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The 2025 Berlin International Film Festival announced its award winners on Saturday, with Dreams (Sex Love) from filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud winning the prestigious Golden Bear. Acting honors went to lead performer Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and supporting performer Andrew Scott for Blue Moon.

This year’s 2025 Berlinale competition jury was led by filmmaker Todd Haynes (his narrative feature debut Poison was awarded the Teddy Prize for queer filmmaking in Berlin in 1991). Other jurors included Nabil Ayouch (Morocco/France), costume designer Bina Daigeler (Germany), actor Fan Bingbing (China), director Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina), Los Angeles Times critic Amy Nicholson (U.S.), and filmmaker and actor Maria Schrader (Germany).

See the complete list of 2025 Berlin International Film Festival award winners below.

Golden Bear: Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud

Silver Bear Jury Prize: The Message by Iván Fund

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: The Blue Trail...

Cillian Murphy has been named Best Lead Actor in the film category of the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for the second year running.

Following his win last year for Oppenheimer (which went on to bag him the Oscar), Murphy won for his role in the film Small Things Like These.

The film, an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella, also won Best Film.

Complete Winners List Below

An Irish-language film about Belfast rap group Kneecap was nominated in 17 award categories. The film’s director Rich Peppiatt won best director in the film category, and it was also recognised in casting and costume design.

At the ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, Friday evening, Saoirse Ronan was a double winner, taking home Best Lead Actress for The Outrun and Best Supporting Actress for The Blitz.

Ralph Fiennes and Demi Moore were winners in the international acting categories for Conclave and The Substance respectively.

The wait is over for Dune fans! In partnership with HBO and Legendary Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is bringing the highly anticipated HBO Original drama series Dune: Prophecy: The Complete First Season to 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD on May 13, 2025. The series is co-produced by HBO and Legendary Television. Get ready to binge all 6 episodes from the epic sci-fi adventure, along with over an hour of bonus content, including 5 extended featurettes and an all-new, never-before-seen featurette exclusive to 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD. Pre-order your copy today.

Dune: Prophecy: The Complete First Season is also available now to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango at Home, and more.

From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and...

Going practical in “The Legend of Ochi” was important to director Isaiah Saxon — and it turned out that was true for A24, too.

Saxon was asked about the benefits of leaning into puppetry in his upcoming film about a girl who befriends an alien species called an Ochi rather than creating them through VFX. The director explained that he did not have to do any convincing to the studio that using puppets was the right choice for the story.

“No challenge,” Saxon said at TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt. “Everyone loved the idea of going practical. The challenge was just in making that happen and making it look convincing and real and to deliver that kind of performance.”

He added of the process that “it’s one thing to get two actors to sync up in a scene and really be responding to each other and present,...

Last year, HBO tried its hand at making a Dune TV show: set 10,000 years before Paul Atreides was born, Dune: Prophecy told the story of Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams), sisters who are in charge of the Bene Gesserit order during this early period in its history. The first season only lasted six episodes, but they were lushly produced, splendidly acted, and ended leaving fans wanting more. HBO will give it to them with a second season.

When it comes to these big sci-fi and fantasy projects, fans have gotten used to having to wait years between new seasons. Unfortunately, that looks like it will also happen with Dune: Prophecy. Although we don't know all the details, Emily Watson told ScreenRant that she expects filming on the second season to start up later this year. "I think we are going to start in the fall, and...

Isaiah Saxon’s The Legend of Ochi has been a long time coming, with fans having waited with bated breath for the music video director and animator’s feature directorial debut. It is an old-school family adventure following a girl who sets out on a journey with a wounded animal, and in our review, we called it “one of the most visually stunning family films in years.”

At The Legend of Ochi’s premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, we got to speak with the film’s cast on the red carpet, including Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson, discussing the film, its themes, and its influences.

The Legend of Ochi Interviews

For a young actress — Zengel was only 13 at the time of filming — not having a human co-star is quite a unique challenge, and for her to have pulled it off so successfully is quite the accomplishment. We...

‘Dune: Propehcy’ is the latest expansion of the Dune cinematic universe. The show debuted as an HBO Original on November 17, 2024, after originally being planned for Max. It received a 70% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise for the performances of Emily Watson and Olivia Williams but criticism for lacking the excitement of Denis Villeneuve’s films.

The show’s premiere attracted 1.2 million viewers, growing to 2.1 million the next day. By December 19, 2024, the premiere episode had drawn 15 million viewers across Max’s coverage areas.

Due to its overall successful launch, the show was quickly renewed for a second season, and now the star of the show, Emily Watson has provided us with an update regarding the start of the filming.

Watson said that filming for the second season will likely begin in the fall, but she doesn’t know anything about Valya’s story and is just as excited as the fans.

Sometime this year, we'll finally get to watch the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Netflix's flagship science fiction series about a bunch of kids who fight off the monsters of a twisted dimension called the Upside Down. Stranger Things season 4 ended on a wild cliffhanger, with the Upside Down spilling into the sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana. How will the gang get out of this one?

It won't be too long before we find out, but for actors like Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on all five seasons of Stranger Things, the end has already come. Wolfhard filmed his final scene on Stranger Things in December; the show has officially wrapped production, and now it heads into post-production where all the special effects magic and editing happen.

Wolfhard is currently out on the press trail promoting his upcoming A24 film The Legend of Ochi, but Variety...

Many people like to throw around the phrase “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” when it comes to movies, but there would be no more apt description for Isaiah Saxon’s The Legend of Ochi. Although its story is a bit thin, The Legend of Ochi is one of the most visually stunning family films in years.

The Legend of Ochi Review

The Legend of Ochi follows a shy girl who rebels against her father’s wishes to help save a wounded baby of a mysterious species of animal that she has been trained her whole life to fear. It’s an old-school adventure in the vein of movies like E.T. and The Goonies. In many ways, it feels like a relic of the past, but with a refreshingly distinct artistic and visual style from Saxon.

The hallmark of this genre of family films is that they use...

With theaters flooded over the recent holiday season by animated and CGI-dependent PG-rated fare, it’s reassuring to see a family film that relies on live action, impressive production values and inventive story elements, rather than the enhancements provided by digital technology.

The Legend of Ochi gives free rein to writer-director Isaiah Saxon’s remarkably imaginative narrative and visual palette, leveraging his well-regarded reputation directing music videos for the likes of Bjork and Grizzly Bear for a fantastical tale brimming with adventure and originality. With A24 targeting an April spring break release date, Saxon’s debut feature looks poised to capitalize on a recent upswing in family moviegoing.

The film opens with a swooping aerial shot over the mysterious island of Carpathia, secreted somewhere in the broad expanse of the Black Sea. The fictional territory off the coast of Romania sustains a small population of hearty villagers, along with the previously unknown ochi,...

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance took the award for Best Feature at the annual Girls On Film Awards while Emilia Pérez and Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste took awards for Best Ensemble and Best Actress respectively.

The fourth edition of the awards, which were held at London’s Curzon Bloomsbury on Sunday, celebrated exceptional achievements by women and people of marginalized genders in the film space. Hosted by Girls On Film co-founders Anna Smith and Hedda Lornie Archbold, the awards put a spotlight on women-led filmmaking with a particular focus on diversity, inclusion and representation.

Fargeat, who is nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards this year, was in attendance to collect her award and she told the audience that The Substance “was meant for me to mirror what women have to face in their everyday life by society and it’s not nice, it’s not subtle and it’s not delicate.

The Ochi exist. Furry monkey-like creatures of an orange-hued pelt with pronounced ears and huge dark eyes, the Ochi could feel just at home in the “Star Wars” universe, James Cameron’s “Avatar” realm Pandora or in Amblin classics like the “Gremlins” series. They are not real in an organic sense, but the beings in “The Legend of Ochi” are tangible entities, sophisticated puppets crafted to inhabit the lush greenery of Carpathia, a fictional island in the Black Sea where modernity and tradition find themselves at a crossroads.

Produced by A24, “The Legend of Ochi,” brings the bountiful imagination and technical innovation of writer-director Isaiah Saxon into a larger canvas. Saxon, perhaps best known for directing the stunning “Wanderlust” music video for Icelandic artist Björk, flexes the visual prowess that he and his team at Encyclopedia Pictura have developed over two decades, which combines plenty of handmade elements with digital tools.

I have become so accustomed to defining children’s or family films in this era as animated that when you come upon one that doesn’t fall into that easy definition it is a welcome shock to the system. The Legend of Ochi, premiering today in the Family Matinee section of the Sundance Film Festival, is a throwback, one of those films clearly inspired by more adventurous PG entertainments of the past and never talking down to its intended audience. As a result, the A24 release is a breath of fresh air and a stunning visual treat that will appeal well beyond the youngest members in the household.

With cinematic inspirations like The Black Stallion, My Neighbor Tortoro, Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Princess Mononoke and clearly Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, director/writer Isaiah Saxon, with his feature debut, has accomplished a striking bit of world-building,...

The Ochi are a mythical forest species that communicates in sensations rather than words. By contrast, Isaiah Saxon’s “The Legend of Ochi” is a somewhat inert but ingeniously crafted fantasy adventure story that mostly communicates in visuals.

Visuals like: A teenage girl traipsing across the Carpathian mountains with a small woodland creature — imagine if Willem Dafoe and a snub-nosed golden monkey were fused together in a vat of blue eyeshadow — riding in her backpack. Like the actual Willem Dafoe clad in a suit of World War I armor as he leads a squadron of peashooter-packing children to chase the girl down. Like Emily Watson driving a pick-up truck with a wooden hand and blasting Italian rock music as one of the most beautiful matte paintings this side of “The Black Narcissus” stretches out into the landscape around her. “The Legend of Ochi” may not have a lot to say...

The Ochi, a small mystical creature feared by a remote Carpathian village in writer-director Isaiah Saxon’s The Legend of Ochi, speak in a language that operates in a musical and emotional capacity. A similar linguistic spirit is evinced by the film itself. Mercifully for the audience’s eardrums, that doesn’t mean that Saxon gives his debut feature over to the animals’ shrill, screeching form of oral communication. Rather than simply utilizing language to convey information as humans do, he’s more attuned to more melodic and mysterious ways of using it.

Saxon operates in well-trod territory with his original yarn, with the likes of Steven Spielberg and Jim Henson looming large as visual and narrative touchstones. In the film, an isolated teenager named Yuri (Helena Zengel) comes into contact with a trapped baby Ochi and refuses to give into the terror of the unknown conditioned by her father...

Finn Wolfhard joined the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance and said that being in Park City to promote his new movie, A24’s “The Legend of Ochi,” feels like a post-graduation moment as it’s his first press tour since wrapping filming on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” The actor spent a decade making the show, which served as his acting breakthrough. He filmed the final episode in December.

“It was incredibly emotional, obviously,” Wolfhard said about his last day on the “Stranger Things” set. “It’s the last 10 years of my life. Also for the creators, the Duffer Bros. started when they were 30 and now they are 40. Everyone had a long journey and shared it together. My whole childhood was there. It was sort of the ‘Toy Story 3’ moment of leaving your toys behind. It was really special.”

“We had a long last year,” he continued. “We...

The story around Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut, “The Legend of Ochi,” took a drastic turn, as so many Hollywood stories did, with this month’s Los Angeles fires. Saxon lost his home in the blaze, and the film’s theatrical release was pushed back. However, having spent years developing and working on the fantasy feature, Saxon is standing steadfastly behind his film and will be present for its Sundance world premiere.

“The Legend of Ochi” is a throwback. Its aesthetics, fantasy elements and a blend of practical and digital effects will be instantly endearing to audiences of a certain age but are modern enough and so well executed as to attract younger audiences weaned on the vfx-heavy fare of more recent decades.

The film tells the story of Yuri, a shy farm in a remote village on the island of Carpathia. Born as the only child to a father who yearned for a son,...

The world premiere of A24’s The Legend of Ochi will still go on at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday at the library, but the distributor has a set a new release date of April 25.

Previously, the Isaiah Saxon-directed and -written family title was to hit theaters February 28. Pic reps Saxon’s directorial debut which he’s been making for years, and it features a medley of puppetry, animatronics, matte paintings and 3D animation.

Saxon recently lost his home in the Los Angeles wildfires, as revealed by NPR. The filmmaker will be in Sundance to celebrate the premiere of the pic, along with cast Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson and Willem Dafoe.

The Legend of Ochi is set in a remote village on the island of Carpathia where a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when...

As Los Angeles continues to adapt to the disruptions posed by the devastating fires impacting the city, film release dates often feel like one of the least important topics imaginable. But releases must go on, albeit with occasionally altered circumstances.

Such is the case for “The Legend of Ochi,” Isaiah Saxon’s highly anticipated feature directorial debut that is set to make its world premiere at Sundance this week. The A24 film was originally slated to open on Friday, February 28, but has been shifted to April 25 to accommodate Saxon after he lost his home in the fires.

Saxon, who confirmed the loss of his home in an NPR story, will still be attending the film’s Sundance premiere.

An official synopsis for “The Legend of Ochi” reads: In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi.

Some gutting news for an adorable-looking new movie today. A24 is delaying the theatrical release of fantasy adventure The Legend Of Ochi after its director, Isaiah Saxon, lost his home in the California wildfires. The film will now begin its run on April 25; it was originally scheduled to open on...

Fernanda Torres made history on Thursday morning as only the second Brazilian to receive a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. The I’m Still Here star follows in the footsteps of her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who was the first to do it in 1999 for Central Station. Walter Salles directed both films.

In I’m Still Here, Torres plays Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist who copes with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva, during Brazil’s military dictatorship. Adapted from Marcelo Rubens Paiva‘s memoir, I’m Still Here earned an additional Oscar bid for Best International Feature.

In January, Torres stunned pundits by winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Actress, solidifying her status as a serious contender for the Oscars. Montenegro’s portrayal of the older version of Torres’ character in the film adds a sentimental layer to this achievement.

“To have this fairytale...

Remember the time when you were just a toddler making sense of the world? The world was a different place back then; going to movies with your family was one of your favorite outings. However, family-friendly releases have been steadily on the decline over the years, and finding a good watch is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But quite surprisingly, A24 is venturing into the genre, with the fantasy feature The Legend of Ochi.

Known mostly for its adult-oriented projects, The Legend of Ochi is A24’s attempt to bring back the same comfort and familiarity when watching a film like Steven Spielberg’s E.T. or Joe Dante’s Gremlins. The poster for the film and the first trailer which has been out for a few weeks, will definitely give you that feeling, especially with the adorable monster or Ochi, who might just become the next Grogu.

Almost anyone who grew up with the Beatles knows a few key things about their manager, Brian Epstein, the subject of the new biopic “Midas Man.” You might know that he ran a popular record store in Liverpool when he first saw the Beatles perform at the Cavern Club and realized that it was his destiny to manage them. You almost surely know that it was Epstein who made over the Beatles’ image, taking four scruffy working-class rockers in black leather jackets, dressing them in collarless gray suits and giving them those fabled moptop haircuts — the look that launched a thousand screams. Or the visionary way he spearheaded the Beatles’ international career, cutting the deal for them to appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Or the fact that Epstein was gay, something he kept well-hidden.

If you’ve ever seen footage of Brian Epstein, you also know the most resonant and,...

The Sundance Film Festival remains the largest independent film festival in the United States, and as was the case in both 2023 and 2024, the 2025 edition will be in a hybrid format, with screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City, Ut, along with limited selections available online for viewers across the United States. This provides cinephiles ample opportunity to check out some of the most exciting indie cinema that will be coming your way this year.

FandomWire is delighted to again be covering the Sundance Film Festival, but this year, for the first time in person in Park City, Utah! We will be reviewing many of the films we see on the ground, but for now, we wanted to let you know about some of the films we have gotten the opportunity to see early and you won’t want to miss.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear in One to One: John & Yoko...

Although Beatlemania typically refers to the initial hype around the iconic band, one could argue that it’s had a second coming recently with a slew of other Beatles-focused media from filmmakers like Peter Jackson and Martin Scorsese. With a conventional screenplay and many limitations because of its budget, Midas Man is charming nonetheless thanks to a strong lead performance and a bountiful helping of nostalgia for one of the most iconic bands in the world.

Midas Man Review

Midas Man tells the story of Brian Epstein, the entrepreneur who — despite no experience in the music industry — discovered The Beatles in a Liverpool bar and became their manager, launching them into superstardom. While this claims not to be a Beatles biopic, it sure focuses a lot on Epstein’s time with the band, although who can blame the filmmakers? That’s what sells tickets.

To get the obvious out of the way,...

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in the world right now. In the game, players play as Super Earth’s strongest soldiers, known as Helldivers, and fight against three deadly factions: Terminid, Automaton, and Illuminate. The game’s concept is one of the main reasons behind its success, but what inspired Arrowhead to develop a game like this?

Helldivers 2 is also inspired by classics like Starship Troopers and Robocop (Image via Arrowhead Game Studios)

The lead writer of the game once revealed that he is a fan of classic dystopian films that inspired the game, but no one expected him to name a critical and commercial failure like Equilibrium. The movie featured some heavy hitters but turned out to be a complete disappointment.

The lead writer of Helldivers 2 revealed that 2002’s Equilibrium was the inspiration behind the game

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2, one of...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dune: Prophecy season 1.

There are several major questions that HBO's upcoming Dune: Prophecy season 2 must answer following the Dune: Prophecy season 1 finale. Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by original Dune author Frank Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled in Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2020) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Emily Watson leads the cast of Dune: Prophecy as Mother Reverend Superior Valya Harkonnen along with Olivia Williams as her sister, Tula Harkonnen.

The season 1 finale set up several major events in Dune: Prophecy season 2 while also proving how Denis Villeneuve pulled off a miracle with his two Dune films. HBO announced the renewal of Dune: Prophecy season 2 just days after the release of the season 1 finale, which is proof of the...

No matter what mood, situation, or place you’re in, comedy movies can never be a bad idea, because everyone likes to have a good laugh. But sadly, people often confuse comedy films with loudmouthed slapstick humor that is known to dominate the screen. And perhaps this is why the genre of comedy is gradually fading away into oblivion.

With more people looking for drama and action films, comedy is getting sidelined in the world of entertainment. So before the classic sense of humor wanes completely, let’s take a look at 15 underrated comedies including—endearing rom-com, wry dramedy, action-comedy, and more—that’s worth every bit of your attention.

15. Booksmart (2019)

Director: Olivia Wilde

Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Jason Sudeikis, and Molly Gordon

Streaming: Netflix and Tubi

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut with the 2019 coming-of-age comedy was once advertised as a “female Superbad”. Starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever,...

Kneecap is leading the charge at this year’s Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards, with 17 nominations across 12 categories.

Rich Peppiatt’s feature about the eponymous Irish-language Belfast hip hop act is on an awards season roll, having led the winners at the Bifas back in December with seven awards, as well as having been shortlisted at the Oscars in the international feature category, and being longlisted in seven categories at the Baftas (with nominations announced tomorrow).

Scroll down for the full list of film nominations

Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These, an Ireland-Belgium co-production that opened the Berlin film festival last year,...

Nominations are out for the 2025 Irish Film & Television Awards with the Cillian Murphy drama Small Things Like These and the music comedy Kneecap among the tipped films. Scroll down for the full list of nominees.

Small Things Like These has nods in Best Screenplay, Lead Actor for Murphy, and Best Film. Other Best Film nominees include Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, King Frankie, and Kneecap.

Kneecap has a strong showing across the noms, with nods in Best Director for Rich Peppiatt and all three of the film’s leads pop up in Best Actor. Paul Mescal also received a Best Actor nomination for his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.

On the TV side, Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters is nominated for Best Drama while the Eddie Redmayne thriller The Day of the Jackal has multiple noms, including Best Director for a Drama Series.

The Irish Film & Television Academy...

Warning: Spoilers for Dune: Prophecy season 1.

There are several reasons to get excited about HBO's upcoming Dune: Prophecy season 2 following the Dune: Prophecy season 1 finale. Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, which was written by original Dune author Frank Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled in Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2020) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Emily Watson leads the cast of Dune: Prophecy as Mother Reverend Superior Valya Harkonnen along with Olivia Williams as her sister, Tula Harkonnen.

The season 1 finale set up several major events in Dune: Prophecy season 2 while also proving how Denis Villeneuve pulled off a miracle with his two Dune films. HBO announced the renewal of Dune: Prophecy season 2 just days after the release of the season 1 finale, which is proof of...

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2024 is over, and we have seen some brilliant and not-so-brilliant TV shows on streaming services and cable networks. However, the sci-fi fantasy genre TV shows are proving to be the biggest ones this year with the release of shows like Fallout and 3 Body Problem. The sci-fi fans are having a great year, and if TV shows weren’t enough, we also got Dune: Part Two this year, which was the most successful sci-fi fantasy film in 2024. So, let’s check out the best new and returning sci-fi fantasy shows that came out last year.

Silo Season 2 (Apple TV+ & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Apple TV+

Silo is a sci-fi dystopian drama series created by Graham Yost. Based on the Silo trilogy of novels by Hugh Howey, Season 2 of the Apple TV+ series continues the story of Juliette after...

Now that Warner Bros. is the proud owner of a thriving "Dune" franchise, they've begun the process of brand expansion via the HBO series "Dune: Prophecy." Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve's theatrically released sensations "Dune" and "Dune: Part Two," the show is set some time after Brian Herbert's "Great Schools of Dune" novels and deals with the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. It's got a great cast led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, boasts some tremendously impressive production/costume design, and is dull as dishwater.

Apologies to those who love prequels and origin stories, but they are by rule abominations of storytelling, and there are precious few exceptions. Patton Oswalt has a stand-up bit titled "At Midnight I Will Kill George Lucas with a Shovel" that explains hilariously, profanely why this is true, but, basically, all prequels are fill-in-the-blanks endeavors that dramatize stuff we already know.

We may be spending a lot more time on Arrakis in the coming years. According to a rumor circulating the internet, Warner Bros. Discovery is considering more Dune movies and television shows to keep viewers hooked on the spice.

2024 was a big year for Dune, the sweeping science fiction franchise birthed by author Frank Herbert. On the movie front, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. released Dune: Part Two, where visionary director Denis Villeneuve adapted the second half of Herbert's seminal 1965 novel for the big screen. On television, we got Dune: Prophecy, an HBO/Max spinoff prequel series set 10,000 years before the movies which depicted the rise of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood.

Both of these iterations of Dune were massively successful, enough that Warner Bros. is powering full steam ahead on more. Villeneuve is hard at work on a third Dune movie, which will adapt Herbert's book Dune Messiah; meanwhile,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dune: Prophecy & Dune: Part Two.

Dune: Prophecy proves just how well-done Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica character is in Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Dune: Part Two. Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, which was written by original Dune author Frank Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The story takes place more than 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreidies, which is chronicled in Villeneuve's Dune (2020) and Dune: Part Two (2024).

While there was some initial speculation that Lady Jessica would be a part of Dune: Prophecy, the massive timeline jump didn't allow for that to happen. Instead, Emily Watson leads the cast of Dune: Prophecy as Mother Reverend Superior Valya Harkonnen along with Olivia Williams as her sister, Tula Harkonnen. Valya is the overseer of the Sisterhood known as the Bene Gesserit in the world of Dune...

BAFTA on Friday unveiled its longlists for this year’s film awards with Emilia Pérez, Conclave, A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist and The Substance setting the pace.

Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical tops the longlists (15), including leading actress and supporting actress mentions for Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez. Edward Berger’s Conclave follows with 14 nods, including leading actor and supporting actor for Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, respectively.

After that, it’s a three-way tie between Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (11). Sean Baker’s Anora is honored with nine mentions on the longlists, including for lead star Mikey Madison. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are included for their roles in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, and Timothée Chalamet is among the leading actor list for his performance in A Complete Unknown.

Round two of voting kicks off Friday,...

Bafta has unveiled the round two voting longlists for its 2024 film awards, with Emilia Perez leading the way with 15 spots followed by Conclave with 14.

Eighty films have been longlisted across 25 categories, including the new children’s and family film award – the first new category at the Bafta film awards for five years.

Scroll down for the full longlists

After Emilia Perez and Conclave, three films tied with 11 spots on the lists: James Mangold’s Bob Dylan story A Complete Unknown, Brady Corbet’s Venice title The Brutalist and Coralie Fargeat’s Cannes Competition entry The Substance.

Blockbusters Dune: Part Two...

Image courtesy of Day for Night

As though to provide a measure of solace in a year when the world news could hardly have been more depressing, 2024 has provided far more cinema of quality than has been seen for a very long time. I can come up with no less than twenty-five titles that count as exceptional works, at least half of which are close to perfection. Even so, that does not mean that 2024 has been a year without worries about where cinema is going. The great films are there but how readily can they be seen? This is a time when the range of what is on offer at mainstream cinemas fails to satisfy as many tastes as one would wish, when many films play mainly or exclusively on platforms too numerous for subscribers to embrace all of them and when the number of releases is so high that,...

Fans took a deeper dive into the Dune saga, when the prequel series Dune: Prophecy premiered on HBO screens. The show explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. But according to one sharp-eyed Reddit user, connections between the show and the Dune movies by Denis Villeneuve run deeper than many might have realized.

Emily Watson as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen in a still from Dune: Prophecy | Credits: HBO

The user suggested a theory in which the prequel’s storylines subtly set the stage for some of the most iconic elements of Villeneuve’s adaptations. Thus, bringing two stories together in a connected way.

Are Dune: Prophecy and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies interconnected?

The Dune universe, brought to life by Frank Herbert, is full of complex characters and interesting storylines. In order to present this on the big screen, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has done a great job, evident from...

After finishing Episode 6 of HBO's Dune: Prophecy, fans are wondering when they can expect Episode 7 to release.

Taking place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides, this spin-off series delved into the early stages of the Bene Gesserit, starring Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen and Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen.

The two are sisters with a complicated background and maybe an even more complicated Harkonnen family tree. While the journey wrapped up in six parts, it's clear that there's plenty of more story to tell in Dune: Prophecy.

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the Dune: Prophecy season 1 finale.

Warning: This article contains mention of suicide.

Dune: Prophecy star Tabu reacts to the major deaths in the season 1 finale. Tabu plays Sister Francesca, a member of the Sisterhood who is also the lover of Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) and the mother of Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston). In Dune: Prophecy season 1's ending, Francesca is charged by Reverend Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) to use the Gom Jabbar to kill Javicco. Francesca is unable to go through with it, but Javicco instead takes his own life, and Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) uses the Gom Jabbar to murder Francesca.

During an interview with Collider, Tabu shared how she cried when reading Francesca and Javicco's deaths in the script and that it was a heartbreaking scene to shoot. She discussed the tragedy of Javicco learning about how he had...

Dune: Prophecy is an ensemble series with actors from various backgrounds. Telling the story of the creation of the Bene Gesserit, the show features a leading cast including Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, Travis Fimmel, and Jodhi May. The Dune franchise show got decent reviews overall, and recently wrapped up its tenure on Max. Earlier this week, Dune: Prophecy season 2 was officially confirmed, allowing the creators to continue the space-set story.

The primary cast members in the show are women, but Australian-born cast member Fimmel is one with an interesting career history. He has been on TV before, perhaps most notably playing Ragnar Lothbrok in the TV series Vikings. In addition to Vikings, Fimmel's career has included playing the titular jungle-dweller in the 2003 TV series adaptation of Tarzan, as well as a role in the series The Beast. Now, one of Fimmel's key...

The new live-action science fiction TV series “Dune: Prophecy”, based on the novel ‘Sisterhood of Dune’, is directed by Anna Foerster, starring Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning and Yerin Ha, with the first season available in 4K, Blu-ray and DVD starting April 15, 2025:

“…from the expansive universe of ‘Dune’, created by author Frank Herbert…

“…and 10,000 years before the ascension of ‘Paul Atreides’, ‘Dune: Prophecy’ follows two ‘Harkonnen’ sisters…

“…as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind…

“…and establish the fabled sect…

“… that will become known as the ‘Bene Gesserit’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The science fiction genre had a banner year in 2024 and it’s time to look back on the best of the best.

This year brought us a handful of new “Star Wars” shows that took the canon to new eras, a devastating finale to Netflix’s beloved animated series “Arcane” and reintroduced fans to the classic X-Men in “X-Men ’97.” It was an embarrassment of riches for fans of the genre.

These are the nine best sci-fi TV shows that made their mark on the year.

“X-Men ’97” (Credit: Marvel Studios) “X-Men ’97”

There have been plenty of good-to-great reboots of beloved series in the past few years. But there’s something about “X-Men ’97,” perhaps owing to its animated origins, that feels as though these new episodes are picking up right where the beloved 1990s show left off. And that’s no easy feat. While the animation has definitely improved,...

The Bene Gesserit sisters operating in the Dune universe have a unique gift: the Voice, a way of modulating the pitch of their voice so whoever hears what they say can't help but obey their command. The Voice can get pretty much anybody to do anything. In the first episode of HBO's prequel series Dune: Prophecy, a young Valya Harkonnen uses the Voice on her enemy Dorotea. "Take our your blade!" she commands. Dorotea complies. "Drive it into your throat!" You can guess what happens next.

It's a terrifying power, and hard to sell onscreen. Emily Watson, who plays the grown-up Valya in Dune: Prophecy, is an excellent actor, but no actor is so good that anybody is going to do whatever they say just because they say it. Obviously, Watson's voice is edited after the fact to make it sound every gravely, powerful, and frightening. But I wondered...

The following contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy episode 6, "The High-Handed Enemy."Dune: Prophecy cast and showrunner discuss Desmond Hart's (Travis Fimmel) parentage reveal ahead of season 2. Led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, who portray Valya and Tula Harkonnen, respectively, the Dune prequel series explores the Bene Gesserit sisterhood in the early days and sees them facing a major threat in the wake of the reckoning. Hart, the antagonist in the series, turns out to be Tula's son. In episode 6, Tula tells Valya the truth in front of an injured Hart.

In an interview with Cinemablend, the series cast and showrunner addressed how the revelation would affect Valya and Tula's relationship. Watson explained that the truth has "blown everything up" for Valya, who is still holding onto the idea that she's "the chosen one" and it's her mission to face the enemies. Williams admitted that all Tula wants is to keep her son alive,...

The first season finale of Dune: Prophecy is in the can, and it was by far the most action-packed, eventful episode of the show so far. The twists came fast and furious. Desmond Hart arrested Tula Harkonnen, who it ends up is his mother! Valya Harkonnen travels to Arrakis with Princess Ynez and Kieran Atreides! And things at the Bene Gesserit school on Wallach IX have completely fallen apart.

It sets up a lot of exciting plotlines for season 2, which we now know is coming. In the meanwhile, we got to participate in a roundtable interview with lead actors Emily Watson (Valya) and Olivia Williams (Tula), as well as Dune: Prophecy showrunner Alison Schapker.

Between them, Valya and Tula have a very large body count. They've both done some unsavory things in the name of expanding the Sisterhood, and not just to their enemies. Early on in the show, Tula...

Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers for Dune: Prophecy ahead!

The Dune universe is full of complex world-building, political intrigue, mind games, and epic storytelling. When Denis Villeneuve adapted Frank Herbert’s legendary novels into films, he instantly raised the bar high by delivering cinematic brilliance.

Sarah Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez in Dune: Prophecy | HBO Max

Fans had the same expectation from Dune: Prophecy, a prequel series that delves into the origins of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. It’s set 10,000 years before the main events of Dune and is a deep dive into all the untold stories. But was it as effective as the movies, and what does the audience think about it? Let’s unpack!

The weight of expectations and where Dune: Prophecy faltered Emily Watson in Dune: Prophecy | HBO Max

Dune: Prophecy is an ambitious TV show that sets out to unravel the secrets of the Bene Gesserit. The creators...

The first season of Dune: Prophecy wrapped up last night with "The High-Handed Enemy," an eventful episode that left many of our characters in new and unexpected places. On Wallach IX, Dorotea — a Bene Gesserit sister killed decades ago — took over the body of her granddaughter Lila (Chloe Lea) and is now trying to steer the Sisterhood in a whole new direction. Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) is now a prisoner of her son Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) on the planet Salusa Secundus, and Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) has traveled with Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) and swordmaster Kieran Atredies (Chris Mason) to the desert world of Arrakis to find out who's been manipulating Desmond from behind the scenes, and why.

Those are a lot of threads to leave dangling ahead. Happily, we now know the show will continue with a second season. Unhappily, it probably won't happen for a couple of years.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dune: Prophecy season 1, episode 6!Dune: Prophecy showrunner Alison Schapker has explained the season 1 finale's ending location and teases what the new setting means for season 2. The ending of Dune: Prophecy sees Valya (Emily Watson) rescue Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) and Keiran (Chris Mason) from imprisonment, managing to escape the planet despite pursuit from Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel). At the very end of the episode, the trio arrive on Arrakis, which has had a major impact on the story due to the dream of the sandworm the Sisterhood has been having throughout the show.

Speaking with TVLine, Schapker explained how the pull of Arrakis was important for Dune: Prophecy season 1, but that season 2 will further explore its importance to the overall narrative. This includes Valya trying to gather more information about Desmond's claim that he survived getting eaten by a sandworm. It also involves investigating who really...