News

Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn is having a huge moment between his breakout in the Netflix role, his recent starring turn in A Quiet Place: Day One, and his upcoming appearance as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the MCU’s Fantastic Four film. It’s no wonder that Hoard, an indie movie in which he has a supporting role, is getting a much larger platform than it otherwise would, considering his popularity. As for the movie itself, it’s a conventional story told from an unconventional perspective, resulting in an incredibly uneven entry into the genre.

Hoard Review

Hoard follows a young woman through two time periods — her youth, when her mom was a hoarder, and her teenage years in foster care, where she is forced to unbury traumas that have long been repressed. Carmoon’s coming-of-age story clearly tries to use this very specific experience to channel more universal emotions.

HanWay Films’ Katie Ellen and Fiona Lamptey, co-founder of Juno Studios and formerly of Netflix, are the latest high-profile executives to join the line-up of speakers at Screen International’s ‘The Future of UK Film’ Summit, to be held on September 24, 2024, at BFI Southbank, London.

Buy tickets here

Ellen joined UK sales outfit HanWay Films in 2023 in the newly-created role of head of production. She previously worked at the BFI for 12 years, most recently as head of distribution and commercial strategy. BFI FIlm Fund-backed projects Ellen worked on include Scrapper, Aftersun and Triangle Of Sadness.

Lamptey set up Juno Studios...

The 77th Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival sees the return of its industry program after last year’s interim edition following the collapse of the festival’s parent company, the Centre of the Moving Image, in 2022. Spearheaded by conversations with Gaspar Noé and Alex Garland, Edinburgh’s industry program runs Aug. 16-18, nested within the festival dates of Aug. 15-21.

The industry weekend will comprise a series of panels and networking opportunities for Scottish and international creatives, and features new collaborations and partnerships with Fringe organizations and venues. Panellists include “Scrapper” director Charlotte Regan, BBC Film director Eva Yates, WME Independent head Alex Walton, Picturehouse Entertainment acquisitions manager Julia Trawinska and producer, writer and curator Lynda Myles.

Speaking with Variety ahead of the festival, Scotland-based producers celebrated the return of Eiff’s industry program while bringing up the need for more networking and talent development opportunities in Scotland year-round. BAFTA Scotland winning producer Nadira Murray,...

Exclusive: James Paxton (Twisters), Christopher Marquette (Barry), James Urbaniak (Oppenheimer) and Rob Huebel (Transparent) are among those set to star in Grind, a four-part horror anthology from writer-directors Brea Grant (Torn Hearts) and Ed Dougherty (Paint It Black).

Recently wrapping production in Los Angeles, Grind‘s stories center around the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.

Others in the cast of the indie include Barbara Crampton (Suitable Flesh), Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Aubrey Shea (Nashville), Courtney Pauroso (Reno 911!), Ify Nwadiwe (Grand Crew), Jessika Van (Seoul Searching), James A. Janisse (Scream), Sharlene Cruz (In the Summers), Jon Gabrus (101 Places to Party Before You Die), Teri Gamble (Mrs. Davis), Hannah Alline (Doom Patrol) and Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock).

Grant and Dougherty produced alongside Chelsea Stardust.

Most recently directing Torn Hearts, an Epix/Blumhouse horror pic starring Katey Sagal, Grant has...

“I hope in the future we will be seen as a kind of destination festival,” Paul Ridd tells us of his long-term goal for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), as he pulls away from his work desk for a short break. He’s speaking to us from his home in the Scottish capital and we’re just a few days out from his inaugural edition as festival director.

Central to his plan is a rejig of the festival’s competition strands, which now carry the names of local and global screen icons and strictly debut world premiere titles. There’s also a hefty cash prize.

“You will come here because of the strength of our curation and competitions,” Ridd says.

Another key piece of his puzzle is the festival’s engagement with the industry through its dedicated industry sidebar, set to relaunch this year across the festival’s first weekend,...

Speaking Irish is politicized, and a relative rarity. Rapping in Irish is even more rare, and even more political, especially in the North, where you’re as likely to run into a “You live here, speak English” conservative as at a Trump rally. So when the three knuckleheads of Kneecap...

Civil War filmmaker Alex Garland and WME Independent co-head Alex Walton are among the industry stalwarts taking part in the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) industry programme, with most events running August 16-18.

The festival’s keynote address will be given by Garland alongside DNA Films producer and Eiff chair Andrew Macdonald, on August 18. Garland and Macdonald have recently worked together on Men and Civil War.

Key events include a ‘stand up to the screen’ panel on August 17, involving filmmakers who have transitioned form live performance to screen. WME’s Walton will be joined on the panel by producer Afolabi Kuti...

Civil War filmmaker Alex Garland and Trainspotting producer Andrew Macdonald will deliver keynote speeches as part of the industry programme at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival.

Garland and Macdonald will deliver their keynote on August 18 at the Tollcross Central Hall after a networking brunch hosted by the festival at the city’s Summerhall Library Gallery. Macdonald, best known as the producer of titles like Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, and The Beach, is also the chair of the Edinburgh Film Festival.

The Scottish festival’s industry schedule will also feature an onstage in conversation session with filmmaker Gaspar Noe on August 17, where Noe will discuss his work and career. Other headline industry sessions include Scrapper To Screen, a case study talk on the development and distribution of the hit 2023 feature Scrapper. The session will be moderated by Melanie Iredale (Reclaim the Frame) with panelists including the film’s director Charlotte Regan,...

Bare Beach Bonding

Paramount+ U.K. and Mtve Studios have set an Aug. 23 premiere for “Dating Naked U.K.,” hosted by Rylan Clark. The reality series, produced by Nest Productions, will release new episodes weekly on Fridays.

The show follows 10 singles seeking romance while living au naturel in a tropical setting. Contestants face challenges as new arrivals join, potentially disrupting existing relationships. Each episode includes dates and an elimination round dubbed the “Dumping Ground.” “This show contains full nudity without any blurring or pixelation,” the platform said.

The U.K. cast includes Billy Field, a 24-year-old builder from Essex; Chrislove Brandt, a Las Vegas hairdresser; Dan Ash, a 32-year-old personal trainer; and Dominik Herbert, a 27-year-old Canadian. Other participants are Emily Read, 26; Lauren Beschi, 26; Mike Durrant, 29; Rico Hammett, 30; Romeo, 32; and Tiegan Rudge, 26. A cash prize awaits those who make it to the end of the experience.

“Dating Naked U.K.

Nicole Kidman is getting into erotic power plays with the upcoming psychosexual corporate thriller “Babygirl.”

The actress stars alongside Harris Dickinson for the A24 feature, marking “Bodies Bodies Bodies” director Halina Reijn’s latest film. “Babygirl” centers on a successful CEO (Kidman) who begins an illicit affair with her much younger intern (Harris Dickinson). The film was first announced in November 2023.

Antonio Banderas, Victor Slezak, Esther McGregor, and “Talk to Me” breakout Sophie Wilde co-star. The busy Kidman has mainly been on TV these days, from “Lioness” to “Expats” and Netflix’s streaming-only film “A Family Affair.” She received an Oscar nomination in 2020 for “Being the Ricardos” and recently received the AFI Life Achievement Award. Harris Dickinson, meanwhile, is a recent breakout of films like “Scrapper” and “The Iron Claw” and 2023 Best Picture nominee “Triangle of Sadness.”

“Babygirl” premieres at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in competition along with films like “Joker: Folie à Deux,...

Back in 2020, we saw Paul Mescal’s breakout role in the romantic miniseries Normal People that displayed his obvious drama talent. Being one of the most demanded young actors in the industry now, Mescal has already greatly expanded his filmography.

While we’re waiting for the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, starring the actor, let’s recall his brightest 2021 flick. Luckily, it will be added to Netflix’s catalog next week, so be ready to cry your eyes out while watching this emotional roller coaster of a movie.

The film’s plot revolves around Sophie, an 11-year-old girl who gets a chance to spend her holidays with her father Calum (Mescal) at a resort. The point is that Sophie’s parents have lost any connection after the divorce, and that’s why she treasures that rare time.

Even though Calum is certainly a loving father, he struggles to make...

The nonprofit Sundance Institute has announced the 10 emerging filmmakers selected for the yearlong Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship, as IndieWire shares exclusively.

Now in its ninth year, the fellowship supports storytellers ages 18 to 25 with artist-centered support and professional development. The year-long program starts with the Ignite Lab at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, from June 16 to June 21. Fellows receive a $3,000 artist grant and a one-year complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud. They also participate in monthly webinars focused on creative and professional development, a curated program at the Sundance Film Festival, and networking and relationship-building events with the Ignite community at workshops. Artist granting is supported by Adobe and Arison Arts Foundation.

The Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship cohort was selected from more than 900 global applicants.

“We are so appreciative to have partners like Adobe supporting the important work that the Ignite Fellowship makes possible,” said Toby Brooks, Sundance Ignite assistant director.

When it comes to the indie movie business, you don’t get more old-school than Kino Lorber. The New York outfit, founded as Kino International in 1977, has been the first source of independent cinema for U.S. audiences. It was the first to distribute films from Yorgos Lanthimos, Aki Kaurismäki, Wong Kar-wai, Andrei Tarkovsky and Michelangelo Antonioni in U.S. theaters and the first to restore and rerelease silent classics like Metropolis, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, and the films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

In 2009, when Richard Lorber’s home entertainment company Lorber Ht Digital acquired and merged with Kino International, physical media got added to the mix, and the newly minted Kino Lorber became known for its home entertainment releases, ranging from classic (Nosferatu, The Sacrifice) to cult (Mad Max, Emmanuelle). The Kino Lorber library now counts more than 4,000 titles and the company is continually adding to the list,...

The BFI is once again heading to the Cannes Market with its so-called Great 8 — a selection of projects from first and second-time filmmakers that it will present to international buyers.

Now in its seventh year, the 2024 Great 8 showcase is funded and produced by the BFI and the British Council, with support from the Great Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, BBC Film, and Film4. The list includes Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira’s feature On Falling, produced by Jack Thomas-o’Brien for Sixteen Films. The full list of titles are:

Brides – director Nadia Fall, writer Suhayla El-Bushra Bring Them Down – director/writer Christopher Andrews The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford – director/writer Sean Dunn On Falling – director/writer Laura Carreira The Salt Path – director Marianne Elliott, writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz Sunlight – director Nina Conti, writers Shenoah Allen, Nina Conti Surviving Earth – director/writer ​​Thea Gajić Witches – director/writer Elizabeth Sankey

With 2022 and 2023 editions taking place online,...

Rhiannon Giddens stoped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to showcase her bluesy, Cajun-infused song “You Louisiana Man.” The musician was joined by her live band and a back-up for the rousing performance, which saw Giddens singing and playing banjo.

“You Louisiana Man” comes off Giddens’ most recent LP, You’re the One, which dropped last August. The album marked her first solo effort in six years and her first collection of all-original songs. It was produced by Jack Splash and featured musical contributions by Giddens’ partner, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, as well as Dirk Powell,...

Picturehouse managing director Clare Binns and Vue CEO Tim Richards offered differing outlooks on the condition of the UK exhibition sector, speaking at the latest UK cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee yesterday.

“The industry’s in a bit of crisis at the moment, because it doesn’t really know where the future is,” said Binns, responding to a question from Committee chair Caroline Dinenage about how the next 10 years will look for the UK industry. “The franchise movies are costing more to make, and the profits are less than they were.”

Binns acknowledged the success of two original films...

Clare Binns, managing director of Picturehouse Cinemas and Picturehouse Entertainment, is to be presented with Unic’s 2024 achievement award for her dedication to the exhibition of European cinema.

The International Union of Cinemas (Unic) will present the award during the CineEurope awards ceremony on June 20 at the International Barcelona Convention Centre.

Phil Clapp, president of Unic and chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, said: “Clare’s contribution to cinema programming and audience development have been widely recognised, and her leadership continues to shape the industry. The award recognises her incredible passion for the big screen, her outstanding career and...

Writer-director-cinematographer Molly Manning Walker and writer-director Charlotte Regan revealed some of the big lessons they each learned from their respective debut features How to Have Sex and Scrapper and imparted advice to an audience of screenwriters at Dublin’s inaugural Storyhouse festival for writers.

Manning Walker, whose How to Have Sex won the Un Certain Regard prize in Cannes last year, had spent a number of years as a cinematographer before launching that film, about a group of British teenage girls who go on a rites-of-passage holiday in Malia, Greece, and spoke about how that had impacted her process of writing.

“The truth is when I started writing, I guess it came through like visuals and I started to write visuals and everyone was always telling me that I needed to find some story because I was just writing visuals and I still get that note, so maybe I still need to figure it out,...

UK director, writer and cinematographer Molly Manning Walker, who won the Cannes Un Certain Regard prize last year for How To Have Sex, has been selected for the festival’s four-and-a-half month La Résidence program in Paris.

She will be joined by Aditya Ahmad (Indonesia), Daria Kashcheeva (Tajikistan), Danech San (Cambodia), Ernst De Geer (Sweden) and Anastasiia Solonevych (Ukraine).

They follow in the wake of Meltse Van Coillie (Belgium), Diana Cam Van Nguyen (Vietnam/Czech Republic), Hao Zhao (China), Gessica Généus (Haiti), Andrea Slaviček (Croatia), Asmae El Moudir (Morocco) who are currently coming to the end of their residency.

Both intakes will be brought together at the Cannes Film Festival’s 77th edition, running May 14 to 25.

Since its launch in 2000, La Résidence has welcomed 250 directors from around 60 countries including Lucrecia Martel, Kornél Mundruczó, Sebastián Lelio, Antonio Campos, Karim Aïnouz and Jonas Carpignano.

Based in a large flat in Paris’ ninth arrondissement,...

“Hallelujah,” was the message from BFI Filmmaking Fund director Mia Bays as she took to the stage at Glasgow Film Festival on March 7, to celebrate the next generation of UK talent.

“[Representation] has transformed over the past few years,” said Bays, who pointed towards the post-Times Up and MeToo movements and the impact of BFI’s diversity and inclusion targets as part of what has helped drive the opportunity for new voices to break through.

“One of my favourite terms is ‘opportunity hoarding’. There are lots of people who just sat on those opportunities, who have kept them. All of those conversations have led to this.

Jim Reeve, a British entertainment executive and producer with more than 40 years experience in the business, died on Feb. 27. He was 64.

Reeve founded and was chair of U.K. media company Great Point. “It is with profound sadness that Great Point must confront the sudden and unexpected loss of our founder, mentor and friend, Jim Reeve, who passed away on Tuesday February 27, 2024,” the Great Point team said in a statement. “Jim had a storied career in the entertainment business spanning 40 years, and his passing will be mourned by a great many. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family most of all during this incredibly difficult time.”

Prior to founding Great Point in 2013, Reeve served as senior investment director at the Ingenious Group.

Reeve has more than 120 credits as a producer or executive producer, in projects featuring top British and international talent, beginning with thriller “The Whistle Blower,” starring Michael Caine and James Fox,...

Exclusive: TV and film writers will want to circle this one in their calendars: Poor Things and The Favourite producer Element Pictures is launching Storyhouse, a new Dublin-based screenwriting festival that will celebrate storytellers and storytelling.

Speakers at the first edition include Poor Things writer and Oscar nominee Tony McNamara, Arthur Harari, who won a BAFTA for Anatomy Of A Fall, and Iranian writer-director Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider). Molly Manning Walker (How To Have Sex) will also be there and appear in conversation with Charlotte Regan (Scrapper).

Other highlights include frequent Element collaborator Lenny Abrahamson (Room) interviewing One Day and Patrick Melrose scribe David Nicholls. The festival sessions will run over March 21-22. The venue is Dublin’s Light House Cinema, which is owned by Element co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney.

Storyhouse will cater for aspiring writers as well as established names and industry professionals. Storyhouse Lab,...

The BBC has unveiled its biggest drama slate in years featuring a TV version of James Graham play Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes from The Crown producer Left Bank, Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood’s debut writing project and a Rebecca Hall-starrer from Poor Things maker Element.

Unveiled at a glitz London do for press and producers, the 12-strong roster, which features some of Britain’s best and brightest talents, is the first from new Drama Director Lindsay Salt, who took over from A24’s Piers Wenger 18 months ago.

Scroll down for the full slate below, which features an adaptation of Sherwood creator Graham’s Dear England about the England soccer manager Gareth Southgate – the play of which has taken London by storm and recently transferred to the West End. Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) will reprise his role as Southgate and Graham will pen the TV version, which...

The BBC have unveiled a new slate of star-studded dramas including the TV adaptation of James Graham’s football play “Dear England” starring Joseph Fiennes, a new co-pro with “Euphoria” producer A24 and the screenwriting debut from “Sex Education” star Aimee Lou Wood.

Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt revealed the 12-strong slate – which adds up to 66 hours of top TV – at a press event in London, U.K. on Wednesday evening. It includes two more series of Belfast-based police drama “Blue Lights.”

“Inflation, content and platform saturation, streamer retrenchment, the writers’ strike… It’s all fed a serious slowdown,” Salt said as she unveiled the diverse slate. “Five years ago, everyone was willing to make brave choices, to experiment, to try something a little unorthodox. I worry that risk-taking is becoming a dirty word… And that, in less than a decade, the industry might be moving from ‘peak TV...

Oppenheimer was the big winner at this year’s BAFTAs, taking home seven wins out of 13 nominations. The award for Best Film was presented by none other than Michael J. Fox, who came onto the stage to an emotional ovation. Oppenheimer certainly seems bound for Oscar glory, while other major Oscar contenders, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest also cleaned up at the ceremony.

See the full list of winners from this year’s BAFTAs below:

Best Film

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer – Winner

Poor Things

Outstanding British Film

All of Us Strangers

How to Have Sex

Napoleon

The Old Oak

Poor Things

Saltburn

Scrapper

Wonka

The Zone of Interest – Winner

Best Director

Andrew Haigh, All of Us Strangers

Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Alexander Payne, The Holdovers

Bradley Cooper, Maestro

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer – Winner

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

Best Leading Actress

Fantasia Barrino,...

The BAFTA Awards were presented on February 18 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). So who prevailed? Scroll down for the complete 2024 BAFTA Awards winners list in all categories.

BAFTA is an independent arts charity that comprises thousands of industry insiders, much like the American motion picture academy. The BAFTAs could well give us a preview of what the Oscars might do in three weeks time on March 10. And with voting for the Oscars kicking off on February 22, this precursor could have an outsized influence.

Until 2013, the entire BAFTA membership decided the nominees in a complicated two-part process that involved a lot of longlists with the general membership deciding the semi-finalists and the branches making the final determination of the nominees. This was replaced in 2013 by a system more akin to the Oscars where nominations were determined by each branch (except for Best Picture). Two years ago,...

It’s the biggest day in the British Film Industry’s calendar as the 2024 BAFTA Awards Ceremony is held at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank in London. Hosted by David Tennant and attended by British Academy of Film and Television Arts President Hrh Prince William, Hannah Waddingham will deliver an exclusive live music performance, in addition to Sophie Ellis-Bextor who will perform her iconic hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’. Samantha Morton to receive BAFTA Fellowship and June Givanni to receive Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award.

A full list of BAFTA winners can be found below the interviews.

Scott Davis and Colin Hart were on the red carpet for HeyUGuys. All the red carpet interviews follow.

2024 BAFTA Red Carpet + Winners Room Interviews

BAFTA 2024 Winners Room Interviews

BAFTA 2024 Winners Best Film

“Anatomy of a Fall” — Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion

“The Holdovers” — Mark Johnson

“Killers of the Flower Moon” — Dan Friedkin,...

“Close to You,” the Elliot Page-starring drama directed by BAFTA winner Dominic Savage, will be introduced to international buyers at the European Film Market by former Charades exec Jean-Félix Dealberto.

The film, which was written by Savage and Page, and also stars Hillary Baack (“Sound of Metal”), had its world premiere in Toronto, where Greenwich Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights.

“Close to You” follows Sam (Page), who moved to Toronto from his small town on Lake Ontario, Canada, and finally decides to return home to visit his family for his dad’s birthday. On his journey, he has a chance encounter with a friend from high school (Baack) that sparks old feelings. It is on this trip where Sam can finally confront long-buried feelings, a first love that was never properly resolved, his relationship with his family and a newfound love and confidence in himself.

The film was...

“Poor Things” has performed well throughout this awards season, winning Best Comedy/Musical Film at the Golden Globes and snagging 11 Oscar nominations in total. That is the same number of awards the Searchlight Pictures movie was nominated for at the BAFTAs, where we predict it to perform well.

One person who is set to have a good night at the British film awards is Tony McNamara, who adapted Alasdair Gray‘s 1992 novel of the same name. McNamara previously worked with Emma Stone on “Cruella” and “The Favourite,” the latter of which was another Yorgos Lanthimos film. McNamara co-wrote that period piece with Deborah Davis. The duo was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars in 2019 but lost to “Green Book”.

However, they won the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay, over “Cold War” (Janusz Głowacki and Paweł Pawlikowski), “Green Book,” “Roma” (Alfonso Cuarón), and “Vice” (Adam McKay). The film won six other BAFTAs in total,...

British cinematographer and filmmaker Molly Manning Walker had quite the year in 2023. She was the cinematographer for Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper, a British drama focusing on a broken relationship between a Father and Daughter. Most notably, she released her feature directorial debut ‘How to Have Sex’. This follows three teenage gal pals going on a rite-of-passage girl’s holiday to Malia, where they plan to drink, club and hook up to their heart’s content. What should be the best summer of their lives turns sour, when lead Tara experiences a shocking encounter with a guy they’ve buddied up with on their trip. Exploring the topic of consent in a heart-breaking yet honest way, How to Have Sex is an important slice of realism that showcases excellent direction, tremendous performances and tells a story worth telling.

En route to Malia, the girls are chatty and excited. The main topic...

Hollywood blockbusters were shut out at the 44th London Critics’ Circle Awards, as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” both left empty handed while independent films swept the top categories. Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust-set horror-drama won Film of the Year, and Glazer was individually honored with Director of the Year as well. Celine Song’s 2023 Sundance hit “Past Lives,” another Best Picture nominee, won Foreign-Language Film of the Year.

Many of the acting categories were dominated by Oscar frontrunners, as Emma Stone won Actress of the Year for “Poor Things” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph won Supporting Actress of the Year for “The Holdovers.” Oscar nominees Justine Triet and Arthur Harari shared Screenwriter of the Year for “Anatomy of a Fall,” and Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” won Animated Film of the Year. Notably, Supporting Actor of the Year went to Charles Melton, who did not receive an Oscar nomination despite...

Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” led the 44th annual London Critics’ Circle Awards with three wins apiece.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which had seven and five nominations respectively, left the ceremony empty handed, as did Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” that had four nominations.

German-language film “The Zone of Interest” was named film of the year and also won the direction prize and the technical achievement award for its music and sound. “All of Us Strangers” won the Attenborough Award for British/Irish film of the year, with Andrew Scott named actor of the year and co-star Paul Mescal winning British/Irish performer for his body of work in 2023.

Actress of the year was won by Emma Stone for “Poor Things.” Supporting performance awards went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers...

“You don’t have to be so strong,” chants the singer Romy over a trance beat, leading viewers of How to Have Sex out of the film and into the closing credits. The irony is that after viewing Molly Manning Walker’s tale of adolescent exploration, it’s hard to come to any other conclusion than today’s youth must indeed steel themselves for an unforgiving landscape of choices and consequences. As teenaged Tara (Mia McKenna Bruce) learns on the big fat Greek quest to lose her virginity, childhood friendships and romantic relationships alike come under serious strain when the specter of sexuality enters the equation.

In How to Have Sex, Walker filters the bacchanalia of films like Spring Breakers through a lens of social realism reminiscent of Andrea Arnold’s work. Her background as a cinematographer, most notably for Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper, emerges most clearly in how she...

Although total UK-Ireland box office revenue increased by 4% in 2023 compared to 2022, revenue for UK-qualifying independent films fell by 49% in the same period, according to statistics from the British Film Institute (BFI) released today (February 1).

The total box office revenue for UK qualifying independent films in 2023 was £37.8m, down from the £74.7m total revenue in 2022. The box office market share of UK-qualifying independent films was 3.8%. This is less than half of the share achieved for the same period in 2022 and is the second-lowest share of the past 20 years.

The Great Escaper was the highest-grossing UK independent release with a total box office of £5.3m.

Although total UK-Ireland box office revenue increased by 4% in 2023 compared to 2022, revenue for UK-qualifying independent films fell by 49% in the same period, according to statistics from the British Film Insitute (BFI) released today (February 1).

The total box office revenue for UK qualifying independent films in 2023 was £37.8m, down from the £74.7m total revenue in 2022. The box office market share of UK-qualifying independent films was 3.8%. This is less than half of the share achieved for the same period in 2022 and is the second-lowest share of the past 20 years.

The Great Escaper was the highest-grossing UK independent release with a total box office of £5.3m.

The film and TV production boom in the U.K. came to a grinding halt in 2023 amid the Hollywood writers and actors strikes.

According to the British Film Institute, the total spend on film and high-end TV production last year reached £4.23 billion ($5.37 billion) from 394 productions, down 35 percent from £6.27 billion ($7.72 billion) in 2022 as previously reported.

U.K. production spend is counted in the statistics for the year in which principal photography starts, which means shoots started in 2023 but then paused because of the strikes are fully attributed to 2023.

Or as the BFI noted: “If a production starts but then pauses, the total spend for the production is incorporated into the period’s spend data at that point, even if production restarts and concludes much later.”

Despite the drop in spend in 2023 following two years of records, the BFI highlighted that “this is the fourth-highest combined film and high-end TV spend reported...

Spend on UK film and high-end TV slid sharply to £4.23B ($5.3B) in the strike-hit 2023, according to the BFI’s latest annual stats.

The figure was 35% down on a record 2022, the BFI said, while floating the silver lining of £4.3B being nearly level with 2019’s pre-Covid spend. There were other green shoots such as a small rise in cinema admissions.

It will come as little surprise that the figures fell so starkly given that the latter half of the year saw film and high-end TV production severely dented due to the writers and actors strikes across the pond.

Film production in the UK fell to £1.36B in 2023 spend, a 31% drop on 2022’s figure, while high-end TV was down by the larger 38% to £2.9B. As with the past few years, high-end TV made up the brunt of overall production spend at around two-thirds.

Of the total £1.36B spent on 207 film productions,...

The U.K.’s film and TV industry took a massive hit following last year’s writers and actors strikes, latest figures show.

While the U.K.’s production industry continues to generate billions, inward investment spend on film and high-end TV dropped to £3.31 billion ($4.22 billion) in 2023, a drop of 39 percent on 2022’s £5.37 billion. According to a new report by the British Film Institute, overall spend for 2023 was £4.23 billion ($5.3 billion), down 32 percent on 2022’s £6.27 billion.

The previous two years had seen record figures thanks to the U.K.’s robust Covid response as well as a concurrent production bottle-neck.

The latest total, published by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit, is on par with pre-pandemic numbers.

Worryingly — but in line with predictions – the majority of that spend (£2.9 billion) came from just 168 high-end TV shows, including fare such as “Slow Horses,” “Doctor Who” and “The Crown.” Last year a total...

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival winners are in, with films like “In the Summers,” “Didi,” and “Daughters” dominating across the categories. “In the Summers” filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza, whose film centers on a fractured family in New Mexico, also won the Directing prize in U.S. Dramatic.

On Friday, January 26, the winners of juried prizes were shared out of the competition sections, including the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and the Next lineup.

The 2024 Sundance jury consisted of 16 filmmakers and artists across all sections, with the U.S. Dramatic Competition jury made up of “Winter’s Bone” director/co-writer Debra Granik, “Shortcomings” screenwriter Adrian Tomine, and “Master of None” producer Lena Waithe.

“Navalny” producer Shane Boris, “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” director Nicole Newnham, and “The Sentence” director Rudy Valdez serve on the U.S. Documentary Competition jury, with “The Babadook” director Jennifer Kent,...

Molly Manning Walker was on a boat to Greece last May when she got a call to say she should probably turn around as soon as possible and get back to the Cannes Film Festival.

She’d already made a major splash in the south of France with her debut feature “How to Have Sex,” a cautionary tale following three British teenage girls on a wild and intoxicated summer holiday that takes a dark turn over the issue of sexual consent. The film, which had been picked up by Mubi prior to Cannes, became one of the breakout hits of the 2023 event, enjoying critical acclaim, standing ovations and earmarking Manning Walker as an exciting new cinematic voice. The festival had been, in no uncertain terms, a resounding success.

“It was a such a magical experience — and what a place to have the birthing of the film,” she says, speaking from...

2024 BAFTA Awards Nominations Unveiled ( Photo Credit – IMDb; Facebook )

After the Emmys and Golden Globes, it’s time for the British Academy Film Awards or the BAFTA Awards 2024. The nominations have been unveiled, with Oppenheimer again enjoying multiple nods at the prestigious awards. Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo’s Poor Things has also earned numerous nominations.

The streaming giant Lionsgate Play will telecast the event live, and eminent actor David Tennant will host it. The ceremony will take place at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The first ceremony was held in 1949 and was telecasted on the BBC. There are over twenty film-related categories. Keep scrolling for more.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has received 13 nominations at the BAFTA Film Awards 2024, followed by 11 nominations by Poor Things and nine nods by Killers of the Flower Moon. Margot Robbie led Barbie, which is lagging and has only five nods.

Trending Did Jason Momoa...

On the eve of Sundance Film Festival’s kickoff, Nick Shumaker — the New York-based boss of AC Independent, the sales and finance division of Anonymous Content (“Spotlight”) — is feeling celebratory. The banner will celebrate its first birthday with five movies playing in Park City: “Kneecap” (pictured above), “Between the Temples,” “War Game,” “Union” and “Handling the Undead.”

Within a year, AC Independent has become a force in the indie film landscape, handling sales and financing for some major projects, such as Alex Gibney’s “Musk,” “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” as well as the U.K. rights for A24’s “Talk to Me” and the recent Golden Globe-winning animated film “The Boy and the Heron.”

Shumaker, a former agent at UTA, talked to Variety about the company’s international DNA, his hopes for the theatrical market and optimism about the resilience of independent film — as illustrated by...

Bafta has announced the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in 2024, celebrating the very best in film of the past year. Former Ee Rising Star nominees Naomi Ackie and Kingsley Ben-Adir hosted the announcement via global livestream from the arts charity’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London. The Ee Bafta Film Awards, hosted by David Tennant, will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer from London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 18 February. In addition, the Ee Bafta Film Awards will be available across BritBox International in USA, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, South Africa and Australia, with more international broadcasters to be confirmed. Viewers at home will also have front row seats to the red-carpet arrivals, which will be streamed live on Bafta’s YouTube, featuring interviews with nominees and other special guests. Voting for the Ee Rising Star Award is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA.

Nominations for the 2024 BAFTAs have been revealed!

This year, Oppenheimer scored the most nominations with a total of 13. Poor Things received the second-most nominations this year with a total of 11.

There are some big surprises within the nominations including no nomination for Lily Gladstone and her director Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon. In addition, Barbie’s Greta Gerwig and Poor Things‘ Yorgos Lanthimos were not nominated in the Best Director category.

The British Academy announced the nominees for their annual awards on Thursday (January 10).

This year’s ceremony is set to take place on February 18 live from London, England with David Tennant hosting.

Keep reading to see the full list of nominees…

Outstanding British Film

“All of Us Strangers” — Andrew Haigh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey

“How to Have Sex” — Molly Manning Walker, Emily Leo, Ivana MacKinnon, Konstantinos Kontovrakis

“Napoleon” — Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, Kevin J. Walsh,...

Paris-based sales house Charades has acquired international sales rights to “In a Violent Nature,” the debut feature film from writer and director Chris Nash that is set to premiere in Sundance’s Midnight Section on Jan. 22.

Produced by Shudder under the streaming service’s Shudder Original banner, the film follows a vengeful undead monster as he methodically slaughters a group of campers in the wilderness after they remove a pendant from his resting grounds. Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer are also producers on “In a Violent Nature,” which is set for release in 2024.

“‘In a Violent Nature’ reminded us of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Angst,’ but most of all, it’s the discovery of an incredibly talented director,” said Charades co-founders Pierre Mazars, Yohann Comte and Carole Baraton. “We are very grateful to be working with Shudder once again with whom we are building an incredible track record of genre films from ‘Revenge,...

Lots of celebs stepped out to attend the National Board of Review’s 2024 Awards Gala and we have all the red carpet photos!

Anne Hathaway, Zac Efron, Teyana Taylor, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Chastain were just some of the stars who walked the carpet for the event on Thursday (January 11) at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

All of the award winners were announced in advance, with Killers of the Flower Moon taking home the most awards with three wins, including Best Film, Best Director for Martin Scorsese, and Best Actress for Lily Gladstone.

NBC News’ Willie Geist hosted the gala and we gathered all the celeb attendees, plus the winners list.

Head inside to see everything…

Check out the winners list below…

Best Film: Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Actor: Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers

Best Actress: Lily Gladstone,...

Film historians will inevitably look back on 2023 as a year of risk-taking, with filmmakers turning to personal projects backed by major studios. On paper and in hindsight, a movie about the world’s most iconic doll sounds obvious, but it took real balls—or a lack thereof in Ken’s case—for Mattel and Warner Bros. to get behind a deconstructed look at the toy in Greta Gerwig’s existential Barbie. Universal arguably took an even bigger risk, putting their full force behind a three hour movie about the birth of the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer proved perfect counter-programming to Gerwig’s Barbie, as moviegoers championed the double act into the summer box office unicorn Barbenheimer. Martin Scorsese brought his American Western crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon to the screen after seven years of development. Emerald Fennell debuted her second directorial effort, the darkly imaginative and highly divisive Saltburn.

The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, with a perhaps unsurprising trio of films at the top.

The cultural phenomenon that was “Barbenheimer” has continued to smash its way into awards season, with both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” named in 15 categories, including best film and director. But joining the two with 15 slots, making it a three-way tie going into the final nominations, is “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Last year, only “All Quiet on the Western Front” earned 15 longlist places, with the film going on to dominate the awards ceremony (and winning best film).

Further down, “Poor Things” was named in 14 categories, “Maestro” in 12 and “Saltburn” in 11, with “Saltburn” missing out on a best film slot. Other U.K. films fared well, with “The Zone of Interest” and “All of Us Strangers” named in 10 categories (including best film), “Wonka” in eight,...

The BAFTA Film Awards have unveiled this year’s longlists for 24 categories, and in the lead are Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon. Scroll down for the lists in full.

The heavyweight trio is tied with 15 longlist nods apiece. All three films pop up in best film, director, and the respective screenplay categories: Killers and Oppenheimer in adapted screenplay, while Barbie sits in original screenplay. The haul of 15 longlist mentions equals last year’s record showing from Edward Berger’s war feature All Quiet on the Western Front.

Chasing the leading pack are Yorgos Lanthimos’s Golden Lion winner Poor Things with 14 and Bradley Cooper’s musical biopic Maestro with 12. Both films netted longlist mentions in best film, cinematography, director, and respective screenplay categories.

Other strong showings on the list are Emerald Fennell’s contentious high society drama Saltburn,...

To mark the festival’s fortieth anniversary all 16 of this year’s jurors are festival alumni.

Lena Waithe, Mira Nair and Shaunak Sen are among the 16 jurors who will choose award winners in six competitive sections at this month’s Sundance Film Festival.

To mark the fortieth edition of the US festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, all 16 jurors are festival alumni. In addition to serving on juries they will participate in talks, panels and other events to mark the festival milestone.

Awards for feature films in five competition sections of the festival will...