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The Dark Knight Vs. Mamma Mia(Photo Credit –Prime Video/JioHotstar)

What Christopher Nolan achieved in summer 2023 with Oppenheimer was revolutionary. Not only was the Cillian Murphy-starrer an original film outside any franchise lore, but one that pleased fans, critics, and the Academy while bringing the director a paycheck north of $100 million. Oppenheimer also had the company of Barbie, a comedy featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which rode Oppenheimer’s coattails to unprecedented success.

This led to a double-feature phenomenon colloquially dubbed Barbenheimer, where Nolan’s fans didn’t shy away from giving Barbie’s female-centric, pink allure a try, reviving Hollywood in the process. But did you know this wasn’t the first major clash of its kind spearheaded by the Inception filmmaker

The Dark Knight And Mamma Mia Were Released On The Same Day

What made Barbenheimer a tremendous success was the arrival of two tentpoles on the same day,...

Exclusive: Judy Craymer is the (dancing) queen, ruler of all things related to the Mamma Mia! stage musical and its movie iterations. Her default position is to remain tight-lipped about a third film, but tantalizing snippets emerge over lunch in Mayfair, London. There’s mention, for instance, of global phenomenon Sabrina Carpenter being sought for a role in the next picture.

There’s also talk of a possible TV version of Mamma Mia! too, but that’s way down the Greek beachfront.

Then, as we already know, Mamma Mia! returns to Broadway for a limited engagement at the Winter Garden Theatre with performances from August 2 and a gala official opening night on August 14.

The Winter Garden, located very nicely on Broadway between 50th and 51st streets, is prime real estate.

Craymer coos that that Mamma Mia! follows “gorgeous” George Clooney and the play Good Night, and Good Luck into that address.

Exclusive: Olivier Award winner James Graham’s unmissable, must-see new play of the year, Punch, featuring an unbelievably stunning performance by David Shields as Jacob Dunne, will transfer from the Young Vic theatre into London’s West End in the fall, Deadline can reveal.

Punch, an extraordinary study of a young man who landed a fatal blow on James Hodgkinson, a trainee paramedic during an unprovoked attack, and the consequences thereafter, will become that rare instance of productions of the same play opening simultaneously in the West End and on Broadway.

The drama, adapted from Dunne’s superb memoir Right from Wrong, originated last year at the Nottingham Playhouse in the East Midlands, the same district where the events in the play took place and where Graham was born and raised.

Following its sold-out run at the Young Vic, it will move to the Apollo, Shaftesbury Avenue. from September 22-November...

The hit musical Mamma Mia! is returning to Broadway this summer after a 10-year intermission.

The musical – with casting to be announced later – will begin previews at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre on August 2, with an opening night set for August 14. The limited engagement will run through February 1, 2026.

The musical originally ran on Broadway from October 2001 to September 2015.

Since then, productions of the musical have appeared around the world, including North American and international tours, London and Toronto engagements, among others.

Mamma Mia! features music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus of Abba, book by Catherine Johnson, and direction by Phyllida Lloyd.

Mamma Mia! is returning to Broadway.

The hit musical, which ran on Broadway from October 2001 to September 2015, will return to the Winter Garden Theatre this summer starting Aug. 2. An opening night celebration will be held Aug. 14. The limited engagement will play in New York through Feb. 1, 2026.

“When Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway in 2001, the show had already launched productions in London and Toronto and played a sold-out North American tour. Despite the glowing reception we received in those markets, nothing could have prepared us for the outpouring of love and acclaim (and dancing in the aisles!) that overwhelmed us when we arrived in New York at the magnificent Winter Garden Theatre,” creator and producer Judy Craymer said.

“Last year, Mamma Mia! celebrated 25 successful years in the West End, and it’s truly fantastic to bring the original production back to its Broadway home after 24 years.

The show, which also launched...

The latest in our series of writers drawing attention to their go-to mood-lifting films is an ode to the hit Abba musical from 2008

Three years ago, I was sitting on the mezzanine of an east London bar when it collapsed. On my way back from the hospital, I called my friend to come over and he asked: “What do you need?” I said I needed a glass of rosé and to watch Mamma Mia!

Since Phyllida Lloyd’s camp jukebox musical came out in 2008, I’ve seen it upwards of 20 times (including three trips to the cinema). Why? Well, let’s start with the basics. The cast: Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth. The delightfully absurd plot: young woman raised by a single mother about to be married on a Greek island wants to find out who her father is. The music: 20 of Abba’s classic hits.

Wicked, Universal's beloved musical fantasy film, has achieved the extraordinary by becoming the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all time. The record was previously held by Mamma Mia!, a 2008 feel-good romance film directed by Phyllida Lloyd, which earned $610 million at the global box office. Wicked has surpassed this benchmark, amassing an astonishing $634 million worldwide after only six weeks of release.

Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), the film marks the first installment of a two-part series, which is loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, L. Frank Baum's Oz books, and the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. The first musical act has surprised many fans globally, including those who typically dislike musicals.A month prior, Wicked broke the all-time domestic box office record by becoming the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation, earning $214.3 million by its second...

Exclusive: “Unlimited”, Cynthia Erivo sings, “My future is unlimited.” The lyrics from The Wizard and I, a number from the musical Wicked, tumble sweetly, melodically – effortlessly – from her mouth. Such a moment could not have happened 10, 15 or even 20 years ago, because, the star reveals: “I was not ready.”

Erivo, 37, says that she first had to understand life in order to play Elphaba, the young woman with green pigmentation in a world of Caucasians, whose story she recounts breathtakingly in Universal’s movie musical extravaganza Wicked.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the long running Broadway show it’s adapted from, with a book by Winnie Holzman and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It details the friendship that developed between Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda,...

Mamma Mia 3 is still a possibility, and if it finally happens, Amanda Seyfried has one song request for her character, which gives the movie its perfect story, but faces one problem. For years, different musicals have jumped from the stage to the big screen, and in 2008, it was Mamma Mias turn. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson (based on her book from the musical), Mamma Mia takes the audience to the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi to meet Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) and her daughter Sophie (Seyfried).

Donna is preparing everything for Sophies wedding, but what she isnt counting on is Sophie secretly inviting three former flames of Donna to the wedding, as one of them is her father but neither Donna nor they know whos Sophies father. What follows is Donna facing her past with Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgrd), and Harry (Colin Firth), while...

Mamma Mia 3 should bring back Cher's Ruby for a deeper story. Christine Baranski's update offers hope for Mamma Mia 3 with the whole cast. Mamma Mia 3 could solve unanswered questions and explore Donna and Ruby's past.

Mamma Mia 3 keeps getting more and more hopeful updates, and if it truly happens, I really need it to bring back one character who got too little screen time in the second movie. Successful musicals usually get the movie treatment at some point, though not all of them succeed on the big screen as they did on stage. Among the ones that have found great success on the stage and in film is Mamma Mia!, which got a film adaptation in 2008 directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Mamma Mia! was a box office success, granting it a sequel 10 years later.

Mamma Mia! followed the preparations for Sophies (Amanda Seyfried) wedding and the arrival of three...

Maisie Williams has joined the cast of Morgan Matthews’ road movie 500 Miles alongside Bill Nighy and Roman Griffin Davis.

The Game Of Thrones, The New Look and Pistol star will play free-spirited street musician Kait who joins sixteen-year-old runaway Finn (Griffin Davis), on a journey across land and sea to reach Finn’s estranged grandfather (Nighy), living off-the-radar on Ireland’s west coast.

Beta Cinema continues to pre-sell 500 Miles at the Marché du Film in Cannes, having sold the project to True Brit Entertainment for UK & Ireland during the EFM with Zygi Kamasa joining as an executive producer.

Beta Cinema...

Bankside Films is in development on Everything I Ever Knew, a true-life story to be directed by Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd.

It explores the story of a woman named Jacqui who discovers, after 25 years, that the father of her eldest son was an undercover police officer. The case is the subject of an ongoing public inquiry that reveals one of the worst cases of state-sanctioned abuse of women in recent British history.

The UK feature is based on a screenplay by Suzie Miller, the writer behind Olivier and Tony-award winning hit one-woman play Prima Facie,...

Mamma Mia 3 can bring back Meryl Streep's character Donna through flashbacks, a technique used successfully in the second movie. The gaps between the first two movies can be filled in with Donna flashbacks, exploring events and unanswered questions. Flashbacks could reveal more about Donna's life before her death, providing a deeper storyline for her, Sophie, and other characters.

Mamma Mia 3s biggest challenge is all about Meryl Streeps character, Donna Sheridan, but this problem was already solved in the second movie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Its not uncommon for successful musicals to make the jump from the stage to the big screen, and among the most beloved ones is Mamma Mia!. In 2008, the jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, written by Catherine Johnson and based on songs by legendary Swedish group Abba, was adapted into a film, with Phyllida Lloyd as director and Johnson in charge of the script.

Mother of the Bride is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters from a screenplay by Robin Bernheim. The Netflix film follows the story of Lana Winslow as she is surprised, to say the least by her daughter Emma’s bombshell wedding at a resort in Phuket, Thailand. But the surprises don’t stop there as when she gets to the wedding she finds out that the groom’s father is the man who broke her heart years ago. Mother of the Bride stars Brooke Shields in the lead role with Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Chad Michael Murray, Sean Teale, Rachel Harris, Wilson Cruz, and Michael McDonald starring in supporting roles. If you loved all the feels and situational comedy in Mother of the Bride here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Ticket to Paradise (Peacock & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Working Title Films

Ticket to Paradise...

Fantasy and fact come together in the Lola Arias’ Reas, which spins a musical drama out of the real experience of female and transgender former prisoners. It shares some DNA with the likes of Phyllida Lloyd’s Julius Caesar, which drew on workshops in Holloway and Hank Rogerson’s Shakespeare Behind Bars, but it is perhaps closest in spirit to Brian Hill’s Feltham Sings and Songbirds, which also brought prisoners’ experience to the screen through music, although Arias’ film is much less wedded to the documentary form.

The non-professional cast means this does feel rough around the edges but, on the other side of the equation, they bring a truthful energy to the screen.

Our guide to the world of Buenos Aires’ Casero prison is Yoseli, a young woman whose dreams of travelling were scuppered when she was caught drug trafficking at the airport. We encounter her as she is being strip searched and.

McCracken will still be involved with his long-gestating Alexander McQueen project.

After 23 years producing films in the UK, French mini-major Pathe will close its UK theatrical film distribution business by the end of 2023 to focus on the development and production of scripted TV series under managing director Faith Penhale.

Cameron McCracken, head of film at Pathe UK, is retiring but will remain involved with several ongoing projects at Pathe including a film about Alexander McQueen to be directed by Oliver Hermanus.

The roles of three key people are being made redundant: Lee Bye, long-time head of theatrical distribution and technical,...

Independent drama Herself gains newfound success on Netflix's global top 10 three years after its release, surprising viewers with its low-profile cast and team. The movie's themes, similar to Netflix's hit miniseries Maid, likely resonate with audiences, potentially contributing to its popularity. Despite its smaller scale, Herself's accomplished director, Phyllida Lloyd, adds credibility to the movie and attracts attention from Netflix viewers.

The independent drama, Herself, becomes a Netflix hit three years after its release. The 2020 drama is about a woman who escapes her abusive husband and decides to build her own home after struggling to find housing for her and her children. Herself is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and stars Clare Dunne, Molly McCann, Ruby Rose O’Hara, and Ian Lloyd Anderson.

Three years after its release, Herself experienced a newfound success on Netflix's global top 10. The drama squeaked its way into the no. 10 slot, with 4.1 million views during...

Producer Judy Craymer reveals that a third Mamma Mia movie will likely happen, with Universal Studios on board and a storyline in place. Craymer is currently focused on her television series Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream for the 25th anniversary but expresses confidence in the future movie. Abba members Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus are hesitant to make another film, but Craymer believes it will happen and that the franchise's success has paved the way for other female-led projects.

Producer Judy Craymer of the hit Broadway show and movie franchise Mamma Mia! has recently revealed that a third addition to the franchise will most likely happen.

In an interview regarding Craymer’s latest project, a British talent competition television series titled Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, Craymer expressed her excitement and confidence for a potential third Mamma Mia movie due to Universal Studios’ approval. However, Craymer says she...

Rumor has it that Christopher Nolan is not thrilled with the idea of “Barbenheimer,” an extremely online colloquialism which revels in the culture shock of seeing films like Barbie and Oppenheimer somehow exist in the same universe—never mind be released on the same day! Perhaps Nolan’s apprehension is because he crafted a vast, pensive work about the birth of the atomic age and not one half of a TikTok meme. Or, more likely, there’s probably some annoyance due to the likelihood of Warner Bros. dating Greta Gerwig’s own hot-pink epic on July 21 as revenge for the Inception filmmaker breaking up with them after the studio horrified filmmakers in 2021.

Whatever the case, the opinions of the creators behind the mushroom cloud-sized phenomenon that is Barbenheimer are moot. The internet hype is now larger than them, spilling into the real world where folks are wearing Barbenheimer T-shirts on the streets,...

Exclusive: As the West End production of Mamma Mia! enters its 25th year on stage, Judy Craymer, its creator and driving force, is expanding the Mm! universe with ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream talent show. Set on an idyllic Greek island, it’s aimed at finding Mm! stars of the future. There’s definitely a desire to see Mm! back on Broadway in 2025, Craymer confirms, and she says she’s also pushing to make the dream of a third Mm! film a reality.

“It’s in its earliest stages,” she says, revealing that she has come up with a way to bring back all of the previous movie’s favorite characters. Which is no mean feat given that those parts involve stars such as Meryl Streep, who played the independent, fierce and spirited Donna Sheridan onscreen, and Cher, who played Donna’s vivacious mother Ruby in 2018’s...

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It sounds like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again director Ol Parker might be ready to take a chance on pursuing another film in the musical franchise.

Parker, who helmed Universal Pictures’ 2018 follow-up to director Phyllida Lloyd’s 2008 hit Mamma Mia!, told Screen Rant in an interview published online Saturday that producer Judy Craymer has always intended to make a film trilogy. Craymer has credits on both films and also the Abba-centric jukebox musical of the same name, which was the basis for the first movie and has had runs on the West End and Broadway.

“Judy Craymer, the genius producer behind the musical and the first two films, always plans for it to be a trilogy,” Parker teased. “That’s all I can say. The first one made an enormous amount of money, and I think we made a fair amount too.

Exclusive: Anthony Head (Ted Lasso), Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls), Rachel Matthews (Do Revenge), Andrew Schulz (White Men Can’t Jump), Grégory Montel (Call My Agent!) and Thomas Kretschmann (Westworld) have signed on for roles in the romantic comedy Upgraded, which Carlson Young is directing for Gulfstream Pictures, Luber Roklin Entertainment and Tempo Productions.

The actors join an ensemble which also includes Camila Mendes, Archie Renaux, Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin, as previously announced.

The upcoming film follows Ana (Mendes), an aspiring art trainee attempting the impossible by trying to follow a dream while making ends meet. When Ana is shown a vote of confidence by her formidable boss Claire (Tomei) on a last-minute business trip to London, she must struggle to balance her future career and the attentions of a handsome new suitor.

Head will play the colorful and eccentric artist Julian Marx, with Jackson as Ana’s colleague Amy, a...

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Over the weekend, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative presented a multidisciplinary arts festival on the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s campus in New York. The Rolex Arts Weekend offered two days of public conversations, performances, screenings and exhibitions in celebration of a culmination of the latest Rolex Arts Initiative cycle, which pairs talented artists from across the globe with world-renowned artists in their chosen medium. This past cycle of the initiative, established in 2002, saw Spike Lee, Phyllida Lloyd, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Carrie Mae Weems as mentors in film, theater, open category and visual arts, respectively.

Rebecca Irvin, head of the Rolex Arts Initiative, said in a statement: “After several years of holding the Rolex Arts Weekend in great artistic centres from Mexico City to Berlin to Cape Town, we are delighted to return this year to New York, where the programme...

Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Element Pictures, the production company behind the acclaimed series “Normal People,” the upcoming “Conversations With Friends” and the award winning films “The Favourite” and “Room.”

The deal was spearheaded by Fremantle’s Group COO, and Continental Europe CEO, Andrea Scrosati and Lorenzo De Maio, of De Maio Entertainment. For Fremantle, the acquisition furthers their plans to invest in and develop premium production companies and creative talents from around the world. De Maio Entertainment, a Fremantle-backed company, will be a strategic advisor and partner across Element Pictures’ slate.

Last August, Rtl Group announced its aim to increase Fremantle’s full-year revenue target to €3 billion by 2025. The acquisition of Element Pictures forms part of Fremantle’s wider growth strategy to invest in production companies, content and talent.

Element Pictures is managed by co-founders Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, with offices in Dublin, London, and Belfast,...

European Film Promotion has announced the 10 rising young actors selected for the 25th edition of European Shooting Stars, the promotional event held during the Berlinale that has been instrumental to boosting careers of top talents such as Alicia Vikander, Riz Ahmed, Alba Rohrwacher and George MacKay.

Due to Omicron-related constraints, this year’s Shooting Stars is taking place as a hybrid edition comprising some online events being scheduled before the Berlinale, while others will take place on-site during the festival. One of the program’s highlights will be the European Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony set for Feb. 14 at the Berlinale Palast.

The 10 selected European Shooting Stars for 2022 are: Gracija Filipović (Croatia); Marie Reuther (Denmark); Anamaria Vartolomei (France); Emilio Sakraya (Germany); Clare Dunne (Ireland); Hanna van Vliet (The Netherlands); João Nunes Monteiro (Portugal); Timon Sturbej (Slovenia); Evin Ahmad (Sweden); and Souheila Yacoub (Switzerland).

This year’s roster – three men and seven women – of standout actors,...

Sleeper Films, the London and Dublin-based film and TV company run by Lee Magiday (The Favourite), Rory Gilmartin (Herself) and Wilf Varvill, has secured investment from MediaNet Partners and Sampsonic Media.

New to the company’s development slate is supernatural thriller Corballymore House, a returnable TV series which is being co-produced with Ben Grass of Pure Grass Films.

Declan De Barra (The Witcher) will showrun, with Diane Ademu-John (Dune – The Sisterhood) onboard as creative consultant and EP.

Created by De Barra and inspired by stories from his own family history, Corballymore House is set just prior to the First World War and follows the Doyle family as they inherit a remote manor house while recovering from the loss of their baby and failed business. Setting out with renewed hope to heal and restore their fortunes, they realize their previous troubles are nothing compared to what lies in wait for them at Corballymore.

Having penned hits such as “Shame” and “The Iron Lady,” Abi Morgan is undoubtedly one of the U.K.’s best-known screenwriters. Now the creator of shows including “The Hours” and “The Split” is turning her hand to filmmaking.

Morgan, a BAFTA and Emmy-award winning writer, will make her directorial debut with an upcoming episode of “The Split,” which she also executive produces alongside Jane Featherstone (“Chernobyl”), Lucy Dyke (“Black Mirror”) and Lucy Richer (“Small Axe”).

Season 3 of the hit show, about a family of divorce lawyers working through their own personal problems, is set to air in the U.K. on the BBC and in the U.S. on BBC America in 2022, and will be available to stream on iPlayer in the U.K. and Sundance Now in the U.S.

Morgan’s pivot to directing has been a long time coming. She has spent almost three decades behind the scenes,...

Broadway has just reopened after shuttering on March 13, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To mark the return of the rialto, the 74th annual Tonys were handed out on Sunday, September 26 at the Winter Garden theater. This two-part ceremony, which will be hosted by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald on Paramount+ and “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom, Jr. on CBS, comes almost one year after nominations were announced on October 15, 2020.

Two new musicals – “Jagged Little Pill” and “Moulin Rouge!” — lead the Tony Awards nominations with 15 and 14 bids respectively including Best Musical. A third tuner, “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” reaped a dozen bids as did the new drama “Slave Play.” While the nominees were decided by 48 theater professionals, the winners were voted on by 831 members of the Broadway community.

Below, the 2020 Tony Awards winners list in all 25 competitive categories.

See Broadway insiders dishing the 2020 Tony Awards nominations in our theater forum

Musicals...

Highest-grossing opening film was in 10th place.

RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (Sep 17-19)Total gross to dateWeek 1 Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (Disney) £2.4m £15.8m 3 2 Free Guy (Disney) £674,645 £15.3m 6 3 Respect (Universal) £377,395 £1.2m 2 4 Candyman (Universal) £323,350 £4.3m 4 5 The Paw Patrol Movie (Paramount) £262,000 £7.6m 6

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.37

The UK-Ireland top five was comprised entirley of holdovers for the three-day September 17-19 weekend.

Disney’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings held top spot for a third consecutive week, with a drop of 34% bringing in £2.4m. It now has a decent £15.8m in total, rising to 22nd...

Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, who has played the title role in the West End and Broadway productions of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, will take over full time on Broadway Nov. 2 after Tony-nominated star Adrienne Warren ends her limited engagement return.

As previously announced, Warren will portray the iconic singer when Tina returns to Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Friday, October 8. She’ll leave the show on Oct. 31 due to other commitments.

The replacement casting of Obi-Melekwe was announced today by producers. Obi-Melekwe was among the original Broadway cast when the show opened in 2019, playing Turner during matinee performances.

Joining Warren when Tina resumes performances next month will be principal players Daniel J. Watts as Ike, Dawnn Lewis as Zelma, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Gran Georgeanna and Jessica Rush as Rhonda.

The musical is written by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, directed by Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Anthony van Laast.

Clare Dunne stars in and writes this self-empowering story of a battered Dublin cleaner who builds her own house, directed by The Iron Lady’s Phyllida Lloyd

Clare Dunne is the young Irish stage and screen performer who takes a commanding role in this heartfelt and engrossing personal movie: she is the star and co-writer with Malcolm Campbell (who scripted Lenny Abrahamson’s What Richard Did). The director is Phyllida Lloyd, known for mainstream films like Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady, and she shows a confident touch with both the subdued moments, the intestine-clenching spasms of domestic abuse and the big C-major chords of emotional uplift. It’s a really unexpected drama: unexpected for a heartwarmer, unexpected for a tough social-realist picture, these being the two genres in which it finds a Venn overlap.

Sandra (Dunne) is a young woman in Dublin who has had to separate from her...

The festival films will all be split across six strands, including competition titles.

Dinard Festival of British Film has set the programme and jury for its 32nd edition, which will take place from September 29 to October 3 both in-person in northern France and online.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the pandemic, the festival returns with six new thematic strands, all exhibiting different aspects of UK and Irish film.

‘Dinard Rocks The Casbah’ presents four features exploring different musical genres – reggae, punk, britpop and techno. ‘Irish Eyes In Dinard’ includes five recent Irish features including Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself,...

Update, with additional cast Adrienne Warren will be joined by her original Broadway principal cast mates of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical when the show returns to the stage in October. Among the actors now confirmed to return are Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts as Ike Turner.

Producers announced the cast today.

When the musical reopens at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Friday, Oct. 8, the principal cast will include Warren, Watts, Dawnn Lewis as Zelma, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe as Tina Turner at some performances, Tony Award nominee Myra Lucretia Taylor as Gran Georgeanna and Jessica Rush as Rhonda.

Tina will also feature Juliet Benn, Steven Booth, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Gerald Caesar, Julius Chase, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Holli’ Conway, Kayla Davion, Leandra Ellis-Gaston, Charlie Franklin, Judith Franklin, Matthew Griffin, Ari Groover, Sheldon Henry,...

Awards

Siân Heder’s “Coda,” an Apple original film, has won the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London Award presented by BIFA.

The award was voted for by 40 leading professionals from the British film industry assembled by the British Independent Film Awards.

The film follows Ruby, a Coda or Child of Deaf Adults, who is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin, and is produced by Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger.

It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S., where it won best director U.S. dramatic, U.S. grand jury prize: dramatic and the audience award: U.S. dramatic. Walsh-Peelo attended the London event with Heder joining virtually for a Q & A.

The film will debut in cinemas and on Apple TV Plus on Aug.

Series

The U.K. premiere screening of Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut “Pleasure” and a masterclass with “Herself” director Phyllida Lloyd have been added to the Sundance Film Festival: London program.

“Host” director Rob Savage joins the previously announced horror panel, “Scare Tactics – Making Modern Horror,” which also includes “Censor” director Prano Bailey Bond.

“Pleasure,” a deep dive into the world of adult entertainment, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema – Dramatic category at the Sundance Film Festival in January and won the Fipresci Award at the Göteborg Film Festival.

The “Shaping The Truth – Discussing Documentary Ethics and Filmmaking” panel hosted by Doc Society’s Shanida Scotland will feature guests including directors Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri (“The Most Beautiful Boy In The World”) and Sam Hobkinson (“Misha and the Wolves”).

The festival will open with Edgar Wright’s rockumentary “The Sparks Brothers” and the program also includes “Zola” and “Coda.

Pleasure Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Sundance Institute and Picturehouse have announced additions to this year's Sundance London line-up.

Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut Pleasure - which premiered at January's online festival - will screen at the event, which runs across the weekend of August 1.

A masterclass with Herself and Iron Lady director Phyllida Lloyd has also been added, while Host director Rob Savage joins the previously announced horror panel, “Scare Tactics – Making Modern Horror”.

Picturehouse Central, 22 June 2021 — Sundance Institute and Picturehouse announced today additions to the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London programme. Alongside the feature films, two short film strands and special events previously announced, the festival will also feature the UK Premiere screening of Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut Pleasure; a masterclass with Herself director Phyllida Lloyd; while Host director Rob Savage joins the previously announced horror panel, “Scare Tactics – Making Modern Horror”....

Strong totals for Phyllida Lloyd’s ‘Herself’, animation ‘Wolfwalkers’.

Coming-of-age drama Dating Amber, Element Pictures’ Herself, and Oscar nominee Wolfwalkers are among the best film contenders at this year’s Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs).

Element and BBC TV series Normal People leads the overall nominations, shortlisted in 15 categories.

Scroll down for the list of nominations

Nominations across 25 categories in film and TV drama have been announced, with the awards to take place virtually and be broadcast on Virgin Media One on Sunday, July 4.

Across all film categories including craft and technical, David Freyne’s Dating Amber, about two closeted teenagers in 1990s Ireland,...

The Tony-nominated Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will return to Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Friday, October 8, producers said today.

“I am thrilled that our musical will be reopening on Broadway,” said Turner in a statement. “I remember with such warmth and appreciation the extraordinary welcome I received at our Opening Night. It felt like a homecoming. I know the role my story serves; I hope the retelling of it is inspirational, a reminder of our capacity for resilience and a celebration of our ability to overcome adversity together.”

Turner, who does not perform in the musical, was portrayed on Broadway prior to the pandemic shutdown by current Tony Award nominee Adrienne Warren. Casting for the reopening will be announced shortly.

“I always knew that the curtain would rise again on the story of Tina Turner,” said playwright Katori Hall. “This titan, this ground-breaker, this icon has been a beacon...

Paul Mescal emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2020 thanks to his performance in BBC and Hulu drama “Normal People.”

Ireland has seen a slew of such acting talent establish themselves in recent years, like Jessie Buckley with her star turn as the pregnant wife of a doomed Russian fireman in “Chernobyl” and Barry Keoghan, who won attention with lead roles in two 2017 films, “Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “Dunkirk.” Keoghan is now BAFTA-nominated for “Calm with Horses,” as is Niamh Algar, whose credits include “The Virtues” and “Raised by Wolves.” Elsewhere Domhnall Gleeson has made a name for himself as General Dux in recent “Star Wars” films, and also in “The Revenant” and “Ex Machina.”

Among the new generation of actors to watch are Fionn O’Shea, chosen as one of the Berlin Film Festival’s Shooting Stars of 2021. A “Normal People” alumnus, O’Shea will next be...

Clare Dunne co-wrote and stars in the Amazon film “Herself,” which tells the story of a single mother in Dublin who decides to build her own house. Her performance in the film netted her a Best Actress nomination from the British Independent Film Awards.

Dunne recently spoke with Gold Derby contributing writer Kevin Jacobsen about how her friend’s struggles inspired “Herself,” working with director Phyllida Lloyd and what it was like watching her film from start to finish for the first time. Watch the exclusive webchat above and read the transcript below.

SEEAmazon’s Golden Globe track record might spell good news for ‘Herself’ star Clare Dunne

Gold Derby: Let’s just start with how you conceived of this idea. This is your first screenplay that has been produced. You star in the film. So what was it that inspired you to tell this story?

Clare Dunne: At the time,...

Amazon has been a consistent player at the Golden Globes in recent years, not only on the TV side but with films. Just last year, it got multiple films nominated at the Globes, including for “Les Miserables,” “Late Night” and “The Report.” This year, the streaming service has numerous contenders, including “One Night in Miami,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “Sound of Metal.” But one that could also surprise is “Herself,” for Best Film Drama Actress hopeful Clare Dunne.

Dunne, who also co-wrote “Herself,” plays Sandra, a single mother whose experience dealing with the complicated housing system in Dublin prompts her to build her own house. Critics have raved about her “quietly powerful” performance, but it has mostly gone under the radar as critics groups have crowned their winners. This may be due to the film’s release date, having been released in theaters on Dec. 30 and going to streaming in...

Irish actress Clare Dunne stars in Herself, a harrowing drama about a single mother who, after escaping an abusive partner, aims to rebuild her life in a unique manner. After months of struggling with the welfare and housing systems, she comes upon the idea of self-building an affordable home and, with the help of friends and neighbors, rebuilds her life and theirs from the ground up.

“I just had a friend who was basically in that similar situation,” Dunne says during the Amazon Studios film’s panel at Deadline’s Contender Film awards-season event. “She didn’t go on to build a house like Sandra, but I was inspired by, I suppose, the injustice of it all.”

The pic, which had its world premiere at last year’s Sundance festival, marks the first feature from director Phyllida Lloyd since 2011’s Iron Lady. Lloyd, who previously worked with Dunne in an...

In the opening moments of “Herself,” Sandra (Clare Dunne) plays dress-up with her two young daughters. Applying eye shadow on her mom, one of the girls asks about a birthmark under Sandra’s eye. “I was born with it,” Sandra replies. When she was in God’s art shop, Sandra explains, He gave her a mark to distinguish her — “because there’s loads of Sandras in Dublin.” It’s a beautiful moment, establishing the bond between Sandra and her daughters and Sandra’s patience and warmth as a mother.

Moments later, the calm breaks. Sandra’s husband, Gary, arrives home in a fit of fury. As their daughters flee from the apartment, Gary grabs Sandra and pulls her to the floor, stomping on her wrist as she lies bleeding. In that moment, Sandra’s earlier line — about all the Sandras in Dublin — takes on another meaning, one that conveys the...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Audrey (Helena Coan)

Despite her status as one of the most iconic movie stars in history, one can’t help but root for the girl at the center of Audrey, who dreams of nothing more than to find peace and love. The girl is, of course, Audrey Hepburn, a movie star from a time when pictures were made around personas, and a change of hairstyle could easily turn into a global phenomenon. Hepburn’s name conjures visions of diamonds, sophistication, and effortless grace. Perhaps even the girl who had it all if we want to navigate in tropes, but what Helena Coan’s documentary achieves is that it doesn...

The specialty box office space entered 2021 with two fresh titles and one under-the-radar pic with Vertical Entertainment’s Shadow In The Cloud, Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman and Amazon Studios’ Herself. In general, reporting on box office numbers has been tricky ground considering circumstances and that will continue in 2021 — especially with the specialty box office. It will continue to be difficult to gauge the “success” of a title based on number alone as titles in the specialty space range from limited release to day-and-date release to digital/VOD/PVOD-only to virtual cinema debuts to a combo of any or all the aforementioned. Because of the numerous platforms warranted to specialty titles, the only numbers that are reported are physical box office numbers and as we all know, there’s been a struggle in that arena. Nonetheless, there is some life at the specialty box office. It’s not the greatest,...

Nine years after directing Meryl Streep to an Oscar for “The Iron Lady,” director Phyllida Lloyd has returned with her new Amazon film “Herself.” It stars Clare Dunne, who also co-wrote the film, as a single mother whose struggles with the housing system emboldens her to build her own house. Things become complicated when her abusive ex-husband returns to attain custody of their children. Critics have made “Herself” the best-reviewed film of Lloyd’s career, with special praise for Dunne’s revelatory performance.

“Herself” is already making a splash ahead of its Dec. 30 release, with Dunne picking up a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Actress and the film earning recognition from multiple festivals. If the momentum continues, one awards show that could take special notice is the Golden Globes. The group has been very kind to Lloyd’s past films, giving two nominations to “Mamma Mia!” and a...

There’s not a lot in the way of new releases for movie lovers this week, although that might be for the best, given the state of the coronavirus outbreak. The good news: Those films that are bowing in theaters over the New Year’s weekend will filter down to streaming outlets one week later — plus, most of the end-of-year blockbusters that audience might have been obliged to pay full price to see on the big screen can already be accessed at home (like would-be blockbusters like “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul”).

Still, take a moment to scope out what’s being launched, since there are some real treasures among them worth catching up with when you can. “The Iron Lady” director Phyllida Lloyd delivers one of the year’s best films with “Herself,” about an Irish woman who fights back against a sexist system in order to escape her...

Phyllida Lloyd returned to the world of film directing this year with “Herself,” nine years after directing Meryl Streep to an Oscar in “The Iron Lady.” “Herself,” which is set for release on Amazon Prime on January 8, centers on a single mother in Dublin haunted by domestic abuse who decides to build her own house after failing to get what she needs from the housing system. It is a change of pace for Lloyd, at least in the world of film. “I’d been looking for a more indie movie to do for several years,” says Lloyd in an exclusive new interview for Gold Derby. “I had this hunch that it might suit me better and that I could work more in the way that I do in the theater, with a smaller unit, a more collaborative approach.” Watch the full interview above.

SEEClare Dunne (‘Herself’) on wanting to ‘not...

Clare Dunne is the star and one of the co-writers for “Herself,” playing Sandra, a single mother living in Dublin. After fleeing an abusive ex, Sandra is so frustrated with the failings of the local housing system that she decides to build a house herself. Dunne was first inspired to tell the story after one of her best friends told her of her struggles through her own housing ordeal. After researching the process of self-building, “this story flashed before my eyes,” says Dunne in an exclusive new interview for Gold Derby. “I was like, ‘Why don’t I just tell the story of a woman who actually decides to do this?” Watch the exclusive interview above.

SEENatalie Holt interview: ‘Herself’ composer

Films that involve domestic abuse can sometimes fall into cliche, so it was important to Dunne to “not portray a victim” in writing Sandra. After meeting with people who...

With Oscars season underway, Academy voters commonly ask for movie recommendations, whether to discover a great film or to see a “contender.” Too often, the small, quiet releases have a passionate base but are drowned out by louder, shinier competition. In a year when theaters are closed and streamers are “dominating” the conversation, the closest we may get to a level playing field is via the eligibility period being extended through Feb. 28, 2021.

The “Oscar movie” label has changed greatly, especially with a film such as “Joker” leading the nominations tally last year. As younger voters are invited into the Academy, we’ll see more instances of unconventional contenders breaking through.

For the best picture category, many films will be pushing a boulder up a hill to be noticed, but that shouldn’t keep voters from seeking them out. Below are 10 films fighting for recognition that deserve consideration.

Farewell Amor (IFC Films...