Andrew Ahn to Receive Outfest Achievement Award (EXCLUSIVE) – Film News in Brief

‘The Traitors’ Host Claudia Winkleman Wins Edinburgh Award

Errol Morris’s feature documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel” will make its global premiere on Apple TV+ on Oct. 20. “The Thin Blue Line” documentarian takes audiences into the life of former British spy David Cornwell, known to most as author John le Carré, over the course of six decades from the Cold War to the present day. “The Pigeon Tunnel” stitches together candid interviews, archival footage and excerpts from Cornwell’s own memoir of the same title to craft as full a view of the espionage author’s double life as possible.

Thomas Haden Church is saying he’s “heard rumors” of a potential new Spider-Man film directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire.

BreAnna Bell White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be honored with Outfest’s Inaugural Achievement Award for Press and Media, the nonprofit announced on Friday. The award presentation will take place on closing night of the 41st Outfest Los Angeles Summer Festival, which is presented by Genesis Motor America and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Achievement Award is a high honor within the organization and acknowledges the LGBTQ+ community’s presence in the media. “Outfest is thrilled to recognize the continued contributions of Karine Jean-Pierre for her barrier breaking and historic achievement in Press and Media,” Outfest board co-president Nii-Quartelai Quartey said in a statement. “Throughout her career, the Black and LGBTQ+ community has been reminded of what is possible. Our fellow Americans have been reminded of our humanity and inherent dignity. Our Outfest Press Fellows have been inspired.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been set to receive Outfest’s inaugural Achievement Award for Press and Media, the L.A.-based nonprofit’s highest honor, celebrating representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the media. She’ll claim the prize during the Closing Night of the 41st Outfest Los Angeles Summer Festival this Sunday, July 23rd.

Queen have become the latest act to receive a BRIT Billion Award for surpassing one billion streams in the UK. The band accepted the trophy just as they reached the 50th anniversary of their debut album, which was released in July 1973, the same year that BRIT Billion Award giver the BPI was formed. Which is all very convenient.“Thank you for presenting Queen with a BRIT Billion Award”, says guitarist Brian May.

Naman Ramachandran Rock group Queen have been presented with a Brit Billion Award by the BPI, the industry body for U.K. record labels and music companies, which is also home to the Brit Awards. The Brit Billion Award celebrates the band’s achievement in surpassing the landmark of 1 billion career streams in the U.K., as calculated by the Official Charts Company. Queen’s most-streamed hits include classics “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Under Pressure,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.”

Dow Griffith is set to receive the Location Managers Guild International’s (LMGI) Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th Annual LMGI Awards taking place on Aug. 26, the guild announced Wednesday. With a lifetime career defined by over 65 motion pictures, Griffith is being honored for his rich creativity and enthusiasm that have “set the scene for movies sites literally around the world.” Griffith’s movie credits span across titles including “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Jumanji,” “And Justice For All,” “Proof of Life,” “Carrie,” “Dinosaur,” “Mission to Mars” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” among others.

Filmmaker James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” is in theaters now, and while it seemed to underwhelm at the global box office in its opening weekend, the film has grossed $305 million worldwide so far, so maybe there’s hope it can have some minor legs. If anything, it maybe shows how making a blockbuster with an 80-year-old star can only take you so far with audiences.

Veteran location manager Dow Griffith (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jumanji, And Justice For All) will be honored with the 2023 Location Managers Guild International’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It will be presented at the 10th annual LMGI Awards on Saturday, August 26 at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica. 

Concord is reaching into its huge library of music recordings for a first-of-its-kind initiative with Outfest to support up-and-coming LGBTQIA+ filmmakers of color.

Angelique Jackson For the first time in six years, the Black Reel Awards will combine its film and TV honors ceremonies, with the temporary change due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The seventh annual Black Reel Television Awards (BoltsTV) ceremony was initially scheduled for Aug. 14, but will now be combined with the Black Reel Awards on Jan. 13, 2024. Representatives for the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF), which hosts the Black Reels, explained that temporarily rescheduling the summer celebration “gives the opportunity for the resolution of the strikes to occur and allow for the presence and participation of all the honorees.”

It’s been quite a week for filmmaker Andrew Ahn. 

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The SAG-AFTRA strike didn’t officially start until just after midnight on Friday, but Amandla Stenberg skipped the opening night of Outfest L.A. on Thursday in support of the movement. The star of the upcoming “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” was expected to be on hand to receive the Platinum Maverick Award from the LGBTQ film festival, but Jacqueline Castel, director of the actor’s new indie, “The Animal,” accepted it on her behalf. “Amandla is deeply honored and would love to be here to celebrate with you, but she cannot be here today due to her support of the actors strike,” Castel said.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was celebrated at the 2023 ESPYs for their contributions to women’s sports — and for fighting for equal pay.

Selome Hailu Sasheer Zamata has set a new comedy special titled “The First Woman,” which will be released for purchase via 800 Pound Gorilla on Aug. 15 before arriving on YouTube on Aug. 29. “The First Woman” was taped at Union Stage in Washington D.C. Per the logline, the one-hour show sees Zamata discuss “getting scammed by dates, masturbating in cars and being visited by witches in her sleep.” “The First Woman” is executive produced by Sam Saifer, Ian Adkins, Ryan Bitzer, Damion Greiman, and Anthony Leo. Producers include Zamata, Scott Moran and Matt Schuler. On the 800 Pound Gorilla site, the special will be available with a pay-what-you-wish model.

Netflix has acquired romantic comedy drama Turn To Me Mukai-Kun from Japan’s Nippon TV. The series will stream on Netflix starting July 12, immediately after its broadcast on Nippon TV’s Wednesday primetime slot. Hulu Japan, which is owned by Nippon TV, will also stream the series in Japan immediately after its primetime broadcast. Based on the award-winning manga by Yoko Nemu, the series stars Eiji Akaso as a young man with a perfect life but disastrous love life who reconnects with an unforgettable ex.

Angelique Jackson The fourth season of the Emmy-winning comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” will be its last, Variety has learned exclusively. “Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ an Emmy-winning success,” series creator and star Robin Thede said in a statement about the decision to end the show. “I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ‘ABLSS,'” Thede added. “I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.”

Since its inception in 1996, Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival has grown into the premiere festival for genre film. And the 2023 edition of the festival, set to kick off on July 20, now has a guest of honor that’s perfect for its niche.

Shout! Factory and Aardman have entered a distribution agreement for the award-winning titles “Shaun the Sheep,” “Wallace & Gromit,” “Morph” and “Timmy Time,” the companies announced Monday. Exclusive home video, EST EST and TVOD rights and limited theatrical rights in the U.S. and Canada to four of Aardman’s properties will be granted to Shout! Factory per the agreement.  “We’re big fans of Aardman and these wonderful films and series and are very much looking forward to creating a release plan that excites dedicated fans and creates new ones,” said Melissa Boag, Shout’s executive vice president of kids and family. “Aardman’s worldwide reputation as an innovative home for compelling stories that captivate audiences make them an ideal partner for Shout! Factory.”