Spain’s Basque Country, an ever-evolving film hub, continues to see a consolidation of talent driven by an animation boom alongside an increase in the production of ambitious genre cinema, marked by the colossal success of recent projects on streaming platforms and pick-ups by labs and festivals. As San Sebastian unspools, the sequel to “The Platform,”
Film Factory Entertainment has swooped on international sales rights to “Marco,” the next film from Basque filmmaking trio Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga. Their latest follows a high caliber run consisting of 2014 San Sebastian competition player “Flowers,” 2017’s San Sebastian Special Jury Prize winner “Giant,” and lockdown hit “The Endless Trench”
European production-distribution giant Studiocanal is teaming with Spain’s Mr. Fields and Friends and Bambú, both led by producer Ramón Campos, on dramatic comedy “Rondallas,” written-directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (“BlueDarkAlmostBlack,” “Cousinhood,” “Seventeen”). Sánchez Arévalo, one of Spain’s foremost crossover filmmakers, is coming back with “Rondallas” to a movie project oriented to classic cinema theater exhibition
At this year’s Annecy, the most important animation festival in the world, Basque animations were out in force. With a diverse showcase ranging from the nostalgic cartoon charm of “Conej Steps Out” by student outfit Funnie Fantasies, to UniKo’s tantalising taster excerpts for feminist story “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera and the short “Body of
In his staggering 2012 film “Our Children,” Belgian writer-director Joachim Lafosse turned an unthinkable true-life tragedy — the story of a mentally ailing mother who, one hitherto ordinary afternoon, single-handedly murdered all five of her children — into deeply compassionate drama, focusing not on the lurid whats of the event, but its more intimate, less
A salute to Basque cinema, the 71st edition of the San Sebastian Festival has once again unfurled its Zinemira section, a brainchild conceived in collaboration with the Basque government’s Department of Culture. Serving as more than just a showcase, Zinemira comes wrapped in the financial backing of sponsors Irizar and EiTB, with collaborative support from
In the most recent episode of Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert,” Jonathan Van Ness broke down in tears while defending the rights of transgender kids. Shepard and Van Ness engaged in a light-hearted conversation about a range of topics before they began talking about The New York Times. When Van Ness said the publication should
Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji, the husband and wife, Japanese-Chinese directing duo behind “Stonewalling” and “Egg and Stone” have secured multi-national backing for their upcoming fourth film project “A Woman Builds.” The film will depict a Chinese woman forced to live apart from her Japanese husband and their daughter during the pandemic and learning to
Angus Cloud’s family and friends are remembering the spirit of the late “Euphoria” actor. “I don’t think a spirit like his could be defined,” Zendaya told People in an interview over email. “He was one of the most unique and pure-hearted people I’ve ever met. I hope he knows how loved he is, how much
According to Bad Bunny’s cryptic WhatsApp channel (a new feature on the platform where he boasts over 12 million followers) messages, the Puerto Rican star has just shared his last solo single of the year. The reggaeton track is titled “Un Preview” because “it is a small preview of what is coming next year,” per
After being confirmed by the US Senate earlier this month, Anna Gomez was sworn in as the FCC’s fifth commissioner on Monday, making her the first Latina to hold the position in over 20 years. “I am humbled and honored that President Biden and the United States Senate have entrusted me with the privilege to
Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming Morgan Freeman-narrated series “Life on Our Planet,” which brings extinct species to the small screen in an exploration of the lives of Earth’s past inhabitants. The series is set to premiere on Oct. 25. Per the series logline, “This is the story of life’s epic battle to
A Touch More, the production company founded by world-renowned athletes Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, has announced the hiring of industry veteran Camille Bernier-Green as its head of development. Last December, Variety exclusively revealed that Bird, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball legend, and Rapinoe, a two-time FIFA World Cup-winning soccer superstar, would expand
It’s time to take a trip back to everyone’s favorite Halloween store. AMC Network has officially licensed the rights for David Poag’s “Spirit Halloween: The Movie” to stream on its streaming service Shudder. The film will creep its way onto the streamer on Oct. 2 just in time for spooky season. “Spirit Halloween” follows the
David McCallum, who starred as Illya Kuryakin alongside Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo in the 1960s hit spy drama “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and had a supporting role as pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the top-rated series “NCIS” decades later, died Monday of natural causes in New York City. He was 90. His son Peter
Starz is canceling four of its series, Variety has learned exclusively. Specifically, “Heels,” “Run the World,” and “Blindspotting” will not get new seasons at the cable network, while “The Venery of Samantha Bird” Season 1 is being scrapped without airing. “Heels,” “Run the World,” and “Blindspotting” all recently aired their second season at Starz, while
Stevie Nicks has added seven 2024 dates to her current trek, the singer-songwriter announced on Monday morning. The “Live In Concert” tour will see Nicks kick off the New Year on Feb. 10 at Mark G Etess Arena in Atlantic City. She’ll then make stops in New York, South Carolina, Florida, Louisana and more, before
The WGA West will extend health care benefits through year’s end to members who were facing an Oct. 1 expiration of coverage because of the strike. The extension was worked out as a part of the tentative contract agreement reached Sunday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which will bring an end
Play video content 4/22/23 Twitter/@paullabamba Nate Diaz is no longer facing any time behind bars for his role in an altercation on Bourbon Street earlier this year … prosecutors have just dropped the criminal case against the former UFC star. A spokesperson for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office confirmed to TMZ Sports on Monday
After weeks of speculation, Taylor Swift was finally spotted in the same general vicinity as Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce yesterday. That place was a home Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears where the sports star scored a touchdown. Swift looked fantastic for the game. The music icon kept it simple and chic
Lil Yachty’s latest album, “Let’s Start Here,” did just that: It gave the rapper’s career a new starting point by setting aside his hip-hop origins and rebooting into psychedelic rock. Yachty 2.0 stopped by Central Park’s SummerStage and showed off his new sound, while also giving original fans a healthy dose of his classic bangers.
When Beth Hutchens of FoundRae set her sights on another store location for her jewelry brand, it wasn’t as easy as snapping her fingers. In fact, settling on a second storefront to house her modern heirlooms, or what I call expressive armor, happened by chance and fate. In the middle of a blizzard this February,
Less than 24 hours after the WGA reached a tentative deal to end the 146-day strike, Variety has learned that “Dancing With the Stars” is moving ahead with its planned premiere date, after all. ABC confirmed that “Dancing With the Stars” will premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and will be simulcast live on Disney+. Over
As late night prepares to return to the airwaves post-WGA strike, that includes NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Like “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” the sketch show also falls under the SAG-AFTRA Network Code contract, which is not a part of the guild’s current strike. That means the show, cast
After a tentative agreement was reached between the WGA and AMPTP on Sunday, Drew Barrymore’s talk show is looking to return in October, sources close to production tell Variety. An exact premiere date has not been set. A spokesperson for “The Drew Barrymore Show” declined to comment. Barrymore found herself in the eye of a storm when
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Gran Turismo” is the latest video game movie from PlayStation Productions and it’s available to stream as a digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video on September 26. Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Guy Ritchie’s “The Covenant,” after releasing in theaters in April, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The wartime thriller is also available to rent for $5.99 or buy for $19.99. Not an Amazon
Incendiary Spanish director Isabel Coixet (“The Secret Life of Words”) heads to San Sebastian for the international premiere of her latest drama “Un Amor,” a take on devouring love starring Laia Costa (“Lullaby”) and Hovik Keuchkerian (“Money Heist”) that sets Coixet up to compete on the festival’s main stage for the first time. “Un Amor” is
After three years of anticipation and two renewals for extra seasons before audiences even got to see the show, Dan Harmon’s adult animated comedy “Krapopolis” finally arrived with two episodes on Fox on Sunday night, bringing a solid audience with it. An average 3.6 million viewers tuned in to the first episode of “Krapopolis” on
Florida-born trap-soul rapper Rod Wave has scored his third No. 1 album in a row with his latest, fifth studio LP “Nostalgia.” His entrance pushes Olivia Rodrigo’s newly-released “Guts” out of the summit by a couple thousand units sold. Despite being described an underdog of the hip-hop field, Rod previously earned a No. 1 debut