IFC Buys Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Benedetta’ Ahead of Cannes Debut (EXCLUSIVE)

2 min read Readers are invited to travel virtually to São Paulo in Brazil and get to know a cross-section of local gay, bi, queer, and trans men through intimate photography and personal storytelling in the latest Elska project.

IFC Midnight has boarded U.S. rights to UK genre pic Burial.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLondon-based financier Anton (“Greenland,” “His Dark Materials”) has boarded “No Place Like Kill,” an action-packed crime thriller from Mat Newman with Sam Riley (“Control,” “Maleficient”) and Charles Dance (“The Crown,” “Mank”) attached to star.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentBelgian director Felix van Groeningen (“Beautiful Boy”) and Charlotte Vandermeersch have started shooting in the Alps on “The Eight Mountains,” an Italian drama based on a bestseller about male bonding set against a mountainous backdrop.

EXCLUSIVE: Alexander Payne has set Paul Giamatti to star in The Holdovers, a David Hemingson-scripted film that Mark Johnson is producing. FilmNation will rep international rights and CAA Media Finance will handle domestic as the film is shopped next week in the Cannes Virtual Market. Production will begin early next year in New England.

Jackson Hastings has been named co-captain of the Combined Nations All Stars for this month’s clash against England.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Flag Day,” a new drama from Sean Penn, has sold North American rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer weeks before it is scheduled to have its global debut at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was directed by Penn, with the Oscar-winner starring alongside his daughter, Dylan Penn.

Naman Ramachandran Altitude Film Sales has boarded high concept survival thriller “The Wreck” and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes virtual market.Based on a screenplay by Nick Saltrese (“Jetski,” “A Prayer Before Dawn”), the film will follow a group of old college friends who reunite on a Caribbean scuba diving trip exploring the wreckage of a WWII battleship and find themselves trapped inside the underwater labyrinth of rusted metal surrounded by great white

Mubi has acquired all UK and Ireland rights for Leos Carax’s Annette which is due to open the Cannes Film Festival in competition on July 6, a day ahead of its French release. The distributor and streamer has set a theatrical UK and Ireland release on September 3. This is the second recent UK deal for Mubi on a Cannes title, following its pick-up of Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta last month.

H.E.R. is ready to continue on the country music train.The 23-year-old singer made her country music debut at the 2021 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday.

The Beatles were still living in Liverpool they performed at the city's famous Cavern Club almost daily. The band would get on stage around midday every day, allowing teenagers to watch Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best hit the stage while on their lunch break.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media1091 Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to “Varginha: The Roswell of Brazil,” James Fox’s follow-up to “The Phenomenon.”The film is another exploration of potential extraterrestrial encounters, this one centered on a series of events in 1996 when citizens of Varginha, Brazil, reported seeing one or more strange creatures and a UFO crash.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIFC Films has acquired rights to the millennial romantic comedy “Dating & New York” ahead of its premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.The movie, written and directed by Jonah Feingold in his feature filmmaking debut, stars Jaboukie Young-White and Francesca Reale.IFC Films plans to release “Dating & New York” in theaters and on digital platforms in September.

Ben Croll After winning top honors at last year’s Venice VR competition, directors Michelle and Uri Kranot haven’t exactly rested on their laurels.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorThe Weeknd is set to perform at amfAR’s Cannes Gala on July 16.The gala returns after being canceled last year due to the pandemic. “We’re back,” amfAR CEO Kevin Frost tells Variety’s Marc Malkin.

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After a pandemic-induced delay of 14 months, cinema is returning to la Croisette. The 74th Festival de Cannes will finally take place this July, and we now know what films will join the previously announced titles “The French Dispatch,” “Annette,” and “Benedetta.” And if you’re fans of filmmakers such as Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Asghar Farhadi, François Ozon, Mia Hanson-Love, Justin Kurzel, Jacques Audiard, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, you should be very excited.

By HollywoodNews.com

MAIN COMPETITION“Ahed’s Knee,” Nadav Lapid“Annette,” Leos Carax“Benedetta,” Paul Verhoeven“Bergman Island,” Mia Hansen-Love“Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi“Flag Day,” Sean Penn“The French Dispatch,” Wes Anderson“Haut et Fort” (“Casablanca Beats”), Nabil Ayouch“A Hero,” Asghar Farhadi“Hytti Nro 6” (“Compartment No.