Legend has it that if you were to stroll around Riparbella, a small Italian village in the rural part of Tuscany, you would come across a number of tombs. Some were hidden, some were open, and many of these underground burial sites were more than 2000 years old, filled with ancient artifacts. For centuries, they were left undisturbed, as a sign of respect for the dead. Then, in the early 1980s, grave robbers known as tombaroli would ransack these sacred spaces and sell the stolen goods on the black market, which...
- 3/30/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The Zone of Interest.When you start to really hear a movie, you’ll never be able to unhear it. The sound designer, like the cinematographer, is an artist disguised as a technician, a wielder of microphones and mixers whose deepest desire is to serve a cinematic vision. Sound design usually stays in the shadows, but sometimes a film comes along that really makes you listen: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest (2023) is one of those films. Its soundscapes are intense, involving, and essential to our narrative comprehension of the film; this is sound design as storytelling, as counterpoint, as argument.The artist in disguise behind The Zone of Interest is Johnnie Burn, a British sound designer who, over the past decade, has carved a reputation as the ear of new auteur cinema. Through longstanding collaborations with Glazer and Yorgos Lanthimos (Burn is also behind the surreal soundscapes of...
- 3/6/2024
- MUBI
Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor will bring another story of gay romance onto the screen in Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound. The plot will see two men embark on a journey to record the music and voices of their countrymen during the First World War.
Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers
While fans campaign for LGBTQ representation in Hollywood movies, many felt conflicted about the onslaught of gay movies being portrayed by straight male actors.
Suggested“That’s a filthy word”: Paul Mescal Blatantly Hates 1 Recent Online Trend as Actor Ascends Into Auteur Ranks
Fans Expressed Differing Opinions Over Paul Mescal’s New Gay Role
Oliver Hermanus expressed his love for Ben Shattuck’s novel, the material on which The History of Sound is based, via Variety. The director also professed his admiration towards Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, who will be playing Lionel and David,...
Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers
While fans campaign for LGBTQ representation in Hollywood movies, many felt conflicted about the onslaught of gay movies being portrayed by straight male actors.
Suggested“That’s a filthy word”: Paul Mescal Blatantly Hates 1 Recent Online Trend as Actor Ascends Into Auteur Ranks
Fans Expressed Differing Opinions Over Paul Mescal’s New Gay Role
Oliver Hermanus expressed his love for Ben Shattuck’s novel, the material on which The History of Sound is based, via Variety. The director also professed his admiration towards Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, who will be playing Lionel and David,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Ariane Cruz
- FandomWire
The Edinburgh International Film Festival has tapped Picturehouse Entertainment head of acquisitions Paul Ridd as its new director.
Ridd will join in December. His first festival, the event’s 77th anniversary, will take place in August 2024, with specific dates to be announced.
The festival returned for its 76th edition earlier this year following financial difficulties. It was led by Kate Taylor, who took over from Kristy Matheson who became the new director of the BFI London Film Festival. Taylor did not apply for the position again.
As director, Ridd will be responsible for creating, developing and running the business, implementing the fundraising strategy, and delivering a budget and a multi-year plan for the festival. In addition, he will work collaboratively with the board to lead the organization’s overall strategic direction and sustainability, develop the strategy and vision and build a new and dynamic team.
During Ridd’s tenure at Picturehouse,...
Ridd will join in December. His first festival, the event’s 77th anniversary, will take place in August 2024, with specific dates to be announced.
The festival returned for its 76th edition earlier this year following financial difficulties. It was led by Kate Taylor, who took over from Kristy Matheson who became the new director of the BFI London Film Festival. Taylor did not apply for the position again.
As director, Ridd will be responsible for creating, developing and running the business, implementing the fundraising strategy, and delivering a budget and a multi-year plan for the festival. In addition, he will work collaboratively with the board to lead the organization’s overall strategic direction and sustainability, develop the strategy and vision and build a new and dynamic team.
During Ridd’s tenure at Picturehouse,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Actress Saoirse Ronan ("Foe") poses for the latest issue of "Harper’s Bazaar" (UK) magazine, wearing Gucci and Cartier, photographed by Agata Pospieszynka:
Ronan is a two-time 'Academy Award' nominee, receiving a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her breakthrough role as 'Briony Tallis' in "Atonement" (2007) and a 'Best Actress' nomination for her role as 'Eilis Lacey' in "Brooklyn" (2015).
Ronan has also received three 'BAFTA Award' nominations, two 'Golden Globe' nominations, two 'Screen Actors Guild' nominations and a 'Satellite Award'.
Her feature film debut was in the romantic comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), followed by roles in "City of Ember" (2008), "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "Hanna" (2011), "The Way Back" (2010), "Byzantium" (2012), "The Host" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Lady Bird (2017).
March 2016, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of "The Crucible", playing 'Abigail Williams'.
Ronan played 'Jo March' in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" (2019), followed by 'Charlotte Murchison' in...
Ronan is a two-time 'Academy Award' nominee, receiving a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her breakthrough role as 'Briony Tallis' in "Atonement" (2007) and a 'Best Actress' nomination for her role as 'Eilis Lacey' in "Brooklyn" (2015).
Ronan has also received three 'BAFTA Award' nominations, two 'Golden Globe' nominations, two 'Screen Actors Guild' nominations and a 'Satellite Award'.
Her feature film debut was in the romantic comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), followed by roles in "City of Ember" (2008), "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "Hanna" (2011), "The Way Back" (2010), "Byzantium" (2012), "The Host" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Lady Bird (2017).
March 2016, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of "The Crucible", playing 'Abigail Williams'.
Ronan played 'Jo March' in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" (2019), followed by 'Charlotte Murchison' in...
- 10/31/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
When the companies behind Ira Sachs’ new drama about the shifting currents of intimacy in a troubled love triangle submitted Passages to the Motion Picture Association ratings board, they probably anticipated an R.
But the MPA came back with an Nc-17 rating, forcing the distributor to release the film (which premiered at Sundance earlier this year) unrated rather than risk commercial marginalization or impose cuts that would diminish its intensity. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sachs painted the MPA as an outmoded relic of the 1950s, detecting a strong whiff of dangerous cultural censorship and possible homophobia behind the seldom issued Nc-17.
Let’s be clear: Passages — which Mubi opened Aug. 4 in Los Angeles and New York before expanding to other cities in the weeks to come — is a movie with a generous amount of sex, both gay and straight. But it’s neither particularly explicit nor remotely gratuitous,...
But the MPA came back with an Nc-17 rating, forcing the distributor to release the film (which premiered at Sundance earlier this year) unrated rather than risk commercial marginalization or impose cuts that would diminish its intensity. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sachs painted the MPA as an outmoded relic of the 1950s, detecting a strong whiff of dangerous cultural censorship and possible homophobia behind the seldom issued Nc-17.
Let’s be clear: Passages — which Mubi opened Aug. 4 in Los Angeles and New York before expanding to other cities in the weeks to come — is a movie with a generous amount of sex, both gay and straight. But it’s neither particularly explicit nor remotely gratuitous,...
- 8/9/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Francis Lee’s part-historical, part-fictional simmering romance delightfully stumbles onto a warm take on love in its most bare, most vulnerable state of existence. For someone like Mary Anning, whose softness has been rubbed against the dreary, rocky shores of Lyme for far too long to persevere, to flinch at the possibility of Charlotte touching her calloused hands is to admit that not all hope has retreated with the waves. The proud, inviting flicker of light that is the sickly Mrs. Murchison challenges the gloomy grays consuming Mary’s neglected correspondence about the fossils she finds, scrapes, and polishes with love, only to have the egotistical march of men trample her hard work.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In ‘Ammonite’?
Keeping the narrative predominantly real-life-based is not something Lee concerned himself with when he decided to paint a fragmented picture of British paleontologist Mary Anning and her relationship with Charlotte Murchison,...
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In ‘Ammonite’?
Keeping the narrative predominantly real-life-based is not something Lee concerned himself with when he decided to paint a fragmented picture of British paleontologist Mary Anning and her relationship with Charlotte Murchison,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Lopamudra Mukherjee
- Film Fugitives
Alice Rohrwacher makes movies like no one else. Her extraordinary work ventures into Italy’s labyrinthine past through fascinating pocket communities, vanishing breeds that seem suspended in time. In The Wonders, it was a family of beekeepers, like the director’s own; in Happy as Lazzaro, it was isolated sharecroppers kept in the feudal dark by exploitative landowners; and in the invigoratingly strange and lyrical La Chimera, it’s a ragtag band of tombaroli, illegal grave-robbers who dig up Etruscan relics and make their money selling those antiquities on to fences who in turn sell them to museums and collectors for vastly larger sums.
The three films make up an informal trilogy — set in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria where Rohrwacher was born and grew up — about the delicate thread between life and death, present and past. The latter remains very much alive almost everywhere you look in Italy,...
The three films make up an informal trilogy — set in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria where Rohrwacher was born and grew up — about the delicate thread between life and death, present and past. The latter remains very much alive almost everywhere you look in Italy,...
- 5/26/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s a solemn command from Firebrand’s first assistant director Lydia Currie: “When you bow to the king, bow straight down,” she announces. “Don’t look at him; you’ll get your head cut off.” The fearsome monarch Currie is referring to is Henry VIII, and on this particular day, Jude Law’s king is in an ax-swinging mood. The background artists on Karim Aïnouz’s set comply to orders and stare down at their toes. Before them, seated on thrones arranged on a raised plinth, is the potentate in question, and Katherine Parr, his queen.
Henry’s had a few wives. Katherine is his sixth and every time she opens her mouth, she’s in mortal danger. How does she survive? That’s the burning question asked by Firebrand, which Aïnouz describes as a “psychological thriller”. History tells us that Parr outlived her husband, but little is known about Parr after that,...
Henry’s had a few wives. Katherine is his sixth and every time she opens her mouth, she’s in mortal danger. How does she survive? That’s the burning question asked by Firebrand, which Aïnouz describes as a “psychological thriller”. History tells us that Parr outlived her husband, but little is known about Parr after that,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Fiona Shaw (Andor), Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice) and Chaske Spencer (The English) have entered production in NYC on Park Avenue, a new indie drama from Sundance alum Gaby Dellal (On a Clear Day), who directs from her script written with Tina Alexis Allen.
A production of Rimsky Productions and Washington Square Films, Park Avenue follows a mother and daughter who, over a fraught six weeks, reveal secrets, unravel lies and ultimately lay bare the ties that bind. Paralyzed by her life wrangling cattle in Alberta, Canada, Charlotte (Waterston) jumps into her Ford Bronco, flees her over-controlling husband, and lands back in her childhood Park Avenue apartment where she takes refuge with her mother Kit (Shaw). Rediscovering the boy she loved, now her grown doorman Anders (Spencer), and the life she left at 18, the mother and daughter explore shared history, unshared truths and find a way to face both love and loss.
A production of Rimsky Productions and Washington Square Films, Park Avenue follows a mother and daughter who, over a fraught six weeks, reveal secrets, unravel lies and ultimately lay bare the ties that bind. Paralyzed by her life wrangling cattle in Alberta, Canada, Charlotte (Waterston) jumps into her Ford Bronco, flees her over-controlling husband, and lands back in her childhood Park Avenue apartment where she takes refuge with her mother Kit (Shaw). Rediscovering the boy she loved, now her grown doorman Anders (Spencer), and the life she left at 18, the mother and daughter explore shared history, unshared truths and find a way to face both love and loss.
- 5/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Take a look at new images of actress Saoirse Ronan, posing for the April 2023 issue of "Document Journal", photographed by Malick Bodian:
Ronan is a two-time 'Academy Award' nominee, receiving a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her breakthrough role as 'Briony Tallis' in "Atonement" (2007) and a 'Best Actress' nomination for her role as 'Eilis Lacey' in "Brooklyn" (2015).
Ronan has also received three 'BAFTA Award' nominations, two 'Golden Globe' nominations, two 'Screen Actors Guild' nominations and a 'Satellite Award'.
Her feature film debut was in the romantic comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), followed by roles in "City of Ember" (2008), "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "Hanna" (2011), "The Way Back" (2010), "Byzantium" (2012), "The Host" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Lady Bird (2017).
March 2016, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of "The Crucible", playing 'Abigail Williams'.
Ronan played 'Jo March' in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" (2019), followed by 'Charlotte Murchison' in...
Ronan is a two-time 'Academy Award' nominee, receiving a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her breakthrough role as 'Briony Tallis' in "Atonement" (2007) and a 'Best Actress' nomination for her role as 'Eilis Lacey' in "Brooklyn" (2015).
Ronan has also received three 'BAFTA Award' nominations, two 'Golden Globe' nominations, two 'Screen Actors Guild' nominations and a 'Satellite Award'.
Her feature film debut was in the romantic comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), followed by roles in "City of Ember" (2008), "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "Hanna" (2011), "The Way Back" (2010), "Byzantium" (2012), "The Host" (2013), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) and "Lady Bird (2017).
March 2016, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of "The Crucible", playing 'Abigail Williams'.
Ronan played 'Jo March' in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" (2019), followed by 'Charlotte Murchison' in...
- 4/29/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Composing the score for a war film can be, apologies for the metaphor, a minefield. Go too heavy on the orchestral oomph — all soaring strings and booming base — and you can quickly swing into schmaltz. Go too small and minimalist, and the onscreen explosions can overpower your music. Plus, there’s the danger of familiarity, of echoing the grand and epic scores of war films past.
So, when director Edward Berger asked his regular composer, Volker Bertelmann, to write a score for his antiwar drama All Quiet on the Western Front, he told him to break all the rules.
“I said, ‘I want something different, something we’ve never heard before,’ ” says Berger, “then, and this is almost the most important thing: I said, ‘I want you to destroy the images onscreen. Don’t beautify or sentimentalize.’ [I wanted] a sound that feels like it’s coming from inside [lead character] Paul Bäumer’s stomach.
So, when director Edward Berger asked his regular composer, Volker Bertelmann, to write a score for his antiwar drama All Quiet on the Western Front, he told him to break all the rules.
“I said, ‘I want something different, something we’ve never heard before,’ ” says Berger, “then, and this is almost the most important thing: I said, ‘I want you to destroy the images onscreen. Don’t beautify or sentimentalize.’ [I wanted] a sound that feels like it’s coming from inside [lead character] Paul Bäumer’s stomach.
- 2/25/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HBO Max’s period drama “Spy/Master” is more John le Carré than Ian Fleming, state its creators. Following Victor Godeanu, a high-ranking officer in Romania’s secret service, advisor to president Nicolae Ceaușescu – and a spy – who decides to defect in 1978.
“As a child, I used to watch James Bond, which is a very cartoony version of espionage. It was something we really wanted to avoid. We wanted it to feel real,” says Kirsten Peters.
Adina Sădeanu adds: “John le Carré’s novels, for example ‘A Perfect Spy,’ are so complex. These characters run away from their own humanity. I have always wondered: How do they live? How do they wake up in the morning, after saying so many lies?”
For Sădeanu, her journalistic background – as well as Romanian roots – came in handy as well.
“Over the years, I met many people working in intelligence. They weren’t these ‘James Bond’ types,...
“As a child, I used to watch James Bond, which is a very cartoony version of espionage. It was something we really wanted to avoid. We wanted it to feel real,” says Kirsten Peters.
Adina Sădeanu adds: “John le Carré’s novels, for example ‘A Perfect Spy,’ are so complex. These characters run away from their own humanity. I have always wondered: How do they live? How do they wake up in the morning, after saying so many lies?”
For Sădeanu, her journalistic background – as well as Romanian roots – came in handy as well.
“Over the years, I met many people working in intelligence. They weren’t these ‘James Bond’ types,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed award-winning British-Spanish actress Patsy Ferran for representation in all areas, with plans to help her secure new opportunities across film, television, theatre and more.
The signing comes off of her critically acclaimed role alongside Paul Mescal in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the hottest tickets in London which is finishing off its last week of shows at Islington’s Almeida Theatre before moving to the West End’s Phoenix for a six-week run.
This iteration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tennessee Williams play has Ferran playing the fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who is forced to endure a move into the low-rent New Orleans apartment of her younger sister Stella (Anjana Vasan) and abusive brother-in-law Stanley (Mescal) at a point when she’s already in existential crisis.
Ferran previously starred in a production of Williams’ Summer and Smoke, for which she...
The signing comes off of her critically acclaimed role alongside Paul Mescal in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the hottest tickets in London which is finishing off its last week of shows at Islington’s Almeida Theatre before moving to the West End’s Phoenix for a six-week run.
This iteration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tennessee Williams play has Ferran playing the fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who is forced to endure a move into the low-rent New Orleans apartment of her younger sister Stella (Anjana Vasan) and abusive brother-in-law Stanley (Mescal) at a point when she’s already in existential crisis.
Ferran previously starred in a production of Williams’ Summer and Smoke, for which she...
- 1/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Saoirse Ronan is set to lead Steve McQueen’s World War II epic “Blitz” for Apple TV+.
First announced back in November, the project tells the stories of a group of Londoners during the aerial bombing of the British capital during the war. McQueen is writing, directing and producing the film, which is expected to begin shooting later this year.
Ronan, who is Irish, stars in the forthcoming films “Foe” and “See How They Run.” Her recent credits include Francis Lee’s “Ammonite,” opposite Kate Winslet, and Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” in which she starred as Jo March. It’s still unclear what specific role she’ll be playing in “Blitz,” though it will mark the actor’s first project with the British helmer. Ronan will star alongside an “unknown newcomer” that’s yet to be revealed.
McQueen’s production banner Lammas Park is producing alongside Tim Bevan and...
First announced back in November, the project tells the stories of a group of Londoners during the aerial bombing of the British capital during the war. McQueen is writing, directing and producing the film, which is expected to begin shooting later this year.
Ronan, who is Irish, stars in the forthcoming films “Foe” and “See How They Run.” Her recent credits include Francis Lee’s “Ammonite,” opposite Kate Winslet, and Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” in which she starred as Jo March. It’s still unclear what specific role she’ll be playing in “Blitz,” though it will mark the actor’s first project with the British helmer. Ronan will star alongside an “unknown newcomer” that’s yet to be revealed.
McQueen’s production banner Lammas Park is producing alongside Tim Bevan and...
- 9/22/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino isn’t too concerned about the supposed death of movie theaters. With two exciting new projects in the works (plus a slew of others in the offing) coming down the pipeline, he just may be the one to save it himself. The Italian director is preparing to entice and surprise audiences with his new cannibalism romance “Bones and All,” which reunites him with his “Call Me by Your Name” star Timothee Chalamet. Chalamet stars opposite Taylor Russell in the love story, and the film is expected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Before he can celebrate, however, he has one more week of shooting for “Challengers,” a love triangle set in the world of professional tennis that pairs Guadagnino with an enticing trio of up-and-comers: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and “West Side Story” breakout Mike Faist.
“I think audiences will come back for the right movies,...
Before he can celebrate, however, he has one more week of shooting for “Challengers,” a love triangle set in the world of professional tennis that pairs Guadagnino with an enticing trio of up-and-comers: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and “West Side Story” breakout Mike Faist.
“I think audiences will come back for the right movies,...
- 6/22/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Although set in the Republic of Ireland, this slight but surprisingly powerful film will hit a raw nerve in countries all over Europe in the wake of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. More specifically, it will likely have an impact on the U.K. arthouse circuit, after the British government’s recent, controversial decision to launder asylum-seekers via a scheme deporting them to Rwanda for processing.
Why its producers chose Tribeca as a launchpad, then, is a bit of mystery, and if it’s down to star power, any stray Marvel fans drawn by Letitia Wright’s MCU pedigree certainly won’t be in for a rollercoaster thrill-ride.
That said, anyone attuned to its creative team’s integrity and the film’s careful, considered tempo will likely be sympathetic to its concerns.
Wright, deceptively superb in an unshowy, understated way, stars as Aisha Osagie, a young Nigerian woman in her 20s...
Why its producers chose Tribeca as a launchpad, then, is a bit of mystery, and if it’s down to star power, any stray Marvel fans drawn by Letitia Wright’s MCU pedigree certainly won’t be in for a rollercoaster thrill-ride.
That said, anyone attuned to its creative team’s integrity and the film’s careful, considered tempo will likely be sympathetic to its concerns.
Wright, deceptively superb in an unshowy, understated way, stars as Aisha Osagie, a young Nigerian woman in her 20s...
- 6/12/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
To mark the release of Ammonite on 14th June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
In the 1840s, acclaimed self-taught palaeontologist Mary Anning works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison, arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte, who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds.
Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities,...
In the 1840s, acclaimed self-taught palaeontologist Mary Anning works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison, arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte, who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds.
Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities,...
- 6/14/2021
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Takings were significantly up on the reopening in July 2020.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (May 21-23) Total gross to date Week 1 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Sony) £3.8m £4.6m 1 2 Nomadland (Disney) £496,375 £874,784 1 3 Godzilla Vs. Kong (Warner Bros) Tbc £1.2m 1 4 Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (Lionsgate) £478,682 £776,107 1 5 The Unholy (Sony) £250,391 £455,391 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.42
UK box office results for the first weekend post-lockdown in 2021 were positive, as Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway topped the chart with a £3.8m weekend.
The Sony family adventure has taken £4.6m since its release on Monday May 17, at a location average of £9,285 – a hugely impressive figure...
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (May 21-23) Total gross to date Week 1 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Sony) £3.8m £4.6m 1 2 Nomadland (Disney) £496,375 £874,784 1 3 Godzilla Vs. Kong (Warner Bros) Tbc £1.2m 1 4 Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (Lionsgate) £478,682 £776,107 1 5 The Unholy (Sony) £250,391 £455,391 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.42
UK box office results for the first weekend post-lockdown in 2021 were positive, as Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway topped the chart with a £3.8m weekend.
The Sony family adventure has taken £4.6m since its release on Monday May 17, at a location average of £9,285 – a hugely impressive figure...
- 5/24/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The BFI has appointed Mia Bays as the new director of its Film Fund.
Joining for an initial three-year term, Bays will lead the strategic and cultural direction of the BFI’s investment of National Lottery funds into supporting U.K. feature film production. At approximately £30 million a year, it is the largest public fund in the UK for film and filmmakers, as well as new and emerging talent through BFI Network.
Bays is currently director-at-large for Birds’ Eye View, a U.K. charity that centres the female perspective in film and campaigns for gender equality in the industry. She will remain in a consultancy role with Birds’ Eye View and intends to return there at the end of her three-year contract with the BFI Film Fund.
Bays will take up her new role in October, based between London and Nottingham.
“I mark 30 years in film this year. What a...
Joining for an initial three-year term, Bays will lead the strategic and cultural direction of the BFI’s investment of National Lottery funds into supporting U.K. feature film production. At approximately £30 million a year, it is the largest public fund in the UK for film and filmmakers, as well as new and emerging talent through BFI Network.
Bays is currently director-at-large for Birds’ Eye View, a U.K. charity that centres the female perspective in film and campaigns for gender equality in the industry. She will remain in a consultancy role with Birds’ Eye View and intends to return there at the end of her three-year contract with the BFI Film Fund.
Bays will take up her new role in October, based between London and Nottingham.
“I mark 30 years in film this year. What a...
- 4/21/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The BFI has announced Mia Bays as the new Director of BFI Film Fund for an initial three-year term.
Bays will lead the strategic and cultural direction of the BFI’s investment of National Lottery funds into supporting UK feature film production – which at about £30 million a year represents the largest public fund in the UK for film and filmmakers – as well as new and emerging talent through BFI Network. She will take up the position in October, based between London and Nottingham.
In other changes at the fund, BFI vets Natascha Wharton and Lizzie Francke, formerly Senior Production & Development Executives, are segueing to the new roles of Head of Editorial and Editor-at-Large, respectively. Farhana Bhula and Kristin Irving are promoted to Senior Production & Development Executives. Fiona Morham has taken on expanded responsibilities in her Head of Production role.
Bays said: “I mark 30 years in film this year. What a...
Bays will lead the strategic and cultural direction of the BFI’s investment of National Lottery funds into supporting UK feature film production – which at about £30 million a year represents the largest public fund in the UK for film and filmmakers – as well as new and emerging talent through BFI Network. She will take up the position in October, based between London and Nottingham.
In other changes at the fund, BFI vets Natascha Wharton and Lizzie Francke, formerly Senior Production & Development Executives, are segueing to the new roles of Head of Editorial and Editor-at-Large, respectively. Farhana Bhula and Kristin Irving are promoted to Senior Production & Development Executives. Fiona Morham has taken on expanded responsibilities in her Head of Production role.
Bays said: “I mark 30 years in film this year. What a...
- 4/21/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Cineworld will also open from May.
Independent venues in England and Scotland are starting to lay out their plans for welcoming back audiences with four weeks exactly before indoor cinemas are hoping to be allowed to reopen.
However, two major chains have yet to confirm their plans.
The Light Cinemas, a mini-chain with 10 venues situated around England, has confirmed to Screen that, subject to government approval, it intends to open all its sites following the lifting of restrictions on May 17.
“Full preparations are in place and we are pleased to see an exciting slate of films emerging over the coming months,...
Independent venues in England and Scotland are starting to lay out their plans for welcoming back audiences with four weeks exactly before indoor cinemas are hoping to be allowed to reopen.
However, two major chains have yet to confirm their plans.
The Light Cinemas, a mini-chain with 10 venues situated around England, has confirmed to Screen that, subject to government approval, it intends to open all its sites following the lifting of restrictions on May 17.
“Full preparations are in place and we are pleased to see an exciting slate of films emerging over the coming months,...
- 4/19/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Filmmaker Chris McKay has entered into talks with Universale to tackle an adaptation of ‘Dracula’ story R.M. ‘Renfield’ for Universal Pictures‘ new revamped Monster universe.
‘Renfield’ is a fictional character that appears in Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel ‘Dracula’. He was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions that compel him to eat living creatures in the hope of obtaining their life force for himself. It later turns out he is actually a servant of Dracula.
Plot details are currently unknown, though it’s believed to take place during the present day and is not a period piece.
Also in news – Josh O’Connor & Francis Lee to reunite for untitled horror movie
‘Rocketman’ helmer Dexter Fletcher was originally attached to direct the project.
This version of the project is based on an original pitch from ‘The Walking Dead’ author Robert Kirkman with...
‘Renfield’ is a fictional character that appears in Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel ‘Dracula’. He was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions that compel him to eat living creatures in the hope of obtaining their life force for himself. It later turns out he is actually a servant of Dracula.
Plot details are currently unknown, though it’s believed to take place during the present day and is not a period piece.
Also in news – Josh O’Connor & Francis Lee to reunite for untitled horror movie
‘Rocketman’ helmer Dexter Fletcher was originally attached to direct the project.
This version of the project is based on an original pitch from ‘The Walking Dead’ author Robert Kirkman with...
- 4/14/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
‘Ammonite’ and ‘God’s Own Country’ filmmaker is set to reunite with Josh O’Connor on a new horror project.
Thanks to an in-depth profile piece on Lee, Esquire, wrangled out of the director the news on his latest project which is said to be an adaptation of a novel, the name of which he is keeping tight-lipped about.
Lee described the story as a “20th century-set horror movie with strong elements of ‘class and queerness’, about a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.”
Also in news – Paul Dano to play Spielberg’s Father in untitled movie
O’Connor made his big breakthrough in Lee’s ‘God’s Own Country’ which told the story of the struggling sheep farmer Johnny Saxby who not only has to deal with living with his grandmother and sickly father by numbing his frustrations with drinking and casual sex until a Romanian migrant worker sets him on a new path.
Thanks to an in-depth profile piece on Lee, Esquire, wrangled out of the director the news on his latest project which is said to be an adaptation of a novel, the name of which he is keeping tight-lipped about.
Lee described the story as a “20th century-set horror movie with strong elements of ‘class and queerness’, about a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.”
Also in news – Paul Dano to play Spielberg’s Father in untitled movie
O’Connor made his big breakthrough in Lee’s ‘God’s Own Country’ which told the story of the struggling sheep farmer Johnny Saxby who not only has to deal with living with his grandmother and sickly father by numbing his frustrations with drinking and casual sex until a Romanian migrant worker sets him on a new path.
- 4/12/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any updates on Francis Lee‘s untitled horror film, which he’s said will explore “some fundamentals about being queer.” Well, we finally have a bit of casting news, as Josh O’Connor is reuniting with his “God’s Own Country” director and starring in the upcoming horror film.
Read More: ‘Ammonite’ Director Francis Lee Reveals He’s Working On A Horror Movie Next
In a profile for Esquire, Lee revealed that Josh O’Connor will lead his next project, which is described as “a horror movie with strong elements of ‘class and queerness’, about a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.” The film is apparently an adaptation of a novel, but Lee refuses to disclose what novel that is.
Continue reading ‘God’s Own Country’ Star Josh O’Connor Reuniting With Director Francis Lee For His Upcoming Horror Film at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Ammonite’ Director Francis Lee Reveals He’s Working On A Horror Movie Next
In a profile for Esquire, Lee revealed that Josh O’Connor will lead his next project, which is described as “a horror movie with strong elements of ‘class and queerness’, about a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.” The film is apparently an adaptation of a novel, but Lee refuses to disclose what novel that is.
Continue reading ‘God’s Own Country’ Star Josh O’Connor Reuniting With Director Francis Lee For His Upcoming Horror Film at The Playlist.
- 4/10/2021
- by Rafael Motamayor
- The Playlist
“My favorite genre is horror. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to make a really, really fucking scary horror film. So I’m working on that,” director Francis Lee revealed to us last year when it came to his follow-up to Ammonite. After teaming with Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet for that period project, he’s now revealed who will lead this next film––and it will be a reunion.
In a profile for Esquire, the director revealed that Josh O’Connor, who led his remarkable debut film God’s Own Country, will lead this project. While he wouldn’t disclose the novel he’s adapting for his third feature, it was noted it will touch on “class and queerness,” following “a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.” Since God’s Own Country, O’Connor has starred in Emma. and The Crown, and we look forward to what’s in store for this new film.
In a profile for Esquire, the director revealed that Josh O’Connor, who led his remarkable debut film God’s Own Country, will lead this project. While he wouldn’t disclose the novel he’s adapting for his third feature, it was noted it will touch on “class and queerness,” following “a sad young man alone in an epic wilderness.” Since God’s Own Country, O’Connor has starred in Emma. and The Crown, and we look forward to what’s in store for this new film.
- 4/8/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
• Vulture Marcia Gay Harden answers all the questions about her awesome Oscar win for Pollock on its 20th anniversary
• Mnpp Josh O'Connor to make a queer horror film with Francis Lee
• Deadline very interesting (if way too complimentary) report on dubbing films into other languages. Daniel Brühl is among the top actors who dub their own performances into multiple languages rather than letting other actors do it and change the performance. It helps that he's fluent in multiple languages of course.
More after the jump including Pose, Regé-Jean Page, Killers of the Moon, a new adaptation of Blindness, and recent showbiz deaths...
• Mnpp Josh O'Connor to make a queer horror film with Francis Lee
• Deadline very interesting (if way too complimentary) report on dubbing films into other languages. Daniel Brühl is among the top actors who dub their own performances into multiple languages rather than letting other actors do it and change the performance. It helps that he's fluent in multiple languages of course.
More after the jump including Pose, Regé-Jean Page, Killers of the Moon, a new adaptation of Blindness, and recent showbiz deaths...
- 4/8/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Directed by Antaine Furlong, starring Charlotte Best, and set in the elevator of a high-rise, the sci-fi thriller Rising Wolf has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films:
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired Worldwide Rights (excl. Australia and New Zealand) to Antaine Furlong’s feature ‘Rising Wolf’. The film stars Charlotte Best (A Name Without A Place), Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (TV’s Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and introducing Karelina Clarke.
A young woman wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. This stylistic thriller, set in Shanghai, explores a young woman's instinct to survive in a situation out of her control. Trapped, without any form of escape, and cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking,...
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired Worldwide Rights (excl. Australia and New Zealand) to Antaine Furlong’s feature ‘Rising Wolf’. The film stars Charlotte Best (A Name Without A Place), Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (TV’s Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and introducing Karelina Clarke.
A young woman wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. This stylistic thriller, set in Shanghai, explores a young woman's instinct to survive in a situation out of her control. Trapped, without any form of escape, and cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking,...
- 4/7/2021
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Francis Lee’s sensational biopic of palaeontology pioneer Mary Anning reimagines her erotic encounter with a woman trapped in a stifling marriage
The open secret of Victorian sexuality is rediscovered by film-maker Francis Lee in this fine, intimate, intelligently acted movie about forbidden love in 1840s Lyme Regis. But it isn’t exactly a tale of two French Lieutenant’s Women, despite the inevitably tense walk up the fabled Cobb, filmed in thoughtful longshot. The complicated power balance between the principals makes the comparison incorrect. Actually, the film that swam into my head afterwards was Jane Campion’s The Piano.
Ammonite is an absorbing drama that sensationally brings together two superlative performers: Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet. Combining these alpha players doubles or actually quadruples the screen voltage, and their passion co-exists with the cool, calm subtlety with which Lee inspects the domestic circumstances in which their paths crossed. It...
The open secret of Victorian sexuality is rediscovered by film-maker Francis Lee in this fine, intimate, intelligently acted movie about forbidden love in 1840s Lyme Regis. But it isn’t exactly a tale of two French Lieutenant’s Women, despite the inevitably tense walk up the fabled Cobb, filmed in thoughtful longshot. The complicated power balance between the principals makes the comparison incorrect. Actually, the film that swam into my head afterwards was Jane Campion’s The Piano.
Ammonite is an absorbing drama that sensationally brings together two superlative performers: Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet. Combining these alpha players doubles or actually quadruples the screen voltage, and their passion co-exists with the cool, calm subtlety with which Lee inspects the domestic circumstances in which their paths crossed. It...
- 3/25/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Yorkshire director sparked a storm by portraying fossil-hunter Mary Anning as a lesbian. He explains why the film, which stars Kate Winslet as the lead, is his most personal yet
The love story Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet as the 19th-century fossil-hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning, was chosen to close last year’s London film festival, but its director, Francis Lee, has yet to see it with an audience. “I live in Yorkshire,” he explains. Behind him are wooden beams, a kitchen table, red and yellow tulips bursting eagerly from a vase. “We were in local lockdown and it didn’t feel appropriate to travel when no one else could.”
Ammonite certainly doesn’t need any additional controversy. Two years ago, before Lee had even shot a page of the script, he was pilloried in the press for having portrayed Mary Anning as a lesbian without any evidence to support his conjecture.
The love story Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet as the 19th-century fossil-hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning, was chosen to close last year’s London film festival, but its director, Francis Lee, has yet to see it with an audience. “I live in Yorkshire,” he explains. Behind him are wooden beams, a kitchen table, red and yellow tulips bursting eagerly from a vase. “We were in local lockdown and it didn’t feel appropriate to travel when no one else could.”
Ammonite certainly doesn’t need any additional controversy. Two years ago, before Lee had even shot a page of the script, he was pilloried in the press for having portrayed Mary Anning as a lesbian without any evidence to support his conjecture.
- 3/23/2021
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
See-Saw Films has upped Simon Gillis to chief operating officer across both film and television as the company grows its business affairs and production teams.
The promotion for the London-based Gillis, who reports to joint MDs Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, comes alongside a number of new appointments.
These include Katie FitzGerald Frazer and Ellen Lister as senior business and legal affairs executives, and Emily Leach as senior production executive. Katie joins See-Saw from entertainment law firm Sheridans, Ellen from ITN Productions, and Emily from Film4.
In the Sydney office, Rachel Gardner has also been promoted from executive producer to the newly-created role of head of drama Australia.
Gardner has worked for See-Saw for the seven years, driving a slate of Australian projects such as recent Foxtel drama The End. Her move to head of drama forms part of the company’s ambition to further develop and nurture Australian talent.
The promotion for the London-based Gillis, who reports to joint MDs Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, comes alongside a number of new appointments.
These include Katie FitzGerald Frazer and Ellen Lister as senior business and legal affairs executives, and Emily Leach as senior production executive. Katie joins See-Saw from entertainment law firm Sheridans, Ellen from ITN Productions, and Emily from Film4.
In the Sydney office, Rachel Gardner has also been promoted from executive producer to the newly-created role of head of drama Australia.
Gardner has worked for See-Saw for the seven years, driving a slate of Australian projects such as recent Foxtel drama The End. Her move to head of drama forms part of the company’s ambition to further develop and nurture Australian talent.
- 3/11/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Intermission Film also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Film.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of £10,000.
The...
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Film.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of £10,000.
The...
- 3/11/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Intermission Films also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...
- 3/11/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Intermission Films also signs up to support the award, aimed at UK-based filmmakers with non-English scripts.
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...
The Mother Tongues Award, a new development initiative backed by UK distributor Curzon and French sales agent Charades, has unveiled its inaugural shortlist - and secured further support from creative agency Intermission Films.
The award, which is focused on feature film projects by UK-based filmmakers in which the dialogue is in a language other than English, has selected a shortlist of 10 projects from 112 entries that spanned 47 languages and dialects. All will attend a workshop and subsequently a panel interview for the development award of...
- 3/11/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Oscar voting is wrapping on Wednesday, but it ain’t over ’til it’s over. Film distributor Neon, the reigning champion at the Academy Awards for best picture with “Parasite,” has another stack of contenders this year, all unique in awards discussions. CEO and co-founder Tom Quinn has always pushed the boundaries of cinema, and deeply believes in cultural representation in front and behind the camera, and the way consumers and Academy voters accept the film medium.
“Neon’s entire mission is built around the power of cinema,” Quinn says. “Cinema for us starts in the theater, a collective body of strangers coming together to see a director’s vision — unedited, uninterrupted — and with that comes great power.”
In this bonus episode of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” Quinn talks about Neon’s robust slate, which includes the comedy “Palm Springs,” international features like “Night of the Kings,” and docs...
“Neon’s entire mission is built around the power of cinema,” Quinn says. “Cinema for us starts in the theater, a collective body of strangers coming together to see a director’s vision — unedited, uninterrupted — and with that comes great power.”
In this bonus episode of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” Quinn talks about Neon’s robust slate, which includes the comedy “Palm Springs,” international features like “Night of the Kings,” and docs...
- 3/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
In three of the last five years, there has been a divide between the winners of Best Picture at the Oscars. Before the academy reintroduced the preferential ballot for Best Picture in 2010, such splits were fairly rare. Since then, they are almost the rule rather than the exception at the Academy Awards having occurred in five of the last 11 years. Why the change? (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Director.)
The winner of Best Picture is now determined by a weighted ballot while the other 23 races, including Best Director, are decided by a popular vote. While voters simply check one nominee in those other races, when it comes to Best Picture they are asked to rank all the nominees. If one contender garners more than 50% of the first-place votes, it wins. If, however, no nominee crosses that threshold, the film with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated,...
The winner of Best Picture is now determined by a weighted ballot while the other 23 races, including Best Director, are decided by a popular vote. While voters simply check one nominee in those other races, when it comes to Best Picture they are asked to rank all the nominees. If one contender garners more than 50% of the first-place votes, it wins. If, however, no nominee crosses that threshold, the film with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
17 Films by Anand Patwardhan
One of the greatest chroniclers of Indian history over the past half-century, Anand Patwardhan has caused controversy in his native country for his searing, in-depth political documentaries . Now, his complete filmography is available to view, from his first film Waves of Revolution made in 1974 through his most recent film Reason completed in 2018.
Where to Stream: Ovid.tv
Ammonite (Francis Lee)
Calling a Kate Winslet performance career-best is no easy statement, but her turn as 19th-century English paleontologist Mary Anning in Ammonite is certainly in consideration. Few writer-directors trust their actors to do so much with so little dialogue as Francis Lee. Like Josh O’Connor’s Johnny in Lee’s debut,...
17 Films by Anand Patwardhan
One of the greatest chroniclers of Indian history over the past half-century, Anand Patwardhan has caused controversy in his native country for his searing, in-depth political documentaries . Now, his complete filmography is available to view, from his first film Waves of Revolution made in 1974 through his most recent film Reason completed in 2018.
Where to Stream: Ovid.tv
Ammonite (Francis Lee)
Calling a Kate Winslet performance career-best is no easy statement, but her turn as 19th-century English paleontologist Mary Anning in Ammonite is certainly in consideration. Few writer-directors trust their actors to do so much with so little dialogue as Francis Lee. Like Josh O’Connor’s Johnny in Lee’s debut,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A version of this story about “Nomadland” appears in the Oscar Nominations Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Cinematographer Joshua James Richards, an awards magnet for his gorgeous orangey work on “Nomandland,” has spent most of his career out in the real, rural world. His credits include three features with “Nomadland” director (and his partner in life), Chloé Zhao, all made in the American West or Midwest, where scorpions dance maniacally along the desert floor. (More on that below.)
And sometimes, while working long days in cold, harsh conditions, even something as benign as a light source can be amusing. While filming “Nomadland,” Richards was operating the camera and filming Frances McDormand, playing the main character, Fern, as she rearranged items in the Ford van that is also her home. The scene required more glow, and he attached a tiny LED penlight to the camera. Richards glanced at Zhao,...
Cinematographer Joshua James Richards, an awards magnet for his gorgeous orangey work on “Nomandland,” has spent most of his career out in the real, rural world. His credits include three features with “Nomadland” director (and his partner in life), Chloé Zhao, all made in the American West or Midwest, where scorpions dance maniacally along the desert floor. (More on that below.)
And sometimes, while working long days in cold, harsh conditions, even something as benign as a light source can be amusing. While filming “Nomadland,” Richards was operating the camera and filming Frances McDormand, playing the main character, Fern, as she rearranged items in the Ford van that is also her home. The scene required more glow, and he attached a tiny LED penlight to the camera. Richards glanced at Zhao,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Since the academy expanded the Best Picture category at the Oscars in 2010, Best Original Screenplay has gone to writers of a wide-range of genres: dramas; comedies (“Midnight in Paris”); biopics; true-life stories (“Spotlight”); period pictures (“Django Unchained”); war movies (“The Hurt Locker”); sci-fi (“Her”), thrillers (“Parasite”) and horror (“Get Out”). (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Original Screenplay and be sure to check out our predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay.)
Regardless of the type of film, a nominee needs broad academy support to win this race. Indeed, all 11 of these most recent Best Original Screenplay winners were, at the least, Best Picture nominees. And six of them won the big prize, bringing the total number of Best Picture champs with Oscar-winning original screenplays to 18. By comparison, 41 films have done this on the adapted side.
In 2019, all five nominees for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards...
Regardless of the type of film, a nominee needs broad academy support to win this race. Indeed, all 11 of these most recent Best Original Screenplay winners were, at the least, Best Picture nominees. And six of them won the big prize, bringing the total number of Best Picture champs with Oscar-winning original screenplays to 18. By comparison, 41 films have done this on the adapted side.
In 2019, all five nominees for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards...
- 2/26/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers whose films are in awards contention and among the most critically acclaimed films of the year to find out which cameras and lenses they used and, more importantly, why these were the right tools to create the visual language of their respective films.
All films are listed alphabetically by title.
“Ammonite”
Dir: Francis Lee, DoP: Stéphane Fontaine
Format: Redcode Raw 7K and 8K
Camera: Red Monstro
Lens: Canon K35
Fontaine: From my very first conversations with Francis Lee, it was quite obvious that our main characters were a bit reluctant to express their emotions with words, and that the camera had to find a way to capture their feelings without being intrusive. Using a camera with a big sensor such as the Red Monstro allowed us to photograph them as if using a medium-format still camera, focusing on their faces and also giving a painterly quality to the background.
All films are listed alphabetically by title.
“Ammonite”
Dir: Francis Lee, DoP: Stéphane Fontaine
Format: Redcode Raw 7K and 8K
Camera: Red Monstro
Lens: Canon K35
Fontaine: From my very first conversations with Francis Lee, it was quite obvious that our main characters were a bit reluctant to express their emotions with words, and that the camera had to find a way to capture their feelings without being intrusive. Using a camera with a big sensor such as the Red Monstro allowed us to photograph them as if using a medium-format still camera, focusing on their faces and also giving a painterly quality to the background.
- 2/24/2021
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
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
The Writers Guild of America Awards announced their nominations where big boosts were given to films like “Judas and the Black Messiah” from Shaka King, “Palm Springs” from Max Barbakow and “The White Tiger” from Ramin Bahrani.
Missing from the lineup, that was eligible, are “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” in the original screenplay category and “First Cow” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” in the adapted.
The full list of nominations is below:
Original Screenplay
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros) – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas “Palm Springs” (Hulu/Neon) – Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Written by Emerald Fennell “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios) – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Written by Aaron Sorkin...
Missing from the lineup, that was eligible, are “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” in the original screenplay category and “First Cow” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” in the adapted.
The full list of nominations is below:
Original Screenplay
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros) – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas “Palm Springs” (Hulu/Neon) – Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Written by Emerald Fennell “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios) – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Written by Aaron Sorkin...
- 2/16/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Every year, the Writers Guild of America leaves out several Oscar-contending screenplays in its award nominations. But this year’s ineligible list is massive, from “Mank” to “Nomadland.” The WGA maintains jurisdiction over whether scripts are produced under a Writer’s Guild contract, and who finally gets credit on a screenplay. The guild insists on withholding non-signatories from being part of the WGA Awards.
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
- 2/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Every year, the Writers Guild of America leaves out several Oscar-contending screenplays in its award nominations. But this year’s ineligible list is massive, from “Mank” to “Nomadland.” The WGA maintains jurisdiction over whether scripts are produced under a Writer’s Guild contract, and who finally gets credit on a screenplay. The guild insists on withholding non-signatories from being part of the WGA Awards.
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
That’s why, unlike the other guilds, every year a long list of WGA ineligible indie, British, and animated movies are excluded. A WGA nomination isn’t essential for Oscar nomination; plenty of exceptions include American indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Iranian Oscar-winner “A Separation,” Oscar-winning British films “Les Miserables,” and “The Favourite,” and all Pixar animated contenders, from “Up” to “Incredibles 2.” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech” both won Best Picture without the benefit of a WGA nomination.
The WGA nominees listed below...
- 2/16/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
For filmmaker Francis Lee, his lesbian love story Ammonite between notable 19th century fossil hunter Mary Anning and socialite Charlotte Murchison wasn’t so much a response to the uber-conservative culture we’ve experienced over the past four years, rather, it was more personal for the 2017 Sundance-winning filmmaker of God’s Own Country.
“I’m a working class person, and I’m also queer and with Ammonite, what I was trying to do was find a way for me to understand my journey about feeling like, or sometimes or often, an outsider. How do you have to forge your own path? You don’t necessarily go down the well-trodden path because of the circumstance. So, how do you circum-navigate or go in a slightly different direction to find your own personal happiness?” Lee tells Crew Call today.
Ammonite follows Mary Anning, played by Kate Winslet, who finds fossils on the Dorset...
“I’m a working class person, and I’m also queer and with Ammonite, what I was trying to do was find a way for me to understand my journey about feeling like, or sometimes or often, an outsider. How do you have to forge your own path? You don’t necessarily go down the well-trodden path because of the circumstance. So, how do you circum-navigate or go in a slightly different direction to find your own personal happiness?” Lee tells Crew Call today.
Ammonite follows Mary Anning, played by Kate Winslet, who finds fossils on the Dorset...
- 2/9/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
To follow up his 2017 breakout indie hit God’s Own Country, Francis Lee found inspiration in the story of a little-known British fossil collector named Mary Anning. For Ammonite, he embellished what little is known about Anning, fashioning a romantic story for her, and cast Kate Winslet as the enigmatic heroine and Saoirse Ronan as the young woman who cracks her shell.
Lee, joined by the Oscar-winning Winslet on Neon’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event, said he happened upon Anning’s story by chance.
Contenders Film: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“I was actually looking for a gift for a friend who really liked polished stones and fossils,” he says. “So I was Googling quite a lot and Mary Anning’s name kept coming up. So I started to read about her and I was instantly struck by her circumstances. Here was this woman, born into a working-class family,...
Lee, joined by the Oscar-winning Winslet on Neon’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event, said he happened upon Anning’s story by chance.
Contenders Film: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“I was actually looking for a gift for a friend who really liked polished stones and fossils,” he says. “So I was Googling quite a lot and Mary Anning’s name kept coming up. So I started to read about her and I was instantly struck by her circumstances. Here was this woman, born into a working-class family,...
- 1/24/2021
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
The second day of Deadline’s Contenders Film kicks off Sunday at 8 a.m. Pt, returning after a big Day 1 on Saturday to complete a slate of 49 films from 16 studios and distributors, one that features a hugely impressive lineup of talent numbering 150 speakers over the course of the weekend for our annual awards-season event.
Click here to register and join the livestream, and follow along all day with coverage on Deadline as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
Due to obvious health and safety reasons, and following guidelines about gatherings set by the CDC, Contenders is going virtual, after success doing so starting with Contenders TV in the spring and then again with Contenders International and Contenders Documentary. It has boosted the global reach of the event, and although we miss seeing everyone in person, it has been...
Click here to register and join the livestream, and follow along all day with coverage on Deadline as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
Due to obvious health and safety reasons, and following guidelines about gatherings set by the CDC, Contenders is going virtual, after success doing so starting with Contenders TV in the spring and then again with Contenders International and Contenders Documentary. It has boosted the global reach of the event, and although we miss seeing everyone in person, it has been...
- 1/24/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Kate Winslet has been an undeniable talent for over 25 years, dating back to her breakout turn in 1994’s “Heavenly Creatures” from Peter Jackson. This year, she teamed with Francis Lee for his relationship drama “Ammonite” from Neon. Playing Mary Anning, an English fossil collector, dealer, and paleontologist, the Oscar-winner displays new colors of her acting technique, delivering one of her strongest turns opposite Saoirse Ronan.
With seven career Oscar nominations from collaborations with Ang Lee (“Sense and Sensibility”), James Cameron (“Titanic”), Richard Eyre (“Iris”), Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Todd Field (“Little Children”), Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”) and Danny Boyle (“Steve Jobs”), the 45-year-old actor reflects on her early days in the industry in a candid, no-holds-barred interview.
“You’re getting the most real version of me,” Winslet says from her home kitchen on the south coast of England. “I’ve been doing these Zoom calls for...
With seven career Oscar nominations from collaborations with Ang Lee (“Sense and Sensibility”), James Cameron (“Titanic”), Richard Eyre (“Iris”), Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Todd Field (“Little Children”), Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”) and Danny Boyle (“Steve Jobs”), the 45-year-old actor reflects on her early days in the industry in a candid, no-holds-barred interview.
“You’re getting the most real version of me,” Winslet says from her home kitchen on the south coast of England. “I’ve been doing these Zoom calls for...
- 1/16/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Film Festival’s 2021 virtual Main Street will play host to a series of conversations about music and the movies, hosted by first-time festival partner Film Music House, with Mary J. Blige, Rufus Wainwright and Colin Stetson (pictured above) among those taking part in the streamed chats Jan. 28 through Feb. 3.
Blige will join Nova Wav and DJ Camper in a conversation on songwriting for films. Wainwright will participate in a panel on the music of the film “Rebel Hearts” with veteran music supervisor Tracy McKnight and Ariel Marx. A panel about music auteurs will feature Stetson as well as Bryce Dessner of the National and Alex Somers.
The confab’s keynote conversations will spotlight Mychael Danna, Jeff Beal, Dan Romer, Miriam Cuter and Rob Simonsen.
The full lineup of names and times for Film Music House programs can be found on Sundance’s Village site, here.
Other programs include...
Blige will join Nova Wav and DJ Camper in a conversation on songwriting for films. Wainwright will participate in a panel on the music of the film “Rebel Hearts” with veteran music supervisor Tracy McKnight and Ariel Marx. A panel about music auteurs will feature Stetson as well as Bryce Dessner of the National and Alex Somers.
The confab’s keynote conversations will spotlight Mychael Danna, Jeff Beal, Dan Romer, Miriam Cuter and Rob Simonsen.
The full lineup of names and times for Film Music House programs can be found on Sundance’s Village site, here.
Other programs include...
- 1/14/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Kate Winslet says she was bullied by the press after being propelled to stardom at the age of 21 when she starred in James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic.
“I went into self-protective mode right away [after Titanic came out],” Winslet said on Marc Maron’s podcast Wtf. “It was like night and day from one day to the next. I was subject to a lot of personal physical scrutiny, I was criticized a lot and the British press were quite unkind to me.”
“I felt bullied if I’m honest,” she continued. “I remember thinking, ‘this is horrible and I hope it passes’ – it did definitely pass but it made me realize that, if that’s what being famous was, I was not ready to be famous, definitely not.”
Winslet famously did not capitalize on her Titanic platform to continue landing splashy roles in blockbuster movies, instead pursuing indie productions to hone her craft.
“I went into self-protective mode right away [after Titanic came out],” Winslet said on Marc Maron’s podcast Wtf. “It was like night and day from one day to the next. I was subject to a lot of personal physical scrutiny, I was criticized a lot and the British press were quite unkind to me.”
“I felt bullied if I’m honest,” she continued. “I remember thinking, ‘this is horrible and I hope it passes’ – it did definitely pass but it made me realize that, if that’s what being famous was, I was not ready to be famous, definitely not.”
Winslet famously did not capitalize on her Titanic platform to continue landing splashy roles in blockbuster movies, instead pursuing indie productions to hone her craft.
- 1/14/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
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