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Your Monster, starring Melissa Barrera, blends dark humour, romance, and horror in a modern feminist fairytale that reimagines what it means to confront your demons—literally. Directed by Caroline Lindy, this romantic-comedy-horror lands in UK and Ireland cinemas on 29 November, courtesy of Vertigo Releasing.

Barrera stars as Laura Franco, a struggling actress recovering from both a serious illness and a devastating breakup. Returning to her childhood home, she hopes to find solace, but instead discovers a Monster (Tommy Dewey) living in her bedroom closet. Initially terrified, Laura soon realises that the creature is as witty as he is unnerving. As their unlikely relationship develops, the Monster becomes her confidant and ally, helping her to confront her manipulative ex-boyfriend and reclaim her life.

The film explores themes of self-discovery, empowerment, and rage as Laura channels her experiences into a renewed sense of purpose. Supported by standout performances from Meghann Fahy (The...

Vertigo Releasing has acquired U.K. and Ireland distribution rights to “The Kingdom,” directed by Corsican filmmaker Julien Colonna. The organized crime thriller and coming-of-age drama is set for theatrical release in spring 2025.

The film, which bowed in the Un Certain Regard strand at Cannes, centers on a teenage girl named Lesia who discovers her father, a crime boss, hiding out at a remote villa with his clan. Set against the backdrop of Corsica in 1995, the narrative follows the father-daughter pair as they’re forced to flee when violence erupts in the criminal underworld.

The picture introduces newcomers Ghjuvanna Benedetti and Saveriu Santucci in the lead roles of daughter and father, respectively, with the production featuring a predominantly Corsican ensemble cast.

Reviewing the film at Cannes for Variety, critic Peter Debruge wrote: “In his sure-handed and chilling first narrative feature, director Julien Colonna examines the personal cost of the gangster...

Back in early 2023, it was announced that Best Actor Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Lily James, who was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy, had signed on to star in the thriller Relay for director David Mackenzie, whose credits include Outlaw King, Under the Banner of Heaven, and Best Picture nominee Hell or High Water. By the end of April, they were joined in the cast by Sam Worthington of the Avatar franchise and production was underway. A year and a half later, Relay has finally secured a U.S. distribution deal, with Bleecker Street revealing that they’re planning to give the film a theatrical release sometime in 2025.

Worthington and Mackenzie previously worked together on Under the Banner of Heaven. Details on his Relay character have not been revealed.

Mackenzie wrote the screenplay for Relay with Justin Piasecki,...

Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to “Relay” following the twisty thriller’s debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The film was directed by David MacKenzie, who oversaw the Oscar-nominated “Hell or High Water,” and stars Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) and Sam Worthington (“Avatar”). Bleecker Street is planning to release the film in theaters next year.

“Relay” puts a new spin on the kind of paranoid loner films like “The Conversation” and “The Parallax View” that populated ’70s cinema. In it, Ahmed plays a “fixer” who specializes in brokering payoffs between businesses and employees who have secrets about corporate malfeasance that could ruin companies. Because of the nature of his work, he keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning, but his guard drops ever so slightly when he takes on a new client (Lily James) who needs his protection to stay alive.

Two days after being chosen as the recipient of the Cinema Vanguard Award at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Adrien Brody has been awarded another top honor at an influential awards season stop.

On Thursday, the Palm Springs International Film Awards revealed Brody will get the group’s Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor for his performance in “The Brutalist.”

The film, due out in December via A24, is one of the year’s top awards contenders and has Brody on a collision course for his second-ever Oscar nomination. He was last nominated in 2002 for “The Pianist” and later won Best Actor.

“In ‘The Brutalist,’ Adrien Brody delivers a stunning performance as architect László Toth following his escape to America to rebuild his life, having been forced to flee Europe at the end of the war. Brody’s mesmerizing portrayal showcases the depth of human dignity in the face of incredible suffering,...

The motion picture academy made it a little easier in 2021 to predict the winners by combining Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing into one category: Best Sound. Both sound mixers and sound editors are recognized in the combined category. Up to six statuettes will be awarded to one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers. The inaugural winner of Best Sound was, appropriately enough “Sound of Metal.” In 2022 this prize went to “Dune” while “Top Gun: Maverick” won in 2023. The reigning champ is “The Zone of Interest.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Sound.)

The sound branch determines the nominees in two stages. First, members of the branch cast preferential ballots with the top 10 vote-getters, announced on December 17, moving on to the second stage. Members who attend screenings of excerpts from these 10 semi-finalists or attest that they have seen them cast...

Chloe Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos and Manny Jacinto will lead the ensemble of the upcoming romantic comedy “Love Language,” which counts “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost among its producers.

Lukas Gage, Isabel May and Billie Lourd are rounding out the cast.

Joey Power, whose credits include “After Everything” and “Banana Split,” is directing the film in addition to writing the screenplay. “Love Language” is billed as a romantic comedy, though plot details are being kept under wraps. Principal photography is slated to begin mid-October in Chicago.

CAA Media Finance is representing the U.S. rights to the film. Caviar, the independent production company that backed “Sound of Metal,” has arranged full financing for the production. “Love Language” is produced by Ari Lubet for 3 Arts Entertainment, Jost and Jeff Grosvenor for No Notes Productions, and Bert Hamelinck and Allison Hironaka for Caviar. Executive producers include Michael Sagol of Caviar and Tyson Bidner.

Monica Beletsky, the creator, executive producer and showrunner on “Manhunt,” has signed with management and production company 42.

“Manhunt,” which starred Emmy-winner Tobias Menzies and Anthony Boyle, premiered this year on Apple TV+. Beletsky also served as a writer and producer on the third season of FX’s “Fargo,” starring Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The season received 16 Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations, and earned Beletsky a shared Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series, alongside Writers’ Guild Award and PGA Award nods. She was the only female writer and producer nominated in the Outstanding Limited Series category that year.

In addition, Beletsky’s credits include NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” as well as HBO’s “The Leftovers.” From 2019 to 2022, Beletsky was on an overall deal at Apple TV+, and she has previously developed features for HBO Films, Tristar/Sony and Amazon, in addition to...

When it comes to predicting the Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, you can’t go wrong by looking for the movie with the most cuts. Past winners “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2008), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016), “Ford v Ferrari” (2020), “Dune” (2022) and 2023’s champ “Everything Everywhere All at Once” included high-octane action sequences with frenetic cutting. A slew of winners — including “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999, “Black Hawk Down” (2002), “The Hurt Locker” (2010), “Hacksaw Ridge” (2017), “Dunkirk” (2018) and, to some extent, “Oppenheimer” (2024) — have been war pictures. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Film Editing.)

Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019) and 2021 winner “Sound of Metal.” Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity...

Perennial favorite in American indie cinema, we’ll definitely be getting some Derek Cianfrance cinema in 2025 as production began this week on Roofman. Deadline reports that Kirsten Dunst will play the person who is admired from afar (or from above) in the true-life story of Jeffrey Manchester – who spent months living undetected in a makeshift hideout inside a Toys “R” Us store, where he would sleep and plan further crimes. Channing Tatum takes on the lead role. Cianfrance wrote the project with Kirt Gunn (who has a producer credit in Sound of Metal). Limelight’s Dylan Sellers and Chris Parker produce alongside Jamie Patricof (Hunting Lane) and Lynette Howell Taylor (51 Entertainment).…...

David Mackenzie is full of deceit. His movies, not him.

Mackenzie can lure you with the cunningness of an illicit couple, played by Tilda Swnton and Ewan McGregor, in his 2003 drama Young Adam. “Give us a come-hither look,” I remember him instructing Swinton on a barge berthed on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland.

Treachery of a different kind is afoot in his latest film Relay, which had its world premiere Sunday at TIFF.

The chicanery is there. There’s no sex, but there’s seduction.

The audience is being seduced too; we’re being lulled. You’ve been warned.

The two protagonists are played by Riz Ahmed and Lily James, at the top of their game. And what delectable games they play.

Beige is the color of conformity. James is first seen wearing a suit in that tone because she doesn’t want to stand out. She’s...

“Silence is not emptiness. It is not the absence of something. It is the presence of the self, and nothing else,” says the riveting titular protagonist in “Viktor.” “In this silence, I find my peace.”

One of the unexpected gems of this year’s fest, “Viktor” is a (Darren Aronofsky-produced) doc from the multi-award-winning director/Dp Olivier Sarbil, a globetrotting conflict photojournalist who’s now chosen to set his latest in Ukraine., a nail-biting investigative look at the former Philippines strongman Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs” through both its mostly addict victims and chillingly remorseless perpetrators.) But what makes the film so extraordinary is that the ongoing invasion is not the focus but merely backdrop for a window into a truly unique Pov on the Russian assault.

For like Sarbil, Viktor is himself a photojourno and cinephile, his taste leaning towards samurai flicks, which he watches on...

Exclusive: Tasha Smith (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary), Francois Arnaud (Yellowjackets), Susan Park (Shining Vale) and Cree (Turtles All the Way Down) are the newest additions to the cast of Twinless, the dark comedy that James Sweeney wrote and is directing for Republic Pictures.

Details as to the newcomers’ roles are under wraps. As previously announced, Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham and Sweeney will also star in the film, which follows two young men who strike up an unlikely bromance after meeting in a twin bereavement support group.

David Permut and Sweeney are producing, with O’Brien and Miky Lee serving exec producing. Three Point Capital is financing the pic with Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron and Liz Destro also serving as executive producers. Alex Astrachan, Director of Development at Permut Presentations, is co-producer. Casting Director is Jessica Munks. Republic Pictures has worldwide rights to the film.

El proyecto marca el esperado regreso de Iñárritu al cine en inglés desde ‘El Renacido’.

De acuerdo con Deadline, un elenco estelar se ha unido a la próxima película sin título de Alejandro G. Iñárritu, el aclamado cineasta ganador de cuatro premios Oscar por Birdman o (La inesperada virtud de la ignorancia) y El renacido. Entre los actores que se han sumado al proyecto se encuentran Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons y Sophie Wilde, que se unen a Tom Cruise, que protagonizará la película.

Coescrita por Iñárritu con los coguionistas de Birdman, Nicolas Giacobone y Alexander Dinelaris, junto con Sabina Berman, la película se centra en el hombre más poderoso del mundo (Tom Cruise), que se embarca en una frenética misión para demostrar que es el salvador de la humanidad antes de que el desastre que ha desencadenado lo destruya todo.

Por ahora, se desconocen...

Earlier this year, it was announced that Tom Cruise will be starring in the new film from director Alejandro Iñárritu for Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, with this being Iñárritu’s first English language movie since The Revenant, which hit theatres back in 2015. Now Deadline has revealed the names of six of Cruise’s co-stars, breaking the news that he has been joined in the cast by John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), Jesse Plemons (Civil War), Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name), with Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) in final negotiations to join in as well. Details on the characters they’ll be playing are being kept under wraps.

This will be Cruise’s first time working with all of these actors except for Plemons. Cruise and Plemons were in the 2017 film American Made together.

Iñárritu co-wrote...

Exclusive: Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s movie with Tom Cruise has assembled a murderers’ row cast. The four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker’s untitled movie for Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment counts Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall actress Sandra Hüller, Emmy winner John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons and Talk to Me actress Sophie Wilde. Oscar winner Riz Ahmed is in final negotiations to join the cast.

Deadline first told you back in February that Cruise was starring and he’s also producing the latest feature project from The Revenant and Birdman filmmaker. The Mission: Impossible franchise star, you’ll remember, has a strategic movie partnership at the Burbank lot.

Iñàrritu co-wrote the 2023 screenplay with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone. The logline as we know it centers on the most powerful man in the world, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before...

Documentary specialist Cinephil has acquired international sales rights for the feature documentary “Viktor,” which will have its world premiere in the Platform program of the Toronto Film Festival next month.

The film is directed and produced by French filmmaker and cinematographer Olivier Sarbil, who won Emmys for “Retrograde” and “Mosul,” and a Royal Television Society award for “On the President’s Orders.” Darren Aronofsky is a producer on the film.

In “Viktor,” Viktor Korotovskyi, a young Deaf man in Kharkiv, watches warily during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A fan of samurai films and raised on stories of war, he dreams of becoming a warrior but is repeatedly denied when he tries to enlist. Eager to find purpose, Viktor embarks on a quest to find his place in the midst of a war he cannot hear.

Sarbil said: “My hope is that this film transcends language...

Inspired by a project that uses the arts for rehabilitation, this is an uplifting, energetic film – but Domingo’s showy performance is a little out of place

There’s charm, energy and optimism in this big-hearted film, inspired by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts project that teaches theatre skills to US prisoners. The movie’s genesis is an Esquire magazine article from 2005 about an ensemble fantasy-comedy musical performed by inmates of Sing Sing maximum security facility in New York state. The movie invites us to hear the words in the title as joyful imperatives. It is performed largely by genuine former inmates playing themselves, featuring rehearsal scenes interspersed with variously tense or moving private conversations. There is a resemblance to Alan Parker’s Fame, to which the film playfully alludes, although the proceedings are evidently too serious to allow for the more obvious comparison with Max Bialystock’s song Prisoners...

When it comes to music and what it takes to become a successful musician, the mind always goes to biopics. Don’t get me wrong; there are some good musical biopics out there, e.g., Rocketman, Elvis, 8 Mile, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Chamkila. But since those stories are so focused on their subject matter, they seemingly forget to talk about the art of making music or how relatable the journey of a musician can be for a person who has never hit a right note in their life. And that’s why I find myself gravitating towards fictional stories to learn about the nuances of creating music and how it shapes the character of an artist. For starters, Whiplash and Sound of Metal go beyond talking about how to play drums. Inside Llewyn Davis shows how talent doesn’t always translate into success, and it has some...

The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the 10 films that will comprise its Platform lineup, a section that is intended to highlight emerging filmmakers from around the globe.

The selection includes “Pedro Páramo,” the feature directing debut of acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto; “Viktor,” a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine told by war photographer Olivier Sarbil; and “The Wolves Always Come at Night,” Gabrielle Brady’s look at the impact of climate change on Mongolian herders. There’s also Tallulah H. Schwab’s Kafkaesque “Mr. K” featuring the mercurial Crispin Glover as a traveling magician, as well as Goya-winner Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s contemporary dance-musical and ensemble drama “They Will Be Dust.”

Nacho Vigalondo’s “Daniela Forever,” which stars Henry Golding and “The White Lotus” breakout Beatrice Grannò, will be the section’s opening film. The films represent 17 countries including Spain, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Ukraine.

This...

Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) competitive Platform section will open with Daniela Forever by Nacho Vigalondo, whose Colossal premiered at the festival in 2016.

The 10-title selection also includes Mexico-set Pedro Páramo from renowned cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, 10,000Km filmmaker Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s They Will Be Dust, and Gabrielle Bradys’ hybrid documentary The Wolves Always Come At Night set in Mongolia.

The Platform jury will be led by Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan whose Seven Veils premiered at TIFF last year. His two fellow jurors are South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho who also played the festival last year with A Normal Family,...

The Platform lineup for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been unveiled, along with its jury.

The festival’s competitive program dedicated to strong, singular visions includes 10 films from 17 countries, with Canadian staple Atom Egoyan serving as the jury head. Hur Jin-ho, whose “A Normal Family” had its world premiere at TIFF 2023, is also on the jury along with “I Saw the TV Glow” writer/director Jane Schoenbrun.

The Platform program has awarded past prizes to films such as Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” which received multiple Oscar nominations and won Best Sound and Best Film Editing.

This year, “Colossal” director Nacho Vigalondo will open the program with his latest film, “Daniela Forever,” starring Henry Golding as a grieving man who reunites with his lost love. Highlights include Tallulah H. Schwab’s sophomore film “Mr. K...

Actress Olivia Cooke (“House of The Dragon”), poses for the latest issue of “Hunger” magazine, photographed by Rankin:

In television, Cooke first starred as ‘Emma Decody’ in the thriller “Bates Motel” (2013–2017)….

…’Becky Sharp’ in the period drama “Vanity Fair” (2018), a spy in the thriller “Slow Horses” (2022)…

… and ‘Alicent Hightower’ in the fantasy drama “House of the Dragon” (2022–present).

In feature films, Cooke starred in the horror movie “Ouija” (2014), the comedy-drama “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015)…

…the thriller “Thoroughbreds” (2017), the science fiction feature “Ready Player One” (2018), the comedy thriller “Pixie” (2020) and the drama “Sound of Metal” (2020).

Click the images to enlarge…...

Prime Video is a great video streaming service with Thursday Night Football, blockbuster movies, and compelling TV shows. Peacock provides lots of important live sports, great movies, and original series. But can you watch both services on the same platform? We’ll explain the differences in the services and how you can start watching both today.

Is There a Combination Option for Prime Video and Peacock?

What Is Peacock?

What is Prime Video?

Is There a Combination Option for Prime Video and Peacock?

No, there is not one subscription for both services. Prime Video and Peacock are entirely separate services. You can subscribe to one or the other or both, but there isn’t a single interface. While Prime Video does allow you to add a mind-boggling number of premium services, Peacock is not one of them.

Sign Up $7.99+ / month peacocktv.com 30-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month amazon.com What Is Peacock?...

Actress Olivia Cooke (“House of The Dragon”), poses for the July 2024 issue of “Flaunt” magazine, wearing Prada, Lanvin, Miu Miu and a whole lot more, photographed by JuanKr:

In television, Cooke first starred as ‘Emma Decody’ in the thriller “Bates Motel” (2013–2017)….

…’Becky Sharp’ in the period drama “Vanity Fair” (2018), a spy in the thriller “Slow Horses” (2022)…

… and ‘Alicent Hightower’ in the fantasy drama “House of the Dragon” (2022–present).

In film, Cooke starred in the horror feature “Ouija” (2014), the comedy-drama “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015)…

…the thriller “Thoroughbreds” (2017), the science fiction feature “Ready Player One” (2018), the comedy thriller “Pixie” (2020) and the drama “Sound of Metal” (2020).

Click the images to enlarge…...

Chicago – The power of performance is on unique display in “Sing Sing,” expanding in theaters this August. It’s directed/co-adapted by Greg Kwedar and features the consummate Colman Domingo. The film is set in the infamous prison, as the incarcerated become a troupe of actors, and how it changes their lives.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Divine G (Colman Domingo) is doing time in New York State’s Sing Sing prison, and finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other men who are also incarcerated. Their acting coach/play director (Paul Raci) is a patient mentor, but some troupe members – like “Divine Eye” (Clarence Maclin) – are going to have a rockier path towards interpreting this variation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

Colman Domingo (left) and Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin of ‘Sing Sing’

Photo credit: A24

The story uses actual formerly incarcerated actors alongside Domingo Colman and the other professionals, but all are equally present.

Yann Mounir Demange's Dammi (2023) is now streaming exclusively on Mubi worldwide.Oscar-winning actor/producer Riz Ahmed (Sound Of Metal) and acclaimed UK director Yann Mounir Demange tell host Rico Gagliano about treading the line between truth and fiction in Dammi—Demange’s semi-autobiographical short about an angry young man trying to come to terms with his identity, his dad, and his birthplace: Paris.Watch the episode on YouTube or Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyGoogle PodcastsMore...

The Sound of Metal star plays a character based on writer and director Yann Demange, who travels to Paris to reconnect with his Arab roots

Sometimes the smallest projects are the most interesting. That may well be the case for Riz Ahmed’s newest film: a 16-minute short called Dammi, directed by Yann Demange, of Top Boy and ’71 renown, which is receiving an unusually high-profile release on the streaming platform Mubi.

Partly it is because Ahmed is now a bona fide Hollywood figure after films such as Sound of Metal, Nimona and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – having cut his teeth in indie British cinema, with credits including Shifty, Four Lions and Trishna. But Ahmed is also something of a overachiever with short films; along with director Aneil Karia, he won an Oscar for The Long Goodbye, a hard-hitting short about a British Asian family brutalised by neo-Nazi paramilitaries,...

Una conmovedora historia basada en hechos reales sobre el poder sanador del arte. © a24

Ya tiene fecha de estreno en nuestro país “Sing Sing”, una conmovedora película sobre el poder sanador del arte, y dotada de una gran fuerza emocional. La aclamada película, que triunfó en el pasado Festival de Toronto, llegará a España de la mano de Madfer Films y Alfa Pictures.

“Sing Sing” es un drama inspiracional basado en hechos reales que sigue a Divine G (Colman Domingo), encarcelado por un delito que no cometió, que encuentra un propósito actuando en un grupo de teatro junto a otros hombres encarcelados, entre ellos un desconfiado recién llegado (Clarence Maclin). A través de las artes escénicas, estos hombres consiguen ver el mundo como un lugar por el que luchar.

Dirigida por Greg Kwedar (“Jockey”), la película está protagonizada por Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) y Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) junto a...

IndieWire can exclusively announce that Titus Kaphar’s “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” an intense family drama that wowed audiences at Sundance and NYC’s New Directors/New Films this year, will be getting a wide release by distributor Roadside Attractions on October 18, 2024.

Starring André Holland, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and John Earl Jelks, Kaphar’s feature directorial debut takes inspiration from the world-renowned painter turned filmmaker’s real life.

As Tarrell, Holland navigates the challenge of reconnecting with his addict father La’Ron, played by Jelks, after he has reached success as an artist. Oscar nominee Ellis-Taylor plays Tarell’s mother Joyce, who had her own issues with La’Ron that caused them to split, but is more willing to forgive. Meanwhile, Aisha, Tarrell’s musician wife played by fellow Oscar nominee Day, falls more in line with the stance that Tarell and his father might be better off with no contact between them.

Riz Ahmed is returning to television — both in front of and behind the camera.

Amazon’s Prime Video has ordered a comedy series created by and starring Ahmed. The Oscar winner will play a struggling actor named Shah Latif, who’s on the cusp of landing a breakthrough role when he finds himself thrust into a full-blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller all at the same time.

The Daily Show and Modern Family alum Ben Karlin will serve as co-showrunner alongside Ahmed for the currently untitled, eight-episode series. Jax Media and Amazon MGM Studios, where Ahmed’s Left Handed banner has a first-look deal, are producing.

“I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time,” Ahmed said in a statement. “It’s personal, bold and a lot of fun. It feels so good to be writing and creating it now with this incredible team.”

Added Vernon Sanders,...

Riz Ahmed is to create, star in and produce an Amazon comedy series about a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime with Modern Family EP Ben Karlin and Jax Media.

The untitled half-hour show is the first fruits of the deal struck between Prime Video and Oscar-nominee Ahmed’s Left Handed Films three years ago.

Ahmed and Karlin will showrun the series, which follows Shah Latif, a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime only to find himself thrust into an existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller at the same time.

The project is Ahmed’s first in TV since he won an Emmy for HBO’s The Night Of. He has since been Oscar nominated for Amazon’s Sound of Metal, in which he played a drummer who loses his hearing. He most recently produced a Channel 4...

House of the Dragon Season 2 recently premiered exclusively on HBO Max on Sunday, June 16, with Olivia Cooke returning as Queen Alicent Hightower. However, while the Game of Thrones spinoff catapulted her fame, following her appearances in Ouija, Vanity Fair, and Sound of Metal, Cooke has some complicated feelings towards her character.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon | HBO Max

In an interview with The Times, Olivia Cooke candidly expressed her thoughts on the portrayal of a grandmother in House of the Dragon. Sharing her reflections on playing a character who is constantly aging more and more with each season, the 30-year-old actress highlighted the industry’s reluctance to realistically depict women’s aging journeys.

Olivia Cooke’s Disdain on Her Character’s Worse Case of Aging in House of the Dragon

Following her return as Alicent Hightower in the second season of the highly acclaimed Game of Thrones spinoff,...

Actress Olivia Cooke will be returning to her role as Queen Alicia Hightower in the second season of House of the Dragons. The Game of Thrones spinoff sees her play the role of King Viserys I Targaryen’s wife and the mother of Aegon II and Aemond. She is constantly at loggerheads with Emma D’Arcy’s Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.

While Cooke has played many roles in films such as Ready Player One and Sound of Metal, her role in House of the Dragon reportedly gave her a unique experience. Despite being only 30, the actress plays the role of a grandmother in the HBO show. The actress opened up about the weird realization of playing a mother to an actor who was only two years younger than her.

Olivia Cooke Remarks On Playing A Grandmother in House of the Dragon Olivia Cooke in House of the Dragon | Credits: Grrm/Bastard Sword/1:26 Pictures Inc.

Focus Features has bought international rights to “Hamlet,” Aneil Karia’s London-set modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s famed play starring Oscar winner Riz Ahmed.

Morfydd Clark and Joe Alwyn (“Kinds of Kindness”) also star in the film, which wrapped production at the end of last year and was acquired by Focus Features some time ago. WME Independent and CAA are co-repping North American rights, while WME handled international sales.

In this latest interpretation of “Hamlet,” Ahmed plays the titular lead, a man who is haunted by his father’s ghost and moves from elite London to the city’s underground, from Hindu temples to homeless tent cities. He embarks on a violent journey to avenge his father’s murder, ultimately questioning his own role in the family’s corruption.

The film was penned by Michael Lesslie (“Macbeth”). Ahmed produced “Hamlet” on behalf of his production company Left-Handed Films with Allie Moore.

London- and Paris-based production, finance and international sales outfit Film Constellation has unveiled a first exclusive clip from Titus Kaphar’s well-received drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness.”

Film Constellation will screen the film for buyers in Cannes on Tuesday.

The film received glowing reviews after its January premiere at Sundance in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, and was picked up for North American distribution by Roadside Attractions, with a theatrical release scheduled for the Fall awards season.

In the film, an artist finds his path to success derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a troubled man desperate to reconcile. Together they learn that forgetting may be harder than forgiving.

The directorial debut of visual artist Kaphar, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” stars Spirit Award winner and SAG nominee André Holland, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globes winner and Grammy Award winner Andra Day, Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks, and Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Exclusive: Mubi has tapped Amazon MGM Studios and IFC distribution vet Mark Boxer as their U.S. Head of Distribution. Boxer will be on the Croisette during the run of this year’s Cannes Film Festival scoping out product for Mubi. In the new job, Boxer will be based in the New York office, and he’ll report to Mubi Chief Content Officer Jason Ropell.

The two decades-plus theatrical distribution vet, who first cut his teeth at Savoy Pictures, is known for building out distribution ops and tailoring myriad distribution plans for an array of movies. With Boxer, Mubi gets an internal distribution executive who’ll champion their slate to the fullest, giving their pics the best possible exposure across theaters coast to coast. The hire puts Mubi on a new level of distribution stateside as they make larger investments in features and expand their executive ranks.

Mubi’s upcoming slate,...

“Sound of Metal” star Olivia Cooke, soon to be returning to “House of the Dragon” for its second season, and BAFTA winner Jamie Bell, recently seen in “All of Us Strangers,” are set to star in “Takes One to Know One.” The film is billed as an “unconventional and contemporary take on romance.”

The feature comes from Italian director Nathalie Biancheri, working from a 2022 Black List screenplay by WGA-nominated writer Brooke Baker. Production is due to commence in Italy later this year, with Cornerstone handling international sales and distribution and and launching sales at Cannes and co-repping the U.S. with CAA Media Finance.

“Takes One to Know One” follows Eleanor (Cooke) and Lucas (Bell). When the two meet in Rome, their chemistry is electric. With a shared passion for art, Italy and each other, it looks like the start of something life-changing. The biggest stumbling block: they are both in relationships with other people.

Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal) and BAFTA Award winner Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers) have signed on to lead Italian filmmaker Nathalie Biancheri’s latest pic Takes One To Know One.

Cornerstone has international rights to the pic and will co-rep the US with CAA Media Finance. The pair will launch sales at Cannes.

Billed as an “unconventional and contemporary take on romance,” the film was penned by writer Brooke Baker. The screenplay was featured on the 2022 Black List. Cameras are set to roll in Italy in late 2024.

The film’s synopsis reads: When Eleanor (Cooke) and Lucas (Bell) meet in Rome, the chemistry is electric. With a shared passion for art, Italy, and each other, it looks like the start of something life-changing. The biggest stumbling block: They are both in relationships with other people.

Takes One To Know One is a Potboiler, Bcdf Pictures,...

Indie Sales has acquired Japanese director Momoko Seto’s “Dandelion’s Odyssey,” an ecological fable animated by Guionne Leroy (“Toy Story”) and scored by Nicolas Becker (“Sound of Metal”) and Quentin Sirjacq.

Shot from Japan to Iceland, “Dandelion’s Odyssey” is an adventure set in a dystopian world and is reminiscent of “Microcosmos,” with plants and animals as the main characters. The feature boasts a mix of timelapse photography, as well as live-action shooting and 3D animation. Most of the production is being done in France, where Seto is based. Seto is best known for her shorts “Planet A,” “Planet Z” and “Planet ∑,” which played at Locarno and the Berlin Film Festival, respectively.

“Dandelion’s Odyssey” is produced by Miyu Productions and Ecce Films, and co-produced by Arte Cinéma and U Media in Belgium. It received the support of the French Gan Cinema Foundation.

“Dandelion’s Odyssey” follows the journey of four friends,...

London- and Paris-based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation has boarded international sales on Titus Kaphar’s drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness.”

The film received strong reviews after its January premiere at Sundance in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, and was picked up for North American distribution by Roadside Attractions, with plans for a wide theatrical release in the fall and awards campaign.

Film Constellation will screen the film for buyers in Cannes.

In the film, an artist finds his path to success derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a troubled man desperate to reconcile. Together, they learn that forgetting may be harder than forgiving.

The directorial debut of visual artist Kaphar, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” stars André Holland, Andra Day, John Earl Jelks and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman gave the film a positive review, describing it as “a forceful drama free of feel-good fakery” and praising Holland’s performance as “fierce,...

Amazon Prime Video has ordered a series adaptation of the Michelle Frances novel “The Girlfriend” with Robin Wright set to star and direct, Variety has learned.

In addition, Olivia Cooke, Laurie Davidson (“Mary and George”), and Waleed Zuaiter (“Gangs of London”) will star alongside Wright.

The official description of the series states: “Laura (Wright) wants for nothing. She has a glittering career, a loving husband, Howard (Zuaiter), and, above all, she has Daniel (Davidson), her precious only son. But Laura’s seemingly perfect life is blown apart when Daniel brings home Cherry (Cooke), the girlfriend who changes everything. After an uncomfortable first meeting, Laura grows convinced that Cherry isn’t who she says she is. While no one else can see what she sees, Laura refuses to stand by and watch Daniel be deceived. She’ll do anything to protect him. As things go from bad to deadly, the question is,...

One of the most anticipated and hottest films of 2024 is finally here. We are talking about Zendaya‘s Challengers which was memed to death for a threesome scene that was shown in the trailer but if you have seen the film then you know that the brilliance of the film is much more than that one scene. Directed by Call Me By Your Name‘s Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, the sports romantic drama follows the story of a talented tennis player Tashi, and her twisted relationship with two tennis players, one of whom is her husband now. Challengers stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in the lead role with Jordan Thompson, Faith Fay, Hailey Gates, and Tierre Diaz starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the story of ambition and toxic relationships in Challengers you should check out these films with similar themes next.

Moresnet is a storied town and the setting for a European mystery thriller of the same name about a group of friends who dig up a time capsule buried two decades earlier, only to find their names listed inside with dates marked for their death.

Boris Van Severen (Salamander) is the chain-smoking Ben, who returns to Moresnet to bury his father. His homecoming sets in train events that inexorably lead to Thalamus, a huge neuro-technology corporation that in turn holds the key to a darkly secretive project known as Eterneco.

Leonie Benesch (Babylon Berlin) stars as the granddaughter of mysterious Nobel Prize-winning scientist Robert Rolin (Pierre Bokma) and is his successor as CEO at Thalamus.

When Benesch sits down with Deadline she has just seen the finished show for the very first time at its international launch at Canneseries – the big-ticket drama event on the Côte d’Azur. “I loved every second…...

Riz Ahmed has landed a part in Wes Anderson's latest film.The 41-year-old actor is to feature in the acclaimed director's untitled new project that is currently shooting in Berlin.Plot details have not been disclosed but the movie is expected to be a typical Anderson ensemble piece with many of his usual collaborators – although it will be the first time that Riz has worked with the 'Asteroid City' helmer.Benicio Del Toro and Bill Murray both feature in the cast of the project along with Michael Cera – another working with the filmmaker for the first time.The picture has a script from Anderson and Roman Coppola, who has worked with the director on five previous movies, and had been set to start production late last year before the Hollywood strikes caused a delay.Meanwhile, Riz recently revealed how the work of legendary director Martin Scorsese had...

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) has been tapped for a role in the newest film from Wes Anderson, Deadline can confirm.

Details as to the plot of the untitled feature, as well as Ahmed’s role are under wraps. But this is the actor’s first project with Anderson, who is coming off his first Oscar win for his Netflix short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, based on the story by Roald Dahl. Michael Cera will also be introduced to Anderson’s world in the new film, as previously reported, with his regular collaborators Benicio del Toro and Bill Murray on board for roles, too.

Currently filming in Berlin, the film is written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, whose collaboration goes back to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. No word yet as to who will serve as its distributor. Anderson hinted at the project in a September 2023 interview with Deadline,...

Riz Ahmed is now a Wes Anderson featured player.

The actor, last seen in Apple’s love drama Fingernails, has joined the roster of acclaimed auteur’s latest project, an untitled feature that is now shooting in Berlin.

Plot details are being kept in the breast pocket, but it is shaping up to be another ensemble piece with several of his usual cadre of artists.

Benicio Del Toro and Bill Murray are also on the call sheet for the project. The feature has a script from Anderson and Roman Coppola, who has worked on five of the filmmaker’s movies. Michael Cera, also cast in the picture, is among the other Anderson first-timers.

The project was at one point eying a fall 2023 start, but the twin strikes last year pushed the start of production.

The feature has no distributor at this stage, although Anderson’s previous outing, 2023’s Asteroid City,...

Perspective is one of the building blocks of cinema. It’s often thought of as a visual tool, but it doesn’t stop there. The audience is forfeiting both their visual and auditory senses and it’s the filmmakers’ job to take them on a journey using both images and sound.

In sound world, we aren’t simply creating the literal reality of where a character is currently located; we’re using sound to give a sense of the emotional situation using the naturalistic elements of that location. It’s the process of creating an experience wherein the audience steps into the subjectivity of a character—and to create that, it isn’t always as simple as “see a dog, hear a dog.” The cut is what the audience sees and the sonic-perspective is what they feel.

Case in point: take a stressful scene, one where our hero screams out loud from angst and frustration.

Bradley Cooper almost bowed out of “The Place Beyond the Pines.”

Writer/director Derek Cianfrance, who co-wrote the feature with future “Sound of Metal” director Darius Marder, revealed during IndieWire’s Screen Talk live at the New Directors/New Films festival that Academy Award-nominated Cooper wavered after receiving an updated script.

Cianfrance brought writer Marder onboard to help rewrite “every word” of “The Place Beyond the Pines” shortly before shooting began. According to Cianfrance, actor Cooper was less than pleased with the updates to his character, a police officer who kills an empathetic thief (Ryan Gosling) midway through the decade-spanning 2013 film.

“I had given [Darius Marder] the script and he had a lot of notes for it, and I kind of agreed with a lot of what he was saying. And so we rewrote every word from 10 weeks to six weeks,” Cianfrance said during Screen Talk live, co-hosted by Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio.

IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast is coming live to New York City with a special edition on Thursday, April 4.

To celebrate Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art’s New Directors/New Films festival, “Screen Talk” co-hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio will host a free live recording of the podcast at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at 5 p.m. They’ll be joined by special guest Derek Cianfrance, the director of the films “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines” and TV series including “I Know This Much Is True,” and the Oscar-nominated co-writer of “Sound of Metal.” Most recently, he’s a producer behind the New Directors/New Films entry “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The drama, directed by Titus Kaphar, stars André Holland as an artist confronted with the return of his long-estranged father.

During the live “Screen Talk,...