Celebrated filmmaker Mira Nair — whose films include “Monsoon Wedding” and “The Namesake” — is launching her first online class, in which she’ll share insights for aspiring auteurs. Her class on independent filmmaking is being offered exclusively through internet education platform MasterClass. In the course, Nair shares her directing methods, pointers on maximizing budgets, and how
Oprah Winfrey has her own magazine. So do Dr. Oz, the Food Network and HGTV. Now the ABC program “Shark Tank” is the latest TV creation to test the concept. Hearst Magazines, the publisher behind those aforementioned periodicals, is releasing a limited-edition “bookazine” celebrating a decade of the reality show in which young entrepreneurs hope
Studiocanal has pre-sold Movistar+’s original drama “Instinto” to Amazon Prime Video in Latin America and to Pantaya, the premium Spanish-language streaming service recently launched by Lionsgate and Hemisphere Media Group. An erotic thriller, “Instinto” is produced by Bambú Producciones, the Studiocanal-owned Spanish company behind Spanish-language hit series such as “Velvet” and “Grand Hotel.” The series
MADRID — Unveiling its highest-profile Spanish original film to date, Netflix announced on Tuesday that Spanish actors Javier Gutiérrez and Mario Casas will star together for the first time in “Hogar.” Shooting in Barcelona, “Hogar” has initiated production and will premiere only on Netflix in 2020. “Hogar” is directed by Spanish brothers Alex and David
November 27, 2018 2:00AM PT Miranda Richardson has signed on for the English-language remake of Un Certain Regard winner “Rams.” The British star of stage and screen joins a cast that includes Sam Neill and Michael Caton on the movie, which is currently shooting in western Australia. Richardson plays Kat, the local veterinarian of a
November 26, 2018 7:53PM PT Yuni Hadi, executive director of the Singapore Intl. Film Festival, which runs concurrently with the Singapore Media Festival, unwraps its major themes. How do you read the state of SE Asian cinema, and how has it evolved in the past 12 months? I see a growing confidence in Southeast Asian
“If you have a good idea and can execute well, these days you will definitely find a buyer. That’s a healthy market,” says a source at a one of the major channel operators in Asia, after looking with barely disguised jealously at the Netflix upfronts held in Singapore in mid-November. “This is a golden time
In today’s film news roundup, Molly Shannon’s “Wild Nights with Emily” and Motke Dapp’s “Other Versions of You” get distribution, Robert Patrick is up for a role as an FBI agent and “Nutcracker” writer Ashleigh Powell signs with CAA. ACQUISITIONS Greenwich Entertainment has bought “Wild Nights with Emily,’ a dramatic comedy about Emily Dickinson starring
Creative Artists Agency has signed on to represent controversial Chinese filmmaker Wu Hao. Wu’s latest work, “People’s Republic of Desire,” has been selected for consideration in the documentary section of the Academy Awards and goes on commercial release in North America this week. CAA is set as Wu’s exclusive representation. The company will deploy agents
The 28th annual IFP Gotham Awards kicked off award season Monday night in New York City. Rachel Weisz, Willem Dafoe, Paul Greengrass, and Jon Kamen all received 2018 tributes, and Sandra Lee was honored with the “Made in NY” award. The Independent Filmmaker Project’s yearly fete is the first awards show on the road to the
November 26, 2018 4:42PM PT WASHINGTON — Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, lied to investigators “on a variety of subject matters” and has breached his plea agreement, special counsel Robert Mueller’s office said in a court filing on Monday. Mueller’s team indicated that they would go into more detail about the nature
The Writers Guild of America West has launched a campaign to urge its members to report companies when they are paid late and asked to work for free. The guild introduced the WGAW Start Button program on its website, enabling members to inform the guild when writers begin working on a step and when the
In Today’s TV News Roundup, AMC announced a new premiere date for the return of “The Walking Dead” season nine and director Patty Jenkins released a new trailer for TNT’s upcoming drama “I Am the Night,” starring Chris Pine. DATES AMC announced the return of “The Walking Dead” season nine on Feb. 10 at 9:00 p.m.
November 26, 2018 3:35PM PT George Eads is leaving CBS’ reboot of “MacGyver,” Variety has confirmed. Eads has been with the drama series since it debuted in 2016 in the role of Jack Dalton, starring opposite series lead Lucas Till. His last episode of the series, which is currently in its third season, is expected to air
November 26, 2018 3:22PM PT “Twin Peaks” star Kyle MacLachlan has signed on to play U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in “Atlantic Crossing,” the Norwegian-produced World War II drama series. MacLachlan will star opposite Swedish actress Sofia Helin (“The Bridge”) in the eight-part show, which is being produced by Cinenord for Norwegian pubcaster NRK and
November 26, 2018 3:01PM PT In August of 2017, rapper Meek Mill was arrested for reckless endangerment after police viewed an Instagram post of him riding his dirtbike through New York City streets. The incident led to a controversial and unusually harsh sentence for parole violation that saw him serving five months in prison — amid public
November 26, 2018 2:58PM PT Google recently removed 13 driving-themed games from the Play store because they contained malware. They were downloaded more than 560,000 times, according to ESET malware researcher Lukas Stefanko. Stefanko first warned people about the apps on Nov. 19. All of them apparently come from a single developer named Luiz O
The year 2018 is shaping up to be a tragedy of epic proportions for lovers of world cinema. In April, Czech director Milos Forman passed away, and now, in late November, within a matter of days, we have lost avant garde maestro Nicolas Roeg and that great Italian iconoclast Bernardo Bertolucci. Consider: Forman’s “Amadeus,” Roeg’s
November 26, 2018 2:08PM PT ABC has given out a pilot production commitment to a single-camera comedy project that hails from two writers on “Modern Family.” Titled “Happy Accident,” the series sees two Pittsburgh families — a father with three adult daughters, and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son –as they are forced
November 26, 2018 2:00PM PT The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present director Alfonso Cuarón with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award for his work on “Roma.” The honor will be presented at the festival’s awards gala on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival is in its 30th year and runs
Meredith Vieira is returning to syndication as the host of a quiz show set for a fall 2019 national launch via Fox Television Stations, Twentieth Television and Lisa Kudrow’s Is or Isn’t Entertainment. Based on a popular board game of the same name, “25 Words or Less” is described as a quiz show that challenges
November 26, 2018 1:53PM PT For the week of Nov. 5, three shows posted Live+7 gains of 150% or more in adults 18-49. NBC’s “Manifest” grew from a 1.2 rating in Live+Same Day to a 3.1 for 158% growth for the week. ABC’s “The Good Doctor” went from a 1.0 to a 2.5 with fellow
Broadway won’t be going to a go-go for long. “Head Over Heels,” the Elizabethan period farce scored incongruously to the music of the Go-Go’s, has posted a closing notice five months into its Broadway run at the Hudson Theatre. Vacationers still have six weeks to get to it over the holiday season, though; the final
November 26, 2018 1:42PM PT Multi-hyphenate indie star Jennifer Westfeldt has signed with Verve Talent and Literary Agency. The firm — which counts clients like “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow, up-and-comer Madelyn Deutch and “Hidden Figures” screenwriter Allison Schroeder — has signed Westfeldt as a writer, director, and producer. She’ll remain with Innovative Artists for
November 26, 2018 1:26PM PT WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested that the government would launch a network to rival CNN International, as a way “to show the world the way we really are, great!” Trump broached the idea in an afternoon tweet that again attacked CNN, this time its highly successful global network. “While
November 26, 2018 1:09PM PT Comedian Amy Sedaris has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action “The Lion King” remake, numerous individuals close to the project tell Variety. She will voice an animal brand new to the kingdom that was established in the 1994 animated classic. Under the purview of director Jon Favreau, Sedaris will play an
November 26, 2018 12:15PM PT Starz has given out series orders to two drama series: “P-Valley” from Katori Hall, based on her play “Pussy Valley,” and “Hightown” from Rebecca Cutter. The Hall project, which has been in development at Starz since 2016, is an hour-long series set deep in the Mississippi Delta. It tells the story
MADRID — Women fighting back. Three of the six titles in Ventana Sur’s Copia Final this year picture women confronting outrage or tragedy – gender violence (“Do You Like Me?”), the abduction of a new born baby (“Song Without a Name”) or the death of a husband (“Venezia”) – and reacting, in multifarious fashions. “Do
November 26, 2018 11:00AM PT Popular “Fortnite” streamer Ninja played the battle royale game during a charity stream on Nov. 23 with someone impersonating rapper Drake with disastrous results. Ninja was under the impression Drake wanted to play “Fortnite” with him during the livestream to raise money for the Ellen Fund in a collaboration with
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