Capping a milestone Cartoon Movie showcase that saw Europe’s animation sector in rude and robust form, the sprawling team behind continental co-production “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” shared the Producer of the Year prize, “Oink” auteur Mascha Halberstad claimed the Director trophy and Paris-based KMBO took top honors in Distribution at this year’s 25th edition
Movies
For the past year, Volodymyr Zelensky has been greeted with open arms by awards shows, film festivals and even the New York Stock Exchange. But when it comes to landing airtime on the most coveted telecast of all — the Oscars — the Ukrainian leader is being met with a cold shoulder. For the second
International sales agency The Open Reel has boarded Indian film “Ek Jagah Apni” (“A Place of Our Own”). The film follows trans women Laila and Roshni who are looking for a house after they are evicted from their rental place. It soon becomes evident that their search for a home is also their ongoing search
The first panels and guests for Star Wars Celebration London have been unveiled. The official fan event, which switches each year between the U.S. and an international location, is headed to London, U.K. From April 7-10, the Force is set to take over the ExCel exhibition center in London. Among the highlights are the Lucasfilm
American musical comedy film “Lyle Lyle Crocodile,” is set to release in mainland China cinemas, having received approvals for import and distribution from Chinese authorities. It will play in China from April 15, 2023. The film was released in North America in early October last year and many other territories at the end of 2022. Parts
Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla, the entity looking to attract international productions to a sprawling area of desert and giant boulders that boasts an ancient city, is forging fashion world ties. The film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that also comprises a lush oasis and vast sandstone canyons, is launching
Director Siddharth Anand is jubilant at the continuing success of blockbuster “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan. The film’s revenues have surpassed those of the Hindi-language dubbed version of S.S. Rajamouli’s “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” in recent days. “Pathaan,” produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), has grossed $126.7 million, beating the Hindi dubbed version of “Baahubali
Bob Odenkirk has shared that he’s starring in a remake of the 2003 cult film “The Room,” taking on the lead role of Johnny, originated by the film’s writer and director Tommy Wiseau. Slashfilm first reported on the project Wednesday morning, with the “Better Call Saul” star corroborating the contained details through a post on
Chaim Topol, who became professionally known solely by his last name in a career that included starring in “Fiddler on the Roof” on stage and screen and co-starring in the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” and the sci-fi film “Flash Gordon,” died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He
Bert I. Gordon, an American filmmaker whose low-budget creature features brought super-sized monsters to drive-in cinemas in the mid-20th century, died Wednesday in Los Angeles after collapsing at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 100. Gordon’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his daughter, Patricia. In Atomic Age America, Gordon’s science-fiction
Florence Pugh and Zach Braff reunited in London on Wednesday evening for the premiere of their movie “A Good Person,” which Braff wrote, directed and produced and which Pugh starred in and produced. In the film, Pugh stars opposite Morgan Freeman as a young woman who descends into opioid addiction after a car she is
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. No one will be leaving this year’s Oscars ceremony empty-handed. The Los Angeles-based entertainment marketing company Distinctive Assets is returning to the star-studded event this year to gift nominees their famous “Everyone Wins” gift
James Gunn is the new co-head of DC Studios, where he’s shepherding a new DC Universe that will include movies about Superman, Supergirl and more, but first Gunn will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the release of his trilogy-ending “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” The new Marvel tentpole pits the eponymous superhero
When “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” opened in theaters last December, the spinoff sequel in the “Shrek” universe began its box office run with an unremarkable $12 million. But the animated adventure, about a swashbuckling cat voiced by Antonio Banderas, has enjoyed nine lives on the big screen. After nearly two months, ticket sales
SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending and the post-credits scenes, for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” currently playing in theaters. While improvising in a meticulously crafted Marvel movie — full of CGI, green screens and elaborate costumes — seems nearly impossible, Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors did just that “Ant-Man and
Sharon Stone revealed on the “Table for Two” podcast that she lost custody of her son in part because of “Basic Instinct” and all the controversy the 1992 drama ignited over her infamous nude scene. After her divorce from Phil Bronstein was finalized in 2004, a judge ruled that he would have custody of their
Emma D’Arcy, star of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” has signed with CAA for representation. D’Arcy stars in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel series as Rhaenyra Targaryen, the firstborn child of the king and his heir apparent. The show follows the events leading to the war of succession, known as the “Dance of the Dragons,”
Class…put your books away, and clear your desks. It’s now time for your Oscars test. We’ve watched all the movies and seen all the precursor ceremonies that have provided all the necessary hints and clues on which films will emerge victorious at the 95th annual Academy Awards on March 12. A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at
Never fear, genre fans: Warner Bros. Discovery is intent on mining as much of its tentpole Warner Bros. IP as possible in the near future, whether that be through its upcoming revamped DC Universe, the newly announced “The Lord of the Rings” movies, or more projects based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise amid the
Maintaining the location library of 20,000 photos is one of Illinois Film Office assistant deputy director Louis Ferrara’s favorite parts of his job. “Producers always laugh when I say that, but it’s true,” he says. The massive quantity of location photos are categorized into various curated files so when productions have a need, the film
When it comes to any entertainment industry production, whether it’s a tentpole film or an independent commercial, creative choices must vie against the ever-important bottom line. Working in a state with tax incentive programs means productions can have the best of both worlds. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker just signed a 10-year extension for the
It’s little wonder why British romantic comedy “Rye Lane” has been scoring so much positive buzz of late. Directed by Raine Anne-Miller, it’s an infectiously funny and stylish feature debut that tells the story of Dom (David Jonsson, “Industry”) and Yas (Vivian Oparah, “Class”), who find connection with each other while getting over their respective
From major titles making their way to theaters to prominent auteurs delivering highly anticipated projects to streamers continuing to flex their strength, 2022 was a dynamic year for cinema. Variety asked editors Peter Debruge, Clayton Davis, Tim Gray, and Jenelle Riley, to answer four questions about this past year in film and discuss its standout
Illinois pulled in a record-breaking $1.256 billion in qualified film and television production spending over the past two years. And with 14 existing soundstage facilities within city limits, Chicago is no toddling town. In fact, with two additional sprawling studio complexes in the works, Chicago is setting its sights even higher, looking to further increase
During the final hours of Oscars voting on Tuesday, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” nominee Michelle Yeoh caused a stir when snippets of a Vogue article were shared on her Instagram account. Yeoh shared each paragraph in multiple images of the article titled — “It’s Been Over Two Decades Since We’ve Had a Non-White Best
Get the dialect coach on the line — we’re going back to Southeastern Pennsylvania with “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby. The writer-producer has set the new feature film “Echo Valley” at Apple Studios, and recruited Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney as his stars. “Echo Valley” will follow Oscar winner Moore as Kate Garrett, a
The Locarno Film Festival is launching a first-of-its-kind contest, offering a free complete restoration service to a selected vintage cinema classic. The contest is part of The Swiss fest’s Heritage Online program that was launched in 2021 when its Locarno Pro industry side branched out into vintage cinema creating a platform that serves as a
Mercury Studios, the production company behind recent Abbey Road Studios doc “If These Walls Could Sing,” have unveiled their new feature, about composer Felix Mendelssohn’s genius sister Fanny. Although Felix, who is best known for writing “The Wedding March,” is still world-renowned 175 years after his death, his sister Fanny was also a prolific musician,
FILM FESTIVAL The Edinburgh International Film Festival is returning for its 76th edition following financial difficulties. Last October it was revealed the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), which produces the festival, had appointed administrators, leaving the future of the festival in doubt. Today the festival returned it would be returning for a special one
The BFI London Film Festival has tapped Kristy Matheson as its new director following the departure of Tricia Tuttle. Matheson will also oversee BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival from next year. She is set to start in the role next month and will report into Jason Wood, BFI executive director of programming and audiences