Director Katja Gauriloff has made history with “Je’vida,” the first feature shot in the Skolt Sámi language. “It’s my native tongue, but because of forced assimilation in Finland [of the Sámi people] I didn’t actually learn it. I am studying it only now,” she tells Variety ahead of the Toronto premiere. “It’s endangered: we have
Over the summer, Buzzfeed posted an article of photos that were generated by asking an AI platform to recreate beloved Disney characters in the style of Tim Burton. The results depicted Elsa from “Frozen” and Princess Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” as if they were the stars of Burton’s stop-motion “Corpse Bride.” The article went viral,
The Japan rugby union team on Sunday thrashed tournament newcomers Chile 42-12 on the first weekend of the freshly kicked-off Rugby World Cup. But in 2015, Japan were the underdogs and yet pulled off a surprise result against rugby titans South Africa. In the first ever match between the two nations Japan won 34-32, due
MARKET MIA, the international market held annually in Rome, has announced the first confirmed speakers for its ninth edition. This year, speakers at the industry event — which focuses on co-production, financing strategies and sales and distribution — include Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ original scripted series; Sara Bernstein,
Maxime Saada, the chair and CEO of Canal+ Group, will receive the Variety Vanguard Award at the Mipcom international content sales conference set for Oct. 16-19 in Cannes. The award recognizes television industry leaders who have made a significant contribution to the global business of entertainment. Saada will receive the award, presented by Variety and Mipcom, on Oct. 16 as part
Emmy-nominated “The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore will play the Venice Film Festival’s master of ceremonies in the upcoming second season of the Italian version of “Call My Agent,” which will also feature a cameo by Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera. Impacciatore, wearing a red gown, disembarked from a water taxi at the Excelsior Hotel
Underscoring a renaissance on Spain’s genre scene, a trifecta of titles – F. Javier Gutiérrez’s “The Wait,” Daniel Calparsoro’s “All the Names of God” and Carlota Pereda’s “The Chapel” – lead the lineup of the second Spanish Screenings on Tour, which unspools at Rome’s MIA forum, taking place Oct. 9-13. A platform of market premieres,
Alicia Moncholí, winner of the New Directors of Asturias Award for her latest short, “Campolivar,” is developing her first feature film, the coming-of-age drama “Weekends,” just announced as one of the five titles in development set to be presented at the Second Spanish Screenings on Tour. They unspool at Rome’s MIA forum, which takes place
Canary Islands-based filmmaker Paula Bilbao, whose debut documentary “Inshallah,” about the Las Raíces migrant camp in Tenerife, won the Audience Award at the MiradasDoc festival this year, is turning to fiction in her upcoming dramedy “A Supermarket in Tigaday.” Among the projects in the development showcase at MIA’s Spanish Screenings on Tour, “A Supermarket in Tigaday”
Madrid-based agency Feel Sales has picked up worldwide sales rights to indie social drama film “Third Week,” by long term New York-based Catalan writer-director Jordi Torrent (“The Redemption of the Fish”). A U.S.-Spain co-production, the film is produced by Torrent, alongside Randy Simon, Maria Àngels Amorós and Toni Espinosa, for New York’s companies Duende Pictures
The true story of a dolphin sex scandal in the North of England in the early 1990s is the subject of a new Wondery podcast. “Hooked on Freddie,” from transatlantic production company Blanchard House, is set to launch on the platform on Sept. 19, with the first three episodes available on that day. It tells
Yakusho Koji, the Japanese star who was named best actor at Cannes this year in Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” is set as the subject of a seven-title showcase at the upcoming Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan. Among the septet are classic erotic film “Lost Paradise” from 1997, this year’s “Perfect Days” and 1996 film
Shah Rukh Khan-starring blockbuster “Jawan” scored a $62.7 million worldwide weekend, making it the second highest grossing film in the world after “The Nun II” ($85.3 million), according to provisional numbers released by ComScore. “The Equalizer 3,” starring Denzel Washington was third with $23.6 million, according to ComScore. “Jawan,” featuring Khan in a dual role
The 171st film by South Indian movie superstar Rajinikanth is to be directed by “Vikram” director Lokesh Kanagaraj, Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Pictures officially announced on Monday, putting an end to months of speculation. No further details are available, save the name of the music composer, Anirudh Ravichander (“Jawan,” “Jailer”) and stunt choreographer Anbariv (the K.G.F.
“Joyland” star Sarwat Gilani headlines “Farar,” the first project under the Applause Entertainment–Zindagi South Asian content partnership unveiled by Variety recently. The six-part series will premiere at the 14th annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival on Sept. 23. Directed by New York-based Mehreen Jabbar (“Jurm”) and written by Rida Bilal (“Zakham”), the series follows three
Oscar-winning writer-director Bobby Moresco (“Crash”) is set to direct “Ferrari vs. Mercedes,” the latest movie set in Italy’s vintage auto racing world – following Moresco’s “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” and Micheal Mann’s “Ferrari” – being produced by Andrea Iervolino. Just like “Lamborghini,” which in the U.S. went straight to Amazon Prime Video, “Ferrari
In 2008, the writer-director Azazel Jacobs made a small but vivid splash with “Momma’s Man,” a Sundance comedy about a troubled dweeb hiding out in the cocoon of his parents’ downtown Manhattan apartment. The parents were played by Jacobs’ own (the avant-garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs and his wife Flo), and the movie turned their overstuffed
“Dust to Dust,” a low-key crime thriller, topped the mainland Chinese box office over the weekend, despite only being released on Saturday. The film, directed by Jonathan Li, recounts how 21 years after a major armed robbery, a video of the crime resurfaces and causes the police to reopen their investigation. It had its world
Spike Lee blasted critics who suggested that “Do The Right Thing” would spark riots when it opened in 1989, while honoring one of the reviewers who came to the film’s defense. The remarks came as Lee received the Ebert Director Award, named for the late film critic Roger Ebert, at the Toronto International Film Festival
Does it count as a white savior movie if the white character is the one who needs saving? In “Next Goal Wins,” the world’s top-grossing indigenous director, Taika Waititi, retells the story of how American Samoa went from having the world’s worst soccer team to, well, not the worst. While a white man was involved,
Check out the official teaser for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starring Jason Momoa! ► Buy Tickets on Fandango: https://www.fandango.com/aquaman-and-the-lost-kingdom-2023-226755/movie-overview?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to be notified of all the hottest trailers: http://bit.ly/2CNniBy ► Shop Rotten Tomatoes: http://bit.ly/3KvCU1M US Release Date: December 25, 2023 Starring: Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck, Amber Heard,
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 10 season premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Sept. 10 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” kicked off its 10th season on Sunday night with a special episode — and a lotta Lovato. Demi Lovato as “Anonymouse” was the first celebrity unmasked
The South Korean box office got a new chart topper with mystery drama “Sleep,” but the weekend was a sleepy affair. “Sleep” earned $2.97 million over the weekend, according to Friday to Sunday data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over its full opening five days, it grossed $3.97
The birth centenary of Indian cinema icon Dev Anand will be celebrated with restored versions of some of his classics receiving a theatrical release across the country. Known as one of the triumvirate of superstars who ruled Hindi-language cinema in the 1950s and ’60s (along with the late Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar) Anand made
Taika Waititi’s new film “Next Goal Wins” is based on the true story of the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. Their story was immortalized in the 2014 documentary of the same name by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, so Waititi admits he took some creative liberties in
Charlie Robison, the country singer-songwriter known for such hits as “I Want You Bad” and “My Hometown,” has died. He was 59. Robison’s wife Kristen confirmed his death on Facebook: “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that my husband, Charlie Robison, has passed away today, surrounded by his family and friends. My
Drew Barrymore has announced on social media that her eponymous daytime talk show will begin its new season soon, in accordance with the rules of the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes. The actor first referred to her decision to step down as host of the MTV Film and TV Awards in May, in a
TORONTO: “Humanist Vampire,” “Solo” Heat Up Market for Toronto’s Quebec Feature Slate By Jennie Punter Toronto has long been a go-to place for Quebec filmmakers to launch new work, connect directly to the U.S. marketplace and, by extension, propel their careers to the next level — Denis Villeneuve, Phillippe Falardeau and Jean-Marc Vallée, for example, premiered
Ben Stiller, Mark Hamill and more stars are jumping to Martin Short’s defense after an op-ed labeled the Emmy award winner “exhausting, sweaty and desperately unfunny.” The Slate op-ed, titled “Why We Keep Putting Up With Martin Short,” critiqued Short’s comedic career, describing his roles as “over-the-top characters” that are “unbelievably annoying.” After the article
It’s time for Peter Sarsgaard to finally shatter the Oscar glass. Once upon a time, actor Peter Sarsgaard won the most precursors prizes during the 2003-2004 awards season for his supporting turn in Billy Ray’s “Shattered Glass.” In the film, he plays Charles Lane, a newly promoted editor who suspects one of his revered writers