Movies

The International Documentary Association has announced nominations for its 37th annual awards, with “Summer of Soul” picking up four noms and “Not Going Quietly” nabbing three. Winners will be announced Feb. 5 at the awards ceremony at Paramount Studios. “Summer of Soul,” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s look at 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, picked up nominations for

Nicole Ari Parker has signed with CAA. The actor will next be seen in “And Just Like That…,” HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” reboot with original stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis. The series premieres Dec. 9. A philanthropist as well as a producer, Nicole Ari Parker gained wide recognition for

MTV Documentary Films’ Hogir Hirori’s “Sabaya” and Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” will make their streaming debut on Paramount Plus today as the MTV ramps up its awards campaign for both. Both feature docs are in the running for an Oscar nomination and will become available to stream today at 10 a.m. PT on the ViacomCBS service

Zdzisław Najmrodzki, who died in 1995, was one of the most infamous Polish criminals of the communist period. Called the “King of Thieves” and “Master of Escapes,” he evaded pursuit 29 times. Once, he jumped out of the window of a slow-moving train, claiming he saw a stork and felt the call of freedom. But

“Encanto” is a lively, lovely, lushly enveloping digitally animated musical fairy tale. It’s the 60th animated feature produced by the Walt Disney company, and to borrow a phrase from the old Disney TV series, it’s set in a wonderful world of color — a rapturously imagined, rainbow-gorgeous village tucked inside the misty green mountains of

Ron Meyer, a legendary dealmaker and operator whose decades-long tenure leading NBCUniversal ended in scandal, has found a new gig. The CAA co-founder and former NBCUniversal vice-chairman has been named CEO of Wild Bunch AG, a European production, sales and distribution company that has been involved with award-winning films such as “The King’s Speech,” “Shoplifters”

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” didn’t manage to catch a swift current in its China debut, drifting to a slow $3.3 million first three-day weekend, according to data from the Artisan Gateway consultancy. The Maoyan data platform currently estimates it will gross a total of just $6.19 million. The adventure tale has clearly lost steam since its

France’s Manny Films, Austria’s Nabis Filmgroup and Bulgaria’s Ars Digital have boarded Sofia Exarchou’s “Animal,” the follow-up to the Greek director’s San Sebastian prize winner “Park.” “Animal” takes place under the hot Greek sun and amidst the sweaty nights of an eternal summer. The story of a group of entertainers who work at an all-inclusive

International sales agent Deckert Distribution has taken world rights to “Eat Your Catfish,” directed by Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand and Senem Tüzen, which will celebrate its world premiere in IDFA’s new Envision Competition section. “Eat Your Catfish” is filmed from the perspective of Kathryn, who has become completely paralyzed because of ALS – also

Taskovski Films has picked up “Turn Your Body to the Sun,” which world premieres in the International Competition section of IDFA, one of the world’s top documentary film festivals. The sales agency is hoping to replicate the success it had with “Radiograph of a Family,” which won Best Feature-Length Documentary Award at last year’s festival.

Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld Group has revealed a 90% overall growth in revenues in 2021, compared to 2019. The recovery has been driven by a slate of movies including “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom,” “No Time to Die,” and “Dune,” Cineworld said in a trading update. While actual financial

Buster Moon has a dream: to be the most successful koala in showbiz. In “Sing,” he managed to salvage the run-down venue where his musical theater ambitions might thrive, much to the delight of family audiences. Now, in that toon’s jam-packed “let’s put on a show” sequel, Buster Moon and his menagerie of pigs, primates

A24 and Apple Original Films play double duty on the William Shakespeare adaptation of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” from Joel Coen. With A24’s awards website launching, their entire roster is listed for industry guilds and voters to consider this awards season. The studio that brought Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” to a best picture win and made

The Critics Choice Association has selected “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” as the best documentary feature of the year. The film had a veritable sweep at the sixth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, winning in each of its six nominated categories. Along with best documentary feature, “Summer of Soul”

Kristen Stewart, Jamie Dornan, Mahershala Ali, Kirsten Dunst, Jake Gyllenhaal and Javier Bardem were among the stars who came out Saturday to celebrate the contributions of artisan, craft and technical crew members at the 11th annual Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards. “We seem to get a lot of the attention and the kudos when movies

Halle Berry, the sole Black woman to win the best actress Oscar in 93 years, has unveiled her directorial debut film “Bruised” at the AFI Film Festival, showcasing a commitment and skill that only the very best actors in the world can harness. Written by debut screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb, “Bruised” tells the story of Jackie

Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” took over Westwood Village on Saturday night as both press and SAG-AFTRA members lined the streets around the Bruin Theater, keen to get their eyes on Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball and Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz. Kidman received a standing ovation as she joined Bardem, Sorkin, Nina Arianda, Tony

Who knew Victoria Alonso could sing? Marvel Studios’ president of physical and postproduction, visual effects and animation production broke out into song not once, but twice when she was presented with the Visionary Award at the Outfest Legacy Awards on Saturday night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She sang a verse of  B.o.B’s

Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali celebrated a major milestone on Friday night with the AFI Fest debut of “Swan Song,” which marks his first film project in a leading role and first narrative feature as a producer. “It was an emotional day, for me, I gotta say,” Ali told Variety on the red carpet outside

Samuel Theis’ “Softie” won the top prize at the 62nd Thessaloniki Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday night with a ceremony in Greece’s second city. The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section, was awarded the Golden Alexander and a €10,000 ($11,400) cash prize by a jury comprised of writer-director Nanouk Leopold, sound designer Roland

Southern Spain’s annual showcase of standout recent European auteur cinema, the Seville European Film Festival, wrapped its 18th edition Saturday, Nov. 13 with a slew of prizes scattered among its various contenders, with the top prize, the Giraldillo de Oro, going to Sebastian Meise’s “Great Freedom” and its lead, Franz Rogowski, nabbing the best actor award. The Andalusian

M-Appeal has closed more deals on “The Man With the Answers,” Stelios Kammitsis’ gay road trip dramedy about a spontaneous summer journey that unexpectedly turns into something more. The company announced sales to Poland (Tongariro Releasing), Japan (Edko Films), and Taiwan (Joint Entertainment Int.) during the Thessaloniki Film Festival, where the film played in the

Zürich- and Berlin-based sales outlet First Hand Films has acquired world rights (excluding Norway) for Håvard Bustnes’ “Name of the Game” ahead of its world premiere in IDFA’s Frontlight section, Variety has learned. The director’s previous credits include IDFA 2017 competition entry “Golden Dawn Girls” and “Two Raging Grannies.” Bustnes’ new effort centers on controversial

Blue Monday Productions has boarded “Cora,” the feature directorial debut of visual artist and filmmaker Evi Kalogiropoulou, which was awarded at the Rotterdam Film Festival’s CineMart and the Cannes Cinefondation’s Atelier earlier this year. “Cora” is the story of two working-class women fighting for freedom and their own identity against a dystopian patriarchal society. It

Halle Berry fought to get “Bruised” made. The movie, a labor of love (if not necessarily of originality) about an ex-MMA fighter who goes from scrubbing toilets to standing proud for her estranged young son, is all about proving oneself to the world, and so it’s fitting that Berry spent several years whipping the project

The 29th edition of the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, one of the world’s leading events dedicated to cinematography, returned to fully live status Saturday amid tributes to the power of the image and an homage to the life and work of cinematographer Philippe Rousselot. The DP for “A River Runs Through It” and “Dangerous Liaisons” commended

After revisiting a slice of 1960s history in last year’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Aaron Sorkin turned his lens to “Being the Ricardos,” cataloging a politically tumultuous week in the 1950s for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during the heyday of “I Love Lucy.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences often

Pete Buttigieg is going to be the President of the United States. That is something I believe, and have from virtually the moment I first saw him — though I don’t suspect it’s going to happen for 10 or maybe 20 years. If you watch the fascinating new documentary “Mayor Pete,” which was shot during

The indie drama “Allswell” wrapped principal photography this month in New York, N.Y. The film stars Elizabeth Rodriguez (“Orange is the New Black,” “Fear the Walking Dead”), Liza Colón-Zayas (“In Treatment,” “David Makes Man”) and Daphne Rubin-Vega (from “In the Heights”) along with a cast that includes Felix Solis, Max Casella, Michael Rispoli, Shirley Rodriguez,

Joe Manganiello proved that he could change shapes as the werewolf Alcide on HBO’s “True Blood,” and since the hit series wrapped in 2014, he’s starred in films like “Magic Mike XXL” and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.” He’s also managed to live a childhood dream by becoming a consultant and designer for some of his favorite