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The image of the lifeless body of two-year-old Kurdish-Syrian boy Alan Kurdi lying washed up on a Turkish beach shocked the world in September 2015.

His death, alongside that of his mother and brother, came to symbolize the tragedy of the refugee crisis unfolding across the Mediterranean basin in the wake of now deposed Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s suppression of a pro-democracy campaign which began in 2011.

U.S. director Matty Brown recounts how he was doubly shaken by the photo because it chimed with a short story he had written while homeless as a child.

“It was based on a dream I had where there’s a little boy on an island. His mom and dad were there, but they kind of disappeared. The island is sinking, and the boy doesn’t know how to swim and he’s trying to make sense of what is going on,” he explains.

Co Hoedeman, the Canadian animator and director best known for winning an Oscar for best animated short in 1977, has died. He was 84.

Hoedeman died Monday in Montreal, the National Film Board of Canada, for whom he directed 27 films during his career, said. No cause of death was specified.

“Co Hoedeman was a master animator whose long career at the Nfb was distinguished by innovative filmmaking and powerful humanitarian themes,” Suzanne Guèvremont, government film commissioner and Nfb chairperson, said in a statement. “He cared deeply for the well-being of children and was also a fierce defender of the importance of public filmmaking. The Nfb and the Canadian animation community have lost a dear friend and colleague. Fortunately for us, we have his legacy of beloved works, which embody so much of his unique spirit.”

A master of stop-motion animation, Hoedeman earned his Academy Award statuette for Le Chateau de Sable (The Sand Castle...

Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Middle East and North African rights for Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.

The Mena deal was struck by Elie Touma at Front Row and Stephanie Fuchs at Austrian-based sales company Autlook Filmsales, which is overseeing international sales.

The announcement comes amid fresh pushback against the documentary in the U.S., where a Miami mayor has been accused of censorship after he threatened to shut down an arthouse cinema showing the work.

Shot between 2019 and 2023, No Other Land captures the struggle of people living in the West Bank Palestinian villages of Masafer Yatta in the face of attempts by Israeli authorities and settlers to erase their homes and history from the map. Israeli settlers have continued to attack the area since the film’s Oscar win on March 2.

The documentary follows the journey of Adra...

Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights for the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

The agreement was finalized through negotiations between Elie Touma of Front Row and Stephanie Fuchs from the Austria-based sales company Autlook Filmsales.

Directed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, No Other Land chronicles Adra’s journey as he examines the devastation of his hometown, designated for military training. His efforts to raise awareness gain momentum with Abraham’s support.

The documentary made its debut at the 2023 Berlinale, winning the Panorama Audience Award as well as the prestigious Berlinale Documentary Award. Since its premiere, No Other Land has garnered a remarkable 68 awards at various film festivals and has been recognized by the Boston Society of Film Critics, European Film Awards and Gotham Awards, ultimately taking home the award for best documentary feature at the 2025 Oscars.

Pushpa 2: The Reloaded Version Ott Verdict! (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Sukumar’s blockbuster action thriller Pushpa 2 is now available for online streaming on Netflix. Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna starrer was released on the digital platform on January 30, 2025. In only four days, it has surpassed the first week total of Kalki 2898 Ad, The Goat, and many other Indian biggies. Scroll below for the Week 1 Ott verdict.

Clocks record-breaking views

As per Tudum by Netflix, Pushpa 2: The Reloaded Version has ranked second among the Global Top 10 non-English movies in its first week of online streaming. It garnered 5.8 million views in four days and left behind many trending titles, including Under Paris and The Sand Castle, among others.

Allu Arjun starrer is only behind Lucca’s World, which conquers the top spot with a staggering viewership of 8.4 million.

Trending Ginny & Georgia Season 3: Release Date, Cast Details, & What To...

Netflix's psychological thriller The Sand Castleis much more than the average deserted-island survival story. Akin to past entries within the subgenre like Lost and Sweatheart, the film does include its typical plotlines, like having characters withstand harsh elements, attempt different methods of escape, and encounter eerie happenings. However, the streaming service's Lebanese drama differs in its focus — using these tropes as a backdrop to explore the mind at war.

Directed by Matty Brown, known for short films like The Distraction, The Sand Castle follows a fractured family of four trying to survive alone on a remote island somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Luckily, they have a working lighthouse to take refuge in and attract rescue. However, as the days pass without any word from the outside world, their survival becomes uncertain, tensions rise, and the once idyllic sanctuary gradually reveals a shocking reality.

Additionally, throughout the film, the truth...

Matty Brown’s film The Sand Castle presents a stark scene on a Mediterranean island, casting a stark view of a seemingly idyllic landscape. Jana (Riman Al Rafeea), a young girl, builds sand castles against a backdrop of hidden family struggles. The story explores trauma through her innocent perspective, revealing deep emotional complexities.

Brown, working with performers like Nadine Labaki and Ziad Bakri, creates a narrative that challenges viewers’ perceptions. The film examines how a picturesque setting can mask profound psychological tensions.

The work probes the refugee experience through a poetic visual language. It reveals the profound impact of external conflicts on a child’s inner world, presenting a raw exploration of survival and resilience. Jana’s sand castles become a metaphor for fragility and hope, capturing the nuanced experience of displacement and emotional survival.

The Shifting Sands of Reality: Navigating the Narrative of “The Sand Castle”

The Sand Castle...

Season 2 of ‘The Night Agent’ became the most-watched Netflix series during the week of Jan. 20-26, racking up 13.9 million views in its first four days.

While its debut was strong, it didn’t match the launch of Season 1 in 2023, which had 168.7 million hours watched in just four days, equating to about 20.6 million views. The success of Season 2 also brought more viewers back to Season 1, which earned 4.9 million views and landed in fourth place on the charts that week.

‘Back in Action’ stayed at No. 1 on the English-language film list for the second week, with 46.8 million views. ‘Ad Vitam’ topped the non-English language films list for the third week, earning 8.4 million views. ‘The Recruit’ Season 1 secured No. 10 on the English TV list with 1.7 million views as viewers awaited Season 2.’ Carry-On’ remained at No. 9 on the English films list with 2.7 million views. ‘Knight and Day’ appeared at No. 10 on the English films list,...

The Sand Castle, a Lebanese family drama, is currently climbing up the Netflix streaming chart after releasing on the platform earlier this month. The film follows a family stranded on an island, attempting to survive the dangerous landscape and the deterioration of the mind that comes with it. Featuring a talent cast and crew, The Sand Castle quietly made its debut last week, but it has rather quickly swept up audiences with a visually-inspired drama that is as thrilling as it is emotional.

As of this writing, The Sand Castle reached as high as the #2 spot on Netflix's most watched movies during the past few days (via Flix Patrol). It's unclear if it will hold that spot for an extended period of time, or climb even higher, but it seems subscribers are readily flocking to the survival picture. Focused on a family of four stranded on a deserted island, a...

A young girl named Jana is stranded with her family on a small patch of land somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. They’ve taken shelter in a lighthouse, where Jana spends her days playing in the sand while the family notices strange occurrences: Jana sees a body bag floating by the shore; her mother hears a radio broadcast confirming dozens of migrants have drowned between Greece and Turkey; their radio breaks, leaving them with no connection to the outside world. As they struggle to accept their fates, their circumstances deteriorate.

The Lebanese drama The Sand Castle, from director Matty Brown (2020’s The Distraction), follows this family of four as their pasts are slowly revealed, while their futures hang in the balance. Starring Oscar nominee Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, and Zain and Riman Al Rafeea, the film was written by Brown, Hend Fakhroo (The Waiting Room), and Yassmina Karajah (Rupture). This...

The following contains spoilers for The Sand Castle, now streaming on Netflix.

Netflix's The Sand Castle is a visceral and evocative movie that explores some difficult questions. Co-writer and director Matty Brown blindsides audiences with an overload of picturesque images, which are enriched by a flawless ensemble cast. The Sand Castle is performed in Arabic, drawing on that mystique and inviting audiences to embrace the unexpected. The story is told through the eyes of Jana, who shares an isolated utopia with her parents and older brother Adam -- seemingly limited only by her imagination.

Stranded on this idyllic island with sand in every direction, Jana and her family should be happy. Their weather-beaten lighthouse offers shelter from the elements, while a plentiful amount of sea life keeps hunger at bay. True salvation comes from a short wave radio receiver, offering signs of life beyond the horizon. However, it is only...

Oscar nominated films took the #8 (“A Complete Unknown”) and #10 (“The Brutalist”) slots in theatrical box office this weekend. It’s a different story with home viewing, as seen by the current charts at iTunes (listing by transactions) and Fandango (revenue).

Of their 20 total positions, 12 are held by films with at least one nomination. That covers nine different films, with three on both.

Though the top three titles were big box offices hits with little or no need for awards to elevate their home interest. Just released “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount) is #1 at both iTunes and Fandango, while “Nosferatu,” also new, is second at Fandango, third at iTunes (after placing second most of its first week out). Previous #1 for two weeks “Wicked” (Universal) is #2 at Fandango, #3 at iTunes.

The same is not true at Netflix. “Emilia Pérez,” for which they have U.S., Canada, and U.K. rights, led with 13 nominations.

Netflix’s psychological drama, The Sand Castle, follows a certain ambiguity in its plot progression, contributed to by a layered narrative treatment. On the surface, the movie presents itself as a survival thriller with mystical elements interspersed throughout—showing a family stranded on an island, trying to get by with whatever little they can salvage while waiting for help to arrive. But long before the final revelation, viewers can already decipher the heart-wrenching reality of the Middle Eastern refugees lying at the core, which has corrupted the imagination of a child. The Sand Castle is shot exceptionally well, as the visual elements capture the dreamy, imaginative quality of the story and the underlying dread seamlessly. There are several universal and personal metaphors and symbolisms showcased in the movie that all the more enrich the storytelling. While some of these are easy to spot and interpret, a couple others need a bit more observation.

Director Matty Brown’s psychological drama, The Sand Castle, offers a harrowing look at the crude reality of armed conflicts around the world—how the greed of warmongers affects the lives of generations to come—leaving children rootless and without identity. The poignant tone of the movie is amplified by the choice of narrative treatment, as the beautiful, imaginative perspective of a child guides viewers through the story, the horrors of reality continue to reveal themselves through occasional cracks in the imagination, until the final moments of the movie bring out the agonizing truth. The four members of the family, and their actions, are presented through an intermingling of layers of reality and imagination. It was a daunting task to pull off, given the unique demands of the script. Additionally, there are subtle allusions to real-world events, which the actors needed to convey without committing to anything specific. Thankfully, the...

There is a haunting study floating around somewhere on the Internet. The Community Training Centre for Crisis Management (Ctccm) has published this study that outlines the different symptoms of trauma the children in the Gaza Strip exhibit. Seventy-nine percent of the children there are plagued by constant nightmares, while almost all believe that death is fast approaching. The Sand Castle is a harrowing exploration of the ravaged minds of these children who live with constant terror and uncertain futures. Life is perpetually on the verge of getting snuffed out for a child living in the war zone, a life out of which childhood is painfully squeezed. However, when it is indeed squeezed out, we become witness to the way their minds run free and have the potential to project a greater terror than terror itself through the healing power of pure imagination.

Spoilers Ahead

How does the film start?

Young...

Netflix’s The Sand Castle follows the perspective of a young girl named Jana (Riman Al Rafeea) stuck on an isolated island with her family. The family of four was likely shipwrecked after a devastating incident at sea, and through a radio in their possession, they have been trying to contact anyone who can pick up the signal. From the very beginning, the film used its characters to point out that the island wasn’t real and the family was surrounded by water on all sides. Their lifeboat was slowly sinking in the face of the rising waves around them, and they had no way to survive the odds unless someone spotted them in the vastness of the ocean.

Spoiler Alert

So, yes, the island and the lighthouse weren’t real at all, and they were just a figment of Jana’s imagination, which she used to create a favorable...

Movies where it’s revealed that the whole plot was happening in the protagonist’s head all along can be very hit or miss. Yes, yes, I know that Albus Dumbledore told Harry Potter that even though their conversation was happening in the latter’s head, it didn’t make it any less real. Yet, using that as a plot twist always makes the whole exercise a little cheap, and the only way to kind of bypass that feeling is by engrossing the audience in the narrative to such an extent that the last-minute attempt at recontextualizing the events doesn’t even matter. For example, there’s The Wizard of Oz, which is such a magical film that the knowledge that it was all a dream is borderline irrelevant. Stay, Ghost Stories, Donnie Darko, and Identity kind of make more sense when you find out that it was all being imagined by someone.

The Sand Castle is a slow-burning psychological thriller that delves into the harrowing effects of Ptsd, particularly in war survivors—especially children. The film opens with a family—Jana, Adam, Yasmine, and Nabil—stranded on a remote island. At first, Jana sees this place as a paradise, a fleeting escape from the horrors of their past. But for Yasmine and Nabil, the island is a prison, and they are desperate to find a way out. The only one who truly grasps the gravity of their predicament is Adam. As days pass without food or water, Yasmine and Nabil’s grip on reality begins to slip. In their descent into madness, Adam steps up—struggling to keep his sister Jana safe while searching for a way to reach the other side of the island, where hope for rescue may still exist.

This article contains spoilers.

The Sand Castle (2025) Plot Summary & Movie...

The Sand Castle’s ending unravels the pain and trauma buried deep in the minds of those innocent souls who lost almost everything to war. [Spoiler Alert] The entire narrative runs inside young Jana’s mind, whose family of Arab immigrants was stuck on a lifeboat, hoping someone would save them from the big “blue” monster that surrounds them. I believe the film could seem pretty complicated to some people out there, so instead of following the film’s narrative, I’ll try to explain the story it had been trying to tell, and I really hope that’s what everyone reading this explainer will be looking for. So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into it.

The Film Draws Inspiration From Real-Life Events

Even though The Sand Castle isn’t based on a true story, it seems like director Matty Brown was influenced by the plight of the asylum seekers...

In this edition of Horror Highlights, we have details on Cineverse's upcoming unrated theatrical release of The Toxic Avenger reimagining, the trailer for The Sand Castle, the trailer and release details for Bloat, and a casting update for Spoiling You.

The Toxic Avenger Reimagining Theatrical Release Announced: "Cineverse, a next-generation entertainment studio, today announced the highly anticipated theatrical release of The Toxic Avenger, a daring and darkly comedic reimagining of the cult-classic franchise that first took the world by storm in the 1980s. Directed by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore) and starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), this fresh take on the beloved anti-hero known as “Toxie” will premiere as an unrated wide release later this year. Cineverse acquired all U.S. and Canadian theatrical, home entertainment, and streaming rights through a deal with Legendary Entertainment.

In this...

The movie “The Sand Castle,” directed by Matty Brown, is a 2024 thriller and mystery drama set in Lebanon. The film follows a family of four who find themselves trapped on an idyllic island that harbors a shocking reality. The screenplay, crafted by Matty Brown, Hend Fakhroo, and Yassmina Karajah, delves into themes of family relationships and survival. The cast features notable actors such as Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, and Zain Al Rafeea, with music composed by West Thordson and Kat Vokes. Cinematography by Jeremy Snell enhances the film’s atmospheric tension. Produced as a co-production between Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, the movie is distributed by Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Netflix.

“The Sand Castle,” is available from this Friday on Netflix

Where to Watch “The Sand Castle”

Netflix...

It's a light schedule for the additions to Netflix this week, with just five new arrivals. That doesn't mean there aren't some heavy hitters on the new slate, though. One of the most popular procedural series of the past 20 years returns to Netflix with its first five seasons.

Add the second season of a hit Netflix original show and an international thriller with major buzz, and you have about, oh, 92 hours of thrills and action to stave off those winter blues. Surely that's enough to keep you busy this week.

Oh, you need more? This week also sees the premiere of a French limited series that pokes fun at the alpha male phenomenon. You can expect the typical light touch of classic French cinema. It all kicks off with another Netflix original series. It's a reality show based on a standard formula but it promises to break that mold.

Can the W.A.G.s breakthrough for Netflix?...

U.S. director Matty Brown’s allegorical drama “The Sand Castle,” which sees Lebanese multi-hyphenate Nadine Labaki reunite on screen with young “Capernaum” siblings Zain and Reman Al Rafeea – who are both Syrian refugees – will be released globally on Jan. 24 by Netflix at a critical time in the Middle East.

With Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks currently underway and uncertainties still looming for Syrian refugees after the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, the fable-like film, which is told from the perspective of children, “has many interesting parallels with what’s happening not only on Syria but also in Palestine,” says New York-based producer Mandy Ward. Ward is part of the “Sand Castle” production team alongside Houston King and Dubai-based Gianluca Chakra’s Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Mario Jr. Haddad’s Empire Entertainment.

“I think that this film was always told from a place of people who felt like they didn’t belong somewhere,...

To kick off 2025, Netflix has added a new slate of films to its streaming library, highlighted by Dune: Part Two. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster, which Consequence named the fourth best film of 2024, is streaming on the service as of January 1st.

Dune: Part Two, which stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and more, remains available to stream on Max. The first Dune movie can also be streamed on both Netflix and Max. Additionally, both films are available to purchase together in 4K Uhd.

Other new titles available to stream on Netflix as of January 1st include Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1; The Watchers; Inception; Meet the Parents and its sequels Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers; Apollo 13; Love Actually; Schindler’s List; the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy; Rush Hour franchise; and Bruce Almighty.

New Years Day might involve a ton of streaming and binging for folks recovering from New Years Eve 2025!

Well, Netflix is delivering with some of their additions to their streaming catalogue on January 1, 2025!

The streamer is adding 36 movies on the first of the month, including titles like Interstellar, Love Actually, I Know What You Did Last Summer, 13 Going on 30, Notting Hill, The Net, and more fan fave titles.

We’ve collected the list of every movie and TV show being added by Netflix for the entire month of January, including the first.

Keep reading to find out more…

Scroll down to see every title being added to Netflix on January 1 and beyond.

Jan. 1

Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

The Love Scam

Missing You

Number 24

13 Going on 30

3 Ninjas: Kick Back

Apollo 13

Blended

Bruce Almighty

Colombiana

Dallas Buyers Club

Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat

Dr.

The year is almost done, Netflix fans. Every month there are some changes to what the giant streams, but something about beginning a new year feels different. Even if you have seen some of the following shows before, you have never seen them in 2025. Not yet anyway.

Netflix goes extra-heavy with new releases at the start of January. There will be new releases throughout the month, but nothing like January 1. You might want to work your monthly calendar around that day alone.

But what is coming out and when? That list is below.

All the new releases coming to Netflix in January 2025January 1

13 Going on 30 (movie)

3 Ninjas: Kick Back (movie)

Apollo 13 (movie)

Blended (movie)

Bruce Almighty (movie)

Colombiana (movie)

Dallas Buyers Club (movie)

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (movie)

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax( movie)

Erin Brockovich (movie)

Hotel Transylvania (movie)

Hotel Transylvania 2 (movie)

I Know What You Did Last Summer...

Short Film Review: WAShhh (2024) by Mickie Lai

Lee Kah Giap’s black-and-white cinematography works quite well here, adding in a way, to the tension that is instigated by both the story and Wong Kai Yun’s sharp editing, in a film that scores quite high on production values overall. “WAShhh” is a great film, that manages to communicate a series of comments and a very entertaining story/event in just over 20 minutes. What becomes evident, is that Lai is more than ready to shoot a feature, perhaps even with the same theme.

Video Interviews: Mowaffaq Alobaid Short Film Review: Saint Rose (2024) by Zayn Alexandre

The cinematography is rather polished, in a way that mirrors the spotlessness of the house, making the aforementioned comment more intense, with the tension, however, coming more from the acting and the sound than the visuals. The editing results in a fast tempo that allows the...

“The Sand Castle” is made up of intentionally simple elements: an abandoned island, a creaky old lighthouse, an intermittently working radio. And at its center is a family of four: a doting mother, a resourceful father, a moody teen son and a daydreaming daughter. Their survival depends on the increasingly Sisyphean task of waiting and scavenging, hoping and praying. Help, they hope, will soon come their way. But what at first feels like a modern-day “Robinson Crusoe” adventure soon turns into something darker and altogether more timely. While Matty Brown’s dreamy film plays more like a children’s fable than the harrowing thriller it sometimes flirts with becoming, its oblique stab at storytelling ends up muddling its ambitious vision and well-intended message.

Survival stories hinge on the grit and resilience of its characters. Food is scarce and fresh water elusive. Sleep is near impossible and shelter close to untenable.

It has been known for some time, but it turns out that the main way Netflix picks its content is through an algorithm that calculates the popularity value of the cast among other things. As such, having “Capernaum”’s Nadine Labaki and Zain Al Rafeea might be what propelled the streamer to pick “The Sandcastle” for its Middle East program, along with the fact that the theme seems to be about Palestine. It turns out, however, that the algorithm can make mistakes, and that star quality is not always enough. Let us take a closer look though.

The Sandcastle is screening at Red Sea Film Festival

A family of four, Nabil, Yasmine and their children, Adam and Jana, find themselves stranded on an island that looks both picturesque and post-apocalyptic, with the ominous presence of a lighting house playing a crucial role in both actually. The reasons for them being there are not exactly clear,...