Women Film Entrepreneurs Face ‘Grave Disparity’ in Funding, Study Finds

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car made history this morning, becoming the first Japanese film ever to score an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. What’s more, Hamaguchi is now only the third Japanese filmmaker to be nominated in the Best Director category. With nods in further key categories Best International Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay, Drive My Car has four nominations total, tying Akira Kurosawa’s Ran as the most-nominated film ever from Japan (though the latter was a French co-production).

Julian Fowles, a longtime film and television producer for broadcasting station KCET and Esparza/Katz Productions, died in Miami, Florida on Saturday while recovering from a stroke. He was 76 years old.

Julian Fowles, a longtime film and television producer for broadcasting station KCET and Esparza/Katz Productions, died in Miami, Florida on Saturday while recovering from a stroke. He was 76 years old.

J. Kim Murphy Julian Fowles, a film and television producer who worked at KCET and Esparza/Katz Productions, died in a hospital in Miami, Flor. on Saturday while recovering from a stroke.

Honorable Mentions: Ultrainocencia (Dir: Manuel Arija)Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize: Forget Me Not (Dir: Olivier Bernier)Honorable Mention: Fury (Dir: Krzysztof Kasior)Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize: Killing the Eunuch KHAN (Dir: Abed Abest)Honorable Mentions: Retrograde (Dir: Adrian Murray)Unstoppable Feature Grand Jury Prize: Straighten Up And Fly Right (Dir: Kristen Abate and StevenTanenbaum)Honorable Mentions: Selahy (My Weapon) (Dir: Alaa Zabara)Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Ratking (Dir: Eric Colonna)Honorable Mention: See You, Garbage! (Dir: Romain Dumont)Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize: The Ritual to Beauty (Dir: Shenny de Los Angeles and MariaMarrone)Honorable Mention: Walls Cannot Keep Us From Flying (Dir: Jonathan Haff Mehring)Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize: Chameleon (Dir: Ima Iduozee and Jaamil Olawale Kosoko)Honorable Mention: Compositions for Understanding Relationships (Dir: David De La Fuente)Animated Shorts Grand Jury Prize: I’m Here (Dir: Julia Orlik)Honorable Mention: Oldboy’s Apples (Dir: Brad Hock)The AGBO Fellowship, presented by Joe and Anthony Russo, Award Winner: Ethan Eng, director ofTherapy DogsSlamdance Acting Award: Hannah Lee Thompson of Hannah Ha HaHonorable Mention: Batel Moseri of BrachaGeorge Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award Winner: Sasha Levinson, director of Sylvie of the SunshineStateCreativeFuture Innovation Award: My Parent, Neal (Dir: Hannah Saidiner)Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Civil Dead (Dir. Clay Tatum)Audience Award for Documentary Feature: Iron Family (Dir.

Paradigm on Thursday said it has hired Babacar Diene, the veteran film financing, sales and production executive who had been a VP at Voltage Pictures. He will become a Content Agent at Paradigm, which also said today it has promoted four staffers to agents.

EXCLUSIVE: BET has acquired the short Why Not?, exec produced by Los Angeles Laker Russell Westbrook. The film showcasing the culture of Crenshaw will kick off the network’s new digital edition of its Black Film Friday series, celebrating Black artistry—debuting on BET Digital on February 4.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorIn a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Film Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.In “Great Freedom,” the winner of the runner-up prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, Austrian director Sebastian Meise takes an empathetic look at the relationship between two prisoners in a German jail: convicted murderer Viktor (Georg Friedrich), and a gay man, Hans (Rogowski), imprisoned repeatedly over three decades under the country’s homophobic Paragraph 175 statute. The film is Austria’s entry in the International Feature Film category of the Oscars, and is one of 15 films to be shortlisted. What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the best international feature Oscar?It’s incredibly exciting, and personally, I wasn’t expecting it at all.

J. Kim Murphy Orven Schanzer, a film editor whose career in the entertainment industry spanned 45 years, died in Los Angeles on Jan.

EXCLUSIVE: Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Blackadder) has signed on to star alongside Murray McArthur (Wonka, The Northman), Cameron Ashplant (Gentleman Jack), Tilly Keeper (EastEnders), Jenet Le Lacheur (Cinderella) and Brian Webster in the thriller Marooned Awakening, which is in production on the island of Guernsey.

Orven Schanzer has died aged 97 after going into respiratory arrest.The late film editor died on 5 January in Los Angeles, his family confirmed. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa, and his nieces and nephews. Over the course of his 45 year career, Orven worked with names like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jayne Mansfield.

Nicolas Cage is all set to play Dracula in the horror film “Renfield.” And, if you had any doubts about his ability to pull off the most historic and famous vampire of all time, rest assured; Cage has it under control.In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nicolas Cage talked about movies, his upcoming projects, his pet crow and his love for the gothic. We’re obsessed. Why Bradley Cooper almost retired from acting and the role that made him change his mindAndrew Garfield explains why Tobey Maguire was the main reason for his return to Spider-ManIn the interview, Cage talked about his pets, a cat called Merlin and a crow named Hoogan.

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead go way down the rabbit hole in their new film, “Something In The Dirt,” one of the big standout films from the Sundance Film Festival. A pandemic brainchild of necessity—what can we shoot during the pandemic which is relatively inexpensive but still doable, so we don’t lose our marbles and can stay artistic—“Something In The Dirt” is a trippy, DIY, sci-fi-ish film about a pair of loser (played by the two filmmakers themselves) dudes in dystopic Los Angeles who stumble upon the unexplainable.

Bat Out Of Hell singer Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74 following an incredible career spanning six decades and 100 million albums sold worldwide. The American hitmaker, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday, passed away in the evening of Thursday 20 January with his wife Deborah Gillespie by his side, according to a statement issued by his family. Meat Loaf had hits including I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), which was released in 1993 from the album Bat Out Of Hell: Back To Hell album, You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) and the near 10-minute Bat Out Of Hell which were both from his 1977 debut album.

Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation on Thursday said it has hired Illumination and DreamWorks Animation veteran Latifa Ouaou as EVP Movies and Global Franchises, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, while Eryk Casemiro has been elevated to EVP Nickelodeon Animation, Global Series Content.