What Nouvelle Aquitaine, the Basque Country and Navarre Bring to the Table

Clayton Davis The early days of awards season bring buzz and promise, but they also mean it’s time for studios to develop strategy and brainstorm opportunities to strike.With the Toronto International Film Festival handing out its prestigious People’s Choice prize to Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” the Focus Features drama has the authority to declare itself the best picture front-runner for this awards season — but holding on to the throne won’t be easy.Speaking of thrones, Joel Coen’s adaptation

Clayton Davis The honorees for the Middleburg Film Festival have been announced for its upcoming four-day festival.

Jada Pinkett Smith is getting a lot of love on her special day.

Jamie Lang Narrowing down the best Basque projects on the horizon has become increasingly difficult in recent years, as the region is experiencing a boom in both the quality and quantity of local production that has made prognostication more difficult than ever.Below, Variety has picked 20 projects from that crowded field which we will be tracking in the coming years.“Almanac” (Jorge Moneo Quintana)A Berlinale Talents project, “Almanac” challenges the limits of documentary cinema by revisiting

Emiliano De Pablos Tabling straightforward simple stories and experimenting with new narratives, the newest wave of Basque film talents has started to dip their toe into the international scene, landing at movie launchpads such as Venice, Berlin and San Sebastian festivals.The new generation addresses universal issues telling small, local stories, attaining quality standards thanks in part to studies in Spain and quite often at film schools in Europe and the U.S..The newest directors are

Looking at a map of Spain, the Basque region seems to be tucked neatly into one corner, cozy as can be. On the ground, of course, it’s a different matter: the Pais Vasco has its own language, culture, food and politics, plus its own history of violence.

Ellise Shafer administratorKenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.The Platform Jury prize went to “Yuni,” directed by Kamila Andini, while the People’s Choice Documentary Award winner went to “The Rescue,” directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.

Martin Dale ContributorCrime thriller “Sequía” (Drought), the first-ever fiction co-production between Spain and Portugal’s pubcasters, RTVE and RTP, was discussed at a Conecta Fiction panel session moderated by the forum’s director, Géraldine Gonard,The session was sponsored by ONSeries Lisboa, a new event running Nov.

Generation (Genera+ion) may not continue on for a sophomore season at HBO Max, but creator Zelda Barnz said the series achieved its goal within its short-lived airtime.

Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, are back at the red table! The Emmy-winning Facebook Watch series  made its return on Wednesday, and the hosts kicked off their arrival with a revealing episode on their hair journeys.The trio — who all sport super-short cuts — broke down the experiences that led them to cut their hair and welcomed special guests with similar experiences, including superstar comedian Tiffany Haddish,  star Yvonne Orji and casting

Emiliano De Pablos Filming on Netflix teen series “Tú no eres especial” (“You’re Nothing Special”) kicked-off July 8, becoming the streaming giant’s first TV series entirely filmed in Spain’s northern region of Navarre.The series marks a further step in Netflix’s bet on diversifying its shooting destinations in the country.“Tú no eres especial” is produced by Oria Audiovisual, the indie company launched by Navarre-born producer Puy Oria, co-founder with filmmaker Montxo Armendáriz of Oria

Greg Wise has reflected on the press attention he and Emma Thompson attracted at the beginning of their relationship. The Crown actor Wise and Cruella star Thompson started dating in 1995, soon after Thompson’s divorce from Branagh, who she had been married to for six years.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterLiving in the age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe means your favorite superheroes can pop up anywhere in the multiverse — including prestige awards dramas set in the 1960s.That’s precisely what happens in Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” which saw a triumphant premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday night.

th Century Women” to Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” from John Boorman’s “Hope and Glory” to Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.” Writer-director-actor Kenneth Branagh has now tried his hand at the genre, and to say that “Belfast” brings out the best in him would be an understatement.Visually stunning, emotionally wrenching and gloriously human, “Belfast” takes one short period from Branagh’s life and finds in it a coming-of-age story, a portrait of a city fracturing in an instant and a profoundly moving lament

Ellise Shafer administratorAfter dazzling the in-person audience at the Toronto Film Festival, writer-director Kenneth Branagh broke down crying over his loosely autobiographical film “Belfast.”Following what was easily the most rapturous response to a festival entry at Toronto’s Roy Thomson hall this year, Branagh was overcome in a Q&A describing the inspiration behind the film.“I started writing this on March 23, but it had been brewing for a long time.

Jennifer Lopez, 52, and Ben Affleck, 49, were simply glowing as they stepped out in New York City! The reunited couple were spotted in her home borough of the Bronx on Sunday, Sept. 12, where they greeted adoring fans and photographers outside of local restaurant The Lit Bar after lunch. Ben and J.Lo were all-smiles as they waved to the crowd while holding hands. One of her most iconic songs, “Love Don’t Cost A Thing,” could also be heard blasting in the background.

Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, are returning to their iconic round table for another installment of the Emmy-winning Facebook Watch series on Sept. 15, with new episodes streaming weekly.The trio's return is marked by a special premiere episode starring superstar comedian Tiffany Haddish and  star Yvonne Orji.