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Variety will host the inaugural Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors, presented by the Coalition for Faith & Media on December 4 in Los Angeles. The evening ceremony will celebrate individuals who are supporting often underrepresented themes of faith in storytelling and entertainment. These awards will celebrate diverse portrayals of faith and spirituality that are broadly compelling and nuanced.

The class of 2024 Visionary Honorees include:

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, founders, JuVee Productions “Bob Marley: One Love,” accepted by Ziggy Marley, humanitarian, producer and musician, with an introduction by the Coalition for Faith and Media Erica Lipez, executive producer, writer and showrunner, “We Were the Lucky Ones” Jessica Matten, actor producer and philanthropist Arian Moayed, actor,, EP of “Motherland” and co-founder, Waterwell Sheryl Lee Ralph, Emmy-Winning Actor, “Abbott Elementary” Jay Shetty, best-selling author, Podcast Host, “On Purpose”

“The Global Faith & Media Study identified an important data point — 82% of the world identifies as religious,...

The Mubi production, Bring Them Down, starring Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, is hitting theaters on Feb. 7, 2025.

Pic directed by Christopher Andrews, who is making his feature directing debut, follows Michael (Abbott) who is the last son of a farming family, and lives an isolated existence with his ailing, cantankerous father Ray. Burdened by a terrible secret from his past, Michael has isolated himself from the world and dedicates himself to his prized flock. When the ongoing conflict with rival farmer Gary and his wayward and unpredictable son Jack (Barry Keoghan) stirs old tensions and grievances, it triggers a chain of events that take increasingly violent and devastating turns, leaving both families permanently altered.

The movie also stars Colm Meaney (The Problem with People, Layer Cake), Nora-Jane Noone (The Magdalene Sisters, Brooklyn) Paul Ready and Susan Lynch (Enduring Love, Waking Ned Davine).

Bring Them Down...

Clelia Mountford is exiting Bad Sisters maker Merman to launch an All3 Media-backed scripted indie.

Sunburnt Penguin will sit within All3’s scripted ranks, focusing on drama and comedy projects. It debuts with a development slate in place.

Mountford co-founded Merman with Sharon Horgan in 2014 and together they built a TV and film production business in the UK and U.S. with credits for the likes of Apple TV+’s comedy Bad Sisters, which is set to debut a second season on November 13; BBC comedies Motherland and There She Goes, Channel 4 and Prime Video’s Catastrophe; Channel 4/Hulu co-pro This Way Up; and Sky drama Dreamland. Mountford also executive produced the upcoming Channel 4 series Disability Benefits with Rosie Jones and Amandaland for BBC One, starring Lucy Punch.

Mountford said: “After a wonderful decade at Merman, I am delighted to be joining the brilliant All3Media family for my next chapter.

Following its rip-roaring success at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment is delighted that the British horror comedy Members Club will be available on UK Digital Platforms from 21st October.

Written and Directed by Marc Coleman, Members Club stars a host of British talent including Dean Kilbey, Perry Benson, Barbara Smith, Juliet Cowan, Mark Monero, Steve Oram, David Schaal, Alan Ford, Liam Noble as well as Peter Andre.

Wet Dreams, a middle-aged male stripper group, have hit rock bottom. After a string of disastrous gigs, the gang considers disbanding. Alan, the group’s happy-go-lucky front man, takes over the business and books the boys a lucrative and mysterious gig in rural Essex. But when the group arrive at the desolate club, their night quickly takes a dark turn when they find themselves tangled up in a plot to raise a murderous 16th century witch from the dead.

Also, check out...

Emmy and Tony-nominated actor Arian Moayed has signed on to executive produce Iranian-Canadian director Jasmin Mozaffari’s short film drama Motherland.

Moayed was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated with his family to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. He played Stewy Hosseini in HBO’s Succession and also has TV credits in Netflix’s Inventing Anna, HBO Max’s Love Life and Disney’s Ms. Marvel, in addition to a host of theatrical stage credits.

Moayed will help with an Oscar campaign for Motherland, which is set in 1979 and centers on Babak, played by Behtash Fazlali, who travels to meet the parents of his fiancé (Oriana Leman), only to discover the realities of an Iranian immigrant in post-Vietnam America.

“For many Iranians, living outside our motherland has become increasingly difficult as we continue to confront misinformation, racism and hatred,” Moayed said in a statement. “Motherland offers an...

Despite a year that does not seem to be going that well for Korean cinema, Biff once more cemented its place as the biggest film festival in Asia, with the focus on films from the Asean countries, Japan and the Chinese speaking world compensating to the fullest. That the opening film (Uprising) started streaming on Netflix a bit after premiering in the festival was met with various reactions, but the truth is that streaming is a reality and festivals, just like all other aspects of movie and TV production should eventually adapt to the new reality, as the section about dramas in Biff also highlights. Among the standouts of the program is definitely “Ma – A Cry of Silence” “Pierce” and “Village Rockstars”, in a season that featured many more accomplished films than the previous years, but no masterpiece.

Here is our coverage of the festival (you can check the full...

The 16th edition of the Lumière Film Festival kicked off in high style, with a glittering lineup of stars including Benicio del Toro, Tim Burton, Monica Bellucci and Vanessa Paradis plus high-profile directors Costa-Gavras and Giuseppe Tornatore gracing the red carpet in Lyon.

Bellucci, who’s in town to present a new documentary about the stage play in which she portrays Maria Callas, was among the last to take to the red carpet. After taking a few steps, she turned back with a playful gesture as if she had forgotten something, reached through the curtain, and drew out Tim Burton, to the delight of the 5,000-strong crowd: Burton’s unannounced appearance drew massive applause.

The pair famously met and fell in love in Lyon in 2022, when Burton was the recipient of the festival’s lifetime achievement Lumière Award, which was handed to him by Bellucci. The Italian actress has since...

Netflix has purchased the Asia Pacific distribution rights to the film “Crosspoint” at the recent Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan, South Korea. The co-production between the Philippines and Japan stars prominent actors from both countries and tells a compelling story that spans their nations.

“Crosspoint” features Carlo Aquino, a renowned Filipino actor, and Emmy nominee Hira Takehiro of Japan. It follows Manuel Hidalgo, a former famous Filipino actor struggling in his career who relocates to Japan. He works performing illegally in Filipino pubs to earn money. His path crosses with Shigeru, a bankrupt Japanese construction manager in his 50s. Their difficult circumstances lead them to team up to hunt a serial killer for the reward, setting up a tense drama exploring moral complex themes.

Fire and Ice Media brokered the deal between Netflix and the film’s producers. Liza Diño-Seguerra of Fire and Ice said acquiring the rights for...

Philippines-based Fire and Ice Media has sold Asia Pacific rights for Donie Ordiales’ “Crosspoint” to Netflix. The film will stream after its Oct. 16 theatrical release in the Philippines.

The deal was struck at the recently-concluded Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm), adjacent to the Busan International Film Festival.

The film stars award-winning Philippines actor Carlo Aquino (“Whispers in the Wind”) and Japan’s Hira Takehiro, Emmy nominated for his performance in “Shogun.” It follows Manuel Hidalgo (Aquino), once a famous Filipino actor, who moves to Japan after a career slump to survive by performing illegally in Filipino pubs. He meets Shigeru (Hira), a construction manager in his 50s who recently went bankrupt due to unpaid debts. Both men are desperate to change their lives. One day, they see a news report about a serial killer on the run—someone Manuel recognizes. Seeing a chance to solve their problems, they track down...

About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. The finished film was given a theatrical release on September 20th (you can read our review Here)… and it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. It has only earned $21 million worldwide. Now it’s time for the movie to receive a PVOD release, so maybe it will be more successful when people are able to watch it in the comfort of their own homes. Lionsgate has announced they will be giving Never Let Go a Premium Video on Demand and Premium Electronic Sell-Through release on October 11th. A press release notes that the film “will be available to buy for $24.99 and to rent...

Leading documentary festival IDFA has selected 55 projects from 820 entries for the 32nd edition of its co-production and co-financing market IDFA Forum.

IDFA Forum takes place in Amsterdam venues Felix Meritis and Pathé City from Nov. 17 to 20.

The Forum selection features “projects with resonant stories, daring artistic visions, and a willingness to push narrative and stylistic boundaries,” according to a statement.

Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, head of IDFA Industry, said: “IDFA proudly presents a very strong selection of projects that capture the spirit of the times and reflect on our society in a critical and idiosyncratic way. It is a varied selection in terms of both theme and style, made by talented newcomers and established makers who together represent a colorful palette of voices.”

The Forum Pitch and Producers Connection

The Forum Pitch and Producers Connection present a total of 33 projects this year. The selection includes notable filmmakers who make their return to IDFA.

Motherland, by veteran Filipino auteur Brillante Mendoza, had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival (Biff).

Mendoza told Deadline about his motivation to make Motherland, shooting his next film Chameleon and the challenges that the Filipino film industry is currently facing.

The making of Motherland

The film follows the story of Dao-ayen, a member of the Philippines’ Special Action Force (Saf), from the Ifugao tribe in northern Luzon. Dao-ayen was part of the 2015 Mamasapano raid that resulted in the deaths of 44 members of the Philippines’ Special Action Force (Saf).

“What really affected me about this incident was actually the story of the foot soldiers,” Mendoza said. “They are the ones who were affected by the miscommunication from their superiors and the president himself, and these soldiers suffered and gave their lives for their country. At the end of the day, there is a question of whether their sacrifices were worth it.

The Mamasapano clash was a significant and tragic event in the Philippines that occurred on January 25, 2015. It involved a covert operation by the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force (Saf) aimed at capturing wanted terrorists, including Zulkifli bin Hir (known as Marwan), who was linked to various terrorist activities.

Motherland is screening at Busan International Film Festival

Brillante Mendoza focuses on the survival story of one of the members of the attack team, Dao-ayen, and through him, he closely follows the operation, from its beginning in the Saf headquarters to the area of the operation. The mission is initially a success, but soon the police forces find themselves surrounded and in a desperate fight for their lives.

With his trademark, documentary-like style, Mendoza presents a movie filled with tension and agony, with the fighting and the desperation it is plunged in carrying it for the majority of its duration.

Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired global distribution rights for anthology film Disorder exploring Lebanon’s recent tumultuous years through the eyes of four directors.

The picture, which is due to premiere at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival later this month, brings together Lebanese writers and directors Lucien Bourjeily (Heaven Without People), Bane Fakih (Keep It Together), Wissam Charaf, and Areej Mahmoud (Beirut 6:07).

The launch comes as the global spotlight is on Lebanon due to the flare-up in the conflict between Israel and Shiite Muslim political party and militant group Hezbollah, which has resulted in close to 2,000 deaths, and also displaced more than 350,000 people over the last two weeks.

The feature is curated and produced Bechara Mouzannar under the banner of Unbranded, in collaboration with Nadine Labaki and Khaled Mouzanar who take executive producer credits. The trio previously collaborated on Labaki’s 2018 film Capernaum

Blending drama and dark comedy,...

Dubai-based Front Row Filmed Entertainment has secured world rights to Disorder, an anthology feature that explores Lebanon’s recent tumultuous years.

Blending drama and dark humour, the film comprises four shorts – The Group, Motherland, Don’t Panic, and A Piece of Heaven – directly respectively by Lucien Bourjeily, Bane Fakih, Wissam Charaf, and Areej Mahmoud.

Curated and produced by Bechara Mouzannar through his Beirut-based outfit Unbranded, the film is executive produced by Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki of Cannes award-winner Capernaum.

The film is set to premiere out of competition at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (Oct 24-Nov 1).

As well as handling world sales,...

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae was among the Korean celebrities to lead out a red carpet parade on the opening night of the 29th edition of the Busan International Film Festival. The festival kicked off Wednesday with a bright show of international solidarity and a spectacular, if controversial, Korean film from Netflix.

The ceremony, held under the semi-open roof of the futuristic Busan Cinema Center, was buoyant and attended by 4,500 guests, masking some the woes incurred by the festival itself and by the wider Korean film industry. Officials at the event debuted a new slogan — “Vision of Asia, Ocean of Cinema” — reflecting the South Korean port city’s revised ambitions ahead of next year’s 30th anniversary edition.

Last year, internal divisions ripped the festival management apart, causing sponsors to flee and a reduced budget. While some of the wounds have since been healed, replenished sponsorship and city government funds...

Today, BritBox and the BBC released first-look pictures of Towards Zero, based on the classic mystery by the best-selling author of all time, Agatha Christie. The series was adapted for the screen by BAFTA-nominated Rachel Bennette (Nw) and directed by the Olivier Award-winning Sam Yates (Magpie).

Featuring coastal views, heated summer soirees, and a trip to Wimbledon Centre Court, the new pictures give a first glimpse at Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston), Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys), and British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) – seen here with the two ladies in his life: ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) and new wife Kay (Mimi Keene).

Photo courtesy of BritBox/Mammoth Screen

Clarke Peters, Anjana Vasan, and Jack Farthing are also seen in the new pictures from the series, which co-stars Jackie Clune (Motherland), Grace Doherty (Call the Midwife), Khalil Gharbia (Mary & George), and Adam Hugill (Sherwood).

England, 1936. After a scandalous celebrity divorce,...

The beloved Fox police procedural drama, Bones, captivated mystery and crime series lovers for 12 seasons, running from 2005 to 2017. Following a brilliant forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and her charismatic partner, FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, the show skillfully intertwined complex criminal cases with rich character-driven narratives.

Bones | Credit: Fox

Viewers were drawn not only to the intricate investigations but also by the evolving personal lives and relationships of the main characters. Though the series ended six years ago, with the characters’ stories wrapping up on a satisfying note, it’s intriguing to explore what the actors have been up to since leaving the Jeffersonian.

Emily Deschanel as Temperance “Bones” Brennan

Emily Deschanel’s role as Dr. Temperance Brennan in Bones has been the most popular role of her career so far. During her long run on Bones, the actress experienced significant milestones in her life, including her marriage to David Hornsby...

Anna Friel, David Threlfall and Anna Maxwell Martin are among the cast of an upcoming BBC single drama from Time writer Jimmy McGovern about grooming and sexual abuse.

Set and filmed in Liverpool, the currently-unnamed drama, per the synoposis, “centres around the Mitchell family, who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse, and the knowledge that it was perpetrated by a member of their own family who, after serving his sentence, has just been released from prison.”

Friel (Marcella, Pushing Daisies), who was BAFTA-nominated for her work in Jimmy McGovern’s Broken, leads the cast alongside Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends, Poppy Shakespeare), BAFTA-winner Threlfall (Nightsleeper, Shameless, Housewife 49), Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne, Sas Rogue Heroes), BAFTA-winner and Mark Womack (The Responder, Playing the Field, Moving On). Further casting will be announced in due course.

McGovern’s LA Productions is making the drama, which...

The BBC on Thursday unveiled an original new drama from screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (Time, Cracker, The Street) which will explore “the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on one family.”

Emmy winner Anna Friel (Marcella, Pushing Daisies), who was BAFTA-nominated for her previous work with McGovern in Broken, leads the cast alongside Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne, Sas Rogue Heroes), BAFTA winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends, Poppy Shakespeare), BAFTA winner David Threlfall (Nightsleeper, Shameless, Housewife 49) and Mark Womack (The Responder, Playing the Field, Moving On).

Further casting will be unveiled “in due course,” the BBC said.

Directed by Julia Ford (Showtrial, The Bay, Safe), the as-yet-untitled 90-minute single drama will be made by LA Productions (Broken, Anthony, Care) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

“Set and filmed in Liverpool, the fictional drama centers around the Mitchell family who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse,...

Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin are set to star in a new BBC drama from “Time” creator Jimmy McGovern.

The as yet untitled 90-minute drama will explore the themes of grooming and sexual abuse in the context of one family, the Mitchell family, who must grapple with the aftermath of abuse after the perpetrator – a relative – is released from prison.

Bobby Schofield (“Time”), David Threlfall (“Nightsleeper”) and Mark Womack (“The Responder”) star alongside Friel, who is known for her work on “Marcella” and “Pushing Daisies” and “Motherland’s” Maxwell Martin.

More casting is set to be confirmed in due course.

Julia Ford (“Showtrial”) will direct. LA Productions (“Broken”) are producing. Donna Molloy is also a producer. McGovern exec produces alongside Colin McKeown for LA Productions and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.

McGovern is known for creating a plethora of popular dramas including “Cracker” and the prison series “Time,...

The 29th Busan International Film Festival, held Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri), has revealed its selections for the Asian film competition section, ‘New Currents‘ and ‘Jiseok.

New Currents is the representative competition section of the Busan International Film Festival, focusing on the first or the second feature of emerging Asian filmmakers. This year, 10 films, including two Korean films, have been selected to be showcased. The two Korean films are The Land of Morning Calm and Waterdrop. The Land of Morning Calm is directed by Park Ri-woong, whose first feature, The Girl on a Bulldozer (2022), received great acclaim. It dynamically unravels the story of a young fisherman’s disappearance and an old captain mysteriously involved in this case. Waterdrop is the debut feature of director Choi Jongyong. It portrays the survival journey of a thirteen-year-old child left alone in the world, capturing a range of emotions and an intense, suspenseful narrative.

About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. Earlier this year, we saw the unveiling of a teaser poster, which just featured text on a snakeskin background (you can take a look at the teaser poster Here). Lionsgate is planning to give Never Let Go a theatrical release on September 20th – and with that date just three weeks away, a new trailer for the film has arrived online! You can watch it in the embed above.

Berry is joined in the cast by Percy Daggs IV (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and Anthony B. Jenkins (Florida Man). Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine of 21 Laps are producing the film with Aja. Berry...

The 29th Busan International Film Festival has revealed the line-ups for its competitive New Currents and Jiseok sections, which include the latest features from award-winning filmmakers Brillante Mendoza, Rima Das and Tom Lin.

The Jiseok strand, launched in 2022, is reserved for Asian filmmakers who have directed at least three features and this year comprises eight titles.

Scroll down for full list of titles

They include Motherland by Filipino director Mendoza, which explores the bloody Mamasapano incident of 2015, when 44 police commandos and more than 20 others were killed in a deadly operation. The filmmaker has previously played in competition at Berlin, Cannes...

Films by veteran Asian filmmakers Brillante Mendoza, Rima Das and Tom Lin have been selected for the Busan International Film Festival’s Jiseok competition section.

Besides announcing the lineup of eight films in the Jiseok competition for seasoned filmmakers, the festival also unveiled its selection of 10 films for the New Currents competition, which showcases first and second features by Asian filmmakers.

Featuring eight films this year, including two Korean titles, the Jiseok competition is named after the late Kim Jiseok, a veteran programmer who was also one of the festival’s co-founders.

The section includes Motherland by Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, Deal at the Border by Kyrgyzstani director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi, Yen and Ai-Lee by Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Lin as well as Village Rockstars 2 by Indian director Rima Das. Das made the first Village Rockstars film in 2017 and Bulbul Can Sing in 2018.

Korean titles include I Am Love by Baek Seungbin and So It Goes,...

The latest feature films by established Asian directors including Brillante Mendoza, Tom Lin and Rima Das have been selected for the Jiseok competition section of the Busan International Film Festival.

The festival also unveiled the lineup for its New Currents competition, which is reserved for less experienced filmmakers and has acted as an important platform for talent discovery over many years.

This year’s New Currents includes two films each from Japan and South Korea, with others hailing from Myanmar, Iran, Kazakhstan, mainland China, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

The festival will run Oct. 2-11, 2024. Its full selection will be announced on Tuesday.

Busan Iff – 2024 New Currents Competition

“Abel,” dir. Elzat Eskandir (Kazakhstan)

“As the River Goes By,” dir. Charles Hu (China)

“For Rana,” Iman Yazdi (Iran)

“The Height of the Coconut Trees,” dir. Du Jie (Japan)

“Kaneko’s Commissar,” dir. Furukawa Go (Japan)

“The Land of Morning Calm,” Park Ri-woong...

Diana Naser’s “Amplified,” Adam J. Graves’ “Anuja,” Nina Gantz’s “Wander to Wonder” and Ben Proudfoot’s “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” have qualified for Academy Awards in the short-film categories by winning the top awards at the 20th annual HollyShorts Film Festival, which took place this week in Hollywood and held its awards ceremony on Sunday night.

HollyShorts is one of about 150 Oscar-qualifying festivals whose top winners automatically become eligible for Oscars in the three shorts categories. It is one of only 15 festivals that qualifies as many as four films for Academy Awards.

“Amplified” won the Best Short Film Grand Prize, the festival’s top award. “Anuja” took the award for live-action short, “Wander to Wonder” for animated short and “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” for documentary short.

Ben Proudfoot, the director of the last of those films, is the reigning Oscar champ in the Best Documentary Short category,...

We’ve gone through Covid, we’ve weathered the strikes, we continue to have the pleasure of surviving the consolidation and financialization of our industry. No one said working in TV was easy.

But like a lighthouse on a dark stormy night, there is a beacon of stability and guidance. The Film Independent Episodic Lab is once again here with a two week in-person program with personalized feedback from experienced showrunners, workshops and pitch events, to help push these writer’s projects over the line.

Past Episodic Lab Fellows include April Shih, who has written on FX’s Fargo, Dave and struck an overall deal at FX Productions; Kimi Lee, who wrote on Amazon’s Expats, Apple’s The Morning Show, and sold her show $ugar in a four-way bidding war to Hulu; Henry “Hank” Jones, who has written on ABC’s Will Trent and Apple’s Truth Be Told.

Update: Deadline reports that Lionsgate will be releasing Never Let Go a week earlier than previously expected, moving the release date up to September 20th.

The original article follows:

About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. Earlier this year, we saw the unveiling of a teaser poster, which just featured text on a snakeskin background (you can take a look at the teaser poster Here). Lionsgate is planning to give Never Let Go a theatrical release on September 27th and now, with that date swiftly approaching, they have unveiled a new poster for the film, and you can check that one out at the bottom of this article.

Berry is joined in the...

Pride month is over, but just because it is no longer June doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop celebrating love and consuming queer stories. In fact, we should always celebrate love and consume queer stories. So, here is a list of 74 shows with canon main Lgbtqia+ characters and couples. Click here for Part 1 of this article - Queer Stories & LGBTQ Movies: Pride Doesn’t Have To End With June (Part 1) Heartstopper Original Title: Heartstopper Year: (2022 -) Creator(s): Alice Oseman Country: United Kingdom Language: English Genre: Drama, Romance Motion Picture Rating (MPA): TV-14 Seasons: 3 Teens Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) navigate school and young love, as they embark on the journey to find themselves. You can watch it on (USA): Netflix Queer primary characters Queer secondary characters Paper Girls Original Title: Paper Girls Year: 2022 Creator(s): Stephany Folsom Country: United States Language: English Genre: Adventure,...

Black Water Pictures is thrilled to announce that their latest horror comedy, Members Club, will have its world premiere at this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on 24th August. This highly anticipated film, written and directed by Marc Coleman, is a wild fusion of The Full Monty and From Dusk Till Dawn, promising a unique blend of laughs and scares. It will certainly bring a bit of light relief to the otherwise rather dark and gruesome festival.

Members Club stars an impressive, extensive list of British talent including Dean Kilbey, Top Boy), Perry Benson, Barbara Smith, Juliet Cowan, Mark Monero, Steve Oram, David Schaal, Alan Ford, Liam Noble, and Peter Andre.

The film follows Wet Dreams, a down-and-out middle-aged male stripper group, as they grapple with a series of disastrous gigs and contemplate disbanding. Alan, the group’s optimistic frontman, seizes control and secures a seemingly lucrative gig in rural Essex.

Get ready to be gripped by fear as Never Let Go, the latest psychological thriller from visionary director Alexandre Aja, hits US cinemas on September 27, 2024. This new horror offering promises to be a haunting journey, blending survival horror with intense psychological elements that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

Never Let Go is helmed by Alexandre Aja, renowned for his work on Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Crawl, and crafted by the creative minds behind Stranger Things and Arrival. The film is written by Kc Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, with an impressive production team including Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, and Alexandre Aja himself. The film also boasts an impressive list of executive producers, including Academy Award winner Halle Berry, who also stars in the movie, along with Holly Jeter, Daniel Clarke, Emily Morris, Christopher Woodrow, and Connor Digregorio.

The film centres on a mother,...

Originally announced last year under the title Mother Land, the next film from director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, Crawl) is now titled Never Let Go, and Lionsgate has released the official poster.

The poster takes it a step further with an ominous warning that one touch is all it takes. In Aja’s hands, that all but guarantees a tense ride ahead.

Never Let Go arrives in theaters on September 27, 2024.

In this new psychological horror movie, “as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real,...

Exclusive: British actor Tim Downie has signed on to star in the feature film All That Glitters, a young adult comedy-drama inspired by Shakespeare and how his work may have been shaped by modern life.

Downie has joined the cast alongside Paul Ready (Motherland), Elliot Grihault (House of the Dragon), and Mark Lavery (Vikings). The pic entered pre-production this past week.

All That Glitters is billed as “a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet in a UK school setting, populated with anxious teens and TikTok scrollers.” The story follows Ryan (Grihault) who is the lighting technician for his school’s play Romeo and Juliet, directed by his dad Philip (Downie). But he struggles to keep his eye on the ball as he’s hopelessly in love with the play’s lead, Jasmine. To Ryan’s surprise, one night, the ghost of Shakespeare himself (Ready) appears in his...

Production is now underway on the three-part series adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery novel Towards Zero, which is coming from the BBC and BritBox International, and The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the cast includes Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Invisible Man), Ella Lily Hyland (Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius), Mimi Keene (Sex Education), Jackie Clune (Motherland), Grace Doherty (Call the Midwife), Jack Farthing (Rain Dogs), Khalil Gharbia (Mary & George), Adam Hugill (Sherwood), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), and OAnjana Vasan (Black Mirror: Demon 79)

Sam Yates (Magpie) is directing the series, while Bel Ami screenwriter Rachel Bennette wrote the adaptation.

Set in 1936 England, Towards Zero has the following synopsis: After a scandalous celebrity divorce, British tennis star Nevile Strange (Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife, Audrey (Hyland), make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point,...

The BBC has officially unveiled the return of one of the U.K.’s favorite duos: Wallace & Gromit.

The pair are back and set for a brand new adventure, made by independent studio Aardman Animations, which will premiere on the BBC and BBC iPlayer this Christmas, as well as heading to Netflix worldwide this winter.

The new film, titled Vengeance Most Fowl, will be 70 minutes long and feature the return of the iconic supervillain Feathers McGraw, who is now back for revenge following his appearance in the Oscar-winning 1993 short The Wrong Trousers.

In Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Gromit becomes increasingly concerned over Wallace’s dependence on his inventions. Things take a turn for the worst when Wallace’s creation “smart gnome” seems to develop an evil mind of its own. “As events begin to spiral out of control, it’s up to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces,...

Have you entertained the possibility that the person you are dating could be a serial killer? Yet, that’s exactly what happened to Delia Balmer, who had no idea that her new boyfriend, John Sweeney, was a psychopath and a serial killer. Delia’s story is one of the most unimaginable horrors that one might come across. She has written a book about her experiences titled Until I Kill You, where she opens up about her near-death experiences and the torment she went through, to the point where she felt it might have been better to die than to continue living through such pain. The TV adaptation of her story features Anna Maxwell Martin as Delia Balmer. Martin’s portrayal of Delia’s torment is incredible. If you’ve seen her in roles in films and shows like Mandy or Motherland, you’ll know she’s usually witty and funny,...

Oscar winner Anjelica Huston will lead a three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel “Towards Zero” from the BBC and Britbox International.

Set in England in 1936, “Towards Zero” follows British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland), who “make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian (Huston),” the plot description reads.

“With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay (Mimi Keene), tensions are running high. Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder,” the synopsis continues. “A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy,...

The BBC and BritBox International have secured A-list talent for their latest Agatha Christie adaptation.

Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston has been cast in Towards Zero, potentially the highest-profile actor to appear in a BBC Christie series since John Malkovich played Poirot in 2018’s The ABC Murders.

Huston will play the aunt of lead character Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After a scandalous celebrity divorce, the British tennis star and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian (Huston).

Revealed by Deadline several months back, the series will star Jackie Clune (Motherland), Grace Doherty (Call the Midwife), Jack Farthing (Rain Dogs), Khalil Gharbia (Mary & George), Adam Hugill (Sherwood), Mimi Keene (Sex Education), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Emmy winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and Oliver Award-winner Anjana Vasan (Black Mirror:...

Comedy producers have been told to locate their “funny bones” when pitching shows to the BBC by the most powerful person in British comedy commissioning.

Jon Petrie, who runs BBC comedy, set out his “firmly sitcoms first” stall in a speech this morning in Glasgow.

He urged producers to “send us less shows that are ‘an exploration’ of something and more that know where their funny bones are,” citing the likes of Ghosts, Motherland and Two Doors Down as examples of the “comedy first proposals” he is after.

Petrie has not held back on his desire for sitcoms since taking on the job a couple of years ago and announced a raft of new and returning shows this morning at the BBC Comedy Festival.

But he said his team is “not getting pitched enough of the comedy we need to keep people happy” and is instead over-stocked with dramedies, which...

Motherland spin-off Amandaland has been commissioned for a series at BBC Two, here are the details.

Motherland was a terrific sitcom created by Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Graham Linehan, who stepped away from the show after the first series. It chronicled the never ending stress of motherhood through the eyes of the perpetually put-upon Julia, (Anna Maxwell Martin), who tries to do the best she can as she battles with the ‘Alpha Mums’, led by the acerbic Amanda (Lucy Punch). She’s supported by her blunt best friend Liz (Diane Morgan) and stay at home Dad Kevin (Paul Brady).

Earlier this year, Horgan confirmed that the show had been quietly cancelled by the BBC, but she also revealed that a spin-off was in the early stages of development.

According to the British Comedy Guide, the spin-off will be called Amandaland, and a six episode series has been commissioned.

The BBC’s Motherland universe is living on with a spin-off following a post-divorce Amanda.

One of Sharon Horgan’s hit show’s most popular characters, Amandaland will follow the protagonist (Lucy Punch) after her divorce, who has had to downsize and up sticks to South Harlesden, or as the Estate Agent calls it, SoHa.

Featuring her mother Felicity, played by British acting icon Joanna Lumley, Amanda has to try and get her head around raising teenagers, dealing with modern motherhood horrors like teenage drinking, fake Instagram accounts and eco anxiety. After a brief spell of freedom, Anne (Philippa Dunne) is sucked back into being Amanda’s minion to help her navigate the social scene with the other parents at the children’s new school.

Motherland, which starred the likes of Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan and Paul Ready, ended earlier this year after three seasons. A U.S. remake...

Halle Berry stars a desperate mother in Alexandre Aja’s latest horror film. Watch the first Never Let Go trailer below.

Switchblade Romance, Alexandre Aja’s gnarly slasher, made the French director into a talent to watch in 2003. After that, Aja has created a successful career in Hollywood, earning him a reputation of being able to turn out solid genre fare on time and with a relatively small budget.

Never Let Go, Lionsgate’s latest horror film, might just be his scariest film to date. Starring Halle Berry as a desperate mother, trying to keep her sons safe from an unseen evil, it all looks absolutely terrifying.

See for yourself. Watch the first Never Let Go trailer below.

Written by Kc Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, the film looks economically made with a small cast, few locations but maximum scares. Aja directed 2021’s Oxygen for Netflix, another film that kept things...

About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. Last month, Lionsgate unveiled a teaser poster, which can be seen at the bottom of this article, and announced they will be giving Never Let Go a theatrical release on September 27th. Now a tailer for the film has made its way online, and you can check it out in the embed above!

Berry is joined in the cast by Percy Daggs IV (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and Anthony B. Jenkins (Florida Man). Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine of 21 Laps are producing the film with Aja. Berry is executive producing alongside Holly Jeter and 21 Laps’ Emily Morris. Chelsea Kujawa and Scott O’Brien...

Originally announced last year under the title Mother Land, the next film from director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, Crawl) is now titled Never Let Go, and Lionsgate has released the official trailer this morning. Watch it below.

Never Let Go arrives in theaters on September 27, 2024. The premise for this one looks to be similar to films including A Quiet Place and Bird Box, centered on a small family unit’s struggle to survive within a world gone to hell. There’s a whole lot of snake-like imagery in this first look trailer – jump to 1:44 for a blink-and-miss-it little tease… or check out our screen-grab below – but the threat outside their door is still very much a mystery at this point in time.

All we know is… one touch is all it takes…

Academy Award winner Halle Berry is leading the film’s cast.

Originally announced last year under the title Mother Land, the next film from director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, Crawl) is now titled Never Let Go, and Lionsgate has released a sneak peek little teaser video this afternoon.

Watch below and expect the full trailer tomorrow, May 16.

Never Let Go arrives in theaters on September 27, 2024.

Academy Award winner Halle Berry is leading the film’s cast.

Percy Daggs IV (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and Anthony B. Jenkins (Florida Man) will star alongside Berry in Never Let Go. Check out the official poster art below.

The upcoming Lionsgate horror film follows a mother (Berry) and her fraternal twin sons (Daggs and Jenkins) who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years and are convinced to never let go of their family’s protective bond. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real,...

Rings of Power Season 2 Cast: Who is Joining the Lord of the Rings Series? - Main Image

Prime is set to release The Rings of Power season 2 in the latter part of this year, so let's take a quick recap about who we can expect to join the series soon. Meet The Rings of Power season 2 cast here.

Sam Hazeldine Replaces Joseph Mawle as Adar

Initially played by Joseph Mawle, Adar will be played by Sam Hazeldine in The Rings of Power season 2, instead.

Although Mawle had not explained his departure from the show, he did write, "Best to cast and crew for S2, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines X."

Sam Hazeldine is best known for playing recurring roles in Peaky Blinders as George Sewell, Rain Dogs as Paul, Slow Horses as Moe, and most recently, in Masters of the Air as Lt. Col. Albert 'Bub' Clark.

Robin Wright will wear multiple hats on her next series, a Prime Video drama titled The Girlfriend.

Wright will star in, direct and serve as an executive producer of the series, which is based on a novel by Michelle Frances. Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon), Laurie Davidson (Mary and George) and Waleed Zuaiter (Gangs of London) also star in the series from Amazon MGM Studios and Imaginarium Productions.

Wright will play Laura, a woman with a great career, a loving husband (Zuaiter’s Howard) and a close relationship with her son, Daniel (Davidson). Things take a turn when Daniel brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry (Cooke). “After an uncomfortable first meeting,” the show’s description reads, “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.

Update: A trailer for Never Let Go was shown during the Lionsgate panel at CinemaCon today, and JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek was in attendance. Here’s a description of what he saw: “Halle Berry and her two kids are living in a cabin after the world ends. This cabin has a rope/pulley system & they must be attached to you when leaving the house. The monsters/entities (they are very vague on what the threat is but its something that is physical) can’t get you with the rope attached to you and so they (monsters?) are trying to convince one child to doubt the rope safety. They want them to detach and if so, we see that it would put them in grave danger. The kids are twins born in a house that they have never left because of the dangers on the outside. The creatures (which you...

Lionsgate delays two of its big release: The Crow remake is still arriving this year, but Saw XI no longer is. More here.

Lionsgate has delayed two of its planned releases, pushing both The Crow and Saw XI out of their respective release slots and further down the line.

Saw XI has been delayed for a full year, with the film being pushed from September 2024 all the way back to September 2025. Given that the project only confirmed that Saw X's Kevin Greutert was returning as director back in February, this one is clearly still in development mode. We haven’t heard any casting news yet, meaning that September release date was simply not doable, especially given that its predecessor, Saw X picked up pretty good reviews.

With the long-running horror series once again on the rise, Lionsgate won’t want to rush out a sequel and damage the series’ newfound momentum.