The photographic excellence of The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Maria, Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu, and Wicked were cited in the marquee Theatrical Feature Film category as the American Society of Cinematographers announced nominees Thursday morning for the 39th Annual ASC Awards. The ASC Awards span features, documentaries, television, and music videos among its seven categories, with these nominations delayed a week due to the Los Angeles wildfire crisis.

This feature lineup is packed with awards season favorites, including cinematographers Lol Crawley for The Brutalist, Greig Fraser for Dune: Part Two, and Jarin Blaschke for Nosferatu. Last year’s ASC feature winner, Hoyte van Hoytema for Oppenheimer, went on to win the Academy Award. The ASC winner has claimed that year’s Oscar 18 times in 38 years, or a smidgen less than half the time.

The number of nominees in the feature category — seven this time — can vary between five and...

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the Oscar-nominated director of “Amelie,” will direct Leïla Bekhti in the bigscreen adaptation of Changer l’eau des fleurs, a bestselling novel by Valérie Perrin which has sold more than two million copies in France and Italy.

The movie will start shooting in May and is produced by Italy’s Palomar and France’s 24 25 Films, both Mediawan Group companies.

Bekhti, whose notable credits include the Cesar-nominated “All Your Faces” and Damien Chazelle’s “The Eddy,” will play the lead role, Violette Toussaint, a beloved cemetery caretaker.

“Passers-by and regulars come to warm themselves in her home, where laughter and tears mingle between cups of coffee. Her daily routine is punctuated by their confidences. One day, a man knocks on her door. His name is Julien Seul and he is a police commissioner who has questions about a couple resting in the cemetery. His investigation begins and the links between...

Jasmin Savoy Brown is heading back to Woodsboro.

I can exclusively report that Brown will return as Mindy Meeks-Martin in “Scream 7.” Brown joins Mason Gooding, who plays Mindy’s brother Chad, in the seventh installment of the beloved horror franchise.

Mindy is the first queer character in the franchise.

The movie is currently shooting in Atlanta, with Kevin Williamson directing. “Scream” veterans Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox have also returned as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers. It was recently announced that Joel McHale is playing Sidney’s husband.

“Scream 7” is slated to release in theaters on Feb. 27, 2026. Paramount Pictures will distribute the film, which Spyglass Media is producing.

Williamson posted a behind-the-scenes photo on Instagram Jan. 9 to mark the start of filming. “I’m not supposed to post about Scream and I hope @spyglassmediagr and @paramountpics will forgive me but when you have one of the best days...

After some confusion, Ridley Scott confirmed he’ll make his sci-fi pic “The Dog Stars“ (now starring Jacob Elordi instead of Paul Mescal) ahead of his Bee Gees biopic. And if Scott gets his way, he’ll shoot both projects this year. But why will fans of the disco-era supergroup need to wait a bit longer for that film to reach theaters?

Read More: Ridley Scott Wants To Make 2 Films This Year

IndieWire (via GQ) has the scoop there, and it comes down to dilly-dallying on the part of Paramount.

Continue reading Ridley Scott Explains Why He’ll Shoot ‘The Dog Stars’ Before His Bee Gees Biopic: Paramount “Changed The Goalposts” at The Playlist.

Greta Lee (“Past Lives”) and Wagner Moura (“Civil War”) are set to star in Louis Leterrier’s Sci-Fi Thriller “11817” for Netflix.

Leterrier is directing from a script written by Matthew Robinson.

“11817” follows a family of four who are suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out, and they must work to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat that is keeping them trapped.

“Directing projects where the audience gets behind the characters has always been my focus. However complex, flawed, heroic, we identify with them as we live through their journey,” Leterrier previously said in a statement. “It’s what excites me about ‘11817’s’ wholly original concept and the family at the heart of our story. This is an experience that movie audiences won’t forget.”

Leterrier is also producing the project along with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Kori Adelson for Chernin Entertainment,...

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) unveiled its 2025 Awards nominees on Thursday, honoring an eclectic slate of films poised to dominate this year’s Oscar race.

Among the 10 nominees for the coveted Darryl F. Zanuck Award for outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures are Sean Baker’s poignant dramedy “Anora,” Brady Corbet’s meticulously crafted historical epic “The Brutalist,” Edward Berger’s religious thriller “Conclave,” Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending musical “Emilia Pérez” and Jon M. Chu’s glittering adaptation of “Wicked.”

Perhaps the most unexpected entry in this year’s list is Tim Fehlbaum’s indie thriller “September 5.” The high-stakes dystopian drama, acquired by Paramount Pictures after generating buzz at Venice and Telluride, edged out high-profile contenders like RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” and Greg Kwedar’s prison drama “Sing Sing.” The nod for “September 5” marks a significant moment for the underdog film, which now finds itself in the best picture conversation.

The plot — and the Scream 7 cast — thickens! Just a few short weeks ago, we brought you news that Scream 3 star Patrick Dempsey would be keen to return to the iconic slasher series as Sidney Prescott's homicide detective husband Mark Kincaid. And today we've learned that when Neve Campbell's final girl returns to Woodsboro in Scream VII, she will indeed be bringing her husband Mark with her... only, it's not that Mark. Per Deadline's reporting, Community star Joel McHale is the latest actor to join director Kevin Williamson's horror sequel, and he'll be playing Sidney Prescott's husband Mark — Mark Evans.

According to Deadline, McHale is already out in Atlanta where shooting's already underway on the latest Scream, a movie that's already had to overcome the departure of both of its predecessors' leads and its original director to finally get production up and running. We don't know what the...

The Indian theatrical release of “Santosh,” which landed on the Oscars’ international feature shortlist, has been delayed due to an unexpected holdup at India’s Central Board of Film Certification (Cbfc).

The film, which was directed by Sandhya Suri and was the U.K. entry to the Oscars’ international feature category, was acquired by PVR Inox Pictures in December.

Currently on release in Los Angeles, the movie follows Santosh, a widow who inherits her deceased husband’s position as a police constable in rural north India. The narrative centers on her involvement in investigating the murder of an underage girl from a marginalized caste community, alongside a feminist police inspector named Sharma.

The Jan. 10 release was suspended after the film failed to receive certification clearance, despite having previously secured script approval to shoot in India and Indian government production incentives. The production team is currently awaiting detailed feedback regarding the Cbfc’s concerns.

Kino Lorber, a New York-based distribution company specialized in arthouse movies, world cinema and classics, has appointed Karoliina Dwyer as vice president of acquisitions.

In her role, Dwyer will oversee film acquisitions for the company across theatrical releases, pay-vod and partner licensing opportunities, as well as Kino Lorber’s own Kino Film Collection streaming service.

Dwyer will report to chief revenue officer Lisa Schwartz, whose team also includes Nicholas Kemp, senior VP of theatrical distribution and marketing; Rebecca Winter, VP of partnerships and platform management; and George Schmalz, VP of repertory and international distribution.

Originally from Finland, Dwyer joins Kino Lorber from The Yellow Affair, a New York, London and Helsinki-based world sales agent where she has served as CEO since 2018.

Dwyer began her career working in development and production, and she has also consulted on international sales and distribution for several organizations including Tribeca Film Festival and Kino Lorber,...

Netflix and Greta Gerwig have reached terms with IMAX about its theatrical window for “Narnia.” But Variety reports it’s not the full four weeks speculated about months ago. Instead, it’s for two weeks: not as long as Gerwig hoped, but an unprecedented decision for the streamer.

Read More: ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’ Producer Says Greta Gerwig Has “A Very New Take” That’s “All About Rock ‘N’ Roll”

The IMAX run for “Narnia” begins on Thanksgiving Day 2026 and run for two weeks, with Gerwig’s film getting an additional two weeks in other theaters before its premiere on Netflix on Christmas the same year.

Continue reading ‘Narnia’: Netflix Grants Greta Gerwig’s Upcoming Film A 2-Week IMAX Theatrical Window at The Playlist.

This post contains spoilers for "Severance" season 2, episode 1, "Hello, Ms. Cobel."

After delivering one of the best season finales of all time, "Severance" is finally back. A pair of industry-shaking strikes likely contributed to a nearly three-year delay between seasons, but I found the acclaimed Apple TV+ science fiction series as intriguing as ever in its season 2 premiere. Showrunner and creator Dan Erickson, director and executive producer Ben Stiller, and the rest of the show's creative team take their time depicting some of the consequences of that incredibly tense finale episode, and even toy with the audience by giving us a little fake-out scenario featuring a whole new team for Mark S. (Adam Scott) to deal with in the Microdata Refinement department of Lumon Industries. But about halfway through the episode, Mark reunites with his co-workers from the first season -- Helly R. (Britt Lower), Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), and Irving B.

David Lynch revolutionized cinema — and now, Hollywood is paying tribute to the legendary auteur, who died Thursday at the age of 78.

Lynch made his feature debut in 1977 with “Eraserhead,” and his expansive career included features “Mulholland Drive,” “Dune,” and “Blue Velvet,” as well as iconic series “Twin Peaks.” Lynch’s family confirmed on social media that he died at age 78.

“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time,” the statement reads. “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

Lynch announced in August 2024 that he was diagnosed with emphysema. However, he told...

Be For Films (“Anais in Love”) has boarded international sales rights to “The Incredible Snow Woman,” a Greenland-set movie headlined by popular French comedian Blanche Gardin, ahead of the its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Helmed by Sebastien Betbeder (“Inupiluk”), the movie stars Gardin as Coline Morel, a one-of-a-kind explorer and expert on the Great North. The cast is completed by Cesar-winning Philippe Katerine (“Sink or Swim”) and Bastien Bouillon (“The Night of the 12th”), Ole Eliassen (“Journey to Greenland”) and Martin Jensen.

In “The Incredible Snow Woman,” Coline Morel (Gardin) “turns up unannounced in her native village in the Jura mountains to visit her two brothers Basile and Lolo, whom she hasn’t seen in years. While there, she stumbles upon Christophe, her first love, a wholly unexpected encounter; learns that she’s been fired; and is dumped by her boyfriend. Utterly confused and unable to reveal...

What does Spike Lee have up next after “Highest 2 Lowest,” his remake of Akira Kurosawa‘s “High And Low,” hits theaters this Spring? Deadline reports it might be another military dramedy in the style of his 2020 film “Da 5 Bloods.”

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025

Lee will develop “Liberty,” about a group of military cadet’s crazy night in NYC during Fleet Week, with writers Rebecca Murga and Jalysa Conway; he’ll produce the project, too, and possibly direct it.

Continue reading ‘Liberty’: Spike Lee To Develop Upcoming Military Dramedy, May Also Direct at The Playlist.

As sympathy pours in for the devastated families and businesses scattered around fire-ravaged Los Angeles, resentment is creeping toward the Hollywood Sign.

Tourists accidentally sparked controversy on social media last Tuesday when they asked about the iconic landmark amid record-breaking wildfires in LA. The hilltop monument wasn’t anywhere near the destructive blazes that night — the fires were too busy destroying residential communities then — but the thought pulled focus from real relief efforts.

Despite the insistence of several apocalyptic films (“Escape from LA” among them), the Hollywood Sign has never caught fire. It was erected from wood and sheet metal in 1923 to promote the “Hollywoodland” housing development and, in keeping with current events, fell into disrepair because of extreme winds. That lead to the 50-foot-tall letters’ restoration in 1978, an effort fortified in white steel and funded by several entertainment heavyweights including Alice Cooper and Warner Bros.

Out-of-towners had their concerns...

The great American film-maker died this week, leaving behind a body of work unmatched in its seductive strangeness and transcendent mystery. We put it in order

It is one of life’s eternal mysteries that for the last two decades of his life, no one was willing to fund another feature by America’s greatest film-maker of the time. Almost as much of a mystery was his final completed feature: the evil twin of his previous film, Mulholland Drive. As Laura Dern’s hexed actor segues into the character she is playing, this digitally shot rampage down Hollywood’s boulevard of broken dreams dials up the narrative fragmentation of his late period. It runs the gamut from inspired camcorder surrealism to making-it-up-as-you-go-along incoherence (which is what it was: Lynch shot without a finished screenplay).

In 2021, I was sitting in a dark room in the depths of the Andes, listening to the steady chanting of a Peruvian Shipibo shaman guiding me through a wildly personal and intense ayahuasca ceremony. I was bawling my eyes out, purging what felt like an entire lifetime of pain through my tears, the tribally-robed medicine man before me some kind of God pulling the abuses of my past up and out of my body with his song. The next day, I saw this same man eating oatmeal in Nike sweatpants and jovially WhatsApping his wife. I was disoriented: I […]

The post Things I Learned About Filming Shamans While My Marriage Ended first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Spoilers for "Wolf Man" follow.

Stories of part-animal/part-human creatures go back to the dawn of humanity. One might immediately think of the beastly, hairy Enkidu, the rival-turned-friend of King Gilgamesh in the ancient Mesopotamian epic. When it comes to werewolves, however, our modern perceptions of the creatures come directly from Hollywood. The first major werewolf movie was Stuart Walker's 1935 horror flick "Werewolf of London," and it introduced a lot of what a modern pop audience associates with Wolf Men. The protagonist of "London" was a British botanist named Dr. Glendon (Henry Hull) who discovered a rare, moon-blooming planet in the hills of Tibet ... right when he was bitten by a mysterious beast creature. 

Back in London, Dr. Glendon makes a series of discoveries. For one, he learns that werewolves are real. He also finds that they transform around the time of a full moon. The plant he discovered is an antidote,...

“Cloud,” the action thriller from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa that was Japan’s official submission for the 97th Oscars, has been acquired for North American release by Sideshow and Janus Films, IndieWire has learned exclusively.

“Cloud” made its world premiere out of competition at Venice in 2024 and also played Toronto, Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, the Busan International Film Festival, and many more. The film failed to make the cut for the Best International Feature shortlist at the Oscars this year, but the title was widely acclaimed and will now be released theatrically in summer 2025. In fact, IndieWire listed it among the year’s Best Undistributed Films.

“Cloud” stars Masaki Suda as a sleazy online reseller of junk and fake goods who is obsessed with making a profit and the thrill of making money in real time. But after turning down a promotion at his day job, he’s approached with a...

Her film breakthrough in 1960’s The Entertainer was a harbinger of the calmness and strength she brought as a distinguished character actor – and as her lovable self in Nothing Like a Dame

Joan Plowright dies aged 95Michael Billington: Plowright was a dynamic forceJoan Plowright: a life in pictures

One of Joan Plowright’s greatest screen performances came towards the very end of her career: a gloriously subtle, lovable appearance on Roger Michell’s documentary Nothing Likea Dame from 2018, with four great dames of the British acting profession – Plowright, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith – assembling like Marvel superheroes at the country home that Plowright shared with her late husband Laurence Olivier to drink tea and swap uproarious anecdotes and sharp observations about the acting profession and the sexism they and their younger colleagues continue to face.

The then 89-year-old Plowright, despite her failing health and eyesight, exchanges affectionate badinage...

UK cinema admissions increased 2.3% in 2024 compared to the previous year, but the average ticket price fell, according to figures from the Cinema Advertising Association.

The total number of admissions in 2024 was 126.5m.

Overall, thebox office takings for 2024have remained flat year-on-year across UK-Ireland, at £1.06bn – just 0.2%, or £3m down from 2023, and 8% up on 2022.

December was the strongest month of the year, with 15.7m admissions, almost 36% up on the same month in 2023. November admissions were 77% up on the same month in 2023.

Films released in November that boosted the box office at the end of the year included Paramount’sGladiator II, Universal...

UK cinema admissions increased 2.3% in 2024 compared to the previous year, but the average ticket price fell, according to figures from the Cinema Advertising Association.

The total number of admissions in 2024 was 126.5m.

Overall, thebox office takings for 2024have remained flat year-on-year across UK-Ireland, at £1.06bn – just 0.2%, or £3m down from 2023, and 8% up on 2022.

December was the strongest month of the year, with 15.7m admissions, almost 36% up on the same month in 2023. November admissions were 77% up on the same month in 2023.

Films released in November that boosted the box office at the end of the year included Paramount’sGladiator II, Universal...

On May 1, 1999, Nickelodeon debuted a new cartoon featuring a bunch of anthropomorphic sea critters called "SpongeBob SquarePants." With bright colors, an amusing protagonist in the form of the titular sponge, and ample absurdist humor, the show became a big hit. Honestly, it's the biggest hit the network has ever seen, still going strong 25 years later with numerous movies and spin-offs under its belt. SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) is known the world over and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

It really deserves to be said how influential and hilarious those early seasons are. Much like "The Simpsons" before it, which had plenty of terrible storylines later on in its run, "SpongeBob SquarePants" may not exist at the creative glory it once retained. But the fact the show's responsible for so many classic jokes that would later turn into memes is something that can never be taken away from it.

BFI Distribution has picked up UK-Ireland rights toDea Kulumbegashvili’s second feature, April, from Goodfellas and is planning a release in spring 2025.

Aprildebuted in competition at Venice where it won the special jury prize ahead of playing at Toronto, San Sebastian and the BFI London Film Festival. It is now set to play at Sundance and Göteborg.

It is about the fallout from the enquiry into the death of a baby during childbirth at a maternity hospital in Georgia which reveals the doctor’s secret other job, providing unsanctioned abortions.

The film starsla Sukhitashvili and Kakha Kintsurashvili, who also appeared inKulumbegashvili’s 2020 debut,...

Warning: This article is for true followers of Kier only. If you haven't watched the season 2 premiere of "Severance," beware of spoilers.

Well, we finally know what happens after that fateful "Severance" cliffhanger left us all quite literally on the edge of our seats almost three full years ago ... and the answer is, apparently, nothing? The premiere episode of season 2 (which I reviewed here for /Film) picks up pretty much exactly where we left off, with our favorite innie Mark S. (Adam Scott) awakening right back on Lumon Industries' Severed Floor mere seconds -- in his perspective, at least -- after exclaiming that his outtie's (presumed) dead wife was actually alive. For those in need of a refresher of what went down last time around, Mark led a rebellion against their corporate overlords that resulted in Helly R. (Brit Lower) blowing the whistle in front of several Lumon dignitaries and Irving B.

What was it with Amazon MGM Studios sports movies and the pandemic? Rachel Morrison’s “The Fire Inside” took five years to make through fits and starts. Star Ryan Destiny, who portrayed real-life Olympic boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, trained on and off again for five years as the movie was almost killed two different times. Jharrel Jerome’s story was almost more arduous. To portray champion wrestler, Anthony Robles, Jerome persevered through Covid, stopped training for three years, started again, and then saw all his work come to a halt 10 days into shooting “Unstoppable” due to the 2023 guild strikes.

Continue reading Jharrel Jerome’s Incredible Story Of The Five Years It Took To Get ‘Unstoppable’ To The Screen at The Playlist.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for "Wolf Man."

Just call Leigh Whannell the monster whisperer. There have been few instances where a studio has struggled so mightily (or so publicly) in trying to get audiences interested in their crown jewel of an IP -- in this case, the classic stable of Universal Monsters. By the same token, however, the turnaround has been just as sudden and convincing. Since 2020, the year that Whannell's "The Invisible Man" released and promptly blew everyone's minds, the franchise has enjoyed a marked improvement across the board. Not coincidentally, this also coincided with the decision-makers finally giving up on their grand dreams for some shared universe that could rival the likes of DC and Marvel. Instead of a world where Dr. Jekyll plays the Nick Fury role of assembling monsters to fight, uh, other monsters (I guess?), we've been treated to a number of standalone...

Space-set animation Mars Express, which bowed at Cannes and Annecy, has been picked up for UK release by nascent distributor Beam Films.

Beam will release the title theatrically in the UK in May.

French filmmaker Jérémie Périn’s debut feature is a detective thriller that explores the morality of artificial intelligence. It’s set in 2200 in space, where a private detective and her android partner are hired by a businessman to track down a hacker.

Léa Drucker And Daniel Njo Lobé voice the leads. Mk2 represents sales. GKids released in North America last year, while Gebeka Films distributed in France.

Joan Plowright, UK star of stage and screen and widow of Laurence Olivier, has died aged 95.

Her 60-year spanning career included a Bafta-nominated role in 1960 film The Entertainer, an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for 1991 comedy drama Enchanted April and a Bafta nomination for a 1977 film version of Equus.

Stage roles included George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan in 1963 and 1977’s Filumena.

Plowright had been retired for 10 years, having lost her eyesight, but in 2018, appeared in Roger Michell’s film Nothing Like a Dame, looking back on her career alongside Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, her co-stars in 1999 comedy drama Tea With Mussolini.

Joan Plowright, UK star of stage and screen and widow of Laurence Olivier, has died aged 95.

Her 60-year spanning career included a Bafta-nominated role in 1960 film The Entertainer, an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for 1991 comedy drama Enchanted April and a Bafta nomination for a 1977 film version of Equus.

Stage roles included George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan in 1963 and 1977’s Filumena.

Plowright had been retired for 10 years, having lost her eyesight, but in 2018, appeared in Roger Michell’s film Nothing Like a Dame, looking back on her career alongside Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, her co-stars in 1999 comedy drama Tea With Mussolini.

Greta Gerwig has leveraged her “Barbie” star power to convince Netflix to give her the big, broad theatrical release she wanted for “Narnia,” her adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy series.

After months of negotiations, Imax announced that “Narnia” will be released exclusively on its screens worldwide for two weeks in advance of the film’s debut on Netflix. “Narnia” is currently slated to open in Imax on Thanksgiving Day 2026. It will premiere on Netflix at Christmas of the same year.

The Imax launch is a rarity for the streamer, which does grant limited, Oscar-qualifying theatrical releases for its awards hopefuls like “Emilia Perez” and “Maria,” but mostly prefers to have its movies, particularly the more broadly commercial ones, debut on its platform. There have been exceptions. In 2022, for example, Netflix allowed: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to have an exclusive one-week run in more than 600 venues, its widest-ever theatrical release.

This article contains full spoilers for "Wolf Man."

From a certain perspective, the entire artistic history of humanity has emerged out of human beings' efforts to try and process the unknowable and unchangeable laws of Nature. Unlike most known intelligent forms of life in the world, we have been gifted powers of reason, philosophy, and imagination to go along with our emotions and desires. We use these powers to, in effect, try and translate the world around us, not to mention trying to decode our fellow humans themselves. During periods when our species was less evolved and less cultured, there was a larger belief in superstition, with myths and stories about fictional beings, curses, and other magical elements serving as explanations for why certain things occurred and why people behaved the way they did. As humanity has progressed, we've reached new levels of understanding through not just scientific and technical...

Adam McKay says the Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio-starring satire resonates with a widespread feeling of being deceived by government and media

Adam McKay, writer-director of climate-crisis satire Don’t Look Up, says that the film’s popularity with viewers shows the popular will to tackle climate change, despite the critical brickbats the film attracted and political inertia around the issue.

McKay was speaking to the NME during the wildfire emergency that is currently affecting Los Angeles, which has included many high-profile victims from the Hollywood community. Saying that while Netflix, the film’s distributors, would not release definitive audience figures, he estimated that “somewhere between 400 million and half a billion” people saw it, and that “viewers all really connected with the idea of being gaslit”.

French sales outfit Loco Films has acquired international rights to “Tiger’s Pond” (Vagachipani), the latest film championed by celebrated Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap. The dark crime drama, directed by emerging filmmaker Natesh Hegde, is set to make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival’s Forum strand.

Kashyap, whose producing credits include festival favorites like “The Lunchbox,” backs the project alongside Singapore-based producer Jeremy Chua (Cannes winner “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”) and producer Ranjan Singh (Cannes selection “Kennedy”). The film charts the collision course between a feudal businessman attempting to manipulate local elections and a defiant outcast villager, promising “rapturous textures and treacherous depths” in its exploration of rural power dynamics.

The cast includes Dileesh Pothan, Achyut Kumar, Natesh Hegde, Gopal Hegde and Sumitra.

Hegde’s “Pedro” was in the New Currents competition at the Busan International Film Festival in 2021 and “Tiger’s Pond” participated in the...

The president-elect’s latest trio of mischievous appointments show his genius for trolling the celebrity-woke community

Donald Trump has permitted himself the delicious pleasure of trolling Hollywood’s celebrity-woke community who once dreamed of preventing his second term with their collective prestige. He has found a new wellspring of liberal tears in which to bathe. But whatever our feelings about his proposed “Hollywood ambassadors”, Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone – ambassadors to Hollywood from Maga? to Maga from Hollywood? – it’s possible to wonder if the ambassadors themselves have a right to be a bit miffed.

Hollywood ambassador? Gibson has directed a number of feature films, (Stallone and Voight also have directing credits); these are vast organisational challenges, requiring energy, vision, skill and political finesse. And that zero-experience lunkhead Pete Hegseth gets to be defence secretary? Despite only knowing how to do sycophantic interviews with the once-and-future C-in-c on Fox News?...

Isabella Rossellini has paid tribute to the late David Lynch, who died on Thursday at 78.

The legendary actress, who had her breakthrough role in Lynch’s 1986 film “Blue Velvet” and was in a roughly five-year relationship with the director afterwards, shared a photo of the two of them on Friday morning with the simple caption: “I loved him so much. Thanks for all your kind messages.”

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A post shared by Isabella Rossellini (@isabellarossellini)

In addition to “Blue Velvet,” Rossellini also appeared in Lynch’s 1990 film “Wild at Heart,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival (where the two are pictured above).

Rossellini and Lynch met during the casting process for “Blue Velvet.” According to legend, Lynch said to Rossellini, “Hey, you know, you could be the daughter of Ingrid Bergman,” unaware that she actually was. She was eventually cast as Dorothy Vallens,...

Disney’sBob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown,opens wide in around 700 sites across the UK and Ireland this weekend.

Timothee Chalamet plays the US musician from 1961, when the Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door singer was an unknown 19-year-old, freshly landed in New York from Minnesota. James Mangold directs the Searchlight title, with Elle Fanning and Edward Norton also in the cast.

Music biopics have – for the most part – performed robustly at the UK-Ireland box office of late. Studiocanal’s Amy Winehouse film Back To Black opened to £2.7m in April of last year and finished on £12.3m. Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love...

Screen International’s has selected some of the talking points for the international and US film sectors in 2025.

See here for our UK industry talking points.

What will Donald Trump’s second term mean for M&As?

The years ahead could be a boom period for mergers and acquisitions. The prevailing view is Trump’s incoming administration will be a friend to big business and support deregulation. The president-elect has appointed a Republican, Andrew Ferguson, to chair the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which oversees antitrust and consumer protection.

There could be a flurry of media deals consolidating streaming platforms,...

Screenis running this regularly updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.

To submit details of or alter your festival dates, pleasecontact us herewith the name, dates, country and website for the event.

Ongoing January

Belmont World Film’s Family Festival, US - January 18-20, 26

Sundance Film Festival, US - January 23-February 2

Fipadoc International Documentary Film Festival, France - January 24-February 1

Goteborg Film Festival, Sweden - January 24-February 2

International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands - January 30-February 9

Ostend Film Festival, Belgium - January 31-February 8

February

DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival, Finland - February 4-9

Scad TVfest,...

He quit in 2022, but smoking was previously an integral part of the film-maker’s life and art

David Lynch: the great American surrealist who made experimentalism mainstreamDavid Lynch – a life in picturesHollywood pays tribute to ‘a singular, visionary dreamer’

It was a cold autumn day when I interviewed David Lynch inside his Paris art studio. The film-maker sat at an ink-splattered table while I ran through my questions with a sense of mounting desperation. “Well, yes and no,” Lynch would reply with a smile. “No, well, maybe,” he’d say, beaming at the far wall. He lit one cigarette from the butt of another and asked Mindy, his assistant, to keep him supplied with hot coffee. The tobacco smoke mingled with the steam from his mug. It felt as though he were kicking up clouds to hide himself from view.

Lynch’s cigarette was his magic wand, his familiar,...

Having directed psychological thrillers, music comedies (2011’s “Killing Bono”) and comedy-thrillers based around the famed DeLorean car (2018’s “Driven”), Northern Irish director Nick Hamm has ventured into entirely different territories for his next feature.

“William Tell” is a historical action epic that turns the clock back more than 600 years, delving into the folk story of the Swiss hero who, according to legend, helped liberate Switzerland from the tyrannical rule of Austria’s House of Habsburg. For those with only a loose knowledge of 14th century European history, Tell is most famous for being an expert crossbowman who somehow managed to shoot an apple off the head of his son.

Led by Claes Bang in the lead role and with an all-star cast including Golshifteh Farahani, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber and Ben Kingsley, Hamm’s $40 million retelling of the tale explores both the famed apple shot, the precursor to it and the aftermath,...

French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, who’s just wrapped filming of “Vie Privée” starring Jodie Foster in Paris, received the French Cinema Award at a jam-packed ceremony held in an ornate room of the Ministry of Culture on Jan. 16.

The tribute, which is given by the film promotion body Unifrance, was introduced by Gaëtan Bruel, chief of staff of Rachida Dati, the minister of culture, as well as Unifrance president Gilles Pelisson and managing director Daniela Elstner.

Created in 2016, the French Cinema Award honors actors, filmmakers and producers who have contributed to making French cinema shine abroad. Past recipients include actors Juliette Binoche, Virginie Efira and Melvil Poupaud, director Olivier Assayas and producers Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam, among others.

Zlotowski, who is perfectly bilingual and has worked with a number of international talent, from Natalie Portman to Lily Rose-Depp and more recently Foster, has been actively promoting each movie she...

South Korea’s Redice Entertainment has expanded into international film sales and will deliver its debut slate of titles at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin next month.

The Seoul-based company, known for creating popular webtoon Solo Leveling, has previously focused on distribution and investment but has been increasing its international ambitions over the past year.

At the EFM, it will unveil a sales slate led by crime drama Sister and horror thriller Killing Time.

Sister follows the harrowing journey of an undocumented immigrant who, desperate to secure funds for her ill sister’s surgery, resorts to planning an abduction.

Joan Plowright, perhaps the greatest Anglophone actor of the 20th century and the widow of Laurence Oliver, died on Thursday. She was 95.

Plowright was a prominent actress of stage and screen in her own right, especially in her native England, and was a Tony winner for “A Taste of Honey.” The actress had retired in 2014 after going blind due to macular degeneration.

Her family confirmed the news of her death to The Guardian on Friday, writing: “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, inform you that she passed away peacefully on January 16 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall aged 95. She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire. She cherished her last 10 years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with much laughter and fond memories. The...

MyFrenchFilmFestival, the world’s largest online French-language film festival, kicks off today, offering cinephiles, filmmakers and global audiences alike access to 20 French-language shorts and features.

Created by Unifrance 15 years ago, the festival offers a unique platform for French cinema to be enjoyed by viewers from all corners of the globe. The 2025 edition promises to promote creativity, diversity, and thought-provoking storytelling that explores universal and contemporary themes through an eclectic selection of films.

Running Jan. 17 to Feb. 17, MyFrenchFilmFestival’s 15th edition will showcase 20 films, including nine feature films in competition — four of which are debuts — along with nine short films and a special silent animation short designed for younger audiences.

Mfff’s 2025 competition jury is comprised of French-Iranian actor-producer-director Zar Amir; Danish-American actor-director Viggo Mortensen; French actress-director Noémie Merlant; Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh; and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. Their expertise will be counted on to select the winner of this year’s Grand Prix,...

The British government has unveiled a £60 million ($73 million) package to support growth across the creative sectors, being announced at Friday’s Creative Industries Growth Summit in Gateshead.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is presenting the funding plan to more than 250 creative businesses and cultural leaders at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.

The package includes $48.7 million allocated for the next fiscal year, targeting film exports, video game startups, grassroots music venues, and creative enterprises outside London. The British Business Bank will increase its support for the sector, which currently contributes more than $150 billion to the U.K. economy.

The funding includes $19.8 million for the Create Growth Program, $6.7 million for the U.K. Games Fund, $8.5 million for the U.K. Global Screen Fund, and $1.9 million for the Music Export Growth Scheme. Four cultural projects will share $19.7 million from the Cultural Development Fund.

The government has designated 11 priority regions for creative development, including Greater London,...

The visionary film-maker and prolific artist, purveyor of the dark, mysterious, abstract and unspoken, died aged 78

David Lynch, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive director, dies aged 78David Lynch: the great American surrealist who made experimentalism mainstream

David Lynch, the enigmatic film-maker who revolutionized American cinema and television through his dark, surrealist vision, has died at the age of 78, less than a year after the lifelong smoker publicly revealed his struggles with emphysema.

Lynch forged an idiosyncratic career that bridged the experimental fringes and the mainstream. After a peripatetic, middle-class upbringing in the American mountain west, he studied painting and made several experimental short films before his cult-hit breakout, Eraserhead. His career – including the award-winning films Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive, as well as the landmark TV show Twin Peaks – earned him an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2019.

They’re like fish. If you get an idea that’s thrilling to you,...

The actor and musician answers your questions on his time as a roadie, being intimidated by rich people and falling off a horse for Steven Seagal

Is your music less important, more important, or about as important as your film work? BenderRodriguez

Here’s the thing: I grew up in music. I saw the Beatles when I was eight. By the time I was nine, I had a band. Started with a little cheap guitar and then got a drum kit, which my father hated. I was playing pretty big concerts by the time I was 16 and then went on tour. I became a roadie from 18 to about 22. I went to LA to play music, accidentally got into acting. I’m still not sure how it happened. I always say that my success as an actor was out of ignorance, because I didn’t know how to be anything other than natural,...

David Lynch, director of film classics such as Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and The Elephant Man, and co-creator of the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks, has died aged 78.

His family announced the news in a Facebook post, saying:“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, “Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.” It’s...

After such films as “Mia and the White Lion” and “The Wolf and the Lion,” director Gilles de Maistre’s “Autumn and the Black Jaguar” reinforces the French filmmaker’s dedication to superficial family-friendly movies with an environmentalist cause at their heart. But as his latest shows, noble principles about the protection of wildlife and animals don’t automatically translate to a good screenplay or a watchable movie. You want to be moved by this seemingly conservation-minded affair, but “Autumn and the Black Jaguar” sadly turns into a cringe-inducing experience fast in a number of ways, undermining the intelligence and taste level of its young audience in the process.

Written by Prune de Maistre, the story follows Autumn (Lumi Pollack), a 14-year-old junior high student in New York City, being lovingly raised by his single father Saul (Paul Greene). Clunky flashbacks take us back to Autumn’s childhood while she...