News

With only one year under her belt as Studiocanal’s executive managing director of TV series, M-k Kennedy, who joined from Netflix, is leveling up the scripted ambitions of the French pay TV group’s production arm.

After spearheading Studiocanal’s first in-house international series, “Paris Has Fallen” — which broke rating records on Canal+ and topped the charts on Amazon U.K. and Hulu in the U.S. — Kennedy reveals to Variety that the highly anticipated second season of the anthology, “Apollo Has Fallen,” has started filming. Rather than taking place in a single location, the eight-part series will hop from country to country, unfolding everywhere from the Libyan coast to the streets of Madrid, with principal photography taking place across the U.K., Marta and Spain. The series is produced by Studiocanal, Urban Myth Films, Millenium and G-Base, who were also behind “Paris Has Fallen,” which sold to more than 170 territories worldwide.

After claiming the top spot in Netflix’s English Film list with The Union, Mark Wahlberg is back in the news for a different project that brings him back to Apple. Wahlberg is teaming up with Stephen Chbosky for Weekend Warriors, a comedic sports drama written and directed by Chbosky. Multiple studios tried to snag the rights to this one, but Apple Original Films took the pot. Mark Wahlberg stars in Weekend Warriors, with Plan B and The SpringHill Company producing.

Weekend Warriors takes inspiration from the 2023 feature Weekend Rebels, an original German-language sports comedy focusing on the true story of Mirco and Jason von Juterzcenka. The plot revolves around a father and his autistic son, who wants to find his favorite soccer club in the Premier League by forcing his dad to take him to see every team so he can decide. Sources with inside knowledge about the project...

Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who won Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness,” was among the guests at the German Films and Medienboard Reception on May 18 in the garden of the Mondrian Hotel in Cannes.

Östlund, who is in the Riviera resort to promote his latest production, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” was accompanied by Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office, one of the film’s producers, and Erik Hemmendorf of Plattform Produktion, Östlund’s Swedish producer. (They are pictured above.)

German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was represented at the event by managing director Simone Baumann, and Medienboard, which is a film fund for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, was represented by its CEO Kirsten Niehuus. Variety was the media partner for the reception.

Among the other guests attending were Karim Aïnouz, director of “Motel Destino,” which plays in this year’s Competition section at Cannes.

The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.

This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features. The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.

Cuckoo is a German-us co-production that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her father and his new family as...

The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with Tilman Singer’s horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.

This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features.

The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.

Opening night film Cuckoo is a German-us co-production, that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her...

Record Intake

The European Film Academy has added a record 709 new members in its 2024 annual intake. New members include Cate Blanchett (Australia/U.K.), Jovan Marjanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maria Bakalova (Bulgaria), Juraj Lerotić (Croatia), Anna Hints (Estonia), Ariane Toscan du Plantier (France), Stéphan Castang (France), David Thion (France), Marie-Ange Luciani (France), Latifa Saïd (France), Rebecca Houzel (France), Thomas Hakim (France), Sami Mustafa (France/Kosovo), Mohamed Siam (France), Hanna Bergholm (Finland), Hamze Bytyçi (Germany) and Christian M. Goldbeck (Germany).

The intake also includes Behrooz Karamizade (Germany), Jerry Hoffmann (Germany), Aylin Tezel (Germany), Jasmin Tabatabai (Germany), Sofia Exarchou (Greece), Phedon Papamichael (Greece), Kate McCullough (Ireland), Matteo Garrone (Italy), Enzo d’Alò (Italy), Francesco Montagner (Italy), Uljana Kim (Lithuania), Cindy Jansen (Netherlands), Fatih Rağbet (Netherlands), Cristi Puiu (Romania), Anca Puiu (Romania), Elene Naveriani (Switzerland), Selahattin Paşalı (Turkey), Molly Manning Walker (U.K.), Melanie Hoyes (U.K.), Lizzie Francke (U.K.), Charles Newland (UK), Jad Salfiti (U.

The European Film Academy (Efa) has added a record 709 film professionals as new members, including actress Cate Blanchett and directors Molly Manning Walker and Matteo Garrone.

New members are invited to join Efa once a year, and the 2024 cohort has been announced on today’s Europe Day.

Other new members include Sarajevo festival director Jovan Marjanović, Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, Anatomy Of A Fall producers David Thion and Marie-Ange Luciani, German actress and director Aylin Tezel, Greek director Sofia Exarchou, Romanian director and screenwriter Christi Puiu, and UK’s National Film and Television School head of fiction directing Lizzie Franke.

Icelandic football filmThe Home Game won the Glasgow Film Festival audience award which was presented as the 20th edition drew to a close in the Scottish city last night (March 10).

Smari Gunn and Logi Sigursveinsson’s documentary about plucky underdogs Reynir Fc’s bid for cup glory scored the highest audience score in the award’s 10-year history.

Based in the Icelandic village of Hellissandur, with a population of 369, Reynir Fc was re-formed in 2020 with a ragtag bunch of locals including a 15-year-old schoolboy rapper, 40-something in goal and the somewhat controversial inclusion of a former Iceland women’s team player.

LevelK has signed key territory deals for Danish family animation Mumbo Jumbo, from prolific Scandinavian production company A. Film Production.

The film has sold to France (Gebeka Films), Middle East (Empire Networks Ltd.), Poland (Vivarto), Benelux (Just4Kids bv), Hungary (Ads Service ltd), Estonia (Estinfilm), Greece (Rosebud.21 S.A), Former Yugoslavia (Demiurg), Bulgaria (Pro Films Ood) and Cis (Silver Box/Russian Report). Further deals are in the works.

The film, currently in pre-production, will be pitched this week at animation industry event Cartoon Movie (March 5-7). Nordisk Film will release the film in Scandinavia in 2025.

3D CGI animation Mumbo Jumbo...

Falling Into Place, the debut feature of German filmmaker Aylin Tezel, has secured key deals ahead of its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival tomorrow (Saturday March 2).

Following last week’s European Film Market, the film has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Palace Films), Spain (Syldavia Cinema), Switzerland (Royal Film) and former-Yugoslavia and Albania, plus international inflight rights (Karantanija).

German sales agency Global Screen is selling the title; Port au Prince Pictures conducted a German release in December. The film will have its US premiere at Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival on March 14.

Set in Scotland and London, Falling Into Place...

Falling Into Place Photo: Glasgow Film Festival

From the moment that Kira (Aylin Tezel) and Ian (Chris Fulton) meet, it’s clear that there’s something between them that goes beyond just sexual attraction. They have instant chemistry, and every moment of their adventure together on the Isle of Skye is electric. What makes Falling Into Place unusual, however, is that instead of following them as they immediately embark on a romance, we see them part and go back to their separate lives. They spend most of the film apart, and we see how that connection, and the shift in perspective it has precipitated, changes how they relate to everything else they have to deal with.

As well as starring, Aylin wrote and directed the film. Shortly before the 2024 Glasgow Film Festival, where it’s due to screen, I met up with her to ask about that central concept and the process of developing it.

Rose Glass’s romantic thriller Loves Lives Bleeding is set to open the 20th edition of Glasgow Film Festival (Gff) on February 28.

The UK filmmaker’s follow-up to Saint Maud stars Kristen Stewart as a gym owner who falls for a bodybuilder with criminal connections. The A24 feature will receive its UK premiere at Glasgow following its debut at Sundance earlier this month.

John Archer’s documentary Janey, about Scottish stand-up comedian Janey Godley as she embarks on her final tour following a terminal cancer diagnosis, will close the festival on March 10.

Gff has secured eight world premieres (see below...

Projects ‘The Elf’, ‘Truth Or Consquences’; festival film ‘Falling Into Place’ all receive plaudits.

International industry attendees have praised the European Genre Forum as a highlight of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Poff), which closed its 27th edition on Sunday, November 19.

The Forum is a pan-European development event organised with Imagine Fantastic Film Festival in the Netherlands and Fantastic Zagreb Film Festival, that closes its three-lab structure with a marketing and packaging lab in Tallinn.

As head of Montreal-based distributor Attraction Distribution, Xiaojuan Zhou travelled further than most to Estonia, finding the trip worthwhile. “The quality of the pitches was...

Emma Dante’s film took the Grand Prix, plus best actor for Simone Zambelli.

Emma Dante’s Italian drama Misericordia won the award for best film in Official Selection Competition at the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, at the awards ceremony held tonight.

Adapted from Dante’s own play of the same name, the film follows three sex workers living in a wasteland by the sea, where the only light in their lives is the young man they care for together.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Simone Zambelli also received the best actor award in the section.

Italian writer-director Emma Dante’s “Misericordia” has won the top prize at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. Adapted from her own play, her third feature tells the story of a young man (Simone Zambelli) with learning difficulties, cared for by a group of sex workers on an island, protecting him from the cruelty of his abusive father. It’s a raw portrait of a marginalized group of people, mixing natural beauty of the locations with the grime of everyday existence.

Zambelli also took the award for best actor, for his role as the man-child at the center of the drama. The best actress prize was shared by Lubna Azabal, who plays a teacher in Jawad Rhalib’s “Amal,” and Kim Higelin, who stars in the controversial French drama “Consent,” directed by Vanessa Filho, as a teenager having an affair with a manipulative and exploitative 50-year-old writer.

The...

The line-up is made up of 11 world premieres at 5 international premieres.

Aylin Tezel’s romance Falling Into Place is among 16 titles selected for the First Features competition at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

The line-up comprises 11 world premieres and 5 international premieres.

German-Turkish actor Tezel, whose credits include 2019’s 7500, makes her directorial debut with the English-language Falling Into Place - a romance set between Scotland and London and starring Tezel, Chris Fulton and 2023 Screen Star of Tomorrow Rory Fleck Byrne. It recently world premiered at Filmfest Hamburg.

Also screening is Carolina Ingvarsson’s UK-produced drama Unmoored, fresh off its London premiere,...

The German festival will take place from September 28 to October 7.

Inshallah A Boy by Jordan’s Amjad Al Rasheed, which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and Paradise Is Burning by the Swedish director Mika Gustafson, a Venice Horirzons debut earlier this month, will bookend this year’s Filmfest Hamburg, taking place from September 28 to October 7) as the opening and closing films.

The programme of 132 feature films includes the German premieres of Venice titles including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Golden Lion winner Poor Things, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, and Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla, and festival favourites from throughout the...

A feisty 12-year-old British girl, living alone after her mother's tragic death, gets a surprising visit from an absentee father she's never known. Scrapper, winner of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, will tickle your funny bone and tug heartstrings with a beautiful story about finding belonging. Newcomer Lola Campbell lights up the screen in an audacious debut performance. Her tough exterior hides a grieving child struggling to comprehend a monumental loss. Fantasy elements and clever asides from supporting characters add a whimsical touch at just the right times.

Georgie (Campbell) methodically cleans her small two-story flat. She's careful not to vacuum up the spiders. They're usually her only company. Georgie looks at pictures in her phone to make sure everything is perfect. Vicky (Olivia Brady), her recently deceased mother, kept a tidy house. Georgie packs a backpack full of tools. She walks...

Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper is a baffling clash of two incompatible visions. The film is partly presented as a glum bit of kitchen-sink realism, tracing the hard-knock life of 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) in the aftermath of her mother’s death. But it’s also pitched as a twee indie dramedy, showing that Georgie has gotten by on her own in much the same way that so many quirky movie children have had to function like miniature adults.

At its most serious, the film watches as Georgie cleans her cramped apartment before then going off with an older boy, Ali (Alin Uzun), to steal bike parts and sell them for money. She’s never known her father, Jason (Harris Dickinson), and then one day he crawls over her backyard fence and demands to stay with her. From such moments, Scrapper swings discordantly toward the cutesy, as when Georgie tries to...

German cinema is in Cannes with new works by Wim Wenders and films that explore Nazi propaganda, gender identity, economic crisis, romance, betrayal and fast cars.

In addition to domestic films, a dozen German co-productions are screening in this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, including major works from the likes of Wes Anderson, Aki Kaurismäki and Jessica Hausner.

Wenders is in Cannes with “Perfect Days,” which is vying for the Palme d’Or, and the documentary “Anselm” in Special Screenings.

“Perfect Days” tells the story of a Tokyo janitor (Kôji Yakusho) who seems very content with his simple life, structured routines and passion for music, books and photography. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. The Japanese-German co-production is sold by the Match Factory.

“Anselm” explores the work of artist Anselm Kiefer, shedding light on his life, inspirations and creative process. Shot in 3D,...

Michiel van Erp’s Casanova drama ‘A Beautiful Imperfection’ stars Jonah Hauer-King and Dar Zuzovsky.

German sales outfit Global Screen has added two new titles to its busy Cannes market line-up.

The Munich-based company has taken on international rights, excluding Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy, for Michiel van Erp’s A Beautiful Imperfection, a romantic costume drama telling the story of the love affair between a young woman and the notorious Italian adventurer and womaniser Giacomo Casanova.

The project is in post-production and Global Screen will have a first promo for pre-sales at the Cannes Market.

Jonah Hauer-King stars as...

Munich-based sales agency Global Screen has acquired romantic drama “Falling Into Place” for worldwide theatrical distribution. The English-language film is written and directed by Aylin Tezel, one of Germany’s leading young actors, and stars Tezel (“7500”) and Chris Fulton (“Bridgerton”).

The directorial debut is set in Scotland on the Isle of Skye and in London. It is an honest and poetic portrait of today’s 30-somethings caught between the fear of commitment and the desire for self-improvement. Like all great love stories, it is not just about the love between two individuals, but also about the dreams and anxieties of a whole generation.

Kira and Ian, two 30-somethings, meet all too briefly over a winter weekend on the Isle of Skye and form a sudden, deep, and surprising bond. Back in London, they try to move on with their separate lives – but both have to stop running from themselves...

Exclusive: Picture Tree Int’l (Pti) has boarded sales on German Sophie Scholls – The Final Days Oscar-nominee and hitmaker Marc Rothemund’s heart-warming family drama Weekend Rebels, inspired by the true story of a father who forged a special bond with his autistic son through the search for a perfect soccer club.

The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann.

Their Oscar-winning banner Wiedemann & Berg Film company has delivered a slew of award-winning pictures over the years including The Lives Of Others, Never Look Away and Who Am I. SevenPictures Film co-produces.

Leonine Studios is also on board and will release the film in Germany on September 28, 2023.

Florian David Fitz leads the German cast as a father who gets closer to his 10-year-old autistic son through a quest to find a soccer club they can support together,...

While our Sundance Film Festival 2023 coverage continues to roll in, the respective juries at Park City have doled out their winners, with Grand Jury Prizes awarded to A Thousand and One (U.S. Dramatic), Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (U.S. Documentary), Scrapper (World Cinema Dramatic), and The Eternal Memory (World Cinema Documentary), and the Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Kokomo City.

Check out the full list of winners below, with our coverage where available.

Grand Jury Prizes

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to A.V. Rockwell for A Thousand and One / U.S.A. — Convinced it’s one last, necessary crime on the path to redemption, unapologetic and free-spirited Inez kidnaps 6-year-old Terry from the foster care system. Holding on to their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability in New York City.

Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley in ‘A Thousand and One’ (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute / Photo by Focus Features)

The Sundance Film Festival named A Thousand and One from writer/director A.V. Rockwell the winner of the prestigious U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic. Directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s The Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2023 festival which hosted in-person screenings as well as access online.

“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film. Today’s award winners highlight our programs’ most impressive achievements in the current moment of cinematic arts. I hope you will join me in congratulating our winners, as well as thanking all artists across sections...

Stephen Graham To Star In ITV Neo-Nazi Drama ‘The Walk-In’

ITV’s has ordered a five-part drama, The Walk-In, a true story of how a Neo-Nazi plan to kill an MP was foiled by an inside man. Stephen Graham will star in the ITV Studios series from writer Jeff Pope as activist Matthew Collins, a reformed Neo-Nazi, now working as a bona fide journalist for the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate. Bafta-award winning director Paul Andrew Williams directs the series, reuniting him with Pope — the pair has worked together previously on A Confession and Isolation Stories. They are both executive producers alongside Graham and another regular collaborator, Tom Dunbar. Jo Johnson is producing. Filming for The Walk-In tookin London and surrounding areas and the drama will air on ITV on Monday October 3 for five consecutive weeks. ITV Studios has International distribution.

Theater

“Peaky Blinders” is getting a theatrical adaptation with “Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.”

“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight has written the theatrical dance show, which is set to be directed and choreographed by Benoit Swan Pouffer, artistic director of Rambert.

It is set to premiere on Sept. 27 at the Birmingham Hippodrome, which is co-producing the show, before transferring to Troubadour Wembley Park in London and then a U.K. tour in 2023.

Thomas Shelby will be played by Guillaume Quéau and Prince Lyons, who will alternate, while the role of Grace will be rotated between Naya Lovell and Seren Williams.

Simon Sinek and Robin Saunders are executive producing.

“Through dance theatre ‘Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby’ picks up the story of the Peaky Blinders at the end of World War One, following Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess through their passionate love affair,” reads the logline. “While Tommy is building his empire,...

The company made its name with Nora Fingscheidt’s ‘System Crasher’ in 2019.

Falling Into Place, the directorial debut of German actress Aylin Tezel, Damian John Harper’s Fresh, with Dark star Louis Hoffman and Sophia Bosch’s mother-daughter drama Milk Teeth are all on the anticipated new production slate of Weydemann Bros, the German production outfit behind 2019 local box office hit System Crasher.

Tezel is known for her recent performances in Almanya: Welcome To Germany and 7500. Falling Into Place is a love story that she has also written and will star when it shoots in 2022.

Berlin-based distributor Port Au Prince which released System Crasher,...

Exclusive: Rising German production company Augenschein is underway in Germany and Israel on Euro drama All Russians Love Birch Trees, starring Aylin Tezel (7500).

Pola Beck is directing the feature, which is based on the novel from Olga Grjasnowa and adapted by Burkhardt Wunderlich and Beck. The project re-unites a handful of the creatives behind Beck’s 2012 drama Breaking Horizons.

The German, English and Hebrew-language film charts a young woman’s quest for independence and herself. After her boyfriend becomes critically ill, Mascha re-evaluates her path and decides to leave her previous life behind. But it’s only by returning home that she can find peace.

Distributing in Germany will be Port Au Prince, whose recent releases include Berlin Film Festival 2019 hit System Crasher and Abel Ferrara’s Siberia.

Augenschein’s Maximilian Leo and Jonas Katzenstein are producers. Finance comes from Film und Medienstiftung Nrw, Medienboard and Zdf Das Kleine Fernsehspiel.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on June 11th, 2020, discussing new VOD releases “The King of Staten Island” and “Working Man.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

7500 An unusual co-production from three countries … USA, Austria and Germany … explores the ongoing terrorism threat on international airlines. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the main character, a co-pilot of an airline in which the captain has been killed and hijackers are trying to infiltrate the cockpit. Available on Amazon Prime. 3.5/5 stars.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Da 5 Bloods Spike Lee takes on the Vietnam War, through four black veterans of that conflict returning to Saigon to try and find the body of their dead comrade (portrayed in flashback by Chadwick Boseman), and a cache of lost gold. Also featuring Delroy Lindo in a searing performance, as well as Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Available on Netflix. 4/5 stars.

“7500” features Joseph Gordon-Levitt,...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as co-pilot Tobias Ellis in the drama/thriller 7500.

Courtesy of Amazon Studios

7500 is the code that airlines use for a hijacking, and hijacking is the subject of Amazon’s drama/thriller 7500. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tobias Ellis, a young American co-pilot working for a German airline, who on a Berlin to Paris flight is confronted with tough choices when hijackers storm the cockpit, and stab the more experienced German pilot. 7500 is streaming on Amazon Prime, starting June 18, 2020.

With the German pilot Michael (Carlo Kitzlinger) disabled, the inexperienced Tobias must take charge of the situation. To make matters more tense, Tobias’ German-Turkish fiancee Gokce (German actress Aylin Tezel) is a flight attendant on the plane. The one advantage Tobias has is that the four hijackers have no guns and are armed only with improvised knives made from broken glass.

The whole film takes place in the...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an airline pilot in peril in a claustrophobic hijack movie that unfolds in near-real time

Perched uneasily between the melodrama of 70s disaster movies such as the Airport series and the more sober horrors of Paul Greengrass’s 9/11 drama United 93, this lean hijack thriller marks a striking feature debut for German writer/director Patrick Vollrath. Having earned an Oscar nomination for his 2015 short film Alles wird gut (Everything Will Be Okay), Vollrath demonstrates a slick technical ability tinged with a mainstream arthouse sensibility (he studied under Michael Haneke) that may well land him more spectacular commissions in the future.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Tobias, an American co-pilot flying a commercial airliner from Berlin to Paris. Onboard the plane, along with a full load of passengers, are flight attendant Gökce (Aylin Tezel), with whom Tobias has a young child, and a group of hijackers, first observed on thrummingly silent airport surveillance cameras,...

In his first feature film appearance in four years, Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in Amazon’s 7500, a taut thriller from first-time German director Patrick Vollrath. Gordon-Levitt, who last appeared in 2016’s Snowden, stars as Tobias Ellis, a soft-spoken American co-pilot who works for a European airline alongside his flight attendant girlfriend and the mother of his child, Gökce (Aylin Tezel).

After Tobias and his captain, Michael (Carlo Kitzlinger), perform a routine takeoff and their flight leaves Berlin for Paris, a group of terrorists armed with knives storm the cockpit, managing to seriously injure Michael and stab Tobias in the arm. The latter is still able to seal the cockpit and contact ground control to make an emergency landing, but the terrorists outside the door threaten to kill the rest of the passengers and crew–including Gökce–if Tobias doesn’t let them back in.

Vollrath, whose 2015 short film “Everything Will Be...

On June 19, 1865, slavery was abolished in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a benchmark in Black history and is more timely now than ever as it is a day to celebrate and champion Black voices. That said, it is a good day for the debut of Channing Godfrey Peoples’ Miss Juneteenth, a film that spotlights the staple pageant associated with the day.

Directed and written by Texas native Peoples, Miss Juneteenth made its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year. The film stars Nicole Beharie, Alexis Chikaeze and Kendrick Sampson and follows Turquoise Jones (Beharie), a former beauty queen turned hard-working single mom that is preparing her rebellious teenage daughter Kai (Chikaeze) for the annual Miss Juneteenth pageant, hoping to keep her from repeating the same mistakes in life that she made.

“I grew up with Juneteenth so it was just second nature to me,” said Peoples told Deadline at Sundance.

You’re Joseph Gordon-Levitt and you’re playing the co-pilot on a hijacked flight from Berlin to Paris. The wounded pilot is barely conscious. There’s an Islamist terrorist inside the cockpit with you, and his weapon is a shard of glass wrapped in duct tape. Another two are outside, banging on the door to gain entrance — otherwise they’ll start killing the 85 passengers and crew. One of the flight attendants is your girlfriend and mother of your child; they’ve got her in a chokehold. But you can’t open the door.

The day begins like any other. Veteran pilot Tobias Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sits down in the cockpit of a plane flying out of Berlin without a care in the world. He runs through the flight checklist, makes cute conversation with his girlfriend Gökce (Aylin Tezel) —a flight attendant on the plane—and before long, he is off in the air. That is, until an unexpected hijacking turns his routine into a nightmare.

Continue reading ‘7500’: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Shines In A Tense, Claustrophobic Thriller That Proves Less Is More [Review] at The Playlist.

If you're in the market for a fast-moving thriller, you need to make time for Amazon Prime's 7500 this weekend.

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an airline pilot with his finger on the button of a life or death situation, the 90-odd minutes of running time flies.

7500 is simple and succinct and possibly one of the best "bottle" films you'll see this year.

Gordon-Levitt plays Tobias Ellis, an American living and working in Germany. He's preparing for his flight alongside his girlfriend and mother of his child, Gökce (Aylin Tezel), a relationship they keep on the down-low to maintain professionalism.

They're discussing their impending purchase of a new house and how exciting it will be for their son to have room to grow and play.

Tobias and his captain, Michael (Carlo Kitzlinger), wait for late passengers, passing the time by prepping the flight deck and joking about teaching the late-comers a lesson.

7500-2/">7500 is a harrowing thriller that evokes visceral memories of September 11, 2001. Islamic terrorists hijack a German airplane bound for Paris. The entire film takes place inside the cockpit in real time. There is no soundtrack or accompanying score. The savagery of the situation drives gripping tension until a somewhat deflating third act. It feels anticlimactic, but is handled with a thoughtful approach.

7500 opens late night at the Berlin airport. American first officer Tobias Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) preps a passenger plane for takeoff. He gets a quick kiss from G&#246kce (Aylin Tezel), his long term Turkish girlfriend and one of the flight attendants. Tobias is then joined by Captain Michael Lutzmann (Carlo Kitzlinger). They banter briefly before taking off into the dark, rainy sky. The plane hits weather turbulence before settling at flying altitude.

The captain and co-pilot see the first class attendant bring their meal on the security monitor.

“7500” takes a familiar scenario and doubles down on its claustrophobic potential to make it fresh. Pitched somewhere between “Air Force One” and “United 93,” director Patrick Vollrath’s feature debut transforms the hijacked plane scenario into an unnerving real-time thriller set exclusively within the confines of the cockpit. The result overcomes the reductive premise and archetypal characters through its adrenaline-pumping pace, dexterous camerawork, and a frantic performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt that ranks as one of his subtlest turns.

No matter its narrative shortcomings, , a Hitchcockian gamble so committed to maintaining suspense at every turn that each scene teeters on the edge of an anxiety attack. While that might not sound like the most inviting experience, “7500” takes a gradual approach that acclimates viewers to its setting before jolting them into the center of a conflict that doesn’t relent until the closing moments. By then, it’s too absorbing to look away.

“7500” takes a familiar scenario and doubles down on its claustrophobic potential to make it fresh. Pitched somewhere between “Air Force One” and “United 93,” director Patrick Vollrath’s feature debut transforms the hijacked plane scenario into an unnerving real-time thriller set exclusively within the confines of the cockpit. The result overcomes the reductive premise and archetypal characters through its adrenaline-pumping pace, dexterous camerawork, and a frantic performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt that ranks as one of his subtlest turns.

No matter its narrative shortcomings, , a Hitchcockian gamble so committed to maintaining suspense at every turn that each scene teeters on the edge of an anxiety attack. While that might not sound like the most inviting experience, “7500” takes a gradual approach that acclimates viewers to its setting before jolting them into the center of a conflict that doesn’t relent until the closing moments. By then, it’s too absorbing to look away.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt isn’t generally who you think of as an action hero. Sure, he’s been in some action-centric pictures, but he’s more someone you pinpoint in other genres. While you might think of that as a negative when considering that he’s the lead in 7500, it’s actually a massive compliment, as Gordon-Levitt is one of the reasons why this dramatic thriller comes off as well as it does. Jgl is incredibly believable and realistic here, as is the production on the whole. From the visuals to the pacing and plotting, it all follows far more of a docu-drama path than an action one. There’s far more of Paul Greengrass in this DNA than anything else, which lends it a gravitas, for sure. Coming to Amazon Prime Video this week, prepare to have your expectations upended. The film is a drama, mixed with some thriller elements,...

The Amazon Original action thriller "7500", written and directed by Patrick Vollrath, stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as 'Tobias Ellis', Aylin Tezel as 'Gökce', Aurélie Thépaut as 'Nathalie, Carlo Kitzlinger as 'Michael' and Paul Wollin as Daniel, streaming June 19, 2020 on Amazon Prime:

"...it looks like a routine day at work for 'Tobias', a soft-spoken young American co-pilot on a flight from Berlin to Paris as he runs through the preflight checklist with 'Michael', the pilot, and chats with 'Gökce', his flight-attendant girlfriend. 

"But shortly after takeoff, terrorists armed with makeshift knives suddenly storm the cockpit, seriously wounding Michael and slashing Tobias' arm. Temporarily managing to fend off the attackers, a terrified Tobias contacts ground control to plan an emergency landing. 

"But when the hijackers kill a passenger and threaten to murder more innocent people if he doesn't let them back into the cockpit, this ordinary man faces an excruciating test..."

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It’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt versus airline hijackers in “7500,” a grueling thriller that will land on Amazon Prime Video June 19. The streaming service has released the trailer for the upcoming film, which takes place in the claustrophobic confines of a small budget aircraft.

There has been no shortage of films about airplane hijackings over the years, from the acclaimed 9/11-based “United 93” to a B-movie about snakes that were on Samuel L. Jackson’s plane, but “7500” aims to offer something different by positioning Hollywood star Gordon-Levitt as an everyman who must find a way for him and his passengers to escape their extraordinary situation. As the trailer helpfully explains, 7500 is the emergency code for an airplane hijacking, but there’s no code for what comes next as Gordon-Levitt grapples with his horrifying predicament.

Per Amazon, here’s the film’s synopsis:

It looks like a routine day at work for Tobias,...

Amazon has released a new trailer for 7500-2/">7500. The thriller is set to debut on Prime Video later this month and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The actor has been a bit quiet as of late, but based on this trailer it looks like the majority of this movie rests squarely on his shoulders. And he has a lot to contend with as this will put the fate of an entire plane in his hands in what looks to be a tense and deadly situation.

The Amazon Prime trailer kicks off with a couple of pilots who are kicking off what seems to be a routine flight. Things devolve quickly as there is an attempted hijacking, leaving Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character alone in the cockpit to try and sort out the tense situation. To say the very least of it, he is put in an unenviable situation and has to make hard decisions,...

Airline pilots have a code to report hijackings, but there is no codified response to what might happen on board. The first 7500 trailer shows terrorists can be unpredictable and deadly, regardless of their weapons. Written and directed by Patrick Vollrath, the film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a co-pilot who has to take the wheel after an unexpected burst of turbulence strikes the cabin.

“It looks like a routine day at work for Tobias, a soft-spoken young American co-pilot on a flight from Berlin to Paris as he runs through the preflight checklist with Michael, the pilot, and chats with Gökce, his flight-attendant girlfriend,” reads the official synopsis. “But shortly after takeoff, terrorists armed with makeshift knives suddenly storm the cockpit, seriously wounding Michael and slashing Tobias’ arm. Temporarily managing to fend off the attackers, a terrified Tobias contacts ground control to plan an emergency landing. But when the hijackers kill...

"If you work together, you can beat them!" Amazon Prime Video has unveiled the first official trailer for a hijacking thriller titled 7500, which first premiered at the Locarno Film Festival last year. The film is the feature directorial debut of a German filmmaker named Patrick Vollrath, and tells the story of a flight from Berlin to Paris that is co-piloted by a soft-spoken young American, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The concept here is that the pilots lock themselves into the cockpit when hijackers try to take over, and can only communicate with them through the CCTV system in the airplane. What a extremely horrifying experience! The cast includes Carlo Kitzlinger, Aylin Tezel, Aurélie Thépaut, Murathan Muslu, Omid Memar, and Passar Hariky. This looks intense as hell, obviously, the whole point is to get your heart racing. Lots of shots of really pissed off, screaming Joe Gordon-Levitt in this, too.

Romantic comedy “Berlin, Berlin” is one of the top titles on the slate for Studio Hamburg Enterprises at Berlin’s European Film Market.

The film picks up the story of the turbulent love life of Lolle, played by Felicitas Woll, 15 years after the end of the German hit series. The film will have its theatrical release by Constantin Film in March, and She will screen the film at Efm for buyers.

Also on the slate is “Too Far Away,” which tells the story of a friendship formed amid the refugee crisis and on the soccer pitch. It will be shown on Feb. 28 as part of the Lola @ Berlinale section.

She is also offering thrillers and crime series with strong female characters at the center, such as “The Informer,” with Aylin Tezel, and “Wolfsland,” with Yvonne Catterfeld.

The thriller series “Marnow Murders” showcases Petra Schmidt-Schaller amidst a murderous conspiracy of decades past.

Patrick Vollrath’s 7500 is a one-room, one-man show. It asks you to spend 92 minutes inside the cockpit of an Airbus A319, and in intimate quarters with a young first officer who must land it back to safety once the aircraft is hijacked by a group of Islamist terrorists. It is, for the best part of its brisk running time, a stomach-churning ride that bursts with the same force and anxieties of another recent–but far superior–single-setting drama: Steven Knight’s Locke. Much like Knight’s sophomore directorial work, it seesaws between claustrophobic and expansive, a testament to how much can be achieved in a location spanning a handful of square meters. Take it as a real-time thriller, an intelligently crafted study in cinematic minimalism, and 7500 works. The trouble starts when Vollrath’s feature debut (a follow-up to his 2015 Oscar-nominated short Everything Will Be Okay) attempts the landing. High above...

Ever since 9/11 changed the way we approach air travel, it’s been harder to make airplane-based thrillers in the soapy-silly trash tradition of “Airport” or “Executive Decision”: The panic of being under siege at 30,000 feet no longer feels like such ripe entertainment fodder with the image of two Boeing 767s hitting the Twin Towers still vivid in our collective consciousness. Paul Greengrass’ deliberately grueling docudrama “United 93,” of course, pointed a solemn new way for the genre, though that had historical veracity and import on its side. German director Patrick Vollrath’s short, stomach-tightening debut feature “7500” follows in its flight path, albeit with a wholly fictional scenario — told from the perspective of the junior co-pilot (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose simple Berlin-to-Paris assignment is violently disrupted by Islamist hijackers.

For its first half, “7500” is briskly effective in a cold-sweat sort of way, carrying its audience from a smooth takeoff to...

German production company Weydemann Bros. has unveiled two projects in the works, including an English-language drama written and directed by one of Germany’s most prolific young actresses.

Aylin Tezel is making her directorial debut with “Falling Into Place,” a love story set in Scotland and London that follows a romance between Kira and Ian, two 30-somethings who meet while on the run from themselves.

Tezel, a film and television actress who has starred in Ard’s hit “Tatort” crime drama franchise and Showtime’s “Homeland,” next appears in Patrick Vollrath’s upcoming airplane thriller “7500,” alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Producer Jakob Weydemann said the script, written by Tezel, offers a portrait of today’s restless generation as it struggles with such existential questions as: “How do we use the time that is given to us? Who do we share it with? And do we have to chase, escape or let...