Sandbox Films to Theatrically Release Penny Lane’s ‘Confessions of a Good Samaritan’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Anna Marie de la Fuente Cinekid Festival, touted as the world’s largest festival for children’s film and media, opens October 20 at Pathé Amsterdam Noord with Beta Film’s “Benjamin Bat,” an animated musical adventure pic about a bat with nyctophobia. “Benjamin Bat” follows a timid bat whose fear of the dark (aka nyctophobia), makes him an oddity among his peers. They find his sensitivity and love for singing, an activity reserved for their bird enemies, baffling.

Alissa Simon Film Critic Despite being a tad too long and a trifle repetitive, the documentary essay “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” from American helmer Penny Lane is a thought-provoking personal investigation into a subject rarely examined: the nature of altruism. Created in the context of Lane’s decision to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger, it explores the science, history and ethics of organ donation, as well as the motivations behind her selfless action. The low-budget production benefits from an articulate and charismatic lineup of expert interviewees, fascinating archival footage and some welcome humor.

Oz Perkin‘s “Longlegs” hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but NEON already wants to promote their next movie together. And that’s a sign that the distribution company expects big things from Perkin’s upcoming serial killer thriller.

Good news for Francis Ford Coppola earlier this week, as Lionsgate stepped up to snag distribution rights for his self-financed “Megalopolis.” But THR reports there’s a catch to the Lionsgate deal for FFC: the 85-year-old will need to spend up to $20 million in marketing for the film’s theatrical release. That’s on top of the $120 million Coppola already spent to finance his passion project in the first place.

If you had to name the greatest documentaries of all time, well, that’s tough, but if you had to name the greatest portrait documentaries of all time, well, at the very least, “Burden of Dreams” would easily be in the top ten and likely on the all-time list too. Directed by the late legendary documentarian Les Blank, the award-winning “Burden Of Dreams” (1982) centers on German filmmaker Werner Herzog, actor Klaus Kinski, and the nearly disastrous making of their third collaboration, “Fitzcarraldo” (1982).

Brad Pitt has been working on a Formula 1 movie for years now and we finally know when it will be released!

An Apple Original Films title is heading to the big screen for the sixth time with the June 27, 2025 release of Joseph Kosinski‘s Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt. Warner Bros. has won the rights to handle both domestic and overseas. This follows Paramount releasing Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon ($157M WW), Universal with Argylle ($96.2M WW), and Sony with Napoleon ($221.3M WW), Fly Me to the Moon (July 12), and Wolfs (Sept. 20).

Jordan Peele has a new feature coming.

The fourth movie directed by Get Out Oscar winner Jordan Peele hits theaters on Oct. 23, 2026 via Universal.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Deadpool & Wolverine” will enjoy a release in mainland Chinese cinemas on July 26, simultaneous with its North American outing. And, despite hailing from what is arguably Marvel’s most adult franchise, the film will incur only “minimal cuts” for its China release. All foreign films entering China require permission to be imported, to clear censorship and must be allocated a release date by local authorities.

EXCLUSIVE: The award-winning documentary Union, about the first successful unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse, has been making the rounds of film festivals – it just held its U.K. premiere at Sheffield DocFest, and on Saturday it plays at DC/DOX in the nation’s capital. In a matter of months, the film will reach its widest audience yet, through a self-distribution plan announced today.

Jamie Lang The seventh edition of Animation is Film (AIF), a Los Angeles-based sister event to France’s prestigious Annecy Animation Festival, will run October 18-20 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood this fall. Launched in 2017, “The Festival embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form on par with live action and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression that the medium is capable of,” reads the AIF mission statement.

Before taking the world by storm as the star of Broadway’s Newsies, Jeremy Jordan starred in the original Broadway production of the musical Bonnie & Clyde.

Tributes have been paid to the Indian media baron Ramoji Rao, who has died at the age of 87.

Jamie Lang Paris-based Loco Films has secured global sales rights to “Rock Bottom,” an animated feature exploring the life and music of British artist Robert Wyatt that will world premiere in the main competition at next week’s Annecy Festival. “Rock Bottom” is a trippy portrayal of the romance between Bob, a famous rock musician, and Alif, a talented visual artist, delivered through lush and vibrant rotoscoped 2D animation.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Thailand has some of the most comfortable cinemas in the world, but a film release slate that rarely strays far from the mainstream – mostly Hollywood tentpoles and Thai commercial titles – leaving art-house and documentaries short shrift. So, the Thursday arrival in Thai cinemas of a documentary feature is a welcome exception to the rule.

"The Fault in Our Stars" is 10. The emotional film was released to audiences on June 6, 2014.The story told in the movie is based off the book of the same name by author John Green. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are at the center of the film, playing Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, two cancer patients who fall in love.

Jack Dunn Vertical and Bren Foster will launch their new martial arts thriller “Life After Fighting” on June 7 in select theaters and on demand. This marks Foster’s feature debut as writer-director and is his first collaboration with producer Navid Bahadori under their newly formed production and distribution company, Spinning Plates.

EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to the award-winning documentary Join or Die, a film about community in America, the loneliness epidemic and Robert Putnam’s famed “Bowling Alone” research on civic decline and renewal. Directed by sister-brother team Rebecca Davis (Netflix’s Explained) and Pete Davis (author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing).

EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to the Michael Douglas-narrated documentary America’s Burning, directed by bestselling writer David Smick and produced by Ian Michaels.