American Film Institute and Universal Pictures Extend Partnership to Present “Black Stories Matter” Series

Vanessa Paradis makes her way down the red carpet while arriving at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Deauville American Film Festival on Saturday (September 12) in Deauville, France.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: Producer/financier QC Entertainment has sealed a multi-year first look deal with Paramount. The company — QC stand for Quality Control — has credits highlighted by  the Jordan Peele-directed Get Out and the Spike Lee-directed BlackKklansman, both of which were Best Picture nominees.

Despite the countless technological innovations in the 36 years since the release of Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense, that iconoclastic time capsule of a 1983 Talking Heads show is still considered by many to be the greatest rock concert film ever made.

Spike Lee and David Byrne aren’t an obvious pairing. While the former’s oeuvre, for the most part, features unflinching stories about Black life in America, the latter became a hero to white college-educated teens everywhere.

just really has no part in any discussion of the work of Byrne or of director Spike Lee, who turned the former Talking Heads front man’s Broadway show into a film that premiered at the slimmed-down TIFF on Thursday, and will come to HBO in October.

Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Sam Claflin star in Netflix's Enola Holmes, the upbeat and enjoyable YA adventure debuting Sept. 23 that is likely to breed sequels for the streaming service.

coronavirus pandemic, with a programme of 58 films from around the world — 50 of which will be premiering online.Steve McQueen’s Mangrove will be opening the festival, and the new film from God’s Own Country director Francis Lee Ammonite will be the closing night gala.Further films that are set to premiere include Spike Lee’s filmed take on David Byrne‘s smash-hit Broadway show American Utopia, as well as Miranda July’s new film Kajillionaire and Josephine Decker’s Shirley Jackson

Vanessa Paradis wears a black mask just before stepping on the red carpet for the opening ceremony at the 2020 Deauville American Film Festival on Friday (September 4) in Deauville, France.

Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer act Brandon Leake performed a powerful Black Lives Matter poem during Tuesday’s fourth and final round of “America’s Got Talent” live quarter-finals.

Janet W.

Also Read: Julianne Moore to Produce and Star as Con Artist in 'Sharper' at Apple and A24Stephen Chbosky (“Wonder,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) is directing “Dear Evan Hansen.” Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the stage musical, wrote the script.

WNBA players made a strong statement in honor of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot by a Kenosha, WI police seven times. The Washington Mystics took the court in white shirts that spelled out Jacob’s name on the front, and had seven bullet holes on the back, representing the seven times he was shot.

Justin Kroll Senior Film ReporterDanny Pino has signed on to join the ensemble of the studio’s adaptation of the Broadway hit, Dear Evan Hansen  joining Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams and Amandla Stenberg.The story follows Hansen, a high schooler with social anxiety. He unintentionally gets caught up in a lie after the family of a classmate who committed suicide mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their son’s suicide note.

Amy Adams has joined the cast of the film adaptation of “Dear Evan Hansen” at Universal and features the music and lyrics from “La La Land” duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.Adams will play Cynthia Murphy, mother of Connor and Zoe.“Dear Evan Hansen” is the story of a high school senior who has severe social anxiety and has trouble connecting with others and making friends. After the suicide of a classmate, Hansen gets caught in a lie that brings him closer to his classmate’s family.

Following Tuesday night’s historic sports strike — which started with the Milwaukee Bucks boycotting their playoff game in solidarity with police shooting victim Jacob Blake — Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors is making a call for similar action in Hollywood. “I think it's time for talent, writers, executives, the guild and SAG to show up for Black lives as well,” Cullors, a writer on Freeform’s Good Trouble, tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Justin Kroll Senior Film ReporterAfter helping successfully relaunch Universal’s The Fast & Furious franchise for the studio, Justin Lin and his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner are making the studio their official home. Lin has signed a very lucrative multi-year overall production deals for film and TV with Universal Pictures and Universal Studio Group.

Dave McNary Film ReporterThe American Film Market has announced all accredited buyers will receive complimentary credentials for its virtual 2020 edition, taking place Nov. 9-13.The market, hosted by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, typically charges buyers $495 for a credential.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterBuyers will receive complimentary credentials for the American Film Market’s 2020 online edition, the org announced today. They normally cost $495.

The first trailer for David Byrne's "American Utopia" has been released. The upcoming production is a filmed version of the Broadway show –­­ a la "Hamilton" –­­ featuring Byrne's music from throughout his career, according to Entertainment Weekly.The film is directed by Spike Lee.

Dave McNary Film ReporterMONDAY, AUG. 24The American Film Institute and Universal Pictures have launched a week-long “Black Stories Matter” series with  “BlacKkKlansman,” “Get Out,” “Girls Trip,” “Loving” and “Straight Outta Compton” available for free through Aug.