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ControversyTwo other persons from Kerala have promised monetary rewards if anyone proves the claim made in the film’s teaser, that “32,000 girls” from Kerala were forcibly converted and allegedly recruited to the militant outfit Isis.Adah Sharma in The Kerala StoryAs director Sudipto Sen’s controversial film The Kerala Story heads to theatres, political organisation Muslim Youth League has challenged the makers to prove the veracity of a contentious claim made in the film’s teaser — that “32,000 girls” from Kerala were forcibly converted and allegedly recruited to the militant outfit Isis. The state committee of the organisation has announced a monetary reward of Rs 1 crore if the makers produce proof that 32,000 women from Kerala had converted to Islam and migrated to Syria or Yemen, as claimed in the teaser. As part of the campaign, two other concerned individuals from Kerala have also come forward with promises of monetary rewards if...

The “Gotham Knights” pilot at The CW has cast both Fallon Smythe and Tyler Dichiara as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively.

Smythe and Dichiara are the first announced castings for the pilot, which is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. The one-hour drama takes place in in the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder. His rebellious adopted son forges an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. And as the city’s most wanted criminals, this renegade band of misfits must fight to clear their names. But in a Gotham with no Dark Knight to protect it, the city descends into the most dangerous it’s ever been. However, hope comes from the most unexpected of places as this team of mismatched fugitives will become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.

Exclusive: Peter Greene, Joseph D’Onofrio and Myles Clohessy (The Bog) have signed on to star in Cross, an indie drama from director Judy San Roman (The Wrong Path), which will go before cameras in October.

They join an ensemble that includes Christopher Brian Roach, Mario Polit, Andrew Koss, Rayvin Disla and Deanna Mayo.

The film, written by San Roman and Joanne Tamburro (Jesse), centers on a 22-year-old (Disla) who is falsely accused of robbery, watching as his girlfriend (Mayo) makes a deal with criminals to secure the money necessary to bail him out. While the young woman’s overprotective father (Greene) tries to help, both are nonetheless drawn into the underbelly of a local drug ring, intersecting with cops, criminals and scoundrels, who all have their own secret agendas. Ultimately, Disla’s character turns to a boxing match with a grand...

Chicago – It was an Opening Night celebration at the 36th Reeling Lgbtq+ International Film Festival on September 20th, 2018. The opener was the screwball comedy “Freelancers Anonymous,” and walking the Red Carpet was director Sonia Sebastián, writer/lead actor Lisa Cordileone, producer Eugene Sun Park and cast members Natasha Negovanlis, Megan Cavanaugh and Cassandra Blair.

Writer/Lead Actor Lisa Cordileone (left) and Actor Natasha Negovanlis of ‘Freelancers Anonymous’

Photo credit: Jerry Nunn

“Freelancers Anonymous” is a made-in-Chicago screwball comedy about the workplace. Billie (Lisa Cordileone) is stuck in a dead-end job with a boss from hell (Alexandra Billings). She quits after a meltdown, and suddenly realizes that money for from her lavish wedding to Gayle (Natasha Negovanlis) will be scarce. Instead of telling her fiancé, she decides to fill her coffers by inventing an app specifically for freelancers. The wedding and app launch party coincide, so can Billie keep it all...

Chicago – One great source of pride in the Chicago cinema community is Reeling, the second oldest Lgbtq+ International Film Festival in North America, and their 36th edition is launching on Thursday, September 20th, 2018, at the Davis Theater in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. The Opening Night Film is “Freelancers Anonymous.” For details and tickets, click here.

’Freelancers Anonymous’ Opens the 36th Reeling Lgbtq+ International Film Festival

Photo credit: ReelingFilmFestival.org

“Freelancers Anonymous” is a Chicago-based screwball comedy about the workplace. Billie (Lisa Cordileone) is stuck in a dead-end job with a boss from hell (Alexandra Billings). She quits after a meltdown, and suddenly realizes that money for from her lavish wedding to Gayle (Natasha Negovanlis) will be scarce. Instead of telling her fiancé, she decides to fill her coffers by inventing an app specifically for freelancers. The wedding and app launch party coincide, so can Billie keep it all “straight”? The...

ReFrame, the coalition formed by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute, and IMDbPro have added 22 more titles to the list of movies earning the ReFrame Stamp, which recognize standout, gender-balanced films. The program launched June 8 with 12 films on the list from a group comprising the top 100 domestic-grossing films of 2017, with Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman, Universal’s Girls Trip, A24’s Lady Bird and Fox’s The Post among them.

The stamp progam has since been expanded to studio and independent films that have U.S. domestic theatrical or streaming distribution. Newcomers unveiled today include Warners’ recent hit Crazy Rich Asians, IFC’s Mary Shelley and Spc’s Glenn Close starrer The Wife among 2018 releases, and Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Baldoni’s Five Feet Apart among 2019 pics. (See the full list of new films below.)

The stamp is intended as a mark of distinction for projects that have...