Movies

The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH) has very much captured the social, cultural and political zeitgeist with this year’s film selections, exploring such themes as female empowerment, HIV/AIDS and the post-Soviet collapse of Ukraine. “The festival doesn’t work in topics, we are trying to show the best films, but the interesting thing is that the

Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH) is for the first time taking place in cinemas across both cities, introducing new sections, and looking back at its rich history with a special retrospective. “Being 70 in a way is a starting point for reflection,” says festival director Sascha Keilholz. “What

In an effort to strengthen the representation of MENA and South Asian talent in the entertainment industry, the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC) launched a global online database on Tuesday. The database will connect emerging and established talent from these regions to film productions, studios, hiring managers and casting starting today and can be accessed

The first reactions to Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” are in — and they’re a wild ride, just like the movie. As the social media embargo lifted on the film — which stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver — Tuesday afternoon, film critics and journalists took to Twitter to either praise “House of Gucci” or

If you thought “Borat” (2006) started a frenzy of pop culture and consumers quoting lines for years, wait until we navigate the next couple months with Lady Gaga’s take on famed murderess Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s campy “House of Gucci” — which cement Mother Monster herself as one of the leading contenders for the

Motion Sound Picture Sound Editors Re-election Mark Lanza The Motion Sound Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) announced the reelection of Mark Lanza to a two-year term as president, with David Barber elected to a two-year term as secretary — which he held on an interim basis for the past year. Lanza and Barber will join continuing

Unity Software, a 3D game-development platform, is expanding its VFX footprint in a big way with the $1.625 billion acquisition of the technology division of Peter Jackson’s New Zealand-based Weta Digital. The deal promises to make the tools used to create Gollum for Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings,” Caesar from “The Planet of the

Endeavor chief human resources officer Kerry Chandler is departing her post, Variety has learned exclusively. The executive joined Ari Emanuel’s shop in 2018, ahead of a watershed moment for the business that has since gone public and continues to acquire portfolio properties outside its core talent representation and events verticals. She is said to be

Penélope Cruz will be honored at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2021 Film Benefit. The event, presented by Chanel, will return as an in-person gala on Dec. 14 at the New York City museum. “Penélope Cruz has mesmerized cinema audiences since 1992 as an artist who is as compelling in action-adventures as she is in

If you weren’t aware that “Belfast” star Jamie Dornan has vocal chops, prepare to be amazed. On Monday night, Dornan surprised guests with a sweet serenade — performing “Everlasting Love” during the film’s post-premiere reception at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. To clarify, Dornan doesn’t just love to karaoke. The actor, who plays Pa

Patrick Hughes, director of the successful action-comedy franchise “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” is setting up his next project at Lionsgate. Hughes will write and direct “War Machine,” an action/sci-fi film about the final recruits of a grueling special ops boot camp who encounter a deadly force from beyond this world. Announced by Lionsgate president of production

“Small Axe” director Steve McQueen has set up his next project, the feature film “Blitz,” at New Regency. McQueen’s production company Lammas Park will produce alongside Working Title Films. There are virtually no details available of the project, which will begin production in 2022. “Blitz” marks a reunion for McQueen and New Regency, who previously

Disney’s superhero adventure “Eternals” debuted to $71 million at the domestic box office, a tally that would typically be labeled a “disappointment” in the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel movies rarely miss at the box office; all 26 movies have opened at No. 1 in North America and many recent installments (pre-pandemic, of course) have

Trilith Studios is working with NEP Virtual Studios to build a new virtual production facility at its Atlanta headquarters — touted as one of the largest in the world. The permanent Prysm Stage facility will offer filmmakers “the most stable and advanced real-time workflows and technology,” according to the partners. Trilith Studios (formerly known as

Foo Fighters will give their fans goosebumps of the cinematic kind in February, when the horror comedy “Studio 666,” starring the band, hits theaters. The film, which is released in the U.S. on Friday, February 25, 2022, was directed by BJ McDonnell (of 2019’s “Slayer: The Repentless Killogy” fame), from a story by Foo frontman

You won’t find Chanel No. 5 under the tree just yet. But in New York City on Friday, the iconic fragrance and fashion brand took over Rockefeller Center for an exclusive debut party of “Chanel No. 5 In the Stars,” a new outdoor installation which celebrates the iconic fragrance’s 100th year anniversary. Arriving in cashmere

The international premiere of animated musical comedy “Sing 2” will open the upcoming Torino Film Festival, Italy’s preeminent event for young directors and indie fare, which will be honoring Monica Bellucci with a lifetime achievement award. Director Garth Jennings will be on hand in Torino for the overseas festival bow of his sequel to 2016’s

FILM Netflix is teaming with the Larraín brothers’ indie production outfit Fabula to produce its second Chilean original, a feature-length adaptation of Antonio Skármeta’s “Burning Patience,” sometimes referred to as “The Postman,” adapted by one of Chile’s highest-profile screenwriters in Guillermo Calderón (“The Club,” “Ema,” “Neruda”) and helmed by “Sex With Love” director Boris Quercia.

Julia Mayorga will star opposite Katie Holmes in “Rare Objects.” Holmes not only stars in the film, she will produce and direct the movie. She also co-wrote its screenplay. Mayorga is fresh off her first big breakout role in Showtime’s “American Rust,” a critically-acclaimed family drama in which she stars in alongside Jeff Daniels, Bill

The Middle East premiere of British director Joe Wright’s dazzling romantic drama “Cyrano” will open the Red Sea Film Festival, which is Saudi Arabia’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions. The ambitious event, which is a key plank of the kingdom’s plans to diversify its oil-based economy and become a prominent Middle

WarnerMedia France has appointed Stéphane Quéneudec as head of local theatrical production to strengthen its French original productions team. Quéneudec, who has been at the company since 2007 working as vice president for TV and SVOD sales, will be managing and developing the company’s local film production, for release both in cinemas and on HBO

LevelK’s dark comedy “Samuel’s Travels” has sold to Cranked Up Films for North America and the Caribbeans following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. Directed by Aik Karapetian (People out there, The man in the orange jacket, Firstborn), the Latvian-Belgian movie follows Sam, a foreigner who gets lost in the remotest part of Eastern Europe,

It was the hottest summer on record in Greece, with temperatures regularly soaring past 100 degrees. And in recent months the local film industry has been just as sizzling, with Netflix’s “Knives Out 2” and David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” among a host of big-budget international productions flocking to the sun-soaked Mediterranean nation. The

Woodcut International has boarded “(K)nox: The Rob Knox Story,” a feature documentary about the tragic story of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” actor Robert Knox, who was stabbed to death at the age of 18. Woodcut will executive produce the film and act as worldwide distributor. Knox (picture above, left, alongside his mother Sally)

Dean Stockwell, an American actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years, died on Sunday. He was 85. Sources representing the actor say that he died peacefully, in his sleep at home. Among his best credits were a leading role in the sci-fi series “Quantum Leap,”  “Air Force One” and David Lynch films

This past summer, filmmaker Billy Luther (Navajo, Hopi, and Laguna Pueblo Tribes) headed to New Mexico to film his narrative feature debut, “Frybread Face and Me.” Luther’s previous credits include the documentary “Miss Navajo” and the 2018 reality TV series “Alter-Native.” With “Frybread Face and Me” selected as part of the 2020 Sundance Institute and

Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio is in final talks to play religious cult leader Jim Jones in MGM’s upcoming feature, written by Scott Rosenberg, Variety has confirmed. Jones was behind the November 1978 mass suicide at Jonestown that took over 900 lives. MGM secured a deal for the feature project in a preemptive situation, with DiCaprio also producing the

Alan Brain’s 2021 award-winning “The Rumba Kings” and Jace Panebianco’s “Broken Molds” will be among the films showcased at the Maui Film Festival, which will accommodate guests in an open-air, pod-style seating, from Nov. 17-21 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului. There are 13  premieres among the features in the lineup. Even

Audiences are slowly but surely returning to cinemas. That’s the takeaway from AMC Entertainment’s most recent quarterly earnings report, which saw the world’s largest exhibitor post $755.6 million in revenue, a major increase from the $119.5 million in revenue that it reported in the same period in 2020. Losses for the three month period ending

Horror icon Bruce Campbell is playing a much different role this holiday season: a retired rock star. In the upcoming Hallmark Christmas film “One December Night,” premiering on the network on Nov. 13 at 10:01 p.m. ET, Campbell portrays Steve Bedford, a former member of the legendary rock duo Bedford & Sullivan. The band had