Movies

FUND Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund. The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11. Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a

The Indian media and entertainment industry grew 20% to reach INR2.1 trillion ($26 billion) in 2022, 10% above pre-pandemic 2019, according to the annual EY report released during the ongoing Frames conference in Mumbai, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The report collates data from television, digital media, film, animation

Glossy drama film, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon,” has unveiled its first trailer ahead of its world premiere this month in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes. Its world sales representative, Cercamon will give the picture a market launch with a buyers-only screening on May 16. The anticipated Vietnamese-Singapore co-production is the debut feature by Pham

Mo Abudu, the CEO of EbonyLife Media, has launched Mo Abudu Films and directed two short films that address mental health issues from a Nigerian perspective, a subject that is considered taboo in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. “Iyawo Mi” tells the story of Kunle, a young married man who lives in impoverished downtown

As the saying goes, you can take the man out of Texas … but apparently he’ll drag an arsenal of Lone Star State clichés wherever he goes, at least in “One Ranger.” Stuntman turned writer-director Jesse V. Johnson’s latest action programmer has Thomas Jane as a Texas Ranger so ornery-tough he makes even Chuck Norris

The Cannes jury class of 2023 has finally been unveiled. The festival has rounded out its jury — led this year by “Triangle of Sadness” director and 2022 Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund — with a star-studded roster of actors and directors. Jury members include: actors Paul Dano and Brie Larson, Moroccan director Maryam Touzani,

The sensation of a nation crumbling from within — not in slo-mo deterioration, but amid the chaos of widespread violence and political upheaval — is unimaginable to most people. Yet it’s something many will live to experience. Offering a primer of sorts in that grim prospect is “5 Seasons of Revolution.” Made by the pseudonymous

Indian media and entertainment company IN10 Media Network has launched its film division, MovieVerse Studios. The film studio aims to “produce fresh and engaging content in Hindi and regional languages that connect with theatre-going audiences and those on streaming platforms,” the studio said in a statement. The studio has revealed a diverse slate across genres.

Marvel scripts are always top secret, but “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Pom Klementieff almost took things to a new level by burying her “Vol. 3” script in co-star Karen Gillan’s garden. Klementieff joined the Marvel franchise as Mantis in “Vol 2.” After James Gunn was initially fired as the director of “Guardians Vol. 3”

Stanley Tucci may not be searching much longer. The actor-foodie says he’s “pretty confident” that he’ll find a new home for his cooking and travel show, “Searching for Italy.” CNN canceled the two-season series in December when the network ended its development of original documentary programming. “We’re talking to different companies,” Tucci told me at

Emilio Estevez recalled on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” that he was 14 years old when Laurence Fishburne saved him from drowning in quicksand in the Philippines. The two were in the Philippines for the production of Frances Ford Coppola’s Vietnam war epic “Apocalypse Now,” in which Fishburne had a supporting role. Estevez’s father, Martin Sheen,

Pinewood Group, which runs Pinewood and Shepperton Studios — home to blockbusters including “No Time to Die” and “No Time to Die” has acquired full ownership of Pinewood Toronto Studios. Based in downtown, Toronto, the facility houses 16 purpose-built sound stages, including the mega stage, one of the largest of its kind in North America, and recently

Billie Lourd has issued a statement confirming and explaining why she did not invite her late mother Carrie Fisher’s siblings — Todd, Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher — to Carrie’s upcoming Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Thursday, May 4. Lourd’s statement came after Fisher’s siblings expressed shock over being left out of the ceremony,

Jamie Foxx released his first public statement since being hospitalized over three weeks ago after suffering a medical emergency. In a photo posted to his Instagram page, the Oscar winner addressed fans and wrote: “Appreciate all the love. Feeling blessed.” Foxx boasts 16.2 million followers on the social media platform. In addition to the Instagram

As Warner Bros. gears up to release “The Flash” in theaters this summer, many moviegoers are wondering how star Ezra Miller’s history of legal troubles and alleged abuse might impact the release and press tour. The film’s production designer, Oscar winner Paul Austerberry (“The Shape of Water”) isn’t sweating it. During a recent interview with

Tasha Smith will join Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the latest installment of Sony Pictures’ “Bad Boys” franchise.  In “Bad Boys 4,” Smith will play Theresa, Marcus Burnett’s (Lawrence) loving and devoted wife, a role previously inhabited by Theresa Randle in the first three “Bad Boys” films. Plot details for “Bad Boys 4” have

Last December, Leonardo DiCaprio and Baz Luhrmann shared a quiet moment at a private residence in Los Angeles. They were gathered at an after-party for a fashion show held that night by luxury brand Celine. Iggy Pop gave a surprise performance at the show, and Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber strutted the runway, all before DiCaprio

When Chukwudi Iwuji was a kid growing up in Nigeria and Ethiopia, he imagined he could fly. The second youngest of five, he would spend hours on his own, meticulously reenacting scenes he’d seen on TV, playing every part himself. Virtually all of what captured his imagination were American shows and films from the 1970s

Warner Bros. has dropped the first official trailer for the highly anticipated sci-fi epic sequel “Dune: Part 2.” In 2021’s “Dune,” Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) ventured to Arrakis, the universe’s most dangerous and sandiest planet, to ensure his family and people’s future as evil forces exploded in conflict. The Denis Villeneuve drama, based on Frank

Italian director Nanni Moretti’s new film “Il sol dell’avvenire” (“A Brighter Tomorrow”), a multi-layered love letter to filmmaking in the age of streaming giants, is doing brisk biz at the home box office ahead of its Cannes Film Festival international premiere. The latest by Moretti — who customarily gets special permission from Cannes to release

Canadian thriller “Exile” has been acquired by Electric Entertainment in the U.S., Vortex Media in Canada and Nicely Entertainment for international. The film, shot in Powell River, British Columbia, stars Adam Beach (“Power of the Dog,” “Suicide Squad”) as Ted Evans, a father struggling with his past who receives a threat from the man whose

With the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” comes the end of James Gunn’s tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The filmmaker is exiting the MCU after directing three “Guardians” movies and is moving on to his new full-time job as the co-head of DC Studios, where he’s building a new DC Universe

Arclight Films is handling worldwide rights to comedy feature “Arthur’s Whisky” and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes film market. As revealed by Variety, Diane Keaton (“Something’s Gotta Give”) stars in the film. The cast also includes Patricia Hodge (“All Creatures Great and Small”), singer-actor Lulu (“Absolutely Fabulous”), David Harewood (“Homeland) and music superstar

Poppy Delevingne will star in “The Gun on Second Street,” a new drama from writer, producer, and director Rohit Karn Batra.  The film is described as “an allegory of the gun crisis in the United States.” Its plot follows two Pittsburgh police partners and best friends who are called to an uneventful domestic violence dispute on Second

Alan Ritchson (“Reacher,” “Fast X”) has been set as the lead in “Motor City,” an action thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted,” “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”). Black Bear Intl. will launch sales at Cannes. Ritchson will play John Miller, a Detroit man released from prison, who unleashes a rampage of brutal vengeance on those who

Twenty emerging producers from across Europe have been selected to take part in European Film Promotion’s promotion and networking platform Producers on the Move before and during the Cannes Film Festival. The producers who were selected for the program from nominations submitted by EFP’s member organizations are Gentian Koçi (Albania), David Bohun (Austria), Julie Esparbes

FESTIVAL The Malta Film Commission is launching the first-ever Mediterrane Film Festival, a new annual event dedicated to celebrating film and creativity. Running from June 25-30, the festival will take place at Valletta, Malta’s capital, and other locations across the country The festival aims to serve as a platform for Malta to continue building its

Michael Douglas will receive the Honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Cannes revealed on Tuesday that the “Basic Instinct” star will return to the Croisette this month for the festival, and will be honored as part of the May 16 opening ceremony. Douglas’ first time in Cannes was the 32nd edition of

The Sundance Film Festival: London 2023 will close with the U.K. premiere of Nicole Holofcener’s “You Hurt My Feelings.” The comedy-drama is set in Brooklyn and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies as a couple whose marriage is thrown into turmoil when she overhears his honest reaction to her latest book. As previously announced, the

Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Marco Bellocchio’s “Kidnapped” (Rapito), which has its world premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film starts in 1858 in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, when the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they