Movies

Jordan’s Royal Film Commission has pulled Egyptian director Mohamed Diab’s drama “Amira” – which was filmed in Jordan and is set in the Palestinian West Bank – as its submission to the 2022 international feature Oscar race following a storm of social media controversy against the film. Pic, which takes its cue from real-life instances

Agents, studio executives and movie lovers will resume their annual pilgrimage to Park City as the Sundance Film Festival, the preeminent showcase for indie film, returns to in-person premieres this January. The 2021 version unfolded entirely digitally as a concession to COVID-19. What they will find in the that thin mountain air is the standard

Helen du Toit, who served as artistic director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival for over a decade, will lead the newly launched Blue Mountain Film Festival as executive and artistic director. The festival, located at popular Canadian tourist destination Blue Mountain Village, Southern Ontario, will take place June 1-5 and is sponsored by

Alec Baldwin published a lengthy defense of the “Rust” production signed by 25 members of the crew on Thursday, a day before ABC News is set to air a two-hour special about the on-set tragedy. In the letter, the crew members sought to push back on claims that chaotic and unsafe conditions on set contributed

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Lady Gaga will be honored at its upcoming ceremony. The “House of Gucci” star will receive the icon award for performance in Ridley Scott’s latest drama. The awards body made the news public with an announcement on Thursday morning. “To many Lady Gaga is an icon

In 2003 at the eighth annual Critics Choice Awards, there were three in the actor race: Jack Nicholson for “About Schmidt,” Daniel Day-Lewis for “Gangs of New York” and Robin Williams for “One Hour Photo.” There was a tie — between Nicholson and Day-Lewis — but Williams ended up stealing the show when Nicholson invited

The American movie business started in New Jersey. Between 1893 and 1896 in West Orange, N.J., Thomas Edison was developing the early motion picture tech, inventing new ways to capture images in motion, and the result is that “you have the only fully operational motion picture studio facility in the world,” says Richard Koszarski, professor

When Mayim Bialik wrote “As Sick as They Made Us,” the story was set in Los Angeles. But when she put her directing hat on and started developing the project with producer Anne Clements, it became clear that making the independent film in California wouldn’t make sense financially. Ultimately the director and producer chose to

A few days after winning a second term in Trenton, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spoke with Variety about the impact of the state’s film and television tax incentive program that he initiated three years ago. What has made New Jersey’s incentive program competitive and work well over the past few years? If you look

The rape claim against Luc Besson, the French director of “The Fifth Element” and “Lucy,” has been dismissed by a Paris judge following a lengthy judicial investigation. A source close to the public prosecutor’s office in Paris confirmed to Variety that the case, which stemmed from two police complaints filed in May and July 2018

Disney has announced its next animated feature will be titled “Strange World.” The original action-adventure is scheduled to debut around Thanksgiving 2022. The studio on Thursday also shared concept art and plot details, but stopped short of revealing the film’s voice cast. “Strange World” centers on the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences

All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. “Star Wars” is good about keeping the content churning for fans: the franchise was most recently given the

“The Miracle Club,” an Ireland-U.K. co-production starring Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney, is one of a further nine independent co-productions being supported by the U.K. Global Screen Fund with a total of £1.32 million ($1.74 million). The film is produced by Chris Curling and Zephyr Films with Irish producer ShinAwil Limited and funding

Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to score a Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards, died on Thursday in Italy. She was 93. Wertmüller’s death was reported in the Italian press. According to a friend, the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.” Born in Rome, Wertmüller claimed

As Saudi Arabia diversifies from an oil-based economy, the kingdom is pinning a significant portion of its hopes of becoming a major media industry hub on NEOM, a futuristic megacity in-the-making. It is where the $100 million seventh century actioner “Desert Warrior,” featuring an all-star international cast led by “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie, is

Studiocanal and Working Title have revealed a first look from “Elizabeth” director Shekhar Kapur’s upcoming cross-cultural British romantic comedy “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The image features stars Lily James (“Rebecca,” the upcoming “Pam & Tommy”) and Shazad Latif (“Star Trek: Discovery”), who will be seen as Captain Nemo in upcoming Disney Plus

“Aloners,” a critically-acclaimed debut feature about loneliness, is set to receive a theatrical release in North America in early 2022. All rights in the region were acquired by Film Movement. The film, directed by South Korea’s Hong Sung-eun, reflects on the growing phenomenon of one-person households and tells a tale of an anti-social woman who

The Thai government is considering increasing the value of its production rebate scheme in order to improve the country’s competitive position in the race for international film and TV shoots. The current scheme was introduced in 2017 and offers a 15% rebate against location spending for those projects spending a minimum of THB50 million ($1.49

Romance has long been a socially accepted way to cope with the precarity of life and the prospect of death. Crackling chemistry has a way of helping us project ourselves into a future unknown, while fuzzy warm memories stave off the inevitability of our own demise. Miroslav Mandić’s tender-hearted “Sanremo” places us squarely in a

The Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday evening with the screening of “One Second” Zhang Yimou’s homage to cinema and veiled critique of China’s Cultural Revolution. The festival runs Dec 8-13 and is one of the first major cultural showcases to take place in person after Thailand has opened its borders to welcome

Switching gears from contemporary drama (“Funny Face,” “Dark Night”) to what Variety once dubbed “oaters,” Tim Sutton’s “The Last Son” finds fresh life in a well-worn genre: Its striking visuals are accompanied by an oddly appropriate score led by droning, heavily distorted guitars; its occasional narration is winsome in a way that Westerns do best;

With the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger under regulatory review and under fire from liberals in Congress, David Zaslav can’t say much about his plans for leading Warner Bros. Discovery if the $43 billion transaction is confirmed, as expected by the middle of next year. But Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery, offered a glimpse of his operational

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has selected “The Harder They Fall” as the No. 1 film on their annual top 10 list. Written and directed by Jeymes Samuel and produced by Jay-Z, the big-budget Netflix western sees Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield portray historical Black figures Rufus

With the release of her bestselling memoir “Crying in H Mart” and critically acclaimed album “Jubilee” with band Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Zauner has had a banner year. And the cherry on top came Nov. 23, when Japanese Breakfast was nominated for two Grammy awards in the best alternative album and best new artist categories. But

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” I’ve got good news for Selena Gomez fans. It sounds like we’ll be hearing some new music from the superstar any day. “It’s not going to be that long from now,” Gomez tells me. “It’s not going to be as long as people think.” Then she laughs: “And

The 2022 SXSW Film Festival will kick off with the world premiere of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The genre-blending project is led by Michelle Yeoh, and comes from directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Billed creatively as “Daniels,” their past credits include the festival title “Swiss Army Man.” Premiering on March 11 in Austin,

It’s that time of year when film awards ballots are going out. Here’s some advice for voters: make sure you see Netflix’s “The Guilty” before voting. It’s a great piece of filmmaking, and Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of the year’s best performances. However, try not to read about the film. There will be no spoilers

Female rage is powerfully distilled and expertly distributed in “Rehana Maryam Noor,” a riveting social drama about a female doctor who demands justice in a case of sexual assault at a Dhaka medical school. The second feature by Abdullah Mohammad Saad (“Live From Dhaka”) features a superb lead performance by Azmeri Haque Badhon as the

Prominent Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region indie distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has formed a partnership with Beirut-based outfit Operation Unicorn (OU) in a move aimed at ramping up its production of Arabic film and TV content. In a deal finalized and announced during Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Red Sea Film Festival, Front Row

Slamdance has announced the full film lineup lineup for its 2022 edition, with a feature film competition that boasts 23 premieres, including 13 world premieres, six North American premieres, and four U.S. debuts. The independent film festival, known for its “by filmmakers, for filmmakers” mentality, will showcase a total of 28 features, 79 shorts, and