News

Exclusive: Fandango Sales has appointed former The Match Factory exec Laura Nacher as Head of International Sales.

The appointment comes as the sales arm of Rome-based film company Fandango gears up for a major international push.

Nacher, who was previously Head of Sale Operations at The Match Factory, brings more than 12 years of experience in the international film sales sector.

She will make her first market outing with the company at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film this month, where it will present a first promo of Francesca Archibugi’s new film Illusion to buyers.

Nacher will report directly to Raffaella Di Giulio, Managing Director of Fandango Sales. Di Giulio will continue to oversee all sales and acquisitions activities, while also contributing to the company’s co-production strategy.

“I’m very excited for Laura to join the Fandango Sales team—and more broadly, the Fandango family. I’m...

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that Italian production executive Elettra Canovi has been appointed as director of scripted content for Max in Italy, where the streamer will be operational in 2026.

Canovi joins Max, where she will be leading the development and production of original scripted series for the Italian market, from her role as head of development at Italy’s Indiana Production. There, she played a key role in shepherding shows such as “The Leopard” (Netflix), “Unwanted” (Sky Studios) and “Vostro Onore” (Rai Fiction), overseeing their entire production process from development to delivery.

She also previously held roles as editorial department coordinator and story editor at ITV-owned Cattleya, where Canovi was involved in the development and production of titles such as “Gomorra,” “Suburra” and “Zero Zero Zero.”

Canovi joins Max following the announcement of their first Italian scripted original production, the limited series “Portobello” by revered auteur Marco Bellocchio,...

Rts Cambridge Confirms Big Name Speakers

Mark Burnett, John Landgraf and Jeff Zucker are among the major names set for the Rts Cambridge Convention 2025. Burnett – creator of The Apprentice, confidante of President Donald Trump and now U.S. Special Envoy to the UK – will speak along with FX Chairman Landgraf and Zucker, who is CEO of RedBird Imi, the owner of British super-indie group All3Media. Also on the bill for the event are former UK politician and ex-President of Global Affairs at Meta Nick Clegg and Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood. From the UK are interim Channel 4 CEO Jonathan Allan, ex-government ministers and Political Currency podcast hosts Ed Balls and George Osborne, ITV Chief Exec Carolyn McCall, Channel 5 President Sarah Rose and Sky Group CEO Dana Strong. BBC Director General Tim Davie is chairing the event, which will be entitled ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ and...

Exclusive:Playtime has scored international sales rights to Andrea Di Stefano’s My Tennis Maestro starring Pierfrancesco Favino about a young athlete who bonds with his unconventional coach.

It is produced by Italy’s Indiana Production, Indigo Film and Vision Distribution in collaboration with Memo Film, Sky, and Playtime.

Now in post-production, Vision Distribution will distribute in Italy andUniversal pictures will release in France. Playtime will show first images from the film in Cannes.

The €11m ($12.5m) film follows a 13-year-old tennis hopeful feeling pressure from his father’s weighty expectations who sets off for a training tour and life-changing...

Halle Berry, Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas and Jeremy Strong have been announced as members of the Cannes Film Festival’s main Competition jury for its 78th edition running from May 13 to May 24.

They join previously announced Jury President Juliet Binoche. Together, they will award the Palme d’Or to one of the 21 films in the main Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor awards.

U.S. Actress and filmmaker Berry was the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball (2002).

Alternating between blockbusters and independent productions, her credits include Jungle Fever (1991), Dorothy Dandridge (1999), X-Men (1999), Swordfish (2002), Die Another Day (2003), Gothika (2003), Frankie & Alice (2011), Cloud Atlas (2012), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and John Wick Parabellum (2019).

In 2020, she directed her first film, Bruised. Also a producer,...

What’s going to be this year’s “Anora”? As the Cannes Film Festival rapidly approaches, that’s the question for artistic director Thierry Fremaux and movie buffs around the world.

A month before Cannes Film Festival’s press conference, the official selection is still very much a work in progress, with little reliable information filtering through about which movies have already been invited. In fact, as of Friday — despite the volume of splashy prediction stories — it appears that only three films have so far been given a golden ticket to compete in Cannes. Variety can reveal that one of them is Jim Jarmusch’s anticipated “Father Mother Sister Brother“ starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits.

The last edition of the festival, which Fremaux had warned would be slightly weaker due to the impact of the double Hollywood strikes, proved to be anything but. Headlined by Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anora,...

Whether it’s the Laemmles in Los Angeles, the Angelika in New York, or any of the arthouse theaters in between, Kino Lorber has become a mainstay of international cinema in the U.S. But for president Ed Carroll, there’s a mission to expand that reputation to streaming.

Initially joining the indie distributor as chief strategy officer in 2023 after nearly a quarter century at AMC Networks, Carroll oversaw the acquisition of the streaming service MHz Choice, which offers a collection of top international TV dramas like the German noir series “Babylon Berlin” and the first series from Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio, “Exterior Night.”

Since then, he’s also overseen the expansion of Kino Lorber’s streaming platform, Kino Film Collection, which is available on Amazon.

Kino Lorber has a stake in the Oscars this Sunday, as it distributed “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” a nominee for Best Documentary Feature...

Max has set revered Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio’s TV series “Portobello” as its first Italian scripted original. The show tells the story of Italian TV host Enzo Tortora, who was a victim of one of Italy’s most clamorous travesties of justice, and will debut on the platform in 2026.

Max is now available in some 25 countries in Europe, spanning Spain, France, Benelux, the Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe. It’s now clear that the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer will also be operational in Italy by 2026.

In 1985, Tortora was accused by several alleged ex-mobsters turned informants and state witnesses of being part of a Neapolitan crime syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking. After enduring a lengthy trial, being sentenced to 10 years in prison and spending some time behind bars, Tortora’s conviction was eventually fully overturned by Italy’s Supreme Court in 1987 amid widespread belief that the TV host...

Max Sets First Italian Scripted Series

Max has set Portobello, a series by Marco Bellocchio, as its first Italian-scripted original production. The show will debut on Max in 2026. Production began in Rome last September and will also shoot in Sardinia, Campania, and Lombardy. The six-episode series tells the story of Enzo Tortora, the host of the real-life television show Portobello – which aired in 1977 for seven seasons – who was accused by justice collaborators of being part of a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking. Tortora was imprisoned and tried for years before being definitively acquitted of all charges. The cast features Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora, Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Alessandro Preziosi, and Fausto Russo Alesi.

Wggb President Warns About AI Changes

Writers’ Guild of Great Britain President Sandi Toksvig has asked the UK government to reconsider proposals that will allow tech companies to use creators’ work without...

Max has announced its first Italian scripted original production, Portobello, from Marco Bellocchio, which will debut on the platform in 2026. Filming began in Rome last September and is currently ongoing, with additional locations in Sardinia, Campania, and Lombardy. The six-episode series tells the story of Enzo Tortora, the famous host of the real-life television show “Portobello” – which aired in 1977 for seven seasons – who was accused by justice collaborators of being part of a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking. Tortora was imprisoned and tried for years before being definitively acquitted of all charges. Portobello Cast: Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo ... Read more...

Max has announced its first original scripted series from Italy, Portobello, directed by Marco Bellocchio. The series, which began filming in September 2024, will be released on the streaming platform in 2026. Here’s the Lowdown: Portobello is a six-episode series based on the true story of Enzo Tortora, the host of the popular 1970s Italian […]

New Italian Drama Portobello Coming to Max in 2026...

Max has announced its first Italian scripted original production, Portobello, from Marco Bellocchio, which will debut on the platform in 2026.

Filming began in Rome last September and is currently ongoing, with additional locations in Sardinia, Campania, and Lombardy.

Photo courtesy of Max

The six-episode series tells the story of Enzo Tortora, the famous host of the real-life television show Portobello – which aired in 1977 for seven seasons – who was accused by justice collaborators of being part of a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking.

Tortora was imprisoned and tried for years before being definitively acquitted of all charges. The cast includes Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora, Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Alessandro Preziosi, and Fausto Russo Alesi.

Photo courtesy of Max

Portobello is written by Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Giordana Mari, and Peppe Fiore. The cinematography is by Francesco Di Giacomo, the set design is by Andrea Castorina, the costume designs by Daria Calvelli,...

Oscar-nominated Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck is to be the guest of honour at the 56th edition of documentary festival Visions du Reel, taking place in Nyon, Switzerland from April 4-13.

Peck’s participation in the festival will include a masterclass and a retrospective of his non-fiction work, along with a screening of his latest film Ernest Cole: Lost and Found ahead of its release in Swiss cinemas.

Born in Haiti in 1953, and raised in Congo, New York, France and Germany, Peck’s filmography has long focused on key figures fighting for emancipation and criticising the cultural domination of history’s Eurocentric perspective.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Museum of the Moving Image

See It Big! Let It Snow brings 35mm prints of All That Heaven Allows, Doctor Zhivago, and Meet Me In St. Louis.

Museum of Modern Art

A dual celebration of Marcello and Chiara Mastroianni continues, this weekend bringing films by Raúl Ruiz and Marco Bellocchio.

Anthology Film Archives

A look at Robert Frank and his influences continues, including Chantal Akerman’s Toute une nuit and Blue Velvet on 35mm, while Scenes from the Streets begins.

Roxy Cinema

The New World and The Magnificent Ambersons shows on 35mm; Hardcore plays Friday and Saturday, the latter day bringing a Paul Schrader Q&a; Eastern Promises and Paul Verhoeven’s Elle also screen.

Metrograph

Lost In Translation, 2046, Phantom Thread, and Brokeback Mountain play on 35mm; The Holidays at Metrograph, It Looks Pretty from a Distance, and This...

Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk), adding to her impressive collection of career recognitions that includes the Venice Film Festival’s career Golden Lion.

The award, which comes with a cash prize of INR1 million, a sculpture, and a citation, will be presented by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the festival’s opening ceremony on Dec. 13 at state capital Thiruvananthapuram’s Nishagandhi Auditorium.

Hui, 77, stands as a pivotal figure in Asian cinema, particularly known for her contributions to the Hong Kong New Wave movement. Her five-decade career has consistently focused on social issues, with particular attention to women’s experiences in Hong Kong society. Her work examines themes ranging from gender discrimination to the cultural shifts surrounding Hong Kong’s transition from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty.

Born in Anshan, China in...

To watch Marco Bellocchio’s incendiary poliziottesco film Slap the Monster on Page One is to realize that the playbook of fascism has hardly changed over the past half-century. Exposing the thinly veiled collusion of right-wing politicians and reactionary media outlets, the demonization of leftist protesters, and the hypocritical piety that ran rampant during Italy’s “years of lead,” Bellocchio’s film probes the ways in which truth is undermined to shape public opinion and sway elections.

As the editor of Il Giornale, a fictional Italian newspaper, Giancarlo Bizanti (Gian Maria Volontè) certainly understands the power of seizing control of a narrative before one’s even been formed. Speaking to the lonely, embittered Rita (Laura Betti)—whom he manipulates into betraying her left-wing activist ex, Mario (Carrado Solari), ultimately falsely implicating the man in the murder of his current girlfriend, Maria (Silvia Kramar)—he says, “Let’s not try to lose our sense of reality.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.News Kaizen.Kaizen (2024), a documentary about an influencer’s quest to scale Mount Everest, has attracted the ire of other French distributors after mk2 violated the terms of its “exceptional visa,” booking almost double its legal allowance of screenings before releasing the film on YouTube the next day. One industry professional compared the company to “guys in hoodies with machine guns robbing a bank.”Total Film, the British monthly, has ceased print publication after 356 issues and 27 years.The United Kingdom has passed into law an Independent Film Tax Credit, part of a large investment in the culture industry by the new Labour government. FESTIVALSBeing John Smith.In an open letter, filmmakers and workers call on the New York...

An array of big name talent has joined Elle Fanning in “Rosebush Pruning” from “Motel Destino” and “Firebrand” director Karim Aïnouz for Mubi, The Match Factory and Fremantle company The Apartment.

Callum Turner (“Masters of the Air,” “The Boys in the Boat”), Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones & The Six,” “Zola”), Jamie Bell (“All of Us Strangers, Rocketman”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus,” “Euphoria”), Tracy Letts (“Lady Bird,” “Ford vs Ferrari”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In,” “MotherFatherSon”) and Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl,” the forthcoming “The Naked Gun”) are set to start in the film, which was first announced last year and is now shooting in Spain. Kristen Stewart and Josh O’Connor were originally attached to the project in lead roles alongside Fanning, but have been replaced by Keough and Turner, respectively.

Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou (“Kinds of Kindness,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,...

Callum Turner and Riley Keough have replaced Josh O’Connor and Kristen Stewart in the lead roles of Karim Aїnouz’s Rosebush Pruning.

Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Tracy Letts, Elena Anaya and Pamela Anderson have also joined the cast, alongside the previously announced Elle Fanning.

Production is now underway in Spain.

The film centres on a young man suffering from epilepsy who plots the murders of his dysfunctional family.

Efthimis Filippou wrote the script, an adaptation of Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 debut film Fists In The Pocket.

Kavic Film secured the adaptation rights and produces the film with Viola Fügen and Michael Weber...

Revered Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio is back behind the camera producing and shooting “Portobello,” a TV series reconstructing one of Italy’s most clamorous travesties of justice.

The show marks the first project out of the gate hailing from Our Films, the new shingle headed by prominent producer duo Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli best known for shepherding “The Young Pope” and “My Brilliant Friend.”

The “Portobello” series is lead-produced by Our Films with Bellocchio’s Kavac Film headed by producer Simone Gattoni. It is an Arte France co-production also in collaboration with Fremantle’s The Apartment Pictures. “Portobello” is written by Marco Bellocchio with Stefano Bises (“Gomorrah”), Giordana Mari (“My Love”) and Peppe Fiore (“The King”).

The six-episode Bellocchio series will delve into the true story of popular Italian TV host Enzo Tortora who, among other programs, conducted a primetime game show titled “Portobello” that aired on Italian state...

Charades has taken international sales rights to “Il tempo che ci vuole” (The Time It Takes), directed by Francesca Comencini. The film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the out of competition section.

“The Time It Takes” will be released in Italian theaters on Sept. 26 through 01 Distribution.

The film centers on a devoted father working in the film industry, who shares a deep bond with his young daughter. Together, they discover the magical world of childhood through the daughter’s eyes and the “Pinocchio” set he’s working on, “where chaos meets fantasy.”

The child becomes a young woman, and the state of enchanted limbo between father and daughter vanishes. She realizes that her childhood is slipping away, giving way to adolescence. The young woman starts taking drugs while hiding the truth from her father. Refusing to ignore the situation, the father confronts his daughter and decides to...

Marco Bellocchio’s “Se posso permettermi Capitolo II” (May I Say? Chapter Two), which has its world premiere Sunday in the Out of Competition section of the Venice Film Festival, has debuted a first clip (below). Rai Cinema is handling world sales.

The 30-minute film is the sequel to the short of the same name made in 2019 as part of the Fare Cinema (Making Cinema) training program.

The synopsis reads as follows: “Over the course of one day, Fausto, invincible in his inertia, watches a paradoxical procession of visitors pass by: the mellifluous village parish priest; a mysterious man with his absurd idea of a ghost-themed business; the captain of the Carabinieri who proposes a shotgun wedding with his daughter, who’s carrying the child of a stranger.

“Finally, late at night, a pair of thieves, in cahoots with Barbara, break into the house. Fausto surprises them, as always impassive and bored,...

The British Film Institute (BFI) has issued a further 11 awards through the UK Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf), including Karim Aïnouz’s Rosebushpruning, Irish football story Saipan, starring Steve Coogan, and The Bureau-produced Moroccan co-production Behind The Palm Trees.

Rosebushpruning is the next feature from Brazilian director Aïnouz. It is a contemporary adaptation of Marco Bellocchio’s Fists In The Pocket, with Elle Fanning attached to star.

Producers are Kavac Film, The Match Factory and Surfilm, with CryBaby the minority UK producer on the project. Fremantle’s Italy-based The Apartment is on board as a co-producer, and Mubi is one of the backers.

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Gianna with Valeria Golino as Pupa in Ginevra Elkann’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema highlight I Told You So (Te l’Avevo Detto)

Ginevra Elkann’s I Told You So (Te l’Avevo Detto), starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Alba Rohrwacher, Riccardo Scamarcio, Greta Scacchi, and Danny Huston was a highlight of the 23rd edition of Cinecittà and Film at Lincoln Center’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema in New York. The first time I spoke with Ginevra Elkann was at the Istituto Luce Cinecittà opening night reception for The Wonders: Alice and Alba Rohrwacher at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2019. It was for her début feature Magari, also shot by Vladan Radovic.

Ginevra Elkann with Anne-Katrin Titze on Valeria Bruni Tedeschi: “She’s an incredible actress and very funny”

On the morning of the Italian Cultural Institute New York and Cinecittà...

When renowned Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio called up his friend, fellow Italian auteur Marco Tullio Giordana (“Best of Youth”), about a project years in the making, the director promptly jumped on board. The resulting film is “The Life Apart,” premiering out of competition at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, where Giordana will also receive a Lifetime Achievement Pardo.

Adapted from Mariapia Veladiano’s acclaimed eponymous novel, “The Life Apart” is set in the Italian city of Vicenza between the 1980s and 2000s, where a young girl is shunned by her mother due to a large facial birthmark. Rebecca, played by Sara Ciocca as a child and Beatrice Barison as a young woman, finds solace in the piano, a talent she discovers with the help of her aunt and patron Erminia (Sonia Bergamasco).

“[Bellocchio] asked me to read the screenplay and I just loved it. Then I read the novel and...

We’re just about five weeks away from the opening of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, the oldest such celebration of international cinema and the official kickoff to awards season in earnest. A gondola loaded with news about this year’s titles washed up on our shores this morning, and this year’s competition slate is packed.

It’s no surprise that Todd Phillips will bring his “Joker” sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” back to the late-summer Italian event. The first dark comic book film won the top prize there in 2019, slapping a huge international halo on it released to the public, eventually netting Joaquin Phoenix the Best Actor Oscar, as well as a Best Original Score trophy for Hildur Guðnadóttir and nine other nominations, including Best Picture. The sequel, which was not a foregone conclusion when the first movie was made, but a Mack truck of Warner Bros....

Just a day after New York Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival made major announcements, Venice Film Festival is here with their full lineup ahead of the festival taking place August 28 through September 7.

Highlights include Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements, Harmony Korine’s Baby Invasion, Pablo Larraín’s Maria, Takeshi Kitano’s Broken Rage, Errol Morris’ Separated, Lav Diaz’s Phantosmia, Thomas Vinterberg’s Families Like Ours, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April, and more.

Check out the lineup below with a hat tip to Cineuropa.

Competition

The Room Next Door – Pedro Almodóvar

Campo di battaglia – Gianni Amelio

Leurs enfants après eux – Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma

The Brutalist – Brady Corbet

Jouer avec le feu – Delphine & Muriel Coulin

Vermiglio – Maura Delpero

Iddu (Sicilian Letters) – Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza

Queer – Luca Guadagnino

Love – Dag Johan Haugerud...

Veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio has revealed details of his new drama series Portobello, which is based on the real-life story of Enzo Tortora, the Italian TV celebrity journalist falsely accused of being a Mafia member and drug runner in the early 1980s.

“He [Tortora] was convicted and sentenced to prison because of a huge judiciary mistake,” Bellocchio said of his subject who hosted hit TV show Portobello but ended up receiving a 10 year prison sentence. “They [the authorities] literally destroyed his family, his life, his professional career - and he died out of sheer grief.”

Bellocchio didn’t know Tortora personally but...

Anouk Aimee, the French actress who received a best actress Oscar nomination in 1967 for A Man And A Woman, has died aged 92.

Aimee died at her home in Paris. Her death was confirmed by an Instagram post from her daughter Manuela Papatakis, which read, “With my daughter, Galaad, and my granddaughter, Mila, we have great sadness to announce the departure of my mother Anouk Aimée.”

Born Nicole Francoise Florence Dreyfus in Paris in 1932, she made her film debut aged 14 in the role of Anouk in Henri Calef’s The House Under The Sea. She kept the name for her career,...

Anouk Aimee, the French actress who received a best actress Oscar nomination in 1967 for A Man And A Woman, has died aged 92.

Aimee died at her home in Paris. Her death was confirmed by an Instagram post from her daughter Manuela Papatakis, which read, “With my daughter, Galaad, and my granddaughter, Mila, we have great sadness to announce the departure of my mother Anouk Aimée.”

Born Nicole Francoise Florence Dreyfus in Paris in 1932, she made her film debut aged 14 in the role of Anouk in Henri Calef’s The House Under The Sea. She kept the name for her career,...

Actress Anouk Aimée, the sophisticated French beauty who graced the films of Federico Fellini, Jacques Demy, Sidney Lumet, Bernardo Bertolucci and Claude Lelouch, has died. She was 92.

Aimee’s daughter said in an Instagram post on Tuesday that the star died at her home in Paris without providing further details.

Perhaps best known for her role opposite Jean-Louis Trintignant in Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman (1966) — for which she received an Oscar nomination for best actress and won a Golden Globe — Aimée also starred in such art house standouts as Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963), Demy’s Lola (1961), Jacques Becker’s Montparnasse 19 (1958) and Bertolucci’s Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981).

Her career kicked off in the late 1940s and lasted all the way through a reunion with Trintignant in The Best Years (Les Plus belles annees), Lelouch’s 2019 epilogue to A Man and a Woman.

With more than 80 feature credits,...

As Neon was justly feted this weekend for a fifth consecutive Cannes Palme d’Or winner (Anora), it also had a nice showing at home with a terrific expansion for indie Babes.

The feature directorial debut of Pamela Adlon jumped from a 12-screen opening last week to 590 and hit no. 9 at the domestic box office with an estimated $1.06 million three-day weekend and cume of circa $1.29 million. Over the four days, including the Memorial Day holiday, the gross approaches $1.23 million and the cume $1.46 million.

The film follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) who grew up together in NYC but are now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their complex friendship faces its greatest challenge. Co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz.

Noting that Neon’s La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher...

Fremantle’s Rome-based company The Apartment has boarded Karim Aïnouz’s next feature Rosebushpruning in partnership with The Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema.

It marks the first big film announcement for The Apartment since the arrival of Annamaria Morelli as its CEO in February, following the departure of founder Lorenzo Mieli.

As announced in Cannes this week, Kristen Stewart, Josh O’Connor, and Elle Fanning are signed to co-star in Rosebushpruning, which shoots later this year.

Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou, adapted from Marco Bellocchio’s debut feature Fists in the Pocket, a satirical drama about a dysfunctional family.

Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing Rosebushpruning for The Match Factory, which is also handling worldwide sales for the film.

The adaptation rights have been acquired from Kavac Film also attached at the production team with Simone Gattoni.

Fremantle’s The Apartment will partner with The Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema to produce Karim Aïnouz’s next feature film “Rosebushpruning.”

Directed by Aïnouz, the film’s lead cast includes Kristen Stewart (“Love Lies Bleeding,” “Spencer”), Josh O’Connor (“Challengers,” “God’s Own Country”) and Elle Fanning (“Teen Spirit,” “The Great”). Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou (Kinds of Kindness, Dogtooth, The Lobster), which is an adaptation from Marco Bellocchio’s debut feature Fists in the Pocket.

Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing “Rosebushpruning” for The Match Factory, who are also handling worldwide sales for the film. The adaptation rights have been acquired from Kavac Film also attached at the production team with Simone Gattoni. The Apartment, a Fremantle Company, is co-producing, with Annamaria Morelli as executive producer. Rachel Dargavel for Crybaby Films is co-producing in the UK. Mubi is financing production alongside...

Fremantle’s The Apartment boarded Karim Aïnouz’s next feature Rosebushpruning, as co-producer, with The Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema.

The cast for the film, first announced last year, includes Kristen Stewart, Josh O’Connor and Elle Fanning.

Brazilian director Aïnouz is in Cometition at Cannes with Motel Destino, having last year premiered Firebrand in Compeition. Aïnouz is directing from a script by Kinds Of Kindness and Dogtooth writer Efthimis Filippou who has adapted Marco Bellocchio’s debut feature Fists In The Pocket.

Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing Rosebushpruning for The Match Factory, who are also...

Brazilian production powerhouse Gullane, which is behind Netflix’s “Senna” and Karim Aïnouz’s Cannes competition title “Motel Destino,” has closed international co-production pacts on new projects from Cao Hamburger (”The Year My Parents Went on Vacation”) and Sandra Kogut (“Three Summers”).

France’s Playtime Group and Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes will co-produce Hamburger’s “School Without Walls.” A Playtime Group company will also handle international sales on the true and inspiring story of Braz Nogueira, principal of a public school in Heliopolis, one of Brazil’s biggest slums.

Kogut will direct “New Cancun,” co-created by and starring Sundance actress winner Regina Casé. The film teams Gullane with Kogut’s regular producer in France, Gloria Films. It’s slated to shoot by the first quarter of 2025.

In the film, Casé plays Madá, who has never dwelled on her family’s tragedy in an environmental disaster. When chosen for a Christmas campaign,...

"This will create new tensions." Cohen Media Group has unveiled an official US trailer for the Italian dramatic thriller now titled (in full) Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. This premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year under the shorter title Rapito. This is legendary Italian director Marco Bellocchio's period drama, depicting a scandalous & captivating true story. It also played at TIFF, New York, Mill Valley, and AFI Fest last year. This grand, historical fresco depicts the true story of a young Jewish child who, in mid-19th century Bologna, was abducted from his family by the church on the Pope's orders. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, and the papal law is unquestionable: he must now receive a Catholic education. Edgardo's parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community,...

Marco Bellocchio is the 84-year-old Italian director behind films like “Fists in the Pocket” from 1965, “Vincere” from 2009, and “Devil in the Flesh” from 1986. His strict Catholic upbringing has led him to make films that take a critical eye toward the Church, condemning its politics and documented history of abuse. Now, he is taking the Church to task once again with his latest film, “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara,” out May 24 from Cohen Media Group. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.

Here’s the official synopsis: “In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do...

A story once in the hands of Steven Spielberg to adapt, 84-year-old Italian director Marco Bellocchio’s latest film Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara follows a seven-year-old Jewish boy who was taken from his family in Bologna to be raised Catholic in the actual arms of Pope Pius IX. Conveyed in sweeping operatic fashion, Kidnapped is a feat of production design and compelling study of both political and religious power, even when certain stagnant passages leave something to be desired. Ahead of a theatrical release from Cohen Media Group starting May 24, preceded by a director retrospective at NYC’s Quad Cinema beginning next week, the U.S. trailer has now arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “From one of Italy’s most revered directors, Marco Bellocchio, comes Kidnapped, the true story of Edgardo Mortara. Mortara was a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, when in 1858, after being secretly baptized,...

With over six decades of an illustrious filmmaking career, Marco Bellocchio’s latest feature, Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara, will be coming U.S. theaters later this month from Cohen Media Group. A story once in the hands of Steven Spielberg to adapt, the 84-year-old Italian director’s latest work follows Edgardo Mortara, a seven-year-old Jewish boy who was taken from his family in Bologna to be raised Catholic in the actual arms of Pope Pius IX. Ahead of the May 24 release, we’re pleased to exclusively announce NYC’s Quad Cinema will be presenting the retrospective “Marco Bellocchio’s Film of Revolution,” taking place May 17-23.

See the lineup below.

Fists in the Pocket In the Name of the Father A Leap in the Dark Enrico IV Devil in the Flesh Good Morning, Night Marx Can Wait

Bellocchio also shared a personal statement ahead of the retrospective, which one can read below.

Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated drama “Io Capitano,” about the odyssey of two young African men who decide to leave Dakar to reach Europe, and Paola Cortellesi’s feminist dramedy “There’s Still Tomorrow” were both the big winners at Italy’s 69th David di Donatello Awards.

“Io Capitano” won Davids for best picture, director, producers, editor, and cinematographer, among other prizes, while “Still Tomorrow,” which is about the plight of an abused housewife in post-war Rome and had 19 nominations scored six statuettes, including best directorial debut, actress, non supporting actress, screenplay, and audience award.

“Still Tomorrow,” which marks the directorial debut of popular Italian actor Paola Cortellesi, who also stars, is shot in black-and-white and riffs on Italy’s neorealist past, albeit with a contemporary female empowerment angle.

“I made this debut at the brink of menopause,” Cortellesi, who is 50, said while accepting the statuette for best debuting director. “I hope...

Matteo Garrone’s refugee drama Io Capitano, an Oscar nominee this year for Italy in the best international feature category, was the big winner of this year’s 2024 David Di Donatello Awards, Italy’s equivalent to the Oscars, winning best film and director for Garrone.

Io Capitano also picked up prizes for best cinematography, editing, sound, and visual effects.

Paola Cortellesi’s There’s Still Tomorrow, a black-and-white feminist dramedy that became the top-grossing film in Italy last year, won Cortellesi the Donatello honors for best actress, directorial debut, and original script for the screenplay she co-wrote with Furio Andreotti and Giulia Calenda.

“I want to thank those who gave me the opportunity to write this role as I wanted it,” she said, accepting her actress honor.

Cortellesi’s film, a dramedy about an abused woman in post-wwii Rome that manages to combine serious social drama with situational comedy, sight gags and even a musical number,...

Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated drama Io Capitano triumphed in Italy’s David di Donatello film awards on Friday evening, winning best film and best director.

The film about the trials and tribulations of two Senegalese teenagers as they try to make it to Europe via the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea, also won best producer for companies Archimede, Rai cinema, Pathé and Tarantula as well as best sound, special effects, cinematography and editing.

Io Capitano premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, where it won best director for Garrone and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor for Seydou Sarr.

The movie went on to enjoy a buzzy awards season, securing a Golden Globe nomination for best non-English language film and an Academy Award nomination for best international film.

“This film tells the stories of those who are not listened to,” said Garrone, on receiving the best director award.

Meryl Streep is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, organizers said Thursday.

The Hollywood star — who earned the best actress award at Cannes in 1989 for her performance in Fred Schepsi’s Evil Angels — will help kick off the 77th edition at the Grand Theatre Lumiere.

“I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists, has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking. To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part. I so look forward to coming to France to thank everyone in person this May!” Streep said in a statement.

She will return to the French festival after a celebrated career in Hollywood over five decades. “We all...

Meryl Streep will receive the honorary Palme d’Or on the opening night of the 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned.

Luring the Oscar winner is yet another feat for this Cannes edition, which will bring together a flurry Hollywood legends. Notably, George Lucas will receive the honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony; Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” are playing in competition; and George Miller‘s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and Kevin Costner’s Western epic “Horizon, an American Saga” are playing out of competition. Streep will be also in good company at the festival with “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig serving as jury president. The pair worked together on “Little Women.”

The honorary tribute will mark Streep’s long-awaited return to Cannes after decades. It appears that her last trip to the festival dates back to Fred Schepisi...

A month so staggering in quality new releases that a new Mad Max film from George Miller barely cracked the top five, May kicks off the summer movie season with a bang. From the best American film of the year to a long-awaited U.S. release from the director who topped last month’s list, and much more, check out my picks of the best movies arriving this month below.

17. Aggro DR1FT (Harmony Korine; May 10-16 in theaters)

Though a film I almost actively hated in the moment, reflecting back on Harmony Korine’s Aggro DR1FT, it’s certainly a nightmare that has stayed with me. Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Is it possible to leave your enfance without losing your terrible? The one-and-only Harmony Korine, now 50 years young, returns with Aggro Dr1ft, a premiere out-of-competition at the Venice Film Festival this week and, by my count, the only...

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Apr 26-28) Total gross to date Week 1. Challengers (Warner Bros) £1.5m £1.5m 1 2. Back To Black (Studiocanal) £1.4m £9m 3 3. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) £948,033 £19.7m 5 4. Civil War (Entertainment Film Distributors) £755,426 £5.2m 3 5. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros) £597,522 £13.7m 5

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.25

Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama Challengers scored a number one ranking on its opening weekend at the UK-Ireland box office, with a £1.5m first session.

Warner Bros title Challengers took a £2,197 site average from over 700 cinemas, and has £1.6m including previews.

The figure is a new record opening in the territory for Guadagnino,...

The Cannes Film Festival has named the eight members of its main Competition jury who will join previously announced president Greta Gerwig in deciding the Palme d’Or and other key prizes at 77th edition running from May 14 to 25.

They are Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, U.S. actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter J.A. Bayona, Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and French actor and producer Omar Sy.

The wife and long-time collaborator of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, screenwriter and photographer Ceylan co-wrote 2014 Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep and also took co-writing credits on Cannes selected films Three Monkeys (Best Director Prize 2008), Once upon a time in Anatolia (Grand Prix 2011), The Wild Pear Tree (2018) and About Dry Grasses (2023).

Ceylan also appeared as an actress and took art director credits on her husband’s early films...

Luca Guadagnino’s love triangle drama Challengers starts its UK-Ireland box office campaign this weekend through Warner Bros.

Opening in 702 sites with additional venues still being added, the film stars Zendaya, 2016 Screen Star of Tomorrow Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in the story of three aspiring tennis professionals fighting both for championships and romantically.

Initially programmed as the opening film of last year’s Venice Film Festival, Challengers was withdrawn following the actors’ strike, which would have prevented its starry cast from promoting the release.

It is Italian filmmaker Guadagnino’s eighth feature film. He broke out internationally with his fifth,...

The section that we criminally need to overlook while covering the festival, the Cannes Classics films (excluding Le Cinéma de la Plage) are the last batch of titles to be programmed for the next edition. Packed with film-related docus, restored prints and anniversary 4K restorations, some of the big names including Jean-Luc Godard’s very last short, Faye Dunaway, Wim Wenders, Sylvia Chang, Costa-Gavras, Raymond Depardon, Marco Bellocchio, Ron Howard, Frederick Wiseman, Dong-ho Kim, Montxo Armendáriz and more…

Events

100 years of Columbia Pictures

Gilda

Charles Vidor

1946, 1h50, United States

A Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation. Restoration from the original 35mm nitrate negative and a 35mm nitrate internegative.…...