The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has filed a request to extradite Harvey Weinstein, as it seeks to try him on five counts of sexual assault and rape. The D.A.’s office had previously filed a detainer on New York State prison authorities, the first step in a process that has been slowed considerably by
Movies
Jordan Graham’s “Sator,” the story of a recluse in Northern California who is menaced by a demon, has been acquired by 1091 Pictures for North American release. The film is virtually a one-man show. Graham not only served as the director, he also wrote the screenplay, edited and produced it, as well as lensed and
Regina King’s directorial debut, “One Night in Miami,” has sold worldwide rights to Amazon Studios. Amazon plans to release “One Night in Miami” later this year and sees the film as a potential awards contender. As announced earlier Thursday, “One Night in Miami” will have its worldwide debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in
There are several very mildly cautionary notes sounded in Sergio Navarretta’s “The Cuban,” a pleasant, plangent hybrid of culture-clash drama, odd-couple formula and late-life Bucket List bromide. There’s the gentle exhortation not to follow someone else’s dream at the expense of your own. There’s a subtle finger-wag at ageism, at the assumption that because someone
Egyptian filmmaker Sam Abbas has teamed with leading cinematographers from around the world to create the documentary “Erēmīta (Anthologies).” The anthology was shot during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and will feature contributions from the following DPs: Alexis Zabé (“The Florida Project,”), Chayse Irvin (“Blackkklansman,”) Ashley Connor (” Madeline’s Madeline,”) Soledad Rodríguez (“The Good Intentions,”) Stefano
Throughout the anxious weeks leading up to the opening night of the 19th Transilvania International Film Festival, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread across Romania, government officials began to impose a series of increasingly rigorous safety protocols that cast the festival’s viability in doubt. But the organizers insisted that the show would go one.
ITVS, the non-profit organization responsible for funding documentary filmmakers, announced on Thursday the fall lineup for Independent Lens, a documentary anthology series airing Monday nights on PBS. Starting Oct. 19 with Arthur Jones’ Sundance hit “Feels Good Man,” the slate includes diverse storytelling from award-winning directors and a directorial debut from HGTV’s “Property Brothers” co-host
The Transilvania Pitch Stop, a workshop and co-production forum that marks one of the industry highlights of the Transilvania International Film Festival, will present a host of new projects from the Black Sea and beyond during this year’s edition of the festival, which runs July 31-Aug. 9. Among the standouts is Romanian director Adina Pintilie’s
It’s been 10 years since “The Kids Are All Right,” a queer family dramedy that was the darling of that year’s Sundance Film Festival, charted an unlikely ride to the Oscars and helped shift popular opinion about gay marriage. Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, and directed by Cholodenko, the movie arrived as attitudes
The Hong Kong International Film Festival has taken the unusual decision of revealing the pictures it selected for its now canceled 44th edition. It also plans to award prizes in its competition sections, though there will be neither in-person or online screenings for the public. The festival had previously rescheduled its 44th edition from its
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing International, Santiago Segura’s family comedy “Father There is Only One 2” punched a sensational first-day debut on July 29, garnering €465,014 ($548,716) in Spain. That’s 60% up from the original installment’s first day total of €272,686 ($320,449), which went on to earn €14.2 million ($16.1 million) in Spain, becoming the
Comcast felt the impact of the coronavirus shutdown in the second quarter as the media giant posted double-digit declines in revenue and profits. The parent company of NBCUniversal stated that its fledgling Peacock streaming service has generated 10 million “sign-ups” since it debuted in April for Comcast Xfinity customers and on July 15 nationally. All
Rome’s MIA market for TV series, feature films and documentaries is ramping up operations for its upcoming mixed physical and digital edition in October, which looks set to attract a robust roster of international execs and high-profile projects. Rome’s new concept mart in May announced the launch of its MIA digital platform alongside its planned
In a sign of the times, Spain’s San Sebastian Festival, the biggest movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, announced Thursday two of its biggest Spanish premieres, both of which are TV series: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “Riot Police,” a Movistar Plus original, and Aitor Gabilondo’s “Patria,” a banner title at HBO Europe. They will be joined in
European cinema giant Vue has pushed back its U.K. reopening date from July 31 to Aug. 7 as it awaits fresh tentpole releases such as Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which is expected to release Aug. 26 in the U.K. Cinemas will reopen in a phased manner, with 10 sites, including London, Edinburgh and Oxford among the first,
“Tenet” announced Wednesday that it has passed government approvals for a theatrical release in China, an indication that an official release date is now on the horizon. The film has released a poster in Chinese, swapping the English tagline “time runs out” for a clarion call to return to cinemas that roughly translates to “make
After “Hamilton” came to Disney Plus, viewers immediately took to Twitter to share their new observations and theories, and one of the most popular was the meaning behind Eliza Hamilton’s gasp in the final scene. Some people thought her gasp was her final breath before dying, and others theorized it was her breaking the fourth
AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures’ deal to dramatically shorten the amount of time that movies play exclusively on the big screen is resounding like a thunderclap across the film business. The alliance, once considered improbable, is challenging long-held prejudices, while leaving executives and creative talent to navigate a new topography. It’s already inspiring a fierce
On July 26, composer and songwriter Alan Menken officially became an EGOT — joining 16 others in achieving the rare distinction of having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award — via his Daytime Emmy for outstanding original song in a children’s, young adult, or animated program for “Waiting in the Wings” from Disney’s
Amazon Prime Video has released the official trailer for “Chemical Hearts,” a romantic drama starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams, set to premiere on the streaming service on Aug. 21. The three-minute trailer introduces the two high schoolers, Henry Page (Abrams) and Grace Town (Reinhart), and teases the development of their romantic relationship. “You are
On the surface, Jessica Swale would seem to have a lot of beginner’s luck. The first play she ever wrote, “Blue Stockings,” was a massive success with audiences and critics, premiering at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. Her first official foray behind the camera as writer-director, a short film titled “Leading Lady Parts,” starred a who’s
“Call Me by Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino will direct Searchlight’s untitled Scotty Bowers project with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg writing the script. Matt Tyrnauer and Corey Reeser are producing through Altimeter Films, with Rogen and Goldberg producing through their Point Grey Pictures. The project is based on the 2017 documentary “Scotty and the
Macro is expanding its talent management operations with the hiring of Jerome Martin and Natalia Williams. The pair join Macro Management as managers. The division was launched in January by Macro partners Gaby Mena and Jelani Johnson. “I couldn’t be more excited to have Jerome and Natalia on our team,” said Charles King, founder and
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group has opened submissions for its 2021 composers initiative, a program designed to seek and amplify rising talent in the entertainment industry. Universal’s Composers Initiative, created in 2018 by the Global Talent Development and Inclusion Department, looks for aspiring artists from all creative and professional backgrounds at various points in their music
An appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Ashley Judd can pursue a sexual harassment claim against Harvey Weinstein, finding that he held power over her career when he invited her to his room at the Peninsula Hotel in the mid-1990s. The three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, which
Issa Rae and Jordan Peele have come on board Universal Pictures’ family drama “Sinkhole,” based on Leyna Krow’s short story about a mysterious sinkhole. The announcement was made Wednesday, a day after Rae received Emmy nominations for comedy series and best actress in a comedy series for the fourth season of HBO’s “Insecure.” “Sinkhole” is
Cineworld will begin reopening its cinemas in England with a lineup featuring a special 4DX screening program that includes four films projected for the first time in the chain’s exclusive multi-sensory 4DX extreme cinema format. Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” Chris Columbus’ “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” Alfonso Cuarón’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Even if you haven’t experienced one, you might be familiar with the sensation of a panic attack or a supposedly irrational fear like claustrophobia, both of which can suffocate their victims with a feeling of impending death. Once triggered, those internal alarms present a lonely state of being — an alternate plane of existence with
Cinemas across India will remain closed at least until Aug. 31, the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed Wednesday. The third phase of Indian unlocking comes into effect Aug. 1, but in this phased reopening process, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theaters, bars, auditoriums and assembly halls remain prohibited, according to a notice released
U.S. documentary specialist Submarine Entertainment and Israel-based sales company Cinephil are teaming up with Participant Media to distribute the Luke Holland-directed documentary “Final Account,” about the legacy of Nazism, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. Submarine is teaming with Participant to jointly represent the film’s domestic sales, while Cinephil will