A remake of Benjamin Rees’ documentary “The Painter and the Thief” is in the works with Neon, who is co-developing the project with Studiocanal and Blueprint Pictures The Norwegian film follows the artist Barbora Kysilkova and her friendship with Karl Bertil-Nordland, a man who stole her artwork. Neon acquired the remake rights along with the
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“Let Him Go,” starring Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as an aging rancher couple out to rescue their grandson from a clan of varmint in-laws, is set in Big Sky Country about 50 years ago, and it’s like a family-values, homespun-nostalgia version of “The Searchers” crossed with “Midsommar” on the range. If that sounds like
Embattled cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings is raising $47.7 million in cash to stay open, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing published Monday. Shares of the company were down 3.4% to $2.28 in trading Monday. The company is set to report quarterly earnings Monday afternoon. The S3 filing, which seeks to sell $20
Pre-sales for “The Peasants,” the new film from Oscar-nominated “Loving Vincent” director Dorota Kobiela, have kicked off with a sale to The Jokers for distribution in France, brokered by New Europe Film Sales. Following on the success of “Loving Vincent,” which grossed more than $50 million at the global box office, “The Peasants” will be
Shirley MacLaine was only 16 years old when she left Arlington, Va., and headed for Broadway. With a lifetime of dance classes behind her — her mom enrolled her in ballet when she was 3 to help strengthen her weak ankles — she landed a summer gig as a chorus girl in “Oklahoma!” She returned
Six years ago, Sophia Loren emerged from retirement to film Jean Cocteau’s “The Human Voice” — her version of the one-act play that Tilda Swinton and Pedro Almodóvar recently adapted during lockdown, and which Anna Magnani and Ingrid Bergman had each tackled decades before. In the 25-minute project, which was directed by her son Edoardo Ponti,
An animated adventure involving two young Arctic terns on a epic flight between polar opposite ends of the earth featured among the pitches heard by Cartoon Springboard’s final panel on the closing day of this year’s event. Scriptwriter Eva Perez Misa’s “Trip to the Antarctic” is a 13-part, 2D animated series that aims to make
“I don’t think that the Second Amendment is ever going to get changed,” said U.S. documentary filmmaker Todd Chandler at Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival during an online Q&A on Sunday, admitting it’s an intense time to be addressing such questions just before the election. His film “Bulletproof” is screening at the festival. “I don’t
15 minutes into “Good, Better, Best,” the latest original from Spain’s Movistar Plus, soccer player Michael Robinson has hit the headlines as the subject of the second-biggest transfer fee in British soccer history, with Manchester City paying $970,000 in 1979 for the 20-year-old striker. One hour later in the doc feature, Robinson, who died of
Curated in coordination with the Annecy International Animation Festival and its MIFA market, Animation! at Ventana Sur will feature five productions for its 2020 Works in Progress sidebar, including its first-ever non-Latin American production. Adult animation is booming, and one figure at the forefront of the movement is Spain’s Alberto Vazquez, the mastermind behind festival
“Buladó,” the second feature of director Eché Janga, who also penned the screenplay alongside Esther Duysker, has been selected to represent the Netherlands in the International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards. Picture Tree International will launch its international sales push at the virtual AFM. “Buladó” opened the Netherlands Film Festival in September and
In an out-of-the-box move, the Cannes-backed Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest movie market, looks set for a game changing seven city on-site roll-out to run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Madrid, Paris, Rome, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile and Colombia’s Bogotá. Launched in 2009 by the Cannes Festival and Film Market
Judge Andrew Nicol has ruled against Johnny Depp in the actor’s libel case against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the tabloid’s executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article alleging he was a “wife beater.” Depp’s lawyers said it is highly likely he will appeal against the ruling. In his conclusion, the
It’s always been about discovering the next generation of documentary filmmakers and getting them the tools and connections they’ll need at the 24th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. So it’s only fitting that the section on experimental films – another innovation that was a first, according to fest organizer Andrea Slovakova – is themed on
Malaysian cinema operators have closed their doors for at least a month, following escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The decision was a voluntary one announced by the Malaysian Association Of Film Exhibitors (MAFE). While the actual date of closure may vary slightly, the two largest chains Golden Screen Cinemas and TGV ceased
Fernanda Valadez’s feature debut “Identifying Features” (“Sin Señas Particulares”) has collected the 18th Morelia Int’l Film Festival’s Best Film Ojo prize as well as Audience Award and best actress plaudit for its lead, Mercedes Hernandez. In a spare and sparsely attended closing ceremony on Sunday evening, Hernandez was among only two winners who were present to
An ambitious scheme to make the Mexican region of Jalisco the production capital of Latin America, a Jallywood so to speak, has launched with the introduction of a new state film law. “We want to send a clear message that with or without federal help or despite the federal government, we pledge to direct more
U.K./U.S. production outfit Lightbox, and U.K. sales agent and distributor Altitude, have announced “Diana,” the first theatrical release documentary about Princess Diana. The documentary is set for a summer 2022 theatrical release worldwide to mark the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. The film, produced in association with HBO and Sky, will have its television
“Demon Slayer,” the megahit animation that has singlehandedly revived the limping Japanese box office, passed the $150 million mark on its 17th day of release, according to figures compiled by co-distributor Aniplex. Total admissions amount to 11.9 million. Overall, for the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 weekend the film made $24 million on 1 million admissions. Cumulative gross revenues
The achievements of indigenous sportsman Artie Beetson are to be detailed in large-scale Australian movie “The Underdogs” directed by Neil McGregor (“The Little Things”). Production is set to begin in late 2021. Beetson was in the twilight of his Rugby League career in 1980 when he was called upon by local politician Ron McAuliffe to
Actor Eddie Hassell, best known for his roles in the 2010 Oscar-nominated film “The Kids Are All Right” and the NBC TV show “Surface,” has died after being shot in Texas, Hassell’s manager tells Variety. He was 30. According to his representative, Hassell was shot Sunday morning in what appears to be a carjacking, although
“Underdog,” the two-part boxing film that opens the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival, is the second movie on the subject by director Take Masaharu. The first, “100 Yen Love” in 2014 won the Japanese Cinema Splash Award at the 27th TIFF and was selected as Japan’s nominee for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Take
The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, operating for the first time this year as part of TIFFCOM, has given hope to some filmmakers who are struggling to fund their projects. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many normal financing channels. The TGFM enables producers to meet potential investors, sales agents and post-production outfits over a three-day period (Nov.
Charles Gordon, a film and television producer who earned an Oscar nomination for his work on 1989’s “Field of Dreams,” has died of cancer. He was 73. Gordon’s brother, Lawrence Gordon, who he shared the Oscar nomination with, confirmed his death. “Although he was 11 years younger, he was more like an older brother to
David Rodriguez, a producer and director for shows like “The Chi,” “Animal Kingdom” and “Chicago P.D.,” died on Oct. 29 due to complications from a stroke, Variety has confirmed. He was 50. In addition to his work in television, Rodriguez wrote, produced and directed several films, including “Push,” “American Bully” and “Once Upon a Time
Audiences did not heed the title of “Come Play,” a terrifying thriller from Focus Features and Amblin that debuted in U.S. theaters this weekend. The PG-13 horror film generated just $3.15 million from 2,183 screens, enough to lead sleepy box office charts in pandemic times. Moviegoing has been incredibly slow in North America because theaters
Joining Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival‘s online audience on Friday from his hotel room in Spain, Hubert Sauper – behind Oscar-nominated “Darwin’s Nightmare” – discussed his career and latest film “Epicentro,” also shown at the Czech event following its Sundance premiere. Born in the Austrian Tyrol in 1966, he also addressed his past. “I was
The wondrous, sometimes bizarre work of the celebrated Czech animator and surrealist Jan Svankmajer has inspired admirers far and wide for two generations, from Terry Gilliam to the Brothers Quay. A new doc, “Alchemical Furnace,” about the maestro’s processes and inspirations played at the Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, made by two close colleagues of
Pierce Brosnan took to Instagram on Saturday to honor his fellow James Bond actor Sean Connery, who died in his sleep at the age of 90. “Sir Sean Connery, you were my greatest James Bond as a boy, and as a man who became James Bond himself. You cast a long shadow of cinematic splendor
Fearless truth-seeking and empathy won the day at the 24th Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival Saturday, with Viera Cakanyova’s Arctic-shot video diary “White on White” taking the Opus Bonum main prize. The top Czech doc fest, which continues online through Nov. 8, when the audience prize will be announced, awarded filmmakers early this year as