Ukraine Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Joe Biden said that he was “both not surprised and outraged” by the reported death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in prison, blaming it on Vladimir Putin.

Berlinale, which looks to be one of the most politically charged editions in recent history. Several filmmakers have already canceled their participation to the festival in protest of Germany’s attitude towards Palestinian voices, while more than 50 Berlinale workers have signed an open letter this week demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and asking that the festival leadership take a “stronger institutional stance” on what the statement calls “the current assault on Palestinian life” and calling on the festival to take a stance that is “consistent with those taken in response to other events that have struck the international community in recent years.” The war in Gaza followed Hamas’ attacks on Israel on Oct.

Christopher Vourlias K5 Intl., the international sales arm of K5 Media Group, has acquired world sales rights excluding North America to “Stay Online,” a tense Ukraine war drama that was entirely shot in the Eastern European country after the Russian invasion, the company announced at the European Film Market. The film, which debuted last year at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival, recently sold to Dark Star Pictures for North American distribution in a deal brokered by XYZ Films. A U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taipei and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group has picked up rights to U.S.-produced classical music documentary title “Crescendo” and will be launching it at the European Film Market, which accompanies the Berlin Film Festival. The picture had its first commercial release in South Korea in December and became the highest grossing foreign documentary in the last three years.

CPH:DOX, the prestigious documentary film festival in Copenhagen, has announced a competition program across six categories that features 47 world premieres.

Megan Fox has responded to accusations of “xenophobia” in a caption to a photo of herself on Instagram.The actor posted a photo to her Instagram which featured herself, Machine Gun Kelly, Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce, seemingly at an after-party following the Super Bowl.In the post’s caption, Fox wrote that she looked “like a Ukrainian blowup doll” and “one of those super expensive real sex dolls you can only get in Japan.”Some Instagram users took to the comments to show their disapproval of the caption. One wrote: “I guess xenophobia towards Eastern Europeans is still a thing in Hollywood”.A post shared by Megan Fox (@meganfox)Many defended Ukrainian women, particularly with regards to the ongoing conflict in the country, with one user writing: “It’s disgraceful to offend any women, but offending Ukrainian women, who now stand as icon of strength and heroism in the brutal war, is absolutely disgusting!!!!”In response to one of the critical comments, Fox wrote: “Dear God.

Megan Fox is setting the record straight about THAT viral pic!

Megan Fox doesn’t have time for the haters.The “Jennifer’s Body” star, 37, slammed critics for claiming she looked unrecognizable and like a “sex doll” at the 2024 Super Bowl over the weekend. Fox shared a snap of herself partying alongside fiancé Machine Gun Kelly and pals Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at the football game Sunday via Instagram.

The build-up to the 74th Berlin Film Festival (Feb 15 – Feb 25) has been highly politicised and the international jury press conference this morning was no different.

Ellise Shafer During a press conference on Thursday, Berlinale jury president Lupita Nyong’o responded to the festival inviting and then disinviting politicians from far-right group AfD to its opening ceremony. “I’m a foreigner here. I don’t know the ins and outs of the political situation here,” Nyong’o said in response to a question asking if she would have attended the ceremony had the politicians still been invited.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Copenhagen documentary film festival CPH:DOX, whose 21st edition runs from March 13-24, has unveiled the films nominated across all six award categories. The selection features 66 films in competition, among which 47 are world premieres, 17 international premieres and two European premieres.

Christopher Vourlias One year after sharing the stage at the European Film Market as joint Countries in Focus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia continue to shine. Despite the downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, the lingering fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the growing economic uncertainty worldwide, production across the region has been at or near record highs in recent years.

Alex Ritman “Superpower,” the Sean Penn fronted and co-directed documentary following the Oscar-winner as he embeds himself with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in the wake of Russia’s invasion, has scored new sales. Ahead of the Berlinale, where “Superpower” first premiered in 2023 while still in production, Fifth Season — which financed the film alongside Vice Studios — has unveiled broadcast deals with streamer Stan and Nine Network (Australia), Movistar Plus (Spain), HBO (CEE and Baltics), PCCW for Now TV (Hong Kong and Macau), DPG Media (Belgium), A+E Networks/History Channel (Germany) and Kyivstar TV (Ukraine).

Christopher Vourlias To get a sense of the state of cinema in the Baltic countries today, you could look instead to Park City, Utah, where two of the region’s filmmakers — Estonia’s Anna Hints and Lithuania’s Marija Kavtaradze — took home directing prizes at last year’s Sundance Film Festival: Hints for her debut documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Kavtaradze for her sophomore feature “Slow.” Those wins felt somehow emblematic for the tiny Baltic nations, which — with a combined population of roughly six million — have nevertheless shown a knack for punching above their weight. Last year, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia shared the stage at the European Film Market as joint Countries in Focus, a spotlight that underscored a period of steady — even surprising — growth.

A group of 400 actors, musicians and entertainment execs including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber and Gene Simmons have penned an open letter supporting the decision for Israel to remain in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Lisa from the K-pop group BLACKPINK will make her acting debut in the upcoming third season of The White Lotus. The casting news was first announced by Variety.

Marta Balaga Beta Film has sold Starlight Media and Gaumont Ukrainian war drama “In Her Car” to NHK Japan, Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovakia. Further negotiations are underway. Created by Eugen Tunick – who directs alongside Arkadii Nepytaliuk – and backed by ZDF, France Télévisions and all Nordic public broadcasters, and “In Her Car” sees therapist Lydia (Anastasia Karpenko) trying to divorce her husband.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The CGI animated sequel to “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness,” the hit adventure film based on the Dark Horse comics which sold around the world, has lured buyers ahead of the European Film Market. Titled “Chickenhare and the Very Very (Very) Old Groundhog,” the movie is budgeted at $23 million (a large budget by European production standards) and brings back the creative team behind the first film.

Millions of tax credit claimants will soon receive the £299 cost of living payment.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Global Screen has closed further deals on major territories for its animated adventure film “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights.” Variety debuts the new teaser (below). Viva Kids has acquired all rights for North America to the latest feature film in the franchise about a flying reindeer, following worldwide hits “Niko & the Way to the Stars” (2008) and “Niko – Little Brother, Big Trouble” (2012), which were sold to more than 120 countries. Further deals were concluded with Flins y Piniculas for Spain, CDC for Latin America, Nos Lusomundo for Portugal, Grand Entertainment for the Middle East and SVOE Kino for Ukraine.

EXCLUSIVE: The Israeli producers and writers guilds have been in talks with Series Mania bosses after the festival’s chief said it was “impossible” for a show from the country to be included in its official selection this year.

J. Kim Murphy Tucker Carlson has shared his longform interview with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, discussing the political leader’s justifications for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The video, running more than two hours, represents the first time that the Russian leader has been interviewed by a Western journalist since the conflict started nearly two years ago.

Tucker Carlson‘s just-released interview with Vladimir Putin shows the former Fox News host has left shameless behind for pure sycophancy.

Noel Gallagher has joked that he wants to create his own political movement called ‘The After Party’ to “deal with these Russians”.The High Flying Birds singer and former Oasis member weighed in his thoughts on the current political climate during a new appearance on the Funny How? podcast, and jokingly explained how he would deal with issues if he were to have his own party.Talking to Matt Morgan in the interview, Gallagher said he would develop his own party called ‘The After Party’, and their motto for change would be that ‘It’s Going To Get Worse Before It Gets Better’.“I’d say, ‘I told you it was going to get worse,’ but then it would be better,” he said (via Far Out), later giving an example of how he would confront Vladimir Putin and try to get Russia to “leave the Ukrainians alone”.“I could deal with these Russians. I’d just sit Putin down, and say, ‘Look, little guy – alright mate? What seems to be the problem?… What would you do if I taught you to play guitar? Leave the Ukrainians alone?’“Then I’d go all gangster and say, ‘Mate, look at you.

Trigger Point viewers were left issuing a complaint over the opening episode of series two - but those who binge-watched the entire series ended up finding themselves sharing the same verdict.

Guy Lodge Film Critic In “Porcelain War,” a resilient Ukrainian couple divide their time between two seemingly antithetical pursuits: When enterprising Slava Leontyev isn’t training fellow civilian soldiers in the ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, he and his partner Anya Stasenko are skilled ceramic artists, casting and painting dainty porcelain figurines inspired by local nature and folklore. If the title already suggests something pointed in that disparity, this emotive debut by Leontyev and American co-director Brendan Bellomo leaves nothing to chance in ensuring we get it: Porcelain, we are told, is “fragile but everlasting, and can be restored after hundreds of years.” Lest the point still be lost on us, the couple’s combined voiceover later offers a blunter paraphrase: “Ukraine is like porcelain — easy to break, but impossible to destroy.” The metaphor is clear enough, then; whether it’s quite complex enough to sustain a feature-length documentary is another question.

A new season of smash hit drama Trigger Point is returning to our screens very soon. Fans have been patiently waiting for two years for the show's next instalment.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has landed the Sundance Film Festival buzz title documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. The film premiered January 18 at The Ray Theatre.

Gen X has gotten. No world wars, thankfully, though we did grow up imagining thermonuclear Armageddon as a genuine possibility, if merely accidental.But the Cold War ended. We were evolving!Some credit Ronald Reagan for ending that chapter.

Nikita Kuzmin quickly distracted fans as he gave his followers an alternative look at the Strictly Come Dancing live tour. While fans across the country will be flocking to their local arenas to see him and his co-stars in action, the dancer gave his online followers a behind-the-scenes look at what's going on.

Serbia has jumped to the defense of its countryman Milos Bikovic after Ukraine attacked HBO‘s decision to cast the Russian sympathizer in The White Lotus.

It might come as a surprise to most that the skirmish between Russia and Ukraine has been active for nearly a decade. However, international headlines would raise awareness to new heights upon Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February of 2022.

Columbia Journalism School has announced the 30 Finalists and winners of the 2024 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, honoring outstanding public service audio and video reporting. 

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor PBS and ABC News were among the top winners at the duPont-Columbia Awards, some of the top honors accorded each year to audio and video reporting done in the public interest. The 15 award winners of 2024 were announced Thursday during a special ceremony. The awards have been administered since 1968 by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Army experts have revealed who is exempt from being compelled to join the forces and what it means if someone refuses to sign up.

“The White Lotus” — saying that he’s “the Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece.”“Milos Bikovic, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3,” read a post on X, formerly Twitter, from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ account.“@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Biković, 36, shared a poll showing that trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin was higher than for Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Deadline.Biković has starred in a handful of Russian films, including “Sunstroke” (2014), directed by Oscar winner Nikita Mikhalkov. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that Biković filmed a movie in Crimea, the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014.Biković was awarded Russian citizenship in 2021, when he told the Serbian media outlet Telegraf that he felt an affinity with the country’s culture, according to Deadline.In its post criticizing HBO, the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs embedded a video accusing Biković of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.