Movies

Daniel Brühl (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“John Wick 2”) and Volker Bruch (“Babylon Berlin”) are set to star in motorsport thriller “2 Win.” Directed by Stefano Mordini (“The Players”), the film is inspired by true events that occurred during the fierce rivalry between Germany (Audi) and Italy (Lancia) at the 1983

“Girl Gang,” which screened in competition at CPH:DOX and has its North American premiere this week at Hot Docs, offers a behind-the-scenes look at an industry hardly known for reticence. But in this study of adolescent influencer Leonie, her all too eager parents, and the legions of fans liking, sharing and subscribing to the family’s

Acclaimed Brazilian writer-director Alê Abreu, director of the Oscar-nominated “The Boy and the World,” will world premiere his electric feature-length film “Perlimps” at the upcoming Annecy International Animation Film Festival after excerpts from the project were teased as part of the fest’s Works in Progress program last year. “Perlimps” will screen at Annecy as a

A new documentary about “The Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion has been picked up for sales by WestEnd Films and Cinephil. Directed by César Award-winning “Since Otar Left…” helmer Julie Bertuccelli, “Jane Campion, The Cinema Woman” is screening as part of the Cannes Classics line-up. The New Zealand director was the first woman

Dubai-based sales agent Cercamon will handle international sales on Fabian Hernández’s “Un Varón” (A Male), which has its world premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. “Un Varón” tells the story of Carlos, who lives in a youth shelter in the center of Bogotá – a refuge meant to help mitigate the harshness of daily life. He

The British Film Commission (BFC) has issued new guidance on COVID production protocols and no doubt the U.K. screen industry will breathe a sigh of relief. The overhauled guidance, which was drafted in consultation with the industry and is based on the U.K. government’s “Living with COVID-19” published strategy, has done away with the stipulations

It’s easy to see why Netflix wanted to reteam actor Omar Sy and director Louis Leterrier in something, anything, given the popularity of their previous collaboration, the French thriller series “Lupin.” But U.S. viewers may be a tad puzzled by the streamer’s decision to green-light as their follow-up a popcorn movie as nondescript as “The

Even on a night to celebrate empowerment, the edge in the room was unmistakable. The shocking revelation this week that the U.S. Supreme Court is moving to overturn Roe v. Wade was evident not only in the words from honorees and presenters at Variety’s Power of Women, presented by Lifetime, but also in the defiant

SAG-AFTRA members have overwhelmingly ratified this year’s commercials contracts, with 92.25% of the organization voting in favor of the deal. The agreement’s provisions reflect changes in the industry in the age of digital streaming, according to a press release. They include $120 million in gains for members, a 10% increase in session fees starting this

Venus Williams, one of the all-time tennis greats, gave a powerful speech about celebrating individuality at Variety‘s Power of Women Event in New York. “My mom is the strongest person I know,” said Williams, whose remarks were pre-taped, in her speech on Thursday. “And alongside my father, she encouraged us to celebrate our individuality and

“Black Site” director Sophia Banks is hoping her new $10 million action thriller “Black Site” is the little movie that could. “We’re not trying to be an $80 million action movie but we want to make this genre accessible for people,” Banks tells me. “It OK to shoot an indie action movie. As long as

Buckle up. “Black Box” is the kind of smart, taut conspiracy thriller Hollywood used to consistently make, only this one hails from France, which has been beating the American studios at their own game lately in the good-movies-for-grown-ups department. (Heck, most countries now do a better job than the U.S. at respecting the audience’s intelligence.)

Amber Heard broke down in sobs on Thursday as she told a jury that her ex-husband Johnny Depp had sexually assaulted her with a bottle during a fight in Australia. Heard took the stand for the second day, as she continued to recount a series of violent incidents that marked their relationship. She said the

Molly Shannon has never worked with David Mamet, and yet the “Saturday Night Live” alum credits the playwright with her career breakthroughs. In her new book, “Hello, Molly,” Shannon details the so-called “Mamet scam,” in which she and a friend pretended to work for the “Glengarry Glen Ross” director to secure meetings with Hollywood casting

Czech crime series “Nineties” by Slovak director Peter Bebjak drew 2.23 million viewers over six nights on Czech Television – the best result for a Czech series in the past 18 years, according to Film New Europe. The fifth episode, “Barrels,” broke the rating record with 2.41 million viewers (one in four Czechs watched it),

Guy Ritchie, the filmmaker behind “Snatch” and “Sherlock Holmes,” has signed with WME for representation in all areas. Ritchie, who made his feature debut in 1998 with the gangster film “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” has become renowned for his unique visual style and character driven stories. He most recently shot an untitled action-thriller

U.K. based Independent Entertainment, which develops, finances, produces and sells independent features, has expanded to Los Angeles, Variety can reveal. Independent has tapped former Voltage Pictures executive Marc Hofstatter to run the L.A. operation, which marks the first time the company has had a dedicated U.S. presence. His official title will be head of acquisitions.

Frank Grillo will fight a group of “terrifying, deadly creatures” in upcoming feature “The Dagon.” Brad Anderson (“The Machinist”) is set to direct the thriller, working from an original screenplay by Peter Mattei (“Outsiders”). In “The Dagon,” Grillo (“Kingdom”) will play Jack, a father who lives an isolated rural life alongside his family. “When his

Canadian filmmaker and photographer Louie Palu’s “Zero Position” offers a stark snapshot of war’s devastation in Eastern Ukraine. Shot in 2016, well before the current invasion but at a point when Russia-allied separatists had already occupied much of the Donbas region, this impressionistic documentary does not provide much in the way of contextualizing explanation, let

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fired back at Leonardo DiCaprio after the Oscar winner used social media to stress the importance of the Amazon rainforest on the environment. DiCaprio has been urging Brazilians to register to vote in the upcoming election in an effort to help save the Amazon, which has been severely affected by deforestation

“The Queendom,” one of 20 projects presented at Hot Docs’ marquee market event, the Forum, has won the First Look first prize of Can. $25,000 cash, one of three pitch prizes announced Thursday at the festival. The documentary and science-fiction hybrid—about three Indigenous scientists, all women, who decide to partner with mushrooms to fight for

Fans of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” beware. “Along for the Ride,” a new young adult film from writer-director Sofia Alvarez, is arriving on Netflix May 6, and the book-to-screen adaptation is one that definitely calls for a box of tissues. The film stars Emma Pasarow as Auden, a recent high school graduate

International mobile advertising and digital media company Adsmovil is launching Nuestra.TV, an ad-supported video on-demand service targeting Hispanic audiences in the U.S. Based in Miami, Nuestra.TV comprises more than 40 channels and over 15,000 hours of content “reflecting the full breadth and diversity of the Hispanic population,” the company said. The downloadable content library includes

The horror genre is one of the most undervalued art forms in the space of critical accolades. However, scramble in the superhero factor, like Marvel’s newest entry, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from Sam Raimi, and you have a product that will indeed generate discussion and divisive reactions. To get it out of

Universal and Dreamworks have released the first trailer for Jo Koy’s “Easter Sunday.” The film stars the comedian in his first feature film role and is set around a family gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday. The trailer first debuted at CinemaCon. The film. opening Aug. 5, is a love letter to the Filipino community and

Eric Dane, Odeya Rush, Ray Liotta and Saffron Burrows are set to star in “Dangerous Waters” from Signature Films. Directed by and based on a story from John Barr (“Blood and Money”), with a script by Mark Jackson, the Dominican Republic-shot film centers on a sailing holiday that spirals out of control when a teenage

Global Screen has acquired the animated family feature film “The Last Whale Singer” for global distribution, and will launch pre-sales at the Cannes Film Market. The movie is an epic and emotional family entertainment adventure written and directed by Reza Memari, creator of hit movie “Richard the Stork.” The film’s characters are based on designs

Progress Film, the historic distributor established in 1950 to handle the release of films produced by communist East Germany’s state-owned film studio, has announced plans to relaunch theatrical distribution and international sales. The company has also acquired Sergei Loznitsa’s “The Natural History of Destruction,” which will have its world premiere as a special screening at

An exciting and welcomed twist to the Emmy race for outstanding television movie has arrived, as Mimi Cave’s horror-comedy “Fresh,” starring Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, is being submitted for Primetime Emmy consideration. This offers an interesting possibility in a category that hasn’t drummed up much excitement over the last couple of years. While buzzy

The BFI and British Council have revealed the line-up for this year’s Great8 showcase, which allows international distributors and festival programmers to get an early look at eight releases from emerging U.K. filmmakers in the run-up to Cannes Marché. Now in its fifth year, the showcase on May 12 will allow filmmakers to screen unseen