Movies

MADRID — Six days before producers will be allowed to restart production shoots in Spain, Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE socialist government has powered up the tax breaks cap for Hollywood and other foreign shoots as part of a relief package for Spain’s cultural industries. Plowed through a Spanish-tax-paying service company working on a foreign nationality shoot,

The British Film Commission has today begun its consultation on a draft set of protocols for inward investment film and TV production so the U.K. can restart high-end scripted production as soon as lockdown measures are eased. The BFC’s recommendations will be incorporated into the BFI’s COVID-19 Taskforce proposals, which will be sent to the

Momentum Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to the drama “Black Bear,” starring Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. Written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, “Black Bear” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Momentum Pictures will announce release plans at a later date. Set at a remote house in the Adirondack Mountains,

Strand Releasing has scooped all North American rights to Lou Ye’s Second World War-set spy thriller “Saturday Fiction” from Wild Bunch. The film world premiered in competition at Venice last year and played at the New York Film Festival. “Saturday Fiction” stars Gong Li as a famous actress who has returned to Japanese-occupied Shanghai to

At the 2001 Oscars, Russell Crowe took center stage at the Dolby Theater to accept best actor for “Gladiator,” using his speech to urge young viewers to follow their acting dreams. Now, Crowe tells Variety that his kids can look up the speech and realize that their father had something “relatively intelligent” to say. “Gladiator,”

Sports Illustrated Studios is launching to develop feature film and television projects as a joint venture between David Glasser’s 101 Studios and Sports Illustrated owner Authentic Brands Group. The company plans a slate of several television series and feature films per year. 101 Studios will be managing and overseeing all production, distribution and marketing for

The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) is moving its annual conference online. The organization announced on Tuesday that the 21st NALIP Media Summit will be virtual for the first time June 25-30. NALIP said it is considering postponing the summit’s Latino Media Awards and keynote luncheons to later in the year. “The organization

While French producers guilds and a dedicated committee are finalizing sanitary rules for filming, several non-scripted shows have restarted shooting in France to feed broadcasters’ urgent demand for fresh content. During the lockdown, which will be partially lifted in France on May 11, select news-driven talk shows such as “C’est dans l’air” and “Quotidien” continued

Detailed proposals on how film and high-end TV production can safely resume in the U.K. are to be circulated among members of union Bectu this week. The union’s members will be consulted in a number of online sessions for their thoughts and responses on the physical working group proposals. The aim is for a set

Cinemas in Hong Kong will be allowed to reopen from Friday as part of a phased relaxation of social distancing measures in the city. The move was announced on Tuesday afternoon by the city’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, after a meeting of the Executive Council. Broadway Cinemas, one of Hong Kong’s leading multiplex operators, quickly

European Film Promotion’s networking program Producers on the Move will take place as a digital edition on its original dates – from May 11 to 15 – and independently of the Cannes Film Festival, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty up-and-coming European producers will meet online and present their projects in

On March 8, the 17th annual True/False documentary film festival in Missouri came to a close. Unbeknownst to filmmakers, the conclusion of the fest also marked the conclusion of in-person film festivals for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19. The disrupted festival circuit has many implications for doc filmmakers, who often spend years – sometimes

If you’ve never seen Robert Altman’s “The Player,” it would be hard, offhand, to think of a great movie that’s more fun or one that gives you a headier buzz. But even if you have seen Altman’s virtuoso inside-Hollywood satire-that’s-not-really-a-satire, you should see it again, because it’s one of those Altman films that keeps on

In today’s film news roundup, MGM buys rights to the rescue movie “Thirteen Lives,” the Greenwich Film Festival has awarded its Virtual Festival Awards and digital series “Quarantine” is raising funds to help actors in need through the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. STUDIO DEAL MGM has bought rights to the Thai cave rescue project “Thirteen Lives,” with Ron

For her feature narrative film debut “Bull,” director Annie Silverstein chose to explore a world few people know about; that of the black rodeo circuit in Texas. The film stars Rob Morgan, a recent standout in “Just Mercy,” as Abe, an ex-bull rider who still works the circuit despite the toll it’s taken on his

“The High Note,” a romance drama starring Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, will skip its planned run in theaters and instead debut May 29 on video-on-demand. Focus Features, the specialty branch of Universal Pictures, is releasing the film, which was initially scheduled to open on May 8. “The High Note” will be available to

Dolphin Entertainment has acquired the rights to “Special Delivery,” an original screenplay written by Brian Hurwitz, and has attached Vaughn Stein to direct. The pic tells the story of Jess, whose world comes crashing down around her when she aggressively rebuffs a member of a powerful crime family. Her only chance at survival is to drive from

Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Looks That Kill,” a black comedy starring “13 Reasons Why” actor Brandon Flynn. Produced by American High, the film stars Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles (“The Affair,” “Bunheads”), Ki Hong Lee (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), and Annie Mumolo (“Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Bridesmaids”). The project

For director Ridley Scott, it was one look at a 19th-century neoclassical work of art that convinced him to make the Oscar-winning picture “Gladiator.” Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting “Pollice Verso” depicts an armored gladiator in the ring, triumphantly facing onlookers as the crowd reacts with thumbs turned down, signaling their approval for the fighter to deliver

In a competitive situation, Sony Pictures has landed an untitled sci-fi thriller with “A Quiet Place” scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods set to write, direct and produce their original script. The duo will produce under their newly formed Beck/Woods banner along with Sam Raimi and Zainab Azizi, who will produce for Raimi Productions along

The Virtues of Virtual Festivals Put together in just a few weeks, the online edition of Visions du Reel is perhaps the first festival which really moves the dial on the virtues of virtual festivals, suggesting that, at least when it comes to festivals or markets whose titles are most commonly seen in a broadcast

From Thomas Imbach’s “Nemesis” and Michele Pennetta’s “Il Mio Corpo” to a 13-title National Competition – featuring Nick Brandestini’s section winner “Sapelo,” celebrated French screenwriter Antoine Jaccoud’s directorial debut “Back to Visegrad” and Tribeca world premiere “Wake Up on Mars – ” this year’s Visions du Réel festival proved, as ever, a notable launchpad for

Taika Waititi will direct a new “Star Wars” movie for theatrical release, which he will co-write with “1917” scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The news confirms reports that first broke in January that Waititi was developing a new “Star Wars” movie. The filmmaker was coy about those reports when Variety asked about them in February after he

Troika co-founders Conor McCaughan and Michael Duff have left the esteemed British agency they built up over 15 years into one of the U.K.’s top talent firms. Variety has confirmed McCaughan and Duff have departed the business, which they co-founded in 2005 with Melanie Rockcliffe and grew into one of the country’s leading management firms

After nearly two months in quarantine, you are probably running out of movies to watch and TV shows to binge. Well, Hollywood stars are here to help. From directors and actors to newscasters and comics, Variety has surveyed tastemakers from the big and small screen to assemble a list of acclaimed films and venerable sitcoms

Netflix has appointed Bruce Daitch as VP of animation, Variety has learned. Daitch is an industry veteran, having previously served as both chief operating officer and chief financial officer of DreamWorks Animation, the maker of “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda.” In his new role, Daitch will oversee production strategy and operations for Netflix’s global animation

“Up From the Streets,” a history and celebration of the music of New Orleans hosted by Grammy-winning artist Terence Blanchard, will have a “virtual cinema release” starting May 15 with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting struggling Louisiana musicians. The film, subtitled “New Orleans: The City of Music,” debuted in October at the New Orleans Film

On the official White House website, one can find detailed bios of America’s 42 first ladies. Most open with some variation on the phrase “So-and-So was the wife of President Such-and-Such” — e.g., “Mary Ann Todd Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.” But not Michelle Obama’s. Her

LevelK has boarded Anna Hildur’s directorial debut “A Song Called Hate,” a documentary revolving around Hatari, the performance art group which made headlines at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest. LevelK is handling world sales excluding Iceland. Executive produced by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard (“20,000 Days on Earth”), the documentary follows the journey of Hatari,

MADRID —  2bOriginals, the newly created production arm of 2b, a leading digital media group with offices in Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and the U.S., is teaming with top Dutch production company NewBe to produce hit film franchise ‘Misfit’ for Spanish-speaking markets. The remake forms part of a deal which sees 2bOriginals acquiring the rights