Movie News

Netflix could make Oscars history.

Netflix’s arsenal of content this year could give the streamer the most best picture nominations from any studio in history, a record held by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which scored five nods at the ninth Academy Awards in 1937. It may even net the streaming giant its first best picture win after falling short with the likes of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.”

MGM achieved the feat when the Academy was nominating 10 films in the best picture category. “The Great Ziegfeld” was the big winner, taking home three statues. It was joined by other films released in 1936: “Libeled Lady,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “San Francisco” and “A Tale of Two Cities.” At the time, MGM was the undisputed heavyweight in Hollywood as the home to top talents such as Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and many more. So

Universal’s domestic release of Simon King’s directorial The 355 is jumping from its MLK 2021 weekend release to MLK weekend Jan. 14, 2022.

While Universal has committed a number of fresh wide releases during the pandemic to exhibition during Q4, i.e. Focus Features’ Come Play, Let Him Go, Blumhouse’s Freaky, Dreamworks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age and Tom Hanks’ News of the World, the studio only has domestic on this title, which they bought at Cannes back in 2018 for a reported $20M. The foreign partners, arranged through FilmNation, have a lot of say on this title and the yearning is for a more full-bodied global launch of what is hoped to be another Bourne like franchise, this one all female starring Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Édgar Ramirez and Sebastian Stan.

On MLK 2022, 355 will face off against Warner Bros./MGM’s Sesame Street movie,

Matthew López, the acclaimed playwright behind “The Inheritance,” will bring the story of legendary dramatist Tennessee Williams to the big screen for Searchlight Pictures.

López will pen a feature film adaptation of the novel “Leading Men,” which centers on the “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” scribe and his longtime partner Frank Merlo. The film is produced by “Call Me By Your Name” team Luca Guadagnino and Peter Spears. There is currently no director attached to the project.

The novel by Christopher Castellani tells the tale of the romantic partnership between Williams and Merlo, touted in a synopsis of the film as “one of the most creatively inspiring love stories of the twentieth century.”

Already famous for penning “The Glass Menagerie,” Williams met Merlo (an occasional actor and a World War II naval veteran) in the late 1940s, embarking on a passionate — and often tumultuous — love affair,

Hong Kong-produced “Caught in Time” gave fresh life to the mainland China box office over its opening weekend.

The fantasy crime thriller about a cop chasing a gang through different eras earned $30.3 million. Produced by Emperor Motion Picture, the film stars the popular Daniel Wu and Wang Qianyuan, and was directed by Lau Ho-leung.

It edged aside patriotic war film “Sacrifice” which had held the top spot for the previous three weekends. “Sacrifice” managed $6.0 million in its fourth weekend, for a cumulative score of $161 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Third place, and a $3.3 million haul, belonged to “Paw Patrol” in its second weekend. That compared with $5.5 million in its opening frame, and extended the film’s 11-day cumulative to $9.6 million.

Disaster action movie “Greenland” opened modestly with $3.2 million for fourth place, despite the presence of Gerard Butler above the title. His previous releases of “Geostorm” and “London Has Fallen

Peggy Jo, the upcoming true-crime love story starring Lily James, has sold out internationally for HanWay Films.

The feature, from award-winning director Phillip Noyce, was acquired by the Universal Pictures Content Group in a deal that included Benelux, German speaking Europe, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, Turkey, the U.K., Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Czech & Slovak Republics, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Cis, Baltics, Israel, West Indies, South Africa, Hong Kong, the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South East Asia Pay TV, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Latin America. HanWay has also closed deals with DeAPlaneta (Spain), Tohokushinsha (Japan), Noori Pictures (South Korea), Shaw (Singapore),...

Body-swap horror comedy “Freaky” repeated as the winner of a seriously subdued U.S. box office with $1.2 million at 2,057 locations in North America during the Friday-Sunday weekend.

The Universal and Blumhouse Productions’ movie stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a low-profile high schooler who inadvertently switch bodies on Friday the 13th. “Freaky” has taken in $5.6 million in its first 10 days amid the reluctance of many moviegoers to return to multiplexes until a Covid-19 vaccine is available.

Universal noted Sunday that the theatrical box office continues to be impaired due to a notable reduction in the number of theaters in North America, as the domestic theatrical footprint has shrunk to roughly 2,800 open locations from 3,400 last weekend.

The performance of “Freaky” contrasts sharply with the same weekend a year ago when Disney launched “Frozen II” with $130 million and overall North American business totaled $206 million, according to Comscore.

The Taiwanese film My Missing Valentine won big Saturday night at the annual Golden Horse Awards, taking five honors, including best feature film.

The romantic comedy, which tells the love story of a bus driver and a post office worker, also won for best director, best visual effects, best film editing and best original screenplay.

Overall, Taiwanese talent enjoyed a big night at the Golden Horse Awards, considered Asia’s equivalent of the Academy Awards for Chinese-language films.

Taiwanese performers took home honors for best actor and best actress. Mo Tzu-yi won best actor for his role in Dear Tenant, while Chen ...

Indie ethos, costume drama and rich fantasy won the day at the world’s top cinematography event, EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, on Saturday, with Joshua James Richards’ naturalistic filming in Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” taking the Golden Frog plus Fipresci jury honors. The chronicle of life on the rough edges of America’s society among retirees living on the road in trailers, based on Jessica Bruder’s nonfiction book “Nomadland: Surviving in the Twenty-First Century,” is considered a strong Oscars contender.

The 28th edition of Camerimage also wrapped with its award to an actor of unique visual sensitivity for Johnny Depp, whose Japan-set war correspondent story “Minamata,” filmed by Benoit Delhomme, screened at the fest. Depp said in a letter to the fest that shooting with the celebrated Dp was “a sort of dance” encouraged by director Andrew Levitas, who “encouraged us to explore.”

Fest president Marek Zydowicz described the fest

It’s been a few years since Angelina Jolie got behind the camera as a director. The last film she helmed was First They Killed My Father in 2017, but soon she’ll be working on another true story in Unreasonable Behaviour, the story of British war photographer Don McCullin. And this time she’ll be getting some […]

The post Angelina Jolie to Direct ‘Unreasonable Behaviour’, the Story of War Photographer Don McCullin appeared first on /Film.

Like many of its counterparts worldwide, the Guadalajara Int’l Film Festival (Ficg), Mexico’s largest film festival, faced the quandary of whether to go online, reschedule or cancel altogether because of the pandemic.

It opted for a rescheduled hybrid 35th edition which would serve those either unable or afraid to travel and those without an internet connection in Mexico.

“We struck a deal with Canal 44 to have them air some of our films,” said festival director Estrella Araiza, who is adamant that despite the challenges and complications, the film community will prevail in the end. “We have to believe in cinema,” she declared. Outdoor screenings and restricted indoor cinema screenings are on the schedule while most of the master classes and conferences are online.

Ficg was pushed from its traditional March dates to the fall, where it’s now been running over Nov. 20-27.

Its inauguration on Friday Nov.

Colombian documentary feature “Alis,” from directors Nicolas van Hemelryck and Clare Weiskopf, has won the Forum Award for best project at IDFA, one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals, which is running as a virtual event until Dec. 6. IDFA’s Forum section is a co-financing and co-production market for “creative” documentaries.

“Alis” follows eight teenage girls living in Bogota, who dream up Alis, a fictional character. “Their soulful narrative reveals an amazing perseverance to break the cycle of violence and embrace a better future,” according to the festival.

The jury, comprising Gitte Hansen, Lisa Kleiner Chanoff and Luis González Zaffaroni, said the filmmakers’ aim was to “facilitate, capture, and show the process of empowerment of young female protagonists coming from the harshest life-conditions on the streets of Bogota.”

They added: “The filmmakers’ artistic vision is organically connected with an original and playful method in documentary filmmaking by using imagination.

The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows. In this edition, see the difficulties The Mandalorian has raising Baby […]

The post The Morning Watch: ‘The Mandalorian: Raising Baby Yoda’, ‘Power Rangers’ Movie Costume Collection & More appeared first on /Film.

Gianfranco Rosi’s non-fiction title launched at Venice Film Festival.

Gianfranco Rosi’s war documentary Notturno has been selected as Italy’s entry to the Oscars 2021 best international feature category.

The title was chosen by a committee selected by Anica, the Italian motion picture association.

It was one of 25 contenders on the shortlist, which included Matteo Garrone’s live-action Pinocchio and Edoardo Ponti’s The Life Ahead, starring his mother Sophia Loren.

Notturno debuted in competition at the Venice Film Festival in September, going on to play Toronto, Reykjavik, New York and London among others.

It is a portrait of

Sci-fi drama was made by Tori and Matthew Butler-Hart during the first UK lockdown.

Los Angeles-based High Octane Pictures has picked up international sales rights to Matthew Butler-Hart’s sci-fi feature Infinitum: Subject Unknown from UK producers Fizz and Ginger Films. It has also picked up North American distribution rights and is aiming for a release in summer 2021.

The deal excludes UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, where Blue Finch Films previously acquired distribution rights.

High Octane will introduce the film to buyers at the European Film Market (Efm) in February.

The sci-fi stars Tori Butler-Hart, whose credits include The Isle,

Italy has selected Gianfranco Rosi’s observational documentary ‘Notturno’ as its candidate for the Oscar in the international feature film category.

“Notturno,” which launched from the Venice Film Festival and has since played at a slew of other top international fests, including Toronto and New York, was selected out of a roster of 25 titles by a committee convened by the Italian motion picture association, Anica.

Other top contenders comprised Sophia Loren-starrer “The Life Ahead,” directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, and Matteo Garrone’s live action “Pinocchio,” starring Roberto Benigni as “Mastro Geppetto,” both of which have U.S. distribution.

“Notturno,” for which Submarine Entertainment is handling North-American sales – a U.S. distributor has not been announced – has been widely sold by The Match Factory in many other international territories.

Rosi’s high-profile doc was shot over three years along the rattled borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, and Lebanon

Screen’s guide to the latest info in each territory.

Countries across the world are outlining plans to reopen cinemas as they attempt to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

This page will provide updates for each territory as they come through, with details on dates, distancing, and distribution where relevant.

Information on European territories has been collated in conjunction with the Union Internationale des Cinémas (Unic). Dates and timelines have come from national authorities and should be regarded as provisional and subject to change.

2020 film festivals and markets: latest dates, postponements, and cancellations Coronavirus film and TV latest: follow Screen

Mo Scarpelli’s documentary follows a turbulent film shoot.

El Father Plays Himself, Mo Scarpelli’s documentary about a turbulent film shoot that is currently screening at IDFA, has been picked up by Dutch distribution outfit Picl for the Netherlands.

The deal was secured directly with Manon Ardisson’s production company Ardimages UK. Picl is planning a theatrical and digital platform release from December 17.

The film marks the third documentary feature from Italian-American director and cinematographer Scarpelli, whose Frame By Frame began a long festival run at SXSW in 2015 and whose Anbessa premiered at the Berlinale in 2019.

In El Father Plays Himself,

Bookmark this page for all the latest festival date changes.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused disruption worldwide to the regular festival calendar.

To help keep track of the changing schedule, Screen is keeping this page updated with the latest film festival and market dates, postponements and cancellations.

The events that are still set to run in some capacity are listed first, while those that were cancelled or ran online earlier in the year are further below.

To submit details of a change to your festival dates/status, please contact us here with the name, dates, and website for the event,

Pixar’s “Soul” and video game adaptation “Monster Hunter” are set to hit the big screen in China in December.

The hotly anticipated “Soul” may have decided to skip cinemas in the Covid-19-ravaged U.S. for Disney Plus, but it will screen in Chinese theaters from Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Disney currently has no plans to launch its streaming service in China, where such platforms are strictly policed by government authorities.

Inventive, family-friendly Pixar offerings have seen strong box office numbers in China in the past, notably with “Coco,” which defied the ruling Communist Party’s unofficial censorship of content featuring ghosts to become the country’s 20th highest grossing foreign film of all time, with earnings of $189 million,.

“Onward,” however, fell a bit flat when it screened in mid-August in newly reopened Chinese cinemas as they started to revive in the wake of Covid-19. Caps on ticket sales and

The Irish Film and Television Academy has selected Tom Sullivan’s Irish-language feature “Arracht” as Ireland’s entry for the 2021 Oscars’ best international feature film category.

The film is set in 1845 on the eve of the Irish famine. Fisherman Colmán Sharkey takes in a stranger at the behest of a local priest. Patsy, a former soldier in the Napoleonic wars, arrives just ahead of “the blight” that eventually wipes out the country’s potato crop, leading to the death and displacement of millions. Patsy’s subsequent actions set Colmán on a path that will take him to the edge of survival, and sanity, until he encounters an abandoned young girl who gives him a reason to live. But Colmán cannot escape the darkness of his past.

The film stars Dónall Ó Héalai, alongside Dara Devaney, Michael McElhatton, and newcomer Saise Ní Chúinn.

The film world premiered at the 2019 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival,