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Jessica Chastain and her furry co-stars are the only the real reason to experience Niki Caro’s high-profile adaptation of Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, which details how the Warsaw Zoo was famously used as a hiding place for Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland during WWII.

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Yes, we know: It’s a little premature to assemble a list of the best movies of the year when there’s so much left of it. We have yet to see a lot of exciting new work from major auteurs like Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”), Alexander Payne (“Downsizing”), and Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), not to mention heavy-hitting studio-produced spectacles like “Blade Runner 2049” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” But those last two wouldn’t even qualify for this list of the best independent films of the year, anyway, and they’ll have plenty of time to hog the spotlight.

Fortunately, we’ve found plenty of movies from around the world to celebrate, and while they haven’t all been box office sensations, they provide overwhelming evidence that the art form is thriving well into the second decade of the new millennium, and shows no signs of slowing down.

From supporting Planned Parenthood to taking part in various women’s marches around the world, Jessica Chastain has been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights.

Now, the Academy Award nominee has sent a powerful message to women in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal that led to Bill O’Reilly’s exit from Fox News after 21 years at the helm of “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Read More: Bill O’Reilly Is Out at Fox News, But Don’t Congratulate the Network For Finally Taking a Stand

“Women are strong, we are powerful, formidable, we are a force to be reckoned with, we are half of the population and we are not going anywhere,” the actress said on Friday at Variety’s Power of Women Luncheon in New York City, during which she was honored.

She later added, “Recently, women said no to a certain Fox News anchor. After...

Chicago – Jessica Chastain is a memorable and glamorous actress, who continues to challenge herself with in-depth and complex roles. “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is her latest, and her performance outweighs the formulaic based-on-truth story, set during the Holocaust.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

That setting covers the years 1939 to the end of the war, in the city of Warsaw, Poland (and yes, it is a film where people speak english with accents). Those vital years in history are framed by the key story, which involves the Warsaw Zoo and the proprietors there. If there is a formula to a Holocaust story – and as a reminder the Holocaust was the systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish population and other oppressed peoples during the rule of Nazi Germany – then it becomes about the people who stuck their necks out as the rescuers during the era, then get to a point where they are almost caught, and...

Based on fact, made with noble intent, and grounded by a sincere performance by Jessica Chastain, the Holocaust drama The Zookeeper’S Wife is clumsily executed and so manipulative it practically hands you the tissue and begs you to cry.

The Zookeeper’S Wife delves into a little-known aspect of World War II: the part played by the Warsaw Zoo in Poland. It’s based on a novel by Diane Ackerman inspired by the writings of Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper’s wife of the title. She (played in the film by Chastain) and her husband Jan (Flemish actor Johan Heldenbergh) managed to save over 300 Jews. Spanning roughly seven years beginning in 1939, The Zookeeper’S Wife is set in Warsaw, where the Zabinskis own and operate a popular little zoo. The Nazis invade and plunder the attraction, killing half of the animals and shipping the most valuable to Hitler’s zoo in Berlin.

Heroism can come from the most humble places.

That’s the message behind The Zookeeper’s Wife, the story of Antonina and Jan Żabiński’s heroic acts that saved around 300 Jews after Poland was invaded during World War II. Based on the book of the same name by Diane Ackerman, this big-screen adaptation finds Jessica Chastain playing a compassionate woman who helped save hundreds of lives alongside her zookeeper husband.

“Antonina was an ordinary woman who opened her doors to strangers,” Chastain tells People. “She sacrificed her safety, she sacrificed the safety of her children and everything that she loved to protect others.

Mashable the 8 main excuses Hollywood uses for whitewashing, and why they're all bunk in this day and age

Film Doctor 5 amusing notes on "Evil Disney Hegemony" and Emma Watson as Belle

The Muse Rich Juzwiak on the recent Lgbt scraps thrown in mainstream Hollywood movies. Frankly I've been insulted, rather than thankful, by both of them. I just saw Power Rangers and I cannot believe people are crediting this movie with being Lgbt inclusive. The Yellow Ranger never even admits she's queer. She just stays literally silent (and you know what silence equals) when someone asks if she has a girlfriend.

 

David Poland distributors are considering shrinking the theatrical release window again. Is this just suicide? (I hate to be an alarmist but I totally agree with David Poland's thinking here

Women in Hollywood interviews The Zookeeper's Wife author Diane Ackerman

Time lists the 50 best podcasts right now. I almost never listen to podcasts.

It's an incredible true story, how a Polish couple sheltered Jews during WWII in their abandoned zoo in Warsaw. What a shame then, that in adapting the book by Diane Ackerman, screenwriter Angela Workman lets the dialogue run to the blandest of bromides. It's fortunate that the stellar director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) rarely lets the action go slack, using striking visuals that express so much more than the clunky verbiage. And in Jessica Chastain, Caro finds an actress ready to use everything she's got to bring the title role to life.

Some tales are remarkable yet true, while others are meaningful yet dull. In “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” a regrettable sense of the latter overtakes the former in telling of the Żabińskis, real-life married Polish animal caretakers who saved hundreds of Jews during their country’s Nazi occupation. “Whale Rider” director Niki Caro’s studiously rendered period epic puts a thickly accented Jessica Chastain front and center as Antonina Żabińska, since Diane Ackerman’s nonfiction book culled its history (and title) from access to Antonina’s diaries. But as refreshing as it is to see a woman in an Oskar Schindler-type...

Folks, 2017 is shaping up to potentially be Jessica Chastain’s year. She stars in Aaron Sorkin upcoming directorial debut Molly’s Game. She also stars this week in The Zookeeper’s Wife, a drama that once seemed like it would have her heavily in competition for Best Actress. This still could be the year she contends for an Actress win at the Oscars, but it seems more likely for Molly’s Game than for The Zookeeper’s Wife. We’ll tackle how each could fare with the Academy in good time, but this is a sign that Chastain could have a year to remember. She certainly deserves for it to be, that much is hard to deny. The film is a war drama as well as a biopic of sorts. It tells the tale of Antonina Zabinski (Chastain), who, along with her husband Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh), were the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo.

The Holocaust drama The Zookeeper’s Wife is handsomely made, well-acted, and lacking in much nuance. But what would have once been a staid history lesson—the expectedly upsetting elements numbed by the cinematic missteps and the passage of time—now has an urgency that makes it more devastating, even more likely to bring an audience to tears. With xenophobia rampant and Nazi rhetoric inching its way into the mainstream, the events Niki Caro’s directorial effort depict somehow don’t seem so far away. But the visceral reaction it elicits also feels unearned given its surface-level treatment of the subject.

Adapted from a work of nonfiction by Diane Ackerman, the plot follows Antonina Żabiński (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jan (Johan Heldenbergh), living an idyllic life in 1930s Warsaw, where they run the zoo. Caro and her cinematographer Andrij Parekh paint the pre-war period in bright colors, but smoke...

I know what you’re thinking. A movie where Jessica Chastain snuggles adorable animals and manages a zoo. The Zookeeper’s Wife is a surefire feel-good critter drama – Oh My God, A Saving Private Ryan Scene Recreated With Animals. Bring me back to Chastain nuzzling a lion cub, please. It couldn’t possibly get – oh, nope. Ok. Cue Holocaust depression brought on by Warsaw’s Jewish ghetto, and a heavy German presence in WWII Poland. Granted, those of you who’ve read Diane Ackerman’s bestselling novel already know the story of Antonina Zabinski and her family’s Jewish refugee smuggling. Don’t expect director Niki Caro to take it easy on her audience. The Warsaw Zoo initiative helped save almost 3,000 lives from extermination, but not without sacrifice. This is how.

Jessica Chastain plays the titular zookeeper’s wife, Antonia. Before Germany’s invasion, she and husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh...

Get used to hearing Niki Caro’s name. As the only female director to have not just one, but two studio pictures hitting the big screen over the next two years, including Disney’s much-hyped live-action remake of “Mulan,” the filmmaker is about to be catapulted to a rarefied position in an industry that is not always friendly to placing women behind the camera. That doesn’t mean she’s entirely happy about it.

“That just depresses me,” Caro told IndieWire when asked about her unique upcoming slate. “It’s wonderful for me, but God, I have survivor guilt over this. The fact that I’m working is great and I feel very fortunate, but the fact that so many highly skilled, gifted women are not, it’s shameful.”

But Caro has a plan to combat Hollywood’s gender imbalance behind the camera, and it’s one she’s already putting into action.

Jessica Chastain kicked off her 40s with a trip of a lifetime—and a whole lot of guacamole.

At the premiere for her new film The Zookeeper’s Wife, the Oscar-nominated actress, who turned 40 on Friday, spoke with the Associated Press about her birthday celebrations in Mexico over the weekend.

“Honestly it was so relaxing,” she said. “I was with my friends and my loved ones and we were in Mexico eating tons of guacamole. It was pretty great.”

Also on the agenda? “Sleeping a lot,” she said.

“This has been a birthday to remember. Thank you all for your lovely wishes!

The cast of The Zookeeper’s Wife gathered in Los Angeles for the premiere of the film about Antonina and her husband Jan, who become heroes to hundreds during World War II,...

I've interviewed Jessica Chastain five times now, and she just keeps getting lovelier. On this occasion we talked about her stunning new film The Zookeerper's Wife, based on the international bestseller by Diane Ackerman. In the film, Chastain plays Antonina Zabinski, one half of a married pair of zookeepers who kept safe hundreds of Jews during the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939.... Read More...

Here at Et, we’re obsessed with a lot of things -- and for the week of March 27 to April 2, this is what we’re most excited about:

Why We’re Obsessed With 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- The Musical'

It’s a childhood favorite that’s been transformed from book to screen, and now the tale where sweet dreams come true hits the Broadway stage. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka, will make its Broadway debut following a successful run in London. Two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle will take on the role famously originated by Gene Wilder in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. “There are certain things people are craving to see, but we also want to surprise them,” Borle says of playing Wonka onstage. Will he recreate Wilder’s famous onscreen entrance? That’s still to be determined. “To make this...

It might not be surprising that Jessica Chastaine’s upcoming Holocaust drama The Zookeeper’s Wife was directed by a woman as much as it was directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro, who once again proves herself capable of working with an international cast on a scale that’s far bigger than her earlier films, including Whale Rider.

Adapted from the novel by Diane Ackerman, it stars Chastaine as Antonina Zabinska, wife of the zoologist and owner of the biggest zoo in Warsaw, Poland, which is devastated when the Nazis invade in 1939. Trying to make lemonade out of the lemons delivered to them by the Nazis liquidating their zoo, Antonina and her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) come up with a plan to save the Jews from Warsaw who are being herded into ghettos, and being treated horribly. Turning the zoo into a pig farm, the couple begin to sneak...

We've got a mix of the serious and the silly and the scary today in this roundup of new movie trailers and clips:    The Zookeeper's Wife Jessica Chastain and a whole lot of animals lead the true story of Antonina Zabinska, who saved hundreds of Jews by hiding them from the Nazis in the Warsaw Zoo during World War II. The movie, based on the book by Diane Ackerman, is the latest from Whale Rider director Niki Caro. Daniel Bruhl costars as Lutz...

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We've got a mix of the serious and the silly and the scary today in this roundup of new movie trailers and clips:    The Zookeeper's Wife  Jessica Chastain and a whole lot of animals lead the true story of Antonina Zabinska, who saved hundreds of Jews by hiding them from the Nazis in the Warsaw Zoo during World War II. The movie, based on the book by Diane Ackerman, is the latest from Whale Rider director Niki Caro. Daniel Bruhl co-stars as Lutz Heck, a German zoologist who stole the most valuable species from the Polish zoo for his nation's own exhibition. And Johan Heldenbergh is the titular zookeeper, Jan Zabinska, who went off to fight in the Warsaw Uprising. Watch the first trailer below and look for this one in...

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Yesterday, Focus Features gave us a sneak peek at their new true-life drama The Zookeeper's Wife. Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl star in the emotional drama based on the the non-fiction book by Diane Ackerman. Today, we get the full trailer, along with some never-before-scene photos.

The Zookeeper's Wife is the real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In 1939 Poland, Antonina &#379abi&#324ska (portrayed by two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr. Jan &#379abi&#324ski (Johan Heldenbergh of "The Broken Circle Breakdown"), have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are stunned - and forced to report to the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Br&#252hl of "Captain America: Civil War").

To fight back on their own terms, Antonina...

They gave all they could to save all they could. Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl star in the emotional drama The Zookeeper's Wife. Today, we get exciting first look footage from this real-life tale. We also get the official poster featuring the movie's leading lady and her co-star, a rare albino tiger.

The Zookeeper's Wife is based on the true story from the international best-seller of the same name. Focus Features is set to open The Zookeeper's Wife on March 31, 2017. Niki Caro, best known for acclaimed films such as North Country, Whale Rider, and McFarland, USA directs this harrowing adventure. The screenplay comes from War Bride writer Angela Workman based on the non-fiction book by Diane Ackerman.

The Zookeeper's Wife is the real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In 1939 Poland, Antonina &#379abi&#324ska (portrayed by two-time Academy Award...

Are you having a good week at work? Maybe your boss said something nice to you, or your Q4 self-eval went well, or you hit those new sales targets — either way, that all sounds absolutely miserable compared to the wonderful experience had by Jessica Chastain on the Holocaust zoo drama The Zookeeper's Wife. Why was it so great? As the actress wrote in an essay about the shoot for THR, unlike other film sets, there were women everywhere: "There are female producers (Diane Levin, Kim Zubick and Katie McNeill), a female screenwriter (Angela Workman), a female novelist (Diane Ackerman), a female protagonist and a female director," to say nothing of the female camera operator and female stunt coordinator. Though men still made up the majority of the crew, having so many women in positions of power was great for everyone, Chastain reports. "When you have both genders represented, then you...

Daniel Bruhl and Johan Heldenbergh are set to co-star with Jessica Chasten in Niki Caro's "The Zookeeper's Wife" for Focus Features.

The story follows the director of the Warsaw Zoo and his wife who together used the facility to help some three hundred Jewish people escape from the Warsaw Ghetto after the Germans invaded Poland in September 1939.

Angela Workman penned the script adaptation of Diane Ackerman's 2007 novel and filming begins next month in Europe.

Source: Variety...

Jessica Chastain will star in The Zookeeper's Wife.

The Zero Dark Thirty actress has signed on for Niki Caro's adaptation of the Diane Ackerman novel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film will be based on the true story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, the keepers of Warsaw Zoo during World War II.

The pair smuggled Jewish refugees out of Nazi-occupied Poland, putting up others in the zoo and their own home.

While Jan fought in the Polish resistance, Anonina fought to keep morale high among her human and animal guests, creating a community and occasionally even putting on a piano recital.

Chastain was most recently seen in Mama and will appear in Ned Benson's dual film project The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His and Hers alongside James McAvoy.

The Zookeeper's Wife is yet to announce the rest of its cast.

Watch Jessica Chastain discuss Zero Dark Thirty...

Jessica Chastain has inked a deal to star in Niki Caro's upcoming adaptation The Zookeeper's Wife.

Based on a novel by Diane Ackerman, the film tells the true story of zoo keepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski of the Warsaw Zoo during World War II. The pair saved hundreds of lives during the Nazi invasion of Poland by smuggling Jews into empty cages.

Niki Caro is directing from a script provided by Angela Workman. Jeff Abberley, Mike Tollin, Kim Zubick, Diane Miller-Levin and Robbie Rowe-Tollin will be producing.

Jessica Chastain most recently starred in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty. She will next be seen in Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak.

The project will likely to hit the market in Cannes.

The World War II drama The Zookeeper's Wife has scored Jessica Chastain as its star, with Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) set to direct. It's the true story of how Jan and Antonina Zabinski oversaw the Warsaw Zoo in Poland, smuggled hundreds of persecuted Jews in animal cages, and harbored Jewish families in their home alongside animals including otters and hyena pups. The film is based on Diane Ackerman's 2007 book.

First announced for development as a feature film in 2010 , The Zookeeper's Wife has found its lead in Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain and its director in Whale Rider helmer Niki Caro. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Chastain will headline the adaptation of the Diane Ackerman novel, officially described as follows: When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw.and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant...