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The Federal Communications Commission has given the Ok to Nexstar Media Group to acquire Tribune Media, a little more than a year after blocking Sinclair Broadcast Group from buying Tribune.

FCC review was the final hurdle the transaction needed to clear. The Department of Justice gave its blessing in July.

Nexstar is paying $4.1 billion for Tribune, which runs local TV stations in markets including New York, La and Chicago, and has other assets including cable network Wgn America and a 31% stake in Discovery’s Food Network.

The deal will vault Nexstar, an Irving, TX-based company that started by owning a single radio station, into the position of the No. 1 owner of local TV stations in the U.S. Sinclair currently holds that crown. Local television has undergone dramatic consolidation over the course of this decade, with a small handful of “super-groups” controlling the majority of stations.

Along with the main transaction approval,...

Tribune Media, a local station power soon to be acquired by Nexstar Media Group, posted mixed results for its fiscal second quarter.

The company, which owns 42 local TV stations and cable network Wgn America, reported revenue of $484 million in the period, a shade lower than Wall Street analysts’ consensus forecasts. Earnings per share, adjusted for special items, came in at 79 cents, beating the consensus for 73 cents.

Comparisons with the 2018 period, which had robust political ad spending, were difficult but core ad revenue still climbed 1% to $276 million. Retransmission and carriage fee revenue gained 10% to $173.1 million.

The company said the $4.1 billion acquisition by Nexstar remains on track to close in the third quarter.

“Tribune Media’s second quarter financial results were strong thanks to continued year-over-year growth in core advertising, digital advertising and retransmission revenues; all of which largely offset the anticipated decline in political advertising revenue during the quarter,” CEO Peter Kern said.

Proceeds from retransmission consent drove a 3% increase in revenue for Tribune Media in the first quarter, but the company also saw a 3% gain in expenses due to higher network affiliate fees.

The quarterly report is likely one of its last as a stand-alone company. Nexstar Media’s pending $4.1 billion acquisition of Tribune is on track to close by the end of the third quarter, Tribune said in announcing the financials. Due to the pending deal, Tribune did not conduct a conference call with analysts.

CEO Peter Kern attributed the increase in affiliate fees to a renewal with Fox, and said the uptick had been expected. “Importantly, all other remaining expenses in total were down compared to the same time period last year, reflecting our ongoing commitment to containing costs,” Kern said in the earnings press release.

Total revenue for Tribune reached $455 million in the quarter, which ended March 31. A pre-tax...

In an open letter to the roughly six million subscribers of Charter’s Spectrum pay-tv service who are currently without Tribune Broadcasting affiliates in 24 markets, Tribune CEO Peter Kern blasted Charter for offering a “false picture” of the companies’ carriage negotiations.

The blackout is in its fifth day after the parties were unable to reach a new deal. On the afternoon of January 2, Charter responded to the expiration of the contract by running pointed on-screen messages to subscribers, complaining of Tribune’s requests for steep rate increases.

Sports, as always, are a major draw that is unavailable to millions of subscribers. The 33 affected Tribune stations, which are a mix of CBS, Fox and CW affiliates, would have carried NFL playoff games over the weekend, as well as college basketball. Beyond sports, the return of original episodes in the CW’s primetime lineup is also now threatened, with affiliates in major...

It's only seven days old, but an advocacy group is already complaining that 2019 is a horrible year for cable TV viewers due to blackouts caused by carriage disputes, and the one between Spectrum and Tribune Media that prevented perhaps millions of viewers from watching NFL wild card games on their own TV sets over the weekend is the most egregious example.

The ongoing feud, in fact, prompted Tribune CEO Peter Kern to write a letter explaining the situation — from his point of view — to customers of Spectrum, the cable TV brand operated by Charter Communications.

"...

Nexstar has confirmed its $4.1B acquisition of Tribune Media – making it the top local TV station owner in the U.S. and expanding its reach by 50%.

The merger, worth $6.4 billion including the assumption of debt, will see Nexstar acquire all outstanding shares of Tribune Media for $46.50 per share in cash. The transaction reflects a 15.5% premium to Tribune’s share price as of November 30.

Nexstar, which has grown in just 22 years from a single Pennsylvania radio station into a local TV giant, will vault ahead of Sinclair Broadcast Group after the deal closes. The transaction comes after Sinclair’s long-pending deal to acquire Tribune for $3.9 billion unraveled in the face of heightened regulatory scrutiny from the FCC. The official announcement of the deal noted that the price represents a 45% premium to the price on July 16, when the FCC dealt Tribune’s deal with Sinclair a fatal blow.

Chicago-based Tribune has 42 local...

Texas-based Nexstar Media Group is poised to become the nation’s largest owner of TV stations after setting a $4.1 billion deal to acquire Tribune Media, which will take the company into New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other large markets for the first time.

The all-cash deal covers Tribune’s 42 stations — including Wpix-tv New York, Ktla-tv Los Angeles, Wgn-tv Chicago — and the Wgn America cabler. Nexstar, based in Irving, Texas, will become a broadcast colossus with more than 200 stations with the Tribune outlets included. Nexstar already owns 170 stations covering nearly 39% of U.S. TV households. Nexstar said the deal had a total transaction value of $6.4 billion including the assumption of Tribune’s debt.

Nexstar outbid private equity giant Apollo Global Management with an all-cash offer valuing Tribune at $46.50 per share. The sale comes about four months after Tribune’s previous acquisition pact with Sinclair Broadcast Group imploded amid regulatory hurdles...

Nexstar Media Group, which has grown in just 22 years from a single Pennsylvania radio station into a local TV giant, has reportedly struck a deal to acquire Tribune Media for about $4.1 billion.

The acquisition, first reported by Reuters, would vault Nexstar ahead of Sinclair Broadcast Group to make it the top local TV station owner in the U.S. A formal announcement is expected Monday.

When contacted by Deadline, a Tribune spokesman declined comment, describing the Reuters report as “speculation.” Nexstar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Nextar outbid private equity firm Apollo Global Management with an all-cash offer that values Tribune at around $46.50 per share, according to Reuters. Tribune shares ended trading on Friday at $40.26.

Chicago-based Tribune has 42 local TV stations — notably in major markets like New York, La and Chicago — reaching about 50 million households, or 39% of the country. It also owns Wgn America, a cable network carried in some 77 million homes,...

Tribune Media’s third quarter results underscore the gusher of political advertising spending around this month’s midterm federal election.

Tribune Media saw a 90% in political ad spending in the quarter compared to the comparable frame during the previous midterm federal election cycle in 2014. The money flow was even 36% faster than the spending in Q3 during the 2016 presidential race. In a sign of the general health of the economy, Tribune said it would have raked in even more advertising revenue overall in the quarter but for the political advertisements that crowded out its regular non-political ad clients.

Tribune pulled in net political ad revenue of $42.5 million in the third quarter. In the current fourth quarter, Tribune has banked some $99 million. The net political ad haul for the year is projected to be $172 million.

Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern said the spike in political ad spending may not be end anytime soon.

Tribune Media, which was left at the altar last summer when the $3.9 billion acquisition of the company by Sinclair Broadcast Group fell through, posted strong third-quarter results.

The aftermath of the failed merger did not take up a lot of the conference call with analysts to discuss the quarterly results, but the company did say it is not considering a settlement of its $1 billion lawsuit against Sinclair.

“We feel really strongly about our breach case against Sinclair,” said Eddie Lazarus, Tribune’s general counsel and Evp of Strategy. “We’re going to pursue it aggressively. We’re moving into the discovery phase now.” He estimated that the case could take about 18 months to reach a resolution. In August, Tribune sued Sinclair for $1 billion, and its former merger partner filed a counter-claim.

Diluted earnings per share in the third quarter came in at 61 cents, compared with a loss in the year-earlier period of 21 cents.

The Trump era has now seen two major media mergers halted or almost stopped — Sinclair Broadcast Group’s combination with Tribune Media, and At&T’s acquisition of Time Warner. That’s a surprising twist for a conservative administration that has promised to drive a pro-business agenda of deregulation wherever possible.

So what to make of it?

Both transactions met with turbulence from the feds, but that does not signal that media consolidation will be slowed in the coming years — far from it. In fact, getting far less attention are moves that likely will encourage more media M&A down the road.

Here are a few examples:

Broadcasters still may find it easier to get bigger. FCC chairman Ajit Pai put the brakes on the $3.9 billion Sinclair-Tribune transaction, but the stated reason had everything to do with Sinclair’s “lack of candor” in presenting its merger plans. At issue was how...

Updated with Sinclair comments on merger’s end, share buyback. One of the highest-profile deals in the current go-go period for media M&A has fallen apart, a stunning turn of events for a merger that once seemed all but inevitable.

Tribune Media said it has terminated the merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which was first proposed in May 2017, and will file a lawsuit for breach of contract, seeking compensation for all losses it incurred.

“In light of the FCC’s unanimous decision, referring the issue of Sinclair’s conduct for a hearing before an administrative law judge, our merger cannot be completed within an acceptable timeframe, if ever,” said Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern. “This uncertainty and delay would be detrimental to our company and our shareholders. Accordingly, we have exercised our right to terminate the Merger Agreement, and, by way of our lawsuit, intend to hold Sinclair accountable.”

Sinclair...

Tribune Media is walking away from its previously announced $3.9 billion merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group and suing the company for breach of contract.

Tribune has accused Sinclair of engaging in unnecessarily aggressive and protracted negotiations with the Department of Justice and the FCC over regulatory requirements, refusing to sell stations in the markets as required to obtain approval, and proposing aggressive divestment structures and related-party sales that were either rejected outright or posed a high risk of rejection and delay.

In the merger agreement, Tribune stated in its announcement, “Sinclair committed to use its reasonable best efforts to obtain regulatory approval as promptly as possible, including agreeing in advance to divest stations in certain markets as necessary or advisable for regulatory approval.”

Also Read: FCC Asks If Sinclair 'Engaged in Misrepresentation' Over Tribune Merger

The Chicago-based media company filed the lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court, seeking compensation for all...

Tribune Media has filed a lawsuit against Sinclair Broadcast Group and bailed out of the long-pending sale agreement in the face of opposition from the FCC and questions about whether Sinclair tried to mislead the government with its divestiture plan.

Tribune cited Sinclair’s “unnecessarily aggressive and protracted negotiations with the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission” in the regulatory review of the merger as the reason for the suit, filed Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court.

“In light of the FCC’s unanimous decision, referring the issue of Sinclair’s conduct for a hearing before an administrative law judge, our merger cannot be completed within an acceptable timeframe, if ever,” said Peter Kern, Tribune Media CEO. “This uncertainty and delay would be detrimental to our company and our shareholders. Accordingly, we have exercised our right to terminate the Merger Agreement, and, by way of our lawsuit, intend to hold Sinclair accountable.

Wgn America’s new comedy-drama hybrid “Carter” sets out to achieve a very constrained set of goals, and does so well enough. Series star Jerry O’Connell, playing an actor who returns to his hometown to get involved in solving crimes, is likable and competent in the role, bringing enough Hollywood vanity to the part to convince us without doing too much preening. And yet the show—the latest in a tradition of light mysteries resolved easily before the episode’s final laugh line—feels disappointing, given that network’s recent history was something much more exciting.

By way of context: For a few years, Wgn America punched significantly above its weight when it came to TV drama. Though the cable network—a former “superstation” out of Chicago—didn’t have the resources of Netflix, FX, or HBO, its drama offerings were in the conversation of what was among TV’s best.

Tribune Media, the owner of local TV stations that has been slated to become part of Sinclair Broadcast Group in a $3.9 billion deal, said it is “evaluating” the implications of the FCC’s “troubling” new scrutiny of the merger.

The FCC voted 4-0 yesterday to put the review of the deal on hold given Chairman Ajit Pai’s “serious concerns” about the deals Sinclair had in place to divest of stations in Chicago and Texas. The commission’s order, released earlier today, asks an administrative law judge to rule on the matter — historically not a development that a transaction survives intact.

“Tribune Media has now had the opportunity to review the FCC’s troubling Hearing Designation Order,” Tribune’s statement said. “We are currently evaluating its implications and assessing all of our options in light of today’s developments.

“We will be greatly disappointed if the transaction cannot be completed,...

After seeing its stock hammered due to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s “serious concerns” about aspects of its pending merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Media said it is “disappointed” but still hopes to salvage the deal.

“Tribune Media was disappointed to learn that the Chairman had circulated an order designating certain issues for consideration by an Administrative Law Judge,” the company’s statement said. “It will review the FCC’s hearing designation order when released and expects to work with the FCC to explore ways to address the concerns identified. Until we have reviewed the order it is difficult to explain the potential issues it might create for the transaction. Fortunately, Tribune’s operations have been strong in 2018 and our team has done a terrific job of maximizing the value of the business through this extended regulatory approval process.”

CEO Peter Kern issued a memo to employees acknowledging the issue.

As Sinclair Broadcast Group continues to streamline its portfolio of local TV stations ahead of federal regulatory approval of its acquisition of Tribune Media, it has sold seven station to 21st Century Fox for $910 million. The deal had long been rumored as “New Fox” (what will remain after most of the company is sold to Disney or Comcast) repositions itself around broadcast TV, sports and local news.

The stations include Kcpq in Seattle; Wsfl in Miami; Kdvr in Denver; Wjw in Cleveland; Ktxl in Sacramento; Kswb in San Diego and Kstu in Salt Lake City. After the purchase, Fox Television Stations will reach nearly half of all U.S. households, with presence in 19 of the top 20 DMAs. Many of the markets line up with Fox’s sports rights.

In a separate announcement, Sinclair said it has finalized plans to sell $1.5 billion worth of station assets and in its newly downsized form will reach 62% of U.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, whose $3.9 billion offer for Tribune Media remains in the hands of regulators after a stormy 11 months of deliberation, has finalized plans to sell 23 local TV stations in 18 markets.

The move is a major step, though not unexpected since the local TV giant had indicated its road map in a filing in February. Buyers of the stations, which operate in a range of cities including New York, Chicago, Houston and Miami, include Standard Media and Meredith Corp. Sinclair expects the transactions for the station sales to close the same day the Tribune deal is approved, and now estimates it all will be wrapped up by June.

Thinning the portfolio has seemed like an inevitable requirement for regulatory approval, given that the original transaction would have created a behemoth reaching more than 70% of U.S. households. For decades, the maximum reach by one single owner has been 39%, but the...

Plans for a third season of Underground have been derailed.

Wgn American has cancelled the period drama after two seasons and 20 episodes, Tribune Media announced on Tuesday. Sony Pictures Television — the studio behind Underground — will attempt to find a new home for the series.

RelatedCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s On the Bubble?

“Despite Underground being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season,” said Tribune CEO Peter Kern in a statement. “We...

Tribune Media has officially canceled the critically acclaimed “Underground,” and with that, Wgn America is now out of the quality period drama game.

“Underground,” which depicted the pre-Civil War fight for freedom during an era of slavery, will not be continuing for a third season on Wgn America, although producer Sony Pictures Television is said to be aggressively looking to find a new home for the show (but doesn’t have anything to announce yet).

Read More: With ‘People v. O.J. Simpson’ and ‘Underground,’ Director Anthony Hemingway Is Redefining TV’s Approach to Race

“As Wgn America evolves and broadens the scope and scale of its portfolio of series, we recently announced that resources will be reallocated to a new strategy to increase our relevance within the rapidly changing television landscape,” Peter Kern, President and CEO, Tribune Media Company, said in a statement. “This move is designed to deliver additional...

“Underground” will not return for a third season on Wgn America, the network announced Tuesday. “Despite ‘Underground’ being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season,” Tribune Media President and CEO Peter Kern said in a statement. Kern cited the changing TV landscape in Tribune’s decision to cancel its last remaining scripted series, saying: “As Wgn America evolves and broadens the scope and scale of its portfolio of series, we recently announced that resources will be reallocated to a new strategy.

Tribune Media execs this morning talked up their cost-cutting efforts, and $3.9 billion sale agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group, after reporting a surprising Q1 loss attributed to lower TV ad revenues with rising programming costs — plus a $122 million impairment charge on its investment in CareerBuilder. Interim CEO Peter Kern told analysts in a conference call that he’s converting Tribune from “a big broad media company” into “a much more streamlined [and] focused…...

The effort to make Wgn America a platform for pricey original programming is over, Sinclair Broadcast CEO Chris Ripley told analysts today in a call to discuss his company’s $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media. Wgna “is already going to be shifting its strategy away from high-cost originals into more cost-effective originals and reruns” now that Peter Kern is interim CEO of Tribune — replacing Peter Liguori, who left the company in March — Ripley says. “We think that…...

Television is a fast-paced business, where a show can be written, developed, ordered, cast, produced, and aired all within the course of a year. But sometimes, executives get ahead of themselves and shows are announced prematurely, or circumstances change, forcing delay.

IndieWire combed through some high-profile TV announcements from the past few years that haven’t yet seen the light of day, and asked their status. Some are still in the works; some are still “in development,” which could be code for “we don’t want to admit yet that this show is dead”; and some have quietly faded away.

Read More: M. Night Shyamalan Is Bringing Back ‘Tales From the Crypt’ at TNT

“Tales from the Crypt” (TNT)

TNT announced an ambitious new “Tales from the Crypt”-branded horror block executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan last year, including a 10-episode order of the anthology series, “guided by a newly reinvented Crypt Keeper.

Wgn America is parting ways the Farrells and the residents of Blackburg. 

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the series is being canceled after just two seasons. The April 25 Season 2 finale will now serve as the series finale. 

It has got to be one of the most shocking cancellations in quite some time. 

Apparently, the network is changing its focus towards more diverse content.

Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern confirmed this via the following statement to THR:

After three years of investing in marquee, brand-defining dramas, Wgn America has successfully expanded its audience, its reach and its presence in the minds of viewers.

In our next phase, we intend to expand our original and unique content to continue growing our relevance and appeal to the widest possible audience.

To achieve this, we will be reallocating our resources to a more diverse programming strategy and to new structures, enabling us to expand both...

The Outsiders are on the hunt for a new home; Wgn America has cancelled the drama after two seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

RelatedCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s On the Bubble?

Set in Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains, Outsiders starred David Morse (St. Elsewhere), Joe Anderson (Hannibal) and Gillian Alexy (Damages) as members of the Farrell clan, a group of mountain dwellers who frequently clashed with citizens in the town of Blackburg.

The show’s April 25 episode, previously billed as a season finale, will now serve as the series finale, should Sony Pictures Television...

Wgn America has canceled “Outsiders” after two seasons, TheWrap has learned. The decision marks a change in direction for the network’s programming strategy. Tribune Media President and CEO Peter Kern said in a statement on Friday that the cable network will be “reallocating our resources to a more diverse programming strategy.” “Outsiders” was Wgn America’s third original scripted series, and its cancellation leaves the network with only the slave-era drama “Underground,” currently airing its second season. Also Read: 'Outsiders': Hasil Goes Full 'Fight Club' on Some Fool (Exclusive Video) Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind “Outsiders...

A major talent of the New German Cinema finds his footing out on the open highway, in a trio of intensely creative pictures that capture the pace and feel of living off the beaten path. All three star Rüdiger Vogler, an actor who could be director Wim Wenders' alter ego. Wim Wenders' The Road Trilogy Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 813 1974-1976 / B&W and Color / 1:66 widescreen / 113, 104, 176 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 99.95 Starring Rüdiger Vogler, Lisa Kreuzer, Yetta Rottländer; Hannah Schygulla, Nasstasja Kinski, Hans Christian Blech, Ivan Desny; Robert Zischler. Cinematography Robby Müller, Martin Schäfer Film Editor Peter Przygodda, Barbara von Weltershausen Original Music Can, Jürgen Knieper, Axel Linstädt. Directed by Wim Wenders

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

This morning I 'fessed up to never having seen David Lynch's Lost Highway. Now I get to say that until now I've never seen Wim Wenders'...

Raro Video resurrects an exploitation goodie masquerading as another bit of cheap Eurosleaze, Hitch Hike (aka Autostop Rosso Sangue) a 1977 thriller from Italian director Pasquale Festa Campanile. Like a tawdry version of an early Polanski effort, it’s a significant anomaly of its ilk for several reasons, the most notable being its director, usually known as a fixture of 1970’s Italian-style comedy (aka commedia all’italiana). Adapted from the novel The Violence and the Fury by Peter Kern, it’s headlined by Franco Nero, French actress Corinne Clery (the title character from infamous The Story of O, 1975) and grindhouse staple David Hess (The Last House on the Left, 1972), while predictable story elements spiked with moments of brutal violence should be enough to rejuvenate interest in a title not often screened in the Us (despite its initial box office success in Europe).

Walter Mancini (Franco Nero), a bitter, alcoholic journalist, is...

Below you will find our total coverage of the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. New interviews will be added to the index as they are published.

Correspondences

Between Adam Cook and Daniel Kasman

#1

Introduction by Daniel Kasman

#2

Adam Cook continues the festival introduction

#3

Daniel Kasman on Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson's The Forbidden Room, Jafar Panahi's Taxi

#4

Adam Cook on Jem Cohen's Counting, Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson's The Forbidden Room, Jafar Panahi's Taxi

#5

Daniel Kasman on Berlin Critics' Week, Nathalie Nambot and Maki Berchache's Brûle la mer, Kevin B. Lee's Transformers: The Premake, Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth

#6

Adam Cook on Pablo Larraín's The Club, Kidlat Tahimik's Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III, Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, Wim Wenders' Everything Will Be Fine

#7

Daniel Kasman on Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert, Patricio Guzmán's The Pearl...

The Last Summer of the Rich

Dear Adam,

I forgot to thank you for sharing your thoughts on Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III, far and away the best new film I've seen at this year's Berlinale. I want to return the favor by telling you about another of my favorite films here, Peter Kern's The Last Summer of the Rich, but unfortunately I'm not sure I can! I didn't get it, I think, I just know I liked it: a harsh, utterly unabashed and farcical corporate drama of immoral family legacy, ruthless nihilism, and the disturbing transference of power. Not ashamed of its low budget, Kern underscores the artificiality of the picture—vaguely reminding me of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's style—to abstract it to field of ideas enacted and visualized through cold melodrama rather than lived and felt through the emotions and sympathy of the drama. The...

Dear Danny,

Ah, yes, the plague of "not getting it" is one that afflicts all of us festival-goers on occasion, but I admire your willingness to write on Peter Kern's peculiar film as well as Jiang Wen's totally gonzo farce (which you were nevertheless able to appreciate more than myself). As you and I both know, "getting it" isn't completely necessary and doesn't always get in the way of enjoyment and appreciation. Being a relaxed and open-minded viewer doesn't always make one an expert, but hopefully it prepares them for being responsive, a quality we should all aspire to whether we find ourselves in or outside of our wheelhouses.

In my previous letter, I teased at an incredible viewing experience I had, and indeed it may be one my all-time favourite screenings. Let me start off by describing what is my new favourite place to sit and watch a...

New films from Hal Hartley, James Franco, Gus Van Sant among lineup.

Eighteen features - including seven documentaries - have been selected for the Berlinale’s Panorama programme.

Among the selection are new films from Hal Hartley, Doze Niu Chen-Zer, Jk Youn and The Yes Men.

Hartley concludes his filmic trilogy with Ned Rifle while Justin Kelly’s Gus Van Sant-produced debut I Am Michael stars James Franco as a gay activist in the 1980s.

54: The Director’s Cut

USA

By Mark Christopher

With Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Sela Ward, Mark Ruffalo

World premiere

Chorus

Canada

By François Delisle

With Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Geneviève Bujold

European premiere

Der letzte Sommer der Reichen (The Last Summer of the Rich)

Austria

By Peter Kern

With Amira Casar, Nicole Gerdon, Winfried Glatzeder

World premiere

Dora oder Die sexuellen Neurosen unserer Eltern (Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents)

Switzerland / Germany

By Stina Werenfels...

Following yesterday's announcement of the first seven films lined up for the Competition, the Berlinale rolls out eleven narrative and eight documentary films slated for its 36th Panorama program. Among the eleven narrative and eight documentary films are Hal Hartley's Ned Rifle with Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan, Aubrey Plaza, Parkey Posey and Thomas Jay Ryan; Christian Braad Thomsen's documentary on Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Mark Christopher's 54: The Director's Cut with Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Sela Ward and Mark Ruffalo; new films by Raoul Peck, Peter Kern and more. » - David Hudson...

Following yesterday's announcement of the first seven films lined up for the Competition, the Berlinale rolls out eleven narrative and eight documentary films slated for its 36th Panorama program. Among the eleven narrative and eight documentary films are Hal Hartley's Ned Rifle with Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan, Aubrey Plaza, Parkey Posey and Thomas Jay Ryan; Christian Braad Thomsen's documentary on Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Mark Christopher's 54: The Director's Cut with Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Sela Ward and Mark Ruffalo; new films by Raoul Peck, Peter Kern and more. » - David Hudson...

The 2014 Viennale gets underway on October 23rd and runs to November 6th. The festival has published a preview of their lineup:

Features

Frank (Lenny Abrahamson)

Jauja (Lisandro Alonso)

Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas)

Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

Two Day, One Night (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)

Li'l Quinguin (Bruno Demont)

Hard to Be a God (Aeksej German)

Adieu au langage (Jean-Luc Godard)

Mambo Cool (Chris Gude)

Amour fou (Jessica Hausner)

The Last Summer of the Rich (Peter Kern)

Time Lapse (Bradley King)

The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)

Sorrow and Joy (Nils Malmros)

Suddarth (Richie Mehta)

Macondo (Sudabeh Mortezai)

Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund)

I'm Not Him (Tayfun Pirselimoglu)

Favula (Raúl Perrone)

Buzzard (Joel Potrykus)

A Proletarian Winter's Tale (Julian Radlmaier)

Two Shots Fired (Martín Rejtman)

Mauro (Hernán Rosselli)

The Sad Smell of Flesh (Cristóbal Arteaga Rozas)

Love is Strange (Ira Sachs)

The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)

Why Don't You Play in Hell?...

Vienna film festival to include a tribute to Viggo Mortensen and a retrospective on John Ford.Scroll down for list of higlights

Highlights of the 52nd Vienna International Film Festival (Oct 23-Nov 6) have been unveiled, including buzz titles from Cannes and Sundance as well as a tribute to actor Viggo Mortensen and a retrospective on director John Ford.

The feature film programme includes Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria and the Dardenne brothers’ Two Days, One Night. Other titles include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, Ruben Ostlund’s Turist and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank.

In the documentary line-up, highlights include Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days On Earth, from directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard; Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery; and Tessa Louise Salome’s Mr Leos Carax.

The Viennale will pay tribute to American-Danish actor Viggo Mortensen, whose films range from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to David Cronenberg features...

Adding just over a dozen features and four shorts to the lists of previously announced titles (first round and Dokumente), the Berlinale announces that the Panorama program for this year's edition (February 9 through 19) is now complete. The breakdown: "53 feature films: 18 in the main program, 15 in Panorama Special and 20 in Panorama Dokumente.... 34 productions from 37 countries are screening as world premieres. Seven fictional films are directorial debuts. There are 12 German productions, and 24 women filmmakers presenting 16 films."

New narrative features:

Bugis Street Redux by Yonfan, Hong Kong. With Hiep Thi Le, Michael Lam, Greg-O and Ernest Seah.

Cherry by Stephen Elliott, USA. With Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Heather Graham, Dev Patel and Lili Taylor. World Premiere. The site.

Chocó by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza, Columbia. With Karent Hinestroza, Esteban Copete, Fabio García, Daniela Mosquera, Jesús Benavides. Wp.

Glaube, Liebe, Tod (Belief, Love, Death) by Peter Kern, Austria. With Traute Furthner, Peter Kern, Joao Moreira Pedrosa.

Though it slipped past us somehow the 2011 Berlin Film Festival released the first block of titles from their Panorama section yesterday and there are some very familiar names in there, among them Ryoo Seung-Wan's The Unjust, Jorge Padilha's Elite Squad 2, Angelique Bosio's The Advocate For Fagdom and Hugo Olsson's The Black Power Mixtape - all of which have received coverage here in the pages of Twitch. You want the complete list? Here it is:

Panorama Main Programme + Panorama Special Bu-dang-geo-rae (The Unjust) by Seung-wan Ryoo, Republic of Koreawith Jung-min Hwang, Seung-bum Ryoo, Hae-jin Yoo Chang-Pi-Hae (Ashamed) by Soo-hyun Kim, Republic of Koreawith Hyo-jin Kim, Kkobbi Kim Dance Town by Kyu-hwan Jeon, Republic of Koreawith Mir-an Ra, Seong-tae Oh The Devil's Double by Lee Tamahori, Belgiumwith Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier Dirty Girl by Abe Sylvia, USAwith Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, Dwight Yoakam, Mary Steenburgen, Jeremy Dozier...

Half of the films screening as part of the Panorama section of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Berlin International Film Festival were announced this morning. Back with new works are Lothar Lambert, Peter Kern, directorial duo Jacques Martineau and Olivier Ducastel, Isao Yukisada, E J-Yong and Sebastien Lifshitz. Young feature filmmakers are represented by Mat Whitecross, Anahi Berneri and Scud, while the documentaries of Lucy Walker, Tamara Trampe and Johann …...

  Berlin -- Brit director Mat Whitecross, who shook up the Berlin film festival with his last two documentaries, "The Shock Doctrine" (2009) and "Road to Guantanamo" (2006) is returning this year with "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll," a biopic of British punk icon Ian Dury starring Andy Serkis.

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is certain to be one of the highlights of this year's Panorama lineup, which was announced Friday.

Other returning veterans include French filmmakers Jacques Martineau and Olivier Ducastel, whose new drama "Family Tree" will have its world premiere in Berlin; Hong Kong helmer Skud, coming to town with "Amphetamine" and Austrian director Peter Kern, whose "Initiation" looks at the relationship between an octogenarian and a 16-year-old boy.

Art and gay cinema have always had pride of place at the Panorama, and are well represented in the 2010 lineup. Panorama's non-fiction section, the Dokumente, includes "Waste Land," Lucy Walker's portrait of artist...