While innovations in technology have made it easier than ever to make a movie, it has become harder than ever to receive significant financial backing. Doubly hard when one is a director of an underrepresented background.
Black Americans have been a part of the film industry since the beginning, over a century ago, but one could argue that there were not any Black film directors given enough of a platform to become a household name until the 1990s. Though a diverse set of directors were able to breakthrough from that time through the aughts, the shift in focus toward solely blockbuster filmmaking has left many Black filmmakers out to dry.
In recent years, quite a few Black directors have seen a greater level of support and reverence, from “Get Out” director Jordan Peele to “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins to “Selma” director Ava DuVernay. And every...
Black Americans have been a part of the film industry since the beginning, over a century ago, but one could argue that there were not any Black film directors given enough of a platform to become a household name until the 1990s. Though a diverse set of directors were able to breakthrough from that time through the aughts, the shift in focus toward solely blockbuster filmmaking has left many Black filmmakers out to dry.
In recent years, quite a few Black directors have seen a greater level of support and reverence, from “Get Out” director Jordan Peele to “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins to “Selma” director Ava DuVernay. And every...
- 2/1/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The Women's Media Center hosted their 2023 Women’S Media Awards on October 19th at the Whitby Hotel in New York City.
Mariska Hargitay, Fredricka Whitfield, Koritha Mitchell, Emily Ladau, Karen Lincoln Michel and Akila Radhakrishnan.
Credit/Copyright: John Lamparski/Getty
The Wmc Awards were presented to outstanding leaders and champions for women in media. This year’s Wmc 2023 Women’s Media Awards honorees were:
Mariska Hargitay, Fredricka Whitfield, Karen Lincoln Michel, Emily Ladau, Koritha Mitchell, and Akila Radhakrishnan.
Women’S Media Center Co-Founders Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan, and Wmc President & CEO Julie Burton appeared at the gala. Wmc Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell, Wmc Board Vice Chair Erica González Martínez, former Wmc President Carol Jenkins, and Wmc Board member Rebecca Adamson also made appearances at the gala.
The Women’S Media Center 2023 Women’s Media Award Honorees were:
· Mariska Hargitay, Emmy-winning actor, director, producer, activist, Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation,...
Mariska Hargitay, Fredricka Whitfield, Koritha Mitchell, Emily Ladau, Karen Lincoln Michel and Akila Radhakrishnan.
Credit/Copyright: John Lamparski/Getty
The Wmc Awards were presented to outstanding leaders and champions for women in media. This year’s Wmc 2023 Women’s Media Awards honorees were:
Mariska Hargitay, Fredricka Whitfield, Karen Lincoln Michel, Emily Ladau, Koritha Mitchell, and Akila Radhakrishnan.
Women’S Media Center Co-Founders Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan, and Wmc President & CEO Julie Burton appeared at the gala. Wmc Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell, Wmc Board Vice Chair Erica González Martínez, former Wmc President Carol Jenkins, and Wmc Board member Rebecca Adamson also made appearances at the gala.
The Women’S Media Center 2023 Women’s Media Award Honorees were:
· Mariska Hargitay, Emmy-winning actor, director, producer, activist, Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation,...
- 10/27/2023
- Look to the Stars
British Urban Film Festival drew to a close on October 20.
Andy Mundy-Castle’s documentary White Nanny, Black Child was among the winners at the British Urban Film Festival, which ran until October 20, and was held outside London for the first time in its history, at Halifax’s Crossley Gallery.
White Nanny, Black Child premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest and explores an untold part of UK history when over 70,000 children from West African families, principally Nigerian, were unofficially fostered without regulation into white British families between the 1950s and 1990s. Natasha Dack of Tigerlily Productions co-produces with Doc Hearts.
Further awards...
Andy Mundy-Castle’s documentary White Nanny, Black Child was among the winners at the British Urban Film Festival, which ran until October 20, and was held outside London for the first time in its history, at Halifax’s Crossley Gallery.
White Nanny, Black Child premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest and explores an untold part of UK history when over 70,000 children from West African families, principally Nigerian, were unofficially fostered without regulation into white British families between the 1950s and 1990s. Natasha Dack of Tigerlily Productions co-produces with Doc Hearts.
Further awards...
- 10/23/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Horace Ové, director of “Pressure” (1976), the first full-length Black British film, died on Sept. 16. He was 86.
Ové’s son Zak posted on Facebook: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové’s moved to London in 1960 to study interior design. A stint in Rome, during which he worked as a film extra including on Joseph Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra” (1963), he was exposed to the work of Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica, who would become infuences. He returned to Britain in 1965 and covered social and political events in the country while being a student at the London Film School. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the...
Ové’s son Zak posted on Facebook: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové’s moved to London in 1960 to study interior design. A stint in Rome, during which he worked as a film extra including on Joseph Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra” (1963), he was exposed to the work of Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica, who would become infuences. He returned to Britain in 1965 and covered social and political events in the country while being a student at the London Film School. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the...
- 9/17/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem — the Co-Founders of The Women’S Media Center — have announced the honorees for the 2023 Women’s Media Awards, to be held on Thursday, October 19th, at the Whitby Hotel in New York City.
The Women’S Media Center 2023 Women’s Media Award Honorees are:
Mariska Hargitay, Emmy-winning actor, director, producer, activist, Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, will be honored with the Wmc Sisterhood is Powerful Award. Fredricka Whitfield, CNN News anchor, will be honored with the Wmc Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen Lincoln Michel, President of Ict, formerly Indian Country Today, and President and CEO of IndiJ Public Media, will be honored with the Wmc Carol Jenkins Award. Emily Ladau, Disability Rights Activist, author of Demystifying Disability, will be honored with the Wmc Progressive Women’s Voices Impact Award. Koritha Mitchell, award-winning author, cultural critic, literary historian, professor of English, will...
The Women’S Media Center 2023 Women’s Media Award Honorees are:
Mariska Hargitay, Emmy-winning actor, director, producer, activist, Founder & President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, will be honored with the Wmc Sisterhood is Powerful Award. Fredricka Whitfield, CNN News anchor, will be honored with the Wmc Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen Lincoln Michel, President of Ict, formerly Indian Country Today, and President and CEO of IndiJ Public Media, will be honored with the Wmc Carol Jenkins Award. Emily Ladau, Disability Rights Activist, author of Demystifying Disability, will be honored with the Wmc Progressive Women’s Voices Impact Award. Koritha Mitchell, award-winning author, cultural critic, literary historian, professor of English, will...
- 9/5/2023
- Look to the Stars
The work of pioneering Black British filmmaker Horace Ové will be celebrated this fall with a BFI Southbank retrospective season titled Power to the People: Horace Ové’s Radical Vision.
A 4K restored version of “Pressure” (1976), the first full-length Black British film, which is an exploration of the concerns faced by emerging second-generation West Indians in Britain, will receive a joint restoration world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and the New York Film Festival on Oct. 11. This precedes the film’s U.K.-wide cinema release by BFI Distribution and on BFI Player on Nov. 3.
The restoration, funded by the BFI Production Board and conducted by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, was made possible with contributions from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and the BFI philanthropy Pioneers of Black British Filmmaking consortium. It was accomplished in collaboration with the Ové family and producer Robert Buckler,...
A 4K restored version of “Pressure” (1976), the first full-length Black British film, which is an exploration of the concerns faced by emerging second-generation West Indians in Britain, will receive a joint restoration world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and the New York Film Festival on Oct. 11. This precedes the film’s U.K.-wide cinema release by BFI Distribution and on BFI Player on Nov. 3.
The restoration, funded by the BFI Production Board and conducted by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, was made possible with contributions from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and the BFI philanthropy Pioneers of Black British Filmmaking consortium. It was accomplished in collaboration with the Ové family and producer Robert Buckler,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome to another edition of Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key execs and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week we’re talking with British indie film veteran Phil Hunt, who is the founder of a raft of companies including production outfit and film financier Head Gear, international sales business Bankside and, more recently, New Zealand and Australian distribution genre label (Yet) Another Monster Company.
Phil Hunt is not a conformist. From the moment he burst onto the British independent scene more than two decades ago with his microbudget productions Fast Food and Chunky Monkey – the former starring a young Gerard Butler and the latter an off-beat black comedy about a loner with a penchant for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Julie Andrews – it was clear that this was a guy who was not going to...
Phil Hunt is not a conformist. From the moment he burst onto the British independent scene more than two decades ago with his microbudget productions Fast Food and Chunky Monkey – the former starring a young Gerard Butler and the latter an off-beat black comedy about a loner with a penchant for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Julie Andrews – it was clear that this was a guy who was not going to...
- 4/19/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Grace’s guest this week is the Bafta award winning director Amma Asante. From her critically acclaimed films such as Belle, and A United Kingdom, to her work on TV shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Mrs America, Amma is a giant of the film-making world. She pops round to Grace’s to discuss her teenage days on the set of Grange Hill, how she fell in love at the Europol canteen, and the importance of Mr Kipling. And, of course, the comfort foods that have seen her through it all...
- 12/13/2022
- by Grace Dent, Jack Claramunt, Lucy Greenwell, Solomon King
- The Guardian - Film News
The Women’S Media Center hosted their 2022 Women’S Media Awards on November 17th at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
Wmc 2022 Women's Media Award Honorees
Credit/Copyright: Dave Kontinsky/Getty
The Wmc Awards were presented to outstanding leaders and champions for women in media. This year’s Wmc 2022 Women’s Media Awards honorees were: Andrea Mitchell, Robin Roberts, Mariana Ardila Trujillo, Loretta J. Ross, Salamishah Tillet, Loreen Arbus, and Maria Martinez.
Women’S Media Center Co-Founders Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem, and Wmc President & CEO Julie Burton gave remarks at the gala. Wmc Co-Founder Jane Fonda, Wmc Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell, Wmc Co-Chair Emerita and Board Member Pat Mitchell made special appearances via Zoom. Farai Chideya, former Wmc President Carol Jenkins, and Wmc Board Member Erica González Martínez made appearances at the gala.
The Women’s Media Center opened the Women’s Media Awards with a special Wmc Solidarity...
Wmc 2022 Women's Media Award Honorees
Credit/Copyright: Dave Kontinsky/Getty
The Wmc Awards were presented to outstanding leaders and champions for women in media. This year’s Wmc 2022 Women’s Media Awards honorees were: Andrea Mitchell, Robin Roberts, Mariana Ardila Trujillo, Loretta J. Ross, Salamishah Tillet, Loreen Arbus, and Maria Martinez.
Women’S Media Center Co-Founders Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem, and Wmc President & CEO Julie Burton gave remarks at the gala. Wmc Co-Founder Jane Fonda, Wmc Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell, Wmc Co-Chair Emerita and Board Member Pat Mitchell made special appearances via Zoom. Farai Chideya, former Wmc President Carol Jenkins, and Wmc Board Member Erica González Martínez made appearances at the gala.
The Women’s Media Center opened the Women’s Media Awards with a special Wmc Solidarity...
- 11/21/2022
- Look to the Stars
Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem — the Co-Founders of The Women’S Media Center — announce the honorees for the 2022 Women’s Media Awards, to be held on Thursday, November 17th, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
The Women’S Media Center 2022 Women’s Media Award Honorees are:
· Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent, host of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, and author of Talking Back … to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels, will be honored with the Wmc Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award.
· Robin Roberts, Co-Anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, President of Rock’n Robin Productions, and best-selling author of multiple books, will be honored with the Wmc Visible and Powerful Award.
· Mariana Ardila Trujillo, lawyer, professor, one of the leaders in the successful decriminalization of abortion in the country of Colombia, and newly appointed Transitional Justice Director of the Ministry of Justice and Law in...
The Women’S Media Center 2022 Women’s Media Award Honorees are:
· Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent, host of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, and author of Talking Back … to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels, will be honored with the Wmc Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award.
· Robin Roberts, Co-Anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, President of Rock’n Robin Productions, and best-selling author of multiple books, will be honored with the Wmc Visible and Powerful Award.
· Mariana Ardila Trujillo, lawyer, professor, one of the leaders in the successful decriminalization of abortion in the country of Colombia, and newly appointed Transitional Justice Director of the Ministry of Justice and Law in...
- 11/14/2022
- Look to the Stars
Click here to read the full article.
The term “mini-major” gets bandied around a lot in the world of international film and television, but if the label applies to anyone, it applies to German group Constantin Film.
The producer-driven powerhouse is one of Germany’s, and thus Europe’s, leading independent producers of big- and small-screen content, with a deep slate that runs, on the film side, from video game adaptations, such as Monster Hunter and the juggernaut Resident Evil franchise, to the Oscar-nominated WWII drama Downfall, and in high-end TV from period dramas KaDeWe – Our Time Is Now and We Children From Bahnhof Zoo, produced for German public channel Ard and Amazon Prime, respectively, to YA fantasy series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments and upcoming series on the events of the Nuremberg trials, produced with Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Production (The Man in the High Castle), and Smilla’s Sense of Snow,...
The term “mini-major” gets bandied around a lot in the world of international film and television, but if the label applies to anyone, it applies to German group Constantin Film.
The producer-driven powerhouse is one of Germany’s, and thus Europe’s, leading independent producers of big- and small-screen content, with a deep slate that runs, on the film side, from video game adaptations, such as Monster Hunter and the juggernaut Resident Evil franchise, to the Oscar-nominated WWII drama Downfall, and in high-end TV from period dramas KaDeWe – Our Time Is Now and We Children From Bahnhof Zoo, produced for German public channel Ard and Amazon Prime, respectively, to YA fantasy series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments and upcoming series on the events of the Nuremberg trials, produced with Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Production (The Man in the High Castle), and Smilla’s Sense of Snow,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tom Felton looks different. It may seem like a cliché to point that out, but it’s the first thought I have as we shake hands inside a sparsely filled canalside pub in King’s Cross, north London. The man that sits before me couldn’t be further from Draco Malfoy. Long gone is the bleached blond hairdo, the snide Slytherin glint in his eye. He wears a white woollen cardigan, and sits drinking tea; before we speak, he politely explains that he has to first make a phone call to his mother. Some villain.
Felton is here because he has written a memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. It’s been 11 years since the final Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and more than two decades since he was first cast as the flaxen-haired Draco. Despite a memorable role in 2011’s...
Felton is here because he has written a memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. It’s been 11 years since the final Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and more than two decades since he was first cast as the flaxen-haired Draco. Despite a memorable role in 2011’s...
- 10/11/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
First published August 19th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.
Don’t spend hours scrolling the menus at Netflix, Prime Video, and other movie services. I point you to the best new films and hidden gems to stream.
Movies included here may be available on services other than those mentioned, and in other regions, too. JustWatch and Reelgood are great for finding which films are on what streamers; you can customize each site so that it shows you only those services you have access to.
When you rent or purchase a film through the Prime Video and Apple links here, I get a small affiliate fee that helps support my work. Please use them if you can! (Affiliate fees do not increase your cost.)
both sides of the pond
This is true: In the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a British man called Robert Freegard pretended to be an MI5 agent...
Don’t spend hours scrolling the menus at Netflix, Prime Video, and other movie services. I point you to the best new films and hidden gems to stream.
Movies included here may be available on services other than those mentioned, and in other regions, too. JustWatch and Reelgood are great for finding which films are on what streamers; you can customize each site so that it shows you only those services you have access to.
When you rent or purchase a film through the Prime Video and Apple links here, I get a small affiliate fee that helps support my work. Please use them if you can! (Affiliate fees do not increase your cost.)
both sides of the pond
This is true: In the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a British man called Robert Freegard pretended to be an MI5 agent...
- 9/18/2022
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Co-founder recalls early lessons and its emergence as a major financier of indie filmmaking.
It is 20 years since UK advertising and music photographer Phil Hunt set up Head Gear Films.
The now booming production company and film financier is a major force in the Cannes market this year, involved in films like Mister Smith Entertainment’s He Went That Way starring Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto, Altitude’s Sentinel, Gfm’s The Accursed and many others, including several titles from its sister company Bankside.
Back in 1998, Hunt had produced his first feature, Fast Food, a micro-budget movie made for £50,000, which...
It is 20 years since UK advertising and music photographer Phil Hunt set up Head Gear Films.
The now booming production company and film financier is a major force in the Cannes market this year, involved in films like Mister Smith Entertainment’s He Went That Way starring Jacob Elordi and Zachary Quinto, Altitude’s Sentinel, Gfm’s The Accursed and many others, including several titles from its sister company Bankside.
Back in 1998, Hunt had produced his first feature, Fast Food, a micro-budget movie made for £50,000, which...
- 5/20/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Warner Bros. is really upping the stakes to its I Am Legend franchise to a stratospheric level and bringing back for the next chapter, not just original star Will Smith, but he’ll be joined by Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan in what will rep the duo’s first big movie together as stars and producers. Talk about two big stars getting together, between Smith and Jordan combined, their movies have grossed a massive $12.3 billion at the box office.
Plot details, of course, are being kept under wraps.
Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, who adapted the Richard Matheson 1954 novel, is also returning to pen the follow-up and producer as well.
All these deals are closed, I understand, and a director is not attached as of yet as the project is still being developed. Francis Lawrence directed the original 2007 movie.
Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo are producing via their Outlier Society banner.
Plot details, of course, are being kept under wraps.
Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, who adapted the Richard Matheson 1954 novel, is also returning to pen the follow-up and producer as well.
All these deals are closed, I understand, and a director is not attached as of yet as the project is still being developed. Francis Lawrence directed the original 2007 movie.
Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo are producing via their Outlier Society banner.
- 3/4/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The star-studded Death on the Nile premiered this past weekend, distributed by 20th Century Studios (i.e. Disney), headlined by Gal Gadot and helmed by freshly minted Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh. A lavish adaptation of Agatha Christie’s beloved 1937 novel, and a sequel to Branagh’s prior Christie effort Murder on the Orient Express (2017), it’s got glitz, glamour, mystery, murder and lots of CGI vistas of Egyptian pyramids. It also features a prominent leading man, although you wouldn’t know it from the movie’s theatrical trailers, or TV commercials,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Nick Schager
- Rollingstone.com
British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw has performed in nearly every genre of film since breaking out in the 2013 Amma Asante-directed feature, “Belle.” Since then, Mbatha-Raw has played a pop star, a mother, and even a member of the Time Variance Authority in the Disney+ series, “Loki.” Now, she’s starring in the HBO Max series “The Girl Before,” a dark, twisted murder mystery about a woman named Jane (Mbatha-Raw) who moves into One Folgate Street, a minimalist house where a woman (Jessica Plummer) had previously died.
The series was a jump for the actress, not just because she was coming off the time-travel weirdness of “Loki.” But it was an opportunity to take the reins as an associate producer on the limited series, collaborating on several of the day-to-day elements as well as playing a frustrated, sometimes scared, woman searching for answers. On top of that, the performers were all...
The series was a jump for the actress, not just because she was coming off the time-travel weirdness of “Loki.” But it was an opportunity to take the reins as an associate producer on the limited series, collaborating on several of the day-to-day elements as well as playing a frustrated, sometimes scared, woman searching for answers. On top of that, the performers were all...
- 2/9/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
BAFTA has unveiled its 2021 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, including “It’s a Sin” star Lydia West and “Censor” director Prano Bailey-Bond.
Supported by Netflix, the annual talent initiative, which originally launched in 2013 as “Breakthrough Brits,” was renamed BAFTA Breakthrough in May 2020 and expanded to include the U.S. and India. Previous participants have included Paapa Essiedu, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh and Josh O’Connor, among others.
This year’s cohort, drawn from the worlds of film, television and games, were hand-picked by a global jury made up of industry leaders including Niamh Algar (“Raise by Wolves”), Tim Renkow (“Jerk”) and ITV’s director of diversity and inclusion, Ade Rawcliffe, who chaired the jury.
24 participants hail from the U.K. and 12 from the U.S. As part of the BAFTA Breakthrough program they will receive access to one-to-one industry meetings, group roundtable sessions, networking opportunities within BAFTA’s membership, peer-to-peer support, global coaching, PR...
Supported by Netflix, the annual talent initiative, which originally launched in 2013 as “Breakthrough Brits,” was renamed BAFTA Breakthrough in May 2020 and expanded to include the U.S. and India. Previous participants have included Paapa Essiedu, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh and Josh O’Connor, among others.
This year’s cohort, drawn from the worlds of film, television and games, were hand-picked by a global jury made up of industry leaders including Niamh Algar (“Raise by Wolves”), Tim Renkow (“Jerk”) and ITV’s director of diversity and inclusion, Ade Rawcliffe, who chaired the jury.
24 participants hail from the U.K. and 12 from the U.S. As part of the BAFTA Breakthrough program they will receive access to one-to-one industry meetings, group roundtable sessions, networking opportunities within BAFTA’s membership, peer-to-peer support, global coaching, PR...
- 12/8/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: A key character will be returning to Amazon Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Abbie Cornish, who portrayed Cathy Mueller in Season 1, will be back to reprise the role in the recently announced fourth season.
There has been a lingering mystery surrounding Cathy Mueller, Ryan’s love interest in the first season, as well as in the books. The character was never written out of the show, she just disappeared. There was not a single reference of her throughout Season 2, and the only clue given was Ryan (John Krasinski) sleeping with another woman early on in the season, and then later on saying he’s single.
There is no information how Cathy will be reintroduced on the show. Her return could be set up in the upcoming third season, production on which recently wrapped with a premiere date still Tbd.
Season 3 finds Jack Ryan (Krasinski) on the...
There has been a lingering mystery surrounding Cathy Mueller, Ryan’s love interest in the first season, as well as in the books. The character was never written out of the show, she just disappeared. There was not a single reference of her throughout Season 2, and the only clue given was Ryan (John Krasinski) sleeping with another woman early on in the season, and then later on saying he’s single.
There is no information how Cathy will be reintroduced on the show. Her return could be set up in the upcoming third season, production on which recently wrapped with a premiere date still Tbd.
Season 3 finds Jack Ryan (Krasinski) on the...
- 10/18/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Jon Gregory, editor of such films as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and In Bruges has died, a representative confirmed to Deadline. He was 77.
Gregory worked with Mike Leigh across the director’s storied career, from an early short called The Short & Curlies to one of Leigh’s first features, High Hopes, to some of the director’s best-known work — such as Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets & Lies — to one of his most recent works, Peterloo. Leigh remembered his frequent collaborator in a piece posted by The Guardian today.
In it, Leigh praised Gregory’s ability to compose complex component parts into a cohesive whole. “He brought to the task his unique characteristic skill, imagination, sensitivity and sophistication, while, as always, staying true to the material,” wrote the director. He praised Gregory’s sense of when not to edit, as well.
Leigh recalled...
Gregory worked with Mike Leigh across the director’s storied career, from an early short called The Short & Curlies to one of Leigh’s first features, High Hopes, to some of the director’s best-known work — such as Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets & Lies — to one of his most recent works, Peterloo. Leigh remembered his frequent collaborator in a piece posted by The Guardian today.
In it, Leigh praised Gregory’s ability to compose complex component parts into a cohesive whole. “He brought to the task his unique characteristic skill, imagination, sensitivity and sophistication, while, as always, staying true to the material,” wrote the director. He praised Gregory’s sense of when not to edit, as well.
Leigh recalled...
- 9/28/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
David Kushner, a bestselling author and journalist whose stories are often developed for film and television, will publish his next book at Substack.
Kushner’s magazine articles have inspired films like A24’s “Zola” and upcoming projects involving Christian Bale and Spike Lee. Substack, a subscription newsletter service, will now be home to his new work “Masters of Disruption: How the Gamer Generation Built the Future,” which will see a serialized release and feature multimedia components over 9 installments. The book is a sequel of sorts to his 2003 bestseller “Masters of Doom,” from Random House.
Normally found in the pages of Rolling Stone, Wired and Vanity Fair, Kushner follows an increasing number of journalists going the newsletter route. It’s notable that an author as frequently adapted as Kushner would seek a deal like this, which guarantees him sole adaptive rights in an age where publishing houses like Conde Nast have ambitious content production divisions.
Kushner’s magazine articles have inspired films like A24’s “Zola” and upcoming projects involving Christian Bale and Spike Lee. Substack, a subscription newsletter service, will now be home to his new work “Masters of Disruption: How the Gamer Generation Built the Future,” which will see a serialized release and feature multimedia components over 9 installments. The book is a sequel of sorts to his 2003 bestseller “Masters of Doom,” from Random House.
Normally found in the pages of Rolling Stone, Wired and Vanity Fair, Kushner follows an increasing number of journalists going the newsletter route. It’s notable that an author as frequently adapted as Kushner would seek a deal like this, which guarantees him sole adaptive rights in an age where publishing houses like Conde Nast have ambitious content production divisions.
- 9/21/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Disgraced “After Life” producer Charlie Hanson has severed his last ties with ex-wife Amma Asante (“Belle”) after resigning from her production company Awol Films.
Hanson, who was removed as a producer from the hit Ricky Gervais show by Netflix after being accused of historic sexual assaults in May, has been a part of the company since its incorporation in 2002.
He and Asante divorced in 2007.
In June, The Times of London reported that 11 women had complained about Hanson’s conduct. An anonymous email detailing the allegations against him was sent to Netflix, which quickly moved to remove the producer from the third season of the show, which was then in production.
Hanson denied the allegations at the time, with his lawyers telling Variety: “He maintains that he has never acted inappropriately on any production, or at all, and has never had any complaints made about his conduct over the course of...
Hanson, who was removed as a producer from the hit Ricky Gervais show by Netflix after being accused of historic sexual assaults in May, has been a part of the company since its incorporation in 2002.
He and Asante divorced in 2007.
In June, The Times of London reported that 11 women had complained about Hanson’s conduct. An anonymous email detailing the allegations against him was sent to Netflix, which quickly moved to remove the producer from the third season of the show, which was then in production.
Hanson denied the allegations at the time, with his lawyers telling Variety: “He maintains that he has never acted inappropriately on any production, or at all, and has never had any complaints made about his conduct over the course of...
- 8/16/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Update: BBC issued the following statement in response to the letter featured in the Observer:
“We’re launching a new Radio 4 film programme later this year which will do even more to explore the expanding universe of cinema and screen. The changing nature of film distribution and availability, including on streaming platforms, has opened up new ways for us to take listeners on a journey through the best of cinematic storytelling.”
The statement continues, “The new show will explore the contemporary and the historical — digging deep into the relationship between past and present — with close reading and analysis. It will continue to feature serious and in-depth discussion with actors, writers, directors and critics. In addition to the new programme, Radio 4 dedicated arts shows will keep providing news of the latest film releases as well as expanded film criticism, discussion and major interviews with film makers.”
Earlier: More than 100 filmmakers and...
“We’re launching a new Radio 4 film programme later this year which will do even more to explore the expanding universe of cinema and screen. The changing nature of film distribution and availability, including on streaming platforms, has opened up new ways for us to take listeners on a journey through the best of cinematic storytelling.”
The statement continues, “The new show will explore the contemporary and the historical — digging deep into the relationship between past and present — with close reading and analysis. It will continue to feature serious and in-depth discussion with actors, writers, directors and critics. In addition to the new programme, Radio 4 dedicated arts shows will keep providing news of the latest film releases as well as expanded film criticism, discussion and major interviews with film makers.”
Earlier: More than 100 filmmakers and...
- 7/25/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Historians may now acknowledge Oscar Micheaux as a pioneering Black filmmaker, and the industry could be catching up. However, that acclaim certainly didn’t follow him through his lifetime, when the hustling novelist and director made complex dramas about Black life in America across three decades, starting with the silent era and continuing for many years after that. By the time of his death in 1951, the child of former slaves in Kentucky had written six novels and directed 44 films, but around 80 percent of them have been lost.
Needless to say, most people have been late to the party when it comes to Micheaux’s career, including Cannes. But the festival’s Cannes Classics sidebar made up for that this year by screening a new restoration of Micheaux’s 1935 crime thriller “Murder in Harlem,” alongside a new documentary about the filmmaker’s contemporary resonance, “Oscar Micheaux – The Superhero of Black Cinema,...
Needless to say, most people have been late to the party when it comes to Micheaux’s career, including Cannes. But the festival’s Cannes Classics sidebar made up for that this year by screening a new restoration of Micheaux’s 1935 crime thriller “Murder in Harlem,” alongside a new documentary about the filmmaker’s contemporary resonance, “Oscar Micheaux – The Superhero of Black Cinema,...
- 7/11/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Warning: The following interview contains some spoilers about Black Widow, opening July 9 in theaters and on Disney+ Premier.
After being delayed for more than a year due to Covid, Black Widow, the second feature movie in the MCU post the franchise’s pinnacle, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, will finally see the light of day. Industry estimates project that the Scarlett Johansson standalone movie can feasibly open to between $80M-$90M at the domestic B.O.
Like all Marvel movies, exhibition is looking at Black Widow as a savior for them, even if it’s available on Disney+ Premier at the same time for $29.99. After all, who wants to watch a Marvel movie at home?. The pic introduces Natasha Romanoff’s ‘family’ and how they become pawns in a Russian super solider experiment. In the newly connected MCU Disney+ series-and big screen feature universe, Black Widow...
After being delayed for more than a year due to Covid, Black Widow, the second feature movie in the MCU post the franchise’s pinnacle, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, will finally see the light of day. Industry estimates project that the Scarlett Johansson standalone movie can feasibly open to between $80M-$90M at the domestic B.O.
Like all Marvel movies, exhibition is looking at Black Widow as a savior for them, even if it’s available on Disney+ Premier at the same time for $29.99. After all, who wants to watch a Marvel movie at home?. The pic introduces Natasha Romanoff’s ‘family’ and how they become pawns in a Russian super solider experiment. In the newly connected MCU Disney+ series-and big screen feature universe, Black Widow...
- 7/5/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Bafta suspends Hanson, who denies all allegations.
UK producer Charlie Hanson has been removed from production of season three of After Life by Netflix, in the wake of allegations against him by 11 women including of serious sexual assault.
The allegations were detailed in a report by UK newspaper The Times today (May 29); Hanson has denied all wrongdoing, according to the paper.
They follow a report by Screen’s sister publication Broadcast yesterday (May 28) that Netflix had removed the producer following anonymous emails the company received on Monday (May 24) containing allegations of historical sexual harassment; the story didn’t identify Hanson by name.
UK producer Charlie Hanson has been removed from production of season three of After Life by Netflix, in the wake of allegations against him by 11 women including of serious sexual assault.
The allegations were detailed in a report by UK newspaper The Times today (May 29); Hanson has denied all wrongdoing, according to the paper.
They follow a report by Screen’s sister publication Broadcast yesterday (May 28) that Netflix had removed the producer following anonymous emails the company received on Monday (May 24) containing allegations of historical sexual harassment; the story didn’t identify Hanson by name.
- 5/29/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: David Kushner’s bestselling book Levittown: Two Families, One Tycoon, and the Fight for Civil Rights in America’s Legendary Suburb is in the works for the small screen. Independent studio wiip has optioned the rights to the book and partnered with The Gotham Group to develop as a limited series. BAFTA-winning screenwriter and director Amma Asante is attached to pen the series adaptation and direct the pilot. Emmy winner Thomas Schlamme is on board to produce.
Per the description: The book chronicles the true account of the explosive events that transpired when the first African American family moved into the iconic whites-only suburb of Levittown, Pa. While the harrowing conflict that unfolded would transform an entire nation, at its heart, Levittown is really the story about three families: The Levitts, second generation immigrants turned real estate titans with an empire fueled by scrappy ingenuity and sibling rivalries; the Wechslers,...
Per the description: The book chronicles the true account of the explosive events that transpired when the first African American family moved into the iconic whites-only suburb of Levittown, Pa. While the harrowing conflict that unfolded would transform an entire nation, at its heart, Levittown is really the story about three families: The Levitts, second generation immigrants turned real estate titans with an empire fueled by scrappy ingenuity and sibling rivalries; the Wechslers,...
- 5/27/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a studio ritual almost as old as Hollywood: announce a production deal right before the release of a filmmaker’s new movie. For David and Jessica Oyelowo’s Yoruba/Saxon, the twinning of “The Water Man” and a two-year first-look Disney deal is more than industry rite. After seven years and six films, it means that the industry has started to catch up to them.
Like many actors, the Oyelowos created a company to improve their own opportunities. In their case, the struggles they faced mirrored a much larger one. “One of the main reasons we wanted to start the company was to have a voice and to provide a place for voices that weren’t being heard,” Jessica said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “For Hollywood to finance certain projects, they required a certain perspective on someone else’s story. We were looking at this as actors thinking,...
Like many actors, the Oyelowos created a company to improve their own opportunities. In their case, the struggles they faced mirrored a much larger one. “One of the main reasons we wanted to start the company was to have a voice and to provide a place for voices that weren’t being heard,” Jessica said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “For Hollywood to finance certain projects, they required a certain perspective on someone else’s story. We were looking at this as actors thinking,...
- 5/11/2021
- by Aramide A Tinubu
- Indiewire
Another movie has been crossed off of Armie Hammer’s list of upcoming projects as the actor navigates through accusations of sexual assault. Hammer was dropped from the Cold War thriller, Billion Dollar Spy. The movie will star Mads Mikkelsen, from filmmaker Amma Asante. The Call Me By Your Name star’s exit comes less than two weeks after a […]
The post Armie Hammer Exits ‘Billion Dollar Spy’ In The Wake Of Sexual Assault Allegations appeared first on uInterview.
The post Armie Hammer Exits ‘Billion Dollar Spy’ In The Wake Of Sexual Assault Allegations appeared first on uInterview.
- 3/30/2021
- by Demi Tsatsaronis
- Uinterview
Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, radio personality Trevor Nelson, musician Ksi and author Malorie Blackman are among the signatories on a letter by comedian Lenny Henry asking the U.K.’s Black population to take Covid-19 vaccination jabs.
An Office for National Statistic survey shows that less than half (49%) of Black or Black British adults reported that they were likely to have the vaccine, and National Health Service (NHS) data shows that only 466,000 Black British adults have had a first dose of the vaccine so far. Some 30 million people, more than half the U.K. population, have now received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose.
The letter, supported by the NHS, has also been turned into a short film, directed by BAFTA winner Amma Asante, which features Henry alongside actors “The Rook’s” Adrian Lester, “Supergirl’s” David Harewood, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s” Naomi Ackie and “Bridgerton’s” Adjoa Andoh.
An Office for National Statistic survey shows that less than half (49%) of Black or Black British adults reported that they were likely to have the vaccine, and National Health Service (NHS) data shows that only 466,000 Black British adults have had a first dose of the vaccine so far. Some 30 million people, more than half the U.K. population, have now received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose.
The letter, supported by the NHS, has also been turned into a short film, directed by BAFTA winner Amma Asante, which features Henry alongside actors “The Rook’s” Adrian Lester, “Supergirl’s” David Harewood, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s” Naomi Ackie and “Bridgerton’s” Adjoa Andoh.
- 3/30/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, and David Harewood are among a group of influential actors who have signed an open letter from Sir Lenny Henry urging Black Britons to get a coronavirus vaccine.
The letter, supported by the National Health Service, is accompanied by a short film from BAFTA-winner Amma Asante, which megaphones the message of the letter. The film will be shown across Sky, BT Sport, ViacomCBS, Discovery, and A&e tonight.
Following Office for National Statistics research showing that only 49% of Black British adults are likely to have the vaccine, Henry’s letter says: “You have legitimate worries and concerns, we hear that. We know change needs to happen and that it’s hard to trust some institutions and authorities. But we’re asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine’s development.”
It adds: “Don’t let Black...
The letter, supported by the National Health Service, is accompanied by a short film from BAFTA-winner Amma Asante, which megaphones the message of the letter. The film will be shown across Sky, BT Sport, ViacomCBS, Discovery, and A&e tonight.
Following Office for National Statistics research showing that only 49% of Black British adults are likely to have the vaccine, Henry’s letter says: “You have legitimate worries and concerns, we hear that. We know change needs to happen and that it’s hard to trust some institutions and authorities. But we’re asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine’s development.”
It adds: “Don’t let Black...
- 3/30/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Armie Hammer has been dropped from another film in the aftermath of sexual assault allegations directed against the actor. He is no longer attached to the espionage thriller “Billion Dollar Spy,” the third high-profile film Hammer has lost, including “The Offer,” about the making of “The Godfather,” and the rom-com “Shotgun Wedding” opposite Jennifer Lopez. “Billion Dollar Spy” is a Cold War drama directed by Amma Asante, and co-starring Mads Mikkelsen. (Variety first reported the news.)
The news arrives not long after Armie Hammer was accused of rape by a woman identified as Effie, who held a press conference on March 18 with her attorney Gloria Allred. The woman alleged that the sexual assault took place in April 2017 and that, during an encounter, Hammer “violently raped” her and repeatedly banged her head against a wall. The actress also said that Hammer committed other “violent acts” against her without her consent.
The...
The news arrives not long after Armie Hammer was accused of rape by a woman identified as Effie, who held a press conference on March 18 with her attorney Gloria Allred. The woman alleged that the sexual assault took place in April 2017 and that, during an encounter, Hammer “violently raped” her and repeatedly banged her head against a wall. The actress also said that Hammer committed other “violent acts” against her without her consent.
The...
- 3/29/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Armie Hammer has been dropped from another film following accusations of sexual assault against him, this time the Mads Mikkelsen thriller “The Billion Dollar Spy,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Hammer joined the film, which will be directed by Amma Asante, back in October, but it has not yet begun production due to complications of the pandemic.
Hammer earlier this month was accused by a woman of violently raping and assaulting her during an encounter in Los Angeles in April 2017. In a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred, the woman — identified only as Effie — said that Hammer “violently raped” her for a period of more than four hours, repeatedly banged her head against a wall and committed other “violent acts” to which she said she did not consent, including beating her feet with a crop. TheWrap also reported that Hammer is the suspect of a...
Hammer joined the film, which will be directed by Amma Asante, back in October, but it has not yet begun production due to complications of the pandemic.
Hammer earlier this month was accused by a woman of violently raping and assaulting her during an encounter in Los Angeles in April 2017. In a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred, the woman — identified only as Effie — said that Hammer “violently raped” her for a period of more than four hours, repeatedly banged her head against a wall and committed other “violent acts” to which she said she did not consent, including beating her feet with a crop. TheWrap also reported that Hammer is the suspect of a...
- 3/29/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Armie Hammer has been dropped from another film, in the wake of sexual assault allegations and continuous online chatter that has been spiraling across social media since the beginning of the year.
Hammer is no longer attached to the thriller “Billion Dollar Spy,” Variety has learned exclusively. Hammer was set to star opposite Mads Mikkelsen in the Cold War drama that comes from filmmaker Amma Asante.
Representatives for Asante and Walden Media, the film company behind the movie, declined to comment any further.
“Billion Dollar Spy” was the one last remaining film on Hammer’s slate, meaning every studio that was in business with Hammer, prior to the allegations, has now officially cut ties with the actor.
All other upcoming projects in which Hammer will appear on-screen had already wrapped production, prior to the allegations.
The only outstanding movie on Hammer’s radar would have been the potential “Call Me By Your Name” sequel,...
Hammer is no longer attached to the thriller “Billion Dollar Spy,” Variety has learned exclusively. Hammer was set to star opposite Mads Mikkelsen in the Cold War drama that comes from filmmaker Amma Asante.
Representatives for Asante and Walden Media, the film company behind the movie, declined to comment any further.
“Billion Dollar Spy” was the one last remaining film on Hammer’s slate, meaning every studio that was in business with Hammer, prior to the allegations, has now officially cut ties with the actor.
All other upcoming projects in which Hammer will appear on-screen had already wrapped production, prior to the allegations.
The only outstanding movie on Hammer’s radar would have been the potential “Call Me By Your Name” sequel,...
- 3/29/2021
- by Elizabeth Wagmeister
- Variety Film + TV
Armie Hammer has been dropped from Amma Asante’s Cold War thriller The Billion Dollar Spy for Walden Media, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Based on a real-life story, The Billion Dollar Spy was to have Hammer star as Brad Reid, a fresh arrival at the Moscow station of the CIA, where he’s approached by Soviet engineer Adolf Tolkachev, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
But that was before Hammer’s career went into freefall amid controversy over graphic messages he allegedly sent several women over social media. Then, on March 18, a woman called Effie accused Hammer of rape in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred....
Based on a real-life story, The Billion Dollar Spy was to have Hammer star as Brad Reid, a fresh arrival at the Moscow station of the CIA, where he’s approached by Soviet engineer Adolf Tolkachev, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
But that was before Hammer’s career went into freefall amid controversy over graphic messages he allegedly sent several women over social media. Then, on March 18, a woman called Effie accused Hammer of rape in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred....
- 3/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Armie Hammer has been dropped from Amma Asante’s Cold War thriller The Billion Dollar Spy for Walden Media, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Based on a real-life story, The Billion Dollar Spy was to have Hammer star as Brad Reid, a fresh arrival at the Moscow station of the CIA, where he’s approached by Soviet engineer Adolf Tolkachev, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
But that was before Hammer’s career went into freefall amid controversy over graphic messages he allegedly sent several women over social media. Then, on March 18, a woman called Effie accused Hammer of rape in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred....
Based on a real-life story, The Billion Dollar Spy was to have Hammer star as Brad Reid, a fresh arrival at the Moscow station of the CIA, where he’s approached by Soviet engineer Adolf Tolkachev, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
But that was before Hammer’s career went into freefall amid controversy over graphic messages he allegedly sent several women over social media. Then, on March 18, a woman called Effie accused Hammer of rape in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred....
- 3/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
”We were able to reach out well beyond Dublin, which is fantastic,” said Gráinne Humphreys.
The Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) dropped its virtual curtain last night (March 14) wiith the world premiere of Rachel Carey’s Dublin-set comedy Deadly Cuts in in a year that saw strong audience build and increased sales.
Virtual screenings had their audiences capped, with many titles including the opening and closing films as well as Irish titles The Boys From County Hell and Son, and international festival favourites Limbo and Minari selling out well in advance.
There were several titles that were particularly well-received by audiences,...
The Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) dropped its virtual curtain last night (March 14) wiith the world premiere of Rachel Carey’s Dublin-set comedy Deadly Cuts in in a year that saw strong audience build and increased sales.
Virtual screenings had their audiences capped, with many titles including the opening and closing films as well as Irish titles The Boys From County Hell and Son, and international festival favourites Limbo and Minari selling out well in advance.
There were several titles that were particularly well-received by audiences,...
- 3/15/2021
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
Programme will match film professionals with paid opportunities and professional coaching.
UK film and television training body ScreenSkills has launched a programme to match experienced Black, Asian or minority ethnic professionals with upcoming film productions.
Film Forward will help upcoming productions extend their network of Bame talent, matching professionals who have at least five years of experience in below-the-line roles with paid opportunities, including professional coaching.
It will launch with up to six individuals matched with productions crewing up in early 2021. Writers and roles in development will not be included in the launch recruitment round.
The aim is for successful...
UK film and television training body ScreenSkills has launched a programme to match experienced Black, Asian or minority ethnic professionals with upcoming film productions.
Film Forward will help upcoming productions extend their network of Bame talent, matching professionals who have at least five years of experience in below-the-line roles with paid opportunities, including professional coaching.
It will launch with up to six individuals matched with productions crewing up in early 2021. Writers and roles in development will not be included in the launch recruitment round.
The aim is for successful...
- 3/4/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Irish features and world cinema to run alongside Diff’s industry platform of events.
Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) is preparing to launch its first online-only edition with a line-up that aims to reflect the strength and diversity of contemporary Irish filmmaking alongside the best of world cinema.
“One of the aims every year is to try and find the key Irish films you want to include, because that is a very important aspect to the festival, providing a platform for new work,” says Diff festival director Gráinne Humphreys.
The 19th edition of the festival, which runs March 3-14, stays...
Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) is preparing to launch its first online-only edition with a line-up that aims to reflect the strength and diversity of contemporary Irish filmmaking alongside the best of world cinema.
“One of the aims every year is to try and find the key Irish films you want to include, because that is a very important aspect to the festival, providing a platform for new work,” says Diff festival director Gráinne Humphreys.
The 19th edition of the festival, which runs March 3-14, stays...
- 3/3/2021
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
In today’s Global Bulletin, the U.K. selects James Newman for Eurovision 2021, Ringside and Newen close scripted deals in the U.K., BBC commissions a young men’s mental health doc with Roman Kemp, and the New Voice Awards announces its 2021 short lists.
Eurovision
BBC, BBC Studios and BMG have confirmed that Brit Award-winning and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter James Newman will represent the U.K. at 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest after the 2020 edition was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 65th Eurovision is scheduled for May and will take place in Rotterdam.
Newman’s original entry will be revealed at a later date, and the BBC and BMG will collaborate on the track’s release with BMG handling publishing. BBC Studios will produce the U.K.’s coverage of Eurovision 2021.
Among Newman’s catalog of original songs are “Waiting All Night,” performed by Rudimental and Ella Eyre; “Lay it All on Me,...
Eurovision
BBC, BBC Studios and BMG have confirmed that Brit Award-winning and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter James Newman will represent the U.K. at 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest after the 2020 edition was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 65th Eurovision is scheduled for May and will take place in Rotterdam.
Newman’s original entry will be revealed at a later date, and the BBC and BMG will collaborate on the track’s release with BMG handling publishing. BBC Studios will produce the U.K.’s coverage of Eurovision 2021.
Among Newman’s catalog of original songs are “Waiting All Night,” performed by Rudimental and Ella Eyre; “Lay it All on Me,...
- 2/19/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Renaissance poet Amelia Bassano is poised to get the small screen treatment.
Tiffany Haddish, Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman and Mrs. America’s Amma Asante are developing The Bardess for television. Envisioned as a limited series, the project will center on the true story of the Black, Venetian, Jewish poet, who some believe was behind Shakespeare’s literary work. Set in 16th Century England, The Bardess is expected to explore that premise, which has been backed by a collection of scholars. (Still others balk.)
News of the project comes as the interest in Bassano’s story has increasingly become a source of scholarship and theatrical interest ...
Tiffany Haddish, Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman and Mrs. America’s Amma Asante are developing The Bardess for television. Envisioned as a limited series, the project will center on the true story of the Black, Venetian, Jewish poet, who some believe was behind Shakespeare’s literary work. Set in 16th Century England, The Bardess is expected to explore that premise, which has been backed by a collection of scholars. (Still others balk.)
News of the project comes as the interest in Bassano’s story has increasingly become a source of scholarship and theatrical interest ...
- 2/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Renaissance poet Amelia Bassano is poised to get the small screen treatment.
Tiffany Haddish, Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman and Mrs. America’s Amma Asante are developing The Bardess for television. Envisioned as a limited series, the project will center on the true story of the Black, Venetian, Jewish poet, who some believe was behind Shakespeare’s literary work. Set in 16th Century England, The Bardess is expected to explore that premise, which has been backed by a collection of scholars. (Still others balk.)
News of the project comes as the interest in Bassano’s story has increasingly become a source of scholarship and theatrical interest ...
Tiffany Haddish, Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman and Mrs. America’s Amma Asante are developing The Bardess for television. Envisioned as a limited series, the project will center on the true story of the Black, Venetian, Jewish poet, who some believe was behind Shakespeare’s literary work. Set in 16th Century England, The Bardess is expected to explore that premise, which has been backed by a collection of scholars. (Still others balk.)
News of the project comes as the interest in Bassano’s story has increasingly become a source of scholarship and theatrical interest ...
- 2/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Armie Hammer has been dropped by WME, Variety has learned. According to a knowledgable source, Hammer’s personal publicist is also stepping away.
WME parted ways with the actor following continuous allegations against the actor that have surfaced on social media over the past month.
In messages blasted across social media, which Hammer has not verified, the actor reportedly had numerous conversations of sexually explicit nature, displaying cannibalistic fetishes, where he allegedly expressed his sexual appetite to drink blood, cut toes and enslave sex partners. Hammer described rape fantasies in the messages.
The salacious accusations, first posted on the anonymous Instagram account House of Effie, have been subject of rampant tabloid coverage, but the women say there is more to the scandalous claims than meet the eye. At least three of Hammer’s former partners say he used his sexual proclivities as a smokescreen, accusing him of emotional abuse, manipulation and coercion.
WME parted ways with the actor following continuous allegations against the actor that have surfaced on social media over the past month.
In messages blasted across social media, which Hammer has not verified, the actor reportedly had numerous conversations of sexually explicit nature, displaying cannibalistic fetishes, where he allegedly expressed his sexual appetite to drink blood, cut toes and enslave sex partners. Hammer described rape fantasies in the messages.
The salacious accusations, first posted on the anonymous Instagram account House of Effie, have been subject of rampant tabloid coverage, but the women say there is more to the scandalous claims than meet the eye. At least three of Hammer’s former partners say he used his sexual proclivities as a smokescreen, accusing him of emotional abuse, manipulation and coercion.
- 2/6/2021
- by Elizabeth Wagmeister
- Variety Film + TV
World premieres include Ivan Kavanagh’s thriller ‘Son’ and David Burke’s ‘The Father of the Cyborgs’.
World premieres of Ivan Kavanagh’s thriller Son and David Burke’s The Father of the Cyborgs are among the new Irish titles that will screen at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) (March 3-14).
The edition of Diff, which recently announced it would take place online-only due to the ongoing pandemic, has selected acclaimed world cinema titles including Korean-American awards contender Minari, Ben Sharrock’s UK comedy-drama Limbo, French feature Gagarine and Greek drama Apples.
Guests participating virtually will include Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth,...
World premieres of Ivan Kavanagh’s thriller Son and David Burke’s The Father of the Cyborgs are among the new Irish titles that will screen at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) (March 3-14).
The edition of Diff, which recently announced it would take place online-only due to the ongoing pandemic, has selected acclaimed world cinema titles including Korean-American awards contender Minari, Ben Sharrock’s UK comedy-drama Limbo, French feature Gagarine and Greek drama Apples.
Guests participating virtually will include Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
More than 40 key figures from the film industry have written to UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for more support for UK cinema, which they say is “standing on the edge of an abyss” as a result of the pandemic.
The industry leaders, including Christopher Nolan, Steve McQueen, Ridley Scott, Jude Law and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, are calling for “targeted funding support to ensure that future generations can enjoy the magic of cinema”.
“We recognise the support that government has already been able to provide,” the group says. “But we fear that this will not be enough, with the challenges being most acute for those larger cinema operators who have not been able to access any tailored funding.
“These companies represent over 80 per cent of the market, in many ways constituting its ‘critical mass’ and helping to drive the success of associated sectors such as film distribution and production coalesce.
The industry leaders, including Christopher Nolan, Steve McQueen, Ridley Scott, Jude Law and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, are calling for “targeted funding support to ensure that future generations can enjoy the magic of cinema”.
“We recognise the support that government has already been able to provide,” the group says. “But we fear that this will not be enough, with the challenges being most acute for those larger cinema operators who have not been able to access any tailored funding.
“These companies represent over 80 per cent of the market, in many ways constituting its ‘critical mass’ and helping to drive the success of associated sectors such as film distribution and production coalesce.
- 1/18/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Letter to UK government says the industry is “on the edge of an abyss”.
Nearly 50 leading UK filmmakers have called on the UK government to issue “urgently needed” financial support for the cinema sector.
A letter to UK chancellor Rishi Sunak, first published in The Sunday Times, says UK cinemas “stand on the edge of an abyss” due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that targeted funding is crucial to ensure their survival.
Those who have put their name to the letter include Eon Films’ Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Oscar-winning filmmakers Steve McQueen and Danny Boyle.
Nearly 50 leading UK filmmakers have called on the UK government to issue “urgently needed” financial support for the cinema sector.
A letter to UK chancellor Rishi Sunak, first published in The Sunday Times, says UK cinemas “stand on the edge of an abyss” due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that targeted funding is crucial to ensure their survival.
Those who have put their name to the letter include Eon Films’ Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Oscar-winning filmmakers Steve McQueen and Danny Boyle.
- 1/18/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
More than 40 prominent U.K. film industry figures, including “Tenet” director Christopher Nolan and “Small Axe” filmmaker Steve McQueen, have written to U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak requesting further support for the beleaguered exhibition sector.
The letter in the Sunday Times, a follow up to the U.K. Cinema Association’s December 2020 ‘Keep the Magic Alive’ campaign, acknowledges the efforts of the U.K. government in helping cinemas stay afloat, but that these initiatives may not be enough.
The signatories also include “Maradona” director Asif Kapadia, “Slumdog Millionaire” filmmaker Danny Boyle, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, and “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman. (A full list is below.)
“There is no doubt that if supported to survive, the sector will recover and once again thrive. But the need for direct financial support is pressing,” the letter says. “We recognize the support that government has already been able to provide.
The letter in the Sunday Times, a follow up to the U.K. Cinema Association’s December 2020 ‘Keep the Magic Alive’ campaign, acknowledges the efforts of the U.K. government in helping cinemas stay afloat, but that these initiatives may not be enough.
The signatories also include “Maradona” director Asif Kapadia, “Slumdog Millionaire” filmmaker Danny Boyle, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, and “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman. (A full list is below.)
“There is no doubt that if supported to survive, the sector will recover and once again thrive. But the need for direct financial support is pressing,” the letter says. “We recognize the support that government has already been able to provide.
- 1/18/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Rupert Everett, Derek Jacobi and Tom Felton have joined the ensemble cast of “Lead Heads,” described as a “drama about greed and the repercussions it has on the soul.” Also in the cast are Luke Newberry, Mark Williams and Olatunji Ayofe. Giles Borg directs. Principal photography begins in March in London.
The film centers on “a group of men, strangers to one another but all corrupted by greed, who, in their desperation, are drawn together for one night to play a game that may cost them both their souls and lives,” according to a statement from the producers, Lawrence Steven Meyers, Randy Dannenberg and John Evangelides.
Alexa Waugh is onboard to line produce. The script was written by Patrick Makin.
Borg has worked in film and television for more than 20 years, directing commercials, music videos, TV series and feature films. He made his feature debut with “1234” in 2008, a quirky music-themed drama,...
The film centers on “a group of men, strangers to one another but all corrupted by greed, who, in their desperation, are drawn together for one night to play a game that may cost them both their souls and lives,” according to a statement from the producers, Lawrence Steven Meyers, Randy Dannenberg and John Evangelides.
Alexa Waugh is onboard to line produce. The script was written by Patrick Makin.
Borg has worked in film and television for more than 20 years, directing commercials, music videos, TV series and feature films. He made his feature debut with “1234” in 2008, a quirky music-themed drama,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Irish comedy among first titles to be revealed for upcoming festival.
Wildcard Distribution has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Rachel Carey’s comedy Deadly Cuts, which will receive its world premiere as the closing film of the Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) in March 2021.
Deadly Cuts is produced by Auveen Lush, Ciara Appelbe and Liz Gill of Dubln-based O’Sullivan Productions, which did the deal directly with WIldcard. The film is the directorial debut of Carey and is about a working-class Dublin hair salon where the stylists become accidental vigilantes and community heroes, Angeline Ball, Ericka Roe, Lauren Larkin, Shauna Higgins and Victoria Smurfit star.
Wildcard Distribution has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Rachel Carey’s comedy Deadly Cuts, which will receive its world premiere as the closing film of the Dublin International Film Festival (Diff) in March 2021.
Deadly Cuts is produced by Auveen Lush, Ciara Appelbe and Liz Gill of Dubln-based O’Sullivan Productions, which did the deal directly with WIldcard. The film is the directorial debut of Carey and is about a working-class Dublin hair salon where the stylists become accidental vigilantes and community heroes, Angeline Ball, Ericka Roe, Lauren Larkin, Shauna Higgins and Victoria Smurfit star.
- 12/4/2020
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
Five of the selection have previously been named Screen Stars of Tomorrow.
UK producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and actor Tamara Lawrance are among 34 emerging talents from the film, TV and games industry selected for the 2020 edition of Bafta Breakthrough, the British Academy’s new talent initiative.
The initiative, which has been running since 2013, expands to the US for the first time, with 23 of the selected participants hailing from the UK and 11 from the US.
Blue Story producer Gharoro-Akpojotor and Small Axe actor Lawrance are two of five participants who were previously named Screen UK and Ireland Stars of Tomorrow, in 2020 and 2018 respectively.
UK producer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and actor Tamara Lawrance are among 34 emerging talents from the film, TV and games industry selected for the 2020 edition of Bafta Breakthrough, the British Academy’s new talent initiative.
The initiative, which has been running since 2013, expands to the US for the first time, with 23 of the selected participants hailing from the UK and 11 from the US.
Blue Story producer Gharoro-Akpojotor and Small Axe actor Lawrance are two of five participants who were previously named Screen UK and Ireland Stars of Tomorrow, in 2020 and 2018 respectively.
- 11/16/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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