AMPAS Kicks Off Seventh Year of Gold Rising Career Development Program – Film News in Brief

The Malta Film Commission has outlined its plans to take the Mediterranean island’s burgeoning locations business to the next level as it enjoys its busiest year ever, on the fringes of its new Mediterrane Film Festival.

The newly rebooted Taormina Film Festival kicked off on Friday night in the Sicilian city’s landmark Teatro Antico amphitheatre in an unusual but magnificent style with benefit event “Pavarotti Forever”.

A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit.

The WGA Strong March and Rally for a Fair Contract has kicked off in LA with thousands of members of the guild including Damon Lindelof and Boots Riley taking to the parks and streets.

Katie Price has hit out at a fan who suggested that she shouldn’t be able to own any animals. The 45 year old was in the midst of taking her fans through a virtual tour of her “mucky mansion” when one of the viewers chimed into the livestream to comment that she shouldn’t “be allowed” to have pets. Katie, who recently shared a sweet dancing video with son Harvey, didn’t take the comment too kindly and launched into a tirade.

Every year there’s a brand new bikini trend to come out of Love Island, as the girls don their best fashion statement-making swimwear for life in the villa. We’ve had everything from the polarising upside down bikini tops to daring cut out swimsuits, and this season, it seems the girls are braving wearing knitwear by the pool – but we’re not talking a cosy jumper or pair of socks; instead that girls have been spotted wearing crochet knit bikinis as they soak up the sun.

Women in Film will commemorate the nonprofit organization’s 50th anniversary with a screening series spotlighting pivotal television or feature films made by women in the last half century.The screening series, which will celebrate women and people of underrepresented genders working in front of and behind the camera, will kick off with a screening of “Norma Rae,” taking place on Friday, June 29, at Vidiots in Los Angeles.Following the screening, Sally Field, the star of the 1979 classic, and producers Tamara Asseyev and Alexandra Rose will participate in a panel discussion on the film’s sustained impact throughout the years. WIF board member and actress, writer and director Lake Bell, who also serves as the chair of WIF’s 50th anniversary committee, has been selected to moderate the conversation.“WIF has been working tirelessly for the last fifty years to increase representation and parity for women in Hollywood,” WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer said in a statement about the screening series.

The Beckhams have been busy living it up in Tokyo recently, and with a load of family milestones lined up, our source says Posh is putting her party planning hat on as she gets ready for a year of celebrations.Once again winning the prize for the coolest parents ever, Victoria, 49, and David Beckham, 48, treated youngest children Cruz, 18, and Harper, 11, to a lavish Japanese getaway last week, posing with geishas and visiting traditional tea rooms. And with one holiday down, we’re told more is to come.

Jennifer Lopez just got a full fringe for summer, so now we're all about to get full fringes for summer. The 53 year old is known for her ultra-lengthy, caramel-coloured locks – often styled into bombshell waves – and now she's giving that trademark look a bit of a new-season update thanks to the fringe. Not perfectly practical for the heatwave we're having, but maybe it's cooler over in L.A.

Thania Garcia Niall Horan is starring in the first episode of Vevo’s freshly launched live performance series, “Extended Play.” Premiering today, the franchise welcomes artists to spotlight their songwriting and music-making with an intimate showcase of their tracks in various locations. Horan delivers stripped-back renditions of songs like “You Should Start a Cult,” “On a Night Like Tonight,” and more from his new album, “The Show.” In the muli-song series, fans can expect to see and hear about Horan’s creative process and reflections on his latest album cycle. “Performing live is my favorite thing to do,” shared Horan. “To bring the songs I’ve spent so much time with, seen through from start to finish is an amazing feeling. Shooting these performances with Vevo was a really special experience. I was able to go back to the place where I made the music, an area of California I adore and have spent a lot of time in over my career. To have these big songs played in an intimate setting is beautiful to me.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Gotham Film & Media Institute has today named the student filmmakers selected to participate this summer in the fifth cycle of its Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program, a six-week initiative helping to launch students into the media workforce.

Nickelback has officially hit the road for their 2023 North American Tour!

British big-hitters Russell T. Davies, Jack Thorne and Dennis Kelly are preparing to stand with writers around the world today in support of striking scribes on a global day of solidarity and action.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor “Ozi, Voice of the Forest” premiered at the Annecy Festival on June 13, kicking off a series of films that seek to highlight dangers to the environment.  The film tells the story of a young orangutan Ozi, voiced by Amandla Stenberg (“The Hunger Games”), who becomes separated from her parents when her rain forest home is devastated by a company producing palm oil.  With the additional voice talents of Laura Dern, Djimon Hounsou and Donald Sutherland, the film also boasts a broad array of talent behind the camera including Keith Chapman, creator of “PAW Patrol” and Madrid-based Rodrigo Blaas, behind the “Sith” episode in “Star Wars Visions,” as part of the creative team. Leonardo DiCaprio and legendary producer and former studio head Mike Medavoy are credited as producers.

In a first look at tonight’s dramatic episode of Love Island, Jess Harding is fuming as bombshell Leah Taylor snogs Sammy Root, who Jess is currently coupled up with, in a new challenge called She’s A Keeper.The She's A Keeper game tests each girl's football skills before they're asked to give one of the boys a red card, and choose another to kiss as their star player. During the football-themed challenge, Leah, who is currently coupled up with Tyrique decides to score with Sammy as Jess watches from the sidelines.The seemingly passionate kiss doesn't go down well with blonde beauty Jess as she later says: “The hand movements and the looking up and down, like, is he trying to wind me up?” Elsewhere in the episode, Sammy pulls Leah for a chat to find out where her head is at, as he says: "I do wanna get to know you but at the end of the day I’m not going to go out of my way and risk what I have going on if I feel like you’re not interested in me.” Leah replies: “ I feel like I have made it pretty clear since coming in here that I am getting to know you” before Sammy reveals: “With Jess, we get on really well, but there wasn’t like an instant sexual connection… but when you came in, I feel like you and me do have that.” Leah agrees and says: "Yeah it’s more of an instant thing”.

Hollywood’s biggest names never miss an opportunity to dazzle Us with their fierce fashion sense. Tracee Ellis Ross, Claire Danes, Brittany Snow and more stars turned heads on the red carpet at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. 

Sam Fender kicked off the first of his two homecoming shows at Newcastle’s St James’ Park stadium last night (June 9).The show, which saw the North Shields singer-songwriter perform a host of tracks from his recent album ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and hits from his backcatalogue, also saw him perform a cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s ‘I’m On Fire’. Support acts for the show included Hector Gannet, Holly Humberstone and Inhaler.Fender, who recently supported Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, brought his brother Liam Fender on to perform the 1985 single.

“We are incredibly honored to host a new group of emerging filmmakers who will undoubtedly bring their passion, stories and insights to the program each day,” said Academy governor and education and outreach committee chair Wynn P. Thomas.

Stephanie Bennett and Casey Deidrick enjoy some rare downtime in between three weddings in this pic from their new Hallmark Channel movie, Wedding Season.