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Xyz Films is expanding with a new management division, and the company has tapped Peter Van Steemburg, a former Universal executive and ICM agent, as its first hire for the division, Xyz announced Monday.

Xyz’s management division will focus on identifying emerging filmmakers globally and working with them in generating content creation opportunities. Van Steemburg will start at the company in August.

Van Steemburg was most recently the vice president of acquisitions & production at Universal Pictures Content Group, where he was responsible for acquiring independent features for North America. “Piercing” and “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn” were among the acquisitions during Van Steemburg’s tenure at the company.

Also Read: Former CAA Executives Launch New Talent Management Firm Uncmmn

Van Steemburg began his film career at the international distribution division of Miramax Films before joining the film finance department at Cinetic Media. Following this, he spent 8 years working...

Aubrey Plaza will host the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent announced on Tuesday.

On Nov. 16, “Crazy Rich Asians” star Gemma Chan and “Private Life” star Molly Shannon announced this year’s nominees at a press conference. Best Feature nominees include “Eighth Grade,” “First Reformed,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Leave No Trace.”

The 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place on Feb. 23, 2019, and will be broadcast exclusively on IFC at 2 p.m. Pt.

See Video: Aubrey Plaza Tells Us Why 'An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin' Is a 'Wild Ride'

“I am truly honored and delighted to host the Spirits Awards this year,” said Plaza. “It is a dream come true to host a show that celebrates my greatest loves… independent film, the people that make them possible and live television!”

“The search for a great Spirit Awards host is never easy,” added Film Independent president Josh Welsh.

The Queen biopic opens to £9.5m including previews.

Rank Film / Distributor Three-day gross (Oct 12-14) Running gross Week 1 Bohemian Rhapsody (20th Century Fox) £6.4m £9.5m 1 2 A Star Is Born (Warner Bros) £2.1m £19.2m 4 3 Halloween (Universal) £1.7m £5.8m 2 4 Smallfoot (Warner Bros) £1.6m £7.7m 3 5. Johnny English Strikes Again (Universal) £1.5m £14.1m 4

Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate - 1.28

20th Century Fox

With some cinemas still to report, Bohemian Rhapsody is the box office champion on its first weekend after making a strong start to its UK run. The Queen rock biopic capitalised on its £1.62m opening night last Wednesday with a £6.4m weekend.

So what exactly is the plot to “An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin?” Good question. In fact, when we spoke with star Aubrey Plaza back at the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, she had the same question, saying that the offbeat comedy was one of the craziest things she’s ever made.

“It’s really hard for me to explain why, but it’s kind of like a wild ride,” Plaza told TheWrap. “You just have to strap in and let go.”

Indeed, the film is incredibly weird and, as is repeated in the its trailer, “magical.” Director Jim Hosking, who directed the equally bizarre horror comedy “The Greasy Strangler,” was originally asked to make the weirdest film ever, only to find out he had made it too weird. From there, they came up with the character and story to “An Evening With Beverly Luff...

Titles screening at the 18th edition include David Robert Mitchell’s Under The Silver Lake.

Swiss genre festival Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival (Nifff) has announced the programme for its 18th edition, held from July 6-14 this year.

The festival will open with the world premiere of web series Le 5e Cavalier, which won the Fantastic Web Contest at last year’s event. The closing film will be the Swiss premiere of animation Hotel Transylvania 3.

Scroll down for the full line-up

Across nine days the festival will screen over 150 films across 14 sections, consisting of 109 features and 60 shorts.

16 films will compete in the international competition,...

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group has acquired North American rights to the genre-bending romantic comedy An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn. The Sundance Film Festival-premiering pic stars Aubrey Plaza and Emile Hirsch and is the second feature from co-writer/director Jim Hosking. A day-and-date theatrical and VOD bow is in the works for later this year.

In the script from Hosking and David Wike, Plaza stars as Lulu Danger, who is trapped in a dissatisfying marriage with her scheming husband Shane (Hirsch). After getting fired by Shane from his cappuccino shop, Lulu is stunned when a TV commercial for “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn For One Magical Night Only” reveals a mysterious man from her past (Craig Robinson). When Shane and his bumbling cohorts steal the cashbox from Lulu’s adopted vegan brother, a specialist (Jemaine Clement) enters the fray to retrieve the stolen funds. Lulu seizes the...

12 features programmed for festival’s 2018 London offshoot.

The 2018 edition of Sundance’s UK festival offshoot, Sundance London, has unveiled its programme.

A total of 12 features will screen, including the UK premiere of Idris Elba’s directorial debut Yardie and an unannounced surprise film.

The event will open with the UK premiere of Jennifer Fox’s The Tale, starring Laura Dern and Elizabeth Debicki, and will host the European premiere of Hereditary, with star Toni Collette in attendance for a Q&A.

Further UK premieres include Leave No Trace, Debra Granik’s follow up to her Oscar-nominated Winter’s Bone, Desiree Akhavan...

Author: Nathan McVay

Sundance can be the greatest experience for film lovers. It also can be an internal struggle and mind draining ten days. What will be the next big hit? What is the can’t miss revolutionary film? What is the worst film here? Between our Sundance contributors Ty Cooper and Nathan McVay, the two saw nearly 30 films. While we have published some of their full length reviews the two wanted to let everyone know their brief takes on all the films they caught. Below is their very brief one sentence reviews and star ratings of all the films of Sundance. Hearts Beat Loud Ty- The annual obligatory Sundance musical that features songs that were obviously not written for their leading lady. 2/5 Stars Nathan- Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons are fantastic but this film is too heavy and pretentious for its own good. 3/5 Stars Blindspotting Ty- A jarring and...

Author: Ty Cooper

In 2016, writer/director Jim Hosking burst his way onto the Sundance scene with The Greasy Strangler. His feature-film debut shocked and rocked Midnight audiences with its unique blend of grotesque imagery and gauche comedy. It was a film that will be burned forever in the minds of the audiences that were subjected to it, and has left many people wondering where Hosking could possible go from here.

With his new film, An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, Hosking takes his embryonic brand of comedy that he established Greasy Strangler, and expands upon it with exuberant success. The plot of the film circles around the players in a small-time heist, and a mysterious and magical being known only as, Beverly Luff Linn (Craig Robinson). It’s a MacGuffin-riddled narrative that ensures that the audience is never one step ahead of the story.

Unlike Hosking’s first film, Beverly...

“I wanted to be normal,” the extremely powerful mutant David says in the first footage from “Legion” Season 2. “Any of this look normal to you?”

Read More:‘Legion’ Season 2: Noah Hawley Reveals a New Villain, More Episodes, and Teases Professor X

Fans of Noah Hawley’s breakout FX superhero drama are expecting anything but normal when the series returns for Season 2 later this year, especially now that the villainous characters played by Aubrey Plaza and Jemaine Celement have teamed up and are on the loose. The two fan favorites are featured prominently in the new footage, as are cast members Dan Stevens and Rachel Keller.

The debut “Legion” Season 2 footage is featured in FX’s official 2018 video preview. The clip also includes the first footage from the final season of “The Americans” and Ryan Murphy’s latest series “Pose.”

“Legion” Season 2 is set to debut this April. Check out...

EU-based cinematographer Nanu Segal has shot more than 30 shorts and features since 2001. She’s also Dp’d commercial spots for Unicef, Playstation and a host of other clients. Her latest project is An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn starring Aubrey Plaza and Emile Hirsch. The film marks a return to Sundance for director Jim Hosking, who premiered his debut film The Greasy Strangler at the festival in 2016. Below, Segal discusses lighting the film’s key locations and the influence of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul on the film. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and […]...