News

Days before his drama Bidad enters the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 9 July, Iranian filmmaker Soheil Beiraghi disclosed that several members of his production team have been sentenced in Tehran for their work on the film, receiving jail terms later converted to fines and suspended sentences.

Court documents list charges such as “encouraging corruption,” “producing obscene content,” and “propaganda against the state.” Beiraghi himself was fined the equivalent of 165 million tomans after a three-year-seven-month custodial term was commuted; lead actress Sarvin Zabetian received a 91-day term, suspended for five years, and is banned from using a smartphone in that period.

Shot in secret and without government permits, Bidad follows Seti, a young woman who sings in public despite Iran’s four-decade ban on female solo performance, transforming city streets into a stage for spontaneous audiences. Festival organizers say they delayed announcing the film until...

Sly Stone, funk pioneer and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, died Monday at the age of 82, following what his family described as “prolonged battle with Copd and other underlying health issues.”

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” the family wrote in a statement. “Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.”

The legendary musician was the subject of a recent Hulu documentary, Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), from Oscar-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Questlove recently sat down with Gold Derby and shared stories about Sly Stone, his genius, and his lasting impact on pop culture.

See...

On a late spring afternoon (that doesn’t feel like April), Prospect Heights’ Leland Eating and Drinking House is pretty empty. Four people are sitting at tables in the upscale cafe, chatting over a playlist of early ‘00s hits from artists like Ashanti.

Eventually, Billy Woods arrives wearing a Black jacket, black shirt, and jeans. He says he’s feeling under the weather after several European show dates. Crosscontinental tours are becoming common fare for Woods, the Brooklyn-based rapper boasting one of rap’s elite pens. He’s been rapping since the ‘00s,...

John Sykes, a hard-rock guitarist and singer who played with Thin Lizzy before joining Whitesnake for its smash 1987 album and later forming Blue Murder, has died of cancer. He was 65.

The news was confirmed on Sykes’ Facebook page, but other details including a date of death were not provided.

“He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent, but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.” the statement reads in part. “He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog.”

Born on July 29, 1959, in Reading, England, Sykes began playing guitar as a teenager, inspired by the legion of late-’60s British axmen. He played with metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in the early 1980s before joining Phil Lynott in Thin Lizzy for 12th album.

John Sykes, a beloved guitarist who performed with Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake in the 1980s, has died at age 65 from cancer. The news was confirmed in a statement on Skyes’ official Facebook page.

“It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer,” the statement read. “He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.

Brady Corbet’s “Vox Lux,” Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s “Birds of Passage” and Natalya Meshchaninova’s “Core of the World” are among the wide range of movies competing for the Stockholm Film Festival’s Impact Award.

Other movies vying for the honor are Sergei Loznitsa’s “Donbass,” Richard Billingham’s “Ray & Liz,” Beatriz Seigner’s “Los Silencios,” Soheil Beiraghi’s “Cold Sweat” and Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s “Manta Ray.”

The selections span movies from around the world, from Iran to Brazil to Russia, and are meant to be singular, politically minded films reflecting today’s world in innovative ways. The central theme of this year’s roster is the impact of armed conflicts on lives and relationships.

“In ‘Los Silencios,’ Beatriz Seigner combines the social consequences of an endless armed conflict in Colombia and the uncertain future of families with elements of a ghost story,” the festival said,...

On October 26-28 Celluloid Screams, the Sheffield Horror Film Festival, will be delivering its fourth year of thrills, spills and chills at Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema. The folks behind Celluloid Screams have lifted the curtain on just which twisted delights are in store for the weekend. Dig in!

Friday, October 26

7:00pm – Opening Gala:

Sightseers

with Certified (Short – UK Premiere)

Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way – on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina’s led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see – the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that accompanies these wonders in his life. But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother,...