Mia Wasikowska Heading To Sarajevo; ‘Good Will Hunting’ Editor Set For Locarno Honor — Festival Briefs

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent For his third edition at the helm, Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has assembled a wide spectrum of films that “do not resemble each other in terms of tone or form” while reflecting “the world in all its expressions and manifestations,” he tells Variety. This boundless range is best exemplified by the fact that starkly surrealist Filipino arthouse star Lav Díaz’s latest work, “Essential Truths of the Lake,” will be vying for the fest’s Golden Leopard alongside fare that, at least on paper, appears much lighter. This includes U.S. director Bob Byington’s indie comedy “Lousy Carter” and Estonian helmer Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Flight,” which Nazzaro says  “mixes Kung Fu, hard rock and the Orthodox Church.”

The Coronation celebrations continue.

Italy-based sales agent Lights On has acquired world rights for Dreaming & Dying, directed by Singaporean filmmaker Nelson Yeo, ahead of its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival’s Concorso Cineasti del presente.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Riz Ahmed will be honoured by the Locarno Film Festival where the latest short in which the British actor appears – titled “Dammi” and directed by French auteur Yann Mounir Damage – will world premiere. Ahmed, who earned an Oscar nomination for best actor in 2021 for his performance as a drummer who suddenly goes deaf in Amazon’s “Sound of Metal,” will be feted by the Swiss fest dedicated to indie filmmaking cinema with with its 2021 Excellence Award Davide Campari, which pays tribute to film personalities who have left their personal stamp on contemporary cinema. “Dammi,” which was teased at Cannes, is an experimental work, broadly on the theme of immigration and identity, produced by French fashion brand  AMI, founded by Alexandre Mattiussi, and also starring Isabelle Adjani, Souheila Yacoub, Sandor Funtek and Suzy Bemba. The buzzed-about short will screen at Locarno’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, on opening night, Aug. 2, during the ceremony at which Amed will receive the award.

What ever happened to the decommissioned Staten Island ferry that Pete Davidson and Colin Jost purchased back in early 2022?

It was a family affair for the Williams family at the 2023 Nantucket Film Festival!

Simone Biles is heading back into competition for the first time in nearly two years.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The Academy of Country Music has rolled out the biggest news about its 16th annual ACM Honors event, happening Aug. 23 in Nashville — who the specially selected honorees will be, traditionally a curated mix of current superstars, veteran artists and industry execs or broadcast personalities. Chris Stapleton, Kane Brown and Tim McGraw are the reigning artist titans represented in the honorary awards, with Breland and Hardy representing a newer guard. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Clint Black and K.T. Oslin are the longer-standing artists getting their flowers from the ACM. Stapleton qualified for the ACM Triple Crown Award after being named entertainer of the year at the most recent ACM Awards for the first time. The honor goes to anyone who gets that top honor after previously having been named male (or female) vocalist of the year and new male (or female) vocalist of the year at the ACMs. Only eight artists have ever achieved the feat. (Stapleton’s predecessors: Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Barbara Mandrell and Carrie Underwood.)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Two-time Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Vision Award honoring technical achievements and advancements in film. Scalia, who was born in Sicily but grew up in Switzerland and studied film at UCLA, has won Oscars for “JFK” and “Black Hawk Down.” Over the past two decades he’s collaborated closely with top directors such as Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gus Van Sant, Rob Marshall, Sam Raimi and Michael Mann. His recent work includes Mann’s upcoming “Ferrari.” Scalia will receive the Locarno award on Aug. 3 during a ceremony on the Swiss fest’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, followed on Aug. 4 by an onstage conversation and screenings of two standout titles from his career: “Good Will Hunting” (1997) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001).

Angela Bassett is getting her long-awaited Oscar! Bassett was first nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993's and the actress has been a prominent figure in Hollywood for the past 40 years — garnering another Oscar nomination for her role in 2022's . On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Bassett, as well as Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton, will receive an honorary Oscar at this year's Governors Awards. The ceremony will also honor Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The 14th annual Governors Awards is set to take place on Saturday, Nov.

EastEnders icon Cindy Beale made her dramatic return to the show last week in shocking scenes after 25 years away. While she is not back on the square just yet, when she does arrive alongside Ian Beale, there is going to be fireworks.The writers at the soap have huge things planned for Cindy's return, including her reunion with Kathy Beale.

Elton John will be joined by four special guests at his headline slot at Glastonbury.Taking place tomorrow night (June 25), the legendary singer-songwriter is set to perform his last ever UK show at the festival. The set follows his mammoth ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour’, which saw him play over 350 shows over five years.While it comes as no surprise that there will be a few special moments lined up for the upcoming show, over recent months the main speculation has been around who will join the ‘Rocketman’ singer for the final set.

Goloka Bolte to assemble a group of queens that would lay the foundation for a fresh era. Says Bolte, “After 15 seasons and Drag Race’s popularity, word gets out fast that we’re casting.  But we can’t ever let it fall to chance that queens will just apply and always make sure we’re scouting and encouraging queens to try out.” Aside from banking recommendations and scouring the internet, Bolte says part of her casting process involves reaching out to bars and clubs around the country. “And we take in drag shows when we can.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Prince Aden,” a new drama by Italian directing duo Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio, known internationally for their immigration-themed “Seven Acts of Mercy,” is among projects selected by Locarno’s Alliance for Development initiative. The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Roughly a month before Venice Film Festival’s 2023 lineup announcement, the buzz around the competition is heating up with several star-studded films by heavyweight directors in the mix, including Pablo Larrain (“El Conde”), Michael Mann (“Ferrari“), Sofia Coppola (“Priscilla“), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”) and Michel Franco (“Memory”). These titles are believed to have been officially invited to the Lido in competition, according to inside sources. Larraín’s follow-up to “Jackie,” “El Conde” depicts dictator Augusto Pinochet as a Vampire with a cast led by Chilean star Alfredo Castro.

‘Paper Empire’ Sets Entire Third Season Shoot At Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUlaCryptocurrency drama Paper Empire will film the entirety of its 10-episode third season at Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning shooting hub and location Film AlUla. Created and directed by Robert Gillings, the high-profile cast will feature Robert Davi, Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammar, Carole Alt, Helena Mattsson, Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer, Richard Grieco, Robert Knepper, Steve Guttenberg among a host of returning and guest stars. The action-drama series is produced by Robert Gillings Productions, Tadross Media Group and Inner Circle Films. “We are delighted the Paper Empire team will be basing their new season in AlUla, we’ve worked with the creative team to provide locations which underscore the glamour, opulence and world-class production value of the series,” said Film AlUla Director Charlene Deleon-Jones.

Coronation Street star Samia Longchambon was flooded with compliments as she was seen sporting a cool new piece of clothing she picked up on the high street. The actress impressed her co-stars and her fans as she shared a posed snap of herself to social media during the recent heatwave.

Variety, the actor attended proceedings with his girlfriend Meagan Good to hear the charges against him. A judge set his trial date to begin on August 3.Majors was arrested on March 25 on multiple charges of assault and aggravated harassment following a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old woman.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, the arthouse darling known for works including Venice Golden Lion winner “Vive L’Amour” and “The River,” which scored the Berlin Silver Bear, will be celebrated by the Locarno Film Festival with its Honorary Leopard achievement award.  The iconoclastic auteur, who is a key figure in Taiwan’s so-called Second New Wave, will receive the prize from the Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema during an Aug. 6 ceremony held on its 8,000-seat outdoor Piazza Grande venue. The tribute to Tsai Ming-liang will also involve an onstage conversation with the director on the future of cinema and a screening of the helmer’s 2020 film “Days” (Rizi), as well as an art gallery exhibition of his experimental works.

Vanessa Williams has plenty of advice she’d give her younger self, knowing how far she’s come since being crowned Miss America back in 1984.