‘Dare’ (2009): Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, and Ashley Springer Star in ‘Challengers’ for Theater Kids
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Discovering the Power of a Dick… Ahead of Its Time
Non-monogamy became a common topic of conversation this spring as Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” made any mention of pro tennis the conversational equivalent of a three-way sex invite.
On dating apps, searches for “open relationships” continued to rise in popularity just as reality television embraced multi-partnered dynamics through shows like Peacock’s “Couple to Throuple.” Even in 2024, polyamory isn’t outright “mainstream” by any stretch of the imagination(s). But as far as contemporary relationships are concerned, the “three’s...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Discovering the Power of a Dick… Ahead of Its Time
Non-monogamy became a common topic of conversation this spring as Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” made any mention of pro tennis the conversational equivalent of a three-way sex invite.
On dating apps, searches for “open relationships” continued to rise in popularity just as reality television embraced multi-partnered dynamics through shows like Peacock’s “Couple to Throuple.” Even in 2024, polyamory isn’t outright “mainstream” by any stretch of the imagination(s). But as far as contemporary relationships are concerned, the “three’s...
- 5/11/2024
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
If you have already seen The Idea of You and are looking for something similar, then these movies are for you.
1. Hello I Must Be Going, 2012
An indie rom-com that is most valuable for its lead actress – Melanie Lynskey, who started her career with a bang in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures and went on to star in one of the biggest hits of recent years, Yellowjackets.
In Hello I Must Be Going, she plays a middle-aged divorced woman who loses everything and moves into her parents' house. She is sure that the dark streak in her life will never end, but a confident 19-year-old boy appears on the horizon and unexpectedly illuminates a possible path to a new life.
2. Licorice Pizza, 2021
Gary Valentine is a charismatic teenager who loves to go on adventures. It's the early 1970s and Gary is trying to become both an actor and an entrepreneur,...
1. Hello I Must Be Going, 2012
An indie rom-com that is most valuable for its lead actress – Melanie Lynskey, who started her career with a bang in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures and went on to star in one of the biggest hits of recent years, Yellowjackets.
In Hello I Must Be Going, she plays a middle-aged divorced woman who loses everything and moves into her parents' house. She is sure that the dark streak in her life will never end, but a confident 19-year-old boy appears on the horizon and unexpectedly illuminates a possible path to a new life.
2. Licorice Pizza, 2021
Gary Valentine is a charismatic teenager who loves to go on adventures. It's the early 1970s and Gary is trying to become both an actor and an entrepreneur,...
- 5/8/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
Luca Guadagnino, director of Challengers, took a less intense approach to shooting the new Zendaya movie, a method that David Fincher or Stanley Kubrick might not have approved of. Fincher, renowned for his exhaustive number of takes per scene, received a subtle jab when Guadagnino expressed his disdain for such a method, deeming it torture for the actors.
A still from Challengers How Luca Guadagnino Shot Zendaya’s Challengers
The highly anticipated Zendaya movie, Challengers, has finally hit the screens and is surely the talk of the town. Ever since its teaser was released, audiences have eagerly anticipated seeing Zendaya in this new avatar.
Suggested“That’s really low”: Zendaya Fans Find ‘Challengers’ CinemaScore Rating Unacceptable
In a recent interview with The New York Times, director Luca Guadagnino shared insights into his filmmaking process for the movie. He said,
“I hate pushing,-If it’s great, why do you have to torture people?...
A still from Challengers How Luca Guadagnino Shot Zendaya’s Challengers
The highly anticipated Zendaya movie, Challengers, has finally hit the screens and is surely the talk of the town. Ever since its teaser was released, audiences have eagerly anticipated seeing Zendaya in this new avatar.
Suggested“That’s really low”: Zendaya Fans Find ‘Challengers’ CinemaScore Rating Unacceptable
In a recent interview with The New York Times, director Luca Guadagnino shared insights into his filmmaking process for the movie. He said,
“I hate pushing,-If it’s great, why do you have to torture people?...
- 4/28/2024
- by Sampurna Banerjee
- FandomWire
The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin is sharing his plans for a sequel to the David Fincher film!
The 2010 biopic about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg starred Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role. Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, and Rooney Mara were also part of the cast.
Aaron recently revealed that he is working on a sequel to The Social Network.
Keep reading to find out more…
“Look, yeah, I’ll be writing about this” he said during an appearance on The Town podcast. “I blame Facebook for January 6.”
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Aaron replied, “You’re going to need to buy a movie ticket.”
He then addressed whether the project will be a movie.
“I’m trying. Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement. That is what will get you to — what...
The 2010 biopic about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg starred Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role. Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, and Rooney Mara were also part of the cast.
Aaron recently revealed that he is working on a sequel to The Social Network.
Keep reading to find out more…
“Look, yeah, I’ll be writing about this” he said during an appearance on The Town podcast. “I blame Facebook for January 6.”
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Aaron replied, “You’re going to need to buy a movie ticket.”
He then addressed whether the project will be a movie.
“I’m trying. Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement. That is what will get you to — what...
- 4/27/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Rooney Mara is getting in a workout.
The 39-year-old Carol actress, who is pregnant with her second child, arrived at a studio for a ballet class on Wednesday morning (April 17) in Los Angeles.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Rooney Mara
For the ballet class, Rooney wore a black cropped sweater over a black leotard paired with black sweatpants, black sneakers, and sunglasses.
It was confirmed in February that Rooney and longtime love Joaquin Phoenix are expecting their second child together after she was seen cradling her baby bump at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.
She and the 49-year-old Oscar-winning actor quietly got engaged in 2019 after first meeting in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi drama Her. The two have a son River, who was born in 2020.
Joaquin will next be starring alongside Lady Gaga in the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux, which hits theaters on October 4. Watch the first trailer here!
The 39-year-old Carol actress, who is pregnant with her second child, arrived at a studio for a ballet class on Wednesday morning (April 17) in Los Angeles.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Rooney Mara
For the ballet class, Rooney wore a black cropped sweater over a black leotard paired with black sweatpants, black sneakers, and sunglasses.
It was confirmed in February that Rooney and longtime love Joaquin Phoenix are expecting their second child together after she was seen cradling her baby bump at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.
She and the 49-year-old Oscar-winning actor quietly got engaged in 2019 after first meeting in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi drama Her. The two have a son River, who was born in 2020.
Joaquin will next be starring alongside Lady Gaga in the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux, which hits theaters on October 4. Watch the first trailer here!
- 4/18/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Scottish auteur Lynne Ramsay and former Icelandic Film Center (IFC) chief Laufey Guðjónsdóttir received honors from the 10th anniversary edition of Reykjavik’s Stockfish Film & Industry Festival. The awards, presented during a reception on April 11th, celebrate outstanding contributions to the film industry both internationally and domestically.
Known for its intimate atmosphere and ease of networking, the non-profit Stockfish is overseen by the six professional associations of filmmakers in Iceland, members of which comprise the festival board. The festival offers screenings of domestic and international features along with the popular Shortfish, a juried competition for Icelandic shorts in a variety of categories. The festival honors are part of an industry program that includes talks and panels as well as Icelandic works-in-progress.
Citing honoree Ramsay’s unique artistry, Stockfish’s artistic director Hrönn Kristinsdottír praised the director-screenwriter for challenging conventions and pushing boundaries in an industry dominated by male voices. Ramsay,...
Known for its intimate atmosphere and ease of networking, the non-profit Stockfish is overseen by the six professional associations of filmmakers in Iceland, members of which comprise the festival board. The festival offers screenings of domestic and international features along with the popular Shortfish, a juried competition for Icelandic shorts in a variety of categories. The festival honors are part of an industry program that includes talks and panels as well as Icelandic works-in-progress.
Citing honoree Ramsay’s unique artistry, Stockfish’s artistic director Hrönn Kristinsdottír praised the director-screenwriter for challenging conventions and pushing boundaries in an industry dominated by male voices. Ramsay,...
- 4/12/2024
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Two new Australian films, both enjoying their world premiere, are among the first titles confirmed to play at the Sydney Film Festival in June.
“In Vitro,” a sci-fi mystery thriller set on a remote cattle farm in the near future, hails from directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith (“Beast”) and stars Ashley Zukerman (“Succession”).
With “The Pool,” director Ian Darling (“The Final Quarter”) paints a cinematic portrait of a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs, the pool and the people who cherish it.
They will be joined by New Zealand actor Rachel House (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”), who makes her feature directorial debut with “The Mountain,” which centers on three children discovering friendship’s healing power through the spirit of adventure as they trek through spectacular New Zealand landscapes. It is executive produced by Taika Waititi and will be eligible for Sydney’s recently announced First Nations Award,...
“In Vitro,” a sci-fi mystery thriller set on a remote cattle farm in the near future, hails from directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith (“Beast”) and stars Ashley Zukerman (“Succession”).
With “The Pool,” director Ian Darling (“The Final Quarter”) paints a cinematic portrait of a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs, the pool and the people who cherish it.
They will be joined by New Zealand actor Rachel House (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”), who makes her feature directorial debut with “The Mountain,” which centers on three children discovering friendship’s healing power through the spirit of adventure as they trek through spectacular New Zealand landscapes. It is executive produced by Taika Waititi and will be eligible for Sydney’s recently announced First Nations Award,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino is to direct Julia Roberts in the “intense dramatic thriller” After The Hunt.
Luca Guadagnino just can’t help himself. In what must be a personal game of project Jenga, he continually adds films to his slate until his tower partly collapses, a few projects go by the wayside and he starts adding more again. Let’s recap: This year, Guadagnino has two films releasing. Challengers, the highly-anticipated love triangle tennis drama that was supposed to release last year before the Hollywood strikes upended everything. Challengers is slated to release later next month, but Guadagnino also has Queer on the way later this year too. That sounds equally promising given that Guadagnino is directing Daniel Craig in an adaptation of the William Burroughs book of the same name. That one shot last year and is set to release sometime this year (we...
Luca Guadagnino just can’t help himself. In what must be a personal game of project Jenga, he continually adds films to his slate until his tower partly collapses, a few projects go by the wayside and he starts adding more again. Let’s recap: This year, Guadagnino has two films releasing. Challengers, the highly-anticipated love triangle tennis drama that was supposed to release last year before the Hollywood strikes upended everything. Challengers is slated to release later next month, but Guadagnino also has Queer on the way later this year too. That sounds equally promising given that Guadagnino is directing Daniel Craig in an adaptation of the William Burroughs book of the same name. That one shot last year and is set to release sometime this year (we...
- 3/27/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
Luca Guadagnino’s slate continues to shift with the news that he may be tackling an adaptation of Pier Vittorio Tondelli’s Italian cult novel, Separate Rooms.
We already know that director Luca Guadagnino has two films coming out this year.
One of this films was Challengers, the highly-anticipated (and pictured) love triangle tennis drama that was supposed to release last year before the Hollywood strikes upended everything. Challengers is slated to release later next month but Guadagnino also has Queer on the way later this year too. That sounds equally promising given that Guadagnino is directing Daniel Craig in an adaptation of the William Burroughs book of the same name. That one shot last year and is set to release sometime this year (we think).
Beyond that Guadagnino’s slate always seems to be in a perpetual state of flux.
There was the planned Audrey Hepburn biopic starring Rooney Mara...
We already know that director Luca Guadagnino has two films coming out this year.
One of this films was Challengers, the highly-anticipated (and pictured) love triangle tennis drama that was supposed to release last year before the Hollywood strikes upended everything. Challengers is slated to release later next month but Guadagnino also has Queer on the way later this year too. That sounds equally promising given that Guadagnino is directing Daniel Craig in an adaptation of the William Burroughs book of the same name. That one shot last year and is set to release sometime this year (we think).
Beyond that Guadagnino’s slate always seems to be in a perpetual state of flux.
There was the planned Audrey Hepburn biopic starring Rooney Mara...
- 3/19/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
The 2024 SXSW Film Festival kicked off March 8 in Austin with the opening-night world premiere screening of Doug Liman’s Road House remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor. It started nine days of debuts including for movies starring Rooney Mara, Isabelle Huppert, Gael García Bernal, Kristen Stewart and more. The Anne Hathaway romantic dramedy The Idea of You from SXSW stalwart Michael Showalter closed the fest on Saturday.
Keep checking back below as Deadline reviews the best and buzziest movies of the festival. Click on the titles to read the full reviews.
3 Body Problem ‘3 Body Problem’
Section: TV Premiere
Director: Derek Tsang
Cast: Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce
Deadline’s takeaway: 3 Body Problem’s biggest existential threats are just how redundant it all seems, and how every...
Keep checking back below as Deadline reviews the best and buzziest movies of the festival. Click on the titles to read the full reviews.
3 Body Problem ‘3 Body Problem’
Section: TV Premiere
Director: Derek Tsang
Cast: Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce
Deadline’s takeaway: 3 Body Problem’s biggest existential threats are just how redundant it all seems, and how every...
- 3/17/2024
- by Valerie Complex, Damon Wise and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Dublin-based outfit Wildcard Distribution has picked up’s Dublin world premiere King Frankie for release in UK and Irish cinemas.
It is the feature debut of writer-director Dermot Malone and stars Bad Sisters actor Peter Coonan as a Dublin taxi driver, who runs his own taxi firm. While coming to terms with his father’s recent death and going through the associated rituals, the taxi driver comes face to face with something that happened 10 years ago. The filmmakers describe the film as “a “Celtic Tiger tale you have not seen”.
Read Screen’s King Franke review here
Dublin-based Malone has previously worked predominantly in commercials.
It is the feature debut of writer-director Dermot Malone and stars Bad Sisters actor Peter Coonan as a Dublin taxi driver, who runs his own taxi firm. While coming to terms with his father’s recent death and going through the associated rituals, the taxi driver comes face to face with something that happened 10 years ago. The filmmakers describe the film as “a “Celtic Tiger tale you have not seen”.
Read Screen’s King Franke review here
Dublin-based Malone has previously worked predominantly in commercials.
- 2/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Screen can reveal the exclusive first trailer for Johatsu – Into Thin Air, Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori’s documentary about Japan’s disappearing people.
The film will have its world premiere in the international competition at Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, which runs from March 7-17.
It will then head to Denmark’s Cph:dox for its international premiere on March 14.
Directed by Hartmann and Mori and produced by Hartmann for Ossa Film, Johatsu depicts a few of the thousands who disappear every year in Japan. Known as the Johatsu – ‘evaporated’ – they abandon their lives to start anew, sometimes with professional assistance and leaving others behind.
The film will have its world premiere in the international competition at Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, which runs from March 7-17.
It will then head to Denmark’s Cph:dox for its international premiere on March 14.
Directed by Hartmann and Mori and produced by Hartmann for Ossa Film, Johatsu depicts a few of the thousands who disappear every year in Japan. Known as the Johatsu – ‘evaporated’ – they abandon their lives to start anew, sometimes with professional assistance and leaving others behind.
- 2/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Christine Vachon doesn’t mess around. She is a film professor, best-selling film book author, wife, mother of a film marketing professional, and most of all, producer of independent films. They’re often directed by her close friend and fellow Brown alumnus Todd Haynes. She launched her career at Sundance 1991 with her first feature film, Haynes’ “Poison,” which won the Grand Jury Prize.
Since 1995, she and her producing partner Pam Koffler’s company Killer Films has steadily produced hundreds of movies and television series. Many have won prizes and nominations over the years for the likes of Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (“Carol”), but this year’s Best Picture Oscar nomination for Celine Song’s “Past Lives” is Killer’s first.
New York-based Vachon was packing her bags for the Berlin International Film Festival when we spoke on Zoom, a...
Since 1995, she and her producing partner Pam Koffler’s company Killer Films has steadily produced hundreds of movies and television series. Many have won prizes and nominations over the years for the likes of Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (“Carol”), but this year’s Best Picture Oscar nomination for Celine Song’s “Past Lives” is Killer’s first.
New York-based Vachon was packing her bags for the Berlin International Film Festival when we spoke on Zoom, a...
- 2/26/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When the news broke that Scarlett Johansson had been hired to star in Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin in 2013, a lot of people were caught off guard. After all, just a few years prior, David Fincher famously refused to cast the Lucy actress in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) because he felt she was too sexy for the role.
Well, it seems The Zone of Interest director saw something in Johansson that Fincher did not. Not only that, Glazer, 58, was proven right when Under the Skin was chosen as the best film of the year by multiple critics and publications.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
In an industry that often overlooks talent in favor of appearance, it’s refreshing to see someone like Glazer recognizing Johansson as more than just a pretty face. While she’s unquestionably one of the most beautiful actresses working today, her performance in...
Well, it seems The Zone of Interest director saw something in Johansson that Fincher did not. Not only that, Glazer, 58, was proven right when Under the Skin was chosen as the best film of the year by multiple critics and publications.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
In an industry that often overlooks talent in favor of appearance, it’s refreshing to see someone like Glazer recognizing Johansson as more than just a pretty face. While she’s unquestionably one of the most beautiful actresses working today, her performance in...
- 2/26/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Picturehouse Entertainment has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Berlinale Competition title La Cocina.
Picturehouse’s newly-announced acquisitions team James Brown and Julia Trawinska acquired the film from sales agent HanWay Films in Berlin.
La Cocina had its world premiere on Friday, February 16 in Berlin.
The black-and-white drama follows a Mexican cook in a New York tourist trap restaurant, who is in love with an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship with an undocumented alien.
Rooney Mara stars alongside Raul Briones Carmona. The film is co-financed by Fifth Season, which co-represents North America rights with WME Independent.
Picturehouse’s newly-announced acquisitions team James Brown and Julia Trawinska acquired the film from sales agent HanWay Films in Berlin.
La Cocina had its world premiere on Friday, February 16 in Berlin.
The black-and-white drama follows a Mexican cook in a New York tourist trap restaurant, who is in love with an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship with an undocumented alien.
Rooney Mara stars alongside Raul Briones Carmona. The film is co-financed by Fifth Season, which co-represents North America rights with WME Independent.
- 2/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
“La Cocina,” the Rooney Mara-starring drama that recently bowed in competition at the Berlinale, has been acquired for most international territories.
HanWay Films has closed sales for France (Originals Factory), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Spain (Avalon), Italy (Teodora Film), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Scandinavia (Mis. Label), Poland (Monolith), Romania (Bad Unicorn), Baltics (Acme), Czech Republic (Film Europe), South Korea (The Coup Inc.), Japan (Sundae), Taiwan (Filmware International), China (HiShow), Greece (Tfg), the Middle East (Front Row), Israel (Forum Film), Singapore (Shaw), Ukraine (Arthouse Traffic), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures) and Ships and Airlines (Cinesky). Before the Berlin Film Festival began, a key deal with Germany and Austria was closed with Square One Entertainment.
Variety understands that a U.K. and Ireland deal is very close to being finalized, while Fifth Season — which co-financed the film — is co-representing the North American sale with WME.
The fourth feature from one of...
HanWay Films has closed sales for France (Originals Factory), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Spain (Avalon), Italy (Teodora Film), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Scandinavia (Mis. Label), Poland (Monolith), Romania (Bad Unicorn), Baltics (Acme), Czech Republic (Film Europe), South Korea (The Coup Inc.), Japan (Sundae), Taiwan (Filmware International), China (HiShow), Greece (Tfg), the Middle East (Front Row), Israel (Forum Film), Singapore (Shaw), Ukraine (Arthouse Traffic), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures) and Ships and Airlines (Cinesky). Before the Berlin Film Festival began, a key deal with Germany and Austria was closed with Square One Entertainment.
Variety understands that a U.K. and Ireland deal is very close to being finalized, while Fifth Season — which co-financed the film — is co-representing the North American sale with WME.
The fourth feature from one of...
- 2/26/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
After two weeks of new cinema, the Berlin Film Festival comes to a close this Sunday, February 25, with its annual awards ceremony. This year’s event marks one of change, as festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian, at his post since 2018, steps down to make way for Tricia Tuttle, who will take over for next year’s outing.
This year’s Berlinale has already stirred plenty of buzz for films like Alonso Ruizpalacios’s “La Cocina,” a drama set in a New York City kitchen and starring Rooney Mara, and Tim Mielants’ opener “Small Things Like These,” starring likely Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Both films are eligible for awards, along with “Timbuktu” director Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Black Tea,” “Goodnight Mommy” filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s “The Devil’s Bath,” “The Guilty” director Gustav Möller’s “Sons,” Olivier Assayas’ “Suspended Time,” plus Aaron Schimberg’s Sundance hit “A Different Man,” and many more.
This year’s Berlinale has already stirred plenty of buzz for films like Alonso Ruizpalacios’s “La Cocina,” a drama set in a New York City kitchen and starring Rooney Mara, and Tim Mielants’ opener “Small Things Like These,” starring likely Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Both films are eligible for awards, along with “Timbuktu” director Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Black Tea,” “Goodnight Mommy” filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s “The Devil’s Bath,” “The Guilty” director Gustav Möller’s “Sons,” Olivier Assayas’ “Suspended Time,” plus Aaron Schimberg’s Sundance hit “A Different Man,” and many more.
- 2/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Berlin Film Festival kicked off its 74th edition February 15 with the opening-night world premiere screening of Small Things Like These, the Irish drama starring Oscar-nominated Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy. It started 10 days of debuts including for movies starring Rooney Mara, Isabelle Huppert, Gael García Bernal, Kristen Stewart and more.
This year’s Competition lineup features films from a swath of international filmmakers including Olivier Assayas, Mati Diop, Hong Sangsoo, Bruno Dumont and Abderrahmane Sissako.
The Berlinale runs through February 25.
Keep checking back below as Deadline reviews the best and buzziest movies of the festival. Click on the titles to read the full reviews.
Another End ‘Another End’
Section: Competition
Director: Piero Messina
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Renate Reinsve, Bérénice Bejo, Olivia Williams, Pal Aron
Deadline’s takeaway: The script, while ambitious, is laden with philosophical musings that often feel detached from the emotional core of the story. Another End...
This year’s Competition lineup features films from a swath of international filmmakers including Olivier Assayas, Mati Diop, Hong Sangsoo, Bruno Dumont and Abderrahmane Sissako.
The Berlinale runs through February 25.
Keep checking back below as Deadline reviews the best and buzziest movies of the festival. Click on the titles to read the full reviews.
Another End ‘Another End’
Section: Competition
Director: Piero Messina
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Renate Reinsve, Bérénice Bejo, Olivia Williams, Pal Aron
Deadline’s takeaway: The script, while ambitious, is laden with philosophical musings that often feel detached from the emotional core of the story. Another End...
- 2/24/2024
- by Stephanie Bunbury, Damon Wise, Pete Hammond and Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The awards ceremony for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival kicks off Saturday night, where this year’s jury, headed by 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther actress Lupita Nyong’o, will hand out the coveted Gold and Silver Bears.
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Iranian drama My Favourite Cake is being given good odds for an award this year. The drama, about a 70-year-old widow and her tentative attempts at romance with an age-appropriate taxi driver, was a critical fave. A win for the film would also send a political message after the Iranian government banned the directors from attending Berlin. If the jury picks out Cake for the Golden Bear it would be the third time in 10 years —following Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (2015) and There Is No Evil (2020) from Mohammad Rasoulof —that Berlin has given its top honor to Iranian directors in absentia. World sales for My...
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Iranian drama My Favourite Cake is being given good odds for an award this year. The drama, about a 70-year-old widow and her tentative attempts at romance with an age-appropriate taxi driver, was a critical fave. A win for the film would also send a political message after the Iranian government banned the directors from attending Berlin. If the jury picks out Cake for the Golden Bear it would be the third time in 10 years —following Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (2015) and There Is No Evil (2020) from Mohammad Rasoulof —that Berlin has given its top honor to Iranian directors in absentia. World sales for My...
- 2/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lily Gladstone made Oscar history as the first Native American to be nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” While we thought she would try her luck in the featured category, she opted to campaign in lead. Her importance to the plot suggests that she is a co-star, despite her screen-time (especially in the second half of the film and compared to that of Leonardo DiCaprio).
It isn’t often that a performance that could go supporting is campaigned as a lead, but it’s happened in the past – even the very recent past.
SEEOscar Experts say it’s Emma Stone vs. Lily Gladstone for Best Actress
Last year, Michelle Williams was at one point the odds-on favorite to win Best Supporting Actress for “The Fabelmans.” Though her reason for going lead in anyone’s guess, some suggest that...
It isn’t often that a performance that could go supporting is campaigned as a lead, but it’s happened in the past – even the very recent past.
SEEOscar Experts say it’s Emma Stone vs. Lily Gladstone for Best Actress
Last year, Michelle Williams was at one point the odds-on favorite to win Best Supporting Actress for “The Fabelmans.” Though her reason for going lead in anyone’s guess, some suggest that...
- 2/23/2024
- by Sebastian Ochoa Mendoza
- Gold Derby
The 74th Berlin International Film Festival announced the winners of the fest at the awards ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast on February 24.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
- 2/22/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
The Goonies star Josh Brolin is reportedly in negotiations to take the title role vacated by Pedro Pascal in Cregger’s ‘multi-story horror epic’.
Last year, we saw a furious bidding war between several studios vying to secure Weapons, Zach Cregger’s next film. Following the breakout success of 2022’s Barbarian, there was plenty of interest in Cregger’s follow-up project. That’s partly because the last couple of years have seen some big moves in the horror space, with each studio looking to secure popular filmmakers to work in a genre that continues to flourish, even as other types of films face a less certain future.
In the end, New Line Cinema secured Cregger’s services and it seems like the filmmaker is getting carte blanche to make whatever he wants to, with Weapons being described as a ‘multi-story horror epic’ in the expansive style of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.
Last year, we saw a furious bidding war between several studios vying to secure Weapons, Zach Cregger’s next film. Following the breakout success of 2022’s Barbarian, there was plenty of interest in Cregger’s follow-up project. That’s partly because the last couple of years have seen some big moves in the horror space, with each studio looking to secure popular filmmakers to work in a genre that continues to flourish, even as other types of films face a less certain future.
In the end, New Line Cinema secured Cregger’s services and it seems like the filmmaker is getting carte blanche to make whatever he wants to, with Weapons being described as a ‘multi-story horror epic’ in the expansive style of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.
- 2/22/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
As the European Film Market starts to unwind, the verdict is already in: Even if global economics are rocky, buyers are back and on the lookout. This week, dealmaking has been happening on both star-driven packages as well as arthouse and foreign-language movies.
In a sign that the theatrical business is rebounding, Sony just scooped a pair of splashy packages: “Materialists,” Celine Song’s follow up to “Past Lives,” and “Big Bold Beautiful Journey” starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. Another hot package, David Mackenzie’s heist thriller “Fuze,” headlined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is also close to selling. Movies competing at the Berlin Film Festival are also expected to secure U.S. deals, notably “La Cocina” starring Rooney Mara, and opening night movie “Small Things Like These” with Cillian Murphy.
Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks, which encompasses IFC Films, says he’s seen the mood of sales agents brighten...
In a sign that the theatrical business is rebounding, Sony just scooped a pair of splashy packages: “Materialists,” Celine Song’s follow up to “Past Lives,” and “Big Bold Beautiful Journey” starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. Another hot package, David Mackenzie’s heist thriller “Fuze,” headlined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is also close to selling. Movies competing at the Berlin Film Festival are also expected to secure U.S. deals, notably “La Cocina” starring Rooney Mara, and opening night movie “Small Things Like These” with Cillian Murphy.
Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks, which encompasses IFC Films, says he’s seen the mood of sales agents brighten...
- 2/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Rooney Mara is pregnant!
The 38-year-old La Cocina star is expecting her second baby with fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, People reports.
The actress attended the premiere of La Cocina at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany on Friday evening (February 16), where she cradled her growing baby bump under a long black dress.
Keep reading to find out more…
The couple quietly got engaged in 2019 after first meeting in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi drama Her. The two have a son River, who was born in 2020.
Their son’s name honors Phoenix‘s older brother, who died at age 23 in 1993, and starred in movies like Stand By Me, Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho.
Congratulations to the happy family! Find out who else is expecting in 2024.
The 38-year-old La Cocina star is expecting her second baby with fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, People reports.
The actress attended the premiere of La Cocina at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany on Friday evening (February 16), where she cradled her growing baby bump under a long black dress.
Keep reading to find out more…
The couple quietly got engaged in 2019 after first meeting in 2012 on the set of the sci-fi drama Her. The two have a son River, who was born in 2020.
Their son’s name honors Phoenix‘s older brother, who died at age 23 in 1993, and starred in movies like Stand By Me, Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho.
Congratulations to the happy family! Find out who else is expecting in 2024.
- 2/18/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Rooney Mara is a renowned actress known for her excellent work in selective projects. She picks her roles wisely and never misses a chance to nail them. She has been nominated for several top awards, like the Oscars, BAFTA, and Golden Globes.
Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Mara wasn’t well-known at the start of her career, but everything changed in 2010. She grabbed headlines when she got cast in David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011.
She has also starred in some standout films like Her (2013), Carol (2015), Lion (2016), and Nightmare Alley (2021). The actress has learned from tough experiences that it’s best not to clash with directors. She values collaborating with them and trusts their vision for the project.
Suggested“I’m just not going to act anymore”: Rooney Mara Almost Quit Acting Before She Met David Fincher,...
Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Mara wasn’t well-known at the start of her career, but everything changed in 2010. She grabbed headlines when she got cast in David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011.
She has also starred in some standout films like Her (2013), Carol (2015), Lion (2016), and Nightmare Alley (2021). The actress has learned from tough experiences that it’s best not to clash with directors. She values collaborating with them and trusts their vision for the project.
Suggested“I’m just not going to act anymore”: Rooney Mara Almost Quit Acting Before She Met David Fincher,...
- 2/18/2024
- by Shreya Jha
- FandomWire
It was when Alonso Ruizpalacios was in London working as a dishwasher at the (now-extinct) Rainforest Cafe that he came up with the idea for La Cocina.
“I was a drama student and I’d just read the [1957] play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker and to make the work — which is tough, monotonous and very, very hard — bearable, I’d look at it through the creative lens of the play. If you see how a kitchen works, you realize it is much like the world, like [how] society works. Wesker says for Shakespeare all the world is a stage, whereas for him all the world is a kitchen.”
It was decades later, after success with Mexican films like Museo and A Cop Movie, that Ruizpalacios came back to the idea, taking The Kitchen as the jumping-off point for his English-language debut, transferring the action from late-’50s London to modern-day New York.
“I was a drama student and I’d just read the [1957] play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker and to make the work — which is tough, monotonous and very, very hard — bearable, I’d look at it through the creative lens of the play. If you see how a kitchen works, you realize it is much like the world, like [how] society works. Wesker says for Shakespeare all the world is a stage, whereas for him all the world is a kitchen.”
It was decades later, after success with Mexican films like Museo and A Cop Movie, that Ruizpalacios came back to the idea, taking The Kitchen as the jumping-off point for his English-language debut, transferring the action from late-’50s London to modern-day New York.
- 2/18/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rooney Mara is hard at work promoting her new movie La Cocina at the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival on Friday (February 16) in Berlin, Germany.
The 38-year-old actress attended a photocall for the movie at the Grand Hyatt Hotel before changing into a new look for the premiere at the Berlinale Palast.
At the photocall, Rooney wore a black suit over a matching shirt and slicked her hair back into a sleek bun.
Keep reading to find out more…
She changed into a strapless, floor-length gown with an empire waist while posing for photos on the red carpet.
This marks the first time that we’ve seen Rooney on the red carpet since November when she attended the premiere of her partner Joaquin Phoenix‘s movie Napoleon.
The couple met on the set of Her in 2013 and have been together since. They welcomed their first child – a son named River...
The 38-year-old actress attended a photocall for the movie at the Grand Hyatt Hotel before changing into a new look for the premiere at the Berlinale Palast.
At the photocall, Rooney wore a black suit over a matching shirt and slicked her hair back into a sleek bun.
Keep reading to find out more…
She changed into a strapless, floor-length gown with an empire waist while posing for photos on the red carpet.
This marks the first time that we’ve seen Rooney on the red carpet since November when she attended the premiere of her partner Joaquin Phoenix‘s movie Napoleon.
The couple met on the set of Her in 2013 and have been together since. They welcomed their first child – a son named River...
- 2/18/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Actress Rooney Mara says some “bad experiences” made her choose projects based on the director. “I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” Rooney said, when asked about her process for selecting films, reports variety.com.
Rooney was having a conversation at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film ‘La Cocina’.
“I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
Rooney stars in ‘La Cocina’, directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, which follows the staff of a New York City restaurant as their kitchen descends into chaos. Ruizpalacios was on hand on Friday for the press conference,...
Rooney was having a conversation at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film ‘La Cocina’.
“I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
Rooney stars in ‘La Cocina’, directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, which follows the staff of a New York City restaurant as their kitchen descends into chaos. Ruizpalacios was on hand on Friday for the press conference,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Egos are charred and tempers seared in La Cocina, a kitchen nightmare set in the engine rooms of a vast Times Square eatery where the staff have more pressing things to worry about than rising temperatures. Take Pedro, a hardened and still-undocumented line cook whose outbursts of ideology can only mask his resentments and vulnerability for so long. Then there’s Julia (Rooney Mara), who is carrying Pedro’s unborn child, hiding her morning sickness in the staff room and planning to sneak out on break to get an abortion. And then there’s Estela (Anna Diaz), our eyes and ears: fresh off the proverbial boat, with barely a word of English, asking strangers on the subway how to get to 45th street before being unceremoniously tossed into a lunch shift that soon resembles The Raft of the Medusa, adrift on a sea of Cherry Coke.
The director of this lively tableaux is Alonso Ruizpalacios,...
The director of this lively tableaux is Alonso Ruizpalacios,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Labyrinthine corridors connect the sprawling worlds within The Grill, a traditional eatery by the hustle and bustle of Times Square in “La Cocina.” Open one door, and you are in the kitchen, a boiler room of rage and frustration tamed only by the often frail bonds of camaraderie; turn a corner, and you’re spat straight onto the busy restaurant floor, where waitresses in matching outfits move like a ballet between tables occupied with birthday boys and men as foreign to politeness as hawks are to the sea.
Continue reading ‘La Cocina’ Review: ‘The Bear’ Meets Romeo & Juliet In Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Sharp Migration Drama Starring Rooney Mara [Berlinale] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘La Cocina’ Review: ‘The Bear’ Meets Romeo & Juliet In Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Sharp Migration Drama Starring Rooney Mara [Berlinale] at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2024
- by Rafaela Sales Ross
- The Playlist
If “the kitchen as war zone” has become a veritable sub-genre unto itself, Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina” is the closest thing it has to its own “Gallipoli.” The trenches are made out of stainless steel instead of rotten wood, and the steady bombardment of orders comes with a greater threat of deportation than it does that of immediate death, but a job at The Grill just outside of Times Square is no less dehumanizing than a deployment along the frontlines at Suvla Bay, and it comes without any of the same hope for glory.
On the contrary, the soul-crushing system that compels undocumented immigrants to do this kind of work depends upon keeping them out of sight; not only from Ice, but also from the tourists who can only enjoy their rubber-fried lunch because they don’t have to look at the labor that went into making it. Capitalism is...
On the contrary, the soul-crushing system that compels undocumented immigrants to do this kind of work depends upon keeping them out of sight; not only from Ice, but also from the tourists who can only enjoy their rubber-fried lunch because they don’t have to look at the labor that went into making it. Capitalism is...
- 2/16/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios has had a winning record coming to the Berlin Film Festival since 2013, when his film Gueros took the Best First Feature prize. Five years later he was back with his second, the sensational museum-heist film Museo, and deservedly won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. His third, A Cop Movie, which plays with the traditional docu form by using actors, won Best Documentary at Mexico’s Golden Ariel Awards.
Ruizpalacios belongs in the same league as iconic current Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and particularly Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose cinematic style seems closest to what Ruizpalacios has been doing. His latest trip to Berlin, La Cocina, reinforces the thrilling talent of this singular filmmaker who for the first time has shot a film using both Spanish and English. It features American star Rooney Mara as well as a stunning, uninhibited, shoot-for-the-stars turn from Raul Briones,...
Ruizpalacios belongs in the same league as iconic current Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and particularly Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose cinematic style seems closest to what Ruizpalacios has been doing. His latest trip to Berlin, La Cocina, reinforces the thrilling talent of this singular filmmaker who for the first time has shot a film using both Spanish and English. It features American star Rooney Mara as well as a stunning, uninhibited, shoot-for-the-stars turn from Raul Briones,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Before demonstrating himself to be one of Mexico’s most original and exciting new filmmaking talents, Alonso Ruizpalacios washed dishes in a bustling big-city kitchen. That experience informs every second of the “Museo” director’s fourth feature, “La Cocina,” a thrilling in-spirit adaptation of Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play “The Kitchen,” transposed from midcentury London to modern-day New York.
A chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura. The setting is in the guts of a high-volume midtown Manhattan restaurant called The Grill — a hectic pressure cooker where personal and professional concerns come to a boil.
The food looks edible at best, and a lot less enticing after we’ve witnessed the commotion that goes into preparing it. In Ruizpalacios’ version, practically the entire staff — not Rooney Mara’s pregnant waitress, but the ones touching the food,...
A chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura. The setting is in the guts of a high-volume midtown Manhattan restaurant called The Grill — a hectic pressure cooker where personal and professional concerns come to a boil.
The food looks edible at best, and a lot less enticing after we’ve witnessed the commotion that goes into preparing it. In Ruizpalacios’ version, practically the entire staff — not Rooney Mara’s pregnant waitress, but the ones touching the food,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Ok, we’ve been through this one before, but let’s recap. In late fall of 2022, an incredible project was announced worth of our Most Anticipated Films Of The Year list, but perhaps more for 2025. Renowned Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, known for critically acclaimed and celebrated dramas like “Ida” and “Cold War” was teaming up with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara for a movie titled, “The Island.
Continue reading Rooney Mara & Joaquin Phoenix Remain “Committed” To Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘The Island,” But Unsure About A Production Start at The Playlist.
Continue reading Rooney Mara & Joaquin Phoenix Remain “Committed” To Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘The Island,” But Unsure About A Production Start at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Rooney Mara has become increasingly selective with her roles, often prioritizing projects from A-list auteurs and taking long hiatuses when the right films don’t materialize. At the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film “La Cocina” (via Variety), Mara attributed some of her choosiness to her insistence on working with directors she trusts.
“I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” Mara said when asked about her criteria for selecting roles. “I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
“La Cocina” is directed by “A Cop Movie” filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios, whom Mara...
“I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” Mara said when asked about her criteria for selecting roles. “I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
“La Cocina” is directed by “A Cop Movie” filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios, whom Mara...
- 2/16/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Rooney Mara is in London this weekend to promote her new film “La Cocina,” Alonso Ruizpalacios‘ restaurant drama that has its world premiere at the Berlinale today. And during an audience Q&a, the actress had updates on a couple of other upcoming projects she’s involved in. Bad news for one of those, as Deadline reports that Luca Guadagnino is no longer attached to direct an Aubrey Hepburn biopic for Apple starring Mara as the iconic actress.
Continue reading Rooney Mara Says Luca Guadagnino Won’t Direct Aubrey Hepburn Biopic, But Project Not Dead at The Playlist.
Continue reading Rooney Mara Says Luca Guadagnino Won’t Direct Aubrey Hepburn Biopic, But Project Not Dead at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Rooney Mara says she chooses movie projects these days based on who is seated in the director’s chair and has been doing so for some time.
“For me, I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” the Women Talking and Girl With a Dragon Tattoo actor said Friday when explaining how she ended up starring in director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ English-language debut, La Cocina, which bowed at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday.
The two-time Oscar nominee plays a waitress at a high-stress Manhattan restaurant where she strikes up a relationship with a backroom cook, played by Raúl Briones. “I had some bad experiences as an actor,” Mara continued.
So it took her role in David Fincher’s The Social Network, where she played Erica Albright, to restore her faith in acting. “It was the first time I worked with David Fincher and I realized follow the director.
“For me, I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” the Women Talking and Girl With a Dragon Tattoo actor said Friday when explaining how she ended up starring in director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ English-language debut, La Cocina, which bowed at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday.
The two-time Oscar nominee plays a waitress at a high-stress Manhattan restaurant where she strikes up a relationship with a backroom cook, played by Raúl Briones. “I had some bad experiences as an actor,” Mara continued.
So it took her role in David Fincher’s The Social Network, where she played Erica Albright, to restore her faith in acting. “It was the first time I worked with David Fincher and I realized follow the director.
- 2/16/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After some “bad experiences,” Rooney Mara chooses her projects based on the director, she said at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film “La Cocina.”
“I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” Mara said when asked her process for selecting films. “I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
Mara stars in “La Cocina,” directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, which follows the staff of a New York City restaurant as their kitchen descends into chaos. Ruizpalacios was on hand on Friday for the press conference, in addition to actors Raúl Briones Carmona...
“I really go by the director. I learned that pretty early,” Mara said when asked her process for selecting films. “I had some bad experiences as an actor. And then I think it was probably after the first time I worked with David Fincher that I was like, ‘Oh, follow the director.’ So I really make my choices based on the filmmaker and who I want to work with because at the end of the day, it’s all them.”
Mara stars in “La Cocina,” directed and written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, which follows the staff of a New York City restaurant as their kitchen descends into chaos. Ruizpalacios was on hand on Friday for the press conference, in addition to actors Raúl Briones Carmona...
- 2/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
“It’s about a whole bunch of things,” Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios says when quizzed on the subject of his latest feature, La Cocina, debuting this evening at the Berlin Film Festival. “In equal parts, it explores the topic of work, the American dream, the failure of the American dream, and abortion rights. That’s a really tough question as a director.”
Ruizpalacios has a point. Starring Rooney Mara and shot in a crisp digital black-and-white, La Cocina is hard to define. Running just short of two-and-a-half hours, the pic is a complex and formally ambitious tale, perhaps best described as a tragicomedy, set in a deathly busy New York City restaurant called The Grill.
The film opens during the lunch rush at The Grill, where, to the fury of the restaurant management, money has gone missing from the till. As a result, all the undocumented cooks are now subject...
Ruizpalacios has a point. Starring Rooney Mara and shot in a crisp digital black-and-white, La Cocina is hard to define. Running just short of two-and-a-half hours, the pic is a complex and formally ambitious tale, perhaps best described as a tragicomedy, set in a deathly busy New York City restaurant called The Grill.
The film opens during the lunch rush at The Grill, where, to the fury of the restaurant management, money has gone missing from the till. As a result, all the undocumented cooks are now subject...
- 2/16/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Inspired by Arnold Wesker’s 1957 stage play, “The Kitchen,” Alonso Ruizpalacios’ “La Cocina” dives deep into the bowels of the industrial-size kitchen of a restaurant in New York City’s Times Square where food is churned out to serve throngs of diners, mostly tourists.
For Ruizpalacios, whose feature debut, “Güeros,” won the best first feature award at the Berlinale nearly 10 years ago, “La Cocina” (“The Kitchen”) is basically an anti-food-porn movie. “I wanted to show the other side of the food industry where expediency is more important than the quality of the food. It’s a metaphor for corporate capitalism,” he says.
The story takes place at the fictional The Grill in Manhattan, where cash has gone missing from the register. All the undocumented cooks, hailing from a diversity of countries, are placed under scrutiny, particularly Pedro (Raúl Briones), who is already on the line for his troublemaking.
Pedro is...
For Ruizpalacios, whose feature debut, “Güeros,” won the best first feature award at the Berlinale nearly 10 years ago, “La Cocina” (“The Kitchen”) is basically an anti-food-porn movie. “I wanted to show the other side of the food industry where expediency is more important than the quality of the food. It’s a metaphor for corporate capitalism,” he says.
The story takes place at the fictional The Grill in Manhattan, where cash has gone missing from the register. All the undocumented cooks, hailing from a diversity of countries, are placed under scrutiny, particularly Pedro (Raúl Briones), who is already on the line for his troublemaking.
Pedro is...
- 2/16/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The build-up to the 74th Berlin Film Festival has been highly politicized, and the international jury press conference Thursday morning was no different.
Lupita Nyong’o presides over the International Competition jury, whose members include American actor and filmmaker Brady Corbet, Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui, German director Christian Petzold, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
This wasn’t like most jury press conferences, however, with members drawn into multiple — occasionally testy — discussions about their own political stances on events in Ukraine, Gaza and Germany.
Russia’s war in Ukraine was a central topic, with multiple journalists asking Serra about a 2018 interview in which he supposedly expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin. Serra was asked whether he had changed his mind on Putin since the war:
“I don’t know,” said the director. “This is a political question. Everyone is upset with Russia right now.
Lupita Nyong’o presides over the International Competition jury, whose members include American actor and filmmaker Brady Corbet, Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui, German director Christian Petzold, Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Italian actress Jasmine Trinca and Ukrainian novelist and poet Oksana Zabuzhko.
This wasn’t like most jury press conferences, however, with members drawn into multiple — occasionally testy — discussions about their own political stances on events in Ukraine, Gaza and Germany.
Russia’s war in Ukraine was a central topic, with multiple journalists asking Serra about a 2018 interview in which he supposedly expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin. Serra was asked whether he had changed his mind on Putin since the war:
“I don’t know,” said the director. “This is a political question. Everyone is upset with Russia right now.
- 2/15/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: HanWay Films has closed a Germany & Austria pre-sale on Berlinale competition title La Cocina with SquareOne Entertainment.
From Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie), and starring two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (The Girl with Dragon Tattoo) and Mexican star Raúl Briones (A Cop Movie), the love story is set over one day in a Times Square kitchen.
The deal was negotiated by SquareOne Entertainment‘s Head of Acquisitions Thomas Sierk with Vinh-Minh Nguyen and CEO Al Munteanu, and Nicole Mackey, Head of Sales at HanWay Films.
Fifth Season has co-financed the film and is co-representing North America with WME.
The film’s synopsis reads: “It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with...
From Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie), and starring two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (The Girl with Dragon Tattoo) and Mexican star Raúl Briones (A Cop Movie), the love story is set over one day in a Times Square kitchen.
The deal was negotiated by SquareOne Entertainment‘s Head of Acquisitions Thomas Sierk with Vinh-Minh Nguyen and CEO Al Munteanu, and Nicole Mackey, Head of Sales at HanWay Films.
Fifth Season has co-financed the film and is co-representing North America with WME.
The film’s synopsis reads: “It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with...
- 2/14/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Battered by disappointing markets at Toronto and AFM, both of which were held under the shadow of the actors strike, buyers and sellers are looking to Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), which runs Feb. 15-21, to re-energize the indie business. The outlook, coming out of Sundance, is good.
“The difference in Sundance from last year to this was extreme, there were a lot more deals being down, both by distributors and streamers,” says Janina Vislmaier, head of sales at Protagonist Pictures, which screened The Outrun with Saoirse Ronan and Sasquatch Sunset with Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg in Park City, both of which will screen at the EFM. “Everyone is really excited ahead of Berlin, especially because all the buyers are back, including from Asia, which is a really good sign.”
The end of the SAG and WGA strikes hasn’t, yet, delivered the flood of new projects and packages many had predicted,...
“The difference in Sundance from last year to this was extreme, there were a lot more deals being down, both by distributors and streamers,” says Janina Vislmaier, head of sales at Protagonist Pictures, which screened The Outrun with Saoirse Ronan and Sasquatch Sunset with Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg in Park City, both of which will screen at the EFM. “Everyone is really excited ahead of Berlin, especially because all the buyers are back, including from Asia, which is a really good sign.”
The end of the SAG and WGA strikes hasn’t, yet, delivered the flood of new projects and packages many had predicted,...
- 2/13/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Double Oscar-nominee Rooney Mara is all wrapped up, literally, with her co-star Raúl Briones in her new film, La Cocina. In it, the English-language debut of Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie, Museo), Mara plays Julia, an American waitress working the high-stress lunch rush in the Manhattan restaurant The Grill, whose relationship with undocumented Mexican grill cook Pedro (Briones) is about to be put to the test.
The official posters for the film, exclusively revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, show the Women Talking and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo actress back-to-back with Briones, bound together by a seemingly unending ticker tape of lunch orders. In the bottom corner, a loose lobster appears to be making a break for freedom.
A second poster shows Mara cleaning the glass of the lobster tank while Briones looks on. Submerged inside the tank is a mini Statute of Liberty, symbolic of the (broken?...
The official posters for the film, exclusively revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, show the Women Talking and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo actress back-to-back with Briones, bound together by a seemingly unending ticker tape of lunch orders. In the bottom corner, a loose lobster appears to be making a break for freedom.
A second poster shows Mara cleaning the glass of the lobster tank while Briones looks on. Submerged inside the tank is a mini Statute of Liberty, symbolic of the (broken?...
- 2/8/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Claire Denis, Leox Carax, Jim Sheridan, Atom Egoyan and Martin Hernandez will be the Masters for the 10th edition of Qumra, the Doha Film Institute’s annual incubator event.
The four directors plus sound designer and editor Hernandez will discuss their careers in individual talks with the Qumra delegates.
This year’s Qumra will run from March 1-6, with the 10th edition a key milestone for a Middle Eastern film event.
“As the Arab world’s first-of-its-kind talent incubator, Qumra has served as the preeminent platform for emerging talents to give their projects a distinct advantage through invaluable networking sessions with leading industry professionals,...
The four directors plus sound designer and editor Hernandez will discuss their careers in individual talks with the Qumra delegates.
This year’s Qumra will run from March 1-6, with the 10th edition a key milestone for a Middle Eastern film event.
“As the Arab world’s first-of-its-kind talent incubator, Qumra has served as the preeminent platform for emerging talents to give their projects a distinct advantage through invaluable networking sessions with leading industry professionals,...
- 2/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
Berlin has unveiled the international jury for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which runs Feb. 15-25.
The 2024 jury will include U.S. director Brady Corbet (Vox Lux), Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui (Summer Snow), Berlinale regular Christian Petzold (Afire, Undine), Spanish director Albert Serra (Pacification), Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (The Son’s Room) and the Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko.
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Black Panther) will serve as president of the International Jury.
The four-woman, three-man jury will screen the competition titles at this year’s Berlinale and select the winners of the 2024 festival, including the Golden Bear for best film. The winners of the 74th Berlinale will be announced live at a gala ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Petzold is probably the most familiar face for Berlinale audiences. The German director has had 6 films in competition in Berlin, most recently Afire, which won...
The 2024 jury will include U.S. director Brady Corbet (Vox Lux), Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui (Summer Snow), Berlinale regular Christian Petzold (Afire, Undine), Spanish director Albert Serra (Pacification), Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (The Son’s Room) and the Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko.
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Black Panther) will serve as president of the International Jury.
The four-woman, three-man jury will screen the competition titles at this year’s Berlinale and select the winners of the 2024 festival, including the Golden Bear for best film. The winners of the 74th Berlinale will be announced live at a gala ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Petzold is probably the most familiar face for Berlinale audiences. The German director has had 6 films in competition in Berlin, most recently Afire, which won...
- 2/1/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The upcoming 74th Berlin Film Festival looks set to be its starriest edition in years with Kristen Stewart, Adam Sandler, Cillian Murphy, Lena Dunham, Sebastian Stan, Amanda Seyfried and Rooney Mara among the talent due to attend this year.
Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian confirmed the actors’ presence in an interview with Deadline following the festival’s official press conference on Monday.
“Yes. All the stars we have invited are expected to be here and have confirmed their presence,” he said, when quizzed on the above names. “I think the glamor aspect on the red carpet is a good one this year.”
Most are attending in movies due to be showcased in the Berlinale Special Gala line-up.
Stewart, who was at the festival last year as jury president, returns for the Berlinale Special Gala screening of Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone.
Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian confirmed the actors’ presence in an interview with Deadline following the festival’s official press conference on Monday.
“Yes. All the stars we have invited are expected to be here and have confirmed their presence,” he said, when quizzed on the above names. “I think the glamor aspect on the red carpet is a good one this year.”
Most are attending in movies due to be showcased in the Berlinale Special Gala line-up.
Stewart, who was at the festival last year as jury president, returns for the Berlinale Special Gala screening of Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone.
- 1/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: HanWay Films will represent international sales at next month’s EFM on Berlinale Competition title La Cocina. Fifth Season co-financed the film and is co-representing North America with WME.
Two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (Carol) stars in the movie which is set over one day in a Times Square kitchen. Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios (Güeros) directs and Raúl Briones (A Cop Movie) co-stars.
The film’s synopsis reads: “It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, The Grills owner, has promised to help Pedro with his papers so he can “become legal”. But a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral...
Two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (Carol) stars in the movie which is set over one day in a Times Square kitchen. Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios (Güeros) directs and Raúl Briones (A Cop Movie) co-stars.
The film’s synopsis reads: “It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, The Grills owner, has promised to help Pedro with his papers so he can “become legal”. But a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral...
- 1/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Cillian Murphy In Small Things Like These Photo: Courtesy of Berlinale Films featuring Stephen Fry, Rooney Mara, Cillian Murphy and Gael Garcia Bernal are in the line-up for this year’s Berlin Film Festival, which was announced today.
The festival will open on February 15 with the world premiere of Small Things Like These, based on the historical bestseller by Irish author Clare Keegan and adapted by Enda Walsh. Directed by Belgian Tim Mielants, it stars Murphy as a coal merchant who makes shocking discoveries about the Magdalene Laundries. A Cop Movie director Alonso Ruizpalacious returns with La Cocina, which sees Mara playing a waitress at a restaurant who is in a romantic entanglement with Garcia Bernal’s cook Pedro, who becomes the chief suspect in a theft from the till. It will compete for the Golden Bear. From the US, A Different Man will compete after it's premiere at Sundance this week.
The festival will open on February 15 with the world premiere of Small Things Like These, based on the historical bestseller by Irish author Clare Keegan and adapted by Enda Walsh. Directed by Belgian Tim Mielants, it stars Murphy as a coal merchant who makes shocking discoveries about the Magdalene Laundries. A Cop Movie director Alonso Ruizpalacious returns with La Cocina, which sees Mara playing a waitress at a restaurant who is in a romantic entanglement with Garcia Bernal’s cook Pedro, who becomes the chief suspect in a theft from the till. It will compete for the Golden Bear. From the US, A Different Man will compete after it's premiere at Sundance this week.
- 1/22/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
For his fifth and final edition, outgoing Berlin Film Festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian has assembled a promising lineup, rich in prestige, star-driven titles as well as more eclectic films containing the political elements intrinsic to the fest’s DNA.
“I am very happy and proud of this year’s lineup,” Chatrian tells Variety. “I think it achieved the balance between highly anticipated titles by filmmakers who are relevant in cinema history and, as always, films that you don’t expect to find in competition. At the same time I know that expectations can be a double-edged sword.”
The 74th annual Berlinale, held Feb. 15-25, will feature such films as “La Cocina” with Rooney Mara; sci-fi drama “Another End” with Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve; and the historical drama “Small Things Like These” starring “Oppenheimer’s” Cillian Murphy.
Chatrian spoke with Variety to break down the lineup that looks...
“I am very happy and proud of this year’s lineup,” Chatrian tells Variety. “I think it achieved the balance between highly anticipated titles by filmmakers who are relevant in cinema history and, as always, films that you don’t expect to find in competition. At the same time I know that expectations can be a double-edged sword.”
The 74th annual Berlinale, held Feb. 15-25, will feature such films as “La Cocina” with Rooney Mara; sci-fi drama “Another End” with Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve; and the historical drama “Small Things Like These” starring “Oppenheimer’s” Cillian Murphy.
Chatrian spoke with Variety to break down the lineup that looks...
- 1/22/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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