Movies

EXCLUSIVE: Holy Spider, the Ali Abbasi-directed Iranian serial killer thriller, is in talks for a deal for U.S. rights with Utopia, the U.S. sales and distribution firm owned by Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper. The provocative Cannes Competition film premiered today on the Croisette to strong applause and positive notices. CAA Media Finance is brokering

With theatrical still returning from the doldrums of Covid, several across the industry have racked their heads about the chasm of product on the big screen, and whether cinemas are strictly destinations for tentpoles, and nothing else. All of this is occurring as streaming has swallowed up specialty auteurish movies, increasingly becoming the prime platform

Lukas Dhont’s Cannes debut was also his debut feature, Girl, which ran in Un Certain Regard in 2018. A stunning start for the young Belgian, the movie brought him the Caméra d’Or and myriad other prizes down the line. Now, four years later, Dhont is returning to Cannes with his follow-up, Close, which has landed

Formed in April 2021 to help ease the financial challenges placed on independent film productions in the Covid era, Project Indie Hope has launched the non-profit Project Indie Hope Foundation as it looks to expand. Gerry Pass, CEO and founder of Project Indie Hope and Chrome Entertainment, says the organization has already aided almost 200

The 75th Cannes Film Festival kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony that not only doubled as a premiere for the French film Final Cut (Coupez!), but also included Forest Whitaker accepting his honorary Palme d’Or and a surprise video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The event was attended by red carpet standouts Eva

It may be impossible for a human to truly imagine the mindset of a donkey, but veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski for the most part does a very engaging job of imagining how a beast of burden sees and senses the world in EO. Quite clearly conceived as a companion piece and response to Robert

Universal Pictures has acquired the action-comedy spec Shots! Shots! Shots! penned by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows (The Package), with Jason Momoa (Dune) coming aboard to star. The film’s plot is being kept under wraps. A director has not yet been set. Momoa and producing partner Jeff Fierson will produce alongside Rideback’s Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich,

Frank Grillo is set to star in Liam O’Donnell’s horror-thriller Merciless, which Sentient Pictures International is shopping here in Cannes this week. The company also has announced that Columbian actor Juan Pablo Raba (Peppermint, Narcos) has been tapped to lead Antonio Negret’s new action thriller Sombra. Merciless is directed by Liam O’Donnell, the director behind

UPDATED: Tom Cruise was lauded with a surprise Palme d’Or tonight at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere capping off a big day for the 3x Oscar nominee at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received a five-minute standing ovation from the crowd. Prior to receiving the Palme, which wasn’t expected, he was given a tribute reel

EXCLUSIVE: MUBI has picked up U.S. and Canadian rights to Ricky D’Ambrose’s The Cathedral starring Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro. Visit Films is handling international rights and will be bringing the feature to the Marché du film in Cannes, following a deal negotiated with Ryan Kampe and Lydia Rodman of Visit on behalf of the filmmakers. The Cathedral

EXCLUSIVE: Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy), Gian Franco Rodriguez (Halston), Rumer Willis (Sorority Row), Billy Budinich (Frank and Penelope) and newcomer Isabella Feliciana will star in the social impact film Maya from director Julia Verdin (Angie: Lost Girls), which has entered production in Los Angeles. The film written by Verdin looks to raise awareness on key issues

EXCLUSIVE: UK film outfit Lightbulb Film Distribution has picked up well-received Sundance sci-fi comedy Something In The Dirt, marking the company’s biggest acquisition to date. Shot during the pandemic, the intimate film is directed by and starring Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the filmmaking duo behind Synchronic and The Endless. For their fifth feature, the pair

On Monday, New York City’s Commissioner of Health and Human Hygiene, Ashwin Vasan, issued an advisory to residents that “All individuals, regardless of vaccination status or past Covid-19 infection, should wear a mask at all times when indoors and in a public setting.” The announcement notes that “New York City is approaching ‘high’ level of

EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Independent Film Company MD Andrew Orr has joined Comcast-owned Sky as Head Of Original Film. Orr will be working on the pay-TV broadcaster’s development slate and strategy as well as acting as commissioner on a number of projects alongside Julia Stuart, Director of Original Film, and Laura Grange, Commissioning Manager, Original Film. He will

Roadside Attractions’ faith-based family comedy Family Camp opened to $1.42 million and is no. 9 of the top 10 ten this weekend on 854 screens. One of the strongest indie openings this year, the film saw a release campaign led by WTA Media lean heavily into the faith-based audience with strong grassroots marketing to churches

Netflix’s upcoming Indian musical drama The Archies from director Zoya Akhtar has set its cast. The ensemble, who play characters from the iconic Archie Comics franchise, includes emerging talent such as Mihir Ahuja (Bard of Blood), Khushi Kapoor (The Garhwal Rifles) and Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan in a but role. Set in the 1960s, the film will also

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off their Oscar nominations for drama The Lost Daughter, Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Chernobyl star Jessie Buckley are set to reunite on comedy Wicked Little Letters, which will be a hot project at the Cannes market. French powerhouse Studiocanal developed the project, is launching sales, and is producing with Graham Broadbent

There’s a new character out there in the MCU, and Charlize Theron wants you to know it. The Oscar winner posted two photos on social media today that give a quick look at her in Clea’s makeup and costume. The character has a post-credits scene in Disney and Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of

EXCLUSIVE: Eddie Cochran, the American rock n roll star behind songs such as “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Summertime Blues,” is getting the feature documentary treatment. The musician, who influenced the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, is to be the subject of Don’t Forget Me from director Kirsty Bell, who recently directed A