Nata­lie Port­man to Be Honored at Deauville Amer­i­can Film Fes­ti­val

Scheana Shay hinted that the season 11 Vanderpump Rules cast trip one to remember — but not for the best reasons.

The Venice Film Festival revealed the lineup for its 80th edition Tuesday morning, and its Official Competition featured works by five women filmmakers, including Ava DuVernay, who makes history as the first African American woman in selection.

EXCLUSIVE: For those awards strategists wondering whether stars from indie U.S. films can promote at the fall film festival troika, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland says “We’re looking at that issue.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 80th Venice Film Festival has revealed its selection of projects for Venice Immersive, the XR-Extended Reality section of the festival, which runs Aug. 30 – Sept. 9. The program will include VR experience “Wallace & Gromit in the Grand Getaway” and a Fatboy Slim project. Venice Immersive is devoted to immersive media and includes all XR means of creative expression: 360° videos and XR works of any length, including installations and virtual worlds. The program, which will take place on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio, will present 44 projects from 25 countries, and 24 works in the Worlds Gallery section. It will comprise:

Moviegoers already knew that Todd Haynes‘ “May December” would open the 61st annual New York Film Festival this Fall. But now another North American premiere will happen in NYC.  Sofia Coppola‘s “Priscilla” will be the festival’s Centerpiece on October 6 before it hits theaters later that month courtesy of A24.

The Sarajevo Film Festival has unveiled its official selection for this year’s edition, with Elene Naveriani’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry among the titles playing in Competition.

Film at Lincoln Center has teed up Sofia Coppola’s Priscillaas the Centerpiece selection for the 61st New York Film Festival.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has been tapped as the Centerpiece selection for the 61st New York Film Festival. The biographical drama about the wife of Elvis Presley will make its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Oct. 6. “Priscilla” centers on the life of Priscilla Ann Wagner (“Mare of Easttown” actor Cailee Spaeny) and her life and love affair with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll (“Euphoria” breakout Jacob Elordi). It’s based on the 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon and follows her early years as a teenage army brat stationed in West Germany to her arrival at Graceland, which became her home and prison.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Forty-nine films will compete for the Heart of Sarajevo awards at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Aug. 11 to 18. The Feature Film Competition will present 11 titles, with two world premieres, one international and five regional premieres. World premieres include “Europa” from Austrian-Iranian filmmaker Sudabeh Mortezai, whose credits include 2018 Venice Days entry “Joy,” the Best Film winner at London Film Festival, and “Macondo,” which competed for the Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival in 2014. The other world premiere is “Medium,” from Greek director Christina Ioakeimidi, whose debut feature was “Harisma” in 2010.

Filmmaker James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” is in theaters now, and while it seemed to underwhelm at the global box office in its opening weekend, the film has grossed $305 million worldwide so far, so maybe there’s hope it can have some minor legs. If anything, it maybe shows how making a blockbuster with an 80-year-old star can only take you so far with audiences.

Atom Egoyan will be returning to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to premiere his latest movie, “Seven Veils”.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Seven Veils,” a drama starring Amanda Seyfried, will have its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Atom Egoyan directed the movie, which also stars Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Mark O’Brien and Vinessa Antoine. TIFF runs from Sept. 7-17, and the full lineup for the 48th edition will be released in August. “We are honoured to premiere Atom Egoyan’s extraordinary film at this year’s festival,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “Egoyan’s cinematic works are unmatched, and we’re excited to bring ‘Seven Veils’ to our TIFF audiences and to the city of Toronto, his home.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Seven films have been selected for the 11th edition of Final Cut in Venice, the works-in-progress section of the 80th Venice Film Festival. Final Cut in Venice, which runs Sept. 3-5, provides support for the completion of films from Africa and five Middle Eastern countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. It is one of the programs run by the festival’s industry section, Venice Production Bridge. Over three days, the working copies of the selected films will be presented to producers, buyers, distributors, post-production companies and film festival programmers. The first two days are devoted to screenings, and then one-to-one meetings between the producers of the projects and the professionals attending the Venice Production Bridge will take place on the third day. The program will conclude with the awarding of prizes in kind or in cash, the purpose of which is to provide support for the films’ post-production.

Helen Mirren dedicated a Jerusalem Film Festival life-time achievement award to actors around the world on Thursday, just an hour before a looming SAG-AFTRA strike was made official.

The Berlin Film Festival has said it plans to reduce the size of its 2024 program and cull two competition strands as part of a widescale restructure to tackle a serious budgetary hole.

Venice may have Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” with Zendaya and Josh O’Connor to open the annual soiree on the Liido, but the New York Film Festival is going to kick off with some Cannes gold. Today, the Film Society of Lincoln Center revealed that Todd Haynes’ “May December,” which premiered on la Croisette, will open the 61st edition of the New York Film Festival.

Crystal Globe CompetitionJury members:Dora Bouchoucha, TunisiaPatricia Clarkson, USAJohn Nein, USAOlmo Omerzu, Czech Republic / SloveniaBarry Ward, IrelandGRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winningfilm.“Blaga’s Lessons” (“Urotcite na Blaga”)Directed by: Stephan KomandarevBulgaria, Germany, 2023SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winningfilm.“Empty Nets” (“Toorhaye khali”)Directed by: Behrooz KaramizadeGermany, Iran, 2023BEST DIRECTOR AWARDBabak Jalali for the film “Fremont”USA, 2023BEST ACTRESS AWARDEli Skorcheva for her role in the film “Blaga’s Lessons” (“Urotcite na Blaga”)Bulgaria, Germany, 2023BEST ACTOR AWARDHerbert Nordrum for his role in the film “The Hypnosis” (“Hypnosen”)Sweden, Norway, France, 2023SPECIAL JURY MENTION“Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano”Directed by: Cyril ArisGermany, Lebanon, 2023PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD“The Edge of the Blade” (“Une affaire d’honneur”Directed by: Vincent PerezFrance, 2023Proxima CompetitionJury Members:Dana Linssen, NetherlandsMarija Razgutė, LithuaniaŠimon Šafránek, Czech RepublicBarbara Wurm, AustriaMeng Xie, People’s Republic of ChinaPROXIMA GRAND PRIX (15 000 USD)The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winningfilm.“Birth”Directed by: Yoo Ji-youngSouth Korea, 2022PROXIMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (10 000 USD)The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winningfilm.“Guras”Directed by: Saurav RaiIndia, Nepal, 2023SPECIAL JURY MENTION“Brutal Heat” (“Brutální vedro”Directed by: Albert HospodářskýCzech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2023CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING

Natalie Portman To Be Feted At Deauville

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Sales agency The Playmaker has signed with Lieblingsfilm to handle international sales for their Zlin Film Festival winner “What the Finn?!” (“Kannawoniwasein”). “What the Finn?!” is based on the children’s book by Martin Muser, which was adapted for the screen by Klaus Döring, Adrian Bickenbach and Stefan Westerwelle, who is also the director of the film. The film had its world premiere at Zlin, where it won the main prize, the Golden Slipper Award for Best Feature Film for Children. The Playmaker will present “What the Finn?!” at the upcoming German Films Previews in Potsdam (July 5 – 8), where it will screen for international buyers.

Natalie Portman hugs it out with Lea Seydoux while arriving on the front row for the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show during Paris Fashion Week on Monday (July 3) in Paris, France.