Movies

The Venice Film Festival is rolling out a juried impact award that will mark the first time a major film festival has awarded a prize focused solely on impact. Impact campaigns are crafted around documentaries and some narrative films that have strong social or political messages that can inspire action among audiences and the industry

Tyrese Gibson and his associates, Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez, are suing The Home Depot for $1 million over what they claim was a racial profiling incident that took place at a Los Angeles-area store. The alleged incident took place on the evening of Feb. 11, 2023. The lawsuit claims the trio were “subjected to

A 4K uncut restoration of Chen Kaige’s 1993 Palme d’Or winner “Farewell My Concubine” is a highlight of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Classics strand while Jean-Luc Godard’s last film will feature in Wavelengths. The Classics strand also includes Canadian producer-director Brigitte Berman’s Oscar-winning feature documentary “Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got” (1985),

The trailer has debuted for “Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” the latest film from Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté, who won awards at Berlin Film Festival with “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” and Locarno with “Curling.” “Mademoiselle Kenopsia” had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival this month, and will premiere in North America at next month’s

 “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” set sail with $750,000 in previews on Thursday. The horror film, which is derived from a transit-heavy chapter of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” screened in 2,350 theaters with showings beginning at 5:00 p.m.  It tells the story of the merchant ship that ferried fifty unmarked wooden crates from Carpathia to London. Suffice

Nicholas Galitzine first gained attention when he played Prince Charming opposite Camilla Cabello in the 2021 film musical adaptation of “Cinderella.” The project launched a career that seems to have been going non-stop ever since. In “Purple Hearts,” a romantic drama from Netflix, Galitzine played a troubled Marine who falls for an aspiring singer (Sofia

Given the $1 billion success of “Barbie,” it’s hard to picture anyone in the title role other than Margot Robbie. But the actor explained to Vogue back in May that it was actually Gal Gadot who was her first choice to star as Barbie. Robbie is a producer on “Barbie” and did not immediately envision herself

FESTIVAL James Hawes‘ Holocaust drama “One Life” will be the American Express Gala at the 67th BFI London Film Festival. The film tells the true story of Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to WWII, rescued 669 children from the Nazis. Fifty years later, in 1988, Winton is haunted by the

After 18 years at BAFTA, Krishnendu Majumdar is having trouble switching off. It’s been almost two months since the media executive, who recently won a BAFTA for his Kate Winslet-led Channel 4 drama “I Am Ruth,” finished his three-year term as chair of the British Academy, handing over the reins to agency boss Sara Putt.

France has named a heavyweight Oscar selection committee to decide its submission in the international feature film category at the 2024 Academy Awards. France’s Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak has appointed a seven-person committee proposed by Dominique Boutonnat, president of French film board CNC. They include composer Alexandre Desplat, whose 11 Oscar nominations have

We all know what a MacGuffin is (and in case you don’t, here’s what it is): an object or event that the plot of a thriller hinges on, and which everyone onscreen keeps talking about, yet it has no intrinsic interest apart from how it serves the structure of the movie. The term was mythologized

Actor Jason Momoa, a native of Hawaii, has taken to social media to express his reaction to the ongoing wildfires on Maui and tell his followers how they can help. “We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and ‘ohana on Maui. Link in our bio for organizations that are helping,” Momoa wrote on Instagram.

Few cinematic traditions are more enduring than thinking up new and inventive ways to beat up Nazis. From “Inglourious Basterds” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to “Dead Snow” and “Sisu,” such projects run the gamut: prestige pictures, blockbusters, low-rent genre fare and everything in between. Icelandic helmer Óskar Thór Axelsson’s “Operation Napoleon,” an adaptation

Timothy Olyphant appeared on the most recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and looked back at his failed audition for J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” revival (via Entertainment Weekly). The “Justified” star praised Abrams for a wonderful audition process, even though the director ultimately decided to go with a “younger” actor like Chris

Creative Artists Agency will bring down a small round of layoffs in the coming days, Variety has learned. The top talent firm, home to representatives for the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Tom Cruise, will axe around 60 jobs across multiple departments, insiders familiar with the agency said. While the staff cuts come in the

Is a third “Wonder Woman” movie on the way from Warner Bros. and DC Studios? Not quite. Despite recent comments from Gal Gadot claiming DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran told her they would develop “Wonder Woman 3” together, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety that is not the case. According to

AMC Theatres has promoted Ellen Copaken to lead its marketing department. As senior VP of marketing, effective immediately, she will report to AMC’s chairman and CEO Adam Aron and will join the company’s executive committee. She’s taking over for Eliot Hamlisch, who recently departed the company. He had been commuting across the country to AMC’s

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

IFC Films is bolstering its team with new executive hires and several internal promotions. As part of the expansion, Nicole Weis is joining the company as VP of distribution, where she will manage the theatrical rollout for IFC’s film slate. She will report to Scott Shooman, the newly appointed head of film at AMC Network,

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Red, White and Royal Blue,” the hotly anticipated queer rom-com based off Casey McQuiston’s best-selling romance novel, is finally here. The film arrives on Prime Video on Friday, Aug. 11. Prime Video $8.99/Month Buy

Award-winning producers Mimi Valdés and Nina Yang Bongiovi are teaming up for a new venture, Fly Green Socks, a multicultural media company focused on producing hip-hop narratives in film. “Hip-hop is a culture defining superpower, influencing fashion, technology and even politics. But it’s severely underrepresented in Hollywood as its own film genre,” Valdés and Yang

Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing back Ali G, the controversial character with whom he first shot to fame in the late 1990s. Variety understands Baron Cohen has been working on a stand-up tour in which Ali G will make an appearance. A source close to Baron Cohen strenuously denied a new movie was in development,

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced key changes for this year’s 33rd Annual Gotham Awards. The organization has removed the budget cap requirements which they claim will create “a more inclusive submission pool” of potential nominees. In previous years, to be eligible for the Gothams, a film’s budget couldn’t exceed $35 million. Past winners

The Writers Guild of America will resume negotiations with the studios on Friday, the guild told members in an email. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is set to deliver a response to the guild’s proposals, the union said. “Carol Lombardini has asked the WGA Negotiating Committee to meet with AMPTP negotiators on

“Control,” Kevin Spacey’s first film following his acquittal for sexual assault in the U.K., is set to get a Christmas release. Variety understands the feature — in which Spacey doesn’t appear but has a major voice role — will be released in both the U.S. and the U.K. on Dec. 15. Sales agent TriCoast Worldwide

Disney is coming for the streaming password-sharing freeloaders. Taking a page from Netflix’s playbook, Disney chief Bob Iger announced that the media conglomerate has put a priority on finding ways to convert password-borrowing users into paying customers. “We are actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share

Pathé feature “Driving Madeleine” has been acquired by Parkland Entertainment for a U.K. and Ireland theatrical release, Variety can confirm. The French-language film, which played in the official selection at TIFF last year, stars Line Renaud (“I Can’t Sleep,” “Call My Agent”) and Dany Boon (“Welcome to the Sticks”). In “Driving Madeleine” Boon plays Charles,

FESTIVAL Patty Jenkins Set to Appear at HollyShorts Film Festival For Q&A “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins is set to open the Shorts on Film Program at the upcoming HollyShorts Film Festival with a Q&A. Jenkins, who is also know for films including “Monster” and television including “The Killing” finale, will appear in conversation with

Rome-based sales agency True Colours has added Edoardo de Angelis’ “Comandante,” which opens the Venice Film Festival, to its slate. The film, which plays in the main competition section, stars Pierfrancesco Favino (“World War Z,” “Angels & Demons”). “Comandante” is based on the true story of Italian submarine commander Salvatore Todaro and the events that

U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing has secured global distribution rights, excluding North America, for Teresa Sutherland’s film “Lovely, Dark, and Deep.” The film debuted at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Blue Finch is set to kick off sales at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. North American rights for the film are