GKIDS Acquires Mamoru Hosoda’s Complete Film Catalog (EXCLUSIVE)

“A Bit of Light.”Moyer, 54, directs Paquin, 41, in the indie movie, written by Rachel Callard and based on her eponymous stage play.It’s the second time that Moyer has directed Paquin in a big-screen movie following “The Parting Glass” (2018).He also directed her in episodes of “True Blood” when they co-starred on the HBO series as vampire Bill Compton and telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse from 2008-2014.“A Bit of Light” follows the journey of Ella (Paquin), an alcoholic mother living with her father (Ray Winstone) and dealing with self-loathing after losing her two daughters over her drinking — and the 13-year-old boy, Neil (Luca Hogan), who helps her see the “light” toward a better future.“Ella is at this excruciatingly mundane place after what she thinks is rock-bottom and realizes that the everday-ness of living with her choices and decisions is actually a level of rock-bottom she didn’t know existed yet,” Paquin told The Post.“Throughout the film we see her slightly coming out of her shell little by little … but she does a lot of things within her power to sabotage her own happiness.”Ella strikes up an unlikely friendship with the wise-beyond-his-years Neil, who she meets in the park where she used to take her daughters — and where she frequently goes to brood over her plight.Neil is an odd duck who speaks on an adult level (he addresses Ella’s father, Alan, by his first name) and appears to be friendless. He talks about his parents and older brother (who we never meet) but he always has time to materialize in Ella’s life (and the lives of other characters) at crucial junctures.“This strange, fabulous Neil is on a mission to help her put herself back together and get her life back on track,” Paquin said.

Here’s an unexpected treat for “Star Wars” fans on their favorite annual holiday, May the 4th: a follow-up to the acclaimed 2022 animated series “Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi.” And fans of that series should expect more of the same from “Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire.” The six-episode new season shares the same animation style as its predecessor along two all-new stories.

Slowly, but surely, the lineup for the 77th Cannes Film Festival is being revealed. Last month, Cannes announced that George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” will be an early world premiere on la Croisette on May 15.

Ellise Shafer “Sasquatch Sunset,” the Sundance-premiering film in which Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg star as Bigfoot-like creatures, is getting a U.K. and Ireland release from Icon Film Distribution. The long-standing distributor, which is known for releasing iconic films like “Drive” and “Malcolm X,” is setting a release date for next quarter following the movie’s premiere at a major U.K.

Slowly, but surely, the lineup for the 77th Cannes Film Festival is being revealed. Last month, Cannes announced that George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” will be an early world premiere on la Croisette on May 15.

Austin Film Festival (AFF) has announced Ronald D. Moore as the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Television Writer Award for his prolific impact on the world of television and his work on celebrated science fiction and fantasy series such as “For All Mankind,” “Outlander” and “Battlestar Galactica.” “I’m very honored,” Moore told Variety over the phone. “It’s great when your work is recognized and when a renowned organization like the Austin Film Festival chooses to do something like this.

Marco Mueller, who over the past decades has headed both the Venice and Rome fests – among several other events – is back in Italy where he is expected to be appointed artistic director of Sicily’s storied but troubled Taormina Film Festival. According to several sources Mueller, who in more recent years relocated to China, is expected to sign a contract on Thursday to become Taormina fest chief. The event is run by the Fondazione Taormina Arte Sicilia foundation currently being managed by Sergio Bonomo.

EXCLUSIVE: 3Point0 Labs has followed up recent strategic moves by signing In the Summers co-producer Luz Films.

Selena Kuznikov Visual effects house DNEG has acquired the exclusive license to Ziva from Unity. The company will also onboard a significant proportion of the Ziva team.

Fifth Season has upped Christopher Slager to Head of Film as the studio expands its in-house production and development of feature films.

Jack Dunn Welcome Villain Films has announced its acquisition of supernatural, found footage horror feature “Puzzle Box” from writer-director Jack Dignan. The film will screen at Unnamed Footage Festival on March 29, with a full release planned for sometime in the following months.

Naman Ramachandran Its raining Ram Charan projects in India. A few days after “RRR” star Ram Charan‘s 16th film was unveiled. Now, the team has been revealed for his 17th.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian animation auteur Alessandro Rak – best known for European Film Award-winner “The Art of Happiness” and Neapolitan mob fable “Cinderella The Cat” – is at work on a new project titled “The Little Prince of Shangri-La” set in an imaginary Tibet and involving the search for the Dalai Lama. Rak’s new work, which follows “Yaya and Lenny — The Walking Liberty,” that launched in 2021 from Locarno, was unveiled earlier this month at the Cartoon Movie co-production and pitch forum in Bordeaux, France.

“Downton Abbey” film is coming to the silver screen.According to star Imelda Staunton — who played Lady Maud Bagshaw in the first two movies — a threequel is set to premiere sometime next year.“The Crown” alum, 68, spilled the royal tea in a recent interview with BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball.“There will be the final film – there you go,” Staunton dished.Ball then quipped that she hopes that the “Shakespeare in Love” star won’t be reprimanded for revealing the info.“I don’t care,” Staunton bluntly said.The Sun reported Wednesday that the cast will begin shooting this summer at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, for a 2025 debut.According to the outlet, Paul Giamatti is also set to reprise his role as Harold Levinson.He last made an appearance on the Julian Fellowes historical drama in a 2013 Christmas special alongside Shirley MacLaine.Two big-screen adaptions based on the 2010 series of the same name were previously released in 2019 and 2022.The OG show ran until 2015, across five seasons, taking the influential Crawley clan and their estate servants throughout the turmoil of the 1910s and 1920s.The ensemble cast included Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as the Earl and Countess of Grantham, as well as Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess.Smith’s character met her demise in the second film, titled “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” in 2022.Rounding out the show’s ensemble are Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nichol and Penelope Wilton.Bonneville, 60, previously discussed how the franchise was beginning to weigh him down.“I suspect, on a

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour broke records on Disney+ with 4.6 million views, making it the No. 1 music film ever on the platform per the studio.

It’s been less than two months since the end of the 2024 edition, but this morning the Sundance Institute revealed the dates for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. This year’s event will run from Thursday, January 23 through Sunday, February 2nd.

This year’s Filmart was definitely bigger and busier than last year, which was the first physical edition following the reopening of Hong Kong and mainland China’s borders after the pandemic. According to Filmart organizers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), more than 750 exhibitors and 7,500 visitors attended this year’s Filmart, compared to around 700 exhibitors and 7,300 visitors in 2023. But despite frenetic meeting activity, the market did little to dispel fears that international sales business in the region, already in decline before the pandemic, is not yet recovering. International sales agents under the IFTA and European Film Promotion (EFP) umbrellas had packed meeting schedules.

EXCLUSIVE: Specialty distributor 3388 Films has acquired rights to Vietnamese smash Mai, and has set a March 22 theatrical release across North America and Europe. From director Tran Thanh, the romance drama is now the No. 1 movie of all time in Vietnam, having crossed 500B VND ($20M) locally this past week. 

UPDATED with news that Ranjit will attend the Oscars as director Nisha Pahuja‘s guest. It’s a momentous weekend for To Kill a Tiger, the award-winning documentary directed by Nisha Pahuja.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Juno Films has nabbed North American rights to “Girls Will Be Girls,” a mother-daughter drama that premiered at Sundance Film Festival. The movie will screen at SXSW next week before it lands in theaters this fall. Shuchi Talati directed “Girls Will Be Girls,” which is set at a strict boarding school in the Himalayas as 16-year-old Mira’s sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself.