Wes Anderson returns to live-action in “The French Dispatch,” opening Oct. 22 from Searchlight Pictures. With the film set amid the world of a magazine, Anderson called on his go-to production designer Adam Stockhausen to build the world of fictional city Ennui-sur-Blasé and the offices of a New Yorker-esque publication. The crew found a derelict
Movies
The film “Introducing, Selma Blair” documents the 2019 stem cell transplant Blair underwent in order to heal her multiple sclerosis — and though the two-month-long medical process is harrowing, the movie both illuminates and entertains. As captured by first-time feature director Rachel Fleit, Blair is an open book; she’s charming, vulnerable, insightful and hilarious. During
Three decades after her start in show business, Sandy Powell has made such a mark with her work, that “costume designer” is often not needed as a prefix because people know the name. And if they don’t, they know the Brit artisan’s face and her fiery orange hair. The Academy Award-winning costume designer of such
After being shut down last year by the pandemic, Savannah College of Art and Design is returning to an in-person format this year for its annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, which runs Oct. 23-30. The fest will also have a virtual component. Student filmmakers are turning out to volunteer in numbers that have “happily surprised”
Every Wes Anderson film is filled with musical delights, from offbeat songs to unexpected score cues, and “The French Dispatch” is no exception. Composer Alexandre Desplat and music supervisor Randall Poster are among the first to read any new Anderson script. “He and I have been corresponding with music since the day we met,” says
When U.K.-based Camelot Films’ “Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher” was forced to relocate to Lithuania earlier this year, after the film’s Welsh financing fell through, executive producer Kestutis Drazdauskas knew the first challenge facing director Daniel Graham’s period drama would be re-creating 19th century England in 21st century Vilnius. “It was an extensive set
The region’s golden light and natural beauty first attracted the Hudson River School — Thomas Cole, Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt — whose luminous paintings captured the local landscape. While the region has long attracted filmmakers, Hollywood on the Hudson has never quite arrived. Until now. As Manhattanites throng the area approximately 90 miles north
The American Film Institute has set up a scholarship for women cinematographers after the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. AFI is now accepting donations for the fund, which “aims to help female cinematographers build sustainable careers in the movie business,” according to director and writer Olia Oparina. Oparina, who calls Hutchins “her closest friend”
One of several animated biopics about to segue from the festival circuit to the big screen, “Josep” is a slim but engaging tribute to the legacy of Spanish artist Josep Bartolí (1910-95), a Catalonian republican whose Goya-esque drawings of his time in French concentration camps inspired the film’s Gallic helmer and art director Aurel (birth
The gun handed to Alec Baldwin on the set of Western film “Rust” was declared safe by the production’s assistant director, according to an affidavit filed by the Santa Fe County’s Sheriff’s Office obtained by the New York Times and Associated Press. According to the affidavit, the AD shouted “cold gun” on set, meaning that
After a year-long delay due to the pandemic, the Animation Is Film festival returns this year for its fourth edition, taking place Oct. 22-24. The festival will be held, as it traditionally has been, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood and will feature a competition lineup of the best animation films of the
Teemu Nikki’s Venice and Antalya winner “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic” won the Golden star for best film at the 5th El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt, which wrapped Friday. The award carries a cash prize of $50,000. The film’s lead Petri Poikolainen won best actor, while Maya Vanderbeque, the
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. It’s been more than seven years since Wes Anderson has transported viewers to a delightfully eccentric world constructed
For the 4,000-plus people who have climbed Mt. Everest, it’s likely that no film will ever come close to capturing the reality of that once-impossible experience. For the rest of us, “The Summit of the Gods” and its ilk will have to suffice. And while it may not ascend to the same heights as the
“Dune” was unable to surpass Chinese propaganda war movie “The Battle at Lake Changjin” to take the top spot on its China opening day Friday, coming in second with just $6.45 million (RMB41.2 million) according to Maoyan data, despite a protracted charm offensive to raise awareness about the film in the increasingly sci-fi hungry country.
As the industry grapples with the tragic on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a picture is emerging of a low-budget film set that was already chaotic before the fatal accident occurred. Several IATSE crew members on the New Mexico set of the Western “Rust,” where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed Thursday by a prop gun
Margot Robbie’s Barbie has seemingly found her Ken in Ryan Gosling. The two-time Oscar-nominee is in final negotiations to star in the upcoming Warner Bros. and Mattel film, directed by Greta Gerwig, who also co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. Robbie also does double duty on the project; in addition to starring as the iconic
When making Netflix’s new Western “The Harder They Fall,” director Jeymes Samuel was inspired by his early love of the genre. “This is the Western he wanted to see as a kid,” costume designer Antoinette Messam says of Samuel’s film. “This is who he wanted to see in his Westerns and how he wanted to
Fresh off her recent Emmy win for the comedy series “Hacks,” Jean Smart is ramping up development at her production company, SmartAngel Entertainment. Smart and her producing partner, Angeliki Giannakopoulos, have acquired the rights to the real-life stories of two individuals who challenged the status quo and took a stand to make a difference for
Michael Nell knew he needed somebody great to help him capture the darker side of Los Angeles — a world of low-rent motels, bar rooms and back alleys — for “Blindfire.” The movie, which was set to mark Nell’s feature debut, was a tense police thriller that examined issues of social justice and race, and
San Sebastian-based production-distribution outfit Atera Films has taken Spanish distribution rights to Inés María Barrionuevo’s “Camila Comes out Tonight” –sold by Latido Films – and Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s “Clara Sola,” whose international sales are handled by Luxbox. With the two new titles, Atera underscores its aim of discovering and making available to Spanish audiences young
Alec Baldwin has released a statement on Twitter regarding the shooting incident on the set of “Rust,” in which he discharged a prop firearm, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a
Held online over Oct. 20-22, 2021’s Spanish Screenings-Málaga de Cine mark Spain’s biggest national cinema showcase anywhere in the world, its equivalent of UniFrance’s Paris Rendez-vous. 113 recent Spanish titles were made available to 218 carefully-targeted international buyers, distributors and fest heads with a record of screening movies from Spain. Such a spectacular smorgasbord also
“Dune,” an ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s famously unadaptable sci-fi epic, opened to a lordly $5.1 million in Thursday previews. The film will unspool across 4,100 theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Friday and is projected to generate $30 million to $40 million in its first three days of release. “Dune” centers on a
It’s been just over two years since documentary power couple — director Liz Garbus and producer/financier Dan Cogan — launched Story Syndicate, and already the production company has four films contending for Academy Award consideration this awards season. In addition to producing Garbus’ National Geographic doc “Becoming Cousteau,” opening in theaters today, Story Syndicate is
“Flowers Are Not Silent,” a film about the brutal suppression of demonstrations against last year’s rigged presidential election in Belarus, will open the 25th Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival on Tuesday. Oliver Stone will deliver a masterclass at the festival as will Russian filmmaker Vitaly Mansky. Festival chief Marek Hovorka said that “Flowers Are Not
The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership. Additionally, the union says that New Mexico crew members staffed the props, set decoration, special effects and
Filmax has acquired international rights to animated Basque feature “Save the Tree,” a new film from director duo Iker Alvarez and Haizea Pastor following the adventures of forest pixies and their quest to reconnect children with nature. A market premiere at this week’s Spanish Screenings-Málaga de Cine, the film has a central theme of environmental
The Museum of Modern Art announced the lineup for the 14th annual edition of The Contenders on Friday. The film series will run from Nov. 4 through Jan. 22, 2022, primarily in person with a select number of virtual screenings. The Contenders will open with Pablo Larraîn’s “Spencer,” the Princess Diana biopic starring Kristin Stewart.
The film industry is shocked, dismayed and angry following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Thursday. She was killed while filming “Rust” when one of the movie’s actors, Alec Baldwin, discharged a prop gun on set. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident and required hospitalization. Frances Fisher, who stars in the