Rights to ‘Man in Black,” one of two documentary films by China’s Wang Bing to appear in Official Selection at Cannes this year, have been picked up by specialty sales agency Asian Shadows. The 60-minute film, which will debut as a special screening, is a portrait of 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important
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Leo Maidenberg’s Paris-based company Place du Marché Productions is developing a slate of French and international films and TV series with acclaimed talents, including Daphna Levin, the creator of the Israeli series “Euphoria,” as well as Sarah Kaminsky (“Raid Dingue”) and Leïla Sy (“Banlieusards”). Maidenberg, who launched Place du Marché in 2018 after a career
Sales company Deckert Distribution has boarded “Pure Unknown,” by Italy’s Mattia Colombo (“Il Posto”) and Valentina Cicogna, and Venezuelan filmmaker Iván Simonovis Pertíñez’s debut feature “My Father’s Prison,” both selected in the main International Competition at Swiss international documentary film festival Visions du Réel. “Pure Unknown” follows the story of Italian forensic pathologist Cristina Cattaneo
“Carmen” didn’t begin life as an opera: French Romantic writer Prosper Mérimée conceived this tale of Spanish passion and tragic jealousy in 1845, thirty years before his compatriot Georges Bizet brought it into its best-known, aria-rich form. But it’s a story that thrives on operatic delivery, hinging on emotions so large and loud they beg
Luca Guadagnino will next direct the William S. Burroughs adaptation “Queer” with Daniel Craig playing the renowned counterculture author’s alter ego, an outcast American expat who lives in Mexico, and “Outer Banks” star Drew Starkey starring as a younger man with whom he becomes madly infatuated. “Queer” will also topline Lesley Manville (“The Crown”), frequent
U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing has acquired international sales rights, excluding North America, to the debut feature from the Burghart Brothers, “Head Count.” The company plans to begin sales on the film during the Cannes Film Market. “Head Count” follows the story of an escaped prisoner, Kat, who finds himself facing
Ajay Bijli, the managing director of India’s largest multiplex chain PVR Inox, has unveiled plans for the group’s growth. The merger of the PVR and Inox chains concluded in February and the merged entity now operates 1,683 screens in 360 sites across 115 cities throughout India and parts of Sri Lanka. Bijli has been accorded
The cream of the southern Indian film industry was present in force at the just concluded Dakshin South India Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), southern region, the event kicked off with recent south Indian Oscar winners, Kartiki Gonsalves, director of winning documentary short “The Elephant Whisperers”
The Match Factory has boarded Sean Price Williams’s “The Sweet East,” which has its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival in May. It is the first feature film directed by Price Williams, the cinematographer of Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages” (2022), Abel Ferrara’s “Zeros and Ones” (2021), Michael Almereyda’s “Tesla”
Trinity CineAsia has acquired rights to Chinese tentpole action movie “Born to Fly,” and will release the film in cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland. Nicknamed China’s response to Hollywood hit “Top Gun,” the Chinese film follows Lei Yu and a group of elite aviators who undergo rigorous training to be recognised as official test
By the time the title card drops in “A Tourist’s Guide To Love” (ten minutes in — the Netflix rom-com equivalent of the 40-minute wait in “Drive My Car”), we know exactly what we’re in for: The heartbroken heroine at the film’s center is going to experience a life-altering perspective shift via romance when embarking on
Japanese animated film “The First Slam Dunk” has taken a strong early lead at the mainland China box office, picking up $13.8 million on its Thursday opening day. Films mostly release in China on Fridays, but the Japanese hit was given previews on Wednesday and a full court release on Thursday, starting with widespread midnight
“Kokomo City” star Koko Da Doll was found fatally shot on Tuesday in Atlanta. She was 35 years old. The Atlanta Police Department reported that Koko was found with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Koko, whose given name is Rasheeda Williams,
The romantic action comedy has always had a breathlessly eager-to-please, overstuffed quality. You might say that it’s a what’s-not-to-like genre. We laugh! With pulses racing! And swoon at the moonstruck chemistry! In a superior rom-act-com, like “Romancing the Stone” or “Out of Sight” or “True Lies” or the new “Murder Mystery” sequel, the action is
Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney are set to star in “Everything’s Going to Be Great,” an upcoming film from Scottish director Jon S. Baird. The film will also star Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (“The Haunting of Bly Manor”) and Jack Champion (“Avatar: The Way of Water”). Principal photography is set to begin Friday in Toronto. Cranston
“Ted Lasso” standout Juno Temple seems to be trading soccer stars for comic-book antiheroes, as the actor is in negotiations for a lead role in Sony and Marvel’s “Venom 3.” The new movie stars Tom Hardy as the titular lethal protector Venom (and its human host Eddie Brock), one of Sony’s slate of Marvel characters,
Guy Ritchie announced in a new interview with Newsweek that he is no longer using real guns on his film sets following the October 2021 “Rust” shooting, in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a prop gun filled with real bullets. Ritchie is a veteran of the action movie genre, with the majority of
Former top Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso has resolved her dispute with Disney over her sudden exit from the company in a multimillion dollar settlement, Variety has confirmed. The news comes a month after Alonso was fired from Marvel after 17 years at the company, most recently as president of physical production, post-production, VFX and
Nicholas Hoult confirmed in a recent interview with The Guardian that he lost out on roles in “The Batman,” “Mission: Impossible 7” and “Top Gun: Maverick” all in a row. In a new interview with GQ España, the actor stressed that he is “happy” with his career despite these “disappointments.” Hoult also went into a
Marc Maron has joined the cast of Universal’s untitled New York Christmas movie, written by Richard Curtis, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually.” Maron is starring alongside Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu in the film, a fairy-tale comedy about a workaholic man who enlists the help of
Whenever Elizabeth Olsen returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she’ll surely be hoping a permanent stunt double comes along with her. Speaking to Stephen Colbert during a recent visit to “The Late Show,” Olsen said it’s “ridiculous” that she’s done a majority of her own Marvel stunts as Scarlet Witch. “Your stomach leaves you. It’s
Prosecutors are expected to drop manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, sources confirmed on Thursday. In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyers said they were pleased with the outcome. “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the
The horror film “Jagged Mind,” starring Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward, from 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals will world premiere at the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach. The festival runs June 14 to June 18. The film will debut exclusively on Hulu on June 15 and on Disney+ (via Star) internationally at
Al Pacino passed on taking a trip to a galaxy far far away. During a talk Wednesday at The 92nd Street Y, New York, the Oscar winner recalled being offered the role of Han Solo in “Star Wars.” “Well, I turned down ‘Star Wars.’ When I first came up, I was the new kid on the
Connecticut is set to declare Sunday, April 23, 2023 as “Little Richard Day” in honor of the late performer’s “incomparable contributions to the history of music in America.” And no, the rock n’ roll icon doesn’t hail from the Nutmeg state. He was born in Georgia and lived in California, Tennessee and other ports of
Oscar-winning documentarian Bryan Fogel has signed for representation with Range Media Partners. Fogel is best known for his 2018 film “Icarus,” which exposed Russia’s state-sponsored doping program and the whistleblower at its center. The Netflix title won the Academy Award for best documentary, the first such prize for the streamer. Prior to its crowning moment on
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. A new documentary about Judy Blume sheds light on the profound impact that the beloved children’s book writer had on a whole generation of young girls. For many of those who grew up throughout
The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is expanding its efforts to engage the industry side of the business and in June will host its inaugural IFFLA Industry Day. The festival was founded in 2002 and, now in its third decade of operation, has pivoted to a strategy of year-round programming and events. The center
Snoop Dogg’s story is one step closer to the big screen as director Allen Hughes confirmed the Universal biopic about the rapper is set to begin production imminently. “That’s next. We’re starting this summer. I’m so excited,” Hughes told Variety on Tuesday night at the premiere of his upcoming FX docuseries “Dear Mama,” which chronicles
Quentin Tarantino has been named honorary guest at the upcoming edition of Directors’ Fortnight, the selection running alongside the Cannes Film Festival. The tribute will take place on May 25, on the closing of Directors Fortnight. “As an exceptional and generous cinephile, Tarantino is at home at the Fortnight. He will be our guest this year