Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kim Fields & More To Direct Shorts Produced by Tressa Azarel Smallwood For BET Her Initiative

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced its opening-night film.

Spike Lee was expected to be a big player in this year’s Cannes Film Festival. He was selected to lead the competition jury and it was assumed that he’d premiere “Da 5 Bloods” at the French event.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe Toronto Film Festival is to open with Spike Lee’s filmed version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, American Utopia.TIFF will this year be a mix of physical and online screenings with a much-reduced industry presence due to coronavirus.American Utopia hit Broadway in the fall of 2019 and was a hot-ticket through February of 2020. Lee shot the production during its Hudson Theatre run and the concert film will debut on HBO this fall.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“American Utopia,” a filmed-version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, will be the opening night presentation of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival. This edition of the annual Canadian gathering for film lovers is unlike any of the previous 44 iterations.

Yes, the world seems to be on fire, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting just about every person on the planet. Combine that with the general craziness of world leaders (including Donald Trump) and the US experiencing protests tied to police brutality, and it would seem as if the world has a lot of pressing issues that dwarf the importance of cinemas and the theatrical experience.

Sarah Paulson kept quiet when asked about recent claims that Lea Michele has made a challenging working environment for her costars in the past.The American Horror Story actress, 45, made a virtual appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Thursday, July 9, and expertly sidestepped a fan’s question about Michele, 33, another one of director “Ryan Murphy’s muses.”“I’m having a weird connection, I can’t really hear you,” Paulson teased with a coy smile, adding that she was using her

Glee premiered after American Idol on May 19, 2009, and was an instant favorite. Stars like Matthew Morrison, 41, Lea Michele, 33, Amber Riley, 34, Dianna Agron, 34, Chris Colfer, 29, became bonafide celebrities after the first episode aired. The show ran from 2009 until 2015, with the cast moving on after the show to pursue other creative endeavors. We decided to reflect on where the cast has gone since the show ended five years ago.

Also Read: Lee Daniels to Direct Superhero Comic 'Stealth' From 'Walking Dead' Creators at UniversalDay stars alongside Natasha Lyonne, Garrett Hedlund, Trevante Rhodes and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the film that’s written by Pulitzer prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks (“Native Son”) based on the 2015 book “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs” written by Johann Hari.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterParamount Pictures has scooped up the first feature film from director Lee Daniels in nearly a decade, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”Sold by Endeavor Content in an eight-figure deal out of Cannes’ big-spending virtual market, the project follows the dramatic true story of the Federal Department of Narcotics targeting the jazz legend with a sting operation.

J. Kim Murphy editorWhen it premiered on Apple TV Plus in January, “Little America” brought a variety of stories to the streamer, with each episode dramatizing a different experience of immigrants in the United States.In a conversation moderated by Variety senior TV reporter Elaine Low at Variety’s virtual TV summit, executive producers Kumail Nanjiani, Alan Yang, Lee Eisenberg, Emily V.

Ellise Shafer editorSpike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” will be free to stream online until June 29.The 1989 film is also the American Film Institute‘s pick this week for its Movie Club. It will be accompanied by a live conversation with Lee on AFI’s YouTube channel on Thursday at 8 p.m.

In announcing its latest Movie Club selection, the American Film Institute packed in a bit more news. The organization is partnering with Universal Pictures to offer free rentals of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and will feature the filmmaker in conversation on Thursday.

Dave McNary Film ReporterSierra/Affinity is handling international sales of Lee Daniels’ “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday,” starring Andra Day as the iconic jazz singer, at the upcoming Cannes Virtual Market.The biopic focuses on Holiday being targeted by federal agents with an undercover sting operation aimed at prohibiting her from singing her controversial 1939 song, “Strange Fruit,” which protested the lynchings of Black Americans.