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Robert Schwartzman examines how five friends from the home counties ended up as part of the British invasion of the US music scene

The happy-sad story of 60s band the Zombies is recounted in this very watchable documentary from actor, film-maker and Coppola family member Robert Schwartzman, younger brother of Jason. Keyboardist Rod Argent, singer Colin Blunstone, guitarist Paul Atkinson, drummer Hugh Grundy and bassist Chris White were the amazingly talented group from the English home counties who, in this film, look heartbreakingly like a five-man team on University Challenge.

The Zombies became a hugely prominent part of the British invasion of the US, while at the same being royally manipulated and exploited. Their eerie and sublime harmonies, topped off by Blunstone’s beautiful, plangent and weirdly vulnerable lead vocals, were the foundation of iconic songs like She’s Not There, praised by George Harrison on Juke Box Jury (the...

The Big Bear Film Institute has announced the Big Bear Film Festival, a showcase taking place from September 24 to 29 in the Southern California mountain community. The new festival will highlight creators in film, music, gaming, audio, animation and AI.

Bbff aims to become a destination for discovering and developing emerging IP while also celebrating filmmakers across various genres. It will have programming focused on Indigenous storytelling, genre cinema, podcasting, stand-up comedy, game development, animation and experimental sound design.

The Big Bear Festival is headed by Damien S. Navarro, the former CEO of L.A.’s Outfest CEO, who said in a statement, “This isn’t just any other film festival. This is a creator-first movement — where stories are incubated, IP is discovered, and the future of film isn’t just screened, it’s shaped.”

This year’s festival will also feature a curated marketplace for original projects to connect with distributors,...

The Big Bear Film Festival — formerly known as the Green Jack International Film Festival — is launching September 24-29, the brainchild of the newly inaugurated Big Bear Film Institute. The famed California mountaintop destination, which has been seen in numerous films and television shows dating back a century, will host what the Bbfi is calling a “boundary breaking celebration” that encompasses not just film, but animation, podcasting, gaming, stand-up comedy, Indigenous storytelling, experimental sound design, and AI.

CEO Damien S. Navarro, who previously served as the executive director of Outfest, noted that over 400 titles have used Big Bear as a backdrop, including “Magnolia,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Creep,” “Gone with the Wind,” and “Old Yeller.”

“Its alpine terrain has doubled for the Rockies, Appalachians, and even European forests —making it one of the most versatile and under-celebrated locations in film history,” Navarro said.

Festival features include a “Peak Pitch” marketplace...

Gold Derby's top news stories for May 12, 2025.

Netflix announces premiere date for Too Much, Lena Dunham's TV return

Golden Globe-winning Girls creator and star Lena Dunham is returning to TV with Too Much, the first series she's created since 2018's Camping. The semi-autobiographical romantic comedy series premieres July 10 on Netflix. Dunham writes and directs the series, which she cocreated with her husband, Luis Felber. Megan Stalter (Hacks) stars as Jessica, "a New York workaholic in her mid-thirties, reeling from a broken relationship that she thought would last forever and slowly isolating everyone she knows. When every block in New York tells a story of her own bad behaviour, the only solution is to take a job in London, where she plans to live a life of solitude like a Bronte sister. But when she meets Felix (Will Sharpe) — a walking series of red flags — she finds that their...

Utopia has acquired North American rights to Megadoc, a new documentary on the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Megalopolis, which premiered a year ago at Cannes before going on to a nationwide theatrical release via Lionsgate.

The doc, from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), will be released in theaters this fall.

The making-of project emerged from a chance encounter, sparked by an email between two old friends, with Coppola inviting Figgis to the Megalopolis set in the lead-up to the first day of principal photography and granting him permission to document whatever he wished. Armed with a small camera and crew throughout the entire shoot, Figgis’ unrestricted access to the production gave way to Megadoc, a unique look into the creative process of one of the most revered directors of all time, and behind the curtain of the most ambitious film of his career.

“Francis gave me access to everything,...

Auteur Francis Ford Coppola has landed his second making-of documentary and, despite its pun-ny title, “Megadoc” is billed as a serious look into the controversial and convoluted production of Coppola’s recent feature “Megalopolis.”

The $120 million self-funded (and Coppola-described Roman epic) premiered at Cannes 2024. The long-gestating film went on to “win” two Razzie awards, inspire a slew of GIFs with Adam Driver demanding to “go back to the club,” launch a questionable ad campaign that was rumored to be created by artificial intelligence, and arguably help usher in the era of Jon Voight being a Trump-appointed ambassador to Hollywood.

Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, Jason Schwartzman, Baily Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar also star.

While there were claims of inappropriate behavior on set by Coppola (who has refuted all of the allegations) and a loose style of filming,...

It’s been one year since Francis Ford Coppola unfurled his epic passion project Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by a fall theatrical release in which most press seemed to care more about its box office than artistic merit (it netted about 12% of its $120 million budget). The director has no plans to make that revenue up through a home-video or streaming release, as he’ll stick solely with theatrical bookings for the foreseeable future. However, we will get a deep dive into the making of the project soon.

Utopia has announced they’ve acquired North American rights for Megadoc, an in-depth documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) that goes behind the making of Megalopolis. The documentary, produced by Tara Li-An and James Mockoski, is being planned for a theatrical fall release, so we could see Francis Ford Coppola on the fall-festival circuit once again.

Here...

Francis Ford Coppola received a big honor this weekend!

The 86-year-old legendary filmmaker was honored with the 50th annual AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to someone “whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public’ and whose work has stood the test of time.”

Several stars stepped out to help honor Francis at the award ceremony held at Dolby Theatre on Saturday (April 26) in Hollywood, including Harrison Ford, Elle Fanning and Josh Groban, who performed during the event.

Keep reading to find out more…

Francis also got support from some of his family members, including son Roman Coppola, granddaughter Gia Coppola and her beau Honor Titus, nephew Robert Schwartzman and wife Zoey Grossman, and nephew Matthew Shire and his wife Kate Gersten.

Among those hitting the stage to speak about Francis Ford Coppola include Morgan Freeman,...

Exclusive: Utopia has set a theatrical release for Robert Schwartzman’s Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary with special event screenings on May 12 in several cities –Washington D.C., Boston, Austin, Pittsburgh and Seattle– followed by full theatrical engagements in NY and LA on May 16 respectively at the Quad Cinema and Landmark NuArt Theatre.

The film, which premiered at SXSW 2023, traces the remarkable journey of iconic British rock band The Zombies—from teenage friends to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

“I can’t express how much I love The Zombies. After hearing their music as a teenager, I felt like I understood them musically, melodically and emotionally. Their clever arrangements and sophisticated songwriting gave me a musical foundation that helped me launch my own band, Rooney,” stated director Robert Schwartzman. “As a fan and fellow musician, to get the chance to make a film about their...

Utopia Dives Into Uncharted Territory With US Acquisition Of Hot Spring Shark Attack

Hot Spring Shark Attack Makes Its US Premiere As The Opening Night Selection At The Chattanooga Film Festival

Utopia, the award-winning independent studio known for arthouse gems such as Pet Shop Days, Shiva Baby, The Sweet East, Holy Spider, and Red Rooms announced they are plunging into new waters today with the acquisition of Hot Spring Shark Attack (aka Onsen Shâku).

Utopia has acquired North American rights to the “unhinged” Japanese shark film and are planning a summer 2025 rollout. The deal was negotiated by Candace Tan on behalf of Utopia and Akiko Uchida of King Record.

Hot Spring Shark Attack is set in a small, hot spring town in Japan, where a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and terrorizes the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople band together to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator,...

Exclusive: Utopia is ramping up its content acquisition and partnership strategies with the hire of Charlie Sextro as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Business Development.

Sextro recently served as Sundance Film Festival’s Senior Film Programmer and Curator for the last 13 years.

With Sextro’s hire, Utopia is further bolstering its distribution, production and technology initiatives. Sextro’s long tenure at Sundance saw him help curate the festival program from over 4,000 feature film submissions each year to a lineup of fewer than 100, all the while developing and maintaining relationships with filmmakers, studios and industry leaders.

“Sundance has been responsible for elevating some of the most exciting and prestigious filmmakers who shape and challenge our creative industry. It’s all thanks to their incredible and dedicated programmers who continue to be a guiding light,” said Utopia Co-Founder, Robert Schwartzman. “We’re so honored to welcome Charlie into our company and to...

Even a Hollywood dynasty gets tired of rewatching their iconic films.

“The Last Showgirl” director Gia Coppola, whose grandfather is iconic auteur Francis Ford Coppola, said during Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s On Me” podcast that she had to eventually watch “The Godfather” with one of her pals since no one in her family was willing to revisit it with her.

Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, spurred two sequels, concluding with 1990’s “The Godfather: Part III.” Yet it took Gia Coppola a few decades to even get to see the first feature.

“I haven’t seen ‘Godfather’ until much later in my life because there was like a lot of pressure and intimidation,” Gia Coppola said, “but also all my family had sort of been a part of it and seen it, so no one really wanted to re watch that with me.

After a 13-year break from releasing music as Coconut Records, Jason Schwartzman has returned to his indie rock project, hinting that new music is on the way.

The soft reveal of the project’s revival was made last month, when Schwartzman’s friend and collaborator, Ben Kweller, announced his upcoming album, Cover the Mirrors, with Coconut Records listed as a featured artist on the tracklist.

Then, earlier this week, Schwartzman made like Bob Dylan and joined TikTok, adopting the username @coconutrecordsofficial and posting videos featuring old Coconut Records songs and hashtags like #jasonschwartzman and #nostalgiacore.

One video shows Schwartzman and Kweller on a FaceTime call, with the caption “Writing new Coconut Records on FaceTime be like.” Another video showed a still photo of the two together, with overlaid text reading, “Me and my friend Ben are writing and recording and we learned that if we get 1,000 followers we will be...

Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper, the co-founders of Utopia, announced today out of the Sundance Film Festival the launch of their new tech platform, PowerFlix. The platform combines software with real-world distribution services to provide an end-to-end solution to allow filmmakers to customize and control their film’s release globally. Utopia is the distribution company behind films like “Red Rooms” and “Femme,” and it recently partnered with Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate to help release “The Last Showgirl” and “Megalopolis,” respectively.

The idea behind Power Flix is to give filmmakers the control to dictate their own release path — rather than waiting on acquisition offers from indie distributors, as IndieWire exclusively announces.

“Many amazing, high-quality films are being made every year that struggle to get their envisioned sale or distribution deal,” said Schwartzman in a statement. “We know how much time, energy and money goes into producing every film, so it’s...

Just as we were about to record this week’s “Screen Talk,” we found out that one of our favorite auteurs, David Lynch, had succumbed to emphysema at age 78. In this episode, we explore his legacy, catch up with awards news from the PGA and BAFTAs to the WGA, and report on a new development in the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni case.

Plus, we each picked five must-see films at Sundance, which launches January 23, the same day as the Oscar nominations are announced, after some postponements. Co-host Ryan Lattanzio interviewed Robert Schwartzman, who runs Utopia distribution with Cole Harper. The company partnered with Lionsgate on “Megalopolis,” from Schwartzman’s uncle Francis Ford Coppola, and hawked sales for Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” back at Cannes. That movie is out now from Roadside Attractions. But Utopia has also released indies from rising directors we know now, including Jane Schoenbrun...

Few are so strongly associated with Southern California like Pamela Anderson, but the Canadian-born actress won’t get her time in spotlight tomorrow due to the fires and high winds battering LA

Thursday’s premiere of the Anderson starring The Last Showgirl at the Chinese Theatre has been cancelled, we hear. With the former Baywatch actress’ performance receiving wide acclaim, the Gia Coppola directed film is set to be release nationwide by Roadside Attraction this Friday, January 10.

The plug being pulled on The Last Showgirl’s Hollywood Blvd debut joins several other industry openings and events like the red carpet premiere of TV series The Pitt at the Pacific Design Center and the Better Man premiere at Paramount tonight. The Noah Wylie medical drama from Warner Bros TV will still launch on streamer Max on January 9. Nominated at this past weekend’s Golden Globes along with The Last Showgirl, the...

Did Anne Hathaway hate making out with men for chemistry tests? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Yes, think back to her royal spark with Robert Schwartzman in The Princess Diaries or her steamy bond with Jake Gyllenhaal in Love & Other Drugs. But those sizzling connections didn’t come without a price. In a recent interview with V Magazine, Anne Hathaway opened up about the awkward—and borderline “gross”—experience of chemistry reads early in her career.

“Back in the 2000s, it was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry,” Hathaway revealed. “I was told, ‘We have ten guys coming today, and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’” Spoiler: She wasn’t.

Hathaway didn’t mince words about how uncomfortable she felt during those “tests.” At the time, the industry was far less conscious of boundaries,...

Pamela Anderson’s eldest son Brandon Thomas Lee is getting emotional.

It’s taken years, but he might have helped shatter a Hollywood stereotype that has been a cloud over Anderson’s career for years.

The actor-turned-producer is sitting on Zoom discussing her recent success in Roadside Attractions “The Last Showgirl,” which Gia Coppola directed. In the film, Anderson plays Shelly, a veteran dancer who finds herself at a crossroads when the Vegas revue she performs in abruptly closes after 30 years, just as her estranged biological daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) re-enters her life. Aside from winning rave reviews from critics, Anderson landed herself a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a drama/motion picture. Lee, an executive producer on the film, says the nomination “means a lot,” but also hopes this marks a new chapter for Anderson’s career. He says, “It means the culmination of a very long...

With just a few weeks left in 2024, notable films continue to land with Nickel Boys and The Last Showgirl officially jumping into awards season — the former already a two-time winner at the first stop, the Gotham Awards. A few big indie stories are yet to be told, with Babygirl and A Complete Unknown hitting for Christmas, making it possible to opine definitively on the year’s improving indie film market. The Brutalist, also being widely recognized this season, opens next week.

Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross from Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures is the much-nominated film based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It opens at two NYC theaters with an LA expansion Dec. 20, adding other markets into January.

The gripping film is writer/director Ross’s narrative debut after his acclaimed 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening. It world-premiered at Telluride...

When Pamela Anderson was announced as the star of Gia Coppola’s third film, “The Last Showgirl,” the stage was set for a massive career resurgence for the one-time “Baywatch” star. That the film — which sees Anderson taking on a full-bodied, deeply emotional role as a fading Las Vegas dancer — would alter the trajectory of Anderson’s life and career was never really in doubt, but the fruits of Coppola’s latest have been profound for the star.

And, as it turns out, the same is true for Coppola. As she tells IndieWire, the extremely edifying experience of making and releasing the film has also changed the way she thinks about her own life and work. Now, she said, she trusts herself. Challenges aren’t as scary. The world looks different.

As is typical with the Coppola clan, “The Last Showgirl” is also very much a family affair, with a...

There’s meta and then there’s meta meta.

The latest indie feature from director/actress Alexi Pappas mocks the very idea of creating…well, anything. Pappas and Jeremy Teicher helm “Not An Artist” from a script they co-wrote with “Veep” alum Matt Walsh, who also stars.

“Not An Artist” centers on a artist-in-residency program overseen by an enigmatic patron (RZA) who may or may not be a cult leader. Per the official synopsis, the film follows “artists in turmoil who face a make-or-break ultimatum: unlock their full creative potential or abandon art forever. Yet, the unexpected intrusion of an outsider (Walsh) jeopardizes the program’s delicate balance.”

Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao, Cleopatra Coleman, Paul Lieberstein, and Robert Schwartzman, whose Utopia is releasing the film, also star. Schwartzman founded Utopia in 2019, and has distributed films such as “Divinity” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” and contributed marketing...

Deadline continues its Read the Screenplay series highlighting the year’s buzziest awards-season movies with Roadside Attractions’ The Last Showgirl, the Gia Coppola-directed drama from Kate Gersten’s script that has catapulted Pamela Anderson into the kudos conversation for her performance.

The film, which world premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, begins its one-week qualifying run December 13 at AMC Century City before hitting theaters nationwide January 10.

For decades, Shelly (Anderson), a seasoned Las Vegas showgirl, has been a star at the Le Razzle Dazzle, a classic Vegas revue. But her world is shattered when the revue is unceremoniously canceled to make way for a modern act, leaving her and the other dancers with a mere two weeks’ notice to face an uncertain future.

Gersten writes a poignant story that explores the bittersweet reality of aging in the entertainment industry. Her protagonist, Shelly, faces a stark contrast between the glamorous past and the uncertain future.

When And Where Can You Watch Nick Jonas’ The Good Half Online? (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Nick Jonas is a multi-talented artist known for singing, songwriting, and acting. Last year, he took a significant step in his career with the release of The Good Half. This film marks his debut as a lead actor. Widely recognized as a global pop icon and one-third of the Jonas Brothers, he has successfully transitioned into solo music projects. Nick also ventured into acting, appearing in various television shows and films.

Directed by Robert Schwartzman, The Good Half premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023. The movie earned praise for its heartfelt narrative and compelling performances. After a limited theatrical run earlier this year, The Good Half has now made its much-anticipated debut on Ott. The online release gives audiences worldwide the opportunity to witness this touching story.

The Good Half Cast & Crew

The Good Half...

For Pamela Anderson, Gia Coppola’s drama The Last Showgirl was an opportunity she’d been awaiting for her entire life.

“It was such a relief to … be able to do a real film,” said the star, who rose to fame in Playboy and on Baywatch, in a sit-down Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Los Angeles. “I mean, this is the first script I ever read that was a good one. No one was giving me scripts like this. … So I just poured everything I could into it because I thought, ‘What if this is the only film I ever get to do?'”

Written by Kate Gersten, whose way into the world of showgirls was a play about those working at the Las Vegas revue Jubilee!, The Last Showgirl follows Shelley (Anderson), a seasoned Vegas performer who faces an existential crisis when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

Roadside Attractions released the first official teaser trailer for The Last Showgirl, a drama that earned critical praise during its festival run. Critics are calling Pamela Anderson’s performance powerful and vulnerable, with the film sitting at 81% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its theatrical release.

In addition to Anderson, the cast features Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Dave Bautista (The Killer’s Game), Brenda Song (Station 19), Kiernan Shipka (Totally Killer), and Billie Lourd (American Horror Story). Gia Coppola directed from a screenplay by Kate Gersten, with Coppola, Robert Schwartzman, and Natalie Farrey serving as producers.

Miley Cyrus sings “Beautiful That Way” on the soundtrack, an original song written by Cyrus, Oscar nominee Andrew Wyatt, and Lykke Li.

“The Last Showgirl, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show...

Pamela Anderson receives the role of a lifetime in Gia Coppola’s new feature The Last Showgirl, playing a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Picked up by Roadside Attractions after its TIFF premiere for an awards-qualifying run beginning on December 13, followed by a wide release on January 30, they’ve now released the first trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “The Last Showgirl, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelley, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Directed by Gia Coppola, The Last Showgirl co-stars Oscar®, SAG® Award and Golden Globe® winner Jamie Lee Curtis, as Shelley’s best friend, who brings her own unique interpretation and brilliance to the story, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd. Written by Kate Gersten,...

Knowing you’re at the end of a road is never easy. Life comes in stages, but closing the book on some of your most impactful years can leave emotional scars on your soul, filling you with memories, desperation, and regret. In Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl teaser trailer, model, actress, and author Pamela Anderson smiles through the pain, mustering up her courage for one last step into the spotlight. Opening on December 13, 2024, at AMC Century City for one week only and in theaters nationwide on January 10, 2025, The Last Showgirl transports us into the mind of an entertainer on the verge of calling it quits.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Last Showgirl courtesy of Roadside Attractions:

“The Last Showgirl, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones, and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamourous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

Pamela Anderson is “The Last Showgirl.”

In the just-released trailer from Roadside Attractions, a tearful Shelly (Anderson) prepares for her final performance of “The Razzle Dazzle.” “They used to treat us like movie stars,” she explains. “The costumes. The sets. We were ambassadors for style and grace. The Las Vegas showgirl. The iconic American showgirl.”

We also hear the new song “Beautiful That Way,” performed by Miley Cyrus, as Shelly struggles to adjust to normalcy after her luxurious lifestyle is abruptly upended after a 30-year run.

Directed by Gia Coppola, “The Last Showgirl” co-stars Oscar, SAG Award and Golden Globe winner Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly’s best friend, who brings her own unique interpretation and brilliance to the story, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd. For her performance, Anderson received a 2024 Gotham Award nomination for Best Lead Performance.

Written by Kate Gersten, the film is produced by Robert Schwartzman,...

Although Michael and Mias romance was one of the highlights of The Princess Diaries, Michael didn't return in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Adapted from Meg Cabots books, The Princess Diaries was one of the best teen movies of the early 2000s. While The Princess Diaries was based on Cabot's first book, The Princess Diaries 2 wasn't based on any specific novel. This meant that the creators of the movie had the freedom to make some changes to the Princess Diaries books, including omitting Michael from the film.

After years of speculation, it's finally been confirmed that there will be a Princess Diaries 3. Anne Hathaway will be reprising her role as Mia Thermopolis and Adele Lim will be directing the film. Given that Michael was one of the most popular characters in the classic teen film, the fact that he wasn't in the second movie raised some questions...

Miracles happen, and 20 years after The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement premiered, Disney ordered Princess Diaries 3.

Anne Hathaway announced the project in early October, saying she would return to Genova.

I was a diehard fan of the original 2001 film and its 2004 sequel, which launched Anne Hathaway’s acting career.

(Disney Plus/ Screenshot)

Typically, I dislike reboots and revivals that occur years later.

Still, this one has the potential to be nostalgic for long-time fans and inspire a new generation to appreciate Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews’ talents.

The original film featured Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis, who learns she’s the heir apparent to the Genovian throne. She learned how to become a princess, and Andrews’ Queen Clarisse learned how to become a loving grandmother and a regal queen.

The Princess Diaries navigated Mia’s awkward teen years with the help of her grandmother, her driver Joseph, and her friends Lily and Michael Moscovitz.

Roadside Attractions has scheduled an awards-qualifying release for The Last Showgirl featuring an acclaimed turn by Pamela Anderson for December 13.

Gia Coppola’s film, which won the Special Jury Prize in San Sebastián after earning immediate recognition for its star following the world premiere in Toronto, will open nationwide in January.

Anderson plays glamorous showgirl Shelly, who must plan her future after she hears the Las Vegas revue she has headlined for decades is closing down.

The cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd.

Kate Gersten wrote the screenplay and Utopia Media co-founder Utopia Media,...

“The Last Showgirl” will be taking center stage this winter.

Roadside Attractions has dated Gia Coppola’s latest for an awards-qualifying run in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2024. The film will then open nationwide on Jan. 10, 2025.

The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Roadside Attractions acquired the North American rights to the film. Since then, “The Last Showgirl” has won a Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián Film Festival and earned warm reviews, with critics singling out Pamela Anderson’s lead performance. Our own review out of TIFF stated that the film “is a triumph for Anderson at a time when Hollywood is poised for comebacks.”

The official synopsis reads: “When the glittering Las Vegas revue she has headlined for decades announces it will soon close, glamorous showgirl Shelly (Anderson) must reconcile with the decisions she’s made and the community she has built as she plans her next act.

Roadside Attractions is giving Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl an awards-qualifying run in Los Angeles on December 13, with a wide break on January 10.

Deadline first told you that Roadside acquired North American rights to the critically acclaimed feature (81% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) out of the Toronto Film Festival, with Sony taking the rest of the world.

The Last Showgirl also won the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival.

The movie has been declared as a career-transforming performance for Baywatch alum Pamela Anderson, who plays a glamorous Las Vegas showgirl, Shelley, who faces the dark prospects of her show closing after several years. She must reconcile with the decisions she’s made and the community she has built as she plans her next act.

Pic also stars Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Shelley’s best friend, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd.

Anne Hathaway might have worn a crown in The Princess Diaries, but behind the scenes, it wasn’t all royal bliss. Sure, it shot her to fame, but that sparkling tiara came with a heavy price tag—a career rut. Even with a big fat paycheck, Hathaway wasn’t thrilled about being typecast as the sweet, clumsy princess. After Mia Thermopolis, everyone seemed to forget she could be more than a teen rom-com star.

Anne Hathaway in Ocean’s 8 | Credits: Warner Bros

It took years of dodging typecasting traps and taking on daring roles to finally break free of The Princess Diaries’ shadow. And while the role made her a household name, Hathaway had to work twice as hard to prove she wasn’t just another princess on the big screen.

Anne Hathaway’s $400K Breakout Role Came with a Price: The Princess Diaries Pigeonholed Her Career Hathaway in The Princess Diaries.

Exclusive: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has acquired Latin America, France, Scandinavia and a string of other international territories on Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson.

Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Eastern Europe (ex Poland), all of Asia, and Africa are also included in the Spwa deal.

Set amid the the glittering world of Las Vegas entertainment, the Toronto Film Festival debut is told through the eyes of Shelley (Anderson), a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

Pic co-stars Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Shelley’s best friend, Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Brenda Song (Love), Kiernan Shipka (Longlegs) and Billie Lourd (Booksmart).

The ensemble cast won the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival last weekend. Roadside Attractions has North American rights and is planning an awards-season release.

Mubi has acquired “Pavements,” Alex Ross Perry’s unconventional documentary-musical-biopic about cult ’90s slacker band Pavement, for multiple territories following its recent world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The arthouse distributor, streamer and production company has picked up all rights to the film — soon to bow in both the New York Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival — for the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, France and Canada. Meanwhile, Mubi also acquired exclusive SVOD rights for the U.S.

The deal was signed with Utopia, which is handling world sales and, the day after the film’s Venice launch, announced it would also distribute theatrically in the U.S. Mubi says it will announce its release plans in the coming months.

Directed and written by Perry (“Her Smell”), “Pavements” stars Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, Nat Wolff, Fred Hechinger, Logan Miller, Griffin Newman, Tim Heidecker, Michael Esper, Zoe Lister-Jones and...

After earning the reviews of her life in Toronto hit The Last Showgirl, Pamela Anderson could be poised for an awards run after Roadside Attractions snapped up North American rights.

‘The Last Showgirl’: Toronto Review

The distributor plans a theatrical release and awards push later this year after negotiating the acquisition alongside Utopia’s Robert Schwartzman with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.

Gia Coppola’s drama from Utopia Originals stars Anderson as a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. The cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis,...

Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to Pamela Anderson’s “The Last Showgirl,” after making a splash and premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the company announced on Friday.

The film was directed by Gia Coppola and will be released only in theaters for 2024 Awards Season.

In his review of the film, The Wrap’s Matthew Creith wrote, “Director Gia Coppola takes a modern audience into the dazzling world of Las Vegas revues and showgirls in the aptly titled “The Last Showgirl.” Anderson stars as Shelley, an aging performer who reveres The Razzle Dazzle, a seemingly ancient remnant of Las Vegas’s golden past. Equipped with dance skills and a love of live performances, Shelley is heartbroken when it’s announced that the show she’s dedicated her life to will close for good in two weeks’ time.”

Best known for her roles in “Baywatch” and “Home Improvement,...

Exclusive: We can tell you first that Roadside Attractions has taken North American to the TIFF critically acclaimed Gia Coppola directed movie The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson in a career defining lead role.

The movie, which is a great 84% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, takes audiences inside the glittering world of Las Vegas entertainment through the eyes of Shelley–as played by Anderson– a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

Roadside Attractions Co-Presidents’ Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff remarked “Pamela Anderson will bring some much-needed stardust to the world of cinema this fall in Gia Coppola’s extraordinary film. We are thrilled to join our friends at Utopia to release this film into awards season.”

Utopia’s Robert Schwartzman says “This has been a very special film since the beginning and continues to attract such incredible talent and collaborators.

Guitarist Randy Bachman of the ’70s rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive is the focus of the 2024 documentary Takin’ Care of Business. The Canadian band scored success with hits including “Takin’ Care of Business,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “Let It Ride,” and “Roll On Down the Highway,” and hit #1 on the charts with their 1974 album Not Fragile.

Bachman left the band, which originally consisted of bassist Fred Turner, drummer Robbie Bachman, and guitarist Blair Thornton, in 1977. Since then, there have been multiple iterations of the group. In 2009, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner formed Bachman & Turner, and in the fall of 2023, Bachman-Turner Overdrive reunited for a tour.

Writer/director Tyler Measom’s new documentary, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, focuses on Randy Bachman. Randy, along with Tal Bachman, KoKo Bachman, Lorelei Bachman, Bannatyne Bachman Matson, Takeshi Kaneda, and William Long, are featured in the behind-the-scenes look at the rocker’s life.

At the end of the Toronto Film Festival world premiere of her new film, The Last Showgirl, Canadian-born Pamela Anderson told the packed crowd, “This is the role I have been waiting for my entire career” before going on to joke that it’s the first “coherent” film script she was ever given. I can safely predict there will be more where this came from because Anderson is sensational as an aging Vegas showgirl, and the movie from director Gia Coppola — who says she has always wanted to make a film in Las Vegas — is smart, touching, funny, honest and wise. And if you think it is going the exploitational route like, say, Paul Verhoeven did in his Nc-17-rated Showgirls, think again.

This look at the lives of the infamous Vegas showgirls barely has any nudity and is character-driven, more akin to the underrated 1970 drama The Grasshopper with Jacqueline Bisset...

Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Friday.

Coppola and her cast as well as writer Kate Gersten appeared on the red carpet ahead of the screening. Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd, Jason Schwartzman, Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka will star in the film. The story follows a seasoned showgirl whose show abruptly closes after a 30-year run, leaving her to figure out what to do next.

Song was accompanied by husband and Home Alone star McCaulay Culkin. TIFF kicked off with the premiere of Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller and Linda Cardellini, and it will close with Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb.

The Last Showgirl, which is set in Las Vegas, will be co-sold by Goodfellas and Utopia. Robert Schwartzman (The Good Half) and Natalie Farrey (Her) produced. Cinematography is by Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever...

Utopia has picked up the U.S. rights to Pavements, director Alex Ross Perry’s musical portrait of the 1990s al-rock band a day after a world premiere in Venice earlier this week.

“One of our favorite filmmakers, one of our favorite bands, Pavements joining Utopia is simply a dream come true. The band’s iconic status has only continued to blossom out of the ’90s and Alex has crafted a film that transcends documentary and questions what the format can be in a surprising and novel way,” Utopia head of marketing and distribution Kyle Greenberg said in a statement on Friday.

Pavements will also have a North American premiere at the New York Film Festival. The musical biopic tracks the influential rock band as they prepare for a 2022 reunion tour in the prism of their earlier accomplishments.

“This multifaceted meta-movie is at once documentary, musical comedy, faux biopic and real museum exhibition.

Utopia has acquired U.S. rights to acclaimed director Alex Ross Perry’s “Pavements,” the day after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The film debuted to strong reviews, with Variety saying “’Pavements’ dazzles as a spinning plates act,” and Screen describing it as “a joyous, slyly subversive celebration.”

A boundary-breaking look at the seminal band Pavement, the film is edited and produced by filmmaker Robert Greene and will have its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival later this fall.

An examination of the iconic 90s indie band, “Pavements” appears to be just another music documentary, until it doesn’t. A “prismatic, narrative, scripted, documentary, musical, metatextual hybrid,” the film intimately shows the band preparing for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour while simultaneously tracking the preparations for a musical based on their songs, a museum devoted to their history and a big-budget Hollywood biopic inspired by...

Nick Jonas recently took on a challenging and dramatic role in the film The Good Half, directed by Robert Schwartzman and written by Brett Ryland. The film, which premiered in the US on July 23, 2024, and is now available for international rental, showcases Jonas in a deeply emotional narrative, diverging from his more familiar musical and comedic roles.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas turned heads with their stunning appearance at a family friend’s wedding

In The Good Half, Nick plays Renn, a writer who returns to his hometown of Cleveland for his mother’s funeral. The character’s journey through grief and personal growth forms the emotional core of the film. As Renn reconnects with his estranged family, including his high-strung sister (played by Brittany Snow), his well-meaning father (Matt Walsh), and his stepfather (David Arquette), he also encounters new relationships, such as his budding romance with Zoey (Alexandra Shipp...

The Princess Diaries is a classic Disney film that put Anne Hathaway on the map in 2001. A coming-of-age comedy about Mia Thermopolis, an average girl who learns she's long-lost European royalty, the film and its 2004 sequel were based on a series of novels by Meg Cabot. Unfortunately, however, one big change was made to Mia's love life.

In the original film, Mia crushes on Michael Moscovitz but his character is nowhere to be seen in the sequel, The Princess Bride 2: Royal Engagement, despite being fairly prominent in the source material. The reason for Michael's absence had an entirely real-world explanation, and it led to Mia instead romancing Nicholas Deveraux, played by Chris Pine.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on August 31, 2024: The Princess Diaries franchise reminds a beloved staple of early 2000s comedies, with many members of its main cast going on to become major stars in the decades that followed.

After extra actress Lauren Pagone admitted she was “caught off guard” by Francis Ford Coppola’s behavior on the “Megalopolis” set, the auteur is refuting claims of being inappropriate.

Coppola told Rolling Stone that allegations of him kissing extras against their will are “totally untrue” and were purposefully made public to “damage” the release of the film.

In a May report by The Guardian, multiple anonymous crew members said that Coppola incorporated “old school” tactics to “try to get [female extras] in the mood” for a nightclub scene. That included allegedly hugging and kissing actresses during takes.

“You’re talking about the Guardian piece, which is totally untrue. If you read that piece, you’ll realize that whoever the sources were — and I honestly don’t know who the sources were — it’s the same people who provided quotes for that Hollywood Reporter piece that said all these people were fired or resigned,...

We have our first casualty of the controversy over the use of fake film critic quotes in the first trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” — ones that appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence.

Variety is reporting that Lionsgate has cut ties with Eddie Egan, a veteran marketing consultant, in the wake of the scandal and that the made-up quotes were most likely created by an AI chatbot like ChatGPT. Variety even prompted ChatGPT to give them negative review quotes of Coppola’s films “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” and claimed the results were strikingly similar to what was seen in the trailer. Puck’s Matt Belloni also reported that Lionsgate cut ties with Egan.

However, Egan and Lionsgate didn’t intend to make up quotes, a source told IndieWire, but the source material of the quotes wasn’t properly fact checked or vetted. The idea of the...

Lionsgate is pulling the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” that was released this morning after the internet observed that quotes about older Coppola films like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” as attributed to film critics like Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, Roger Ebert, and more, all appeared to be fabricated.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis,'” a spokesman for the company said in a statement provided to IndieWire. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

From the moment Lionsgate released the first trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” on Wednesday morning, online cinephiles began to suspect that something was amiss. The trailer attempted to lean into the film’s polarizing critical response by posting negative reviews from Coppola films like “The Godfather...

Finally, audiences are getting more than just a glimpse at “Megalopolis.”

The self-funded feature from auteur Francis Ford Coppola has been rife with on-set production rumors, ranging from a below-the-line exodus to allegations of Coppola kissing extras against their will. The sprawling ensemble film, which debuted at Cannes, is now almost in theaters for the world to witness its unhinged storyline and effects.

Adam Driver leads the film as a pseudo alter-ego of writer/director Coppola. The Oscar-nominated actor plays an architect who envisions saving his corrupt city and transforming the metropolis into a utopia. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) clashes with Driver’s character, just as the mayor’s daughter (Nathalie Emmanuel) becomes romantically entangled with him.

Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, Jason Schwartzman, Baily Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar co-star.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich...