French producer Sylvie Pialat will replace Spanish director Rogrigo Sorogoyen as Cannes Critics’ Week president.
“Due to personal circumstances, and much to our regret, Rodrigo Sorogoyen has had to step down as president of the jury for the 63rd Semaine de la Critique,” Critics’ Week said on Saturday (May 11).
The 11th-hour changeover will also see French filmmaker Iris Kaltenback join the jury alongside previously announced members Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Pialat was originally on the jury, and will now act as the group’s president.
Pialat...
“Due to personal circumstances, and much to our regret, Rodrigo Sorogoyen has had to step down as president of the jury for the 63rd Semaine de la Critique,” Critics’ Week said on Saturday (May 11).
The 11th-hour changeover will also see French filmmaker Iris Kaltenback join the jury alongside previously announced members Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Pialat was originally on the jury, and will now act as the group’s president.
Pialat...
- 5/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cannes Critics’ Week has appointed French producer Sylvie Pialat as president of the jury for its upcoming edition after Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who was originally announced for the role, was forced to cancel for personal reasons.
French director Iris Kaltenbäck has also been been named as a new jury member. Her first film The Rapture premiered to acclaim in Critics’ Week last year. The drama, starring Hafsia Herzi as a midwife who passes off her best friend’s newborn child as her own, won the Prix Sacd.
Previously announced members of the jury include Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.
Producer Pialat spent the first part of her cinema career collaborating with her husband Maurice Pialat, co-writing the screenplays for a number of...
French director Iris Kaltenbäck has also been been named as a new jury member. Her first film The Rapture premiered to acclaim in Critics’ Week last year. The drama, starring Hafsia Herzi as a midwife who passes off her best friend’s newborn child as her own, won the Prix Sacd.
Previously announced members of the jury include Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.
Producer Pialat spent the first part of her cinema career collaborating with her husband Maurice Pialat, co-writing the screenplays for a number of...
- 5/11/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
On May 2, American theatergoers will finally get a chance to see “Jeanne du Barry,” Maïwenn’s take on the romance between King Louis Xv and his eponymous lover, that opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film earned plenty of controversy for Depp’s casting and Maïwenn’s altercation with a journalist prior to its release. Now, its director is ready to speak about the chaotic filmmaking process.
In a new interview with The Independent ahead of the film’s theatrical release, Maïwenn reflected on the tumultuous experience of collaborating with Depp.
“I have to be honest. It’s difficult to shoot with him,” Maïwenn said. “All the crew were scared because he has a different kind of humor and we didn’t know if he was going to be on time, or if he was going to be Ok to say his lines… I mean, even if he was there on set,...
In a new interview with The Independent ahead of the film’s theatrical release, Maïwenn reflected on the tumultuous experience of collaborating with Depp.
“I have to be honest. It’s difficult to shoot with him,” Maïwenn said. “All the crew were scared because he has a different kind of humor and we didn’t know if he was going to be on time, or if he was going to be Ok to say his lines… I mean, even if he was there on set,...
- 4/20/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Cannes’ Critics Week has rounded out the jury for its 63rd edition running running May 15-23.
The previously announced Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen will preside over the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features alongside Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, French producer Sylvie Pialat, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Sorogoyen is known for psychological thriller The Beasts which premiered in the Cannes Premiere strand in 2022 and won nine Goya awards, plus 2019 drama Mother, 2018 Spanish-French thriller The Realm, 2016 crime thriller May God Save Us, 2013 romantic drama Stockholm, and 2008’s 8 Dates co-directed with Peris Romano.
The previously announced Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen will preside over the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features alongside Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, French producer Sylvie Pialat, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.
Sorogoyen is known for psychological thriller The Beasts which premiered in the Cannes Premiere strand in 2022 and won nine Goya awards, plus 2019 drama Mother, 2018 Spanish-French thriller The Realm, 2016 crime thriller May God Save Us, 2013 romantic drama Stockholm, and 2008’s 8 Dates co-directed with Peris Romano.
- 4/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cannes Critics’ Week has unveiled the jury members for its upcoming 63rd edition, who join previously announced jury president Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
They are Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), French producer Sylvie Pialat (Timbuktu, Staying Vertical, The Whistlers), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.
The section, which is overseen by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, focuses on first and second features as well as shorts by emerging talents.
Sorogoyen and his jury will decide the winners of the Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor and actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery for best short film.
The traditionally compact selection of 11 features, seven in competition, and a competitive and non-competitive shorts line-up,...
They are Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), French producer Sylvie Pialat (Timbuktu, Staying Vertical, The Whistlers), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.
The section, which is overseen by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, focuses on first and second features as well as shorts by emerging talents.
Sorogoyen and his jury will decide the winners of the Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor and actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery for best short film.
The traditionally compact selection of 11 features, seven in competition, and a competitive and non-competitive shorts line-up,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (“Augure by Baloji,” “My New Friends”), French producer Sylvie Pialat (“Timbuktu,” “Staying Vertical”), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej and Canadian film critic, journalist and frequent Variety contributor Ben Croll have been named on the jury for the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The four will now join Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who last week was named Critics’ Week jury president, with the group set to choose the sidebar competition’s award winners, including the Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award for best actor or actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery Prize for best short film.
The 2024 Critics Week lineup is set to be unveiled on April 15, four days after the Cannes official selection is announced on April 11.
Last year, Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” director Audrey Diwan presided over a Critics...
The four will now join Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who last week was named Critics’ Week jury president, with the group set to choose the sidebar competition’s award winners, including the Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award for best actor or actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery Prize for best short film.
The 2024 Critics Week lineup is set to be unveiled on April 15, four days after the Cannes official selection is announced on April 11.
Last year, Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” director Audrey Diwan presided over a Critics...
- 4/10/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Crank up that steel drum cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P”! “Anatomy of a Fall” has scored the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Director Justine Triet and her husband and co-writer Arthur Harari took the stage at the Dolby Theater on March 10 to accept the trophy.
In winning the award, Triet and Harari beat out several other Best Picture nominees to claim the top prize. Also nominated in the category were David Hemingson for “The Holdovers,” Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer for “Maestro,” and Celine Song for “Past Lives.” The sole non-Best Picture nominee recognized in the category was “May December,” which received its sole Oscar nomination for Samy Burch’s script.
The Original Screenplay Oscar is the latest award that Triet’s courtroom drama received during the past Awards season. Triet and Harari won in the same category at the British Academy Film Awards, the Golden Globes, and the French César Awards.
In winning the award, Triet and Harari beat out several other Best Picture nominees to claim the top prize. Also nominated in the category were David Hemingson for “The Holdovers,” Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer for “Maestro,” and Celine Song for “Past Lives.” The sole non-Best Picture nominee recognized in the category was “May December,” which received its sole Oscar nomination for Samy Burch’s script.
The Original Screenplay Oscar is the latest award that Triet’s courtroom drama received during the past Awards season. Triet and Harari won in the same category at the British Academy Film Awards, the Golden Globes, and the French César Awards.
- 3/10/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
So much political gamesmanship goes into an Oscar campaign that the notion of a “best” picture at all has been nearly emptied of meaning. Though, with nearly 10,000 voting members, the Academy is the one sampling reflective of the industry to get closest to what its artists and talent believe the best to be. That is, after plenty of other worthy contenders are eliminated in the nominations process.
Seven of this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees showed up in IndieWire’s ranking of the best films of 2023, which suggests that critics and audiences are more aligned than ever in terms of the year’s finest films. Many of which, here, were championed by critics, from “Past Lives” all the way back to Sundance 2023 to “Anatomy of a Fall,” beloved since winning the Palme d’Or (Neon’s fourth consecutively) at Cannes 2023. The teams behind titles like “Past Lives” (though unlikely to...
Seven of this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees showed up in IndieWire’s ranking of the best films of 2023, which suggests that critics and audiences are more aligned than ever in terms of the year’s finest films. Many of which, here, were championed by critics, from “Past Lives” all the way back to Sundance 2023 to “Anatomy of a Fall,” beloved since winning the Palme d’Or (Neon’s fourth consecutively) at Cannes 2023. The teams behind titles like “Past Lives” (though unlikely to...
- 3/8/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
German actor Franz Rogowski is on the rise after winning Best Actor from the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle for his performance as a toxic bisexual in Ira Sachs’ “Passages.” The “Happy End” breakout actor’s turn also featured in IndieWire’s Critics Poll of the best films and performances of 2023.
That means you shouldn’t ignore his performance in Giacomo Abbruzzese’s debut feature “Disco Boy,” winner of the 2023 Berlinale’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. In this vividly dreamlike postwar drama, Rogowski plays a Belarusian immigrant haunted by his actions as a mercenary in the French Foreign Legion. Comparisons to Claire Denis’ similarly themed “Beau Travail,” as Ben Croll pointed out in his Berlinale review for IndieWire, are inevitable and apt. After all, there’s a movie that made another unusual European actor — French actor Denis Lavant — an everlasting arthouse favorite.
In “Disco Boy,” following a difficult journey across Europe,...
That means you shouldn’t ignore his performance in Giacomo Abbruzzese’s debut feature “Disco Boy,” winner of the 2023 Berlinale’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. In this vividly dreamlike postwar drama, Rogowski plays a Belarusian immigrant haunted by his actions as a mercenary in the French Foreign Legion. Comparisons to Claire Denis’ similarly themed “Beau Travail,” as Ben Croll pointed out in his Berlinale review for IndieWire, are inevitable and apt. After all, there’s a movie that made another unusual European actor — French actor Denis Lavant — an everlasting arthouse favorite.
In “Disco Boy,” following a difficult journey across Europe,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Adam Driver Curses at Audience Member Who Criticized ‘Ferrari’ Special Effects During Q&a: ‘F–k You’
Adam Driver cursed out an audience member who criticized the crash scenes in “Ferrari” after a recent screening of the film at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival.
“What do you think about the crash scenes? They looked pretty harsh, drastic and, I must say, cheesy for me,” the audience member said. “What do you think?”
“F–k you, I don’t know. Next question,” Driver said. A video of the exchange that was posted to X has already been liked over 7.7 thousand times.
When someone in the audience says the crash scenes in Ferrari “looked pretty harsh, drastic and I must say cheesy for me” and asked Adam what he thought pic.twitter.com/mXaF1LlTuf
— Adam Driver Central (@adamdrivercentl) November 12, 2023
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin, “Ferrari” is based on Brock Yates 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine.” Driver stars...
“What do you think about the crash scenes? They looked pretty harsh, drastic and, I must say, cheesy for me,” the audience member said. “What do you think?”
“F–k you, I don’t know. Next question,” Driver said. A video of the exchange that was posted to X has already been liked over 7.7 thousand times.
When someone in the audience says the crash scenes in Ferrari “looked pretty harsh, drastic and I must say cheesy for me” and asked Adam what he thought pic.twitter.com/mXaF1LlTuf
— Adam Driver Central (@adamdrivercentl) November 12, 2023
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin, “Ferrari” is based on Brock Yates 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine.” Driver stars...
- 11/13/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
Netflix has acquired Richard Linklater and Glen Powell’s buzzy “Hit Man,” TheWrap has learned. With a reported payout of $20 million, this marks the second major buy for the streaming giant amid this year’s Venice and Toronto film festivals following their reported $11 million acquisition of Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour.”
“Hit Man” stars Powell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater based on a Skip Hollandsworth-penned “Texas Monthly” article. The film concerns an alleged master assassin who is secretly working for the cops. Adria Arjona plays an apparently battered wife who inspires enough sympathy from the faux killer to make him consider doing the job for real.
Ben Croll wrote in his review for TheWrap that the picture “is a deliriously entertaining star vehicle, a throwback to the low-concept, high-reward studio crowd-pleasers built around a comic persona and designed to showcase a gifted performer’s range.”
It...
“Hit Man” stars Powell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater based on a Skip Hollandsworth-penned “Texas Monthly” article. The film concerns an alleged master assassin who is secretly working for the cops. Adria Arjona plays an apparently battered wife who inspires enough sympathy from the faux killer to make him consider doing the job for real.
Ben Croll wrote in his review for TheWrap that the picture “is a deliriously entertaining star vehicle, a throwback to the low-concept, high-reward studio crowd-pleasers built around a comic persona and designed to showcase a gifted performer’s range.”
It...
- 9/18/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
The Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing with a bevy of titles competing both for global distribution and awards prestige. The festival has had its share of lumps in the last month, losing their 28-year-sponsor, Bell Telephone, back in August, as well as being enmeshed in the on-going SAG-AFTRA/WGA duel strike. It is that strike that is the most insurmountable goal for the event, as actors and writers are unable to attend and promote their films, though some have with a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement.
And while the movie landscape is looking different, with movies switching release dates (in the wake of both the strike and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour), this year’s TIFF is showcasing what amazing movies are still being made. Here are 25 of the hottest titles to be excited for at this year’s TIFF.
Courtesy of TIFF
“Dumb Money” (Sony)
Craig Gillespie’s...
And while the movie landscape is looking different, with movies switching release dates (in the wake of both the strike and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour), this year’s TIFF is showcasing what amazing movies are still being made. Here are 25 of the hottest titles to be excited for at this year’s TIFF.
Courtesy of TIFF
“Dumb Money” (Sony)
Craig Gillespie’s...
- 9/9/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
The American Film Institute has selected Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” as the closing night picture at this year’s AFI Fest in Los Angeles. Directed by and starring Cooper, and co-starring Carey Mulligan, the film chronicles the lifelong relationship between composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
It debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival to positive reviews (92% fresh and 7.6/10 on Rotten Tomatoes) as an awards season contender. Critic Ben Croll wrote for TheWrap that Bradley Cooper’s second directorial effort “bolsters the writer/director/producer/star’s Mo as a contemporary jack-of-all-trades with an Old Hollywood soul.”
The feature reunites director Cooper with his Oscar-nominated “A Star Is Born” cinematographer, Matthew Libatique. It features a screenplay from Cooper and the Oscar-winning writer of “Spotlight,” Josh Singer. Among its producers are Cooper, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The screening will take place on Oct.
It debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival to positive reviews (92% fresh and 7.6/10 on Rotten Tomatoes) as an awards season contender. Critic Ben Croll wrote for TheWrap that Bradley Cooper’s second directorial effort “bolsters the writer/director/producer/star’s Mo as a contemporary jack-of-all-trades with an Old Hollywood soul.”
The feature reunites director Cooper with his Oscar-nominated “A Star Is Born” cinematographer, Matthew Libatique. It features a screenplay from Cooper and the Oscar-winning writer of “Spotlight,” Josh Singer. Among its producers are Cooper, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The screening will take place on Oct.
- 9/7/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Director David Fincher debuted his first film in three years Sunday at the Venice Film Festival and the results are rapturous, if a bit muted.
“The Killer” tells the story of a hitman (Michael Fassbender) dealing with a botched job. As TheWrap’s Ben Croll said in his review, “The Killer” is “like a sideways follow-up to ‘The Social Network’ than anything else.” That cold formalism is being pointed out in several top critics reviews, with Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri saying, “David Fincher’s The Killer seems to be about its own pointlessness.”
Croll explained in his review that “For all the wit and satirical shadings, “The Killer” gets down to business with ruthless efficiency. Like new installments in an ongoing series, the film is split into chapters, each set in a new locale, each named for a new target, and each playing up a slightly different set of skills.
“The Killer” tells the story of a hitman (Michael Fassbender) dealing with a botched job. As TheWrap’s Ben Croll said in his review, “The Killer” is “like a sideways follow-up to ‘The Social Network’ than anything else.” That cold formalism is being pointed out in several top critics reviews, with Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri saying, “David Fincher’s The Killer seems to be about its own pointlessness.”
Croll explained in his review that “For all the wit and satirical shadings, “The Killer” gets down to business with ruthless efficiency. Like new installments in an ongoing series, the film is split into chapters, each set in a new locale, each named for a new target, and each playing up a slightly different set of skills.
- 9/3/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
“Maestro” bowed at the 2023 Venice Film Festival on Saturday, September 2. The film, which tells the story of famed composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and his decades-long relationship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), recently sparked debate over Cooper’s use of a prosthetic nose to portray the Jewish music legend. But what did journalists think when they finally got to see the whole film?
The film already has a MetaCritic score of 82 based on 15 reviews that have come out of the fest as of this writing — 14 of them positive and one of them classified as mixed, but none outright negative. Over on Rotten Tomatoes the film rates 95% fresh based on 20 reviews, which means only one review there was classified as negative.
Stephanie Zacharek (Time) says the film, which Cooper also directed, is “superb and deeply felt … This is a complex and sophisticated picture, the kind of grown-up love story we see all too rarely these days,...
The film already has a MetaCritic score of 82 based on 15 reviews that have come out of the fest as of this writing — 14 of them positive and one of them classified as mixed, but none outright negative. Over on Rotten Tomatoes the film rates 95% fresh based on 20 reviews, which means only one review there was classified as negative.
Stephanie Zacharek (Time) says the film, which Cooper also directed, is “superb and deeply felt … This is a complex and sophisticated picture, the kind of grown-up love story we see all too rarely these days,...
- 9/3/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan are being praised for their performances as Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre, respectively, in “Maestro,” despite a somewhat mixed reaction. The film made its debut Saturday at the Venice Film Festival to praise for its leads though the overall reaction has been more muted than anticipated.
Directed, co-written by and starring Cooper, the film tells the story of Bernstein and his relationship with his wife, as well as the acclaimed composer’s musical work. Co-written by Josh Singer, the drama also stars Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman.
TheWrap’s Ben Croll said the film proves Cooper, who made his feature directorial debut with “A Star Is Born,” is no one-trick pony. “The filmmaker delights in oh-so-perfect match cuts, creates transitions that render the concept of off-stage obsolete and even stages a fantasy musical number as Lenny watches an early rehearsal for ‘On The Town,...
Directed, co-written by and starring Cooper, the film tells the story of Bernstein and his relationship with his wife, as well as the acclaimed composer’s musical work. Co-written by Josh Singer, the drama also stars Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman.
TheWrap’s Ben Croll said the film proves Cooper, who made his feature directorial debut with “A Star Is Born,” is no one-trick pony. “The filmmaker delights in oh-so-perfect match cuts, creates transitions that render the concept of off-stage obsolete and even stages a fantasy musical number as Lenny watches an early rehearsal for ‘On The Town,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
The first big-deal flick at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and thus this year’s awards season race, is Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.”
The picture marks the four-time Academy Award nominee’s return to theatrical features, more than eight years after the Chris Hemsworth-starring hacker actioner “Blackhat.”
Even with rave reviews and copious awards nominations, Mann’s pictures have often been more celebrated by the critical community than embraced by general audiences.
Speaking of the critical community, at least those lucky enough to get the first glance at this newest offering, what is the word?
The Wrap’s Ben Croll in his review wrote: “Premiering at the Venice Film Festival and heralding a welcome return to the big screen after eight long years away, Mann’s high-verve biopic also marks a formal shift towards a more classical compositional style. The film forgoing the digital experimentation that colored Mann...
The picture marks the four-time Academy Award nominee’s return to theatrical features, more than eight years after the Chris Hemsworth-starring hacker actioner “Blackhat.”
Even with rave reviews and copious awards nominations, Mann’s pictures have often been more celebrated by the critical community than embraced by general audiences.
Speaking of the critical community, at least those lucky enough to get the first glance at this newest offering, what is the word?
The Wrap’s Ben Croll in his review wrote: “Premiering at the Venice Film Festival and heralding a welcome return to the big screen after eight long years away, Mann’s high-verve biopic also marks a formal shift towards a more classical compositional style. The film forgoing the digital experimentation that colored Mann...
- 8/31/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
As has become standard in recent years, our annual fall and winter film preview comes with something of an asterisk: it’s (another!) unpredictable time for movies, right down to when we might even expect to see them. With both the WGA and SAG-afra strikes still winding on, everything from production to promotion has been disrupted for many new features, and the entire calendar remains in flux.
And yet, even with those very valid concerns in place, the next three months at the multiplex (and beyond) offer a bounty of exciting new films. We’re talking new films from Martin Scorsese, Pablo Larraín, Sofia Coppola, Todd Haynes, Emerald Fennell, David Fincher, Jonathan Glazer, Taika Waititi, Justine Triet, Wes Anderson, and Yorgos Lanthimos. Jeff Nichols is back, as is Godfrey Reggio and the juicy stars of “Chicken Run.” Festival faves like Christos Nikou, Kristoffer Borgli, and Chloe Domont make a play for further dominance.
And yet, even with those very valid concerns in place, the next three months at the multiplex (and beyond) offer a bounty of exciting new films. We’re talking new films from Martin Scorsese, Pablo Larraín, Sofia Coppola, Todd Haynes, Emerald Fennell, David Fincher, Jonathan Glazer, Taika Waititi, Justine Triet, Wes Anderson, and Yorgos Lanthimos. Jeff Nichols is back, as is Godfrey Reggio and the juicy stars of “Chicken Run.” Festival faves like Christos Nikou, Kristoffer Borgli, and Chloe Domont make a play for further dominance.
- 8/22/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
On June 16, 2023, Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Studios released “Elemental,” which features the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, and Matt Yang King. Directed by Peter Sohn, the film centers on two elements (Ember and Wade) that are literally fire and water, a relationship that is frowned upon in society. The duo works to maintain their relationship despite the expectations of society.
At the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the film was screened for critics to mixed reviews, but those have trended upward upon national release resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%. General audiences are more favorable, grading it at 92% fresh. Read our full review round-up below.
See Box office preview: ‘The Flash,’ ‘Elemental,’ ‘The Blackening’ will keep the summer movie love going
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture praises the film, stating, “The feature directorial debut of Peter Sohn,...
At the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the film was screened for critics to mixed reviews, but those have trended upward upon national release resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%. General audiences are more favorable, grading it at 92% fresh. Read our full review round-up below.
See Box office preview: ‘The Flash,’ ‘Elemental,’ ‘The Blackening’ will keep the summer movie love going
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture praises the film, stating, “The feature directorial debut of Peter Sohn,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
“Kidnapped,” the new feature film from Marco Bellocchio, has been acquired for domestic distribution by Cohen Media Group, TheWrap has confirmed.
The drama, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, concerns a young Jewish boy who, after being secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, is abducted and raised Christian in 19th Century Italy.
The picture debuted to mostly positive reviews (76% fresh and an average critic rating of 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes), with TheWrap’s Ben Croll noting that the film “doesn’t so much pit one faith against another, casting oppressors against oppressed; instead, the film sets individuals against larger institutions.” It has earned $1.14 million in Italy since opening there in late May.
Marco Bellocchio, along with his contemporaries Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, helped redefine Italian and world cinema in the 1960s and beyond. He created the landmark films “Fists in the Pocket,...
The drama, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, concerns a young Jewish boy who, after being secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, is abducted and raised Christian in 19th Century Italy.
The picture debuted to mostly positive reviews (76% fresh and an average critic rating of 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes), with TheWrap’s Ben Croll noting that the film “doesn’t so much pit one faith against another, casting oppressors against oppressed; instead, the film sets individuals against larger institutions.” It has earned $1.14 million in Italy since opening there in late May.
Marco Bellocchio, along with his contemporaries Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, helped redefine Italian and world cinema in the 1960s and beyond. He created the landmark films “Fists in the Pocket,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
“Jeanne Du Barry,” the latest film from French director Maïwenn that stars Johnny Depp, has found a North American distributor in Vertical following its Cannes debut, an individual with knowledge told IndieWire.
“Jeanne Du Barry” was the opening night film at the Cannes Film Festival last month, where it received a 7-minute standing ovation from the crowd in the Palais. But it was a controversial choice because of Depp’s continued career rehab following the highly publicized defamation trial between him and ex-wife Amber Heard, but also because of a report against Maïwenn that accused her of assaulting a journalist, an accusation she later admitted to.
The film stars Depp as the French King Louis Xv in a supporting role and primarily follows Maïwenn as Jeanne Vaubernier, an 18th Century French working class woman who became King Louis Xv’s lover. Here’s the full synopsis:
“Jeanne du Barry” follows...
“Jeanne Du Barry” was the opening night film at the Cannes Film Festival last month, where it received a 7-minute standing ovation from the crowd in the Palais. But it was a controversial choice because of Depp’s continued career rehab following the highly publicized defamation trial between him and ex-wife Amber Heard, but also because of a report against Maïwenn that accused her of assaulting a journalist, an accusation she later admitted to.
The film stars Depp as the French King Louis Xv in a supporting role and primarily follows Maïwenn as Jeanne Vaubernier, an 18th Century French working class woman who became King Louis Xv’s lover. Here’s the full synopsis:
“Jeanne du Barry” follows...
- 6/7/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
This year’s Cannes has come to an end, but its ripple effects will be felt across the rest of the year, as the the 2023 edition of the ultra-prestigious festival played host to a deep and extraordinary array of premieres from some of the world’s greatest filmmakers, several of whom were debuting new work for the first time in the better part of a decade (or longer).
In most cases, the wait proved worth it. “The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer stunned the Croisette with his much-anticipated follow-up to 2013’s “Under the Skin,” while the likes of Aki Kaurismäki, Catherine Breillat, Tran Anh Hung, and Martin Scorsese — whose epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” only felt like it was forever in the making — all returned with major triumphs that reminded us of their singular brilliance. Even Cannes mainstays like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wes Anderson, and Palme d’Or-winner Justine Triet...
In most cases, the wait proved worth it. “The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer stunned the Croisette with his much-anticipated follow-up to 2013’s “Under the Skin,” while the likes of Aki Kaurismäki, Catherine Breillat, Tran Anh Hung, and Martin Scorsese — whose epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” only felt like it was forever in the making — all returned with major triumphs that reminded us of their singular brilliance. Even Cannes mainstays like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wes Anderson, and Palme d’Or-winner Justine Triet...
- 5/29/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Saturday marks the final day of the Cannes Film Festival, with the usual closing ceremonies and awards presentations along with the out-of-competition premiere of Pixar’s “Elemental.” Let us all hope that Disney release earns better festival notices than Lucafilm’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
“Perfect Days” makes a perfect debut.
Perfect Days. Did Wim Wenders just make his best film since Until The End Of The World? Holy crap.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) May 26, 2023
Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” was the hero of the day, earning strong notices and the now-standard standing ovation. TheWrap’s Nicholas Barber called it “an endearing, admiring portrait of a decent man.” The near-consensus was that Wenders had made his best narrative film in a very long time. The film has already been acquired by Neon, which has been on a shopping spree with “this film”Perfect Days, “Robot Dreams” and “Anatomy of a Fall.
“Perfect Days” makes a perfect debut.
Perfect Days. Did Wim Wenders just make his best film since Until The End Of The World? Holy crap.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) May 26, 2023
Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” was the hero of the day, earning strong notices and the now-standard standing ovation. TheWrap’s Nicholas Barber called it “an endearing, admiring portrait of a decent man.” The near-consensus was that Wenders had made his best narrative film in a very long time. The film has already been acquired by Neon, which has been on a shopping spree with “this film”Perfect Days, “Robot Dreams” and “Anatomy of a Fall.
- 5/26/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
There are only two days left until Cannes 2023 comes to a close, and much like yesterday, things have seemed a bit quiet. The movie on most everyone’s lips, at least if social media is any indicator, was Trần Anh Hùng’s period drama “The Pot au Feu,” a feature that, according to TheWrap’s Ben Croll in his review, “might very well be the most handsomely shot and soothingly felt serving of art house food porn ever brought to screen. It’s about to become your mother’s favorite film, and it’s an absolute delight.”
But before the screening started, as Variety reported, a demonstration in support of Indigenous land rights took place on the film’s red carpet. It was led by the directors and actors of “The Buriti Flower,” a film showing in Un Certain Regard directed by Portugal’s João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora.
But before the screening started, as Variety reported, a demonstration in support of Indigenous land rights took place on the film’s red carpet. It was led by the directors and actors of “The Buriti Flower,” a film showing in Un Certain Regard directed by Portugal’s João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora.
- 5/25/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
The Cannes Film Festival rested on Friday after several high-profile days, including the opening night screening of the Johnny Depp-starrer “Jeanne du Barry” and Thursday’s first public screening of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s no surprise, then, that lead-up to the weekend felt muted of sorts.
If one film stood out it was Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.” The feature marked a return for Glazer, whose last film, “Under the Skin,” came out a decade ago. His latest is drawing attention for its focus on a German couple living in World War II, their house right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
TheWrap’s Ben Croll gave the film high praise in his review on Friday saying, “While ‘The Zone of Interest’ uses the conventions of narrative fiction, it is more of an essay, engaged in the wider conversation of how – if...
If one film stood out it was Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.” The feature marked a return for Glazer, whose last film, “Under the Skin,” came out a decade ago. His latest is drawing attention for its focus on a German couple living in World War II, their house right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
TheWrap’s Ben Croll gave the film high praise in his review on Friday saying, “While ‘The Zone of Interest’ uses the conventions of narrative fiction, it is more of an essay, engaged in the wider conversation of how – if...
- 5/20/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Jafar Panahi has left Iran for the first time in 14 years after the heralded Iranian filmmaker’s longstanding travel was apparently lifted.
His wife, Tahereh Saeidi, shared a photo of them entering an undisclosed airport to her Instagram Tuesday night, writing, “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The image indicates the first time the director and political figure behind “The White Balloon,” “The Circle,” “Taxi” and most recently “No Bears” has left Iran since he was sentenced to a 20-year travel and filmmaking ban in 2010 for “making propaganda against the system” — a directive that to this point has not slowed his directing career but has held him to the nation’s borders.
In July 2022, Panahi was arrested and imprisoned after he protested the arrest of...
His wife, Tahereh Saeidi, shared a photo of them entering an undisclosed airport to her Instagram Tuesday night, writing, “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The image indicates the first time the director and political figure behind “The White Balloon,” “The Circle,” “Taxi” and most recently “No Bears” has left Iran since he was sentenced to a 20-year travel and filmmaking ban in 2010 for “making propaganda against the system” — a directive that to this point has not slowed his directing career but has held him to the nation’s borders.
In July 2022, Panahi was arrested and imprisoned after he protested the arrest of...
- 4/26/2023
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
Where to begin with this year’s summer preview?
The “big” titles, including new superhero films, another zippy entry into the “Fast and Furious” franchise, the continuing adventures of Tom Cruise running against “Impossible” odds, or even a kicky new Indiana Jones film? What about the latest picks from some of our favorite filmmakers, Wes Anderson to Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan to Nicole Holofcener, Paul Schrader to Niki Caro, Christian Petzold to Rachel Sennott?
Or what about the rising filmmaking stars we’ve already fallen for, like Celine Song, Laurel Parmet, Adele Lim, Charlotte Regan, and Savanah Leaf? Should we bet even bigger, noting that this summer includes at least two films we’ve already crowned some of the best of the year?
Or, better yet, how about we let the films speak for themselves? As another summer movie season beckons, we’ve dug into the calendar to pull out...
The “big” titles, including new superhero films, another zippy entry into the “Fast and Furious” franchise, the continuing adventures of Tom Cruise running against “Impossible” odds, or even a kicky new Indiana Jones film? What about the latest picks from some of our favorite filmmakers, Wes Anderson to Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan to Nicole Holofcener, Paul Schrader to Niki Caro, Christian Petzold to Rachel Sennott?
Or what about the rising filmmaking stars we’ve already fallen for, like Celine Song, Laurel Parmet, Adele Lim, Charlotte Regan, and Savanah Leaf? Should we bet even bigger, noting that this summer includes at least two films we’ve already crowned some of the best of the year?
Or, better yet, how about we let the films speak for themselves? As another summer movie season beckons, we’ve dug into the calendar to pull out...
- 4/18/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Before the summer movie season consumes the local multiplex, discerning cinephiles and festival fans can bone up on some of the best films of the year, thanks to the always-excellent slate on offer at this year’s New Directors/New Films festival. Over the course of the New York City festival, it will play home to films from 41 directors, including 27 features and 11 shorts.
As ever, this year’s Nd/Nf features a variety of films from around the festival circuit, Sundance to Cannes, Venice to Berlin, and more. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off this week with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” In between, film fans can see projects from rising stars, fresh voices, and finally (finally!) get to check out gems like “Joyland,” “Totem,” and “Disco Boy.”
The 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films...
As ever, this year’s Nd/Nf features a variety of films from around the festival circuit, Sundance to Cannes, Venice to Berlin, and more. The 52nd edition of the festival kicks off this week with Savannah Leaf’s A24 drama “Earth Mama” and concludes with Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s trans coming-of-age story “Mutt.” In between, film fans can see projects from rising stars, fresh voices, and finally (finally!) get to check out gems like “Joyland,” “Totem,” and “Disco Boy.”
The 52nd edition of New Directors/New Films...
- 3/28/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Lille, France — Headed by a commanding performance from Navid Mohammadzadeh, superbly shot and packing arguably the best opening scene of any series in Series Mania main competition, Navid Javidi’s “The Actor” won the Grand Prize at Series Mania on Friday night.
The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.
Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...
The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.
Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...
- 3/24/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose film “No Bears,” opened in the U.S. in December, has begun a hunger strike to protest to protest his continued detention at the notoriously harsh Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, despite an Iranian Supreme Court ruling that overturned his conviction in January.
His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, and son, Panah Panahi, both shared his statement in Instagram posts on Wednesday.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” the statement shared with media outlets read.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release. I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison.”
Also Read:
‘No Bears’ Review: Jafar Panahi Continues to Create Powerful Art,...
His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, and son, Panah Panahi, both shared his statement in Instagram posts on Wednesday.
“I firmly declare that in protest against the illegal and inhumane behavior of the judicial and security apparatus and their hostage-taking, I have started a hunger strike since the morning of the 12th of Bahman (February 1),” the statement shared with media outlets read.
“I will refuse to eat and drink any food and medicine until the time of my release. I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison.”
Also Read:
‘No Bears’ Review: Jafar Panahi Continues to Create Powerful Art,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Brendan Fraser will be honored at the Palm Springs International Film Festival with the Spotlight Award, Actor, for his performance in “The Whale,” the festival announced Tuesday. He will be presented with the honor at the festival’s Jan. 5 awards ceremony on Jan. 5, 2023 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival runs through Jan. 16.
“Brendan Fraser demonstrates his impressive talent in Darren Aronofsky’s powerful adaptation of ‘The Whale,'” festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “Fraser gives an extraordinary and haunting performance that paints a vivid portrait of our inability to escape our own sadness. For this award caliber performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Brendan Fraser.”
In “The Whale,” Fraser plays Charlie, an English teacher whose obesity has confined him to his apartment. As his health deteriorates, he is desperate to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (played by Sadie Sink...
“Brendan Fraser demonstrates his impressive talent in Darren Aronofsky’s powerful adaptation of ‘The Whale,'” festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “Fraser gives an extraordinary and haunting performance that paints a vivid portrait of our inability to escape our own sadness. For this award caliber performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Brendan Fraser.”
In “The Whale,” Fraser plays Charlie, an English teacher whose obesity has confined him to his apartment. As his health deteriorates, he is desperate to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (played by Sadie Sink...
- 12/20/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
At the Venice Film Festival last month, Brendan Fraser stood up from his seat after a screening of “The Whale” — Darren Aronofsky’s new slice of life drama in which the 53-year-old actor plays a gay, grossly overweight teacher desperately trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter — and basked, teary-eyed, in a six-minute standing ovation.
For an actor whose status in the industry has been teetering perilously close to has-been territory, it was an extraordinary moment. Suddenly, the one-time “Mummy” star, who had all but disappeared from the big screen over the past decade (his most noteworthy recent role was a smallish part in 2017 as a prison guard in a handful of episodes of “The Affair”), had become a front runner in this year’s Best Actor race. Even critics, who’d never been especially effusive over Fraser before, were showering him with praise.
For a brief, fleeting moment,...
For an actor whose status in the industry has been teetering perilously close to has-been territory, it was an extraordinary moment. Suddenly, the one-time “Mummy” star, who had all but disappeared from the big screen over the past decade (his most noteworthy recent role was a smallish part in 2017 as a prison guard in a handful of episodes of “The Affair”), had become a front runner in this year’s Best Actor race. Even critics, who’d never been especially effusive over Fraser before, were showering him with praise.
For a brief, fleeting moment,...
- 10/7/2022
- by Benjamin Svetkey
- The Wrap
The Netflix film “Blonde” has received its first reviews, and critics are celebrating Ana de Armas’ commitment to the role while questioning the techniques of the film itself.
Directed by Andrew Dominik and rated Nc-17, the film adapts Joyce Carol Oates’ novel of the same name. Alongside de Armas, cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Garret Dillahunt, Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, Lucy DeVito and Scoot McNairy.
Some critics appreciate the different approach to the biopic of the woman born Norma Jeane Mortenson. Others find the mostly black and white film devoid of any resonance as to the bigger picture of who Marilyn Monroe actually was as a person.
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Praises Ana de Armas’ ‘Phenomenal’ Performance as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Blonde,’ Despite Accent Backlash
Sophie Monks Kaufman of IndieWire writes that Dominik doesn’t quite give enough effort in saying or showing something about the pop culture icon.
Directed by Andrew Dominik and rated Nc-17, the film adapts Joyce Carol Oates’ novel of the same name. Alongside de Armas, cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Garret Dillahunt, Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, Lucy DeVito and Scoot McNairy.
Some critics appreciate the different approach to the biopic of the woman born Norma Jeane Mortenson. Others find the mostly black and white film devoid of any resonance as to the bigger picture of who Marilyn Monroe actually was as a person.
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Praises Ana de Armas’ ‘Phenomenal’ Performance as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Blonde,’ Despite Accent Backlash
Sophie Monks Kaufman of IndieWire writes that Dominik doesn’t quite give enough effort in saying or showing something about the pop culture icon.
- 9/8/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
On September 4, 2022 “The Whale” premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival to great acclaim from critics and a six-minute standing ovation. The film, which has a release date of December 9 in the United States, was directed by Oscar nominee Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”) and stars Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, and Samantha Morton. Fraser plays Charlie, an obese man struggling to reconnect with his teenage daughter after abandoning her for his gay lover (who later died). The film has a current freshness score of 71 on Rotten Tomatoes. But what exactly are the critics saying?
See over 200 interviews with 2022 Emmy nominees
Tom O’Brien of Next Best Picture heaps praise upon Fraser. “Even under the weight of a 300-pound fat suit and prosthetics that severely hamper his every movement and expression, all it takes is one look at Fraser’s face, and under all that artificial fat, we fully see those eyes.
See over 200 interviews with 2022 Emmy nominees
Tom O’Brien of Next Best Picture heaps praise upon Fraser. “Even under the weight of a 300-pound fat suit and prosthetics that severely hamper his every movement and expression, all it takes is one look at Fraser’s face, and under all that artificial fat, we fully see those eyes.
- 9/5/2022
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
François Ozon is one of France’s most prolific filmmakers, directing 21 features and a handful of shorts since 1997. But his latest, “Peter von Kant,” is one of the most unique films of the director’s career. The playful spin on Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” is more than just a gender-swapped remake of Fassbinder’s classic German film about an abusive fashion designer.
Ozon made waves by reimagining Fassbinder’s film as an experimental biography of the director himself, casting Denis Menochet as a thinly veiled allegory for the legendary director, and replacing other characters in the film with members of his inner circle. The resulting movie was a hit at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and is set to make its North American theatrical debut this weekend. Watch the exclusive trailer below.
“The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” starred Margit Carstensen as the eponymous fashion designer,...
Ozon made waves by reimagining Fassbinder’s film as an experimental biography of the director himself, casting Denis Menochet as a thinly veiled allegory for the legendary director, and replacing other characters in the film with members of his inner circle. The resulting movie was a hit at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and is set to make its North American theatrical debut this weekend. Watch the exclusive trailer below.
“The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” starred Margit Carstensen as the eponymous fashion designer,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Six years and one pandemic after director Andrew Dominik teamed with musician Nick Cave on the documentary “One More Time with Feeling,” and the collaborative duo return with another concert doc, this time in lieu of Cave’s planned early 2021 tour.
“This Much I Know to Be True” debuts July 8 on Mubi after wowing audiences at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival. Starting with Cave’s sculpture studio, the new documentary from “Blonde” writer/director Dominik captures Cave and Warren Ellis’ creative partnership, expanding on Cave’s 2014 pseudo-doc “20,000 Days on Earth.”
“In time we all find out we are not in control,” Cave says in the trailer. “We never were. We never will be.”
The existential doc takes place in an abandoned Bristol factory as Cave performs — for the first time ever — tracks from his most recent albums “Ghosteen” with his band The Bad Seeds and “Carnage” alongside Ellis. Singers and a string quartet accompany the performances,...
“This Much I Know to Be True” debuts July 8 on Mubi after wowing audiences at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival. Starting with Cave’s sculpture studio, the new documentary from “Blonde” writer/director Dominik captures Cave and Warren Ellis’ creative partnership, expanding on Cave’s 2014 pseudo-doc “20,000 Days on Earth.”
“In time we all find out we are not in control,” Cave says in the trailer. “We never were. We never will be.”
The existential doc takes place in an abandoned Bristol factory as Cave performs — for the first time ever — tracks from his most recent albums “Ghosteen” with his band The Bad Seeds and “Carnage” alongside Ellis. Singers and a string quartet accompany the performances,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
As the Cannes Film Festival begins to wind down to its finale on Saturday night, “La Jauria” from Colombian director Andres Ramirez Pulido took the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week, the festival’s sidebar focused on first and second feature films.
“La Jauria” centers on Eliú, a country boy, who is incarcerated́ in an experimental minors’ center in the heart of the Colombian tropical forest, for a crime he committed with his friend El Mono. Every day, the teenagers perform strenuous manual labour and intense group therapy. One day, El Mono is transferred to the same center and brings with him a past that Eliú is trying to get away from.
The film, which comes from Colombia, also took the the Sacd prize.
“War Pony” wins Palm Dog Award
Brit the Silver Poodle, who stars in Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s indigenous drama “War Pony,” took home the coveted Palm Dog collar,...
“La Jauria” centers on Eliú, a country boy, who is incarcerated́ in an experimental minors’ center in the heart of the Colombian tropical forest, for a crime he committed with his friend El Mono. Every day, the teenagers perform strenuous manual labour and intense group therapy. One day, El Mono is transferred to the same center and brings with him a past that Eliú is trying to get away from.
The film, which comes from Colombia, also took the the Sacd prize.
“War Pony” wins Palm Dog Award
Brit the Silver Poodle, who stars in Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s indigenous drama “War Pony,” took home the coveted Palm Dog collar,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
“Holy Spider,” Ali Abbasi’s Iranian thriller that has earned rave reviews after premiering at Cannes in the main competition on Sunday, has had its North American rights acquired by Utopia, the U.S. distributor and sales company owned by Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper.
The film stars actors Mehdi Bajestani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi. And Abbasi, who is an Iranian-Swedish director known for the troll movie and Un Certain Regard winner “Border,” has described “Holy Spider” as a “Persian Noir.” The movie shocked Cannes audiences for its frank discussions about gender in Iran but also its graphic violence and male and female nudity. At the same time, it has emerged as an early frontrunner for the Palme d’Or.
In “Holy Spider,” female journalist Rahimi (Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer (Bajestani) who believes he is doing the work of God,...
The film stars actors Mehdi Bajestani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi. And Abbasi, who is an Iranian-Swedish director known for the troll movie and Un Certain Regard winner “Border,” has described “Holy Spider” as a “Persian Noir.” The movie shocked Cannes audiences for its frank discussions about gender in Iran but also its graphic violence and male and female nudity. At the same time, it has emerged as an early frontrunner for the Palme d’Or.
In “Holy Spider,” female journalist Rahimi (Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer (Bajestani) who believes he is doing the work of God,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Unfolding just a couple of weeks after this year’s all-virtual Sundance — and a couple of weeks before the in-person return of SXSW — the 2022 edition of the Berlin International Film Festival arrived at a particularly strange moment of the pandemic, and suffered a bit for the ambivalence that surrounded it. Buzz was muted despite a star-studded competition jury led by M. Night Shyamalan and world premieres from major auteurs such as Claire Denis and Bertrand Bonello (“Coma”), both of whom came to the festival with films that explicitly responded to a Covid crisis that cast a pall over almost every title in the lineup even when the virus didn’t factor into the plot (Peter Strickland’s excellent IFC acquisition “Flux Gourmet” being a prime example).
And yet, for all of the unique difficulties that confronted this year’s Berlinale, the fest remains one of the world’s biggest and...
And yet, for all of the unique difficulties that confronted this year’s Berlinale, the fest remains one of the world’s biggest and...
- 2/23/2022
- by David Ehrlich and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The Venice Film Festival closed out with its most star-studded debut: the world premiere of Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” which brought stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jodie Comer to the Lido — as well as Jennifer Lopez, Affleck’s one-time and now-current romantic partner. But the film, the first co-written by Affleck and Damon since they won an Oscar for “Good Will Hunting” at the 1999 Academy Awards (this time with a major assist from Nicole Holofcener), did not necessarily generate as much heat as the Bennifer red carpet photos.
The movie “flirts with, and sometimes falls into, an extravagant kind of costume-drama camp,” Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review for Variety. “The accents are all over the place. The acting teeters between the operatic and the overstated. At times, it’s like watching ‘A Man for All Seasons’ meets ‘Game of Thrones’ with a soupçon of Monty Python.
The movie “flirts with, and sometimes falls into, an extravagant kind of costume-drama camp,” Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review for Variety. “The accents are all over the place. The acting teeters between the operatic and the overstated. At times, it’s like watching ‘A Man for All Seasons’ meets ‘Game of Thrones’ with a soupçon of Monty Python.
- 9/10/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The reviews for Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” are here straight from the Venice Film Festival, declaring that even if the melodramatic-bordering-on-campy film isn’t for everyone, Kristen Stewart’s “genius” take on Princess Diana just might be.
In his review for The Wrap, Jason Solomons describes “Spencer” as an “intense, giddy spectacle with Shakespearean or indeed Racinian ambitions,” before making it very clear that, ultimately, “it’s Stewart’s film.”
“She gets the doe-eyed, pitying tilt of the head and the little posh girl voice down pretty well, but this is no impression — it’s more an interpretation of a classic role, bringing layers of real human complexity to a figure who, for all the mythology that surrounds her, still looms large in the British and global conscience,” Solomons wrote.
“This Diana isn’t the likable People’s Princess or Queen of Hearts whom the public adored. We get none of that.
In his review for The Wrap, Jason Solomons describes “Spencer” as an “intense, giddy spectacle with Shakespearean or indeed Racinian ambitions,” before making it very clear that, ultimately, “it’s Stewart’s film.”
“She gets the doe-eyed, pitying tilt of the head and the little posh girl voice down pretty well, but this is no impression — it’s more an interpretation of a classic role, bringing layers of real human complexity to a figure who, for all the mythology that surrounds her, still looms large in the British and global conscience,” Solomons wrote.
“This Diana isn’t the likable People’s Princess or Queen of Hearts whom the public adored. We get none of that.
- 9/3/2021
- by Alex Noble and Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
This review of “Flag Day” was first published after the film’s July 2021 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Sean Penn has served on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, leading the panel that gave the 2008 Palme d’Or to the French drama “The Class.” He’s acted in a number of films that have played the fest, including Terrence Malick’s 2011 Palme winner “The Tree of Life.” And he’s been in the Main Competition section as a director twice in the past, for “The Pledge” in 2001 and “The Last Face” in 2016.
All of that makes him a familiar face on the Croisette — but the last of those films also makes him a Cannes vet with something to prove. “The Last Face” was booed at its Cannes press screening and eviscerated by reviewers, with TheWrap’s Ben Croll calling it “a spectacularly misjudged mix of humanitarian intentions and gonzo-terrible execution.
Sean Penn has served on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, leading the panel that gave the 2008 Palme d’Or to the French drama “The Class.” He’s acted in a number of films that have played the fest, including Terrence Malick’s 2011 Palme winner “The Tree of Life.” And he’s been in the Main Competition section as a director twice in the past, for “The Pledge” in 2001 and “The Last Face” in 2016.
All of that makes him a familiar face on the Croisette — but the last of those films also makes him a Cannes vet with something to prove. “The Last Face” was booed at its Cannes press screening and eviscerated by reviewers, with TheWrap’s Ben Croll calling it “a spectacularly misjudged mix of humanitarian intentions and gonzo-terrible execution.
- 8/18/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Spike Lee, the president of the jury at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, accidentally announced that Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” won the Palme d’Or in what were supposed to be his opening remarks at the awards ceremony. The revelation rocked the crowd inside the Grand Theatre Lumiere, and set social media abuzz at the beginning of a ceremony that traditionally ends with the crowning of the Palme winner.
His slip-up came when a ceremony host, French actress Doria Tiller, asked Lee, “Can you tell me which prize is the first prize?” Lee got to his feet, and instead of telling her that the best actor award would be the first one handed out, said, “Yes, I can. The film that won the Palme d’Or is ‘Titane.'” Fellow juror Melanie Laurent reached for Lee and shouted, “No!” while other jurors laughed or buried their faces in their hands.
At the end of the ceremony,...
His slip-up came when a ceremony host, French actress Doria Tiller, asked Lee, “Can you tell me which prize is the first prize?” Lee got to his feet, and instead of telling her that the best actor award would be the first one handed out, said, “Yes, I can. The film that won the Palme d’Or is ‘Titane.'” Fellow juror Melanie Laurent reached for Lee and shouted, “No!” while other jurors laughed or buried their faces in their hands.
At the end of the ceremony,...
- 7/17/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Check out TheWrap’s digital Cannes magazine issue here. You can find all of TheWrap’s Cannes coverage here.
How busy has Tilda Swinton been this Cannes? She’s got five movies in the festival, she became an Internet meme along with her “French Dispatch” co-stars, and on Friday she picked up the coveted Palm Dog Award.
The prize is a makeshift award created by journalists in 2001 to celebrate the best canine performers in the festival. And Swinton was on hand this year to accept her Palm Dog “collar.” Turns out Swinton stars alongside her own trio of spaniels in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II,” which premiered in the Directors Fortnight section. And in accepting her prize, she even welcomed Hogg to the stage by calling her through FaceTime on her iPhone.
Sean Baker, director of “Red Rocket,” also accepted a prize for the Palm Dog on behalf...
How busy has Tilda Swinton been this Cannes? She’s got five movies in the festival, she became an Internet meme along with her “French Dispatch” co-stars, and on Friday she picked up the coveted Palm Dog Award.
The prize is a makeshift award created by journalists in 2001 to celebrate the best canine performers in the festival. And Swinton was on hand this year to accept her Palm Dog “collar.” Turns out Swinton stars alongside her own trio of spaniels in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II,” which premiered in the Directors Fortnight section. And in accepting her prize, she even welcomed Hogg to the stage by calling her through FaceTime on her iPhone.
Sean Baker, director of “Red Rocket,” also accepted a prize for the Palm Dog on behalf...
- 7/16/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Check out TheWrap’s digital Cannes magazine issue here. You can find all of TheWrap’s Cannes coverage here.
We’re entering Week 2 of Cannes, and as people eagerly await Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” strong reviews continue to roll out of the festival, including for recent premieres “Bergman Island” and “Drive My Car.”
“Bergman Island” from director Mia Hansen-Løve turns out to be very Swedish, drawing much of its energy not just from legend Ingmar Bergman, but also a dance sequence set to Abba’s “The Winner Takes It All.” The film follows Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps as American filmmakers who travel to an island where Ingmar Bergman shot many of his iconic films, but as their screenplay develops, their own sense of reality and fiction begins to blur.
Krieps and Roth decided to give one another the finger during their photocall, as you can see below,...
We’re entering Week 2 of Cannes, and as people eagerly await Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” strong reviews continue to roll out of the festival, including for recent premieres “Bergman Island” and “Drive My Car.”
“Bergman Island” from director Mia Hansen-Løve turns out to be very Swedish, drawing much of its energy not just from legend Ingmar Bergman, but also a dance sequence set to Abba’s “The Winner Takes It All.” The film follows Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps as American filmmakers who travel to an island where Ingmar Bergman shot many of his iconic films, but as their screenplay develops, their own sense of reality and fiction begins to blur.
Krieps and Roth decided to give one another the finger during their photocall, as you can see below,...
- 7/12/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The sixth day of the Cannes Film Festival was relatively uneventful, until “Flag Day” director Sean Penn decided to rail against Donald Trump in his press conference for the film.
The conference followed the film’s premiere, which stars his daughter Dylan Penn, and received mediocre reviews from viewers, with some calling the drama as “forgettable as they come.”
In Sunday’s trend roundup of the festival, grey hair seems to be making a comeback on the red carpet, and Twitter users are applauding the actresses who have decided to embrace the color.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of Cannes, day 6:
Cannes Film Festival
Sean Penn’s ‘Flag Day’ Premieres
Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” premiered at the festival on Saturday, marking the third time he’s been in Main Competition section as a director — the other times for “The Pledge” in 2001 and “The Last Face” in 2016.
TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote,...
The conference followed the film’s premiere, which stars his daughter Dylan Penn, and received mediocre reviews from viewers, with some calling the drama as “forgettable as they come.”
In Sunday’s trend roundup of the festival, grey hair seems to be making a comeback on the red carpet, and Twitter users are applauding the actresses who have decided to embrace the color.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of Cannes, day 6:
Cannes Film Festival
Sean Penn’s ‘Flag Day’ Premieres
Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” premiered at the festival on Saturday, marking the third time he’s been in Main Competition section as a director — the other times for “The Pledge” in 2001 and “The Last Face” in 2016.
TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote,...
- 7/11/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
The Cannes Film Festival has reported an average of three positive Covid test results per day, but French actress Lea Seydoux might have to cancel her trip to the LA Croisette altogether as she tested positive and is currently self-isolating in her Paris home.
At the star-studded event, however, things are moving along as Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” made waves and received positive reviews, while “La Fracture” also received a standing ovation longer than five minutes.
And the red carpet is looking stellar as ever, as A-list celebrities tout their best looks after being stuck at home for the better part of the last 16 months. The color pink seems to be this year’s go-to color, according to Spike Lee and Josh O’Connor.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of what happened at the festival on its fifth day. On Saturday, Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” starring his daughter, will premiere.
At the star-studded event, however, things are moving along as Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” made waves and received positive reviews, while “La Fracture” also received a standing ovation longer than five minutes.
And the red carpet is looking stellar as ever, as A-list celebrities tout their best looks after being stuck at home for the better part of the last 16 months. The color pink seems to be this year’s go-to color, according to Spike Lee and Josh O’Connor.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of what happened at the festival on its fifth day. On Saturday, Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” starring his daughter, will premiere.
- 7/10/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
‘Notturno’ Trailer: ‘Fire at Sea’ Director Gianfranco Rosi Returns with Italy’s Stunning Oscar Entry
Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi has returned with “Notturno,” another poignant visual stunner about the harsh realities of everyday life in the Middle East. Filmed over the course of three years, the director and cinematographer shot throughout the war-torn region on the borders between Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, and Lebanon. A moving first trailer reveals the arresting juxtaposition captured by Rosi’s cinematic eye; a soldier stepping over a puddle, a wall of children’s bloody drawings.
Here’s the official synopsis: “‘Notturno’ captures the everyday life that lies behind the continuing tragedy of civil wars, ferocious dictatorships, foreign invasions and the murderous apocalypse of Isis. Gianfranco Rosi constructs a sublime cinematic journey through the region finding peace and light within the chaos and despair in the aftermath of war. A mosaic of intimate moments and luminous images, ‘Notturno’ is a profound and urgent cinematic achievement, from a master of the documentary form.
Here’s the official synopsis: “‘Notturno’ captures the everyday life that lies behind the continuing tragedy of civil wars, ferocious dictatorships, foreign invasions and the murderous apocalypse of Isis. Gianfranco Rosi constructs a sublime cinematic journey through the region finding peace and light within the chaos and despair in the aftermath of war. A mosaic of intimate moments and luminous images, ‘Notturno’ is a profound and urgent cinematic achievement, from a master of the documentary form.
- 1/7/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
French writer, director and producer Michel Hazanavicius discussed his career path and the future of film as part of the 2020 Sarajevo Film Festival masterclass series, hosted in the Variety Streaming Room.
Hazanavicius is this year’s jury president for the festival. The conversation and subsequent audience Q&a, moderated by Ben Croll, covered the director’s earliest film styles, success with “The Artist” and upcoming animated film “The Most Precious of Merchandise” (“La plus précieuse des marchandises”).
The first half of Hazanavicius’ career, after interning with French sketch group Les Nuls, involved a genre he calls “détournement,” which translates to “hijacking” in English. The style, somewhat similar to parody or spoofing, sometimes involved making collage films or satirizing a film’s styles. What sets it apart from typical parodies is that the genre also involves utilizing all aspects of the form and production to express the intended effect.
“I like...
Hazanavicius is this year’s jury president for the festival. The conversation and subsequent audience Q&a, moderated by Ben Croll, covered the director’s earliest film styles, success with “The Artist” and upcoming animated film “The Most Precious of Merchandise” (“La plus précieuse des marchandises”).
The first half of Hazanavicius’ career, after interning with French sketch group Les Nuls, involved a genre he calls “détournement,” which translates to “hijacking” in English. The style, somewhat similar to parody or spoofing, sometimes involved making collage films or satirizing a film’s styles. What sets it apart from typical parodies is that the genre also involves utilizing all aspects of the form and production to express the intended effect.
“I like...
- 8/17/2020
- by Eli Countryman
- Variety Film + TV
A jury at Cannes Film Market has selected Cinema From Spain, a Spanish cinema promotion organization backed by support from the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (Icex) and the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and the Audiovisual Arts (Icaa), as the winner of this year’s award for Best Pavilion Design.
In the context of an entirely digital market, participating organizations had to rethink everything when it came to promoting themselves in a democratic, online space where the rules of a physical market no longer apply.
For Tito Rodríguez, marketing policy director at Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and the Audiovisual Arts (Icaa), the key was providing an online experience to match what Cinema From Spain is known for at physical markets.
“It was clear from the beginning we wanted to recreate the physical experience online,” he explained to Variety. “It was not meant to be just a website, so we...
In the context of an entirely digital market, participating organizations had to rethink everything when it came to promoting themselves in a democratic, online space where the rules of a physical market no longer apply.
For Tito Rodríguez, marketing policy director at Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and the Audiovisual Arts (Icaa), the key was providing an online experience to match what Cinema From Spain is known for at physical markets.
“It was clear from the beginning we wanted to recreate the physical experience online,” he explained to Variety. “It was not meant to be just a website, so we...
- 6/26/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
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