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Eight years ago, tech billionaire Jeff Skoll clapped enthusiastically as Al Gore assuaged the opening-night Sundance crowd just hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. “We will win,” Gore said after the Skoll-backed climate change documentary “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” made its world premiere. “We want this movie to recruit others.”

But a funny thing happened over the ensuing years. The founder and chair of Participant Media appears to have defected to the other side. In January, on the weekend Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, Skoll hosted both the Make America Great Again Victory Rally and the inaugural parade, sending shockwaves through the indie film world. (Skoll declined comment.)

For the past two decades, the eBay mogul was the most reliable financier of progressive documentaries, from “Rbg” to “He Named Me Malala.” Skoll’s 180-degree turn as he shuttered Participant...

"Let's prioritize the farmer!" Yes! Join in and support them and buy from the good ones. An official trailer has debuted for a documentary film called Common Ground, the definitive doc about the Save Our Soil movement. It's a follow-up to the massive successful doc Kiss the Ground (from 2020) about "Regenerative Agriculture". Narrated by Laura Dern, the film presents an urgent message about the poisonous practices within American food systems. At the forefront are the farmers & families who have lived through tragedy & illness at the hands of government policies that favor Big Ag and big profits. In acknowledging how racism has forged today’s farming industry, regenerative farmers are returning to pre-colonial practices pioneered by indigenous and Black farmers to restore soil, keep Americans alive, and leave a legacy for generations to follow. Sounds great! Featuring celebrity actors, activists and philanthropists Rosario Dawson, Laura Dern, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa...

Found, the NBC series from All American‘s Nkechi Okoro Carroll, is heading to the Boston Film Festival.

The series, which stars Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, will launch at the festival on September 23, ahead of its premiere on October 3.

It comes a day after NBC revealed the first trailer for the drama, which was originally scheduled to launch last midseason but was pushed to the fall schedule.

The series follows public relations specialist Gabi Mosely (Hampton) and her crisis management team dedicated to finding missing persons, especially those often overlooked by the system. Gabi was once one of those forgotten ones, and is still hiding a chilling secret of her own – she has found her kidnapper, Sir, (Gosselaar), and uses his twisted expertise to help solve their cases. The cast also includes Brett Dalton, Gabrielle Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta, Karan Oberoi and Kelli Williams.

Carroll executive produces alongside Sonay Hoffman,...

Edward Hume, the Emmy-nominated writer of “The Day After” and creator of “The Streets of San Francisco,” has died, his rep confirmed to Variety. He was 87.

Hume was known for his work on the critically acclaimed, 1983 sci-fi TV movie “The Day After,” which was nominated for a total of 10 Emmys and won two. The nuclear war-centric film is regarded as the most-watched TV movie of all time, being seen by over 100 million U.S. viewers. It notably was the first American film to be released in the Soviet Union, launching in 35 countries in 17 languages.

“There can be no doubt about the size of Earth’s debt to Edward Hume,” said Nicholas Meyer, the director of “The Day After.”

Hume was born in Chicago, Ill., on May 18, 1936. Throughout the course of his career in Hollywood, he was often recognized for his passion for storytelling, winning the Humanitas prize in 1990 and the...

A documentary extolling the virtues of regenerative agriculture, “Common Ground” gets its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where it is also claiming a Human/Nature Award.

What is regenerative agriculture, you ask? It’s farming that forgoes tillage and chemicals in favor of cover crops and planned grazing – essentially, the practices of Indigenous peoples before the arrival of colonizers.

Industrialization post WWII popularized the use of machinery, pesticides and herbicides in agriculture as, per the film, suppliers of tanks and chemical weapons looked to pivot to a steadier business model. It goes on to explain the agrichemical industry’s overwhelming pull on politicians and researchers at land-grant universities.

Per Senator Cory Booker (D-n.J.), the public is paying multiple times: in subsidies, food assistance and Medicaid costs. Farm Bill provisions mandate what to grow. Farmers incur massive debt purchasing pesticides and the seeds genetically modified to withstand them.

Across his two blockbuster albums, Jack Harlow had all the elements of pop-rap superstardom on full display — the chameleonic swagger, the everydude sincerity evidenced by his affinity for namechecking chain restaurants, the puppydog hearththrob confessions, and the phone numbers of the most famous guest rappers in existence. He had enough skills to get the co-sign from Kanye West and Drake, and the pop acumen to land a Number One Billboard single. However, if you could level one criticism of the Jack Harlow catalog, it is that, conceptually, he could occasionally be a juicy Kentucky nothingburger.

The 2023 Tribeca Festival feature film lineup has been unveiled.

This year’s festival takes place June 7 — 18 and includes a range of feature narrative, documentary, and animated films. The 2023 Tribeca Festival launches 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries, with 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere, and six New York premieres.

There are 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. A total of 41 percent of all feature films are directed by women and, for the first time, more than half of competition feature films are directed by women at 68 percent. Additionally, 36 percent of feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two Indigenous filmmakers.

This season, it’s all about the actor-director, with films from a slew of A-list stars behind the camera. Highlights include the world premieres of Chelsea Peretti’s meta-comedy “First Time Female Director” and John Slattery’s...

Alice Troughton’s The Lesson screening in Spotlight.

For the first time more than half of Tribeca Festival’s competition selections have been directed by women, the festival said as it announced the entire line-up on Tuesday.

Some 19 films or 68% of the 28-strong competition line-up hail from women, while 39 or 36% are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two Indigenous filmmakers. Overall 109 features will screen at the New York festival from June 7-18.

US Narrative Competition selections include world premieres of Shelly Yo’s Smoking Tigers, about a Korean American girl navigating an elite high school, and Monica Sorelle’s portrait of...

The 2023 Tribeca Festival has revealed its feature narrative, documentary and animated film lineups.

The selection consists of a number of actor-directed titles, including the world premieres of David Duchovny’s Bucky F*cking Dent, Michael Shannon’s Eric Larue, Chelsea Peretti’s First Time Female Director, John Slattery’s Maggie Moore(s), Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater’s Downtown Owl and Jennifer Esposito’s First Kill; the North American premiere of Steve Buscemi’s The Listener; and New York premiere of Randall Park’s Shortcomings.

The documentary lineup features films about Stan Lee, Biz Markie and Dan Rather, with a conversation with Rather and director Frank Marshall following the world premiere of the Rather documentary. The Rather talk is just one of the live events set to take place following screenings, which also include a performance from Gloria Gaynor after the world premiere of Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive, a...

The 22nd edition of the Tribeca Festival unveiled a 2023 lineup with a record number of female helmers and heavy on films directed by actors like Chelsea Peretti’s First Time Female Director, John Slattery thriller Maggie Moore(s) with Tina Fey and Jon Hamm, David Duchovny’s Bucky F*cking Dent and Steve Buscemi’s The Listener.

Marvel also screens its first original documentary, Stan Lee by David Gelb, as the fest unspools June 7-18 in New York City. Also making an appearance: Downtown Owl by Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater, and Eric Larue by Michael Shannon.

In all, 109 feature, narrative, documentary and animated films from 127 directors across 36 countries will showcase emerging and household names.

Tribeca is expanding its Midnight offering this year, and will also present its second annual Human/Nature award for environmental storytelling to world-premiering Common Ground by Rebecca and Josh Tickell.

Related music and live events...

Hank ends up in jail at the end of Episode 4 of “Lucky Hank,” just like Lily had predicted, thanks to a fight with a Railton College gardener. Meanwhile, Lily gets kissed by her former flame, Tom, in New York, where she had gone for an interview at Arlyle School. The episode ends in uncertainty as Hank wonders why Lily decided to remain in New York for the night while Lily is rather bewildered at her own experiences and feelings.

Spoilers Ahead

To New York Or Not To New York

“Lucky Hank” Episode 5 begins with little Hank staring at the pendulum clock in his house. From the adjacent room, his parents can be heard having a heated argument, one of the many quarrels that ultimately led to his father abandoning him and his mother. Hank has invited all the faculty members of his department to a party at his house. As...

Irish Catholic police officer Bill Coughlin believes in the right thing enough to attempt to do it, when in 1974, he is assigned to protect Black children being bused to a high school in South Boston. We know of his public service bent because of what happens when he apprehends a shoplifter outside a Black-owned food market early in the well-meaning, if wrong-headed feature “The Walk,” starring Justin Chatwin as Coughlin. He cuts the guy a break, even though the mart’s owner isn’t nearly as sympathetic. The exchange between cop and thief isn’t all Kum Ba Yah, but it is intended to signal Coughlin’s decency. When it comes to walking the walk, Bill Coughlin may prove to be the real deal. As for “The Walk,” the film’s insights about racism come as familiar baby steps.

In 1974, the District Court of Massachusetts ordered Boston to integrate its public school system,...

The Bad Batch takes a bold story departure, rendering its eponymous Batch (Dee Bradley Baker) as a cameo in their own series. They surface at the 13-minute mark then peace out, while Crosshair is present as a supporting player carrying out the Empire’s bidding. Last week, “Common Ground” opened on another person’s story before passing […]

The post ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Makes a Promising Shift to Spotlight a ‘Rebels’ Origin Story in “Devil’s Deal” appeared first on /Film.

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists.

Jake Hoot featuring Kelly Clarkson, “I Would’ve Loved You”

Jake Hoot’s debut EP Love Out of Time announces The Voice champ as a smooth country balladeer with a hint of Conway Twitty’s adults-only vibe. In this majestic duet with...

Cathy Rodda has relaunched her shingle Cathartic Pictures, with a range of dramas and docs in development.

The move comes after four years a production investment manager at Film Victoria – a role Rodda regards as a “sabbatical”.

“I needed a break from the trenches of feature producing, and now I’m back, with deeper knowledge of industry, business, storytelling and formats other than features,” Rodda tells If of her decision to reboot the company, which previously produced Bullets for the Dead.

“There are opportunities in the chaos of our times, and there are still new stories to tell and underserved audiences to reach.”

Cathartic Pictures will have a focus on female-driven horror and sci-fi, multicultural drama and environmental impact.

On the drama slate is Common Ground (working title), a 8 x 1 hour TV drama that tells the story of African refugees from rural backgrounds who return to the land when they move to regional Victoria.

Film lab includes projects from the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Thirteen international projects have been selected for the inaugural development lab Attagirl, designed to support female and non-binary filmmakers.

It is an initiative of Australia’s For FIlm’s Sake and is supported by Screen Australia’s Enterprise Business and Ideas programme, advocacy organisation For Film’s Sake, and the Toronto and Sydney International Film Festivals.

The first of three workshops in a 10-month programme will take place this week. It will include projects spanning the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Sweden and New Zealand and will include creatives from Mexico and Trinidad.

In today’s Global Bulletin, U.K. film bodies respond to AMPAS’ new diversity requirements, ITV details its upcoming virtual TV festival, For Film’s Sake announces the 13 projects selected for its inaugural Attagirl lab, Mexico’s Pixelatl and Cartoon Network Latin America announce their third annual Girl Power winner, Switzerland’s Zurich Film Festival reveals its 2020 Hashtag sidebar, and full casting for Canadian comedy series “Lady Dicks” is confirmed.

Representation

The U.K.’s leading film bodies have weighed in on the Oscars’ recently announced diversity requirements. On Tuesday, following several years of a membership drive designed to increase diverse representation, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced new eligibility standards requiring enhanced diversity in both above and below the line talent.

“We welcome AMPAS’s announcement of representation and inclusion standards inspired by our own BFI Diversity Standards,” said British Film Institute chief executive Ben Roberts.

(L-r) Carolyn Johnson, Eve Spence and Amin Palangi.

Intrigued by people who choose to live off the grid in shacks, Eve Spence had the idea of writing a feature centred around one such community, overlaid with the arrival of asylum seekers from Iran.

Recognising she needed help with the Iranian angle, she reached out to filmmaker Amin Palangi, whose debut feature documentary, Love Marriage in Kabul, won the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival, initially as a consultant.

That progressed to the duo collaborating on the screenplay of Common Ground and they decided take that a step further and co-direct. They brought in experienced producer Carolyn Johnson, whose credits include Bentley Dean and Martin Butler’s Tanna and Benjamin Gilmour’s Son of a Lion.

The saga of Kayla, a young surfer whose life in a coastal hideaway is disrupted by the arrival of Omid and Babak, asylum seekers who...

Acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally has died of complications due to coronavirus. The author of Master Class, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and Love! Valour! Compassion!, among many other major works, was a lung cancer survivor with chronic pulmonary disease, and died Tuesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fl. He was 81.

McNally’s death was confirmed by his spokesperson Matt Polk. The Tony Award-winning playwright is survived by his husband, Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy.

More from DeadlineTerrence McNally Mourned: 'A Giant In Our World', Lin-Manuel Miranda SaysNew York Mayor Bill de Blasio Says Friend Terrence McNally's Covid-19 Death Proves "Crisis Is Not Just Numbers"'The Walking Dead' Season 10 Finale Delayed Due To Coronavirus

One of the greatest American playwrights of his generation, McNally was a four-time Tony Award winner, recipient of the 2019 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, and 1994 Pulitzer Prize nominee.

Gma Day has a new title: The afternoon talker has been rebranded as Strahan & Sara, it was announced on Twitter.

The Good Morning America offshoot, hosted by Michael Strahan and Sara Haines, debuted last September on ABC, filling the void left by the cancellation of The Chew.

New name, same @sarahaines and @michaelstrahan! We’ll see you for lunch every weekday 1pET/12pC/P. pic.twitter.com/07os3fwIeW

— Strahan and Sara (@StrahanAndSara) January 28, 2019

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Hulu’s forthcoming Veronica Mars revival has tapped Tyler Alvarez (American Vandal) to recur as a member...

Former Arizona Republican senator Jeff Flake has joined CBS News as a contributor.

Flake appeared Tuesday on CBS This Morning to talk about his new role, and confirmed he will not be a candidate in the 2020 presidential race. “I’ve always said that I do hope that there is a Republican who challenges the president in the primary. I still hope that somebody does, but that somebody won’t be me. I will not be a candidate,” Flake said.

Flake will contribute to a new series for CBS News titled Common Ground, a series of stories that the network says are meant to “shine a light on opposing groups coming together.”

“Common ground might be dead in Washington, but it’s alive and well everywhere else – on city councils, in state legislatures, any kind of association or group, people find common ground. It just often doesn’t translate into something in Washington,...

On Friday’s new “Last Man Standing,” Mike Baxter is trying to bond with his family’s foreign exchange student, Jen — and immediately fumbles.

In a sneak peek from Episode 711, called “Common Ground,” which is exclusive to TheWrap, Mike (Tim Allen) and his daughter Eve (guest star Kaitlyn Dever) sit down to watch a game of American football with Jen (guest star Krista Marie Yu). Now, Mike is all too excited to answer any question Jen might have about the sport — until she starts inquiring about things he himself can’t make heads or tail of.

“Why do they wear those face masks? Is it so they don’t bite each other?” Yeah, Mike doesn’t know. Hmm, they seem to be using their hands more than their feet — why isn’t it call handball? He honestly has no idea.

Also Read: 'Last Man Standing': Tisha Campbell to...

Green Book director Peter Farrelly, accepting the Golden Globe for best film in the musical or comedy category, said the story about pianist Don Shirley and his Italian-American driver overcoming racial differences could offer a universal lesson.

“If they can find common ground,” said Farrelly, who also wrote and exec produced the film, “we all can. All we have to do is talk and to not judge people by their differences, but to look for what we have in common.” He concluded that we all desire “love, happiness and to be treated equally.”

Earlier in the evening, Green Book, from Universal/DreamWorks/Participant Media, took the best screenplay Globe, and co-star (with Viggo Mortensen) Mahershala Ali took a best supporting actor trophy.

Farrelly, presented the award by Bill Murray, thanked the cast, studios, and his wife and kids before praising Shirley as “a great man and under-appreciated genius who couldn...

While “Outlander” Season 4 continues to heat up the airwaves on Starz, it was a different story on Thursday, December 6 when the 2019 Golden Globe nominations were announced. Caitriona Balfe earned her fourth consecutive bid as Best TV Drama Actress, but Best TV Drama Actor contender Sam Heughan was cruelly skunked by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association yet again. The show was also left out of the Best Drama Series lineup, a category it hasn’t been nominated in since Season 1 when it was beaten by “Mr. Robot.”

Balfe lost her prior three Golden Globe contests to Taraji P. Henson (“Empire”) in 2016, Claire Foy (“The Crown”) in 2017 and Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) in 2018. The only other acting nomination “Outlander” has ever received was in Best TV Supporting Actor for stand-out Tobias Menzies, who lost to Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”) in 2016.

See‘Outlander’ episode 4.5 video recap: Everybody loves Murtagh as we...

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Common Ground,” the fourth episode of “Outlander” Season 4.

When “Outlander” last left Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Hueghan), they decided to take Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) up on his offer to settle 10,000 acres of land in America in exchange for Jamie swearing an oath to the British crown. When Jamie signed the papers to make it official, the governor informed Jamie that he would need to be careful of which men he chooses as his tenants because Regulators (aka people rebelling against the Crown) were everywhere. Jamie talked a good game of seeming sympathetic to the Crown, but you could tell he didn’t care much for the British.

But all Jamie had to do was smile, nod and sign the papers and he, Claire and young Ian (John Bell) were off to Fraser’s Ridge. They left...

In the fourth installment of our ongoing video series, senior editor Rob Licuria and “Outlander” fan Paula Licuria dish the highs and lows of each episode week to week of this chapter of the fantasy romance saga based on “Drums of Autumn,” Diana Gabaldon’s fourth novel in the series of books (watch the video above). And watch our previous recaps for the first episode, second episode and third episode.

In “Common Ground,” the fourth episode of season four of the Starz hit drama “Outlander,” Claire (Caitriona Balfe), Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Young Ian (John Bell) begin to build a home at Fraser’s Ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their efforts are stymied by unwelcoming neighbors and a bloodthirsty bear that ravages their settlement. When they seek the advice of mountain man John Quincy Myers (Kyle Rees), the Frasers learn they may be dealing with a more dangerous creature than they first believed.

Need to catch up? Check out the previous Outlander recap here.

Claire and Jamie are still deep in the hard, physical labor of homesteading in this week’s Outlander, so you’ll have to bear with them.

[Reads notes more closely.] Sorry, let me rephrase that. Claire and Jamie are still deep in the hard, physical labor of homesteading in this week’s Outlander, and There’S A Bear With Them.*

Woodland creatures aside, “Common Ground” is the perfect Thanksgiving-weekend episode, given that the Frasers unceremoniously boot some Native Americans from their land and then expect the tribe to live in harmony with them.

[Warning: this story contains spoilers from Sunday's Outlander, "Common Ground."]

Jamie (Sam Heughan) finally earned his long-awaited "Bear Killer" nickname on Outlander. But he didn't actually kill any bears in the process.

In one of the biggest changes from Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn (upon which season four is based), Outlander executive producer Ron Moore flipped the highly anticipated "Bear Killer" moment on its head. Instead of having Jamie battle an actual bear on Fraser's Ridge while he, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Young Ian (John Bell) built their cabin, as  happens in the book, Jamie actually ...

Jamie and Claire work to build a home in colonial North Carolina while Roger finds out some vital information about what happens to them.

This Outlander review contains spoilers.

Outlander Season 4 Episode 4

Outlander has always been at its best when it embraces the emotion and consequence of its time travel structure. This is why, after an uneven start to Season 4, “Common Ground” is a return to form for the prestige TV show—probably at least partially because it avoids casting Jamie and Claire as white saviors for a hot second.

Like many of the best episodes of Outlander, “Common Ground” takes place partially in the 20th century—specifically, in 1971—and partially in the far past—specifically, the late 1760s. The juxtaposition, as well as the dramatic irony that eventually comes with Roger’s realization that Claire and Jamie are doomed, makes for a riveting, emotionally-complex episode that works in both time periods.

Outlander Common Ground Trailer Starz‘s Outlander: Season 4, Episode 4: Common Ground TV show trailer stars Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, John Bell, Tantoo Cardinal, and Colin Michael Carmichael. Outlander: Season 4, Episode 4: The False Bride‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by Diana Gabaldon, (spoilers) “Having been led by [...]

Continue reading: Outlander: Season 4, Episode 4: Common Ground TV Show Trailer [Starz]...

Austin-based digital media goliath Rooster Teeth is tacking an especially pertinent issue in today’s political climate with the release of a new documentary about co-founder Gus Sorola’s experience growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The feature film, titled Common Ground, will aim to humanize the arduous journey that many face in risking everything to immigrate to the United States. The film will drop on Nov. 2, just days before the U.S. mid-term elections -- during which immigration will remain a central and highly-charged issue given that President Donald Trump successfully campaigned on the idea of building a wall along the very border where Sorola came of age.

Sorola was born in Texas, though his parents immigrated from Mexico. In Common Ground, he will travel to the border town -- called Eagle Pass -- where he grew up, and visit with family members to share their stories.

Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary who famously made his debut insisting his new boss’s inauguration crows “was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period” in the face of, you know, facts, is shooting a pilot for a “relaxed” talk show at which public figures join him in “lite conversation at a local pub or cafe.”

Spicer, famously played as a fulminating fussbudget by Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live, would discuss “everything from media to marriage,” on the new talker from Debmar-Mercury, sources told Deadline.

While McCarthy may have snagged the Emmy Award at the 2017 trophy ceremony, Spicer won the opening monologue and demonstrated he had a sense of humor, with a surprise cameo in which he rolled out behind his podium to announce the 2017 Emmy Awards “will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period!”

In his new TV series, Spicer...

Sean Spicer may be entering the TV business.

President Donald Trump's former spokesman is teaming with Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury (The Wendy Williams Show) and Pilgrim Media Group (American Chopper) to develop a talk show called Sean Spicer's Common Ground, sources confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

The potential series — a network is not yet attached — would see Spicer interviewing notable people in an informal setting, according to The New York Times, which first reported the news. The Times, which acquired a pitch sheet for a potential pilot for the series, reported that the show would feature Spicer hosting public figures ...

We were shocked and saddened when news broke that Brittany Murphy died of sudden cardiac arrest in her home yesterday morning at the age of 32. Soon after the story was confirmed, people all over the Internet began expressing their grief and fond memories of Murphy with quotes from her cult classic, Clueless: "That was way harsh, Tai."

Murphy's big screen break came in 1995 when she starred opposite Alicia Silverstone in the modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. Clueless took Emma from country balls in the English countryside to city malls in Beverly Hills. Critics were skeptical about the movie's premise, but it won legions of fans, thanks in large part to Murphy's portrayal of Tai, an affable, naive west coast transplant whose one-liners obviously continue to be remembered by an entire generation. ("Cher, I don't want to do this anymore. And my buns, they don't feel nothin' like steel.