turned filmmaker S. Shakthidharan, will be one of the first films to make use of the newly announced Indian filming incentives. The film, a dance drama, is the story of a mother and a son separated by war. The mother, a celebrated classical dancer, sends

Despite widespread calls to boycott Russian cinema in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, the Cannes Film Festival struck an uneasy compromise by banning state delegations and Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin while allowing individual filmmakers to attend. It’s a decision iconoclastic Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov was quick to support on the eve

Marco Bellocchio, who is in Cannes with TV series “Esterno Notte” about the kidnapping and assassination of former Italian premier Aldo Moro by Red Brigades terrorists, is set to return behind camera in late June. The veteran Italian auteur and Cannes aficionado will reconstruct the true tale of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy who

A slight but satisfying choice to open Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, Pietro Marcello’s “Scarlet” isn’t quite a fairy tale, although it certainly feels like one at times. For example, roughly midway through the movie, a woman who might be a witch meets the film’s fanciful young heroine, Juliette (Juliette Jouan), in the

Gravel Road Distribution Group has acquired world sales rights with producer Rani Sitaram to “Greytown Girl,” a romantic drama set in Apartheid-era South Africa from Oscar-nominated director Darrell Roodt (“Yesterday”). The film tells the true story of a small-town South African girl, Meena, who was born with physical limitations and abandoned as a baby. Through

Alain Berliner, who directed the BAFTA-nominated and Golden Globe-winning “Ma vie en rose,” is in pre-production on feature documentary “Bardot,” about French actor, singer and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot. Bardot is giving the project her full support, and will narrate the film herself. “Bardot” is produced by Julien Loeffler, James Kermack and James Barton-Steel

“Alcarràs,” from Catalonia’s Carla Simón, won Berlin’s top Golden Bear in February. “One Year, One Night,” from Catalan Isaki Lacuesta, also played in main competition. This May “Pacifiction,” from Albert Serra, another Catalan, has scored a competition berth at Cannes. Thanks to these three titles, Catalonia has more directors this year in the key section

Film financier Amcomri Entertainment and Ireland’s Studio Atlantic have struck a multi-picture production deal. The pact comes ahead of the release of Studio Atlantic’s latest production, “The Gates,” a Victorian period horror starring John Rhys Davies, Richard Brake, Elena Delia and Michael Yare, which is currently being sold in Cannes by Amcomri Entertainment’s sales arm

Brazil’s economic powerhouse, São Paulo is emerging as a key film-TV player in Brazil’s post-pandemic mix.  In one move, São Paulo State and City authorities are teaming to power up a new cash rebate for shoots, international and national, to more than four times the endowment of its first edition in 2021.  Launched last July

Odin’s Eye Entertainment has boarded “In Vitro,” an elevated sci-fi thriller starring Ashley Zukerman (“Succession” ) and Talia Zucker (“Lake Mungo”). Pic is co-directed by Tom McKeith and Will Howarth, whose debut feature, “Beast,” was nominated for best first feature at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015. Odin’s Eye will introduce the new film to

One of the hottest European projects on sale at Cannes, “The Pot Au Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel has already been nabbed by major international distributors. Gaumont is handling sales on the movie. The movie, which is currently shooting in a French castle, is set in the world

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has snapped up worldwide sales rights to Jaime Chavarri’s upcoming comedy, “La Manzana de Oro” (“The Golden Apple”). In a separate deal, Spanish pubcaster RTVE has clinched free TV rights.  Produced by Mario Real and Enrique González Khun at the fledgling La Pirueta Films and described as “Dead Poets Society” meets “Four

British-French film company Alief has closed North America and French-speaking territories on “Cop Secret,” effectively now selling the Icelandic buddy cop spoof to over half the world’s major markets.  In North America, “Cop Secret” has scored a platform release with Epic Pictures. Extralucid Films has acquired France, Monaco, Luxembourg and French-speaking Belgium and Switzerland. The

Screen Media has acquired North American rights to “Code Name Banshee,” an upcoming action-thriller with Antonio Banderas and Jamie King. The film will receive a day-and-date theatrical and on-demand release in July. Directed by Jon Keeyes and written by Matthew Rogers, the duo behind “The Survivalist,” the film follows Caleb (Banderas), a former government assassin

“Lost And Found” has closed first sales to Italy (Eagle Pictures), France (KMBO) and Taiwan (Creative Century Entertainment) on thriller “Lost and Found,” starring Álvaro Morte, “Money Heist’s” Professor, and directed by “The Head” helmer Jorge Dorado. The caliber of the distributors – Eagle Pictures is one of Italy’s most muscular mainstream buyers, for instance