News

Exclusive: NBCU Launch has set its 2024-26 class for the TV Directors Program, now in its fifteenth year. Those selected and the shows they are attached to are Parisa Barani (Law & Order), Winter Dunn (The Irrational), Nina Kramer (St. Denis Medical), and Liz Sargent (Chicago Med).

Founded in 2009, NBCU’s scripted directing program (now called the NBCU Launch TV Directors Program) gives experienced directors with distinct points of view their break into episodic television. The program supports the company’s goal of producing authentic stories with talent whose lived experiences inform their unique creative visions.

It’s the first scripted directing initiative in the TV industry to guarantee that participants will helm at least one episode by the program’s culmination. Directors shadow on two episodes of an NBCU scripted series before sitting in the director’s chair themselves. This year’s class will benefit from new learning and development...

Mammootty’s Valliettan Returning To Theatres In 4K? (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

For many of us, Mammootty’s Valliettan is a nostalgic film. A classic from 2000, this beloved movie has been a staple of festival viewing on Kairali TV, airing without fail during every celebration. Over the years, it has become a cherished part of our cultural tapestry, loved by audiences for its timeless appeal. After 24 years, the film is making a grand comeback, not on the small screen, but in theatres, in stunning 4K resolution with Dolby audio.

Loosely inspired by the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Valliettan is more than just a movie; it’s a saga of familial ties, power struggles, and values. You can find everything you need to know about this much-anticipated return, including details on the plot, release date, cast, crew, and more in this article.

Cast And Crew Of Valliettan

Directed by Shaji Kailas and written by Ranjith,...

Dara Kadri must be one of the most complex characters written in Hindi cinema. Many watching Bambai Meri Jaan are cognizant of the real-life mafia don he is based on. The makers allow the audience to have a look at Dara Kadri as a man who was carried away by a life of crime after he saw Haji Maqbool flaunt his power and hold over the city. We were shaped by our surroundings while growing up, and it contributed to Dara Kadri becoming a terrifying gangster in the city.

Dara’s father, Ismail Kadri, was an honest and righteous police officer working for the Mumbai Police Department. His father and mother were told by a peer that Dara would turn out to be an intelligent kid and would see success as an adult. Little did any of them know that success came his way but in an unexpected manner. Ismail...

Bambai Meri Jaan, the Bombay-based period drama, has an ensemble cast that does not disappoint from start to finish. One of the main reasons why most of these characters leave a lasting impression is the writing. The creators and the director of the show made sure the screenplay and the character graphs would always remain at the forefront. Some layered and complex writing allowed the audience to view these characters from a neutral perspective.

Haji Maqbool, whose real name was Sulaiman Maqbool, was renamed by the locals after a successful Hajj pilgrimage as Haji Maqbool. We get to hear Ismail’s voiceover throughout the season. It began with talking about Haji being an opulent gangster. He often threw parties for politicians and film stars. He was a big fan of glamor and glitz. He was also known to be acquainted with actors and actresses who were popular at that time.

Bambai Meri Jaan is creating waves by showcasing stories that may be familiar to many of us. What makes this ten-episode-long show different from the usual fare we have watched on this subject over the years is the treatment of the story and the screenplay. This story is extensively covered in pieces of media like books, case studies, and articles. There are plenty of Hindi films as well that were either successful in being accurate portrayals of that era or they were just over-the-top dramatization, which in most cases did not give the audience the right picture to understand the nexus and the leaders.

Bambai Meri Jaan is based on the bestselling book ‘Dongri to Dubai’ written by India’s top investigative journalist S. Hussain Zaidi. ‘Dongri to Dubai’ has been the source material for many movies made in the gangster drama genre. What makes them less engaging than Shujaat Saudagar...

Bambai Meri Jaan, a brand-new Prime Video India original, takes us to the underbelly of the city of Bombay. It is also about the young men who came up from nothing, became gangsters and eventually ruled the city. These gangsters were notorious for smuggling contraband and precious metals, supplying narcotics, and committing murders.

The show spans three decades and talks about how these gangsters eventually became a nuisance for the state government and its machinery. The central government raised issues concerning these men, and suggested arresting them. If not, the city will be put through chaos and anarchy. In comes Ismail Kadri, who is an officer with the Mumbai Police. The man is known for his integrity, honesty, and respect for the uniform. Apart from these characteristics, Ismail is serious about catching the men who work for these gangsters and bringing them to justice. He is one of the few...

The latest Prime Video original, Bambai Meri Jaan, is more than just a period drama. The show brings forward the tale of a dysfunctional family. Ismail Kadri and his children, throughout the ten episodes, have had different attitudes toward how life should be led. Ismail believed in being honest and put his self-respect above everything else. Dara Kadri and his siblings craved power and materialistic things. The first season of Bambai Meri Jaan chronicles the stories of several Mumbai-based gangsters and their rise to power. The highlight of the show is Dara Kadri becoming a powerful man in the city in a short period of time when gangsters like Haji, Pathan, and Anna were at the peak of their might.

The series takes the audience through the trajectory that led to a rivalry between Dara and Pathan’s gang. A bloodbath that killed many close to these gangsters eventually ceased...

New Delhi, Sep 15 (Ians) Ambitious gangsters have worked their way up the ranks of the criminal underworld and go on to hit big time too. This is an over-familiar tale with nearly all offenders claiming a childhood that looked normal but some minor aberrations and later major ones, turned them into the most wanted category of lawbreakers.

Mumbai can’t seem to forgive or forget Dawood Ibrahim. With good reason too. The global terrorist is an Indian mob boss, drug lord, and terrorist from Dongri in Mumbai, who is wanted by the Government of India.

‘Bambai Meri Jaan’ is an action-packed period drama set in the 1960s, based on and a sneak peek into post-Independence Bombay and its streets riddled with crime. It is as much an honest cop’s journey as he attempts to protect his family.

Based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades...

New Delhi, Sep 15 (Ians) Ambitious gangsters have worked their way up the ranks of the criminal underworld and go on to hit big time too. This is an over-familiar tale with nearly all offenders claiming a childhood that looked normal but some minor aberrations and later major ones, turned them into the most wanted category of lawbreakers.

Mumbai can’t seem to forgive or forget Dawood Ibrahim. With good reason too. The global terrorist is an Indian mob boss, drug lord, and terrorist from Dongri in Mumbai, who is wanted by the Government of India.

‘Bambai Meri Jaan’ is an action-packed period drama set in the 1960s, based on and a sneak peek into post-Independence Bombay and its streets riddled with crime. It is as much an honest cop’s journey as he attempts to protect his family.

Based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades...

Bambai Meri Jaan loosely translates to “Bombay, you are my life”. Mumbai, as we know, was called Bombay or Bambai several decades ago. As we have seen in several films, the Bombay underworld has been of great fascination to the Hindi film industry. There have been countless films particularly that have been modeled around gangsters and the glitz around them. Their stories have been told repeatedly, to the point that many of us are aware of what transpired when the mafia in Bombay was at its peak.

Bambai Meri Jaan takes us through the bitter rivalry between two factions of gangsters who want to control the city of Bombay through illegal businesses, power, and terror. The underlying theme of the show revolves around the dysfunctional dynamics between a father and his children. They struggle to understand each other’s ideologies yet somehow manage to live under one roof.

Prologue

Bambai Meri Jaan...

Television shows and movies in the period drama genre are tricky and expensive. Other than spending time on the narrative aspect, the makers must convince us with splendid world-building. The production, dialogue, and ambience add meaning to the story. Amazon Prime Video India has knocked it out of the park with yet another period drama this year. The streaming network gave us Jubilee in April 2023, and within a few months, they’d given us Bambai Meri Jaan. This gangster period drama was released on the platform on September 14, 2023. Based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s book Dongri to Dubai, the Prime Video follows a bitter rivalry between gangsters that eventually engulfs the city in violence and chaos.

Bambai Meri Jaan is told from the perspective of Ismail Kadri, who was an honest police officer with the Mumbai Police in the 1960s. The man always wants to do the right thing, but...

The trailer of the upcoming streaming series ‘Bambai Meri Jaan’ was unveiled on Monday in Mumbai’s Bandra area. The crime thriller series stars Kay Kay Menon, Avinash Tiwary, Kritika Kamra, and Nivedita Bhattacharya along with Amyra Dastur in pivotal roles.

The trailer begins with a birdeye view of the Mumbai of the 1970 as the plot unfolds taking the viewers through the life of Dara Kadri (essayed by Avinash), a petty criminal who is born to an honest officer in the Mumbai police force (portrayed by Kay Kay Menon). The trailer shows Dara rising up the ranks as he encounters the likes of Haji as he digs his claws deep into crime.

The trailer boasts of many retro elements like the styling, the lighting, the Bgm, the Di, photography, the angles and the production design which was actually once hit by a cyclone during the making of the series

The...

Former 90 Day Fiancé franchise star Ella Johnson's Instagram posts prove that she's become a new person after losing weight. The 30-year-old Idaho Falls resident became popular among fans after featuring in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 5, where she aimed to marry her Chinese partner, Johnny Chao. Unfortunately, things didn't work out for her, as Johnny couldn't make it to the United States. In 2022, Ella finally parted ways with her Asian lover for good. She soon began focusing on her fitness, and lost over 58 pounds by May 2023.

Ella's face has changed a lot since she appeared on the show, mainly due to her lifestyle changes and massive transformation. Apart from looking younger than before, the Idaho Falls native seems much happier. She's definitely glowing on social media. Ella also appears to be living a stable life now, as she's posting a lot of content with her family and niece.

Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.

The Movie: "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"

Where You Can Stream It: The Roku Channel, Plex

The Pitch: John Waters was once quoted as saying that Russ Meyer's 1965 violence epic, "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!," was "beyond a doubt, the best movie ever made. It is possibly better than any film that will be made in the future." It's difficult to argue with him. "Pussycat" is, in many ways, the purest distillation of cinema. On what might be its most basic level, films serve as a reflection of our own prurient desires reflected back at us. They exist to indulge our appetites for life's simplest, most lascivious things. We want to see violence. We want salacious, soap opera-like stories and brazen,...

Exclusive: “I try to think big!’ says Tura Satana’s Varla in Russ Meyer’s cult classic Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!, and that’s exactly what Norman Reedus and AMC Studios plan to do.

The Walking Dead star’s bigbaldhead production company and AMC Studios are developing a small-screen series version of Meyer’s 1965 flick starring Satana, Lori Williams, Susan Bernard, Paul Trina, Haji and Stuart Lancaster, I have learned. The project has the full backing of the Meyer estate.

Still in the early stages, the project comes under the two-year first-look deal Reedus and his banner inked with the studio in September last year. Utilizing the movie’s tale of a trio of badass go-go dancers on a cash-fueled rampage through the desert, Faster Pussycat the TV show aims to pay homage to the original but also go beyond the fast cars and karate kicks to home in on...

ControversyThe Bjp had strongly opposed a movie announced by director Aashiq Abu on the leader of the Malabar Rebellion.Nijeesh NarayananIn July this year, the annoucement that Malayalam director Aashiq Abu was going to make a film on Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji, a leader of the Malabar Rebellion, led to much outrage from the right wing. The filmmaker and his team were accused of glorifying Variyamkunnath as a freedom fighter while according to the Bjp, the Malabar Rebellion was anti-Hindu and led to the massacre of Hindus by Muslims. They alleged that Variyamkunnath was a bigot. However in an embarassment for the party, it has come to light that Variyamkunnath's name has found a place in the list of martyrs of the freedom struggle in the book Dictionary of Martyrs of India's Freedom Struggle, jointly published by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Indian Council of Historical Research (Ichr...

ControversyMany in Malappuram and the state feel that making different versions of the episode to score political points will impact society negatively.Nijeesh NarayananPhoto courtesy- Kochi Post The Malayalam movie industry, which has a history of more than seven decades, has rarely portrayed Malappuram realistically, and a large chunk of those rare portrayals have actually come up only in the last five or six years. Now, back to back announcements about five films based on a single theme revolving around the contentious Malabar Rebellion or Moplah Rebellion which occurred in three taluks of Malappuram in 1921, have created a furore. Amidst laments and outright rejection, the debates on the Rebellion and the hero of the Rebellion -- Variyamkunnath Kunhahammed Haji -- that followed the movie announcements, have raised concerns about these ventures leading to a scenario in which the world of the past is replaced by the frames of the present.

ControversyDirector Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran have been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on the historical figure and for the choice of scriptwriter.Tnm StaffCrew of the film 'Vaariyamkunnan'Moments after announcing a period film based on the historical character Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, director Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran had been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on a controversial figure and for the choice of scriptwriter. The film to be directed by Aashiq Abu and Muhsin Parari, is being scripted by Harshid and Ramees. Scriptwriter Ramees has since been accused of his regressive stands taken in the past, including a particularly derogatory post on actor Raai Laxmi in 2012. Ramees apologised for his earlier stances, which he said had since changed. However, there are more posts, especially with regard to his Islamist views, that...

ControversyDirector Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran have been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on the historical figure and for the choice of scriptwriter.Tnm StaffCrew of the film 'Vaariyamkunnan'Moments after announcing a period film based on the historical character Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, director Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran had been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on a controversial figure and for the choice of scriptwriter. The film to be directed by Aashiq Abu and Muhsin Parari, is being scripted by Harshid and Ramees. Scriptwriter Ramees has since been accused of his regressive stands taken in the past, including a particularly derogatory post on actor Raai Laxmi in 2012. Ramees apologised for his earlier stances, which he said had since changed. However, there are more posts, especially with regard to his Islamist views, that...

Mollywood The film will chronicle the battle years of Kunjahammed Haji, when he waged one of the greatest civil wars against the British empire in Malabar.Sreedevi JayarajanThe name of Vaariyan Kunnath Kunjahmmed Haji, who led to victory the 1921 Malabar Rebellion against the British Raj in pre-independent India, may have been forgotten in history but cinema might revive the legacy of this fiery freedom fighter soon. On Monday, it was announced that actor Prithviraj and director Aashiq Abu will come together for a period film titled Vaariyamkunnan in 2021, based on the life of the freedom fighter from Kerala. According to sources, the film will chronicle the battle years of Kunjahammed Haji, when he waged one of the greatest civil wars against the British empire in Malabar, known as the Malabar Rebellion of 1921. The script is the result of an eight-year research by writer Rameez. Writer Harshad of Unda fame is also on board.

Another month, another smattering of new Netflix titles to sift through. And it seems the online streamer is kicking off 2020 with a host of juicy horror movies and TV shows.

First thing’s first: there’s a number of big-name titles leaving the service next month, including Panic Room, Grease, American Pyscho, and the Spartacus series. That’s disappointing, to be sure, but among the January 2020 titles are news installments of Grace and Frankie and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, along with all three Lord of the Rings movies and the Kill Bill films. And it doesn’t stop there.

We’ve compiled the full list below, but a special mention must go to two particularly exciting horror additions: Sam Raimi classic The Evil Dead and Tremors.

Jan. 1

Ghost Stories (Netflix Film): Short films from Indian directors behind “Bombay Talkies” and “Lust Stories.”

Good Girls: Season 2

Messiah (Netflix Original...

Netflix has released its list of everything new coming to the streaming service in January, and everything that’s leaving at the end of the month.

Of all the Netflix originals to look forward to next month, “Messiah,” out Jan. 1, is not to be missed. It follows CIA officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan), who uncovers information about a man (Mehdi Dehbi) who claims to be the son of God. As he gains followers who believe he is the Second Coming, Geller races find out whether he really is a divine entity — or just a con artist set on dismantling the world’s geopolitical order

Other Netflix originals to look out for include “Anne With an E: The Final Season,” a modern retelling of “Anne of Green Gables,” out Jan. 3, “Cheer,” out Jan. 8, a cheerleading documentary series from the director of “Last Chance U,” Season 6 of “Grace and Frankie,” out Jan.

Exclusive: HBO is co-producing Michaela Coel’s sexual consent drama January 22nd (w/t) as the drama casts a slew of rising British stars.

The series, which was initially announced by the BBC in August 2018, consists of 12 half-hour episodes and is a co-production between the WarnerMedia-backed premium broadcaster and the British public broadcaster.

It is a “fearless, frank and provocative” that explores the question of sexual consent in contemporary life and how, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, we make the distinction between liberation and exploitation. It was created by Chewing Gum creator and Black Earth Rising star Coel.

It stars Weruche Opia (Inside No9), Paapa Essiedu (Kiri) Aml Ameen (Yardie), Adam James (Belgravia), Sarah Niles (Catastrophe) and Ann Aikin (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams).

Coel plays Arabella Essiedu, a self-assured, care-free Londoner with a group of great friends, a holiday fling turned aspirational boyfriend in...

BBC Two has commissioned a second series of Big Talk Productions’ legal comedy Defending The Guilty.

Will Sharpe will return as idealistic rookie barrister Will Packham, who is learning his trade from Humans star Katherine Parkinson’s Caroline, a cynical, worldly-wise pupilmaster.

Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe), Gwyneth Keyworth (Black Mirror) and Prasanna Puwanarajah also star in the show.

The comedy is written by Kieron Quirke, who wrote Cuckoo, and is based on the book Defending The Guilty: Truth And Lies In The Criminal Courtroom by Alex McBride.

Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen, Saurabh Kakkar, and Quirke are the executive producers for the ITV Studios-owned indie, while Kate Daughton is the executive producer for the BBC. Jim Field Smith is the co-executive producer.

The six-part second series was commissioned by BBC comedy controller Shane Allen, Daughton and Patrick Holland, the controller of BBC Two.

Zoë Rocha, former TV boss at The Fyzz Facility, has set up her own scripted production company and has set her first development slate including a drama exec produced by The Libertines frontman Carl Barât.

Rocha, who previously produced Channel 5 comedy Borderline and Sky’s Chris O’Dowd-fronted Moone Boy has launched RubyRock Pictures and has brought on former Fyzz Facility exec Catherine Freeman as Development Executive.

The pair are already working on The Heartless, a music drama written by Spotless writer Lucie Barât, the sister of Carl Barât and feminist horror anthology Her Horror.

The Heartless is a semi-autobiographical snapshot of the British indie scene in early noughties London, inspired by creator Lucie Barât’s own experience of that time, and the journey of her brother’s band. With a soundtrack written by both Barâts, the series follows Sally, who returns to the UK after a year in...

The company will be based in Los Angeles and London.

Jane Featherstone, Elisabeth Murdoch, and former 20th Century Fox Film chair Stacey Snider have joined forces to establish a global production and development company operating out of London and Los Angeles.

Each of the trio has co-invested in Sister, which is forged out of the “foundation stone” of Featherstone’s independent production outfit Sister Pictures, which recently produced Chernobyl, in which Shine founder Murdoch had a minority stake.

Speaking to Screen’s sister publication Broadcast ahead of the company’s official launch today, Snider said Sister would be focusing on...

Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone have joined forces to form Sister, an ambitious content creation venture designed to develop and produce television and film projects with global appeal. Murdoch, the former Shine Group founder/chairman, will be the lead financier in the venture. She said Snider and Featherstone are co-investors and co-owners.

It is the first job that Snider has taken since leaving as chairman/CEO of Twentieth Century Fox when the acquisition of that studio by Disney was completed in April. The linkup comes after Featherstone, a preeminent producer of sophisticated and limited series like Broadchurch, saw her Chernobyl win 10 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Limited Series.

Murdoch, the daughter of Rupert Murdoch, will be Executive Chairman of Sisters, while Featherstone will be Head of Sister London and Snider will be Global CEO and Head of Sister La. Given their long list of career accomplishments, the principals make...

To celebrate the release of the international series ‘Giri/Haji’ to BBC Two in October we are honoured to share nine exclusive first look images from the show.

The eight-part series, directed by Julian Farino, is said to be a soulful thriller that explores the butterfly effect of one murder upon two very different worlds.

The Story

The new series follows Kenzo (Takehiro Hira) a middle-aged Tokyo detective and family man, who travels to London in search of his younger brother, Yuto (Yosuke Kubozuka). The siblings, once devoted and now estranged, are driven to opposite sides of the world by the spiralling consequences of one violent, split-second decision. Fukuhara (Masahiro Motoki), a notorious Japanese gang-lord and feared Yakuza, hears of his nephew’s murder in London – and the ramifications of the crime erupt across the globe. As a result, Kenzo’s family’s honour and the fragile peace between the...

Kelly Macdonald spent five years working on HBO period drama Boardwalk Empire but her latest role is a short, sharp four hours and out.

She stars in The Victim, a mini-series for the BBC and BritBox in the U.S. as Anna Dean, a Scottish mother whose nine-year old boy was murdered fifteen years ago by a 13-year old. Years later, having campaigned to be told of the killer’s new identity she is accused of revealing his new name online.

Speaking at the TCA press tour, she told Deadline, “I did Boardwalk Empire for a number of years and that was a great job and it was my first experience of revisiting a role year after year and then when that finished I was really excited because I could play different parts again. I don’t have a preference either way but if I was playing [The Victim’s] Anna Dean regularly,...

Netflix has asserted that it has a “long-term commitment” to producing shows out of the UK and is growing “deep roots” with the British creative community.

Anne Mensah, Vice President of Original Series, Netflix told the House of Lords’ Communications Committee, “I was brought in to essentially work with British talent and to help and support that talent to reach a global stage. I believe my appointment and the appointment of my team in London is an indication of Netflix’s commitment and its long-term commitment to production in the UK.”

The former Sky drama chief said that Netflix wanted to have a mixed model in the UK with original commissions, co-productions with linear broadcasters including the BBC and Channel 4 and co-licensing deals. “It’s about collaboration, not competition,” she said.

She also revealed that Netflix, which now has around 130 employees in the UK, a marked increase over the last twelve months,...

Justin Long’s first onscreen kiss with one of the biggest pop stars in the world wasn’t as nerve-wracking as it might have appeared.

The Giri/Haji actor, 40, opened up about kissing Britney Spears in their 2002 film Crossroads during PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing.

“I gotta say she was so sweet and down to earth. It was really disarming,” Long said as he looked back at the film.

“At one point our legs were intertwined and she goes, ‘I’m so sorry if my legs… I haven’t shaved in a few days, my legs might be a little prickly.

During the gala closing ceremony of the 17th edition of the Marrakech Intl. Film Festival, the Golden Star for best film was awarded to Sudabeh Mortezai for her second feature, “Joy,” about a young Nigerian woman forced into prostitution, which recently won best film at the BFI London Film Festival.

Accepting the prize from actress Monica Bellucci, she said: “I’d like to thank all the people who helped me make the movie, especially all the women who talked to me and told me their stories and helped me write the film, and the actresses who made the film with me. I’m very happy that, with this prize, this untold story will get greater visibility.”

The jury prize went to Lila Avilés’ debut feature, “The Chambermaid,” about Eve, a maid in Mexico City’s Hotel Presidente Internacional, which Avilés describes as a “high-class prison.”

Avilés said: “I love Patti Smith.

The BBC and Netflix have unveiled the international cast and a first-look image of their ambitious bilingual drama “Giri/Haji,” which has begun filming in London. An acclaimed Japanese lineup, led by Takehiro Hira and Yosuke Kubozuka, is joined by Emmy-winning British actress Kelly Macdonald, British actor Charlie Creed-Miles and U.S. actor Justin Long.

The eight-part thriller, whose title translates as “Duty/Shame,” is shot in both Japanese and English and will be subtitled. Set between London and Tokyo across multiple time frames, the show explores the ripple effects of one murder on two cities. The shoot will move to Tokyo later this year.

“Giri/Haji” is created and written by BAFTA nominee Joe Barton and directed by BAFTA-winner and Emmy nominee Julian Farino. The Japanese cast also includes Masahiro Motoki, Yuko Nakamura, Aoi Okuyama, Mitsuko Oka, Togo Igawa, Katsuya and Yoshiki Minato. British actors Will Sharpe and Tony Pitts also star.

Exclusive: Mudbound star Garrett Hedlund and Boardwalk Empire‘s Kelly Macdonald are in final negotiations to lead cast in long-awaited movie Dirt Music, I can reveal.

The anticipated drama, an adaptation of Tim Winton’s Booker Prize-nominated novel about simmering passion and revenge in the Australian outback, is gearing up for a late 2018 shoot for producers Wildgaze Films, the UK outfit whose 2015 movie Brooklyn notched up three Oscar noms and $60M theatrical, and Aquarius Films, one of the Oz producers on multi-Oscar nominee Lion, which found its way to $140M global.

Winton’s acclaimed novel charts the illicit romance in a tightly-knit community between a fragile woman named Georgie and a mysterious young poacher. When Georgie’s partner gets wind of the tryst a chase ensues between the two men across Australia’s remote and unforgiving terrain.

Hedlund is set to play the role of poacher Luther, and Macdonald will be Georgie.

Here’s a newsflash that may shock you. Kelly Macdonald stars as a master puzzle player in the new movie “Puzzle” and – gasp – she didn’t do any puzzle training before shooting the Sundance Film Festival drama. Don’t worry though, she, um, picked up the pieces and made it work.

Read More: ‘Puzzle’ puts together a stunning drama with a remarkable Kelly Macdonald [Sundance Review]

“It only occurred to me on the first day I was presented with a puzzle, I thought, ‘Oh, I should probably have a wee practice with this.’ But actually, I’ve done enough puzzles in my life that it was all, you know, it was all sort of in there,” Macdonald says.

Continue reading Kelly Macdonald On ‘Completely Riveting’ Script For ‘Giri/Haji’ And Playing Brave’s Merida Again at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Puzzle and Boardwalk Empire star Kelly Macdonald has lined up a leading role in BBC One/Netflix’s upcoming thriller Giri/Haji, Deadline understands. I hear Macdonald will play Sarah, a London-based forensics lecturer and policewoman who forms an unlikely friendship with a Japanese detective searching for his brother who has become entangled with the Yakuza.

First announced in May 2017, Giri/Haji (Duty/Shame) hails from Humans writer Joe Barton, and Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures. BBC One will air in the UK with Netflix handling globally.

The eight-part series follows middle-aged Tokyo detective Kenzo who travels to London in search of his wayward younger brother Yuto. Once thought dead, Yuto is now believed to be posing as a Yakuza gangster in London and wanted for the murder of a Japanese businessman there.

It is described as a dark, character-driven crime story which cuts between London and Tokyo, exploring...

Greenlit means a project is officially a go, so all you have to do is follow these leads to stay up to date. You never know where you’ll find an opportunity to land an audition! “Girl/Haji”Crime thriller “Girl/Haji” is set between Tokyo and London and follows a middle-aged Tokyo detective as he travels to the U.K. in search of his wayward younger brother. The eight-part series for the BBC is penned by “Humans” writer Joe Barton and is a co-production with Netflix. Directed by Julian Farino, best known for HBO’s “Entourage,” the series shoots for 11 weeks in London beginning at the end of July, followed by six to eight weeks in Japan, before heading back to London in early 2019. Casting is by Shaheen Baig. “Catherine the Great”Four-part series “Catherine the Great” stars Helen Mirren as the Empress of Russia in the later years of the reign.

This is my film review and it Freaks Me Out!  Girlie-art legend Russ Meyer and then- tyro critic Roger Ebert fashion the most garish, vulgar and absurd satire of wild Hollywood that they can think of, a camp vision of joy straight from the dizzy imagination of a breast-obsessed glamour photographer. All your favorites are here -- Erica Gavin, Dolly Read, Marcia McBroom, Cynthia Meyers, Edy Williams. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls + The Seven Minutes Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD Arrow Video (UK) 1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date January 18, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK £17.99 Starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers, Marcia McBroom, Erica Gavin, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Phyllis Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, Charles Napier, Haji, Pam Grier, Coleman Francis, The Strawberry Alarm Clock. Cinematography Fred J. Koenecamp Editors Dann Cahn, Dick Wormell Original Music Stu Phillips Written by Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer Produced and...

Sound on Sight presents a weekly round-up of some of the more interesting articles from around the web from this week! Be sure to share with us what you think is missing and your own thoughts on these articles!

Over at IndieWire, Peter Knegt asks Why Don’t Lgbt Movies Make Money At The Box Office Anymore?

Last week, Pedro Almodovar’s “I’m So Excited” crossed the $1 million mark in North America. That’s not so exciting as far as Almodovar films go — every one of them has crossed that milestone since 1988′s “Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (most of them going on to make considerably more). But it is indeed rare for a film to feature lead gay or lesbian characters — as “Excited” does — to cross that mark, at least these days. Read More

At The Dissolve, Nathan Rabin writes about The poisoned, almost subversive...

Haji, an actress best known for her work with Russ Meyer in the 1960s and ‘70s, has died at the age of 67. The news was first announced by fellow Meyer leading lady Francesca “Kitten” Natividad at Natividad’s Facebook page. Born Barbarella Catton, Haji was working as an exotic dancer when she was discovered by Meyer. As she later recalled in an interview with David Michael Brown, “Russ saw the show and said he was a director with a small part in a film, and would I read for it. I read the opening of Motor Psycho and ended ...

Haji, the star of cult film Faster, Pussycat! Kill Kill!, has died. She was 67. Her Double-d Avenger costar Kitten Natividad shared the news of her passing on her Facebook page on Saturday. No cause of death was given. The voluptuous raven-haired actress best known for her role as Rosie in the 1965 Russ Meyer film was born Barbarella Catton in Quebec City and was an exotic dancer at the age of 14 before moving to California and working as a performer in a topless bar, where she was discovered by the director (a former Playboy photographer). "I was dancing at a nightclub...

Buxom beauty Kitten Natividad is known to movie buffs as the last of Russ Meyer’s busty starlets, having starred in the cult director’s final two films. Kitten’s untamed beauty, personal charm, sex appeal , and cartoonish 44-25-35 dimensions has left her image imprinted on the mind of many a young man who saw her in the Meyer films or her cameos in such mainstream fare as My Tutor (1983) and The Wild Life (1984). Kitten was also Meyer’s girlfriend the last fifteen years of his life and she appeared as a stripper at the bachelor party held by Sean Penn to celebrate his 1985 marriage to Madonna.

Francesca Natividad was born in 1948 in Juarez, Mexico, one of nine children. Her family moved to El Paso, Texas, when Kitten was 10 after her mom married a man from there. In 1969 she began stripping and got her first breast implants in Mexico...

Bigfoot (aka: Sasquatch), the elusive North American apeman whose alleged sightings sparked a craze that swept the nation in the 1970’s, inspired a string of cheap movies that were rushed into theatres then to cash in on the fad. The Legend Of Boggy Creek (1972), Shriek Of The Mutilated (1974), Curse Of Bigfoot (1976) Sasquatch, The Legend Of Bigfoot (1977) all made a quick buck and who can forget the ‘Bigfoot and Wildboy’ TV series and the Bigfoot episode of ‘The Six Million Dolar Man’ (and c’mon, tell me Chewbacca wasn’t inspired by the big hairy guy as well) but none were as gloriously goofy as the low-rent 1970 campfest Bigfoot. A low-budget quickie loaded with Indians, biker gangs, redneck cops, and a whole family of clumsy bigfeet, Bigfoot is about ten times more entertaining than it has any right to be, but it is Not available on DVD.

Bigfoot opens with Joi Lansing...