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Clint Eastwood's 2008 film "Changeling" is based on the real-life case of Christine Collins. In 1928, Christine Collins' nine-year-old son Walter was abducted from the streets of Los Angeles while he was on the way to the movies. Collins called the police, and the subsequent investigation received a lot of press. Despite the publicity, the LAPD was unable to locate Walter, so the case went cold. Five months later, though, Walter was found in DeKalb, Illinois. He was reunited with Christine, but something was amiss: It wasn't actually Walter. Christine protested, but a police captain named J.J. Jones said that she should take the boy home anyway to "try him out," as he put it. Just to clear up the matter, dental records were taken, proving that the boy wasn't Walter.

To save face, though, Jones declared that Collins had indeed been reunited with her actual son but had experienced a mental breakdown,...

Long out-of-print cult classic Freaked will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on November 5 via Australia’s Umbella Entertainment in collaboration with Drafthouse Films.

The 1993 black comedy has been newly restored in 4K with Dolby Vision and 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo audio options.

In addition to the theatrical cut, the three-disc set includes a previously unreleased workprint along with a rehearsal version of the film.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure star Alex Winter co-directs with Tom Stern (The Idiot Box) from a script they wrote with Tim Burns (An American Werewolf in Paris).

Special features:

2004 Audio Commentary with Writers/Directors Tom Stern & Alex Winter (new) Workprint Alternate Cut (new) The Rehearsal Version Alternate Cut The Night’s Special Guest – Co-Director/Writer & Actor Alex Winter on Freaked (new) Very Special People – Co-Director/Writer Tom Stern and Writer Tim Burns on Freaked (new) The Glass Cyclops – Cinematographer Jamie Thompson and Camera...

Rts Cambridge Confirms Big Name Speakers

Mark Burnett, John Landgraf and Jeff Zucker are among the major names set for the Rts Cambridge Convention 2025. Burnett – creator of The Apprentice, confidante of President Donald Trump and now U.S. Special Envoy to the UK – will speak along with FX Chairman Landgraf and Zucker, who is CEO of RedBird Imi, the owner of British super-indie group All3Media. Also on the bill for the event are former UK politician and ex-President of Global Affairs at Meta Nick Clegg and Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood. From the UK are interim Channel 4 CEO Jonathan Allan, ex-government ministers and Political Currency podcast hosts Ed Balls and George Osborne, ITV Chief Exec Carolyn McCall, Channel 5 President Sarah Rose and Sky Group CEO Dana Strong. BBC Director General Tim Davie is chairing the event, which will be entitled ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ and...

Tubi has officially acquired the new animated show RoboForce: The Animated Series. Set to start streaming for free on the platform in April, the series has also been given an official trailer.

Per Deadline, RoboForce: The Animated Series is a sci-fi show that consists of six half-hour episodes, all of which will be available to watch for free on the ad-supported service. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is among the producers of the show, and the Hollywood icon shared the official trailer for RoboForce: The Animated Series on his official YouTube account. It can be watched below.

Related Dwayne Johnson's $428M Video Game Adaptation Is Coming to Prime Video

Moana 2's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in the big-budget action movie inspired by a Midway classic game, coming to Prime Video.

The official synopsis reads, "Based on the nostalgic toys of the 1980s, the animated series will continue the...

Following his work co-producing Red One for Amazon MGM Studios, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his company Seven Bucks Productions is producing and promoting the upcoming sci-fi throwback show, RoboForce: The Animated Series. The series will premiere on Tubi this Spring, which means it's free! Johnson posted the trailer on his own YouTube channel today. Check out the synopsis for the show below:

"Based on the nostalgic toys of the 1980s, the animated series will continue the narrative inspired by the original robot action figures. In 2089 Detroit, Soraya Aviram's RoboForce debuted with plans to assist a new intergalactic society on Earth.

Unfortunately, the same day as the announcement, Soraya's rival, Silas Duke, revealed his new Utopia Aegis 101 line of bots, which made RoboForce immediately obsolete. RoboForce split up and was forced into menial jobs for 15 years without hope of ever being heroes... Until suddenly, the Utopia Aegis 101’s turn...

Musicals are practically scientifically engineered to lift your spirits. Plots be damned, you can't help but feel a little elated after two-plus hours of watching people cut a rug while singing about their innermost feelings. It's a fundamental principle that allowed Broadway titans like Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber to reimagine tragic love stories and gothic horror thrillers as crowd-pleasing spectacles about murder, revenge, and, most terrifying of all, having to deal with a needy, egotistical lead actor. Even when they end in sorrow and despair, you still leave the theater humming their catchiest earworms on an endorphin high.

What happens, then, when you hire the authority on cinematic melancholy that is 21st century Clint Eastwood to turn your Broadway smash into a movie? You get "Jersey Boys," possibly one of the most downbeat and dour musicals ever committed to the screen. If you ever wondered whether "Mystic River...

First-look pictures have landed for Celyn Jones’s Madfabulous, a feature film inspired by the flamboyant life of the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget.

It’s set in the late 19th century and stars It’s A Sin’s Callum Scott Howells as rebellious aristocrat Paget, with Rocks star Ruby Stokes as the woman whose life is sparked by his arrival on the island.

Paget arrives from France to live at the family’s castle on the island of Anglesey in Wales, bringing his lavish and riotous lifestyle with him. Rupert Everett, Paul Rhys, Louis Hynes, Louise Brealey and Tom Rhys-Harries also star.

Disney’s Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes leads the new titles at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, with the ape adventure starting in over 650 sites.

Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom is the fourth film since the Planet Of The Apes series reboot in 2011; and 10thPlanet Of The Apes film overall since the series began with Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 classic starring Charlton Heston.

Set 300 years after the events of 2017’s War For The Planet Of The Apes, Kingdom sees a young chimpanzee hunter embark on a journey with a human woman, to a dangerous holdout ruled by an ambitious bonobo monarch.

When one has a traumatic brain injury, life begins in the middle, so it seems fitting that Celyn Jones and Tom Stern’s film does the same. In the middle of an affair, to be precise, though it’s not clear that Sarah (Rebel Wilson) sees it that way. Suddenly shy, asking for a towel before she will leave the bedcovers, she’s wracked with guilt about her husband Joe. She’s used to nobody really understanding. When Toni (Charlotte Gainsbourg) interrupts her to detail her own experience, it throws her right off track.

For Gwen (Trine Dyrholm), Toni’s partner, every day begins with finding herself in a strange place, wondering what’s going on. She has to contend with the shock of Toni looking older, and then with discovering what has happened to her own body. Once she’s taken it all in, she copes fairly well, but...

Welsh actor, writer and director Celyn Jones has set “Madfabulous” as his next directorial venture.

The British indie is based on the true story of Henry Cyril Paget, fifth Marquess of Anglesey, who was once one of the richest men in Britain but died penniless and forgotten at the age of 29 in France.

“It’s full of pathos and humanity, it’s very much a character who wants to get the attention of his family who don’t want him and he keeps upping the ante with his spending, his flamboyance and his dancing,” Jones told Variety about the 1890s-set film. “What happens if you are a theatrical, and you are very gender fluid at a time when when people didn’t even know what that was? And you’ve got all the money in the world to do that. Well, of course, you buy a theater company, you buy...

Picnik Entertainment has acquired U.K. distribution rights for “The Almond and the Seahorse,” starring Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Based on Kaite O’Reilly’s play, film’s cast also includes Trine Dyrholm (“In a Better World”), Celyn Jones (“Swede Caroline”), Meera Syal (“Yesterday”), Ruth Madeley (“Years and Years”) and Alice Lowe (“Hot Fuzz”).

The Almond and the Seahorse are the nicknames given to the parts of human brains that lay down new memories and hold on to the old ones. After a Tbi (a traumatic brain injury) these parts can change and become new pathways. The film focuses on characters without brain damage, but have to carry the heart damage. Sarah (Wilson) is an archaeologist who loves her husband Joe (Jones) but after a Tbi their love is trapped in the past. Toni (Gainsbourg) is an architect and loves her partner Gwen (Dyrholm) but after a Tbi they have...

Do you smell what Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions is cooking? If it smells like oil, solder, and suction cups, it’s because the company, run by Hiram Garcia, is co-producing Nacelle’s RoboForce animated series, inspired by the 1990s toy line. Previously, Nacelle and Seven Bucks joined forces for Behind the Attraction, a docu-series about the development and history of iconic attractions from Disney’s theme parks. I highly recommend checking it out. It’s super informative, and the episode about The Haunted Mansion is fantastic.

“We’re excited for Seven Bucks and Nacelle to partner together once again, especially to bring the iconic story of RoboForce to life,” Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson said. “We love that it’s a story about redemption, second chances, and rising to the challenge as told through the eyes of funny, messed up, renegade robots who finally get their chance to shine.

Exclusive: Seven Bucks Productions, the production company co-founded by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia and run by Hiram Garcia, has come on board to co-produce with Nacelle the upcoming RoboForce animated series, inspired by the action figures.

The series, announced in January, will be executive produced by Brian Volk-Weiss, who also is directing, alongside Cisco Henson, Matt Kravitsky, Michael Goodman, Tom Stern and Gavin Hignight for Nacelle. Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Brian Gewirtz will serve as executive producers on behalf of Seven Bucks Productions.

This marks a reunion for Nacelle and Seven Bucks Productions who recently partnered on Behind the Attraction, a docuseries about the history and development of attractions throughout Disney’s theme parks for Disney+.

“We’re excited for Seven Bucks and Nacelle to partner together once again, especially to bring the iconic story of RoboForce to life,” Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson said. “We love...

Conny Van Dyke, a singer-songwriter signed to Motown Records who starred in such films as “W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings” and “Framed,” has died. She was 78.

Van Dyke died on Nov. 11 at her home in Los Angeles due to complications of vascular dementia, her son Bronson Page told Variety.

The Detroit native was a longtime colon cancer and stroke survivor. She got her start in the entertainment industry when she was just 15 and a student in high school, making the film “Among the Thorns” with Tom Laughlin, Bill Wellman Jr. and Stephanie Powers. During that time, Van Dyke also worked as a songwriter for Wheelsville Records in Detroit.

In 1961, Van Dyke signed with Motown Records, making her one of the first white recording artists on the label. Her first two singles, “Oh, Freddy,” written by Smokey Robinson, and “It Hurt Me Too,” previously written and recorded by Marvin Gaye, were...

The paddywhackery’s as thick as the Oirish brogues and flavorful caricatures in Robert Lorenz’s In the Land of Saints & Sinners, a deadly serious thriller about violence and redemption in which a local lush pauses to grab his pint as gunfire tears up the village pub. Not since the merry blarney of Wild Mountain Thyme has a movie leaned so hard into Emerald Isle stereotypes, which makes it remarkable that Liam Neeson as a pipe-smoking, Dostoevsky-reading assassin manages to play it straight. Kerry Condon as an Ira spitfire with a fondness for the C-word adds some interest, but this is overwritten, overripe and likely destined to be streaming fodder.

While the film is set in 1974 when The Troubles were still raging, that bitter political conflict is merely background wallpaper for a formulaic faux-Western in the predictable script written by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane, which loads up...

Kohn’s Corner is a weekly column about the challenges and opportunities of sustaining American film culture.

As actors continued to strike this week, the biggest stories about performers were unrelated to the unions. First came 21-year-old YouTube and Twitch streamer Kai Cenat being charged with inciting a riot after his impromptu Union Square giveaway led thousands to storm the park. Then came the shocking announcement that 10-year-old internet rapper Lil Tay had died under mysterious circumstances, followed by the revelation a few hours later that Lil Tay was actually alive and well but the victim of a hack.

Welcome to the wild, wild west of the online creator economy that drives so much of popular culture. While SAG-AFTRA and the WGA want streaming-dominated Hollywood to provide a better support system, the internet has no infrastructure to strike against. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how documentarians have no union,...

This article contains spoilers for "The Last Voyage of the Demeter."

"The Last Voyage of the Demeter" brings a chapter of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" to new vitality. It pulses with agonizing kill sequences, doused in buckets of blood and torn flesh. Director André Øvredal, known for helming such films as "Trollhunter," "The Autopsy of Jane Doe," and "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," smothers the screen with depth and brilliant detail. He doesn't waste a single frame, delivering enough visual storytelling to keep you compelled to dive further into a great, unholy abyss.

"The Last Voyage of the Demeter" stuns with gorgeous cinematography, a smattering of rain-drenched sequences of tension, and plenty of blood-curdling, fang-toothed images that'll haunt you forever. Credit should also be given to cinematographers Roman Osin and Tom Stern for their expertly-crafted work alongside Øvredal. Without them, the film would not contain such an impressive style as it does.

Where to Watch Powered by The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an original take on Dracula, set on a merchant ship in 1897, creating a visual space in a world of world creation. The movie's visual style combines realistic lighting with contrasts between light and dark, creating a black-and-white movie effect. The director aimed to create an original version of Dracula, portraying him as a creature of nature, starting as an old fragile man and transitioning into a demonic presence.

Delve into an underexplored chapter of Dracula with The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Adapted from "The Captain's Log" chapter of Bram Stoker's novel, the movie revolves around the ill-fated crew of the eponymous merchant ship as they find themselves tormented by the iconic vampire.

Corey Hawkins leads the star-studded cast of The Last Voyage of the Demeter alongside Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian, Javier Botet, Liam Cunningham, and Woody Norman.

Plot: When an evil mining operation unearths prehistoric beasts from the ocean’s depths, including multiple megalodons, rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must suit up to face the return of an old enemy.

Review: 2018’s The Meg overcame middling reviews (including one from yours truly) to become an unlikely global success at the box office. Like its predecessor, Meg 2: The Trench is based on a novel by author Steve Alten, and what’s exciting to genre fans is that the great Ben Wheatley is behind the camera. For those who may not know his work, Wheatley is widely considered one of the UK’s best genre directors, with him having made Kill List, Sightseers, Free Fire, High Rise and – recently – the Netflix remake of Rebecca. This is different for him because it’s a big-budget event movie. How does it fare compared to the original?

Honestly, it’s a mixed bag.

Netflix on Tuesday announced the new animated films In Your Dreams and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, coming to the platform in 2024, also setting new voice cast for the fantasy adventure Nimona and offering new first-look stills from each of its animated titles debuting over the next 18 months, which you can view above and below.

The streamer’s first new film, In Your Dreams, is billed as a comedy adventure about Stevie and her brother Elliot, who magically travel into the world of dreams with the mission of finding The Sandman who will grant them their ultimate wish — saving their parents’ marriage. The kids are total opposites, making them an unlikely duo to navigate the absurdity of their own subconscious. Along their journey, they discover that as long as they have each other, they can face anything, even their worst nightmare. Alex Woo is directing, with Erik Benson as co-director,...

The tone of Clint Eastwood's 2006 war film "Flags of Our Fathers" might be surprising. "Flags of Our Fathers" is a film extrapolated from the celebrated 1945 Joe Rosenthal photograph titled "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," taken at the eponymous battle, and featuring a group of American soldiers hoisting their nation's flag just after the carnage. The photograph also served as the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial, sculpted in 1954 and located in Arlington, Virginia. The screenplay was an adaptation of a book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, whose fathers are featured in the photograph, hence the title.

Ever since the days of "Twelve O'Clock High" in 1949, whenever American filmmakers make movies about American soldiers, they tend to be romanticized stories of survival and victory. Given the subject matter of "Flags of Our Fathers," one might presume that it, too, stands as a tale of honor and tenacity.

Clint Eastwood's impulse for directing goes back to his early days working on the 1959 TV series "Rawhide." As he described in an interview with Patrick McGilligam printed in the 1999 book "Clint Eastwood: Interviews," edited by Robert E. Kapsis and Kathie Coblentz, he stated that working among cattle while on horseback -- "Rawhide" is about cattle ranchers who fend off bad guys in the Old West -- gave him ideas as to how shots could look better. The story goes that he wanted to take a camera onto a horse with him and film Pov shots in the middle of the bovine action. He was denied on "Rawhide," and was not permitted to direct any episodes. It seems that, in the late '50s and early '60s, actors directing their own TV shows had yet to prove lucrative for CBS.

Eastwood wouldn't direct a feature film until 1973, making his...

In 2006, Clint Eastwood directed a pair of war dramas that stood as companion pieces. The first, "Flags of Our Fathers," based on the 2000 book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, was a contemplative and violent dramatization of the Battle of Iwo Jima, told from the perspective of the seven American soldiers who famously raised an American flag to signify their battlefield victory. The raising of the flag was captured on film by the Pulitzer-winning photographer Joe Rosenthal, and his picture served as the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington DC. Eastwood's film climaxed with Rosenthal's taking of the picture.

"Flags of Our Fathers" was released on October 20, and its companion, "Letters from Iwo Jima" was released on December 20. "Letters" also detailed the events of the Battle of Iwo Jima, but from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers. Ken Watanabe gave an excellent performance as real-life General Tadamichi Kuribayashi,...

Adapting a stage play for the screen can be deceptively tricky. In the world of film, storytellers are encouraged to show rather than tell; in theater, they must be sure that even audience members in the nosebleed seats can follow along. Filmmaking can zero in on the microscopic, the unspoken: Moviegoers can see a character’s hair stand on end or track another’s nervous gaze. Particularly in drama, filmmaking often emulates reality, so to successfully adapt a dramatic play for the screen, one must dial down the histrionics and dial up the restraint.

If only the team behind “The Almond and the Seahorse” had gotten that memo. This film, adapted from the play of the same name by Kaite O’Reilly, is composed of characters so overwrought they seem like aliens. The screenplay, by O’Reilly and Celyn Jones (“Six Minutes to Midnight”) leaks with awkward dialogue and flowery language. Jones...

The plasticity of memory is a familiar dramatic subject, the stuff of sci-fi tentpoles (Total Recall), indie thrillers (Memento) and genre hybrids (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). On a more everyday level, that neural malleability suggests something fragile and vulnerable. For the two couples at the center of The Almond and the Seahorse, both affected by traumatic brain injury, there’s nothing theoretical about being stuck in a broken memory loop — it’s a sad and draining reality. How do you maintain a relationship with someone whose memory of your life together is fractured, erratic, deteriorating? That’s the painful challenge facing Sarah and Toni, characters played, respectively, by Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Apparently her first non-comedic big-screen role was life-changing for Wilson — a paradox given that the drama onscreen comes to life only in fits and starts. An adaptation of Kaite O’Reilly’s play by Celyn Jones and the playwright,...

There is something inherently fascinating in the drama of a personality receding into a degenerative neurological condition, as demonstrated by such successful films of recent years as “The Father,” “Still Alice” and “Away From Her.” A first directorial feature for actor Celyn Jones and cinematographer Tom Stern, “The Almond and the Seahorse” promises a similarly compelling tale. Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg play disparate women both coping with domestic partners suffering escalating consequences from traumatic brain injuries (or Tbi).

But intriguing as that sounds, this overstuffed narrative never quite finds its footing, wobbling between cutesy comedy and tearful histrionics. Its erratic progress fails to fully realize central characters, despite the multinational cast’s efforts, or even shed much cogent light on the diagnostic theme. Based on a stage play, the film feels sufficiently cinematic to (mostly) hide that origin. Yet the patchy storytelling suggests an awkward compromise between two mediums that,...

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So much of Rebel Wilson’s life is brand-new.

The comedy superstar has ventured into new territory by toplining her first dramatic feature, The Almond and the Seahorse, opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm and Celyn Jones, the latter of whom co-wrote the script (with Kaite O’Reilly) and co-directed the film (with Tom Stern). Based on O’Reilly’s play of the same name, it casts Wilson as an archaeologist navigating life with her husband (Jones) as he recovers from a traumatic brain injury. She finds comfort and more in a surprise relationship with a woman (Gainsbourg) who is dealing with the same challenges with her wife (Dyrholm).

The IFC Films release hits theaters and on demand Dec. 16, less than two months after another first for Wilson: She announced in November that she had welcomed her first child, a baby girl, Royce Lillian, via surrogate.

John Sturges’ Road Show comedy western has more in common with 1941 than The Magnificent Seven, but Kino has MGM’s new remaster and the visual result is spectacular. The Ultra Panavision 70 epic is still a favorite of fans of out-of-control Hollywood filmmaking. Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin and a huge cast lead the charge for a convoy of frontier whisky. It’s all in a fine spirit of madcap fun. . . so where are the big laughs?

The Hallelujah Trail

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 156 165 min. / Street Date December 13, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Anderson, Tom Stern, Robert J. Wilke, Dub Taylor, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, Val Avery, Hope Summers, John Dehner (narrator).

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Art Direction: Carey Odell

Costumes: Edith Head

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Original Music: Elmer Bernstein...

The Almond and the Seahorse Trailer — Ceylon Jones and Tom Stern‘s The Almond and the Seahorse (2022) movie trailer has been released by IFC Films. The Almond and the Seahorse trailer stars Rebel Willson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ceylon Jones, Trine Dyrrholm, Meerea Syal, and Alice Lowe. Crew Celyn Jones and Kaite O’Reilly wrote the screenplay for [...]

Continue reading: The Almond And The Seahorse (2022) Movie Trailer: Rebel Willson’s Boyfriend is Suffering from Partial Memory Loss...

"Is she getting worse, or am I weaker?" IFC Films has unveiled an official trailer for an indie drama titled The Almond and the Seahorse, arriving in theaters and on VOD in December. It recently premiered at the Zurich Film Festival, but hasn't shown up at any other fests before. Based on the play by Kaite O’Reilly, The Almond and the Seahorse is the directorial debut of notable actor + BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Celyn Jones; and Academy Award + BAFTA-nominated cinematographer Tom Stern. What happens when you're ambushed by time? An archaeologist and an architect fight to re-imagine their futures after traumatic brain injury leaves them adrift from the people they love. A story about how hard it really is to live with this kind of amnesia. The film stars Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg, with Celyn Jones and Trine Dyrholm, plus Meera Syal, Alice Lowe, and Ruth Madeley. This looks really heartbreaking and sad,...

Rebel Wilson is finding her serious acting roots.

The “Senior Year” star portrays an archeologist who grapples with complications stemming from her husband’s (Celyn Jones) traumatic brain injury in IFC Films’ “The Almond and the Seahorse,” out December 16. Charlotte Gainsbourg also plays an architect who has fallen out of love with her partner (Trine Dyrholm) due to a similar injury.

“What happens when you’re ambushed by time? An archaeologist and an architect fight to re-imagine a future after traumatic brain injury leaves them adrift from the people they love,” the official synopsis reads. “Love is the only thing that keeps them all going but something has changed.”

The film is co-directed by Celyn Jones and Tom Stern, with a script co-written by Jones and Katie O’Reilly. The title refers to the parts of the brain that “lay down new memories and hold on to old ones,” per IFC.

‘All My Friends Hate Me’ and ‘The Almond And The Seahorse’ also won prizes.

Frances O’Connor’s Emily proved the big hit of the 33rd edition of Dinard Film Festival, the French seaside festival that spotlights UK and Irish cinema, for French audiences that closed on October 2.

Emily won the Golden Hitchcock for best film, with Emma Mackey receiving the award for best performance. The period drama also scooped the audience prize for best feature film. The film premiered at Toronto, and marks the directorial debut of actor O’Connor.

Sex Education star Mackey plays a rebellious version of Wuthering...

Celebrated actor and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, speaking to an audience at the Zurich Film Festival, shared her experiences filming Celyn Jones and Tom Stern’s “The Almond and the Seahorse,” the valuable instructions received from Lars von Trier, and the challenges of shooting a documentary about mother Jane Birkin.

Based on the play of the same name by Kaite O’Reilly, who wrote the screenplay with Jones, “The Almond and the Seahorse,” which screens in Zurich’s Gala Premieres section, revolves around two couples struggling with severe brain injuries. Toni (Gainsbourg) is dealing with her partner Gwen (Trine Dyrholm), who no longer is the same person that she was before. She finds support in Sarah (Rebel Wilson), whose husband Joe (Jones) is suffering from a similar brain injury.

Gainsbourg said it was these four characters that attracted her to the film. “There are two couples and the two partners of the ones wounded,...

Actor, writer and director Celyn Jones is the triple threat no one saw coming. Originally from Wales, where he still films a lot of his projects, Jones built his career first as an actor of both theater and screen before pivoting to writing features such as “Set Fire to the Stars,” which starred Elijah Wood, “The Vanishing” featuring Gerard Butler and “Six Minutes to Midnight,” which he co-wrote with Eddie Izzard co-wrote and stars both Izzard and Judi Dench.

Jones’ latest project, “The Almond and the Seahorse,” also represents his directorial feature debut. Jones co-wrote the film, which is about two couples dealing with traumatic brain injuries, with Kaite O’Reilly (on whose play it is based) and co-directs with Tom Stern (“Changeling”). He also stars in it alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg (“Melancholia”), Trine Dyrholm (“Queen of Hearts”), Meera Syal (“Yesterday”) and Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect”). The film, which premieres at the...

The 18th Zurich Film Festival kicks off Sept. 22 with a muscular lineup that includes some of the year’s most anticipated international pics while also putting the spotlight on Swiss and German-language cinema.

In addition to a strong selection of U.S. films, including Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller’s “The Son” and Neil Jordan’s “Marlowe,” Zurich is also honoring Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard for their contribution to cinema.

“We are very proud that this year about one-fourth of our program are world or European premieres, which – especially when it comes to American films – are quite hard to get because there’s a lot of competition,” says Zff artistic director Christian Jungen.

Other big titles unspooling in Zurich include Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” with Viola Davis; Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan; and Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,...

Separately, Sony Pictures Classics picks up Tribeca doc It Ain’t Over about baseball legend Yogi Berra.

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to The Almond And The Seahorse starring Rebel Wilson in her first dramatic role ahead of the world premiere at Zurich Film Festival.

Bafta-winning Celyn Jones and Tom Stern directed the film from a screenplay by Jones and award-winning playwright Kaite O’Reilly, based on her theatre production of the same name.

The story deals with two couples where one partner has survived Traumatic Brain Injury. Trine Dyrholm plays Gwen, who has not recognised herself or her partner,...

IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “The Almond and the Seahorse,” a drama that marks the first dramatic role for “Pitch Perfect” star Rebel Wilson.

“The Almond and the Seahorse” will make its world premiere at the upcoming Zurich Film Festival, and IFC Films has already set its release date for both in theaters and on demand for Dec. 16.

Celyn Jones and cinematographer Tom Stern (“American Sniper”) co-directed the film from a script by playwright Kaite O’Reilly, based on her own play.

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Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm, Meera Syal and Jones also star in the film alongside Wilson. Here’s the full synopsis:

“For Gwen (Trine Dyrholm), it’s always 1999. The face in the mirror is unfamiliar and her partner, Toni (Charlotte Gainsbourg), isn’t recognisable to her despite waking up together every day.

Exclusive: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to The Almond and the Seahorse, prior to the film making its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival. The film stars Rebel Wilson in her first dramatic role.

Directed by BAFTA winner Celyn Jones (Six Minutes to Midnight) and BAFTA nominee Tom Stern, the film also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm, Meera Syal and Celyn Jones. The script is by Jones and playwright Kaite O’Reilly, based on the latter’s play.

IFC Films will release the film December 16 in theaters and on-demand.

For Gwen (Dyrholm), it’s always 1999. The face in the mirror is unfamiliar, and her partner, Toni (Gainsbourg), isn’t recognizable to her despite waking up together every day. For Joe (Jones), his past is coming undone, and his partner, Sarah (Wilson), fears she will be forgotten. A doctor refuses to give up on them, determined not to let them all unravel.

The festival celebrates UK independent cinema and runs September 28 - October 2.

Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin will screen at France’s Dinard Festival Of British Film (September 28 - October 2), with Sophie Hyde’s Good Luck To You, Leo Grande closing the event.

Both films will have their French premiere at the festival which is held on the coastal town of Dinard, France and celebrates independent cinema from the UK.

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McDonagh’s Ireland-set comedy drama recently premiered at Venice Film Festival and stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two lifelong friends hurtled into...

She stars in Zurich world premiere, ‘The Almond And The Seahorse’.

France-uk actor Charlotte Gainsbourg is to be honoured at the upcoming 18th edition of the Zurich Film Festival.

She will be presented with the Golden Eye award on September 26 for what the festival described as “her outstanding career and versatility” ahead of the world premiere at Zff of her new film, The Almond And The Seahorse, the directorial debuts of Celyn Jones and Tom Stern. Gainsbourg’s fellow cast member, Rebel Wilson, is also set to attend the festival.

Gainsbourg’s career began at the age of 14, in Claude Millers’ L’Effrontée,...

Charlotte Gainsbourg is set to be honored at this year’s Zurich Film Festival with the Golden Eye award. Gainsbourg will be presented with the award on September 26 at the festival and the presentation will be followed by the world premiere of her latest film The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Rebel Wilson.

“Charlotte Gainsbourg is one of the most versatile character actresses in European cinema,” said Christian Jungen, Artistic Director of the Zurich Film Festival.

“She is renowned for her bold choice of roles: Whether horror thriller or romantic comedy, avant-garde drama or Hollywood mainstream, she has the ability to give her characters human depth and credibility across all genres. And she is one of those rare actresses who can captivate with her charisma and carry an entire movie on her own.”

Charlotte Gainsbourg — who is the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin — first won acclaim at the...

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Acclaimed French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac, The Science of Sleep) will be honored by the 2022 Zurich International Film Festival with Zurich’s Golden Eye for lifetime achievement.

Zurich will also host the world premiere of Gainsbourg’s latest film, The Almond and the Seahorse.

Gainsbourg will attend the 18th Zurich Festival and receive her award on September 26.

The daughter of English singer and actress Jane Birkin and French songwriter, singer and actor Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg is one of the most recognizable faces of European and arthouse cinema, having worked with such acclaimed auteurs as Lars von Trier (Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac) Alejandro González Iñarritu (21 Grams), Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep), Wim Wenders (Every Thing Will Be Fine), Todd Haynes (I’m Not There) and Agnès Varda (Jane B. for Agnes V.).

Gainsbourg has occasionally done work in Hollywood or more mainstream fare,...

The fund will generate a projected £12m for the Welsh economy.

Ffilm Cymru Wales, the development agency for Welsh film, is to administer a new £1m production fund for independent feature films, on behalf of Welsh government agency Creative Wales.

Ffilm Cymru Wales will administer the new fund of £1m a year for an initial two-year period, which will be integrated with its current delegated National Lottery funds from the Arts Council of Wales, asconfirmed today by deputy minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, at Wales’s first Screen Summit in Cardiff.

Producers can now access up to £600,000 per...

Samantha Allwinton joins Head Gear from Ingenious Media.

Samantha Allwinton has been named senior investment manager at UK financier Head Gear.

Allwinton previously spent three years at Ingenious Media on the investment team. She worked alongside Peter Touche on features including Fatman, staring Mel Gibson, and Anthony Hayes’ Gold. She also previously worked for Prescience and Working Title Films.

In her new position, Allwinton will oversee and run the negotiation, analysis and structuring of loans to media projects and companies.

Sophie Bell was Head Gear’s former investment manager but Allwinton is taking on a more senior role.

The finance...

UK film export market to return after a two-year hiatus.

Film London has revealed that 11 titles will premiere at this year’s London Screenings, the export market dedicated to UK film.

The four-day showcase is attended by international buyers, who will travel to London to meet with UK-based sales companies and negotiate deals. It will take place at Picturehouse Central from June 20-23.

Bankside Films will premiere The Almond & The Seahorse, which stars Rebel Wilson in her first non-comedy role and is directed by Celyn Jones and Tom Stern. Bankside is also showcasing Silver Servers, a documentary directed by Dan Lobb...

Actress Rebel Wilson has come forward for the first time with a story about being sexually harassed at the hands of an unnamed male co-star.

Wilson told People magazine that several years ago, this co-star called her into a room and “pulled down his pants” before asking her to perform a lewd act—all, in front of his friends.

“It was awful and disgusting, said Wilson. “And all the behavior afterwards — this was all before #MeToo — where they kind of tried to destroy me and my career. If it had happened after #MeToo, then I could have just blasted them.”

Wilson, who holds a law degree from the University of New South Wales, knew based on her professional training to document what had happened. “I called my rep. I got certain things in writing about what happened,” she said. “Definitely amongst industry circles, I made sure people knew what happened.

Francis the Talking Mule – 7 Film Collection

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1950 – 1957 / 1.33:1, 2:1, 1.85:1

Starring Donald O’Connor, Chill Wills, Piper Laurie, Julie Adams

Written by David Stern, Oscar Brodney

Directed by Arthur Lubin, Charles Lamont

Born in 1909, David “Tom” Stern III was a journalist who lived a long and prosperous life—his father was media magnate J. David Stern, publisher of the now-defunct Philadelphia Record, the New York Post, and New Jersey’s Courier-Post. The younger Stern emulated his father’s success in the newspaper business; by 1949, Stern III was able to purchase the New Orleans Item-Tribune for 2,000,000. The rest of his fortune arrived in 1946 with Francis, The Talking Mule, Stern’s tall tale about a loquacious donkey. The scope of the book’s success was almost as unreal as the mule itself. In 1999, on Stern’s 90th birthday, a friend dedicated this verse;

Here’s a toast to Tom Stern

A man of great class.

TrustNordisk has boarded suspense drama Birthday Girl, directed by Michael Noer and led by Danish star Trine Dyrholm. The company will handle international sales rights on the feature about a mother’s persevering quest for justice.

Noer, who co-wrote Birthday Girl (working title) with Jesper Fin, is known for such films as 2018’s Before The Frost, which won the Tokyo Special Jury Prize, and his 2010 debut feature R, a Dragon Award winner for Best Nordic Film in Goteborg. His English-language debut was with the 2017 remake of the classic adventure epic Papillon starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek.

One of Denmark’s best-known and most lauded actresses, Dyrholm won the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear for Thomas Vinterberg’s 2016 The Commune and boasts such credits as Queen Of Hearts, Love Is All You Need and In A Better World. Recently, she’s been seen in crime series Face To Face (Forhøret...

Exclusive: Here’s a first-look image of Rebel Wilson and Celyn Jones in The Almond and the Seahorse, Wilson’s first non-comedy role coming as the Australian comedian prepares to host Friday’s BAFTAs.

The pair play an archaeologist and an architect as they fight to re-imagine a future after a traumatic brain injury leaves them adrift from the people they love.

Filming took place last year in Liverpool and North Wales on the pic from Mad As Birds and Rep Productions Sf, which also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, news revealed exclusively by Deadline in December 2020.

Jojo Rabbit and Cats star Wilson is hosting this Friday’s BAFTA Film Awards for the first time.

The Almond and the Seahorse is being directed by the Oscar-nominated cinematographer Tom Stern with Jones from a screenplay written by Jones and Kaite O’Reilly, adapted from the stage play also by O’Reilly.

Gruff Rhys, known...

We’re never too old to learn a new trick. Long-time collaborator to Clint Eastwood, cinematographer Tom Stern made his directorial debut in March of this year, co-directing with actor Celyn Jones – who is also climbing in the director’s chair for a first time. Set in the Liverpool, The Almond And The Sea Horse is a feature adaptation of Kaite O’Reilly’s stageplay with Rebel Wilson, Janet McTeer, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm, Meera Syal and Celyn Jones is also in front of the camera for a what looks to be a feel good drama.

Gist: This is a poignant story about two couples where one partner has survived a traumatic brain injury, exploring how it impacts their lives together.…...