Movies

Ichiyama Shozo returned this year to the Tokyo International Film Festival as its head selector, having for the last twenty years headed the rival Tokyo Filmex event. COVID last year forced the two festivals to put aside their rivalry and to cooperate in the key autumn slot. Though virus and vaccination conditions in Japan have

Art films used to cross over into the mainstream more than they do now, though it still happens (just look at the success of “Parasite”). But even back in the heyday of art-house earthquakes like “Z” and “Last Tango in Paris,” there was something surreal about the crossover phenomenon of Björn Andrésen. He was the

“No Time to Die,” the latest entry in the James Bond series, will be available to rent for $19.99 on digital platforms in the U.S. starting on Tuesday. An MGM representative confirmed the news to Variety.  The 007 blockbuster will be available on all major platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Xfinity, DirecTV, Spectrum and Vudu. The

Marvel’s “Eternals” will easily top the domestic box office this weekend. The film took in $30.7 million on Thursday night previews and Friday showings from 4,090 screens, on its way to a projected three-day haul of $69.5 million. Should that estimate hold, “Eternals” will score the fifth-best opening weekend during the pandemic era, behind Universal’s “F9:

Haaz Sleiman says he was close to tears when he learned of Disney’s response to “Eternals” being banned in several Middle Eastern countries because of the MCU film’s LGBTQ+ content. “They stood their ground and said, ‘Nope, we are not going to compromise the integrity of our film,’” Sleiman told me Friday afternoon. “It made

Okinawa-born actor Shogen used to be told that he didn’t look Japanese enough for the Japanese film industry. Now he is not only one of the most in-demand rising stars, he is also the instigator, co-producer and star of triumph over-adversity movie “Gensan Punch” which has just premiered at the Busan and Tokyo film festivals

Yasukawa Yuka is one of two Japanese directors with films in the Asian Future section for up-and-coming Asian filmmakers. Her romantic drama “The Nighthawk’s First Love,” is based on Naoki Prize-winner Shimamoto Rio’s 2013 novel about a college student with a facial birthmark that made her a target of bullying as a child and sapped

Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Martin Bourboulon’s “Eiffel,” a big-budget historical romance drama about celebrated engineer Gustave Eiffel starring Romain Duris (“Mood Indigo”) and Emma Mackey (“Sex Education”). Pathe co-produced the film and is handling international sales. The company recently distributed it in France, where it’s had a successful box office

Dave Chappelle’s people don’t want anybody to review his new “Untitled” documentary project. That’s a weird call, considering that the film — an impressive account of how the comedian found a way to host live stand-up shows during the jittery first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, directed by Oscar-winning “American Factory” duo Julia Reichert and

“Black Box,” Studiocanal’s flight-themed French thriller with Pierre Niney (“Yves Saint Laurent”) has been acquired by Distrib Films for U.S. distribution. Directed by Yann Gozlan, the movie had its North American premiere on Nov. 5 at Colcoa, the French film and series festival in Los Angeles. The movie, which also stars Marine Vacth (“Young And

It’s more than a coincidence that Jamie Dornan took on the role of Pa in “Belfast.” Having been born in the Northern Ireland town, Dornan jumped at the opportunity to take on this deeply personal story, a semi-autobiographical take on Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. Dornan even grew up with a picture of his own father and

After attending the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals in the summer, Kristen Stewart’s highly anticipated interpretation of Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” is finally here. Generating an immense amount of Oscar buzz for her performance, along with the visual artistry demonstrated by the film’s impressive artisans, it felt like a good time to remind people this is not Stewart’s first dramatic and awards-worthy

Nohara Tadashi is one of only two Japanese directors with films in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s main competition section. “Third Time Lucky” is his first theatrical feature. Born in 1983 and a 2009 alumnus of the Graduate School of Film & New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, Nohara is no industry newcomer. He

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read this story until you’ve seen Marvel Studios’ “Eternals,” currently playing in theaters worldwide. Major spoilers are ahead. The day after the red carpet premiere of Marvel Studios “Eternals,” director Chloé Zhao looked relaxed, almost serene, as she sat in a hotel suite awaiting her next interview. Her face lit up

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will temporarily shut down production while actor Letitia Wright recovers from an on-set injury she suffered in August, Variety has confirmed. Production will pause starting the week of Thanksgiving and start back up in early 2022. Wright’s injury occurred more than two months ago in late August while shooting a sequence

A24 acquired U.S. rights to Nicole Holofcener’s new comedy “Beth & Don,” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, at AFM. Last week, Variety exclusively revealed that Louis-Dreyfus and Holofcener would reunite for the movie after their 2013 hit “Enough Said.” Louis-Dreyfus stars as Beth, a New York novelist in an unbelievably happy marriage to Don, who loves her

Viola Davis’ warrior epic “The Woman King” will hit theaters in September 2022. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Davis stars in the historical movie as Nanisca, general of the all-female military unit in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. Inspired by true events, the

Annapurna has promoted its interactive chief Nathan Gary to president of the company. Megan Ellison, CEO of the indie studio, announced on Friday that Gary will now oversee all of the company’s divisions, including film, TV, theater and interactive. He joins the existing executive team of Ellison, chief content officer Sue Naegle and Chris Corabi,

Giancarlo Nasi’s Quijote Films, one of the lead producers of Chile’s current Oscar entry “White on White,” has closed a co-production deal with France’s Les Valseurs at the American Film Market for “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” the first feature from Diego Cespedes, the Cannes Festival’s 2018 Cinefondation first prize winner. Mexico’s Varios Lobos,

Benito Skinner, the sketch comic and social media star, has joined the cast of Billy Eichner’s forthcoming romantic comedy “Bros.” Set up at Universal Pictures, the Judd Apatow-produced project has been unveiling its ensemble cast over recent weeks, comprised exclusively of LGBTQ+ talent in principal roles. Skinner, who was named one of Variety‘s 2021 Comics

In a clear indication of its record growth and that of the region’s burgeoning film and TV industry, Chile’s Sanfic Industria wrapped Thursday Nov. 4 with an avalanche of prizes, 49 in total, for its multiple participants in the various sections, which included series and for films, works in progress, documentary and fiction project labs,

WME has signed five-time Grammy winning blues musician Keb’ Mo’. A prolific singer-songwriter and guitarist, born Kevin Roosevelt Moore, he’s also carved out a significant resume in composing for the screen. His credits include “Mike and Molly,” “Memphis Beat,” “B Positive” and “Martha Stewart Living.” Keb’ Mo’ has also appeared as himself in work like

Longtime colleagues and college friends Gabriel Govela (“Dark Rain”), Irma Deschamps (“Champs”) and Juan Carlos Montes have reunited to launch TresTresTres Films, a young, fresh independent production house based out of Mexico City. The trio are currently participating in the Sanfic Industria Morbido Lab for feature genre projects with Govela’s hardcore horror project “Zarzal.” It’s

An air of claustrophobia inhabits “Spencer,” Pablo Larraín’s psychological drama that follows a distressed Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she spends the Christmas of 1991 at the Royal Family’s Sandringham estate. That confinement spawns a sensation equal parts austere and foreboding despite all the opulence that surrounds it, one that veteran Production Designer Guy Hendrix

LGBTQ comic book and superhero fans have long been waiting to see themselves reflected in the pages and stories of the heroes they love. While progress has been made in the books themselves, that content has often been minimized or entirely erased when it comes to adapting those stories for the big screen. Now, in

The stellar box office performance of “No Time to Die,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Dune” have boosted the U.K. and Ireland box office to £158.7 million ($214.1 million) in October, 2021, 30% more than October last year. Figures released on Friday by Comscore also revealed that October is the highest grossing month of

Define American has released “Telling Authentic Immigrant Stories: A Reference Guide for the Entertainment Industry,” a best practices’ guide in telling immigrant stories, with a focus on film and television. The guide is aimed at individual content creators, as well as production companies and studios at large, and it features detailed descriptions, definitions, historical timelines

Wins at Toronto and Middleburg film festivals pushed Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” into front-runner status. The visually stunning, heartwarming film shot by Haris Zambarloukos is so deliciously rich that this film could walk home with a few statues come 2022. Multiple contenders, also shot in black-and-white, could find themselves in the running. There is Robbie Ryan,

The Seville European Film Festival, a key gateway into Spain for recent European movies, celebrates its 18th edition honoring German-Spanish actor-director Daniel Brühl (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Rush”). Confronting film’s post-COVID recovery challenges, the festival is also strengthening its commitment to the industry. Seville, which runs Nov. 5-13, will grant Brühl the City of Seville 2021 award

Gal Gadot will soon take on another iconic character in a live-action adaptation of a classic story: the “Wonder Woman” star is set to play the Evil Queen in Disney’s upcoming “Snow White” remake. Gadot was beaming while speaking for her first time about her villainous Disney role. “I’m so excited,” she told Variety on