Starz has released the trailer and key art for the fifth season of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.” Season 5 will premiere on June 12, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays on the Starz app, and all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. The trailer confirms Patina Miller will return as Kanan Stark’s (Mekai Curtis) […]
Markets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalMinotaur
“Minotaur,” a pitch-black look at corruption in Putin era Russia, was greeted with a thunderous, eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. The film marks the return to the Croisette of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the Oscar-nominated auteur, whose previous films, “The Banishment,” “Leviathan” and “Loveless” also bowed at Cannes. Zvyagintsev, his eyes misting […]
NewsAli TruwitSox EntertainmentStronger Than You Think
Distribution rights to the inspirational sports documentary “Stronger Than You Think,” which tells the story of Paralympic star swimmer Ali Truwit, have been acquired by Sox Entertainment. Truwit made international headlines at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris when she competed (and won two silver medals) as a swimmer barely a year after losing her […]
Editor and director John Ottman is set to direct “Billy & Me”, a feature film chronicling the formative years of Billy Joel. “Billy & Me” tells the origin story of Joel before fame, before the hits — and, significantly, before “Piano Man,” the 1973 song and album that lofted him to stardom. The film is told […]
A film adaptation of mystery-adventure video game franchise “Broken Sword” is being developed by game maker Revolution Software, producer Story Kitchen and Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos. Created by Charles Cecil, the “Broken Sword” series debuted in 1996 with “The Shadow of the Templars.” The franchise follows intrepid American George Stobbart […]
NewsLaw And OrderNBCUniversalWolf EntertainmentWolf Games
NBCUniversal is officially rolling out its first mobile game with Wolf Games, dubbed “Law and Order: Clue Hunter.” The game is now available on the Peacock mobile app. Per the official description, “Clue Hunter” will give fans of the storied franchise a chance to play detective. “They search crime scenes for hidden objects, identify suspects, […]
Maddie Ziegler has signed with UTA for representation in all areas. Ziegler, who is 23, first rose to prominence at age 8 as a star of the Lifetime reality series “Dance Moms” for seven seasons from 2011 to 2016. By the time she was 11, her work on the show had caught the attention of […]
Apple TV’s “Shrinking” is all about trying to find that sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away and going on your way to where the air is sweet. So it’s only natural that the series’ stars found their way to “Sesame Street.” Earlier this month, the “Shrinking” stars took time between various Emmy FYC events in […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsCannes Film FestivalLucy LostMarc du PontaviceOlivier ClertXilam
Premiering in Cannes ahead of its competition slot in Annecy, “Lucy Lost” is something of a passion project for Xilam founder Marc du Pontavice. Years ago, the French producer acquired the rights to Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel “Listen to the Moon,” which follows a young girl who washes ashore on the Isles of Scilly during […]
It would seem that even an archive as thoroughly curated as that of the late, legendary novelist-essayist-screenwriter Joan Didion still bears some surprises. In 1967, the Saturday Evening Post assigned Didion to interview the Grateful Dead in their Bay Area rehearsal space at the height of the Summer of Love (with which the group was […]
ReviewsAndrey ZvyagintsevCannes Film FestivalMinotaur
One of the first things you notice about “Minotaur” is how much space there is in it. Uncrammed domestic interiors give the camera enough room to scrutinize details in stalking, unimpeded pans; modern gray office suites appear half-furnished and half-empty, as if the company is either moving in or dying out; public streets and housing […]
ColumnsNewsJust For Varietylos angeles lgbt centerMarcia Gay Harden
Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden offered impassioned — and at times, hilarious — advice for parents who don’t accept their queer children while being honored at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s A Place We Call Home gala. “We want to change things so that basic human queer rights are protected, so that we’re safe, so […]
ABC has greenlit a “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff. Per the official logline, the currently untitled series is “an edgy drama about a team at a West Texas rural medical center — the last chance for care before miles of nowhere.” More to come…
NewsJon FavreauStar WarsSummer MoviesThe Mandalorian and Grogu
In 2019, Baby Yoda was ubiquitous. The adorable green sidekick to Pedro Pascal’s masked bounty hunter made his debut on the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” becoming a pop culture sensation and fueling enough memes and merchandise to fill the galaxy. Seven years and one pandemic later, is the force strong enough to turn the creature […]
AwardsNewsJoshua HenryMarla MindelleThe Lost BoysTonys
This year’s Tony nominees are answering a hypothetical Broadway call. Every nominee got the same closing question on the day of the Meet the Nominees event in New York City on May 14: With unlimited money, unlimited power, and no obligation to turn a profit — what would they bring to Broadway tomorrow? The answers […]
From page to screen to stage… Lionsgate is turning “The Housemaid,” the best-seller turned box-office hit, into a play. The sexy psychological thriller, based on the novel by Freida McFadden, is being developed for the stage by producers Melting Pot, a British company led by Simon Friend and Hanna Osmolska (Broadway’s “Life of Pi” and “Paranormal Activity”) […]
Hayden Panettiere has been acting since before she could walk — or talk. Now 36, Panettiere is opening about her decades-long career in her memoir, “This Is Me,” out May 19. The book contains details of Panettiere’s life, some of it public knowledge due to her time in the spotlight. The “Heroes” actress comes out […]
Filmmaker and “Taxi Driver” screenwriter Paul Schrader revealed on Facebook that he “procured an online AI girlfriend,” but the chatbot ended the relationship after he attempted to explore the boundaries of its programming. “Out of a desire to understand male/female interaction in our matrix, I procured an online AI girlfriend. What a disappointment,” Schrader wrote. […]
NewsiHeartMediaJoe JonasJonas BrothersKevin JonasNick Jonas
Pop-rock trio Jonas Brothers are sharing the brotherly love on their new podcast series, “Hey Jonas!”, launching under an exclusive deal with iHeartMedia. The weekly podcast, executive produced by Kevin, Joe and Nick, will “pull fans deeper than ever into the brothers’ world with an intimate, wildly fun and refreshingly unfiltered look at their lives […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsAkashiCannes Film FestivalCannes Film Market
Canoe Film has boarded multigenerational love story “Akashi” for international sales, excluding Canada and Japan, and is revving up buyer conversations at the Cannes Film Market. “Akashi” is the feature debut of Vancouver-based director, actor, and writer Mayumi Yoshida, who is attending the market as part of Film Network Access’ 2026 cohort. Her film won […]
ColumnsNewsJust For VarietyRaindance Film Festival
A new trailer for the LGBTQ body horror short “Four Itchy Boys” may leave you scratching for your life. The spot opens with four men walking through a dark hallway as a female narrator says, “It’s a story that will get under your skin.” A jump cut shows one man feverishly scratching the back of […]
Jeff Foxworthy is taking up residence in Fox Nation. The popular comedian will launch a new special, “The Joke’s On Me,” that debuts on the Fox Corp.-based streaming service on Monday, June 1. The stand-up session was filmed at at the Gas South Theatre in Duluth, Georgia. “Few performers have shaped American comedy quite like Jeff Foxworthy, says […]
Come on down to “South Park” again this fall. Season 29 of the raunchy animated comedy will premiere on Comedy Central on Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Paramount+ (in the U.S., Canada and Australia). New episodes will drop every other Wednesday: Sept. 30, Oct. 14, […]
NewsWomen in EntertainmentWomen in Entertainment Summit
The ninth annual Women in Entertainment (WIE) summit has been set for June 9 with Shondaland’s co-president Sandie Bailey and creative partner Betsy Beers, filmmaker Paul Feig and “Spider Noir” and “Sinners” actor Li Jun Li among the headlining speakers. Co-founded by Relativity Ventures’ Renee Rossi and Gretchen McCourt, WIE aims to bring together experienced leaders […]
The 2026 BET Awards nominations have landed: Cardi B leads the nominations with six, Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist tie for second five nominations, and Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto earning four nominations each. A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Kehlani, Metro Boomin, SZA, Tasha […]
“Giant,” a play starring John Lithgow as author Roald Dahl, has recouped its entire production cost after 10 weeks on Broadway. The show, which is running for a limited 16-week engagement, was capitalized at $5.6 million. “Giant” revolves around a 1983 scandal that forces Dahl to choose between risking his reputation or making a public […]
As its title explicitly says, Sarah Kinsley’s latest EP, “Fleeting,” is about impermanence, the idea that nothing ever completely goes away. “Who knew dead things could come back to kill us?,” she says, recounting a poem from Lucille Clifton, one of the inspirations behind the EP. The California-spawned artist-producer says she was struck by how […]
The force is strong as Epic Games Fortnite and its “Star Wars“ collaboration continues with the launch of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” Watch Party Island. Starting Tuesday, players will be able to watch 10 minutes from the upcoming film. On May 26, director Jon Favreau will appear on the island’s amphitheater for a Q&A. Last month, […]
NewsCannes Film FestivalIra SachsRami MalekThe Man I Love
Ahead of the world premiere of “The Man I Love” in competition at Cannes, Rami Malek joined his director and co-writer Ira Sachs for a Kering Women in Motion Talk in which the Oscar winner fought through shock and awe that he’s even showing a movie at the esteemed film festival. “I never get used […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketMy Indian Boyfriend
London-based actor Sushant Shekhar has been cast as the male lead in “My Indian Boyfriend: The Golden Mile,” Vijay Chauhan’s U.K. remake of the Hong Kong romance, with the production unveiling its wider supporting cast at the Cannes Film Market. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA in Acting (Contemporary) […]
Departing from the 3D animation he contributed to at Pixar (“WALL-E,” “Up”) and wielded for his French co-directorial ventures (a pair of “Astérix” films), Louis Clichy’s first solo feature is an alluring, hand-painted memory. Drawing from his upbringing in France’s agricultural Beauce region, and from his experience with a corrective corset, “Iron Boy” (or “Le […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketKling AIMinibots
Kling AI has signed on as AI production partner on “Minibots,” the animated feature previously announced at AFM 2024 with “Mulan” director Tony Bancroft attached. The company disclosed the partnership at the Cannes Film Market, where it also confirmed that Bancroft will handle character design on the project and that “Terminator 3” writer Michael Ferris […]
NewsMalala YousafzaiMariska HargitayTribeca Festival
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai joins the Tribeca-bound documentary “The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony” as an executive producer. The coming-of-age documentary, directed by Habiba Nosheen, focuses on three Pakistani girls navigating the margins of society and carving out space for themselves, one somersault at a time.”Through their intimate journeys, we witness how their passion […]
ReviewsJeremy Allen WhiteJon FavreauPedro PascalStar WarsThe MandalorianThe Mandalorian and Grogu
I found "The Mandalorian and Grogu" to be fun in a slightly flat way. But because the movie has so little pretense, it’s basically an invitation to wallow in the lite "Star Wars" nostalgia that’s there in every frame.
Spotify is aiming to boost the trust of podcast listeners — by extending its verification program to podcasts and affirming that using AI to “impersonate” another podcaster is not allowed. According to the company, Spotify’s policies have always prohibited unauthorized impersonation. Now it is reaffirming the policy in the context of AI to “help ensure […]
No sneakers on the carpet? No Cannes do. The Paris fest’s famously strict dress code — recently updated with a red carpet sneaker ban — didn’t stop Kristen Stewart from boasting a chic high-low ensemble on the Croisette. The actor arrived to a photocall for her new movie “Full Phil” on Friday afternoon in a […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBreaking Through The LensCannes Film FestivalPrimetime
Primetime and Breaking Through The Lens have unveiled a strategic partnership at the Cannes Film Festival designed to create new financing channels for women and non-binary filmmakers working across film and television. The two organizations are combining Primetime’s model of bundling in-kind production support, star talent and private finance with BTTL’s dual-jurisdiction nonprofit infrastructure – […]
NewsAdam DriverCannes Film FestivalJames GrayPaper Tiger
Adam Driver gamely walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “Paper Tiger” on Saturday, posing for pictures alongside his co-star Miles Teller and the film’s writer and director James Gray. But as soon as the Lumière Theatre darkened and the film began to play, Driver slipped out of his seat. “I […]
Variety picked up six honors at the 47th annual Telly Awards — including a gold award for “Variety’s Behind the Show with Emily Longeretta,” which won in the Social Video: Media & Entertainment category. Overall, Al Jazeera English won the most gold Telly Awards, with 12, followed by a tie between Asharq Network and Hearst […]
“Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” is bringing in a new star for Season 4 — and saying goodbye to an original cast member. Variety has learned that Luke Kirby is joining the Citytv series, while series star Aden Young is departing the show. Young has been a part of the series since it launched […]
FestivalsGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCncNe Zha 2
In the three years since the end of the COVID pandemic, cinema exhibition around the world continues to feel the impact, with a slower than expected recovery exacerbated by unpredictability in the market, the industry downturn and shifting audience tastes, according to a new study published by France’s National Center of Cinema (CNC). While Asia […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketUnarmed Soldier
Indian and Canadian producers have signed a letter of intent for a treaty co-production on the life of Amir Hussain Lone, the armless cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir, it was unveiled at the Cannes Film Market. The film is titled “Unarmed Soldier.” The project will be directed by Nishil Sheth and structured as an official […]
AsiaFestivalsGlobalNewsAll the Lovers in the NightAsano TadanobuCannes Film FestivalYukiko Sode
For Yukiko Sode, the challenge wasn’t pressure – it was pleasure. Adapting Mieko Kawakami’s introspective novel “All the Lovers in the Night” for the screen meant externalizing a protagonist’s inner world, a task the director describes not as burden but as sustained creative exploration. “It was certainly a challenge to find a way to externalize […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalHer Private HellNicolas Winding RefnSophie Thatcher
Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn broke down in tears during the Cannes press conference for his new film “Her Private Hell,” recalling how he died for 25 minutes three years ago and then came back to life. Refn, who is making his feature film return with “Her Private Hell” after 10 years, said he had […]
A collection of AI-generated short films drawn from erotic magazine photo spreads published 50 years ago has made its debut on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, streaming on Cultpix with a physical release on BluRay and VHS from Klubb Super 8 to follow. The project was developed by Thomas Meier of Norwegian company […]
Production on “Moving” Season 2 is now underway at Disney+, with leads Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo, Zo Insung and Go Younjung all confirmed to return and Won Gyubin added to the ensemble. Set in the immediate aftermath of the Jeongwon High School Incident, the new season follows the returning characters as they attempt to resume […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalDonald TrumpfjordSebastian Stan
Two years after “The Apprentice” premiered at Cannes, Sebastian Stan reflected on the film during the press conference for his new movie “Fjord,” saying America is “in a really, really bad place.” The actor was asked his thoughts on “The Apprentice,” which premiered just before the 2024 election, now that Trump has been in office […]
Jour2Fête has taken French distribution rights to period dramedy “La Portraitiste,” directed by Annie St-Pierre and written by Florence Longpré, who also stars in the film. The deal was signed in Cannes with H264, a Montreal-based international sales company. Longpré, an actress as well as a writer, first came to public attention with “Like-Moi!” in […]
Movistar Plus is marking the start of Alfonso Gómez Palacio’s tenure as CEO with a restructuring of its operations, as the leading Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform launches a new content and sports framework. Gómez Palacio succeeded Daniel Domenjó, who left the post in April after just over a year as CEO of Movistar Plus. His […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalPop Up Film Residency
The Pop Up Film Residency has selected eight participants who will be taking part in residencies across Europe this summer. The program’s latest cohort was announced during an event Tuesday at the Cannes Marché du Film’s Village Innovation. Since launching in 2018, the Pop Up Film Residency has offered more than 150 artistic residencies to […]
“Baywatch” is set to make a splash in the U.K. and Ireland after Comcast-owned broadcaster Sky snapped up the rights to the show. The beach-set drama, which is due to launch in 2027, will be available on Sky and its companion streaming platform Now after the broadcaster struck a deal with distributor Fremantle. The show, […]
FestivalsGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalHomemade FilmsKonstantina KotzamaniMaria DrandakiTitanic Ocean
Konstantina Kotzamani arrives at Cannes Un Certain Regard with her debut feature “Titanic Ocean,” a Japanese-language coming-of-age drama set inside a boarding school where teenage girls train to become professional mermaids. The film premieres May 20 and follows 17-year-old Akame, aka “Deep Sea,” as she learns to perform underwater shows, navigate love, and discover the […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalFFC BulgariaFilm Forge
“The Inspector’s Debt,” directed by Teodora Markova, has been named the winner of the €50,000 ($58,200) FFC Bulgaria and Film Forge competition. The winner was announced at an exclusive villa event in partnership with Variety on May 18 in Cannes, organized by International Film Festival Glasgow, Female Film Club and First Draft, founding members of […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalConspiracaoFernanda TorresInfinity HillWillem Dafoe
Brazil’s Fernanda Torres, Oscar-nominated for her stirring performance in Walter Salles’ 2025 international feature Academy Award winner “I’m Still Here,” is joining four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Poor Things,” “Platoon”) in Bárbara Paz’s upcoming feature, “Cuddle.” Set in a near-future metropolis where intimacy is bought and sold, “Cuddle” follows Dante (Dafoe), a professional cuddler paid […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsAguda CinemaAlegoasCannes Film FestivalLaís Santos Araújo
Following the international festival run of her acclaimed short “Infantaria” which bowed at the Berlinale, Brazilian director Laís Santos Araújo is developing the project into a feature, with producer Pedro Krull of Aguda Cinema steering the project through the prestigious Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence and a slate of European development initiatives. Set against the landscapes of […]
ReviewsCannes Film FestivalEivind LandsvikLow Expectations
If our addiction to our phones — thus, our incessant need for distractions and entertainment — is any indication, humankind increasingly refuses to surrender to boredom, even though a great deal of life is made up of ordinary, nothing moments that we ought to embrace rather than avoid. In his gentle and minor-key feature debut […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsAlicia SchersonCannesCannes Film FestivalDindi JanePaulina Garcia
In yet another alliance forged between European and Latin American producers at Cannes, France’s Lilith Films has boarded Chilean drama “A Woman Wants to Die” (“Una mujer quiere morir”), a co-production involving Chile (Niña Niño Films), Argentina (Gualicho Cine) and Brazil (Superfilmes). It stars one of Chile’s most bankable stars, Paulina Garcia (“Gloria”), who recently announced […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBruno Santamaría RazoCannes Film FestivalCritics WeekLuxbox
World premiering at Cannes’ Critics’ Week on May 19, Bruno Santamaría Razo’s film “Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building” (“Seis Meses en el Edificio Rosa con Azul”) is set in early ’90s Mexico where 11-year-old Bruno navigates the ups and downs of childhood and begins to question his sexuality. He learns that his […]
AsiaFestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalKurosawa KiyoshiThe Samurai and the Prisoner
Kurosawa Kiyoshi has spent a career trapping his characters in the present tense — in the buzzing infrastructure of contemporary Tokyo, in the ambient dread of the networked age, in the particular horror of ordinary life curdling into something much worse. “The Samurai and the Prisoner” takes him somewhere he has never been before: feudal […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketMandela PicturesWhispers of Fatimah
Mandela Pictures and Oceanus Media Global have launched first stills from “Bisikan Desa Gringsing: Whispers of Fatimah” at the Cannes Film Market, marking the international debut of what is billed as the one of the first Indonesian horror features to be shot using virtual production technology. Directed by Ivander Tedjasukmana, the mystery horror is a […]
FestivalsGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalLaemmlePavan MoondiQuiver Distribution
Quiver Distribution has picked up North American digital rights for writer-director Pavan Moondi’s Canadian romantic comedy “Middle Life,” which will see a limited U.S. theatrical release this summer before hitting VOD in late fall. The indie film stars Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, real-life partners and the lead singers of Canadian alternative rock band […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsAnuparna RoyCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketLovers in the Blue Night
Anuparna Roy, the Indian filmmaker who won the Horizons award for best director at Venice, has completed her second feature, “Lovers in the Blue Night,” targeting an international festival run in the second half of 2026. Set against the margins of Mumbai, the film follows four migrants – a gay husband, his wife working in […]
Markets & FestivalsNewsAICannes Film FestivalClub Kidjordan firstman
This year’s Cannes Film Festival had fewer stars, fewer breakout movies and a dearth of studio blockbusters, making it one of the most muted editions in recent history. But even though the red carpets suffered from a lack of Hollywood glamour, the festival provided a fascinating snapshot of the challenges facing the entertainment industry. As […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketFran BorgiaYeo Siew Hua
Director Yeo Siew Hua will adapt Jesse Ball’s novel “Silence Once Begun” as his next feature, with Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia securing the rights and announcing the project at the Cannes Film Market. Producer and Akanga founder Fran Borgia is developing the film as a wide-ranging co-production spanning Singapore, Japan, and partners across Asia and […]
Markets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCaviarEyeworksFlandersStijn ConinxWalking the Dog
Just in time for the Belgian annual party at Cannes, Screen Flanders, the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship economic fund for the audiovisual industry, has announced an investment of €1.92M ($2.23M) in 15 new audiovisual productions, with nine majority Flemish (or Belgian) and six minority Flemish projects. According to Screen Flanders, the 15 supported projects will […]
Gaten Matarazzo will star as Mark Cohen in the West End revival of “Rent.” The rock musical, which is returning to the stage in honor of its 30th anniversary, will begin performances at the Duke of York’s Theatre in September. Casting for the other main characters — Mark’s roommate Roger Davis, Mark’s ex-girlfriend Maureen Johnson, […]
SkyShowtime has acquired its first original animation series, family adventure “Hidden Islands,” which encourages children to explore nature and connect with the outside world. The show will launch exclusively on the service later this year. The series is the second project, and first on-screen production, from Madeleine Bernadotte and Karini Gustafson-Teixeira, who previously co-wrote their […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalMario MartoneRai Cinema International Sales
RAI Cinema International Distribution has scored sales at the Cannes market with new works by veteran Italian auteurs Mario Martone and Gianni Amelio and promising newcomer Irene Dionisio that are tipped to bow in Venice. “Trick,” which stars Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”) (first look image above) is the latest feature by Martone who was […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsAndrey ZvyagintsevCannes Film Festival
Nearly a decade after his last film, “Loveless,” won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, two-time Academy Award nominee Andrey Zvyagintsev (“Leviathan”) returns to the Croisette with “Minotaur,” a modern-day parable about the emotional and moral collapse of a Russian businessman whose world unravels amid professional crises, global chaos and an extramarital affair. Zvyagintsev, […]
“Why aren’t you guys in a gulag somewhere, shackled down in a basement?” That’s the question Jimmy Kimmel posed to the co-creators of “South Park,” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Tuesday evening. The late-night host was, of course, alluding to the animated series’ relentless mockery of President Trump, including repeatedly depicting […]
With only a few episodes left behind the desk of “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert dedicated Monday’s show to the segments, sketches and graphics that never made it to air. “We definitely have enough material for a ‘Best of’ clip show, but y’all got YouTube — you do it,” Colbert quipped in a laid-back monologue. […]
Tiffany Haddish has no interest in imposter syndrome. She speaks with the certainty of someone who has already envisioned and earned every room she walks into. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, those rooms will be scattered across the Croisette, where she arrives with two character-driven thrillers on Highland Film Group’s sales slate — making […]
ReviewsCannes Film FestivalRudi RosenbergWords of Love
For his sophomore feature “Words of Love,” director Rudi Rosenberg makes a sensitive family drama about the fraught relationship between a mother and a daughter. Abigaëlle has never met her father and trying to make that connection becomes an obsession of hers — and while her mother, Erika, is supportive, she is also wary of […]
On Monday night’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart went after President Donald Trump for getting “nothing” out of his recent meeting with Xi Jinping, the president of the People’s Republic of China. “But first, is everybody feeling good? Feeling safe? I know why. I know why you are feeling good. I know why […]
ReviewsCannes Film FestivalLaila MarrakchiStrawberries
Stories about exploited migrant workers have become something of a mainstay in international cinema, rightly so given the tenacious hold this form of indenture — or worse — continues to have on the Global North. They also make for good cinema: who doesn’t want to root for people oppressed by the henchmen of rampant capitalism? Laïla […]
Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” hits theaters in less than a month and retailers are rolling out the merch for the latest installment of the hit animated film franchise. Collectibles brand Funko has unveiled its “Toy Story 5” Funko Pop figurines, which feature new versions of the main characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, as well […]
In Netflix’s first major deal out of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the streamer has picked up global rights outside of France to breakout Critics Week opener “In Waves,” an adaptation of AJ Dungo’s 2019 graphic memoir. The animated romance directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen boasts a voice cast led by Oscar-nominated Stephanie Hsu and […]
"Full Phil," brash and throttling as it is, is an overly italicized screw-loose satire that some will want to see, because in its halfway funny, halfway off-putting extreme way it dares to color so far outside the lines.
ColumnsNewsJust For VarietyStephen ColbertThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert’s time with “The Late Show” won’t end when the final episode tapes at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Thursday. Sources tell me that he’s hosting an after-party following the taping at a nearby event space. The invitation is topped with the show’s red, white and blue logo tweaked to […]
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for the Season 8 premiere of Dropout’s “Game Changer,” titled “Don’t Wake Standards & Practices.” The eighth season premiere of Dropout’s ever-evolving game show “Game Changer” wasn’t about whether you won or lost (mostly), but how you played the censorship game. Featuring Dropout regulars Ally Beardsley, Lou Wilson and Jeremy […]
NewsCannes Film FestivalCharles MeltonHer Private HellNicolas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Refn returned to Cannes with “Her Private Hell” and continued his festival hot streak of dividing audiences. The provocateur’s latest feature is headlined by “Yellowjackets” and “Companion” star Sophie Thatcher and Charles Melton, the “Riverdale” actor who redefined his career at Cannes when Todd Haynes’ “May December” premiered in 2023. The late-night screening […]
Whether for gas or groceries, it’s no secret that prices have been rising in recent months, and now, that has extended to mobile coverage as well. AT&T quietly unveiled a rate hike last month, while Verizon raised prices on select multi-device plans last year. Now, T-Mobile, which has also raised prices (though just once in […]
Red Light Management founder Coran Capshaw will be honoroed by the T.J. Martell Foundation, the music industry foundation that provides funds for cancer research, at its 51st annual New York Honors Gala on September 15 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The foundation’s board of trustees will present Capshaw — pictured above with […]
AwardsNewsDeath Of A SalesmanLaurie MetcalfNathan LaneTonys
The best onstage production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” in a generation is also, conveniently, the one that settles two long-running perceptions of its two Tony-nominated thespians. The first is about Nathan Lane — and, as it turns out, the 70-year-old veteran offers the clearest read on where he is in this career […]
The Patrick Wilson and Molly Ringwald-led “Run Amok,” Matthew Giaquinto’s “Red Flag” and Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci’s “Big Night” are among the titles set to screen at the Lighthouse International Film Festival (LIFF). The festival will take place June 10 through 14 on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. LIFF’s 2026 lineup includes a range […]
Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is May 18, 2026, which means it’s 24 days until nominations-round voting begins on June 11; 35 days until nominations-round voting ends on June 22 at 10 p.m.; and 53 days until Emmy nominations are announced on July 10. And looking far ahead, it’s 119 days until the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 on NBC. And we’re back to Los Angeles! The upfronts were quite […]
Zoinks! “Scooby-Doo” is going anime. Tubi has acquired the new animated series “Yokoso Scooby-Doo!” — which means “Welcome Scooby-Doo” — which focuses on Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, and stars “Scooby-Doo!” voice regulars Frank Welker (“Scoob!”) and Matthew Lillard (“Scream”) as the two main roles. “Yokoso Scooby-Doo!” is the first original anime “Scooby-Doo!” series, and is produced […]
NewsA Parade of HorriblesDungeon Crawler CarlMatt Dinniman
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains major spoilers for “A Parade of Horribles,” the eighth book in Matt Dinniman’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl” series. The “Dungeon Crawler Carl” lit RPG novel series ended its eighth installment, “A Parade of Horribles,” with several bombshells that will shake up the journey for Carl, Princess Donut, Mongo, Ren and their now-expanded […]
“Greyhound” and “Jurassic Park III” DP Shelly Johnson has been elected 50th President of the American Society of Cinematographers. The ASC board of governors has announced a new slate of officers. Johnson, who takes the reigns from incumbent President Mandy Walker, previously served as the org’s president from 2023-25. The Board also voted in Vice Presidents […]
FX has given a series order to “Very Young Frankenstein.” The project was first announced with a pilot order in 2025. Exact plot details are still under wraps, aside from the fact it is inspired by the classic Mel Brooks-Gene Wilder comedy “Young Frankenstein.” As previously reported, the show stars Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells and […]
NewsCannes Film FestivalfjordRenate ReinsveSebastian Stan
The Cannes Film Festival flipped for “Fjord” on Monday night, as Cristian Mungiu’s heart-wrenching family legal saga starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve brought searing drama to the Grand Palais. A Romanian family with strict religious beliefs emigrates to a sleepy Norwegian village — watching as clashing social norms escalates into a living nightmare when […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalDocumentaries to WatchGolden Globes
Husband-and-wife filmmaking duo Joshua and Rebecca Tickell were jointly awarded the Golden Globes Prize for Documentary in Partnership With Artemis Rising Foundation during the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Their film “Groundswell” follows experts, Indigenous leaders and farmers across five continents, demonstrating how regenerative farming can restore soil health, draw carbon from the […]
Tom Kane, a voice actor known for roles in “Star Wars” and “Powerpuff Girls,” died Monday. He was 64. Kane’s death was confirmed in a statement posted to Facebook by his talent agency Galactic Productions. “Today we say goodbye to Tom Kane — a legendary voice actor whose work shaped the childhoods and imaginations of […]
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for “Obsession,” now playing in theaters. The best movie villains inspire empathy or understanding in an audience: Maybe they profoundly believe what they’re doing is right, or have been so damaged by their past that retribution seems like the only way out. Judging by trailers and posters alone, “Obsession” […]
Advertisers keep counting on Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell to reach out from “Modern Family” to yours. The duo, currently featured in a non-traditional marketing pitch from pharma giant GSK, have reunited to make consumers more aware of meningitis risks for teens and young adults. In a nearly eight-minute-long video that will evoke memories of […]
First, on Saturday night, Spaniard Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” starring Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo, scored some of the best reviews of any competition title to date this year at the Cannes Film Festival. One evening later, on May 17, a long line formed around the corner of Cannes’ Olympia theater for the sold out […]
Highland Film Group has locked distribution deals in key international territories in all media for the upcoming thriller “Just Play Dead.” It is headlined by Academy Award-nominee and “Pulp Fiction” star Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Eva Green of “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children” and Maria Pedraza of Netflix’s “Money Heist.” The film […]
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the biggest controversy isn’t tied to a polarizing film or a political speech at a press conference. It’s about Canal+ and the increasingly fraught question of whether France’s most powerful movie financier can remain insulated from the conservative political stance of its billionaire shareholder, Vincent Bolloré. The debate erupted […]
Elon Musk’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of violating its charter to function as a charitable organization was unanimously rejected by a federal jury. The nine-member jury on Monday decided that Musk’s allegation against OpenAI and execs Sam Altman and Greg Brockman claiming a “breach of charitable trust” was barred by the statute of limitations. Musk also […]
ReviewsCannes Film FestivalCristian MungiufjordRenate ReinsveSebastian Stan
An actual avalanche happens in the background of an early scene in “Fjord,” as snow gathers and masses and tumbles down a hill behind the school in a small, close-knit Norwegian village, eventually stalling before it becomes any kind of disaster. Later in the film, another happens in the same spot, this time breaking closer […]
The upcoming “Hello Kitty” movie has found its directors. David Derrick Jr. (“Moana 2”) and John Aoshima (“Ultraman: Rising”) will helm the film. Former president of Paramount Animation Ramsey Naito (“The Boss Baby”) will produce the film alongside Beau Flynn.Shelby Thomas is overseeing for FlynnPictureCo. The film, which has spent several years in development, will […]
HBO’s “Harry Potter” series is set to conjure up a new Ginny Weasley after child actor Gracie Cochrane exited the role. “Due to unforeseen circumstances Gracie has made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO ‘Harry Potter’ series after Season 1,” Cochrane and her family said in […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalFilming Italy Sardegna FestivalJames Franco
Harvey Keitel, James Franco, Elsa Zylberstein are among talents booked to attend the upcoming ninth edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna festival which will be held June 25-28 on the island of Sardinia. Zylberstein, who is one of the most famous – and bankable — faces of French cinema, known for her Cesar-winning performance in “I’ve […]
Haterade rained down on Spotify’s 20th birthday party celebratory disco-ball icon — and, after acknowledging the backlash, the streamer says the old 2D logo will return to users’ phones next week. Without warning, Spotify last week debuted the glowing green mirrorball icon for its mobile app. It was meant to be a fun celebration of […]
“Wheel of Fortune” is showing its patriotic side this summer with two weeks of USA-themed episodes in honor of America’s 250th birthday sponsored by Coca-Cola. Titled “Drink In America Presented by Coca-Cola,” the themed episodes of the syndicated “Wheel of Fortune” will air nationwide the week of June 1 and again, “with added elements,” the […]
NBCUniversal Launch, the company’s umbrella brand that houses the comprehensive inclusion efforts across NBCUniversal’s entertainment television portfolio, is unveiling its annual Unscripted Pitch Accelerator program. The program is designed to discover the next generation of unscripted storytellers for NBC, Bravo and Peacock. The initiative offers independent creators and producers the opportunity to pitch original concepts directly to […]
ReviewsArthur HarariCannes Film FestivalLéa SeydouxThe Unknown
If you’ve ever caught yourself having just too good a time with “Freaky Friday” or “Your Name” or really any entry in the oddly well-populated body-swap genre, here’s a chance to do a little penance. “The Unknown” is Arthur Harari’s third directorial feature, after “Dark Inclusion” and “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle,” and his […]
Russell Andrews, a veteran actor who’s appeared in “Better Caul Saul,” “Insecure,” and “Straight Outta Compton,” has revealed that he’s been living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The 64-year-old shared the news Saturday evening on CNN’s “The Story Is with Elex Michaelson” alongside his fiancée, actress Erica Tazel (“Justified”). He said he was diagnosed with […]
The podcast sector suddenly may have a big new player: Amazon’s Alexa+ AI-powered voice assistant. Alexa has been answering billions of users’ queries since it was first released in 2014. Now Amazon is positioning Alexa+’s extended answers on any number of different topics as “podcasts,” completely compiled using AI, the company announced Monday. Seemingly to […]
Jeremy Clarkson opens up about his heart scare in the trailer for Season 5 of “Clarkson’s Farm,” which streams on Prime Video. The trailer shows an ambulance racing away from Diddly Squat Farm, followed by cell-phone footage of a nurse attaching probes to Clarkson’s chest in a hospital bed as a machine beeps in the […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalMarché du FilmMontevideoVentana Sur
Ventana Sur will return to Montevideo for its 2026 edition, confirming the Río de la Plata format as the new working structure for Latin America’s leading audiovisual market. The Marché du Film, Uruguay’s ACAU and Argentina’s INCAA unveiled Monday the dates for the market’s second Montevideo edition. Ventana Sur will run Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2026, […]
“Death Becomes Her,” a campy musical based on the 1992 cult favorite film, is closing after less than two years on Broadway. After 650 performances over a 20-month run, “Death Becomes Her” will conclude on June 28. The effects-heavy production is leaving Broadway without recouping its massive $31.5 million investment. It’s been a challenge for […]
“I’m pregnant. Will that be OK?” Léa Seydoux wasn’t sure if the timing was right at all. She’d been approached years prior by writer-director Arthur Harari to star in “The Unknown,” a science fiction film he was working on; Seydoux had read an intriguing but confusing first draft, then “just forgot about it,” she recalls. Now, Harari was ready to shoot, but she’d be stepping […]
Laura Linney has officially joined the cast of the upcoming DC series “Lanterns” at HBO. Linney will appear alongside previously announced cast members Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen. It was also previously confirmed that Nathan Fillion would reprise the role of fellow Green Lantern Guy […]
With a legacy of arresting album cover images that includes Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” Led Zeppelin’s “House of the Holy,” Black Sabbath’s “Technical Ecstasy” and many more, the design firm called Hipgnosis created some of the most iconic artwork of the rock world in for several decades. Primary Wave has acquired the […]
“Stranger Things” could have been a whole different show if creators Matt and Ross Duffer had gotten their original casting choice for Chief Jim Hopper — and it’s not Josh Brolin. During an interview with “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz posted Monday, the Duffers are asked to reveal who their “first choice” was for […]
After an eight-year court battle, a Spanish court has ordered the country’s treasury to refund nearly $65 million to singer Shakira after ruling that the money was improperly collected. The country’s high court has acquitted the Colombian singer of tax fraud and ordered the treasury to repay the money to her, with interest. In the […]
“Just In Time,” a biographical jukebox musical about the performer Bobby Darin, has recouped its entire production cost after just over a year on Broadway. The show, which earned a Tony nomination and plenty of raves for its star Jonathan Groff, was capitalized at $12.5 million. “Just In Time” is the first musical of the […]
A “Transformers” attraction will open in Brazil later this year, marking the latest live experience from toy giant Hasbro and a huge push into the LATAM market. Made by partnership with Dream Cars Automóveis e Eventos, the “Transformers” experience (which will mark Brazil’s first fixed, immersive attraction based on the Hasbro IP) is set to […]
FestivalsCannes Film FestivalDisplacement Film Fund
Oscar-winning actor, producer and UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett announced Mo Amer, Annemarie Jacir, Akuol de Mabior, Bao Nguyen and Rithy Panh as the second cohort of filmmakers for the Displacement Film Fund short film grant. The Displacement Film Fund was first initiated at UNHCR’s Global Refugee Forum, the world’s largest gathering dedicated to […]
Brazil’s Nicho54 Institute is launching Cinemateca Negra (Black Brazilian Cinematheque in literal translation), an original publication that consolidates data about Black films in Brazil. Launching globally from the Marché du Film in Cannes, the publication maps over a thousand films made by Black filmmakers between 1949 and 2022, featuring a wealth of criticism, interviews, and […]
GlobalNewsANICACannes Film FestivalRome Mia Market
Rome’s MIA Market is launching a new strand dedicated to animated series called the Animation Series Gap Financing Market, and also an innovative hub to facilitate access for European productions to international financing, plus a new initiative focussed on experiential networking. MIA (the acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) is […]
It’s divine! Bette Midler will voice the part of the fairy godmother in Netflix’s upcoming animated feature, “Steps.“ Midler joins Amanda Seyfried, who was cast as Cinderella. Ali Wong (Lilith) and Stephanie Hsu (Margot) will play Cinderella’s evil stepsisters. Midler said, “The beloved Fairy Godmother, the wholesome Fairy Godmother, the one with all the good […]
Lady Gaga’s “The Dead Dance” from Netflix’s “Wednesday” will be submitted for Emmys consideration in the outstanding music and lyrics category. The song is written and produced by Gaga and her frequent collaborators Andrew Watt and Cirkut (Henry Russell Walter). “The Dead Dance” can be heard in the second season of the Tim Burton-helmed series […]
Matt Matthews has announced the massive Not What I Ordered World Tour, with 74 live dates spanning September 2026 to May 2027. The comedian will hit Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. in his first-ever international run. A ticket presale begins May 19 at 10 a.m. local time, with a general on-sale on […]
NewsElton JohnElton John Impact AwardsiHeartMediaWhat to Hear
Music icon Elton John already had an award named after him. Now it has become a bigger awards program: The Elton John Impact Awards, which are being presented to influential members of the LGBTQ+ community and prominent allies. The Elton John Impact Awards, created by iHeartMedia and consumer packaged goods giant P&G, will launch June […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBerlinaleCannesCannes Film FestivalMPM PremiumThe Red Hangar
“The Red Hangar” (“Hangar rojo”), Chilean Juan Pablo Sallato’s black & white fiction feature debut, which swept the Guadalajara Film Festival in April, has sold to U.S.-based company Pragda, marking its first all-rights acquisition for the U.S. and Canada. International sales agent Premium Films/MPM Premium also sold the drama to Spain (Festival Films), Italy (I […]
Julianne Moore has received plenty of accolades throughout her 40-year career — an Oscar, an Emmy, plus awards from Berlin, Venice and Cannes, to name a few — but the Kering Women in Motion award is unique. This prize, launched in 2015 by Kering in association with the Cannes Film Festival, celebrates how cinema can […]
Celebrated Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke will next direct “Mamma Dunhuang,” reteaming with French production and sales banner MK2 Films. The latter, spearheaded by Nathanael and Elisha Karmitz, co-produce “Mamma Dunhuang,” in partnership with the director’s Chinese production company Xstream Pictures. It will begin shooting this winter. “Mamma Dunhuang” tells the story of a mother who has […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsAlicia VikanderCannes Film FestivalHopeMichael Fassbender
A sequel to “Hope,” Na Hong-jin’s alien action epic that rocked Cannes Film Festival on Sunday night, is already in the works. The Korean auteur revealed the news during a press conference on Monday, saying: “I think you can readily imagine this sequel. And there’s a script that’s already been done that I’d like to […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalEmbraturNetflixPremios PlatinoProjeto ParadisoScreen BrasilSpcine
Brazil’s Tourism Board, Embratur, is spearheading an eight-pronged strategy to boost audiovisual-inspired tourism in the country. After all, studies reveal that some 90 million people worldwide choose their holiday destinations based on what they’ve seen on films, TV series and digital games. Case in point: Dubrovnik, Croatia is still overwhelmed by tourists keen to see […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalCharles GillibertLola Quivoron
Paris-based Films du Losange has boarded international sales on “El Dorado,” a psychological thriller from rising French filmmaker Lola Quivoron, starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Mallory Wanecque, Antonia Buresi and Samuel Kircher. “El Dorado” marks the sophomore outing of Quivoron, whose breakout feature “Rodeo” world premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 2022 where it won […]
FestivalsGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBrazilCannes Film FestivalMarché du FilmSpcine
Bolstering the Brazilian presence in Cannes this year, São Paulo public audiovisual company Spcine is developing strategic partnerships and promoting the city as a competitive film and TV hub on the global stage while backing six domestic films in various sections and programs at the festival. Spcine’s participation in Cannes is part of the internationalization […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBrazilCannes Film FestivalEmbraturProjeto ParadisoScreen Brasil
Brazilian Tourism Board Embratur and leading philanthropic initiative Projeto Paradiso have announced the three films selected for their inaugural Screen Brasil initiative, aimed at promoting Brazilian cinema internationally. The selected films include Silver Bear-winning “The Blue Trail” by Gabriel Mascaro, Rafaela Camelo’s coming-of-age “The Nature of Invisible Things” and Priscilla Kellen’s animated feature “Papaya.” Embratur […]
The BBC’s new director general Matt Brittin has warned that “tough choices are unavoidable” in his first memo to staff. Describing himself as a “lifelong fan of the BBC,” the former Google executive opened the missive by saying that over the last few weeks he has been meeting teams in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland […]
NewsReviewsBen NicholasCannes Film FestivalCantonaDavid TryhornEric Cantona
Lifted from his poem “Flowers of Evil,” the Charles Baudelaire quote that opens “Cantona” — “I am the wound and the knife/I am the blow and the cheek/I am the limbs and the wheel/Victim and executioner” — would seem like overkill in a documentary about pretty much any sporting figure besides Eric Cantona. At the […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalFemale Film Club
The Female Film Club has unveiled the second edition of its Global Short Film Fund at the Cannes Film Festival, with an expanded prize package worth €33,000 ($38,600) and three new industry partners: AI filmmaking platform IMGN.AI, post-production house Disauthority and virtual production company Mo-Sys. The fund – announced by Variety at Cannes 2025 – […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsconnor storrieHeated RivalryRaindance Film Festival
The 34th Raindance Film Festival has unveiled its complete program, with 85 narrative and documentary features, 112 short films and 27 immersive projects set for the June 17–26 run in London. Forty-eight of the features – 56% of the total – come from first-time directors, and a new best horror feature prize has been added […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalKarlovy Vary 80 AnniversaryKarlovy Vary Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival toasted its 80th birthday in style during the Cannes Film Festival with a bustling luncheon — complete with a giant birthday cake — on the beach. Variety participated in the event, held at Plage Des Palmes, in partnership with the festival. On hand to lead the celebrations were the Karlovy Vary chair […]
A24 is officially taking “Club Kid” home from the afters. Jordan Firstman’s dramedy, an official selection of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has notched a major sale — north of $15 million, per three sources — after a weekend of heated bidding in the South of France. Topic Studios financed and produced the project, and […]
Kylie Minogue cannot be summed up easily. A three-decade career with era-defining tracks. An unmistakable aura that makes it feel like you know her. And a knack for constant reinvention that defies expectations, from “I Should Be So Lucky” to “Padam Padam.” So “Kylie,” out on Netflix Wednesday, does not try to do so. Instead, […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketGreenwich EntertainmentLight Pillar
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Light Pillar,” the debut feature from Chinese director and screenwriter Xu Zao. The Shanghai-based Fengduan Pictures production world-premiered in the Perspectives section of the Berlin Film Festival and will receive a theatrical release across the country early next year. The 2D animated film incorporates live-action sequences featuring […]
AsiaFestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalElephants in the Fog
During Nepal’s pandemic lockdowns, Abinash Bikram Shah found himself deep in a TikTok rabbit hole, watching videos posted by Kinnars – members of Nepal’s ancient third-gender community – dancing, joking, performing with unselfconscious joy. The comment sections beneath those videos were frequently vile. The Kinnars kept posting. “That really struck me,” Shah tells Variety. “I […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBerlinaleCannes Film FestivalGloriaPaulina GarciaPremios Platino
Chile’s Paulina García, winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear for her performance in Sebastian Lelio’s “Gloria,” is poised to direct her first feature, “The Passion According to Carmen” (“La Pasión según Carmen”). Described as “the coming-of-age story of an adult woman” it follows Carmen, a journalist, whose life appears – at least on the surface […]
FestivalsGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalFrida FilmsJuanjo Giménez Peña
Spanish filmmaker Juanjo Giménez Peña, whose 2016 “Timecode” won a Palme d’Or at Cannes for best short and later earned an Academy Award nomination, is set to begin shooting his new feature “Pínkala” this July in Vigo, Spain. The supernatural love story stars Pol López and is produced by Frida Films alongside M-Films (Lithuania) and […]
Circle, the training platform for women and gender-expansive filmmakers, is moving into XR and immersive media with a new international program developed alongside Onassis ONX. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentarian Katerina Cizek has been appointed head of studies for the initiative. “Circle Expanded Orbit” will run Nov. 21–26, in Athens, bringing together creators working across […]
NewsAcademy Of Country Music AwardsAcm AwardsElla Langleykacey musgravesShania Twain
Country stars were choosin’ fashion as they took to the stage and the red carpet Sunday night at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. Ella Langley was the top winner, with seven trophies in five categories, and Cody Johnson scored two key ones, including entertainer of the year. Other winners included Riley […]
AsiaBox OfficeGlobalNewsMichaelThe devil wears Prada 2The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
The Michael Jackson biographical drama “Michael” comfortably claimed the top position at the South Korean box office during the weekend of May 15–17. According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the Lionsgate and Universal Pictures international release earned $3.6 million from 470,375 admissions, securing a dominant 51.03% share […]
Jinant Film & TV’s family drama “Dear You” retained its position at the top of the China box office during the May 15–17 weekend, pulling in RMB282 million ($41.5 million), according to data from Artisan Gateway. Directed by Lan Hongchun and starring Li Sitong and Wang Yantong, the film has now reached a cumulative total […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketK2 PicturesMiike Takashi
Tokyo-based production company K2 Pictures closed its K2P Film Fund I at $33 million and unveiled a 10-title slate at a press conference at Cannes, with the session anchored by the world premiere of a teaser trailer for “Shumei – The Living Legacy of Kabuki,” auteur Miike Takashi’s inaugural documentary feature. The fund closed in […]
Toons boom across the Croisette this year, with colorful features opening Critics’ Week, closing Directors’ Fortnight, and appearing across nearly every section — further cementing Cannes’ status as a premier launchpad for animated cinema. Cannes’ position now feels secure, though its rise has been unusually fast. Earlier breakouts like “My Life as a Zucchini” (2016) […]
Anderson Cooper signed off of “60 Minutes” on Sunday with a salute to the newsmagazine’s editorial independence and longevity. He told viewers “I hope ’60 Minutes’ remains ’60 Minutes’ ” in a segment that wrapped up his 20-year run as a correspondent for the venerable program. “There’s very few things that have been around for […]
NewsAcademy Of Country Music AwardsAcm AwardsCody JohnsonElla Langley
The Academy of Country Music Awards were choosing Ella Langley every chance they got, as the “Choosin’ Texas” charttopper won all seven trophies she was nominated for before and during Sunday night’s ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The top prize of the night, however, went to Cody Johnson, who was […]
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Stand Still and See,” Season 3 Episode 6 of “Euphoria,” now streaming on HBO Max. The great cliffhanger of last week’s “Euphoria” was what was to become of Rue (Zendaya) as Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) charged her with a polo mallet. We learn near the start of the latest episode […]
NewsDavid ShoreFreddie HighmoreI'm Not Here to Hurt YouSony Pictures Television
“The Good Doctor” team of Freddie Highmore and David Shore and Sony Pictures Television have reteamed for a new drama series, “I’m Not Here to Hurt You,” that has been ordered by Canada’s Crave streamer, home of the white-hot drama series “Heated Rivalry.” Crave and Sony Pictures have jointly commissioned the series, which Sony will […]
NewsReviewsCannes Film FestivalDenis MenochetGuillaume CanetKarmaMarion Cotillard
What goes around mostly just goes around, goes around, and goes around once more in “Karma,” a sometimes engrossing but indulgently drawn-out affair given the veneer of luxury trash by all-in performances from Marion Cotillard and Dénis Menochet. Directed by Guillaume Canet with the same compulsive genre gloss he brought to the international hit “Tell […]
There is one day every Tony Awards season when the campaigning quiets down. No one has won anything yet, no speeches have been delivered, and for a few hours the nominees simply get to celebrate being in the room together. At the annual Tony Awards nominees luncheon, Broadway’s biggest stars, breakthrough performers and veteran craftspeople […]
ReviewsCannes Film FestivalHirokazu Kore-edaSheep in the Box
or all the fantasy simplicity of the premise, there’s no structure to it, and though the humanoid Kakeru increases in agency and brains as the movie goes on, it still never figures out who he is.
FestivalsGlobalNewsAlicia VikanderCannes Film FestivalHoyeonMichael Fassbender
“Hope” — an extremely ambitious blockbuster hopeful about an alien invasion in a sleepy South Korean mountain town — jolted the Cannes Film Festival awake on Sunday night with a 6-minute ovation. Directed by Na Hong-jin, the big-budget epic combined a gritty survival story and an original sci-fi mythology — no one quite knew what […]
ReviewsAlicia VikanderCannes Film FestivalHopeHoyeonHwang Jung-minMichael FassbenderNa Hong-jinTaylor Russell
For a whole decade since 2016’s extraordinarily uncanny horror-hybrid “The Wailing,” fans of Korean director Na Hong-jin have been peering anxiously at the horizon awaiting his next uncategorizable genre mash-up. More recently, like a bumbling local police chief removing his mirrored aviators to squint at an unidentifiable what-the-hell-is-that wreaking havoc in the distance, we’ve tracked […]
NewsAcademy Of Country Music AwardsAcm AwardsDamon WhitesideElla LangleyPrime VideoRaj KapoorShania Twain
Ella Langley has conquered not just the country world but the music world generally this year with her song “Choosin’ Texas.” But for the producers of the Academy of Country Music Awards, this year’s show is all about choosin’ Vegas. Certainly no fight is being picked with the Lone Star state, where the ACM Awards […]
NewsReviewsA Girl's StoryCannes Film FestivalJudith Godreche
The resemblance between Judith Godrèche and her daughter Tess Barthélemy — also the luminous lead of her mother’s debut feature “A Girl’s Life” — will be particularly powerful for anyone familiar with Godrèche’s teenage breakthrough role in the 1990 Jacques Doillon drama “The Disenchanted.” Watching the doe-eyed Barthélémy in this assured adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s […]
“Dutton Ranch” is a high-profile “Yellowstone” spinoff, but Annette Bening, a new addition to Taylor Sheridan’s universe, has been stealing every scene she’s been in. Bening plays Beulah Jackson, a larger-than-life Texas businesswoman who owns and operates 10 Petal Ranch along with her family. But this matriarch isn’t afraid to make some tough decisions, and […]
ReviewsAdele ExarchopoulosAnother DayCannes Film FestivalJeanne Herry
From Billy Wilder’s “The Lost Weekend” to the Sandra Bullock-starrer “28 Days” and beyond, cinema has a long tradition of substance abuse and recovery stories. There is something inherently cinematic and moving about a struggling person’s by-the-bootstraps journey to healing, with a lifetime’s worth of trials and tribulations. Just two years ago, Nora Fingscheidt’s tough […]
NewsAcademy Of Country Music AwardsAcm AwardsNOADSPrime Video
Shania Twain hosts and Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Little Big Town are among the performers for tonight’s Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, taking place live from Las Vegas. As with previous years, the 2026 ACMs air live on Prime Video, Amazon’s subscriber-based streaming service. Viewers can sign into their Amazon Prime […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsBarbra StreisandCannes Film Festival
Barbra Streisand is unable to attend the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony to accept her honorary Palme d’Or after suffering a knee injury. “On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year,” Streisand said in a statement on […]
NewsCannes Film FestivalPeter JacksonRyan GoslingThe Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson is finally weighing in on Ryan Gosling’s infamous recasting in “The Lonely Bones,” the director’s 2009 adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel. Gosling was originally cast as the father of Saoirse Ronan’s lead character, but revealed to THR in 2010 that he was fired from the movie after he gained 60 pounds for the role without […]
Andy Samberg answered this one for us back in 2020. Here’s the short version (because we’ve gone over this). Every best picture winner in the Academy’s 98-year history — from the silent-era film “Wings” in 1929 through the most recent political action epic “One Battle After Another” this past March — clears the Academy’s Representation […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketLaalo
Indian production company Soul Sutra is presenting a 12-film Gujarati-language development and production slate at the Cannes Film Market this week. The banner is led by Indian National Film Award-winning actor-producer Manasi Parekh and singer-producer Parthiv Gohil, who co-produced “Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate” – the Ankit Sakhiya-directed devotional drama that became the highest-grossing Gujarati-language […]
NewsAl JardineBrian WilsonBruce JohnstonMike LoveThe Beach Boys
Once upon a time, “Pet Sounds” seemed like the runt of the Beach Boys’ litter, at least on the record company ledger, if hardly by artistic reputation. But as the album turns 60 years old this weekend, it’s thought of less of a cult record, as it was considered for years or even decades after […]
Adrien Nussenbaum, the French tech entrepreneur who co-founded e-commerce powerhouse Mirakl, is stepping into the movie business with the launch of Palatio Films, a new production company making its Cannes debut with Daniel Auteuil’s WWII drama “When Night Falls.” Bowing at Cannes Premiere, the film marks a major career pivot for Nussenbaum, who recently stepped […]
Can’t stop the King of Pop. “Michael,” a biopic about the musical icon, has cleared a major box office milestone with more than $700 million globally. Over the weekend, the film returned to No. 1 at the international box office with $57.7 million from 83 foreign markets. The crowd-pleaser — distributed by Universal internationally and […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketDaniel HongDead End
International sales and financing outfit EST N8 has secured worldwide rights to “Dead End,” a Taiwanese action crime thriller from director Chan Chun-hao, and has launched the title to global buyers at the Cannes Film Market. The film centers on Lin Sheng-yi, a former baseball star whose career collapsed under a game-fixing scandal. Returning to […]
NewsCannes Film FestivalKen RussellPeter JacksonThe Devil
Typically, the Cannes Classics section is not one of the festival’s major noise-makers. Mostly comprising restorations of classic titles and new documentaries about film history, it is, for most attendees who don’t specifically work in repertory cinema, a place to take a breather, to dip into the pleasures of the old amid the whirling rush […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketDeathgasm
There are some 4,000 films being sold at this year’s Cannes Marché du Film, the world’s leading film bazaar held in the depths of the Palais des Festivals where sellers from 140 countries are hawking their goods with colorful, often outrageous fliers and posters adorning the market’s roughly 300 stands. A stroll through its halls […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsBrady CorbetCannes Film FestivalCate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett and Selena Gomez are set to star in “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet’s next film alongside Michael Fassbender. During a masterclass at Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, Blanchett let slip that she’s “about to work with Brady Corbet on a film.” Variety has confirmed that she has indeed been cast in the Oscar-nominated […]
GlobalNewsCall My AgentFanny HerreroGeorges ClooneyNetflix
Five years after the fourth and final season of the hit French series “Call My Agent!” won an International Emmy Award, the gang is back for a feature film that sends its beloved agent-turned-filmmaker Andréa Martel (Camille Cottin) into the south of France and straight into the chaos of a movie shoot gone off the […]
Perhaps it takes an outsider to approach a figure of national pride with cinematic honesty. In that vein, Hungarian maestro László Nemes is a perfect fit on paper for “Moulin,” a biographical film about Jean Moulin, a French Resistance fighter of considerable acclaim. However, in practice, the drama of this World War II spy saga […]
“Michael” has moonwalked back to No. 1 at the domestic box office, earning a strong $26 million in its fourth weekend of release. In a sign of its remarkable staying power, “Michael” towered over several more recent releases, such as “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Mortal Kombat II” as well as newcomers like the […]
Cate Blanchett joined Cannes moderator Didier Allouch for a talk at the 2026 edition of the film festival and lamented how the #MeToo movement “got killed very quickly.” The two-time Oscar winner notably served as Cannes jury president in 2018 at the height of #MeToo and led a women’s march where she held hands with […]
The Edinburgh International Film Festival this year celebrates both its 79th edition overall and its third edition since it went through a major relaunch in 2023. In just two years since it was resurrected, there’s been solid growth at the Scottish event, with the EIFF25 lineup including 43 new feature films — 18 of them world […]
Mel Brooks has donated his career archive of more than 150,000 documents and 5,000 photographs to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., the same nonprofit institution that holds the papers of Brooks’ longtime collaborator Carl Reiner. The archive includes Brooks’ earliest notes on comedy during his service in World War II through his years […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalLaila MarrakchiStrawberries
Paris-based, Casablanca-born director Laila Marrakchi – whose first feature “Marock” screened in Cannes in 2005 – is back in Un Certain Regard with female-driven migrant drama “Strawberries” about a group of Moroccan seasonal laborers hired to pick strawberries in Spain who decide to stand up to their abusive employers. After portraying Morocco’s upper classes in […]
Sara Ishaq’s highly anticipated fiction debut “The Station” is the multi-layered feature we’ve been hoping would follow her impressive 2013 documentary “The Mulberry House.” Much has changed in Yemen — for the worse — over the past decade, and the country’s absence on screen apart from one-dimensional news reports puts extra pressure on any filmmaker […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsAdam DriverCannes Film FestivalLena DunhamPaper Tiger
Adam Driver may be known for leading critically acclaimed films like “BlacKkKlansman” and blockbusters like “Star Wars,” but his career first gained steam on TV in Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls.” The show has been in the news again recently as Dunham’s memoir, “Famesick,” revealed behind-the-scenes drama including claims about Driver’s on-set behavior. In the […]
Donald Trump has shared AI images on social media of himself dressed as the Pope and as a Christ-like figure healing a sick man. Now Trump’s White House has extended his self-mythologizing tendencies to one of moviedom’s most hallowed figures: British super-spy James Bond. On Saturday evening, the White House posted an image on social […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketChristopher LloydFrankie Muniz
Paris, Hong Kong and Los Angeles-based All Rights Entertainment has launched international sales on “Christopher Hope and the Secret of Napoleon” at the Cannes Film Market, with Frankie Muniz and Christopher Lloyd leading the cast of the family adventure feature, the opening chapter in a planned trilogy. The film follows a history student drawn into […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBrillante MendozaCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketStacy Martin
Judy Ann Santos, Jeanne Balibar and Stacy Martin are set to star in “Aid,” Philippines auteur Brillante Ma Mendoza’s new political drama, which is being introduced to international partners at the Cannes Film Market with Fire & Ice Media attached as delegate producer alongside France’s Ghost City Films and the Netherlands’ Human Films. The project […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketObosenRaya Martin
Director Raya Martin is set to make his feature filmmaking comeback with “Obosen,” a folkloric horror thriller being developed at Philippines-based independent studio Rein Entertainment and headed to Cannes Film Festival’s Producer’s Network. “Obosen” follows a policewoman investigating disappearances in a remote Philippine town who enters a forest where local mythology, political dynasties, and a […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalGrace Caroline Currey
“Fall” and “Shazam!” star Grace Caroline Currey is set to lead the cast of upcoming elevated crime thriller “Dead Miles,” being launched in the Cannes market by VMI Worldwide. The film — from Minds Eye Entertainment — is being directed and written by Tom Levesque (“Shut Eye”) and is slated to begin production in British Columbia. Currey […]
Chad Michael Murray will star in the upcoming drama feature “Disconnecting Peter.” The film centers on a fractured family grappling with unresolved trauma stemming from a past tragedy. Peter Ruck (Murray), a troubled husband and father, finds himself trapped by his own destructive habits, threatening to unravel the family unit. His wife, Elizabeth, fights to […]
FestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalJavier BardemThe Beloved
Javier Bardem thinks the tide is turning in terms of speaking up for Palestine in Hollywood, telling a Cannes Film Festival press conference on Sunday that “everyone is beginning to realize … this is unacceptable.” The Oscar-winning Spanish actor, who is at Cannes with his latest film “The Beloved,” was asked immediately if he has […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalGilles LelloucheLaszlo NemesMoulin
Eleven years after stunning Cannes with the searing Holocaust drama “Son of Saul,” which won the Grand Prix and went on to earn the Oscar for best international feature, Hungarian filmmaker Laszlo Nemes returns to the Croisette with another harrowing journey into WWII in Europe. But while “Son of Saul” immersed audiences in the machinery […]
Keanu Reeves is getting into samurai mode. The actor is set to voice the lead in “Hidari,” the stop-motion feature from Masashi Kawamura that he’s expanded from his viral proof-of-concept short film. The action-packed feature takes inspiration from accounts of the life of legendary Edo era craftsman Jingoro Hidari, who will be voiced by Reeves. […]
GlobalNewsAna de ArmasEmmanuel BercotPathéSylvie Pialat
Cesar-winning French producer Sylvie Pialat is in Cannes with one of the most eclectic slates on the Croisette, ranging from an alpine revenge thriller from Argentine auteur Pablo Fendrik, a geopolitical drama about Augusto Pinochet starring Sebastian Stan and Ana de Armas, and the first animated feature from Céline Devaux. Led by Pialat and […]
GlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalDocumentaries to WatchKino LorberMark Cousins
Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights to Mark Cousins’ “The Story of Documentary Film,” a 16-volume history of the medium that examines over a century of global nonfiction cinema. In addition to the North American deal, the film has sold internationally to I Wonder (Italy), Filmin (Spain and Portugal), and Madman (Australia/New Zealand). […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketMiller Insurance ServicesTwickenham Film Studios
Twickenham Film Studios has launched Twickenham Investment Services, a new FCA-regulated introducer business that connects film and television producers with specialist insurance brokers, beginning with a partnership with Miller Insurance Services. The initiative was unveiled at the Variety International Movie lunch during the Cannes Film Festival. TIS operates on a referral-only basis, offering producers streamlined […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketOhneroRome Kanda
Rome Kanda (“Maniac,” “The Informant!”) and Kuroki Hitomi (“Tokyo Tower,” “Dark Water”) star in “Ohenro,” a Japanese-language drama written and directed by Joshua Woodcock (“One Night in Tokyo”). Produced by Sean Patrick Burke of 222 Pictures and Andrew Cantella of Kitsune Pictures – with Tokyo Colours serving as the production service partner in Japan – […]
NewsCharles RandolphMuppets in MoscowThe Big Short
Emotion Pictures, the newly launched English-language commercial film banner from Vendôme Group, Pathé and Merit France, will produce the feature film “Muppets in Moscow” in partnership with Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Felix Culpa. Charles Randolph, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “The Big Short,” will write the script. The film is based on Natasha Lance Rogoff’s […]
AsiaFestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalYami International Film Festival
A horror and dark genre film festival, the Yami International Film Festival, will hold its inaugural edition Nov. 20–26 at Human Trust Cinema Shibuya in Tokyo, organizers revealed at Cannes. The festival, organized by Japan-based horror entertainment company Yami Inc., will run two competitive sections – feature film competition and short film competition – with […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBombay Berlin Film ProductionsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film Market
A curated slate of four feature-length documentaries exploring themes ranging from rural Indian healthcare to intergenerational family conflict has been unveiled by Bombay Berlin Film Productions (BBFP), the Indo-German banner simultaneously repositioning itself as a cross-border boutique studio. The Mumbai- and Berlin-based company is coming on board the new films as a creative and strategic […]
Unifrance’s 10 to Watch initiative, launched in 2014, recognizes rising French film talent — and the org works to boost their visibility beyond France. The 10 artists selected were chosen by a committee of international journalists. The class of 2026 will be spotlighted at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20 at a lunch with […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBokshiCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketInternational Film Festival Rotterdam
Spanish genre distributor Wild Duck Productions has acquired rights to Indian filmmaker Bhargav Saikia’s folk horror “Bokshi” for a Halloween theatrical release, following the film’s successful festival run since its Rotterdam world premiere. The deal was negotiated between Luis Rosales on behalf of Wild Duck and Brett Walker with Miguel Angel Govea of Alief, representing […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsBionica FilmesBrazilCannes Film FestivalCarolina MarkowiczMaeve JinkingsSony Pictures
Lauded Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz, who won the TIFF Award for Best Directing in 2023 with “Charcoal,” will start shooting “The Funeral” in Brazil from next week. Production starts in São Paulo, moving to the mythical Fordlândia — the city envisioned by American mogul Henry Ford on the banks of the Tapajós River in the […]
NewsArtemis Rising FoundationCannes Film FestivalGolden GlobesThink-Film
The Artemis Rising Foundation and Think-Film Impact Production are back in Cannes with the Golden Globes to present the Golden Globes Prize for Documentary. The juried prize honors a documentary filmmaker with a feature in the 2026 official Cannes Film Festival selection, and whose body of work as a whole tackles urgent social issues while […]
GlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalChileDominga SotomayorLa PerraSelton Mello
Five years since directing a segment of the anthology film “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” renowned Chilean director Dominga Sotomayor is back in Cannes with “La Perra.” Premiering at Directors’ Fortnight, the film is based on Pilar Quintana’s eponymous book and produced by Chile’s Planta in co-production with Brazil’s RT Features. “La Perra” stars […]
Italian director and producer Michela Scolari has acquired global rights to the story of Yassmin Pucci Pahlavi, granddaughter of the last shah of Iran — and cousin to Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who is trying to position himself as a player in Iran’s future — for a new documentary series. The docuseries, which […]
Claire Denis is moving forward with cannibal crime drama “The Soap Maker,” which the French auteur is now set to write and direct. The project, which was first shopped around in 2025 at Berlin’s EFM, has now gained traction with producers Sacha Ben Harroche (“Butterfly Jam”) and Ivy Freeman-Attwood (“The Dispute”) boarding the film in […]
AsiaFestivalsGlobalNewsCannes Film FestivalJia Zhang-keTorino Shadow
The idea for “Torino Shadow” came to Jia Zhang-ke not while he was making a film, but while he was avoiding one. Exhausted from wandering the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin, he would sink into a chair in the vast central lobby and simply listen to the voices drifting from the surrounding galleries, absorbing […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketStarvation
Sundance-winning producer Neeraj Churi and U.S. filmmaker Daniel Talbott have joined forces to produce “Starvation,” a Mumbai-set feature written and directed by Film and Television Institute of India graduates Saurav Mahind and Tejas Shende. The project marks the first collaboration between Churi’s Lotus Visual Prods. and Talbott’s Orphan Andy Films. The film centers on a […]
AsiaGlobalMarkets & FestivalsNewsCannes Film FestivalCannes Film MarketRamayanaToxic - A Fairy Tale for Grown-UpsYash
Four years after “K.G.F: Chapter 2” redefined box office benchmarks across India, Yash is preparing to unveil his next project on a scale that extends far beyond familiar territory. The Indian actor-producer-writer reflects on a creative journey that prioritizes artistic challenge over commercial formula, positioning “Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups” as a deliberate step toward […]
Best known in Hollywood for playing opposite Adam Sandler in “Spanglish,” Spanish actor Paz Vega is set to direct “Ana No,” a feature film starring Angela Molina (“That Obscure Object of Desire”) and sold at this year’s Cannes Festival by Film Factory Entertainment. “Ana No” marks Vega’s second movie as a director after the well-received […]
