Movies

Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to “Cicada,” Matthew Fifer’s Brooklyn-set debut feature, which premiered last year at several festivals, including Frameline, Outfest and BFI London. “Cicada” was written and directed by Fifer and Kieran Mulcare. The film was inspired by events in Sheldon Brown’s and Fifer’s own lives. Fifer headlines the film

Kinology, the Paris-based banner behind Leos Carax’s Cannes opener “Annette,” has come on board to handle international sales rights for “Mass,” Fran Kranz’s searing chamber drama that earned unanimous praise at the Sundance Film Festival. “Mass,” which world premiered in competition at Sundance, marks Kranz’s screenwriting and directorial debut. The popular actor also produced the

The first visual confirmaton that Michael Keaton will return to play Batman alongside Ezra Miller in Warner Bros.’ upcoming “The Flash” was delivered in a stylish (and violent) image posted by director Andy Muschietti. The caption-free picture of Keaton’s classic Batsuit suit insignia, covered with blood, was posted to Muschietti’s Instagram on Friday morning. The

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “Bergman Island,” the English-language debut of Mia Hansen-Løve (“Things to Come”) which will world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Mia Wasikowska (“Maps to the Stars”), Tim Roth (“Once Upon a Time in America”), Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”) and Anders Danielsen Lie

After announcing restrictions for U.K. travellers last week, the French government has decided to allow fully vaccinated visitors from Britain to enter the country, according to The Times. This will also apply to U.S. visitors However, even if U.K. and U.S. travellers are fully vaccinated, they will need to show French authorities a negative PCR

Giovani Borba’s “Empty House,” Mar Pescio’s “That Weekend” and Martin Desalvo’s “El Ciego, Border With Death” will feature in a notable Sanfic Goes to Cannes pix-in-post showcase at July’s Marché du Film. Two further films, both psychological dramas, bring large breath to the selection: Flavio Botelho’s tragic but ultimately life-celebratory “The Life That’s Left”; and

Production on “Mission: Impossible 7” has shut down after a positive coronavirus test. The latest movie in the Tom Cruise-starring action franchise was filming in the U.K. when the positive test occurred. A spokesperson for the Paramount and Skydance production confirmed work on the project will be stalled until June 14. “We have temporarily halted

Costume designer Mitchell Travers took to the streets to research the looks for “In the Heights,” set in Manhattan’s lively Washington Heights neighborhood. Travers spent hours photographing people — in the morning to see what workers rushing to subway stations looked like, at parks, and in shops. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the musical based

Cannes Film Festival’s chief Thierry Fremaux was in a cheerful mood when he announced his sprawling Official Selection during Thursday’s press conference at the Normandie Theater in Paris. Not only because it was the first live event in many months, but most importantly because in spite of all the ups and downs caused by the

Glenn Close is set to star in the upcoming film “Brothers.” Legendary Entertainment, the production company behind the movie, has not divulged a single detail about “Brothers,” other than the fact that Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage will portray siblings. It’s unknown who Close will play. Sources say the project is in the vein of Ivan

Cannes is back — or so the festival organizers are insisting, announcing an official selection that’s bigger and more bullish than the (pre-pandemic) 2019 edition, boasting new films from Wes Anderson (“The French Dispatch”), Sean Penn (“Black Flag”) and Oliver Stone (“JFK: Through the Looking Glass”), to name three Americans from among a host of tantalizing

“Moment of Truth,” the new five-part docu-series about the murder of basketball legend Michael Jordan’s father, doesn’t provide definitive evidence about why James Jordan was killed in 1993 after he pulled over to the side of the road in North Carolina, or prove who pulled the trigger. But what it does illustrate is the many

For a metaphysical love-conquers-all tale, “Grace and Grit” offers very little substance around such lofty concepts as existence, spirituality and romantic harmony. Written and directed by actor-turned-helmer Sebastian Siegel in an adaptation of famous philosopher Ken Wilber’s much admired book, the film unfortunately anchors itself in an exploitative mode, insincerely using terminal illness as inspirational

Rob Edwards, the screenwriter behind “The Princess and the Frog” and “Treasure Planet,” is making his directorial debut with “Sneaks.” “Sneaks” follows the adventure of Ty, a misguided, one-of-a-kind, designer sneaker who doesn’t know life outside the comforts of his velvet-lined shoe box. After his sister is stolen by a shady collector, Ty must venture

John Boyega has left Netflix movie “Rebel Ridge” mid-shoot, citing “family reasons” as the cause for his sudden exit. While production is paused, Netflix is currently working to replace the “Star Wars” actor within the next few days. Filming for “Rebel Ridge” started on May 3 in Louisiana. “‘Rebel Ridge’ is pausing temporarily as we

Tiffany Haddish will play the fastest woman in the world. The “Girls Trip” actress will star as Florence Griffith Joyner, known as “Flo-Jo” to her fans, who helped popularize track and field with her record-breaking Olympic run and flashy personality and style (she originated the “one-legger” look with her running suits). Many of the records

“Crazy Rich Asians” author Kevin Kwan didn’t have to look far for role models when he decided to be a writer. His aunt was a journalist in his native Singapore at The Singapore Monitor. “At the time, it was a new newspaper. I remember when the first issue came out, there was so much excitement

Sharon Stone, Patricia Arquette, Sanaa Lathan, Warrington Hudlin, Delroy Lindo, Elijah Wood, Bryan Cranston, Andre Holland, Margaret Cho and Hari Nef will serve as jury members for the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Tribeca, running from June 9 to June 20, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The jurors will select winning projects in the film, immersive,

With its winsome narration, frequent cutaways to nature and focus on discovery, “Edge of the World” resembles nothing so much as Terrence Malick’s similarly titled “The New World.” Say this for director Michael Haussman and writer Rob Allyn: They have good taste. Their period drama set in 19th-century Borneo may not rise to the level

Writer-director Leslye Headland is a celebrated indie storyteller and authority on the triumphs and struggles of contemporary women. Now shepherding the “Star Wars” TV series “The Acolyte” for Disney Plus, her credits include “Russian Doll,” “Sleeping With Other People” and the comedy “Bachelorette.” Here she shares her coming-out journey.   The saddest night of my life was the 2012 Los

Lio Tipton, who had a memorable role in the 2011 romantic comedy “Crazy Stupid Love” and also competed on “America’s Next Top Model,” has come out as non-binary. On Wednesday, the actor announced they changed their name and will be using they/she pronouns. “Hi. My name is Lio,” Tipton wrote on Instagram with an illustration

MK2 Films will handle international sales for “Cow,” the fifth feature of celebrated British director Andrea Arnold, which will bow in Official Selection in Cannes next month. U.S sales banner Submarine Entertainment is handing North America sales. “Cow” will unspool in the new section called Cannes Premieres which is dedicated to anticipated movies from well-established

Four-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard is the latest to join the cast of Blair Underwood’s upcoming psychological thriller “Viral.” Production on the project — directed, produced by and starring Underwood — is currently underway in New York, after filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The casting news also marks a

“The Frozen Ground” filmmaker Scott Walker will direct creature feature “The Tank” at New Zealand locations in the late summer. “The Tank” follows a young family who inherits a remote and long abandoned coastal property in Oregon, and awakens beneath it, a horde of ferocious and deadly creatures, that feed on the living. The film

The selection of the Justin Kurzel-directed film “Nitram” for main competition at the Cannes Film Festival is guaranteed to strike a raw nerve in Australia. On one hand, “Nitram” is to be celebrated as the first Australian movie in the prestigious main section for six years. On another, putting the film on a pedestal risks

Sony Pictures International Productions has acquired remake rights for the Russian blockbuster comedy “Son of a Rich,” the country’s highest-grossing film of all time, Variety has learned. The studio has secured the Mexican, Indian, South Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian adaptation rights. The French rights have also been acquired by SND Films, and the Polish

After shifting last year to an online format, the Shanghai International Film Festival will return for its 24th edition later this month. The festival will play as an in-person event, while the market sections will be hybrids of in-person and online activities. The TV festival runs from June 6, while the film festival runs from

It’s comeback time for the Cannes Film Festival as the world’s preeminent showcase for world cinema plans its return, announcing an official selection packed with big-name auteurs — including Wes Anderson (“The French Dispatch”), Leox Carax (“Annette”), Paul Verhoeven (“Benedetta”), Sean Penn (“Flag Day”), Sean Baker (“Red Rocket”), Asghar Farhadi (“A Hero), and past Palme

The upshot of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” becoming an internationally franchised pop phenomenon is that drag performance has firmly moved from the LGBTQ fringes into the mainstream: As an artform with an audience that now spans all demographics, it follows that it will become more inclusive on stage too. That’s the driving moral, at least, of

“Flashback” proves it’s possible to create a Christopher Nolan-esque, fantasy-tinged narrative puzzle of interlocking realities without need of a major-studio budget or elaborate CGI. Whether it says much of anything else may depend on your attitude toward such labyrinths — whether you need them to actually go somewhere, or conversely find that surface complexity provides