Taormina Film Fest Unveils 2024 Lineup, With ‘Saint Clare’ Set To Open Plus Movies Starring Nicolas Cage, Daisy Edgar-Jones

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor Veteran festival director Marco Mueller was only hired to take over as the artistic director of the Taormina Film Festival in April this year. “I’m stressed out,” he told Variety, two weeks ahead of the festival opening, but he is philosophical.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Oscar-winning actor Sigourney Weaver will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Weaver said, “To be gifted this award is a privilege I share with all the filmmakers and collaborators I have worked with throughout the years.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor The world premiere of Mitzi Peirone’s horror film “Saint Clare” will open the Taormina Film Festival, this year celebrating its 70th anniversary edition. The adaptation of Don Roff’s novel stars Bella Thorne, Ryan Phillippe, Frank Whaley and Rebecca De Mornay. It’s the first of four world premieres to screen at the outdoor Teatro Antico in the Sicilian town, which looks out towards Mount Etna, an active volcano, to the West.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Five documentary filmmaking teams haven been selected to participate in the Catapult Film Fund and True/False Film Festival‘s ninth annual Rough Cut Retreat. The immersive mentorship is designed for documentary feature filmmakers who lack strong feedback networks.

Marta Balaga Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival is readying for its upcoming edition, featuring “lots of interesting themes, lots of different countries and lots of female directors,” says programmer Vojtěch Kočárník. Themes of “fragile family bonds and explorations of love driven by complex female characters,” Kočárník says, will also feature prominently in many of the fest’s films, such as Norway’s “Loveable.” In addition, there are a few period dramas with a contemporary touch, such as Margarida Cardoso’s “Banzo,” Bruno Anković’s “Celebration,” about young men seduced by right-wing ideology, and Iveta Grófová’s 1940s-set “Hungarian Dressmaker.” “In many historical films, there is this clear distinction between good and evil.

As Georgia O’Keeffe was to the landscape of New Mexico, artist Chiura Obata was to the grandeur of Yosemite.

Brent Simon As festivals have increasingly endeavored to showcase more diverse talent, benchmarks of inclusivity occasionally run the risk of feeling like a dutiful checklist. The Bentonville Film Festival, though, has celebrated — and elevated — underrepresented voices since its inception.

Michaela Zee Simone Ashley has spoken out against the body-shaming comments directed at her “Bridgerton” co-star Nicola Coughlan. During a recent press conference at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Ashley defended Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, against the online criticism she has received over her appearance in the third season of “Bridgerton.” “Yeah, the haters are going to hate, and I think we can all relate to that, but I really don’t think that she’s allowing that to bother her,” Ashley, who portrays Kate Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series, said of Coughlan (via People).

Simone Ashley is defending her Bridgerton co-star Nicola Coughlan, who has been hit with body-shaming comments.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The Mediterrane Film Festival kickstarted its second edition with the international premiere of Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The film, shown at the heart of Malta’s capital of Valletta on Saturday night, was followed by a reception at the historic Mdina Ditch Gardens, in which Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech highlighted the importance of the festival as an event to “unite the nations of the Mediterranean through film.” The sentiment echoes this year’s festival theme of Unity Through Film, with Grech adding that he hopes the festival will bring nations together to “share stories that celebrate not only our diversity but also our shared outlook.” The film commissioner emphasised the success of the festival’s first edition, claiming the return to the local economy “far exceeded our investment, showing once again what a force for good film is in our country.” Several members of the local film industry were present at the gathering as well as international attendees in this year’s jury president Jon S. Baird (“Tetris,” “Stan and Ollie”) and “Triangle of Sadness” actor Zlatko Burić, who was part of last year’s jury.

Stuart Miller For nearly half a century, Frameline has celebrated queer stories — and queer identity — with the San Francisco Intl. LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Ben Croll Matt Dillon, Alice Diop and Karla Sofia Gascon will bring their springtime spirit to this month’s Nouvelles Vagues Film Festival, now running from June 18 – 23 in Biarritz. Launched last year, the nascent festival invites both established and emerging talents to share an expansive vision of youth, hosting a competition dedicated to young adult stories overseen by a jury all under the age of 35.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wanda Film, China’s largest cinema operator, has expanded its business relationship with Imax Corp. in a huge deal that straddles technology and content. With 381 Imax installations, Wanda alone operates more Imax venues than most countries.

Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro will swing into NYC to headline at the annual Global Citizen Festival, which aims to entertain and end extreme poverty.“X-Men” star Hugh Jackman has been tapped to host the festivities. Jane Goodall and Coldplay frontman/Global Citizen Festival curator Chris Martin are slated to appear as well.“For over a decade, Global Citizen has driven life-saving impact for nearly 1.3 billion people around the world, and we’ll gather once again on September 28 to help end extreme poverty, defend the planet, and demand equity,” Jackman said in a statement.The fest, which is scheduled to take place at Central Park’s iconic Great Lawn, has stated that additional headliners will be announced in the coming weeks.If you want to attend, tickets for the one-day extravaganza are available as soon as today.At the time of publication, Global VIP tickets start at $146 before fees on Vivid Seats.Premium VIP tickets can be found for $181 before fees.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete breakdown of all the best prices on tickets for the 2024 Global Citizen Festival can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.)Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

The Munich International Film Festival will screen 152 films from 53 countries during its 41st edition, which runs from June 28 to July 6. 

Saint Clare starring Bella Thorne and Ryan Phillippe will open Italy’s Taormina Film Festival. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent U.S.-based Italian director Mitzi Peirone’s comic horror thriller “Saint Clare” has been set as the opening night film of Italy’s upcoming Taormina Film Festival with protagonist Bella Thorne in attendance. “Saint Clare” follows Peirone’s debut, the horror film “Braid,” which launched from Tribeca in 2018. Based on U.S.

Katcy Stephan The Bentonville Film Foundation, in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, have announced the winners of their narrative, documentary, short film and episodic categories from this year’s competition program. The festival, which ran from June 10-16 in Bentonville, Ark., aims to amplify female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Parallax China, one of China’s leading independent film sales companies, has picked up rights to a pair of titles that debut this week at the Shanghai International Film Festival. It is handling world sales on “Qian Tang River,” directed by Wan Bo, and “Another Day of Hope,” by Liu Taifeng. Both are directorial debuts and both appear in the non-competitive Refreshing Chinese Cinema section.

Tribeca Film Festival‘s ode to its 2x Oscar winning co-founder Robert De Niro –De Niro Con– continued Friday night with a screening of Silver Linings Playbook with that pic’s filmmaker David O. Russell and Ben Stiller sharing their candid experiences working with the Stella Adler trained actor. Or as Stiller, who worked with De Niro in the Meet the Parents franchise coined ‘De Niro-isms.’