Paramount+ To Debut ‘Afghan Dreamers’ May 23, “Harrowing Story” Of All-Girls Robotics Team Menaced By Taliban Rule

A Thousand Girls Like Me looked at a sexually abused woman’s quest for justice, the film aimed to show how the lives of women changed overnight under Taliban rule. “This film has a message from women in Afghanistan, a soft message: please be their voice who are voiceless under Taliban dictatorship,” said Mani at the premiere.

Late last month the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to condemn the Taliban for systematically depriving Afghan women of their rights, demanding the country’s fundamentalist Islamic rulers provide “full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls” in Afghan society.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and her producing partner Justine Ciarrocchi touched down at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday to promote their label’s first ever documentary feature, “Bread and Roses” — a harrowing and emotional look at the lives of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. After two decades of American occupation, the nation fell once again to the insurgent group, which moved quickly to strip women of basic rights — simple freedoms like the ability to work, appear in public without a male chaperone and receive an education. “It all just collapsed and a matter of days,” Lawrence recalled to Variety. “I was watching this from America, where Roe v. Wade was about to be overturned. We felt helpless and frustrated with how to get these stories off of the news cycle and into people’s psyches. To help people be galvanized and care about the plight of these women.”

There’s trouble in the paradise of Savannah, Georgia, where the skeins of Spanish moss-draped over corridors of trees wave in the gentle coastal zephyrs with each night’s picture-perfect sunset. Spouses Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) have opened their palatial home for a backyard BBQ; he’s manning the grill, and she’s darting about trying to make everything just right, each well aware of their role to play.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Former Netflix exec Juan Mayne has hung up his own shingle, Madrid-based N&L Films, built with strong talent relationships, a strategic alliance with Exile Content Studio and a sure sense of market opportunities. Exile Content Studio and N&L Films have struck a first-look development deal. Jeff Glaser, who oversaw Netflix production finance in Mexico City and Madrid, has joined N&L Films.  N&L’s first slate include a Mexican remake of “Miracle in Cell No. 7” and “Aristides: A Righteous Life,” the true-life account of a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands from the Nazis in WWII, from Seanne Winslow.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Irish screen legend and BAFTA-award winner Patrick Bergin (“Sleeping With the Enemy,” “Patriot Games”) and Francis Magee (“Kin”) have joined true-crime thriller, “Kiss of the Con Queen,” being directed by Tom Waller (“The Last Executioner,” “The Cave”). The pair join real-life victim Eoin O’Brien (“The Last Full Measure”) who plays an actor duped by an impersonator into traveling to Indonesia on the promise of auditions for a leading role in a DC origins series. There he discovers that he had been scammed by the infamous Con Queen of Hollywood. Ravi Patel (“Transformers,” “Meet the Patels”) plays the fraudster.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar-winning Irish director Terry George (“In the Name of The Father,” “Hotel Rwanda”) is set for Afghanistan-set actioner “Riverman” which will be shot in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM regional production hub. Inspired by true events that unfolded between 2001-2008 during the war in Afghanistan, “Riverman” revolves around a highly decorated Royal Marine named Max who after a series of devastating events goes to the dark side. He is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world. “Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing,” says the provided synopsis.

Matt Bolton and Colleen Reed are taking the next big step in their marriage and moving in together!

Finally under one roof! Love Is Blind’s Matt Bolton and Colleen Reed are officially moving in together two years after their reality TV wedding.

EXCLUSIVE: LA-based production, finance, and sales company Premiere Entertainment have picked up international rights to the military action thriller Warhorse One, starring actor Johnny Strong (Black Hawk Down).

Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney has teased a possible Sister Michael spin-off – and we’d so be here for it. The actress, 43, played Sister George Michael in three series of the much-loved sitcom. Derry Girls follows teens growing up in Londonderry in the 1990s and was a sleeper hit that built a large and committed following.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Country star Jimmie Allen’s label, BBR Music Group, has suspended him, following a lawsuit from an ex-manager alleging that he sexually assaulted her over a period of a year and a half working with him, and an investigative story in Variety expanding on the woman’s allegations. “In light of today’s allegations against Jimmie Allen, BBR Music Group has decided to suspend all activity with him, effective immediately,” said a statement from the label. Other action has been swift. Allen has been dropped as the commencement speaker for tomorrow’s Delaware State University’s 2023 graduation. A press release from the university said that Allen, a Delaware native, had been replaced as commencement speaker by congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.

EXCLUSIVE: Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired North America rights to the indie drama Mending the Line, starring Golden Globe winner Brian Cox (Succession) and Sinqua Walls (White Men Can’t Jump), slating it for release in theaters nationwide on June 9th. 

Blink and you might miss it. Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny were spotted sharing a sweet moment during a romantic getaway.

Love Island fans were given a treat today (Thursday 11 May) to whet their appetites ahead of the new series of the ITV2 reality show with a fresh glimpse of gorgeous host Maya Jama.The 28 year old presenter and radio star, who hosted the hugely-popular dating series for the first time last summer, will be returning for another round of sun-soaked drama. Almost straight off the back of the winter edition, which was filmed in South Africa, fans will be metaphorically jetting off back to Mallorca, Spain for the series' mainstay next month. ITV are yet to reveal any of the cast of this year's summer offering, but they dropped a mighty tease with a slow-mo clip of the stunning Maya, who recently showed off her incredible abs with a bikini snap on Instagram.

EXCLUSIVE: As all of the Cannes packages start to trickle through ahead of the big event on the Croisette next week, an early frontrunner in the hot package game is Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Negga starrer Night Boat to Tangier. Oscar-winning director James Marsh is directing the project, based on the novel of the same name from Kevin Barry’s New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year.

It was a special night at Manchester's Albert Hall. Marking 10 years since the former Wesleyan church in the city centre was brought back to life as a music venue, a rare performance by Róisín Murphy on Wednesday (May 10) would always be a sell-out.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors has selected 35 winners to award at this year’s Peabody ceremony, including entertainment fare such as “Abbott Elementary,” “Atlanta,” “Better Call Saul,” “Severance” and “We’re Here.” Chosen by unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries, the 83rd annual Peabody Awards landed on ten entertainment shows, eight documentaries, seven news programs, five from interactive and immersive content, three podcast/radio programs, and one each from arts and public service fare. PBS led the winners circle with six, followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ with three each, and HBO Max with two. For “Atlanta” and “Better Call Saul,” both shows recieved Peabody honors in their first season — and will receive another for their final seasons. The winners, announced on Tuesday, came out of previously announced 69 nominees in all categories.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based sales company Charades has finalized a raft of deals with international buyers for its upcoming comedy Northern Comfort, which debuted at SXSW in March.

The winners of the 2023 Peabody Awards have been announced and PBS leads the pack with a total of 6 followed by Apple TV+ and Disney+ with 3 a piece and HBO Max with 2 trophies.