Dogwoof has acquired world sales rights to “Faceless,” the directorial debut of Jennifer Ngo, ahead of its world premiere at the Hot Docs film festival, Variety has learned exclusively. “Faceless” is a behind-the-headlines story of the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations, seen through the eyes of four young protestors seeking to protect their way of life.
Movies
The 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is set to open with Leos Carax’s anticipated romantic musical film “Annette” with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard on July 7. The movie will be released simultaneously in theaters in France. “Annette” marks Carax’s English-language debut. It features original songs by the Sparks, the art-rock band founded
It’s fitting that “Cher & the Loneliest Elephant” opens and closes with the titular pop star’s dance anthem “Song for the Lonely,” as this uplifting Earth Day documentary stands as a cinematic love song dedicated to despondent animal co-star Kaavan, a 36-year-old elephant who inspired a global animal rights movement. Director Jonathan Finnigan’s polished package
“Furiosa,” the Anya Taylor-Joy-starring prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road” is to receive financial incentives from federal and state governments, ensuring that production will take place in Australia. The George Miller-directed picture will shoot from June. “The support of the Federal and New South Wales Governments were pivotal. They made it possible for the film
Chloé Zhao’s Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland” won best film and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was named best LGBTQ Film at the Dorian Awards (GALECA: The Society Of LGBTQ Entertainment) during a virtual ceremony. “Nomadland” was also named most visually striking film, and Zhao took home the award for best director. The three-hour Dorians Film Toast was
The outrage surrounding producer Scott Rudin intensified over the weekend, with Broadway star Sutton Foster speaking out while the twin brother of a late former Rudin assistant posted an emotional video message alleging that his brother was traumatized by his experience with the producer. Both statements follow Rudin’s announcement on Saturday that he is “stepping
In its biggest single showcase, Visions du Réel staged a three-hour showcase on Saturday where directors and producers delivered online presentations of nine doc features in post. Some will undoubtedly hit major festivals in the months to come. Following, bare bones profiles of the nine WIP titles: “About Everything There Is to Know,” dir: Sofía Velázquez
You’re either already on the “Demon Slayer” train or you’re not, and the hit Japanese feature — arriving stateside having surpassed “Spirited Away” as the highest-grossing anime movie of all time — is hardly the vehicle for the popular franchise to pick up new passengers. That doesn’t mean the action-packed toon won’t appeal to those
When celebrity events were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic last March, Hollywood’s clothing stylists, hairstylists and makeup artists were put out of work. The return of awards shows and virtual events has fostered a fashion resurgence. In March 2020, stylist Ilaria Urbinati — whose client roster of Hollywood men includes Rami Malek, Dwayne (“the
No section at Visions du Réel is as fresh as its VdR-Pitching, which frames doc projects from both new and multi-prized filmmakers that hit the Swiss doc fest with very little or no media coverage at all. Variety has just published articles on five of its titles: “Facing Darkness,” “King Coal,” “Life After Siham,” “The Vanishing”
Visions du Reél world premiere feature “The Bubble,” playing in the festival’s International Competition, provides a candid look at the often-surreal senior citizen life within The Villages, America’s largest retirement community, in Central Florida. More than 150,000 retirees call The Villages home, and have access to its 96 recreation centers, 54 golf courses, 70 pools,
In “Zinder,” Nigerien director Aicha Macky announces up front her relationship to the desert city that lends her film its name. “I am a daughter of Zinder,” states an introductory title card, capping a more detached scroll of facts about the city’s historical legacy of crime, poverty and social division. This is the last time
The Motion Picture Sound Editors handed out their awards in a virtual ceremony with Pixar’s “Soul, “Tenet” and “Greyhound” among the winners. The MPSE also awarded “The Trial of the Chicago 7” for outstanding achievement in sound editing – feature dialogue / ADR, and outstanding achievement in sound editing – feature musical went to “Eurovision
Pixar’s “Soul” continued its awards season dominance on Friday by winning seven Annie Awards, including feature. The jazzy look at the before-life also won for music (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste), writing (Pete Docter. Mike Jones and Kemp Powers), character animation (Michal Makarewicz), FX (Tolga Göktekin, Carl Kaphan, Hiroaki Narita, Enrique Vila and Kylie
Hailed as a fast-rising new talent from Mexico, actor Diego Calva has surfaced from small but notable Mexican and Argentine films to landing pivotal roles in Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” the Oscar-winning director’s follow-up to “La La Land,” and the third iteration of Netflix’s wildly popular “Narcos: Mexico.” He has studied directing and has shot a
The new documentary “Gunda” is a narrator-free look at the everyday life of a mother pig, two cows and a one-legged chicken. Filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky takes audiences down to animal eye-level, giving audiences a unique look to experience this world from the animal’s point of view. He shot in black and white, with tightly-focused shots
When Alfred Molina was first invited to reprise his role as the villainous Otto Octavius in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — the forthcoming third installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films, led by Tom Holland — he said he was told to keep it quiet. “When we were shooting it, we were all under
Two years after the finale of “Game of Thrones,” the cast continues with their lineups of new projects. Kit Harington, who told Variety that he doesn’t plan on taking another role as physically demanding as Jon Snow, has made a slow return and is about to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Richard Madden in
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler is denouncing Georgia’s new restrictive voting laws and explains why he will still film “Black Panther II” in the state. Coogler penned an op-ed, shared with Shadow and Act, speaking out against the controversial legislation. “The fight for full enfranchisement is fundamental to the African-American struggle in this country and
Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” — starring Carey Mulligan as Cassie, a woman whose life has been derailed by the rape and subsequent suicide of her best friend, Nina — has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including three for Fennell (picture, director and screenplay) and a best actress nomination for Mulligan’s intricate portrayal of
In the COVID era, we have been forced to rethink everything. And with home viewing becoming even more dominant as cinemas closed, the question has arisen: What exactly is a movie? Pundits and industryites focused this debate on streaming vs. cinemas. But artists see things that most people overlook, so Martin Scorsese in the March
“Sound of Metal” director Darius Marder made a series of “crazy” decisions with his first film, including casting Paul Raci in a key role — and shooting chronologically. The craziness paid off, with the film nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, screenplay, sound, editing, lead actor Riz Ahmed and supporting actor Raci. Marder insisted
The lockdown that went into effect in March 2020 left Visions du Réel artistic director Emilie Bujès in an unenviable spot. The festival director and her programing team had spent months putting together the various sections, securing rights and inviting talent – but with new sanitary measures putting the kibosh on any physical event, the
Sebastian Stan is best known as his superhero persona, the Winter Soldier. Clad in a leather jacket and reinforced combat pants and boots, he’s ready for battle across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in IFC’s April 16 release “Monday,” in which he plays a club DJ living in the hip Athens neighborhood of Kypseli, his
Participant is back in the thick of the Oscar race with two films, “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Collective,” that seem to respond to the current political tumult. On paper, the movies appear somewhat removed from both the racial reckoning taking place around the world and the large-scale bureaucratic failures that greeted the advent
Non-fungible tokens — one of the hottest digital crazes of 2021 — are set to make their Hollywood debut. Aku, a young Black astronaut NFT character created by Micah Johnson, an artist and former MLB player, has been optioned for TV and film projects by Anonymous Content and Permanent Content, a joint venture of Shawn
Mari Törőcsik, one of Hungary’s leading actors, died on Friday, at the age of 85, in Budapest after a long illness. She won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and appeared in two Oscar nominated films. Törőcsik’s first international appearance was in 1956 at Cannes, where she starred in Zoltán Fábri’s Palme d’Or competitor
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, the creative minds behind “Bridesmaids” and “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” are reteaming on a movie about Cinderella’s evil stepsisters. Set at Disney, Wiig and Mumolo will write the screenplay for the musical comedy that reimagines the classic fairytale from the perspective of the two siblings who
Helen McCrory, the English actor who played Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” franchise and Polly Gray in “Peaky Blinders,” has died, her husband Damian Lewis announced on Friday. She was 52. “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully
Six years after she first conceived of the idea, Corinna Faith’s “The Power” is gearing up for release. Cleverly set in 1974, during a time when miners’ union disputes led to blackouts enforced by the U.K. government, the British writer-director’s debut feature is a smart and scary horror that marks her as a filmmaker to