Month: November 2023

Taika Waititi revealed on a new episode of the “SmartLess” podcast that he had no interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director. The filmmaker has directed two MCU movies: 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” which is widely considered one of the best Marvel movies, and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which is one of

Melita Toscan du Plantier has been the driving force behind the Marrakech Film Festival ever since her late husband, revered French producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, wrote to Morocco’s king two decades ago expressing “his ambition for a big international festival in Morocco,” as she recounts. The festival’s 20th edition is currently underway in the

Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming at the Red Sea Film Festival, has cast his net wide in selecting the 14 films in the festival’s International Short Film Competition program. Aimed at attracting emerging talent from across Africa, Asia and the Islamic world, the section includes fiction, animation and documentary in films that average 15-20

“Wish” misfired in its opening weekend, extending Disney‘s bleak box office fortunes. The animated musical fable, about the Wishing Star that so many Disney characters have wished upon over the studio’s century-long history, failed to become the de facto choice for families around Thanksgiving. “Wish” opened in third place with a dull $31.7 million over

Chile-based Escala Humana Prods., led by Sebastián Brahm, is developing an ambitious English-language series titled “Golpe” about a little-known story behind the CIA’s involvement in the fall of Chile’s first Socialist president, Salvador Allende. Intended for a U.S. audience and based on declassified U.S. government documents, the first season of the historical crime drama series,

Taylor Swift announced Monday morning that her “Eras Tour” film will be released for streaming on her birthday, Dec. 13 — and that, as hoped by fans, it will include songs from the tour not included in the movie’s theatrical release. “Well, so, basically I have a birthday coming up and I was thinking a

Jointly organized by Cannes’ Marché du Film with a Thierry Fremaux Cannes Film Week adding star auteur glamor, Ventana Sur turns 15 this week unspooling Nov. 27-Dec.1 at its usual venue of the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires’ Puerto Madero, its most modern and most chic of districts.  Founded with Argentina’s INCAA film-TV agency

An idyllic getaway goes awry after a freak accident leaving teen Lidia (Zoe Arnao) and her father, Pablo (Hugo Silva) to mourn the loss of the family matriarch (Paula Echevarria) by escaping to their isolated lighthouse where the paranormal flirts with their fragile dispositions while a troubled family friend (Sergio Castellanos) stirs the pot on the periphery. A

The Dominican Republic (DR) has been making bold strides in its film industry, reporting dynamic growth and earning kudos both at home and internationally. Ironically, what spurred its growth was a global pandemic. As many countries remained in lockdown, DR opened its borders to more location shoots by June 2020. “It was precisely during the

The producers of “F9,” the ninth instalment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, have been fined over $1 million in a U.K. court after a stunt performer suffered “life-changing” injuries on set. FF9 Pictures Limited, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, received the fine after they pleaded guilty to breaching the U.K.’s Health and Safety at

In a notable prestige project package from Chile, Gonzalo Maza, co-writer of Sebastian Lelio’s Academy Award-winning “A Fantastic Woman,” has boarded “I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye,” a drama thriller non-fiction series to be directed by Carola Fuentes and produced by Rafael Valdeavellano, re-teaming after their collaboration as co-writers and directors on the admired

Prime Video has pounced on Mexican comedy “Tequila Repasado” by Gabriela Tagliavini., which it premieres worldwide on Dec. 22. Co-produced by Sony Pictures Int’l Prods and Mexico-based Itaca Films and Feel Good Films, the comedy was originally written in English by Judd Pilot (“Coach”) and Gerald B. Fillmore (“Muertos S.L.”) to be later adapted for

Multi-territory European cinema operator, Pathe Cinemas has expanded its existing deal with premium large format technology company Imax. The new agreement sees the addition of five new Imax With Laser systems in Europe, including four in France. The new agreement also spans distribution, with Imax and Pathe Live, Pathe’s subsidiary dedicated to production and distribution

Diane Kruger, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Saudi actor-writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan are set to receive career honors at Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival, which has also announced its full jury roster. Joining Baz Luhrmann, who is presiding over the main Red Sea jury, are Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”); Freida Pinto

Chinese films “Trending Topic” and “The Invisible Guest” will be given theatrical releases in Malaysia and Singapore in the coming month. This step follows agreements between Chinese streamer iQiyi and Malaysian cinema chain GSC and Singaporean distributor Clover Films. Terms, structures and value of the deals were not disclosed. “By partnering with GSC Movies and

China’s nationwide annual box office passed the symbolic $7 billion and RMB 50 billion marks in recent days, confirming a decent, but still incomplete recovery of the theatrical cinema industry. According to consultancy Artisan Gateway, the running box office total to Nov. 26 was $7.15 billion. That is a 79% rebound compared with 2022, when

Netflix has emerged victorious in a bidding war for “The Fifth Wheel,” a comedy starring Kim Kardashian. Several major players, including theatrical distributors and streamers, were competing for the film, according to Deadline, which first reported news of the sale. But two of the five companies backed out at the last minute before Kardashian and

Christopher Nolan is defending the role of franchises in Hollywood, saying they are a crucial part of the film industry ecosystem. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the “Oppenheimer” and “Dark Night” director weighed in on the debate over how superhero franchises are affecting Hollywood. While Nolan stressed the importance of originality in

With Brazil under focus at Ventana Sur’s this year, highlighting the work of Spcine, Cinema do Brazil and Projeto Paradiso, São Paulo film-TV commission Spcine has organized a series of panels and other events to signal Brazil’s return to normal after the devastating tenure of Jair Bolsonaro. With President Lula da Silva back in the

Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” may not have conquered the top spot in North America, but it emerged victorious at the worldwide box office. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous French ruler, debuted to $78.8 million, including $46.3 million internationally — enough to stave off the competition on global charts. “Napoleon” brought in