Onir, Director of BFI Flare Selection ‘Pine Cone,’ Talks LGBTQ Cinema in India: ‘The Queer Gaze Is Missing’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Monkey Man.The British actor’s new film premiered to a strong reaction at SXSW last month, but he has since spoken about how difficult it was to get the film made.During a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) ahead of the film’s cinema release this week (April 5), the actor said that directing, producing and acting in the film was “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life”, per Variety.He added that “everyday we faced absolute catastrophe” throughout the process.“I begged our financier not to shut us down a few weeks before principal photography,” he said. “We were meant to shoot in India then COVID hit.

Naman Ramachandran One of the highlights at India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival and market was a frank, philosophical on-stage chat between veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and his singer-songwriter-composer daughter Kaveri. Shekhar Kapur is known for his eclectic oeuvre that spans Indian films “Masoom” and “Mr. India,” hard-hitting biopic “Bandit Queen,” the Oscar-winning “Elizabeth,” starring Cate Blanchett, “The Four Feathers,” starring Heath Ledger, and recent romcom “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” When asked to reveal something unknown about himself, Shekhar Kapur spoke about his hidden fears, saying that people who think he is cool don’t “see the panic in my head every morning.” “Fear drives me.

Naman Ramachandran Popular Bollywood actor Boman Irani is making his directorial debut with “The Mehta Boys.” Irani starred in 2002 Locarno title “Let’s Talk” and shot to Bollywood fame with his roles in “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.” (2003) and “Main Hoon Na” (2004). He also had significant roles in “Khosla Ka Ghosla” and “Don” (both 2006) and “3 Idiots” (2009). Irani has more than 100 acting credits with his most recent film release “Dunki” being one of the top 10 Indian hits of 2023.

Busan Hires Deputy Director

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Directors Factory Philippines,” an omnibus film project initiated by the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, has completed production in the historic city of Dapitan. Operating since 2013, when it kicked off in Taiwan, the Directors’ Factory works with a new partner country each year to mentor eight budding filmmakers who are preparing ambitious first or second feature projects that they will make in pairs. The Philippines was selected in November. The four resulting co-written and co-directed short films will be screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine des Cineastes) in May. Dapitan, a city in The Philippines’ Zamboanga Peninsula, known for its many shrines and as the place of exile of Philippines’ national hero, Jose Rizal.

Netflix on Tuesday morning unveiled the cast set for Fear Street: Prom Queen, the latest film in its Fear Street horror franchise, based on the book series from R.L. Stine.

Naman Ramachandran The first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival and market (Chandigarh, March 27-31) will feature a range of masterclasses and panels headlined by a range of luminaries including filmmakers Shekhar Kapur (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”) and Karan Johar (“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”). The lineup also includes actors Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”), Roshan Mathew (“Paradise”), Suvinder Vicky (“Kohrra”), Rajshri Deshpande (“Trial by Fire”), Boman Irani (“Dunki”), Rasika Dugal (“Mirzapur”), Abhay Deol (“Trial by Fire”), actor-producers Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal (“Girls Will be Girls”), filmmakers Tahira Kashyap (“Sharmajee Ki Beti”), Sudhir Mishra (“Tanaav”), Ajitpal Singh (“Tabbar”), Anurag Singh (“Kesri”) and Saugata Mukherjee, head of content at streamer SonyLiv.

As David Newlyn Gale reached his mid-80s, he lived in his own home, but not in the most resplendent conditions. He cohabitated with an untold number of mice in a hoarder’s horror of detritus, a place chocked with tins of food that probably fell off store shelves around World War II.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Paramount Global has sold its 13% ownership stake in TV and streaming company Viacom18 to Reliance Industries for $517 million. Reliance was already the majority owner of Viacom18. The pact comes two weeks after Disney and Reliance Industries announced a blockbuster $8.5 billion deal merging their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses.

Paramount Global has sold its 13% equity interest in Viacom18 Media to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries for the equivalent $517 million.

Naman Ramachandran Revered Indian actor Waheeda Rehman, who was accorded the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honor, last year, has donated her personal memorabilia to the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for preservation. Rehman, the 86-year-old grande dame of Indian cinema, has worked with most of the legendary filmmakers of her country during her career and the roles she chose were in films that are considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema.

If Vladimir Putin was watching the Academy Awards on Sunday night from his dacha on the Black Sea, his mood may have been blackened by the Best Documentary Feature category. As Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast had predicted, the Oscar went to , Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing film about the early days of Russia’s brutal siege of the Ukrainian port city. 

Ethan Shanfeld After the release of her latest film “Origin,” director Ava DuVernay was vocal about her disappointment that the movie failed to garner widespread attention or awards buzz. Now, the X/Twitter account for “Origin” is taking aim at the distributor Neon, calling out the company for not inviting the filmmakers to its Oscar party. Quote-tweeting a photo from the party, the account posted one day after the Academy Awards: “Is it odd that the filmmakers of Neon’s current film in theaters weren’t invited to this Neon celebration? Nope.

Coco Gauff is talking about her mixed doubles dreams partner. Gauff is currently playing at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, a beloved tennis tournament with some of the greats in attendance. She was asked about her dream mixed double partners, sharing some names, including Rafa Nadal.

Selome Hailu At a festival known for raucous audiences, Dev Patel‘s “Monkey Man” made for the rowdiest screening yet. During the SXSW premiere of the actor’s directorial debut, Austin’s Paramount Theater was filled with cries of “We love you, Dev!” and “India!” that can only be described as guttural. The crowd’s love for Patel only grew more fervent as the film went on, revealing not only a new cinematic voice, but a surprisingly political action thriller that saw Patel’s character take on the Hindu caste system with teeth, knives and blood.Dev Patel receives a standing ovation after a #SXSW screening of his feature directorial debut "Monkey Man." pic.twitter.com/OcpjhByVSu “The action genre has been abused by the system,” Patel said while introducing the film.

Dev Patel’s Monkey Man draws from the ancient lore surrounding Hanuman, a revered figure in Hindu tradition symbolizing intellect, might, valor, fidelity and discipline — much like his character in this film who is the underdog savior of the broken and the displaced. Having written, directed and starred in the film, Patel derives a lot of inspiration from familiar action films to create something refreshing and new, while also educating the audience on some of the ongoing disparities taking place in India, particularly between the haves and the have-nots. His kinetic direction and tense fight sequences, mixed with a deep reverence of Indian folklore, helps stake his claim as a future of action cinema. 

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lily Gladstone is in good spirits following the 2024 Oscars, where many awards pundits predicted she would take home the Oscar for best actress thanks to her acclaimed performance as Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone won prizes at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards prior to the Oscars, but Academy voters bestowed the best actress Oscar to Emma Stone from “Poor Things” instead. “Feeling the love big time today, especially from Indian Country.

Renowned for his passion for food and appetite for outrageous eating feats, Man v Food star Adam Richman has embarked on a culinary journey across the British Isles "as a love letter" to British cuisine. Armed with a map of the UK, the Brooklyn-based food expert and chef is attempting to shed light on the "globally misunderstood" and "unfairly maligned" realm of British cuisine for a new Food Network UK show, Adam Richman Eats Britain.

Naman Ramachandran India premieres of France’s “The Taste of Things” and Korea’s “Exhuma” will open and close respectively the first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival. Tran Anh Hung won best director at Cannes 2023 for “The Taste of Things,” which was subsequently submitted as France’s official entry to the Oscars’ international feature category.

Naman Ramachandran Indian sales outfit Indywood Distribution Network has sold Rupesh Paul’s “Kamasutra – The Revenge” wide ahead of Hong Kong’s film rights market FilMart. Starring Sherlyn Chopra, Milind Gunaji and Gajendra Chauhan, and produced by San2Creations, the film follows two princesses – one who is robbed of her dreams when forced to accept a middle-aged king as her husband, and another thirsty for revenge. Indywood has sold the film to Twin (Japan, all rights); A2 Filmes (Latin America TV/VOD); Filmbridge (Mongolia, all rights); Pioneer Film (Philippines, all rights) and RFT Films (U.K./Ireland, theatrical).