Roeg Sutherland and Benjamin Kramer, who co-lead CAA Media Finance, have been working on the agency-led virtual market in Cannes, and spoke to Variety about the prospects for the independent film scene. CAA Media Finance’s projects in the market include Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” starring Will Smith; Dan Gilroy’s “Faster, Better, Cheaper”; Ric Roman Waugh’s “Kandahar,”
Movies
Christina Ricci, Tom Hopper, and David Dastmalchian will star together in the independent action-thriller “Can’t Stop the Dawn.” AMBI Distribution, the worldwide sales arm of the AMBI Media Group, is handling global sales and is introducing the project to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market. Principal photography on “Can’t Stop the Dawn” will commence this
Charades has closed a raft of sales on the French comedy “The Speech” which is part of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection and is screening at Cannes’ virtual Marché du Film. “The Speech” is adapted from Fabcaro’s novel “Le discours,” and is directed by Laurent Tirard, the popular French helmer of “Little Nicholas” and “Astérix and
Backed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and the Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), 10 promising Spanish projects participated in a marathon day of speed meetings through the day on Thursday at Cannes’ Marché du Film. Below, summaries of the hopeful projects: “A Thousand Lives,” (Marina Seresesky) Meridional Producciones and Wandermoon
Members of the music for screens community — composers, songwriters, music editors, music supervisors, studio executives and others working at the intersection of music and visual media — are lending their talents to a benefit event for COVID-19 relief. “Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Celebration for the Film and TV Music Community” raises money for
Key members of the team that shepherded hit biopic “Born a King,” about Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, talked about the experience of “witnessing the birth of a film industry” in Saudi, as Spanish director Agustí Villaronga put it, during a Cannes Virtual Market panel. They also announced that they will be making a sequel.
Chris Evans doesn’t mind getting recognized for playing Captain America. In an interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors issue, Paul Rudd — who plays Ant-Man in the “Avengers” franchise — asked Evans about people recognizing him for playing the Marvel superhero. “What is it like for you when you go outside if there’s just a
Participating in this year’s Marché du Film Speed Meetings for Spanish projects, La Claqueta’s highly-anticipated project “Tobacco Barns” has picked up a new co-producer in Belén Sánchez, one of Variety’s Catalan producers on the rise for 2020 as announced earlier this week, and a top independent sales agency in Spain’s Latido Films. Sánchez comes to
Starring actor-singer-songwriter Nick Jonas and Laurence Fishburne, action thriller “The Blacksmith,” which is financed and produced by AGC Studios, has become the first major new U.S. title at this year’s Cannes to announce major territory deals across much of the world. Sold by AGC Studios, big territory deals include Germany and Switzerland (Constantin Film), France
As part of its Cannes Market presentations, HanWay Films arranged for Phillip Noyce to tell buyers about its true-crime love story “Peggy Jo,” which he will direct, with “Baby Driver” and “Yesterday” actress Lily James starring. The film is loosely based on the true-story of the life of Texan Peggy Jo Tallas, who takes to
Israeli multi-hyphenate Dani Rosenberg marks his feature debut with “The Death of Cinema and my Father Too,” a self-reflexive hybrid film that mixes fact, fiction and autobiography as it grapples with the big questions. Presented under the Cannes 2020 label and sold internationally by Films Boutique, the film follows a rising director as he tracks
Best known for playing Captain Boomerang in “Suicide Squad,” Jai Courtney first gained attention in 2010 portraying Varro on Starz’s “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.” Since then, the Aussie actor has appeared in “Jack Reacher” and “A Good Day to Die Hard,” followed by “Divergent” and its sequel, “Insurgent.” He’ll next be seen in “Stateless” as
Hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the Korean film industry, which celebrated its centenary with Bong Joon-ho’s history-making Academy awards for “Parasite” earlier this year, has been in an unprecedented crisis since February. Since the South Korean government adopted tough social distancing measures in late February, when the coronavirus was at its peak, cinema business
Like many of his countrymen, Swiss filmmaker Cyril Schäublin has watchmaking in his blood, a legacy he can trace back through his grandparents’ generation. That influence is apparent in his meticulously crafted second feature, “Unrest,” whose historical and philosophical parts fit together as smoothly as the gears of a Swiss timepiece. “Unrest” is set in
Chris Evans has a video on his phone of the first day he met Paul Rudd. It was on the set of the 2016 movie “Avengers: Civil War.” Evans was reprising his role as Captain America in the Marvel blockbuster; for Rudd, it was his introduction to audience as Ant-Man (also known as Scott Lang).
Top Italian film outfit RAI Cinema on Wednesday sounded an upbeat post-pandemic note as it unveiled a slate of 20 upcoming titles to exhibitors and press, comprising new works by prominent Italian directors such as Nanni Moretti, Gianfranco Rosi, and Susanna Nicchiarelli alongside their U.S. acquisitions — most notably Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower
Taraneh Alidoosti, star of Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” and one of Iran’s most popular female actors, is set to receive a five-month prison sentence on charges of anti-government activism, BBC Persia has reported. The BBC Persia report cited Alidoosti’s lawyer Kaveh Rad who tweeted that the sentence has been suspended for two years and would
Chris Evans and Paul Rudd stepped out of the Marvel universe and into the world of streaming television this year. On the Apple TV Plus limited series “Defending Jacob,” Evans inhabits the guilt and fear of a suburban district attorney who will stop at nothing to save his teenage son from what he believes to
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film, “Dil Bechara,” an official remake of “The Fault in Our Stars,” will bow directly, free of charge, on the Disney Plus Hotstar streaming service on July 24. Rajput died of suspected suicide on June 14, aged 34. Following the actor’s death, Bollywood has been riven by unverified accusations
New works by prominent auteurs Lucrecia Martel, Lav Diaz, Lisandro Alonso and Wang Bing grace the lineup of works-in-progress unveiled by the Locarno Film Festival. The canceled Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema on Thursday announced 20 titles that made the cut for its innovative The Films After Tomorrow initiative that will provide support to filmmakers
The Australian federal government said on Thursday that it would provide the film and industry with $34.4 million ($A$50 million) as a post-coronavirus relief measure. The move was announced a day after public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said it would lay off 250 staff. The new fund, to be administered by Screen Australia, will
Strong female coming-of-age stories, two LGBTQ submissions and a smattering of unique, autobiographical features from around the world were among this year’s pitches given by the 12 participants of the Cinéfondation Residence. And although the Cannes Festival’s international talent-finding initiative pitched to a virtual audience this year, the participants of the Residence’s 39th and 40th cohorts still
The UK Cinema Association has published safety guidelines for the reopening of cinemas, less than 10 days before some movie theaters are set to open. Face coverings in cinemas are not mandatory, in line with U.K. law. Guidelines reflect advice from a working group of senior executives from over a dozen of the U.K.’s largest
It’s seldom that a found-footage horror movie pulls some new tricks in that overtaxed subgenre, and “Followed” runs no risk of being any such exception to the tedious rule. Sewing together ideas borrowed from other, better movies — notably “Grave Encounters” and “The Shining” — without exactly making a new whole, let alone lending them
At the virtual Cannes market, the Exchange is pre-selling political thriller “The Independent,” the narrative feature debut of twice Emmy-nominated director Amy Rice, starring “The Big Sick” star Kumail Nanjiani. Variety spoke to Rice about the film. In “The Independent,” America’s first viable independent presidential candidate is poised for victory when an idealistic journalist uncovers
Greece, where the death rate due to the coronavirus outbreak has been among among the lowest in Europe, is looking to lure more international productions by raising its cash rebates from 35% to 40% just as cameras are already rolling there on what is being touted as the first post-pandemic European co-production to start up.
Relaxed yet armed with a steely ambition, up-and-coming Chinese helmer Wei Shujun is thrilled to be back at Cannes this year in the First Feature section with his road trip film “Striding Into the Wind,” after his short “On the Border” won the Special Jury Distinction award in 2018. “Cannes has been my school, my
“Ip Man: Kung Fu Master,” the latest in a long line of Ip Man movies from Hong Kong and mainland China, has found its way to the virtual Cannes Market, where it is being represented by Hong Kong- and Paris-based All Rights Entertainment. Directed by Li Liming and produced by Kai Pictures, it stars Dennis
There is a moment — little more than a sidelong glance that lingers fractionally too long — when the uneasy, sinking feeling that Charlène Favier’s Cannes 2020-labeled debut has created to that point becomes an abrupt, stomach-dropping plunge. It’s when you realize that of course this was the story it was going to tell, and
The Italian film and TV industry was on a roll when the pandemic hit the country particularly hard. It’s now starting to bounce back as movie theaters reopen and productions prepare to shoot, while the Venice Film Festival, set to physically take place in September, may become a symbol of the global entertainment industry recovery