‘Power Of The Dog’ Producer Tanya Seghatchian To Lead London Film Festival Jury; Luc Besson & James Gray Booked For Rome’s Talks Program; Banijay Completes Sony Germany Deal; Bert Habets Named

Filmmaker James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” opens in limited theaters on October 28. The drama, a 1980s period piece, sees Gray return to his roots in New York.

Lise Pedersen U.S. film writer and director James Gray (“Little Odessa”, “Two Lovers”, “The Immigrant”, “Armageddon Time”) drew several laugh-out-loud moments from a packed theatre during a masterclass at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon.   In a disarmingly honest conversation laced with humorous self-deprecation, the Venice Silver Lion Winner (“Little Odessa”, 1994) opened up about his love of cinema and the ups and downs of his career.  Speaking about the highly autobiographical nature of his new film, “Armageddon Time”, a deeply personal look at his Queens childhood in 1980s America, Gray explained that it was a natural evolution after his two previous films, “The Lost City of Z”, which is partly set in the Amazon and left him physically exhausted, and “Ad Astra.”  

It’s been quite the year for films that look for inspiration in the autobiographical. James Gray returned to his childhood in Queens for “Armageddon Time,” Steven Spielberg reflected on the origins of his love for cinema in “The Fabelmans,” and Alejandro González Iñárritu investigated the pained ripples of diaspora and guilt in “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” In 2022, one more semi-autobiographical film will grace the screens, Gary Oldman’s BAFTA-winning directorial debut “Nil By Mouth.” Back to British cinemas for the first time since its original release in 1997, the film has been recently remastered in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer clinched the best film award in the main Official Competition of the 66th London Film Festival with her latest feature Corsage, starring Vicky Krieps.

Emily Blunt is looking lovely for her latest red carpet appearance!

Emma Corrin showcased her edgy sense of style as she stepped out to the My Policeman premiere during 66th BFI London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday. The actress, 26, wore a multicoloured one-shoulder mini dress with an abstract spray paint design. Screen star Emma's ensemble finished high above her knee, with the garment tied on her shoulder with a crimped length of material fanning out to the side.

Janelle Monáe was fashionably late as she strolled onstage at the BFI Southbank, where she headlined the London Film Festival’s final major keynote ‘screen talk’ Friday afternoon. 

Olivia Colman is gracing the red carpet at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival!

Brendan Fraser was the recipient of a very rare event at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival.

An elaborately beaded red shimmy dress becomes a talisman of beauty, truth and freedom in Dionne Edwards’ debut feature, BFI London Film Festival premiere Pretty Red Dress, a vivid portrait of a family with at least one too many secrets lurking in the closet along with that alluring frock.

Naman Ramachandran Oscar and Venice-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour,” “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”) and fellow filmmakers Georgia Oakley (“Blue Jean”), Roberto Minervini (“What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?”) and Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) were among those who protested against the imprisonment of Iranian filmmakers and other incarcerated artists around the world, and to demonstrate support for the tenacious women of Iran who are challenging for their freedom at the BFI London Film Festival on Monday. They joined festival director Tricia Tuttle, producer Madeleine Molyneaux (“Gospel Hill”); actors Aurélia Petit (“Saint Omer”) and Taki Mumladze (“A Room of My Own”); actor and writer Mariam Khundadze (“To Batumi and every single memory”); writer Morgan M. Page (“Framing Agnes”); industry leaders Tabitha Jackson, Clare Binns and Jason Wood; and other festival delegates in a moment of solidarity and reflection.

Vanessa Kirby shows off the details on the back of her black velvet mini dress at the premiere of her movie, The Son, in London, England on Monday (October 10).

On Saturday during the BFI London Film Festival, Deadline hosted an industry party at The Twenty Two.

Italian producer Lorenzo Mieli gave a spirited and often humorous rundown of his career as a producer working with directors such as Luca Guadagnino and Paolo Sorrentino during a keynote talk at the London Film Festival Monday.

The strengths and possibilities of cinematic language were heavy on Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s mind as he sat down for a keynote ‘screen talk’ at the London Film Festival on Sunday afternoon.

K.J. Yossman “White Noise” director Noah Baumbach spoke about his career highlights – and low points – as well as his creative partnership with Greta Gerwig during the BFI London Film Festival on Friday afternoon (Oct. 7). Asked about the eight-year gap between making “Mr. Jealousy” and “The Squid and the Whale,” Baumbach quipped: “I thought, you know what? I really needed about eight years off.” “No, it wasn’t by design, it was by accident,” he quickly clarified. “I sort of had two careers in a way. I had this early career very quickly and I was really figuring it all out as I was doing it. I had never really been on a movie set before I made ‘Kicking and Screaming.’ But I had this sense of how a movie should be and what I wanted a movie to be. And then after ‘Mr. Jealousy’ [the way] I experienced it at the time is that I was having trouble getting things made. I think, also, I didn’t really know what I wanted to make. And I think maybe, in some ways, my ambitions sort of exceeded my ability.”

Hans Zimmer is set to be explored in BBC documentary Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel.The hour-long film will chart the composer’s 40-year career from post-war Germany to Hollywood royalty. Over his career, he’s composed scores for blockbuster films like The Lion King, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Dune and many others.Along with his work in Hollywood, the documentary will cover his work on BBC projects like Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and Frozen Planet II.Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel also features interviews with directors Ron Howard, Denis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Barry Levinson, James L Brooks, Gore Verbinski, Steve McQueen, Stephen Frears and Tim Bevan.Speaking about the documentary, Zimmer said: “I’m honoured to be sharing this insight into my career and life with the BBC audience.

There are stories so good they can withstand any amount of retelling. Matilda began life as Roald Dahl’s rollicking tale of an outrageously spirited, clever little girl who defeats the bullying headmistress whose vocation is to make children miserable. The Royal Shakespeare Company turned it into a Christmas musical that burst the banks of the festive season, running for years and winning seven Olivier Awards in 2012 in London, then five Tonys the following year in New York. Now, director Matthew Warchus, along with writer Dennis Kelly and songwriter Tim Minchin, has directed the London Film Festival opener Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical for the screen. And once again, it is an absolute blast.

Emma Thompson, Stephen Graham, and Lashana Lynch passed through the London Film Festival on Wednesday, where they discussed their new film Matilda The Musical, directed by Matthew Warchus.