Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 36th European Film Awards are underway at the Arena in the German capital of Berlin. The awards have been voted on by the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy.
23.11.2023 - 17:19 / variety.com
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent São Paulo-based activist producer Maria Farinha Films, behind Globoplay hit “Aruanas” and one of the global South’s key impact entertainment companies, has boarded Marcel Beltrán’s mystery drama “Moa,” a big double winner at Locarno’s 2022 Open Doors. Produced by Paula Gastaud at Cuba’s Mediocielo Films, “Moa” is now set up as co-production with Mediocielo Filmes, also in São Paulo, and Maria Farinha Films, and the Dominican Republic’s Stems Group.
It will be presented at Ventana Sur’s 2023 Proyecta project showcase, which takes place Nov. 29.
Also written by Beltrán, “Moa” won last year both the Locarno Open Doors Visions Sud Est, its main prize, and its Arte Kino International Prize for development. Laced by fantasy and strong visuals, the story of a woman’s battle to escape a toxic relationship leading her into a connection with ancient people, “Moa” could well consolidate Beltran’s status as a fast emerging Cuban filmmaker, playing off plaudits for the also Gastaud-produced “La opción zero,” Beltrán’s second doc feature which world premiered at 2020’s IDFA and, post-pandemic, was awarded best feature at Spain’s MiradasDoc.
“Moa” turns on Solange who, upon returning to her hometown, is confronted with an ever-widening gap between her life and her ideals, experiencing a profound sense of solastalgia as the landscape she once knew undergoes drastic changes. This unsettling situation compels her to make a pivotal choice, triggering conflicts within her romantic relationship.
As Solange becomes increasingly disenchanted with her partner, she seeks solace and connection in her work as a biologist, dedicating most of her days to the serenity of a nature reserve. A mysterious
.Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 36th European Film Awards are underway at the Arena in the German capital of Berlin. The awards have been voted on by the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy.
Margot Robbie revealed Tuesday that one of the producers for the film “Oppenheimer” once tried to convince her to push the release date of ‘Barbie” back. “One of your producers, Chuck Roven, called me, because we worked together on some other projects. And he was like, ‘I think you guys should move your date,’ ” Robbie, 33, told Cillian Murphy during their chat on Variety’s Actors on Actors.
upcoming movie “The Apprentice.”In pictures obtained exclusively by The Post, Stan, 41, sat on a park bench where he enjoyed a sandwich and a Diet Coke. He dressed in the allegedly fraudulent businessman’s signature dark suit with a patterned blue and beige tie. In other shots, Stan walked through the streets of the city with his hands buried in his trench coat as the film crew followed behind him.
Julia Roberts was “crushed” when the original version of her hit 1990 rom-com “Pretty Woman” was initially scrapped.“It was going to be a much darker film called ‘$3,000,’ ” Roberts, 56, said, referring to the amount it cost Edward (played by Richard Gere) to spend the night with Vivian Ward. “Vivian was a drug addict and the movie ended with him leaving her in a side street, throwing the money at her, and driving away,” Roberts said during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” Friday, while promoting her Netflix film “Leave the World Behind.” “I got that part in that movie and felt really proud, but when the production company folded and the film disappeared I was crushed,” the “Eat, Pray, Love” star added.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Nabil Ayouch, a leading Moroccan filmmaker whose latest movie as a producer “The Blue Caftan” became the first Moroccan film to ever make it to the Oscars shortlist, is wrapping up his next directorial effort, “Everybody Loves Touda.” Now in post-production, “Everybody Loves Touda” follows the journey of a strong-willed woman, along the lines of some of Ayouch’s best known films, such as “Much Loved” and “Razzia,” which played at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and Toronto, respectively. The movie will mark Ayouch’s directorial follow up to “Casablanca Beats,” which competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and marked the first Moroccan feature to vie for a Palme d’Or.
Mark Shelmerdine, the veteran producer who revived London Films as an indie powerhouse and played a pivotal role in the development of the international TV distribution market, died October 26 in Santa Barbara surrounded by his family. He was 78.
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent BUENOS AIRES — In one of the first deals to close at this week’s Ventana Sur market, Spain’s Latido Films has boarded “Lo Que Quisimos Ser,” written-directed by Alejandro Agresti, produced by Fernando Sokolowicz at Aleph Media, and Gastón Duprat, who have teamed as producer and co-writer-director on “The Distinguished Citizen,” “The Man Next Door,” and “The Artist.” “Lo Que Quisimos Ser” marks the latest film from Agresti, one of Argentina’s most international talents best known for a Hollywood sojourn which saw him directing Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in “The Lake House” and writing Argentina-set, English-language “No somos animales,” with John Cusack. Of his Argentine film, “Valentín” weighs in as a big-hearted coming of age tale of a cross-eyed and very lonely young kid.
How’s this for intriguing? Deadline reports that Sebastian Stan will star as a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice,” Ali Abbasi‘s feature follow-up to last year’s “Holy Spider.” And Stan isn’t the only big name to sign on to Abbasi’s new movie: “Succession” star Jeremy Strong is also on board to play attorney Roy Cohn, while Maria Bakalova will play Trump’s first wife, Ivanka.
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s one you probably didn’t see coming: Sebastian Stan, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominee known for his work in the MCU and the acclaimed Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, has been tapped for the role of a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a new film from Cannes prize-winning Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider).
Jordan Moreau Sebastian Stan is playing young Donald Trump in a movie titled “The Student” from Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (“Holy Spider”), Variety can confirm. The cast also includes “Succession” Emmy winner Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn and “Borat 2” and “Bodies Bodies Bodies” actor Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump. According to the logline, “‘The Student’ is an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit.
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, Spain’s Isabel Coixet and Chile’s Bernardita Ojeda, director of “Petit,” feature among the first recipients of funding from Ibermedia Next, a pioneering attempting to fund development on pioneering new IPs which yoke large artistic ambition and cutting edge tech. García Bernal and Luna’s Mexico-based label La Corriente del Golfo co-produces one of the 14 winning submissions, “El Origen De La Experiencia,” which offers a VR immersive experience of Mexican mysticism and trance culture.
Anna Marie de la Fuente Among the Copia Final titles in Ventana Sur, the Dominican Republic’s “Tiger” (“Tiguere”) by lauded filmmaker José María Cabral (“Woodpeckers”) casts a harsh light on the machismo culture of the Caribbean nation and by extension, Latin America. Shot in a lush mountain retreat, “Tiger” is set in a boot camp where families drop off their teenage sons with the hope that they learn to become “real men.” It is led by boot camp head Alberto, who decides that his son Pablo, an aspiring artist, is ready to join the camp.
Kathryn Hahn is reprising her role of Agatha Harkness in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries on Disney+.
Samia Longchambon has this year racked up 23 years on the cobbles2, having joined Coronation Street at the tender age of 18. The actress has starred in the ITV soap since 2000 as Maria Windass, formerly Connor and Sutherland, after beating Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh and Hear'Say star Suzanne Shaw to land the role.
There were hugs all round as old friends reunited at the huge opening night party for glitzy new restaurant Fenix in Manchester. That included for former Coronation Street co-stars Ryan Thomas and Samia Longchambon.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Martin Moszkowicz is to step down as chairman of the executive board of Constantin Film, the producer of the “Resident Evil” franchise and one of Germany’s leading distributors, with deputy chairman Oliver Berben taking over the role. At his own request, Moszkowicz is to let his contract expire on Feb. 29, 2024, and he will then continue to work as a producer for Constantin Film from March 1, 2024.
As promised by DC Studios co-head James Gunn, the strikes did not delay his next directorial effort, “Superman: Legacy,” due in summer 2025, and the film is moving ahead. There are two pieces of news delivered this week.
BreAnna Bell Taika Waititi can’t say much about his forthcoming “Star Wars” film, but he does have a joke that might pique his fans’ sense of humor. When asked if his addition to the popular franchise would still show fans the same “Star Wars” they know and love, the “Thor: love and thunder” director animatedly told Variety on the red carpet of his “Next Goal Wins” premiere, “It will be … dramatic pause… a Taika Waititi film.” “It’s gonna piss people off,” he added with a laugh. In the meantime, the Hollywood multihyphenate is celebrating the release of his latest film, a soccer flick focused on the true story of an American Samoa team that infamously lost a FIFA match 31-0.
EXCLUSIVE: Riz Ahmed and his Left Handed Films have come aboard the 2023 SXSW Audience Award winner Mustache, marking the feature directorial and screenwriting debut of Imran J. Khan, as executive producers.
“Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure Of Foggy Mountain” premieres on Peacock, November 17 this weekend. It is the feature-length debut of the titular comedy team Please Don’t Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy), the trio currently the “Saturday Night Live” Digital Shorts creators.