Lili Hinstin Steps Down as Locarno Film Festival Artistic Director

Michael B. Jordan and Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi have unveiled the line-up for their virtual Social Justice Now Film Festival (SJNFF).The new initiative is set to launch with the Black Panther star and the activist as co-ambassadors and on Monday (October 12, 2020), organizers for the event announced the socially conscious productions they plan to screen.The documentaries 40 Years a Prisoner and Freedia Got a Gun will be featured while original films Us Kids, Reefa, and SNCC,

Angelique Jackson Michael B. Jordan’s award-winning films “Just Mercy,” and “Fruitvale Station” will serve as opening night screenings for the inaugural Social Justice Now Film Festival (SJNFF).Both films will play on Wednesday, Oct.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentKosovo has selected Visar Morina’s “Exil” as its official entry in the International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards. It follows submissions by Bhutan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Bosnia, Ivory Coast, Georgia, Luxembourg, Poland and Switzerland.“Exil” had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition and also screened at the Berlinale as part of the Panorama section.

Steve McQueen helped raise the curtain on the 2020 BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday night, with his feature Mangrove — one of his five films in the BBC/Amazon Small Axe anthology — getting its European premiere in London and simultaneously across select cinemas around the U.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJared Smith is stepping down as global chairman of Ticketmaster at the end of the year.Smith, 42, has been with the company for more than 17 years, although he was just promoted to chairman in August.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Locarno Film Festival has appointed Nadia Dresti as interim artistic director following the recent resignation of Lili Hinstin.Dresti, who has been with the prominent Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema intermittently for roughly 30 years, is taking the reins after the abrupt departure of Hinstin late last month after two years due to differences with the event’s top management.Dresti started out in the fest’s press office, and in 2000 was

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterThe Inside Out LGBT Film Festival unveiled its juried winners today. The top accolades went to Faraz Shariat’s No Hard Feelings for Best First Feature and Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s No Ordinary Man for Best Canadian Feature.

Johnny Depp is all smiles while speaking at a press conference at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival on Friday (October 2) in Zurich, Switzerland.

SAN SEBASTIÁN, Spain -- Georgian writer-director Dea Kulumbegashvili’s first feature film “Beginning” triumphed at Spain’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, scooping up four of its top prizes including best film and best director.The story about a community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in a isolated village in Georgia amid the aftermath of an extremist attack also won best screenplay and best actress for Ia Sukhitashvili in the awards ceremony Saturday night.“Beginning,” a Franco-Georgian

American audiences might not be very familiar with Ester Exposito, but she’s a huge international star thanks to her hit Netflix series Elite!

American audiences might not be very familiar with Ester Exposito, but she’s a huge international star thanks to her hit Netflix series Elite!

Joe Alwyn gets caught in the middle of a wind and rain storm while walking the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the 2020 San Sebastian Film Festival on Saturday (September 26) in San Sebastian, Spain.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFilm Movement has acquired North American rights to “My Little Sister,” a poignant drama that will represent Switzerland in the international feature film race at the Oscars. “My Little Sister,” penned and directed by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond, is handled in international markets by Beta Cinema.

Shania Twain shows off her fun side while walking the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Zurich Film Festival on Thursday (September 24) at Kino Corso in Zurich, Switzerland.

In a shock move, Lili Hinstin has resigned as artistic director of the Locarno International Festival after less than two years at the job. Hinstin and the festival made the announcement Thursday, saying they had decided "by mutual agreement to end their working relationship." Few details were given, except that Hinstin and festival management had "diverging strategic views" of the future of the event.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe San Sebastian Film Festival has withdrawn the accreditation of U.S.-born French filmmaker Eugène Green for refusing to wear a mask.According to the Spanish festival, Green refused five requests for him to don a mask at last night’s premiere of his film Atarrabi Et Mikelats and he was ultimately asked to leave the auditorium.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe Locarno Film Festival and artistic director Lili Hinstin are parting ways after only two editions together.The festival said today the decision was made “by mutual agreement”.“Having acknowledged their diverging strategic views, the Locarno Film Festival and Lili Hinstin have decided by mutual consent to follow separate ways,” the festival said.“The Locarno Film Festival would like to express its gratitude to Lili Hinstin for her intense work in the

Matt Dillon holds hand with Roberta Mastromichele while attending The Great Fellove premiere during the 2020 San Sebastian International Film Festival held at the Victoria Eugenia Theater on Tuesday evening (September 22) in Spain.

Johnny Depp is looking handsome at the 2020 San Sebastian International Film Festival!

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn “Spagat,” his feature film debut, Swiss director Christian Johannes Koch tells the story of a high school teacher whose double life begins to come apart while also examining the difficult life of an immigrant laborer with no papers.Set in rural Switzerland, the film follows Marina, a married mother and teacher who is having an affair with Ukrainian immigrant Artem.