At the very end of Wang Quan’an’s enchanting seventh feature, a droll title appears: “Based on True Stories.” It’s amusing because it’s unnecessary; this is the kind of cinema that makes its stories true by telling them, that puts eccentric, real, cyclical life — calf births and lamb slaughters — before its camera and generously
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Three women trapped by circumstances and thrown together by fate set out on a cross-country journey of self-discovery in South African director Jenna Bass’ contemporary Western, “Flatland,” which opens the Panorama section of this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Bass returns to Berlin a year after taking part in the Generations program with the satirical thriller
Israel filmmaker Yuval Adler created a stir with his 2013 film “Bethlehem,” a war drama about an Israeli secret service officer and his young Palestinian informant. Next up is “The Operative,” a thriller in which Diane Kruger stars as a woman recruited by the Mossad to work undercover in Iran. The film plays in competition
Attorney Dina LaPolt, whose clients include Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Britney Spears and Fifth Harmony, was honored with the Service Award at the Entertainment Law Initiative’s annual pre-Grammy lunch held at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. The honor recognizes “a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service.” LaPolt was a key supporter
Kanye West Sued You Got Wrong Mom’s OK To Use ‘Ultralight’ Prayer Audio!!! 2/8/2019 1:01 PM PST EXCLUSIVE Kanye West had good intentions when he asked a mom for permission to sample a viral clip of her daughter praying — the only problem is … he asked the wrong mom, according to a lawsuit. Andrew and
Casey Affleck has appeared in a vast range of movies, but when it comes to the work that defines him as an actor he has long demonstrated a certain penchant for slow-cooked artisanal cinema — for films that revel in their high-mindedness and move at a snail’s pace to prove it. That mode probably kicked
To speak Bulgari is to be well versed in the brand’s molto Romani articulated Serpenti and Monete (“coin”) collections. New to the lexicon is the Fiorever range. The house’s first new jewelry launch in four years takes its name from fiore (Italian for “flower”) and forever. Its four-petal design symbolizes the Romans’ passion for life
Wagram, France’s leading independent music label, is launching Wagram Stories, an incorporated new studio dedicated to film production and publishing, whose first title is having its market premiere at the EFM in Berlin. Wagram, a 20-year-old company whose talent portfolio includes Orelsan, M, The Dø, Dominique A, Katerine, Lilly Wood & the Prick, and Brigitte,
While the face of Seven Bucks Productions has always been its co-founders Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, production president Hiram Garcia has played an integral role in its expansion, and that includes its latest venture: the indie film world. With the opening of its coming-of-age drama “Fighting With My Family,” opening domestically this weekend following
February 8, 2019 12:44PM PT The two-part Michael Jackson documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” will premiere on Sunday, March 3, and Monday, March 4, announced HBO at the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour on Friday. The Dan Reed-directed film, which debuted at Sundance, is a four-hour expose in which two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck,
February 8, 2019 12:21PM PT The studio has contributed its OpenColorIO tool to the Academy Software Foundation Sony Pictures Imageworks has contributed a software tool used to create movies like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Hotel Transylvania 3,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” to the open source community. OpenColorIO, a tool
Genre filmmaking currently seems to be getting more traction within projects in the Italian cinema pipeline, be it dark fables, a Cosa Nostra thriller with a fresh angle, a Rome origins epic in pre-Roman Latin, or other types. Below is a compendium of standout titles in various stages, some of which may surface on the
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are looking at whether Jeff Bezos’s claims that he was blackmailed by the National Enquirer may have violated a non-prosecution agreement that the U.S. Attorney reached with Enquirer-parent AMI last year, the Associated Press reported. AMI avoided being held liable for its role in arranging $150,000 in hush-money payments to Karen
When the San Diego Fleet face off against the San Antonio Commanders this coming Saturday, the two teams won’t just kick off the first season of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The game, as well as the face-off between the Atlanta Legends and the Orlando Apollos, is also supposed to be the beginning of
February 8, 2019 10:36AM PT Sam Esmail is staying put at Universal Content Productions (UCP), with the “Mr. Robot” creator inking a rich new overall deal with the studio. Under the new multi-year deal, Esmail will produce content for linear and streaming platforms, including NBCUniversal’s recently announced streaming service. “As a creator, nothing is more important
February 8, 2019 10:00AM PT Malin Akerman has been cast in a lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Prism,” Variety has learned. “Prism” is an exploration of a murder trial in which every episode is told through the perspective of a different key person involved. Each new version of the facts ratchets up the mystery
National Geographic is launching a slate of new series that will showcase the natural world, exotic wildlife, and a veteran Nat Geo photographer in action in the field. The channel will launch “America,” a new series using high-end camera tech to offer a new portrait of the U.S.; “Planet of the Whales,” a landmark series
Few people could introduce a fake documentary called “Bats— Valley” with a straight face. But if there’s anyone for the job, it’s Dame Helen Mirren. Clad in a shin-length orange dress, Mirren, studio host of the parody series “Documentary Now!,” stood resolute at her mark and took a lengthy pause before delivering the introductory line,
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday in the first major hearing that showcases the new Democratic majority’s oversight of the Justice Department and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. But early on, Whitaker struck a note of defiance as Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) asked
Europe’s film and TV industries say they are teetering on the edge of disaster as the European Union finalizes new copyright regulation. At the Berlin Film Festival on Friday, global producers’ association Fiapf, whose members include Hollywood’s MPAA, and the Independent Film & TV Alliance both sought to clarify what’s at stake for Europe’s film and
During her show at Los Angeles’ Palladium Thursday night, fans got to see a Pink that was more grounded than usual — quite literally. “I haven’t done a show where I’m not hanging upside down in awhile,” she told the crowd. The singer, who’s in the middle of her “Beautiful Trauma” tour, is used to
Tributes to the late Albert Finney flooded social media on Friday following the announcement that the acclaimed British star of stage and screen had died at the age of 82. James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson said they were “heartbroken” at the loss of the actor, whose final screen appearance came as gamekeeper
Talpa Media Promotes Kim Dingler to Head Talpa Global – Variety You will be redirected back to your article in seconds February 8, 2019 8:41AM PT Talpa Media had appointed Kim Dingler as the new managing director of its worldwide licensing arm Talpa Global. Dingler takes over the role from Maarten Meijs, who was recently
Bear Grylls and the producers of “Hostile Planet” are promising viewers a new type of wildlife show when the series bows on National Geographic on April 1 in the U.S. and around the world in the spring. With the streamers getting into the natural history arena and existing big beasts such as the BBC, Discovery and
“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” built $1.5 million during Thursday night preview showings in North America and another $600,000 from Jan. 26 screenings. Paramount Pictures’ comedy “What Men Want” launched with $1.3 million in previews. Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s Liam Neeson thriller “Cold Pursuit” took in $540,000 from Thursday previews at 2,050 locations. Thursday previews
February 8, 2019 7:48AM PT A rebate program for film and TV projects that give women an equal shot was launched internationally Friday at the Berlin Film Festival. The 10% for 50/50 campaign began in Sweden at the Goteborg Film Festival. Under the scheme, production, post-production and facility houses and other service providers who have signed
Eric Roth, who won an Academy Award a quarter century ago for “Forrest Gump,” went even further back when he was working with Lady Gaga on “A Star Is Born.” Roth, speaking at the Beyond Words panel at the Writers Guild Theater, recalled that he advised Gaga to emulate Cher’s Loretta Castorini from the 1987
RAI Com is kicking off sales in Berlin on Italian producer Ginevra Elkann’s directorial debut, “Magari” (If Only), which stars Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”), Alba Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“Loro”) and France’s Céline Sallette (“Les Revenants”). The multi-language pic is currently shooting in the seaside town of Sabaudia, outside Rome. Produced by Wildside and RAI
Albert Finney, one of the leading actors of the postwar period, has died after a short illness. He was 82. The robust British performer began as a stage actor before transitioning to film. With his gravely voice and rumbling stare he brought an intense realism to his work, rising to fame in such 1960s classics
In December, Ariana Grande gave an insightful interview in the aftermath of a series of tragedies: the 2017 terrorist attack outside her in Manchester, England; her brief engagement to “SNL” star Pete Davidson, to whom she dedicated a standout track on last year’s “Sweetener” album; and the death of former boyfriend Mac Miller, who put