Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera Gets Another 4-Year-Term

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe Berlin Film Festival is still planning a physical event in February but will reduce its lineup in the face of COVID-19 restrictions, the festival has confirmed.The event, which is due to run February 11-21, has said it is “too early to consider cancellation”.Tickets for screenings will have to be pre-booked and capacity in cinemas will be reduced by 45-50% in order to abide by social distancing rules.The festival confirmed to us today that the Competition

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWen Tien-hsiang is one of the few film festival bosses who have been able to go ahead with an in-person event this year. He spoke with Variety to describe the challenges that remain.Variety: What are the conditions that have allowed the GHFF to go ahead as an in-person event this year?Wen Tien-hsiang: Good control of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan has enabled this.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorThe Tribeca Film Festival will launch a juried podcast category at its next edition in June of 2021.The festival Thursday announced Tribeca Podcasts, a new vertical dedicated to audio storytelling timed to its 20th anniversary to run June 9-20.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe 10th edition of U.S. In Progress Wroclaw, the industry wing of the American Film Festival in Poland which was held online this year, wrapped over the weekend and presented a variety of awards to the participating American film projects.The awards range from post-production services to travel bursaries and cash.

Christopher Vourlias “Identifying Features,” Fernanda Valadez’s searing abduction drama set along the U.S.-Mexico border, was awarded the Golden Alexander for best feature film at the 61st Thessaloniki Film Festival.The awards were announced Monday at the conclusion of the Greek fest’s digital edition, which ran Nov. 5-15.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: This year’s Hainan International Film Festival (December 5 – 12) will host China’s biggest retrospective of Charlie Chaplin films in collaboration with Trinity CineAsia and Mk2.The event will host 20 screenings of Chaplin films across the island, encompassing five of his classic comedies: Modern Times, The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux.

Christopher Vourlias The Thessaloniki Film Festival’s industry arm, Agora, announced the awards from this year’s online edition at a virtual ceremony held Friday.The Crossroads Co-Production Forum’s Two Thirty-Five Co-Production Award, which offers full post-production image and sound to the winning project, went to writer-director Estibaliz Urresola’s “20,000 Species of Bees,” produced by Lara Izagirre of Spain’s Gariza Films.The jury praised the project “for the exceptional directorial vision

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorNow in its 25th year, the Red Nation Film Festival looks to shine a light on the voices, stories, contributions and assets of contemporary Native peoples in replacing dangerous stereotypes that Native peoples face in media and academia.Festival curator Joanelle Romero says, “I have created a 25-year history of cohesive research-informed strategies, ground-breaking initiatives, though cinematic excellence, media and strong focus on partnerships.”Due to the coronavirus

Christopher Vourlias As the industry arm of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the leading cinematic showcase for the Baltic nations, the five-day Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event has grown into a lynchpin for conversations about the current and future state of production in the region, bringing together leading entertainment, tech and VC professionals.This year will be no different, even as the coronavirus pandemic has forced organizers to shift to a virtual-only edition—something the

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE:  Cinema Guild has picked up all U.S. distribution rights to Jia Zhangke’s documentary Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue.The Chinese film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and made its U.S.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its program and jury ahead of its 5th edition taking place digitally December 3 – 8.Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the festival’s ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award at a virtual awards ceremony taking place online December 8.

The Tokyo International Film Festival handed out its audience award Monday to Japanese director Akiko Ohku's for her latest featureHold Me Back, a socially astute comedy about the romantic struggles of a Japanese woman entering her early thirties. The audience award is the only prize the Tokyo festival is presenting this year, after the international jury competition had to be scrapped in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe fourth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFEST) has been postponed until early 2021 due to a recent revival of the coronavirus in the country.The Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards will go ahead with its plans for a ceremony in December, but as a fully virtual, VFX-heavy affair.“According to the latest SOP announced by the government, activities at cinemas are strictly not allowed during this Conditional Movement Control Order

Bill Gosden, who served as director of the New Zealand International Film Festival for nearly 40 years, died Friday after a battle with bowel cancer. He was 66.

Kaleem Aftab There are rising concerns over a number of coronavirus cases believed to have originated at last week’s El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.“I’m seeing a growing number of people who attended the Gouna Film Festival are learning they got COVID-19,” warns a Facebook post circulating among those who attended the Oct. 23-31 event.

Jamie Lang In today’s Global Bulletin, Raindance announces its winners, Göteborg goes hybrid, Movistar Plus announces a new climate change docuseries, and Dopamine hires Maria Garcia-Castrillon to lead the company’s international business. Raindance Film Festival’s virtual awards ceremony unspooled on Thursday, live streamed from the Leicester Square Theater, where Giorgos Georgopoulos’ dark comedy “Not to Be Unpleasant But We Need to Have a Serious Talk” was declared Film of the Festival and

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian film critic Giona A.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterSwitzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, one of the key events on the European summer fest circuit, has named Italian film critic Giona A. Nazzaro [pictured top, left] as its new artistic director.Nazzaro joins from Venice Critics’ Week, where he has served as General Delegate since 2016; he will take up his new role on January 1, 2021 but will work with interim director Nadia Dresti until then.

If you have Netflix, you’re well aware that Aaron Sorkin’s latest feature, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” is now available to stream globally on the platform. The new drama tells the true story of a group of people in the late-‘60s that were accused of conspiracy after protesting the Democratic National Convention.