‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ Review: Leonie Benesch Delivers Scorching Performance In Riveting And Pertinent German Oscar Entry

As Mr Bates vs The Post Office kicked off this week on ITV, countless viewers sat down to watch the emotional dramatisation of the Horizon post office scandal that saw dozens of postmasters and postmistresses wrongly accused of stealing money due to a computer error. The series, which spans four episodes, features a star studded cast, with one familiar face among them being former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, who famously played Hayley Cropper in the soap for an impressive 16 years in total! As well as her soap roots, over the years, Julie has starred in several popular shows, including Happy Valley, Broadchurch and The Pact, to name just a few - but when she’s not busy acting, the star likes to live a quiet life in Tameside with her family.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Many of of the country’s best performers are jetting to party hotspots such as Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles and New York ahead of New Year’s Eve to ring in the new year. From Christina Aguilera at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas to Phish at Madison Square Garden, there are dozens of events set to run through midnight on Dec.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Slow,” Marija Kavtaradze’s delicate romance, won the Crystal Arrow at the 15th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival from a jury presided over by Oscar-nominated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”). Kavtaradze’s sophomore outing, “Slow” world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won best director.

Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter has revealed that she is horrified at the idea of her mum flying out to Switzerland to die alone in an assisted dying clinic.

J. Kim Murphy Filmmaker Michael Goorjian set out to create a different kind of film about Armenian nationality when developing “Amerikatsi,” the country’s submission in the international feature category for this year’s Academy Awards. Along with directing, Goorjian also stars as Charlie, an American who repatriates to Armenia after World War II — but ends up in a Soviet prison for simply wearing a tie.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor When writer-director Mohamed Kordofani first conceived of the film “Goodbye Julia,” he realized that he didn’t have a single friend from South Sudan — “and there are millions who live in Khartoum.” Now he has hundreds, he tells Variety. The first Sudanese film to premiere in the Un Certain Regard sidebar in Cannes, his debut feature won the Prix de la Liberté and is now the official Sudanese entry for the Academy Awards, with Lupita Nyong’o on board as an executive producer. The film had its Middle East and North Africa premiere this week at El Gouna Film Festival, where Kordofani was awarded the Variety MENA Region Talent Award.

Lele Pons is known for her hilarious content. This ‘chancla challenge’ with her mom was unforgettable. This video didn’t get as many views as it should have but is some of Camila Cabello’s best work.

for Sydney Sweeney, as her rom-com, Anyone But You, finally hits theaters on Friday. The film has made headlines all year (which you can read about that ), but the trailer is hysterical, and Sweeney and co-star Glen Powell are perfect sparring partners. It also stars rom-com royalty Dermott Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding), who plays Sweeney's dad.Meanwhile, Mandy Moore returns to television this week as investigative journalist Benita Alexander in Peacock's Dr.

Måneskin’s Damiano David has spoken about the chances of a solo project in the future.Speaking on The Allison Hagendorf Show, the frontman was asked if he thought he would ever make any music away from the Italian band.“Why not? I think it could be a very healthy thing and a very destructive thing,” he replied (via Blabbermouth). “The only thing that matters, it’s how you agree with the band, because the band, it’s always gonna be what gave me everything I have.”David continued: “And if I ever have the chance to do a solo project, I have to keep in my mind that it’s thanks to everything I did with the band.

We think this is the first time Justin Timberlake has performed live in years – and he BROUGHT IT! The grand opening of the @FontainebleauLasVegas was a private performance, but he put on a big show! It was as if we went to see him in concert. Band! Dancers! Lights! And that razzle dazzle that only he and Bruno Mars bring live. The two of them are peerless in that category!

Aramide Tinubu Transitions are challenging, and for preteens encountering those first pivotal life shifts, change can feel overwhelming. For 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), who has always felt like an outsider, coming of age means godly encounters, foretold prophecies and cross-country quests. Based on the acclaimed books by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a gorgeous, intriguing narrative about self-discovery, courage and friendship.

You only have to think back two years to remember the cheers and jeers that greeted the news that not only was a new Willy Wonka movie on the way but that it was going to be a prequel and Timothée Chalamet had clinched the titular lead role. READ MORE: Most Anticipated 2024: 26 Blockbusters & Big Spectacle Movies To Watch How could they touch a classic? They weren’t going to, and no one was going to erase the 1971 Gene Wilder “Grown Up Wonka” movie (which was not a hit, by the way).

Scots musical theatre teacher Stevie Doc has been crowned the winner of reality singing show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream.

Omen is the official submission from Belgium for the International Feature Oscar category and comes from multi-hyphenate interdisciplinary artist Baloji, who makes his feature directing debut. The film had its world premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section this year where it won the New Voice Prize, before going on to play myriad festivals. Utopia is the North American distributor. 

Beginning as a simple two-hander in which a young working-class caretaker comes under the spell of his returning boss — a charismatic military man who has designs on getting into local politics — Makbul Mubarak’s debut film Autobiography soon develops into a tense psychological thriller about the way populist leaders groom and abuse their people. It works on its own terms, as a simple yet dark father-son allegory set within Indonesia’s military culture, but there’s a universality here that’s hard to miss.

Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge world premiered to acclaim in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section in February, then swept the board three month later at the German Film Awards, scooping best film, director, screenplay, editing and actress for Leonie Benesch.

Murtada Elfadl Shot in dense, high-contrast black and white, writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s “Mami Wata,” unspools like a mysterious dream. It’s both inscrutable and hypnotic, delivering indelible images while remaining narratively opaque.

EXCLUSIVE: New York-based Women Make Movies (WMM) has acquired U.S. rights for Palestinian Oscar entry Bye Bye Tiberias by Lina Soualem.

After one Japanese title delivered at the sleepy December box office last weekend, that being Godzilla Minus One, here’s another that’s set to dominate: Studio Ghibli and GKIDS’ Hayao Miyazaki‘s The Boy and the Heron which is looking at a No. 1 lead with $10M+ after $2.39M Thursday and early access previews.

Johnny Marr has performed a collection of solo and Smiths classics with a 30 piece orchestra during a Manchester homecoming show last night (December 7) – check it out below.Marr is marking his first 10 years as a solo artist with a two-night residency at the Factory International’s new venue Aviva Studios this week and will play a second show tonight (December 8).