Vice President Kamala Harris is saluting her Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters in a new documentary film titled “Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.” The documentary — which debuts March 26 on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity channel and will be available nationwide on demand starting March 30 — is narrated by Phylicia
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April 21 will mark the fifth anniversary of Prince’s death — and on that day, Paisley Park, his home, studio and “creative sanctuary,” will invite fans to pay tribute to the late artist in its atrium free of charge. Advance reservations are required. “On the fifth anniversary of the passing of the incomparable Prince, Paisley
Demi Lovato screened her new YouTube Originals documentary series “Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil” with a three-song set at the Beverly Hilton hotel on March 22. The singer performed “I See You,” “Anyone” and “Dancing With the Devil,” the title track from her upcoming album “Dancing With the Devil…The Art of Starting Over,” before
After more than a year in all-virtual mode, VidCon is bringing is flagship U.S. convention back to flesh-and-blood format this fall. VidCon, the ViacomCBS-owned events producer for online video and digital creators, announced that the 2021 VidCon US event will return to the Anaheim Convention Center from Oct. 21-24. It also announced its first slate
David Thewlis has signed on to star opposite Olivia Colman in “Landscapers,” HBO’s four-episode limited series from Sky Studios about a seemingly ordinary couple who become the focus of an investigation when dead bodies turn up in their yard. Will Sharpe, who worked with Colman in the offbeat 2016 British comedy series “Flowers,” has signed
Kosugi Yoshinobu, the president of the Nippon TV network, issued a public apology on Monday for a slur used by a comedian on the NTV infotainment show “Sukkiri” on March 12. The comic was commenting on a documentary that spotlighted a woman belonging to the Ainu, an indigenous people that live primarily on the northern
Daddy Yankee was named Songwriter of the Year for the third time and Sony Music Publishing won top publisher honors at the ASCAP 2021 Latin Music Awards on Monday night. Daddy Yankee’s haul for the evening added to his record-setting total of 42 ASCAP Latin Music Awards. He also captured Songwriter-Artist of the Year in
Prince Harry is putting down more roots in the American business scene: He’s joined BetterUp, a San Francisco-based company that provides virtual coaching and counseling to employees and individuals, as a senior exec in the role of “chief impact officer.” BetterUp, founded in 2013, runs a network of more than 2,000 workplace coaches who provide
Ben Hardy has been cast in the upcoming BBC One, HBO Max series “The Girl Before,” Variety has learned exclusively. Hardy joins previously announced cast members David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessica Plummer. The four-episode series is based on the book of the same name by J.P. Delaney. The series tells the story of Jane (Mbatha-Raw),
Variety executive editor and New York Times bestselling author Ramin Setoodeh is writing a reported nonfiction book about “The Apprentice,” the TV show that single handedly changed the course of American history. HarperCollins has signed a deal to publish the book about the reality TV series starring Donald Trump, which will feature exclusive interviews with
Hot Docs, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, has unveiled its full lineup. The event, which runs online from April 29-May 9, will present 219 films from 66 countries across 12 programs, with 50% of the directors in the program being women. The opening film will be “A.rtificial I.mmortality,” in which director Ann Shin
Roku has formed what it says is a full-fledged branded-content and advertising studio, after inking a deal with digital comedy producer Funny Or Die to hire several FOD execs and employees. Roku entered into an agreement with Funny Or Die’s branded entertainment division under which about a dozen of the company’s branded content team members
Hernán Caffiero, director and producer of 2018’s International Emmy-winning “The Suspended Mourning,” is teaming with up-and-coming director Bárbara Francisca Barrera Morales on “La vida de nosotras” – formerly “Voces anónimas” or “Anonymous Voices” in English – and the two will pitch their new short-format series at this year’s inaugural Sanfic Series Lab, joined by BTF
“(Im)Patient” (“El Pa(de)ciente”), the Sanfic Work in Progress entry by Chile’s Constanza Fernandez, deals with a universal hot button issue, health care. The drama follows an elderly but fit doctor who is suddenly hospitalized with the little-understood Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder whereby a body’s immune system attacks the nerves. He begins to record his experience
Director Giovani Borba’s “Empty House,” produced by Tatiana Sager at Brazil’s Panda Filmes, stands out among this year’s packed Sanfic Industria Work in Progress sidebar, not so much for its unique proposition – there are at least two other films which share many of its neo-Western sensibilities – but for its execution and exceptional visuals.
Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks Int’l has nabbed worldwide rights to Daniel Werner’s feature debut, erotic thriller “Bandit Love” (“Amor Bandido”), after it screened at Argentine indie film festival Bafici, where it garnered both audience and critical acclaim. “This slow burn thriller, disguised as an illicit romance, surprised everyone at its Bafici premiere and critics went mad.
Threatened that she has to pay off the money she owes or face the consequences, Julia, a singer, leaves the restaurant where she’s performed and drives to her former home in a leafy working class tenement block in Posadas, northern Argentina, on the sweeping Paraná river. There she plans to reclaim the stash of money
French multi-hyphenate Amanda Sthers (“Holy Lands”) has recruited the U.K.’s Kelly Reilly, Italy’s Pierfrancesco Favino and France’s Jean Reno for English-language romantic drama “Promises,” set in Italy and London, which started shooting in Rome on Monday. Based on Sthers’ novel by the same title, “Promises” turns on an unfulfilled love affair between Alexander, played by
One of Southern Europe’s fastest growing industry events, Spain’s Malaga Festival is pushing back its industry centerpiece Spanish Screenings from June in order to be able to celebrate an on-site event. “Last year and this, we’ve learnt not to make [longterm] plans. We don’t have a definitive date but it could be this fall, though everybody’s
In “Darkness by Day,” Argentine Martin Desalvo‘s 2013 breakthrough, a reported rabies outbreak gradually creeps nearer to two women cousins, stuck in their isolated family home. Violence will let reign, but for most of its going, Desalvo seems more interested on building tension and the relationship between the two women. Eight years later, Desalvo returns
A new version of the Don Quixote yarn will be tilting at U.K. box office windmills soon. London-based international sales outfit The Mise En Scène Company (MSC) has secured a U.K. distribution deal with Signature Entertainment for “The True Don Quixote.” The film is a modern adaptation of the classic Cervantes novel from 1605 but
Jason Kothari, Hong Kong-born entrepreneur and film producer who was an executive producer on Vin Diesel-starring “Bloodshot,” has acquired all rights to The Silent Flute, the spiritual martial arts project co-written by martial arts icon Bruce Lee in 1970. The project is to be set up as a limited series with John Fusco (“Marco Polo”) as
The Cineworld Group will reopen its U.S. Regal Cinemas Apr. 2 with a limited release for “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and a wider release planned for “Mortal Kombat” from Apr. 16. The U.K., the group’s second biggest market, will reopen in May, according to government guidance. Indoor cinemas in the U.K. are due to reopen May
Private equity giant Providence Equity Partners is betting on the rebound of the live event business, backing Ambassador Theatre Group’s acquisition of high-end venues in San Francisco and Detroit. The deal calls for International Entertainment Holdings Ltd, parent company of U.K.-based ATG, to acquire the San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre and Orpheum Theatre and Detroit’s
China’s dominant online music platform Tencent Music Entertainment has renewed and expanded its licensing deal with Warner Music. The group also reported barely changed profits of $637 million (RMB4.16 billion) for 2020. Calling the agreement an “expanded multi-year strategic licensing agreement,” TME and Warner Music said that Warner content would continue to be available online
Ray Fisher is disputing comments made by WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff regarding the investigation into Fisher’s allegations of misconduct on the “Justice League” set. Fisher has alleged that Warner Bros. executives attempted to impede the investigation of racially biased behavior regarding the film, which director Joss Whedon took over after original director Zack Snyder
The New Zealand International Film Festival, normally held in mid-year, will shift to new dates later in 2021. It plans to operate as an in-cinema event in October, November and December. The move reflects an anticipated improvement in coronavirus conditions by the fourth quarter of the year. It also helps avoid a dates clash with
Shenzhen-listed Wanda Film announced this week that its CEO and director Liu Xiaobin has resigned. The announcement was made five days after it emerged that parent company Wanda Group has given up its majority stake in U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment. Liu, a 20-year Wanda veteran, is also stepping down from his position as a
The 52nd NAACP Image Awards kicked off Monday with its non-televised ceremony, which was presented virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. President Barack Obama’s bestselling memoir “A Promised Land” was among the winners during Monday night’s webcast, earning the outstanding literary work nonfiction prize. ESPN & Netflix’s “The Last Dance,” which centered Michael Jordan and
Seth Rogen has joined Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film based on his childhood in Arizona, Variety has confirmed. Rogen will take on the role of Spielberg’s favorite uncle in the untitled film. As previously reported, Michelle Williams is in talks to play a major part as well. The search is underway to find young actors of multiple ages