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This episode explores the urgent need to establish venues in Latin America that showcase and nurture local cinema.Diana Bustamante Escobar is a Colombian producer, curator, and director who is responsible for some of the most acclaimed Colombian and Latin American films from the past two decades. From 2014 to 2018, she worked as the Artistic Director of the Cartagena International Film Festival (Ficci), where she championed bold auteurs who have revitalized Latin American cinema. Over the past fifteen years, she has produced such notable films as Óscar Ruiz Navia’s Crab Trap (El vuelco del cangrejo), winner of the Fipresci Prize at the Berlinale; César Augusto Acevedo’s Land and Shade (La tierra y la sombra), which won the Caméra d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival; and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, which received the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2021. In 2022, Bustamante made her directorial debut with Our Movie (Nuestra película...

Exclusive: Coproduction Office has acquired international rights to Swedish filmmaker and visual artist John Skoog’s debut feature If War Comes starring French actor Denis Lavant and produced by Sweden’s Plattform Produktion.

Lavant, best known for Holy Motors,has learnt Swedish for the role. Heplays a farm worker who compulsively transforms his house into a fortress to protect himself and his neighbours from a possible enemy attack after seeing powerful images in a pamphlet entitled “If the War Comes”.

The film is now in post, with Coproduction Office launching sales at Cannes.

If War Comesis produced byPlattform Produktion, founded...

“Death of a Unicorn,” the new horror comedy from A24, follows the recent trend of Eat the Rich-themed stories. It is also a satirical look into the lives of the uber-rich. However, instead of showing the working class plotting against them, it shows the ignorant and self-aggrandizing upper class leading to its own demise. It’s the kind of conceit we have seen many times in recent years, whether through Mike White’s “The White Lotus,” Jesse Armstrong’s “Succession,” or Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness.” Still, it manages to bite now and then, mainly because of Will Poulter’s scene-stealing performance as a cocky rich brat. It ultimately ends on a complicated note of catharsis for its central characters. Let’s unpack the same.

Spoilers Ahead

Death of a Unicorn (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

Written and directed by Alex Scharfman, “Death of a Unicorn” revolves around a father...

Apparently, Max subscribers are looking for something steamy -- because this erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman is a top choice on HBO and Discovery's proprietary streaming platform.

According to FlixPatrol, the movie is crushing the Max charts — so, what is it about in the first place? For the uninitiated, "Babygirl" — which hit theaters in 2024 and is written and directed by Halina Reijn — centers around Romy Mathis (Kidman), a New York City CEO who has a "happy" home life with her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) and daughters Isabel and Nora (Esther McGregor and Vaughan Reilly), except for one thing: she's deeply unfulfilled sexually. Enter Samuel, one of Romy's new interns, as played by Harris Dickinson (who's known for projects like "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Iron Claw"), with whom Romy starts an affair ... but when Samuel starts pushing boundaries by showing up at Romy's home and interacting with her...

A fresh group of Nine Perfect Strangers will get to know each other this May.

The Nicole Kidman-led drama series will be back for Season 2 on Wednesday, May 21, Hulu announced Thursday. The sophomore run will kick off with a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly releases on subsequent Wednesdays; the season spans eight episodes total.

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Kidman...

How to Have Sex director Molly Manning Walker will head up this year’s jury for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar.

The British filmmaker, whose debut feature won the section’s top prize in 2023, will be joined on the jury by French-Swiss director Louise Courvoisier, whose Holy Cow won Un Certain Regard’s Youth Award last year, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini, the 2024 ex-aequno best director winner for The Damned, Argentinian actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (120 Bpm), and International Film Festival Rotterdam director Vanja Kaludjercic.

“It’s such an honour to return to Cannes as the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury,” Walker said in a statement. “This selection will forever hold a special place in my heart. Being a part of it really changed my world. I can’t wait to discover the films at the epicentre of new cinema. Right now more than ever I feel that cinema is...

It looks like our team of mutant heroes will be facing off against Mr. Sinister in the upcoming X-Men reboot.

Though this isn't the first time we've heard that Dr. Nathaniel Essex might be introduced in the movie, the script has reportedly gone through a few changes over the past few months. However, Daniel Richtman believes that Sinister is still the main villain in the most recent draft.

Though new actors will almost certainly be brought in to play the main characters for this reboot, most of the cast of the 20th Century Fox era films are set to return for Avengers: Doomsday. They are also expected to appear in Secret Wars, so the Og team might factor in to the new X-Men's debut in some capacity.

Though no casting announcements have come in, several actors are believed to be on the studio's radar for key roles.

Harris Dickinson...

One of the best action war movies in recent memory is getting a sequel, and it's fast approaching. According to a new press release, "Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems will release Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions’ Stage 6 Films’ sequel to the critically acclaimed action film Sisu in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2025. The sequel is written and directed by visionary Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander. Jorma Tommila returns in the lead role, starring alongside Richard Brake and Stephen Lang. Petri Jokiranta produced the film through Subzero Film Entertainment, in association with Good Chaos and Mike Goodridge. Gregory Ouanhon and Antonio Salas are executive producers."

Filmmaker Jalmari Helander is quickly climbing his way to the top of the most exciting action movie directors. It all started with the surprise international hit, 2010's Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, which combined action, folk horror, and Christmas to create an unforgettable cult classic. He tried his hand...

Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems will release Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions’ Stage 6 Films’ sequel to the critically acclaimed action film Sisu in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2025. Lionsgate released the original film in North American theaters in April 2023.

The sequel is written and directed by visionary Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander. Jorma Tommila returns in the lead role, starring alongside Richard Brake and Stephen Lang.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Petri Jokiranta produced the film through Subzero Film Entertainment, in association with Good Chaos and Mike Goodridge. Gregory Ouanhon and Antonio Salas are the executive producers.

The film is backed by the Finnish Film Foundation, Film Estonia, Business Finland – Audiovisual Production Incentive, Film Tampere, Viru Film Fund, and BNP Paribas – Cofiloisirs – with the support of the Ifcic.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Stage 6 Film’s SVP of creative development and production, Eric Charles, oversaw the film for the studio, which holds global rights to the film.

There’s a certain formula that often defines the recipients of the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious top prize, the Palme d’Or. These films, especially in the last two decades, tend to have a sense of importance about them, frequently due to their sociopolitical awareness of the world (Laurent Cantet’s The Class), or of specific societal ills.

From time to time, the Palme d’Or goes to a bold, experimental, and divisive vision from a well-liked auteur, such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. But more often it’s awarded to a film in the lineup that the majority of the members on the Cannes jury can agree is good. That felt like the case for Ken Loach’s The Wind that Shakes the Barley and I, Daniel Blake, as well as Julia Ducournau’s Titane,...

It could have been an email, but the Cannes Film Festival revealed its 2025 lineup on Thursday with an hour-long press conference that unofficially kicked off the 2026 Oscar race. Multiple presumed future awards contenders will premiere at Cannes this year, including new films from Wes Anderson, Ari Aster, Julia Ducournau, Oliver Hermanus, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Lee (probably; more on that below), Richard Linklater, Kelly Reichardt, and Joachim Trier. Ahead are the three burning questions about this year’s lineup that could impact next year’s Oscars.

Will Neon win its sixth straight Palme d’Or?

Since 2019, Neon has won the Palme d’Or five consecutive times: Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, and Anora. (Cannes was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.) It’s an unprecedented run, and it has a good shot to continue this year, as the studio has two buzzy titles in the competition lineup: Alpha,...

Updated 10:40 a.m. Et: Cannes has now confirmed that Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” will play out of competition at Cannes. The film was omitted from Thursday morning’s announcement, though Lee shared on Instagram afterward that “Highest 2 Lowest” would be heading to Cannes. We’ve now included the film below.

Earlier: The 2025 Cannes Film Festival lineup was revealed bright and early, starting at 5 a.m. Et on Thursday, April 10 for those following in the States. For those in France, festival director Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch unveiled this year’s crop of films from the main competition to Un Certain Regard and beyond at the more reasonable hour of 11 a.m. local time. IndieWire previously named 33 films we hope to see among the 78th edition’s sections; we got some right, but with a number of expected films left out.

As previously announced, this year...

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is looking to be another knockout, with some of this year’s hottest features, including Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague and Ari Aster’s Eddington set to premiere on the Croisette.

Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch announced this year’s lineup at a press conference in Paris on Thursday morning.

The 2025 competition lineup is packed with auteur heavyweights, including Kelly Reichardt, who returns to Cannes competition with The Mastermind, an art-heist drama starring Josh O’Connor and John Magaro, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War; Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, who returns to the Croisette after his 2021 triumph (with The Worst Person of the World) with Sentimental Value, also featuring Renate Reinsve; and dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who will be back in Cannes competition with his latest drama, A Simple Accident.

The Austrian Alps are in for some intense psychedelic therapy when nine new strangers visit Nicole Kidman’s Masha Dmitrichenko at Zauberwald.

Hulu’s TV adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel returns for a second season this spring with a cast of new characters and a new setting compared to the nine visitors last season at Tranquillum House in the fictional town of Cabrillo, California.

Read on for everything we know about Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2:

When will Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 come out?

Season 2, previously teased for a spring release window, will arrive May 21, 2025 on Hulu with the fist two episodes premiering.

How many episodes will be in Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers?

There will be eight episodes in Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers. After the first two premiere May 21, one new installment will arrive per week.

Who is in the cast of Nine Perfect Strangers Season...

Hulu has unveiled the first-look images for the highly anticipated second season of the anthology drama series Nine Perfect Strangers. Set to arrive on the streaming platform on Wednesday, May 21, the sophomore season will be taking Nicole Kidman's enigmatic wellness expert Masha Dmitrichenko to the scenic Austrian Alps with a new group of nine perfect strangers joining her in her yet another mysterious retreat.

Hulu's breakout hit, which premiered back in 2021, was initially planned to be a miniseries. However, thanks to the show's impressive viewership record, it was ultimately decided to renew the series for a second season, with Kidman's Masha taking on a new spiritual journey with new clients. Similar to the first season, the second season will center on nine strangers as they gather in a retreat at a health and wellness resort run by Masha. Their quick retreat promises healing and transformation during their stay, but...

It’s never too early to think about next year’s Oscars, but what about the Oscars four years from now? On Monday night, Sony closed out its CinemaCon presentation by announcing the main cast for Sam Mendes’s unprecedented tetralogy about the Beatles. Called The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, the features will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. In a further gambit of experimentation, all four movies will debut within the same month, April 2028. Although Sony didn’t reveal its specific release plans, Mendes and Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chair Tom Rothman called the films the "first bingeable theatrical experience."

"Each one is told from the distinct perspective of just one of the guys," Mendes said of his plans for the movies, which the Oscar-winning director said would be in production for at least a year.

Cannes is back: The 78th French film festival returns May 13-24 with a wave of world premieres that will set the tone for the movie year ahead. Months earlier than the fall corridor that once positioned the narrative for awards season, Cannes is now the go-to first stop for new films that want to make an impact on the fall race.

Just look at last year’s bounty: “Anora” won the Palme d’Or from a jury led by Greta Gerwig, played Telluride and Toronto, and went all the way to five Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Director/Writer/Editor Sean Baker, and Best Actress Mikey Madison. Plus, 2024 competition winners including “The Substance” and “Emilia Pérez” also picked up Oscars, with “The Apprentice,” “The Girl with the Needle,” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” also netting Academy Awards nominations. The year before, Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall...

The Ugly Stepsister, the first horror feature from Emilie Blichfeldt, is set to arrive in theaters on April 18, and the film just got an exciting new look. Collider is thrilled to partner with distributors IFC Films and Shudder to help promote its upcoming premiere by releasing a new poster for the film showing what appears to be a ballet shoe dipped in blood stepping carefully onto the carpet. The upcoming film will see Blichfeldt make her directorial debut after starring in other projects such as Nr. 24 (Sjur Vatne Brean) and Kruppel 16 (Johannes Blumenthal). The Ugly Stepsister is billed as a gorgeously crafted, twisted take on the classic Cinderella story, and it earned strong reviews out of Sundance earlier this year, including from Collider’s own Therese Lacson, who scored the film an 8/10 in her review.

The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira (Lea Myren) as she prepares to earn the prince...

Sony Pictures held its annual presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Monday and confirmed the cast of The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

All four films will open in theaters in April 2028 and are described as follows: “Each man has his own story, but together, they are legendary.”

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.

Directed by Sam Mendes, the cast includes Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

The producers of The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event include Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, and Alexandra Derbyshire. The films are a Neal Street production in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures.

Exclusive: Julie Delpy is joining 2x Cannes Film Festival winner Ruben Östlund’s next movie, The Entertainment System Is Down.

The Before Sunrise actress joins an ensemble cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, Keanu Reeves, Nicholas Braun, Tobias Menzies, Connor Swindells, Daniel Webber, Wayne Blair, Dan Wyllie, Lindsay Duncan, Allan Corduner, Sofia Tjelta Sydness, Erin Ainsworth, Myles Kamwendo, Elle Piper, Thibaud Dooms, Sanna Sundqvist, Tea Stjärne, Swedish artist Benjamin Ingrosso and Sanjeev Bhaskar.

Delpy recently wrapped shooting Matt Charman’s limited series The Choice for Netflix, where she leads the series as the French President.

Östlund’s darkly satirical project is set on a long-haul flight between England and Australia where the entertainment system fails and passengers are forced to face the horror of being bored. Two-time Oscar nominee Östlund won the Palme d’Or twice in 2022 for his political comedy Triangle of Sadness as well as 2017 for The Square.

Get ready to meet another Nine Perfect Strangers.

Hulu announced on Tuesday that Season 2 of the Nicole Kidman-led drama will premiere this spring; a release pattern for the eight episodes was not immediately avalable.

More from TVLineSave the Dates: Clinton Kelly and Stacy London's Return, Real Housewives Check Into Love Hotel and MoreGirl Meets World's Rowan Blanchard Joins Handmaid's Tale Sequel The TestamentsWhen Calls the Heart Renewed for Season 13 at Hallmark Channel

This premiere timetable arrives some 21 months after Nine Perfect Strangers got a Season 2 order. (In her defense, Kidman is busy starring on about 71 streaming series.)

Nine Perfect Strangers...

Unicorns have, for centuries, been fabled symbols of the most distilled essence of majesty, purity, and nobility; to kill or even think of harming one would be tantamount to the most feral demonstration of humanity’s soul-blackening capacity for corruption and the destruction of all things good. So pure is the unicorn that, given the unfailing demonstrations of decay and greed that populate our daily screen time, it’s a wonder such atrocities against the mythic beast have yet to be used as a symbol in one of the most increasingly ubiquitous sub-genres of the past few years: the smug “eat the rich” satire.

That all changes today, as debuting writer-director Alex Scharfman brings the death of the unicorn into that very thematic arena with, fittingly enough, “Death of a Unicorn.” From the title, one would reasonably surmise that Scharfman may be exploring this avenue by way of a mythic fantasy period piece or,...

Following the monumental creative shift in the James Bond franchise, which has seen the reins handed over to Amazon, has left fans waiting with bated breath to find out who will be chosen to take over from Daniel Craig as the next 007. Now, an expert in the beloved action series has not only offered some insight into when we will find out this key piece of information, but has revealed a new favorite for the role...and he’s a real King’s Man.

Addressing Daniel Craig's potential successor, James Bond expert Mark O'Connell revealed during an appearance on Lbc that we will find out the identity of the next 007 by summer 2025. Not only that, he also offered a major hint as to which lesser-known actor is being eyed to play the lead in Amazon’s reboot: Harris Dickinson.

“Henry Cavill could be back in the running now. Amazon's...

“Game of Thrones” veteran Iain Glen has joined the cast of Tba Studios’ historical biopic “Quezon,” it was revealed on the sidelines of Hong Kong FilMart.

Glen, known for his role as the loyal Jorah Mormont in HBO’s fantasy series, will portray Leonard Wood, the U.S. Army major who served as governor-general of the Philippines from 1921-1927. Wood was instrumental in Manuel Quezon’s quest for Philippines’ independence from the U.S.

The film, directed and co-written by Jerrold Tarog is a biopic that chronicles the life of the Filipino lawyer and soldier Manuel L. Quezon, who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Jericho Rosales plays Quezon, and the cast also includes Mon Confiado, Benjamin Alves, Karylle Yuzon, Romnick Sarmenta, J.C. Santos and Cris Villanueva.

Glen recently participated in a script reading at the Manila Hotel in Manila alongside the film’s cast and crew.

Universal Pictures’ spy thriller Black Bag leads the way for new releases in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend as Warner Bros’ Opus and Studiocanal’s In the Lost Lands also open.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh,Black Bagopens in 650 cinemas, up from Soderbergh’s last film Presence which debuted in 478 sites earlier this year. That title opened with a mild £292,058 for Warner Bros, ending its run on £825,587 total.

Black Bag will be aiming much higher with the help of strong reviews, a London-set premise and a starry ensemble led by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. The duo play husband and...

Actors Woody Harrelson (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Kerry Condon (“Night Swim”) are reportedly attached to star in “Giant,” an English remake of the 2013 romantic comedy “Corazón de León.” If you’re not familiar with the previous iteration, the movie saw a woman getting romantically involved with a very short older man and explored the prejudices surrounding that situation with both humor and heart.

Continue reading ‘Giant’: Woody Harrelson & Kerry Condon Topline English Remake Of Marcos Carnevale’s Stature Rom-Com ‘Corazón de León’ at The Playlist.

There are seven tapestries on permanent view at The Cloisters in New York that depict, in vivid detail, the tale of a unicorn hunted by man and tamed by a virgin. The series has been the subject of much scholarly discourse, with historians debating their meaning for decades. Early theories landed on metaphors for marriage and fertility, while later and more enduring ones thought of them as allegories for Christ. In his directorial debut, Death of a Unicorn, Alex Scharfman (a producer on House of Spoils and Resurrection) considers a universe in which these magical creatures are real and the tapestries serve as a warning.

The upcoming A24 release, which premiered at SXSW, stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father-daughter duo thrust into a peculiar situation. On their way to a crucial business meeting with a pharmaceutical billionaire, Elliot (Rudd), a meek compliance lawyer with aggressive allergies, and...

While an X-Men reboot is (finally) in development, Marvel Studios has also brought several actors from 20th Century Fox's now defunct franchise back to reprise their respective roles in the MCU.

Most recently, Hugh Jackman returned for Deadpool and Wolverine, and we also saw Sir Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Kelsey Grammar as Beast in The Marvels' post-credits scene.

In the stinger, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) wakes up in a medical lab after getting trapped in an alternate reality following her battle with Dar-Benn to find her late mother, Maria (Lashana Lynch), by her side. Rambeau is overcome with joy, but Maria - who is actually this world's Binary - has no idea who she is.

As Monica's confusion grows, a familiar voice asks "how's our patient," and a comic-accurate, fully CGI Hank McCoy, aka Beast, enters the room.

We assumed Kelsey Grammar would be staying on as the McU's Hank McCoy after his post-credits scene cameo in The Marvels, but it seems Marvel Studios is planning to cast a new actor as Beast in the upcoming X-Men reboot.

According to The Hot Mic's Jeff Sneider, Jesse Plemons is in consideration to play Beast in the movie. We're not sure if he's actually met with Marvel about the role or is simply a person of interest, but we can see quite a lot of fans getting behind this particular rumor.

Plemons is just the latest actor to be mentioned in connection with one of the main mutant roles in the film. Harris Dickinson and Jack Champion are reportedly being eyed to play Cyclops, with Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink a likely pick for Jean Grey. We've also heard that The Bear's Ayo Edebiri and DeWanda Wise are on the studio's radar to play Storm.

“Anora” took the Oscars by storm on Sunday, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (for Mikey Madison), Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay. The contemporary story about a young sex worker (Madison) who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch had a fractured fairy tale message. And now it has its happily ever after.

But to those who had been paying attention, its big triumph felt like less of a surprise and more of a crescendo to a campaign that started almost a year ago and had finally reached its natural conclusion. What makes this particular success story so staggering is how deliberate and methodical it was, as distributor Neon closely followed its own playbook — one that led Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” to historic Oscar success five years ago. Add in a deliberate decision to keep “Anora” off of streaming for the duration of its awards run,...

This is clearly not your parents' Motion Picture Academy. Anora won Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday, one of five awards claimed by the indie film from director Sean Baker. It's an unconventional Oscar champ to say the least, but unconventional seems to be the new standard for voters, who have made a series of daring choices over the last decade. It appears as though the Academy's efforts to expand and diversify its ranks are paying off. While diversity in business and government faces a vicious backlash, Anora shows how Dei has transformed the Oscars.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Anora is a frank, sexually explicit comedy about a Brooklyn sex worker (Best Actress winner Mikey Madison) who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn) much to the disapproval of his family. In addition to Best Picture and Best Actress it claimed Best Director,...

Sean Baker, the writer/director of “Anora” who is up for four Oscars for his awards season favorite, has won the Best Director Academy Award. Baker was also nominated in the Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay categories for his story of sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) and her hectic odyssey with a Russian heir (Mark Eydelshteyn), who promises marriage and riches but then brings chaos into her life. He could win Best Picture, too, as he is a co-producer on the film along with Alex Coco and his partner Samantha Quan.

Baker tonight already won Best Editing and Best Screenplay. Winning Best Director from presenter Quentin Tarantino, Baker set down his Oscar and said, “We are all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater. Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience…...

Sean Baker won Best Director at the Oscars for Anora on Sunday night, one of four individual awards Baker won during the historic evening.

Baker topped Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) for the win. He also won Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing and shared the Anora Best Picture win with producers Samantha Quan and Alex Coco.

During his speech, Baker advocated for the theatrical experience and implored audiences and studios to support movie theaters and theatrical releases, especially independently run theaters that are currently at greatest risk of shuttering.

“We are all here tonight because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” said Baker. “In a time in which our world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever: It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.

Austrian filmmaker Daniel Hoesl and German partner Julia Niemann have made a name for themselves by focusing their black comedy and documentary movies on money and capitalism and how the resulting power imbalances cause social inequality. Hoesl’s 2016 film Winwin, for example, is a comedy about a U.S. investment fund that buys Austrian companies but also takes over politics in its capital Vienna. And the 2020 documentary Davos, co-directed by the two and written by Niemann, puts a spotlight on the contrast between the lives of those who live in the Swiss town of Davos year-round and the business and political elite that gathers there for the annual World Economic Forum.

Their latest film, Veni Vidi Vici, which debuted at Sundance 2024 and is getting its U.K. premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival on Saturday, with another screening on Sunday, looks to slay the excesses of capitalism with dark humor.

Official updates on Marvel's plans for the X-Men have been few and far between since Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and rumor has it that this is simply down to the studio playing the waiting game.

Apparently, if Marvel wanted to reboot the team using any of the same characters from Fox's franchise before 2025, the likes of Simon Kinberg, Bryan Singer and co. would be, at minimum, entitled to credits and compensation, and may even have some degree of creative control as well.

We have no idea if this is accurate, but it would explain why it's pretty much been radio silence on all things X-Men since 2019, and why the only established mutant characters we've seen in The MCU since is Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Beast (Kelsey Grammer) in The Marvels, and Hugh Jackman as Logan in Deadpool and Wolverine (which...

Earlier today, we got word that Marvel Studios had shelved (or at least paused development on) three planned Disney+ shows: Nova, Terror Inc., and Strange Academy.

Marvel is said to have "shifted its priorities," and we're hearing that one of the projects the studio may now be focusing on involves a very different type of academy.

During this week's episode of The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider mentions that a source told him that an "X Academy" series is in the early planning stages.

In the comics, the Academy X students debuted in the pages of New X-Men #23, and were basically introduced as yet another incarnation of the New Mutants (students that would eventually work their way up to the main roster). The original line-up consisted of Anole, Armor, the Cuckoo Triplets, Dust, Elixir, Prodigy, Pixie, and Rockslide.

Some fairly obscure characters - especially for none X-Men comic readers - but...

If we know something very bad is going to happen, why do we feel so good about it?

Theupcoming horror series will star Camila Morrone and Adam Dimarco as the bride and groom.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ted Levine (Monk, Big Sky), Gus Birney, Jeff Wilbusch (Unorthodox, Oslo), Karla Crome (The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde, Lazarus) and Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness) are also joining the cast. Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen comes from executive producers Matt and Ross Duffer (Stranger Things) and Hilary Leavitt via their Upside Down Pictures overall deal with Netflix.

Haley Z. Boston will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Andrea Sperling will executive produce via her overall deal with Netflix. Emmy nominee Weronika...

Crowds of filmmakers, producers and actors braved the frigid temperatures on Saturday to attend the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg’s annual outdoor soiree at the riverside Holzmark venue to celebrate Germany’s most successful regional funder and bid farewell to outgoing CEO Kirsten Niehuus, who is stepping down later this year after two decades at the helm.

Among the throngs of warmly dressed guests were Volker Schlöndorff, Martin Moszkowicz, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Sam Riley, Matthias Schweighöfer, Aaron Altaras, Leo Altaras, Florence Kasumba, Sunnyi Melles, Lars Eidinger, Nicolette Krebitz, Helena Zengel, Kida Khodr Ramadan, Karoline Herfurth, Julia von Heinz, Heike Makatsch, Philippe Bober, Albrecht Schuch, Helena Zengel and Annabelle Mandeng.

Kirsten Niehuus, Volker Schlöndorff

“It’s been a fun ride,” Niehuus told Variety.

“I think we really had it all. When I started 20 years ago, the capital region of Berlin was not the place to be for film in Germany. That developed over the past 20 years,...

Exclusive: Philippine production and distribution company Tba Studios has cast Jericho Rosales to play the title role in its upcoming historical biopic Quezon.

Rosales will play Manuel L. Quezon, the Filipino lawyer and soldier who went on to become the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944.

The film serves as Rosales’ long-awaited return to Philippine cinema after a hiatus of several years; he was last seen on the big screen in 2018 romantic drama The Girl In The Orange Dress. On television, he recently starred in the hit Abs-cbn drama Lavender Fields.

Scheduled to start filming in March 2025, Quezon is directed and co-written by Jerrold Tarog, whose credits include the historical biopics Heneral Luna (2015) and Goyo: The Boy General (2018), both also produced by Tba Studios.

Also starring in Quezon are Mon Confiado and Benjamin Alves, who reprise their roles from Heneral Luna and Goyo: The Boy General. Confiado...

Mexico’s Talipot Studio, a co-producer on Ruben Östlund’s triple Oscar nominee “Triangle of Sadness,” has boarded “Malinche,” a historical epic produced by Spain’s Morena Films and directed by Pablo Trapero.

Prestigious Mexican historian Enrique Krauze also produces.

Shaping up as one of the biggest movies from the Spanish-speaking world this year, “Malinche” is written by Trapero and Daniel Krauze, a writer on “Luis Miguel: The Series.”

It could be described as a conquistador epic, set in 1519 as Hernán Cortes’ troops are supposedly welcomed by Aztec lord Moctezuma in Tenochtitlan. It centers, however, on the figure of Malinche, Cortés’ interpreter and consort who bore him a son.

In the film, Malinche, regarded as a pivotal figure in Spain’s conquest, so a traitor to Mexico, is seen in a new light as a woman battling to maintain peace between the Aztec and Spanish empires.

“For a few months,...

The Menu, Mark Mylod's decadent, dark satire, saw a resurgence in popularity this month after its addition to Netflix on January 29. The 2022 film, which stars industry legends like Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and many more, follows a high-class chef as he prepares an exclusive and deadly dining experience for a list of elite guests. While The Menu, which functionally intends to serve as a sort of interrogation and take down of the very wealthy, did receive generally positive reviews from critics and viewers, there were many (the author of this article included) that felt that it left something to be desired.

However, there is another film from the same exact year that accomplished The Menu's goals and, arguably, surpasses them, even garnering itself an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in the process. If The Menu whet your appetite for an even better (and more disturbing) examination of class,...

The X-Men casting rumors continue to swirl, and this latest report is sure to get a lot of attention.

According to The Hot Mic's Jeff Sneider, The Substance star Margaret Qualley is being eyed for the role of Rogue.

Rogue, real name Anna Marie, is easily one of the most popular members of the team, and fans have been hoping to see a comic-accurate take on the sassy Southern belle in live-action for many years. Anna Paquin played a younger version of the character in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies, but she didn't really have much in common with her comic book counterpart.

Qualley's acclaimed turn in The Substance has made her a hot commodity in Hollywood, so it was probably only a matter of time before a major superhero franchise came calling.

Though we're still waiting on an official announcement, Marvel does seem to be making moves on this project behind-the-scenes.

He may be Hollywood’s newly-crowned It boy thanks to his starring role in “Babygirl” opposite Nicole Kidman, but Harris Dickinson has already made moves behind the camera.

The British actor’s directorial feature debut “Urchin” — now in post-production — is heading to the European Film Market in Berlin, with Charades launching sales. Gersh and UTA Independent Film Group are co-repping the film in the U.S.

Written by Dickinson, whose acting credits also include “Triangle of Sadness,” “Blitz” and “The Iron Claw,” the story follows Mike, a rough sleeper in London trapped in a cycle of self-destruction as he attempts to turn his life around. As per the description, the film is “raw and absurd,” and a “story about the strange patterns that keep pulling us back.”

The film stars Frank Dillane as Mike, alongside Megan Northam plus Amr Waked, Karyna Khymchuk and Shonagh Marie.

“Urchin” is produced by Archie Pearch...

Paris-based production company Haut et Court and London-based Good Chaos have officially secured the film rights to ‘Paris-Hollywood,’ the debut novel by writer and critic Cécile Mury. The two companies plan to bring the novel to the big screen as a feature film, blending the romantic charm of both French and English-language romantic comedies.

The novel follows the love story between a French journalist and an English-speaking movie star, exploring themes of romance, cultural differences, and self-discovery. Given its unique take on love and relationships, the book has already gained significant attention in the literary world.

Mike Goodridge, CEO of Good Chaos, expressed his excitement about the adaptation, calling ‘Paris-Hollywood’ “a charming and winning read” that intelligently examines “the nature of love and the limits we put on ourselves before falling in love.” He added, “We are thrilled to collaborate with our friends at Haut et Court to create a classic European rom-com.

Paris-based Haut et Court and London-based Good Chaos have partnered to acquire the film rights to Paris-Hollywood, the debut novel from writer and critic Cécile Mury.

The novel is the story of a French journalist and an English-speaking movie star. The two companies have said they plan to adapt the novel into a feature film, with the aim of “blending the sensibilities of both Franco and Anglo rom-coms.”

“Paris-Hollywood is not only a charming and winning read, but it also digs intelligently into the nature of love and the limits we put on ourselves before falling in love,” Mike Goodridge, CEO of Good Chaos, said in a statement. “We are so excited to be building this movie with our dear friends at Haut et Court and make a classic European romcom.”

Paris-Hollywood was one of the buzzier titles at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, where it was picked up...

Paris-based Haut et Court and London-based Good Chaos, two of the founding members of the Fremantle-backed indie production collective The Creatives, have secured the film rights to Paris-Hollywood, the debut novel by French film critic Cécile Mury.

The novel, set for publication by Flammarion in April 2025, follows a romance between a French journalist and an English-speaking movie star. The novel was presented at last year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, where translation rights were sold in six territories. Haut et Court and Good Chaos outmaneuvered several French and European producers to secure the film adaptation rights. The companies say the feature will be a rom-com that blends elements of both the French and English approaches to the genre.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have teamed up with Good Chaos to bring to the screen this delightful rom-com that plays so much on the genre but with a ‘je ne sais quoi et presque rien,...

The X-Men rumors continue to swirl, and we can now add another name to the list of potential actors Marvel Studios is said to be looking at to fill out the McU's roster of mutant heroes.

Though we don't have a specific character for this one, The Hot Mic's Jeff Sneider has heard that House of the Dragon star Tom Glynn-Carney is someone the studio "likes" for an undisclosed role.

Apparently, Glynn-Carney - who plays King Aegon Targaryen on HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series - took a meeting that "went well," but we don't have much more to go on for the time being.

Assuming Glynn-Carney is being considered for a part in the X-Men movie, who would the 30-year-old Brit be best suited to play? There are obviously a number of possibilities, and we're still not sure which characters will make up the team.

Though we're still waiting on an official announcement,...

Bankside Films and Heretic are co-repping worldwide sales on Miguel Ángel Jimenéz’s “The Birthday Party,” featuring a star-studded cast led by four-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe. The companies will be introducing the film to buyers and showing a promo during the European Film Market.

Written and directed by Jimenéz, with additional writing credits going to Giorgos Karnavas and Nikos Panayotopoulos, “The Birthday Party” is based on the novel of the same name by Panos Karnezis. Variety has been given exclusive access to a first look image from the film, which is currently in post-production.

Set in the late 1970s somewhere in the Mediterranean, “The Birthday Party” stars Dafoe as Marcos Timoleon, an Onassis-like tycoon who’s throwing a lavish, extravagant birthday celebration for Sofia, his daughter and sole heiress, on his exclusive private island.

Used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him whatever the cost, Marcos is...

It was open season on all things Marvel during this week's episode of The Hot Mic, and while co-host Jeff Sneider didn't reveal anything outright, he did drop a few intriguing hints about several upcoming projects, and one fairly significant - let's call it a "suggestion" - relating to Denzel Washington's mysterious MCU role.

Washington has already confirmed that he is set to appear in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3, but we don't know who he's playing yet. Sneider notes that it's "totally possible that he could be playing an X-Men character," and after asking the listeners to "do the leap," he says he "definitely thinks Denzel could be the villain of X-Men."

To this, John Rocha asks, "so Denzel is playing Magneto, is what you're saying?"

Again, there's nothing too concrete here, but Sneider does seem to know more than he's willing to come right out and say.

Between adamantium's introduction in Captain America: Brave New World and both Ms. Marvel and Namor being referred to as mutants, the X-Men's arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is imminent, which means rumors about who will play the characters have started to emerge. Introduced in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The X-Men is one of Marvel's biggest titles. The team previously had their own successful film franchise that was given a lovely farewell with Deadpool & Wolverine. Just like with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, expect months, if not years, of casting rumors and speculation on who will play key X-Men characters before the cast is officially confirmed.

According to scooper Jeff Sneider (via Gizmodo), Marvel Studios is eyeing Harris Dickinson, Sadie Sink, and Julia Butters for the parts of Scott Summers / Cycops, Jean Grey, and Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat, respectively. Dickinson has become a breakout star in the past few years,...