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While there’s a few more fall film festivals popping up in the next month, the major ones are behind us, which means we have a strong sense of the films to have on your radar in the coming months and even through 2025. We’ve asked our writers from across the globe to weigh in on their favorite world premieres from Locarno Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival.

Our coverage will continue with a few more reviews this week, and far beyond as we provide updates on the journey of these selections, so continue to explore all of our festival coverage here. In the meantime, check out top picks from our writers below and return soon for our extensive year-end coverage.

Soham Gadre (@SohamGadre)

1. April (Dea Kulumbegashvili)

2 and 3. Youth (Homecoming and Hard Times) (Wang Bing...

by Cláudio Alves

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes.

Much of the period leading up to this year's Cannes Film Festival was consumed with news of Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. Always outspoken against an oppressive regime, his career has been dedicated to political art commenting on present injustices through the prism of fiction. For this, he has been arrested multiple times, and his latest feature, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, proved too much for the Iranian authorities. Police hounded many people involved with the production, Cannes organizers were pressured to drop the official competition title, and Rasoulof himself was put behind bars, convicted to eight years in prison and an additional filmmaking ban. Thankfully, before celebrations started at the Croisette, the cineaste managed an escape to a safe house in Germany, the same country that now takes Sacred Fig to the Oscars as its official submission.

“I’m still a mother to the depths of my soul. Not according to your values, but mine,” spats Maryam, the conflicted protagonist of “Seven Days,” Ali Samadi Ahadi‘s latest feature. “Seven Days” made its world premiere as a Centrepiece film at Toronto International Film Festival as one of two Mohammad Rassoulof-written films this year.

Seven Days screened at Toronto International Film Festival

Like many social realist Iranian films, Ali Samadi Ahadi’s “Seven Days” is perplexing. Tehran-based women’s rights activist Maryam (Vishka Asayesh) is granted a seven-day medical leave from her six-year prison sentence. Maryam’s brother (Sina Parvaneh) and husband Behnam (Majid Bakhtiari) have other plans for her, however. They roll out an intrepid scheme to smuggle her out of the country so she can join her husband and two children in Germany, thus making her brief reprieve from prison permanent.

At first, Maryam chafes against the idea.

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Andres Veiel’s documentary “Riefenstahl,” which challenges the carefully crafted public persona of one of Germany’s most controversial directors, is one of 17 German films playing in the various sections of the Venice Film Festival.

A deep dive into Leni Riefenstahl’s previously inaccessible archive, the 160-minute film lifts the lid on secrets the director of the 1935 Nuremberg propaganda film “Triumph of the Will” struggled more than half her life to keep hidden.

Veiel was brought onboard to direct by producer Sandra Maischberger of Berlin’s Vincent Films, who had gained unfettered access to Riefenstahl’s archive after the death of her longtime companion and husband Horst Kette in 2016.

“For me, it is the right festival for the film,” Veiel tells Variety. “The political situation in German and Italy is similar — with the rise of the right-wing, and a longing for propaganda and fake news. For a debate about the film,...

Andres Veiel’s documentary “Riefenstahl,” which challenges the carefully crafted public persona of one of Germany’s most controversial directors, who was forever tainted by working with the Nazis, is one of 17 German films playing in the various sections of the Venice Film Festival.

A deep dive into Leni Reifenstahl’s previously inaccessible archive, the 160-minute film lifts the lid on secrets the director of the 1935 Nuremberg propaganda film “Triumph of the Will” struggled more than half her life to keep hidden.

Veiel, who was brought onboard to direct by producer Sandra Maischberger of Berlin’s Vincent Films – who had gained unfettered access to Riefenstahl’s archive after the death of her longtime companion and husband Horst Kette in 2016 – is untroubled by the film’s out-of-competition berth as he believes the festival is the right venue for its first showing.

“For me, it is the right festival for the film,...

Binge’s record-setting drama series Strife has begun shooting its second season.

The Asher Keddie-starring show became Australian streamer Binge’s biggest original series premiere last year, prompting execs to set up a writers’ room for Season 2, as we revealed in January. Production is now underway in Sydney.

The comedic drama follows Evelyn Jones (Keddie), a modern, imperfect woman and publisher, on her journey from lounge room blogger to becoming a force in women’s media. It was inspired by Australian media personality and journalist Mia Freedman’s memoir Work, Strife, Balance, and is written by Australian screenwriter Sarah Scheller (The Letdown).

In Season 2, Evelyn’s empire is threatened by the arrival of a new women’s website and a troll who calls out her hypocrisy and privilege, making her double guess her instincts when she needs to be on her A game. Her company moves to new offices and ventures into podcasting,...

The 49th edition of the Toronto Film Festival continues to announce more movies, with the festival on Tuesday unveiled its 2024 Centrepiece lineup that features 43 titles from filmmakers representing 41 countries. TIFF runs September 5-15 under its new sponsorship with Rogers.

In total, the list includes 18 world premieres from Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain and the U.S..

The section is a reflection of TIFF’s spirit of providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work from influential filmmakers.

Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who made it to Cannes this past year with The Seed of the Sacred Fig after fleeing his home country, is at TIFF with not one but two movies. He’ll have The Seed of the Sacred Fig, but also a title he wrote,...

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the 43 features selection for the Centrepiece programme including world premieres for Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s feuding matriarchs comedy Front Row and Laura Piani’s romantic comedy Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Taking their place in the global cinema showcase alongside the latest work from 41 countries are features that have already impressed at festivals, such as Mohammad Rasoulof’s Cannes award winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, and Steven Soderbergh’s Sundance selection Presence.

The 18 world premieres include Iranian filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi’s human rights drama Seven Days written by Rasoulof,...

A drama about an Iranian human rights activist and a documentary about the hacking of queer indie pop duo Tegan and Sara are among the films that have been added to the lineup of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which unveiled its Centrepiece section on Tuesday to kick off a second week of programming announcements.

The 43 films come from filmmakers representing 41 countries, with 18 of the titles receiving their world premieres at TIFF. Those premieres include “Seven Days,” a film about an imprisoned Iranian activist directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and written by Mohammad Rasoulof, a filmmaker who was himself sentenced to flogging and prison by Iranian authorities; “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” a romantic comedy from French writer-director Laura Piani; “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos,” a debut from the Nigerian filmmaking group known as the Agbajowo Collective; and Erin Lee Carr’s “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara,...

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has revealed its Centrepiece program lineup, with 43 films from 41 countries. The selections include 18 world premieres plus an array of festival favorites and winners from Cannes (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig“), Sundance (“Presence“), and more recently the 2024 Venice Film Festival (“April”). This year’s festival runs Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 15.

Per TIFF, Centrepiece honors “and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”

The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner.

Per the festival, “Notable world premieres include ‘Front Row,...

Steven Soderbergh’s spooky ghost story Presence — starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and newcomer Callina Liang — will receive its international premiere as part of the Centerpiece sidebar at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

Soderbergh first screened Presence at Sundance earlier this year, some 35 years after the debut of his breakout film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, in Park City. In all, TIFF’s Centerpiece section, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, unveiled 43 films from 41 countries on Tuesday.

There’s world premieres for Marcelle Lunam’s rom com Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie; Erin Lee Carr’s documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, a Hulu title about the Canadian pop duo falling victim to identity theft; French director Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, with a Frederick Wiseman cameo; Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, written by actor Derah Campbell; and Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s Front Row,...

Alan Scarfe, best known for the films Lethal Weapon 3 and Double Impact, has died at 77. Scarfe died on April 28 from colon cancer at his home in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, according to a recent obituary.

Born in England, Scarfe’s family moved to Canada. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1964 to 1966, and then went on to appear in more than 100 roles in stage productions.

Scarfe made his film debut in 1963’s The Bitter Ash. Besides his film roles, he also appeared in the TV series Seven Days and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Scarfe received the Vancouver Film Critics Circle honorary award for lifetime achievement during his career.

He was married to actress Barbara (née March) for 40 years before her death in 2019. He is survived by daughter Tosia and son-in-law Austin, who acted as his caregivers in his later years. He is also survived by his brother,...

British-Canadian actor Alan Scarfe, who is best known for his work in Seven Days and Double Impact, has died. The performer was 77 years old. News of Scarfe’s death has become public months after he died on April 28, 2024. In an announcement from Scarfe’s family, it was revealed that the actor died from colon cancer at his home in Longueuil, Quebec. As mentioned, above, he was best known for his role as Dr. Bradley Talmadge on Upn’s former sci-fi series Seven Days which ran for three seasons between 1998 and 2001. The Bay Boy (Credit: Orion Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection) Originally born in England, Scarfe was raised in Vancouver. Scarfe leaves behind several family members, including his actor son, Jonathan Scarfe who is known for shows like Van Helsing and The 100. In addition to his role on Seven Days, Scarfe’s television credits were numerous as he featured in titles...

Alan Scarfe, the classically trained British Canadian actor known for his turns as bad guys in Double Impact and Lethal Weapon III and as Dr. Bradley Talmadge on the Upn sci-fi series Seven Days, has died. He was 77.

Scarfe died April 28 of colon cancer at his home in Longueuil, Quebec, his family announced.

Survivors include his son, actor Jonathan Scarfe (ER, Raising the Bar, Hell on Wheels, Van Helsing).

Born in England and raised in Vancouver, Scarfe portrayed the Romulans Tokath and Admiral Mendak on episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991 and 1993 and was another alien, the powerful Magistrate Augris, on a 1995 installment of Star Trek: Voyager.

“Science fiction on film and television, especially if you are playing some kind of alien character with fantastic make-up, is great for actors with a strong stage background,” he said in a 2007 interview. “The productions need that kind of size and intensity of performance.

At the 27th Academy Awards, Oscar helped Edmond O’Brien win an Oscar.

O’Brien played sleazy show biz publicist Oscar Muldoon in 1954’s “The Barefoot Contessa,” which starred Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. Bogart had been crowned Best Actor of 1951 for “The African Queen,” and had also contended for the same award for 1943’s Best Picture, “Casablanca.” Gardner was coming off of her first and only nomination, for Best Actress in 1953’s “Mogambo.” “The Barefoot Contessa” was written and directed by Academy favorite Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who had won back-to-back Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for 1949’s “A Letter to Three Wives” and 1950’s Best Picture, “All About Eve.”

”The Barefoot Contessa” didn’t fare quite as well at the Oscars as “Letter” or “Eve.” Neither Bogart or Gardner received nominations, though Bogart was cited for his role in that same year’s Best Picture entry “The Caine Mutiny.

In the wake of last year’s World Premiere at FrightFest 2023, single take thriller Failure! has been acquired for North American distribution by Red Water Entertainment, Variety reports.

“The film will be released in the first quarter of 2025,” the report notes.

Director Alex Kahuam‘s psychological thriller is presented in three acts…

Shot in one unbroken 87-minute take, Failure! follows James who has a big debt with the bank and is given one hour to choose between financial ruin or murder in order to protect his family. As the hour progresses he finds his home and phone invaded by multiple characters pulling him in different directions, gradually adding to his distress and his unravelling. But who is real and who isn’t?

The film also stars Merrick McCartha (Senior Year), Melissa Diaz (Ruthless), John Paul Medrano (Seven Days) and Daniel Kuhlman (Voodoo MacBeth) and Noel Douglas Orput.

Kahuam and Raimi produced Failure!

Red Water Entertainment has snapped up North American distribution rights to the single take thriller “Failure!” led by Ted Raimi (“The Quarry”).

This Mexico-u.S. co-production, shot in an unbroken 87-minute take, follows business tycoon James (Raimi) as he faces a crushing bank debt deadline. With time running out, he contends with treacherous associates, deceitful friends and haunting pasts, and is forced to choose between financial collapse or murder.

Directed by Alex Kahuam (“Forgiveness”), “Failure!” is believed to be the first time a Mexican filmmaker has made a feature film without cuts in the U.S.

The cast also includes Merrick McCartha (“Senior Year”), Melissa Diaz (“Ruthless”), John Paul Medrano (“Seven Days”), Daniel Kuhlman (“Voodoo Macbeth”) and Noel Douglas Orput.

The film gained a boost after bowing at the inaugural Fantastic Pavilion Galas, the Cannes Film Festival market’s genre showcase that was introduced in 2023. It has since screened at Frightfest,...

By 2001, "Star Trek" had — for better or for worse — fallen into a groove. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" launched in 1987 and took place almost a century after the events of the original series. It was bold new ground to cover for the then-20-year-old franchise, and the universe of the 24th century had to be built from the ground up. Over the next few years, "Next Generation" established how strong and dynamic a series it was, clearly distinguishing itself from its forebear. Indeed, "Next Generation" became so popular that when "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" debuted in 1993, it took place within the same time frame.

Then, keeping the ball rolling, the 1995 series "Star Trek: Voyager," continued directly in the same timeline, running concurrently with "Deep Space Nine" (albeit in an entirely different part of the galaxy). The continuation of the same NextGen timeline into "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" only...

Special is the opportunity to speak with one of our great living filmmakers; doubly rare is a chance to do so as their latest project premieres on YouTube. Participating with the murderer’s row Film Fest Gent compiled for their 50th-anniversary series––Paul Schrader, Bi Gan, Jia Zhangke, Radu Jude, Helena Wittmann, Naomi Kawase, and João Pedro Rodrigues, to note a handful––Terence Davies has directed Passing Time, a three-minute view of Essex scored by Florencia Di Concilio’s stirring composition and anchored by his reading of a self-penned poem.

Speaking over email, Davies and I had an exchange on the project that, however brief, proves a skeleton-key-of-sorts to his modus operandi: how actors should work, what poetry conveys on-paper and read-aloud, why Essex of all places to capture this music. Therein is also an unfortunate detail about a long-developing project but embers of hope for something new.

Special thanks...

G Flip’s whole world revolves around drumming. Even in conversation, they can’t go more than a few sentences without imitating the instrument they fell in love with as a child, making constant percussive, onomatopoeic sounds. “Some songs actually came from me just playing drums and singing over it, like… Do do doo ka ba-do do doo kah,” G Flip says over iced coffee at a Studio City coffee shop in late June.

They describe their music by flailing their tattooed arms as if an imaginary drum set is...

UK-French sales agent, distribution and production company Alief has announced that the Ted Raimi led psychological thriller, Failure!, will have its World Premiere at FrightFest on August 28th 2023. Alief picked up worldwide rights at the Cannes Film Festival in May after Failure! made its debut at the Fantastic Pavillion. To mark the occasion, a teaser trailer and poster has been released. Failure! follows James who has a big debt with the bank and is given one hour to choose between financial ruin or murder in order to protect his family. As the hour progresses he finds his home and phone invaded by multiple characters pulling him in different directions, gradually adding to his distress and his unravelling. But who is real and who isn’t? As well as Raimi, the film also stars Merrick McCartha (Senior Year), Melissa Diaz (Ruthless), John Paul Medrano (Seven Days) and Daniel Kuhlman (Voodoo MacBeth) and Noel Douglas Orput.

The sales, distribution, and production company Alief picked up the worldwide rights to the psychological thriller Failure!, starring Ted Raimi, at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and now they have announced that the film is going to have its world premiere at the FrightFest film festival in London on August 28th! In anticipation of the premiere, a teaser trailer for Failure! has been unveiled and can be seen in the embed above.

Directed by Alex Kahuam (Forgiveness), Failure! was shot in a single 87 minute take. Within that single take we follow James (Raimi), who has a big debt with the bank and is given one hour to choose between financial ruin or murder in order to protect his family. As the hour progresses he finds his home and phone invaded by multiple characters pulling him in different directions, gradually adding to his distress and his unravelling. But who...

We recently spoke to Ted Raimi about the upcoming thriller feature Failure! here on Bloody Disgusting, an ambitious single take project you can read all about right here.

The psychological thriller will World Premiere at FrightFest 2023, Bloody Disgusting has learned this morning, and the official teaser trailer for Failure! has also arrived.

K-French sales agent, distribution and production company Alief has announced that the Ted Raimi led psychological thriller will have its World Premiere at FrightFest on August 28. Alief picked up worldwide rights at the Cannes Film Festival in May after Failure! made its debut at the Fantastic Pavillion.

Failure! follows James who has a big debt with the bank and is given one hour to choose between financial ruin or murder in order to protect his family. As the hour progresses he finds his home and phone invaded by multiple characters pulling him in different directions, gradually adding to his distress and his unravelling.

Tennis Coverage

Coverage of the iconic Wimbledon tennis tournament has led to record-breaking numbers for U.K. broadcaster BBC. There were 54.3 million streams of the BBC’s coverage on streamer iPlayer and BBC Sport online during the two-week long competition – up from 53.8 million in 2022. On BBC One, there was a peak audience of 11.3 million to watch Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz beat Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in five sets in the men’s singles finals, the highest since the U.K.’s Andy Murray won in 2016. The match was also streamed live 4.1 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online, an increase of 58% from 2022.

During the women’s singles final, where Czech player Markéta Vondroušová triumphed over Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, there was a peak audience of 4.5 million on BBC One – an increase from 2022’s 3.1 million. The match was streamed 1.3 million times on BBC iPlayer, an 85% increase from 2022. Across the tournament,...

Is there a formula to hip-hop greatness, or does it just have to be in your DNA? For Prem Pratel, a 12-year-old math genius who learns his recently deceased dad was a famous rapper, both answers can be true. So unfolds “World’s Best,” coming to Disney+ this Friday, June 23, 2023. Written by Utkarsh Ambudkar and Jamie King and directed by Roshan Sethi, the new musical hip-hop comedy adventure stars Manny Magnus in the starring role of Prem as he sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar, fueled by his late dad’s “the world’s best never rest” attitude. “World’s Best” will be available to stream on Disney+ on Friday, June 23. You can watch World's Best with a subscription to Disney+.

How to Watch ‘World's Best’ When: Friday, June 23, 2023 Where: Disney+ Stream: Watch with a subscription to Disney+. Sign Up Now$7.99+ / month disneyplus.com

Get Disney+, Hulu,...

Chernin Entertainment has landed the rights to the latest novel from Matthew Quirk, the author behind the book that was adapted into popular Netflix series The Night Agent.

Inside Threat, which was published this week by William Morrow, takes place after an attack on the White House, and as the synopsis for the book reads: “The President and his top aides take shelter in a top-secret government facility buried deep underground—but they soon discover the threat is locked inside with them.”

Said Quirk, “It’s my go at a Die Hard or Seven Days in May plot with an Agatha Christie-style locked room mystery thrown in. I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with everyone at Chernin Entertainment and can’t wait to see these characters on the big screen.”

The Netflix adaptation of The Night Agent, which stars Gabriel Basso and Hong Chau, has proven popular on the streamer,...

South Korean actor Park Ji-hoon is onto his next on-screen character with Fantasy Sonata. The actor made headlines thanks to his outstanding role in the K-drama Weak Hero Class 1. He astounded fans as he brought to life the webtoon character Si-eun to utter perfection in the bullying K-drama. Fans hope Park will do it again, as he is reported to star as the lead in Fantasy Sonata.

Park Ji-hoon in talks for webtoon K-drama ‘Fantasy Sonata.’ | via Wavve Park Ji-hoon will play a double persona role for ‘Fantasy Sonata’

Fans have had their eye on Park and his next K-drama role. The actor and singer were reportedly offered the leading male role for Fantasy Sonata. Based on a webtoon of the same name by Ban Ji-woon, the storyline takes place in a historical time period. The fun twist to the K-drama is Park’s character if he chooses to take on the K-drama.

A&m/UMe celebrates the 30th-anniversary of Sting’s fourth solo album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, with a digital-only Expanded Edition released today. Originally released on March 1, 1993, the album title is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek mashup of the artist’s given surname, Sumner, and a character in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 15th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales, the summoner.

The 27-track Expanded Edition features the original 12-song Ten Summoner’s Tales album plus 15 bonus tracks consisting of B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and live performances (complete track listing included below). Eleven of these 15 bonus tracks were previously unavailable for digital download or streaming. Mixed by 4-time Grammy Award winning Robert “Hitmixer” Orton, the album is also available in Dolby Atmos. Listen to or purchase Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales – Expanded Edition Here.

Pivoting from the deeply personal sense of loss that permeated Sting’s platinum solo album The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner...

Welcome to IndieWire’s Seven Days of Scream Queens! October is flying by faster than Mary Sanderson on a vacuum cleaner, so we’re taking a batty beat to honor the impact women and queer people have had on the horror genre since its inception.

“Scream queen” is a maddeningly nebulous term with simple enough origins. The phrase was popularized among casting directors after the iconic performance of Fay Wray in 1933’s “King Kong” and would be used for decades to describe genre actresses from Janet Leigh in 1960’s “Psycho” to her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in 1978’s “Halloween” and beyond. These days it’s tossed around with some frequency, used interchangeably — and incorrectly — with the term “final girl”: the last character (most often played by women but they can be of any gender expression!) alive in a slasher movie.

Scream queens, it seems to us, are more than that.

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Kinetic Content has landed the rights to Grady Hendrix’s forthcoming sci-fi comedic novella BadAsstronauts to develop as a half-hour television series, with Aperture Entertainment.

Described as The Right Stuff meets King of the Hill, BadAsstronauts is about ordinary Americans trying to accomplish an extraordinary, and very stupid, and also extremely dangerous task: launching a manned backyard rocket into space to rescue their abandoned friend.

Hendrix and Aperture Entertainment Founder Adam Goldworm will executive produce the series adaptation with Kinetic Content CEO Chris Coelen and President and Partner Melissa Myers.

The book’s official logline reads in part: “Melville, South Carolina was out of money, it was out of jobs, it was out of hope, and today it was out of astronauts. There were only two to begin with, and now one is stuck on the abandoned International Space Station after his mission went south.

“Cruella” (Disney),” “Dune” (Warner Bros.), and “Coming 2 America” (Amazon Prime) were the big film winners Wednesday night at the 24th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. “Cruella” designer and two-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan won for period; Denis Villeneuve’s epic “Dune” took sci-fi honors for costume designers Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan; and Oscar winner Ruth Carter (“Black Panther”) earned the contemporary prize for “Coming 2 America.”

Held at the The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, the annual awards celebrated the best in film, TV, and short-form costume design in eight categories that spanned fantasy, contemporary, and period works. Show hosts were actors Andrew Rannells (“The Prom”) and Casey Wilson (“The Shrink Next Door”).

Wednesday’s wins clearly puts “Cruella” in the Oscar driver’s seat after beating the other three period Oscar nominees — “Cyrano,” “Nightmare Alley,” and “West Side Story.” That leaves “Dune” as the other Oscar contender,...

Dune, Cruella and Coming 2 America went home with the film prizes at the 24th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards, which were handed out tonight in Santa Monica. Check out the winners list below.

Disney’s Cruella, set in punk-era ’70s London, took the first award of the night, with Jenny Beavan winning for Excellence in Period Film. Jacqueline West & Robert Morgan later picked up the Sci-Fi/Fantasy statuette for Warner Bros’ epic Dune.

Ruth E. Carter — who in 2019 became the first Black woman to win the Costume Design Oscar — won the Contemporary Film prize for Amazon Studios’ Coming 2 America. She will be a presenter at the Academy Awards this month.

The Art Of Craft: Ruth E. Carter Talks ‘Coming 2 America’ & ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ Costume Concepts

On the TV side, Sharon Long won Excellence in Period Television for Hulu’s The Great, and the Sci-Fi/Fantasy trophy went...

“Dune”, “Coming 2 America” and “Cruella” were the film winners at the 2022 Costume Designers Guild Awards on Wednesday night.

Back in person after the pandemic, the awards recognized excellence in film, TV and short-form costume design and were hosted by Andrew Rannells and Casey Wilson.

Costume Designers Guild president Salvador Perez discussed the role the awards and the guild played in the pandemic, saying, “As a community, we have survived a life-changing pandemic industry and been on the brink of work stoppage.”

Perez also called for “pay equity now.” This has been an ongoing plea from Perez and the costume designers who fight for pay equity. He said, costume designers, are “historically underpaid for too long. It’s about costume designers in the costume department being valued as a major asset to the industry and compensated accordingly.”

He noted the Costume designers guild will soon be launching a social media...

“Dune,” “Cruella” and “Coming 2 America” have been named the best-dressed films of 2021 at the 24th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards, which took place on Wednesday night in Santa Monica.

“Cruella” won the award for Excellence in Period Film, the Cdga category that most closely corresponds to the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Other contenders in that category included three of its fellow Oscar nominees: “Cyrano,” “Nightmare Alley” and “West Side Story.”

“Dune,” which is also an Oscar nominee for its costumes, won the award in the Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film category, while “Coming 2 America” won for Excellence in Contemporary Film.

In the 16 years since the guild began using its current categories, one of the Cdga winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design nine times, including last year with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The Oscar winner comes most often from the Cdga’s period category,...

“Dune” (Warner Bros.), “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight), and “No Time to Die” (MGM/UA) were the big film winners Saturday at the 26th Art Directors Guild Awards (held at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown).

Denis Villeneuve’s epic “Dune” took sci-fi honors, Guillermo del Toro’s noirish “Nightmare Alley” won for period, and Cary Fukanaga’s “No Time to Die” (which closed out Daniel Craig’s James Bond saga), earned the contemporary prize. Additionally, “Encanto,” the Oscar favorite from Disney, grabbed the animated feature award.

Meanwhile, “Squid Game” (Netflix), “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX), and Marvel’s “Loki” and “WandaVision” from Disney+ won the major TV prizes.

In terms of an Oscar predictor, the production design race now comes down to “Dune” and “Nightmare Alley.” “No Time to Die” is not in contention, but the other nominees are “West Side Story” (20th Century), “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix...

If you’re an American who’s just dying to know how to watch “Australian Survivor: Blood V Water” to see Sandra Diaz-Twine return to the game that made her a household name, you’re in luck. You will be able to stream it each week on Paramount+ starting January 31. Plans start at $4.99/month and you can cancel anytime. Aussie viewers can watch the reality TV show on Network 10 and 10play on demand. Host Jonathan Lapaglia recently confirmed the news on social media.

The Players….nice and clean….before we destroy them on Blood v Water #SurvivorAU starts Jan 31 on 10, 10play and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/tPLYNDEnwn

— Jonathan Lapaglia (@JLa_Paglia) January 23, 2022

SEESandra Diaz-Twine: ‘I’m going to be so nasty’ if my daughter gets voted out of ‘Australian Survivor’

Lapaglia has filled the Jeff Probst role as the host down under since 2016, when Network 10 officially revived the competition.

The Costume Designers Guild has announced nominations for the 24th Costume Designers Guild Awards, with “Dune,” “West Side Story,” “Cruella,” “House of Gucci” and “Nightmare Alley” among those landing nominations.

The designers behind “Dune,” “The Green Knight,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Suicide Squad” will vie for the Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film nod.

Costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who made Oscar history with her “Black Panther” win in 2019, received a nod for her work on “Coming 2 America.”

Other designers to receive guild nominations were Jenny Beavan for “Cruella,” Janty Yates for “House of Gucci,” “Nightmare Alley’s” Luis Sequeira and Paul Tazewell for “West Side Story.” While overlooked for her work on “Spencer,” Jacqueline Durran was nominated along with Massimo Cantini Parrini for “Cyrano.”

“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been reminded how important costume design is,...

The Art Directors Guild has announced nominations for the 26th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos and animation features, with nominees in the top categories including Licorice Pizza, Cruella, Dune, In The Heights, The White Lotus and Encanto.

Winners will be announced at the Adg Awards ceremony, which returns to a live-in person event at the InterContinental Hotel Los Angeles Downtown Hotel on Saturday, March 5. Today’s announcement was made by Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producer Michael Allen Glover, Adg.

As previously announced, director Denis Villeneuve (Dune) will receive the William Cameron Menzies Award. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) will receive the Cinematic Imagery Award. The Adg Awards honor excellence in Production Design in theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos and animated feature films.

The producer of the 2022 Adg Awards is Art Director Michael Allen Glover,...

“The French Dispatch,” “Nightmare Alley,” “West Side Story,” “Dune,” “The Green Knight” and “Don’t Look Up” are among the feature-film nominees for the 26th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, which are given out by the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800).

Kicking off a four-day period in which 10 different Hollywood guilds and societies will announce their nominations, the Adg honorees were announced by guild president Nelson Coates and Adg Awards producer Michael Allen Glover.

In the period-film category, the Adg category that most closely matches the Oscar for Best Production Design, the nominees were “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “West Side Story.”

In the fantasy category, nominations went to “Cruella,” “Dune,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “The Green Knight” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

And in the contemporary category, the nominees were “Candyman,” “Don’t Look Up,” “In the Heights,” “The Lost Daughter” and “No Time to Die.

Australia’s Network 10 has announced that the “Australian Survivor: Blood V Water” premiere date will take place on January 31, 2022. This season has more buzz than ever before because it notably features America’s two-time champ Sandra Diaz-Twine as one of the 24 contestants. Here’s everything to know so far about the upcoming season of “Australian Survivor: Blood V Water,” including the cast list and the trailer. Bookmark this page as we’ll be updating when new information is revealed.

Video trailer

In December 2021, Network 10 released an extended preview featuring host Jonathan Lapaglia and several of the season’s castaways (watch below). “‘Survivor’ has always been an individual game,” teased Australia’s version of Jeff Probst. “But this season? That’s all about to change.” Grab the popcorn and watch the two-minute sneak peek right now.

See ‘Australian Survivor’ contestant Sandra Diaz-Twine warns castaways to ‘look out’ for her ‘secret...

Emerson Coleman, the head of programming at Hearst Television and a longtime fixture in broadcasting circles, plans to cap a 32-year run at the company by retiring next summer.

Currently serving as SVP of programming, Coleman has overseen the company’s program development and acquisitions for more than two decades. Among the notable shows he has nurtured is the nationally syndicated public affairs program Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.

Hearst Television, a division of the privately held Hearst Corp., owns and operates 33 television and two radio stations in 26 markets across 39 states. Its station portfolio reaches more than 22 million U.S. TV households.

“Emerson’s impactful voice and leadership have been cultural cornerstones of Hearst Television for nearly a quarter century,” Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb. “Throughout his career he has provided invaluable and thoughtful counsel to many executives and on-air talent in the industry, putting an indelible mark on non-fiction programming and countless careers.

In a competitive situation involving multiple bidders, Will Packer Media and Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, have secured the rights to Tia Williams’ novel, Seven Days in June to adapt for television.

The book, just released June 8 by Grand Central Publishing, debuted on The New York Times Best Seller Fiction list.

A seductive romance about star-crossed lovers, the novel follows Eva Mercy, a successful erotica author and the daughter she’s raising on her own in Brooklyn. Unbeknownst to Eva, the love of her life is about to return — and she hasn’t see him since their affair ended abruptly, fifteen years ago.

Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content along with President and Partner Melissa Myers will team up with producer Will Packer and Carolyn Newman, Head of Will Packer Media Scripted Television, to adapt the novel for television and executive produce the project. Williams also will executive produce.

Author Tia Williams’ recent best-seller Seven Days in June is getting the adaptation treatment. Will Packer Media and Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, have secured the rights to adapt Williams’ novel for television.

Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content along with President and Partner Melissa Myers will team up with Packer and Carolyn Newman, Head of Will Packer Media Scripted Television, to executive produce the project. Williams will also executive produce.

“Every so often I get to engage in a project that I am absolutely sure will be a game changer. This is that project,” said Packer. “Seven ...

Norman Lloyd, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur and portrayed Dr. Daniel Auschlander on NBC’s St. Elsewhere, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, as Variety reports. Lloyd’s friend, producer Dean Hargrove, confirmed his death to Variety. He was 106.

The Hollywood veteran’s eight-decade career spanned theater, radio, film and TV, where he served in a variety of roles including director and producer. While his own name may not be widely recognized, he was deeply respected within industry circles and worked with some of the...

Actor known for Alfred Hitchcock films and “St. Elsewhere” died at 106

Hollywood is in awe of the legendary career of Norman Lloyd, who died this week at age 106 after having worked with everyone from Orson Welles to Judd Apatow to Charlie Chaplin to Alfred Hitchcock.

Karl Malden once referred to Lloyd as “the history of our business,” and it shows in his enormous filmography, in which he worked as an actor, director and producer, not only continuing to work well past age 100 but being willing to share stories and histories with other film fans at screenings of classic films all across town.

“What a career. From Welles to Apatow. #Rip Norman Lloyd,” actor Ben Stiller said in reacting to Lloyd’s death.

“Look up mensch in the dictionary. There’s a picture of Norman Lloyd,” Brent Spiner added.

Lloyd was perhaps best known as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the long-running ’80s series “St. Elsewhere,...

Norman Lloyd, the Emmy-nominated character actor who worked with Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock before landing major roles in 1980s hits like “Dead Poets Society” and “St. Elsewhere,” has died. He was 106.

A family friend confirmed the news to Deadline.

The New Jersey native, born Norman Perlmutter, got his start in the New York theater scene of the 1930s, much of it federally subsidized through the Federal Theatre Project. He became a charter member of Orson Welles and John Housman’s Mercury Theatre, where he played the prophetic Cinna the Poet in an acclaimed 1937 production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”

Lloyd first broke out on the big screen playing a Nazi spy in Hitchcock’s 1942 thriller “Saboteur,” then returned as a psychiatric patient in 1945’s “Spellbound” with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. Hitchcock later hired Lloyd as a director and associate producer on his 1950s anthology TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Norman Lloyd, the Emmy-nominated veteran actor, producer and director whose career ranged from Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur and acting with Charlie Chaplin in Limelight to St. Elsewhere, Dead Poets Society and The Practice, died May 10 in his sleep at his Los Angeles home. He was 106. A family friend confirmed the news to Deadline.

During one of the famous Lloyd birthday celebrations, Karl Malden said, “Norman Lloyd is the history of our business.”

Blessed with a commanding voice, Lloyd’s acting career dates back to Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre troupe, of which he was the last surviving member. He was part of its first production — 1937 a modern-dress adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on Broadway titled Caesar.

He originally was cast in Welles’ epic Citizen Kane and accompanied the director to Hollywood. When the filmmaker ran into his proverbial budget problems, Lloyd quit the project and returned to New York,...

With the political (to say the least) issues still at large in the area, coming up with a title for this list was quite difficult, but with some help from my friend Victor Fan, I came up with the term Sinophone, which seems to be the most politically correct, as it includes the whole Chinese-speaking world.

Apart from that, and despite the recent events in Hong Kong and the overall, permanent turmoil that characterizes the Sinophone world, including the political situation in China and particularly the censorship that seems to be everywhere, a number of films of quality were released this year also, dealing with many topics and with a great variety in ways of cinematic expression.

Without further ado, and with a focus on diversity, here are the best films of 2019 from Chinese speaking countries, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2018, but since they mostly circulated...

Alessia Cara cleared her throat in 2015 with “Here,” an instant teen-angst classic about hating all the cool kids at the party. “I don’t daaance, don’t aaaask,” she sneered, over a slow-mo horror-show funk loop from a vintage Isaac Hayes record. (Just to add to the vibe, the “Here” sample was a staple for trip-hop cranks like Portishead and Tricky before Cara was born.) “Here” was the surprise smash that set the Toronto teen on the fast track to a Grammy for Best New Artist. On her excellent second album,...

Image Source: Getty / Anwar Hussein Seven days after Princess Diana's tragic death in August 1997, she was honored with a public funeral that remains one of the most watched events in history. Millions of people crowded the streets of London to follow the route of Diana's coffin from Kensington Palace along Hyde Park to St. James's Palace, passing Buckingham Palace and observing her memory in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Later that day, Diana was taken to her final resting place at her childhood home, the Spencer estate in Althorp. Related50+ Photos That Show the Outpouring of Love at Princess Diana's Public Funeral Image Source: Getty / Barry King Though many attended her funeral, the Princess of Wales was buried privately; the only people present were a close friend, her mother and siblings, Prince Charles, William, Harry, and a clergyman. Diana wore a black dress by Catherine Walker and held...