France Unveils Pre-Selection List For Country’s Oscar Submission

Manori Ravindran International Editor The London Film Festival has revealed its jury line-up for this year’s awards. The Official Competition jury is led by “Power of the Dog” and “Cold War” producer Tanya Seghatchian (pictured), while the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury will be headed up by director and actor Nana Mensah whose directorial debut “Queen of Glory” won the Best New Narrative Director prize at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Elsewhere, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini will lead the jury selecting the winner of the Grierson Award for Best Documentary after winning the award in 2018 for his film “What You Gonna Do When the World’s On Fire.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a clear vote of confidence for Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, Bordeaux-based Dublin Films has boarded his third film “Lovers Go Home!” The company also co-produced Mesa’s lauded sophomore pic, “The Rust.” “Lovers Go Home!” centers on a Colombian single mom who leads a double life as a webcammer. One day she meets a U.S. veteran online who becomes obsessed with her. He flies to Colombia to meet her in person. Their meeting makes them reflect on who they truly are. In development, the project participated in this year’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, one of San Sebastian Film Festival’s key industry events, which ran over Sept. 19-21. 

Nicola Peltz has undergone a dramatic transformation while in Paris for Fashion Week with her husband, Brooklyn Beckham.MORE: Victoria Beckham sends message to family and Nicola PeltzOn Friday, the couple put on a united front with his family as she attended Victoria Beckham's debut show in the French capital. WATCH: David Beckham greets Nicola and Brooklyn with a sweet hugAfter rumours of a severe rift within the family – namely between Victoria and her daughter-in-law – Brooklyn and Nicola seemed in high spirits at the highly-anticipated show.READ: Cruz Beckham whips out the double denim for PFW after-partyMORE: Harper Beckham rocks floor-length dress at PFW - did you spot her trainers?They later posed for a group photo with the Beckhams: David, Victoria, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper. Nicola and Brooklyn reunited with the Beckhams on FridayBy Sunday, Nicola was again turning heads – this time for her striking new appearance.READ: Nicola Peltz gushes about mum Claudia in new pictures with Brooklyn BeckhamMORE: Brooklyn Beckham forced to speak out after leaving restaurant without wife Nicola PeltzThe 27-year-old unveiled statement bleached eyebrows as she joined Brooklyn at the Valentino fashion show.

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled the new team of programmers and consultants who will work with incoming delegate general Julien Rejl on his inaugural selection for May 2023.

streaming, the action-thriller (which Fox also produces) is a dystopian story set in a world where a disruption to the petroleum supply chain sparks a global crisis.Fox, 56, stars as Andy Yeats, an American chemist who lives in London with his wife Elena (Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”), their 8- year-old son Sam (Taylor Fay) — who’s losing his vision — and college-aged climate activist daughter Laura (Alyth Ross), who’s scornful of her dad’s work (since it involves the fossil fuel industry).When the family is about to go to Paris for Sam’s experimental eye surgery, Andy’s work calls him away him to deal with an oil-related emergency in Luzrah (a fictional place in the Middle East). This angers Elena — who thinks he’s prioritizing work over family — and Laura (because of her principles).As power grids shut down all over Europe and social unrest breaks out, the family scatters to the wind, with Andy in Luzrah, his wife and son in France and his daughter still in England.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films president Peter Goldwyn has weighed in on the backlash to India’s selection of its competitor for this year’s best international film race at the Oscars, calling candidate “The Last Film Show,” which it will release in North America, “a really strong contender.” Directed by Pan Nalin (“Samsara,” “Valley of Flowers”), the Gujarati-language film is the story of a nine-year old boy pursuing his dreams in cinema. It debuted at the Tribeca Festival in 2021 and has since played fests in Palms Springs, Seattle and Mill Valley. “Last Film Show” will have its commercial release in Gujarat, India on Oct. 14, 2022, giving it the necessary qualifying theatrical run in its home territory.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Birds will fly, fish will swim and Emily will be in Paris. Darren Star’s Emmy-nominated escapist romantic comedy “Emily in Paris” will launch its third season on Netflix on Dec. 21. The streamer announced the date and revealed a teaser for the upcoming season on Saturday morning during its Tudum virtual fan event. The new footage shows Emily (Lily Collins) as she finds herself at a crossroads in every aspect of her life, deciding the pathway she will choose regarding her work and love life. Emily will have to figure out exactly where her loyalties lie and what those decisions mean for her future in France, all while continuing to immerse herself in the adventurous lifestyle that wandering through the city of love provides. 

Alice Diop’s Saint Omer has been selected as France’s entry to the best international film category.

Maha Haj’s drama Mediterranean Fever, which world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard this year, has been selected as Palestine’s official entry in the best international film category.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday. LAST UPDATED: Sept. 20, 2022 CATEGORY COMMENTARY: A large wave of official submissions have been announced with some expected and a few surprising choices. Some early favorites are already out of the running after not being chosen by their respective countries. Pan Nalin’s “Last Film Show” will represent India instead of the global box office smash “RRR” from S.S. Rajamouli, while Monica Stan and George Chiper’s “Immaculate” will define Romania in the race instead of Cristian Mungiu’s “R.M.N.” The Telluride and TIFF hit “Godland” from Hlynur Pálmason was also passed over for “Beautiful Beings” from Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson

Thania Garcia Although the royal family has yet to confirm the official list of attendees for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, various heads of state have already confirmed their planned attendance at the Westminster Abbey ceremony scheduled for Monday, Sept. 19. Buckingham Palace revealed the full schedule of the funeral plans — which will begin in London and end in Windsor — including the several categories of dignitaries invited: global government representatives, foreign royal families, governors general, realm prime ministers and heads of state. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be present, along with all of the heads of the Commonwealth including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indian President Droupadi Murmu and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Joining them will be President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and the presidents of Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy and Poland, among other representatives.

Good afternoon Insiders. Max Goldbart here and as the world prepares for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which has dominated headlines this week, I’ll take you through the past few days in international TV and film.

Rosalía is ready to take over North America!

Star Wars’ characters, they aren’t real. Hobbits, they aren’t real.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Loco Films has boarded international sales rights to actor-turned-helmer Dinara Droukarova’s feature debut “Woman at Sea” which will world premiere in the New Directors section at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Produced by Marianne Slot and Carine LeBlanc at Paris-based Slot Machine (“Melancholia”), “Woman at Sea” stars Droukarova as Lili, who has left everything behind to travel to the end of the earth to fulfil her dream of fishing in the northern seas, in Iceland. She convinces Ian, a fishing boat skipper, to give her a chance and embarks on the Rebel. She is the only woman in the crew but she will win everybody’s respect thanks to her determination and courage. “We are proud of this first film, shot on the harsh northern seas about a young woman seeking the fresh air of freedom. A beautiful and free film and the birth of a new director,” said Laurent Danielou, founder and president of Loco Films.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Franco-Swiss director and New Wave linchpin Jean-Luc Godard, who revolutionized world cinema with his ground-breaking debut, “Breathless,” and never stopped pushing the envelope of his creativity, has died. He was 91. The news was first reported in Liberation.

Naman Ramachandran After several acclaimed shorts, Katrine Brocks’ feature film debut “The Great Silence” (“Den Store Stilhed”) is set to premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival in competition at the New Directors strand. The film follows Alma who is about to take her vows as a nun in a Catholic convent, when her estranged brother Erik arrives. His presence unearths a tragedy from their past and with the ceremony approaching, Alma is increasingly haunted by resurfacing trauma. The cast includes Kristine Kujath Thorp (“Ninjababy”), Elliott Crosset Hove (“Godland”) and Karen-Lise Mynster (“C4”).

EXCLUSIVE: Tunisia has submitted Erige Sehiri’s bucolic coming-of-age tale Under The Fig Trees, about a group of teenagers working as fig pickers over the summer, as its entry for the best international film Oscar.

Trinidad Barleycorn Founded more than 25 years ago by Manuel Catteau, independent French producer and distributor ZED has become over the years a major player in the documentary field. At TV market Unifrance Rendez-vous in Biarritz, ZED revealed to Variety the acquisition of three ambitious history documentary projects, which are available for presales. “Ukraine 1933: Seeds of Hunger,” a documentary by Guillaume Ribot, produced by Les Films Du Poisson for France Télévisions, recalls the tragedy experienced by Ukrainians between 1931 and 1933: the Holodomor, the great famine organized by Stalin to punish those who refused the collectivization of the countryside and communist ideology, resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million of them.

Clayton Davis Bathroom stalls, showering marines and flashlights under the sheets encompass A24’s “The Inspection.” While the moving drama could catch the attention of progressive Academy members, others may find the honest subject matter too off-putting. A common denominator is the outstanding performances from Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. As Ellis French, Pope takes the lead of Elegance Bratton’s moving directorial and writing debut “The Inspection,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The A24 film, inspired by true events, is a showcase for Pope and full of “Oscar-clip-worthy” scenes. We’ll see how the circuit treats the film, as Pope will be battling with bigger names such as Hugh Jackman and Colin Farrell for recognition.