Spike Lee & Pedro Almodóvar Set As TIFF Tribute Awards Honorees

Brent Lang Executive Editor Rachel Allen has joined Bleecker Street as senior vice president of publicity. She begins her job at the indie studio this week after more than a decade in the public relations industry, including a five year stint at Cinetic Media, where she served as a director of publicity and led campaigns from festival launch to theatrical release and through awards season.

Sylvester Stallone will discuss his 53-year career both behind and in front of the camera at the Toronto International Film Festival in September as part of its In Conversation With… (ICW) series.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee & her Andi Mack mom Lilan Bowden are still super close! – Just Jared Jr Barbie continues to make history – Celebitchy Hailey Bieber shares how to make husband Justin Bieber‘s favorite protein smoothie – Popsugar Sabrina Carpenter is getting into K-pop – Just Jared Jr

Re-releases reliably dot the theatrical calendar and this week have a standout. Oldboy, the 2004 Cannes prize-winner, re-released by Neon on its 20th anniversary restored and remastered, grossed $235k on Wednesday and $150k Thursday — for a total cume $385k on 250 screens heading into the weekend.

Yeo Siew Hua, the Singaporean director whose “A Land Imagined” won the Locarno Film Festival’s top prize in 2018, has cast acclaimed Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-Sheng (“What Time Is It There?”, “Days”) and Wu Chien-Ho (“A Sun”) in his new “Stranger Eyes.” The film, a thriller with domestic surveillance at its core, is currently shooting. It is set to wrap post-production by early 2024 and start a festival run thereafter. International sales are handled by France’s Playtime.

Talking Heads bandmates David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison will make a public appearance together next month in Toronto for the first time since their 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

TIFF must be the place.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Talking Heads were one of the most important and influential acts to emerge from the 1970s, yet the bandmembers’ relations since their split around a decade later have not been the most harmonious. The group has reunited just once — when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 — and frontman/main songwriter David Byrne has been on the receiving end of a long string of critical comments from former bandmates Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, who say that he deprived them of due credit and other opportunities and was generally unpleasant to work with.

As distributors and exhibition worries about major release date changes due to the ongoing strikes, good news continues to pop up with the dating of awards season adult titles, the latest being the Amazon movie Foe from Lion filmmaker Garth Davis on Oct. 6.

Taylor Swift just got a big vote of confidence as she preps her feature directorial debut.

TIFF continues to build out its speaker lineup despite the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes barring a number of participants from this year’s 48th edition.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In what marks the most ambitious film from Peru’s leading producer Tondero and, most likely, Peruvian cinema in recent times, Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo, Infinity Hill (“Argentina 1985”) and Tondero have joined forces to co-produce a drama based on the hostage crisis that took place at the Japanese embassy in Lima in 1996. El Deseo executive producer Esther Garcia and Infinity Hill co-founder/chief creative officer Axel Kuschevatzky were in Lima to attend Tondero’s 15th anniversary festivities and for Garcia to receive a tribute from the ongoing 27th Lima Film Festival, which runs Aug.

TIFF has begun announcing their Conversation With… (ICW) series for this year’s fest with Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and Concrete Utopia Korean stars Lee Byung-hun and ParkSeo-jun set to sit down for chats.

Italian production designer Tonino Zera, whose credits include Roman Polanski’s upcoming drama The Palace, will be feted with the Campari Passion Award at the 80th edition of Venice Film Festival, running from August 30 to September 9.

Bryan Randall, who died on Aug. 5 after a private fight with ALS.However, the photographer’s untimely death at the age of 57 from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) has spurred a 500% increase in donations to the ALS Association.The Oscar winner, 59, and her family had previously asked that “in lieu of flowers, please donate to ALS Association and Massachusetts General Hospital.”The organization told TMZ that contributions have skyrocketed since Randall’s passing.“We’re grateful for the amazing outpouring of support in honor of Bryan.

Antonio Banderas is reminiscing. The Spanish actor took advantage of Throwback Thursdays to share an inspiring story of his days as a young actor. Melanie Griffith concealed her old Antonio Banderas heart-shaped tattoo with new inkStella Banderas keeps going strong with boyfriend Álex Gruszynski after rekindling their loveA post shared by Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas)The photo was shared on Instagram, and is a close up shot of his face taken in the ‘80s.

Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” is coming to theatres.

TIFF is honouring big talent.

Oscar winning filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee are getting feted at this year’s TIFF Tribute Awards.

Pedro Almodóvar’s short film, Strange Way of Life, which had its world premiere at Cannes back in the spring, is hitting theaters in NYC and LA on Oct. 4 thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.