Movies

Organizers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the world’s oldest and most important animation festival, revealed Thursday that all the big U.S. studio animation players will be in attendance this year to preview some of their most exciting upcoming titles. Annecy has long been a launch point for global and indie animation, but over

The film business has had to battle its way through everything from COVID shutdowns to strike-induced box office delays to steep competition from a tidal wave of high-priced streaming content over the past seven years. The contraction in theatrical releases and the post-pandemic downturn at the box office has raised the stakes for every film

Eminent Afghanistan filmmaker Roya Sadat had quite the journey while filming “The Sharp Edge of Peace,” which has its world premiere at Hot Docs. The film follows four women leaders, Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi and Sharifa Zumati, who risk their lives and receive death threats, as they find a way to sit at

A quartet of fast-rising British names are coming together for a buzzy new project launching at the Cannes market. Bella Ramsey, Louis Partridge and Ruby Stokes are set to lead “Sunny Dancer,” the sophomore feature from George Jaques. Embankment Films is handling global pre-sales of the film, which it says showcases the “best of new

REinvent International Sales has boarded “Second Victims,” a psychological drama directed by Zinnini Elkington which shot on location at Denmark’s Herlev Hospital. Set against the backdrop of an understaffed stroke unit, the film follows skilled neurologist Alexandra whose unwavering confidence is put to the ultimate test when a routine case spirals into tragedy. Blame and

Harvey Weinstein‘s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by the New York Court of Appeals. On Thursday, the court found in a 4-3 ruling that the judge in Weinstein’s trial — a landmark moment in the #MeToo movement that the 2017 allegations against him started — had shown prejudice by allowing women to testify about

Lucy Liu and Padma Lakshmi are among the stars who will be honored at the third annual Gold House Gala in May.  This year marks the third annual Gold Gala where top Asian Pacific and multicultural leaders will convene to celebrate the 2024 A100 List. Gold House will announce the A100 honorees on May. 1. The list

Magnify, the rebranded international sales arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired global and U.S. sales rights to “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” in the run up to its world premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Directed and co-writer by Tyler Taormina (“Ham on Rye”), the film stars Michael Cera (“Barbie”), Francesca Scorsese, Maria Dizzia (“Martha Marcy May

Fred Schepisi is set to direct Israel-based thriller “The Dimona Affair,” Variety has learned exclusively. The project is based on the story of a whistleblower who claimed Israel was building a nuclear weapons program. (The country has always denied it has nuclear weapons). After giving The Sunday Times of London a detailed interview about the

The times are changing across Indian cinema and Katrina Kaif, one of the top stars of the country, is changing with them. The top 10 Indian films in the post-pandemic year 2023 were all star-driven blockbusters and Kaif was in the mix with action extravaganza “Tiger 3,” the latest in Yash Raj Films’ spy universe,

Dutch public broadcaster VPRO has acquired Netherlands broadcast rights to “Daughter of Genghis.” The documentary about Mongolian female nationalist gang leader and single mother Gerel Byamba will make its North American debut at Hot Docs on Monday. The doc, directed by photo-journalists Kristoffer Juel Poulsen and Christian Als, follows Byamba, who is the leader of

U.K.-based sales and distribution outfit Blue Finch Films has boarded worldwide rights, excluding Canada, to 1980s-set wrestling action-horror “Dark Match.” The film is headlined by professional wrestler and rock musician Chris Jericho and written and directed by Lowell Dean (“Wolfcop”). The film will launch later this year with its festival premiere to be announced imminently. Blue

International documentary marketplace Sunny Side of the Doc has revealed the 42 projects from 21 countries that make up the official selection for its 2024 edition. As always, the projects are topical and eclectic, ranging from Helene Lam Trong’s “Inside Gaza,” that tells the inside story of the ongoing conflict in the region; to Francois-Xavier Destors’ “Edgar

“The Imaginary,” an upcoming hand-drawn animated fantasy film from Japan’s Studio Ponoc that will play in competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is set to debut July 5 on Netflix. An Oscar-qualifying run is also planned. “The Imaginary” is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, whose credits as an animator include Studio Ponoc’s 2017 debut

Jennifer Aniston is ready to pour herself a cup of ambition. Aniston and her Echo Films partner Kristin Hahn are producing a “9 to 5” reimagining for 20th Century Studios, Variety has confirmed. The film is currently in development, with Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “Lisa Frankenstein”) working on the latest draft of the “9 to 5”

Rebel Wilson‘s memoir “Rebel Rising” will be published in the U.K. with redacted passages about her experience working with Sacha Baron Cohen. “We are publishing every page, but for legal reasons, in the U.K. edition, we are redacting most of one page with some other small redactions and an explanatory note,” publisher HarperCollins told The Guardian in

Korean comedy action film “The Roundup: Punishment” destroyed all competition in local theaters on its Wednesday opening day. The film earned $4.92 million from 821,000 ticket sales, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That represented a crushing 97% share of the day’s theatrical market. Including a

A “Barbie” poster signed by Margot Robbie and the original script for “Love Actually” are just a few of the star-studded items taking part in the latest auction for War Child, which advocates for children living through war. Over 70 celebrities have donated rare items to the charity’s “Spring Clean” fundraiser, including War Child global

Rachel Stavis, billed as the “Hollywood Exorcist,” is channeling her creativity for a number of upcoming scripted projects. Stavis is an author and filmmaker whose day job — as a “non-denominational exorcist on a mission to create global change by eradicating darkness from one person or place at a time,” per her bio – has

UFEG’s Make It Universal and Rotten Tomatoes have partnered to create the new “Seen on Screen” podcast hosted by Rotten Tomatoes awards editor Jacqueline Coley. The bi-weekly podcast offers a behind the scenes look into Universal productions and conversations with Universal employees about the impact of film on their lives. “Seen on Screen” also aims

Brian Tyree Henry has joined the cast of Universal’s untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry musical project. The Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominee joins Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the coming-of-age musical, set in the summer of 1977 at Virginia Beach and inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood

Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” has added Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes to its cast. The continuation of the “28 Days Later” franchise will be released in theaters globally by Sony Pictures. “28 Days Later” was released in 2002 and starred Cillian Murphy, then largely unknown. Boyle directed the feature, while Alex Garland

Angelina Jolie‘s scrapped “Cleopatra” movie was part romance epic and part “political thriller with assassinations and sex,” according to the movie’s original screenwriter Brian Helgeland. The Oscar-winning actor was set to play the Egyptian queen in a tentpole for Sony Pictures that once courted director David Fincher to helm. It never got off the ground.

The 31st edition of Canada’s influential Hot Docs Film Festival, which gets underway Thursday, could very well be the last. For the past month, the Toronto festival, one of North America’s largest dedicated to documentaries, has been roiled by staff and funding turmoil. On March 25, artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy and 10 of the fest’s

A raging policy debate in Washington is forcing Hollywood to curb its enthusiasm for mergers and acquisitions — for now. Federal regulators and some legal scholars are moving to radically overhaul how the nation enforces antitrust laws. That’s making it much harder for dealmakers and corporate titans to pursue M&A activity. The regulatory mood in

Acclaimed writer John Logan will adapt Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” novel into a feature film for director John Hillcoat. Hillcoat is also producing along with Keith Redmon for New Regency. Cormac McCarthy’s son, John Francis McCarthy, will serve as executive producer, while Cormac, who died in June 2023, will receive a posthumous

AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, is leaning into distribution. The company is expanding its distribution team with a key hire and promotion, underscoring its commitment to releasing its own movies in addition to showcasing titles from traditional and independent studios. AMC Theatres launched its distribution team with the premieres of last year’s concert

When prospective students of the University of Southern California visit the school, tour guides like to point out several noteworthy landmarks on campus: Heritage Hall and its multiple Heisman trophies on display, the symbolic Tommy Trojan statue and Norris Cinema Theatre, where students of all majors congregate each Thursday night to watch and discuss cinema

Gersh has signed Scottish actor Thomas Doherty, known for starring as the salacious heartthrob Max Wolf in 2021’s “Gossip Girl” reboot. Doherty rose to prominence following his role as Harry Hook in Disney Channel’s “Descendants” franchise. He appeared opposite Zoe Kravitz in Hulu’s “High Fidelity” series and Helen Mirren in the HBO miniseries “Catherine the Great.” Doherty also

Actors Access, the leading online platform for film and TV casting, was hit with a class action lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging that it illegally charges performers for access to auditions. The lawsuit, filed in L.A. Superior Court, accuses the platform of predatory conduct, and of charging working actors hundreds of dollars a year for upgrades