Movies

During Brazil’s CCXP on Sunday, “Wonder Woman 1984” director Patty Jenkins shared a new teaser for the upcoming film, one that features a down-to-earth Diana Prince just as much as her superhero alias. The 60-second trailer dives into the relationship between Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and Diana (Gal Gadot), in addition to Diana’s life

Cult Filipino filmmaker Mikhail Red is deep in post-production on action thriller ‘Arisaka.’ The shoot was temporarily delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic and following COVID-safe production protocols, principal photography was completed in the third quarter of 2020. News of the film was first announced by Variety during the Singapore Media Festival’s Southeast Asian Film

Who, in the music world, is the true queen of Christmas? There are going to be some fan bases with some very strong opinions about that, it goes without saying. But for some of us, Christmas is Love… Darlene Love, the principal voice (on songs both credited and uncredited) of Phil Spector’s 1963 compilation “A

Egyptian filmmaker Marwan Hamed, the director of “The Yacoubian Building,” “The Blue Elephant” and “The Blue Elephant 2,” which last year became the highest-grossing Egyptian film in history, is shooting “Kira and El Gen,” based on Ahmed Mourad’s book “1919,” about Egyptian resistance to British occupation. He spoke to Variety about the project at the

Nesrine El-Zayat, whose debut feature “On the Fence” is world premiering at the Cairo Film Festival this week, is typical of the new generation of young Egyptian filmmakers. Lacking access to funds, equipment and formal training but bursting with stories and ideas, El-Zayat borrowed a friend’s camera shortly after the death of her father in

Egypt’s Film Clinic, the prominent indie shingle headed by Cairo Film Festival president Mohammed Hefzy, has scored the rare distinction of being the Middle East and North Africa region distributor of a trio of Arabic films that are in the running for the 2021 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Film Clinic, which since

Production has finally completed on “Huda’s Salon,” the new film from double Academy-Award nominated director Hany Abu-Assad (“Paradise Now,” “Omar”). Production was halted twice this year because of regulations brought in to stop the spread of coronavirus. Variety spoke to the Palestinian director from his home in Nazareth after he gave a masterclass via Zoom

Opponents of the looming SAG-AFTRA Health Plan cuts have hit back at SAG-AFTRA over the leadership’s accusations that the opponents are spreading “misinformation and fear.” In a message Sunday morning, the SOS Health Plan said the Dec. 4 message from the union’s official SAG-AFTRA Communications’ account is “deliberately misrepresenting the Health Plan Crisis.” “They insist that

When you talk to people who‘ve crossed over into favoring the home-viewing experience — I mean really favoring it, as in their attitude about going out to a movie theater is now basically Who needs it? — they’ll list the usual catechism of complaints about theaters (the cell phones, the parade of trailers that never

Universal and DreamWorks’ “The Croods: A New Age” repeated as winner of a mild post-Thanksgiving weekend with $4.4 million at 2,205 North American locations. The animated comedy sequel, featuring a voice cast of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds, has been dominating the seriously subdued moviegoing business since its Nov. 25 launch with $20.3 million in its

Key practitioners working across Southeast Asia and beyond unpacked the various processes and benefits that go into the creation of short films at the Singapore International Film Festival, part of the overarching Singapore Media Festival. Filmmaker Kan Lume, whose 2012 short “Libertas” won the NETPAC Award at the Tripoli Film Festival, described the process of

Indian drama film “Milestone” (aka “Meel Patthar”) was named the best film at the Silver Screen Awards, the closing event of the Singapore International Film Festival. The festival is a cornerstone of the Singapore Media Festival consumer and industry event. Directed by Ivan Ayr, “Milestone” recounts the foretaste of doom that follows a veteran truck

“Morichales,” an experimental mocumentary about a geographer and explorer working in Venezuela’s Guyana, won the recent 35th Mar del Plata Festival work in progress showcase. “Morichales” is produced by Felipe Guerrero and Chris Gude at Colombia’s Mutokino (“Los Conductos”). A jury including producers Montse Triola, Zsuzsanna Kiràly and Sandra Gómez hailed Gude “for making a

Produced and showrun by Vanessa Ragone, an Oscar-winner for “The Secret of Her Eyes,” the Argentinian true crime miniseries dives deep into the still ongoing case of the murder of María Marta García Belsunce. “Carmel, Who Killed Maria Marta?” was released on Netflix reigniting the public’s attention and curiosity. What was deemed an accident quickly

Ventana Sur, which wrapped Friday, was, on many counts, quite extraordinary. With Buenos Aires, the market’s normal location, still under COVID-19 lockdown, Latin America’s biggest movie mart-meet spread out film screenings over five cities in two continents – Madrid, Mexico City, Bogotá, São Paulo and Santiago de Chile – complemented by digital screenings for the

“Black Panther” star Letitia Wright appears to have deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts after receiving backlash regarding a video she posted on the platform Thursday night. The video, which was from the YouTube channel “On The Table,” questions the legitimacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. It also appears skeptical of climate change, accuses China of

With COVID-19 cases on the rise and many movie theaters closing, Sony Pictures has announced new release dates for three upcoming films. “The Father,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, was originally meant to debut in just a few weeks on Dec. 18. It will now release on Feb. 26, 2021. Directed by Florian Zeller

Three days after the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and its Trustees were sued over upcoming cuts in benefits and eligibility for the plan, leaders of SAG-AFTRA have blasted backers of the suit and accused them of lying. “There’s no easy way to say this: You are being misled,” the performers union said Friday night in a

Nelson Makengo’s “Rising Up at Night” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Omar El Zohairy’s “Feathers of a Father” from Egypt won the prizes for films in post-production in Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, which is for projects from Africa and the Arab world. Documentary feature “Rising Up at Night,” produced by Rosa

Chinese regulators are in the midst of censoring the Hollywood title “Monster Hunter” after controversy broke out online on opening day over a ten second-long exchange in the film that patriotic local viewers say “insults China.” The fantasy action film is produced, written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and stars his wife Milla Jovovich,

So many movies intended for the big screen are having to forgo it these days, it seems odd when something as apt for home viewing as “Half Brothers” makes the COVID-defying move of opening on 1,200-plus American screens. Those looking for undemanding entertainment may give it a passing grade, but this formulaic, sometimes maudlin buddy

“76 Days” captures the first 76 days of the lockdown right at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. Back in January, when the virus was beginning to gather traction, Weixi Chen and Anonymous picked up a camera and began filming. As journalists, they were able to gain unprecedented access into four hospitals

Music may be an auditory medium, but its role is an integral ingredient in the success of visual projects in TV, films and commercials. Singers, composers, music bookers and others working in this intersection joined Variety in the virtual Music for Screens Week from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, sharing their expertise on the importance of music

Warner Bros. and DC Films have tapped writer Cat Vasko to script “Plastic Man” as a female-led action-adventure. DC-based film production president Walter Hamada and exec Chantal Nong are overseeing for the studio as it shifts the focus of the two-year-old project. The studio unveiled the initial “Plastic Man” pic in 2018, based on DC

Cinemas — the ones that are open — are hurting for new content. With only one wide release this week — that would be Focus Features’ “Half Brothers” opening on approximately 1,200 screens — film fans will likely be staying home and sifting through new releases via streaming instead. For example, audiences have their choice

Running from Dec. 11 through Dec. 12, NewFilmmakers (NFMLA) is partnering with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present an online film festival showcasing the latest work from Middle Eastern, Arab and Dutch filmmakers. Other presenting partners include Dutch Culture USA (Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York)

The horror genre loves its tropes — sets of rules that dictate survival based on stereotypes around morality, class, race, gender and sexual orientation. Much of the game in modern horror comes in examining and subverting those tropes, perhaps none so recent and notable as “Freaky,” Christopher Landon’s body-swap film from Universal Pictures that hits

“Mulan” lands on Disney Plus for subscribers at no extra charge this weekend. The live-action remake directed by Niki Caro is an adaptation of Disney’s 1998 animated film and based on Chinese folklore. The film stars Yifei Li as Mulan. Weta Digital crafted hundreds of visual effects shots to reinforce the authenticity of the film’s

The movie theater industry’s annus horribilis will continue to drag well into next year, according to new research from consulting firm Deloitte. With coronavirus cases continuing to surge in the U.S., Deloitte’s Digital Media Trends 14th edition fall pulse survey asked consumers how they felt about attending a movie in a theater. Even if they

Producer of Argentina’s Oscar entry “Sleepwalkers,” Juan Pablo Miller’s Buenos Aires-based Tarea Fina has unveiled “El Hijo Deseado,” the next film by Berlinale Jury Grand Prix winner Ariel Rotter (“The Other,” “Incident Light”). Its announcement comes as Tarea Fina advances on post-production of “La Encomienda,” from Pablo Giorgelli, whose “Las Acacias” was awarded the Cannes