Movie News
Late screenwriter-director Sophie Fillières’ seventh and final feature, “This Life of Mine” was the opening film at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight and today wrapped things up as the France Writers’ Guild’s favorite French-language feature, winning the Sacd Authors’ Favorite Prize.
In the film, Barbie, once a devoted mother and partner, faces the realities of middle age as she turns 55. Following a classic three-act structure, the film advances from comedy to tragedy to epiphany, at times toying with the absurd.
Said Anne Villacèque, Sacd administrator: “This year, we had to decide from a particularly eclectic selection. Choosing between novel and poetry, right arm and left arm, grandiose or more modest films. We chose the film whose heart beat the strongest and continued to move us long after seeing it.
“A daring, delicate, unpredictable film, the culmination of a work full of dissonance and side steps, as its director liked to say,...
In the film, Barbie, once a devoted mother and partner, faces the realities of middle age as she turns 55. Following a classic three-act structure, the film advances from comedy to tragedy to epiphany, at times toying with the absurd.
Said Anne Villacèque, Sacd administrator: “This year, we had to decide from a particularly eclectic selection. Choosing between novel and poetry, right arm and left arm, grandiose or more modest films. We chose the film whose heart beat the strongest and continued to move us long after seeing it.
“A daring, delicate, unpredictable film, the culmination of a work full of dissonance and side steps, as its director liked to say,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
Netflix has acquired the legal drama “Monsanto,” a buzzy package from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
John Lee Hancock directed the movie, which stars Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern.
“Monsanto” tells the true story of young upstart lawyer Brent Wisner (Powell), who took on the court case against the giant U.S. chemical company Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie). Johnson used the company’s product Roundup, a top-selling weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. During the trial, Monsanto Company’s chief toxicologist Dr. Melinda Rogers (Dern), testifies that Roundup is safe. Hancock also wrote the screenplay with Michael Wisner, Alexandra Duparc.
“I was drawn to this contemporary David vs. Goliath true story because I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world,” Hancock said prior to the film’s sale.
John Lee Hancock directed the movie, which stars Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern.
“Monsanto” tells the true story of young upstart lawyer Brent Wisner (Powell), who took on the court case against the giant U.S. chemical company Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie). Johnson used the company’s product Roundup, a top-selling weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. During the trial, Monsanto Company’s chief toxicologist Dr. Melinda Rogers (Dern), testifies that Roundup is safe. Hancock also wrote the screenplay with Michael Wisner, Alexandra Duparc.
“I was drawn to this contemporary David vs. Goliath true story because I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world,” Hancock said prior to the film’s sale.
- 5/23/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin and Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Steven Spielberg’s next movie will hit theaters on May 15, 2026, Universal and Amblin Entertainment announced Thursday.
The untitled movie is described as an original event film created and helmed by the iconic director, but plot details are being kept under tight wraps.
Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is written by longtime collaborator David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide.
He last directed the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans, which was released in 2022. Released by Universal, the Amblin film received seven Academy Awards nominations, including for best picture, directing, best original screenplay, best actress and best picture.
Spielberg is one of the industry’s most successful and influential filmmakers, along with being the top-grossing director of all time. His bevy of blockbusters include Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise and Jurassic Park.
The untitled movie is described as an original event film created and helmed by the iconic director, but plot details are being kept under tight wraps.
Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is written by longtime collaborator David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide.
He last directed the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans, which was released in 2022. Released by Universal, the Amblin film received seven Academy Awards nominations, including for best picture, directing, best original screenplay, best actress and best picture.
Spielberg is one of the industry’s most successful and influential filmmakers, along with being the top-grossing director of all time. His bevy of blockbusters include Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise and Jurassic Park.
- 5/23/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The velociraptors have found a Friend.
Rupert Friend, the British actor who in appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, will star alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in the all-new Jurassic World feature being made by Universal Pictures.
Gareth Edwards is directing the creature feature that also has Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on the call sheet.
David Koepp, the original screenwriter of Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, penned the script for the new installment, whose plot details are being kept hidden in a can of Barbasol.
The project is casting furiously ahead of a production start in mid-June in London. Universal will have a tight turnaround in postproduction, as the studio has set a theatrical release of July 2, 2025.
Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, who have shepherded the modern Jurassic franchise, will produce through Kennedy/Marshall. Steven Spielberg, who kicked off the franchise in 1993 with Jurassic Park, is exec producing through Amblin Entertainment.
Rupert Friend, the British actor who in appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, will star alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in the all-new Jurassic World feature being made by Universal Pictures.
Gareth Edwards is directing the creature feature that also has Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on the call sheet.
David Koepp, the original screenwriter of Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, penned the script for the new installment, whose plot details are being kept hidden in a can of Barbasol.
The project is casting furiously ahead of a production start in mid-June in London. Universal will have a tight turnaround in postproduction, as the studio has set a theatrical release of July 2, 2025.
Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, who have shepherded the modern Jurassic franchise, will produce through Kennedy/Marshall. Steven Spielberg, who kicked off the franchise in 1993 with Jurassic Park, is exec producing through Amblin Entertainment.
- 5/22/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A Native American costume designer sued Apple on Wednesday, alleging that her contributions to “Killers of the Flower Moon” were overlooked during the studio’s awards campaign.
Kristi Marie Hoffman, who was credited as an assistant costume designer, also alleges that she was subject to racial discrimination on set.
Hoffman filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which resulted in a confidential settlement in December 2022. Subsequently, Hoffman alleges that the studio retaliated by denying her credit and accolades and “attempting to erase her contributions.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hoffman sued Apple, the Costume Designers Guild, and Jacqueline West, the costume designer who hired her.
In the complaint, she states that she was brought on because West needed someone with the cultural competency to handle the project, and West also wanted to make sure that Native Americans were represented among the crew.
Kristi Marie Hoffman, who was credited as an assistant costume designer, also alleges that she was subject to racial discrimination on set.
Hoffman filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which resulted in a confidential settlement in December 2022. Subsequently, Hoffman alleges that the studio retaliated by denying her credit and accolades and “attempting to erase her contributions.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hoffman sued Apple, the Costume Designers Guild, and Jacqueline West, the costume designer who hired her.
In the complaint, she states that she was brought on because West needed someone with the cultural competency to handle the project, and West also wanted to make sure that Native Americans were represented among the crew.
- 5/22/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety - Film News
And the winner is: “Simon of the Mountain.”
The film, directed by Federico Luis – and marking his feature debut – was awarded Cannes’ Critics Week Grand Prix.
Sold by Luxbox, the Argentina-Chile-Uruguay production stars Lorenzo “Toto” Ferro, the lead in breakout “El Angel,” as Simon, 21, a lonely only son who falls in with a group of discapacitated kids, feigning a discapacity. Thanks to their friendship he flowers, discovering love, sex and a sense of belonging.
“I am thinking not only about what it means to us, but also about what it means to the people in Argentina who, over the course of the next four years, will struggle, trying to make local films,” said Luis, accepting the award.
“At home, there are people who still think we make films no one wants to see. I hope this will change it and that Argentinian people – and then the whole world – will watch Argentinian cinema.
The film, directed by Federico Luis – and marking his feature debut – was awarded Cannes’ Critics Week Grand Prix.
Sold by Luxbox, the Argentina-Chile-Uruguay production stars Lorenzo “Toto” Ferro, the lead in breakout “El Angel,” as Simon, 21, a lonely only son who falls in with a group of discapacitated kids, feigning a discapacity. Thanks to their friendship he flowers, discovering love, sex and a sense of belonging.
“I am thinking not only about what it means to us, but also about what it means to the people in Argentina who, over the course of the next four years, will struggle, trying to make local films,” said Luis, accepting the award.
“At home, there are people who still think we make films no one wants to see. I hope this will change it and that Argentinian people – and then the whole world – will watch Argentinian cinema.
- 5/22/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
“Still Working 9 to 5,” the 2022 documentary that uses the ideas raised 1980’s “9 to 5” as a way to explore inequality in the workplace, will have its L.A. premiere May 29 at the Renberg Theatre in Hollywood in partnership with the Era.
“Still Working 9 to 5” follows the journey of women in the workplace and looks at the continuing inequality over the past 40 years. It’s directed and produced by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane.
Alyssa Milano will present the Era Coalition Trailblazer Awards to “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton at the screening. Fonda and Tomlin are confirmed to attend, while Parton will accept her award by a prerecorded video from Nashville.
A panel discussion with Tomlin and Fonda about the documentary, women’s rights and the importance of the Era passing this election year will be hosted by Zakia Thomas, the president of the Era Coalition.
“Still Working 9 to 5” follows the journey of women in the workplace and looks at the continuing inequality over the past 40 years. It’s directed and produced by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane.
Alyssa Milano will present the Era Coalition Trailblazer Awards to “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton at the screening. Fonda and Tomlin are confirmed to attend, while Parton will accept her award by a prerecorded video from Nashville.
A panel discussion with Tomlin and Fonda about the documentary, women’s rights and the importance of the Era passing this election year will be hosted by Zakia Thomas, the president of the Era Coalition.
- 5/23/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Lexi Carson, Jack Dunn and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Netflix is in talks to acquire one of the most talked about titles at this year’s Cannes Film Festival: Emilia Pérez.
The movie, from writer-director Jacques Audiard, follows a cartel leader who hires an undervalued lawyer to help him withdraw from his business and realize a plan he has been secretly preparing for years, to transition into a woman.
Zoe Saldaña stars in the film, along with Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramirez, with breakout Karla Sofia Gascón as the title character.
The film earned a warm Cannes reception with a long standing ovation and near universal praise from critics.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review reads: “The baseline is a drama of criminality and redemption, but then there’s an unforced current of Almodóvarian humor, along with moments of melodrama, noir, social realism, a hint of telenovela camp and a climactic escalation into suspense, ultimately touched by tragedy. All this...
The movie, from writer-director Jacques Audiard, follows a cartel leader who hires an undervalued lawyer to help him withdraw from his business and realize a plan he has been secretly preparing for years, to transition into a woman.
Zoe Saldaña stars in the film, along with Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramirez, with breakout Karla Sofia Gascón as the title character.
The film earned a warm Cannes reception with a long standing ovation and near universal praise from critics.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review reads: “The baseline is a drama of criminality and redemption, but then there’s an unforced current of Almodóvarian humor, along with moments of melodrama, noir, social realism, a hint of telenovela camp and a climactic escalation into suspense, ultimately touched by tragedy. All this...
- 5/23/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: AI firm Flawless, distributor-financier XYZ Films (Mandy), and producer Tea Shop Productions (The Fall) have acquired Michel Gondry’s 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight movie The Book Of Solutions for all English-speaking territories.
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
- 5/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Vanessa Kirby has amassed an impressively starry ensemble cast for the first feature out of the gates for Aluna Entertainment, the production company she established in 2021 with former Film4 exec Lauren Dark.
“Night Always Comes,” which Oscar nominee Kirby will lead, is set to star Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”), Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Julia Fox (“Uncut Gems”), Eli Roth, Randall Park and Michael Kelly.
Shooting is now underway in Portland on the thriller, which is based on the 2021 novel by Willy Vlautin. Benjamin Caron directs from a script by Sarah Conradt (“Mother’s Instinct”).
As per the logline, “Night Always Comes” follows Lynette, a woman who risks everything to secure a future for herself and her brother by setting out on a dangerous odyssey in Portland, in doing so confronting her own dark past over one propulsive night.
Kirby and Dark are producing...
“Night Always Comes,” which Oscar nominee Kirby will lead, is set to star Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”), Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Julia Fox (“Uncut Gems”), Eli Roth, Randall Park and Michael Kelly.
Shooting is now underway in Portland on the thriller, which is based on the 2021 novel by Willy Vlautin. Benjamin Caron directs from a script by Sarah Conradt (“Mother’s Instinct”).
As per the logline, “Night Always Comes” follows Lynette, a woman who risks everything to secure a future for herself and her brother by setting out on a dangerous odyssey in Portland, in doing so confronting her own dark past over one propulsive night.
Kirby and Dark are producing...
- 5/23/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Kodak, which had a momentous 2023 with more than 60 movies shot on film has gotten off to a promising start in 2024 with Luca Guadignino’s “Challengers” and Jane Shoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow, which A24 released wide May 17. Upcoming releases include Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.”
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile,16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 23 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile,
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
- 5/27/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With the fate of the next film up in the air, the original captain wants to get back on the Enterprise – it could be a genius feat of nostalgic casting or a desperate attempt to regain past glory
It probably says something about the gaping void where Star Trek movies ought to be sitting right now that even 93-year-old William Shatner reckons he might have a chance at getting back in the Enterprise command chair, albeit with a bit of futuristic de-ageing tech. Speaking to the Canadian Press a couple of weeks ago, the original Captain James Tiberius Kirk suggested he could easily play a younger version of the erstwhile Star Trek admiral, thanks to a company he’s working with that specialises in software that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are”.
Kirk was, of course, killed off in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations.
It probably says something about the gaping void where Star Trek movies ought to be sitting right now that even 93-year-old William Shatner reckons he might have a chance at getting back in the Enterprise command chair, albeit with a bit of futuristic de-ageing tech. Speaking to the Canadian Press a couple of weeks ago, the original Captain James Tiberius Kirk suggested he could easily play a younger version of the erstwhile Star Trek admiral, thanks to a company he’s working with that specialises in software that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are”.
Kirk was, of course, killed off in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Cannes – A very popular actor in his native France, Gilles Lellouche has dipped his toe into filmmaking co-directing one movie and helming another over the past 20 years. Nothing he’s directed previously would prepare anyone for the impressive visual authority he welds over the camera in “Beating Hearts,” which debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. There’s actually very little in his first collaboration with cinematographer Laurent Tangy, 2018’s “Sink or Swim,” that would hint at this level of cinematic creativity.
Continue reading ‘Beating Hearts’ Review: Gilles Lellouche’s Stylish Thriller Descends Into Clichés [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Beating Hearts’ Review: Gilles Lellouche’s Stylish Thriller Descends Into Clichés [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Italian state broadcaster Rai’s new world sales arm is gaining traction in Cannes — following its soft launch in Berlin — with four new titles on its slate, including veteran auteur Roberto Andò’s historical drama “The Blunder” starring Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”).
In “The Blunder,” which is currently shooting in Sicily, Servillo plays a Sicilian colonel at the head of a ragtag unit trying to outsmart the enemy during the 1860 battle led by Giuseppe Garibaldi that resulted in the unification of Italy.
“The Blunder,” which also stars popular Sicilian comic duo Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone, is produced by Tramp Limited and Bibi Film with Rai Cinema and Medusa, in collaboration with Netflix.
Other titles added during Cannes on the Rai Cinema International Distribution slate include – as previously announced – “Of Dogs and Men,” the upcoming drama by Israeli director Dani Rosenberg (“The Death of Cinema and My Father Too...
In “The Blunder,” which is currently shooting in Sicily, Servillo plays a Sicilian colonel at the head of a ragtag unit trying to outsmart the enemy during the 1860 battle led by Giuseppe Garibaldi that resulted in the unification of Italy.
“The Blunder,” which also stars popular Sicilian comic duo Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone, is produced by Tramp Limited and Bibi Film with Rai Cinema and Medusa, in collaboration with Netflix.
Other titles added during Cannes on the Rai Cinema International Distribution slate include – as previously announced – “Of Dogs and Men,” the upcoming drama by Israeli director Dani Rosenberg (“The Death of Cinema and My Father Too...
- 5/24/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
Which performance received the best reviews at Cannes? Cher managed to conquer this year’s film festival even without appearing on screen.
At 12:30 a.m. in the South of France, decked out in a dazzling sequined purple pantsuit, Cher took the stage at Cannes amfAR, the charity gala devoted to raising money for research for HIV and AIDS. “I thought you guys would be drunk, but obviously you’re not,” Cher said after performing an acoustic rendition of “Walking in Memphis,” the Marc Cohn ballad she covered on her 1995 album “It’s a Man’s World,” that had hundreds of guests cheering her on.
Three songs later — and one costume change into a black sparkling jacket over couture negligee — Cher had emerged victorious. The crowd at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc would have given her the biggest standing ovation of Cannes, except they never sat during her 15-minute set.
Before belting out her pop hit “Believe,...
At 12:30 a.m. in the South of France, decked out in a dazzling sequined purple pantsuit, Cher took the stage at Cannes amfAR, the charity gala devoted to raising money for research for HIV and AIDS. “I thought you guys would be drunk, but obviously you’re not,” Cher said after performing an acoustic rendition of “Walking in Memphis,” the Marc Cohn ballad she covered on her 1995 album “It’s a Man’s World,” that had hundreds of guests cheering her on.
Three songs later — and one costume change into a black sparkling jacket over couture negligee — Cher had emerged victorious. The crowd at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc would have given her the biggest standing ovation of Cannes, except they never sat during her 15-minute set.
Before belting out her pop hit “Believe,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety - Film News
South Korea’s Plus M Entertainment has closed a raft of key deals at the Cannes market on upcoming action thriller Escape, including for North America and territories across Europe and Asia.
The thriller, in which a North Korean sergeant attempts to defect while pursued by a ruthless major, has been acquired by Well Go USA for North America and K-movie Entertainment for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Further European sales include France (Metropolitan), Germany (Splendid Films) and Poland (Media4fun). In Asia, the film has been acquired for Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Thailand (Sahamongkol), Vietnam (Lumix Media...
The thriller, in which a North Korean sergeant attempts to defect while pursued by a ruthless major, has been acquired by Well Go USA for North America and K-movie Entertainment for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Further European sales include France (Metropolitan), Germany (Splendid Films) and Poland (Media4fun). In Asia, the film has been acquired for Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Thailand (Sahamongkol), Vietnam (Lumix Media...
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
South Korea’s Plus M Entertainment has closed a raft of key deals at the Cannes market on upcoming action thriller Escape, including for North America and territories across Europe and Asia.
The thriller, in which a North Korean sergeant attempts to defect while pursued by a ruthless major, has been acquired by Well Go USA for North America and K-movie Entertainment for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Further European sales include France (Metropolitan), Germany (Splendid Films) and Poland (Media4fun). In Asia, the film has been acquired for Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Thailand (Sahamongkol), Vietnam (Lumix Media...
The thriller, in which a North Korean sergeant attempts to defect while pursued by a ruthless major, has been acquired by Well Go USA for North America and K-movie Entertainment for the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Further European sales include France (Metropolitan), Germany (Splendid Films) and Poland (Media4fun). In Asia, the film has been acquired for Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Thailand (Sahamongkol), Vietnam (Lumix Media...
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Production begins today on Dancing Queen In Hollywood, the sequel to Berlinale 2023 selection Dancing Queen, with LevelK securing pre-sales for multiple territories.
The family film has sold to Poland (Vivarto), Benelux (In The Air), former Yugoslavia (Fivia) and Baltics (Estin Film).
Aurora Gosse returns to direct the sequel, which is written by Silje Holtet. Shooting will take place in Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and Hamar in Norway.
Dancing Queen In Hollywood resumes the journey of Mina and Markus, as they set out for Los Angeles after winning a dance competition. Mina must deal with the pressure of auditioning for a film,...
The family film has sold to Poland (Vivarto), Benelux (In The Air), former Yugoslavia (Fivia) and Baltics (Estin Film).
Aurora Gosse returns to direct the sequel, which is written by Silje Holtet. Shooting will take place in Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and Hamar in Norway.
Dancing Queen In Hollywood resumes the journey of Mina and Markus, as they set out for Los Angeles after winning a dance competition. Mina must deal with the pressure of auditioning for a film,...
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Match Factory has finalized global sales for the Cannes competition title “The Substance,” directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid.
The Match Factory has sold to Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Spain (Elastica Films), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), South Korea (Challan), Hong Kong (Golden Scene Company), Cis (Vlg.Film Ltd.), Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema), Taiwan (Catchplay), Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment), Poland (Monolith), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), the former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Film) and Romania (Independenta Film 97). A deal is finalized for Japan, and Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal and South East Asia are undergoing negotiations. Metropolitan previously acquired the film for distribution in France.
Mubi, the global film distributor and streaming service, retains all rights in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, with plans for theatrical releases this year. Additionally, Mubi has acquired rights for Turkey and India.
The Match Factory has sold to Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Spain (Elastica Films), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), South Korea (Challan), Hong Kong (Golden Scene Company), Cis (Vlg.Film Ltd.), Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema), Taiwan (Catchplay), Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment), Poland (Monolith), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), the former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Film) and Romania (Independenta Film 97). A deal is finalized for Japan, and Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal and South East Asia are undergoing negotiations. Metropolitan previously acquired the film for distribution in France.
Mubi, the global film distributor and streaming service, retains all rights in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, with plans for theatrical releases this year. Additionally, Mubi has acquired rights for Turkey and India.
- 5/24/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
The Match Factory has agreed a string of sales for Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy Cannes Competition title The Substance, starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid.
The Match Factory has sold the body horror to Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Spain (Elastica Films), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), South Korea (Challan), Hong Kong (Golden Scene Company), Cis (Vlg Film), Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema), Taiwan (Catchplay), Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment), Poland (Monolith), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), Former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Film) and Romania (Independenta Film 97).
A deal is finalised for Japan and Switzerland, while Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal...
The Match Factory has sold the body horror to Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Spain (Elastica Films), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), South Korea (Challan), Hong Kong (Golden Scene Company), Cis (Vlg Film), Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema), Taiwan (Catchplay), Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment), Poland (Monolith), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), Former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Film) and Romania (Independenta Film 97).
A deal is finalised for Japan and Switzerland, while Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal...
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Screen is running this regularly updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival Part 2, US - May 11-26
Cannes Film Festival, France - May 14-25
Docaviv, Israel - May 23-June 1
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal - May 23-June 2
Inside Out Toronto 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival, Canada - May 24-June 1
Romford Film Festival,...
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival Part 2, US - May 11-26
Cannes Film Festival, France - May 14-25
Docaviv, Israel - May 23-June 1
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal - May 23-June 2
Inside Out Toronto 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival, Canada - May 24-June 1
Romford Film Festival,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
They were ‘America’s band’, with a run of golden-hued songs – but Disney’s documentary ignores the darker side of their extraordinary story
Early on in this latest of Disney’s stream of blockbuster rock documentaries, there is a brief but telling moment. It is July 1976, the year of the US bicentennial, and the Beach Boys are taking the stage before a vast stadium of cheering fans in Anaheim, California. It is ostensibly a moment of triumph for “America’s band”, as the announcer calls them. Over the preceding couple of years, the Beach Boys’ long-waning commercial fortunes have been unexpectedly restored by a chart-topping compilation of their early hits called Endless Summer. Moreover, the band’s errant mastermind Brian Wilson has been reputedly restored to full fitness after years of drug abuse and mental health problems (“Brian Is Back!” claims a promotional campaign that summer). “I like it, I like it,...
Early on in this latest of Disney’s stream of blockbuster rock documentaries, there is a brief but telling moment. It is July 1976, the year of the US bicentennial, and the Beach Boys are taking the stage before a vast stadium of cheering fans in Anaheim, California. It is ostensibly a moment of triumph for “America’s band”, as the announcer calls them. Over the preceding couple of years, the Beach Boys’ long-waning commercial fortunes have been unexpectedly restored by a chart-topping compilation of their early hits called Endless Summer. Moreover, the band’s errant mastermind Brian Wilson has been reputedly restored to full fitness after years of drug abuse and mental health problems (“Brian Is Back!” claims a promotional campaign that summer). “I like it, I like it,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alexis Petridis
- The Guardian - Film News
The actor and film-maker talks from Cannes about swapping Rain Man and Hot Shots! for an arthouse epic about a pansexual femme fatale
Valeria Golino rolls into her Cannes hotel late, trailing cigarette smoke and apologies. She hasn’t even had time to check in when a publicist steers her into the garden and plumps her beneath an awning. She’s being rained on a little and has to reposition her chair. “Let us sit very close together,” she says, which is lovely when she is still and faintly alarming when she’s not. Her emphatic hand gestures almost take my nose off.
Golino won the best actress prize at Venice (for Francesco Maselli’s A Tale of Love) when she was still a teenager. She has appeared in arthouse European films and Hollywood spectaculars alike. These days she’s primarily known as a film-maker, having played in Cannes with her first two features.
Valeria Golino rolls into her Cannes hotel late, trailing cigarette smoke and apologies. She hasn’t even had time to check in when a publicist steers her into the garden and plumps her beneath an awning. She’s being rained on a little and has to reposition her chair. “Let us sit very close together,” she says, which is lovely when she is still and faintly alarming when she’s not. Her emphatic hand gestures almost take my nose off.
Golino won the best actress prize at Venice (for Francesco Maselli’s A Tale of Love) when she was still a teenager. She has appeared in arthouse European films and Hollywood spectaculars alike. These days she’s primarily known as a film-maker, having played in Cannes with her first two features.
- 5/24/2024
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Universal Pictures has set a May 15, 2026 wide release date for an as yet untitled event film to be directed by Steven Spielberg and written by David Koepp, based on Spielberg’s story.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Universal Pictures has set a May 15, 2026 wide release date for an as yet untitled event film to be directed by Steven Spielberg and written by David Koepp, based on Spielberg’s story.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Call “Sight” a stealth faith-based movie and you won’t be far off the mark. For the most part, it’s a respectful but unremarkable biopic about Dr. Ming Wang, a Chinese-born, Nashville-based eye surgeon whose innovative use of amniotic membrane contact lenses has helped restore the eyesight of millions of patients, many of them children. But the end, which contains a Qr code much like distributor Angel Studios’ summer blockbuster “Sound of Freedom” did last year, features the real Dr. Wang — one of the film’s executive producers — in a sequence where he credits his success as having been possible “only with God’s grace,” after he was able to “open myself to God.”
Judging from the time-tripping scenario cobbled together by writers John Duigan, Buzz McLaughlin and director Andrew Hyatt, Wang’s road to Damascus was a rugged one. The decades-spanning story covers his traumatic childhood in Hangzhou,...
Judging from the time-tripping scenario cobbled together by writers John Duigan, Buzz McLaughlin and director Andrew Hyatt, Wang’s road to Damascus was a rugged one. The decades-spanning story covers his traumatic childhood in Hangzhou,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety - Film News
The star plays an analyst forced to see AI’s benefits in a brash sci-fi adventure that plays like it was made two decades ago
Memorial Day weekend has long been a vital, lucrative calendar date in Hollywood, a three-day stretch that’s birthed blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible, The Lost World and Top Gun: Maverick. As George Miller’s bombastic Mad Max prequel Furiosa urges those to the big screen, Netflix has something for the majority staying home – the sci-fi adventure Atlas, and it’s the kind of big, dumb, irony-free schlock that would have premiered theatrically on this very date two decades prior. And perhaps that’s the best way to view it, as knowing nostalgia bait, designed to appeal to those who prefer to look back rather than forward, an exercise in early ’00s immersion.
If only that’s how those involved with Atlas actually saw it,...
Memorial Day weekend has long been a vital, lucrative calendar date in Hollywood, a three-day stretch that’s birthed blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible, The Lost World and Top Gun: Maverick. As George Miller’s bombastic Mad Max prequel Furiosa urges those to the big screen, Netflix has something for the majority staying home – the sci-fi adventure Atlas, and it’s the kind of big, dumb, irony-free schlock that would have premiered theatrically on this very date two decades prior. And perhaps that’s the best way to view it, as knowing nostalgia bait, designed to appeal to those who prefer to look back rather than forward, an exercise in early ’00s immersion.
If only that’s how those involved with Atlas actually saw it,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Arriving on the heels of “The Greatest Love Story Never Told” — a true milestone of superstar transparency where Jennifer Lopez expressed a clear-eyed view of her current career status — “Atlas” feels like an underwhelming return to the kind of projects that have maintained Lopez’ place in the Hollywood firmament, but not the ones that catapulted her there in the first place.
One of her few science fiction-themed films, its novelty alone should make it stand out, especially with Brad Peyton, a reliable purveyor of large-scale spectacle in the director’s chair. But a dearth of original ideas undercuts the appeal of “Atlas,” leaving Lopez to fend for herself in much the same way her character is forced to in the film’s formulaic story.
Lopez plays the title character, a coffee-addicted, “rigid and hostile” data analyst whose mother Val (Lana Parilla) developed the first artificial-intelligence being, Harlan (Simu Liu), when Atlas was just a child.
One of her few science fiction-themed films, its novelty alone should make it stand out, especially with Brad Peyton, a reliable purveyor of large-scale spectacle in the director’s chair. But a dearth of original ideas undercuts the appeal of “Atlas,” leaving Lopez to fend for herself in much the same way her character is forced to in the film’s formulaic story.
Lopez plays the title character, a coffee-addicted, “rigid and hostile” data analyst whose mother Val (Lana Parilla) developed the first artificial-intelligence being, Harlan (Simu Liu), when Atlas was just a child.
- 5/24/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety - Film News
The intimate and naturalistic Mandarin-language drama “Blue Sun Palace” has nabbed the French Touch prize from the Cannes Critics’ Week jury, putting Chinese-American writer-director Constance Tsang on the map as a talent to watch after her feature debut. Certain to see future festival action, the drama about three working-class Chinese immigrants in Flushing, NY, the film succeeds with touching performances from Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”), Lee Kang Sheng (Tsai Ming Liang’s iconic actor) and Haixpeng Xu (“Where Echoes Never End”) that could tempt distributors in the coming months.
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety - Film News
Some directors prefer a soft touch when working with their talent, but as an actor himself, Josh Brolin’s behind-the-camera demeanor has more of a no-bullshit approach. Discussing his first time in the director’s chair on his television show “Outer Range” with Esquire, Brolin outlined how directing was thrust upon him rather than asked of, but that it came from others seeing he had the skills and sensibility to take on this role.
“There were a lot of interests that I’ve had through the decades that I never really understood,” said Brolin. “When I directed, I was able to funnel it all into one place without trying to force it. My whole life made sense.…I’m not going to quit acting and just be a director. But it utilizes more of my sensibilities as a person. I’m naturally a communal person. I get excited by experimenting.
“There were a lot of interests that I’ve had through the decades that I never really understood,” said Brolin. “When I directed, I was able to funnel it all into one place without trying to force it. My whole life made sense.…I’m not going to quit acting and just be a director. But it utilizes more of my sensibilities as a person. I’m naturally a communal person. I get excited by experimenting.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Anya Taylor-Joy in “Furiosa” would give Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy” a run for his money.
“Furiosa” writer/director George Miller admitted to GQ UK that while filming the sprawling “Mad Max” prequel, he sometimes got confused between Taylor-Joy and her stunt double. Turns out, Taylor-Joy did more of her own stunts than even her director realized.
It took one scene where Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) had to climb into the front seat of a war rig through its smashed windscreen for Miller to realize just how down and dirty Taylor-Joy was going.
“I was watching it and I saw her stunt double, Hayley, and thought, ‘Gee, she looks a lot like Anya,'” Miller said. “I spoke to [second unit director and stunt coordinator] Guy [Norris] and he said, ‘That wasn’t Hayley, that was Anya.’ That happened a lot.”
“I can put my body through so much that it becomes a bit frightening when you don’t crash,...
“Furiosa” writer/director George Miller admitted to GQ UK that while filming the sprawling “Mad Max” prequel, he sometimes got confused between Taylor-Joy and her stunt double. Turns out, Taylor-Joy did more of her own stunts than even her director realized.
It took one scene where Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) had to climb into the front seat of a war rig through its smashed windscreen for Miller to realize just how down and dirty Taylor-Joy was going.
“I was watching it and I saw her stunt double, Hayley, and thought, ‘Gee, she looks a lot like Anya,'” Miller said. “I spoke to [second unit director and stunt coordinator] Guy [Norris] and he said, ‘That wasn’t Hayley, that was Anya.’ That happened a lot.”
“I can put my body through so much that it becomes a bit frightening when you don’t crash,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Hollywood Commission, the anti-harassment organisation led by Anita Hill, has launched MyConnext, an online tool and reporting system for entertainment industry workers dealing with workplace abuse.
Partnering with the Commission on the project are the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, West, specified US-based based Amazon productions, all US-based Netflix productions and the Kennedy/Marshall Company.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is expected to join the platform later this year and members of actors union SAG-AFTRA can access their Safe Place reporting tool through MyConnext.
Users of the tool can create a time-stamped personal record of their experience,...
Partnering with the Commission on the project are the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, West, specified US-based based Amazon productions, all US-based Netflix productions and the Kennedy/Marshall Company.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is expected to join the platform later this year and members of actors union SAG-AFTRA can access their Safe Place reporting tool through MyConnext.
Users of the tool can create a time-stamped personal record of their experience,...
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
In J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 adventure novel "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again," Bilbo Baggins and his merry band of stern dwarf friends are apprehended by a marauding group of wicked goblins and dragged into their dank underground lair. The lead dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, is targeted as a particular threat by the Goblin King as he is carrying a unique sword called Orcrist, the Goblin-Cleaver. Orcrist, according to Tolkien's lore, was forged millennia ago by expert elf swordsmiths, and passed down through generations. It is a magic sword that glows when orcs are nearby, warning its wielder of danger. Later in "The Hobbit," Thorin would lose Orcrist when he was captured by the Wood-elves of Mirkwood -- though it was eventually returned to him.
In Peter Jackson's three "Hobbit" film adaptations -- "An Unexpected Journey" (2012), "The Desolation of Smaug" (2013), and "The Battle of the Five Armies" (2014) -- Thorin was played by Richard Armitage,...
In Peter Jackson's three "Hobbit" film adaptations -- "An Unexpected Journey" (2012), "The Desolation of Smaug" (2013), and "The Battle of the Five Armies" (2014) -- Thorin was played by Richard Armitage,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
You ever had that moment where you go to watch a movie you put on your list or queue only to find it’s no longer there? Maybe it left the app a few months ago. Maybe only a few days. Whatever the case, for us obsessives, the feeling is crushing. Well fear not dear viewing comrades, IndieWire is here to save the day. Gathering highlights from various streamers, we’ve collected the best movies leaving every major (or minor) platform by June 2024.
Specifically we’d like to shoutout Tubi, a Fast channel that has a wide variety of modern and classic cinema, as well as Kanopy, which is available with a library card and offers an extensive and well-curated selection. In addition, we’ve also listed options from mainstream streamers like Netflix and Hulu.
Here’s what’s leaving by June 2024.
Specifically we’d like to shoutout Tubi, a Fast channel that has a wide variety of modern and classic cinema, as well as Kanopy, which is available with a library card and offers an extensive and well-curated selection. In addition, we’ve also listed options from mainstream streamers like Netflix and Hulu.
Here’s what’s leaving by June 2024.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Leave The World Behind was the most viewed feature film on Netflix over the second half of 2023, according to the streamer’s second biannual viewing report.
The Sam Esmail thriller with Julia Roberts generated 121m views over the period, becoming Netflix’s fifth most popular movie of all time. Gal Gadot crime thriller Heart Of Stone was the second most popular feature in the time frame, with 109.6m views, followed by animated family film Leo, Spanish-language thriller Nowhere (86.2m) and action comedy The Out-Laws (83.8m).
Netflix published its first biannual report late last year, taking a step towards greater data transparency.
The Sam Esmail thriller with Julia Roberts generated 121m views over the period, becoming Netflix’s fifth most popular movie of all time. Gal Gadot crime thriller Heart Of Stone was the second most popular feature in the time frame, with 109.6m views, followed by animated family film Leo, Spanish-language thriller Nowhere (86.2m) and action comedy The Out-Laws (83.8m).
Netflix published its first biannual report late last year, taking a step towards greater data transparency.
- 5/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paul Feig was just a couple of days away from wrapping the sequel to “A Simple Favor” in Italy when he got to share some very good news with the cast – the first film is currently the No. 1 most watched movie on Netflix.
“I sent it to all my main cast saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing the right thing here,” Feig says on a phone call from the movie’s Rome set.
Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding reprise their original roles for the followup. New cast members include Tony winner Alex Newell and Oscar winner and frequent Feig collaborator Allison Janney.
The 2018 movie stars Kendrick as widowed vlogger Stephanie who takes it upon herself to investigate the disappearance of her friend Emily (Lively). The $20 million crime comedy grossed nearly $100,000,000 in the U.S.
“I’m thrilled,” Feig says about being on the top of the Netflix movies chart.
“I sent it to all my main cast saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing the right thing here,” Feig says on a phone call from the movie’s Rome set.
Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding reprise their original roles for the followup. New cast members include Tony winner Alex Newell and Oscar winner and frequent Feig collaborator Allison Janney.
The 2018 movie stars Kendrick as widowed vlogger Stephanie who takes it upon herself to investigate the disappearance of her friend Emily (Lively). The $20 million crime comedy grossed nearly $100,000,000 in the U.S.
“I’m thrilled,” Feig says about being on the top of the Netflix movies chart.
- 5/23/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
A History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 17 Cannes Films, from ‘Mektoub’ to ‘Antichrist’ to ‘Caligula’
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated several times since.
Deserved or not, French cinema has a reputation for being a little racy. From classics like “Belle de Jour” to controversial modern films like “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” French film has consistently pushed the boundaries of sexuality and sensuality onscreen. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the country’s premier film festival Cannes is such an oasis for sexually explicit films, ones that have frequently generated controversy over its history — especially when these films feature unsimulated sexual acts.
Unsimulated sex onscreen at Cannes dates back to at least 1973, when the film “Thriller — a Cruel Picture,” featuring several acts of hardcore unsimulated porn, played at the festival. In the years afterwards, particularly provocative and avant-garde works like “Sweet Movie” and “The Idiots” caused shock at Cannes by presenting audiences with real, unvarnished sexual content.
Deserved or not, French cinema has a reputation for being a little racy. From classics like “Belle de Jour” to controversial modern films like “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” French film has consistently pushed the boundaries of sexuality and sensuality onscreen. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the country’s premier film festival Cannes is such an oasis for sexually explicit films, ones that have frequently generated controversy over its history — especially when these films feature unsimulated sexual acts.
Unsimulated sex onscreen at Cannes dates back to at least 1973, when the film “Thriller — a Cruel Picture,” featuring several acts of hardcore unsimulated porn, played at the festival. In the years afterwards, particularly provocative and avant-garde works like “Sweet Movie” and “The Idiots” caused shock at Cannes by presenting audiences with real, unvarnished sexual content.
- 5/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Alfonso Cuarón marked the 20th anniversary of his film “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” with a new interview in Total Film magazine, in which he admitted that he felt totally strange when Warner Bros. called to offer him the chance to direct the third “Harry Potter” movie. Chris Columbus was stepping aside from the director’s chair after helming “Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Chamber of Secrets,” but the Mexican director behind the erotic road trip drama “Y Tu Mamá También” didn’t exactly scream “Harry Potter.”
“I was confused because it was completely not on my radar,” Cuarón said. “I speak often with Guillermo [del Toro], and a couple of days after, I said, ‘You know, they offered me this Harry Potter film, but it’s really weird they offer me this.'”
Del Toro realized what an opportunity the “Harry Potter” franchise was, so he gave his longtime friend...
“I was confused because it was completely not on my radar,” Cuarón said. “I speak often with Guillermo [del Toro], and a couple of days after, I said, ‘You know, they offered me this Harry Potter film, but it’s really weird they offer me this.'”
Del Toro realized what an opportunity the “Harry Potter” franchise was, so he gave his longtime friend...
- 5/23/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Jessica Lange may have hinted at her own retirement for years, but the legendary actress is actually playing it out onscreen with her latest film “The Great Lillian Hall.”
Lange stars as the titular (fictional) iconic stage actress who grapples with her own legacy amid a dementia diagnosis. Her daughter (Lily Rabe) struggles with separating her mother Lillian from her Broadway fame, while Kathy Bates, Jesse Williams, and Pierce Brosnan round out the cast.
“I have lived my entire life in a place that creates illusions,” Lange says in the trailer as Lillian. Yet upon her cognizant decline, what’s real anymore, anyway?
“The Great Lillian Hall” is directed by Michael Cristofer. The official synopsis reads: “As beloved Broadway star Lillian Hall (Lange) pours her heart, soul, and time into preparing for her next big role, she finds herself blindsided by confusion and forgetfulness. Battling against all odds to make it to opening night,...
Lange stars as the titular (fictional) iconic stage actress who grapples with her own legacy amid a dementia diagnosis. Her daughter (Lily Rabe) struggles with separating her mother Lillian from her Broadway fame, while Kathy Bates, Jesse Williams, and Pierce Brosnan round out the cast.
“I have lived my entire life in a place that creates illusions,” Lange says in the trailer as Lillian. Yet upon her cognizant decline, what’s real anymore, anyway?
“The Great Lillian Hall” is directed by Michael Cristofer. The official synopsis reads: “As beloved Broadway star Lillian Hall (Lange) pours her heart, soul, and time into preparing for her next big role, she finds herself blindsided by confusion and forgetfulness. Battling against all odds to make it to opening night,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
There is a moment early on in Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” — her second feature after 2021’s lyrical hybrid doc “A Night of Knowing Nothing” — that exemplifies this gently coruscating movie’s peculiar beauty. Prabha (Kani Kusruti) a hardworking nurse with tired eyes rides the commuter train home at the end of another long day, gazing out at the glimmering blur of the city. Her life is anything but a fairground and yet, clinging to a pole to steady herself with the rushing night air stirring her hair, she could almost be riding a carousel. Just two features into her young career, Kapadia has established her rare talent for finding passages of exquisite poetry within the banal blank verse of everyday Indian life.
Prabha works in a slightly shabby local hospital, where she spends her days tending to even the most difficult cases with a conspiratorial compassion...
Prabha works in a slightly shabby local hospital, where she spends her days tending to even the most difficult cases with a conspiratorial compassion...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety - Film News
Netflix has pre-bought Glen Powell legal drama Monsanto for the world in a Cannes deal reported to be worth around $30m.
Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance introduced the project to buyers at Cannes last week.
Powell is set to star with Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern for director John Lee Hancock.
Based on a true story, the film will tell the story of a young attorney (Powell) who takes on a case against chemical giant Monsanto on behalf of a high school groundskeeper (Mackie) who used a pesticide produced by the company. Dern will play a Monsanto toxicologist who...
Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance introduced the project to buyers at Cannes last week.
Powell is set to star with Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern for director John Lee Hancock.
Based on a true story, the film will tell the story of a young attorney (Powell) who takes on a case against chemical giant Monsanto on behalf of a high school groundskeeper (Mackie) who used a pesticide produced by the company. Dern will play a Monsanto toxicologist who...
- 5/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
This article contains massive spoilers for "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."
With the release of "Furiosa," the fifth film in the "Mad Max" saga, it is abundantly clear that these movies never intended to be a single, serialized narrative. Instead, each film is a piece of mercurial mythology — stories that aren't concerned with strict continuity. They're legends, in the way that stories about Moses or King Arthur are legends; they aren't chronicles of what exactly did happen, but what may have happened.
This approach to the "Mad Max" films began with the 1979 original (which opens with the vague "A Few Years From Now..." title card) and continued in earnest with 1981's "Mad Max 2," which is narrated by an older version of one of the principal characters (whom we only hear and never see). Only 2015's "Fury Road" is narrated by Max himself, and even then, he's not of sound mind.
With the release of "Furiosa," the fifth film in the "Mad Max" saga, it is abundantly clear that these movies never intended to be a single, serialized narrative. Instead, each film is a piece of mercurial mythology — stories that aren't concerned with strict continuity. They're legends, in the way that stories about Moses or King Arthur are legends; they aren't chronicles of what exactly did happen, but what may have happened.
This approach to the "Mad Max" films began with the 1979 original (which opens with the vague "A Few Years From Now..." title card) and continued in earnest with 1981's "Mad Max 2," which is narrated by an older version of one of the principal characters (whom we only hear and never see). Only 2015's "Fury Road" is narrated by Max himself, and even then, he's not of sound mind.
- 5/23/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Cannes film festival
Payal Kapadia’s glorious Cannes competition selection is an absorbing story of three nurses that is full of humanity
There is a freshness and emotional clarity in Payal Kapadia’s Cannes competition selection, an enriching humanity and gentleness which coexist with fervent, languorous eroticism and finally something epiphanic in the later scenes and mysterious final moments. Kapadia’s storytelling has something of Satyajit Ray’s The Big City and Days and Nights of the Forest; it is so fluent and absorbing.
All We Imagine As Light is the story of three nurses in modern-day Mumbai: Prabha (Kani Kusruti), Anu (Divya Prabha) and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam). Each has come to the big city from smaller home towns. Prabha and the younger, flightier Anu are roommates and Anu (having only just moved in) is already asking the more sober and sensible Prabha to cover her share of the rent.
Payal Kapadia’s glorious Cannes competition selection is an absorbing story of three nurses that is full of humanity
There is a freshness and emotional clarity in Payal Kapadia’s Cannes competition selection, an enriching humanity and gentleness which coexist with fervent, languorous eroticism and finally something epiphanic in the later scenes and mysterious final moments. Kapadia’s storytelling has something of Satyajit Ray’s The Big City and Days and Nights of the Forest; it is so fluent and absorbing.
All We Imagine As Light is the story of three nurses in modern-day Mumbai: Prabha (Kani Kusruti), Anu (Divya Prabha) and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam). Each has come to the big city from smaller home towns. Prabha and the younger, flightier Anu are roommates and Anu (having only just moved in) is already asking the more sober and sensible Prabha to cover her share of the rent.
- 5/23/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
French Canadian director Sophie Dupuis’ third feature, “Solo,” saunters past the usual questions of queer identity and acceptance we often see onscreen.
Instead, her film starring 26-year-old muse Théodore Pellerin dances headlong into the suffocating effects of toxic love, via an art form that’s all about liberation: drag.
The Toronto Film Festival premiere opens with a gorgeous, sinewy rising star of the Montreal drag scene (Pellerin) twirling across the stage to Abba’s “Voulez-Vous,” while the screen goes from black to neon shades of purple. As the scene bleeds into a montage of Simon, now out of drag and dancing under the club lights, the world of “Solo” widens to his fellow queens, his sister Maude (Alice Moreault), and a newbie performer who catches his eye, Oliver (Félix Maritaud). And, for a brief moment, it appears that the carefree Simon is destined to have it all: a passionate romance with the recent French arrival,...
Instead, her film starring 26-year-old muse Théodore Pellerin dances headlong into the suffocating effects of toxic love, via an art form that’s all about liberation: drag.
The Toronto Film Festival premiere opens with a gorgeous, sinewy rising star of the Montreal drag scene (Pellerin) twirling across the stage to Abba’s “Voulez-Vous,” while the screen goes from black to neon shades of purple. As the scene bleeds into a montage of Simon, now out of drag and dancing under the club lights, the world of “Solo” widens to his fellow queens, his sister Maude (Alice Moreault), and a newbie performer who catches his eye, Oliver (Félix Maritaud). And, for a brief moment, it appears that the carefree Simon is destined to have it all: a passionate romance with the recent French arrival,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Elaina Patton
- Indiewire
Kelly Rowland is speaking out about being “scolded” by an usher on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet. The “Destiny’s Child” alum made headlines out of Cannes earlier this week when she appeared to clash with a red carpet usher at the premiere of “Marcello Mio.” Speaking to the Associated Press at the amfAR gala a couple days later, Rowland confirmed she was “told to get off” the carpet.
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries and that is it,” Rowland said about the incident. “And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off. I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”
A video of the...
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries and that is it,” Rowland said about the incident. “And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off. I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”
A video of the...
- 5/23/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the latest member of the "Supernatural" cast to join showrunner Eric Kripke's most recent creation: the filthy, irreverent superhero satire series "The Boys." Morgan played John Winchester, father of the demon-hunting Winchester brothers (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) in "Supernatural," and in "The Boys" season 4 he'll be introduced as CIA analyst Joe Kessler. There's a possibility he could even be reunited with his on-screen son, since Ackles also joined the world of "The Boys" last season as a very special boy: Soldier Boy.
This was Ackles' first time suiting up on camera as a superhero, which is actually pretty surprising given that his 15-season tenure on "Supernatural" saw him in a variety of disguises. Soldier Boy is currently taking a cryogenic nap, but after season 3 ended, Kripke told Entertainment Weekly, "I can't imagine the series ending without Soldier Boy making another appearance." Ackles himself is...
This was Ackles' first time suiting up on camera as a superhero, which is actually pretty surprising given that his 15-season tenure on "Supernatural" saw him in a variety of disguises. Soldier Boy is currently taking a cryogenic nap, but after season 3 ended, Kripke told Entertainment Weekly, "I can't imagine the series ending without Soldier Boy making another appearance." Ackles himself is...
- 5/23/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Quarterly losses shrank at Lionsgate and revenues climbed as the company’s television business rebounded from the twin strikes that had shut down production for much of 2023.
Revenue at the company behind “The Hunger Games” and “John Wick” franchises topped out at $1.12 billion for the three-month period ending in March, up from $1.08 billion in the prior-year quarter. Lionsgate also reported a net loss attributable to shareholder of $39.5 million, which compared favorably to the prior-year quarterly losses of $96.8 million. It recorded a loss of 22 cent per-share for the period. In the year-ago quarter, Lionsgate had per-share losses of 42 cents. Lionsgate’s revenues beat Wall Street estimates of $1.11 billion.
The earnings report comes after Lionsgate Studios debuted as a standalone public entity on May 14, trading as a single class of stock under the Nasdaq ticker symbol Lion — a step toward the full separation of its studio business and Starz. Through the merger...
Revenue at the company behind “The Hunger Games” and “John Wick” franchises topped out at $1.12 billion for the three-month period ending in March, up from $1.08 billion in the prior-year quarter. Lionsgate also reported a net loss attributable to shareholder of $39.5 million, which compared favorably to the prior-year quarterly losses of $96.8 million. It recorded a loss of 22 cent per-share for the period. In the year-ago quarter, Lionsgate had per-share losses of 42 cents. Lionsgate’s revenues beat Wall Street estimates of $1.11 billion.
The earnings report comes after Lionsgate Studios debuted as a standalone public entity on May 14, trading as a single class of stock under the Nasdaq ticker symbol Lion — a step toward the full separation of its studio business and Starz. Through the merger...
- 5/23/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2024 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 13 to June 24, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 17. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 15 and ends the night of August 26. The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 15, and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.
The State of the Race
When it comes to the Outstanding TV Movie category, the last few years have actually been very interesting. The advent of streaming had really blurred the lines of what a TV movie even is, and there were a couple years there where a standout episode of a series like “Black Mirror” or “Sherlock” had even won. But now...
The State of the Race
When it comes to the Outstanding TV Movie category, the last few years have actually been very interesting. The advent of streaming had really blurred the lines of what a TV movie even is, and there were a couple years there where a standout episode of a series like “Black Mirror” or “Sherlock” had even won. But now...
- 5/23/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Billy Eichner is finally getting to live out his childhood dream of a being in a major stage musical.
The “Bros” star is making his Hollywood Bowl singing debut this weekend during “The Lion King’s” 30th anniversary live-to-film concert.
“We just had our first official rehearsal all together this morning,” Eichner told me Wednesday afternoon. “The scope and size of it really knocked me out. If I can get through it, I think it’s going to be really fun.”
Eichner, who played Timon in the 2019 “Lion King” remake and reprises the role in the upcoming prequel film “Mufasa: The Lion King,” isn’t allowed to say what he’ll be performing. But it has already been announced that the two-night run — May 24 and 25 — will also feature “Lion King” veterans Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Heather Headley, Lebo M and Jason Weaver, as well as Egot winner Jennifer Hudson,...
The “Bros” star is making his Hollywood Bowl singing debut this weekend during “The Lion King’s” 30th anniversary live-to-film concert.
“We just had our first official rehearsal all together this morning,” Eichner told me Wednesday afternoon. “The scope and size of it really knocked me out. If I can get through it, I think it’s going to be really fun.”
Eichner, who played Timon in the 2019 “Lion King” remake and reprises the role in the upcoming prequel film “Mufasa: The Lion King,” isn’t allowed to say what he’ll be performing. But it has already been announced that the two-night run — May 24 and 25 — will also feature “Lion King” veterans Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Heather Headley, Lebo M and Jason Weaver, as well as Egot winner Jennifer Hudson,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
June is busting out all over, especially on streaming. Whether it’s hiding from the heat or taking a break from school and work, Disney+ and Hulu are here to satisfying your mid-year entertainment needs.
Disney+ will premiere the first new live-action Star Wars since 2023’s middling to “The Mandalorian” Season 3 and “Ahsoka” with “The Acolyte,” starring “Squid Game” breakout Lee Jung-jae. The series is set before the events of “The Phantom Menace” with a familiar master-padawan storyline but new characters and a new era where that dynamic unfolds. The streamer will also premiere various new options for kids and family-friendly programming, as well as new episodes of “Doctor Who” starring Ncuti Gatwa.
On Hulu, FX comes in hot for the summer, along with an adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’s “Queenie,” the brat-pack documentary “Brats,” and yes — more “Love Island.” The TV and film library continues to shift with new and expiring titles,...
Disney+ will premiere the first new live-action Star Wars since 2023’s middling to “The Mandalorian” Season 3 and “Ahsoka” with “The Acolyte,” starring “Squid Game” breakout Lee Jung-jae. The series is set before the events of “The Phantom Menace” with a familiar master-padawan storyline but new characters and a new era where that dynamic unfolds. The streamer will also premiere various new options for kids and family-friendly programming, as well as new episodes of “Doctor Who” starring Ncuti Gatwa.
On Hulu, FX comes in hot for the summer, along with an adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’s “Queenie,” the brat-pack documentary “Brats,” and yes — more “Love Island.” The TV and film library continues to shift with new and expiring titles,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.
More to explore
‘The Boys’ Creator Wants a Jared Padalecki Reunion in Season 5: ‘I Have to Complete My Game of “Supernatural” Pokémon’
- 5/23/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety - TV News
Netflix Circling Trans Crime Musical and Cannes Breakout ‘Emilia Pérez’
- 5/23/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marvel Sets Vision Series for 2026 With Paul Bettany, ‘Star Trek: Picard’ EP Terry Matalas as Showrunner (Exclusive)
- 5/22/2024
- by Adam B. Vary and Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Sophie Fillières Posthumously Wins Directors’ Fortnight Award with ‘This Life of Mine,’ ‘Universal Language’ Wins Audience Award
- 5/23/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
Netflix Buys Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern Legal Drama ‘Monsanto’
- 5/23/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin and Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Cassie Speaks Out After Release of Diddy Assault Video: “No One Should Carry This Weight Alone”
- 5/23/2024
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu Shut Down Reporter at Netflix’s ‘Atlas’ Junket Over Ben Affleck Divorce Question: ‘You Know Better Than That’
- 5/23/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
‘Nurse Jackie’ Sequel Series With Edie Falco Moves to Amazon From Showtime (Exclusive)
- 5/22/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Richard Jenkins Joins Amazon Series Adaptation of Ed Brubaker Graphic Novel ‘Criminal’
- 5/22/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Celine Dion Opens Up About Health Battle, Possible Stage Return in Amazon Doc Trailer
- 5/23/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Documentary ‘Still Working 9 to 5’ Sets Los Angeles Premiere With Cher, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin Attending – Film News in Brief
- 5/23/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Lexi Carson, Jack Dunn and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Michel Gondry’s ‘The Book Of Solutions’ Acquired In English-Language Territories By AI Firm Flawless, XYZ Films & Tea Shop After Deal With Kinology — Cannes Market
- 5/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Brande Roderick’s ‘Wineville’ Horror Pic Goes to Dark Star Pictures (Exclusive)
- 5/23/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Grindstone Takes Ving Rhames’ Boxing Movie ‘Uppercut’ for North America
- 5/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frank Miller Documentary ‘American Genius’ Reveals Trailer, Sets One-Night Theatrical Showing (Exclusive)
- 5/23/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Dexter’ Prequel Series Casts Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, Molly Brown in Lead Roles
- 5/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Richard Jenkins Joins Amazon Series Adaptation of Ed Brubaker Graphic Novel ‘Criminal’
- 5/22/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Marvel Sets Vision Series for 2026 With Paul Bettany, ‘Star Trek: Picard’ EP Terry Matalas as Showrunner (Exclusive)
- 5/22/2024
- by Adam B. Vary and Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Adds Bozoma Saint John to Cast
- 5/22/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SNL Season 49: Which Cast Members Got the Most (and Least) Screen Time?
- 5/24/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- LateNighter