Ukraine War Screenlife Drama ‘Stay Online’ Drops Tense, Moving Trailer Ahead of Fantasia Fest Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: North America’s largest genre festival, Fantasia, is currently in full flow, but amid two Hollywood strikes, its staff are speaking out about what they deem to be horror conditions.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor French-based sales agency Lightdox has acquired the international rights to feature documentary “Body” by Slovenian director and screenwriter Petra Seliškar ahead of its world premiere at the 29th edition of Sarajevo Film Festival. The trailer for the film has just been released (below). The film screens on Aug.

Christopher Vourlias Wide Management has acquired world sales rights to Christina Ioakeimidi’s “Medium,” a story of first love set against the stifling heat of an Athenian summer that world premieres Aug. 14 in competition at the Sarajevo Film Festival. Based on a novel by Giorgos Sibardis, the film follows 16-year-old Eleftheria (Aggeliki Beveratou), who escapes the suffocating reality of the Greek countryside to visit her pregnant sister (Katerina Zisoudi) in Athens.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on “Not a Word,” which will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in the competitive Platform section. The cast is led by Maren Eggert, who won the best acting award at the Berlin Film Festival for “I’m Your Man.” The film is written and directed by Hanna Slak, whose credits include the Slovenian Oscar entry “The Miner,” and was lensed by Claire Mathon, the cinematographer of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Saint-Omer,” “Stranger by the Lake” and “Spencer.” Eggert plays ambitious musician and conductor Nina.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery streaming comms senior vice president Chris Willard is exiting the company to pursue other interests after 14 years working with the HBO team, Variety has learned.

Christopher Vourlias Greek filmmaker Sofia Exarchou’s drama “Animal,” which world premieres Aug. 3 in competition at the Locarno Film Festival, has secured its first distribution deals and released a teaser (see below). The anticipated follow-up to Exarchou’s first feature, “Park,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and won the New Directors Award in San Sebastian, “Animal” will be distributed in France by Shellac and in Austria by Filmgarten.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agent Pluto Film has boarded “Forever-Forever” (“Nazavzhdy-Nazavzhdy”), Ukrainian filmmaker Anna Buryachkova’s feature directing debut, ahead of its world premiere in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons Extra competition. After transferring from a downtown high school, Tonia (Alina Cheban) befriends a group of badass youngsters, trying to find protection from the people from her past and a place she truly belongs. They spend time together, roaming around Kyiv’s post-socialist suburbs, having fun and getting in trouble.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Be For Films has boarded “The Summer With Carmen,” Zacharias Mavroeidis’ colorful Greek comedy that’s set to world premiere at the Venice Days at the Lido. “The Summer With Carmen” takes place at Athens’ queer beach, where 30-something Demosthenes offers to help his friend and aspiring filmmaker Nikitas in drafting an idea for his feature debut, inspired by the events surrounding a dog named Carmen.

Netflix has finally released the hotly-anticipated official trailer for joyously queer teen series Heartstopper.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera is in a good mood after Tuesday’s lineup announcement managed to stave off the impact of the SAG-AFTRA strike, something which could have been “devastating” to the event, he says. In the end, the only U.S. film that skipped the Lido is Luca Guadagnino’s Zendaya-starrer “Challengers,” which Barbera says was against Guadagnino’s wishes.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Vienna-based sales agent Square Eyes has boarded Tana Gilbert’s feature debut “Malqueridas” ahead of its world premiere as part of Venice’s International Critics’ Week. The documentary was shot entirely on clandestine cell phones by the inmates of a women’s prison in Chile. ” ‘Malqueridas’ forms a collective memory of this often abandoned community, and shows how these mothers – and their love – withstand the trials of life in jail, far from family and loved ones,” according to a press statement. “In prison, they find affection in other partners who share their situation as mutual support among these women becomes a form of resistance and empowerment.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor “Family Portrait,” written and directed by Lucy Kerr, has debuted its trailer ahead of its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival’s Cineasti Del Presente section. World sales are being handled by Flavio Armone at Lights On. “Family Portrait” follows a sprawling family on a morning when they have planned a group picture. After the mother disappears and one of the daughters becomes increasingly anxious to find her and take the picture, the rest of the family appears to resist any attempt to gather. “Initially presenting itself as a realistic portrayal of a family on an idle but hectic summer day, the film progressively descends into a realm where time and space lose their grip, transforming the family portrait into a solemn and enigmatic ritual of transition,” according to a press statement.

Prime Video plans a Nov. 3 rollout for the second season of superhero saga Invincible, sharing a teaser trailer today at San Diego Comic-Con.

Prime Video plans a Nov. 3 rollout for the second season of superhero saga Invincible, sharing a teaser trailer today at San Diego Comic-Con.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Toronto Film Festival is at a critical moment after three difficult years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but “the festival will take place,” says Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. TIFF has typically been a star-studded affair and staple of awards season. However, what the red carpets at the gala premieres and tribute ceremonies that have gone to significant A-listers like Kate Winslet will ultimately look like, remains unknown. The longtime festival director doubled down on moving forward with this year’s festival, whether the big stars are in attendance or not. This comes amid ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have halted the Hollywood industry, putting the remaining months of movies and TV shows into unknown territory.

Supermarkets have more than doubled their profit margins on fuel since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to new analysis. The RAC has found that Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s were making an average of around 4.7p per litre on fuel sales when the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Fans are going to have to a wait a few more months before Zendaya‘s next movie hits theaters.

Alana «Honey Boo Boo» Thompson is ready to take the next step with boyfriend Dralin Carswell. The 17-year-old reality TV star revealed to ET's Deidre Behar that she's moving in with her longtime love once she heads off to college in the fall during a sit-down about her family's WEtv series, «I’ll be moving off campus for security reasons and because Dralin is coming with me,» Alana, who graduated from high school in May 2023, shared. As for what it took for Dralin, 21, to leave Georgia and move to Denver, Colorado, with Alana, where she'll be attending Regis University for nursing, Alana said it was an easy ask.«I think he's more excited to move there than me.

Selome Hailu MTV is launching a new dating series titled “The Love Experiment” that aims to bring the choices and excitement of dating apps to life. The series, which premieres on Aug. 15 at 10 p.m., follows three single best friends who enter a hall of eligible men who are all ready for committed relationships. Inside the “dating utopia,” the women are in control, but they quickly realize that having too many ideal choices is harder than it seems. The stars of Season 1 and are Marcia, age 30; Paige, age 27; and Tamara, age 30. They are all from Atlanta, Ga. Mari Waugh aka Spicy Mari will help guide the women through “The Love Experiment” as a relationship expert. As the CEO and founder of the Spicy Life, Waugh works to encourage singles and couples to communicate and connect more effectively by incorporating passion and adventure in their interpersonal relationships.

Rod Stewart's enormous brood looked effortlessly chic in a rare photo shared by the singer's third wife, Penny Lancaster, and daughter Kimberly. Stewart, who is currently on a world tour, posed with seven of his eight children, four of their respective partners, and three of his grandchildren along with his wife in a picturesque setting in Spain.