Remembering Tom Luddy: Benevolent Wizard Of The Telluride Film Festival, Collaborator With Agnès Varda And Comrade In Arms

This year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will open with two local films – Soi Cheang’s noir thriller Mad Fate and the world premiere of Ann Hui’s Elegies, a documentary about contemporary local poetry.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Kuwaiti-born writer-director Zeyad (also known as “Z”) Alhusaini, whose action movie with comedic undertones “How I Got There” recently won the audience award at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, has joined United Talent Agency for representation in all areas. The groundbreaking film about two best buddies from childhood, named Salem and Asad, who stumble upon a gun shipment and try to seize this opportunity to get rich quick is set entirely in the Persian Gulf. “How I Got There” provides a relatively realistic glimpse of Kuwait’s present-day melting-pot of cultures, and its underworld of gun-running mercenaries, gangs, and terrorists, plus the local rap scene.

Tom Sizemore, who starred in Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and in hundreds of other film and TV roles over three-plus decades, died Friday at a hospital in Burbank. He was 61 and had been in a coma since suffering a stroke February 18 that resulted in brain aneurysm.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival marks its 40th edition, running March 3-12, with a full-blown return to the in-person festival experience with a sidebar of only 10 titles available online.  “We’re celebrating the human connection and getting back into cinemas again,” says programming head Lauren Cohen who in her first year flying solo at the helm, is putting her personal stamp on the festival with female-centric topics dominating the Master Classes.  “It’s our 40th anniversary, which is such a milestone for us, we want it to be bigger and better than ever,” she continues. 

EXCLUSIVE: The British Film Institute is close to appointing a new Festivals Director, with an announcement expected imminently, Deadline understands.

We Need To Talk About Kevin and Marvel’s Doctor Strange, revealed her favourite films in a poll for Sight And Sound magazine.Since 1952, the magazine has asked filmmakers every decade for their lists of the greatest films of all time. As part of the Winter 2022-23 issue, directors like Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson and Barry Jenkins were invited to contribute their favourites.Swinton, who has directing and producing credits over her career, features a mix of Japanese animation and British classics in her list. You can check out the list below.1. A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)2. Vertigo (1958)3. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)4. To Be Or Not To Be (1942)5. Walkabout (1971)6. Journey To Italy (1954)7. Pickpocket (1959)8. Jeanne Dielman (1975)9. My Neighbour Totoro (1988)10. La Dolce Vita (1960)The actor’s top pick, A Matter Of Life And Death, is directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Killers Of The Flower Moon, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, and Asteroid City are among the high-profile movies in contention for a Cannes splash this year.

Organizers of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival said Wednesday that they are canceling their opening ceremony and “all festive events and concerts” related to the event following a tragic train crash in Greece late Tuesday that killed at least 38 people and injured more than 60.

Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux has barely gotten over his jet lag after a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles this month, but he’s already planning a return visit as he attempts to pull together one of the most formidable lineups in the 76-year history of the event. He’s made it clear to studio executives that he would love to highlight both their blockbusters and their awards contenders, and though formal offers have not been made or accepted, this year’s Cannes has the potential to match or even surpass the 2022 edition — which played host to Tom Cruise and “Top Gun: Maverick” and Austin Butler and Tom Hanks with “Elvis” — in movie star moments. 

EXCLUSIVE: Clock, a timely horror feature from 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals has dropped new images.

Clock, a timely horror feature from 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals will have its World Premiere at the Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana before debuting exclusively on Hulu on April 28. The film will be available on Disney+ internationally at a later date.

The 76th Cannes Film Festival is less than 12 weeks away and while rumors are flying about what films will screen and which films won’t, an important step in the process has officially taken place. The 2023 edition of the festival now has its Jury President.

Carmen,” a musical starring Paul Mescal, will have its West Coast premiere March 25 at the 2023 Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF). Another debut set to take place during the five-day festival is the world premiere of “Jules,” with director Marc Turtletaub and stars Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin planning to make an appearance for the occasion. The screening will kick off the opening night of the festival on March 22. Capping off the event are closing night films “The Eight Mountains,” which received a grand jury prize after its Cannes premiere, and Stephen Williams’ “Chevalier.”

Todd Gilchrist editor On Feb. 24, Ray Liotta is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just shy of a year since his death at the age of 67. The honor comes the same week as the release of “Cocaine Bear,” the sensational based-on-a-true-story film directed by Elizabeth Banks in which he plays a character she describes as “a gangster … but he’s also an unfit grandpa as well.” That characterization also encapsulates the breadth of his accomplishments on both film and TV as an actor, which range from mobsters and tough guys to loving fathers — and plenty in between. Ahead of the ceremony, Banks tells Variety that she cast Liotta after remembering her experiences working with him on the 2011 film “The Details.”

Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is eyeing a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, potentially giving the annual celebration of cinema one of the glitziest red carpet bows of its eight-decade history. The Apple movie, which was pursued by both Venice and Cannes toppers, may ultimately be unveiled in the South of France. Of course, there could still be a last minute change of plans by the time the lineup is unveiled in April, but it’s looking promising enough that Scorsese is even rumored to have reserved a suite at one of the posh hotels along the Croisette. Thierry Fremaux, Cannes’ director, is preparing a massive 2023 edition and traveled to L.A. earlier this month to screen Scorsese’s movie and discuss other potential Hollywood titles. Alberto Barbera, Venice’s artistic director, was in town at the same time taking meetings with studio bosses, which led to an awkward situation even though they didn’t bump into each other, according to an industry insider.

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has announced its return for a sixth edition from October 13 to 20, 2023 after a one-year hiatus.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival will be back this year after being put on hiatus in 2022. Organizers have announced that the prominent Arab fest’s 6th edition will take place in the Red Sea resort town Oct. 13-20, while the fest’s industry arm the CineGouna Platform, will run Oct. 15-19. The fest, which was launched in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris – whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort in a swathe of desert near Hurghada, a tourist town 250 miles south of Cairo – had been cancelled last year after five successful editions. Though no reason was given, the one year break was possibly due to Egypt’s Red Sea area is being impacted by the war between Russia and Ukraine, whose citizens represent about 40% of beach tourists who travel to Egypt annually.

Israeli film producer Yoav Roeh spoke passionately at the Berlin Film Festival on Sunday about the threat to freedom of speech in Israel under a proposed overhaul of the country’s judiciary by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government.

J. Kim Murphy Actor Tom Sizemore has been hospitalized after suffering a bran aneurysm. He is currently in critical condition. Sizemore’s representation confirmed the actor’s health status. His family has been made aware of the circumstances. Things are currently a “wait and see situation,” per Sizemore’s representation. According to reports, Sizemore was discovered at his Los Angeles home around 2 a.m. and was promptly transferred to a local hospital. The 61-year-old Sizemore came into his own as a Hollywood actor in the 1990s, building a career out through a variety of tough guy roles in action and drama films. He is likely best known for his performance as Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath in Steven Spielberg’s 1998 war film “Saving Private Ryan,” which was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced its winning films at a ceremony this morning in Santa Barbara.