News

Music Box Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Zodiac Killer Project,” director Charlie Shackleton’s true-crime documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and plays at Visions du Réel on Saturday. The film was awarded Sundance’s Next Innovator Award for its “witty narration and fascinating and deft storytelling.”

The film also screened at SXSW, First Look, True/False and Cph:dox, and has its Los Angeles premiere on Sunday at the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. Music Box will set a theatrical release later this year, with a home entertainment release to follow.

“Zodiac Killer Project” is “a sly, sideways spin on the true crime genre, fashioned by a filmmaker who lovingly critiques the tropes and cliches of the form with a connoisseur’s eye,” according to a statement. Using Bay Area landscapes, stylized b-roll and archival material to tell the story of an abandoned documentary about...

A Minecraft Movie hits theaters this week, carrying massive box office expectations that could shape the future of Warner Bros.’ leadership. With the studio desperate for a win after recent high-profile flops.

The review embargo has finally been lifted following a slew of mixed social media reactions and the reviews are mixed. Some critics think A Minecraft Movie is a shallow, corporate cash grab that lacks the creativity and fun of the game. Many say it feels empty, like it’s just using the Minecraft name to make money instead of telling a great story.

Some found it boring, frustrating, and aimed only at kids, with little for adults to enjoy. Others felt it copied parts of the game’s look but didn’t capture its real sense of adventure. Overall, they see it as a safe, uninspired movie that doesn’t take risks or do anything special.

Related: Minecraft...

Melissa Barrera has officially branched out into monster movies — but her first hit with a hairy beast isn't the violent slash-fest we've come to expect from the Screamstar. Rather, Your Monsteris an oddly heartwarming horror romance that, despite receiving a somewhat lukewarm reaction upon its theatrical debut in October 2024, is currently climbing the streaming charts over on Max.

An independent project that first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Your Monster follows Barrera as young actress Laura Franco, who is struggling with her recent cancer diagnosis as well as a brutal breakup with her playwright boyfriend. Upon returning to live in her childhood home, Franco discovers a monster in the closet, whom she appropriately dubs "Monster."

At first frightened by each other, Franco and Monster quickly develop a bond over their shared love of theater, and become even closer when Monster exacts revenge on Franco's ex-boyfriend for dumping her in...

UK filmmakers and talent have a strong showing at Sundance 2025, taking place from January 23 to February 2, 2025 in Park City.

Brides, the feature debut of theatre director and incoming Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall,premieres in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.The film, which is written by Suhayla El-Bushra,follows two troubled teenage girls who decide to run away to Syria, is produced by Neon’s Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi from Italian outfit Rosamont.

It was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund,...

James McAvoy's hit 2024 thriller Speak No Evil is one of the best horror remakes in recent years and is available to stream now. McAvoy is best known for his roles in films such as the Oscar-winner Atonement (2007) and the X-Men blockbusters of the 2010s, such as First Class (2011) and Days of Future Past (2014). McAvoy also starred in one of M. Night Shyamalan's greatest works, the 2016 psychological horror film Split featuring then-rising star Anya Taylor-Joy.

Speak No Evil is a remake of the 2022 original of the same name directed by Christian Tafdrup. The 2022 version takes place in Denmark and features a slate of impressive Danish actors such as Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch. The 2024 British version of Speak No Evil, which has an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, is directed by UK-based filmmaker James Watkins. McAvoy leads the cast of Speak No Evil alongside Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi,...

Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights from sales company Films Boutique to tender coming-of-age drama “Young Hearts” by Belgian newcomer Anthony Schatteman, which recently launched from the Berlin Film Festival.

Schatteman’s standout debut follows a 13-year-old boy named Elias, who feels drawn to his new neighbor, Alexander, and must overcome his conflicted feelings about being attracted to another boy. “Young Hearts” won a special mention in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlinale in February and has now been selected by Cannes Écran Junior, the Cannes Film Festival sidebar section showcasing films for all audiences that have a specific cultural and educational value for younger viewers.

The film will soon have its North American premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival in May.

“Casting directors take note: Lou Goossens [who plays Elias] in this first feature film role is an actor to watch out for,” wrote Variety critic Catherine Bray in her “Young Hearts” review,...

Following its world premiere in the competition section of the Berlin Film Festival, Beta Cinema has revealed first sales across Europe and to Australia and New Zealand for Andreas Dresen’s “From Hilde, With Love.”

The drama about anti-Nazi activists in Berlin, which is led by “Babylon Berlin’s” Liv Lisa Fries and introduces Johannes Hegemann in his first big screen appearance, will be released in France by Haut et Court, in Italy by Teodora and throughout Scandinavia by Angel Films. Beta Cinema also closed deals for Benelux (September Film), Portugal (Outsider), former Yugoslavia (Discovery), Hungary (Cirko) and Czech Republic (Film Europe). Palace Film picked up the film for Australia and New Zealand. Pandora Filmverleih will release the film in the German-speaking territories in October.

Variety film critic Catherine Bray praised “From Hilde, With Love” as “eternally urgent and relevant” and Fries’ performance was praised in the international trades. German...

The Big Screen Awards ceremony will take place on November 23 at The Brewery in London.

The first group of judges for The Big Screen Awards 2023 has been announced ahead of the entry deadline of September 8.

The Big Screen Awards were rebranded from the Screen Awards last year, and recognise the achievements of marketing, distribution, publicity and exhibition teams and companies for their work releasing films into UK cinemas and connecting them with audiences.

Among the first group of judges confirmed for this year’s awards are producers Andrea Cornwell and Lisa Marie Russo, plus former Lff head and current Nfts exec Tricia Tuttle,...

The Big Screen Awards ceremony will take place on November 23 at The Brewery in London.

The first group of judges for The Big Screen Awards 2023 has been announced ahead of the entry deadline of September 8.

The Big Screen Awards were rebranded from the Screen Awards last year, and recognise the achievements of marketing, distribution, publicity and exhibition teams and companies for their work releasing films into UK cinemas and connecting them with audiences.

Among the first group of judges confirmed for this year’s awards are producers Andrea Cornwall and Lisa Marie Russo, plus former Lff head and current Nfts exec Tricia Tuttle,...

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival’s documentary slate featured probes into human rights abuses and profiles of unsung visionaries. At least one movie falls into both categories. This year marks the second time that the L’Œil d’or, first presented in 2015, has gone to two films. It’s also the first time in 19 years that nonfiction has competed for the Palme d’Or. Do you think any of the following titles 10 should be on our radar come Oscar season?

See Cannes 2023 round-up: Top 25 movies to emerge from this year’s festival [Photos]

“Anita”

Anita Pallenberg is known by a small group, and still only as a muse rather than an actress, fashion icon and writer. Laird Borrelli-Persson (Vogue) describes her as a “troubled woman who has come close to being mythologized out of existence and sidelined by the juggernaut that is The Rolling Stones.” Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill made “Anita...

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival is jam-packed with buzzy world premieres, from Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” Todd Haynes is also back to unveil “May December,” featuring the A-list pairing of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, while Disney is bringing Harrison Ford to the Croisette for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” New films from Pedro Almodovar, Jessica Hautner, Jonathan Glazer, Catherine Corsini, Hirokazu Kore-eda and more are also set to make their debuts at Cannes this year.

Cannes is often seen as a launching pad for Oscar season. Warner Bros. in 2022 kicked off its lengthy awards run for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” on the French Riviera, with the film going on to land eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture. Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” also picked up Oscar nods for best picture, director and original screenplay. Two international film nominees,...

Melanie Iredale, Jeanie Finlay and Lauren Castro are among the participants.

Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale, British Council’s Catherine Bray, and filmmaker Jeanie Finlay are among the speakers participating in the industry programme of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival (Gff), taking place from March 6-9 and with a particular focus on female talent.

Iredale will participate in an event called ”20 years of Birds Eye View” which celebrates the organisation’s Reclaim The Frame, a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers.

Bray will host one-to-one sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.

Jeanie Finlay,...

Programme will have a particular focus on female talent across the industry

The Glasgow film festival (Gff) has unveiled the full programme for its 2023 industry focus strand with participants including Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale and the British Council’s Catherine Bray.

The programme will run March 6-9 and have a particular focus on female talent across the industry.

Iredale will participate in an event celebrating 20 years of Reclaim The Frame – a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers – with film critic and curator Xuanlin Tham.

Bray will be offering 1:1 sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.

Exclusive: All3Media-backed Little Dot Studios’ Head of Arts Catherine Bray has departed to focus on UK indie Loop.

Bray joined Little Dot six years ago as Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 shorts strand Random Acts, which featured the likes of Mae Martin, Asa Butterfield and Noel Fielding.

She was promoted to Head of Arts in 2019, overseeing three years of BBC iPlayer strand Inside Cinema along with podcasts and specials.

Bray was previously running Loop on the side with producers Anthony Ing and Charlie Shackleton. The indie is developing two scripted films with the BFI and Field of Vision and has previously had features play at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and 2021 BFI London Film Festival. Bray has also produced essay films Guilt-Free Pleasures and Meet the Family for BBC Four via Loop.

Andy Taylor Foundation

In related Little Dot news, the indie has launched a foundation to improve social mobility...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV announce new casting for Season 2 of “Alex Rider,” investment is approved for Bottle Yard Studios in the U.K., the BIFAs announce Tom Felton will host this year’s online ceremony, Nent Studios UK sells three formats in Vietnam and Cruchnyroll picks up “Tsukimichi – Moonlit Fantasy” for streaming outside of Asia.

Casting

Eleventh Hour Films has announced expanded casting for Season 2 of its popular Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV series “Alex Rider.”

Adapted from Anthony Horowitz’s popular YA series, “Alex Rider” tracks a teenager in London who has been clandestinely trained as a spy since childhood. Season 2 will adapt “Eagle Strike,” the fourth book from the popular series.

“Die Another Day” and “Lost in Space” actor Toby Stephens joins the cast as tech billionaire Damian Cray, while Rakie Ayola (“Noughts and Crosses”) will play CIA deputy director...

The ceremony will be broadcast live on Facebook.

The British Independent Film Awards will take place as an online ceremony on Thursday February 18, hosted by actor Tom Felton.

Felton will lead the event live from Wales, where he is currently filming Sara Sugarman’s Save The Cinema alongside Jonathan Pryce and Samantha Morton, as revealed by Screen.

He will be joined online by UK and international film talent to reveal the 2020 winners. The show will also feature conversations with jurors and famous film fans about this year’s nominees.

The live show will be broadcast via BIFA’s Facebook page,...

Filmmaker Dean Fleischer-Camp has signed with CAA.

The director and editor is best known for the viral short “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” voiced by Jenny Slate. The stop-motion animated short debuted in 2010 and was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The accompanying children’s book, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Things About Me” went on to become a New York Times bestseller. Fleischer-Camp and Slate recently finished production on a feature-length adaptation of “Marcel the Shell,” also starring Isabella Rossellini. The new project is produced by CineReach and Elisabeth Holm.

Fleischer-Camp’s first feature film “Fraud” was distributed last year by Memory (co-founders founders Sebastian Pardo and Riel Roch-Decter also signed with CAA earlier this year), garnering widespread acclaim. Fleischer-Camp’s inspiration for the movie came from finding the family’s home videos online; the meta-fiction thriller is described as “a completely new story to...

A seemingly sunny aerobics tape is secretly the key to accessing Hell—with the completion of five devilish tasks—in the short film Satanic Panic ’87, which you can watch in its entirety right here on Daily Dead.

Written, directed, and edited by Bryan M. Ferguson, Satanic Panic ’87 stars Arran Totten, Yuki Sutton, Amy Clydesdale, and Yoshie Campbell.

"Commissioned by Channel 4’s Random Acts and programmed by Film4 for their FilmFear season 2019.

Synopsis: It’s 1987 and two metalheads have opened a gateway to hell when following the instructions of a satanic aerobics tape.

Writer/Editor/Director: Bryan M. Ferguson

Producer: Aidan O’Mara

Cinematographer: George Harwood

Digital Effects: Vari Ferguson

Art Dept: Nathan Elliott

Make-Up and Prosthetics Artist: Laura McGowan

Sound Recordist: Jonny McLoone

Music: Alex Mackay

1st A.C.: Ross Elliott

Aerobics Videographer: Jimmy Gage

Commissioning Editor: Catherine Bray

Commissioning Assistant: Jake Cunningham

Runners: Misha McCullagh and Matt Cairns...

Speakers include Amma Asante, Alice Lowe and Hope Dickson Leach.

UK director Amma Asante will reflect on her BAFTA-winning career as part of the three-day Industry Focus Event at the Glasgow Film Festival next month (February 27-March 1).

Asante’s films include A Way Of Life, Belle, A United Kingdom and Where Hands Touch. She recently signed to direct The Billion Dollar Spy for Walden Media and Weed Road. The ‘in conversation’ event will be hosted by Screen International with the support of Nfts Scotland.

Further industry panels and talks at Glasgow will include ‘The Actor-Director Relationship’ with Dirty God’s...

Newly-established Loop Fund aims for ‘risk-taking approach’.

Nascent UK production company Loop has reinvested profits from its own films into three ‘no-strings-attached’ filmmaker grants of £5,000.

The three recipients are: artist-filmmaker Jamie Janković, who will use their award for a project applying the aesthetic of text-based gameplay to personal stories of queerness, disconnection and family; artist and animator Grace Lee, whose work will examine the use of dogs throughout art history; and filmmaker John Ogunmuyiwa, whose project will portray the high street as seen through the window of an African hair salon.

“Apart from being easy to apply, people were also drawn to the no-strings-attached element,...

Documentary will be exclusive to the BBC’s iPlayer VOD platform.

Charlie Lyne, the filmmaker behind teen movies documentary Beyond Clueless, is to turn his attention to horror for the BBC.

Fear Itself (working title) will be built from material spanning more than 100 years of horror cinema and reunites Lyne with Beyond Clueless producers Catherine Bray and Anthony Ing.

As well as studying the genre, which dates back to the beginning of film, Lyne will attempt to subvert the traditional formalities of the arts documentary to create a movie every bit as scary as the films at its centre.

A statement from the BBC explained: “Our journey through horror will be led not by historical chronology, but by the physical experience of fear within the human brain.

“We’ll track a course through the involuntary reactions that make horror possible, and use them as a jumping-off point to explore how horror filmmakers tap into our most fundamental...

Filmmakers behind SXSW and Sheffield Doc Fest film to launch UK roadshow.

The filmmakers behind SXSW and Sheffield Doc Fest documentary Beyond Clueless are to self-distribute the film in the UK.

The documentary, an insight into the soul of the teen movie, as seen through the eyes of over 200 modern coming-of-age films, will hit ten screens across the UK as part of a roadshow spearheaded by director Charlie Lyne and co-producer Catherine Bray.

The screenings will include Q&As and themed frat parties and will be followed by another self-funded release on January 23 that will include live-scored screenings and teen movie double-bills.

The film will then play at Picturehouses at the end of January via the circuit’s Discover Tuesdays slot.

VOD releases are currently being negotiated by New York-based sales outfit Film Sales Company.

“Having seen what invariably happens to smaller films with scattershot release strategies, the last thing we wanted to do was have Beyond Clueless...