Movies

Featuristic Films has unveiled an exclusive first look at the feature documentary “Afghanistan.” It follows filmmaker James Glancy, a former British Royal Marine Commando who was decorated in 2012 for his actions in combat, as he returns to Afghanistan with a small, handpicked team to help him answer the question that has haunted him over

Actor, producer and author, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been appointed chairperson of the Mumbai Film Festival, which will take on a new format without a competitive international section. For the second year running, the festival (aka Jio MAMI) will not go ahead in its normal October slot due to the coronavirus outbreak. It will be

New Zealand is to return to a full, nationwide lockdown from midnight local time following the discovery of a case of COVID-19 that was locally transmitted. Film and TV productions will have to halt, but the pain may be brief. The move to a “Level 4” lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on

Keung To and Jer Lau, two members of the wildly-popular Hong Kong boy band Mirror will make their screen debut with a feature film produced by Emperor Motion Pictures, the company announced on Monday. The currently untitled production is to be directed by writer-director Kearan Pang (“29+1”) and will also star award-winning actress Teresa Mo

Vivica A. Fox Joins Camille Winbush in ‘Holiday Hideaway’ Freezeframe Entertainment announced that Vivica A. Fox will be joining Camille Winbush in their feature film, “Holiday Hideaway,” an independent production set for the holiday season. The film has begun shooting in Palm Desert, Calif. and will continue to shoot in Los Angeles during August. Fox

Slamdance, the nonprofit organization dedicated to discovering filmmakers, announced a new film festival: Slamdance Miami, starting Oct. 23-30. The festival will recognize emerging filmmakers from Central and South America, Florida and the Caribbean via an open-air, COVID-sensitve festival at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami, as well as on Slamdance’s virtual platform. Slamdance Miami is

Movie theaters in a handful of cities around the country will soon be checking for proof of vaccination — creating one more obstacle to the full return of moviegoing. In New York, the requirement goes into effect on Tuesday. Joe Masher, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners of New York, said he worried

Scarlett Johansson has found her follow-up to the lawsuit against Disney that recently sent Hollywood spinning. The Oscar-nominated star of “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit” has joined the A-list cast of Wes Anderson’s latest project, sure to be another impeccably directed and intensely realized foray into auteur-ism. She joins an ensemble that already boasts previous

Philip Ettinger and Daniel Diemer will star in “Little Brother,” a new indie dramedy that is heading into production. The debut feature film is from Korean-American writer and director, Sheridan O’Donnell. “Little Brother” follows Jake, played by Diemer, as he drives his older brother Pete, played by Ettinger, home for a family intervention after his

A Chinese court formally approved the arrest of pop icon Kris Wu on rape charges on Monday — and Chinese streamers have swiftly responded by deleting the shows in which he appears. The move comes after Wu was first detained on July 31 on suspicions of rape. The allegations against him first emerged last month

Fans of Dev Patel, Arthurian legends, talking foxes and more are in for a treat. A24 has announced that “The Green Knight” will be available to rent on digital platforms starting Thursday. It will be on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Fandango Now, Redbox and more. “This Thursday, August 19th, David

Sony Pictures Animation and Amazon are nearing deal for over $100 million for the animated feature “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” to stream globally on Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned exclusively. “Hotel Transylvania” has been a monster family franchise for Sony, with the first three films grossing more than $1.3 billion in theaters worldwide since 2012.

Actor-turned-director Emanuel Pârvu is facing a busy September, heading to Venice Film Festival with Bogdan George Apetri’s “Miracle,” set to premiere in the Horizons section, and then San Sebastian with his own second feature, “Mikado,” chosen for the New Directors showcase. This week, he presents his third project as a director, “Three Miles to the

Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger, who won a Sundance best director award for “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” expected a bigger fallout following the release of his latest film, “The Mole: Undercover in North Korea,” he admitted during his CineLink Talk at Sarajevo Film Festival. His documentary, focusing on two men embarking on a mission to expose the

Innovative, diverse and personal stories won the awards of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry program on Monday, taking honors in three sections focused on emerging filmmakers in both narrative and docu genres. Karlovy Vary industry head Hugo Rosak said the decision by Eastern Promises to allow fiction and non-fiction films to compete

Actor, producer and director Clifton Collins Jr. has signed with CAA. Collins most recently starred in and executive produced the independent feature “Jockey.” The film premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Collins earning the Dramatic Special Jury Award for best actor. Variety’s Peter Debruge referred to Collins’ work as a “career-best”

It’s been over a century since anyone’s adapted Wilkie Collins’ underrated “The New Magdalen” for the screen, and while Aurélia Georges’ cleverly modified version doesn’t resolve the novel’s inability to account for the protagonist’s mastery at disguising her working-class origins, its handsome imagery and Sabine Azéma’s adroit interpretation as the duped wealthy widow make “Secret

Disney may have a new film franchise on its hands after “Free Guy” beat box office expectations. For theater owners, however, the victory comes at a time when moviegoing remains severely hindered by the pandemic. “Free Guy,” a sci-fi comedy adventure that takes place within a video game, collected $28.4 million at 4,165 North American

When “Bellbottom,” starring Akshay Kumar, releases on Aug. 19, it will be the first major Bollywood film to release in Indian cinemas after a quarter devastated by the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 50% of screens in India have reopened and many of them are operating at reduced capacity. The rest, including

Wim Wenders says cinema is facing an “existential crisis” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of streaming services, urging film lovers to “fight” for movie theaters, and calling on his fellow filmmakers to rise to the challenge at a time when their voices are needed more than ever before. “[The pandemic] made

Currently looking for funding and partners to complete post-production, Aida Begić’s fourth feature “A Ballad” is set to take a bow at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Work in Progress section after picking up the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at the event back in 2015. Produced by Adis Đapo and François D’Artemare – for Film House

Tel Aviv-based sales outfit and advisory firm Cinephil is linking up with London’s WestEnd Films for a new joint venture that will see the companies unite on development, financing and sales. The deal comes as Cinephil founder and managing director Philippa Kowarsky recently stepped down from the business — a leading sales firm whose credits include the

As previously reported last September, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard and Cat Power’s Chan Marshall have all contributed original music for the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s new film “Flag Day,” which will be released Aug. 20 via Republic Records and Vedder’s Seattle Surf imprint. The first single, “My Father’s Daughter,” features the vocal debut

German sales outfit The Playmaker Munich, formerly ARRI Media International, has shared with Variety the international trailer of psychological thriller “Wolka,” produced by leading Icelandic banner Sagafilm with Poland’s Film Produkcja. The feature will bow as a market premiere at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films, Scandinavia’s major film showcase which runs Aug. 24-27. The atmospheric trailer follows Anna

Lakeside Studio and Penrith Lakes Development Corporation Monday announced an agreement to develop a world-class purpose-built film studio and production training facility in Western Sydney. The move is promoted by producer James Vernon, who positions it as a means to service the growth in demand for new content now that the Disney-owned Fox Studios are

Comedy -action movie “Sinkhole” lifted the South Korea box office over the weekend with a $5.58 million start in theaters. The debut was the highest weekend score this year by a local Korean movie and trailed only “Black Widow” and “F9.” It was achieved from a launch on 1,604 screens according to data from the

Johnny Depp said he feels he is being boycotted by Hollywood, as his latest film “Minamata” has yet to score a U.S. release. In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Depp — whose ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic violence — called his fall from Hollywood’s good graces an “absurdity of media mathematics.”

Wounds, both physical and psychological, become scars with time. But whether those scars are to be hidden or worn as badges of honor — evidence less of past trauma than of subsequent strength and healing — becomes the surprisingly resonant dilemma at the heart of Charlotte Colbert’s witty, weird horror-drama debut, which scooped the First

There’s a moment in “The Sacred Spirit,” Chema García Ibarra’s beguiling feature debut shot on 16mm, when viewers get uncomfortable wondering if the director realizes the playful tone he’s taking makes light of a deeply troubling situation. The concern is unwarranted — Ibarra fully understands what he’s doing — but the fact that the film

U2 frontman Bono made a surprise appearance at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Sunday, where he introduced a digitally restored version of Wim Wenders’ “The Million Dollar Hotel” – a film the iconic rock star presented at the Bosnian fest more than 20 years ago. Addressing a full house at the Sarajevo National Theater –