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Argentina’s Guillermo Francella and writer-directors Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, star and creators of Disney+/Star+ smash hit “El Encargado” (Hulu’s “The Boss”), are re-teaming on “Homo Argentum,” an around 10-episode movie anthology, skewering the frustrations, paranoia and bloodymindedness seething below the surface of modern-day life.

Arguably Argentina’s biggest star alongside Ricardo Darín, Francella demonstrated his acting chops in a bravado turn in Juan José Campanella’s Oscar winning “The Secret of Their Eyes” before starring in Pablo Trapero’s “The Clan,” one of Argentina’s biggest movie exports in the last decade, grossing $20.4 million worldwide.

Cohn and Duprat has consolidated as one of Argentina’s foremost filmmaking forces, with an ever larger international reach, directing Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in “Official Competition” and Robert De Niro in Argentine TV series “Nada.”

“Homo Argentum” is set up at Buenos Aires-based powerhouse Pampa Films, behind “Chinese Takeaway...

Exactly ten years after the genre-mixing, canine-driven Hungarian thriller “White God” landed the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, this year’s ceremony culminated in the same prize going to a somewhat corresponding title: Chinese director Guan Hu’s “Black Dog,” a fusion of western, film noir and offbeat comedy with a highly lovable mutt at its center. The film, about a damaged loner returning to his desert hometown after a spell in prison and finding a kindred spirit in an equally world-weary greyhound, beat 17 other titles to take the top prize in the festival’s second-most prestigious competitive section. (The festival’s Official Competition awards will be handed out tomorrow night.)

Jury president Xavier Dolan, the actor-auteur behind such films as “Mommy” and “Laurence Anyways,” commended Guan’s film for “its breathtaking poetry, its imagination, its precision [and] its masterful direction.” He echoed the enthusiasm of Variety critic Jessica Kiang,...

Penélope Cruz Depositphotos

Penélope Cruz Sánchez, born on April 28, 1974, is a renowned Spanish actress. She has made a name for herself in various film genres, particularly in Spanish-language films, and has received numerous awards and nominations for her exceptional performances. These accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, four Golden Globe Award nominations, and five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Cruz embarked on her acting career at a young age, signing with an agent at 15. She made her television debut at 16 and her first appearance in a feature film the following year in Jamón Jamón (1992). Her notable roles include Belle Époque (1992), Open Your Eyes (1997), Don Juan (1998), The Hi-Lo Country (1999), The Girl of Your Dreams (2000), and Woman on Top (2000). She is particularly recognized for her collaborations with acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar in films such as Live Flesh (1997), All About My Mother (1999), Volver...

It’s ironic but unavoidable that the greatest annual celebration of film should be a television special — but that’s just how it is. March often means Oscar season, a time for cinephiles to boot up that small screen you use for movies and use it to see if they win any awards during a telecast.

If you don’t have TV service anymore, Hulu has you covered with a pre-Oscars telecast as well as two red carpet specials before and after the main event. Though the ceremony itself won’t be livestreamed on Hulu, it will be added the next morning, like regular ABC programming. Awards viewership has been in general decline over the past several years, but next-day streaming gives curious viewers a chance to join the conversation and boost those Oscar ratings after the live show. It’s also a chance for superfans to pause and rewind...

The first titles to be released under the deal will be Cannes 2022 selection Godland.

Scanbox Entertainment has added Aurora Studios as its exclusive Finnish theatrical distribution partner through its distribution subsidiary Cinemanse.

The deal covers all Scanbox titles, both acquisitions (usually made on a pan-Nordic basis) and its in-house productions, which are ramping up.

The collaboration will boost Scanbox’s connections to local productions in Finland while giving Aurora and Cinemanse an expansion of their theatrical slate.

The first titles to be released under the deal will be Cannes 2022 selection Godland by Hlynur Pálmason followed by The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Hettie Macdonald.

Upping the ante on its inaugural edition, the 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria will unveil about 50 drama series, whether via first episodes, or showreels or trailers (Upcoming…).

Following a breakdown of titles, and showreel highlights in showreels, featuring some of the most anticipated titles from Spain and Latin America, as well as recent hits:

Capitulo Uno

“El Encargado,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America)

Anybody who caught neighbors’ standoff dark comedy “The Man Next Door,” a 2010 Sundance winner from “Official Competition” directors Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat could imagine they will tear with relish into dramedy of a concierge who uses his access to clients intimacy to control their lives. Iberseries marks the first market screening of the half hour which headlines Argentine star Guillermo Francella as a concierge from hell battling plans to be sacked. Star+ bows “El Encargado” on Oct. 26.

“Limbo,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America,...

“Tough guy with heart of gold” is the cliché that provides the gist to “The Enforcer,” and nothing much turns up to refresh or complicate that hoary hook. This criminal-underworld thriller benefits from Antonio Banderas’ star charisma as a veteran mob strong-arm who turns against his own organization in order to rescue an imperiled teen. Richard Hughes’ feature directorial debut also elevates matters somewhat with a slick and stylish presentation. But the results remain too hogtied by original “Point Break” scribe W. Peter Iliff’s routine, elemental screenplay to rise above the level of disposable genre fodder.

Cuda (Banderas) is just out of prison, having dutifully taken the heat for deeds done in service to Miami syndicate boss Estelle (Kate Bosworth). He hopes to restore relations with his 15-year-old daughter, but she’s wary after his long absence, his ex-wife outright hostile. Perhaps as a regretful result, he takes a...

Julianne Moore, who is presiding over the Venice Film Festival jury, spoke at a press conference on Tuesday morning that kicked off the 79th edition of the movie gathering.

She reminisced about how she first came to Venice as an actress on the American soap opera “As the World Turns” in 1986. “I never, ever in my life though I would be the head of this jury,” Moore said. “And If you had told me that one day I was going to head the jury of the Venice Film Festival I would have fallen into the canal, honestly.”

Asked about the importance of film festivals during a time of change in the movie industry, as streaming threatens theatrical distribution, Moore pointed out that “curation matters so much.”

“It’s people gathering extraordinary works for us all to discover,” Moore said, before revealing a formative film experience she had as a child.

A New Zealand-based platform where fans track, review and share lists of movies old and new is an increasingly influential marketing tool for specialty film with budgets tight and audiences harder to reach.

Letterboxd, founded as a passion project by Auckland tech entrepreneurs Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow just over a decade ago, recently passed 6.5 million members, with 40-50 in North America followed by the U.K., Europe and breakout markets including Brazil, India, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It has 4.4 million monthly visitors and 800 million monthly page views.

Since launch, users have logged a whopping 1 billion films they’ve seen, put 300 million films on watchlists and posted 76.8 million reviews. Average time spent per visitor per month across web and app is about 40 minutes.

Letterboxd has been profitable since 2019, which is “source of immense pride,” Buchanan tells Deadline. The founders early on declined venture capital backing, he said, to...

Exclusive: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to the comedy Bar Fight!, starring Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Luka Jones (Shrill) and Julian Gant (Call Me Kat), with plans for a day-and-date release on November 11.

The synopsis for the film written and directed by Klaus scribe Jim Mahoney is as follows: There’s only one way to settle the score after a break-up and for Nina (Fumero) and Allen (Jones) it’s a turf war for their favorite local bar. Lines have been drawn and with the help of Nina’s best friend Chelsea (Bloom), it’s going to be a winner-takes-all affair. The drinks are free flowing, the competition is fierce, and games are out-of-this-world crazy. With the bar on the line, this Bar Fight! is going to become a battle for the ages.

Bar Fight! was produced by Sarah Gabriel and Marc Goldberg of Signature Films, and James Harris and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions. Executive producers included Tomás Yankelevich, Peter Bevan and Mariana Sanjurjo from Particular Crowd, and Simon Williams and Jamie Jessop from Ingenious Media. Signature Entertainment is handling international sales.

“I’m so thrilled IFC is distributing our crazy lil’ movie!” said Mahoney. “A huge thank you to Signature Films and Particular Crowd for their endless support, my invaluable crew for their skill and tenacity, and an absolute dream of a cast for truly bringing Bar Fight to life. I can’t wait for the world to see the madness we’ve created.”

Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Other current and upcoming releases include Andrew Seman’s Resurrection, Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, Official Competition from Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, Claire Denis’ Both Sides of the Blade, Andrea Arnold’s first documentary Cow, Jacques Audiard’s Paris, 13th District, and the Venice Golden Lion winner Happening, directed by Audrey Diwan.

Adam Koehler negotiated the deal for Bar Fight! on behalf of IFC Films, with Andrew Nerger of Signature Entertainment on behalf of the production.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “Official Competition,” a new Spain/Argentina film about a trio – two actors and a director – trying to get a film out of rehearsal and in front of the cameras. It opened in select theaters on July 1st, 2022, see local listings.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

This is the story of a billionaire named Humberto (Jose Luis Gomez), who wants his legacy to be the greatest movie ever made, so he buys a hot novel about rival brothers and hires the greatest director working, Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz). Lola in turn hires the greatest and purest legendary actor Ivan (Oscar Martinez) and the greatest movie idol Felix (Antonio Banderas) to see how they will work together. Not surprisingly, it’s very badly, but the clever Lola has many tricks up her sleeve to get their best performances, and with only nine rehearsals the rivalry has just begun.

With the 4th of July taking place on Monday, Universal is using the holiday weekend and the fact that school are out across the country to release the latest installment of its most popular animated franchise. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a prequel to the “Despicable Me” movies but also a sequel to 2015’s hit prequel “Minions,” which showed how the lovable evil henchmen came into being. “Rise of Gru” shows the early days of the Minions working with the villainous Gru as a child, once again voiced by Steve Carell. Read on for our box office preview.

Gru was introduced all the way back in 2010 in “Despicable Me,” one of the early collaborations between Universal and animation house Illumination Entertainment. It opened with 56.4 million in the weekend following 4th of July, and it went on to gross 251.5 million domestically and made about that same amount overseas. Three years later,...

New York-based distributor Greenwich Entertainment and Rialto Distribution have teamed up to picked up U.S. rights to Caroline Vignal’s “My Donkey, My Lover & I,” a heartwarming French romantic comedy headlined by “Call My Agent” breakout star Laure Calamy.

The company was co-created by Ed Arentz, co-founder and former managing director of Music Box Films, and Edmondo Schwartz, co-founder of Cohen Media Group, in September 2017 with the goal of handling high-end theatrical movies.

Sold by Playtime, “My Donkey, My Lover & I” was part of Cannes 2020’s official selection and went on to be nominated for eight César Awards, earning best actress for Calamy. The film was previously acquired by top distributors in key markets and played particularly well in English-speaking markets, including in the U.K. for Curzon and in Australia/New Zealand for Palace.

“‘My Donkey, My Lover & I’ has a sunny, light-hearted appeal in the Covid era...

This review of “Official Competition was published on Sept. 4, 2021 after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

To trot out the old adage, “scratch a cynic, find an idealist” in reference to “Official Competition,” a modest showbiz sendup that premiered, fittingly enough, in official competition at 2021’s Venice film festival might be putting it a bit too harshly. Frankly, it wouldn’t take more than the morning breeze or the soft touch of an infant to wipe away the thin layer of satire that (barely) covers a deeper, almost evangelical belief in the power of movie stars.

In some ways you could call it a throwback in the sense that it runs totally counter to the high-concept, IP-driven model of recent Hollywood output. “Official Competition” co-directors Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn would rather offer viewers a no-concept, light and breezy big-screen hangout, betting that audiences will turn out...

Click here to read the full article.

The energy was as high as the seafood towers at last night’s 15th annual Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner, hosted by Chanel at famed downtown Manhattan brasserie Balthazar. The long list of luminaries in attendance on June 13 included Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro; actresses Penelope Cruz, Tommy Dorfman, Diana Silvers, Rebecca Dayan, Dianna Agron, Whitney Peak and Sadie Sink; artists Derrick Adams and Chloe Wise; and actors Andrew Garfield, Kyle MacLachlan and B.J. Novak.

“It’s pretty incredible,” curator Racquel Chevremont said of the feeling in the air. “I was not expecting this at all. When I pulled up I was like, ‘The street is closed?’”

Chevremont, who just finished curating artwork for Leave the World Behind — the forthcoming Netflix drama starring Mahershala Ali and Julia Roberts — was tapped by Tribeca Enterprises senior vice president of talent relations Nancy Lefkowitz to assemble a...

After announcing that its flagship West Los Angeles location is closing at the end of May, Landmark Theaters announced Thursday that it has negotiated a long-term lease agreement for the Playhouse 7 cinema in Pasadena and will take over the venue from its original operators, Laemmle Theaters.

“The Playhouse acquisition is important for Landmark, as we’re able to continue the tradition of showcasing quality film to Pasadena’s moviegoing community,” Landmark president Kevin Holloway said in a statement. “This theater has a deep history, which we look forward to honoring and building upon in the years ahead.”

Opened by Laemmle Theaters in 1999, the Playhouse 7 was sold by the family-owned specialty chain in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. When theaters reopened, Laemmle continued to operate the location over the past year through a leaseback agreement.

Also Read:

Landmark Pico Theaters to Close at End of Month

The sale of the Playhouse is...

The film world loves to spoof and send up its process, its traditions, and its various neurosis. And the new IFC Films comedy “Official Competition” narrows in on a meta, self-satirizing look at the film industry, the creative process, and the star-obsessed film festival industrial complex.

Read More: ‘Crimes Of The Future’ Review: David Cronenberg’s Unfinished Business With The Flesh Is Booming [Cannes]

Penélope Cruz stars as the eccentric filmmaker alongside Antonio Banderas as the Hollywood heartthrob and Oscar Martínez as the radical theatre actor; the film follows renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Cruz), who is tasked with making an iconic movie worthy of a legacy at the behest of an eccentric billionaire funding the film and only wanting the best of the best to work on it.

Continue reading ‘Official Competition’ Poster: Penélope Cruz & Antonio Banderas Spoof The Creative Process [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

Ah, summer at the movies. While the movie-going experience has shifted dramatically over the past couple of years — the days of big-bucket-of-popcorn multiplex-going still exist, but they are no longer the primary option for enjoying massive blockbusters or high-brow hits and everything in between — the thrill of a season spent soaking up a wide variety of new films has not abated. The coming months feature the kind of fare long associated with the summer season, from a brand-new Marvel joint to a long-awaited “Top Gun” sequel, the latest entry into the “Jurassic World” franchise and even a new Pixar outing, but there’s even more to find among the bombastic and just plain big titles.

We’re talking about new films from Jordan Peele, Baz Luhrmann, Claire Denis, Alex Garland, Jeremiah Zagar, Peter Strickland, and Quinn Shephard, and that’s just the start. There are festival hits in the mix,...

The 2022 Tribeca Festival today announced its lineup of feature and short narrative, documentary, and animated films. This year’s festival runs June 8–19 and will open, as previously announced, with the Jennifer Lopez documentary “Halftime.”

The features program spans 10 categories and showcases 110 feature films and 16 online premieres from 151 filmmakers across 40 countries. The lineup includes 88 world premieres, two international premieres, seven North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 11 New York premieres. There are 32 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects, and 50 first-time directors. More than 64 percent (81) of the feature films are directed by female, Bipoc, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers: 46 percent (58) female directors, 34percent (43) Bipoc directors, and 8 percent (10) LGBTQ+ directors.

World premieres include “Corner Office,” starring Jon Hamm and Danny Pudi, and “Somewhere in Queens,” directed by Ray Romano and co-starring Laurie Metcalf, Tony Lo Bianco, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Jennifer Esposito. Additional films include “American Dreamer,” with Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon,...

Oscar nominees Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas transform into film industry caricatures for the latest comedy from Argentinian directing duo Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, “Official Competition.” Check out the outrageous trailer for the film below.

“Official Competition” stars Cruz as a renowned filmmaker hired by a billionaire entrepreneur (José Luis Goméz) to create the movie of the century. Banderas is the Hollywood heartthrob set to star in the fictional feature, along with a radical theater actor played by Oscar Martinez. The legendary nemeses sling jabs at one another over who is a bigger sellout for money, all while Cruz is trying to teach them both how to really act. The stars undergo a series of increasingly eccentric tasks that force them to confront not only each other but their own Hollywood legacies. The film hits theaters June 17.

“Official Competition” premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, five years after Duprat...

It’s about to be film festival season again when things really kick off in May at the Cannes Film Festival, and so what better time than to release the trailer for “Official Competition,” a comedy that skewers Cannes, red carpet glitz, and the entire film festival industrial complex. One of the delightful stand outs of last year’s Venice Film Festival, “Official Competition,” the film skewers the entire business and does so with leads Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, along with Oscar Martínez, José Luis Gómez, Nagore Aranburu, Irene Escolar, Manolo Solo, Pilar Castro, and Koldo Olabarri.

Continue reading ‘Official Competition’ Trailer: Penélope Cruz & Antonio Banderas Skewer Cannes, Film Festivals & More at The Playlist.

Experienced marketing and distribution veteran has been previously worked at Warner Bros, Gaumont and Pathé.

Damien Golla has been appointed head of French theatrical distribution at the Wild Bunch group.

He replaces Jérôme Rougier, who held the position from 2017.

Prior to joining Wild Bunch, Golla was vice president marketing new releases at Warner Bros Entertainment France from 2019, and before that, marketing director of the distribution division at Gaumont from 2016 to 2019.

He began his career in the film industry at Pathé Films as part of the marketing team from 2004 to 2010, and then at Twentieth Century Fox as senior marketing...

In the run-up to its roll-out in cinema theaters around the world, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas starrer “Official Competition” has a official trailer.

Variety has had exclusive access to its international subtitled version. Buena Vista International will release “Official Competition” in Spanish cinemas on Feb. 25.

Spanish producer The Mediapro Studio and London-based international sales agent Protagonist Pictures already dropped a 48-second teaser trailer in late July, just before the film’s announced selection – appositely – for Official Competition at September’s Venice Film Festival, where it world premiered in September and was pretty much liked by everyone.

The now dropped official trailer is a minute longer and hits the movie’s main plot points: “Official Competition” begins with a billionaire businessman deciding to make a movie that leaves his mark on history. So he hires Cannes Palme d’Or winning filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Cruz), whose oeuvre includes “The Inverted Rain,...

One of this year’s favorites to shine in the main competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival is Fernando León de Aranoa’s “The Good Boss,” starring Javier Bardem.

“The Good Boss” takes place in and around the Blancos Básculas factory, where all things must be in balance at all times. There, the seemingly benevolent boss, Bardem’s Blanco, is preparing for an upcoming inspection by a group visiting local businesses to single out one for a prestigious prize. Tensions mount, however, when an unflappable recently fired employee makes camp across from the factory’s gates, protesting Blanco and his business practices. On top of everything, Blanco’s behavior behind closed doors threatens to create even more trouble for the boss at the worst possible time.

León de Aranoa and Bardem sat down with Variety in San Sebastian to discuss the film, its prospects abroad and what makes Spain...

In its continued bid to lure more international productions to Spain and Portugal, Barcelona-based multinational The Mediapro Group has tapped L.A.-based Spanish publicist Alvar Carretero to represent the company in Hollywood.

For the past 25 years, Mediapro has been represented in the U.S. by its production centers in New York and Miami but Spain’s launch in March of a new Audiovisual Hub plan has given Mediapro more impetus to build its presence in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the North American media and entertainment industries.

The Audiovisual Hub scheme offers a total €1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) over 2021-25 to rev up Spanish film and TV production and persuade key foreign players to shoot and set up production bases in Spain. Ongoing incentives on a national and regional levels make the offer even more enticing. The current national tax relief incentive to shoot in Spain is 30% of the total cost...

The Venice Film Festival unveiled its award winners on Saturday night, and Jane Campion, Penélope Cruz and Maggie Gyllenhaal are among the award winners for the top prizes.

“Happening,” a French abortion drama from director Audrey Diwan, won the Golden Lion, and Paolo Sorrentino’s film “The Hand of God” won the second place prize, or the Silver Lion.

In the acting categories, Penélope Cruz won Best Actress for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and John Arcilla won Best Actor for “On the Job: The Missing 8.” Jane Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director for her film “The Power of the Dog.”

Among some of the other winners, Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Screenplay for her adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel “The Lost Daughter.” Gyllenhaal praised Campion and spoke about how watching “The Piano” inspired her as a storyteller. “The Hand of God” star Filippo Scotti also won the...

The new film from Argentine duo Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn effectively asserted its destiny with its title: How could the Venice festival programmers resist putting a film called “Official Competition” in their official competition? Some things just make sense, and by premiering in this way, Duprat and Cohn’s droll, dippy insider comedy neatly completes the last of its many, many in-jokes: Whatever life the film has beyond the festival circuit, it will never again play to so perfectly targeted an audience.

How amused viewers outside the film’s satirical crosshairs will be by “Official Competition” remains to be seen. As it traces the fractious pre-production process of an art-house film being made for cynical commercial purposes, the film will certainly mine dark laughs of recognition from industry folk. Perhaps civilians will appreciate its puncturing of the egos and pretensions of the privileged artist class, after being drawn in by big,...

There are shades of Ruben Ostlund’s “The Square” if it were remade to target the film world, in Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s crowd-pleasing Spanish comedy “Official Competition” starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. Controlled pacing, visual punchlines, and an insider knowledge of the varied pretensions within filmmaking make this a consistently amusing – if never downright hilarious – vehicle for the well-honed comic sides of two of Spain’s most famous exports.

Continue reading ‘Official Competition’ With Penélope Cruz & Antonio Banderas Is A Crowd-Pleasing Comedy That Skewers Film-World Pretensions [Venice Review] at The Playlist.

Five years ago, Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s “The Distinguished Citizen” premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It was one of the sharpest and funniest comedy-dramas of the year, and its star, Oscar Martinez, won the Festival’s acting prize, the Cuppa Volpi. But it didn’t get much of a release in English-speaking countries. The follow-up from the Argentinian directing team, “Official Competition” is more likely to be seen by audiences around the world. Martinez has one of the lead roles again, but this time he is acting opposite two of Spain’s — and the world’s — most glamorous superstars, Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas.

Astoundingly, despite being Almodóvar regulars, Cruz and Banderas have never done any substantial acting together. They had a brief joint scene in Almodóvar’s “I’m So Excited,” and in “Pain and Glory,” Cruz played the mother of Banderas’ character in his boyhood flashbacks.

No part of the moviemaking business is spared in Competencia Oficial, a smart and biting story about a millionaire who decides to consecrate his legacy by financing a film. Directed by Argentine duo Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn and premiering in the Venice competition, the feature impressively dissects the relationships between a movie’s directors, actors and audience without compromising its comedic edge. Competencia Oficial won’t tickle everyone — possible complaints might harp on its pretentiousness or call out its few instances of predictable plotting — but for viewers willing to go with the flow, the film serves up roughly two hours of ...

No part of the moviemaking business is spared in Competencia Oficial, a smart and biting story about a millionaire who decides to consecrate his legacy by financing a film. Directed by Argentine duo Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn and premiering in the Venice competition, the feature impressively dissects the relationships between a movie’s directors, actors and audience without compromising its comedic edge. Competencia Oficial won’t tickle everyone — possible complaints might harp on its pretentiousness or call out its few instances of predictable plotting — but for viewers willing to go with the flow, the film serves up roughly two hours of ...

Exclusive: Ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Protagonist Pictures has closed a UK all rights deal with Curzon for Spanish-language pic Official Competition starring Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz and Oscar Martínez.

In Official Competition, Oscar winner Cruz plays renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas, who is recruited by a billionaire entrepreneur who impulsively decides to create an iconic movie. Banderas will star as Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero, and joining them is Argentinian actor Oscar Martínez (The Distinguished Citizen), who plays radical theatre actor Iván Torres.

The Spanish-language comedy, directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat from a script they wrote with Andrés Duprat, will also screen in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival and will open this year’s Perlak Section at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

The deal for the film that debuts as part of the competition line up at Venice, was...

This year’s fall festival season features a tapestry of in-person, virtual, and hybrid programming from Telluride, Venice, TIFF, and NYFF. One throughline: many of the most anticipated premieres — from “Dune” to “The Power of the Dog” — are arriving to festivals with distribution in hand.

Though the festivals have pared down the size of their lineups amid the pandemic, there’s still plenty for buyers to choose from, from discovery titles to those with bankable elements. Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s “Official Competition” features Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz in a rare appearance on screen together; it still has North American rights available ahead of its Venice premiere. In “Lakewood,” Phillip Noyce directs Naomi Watts as a mother racing to her child during an active-shooter incident, it premieres at TIFF. And “Beba,” a personal documentary from first-time feature director Rebeca Huntt, is catching early buzz as a potential TIFF breakout.

Official Competition

Stars Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz

Directors Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat

Sales Protagonist Pictures

The Buzz This Spanish-language comedy imagines Cruz and Banderas as a world-famous director and a Hollywood star, respectively, who are brought together by a billionaire businessman to make his vanity project. The appeal of Spain’s two biggest stars together onscreen for an entire film (their only joint screen time to date was the blink-and-you-miss-it opening shot in Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited) should bring buyers running.

Promises

Star Isabelle Huppert

Director Thomas Kruithof

Sales Elle Driver

The Buzz Huppert stars as a fearless and ambitious mayor of a town outside Paris in this French political ...

Venice this year has the goods and the glitz with a star-studded lineup packed with hotly anticipated titles such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” alongside more esoteric titles. It’s likely to make the Lido a place to reignite theatrical and bolster its standing as an awards season kingmaker.

The U.S. studios and indies will be out in force. European cinema is well-represented, especially Italy. Latin America has a significant presence, as does the Middle East. The only notable absence is China, which, due to Covid restrictions, makes travel to and from the country extremely difficult for filmmakers.

“Up until recently all Americans were in lockdown, which was much more rigid than what European productions had to contend with,” says Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera. “Americans shuttered for a year, films were not released,...

Updated, with more detail: The Venice Film Festival unveiled the lineup for its 78th edition Monday morning with a notably strong studio presence after last year’s near dearth of Hollywood titles and muted star attendance. Universal (with Blumhouse’s previously announced Halloween Kills and Focus’ Last Night In Soho and The Card Counter), Warner Bros (with Legendary’s also previously confirmed Dune) and Disney (with 20th Century’s The Last Duel) will all be represented in town and each was thanked by Venice chief Alberto Barbera for supporting the event. “There is a strong comeback of the Americans,” he said. Scroll down for a full list of titles announced today.

Also showing up is Netflix, which has a cozy relationship with Venice. On the streamer’s roster are Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog, both in competition.

Venice has...

Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas are Spain’s biggest Hollywood names, and Pedro Almodovar’s most frequent stars, but – extraordinary as it may seem – to date, they’ve had just two minutes on screen together, in the opening scene of 2013’s “I’m So Excited.”

In comedy “Official Competition,” a frontrunner for Venice selection next Monday, they get to share the screen for the whole of the film. If a teaser trailer, released Thursday, is anything to go by, however, for their characters at least it doesn’t look like a comfortable experience at all.

Produced by The Mediapro Studio, with Rtve, TV3 and Orange España, and brought onto the market by sales agent Protagonist Pictures at this year’s Berlin, “Official Competition” begins with a billionaire businessman deciding to make a movie that leaves his mark on history.

To do so, he hires famed filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Cruz), Hollywood hearthrob...

Madrid-based Latido Films has sold a slew of major territories on its banner titles, including Cannes Directors’ Fortnight player “The Employer and the Employee,” Berlin winner “The Fam,” village crime drama “The Replacement” and auteur genre movie “Baby.”

Chalking up its first major sale, Uruguayan Manuel Nieto’s “The Employer and the Employee” has closed France with Eurozoom. A rural thriller starring Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“Bpm (Beats Per Minute)”), Nieto’s third feature world-premieres at Cannes on July 10.

Swiss drama “The Fam,” Fred Baillif’s portrait of the residents and staff of a Geneva teen girl care home, has licensed France with Atelier des Images and sold to Cassette Stories for Benelux and to HBO Eastern Europe. The Generation 14plus winner was bought for the U.K. and Ireland by BFI Distribution in a deal announced earlier at Cannes.

Wild Bunch/Wild Side has picked up “The Replacement,” a village-set...

Paris-based Charades Films has boarded Carlota Pereda’s rural thriller “Piggy” (“Cerdita”), one of the most awaited feature debuts of the year from Spain.

Written and directed by Pereda, “Piggy” is produced by Morena Films and France’s Backup Media, the outfit behind “Still Alice,” “Submergence” and Ari Folman’s Cannes entry “Where Is Anne Frank.” Charades will handle world sales rights on “Piggy,” while Filmax, a frequent backer of first time directors, will distribute the film in Spain.

Starring Laura Galán, Richard Holmes and Carmen Machi, “Piggy” expands on Pereda’s short of the same title which marked her breakthrough as a film director and won 90 awards, including the Spanish Academy Goya Award for best short film in 2019, the José María Forqué Award for best fiction short and a Slamdance Russo Brothers Fellowship.

Though “Piggy” represents her feature debut, Pereda has an extensive C.V. as a director and writer.

Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio (Tms), one of Europe’s biggest independent film and TV players, had a smashing 2019 with the release of 126 titles. And then the pandemic struck, forcing the company to shut down 56 shows. Months later, the Spanish outfit is slowly getting back on track by enrolling major U.S. players and Spain’s biggest stars in Hollywood.

Tms is teaming with Disney Plus Latin America on what it describes as an ambitious, music-laced romantic thriller set against a Caribbean background. Its shoot was postponed because of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” is writing drama “A Dry Run,” a series set up at Tms that follows Abraham Lincoln Battalion members who come to Spain to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War.

Headlined by Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, drama comedy “Official Competition” has resumed filming in Madrid; a second Tms movie, labor relations-themed “The Good Boss,...

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, who scored an Oscar nomination for Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” no longer has coronavirus.

“After 21 days of disciplinary confinement I can say now that today I overcame the Covid 19 infection,” Banderas tweeted. “I am cured. My thoughts go to those who weren’t as fortunate as me, and to those who suffered more than I did. I also wish strength to the ones who are in the middle of the fight.”

After 21 days of disciplinary confinement I can say now that today I overcame the Covid 19 infection. I am cured. My thoughts go to those who weren’t as fortunate as me, and to those who suffered more than I did. I also wish strength to the ones who are in the middle of the fight

— Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas) August 25, 2020

The actor accompanied his tweet with a picture of him kicking representations of the virus.

Former Focus Features executive Luane Gauer has joined sales, production and finance company Protagonist Pictures as head of acquisitions.

As vice-president, production and acquisitions at Focus in Los Angeles, Gauer worked on films for worldwide distribution, including Emerald Fennell’s Sundance title “Promising Young Woman”; international acquisitions like Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” Asghar Fahradi’s “Everybody Knows”; and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory”; as well as in-house productions including Luke Greenfield’s upcoming “Half Brothers.”

Gauer was previously at Universal Pictures in London, where she worked in international production and acquisitions.

“I have long been an admirer of Protagonist Pictures and am delighted to join the team,” said Gauer. “I look forward to working with them and with exceptional creators on films that inspire and entertain audiences across the world.”

Protagonist CEO Dave Bishop said: “Recognised for her exceptional taste, broad industry knowledge, and international filmmaker relationships, Luane...

“Pain and Glory” star Antonio Banderas revealed he has tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, his 60th birthday.

“I want to make it public that today, Aug. 10, I am forced to celebrate my 60th birthday in quarantine, having tested positive for the Covid-19 disease, caused by the coronavirus,” the star tweeted in Spanish.

Quiero contaros lo siguiente… pic.twitter.com/u579iBVLM0

— Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas) August 10, 2020

“I would like to add that I feel relatively good, just a little more tired than usual, and am confident that I will recover as soon as possible following medical instructions that I hope will allow me to overcome the infectious period that I am suffering, and that is affecting so many people around the planet,” the actor wrote.

“I will take advantage of this isolation to read, write, rest and continue making plans to begin to give meaning to my 60 years, to which I arrive full of enthusiasm.

Vanessa Saal has stepped down from her position as managing director, sales and distribution at London-based international sales, finance, and production company Protagonist Pictures, which has a stellar record representing arthouse hits like Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster.”

As well as leading the company’s international sales, she was also instrumental in bringing in projects such as Mariano Cohn’s and Gaston Duprat’s “Official Competition,” starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martinez, one of the top-selling titles at this year’s Berlin’s European Film Market.

Saal relocated to London to join Protagonist as head of worldwide sales in 2014. Prior to that, she was senior VP of international sales at Paris-based Studiocanal, and international sales and development exec at Paris-based Kinology. She started her career at New York-based Focus Features.

In this week’s International TV Newswire, Ampere’s five-year post-Covid report looks ugly for everyone but the streamers, ViacomCBS makes moves in Latin America, Orange TV is racing up its scripted commitment, beginning with The Medipro Studio, and Channel 4 announces a new true crime series.

Ampere Report Paints Bleak Five-Year Picture for Entertainment Industry

According to an updated study by U.K. firm Ampere Analysis, the Covid-19 crisis will cost the global entertainment industry $160 billion over the next five years.

Gross losses will hit advertising hardest in overall dollars lost, although when viewing the impact against the size of the sector, theatrical will be the sector most impacted. Pay TV, suffering heavily due to the loss of live sports, will drop significantly in value in an already difficult market. Ampere predicts around 4% of its previously forecast value.

The report points to the “intimately interconnected” nature of industry value...

Madrid — Spain’s government has drawn up a timetable of phased emergence from Covid-19 lockdown which sets cautiously estimated dates of May 11 and May 26 for the re-authorization of movies and series shoots and cinema theater re-openings respectively.

Scheduled as Phase One and Two of a easing of Covid-19 restrictions, dates depend on no second spike in contagion, Spanish prime minster Pedro Sánchez stressed when addressing the nation Tuesday night.

No dates were initially given to the phase-out. Those became clearer Wednesday in Spanish newspaper coverage of the government’s recovery plans.

Announcements of the potential lockdown lift on shoots was greeted positively by Spain’s production sector, though with multiple riders.

Spain’s exhibition sector used the news of plans to reopen cinema theaters to call, via trade assn. Fece, for compensation for losses accumulated to date, and in the foreseeable immediate future.

“It’s fantastic news that the government...

Official Competition, the comedy feature reuniting Spanish stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, has temporarily suspended its Spain shoot due to concerns over the coronavirus.

Producer The Mediapro Studio issued a statement citing “the implementation of safety measures and responsibility towards our filming crew.”

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Mediapro also confirmed to Deadline that two further of its productions – the Amazon series El Internado: Las Cumbres (The Boarding School: The Summit) and the Movistar series Paradiso – have both suspended production in Spain.

Official Competition started filming several weeks ago around Spanish capital Madrid and had scheduled to continue through to mid-April.

Spain is currently the Euro nation second-worst affected by Covid-19, with 3,148 confirmed cases and 87 deaths.

Official Competition, the new film that re-teams Pain & Glory stars Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, has become the latest production to fall victim to the coronavirus.

The new feature from Argentine directors Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat (The Distinguished Citizen) halted shooting in Spain on Thursday, producer Mediapro confirmed. The move follows new regulations in Spain that have seen the country close schools and limit public gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In the film, Cruz plays a director hired by a billionaire entrepreneur to re-create an iconic movie, featuring local heartthrob Félix Rivero ...

Madrid — The Spanish shoot of “Official Competition,” starring Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, has been temporarily suspended from Thursday March 12 by producer The Mediapro Studio.

The Spanish production giant described the decision in a written statement as a “security measure and act of responsibility towards shoots’ crews, given the concerns of their members, and to allow them to meet their own family needs after the closure of colleges in Madrid.”

The move was made after Spanish authorities shuttered schools on Monday in Madrid, home to much of the Spanish industry.

“It is hoped that production will be renewed as soon as it is possible to guarantee the safety of crew members,” the statement added.

Also featuring Argentine star Oscar Martínez, comedy “Official Competition” went into production in and around Madrid in late January. It was scheduled to shoot until mid-April.

One of the biggest movie productions in the Spanish-speaking world,...

Madrid — Filming has begun in Spain on “Competencia Oficial” (“Official Competition”) starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas’ and Oscar Martínez, and one of the biggest Spanish-language features to go into production this year.

Argentina’s Martínez, though less well known abroad, is one of the grand talents of Latin American cinema and theater, winning a best actor Coppa Volpi Award at Venice in 2016 for “The Distinguished Citizen.”

Sold by Protagonist Pictures, and part of a new push by The Mediapro Studio into movie production, “Official Competition” also suggests one approach to movie production at a time when the independent sector is increasingly challenged by dwindling returns in theatrical: Scale up, playing off revenues from high-end drama series production and take on board homegrown Hollywood talent to become part of a privileged top-echelon of titles which can sell, and strongly, in theatrical or cut a choice moneyed deal with a platform.

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