News

Exclusive:Chaplin, Spirit Of The Tramp, the feature documentary directed by Charlie Chaplin‘s granddaughter Carmen Chaplin, has been sold to multiple territories by Global Constellation.

Deals have been closed for Benelux (Periscope), Spain (BTeam) Japan (Medallion), Israel (Shoval), Poland (Against Gravity), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF), China (DDdream) and India (BigTree)

Chaplin, Spirit of the Tramp explores the Romani roots of the legendary comedian and reveals he may have been born in Birmingham, rather than in London, as has always been supposed.

The film premiered in 2024 at San Sebastián and at Festival Lumiere in Lyons and will screen at the upcoming Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna next month.

The UK Global Screen Fund’s (Ukgsf) next round of awardees from its distribution strand of support includes The Penguin Lessons, Bring Them Down, The Salt Path and Kneecap.

The Ukgsf has issued 18 new awards, administered by the BFI, to support international opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector. Ukgsf is financed through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms), and the awards see a further £413,995 allocated through the £7m per year fund’s international distribution strand.

The international distribution strand is now managed by Jordan Allwood, who joined the team in October from UK sales agent Independent Entertainment and replacesFrancesca Walker.

Film Constellation is launching international sales on “About a Hero,” directed by Piotr Winiewicz, an AI-driven murder mystery set to open the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Variety premieres the film’s teaser here.

The film is an adaptation of a script co-written by an AI trained on Werner Herzog’s body of work, with his permission. Winiewicz was inspired by a quote from Herzog himself stating: “A computer will not create a film as good as mine in 4,500 years.” The result is a fictional narrative that is ironically self-reflective, interlaced with a collection of interviews with artists, philosophers and scientists reflecting on the notion of originality, authenticity, immortality and soul in the age of AI.

When a local factory worker named Dorem Clery dies under mysterious circumstances, the film’s narrator, Werner Herzog, travels to Getunkirchenburg to investigate his perplexing death. But Herzog is not who he seems,...

Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl took home the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival, held in Spain’s Basque Country from Sept. 20 through 28.

“For the high quality of its acting, packed with truth and nuances, which with great subtlety and restraint, brings us closer to the feelings of a group of people who must confront a disappearing profession, a world that is coming to an end,” the jury’s verdict read, per the fete’s press release.

About a veteran Las Vegas showgirl who must switch up her life’s routine following the unexpected closure of her three-decade-long show, the drama features a star-studded cast in Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista and Jamie Lee Curtis. As Deadline exclusively reported yesterday, The Last Showgirl was just acquired by Roadside Attractions for its North American release.

The Golden Shell for Best Film was...

Spanish director Albert Serra’s bullfighting documentary Afternoons Of Solitude has won the Golden Shell for best film at the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Spanish festival tonight (Saturday September 28).

The special jury prize was awarded to Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl which stars Pamela Anderson as a Vegas showgirl facing the end of her career.

’Afternoons Of Solitude’ review

The official competition jury, presided over by Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda – who was last year’s Golden Shell winner for The Rye Horn, also awarded top prizes to new filmmakers. The Silver Shell for best director...

Vertical has acquired North American distribution rights to Michael Tyburski’s romantic comedy Turn Me On, which world premiered in the New Directors competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The deal was brokered by UTA’s Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers and the release is set for early 2025.

London and Paris-based Film Constellation handles worldwide sales, with UK distribution recently announced with Signature Entertainment.

Starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson, Turn Me One is set in a world where the inconvenience of human emotion has been eradicated by a daily vitamin.

Vertical has acquired North American distribution rights to Michael Tyburski’s romantic comedy Turn Me On, which world premiered in the New Directors competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The deal was brokered by UTA’s Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers and the release is set for early 2025.

London and Paris-based Film Constellation handles worldwide sales, with UK distribution recently announced with Signature Entertainment.

Starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson, Turn Me One is set in a world where the inconvenience of human emotion has been eradicated by a daily vitamin.

San Sebastian — At this year’s San Sebastian Festival, Basque cinema brings arguably its strong slate ever, fruits from its fast growing scene.

Among the throng of titles is Andrea Jaurrieta’s “Nina” offering a contemporary, feminist twist on the classic Western, featuring Patricia López Arnaiz as a woman seeking revenge in her coastal hometown. David Pérez Sañudo’s “The Last Romantics” presents a tale of second chances, starring Miren Gaztañaga as a woman confronting her mortality.

The documentary lineup is equally compelling, with Raúl de la Fuente’s “Los Williams” exploring race and identity through Basque soccer stars Iñaki and Nico Williams, and Carmen Chaplin’s “Charlie Chaplin, A Man of the World” providing an unprecedented look at the legendary filmmaker’s Romani heritage.

Here’s the rundown:

Main Competition

“I’m Nevenka,”

Co-written with Isa Campo, Icíar Bollaín dramatizes the harrowing true story of Nevenka Fernández, the first...

Charlie Chaplin’s family have collaborated on official documentary Spirit of the Tramp, and here’s the trailer for the film.

Charlie Chaplin is one of those film stars who are so iconic, he is almost a genre unto himself. With his hat and toothbrush moustache, Chaplin’s mastery of physical clowning mixed with his pioneering directorial skills means that his films are still delighting audiences a hundred years on. From his feature debut The Kid to The Great Dictator and sharing the screen with fellow silent comedy icon Buster Keaton in Limelight.

Many of Chaplin’s descendants have also found their way into the film and television industry. Daughter Geraldine Chaplin played her grandmother Hannah Chaplin. His granddaughter Oona Chaplin is also an actor: Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton cast her in their silent Inside No 9 episode A Quiet Night In as an in joke.

Chaplin’s life...

Exclusive: London and Paris-based production and sales company Film Constellation has unveiled a first teaser trailer for Charlie Chaplin doc Chaplin: Spirit Of The Tramp, directed by his granddaughter, Carmen Chaplin.

The film, an intimate portrait of the comic icon from inside the family circle, will get its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival next month.

Th feature tells the story of Chaplin’s family as they embark on a journey into the Gypsy heritage that helped inspire his infamous and beloved character, The Tramp.

It marks the first time the Chaplin family has collaborated so extensively on a documentary about their famed relative, with narration by Michael J. Chaplin, and interviews with Geraldine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Jane Chaplin and Christopher Chaplin.

Also among talking heads are filmmakers, actors and performers including Johnny Depp, Emir Kusturica, Tony Gatlif, Stochelo Rosenberg, Lita Cabellut, and Farruquito.

BTeam will release the film in Spain,...

London- and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation has added new sales for Cannes Critics’ Week supernatural horror “Animale” by Emma Benestan, ahead of its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest later this month.

“Animale” sold to Scandinavia (Edge Entertainment), Cis (Nashe Kino), the Czech and Slovak republics (Film Europe), Brazil (Belas Artes), and Indonesia (Falcon Pt), adding to the previously announced territories which include Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy (Plaion), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), and Middle East and North Africa (Falcon).

Wild Bunch Distribution will release the film in French theaters nationwide on Nov. 27, with O’Brother releasing in Belgium on Dec. 18.

After its world premiere as closing film of the Cannes Critics’ Week, the film has been selected in some of the world’s foremost genre festivals including Fantastic Fest, Sitges Film Festival, MOTELx, and Neuchâtel Intl. Fantastic Film Festival to name a few.

Film Constellation has taken international sales rights to “Chaplin, Spirit of the Tramp,” a feature documentary directed by Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter Carmen Chaplin, and set to world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

The documentary delivers an intimate portrait of the iconic English-born Hollywood filmmaker and comedian from within his family, and explores his Romani roots, which inspired the creation of his beloved character the Tramp. The doc boasts interviews, film extracts, home movies and contributions from renowned contemporary Roma artists including Tony Gatlif, Stochelo Rosenberg, Lita Cabellut and Farruquito, among others.

Carmen Chaplin’s directorial feature debut benefits from unprecedented access to the Chaplin estate, thanks to the participation of the Chaplin Office, the Chaplin family and MK2 films. The director spoke to many relatives, including Michael J. Chaplin, Geraldine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Jane Chaplin and Christopher Chaplin.

“The story of my grandfather, Charlie Chaplin, has been told many times,...

London and Paris-based Film Constellation head Fabien Westerhoff officially announced the launch of its in-house production arm Constellation Productions exactly a year ago, during the 2022 edition of Cannes.

Twelve months on, the exec is taking stock with a sense of satisfaction.

“Projects are often announced and then you never know whether anything really happens,” he tells Deadline. “In one year, we’ve managed to create a diverse slate of films that are actually getting made.”

The first film to come down the pipeline will be UK director Alice Troughton’s first film The Lesson, starring Daryl McCormack, Richard E. Grant and Julie Delpy, which world premieres at Tribeca in June.

Westerhoff takes a producer credit alongside London-based producer Camille Gatin at Poison Chef Production, Cassandra Sigsgaard at Jeva Films and Judy Tossell at Berlin company Egoli Tossell Film.

With his sales background, the exec financed the film through Focus Features and Bleecker Street.

The boundlessly playful and inventive films of Argentine director Gastón Solnicki have been a delight to witness these last few years. Earlier in 2022, the director premiered his latest work, the portrait of Vienna A Little Love Package, at Berlinale and now, ahead of the film’s Austrian release on November 18th, we’re pleased to premiere the exclusive trailer. Featuring Angeliki Papoulia, Carmen Chaplin, and Mario Bellatin, the film will also play at the Viennale, La Roche Sur Yon, Warsaw, Thessaloniki, IDFA, Ica, and Porto Post Doc.

“A Little Love Package is a film in which I wished to pursue my filmic transition, in the sense of working with materials inherently related to a certain tradition of narrative filmmaking, though still invested in a documentary register and the epiphany of the unexpected – which has always felt very natural to me. For the first time, I made a film based on a more preconceived structure,...

In A Little Love Package, Vienna’s institutions, people, buildings, and overlapping epochs make for a stiff drink: a bright, effervescent, lightly intoxicating film easily downed in one. The director is Gastón Solnicki, a nicely ruminative Buenos Aires filmmaker whose make-it-up-as-you-go approach allows his films to meander. Solnicki’s work has a playful spirit: it’s episodic both in form and content, though never amorphous; and he moves between narrative, documentary, still imagery, and immersive sound with seamless élan. Forged in lockdown, Love Package is a breezy collage of meteorites and cigarettes; cheese and boiled eggs, and how best to make them. But at heart it’s about how eras end, what they leave behind, and how new ones begin.

Solnicki’s previous film, Introduction to the Dark, was his first based in Vienna; it opened with images of the Prater amusement park, where Harry Lime once tallied the merits of Switzerland.

Film Constellation, the London-based company behind Cannes’ Un Certain Regard highlights “Joyland” and “Harka,” is set to ramp up its production pipeline with the launch of a dedicated banner in Paris and a raft of ambitious new projects.

Named Constellation Productions, the new outfit is on board to co-produce Oscar-nominated Quebecois director Jeremy Comte’s debut “Paradise” and Carmen Chaplin’s documentary feature “Charlie Chaplin: A Man of the World.”

Created by Fabien Westerhoff in 2016, Film Constellation kicked off its production activities two years ago and is now taking it to the next level to invest on more promising talents, as well as develop original projects. Edward Parodi, head of acquisitions at Film Constellation, will be working across acquisition and development for the sales and production outfits.

“The new production house is another step in that direction to develop original projects with historical talent relationships, and take an active part in international co-productions,...

By way of improvisation, relying heavily on events to naturally develop, Argentine filmmaker Gastón Solnicki presents a meandering ode to the city of Vienna, its customs, cultures, facades, and the near-sacrilege of enacting a smoking ban in cafes city-wide.

In, “A Little Love Package,” two main protagonists become the vehicles through which the minutiae of everyday life in Vienna unfolds. Experimental aural and visual cues present themselves as Angeliki (Angeliki Papoulia) and Carmen (Carmen Chaplin) seek the perfect apartment in a city suspended in time.

Produced by Little Magnet Films, out of Austria, and Solnicki’s Argentine production company, Filmy Wiktora, “A Little Love Package” is the fifth cinematic feature for Solnicki, whose entire catalog was recently acquired by Moma.

Ahead of its debut in the Berlinale’s Encounters strand, he spoke with Variety about the allure of Vienna, breaking from cinematic tradition, and shooting a film during the pandemic.

A burgeoning film-tv hub and shoot locale in Spain, Navarre is proving a hotbed for new companies and projects which are now helping the region to gain bigger visibility abroad. Some start-up, or standout Navarre-based outfits expected to attend this week’s on-site Conecta Fiction in Pamplona:

Adhokers Navarra

Created by Beatriz Acinas and José Luis Tejedor, Adhokers has offices in Madrid and Pamplona and produces TV contents and commercials. Upcoming projects include TV series “Encuentros en Villa Lancaster” and “Manual de usar y tirar.”

Apolo Films

Founded by legendary animation creator-entrepreneur Claudio Biern Boyd, indie studio Apolo has operated in Navarre since 2018, focusing on toon features inspired by well-known international brands. On Jan. 21, it will release in Spain swashbuckling adventure “Dogtanian & The Three Muskehounds,” the newest installment in the the 40-year-old iconic TV property. “Dogtanian” is helmed by Apolo creative director Toni García and written by “Puss in Boots...

San Sebastian — Director-producer-actress Carmen Chaplin is set to direct “Charlie Chaplin, a Man of the World,” a theatrical documentary feature which will add a hardly-explored new facet to the creator of the Tramp, one of the most iconic cinema characters in popular consciousness, plumbing Chaplin’s Romani roots and heritage.

Marking the first time that the Chaplin family is involved at a deep creative and industrial level in a movie about Charles Chaplin, grand-daughter Carmen Chaplin is also co-writing the documentary’s screenplay with Amaia Remírez, a co-writer on “Another Day of Life,” a European Film Awards best animated feature winner.

Described in a statement by its producers as a documentary which “radically reinterprets Chaplin’s oeuvre from a Romani perspective and examines the persecution of gypsies through his lens,” “Charlie Chaplin, a Man of the World” is produced by Madrid-based Wave of Humanity’s Stany Coppet, Dolores Chaplin and Ashim Balla,...

The Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced this week, and there was a surprise at the head of the pack – a black-and-white, silent film! “The Artist” tells the story of a 1920s silent movie actor, played by Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Jean Dujardin, who finds his career threatened with the rise of “talkies,” while an actress, played by Bérénice Bejo, is on the rise to success. toofab caught up with two ladies who have silent film in their blood, Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughters – fashion icons and filmmakers in their own right – Dolores and Carmen Chaplin. The ladies talked to us about the beauty of black-and-white movies, why audiences will connect with this film, and also dish on the gorgeous fashion found in the flick.toofab: What did you think when you first saw “The Artist?”Chaplin: I thought it was wonderful! I actually enjoyed it even more the second time around,...

Elizabeth Snead

Charlie Chaplin would have been so proud of his granddaughters Carmen Chaplin and Dolores Chaplin's fashion sense. His stunning  offspring hosted a special screening of the acclaimed silent film, The Artist, in Beverly Hills last night with writer/director Michel Hazanavicius and the cast including Berenice Bejo, Penelope Ann Miller, James Cromwell and Missi Pyle. Carmen wore a stunning black floor length Dolce & Gabbana gown and Dolores was clad in slinky black satin Yves St. Laurent dress. Bejo added a bolt of color with her bright orange dress with short lace sleeves and collar.  Story: THR's Directors Roundtable With

read more...

Shirley MacLaine attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Shirley MacLaine and Lionel Chouchan attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Shirley MacLaine attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Jason Bateman and wife Amanda Anka attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Sarah Kazemy attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival The Change-Up Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. 09/04/2011 - Carmen Chaplin and Dolores Chaplin - 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival - "The Change-Up" -...

Carmen Chaplin and Dolores Chaplin attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival Drive Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Tom Fontana attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival Drive Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Carmen Chaplin and Dolores Chaplin attend 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival Drive Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Tom Fontana attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival Drive Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. Laurent Gerra attends 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival Drive Premiere. Photo copyright Pixplanete / PR Photos. 09/03/2011 - Olivier Dassault - 37th Annual Deauville American Film Festival - "Drive" - Premiere - Arrivals - Villa Cartier - Deauville, France ©...

E1 Entertainment has provided us with the DVD and Blu-ray artwork as well as a brand spanking new release date for Fruit Chan's take on the Hideo Nakata tale Joyurei, or, as it will be known here, Don't Look Up.

The story follows the slow descent into madness of a film director when malicious spirits from another era invade the film stock of his latest effort and open a window to evil!

Don't Look Up starring Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin, Reshad Strik, and Eli Roth will be hitting both Blu-ray and DVD on July 27th, 2010.

Look for further announcements concerning special features, etc., to be coming soon!

Dont Look Up - Trailer

Uploaded by dreadcentral. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Don't look in the Dread Central forums!

Prepare yourself for one of the most graphic and grotesque trailers to come this way in quite some time. The new trailer for horror, thriller Don't Look Up shows everything from demon babies to headless corpses and back to multiple disfigurements. Long in length, this trailer will keep you awake knowing that there are some sick souls out there! The film was created by Distant Horizons and the show gets shipped via mini' coffins September 21st (not literally). Other trivia fans might enjoy from director Fruit Chan's Don't Look Up include a cameo appearance from Eli Roth, the film is a remake of a Japanese film known as Ghost Actress, and the film was originally set to film in Romania (Uhm). Grip your chair closely and then push play.

The tiny synopsis for Don't Look Up here:

"The story features a film production in Transylvania which is tainted by...

Director Fruit Chan (Dumplings in Three … Extremes) is remaking Hideo Nakata’s 1996 horror pic, Joyû-rei. You’re probably familiar with Nakata from Ringu, which was redone as The Ring. From the press release: “Set in and around an abandoned film studio from another era, “Don’t Look Up” charts the unravelling sanity of a director and his crew when spirits from that era invade the film stock of the contemporary production and, in a few stark frames, open a horrifying window on a terrible curse from the past. Don’t Look Up stars Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin, and Reshad Strik. Eli Roth makes a cameo appearance. There are some [...]Post from: Screamstress...

As if the trailer for Fruit Chan's Don't Look Up wasn't ghastly enough, some really disturbing "birthing" photos have come our way that should be more than enough incentive to invest in condoms.

The story follows the slow descent into madness of a film director when malicious spirits from another era invade the film stock of his latest effort and open a window to evil!

Don't Look Up, starring Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin, Reshad Strik, and Eli Roth, will be playing at The Sitges Film Festival.

Dig the stills below after the trailer.

Dont Look Up - Trailer

Uploaded by dreadcentral. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Don't look up or down in the Dread Central forums!

"Set in an abandoned film studio from another era, Don't Look Up, charts the unraveling sanity of a director and his crew, when spirits invade the film stock of their production." The film stars Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin and Reshad Strik. Update: Horror-Movies.ca has learned that the film will be making its debut at the Sitges Film Festival. Check out the disturbing trailer and pictures below.

Just a day after the first still came to light, the trailer for Fruit Chan's take on the Hideo Nakata tale Joyurei, Don't Look Up, has dropped; and it looks insane.

The story follows the slow descent into madness of a film director when malicious spirits from another era invade the film stock of his latest effort and open a window to evil!

Don't Look Up starring Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin, Reshad Strik, and Eli Roth will be playing at The Sitges Film Festival. Check out the trailer below courtesy of eagle eyed reader "slice".

Dont Look Up - Trailer

Uploaded by dreadcentral. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Don't look in the Dread Central forums!

One project we haven't heard a whole hell of a lot about lately is Fruit Chan’s English-language debut, the remake of Hideo Nakata’s Don’t Look Up. Things seem to be moving along nicely though because a still has surfaced that dishes out the violence by the eye-full!

DC reader JoseK just sent us in the still you see below, which pretty much speaks for itself. Don't Look Up starring Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Lothaire Bluteau, Carmen Chaplin, Reshad Strik, and Eli Roth will be playing at The Sitges Film Festival. More soon!

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Blind others in the Dread Central forums!