Movies

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

Wyatt Oleff, who starred in Netflix comedy “I Am Not OK With This” and appeared in the “It” franchise, “Ugly Betty’s” Michael Urie and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, who will star in the Jordan Peele co-written and produced “Candyman” and HBO Max’s “Generation,” will topline drama-comedy “Our Last Summer,” executive produced by Alan Ball (“American Beauty,” “Six

The Texas-born movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has announced that it will keep its COVID-19 safety measures in place, despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order lifting the mask mandate and reopening the state. In a statement posted to its official Twitter account on Tuesday, Alamo Drafthouse reaffirmed its COVID-19 precautions and took a stance

There can be a fine line between a good idea and a terrible one followed through with utter conviction, and it’s along said line that “The Scary of Sixty-First” dances with heedless, wicked abandon. A brash, gutsy, morbidly funny first feature from actor-filmmaker-podcaster Dasha Nekrasova, it runs on a premise that could have been written

Malaysia’s largest movie theater operator Golden Screen Cinemas is to acquire the country’s third largest player MBO, which last year filed for a creditor’s voluntary winding-up agreement as a result of the coronavirus’ negative impact on business. The move comes at a time when many of Malaysia’s cinemas are poised to reopen after the latest

Sophisticated, bold, flashy and a bit of a shark is how costume designer Deb Newhall describes Rosamund Pike’s character Marla Grayson in the Netflix dark comedy “I Care a Lot.” On Sunday, Pike won a Golden Globe in the best actress comedy or musical category — beating out expected frontrunner Maria Bakalova — and the

“Raya and the Last Dragon” is set in the land of Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization where humans and dragons once lived together in harmony. Star Kelly Marie Tran tells the “Just for Variety” podcast that the real-life atmosphere on the set of the Disney movie, which arrives in theaters and

Navigating the precarious aspects of growing up while simultaneously buried deep in the throes of grief is one young woman’s struggle in director Jessie Barr’s “Sophie Jones.” This meaningful drama, co-written and starring Barr’s sister Jessica, taps into the immediacy of being a teenager and the intimacy of sorrow, yielding astute insights. The pair set

Hugh Grant has been cast as the villain in Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s untitled “Dungeons & Dragons” film adaptation. Grant will play the main antagonist in the film, which is being jointly produced and financed by eOne and Paramount. Sophia Lillis, known for her work in “Uncle Frank,” the “It” films and Netflix’s

“The Day Sports Stood Still,” a documentary about the unprecedented sports shutdown of March 2020, will debut on March 24 on HBO Sports. The film centers on NBA All-Star and NBA Players Association president Chris Paul, who is also an executive producer. At the time, Paul played point guard for Oklahoma City Thunder and was

Director Ariel Vromen has found his next project, the buzzy Los Angeles riots script “April 29, 1992” from writer Sascha Penn. Vromen, whose credits include the well-received Michael Shannon thriller “The Iceman,” has boarded the project with an eye for fast-tracked production, as early as June. The film takes place on the first night of

Nearly six months after “Tenet” was released in the United States, Warner Bros. announced that the Christopher Nolan sci-fi spectacle will open in five New York City movie theater locations this Friday. On Feb. 22, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that movie theaters located in New York City will be able to open their

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks Int’l has scooped up worldwide rights to Paraguayan filmmaker Simon Franco’s “Charlotte,” a dramedy starring the grande dame of Spanish cinema, Angela Molina. “Charlotte” is produced by Franco’s Paraguay-based Lemon Cine, along with Argentina’s Pelicano Cine and FAM Contenidos. In addition, Lemon Cine has acquired the remake rights to Chilean comedy “Sin

Did Jeffrey Epstein kill himself, or was he murdered before the wealthy sex offender could point a finger and potentially implicate any of the high-profile, well-heeled predators in his orbit? That’s the premise of Dasha Nekrasova’s provocative directorial debut “The Scare of Sixty-First.” It’s a subject of intense interest to Nekrasova, an actor and host

Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frias’ latest feature, “I’m No Longer Here,” has garnered a host of awards since it was minted at the Sundance Screenwriters lab. Now streaming on Netflix, the film’s depiction of a nearly extinct countercultural movement framed against an immigration drama has won accolades from Oscar-winning directors Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron.

Rob Schneider is taking his comedic wits into the vocal booth. Schneider, Dolph Lundgren (“Creed II”) and Nicholas Turturro (“BlacKkKlansman,” “NYPD Blue”) have joined family comedy “Pups Alone.” The “Saturday Night Live” alum will lend his voice to the live-action feature alongside a cast that includes Jennifer Love Hewitt (“Ghost Whisperer,” “9-1-1”), Keith David (“The

For the third year in a row, Netflix has a film in the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival. This year, Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “A Cop Movie” follows the path first blazed by Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa Y Marcela,” which at the time was met with a letter from 160 German independent exhibitors demanding the film

It’s been eight years since twin brother directing duo Ramon and Silvan Zürcher’s “The Strange Little Cat” caught the eye of audiences around the world, playing at major festivals in Turkey, India, Argentina, Portugal and beyond. The pair has finally returned, this time to Berlin, where their second feature of a trilogy on human togetherness,

Brussels-based Best Friend Forever Sales has given Variety exclusive access to the international trailer for Berlin Panorama player “All Eyes Off Me,” the sexually charged sophomore outing of actor-director Hadas Ben Aroya. Told in three distinct yet related chapters, the film begins at a party in Tel Aviv where young Danny is trying to find

While it took co-writer/director Darius Marder 12 years to bring his passion project, “Sound of Metal,” to the screen, star Riz Ahmed learned to play drums believably in just over seven months. For his role as Ruben, the punk-metal-noise drummer whose increased hearing loss leads him to a deaf community for addicts and wounded veterans,

Paris-based Le Pacte has closed a raft of sales on Olivier Peyon’s “Tokyo Shaking” and Nadine Loiseau’s “Three Times Nothing,” both of which are screening at the Berlin Festival’s virtual European Film Market. A hot title on Le Pacte’s slate, “Tokyo Shaking” sold to Germany and Austria (ZDF), Israel (New Cinema), Canada (Axia Films), Spain

Hollywood has always adapted to world changes, and Oscar campaigning this year has effectively adjusted to COVID. But one part of the awards season is missed more than the others: seeing a contender on the big screen. Studios have delayed several big-scale films, including “Dune” and “West Side Story,” until later in 2021. So “small”

MADRID — Flushed by Netflix success with “Below Zero,” Spain brings an extraordinary gamut of movie titles to Berlin. Some highlights: “All the Moons,” (Igor Legarreta) A France-Spain co-production, “All the Moons” tracks two vampires in the northern Spain during the last Carlist war. S.A. Filmax “Ane is Missing,” (David Pérez Sañudo) A 2021 best picture Goya

Berlinale Talents is in itself one of the biggest, if temporary hubs, for burgeoning creatives in film and TV. Here, Variety spreads the net slightly wider to spotlight 10 on the rise writers or directors. Miguel Ángel Blanca writer-director  Director of two features to date, including sci-fi thriller “I Want the Eternal,” Blanca’s films skew

Amidst a global pandemic that presented governments with a clear ethical dilemma between protecting their citizens’ well-being and the heartbeat of the economy, Spain’s government announced last May a robust hike in tax incentives that converted its tourism-driven economy into eye candy for big shoots and international productions. Now, Spain’s film and TV industries are

MADRID — A new order of global streamers is powering the biggest revolution in film-TV business models in the last 100 years. COVID-19 merely accelerated that seismic change, which cannot but wreak a disruptive effect on sales agents’ traditional business. Spain’s top sales companies are adapting their strategies to a more competitive and complex market,

With big-budget blockbusters like “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Mulan” launching simultaneously online and in theaters, streaming has “pushed into its own white space” and is unlikely to vacate that space any time soon, according to Ampere Analysis’ Guy Bisson. Speaking during a European Film Market opening session at Berlinale, Bisson outlined some of the major

In the black comedy thriller “Next Door,” the directorial debut of actor Daniel Brühl, the main character, Daniel, is a successful actor living in an old quarter of Berlin. His day is about to be ruined, and his life too. Variety spoke to Brühl – whose upcoming acting credits include “The Falcon and the Winter

Cannes’ Marché du Film is exploring the possibility of hosting virtual screenings for buyers and sellers in May or June, Variety has confirmed. This would take place ahead of the film festival, which was pushed by two months into early July. The Marché will then also run alongside the festival as a physical event from