Steve McQueen’s filmography will be feted at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival.
The annual festival, which will take place from October 17 through 20, will honor Academy Award winner McQueen with the Visionary Director Award. McQueen’s latest film “Blitz” will open the festival, and the auteur will participate in a post-screening conversation.
“Blitz” follows the “epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son,” per the official synopsis.
“Blitz” will screen at Middleburg as a co-presentation with the British Embassy. British Ambassador to the United States Dame Karen Pierce will introduce the feature, and also receive the Festival’s inaugural Film Diplomacy Award.
The annual festival, which will take place from October 17 through 20, will honor Academy Award winner McQueen with the Visionary Director Award. McQueen’s latest film “Blitz” will open the festival, and the auteur will participate in a post-screening conversation.
“Blitz” follows the “epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son,” per the official synopsis.
“Blitz” will screen at Middleburg as a co-presentation with the British Embassy. British Ambassador to the United States Dame Karen Pierce will introduce the feature, and also receive the Festival’s inaugural Film Diplomacy Award.
- 9/19/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Saoirse Ronan plays a distraught mother searching for her missing son in World War II East London in the trailer for Steve McQueen’s Blitz, which dropped on Thursday.
The drama follows George, a 9-year-old boy, played by Elliot Heffernan, in wartime London after his mother Rita (Ronan) sends him as an evacuee to safety in the English countryside. But defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son as he faces mounting peril.
“Why can’t you tell me, where’s my boy?” Rita pleads with London police officers at one point in the trailer. Meanwhile, George is seen scurrying for shelter alongside other Londoners in underground subway stations or bombed-out buildings as German Luftwaffe planes continue to bomb the British capital’s east end.
The drama follows George, a 9-year-old boy, played by Elliot Heffernan, in wartime London after his mother Rita (Ronan) sends him as an evacuee to safety in the English countryside. But defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son as he faces mounting peril.
“Why can’t you tell me, where’s my boy?” Rita pleads with London police officers at one point in the trailer. Meanwhile, George is seen scurrying for shelter alongside other Londoners in underground subway stations or bombed-out buildings as German Luftwaffe planes continue to bomb the British capital’s east end.
- 9/19/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After exploring World War II with last year’s more experimental documentary Occupied City, Steve McQueen returns to the subject matter on an epic canvas with the war thriller Blitz. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Elliot Heffernan, and Harris Dickinson, the film will open the BFI London Film Festival and close New York Film Festival ahead of a November 1 theatrical release and November 22 Apple TV+ streaming debut. Ahead of the release, the first trailer has arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Sir Steve McQueen’s Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.
Here’s the synopsis: “Sir Steve McQueen’s Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.
- 9/19/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Steve McQueen is debuting his latest period piece, this time starring Saoirse Ronan.
McQueen writes and directs “Blitz,” which follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside.
Per the official synopsis, “George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.”
Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham also star.
Academy Award winner McQueen reunites with production designer Adam Stockhausen, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Small Axe”), and composer Hans Zimmer (“12 Years a Slave”) for the production. The feature is also a reunion...
McQueen writes and directs “Blitz,” which follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside.
Per the official synopsis, “George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.”
Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham also star.
Academy Award winner McQueen reunites with production designer Adam Stockhausen, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Small Axe”), and composer Hans Zimmer (“12 Years a Slave”) for the production. The feature is also a reunion...
- 9/19/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
French film group MK2 (“Anatomy of a Fall”), a family-owned company operating an independent cinema circuit in France and Spain, reached a milestone with the theatrical performance of “Kaizen,” a documentary film about 22-year old YouTube star Inoxtag which sold an estimated 350,000 tickets from 1,000 screenings in a single day.
The two-and-a-half-hour inspirational documentary sees Inès Benazzouz aka Inoxtag, a charismatic Parisian who doesn’t practice sports and nevertheless embarks on an epic mission to climb the world’s highest peak, the Everest, within a year.
MK2 released it on Sept. 13 in over 500 theaters (well beyond MK2 venues) across France and French-speaking territories, including Quebec, Morocco and Belgium. Approximately 310,000 admissions were sold in France and the remainder came from overseas. The next day, on Sept. 14, the doc – directed by Basille Monnot — was dropped for free on YouTube where it garnered more than 10 million views.
The performance of “Kaizen” broke the previous...
The two-and-a-half-hour inspirational documentary sees Inès Benazzouz aka Inoxtag, a charismatic Parisian who doesn’t practice sports and nevertheless embarks on an epic mission to climb the world’s highest peak, the Everest, within a year.
MK2 released it on Sept. 13 in over 500 theaters (well beyond MK2 venues) across France and French-speaking territories, including Quebec, Morocco and Belgium. Approximately 310,000 admissions were sold in France and the remainder came from overseas. The next day, on Sept. 14, the doc – directed by Basille Monnot — was dropped for free on YouTube where it garnered more than 10 million views.
The performance of “Kaizen” broke the previous...
- 9/16/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Production that echoes a wartime disaster in the East End that killed 173 people will open the London film festival next month
The Oscar-winning British film director, Sir Steve McQueen, who is most famous for bringing the horror of the slave trade to cinema screens, has turned his lens on the forgotten, and even officially censored, terrors that London underwent during the second world war.
His starry new film, Blitz, which opens the London film festival (Lff) next month, is a powerful evocation of the perils of life during the German Blitzkrieg – a bombing campaign that aimed to batter Britain into submission in the early 1940s. McQueen, whose most recent film, Occupied City, was a long study of the impact of the war and the Holocaust on Amsterdam, was partly inspired to make Blitz by learning of a catastrophe at an east London tube station. Details were suppressed by the wartime government to protect public morale.
The Oscar-winning British film director, Sir Steve McQueen, who is most famous for bringing the horror of the slave trade to cinema screens, has turned his lens on the forgotten, and even officially censored, terrors that London underwent during the second world war.
His starry new film, Blitz, which opens the London film festival (Lff) next month, is a powerful evocation of the perils of life during the German Blitzkrieg – a bombing campaign that aimed to batter Britain into submission in the early 1940s. McQueen, whose most recent film, Occupied City, was a long study of the impact of the war and the Holocaust on Amsterdam, was partly inspired to make Blitz by learning of a catastrophe at an east London tube station. Details were suppressed by the wartime government to protect public morale.
- 9/15/2024
- by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent
- The Guardian - Film News
If you’ve already dived into our massive fall movie preview, then you have a strong sense of what to have on your radar over the next four months. Now let’s examine September a little closer, already including a few new additions since our fall preview went up. Of course, from Venice to TIFF to NYFF, much of the month will be dedicated to our festival coverage, which you can follow here.
12. The Featherweight (Robert Kolodny; Sept. 20)
With the never-ending glut of biopics, particularly those centered in the world of sports, it can often feel like there’s not much new territory to cover. While Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw recently showed how a singular vision can elevate the genre, another film taking place partially inside the ring breathes new life. Robert Kolodny, who worked on the cinematography team of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Procession,...
12. The Featherweight (Robert Kolodny; Sept. 20)
With the never-ending glut of biopics, particularly those centered in the world of sports, it can often feel like there’s not much new territory to cover. While Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw recently showed how a singular vision can elevate the genre, another film taking place partially inside the ring breathes new life. Robert Kolodny, who worked on the cinematography team of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Procession,...
- 9/5/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
British Film Institute’s London Film Festival annual Screen Talks returns with a star-studded lineup that includes Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Lupita Nyong’o, Zoe Saldaña, and many more.
After featured Martin Scorsese, Andrew Haigh, and Lulu Wang spoke at the festival in 2023, this year’s crop of filmmakers represent the most highly-anticipated features on the 2024 festival circuit.
Sean Baker famously won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2024 for “Anora,” which is an early Oscar frontrunner after IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised the film for being a blend of “Uncut Gems” and “Pretty Woman.” At BFI, Baker will discuss his filmography including “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” and “Red Rocket.”
Steve McQueen, director of the Lff’s Opening Night Gala-selected film “Blitz,” will talk about his new film, alongside his work for the big and small screen, from “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave” to “Widows,” “Small Axe,” and “Occupied City.
After featured Martin Scorsese, Andrew Haigh, and Lulu Wang spoke at the festival in 2023, this year’s crop of filmmakers represent the most highly-anticipated features on the 2024 festival circuit.
Sean Baker famously won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2024 for “Anora,” which is an early Oscar frontrunner after IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised the film for being a blend of “Uncut Gems” and “Pretty Woman.” At BFI, Baker will discuss his filmography including “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” and “Red Rocket.”
Steve McQueen, director of the Lff’s Opening Night Gala-selected film “Blitz,” will talk about his new film, alongside his work for the big and small screen, from “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave” to “Widows,” “Small Axe,” and “Occupied City.
- 9/3/2024
- by Harrison Richlin and Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The BFI’s London Film Festival has set an impressive lineup of starry names including Academy Award winners Steve McQueen, Denis Villeneuve, Lupita Nyong’o, and recent Palme d’Or winner Sean Baker for this year’s screen talk Q&a sessions. Scroll down for the entire screen talks programme.
This year’s London Film Festival runs from 9 October – 20 October. The festival will open with Steve McQueen’s latest feature Blitz, an exploration of London during World War 2, on opening night at this year’s London Film Festival. The pic will screen as a world premiere.
Directed, produced, and written by McQueen, the film follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. The Synopsis reads: George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London,...
This year’s London Film Festival runs from 9 October – 20 October. The festival will open with Steve McQueen’s latest feature Blitz, an exploration of London during World War 2, on opening night at this year’s London Film Festival. The pic will screen as a world premiere.
Directed, produced, and written by McQueen, the film follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. The Synopsis reads: George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London,...
- 9/3/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
While they’ve only backed a few documentaries, notably De Palma, Boys State, Occupied City, and the re-release of Stop Making Sense, A24’s latest foray into the realm of non-fiction explores the psychic realm. Look Into My Eyes, from After Tiller, Miss Americana, and Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields director Lana Wilson, follows a group of New York City psychics as they conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of connection, healing, and the eternal need to have witnesses to better see ourselves. Ahead of a September 6 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
Jake Kring-Schreifels said in his Sundance review, “Ask enough people what they think about psychics and clairvoyants, and you’ll probably get eye-rolls. Whether referencing the storefront tarot readers or the more seriously minded seers who perform seances and communicate with those who have transitioned into the afterlife, the impression of this spiritual trade is generally disbelief.
Jake Kring-Schreifels said in his Sundance review, “Ask enough people what they think about psychics and clairvoyants, and you’ll probably get eye-rolls. Whether referencing the storefront tarot readers or the more seriously minded seers who perform seances and communicate with those who have transitioned into the afterlife, the impression of this spiritual trade is generally disbelief.
- 8/8/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Nach dem Eröffnungsfilm Anfang der Woche hat das New York Filmfestival jetzt den Abschlussfilm seiner 62. Ausgabe bekannt gegeben.
Abschlussfilm des New York Film Festival: Steve McQueens „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple TV+)
Mit der Nordamerikapremiere von Steve McQueens „Blitz“ wird die 62. Ausgabe des New York Filmfestival am 10. Oktober abgeschlossen. Das gab das Festival jetzt bekannt.
In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.
„‘Blitz‘ ist eine lebendige und eindringliche Darstellung des Lebens während des Krieges, ein akribischer historischer Bericht, der unmissverständlich auf unser heutiges Zeitalter des endlosen Krieges verweist.
Abschlussfilm des New York Film Festival: Steve McQueens „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple TV+)
Mit der Nordamerikapremiere von Steve McQueens „Blitz“ wird die 62. Ausgabe des New York Filmfestival am 10. Oktober abgeschlossen. Das gab das Festival jetzt bekannt.
In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.
„‘Blitz‘ ist eine lebendige und eindringliche Darstellung des Lebens während des Krieges, ein akribischer historischer Bericht, der unmissverständlich auf unser heutiges Zeitalter des endlosen Krieges verweist.
- 7/26/2024
- by Jochen Müller
- Spot - Media & Film
Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is headed back to the New York Film Festival.
On Thursday, Film at Lincoln Center revealed that McQueen’s “Blitz” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan will close the 62nd edition of the New York Film Festival. The event is being billed as the Apple Original Film’s North American premiere, following the “Blitz” world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in early October. (The NYFF premiere designation all but officially rules out a potential screening at the Telluride Film Festival.)
“Blitz” is the eighth McQueen film to screen at the New York Film Festival in its history, following “Hunger,” “Shame,” Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” the Amazon title “Lovers Rock” (part of McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology), and last year’s documentary “Occupied City.” “Blitz” will land in New York on October 10.
“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that...
On Thursday, Film at Lincoln Center revealed that McQueen’s “Blitz” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan will close the 62nd edition of the New York Film Festival. The event is being billed as the Apple Original Film’s North American premiere, following the “Blitz” world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in early October. (The NYFF premiere designation all but officially rules out a potential screening at the Telluride Film Festival.)
“Blitz” is the eighth McQueen film to screen at the New York Film Festival in its history, following “Hunger,” “Shame,” Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” the Amazon title “Lovers Rock” (part of McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology), and last year’s documentary “Occupied City.” “Blitz” will land in New York on October 10.
“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that...
- 7/25/2024
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Steve McQueen’s World War II drama starring Saoirse Ronan, “Blitz,” will close the 62nd New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced on Thursday. The movie will screen on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan, which will mark its North American premiere.
“Blitz,” which McQueen wrote, directed and produced, stars Ronan as a working-class single mother living in London during Nazi Germany’s 1941 blitzkrieg that began on September 7 and continued for 57 consecutive days and nights, killing almost 1,500 people.
The film is told from the points of view of Ronan’s Rita and her 9-year-old son George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who become separated during the air raids. According to the description offered by the festival, the film “offers a multicultural portrait of 1940s London too infrequently seen on screens” and is “Dickensian in its scope and storytelling.”
The supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Harris Dickinson,...
“Blitz,” which McQueen wrote, directed and produced, stars Ronan as a working-class single mother living in London during Nazi Germany’s 1941 blitzkrieg that began on September 7 and continued for 57 consecutive days and nights, killing almost 1,500 people.
The film is told from the points of view of Ronan’s Rita and her 9-year-old son George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who become separated during the air raids. According to the description offered by the festival, the film “offers a multicultural portrait of 1940s London too infrequently seen on screens” and is “Dickensian in its scope and storytelling.”
The supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Harris Dickinson,...
- 7/25/2024
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, will be the closing night selection of the 62nd New York Film Festival, making its North American premiere, said the fest’s parent Film At Lincoln Center.
The re-creation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son, George (newcomer Heffernan), who become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege. Oscar-winner McQueen (12 Years a Slave), who also wrote and produced, offers an unusual multicultural portrait of 1940s London. Supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Hayley Squires, and Paul Weller.
“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that I’m able to return to the New York Film Festival with Blitz,” said McQueen. “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number...
The re-creation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son, George (newcomer Heffernan), who become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege. Oscar-winner McQueen (12 Years a Slave), who also wrote and produced, offers an unusual multicultural portrait of 1940s London. Supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Hayley Squires, and Paul Weller.
“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that I’m able to return to the New York Film Festival with Blitz,” said McQueen. “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number...
- 7/25/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 New York Film Festival has set Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliot Heffernan, as its closing night film.
The movie, set in London during the blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, will receive its North American premiere on Oct. 10 at Alice Tully Hall.
McQueen wrote, directed and produced Blitz, which is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son George (Heffernan) as they become separated in the city under siege.
The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham. In addition to McQueen, who produces through his Lammas Park banner, producers include Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, New Regency’s Arnon and Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer as well as Anita Overland and Adam Somner.
The movie, set in London during the blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, will receive its North American premiere on Oct. 10 at Alice Tully Hall.
McQueen wrote, directed and produced Blitz, which is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son George (Heffernan) as they become separated in the city under siege.
The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham. In addition to McQueen, who produces through his Lammas Park banner, producers include Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, New Regency’s Arnon and Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer as well as Anita Overland and Adam Somner.
- 7/25/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After just this week announcing the New York Film Festival’s opening night film (RaMell Ross’ much-anticipated Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys”), Film at Lincoln Center has today announced the film that will close this year’s edition: Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan. After world premiering at the London BFI Film Festival on October 9, the film will mark its North American premiere on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall.
Per Thursday’s announcement, “Blitz” is “an authentic and astonishing recreation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, pushes the artistry of Steve McQueen to ever more impressive levels. Working on a vast scale, McQueen sets things at human eye level, telling his original tale from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her nine-year-old son, George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan), as they become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege.
Per Thursday’s announcement, “Blitz” is “an authentic and astonishing recreation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, pushes the artistry of Steve McQueen to ever more impressive levels. Working on a vast scale, McQueen sets things at human eye level, telling his original tale from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her nine-year-old son, George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan), as they become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege.
- 7/25/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Saoirse Ronan protagoniza este drama ambientado en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. © Apple TV+
La película “Blitz”, dirigida por el aclamado cineasta Steve McQueen, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Londres – saltándose los Festivales de Venecia, Toronto y Telluride – y ya tiene fecha de estreno en Apple TV+.
“Blitz” sigue el épico viaje de George (Elliott Heffernan), un niño de 9 años, a través del Londres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial cuando su madre, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), lo envía a un lugar seguro en la campiña inglesa. George, desafiante y decidido a volver a casa con Rita y su abuelo Gerald (Paul Weller) en el este de Londres, emprende una aventura en la que se enfrenta a inmensos peligros, mientras una angustiada Rita busca a su hijo desaparecido.
Escrita y dirigida por Steve McQueen, la película está protagonizada por Saoirse Ronan y el debutante Elliott Heffernan, con Harris Dickinson (“El Clan de Hierro...
La película “Blitz”, dirigida por el aclamado cineasta Steve McQueen, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Londres – saltándose los Festivales de Venecia, Toronto y Telluride – y ya tiene fecha de estreno en Apple TV+.
“Blitz” sigue el épico viaje de George (Elliott Heffernan), un niño de 9 años, a través del Londres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial cuando su madre, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), lo envía a un lugar seguro en la campiña inglesa. George, desafiante y decidido a volver a casa con Rita y su abuelo Gerald (Paul Weller) en el este de Londres, emprende una aventura en la que se enfrenta a inmensos peligros, mientras una angustiada Rita busca a su hijo desaparecido.
Escrita y dirigida por Steve McQueen, la película está protagonizada por Saoirse Ronan y el debutante Elliott Heffernan, con Harris Dickinson (“El Clan de Hierro...
- 7/2/2024
- by Marta Medina
- mundoCine
As any UK-based film lover knows, the opening night gala of the London Film Festival is always one to keep an eye out for. In recent years, that coveted slot has been reserved for the likes of Emerald Fennell's scandalous scandalous Saltburn, Matthew Warchus' raucous Roald Dahl romp Matilda The Musical, and Samuel Jeymes' slick neo-spaghetti western The Harder They Fall. And this year's 68th BFI London Film Festival — which will run from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 20 October — looks to have another doozy lined up for us. As announced by the BFI earlier today, kicking things off this year will be Oscar and BAFTA award winning writer-director Steve McQueen's Apple Original WWII drama Blitz, which stars Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, and nine-year-old newcomer Elliott Heffernan.
Having opened Lff twice before — first with 2018's Widows and then again in 2020 with Small Axe anthology feature Mangrove — McQueen is no stranger...
Having opened Lff twice before — first with 2018's Widows and then again in 2020 with Small Axe anthology feature Mangrove — McQueen is no stranger...
- 7/1/2024
- by Jordan King
- Empire - Movies
Die Weltpremiere von Steve McQueens im Zweiten Weltkrieg angesiedeltem Drama „Blitz“ eröffnet am 9. Oktober das 68. BFI London Film Festival.
Saoirse Ronan in „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple)
Auf der Filmliste des Festival de Cannes hatte man Steve McQueens „Blitz“ vergeblich gesucht, für Venedig war es dem Vernehmen nach gar nicht erst eingereicht worden, nun hat das BFI London Film Festival die Weltpremiere des Apple Original als Eröffnungsfilm für seine von 9. bis 20. Oktober stattfindende 68. Ausgabe auserkoren. Das gab das Festival heute bekannt.
In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.
Saoirse Ronan in „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple)
Auf der Filmliste des Festival de Cannes hatte man Steve McQueens „Blitz“ vergeblich gesucht, für Venedig war es dem Vernehmen nach gar nicht erst eingereicht worden, nun hat das BFI London Film Festival die Weltpremiere des Apple Original als Eröffnungsfilm für seine von 9. bis 20. Oktober stattfindende 68. Ausgabe auserkoren. Das gab das Festival heute bekannt.
In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.
- 7/1/2024
- by Jochen Müller
- Spot - Media & Film
Following up last year’s epic documentary Occupied City, Steve McQueen has returned to the WWII era with a narrative feature. Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, which will world-premiere as the Opening Night Gala of the 68th BFI London Film Festival on October 9 before arriving in U.K. cinemas on November 1 and an Apple TV+ debut on November 22.
Also starring Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham, Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, goes on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril while a...
Also starring Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham, Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, goes on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril while a...
- 7/1/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Memoir of a Snail,” directed by locally-born, Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot, has been set as the opening title of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
The festival runs Aug. 8-25 and is expected to comprise more than 250 titles. An early sneak peek, revealed Thursday, confirmed a high quality international and local selection.
These include Cannes Critics’ Week award winner “Blue Sun Palace”; double Sundance-winning semi biographical directorial debut “Didi,” by Sean Wang; Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man,” which earned Sebastian Stan the acting prize in Berlin; Australian-produced Imax presentation “Fungi: Web of Life”; Rooney Mara-starring “La Cocina”; Frederick Wiseman’s restaurant documentary “Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros”; Berlin prize-winner “My Favourite Cake”; Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City”; and Jodi Wille’s “Welcome Space Brothers.”
The lineup also includes “We Were Dangerous,” a feminist and comic directorial debut from Maori filmmaker Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, that is executive produced by Taika Waititi.
The festival runs Aug. 8-25 and is expected to comprise more than 250 titles. An early sneak peek, revealed Thursday, confirmed a high quality international and local selection.
These include Cannes Critics’ Week award winner “Blue Sun Palace”; double Sundance-winning semi biographical directorial debut “Didi,” by Sean Wang; Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man,” which earned Sebastian Stan the acting prize in Berlin; Australian-produced Imax presentation “Fungi: Web of Life”; Rooney Mara-starring “La Cocina”; Frederick Wiseman’s restaurant documentary “Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros”; Berlin prize-winner “My Favourite Cake”; Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City”; and Jodi Wille’s “Welcome Space Brothers.”
The lineup also includes “We Were Dangerous,” a feminist and comic directorial debut from Maori filmmaker Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, that is executive produced by Taika Waititi.
- 6/6/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A 17-title buying spree from Scandinavian and Baltic distributor NonStop Entertainment includes deals for Mati Diop’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Dahomey, and Aaron Schimberg’s Sundance title A Different Man.
Diop’s documentary Dahomey tells the story of 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey (located within present-day Benin in Africa) that were returned to Benin after being held in a French museum. Films du Losange handles sales.
Sold by A24, Schimberg’s A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson in the story of a man with neurofibromatosis, who undergoes surgery for a new start...
Diop’s documentary Dahomey tells the story of 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey (located within present-day Benin in Africa) that were returned to Benin after being held in a French museum. Films du Losange handles sales.
Sold by A24, Schimberg’s A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson in the story of a man with neurofibromatosis, who undergoes surgery for a new start...
- 3/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
How do you capture Jenne Casarotto? She was at the intersection of theatre, film and television. It all, seemingly, swirled around her.
Not just around her.
It was the brilliant team that she assembled at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, the agency that’s been at the epicenter of UK arts culture for over three decades. Correction: The company’s reach extended far beyond the environs of London’s Soho.
One would see her in Venice, Cannes, Toronto and Sydney. One would not be at all surprised to be at a screening at, let’s say, Sundance, and there’d be a tap on the shoulder when the lights came up. “That was great stuff, wasn’t it?” She’d say gleefully.
It was a bit of a test because she’d expect you to be honest with her. Well, it was godawful, actually, and she’d nod sagely, her eyes twinkling behind her specs.
Not just around her.
It was the brilliant team that she assembled at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, the agency that’s been at the epicenter of UK arts culture for over three decades. Correction: The company’s reach extended far beyond the environs of London’s Soho.
One would see her in Venice, Cannes, Toronto and Sydney. One would not be at all surprised to be at a screening at, let’s say, Sundance, and there’d be a tap on the shoulder when the lights came up. “That was great stuff, wasn’t it?” She’d say gleefully.
It was a bit of a test because she’d expect you to be honest with her. Well, it was godawful, actually, and she’d nod sagely, her eyes twinkling behind her specs.
- 3/7/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Feb 9-11)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Migration (Universal) £2.5m £6.7m 2 2. Argylle (Universal) £994,542 £3.7m 2 3. The Iron Claw (Lionsgate) £671,297 £754,153 1 4. All Of Us Strangers (Disney) £510,000 £3.8m 3 5. Peppa Pig’s Cinema Party (Trafalgar) £490,405 £490,405 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26
Universal maintained a one-two at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as animation Migration held off Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle.
Migration, from Minions creators Illumination, added £2.5m on its second session – a 31% drop. The film has £6.7m in total.
On its second weekend, Argylle dropped 43%, with £994,542 taking it to £3.7m – down on the usual level of Vaughn’s directorial output.
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26
Universal maintained a one-two at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as animation Migration held off Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle.
Migration, from Minions creators Illumination, added £2.5m on its second session – a 31% drop. The film has £6.7m in total.
On its second weekend, Argylle dropped 43%, with £994,542 taking it to £3.7m – down on the usual level of Vaughn’s directorial output.
- 2/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Another week, another packed episode of the Empire Podcast, and once again we're joined by some cracking guests. First, Jeffrey Wright, the freshly Oscar-nominated star of American Fiction, joins Chris Hewitt to talk about that movie, his working practices, the film's unusual original title, and more. (30:37 - 48:53)Then Alex Godfrey sits down on Zoom with The Iron Claw director, Sean Durkin, and his star Zac Efron, for a chat about wrestling, big arms, and big hearts.
And either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent to discuss a whole host of stuff. They talk about the upcoming Empire Podcast tour (Birmingham! Norwich! Sheffield! Dublin! Manchester!), which has just gone on sale now, right some Oscar wrongs for the third and final time, this time tackling Best Director, discuss the week's movie news, including the sad death of Carl Weathers,...
And either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent to discuss a whole host of stuff. They talk about the upcoming Empire Podcast tour (Birmingham! Norwich! Sheffield! Dublin! Manchester!), which has just gone on sale now, right some Oscar wrongs for the third and final time, this time tackling Best Director, discuss the week's movie news, including the sad death of Carl Weathers,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Chris Hewitt
- Empire - Movies
Sean Durkin’s wrestling drama The Iron Claw will look to become box office champion on its opening weekend, starting in 517 UK-Ireland cinemas through Lionsgate.
The film tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, 2017 Screen Star of Tomorrow Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons star as the Von Erich brothers, with Lily James and Maura Tierney also on the cast; Arcade Fire member Richard Reed Parry wrote the film’s score.
The Iron Claw premiered in Dallas, Texas just hours...
The film tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, 2017 Screen Star of Tomorrow Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons star as the Von Erich brothers, with Lily James and Maura Tierney also on the cast; Arcade Fire member Richard Reed Parry wrote the film’s score.
The Iron Claw premiered in Dallas, Texas just hours...
- 2/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
In a battle of two Universal titles at the U.K., Ireland box office, animation film “Migration” flew to the top, besting star-studded caper “Argylle” in the process.
“Migration” debuted with £3.5 million ($4.4 million), according to numbers from Comscore. “Argylle,” a global under performer, bowed in second place with £2 million.
In third position, in its third weekend, Paramount’s “Mean Girls” earned £843,601 for a total of £6.8 million. Disney’s “All of Us Strangers” collected £797,004 in fourth place in its second weekend for a total of £2.7 million.
Rounding off the top five was A24’s “The Zone of Interest,” which debuted with £585,855. The only other bow in the Top 10 was Curzon-Amazon MGM’s “American Fiction” with £389,375.
Coming up, opening mid-week on Wednesday Feb. 7 is horror-comedy “Dagr” from Fizz and Ginger Films. Feb. 8 sees the release of Tamil-language sports and gangster drama “Lal Salaam,” headlined by Indian superstar Rajinikanth.
There are a plethora of releases on the Friday.
“Migration” debuted with £3.5 million ($4.4 million), according to numbers from Comscore. “Argylle,” a global under performer, bowed in second place with £2 million.
In third position, in its third weekend, Paramount’s “Mean Girls” earned £843,601 for a total of £6.8 million. Disney’s “All of Us Strangers” collected £797,004 in fourth place in its second weekend for a total of £2.7 million.
Rounding off the top five was A24’s “The Zone of Interest,” which debuted with £585,855. The only other bow in the Top 10 was Curzon-Amazon MGM’s “American Fiction” with £389,375.
Coming up, opening mid-week on Wednesday Feb. 7 is horror-comedy “Dagr” from Fizz and Ginger Films. Feb. 8 sees the release of Tamil-language sports and gangster drama “Lal Salaam,” headlined by Indian superstar Rajinikanth.
There are a plethora of releases on the Friday.
- 2/6/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
It was a sobering but at times uplifting experience. Bianca Stigter and her husband Steve McQueen reveal how they made their four-hour film about the Nazi invasion that plunged their city into terror
From the humble street corners to the grand hotels, from the bridges over the Amstel canal to the tram stops near the Rijksmuseum, wherever you go in Amsterdam there is a story from the city’s years of Nazi occupation. This spot is where the first “No Jews Allowed” sign was posted. Over there is where the Raf mistakenly dropped a bomb. And here’s where the attack on the civil registry office was plotted.
“It’s a lot of stories,” agrees historian and film-maker Bianca Stigter, as we walk the streets, together with her husband Steve McQueen, taking in key locations from their new film, Occupied City. The sheer number of stories here – of tragedy, treachery,...
From the humble street corners to the grand hotels, from the bridges over the Amstel canal to the tram stops near the Rijksmuseum, wherever you go in Amsterdam there is a story from the city’s years of Nazi occupation. This spot is where the first “No Jews Allowed” sign was posted. Over there is where the Raf mistakenly dropped a bomb. And here’s where the attack on the civil registry office was plotted.
“It’s a lot of stories,” agrees historian and film-maker Bianca Stigter, as we walk the streets, together with her husband Steve McQueen, taking in key locations from their new film, Occupied City. The sheer number of stories here – of tragedy, treachery,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Ellen E Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Occupied City.At one point in Steve McQueen’s new documentary, Occupied City, the director sends his camera touring through the halls of a school in present-day Amsterdam as voice-over narration describes it having been the temporary site of an SS headquarters during the Nazi occupation. For just a moment it feels as though all of history has collapsed into itself. To see images of a building dedicated to the enrichment of children while hearing of its one-time appropriation for such monstrosity demands reckoning with the meaning even benign living spaces might hold. Occupied City is filled with such moments of dark revelation born of unthinkable contrasts: an apartment building that was home to the Dutch resistance, a grand theater used as a processing center for Jewish deportation, a now-bustling sidewalk by the river where three resistance members were publicly executed. In the long history of Amsterdam, the occupation, though seismic in impact,...
- 1/29/2024
- MUBI
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSDry Leaf.On Criterion’s Daily, David Hudson has shared a useful roundup of films that might be expected to premiere during 2024. Among the inclusions are: Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho’s first film since Parasite (2019); It’s Not Me, Leos Carax’s latest collaboration with Denis Lavant; and Dry Leaf, the enticing-sounding new film by Alexandre Koberidze (What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? [2021]), which is said to be about “a photographer who shoots soccer stadiums [who] goes missing.”A list of international filmmakers including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Pedro Costa, Radu Jude, Ira Sachs, Claire Denis, and Abderrahmane Sissako have signed a letter, published during the holiday season in the French newspaper Libération, demanding (as translated by the Film Stage) “an immediate end to the bombings on Gaza,...
- 1/10/2024
- MUBI
Channel4 Chief Executive Alex Mahon this morning announced the departure of Film4 Chairman Daniel Battsek who is set to return to the U.S. from March. Read the internal statement below.
Battsek, former President of Miramax and National Geographic Films, is leaving after an eight-year stint and is expected to continue working in the U.S.
Film4 Director Ollie Madden will step up to lead the UK broadcaster’s film division from March. He will also take on Battsek’s position on the Channel4 board.
Channel4 told us this morning the move has nothing to do with impending cuts at the organization and that Daniel’s departure is a “personal decision” and part of a long transition between himself and Madden. The company said there wouldn’t be any other immediate structural changes as a result of the move.
Cornerstone UK financier Film4 is currently riding high off the success...
Battsek, former President of Miramax and National Geographic Films, is leaving after an eight-year stint and is expected to continue working in the U.S.
Film4 Director Ollie Madden will step up to lead the UK broadcaster’s film division from March. He will also take on Battsek’s position on the Channel4 board.
Channel4 told us this morning the move has nothing to do with impending cuts at the organization and that Daniel’s departure is a “personal decision” and part of a long transition between himself and Madden. The company said there wouldn’t be any other immediate structural changes as a result of the move.
Cornerstone UK financier Film4 is currently riding high off the success...
- 1/9/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Daniel Battsek is stepping down as Chairman of Film4 after 8 years in the position.
He will be replaced by Ollie Madden, who has served as director of Film4 for the past 6 years.
Battsek is going out on a high, coming off of one of Film4’s most acclaimed years. Recent productions include such award season favorites as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which won the Golden Lion in Venice as well as 2 Golden Globes over the weekend, including for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and Best Performance for star Emma Stone; Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, a Grand Prix winner in Cannes; Molly Manning Walker’s Un Certain Regard prize winner How to Have Sex; Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers; and Steve McQueen’s acclaimed documentary Occupied City.
“Thanks to Daniel’s charismatic leadership and the outstanding team he’s built, Film4 has punched...
He will be replaced by Ollie Madden, who has served as director of Film4 for the past 6 years.
Battsek is going out on a high, coming off of one of Film4’s most acclaimed years. Recent productions include such award season favorites as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which won the Golden Lion in Venice as well as 2 Golden Globes over the weekend, including for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and Best Performance for star Emma Stone; Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, a Grand Prix winner in Cannes; Molly Manning Walker’s Un Certain Regard prize winner How to Have Sex; Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers; and Steve McQueen’s acclaimed documentary Occupied City.
“Thanks to Daniel’s charismatic leadership and the outstanding team he’s built, Film4 has punched...
- 1/9/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Film4 chair joined the UK funder in 2016.
Film4 chair Daniel Battsek will step down in March after eight years with the UK organisation.
Battsek joined as director of Film4 in 2016, taking over from David Kosse. He became chair in May 2022 and sat on the Channel 4 board, with Ollie Madden, then head of creative, being promoted to director.
Madden will now lead Film4 and will join Channel 4’s executive management board.
Film4’s current slate features a raft of strong awards contenders, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest, Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex...
Film4 chair Daniel Battsek will step down in March after eight years with the UK organisation.
Battsek joined as director of Film4 in 2016, taking over from David Kosse. He became chair in May 2022 and sat on the Channel 4 board, with Ollie Madden, then head of creative, being promoted to director.
Madden will now lead Film4 and will join Channel 4’s executive management board.
Film4’s current slate features a raft of strong awards contenders, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest, Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex...
- 1/9/2024
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
By Glenn Charlie Dunks
Like any sane and rational person, I devoted eight precious hours of my festive season to watching the two four-hour documentaries that have been offered up by famous directors. Length notwithstanding, the very idea of new films by Frederick Wiseman and Steve McQueen should be hard to pass up most of the time and so we have Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros and Occupied City, two very different movies that use their epic lengths to differing effect. Some better than others.
Although Wiseman’s familiarity with such a runtime makes his film the perhaps more naturally more successful, McQueen at least has enough ideas to make his latest work of non-fiction to (somewhat) keep up with the pace set by the chefs of three supreme eateries in France. Although it becomes quite clear that length, in this case, is not equal.
Like any sane and rational person, I devoted eight precious hours of my festive season to watching the two four-hour documentaries that have been offered up by famous directors. Length notwithstanding, the very idea of new films by Frederick Wiseman and Steve McQueen should be hard to pass up most of the time and so we have Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros and Occupied City, two very different movies that use their epic lengths to differing effect. Some better than others.
Although Wiseman’s familiarity with such a runtime makes his film the perhaps more naturally more successful, McQueen at least has enough ideas to make his latest work of non-fiction to (somewhat) keep up with the pace set by the chefs of three supreme eateries in France. Although it becomes quite clear that length, in this case, is not equal.
- 1/7/2024
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
The very act of making a top ten list each year is an absurd yet worthwhile exercise, as frustrating as it is always valuable to reflect on the overall state of cinema in a given year, an art I’ve dedicated much of my adult life to. While I’m about to complain about the process I would be offended if my editors here at The Film Stage didn’t ask me to contribute. As always, thanks Jordan for keeping me around for another year!
For some, life is about the ones that got away––I feel this acutely as I almost passed on Claire Simon’s Our Body, a rewarding documentary with a final scene that nearly broke me emotionally––for the very reason that I...
The very act of making a top ten list each year is an absurd yet worthwhile exercise, as frustrating as it is always valuable to reflect on the overall state of cinema in a given year, an art I’ve dedicated much of my adult life to. While I’m about to complain about the process I would be offended if my editors here at The Film Stage didn’t ask me to contribute. As always, thanks Jordan for keeping me around for another year!
For some, life is about the ones that got away––I feel this acutely as I almost passed on Claire Simon’s Our Body, a rewarding documentary with a final scene that nearly broke me emotionally––for the very reason that I...
- 1/5/2024
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
The opening of Steve McQueen’s “Widows” is a great example of how filmmaking encourages us to create stories in our heads that exist across space and time. There’s a fantastic, rhythmic seesaw between domestic moments between a set of couples and moments of the men running from a heist gone wrong; in the intertwining of the two —with sound matches that couldn’t be coming from more different sources but still audibly line up — McQueen and editor Joe Walker lead the viewer to conclusions about who these thieves are in the moments right before they are no more.
“Occupied City,” McQueen’s latest film, expands on this particularly cinematic capacity to create story via the deliberate selection and omission of imagery — which is a roundabout way of saying that it’s a film about the Nazi Occupation of Amsterdam during World War II that doesn’t use archive footage,...
“Occupied City,” McQueen’s latest film, expands on this particularly cinematic capacity to create story via the deliberate selection and omission of imagery — which is a roundabout way of saying that it’s a film about the Nazi Occupation of Amsterdam during World War II that doesn’t use archive footage,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
As we welcome in the New Year, we can reveal our annual (non-exhaustive) list of U.S. and international movies we think could grace the festival circuit in 2024. We’ve stuck to our criteria that the project must already be in production and have not already been announced for a festival. More than 70% of our selections last year went on to debut at a major festival. Those that didn’t were largely delayed by the strike or are still in post-production. If the titles below make the cut, it will be a thrilling year on the festival circuit once again.
Megalopolis
Expectations are high that Francis Ford Coppola will deliver his long-awaited $100+ million passion project in 2024. The sci-fi drama charts the story of an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. The cast featuring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight,...
Megalopolis
Expectations are high that Francis Ford Coppola will deliver his long-awaited $100+ million passion project in 2024. The sci-fi drama charts the story of an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. The cast featuring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow, Andreas Wiseman, Zac Ntim and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve McQueen is a name so cool that two famous people have to share it: the American actor and action film icon known for films like “The Great Escape” and “Bullitt” before he died in 1980, and the Oscar-winning British film director behind acclaimed dramas like “12 Years a Slave,” “Hunger,” and “Small Axe.” Now, McQueen the director has revealed that McQueen the actor was part of his formative filmgoing experiences.
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
2023 may not have been an excellent year for movies, but in spite of everything stacked against it (read: greedy conglomerates run amok), it turned out to be an excellent year of movies. While the fallout of the recent work stoppages will be felt for time to come, some of 2023’s losses will prove to be 2024’s gains, as much-anticipated but strike-delayed films like “Dune: Part Two,” “Drive-Away Dolls,” and Luca Guadagnino’s horny tennis drama “Challengers” have all secured fresh release dates in the first half of the new year.
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
- 12/29/2023
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
Forthcoming films by Jonathan Glazer, Steve McQueen and Andrew Haigh have already won awards and high praise in the US – just three on a long list of UK directors set to shake up cinema in the new year
• The films to look forward to in 2024
• More from the 2024 culture preview
For one British director to have made a movie named the world over as the year’s best may be regarded as good fortune. For two to do so looks like carefulness. Three, however, suggests a trend. And that only takes us to February.
The vicissitudes of awards season mean that some of 2024’s finest films – including the Holocaust psycho-horror The Zone of Interest, the metaphysical love story All of Us Strangers and the wartime Amsterdam documentary Occupied City – were out in the US before the end of 2023, in order to qualify for the Oscars. UK distributors, however, hold them...
• The films to look forward to in 2024
• More from the 2024 culture preview
For one British director to have made a movie named the world over as the year’s best may be regarded as good fortune. For two to do so looks like carefulness. Three, however, suggests a trend. And that only takes us to February.
The vicissitudes of awards season mean that some of 2024’s finest films – including the Holocaust psycho-horror The Zone of Interest, the metaphysical love story All of Us Strangers and the wartime Amsterdam documentary Occupied City – were out in the US before the end of 2023, in order to qualify for the Oscars. UK distributors, however, hold them...
- 12/29/2023
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Updated 12/22/2023 with details on shortlisted A Still Small Voice. Updated with quotes, 1:37 Pm: American Symphony, the Obamas-executive produced documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, scored a remarkable hat trick today as the Oscar shortlists were revealed, but a couple of documentary icons were left on the bench.
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].
Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...
- 12/21/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Oscars shortlist voting period has closed as of 5:00 p.m. Pt.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the finalists in 10 categories — documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10) — on Thursday, Dec. 21.
We expect to see multiple best picture contenders in various races, including Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic “Oppenheimer.” When it comes to “Barbie,” we are forecasting six mentions for the movie, including three of its songs — “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For,” which feels like it sealed the deal with Billie Eilish’s moving musical performance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Varying mediums and genres could find representation throughout the lists.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the finalists in 10 categories — documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10) — on Thursday, Dec. 21.
We expect to see multiple best picture contenders in various races, including Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic “Oppenheimer.” When it comes to “Barbie,” we are forecasting six mentions for the movie, including three of its songs — “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For,” which feels like it sealed the deal with Billie Eilish’s moving musical performance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Varying mediums and genres could find representation throughout the lists.
- 12/19/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Natalie Lehmann is expanding her oversight at New Regency Pictures, with the studio promoting the executive to president of motion pictures and television.
Lehmann has been with New Regency since 2017, producing features such as the horror hit Barbarian and Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi drama The Creator. Her most recent title was senior vice president.
In her new role, she will continue oversight of Blitz, Steve McQueen’s World War II film for Apple. She also has Man on Fire, a Netflix series adapation of the 2004 Tony Scott/Denzel Washington feature.
continue to oversee projects including Steve McQueen’s World War II film Blitz for Apple as well as the series adaptation of Man On Fire for Netflix. Lehmann will continue to report to New Regency Chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan, who made today’s announcement.
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she...
Lehmann has been with New Regency since 2017, producing features such as the horror hit Barbarian and Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi drama The Creator. Her most recent title was senior vice president.
In her new role, she will continue oversight of Blitz, Steve McQueen’s World War II film for Apple. She also has Man on Fire, a Netflix series adapation of the 2004 Tony Scott/Denzel Washington feature.
continue to oversee projects including Steve McQueen’s World War II film Blitz for Apple as well as the series adaptation of Man On Fire for Netflix. Lehmann will continue to report to New Regency Chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan, who made today’s announcement.
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she...
- 12/13/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Regency Chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan announced Wednesday that Natalie Lehmann has been promoted to president of motion pictures and television.
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she is one of the best in the business,” Milchan said in a statement announcing Lehmann’s elevation from senior VP. “With strength in both creative and strategic thinking she’s been able to consistently produce both marquee projects and surprise breakout hits. With Natalie’s expanded role New Regency will continue its track record of producing top-quality films and series.”
During her tenure with New Regency, Lehmann has produced projects including Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic “The Creator” and the breakout horror hit “Barbarian,” as well as “Deep Water,” “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” and “His House.” She also worked on the Academy Award-winning “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the BAFTA-nominated “Widows.”
Lehmann is currently overseeing...
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she is one of the best in the business,” Milchan said in a statement announcing Lehmann’s elevation from senior VP. “With strength in both creative and strategic thinking she’s been able to consistently produce both marquee projects and surprise breakout hits. With Natalie’s expanded role New Regency will continue its track record of producing top-quality films and series.”
During her tenure with New Regency, Lehmann has produced projects including Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic “The Creator” and the breakout horror hit “Barbarian,” as well as “Deep Water,” “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” and “His House.” She also worked on the Academy Award-winning “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the BAFTA-nominated “Widows.”
Lehmann is currently overseeing...
- 12/13/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
By Glenn Charlie Dunks
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
The Academy has announced the long list for this year’s Best Documentary Feature category. 168 titles have qualified for members of the doc branch to whittle down to a 15-wide shortlist and then a nominated five. That figure is higher than last year, which had 144 eligible titles and which culminated in a win for Daniel Roher’s Navalny.
If you were to ask me right now what titles I expect to find on this year’s shortlist, I might say the following: Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur), American Symphony (Matthew Heineman), Anonymous Sister (Jamie Boyle), The Eternal Memory (Maite Alberdi), Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania), Lakota Nation vs United States, Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés), The Mission, Occupied City (Steve McQueen), Silver Dollar Road (Raoul Peck), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints), A Still Small Voice (Luke Lorentzen), Still: A Michael J Fox Movie (Davis Guggenheim...
- 12/10/2023
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Shortlist of 15 films to be announced December 21, nominations out on January 23, 2024.
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.
International
Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.
Academy members...
- 12/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed documentary Occupied City will be released in UK cinemas 9 February 2024.
Occupied City had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, but UK audiences still have a while to wait until they can sit down to watch it. Modern Films are bringing the Holocaust documentary to UK cinemas 9th February 2024.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “The past collides with our precarious present in Steve McQueen’s bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book, Atlas of an Occupied City: Amsterdam 1940-1945 written by Bianca Stigter. McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city, and a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest. What emerges is both devastating and life-affirming, an expansive meditation on memory, time, and where we’re headed.”
Melanie Hyams narrates the film which draws a parallel...
Occupied City had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, but UK audiences still have a while to wait until they can sit down to watch it. Modern Films are bringing the Holocaust documentary to UK cinemas 9th February 2024.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “The past collides with our precarious present in Steve McQueen’s bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book, Atlas of an Occupied City: Amsterdam 1940-1945 written by Bianca Stigter. McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city, and a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest. What emerges is both devastating and life-affirming, an expansive meditation on memory, time, and where we’re headed.”
Melanie Hyams narrates the film which draws a parallel...
- 12/7/2023
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Andrew Haigh’s touching new drama All Of Us Strangers was the big winner at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
As the calendar year draws to a close, we’re also inching close toward the season that will see multiple prestigious awards bodies, in theory, hand the best films of the year a golden statuette. The season kicked off with the British Independent Film Awards, also known as BIFA 2023, which were held in London on the 3rd of December.
Lolly Adefope and Kiell Smith-Bynoe hosted the event which celebrated British cinema, especially the slightly lesser-seen films with budgets far smaller than that of Oppenheimer. There were some terrific films nominated this year, and the roster of winners was as surprising as it was satisfying.
Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers was the biggest winner of the night, taking home a total of four awards plus three previously announced ones.
As the calendar year draws to a close, we’re also inching close toward the season that will see multiple prestigious awards bodies, in theory, hand the best films of the year a golden statuette. The season kicked off with the British Independent Film Awards, also known as BIFA 2023, which were held in London on the 3rd of December.
Lolly Adefope and Kiell Smith-Bynoe hosted the event which celebrated British cinema, especially the slightly lesser-seen films with budgets far smaller than that of Oppenheimer. There were some terrific films nominated this year, and the roster of winners was as surprising as it was satisfying.
Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers was the biggest winner of the night, taking home a total of four awards plus three previously announced ones.
- 12/4/2023
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Andrew Haigh‘s Oscar hopeful had a wonderful night at the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday as it took home seven gongs including Best Picture, the most of any film. Haigh won two awards — Best Director and Best Screenplay. Paul Mescal won Best Supporting Performance alongside “How to Have Sex” actor Shaun Thomas while it also won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Supervision.
“Rye Lane” won a trio of prizes: Raine Allen Miller was Best Debut Director while Vivian Oparah was awarded Best Breakthrough Performance. It also won Best Original Music.
Mia McKenna-Bruce won Best Lead Performance for “How to Have Sex” in a stacked gender-neutral category that also included Jodie Comer (“The End We Start From”), Tia Nomore (“Earth Mama”), Nabhaan Rizwan (“In Camera”), Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers”), and Tilda Swinton (“The Eternal Daughter”). And Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay shared in Best Joint Lead Performance for “Femme.
“Rye Lane” won a trio of prizes: Raine Allen Miller was Best Debut Director while Vivian Oparah was awarded Best Breakthrough Performance. It also won Best Original Music.
Mia McKenna-Bruce won Best Lead Performance for “How to Have Sex” in a stacked gender-neutral category that also included Jodie Comer (“The End We Start From”), Tia Nomore (“Earth Mama”), Nabhaan Rizwan (“In Camera”), Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers”), and Tilda Swinton (“The Eternal Daughter”). And Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay shared in Best Joint Lead Performance for “Femme.
- 12/4/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
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