Karlovy Vary To Host Iranian Cinema Retrospective And Expand Future Frames Program With UTA & Range Media Partnership

Alison Herman TV Critic The premise of the limited series “Class of ‘09” is a familiar form of dystopia: in the near future, law enforcement has come to rely on technology that skirts the line between police work and a police state. “Class of ‘09” shares a blueprint with classics like “Minority Report,” then adds a timely twist. The FX show’s Orwellian innovation is an algorithm powered by artificial intelligence, the kind of tool now at the center of all kinds of public anxiety, including the ongoing writers strike. “Class of ‘09” is created and written by Tom Rob Smith, the British scribe best known to Americans as the force behind “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” the second installment of Ryan Murphy anthology “American Crime Story.” That season, an underrated masterpiece, scrambled the typical chronology of true crime, beginning with the titular murder and winding backwards through Andrew Cunanan’s serial killing spree. “Class of ‘09” takes an equally unconventional approach, splitting its story into three separate timelines to tell a cautionary tale that spans decades.

The Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) has called on Iran to lift a travel ban on director Mohammad Rasoulof.

Russell Crowe will receive the Crystal Globe Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, KVIFF organizers announced on Friday. And unlike past recipients of the Crystal Globe like Michael Caine, Julianne Moore, Mel Gibson, Judi Dench and Robert De Niro, Crowe will also perform on the festival’s opening night with his rock band, Indoor Garden Party.The festival, which takes place in a spa town outside Prague in the Czech Republic, will present Crowe with the award on its opening night, June 30.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been banned from leaving Iran to serve as a member of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard jury, according to a report. News of the travel ban for the director who was recently released from Tehran’s Evin prison after being arrested last July for criticizing the government on social media, has been reported by the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (RFI). The report said Rasoulof had been asked to be a member of the Un Certain Regard jury but has been forced to decline. The Cannes Film Festival did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has confirmed that he was unable to accept an invitation from the Cannes Film Festival to participate in its Un Certain Regard jury after being barred from leaving Iran.

EXCLUSIVE: Starz programming exec Jeff Cooke is set to exit the Lionsgate company.

Benefits, Cavetown, Big Joanie, Cassyette and more have been announced for Glastonbury‘s 2023 Left Field line-up.Other acts announced on the line-up, which spotlights “voices from the front line of the struggle in debate and performance”, include Deadletter, Crawlers, Billy Bragg, Delilah Bon, Kid Kapichi, Dréya Mac, Tom A. Smith, Lime Garden, Jamie Webster and Will Varley.“Recharge your activism with this year’s @glastoleftfield line-up,” the festival posted on Instagram, which hosts “purveyors of pop and politics at Glastonbury since 2002”.“As the shape of the post-pandemic world begins to form, it’s clear that people are more willing to stand up and be counted,” stage host Bragg wrote in a statement.

Brent Lang Executive Editor When it came time to create the more than 200 mini-skirts, sequined dresses, elegant suits and other outfits that the cast of “Bob Fosse’s Dancin'” hoofs it in, costume designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung faced a big dilemma. They needed to pay tribute to the legendary choreographer’s legacy while still making something of the moment. That meant combing through archival material from Fosse’s many shows, ranging from films like “Kiss Me Kate” and “Cabaret” to his late-period masterpieces such as “Big Deal.” But there was very little to consult when it came to the 1978 original “Dancin'” other than a few grainy videos of a Japanese production and some photos of Willa Kim’s costumes.

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Morgan’s Talaria Media has launched development on Arigato Tokyo, a new drama set in the world of women’s professional wrestling, after acquiring a feature pitch by Daytime Emmy winner Mark Blutman (Ghostwriter, Boy Meets World). Jamie Anderson is on board to direct the pic, with Morgan to exec produce.

Addie Morfoot Contributor “Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Paul Sng’s “Tish,” an intimate portrait of British documentary photographer Tish Murtha, will open the 30th edition of Sheffield DocFest on June 14. Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad will be the guest of honor. In his film, Sng – whose work includes “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché” and “Dispossession” – both celebrates the vision and humanism of a gifted artist, and follows Murtha’s daughter Ella as she fights to preserve her mother’s legacy. “’Tish’ is a powerful tribute to a vital artist, activist and social chronicler, and a rallying call to all whose engagement with art questions who gets seen and heard, who doesn’t, and why,” the festival said in a statement. “This is a story of contemporary Britain, of the fight for culture, as well as the life of a mother and activist.”

Imax and Evo Entertainment announced today during their presentation at CinemaCon that they have entered into a partnership to open eight new Imax locations throughout Florida and Texas, including ones in Houston and Austin, marking the largest agreement for new Imax locations in a decade.“As we continue to expand, we remain committed to being at the forefront of cutting-edge spaces,” said Mitch Roberts, CEO of Evo Entertainment Group in a statement. “This partnership with Imax allows us to further enhance our state-of-the-art facilities and provide our guests with the ultimate movie-going experience.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s travel ban has suddenly been lifted after 14 years, allowing the acclaimed auteur and his wife Tahereh Saeedi to reportedly leave Iran for an undisclosed location. Saeedi on Tuesday night posted a picture on Instagram showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport. It is captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” Panahi, 62, was temporarily released from prison last month after going on a hunger strike to protest “the illegal and inhumane behavior” of Iran’s judiciary. He was out on bail.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 57th edition of Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, which runs June 30-July 8, has planned a retrospective program focused on Iranian cinema with a selection of films made in the past four years. The festival will also celebrate the work of Japanese filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura. Commenting on the Iranian cinema program, the festival said in a statement: “Collectively these works offer an insightful testimony of the burning creativity of Iran’s artists in face of the challenging reality. Nine mostly young filmmakers – urgent, unheard voices – who palpably bear a spiritual connection to the previous generations of their country’s greats, tackle the current reality with a remarkable sensitivity and great inventiveness.

Carol Vorderman reduced fans to laughter on Sunday as she admitted to missing the national emergency alarm in the afternoon.This weekend marked the historic day that the government tested their emergency alert system for the first time, with Brits taking to social media to share their thoughts.The technology was tested in the hopes it could provide a warning system for life-threatening circumstances like flooding, wildfires, terror attacks or nuclear threats. Other countries like the United States, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands all have similar systems in place.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Twitter is no longer labeling any accounts as “state-affiliated media” or “government-funded media,” a change that comes after organizations including NPR and PBS objected to the descriptions from the Elon Musk-owned social network and have suspended their activity on Twitter in protest. According to NPR reporter Bobby Allyn, when he emailed Musk to inquire about the decision to drop media labels, the CEO replied, “This was Walter Isaacson’s suggestion.” Isaacson, who has penned biographies of Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin, is working on a book about Musk. As of this writing, NPR (8.8 million followers) and PBS (2.2 million) have not resumed posting to their Twitter accounts since suspending activity earlier this month.

Kim Kardashian is here to save the day! The reality star put her own spin on one of America’s favorite superheroes.  

A huge new ramen and sushi restaurant is set to open off Piccadilly Gardens. Maki & Ramen already has a rash of locations in Scotland, and is now heading to the North West in its first branch south of the border.

"Jeopardy!" host Ken Jennings is in a Twitter war with a game show fan.  A viewer criticized a "Jeopardy!" puzzle for being incorrect and took the heat out on Jennings.  For the category "Potent Potable Rhyme Time," the riddle read, "Rice wine for the guy who rides a racehorse," for $200. The answer the game show was looking for was "Sake and Jockey," which player Kari correctly said.

Britain's Got Talent has faced the wrath of some viewers following its return to screens. The hit ITV talent show returned for its 16th series on Saturday night (April 15) before a second helping of auditions aired on Sunday night in a bumper series premiere weekend.