Movies

FESTIVAL Seven of the nine features selected for the Korean competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival (Apr. 28-May 7) are directed by women. The selected films are “Mother And Daughter” by Kim Jung-eun; “When I Sleep” (Choi Jungmoon); “The Hill of Secrets” (Lee Ji-eun); “Archaeology of Love” (Lee Wanmin); “Missing Yoon” (Kim Jinhwa); “Saving

Happy Anniversary — well, sort of “happy” — to Sarah Paulson, since it’s exactly 25 years since Variety ran a review of her feature film debut, “Levitation.” In the indie, she plays a pregnant teenager. Critic Leonard Klady on April 14, 1997, said it was a grim saga with “a strong cast” who were “not

“The Killing Fields” and “The Mission” director Roland Joffé is in talks to helm an epic drama spanning the two World Wars in a project set up with international film and media fund APX Capital Group. “L’Inverno” is the first pic to emerge from APX’s new Music World Films & TV venture — a new

With a little more than two months to go until the release of “Fire Island,” a rom-com that Joel Kim Booster wrote as a gay adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” prospective fans are asking, “Where’s the trailer?” Although Booster says he’s asking the same question, he hinted at what audiences can expect from

A whale hunt tradition in the Faroe Islands that’s long been condemned by animal rights activists is given evenhanded examination in Vincent Kelner’s “A Taste of Whale.” This well-crafted French documentary does provide some of the grisly “massacre” footage seen in prior indictments of the seasonal “Grindadrap,” or Grind. But it also lets locals weigh

“Morbius,” Sony’s latest attempt to extend its cinematic universe of Spider-Man villains and heroes, opened to a healthy $5.7 million in Thursday previews. The $75 million superhero film is on track to pull in $40 million in its first weekend of release. It’s a sign of just how much moviegoers love comic book fare, even

“Novorossiya” by Enrico Parenti and Luca Gennari, which had its world premiere this week at CPH:DOX, is a rare film that shows the ongoing conflict in Ukraine’s Eastern Donbas region from the Russian perspective. Gennari, an experienced cinematographer, was shocked at the way the war in the Luhansk and Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists have

Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree, whose previous film “The Painter and the Thief” picked up a host of awards including Best Storytelling at Sundance, has given Variety exclusive access to his new doc film project, “Ibelin,” at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival. The film is named after the “World of Warcraft” avatar of Mats Steen,

Emergence from pandemic lockdowns and the promise of in-person festivals has excitement brewing for the future of film, and the genre industry is no exception. The official selection of the 2022 Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes is in, and it displays bullish trends for the future of genre. “There’s

Filmmakers Sara Dosa and Lars Ostenfeld, whose docs “Fire of Love” and “Into the Ice” are vying for the top Dox:Award at Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, have opened up about the creative challenges of making films about science and climate change during a morning talk at the fest’s industry events. Dosa’s “Fire of Love,”

Jim Carrey fans might want to get their tickets now for “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” as it could be the last acting role of the iconic comedian’s career. Speaking to “Access Hollywood” this week, Carrey said he is planning to retire from acting following his reprisal of the villainous Robotnik in the upcoming “Sonic” sequel.

The words “War of the Roses” take on a lighter meaning in “The Rose Maker,” a sweet, gently scented French diversion that is likely to teach you far more than you already knew about hybridizing flowers, even if it doesn’t have a whole lot else to say. Following veteran rose farmer Eve Vernet as she

Dubai-based cryptocurrency-based content platform MContent has partnered with  PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Middle East to launch its documentary “Ripple vs SEC Saga” in a virtual theater in the metaverse. Produced by MContent and Amsterdam-based Insight TV in tandem with Villain Studios, “Ripple vs SEC Saga” (first look image above) delves into the ongoing case being brought by the

Will Packer, who co-produced last Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards ceremony along with Shayla Cowan, spoke in depth Friday morning on “Good Morning America” about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. The incident occurred during the Oscars, after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting the documentary feature category. Packer said he

Fremantle’s global head of documentaries Mandy Chang insisted on Thursday that “the golden age of documentary is a cliché” and urged filmmakers to avoid “a two-tier system of haves and have nots,” where independent documentaries are crowded out by splashier commercial projects bankrolled by streaming platforms. “Mainstream docs are popular, but not all documentaries are

The U.K. government has halted its insurance scheme for film and television. Known as the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, the £500 million ($657 million) plan was first unveiled in July 2020, was and extended for a further six months in Oct. 2021. The scheme supported 95,000 jobs and led to a record £5.6

The COVID-19 pandemic was hard on everyone, not least of all Judd Apatow. Among the many casualties was his last movie, “The King of Staten Island,” which was supposed to open the SXSW film festival, but had to cancel after America went into lockdown. When faced with such challenges, creative people create. Some made bread.

The way to officially close the door on a crazy awards season (and even-crazier 94th Oscar ceremony), is to crack open the window and take a look ahead at what the studios and production companies could have in store for global cinema in 2022. As Variety transitions to Emmy season, with the first official predictions

Fresh off the heels of Jane Campion’s best director win at the Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow is also heading to Netflix for her next project. Bigelow, who became the first woman to win a directing Oscar in 2010 for “The Hurt Locker,” will direct “Aurora,” based on David Koepp’s upcoming thriller novel of the same name,

Oscars producer Will Packer has addressed Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the ceremony on Sunday night. In a preview clip of Packer’s upcoming interview on “Good Morning America” with T.J. Holmes, he revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department was on the scene on Sunday night and ready to arrest Smith if Rock wanted

Academy Award-nominee Eddie Murphy is in talks to play funk legend and Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton in an upcoming biopic. Dubbed the Godfather of Funk, Clinton is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and widely regarded as one of the most important innovators of the

Jim Carrey has not yet seen Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” but he does have “mixed emotions” nonetheless about Paul Dano’s dark interpretation of the Riddler. Carrey infamously played the Riddler in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 superhero movie “Batman Forever,” starring Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader. Carrey’s Riddler was a flamboyant prankster in a neon-green bodysuit,

Bruce Willis’ “The Sixth Sense” co-star Haley Joel Osment and director M. Night Shyamalan both took to social media to praise the actor after he announced on March 30 that he’s stepping away from the profession following an aphasia diagnosis. Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects a person’s ability to

What’s the value of winning an Oscar? For Apple, the historic Oscar best picture win for original film “CODA” on Sunday has produced immediate results — drawing 25% new viewers to the Apple TV Plus streaming service, and pushing viewing of the film up more than 300% compared with the week prior. Apple’s Academy Award-winning

Leaders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences met with Will Smith on Tuesday to discuss his attack on Chris Rock, individuals with knowledge of the matter told Variety. Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson talked to the actor on Zoom about the fallout from the assault during Sunday’s Oscars telecast.

“White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch” will debut on Netflix April 19, the streamer has announced. Directed by Alison Klayman, who helmed the Alanis Morissette documentary “Jagged” last year, “White Hot” explores the rise in popularity of casual wear retail chain Abercrombie & Fitch, which was first founded in the 1800s,

Veteran PR executive Eric Kops has been officially named head of global communications and earned media for Lionsgate’s motion picture group. The announcement was made Thursday by Marisa Liston, Lionsgate’s president of global marketing, to whom Kops will report. Kops will oversee global feature film publicity on all wide theatrical releases, multi-platform releases and catalog,

Sam Heughan has already donned a superhero suit. Years ago, he played the Caped Crusader in a Cirque du Soleil-like stage show “Batman Live.” However, the “Outlander” star tells me on the latest episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast, he’s a little weary of what’s become of comic book movies. “I’m excited about the

Netflix shows “Vikings: Valhalla” and “Worst Roommate Ever” both racked up more than 1 billion minutes watched during the week of Feb. 28-March 6, per Nielsen’s newly released Top 10 streaming rankings. The titles landed at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the list of most-viewed streaming programs for that seven-day period, just behind

Chris Willman, one of the industry’s most-respected music journalists, has been promoted to Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic for Variety. Willman is a key player in Variety‘s breaking news coverage with an emphasis on country, Americana and roots artists and well as touring and venues. The promotion to Chief Music Critic recognizes his