The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival drifted to a conclusion in midweek, with project awards presented on Wednesday, followed by Thursday’s festival closing events. These involved a screening of portmanteau film “Tales of Taipei” followed by a sit-down dinner-cum-ceremony with a breezy pair of speeches and no prizes. The film fortnight then sprang to life
Martin Scorsese will no longer attend nor participate in the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, citing personal reasons. The award-winning filmmaker was slated to serve as artistic godfather for Marrakech’s industry arm, which spotlights development titles and works-in-progress from dynamic new talents from across the MENA world. Lending his name to this year’s class, Scorsese
The mystery of why Daryl Hall obtained a restraining order against John Oates has been solved, at least in part, now that part of the case has been unsealed by a Tennessee judge who previously ordered all details to be kept under wraps. It’s now been revealed that Hall is attempting to block his longtime
This year’s Marrakech International Film Festival opened with a testament to art. Two months after a devastating earthquake, and in light of the ever-more heart-wrenching news coming out of the Middle East, the film showcase kicked off with a humanist rallying cry voiced by jury president Jessica Chastain. “In the weeks leading up to the
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade packed a punch for NBC in its 99th edition. The New York holiday tradition delivered a record audience of 28.5 million viewers across airings Thursday on the network and its streaming sibling Peacock. In a good sign of the parade’s status as an American institution, more than two-thirds of that
SAG-AFTRA has released the full 128-page contract that ended the actors strike on Nov. 8, with union leaders urging members to vote yes on the deal by the Dec. 5 ratification deadline. The hard-fought tentative agreement was sealed after a 118-day strike, which marked the union’s the longest-ever widespread work stoppage and its first since
French-based sales agency Lightdox has acquired the international rights to feature documentary “The Mechanics of Things” by Italian director Alessandra Celesia, ahead of its international premiere Saturday at the Torino Film Festival. The film had its world premiere at Les Etats généraux du Film Documentaire in Lussas this August. The exclusive trailer is shown below.
Nigerian producer Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife Media, has been helping to share the stories of African people through film and television for years — but never one written by her own hand. Until now, that is. Abudu made her screenwriting and directorial debut with the release of two short films honing in on mental health
Though he plays a man dealing with dementia in the upcoming film “Memory,” Peter Sarsgaard found the experience immensely joyful. “I loved playing him,” the actor reveals on this week’s episode of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I told my wife when I was playing him – I mean, it sounds arrogant, but it was true
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Cameras Rolling! Production has restarted on “Venom 3,” the film’s star Tom Hardy reported on Instagram Friday. “Thankfully we are back to shooting; and I want to take a moment just to thank all the teams thus far on the ride from V1 to here all our fantastic cast and
While many of us head to Amazon to pick up our favorite drugstore skin care, the e-tailer actually has a huge selection of designer items from its Luxury Stores, and you can score them at a huge discount right now for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Using the code LSTHANKU20, you can get 20 percent
Andrea Scarso, a well-established entertainment financier who previously worked at Ingenious Media, has joined the fund management company IPR.VC. IPR.VC has just raised nearly €100 million ($109 million) in its third funding round and will be investing further in content under the leadership of Scarso, who is joining the banner as partner and investment director.
One of the eternal mysteries of awards season is how to determine whether Oscar-worthy actors should compete in the lead category or in supporting. Is Lily Gladstone’s role in “Killers of the Flower Moon” significant enough to warrant a best actress nom? Is “The Taste of Things” star Juliette Binoche’s part “too big” for supporting?
Just hours after appearing at the Laugh Factory’s Thanksgiving feast event, comedian and actor Tiffany Haddish was arrested in Beverly Hills early Friday morning. Lt. Chris Coulter of the Beverly Hills Police Department confirmed that Haddish is being booked on DUI charges. Haddish fell asleep behind the wheel in the middle of Beverly Drive, TMZ
There’s a good old fashioned box office battle brewing. Disney’s “Wish,” an animated adventure that had been expected to dominate the Thanksgiving holiday is facing off against Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” for the top spot over the five-day stretch. And the dystopian prequel, which is currently in its second
Kanye West does not appear estranged from wife Bianca Censori because they were partying in Dubai. Check out the video of the two enjoying the shindig at Atlantis. Bianca is right there with Ye, seemingly having a good time. There have been reports, Bianca’s friends and family have convinced her Kanye had brainwashed her into
Jeff Zucker, the former president of CNN and onetime CEO of NBCUniversal, is eying a push by right-leaning British newspaper The Daily Telegraph into the U.S. if his company’s bid to buy the title is successful. An auction for the Telegraph Media Group, which includes magazine The Spectator, was halted this week when Zucker’s company
India‘s Film Bazaar, the Singapore-based Asia TV Forum & Market’s (ATF) IP Accelerator Project Market (AIPA) and the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) have formed a project market partnership. Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market is operated by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and runs concurrently with the International Film Festival of India
Kanye West no parece estar distanciado de su esposa Bianca Censori porque ambos fueron vistos saliendo de fiesta en Dubai. Mira el video de los dos disfrutando de la juerga en Atlantis. Bianca está allí con Ye, aparentemente pasando un buen rato. Algunos reportes dicen que los amigos y la familia de Bianca le han
“Brutal out there” may be a good description for how Record Store Day Black Friday will feel for those customers who have their appetites set only on the limited-edition piece that Olivia Rodrigo has coming out for the occasion. Rodrigo is essentially playing the role of Taylor Swift this time around, in drawing the attention
Focus, the end-of-year meeting place for the international production community, returns to London as a live event Dec. 5-6. With over 60 conference sessions and more than 150 expert speakers, the event’s ninth edition remains free to attend for industry professionals and embraces the increasing convergence of all screen sectors, gathering thousands of attendees across
Less than a week after settling a lawsuit with former Bad Boy artist Cassie which accused him of rape, Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing more sexual assault allegations. In a complaint filed on Thursday in New York Supreme Court and obtained by Variety, Joi Dickerson-Neal alleged that Combs “drugged, sexually assaulted and abused” her and
Spain’s 7th Ibero-American Quirino Animation Awards has found its jury for next year, to be held over May 9-11. The jury is led by animation directors José Miguel Ribeiro from Portugal, Colombian Marcela Rincón and Wesley Louis (U.K.) alongside Zane Valeniece, director of acquisitions at Latvian public television (LTV) and Emmanuèle Petry, head of international
The Marrakech Film Festival’s 20th edition kicks off on Friday with Richard Linklater’s action comedy “Hit Man” as its gala opening, Mads Mikkelsen being feted, and a rich roster of stars and top talents supporting a panoply of cinema from the African continent and the Arab world. The event will run Nov. 24-Dec. 2 in
Film co-productions between Australia and India received a significant double boost this week with the ratification of a treaty that was proposed last year and the Indian government’s major enhancement of filming incentives. An Australian delegation is attending the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa and the concurrent film market, Film Bazaar. Australian
Israel’s leading current affairs show is preparing a range of eyewitness news packages for distribution following requests from international broadcasters. “Uvda,” which is the local equivalent to CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” has prepared a series of documentary films collectively titled “Inside Israel: This Is War.” Comprised currently of seven films each running between 20 and
Radhika Apte (“Andhadhun”) and Keerthy Suresh (“Maamannan”) will lead leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ streaming production arm YRF Entertainment’s new series “Akka,” Variety has learned. The period thriller will be directed by Dharmaraj Shetty. “Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte are considered two of the most gifted female actors in India today. They are incredibly
John Travolta has revealed it was his own near-death experience while flying a plane on Thanksgiving that first drew him to “The Shepherd,” the new Alfonso Cuarón-produced short film set to premiere on Disney+ this winter. The film, which is based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1975 novella of the same name, tells the story of Freddie
Despite being plagued by harsh reviews from French critics and a derisive retaliation by director Ridley Scott, “Napoleon” had a strong opening in France on Wednesday, grossing an estimated €868,000 ($946,000) from approximately 120,000 admissions. The figure, unveiled by Comscore France, includes about 8,000 tickets sold at preview screenings across France, notably in Paris where
Natalie Portman calls Todd Haynes’ new film, “May December,” a “dream role.” “May December” stars Portman as actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman), who is set to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) in a movie. Gracie is a Georgia woman who became a notorious tabloid figure when she engaged in a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy,