Laos’ Luang Prabang Film Festival Plots In-Person Return

“Franchises are so fun,” said Jennifer Lawrence today at the BFI London Film Festival. The 32-year-old X-Men and Hunger Games alum then drew a big laugh, interjecting, “I could never do one now cause I’m just too old and brittle.” 

K.J. Yossman “White Noise” director Noah Baumbach spoke about his career highlights – and low points – as well as his creative partnership with Greta Gerwig during the BFI London Film Festival on Friday afternoon (Oct. 7). Asked about the eight-year gap between making “Mr. Jealousy” and “The Squid and the Whale,” Baumbach quipped: “I thought, you know what? I really needed about eight years off.” “No, it wasn’t by design, it was by accident,” he quickly clarified. “I sort of had two careers in a way. I had this early career very quickly and I was really figuring it all out as I was doing it. I had never really been on a movie set before I made ‘Kicking and Screaming.’ But I had this sense of how a movie should be and what I wanted a movie to be. And then after ‘Mr. Jealousy’ [the way] I experienced it at the time is that I was having trouble getting things made. I think, also, I didn’t really know what I wanted to make. And I think maybe, in some ways, my ambitions sort of exceeded my ability.”

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film & TV Festival’s long-time director Janet Pierson will now shift to a new emeritus role and will turn over leadership of the festival to her deputy Claudette Godfrey.Pierson, who has led SXSW Film & TV for the past 15 years, will now become Director Emeritus, which will still allow her to contribute as a programmer for the 2023 festival, and where she will also be honored by SXSW for her contributions to the festival and entertainment space over the years. Godfrey, currently the fest’s programming director, is now the new VP, Director of Film & TV, stepping into Pierson’s shoes.

Emma Thompson, Stephen Graham, and Lashana Lynch passed through the London Film Festival on Wednesday, where they discussed their new film Matilda The Musical, directed by Matthew Warchus.

Brent Lang Executive Editor “Devotion,” a drama about a group of elite fighter pilots during the Korean War, will screen at the opening night of the Urbanworld Film Festival. The Sony Pictures and Black Label Media production was directed by J.D. Dillard and stars Jonathan Majors, who will serve as the festival’s official ambassador. HBO will return as a founding partner of the Urbanworld Film Festival, and Visa will serve as presenting partner. The festival will take place from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30. “This year’s slate is incredibly impressive,” said Karen McMullen, head of programming. “We have some of the top artists in the industry as well as exciting new voices premiering their films at Urbanworld. It has been a privilege working alongside this organization as we move into our 26th year as a festival. We can’t wait to see everyone in person in New York City to help us celebrate our dynamic films and filmmakers.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fresh from a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, TV coverage of Formula One motor racing is set to shift broadcasting partner in Asia-Pacific. Sports Business reports that pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports is finalizing a multi-year deal beginning in 2023 reaching across most of its Asia-Pacific footprint, but excluding Australia, where Foxtel recently renewed its deal, and New Zealand.

Dennis Lim, the artistic director of the New York Film Festival, has a confession.

K.J. Yossman Jennifer Lawrence will participate in the BFI’s series of Screen Talks at the London Film Festival next month.

When September rolls around, it means one thing for many of the top filmmakers in the world – time to hit the road. Venice, Telluride and Toronto come in rapid succession, to the point of overlapping. But for documentary filmmakers eager to showcase their work, there’s another important stop to make in September: the Camden International Film Festival in mid-coast Maine.

Colombian filmmaker Laura Mora has clinched the Golden Shell in the main competition of the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival with her latest feature The Kings of the World (Los reyes del mundo).

Clayton Davis “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story,” “White Noise” and “The Whale” are among the first films announced for this year’s Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia, celebrating its tenth anniversary. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” breakout star Stephanie Hsu will be given the Rising Star Award, for her incredible performance in The Daniels’ critically-acclaimed dramedy, which has generated awards buzz. The fest will also hold a special screening of the movie after its huge success, becoming A24’s first film to surpass $100 million. The entire festival will be held in person with screenings, conversations and events from Oct. 13-16. Opening the fest on Thursday is Netflix’s “White Noise” starring Adam Driver. Writer and director Noah Baumbach will return after bringing “Marriage Story” (2019), to accept the 10th Anniversary Spotlight Filmmaker Award.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Iranian action drama “World War III,” which won two awards at the recent Venice festival, will feature among the main competition titles at next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival. The festival will operate as an in-person event with foreign filmmakers, media and other guests in attendance from Oct. 24-Nov. 2, 2022. “World War III” is joined in the competition section by the world premiere of Milcho Manchevski’s “Kaymak,” Spanish director Carlos Vermut’s “Manticore” and Roberta Torre’s “The Fabulous Ones,” Michale Boganim’s “Tel Aviv Beirut,” and Youssef Chebbi’s debut film “Ashkal.”

Park City, UT -Thursday, January 19 to Sunday, January 29Salt Lake City, UT - Friday, January 20 to Sunday, January 29Sundance, UT – Friday, January 20 to Sunday, January 29Additional information can be found at https://festival.sundance.org.

Brent Lang Executive Editor The independent film world remains male-dominated, but female filmmakers made modest improvements behind-the-scenes, at least on the movies that got screened and streamed at festivals in recent months. That’s the conclusion of a new report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, which found that between 2021 to 2022, women comprised 39% of directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on independent films at high-profile film festivals in the U.S. That was an infinitesimal 1% increase from the previous year. Many of these film festivals played host to prominent movies from female auteurs such as Sian Heder’s “CODA,” which debuted at Sundance before capturing the Oscar for best picture, Rebecca Hall’s “Passing,” another Sundance entry that sold to Netflix, and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” which screened at the New York Film Festival before winning an Academy Award for best director. But despite their success, the number of female directors at these gatherings only increased by a percentage point to 40%.

Olivia Wilde is looking stunning on the red carpet!

Glenn Close will no longer be at the helm of the jury at the San Sebastian Film Festival after canceling her highly anticipated appearance due to a family emergency.In a statement provided to ET, the festival says Argentinian producer Matías Mosteirín will be the president of the jury. The last-minute change in the lineup comes a week after the and  star posted a video on social media expressing enthusiasm about presiding over the jury.

Drew Barrymore became tearful as she reunited with her ex Justin Long on her chatshow. The actress, 47, was joined by the 44-year-old actor, who she dated from 2007 until 2010, on The Drew Barrymore Show to reminisce about the ‘hedonistic’ days of their relationship. In a snippet released yesterday from the premiere episode, which airs on Monday night, the Charlie's Angels star, who was emotional as she greeted her ex on the set with a hug, told him: “I feel like we've been through so much together.

Brent Lang Executive Editor It was supposed to be all about the movies. But even here at the Toronto International Film Festival, an ocean away from the United Kingdom, the death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II has loomed large. It has provided an opportunity for festival organizers, filmmakers and talent to reflect on the life and legacy of a monarch whose 70-year reign ranks as the longest in her country’s history. That’s partly due to Canada’s status as a member of the British Commonwealth, but it’s also because the festival is such an international A-list affair, one that attracts movie stars and directors who have often had personal encounters with the queen.

Ana de Armas is a proud actress. The 2022 Venice Film Festival comes to an end tomorrow and Thursday saw the world premiere of the highly anticipated film about Marilyn Monroe’s life, Blonde. Once the movie ended, there was a 14-minute long standing ovation.According to Variety, the Cuban-Spanish actress was glowing as tears ran down her face.

Brent Lang Executive Editor New Slate Ventures has come on board as a production partner for Insignia Films’ “Free Money.” The announcement was made just ahead of the documentary feature’s world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Jordan Fudge, Jeremy Allen and Tess Cohen will join producer Amanda Pollak, and executive producers Stephen Ives, Bradwel Iro (LBX Africa), Chris Buck (Retro Report) to back the film.  The film explores what happens when universal basic income (UBI) comes to the Kenyan village of Kogutu. GiveDirectly, a non-profit organization, is sending free money for 12 years as part of an experiment. Filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko juxtapose the story of these young economists, bankrolled by Silicon Valley and convinced that they have found an infallible algorithm to improve lives, with those of the villagers.