Directors of Netflix’s Oscar-Shortlisted Animation ‘Robin Robin’ Discuss Musicality and Stop-Motion

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMotown founder Berry Gordy had a galaxy of star executives helping him build the company into the powerhouse it became, but not many of them shone as brightly as Suzanne de Passe.Joining the company relatively late in its heyday, de Passe moved from her native Harlem to Detroit in 1968 and soon convinced a skeptical Berry to sign a group of kids calling themselves the Jackson 5. She quickly took charge of developing the group into the pop-culture juggernaut they immediately became — their first four singles went to No.

Terry Flores The VIEW Conference in association with Baobab Studios and OGR is presenting free virtual panels with the creatives behind some of the season’s most critically acclaimed animated films.First up is a free virtual screening and conversation with the filmmakers behind “Namoo,” the shortlisted animated short by Oscar-nominated Erick Oh. In addition to Oh, speakers will include Baobab Studios’ co-founders Maureen Fan and Eric Darnell, who produced “Namoo,” art director Eusong Lee and lead Quill artist Nick Ladd.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMotown Records and Google have announced a partnership in pursuit of elevating women of color within the music industry.The Motown Records Creator Program Supported by Google will find and fund the next outstanding woman content creator, videographer, or creative producer/director and offer an opportunity to collaborate with Motown Records’ executives and its roster of artists, including TianaMajor9. According to the announcement, the initiative is aligned with Motown’s commitment to shattering barriers for talented creatives and is a continuation of Google’s ongoing mission to amplify underrepresented voices in entertainment and ensure diverse, equitable representation in our media landscape.

K.J. Yossman In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Film Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.Laura Wandel is the auteur behind “Playground” (“Un Monde”), her first feature, about the reality of schoolyard bullying. The film stars newcomer Maya Vanderbeque as seven-year-old Nora, who struggles to know what to do as she witnesses her older brother Abel (Günter Duret) bullied at school.

PJ Harvey looks like she might be back in the studio working on new music, if her latest social media post is any indication.Earlier today (February 4), the iconic singer-songwriter shared a series of black and white photos of herself in the studio, taken by Steve Gullick, seemingly teasing the arrival of new music.Dated 2022, the three pics show Harvey playing a guitar, fiddling with some guitar pedals, and sitting in front of a mic stand. No further information or context has been shared.You can take a look at the shots below:A post shared by PJ Harvey (@pjharveyofficial)Harvey’s last solo full-length was 2016’s ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’, which featured the tracks ‘The Wheel’, ‘The Community Of Hope’ and ‘The Orange Monkey’.In 2019, she composed the complete score for the stage play of All About Eve, directed by Ivo Van Hove and starring Lily James and Gillian Anderson.The celebrated artist’s discography has been the subject of a comprehensive reissue campaign by UMC/Island and Beggars over the last two years, who are aiming to “celebrate every aspect of Harvey’s recording career and afford a comprehensive and exciting look at the evolution of one of the most singular and extraordinary artists of modern times”.Previous vinyl reissues from PJ Harvey have included ‘Dry’, ‘Rid Of Me’, ‘To Bring Your Love’, ‘Stories From The City’, ‘Is This Desire?’, ‘Let England Shake’ and her second collaborative album with John Parish, ‘A Woman A Man Walked By’.The next album in her discography that is set to get a reissue is 2016’s ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’. Set to be released on March 11, it is the final entry in the reissue series.

Has any Broadway production in recent (or even not so recent) memory arrived with as much emotional baggage – or carried it as lightly – as the visually and sonically ravishing MJ? The Michael Jackson musical, as unlikely as such a prospect might have seemed a year ago, now appears poised to take Manhattan with the same hurricane force that the real Jackson funneled when he moonwalked into television history on Motown 25.

In just a few days the Winter Olympic Games begin in Beijing, a massive event China will use to present an idealized image of itself to the world.

Belgium’s Oscar-shortlisted International Feature is an intimate child’s-eye view of bullying from debut writer-director Laura Wandel. Playground is known as Un Monde in its native French language, and this is set in a world of its own: the school that two siblings must navigate to get through the day.

Collective earned an Oscar nomination last year for documenting the work of brave investigative reporters in Romania. This year, one of the feature documentaries in contention for Oscar recognition focuses on another group of crusading journalists — the staff of Khabar Lahariya, India’s only newspaper run entirely by women.

Panama makes its debut on the International Feature Oscar shortlist with the character-driven thriller Plaza Catedral. This contender from Abner Benaim (Ruben Blades Is Not My Name) is a taut two-hander between a grieving mother and a young street hustler, with a sobering message about corruption and violence. Samuel Goldwyn Films recently acquired the title.

As voters across the Academy branches mull over their Oscar nomination ballots, among the films they’re considering are two that deal with the Deaf experience. One, CODA, is the fictional coming of age story of a girl raised by Deaf parents. The other – Audible – tells a coming of age story as well, but this one is real.

In one of Syrian-born artist Mohamad Hafez’s stunning 3D pieces, a figurine of the Virgin Mary stands before an ornate portal, her hands joined in prayer. The building around her, rendered in plaster, paint, rusted metal and found objects, is blasted to ruins.

Terry Flores Last year, filmmaker Erick Oh was nominated for an Oscar for his expansive and thought-provoking animated short “Opera,” which contemplated the contemporary world by exploring a huge pyramid where hundreds of little figures were born, lived, loved, went to war and died in a continuous loop.He’s back in Oscar’s sights this year with a film that again looks at the cycle of life, but this time with an intensely personal, yet still universal, lens. “Namoo,” which was created in both 2D and VR with Baobab Studios, follows a man from birth to death.

Angelique Jackson WarnerMedia OneFifty has acquired the short films, “Namoo” and “When the Sun Sets,” to be released on HBO Max.Both films are shortlisted to be nominated for the 2022 Academy Awards, with “Namoo” as a contender in the animated short film category and “When the Sun Sets” in the live-action short film category. The nominations will be formally announced on Feb.

Naman Ramachandran Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei’s documentary short “Three Songs for Benazir” is that rare love story that dares to find hope beyond war.After winning numerous awards worldwide, the film, produced by Omar Mullick (“These Birds Walk”) alongside Hamayoun Noori and Jamil Rezaei, was snapped up by Netflix. It is also shortlisted in the Academy Awards’ documentary short subject category.Set in a displacement camp in Kabul, the film follows the tender and growing love story between young newlyweds Shaista and Benazir.

Sir Ian McKellen has said the last major professional achievement he would like to conquer is starring in a musical.

For Robin Robin, directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please looked towards animated Christmas specials as inspiration for their musical animated short.

Zack Sharf Guillermo del Toro fans had to wait four years in between his best picture winner “The Shape of Water” and his newest release “Nightmare Alley.” The wait for his next project won’t be as long. Netflix has announced the director’s stop-motion, musical adaptation of “Pinocchio” is set for release in December 2022.

Clayton Davis The fight for women to be recognized for their directorial achievements stretches back for decades, but, too often, the screenwriters aren’t given that same spotlight. However, this year presents a unique situation where female filmmakers have also penned the top awards contenders for adapted screenplay.