November 28, 2019 2:04AM PT Cuban filmmakers Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández relate their immigrant journeys as a series of bittersweet video letters in this original, aching IDFA prizewinner. It’s hard to explain the cycle of emotions prompted by permanently leaving one’s home country to someone who has never had to do it. Pangs
Endemol Shine India has picked up screen rights to Salil Desai’s novel “The Sane Psychopath.” Inspired by a real incident, “Psychopath” is a surprising, psychological tale of a frightening murderous phenomenon. The company announced the rights deal on Thursday, but provided no further details about the adaptation, schedule or its financing. “What attracted us to the book is
Exclusive Getty Composite R. Kelly, Kodak Black and Michael Cohen are spending their first Thanksgiving behind bars, and they’re about to find out what Suge Knight and Bill Cosby already know — turkey day is mostly plain and dry. TMZ’s obtained prison menus from across the county, and locked-up celebs are being treated to your
Now United, the international pop group formed by “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller, has initiated a search for a new member the Middle East and North Africa. The group, comprised of 14 young artists, each from different countries, was founded with the mission of “supporting emerging music artists globally.” Said Fuller: “Now United is all
Lucy Bevan, casting director on “Cats” and “Cruella,” is among the jury members for the upcoming edition of European Film Promotion’s annual European Shooting Stars. It selects Europe’s best young acting talent, with the roster unveiled ahead of the Berlin Film Festival in Feb. where they will receive their awards. Bevan will be joined on
Even with the streaming company’s sophisticated algorithms, it’s not always easy to decide what to watch on Netflix. The right mood is difficult to find and whether you’re feeling a sober classic like “Schindler’s List” or a heart-warming Disney-Pixar flick like “Coco,” there are options to fit every movie palate. Here are 20 films worth watching to
Martin Armiger, a musician turned record producer, academic, and film and TV composer, based in Australia has died. He was 70. Born in the U.K. as John Martin Armiger, he relocated to Australia with his family as a teenager. He is known for Australian film classics Yahoo Serious’ “Young Einstein,” and the Alex Proyas-directed “Dark
The Cannes Festival and Film Market’s boldest international initiative outside France, as well as Latin America’s biggest movie mart-meet, Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur runs Dec. 2-6. Co-organized by Argentina’s Incaa film-TV agency, it provides a telling window into Latin American market trends. Here are five takes for 2019: 1. Latin American HeadwindsFor most of the
You can tell from the title. “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open” stands out in a field of generic, cookie-cutter dramas, not simply in terms of representation — though the female-made, indigenous-focused thriller offers a field day for intersectionality theorists — but also in the unconventional way the story unfolds. Filmed in what
Madonna canceled her intimate “Madame X” tour dates in Boston on Wednesday, stating she was experiencing “overwhelming” pain and would not be able to perform at the Wang Theatre during her scheduled dates from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. “Please forgive this unexpected turn of events. Doing my show every night brings me so much
John Boyega has claimed responsibility for the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” script ending up for sale on eBay. The actor, who plays Finn in the saga, told “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan, “I was moving apartments, and I left the script under my bed.” “I thought, ‘I’m going to leave it under
Directors Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández were the winners of the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary with “In a Whisper,” a film that focuses on two emigrated Cuban filmmakers reunited by their passion for film, friendship and freedom. The jury, which comprised Claire Simon, Mila Turajlić, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Gaston Kaboré, and Rima Mismar,
November 27, 2019 2:36PM PT As every year, tech companies are once again using Thanksgiving weekend as a way to sell their streaming devices and smart speakers with deep discounts. And since you can use some of these devices to cut the cord, you’ll be able to save even more over time — or spend
Singer-songwriter-producer Bazzi, who was honored at Variety’s Hitmakers event last year for hits including “Mine” and “Beautiful,” has signed with Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment for worldwide management. Bazzi’s longtime managers the Heavy Group will remain part of his management team, working in tandem with S10. The 22-year-old singer joins an S10 roster that also includes
“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist has revealed she is a “survivor of domestic violence” in an emotional video posted to her Instagram. The actor stops short of naming the partner in question who allegedly abused her, but describes him as “charming, funny, manipulative, devious,” and also as being younger than she is. “I am a survivor
In the doc world, Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker are a legendary filmmaking combo, and their presence has been felt at IDFA since the festival first began. The pair attended regularly over the years, but this year, sadly, only Hegedus was able to make the trip, having bade farewell to her longterm partner just a
Disney’s “Frozen 2” is heading for a record of at least $140 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday in North America, early estimates showed Wednesday. The animated adventure will easily top the $109.9 million record set by “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” in 2013 during the five-day period. “Frozen 2,” which opened on Nov. 22,
Every year, more than 300 TV buyers, sales agents, distributors and festival scouts descend on Arti et Amicitiae on one of Amsterdam’s busiest thoroughfares to watch a wide selection of documentaries available to the international market. Variety sat down with Docs For Sale manager Laurien ten Houten to discuss the enterprise and what it means
The tendency to apply the label “narrative film” to non-documentary cinema is a convenience, but also a misnomer: Documentaries can be as narratively driven as any fiction feature, as “Love Child” proves in entirely engrossing fashion. Spanning six years in the lives of two Iranian refugees — and their out-of-wedlock son — as they seek
November 27, 2019 1:09PM PT With a little Photoshop, anyone can have the Eye of the Tiger — or the shirtless body. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump had the internet scratching its collective head when he tweeted an image of his face superimposed on top of the fictional Rocky Balboa’s body. While the doctored image
This year’s DocLab opened with a video message from the Commander in Chief of the United States, but not the current one; speaking from his desk at the White House in 1969, President Richard Nixon held forth about the state of the arts and the future of technology. Not that long ago, this would have
Dwyane Wade took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend wife Gabrielle Union (“Bring It On”) following her departure from “America’s Got Talent,” claiming that she had been fired by NBC. Variety first reported last week that both Union and Julianne Hough’s contracts had not been renewed by the network. A spokesperson for NBC declined to
“Babyteeth” director Shannon Murphy is to helm a television adaptation of prize-winning dramatic novel “The Strays.” The series is set up as an Australia-U.K. co-venture, involving See Pictures and Apogee Pictures. Beatrix Christian (“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Hearts and Bones,” “Jindabyne”) is set as the lead writer of the six-part series. She describes the story
November 27, 2019 12:39PM PT Getting your own virtual reality (VR) setup at home used to be costly, requiring not only an expensive headset but also a full-blown gaming PC. Not anymore: The latest generation of all-in-one devices has made VR a lot more affordable, and deep discounts for the holiday season serve as another
The last time Alison Klayman found herself in Portugal, she was facing significantly different circumstances. It was late-December of 2018, and the documentarian was taking a quick break from an unrelenting editing schedule when she learned that her Steve Bannon portrait “The Brink” would premiere in Sundance. Only that made official the filmmaker’s unenviable task
At a time when stars have easy access to their own megaphones to reach fans, there’s a growing wariness in the celebrity industrial complex about engaging in old-school journalistic efforts such as the access magazine profile or get-to-know-you meetings with reporters. And that’s a huge mistake, in the eyes of Sean Cassidy, president of the
David Archuleta is getting into the holiday spirit with his new cover of ‘N Sync’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” and the “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up is giving Variety a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video, with outtakes featuring his good cheer-spreading co-stars Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick. “It was a lot of
Following the dismissal of Fader editor in chief Eric Sundermann for sexual misconduct earlier this month, the company announced today that longtime publisher Andy Cohn will be stepping down from his post as well, according to an internal letter obtained by Variety. A rep for the company confirmed the document’s authenticity. While the company initially
In “After Parkland,” a documentary about the school shooting that took place on Feb. 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida, leaving 17 high-school students dead and injuring 17 others, there’s a scene set at the Trump White House that bristles with personal grief and political rage. It’s one week after the shooting, and several students who
Art imitates life until the line between them blurs in “Europa, ‘Based on a True Story,’” Rwandan director Kivu Ruhorahoza’s provocative portrayal of a love affair gone bad that mirrors the growing social and racial tensions in Great Britain and Europe. Produced by Anthony Rui Ribeiro for Moon Road Films and co-produced by Cocoon Production,