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Having found fame in international art circles for her natural hair sculptures championing African culture, Black beauty and women’s rights, Laetitia Ky has now set her sights on building a cinema career. “I’ve always had a fascination for superheroes,” says the globe-trotting Ivorian artist and activist on a Zoom call from Monaco, where she is currently midway through a residency at the principality’s Quai Art Studios. “I’ve watched nearly all the Marvel and DC Comic movies and read all the comics,” she continues, explaining that it is the non-reality of the superhero worlds that fuels her passion.

The Marvel and DC Comic protagonists also chime with the message of empowerment implicit in Ky’s elaborate hair-based works — depicting everything from a vacuum cleaner to a butterfly. Ky is in Cannes as one of three actresses in Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri’s Un Certain Regard title Promised Sky.

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Another Simple Favor is a dark comedy mystery crime film directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay co-written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis. The 2025 sequel film is set five years after the events of A Simple Favor, and it follows Stephanie, who’s now a popular true crime vlogger, as she is invited by Emily to her wedding in Italy. The wedding is soon interrupted by a brutal murder, forcing Stephanie to investigate it. Another Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Henry Golding, and Allison Janney. So, if you loved the biting dark comedy, thrilling mystery, and compelling characters in Another Simple Favor, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

A Simple Favor (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Lionsgate

A Simple Favor...

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A Simple Favor is a dark comedy mystery thriller film directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Jessica Sharzer. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, the 2018 film follows Stephanie Smothers, a young widowed single mother who runs a vlog, but when her new friend, Emily Nelson, suddenly vanishes, she tries to find her. A Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Dustin Milligan, Jean Smart, Rupert Friend, and Eric Johnson. So, if you loved the dark comedy, thrilling mystery, and compelling characters in A Simple Favor, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a dark comedy mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. The 2022 sequel film follows master detective Benoit Blanc,...

Unlike other showcases with a strong market component, the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival does not require selected films to arrive as world premieres. That choice stems as much from allegiance to a devoted local audience that expects the best as from an understanding of wider industry dynamics.

“Our market also needs high standards,” says programmer and coordinator Julie Rousson. “For filmmakers, experiencing a short film screened in a packed, reactive hall is unique—it’s an industry moment and a public one, and that combination can only help filmmakers gain greater visibility and industry acclaim.”

Titles like Andrea Gatopoulos’s AI-assisted sci-fi freak-out “The Eggregores’ Theory” can first bank esteem across an international circuit in order to then hit the French festival of festivals – and its attending market – as an already hot proposition. And out of Clermont-Ferrand, a world of opportunity awaits.

Below are ten buzz titles reaching Clermont-Ferrand this year.

What are the 10 worst movies of 2024? There has been some debate about whether you should write an article listing the “10 Worst Films of 2024.” For me, I think it’s imperative to keep studios in check. Yes, it was an excellent year for film, and you can read our ranking of “The 20 Best Movies of 2024” as well, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few cinematic experiences so awful they made you regret your most precious resource: time.

Yes, some misfires had their hearts in the right place. However, most were intentionally bad and ploys to steal your money and your sanity. Check out our list and let us know if you agree.

The 10 Worst Movies of 2024 10. Kraven the Hunter Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter (2024), one of the 10 worst movies of 2024! | Image via Sony Pictures

Directed by J. C. Chandor

Kraven the Hunter should have been fun, but the gory,...

Artificial intelligence is one of the most controversial topics in the tech market today. Whether it leads to medical industry advancements, art generated from stolen assets, or accessibility for the differently-abled, AI continues to grow exponentially with no signs of stopping. John Connor warned us, but did we listen? No, we did not. Contrastly to the fear-mongering above, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is partnering with Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street Productions for an AI thriller starring Anne Hathaway. Gordon-Levitt directs the untitled project from a script he wrote with Kieran Fitzgerald, who co-wrote Oliver Stone’s 2016 biographical thriller Snowden.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kieran Fitzgerald share a ‘story by’ credit with Natasha Lyonne, who stars as Charlie, the lie-detecting investigator, in Johnson’s Peacock series Poker Face. Gordon-Levitt and T-Street are well-acquainted after the studio produced Johnson’s 2005 crime thriller Brick, starring Gordon-Levitt as a teenager who pushes into a crime ring after his girlfriend disappears.

"Joker: Folie a Deux" may have just proven that even big-budget movies won't always top the box office when they have terrible reviews and little love from fans, but apparently the streaming world is still operating on a different level. For nearly three weeks now, the Shailene Woodley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt led film "Killer Heat" has been topping the Amazon Prime movies chart (per FlixPatrol), despite earning an abysmal 15% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It may just be a sparse season for new releases on Prime Video, but given that one of the year's best films, Luca Guadagnino's sexy tennis drama "Challengers," is currently at number six on the most-streamed Prime Video films list, something about "Killer Heat" is clearly appealing to subscribers. The movie, which bypassed theaters and was released directly to Prime, tops a list that as of publication time also includes several kids' films, including John Krasinski's 2024 release "If,...

The 2024 thriller Killer Heat, available on Prime Video, sets its suspenseful storyline against a breathtaking backdrop. Directed by Philippe Lacôte, Killer Heat captivates audiences not just with its gripping plot but also with its stunning locations. Here’s a detailed look at where Killer Heat was filmed and other key details about the movie.

‘Killer Heat’: Where Was the Film Shot? – Filming Locations & Other Details Primary Filming Location: Crete, Greece

The majority of Killer Heat was filmed on the picturesque island of Crete, Greece. Known for its rich history and dramatic landscapes, Crete provided the perfect setting for the intense atmosphere of the film. The island’s rugged terrain, coastal cliffs, and crystal-clear waters served as a beautiful yet eerie backdrop, amplifying the tension and mystery of the story.

Crete’s unique geography, from its ancient ruins to its mountainous vistas, gave the production team the ability to create a visually striking environment.

Prime Video’s “Killer Heat” is a new mystery thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Nick Bali, a private investigator. It shows Nick traveling to Greece to investigate the shocking death of a wealthy man named Leo Vardakis. Nick is hired by Penelope, Leo’s identical twin brother’s wife. The film takes place entirely on a scenic island and relies on the moodiness of the setting as it unravels new bits of information. It seems heavily inspired by the Hollywood noir classics that redefined the genre conventions decades ago. Fans of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and movies like “Killer Heat,” featuring slow-burn mysteries, can check out this thriller on Prime Video.

This 2024 film is based on Jo Nesbø’s short story – “The Jealousy Man.” The film is directed by Philippe Lacôte, known for directing “Night of the Kings,” a critically acclaimed fantasy drama. Besides Gordon-Levit, the film also stars Shailene Woodley and...

Jo Nesbø adaptation Killer Heat is the latest in a long line of detective films, from Chinatown and The Long Goodbye to the Knives Out series

The private detective film will always be the slinkiest and sexiest of thriller subgenres – minus the strictures and/or corruption of police procedure, crime-solving can feel as alluringly shadowy and illicit as the crime itself. Relatively few of us have ever encountered, let alone hired, a private eye; far more of us, I’d wager, have at some point entertained the fantasy that we’d be quite good at the job ourselves.

Newly out on Amazon Prime, Philippe Lacôte’s Killer Heat isn’t exactly a classic entry in the Pi canon. Based on a Jo Nesbø short story and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a moody detective investigating a sordid love triangle involving twin brothers (Richard Madden and Richard Madden) against attractive Greek island scenery,...

A good tasty noir, like “Love Lies Bleeding,” always feels contemporary, even if set in the past; that’s because it should feel as urgent as the love-and-death stakes it’s about. “Killer Heat,” on the other hand, while not quite so old-fashioned that it creaks, definitely plays like a mirage of detective noirs you’ve seen before. To start with: Could there be a worse title? It makes the movie sound like some straight-to-tape potboiler from the ’80s starring Jim Belushi and Daphne Zuniga. “Killer Heat” opens with the voice of its star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who has a way of sounding like Keanu Reeves’ brainier brother), delivering one of those logy “hardboiled” philosophical nuggets to the audience (“The Icarus myth was set on the island of Crete. And apparently no one there had learned much from his story…”).

But just as you’re ready to nod out, Gordon-Levitt, as...

“Killer Heat” is a new live-action mystery drama feature, directed by Philippe Lacôte, based on author Jo Nesbø’s short story "The Jealousy Man", starring Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden, streaming September 26, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video:

“…on a remote Greek island, twin brothers are caught in a violent love triangle…

“…while a damaged loser detective known as ‘The Jealousy Man’ is brought in to investigate..”

Click the images to enlarge…...

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Killer Heat is a mystery crime thriller drama film directed by Philippe Lacôte from a screenplay co-written by Roberto Bentivegna and Matt Charman. Based on the 2021 short story titled The Jealousy Man by author Jo Nesbø, the Prime Video film is set on a Greek island and it follows the story of a troubled detective known as The Jealousy Man who is brought in to investigate the murder of one of twin brothers who were entangled in a love triangle. Killer Heat stars Shailene Woodley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Richard Madden in the lead roles with Billy Clements, Manos Gavras, Abby Lee, Clare Holman, and Babou Ceesay. So, if you loved the intense story, thrilling mystery, and compelling characters in Killer Heat here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix...

Just beyond the shores of Crete, a deceptive puzzle awaits unraveling. Director Philippe Lacôte’s sun-drenched noir Killer Heat seems a cheery summer prospect – mystery abounds on an archetypally photogenic Greek isle. But as American expat private eye Nick Bali assumes the case, darkness looms under the warm facade.

Familiar elements dress the setup: A supposed climbing accident proves more suspicious to bereaved sister-in-law Penelope. She privately recruits Nick to peer beneath the surface, suspecting her brother-in-law’s death conceals a sinister hand. Nick delves into the web of a local shipping tycoon’s sprawling dynasty, where fortunes, jealousies, and dangerous undercurrents run deep. All signs point to the tropical paradise hiding more than meets the eye.

Yet for all the genre trimmings, something feels lacking in Killer Heat’s bones. Characters remain strangers, relationships skin-deep. Plot progresses methodically, but scant intrigue arises – a predictable arc unravels foreseeable answers. Solid performances flounder without fertile soil.

Plot: A thrilling, contemporary mystery in classic noir style, Killer Heat follows private eye Nick Bali, an American expat in Greece, hired to investigate the supposed accidental death of young shipping magnate Leo Vardakis on the island of Crete. The victim’s sister-in-law doesn’t believe the official police report. But what exactly happened to Leo, and why? Despite the sun-drenched beauty of its exotic Mediterranean locale, Nick finds darkness at every turn: where the rich and powerful Vardakis family rule like gods, where jealousies run deep, and anyone could be a suspect.

Review: The hard-boiled detective movie has been a trope since the early days of cinema. The term “noir” has taken on a meaning in modern film that has turned into a cliche itself. If you picture the genre in your mind, you likely conjure up fedoras, femme fatales, cigarettes, cocktails, dastardly villains, and lots of gunfire. The...

I love movies like Killer Heat, not just the movie Killer Heat. This type of knockoff fiction can be recycled and found in any big-box department store, where people gobble it up for summer reading. The film offers virtually nothing new on the subject.

Even from the clothes, setting, and moments of shadowy cinematography. So, studios do what they do: cast attractive leads and saturate the story with a faux-noir style, which many will mistake for originality.

The film is standard by the numbers, dusting off the playbook and following the step-by-step mystery genre production. I almost think the talented cast signed on for the Greek island location entirely.

Shailene Woodley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Richard Madden in Killer Heat (2024) | Image via Amazon MGM Studios Related A Superman Game Can Still Work Despite the Kryptonian’s Invincibility if Studios Stop Focusing on Gameplay – Explained Prime Video’s Killer Heat Review and...

“Killer Heat” is a new live-action mystery drama feature, directed by Philippe Lacôte, based on author Jo Nesbø’s short story "The Jealousy Man", starring Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden, streaming September 26, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video:

“…on a remote Greek island, twin brothers are caught in a violent love triangle…

“…while a damaged loser detective known as ‘The Jealousy Man’ is brought in to investigate..”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Exclusive: Emmy-nominated actress Shailene Woodley has signed with CAA for representation.

Woodley, who was previously at Hyperion Talent Agency, made her film debut in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, alongside George Clooney, in 2011. For her breakout performance in the film, she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG Award, and a Critics’ Choice Award.

She gained widespread recognition for her starring role in the 2014 romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars in the role of Hazel Grace Lancaster. Additionally, Woodley starred in the science-fiction film trilogy based on The Divergent Series, as well as the independent film The Spectacular Now, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Up next, she will star in Michael Mann’s Ferrari and Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money on the big screen.

As Deadline revealed exclusively in May, Woodley has been cast...

Prime Video's upcoming thriller series Citadel is set to arrive on the streaming service in just over a week's time on April 28, but the series recently had its official world premiere in London, England. At the event was Collider's own Steve Weintraub who had the chance to ask a few questions to the cast and crew of the series to ask them not just about Citadel but also about other projects that they are working on. One of the cast members that Weintraub got to talk to was series lead Richard Madden, who confirmed that his next film project Killer Heat from director Philippe Lacôte is currently filming in Greece despite previous reports saying production should start next month.

Production is scheduled to begin in May in Crete.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, and Richard Madden will star in Amazon Studios’ Killer Heat based on Jo Nesbo’s short story The Jealousy Man.

House Of Gucci writer Roberto Bentivegna adapted the screenplay with revisions from Bridge Of Spies and Treason screenwriter Matt Charman. Philippe Lacôte (2020 Venice selection Night Of The Kings) directs.

Killer Heat tells of a damaged detective who is called in to investigate after twin brothers get caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island. Production is scheduled to begin in May in Crete with...

A new and mysterious feature film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, and Richard Madden from Amazon Studios has been announced today. Killer Heat - based on the short story The Jealousy Man written by Jo Nesbø - begins production in May on the Greek island of Crete. A thriller with a dark romance at its centre - Killer Heat will be directed by Philippe Lacôte.

Amazon Studios is ready to brighten your Monday mood with news about an exciting film adaptation. Today, the studio announced that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, and Richard Maddenwould star in Killer Heat, a detective thriller with an impressive team of creatives behind the project.

Philippe Lacôte directs from a script penned by Roberto Bentivegna (House of Gucci), with revisions by Oscar and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies; Treason). Killer Heat is based on Jo Nesbø‘s short story The Jealousy Man, which follows two twin brothers caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island. A damaged detective called “The Jealousy Man” is called to investigate.

Makeready’s Brad Weston is producing the film, with Jo Nesbø (bestselling Harry Hole book series), Niclas Salomonsson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Karnowski, and Makeready’s Collin Creighton executive producing. Makeready’s Oscar Montemayor will associate produce.

After appearing in...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden are set to headline Amazon Studios’ Killer Heat, from director Philippe Lacôte.

The film follows twin brothers who are caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island. A damaged detective, known as “The Jealousy Man,” is called in to investigate.

Pic is based on Jo Nesbø’s short story The Jealousy Man, off a script written by Roberto Bentivegna (House of Gucci), with revisions by Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies; Treason). Makeready’s Brad Weston is producing the film, with Nesbø (bestselling Harry Hole book series), Niclas Salomonsson, Gordon-Levitt, Tom Karnowski and Makeready’s Collin Creighton executive producing. Makeready’s Oscar Montemayor will associate produce.

Cameras roll in May in Crete, with Faliro House serving as the local production entity.

Gordon-Levitt recently appeared in Rian Johnson’s Poker Face and will next be seen...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden are set to star in Killer Heat, a love triangle thriller from director Philippe Lacôte for Amazon Studios and Makeready.

The film is based on Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo’s short story The Jealousy Man, with the screen adaptation to follow twin brothers caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island. A damaged local detective with a nose for jealousy is called in to investigate a murder.

Production on Killer Heat is set to start in May in Crete.

Gordon-Levitt recently appeared in Rian Johnson’s Poker Face and will next be seen in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley and John Carney’s Flora and Son. Woodley has starred in The Descendants, The Fault in Our Stars, The Spectacular Now and most recently in the series Big Little Lies.

Madden is best known for playing Robb Stark in Game of Thrones,...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden are set to star in the thriller “Killer Heat,” from Amazon Studios.

“Night of the Kings” filmmaker Philippe Lacôte has signed on to direct the movie, which is based on Jo Nesbø’s 2021 short story “The Jealousy Man.” The film centers on twin brothers (Madden) caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island, and a damaged detective known as “The Jealousy Man” (Gordon-Levitt), who is called in to investigate.

Lacôte will direct from a script penned by Roberto Bentivegna (“House of Gucci”), with revisions by Oscar and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman.

Makeready’s Brad Weston is producing the film, which begins production next month in Crete, with Faliro House serving as the local production entity.

In addition to starring in the film, Gordon-Levitt will also executive produce the project alongside Nesbø, Niclas Salomonsson, Tom Karnowski and Makeready’s Collin Creighton.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. who are shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking with Memento Films International founder Emilie Georges and producer Naima Abed about their company Paradise City, its slate and why now is the time to move into the management and branded content spheres.

Eight years ago, Emilie Georges’ Memento Films International and its production arm La Cinéfacture quietly launched Paradise City, a specialty label for the outfit, with respected producer Naima Abed helping curate the slate. While the banner co-financed and co-produced a number of genre titles including Jim Mickle’s 2013 Sundance hit We Are What We Are, it was only when the duo worked on Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 Oscar-nominated hit Call Me By Your Name that Georges and Abed began to think about...

Exclusive: Following festival favourite and Oscar shortlisted drama Night Of The Kings, Ivory Coast director Philippe Lacôte is developing his new feature film 7 Golden Thieves (Les 7 Voleurs D’Or) with his producing and co-writing partner Delphine Jacquet and Memento’s relaunched Paradise City banner.

The story is based on a real belief. In West Africa and in the imagination of the Malinké, gold has an ambivalent social function, conferring prestige and honor. However, whomever steals gold places a curse on his family line for seven generations. The project follows a man’s quest to break his family free from this ancient curse. Weaving together the stories of his forbearers over centuries, the film will crisscross between Western Africa and the U.S.

Anticipating a 2024 shoot, the film is currently in development and is being introduced to potential partners in Cannes.

Banshee Films and Wassakara Productions are producing, in association with Paris-based Paradise City,...

Other African submissions so far include Nabil Ayouch’s Casablanca Beats for Morocco.

Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife, which world premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in July, has been selected as Somalia’s first-ever Oscar submission for the 2022 Academy Awards.

Set in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa, the drama stars Finnish-Somali actor Omar Abdi as a gravedigger on a quest to raise the money for the kidney transplant desperately needed by his beloved wife, played by Canadian-Somali model and actress Yasmin Warsame.

The film’s selection for consideration in the best international film category...

Films include Emerald Fennell’s ‘Promising Young Woman’ and Blerta Basholli’s ‘Hive’.

More films than ever before are eligible for this year’s European Film Awards’ feature film and documentary film selection, with 40 feature films and 15 documentary films, and further feature film titles to be revealed in September.

Titles in the feature film selection include Blerta Basholli’s Sundance hit Hive and Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. The latter is eligible despite being listed as a film of US origin. The European Film Academy (Efa) told Screen this was because the film reaches the number of points in...

Ammonite, Apples, Promising Young Woman, Supernova, The Dig, The Father and The Mauritanian are among the first wave of movies recommended by a European Film Awards committee for nomination at this year’s event.

A record number of movies have been suggested by the committee this year in light of the pandemic disruption. More than 40 films have been revealed today — features and docs — with more set to be revealed in September.

The feature films have been selected by a committee of the Academy Board and a range of European industry professionals. The documentary films have been selected by Efa Board Members Graziella Bildesheim (institutional/Italy) and Ada Solomon (producer/Romania), Katja Gauriloff, Kathrin Kohlstedde (festival programmer/Germany), Veton Nurkollari (artistic director/Kosovo), Orwa Nyrabia, Rada Šešić (festival programmer and filmmaker/Bosnia & Herzegovina/The Netherlands), Rajesh Thind and...

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay CashINTERNATIONAL Competition(Jury: Eliza Hittman, Kevin Jerome Everson, Philippe Lacôte, Leonor Silveira, Isabelle Ferrari)Golden Leopard: Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Edwin) | Read our reviewSpecial Jury Prize: A New Old Play (Jiongjiong Qiu) | Read our reviewBest Direction: Abel Ferrara (Zeros and Ones) | Read our reviewBest Actress: Anastasiya Krasovskaya (Gerda)Best Actor: Mohamed Mellali and Valero Escolar (The Odd-Job Men)Special Mention: Soul of a Beast (Lorenz Merz) and The Sacred Spirit (Chema García Ibarra) | Read our reviewFILMMAKERS Of The Present( Jury: Agathe Bonitzer, Mattie Do, Vanja Kaludjercic)Golden Leopard: Brotherhood (Francesco Montagner)Special Jury Prize: L'Été l'éternité (Émilie Aussel)Prize for Best Emerging Director: Hleb Papou (The Legionnaire) Best Actress: Saskia Rosendahl (No One's with the Calves) | Read our reviewBest Actor: Gia Agumava (Wet Sand)First Feature(Jury: Amjad Abu Alala, Karina Ressler, Katharina Wyss)Best First Feature: She Will (Charlotte Colbert...

Several titles boosted by wet weather and start of school summer holidays.

RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (July 23-25)Total gross to dateWeek 1 Black Widow (Disney) £1.41m £13.8m 3 2 Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros) £1.4m £3.6m 2 3 The Croods 2: A New Age (Universal) £875,622 £2.1m 2 4 Old (Universal) £866,860 £866,860 1 5 The Forever Purge (Universal) £598,803 £1.8m 2

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.38

Black Widow held top spot at the UK-Ireland box office for a third consecutive session, as M. Night Shyamalan’s Old fell below the £1m mark on its opening weekend.

Disney’s latest Marvel title posted a good hold, falling just 22% with £1.41m. Black Widow...

Inspired by his own childhood, Philippe Lacôte’s hallucinogenic fable plays out inside a notorious Ivory Coast jail run by its own inmates…

Of the three Ivory Coast submissions for the foreign language film Oscar over the years, two have been by the writer-director Philippe Lacôte: 2014’s Run, which was widely regarded as heralding an Ivorian film-making renaissance, and Night of the Kings (2020), one of 15 films shortlisted for the renamed best international feature award. A shapeshifting tale of incarceration and emancipation, it may have missed out on an Oscar nomination, yet its vivid, genre-fluid investigation of the alchemical art of storytelling definitely hits the mark.

In a remote clearing on the edge of Abidjan’s Banco forest stands the notorious Maison d’arrêt et de correction d’Abdijan – La Maca – an institution described by one of its keepers as “the only prison in the world run by an inmate”. A...

‘The World To Come’, ‘Riders Of Justice’ also hit cinemas.

M. Night Shyamalan’s ageing thriller Old heads the new openers at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as new releases persist despite concerns over rising Covid-19 cases.

The UK and Ireland reported a combined 41,094 new cases on Thursday, July 22. This is up 565% from 6,180 on May 17, the day cinemas reopened in England.

The vaccine rollout should reduce the spread and potency of the virus, with all UK adults now offered a first dose. However there are still concerns that the third wave will affect box office releases; yesterday Entertainment Film Distributors...

The Locarno Film Festival returns to its original physical format under the guidance of new Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, who worked with the Selection Committees to pick out the titles screening in Locarno from 4 through 14 August. Alongside the welcome return of long-established favorites, there are also new items such as the competitive short films program Corti d’autore in the Pardi di domani section, plus a dedicated program for younger viewers: Locarno Kids: Screenings.

In full compliance with current health and sanitary regulations, Locarno74 will once again be an in-person event, with the return of evenings in Piazza Grande and of screenings in the other twelve theaters around the city. The venue for all meetings and panel discussions with guest personalities accompanying their films will be the Rotonda by la Mobiliare, the new home of the Forum.

The Ticket Shop will be open for ticket purchase from mid-July, whereas...

Chryssos won the best director award for ‘A Pure Place’.

World premieres by Nikias Chryssos and Franziska Stünkel were among the winners of the German Cinema New Talent Awards at this year’s Filmfest München, which wrapped at the weekend.

Chryssos won the best director award for his second feature A Pure Place, an offbeat coming-of-age tale about two young siblings engulfed in a secret community obsessed with soap, located on a remote Greek island. He was selected by a jury comprised of actors Sophie von Kessel and Komi M. Togbonou, and Barbara Mundel, artistic director of the Münchner Kammerspiele.

Social distancing, mask wearing also end from that date.

English cinemas will be permitted to resume 100% capacity screenings from July 19, following the UK government’s commitment to the final stage in its roadmap out of lockdown.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said he expected the final stage to go ahead as planned, with social distancing rules to be scrapped from that date, including for indoor entertainment venues.

The new rules are subject to a final review on July 12.

Mask-wearing will no longer be compulsory, meaning those attending cinemas will not have to wear one in any part of the building including foyers and screens.

Independent Cinema Office receives £578,016 towards projects including Screening Days.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has allocated over £3.8m in organisational awards for 2021-2022 through its Audience Fund, with the Independent Cinema Office (Ico) and Altitude Film Distribution receiving the largest amounts.

The £578,016 awarded to the Ico will fund the delivery of its year-round programme supporting the independent cinema sector and its workforce, including a new virtual screenings and discussion platform, programming services, technical support and its Screening Days distributor events.

Altitude receives £488,776 to support the release of its slate, contributing to P&a costs, as well as overheads and access materials for all films.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Amusement Park (George A. Romero)

Created as a PSA to raise awareness about elder abuse, George A. Romero’s 1973 film The Amusement Park, long considered lost and recently restored by Romero’s widow Suzanne and the George A. Romero Foundation, arrives on Shudder as a time-capsule oddity. Produced by the Lutheran Society at a point in Romero’s career post-Night of the Living Dead and pre-Dawn that saw the infamous horror director in a period of commercial and critical decline, The Amusement Park is a damning, if not exactly horrifying, condemnation of the ways in which society marginalizes and others its elderly. – Christian G. (full review)

Where to Watch: Shudder

City Hall (Frederick Wiseman)

In the opening shot of Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery,...

After its world premiere in 2020 at the Venice International Film Festival, Philippe Lacôte’s ‘Night of the Kings’ is set to be released in the UK on July 23rd and a new trailer has dropped to celebrate.

When a young man (first-timer Koné Bakary) is sent to an infamous prison, located in the middle of the Ivorian forest and ruled by its inmates, he is chosen by the boss ‘Blackbeard’ to take part in a storytelling ritual just as a violent battle for control bubbles to the surface. After discovering the grim fate that awaits him at the end of the night, Roman begins to narrate the mystical life of a legendary outlaw to make his story last until dawn and give himself any chance of survival.

Written and directed by Philippe Lacôte, the film went on to feature at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival that same year.

Sydney Film Festival has revealed the first 22 titles on its line-up for this year, which will see the festival return to cinemas around the city after 2020’s virtual iteration.

Leading the pack are a contingent of local docos including Philippa Bateman’s Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow; Amanda Blue’s Step into Paradise and Eddie Martin’s The Kids, recently selected for Tribeca.

Sff will also boast the Nsw premiere of Kiwi film The Justice of Bunny King, Gaysorn Thavat’s debut feature led by Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie; and Nz-Canadian co-production, NIght Raiders, directed by Danis Goulet and executive produced by Taika Waititi.

Festival director Nashen Moodley is excited to return to an in-person event come August, noting the festival already had a “incredible” response to its summer season in January at the State Theatre, when it screened High Ground, Firestarter, Girls Can’t Surf, Minari and Another Round.

Night Of The Kings made it onto the 15-picture shortlist of the Best International Film category at the Oscars this year.

Memento Films International (Mfi) has unveiled a fresh round of deals for Ivorian-French filmmaker Philippe Lacôte’s Oscar-shortlisted prison drama Night Of The Kings.

The feature has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Rialto), China (Huanxi), Indonesia (Pt Falcon), Mexico (Alameda), Brazil (Telecine).

In Europe, it has been acquired by Switzerland (Xenix), Benelux (Imagine), France (Jhr), Spain (Flamingo) Poland (New Horizons), Romania (Transilvania), Portugal (Alambique) and ex-Yugoslavia (Kino Mediteran).

These acquisitions follow its previously announced sale to Neon for...

“Nomadland” wins four awards, including Best Feature; “Sound of Metal” wins three and “Promising Young Woman” takes two

“Nomadland” won Best Feature at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were announced live Thursday, and for the first time in primetime.

“Nomadland” took home four prizes, including Best Feature, Best Director for Chloé Zhao, as well as Best Editing and Best Cinematography. “Sound of Metal” also had a big night, winning Best First Feature, Best Supporting Male Paul Raci and an upset win for Best Male Lead Riz Ahmed. Carey Mulligan also won Best Female Lead for “Promising Young Woman,” and Yuh-Jung Youn won Best Supporting Female for “Minari.”

The coronavirus resulted in moving the Indie Spirits ceremony, now in its 36th year, away from its usual slot as an afternoon hangout in a tent near the Santa Monica pier on the Saturday before the Oscars to now taking place Thursday,...

The 13th edition will take place online from 16-25 April, and will include two new international competition awards for documentary and fiction films, as well as a pitching event for new projects. The Dutch international human rights film festival Movies That Matter has announced that it is launching two new competition prizes and an industry programme for its 13th edition, set to take place online from 16-25 April: the Grand Jury Documentary Award, made possible by Dutch public broadcaster Bnnvara, and the Grand Jury Fiction Award. For each prize, worth €5,000, eight films have been selected from across the festival’s programme strands. The fiction strand includes Philippe Lacôte's Night of the Kings (France/Ivory Coast/Canada/Senegal), Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić's Quo Vadis, Aida?, Kaweh Modiri's Mitra (Netherlands/Germany/Denmark), Serbian helmer Ivan Ikić's Oasis, Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh's Gagarin (France), Nir Bergman's Here We Are...

“Tell me a story.” This is the command that Roman (Bakary Koné), a new arrival at La Maca penitentiary — a forest-borne fortress just outside of the Ivory Coast’s capital, Abidjan — is given almost as soon as he arrives. It’s quite a welcome. Dismissed by the prison’s guards for the gang affiliations that landed him here, Roman is thrown into the “jungle,” as the guards call it. And as soon as he arrives, everything else stops. Another inmate, the feminine Sexy (Gbazi Yves Landry), has just been knocked to the ground,...

In the history of the Academy Awards, there have been 52 acting nominations for non-English-language roles. That pool is further reduced to under three dozen, when we exclude nods — like Robert De Niro in “Godfather Part II,” Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and all nine nominated sign-language performances — where the films were otherwise mostly in English. Still, it might not seem like too bad a showing, until you consider that there have been over 1,600 acting nominations in total since 1937, when the supporting categories were introduced.

The reasons for this bias are manifold and not all to do with the inherent U.S.-centrism of an award ceremony that is, after all, adjudicated by the American Academy — at least not directly. It’s striking that among those 30-something nominations, 13 are repeats: Marion Cotillard, Liv Ullmann, Javier Bardem and Isabelle Adjani have two apiece, and if, as she was at one point tipped to do,...

Neon said Thursday that it is partnering with film-centric social media platform Letterboxd to make six of the distributor’s Oscar-shortlisted pics available exclusively on the service for a week beginning Monday. Those titles include Victor Kossakovsky’s documentary Gunda and Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida?, the official Oscar submission of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It will mark the U.S. premiere dates for both titles, and the first time Letterboxd will be offering new films that have not streamed on any other platforms.

Those two, plus the documentaries Notturno and The Painter and the Thief along with Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades! and Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings, are involved in the deal. The will be available from March 8-14 as a package for $19.99.

Neon, which distributed last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, made Gunda one of the first U.S. deals at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival.

Distributor Neon is partnering with Letterboxd, the fast-growing global social network for movie discussion and discovery, to give the platform’s users access to the studio’s slate of documentary and foreign films shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Awards. From March 8 through March 14, Letterboxd users can stream all of Neon’s six shortlisted titles for the discounted bundle price of $19.99 over at watch.neonrated.com. This news marks the first time Letterboxd will be offering new films that have not streamed on any other platforms directly to its member base.

The six films included in the bundle will be documentary contender “Gunda” directed by Victor Kossakovsky and executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix; Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” which is Italy’s submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award; “The Painter and the Thief,” directed by Benjamin Ree and shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar; Andrei Konchalovsky’s Best International Feature submission from Russia,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best International Feature

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: Denmark has dominated the season with “Another Round,” even presenting itself as a film that can show up in other categories like best actor (Mads Mikkelsen). While “Honeyland” made history last year when it...

It’s been more than 40 years since the Ivory Coast first won an Oscar for Best International Feature — then known as Best Foreign Language Film. Could the African nation win again for the critically acclaimed film “Night of the Kings”?

SEEKaouther Ben Hania (‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’) on her Tunisian International Feature Oscar contender: ‘This is not a classic refugee story’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

“Night of the Kings” is only the third film submitted to the Oscars from the nation, though their success rate is pretty good given their infrequent entries. They won the award for the anti-war satire “Black and White in Color” (1976), the directorial debut of French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud, who went on to direct one other Oscar nominee, but representing France, “Betty Blue” (1986).

Ivory Coast didn’t submit another film for consideration for almost four decades. For 2015 they entered “Run” by director Philippe Lacôte. That film also dealt with unrest in the country,...