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Prior to bidding goodbyes to Hollywood, Daniel Day-Lewis once again delivered perfection in the role of Reynolds Woodcock, one of the best characters to appear in a Paul Thomas Anderson film. Unsurprisingly, Day-Lewis, who is notable for his inhumane commitment to his roles, had a similar approach to Phantom Thread, as he stayed in character even when the cameras weren’t rolling.

Opposite to him starred Vicky Krieps, who was a relatively unknown figure at the time. Although the actress had impeccable chemistry with the three-time Oscar winner, before the shoot began, Krieps recalled avoiding her costar.

Vicky Krieps Avoided Making Eye-Contact with Daniel Day-Lewis before the Shoot

Vicky Krieps | Phantom Thread (via Universal Pictures)

To say that Daniel Day-Lewis‘ approach to method acting is intense would be an understatement. From wanting to be abused during the filming of In The Name Of The Father to living like a 17th-century Salem villager for The Crucible,...

Sales for Leningrad-set pic ahead of Berlinale Competition premiere.

French sales boutique Alpha Violet has unveiled first sales on Russian director Alexey German Jr’s drama Dovlatov ahead of its premiere in Berlin Competition on Saturday.

The picture has sold to China (Times Vision), Greece (Ama Films) and Estonia and Latvia (Estin Film).

Set against the backdrop of 1970s Leningrad, the feature tells the true story of popular Russian journalist and writer Sergei Dovlatov, whose works were banned by the Soviet authorities.

In other sales news, the company has also sold Argentine director Natalia Garagiola’s Patagonia-set drama Hunting Season to Spain and Portugal (Versus Entertainment), ex-Yugoslavia (Visionary Thinking) and China (Hishow Entertainment). The film won best film at International Film Festival & Awards Macao.

Beijing-based Hishow has also acquired Italian directors Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellini’s hybrid documentary Crater which premiered in Venice Critics’ Week and market...

If you don’t know the name Vicky Krieps, then start getting ready to never forget it. The 34-year-old Luxembourgian actress gives one of the year’s breakthrough performances in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread,” in which she stars opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville. Krieps joined her director and co-stars after the film’s first New York City screening on November 26, where she revealed quite the shocking audition story.

Krieps was given a script by her manager which featured a short monologue written by Anderson, although the actress admits she didn’t read the email from her manager properly and so she missed the fact that she would be sending in an audition tape to the director of “Boogie Nights,” “The Master,” and “There Will Be Blood.” She spent four days procrastinating the audition before finally making a tape of herself and sending it in.

Anderson ended up...

The Oscar race isn’t over until the last movie screens, and this year one of the final contenders to be unveiled will be “Phantom Thread.” The drama marks the hugely anticipated reunion between Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis, who last worked together a decade ago on “There Will Be Blood.” The Upton Sinclair-inspired drama earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and gave Day-Lewis his second trophy for Best Actor (he’d make history and win a third for “Lincoln” five years later), so anyone would be foolish to underestimate just how big “Phantom Thread” will be this awards season.

Focus Features has been keeping a majority of the details surrounding the movie under lock and key, although the official trailer was finally released on October 23, teasing a gorgeously shot drama about the romantic obsessions of a self-destructive artist. “Phantom Thread” seems to operating...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.

The festival runs from January 27-February 7.

Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.

World Premieres

A Better You, USA

Directed by Matt Walsh

Cast: Brian Huskey,...

A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...

The lineups for the 44th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam are just about all set now with the addition of the titles slated to screen in the Bright Future and Spectrum programs. Nominated for the Big Screen Awards are Lisandro Alonso's Jauja, Danial Aragão's I Swear I'll Leave This Town, Debbie Tucker Green's Second Coming, Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's The Lesson, Ingo Haeb's Das Zimmermädchen Lynn, Ando Hiroshi's Undulant Fever, Lee Kwang-Kuk's A Matter of Interpretation, Michael Noer's Key House Mirror, Marat Sarulu's The Move and Carlos Vermut's Magical Girl. » - David Hudson...

The lineups for the 44th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam are just about all set now with the addition of the titles slated to screen in the Bright Future and Spectrum programs. Nominated for the Big Screen Awards are Lisandro Alonso's Jauja, Danial Aragão's I Swear I'll Leave This Town, Debbie Tucker Green's Second Coming, Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's The Lesson, Ingo Haeb's Das Zimmermädchen Lynn, Ando Hiroshi's Undulant Fever, Lee Kwang-Kuk's A Matter of Interpretation, Michael Noer's Key House Mirror, Marat Sarulu's The Move and Carlos Vermut's Magical Girl. » - David Hudson...

Iffr reveals Big Screen Awards nominees and the complete line-up for its Bright Future and Spectrum strands, including world premieres from the Us, China and the Netherlands.

Second Coming, starring Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall, has been named as one of 10 films up for the Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (Jan 21 - Feb 1).

The UK film, written and directed by Debbie Tucker Green, will be vying for a prize of €10,000 ($12,000) awarded specifically to support theatrical distribution of the film in The Netherlands

The 10 nominees are from Iffr’s Bright Future and Spectrum programmes with the winner chosen by a specially selected audience jury. Other titles include Lisandro Alonso’s Cannes Fipresci winner Jauja and Carlos Vermut’s San Sebastian winner Magical Girl.

The nominees are:

I Swear I’ll Leave This Town, Danial AragãoJauja, Lisandro AlonsoKey House Mirror, Michael NoerThe Lesson, Kristina Grozeva, Petar ValchanovMagical Girl, Carlos VermutA...