Hot Docs Names Hussain Currimbhoy Artistic Director, Promotes Heather Haynes

Heather Gay is the latest star to hop “on the Ozempic train.”

EXCLUSIVE: Boutique distributor Juno Films has picked up North American and UK rights to This World is Not My Own, a documentary portrait of the folk artist Nellie Mae Rowe from filmmakers Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell, which premiered earlier this year at SXSW. The award-winner will be released in theaters in the summer of 2024.

May December, the title of Todd Haynes’s latest drama, reflects the director’s dance card for the year: having opened in Cannes, the Netflix title has been a festival favorite ever since, and will likely hang in there until voting closes after Christmas. Its two star names, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, have been getting curious audiences through the doors, but what keeps the film playing in everyone’s minds is the moral maze of questions it poses.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story 36 years before Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster phenomenon.A 43-minute short film made at Bard College in New York State, Superstar depicts scenes from the life of the 1970s pop star using the children’s toys instead of real-life actors.Charting the rise and fall of Carpenter, who died from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa in 1983, Haynes’ controversial film uses the stick-thin dolls to emphasise Carpenter’s frailty and was banned after a copyright claim from the Carpenter estate. It contains uncleared Carpenters tracks throughout and also makes claims about the sexuality of Karen’s brother Richard.Superstar has become a cult curio since then and Haynes, though he hasn’t seen Barbie, told NME in an exclusive interview that he’s pretty sure Gerwig is familiar with it.“I love Greta Gerwig.

EXCLUSIVE: Li Lu, the award-winning writer, director and producer behind the three-part docuseries A Town Called Victoria, broadcast nationwide last week on PBS, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

When Julianne Moore first was approached for May December, a dark dramedy that would have her star opposite Natalie Portman under the direction of frequent collaborator Todd Haynes, she said yes immediately. But only in looking more closely at the material and her Gracie character did she come to understand the complexity of what she’d just signed on for. 

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Actors flock to work with Todd Haynes, a filmmaker with an impeccable track record who has made a habit of drawing some of the greatest performances out of actors who already boast impressive credits, but also for discovering newer talent. In films like “Far From Heaven,” “I’m Not There” and “Carol,” he’s guided Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara to Oscar nominations.

On Thursday night, Oscar season was in full swing and Hollywood was, dare we say, busy. Among the numerous events and screenings was a press and industry reception for “The Holdovers” in Century City.

An RV park on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, faces extinction in Amy Nicholson’s lyrical, if somewhat slight, documentary “Happy Campers.” A portrait of a community in flux, Nicholson trains her camera on the inhabitants and seasonal tourists of Inlet View, a rundown park with ocean views that houses lower to middle-class residents.

Courtney Howard Director Mary Lambert delivers yuletide warmth and heartfelt cheer to Netflix subscribers with “Best. Christmas. Ever!” The story centered on two women rediscovering their strength and sparkle by mending their fractured friendship finds the correct balance of cynical and saccharine without upsetting the scale.

Julianne Moore and Charles Melton are stepping out to do some press for their upcoming movie, May December!

Hussain Currimbhoy is the new Artistic Director at Toronto’s Hot Docs.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Paris-based Reservoir Docs has acquired worldwide sales rights excluding Italy to “A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things,” a theatrical documentary by Scottish-Irish director Mark Cousins, featuring the voice of Tilda Swinton. The film, described by the producers as “visually ravishing,” explores the art of the 20th century Scottish painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Swinton will voice the artist’s innermost thoughts, reading from her private diaries and notebooks, which have never before been made public.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has issued an apology after three activists burst on stage during the opening ceremony on Nov. 8 with a banner that read “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free.” The slogan, which calls for the destruction of Israel, has been used by Hamas, the terrorist group behind the Oct.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Rockism, in case you don’t know the term, is the school of thought that holds the noisy “purity” of rock ‘n’ roll to be morally and aesthetically superior to the “corruption” of pop. There are numerous iconic examples of rockism.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor For the second year in a row, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) launches against the backdrop of a major war. Last year, the festival took place at the height of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, this year it runs as the Israel-Hamas War rages.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pia Lundberg, a Swedish film industry veteran, is set to succeed Jonas Holmberg as the new artistic director of Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia’s leading film-TV event. Lundberg most recently served as counsellor for cultural affairs at the Embassy of Sweden in London for the last five years.

The Göteborg Film Festival has found a new Artistic Director. 

Taylor Swift wasn’t the only celebrity to enjoy a star-studded girls night out this weekend: Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff also got in on the fun!

Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed some of the best lessons he’s learned in his life in his new book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.” One of these discusses the importance of having a clear vision in life, where he name checks El Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, a historic trail located in Spain that’s been traveled by people since medieval times.