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The 31st edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its Open Air Program, consisting of two sections, Open Air and Open Air Premiere.

The program set for the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema will be “showcasing some of the most important arthouse films of the year, as well as cinematic classics,” organizers said. “Some of the films in this program will be presented by acclaimed directors, actors, and screenwriters, [2025] recipients of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, including Paolo Sorrentino, Willem Dafoe, Ray Winstone, Stellan Skarsgård, and Michel Franco,” who received the honor several years ago.

Meanwhile, the new Open Air Premiere lineup will “showcase films from the former Yugoslav region in the unique setting of the Uniqa Open Air Cinema Stari Grad,” fest organizers highlighted.

Check out the full Sarajevo open air lineups below.

Open Air Program

The Pavilion (Paviljon) – opening film

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia,...

Vashon Film Institute, the non-profit organization dedicated to fostering independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest, has announced the film slate for its fourth annual Vashon Island Film Festival. The festival is set for Aug. 7-10, where nine features and 15 shorts will screen at the Vashon Theatre. The festival will open with a screening of the Opening Night film “The Balconettes,” which will screen out of competition.

This year’s lineup will include six narrative and three documentary features, including Laurent Slama’s “A Second Life,” Ari Gold’s “Brother Verses Brother,” Ernesto Martinez Bucio’s “The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box)”, Georgi M. Unkovski’s “DJ Ahmet,” Henry Bernadet’s “Gamma Rays,” Phil Moniz and Kevin Claydon’s “Racewalkers,” Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno’s “Coroner To The Stars,” Brittany Shyne’s “Seeds,” and Benjamin Flaherty’s “Shuffle.”

The narrative shorts will include Alex Thompson...

Sarajevo — The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival will open on 15 August with the world premiere of Dino Mustafić’s dark comedy “The Pavilion,” the story of retirement-home residents who launch an armed revolt after years of mistreatment.

Festival organisers say the screening marks the award-winning theatre and documentary director’s first fiction feature in two decades, following his 2003 hit Remake. Mustafić called presenting the film at his hometown festival “no greater excitement or privilege,” adding that it unites “a large regional cast of well-known actors” to ask how “the oldest generation choose to act according to conscience in today’s world.”

The ensemble pairs Balkan icons Rade Šerbedžija, Mirjana Karanović, Zijah Sokolović and Meto Jovanovski with rising names such as Ermin Bravo and Alban Ukaj. International outlets, including Variety, billed the project as a “dark retirement-home comedy” when the line-up was revealed. Ivančić and Emir Imamović Pirke penned the script, while...

Sarajevo Film Festival is to open with the world premiere of Dino Mustafic’s dark comedy The Pavilion on August 15.

It marks the second feature of the Bosnian director, whose 2003 debut Remake remains one of the most-watched films in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

More than two decades later, he returns with a film about a group of residents in a retirement home who, after years of abuse and humiliation, decide to stage an armed revolt. Armed with illegal weapons, they take over the home, hold the staff hostage, and clash with the authorities.

Mustafic said the film “brought together a large...

The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs Aug. 15-22, will open with the world premiere of Bosnian filmmaker Dino Mustafić’s dark comedy “The Pavilion.”

Bosnian actor Lidija Kordić, who appeared in the role of Ilona Slater in the biographical drama “Diva Futura,” will be the host of the opening ceremony.

Lidija Kordić Courtesy of Sarajevo Film Festival

“The Pavilion” is about a group of residents in a retirement home who, after years of abuse and humiliation, decide to stage a revolt. Armed with illegal weapons, they take over the home, hold the staff hostage, and clash with the authorities.

Mustafić said the film is “about the oldest generation who have chosen to act according to their conscience in today’s world. They rise up in rebellion. And rebellions, by nature, come in all forms. This one is different. Once you see the film, you’ll understand why.”

Two decades...

The world premiere of Dino Mustafić’s Bosnian dark comedy The Pavilion, set in a retirement home, will open the 31st edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival this summer, organizers unveiled on Wednesday.

“This is a film about the oldest generation who have chosen to act according to their conscience in today’s world,” said Mustafić. “They rise up in rebellion. And rebellions, by nature, come in all forms. This one is different.”

As has become a tradition, the opening ceremony will be hosted by a young acting star from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Lidija Kordić (Son’s Will, Diva Futura) taking on the hosting duties this year.

“It is a great honor and pleasure for me to have the opportunity to host the opening ceremony of the Sarajevo Film Festival – a festival that has marked important moments in both my professional and personal journey,” she said. “I experienced my...

Silver screen staple Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's most entertaining leading men and a certified action superstar, with an illustrious career spanning four decades and countless big screen knockouts. In 1996, he proved himself to be one of the industry's most fearless and devoted actors when he began portraying super spy Ethan Craft in the blockbuster Mission: Impossible franchise, dazzling audiences with his gravity-defying stunts and commitment to his craft.

2000's Mission: Impossible II proved to be a major triumph for Cruise, as the electrifying sequel dominated the box office and its competition and became the highest-grossing movie of the year, raking in more than $546 million and further cementing Cruise's status as the cinema's biggest daredevil. Though Cruise would go on to star in a slew of hits like Collateral, War of the Worlds, and Top Gun: Maverick, the celebrated performer has been unable to achieve the same feat he...

The King Kong movies were fish-out-of-water stories that explored heavier issues on race and environmentalism. Mighty Joe Young toned down these themes, offering a more family-friendly alternative.

Disney's Mighty Joe Young streams for free on Tubi this December. A remake of the 1949 film, it's a heartwarming story about an enduring friendship between a giant mountain gorilla and the woman who raised him in a wildlife preserve. It's a toned-down version of monster films like King Kong, especially the 1933 classic. Mighty Joe Young's main draw was its creature design, which earned an Oscar nod in for Best Visual Effects in 1999. Released on Christmas Day 1998, the film was a box office disappointment, grossing $50 million against a $90 million budget. Mighty Joe Young was Charlize Theron's next big break after The Devil's Advocate.

Related Charlize Theron Set to Star in New Netflix Thriller

Charlize Theron lands another Netflix project as the Oscar-winning...

[This story contains major spoilers from the season two finale of The Old Man.]

In the world of espionage, one could say nothing is ever as it seems. And that notion definitely proved true in the season two finale of The Old Man, which aired Thursday night on FX.

Last week’s episode found Emily Chase/Angela Adams’ (Alia Shawkat) father, former CIA agent Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), and her surrogate father, former FBI assistant director Harold Harper (John Lithgow), gallivanting around the globe to avenge the then-believed death of their beloved daughter by Russian mercenaries who are part of an international cartel in Afghanistan trying to take control of a mega-wealthy lithium deposit owned by a small tribal community.

The community’s chief was a man named Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), who happened to be Emily’s real father. Emily, now going by her birth name Parwana Hamzad, was taken away as a child by her mother to grow up...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for The Old Man Season 2, Episode 8, “Xv.”] The Old Man may have hinted at Dan Chase’s (Jeff Bridges) demise at the end of Season 2’s penultimate episode, but the finale proved the former CIA agent has some life in him yet as he was saved by love Zoe (Amy Brenneman) and brought to a safe house for recovery after being injected with a deadly poison. In the thrilling episode, Zoe teams up with Morgan Boat’s (Joel Grey) hired hitman Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe) to help eliminate Russian power player Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) and locate Dan, who had been targeted by the man. Managing to kill Pavlovich and secure Dan’s location, Zoe rushes off to inject him with an antidote and bring him to safety. Chuck Hodes / FX When Dan awakens in a safe house to find Zoe and himself intact, as Bridges tells TV Insider, Dan faces “a...

The following contains spoilers for The Old Man Season 2, Episode 7, "Xiv," which debuted Thursday, Sept. 17 on FX.

Things look bleak for Dan Chase in the opening minutes of The Old Man Season 2, Episode 7, Xiv." Face to face with Suleyman Pavlovich as a neurotoxin begins robbing him of reality, Dan's subconscious gives him more to worry about than Russian assailants. As the poison slowly infiltrates every sinew, he imagines someone else: a daughter he considered dead and gone, seemingly risen from the grave with all the fire of Faraz Hamzad in her belly.

Back on British soil, the fallout from Dan's abduction in the last moments of Season 2, Episode 6, Xiii puts Zoe McDonald in a tight spot. Without the support of Harold Harper -- who is busy tracking down his ex-wife Marion in Beijing -- Zoe must dispatch assassins single-handedly or end up just another statistic in this Middle Eastern turf war.

In the seventh episode of The Old Man’s second season, Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) finds himself in a perilous situation as he is taken captive by Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija). Despite the danger, Chase remains determined to save Zoe (Amy Brenneman), no matter the cost. Meanwhile, Harper (John Lithgow) confronts his past as he travels […]

The Old Man: Xiv...

Rebel Ridge is a crime action thriller film written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. The Netflix film is set in the town of Shelby Springs and it follows the story of Terry Richmond, a former marine as he comes to town to post bail for his cousin but when his savings are unlawfully taken by corrupt local police officers led by Chief Sandy Burnne, he decides to fight against the ones spreading corruption. Rebel Ridge stars Aaron Pierre in the lead role with Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Steve Zissis, Dana Lee, and James Cromwell starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the brutal action, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Wrath of Man (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – MGM

Wrath of Man is an action thriller drama film directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay co-written by Ritchie,...

Plot: Former CIA agent Dan Chase and former FBI Assistant Director Harold Harper set off on their most important mission to date — to recover Emily Chase after she is kidnapped by Faraz Hamzad, a powerful Afghan tribal leader. With all three men claiming her as their daughter, Emily finds herself in an identity crisis that has dire implications.

Review: The first season of The Old Man was a unique take on the espionage drama, pitting the great Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow opposite one another despite not sharing the screen until the final episode. Truncated by Bridges’ cancer diagnosis and recovery along with a bout of Covid, the first season of The Old Man concluded with three episodes less than originally intended. Still, the series presented two of our best acting talents, complemented by solid performances from Alia Shawkat and Amy Brenneman, as the series set up an even more exciting sophomore run.

A new episode of the Revisited video series has arrived online this morning… and this time around, we’re looking back at a movie that has a very bad reputation: director Rupert Wainwright’s 2005 remake of the John Carpenter cult classic The Fog (you can watch the remake Here). This video sets out to explain “Why The Fog fails,” and you can hear all about it in the embed above.

Directed by Wainwright from a screenplay written by Cooper Layne, The Fog remake feels like an attempt to put a J-horror-style twist on the ideas from Carpenter’s film. It has the following synopsis: The prosperous town of Antonio Bay, Oregon is born in blood, as the town’s founders get their money by murdering a colony of lepers. But the truth of what they did is concealed from subsequent generations. More than 100 years later, Elizabeth Williams, whose family lives in Antonio Bay,...

At the end of Eyes Wide Shut, Dr. Bill Harford and his wife Alice come together in that most normative of spaces: an Fao Schwarz toy store. As they watch their daughter look at potential presents, Bill feebly tries to explain his sexual sojourn through the city we just watched, one prompted by Alice’s confession of lust for a random sailor. Upon the completion of Bill’s story, Alice declares, “There is something we need to do as soon as possible.” What’s that, her husband and the audience asks? Fuck.”

The camera holds on her face for a beat or two and then cuts to black. End of movie.

Between Nicole Kidman’s percussive line delivery, Tom Cruise’s bewildered expression, and the sudden cut to credits, Alice’s statement feels definitive. Yet, like every other part of Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick’s final film, the word is both precise and beguiling,...

Britain’s contributions to the cinematic form have been vast and glorious. Aardman Animation. Alfred Hitchcock. Olivia Colman. 007. High up that list, too, is the British gangster movie – sure, America may often get the genre limelight with classics like Goodfellas, The Godfather trilogy, and Scarface, but nobody does dark, gritty, violent, and darkly humorous quite like the British. You certainly wouldn’t catch football-hardman-turned-movie-hardman Vinnie Jones rolling down the street with some poor geezer’s bonce trapped in his car window anywhere else, that’s for sure!

And so, with tracksuits on, geezer nicknames doled out, and knuckles dusted, Team Empire assembled a list of the very best British gangster movies ever made. From comedy classics, to bruising turn-of-the-century tales of brutality and crime, to contemporary subversions of the genre formula, we’ve covered all bases. These are films of culture, sophistication, genius. A little bit more than an 'ot dog,...

John Carpenter’s illustrious catalog of horror and non-horror classics has already seen three remakes, with at least one more kinda-sorta confirmed on the way (Escape from New York). If you consider 2011’s The Thing enough of a remake, notch another on the bedpost. It makes sense; Carpenter turned his no-bullshit attitude into a masterful filmmaking style, and those listed titles harbor nostalgic admiration. We’re probably closer than we think to seeing Bryan Fuller’s Christine remake for Blumhouse or a contemporary They Live, while Dwayne Johnson’s Big Trouble in Little China sequel project fades away. Imagine Julia Ducournau’s Christine should Fuller exit, or what about if James Gunn booked a brief horror vacation away from the Dceu for his take on They Live?

Carpenter’s brand of down-and-dirty storytelling mixed with societal commentaries make his works perfect for generational updates, but they can’t all be winners.

Alex Trooper's shocking revelation as a sleeper agent brings chaos to Slough House in Slow Horses season 2, episode 5. Jackson Lamb uncovers the mastermind behind the sleeper agent plot, revealing a betrayal within MI5 in "Boardroom Politics". The intense shootout at the Glasshouse puts the Slough House agents in dire straits as the season 2 finale approaches in Slow Horses.

The Slow Horses season 2, episode 5 recap includes the revelation that Alex Trooper (Catherine McCormack) is a sleeper agent, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) discovering who has been targeting his agents, and an exciting shootout to end the penultimate episode of Slow Horses season 2. In season 2 of Slow Horses, sometimes referred to by the subheading Dead Lions, forgotten Cold War plots begin to thaw and bring chaos to Lamb and his team of agents at Slough House and MI5 in London. Russian sleeper cells threaten to destroy everything in Slow Horses season 2, episode 5, "Boardroom...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

John Carpenter Shirt + Flexi Disc from Fright Rags

It was announced this week that John Carpenter’s Lost Themes IV: Noir is coming out in May. In addition to various vinyl editions of the album, the first single, “My Name Is Death,” is available on flexi disc with a matching shirt from Fright-Rags.

Limited to 500, the set costs $45 and is scheduled to ship the week of April 12. Both items feature artwork by Aaron Lea.

Stigmata Mediabook Blu-ray from Dark Sky Films

With Scream Factory’s 2015 edition out of print, Stigmata will be released on Blu-ray + DVD in Mediabook packaging on April 2 via Dark Sky Films. This version is packaged with a 24-page booklet.

The 1999 supernatural...

European giant Beta Film, known for ambitious titles such as “Babylon Berlin” and “The Swarm,” has shared with Variety in exclusivity a first-look picture of 1o-part series “Rise of the Raven,” which it hails as “one of the most epic European TV productions of all time.”

“Rise of the Raven” weighs in as a passion project of Hungarian-born and Canada-based producer Robert Lantos, behind “Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Barney’s Version,” “Eastern Promises” and “Crimes of the Future.”

A highlight at Beta Film’s showcase this Tuesday at the London TV Screenings, “Rise of the Raven” turns on the extraordinary feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who in 1456 won a bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were often farm labourers armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.

Hunyadi largely halted a full Ottoman...

Stars: Katherine McNamara, Anthony Michael Hall, Ian Bohen, Dascha Polanco, Rade Sherbedgia, Pavel Vladimirov | Written by Steven Paul | Directed by James Bamford

When Air Force One Down begins, Allison Miles has already made a name for herself as one of the first female Marines to qualify for special operations. That has impressed Uncle Sam, both the US government and her actual Uncle Sam, to offer her a job with the Secret Service, something she’s happy to accept.

And she’s going to get thrown in the deep end at her new job as on her first day, one of the agents on the President’s detail calls in sick. He’s one of several federal employees to suddenly come down with a bad case of lead poisoning. Sam drafts her to replace him, working with him to protect President Edwards, whom she is not a fan of, on his...

Katherine McNamara as Secret Service Agent Miles in Air Force One Down. Courtesy of Paramount Movies/Republic Pictures

How many times have you seen this plot: terrorists take over a big (fill in the blank); they easily overcome the personnel there to protect it, yet one brave soul manages to kill or overcome them all and foil their plans. Fill the blank with a battleship or train and you get Under Siege 1 & 2, from when Steven Seagal was still watchable. Make it a high rise or airport? You get Die Hard 1 & 2. A hockey rink during the NHL finals? Sudden Death, with a young Jean Claude Van Damme. Commercial airliner? Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57. Air Force One? “President” Harrison Ford.

These films have two things in common: among even more similarly themed movies, these are just the titles that came to mind while I was watching. Secondly, they’re all better than this new rehash,...

"Sooner or later he will make a mistake. And it will be the last mistake he ever mistakes." Paramount has revealed an official trailer for an action thriller movie titled Air Force One Down, yes they're ripping off the "White House Down" series without an ounce of shame. On her first assignment aboard Air Force One, a rookie Secret Service agent faces the ultimate test when terrorists hijack the plane, aiming to disrupt a big energy deal. With the president's life on the line and a global crisis at stake, her bravery and her skills get pushed to the limit in a relentless battle that could change the course of history. The film stars Katherine McNamara, Ian Bohen, Anthony Michael Hall, Dascha Polanco, and Rade Serbedzija. This looks like some direct-to-the-bargain-bin action trash, not a single thing about it looks interesting or entertaining. // Continue Reading ›...

Mission: Impossible's iconic mask tricks have impressed VFX artists, with hidden cuts and CGI keeping viewers in awe. The franchise is known for using masks to disguise characters, with the reveal scenes being particularly memorable and convincing. The latest installment, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, continues to incorporate mask tricks, leaving fans wondering what surprises await in Part Two.

Mission: Impossible’s iconic mask tricks are causing VFX artists’ minds to melt. The movie series, which began back in 1996, is centered around Imf agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team’s various assignments. Gaining critical and commercial success over the years, the Mission: Impossible franchise has become well-known for its action sequences and impressive stunt work. The movies also feature some surprising reveals, with characters wearing masks to disguise themselves as key figures related to their missions.

In Corridor Crew’s latest installment of "VFX Artists...

A version of this story about Gary Oldman and “Slow Horses” first ran in the drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.

Here is how the world was introduced to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, distinguished British spy: He is asleep on the couch in his office, a wreck of a room littered with half-drunk bottles of booze, overflowing ashtrays and the remains of several fast-food take-out meals. The camera pulls in, rests a beat on his holey-socked feet, and then: He rips a fart so uproarious, it jolts him upright, yanking him out of his slumber.

This is not the suave world of British spies epitomized by James Bond and John le Carré’s George Smiley (who Oldman played in 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). This is “Slow Horses,” Apple TV+’s viciously funny espionage thriller about MI5 agents sent to a purgatorial outpost called Slough House, where they...

Exclusive: Republic Pictures has acquired the action thriller Air Force One Down from Sp Media Group, slating it for worldwide release by Paramount Global Content Distribution next year. Katherine McNamara (Walker: Independence), Ian Bohen (Yellowstone), Anthony Michael Hall (Halloween Kills), Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black) and Rade Serbedzija (Mission: Impossible II) star in the pic which wrapped production in March.

Plot details for the film are under wraps, though it’s said by writer-producer Steven Paul to involve “a new twist on the saving of the President theme.” James Bamford (Arrow) directed from the script by Paul, who produced for his company Sp Media Group. Sp Media Group’s Scott Karol exec produced and negotiate the film’s deal.

A historic company that was initially active between 1935 and 1967, Republic Pictures was put back in action as an acquisition label by Paramount Global Content Distribution earlier this year. It...

Adored by fans for its characters and emotional stories, "Downton Abbey" still remains one of the most beloved TV franchises of all time. From the tales of the wealthy Crawley family to those of their downstairs staff, viewers can't get enough of creator Julian Fellowes' world of glamour and impactful drama. But what are the ingredients that make for a great installment of the drama? Well, that's the puzzle that this list is here to solve.

Here, we'll look at the most memorable episodes within the TV series' six-season run. From the stories that made us want to throw a party in their honor to the ones that had us hurling a cup of tea at the television screen, we cover all the bases. So make sure to put on your favorite extravagant hat and gloves because we're about to dive deep into the rich lore of the "Downton Abbey" saga.

Austria’s Orf Joins Big Budget Central Europe Drama Series ‘Rise Of The Raven’

The shoot for big-budget Central European drama Rise of the Raven (working title) is underway near Budapest in Hungary, with Austrian pubcaster Orf the latest to join the series as a co-producer. Produced by Robert Lantos, the multi-million dollar series is being billed as “the most epic Central European television production of all time.” It stars Hungary’s Gellért L. Kádár as Janos Hunyadi, the army commander who defeated the vast Ottoman troops in the Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Vivien Rujder plays his life partner Elizabeth Szilagyi in a widely international cast. Also featuring are Austria’s Laurence Rupp (Babarians), Cornelius Obonya (Maria Theresa), Murathan Muslu (Breaking Point), Czech actor Karel Roden, Serbia’s Rade Serbedzija and Italian actors Italy’s Francesco Acquaroli, Thomas Trabacchi (Studio Battaglia) and Elena Rusconi (6 Underground). Balázs Lengyel (HBO’s Golden Life) is showrunner and writer along with George Mihalka, Balázs Lovas, Zsófia Ruttkay, Attila Veres, and Bán Mór, whose best-selling series of novels the series is based on. Serendipity Point Films, Twin Media, Hg Media, Mr Film and Beta, which distributes the show, are the co-producers. TV2 will air it in Hungary and Slovenia, with Orf broadcasting it in neighboring Austria.

Germany’s Sat.1 Remakes Italian Format ‘Back To School’

German broadcaster Sat.1 has remade Mediaset Distribution’s Italian format Back to School. Local producer Cheerio Entertainment has produced the German show, titled Zurück in die Schule, ahead of a debut on August 24. German presenter Jörg Pilawa will host the primetime entertainment show. Back to School sees four celebrities face real elementary school exams, one they have prepared for during a summer camp with students taking on the role of no-nonsense teachers and another ‘surprise’ subject. Mediaset Group’s distribution arm launched the format at MipTV after it debuted in Italy on Italia 1 and secured an above average share. “Everyone likes the idea of mini-teachers having to do with celebrities in an entertaining reversion of roles. After lockdown and sad things continuing to happen, a show that reunites family and target groups of all ages for a good moment of relax and fun. I guess we really need it,” said Claudia Marra, who handles the format rights for Mediaset Distribution.

Principal photography is underway near Budapest on “Rise of the Raven,” an epic drama series produced by veteran Canadian producer Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes of the Future”) and Beta Film (“Gomorrah”) that marks the most lavish TV production in Hungary’s history.

Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-episode series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe.

Lantos, whose producing credits include “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Eastern Promises,” spoke exclusively with Variety about a passion project more than a decade in the making. He was joined by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Robert Dornhelm and Hungarian directors Attila Szász and Orsi Nagypal, who joined the conversation fresh off shooting an epic battle sequence outside Budapest.

The Hungarian-born Lantos, who was in Cannes this year with David Cronenberg...

Croatia’s official submission for the Best International Feature category at the 94th Academy Awards is Danilo Šerbedžija‘s Tereza37, which competed in the 2020 Warsaw Film Festival and has picked up a variety of awards on the festival circuit. In anticipation of For Your Consideration screenings, I had the opportunity to converse with Serbedzija (son of acclaimed actor/director Rade Serbedzija) and Lana Barić, the writer and star of his third feature. We talk through the origins of the story, a long gestating project which heralds a developing new direction in Croatian cinema as it’s not only one of the country’s few films powered by a female perspective but also tackles taboo subjects through the lens of a formidable, authentic protagonist.…...

Lionsgate has just released a first look at the new Michele Civetta crime thriller hitting theaters this summer. Watch Parker (Shea Whigham) in The Gateway as he tries to help a family escape a father recently released from prison, ready to create a new up-start using his stash hidden before he went to prison. Can Parker help this troubled family in time?

Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), and Frank Grillo (The Grey) star in this gritty, edge-of-your-seat crime-thriller. Whigham is Parker, a down-on-his-luck social worker who finds himself in over his head when he tries to protect his client from her recently paroled husband. Can Parker save the family from the violent threat of the maniacal drug dealer and his crew, desperate to reclaim their priceless stash? The cast includes Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Taryn Manning, Mark Boone Junior, Taegen Burns with Frank Grillo and Bruce Dern.

Michele Civetta is an Emmy-nominated director.

Stars: Asia Argento, Franco Nero, Jonathan Caouette, Nick Daly, Ninetto Davoli, Giulia Di Quilio, Monica Guerritore, Rade Serbedzija | Written by Michele Civetta, Joseph Schuman | Directed by Michele Civetta

Sometimes I feel a little sorry for low budget horror film makers today. Dial it back 30 years, you could make an incompetent piece of cinema, but put in enough hokey bloodletting, regardless of how laughably unrealistic those sausage string guts were, and you might well have a money-spinning film on your hands. Even objectively poor films like Driller Killer managed to (very deliberately) whip up enough conservative anger to ensure that a poorly made, dull film became widely seen, and naturally far more successful as a result.

Today, blood is not nearly enough. Some of the films I see today with a 15 certificate would have faced heavy censure back in the Mary Whitehouse days of video nasties. A time when films would...

New Indie

Michael Almereyda has tackled science (as a topic of either biopics or dramas) in a fascinating way in “Experimenter” and “Marjorie Prime,” and now he’s bringing that same energy to the inventor-biopic with “Tesla” (Shout Factory/IFC), a bold and audacious look at the life of Nikola Tesla. Ethan Hawke, in the title role, is evenly matched by Eve Hewson’s Anne Morgan, and they both nail Almereyda’s unique tone, which throws in anachronisms and green-screens to tell the story of someone who stretched the notions of what his peers imagined could be possible.

Also available: Madison Iseman plays a young girl with mental-health issues who can’t convince anyone she’s witnessed a crime in “Fear of Rain” (Lionsgate); 2012 indie “Watching TV with the Red Chinese” (Mvd Visual), co-starring Constance Wu and Gillian Jacobs, makes its U.S. DVD debut; Sienna Miller and Diego Luna...

"Michael - this is the beginning for you." It's time to get revenge! Vertical Entertainment has released an official trailer for Payback, a mob vengeance thriller marking the feature directorial debut of NY producer / filmmaker Joseph Mensch. A young stockbroker at a Mob-controlled Wall Street firm gets betrayed and sent to prison for six years. When he gets out, he seeks revenge. Matt Levett stars as Mike Markovich in the film. And the full cast also includes Anna Baryshnikov, Toby Leonard Moore, Lev Gorn, Rade Serbedzija, Elena Satine, Boris Lee Krutonog, and David Vadim. This actually looks way better than it should, even though it is entirely derivative, the footage in here is damn good. I'm intrigued! Have a look. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Joseph Mensch's Payback, direct from YouTube: Mike Markovich (Matt Levett), a young stockbroker at a Mob-controlled Wall Street firm, is betrayed and imprisoned for six years.

Another day, another reboot. Paramount Pictures has had its sights set on a new iteration of The Saint for some time now, and things are finally moving forward. It's been revealed that the studio has locked down director Dexter Fletcher, who most recently helmed last year's Elton John biopic Rocketman, to helm the reboot. If all goes according to plan, this could be the start of a new franchise. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

According to a new report, Dexter Fletcher has been tapped to direct The Saint. The script was penned by Seth Grahame-Smith. Grahame-Smith was also, it's worth noting, at one point on board to direct The Flash for Warner Bros. Paramount was behind Rocketman, which went on to become a critical and commercial success. With that, they decided to team back up with Fletcher for this hopeful franchise starter, which centers on a character,...

Joseph Baxter Oct 29, 2018

CBS All Access has renewed the series, Strange Angel, setting it up for a second season of fact-based scientific/occult drama.

Strange Angel will continue to explore the odd – fact-based – story of Jack Parsons and the intersection of rocket science and the occult, thanks to a Season 2 renewal by network streaming platform CBS All Access.

The Strange Angel Season 2 renewal arrives as welcome validation for the intriguing historical series, which – initially set in the 1930s – follows the exploits of Jack Parsons (Jack Reynor), a crucial figure in the early development of rocket propulsion who is known to have fielded a double life as a disciple of an occult organization, thus making the series – much like Parsons's real life – a bizarre amalgam of science and mysticism.

On the series, Parsons's initial unassuming position as a janitor of a chemical factory proves to be the façade for a brilliant...

Elena Satine and Australian actor Matt Levett will star in the indie revenge thriller, Caviar, along with Anna Baryshnikov (Manchester by the Sea), Toby Leonard Moore (John Wick), Bill Sage (Hap and Leonard), and Rade Serbedzija (Proud Mary). Directed by Joseph Mensch, pic is based on the memoir Career Criminal. Set in a Russian mafia of 90s era Brooklyn, the plot revolves around Misha “Mike” Markovich (Levett), a gifted young stockbroker who gets betrayed by his people and sentenced to six years in prison. When he gets out, his need for vengeance puts him in the crosshairs of Alexander Pushka, Mike’s former mentor and the head of New York’s Russian mob. Satine will play Katiuska, the only woman in the Russian mob who has ambitions of her own. Mensch and Metin Aksoy cowrote the screenplay, which is...

Rade Serbedzija -- who played Prince Kuragin in "Downton Abbey" and memorable movie villains -- nearly took out several cars before he was arrested for DUI ... according to cops. Santa Monica cops tell us they got calls about a Lexus swerving all over the road last weekend. Once officers pulled him over ... they say they found an open bottle of whiskey, and 71-year-old Rade showed signs of intoxication. We're told his field sobriety testing did not go well,...

Summerside sells The Liberation Of Skopje to First Brave/Jushi.

Italian sales company Summerside International has sold father-and-son directing team Rade and Danilo Serbedzija’s Second World War film The Liberation Of Skopje to China (First Brave/Jushi).

Set in 1941, when the Germans and their Bulgarian allies occupied the city of Skopje and took over local Jewish homes, the film depicts the suffering of the townspeople through the eyes of 11-year-old Zoran, whose father has joined the Yugoslavian partisan army to fight the occupiers and whose mother becomes involved with a German officer.

The Macedonia-Finland-Croatia co-production was Macedonia’s submission...

Sneak Peek footage, plus images from the upcoming 'blaxpoitation' thriller "Proud Mary", directed by Babak Najafi, starring Taraji P. Henson, Billy Brown, Danny Glover, Neal McDonough, Xander Berkeley and Margaret Avery, opening January 12, 2018:

"...'Mary' is a despicable, low-life killer working for a crime family in Boston.

"But her life is turned upside down...

"...when she meets a young boy, who because of her, was left an orphan..."

Cast also includes Jahi Di’Allo and Rade Serbedzija.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Proud Mary"...

From “Wonder Woman” to “Atomic Blonde,” women are kicking ass on the big screen this year, and the trend isn’t just here for the season. 2018 will start off with Taraji P. Henson getting gritty, and the first trailer for “Proud Mary” is here.

Co-starring Neal McDonough, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover, Xander Berkeley, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Rade Serbedzija, and Billy Brown, and directed by Babak Najafi (“Easy Money II: Hard To Kill,” “London Has Fallen“), the story revolves around a hardened hitwoman who begins to feel feelings when she gets protective of a young boy.

Continue reading Taraji P. Henson Is An Assassin In First Trailer For ‘Proud Mary’ at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Margaret Avery, The Walking Dead‘s Xander Berkeley and Neal McDonough have been cast in Screen Gems’ upcoming thriller Proud Mary, starring Taraji P. Henson as hit woman Mary Goodwin. Danny Glover (Almost Christmas) has also officially joined the film along with Jahi Di'Allo Winston (The New Edition Story), Rade Serbedzija (Taken 2), and previously announced Billy Brown. Babak Najafi is directing from a script by John Stewart Newman and Christian Swegal, with…...

"If it's not safe for me, then it's not safe for any of my people." Open Road Films has released another new official trailer for the historical romantic drama The Promise, set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The film follows a love triangle in Turkey/Armenia between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris - a renowned American journalist based in Paris. Starring Oscar Isaac as Michael, Christian Bale as Chris, and Charlotte Le Bon as Ana. Also featuring Angela Sarafyan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Cromwell, Jean Reno, Rade Serbedzija, and Michael Stahl-David. I'm no more interested in this than I was with the first trailer. It seems like an odd attempt to tell the Armenian genocide story with a Hollywood cast. But it's hard to pass up a movie with Isaac and Bale. Here's the newest official trailer for Terry George's The Promise,...

Exclusive: Finnish-Danish-Croatian co-pro is currently shooting in Croatia and Denmark.

Ambi Distribution has acquired worldwide sales rights (Scandinavia, Iceland and former Yugoslavia) to thriller The Guardian Angel, now shooting.

Writer-director Arto Halonen [pictured] is currently filming the Finnish-Danish-Croatian co-production on location in Croatia and Denmark.

Pilou Asbæk (A War), Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rade Serbedzija (Downton Abbey) and Cyron Melville (A Royal Affair) lead the cast.

The English-language film is based on the true story of Copenhagen’s Hypnosis Murders of 1951; a police investigation discovers that one man used manipulation and hypnosis to turn another man into a robber and a murderer.

“The story holds great interest for us today, not only as proof of the external power of controlling the human mind but also as it focuses on the visible and invisible manipulations acting upon us and affecting us as human beings,” said Halonen. “Focused on a single, fascinating case of an actual hypnosis crime, [link...

The effects of the German occupation on an extended family are viewed through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy in The Liberation of Skopje, Macedonia’s submission to the foreign-language Oscar race. Though its observations might feel familiar and aren’t always subtle, the film commendably avoids sentimentality, even in its child’s perspective, and delivers an affecting take on wartime’s unholy alliances and betrayals and the lasting consequences of guilt by association.

The feature marks the directorial debut of renowned actor Rade Serbedzija, whose many credits include Eyes Wide Shut and the Oscar-nominated Before the Rain, which was the newly independent Macedonia’s...

"He wants us to help his family escape... We have to help him." Survival Pictures has unveiled a trailer for an indie drama called The Promise, set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The film follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris - a renowned American journalist based in Paris. Starring Oscar Isaac as Michael, with Christian Bale as Chris, and Charlotte Le Bon as Ana. Also featuring Angela Sarafyan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Cromwell, Jean Reno, Rade Serbedzija & Michael Stahl-David. This seems like a big, bold attempt to tell the story of the Armenian genocide featuring with an impressive cast, which actually makes this worth watching. This also doesn't look so much like an indie, rather a very large production. I'm curious to see it. Here's the first trailer (+ promo poster) for Terry George's The Promise, direct...

Wide will sell Dede at Cannes, while Latido will sell The Constitution [pictured].

London production outfit Film And Music Entertainment (F&Me) has found sales homes for two projects ahead of Cannes.

Paris-based sales agent Wide Management will represent international sales on Dede, from debut director Mariam Khatchvani.

Wrapping in January, the UK-Georgia-Croatia-Netherlands-Qatar co-production is now completing post-production and is expected to be ready in time for the Toronto and Venice film festivals.

Starring George Babluani and Natia Vibliani, the drama is set in the harsh conditions of the Caucasus Mountains.

Katcharava’s 20 Steps produced the project with Igor Nola’s MP Film Production and JaJa Film Productions. It was originally developed at the Sundance Lab and Cannes’ Fabrique des Cinemas due Monde and has support from the Doha Film Institute and the Georgian National Film Centre.

Madrid-based Latido Entertainment will handle international sales for Rajko Grlic’s The Constitution, which is produced by Zagreb’s Inter Film and...

Exclusive: London-based production outfit introduces 10 films to the market, including Mariam Khatchvani’s Dede.

London-based production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me) has unveiled a 10-strong slate of films that it is introducing to buyers at the Efm.

Dede [pictured], the debut feature of Mariam Khatchvani, stars George Babluani and Natia Vibliani in the story of a woman who marries a man in defiance of her family’s wishes.

The Georgia-uk-Croatia-Dutch co-pro wrapped at the end of last month. Developed at the Sundance Lab, the project featured in Les Arcs’ works-in-progress strand and has support from the Doha Film Institute and the Georgian National Film Centre.

Another title the company has in Berlin is I Want To Be Like You. Written and directed by Konstantin Bojanov (Ave), the road movie follows a young artist’s journey to meet his hero. The cast includes 2015 Screen Star of Tomorrow Barry Keoghan (’71), Kim Bodnia (Pusher) and Thure Lindhardt (Into The Wild). The...

London-based production outfit introduces 10 films to the market, including Mariam Khatchvani’s Dede.

London-based production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me) has unveiled a 10-strong slate of films that it is introducing to buyers at the Efm.

Dede [pictured], the debut feature of Mariam Khatchvani, stars George Babluani and Natia Vibliani in the story of a woman who marries a man in defiance of her family’s wishes.

The Georgia-uk-Croatia-Dutch co-pro wrapped at the end of last month. Developed at the Sundance Lab, the project featured in Les Arcs’ works-in-progress strand and has support from the Doha Film Institute and the Georgian National Film Centre.

Another title the company has in Berlin is I Want To Be Like You. Written and directed by Konstantin Bojanov (Ave), the road movie follows a young artist’s journey to meet his hero. The cast includes 2015 Screen Star of Tomorrow Barry Keoghan (’71), Kim Bodnia (Pusher) and Thure Lindhardt (Into The Wild). The...