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Rumours may have a mundane name, but this jet black horror comedy is one of the most insane films you will see all year – just don’t expect to understand it.

Set at the G7 summit in Dankwarderode Castle in Germany we meet the men and women who lead the most powerful countries on the planet. Assembling together to work on a provisional statement for the present crisis they eat, drink and pose for photos in the picturesque grounds of the ancient and eerie local.

Hosted by Hilda Ortmann (Cate Blanchet), the Chancellor of Germany we also meet elderly and oddly English accented Edison Wolcott (Game of Thrones and Alien 3’s Charles Dance), the President of the United States; poetic wannabe intellectual Sylvain Broulez (Inglorious Basterds Denis Ménochet), the President of France; practical and pragmatic Cardosa Dewindt (Nikki Amuka – Bird from Old and Knock on the Cabin), the Prime...

Directors Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin’s dark comedy Rumours portrays the situation of the inner workings of Western leadership in a time of crisis as a farcical satire, as comfortable played out on screen as perhaps on stage. As consistently sharp and witty as the dialogue is from its hapless leaders procrastinating over a joint statement of collective action in the middle of a German forest, it also is sobering, thought-provoking and timely in current unsettled times globally. The latter forever plays on the mind, even when presented with surreal moments that include the discovery of a giant live brain parked in the undergrowth.

The G7 leaders of Germany, France, United States, Canada, Italy, Japan and the UK – Cate Blanchett as summit host and German Chancellor Orlmann, Denis Ménochet as France’s Broulez, Charles Dance as U.S. President Wolcott (minus American accent), Roy Dupuis as Canadian premier Laplace,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for

“Rumours” the latest film from Canadian director Guy Madden (with Evan and Galen Johnson), a political satire/surrealist story about the geopolitical international G7 Conference. In select theaters since October 18th See local listings.

Set at the economic G7 conference, which is attended by the main democratic/progressive economies, including host Germany (represented by Cate Blanchett), the U.S.(Charles Dance), Canada (Roy Dupuis), France (Denis Menochet) and the other player countries of Britain, Italy and Japan. As an unnamed world crisis begins to infiltrate the talks, a weird Iron Age archeology discovery comes to life and a giant human brain with unspecific powers … both near the meeting site … also causes havoc. Is this the end of the world as we know it?

”Rumours” is in theaters since October 18th, including Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. Featuring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander,...

Great indie numbers this weekend as Anora turned out highest per-screen-average of 2024 at $90k on six screens for a $540k gross. We Live In Time, the best platform expansion of the year, grossed $4.2 million on 956 screens in week 2 for a $4.5 million cume. Newcomers Union and The Line fared well on one screen each, as did Goodrich on about 1,000.

“We’re incredibly excited about this weekend’s record-breaking results and the fantastic critical and audience response to Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning film Anora. Baker is a singular director who truly understands the power of the theatrical experience and how important it is for films to be seen in the theater,” Neon said. “With Mikey Madison in her unparalleled performance as Anora, and the film’s strong awards potential, there’s no doubt it will continue to captivate a broad audience as we move into the fall.”

The highest PSA...

Neon opens Anora, its fifth consecutive Cannes Palm d’Or winner, in limited release this weekend — the highest-profile awards contender to hit theaters this awards season in a lively specialty weekend.

Sean Baker’s comedy debuts on six screens in New York and LA. The three NYC locations will be playing select screenings in the film’s original 35mm. Presales have been solid, and Neon will add San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Toronto next week, expanding thereafter to wide release by mid-to-late November.

Anora, its ensemble cast of Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan in a comic variation of a modern Cinderella story, play well with audiences. Critics have swooned over the film with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score (see Deadline review), a similar trajectory to Neon’s 2019 Palme d’Or winner Parasite.

Baker, who also wrote the screenplay,...

Guy Maddin didn’t know he was even on Cate Blanchett‘s radar until he saw her pick his film “My Winnipeg” out of the Criterion Closet back in 2022.

“It was a manipulative move. It was a cry for help!” Blanchett joked to IndieWire (and her peers) on the rooftop of the Jw Marriott on the Cannes Croisette back in May when their debut collaboration, “Rumours,” first premiered. She was joined on that day by Maddin and his co-directors, Evan and Galen Johnson, who’ve been chugging away with the singularly absurdist Canadian auteur on short films since 2015 and the feature “The Forbidden Room” in 2016. Their latest, “Rumours,” is a satirical slice of weirdness about seven nimwit world leaders who gather at a fictional G7 conference to draft a vaguely reassuring statement about an unnamed international crisis. Blanchett plays Hilda Orlmann, the Chancellor of Germany, channeling Angela Merkel in a blond bob and European faux-steeliness.

A collaboration between writers and directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, the genre-bending dark comedy Rumours screened out of competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and now a wider audience will have the chance to watch the movie when it reaches theatres this Friday, October 18th. In anticipation of the film’s release, we were able to sit down for an interview with its star, two-time Oscar winner (and many-time Oscar nominee) Cate Blanchett, as well as the directors and Blanchett’s co-stars Denis Ménochet, Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Rolando Ravello. To find out what they had to say about the movie, check out the video embedded above!

Rumours has the following synopsis: Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft...

A specter is haunting the rules-based liberal world order: The specter of shambling, moaning, masturbating bog zombies, rising from the German countryside to terrorize the leaders of the world’s foremost democracies. There’s a giant brain in the forest, the Italian prime minister keeps pulling deli meat out of his pockets,...

The first big laugh in Rumours hits before the opening credits have even finished rolling: “The producers would like to thank the G7 leaders for their support and consultation during the making of this movie.” As political bloggers, chronic doomscrollers and any conspiracy theorist with access to the internet will tell you, the “Group of Seven” is an annual summit in which selected world-power presidents and prime ministers discuss global issues and cross-governmental solutions. The national leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and Italy have...

Given the current political state of the world, a movie about the G7 probably doesn't sound like your next must-see addition to the ever-growing watchlist. But how about a G7 movie that sees the likes of Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Alicia Vikander, and Roy Dupuis — all adopting bizarre accents — playing inept world leaders whose cosy little Summit gets upended by the discovery of a mummified corpse, some funny business with a giant brain, and more ill-advised, high-powered rumpy-pumpy than you can shake an episode of early season Game Of Thrones at? Because that's exactly what it looks like we're in for with Rumours, a genre-hopping new satire from The Green Fog filmmakers Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, and producer Ari Aster. Check out the bonkers new trailer below:

Where do you even begin to break down that trailer? It looks like a Wes Anderson joint, has the tone...

Krazy House: "When Russian workers in Bernie’s (Shawn Of The Dead’S Nick Frost) house turn out to be wanted criminals, Bernie must man up and save his wife (Alicia Silverstone) and the rest of his studio audience approved sitcom family."

The film is written and directed by Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, and stars Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Connolly, Gaite Jansen, and Walt Klink.

XYZ Films will be releasing the film on VOD on October 4th. The week prior, on September 28th, filmmaker and podcaster Kevin Smith will host a special theatrical screening of the film at his Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, with stars Nick Frost and co-director Steffen Haars in attendance.

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Rumours: "Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they...

In the opening scene of the Rumours red band trailer, an archeologist unearths an Iron Age corpse, mummified with its severed penis hanging from its neck. As the summit host and German representative Hilda Orlmann, played by Cate Blanchett, describes the bog body, the G7 leaders in attendance can’t help but wince and give distasteful stares, with one global leader calling it “gruesome.” Following the ceremony, representatives of the world’s wealthiest democracies are stranded in the woods and chased by ancient bodies in a conference gone horribly wrong.

Bleecker Street has released a new trailer for Cate Blanchett‘s political satire movie!

The 55-year-old Oscar-winning actress alongside Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Buri in the new movie Rumours written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson.

Keep reading to find out more…Here’s the movie’s synopsis: “Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies meeting up at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis. With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander, these so-called ‘leaders’ become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone.”

Rumours will be out in theaters on Oct.

"A black storm comes." Bleecker Street has revealed the full trailer for Rumours, an extra weird & wacky dark comedy about politics from the filmmakers Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. This first premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to mostly mixed reviews from critics, it burns out pretty quickly after a hilarious start. In times of global crisis, the brightest and biggest brains of the free world gather to provide leadership. The "wildly entertaining" Rumours film is an apocalyptic horror-comedy about how dumb politicians really are. The leaders of seven wealthy democracies come together during a G7 summit in Germany. But they end up getting lost in the woods when everyone else suddenly disappears and they can't where to go, facing danger as they attempt to find their way out. The ensemble cast of politicians features Cate Blanchett (Germany), Roy Dupuis (Canada), Nikki Amuka-Bird (UK), Charles Dance...

With a presidential election fast approaching in the U.S. and tensions at an all-time high, now feels like the perfect time to release a political satire with humor, drama, and the undead. Today, Bleecker Street unveiled the studio’s Rumours trailer, depicting a meeting of the minds that turns into a fight for survival in the face of genuinely bizarre circumstances.

Here’s the official synopsis for Rumours courtesy of Bleecker Street:

Richochetting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis. With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance, these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone.

Bleecker Street has released the official trailer and poster for the upcoming Rumours movie, which is a black comedy directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson. The film will open in theaters on October 18, 2024.

The Rumours movie, which was rated R for some sexual content/partial nudity and violent content, had its World Premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024.

Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance, these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone.

A genre-hopping satire of political ineptitude,...

The politicians are no help and not okay in genre-bending apocalyptic horror movie Rumours, and a new trailer highlights the satire.

Rumours releases in theaters on October 18, 2024.

About the film: “Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis. With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance, these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone. A genre-hopping satire of political ineptitude, the latest film from incomparable directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson is a journey into the absurd heart of power and institutional failure in a slowly burning world.”

The film was...

Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson’s buzzy satirical film “Rumours” is one step closer to theaters.

Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance star in the ensemble political film that centers on seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

The official synopsis reads: “These so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone.”

Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson co-write and direct. The trio reunite after helming “The Forbidden Room” in 2015, with “Rumours” being billed as a combination of “comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera” per the logline.

Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Takehiro Hira, Denis Ménochet, Rolando Ravello, and Zlatko Buric also star.

“Rumours” premiered at Cannes and will go on to screen at TIFF and NYFF.

The new trailer for Rumours dares to ask the question on everyone's lips: what if a bunch of acclaimed actors put on goofy accents to play fictional world leaders doing a real version of Model Un that got interrupted by a horde of zombified bog bodies? To add to the Mad Libs,...

She might be the greatest dramatic actress of her generation, but Cate Blanchett hasn’t scared away every comedic director. After all, “Rumours” helmers Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson sent her the script for their audacious satire.

“I think in a strange way, everything is funny,” Blanchett said during an interview at the Variety Toronto Film Festival Studio. “We are all absurd in some way, and we all think we’re the heroes and the tragedians of our own stories. Yeah. Sometimes you make decisions about what you can be involved in based on a lot of things that don’t have to necessarily do with choice. Sometimes it’s to do with whether it fits in with your kids’ holidays.”

“That’s how we got you?” Evan Johnson asked.

“Yes, I wanted to be in the forest at night for eight weeks in Budapest, and my kids were really happy about that!

The strangest thing about Guy Maddin’s Rumours, co-directed with frequent collaborators Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, might just be how relatively ordinary it feels. Eschewing the primitive style for which the Winnipeg filmmaker developed a following, as well as the nesting-doll structure of The Forbidden Room, his latest stages its genre-inflected political satire—one that’s equal parts Luis Buñuel and John Carpenter—in a surprisingly straightforward fashion. Maybe that’s because, despite still featuring a host of odd sights like a giant glowing brain in the woods, the film’s timely subject matter and heightened and portentous atmosphere reflects reality in an all too down-to-earth manner.

Rumours is set at a G7 summit, that oft-protested gathering of leaders of some of the world’s wealthiest democracies, during which they put on a show of global unity, if nothing else, given the summit’s lack of verifiable, concrete, real-life outcomes.

Political horror comedy Rumours is coming this October and a weird first trailer has been released to herald the film’s arrival.

Here’s one of the more bizarre teaser trailers we’ve seen in a while, kicking off the promotional campaign for Rumours, an upcoming political horror comedy that is set to release in October. That places the film’s launch just before the US presidential elections although whether the film is going to satirise that particular political showdown, is as yet unclear.

In fact, the whole teaser trailer is rather unclear. It’s a series non-sequiturs, the unconnected and random nature of it giving the whole thing a rather random, surreal quality. At one point a huge brain appears. What we do know is this: Rumours focuses on ‘the leaders of the seven nations comprising the G7, who meet for their annual summit but get lost in the...

The first teaser for Cate Blanchett‘s new movie has been released!

On Wednesday (August 28), Bleecker Street debuted the teaser trailer for Rumours, which the 55-year-old two-time Oscar-winning actress stars in alongside Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Buri.

Written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, the movie “centers on the leaders of the seven nations comprising the G7, who meet for their annual summit but get lost in the woods and must still draft a statement addressing a worldwide crisis,” according to THR.

That same day, Cate wowed in a champagne-colored dress as she attended the premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice held during Opening Night of the 2024 Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy.

Rumours will be out in theaters on Oct. 18.

Fyi: For the premiere, Cate is wearing a Giorgio Armani Privé dress, Jimmy Choo shoes,...

"The giant brain!!" Bleecker Street has revealed the first teaser trailer for Rumours, an extra funky dark comedy about politics from the filmmakers Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. This oriignally premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to mostly mixed to negative reviews, as it burns out pretty quickly after a hilarious start. In times of global crisis, the brightest and biggest brains of the free world gather to provide leadership. The "wildly entertaining" Rumours film is an apocalyptic horror-comedy about how dumb politicians really are. The leaders of seven wealthy democracies come together during a G7 summit in Germany. But they end up getting lost in the woods when everyone else suddenly disappears and they can't where to go, facing danger as they attempt to find their way out. The ensemble cast of politicians features Cate Blanchett (Germany), Roy Dupuis (Canada), Nikki Amuka-Bird (UK), Charles Dance...

Bleecker Street has shared a first look at the black comedy Rumours, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson. Rumours will open in theaters on October 18, 2024.

The movie, which was rated R for some sexual content/partial nudity and violent content, had its World Premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024.

Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

With unexpected, uproarious performances from a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance, these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone.

A genre-hopping satire of political ineptitude, the latest film from incomparable directors Guy Maddin,...

Bleecker Street’s Rumours teaser trailer is weird. Really weird, but in a good way.

Described as part political satire, part pulp horror comedy, Rumours‘ big-name cast includes Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Takehiro Hira. Denis Ménochet, Rolando Ravello, and Zlatko Buric also star.

“Ricocheting between comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera, Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis,” reads Bleecker Street’s synopsis. “These so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone. A genre-hopping satire of political ineptitude, the latest film from incomparable directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson is a journey into the absurd heart of power and institutional failure in a slowly burning world.

There’s a lot to think about in the teaser trailer for Rumours, which features Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and, for reasons that are not immediately clear, an oversized brain.

Bleecker Street releases filmmaker Guy Maddin’s politically themed horror-comedy movie in theaters Oct. 18, just ahead of this November’s presidential election. The film premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and co-stars Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Charles Dance, Takehiro Hira, Denis Ménochet, Rolando Ravello and Zlatko Buric.

Rumours centers on the leaders of the seven nations comprising the G7, who meet for their annual summit but get lost in the woods and must still draft a statement addressing a worldwide crisis.

The film’s first released footage does not reveal much about the plot but does tease the terror that lurks in the misty woods as the politicians assess their situation. At one point, a character succinctly exclaims,...

Cate Blanchett may only now be playing a world leader, but this international icon is already ruling 2024.

The actress leads “Rumours,” which premiered at Cannes and will go on to screen at TIFF and NYFF. The feature is the latest collaboration between Guy Maddin and brothers Evan and Galen Johnson after “The Forbidden Room” in 2015. The trio co-wrote and directed the political satire film that is billed as being a combination of “comedy, apocalyptic horror, and swooning soap opera” per the logline.

“Rumours” follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, which is hosted by Blanchett’s character, the Chancellor of Germany. The international politicians are tasked with drafting a provisional statement regarding a global crisis while at the summit; of course, things go awry.

The official synopsis teases: “These so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the...

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Bleecker Street will release the film on Friday, October 18.

A giant brain the size of a Volkswagen! Ancient bog people who explode when they masturbate! Self-effacing jokes about Canada’s place in the world! “Rumours” might abandon the silent film aesthetic that has come to define Guy Maddin’s singular brand of absurdism, but not even the complete absence of exclamatory title cards is enough to suggest that this ridiculous comedy of manners could have — or would have — been made by anybody else.

Reuniting with co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson for their first proper feature since “The Forbidden Room” in 2015, the pride of Winnipeg returns to the big screen with a movie that shakes up his style without sacrificing any of its silliness, a feat made all the more impressive by the caliber of the actors that Maddin and co.

Cannes film festival

Seven world leaders – including Charles Dance’s dozy US president – are trapped in a forest in this amusing but bizarre apocalyptic comedy

Cate Blanchett has supplied the strangest moment of this year’s Cannes film festival; for Brits of a certain age, anyway. Her character reverently invokes the name of the late Roy Jenkins, Labour grandee and former chancellor of both the exchequer and Oxford University. Blanchett plays a fictional German chancellor called Hilda Ortmann who mentions Jenkins as the first president of the European Commission allowed to attend a G7 summit Perhaps in her next film Blanchett can do a big speech about Peter Shore.

Rumours is an amusing drawing-room absurdist comedy, co-written and directed by Canadian film-maker Guy Maddin with his longtime collaborators, the brothers Evan and Galen Johnson. The title is inspired by the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, because of the emotional crises that are...

Remember the communiqué from the Rambouillet G7 conference back in 1975? Of course they do. Tramping through a wooded estate somewhere in Germany, pursued by the zombie remains of Iron Age chieftains recently exhumed from the grounds of the nearby stately home, the leaders of the world’s richest democracies recite it by heart. What could be more stirring than a well-rounded public announcement that sounds grand, but doesn’t commit anyone to doing anything? A successful joint statement is a work of art.

These leaders – the chancellor of Germany (Cate Blanchett), the prime ministers of the UK, Japan and Canada, and the presidents of the United States, Italy and France – clearly think they are masters of that art in Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson’s Rumours. Surges of orchestral music as they wave in...

World leaders at a G7 conference politely bicker, copulate in the bushes and work on wafty, content-free speeches while a worldwide apocalypse commences — politicians, they’re just like us! — in collaborating Canadian directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson’s frequently hilarious latest feature.

Although they’ve kept busy with a steady stream of shorts, the trio haven’t made a feature with actors since the fantastical The Forbidden Room from 2015. With a proper beginning, middle and end, and barely any tributes to silent cinema or interactive tricksiness, Rumours may arguably be Maddin’s most conventional film ever, or at least since The Saddest Music in the World (2003). That is, if you can call a film conventional that’s got furiously masturbating bog zombies, a giant brain the size of a hatchback, and an AI chatbot that catfishes pedophiles. All the same, it’s a hoot, even if the energy flags in the middle.

Cate Blanchett says Cannes title Rumours, a political satire surrounding a G7 summit, “isn’t trying to be an important film with a message”.

While speaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film, which is playing out of competition, the Australian actor said: “I think one feels the most mad in the present day and you try and make sense of what is happening because it is completely bewildering and absurd the situations we as a species have found ourselves in and have willingly put ourselves in.

“And so I think if you try and make too much sense of this movie,...

Depending on who you talk to, the world is either in crisis, on fire, at war and/or simply lurching toward a frankly deserved final judgment. So what can be done to save it? Why, a carefully worded provisional statement, of course, from the global leaders currently in possession of both the gas canister and the lit match, but not a surfeit of great ideas for the future. The ineffectiveness of rhetorical politics and symbolic diplomacy — best represented by the Group of Seven, the intergovernmental forum keen on expensive meetings that could have been emails — is kookily but ruthlessly skewered in “Rumours,” a wildly entertaining shaggy-dog satire that sees a stuffy G7 summit devolve into a murky, muddy and strangely isolated zombie apocalypse.

As comedy subgenres go, political satire can often veer closer to the wryly clever than the baldly hilarious. But “Rumours” — the third feature collaboration between veteran Canadian...

Cate Blanchett’s new film “Rumours” took its name from the iconic Fleetwood Mac album, it was revealed on Sunday at a Cannes Film Festival press conference.

The dark comedy, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, follows a group of world leaders who meet at the G7 — a political and economic meeting of the minds between Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — but get lost in the woods while trying to compose a joint statement. Debauchery ensues, and there are romantic connections between a few of the politicians.

“I did confirm something with Galen last night, and it’s weird that it never came up in rehearsal, which is: ‘Why the hell is this movie called Rumours?'” Blanchett said at the presser. “And my husband had said, ‘Is that after the Fleetwood Mac album?’ And you said, ‘Yes it was.

Cate Blanchett blew kisses to the Cannes Film Festival audience as her new film, “Rumours,” earned a four-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night.

The crowd welcomed the film’s dark humor, laughing throughout the entirety of the late-night screening. While some of the auditorium emptied out while the credits rolled, the majority of filmgoers waited patiently to pay their respects to the film’s stars. Blanchett’s “Rumours” co-star Alicia Vikander was notably not in attendance.

The film’s trio of directors — Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson — seemed surprised by Cannes’ relatively new tradition of handing the filmmaker(s) a microphone for post-screening remarks. They made a speech together after the applause wrapped, thanking the audience and quoting their own film by saying “it’s better to burn out than to fade away.”

The dark comedy follows a group of world leaders who meet...

The Cannes Film Festival launches auteur filmmakers, and the best among them have known scenes of triumph at the iconic French seaside festival.

But not Guy Maddin, who for all his accolades as an original and idiosyncratic auteur prized for titles like The Forbidden Room and The Saddest Music in the World, has never — until now, that is — brought a film to the Croisette.

It took Maddin and co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson casting Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander and getting the backing of executive producer Ari Aster to get their absurdist political satire Rumours to the Cannes red carpet.

“Once we got some legitimate Oscar-winning movie stars, and other movie stars that are amazing, all of a sudden Cannes cleaned its glasses off for a closer look,” Maddin tells The Hollywood Reporter of the stars aligning ahead of a May 19 world premiere at the Lumière theater. Rumours...

Exclusive: Hereditary and Midsommar director Ari Aster, an exec producer on upcoming Cannes ensemble comedy Rumours, has called the film “stoopid and hilarious and wonderful” as the production reveals an official first look.

Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander star with Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira and Zlatko Burić star in the movie that follows seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

Some sites have been reporting the provisional statement is about the climate crisis, which we hear is inaccurate.

The intriguing official first image (above) shows Roy Dupuis as the Prime Minister of Canada and Alicia Vikander as the President of the European Commission. The other roles are being kept under wraps.

Cate Blanchett is taking on the U.N. by way of Hillary Clinton meets Margaret Thatcher garb in a first look at upcoming comedy “Rumours.”

The film is written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, with Bleecker Street distributing. While no release date has been announced yet, the feature is expected to be released in 2024, and debuted first look footage as part of Bleecker Street’s 10-year anniversary reel.

Oscar winner Blanchett co-stars alongside fellow Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Burić. “Rumours” follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

Ari Aster executive produces through his and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg production company,...

Alicia Vikander has landed on her next role, and it’s a comedy starring Cate Blanchett!

The 35-year-old Firebrand actress will share the screen with the 54-year-old Tar star in Rumours.

The comedy focuses on the leaders of the world’s richest democracies, who wind up wandering the woods after joining forces for a G7 summit.

Keep reading to find out more…

Deadline announced Alicia‘s casting. Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson are writing and directing the project.

Rumours also stars Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Menochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira and Zlatko Buric.

We will update you as we learn more about the project in the coming months!

If you missed it, Alicia revealed something “wonderfully terrifying” that costar Jude Law did while they worked together on Firebrand.

Meanwhile, Cate explained that she is “always trying to get out of acting” during a conversation last year.

Bleecker Street has landed U.S. rights to Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin’s ensemble comedy Rumours starring Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander.

Maddin wrote and directed the feature with longtime collaborators Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, with the project recently having wrapped filming in Hungary. Bleecker Street is eyeing a theatrical release later this year for the indie project that co-stars Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira and Zlatko Burić.

Rumours centers on the leaders of the seven nations comprising G7, who meet for their annual summit but get lost in the woods and must still draft a statement addressing a worldwide crisis.

Serving as producers are Liz Jarvis for Buffalo Gal Pictures, Philipp Kreuzer for Maze Pictures and Lars Knudsen for Square Peg. Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy negotiated the deal for Bleecker Street, while CAA Media Finance represented the filmmakers.

Rumours marks...

Exclusive: Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) has been set to star opposite Cate Blanchett in Rumours, a comedy from writer-directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson (The Green Fog), which Bleecker Street has snapped up for release in U.S. theaters this year.

The film follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit after they become lost in the woods and face increasing peril while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

Also featuring in a top role in the pic, which recently wrapped production in Hungary, is Genie Award winner Roy Dupuis (Shake Hands with the Devil). Additional cast includes Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Knock at the Cabin), Rolando Ravello (Perfect Strangers), Takehiro Hira (Gran Turismo), and Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness).

Hailing from Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg,...

Protagonist handles international sales.

Bleecker Street has acquired the ensemble comedy Rumours featuring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Roy Dupuis.

Canadian auteur Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson co-wrote and co-directed, recently wrapping production in Hungary.

Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, and Zlatko Burić round out the cast on the story of the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies at the annual G7 summit who become lost in the woods while attempting to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis.

Bleecker Street is planning a 2024 theatrical release after Kent Sanderson...

"Golfing in the winter? The rich don't give a sh*t about the laws of nature." Brainsss!! Available to stream on Screambox now is this Quebecois zombie comedy titled Brain Freeze, which played on opening night at this year's Fantasia Film Festival up in Montreal. If you're in the mood for some zombies this Halloween season, this is an option! It looks better than expected. A fertilizer used in a rich gated community becomes the source of a mutation that turns residents into zombies. Can a teen & his baby sister break free from the quarantined island before turning into grass? Reviews from Fantasia say the film "thaws out zombie formula with smart commentary and humor." Meagan Navarro writes that it wields "its satire in an engaging way that keeps this zombie comedy moving along at a quick and entertaining pace." Starring Iani Bédard, Roy Dupuis, Marianne Fortier, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, & Claudia Ferri.

Stars: Iani Bédard, Roy Dupuis, Marianne Fortier, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, Claudia Ferri | Written and Directed by Julien Knafo

The affluent residents of Peacock Island want the ability to golf year-round. Their wish gets granted in the form of a new fertilizer that will grow grass even in the iciest conditions, but they soon realise all-year round golfing comes at a cost…the experimental fertilizer makes its way into the water supply, contaminating the population and leading to a spine-chilling zombie outbreak. Before his eyes, 13 year-old André sees the outbreak of a devastating epidemic that makes him an orphan. Horrified, he must fight for his survival and that of his one-year-old sister when he meets security guard Dan on a perilous journey to safety in the Golf Club chalet.

When people think zombie horror comedy these days they’ll undoubtedly think of the now-classic Brit rom-com Shaun of the Dead. But where...

The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to announce the first wave of programming for its upcoming 25th edition, set again to take place as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada. The festival will run from August 5 – 25, 2021 and will include scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops, with films once again hosted on the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72. As the summer approaches, Fantasia organizers will be following advice from local health authorities in Montreal with respect to the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events as well. In celebration of the key role that Japan’s culture has played across Fantasia’s history, the festival’s 25th edition will be featuring an enhanced focus on Japanese cinema.

Following the earlier news of the festival’s opening film, the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s Quebec-set zomcom Brain Freeze starring Roy Dupuis and Iani Bédard,...

One of my favorite festivals is back with a virtual event taking place this August! The Fantasia International Film Festival has announced its first wave of programming, which includes a diverse slate of features and a special focus on Japanese cinema:

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 // Montreal, Quebec -- The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to announce the first wave of programming for its upcoming 25th edition, set again to take place as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada. The festival will run from August 5 - 25, 2021 and will include scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops, with films once again hosted on the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72. As the summer approaches, Fantasia organizers will be following advice from local health authorities in Montreal with respect to the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events as well. In celebration of the key role that Japan...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a

dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features, a quarter of which were World Premieres, with the majority securing distribution out of the festival, with highlights including “The Block Island Sound” selling to Netflix, “Come True” to IFC, “The Paper Tigers” to WellGo USA,...

Brain Freeze Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

As it gears up for its 25th edition and its second to be held wholly or predominantly online, Montreal-based genre celebration Fantasia has announced its opening film. Julien Knafo’s Québécois zomcom Brain Freeze delivers biting social satire as it depicts an epidemic in which corporate greed puts the vulnerable at risk and the privileged get a shock when zombies break into a gated community. Shot in stages around lockdown, it stars Roy Dupuis, Iani Bédard and Marianne Fortier.

Fantasia 2021 poster Photo: Donald Caron

Like last year, the festival team plan to bring their Canadian audience a collection of online screenings ranging from horror and science fiction films to fantasy and animé. There will also be online premieres, panels, and workshops, informed by and expanding on the 2020 experience. If local authorities deem it safe, some physical screenings may be added to the line-up.

Taking place this August as a virtual event for viewers in Canada, the 25th annual Fantasia International Film Festival will open with the world premiere of the zombie comedy Brain Freeze:

Press Release: Thursday, April 8, 2021 // Montreal, Quebec -- The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features,...