French actress Emmanuelle Béart and Belgian-Congolese director/songwriter Baloji will co-preside over the Caméra d’Or jury of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The Caméra d’Or is awarded to the best first feature film in Cannes’ Official Selection, or in the parallel Critics Week or Directors’ Fortnight sections.
Béart’s long list of credits include 8 Women (2002), Mission: Impossible (1996), Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995), Heart In Winter (1992), La Belle Noiseuse (1991) and Manon Des Sources (1986).
Baloji won the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard last year for his debut feature Omen.
This year’s Caméra d’Or jury includes director of photography Gilles Porte,...
The Caméra d’Or is awarded to the best first feature film in Cannes’ Official Selection, or in the parallel Critics Week or Directors’ Fortnight sections.
Béart’s long list of credits include 8 Women (2002), Mission: Impossible (1996), Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995), Heart In Winter (1992), La Belle Noiseuse (1991) and Manon Des Sources (1986).
Baloji won the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard last year for his debut feature Omen.
This year’s Caméra d’Or jury includes director of photography Gilles Porte,...
- 4/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Belgian rapper and filmmaker Baloji and French film actress Emmanuelle Béart have been announced as co-presidents of the Cannes Film Festival’s Caméra d’Or jury for the upcoming 77th edition, running from May 14 to 25.
The award for the best first film is open to all the debut feature films presented in Official Selection and the parallel sections of Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week.
The Caméra d’Or Jury has been co-chaired three times before: by actress Françoise Fabian and director Daniel Schmid in 1996, by Marthe Keller and Géraldine Chaplin in 2002, and by brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne in 2006.
Announcing the pair today, the festival described Baloji and Béart as “free spirits with no limits, who rely on their art to achieve creative freedom.” Baloji is best known for his directorial debut Omen, which debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard.
The award for the best first film is open to all the debut feature films presented in Official Selection and the parallel sections of Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week.
The Caméra d’Or Jury has been co-chaired three times before: by actress Françoise Fabian and director Daniel Schmid in 1996, by Marthe Keller and Géraldine Chaplin in 2002, and by brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne in 2006.
Announcing the pair today, the festival described Baloji and Béart as “free spirits with no limits, who rely on their art to achieve creative freedom.” Baloji is best known for his directorial debut Omen, which debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard.
- 4/16/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Jodie Foster opened up to Esquire magazine as part of its Robert Downey Jr. cover story about what it was like directing him in the 1995 Thanksgiving comedy “Home for the Holidays.” The film marked Foster’s second outing as a feature film director after 1991’s “Little Man Tate.” Production kicked off in early 1995, which overlapped with Downey’s addiction struggles. He’d be arrested the following year for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded gun.
At one point during the production of “Home for the Holidays,” Foster “took him aside” and told Downey: “Look, I couldn’t be more grateful for what you’ve given in this film. But I’m scared of what happens to you next. Right now you are incredibly good at balancing on the barstool. But it’s really precarious, and I’m not sure how that’s going to end.”
“What was so interesting...
At one point during the production of “Home for the Holidays,” Foster “took him aside” and told Downey: “Look, I couldn’t be more grateful for what you’ve given in this film. But I’m scared of what happens to you next. Right now you are incredibly good at balancing on the barstool. But it’s really precarious, and I’m not sure how that’s going to end.”
“What was so interesting...
- 4/8/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
In 1971, just six years after Frank Herbert published his groundbreaking science-fiction novel "Dune," Arthur P. Jacobs' Apjac International obtained the rights to the story for a film adaptation. The producer behind "Planet of the Apes" was ready to craft another world set in a distant future, but with the sequel film "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" on its way, "Dune" was delayed.
Jacobs went through a handful of different directors and screenwriters in early development, but he tragically passed away in 1973. David Lynch would eventually bring "Dune" to the big screen in 1984, but there were multiple failed attempts that paved the way for his film and a remake in his wake that led to Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptations. The messy histories of failed "Dune" adaptations could justify their own feature-length documentaries but allow this to be a crash course on the bizarre "Dune" movies that never came to be.
Jacobs went through a handful of different directors and screenwriters in early development, but he tragically passed away in 1973. David Lynch would eventually bring "Dune" to the big screen in 1984, but there were multiple failed attempts that paved the way for his film and a remake in his wake that led to Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptations. The messy histories of failed "Dune" adaptations could justify their own feature-length documentaries but allow this to be a crash course on the bizarre "Dune" movies that never came to be.
- 3/4/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Leonardo as Creature from the Black Lagoon Figure from Neca
Leonardo as Creature from the Black Lagoon will join Neca’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters toy line in January. Pre-order are up for $34.99.
Packed to the gills with accessories, the 7” scale action figure comes with six interchangeable hands, two harpoon katanas, attachable wrist bone blade, and turtle. It’s packaged in a window box with opening flap featuring art by Daniel Horne.
This is the line’s eighth release, following Raphael as Frankenstein, Leonardo as Ygor, Michelangelo as The Mummy, April as Bride of Frankenstein, Splinter as Van Helsing, Donatello as The Invisible Man, and Casey Jones as The Phantom.
The Boogens...
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Leonardo as Creature from the Black Lagoon Figure from Neca
Leonardo as Creature from the Black Lagoon will join Neca’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters toy line in January. Pre-order are up for $34.99.
Packed to the gills with accessories, the 7” scale action figure comes with six interchangeable hands, two harpoon katanas, attachable wrist bone blade, and turtle. It’s packaged in a window box with opening flap featuring art by Daniel Horne.
This is the line’s eighth release, following Raphael as Frankenstein, Leonardo as Ygor, Michelangelo as The Mummy, April as Bride of Frankenstein, Splinter as Van Helsing, Donatello as The Invisible Man, and Casey Jones as The Phantom.
The Boogens...
- 12/15/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Prominent Egyptian director Marwan Hamed, whose epic “Kira and El Gen” about local resistance to British occupation recently scored at the local box office, is being feted with a career award by the El Gouna Film Festival.
The Egyptian fest, running Oct. 13-20 in the Red Sea resort roughly 250 miles south of Cairo, is also paying tribute to the Sudanese Film Group, a groundbreaking collective of filmmakers, and is planning an homage to late great British-French icon Jane Birkin.
Hamed (pictured above) broke out internationally in 2006 with his bold adaptation of Alaa Aswany’s bestselling novel “The Yacoubian Building” that became a game-changer in Egytian cinema due to the way it depicted homosexuality, Islamic fundamentalism and government corruption. After “Yacoubian” become a local hit and travelled widely Hamed scored again big time with “The Blue Elephant,” a thriller with supernatural elements and its sequel “The Blue Elephant 2” that more...
The Egyptian fest, running Oct. 13-20 in the Red Sea resort roughly 250 miles south of Cairo, is also paying tribute to the Sudanese Film Group, a groundbreaking collective of filmmakers, and is planning an homage to late great British-French icon Jane Birkin.
Hamed (pictured above) broke out internationally in 2006 with his bold adaptation of Alaa Aswany’s bestselling novel “The Yacoubian Building” that became a game-changer in Egytian cinema due to the way it depicted homosexuality, Islamic fundamentalism and government corruption. After “Yacoubian” become a local hit and travelled widely Hamed scored again big time with “The Blue Elephant,” a thriller with supernatural elements and its sequel “The Blue Elephant 2” that more...
- 10/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Studiocanal has signed a deal with Metropolitan Filmexport for worldwide rights to the entire film catalog of acclaimed French director Claude Lelouch.
The deal, announced at the Cannes Film Market on Saturday, includes more than 40 films, among them such French classics as A Man and a Woman (1966) — winner of the 1966 Palme d’Or, as well as two Oscars, for best international film and best original screenplay — Live for Life (1967), Love Is a Funny Thing (1969), The Crook (1970), Money Money Money (1972), Happy New Year (1973), Bolero (1981), Itinerary of a Spoilt Child (1988) and Les Misérables (1995).
Studiocanal has been handling French TV rights for the Lelouch catalog for the past seven years. The new deal will give the group exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the director’s vast catalog, as well as SVOD, free-on-demand and AVOD rights in France. Metropolitan will continue to distribute Lelouch’s films in theaters, on video and through transactional video-on-demand (Tvod) in France.
The deal, announced at the Cannes Film Market on Saturday, includes more than 40 films, among them such French classics as A Man and a Woman (1966) — winner of the 1966 Palme d’Or, as well as two Oscars, for best international film and best original screenplay — Live for Life (1967), Love Is a Funny Thing (1969), The Crook (1970), Money Money Money (1972), Happy New Year (1973), Bolero (1981), Itinerary of a Spoilt Child (1988) and Les Misérables (1995).
Studiocanal has been handling French TV rights for the Lelouch catalog for the past seven years. The new deal will give the group exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the director’s vast catalog, as well as SVOD, free-on-demand and AVOD rights in France. Metropolitan will continue to distribute Lelouch’s films in theaters, on video and through transactional video-on-demand (Tvod) in France.
- 5/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For the past 40 Cannes Film Festivals, Alexandre has been putting on a show.
As the head bartender at the Mondrian Cannes — the établissement formerly known as The Grand — he’s been mixing cocktails and charming post-premiere revelers since 1983. Alexandre — it’s always “Alexandre,” no last name, like Prince or Madonna — is, for festival regulars, as familiar and welcome a sight as Cannes’ iconic red carpet. With a tall, lean frame and sharp Gallic nose, he darts between tables like a more elegant version of Monsieur Hulot, instantly recognizable with his striking bald head and those playful eyes that spring open in delight and surprise at every new guest.
Over the years, Alexandre has served festival grandees and Hollywood royalty. Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert De Niro. Isabella Rossellini.
He has his stories.
“Sitting right there: Tony Curtis. And there, Bo Derek,” Alexandre begins. “He goes over,...
As the head bartender at the Mondrian Cannes — the établissement formerly known as The Grand — he’s been mixing cocktails and charming post-premiere revelers since 1983. Alexandre — it’s always “Alexandre,” no last name, like Prince or Madonna — is, for festival regulars, as familiar and welcome a sight as Cannes’ iconic red carpet. With a tall, lean frame and sharp Gallic nose, he darts between tables like a more elegant version of Monsieur Hulot, instantly recognizable with his striking bald head and those playful eyes that spring open in delight and surprise at every new guest.
Over the years, Alexandre has served festival grandees and Hollywood royalty. Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert De Niro. Isabella Rossellini.
He has his stories.
“Sitting right there: Tony Curtis. And there, Bo Derek,” Alexandre begins. “He goes over,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Veteran Spanish actor Ana Torrent was around five-years-old when she was cast in her first movie, the landmark drama The Spirit of the Beehive, by maverick filmmaker Víctor Erice.
Fifty years later, the pair have reunited on a new pic, Close Your Eyes (Cerrar los ojos), Erice’s first feature-length film in over a decade. The film debuts Out-of-Competition in the Cannes Premiere section on Monday.
The film follows a famous Spanish actor, Julio Arenas, who disappears while shooting a film. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he’s been the victim of an accident by the sea. Many years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance is brought back into the spotlight by a TV show outlining his life and death, showing exclusive images of the last scenes he filmed, shot by his dear friend, the director Miguel Garay.
Fifty years later, the pair have reunited on a new pic, Close Your Eyes (Cerrar los ojos), Erice’s first feature-length film in over a decade. The film debuts Out-of-Competition in the Cannes Premiere section on Monday.
The film follows a famous Spanish actor, Julio Arenas, who disappears while shooting a film. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he’s been the victim of an accident by the sea. Many years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance is brought back into the spotlight by a TV show outlining his life and death, showing exclusive images of the last scenes he filmed, shot by his dear friend, the director Miguel Garay.
- 5/18/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: In 2016, the hottest book in Hollywood hadn’t even been published yet. Circulating in galley proofs, it was the latest non-fiction work from author David Grann, whose 2009 book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon had recently been filmed by James Gray and produced by Plan B. His new book was another mouthful — Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI — and it proved just as tasty.
Seven-figure bids materialized, with talent attachments that included Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and J.J. Abrams. The deal ended with a statement buy by Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas, who went well beyond the bids and took it off the table for $5 million. With Martin Scorsese directing, they would set it up at Paramount, casting DiCaprio alongside Robert De Niro in the most iconic pairing since...
Seven-figure bids materialized, with talent attachments that included Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and J.J. Abrams. The deal ended with a statement buy by Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas, who went well beyond the bids and took it off the table for $5 million. With Martin Scorsese directing, they would set it up at Paramount, casting DiCaprio alongside Robert De Niro in the most iconic pairing since...
- 5/16/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has picked up global sales rights to “Gina” (working title), by Ulrike Kofler, which follows her Netflix debut “What We Wanted.”
“Gina” tells the story of a 9-year-old girl longing for a home and family while having to take care of her younger siblings and mother, who is too overwhelmed to take care of herself, let alone her children.
The film, produced by Film Ag, is the second feature by Kofler, who is a long-time editor for Austrian director Marie Kreutzer. Kofler’s editing work includes “Corsage,” which won best film at the London Film Festival and three nominations for the European Film Awards in 2022, “The Ground Beneath My Feet”, and Josef Hader’s “Wild Mouse”.
Kolfer’s directorial debut “What We Wanted,” starring Elyas M’Barek and Lavinia Wilson, was sold by Pti exclusively to Netflix, and was Austria’s official entry for the Academy Awards in...
“Gina” tells the story of a 9-year-old girl longing for a home and family while having to take care of her younger siblings and mother, who is too overwhelmed to take care of herself, let alone her children.
The film, produced by Film Ag, is the second feature by Kofler, who is a long-time editor for Austrian director Marie Kreutzer. Kofler’s editing work includes “Corsage,” which won best film at the London Film Festival and three nominations for the European Film Awards in 2022, “The Ground Beneath My Feet”, and Josef Hader’s “Wild Mouse”.
Kolfer’s directorial debut “What We Wanted,” starring Elyas M’Barek and Lavinia Wilson, was sold by Pti exclusively to Netflix, and was Austria’s official entry for the Academy Awards in...
- 5/10/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Early last year, Stefan Kitanov, director of the Sofia International Film Festival, thought that after two years of lockdowns and online events, things were finally getting back to normal.
“For two years I was out of all festival events and travels, I avoided all public events and spent time in our family house outside the city,” says Kitanov, who started Bulgaria’s biggest film event 27 years ago. “[Then], just as we thought the pandemic is finally over, the war in Ukraine broke out, just a month before our 2022 edition.”
The festival lineup was already locked down, but Kitanov quickly adjusted to the new reality. And made Sofia’s allegiance clear.
“We decided to withdraw Russian films and call off Russian talents and guests,” recalls Kitanov, who has many friends among both Ukrainian and Russian filmmakers and fellow festival colleagues. “[Ukrainian director] Oleg Sentsov was selected to serve on the main jury, but he...
“For two years I was out of all festival events and travels, I avoided all public events and spent time in our family house outside the city,” says Kitanov, who started Bulgaria’s biggest film event 27 years ago. “[Then], just as we thought the pandemic is finally over, the war in Ukraine broke out, just a month before our 2022 edition.”
The festival lineup was already locked down, but Kitanov quickly adjusted to the new reality. And made Sofia’s allegiance clear.
“We decided to withdraw Russian films and call off Russian talents and guests,” recalls Kitanov, who has many friends among both Ukrainian and Russian filmmakers and fellow festival colleagues. “[Ukrainian director] Oleg Sentsov was selected to serve on the main jury, but he...
- 4/1/2023
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Co-production forum marks 20th anniversary this year.
Laurynas Bareisa, winner of the 2021 best film prize at Venice’s Orrizonti section for his debut Pilgrims, is among the directors presenting new projects at the 20th edition of the Sofia Meetings co-production forum (22-26 March).
The Lithuanian director is bringing Drowning Dry to Sofia where it is one of five projects in a section dedicated to second feature films.
The section’s line-up also includes The Last Slap by Italian director Matteo Oleotto whose debut feature Zoran, My Nephew The Idiot premiered in Venice’s Critics Week in 2013.
The Last Slap’s...
Laurynas Bareisa, winner of the 2021 best film prize at Venice’s Orrizonti section for his debut Pilgrims, is among the directors presenting new projects at the 20th edition of the Sofia Meetings co-production forum (22-26 March).
The Lithuanian director is bringing Drowning Dry to Sofia where it is one of five projects in a section dedicated to second feature films.
The section’s line-up also includes The Last Slap by Italian director Matteo Oleotto whose debut feature Zoran, My Nephew The Idiot premiered in Venice’s Critics Week in 2013.
The Last Slap’s...
- 3/17/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
It’s not a coincidence that Volker Schlöndorff’s latest film The Forest Maker, the environmental essay documentary about Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, who found a way to grow trees in the most barren areas of Africa, is opening the 27th Sofia International Film Festival kicking off Thursday in the Bulgarian capital.
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
One of the major film festivals in Eastern Europe is going green, and the veteran German filmmaker, winner of the Palme d’Or and what was then called the best foreign language Oscar for The Tin Drum (1979), will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest.
“We wanted to remind ourselves of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”, the festival organizers said about the green...
- 3/16/2023
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Films Boutique are close to further deals in China and Italy.
Animated sci-fi film White Plastic Sky has scores sales in Europe and Asia by Films Boutique following its world premiere at last month’s Berlinale.
The Berlin-based sales agent has sold the Hungarian feature to Kmbo for France and Flash Forward Entertainment for Taiwan. Films Boutique is in talks for the feature at Hong Kong Filmart and deals in China and Italy are expected to close shortly.
Directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó, the film is set in 2123 and follows one man’s risky attempts to save his...
Animated sci-fi film White Plastic Sky has scores sales in Europe and Asia by Films Boutique following its world premiere at last month’s Berlinale.
The Berlin-based sales agent has sold the Hungarian feature to Kmbo for France and Flash Forward Entertainment for Taiwan. Films Boutique is in talks for the feature at Hong Kong Filmart and deals in China and Italy are expected to close shortly.
Directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó, the film is set in 2123 and follows one man’s risky attempts to save his...
- 3/15/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
German director Robert Schwentke’s directorial career has swung in a few directions; he has made Hollywood actioners like Flightplan with Jodie Foster, the adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife and a film that almost defines the idea of a personal movie, based on his own diagnosis with testicular cancer. He has both written and directed Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes, an eccentric competition choice, even by the inclusive standards of the Berlinale – starring John Malkovich as the eponymous Stoic philosopher. Over two hours, he delivers what is largely a monologue: as a performance, it has at least the strength of dogged determination. As a film, however, Seneca is almost unendurable.
Shot in and around an open colonnaded pavilion constructed in the Moroccan desert, Seneca draws on Roman historian Tacitus’ account of the great thinker’s reluctant suicide in Ad 65. A celebrated public figure, Seneca is also on...
Shot in and around an open colonnaded pavilion constructed in the Moroccan desert, Seneca draws on Roman historian Tacitus’ account of the great thinker’s reluctant suicide in Ad 65. A celebrated public figure, Seneca is also on...
- 2/20/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
There is one thing to be said for Seneca — On the Creation of Earthquakes, which has its world premiere in Berlin this week. It may be the first major film set in ancient Rome in a couple of decades. But those who are hoping for a vivid adventure like Gladiator or Spartacus or even a campy hoot like Quo Vadis will be sorely disappointed by this bizarre effort to create a historical fantasia. John Malkovich has a rare starring role and acquits himself solidly enough. But it is harder to understand what motivated director Robert Schwentke, who has some successful films to his credit (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Red, the Divergent series) but adds no luster to his resume with this head-scratcher.
Schwentke was born in Germany but has made most of his films in Hollywood. This German-financed effort was filmed primarily in Morocco and showcases a cast from all over the world,...
Schwentke was born in Germany but has made most of his films in Hollywood. This German-financed effort was filmed primarily in Morocco and showcases a cast from all over the world,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor John Malkovich is in Berlin to debut his latest pic Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes, and during a press conference Monday, he spoke to reporters about his relationship with his co-star, Julian Sands, who has been missing since January.
“Julian and I were very, very close,” Malkovich told reporters in Berlin.
“I’m a godfather to his first son from his first marriage to Sarah, who I know very well. I introduced him to his second wife, and we have been close since we met in 1983 on the set of The Killing Fields. It’s a very sad event.”
Related: Deadline’s Berlin Film Festival Coverage
Sands was reported missing on January 13 after he failed to return from a hiking expedition in California. Several searches by public and private parties have already been carried out. The actor is also an experienced hiker.
John Malkovich, Julian Sands, ‘The Killing...
“Julian and I were very, very close,” Malkovich told reporters in Berlin.
“I’m a godfather to his first son from his first marriage to Sarah, who I know very well. I introduced him to his second wife, and we have been close since we met in 1983 on the set of The Killing Fields. It’s a very sad event.”
Related: Deadline’s Berlin Film Festival Coverage
Sands was reported missing on January 13 after he failed to return from a hiking expedition in California. Several searches by public and private parties have already been carried out. The actor is also an experienced hiker.
John Malkovich, Julian Sands, ‘The Killing...
- 2/20/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
British actor Sands has been missing in California’s San Gabriel Mountains since January 13.
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Few directors have had as eclectic a career as Robert Schwentke. His 2002 German-language debut Tattoo — a slick Se7en-style serial-killer thriller — got the attention of Hollywood, and he initially appeared to be on the classic studio-director track, helming the Jodie Foster-starrer Flightplan, the all-star action hit Red and its sequel, and, most recently, the G.I. Joe movie Snake Eyes with Henry Golding and Andrew Koji.
But even from the start, Schwentke was a difficult director to pigeonhole. Best known for his action thrillers, he also took time to direct the romantic sci-fi drama The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, the supernatural comic-book adaptation R.I.P.D. with Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, and two films in the Divergent YA sci-fi franchise with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
He has also continued to make smaller, more personal, German movies. The Family Jewels, his 2003 follow-up to Tattoo, is...
But even from the start, Schwentke was a difficult director to pigeonhole. Best known for his action thrillers, he also took time to direct the romantic sci-fi drama The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, the supernatural comic-book adaptation R.I.P.D. with Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, and two films in the Divergent YA sci-fi franchise with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
He has also continued to make smaller, more personal, German movies. The Family Jewels, his 2003 follow-up to Tattoo, is...
- 2/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In his dark historical comedy “Seneca,” Robert Schwentke explores themes of power, corruption and hypocrisy as he traces the fateful final days of the Roman philosopher and dramatist that followed his souring relationship with the despotic Emperor Nero.
The film stars John Malkovich in the title role, Tom Xander as Nero and an ensemble cast that includes Geraldine Chaplin, Louis Hofmann, Mary-Louise Parker and Julian Sands.
The story of a morally conflicted, opportunistic character grappling with tyranny run amok can be seen as a continuation of the subject matter at the heart of his acclaimed 2017 World War II drama “The Captain,” says Schwentke. Both “are concerned with individual choice within a totalitarian system. They both deal with the theme of collaboration, opportunism and survival and how tainted one can become.”
Schwentke says he was most intrigued by the stark contradictions of Seneca, who he describes as a “complex character and a paradox.
The film stars John Malkovich in the title role, Tom Xander as Nero and an ensemble cast that includes Geraldine Chaplin, Louis Hofmann, Mary-Louise Parker and Julian Sands.
The story of a morally conflicted, opportunistic character grappling with tyranny run amok can be seen as a continuation of the subject matter at the heart of his acclaimed 2017 World War II drama “The Captain,” says Schwentke. Both “are concerned with individual choice within a totalitarian system. They both deal with the theme of collaboration, opportunism and survival and how tainted one can become.”
Schwentke says he was most intrigued by the stark contradictions of Seneca, who he describes as a “complex character and a paradox.
- 2/20/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Later in life, Raquel Welch would occasionally acknowledge that Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974) provided her with the best reviews of her career. And it’s hard to argue. Prior to those successful, and slyly subversive, reworkings of Alexandre Dumas’ most famous novel, Welch was known as the sex symbol of the ’60s. She was the redhead in the fur bikini of One Million Years B.C. (1966); the poster image that was so iconic her figure became the primary sales pitch for a movie about dinosaurs!
The bombshell persona opened the doors of Hollywood, but for a woman who was already a mother of two at the time and had to change her name to hide her Bolivian heritage, it was a mirage. She ran with it throughout the ‘60s, leaving a legacy that lingered on in movies which ranged from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to Belfast...
The bombshell persona opened the doors of Hollywood, but for a woman who was already a mother of two at the time and had to change her name to hide her Bolivian heritage, it was a mirage. She ran with it throughout the ‘60s, leaving a legacy that lingered on in movies which ranged from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to Belfast...
- 2/18/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Spanish auteur Carlos Saura, known for a lifetime of movies made in the shadow of his country’s civil war under the Franco dictatorship and its aftermath, has died. He was 91.
The Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences said Saura died at home “surrounded by his loved ones.”
Fernando Mendez-Leite, president of the Spanish Academy, paid tribute to Saura, saying the filmmaker’s “highly personal, varied work and creative has left an indelible mark on the history of our cinema and Spanish culture. Personally I’m very sad, because I had the pleasure of knowing and dealing with Carlos for many years, whom I considered an a teacher and a friend.”
Saura had been due to receive the Academy’s Honorary Goya Award at a ceremony Saturday but instead received the statuette at home this week. The Spanish Academy added the 37th edition of the Goya Awards will pay tribute to “an unrepeatable creator.
The Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences said Saura died at home “surrounded by his loved ones.”
Fernando Mendez-Leite, president of the Spanish Academy, paid tribute to Saura, saying the filmmaker’s “highly personal, varied work and creative has left an indelible mark on the history of our cinema and Spanish culture. Personally I’m very sad, because I had the pleasure of knowing and dealing with Carlos for many years, whom I considered an a teacher and a friend.”
Saura had been due to receive the Academy’s Honorary Goya Award at a ceremony Saturday but instead received the statuette at home this week. The Spanish Academy added the 37th edition of the Goya Awards will pay tribute to “an unrepeatable creator.
- 2/10/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spanish auteur Carlos Saura died on Friday of natural causes, the Film Academy of Spain confirmed. He was 91.
In a statement, the org stated: “The Film Academy deeply regrets to announce the death of Carlos Saura, Goya de Honor 2023. Saura, one of the fundamental filmmakers in the history of Spanish cinema, died today at his home at the age of 91, surrounded by his loved ones.”
Born in 1932 in Huesca, Aragon – the same part of Spain as Luis Buñuel, whom he recognised as his mentor – Saura was taken by his family to Madrid during its Civil War. As a child, Saura he listened with horror to its bombings, the trauma of its violence never leaving him, inspiring his third feature, 1965’s “The Hunt,” a portrait of a Franquist ruling class which won him a Berlin Silver Bear.
This crowned him as the leading light of a New Spanish Cinema, an attempt...
In a statement, the org stated: “The Film Academy deeply regrets to announce the death of Carlos Saura, Goya de Honor 2023. Saura, one of the fundamental filmmakers in the history of Spanish cinema, died today at his home at the age of 91, surrounded by his loved ones.”
Born in 1932 in Huesca, Aragon – the same part of Spain as Luis Buñuel, whom he recognised as his mentor – Saura was taken by his family to Madrid during its Civil War. As a child, Saura he listened with horror to its bombings, the trauma of its violence never leaving him, inspiring his third feature, 1965’s “The Hunt,” a portrait of a Franquist ruling class which won him a Berlin Silver Bear.
This crowned him as the leading light of a New Spanish Cinema, an attempt...
- 2/10/2023
- by Manori Ravindran and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
"Aim for virtue, happiness will follow." German distributor Weltkino Filmverleih has revealed two official trailers for the film Seneca, the latest from director Robert Schwentke who has been working in Hollywood for years (he last made Snake Eyes). The full title is actually Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes, and this is premiering at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival later this month, with a German release set in March. A look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Emperor he mentored since childhood and who accused him of plotting his assassination. The plot revolves around Nero telling him to kill himself, and how Seneca then responds. "Schwentke has made a pyrotechnic display of a film that is almost peerless in its use of over-the-top punchlines, splatter-sarcasm and love of verbal precocity. Stunning and incredibly topical, Seneca asks: is the educated elite a victim of tyranny or an opportunistic collaborator?...
- 2/8/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The ambitious film is based on the classic Italian novel, Dino Buzatti’s ’The Desert Of The Tatars’
US-Belgian director Jessica Woodworth shot her ambitious new film Luka in Sicily, in black and white and in 16mm, as a complex European co-production.
The film has its world premiere this week in the Big Screen competition of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Geraldine Chaplin and Jonas Smulders star in the English-language film, about a young man, played by Smulders, who heads off to join the army at the remote and desolate Fort Kairos. Under the command of the General, played by Chaplin,...
US-Belgian director Jessica Woodworth shot her ambitious new film Luka in Sicily, in black and white and in 16mm, as a complex European co-production.
The film has its world premiere this week in the Big Screen competition of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Geraldine Chaplin and Jonas Smulders star in the English-language film, about a young man, played by Smulders, who heads off to join the army at the remote and desolate Fort Kairos. Under the command of the General, played by Chaplin,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
“I knew from day one it was Geraldine Chaplin who needed to play The General,” says director Jessica Woodworth about having Charlie Chaplin’s daughter play one of the central characters in her latest drama, “Luka,” which is having its world premiere in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
“Not because she’s female, however,” emphasizes the director. “This had nothing to do with it. In fact, my intention was to have her incarnate a male character, but our working relationship is so strong, I told her I couldn’t make a film without her. In the end, it became totally irrelevant whether she was male or female.”
The film is inspired by Dino Buzzati’s classic novel “The Tartar Steppe,” and stars Chaplin and Jonas Smulders, a previous European Shooting Star, as the titular character. “I studied Italian literature at university, and lived in Italy for a while,...
“Not because she’s female, however,” emphasizes the director. “This had nothing to do with it. In fact, my intention was to have her incarnate a male character, but our working relationship is so strong, I told her I couldn’t make a film without her. In the end, it became totally irrelevant whether she was male or female.”
The film is inspired by Dino Buzzati’s classic novel “The Tartar Steppe,” and stars Chaplin and Jonas Smulders, a previous European Shooting Star, as the titular character. “I studied Italian literature at university, and lived in Italy for a while,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
The trailer has debuted for Jessica Woodworth’s sci-fi epic “Luka,” which has its world premiere in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Films Boutique is handling international sales.
The film is Woodworth’s take on Dino Buzzati’s “The Tartar Steppe,” in which she crafts a fantasy of post-truth lunacy. Geraldine Chaplin plays the twisted General in a drama tinged with the conjured terrors of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and the rapturous brotherly love of Jean Genet’s “Un chant d’amour.”
In the film, Luka, a young and ambitious soldier, embeds himself in Fort Kairos where heroic warriors defend the remains of civilization. His hopes to serve as an elite sniper are crushed when he is assigned to maintenance and must submit to the code of Kairos: obedience, endurance and sacrifice. As he rises through the ranks, Luka finds joy and strength in friendships with Konstantin,...
The film is Woodworth’s take on Dino Buzzati’s “The Tartar Steppe,” in which she crafts a fantasy of post-truth lunacy. Geraldine Chaplin plays the twisted General in a drama tinged with the conjured terrors of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and the rapturous brotherly love of Jean Genet’s “Un chant d’amour.”
In the film, Luka, a young and ambitious soldier, embeds himself in Fort Kairos where heroic warriors defend the remains of civilization. His hopes to serve as an elite sniper are crushed when he is assigned to maintenance and must submit to the code of Kairos: obedience, endurance and sacrifice. As he rises through the ranks, Luka finds joy and strength in friendships with Konstantin,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Luka
Shot in glorious B&w and Super 16mm, Belgian-American filmmaker Jessica Woodworth mounted this solo adventure utilizing the backdrop of Sicily back in October of ’21. Before being selected for the upcoming edition of Rotterdam, Luka was known as “Fortress” and was in the works dating back to 2017’s TorinoFilmLab. Jonas Smulders toplines the project sharing the screen alongside Geraldine Chaplin, Samvel Tadevossian, Jan Bijvoet, Sam Louwyck, Django Schrevens and Hal Yamanouchi. As we already know Woodworth was part of the filmmaking team with Peter Brosens beginning with Khadak which preemed at the Venice Days, followed by 2009’s Altiplano in the Cannes Critics’ Week, 2012’s The Fifth Season as a comp title in Venice, The King of the Belgians in Venice’s Orizzonti and The Barefoot Emperor a Toronto selection.…...
Shot in glorious B&w and Super 16mm, Belgian-American filmmaker Jessica Woodworth mounted this solo adventure utilizing the backdrop of Sicily back in October of ’21. Before being selected for the upcoming edition of Rotterdam, Luka was known as “Fortress” and was in the works dating back to 2017’s TorinoFilmLab. Jonas Smulders toplines the project sharing the screen alongside Geraldine Chaplin, Samvel Tadevossian, Jan Bijvoet, Sam Louwyck, Django Schrevens and Hal Yamanouchi. As we already know Woodworth was part of the filmmaking team with Peter Brosens beginning with Khadak which preemed at the Venice Days, followed by 2009’s Altiplano in the Cannes Critics’ Week, 2012’s The Fifth Season as a comp title in Venice, The King of the Belgians in Venice’s Orizzonti and The Barefoot Emperor a Toronto selection.…...
- 1/12/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary are set to have their world premieres at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival next year. The projects are among the six titles which will play in the fest’s Berlinale Special Gala section, which also includes Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth and Cleopatra Coleman and Todd Field’s Tár.
Infinity Pool will get its European premiere at the festival while Field and Tár stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir will attend the festival to give a public talk as part of the Berlinale Talents section.
The festival also announced its first project from its Berlinale Series section: Zdf’s eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm), based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing. The project follows an international group of scientists who do research...
Infinity Pool will get its European premiere at the festival while Field and Tár stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir will attend the festival to give a public talk as part of the Berlinale Talents section.
The festival also announced its first project from its Berlinale Series section: Zdf’s eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm), based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing. The project follows an international group of scientists who do research...
- 12/20/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The full programme will be revealed in January 2023.
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 16-26) has announced six titles for its Berlinale Special Galas, including the world premieres of John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary.
The festival has also unveiled eight Forum titles, including world premieres of Fiona Tan’s Dearest Fiona and Vincent Dieutre’s This Is The End.
In addition, the festival has named the first title to play in Berlinale Series, the eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm) – based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing.
Robert Schwentke...
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 16-26) has announced six titles for its Berlinale Special Galas, including the world premieres of John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary.
The festival has also unveiled eight Forum titles, including world premieres of Fiona Tan’s Dearest Fiona and Vincent Dieutre’s This Is The End.
In addition, the festival has named the first title to play in Berlinale Series, the eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm) – based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing.
Robert Schwentke...
- 12/20/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. has boarded Robert Schwentke’s historical drama “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” which has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival. The teaser (below) for the film, which stars John Malkovich, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Xander, “Dark’s” Louis Hofmann and Mary-Louise Parker, has been released.
The movie is a look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Roman Emperor he mentored since childhood, and who accused him of plotting his assassination.
As the foster father and mastermind of Nero, Seneca is instrumental in the rise of the self-indulgent young tyrant. The philosopher, known for his great speeches on renunciation and clemency, is himself one of the richest men in ancient Rome. But when one day the student tires of his teacher, Nero orders Seneca to kill himself. Is the latter ready for an honorable suicide,...
The movie is a look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Roman Emperor he mentored since childhood, and who accused him of plotting his assassination.
As the foster father and mastermind of Nero, Seneca is instrumental in the rise of the self-indulgent young tyrant. The philosopher, known for his great speeches on renunciation and clemency, is himself one of the richest men in ancient Rome. But when one day the student tires of his teacher, Nero orders Seneca to kill himself. Is the latter ready for an honorable suicide,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Easily one of the best movies of its kind, J.A. Bayona’s minute-by-minute tale of survival poses an immediate challenge to audiences: could I survive that? The genuinely terrifying true story of one family lost in the middle of a devastating disaster is even more relevant now, with similar disasters seemingly happening daily. The near-flawless direction concentrates on the direct experience of a mother and son, who in just a couple of days learn the meaning of human concern and kindness. It’s a Spanish production (in English); Naomi Watts received an Oscar nomination and Ewan McGregor and young Tom Holland give strong performances. We reach back ten years for this review.
The Impossible
Blu-ray
Summit Entertainment
2012 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Lo imposible / Street Date April 23, 2013 / Available from Amazon / 19.99
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin, Ploy Jindachote, Jomjaoi Sae-Limh,...
The Impossible
Blu-ray
Summit Entertainment
2012 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Lo imposible / Street Date April 23, 2013 / Available from Amazon / 19.99
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin, Ploy Jindachote, Jomjaoi Sae-Limh,...
- 6/25/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
For some cinephiles, Sicily may still conjure images from “The Godfather” franchise, but the Italian isle has long moved on.
When you see Sicily on screen these days in movies and TV series made for global audiences, the narratives now seldom involve Cosa Nostra tropes as they once used to. What’s taking precedence for producers now is the sheer beauty of the Sicilian landscape in its plethora of forms.
“For decades Sicily was where you would come to film stories that were centered around the Mafia and organized crime; but now this is changing,” says Sicilian Film Commission chief Nicola Tarantino. He notes that only 10 of the roughly 45 projects supported by the commission last year have anything to do with the mob.
While the crime angle may have boosted Sicily’s profile as a location, productions that chose the island for filming are just “less and less interested in this theme,...
When you see Sicily on screen these days in movies and TV series made for global audiences, the narratives now seldom involve Cosa Nostra tropes as they once used to. What’s taking precedence for producers now is the sheer beauty of the Sicilian landscape in its plethora of forms.
“For decades Sicily was where you would come to film stories that were centered around the Mafia and organized crime; but now this is changing,” says Sicilian Film Commission chief Nicola Tarantino. He notes that only 10 of the roughly 45 projects supported by the commission last year have anything to do with the mob.
While the crime angle may have boosted Sicily’s profile as a location, productions that chose the island for filming are just “less and less interested in this theme,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Retitled Bolero for its American release in 1981, Claude Lelouch’s Les Uns et les Autres is a musical multi-family saga spanning five decades. Starring Robert Hossein and Geraldine Chaplin, Lelouch’s screenplay follows the travails and triumphs of four households of different nationalities—it’s their shared love for music that unites the characters and the film.
The post Les Uns et les Autres appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Les Uns et les Autres appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 4/22/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Geraldine Chaplin, Jonas Smulders star.
Berlin-based sales firm Films Boutique has boarded Jessica Woodworth’s Belgian feature Fortress starring Geraldine Chaplin and Jonas Smulders.
It has released a first-look image of the film, which is in post-production, above.
Fortress shot for six weeks in Sicily in autumn 2021, with filming in black-and-white on Super 16mm film. US-Belgian filmmaker Woodworth wrote the screenplay, adapted from Dino Buzzati’s 1940 novel The Tartar Steppe.
It is about a young soldier, hungry for battle, who embeds himself in an isolated fort where men wait in vain for an enemy to strike. Jan Bijvoet and Sam Louwyck also star.
Berlin-based sales firm Films Boutique has boarded Jessica Woodworth’s Belgian feature Fortress starring Geraldine Chaplin and Jonas Smulders.
It has released a first-look image of the film, which is in post-production, above.
Fortress shot for six weeks in Sicily in autumn 2021, with filming in black-and-white on Super 16mm film. US-Belgian filmmaker Woodworth wrote the screenplay, adapted from Dino Buzzati’s 1940 novel The Tartar Steppe.
It is about a young soldier, hungry for battle, who embeds himself in an isolated fort where men wait in vain for an enemy to strike. Jan Bijvoet and Sam Louwyck also star.
- 2/13/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
We’re praying to Kaelego that Netflix’s dark horse hit “Archive 81” gets a second season, but until then, if you’re craving more strange cults, peel-back-the-wallpaper moments, and mind-bending, non-linear mysteries, these 11 series might fill the void. We’ve rounded up a list of shows like “Archive 81” that will give you your fix, ranging from series that are spooky, mysterious and mythological to horrifically devastating.
Ares Netflix
Biracial first-year medical student Rosa Steenwijk (Jade Olieberg) joins the mysterious secret society Ares in this Netflix Dutch series set in Amsterdam. What exactly are the membership fees to this elite, and largely white, group? In the first episode, a student stabs herself with a pair of scissors and Rosa’s friend Jacob (Tobias Kersloot) has disturbing visions of a terrifying black figure when he gets cold feet during their initiation ceremony.
Where to Stream It: Netflix
Castle Rock Hulu...
Ares Netflix
Biracial first-year medical student Rosa Steenwijk (Jade Olieberg) joins the mysterious secret society Ares in this Netflix Dutch series set in Amsterdam. What exactly are the membership fees to this elite, and largely white, group? In the first episode, a student stabs herself with a pair of scissors and Rosa’s friend Jacob (Tobias Kersloot) has disturbing visions of a terrifying black figure when he gets cold feet during their initiation ceremony.
Where to Stream It: Netflix
Castle Rock Hulu...
- 1/28/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Fortress
They’ve been sharing co-directing duties since their inception with 2006’s Khadak, but there was only one director’s chair on set of Fortress. Jessica Woodworth has now gone solo but Peter Brosens is not too far behind – he wears the producer’s hat on what is their six feature film collab. A 2017 TorinoFilmLab project, filming took place last summer running up until October in Sicily, and from what we can tell from this Euro co-production is that Geraldine Chaplin (who is credited as The General) will steal some scenes (she was in Woodworth’s last film) but she is joined by Dutch actor Jonas Smulders (he had a bit role in Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s Murina) who likely toplined the project.…...
They’ve been sharing co-directing duties since their inception with 2006’s Khadak, but there was only one director’s chair on set of Fortress. Jessica Woodworth has now gone solo but Peter Brosens is not too far behind – he wears the producer’s hat on what is their six feature film collab. A 2017 TorinoFilmLab project, filming took place last summer running up until October in Sicily, and from what we can tell from this Euro co-production is that Geraldine Chaplin (who is credited as The General) will steal some scenes (she was in Woodworth’s last film) but she is joined by Dutch actor Jonas Smulders (he had a bit role in Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s Murina) who likely toplined the project.…...
- 1/10/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
“Holy Beasts” doesn’t work on every level, but it hits the bullseye where it matters most: as a cinematic reclamation project in honor of the late Dominican director Jean-Louis Jorge. Murdered in 2000 at age 53, Jorge only completed three feature films, but his predilection for kitsch and blurring the line between dreams and reality could have eventually made him the homegrown answer to Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Jodorowsky.
In “Holy Beasts,” a commanding Geraldine Chaplin plays Jorge’s fictional friend, Vera, who has arrived in Santo Domingo to helm the late director’s never-filmed screenplay. To its detriment, the resulting tribute-within-a-tribute often plays like a private, alienating conversation between the filmmakers and anyone who knows more about Jorge’s work than you do. But this languid yet engrossing homage is alive with tasty characters and tantalizing, if underdeveloped, ideas and its polished production values bode well for future crossover arthouse...
In “Holy Beasts,” a commanding Geraldine Chaplin plays Jorge’s fictional friend, Vera, who has arrived in Santo Domingo to helm the late director’s never-filmed screenplay. To its detriment, the resulting tribute-within-a-tribute often plays like a private, alienating conversation between the filmmakers and anyone who knows more about Jorge’s work than you do. But this languid yet engrossing homage is alive with tasty characters and tantalizing, if underdeveloped, ideas and its polished production values bode well for future crossover arthouse...
- 12/18/2021
- by Mark Keizer
- Variety Film + TV
Latin America has submitted 15 contenders in the Academy Awards’ international feature category this time, not quite as big a haul as last year’s tally of 18.
Leading the hopefuls is Mexico’s “Prayers for the Stolen,” the fiction debut of Tatiana Huezo, one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch in 2022. Her tale follows three girls as they come of age in a remote village afflicted by the drug trade and human trafficking. The Cannes Un Certain Regard winner is now streaming on Netflix, which is putting all its promotional heft behind it. The film’s producers are Jim Stark (“Coffee and Cigarettes”) and Nicolas Celis, the latter a key producer of Mexico’s first-ever international feature Oscar winner, “Roma,” by Alfonso Cuarón.
Huezo’s 2016 documentary, “Tempestad,” represented Mexico at the 90th Academy Awards. Since 1957, when Mexico started participating in the Oscars, 10 of its entries have been nominated, culminating in “Roma’s” win in 2019.
Chile,...
Leading the hopefuls is Mexico’s “Prayers for the Stolen,” the fiction debut of Tatiana Huezo, one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch in 2022. Her tale follows three girls as they come of age in a remote village afflicted by the drug trade and human trafficking. The Cannes Un Certain Regard winner is now streaming on Netflix, which is putting all its promotional heft behind it. The film’s producers are Jim Stark (“Coffee and Cigarettes”) and Nicolas Celis, the latter a key producer of Mexico’s first-ever international feature Oscar winner, “Roma,” by Alfonso Cuarón.
Huezo’s 2016 documentary, “Tempestad,” represented Mexico at the 90th Academy Awards. Since 1957, when Mexico started participating in the Oscars, 10 of its entries have been nominated, culminating in “Roma’s” win in 2019.
Chile,...
- 12/13/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Boosted Infrastructure and Incentives Attract Big Pics Such as ‘House of Gucci’ and ‘Cyrano’
Italy, which has always been attractive for international film and TV productions, is now making huge strides as a shooting destination mainly due to its Covid safety measures and smart rebate, on top its stunning locations.
The number of high-profile Hollywood shoots that since the pandemic have flocked to Italian sites — from the Alpine Alto Adige area to Sicily and Sardinia — has increased exponentially.
Productions taking advantage of Italy’s attractive incentives and deep crew base include “Mission: Impossible 7,” Netflix’s Dwayne Johnson-starrer “Red Notice,” Amazon’s “The Wheel of Time,” Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Indiana Jones 5” and also Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” Showtime’s “Ripley” series and Joe Wright’s “Cyrano.”
These last three productions have the distinction of being lensed almost entirely in the country.
Foreign production spend this year in Italy is estimated at roughly $250 million and is expected to double...
The number of high-profile Hollywood shoots that since the pandemic have flocked to Italian sites — from the Alpine Alto Adige area to Sicily and Sardinia — has increased exponentially.
Productions taking advantage of Italy’s attractive incentives and deep crew base include “Mission: Impossible 7,” Netflix’s Dwayne Johnson-starrer “Red Notice,” Amazon’s “The Wheel of Time,” Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Indiana Jones 5” and also Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” Showtime’s “Ripley” series and Joe Wright’s “Cyrano.”
These last three productions have the distinction of being lensed almost entirely in the country.
Foreign production spend this year in Italy is estimated at roughly $250 million and is expected to double...
- 11/29/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The film stars John Malkovich
UK actors Tom Xander and Andrew Koji have joined John Malkovich, Geraldine Chaplin and Julian Sands, in the cast of German director Robert Schwentke’s English-language feature Seneca – On The Creation of Earthquakes which began filming on location in the southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate at the weekend.
Xander plays Emperor Nero who is beginning to weary of the famous Roman philosopher Seneca, played by Malkovich, his teacher, mentor and close advisor since childhood, while the casting of Koji, whose credits include Peaky Blinders and Warrior TV series, marks his second collaboration with Schwentke after...
UK actors Tom Xander and Andrew Koji have joined John Malkovich, Geraldine Chaplin and Julian Sands, in the cast of German director Robert Schwentke’s English-language feature Seneca – On The Creation of Earthquakes which began filming on location in the southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate at the weekend.
Xander plays Emperor Nero who is beginning to weary of the famous Roman philosopher Seneca, played by Malkovich, his teacher, mentor and close advisor since childhood, while the casting of Koji, whose credits include Peaky Blinders and Warrior TV series, marks his second collaboration with Schwentke after...
- 9/27/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Robert Altman’s 1975 “Nashville” is considered one of the masterpieces of that golden decade of cinema and arguably the maverick filmmaker’s masterwork. The sprawling comedy-drama received stellar reviews, was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, winning Best Original Song for Keith Carradine’s “I’m Easy” and won several critics’ honors.
But one group that didn’t like the movie was Nashville’s country-music crowd. Henry Gibson, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his glowing performance as egotistical country music star Haven Hamilton, told me in a 2000 L.A. Times interview on the movie, that the legendary Minnie Pearl “was outraged. I remember on opening night, someone asked her how she would rate the picture and she said, ‘I give it two closed nostrils.’”
“Nashville,” which Paramount Home Entertainment recently released on a remastered Blu-ray in a stunning 4K scan of the original elements,...
But one group that didn’t like the movie was Nashville’s country-music crowd. Henry Gibson, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his glowing performance as egotistical country music star Haven Hamilton, told me in a 2000 L.A. Times interview on the movie, that the legendary Minnie Pearl “was outraged. I remember on opening night, someone asked her how she would rate the picture and she said, ‘I give it two closed nostrils.’”
“Nashville,” which Paramount Home Entertainment recently released on a remastered Blu-ray in a stunning 4K scan of the original elements,...
- 8/31/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Though there have been deaf characters in movies for decades they were rarely played by hearing impaired actors. Hollywood was looking for big names for their movies and overlooked performers who were deaf. Case in point: Did you know that Loretta Young played deaf characters in both 1939’s “The Story of Alexander Graham Bell” and 1944’s “And Now Tomorrow”? And hearing actors Jane Wyman and Patty Duke won Oscars playing deaf characters. It wasn’t until 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God” that a deaf actress, Marlee Matlin, won an Oscar for playing a deaf character.
Change has been slow since then, but this past year has been encouraging. Paul Raci received an Oscar nomination this year as a Vietnam Vet who became hearing impaired in the conflict runs a shelter for recovering hearing impaired substance abuse addicts in “Sound of Metal.” Teenage deaf performer Millicent Simmonds returned this year...
Change has been slow since then, but this past year has been encouraging. Paul Raci received an Oscar nomination this year as a Vietnam Vet who became hearing impaired in the conflict runs a shelter for recovering hearing impaired substance abuse addicts in “Sound of Metal.” Teenage deaf performer Millicent Simmonds returned this year...
- 8/28/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Further new openers include ‘Our Ladies’, ‘The Nest’.
Universal’s franchise title Candyman leads this weekend’s new openers at the UK-Ireland box office, looking to join the list of horror films to have made strong debuts since cinemas reopened.
Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, and the fourth film in the Candyman series, based on Clive Barker’s 1985 short story The Forbidden.
The film has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, having been first scheduled for June,...
Universal’s franchise title Candyman leads this weekend’s new openers at the UK-Ireland box office, looking to join the list of horror films to have made strong debuts since cinemas reopened.
Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, and the fourth film in the Candyman series, based on Clive Barker’s 1985 short story The Forbidden.
The film has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, having been first scheduled for June,...
- 8/27/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Further new openers include ‘Our Ladies’, ‘The Nest’.
Universal’s franchise title Candyman leads this weekend’s new openers at the UK-Ireland box office, looking to join the list of horror films to have made strong debuts since cinemas reopened.
Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, and the fourth film in the Candyman series, based on Clive Barker’s 1985 short story The Forbidden.
The film has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, having been first scheduled for June,...
Universal’s franchise title Candyman leads this weekend’s new openers at the UK-Ireland box office, looking to join the list of horror films to have made strong debuts since cinemas reopened.
Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name, and the fourth film in the Candyman series, based on Clive Barker’s 1985 short story The Forbidden.
The film has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, having been first scheduled for June,...
- 8/27/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The film is a Belgian-Italian-Dutch-Bulgarian-Armenian co-production.
US actor Geraldine Chaplin and the Netherlands’ Jonas Smulders have joined the cast of US-Belgian filmmaker Jessica Woodworth’s drama Fortress.
Filming on the drama got underway this week in Sicily, and will run until October 5.
Woodworth has written the screenplay for the film, adapted from Dino Buzzati’s 1940 Italian novel The Tartar Steppe. It is about a young solder, hungry for battle, who embeds himself in an isolated fort where men wait in vain for an enemy to strike.
Woodworth is also producing with Peter Brosens for Belgium’s Bo Films and Krater Films.
US actor Geraldine Chaplin and the Netherlands’ Jonas Smulders have joined the cast of US-Belgian filmmaker Jessica Woodworth’s drama Fortress.
Filming on the drama got underway this week in Sicily, and will run until October 5.
Woodworth has written the screenplay for the film, adapted from Dino Buzzati’s 1940 Italian novel The Tartar Steppe. It is about a young solder, hungry for battle, who embeds himself in an isolated fort where men wait in vain for an enemy to strike.
Woodworth is also producing with Peter Brosens for Belgium’s Bo Films and Krater Films.
- 8/26/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Geraldine Chapman And Udo Kier Star In A Campy Film-within-a-film Celebrating B-movie Filmmaker Jean-louis Jorge And Making Its North American Premiere On July 23, 2021 To celebrate Geraldine Chaplin’s birthday (July 31), Film Movement Plus unspools the North American Premiere of one of her latest films, a campy, tongue-in-cheek fictional film-within-a-film in honor of flamboyant …
The post Geraldine Chaplin and Udo Kier Star in Holy Beasts, a Campy Film-Within-a-Film Making its North American Premiere on 7/23 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Geraldine Chaplin and Udo Kier Star in Holy Beasts, a Campy Film-Within-a-Film Making its North American Premiere on 7/23 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 7/14/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Exclusive Update, 2.30Pm: Deadline understands that Spanish producer José Luis Moreno’s YouMore TV was dropped by agency APA after just three months in November last year. There is no suggestion it was linked to today’s events.
Previous, 8.20Pm: José Luis Moreno, a heavyweight Spanish television producer, has been arrested in Spain amid allegations of fraud, according to local reports.
Spanish state broadcaster Tve reported that Moreno was one of 53 people arrested on Tuesday during a major police operation in Madrid. Officers are investigating allegations including organized crime, fraud, and money laundering.
Deadline reported in August 2020 that Moreno’s Spanish production company YouMore TV was signed by APA as it looks to expand its operations in the U.S. Deadline has contacted his reps APA for comment.
YouMore TV was in production last year on Jane Seymour and Denise Richards’ Glow And Darkness, a three-season English language drama set in the Middle Ages.
Previous, 8.20Pm: José Luis Moreno, a heavyweight Spanish television producer, has been arrested in Spain amid allegations of fraud, according to local reports.
Spanish state broadcaster Tve reported that Moreno was one of 53 people arrested on Tuesday during a major police operation in Madrid. Officers are investigating allegations including organized crime, fraud, and money laundering.
Deadline reported in August 2020 that Moreno’s Spanish production company YouMore TV was signed by APA as it looks to expand its operations in the U.S. Deadline has contacted his reps APA for comment.
YouMore TV was in production last year on Jane Seymour and Denise Richards’ Glow And Darkness, a three-season English language drama set in the Middle Ages.
- 6/29/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Arthur Kopit, whose 1969 Broadway play Indians was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and later adapted as the film Buffalo Bill and the Indians starring Paul Newman, died Friday in New York. He was 83.
His death was announced by spokesman Rick Miramontez. No cause of death was disclosed.
Kopit’s seven-decade stage career began when he was still a Harvard undergraduate, with his 1963 play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad getting an Off Broadway production that later moved to Broadway with Jerome Robbins directing.
Indians, about the life of Buffalo Bill Cody and an early example of the era’s anti-Western genre, opened on Broadway in 1969 and starred Stacy Keach, Manu Tupou, Raul Julia and Sam Waterston, among others. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Indians was adapted by director Robert Altman in 1976 as (full title) Buffalo Bill and the Indians,...
His death was announced by spokesman Rick Miramontez. No cause of death was disclosed.
Kopit’s seven-decade stage career began when he was still a Harvard undergraduate, with his 1963 play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad getting an Off Broadway production that later moved to Broadway with Jerome Robbins directing.
Indians, about the life of Buffalo Bill Cody and an early example of the era’s anti-Western genre, opened on Broadway in 1969 and starred Stacy Keach, Manu Tupou, Raul Julia and Sam Waterston, among others. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Indians was adapted by director Robert Altman in 1976 as (full title) Buffalo Bill and the Indians,...
- 4/3/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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