News

Documentaries about Liza Minnelli and Supercross, fan favorites with different fans, a Steven Soderbergh horror, a spy thriller with Phoebe Dynevor and Angel Studios’ latest starring Jared Harris are new on screens. It’s a quieter moment for new releases as Oscar contenders flood theaters and the fresh crop of 2025 independent films are just starting to gestate at Sundance.

For a little star quality, Zeitgeist Films debuts Bruce David Klein’s Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story about legendary showbiz icon Liza Minnelli at the IFC Center in NYC and adds Los Angeles next Friday (Laemmle Royal and Town Center), with a national rollout to follow.

IFC’s 7 pm shows with director Q&As are both sold out. They’ll be moderated by Minnelli’s longtime friend and collaborator Jim Caruso, who is featured in the doc along with Michael Feinstein, Mia Farrow, Ben Vereen, Joel Grey, the late...

Exclusive: Angel Studios will release Brave The Dark in theaters on January 24, 2025 on a minimum of 1,000 screens.

Based on a true story, the film by Damian Harris portrays the transformation of a 1980s small-town drama teacher Stan Deen — played by BAFTA winner and Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Jared Harris — drawn into the mysterious past of a student, Nathan (Nicholas Hamilton), who is arrested outside his classroom.

Long sustained by a quiet belief that no student is a lost cause, Deen attempts to bond with Nathan, secretive and living alone in his car. Their relationship will test his deepest convictions and become a life-changing journey.

Co-writer and subject of the film, Nathaniel Deen, said the work “isn’t just my story, it’s a tribute to my hero, Stan Deen. We are honored to link arms with Angel Studios, so Brave the Dark and Stan’s legacy can shine brightly on the world stage.

It's June, which means Summer is in full swing, and people across the country are celebrating Pride Month. Nicholas Hamilton, widely known for his antagonistic and terrifying role in the It franchise, recently spoke to MovieWeb, providing a fascinating insight into his experience in Hollywood.

Hamilton, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, who came out of the closet between his It and It Chapter Two appearance, has an interesting perspective of what goes on for actors behind the scenes, especially for those who have yet to come out. However, he isn't just an actor. Hamilton has made a name for himself as a musician, with a new single on the way on June 16. In his song, titled Spins, he shares the story of a former emotional connection in a ballad that acts as something different from his usual style.

Now, Hamilton is looking forward to multiple projects in the pipeline,...

Harris’ brother Damian Harris is directing the feature.

Jared Harris will star in UK drama Brave The Dark, which London-based Gfm Films is launching sales on here in Cannes.

Damian Harris (Gardens Of The Night) is directing the project, which will see his brother Jared play Stan Deen, a popular drama teacher who tries to help one of his wayward students, whilst dealing with his own issues.

Producers on the project are Grant Bradley, Dale Bradley and Paul Griffin for Inspiring Films. Lynn Robertson Hay and Dale G. Bradley have written the script based on an original screenplay by John P. Spencer.

Exclusive: Survival thriller is set to start shooting in New Zealand this week and stars Dominic Purcell.

Premiere Entertainment Group has acquired worldwide rights to Abandoned.

The survival thriller is directed by John Laing and stars Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell. It is set to start shooting in New Zealand this week.

Based on a true story, Abandoned centres on four men who face almost certain death when their yacht capsizes.

The deal was brokered by Elias Axume, CEO of Premiere, and Grant Bradley on behalf of the producers.

Premiere Entertainment’s svp Jack Campbell commented: “We’re extremely excited to introduce this film to the worldwide market. Survival stories have always been a very commercial and sought after genre and this one really delivers. We cannot wait to show buyers a sneak peek promo at the Cannes Film Festival in May.”

Abandoned is being produced by Tvnz by James Heyward, Liz Difiore, [link...

Troubled UK-Australian co-production Singularity may be set for further filming later this year.

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, who appears in the film,.recently told the Indian media that she had spoken to director Roland Joffé and further filming was set for April.

.I have always maintained that Singularity isn.t in major financial trouble,. she recently told the Hindustan Times. .I met Roland some time ago and he was excited. I.ve two days of shooting left, which I will complete in April, then we will work on promotions, so financial issues don.t figure at all..

The company behind the $28 million production, Singularity Productions, remains in liquidation owing an estimated $1.5 million to third-party creditors. Worrells Solvency & Forensic Accountants, which has been managing Singularity Productions since last October, held another meeting of creditors this week in Brisbane.

Contrarian Tax Unit.s Brett Thornquest, who is assisting the administrators, confirmed that...

A rescue plan has been hatched to save embattled Australian-uk feature Singularity from administration.

The proposal, discussed at a creditors meeting held last week in Brisbane, involves completing the film by June 30, which would trigger millions of dollars in government rebates allowing creditors to be re-paid.

About $1.5 million is owed to third party creditors although some internal claims remain outstanding. An initial creditors report from Worrells Solvency & Forensic Accountants initially estimated $15.13 million was owed to creditors however it is understood that the major portion of that relates to an investment vehicle which partially funded the production.

Contrarian Tax Unit.s Brett Thornquest, who is assisting the administrators, said: .We.re optimistic that we can find a path forward to get creditors paid, get the film finished and get it released . it.s in everyone.s interest to do that..

Creditors are continuing to explore financial options ahead of another meeting scheduled for mid-March.

The company behind $28 million Australian-uk co-production Singularity has been placed into administration, owing millions of dollars to creditors including cast, crew and suppliers.

The film . directed by Oscar-nominated Roland Joffé and starring Josh Hartnett, Bipasha Basu and.Neve Campbell . was plagued by budget troubles for months before administrators were finally called in late last year.

It is one of the biggest disasters to befall the Australian film industry in years. An estimated $15.13 million is owed to creditors, according to Worrells Solvency & Forensic Accountants, which is winding up Singularity Productions Pty Ltd.

Worrells told creditors that it had now secured all of the company.s books and records, which it was reviewing, while outstanding company returns had now been lodged with the Australian Taxation Office.

A number of sources have said the problems were directly caused when Belgian-sourced funding secured by film company Corsan . controlled by one of the film.s offshore producers,...

Syfy has picked up TV rights to air "Sinbad And The Minotaur", a sword 'n sorcery feature starring Manu Bennett ("Spartacus: Blood And Sand") in 2011 as part of Syfy's 'Saturday Original Movies' series.

The action fantasy follows 'Sinbad' and his shipmates as they battle against the vicious 'minotaur' of Greek mythology, a hybrid of man and bull that stalks a labyrinth on the isle of Minos.

"...'Sinbad', armed with rumors of ancient gold, finds himself sneaking into the desert camp of the evil sorcerer 'Al-Jibar'. Hidden among the many relics is an ivory scroll case containing the logs of the pirate 'Captain Minos', which will lead Sinbad to the golden head of the 'Colossus of Rhodes'..."

American World Pictures, producers of Syfy's "Pterodactyl" and "Yeti", is producing "Sinbad," with Karl Zwicky directing from a screenplay by Jim Noble.

Australian actress Holly Brisley co-stars in "Minotaur" as 'Tara'.

The film's action involves sword fighting for Bennett,...

Limelight International co-owner Dale Bradley has announced that the company is looking for crew to work on their new slate of projects, starting in July in Queensland.

“The company is very keen to work with new people who have not previously been involved in our productions,” said Bradley.

One of these projects will be the low budget thriller Undertow, written by Jacqueline Cook and directed by Bradley himself. Undertow is about a young woman lawyer who is kidnapped by the male loser in a divorce/custody case; with a budget of under $5m, Limelight has applied for support from Screen Queensland.

Bradley has given a name to the company’s new slate of projects, NEXTgeneration. The will be shot at the company’s Gold Coast studio and on location in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

He also said that this slate will be an opportunity for Limelight to work with new technologies.

Fango spoke to longtime New Zealand producer Dale Bradley, who tackled his first job in Australia with Malibu Shark Attack, a killer-fish film that lensed in Queensland under the title Goblin Shark Attack and premieres on the Sci Fi Channel (which co-produced the movie, and is soon to be known as Syfy) this summer. Bradley passed on a couple of production pics (see them below), and explains the flick’s odd original moniker.

The onscreen predators “are based on a species called goblin sharks [see art at bottom], which don’t look like your normal great white,” Bradley tells us. “They’re very fearsome-looking creatures. Ours are actually larger than the real thing, but modeled on them for the look that the CG company created. People do catch these things, but ours are monsters that get released from a big underground cavern during a seaquake. The resulting tsunami washes them ashore. Not only do...

The ever prolific and ever hit-and-miss Russell Mulcahy (”Highlander”) is getting in on all the suddenly popular killer fish action — he’s signed on to write and direct “Bait”, a killer shark movie that will be shot in that trendy 3D all the kids are crowing about nowadays. Now instead of watching the sharks swim around on the screen, they’ll be coming right at you. Well, kinda. Not really, but you get the gist. THR says the film will be set in a coastal town where a freak tsunami floods and traps shoppers in a supermarket. If that’s not bad enough, the shoppers are now trapped with an armed maniac and a pack of hungry tiger sharks that have been washed into the building. If you thought maneuvering through a supermarket packed with shoppers was hard, try one packed with tiger sharks. See, there’s a reason I hate going to buy groceries.

More Cannes coverage

Cannes -- Russell Mulcahy has been tapped to write and direct "Bait," a 3-D action adventure shark movie.

The project, set to begin filming on Australia's Gold Coast this year, will be co-produced by Arclight Films and Australia's Limelight, Arclight managing directing Gary Hamilton announced Thursday in Cannes.

The film will be produced by Hamilton and Limelight's Dale Bradley. Richard Stewart and Grant Bradley, both of Limelight, and Mike Gabrawy, Arclight's head of production, will serve as exec producers. Sales will be handled by Arclight's genre division, Darclight.

Upping the ante on peril, the film is set in a coastal town where a freak tsunami floods and traps shoppers in a supermarket with an armed maniac and a pack of hungry tiger sharks that have been washed into the building.

"This will be a truly monstrous thriller and the first Australian feature in 3-D," Hamilton said.

Russell Mulcahy,...