Movies

Reflecting the blurring of boundaries between movies and TV, UniFrance and TV France International have merged their promotion organizations to form a new streamlined association. The orgs’ respective presidents, Serge Toubiana from UniFrance, and Hervé Michel from TVFI, were elected presidents of this new org, known just as UniFrance, on July 2 for a two-year

A galaxy of Indian entertainment industry heavyweights are reportedly backing Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibasish Sarkar’s special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) targeting the Indian media industry. Variety understands that Sarkar’s New Jersey registered International Media Acquisition Corp. (IMAC), of which he is set as chairman, CEO and leading shareholder, will have investment from actor/producer Ajay

Filming is underway at Liverpool and Anglesey, U.K., locations on Ian Puleston-Davies’ feature film “Bolan’s Shoes,” starring Timothy Spall (“Mr. Turner”), Leanne Best (“Line of Duty”) and Mark Lewis-Jones (“The Crown”). The film features music by the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s, Marc Bolan’s T-Rex, and is designed as a celebration

Award-winning Bangladeshi filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s “Rehana” premieres in the Un Certain Regard strand of the Cannes Film Festival and Variety has access to an exclusive clip from the film. The film follows Rehana (Azmeri Haque Badhon), an assistant professor at a medical college, who struggles to keep the harmony between work and family, as

Chile presents four powerful documentaries at Cannes Docs’ Docs in Progress: Showcase Chile this year, which will screen online on Wednesday July 7 and on-site on July 10 at the hybrid Cannes Marché du Film. Most of them reflect the deep trauma the country suffered under the brutal military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1970-1990). “Indeed, the Pinochet dictatorship has left a

“I’m gonna cut myself free of you even if it’s the last thing I do.” The line, uttered by Emma (Megan Fox) to her husband the morning after celebrating their 10th anniversary at their remote lake house, is the kind of on-the-nose dialogue that sums up the bluntness of S.K. Dale’s wintry-set thriller, “Till Death.”

Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles do not make a natural romantic couple, and their awkward pairing is the largest misstep made by “The God Committee,” writer-director Austin Stark’s adaptation of Mark St. Germain’s play about a group of doctors tasked with deciding which of three patients should receive a heart transplant. Often resembling a schematic

Ilana Glazer admits she’s been really worried about what people would think of her new movie, “False Positive.” While a dark comedy at times, the Hulu movie is quite different compared to the colorful comedy of “Broad City,” the sitcom she co-created with co-star Abbi Jacobson. Co-written by Glazer and the film’s director John Lee,

After months of build-up involving heightened censorship, a propaganda blitz, and a flurry of patriotic film, TV and music content, the Chinese Communist Party at last celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding on Thursday. It marked the occasion with political speeches, a highly choreographed mass commemoration in Tiananmen Square, the broadcast of a jingoistic

Indie moviemaker Amy Seimetz pulls off the ultimate heist in “No Sudden Move.” Though relatively unknown to most viewers, Seimetz slyly steals the star-studded film out from under the likes of Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro with her portrayal of a housewife who gets caught up in a dangerous plot to steal a priceless

“The Tomorrow War” is a big, dumb, sometimes tedious, sometimes fun civilization-vs.-aliens showdown that sends a bunch of ordinary people through a wormhole into the future to save the human race. The creatures they’re fighting are odd-looking beasts. Imagine the big-jawed monsters from the “Alien” films crossed with Velociraptors crossed with rapidly galloping chickens, with

Chris Pratt fights man-eating aliens in Amazon’s new science fiction film “The Tomorrow War,” but the actor isn’t wondering about alleged UFO sightings. “No, I don’t believe in aliens,” Pratt told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the movie’s June 30 premiere at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. In “The Tomorrow War,” Pratt’s Dan Forester

Elizabeth Banks’ upcoming movie “Cocaine Bear” has added several A-list cast members. Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, O’Shea Jackson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Alden Ehrenreich have joined the film about a real-life 175-pound bear who died of an apparent cocaine overdose. According to a 1985 New York Times article, the bear was found dead among 40

Although she broke out playing the tough-skinned Andréa in the French show “Call My Agent!,” Camille Cottin comes off as gentle, bubbly and down to earth in real life. The hard-working Cottin didn’t shoot to fame; she became one of France’s hottest actors in her late 30s, after appearing in numerous stage plays, shorts and

America’s creation myths may not be entirely rooted in fact — few of us still believe the story about George Washington chopping down that cherry tree — but they’re considerably less outlandish than “America: The Motion Picture,” an animated comedy in which our first president is a chainsaw-wielding freedom fighter who founds America to avenge

As we enter the second half of 2021, the shortened awards period from March 1 until June 30 doesn’t necessarily suggest we have many movies that can be deemed “Oscar-worthy.” In a denser calendar year, every studio will be angling and fighting for their probable contenders to stand out from the pack. The difference is

A hapless romantic learns about the dangers of procrastination while attempting to save his crumbling marriage in “Long Story Short,” Australian actor Josh Lawson’s harmless, heart-filled follow-up to his 2014 directorial debut, “The Little Death.” Though the high-concept relationship movie frequently trips over its own well-meaning sentiments, the sweet, earnest performances and sharp technical craftsmanship

Adam Deacon, the BAFTA-winning star of British indie dramas “Kidulthood” and “Adulthood,” will take on his next directorial project with “Sumotherhood.” Billed as an urban action comedy, the film sees Deacon reteaming with Michael Vu, with whom he collaborated on the 2011 film “Anuvahood” — his first turn in the director’s seat. Joining them for

Blumhouse Television’s Mary Lisio is resigning her post. Named executive vice president of alternative and non-scripted programming at Jason Blum’s division in 2018, Lisio is departing the company amicably to pursue other opportunities. Her departure comes as a result of Blumhouse TV’s recent exclusive, multi-year unscripted overall deal with ITV America. The pact was designed

“Together,” a new comedy from “Billy Elliot” director Stephen Daldry, will be distributed by Bleecker Street after the indie studio secured North American rights to the film. “Together” stars James McAvoy (“Wanted”) and Sharon Horgan (“Catastrophe”). The film follows two partners who are forced to re-evaluate themselves and their relationship during lockdown, an experience that

Amazon Prime Video has picked up international rights to “Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time,” the fourth movie in the “Evangelion” hit anime movie franchise. The streaming giant will release the film worldwide, excluding Japan, from Aug. 13, 2021. The film, made by a quartet of helmers including original director Anno Hideaki, was released in

The Willem Dafoe-narrated documentary “River,” from “Sherpa” director Jennifer Peedom, has unveiled its first trailer. Produced by Stranger Than Fiction and Arrow Pictures, “River” is an exploration of the timeless relationship between humanity and rivers. Billed as an orchestral concert film, the doc is an ode to the natural word and a retelling of the

For nearly seven decades, animation studio Toei Animation Co. has relied on recognizable franchises, including pirate adventure “One Piece” and fantasy “Dragon Ball,” in making itself a leader. But publishing platforms are now such that just about anyone can distribute animation, or so be moaned Toei Animation president Katsuhiro Takagi two years ago. “I feel

Academy Award-winning director Andrea Arnold (“Big Little Lies,” “American Honey”) will have her feature documentary “Cow” distributed by theatrical distributor and streamer MUBI in select European markets. The global curated film streamer has acquired all rights to the movie in the U.K., Ireland and Turkey. The documentary, which tells the story of life for a

Kamen Rider may not have the international recognition of Godzilla — yet. But Toei, whose first “Kamen Rider” live-action TV series aired in 1971, has announced an ambitious project for raising the profile of its motorbike-riding, insect-faced cyborg hero both at home and abroad on the franchise’s 50th anniversary. Unveiled in April at a splashy

Leading arthouse sales agency and producer The Match Factory has acquired “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash,” which will receive its world premiere in competition at the 74th Locarno Film Festival in August. The film is directed by Edwin, one of Indonesia’s best known and most well-respected directors. The film centers on Ajo Kawir,

The Locarno Film Festival has unveiled a promising lineup combining edgy new works by established auteurs such as Abel Ferrara alongside plenty of potential discoveries by emerging helmers and global newcomers for its upcoming 74th edition. It will be the first one under new Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, the former Venice Critics’ Week chief

ARTEF, the anti-racism task force for European film that was initiated in the summer of 2020 by European and U.K. film organizations, is now fully operational. ARTEF’s main aim is to dismantle racist structures and combat all forms of racism in the European film industry and become a task force for change by raising awareness,

The British Film Institute (BFI) has kicked off its U.K. Global Screen Fund with cash awards for Cannes titles “Ali & Ava” and “Mothering Sunday.” “Mothering Sunday,” directed by Eva Husson from a screenplay by Alice Birch and starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, will launch in the festival’s Cannes Premiere section and is represented

Hype Film, the production company behind Kirill Serebrennikov’s Cannes competition title “Petrov’s Flu,” has signed a first-look deal with IVI, the largest Russian VOD platform. As part of the two-year deal, Hype Film will develop 10 and produce at least two Russian-language scripted shows exclusively for IVI, which boasts more than 59 million unique visitors