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As France’s role as a hub for international production continues to gain momentum, a new breed of international sales company, The Pool Films, is making its debut in the fall festival circuit with a one-stop-shop model incorporating financing, co-production, post production and filming location as part of its services.

Based in Paris, The Pool Films is being launched by international sales veteran Gilles Sousa and producer Tim Belda, with the backing of Digital District Group – the VFX house behind Netflix’s “Under Paris” and “Lupin,” among others — and the Victorine Studios. The latter is a Hollywood-style centenary venue in the French Riviera, in Nice, which has hosted many iconic films, including François Truffaut’s “Day for Night,” Marcel Carné’s “Children of Paradise” and Jacques Tati’s “My Uncle.”

Sousa, who co-founded Pulsar Content where he headed international sales following a long tenure at Bac Films, knows the festival and market circuit inside out.

Jasmine Trinca and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Like Crazy”) are set to star in Paolo Strippoli’s high-concept Italian thriller “The Spiral” (“L’estranea”), which France’s Le Pacte has boarded for international sales.

Strippoli is Italy’s hottest young horror genre helmer, having made a splash with hit Netflix original “A Classic Horror Story,” which he co-directed with Roberto De Feo, followed by “Flowing” (“Piove”). His upcoming chiller “The Holy Boy” (“La Valle dei Sorrisi”) is tipped to bow at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

Shooting is currently underway in Italy on “The Spiral” (see first-look image above), which also stars Romana Maggiora Vergano (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) and Adriano Giannini. The film is being lead-produced by Rome-based Propaganda in tandem with France’s Kazak Productions and Belgium’s Tarantula Film with support from Italy’s Rai Cinema. The planned delivery date is February 2026.

“The Spiral” centers on a mother-daughter relationship that...

Nicholas Hoult starred in Drake Doremus’ Equals, showcasing a dystopian society where neither crime nor human emotions exist. Despite the genetically modified humans living in a meticulously crafted society, Nicholas Hoult’s Silas comes across Kristen Stewart‘s Nia, and the two grow attached to each other. Classic case of forbidden romance!

Equals also stars Guy Pearce and Jacki Weaver, along with others. Despite a great cast and an interesting storyline, the film failed to hit the mark. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics, earning a 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience wasn’t a fan either, giving Equals an approval rating of a mere 43%.

According to the critical consensus, the aesthetics of the film weren’t enough to “make up for its plodding pace and aimlessly derivative story.” Clearly, one of the biggest challenges Equals faced lies in the movie’s pacing. Doremus is known for intimate,...

Despite the original series of Star Trek being iconic, the cast of Tos has been recast twice now. Actors like Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban have replaced Kirk, Spock, and McCoy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, while Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck play the dynamic duo in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

While many of these characters have been recast in different iterations of the same era, the character of Pavel Chekov did not make a return after Star Trek Beyond. The reason was that the actor who played the part in J.J. Abrams’ reboot series, Anton Yelchin, died of a freak car accident and forever immortalized the character.

Anton Yelchin’s parents still visit his grave daily, 9 years on Anton Yelchin in Star Trek | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Anton Yelchin was a promising actor who gave life to a role that Walter Koenig had first played in Star Trek: Tos.

Alec Baldwin, Heather Graham, Simon Baker and Cuba Gooding Jr. are among the Hollywood talents booked to attend the upcoming eighth edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna festival, which will be held June 19-22 on the island of Sardinia.

Baldwin, who has recently been seen in the ill-fated Western “Rust” and in numerous appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” and Graham will be members of the fest’s jury dedicated to short films. Also on the jury of the fest’s shorts competition – which is the event’s only competitive section – are Italy’s Micaela Ramazzotti (“Like Crazy”), who is the jury’s president; Spain’s Rocío Muñoz Morales; Italy’s Riccardo Milani, Aurora Giovinazzo and Giacomo Giorgio; as well as professor Massimo Arcangeli, Andrea Minuz and Tiziana Rocca, the marketing guru and current Taormina Film Festival chief who launched the Sardinia event eight years ago.

Among announced films premiering locally...

Felicity Jones has been a familiar face in the entertainment industry for years. Whether it’s playing a young Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything or taking on the role of rebel fighter Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, she has consistently proven her talent. Her career started with roles in The Worst Witch, Weirdsister College, and the long-running BBC Radio 4 show The Archers, where she voiced Emma Carter.

Now, with her latest performance in The Brutalist turning heads, fans are curious—how much is Felicity Jones worth in 2025? Let’s get into her journey as an actor, her earnings, and the impact of The Brutalist on her career.

What is Felicity Jones’ net worth in 2025? Felicity Jones | Credit: Instagram\@felicity.jones

Felicity Jones currently has an estimated net worth of $6 million (via National World). While this may not put her among Hollywood’s wealthiest stars,...

The 2025 awards season may still be a few weeks from its final hurrah, but it’s already had an impact on the film industry as buyers and sellers prepare to congregate once more at the European Film Market in Berlin.

With a lineup of Oscar frontrunners that includes “The Brutalist,” “Anora,” “The Substance” and “Emilia Pérez” — coupled with some impressive box office figures that look only set to grow — this year’s race has highlighted the desire of cinemagoers for bold, director-driven, out-of-the-ordinary fare.

“When you look at ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘The Substance,’ those films are unique, they told some of the best stories and bring a unique perspective on something,” said Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks’ Film Group which encompasses IFC Films.

For Shooman, the EFM is exactly the place where international buyers respond to these types of packages — led by creatively minded directors.

British actress Felicity Jones is best known for her versatility and compelling performances in both independent films and major blockbusters. She first gained widespread recognition for her role as Jane Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama The Theory of Everything, portraying the wife of physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne). Her performance earned her critical acclaim and her first career Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In addition, Jones also received a BAFTA bid and won several other prestigious accolades for her portrayal of Hawking’s steadfast and intelligent wife.

After The Theory of Everything, Jones starred in her first big blockbuster, the 2016 “Star Wars” spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which she portrays Jyn Erso, a rebellious leader on a mission to steal the nefarious Galactic Empire’s Death Star plans.

Jones has also appeared in films such as Like Crazy (2011), The Invisible Woman (2013), and biopic On the Basis of Sex...

Paramount has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows and live sports coming to the Paramount+ streaming service in February. The Paramount Plus February 2025 schedule includes the season three premiere of Yellowjackets and the second season of Taylor Sheridan’s 1923.

Audiences will also be able to dive into refreshed and expertly curated collections, including the expanded Black Voices collection in celebration of Black History Month and the Peak Romance collection, featuring an assortment of romance-themed movies and seasonal episodes just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Yellowjackets Season 3

Following a jaw-dropping conclusion to season two, members of the Yellowjackets past and present are left to pick up the pieces in season three of the critically acclaimed series, premiering on February 14. In the ’90s, summer arrives and the team celebrates surviving a harsh winter while the present-day characters reel from a death.

For the Yellowjackets in the ’90s, the team has...

Stream critically acclaimed films and hidden gems that will keep your mind reeling well after the credits roll.

Sometimes I just want to stream something real. I watch a lot of big-budget blockbusters and scripted dramas — but I also love true stories that captivate and inspire. That’s where Doc Club comes in. With a curated selection of eye-opening documentaries, from “Love, Antosha” to “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer,” this streamer dives deep into true stories that spark curiosity and conversation. For thought-provoking films that stay with you, Doc Club is worth a look. Here’s everything you need to know about the documentary-focused streaming service, Doc Club.

7-Day Free Trial $2.99+ / month Doc Club via amazon.com Everything you need to know about Doc Club

What is Doc Club?

How much does Doc Club cost?

What popular documentaries are on Doc Club?

What platforms can you watch Doc Club on?...

Like in most professions, actors don’t immediately get to do everything they wanted at the beginning of their careers. For British star Felicity Jones (Rogue One) it wasn’t any different. During a recent episode of Collider Ladies Night, the actor talked about her early roles and singled out Like Crazy as a title that made a difference when she was an up-and-coming star.

Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Edgar Ramirez (“Emilia Perez”) and Jack Farthing (“Spencer”) will star in “Next Life” from writer-director Drake Doremus (“Like Crazy”), L.A. and London-based production and management company 42, Mutressa and Fetisoff Illusion have announced.

“Next Life” tells the love story of Ivy (Emilia Clarke), who finds herself confronted with parallel universes in which her life unspools in very different ways set against the modern London jazz scene.

Mutressa’s Elika Portnoy, Gleb Fetisov of Fetisoff Illusion and 42’s Ben Pugh and Kate Buckley are producing alongside Doremus. John Palfery Smith will also produce. Production is currently underway in London and set to wrap in late December. CAA Media Finance is representing worldwide rights.

Clarke is best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO award winning series “Game of Thrones,” for which she received four Emmy nominations and three Critics Choice Award nominations.

British actress Felicity Jones is best known for her versatility and compelling performances in both independent films and major blockbusters. She first gained widespread recognition for her role as Jane Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama “The Theory of Everything,” portraying the wife of physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne). Her performance earned her critical acclaim and her first career Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In addition, Jones also received a BAFTA bid and won several other prestigious accolades for her portrayal of Hawking’s steadfast and intelligent wife.

After “The Theory of Everything,” Jones starred in her first big blockbuster, the 2016 “Star Wars” spin-off “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” in which she portrays Jyn Erso, a rebellious leader on a mission to steal the nefarious Galactic Empire’s Death Star plans.

SEEEddie Redmayne movies: 11 greatest films ranked worst to best

Jones has also appeared in films such as “Like Crazy...

2024's The Brutalist features an outstanding cast led by Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody. Directed by Brady Corbet, The Brutalist is an early Best Picture contender at the 97th Academy Awards, which take place on March 2, 2024. The Brutalist follows a visionary architect named Lszl Tth (Brody) who flees post-war Europe with his wife Erzsbet (Felicity Jones) for the United States of America. Along the way, Lszl encounters a mysterious and wealthy man who changes the course of his life forever. The Brutalist releases in theaters on December 20, 2024.

The Brutalist initially premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, where Corbet won the Silver Lion award for Best Direction. He is also considered to be an early favorite to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar. The Brutalist has received widespread critical acclaim, earning a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score at the time of writing. Although actors such as Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard,...

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Anora is a romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sean Baker. The 2024 film follows the story of Anora Mikheeva, a young stripper who falls in love with and marries Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch, and finally gets her Cinderella story but once the news reaches Vanya’s parents they come to New York to get their marriage annulled by any means necessary. Anora stars Mikey Madison in the lead role with Mark Eidelstein, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intensely dramatic story, tragic romance, and compelling characters in Anora here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Pretty Woman (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Touchstone Pictures

Pretty Woman is a romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall from a screenplay written by J.F. Lawton.

Jimin of BTS is back — sort of. While the global star is still in the midst of serving his compulsory time in the South Korean military, he recently released his second solo project, a summery, sunny effort titled Muse.

In addition to recording a second full album before heading to the military, Jimin prepared something extra special for Army by making sure to pre-record a live performance of the album’s focus track, “Who,” for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Watch it below, and read on to dig into five highlights from the confident performance.

The Mic Is On

For anyone who has been following BTS for any period of time, live performances being truly live should come as no surprise — but Jimin’s voice sounded especially clear during this performance. As a member of BTS’ vocal line, Jimin tends to take responsibility for parts in the higher vocal range; when on his own,...

Has it really been almost 10 years since director John Crowley made the beautiful, aching drama "Brooklyn," starring Saoirse Ronan? Man, time is wild. Speaking of which, time seems to be a major component of Crowley's latest movie, an R-rated romantic comedy called "We Live in Time" that stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, two of the best actors working today. Longtime fans of Crowley's work will recall that he previously worked with Andrew Garfield on 2007's "Boy A," so it'll be especially fascinating to see what their new collaboration yields all these years later. All of these elements, plus the fact that the film hails from the ultra-hot indie studio A24, put this on our radar months ago as a potential "favorite film of 2024" candidate, and the first trailer, which was just released, does nothing to change that assessment.

Will Crowley be able to tap back into the intimate...

Director Francesca Archibugi, whose feminist fascist-era saga “La Storia” was Italy’s biggest TV event of 2023, is set to return behind camera on World War II drama “The Italian Chapel” set in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

Inspired by a true story, “Italian Chapel” is centered on a clash between the local Orkney community and prisoners of war who are confined there. Against this backdrop, a secret romance springs up between an Italian prisoner and a Scottish islander.

The film, which was originally developed by Working Title Films and the British Film Institute (BFI), is being co-produced by Andrew Bendel’s U.K. production company Blue Horizon Productions (“Metroland”) in tandem with Marco Belardi’s Rome-based Greenboo Production. Greenboo is the Banijay-owned company behind hits such as “Perfect Stangers,” Gabriele Muccino’s “There Is No Place Like Home,” and Paolo Virzì’s “Like Crazy,” starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, which launched from Director’s Fortnight in 2016.

Archibugi,...

"I just can't see you do this to yourself anymore. Don't trust your brain, okay?" Vertical has debuted the trailer for an indie romantic drama called Parachute, the feature directorial debut from actress Brittany Snow. This originally premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival one year ago. It also played at the Dallas, Woodstock, Raindance, & Denver Film Festivals last year. From director Brittany Snow, Parachute tells the story of Riley and Ethan, who must navigate blossoming love and friendship and intimacy while trying to overcome combustible personal struggles. The film focuses on Riley, who was recently released from rehab after struggling with eating disorders and body image. She meets Ethan and finds herself navigating the line between love and a new addiction. The film stars Courtney Eaton as Riley and Thomas Mann as Ethan, with Francesca Reale, Gina Rodriguez, Joel McHale, Dave Bautista, and Scott Mescudi. This has a similar look...

Romance movies have enduring popularity because they allow audiences to experience a range of emotions and escape from reality. The 2010s saw the release of many memorable romance films, from indie gems like Blue Jay to blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians. These films explore various themes of love, including rekindling old flames, long-distance relationships, and the complexities of marriage, all while celebrating diversity and breaking stereotypes.

A romantic film will never go out of fashion, and the decade of the 2010s, in particular, had some great romance movies with epic love stories that last. Escaping from reality to get swept up in a good love story is a time-honored tradition, and plenty of audiences still yearn to see poignant romances on screens both big and small. A good romance will make a viewer want to fall in love when it goes right and cry their heart out when it goes wrong.

Penélope Cruz is set to star as Olga, a writer forced to give up her artistic ambitions when her husband suddenly leaves her and their two young daughters, in Isabel Coixet’s English-language adaptation of Italian author Elena Ferrante’s “The Days of Abandonment.”

The deal to make the film, which is now in development, was signed before the SAG-AFTRA strike. While Cruz did not attend the Venice Film Festival, she elicited raves from critics on the Lido for her performance in Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” as the angry, lonely, grief-ravaged Laura Ferrari, emotionally estranged from her husband Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver).

“The Days of Abandonment,” which will transpose the novel’s original Italian setting to America, reunites the two top Spanish talents following their collaboration on another U.S.-set film, the 2008 drama “Elegy” an adaptation of Philip Roth’s novella “The Dying Animal,” about an affair between a...

Italian production designer Tonino Zera will receive the Campari Passion for Film Award at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Zera — whose works include production design for Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Unknown Woman (2006), Paolo Virzì’s Like Crazy (2016) and Michele Placido’s Caravaggio’s Shadow (2022) — most recently created the sets for Roman Polanski’s The Place, which will have its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival next month. The dramedy, set in a luxurious Swiss hotel on a fateful New Year’s Eve in 1999, stars Oliver Masucci, Fanny Ardant, John Cleese, Luca Barbareschi and Mickey Rourke. It will screen out of competition in Venice.

Zera will receive his award Sept. 2 ahead of The Palace premiere.

“To receive the prestigious Campari Passion for Film Award during the Venice Film Festival is not only a personal honor, it is also a recognition of the importance of set design in the world of cinema,...

It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly Jennifer Lawrence “broke out” and became a defining actress of her generation. Was it when she took on the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, the other film franchise inspired by a young adult novel series outside of Harry Potter that anyone actually cared about? Was it when she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Winter’s Bone, a film that surprisingly snuck into the Best Picture race? Was it when she joined a comic book franchise with her role as Mystique, who transformed a quintessential X-Men anti-hero in X-Men: First Class into the emotional crux of the series by the time that Dark Phoenix came out? It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Jennifer Lawrence truly became the household name she is today, but her collaborations with Bradley Cooper were also crucial stepping stones on her path toward mega-stardom.

Exclusive: Esteemed indie filmmaker Drake Doremus (Like Crazy) is making his first major move into television with the series One Day in December in development at Netflix, which has Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) attached to exec produce and star, according to multiple sources.

Related Story Simon Riske Spy Drama From Edward Berger & Rowan Joffe In Works At Netflix Related Story John Mulaney's Standup Special 'Baby J' Gets Netflix Premiere Date Related Story Boston Marathon Bombing Docuseries Set At Netflix

Netflix declined to comment, and the show’s studio Fifth Season could not be reached. But the romantic drama series is based on the Josie Silver novel of the same name, which was a hotly pursued property after coming in as both #1 New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, upon its 2018 publication by Random House.

The book tells the story of Laurie, who per the publisher,...

New Disney+ original series “The Good Mothers,” which provides a fresh female take on the Calabrian mob, marks a case of truly organic collaboration between the U.K. and Italy to ensure that a great story didn’t risk losing an iota of authenticity.

The show, which is competing in the “Berlinale Series” section, depicts the Calabrian mob through the prism of three daring women inside the ‘Ndrangheta organized crime clan who collaborated with a female prosecutor and withstood the consequences of their attempt to escape its iron grip. It is produced produced by Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross and Harriet Spencer for London’s House Productions, which originated the project, and by Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Rome’s Wildside, a Fremantle company, which helped to firmly root the story in its Calabrian context.

“Good Mothers” is based on a book by U.K.-based journalist Alex Perry and...

With the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in full swing, and our own Chris Bumbray covering the event, we wanted to know what film is your favorite of Sundance’s top prize: The Grand Jury Prize- Dramatic. From the very first winner (Old Enough) in 1984 to the most recent winner (Nanny) in 2022, let us know your favorite. If you’ve been to Sundance, please share your experience(s) in the comments section.

Favorite Sundance Grand Jury Prize WinnerNanny (2022)Coda (2021)Minari (2020)Clemency (2019)The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)The Birth of a Nation (2016)Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)Whiplash (2014)Fruitvale Station (2013)Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)Like Crazy (2011)Winter's Bone (2010)Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009)Frozen River (2008)Padre Nuestro (2007)Quinceañera (2006)Forty Shades of Blue (2005)Primer (2004)American Splendor (2003)Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)The Believer (2001)Girlfight (2000)You Can Count on Me (2000)Three...

Italian director Paolo Virzì (“Human Capital,” “Like Crazy”) is in Venice where his dystopic drama “Siccità,” which means drought in Italian, is premiering out-of-competition. The innovative pic, which features an A-list ensemble cast comprising Monica Bellucci, Sara Serraiocco (“Counterpart”) and Silvio Orlando (“The Young Pope”), is set amid a protracted drought caused by climate change in the Italian capital where the Tiber has dried up.

Virzì spoke to Variety about how “Siccità” germinated during Covid-19 and was shot amid tight pandemic protocols. Excerpts.

You worked with novelist and screenwriter Paolo Giordano on the concept and the script for this film. How did the collaboration start?

I knew Paolo, but it’s not like we had ever worked together. I knew him a bit as a writer and during the pandemic I read his articles in Corriere della Sera about what was happening at a time when there were lots of different fears going around.

Exclusive: Brian Yorkey (13 Reasons Why) has optioned the film rights to Dan Mathews’ memoir Like Crazy: Life with My Mother and Her Invisible Friends, tapping Ted Malawer (Halston) to adapt it for the screen.

Like Crazy follows Mathews and his outlandish mother Perry on an odyssey of self-discovery, as the former navigates the perils and rewards of taking in a fragile parent—ultimately discovering she had lived her entire adult life as an undiagnosed schizophrenic. Surrounded by a rag-tag community that rallies to help them, and one man who just may become the love of Mathews’ life, their story descends into the mysteries of mental illness but rises with resilient love.

Atria/Simon & Schuster published Mathews’ memoir in 2020. Yorkey will produce the film adaptation alongside his EVP of Development Jeff Sommerville for their That Kid Ed Productions, as part of the company’s growing feature development slate.

“Dan’s...

Exclusive: Even before the pandemic, the foreign sales market became mired down with some risky bets, i.e. the over exorbitant Roland Emmerich sci-fi disaster title Moonfall which carried a 140M production cost (resulting in a 44.3M WW gross), and Simon Kinberg’s femme spy ensemble The 355 at a 75M cost (which grossed just under 28M WW).

But there’s arguably a safer way to make moolah in the foreign sales sphere and that’s off of YA feature adaptations.

True, it’s been a while since the grand slam days of Lionsgate’s Hunger Games series and Summit International’s Twilight franchise, however, these movies can be made off a low cost yielding singles, doubles, or even home runs at the box office. Or worst case scenario, be in the black simply off their sales to streamers. And if a movie strikes out, it doesn’t sting so...

Awards

TripleC, a gateway organization that helps deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse people access the arts and media, will receive a BAFTA TV Craft Special Award during the British Academy Television Craft Awards. Actor Cherylee Houston (“Coronation Street”) founded TripleC and with a group of friends including Melissa Johns (“Grantchester”), they have built a platform for making the creative screen industry more inclusive.

Johns and Houston said: “When we set up this organization five years ago, we were just a group of disabled and non-disabled creatives coming together to see if we could make a change. I don’t think we ever knew the size of impact that that seed of an organization would have on the lives of so many deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent creatives. The recognition from BAFTA will support our drive for change and help ensure accessibility and inclusivity is high up on every agenda.”

Sara Putt,...

We’re deep into the dog days of summer, but Netflix’s list of new releases for August 2021 feels like fall.

That is to say that Netflix has some really good library TV titles this month that harken back to the glory days of the fall TV network calendar. August 1 sees the arrival of two of the best NBC shows of all time: Tina Fey comedy 30 Rock, and life-affirming (American) football drama Friday Night Lights. If you’ve not seen either, catch up with them both. That’s an order.

Read more TV 30 Rock’s Best Running Jokes By Louisa Mellor TV The Witcher Season 2 Trailer Showcases Ciri’s Training By Michael Ahr

As for original offerings, Netflix has plenty of those this month as well. Intriguing TV series such as Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified (Aug. 3), Brand New Cherry Flavor (Aug. 13), The Chair (Aug. 20), and Clickbait (Aug.

Italian twins Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, who made a splash in Berlin last year with “Bad Tales,” are back on set with dark thriller “America Latina” toplining Elio Germano, who was at Berlin 2020 with two pics: “Bad Tales” and “Hidden Away,” for which he scored a Silver Bear.

Shooting started March 1 on “America Latina.” Its story details are being kept under wraps other than it’s “a love story and like all love stories it’s obviously a thriller,” as the brothers cryptically put it recently speaking to the Italian press.

“Bad Tales,” in which Germano played the sadistic father in a dysfunctional suburban family, won the Berlin 2020 best screenplay award.

“America Latina” is being co-produced by Lorenzo Mieli’s The Apartment, a Fremantle company, and Vision Distribution, which will release the film theatrically in Italy. Le Pacte is also on board and will be distributing France.

Vision Distribution, which...

Italian director Paolo Virzì has begun shooting in Rome on apocalyptic drama “Siccità,” set amid a protracted drought in the Italian capital and featuring an A-list local cast comprising Monica Bellucci, Sara Serraiocco (“Counterpart”) and Silvio Orlando (“The Young Pope”).

Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa are producing for Wildside, the Fremantle-owned company behind “The Young Pope,” “My Brilliant Friend” and “We Are Who We Are.” Vision Distribution, which is jointly operated by Comcast’s Sky Italia and five prominent Italian production companies, will distribute in Italy with plans for a theatrical release.

The film follows a group of characters from all walks of life who are tied by a single tragic, mocking thread as each one seeks their redemption.

The story treatment was penned by Paolo Giordano (“We Are Who We Are”) in tandem with Virzì, whose English-language “The Leisure Seeker,” with Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren, was released in the U.

Exclusive: Principal photography has wrapped in Naples on writer-director Michele Placido’s fourteenth film as a director, Caravaggio’s Shadow (L’Ombra Di Caravaggio), about the enigmatic and genius Renaissance painter.

Today we can reveal three striking production stills from the Italian-language movie, which stars Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick Chapter 2) as Caravaggio, Louis Garrel (Little Women) as the mysterious Shadow, Isabelle Huppert (Elle) as the Marquise Costanza Colonna, Micaela Ramazzotti (Like Crazy) as Lena and Placido in the role of Cardinal del Monte. French star Huppert will be dubbed for the film.

Veteran Italian filmmaker Placido, who also directed Scamarcio in hit 2005 crime drama Romanzo Criminale, has spent four years working and preparing for the film, which will focus on the adventurous and controversial life of the great painter from the 1600s. The movie will show the artist as a rebel without a cause, a man of huge talent but...

Javier Krause, one of Argentina’s key sales agents and co-founder of Kaflims Argentina, has crossed the Atlantic and started Kafilms Suisse, a new Swiss production company where he is taking the reins to create new content for international audiences, including two new Italian co-productions which Krause has announced in exclusivity with Variety.

Joined by Maurizio and Manuel Tedesco of Italy’s Baires Produzioni, backers of Filmax-sold “Tomorrow’s a New Day” from Simone Spada and WWI drama “Il destino degli uomini,” Kafilms will co-produce “The Eye of the Rabbit” from debut feature filmmakers Valentina and Francesca Bertuzzi and “L’Arminuta,” – currently in production – written by Monica Zapelli in collaboration with the author of the eponymous novel on which the film is based, Donatella di Pietrantonio.

“The Eye of the Rabbit” turns on Liz, the eldest daughter of a middle-class Roman family who discovers a mysterious hole that, night after night,...

Milan Records today releases Ammonite (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with music by Dustin O’Halloran and Volker Bertelmann. Available everywhere now, the album features music written by the duo for director Francis Lee’s critically-acclaimed film starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. Continuing a fruitful creative partnership, the nine-track album features music co-composed by O’Halloran and Bertelmann, who previously teamed on the Academy® Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe® Award-nominated score for 2016’s Lion, A Christmas Carol and more.

Following its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Neon opened the film in select theaters on November 13.

Please watch the film safely in theatres, but don’t worry if not, it comes out digitally in the US December 4th. I hope you and your loved ones are well pic.twitter.com/ewWAVAuoNx

— Francis Lee (@strawhousefilms) November 13, 2020

Of the soundtrack, composers O’Halloran and Bertelmann say,

“Writing music for Ammonite...

The director is shooting a Nord-Ouest Films production sold by WTFilms on the early days of French hip hop band Ntm, starring Théo Christine and Sandor Funtek in the roles of JoeyStarr and Kool Shen. On 5 August, filming commenced on Suprêmes, Audrey Estrougo’s 6th full-length movie after Ain’t Scared (uncovered in the 2008 Berlinale Forum), Leila (2011), Une histoire banale (2014), Jailbirds (which earned itself a 2017 Magritte nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category) and A la folie (whose release date is yet to be confirmed). Standing tall in the cast are Théo Christine (who made his mark in the series Skam France and whom we’ll be seeing in French cinemas on 28 October by way of My Best Part), Sandor Funtek,...

Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of this summer’s hottest movie, The Old Guard, joins Josh and Joe for a cheerful discussion of the movies that shattered her.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Old Guard (2020)

The Irishman (2019)

The Other Side of the Wind (2018)

Love And Basketball (2000)

The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

First Cow (2019)

Benji (1974)

Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Bambi (1942)

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

The Color Purple (1985)

Ghost (1990)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Ordinary People (1980)

Central Station (1998)

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

Pinocchio (2002)

Like Crazy (2011)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Beyond The Lights (2014)

12 Years A Slave (2013)

Goodfellas (1990)

Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

Amy (2015)

Moonlight (2016)

The Florida Project (2017)

Man On Fire (2004)

Bridesmaids (2011)

Sex And The City: The Movie (2008)

Wonder Woman (2017)

Black Panther (2018)

Spy (2015)

Se7en (1995)

Fight Club (1999)

The Game (1997)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

Other Notable Items

Netflix

Martin Scorsese

Orson Welles...

Leone Film Group’s Lotus Production shingle is setting up Lotus Factory, a new unit for high-profile genre projects out of Italy made for the international market.

These currently include a live action TV series in development on the origins of Santa Clause, for which Lotus chief Marco Belardi has recruited top U.S. talent: Oscar-nominated writer Jim Capobianco (“Ratatouille”) and Robert Lence.

“We are planning to make films of different genres from those that are usually produced in Italy,” Belardi told Variety, noting that Italy’s scripted content output is largely made up of “dramas, comedies and an occasional noir.”

For example, Italian film and TV content targeting family audiences is quite scarce, a gap Belardi is looking to fill with Lotus Factory.

Belardi has recruited young Italian director Nicola Abbatangelo, who recently completed “The Land of Dreams,” an English-language movie musical set in 1920s New York, to serve...

Looking for the UK Amazon Prime new releases? Click here instead!

It’s been awhile since the world has seen a new comedy from Greg Daniels, co-creator of The Office (U.S.) and Parks and Recreation. That all changes this month with Amazon Prime’s new releases for May 2020. That’s right, leading the pack of Amazon originals on May 1 is Daniels’ Upload, a comedy about digital afterlives. That should inject a healthy dose of sci-fi “middletopia” into our lives.

Also premiering in May is the second season of Amazon Prime’s twisty drama Homecoming. This season starts Janelle Monáe and premieres on May 22. After that, the rest of Amazon’s originals this month are fairly film-centric. The Goldfinch, Seberg, and The Vast of Night are the notable original films arriving in May.

Per usual the first of the month sees the biggest injection of movie content. Though there is...

Amazon is out with its list of what’s new in May.

Highlights include the new Amazon Prime Original series “Upload,” Season 2 of “Homecoming,” “Seberg,” “The Goldfinch,” and an original comedy special from “Crazy Rich Asians” star Jimmy O. Yang called “Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal.”

Here is everything available to Amazon Prime members for no additional charge in May:

May 1

Movies

10 Fingers of Steel (1973)

A Cadaver Christmas (2011)

Assassination Tango (2003)

Best of Shaolin Kung Fu (1977)

Who Saw Her Die? (1980)

Crooked Hearts (1991)

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Films That Ruled The ’70s (2014)

Fearless Young Boxer (1979)

Five Fingers of Steel (1982)

Friday The 13th Part III (1982)

Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1982)

Gloria (2014)

Green Dragon Inn (1977)

House Of D (2005)

Torso (1973)

I Hate Tom Petty (2013)

Indie Film Artists: The Dmv Truth (2016)

Inferno (1980)

Night Train Murders (1975)

Seven Deaths In The Cat’s Eye (1973)

The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)

Lakeboat (2000)

Daughters of Darkness...

There are few surefire successes in television. It just so happens that with its new releases for May 2020, Hulu almost certainly found itself one. May 8 sees the debut of all eight episodes of Solar Opposites, the latest sci-fi animated effort from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. This is a brand new story featuring a family of aliens crashing to Earth and learning to live amongst the rest of us weirdos. But the animation style and sci-fi themes hew so closely to Rick and Morty that there’s no way this won’t be a hit.

On the off chance Solar Opposites doesn’t set the world ablaze, Hulu has some other intriguing content lottery tickets for May. The Great premieres on May 15 and is a comedic period piece about Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. You can’t accuse Hulu of not taking big swings this month!

Though much of the entertainment industry is currently paralyzed by Coronavirus and the lockdowns imposed to curb its spread, streaming services are now making out like bandits. Netflix and Amazon Prime both have reported record viewing figures, though that isn’t particularly surprising given that they have an almost literally captive audience.

Anyhow, with all eyes on the small screen, anything new and exciting is eagerly hoovered up. And after learning about all of the new and exciting shows and movies hitting Netflix in May, now it’s Amazon Prime’s turn.

Here’s the full release schedule:

May 2020

New Movies:

10 Fingers of Steel (1973)

A Cadaver Christmas (2011)

Assassination Tango (2003)

Best of Shaolin Kung Fu (1977)

Who Saw Her Die? (1980)

Crooked Hearts (1991)

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Films That Ruled The ’70s (2014)

Fearless Young Boxer (1979)

Five Fingers of Steel (1982)

Friday The 13th Part III (1982)

Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter...

Every night at 7 p.m., Sebastian Stan peers outside the window of his Manhattan apartment and cheers. It’s become a nightly ritual for most New Yorkers to honor doctors, nurses and other essential workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis.

“It was crazy the other day,” Stan tells Variety. “There was a woman on the street; it broke my heart almost. She started playing ‘New York, New York’ by Frank Sinatra, just blasting it out loud. And everybody was just like, ‘We ain’t going down, baby. No matter what.’”

Stan knows, better than most, what it means to be a New Yorker. Early in his career, the now 37-year-old actor had a reoccurring part on “Gossip Girl,” which shot throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and has cameos from notable restaurants and clubs. But Stan’s career really took off after he played Steve Rogers’ best friend Bucky Barnes in “Captain America.

Shailene Woodley and Sebastian Stan are a karaoke match made in heaven!

On Thursday, Woodley, 28, shared on Instagram two videos of herself and Stan, 37, singing together while blowing off steam in-between takes of their new movie Endings, Beginnings. For the karaoke-filled night out, the costars belted both “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen and the Cyndi Lauper hit “Time After Time.”

The scene partners showed off their vocals in the playful clips, with Stan at one point seeming particularly impressed by the Big Little Lies actress’ singing abilities.

“sometime around 3am during weekend 2 or 3 of filming, @imsebastianstan snuck us through some...

Hulu is out with its list of new additions coming in May, and everything that will be leaving the streaming service at the end of the months.

Highlights include Season 2 of “Ramy,” from Muslim American comedian Ramy Youssef, a new episode of “Into the Dark” called “Delivered,” in which a pregnant woman’s life is thrown into jeopardy when she realizes someone close to her has dark plans for her and the baby, and the series premiere of Hulu original series “The Great” about Catherine the Great, the famous Empress of Russia.

Leaving at the end of the month is “Good Will Hunting,” all three “Free Willy” films, 2006’s “Night of the Living Dead” and 2012’s “Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection,” “Zombieland,” 2002’s “Spider-Man,” and more.

Also Read: Julia Child Documentary From 'Rbg' Directors Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics

Here is the full list of everything coming and going...

Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan star in the latest film by director Drake Doremus, Endings, Beginnings, which sounds like another bittersweet, aching tale of romance amidst the challenges of life. Doremus' past films, including Zoe (2018), Newness (2017), Equals (2015), Breathe In (2013), and Like Crazy (2011), have often incorporated romance into their stories, though it's never been viewed in a traditional or stereotypical manner. Combined with down-to-earth visuals, they have presented a somewhat gauzy, yet grounded view of life. In Endings, Beginnings, set "in present day Los Angeles," according to the official synopsis, "Daphne (Woodley), a thirty something woman, navigates love and heartbreak over the course of one year. Daphne becomes intertwined with friends Jack (Dornan) and Frank (Stan) after meeting them...

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

Are you feeling aimless, adrift and sad in Week 5 of self-isolation? Then Drake Doremus and Shailene Woodley have a movie for you.

Granted, there’s nothing about the coronavirus or anything like it in Doremus’ “Endings, Beginnings,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall but lost its scheduled May 1 theatrical opening to the pandemic and is instead opening digitally on Friday. This is an indie drama about a young woman who’s chosen to self-isolate, and who doesn’t need a virus to nudge her into aimlessness and melancholy; the situation is different, but the feelings might hit home for more than a few viewers these days.

Then again, her isolation turns into a fairly steamy love triangle between Woodley, Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan, an option that’s not exactly available to anybody who’s stuck at home watching. Caveat emptor, I suppose.

Also Read: All...

Filmmaker Drake Doremus is making himself a specialist in love-hate relationships, a kind of cinema couples therapist in such films as Like Crazy, Breathe In, Equals, and Newness. With his latest film — Endings, Beginnings — Doremus breaks from the couples path to home in on one character. Her name is Daphne, and she’s drifting into her thirties in Los Angeles (the ultimate place to drift) while having a love-hate relationship with herself. Don’t yawn. As played with banked fire by a terrific Shailene Woodley, Daphne earns our rooting interest.

If you love emotional cinema, you should be a fan of filmmaker Drake Doremus, if you aren’t already. From his breakthrough Like Crazy, to other efforts like Breathe In, Equals, Newness, and Zoe, he’s been a storyteller with one of the biggest beating hearts out there. This week, his newest film Endings, Beginnings is opening, and it’s not just one of his best, but one of the top new releases of the year so far. Doremus was kind enough to hop on the phone with me last week for a short chat about his new movie, but also just about his process, which is heavy on improvisation and letting his actors find their characters organically. Below you will find my chat with Drake Doremus, who puts forth some truly moving work with Endings, Beginnings. My rave review is up on the site, as of Monday, and can be found here,...