Movies

Usually held in person at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch and the Creative Impact Awards were hosted virtually this year. The panel, moderated by chief film critic Peter DeBruge, included directors Prano Bailey-Bond (“Censor”), Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. (“Wild Indian”), Nia DaCosta (“Candyman”), Siân Heder (“CODA”), Philippe Lacôte (“Night of

Whether it’s filming a major musical number or epic action sequence, camera operators are responsible for the media audiences consume. Camera operator Mitch Dubin’s 17th film with director Steven Spielberg is the upcoming “West Side Story.” The musical presented Dubin with opportunities to harness new techniques, such as wearing an earpiece to listen to the

The Telluride Film Festival is optimistic that by September, it will be able to safely hold an in-person event in the Colorado mountain town, including an extra day of programming. The fest is set for Sept. 2 to Sept. 6, organizers announced Friday. Executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement, “We are beyond excited

The most important thing to director Regina King for her directorial debut on “One Night in Miami” was to have everything as historically accurate as possible. Cinematographer Tami Reiker’s research bible was “Goat: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali” by Jeff Koons. Reiker whose credits include “The Old Guard” and “Beyond the Lights,” says this tome

AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron received a $3.75 million bonus at a time when many of the company’s employees have been laid off and several of its theaters are closed due to COVID-19, according to public filings. It’s been a grueling period for the world’s largest theater chain, one that has seen its cinemas shuttered

Selling independent films is a fraught business amid the chaos of the annual film festival circuit, but last year Legion M debuted an ace in its back pocket — hundreds of app users on smartphones, weighing on what titles were most likely to succeed. That’s how Film Scout was born, the app that lets a

In January 2016, the hashtag that changed the awards landscape — #OscarsSoWhite — forced the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to evaluate not only their membership but the way Hollywood makes movies. Then came 2020, the year that tested the Hollywood industry from business operations to simple creative expressions. The mood among commenters

Chile scored twice at this year’s Oscars derby with Maite Alberdi’s genre-bending documentary “The Mole Agent.” For a Chilean film to be shortlisted for both the International Feature Film and Documentary categories is unprecedented. That it is by a female director – only the second time in Chile’s history a film by a woman was

Capturing the right musical ambiance for Billie Holiday in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” was the product of a year-and-a-half of research and planning, even before shooting began in late 2019. “These songs don’t sound like a record from that time,” executive music producer Salaam Remi tells Variety. “They sound like you’re in the

“I Care a Lot,” a twisty thriller about a scam artist who preys on senior citizens, has been the most watched movie on Netflix since it debuted on the service on February 19. In the old days success was measured in box office grosses, but in the new Hollywood it’s gauged in terms of streams.

This week brings more theatrical releases than American audiences have gotten in ages — and possibly more than they’re ready for now, as vaccine rollouts still leave people questioning whether it’s safe to do things like go to the movies. Some, such as Warner Bros.’ “Tom & Jerry,” can also be viewed via streaming (the

International sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment has boarded comedy horror whodunnit “Werewolves Within,” which will be released by IFC Films in the U.S. The movie, which is completed, is directed by Josh Ruben, and is written by Mishna Wolff. The cast includes Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil and Sarah Burns. In the pic, a

In Apple TV Plus’ new drama “Cherry,” Tom Holland’s life is spiraling out of control. Holland plays Cherry, a war veteran who suffers from PTSD and descends into an opioid addiction. He also falls in love with Emily, played by Ciara Bravo. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who also shot “Da 5 Bloods,” explains the film

Gaston Pavlovich, famed for producing Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” and “The Irishman,” is joining Sophokles Tasioulis, producer of Terrence Malick’s “Voyage of Time,” to produce “The Hague.” The feature is set up at Tasioulis’ Sophisticated Films banner in Germany and Pavlovich’s Mexico-based international production banner Fábrica de Cine. “The Hague” is based on a story and treatment

George Clooney and Julia Roberts will star in “Ticket to Paradise,” a new romantic comedy that will reunite the “Ocean’s Eleven” stars and longtime friends. Ol Parker (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) will direct the film for Universal Pictures and Working Title. Cameras will roll on the movie later this year. The actors will play

The logline “man meets robot” evokes a litany of famous android romances — “Her,” “Stepford Wives” and “Bladerunner” among them — but, curiously, there are nowhere near enough featuring male robots. The Dan Stevens-fronted “I’m Your Man” (Ich bin dein Mensch) ably rights the balance while posing philosophical questions in a witty, modern rom-com. The

Ta-Nehisi Coates will write a new Superman film for DC Films and Warner Bros. The project is in very early development, but the new film is being produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. Hannah Minghella will also  produce. There is no director attached to the project at this time and the search for an actor

Under a new multi-year agreement, Sony Pictures will handle distribution for Lionsgate’s physical home entertainment releases in the United States and Canada. Lionsgate will continue to maintain its own independent sales and marketing teams, while leveraging Sony Picture Home Entertainments supply chain and distribution services for DVD sales. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will begin distributing

Nearly nine months after premiering on Netflix, Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” will finally debut on the big screen in Los Angeles. The Vietnam War drama will be presented in a special screening event at the Hollywood Legion Theater drive-in on March 5 and 6, the first time the film will be presented theatrically in

MK2 Films has scored a raft of strong pre-sales on “The Worst Person In The World,” the anticipated third film in Joachim Trier’s “Oslo” trilogy, following “Reprise” and “Oslo, August 31st.” The company has also unveiled a first look still of the film ahead of the virtual EFM, where it will present a promo-reel to

In today’s Global Bulletin, Hanway Films and Cinetic Media give a first look at Tony Stone’s “Ted K,” Amazon Prime Video orders a second season of “El Internado: Las Cumbres,” Greenlit goes global, Abundantia Entertainment plans for a “Keepers of the Kalachakra” adaptation, Brigid O’Shea steps down from DOK Leipzig and BMG Production Music hires

As the European Film Market prepares to launch on Monday in a digital format, its new director Dennis Ruh talks to Variety about the rationale behind the structure that he has chosen, and the challenges he’s faced in staging this edition of the event. Why will the European Film Market take place March 1-5 in

“Bloodthirsty,” a werewolf thriller about a rising singer who finds herself in a compromising position, has sold U.S. distribution rights to Brainstorm Media. It will release in theaters and on demand on April 23. The film, which premiered at the virtual Fantastic Fest Celebration, was directed by Amelia Moses. Wendy Hill-Tout wrote the script with

Gaumont has boarded Tristan Séguéla’s high-concept comedy “For Better And For Worse,” headlined by Cesar-winning Fabrice Luchini (“The Mystery of Henri Pick”) and Catherine Frot (“Marguerite”), two of France’s most bankable stars. The movie will begin shooting in April. Luchini stars in the bold comedy as Jean, the conservative mayor of a small town in

One of the sleeper hits of the shutdown last year was Rob Savage’s British horror “Host,” a very short (just under an hour) and sweetly scary tale of friends whose weekly Zoom call during COVID quarantine gets crashed by an unwelcome supernatural visitor. It was, however, bound to be the exception which proved a preexisting

In the 80 years since Tom and Jerry made their cartoon debut, the duo have zonked, bonked and kerplonked one another too many times to count, and somehow the joke has never gotten old. Nor have the aggravated gray cat and his rival the clever brown mouse, who remain forever young, and forever scrappy —

Barcelona-based film-TV studio Filmax has acquired international sales rights to Cesc Gay’s new comedy “Stories Not to Be Told,” which is currently shooting. Filmax will also handle Spanish distribution to the latest outing from Gay, whose 2021 Goya Awards contender “The People Upstairs,” has sold to major territories in Europe and North America. Written by

Taiwan has denied prominent Hong Kong film producer and entertainment mogul Charles Heung Wah-keung and his son visas to live there, citing national security concerns. Heung is known for founding Win’s Entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s powerhouse China Star Entertainment, the Hong Kong-listed production company and distributor that helped cement the stardom of Hong

Three days before this year’s Golden Globes Awards is set to take place, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is responding to criticism that it has failed to cultivate an inclusive and diverse membership body. Most notably, as detailed in a scathing exposé last Sunday by the Los Angeles Times, the org does not have a

Billie Eilish hasn’t been famous for very long, but when you see her in “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” R.J. Cutler’s two-hour-and-20-minute but never boring documentary hang-out movie, you see why she’s already the quintessential pop star of the 21st century. The film, which shows you more or less everything you want to