Movies

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema did everything it could to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. It furloughed most of the staff, cut pay for those who remained, rented out theaters for private events, paused costly development projects, leaned on its merchandising business to keep revenue coming in, and launched an on-demand movie service. In the end, it was

Sam Levinson’s “Malcolm & Marie” was a spur-of-the-moment production, made at the height of quarantine in the summer of 2020, that rested on the collaboration of its 22 crew members and stars. Director Levinson and producer-actors Zendaya and John David Washington joined deputy awards and features editor Jenelle Riley in the Variety Streaming Room presented

Costume designer Trish Summerville, who has previously worked with David Fincher on “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Gone Girl,” says she was very excited when she learned the director wanted to do a full project in black-and-white. The only time she had ever tackled crafting costumes was in flashback sequences, not a full-length

For subtlety’s sake, it’s better if coming-of-age stories don’t feature subplots in which characters are asked to pen their own autobiographical tales of maturation, and then spend time debating the merits of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” as well as their personal similarities to its protagonist, Holden Caulfield. That “Boogie” does this is

Geoffrey Zakarian has become one of the most recognizable faces on Food Network as a judge on “Chopped” and co-host of “The Kitchen.” But the chef and restaurateur behind New York City’s Lambs Club and other spots has gradually expanded the scope of his work in TV to include behind-the-camera activity as a content producer.

Many of us have, at one point or another, been stuck in a bar argument that went on a bit too long, that got a bit too hostile, with someone we didn’t know too well — and it’s rarely a memory to be treasured. Would it help if the guy at the other end of

Even though Nigeria has a flourishing film industry called Nollywood, 2020 was the first year that the country entered Oscar’s international film race. Nigeria had submitted a film the previous year, but it was deemed ineligible. This year, the country pinned its hopes on “The Milkmaid,” written and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele. Even though the

Chinese exhibitors should stop wantonly raising movie ticket prices or else prepare to face consumer backlash, a key government-affiliated consumer rights body said in a new report. The high price of movie tickets was one of the top categories of consumer complaints over the country’s big Chinese New Year holiday, according to the China Consumers

Triumph and pain were bedfellows last year for the Korean film industry. But Berlin’s European Film Market and the imminent Hong Kong FilMart see Korean companies putting on a brave face. Korean cinemas were in defensive mode early on in the coronavirus pandemic, as a population familiar with epidemics chose to stay away from crowded

Neon has acquired North American rights to Céline Sciamma’s latest feature, “Petite Maman,” following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The sale reunites Sciamma with Neon, the New York-based independent studio that released her acclaimed drama “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Written and directed by Sciamma, “Petite Maman” follows 8-year-old Nelly, who loses her

CBS Films’ 2019 romantic drama “Five Feet Apart” is set to release on March 12 in China, where it is sensibly being marketed as a romance for the COVID-19 era. It is also selling its lead actor Haley Lu Richardson as thinner and ever so slightly taller than she is in real life. Chinese internet

When Vanessa Kirby went from starring in “The World to Come” to “Pieces of a Woman,” she had the rare gift of working with Dávid Jancsó for 18 months, because Jancsó ended up as the editor on both films. Kirby first met Jancsó during an ADR session. “I remember thinking, ‘He’s going to see me

Janelle Monáe knows the tables have turned and a new era has evolved with the 2020 elections that saw Democrats win the White House and Georgia flip the Senate in the runoffs. “The Georgia that went out and voted is not Georgia in the ‘50s or ‘60s. Quite frankly, the people are not taking shit,”

Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to Quentin Reynaud’s “Final Set,” a French movie starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Alex Lutz and Ana Girardot, from Studiocanal. “Final Set,” which unfolds in the world of professional tennis, is produced by Leonard Glowinski for his company, 22H22 (“A Hologram for the King”). The film revolves around Thomas (Lutz),

This year’s SAG Awards are keeping it short and sweet in recognition of this socially distanced age of COVID-19. Executive producers Todd Milliner, Sean Hayes and Kathy Connell have revealed to Variety that next month’s ceremony will be pre-taped, including winner reveals, and be limited to just a one-hour running time. “We’re looking at trying

Netflix released the official trailer for “Thunder Force,” which stars Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as two best friends with newly acquired superpowers. The film is set to make its streaming debut on April 9. The superhero comedy is directed by Ben Falcone, who previously worked with McCarthy on films such as “Tammy,” “The Boss,”

For the first time ever, two Hungarian films are competing for the Berlinale’s Golden Bear: “Forest – I See You Everywhere,” a standalone sequel to the 2003 Berlinale hit “Forest,” from veteran auteur Bence Fliegauf, and “Natural Light” from feature debutant Dénes Nagy. Csaba Káel, chairman of the National Film Institute of Hungary (NFI), says,

Indian actors Ali Fazal (“Death on the Nile”) and Richa Chadha (“Gangs of Wasseypur”) have launched production outfit Pushing Buttons Studios. The company, set up with a view to tell stories rooted in the Indian ethos for a global audience, will kick off with “Girls Will Be Girls,” the only Indian selection of the 10

There are two gods in “Souad,” Allah and smart phones, but in a battle between the two it’s clear who’ll be the winner. Ayten Amin’s bold second feature is brilliantly alive to the contradictions of teenage life in conservative Egypt, where the pressures of social media clash with traditional religious strictures, leading to schizophrenic lives

“Natural Light,” a portrait of the attrition and atrocity of war set at a benighted village in occupied Western Soviet Union in 1943, has clinched its first sales as Paris-based Luxbox rolls out the Berlin Competition player at the European Film Market. Nour Films, whose past pickups include Berlin Golden Bear winner “Touch Me Not,”

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the Texas-based theater chain that has become a favorite with cinephiles for it dine-in service and fan-forward approach to exhibition, has filed for Chapter 11. The bankruptcy filing comes as part of an asset purchase agreement with Altamont Capital Partners, a previous investor in the company, as well as affiliates of Fortress

British actors Bukky Bakray, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Morfydd Clark, Sope Dirisu and Conrad Khan are the 2021 nominees for the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award. The nominees were announced by 2014 Rising Star nominee George MacKay (“1917”) and presenter Edith Bowman on Wednesday. The nominees participated in a panel discussion and spoke about their roles. Ben-Adir

Berlin-based Salzgeber has picked up international rights to Gitta Gsell’s award-winning Swiss drama “Beyto,” about a young man who is forced into an arranged marriage after coming out to his Turkish family. Produced by Bern’s Lomotion in co-production with Peter Zwierko’s Sulaco Film in Basel, “Beyto” premiered last year at the Zurich Film Festival and

“Attention!” bawls an onscreen title, or rather its subtitle, given that the original is written in Georgia’s lovely curly alphabet. “Dear Audience, please close your eyes at the first signal.” Alexandre Koberidze, writer-director-narrator of the marvellous, mischievous “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?” probably doesn’t expect anyone to obey as he

Philadelphia-based Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to Angeles Hernández and David Matamoros’ feature debut “Isaac,” a genre-blend of drama, black comedy and an existential journey. Breaking Glass plans a third quarter 2021 release for the movie. The deal was struck by Richard Wolff, president of Breaking Glass Pictures, and “Isaac’s” world sales

Triumph and pain were bedfellows last year for the Korean film industry. But Berlin’s European Film Market and the imminent Hong Kong FilMart see Korean companies putting on a brave face. Korean cinemas were in a defensive mode early on in the coronavirus pandemic, as a population familiar with epidemics chose to stay away from

One year ago, as thousands of global film and TV industry reps descended on Berlin for the European Film Market, executives from Nigerian production and distribution powerhouse FilmOne Entertainment had good reason to feel optimistic. The company had recently unveiled a $1 million film fund with China’s Huahua Media and South Africa’s Empire Entertainment, an

Buenos Aires-based sales agency Meikincine Entertainment has closed a deal with Amazon Prime Video for the U.S. and Latin American rights to this year’s Argentine Oscar submission “The Sleepwalkers,” which will debut on the platform March 31. “The Sleepwalkers” is the fourth feature from Argentine auteur Paula Hernández, who pulls double duty as the film’s

Written when the Italian legend was at the height of his powers, the screenplay for Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Technically Sweet,” which he planned to shoot between “Zabriskie Point” and “The Passenger,” looks set to be finally brought to the big screen. Set in Sardinia and the Amazon jungle, “Technically Sweet” is set up at Brazil’s Gullane,

Leading arthouse outfit The Match Factory is continuing its successful partnership with Laura Bispuri as it boards sales on her latest film, “The Peacock’s Paradise.” The film stars Cannes best actress winner Dominique Sanda and Venice best actress winner Alba Rohrwacher, Bispuri’s long-time collaborator. The Match Factory previously represented the director’s “Sworn Virgin,” which played