PVR Inox Managing Director Ajay Bijli To Deliver Keynote Address At CinemaCon

earlier this year after intense bidding war.The project is from writer/director Zach Cregger, who will also produce alongside his “Barbarian” producing team: Roy Lee of Vertigo and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Solo,” a stylish queer romance drama directed by Canadian helmer Sophie Dupuis (“Underground,” “Family First”) has been boarded by SND, the film arm of France’s second biggest commercial network M6. “Solo” is headlined by two up-and-coming talent, Theodore Pellerin (“Killer Game,” “Kaiser Karl”) and Felix Maritaud (“BPM (Beats per Minute)”). SND will launch sales on the project at Cannes Film Market. The edgy film follows Simon, a rising star of Montreal drag queen scene who is simultaneously facing the disappointment of two impossible loves — one of a passionate but destructive crush with Oliver, and the other of a cold and distant relationship with his mother Claire, who has returned home after a 15-year absence.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “My Life As a Zucchini” director Claude Barras has set up his latest stop-motion animated feature, “Savages!” Production company Gebeka International — a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company formed in 2021 — and production, financing and sales studio Anton are behind the project, which will be written by Barras and Catherine Paille (“Magnetic Beasts”). The project will be shopped to buyers in Cannes next week. “Savages!” follows the emotional journey of a girl, her father and a rescued baby orangutan. The film has a strong environmental and conservationist message, exploring the crisis of the destruction of rainforests.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent U.S. director and artist Harmony Korine, whose films include “Gummo,” “Spring Breakers” and “Beach Bum” – which stars Matthew McConaughey as a stoner poet named Moondog – is being honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Pardo d’onore Manor lifetime achievement award. Born in Bolinas, California, in 1974, Harmony Korine broke out in the filmmaking world in 1995 when he wrote the screenplay for Larry Clark’s controversial “Kids.” In 1997 he made his directorial debut with “Gummo,” a realistic look at youth alienation in America, for which he won awards at the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week and at the Rotterdam fest. 

U.S. director Harmony Korine will be heading to Switzerland this summer to receive an honorary award at the 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, running from August 2 to 12.

If you want to watch one of the most unique and stylish directorial debuts of the past five years, definitely check out Andrew Patterson’s “The Vast of Night.” That film is one of the best-underseen films of 2020, and announced Patterson as a filmmaker to keep an eye on. Now, it appears he’s about to level up in a big way with his next film, “The Rivals of Amziah King.” READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See According to Black Bear International, handling sales for the film, Andrew Patterson’s next film is set to be “The Rivals of Amziah King,” which will feature Matthew McConaughey as the lead.

may or may not have “Yellowstone” in his future, but he’s definitely due to team with Andrew Patterson, the director behind the acclaimed 2020 indie “The Vast of Night,” on the new film “The Rivals of Amziah King.”Patterson wrote and will direct the film, which is described as “a deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.” McConaughey will play Amziah King for Patterson, who lives in Oklahoma.Black Bear Pictures will fully finance the film with Heyday Films’ David Heyman, Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michale Heimler, Heyday’s Jeffrey Clifford, Will Greenfield and Patterson producing. Executive producers include Heyday’s Rob Silva and Black Bear’s John Friedberg and Christopher Casanova.Black Bear International will launch international sales in Cannes, with WME Independent representing the U.S.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani will soon be in Cannes with “Goodbye Julia,” a drama that he says reflects the “systematic racism” that led to the secession of South Sudan in 2011 and is, albeit indirectly, closely connected with the conflict that erupted in the country in April.  The powerful film, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard, marks the first Sudanese feature to bow from the Croisette. But there is an even greater historic significance to “Goodbye Julia,” in which two women – one from the North, the other from the South – are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities. It’s the hope that “it can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people,” Kordofani says.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Pema Tseden, the Tibetan art house film director known for “Jinpa” and “Balloon,” has died. He was 53. It is understood that he was in Tibet when he died suddenly of an unspecified illness. Some unconfirmed Chinese-language media said that he had a heart attack. The news was reported by the China Academy of Art, where he taught as a professor. “Pema Tseden, a famous Tibetan director, screenwriter and professor at the Film School of the China Academy of Art, died in Tibet in the early hours of May 8 due to an acute illness. Due to the sudden incident, the school will work with Mr Tseden’s family to deal with the follow up matters. The relevant information will be announced in due course,” the Academy said in a statement.

Pema Tseden, a Tibetan filmmaker of Chinese citizenship whose films regularly played at Venice film festival, has died aged 53. His death was reported by Chinese media today. No cause of death was given. 

Addie Morfoot Contributor Oscar nominated director Nicole Newnham (“Crip Camp”) was at Hot Docs with her latest film “The Disappearance of Shere Hite,” a portrait of a feminist pioneer. The helmer was also in Toronto to participate in a Hot Docs Industry storytelling masterclass. During the hour-long talk Newnham revealed how she tackles three of the trickiest aspects of documentary filmmaking. How to make a subject feel comfortable: “Geeky curiosity is my authentic M.O. and that also is disarming to people. It puts them at ease. If you genuinely are fascinated by (a subject) and you aren’t after a soundbite, but just exploring, people realize that about you. I will say that in terms of embarking on complicated, long, multi-year documentaries with people, that’s a little different. In that case, I will usually try to get to know the person pretty well before filming or interviewing starts. I try to look for the Venn diagram overlap between what I’m interested in and what their interest in having the story told is, and I assure them of my partnership with them around that.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from “Qui,” the sixth episode of “Yellowjackets” Season 2, now streaming on Showtime. One of the most compelling mysteries in Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” is finally solved in this week’s episode — what happened to teen Shauna’s (Sophie Nélisse) baby? The episode sees Shauna in labor, with her fellow Yellowjackets surrounding and supporting her as she experiences contractions before finally giving birth. She passes out, before coming to and holding her baby. Things aren’t going smoothly, though, since a starving Shauna isn’t able to produce enough milk. Later, she wakes from her sleep, with her baby not in his bed. She freaks out, and looks for the Yellowjackets — and stumbles into a nightmare of them eating the baby.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Visual effects house DNEG has hired Tom Williams as managing director for episodic content in its VFX division. With over 25 years of experience, Williams comes from MPC where he was serving as president of visual effects. While there, he also held the role of managing director of episodic. Prior to that, he held management roles at Sky and Abbey Road Studios. In his new position at DNEG, Williams will be based out of London and focus on expanding its episodic VFX offering, in addition to the work it delivers for its feature film clients. “This is an exciting time to be joining DNEG, as the company doubles-down on its ambitions in the episodic VFX space to cater to high demand for its industry-leading services,” said Williams. “Over the last few years, DNEG has established itself as a destination for directors and showrunners who want to create truly spectacular visual experiences. As we explore how we can build on the amazing work that the DNEG episodic teams are already doing around the world, I look forward to contributing and sharing my experience and insights, and to leading the team to even greater heights.”

All by herself! Janelle Brown shared she’s looking forward to her independence as she navigates her new normal following her split from Kody Brown.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic With “Peter Pan and Wendy,” Disney sets out to bring the boy who refused to grow up into the 21st century — not literally, like those taxing live-action/cartoon hybrids, where computer-generated Smurfs get loose in Manhattan or Tom and Jerry wreak havoc in a high-end hotel. The studio’s latest remake is still set in Edwardian England, the way both J.M. Barrie’s play and the animated feature it inspired were. But the sensibility is very much of the moment, as director David Lowery (who did an admirable job of updating “Pete’s Dragon” for Disney) refreshes the 1953 classic according to contemporary priorities. In conception and casting both, the new movie presents a diverse and empowered ensemble. The vintage toon’s shameful Native American stereotypes have been corrected. The beloved Tinker Bell character can now serve as a role model for a wider range of children. Sharing hero duties, Wendy gets to announce, “This magic belongs to no boy!” Even Captain Hook, once treated as irredeemable crocodile fodder, is revealed to be a misunderstood figure from Peter’s past who’s fallen out of touch with his happy thoughts.

The latest Hunger Games, set decades before the original, is grittier and “more authentic” in some ways but doesn’t waver from existential questions, as relevant now as they were when the first films came out, said the director and producer of Ballads of Songbirds And Snakes.

Mooky Greidinger, chief executive of Regal parent Cineworld, of the world’s two biggest chains and currently in the process of emerging from bankruptcy, made an appearance on the Cinemacon stage today saluting Regal employees and giving a shout-out to Lionsgate and Hunger Games.

Refresh for updates The studio that owns the highest grossing movie of the year so far, Universal with its billion bound Super Mario Bros Movie, brought the stars and filmmakers to CinemaCon. Could we expect anything less?

The director of “The Flash” is breaking his silence on the film’s controversial star.

Travel blog by Travels of Adam (Hipster Blog) – Travels of Adam (Hipster Blog) - Travel & Lifestyle Hipster Blog Just a little over a year ago, at the beginning of 2022, I decided to make fitness part of my regular routine. I needed a gym that was close to my home in Williamsburg, one that had more than the basic amenities, and had a friendly, semi-social atmosphere. Equinox Williamsburg is it.