Movies

David Oyelowo’s feature directorial debut “The Water Man” has acquired worldwide distribution. RLJE Films will distribute the film in North America, with Netflix handling the rest of the worldwide rollout. RLJE, a business unit of AMC Networks, plans to release the project day-and-date in theaters and on PVOD on May 7, 2021, with Netflix set to

Stephen DeBro’s new documentary “18th & Grand” weaves together boxing, wrestling, punk rock, roller derby and local history with an “only in L.A.” perspective that firmly situates the historic auditorium in the city’s culture. As the filmmaker was researching the history of the Downtown Los Angeles building and its many lives, one aspect stood out:

Cinetic Media and HanWay Films have launched sales on writer/director Tony Stone’s Berlin Panorama selection “Ted K,” starring Sharlto Copley (“District 9”). The film tracks a period in the life of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, and draws from his personal diaries and accounts from those who knew him during his life in

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Edgar Wright’s documentary “The Sparks Brothers,” which premiered to rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival. “The Sparks Brothers” takes a look at siblings Ron and Russell Mael, two halves of the enigmatic rock pop duo known as Sparks. Wright’s film, capturing their decades-long career and impact, features commentary

Having followed the film awards season races closely for an even longer time than I’ve worked at Variety, I sometimes feel as if these decades of kudos scrutinizing have lulled this trade paper journo into thinking I’ve seen it all and I can’t really be surprised at any outcomes. Which is hard for a guy

All the signs of impending major disruptions to the wobbly business model of the theatrical specialty film industry have been blasting at us like a neon marquee in Times Square for nearly two decades. ¶ Among the premonitory events that signaled loud warnings of big-time arthouse heartaches: The 2004 pic “Crash” was regarded at the

Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Censor,” which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival opening the Midnight Section, and will also be part of the Berlinale Panorama section in March. Protagonist is handling world sales. The film is the debut feature by Prano Bailey-Bond (read Variety’s interview with her here), who

SF Studios has released the first teaser trailer for the anticipated action thriller “Omerta 6/12” which just wrapped shooting. The big-budget film is directed by Aku Louhimies and stars Finnish actor Jasper Pääkkönen (“Da 5 Bloods,” “BlacKkKlansman”) and Swedish actors Nanna Blondell (“Red Dot”) and Sverrir Gudnason (“Borg vs. McEnroe”). “Omertà 6/12” is expected to

China’s state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) announced late Monday evening that it has signed a strategic partnership in program development and online video with South Korean public broadcaster KBS. The move may be a strong indication of a thaw in tensions between the two countries that have for years left Korean content unofficially banned

Author William Joyce is set to direct an animated version of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel “The Great Gatsby.” Brian Selznick, who wrote and adapted 2017’s “Wonderstruck,” will work on the screenplay. Michael Siegel and DNEG Senior VP Creative Production David Prescott join Joyce as producers on the animated feature film. DNEG Feature Animation

In “The Artist’s Wife,” Lena Olin plays Claire, the wife of an abstract artist, Richard, played by Bruce Dern. Her life is perfectly composed. That is, until Richard is diagnosed with dementia and their perfect world starts to disintegrate. Written and directed by Tom Dolby, the story is close to his heart, as it was

Martha Stewart, best known for co-starring alongside Joan Crawford and Humphrey Bogart in “Daisy Kenyon” and “In a Lonely Place,” respectively, died on Feb. 17, her daughter Colleen Shelly confirmed on Twitter. She was 98. “The original Martha Stewart left us yesterday,” Shelly wrote. “She had a new part to play in a movie with

Australia’s Stranger Than Fiction Films and the U.K.’s Arrow Pictures have teamed for theatrical documentary “River,” commissioned by BBC Arts and ABC Arts. Exploring the relationship between humans and rivers, the documentary spans six continents. It is directed by Jennifer Peedom, co-directed by Joseph Nizeti and produced by Jo-anne McGowan and Peedom from Stranger than

As Hollywood continues to observe the alarming rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the U.S., creative unions and content producers are speaking out. Following celebrity outcry last week, the Directors Guild of America has formally issued a condemnation of attacks — many of which affect elders in the AAPI community. “The DGA strongly condemns the

Chloe Zhao’s awards season frontrunner “Nomadland” has been approved for a limited release in China starting April 23 through the country’s arthouse cinema circuit, according to information published on the government-backed distributor China Film’s website. The date would put its debut just three days ahead of the Academy Awards, where the title is expected to

I first met Tom Quinn, the film distributor Neon’s co-founder, at a party at the Telluride Film Festival in August 2019. With his film talent in attendance, including “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” star Adèle Haenel, a 10-minute side conversation with the CEO has remained prevalent in my

The Directors Guild of America has extended its contract with national executive director Russell Hollander through 2026, the guild announced on Monday. Hollander has helmed the organization since 2017, and he led negotiations on the renewal of its contract last year. He has also been involved in work with other entertainment unions to develop COVID-19

“Curtain Call,” starring starring Colin Firth, Gemma Arterton, Paapa Essiedu and Simon Russell Beale, has sold to several major territories. To be directed by “Shopgirl” filmmaker Anand Tucker, the film will commence production later this year in the U.K. Culmination Productions has sold to Squareone Entertainment (German-speaking Europe), Notorious Pictures (Italy), California Filmes (Latin America),

You can now read the screenplay for “The Mauritanian,” based on Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s 2015 memoir “Guantanamo Diary,” here. The script, from M.B. Travern and Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald and stars Tahar Rahim as Slahi and Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander, the attorney who took on his

If there were any doubt that Hollywood is still enamored with former presidential candidate and current U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, look no further than the heavyweight filmmakers and top distributor who will mount the story of his historic presidential campaign. “Mayor Pete,” directed by Jesse Moss, the co-director of last year’s “Boys State”

Filmmakers behind Pixar’s SparkShorts “Burrow,” “Out,” “Float,” “Loop” and “Wind” will discuss their work in a free online PreVIEW talk presented by the VIEW Conference, beginning at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, Feb. 26. “Burrow” and “Out” are on the Academy’s shortlist for Oscar nominations. The SparkShorts program was begun by Pixar in 2019 as

Leading arthouse sales and production house The Match Factory and Italian film director Pietro Marcello have teamed up for the third time following the company’s acquisition of his documentary “Per Lucio,” which world premieres in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival. They previously worked together on fantasy drama “Lost and Beautiful,”

Jenny Slate and Charlie Day have been tapped to star in a new romantic comedy from Amazon Studios. In the movie, titled “I Want You Back,” Slate and Day will play 30somethings, dumped by their respective partners and terrified that their shot at a fairytale life — complete with marriage, kids and houses in the

Plenty of Hollywood studio executives are sports fanatics — pre-pandemic, the floor seats at any given Lakers game often looked like the executive check-in at the Academy Awards. But Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, has taken his love of the game to a much more philosophical level during a recent and

A new Netflix documentary will pull back the curtain on the notorious college admissions bribery scandal that ensnared Hollywood celebrities, financiers and other members of the monied elite. “Operation Varsity Blues,” directed by Chris Smith, will debut on the streaming service on March 17, 2021. The film promises to provide a deep dive into the

A portrait of a well-meaning man caught in events he cannot control and understands all too late, Hungarian Denes Nagy’s Berlin Competition entry “Natural Light” has a first trailer, shared exclusively with Variety by sales company Luxbox. Set in icy marshland in Russia during WWII, “Natural Light” accompanies corporal István Semetka, drafted into a Hungarian

Olmo Figueredo’s Seville-based La Claqueta, producer of Spain’s Oscar submission “The Endless Trench,” has boarded “The Turtles,” the second feature from Belén Funes, one of the leading lights of Barcelona’s fast-growing – and often women-led – newest wave of filmmakers. Funes’ second feature, following on San Sebastian’s 2019 New Director winner “A Thief’s Daughter,” “The

The Museum of Modern Art has unveiled the festival lineup for Doc Fortnight 2021, the 20th edition of its annual showcase of nonfiction films from around the globe. Over 18 documentary features and four short films will be screened as part of the festival. In a concession to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s films will

Hong Kong’s film industry moved ahead on several fronts over the weekend after coronavirus-mandated lockdowns were reduced. But the return to business is likely to be uneven. Cinemas reopened on Thursday, after being ordered shut since Dec. 2, 2020. A local producer-distributor Golden Scene pulled back the curtains on its expansion into exhibition. And Emperor

Picture Tree Intl. has picked up the global sales rights on comedy drama “Risks and Side Effects,” which follows a woman’s kidney transplant journey that threatens to break-up her friendships and marriage. The sales agency will launch sales at the European Film Market (March 1-5). Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer. [embedded