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Rising British star Rose Ayling-Ellis is Alison, a deaf caterer who gets recruited to use her lip-reading skills in a covert police operation in the new ground-breaking crime thriller series Code of Silence, premiering on ITV and streamer Itvx in the U.K. on Sunday, May 18 and on streaming service BritBox in the U.S. and Canada in July.

Created and written by Catherine Moulton (Baptiste, Hijack), who drew on her own experience with lip-reading and hearing loss, the drama also features Kieron Moore (Vampire Academy, Masters of the Air, The Corps), Charlotte Ritchie (You, Ghosts), and Andrew Buchan (Black Doves, The Honourable Woman, Broadchurch). Bryony Arnold and Damien Timmer executive produced the show for ITV Studios’ Mammoth Screen, alongside Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox, as well as Ayling-Ellis and Moulton. Diarmuid Goggins (Kin, Black Cab) is the lead director on the series.

Code of Silence is allowing...

With the 2025 Sloan Film Summit just around the corner, we want to look back at some of our favorite films that have been supported in the past by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. These films are dramas, science fictions, biopics and big budget blockbusters. Yes, they all have science, math, technology, economics or engineering at their core, and this list goes to show just how much storytelling juice you can get out of those topics.

The films on this list show how universal stories about the sciences can be. We all care about nature, we all look up at the stars and wonder and we all love solving a good puzzle. And that’s what the sciences are all about. Both art and science help you understand the world better, just in different ways, and these films prove what you can do when they come together.

Adventures of a Mathematician...

European film and TV studio Vuelta Group’s international sales division Playtime has announced the full acquisition of subsidiary sales arm Film Constellation and merged it with Global Screen into a single entity called Global Constellation.

Fabien Westerhoff will take on the executive role of Managing Director of the theatrical film division bringing together the complementary strengths of both companies, with a strategic market focus on animation, family entertainment, and genre cinema. Ulrike Schroder, Managing Director of the TV division will head the exclusive hub for international TV distribution within Vuelta.

Global Constellation will collaborate closely with Vuelta Germany, the German film distribution arm born from the merger of SquareOne and Telepool. Vuelta said the operation positioned Global Constellation as the ‘go-to’ partner for German and International filmmakers seeking pan-European collaborations and international

First joint projects will be unveiled at the upcoming Cannes Market.

The current feature film slate includes...

Netflix continues to deliver the action thrills, with the streamer’s latest disaster movie rebooting the action thriller that went on to inspire the beloved ‘90s Keanu Reeves outing, Speed. Boasting the perfect no-nonsense title, Bullet Train Explosion is exactly what it sounds like, and drops audiences onto a train that cannot slow down...or it’ll explode.

This adrenaline-fueled tale hails from Shin Godzilla director, Shinji Higuchi, and is a reboot of the 1975 movie The Bullet Train. Bullet Train Explosion stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kanata Hosoda, Non, Jun Kaname, Machiko Ono, Hana Toyoshima, Daisuke Kuroda, Satoru Matsuo, Suzuka Ohgo, Matsuya Onoe, Naomasa Musaka, Pierre Taki, Yajuro Bando, Takumi Saitoh. The action outing has now landed a solid score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics heaping praise on the balance of action and drama, as well as the movie’s ‘70s throwback sensibilities.

Bullet Train Explosion landed with a bang...

Gemma Arterton will lead the cast of ITV’s new espionage drama, Secret Service.

Adapted from the novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby and produced by Potboiler Productions, Secret Service will be a five-part drama also starring Rafe Spall (The English, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and Mark Stanley (Adolescence, Happy Valley).

The show follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Arterton). On the surface, her life appears ordinary— a civil servant married to Stuart (Spall) with two teenage children — however, to those who don’t know her well, Kate’s true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service.

When her undercover operations reveal alarming evidence that a high-ranking U.K. politician may be a Russian asset, Kate finds herself in a desperate race to uncover their identity. “As a brutal murder thrusts her team into the spotlight, Kate must navigate the dangerous world of espionage while...

Exclusive: Gemma Arterton has revealed to Deadline that she will star in the five-part ITV adaptation of Tom Bradby’s ITV spy thriller Secret Service.

She’ll play a senior UK intelligence officer who goes rogue in order to uncover a Russian mole embedded in the highest echelons of the British government. “It’s so timely,” Arteton tells me during an exclusive interview in which she notes that Russian influence is everywhere.

“Just look at what’s happening in America,” she adds ruefully, referencing President Trump’s ever growing bromance with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Bradby, whose day job is ITV News anchor, penned his page-turning novel in 2019. However, he and co-screenwriter Jemma Kennedy (Captain Webb) have shifted the book’s gripping storyline to 2026, which is when the Potboiler Productions series, directed by feature filmmaker James Marsh, will premiere on ITV1, Stv, Itvx and Stv Player.

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...

Days after the publication of his latest book on President Donald Trump, author Michael Wolff is revisiting his perennial subject once more — this time in documentary form.

Sky has announced that Wolff is participating in its upcoming documentary Rewriting Trump, which will chart the return of the embattled businessman to the White House through the commentary of the Fire and Fury, Siege, Landslide and All or Nothing author. The Comcast-owned European entertainment company says the documentary, filmed in 2024, “follows the US president’s seemingly impossible rebound from disgraced Mar-a-Lago exile, back to the desk in the Oval Office.”

Co-directed by Yasmine Permaul and Arthur Cary, the documentary will feature insiders like Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., two advisors to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Chris Lacivita and Jason Miller, and Stormy Daniels, among others. The project is said to cover major turning points in the 2024 presidential race, including the...

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is among the leading pack of this year’s Oscar nominees with 10 nods, including best director, screenplay, and picture, for which it is probably the current favorite. A real sign of the film’s strength, however, can be found elsewhere in the best supporting actress nomination for Felicity Jones.

There had been some grumbling that awards voters were struggling with the film’s 3-hour and 35-minute run and were missing the movie’s second act, which is also its strongest, when Erzsébet Tóth, played by Felicity Jones, is introduced. Clearly that was wrong.

Jones’ Erzsébet is the wife of László (Adrien Brody), a famed Hungarian architect who has fled Europe for America after the Nazis cease power. Erzsébet was left behind but when she finally arrives in the U.S. her presence complicates a new relationship László has struck with a wealthy benefactor, played by Guy Pearce.

The 18th Asian Film Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, March 16, 2025, at the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District. This year, The Awards are honoured to have the legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Sammo Hung as the Jury President. Known as a trailblazer in action cinema, Hung has spent over five decades creating countless iconic works for both Hong Kong and global cinema. Having received the Best Supporting Actor award for Ip Man 2 at the 5th Asian Film Awards and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 16th Asian Film Awards, Hung expressed his heartfelt gratitude for returning to the Afa stage, sharing his excitement to reconnect with filmmakers and audiences across Asia.

Hung began his artistic journey at the age of 10 under the supervision of Yu Jim-yuen, a renowned Peking opera master. Through intensive training, he honed his skills in Peking opera and martial arts, building...

An underrated crime thriller starring Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Allen White is now available to stream for free. The actor has enjoyed an already impressive career since breaking onto the scene in 2011 as Lip Gallagher in Shameless. In addition to numerous indie films like The Rental and Fingernails, White played Kerry Von Erich in A24's The Iron Claw and, of course, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in FX and Hulu's The Bear. He is also currently filming Deliver Me from Nowhere, a Bruce Springsteen biopic in which White plays the Boss himself.

Sometimes entries in an actor's filmography are released to little fanfare and await rediscovery. That's certainly the case with Bad Turn Worse, also known as We Gotta Get Out of This Place, a 2013 crime thriller starring White, Mackenzie Davis, Logan Huffman (Final Girl), William Devane (The Dark Knight Rises), Mark Pellegrino, and John Gries (The White Lotus). It was...

Weekend in Taipei debuts with a middling Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by George Huang, with a script he co-wrote with Luc Besson, the new action film follows a DEA agent who falls in love with a Taipei-based transporter, though their relationship is cut short due to their involvement in crime and corruption cases, and 15 years later, they reunite during a fateful weekend in Taipei. The cast includes two Fast & Furious franchise stars, Luke Evans and Sung Kang, alongside Gwei Lun-mei, Wyatt Yang, Tuo Tsung-hua, Lu Yi-ching, and Patrick Lee.

Now, following its theatrical release in North America, the new action film has debuted with a middling Rotten Tomatoes score. Weekend in Taipei has debuted with a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes with 12 reviews from critics, which could fluctuate as more come in. With fewer than 50 verified ratings from users, the movie doesn't yet qualify for an audience score.

What Weekend In Taipei...

Netflix is on something of an action movie hot streak right now thanks to the likes of Rebel Ridge, Hit Man, The Shadow Strays, and more. To the delight of action fans everywhere, the trend continues with the brutal and bloody martial arts epic, Uprising. The historical war movie is now available to stream on the platform, and reactions from both critics and audiences have started to emerge.

Kate Snchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community heaps praise on Uprising for standing out for all the right reasons.

The choice of culture, history, and sins in one persons life and personal connections makes Uprising (2024) more than just another movie in the robust sageuk genre. It stands out for all the right reasons.

Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut awarded the movie a near-perfect 4/5, calling Uprising a treat and applauding the movie for not holding back.

Uprising does not hold...

Lives of historical figures often get cinematic treatment to tell sweeping tales of real life events, and Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice captures former president Donald Trump in a key moment before the 2024 presidential election. Starring Sebastian Stan as Trump, Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova as Trump’s first wife Ivanka, the film marks the latest in a catalog of films that explore the lives of political people. From United States Presidents to their wives and First Ladies, to Supreme Court Justices to scientists and brilliant minds, nobody is off limits, especially if the stories are triumphant. Others have more tragic endings.

The 2024 Academy Awards showed just how popular a biopic can be amongst voters with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer netting Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Actors and actresses do almost anything to become the real-life person they portray in a biopic, from working with...

Dive into the conflicted and complex life of literary giant Samuel Beckett in Dance First (2024). Strong performances and poetic dialogue elevate the story, capturing Beckett's deep regrets. Not for everyone, this slow-paced drama delves into the depths of creativity, romance, and regret.

As it was announced Samuel Beckett had received the Nobel Prize for Literature, he sighed and quietly spoke, What a catastrophe, which acts as an apt metaphor for the conflicted life depicted in Dance First (2024) . From British director James Marsh, this unusual life story saw Gabriel Byrne portray the absurdist writer as he looked back on his experiences and reckoned with the lives destroyed in his wake. Along the way, we encounter the impact of his relationships with his mother, James Joyce, his wife, and mistress as a profound sense of regret pervades his probing internal monologues with himself.

Dance First (2024)

Director James MarshRelease Date August 9, 2024Writers Samuel Beckett,...

Audiences who love historical dramas, brilliant literature, or resilient actors like the great Gabriel Byrne will appreciate Dance First, a somewhat illuminating biopic on literary genius Samuel Beckett. The Irish novelist/dramatist brought to the stage classic works such as Endgame, Happy Days, and Waiting for Godot, which is generating buzz again with the upcoming Broadway production starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. The duo famously starred in the Bill & Ted films, and their unique pairing in Waiting for Godot will surely provoke thought at the least.

Thats the goal of Dance First as well. It's a curiously unusual work in that it reviews Becketts life through the lens of his more eye-opening mistakes. Rather than focus on the awards-bait power of his myriad achievements, director James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) and writer Neil Forsyth construct a film out of Becketts more treasured relationships and those he wronged,...

The acclaimed director James Marsh takes on the challenging task of bringing Samuel Beckett’s complex life to the screen in Dance First. Written by Neil Forsyth, the film stars Gabriel Byrne as the older Beckett, with Fionn O’Shea playing him in his younger days. It skips through key periods, relationships, and events in a largely linear chronology.

The story opens in 1969 at the Nobel Prize ceremony, from which Beckett hastily escapes. This prompts conversations with another Beckett where he reflects on those who caused him “shame”—his m mother, James Joyce’s daughter Lucia, and the two women in his life.

Through flashbacks we see Beckett’s difficult upbringing in Ireland, his arrival in Paris and work with Joyce, his involvement in the French Resistance, and his long relationships with his eventual wife Suzanne and translator Barbara Bray.

While providing glimpses into Beckett’s experiences, the film only touches on his groundbreaking works.

When Oscar-winning director James Marsh came on board Dance First, the illuminating new Samuel Beckett biopic starring Gabriel Byrne, he never thought he would spark intrigue on todays political brouhaha. When I began to read Beckett again in middle age, what struck me was that he sort of caught something about our present zeitgeist that I found really interesting, which is often in Beckett's plays, characters are in very absurd situations, but don't really acknowledge that absurdity, Marsh told MovieWeb in a recent interview.

In Waiting for Godot, we've got two sort of vaguely disenfranchised people who don't go anywhere, and nor seem to want to go anywhere." Marsh added:

We got that as well in a sort of historical sense. I mean, in my country we'd had this Brexit situation where we'd sort of strangely and perversely decided to sever all our trading relations with our nearest partners. And in your case,...

Director James Marsh has had great success telling the stories of extraordinary people. He won an Oscar for his documentary Man on Wire, about tightrope walker Philippe Petit, and his Stephen Hawking biopic, The Theory of Everything, which won several awards, including Oscars. So Dance First — a biography about the iconic author and playwright Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), directed by Marsh and starring Garbiel Byrne (Hereditary) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) — should be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, despite its attempts to break convention, Dance First feels far too safe to make much of an impact.

Dance First Review

Dance First tells the story of Irish writer Samuel Beckett and his incredible life, from his childhood to fighting in the French resistance during WWII to becoming one of the world’s most prolific writers and winning a Nobel Prize for literature. The story plays out pretty much as one would expect,...

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The great Oscar-winning director James Marsh spoke with MovieWeb's Greg Archer about his new film, Dance First, a character study of the iconoclastic Nobel Prize-winning writer Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot) and his wondrous, troubled life. Dance First hits theaters Aug. 9, 2024 and is on digital platforms Aug. 16.

Literary genius Samuel Beckett (played by Gabriel Byrne) lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos Dance first, think later, the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

“Dance First” is a new ‘bio-pic’ feature, directed by Oscar winner James Marsh, starring Gabriel Byrne (“The Keep”), Aidan Gillen, Maxine Peake, Fionn O’Shea and Sandrine Bonnaire, opening August 9, 2024 in limited theatrical screenings:

“…recognized literary genius ‘Samuel Beckett’ (Byrne) lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, ‘WWII’ Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse.

“But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

“The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new.” So goes the famous opening line to Samuel Beckett’s 1938 avant-garde novel Murphy. There’s nothing much new to be found in director James Marsh’s film about the legendary Irish writer either, which takes a fairly rote cradle-to-grave approach to the Nobel laureate’s life. The great shame is that there were alternatives here and, in its best moments, Dance First hints at them, flirting with a more adventurous approach that, well, might have yielded something new.

The film begins promisingly at the 1969 Nobel Prize ceremony, where Beckett (Gabriel Byrne) learns the devastating news that he’s won the prize for literature. “Catastrophe,” he grumbles to his wife, Suzanne Dumesnil (Sandrine Bonnaire), before climbing the steps up to the stage, and then up the walls of the theater itself before clambering into a strange, cave-like crevice. The surreal place...

“Dance First” is a new ‘bio-pic’ feature, directed by Oscar winner James Marsh, starring Gabriel Byrne, Aidan Gillen, Maxine Peake, Fionn O’Shea and Sandrine Bonnaire, opening August 9, 2024 in limited theatrical screenings and August 16, 2024 on digital platforms:

“…recognized literary genius ‘Samuel Beckett’ (Byrne) lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, ‘WWII’ Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse.

“But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Without a doubt, Samuel Beckett is one of the most influential and inspirational literary icons. But he was also a flawed human. Both of those aspects come into play in the upcoming film, “Dance Firsts.”

Read More: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch

As seen in the trailer, “Dance First” is an upcoming biopic about the legendary writer Samuel Beckett. The film touches on all aspects of his life, from his early years trying to make it as a writer to his later life when people gave him countless awards.

Continue reading ‘Dance First’ Trailer: Gabriel Byrne Is Samuel Beckett In James Marsh’s New Drama at The Playlist.

James Marsh is continuing his biopic filmography 10 years after “The Theory of Everything” debuted.

Marsh is now directing “Dance First,” an adaptation of literary icon Samuel Beckett’s life story. Gabriel Byrne portrays Beckett in the biopic that centers on his decades-spanning legacy. The film’s synopsis reads: “Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett’s famous ethos ‘Dance first, think later,’ the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.”

Beckett lived from 1906 to 1989, and was best known for his plays “Waiting for Godot” and “Endgame.”

“Dance First” co-stars Aidan Gillen and was written by Neil Forsyth. The film is distributed by Magnolia Pictures; it previously debuted during...

‘Genuine scares, a fitting cast and a strong adherence to verisimilitude from Bum-sik’s direction… a haunting experience that’s bound to spook a few frights’

Eastern Kicks

‘If I wanted to define the perfect horror movie, it would have to be this one… I’ve never been more scared in my whole life’

Korea.net

A reality show becomes all too real in Jung Bum-shik’s Korean found-footage fear-fest Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. Now you can discover what really happened at the haunted hospital as Second Sight Films brings the acclaimed horror to Limited Edition and Standard Edition Blu-ray on 24th June 2024.

The new collector’s edition is presented in a rigid slipcase with brand new artwork by Luke Headland and comes complete with a 70-page book with new essays and a fantastic haul of special features including: a new audio commentary and a slew of archive featurettes and more.

From May 14-25, 2024, the center of our genre-film loving world moved to the south of France, where the Cannes Festival unveiled a broad and diverse selection of films from around the world. Our own contributors Martin Tsai, Eric Ortiz Garcia, and Martin Kudlac attended the festival in person, while James Marsh, Mel Valentin, Ankit Jhunjhunwala, and Dustin Chang provided supplemental review coverage from officially-authorized off-site locations. Andrew Mack and Kurt Halfyard contributed news and a feature. Now that the festival has concluded -- with the jury awarding various films presented in competition -- here's a recap of our Cannes 2024 coverage so far, listed alphabetically by (English) film title. More reviews will be forthcoming, and will be added as they are published. Reviews: All...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Eddie Redmayne had one of the best moments in his career when he won the Oscar for his performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. The actor did immense research and training to portray the late theoretical physicist accurately and received widespread acclaim.

However, despite such training, the British actor found himself suffering from intense anxiety and lack of sleep before filming the 2014 biopic. Recently in an interview, Eddie Redmayne confessed that he could not sleep for the entire night worrying if he could do justice to the role.

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything | Working Title Films

The late Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a motor neurone disease at the age of 21 that slowly paralyzed him. Redmayne was burdened with the responsibility of playing the different phases of the personality’s life with utmost care.

Eddie Redmayne was not sure if he was perfect for The Theory of Everything...

Among the new productions on Broadway this spring is a revival of the classic musical “Cabaret,” starring Eddie Redmayne. In 2014 he starred as Stephen Hawking in director James Marsh‘s biopic “The Theory of Everything.” His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor (making him the eighth youngest winner in that category at age 33), overcoming stiff competition from Michael Keaton, the star of the Best Picture winner of that year, “Birdman.” How did Redmayne pull through? Here are five reasons.

1. The industry felt he came into his own

Prior to “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne was a rising star. In 2010 he won a Tony for his Broadway debut starring opposite Alfred Molina in John Logan‘s play “Red.” He went on to get more prominent film roles where critics, audiences and the industry started to take notice of him. Among them were Simon Curtis‘s 2011 Oscar-nominated biopic “My Week with Marilyn...

Exclusive: Felicity Jones is set to star in Michael Showalter’s holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun. for Amazon MGM Studios, joining Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloë Grace Moretz and Dominic Sessa.

Showalter, who co-wrote the script with Chandler Baker, is producing via Semi-Formal Productions alongside Jordana Mollick; Tribeca’s Berry Welsh and Jane Rosenthal; and Kate Churchill. The script is based on a short story by Baker, who is also executive producing, that was originally published by Amazon Original Stories.

In the film, Claire Clauster (Pfeiffer) organizes a special Christmas outing when her family forgets her in the shuffle. By the time they realize their mistake, she’s gone missing. Their Christmas is in jeopardy, but Claire has other plans. The pic will be available to stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Jones is best known for her Oscar-nominated starring role opposite Eddie Redmayne in James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything.

Magnolia Pictures has acquired Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First for North America, to be released later this year.

The San Sebastian premiere is helmed by The Theory of Everything filmmaker James Marsh, with London and Paris-based outfit Film Constellation representing sales on the title. Studiocanal released in the UK and Ireland last year.

Irish actor Gabriel Byrne plays the Irish literary great, with the film exploring the many parts of his life: Second World War resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, and recluse.

Aidan Gillen, Sandrine Bonnaire, Maxine Peake and Fionn O’Shea star.

Dance First was developed and packaged by 2Le Media,...

In director Roger Ross Williams’ Cassandro, we first meet Saúl Armendáriz — the real-life luchador portrayed by Gael García Bernal — when he’s still scraping his way through the amateur circuit. He’s got an uphill battle ahead: Not only is he smaller and lighter than most of his brawny opponents, he’s also openly gay and the subject of taunts and jeers from his leotard-clad colleagues.

And then, about 20 minutes in, Cassandro arrives. Armendáriz decides to embrace a new identity as one of lucha libre’s exoticos, extravagant male fighters...

Though the Red Sea Film Festival will feature a slew of films from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region – including 11 feature films from Saudi Arabia – there is a rich roster of international fare set to launch locally from Jeddah.

Kaleem Aftab, the festival’s director of international programming, says they received lots more submissions for this year’s third edition. He is particularly proud of the presence in competition of Indian-born auteur Tarsem Singh’s romancer “Dear Jassi,” the first film set in India by the flamboyant director of “The Cell,” and of Japanese master Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Venice prizewinner “Evil Does Not Exist.”

Peppered through various Red Sea sections are the Mena region premieres of other high-profile titles such as Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla”; Belgian-based Moroccan duo Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah flashy third feature “Gangsta”; British director James Marsh’s biographical film about Irish playwright Samuel Beckett...

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman Of The Hour and family drama Mother Couch, starring Ewan McGregor and Ellen Burstyn, are headed to the third edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, running from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah.

The titles will play in the Festival Favorites sidebar which was announced on Thursday alongside the event’s Red Sea: Treasures strand.

Kendrick directs and stars in Netflix-acquired drama Woman Of The Hour as a woman whose path crosses notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala, whilst in Niclas Larsson’s first film Mother Couch, McGregor plays a man whose mother squats the family furniture store.

Further films in the line-up – showcasing 21 buzzy festival titles from the last 12 months – include the David Oyelowo produced documentary Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story; Women’s World Cup doc Copa 71, executive produced by Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Esposito’s Fresh Kills,...

Studiocanal has Samuel Beckett biopic ‘Dance First’.

Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex, Emma Seligman’s Bottoms and Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel are all opening in UK-Ireland cinemas, on a weekend with several well-reviewed films by and about women.

Starting in 150 cinemas through Mubi, How To Have Sex is the debut feature of Screen 2021 Star of Tomorrow Walker. The film follows three British teenage girls on a clubbing holiday in Malia, where one of the group has her first experiences with sex. The cast includes fellow Screen Stars Mia McKenna-Bruce and Samuel Bottomley, with casting director...

Vivid portrait of the great playwright of inertia points up the contrast with his real-life romantic entanglements and daring work for the French resistance

Director James Marsh has boldly, maybe even sacrilegiously, given us a Hollywoodised biopic of Samuel Beckett. It starts with Beckett surreally escaping the Nobel ceremony to talk in private with a doppelganger confessor – a breezier, more worldly self in a rollneck sweater and jacket – and glumly wondering to whom in his life he should penitentially give the prize money, a guilt list which ushers in the flashbacks.

It isn’t hard to imagine what the man himself would have said about this movie, but though a little hammy, it is well acted and tells the story with verve, tackling the paradox of Beckett’s bleak fictional universe of stymied inaction and his dramatic real life of service in the French resistance and romantic intrigue. There’s a very thoughtful,...

Spanish distributors will present their international titles to exhibitors, broadcasters and platforms st the Merci market.

Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week, will host an expanded third edition of Spain’s Independent Film Market for the first time from October 25-27.

Known as Merci Valladolid, the market is jointly organised by Seminci and the Association of Independent Film Distributors (Adicine).

The market used to be held at the Seville European Film Festival, which was previously run by Seminici’s new director José Luis Cienfuegos.

Sixteen Spanish independent distributors will present their international titles to exhibitors, television networks and platforms at Merci Valladolid.

In a genre not traditionally given to brevity, James Marsh’s literary biopic “Dance First” at least has that on its side: In 100 minutes, it races through the key events and alliances in the life of Irish author and dramatist Samuel Beckett, even finding time for some metaphysical musings alongside the cradle-to-grave checklist. But Beckett’s characteristic terseness — or radical “lessness,” to borrow a title from one of his stories — isn’t a feature of this creditable but ponderous film, which ultimately achieves its efficient runtime by skirting any meaningful engagement with Beckett’s work and literary legacy. What’s left is an anatomy of his unhappiness via a procession of stymied or soured relationships: shot with grace, acted with intelligence, but short on Beckettian daring or wit.

It’s another biopic from Marsh, following 2014’s popular “The Theory of Everything” and 2017’s less-seen “The Mercy,” that resists bringing his...

Spanish director becomes the fourth consecutive woman director to win the festival’s top prize

The Rye Horn (O Corno), the second feature by Jaione Camborda, has won the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the 2023 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Set on an island off the coast of Galicia in 1971, the film tells the story of a woman who earns a living harvesting shellfish. She is also known on the island for helping other women in childbirth but has to flee and try to cross the border into Portugal after an unexpected event.

Camborda, who was born in San Sebastian,...

Fionn O'Shea, Gabriel Byrne and James Marsh at the press conference Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival/Jorge Fuembuena The life of Samuel Beckett, although very little of the work, is explored in James Marsh’s Dance First, written by Neil Forsyth. The film, which is the closing night selection at San Sebastian Film Festival dips into the Waiting For Godot author’s life from childhood to death, featuring key performances from Gabriel Byrne and Fionn O’Shea as the author, alongside Sandrine Bonnaire and Léonie Lojkine as his wife Suzanne, with support from the likes of Aidan Gillen and Maxine Peake.

Speaking at the press conference in San Sebastian Gabriel Byrne said that “talking to himself” as the writer interrogates a second version of himself of the film was quite tricky.#

“Technically, it was difficult," he explains, “because usually when you're doing drama, you're talking to somebody else...

It’s always tricky to bring the lives of literary greats to the big screen. There’s a balance to be struck between the evocation of their domestic existence and their work. Irish writer Samuel Beckett is perhaps an even more difficult challenge than most since his works were largely absurdist and with a particularly strong authorial voice.

There’s some indication that writer Neil Forsyth, who has previously written TV series including Bob Servant and Guilt, is trying to avoid a straightforward biopic, largely by a device which sees Beckett have conversations with a version of himself, but nevertheless the end result feels distinctly staid and traditional. This is especially surprising given that the director is James Marsh, who has shown a nimble aptitude for embracing experimental and edgy elements in his films, including Man On Wire and The King. Dance First is the closing night movie of San.

Neo Sora’s concert documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” a standout at the Venice Film Festival, has sold for theatrical distribution in North America to Janus Films ahead of its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival.

The theatrical release will be followed by a Blu-ray Disc release on the “Janus Contemporaries” label.

This is the latest deal inked by London and Paris-based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation, following a slew of sales to Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Germany and Austria (Rapid Eye), Scandinavia (NjutaFilms), Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), South Korea (Media Castle), China (Jl Vision Films), Hong Kong and Macau (Edko Films), Taiwan (Cai Chang) and Singapore (Anticipate Pictures). Bitters End will release the film in Japan in 2024.

On March 28, 2023, legendary composer Sakamoto Ryuichi died after his struggle against cancer. In the years leading up to his death, Sakamoto could no longer perform live. Single concerts,...

”I adore his cinema,” said festival director José Luis Rebordinos of Hayao Miyazaki. ”He is in my list of all-time favourite directors.”

The 71st edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival opened September 22 with the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature: The Boy And The Heron. The film screened in the official section out of competition at the Spanish festival, which has registered a 10% increase in industry professionals in its growing market activities.

At the ceremony, conducted mainly in Spanish and Basque, festival director José Luis Rebordinos paid homage to Miyazaki, recipient of one of the two Donostia...

European pay TV platform Sky has released the trailer for Sky Original film “Dance First,” ahead of its world premiere at San Sebastian Film Festival on Sept. 30. Film Constellation is handling international sales on the film.

The film is directed by BAFTA and Academy Award winner James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”) and written by BAFTA winner Neil Forsyth (“Guilt”). “Dance First” will be released in movie theaters in the U.K. and Ireland in November, on Sky Cinema in those countries in December and on Sky Arts and Freeview next year.

In “Dance First,” Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne (“The Usual Suspects”) plays Samuel Beckett with young Beckett played by Fionn O’Shea (“Normal People”) in a sweeping account of the life of this 20th century literary icon. Parisian bon vivant, World War II resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband and recluse, Beckett lived a life of many parts.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival has long been considered the most intimate of the A-list festivals, neatly wrapping up a hectic fall festival season as delegates descend on the enchanting seaside city in Northern Spain. But in the last few years, the event has cemented itself into a festival reputed for championing new talent and emerging voices across all sections of its programming.

Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.

This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands,...

Javier Bardem, winner of a San Sebastian 2023 Donostia Award for career achievement, is putting back his on-stage acceptance of the distinction until the 2024 San Sebastian Film Festival.

The postponement is due to the “limits imposed under the strike called by the U.S. Actors Union (SAG-AFTRA),” the San Sebastian Festival announced Friday.

It deprives this year’s Festival of its biggest on-stage major star moment this year.

The fest will, however, enjoy its customary bullish presence of world-class auteurs, led this year by Claire Denis, main competition jury chair, and Victor Erice, will accept his Donostia Award on Sept. 29. San Sebastian announced Friday that Hayao Miyazaki will also accept a Donostia Award online.

Gabriel Byrne, François Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos, Griffin Dunne, Aidan Gillen, Mads Mikkelsen, James Norton and Dominic West have confirmed their attendance, Byrne and Gillen for one of the festival’s biggest tickets, James Marsh’s official selection closing film “Dance First.

Hayao Miyazaki will receive a Donostia Award Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival French filmmaker Claire Denis will chair San Sebastian Film Festival's official during this year.

The 35 Shots Of Rum director will be joined by Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (The Lady In The Portrait), Colombian filmmaker and producer Cristina Gallego (Birds Of Passage), French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, Hungarian producer Robert Lantos (Eastern Promises), Spanish star Vicky Luengo (Cork) and German director Christian Petzold, whose Afire is screening in the festival's Pearls section.

The festival has also announced that Hayao Miyazaki, whose The Boy And The Heron is this year's opening film, will receive a Donostia Award for lifetie achievement in a virtual ceremony.

Among the other filmmakers in attendance will be Maite Alberdi, Ja Bayona, Robin Campillo, Isabel Coixet, Víctor Erice, Michel Franco, Matteo Garrone, Craig Gillespie, Jonathan Glazer, Kitty Green, Todd Haynes, Tran Anh Hung, Ladj Ly,...

French filmmaker Claire Denis has been announced as the jury president for the Official Section of the 71st San Sebastian Film Festival, running from September 22-30.

Denis will be joined by the German director Christian Petzold; Chinese actress Fan Bingbing; Colombian producer, director, and writer Cristina Gallego; French photographer Brigitte Lacombe; Hungarian producer Robert Lantos; and Spanish actress Vicky Luengo.

The jury awards the Golden Shell for Best Film and the Silver Shell awards for Best Director, Best Leading Performance, and Best Supporting Performance, as well as jury prizes for Cinematography and Screenplay. The Official Awards will be announced and presented at the festival’s Closing Gala on September 30.

The festival also announced today that it will hand Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki an honorary Donostia Award for career achievement. Miyazaki will receive the award virtually during the opening ceremony on September 22.

Filmmakers also set to attend San Seb include Maite Alberdi,...

Aussie filmmaker Kitty Green’s latest pic, The Royal Hotel, starring Julia Garner, and Fingernails, the latest film from Christos Nikou, with Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley, have been added to San Sebastian’s competition lineup.

Overall, six films have been announced as late additions to proceedings in San Seb. The other titles are Kalak (Isabella Eklöf), The Successor (Xavier Legrand), Great Absence (Kei Chika-Ura), and the debut from Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang, A Journey in Spring. Additionally, the French pic A Real Job, directed by Thomas Lilti, will play the fest’s special screenings section.

The Royal Hotel is Kitty Green’s first feature since her 2019 breakout, The Assistant. The film tells the tale of two backpackers (Garner and Jessica Henwick) who take a job in a pub in the remote Australian Outback. Neon has acquired North American rights to the film. Following his debut Apples, which played Telluride,...

The Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its lineup for the Industry Selects program of films beyond the official fest lineup and available for worldwide acquisition as each gets an in-person screening for film buyers and industry execs.

Leading the selection is director James Marsh’s Dance First, a biopic with Gabriel Byrne playing the literary giant Samuel Beckett and Sandrine Bonnaire, Maxine Peake, Aidan Gillen and Fionn O’Shea also starring; and director Neil Burger’s Inheritance, a thriller that has a woman played by Phoebe Dynevor learning her father Sam (Rhys Ifans) was once a spy, which puts her at the center of an international conspiracy.

Also picked for market screenings in Toronto is Jimmy Warden’s Borderline, set in 1996 Los Angeles and starring Eric Dane, Ray Nicholson and Samara Weaving as a pop star taken hostage; The Home, a horror pic from Purge series creator James DeMonaco, and starring...

Fest also announces Connections, Microsessions, and Spotlight sessions.

TIFF has announced the Industry Selects acquisition titles available to buyers during the festival, a 12-strong roster featuring new work from James Marsh, Rebecca Snow, and Neil Burger.

Gabriel Byrne plays literary giant Samuel Beckett in Marsh’s Dance First alongside Sandrine Bonnaire, Maxine Peake, Aidan Gillen, and Fionn O’Shea. Film Constellation represents worldwide rights and the film will close San Sebastian.

Phoebe Dynevor stars with Rhys Ifans for Burger in Inheritance, a thriller about a woman who uncovers her father’s espionage past. CAA Media Finance handles sales.

Snow (Cheating Hitler:...