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Something eerie is afoot in the small Irish town of Wexford, where coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) raises five young daughters alongside his wife, Eileen (Eileen Walsh). It’s Christmastime 1985, the busiest time of the year for the Furlong family business, but Bill is not feeling like himself.

Dahomey. The Golden Bear, the first to be awarded to a black filmmaker in the festival’s history, is about the return of 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey from Paris to their country of origin, the present-day Republic of Benin.MUBI has acquired the rights to the film for both the UK and the United States, among other territories.On the night Diop had the following to say when she collected her award:Kenyan-Mexican actor Lupita Nyong’o was president of this year’s jury.Elsewhere, the runner-up prize, the Silver Bear Grand Jury went to Korean filmmaker Hong Sansoo’s Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveler’s Needs), while the Silver Bear Jury Prize was awarded to Bruno Dumont’s L’Empire.Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias scooped the Best Director award for Pepe, while the two main acting awards went to two performances in the English language.

Guy Lodge Film Critic The Berlin Film Festival drew to a close with tonight’s awards ceremony, with French-Senegalese director Mati Diop taking the Golden Bear for her documentary “Dahomey.” Full report to come; full list of winners below.

Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon are stepping out for the premiere of their new movie!

The Berlin Film Festival officially kicked off this evening with an eventful opening ceremony at the Berlinale Palast theater in the German capital. 

The Berlin Film Festival kicks off its 74th edition Thursday with the opening-night world premiere screening of Small Things Like These, the Irish drama starring Oscar-nominated Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy. It kicks of 10 days of movie debuts including for ones starring Rooney Mara, Isabelle Huppert, Gael García Bernal, Kristen Stewart and more.

EXCLUSIVE: Passing the time between Oppenheimer takes in a New Mexico bunker one morning at about 4am, Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon sowed the seeds of a future collaboration. Fast-forward to today, and Small Things Like These is opening the Berlin Film Festival. 

EXCLUSIVE: On Thursday, the Berlin Film Festival will kick off with the world premiere of Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who also produces, and marking the first time an Irish movie opens the Berlinale. In the exclusive first-look at the 1985-set drama (check it out above), Murphy’s family man Bill Furlong comes face-to-face with Emily Watson’s formidable Sister Mary whose convent is concealing dark and disturbing secrets.

Berlin Film Festival is unveiling its full competition lineup. Berlin’s previously announced opener is Ireland-set drama “Small Things Like These” starring “Oppenheimer’s” Cillian Murphy and directed by Tim Mielants (“Peaky Blinders”).

Cillian Murphy will open the Berlin International Film Festival this year.Small Things Like These, directed by Peaky Blinders’ Tim Mielants, is based on the 2021 book by Irish author, Claire Keegan, and the screenplay has been written by Enda Walsh.The Oppenheimer star plays a devoted father and coal merchant named Bill Furlong. Set in 1980s Ireland, he discovers unsettling truths about the Magdalene Laundries, which were dreadful asylums run by the Roman Catholic church, said to house “fallen women”, mainly sex workers.The cast includes Belfast‘s Ciaran Hinds, Emily Watson (Chernobyl), Game Of Thrones’ Michelle Fairley, and Irish actor, Eileen Walsh, who also starred in a 2002 movie about the infamous asylums, titled The Magdalene Sisters.Murphy produced the film with Alan Moloney through their company, Big Things Films, alongside Catherine Magee.

Small Things Like These, an Irish-Belgian production. Directed by Tim Mielants from a screenplay by Enda Walsh, the international cast includes Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson.

Ellise Shafer “Small Things Like These,” a historical drama starring Cillian Murphy, is set to open this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Directed by Tim Mielants from a script by Enda Walsh, the film will have its world premiere in the festival’s competition on Feb. 15.

Suzy Eddie Izzard and Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey) are among the actors who have joined the supporting cast of Midas Man, the feature biopic of Beatles Manager Brian Epstein.

Naman Ramachandran Suzy Eddie Izzard (“Stay Close”) and Ed Speelers (“Outlander”) are the new additions to the cast of “Midas Man,” the delayed film on The Beatles manager Brian Epstein that has now wrapped filming. The film began production with Jonas Akerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) as director, who departed the project for unknown reasons. Sara Sugarman (“Vinyl”) was attached to the project for a year before Joe Stephenson (“Doctor Jekyll”) stepped in. Stephenson has just wrapped the shoot, canning what will be 95% of the completed film, Variety understands. Written by Brigit Grant, the film follows Epstein, manager of The Beatles from 1962 until his untimely death at the age of 32 in 1967. Epstein’s impact extended beyond the Fab Four, encompassing British Invasion acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.

EXCLUSIVE: It’s been a long and winding road but Beatles manager movie Midas Man has finally reached post-production having recently taken on a third director to get it over the line.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International When former HBO executive Kary Antholis convinced veteran British producer Jane Featherstone to board a project about the Chernobyl disaster, the prospect of such an undertaking was far from a “slam dunk.”  “It had to be pushed over the line,” says Featherstone, “and that was with everybody supporting it.” But in the end, the historical drama from “The Last of Us” showrunner Craig Mazin was, as the producer puts it, a “lucky, lucky call” — and one that richly paid off.  The 2019 HBO and Sky miniseries about the 1986 nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine starring Jared Harris and Emily Watson won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, and put Featherstone’s new venture, Sister Pictures, on the map. 

BFI Distribution has picked up Tilda Swinton and Joanna Hogg’s latest collaboration, The Eternal Daughter, for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland.

EXCLUSIVE: Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place Part II and Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is embarking on his next project with the feature adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novel Small Things Like These. Murphy will star in and produce the film that’s been greenlighted by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity which will finance the project. Principal photography is underway in Ireland.

Apple’s comedy series Bad Sisters and Martin McDonagh’s latest feature, The Banshees of Inisherin, lead this year’s Irish Film And TV Academy Award nominations (IFTAs). Scroll down for the complete list.

Ellise Shafer HBO Max’s “Dune” prequel spinoff “The Sisterhood” is going through some changes. Both director Johan Renck and star Shirley Henderson have exited the HBO Max series, Variety has confirmed. The news comes as the production takes a “pre-scheduled hiatus,” according to the streamer. “There are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material,” a HBO Max representative said in a statement. “Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen.”

BFI Distribution has picked up the well-received Irish drama God’s Creatures for theatrical release in the UK. The deal also includes a partnership with independent Irish distributor Volta Pictures, who have acquired the film for Ireland.

Three female guards from the same prison have been sentenced behind bars for having illegal affairs with convicts. In less than four years, the three prison officers who worked at HMP Berwyn near Wrexham were jailed for engaging in sexual and romantic relationships with inmates.

While fans await Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two,” in theaters (tentatively) next November, another “Dune” project looms on the horizon: HBO Max‘s “Dune: The Sisterhood.” And anticipation is already high for the upcoming series, with Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, and Indira Varma leading the show’s cast. Now Deadline reports three more joining the ensemble: Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, and Chris Mason.

Mark Strong (1917, Kingsman films), Jade Anouka (His Dark Materials, Small Axe) and Chris Mason (Broadchurch, Dirty John) have been cast opposite Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson and Travis Fimmel in HBO Max’s series Dune: The Sisterhood (wt), from Legendary Television.

Travis Fimmel has been tapped as the male lead opposite Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson in HBO Max’s series Dune: The Sisterhood (wt), from Legendary Television.

Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (The Colony), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Tourist), Faoileann Cunningham (The Northman), Aoife Hinds (Normal People) and Chloe Lea (Foundation) have joined the cast of HBO Max’s Dune: The Sisterhood (wt), from Legendary Television. They join previously announced leads Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson and Indira Varma.

“There’s a lot of work around, I’ve been busy,” Emily Watson declared, brightly, over tea and crumbly biscuits at The Union, a private club in central London, as she chatted with Deadline about why she loves working in front of the camera.

EXCLUSIVE: Filming will get underway next month in Budapest, Hungary, on anticipated prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood (working title) from HBO Max and Legendary Television.

Selome Hailu Indira Varma has been cast as Empress Natalya in “Dune: The Sisterhood” (working title), HBO Max’s upcoming “Dune” prequel series co-produced with Legendary Television. Empress Natalya is described as a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino. Varma is best known for playing Ellaria Sand in four seasons of “Game of Thrones” and recently starred as Tala Durith in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Other prominent credits include “Luther” on BBC and “Paranoid” on ITV and Netflix. Up next, Varma will appear in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Extrapolations” on Apple TV+. She is reppedmby Gersh, Principal Entertainment LA and James Adams.

“Dune: Part Two” doesn’t hit theaters until November 3, 2023, but thanks to the box-office success of “Dune” last year, Legendary Pictures knows they have a hit on their hands. And that makes them confident enough to move ahead with their “Dune” series on the small screen with HBO Max.

EXCLUSIVE: Game Of Thrones, Obi-Wan and Carnival Row actress Indira Varma is the third actor to join anticipated prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood (working title) from HBO Max and Legendary Television.

HBO Max‘s upcoming Dune prequel series has found its’ lead stars!

Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson will lead the “Dune” prequel series at HBO Max. Watson and Henderson have been cast as Valya Harkonnen and Tula Harkonnen, described by the streamer as “the formidable Harkonnen Sisters, who have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become the Bene Gesserit.”The prequel series, titled “Dune: The Sisterhood,” is set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides and follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.The series is adapted from the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J.

While Denis Villeneuve is off in the desert working on “Dune: Part Two,” it appears that HBO Max is moving full steam ahead with its first spinoff series, “Dune: The Sisterhood.” After months of development, we now know the two of the actors who will be leading the cast. READ MORE: ‘Dune: Part Two’: Léa Seydoux Joins The Cast Of Denis Villeneuve’s Sci-Fi Sequel According to Variety, Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson have been cast in lead roles for the upcoming series, “Dune: The Sisterhood.” Based on the novel “Sisterhood of Dune,” Watson will play Valya Harkonnen, and Henderson will play Tula Harkonnen in a story about two sisters who join forces and begin the work to create the Bene Gesserit.

Dune prequel series is on the way, with Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson cast in the lead roles.Dune: The Sisterhood will take place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s recent film) rose to the throne, and will focus on the Harkonnen Sisters.The story is based on the 2012 sci-fi novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, taking place in the same Dune universe created by Herbert’s father, Frank Herbert.Watson and Henderson will play Valyva and Tula Harkonnen, Deadline reports, who are the sisters who rise to power within the Sisterhood that goes on to become the Bene Gesserit.In Villeneuve’s film, Charlotte Rampling plays Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother who tests Paul before he leaves for Atreides.The Sisterhood was created, written and executive produced by Diana Ademu-John, who will also serve as a co-runner of the show alongside Alison Schapker.Villeneuve is an executive producer on the series as well, alongside Jon Spaihts, Scott Z.