Movies

Jason David Frank, the actor who originated the role of Tommy Oliver a.k.a. the Green Ranger in the “Power Rangers” franchise, died Nov. 19 in Texas. He was 49 years old. Frank’s death was confirmed to the Associated Press by his manager, Justine Hunt. No further details about the actor’s death could be confirmed, but

Philippe Le Guay’s “The Man in the Basement” scooped the top prize at the U.K. Jewish Film Festival on Sunday evening. The 2021 film, which stars François Cluzet, Jérémie Renier and Bérénice Bejo, was awarded the prize for best film. Runner-up “Karaoke,” from director Moshe Rosenthal, which had opened the festival earlier this month, was

Ulrich Seidl took top honors Saturday for “Rimini” at Spain’s 60th Gijón-Xixón Film Festival, having hit back at German magazine Der Spiegel’s allegations of impropriety and child exploitation on the set of “Sparta,” “Rimini’s” companion piece. World premiering at the Berlin Festival, “Rimini,” a “riveting, upsetting Ulrich Seidl slow-burn electrified by a stunning central turn,”

Quentin Tarantino has been blunt about the state of the movie business. On a recent episode of the director’s “Video Archives Podcast,” the man who helped usher in the golden age of indie film with “Pulp Fiction” declared this to be “the worst era in Hollywood history” matched only by other such nadirs as the 1950s

The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa got off to a spectacular start on Nov. 20, with the best of Bollywood on display. A near full house at the 4,000-seater capacity Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium witnessed performances from Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan, whose next film “Bhediya” is premiering at the festival,

Disney’s comic book sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” extended its reign at the domestic box office. In its second weekend of release, the 30th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe collected $67.3 million between Friday and Sunday. But adult audiences continued to reject films pitched directly at them, steering clear of Universal’s “She Said,” a

Local audiences at Cairo Film Festival fell for Nicolas Giraud’s “The Astronaut,” applauding several times during its world premiere on Saturday, even though critics were less enthused. But it wasn’t the only sound that accompanied the screening, frequently interrupted by a cacophony of ringtones. “What we shared here today was this unique experience of watching

Film Bazaar host nation India and Spain are seeking to improve ties in the film and TV industries.Delegations from both countries last week signed a three-way memorandum intended to boost production and assist filmmakers. The deal was signed by the Producers Guild of India, the Spain Film Commission and Casa de la India. “The association

Malaysia’s Rajendran brothers, producer Kumanavannan and director Gogularaajan, are angry and have a divinity-tinged story to tell. Tamil and Malay-language project “Depth of Darkness” (“Kaali”) comes to India’s Film Bazaar co-production market from Busan, where in October, it won the development award at incubator program Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), an initiative

Director and screenwriter Michael Radford, who won BAFTA awards and Oscar nominations for his Italian language film “Il Postino: The Postman,” is set to co-direct “The Princess of Kapurthala” (aka “La Princesa De Kapurthala”). Directing duties on the 20th century romance will shared with Spanish filmmaker Manuel Estudillo (“El Eden Perdido”). The Spanish language co-production

Austin Butler is going from Memphis to Arrakis with his upcoming role as Feyd-Rautha in “Dune: Part Two.” The “Elvis” star spoke to Variety on the red carpet for the Academy’s Governors Awards on Saturday night, giving a small taste of what’s to come in the second half of Denis Villeneuve’s epic. “Do you think

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Governors Awards were back to their usual spot on the calendar Saturday night, as Hollywood turned out to honor Michael J. Fox, Diane Warren, Euzhan Palcy and Peter Weir at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Last year’s awards had been postponed due to COVID and instead took place

“Coo-Coo 043,” a Taiwan family drama set against the backdrop of pigeon racing, was named the best film on Saturday at the Golden Horse Film Awards. Hong Kong-made crime thriller “Limbo” won four awards, making it the numerical winner. “Coo-Coo 043,” which was directed by Chang Chin-lin and picked up 13 nominations, also won the

Ryan Reynolds has shared plans for a “Deadpool” Christmas movie that got “lost in the shuffle” after the Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. Reynolds’ comments came during an interview with The Big Issue, promoting his new film “Spirited,” a spin on “A Christmas Carol” from Apple. The comedy stars Reynolds and

MARRAKECH – One of Morocco’s highest-profile female producers has got her hands full with a slew of new projects. Lamia Chraibi (“Mimosas,” “Jahilya”) of the Casablanca-based production shingle Laprod has revealed a full new production slate to Variety that she is working on beyond her current focus, the production “Thank You Satan” directed by Morocco’s Hicham Lasri

Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi’s story of brotherly bonds and criminal excess “A Tale of Shemroon” took home top honors at the Marrakech Film Festival on Saturday, closing out a 19th edition that saw a robust and welcome return to in-person events after two year’s of pandemic-forced delays. Dehkordi’s feature debut follows a pair of brothers pulled

Melita Toscan du Plantier, the driving force behind the Marrakech Film Festival, is developing the next directorial outing of Fanny Ardant with Martin Scorsese attached to executive produce. The movie will star Gerard Depardieu and revolve around an impossible relationship between siblings. Toscan du Plantier, who splits her time between production and the organization of

MARRAKECH  —  Tilda Swinton, translucent, beautifully elf-ish, wearing a striped, Chanel kaftan, decked in a glittering bib of flowers. The quirky, white shirt collar and boyish, blond hair-cut, add a touch of seriousness to the Scottish actress’s original sense of style, befitting of her intelligent flow of words that roll seamlessly from her mouth to describe her

When it comes to difficult subject matter, “Women Talking,” Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel, is about as distressing as it gets. The film follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony who must decide whether to stay or leave after experiencing unimaginable sexual violence. The true events took place in

Personal tales of hubris, ego and living large dominated the Camerimage International Film Festival, with the Florian Hoffmeister-shot drama “Tár,” directed by Todd Field, taking the top prize at the leading annual cinematography event. The jury honored the elaborately constructed story of a brilliant, obsessive composer and conductor, played with gusto by Cate Blanchett, with

Up-and-coming Moroccan filmmaker Saïd Hamich Benlarbi is developing a brace of projects as a producer and director, notably “La mer au loin” which won one of the two top prizes at the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops. Produced by Hamich Benlarbi’s Paris-based banner Barney Production and Manuel Chiche’s company The Jokers, “La mer au loin”

In filming “The Quiet Girl,” the evocative 80s-set story of a mysterious child sent to live with distant relatives for the summer in rural Ireland, cinematographer Kate McCullough says she found her way by keeping herself open to the natural elements of the setting. “When you arrive on a location, there’s lots to inspire you,”

When film and stage director Sam Mendes first showed his script for “Empire of Light” to his regular collaborator, cinematographer Roger Deakins, the subject of how to shoot the personal, bittersweet story didn’t even come up, he says. Rather, it was all about whether Deakins felt something for the central characters, Hillary (Olivia Colman) and

MARRAKECH – Director Sally El Hosaini, whose Working Title-produced “The Swimmers” opened the Toronto Film Festival, is turning her attention to one of the biggest mass murder-suicide stories in history with her forthcoming project “Jones.” The Welsh-Egyptian director, who recently signed with CAA, told Variety at the Marrakech Film Festival that she began working on

Sales agent Begin Again Films has dropped a clip of “Black Kisses,” (“Besos negros,”), from Colombia’s Alejandro Naranjo and the director’s latest doc-feature, in the run-up to its world premiere on Nov. 19 at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Shared in exclusivity with Variety by Begin Again Films, the clip shows Edgar Kerval, one of the four

MARRAKECH —  “Astrakan” director David Depesseville is following on from his debut feature, which plays in man competition at the Marrakech Film Festival, with a second film looking at another real-life French child drama. Although he’s keeping most specific details under wraps, he’s written the script for his follow-up film, which he will also direct. Carole

Diane Kruger will partner with French pay-tv leader Canal+ to star in an hour-long documentary retracing the life and career of Romy Schneider, with production set to begin next week. Produced by Canal+ Docs and directed by Marjory Déjardin, the film is part of a larger series called “Elle parle d’Elle” (She Talks About Her),

Moroccan-born French director Yasmine Benkiran, whose feature debut “Queens” opened at Venice and is playing at the Marrakech Film Festival, is now developing two ambitious features. “Queens,” which was developed at the Atlas Workshops, the industry sidebar running alongside the Marrakech Film Festival, is a rare Moroccan film weaving adventure and genre with strong female

Good men were not in short supply on Thursday night, as GQ magazine once again invaded West Hollywood for its annual Men of the Year celebration. At the top of the Sunset Strip, the Edition Hotel played host in its lobby restaurant and adjoined garden, where impossibly chic guests rubbed shoulders. The event offers some

A documentary about the life and work of author Fritz Peters is underway from director William Gazecki.  The Emmy winner and Oscar nominee behind New Yorker Films’ “Waco: The Rules of Engagement” and “The Outrageous Sophie Tucker” is currently in production on the project, set up by Hirsch Giovanni Entertainment. Peters was a trailblazer in his