Movies

With the 2023-24 awards season galloping towards the finish line, the whirlwind of ceremonies, red carpets, dinners and other glitzy occasions for feted stars of the moment to be feted some more is keeping most of the nominees exceptionally busy. Among the busiest must be Cillian Murphy, tipped to add both Oscar and BAFTA wins to

“Lord of the Rings” owner Embracer revealed its Q3 results were boosted by licensing revenue from the Tolkien IP despite being lower than expected overall. Embracer, a Swedish gaming conglomerate who snapped up the rights to “Lord of the Rings” two years ago, has undergone a severe restructuring program over the past year, which has

Copenhagen documentary film festival CPH:DOX, whose 21st edition runs from March 13-24, has unveiled the films nominated across all six award categories. The selection features 66 films in competition, among which 47 are world premieres, 17 international premieres and two European premieres. All the films in the main competition will be world premieres. Niklas Engstrøm,

Films Boutique has reunited with “Green Border” director Agnieszka Holland on her Franz Kafka biopic “Franz,” currently in pre-production. Set to begin principal photography in April in the Czech Republic and Germany — during the centenary of the author’s death — the film has already been acquired for theatrical distribution by Bac Films Distribution (France),

U.S-Asian sales company EST N8 has picked up the international rights for “30 Minutes,” a Korean sci-fi thriller film that is currently in production. The story revolves around a middle-aged man trapped in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the Christmas Eve of his murder. It stars Hong Kyeong In (long-running TV series “The Great Queen

Revered Italian auteur Paolo Taviani will soon be back in the director’s chair. Shooting is set to start in April on “Canto Delle Meduse,” a pandemic-themed drama helmed by Taviani with Polish-Italian actor Kasia Smutniak (“Domina”) attached to star. The rest of the film’s cast is being kept under wraps.  Fandango is launching sales at

One year after sharing the stage at the European Film Market as joint Countries in Focus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia continue to shine. Despite the downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, the lingering fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the growing economic uncertainty worldwide, production across the region has been at or near

Acemaker Movieworks, the young Korean studio behind 2023 hit “Noryang: The Sea” and “A Man of Reason,” is using the Berlin Film Festival‘s European Film Market to launch crime drama “Troll Factory,” its next big budget movie. Film’s plot revolves around an investigative journalist who, while probing a story about the manipulation of public sentiment,

The life of Rosa Bonheur, a trailblazing feminist and artist who rose to fame in 19th century France, will be played by Melanie Laurent in a sprawling period movie directed by Fabienne Berthaud.  “Rosa Bonheur” is being produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier and Caroline Benjo at Haut et Court, the company behind “Coco Before Chanel” and

A three-year run of poor box office performances is sure to hurt the South Korean sales companies touting their new titles at the European Film Market — but not by that much. Certainly, the box office malaise undermines the ability to market some titles on the strength of their theatrical earnings back home. But the

Screening out of competition in the Berlinale Special section, Ishii Gakuryu’s “The Box Man” had a long and difficult gestation. Based on a 1973 novel by Abe Kobo, this film about a man who wears a cardboard box as a mobile carapace started as a successful pitch from Ishii to Abe 32 years ago. “Abe

Harvey Weinstein‘s lawyer urged the highest court in New York to overturn his conviction on Wednesday, saying that too many accusers were allowed to testify at his trial. Arthur Aidala challenged the trial judge’s ruling allowing three women to testify as “Molineux” witnesses. The women spoke about sexual assaults that were not among the charges,

Religious hysteria, family secrets and a tinge of the occult make hard times all the harder for protagonists in “Queen of Bones.” This Ontario-shot U.S. indie production is a rural gothic with echoes of both “Flowers in the Attic’s” dark YA melodrama and “Carrie’s” supernaturally vengeful coming of age. But it lacks the bold ideas

If you’re looking to get your daily dose of Sydney Sweeney movies this Valentine’s Day, look no further than your local multiplex — the star just swung into theaters with “Madame Web” and a special re-release of “Anyone but You.” Since its holidays debut, the R-rated rom-com starring Sweeney and Glen Powell has raked in

Christopher Nolan recently proclaimed that the decision to hire Robert Downey Jr. to play Tony Stark in “Iron Man” was “one of the most consequential casting decisions that’s ever been made in the history of the movie business.” By the end of this decade, the same might be said for the four actors who were

Sharon Stone says the fame that surrounded her in the mid-1990s after “Basic Instinct” exploded her career was so wild that she was forced into hiding by the police during the infamous 1994 O.J. Simpson car chase. A new InStyle interview with the Oscar-nominated actor begins with the startling revelation that the Los Angeles Police

In the months since it has premiered at Cannes, “The Taste of Things,” a lushly romantic love letter to French cooking, has quickly been anointed one of the best food-focused movies ever made. The film, now playing in selected theaters, revolves around the romance between Juliette Binoche‘s Eugénie and wealthy gourmet Dodin Bouffant, played by

Alex Cox is getting back behind the wheel. The “Repo Man” director is revisiting the off-kilter world of extraterrestrials and car repossession that he mined so memorably in the 1984 cult classic in a new sequel that is being introduced to buyers at the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market. Entitled “Repo Man 2:

“Joker: Folie à Deux” director Todd Phillips marked Valentine’s Day 2024 with a special new look at his highly-anticipated sequel, which pairs returning Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix with Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn. Phillips added as the caption to the post: “Hoping your day is full of love.” Specific plot details for

Kristen Stewart graces the latest cover of Rolling Stone, where she talked openly about her days headlining the “Twilight” franchise. Stewart played Bella Swan in five “Twilight” movies that grossed a combined $3.3 billion worldwide and turned the actor and her castmates Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner into global superstars. Stewart caught some flak from

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh is getting back in the action business. The “Everything Everywhere All At Once” star is lead “The Mother,” the latest turn behind the camera from French actor-director Melanie Laurent. The movie is based on the screenplay by P.G. Cuschieri.  The film sees Yeoh playing an immigrant mother and businesswoman trying to make

When news broke last November that Universal Pictures was developing a sixth Bourne movie with “All Quiet on the Western Front” director Edward Berger, fans were left wondering if Matt Damon would be returning to his iconic action franchise. The Bourne series, which includes four films headlined by Damon and one by Jeremy Renner, has

Singapore’s Momo Film Co has unveiled a six-film slate that includes projects from recent prize-winners at Cannes and Locarno. Momo is one of five outfits selected at the 2024 Berlinale Co-Production Market‘s company matching program. Fresh off two wins at Locarno 2023 for Nelson Yeo’s debut feature “Dreaming & Dying,” Momo is continuing its relationship

Hollywood loves a bare-knuckle brawl. And the town got a battle royal with “Road House.” The reboot of the 1989 cult favorite, which launches on Amazon Prime on March 8, sparked a fierce fight behind the scenes over its release. While studio-filmmaker standoffs are not uncommon, this one featured such subplots as the involvement of

Italian state broadcaster RAI’s RAI Cinema film arm is launching a new standalone film sales unit at the European Film Market.  The nascent sales company — which is called RAI Cinema International Distribution — aims to fill a gap within RAI’s content sales force given that RAI’s existing RAI Com sales unit is “mostly dedicated

Award-winning Peruvian multi-hyphenate Joanna Lombardi (“In House,” “How To Get Over a Breakup”), formerly in charge of heading Movistar’s original content slate for Latin America, dives into documentary with her latest feature “Stay Still” (“Quédate Quieto”), selected to screen in competition at the upcoming Málaga Festival, running Mar. 1-10. Produced by Lombardi alongside Hernán Musaluppi

From Rainn Wilson‘s desire to start a spiritual revolution in Hollywood and beyond to Hilary Swank‘s latest film “Ordinary Angels,” and a first look at the Amazon Prime Video series “The Baxters” the Variety Spirituality in Entertainment Breakfast, presented by FAMI, explored representations of faith and spirituality throughout media. Tuesday’s event, held at the Los

Filmmakers Alex Gibney, Johan Grimonprez and Laura Huertas Millan, along with industry figures Jessica Harrop from Sandbox and Marie Nelson from Hot Docs will be among the speakers at CPH:CONFERENCE, the discussion program at documentary festival CPH:DOX. The program, which is curated in partnership with the training initiative Documentary Campus, has the theme “rebuilding narratives.”

Will Smith has lined up another hot title to his list of upcoming projects, having signed up to lead the cast of high-octane action thriller “Sugar Bandits.” Based on the Chuck Hogan book “Devils in Exile,” the thriller centres on an Iraq War veteran who teams up with a crew of fellow vets to target

Iconic German film and TV executive Jan Mojto is launching a partnership with longstanding friend and UFA head Nico Hofmann that will produce German and European series and films for the international market. They are joined in the unnamed venture by Beta producer Jan Wünschmann. The partnership was announced Wednesday, on the eve of the