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Abba: Against All Odds, directed by James Rogan and produced for BBC/Netflix to mark the 50th anniversary of the quartet’s 1974 Eurovision victory, frames its narrative entirely through archival material. Spanning the watershed moment in Brighton when “Waterloo” vaulted Sweden onto the pop stage through the group’s gradual withdrawal by the early 1980s, the documentary invites viewers into a time capsule of sequined jumpsuits and television broadcasts.

Rogan’s choice to forgo new, on-camera interviews underscores the film’s role as a living scrapbook: viewers sense the electricity of live performance and press clippings exactly as they appeared. This approach foregrounds how historical artifacts can speak across decades, offering both immediacy and distance.

As the doc unfolds, it quietly asks why remembering Abba’s inception matters now—when globalization has remixed cultural exchange into instantaneous digital streams, Rogan’s film reminds us that even pop sensations emerge from...

São Paulo production shingle Gullane, which is behind upcoming Netflix series “Senna,” has moved into development on a sequel to the animated feature “Noah’s Ark.”

Produced by Gullane and Walter Salles’ Videofilmes, “Noah’s Ark” has been sold to 45 countries by Edward Noeltner’s Cmg Management. It has grossed $4.25 million in territories in which it’s been released.

Imagem Filmes will bow “Noah’s Ark” in Brazil on more than 1,000 screens, a huge spreading a country of 3,300 screens. Rodrigo Santoro, Alice Braga and Julio Andrade feature among a Brazilian star-studded voice cast. It looks like the biggest release ever of a Brazilian movie in Brazil, Fabiano Gullane told Variety from Toronto, where the company is world premiering Fernando Coimbra’s “Carnival Is Over.”

“Noah’s Ark” was inspired by classic children’s songs by Bossa Nova pioneer Vinicius de Moraes. The 3D animated feature focuses on two male mice, Vini and Tito, who steal onto Noah’s ark,...

It’s been two decades since we first followed the tales from the favela of Cidade de Deus in Fernando Meirelles’ acclaimed film. Now the series gives us a glimpse into how this community and its people have evolved over the years.

Familiar faces return to the neighborhood, though changes are evident both externally and within. We catch up with Rocket, still roaming the streets with camera in hand; his job as a photojournalist is now bringing both opportunity and conflict. While his skills have developed, keeping his lens focused on the area’s challenges proves a difficult line to straddle.

The surrounding buildings crowd closer together amid the favela’s growth. Yet signs of renewed hope also emerge, such as lively games of football in safer pockets of the streets. Yet dangers still lurk around many corners for all who call this place home.

Newcomers now also share stories within these alleys.

After 12 seasons on linear TV, flagship Spanish talent show “Operación Triunfo,” produced by Banijay Iberia’s Gestmusic, has jumped successfully to the online environment via Prime Video.

“Operación Triunfo’s” first gala was the most viewed premiere in the history of Prime Video in Spain. Its app for voting accumulated 53 million votes and, on social networks, generated 718.9 million views in TikTok and YouTube, according to VOD analytics Sigmados30.

Since 2021, when Netflix teamed with Grupo iZen to launch “Insiders,” the streamer’s first Spanish Original reality show, the demand of unscripted content on the online platforms has been progressively increasing.

“Entertainment can be more cost effective for streamers than producing fiction,” argues iZen president Jose Velasco, who years ago produced the Spanish version of “Big Brother.”

“On part of the streamers this has also been an effect of shifting their focus. Now, entertainment and documentaries are new ways to attract the...

Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has reminisced about his youthful brush with Cher. The actor recently appeared on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside Cher and fellow actors Julia Roberts and Timothee Chalamet, and regaled the audience with a story from his days working at a hotel in the 1970s.

“I have worked for Cher. I was a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel,” he began, prompting a surprised “No” from the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ singer, 77, reports People magazine.

“You were with one of your rock-and-roll husbands, and we had your bag. And then word came down, ‘Hey, run this up to Cher’s room,’ so I did,” Tom continued.

The actor further mentioned, “I knocked on the door and I put it down and you came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Thanks, kid.’ And that was it.” “So I have worked for Cher.”

As per People,...

Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has reminisced about his youthful brush with Cher. The actor recently appeared on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside Cher and fellow actors Julia Roberts and Timothee Chalamet, and regaled the audience with a story from his days working at a hotel in the 1970s.

“I have worked for Cher. I was a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel,” he began, prompting a surprised “No” from the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ singer, 77, reports People magazine.

“You were with one of your rock-and-roll husbands, and we had your bag. And then word came down, ‘Hey, run this up to Cher’s room,’ so I did,” Tom continued.

The actor further mentioned, “I knocked on the door and I put it down and you came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Thanks, kid.’ And that was it.” “So I have worked for Cher.”

As per People,...

The 49th edition of Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, Spain’s largest confab for films from Latin America, Spain and Portugal, will honor Mexican star Cecilia Suárez with its City of Huelva Award.

With leading roles in Netflix’s “The House of Flowers” and HBO Latin America’s “Capadocia,” Suárez has also be seen in ABC’s drama “The Promised Land” and has worked on films by as Tommy Lee Jones (“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”), James L. Brooks (“Spanglish”), Ernesto Contreras (“Párpados azules”), Antonio Serrano and Fernando Colomo (“Cuidado con lo que deseas”).

The new edition of Huelva runs Nov. 10-18.

Andalusia’s oldest film festival, Huelva will also grant a Light Award to Spanish actress Natalia de Molina, a two-time Goya winner, delivering acclaimed performance in films such as David Trueba’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed” and Juan Miguel del Castillo’s “Food and Shelter.”

Another...

It is so common to hear actors say they had a blast filming a movie that you're allowed to be cynical when they talk about how the cast became like a family. The big exception, of course, is the "Mamma Mia" movies. Every scene from the "Mamma Mia" movies exudes fun. Sure, they are not the most visually vibrant, and the scripts have the complexity of a paper airplane. That being said, it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement, the dancing, the burning passion exuding from Cher and Andy Garcia singing "Fernando."

The adaptation of Catherine Johnson's smash-hit Broadway stage show of the same name from 1999 focuses on Sophia (Amanda Seyfried) and her mom Donna (Meryl Streep) who live in a hotel run by Donna on a Greek Island. The first film was set in the lead-up to Sophie's wedding, as she invites three men to the ceremony,...

Mamma Mia 3 could include unused Abba songs like "Under Attack," "Don't Shut Me Down," and "Summer Night City" for a fresh soundtrack. The new film could introduce a new Abba song with "Don't Shut Me Down," marking a special moment for the series. The potential inclusion of lesser-known Abba hits like "Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" and "As Good As New" would add depth to the love stories in Mamma Mia 3.

As talks of Mamma Mia 3 continue, there are plenty of unused Abba songs that would fit perfectly into the film. Mamma Mia, based on the stage musical created by Judy Craymer, seemed like a complete story on its own. However, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again offered even more, with Donna Sheridan's backstory and an appearance from Cher.

There are endless roads Mamma Mia 3's story could go down, but repeating the same Abba songs would feel pretty redundant.

The once-and-future pop queen Debbie Gibson goes for a classic Seventies disco trip in her excellent new video for “Love Don’t Care.” It’s part of a triumphant musical rebirth for the “Electric Youth” legend, getting her mirrorball groove on with a very Cher flamboyance. “Love Don’t Care” is a dance banger from her 2021 comeback album, The Body Remembers, with a wide-open inclusive spirit. It’s a message that love isn’t restricted by boundaries of gender, age, race, or sexuality. It’s also proof that Debbie’s electric youth is timeless.

It’s official: this is the summer of Abba. The blockbuster Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again brought the spectacle of Cher belting “Fernando.” That probably sent you back to the original Mamma Mia — yes, even the scene where Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan duet on “Sos.” Yet somehow that just leaves you hungry for more. The Swedish pop savants ruled 1970s radio, invaders coming from the land of the ice and snow to become the top-selling act of their time. Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad...