Movies

Producer Ilya Stewart was in the early days of financing “Petrov’s Flu,” the latest feature from Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Leto”), when he chose to bypass state funding bodies. The decision was made “for a variety of reasons,” he says, but it was nonetheless a risky move in a country where government support is still

In the absence of a steady stream of new releases, Regal Cinemas will reopen its theaters across the country with screenings of classic movies and audience favorites. Regal Cinemas, one of the nation’s largest theater chains, plans to begin reopening venues on July 10, with theaters limited to 50% capacity — in accordance with social-distancing

Omar Chaparro, one of Mexico’s most popular comedian-actors, and Mexican-Lebanese actress Edy Ganem (“Devious Maids”) have been cast as leads in feature drama “7th & Union” from newly launched Broken English Productions. Launched in response to the Hollywood’s paucity of diverse voices, in front and behind the camera, Broken English Prods. was unveiled mid-June by

Cranked Up Films has secured the North American distribution rights to Gillian Wallace Horvat’s feature debut “I Blame Society.” The indie festival favorite follows a struggling filmmaker’s descent into psychopathy. Based on a fictionalized version of herself, Wallace Horvat plays a director looking for her big break by exploring an odd compliment from her friends

Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” will be free to stream online until June 29. The 1989 film is also the American Film Institute‘s pick this week for its Movie Club. It will be accompanied by a live conversation with Lee on AFI’s YouTube channel on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. AFI has partnered with

At 30, and already an accomplished novelist, Guo Jingming deftly turned himself into one of China’s top film directors when he unleashed bratty, aspirational comedy-drama “Tiny Times” on an eager public in June 2013. Then he showed his understanding of marketing strategy by releasing a sequel barely six weeks later. Guo’s upcoming action fantasy “The

The U.K.’s largest cinema chain will be first out the gate when movie theaters are allowed to reopen on July 4. The AMC Theatres-owned business has said it will open 10 of its cinemas in England on July 4 itself with “comprehensive” new measures in place to ensure audience safety. Other major chains such as

Hollywood studios are opening their wallets for the runaway slave thriller “Emancipation” with Will Smith attached to star and Antoine Fuqua directing. Warner Bros, Apple, MGM, Lionsgate and Universal have all made offers on the property at the Cannes virtual market this week. Deadline Hollywood reported that the bidding is upwards of $75 million. CAA

YouTube personality Jojo Siwa will star in the movie adaptation of the book “Bounce.” Paramount Pictures won the rights to the novel following a competitive bidding war. Will Smith and James Lassiter will produce through their Overbrook Entertainment banner, alongside Caleeb Pinkett. Based on the book by Megan Shull, “Bounce” is a heartwarming story about a

“Gone With the Wind” is back on HBO Max — with two additional videos that discuss the historical context of the classic film. WarnerMedia had pulled the movie two weeks ago, citing the need to address its “racist depictions.” In the first video, Turner Classic Movies host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart discusses “why this

Diana Kennedy has been described as “the Mick Jagger” of Mexican food. Director Elizabeth Carroll makes her feature documentary debut with “Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy” (available on-demand) following the 97-year-old author, teacher and chef around Mexico, where Kennedy lives off the grid near Michoacan. The documentary opens with Kennedy telling Carroll and her DP Paul

Neil Burger has been tapped to direct “Summer Frost,” a live-action science-fiction film in priority development for Skydance and Temple Hill Based on a short story of the same name by Blake Crouch, the story follows a VR game designer whose world is forever changed when one of her non-player characters starts acting out of

CAA has signed “Little Women” star Florence Pugh. Pugh received Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in the Greta Gerwig-directed “Little Women,” which has grossed more than $209 million at the global box office. She will next be seen in Marvel’s “Black Widow,” directed by Cate Shortland, opposite Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Weisz

Bob Osher is leaving his Miramax posts as chief operating officer and general counsel after playing a significant role in securing and closing the $375 million deal for ViacomCBS and Paramount to buy 49% of the company. Osher had joined Miramax in 2018 after leading Sony’s digital division for seven years as president of Sony

The Dominican Republic’s lauded film law marks its 10th year amid general elections set for July. Fortunately, the three main candidates are said to be pro-cinema. “The law is up for a review, but we don’t think there will be too many changes,” says film commissioner Yvette Marichal. As the country gears up to emerge

Katharina Suckale and Arfi Lamba’s Bombay Berlin Film Production has lined up a number of upcoming productions for both the big and small screen as it moves more mainstream with the likes of O’Neil Sharma’s comedy road movie “The Big B.” It’s a change of pace for the company, whose arthouse hits in recent years

There are timely films and then there’s foreshadowing. Back in 2015, Kane Guglielmi partnered with writer John Ratchford to develop a script about a man who contracts a deadly virus and is put under quarantine by the authorities to stop him from spreading disease. The film was called “Cooped Up,” a lighthearted comedy. Charles Cottier,

Bolstered by generous incentives that have sparked a production boom, Dominican filmmakers are exploring a diversity of genres, both mainstream and alternative. Growing in equal measure are the ranks of below-the-line crew working on both local and international projects. Training programs abound for grips, lighting technicians, and so on. Pinewood DR holds workshops in underwater

A bit of luck and a bit of good planning has seen Spanish arthouse production company Potenza Films board upcoming historical drama “The Cardinal” in a now four-country co-production with Chile’s Storyboard Media, Argentina’s Magma Cine and Brazil’s Gullane. Already a massive period drama proposal from the Latin American producers, the COVID-19 pandemic would have

When Pablo Larraín started out, he arrived at the Berlinale in 2008 with extracts from his second feature, “Tony Manero,” starring Chilean actor, playwright and theater director Alfredo Castro as an off-the-rails, impoverished, over-the-hill imitator of John Travolta’s character in “Saturday Night Fever.” A symbol of cultural alienation, Castro’s character practices his disco moves as

Suggesting there’s still traction in international markets, Latido has announced a raft of major territory sales on top Cannes titles, led by ”The Heist of the Century,” “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles” and “Hotel Coppelia.” Derails of the sales, closed in the long-run up to Cannes or in Cannes early days if trading,

La Fabrique Cinéma, the French support program aimed at young filmmakers from emerging countries, presented a wide-ranging showcase of works from around the world at the Cannes online market on Tuesday, among them new works by Iranian filmmaker Keywann Karimi (“Drum”) and Thai helmer Sompot Chidgasornpongse (“Railway Sleepers”). They are among 10 filmmakers taking part

The global COVID-19 lockdown may have struck down this year’s international box office, but it has led to new opportunities for classic movie catalogues and, of course, streamers, according to film distribution execs taking part in a Cannes virtual market conference on Wednesday. While cinemas in mainland China remain shuttered for the foreseeable future, they

When it opened in 2015, “Hamilton” instantly became both the hottest ticket on Broadway and the hardest to come by. Sure, if you were Beyoncé, Oprah, the Obamas, or just willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for nosebleed seats, you could be among those lucky enough to catch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s zeitgeist-defining musical about Alexander

London-based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation has closed key deals on documentary “He Dreams of Giants,” charting Terry Gilliam’s 30-year journey to bring the story of Don Quixote to life on screen. The film is the follow up from Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe’s “Lost in La Mancha” (2002), which focused on Gilliam’s

Beta Cinema has closed numerous deals on its Cannes virtual market slate, spearheaded by all-rights deals on Berlin competition entries “Berlin Alexanderplatz” to Le Pacte for France and “My Little Sister” to Weltkino for Germany, as well as “The Auschwitz Report” to Signature Entertainment in the U.K./Ireland. As well as the French deal, Burhan Qurbani’s

China’s Joy Pictures is selling 10 Chinese titles at the Cannes market this year, including two of its own animated features scheduled for summer 2022. The shingle, which began as a marketer and distributor best-known in its early days for bringing “La La Land” to China, has recently shifted its focus to the production and

Rob Minkoff, director of the original Disney animated classic “The Lion King,” as well as “Stuart Little,” “Stuart Little 2,” and “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” is attached to direct and co-produce an animated adaptation of beloved children’s book “How Winston Delivered Christmas.” Written and illustrated by creator Alex T. Smith (“Claude”), “How Winston Delivered Christmas”

Mexico’s Mauricio Ochmann is re-teaming with director Pitipol Ybarra for the Mexican remake of the 2018 German hit “25 KM/H” from Sony Pictures Intl. Prods. (SPIP). Ochmann and Ybarra previously collaborated on family drama “Ya Veremos,” which Pantelion/Lionsgate released in the U.S. on Labor Day weekend in 2018. Drama topped the specialty releases that weekend,

Spanish production house Babieka Films is teaming with L.A.-based Viewfinder Pictures to co-produce a feature adaptation of Alan Jolis’ book “Speak Sunlight” (“La voz del sol”), the directorial debut of journalist-screenwriter-producer Carol Polakoff. A coming-of-age story set in Paris and Pamplona during the Franco regime, the Spanish-language “Speak Sunlight” will begin production next spring in