Dave Matthews has a lot on his mind. When asked “What inspired the new Dave Matthews Band album?”, he pauses for a moment and then unloads. By his account, “Walk Around the Moon” (out today, via RCA) touches on: his children; “the futility of our struggles” as a human race; gun violence; love; modern political
Throughout his career, James Mangold has adopted the old-school filmmaking style of American auteurs that invigorated the movie landscape, like Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann and Sidney Lumet. Barreling toward 30 years in the industry, Mangold has worn many different hats in Hollywood, serving as a director, writer and producer. To celebrate the world premiere
Designers like Christian Siriano are a rare breed. Not only is he an acclaimed designer, a member of the CFDA, a marquee name on the New York Fashion Week schedule, and a host and mentor on Bravo’s Project Runway—he’s a man who is deeply in touch with his community and gives back often. As the
Primavera Sound, the 22-year-old music festival based in Spain, is more than a FOMO-inducing lineup kicking off Europe’s festival season. It’s a marriage between the festival and the cities in which it takes place. This used to be a monogamous relationship with its birthplace of Barcelona, where the three-day festival is staged in the middle
Rhino Records is launching a quarterly series of limited-edition vinyl releases intended to appeal to LP-loving audiophiles, with records that are cut directly from analog sources by one of the most revered names in the mastering business, Kevin Gray. The first two releases in the Rhino High Fidelity series, both out today, are the Cars’
Anonymous Content has partnered with Spain’s Morena Films, one of the country’s top production companies, to launch a joint venture aimed at developing and producing Spanish-language content for the global market. The alliance marks the fifth international joint venture for Anonymous Content as they continue to build partnerships with local producers and companies in key
Maria Bakalova, the Oscar-nominated star of “Borat Subsequent Movie Film,” is set to star in the action-comedy “My Masterpiece” for Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood’s Balboa Productions. Cassandra Brooksbank will make her feature directorial debut from a script by Jason Hellerman. The Veterans and CAA Media Finance will introduce the film to buyers at Cannes
FILM FUND (EXCLUSIVE) Bitpix TV and Myco have partnered on a feature film development fund. Open to filmmakers worldwide, the fund, which was launched on Friday at the Cannes film market, aims to support three films a year each with a budget of up to $2 million per feature. Bitpix TV is the official streaming
Nanni Moretti’s “Il sol dell’avvenire” (“A Brighter Tomorrow”), a multi-layered love letter to filmmaking in the age of streaming giants, has scored a slew of sales ahead of it’s Cannes bow. French sales company Kinology has sealed deals to Moretti’s latest work with a slew of territories including Germany (Prokino); Spain (Caramel Films); Benelux (Cineart)
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” stars Harrison Ford in his final performance as the swashbuckling, fedora-wearing adventurer, a legendary role he’s inhabited in five films across 40 years. But he says he is officially ready to retire the character. “Is it not evident?” the 80-year-old actor joked at the Cannes Film Festival’s Friday
Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy showed support for the writers strike while attending the Cannes press conference for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Kennedy has been a producer on the Harrison Ford-led franchise since its first installment. “When it comes to acknowledging the importance of writing, I think everybody up here has demonstrated that
Two Japanese films by internationally renowned auteurs — “Monster” by Koreeda Hirokazu and “Kubi” by Kitano Takeshi — are in the Cannes lineup this year, and both carry with them big box office expectations in Japan. “Monster,” which is screening in competition, will be released on June 2 by Gaga and Toho, the latter Japan’s
In the lead-up to Cannes, Spanish film sales continue to show resilience despite shifting market trends and global challenges. The market signals suggest an enduring preference for genre movies and high-concept films, while the sale of arthouse fare remains tough. Antonio Saura, director general of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm
Sean Penn is standing in solidarity with the writers guild, whose members are currently on strike to fight for better wages and work conditions in the streaming era. “My full support is with the writers guild,” Penn said during Friday’s press conference for his latest movie “Black Flies,” which debuted in competition at Cannes Film
Spain’s status as Cannes’ Marché du Film’s Country of Honor is a “milestone,” says María Peña, CEO of ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. But it’s also a mark of recognition, she says, after Spain’s big wins just this year at the Berlinale (three prizes for Estibaliz Urresola’s “20,000 Species of Bees”) and France’s Cesars (foreign
Andy Rourke, bassist with influential British rock band The Smiths, has died after a long illness due to pancreatic cancer. He was 59. The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr posted on Twitter on Friday: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. Andy will
Phil Nelson will lead CNN Worldwide’s international business operations and its work with commercial partners outside of the U.S. Nelson previously served as COO of CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) from 2019. In the new position of executive VP, CNNIC, he becomes part of CNN Worldwide’s leadership team and reports into the network’s group executive VP
Clive Owen has joined “Star Wars” star Daisy Ridley in the London-set action-thriller “Cleaner.” Directed by “Casino Royale” helmer Martin Campbell, the project follows a group of activists who ambush an energy company’s annual meeting at the Shard — one of London’s most recognizable skyscrapers — and takes 300 people hostage. However, the cause is
XYZ Films has unveiled the first clip from Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn. The film, produced by Anam Abbas and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray, is part of XYZ’s New Visions slate. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In
“20,000 Species of Bees,” (Estibaliz Urresola) One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and now racking up healthy sales, the story of a family off for a village summer holiday which builds to a moving ode to women’s freedoms. Sales: Luxbox “21 Paraíso,” (Nestor Ruiz Medina) Living in an idyllic Andalusia, a couple in love
Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania (“Beauty and the Dogs,” “The Man Who Sold His Skin”) is back in Cannes with “Four Daughters” a powerful drama that mixes documentary and fiction to delve into the story of Tunisia’s Olfa Hamrouni who rose to international prominence in April 2016 when she publicized the radicalization of her
Austrian actor Helmut Berger, the groundbreaking star of European cinematic masterpieces such as Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” has died at the age of 78. Berger died at home in Austria from natural causes. In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s,
Cannes Docs highlights Spain as part of its Docs in Progress program, featuring four documentaries that range from the avant-garde to the introspective. Spain’s doc filmmakers have labored to establish international footing — battling the stigma that the category is made up of dry narratives, productions strive for the robust funding granted to fiction. “There’s
Spain’s Nostromo Pictures, producer of “Through My Window,” one of the most-watched non-English movies ever on Netflix, is producing “Control Room,” a female-led sci-fi action movie pitched by producer Adrián Guerra as “‘Aliens’ meets ‘The Guilty.’” Based on an original screenplay from Julien Deladrière, “Control Room” is directed by Luiso Berdejo, helmer of “The New Daughter,” starring
Globo Filmes, the powerful film production arm of Brazil’s Globo, Latin America’s largest media company, has unveiled 11 new movie projects which join the biggest production slate of any company in Brazil. Directors of new titles, all co-productions, range from star auteur Gabriel Mascaró (“Divine Love,” “Neon Bull”), and celebrated doc director Eryk Rocha (“Cinema
TF1 Studio/ Newen Connect has picked up international sales rights to “Sarafina!,” the iconic South African musical-dance-drama that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992. “Sarafina!” was the first major film to be made in South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela from his 27-year prison term. The film tells of the strength
Amanda Nell Eu’s “Tiger Stripes,” which had its premiere this week in Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, is being celebrated as a punchy female-driven debut feature and as the first film by a Malaysian woman director in any section Cannes. The story focuses on a small group of 11 or 12-year-old girls. When one of
K5 Media Group has rebooted its international sales arm, K5 Intl., recruiting five industry veterans. It will sell and distribute eight to 10 new titles a year, across both film and TV. In its former incarnation, K5 Intl., which was founded by Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur, represented premium film titles like “ANON,” directed by
Pink and blue hues overwhelmed the stretch of Sunset Boulevard outside Netflix on Thursday as the “Trans Takeover” picket drew at least 200 writers and allies to address concerns about trans employment and how the community is portrayed in pop culture. “Trans people are workers too. We’re in solidarity with the labor movement around the
Bad Bunny enters his EDM era with the release of a new Jersey Club-inspired single titled “Where She Goes,” a cross-pollination of hip-hop, dembow and house beats with a star-studded music video to match. Dominic Fike, Frank Ocean and Lil Uzi Vert make subtle appearances (blink and you’ll miss them) in the desert-themed music video