Exclusive: After seeing his Amazon MGM romantic drama The Idea of You debut to glowing reviews on the closing night of SXSW, Michael Showalter has been set to reteam with the studio on Oh. What. Fun, a holiday comedy to star Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit).
In the film, Pfeiffer plays Claire Clauster, who organizes a special Christmas outing when her family forgets her in the shuffle. By the time they realize their mistake, she’s gone missing. Their Christmas is in jeopardy, but Claire has other plans.
Written by Showalter and Chandler Baker, the film is based on a short story from the latter that was originally published by Amazon Original Stories. Producers on the project include Showalter and Jordana Mollick via Semi-Formal Productions, as well as Tribeca Productions’ Berry Welsh & Jane Rosenthal (The Irishman), and...
In the film, Pfeiffer plays Claire Clauster, who organizes a special Christmas outing when her family forgets her in the shuffle. By the time they realize their mistake, she’s gone missing. Their Christmas is in jeopardy, but Claire has other plans.
Written by Showalter and Chandler Baker, the film is based on a short story from the latter that was originally published by Amazon Original Stories. Producers on the project include Showalter and Jordana Mollick via Semi-Formal Productions, as well as Tribeca Productions’ Berry Welsh & Jane Rosenthal (The Irishman), and...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Janus Films has released the trailer for “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” a documentary celebrating the composer’s life.
Sakamoto put on one final performance in late 2022, which was captured in a concert film featuring just him and his piano. He curated and sequenced the 20 pieces himself, with the selection spanning his entire career. This includes his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra, his scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci and his final album, “12.”
His son Neo Sora directed the film, which was executive produced by Jeremy Thomas. “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus” will open on March 15 in New York at Lincoln Center, with a national rollout to follow.
Watch the full trailer below.
Oscar-Nominated Short Film ‘The Last Repair Shop’ To Make Television Debut
The Oscar-nominated short film “The Last Repair Shop” will make its television debut on ABC owned television stations and select affiliate stations on Saturday, Feb. 17. It will also be...
Sakamoto put on one final performance in late 2022, which was captured in a concert film featuring just him and his piano. He curated and sequenced the 20 pieces himself, with the selection spanning his entire career. This includes his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra, his scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci and his final album, “12.”
His son Neo Sora directed the film, which was executive produced by Jeremy Thomas. “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus” will open on March 15 in New York at Lincoln Center, with a national rollout to follow.
Watch the full trailer below.
Oscar-Nominated Short Film ‘The Last Repair Shop’ To Make Television Debut
The Oscar-nominated short film “The Last Repair Shop” will make its television debut on ABC owned television stations and select affiliate stations on Saturday, Feb. 17. It will also be...
- 2/14/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Caroline Brew, Diego Ramos Bechara and Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Pulitzer Prize-winning August: Osage County playwright Tracy Letts has signed with UTA for representation in all areas, the agency said today.
A prolific playwright and actor, Letts’s career in theater has spanned decades, including the Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated The Minutes, which he wrote and starred in. The dark comedy opened on Broadway on April 17, 2022.
Letts’ other recent Broadway productions include his play Linda Vista in 2019. The same year, he starred opposite Annette Bening in a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, and he won a Tony for his portrayal of “George” in the 2012 revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Letts was honored with the Pulitzer in 2008 for his August: Osage County, winner of five Tony awards including Best Play.
In 2019, Letts played Henry Ford II in James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari and starred in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.
A prolific playwright and actor, Letts’s career in theater has spanned decades, including the Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated The Minutes, which he wrote and starred in. The dark comedy opened on Broadway on April 17, 2022.
Letts’ other recent Broadway productions include his play Linda Vista in 2019. The same year, he starred opposite Annette Bening in a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, and he won a Tony for his portrayal of “George” in the 2012 revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Letts was honored with the Pulitzer in 2008 for his August: Osage County, winner of five Tony awards including Best Play.
In 2019, Letts played Henry Ford II in James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari and starred in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.
- 1/18/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age) is set to appear opposite Lauren Lapkus in Another Happy Day, a postpartum depression comedy marking the feature debut of writer-director Nora Fiffer, which wrapped production last summer in Chicago and will make its world premiere at the Vail Film Festival this Saturday, December 9th.
The film centers on Joanna (Lapkus), a “total nut” who is wearing new motherhood so awkwardly that she remarks candidly “I’m not really a mom, I just have a baby, you know?” This new mom is also an artist who isn’t making any art, and feels truly terrible at taking care of her newborn, as she stumbles through her days. She can’t get her old job back, her old friends have moved on without her, her husband thinks he’s a better mother than she is, she’s terribly sleep deprived, and her baby won’t look at her.
The film centers on Joanna (Lapkus), a “total nut” who is wearing new motherhood so awkwardly that she remarks candidly “I’m not really a mom, I just have a baby, you know?” This new mom is also an artist who isn’t making any art, and feels truly terrible at taking care of her newborn, as she stumbles through her days. She can’t get her old job back, her old friends have moved on without her, her husband thinks he’s a better mother than she is, she’s terribly sleep deprived, and her baby won’t look at her.
- 12/8/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to “His Three Daughters,” starring Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon, following its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Netflix had no comment on terms of the deal, which is reported to be for just under $7 million.
Written, directed and edited by Azazel Jacobs, the film presents a tense, captivating, and touching portrait of family dynamics with Lyonne, Olsen and Coon starring as sisters who converge after their father’s health declines.
In his review, Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the drama as “funny, moving and true,” with its trio of lead actors delivering “superb” performances that “work together like a piece of chamber music.”
He wrote: “The film is a finely observed, winningly unsentimental memory play about three adult sisters who have come together to take care of their father, who is dying of cancer and approaching his final days.
Netflix had no comment on terms of the deal, which is reported to be for just under $7 million.
Written, directed and edited by Azazel Jacobs, the film presents a tense, captivating, and touching portrait of family dynamics with Lyonne, Olsen and Coon starring as sisters who converge after their father’s health declines.
In his review, Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the drama as “funny, moving and true,” with its trio of lead actors delivering “superb” performances that “work together like a piece of chamber music.”
He wrote: “The film is a finely observed, winningly unsentimental memory play about three adult sisters who have come together to take care of their father, who is dying of cancer and approaching his final days.
- 10/2/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has acquired the rights to “His Three Daughters,” a drama from director Azazel Jacobs that premiered last month at the Toronto International Film Festival, the streamer announced Monday.
The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen as a trio of estranged sisters who try to maintain their frayed relationship while taking care of their dying father in his small apartment.
The three actors are also executive producers on the film alongside Maya Rudolph, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Peter Friedland, Neil Shah and Sophia Lin. Jacobs produces alongside Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Lia Buman, Marc Marrie, Mal Ward, Matt Aselton, Tim Headington, Jack Selby and Diaz Jacobs.
“His Three Daughters” is the third Netflix acquisition from this year’s TIFF. Previously, the streamer acquired Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” for $20 million and Anna Kendrick directorial debut “Woman of the Hour” for $10 million.
“Hit Man” stars Glen Powell and tells...
The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen as a trio of estranged sisters who try to maintain their frayed relationship while taking care of their dying father in his small apartment.
The three actors are also executive producers on the film alongside Maya Rudolph, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Peter Friedland, Neil Shah and Sophia Lin. Jacobs produces alongside Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Lia Buman, Marc Marrie, Mal Ward, Matt Aselton, Tim Headington, Jack Selby and Diaz Jacobs.
“His Three Daughters” is the third Netflix acquisition from this year’s TIFF. Previously, the streamer acquired Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” for $20 million and Anna Kendrick directorial debut “Woman of the Hour” for $10 million.
“Hit Man” stars Glen Powell and tells...
- 10/2/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Exclusive: In its fourth deal for films that played last month’s Toronto Film Festival, Netflix has acquired His Three Daughters for just under $7 million, sources said. Scripted, directed and edited by Azazel Jacobs, the film stars Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon.
CAA Media Finance brokered the deal for worldwide rights.
This marks the fourth major deal for a Toronto title by Netflix, which paid around $20 million for the Richard Linklater-directed Hit Man with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona and north of $10 million for the Anna Kendrick-directed Woman of the Hour, a drama inspired by the true story of a contestant on TV’s The Dating Game who won a date with a serial killer who turned creepier and creepier as the date approached. It also picked up Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, a documentary about the first Nepali woman to completely summit and survive Mount Everest.
CAA Media Finance brokered the deal for worldwide rights.
This marks the fourth major deal for a Toronto title by Netflix, which paid around $20 million for the Richard Linklater-directed Hit Man with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona and north of $10 million for the Anna Kendrick-directed Woman of the Hour, a drama inspired by the true story of a contestant on TV’s The Dating Game who won a date with a serial killer who turned creepier and creepier as the date approached. It also picked up Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, a documentary about the first Nepali woman to completely summit and survive Mount Everest.
- 10/2/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
In 2008, the writer-director Azazel Jacobs made a small but vivid splash with “Momma’s Man,” a Sundance comedy about a troubled dweeb hiding out in the cocoon of his parents’ downtown Manhattan apartment. The parents were played by Jacobs’ own (the avant-garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs and his wife Flo), and the movie turned their overstuffed bohemian pack-rat museum of a loft into a tiny city of its own. “Momma’s Man” showed extraordinary promise, and in the 15 years since I’ve been waiting for Azazel Jacobs to make good on it. But while he has given us a compelling movie or two, they have all felt minor, and his last feature, “French Exit,” though it generated Oscar buzz for Michelle Pfeiffer, was equal parts charming and contrived.
Now, though, the angels have smiled. Jacobs has taken the leap I always wanted him to make and become a filmmaker of effortless and moving assurance.
Now, though, the angels have smiled. Jacobs has taken the leap I always wanted him to make and become a filmmaker of effortless and moving assurance.
- 9/11/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director Azazel Jacobs has made a couple of indie pictures I really loved. French Exit gave Michelle Pfeiffer one of her meatiest roles in years and she ran with it in a delicious Paris-set tale. He also provided Debra Winger and Tracy Letts with terrific roles in the sophisticated The Lovers. And now Jacobs shows once again he knows how to attract top actors with well-written characters in the intimate drama His Three Daughters, which stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne.
The trio play sisters gathering in the New York City apartment where their father (Jay O. Sanders) is down the hall (unseen for most of the film) and near death. Jacobs purposely wants the confined atmosphere to let the dialogue rise to the top. They have arrived to spend his final days with him, but also to renew their own dysfunctional dynamic. In what could easily have...
The trio play sisters gathering in the New York City apartment where their father (Jay O. Sanders) is down the hall (unseen for most of the film) and near death. Jacobs purposely wants the confined atmosphere to let the dialogue rise to the top. They have arrived to spend his final days with him, but also to renew their own dysfunctional dynamic. In what could easily have...
- 9/9/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Three sisters convene to say goodbye to their dying father in a detailed and intimate yet uneven drama
For better and for worse, the pandemic begat a certain micro-genre of intimate drama, one defined by its smallness – tight cast, single location, no extras, minimal costumes. His Three Daughters, the latest from the film-maker Azazel Jacobs, feels like a Covid movie. The action is confined to one Manhattan apartment, to which three sisters, played by Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen, return to settle the affairs of their dying father (Jay O Sanders) and say goodbye. The sisters almost entirely pick at the film’s knot of grief, resentment, relief and tricky love; their relationships are, for reasons that trickle out over several days, fraught and frosty. The ensemble players include two hospice nurses, one sister’s hookup and a neighbor.
Not that this is a bad thing; death, especially...
For better and for worse, the pandemic begat a certain micro-genre of intimate drama, one defined by its smallness – tight cast, single location, no extras, minimal costumes. His Three Daughters, the latest from the film-maker Azazel Jacobs, feels like a Covid movie. The action is confined to one Manhattan apartment, to which three sisters, played by Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen, return to settle the affairs of their dying father (Jay O Sanders) and say goodbye. The sisters almost entirely pick at the film’s knot of grief, resentment, relief and tricky love; their relationships are, for reasons that trickle out over several days, fraught and frosty. The ensemble players include two hospice nurses, one sister’s hookup and a neighbor.
Not that this is a bad thing; death, especially...
- 9/9/2023
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
Toronto – We’re not sure writer and director Azazel Jacobs needed a comeback after 2020’s disappointing “French Exit,” but we’re delighted to report he’s delivered another exquisite drama with his latest endeavor, “His Three Daughters.” Debuting at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, ‘Daughters’ follows three siblings as they come to grips with the impending death of their father. And, as in any family, tension abounds.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: 26 Must-See Films To Watch At TIFF
With their father entering hospice care, Katie (Carrie Coon), the oldest, and Christina (Elisabeth Olsen), the youngest, have made their way to Manhattan to crash at his apartment for his final hours.
Continue reading ‘His Three Daughters’ Review: Natasha Lyonne Is Riveting In Azazel Jacobs’ Sibling Drama [TIFF] at The Playlist.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: 26 Must-See Films To Watch At TIFF
With their father entering hospice care, Katie (Carrie Coon), the oldest, and Christina (Elisabeth Olsen), the youngest, have made their way to Manhattan to crash at his apartment for his final hours.
Continue reading ‘His Three Daughters’ Review: Natasha Lyonne Is Riveting In Azazel Jacobs’ Sibling Drama [TIFF] at The Playlist.
- 9/9/2023
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
The Hollywood Reporter arts and culture critic Lovia Gyarkye shares her list of the 10 must-see films at this month’s Toronto Film Festival.
The Boy and the Heron The Boy and the Heron
How lucky for us that Hayao Miyazaki, the animation master with a gift for enchanting world-building, didn’t stay retired? The prolific Japanese filmmaker makes an exciting return with The Boy and the Heron, which opened in Japan earlier this summer. Inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s novel How Do You Live?, The Boy and the Heron chronicles the adventures of a young, bereft boy who discovers an abandoned tower and a persistent grey heron while exploring his new town.
Dicks: The Musical
A24’s first musical feature is a ride that, for better or worse, I’m ready to get on. Comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp play two businessmen who find out they are twins and try to reunite their parents.
The Boy and the Heron The Boy and the Heron
How lucky for us that Hayao Miyazaki, the animation master with a gift for enchanting world-building, didn’t stay retired? The prolific Japanese filmmaker makes an exciting return with The Boy and the Heron, which opened in Japan earlier this summer. Inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s novel How Do You Live?, The Boy and the Heron chronicles the adventures of a young, bereft boy who discovers an abandoned tower and a persistent grey heron while exploring his new town.
Dicks: The Musical
A24’s first musical feature is a ride that, for better or worse, I’m ready to get on. Comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp play two businessmen who find out they are twins and try to reunite their parents.
- 9/7/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Here comes the fall festival circuit during the history-making double union strike. In these still uncharted waters, there remain quite a few unknowns. For instance, it’s unclear how interim agreements — either signed or not — will affect a project’s potential for pickup. Then, there is the question of whether AMPTP studios — supposedly sitting on stockpiles of cash — will be looking to buy given a lack of new content, or if they will abstain with an uncertain negotiating road ahead.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, there was chatter about how studios, including Netflix, had been messaging that they would not be buying projects that had signed interim agreements. (Netflix had no comment.) If a streamer did sign on to these agreements, they would indeed be signing on to SAG-AFTRA’s requirement that actors for streaming projects receive 2 percent of subscription revenue produced by those projects, as defined by metrics from Parrot Analytics.
- 9/7/2023
- by Mia Galuppo and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled its first wave of 60 selections on Monday, July 24. The slate includes 37 world premieres, seven international openings and 12 North American debuts and will be held September 7 – 17, 2023. See the full lineup of films (so far) below.
Among the standouts is “The Holdovers,” a caustic Christmas comedy from “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” writer-director Alexander Payne. Pundits expect the film could emerge from the festival as a major Oscar player in several races, including Best Picture. Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” a retelling of the GameStop short squeeze starring Paul Dano, and David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” a pharma satire with Emily Blunt, could land two previously overlooked actors their first Oscar spotlight.
See 14 most anticipated movies for July include ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Barbie’ … [Photos]
George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” is a highly anticipated Civil Rights drama that Gold Derby users currently predict will...
Among the standouts is “The Holdovers,” a caustic Christmas comedy from “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” writer-director Alexander Payne. Pundits expect the film could emerge from the festival as a major Oscar player in several races, including Best Picture. Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money,” a retelling of the GameStop short squeeze starring Paul Dano, and David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers,” a pharma satire with Emily Blunt, could land two previously overlooked actors their first Oscar spotlight.
See 14 most anticipated movies for July include ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ ‘Barbie’ … [Photos]
George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” is a highly anticipated Civil Rights drama that Gold Derby users currently predict will...
- 7/25/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
After unveiling a few titles, the Toronto International Film Festival has now dropped the initial 60 films taking part in their Galas and Special Presentations line-up when the festival takes place from September 7-17.
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
Highlights include Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Michel Franco’s Memory, Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.
The festival will also feature a number of acclaimed films from earlier this year, including Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, Chloe Dumont’s Fair Play, John Carney’s Flora and Son, and Marco Bellocchio’s Kidnapped, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2023
*Previously announced
Concrete Utopia Um...
- 7/24/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Toronto International Film Festival is back for another big year.
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
On Monday, TIFF announced a whopping 60 films in its first wave of titles for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Read More: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ Is The First Confirmed Title
Spanning both the Gala and Special Presentations sections of the fest, the lineup includes a number of big titles, including 37 world premieres.
“This year’s Galas & Special Presentations showcase a rich tapestry of talent, vision, and storytelling,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “From thought-provoking narratives to breathtaking visuals and stories so unreal they have to be real, each work embodies the power of cinema to inspire, challenge, and move audiences. Get ready to experience an unforgettable celebration of film and a memorable and star-studded festival, showcasing the best of global cinema for film lovers in September.”
Several of the films at this...
- 7/24/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Festival runs September 7-17.
The world premieres of Ellen Kuras’s biopic Lee starring Kate Winslet, Craig Gillespie’s GameStop meme craze drama Dumb Money, David Yates’s crime drama Pain Hustlers with Emily Blunt, and Michael Winterbottom’s thriller Shoshana are among Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Galas and Special Presentations.
The festival unveiled a further 60 selections on Monday after previously announcing Taikia Waititi’s Searchlight Pictures underdog football story Next Goal Wins, and Ladj Ly’s Les Indésirables, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils - both of which are available for the US. XYZ Films handles world sales...
The world premieres of Ellen Kuras’s biopic Lee starring Kate Winslet, Craig Gillespie’s GameStop meme craze drama Dumb Money, David Yates’s crime drama Pain Hustlers with Emily Blunt, and Michael Winterbottom’s thriller Shoshana are among Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Galas and Special Presentations.
The festival unveiled a further 60 selections on Monday after previously announcing Taikia Waititi’s Searchlight Pictures underdog football story Next Goal Wins, and Ladj Ly’s Les Indésirables, and Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils - both of which are available for the US. XYZ Films handles world sales...
- 7/24/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Two labor strikes may be upending Hollywood’s awards season and the film festivals that serve as launching pads for many Oscar contenders, but the Toronto International Film Festival signaled Monday that it still plans to showcase the best in cinema, unveiling its 2023 slate of movies.
Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Justine Triet are among the auteurs who will be screening their latest works at the festival. Payne will be on hand with “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in a boarding school that reunites him with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, while Linklater is showing “Hit Man,” an action-comedy with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Kore-eda and Triet will screen “Monster” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” both of which premiered at Cannes, where the latter won the Palme d’Or.
All told, the festival’s first wave of selections includes 60 films, representing 70 countries around the world. But the lineup...
Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Justine Triet are among the auteurs who will be screening their latest works at the festival. Payne will be on hand with “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in a boarding school that reunites him with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, while Linklater is showing “Hit Man,” an action-comedy with Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. Kore-eda and Triet will screen “Monster” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” both of which premiered at Cannes, where the latter won the Palme d’Or.
All told, the festival’s first wave of selections includes 60 films, representing 70 countries around the world. But the lineup...
- 7/24/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Kristen Stewart To Direct Scott Free’s Adaptation Of ‘The Chronology Of Water’ Starring Imogen Poots
Exclusive: After making her short-film directorial debut with Scott Free, Kristen Stewart is set to reunite with the banner for her feature directorial debut as she is set to direct The Chronology of Water, with Imogen Poots set to star. Stewart also will co-adapt the script with Andy Mingo, which is based on the memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch.
A Reader’s Choice Award winner at the 2012 Oregon Book Awards and finalist for the Pen Center USA Creative Nonfiction Award, the memoir is a lyrical journey through a life saved by art. A young woman finds her voice through the written word and her salvation as a swimmer – ultimately becoming a triumphant teacher, mother and a singular modern writer. A survivor’s story and a sexually abrasive and honest coming of age, the film is a physical memory wash of Yuknavitch’s inner life.
Related Story Cailee Spaeny Circling New ‘Alien...
A Reader’s Choice Award winner at the 2012 Oregon Book Awards and finalist for the Pen Center USA Creative Nonfiction Award, the memoir is a lyrical journey through a life saved by art. A young woman finds her voice through the written word and her salvation as a swimmer – ultimately becoming a triumphant teacher, mother and a singular modern writer. A survivor’s story and a sexually abrasive and honest coming of age, the film is a physical memory wash of Yuknavitch’s inner life.
Related Story Cailee Spaeny Circling New ‘Alien...
- 11/16/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Forest Whitaker, Thomasin McKenzie, Vera Farmiga and Richard E. Grant will lead the voice cast for “Gossamer,” an animated series adaptation of Lois Lowry’s novel.
The eight-part, half-hour animated series is produced by Bron Media’s virtual production and service company Bron Digital, which develops premium animation, interactive games and movies using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
Rounding out the cast for “Gossamer” is Wilmer Valderrama, Alanna Masterson and Courtney Rosemont, who makes her debut.
“Gossamer” is based on the young adult novel by Lowry, whose books include “The Giver” and “The Willoughbys” — the latter of which was previously adapted by Bron as an animated feature for Netflix.
Written by Crystal Meers, and directed by Azazel Jacobs and Heidi Bivens, “Gossamer” takes children and adults on a journey through the world of dreams and nightmares.
The show centers on Littlest One, who is an in-training Gossamer, a fairy who is a dream giver.
The eight-part, half-hour animated series is produced by Bron Media’s virtual production and service company Bron Digital, which develops premium animation, interactive games and movies using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
Rounding out the cast for “Gossamer” is Wilmer Valderrama, Alanna Masterson and Courtney Rosemont, who makes her debut.
“Gossamer” is based on the young adult novel by Lowry, whose books include “The Giver” and “The Willoughbys” — the latter of which was previously adapted by Bron as an animated feature for Netflix.
Written by Crystal Meers, and directed by Azazel Jacobs and Heidi Bivens, “Gossamer” takes children and adults on a journey through the world of dreams and nightmares.
The show centers on Littlest One, who is an in-training Gossamer, a fairy who is a dream giver.
- 6/14/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The 2022 Tribeca Festival has named its jury totaling more than five dozen members across 18 categories with Alan Zweibel, Aidan Quinn, Anne Archer, Rose Troche and Oge Egbuonu judging the U.S. Narrative Feature Competition.
Jessica Alba, Darren Aronofsky and Daryl Hannah are among jurors for the 2022 Human/Nature Prize, a new award this year going “to the project that best illuminates the pressing environmental issues of our time.”
The Nora Ephron Award, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer and presented for the tenth year, will be juried by Pam Grier along with Amandla Stenberg and Lisa Addario.
Rosanna Arquette, Lucy Boynton, Anthony Edwards and Nikki Karimi are the jury for International Narrative Feature.
Also set to select projects in categories including film, audio storytelling and games are Debra Winger, Andre Holland, Niecy Nash, Alex Winter, Lucy Boynton, Nanfu Wang, Sheila Nevins of MTV Documentary Films...
Jessica Alba, Darren Aronofsky and Daryl Hannah are among jurors for the 2022 Human/Nature Prize, a new award this year going “to the project that best illuminates the pressing environmental issues of our time.”
The Nora Ephron Award, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer and presented for the tenth year, will be juried by Pam Grier along with Amandla Stenberg and Lisa Addario.
Rosanna Arquette, Lucy Boynton, Anthony Edwards and Nikki Karimi are the jury for International Narrative Feature.
Also set to select projects in categories including film, audio storytelling and games are Debra Winger, Andre Holland, Niecy Nash, Alex Winter, Lucy Boynton, Nanfu Wang, Sheila Nevins of MTV Documentary Films...
- 6/2/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video is getting a new spin from Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and more artists to mark the greatest songwriter of all time’s 60th anniversary as a recording artist.
The new video takes its inspiration from the opening scene from D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back, which chronicled Dylan’s 1965 tour in England. It opens on Dylan holding and discarding a series of handwritten cue cards displaying words from the lyrics to “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and they include humorous misspellings, jokes and puns.
The new video takes its inspiration from the opening scene from D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back, which chronicled Dylan’s 1965 tour in England. It opens on Dylan holding and discarding a series of handwritten cue cards displaying words from the lyrics to “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and they include humorous misspellings, jokes and puns.
- 5/6/2022
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
“French Exit,” which closed last fall’s (mostly virtual) 2020 New York Film Festival, takes a lot of cues from its lead character — an eccentric, rich widow played with delicious zeal by Michelle Pfeiffer. The look is elegant and classy, but underneath things get pretty dark and twisted.
Still, the film wears its weirdness more lightly than the character. Frances Price (Pfeiffer) may be defiantly unconventional, thumbing her nose at social norms and the usual modes of parenting, but the movie tries to be dark and odd in a more beguiling way; it undercuts its polished stateliness with quiet black humor, though in the process it sometimes struggles to find the right tone for its polished, deadpan fatalism.
The result is a showcase for Pfeiffer’s sly but all-consuming embrace of a woman barely able to give a moment’s thought to anybody but herself, and one who surrounds herself with...
Still, the film wears its weirdness more lightly than the character. Frances Price (Pfeiffer) may be defiantly unconventional, thumbing her nose at social norms and the usual modes of parenting, but the movie tries to be dark and odd in a more beguiling way; it undercuts its polished stateliness with quiet black humor, though in the process it sometimes struggles to find the right tone for its polished, deadpan fatalism.
The result is a showcase for Pfeiffer’s sly but all-consuming embrace of a woman barely able to give a moment’s thought to anybody but herself, and one who surrounds herself with...
- 4/2/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Michelle Pfeiffer shines in the quirky, new comedic drama French Exit. The film follows Frances Price (Pfeiffer), a widowed New York socialite who, along with son, moves to Paris after squandering what is left of her inheritance. Also accompanying them is the family cat, who may apparently be the reincarnated spirit of Frances’s deceased husband. Once in Paris, they connect with a variety of quirky individuals and eventually end up communicating with the husband/father via a séance and an otherworldly candle. All the while, Frances continues to liquidate her remaining funds towards making her “French exit.”
Along with Frances on her journey is her son, Lucas, played with detached amusement by Malcolm Price. When the film begins, Lucas is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Susan (Imogen Poots), but has no plans to inform his mother of the pending nuptials. This, of course, leads to Susan breaking off the engagement,...
Along with Frances on her journey is her son, Lucas, played with detached amusement by Malcolm Price. When the film begins, Lucas is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Susan (Imogen Poots), but has no plans to inform his mother of the pending nuptials. This, of course, leads to Susan breaking off the engagement,...
- 4/2/2021
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Film at Lincoln Center’s reopening includes in-cinema screenings of Christian Petzold’s Undine Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Film at Lincoln Center has announced that the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center will reopen to the public at 25% capacity on Friday, April 16 with screenings of Azazel Jacobs’s French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges with Small Frank (voiced by Tracy Letts), and the restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror (1974). Upcoming films include Christian Petzold’s Undine, starring Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski; François Ozon’s Summer Of ’85 (Été ’85); Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me; Hong Sangsoo’s The Woman Who Ran, and Jia Zhangke’s Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue. The World of Wong Kar Wai comes May 14-20.
Film at Lincoln Center has the World of Wong Kar Wai coming Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Rendez-Vous with French Cinema was abruptly halted on March 12, 2020, following Rebecca Zlotowski...
Film at Lincoln Center has announced that the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center will reopen to the public at 25% capacity on Friday, April 16 with screenings of Azazel Jacobs’s French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges with Small Frank (voiced by Tracy Letts), and the restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror (1974). Upcoming films include Christian Petzold’s Undine, starring Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski; François Ozon’s Summer Of ’85 (Été ’85); Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me; Hong Sangsoo’s The Woman Who Ran, and Jia Zhangke’s Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue. The World of Wong Kar Wai comes May 14-20.
Film at Lincoln Center has the World of Wong Kar Wai coming Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Rendez-Vous with French Cinema was abruptly halted on March 12, 2020, following Rebecca Zlotowski...
- 4/1/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Hey, have you “re-couped” after last week’s virtual comic trek along the East Coast, which despite its title I didn’t consider at all a Bad Trip? Feeling a bit more adventurous, enough to leave the good ole’ US of A? Well, the “Silver Screen Travel Agency’ has an excursion that might be the cure to your “lock-down” laments. Let’s get those virtual bags re-packed, ’cause the movies are taking us over Spring Break to one of the jewels of Europe, Oh and you’ll be in the company of one of the true cinema goddesses, a talented beauty who has mesmerized movie audiences for five decades now. Quite a “clincher”, eh? She’s our guide and a teacher who can train us on how to execute the perfect French Exit.
But before we meet her character, we’re first introduced to her movie son. Malcolm Price (Lucas Hedges...
But before we meet her character, we’re first introduced to her movie son. Malcolm Price (Lucas Hedges...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Despite the proliferation of streaming services, it’s becoming increasingly clear that any cinephile only needs subscriptions to a few to survive. Among the top of our list are The Criterion Channel and Mubi and now they’ve each unveiled their stellar April line-ups.
Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.
At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...
Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.
At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...
- 3/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As predicted, Roadshow’s The Dry has crossed the $20 million mark.
This means the Robert Connolly film, based on Jane Harper’s best selling novel, is now the 14th highest grossing Australian film of all time, surpassing titles such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel’s Wedding and The Dish (not adjusting for inflation).
And the mystery drama is likely to still have life in it, with star and producer Eric Bana doing a set of Q&As screenings this week.
“The astounding success of The Dry confirms what Roadshow has always known, that there will always be an appetite for quality Australian productions which can without a doubt rival their Hollywood counterparts at the box office,” said Roadshow Films CEO Joel Pearlman.
“We will continue working with local industry and our partners in exhibition to deliver these crowd favourites to the big screen.”
Now 12 weeks in release,...
This means the Robert Connolly film, based on Jane Harper’s best selling novel, is now the 14th highest grossing Australian film of all time, surpassing titles such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel’s Wedding and The Dish (not adjusting for inflation).
And the mystery drama is likely to still have life in it, with star and producer Eric Bana doing a set of Q&As screenings this week.
“The astounding success of The Dry confirms what Roadshow has always known, that there will always be an appetite for quality Australian productions which can without a doubt rival their Hollywood counterparts at the box office,” said Roadshow Films CEO Joel Pearlman.
“We will continue working with local industry and our partners in exhibition to deliver these crowd favourites to the big screen.”
Now 12 weeks in release,...
- 3/22/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best Actress In A Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best Actress In A Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories...
- 2/24/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The titles for the 71st Berlin International Film Festival are being announced in anticipation of the event running March 1 - March 5, 2021. We will update the program as new films are revealed.IntroductionCOMPETITIONAlbatross (Xavier Beauvois): Laurent, a young police officer in a small town in Normandy, plans to marry Marie, with whom he has a daughter nicknamed Poulette. He loves his job despite the social misery he witnesses on a daily basis. Then one day, his life is thrown into turmoil when he accidentally kills a farmer threatening to commit suicide…Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude): Emi is a schoolteacher, whose career is threatened when a clip of her having sex with her spouse is uploaded on a adults-only site. When she is forced to face a group of furious parents asking for her dismissal, she clashes with them over their morality concerns, resulting in a debate that exposes the hypocrisy,...
- 2/19/2021
- MUBI
Take a look at new images of actress Michelle Pfeiffer ("Batman Returns"), star of the new comedy feature "French Exit", wearing Max Mara, Bulgari and Gianvito Rossi, for the February 2021 issue of "Town and Country" magazine, photographed by Shaniqwa Jarvis:
"...'French Exit' directed by Azazel Jacobs, is based on the novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt, following 'Frances Price' (Pfeiffer), a wealthy widow, and her adult son 'Malcolm Price', living together in New York City.
"When her financial planner reveals she is broke, Frances sells everything she owns and decides to take her childhood friend, 'Joan', up on an offer to live in her apartment in Paris.
"Mother and son, along with their cat, 'Small Frank' take a cruise ship to Paris. Onboard they meet a medium named 'Madeleine'...
"...who tells them that Small Frank is inhabited by the spirit of Frances's deceased husband 'Frank',...
"...'French Exit' directed by Azazel Jacobs, is based on the novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt, following 'Frances Price' (Pfeiffer), a wealthy widow, and her adult son 'Malcolm Price', living together in New York City.
"When her financial planner reveals she is broke, Frances sells everything she owns and decides to take her childhood friend, 'Joan', up on an offer to live in her apartment in Paris.
"Mother and son, along with their cat, 'Small Frank' take a cruise ship to Paris. Onboard they meet a medium named 'Madeleine'...
"...who tells them that Small Frank is inhabited by the spirit of Frances's deceased husband 'Frank',...
- 2/18/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
With the Super Bowl behind us and the Oscars looming (and a pandemic-dampened Valentine’s Day as a marketing peg), American distributors are releasing their most robust slate of new releases in months this weekend.
Awards contenders “Judas and the Black Messiah” (about the FBI-sanctioned murder of Fred Hampton) and “Land” (starring and directed by Robin Wright) arrive in theaters, hot off their premieres at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival. Also on the awards-worthy indie front, A24 releases last year’s Sundance winner “Minari” on demand. Steven Yuen stars in this immigrant story with universal appeal. And if theaters are open (and safe) near you, consider catching Michelle Pfeiffer in the wickedly funny “French Exit.”
Targeting teens with Valentine’s offerings, Amazon delivers the “Groundhog Day”-esque romance “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” to Prime subscribers, while Netflix completes its “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy with “Always and Forever.
Awards contenders “Judas and the Black Messiah” (about the FBI-sanctioned murder of Fred Hampton) and “Land” (starring and directed by Robin Wright) arrive in theaters, hot off their premieres at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival. Also on the awards-worthy indie front, A24 releases last year’s Sundance winner “Minari” on demand. Steven Yuen stars in this immigrant story with universal appeal. And if theaters are open (and safe) near you, consider catching Michelle Pfeiffer in the wickedly funny “French Exit.”
Targeting teens with Valentine’s offerings, Amazon delivers the “Groundhog Day”-esque romance “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” to Prime subscribers, while Netflix completes its “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy with “Always and Forever.
- 2/13/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
“My plan was to die before the money ran out” has become the anthem and tagline of the Sony Pictures Classics’ French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer as a 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite – a role that has been earning her plenty of awards season buzz.
Opening in theaters today before expanding nationwide April 2, French Exit is directed by Azazel Jacobs and written by Patrick deWitt, who wrote the bestselling novel on which the movie is based. In it, Pfeiffer plays Frances Price whose life hasn’t gone exactly as planned after her dead husband’s (Tracy Letts) inheritance is gone. She cashes in the last of her possessions and decides to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris with her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) and a cat named Small Frank — who may or may not embody the spirit of her husband.
French Exit made its...
Opening in theaters today before expanding nationwide April 2, French Exit is directed by Azazel Jacobs and written by Patrick deWitt, who wrote the bestselling novel on which the movie is based. In it, Pfeiffer plays Frances Price whose life hasn’t gone exactly as planned after her dead husband’s (Tracy Letts) inheritance is gone. She cashes in the last of her possessions and decides to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris with her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) and a cat named Small Frank — who may or may not embody the spirit of her husband.
French Exit made its...
- 2/12/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Berlin International Film Festival will look a bit different this year, with a virtual edition taking place March 1-5 for industry and press, then a public, in-person edition kicking off in June.
The complete lineup has now been unveiled, including Céline Sciamma’s highly-anticipated Portrait of a Lady on Fire follow-up Petite Maman, a surprise new Hong Sang-soo feature, the latest work from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, along with new projects by Radu Jude, Xavier Beauvois, Dominik Graf, Pietro Marcello, Ramon Zürcher & Silvan Zürcher, and more.
Check out each section below.
Competition Tiles
“Albatros” (Drift Away)
France
by Xavier Beauvois
with Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo
“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic
by Radu Jude
with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai
“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)
Germany
by Dominik Graf
with Tom Schilling,...
The complete lineup has now been unveiled, including Céline Sciamma’s highly-anticipated Portrait of a Lady on Fire follow-up Petite Maman, a surprise new Hong Sang-soo feature, the latest work from Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, along with new projects by Radu Jude, Xavier Beauvois, Dominik Graf, Pietro Marcello, Ramon Zürcher & Silvan Zürcher, and more.
Check out each section below.
Competition Tiles
“Albatros” (Drift Away)
France
by Xavier Beauvois
with Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo
“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic
by Radu Jude
with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai
“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)
Germany
by Dominik Graf
with Tom Schilling,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Berlin International Film Festival has set its full slate for the upcoming 2021 edition. Berlinale usually follows Sundance with a February festival, but the pandemic has forced organizers to develop a new festival format for 2021. The 71st Berlin International Film Festival is set to take place with the “Industry Event” from March 1 to 5, which will include the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund in online forms. From June 9 to 20, 2021 the Berlinale will launch a “Summer Special” with numerous film presentations in Berlin, both at indoor and outdoor cinemas.
Included in the March event is the traditional film festival slate, which includes the main Berlinale Competition lineup as well as sidebar sections such as Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and Retrospective. With the exception of the Retrospective, the films will be shown at the March event.
Included in the March event is the traditional film festival slate, which includes the main Berlinale Competition lineup as well as sidebar sections such as Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and Retrospective. With the exception of the Retrospective, the films will be shown at the March event.
- 2/11/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian also unveiled Berlinale Special features.
A 15-title Competition line-up including new films from Céline Sciamma and Radu Jude has been unveiled for the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.
The festival’s executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the complete Competition strand along with Berlinale Special titles at a virtual press conference today (February 11), from an empty cinema.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
This year’s edition will take place in two parts; an industry-focused, online-only event running March 1-5, and a Summer Special event featuring physical screenings, planned for June 9-20.
The Panorama,...
A 15-title Competition line-up including new films from Céline Sciamma and Radu Jude has been unveiled for the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.
The festival’s executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the complete Competition strand along with Berlinale Special titles at a virtual press conference today (February 11), from an empty cinema.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
This year’s edition will take place in two parts; an industry-focused, online-only event running March 1-5, and a Summer Special event featuring physical screenings, planned for June 9-20.
The Panorama,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Michael Rosser¬Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
You’ll Like My Mother: Jacobs Finds Pfeiffer in Eccentric Dangerous Liaison
Director Azazel Jacobs presents his most lavish offering to date with fourth feature French Exit, adapted from the celebrated novel by Patrick DeWitt (The Sisters Brothers). Recalling the slapstick ensemble comedies of the 1930s and 40s, where zippy dialogue skittered across zany scenarios littered with kooky characters, there’s much to admire in this offbeat black comic romp gilded with sinister undertones of familial dysfunction. Much like DeWitt’s novel, everything is eclipsed in the wake of its troubled heroine, Frances Price, here brought to life by a ferociously primed Michelle Pfeiffer who ruefully devours the narrative energies like an apex predator who can’t help but simply exist as the fabulous anomaly she is.…...
Director Azazel Jacobs presents his most lavish offering to date with fourth feature French Exit, adapted from the celebrated novel by Patrick DeWitt (The Sisters Brothers). Recalling the slapstick ensemble comedies of the 1930s and 40s, where zippy dialogue skittered across zany scenarios littered with kooky characters, there’s much to admire in this offbeat black comic romp gilded with sinister undertones of familial dysfunction. Much like DeWitt’s novel, everything is eclipsed in the wake of its troubled heroine, Frances Price, here brought to life by a ferociously primed Michelle Pfeiffer who ruefully devours the narrative energies like an apex predator who can’t help but simply exist as the fabulous anomaly she is.…...
- 2/9/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Distributor to customises releases amid slow re-opening of US cinemas in the.
Sony Pictures Classics has unveiled additional release details and expansion information for its film slate as it customises releases for each film amid the slow re-opening of cinemas in the US.
Dror Moreh’s The Human Factor, which opened in the New York and Los Angeles areas on January 22, will open nationwide on May 7
Azazel Jacobs’s French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges is set to open in the New York and Los Angeles areas on February 12 and will open nationwide on April 2.
As previously announced,...
Sony Pictures Classics has unveiled additional release details and expansion information for its film slate as it customises releases for each film amid the slow re-opening of cinemas in the US.
Dror Moreh’s The Human Factor, which opened in the New York and Los Angeles areas on January 22, will open nationwide on May 7
Azazel Jacobs’s French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges is set to open in the New York and Los Angeles areas on February 12 and will open nationwide on April 2.
As previously announced,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The quirky comedy French Exit, about several disconnected, somewhat lonely American souls who come together in unique ways in Paris, is funny, sad, bittersweet, surreal and altogether different. For star Michelle Pfeiffer, who has won some of the best reviews of her career after the New York Film Festival premiere, it was irresistible to play Frances, a widow and New York society gadfly dealing with her unusual relationship with her son (Lucas Hedges).
“I was fascinated by her and this world, and the script and the fantastic writing, and the characters,” says Pfeiffer, joined by co-star Valerie Mahaffey, writer Patrick deWitt and director Azazel Jacobs during Sony Pictures Classics’ panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. “It was unlike anything I had ever read, smart and funny and moving and tragic and all those things. I was just so excited and daunted to play her. It was challenging.”
For Mahaffey it was also special.
“I was fascinated by her and this world, and the script and the fantastic writing, and the characters,” says Pfeiffer, joined by co-star Valerie Mahaffey, writer Patrick deWitt and director Azazel Jacobs during Sony Pictures Classics’ panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. “It was unlike anything I had ever read, smart and funny and moving and tragic and all those things. I was just so excited and daunted to play her. It was challenging.”
For Mahaffey it was also special.
- 1/23/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
In a 1991 essay, John Gregory Dunne said male stars are allowed to age gracefully onscreen, unlike females: “Men grow older; women grow old.” In general, he’s right: Acting has always been a difficult profession, especially for women over 35.
Dunne (1932-2003) unfortunately didn’t live long enough to see this year’s notable work by actresses over 50. That list includes Candice Bergen, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Gong Li, Laura Linney, Sophia Loren, Frances McDormand, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep.
The list also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, who looks more beautiful than ever and gives one of her best performances in Sony Classics’ “French Exit.” She has not grown old or older — she’s grown deeper.
Variety first mentioned her in January 1979, when she was 14th billed in ABC’s “Delta House,” an “Animal House” knockoff. She landed another short-lived series, “B.A.D. Cats,” and had guest roles in “CHiPs,” “Fantasy Island,” “Enos...
Dunne (1932-2003) unfortunately didn’t live long enough to see this year’s notable work by actresses over 50. That list includes Candice Bergen, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Gong Li, Laura Linney, Sophia Loren, Frances McDormand, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep.
The list also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, who looks more beautiful than ever and gives one of her best performances in Sony Classics’ “French Exit.” She has not grown old or older — she’s grown deeper.
Variety first mentioned her in January 1979, when she was 14th billed in ABC’s “Delta House,” an “Animal House” knockoff. She landed another short-lived series, “B.A.D. Cats,” and had guest roles in “CHiPs,” “Fantasy Island,” “Enos...
- 1/8/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Valerie Mahaffey is a staple of primetime television, with memorable performances in such shows as “Dead to Me,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Northern Exposure,” for which she won an Emmy. But this year she has a standout role in film thanks to “French Exit.” In the film, Mahaffey plays Mme. Reynard, a quirky, lonely widow who befriends Michelle Pfeiffer‘s character, Frances. “She’s the polar opposite of Frances, who is divesting herself of things,” says Mahaffey in an exclusive new webchat for Gold Derby, while Mme. Reynard is “grabbing life with both hands.” Watch the video interview above.
SEEMichelle Pfeiffer movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
While Mahaffey has been cited as the comic relief of “French Exit,” the actress did not necessarily play her scenes in an intentionally funny manner. “I don’t want any artifice and I wanted to play the truth of every moment,” she reveals.
SEEMichelle Pfeiffer movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
While Mahaffey has been cited as the comic relief of “French Exit,” the actress did not necessarily play her scenes in an intentionally funny manner. “I don’t want any artifice and I wanted to play the truth of every moment,” she reveals.
- 1/8/2021
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Michel Delahaye and Ingrid Bourgoin in Marie-Claude Treilhou’s Simone Barbès Or Virtue
At the New York Film Festival in 2020, there were a number of terrific free talks, including Gianfranco Rosi on Notturno (Italy’s Oscar submission); Christian Petzold with Heinz Emigholz (The Last City and The Lobby with John Erdman); Steve McQueen with Small Axe cinematographer Shabier Kirchner and his Lovers Rock (Opening Night Gala selection) cast Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Micheal Ward; Laura Dern, Joyce Chopra, and Joyce Carol Oates on Smooth Talk (Revivals selection); Chloé Zhao with Nomadland (Centerpiece selection) producer Peter Spears; Dea Kulumbegashvili on Beginning, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Azazel Jacobs on French Exit (Closing Night selection).
Serge Bozon discussed Simone Barbès Or Virtue with Marie-Claude Treilhou Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Serge Bozon (director of Madame Hyde,...
At the New York Film Festival in 2020, there were a number of terrific free talks, including Gianfranco Rosi on Notturno (Italy’s Oscar submission); Christian Petzold with Heinz Emigholz (The Last City and The Lobby with John Erdman); Steve McQueen with Small Axe cinematographer Shabier Kirchner and his Lovers Rock (Opening Night Gala selection) cast Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Micheal Ward; Laura Dern, Joyce Chopra, and Joyce Carol Oates on Smooth Talk (Revivals selection); Chloé Zhao with Nomadland (Centerpiece selection) producer Peter Spears; Dea Kulumbegashvili on Beginning, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Azazel Jacobs on French Exit (Closing Night selection).
Serge Bozon discussed Simone Barbès Or Virtue with Marie-Claude Treilhou Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Serge Bozon (director of Madame Hyde,...
- 1/5/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Sony Pictures Releasing has debuted a new trailer for comedy ‘French Exit’ starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges.
“My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn’t go as planned. Her husband Franklin has been dead for 12 years and with his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) and a cat named Small Frank—who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances’s dead husband.
Directed by Azazel Jacobs, the film stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots, Susan Coyne, Danielle Macdonald, Isaach De Bankolé, Daniel Di Tomasso
And Tracy Letts.
Also in trailers – Final trailer drops for George Clooney’s ‘The Midnight Sky’
The...
“My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn’t go as planned. Her husband Franklin has been dead for 12 years and with his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) and a cat named Small Frank—who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances’s dead husband.
Directed by Azazel Jacobs, the film stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots, Susan Coyne, Danielle Macdonald, Isaach De Bankolé, Daniel Di Tomasso
And Tracy Letts.
Also in trailers – Final trailer drops for George Clooney’s ‘The Midnight Sky’
The...
- 12/11/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Closing out the 58th New York Film Festival this past fall was Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit, a drama which pairs Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges as mother and son whose high-class socialite life dries up and so they move from New York to Paris to start a new life. Adapted from Patrick deWitt’s novel, the film is now getting a release in mid-February via Sony Pictures Classics and the first trailer has arrived.
Michael Frank said in our review, “At a glance, Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit seems trivial, especially at a time when billionaires exist in droves, and the wealth divide continues to drastically widen. As the director’s second official collaboration with novelist and screenwriter Patrick deWitt, the closing film of the New York Film Festival cannot be confined to its logline: “A close-to-penniless widow moves to Paris with her son and cat, who also happens to be her reincarnated husband.
Michael Frank said in our review, “At a glance, Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit seems trivial, especially at a time when billionaires exist in droves, and the wealth divide continues to drastically widen. As the director’s second official collaboration with novelist and screenwriter Patrick deWitt, the closing film of the New York Film Festival cannot be confined to its logline: “A close-to-penniless widow moves to Paris with her son and cat, who also happens to be her reincarnated husband.
- 12/9/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"Do you know what a 'cliche' is...? It's a story so fine... that it's grown old in its hopeful retelling." Sony Classics has debuted the first official trailer for French Exit, a devious dark comedy from filmmaker Azazel Jacobs that premiered as the Closing Night Film at this year's New York Film Festival. An aging Manhattan socialite living on what's barely left of her inheritance from her rich husband moves to her empty apartment in Paris with her son and cat. That's about it, there's not much more to the plot than that. Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Frances Price, with Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots, Susan Coyne, Danielle Macdonald, Isaach De Bankolé, Daniel di Tomasso, and Tracy Letts as the voice of her husband (as the cat). I was hoping this might be amusing, but it just looks awful - so pretentious and snobby. Who wants to watch someone...
- 12/9/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Time (dir. Garrett Bradley)Top Picksdoug DIBBERN1. Time (Garrett Bradley)2. Days (Tsai Ming-liang)3. Gunda (Viktor Kossakovsky)4. The Woman Who Ran (Hong Sang-Soo)5. The Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane)6. The Salt of Tears (Philippe Garrel)7. Red, White and Blue (Steve McQueen)8. The Calming (Song Fang)9. Night of Kings (Philippe Lacôte)10. Malmkrog (Cristi Puiu)Daniel KASMAN1. Figure Minus Fact (Mary Helena Clark)2. Her Socialist Smile (John Gianvito)3. Untitled Sequence Of Gaps (Vika Kirchenbauer)4. Labor of Love (Sylvia Schedelbauer)5. Beginning (Dea Kulumbegashvili)6. The Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane)7. Red, White and Blue (Steve McQueen)8. Isabella (Matías Piñeiro)9. The Calming (Song Fang)10. Humongous! (Aya Kawazoe)Michael SICINSKI1. Figure Minus Fact (Mary Helena Clark)2. Lovers Rock (Steve McQueen)3. Her Socialist Smile (John Gianvito)4. The Inheritance (Ephraim Asili)5. Apiyemiyeki? (Ana Vaz)6. The Human Voice (Pedro Almodóvar)7. Time (Garrett Bradley)8. Isabella (Matías Piñeiro)9. The Last City (Heinz Emigholz)10. Trust Study #1 (Shobun Baile)Correpondences#1 Daniel Kasman introduces the 2020 festival and reviews Lovers...
- 10/14/2020
- MUBI
Lucas Hedges to Michelle Pfeiffer on her knife sharpening in Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit: “After that scene I was in love with you.”
Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance as the quick-witted Upper East Side socialite Frances Price in Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit (the Closing Night selection of the New York Film Festival), is picture-perfect. And so is that of Lucas Hedges (Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea) as her son Malcolm. Based on the novel by Patrick deWitt, who also wrote the screenplay, this is the story of a strong-willed widow facing the fact that the endless flow of money she was used to is finally running out. Mother and son, plus a cat named Small Frank, who likely is the reincarnation of her husband (Tracy Letts voices him) embark to an apartment in Paris, lent to them by Frances’s old best friend Joan (Susan Coyne).
French Exit director...
Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance as the quick-witted Upper East Side socialite Frances Price in Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit (the Closing Night selection of the New York Film Festival), is picture-perfect. And so is that of Lucas Hedges (Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea) as her son Malcolm. Based on the novel by Patrick deWitt, who also wrote the screenplay, this is the story of a strong-willed widow facing the fact that the endless flow of money she was used to is finally running out. Mother and son, plus a cat named Small Frank, who likely is the reincarnation of her husband (Tracy Letts voices him) embark to an apartment in Paris, lent to them by Frances’s old best friend Joan (Susan Coyne).
French Exit director...
- 10/13/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Azazel Jacobs grew up in the world of film, understanding its importance from his father, experimental filmmaking pioneer Ken Jacobs. His newest feature, French Exit, stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, and Tracy Letts, giving Jacobs his biggest stage and audience yet as the Closing Night selection of the 58th New York Film Festival.
Following a mother, a son, and a cat who flee to Paris after losing their fortune, the film presents a jump in scale and pressure for Jacobs, marking his latest collaboration with novelist Patrick deWitt. I spoke with the filmmaker about childhood screenings, identifying as a filmmaker, casting Michelle Pfeiffer, and crafting his newest piece of art with his best friend.
The Film Stage: When did you see the finished version of the film?
Azazel Jacobs: Tuesday. So I’ve been working up until that moment, getting things together until Tuesday. So it’s been going, and...
Following a mother, a son, and a cat who flee to Paris after losing their fortune, the film presents a jump in scale and pressure for Jacobs, marking his latest collaboration with novelist Patrick deWitt. I spoke with the filmmaker about childhood screenings, identifying as a filmmaker, casting Michelle Pfeiffer, and crafting his newest piece of art with his best friend.
The Film Stage: When did you see the finished version of the film?
Azazel Jacobs: Tuesday. So I’ve been working up until that moment, getting things together until Tuesday. So it’s been going, and...
- 10/13/2020
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
The Notebook is covering the NYFF with an on-going correspondence between critic Doug Dibbern and editor Daniel Kasman.Above: The Red, White and BlueHey, Danny—The ending of every festival—like the ending of any decent movie—often leaves me wanting more, but the sense of inconclusive closure was intensified this year because the Closing Night selection was so stridently odd. French Exit—directed by Azazel Jacobs from a script by Patrick DeWitt—tells the story of an unhealthily tight relationship between a son (Lucas Hedges) and his wealthy socialite mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who’s on the brink of financial and thus emotional ruin. Throwing a few stacks of hundred-Euro bills—her last savings—into a bag, the mother and son duo decamp to Paris for what we presume will be her final days.The movie’s main interest for me was its unusual tonal balance: it plays with genre conventions,...
- 10/12/2020
- MUBI
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