Movies

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, director Julia von Heinz’s “And Tomorrow the Entire World” tracks a first-year law student’s growing engagement in a Mannheim-based anti-fascist collective. Scion to a conservative and aristocratic family, the young Louisa (Mala Emde) seizes left-wing agitation with a convert’s zeal, pushing her fellow activists to take a

Jamie Foxx and his producing partner, Datari Turner, have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The first project in development that Foxx and Turner are producing for the studio under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx

There’s a distracting practice in American cinema of casting actors who are already well into their twenties to play teens, although “Holler” contains one of the few examples in recent memory where an age difference of nearly a decade, while noticeable, works to the film’s advantage. Ruth, the resourceful Ohio high school student at the

The Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals will kick off Oct. 3 with Baba Azmi’s “Mee Raqsam” (I Dance) and close with Prateek Vats’ “Eeb Allay Ooo!” on Oct. 17. The centerpiece film will be Shirish Gurung’s “Lato Kosero” from Nepal. Azmi’s sister the veteran Hindi actress Shabana will present his film. In-between more than

“New Order,” Mexican Michel Franco’s near-future dystopia thriller that world premieres at the Venice Film Festival Thursday, begins with protestors, daubed in green paint, bursting into a swanky wedding peopled by Mexico’s indecently rich. They rob the guests, then shoot them dead. Franco’s heart however is obviously on the side of the protestors. “A Mexican

When many directors make movies in rural settings, one invariably senses they’re depictions by an outsider, someone who imagines a way of life that ultimately remains beyond their grasp. Instead, throughout Salvatore Mereu’s career directing stories from the Sardinian countryside, the feeling is always that he’s a part of that world. His films, from “Three-Step

Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca” is a visually gorgeous drama from the auteur filmmaker who also stars in the film, now streaming on Netflix. Sandoval plays Olivia, an undocumented Filipina trans woman who spends her days working as a caretaker for Olga (the late Lynn Cohen). Set in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, the film delights in the

The Motion Picture Association has hired public relations veteran John Mercurio as senior vice president of corporate communications. Mercurio will report to and serve as a deputy to Emily Lenzner, executive VP of global communications and public affairs. He will have joint oversight of the trade group’s global communications, media relations, digital media and events

First-time director Jing Wang sees the pain that his mentor Jia Zhangke has experienced on the movie set as motivation for his filmmaking journey. The perfection, precision and attention to details that he aspires to in his directorial debut “The Best Is Yet to Come” are the fruits born from being on the set with

Saban Films has bought U.S. rights to the dark comedy “Fatman,” starring Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, for release at the end of this year. “Fatman” centers on a neglected and precocious 12-year-old who hires a hitman to kill Santa Claus after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. Gibson portrays a

Music Box Films has scooped U.S. rights to French auteur Francois Ozon’s “Summer of 85,” a highlight of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection which is set to play at Toronto and San Sebastian film festivals. The film is represented in international markets by the Paris-based company Playtime. “Summer of 85” marks Ozon’s follow up to “By

It’s a Thursday afternoon in December, and on the big screen at the Sony scoring stage, swords are flashing, arrows are flying and soldiers in ancient Chinese garb are spinning in midair. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams is conducting a 90-piece orchestra in his score for Disney’s “Mulan” (currently available on Disney Plus), the live-action remake of

“Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon Ho is set to produce the immigration drama “Sea Fog” at Participant Media. Matt Palmer, who directed “Calibre,” is writing and directing “Sea Fog,” based on a previous draft by Oren Moverman. “Sea Fog” is based on the 2014 Korean film “Haemoo,” which follows a fishing-boat crew on a dangerous commission

Variety presents its largest-ever special report on international filming locations, produced in collaboration with the Association of Film Commissioners International. Our 18-page edition covers the latest updates for major territories on the status of production rebates, tax incentives, film commissions, facilities, crew availability and other infrastructure including VFX and post-production services. “Throughout this difficult year,

Ricky Staub thought he was hallucinating.  When he looked outside his office window, he saw a horse and buggy making its way down the streets of North Philadelphia like an emissary from another century. But there were details that immediately identified the driver as hailing from this time and place: namely, a subwoofer and speakers

Javier Bardem is set to return to his native Spain to star in new feature “The Good Boss,” reuniting with director Fernando León de Aranoa, The Mediapro Studio and many of the social themes of 2002’s “Mondays in the Sun,” a movie that sealed a young Bardem’s acting reputation. France’s MK2 Films, the Paris-based production,

Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel “Dune” has been credited for inspiring half a century of the biggest works of science fiction and fantasy storytelling, from “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” to “Alien” and “Game of Thrones.” What the novel hasn’t inspired, however, is a filmed version that quite lives up to its monumental sense of scope.

The National Board of Review announced Wednesday it was shifting dates for its annual prizes from November 2020 to Jan. 26, 2021. The new date aligns itself with qualifying Oscar films. In a statement, the NBR extended its eligibility period saying: “Films will be eligible if screened by the NBR and released either theatrically or

Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn are starring in the Holocaust drama “One Life,” centered on the life of humanitarian Nicholas George Winton. Both actors will portray Winton, who championed the rescue of Czech children threatened with deportation to Hitler’s death camps to the safety of British foster families. He succeeded in rescuing 669 children before

Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite” leads the race of this year’s Asian Film Awards, which will be hosted in his home country South Korea for the first time since the prize ceremony’s inception in 2007. The acclaimed drama picked up 10 nominations, including best film, best director and best screenplay. “Parasite” was closely followed by Wang

The British Film Institute’s London Film Festival (LFF) is adopting a hybrid physical-online model for the first time in its history, and the process has been fraught with the myriad difficulties expected in a global pandemic. “The biggest challenge, the whole time, has been stepping into the unknown,” festival director Tricia Tuttle told Variety. A

Uberto Pasolini goes back many years, and several films, with the Venice Film Festival, starting with 1995’s black comedy “Palookaville,” which he produced. A quarter of a century later, he’s back with Horizons entry “Nowhere Special,” his third film as director, which follows in the footsteps of previous Lido visitors “Machan” (2008) and “Still Life”

Sometimes, when a movie ends with a twist, it makes you want to rush back and rewatch the entire story to see how the filmmakers pulled it off. Where did they hide the clues? What new insights does a closer look reveal? In other cases, it’s best just to accept the surprise and move on,

Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s “Never Gonna Snow Again,” one of the buzziest titles out of the Venice Film Festival, has found distribution in the U.K., Italy and Germany. Following what’s understood to have been a competitive process with wide interest, Picturehouse Entertainment has swooped for U.K./Eire rights. I Wonder has bought the film for

With his feature debut, director Ismaël El Iraki presents a raucous, rock-and-roll-fueled tour through the underworld of Casablanca. Shot on 35mm and featuring a number of live performances, “Zanka Contact,” which premiered on Sunday at the Venice Film Festival, is a musical romp that mixes gangster film swagger with a marked sense of place. “I’m

Though born and raised in Haifa, Israel, filmmaker Amos Gitai (“Kadosh,” “Rabin: The Last Day”) had never heard of Fattoush, a popular restaurant-cum-club located in the port city. “I discovered this club through one of the actresses from one of my previous films. She basically said, ‘Why don’t I take you on a tour of

Two of the U.K.’s top producers, Dominic Buchanan (pictured, right) and Bennett McGhee (left), have teamed up to launch a new film and TV production company. Home Team will focus on high-end, inclusive projects that champion underrepresented creatives and new voices, including filmmakers of color and female filmmakers from all backgrounds. Buchanan is executive producer

Sir Ronald Harwood, an Oscar-winning screenwriter and playwright, died on Tuesday of natural causes, his agent told BBC on Wednesday. He was 85. The British writer won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” in 2003. Harwood was nominated in the same category for Peter Yates’ “The Dresser” in 1983

Netflix has announced that a documentary about the K-pop group Blackpink will premiere on Oct. 14. “Blackpink: Light Up the Sky” will follow group members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé’s recording process, their everyday lives as K-pop stars, as well as their history-making performance at last year’s Coachella festival. The film will feature exclusive interviews

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8 Moviegoers Welcomed Back With CinemaSafe Video The National Association of Theatre Owners has released a “Welcome Back to the Movies” short film that touts the COVID-19 health and safety protocols moviegoers will see. NATO noted that more than 370 companies, comprising more than 3,000 locations, and more than 33,000 screens have signed