Apple Announces Grants to Sundance Institute Indigenous Program and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

On February 1 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the Earth's atmosphere over the United States. The shuttle had been returning to Earth with the crew, having spent the previous 15 days and 22 hours in space.

It’s a weekend of well-reviewed indie openings with Bleecker Street’s Out Of Darkness, The Monk And The Gun (from the directors of Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom) and limited openings for The Taste Of Things, Perfect Days (Best International Feature nominated), Anthony Chen’s Drift, Bas Devos’ Here and Ennio by Giuseppe Tornatore, which premiered in Venice in 2021 and is finally getting a U.S. release.

A handful of indies bow or expand this weekend as Oscar hopefuls from Poor Things to The Holdovers and American Fiction crowd theaters after nominations earlier this week. Anatomy Of A Fall is getting a big bump. Oppenheimer is back on Imax.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony Pictures‘ “Madame Web,” a standalone origin story in the studio’s array of “Spider-Man”-based Marvel characters, has been granted a theatrical release in mainland China. The film will open in the country on March 1 — two weeks after the title’s Valentine’s Day bow in North America and multiple international territories, including the Chinese-language markets of Taiwan and Hong Kong. The release marks a welcome opportunity for Sony, which, along with the other traditional studios faced difficulty in securing theatrical runs in China over recent years.

After seeing its Martin Scorsese pic Killers of the Flower Moon, depicting the “Reign of Terror” in Osage territory, score 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Apple has announced new grants to the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, in support of Indigenous storytelling and the preservation of Native American history.

EXCLUSIVE: The Ford Foundation is coming through for documentary filmmakers in a big way.  

The Church of Satan would like to make it clear that members don’t worship the Devil, nor do they believe Satan is real. What they do believe in, and the rituals they practice, emerge in the documentary Realm of Satan, which just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. 

And just like that, Netflix is close to tying up another major content licensing deal.

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos took a victory lap on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call about the company’s acquisition of exclusive rights to Monday Night Raw and other WWE programming.

Jon Burlingame Two songs from “Barbie” have been nominated as best song, part of a diverse collection of songs and scores nominated for the 96th annual Academy Awards. “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, and “I’m Just Ken,” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, were chosen by the 390 voting members of the Academy music branch.

Gregg Goldstein Few directors have had greater success exposing the harsh realities of American life than Debra Granik. But after a drug abuse-themed first feature, “Down to the Bone,” the Jennifer Lawrence-led poverty saga “Winter’s Bone” and a documentary (“Stray Dog”) and drama (“Leave No Trace”) about haunted military vets, her new multipart doc, “Conbody VS Everybody” might be her most upbeat take on a tough topic to date.

Addie Morfoot Contributor In 2013, Angela Patton gave a TEDWomen talk that described a father-daughter dance for incarcerated dads and their daughters. That talk was viewed over a million times and inspired the documentary “Daughters,” which has its world premiere Monday at the Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Patton, who in the past decade has helped arrange approximately 15 Daddy Daughter Dances across the nation, and co-director Natalie Rae follow four young girls preparing for the event with their fathers in a prison in Washington, D.C.

Exhibiting Forgiveness, directed and written by Titus Kaphar, is a thought-provoking film starring Andre Holland, John Earl Jelks, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Ian Foreman. Set against a backdrop of familial struggle and personal demons, Kaphar’s film navigates the complexities of forgiveness, accountability, and the resilience of the human spirit. Tarrell Rodin (Holland), a loving father and husband who resides in the suburbs with his wife Aisha (Day), a singer-songwriter, and their son Jermaine. Renowned in the American art scene for his haunting, personal work, Tarrell dedicates his days to his art studio, using painting to turn his nightmares into art. His devotion to art, coupled with the support of his family and his diligent work ethic, has helped him keep his ugly past at a distance. He aims to take care of his mother Joyce (Ellis-Taylor) and wants to get her out of the neighborhood she lives in, but she’s apprehensive as she wants to stay close to her church. Its only a temporary move nit deep down he hopes Joyce in hopes she can provide support as he struggles with old memories. 

Kobi Libii’s work on the sadly short-lived Comedy Central show “The Opposition with Jordan Klepper” always tended toward the confrontational. By donning the guise of right-wing media provocateurs, he highlighted the absurd internal contradictions of ideological hardliners.

Sundance has a long history of screening films that tackle issues of race in the U.S. from every possible angle. Some are angry (Birth of a Nation, 2016), some satirical (Dear White People, 2014), and some quite gonzo (Sorry to Bother You, 2018).

Marta Balaga Thea Hvistendahl’s “Handling the Undead,” fresh off its Sundance premiere, has already scared multiple buyers into submission, Variety has found out exclusively. Starring “The Worst Person in the World’s” Renate Reinsve and sold by TrustNordisk, it has been picked up by Hungary (Vertigo Media), Benelux (September Film), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), France (KinoVista), Spain (Avalon Distribution), Korea (Pancinema), Japan (Tohokushinsha Film Corp.), Taiwan (Swallow Wings Films) and ANZ (Signature Entertainment). Neon Rated acquired North American and U.K.

Angelique Jackson Kobi Libii knew “The American Society of Magical Negroes” would be controversial. After all, the film is a critique of the “magical negro,” the cinematic trope where Black characters are constructed to support white protagonists without internal lives of their own. Libii grew up in Gary, Ind.

BreAnna Bell FX has released the second official trailer for Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” Tom Hollander, who plays Truman Capote in the series, faces off against the Swans in the trailer, which teases the story of the elite group of women that the “In Cold Blood” author surrounded himself with and the betrayal that led to their infamous falling out. The group included grande dame Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), C.Z.

cheerful as one would hope. Monday night’s Emmy 2024 saw the beloved sitcom “Cheers” cast reunion with acting legends Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt gracing the Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater stage. However, one person from the beloved 1980s show sadly did not visit the reconstructed Bull & Finch Pub where the cast discussed their “long overdue class reunion.”Woody Harrelson, who appeared in the show’s fourth season as bartender Woody Boyd, was noticeably absent from the stage.

was charged with violating travel restrictions near the thermal feature, according to the documents filed in the US District Court in Wyoming.Despite seemingly being pictured standing in the protected area at the time of the alleged violation, Brosnan entered a not-guilty plea, Cowboy State Daily reported citing documents filed on Jan. 4.The “Mamma Mia” star could face time in jail, a fine, or be banned from the area if he is found guilty.A virtual hearing is now slated for Feb.