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NBC's 2025-26 television season slate continues to grow. The network has handed a series order to new comedy Stumble from siblings Jeff Astrof and Liz Astrof.

Per Deadline, Stumble marks the first team-up project for the Astrofs, who are veteran showrunners in the comedy genre, having previously worked on such hits as The New Adventures of Old Christine, 2 Broke Girls, The King of Queens, The Conners, and Last Man Standing. The upcoming comedy series centers on Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon), who is determined to rally her newly recruited junior college cheer squad to win her record-breaking 15th championship and improve their lives along the way.

In addition to Lyon, the main cast for Stumble includes former Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam, as well as Ryan Pinkston, Jarrett Austin Brown, Anissa Borrego, Arianna Davis, Taylor Dunbar, and Georgie Murphy. After guest-starring in the pilot, Kristin Chenoweth, who...

Voldemort has reportedly been cast in HBO's series adaptation of Harry Potter. Unfortunately, fans are no closer to learning who will succeed Ralph Fiennes as the Dark Lord.

According to Redanian Intelligence, someone close to the production of Harry Potter has disclosed that Voldemort has already been cast for the series adaptation and will "appear in several episodes." However, HBO reportedly has no plans to announce who has been cast in the role, as the network wants to keep the casting a secret until the first season airs, which isn't until 2027. This means that Wizarding World fans might have to wait two years to learn who will be playing Voldemort, unless the casting gets leaked before then. At the very least, this secrecy stays true to the character's "He Who Must Not Be Named" moniker.

However, it remains to be seen if HBO will be successful in keeping the actor...

The Paper finally has a premiere date. The long-awaited spinoff of The Office will begin streaming on Peacock this September.

Peacock has revealed that the first four episodes of The Paper will premiere on Sept. 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through Sept. 25.This means the entire 10-episode season will be rolled out in less than a month. While the binge method (a.k.a. releasing the entire season at the same time) was once a popular release method for streaming originals, in recent years, streamers like HBO Max, Prime Video, and Disney+ have gone back to the tried and true one-episode per week release pattern, with some notable exceptions like multi-episode premieres or finales. With The Office a consistent streaming hit, the decision to burn through an entire season of its highly anticipated spinoff in just one month is somewhat unusual, although Peacock likely has a reason for doing so.

Cuenca, Spain — Guillermo Francella, Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, star and directors of Disney+/Star+ smash hit “The Boss,” have dropped a first packed quickfire international trailer of anthology movie “Homo Argentum,” their new collaboration and one of a select number of Argentine titles bidding fair this year to make substantial box office in Argentina and break out abroad.

“Homo Argentum” will hit cinema theaters in Argentina on Aug. 14, its release handled by Star Distribution, a subsid of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Set up at Buenos Aires-based powerhouse Pampa Films, behind “Chinese Takeaway” (2011), Disney 2019 standout series “Monzón: A Knockout Blow” and doc feature breakout “Muchachos,” “Homo Argentum” is scheduled to bow on Aug. 14.

Gloriamundi produces out of Spain. “Homo Argentum” is co-produced by Rhino Film, Dea Film and Blue Film.

Francella stars in all 16 episodes of the movie anthology which look, if the trailer is anything to go by,...

Netflix has unveiled a new film with “The Eternaut” lead Ricardo Darín, Argentina’s biggest star, and another by popular director Marcos Carnevale (“Elsa and Fred”), starring Oscar Martínez (“Official Competition”).

“Lo dejamos acá” stars Darín and Diego Paretti, another big Argentine player, in a movie about a pragmatic psychoanalyst (Darín) who begins to distrust traditional psychological methods, crossing ethical lines with his patients. Everything seems to work – until a creatively blocked writer (Peretti) enters his practice.

Produced by Darín’s label Kenya Films, in a pedigree creative package “Lo dejamos acá” is helmed by Hernán Goldfrid, who directed Darín in box office hit “Thesis of a Homicide” and co-directed “Caught” as well as one of HBO Latin America’s best series ever, “The Bronze Garden.” It is written by Emanuel Diez, who co-wrote Juan José Campanella’s “The Envoys” and Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s “El Encargado” (“The One in Charge”) and “Nada,...

Netflix has announced two new Argentinian features, continuing what the streamer describes as its “unwavering” commitment to the Latin American territory.

Lo dejamos acá stars Ricardo Darín, from Oscar nominee Argentina, 1985, and Diego Peretti in the story of a pragmatic psychoanalyst who has lost faith in traditional psychological methods and the creatively blocked writer who comes to him for help.

Hernán Goldfrid directs from a script by Emanuel Diez. Kenya Films is the production company.

El último gigante stars Oscar Martínez, known internationally from Official Competition, and MatíasMayer and follows a charismatic tour guide who unexpectedly reunites with the father who abandoned him 28 years ago.

Exclusive: With The Eternaut still nestled high in Netflix’s viewing charts, the streamer is adding to its line-up of content from Argentina. It has greenlit two new movies, acquired another, and cameras are rolling on a previously-announced Juan José Campanella film.

The two new films are Lo dejamos acá, starring Ricardo Darín and Diego Peretti; and El último gigante, with Oscar Martínez, Matías Mayer, Inés Estévez, Luis Luque, Silvia Kutika, and Yoyi Francella. Production has kicked off on both movies.

It’s actually a quadruple bill of Netflix Argentina production news. We can also reveal it has snagged Risa, also starring Diego Peretti, in this case alongside Joaquín Furriel, rapper Cazzu, and Elena Romero. It will be on the platform after its theatrical release. Meanwhile, shooting is underway on the previously announced Juan José Campanella movie Parque Lezama. First-look pic below.

A first look at Juan José Campanella’s Parque Lezama Marcos Ludevid,...

The Office is officially returning to Peacock. The upcoming sequel series will not continue the original characters' stories, but will feature an all-new cast in a new location.

Thefollow-up series is called The Paper and is set in the same universe as the flagship American series. Peacock has revealed a first look at the new building with a release date set for September 2025. "The Scranton documentary crew is heading to Toledo," Peacock wrote in a post on X alongside a photo of the new building.

The Scranton documentary crew is heading to Toledo. #ThePaper arrives this September on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/Mzmbw7TBzF— Peacock (@peacock) May 12, 2025

The American NBC fan-favorite series ran between 2005 and 2013 and was based on the UK series of the same name crated by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The mockumentary sitcom went on to be adapted across the world, most recently, in Australia, with a female boss.

It’s been more than a decade since audiences said farewell to The Officeand the workers at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, and 20 years since the show first premiered on NBC. A spinoff, reportedly titled The Paper,has been in the works at Peacock, and now one former Office star confirms that he will be part of the new cast.

Per Entertainment Weekly, Oscar Nuñez, appearing on the Todayshow with fellow The Office castmate, Angela Kinsey, confirmed that he will reprise his role as Oscar Martínez for the new series. The new show will feature the same “mocumentary” feel with the same documentary crew that filmed the workers at Dunder Mifflin. However, in the new show, the crew will follow the workers at a struggling midwestern newspaper.

“They’re still editing and stuff,”Nuñez said. “It’s very, very exciting.”In February, it was rumored that Nuñez would be back for the reboot.

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has promoted Javier Pons to Chief Content Officer & Head of Telemundo Studios.

Pons, who arrived at the company last year, will report directly to NBCU Telemundo Chairman Luis Fernandez.

In his new role, Pons will expand his responsibilities to include oversight of the network’s entertainment division. In addition to leading development and production of scripted content at Telemundo Studios, Pons will shepherd development and production of the network’s unscripted content, daily shows and live specials.

“Since his arrival to Telemundo Javier has delivered great results and strengthened Telemundo Studios’ position for the future. I’m excited to see him apply his vast experience in production and media management to his new expanded role,” Fernandez said. “He is an accomplished media executive, and I’m confident he will continue to excel in this expanded leadership role, as he brings his expertise and creativity to our entertainment...

NBCUniversal is elevating Javier Pons to chief content officer and head of Telemundo Studios. In this new role, Pons will report directly to Luis Fernandez, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

Pons joined Telemundo last year as the executive vice president of Telemundo Studios. As Cco and head of studios, he will continue to lead development and production of scripted content while also leading the company’s entertainment division. Specifically, he will focus on the development and production of unscripted content, daily shows and live specials.

“Since his arrival to Telemundo, Javier has delivered great results and strengthened Telemundo Studios’ position for the future. I’m excited to see him apply his vast experience in production and media management to his new expanded role as chief content officer,” Fernandez said in a Tuesday statement. “He is an accomplished media executive, and I’m confident he will continue to excel in this...

Acclaimed actor Steve Carell remains beloved by many for being the face of one of this century's greatest sitcoms, The Office. Fans can soon catch up on the film that helped Carell land his career-changing role as Bruce Almighty is set for an imminent streaming debut on Peacock.

Peacock confirmed that Bruce Almighty, the 2003 fantasy comedy starring acting legend Jim Carrey in the titular role, will be released on Apr. 1. The Universal Pictures film landed on Netflix on Jan. 1. However, Netflix subscribers don't have much longer to watch the movie as it will leave the popular streaming service on the same day it hits Peacock.

Helmed by Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar Liar director Tom Shadyac, Bruce Almighty chronicles Buffalo-based TV field reporter Bruce Nolan (Carrey), who covets becoming his station's top news anchor before the role is given to his rival, Evan Baxter (Carell). After an on-camera outburst...

Brian Baumgartner was a beloved part of NBC's The Office, portraying the fan-favorite character of Kevin Malone. Despite the character remaining popular with fans a decade after the show's conclusion, Baumgartner isn't sure if Kevin will appear in the forthcoming spinoff series.

Speaking with Screen Rant to discuss his recent appearance on Suits LA, in which he wanted lawyer Erica Rollins to "kill Kevin Malone," Baumgartner addressed a possible return to The Office universe for the spinoffnow that it's been confirmed that his former co-star Oscar Nunez will be back as Oscar Martínez. "Uh, That's interesting... I don't know what the rules are there in the new show, or where Greg [Daniels] sees Kevin," the actor stated. "I hope Kevin's still working at the bar right around the corner from Dunder Mifflin. I hope he's still there, so I don't know about a trip to the Midwest, or who...

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...

The biggest strength of Crater has to be its final ten minutes, which feel like savoring a great dessert after what was a decent meal at best. To a great extent, it feels like a silly attempt at a Stranger Things recreation in a different setting, especially the way the five main characters are written. Sure, kids are all the same, but these five are an awful lot like Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max. There is no Eleven, though, and no demogorgon mind flayer stuff, either. For a movie that is set entirely on the moon, the villains here are rather wordly: class struggle, capitalism, and the exploitation of the poor.

But seamlessly integrating all these in the narrative of a Disney movie, whose target audience is mainly kids and teenagers, is a herculean task. And the movie couldn’t exactly pull off Oscar Martinez explaining “what does surplus...

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

The Batman by Dan Liles

Bub by LoopyDave

Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives by Kevin Tiernan

God of War: Ragnarok by Felix Tindall

Halloween Ends by Sahin Düzgün

Kill Bill Vol. 1...

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

The Exorcist by Dylan Ferrer

Hard Boiled by David Kennedy

Hellraiser by Jairo Guerrero

Hereditary by Dejan Delic

The Iron Giant by Chris Hoffman

La La Land by Oscar Martinez

A Nightmare On Elm Street...

’André Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert: Happy Days Are Here Again’ plays widely this weekend.

Universal’s survival thriller Beast is the widest release among the features debuting at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, however event cinema André Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert: Happy Days Are Here Again boasts the overall largest figure.

Beast is directed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur. The survival thriller stars Idris Elba as a grieving widower, who must protect his daughters from a voracious lion. It is set to play at 601 sites this weekend.

Kormakur’s best known for 2015 real-life disaster thriller, Everest, which opened to £2.4m from 567 sites.

Dir: Gaston Duprat, Mariano Cohn. Starring: Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martinez, Jose Luis Gomez, Irene Escolar, Manolo Solo. 15, 114 minutes.

Is the film industry’s obsession with poking fun at its own excesses just another form of vanity? After the hundredth comedy about conceited artists and their many gluttonies (see: Judd Apatow’s painfully unfunny The Bubble), it all starts to feel a little like the dirtbag boyfriend who loves to apologise for how “messed up” he is, but never makes the slightest attempt to fix his behaviour. Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition may be yet another satire on filmmaking, but it’s the rare iteration that’s nuanced enough to understand that self-awareness does not equal absolution.

The Argentinian directors have, admittedly, corralled exactly the sort of headline-grabbing cast that normally populates these indulgent meta-comedies. Official Competition marks the first time Pedro Almodovar’s two most recognisable collaborators,...

Cruz’s eccentric director employs unorthodox techniques to manage lead actors – and polar opposites – Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez

It’s clever casting – and very entertaining – to put screen goddess Penélope Cruz in the role of a superstar film director. Cruz is most famous for her working relationship with Pedro Almodóvar; often she’s described as his muse – demeaningly, I think. Well, with this playful satire of the movie industry, Argentinian film-making duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat give her all the power in the role of a borderline tyrannical auteur with a bonkers streak (think Marina Abramović or maybe even Björk). Wearing a massive curly wig – made from saucepan scourers, it looks like – Cruz lets rip with a deliciously fun performance.

She plays eccentric director Lola Cuevas, who is starting rehearsals for her new film: an adaptation of a prize-winning novel about the rivalry between two brothers. Lola’s...

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Lego is putting Dunder Mifflin’s hardly-working paper pushers to, well, work with a new building set inspired by The Office.

Landing on shelves October 1, the 1,164-piece building set is available for pre-order for 120 starting today exclusively online at Walmart in the U.S. and Canada. The kit was dreamed up by members of the Lego Ideas community of fan designers, and includes an illustrated booklet about The Office and the set’s creators, as well as step-by-step instructions.

Show devotees can build the office of Michael Scott (played by Steve Carrell in the cult-favorite comedy series), the conference room and the sales area, and set up 15 mini-figurines inspired by show characters including Dunder Mifflin Stanton’s head honcho as well as Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, Ryan Howard, Angela Martin and her cat Garbage, Oscar Martinez, Kevin Malone, Stanley Hudson, Kelly Kapoor,...

American actress Julianne Moore has been announced as the international jury president for the main competition of the 79th Venice International Film Festival, running from August 31 to September 10.

She will be joined by Argentine director Mariano Cohn, Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo, French director and 2021 Golden Lion winner Audrey Diwan, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, Japanese-uk writer Kazuo Ishiguro and Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

The jury awards the Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Volpi Cups for Best Actress and Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay and“Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.

Moore has long ties with Venice having won its Volpi Cup Best Actress Award for her performance in Far From Heaven in 2002 and the Franca Sozzani Award for Suburbicon in 2017.

Cohn was at Venice last year with Official Competition, starring Penélope Cruz,...

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.

Antonio Banderas as “Félix Rivero” and Penelope Cruz as “Lola Cuevas” in Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s Official Competition. Courtesy of Manolo Pavon. An IFC Films release.

In the satiric comedy Official Competition, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star as an auteur director and international action star, both with egos the size of Montana, who are hired by an aging wealthy businessman intent on financing a big, award-winning hit movie as a vanity project. The humor is pointed and wits are sharp, as wealth, egos, art and particularly movie-making come under the comic guns of Argentinian co-directors Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohen in this hilarious Spanish-language satire.

As he turns 80, millionaire businessman Humberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez) decides he needs a monumentally big project to leave a lasting legacy. But what should be choose? A bridge designed by a famous architect bearing his name? A charitable foundation? No, a...

Official Competition Tribeca Festival Spotlight Narrative Section Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer Director: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat Writer: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat Cast: Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martínez Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 4/3/22 Opens: June 14th, 2022 It’s usually true that having more than one big personality in any sort of partnership […]

The post Tribeca 2022: Official Competition Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

IFC Films opened Official Competition starring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez at four theaters in NYC and LA for an estimated three-day gross of 34,000 and per-theater-averages of 8,500 for the comedy directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat following it U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Festival last week.

The film, world premiered in competition at Venice. It expands to Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. next week before breaking nationwide on July 1. “We’re so thrilled this comedic gem connected with U.S. audiences and we look forward to its continued successful rollout,” said IFC Films president Arianna Bocco.

Focus Features released its 2022 Sundance Film Festival pickup Brian And Charles in a wide for specialty opening of 279 theaters for a three-day estimated gross of 198,000, or 711 PTA. It is no. 10 this weekend at the North American box office, which is increasingly crowded with tentpoles.

Jim Archer’s...

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...

Should someone ever construct a Film Hair Hall of Fame, or a museum dedicated to the greatest cinematic coifs to ever grace screens, we’d like to submit for inclusion Penélope Cruz’s ‘do from Official Competition. An untamable mane of red curls cascading out from her head and spilling over her shoulders, it is almost its own character; the closest way to describe it would be to imagine Medusa as played by Lucille Ball. It’s an alpha-follicular power move, a feral flex of frizz, and one that immediately...

Antonio Banderas is not only one of Spain's most prolific actors, but also one of Hollywood's most popular leading men of the past few decades. He's currently starring in the social satire Official Competition alongside Penelope Cruz and Oscar Martinez.

In celebration of Banderas' highly successful and acclaimed career, Ranker has put together a collection of the actor's most popular movies over the years. His filmography is an extremely unique and diverse one, so the results may be surprising.

Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.

Frédéric Boyer on Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition, starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martínez: “Extraordinary! It’s like a Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn type of slapstick” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

In the second installment with Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer we discuss Joachim Back’s Corner Office, John Michael McDonagh’s The Forgiven, David Frankel’s Jerry and Marge Go Large, Paul Dektor’s American Dreamer, Andrew Bujalski’s There, There, Annette K Olesen’s A Matter Of Trust, Kyra Sedgwick’s Space Oddity, Katie Holmes’s Alone Together, Peter Hengl’s Family Dinner, Clara Stern’s Breaking The Ice, and Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn’s Official Competition (Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar...

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.

Poking fun at an industry they know quite well, Almodóvar favorites and renowned international legends in their own right, Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas’ latest collaboration finds them skewering the film industry. The trailer for Official Competition, fittingly debuting around the time the Cannes Film Festival revealed theirs, has now arrived ahead of a June release from IFC Films.

Directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, here’s the synopsis for the film that premiered at Venice last fall: “When a billionaire entrepreneur impulsively decides to create an iconic movie, he demands the best. Renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) is recruited to mastermind this ambitious endeavour. Completing the all-star team are two actors with enormous talent but even bigger egos: Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and radical theatre actor Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez). Both are legends, but not exactly best friends. Through a series of increasingly eccentric trials set by Lola,...

"Wait, it doesn't end there." IFC Films has finally revealed an official US trailer for Official Competition, the amusing Argentinian satire about making an indie film for film festivals. It's made by two Argentinian filmmakers, and the film co-stars the powerhouse duo Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. A wealthy businessman hires an enigmatic art-house filmmaker to help make an award-winning film based on a Nobel Prize-winning novel. She casts two superstar leads that hate each other. Alternating between exacerbating the actors' mutual antipathy and uniting in their shared discomfort with her psychologically tumultuous rehearsal techniques, Lola seeks to capture the drama of two alpha males vying for the limelight — but it won't be long before the gambit goes off the rails. Also starring Irene Escolar, Melina Matthews, Oscar Martínez, Pilar Castro, Manolo Solo, and Karina Kolokolchykova. This premiered last year at both the Venice & Toronto Film Festivals (here's the teaser...

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.

"It's not the first time I've worked with an idiot." Madman Films in Australia has unveiled an official trailer for Official Competition, the kooky Argentinian satire about making an indie film to play at film festivals. It's made by two Argentinian filmmakers and co-stars the powerhouse duo Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. A wealthy businessman hires an enigmatic art-house filmmaker to help make an award-winning film based on a Nobel Prize-winning novel. She casts two superstar leads that hate each other. Alternating between exacerbating the actors' mutual antipathy and uniting them in their shared discomfort with her psychologically tumultuous rehearsal techniques, Lola seeks to capture the drama of two alpha males vying for the limelight — but it won't be long before the gambit goes off the rails. Also starring Irene Escolar, Melina Matthews, Oscar Martínez, Pilar Castro, Manolo Solo, and Karina Kolokolchykova. This premiered last year at both the Venice...

Exclusive: Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, the Argentinian filmmakers behind Official Competition, My Masterpiece and other acclaimed festival titles, have signed with CAA.

Cohn and Duprat wrote and directed their third feature, Official Competition, which premiered in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The comedy starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas watches as a wealthy businessman hires a famous filmmaker to help him make a hit film. IFC acquired U.S. distribution rights in October and plans to release the film in 2022. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal.

The duo’s credits also include My Masterpiece (Mi Obra Maestra), which Duprat directed with Cohn producing, and The Distinguished Citizen, which they helmed together. The latter title was selected to compete at the 2016 Venice Film Festival, where its star, Oscar Martínez, won the Best Actor award. It was also selected as Argentina’s Academy Awards entry that year and...

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,...

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Official Competition,” Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s colorful film with Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. Represented in international markets by Protagonist, the film world premiered at Venice in competition and earned unanimous praise.

Written by Cohn and Duprat, the movie stars José Luis Gómez as an octogenarian millionaire pharmaceutical tycoon who decides to finance a great work of cinema after surveying his legacy and finding it lacking in prestige.

He purchases the rights to a Nobel Prize–winning novel about sibling rivalry and entrusts the property to enigmatic auteur Lola Cuevas (Cruz). A visionary conceptualist with a penchant for offscreen theatrics and micromanagement, Lola casts as her embattled co-leads a pair of veteran thespians who couldn’t be less alike: Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez) is a revered educator and legend of the stage much concerned with ethics and artistry, while Félix Rivero...

A week after taking the Volpi Cup best actress award at the Venice Film Festival, Penelope Cruz and her “Official Competition” co-stars Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez were in San Sebastian on Friday evening for the film’s Spanish premiere, where the trio hosted a press conference joined on stage by producer Jaume Roures, CEO at Mediapro, and via a video stream by the film’s writing-directing duo Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn.

While discussing her admiration for Duprat and Cohn’s ability to make the difficult task of shooting a comedy seem easy, Cruz teased that she would be teaming up again with the Argentine duo in the future.

“Sometimes when audiences leave the theatre after a comedy, they think that those films are easier to make than dramas, but that’s not the case. I admire so much the work of Mariano and Gastón… which they do with such charm and intelligence.

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...

Exclusive: Following a tussle for rights in the territory, Protagonist Pictures has closed a French all-rights deal with Wild Bunch for well-received comedy Official Competition, starring Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Oscar Martínez.

The Spanish-language film, produced by MediaPro Studio, recently had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

In Official Competition, 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, who plays radical theatre actor Iván Torres.

Pic is directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat from a script they wrote with Andrés Duprat.

The film has also booked a Special Presentations berth at the Toronto International Film Festival and will open this year’s Perlak Section at the upcoming San Sebastian International Film Festival.

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,...

Official Competition (Competencia Oficial) announces its meta intentions with its very title. Here is a Venice Film Festival competitor about the making of a festival film. Lampooning the very world in which it exists, the Spanish comedy-drama is a highly entertaining entry with winning performances from Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez.

An eccentric director is hired by a wealthy businessman who decides to produce a film, on a whim, based on a prize-winning novel he’s never read. The fact that this director is played by Cruz is a nice touch, given that such fictional helmers are usually male by default. Asked to hire “the best,” Lola Cuevas summons Argentinian thespian Iván Torres (Martínez) and showy box office star Félix Rivero (Banderas) to her mansion to rehearse for their roles as warring brothers. Her idea is to pit two opposites against each other and milk the sparks on...

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...

"It's not the first time I've worked with an idiot." Yes!! This is going to be amazing. An early teaser trailer has debuted for a film titled Official Competition, which is riffing on film festivals and art house films and making fun of them. The film is a satire from two Argentinian filmmakers and co-stars the powerhouse duo Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. From this first look, it could be described as The Square but for festivals, making fun of them and how ridiculous all the films are playing in the "official competition." A wealthy businessman hires a famous filmmaker to make a smash hit film. "Through a series of increasingly eccentric challenges set by Lola, Felix and Iván must face not only each other, but also their own legacies." Also starring Irene Escolar, Melina Matthews, Oscar Martínez, Pilar Castro, Manolo Solo, and Karina Kolokolchykova. Oh I am All about...

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...

Spain brings a robust crop of developing projects and completed titles to this year’s Cannes Film Market.

“Alcarrás” (Carla Simon)

Much anticipated after Simon’s “Summer 1993,” “Alcarrás” tracks the final harvest at a multi-generational family farm. Co-produced with Italy. Sales: MK2 Films

“Ama” (Julia de Paz Solvas)

A Malaga premiere from La Dalia Films about single motherhood and raising a child without a permanent home. Sales: Filmax

“Ane Is Missing”

(David Pérez Sañudo)

A 2021 best picture Goya nominee, Patricia López Arnáiz dominates the screen as a mother looking for her teenage daughter. Sales: Latido

“Beyond the Summit” (Ibon Cormenzana)

Javier Rey (“Fariña”) & Patricia Lopez Arnaiz (“Ane”) star in this mountain climbing metaphor for self-realization.

Sales: Filmax

“Canto Cósmico. Niño de Elche”

From Señor y Señora and Código Sur, the story of a former child prodigy flamenco singer who pushed the boundaries of the artform.

“Carpoolers” (Martín Cuervo)

A...

Following the presentation of exclusive footage at the European Film Market last week, highly anticipated title “Official Competition” – reuniting Spanish stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz – has seized sales to major distributors for sales agency Protagonist Pictures and producer The Mediapro Studio.

Banderas, Cannes best actor winner and Academy Award nominee for “Pain and Glory,” and Cruz, Academy Award winner for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” star alongside Argentinian actor Oscar Martínez, Venice best actor winner for “The Distinguished Citizen,” in the comedy about the fierce rivalry between two actors with massive talent but even bigger egos.

Lucky Red has acquired the film for Italy, Studiocanal for Germany/Austria, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Pathe Films Ag for Switzerland, MK2 Mile End for Canada, Madman for Australia/New Zealand, Golden Scene for Hong Kong/Macau, and Sahamongkol Film for Thailand, with further deals closed previously at EFM 2020 for Benelux (September Film), Portugal (Lusomundo), Cee...

Madrid — Flushed by Netflix success with “Below Zero,” Spain brings an extraordinary gamut of movie titles to Berlin. Some highlights:

“All the Moons,” (Igor Legarreta)

A France-Spain co-production, “All the Moons” tracks two vampires in the northern Spain during the last Carlist war. S.A. Filmax

“Ane is Missing,” (David Pérez Sañudo)

A 2021 best picture Goya nominee, Patricia López Arnáiz dominates as a mother looking for her teenage daughter. S.A. Latido

“Alcarrás,” (Carla Simon)

Much anticipated after Simon’s “Summer 1993,” “Alcarrás” tracks the final harvest at a multi-generational family farm. Co-produced with Italy. S.A. MK2 Films

“Baby,” (Juanma Bajo Ulloa)

This dialogue-free thriller follows an upper-class drug addict trying to track down her baby after selling it to a child trafficker.S.A. Latido

“Beyond the Summit,” (Ibon Cormenzana)

Javier Rey (“Fariña”) & Patricia Lopez Arnaiz (“Ane”) star in this mountain climbing metaphor for self-realization.

S.A. Filmax

“Brothers-In-Law,...

Headlined by Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, The Mediapro Studio’s “Official Competition,” one of the year’s highest-profile international Spanish productions lensing in Spain, has resumed shooting.

Compounding the difficulty of going into production for a second time, the film features an international cast including Argentine heavyweight Oscar Martínez, a former San Sebastian, Venice and Argentine Academy best actor award-winner, plus two Argentina-based directors, Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.

They will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself this time around. Eight days after production started in March of this year, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down filming when it became unsafe to continue. Ominously, as shooting resumes this week, parts of Spain, led by Madrid, are reintroducing stricter lockdown conditions once again, as the daily number of new cases is rising.

“Official Competition” features Banderas and Martínez as renowned actors of large talent but even bigger egos, set on...