The upcoming Venice Film Festival has announced it will hold a flash mob on the red carpet in solidarity with the women and men of Iran “who are fighting for their freedom and against the ongoing repression” and also “the filmmakers and artists who have been arrested or imprisoned,” the fest said in a statement
Movies
New York-based digital media company Generation Iron and its partner The Vladar Company have secured global distribution rights for the documentary film “Driven: The Tony Pearson Story.” Directed by Andrew Menjivar (“Float”), the film chronicles the life and achievements of iconic bodybuilder Tony Pearson, based on his memoir. The documentary delves into Pearson’s early experiences
The popular Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is returning after a three-year COVID and logistics-related absence with a hub, a refreshed executive team and a host of plans. Hollywood and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas continues as festival chair, while media veteran and former Variety contributor Anupama Chopra remains festival director and independent producer Anu
Headlined respectively by “Sound of Metal” lead Riz Ahmed and “Matrix” stars Jessica Henwick and Hugo Weaving, Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails” and Kitty Green’s “The Royal Hotel” figure among seven newly unveiled films which will play in main competition at September’s San Sebastian Film Festival. Also in the running are buzz titles “A Journey in Spring,”
Sharvari Wagh will join Alia Bhatt in the cast of the first female-led film in leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, Variety has learned. Wagh debuted as one of the leads in Prime Video series “The Forgotten Army – Azaadi ke liye” and made her film debut with “Bunty Aur Babli 2.” The
Say this for “Vacation Friends 2”: It isn’t a drastic drop-off from the original. That has less to do with it being a better-than-usual sequel than it does with the first film being just okay. Still, one supposes there’s something to be said for consistency. Its setup repeats the odd-couple dynamic of its predecessor, with
SAG-AFTRA issued a statement on Thursday evening to encourage members to promote and audition for approved interim agreement productions, as a means of “strengthening the union’s bargaining position and demonstrating solidarity.” The guild’s statement provides guidance in regards to the matter of promoting a project with an interim agreement, which has been a matter of
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences
“Dune: Part Two” has been delayed to 2024. The story of Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, will be continued on March 15. Warner Bros. made the announcement Thursday after Variety exclusively reported last month that the company was eyeing a 2024 date for the sci-fi tentpole. Legendary Entertainment co-produced “Dune: Part Two” with Warner
Producers behind “The Blind Side” have issued a statement affirming the authenticity of Michael Oher’s story as told in the film, responding to Oher’s recent allegations that the Tuohy family fabricated his adoption and instead placed him in a conservatorship that he is still restricted to. “We feel it is now important for us to
The Writers Guild of America told members Wednesday that the latest offer from the studios is “not yet good enough,” and said that it would continue to fight to address “existential threats” to the writing profession. In an email, the WGA picked out half a dozen areas where it believes the studio offer falls short.
Representation in films and television isn’t only about race and ethnicity. It’s also about giving deserved respect to genres and recognizing the allies who do the work to ensure those stories are appropriately told. That’s what director Dan Trachtenberg achieves with the science-fiction horror flick “Prey,” while working hand-in-hand with Indigenous producer Jhane Myers. The
“Cat Person,” which launched with a bang at Sundance, will be released in theaters on Oct. 6 through Rialto Pictures. The wild thriller — which stars Emilia Jones (“CODA”) and Nicholas Braun (“Succession”) as a couple whose signals cross, leading to disturbing interactions — made its world premiere to a huge response at the festival in
A crazed Drew Barrymore fan was arrested Thursday after “going door to door telling area residents that he was looking for Drew Barrymore’s residence,” Southampton Chief of Police James Kiernan confirmed to Variety. The man, identified as Chad Busto, will be brought to Southampton Town Police Headquarters for arrest processing, according to Kiernan. Busto was
Before it became a movie — but after first launching as a series of racing simulation games — “Gran Turismo” was the platform that in 2011 allowed Jann Mardenborough to become a professional driver. At 20, and even from behind a virtual console, the Cardiff, Wales native was so skilled at navigating the complexities of
“Bob Trevino Likes It” has wrapped production in Louisville, Ky. and has unveiled its first official photo. Myriad Pictures has acquired worldwide sales rights and will launch sales out of Toronto in September. The film is one of the first independent production to be approved for a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement during the actors strike. “Bob Trevino
The Minions are about the get the white glove treatment, as Variety has learned that CAA has signed Illumination CEO and prolific animation producer Chris Meledandri as a client. Meledandri, who founded the company and is responsible for two of the four highest-grossing animated franchises of all time (“Despicable Me,” “Ice Age”), will be represented
Reneé Rapp opened up about struggling with an eating disorder during her tenure in the “Mean Girls” musical, which was exacerbated by production staffers who, she said, “would say some vile fucking things to me about my body.” In a new interview with The Guardian, the actor turned singer said her health was deteriorating to
As a co-writer of 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious,” David Ayer helped launch one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time. Yet, the “Suicide Squad” and “End of Watch” director says he has “nothing to show” for his contributions to Universal Pictures’ high-octane racing series. “Biggest franchise in Hollywood, and I don’t have
AMC’s Odeon Cinemas Group, Europe’s largest cinema operator, has confirmed the appointment of Suzie Welch as managing director for U.K. and Ireland. Suzie Welch served as interim managing director in March this year after Carol Welch’s departure. She will now continue in the role permanently alongside her chief people officer responsibilities. Welch joined Odeon in
Amazon Studios has debuted the first trailer for its upcoming sci-fi thriller “Foe,” starring Paul Mescal and Saorise Ronan. Based on the novel of the same name, the latest feature from director Garth Davis stars Mescal and Ronan as Junior and Henrietta, a husband and wife who live about 40 years in the future on
This “Barbie” is officially the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America. Greta Gerwig’s fantasy-comedy, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has generated $575.4 million at the domestic box office, overtaking the previous champion, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which has collected $574 million domestically. “Barbie” has grossed $1.3 billion globally and will soon surpass
S.S. Rajamouli’s “RRR” was the big winner at India’s annual National Film Awards with six honors, while actor R. Madhavan’s directorial debut “Rocketry” won best film. Nikhil Mahajan won best director for “Godavari.” “RRR,” which has already won an Oscar and a Golden Globe, won the award for popular film, male singer for Kaala Bhairava,
Chilean filmmaker Cons Gallardo Vásquez, whose 2017 debut “In Transit” was awarded at BioBío Cine and Sanfic, is readying their next project, “La Búsqueda Del Otro” (“Searching For the Other”), featured at this week’s Sanfic Industria’s Works In Progress strand, one of the highest profile pix-in-post showcases in South America. Produced by Esteban Sandoval Carrasco, executive
Chile’s at it again. Since’s Andrés Wood’s breakout “Machuca” in 2004, Chilean filmmakers, led by Pablo Larraín, Sebastián Lelio and now Maite Alberdi, have punched consistently above the country’s weight, consistently winning plaudits at Sundance, Berlin and Cannes. Chile has also won three Oscars – for Claudio Miranda’s cinematography on 2012’s “Life of Pi,” 2015’s
Variety has partnered with brand and culture consultancy BSBP to curate a series of exclusive Q&A screenings in London of some of the industry’s most anticipated films. The screenings, which are targeted at BAFTA and AMPAS voters as well as key players in the showbiz community in the U.K., will take place at London’s The
International sales agent Films Boutique has revealed the first sales and a trailer for Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Reisz’s “Explanation for Everything,” which will world premiere at the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons strand. Films Boutique has sold the film to I Wonder Pictures for Italy and Filmtett for Romania. The film is Reisz’s third feature after
FESTIVAL The European premiere of Kristoffer Borgli‘s satire “Dream Scenario,” starring Nicolas Cage, will open the 19th Zurich Film Festival (Sept. 28-Oct. 8). The film follows a hapless family man Paul Matthews (Cage) as he finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his
The Busan International Film Festival has unveiled its selections for the popular Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere and On Screen strands. The On Screen section, introduced in 2021, showcases series and this year boasts six world premieres – five from Korea and one from Indonesia. Tving show “I Am a Running Mate,” about an
As “Barbie” hones in on becoming the highest-grossing release of the year at the domestic box office, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink comedy is about to get even bigger. Warner Bros. has set an Imax run for the film, with a limited one-week engagement beginning on Sept. 22. The release will also feature exclusive new post-credits