Variety FYC Fest: Oscar-Nominated Producers Share Storytelling Journeys Behind ‘Maestro,’ ‘Spider-Verse,’ ‘Flower Moon’ and More

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Ahead of its U.S. premiere at SXSW, “The Queen of My Dreams” has been sold to a flurry of international markets, including in the U.K. and Ireland to Peccadillo Pictures.

Tatiana Siegel When it comes to Apple’s Hollywood ambitions, it’s all about spending big to win big. On March 10, the tech giant has 13 shots to take home an Oscar via two historical epics, “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Napoleon,” which nabbed 10 and three nominations, respectively. That’s given Apple the second-biggest haul among the major studios and streamers, just behind Netflix’s 18 nods.

Selome Hailu Comedian Mike Birbiglia has set a documentary special at Peacock. Titled “Good One: A Show About Jokes,” it premieres on March 26. Adapted from the Vulture podcast “Good One: A Podcast About Jokes,” the special follows Birbiglia through his process as he travels from Providence, R.I.

Jaden Thompson Indigenous stories aren’t always told with the care, nuance and authenticity they deserve in Hollywood, and, more often than not, their stories aren’t told at all. While “Killers of the Flower Moon” has certainly prompted discourse within indigenous communities about who should tell what stories, the Osage Nation Congress has unanimously endorsed the creative contributions that Lily Gladstone and Scott George made to the film. The tribal governing body recently passed bills expressing support for their roles in Martin Scorsese’s historical epic.

Big Thief, Sampha, Sleaford Mods and Jon Hopkins have been announced as headliners for this year’s edition of Green Man festival.The Brecon Beacons festival will return for its 22nd edition on August 15-18. Also on the bill are Ezra Collective, Arlo Parks, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Black Country, New Road, Moonchild Sanelly, SHERELLE, Sofia Kourtesis, Loraine James, Model/Actriz, Bar Italia, Blondshell, Lambrini Girls and more.Tickets for Green Man Festival 2024 have already sold out, but you can find out more information about this year’s event by heading here and see the full line-up so far below.Last year’s edition of the fest saw the likes of First Aid Kit, Devo and Spiritualized headline.

Eva Mendes proves haters wrong after Ryan Gosling receives an Oscar nomination for his role as Ken in ‘Barbie’Becky G receives Oscar nomination for Best Original Song: Here’s her reaction!Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and more to present at the OscarsViewers can expect to watch Becky G perform ‘The Fire Inside’ from Eva Longoria’s film ‘Flamin’ Hot.’ Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will be performing their song ‘I’m Just Ken’ from the popular film ’Barbie,’ while Billie Eilish and Finneas, will be performing ‘What Was I Made For?’Becky G shared her excitement on social media after the announcement was made public, with her fans praising her for a new achievement.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor All five of this year’s Academy Award-nominated original songs will be performed on the Dolby Theatre stage at the 96th Oscars. Jon Batiste, Becky G, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Scott George and the Osage Singers, and as Variety previously reported, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will perform the memorable numbers.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor That’s all, Oscar folks! In just 12 days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will crack open 23 illustrious envelopes to unveil the victors of this year’s 96th Oscars. It’s a night where predictability usually reigns supreme, but hey, there’s always room for a curveball or two. During the past six days of intense voting, Variety has been on the scene, chatting it up with over 50 AMPAS members to get the lowdown on which movies and performances have been getting the thumbs-up on their ballots.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Zendaya, Michelle Pfeiffer and Oscar winners Nicolas Cage and Al Pacino are among the first group of presenters for this year’s 96th Oscars ceremony. Also presenting are last year’s four acting winners — Brendan Fraser from “The Whale” and Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis from the best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Oscar winners Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight” and “Green Book”), Jessica Lange (“Tootsie” and “Blue Sky”), Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) also are set to take the stage. Raj Kapoor serves as the Oscars’ executive producer and showrunner, alongside executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan.

Martin Scorsese accepted the PGA’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award tonight and took the Hollywood & Highland Ovation Ballroom down memory lane — about 60 years ago, when he accepted a PGA award for his student film, It’s Not Just You, Murray!, at the ripe age of 22 years old.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Just 30 minutes after final voting for the Screen Actors Guild Awards wrapped up, I made a last-minute switch in my best actress prediction — from Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Emma Stone in “Poor Things.” Let this be a lesson: Second-guessing yourself is seldom a good idea. Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American and Indigenous person to clinch an individual SAG Award for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman, in Martin Scorsese’s gripping crime saga.

Michaela Zee Hollywood’s biggest stars hit the red carpet for the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday night in Los Angeles. The star-studded list of attendees includes Margot Robbie, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Lily Gladstone, Oprah, Jodie Foster and Ryan Gosling and so many more. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” lead the film nominations with four nods apiece; both features will compete for outstanding performance by a cast alongside “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “American Fiction” and “The Color Purple.” On the television front, “Succession” has a leading five nominations, while “Ted Lasso,” “The Bear” and “The Last of Us” each have four nominations.

Major news today for Oscar-nominee To Kill a Tiger. Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas is joining the award-winning feature documentary as an executive producer, alongside Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, and other bold-faced names. The news comes as Netflix inks a deal to launch the film globally on its platform soon.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Audiences will get a chance to see MTV Documentary Films‘ Oscar nominated short documentary “The ABCs of Book Banning” for free on YouTube beginning on Feb. 23 until the end of the month. The 27-minute film, about the rising tide of book banning efforts around the United States, marks docu titan Sheila Nevins‘ directorial debut.

Dahomey,” a highlight of this year’s Berlinale competition and directed by Cannes prizewinner Mati Diop (“Atlantics”), for North America, Latin America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey and India. The feature film is represented in international markets by Films du Losange, which negotiated the deal with Mubi. “Dahomey” marks the sophomore outing of Diop, a French-Senegalese talent who is considered one of the leading figures in international arthouse cinema and of a new wave in African and diasporic cinema.

Martin Scorsese was making “Silence,” his 2016 drama about a pair of Jesuit priests spreading the gospel in Japan, a typhoon hit the area, bringing with it biblical showers. As the filmmaker braced himself for news that the bad weather would mean he’d have to abandon plans to shoot that day, there was a rap on his trailer door. There stood Rodrigo Prieto, Scorsese’s long-time cinematographer, outfitted in heavy rain gear.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Oscar-nominated artisans in the race landed historical firsts in numerous categories. After decades in the industry, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick earned her first nod for “Oppenheimer.” Scott George became the first Osage Nation songwriter to be nominated for his song in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” while Diane Warren scored a record 15th nod. John Williams bested his record-breaking achievement when he was recognized for original score.

Mark Ronson has recruited some huge names from the rock world to help push for Foreigner to be inducted into the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.The producer – famed for his work with Amy Winehouse and on the Barbie soundtrack – has a close connection to the band, with the guitarist Mick Jones being his stepfather.The rockers earned their first nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, despite being eligible since 2002.Now, following the nominations being announced for this year’s instalment, he has made a push to have the band inducted into the Cleveland Hall, and recruited some huge names to help build support.“Everything that made me want to be a record producer came from being in the studio watching Foreigner make records,” he wrote in a new Instagram update.“I’m still completely in awe of the sound of those first five albums. Guitars with swagger and bite.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The Oscar-nominated song “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” by Scott George has a deep meaning. The lyrics, sung in Osage, invite listeners to stand up, be tall and be proud. “We’re still here after all of that,” George says.

Joining me in the Apple Original Films portion of Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees were several Oscar nominees for Martin Scorsese’s epic Western Killers of the Flower Moon, and since the film has been nominated for a whopping 10 Academy Awards it was a good cross-section of artisans who made this very big film come to life.