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[Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault; Editor's Note: Spoilers Discussed Throughout]

Rape-revenge films have a long lineage in cinematic history. While the genre primarily sits in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond, you can trace early roots to 1931’s A Woman Branded, in which a woman is assaulted and contracts a venereal disease. But it was 1960’s The Virgin Spring that completely upended the film world and set in motion much of what we understand about and see in modern rape-revenge films. In the following decades, we’ve seen countless versions of a similar story, and you can owe another genre touchstone, 1978’s graphically assaultive I Spit on Your Grave, for furthering the reach of the rape-revenge archetype and laying the foundation for what was to come.

Filmmaker Mary Beth McAndrews plants her flag in the genre with her 2025 indie film, Bystanders, in which a young woman is raped and the night unravels into bloodthirsty revenge and burnt male flesh.

Saule Bliuvaite’s debut feature follows two Lithuanian teens seduced by a ‘modelling school’ promising to take them away from their tough home town

Lithuanian first-time director Saule Bliuvaite makes a real impression with this impressively acted and elegantly composed feature set in the tough suburbs of Kaunas where teen girls dream of escape through an international modelling career. Bliuvaite and her cinematographer Vytautas Katkus contrive striking tableaux and ambient setpieces, creating an emotional context for this drama: a world of alienation and desperate need, but also resilient humour. It’s a disturbing essay in sexuality, poverty and sexual capital which reminded me a little of Ninja Thyberg’s Pleasure and Isabella Eklöf’s Holiday in its candid, affectless evocation of the young female body, and its vulnerability to weight-loss exploitation. Bliuvaite’s style reminded me of the Austrians Ulrich Seidl and Jessica Hausner – the latter was incidentally president of...

In a revival of the minimalist spirit first seen in Dogme 95, five Scandinavian filmmakers introduced Dogma 25 at a Cannes event hosted by Zentropa. Their aim: to counter the dominance of algorithm-driven content by making five features within a year using handwritten scripts and excluding internet-based tools from the creative process.

May el-Toukhy, whose Queen of Hearts served as Denmark’s 2019 Oscars submission, leads the collective. She joined Milad Alami (The Charmer), Annika Berg (Hurricane), Isabella Eklöf (Holiday) and visual artist Jesper Just to present a manifesto they called “a cultural uprising.” Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, co-founders of the original Dogme 95, offered their endorsement.

Ten Vows for a New Era

Scripts must be original and handwritten by the director.

At least half the film runs without dialogue.

Internet use is banned during all creative stages.

Funding must arrive with no creative conditions attached.

Crews may include no more than ten people behind the camera.

It’s now been 30 years since Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg launched the Dogme 95 movement, featuring a set of stripped-down filmmaking rules to put power back in the hands of directors. While films such as Festen, The Idiots, and even Harmony Korine’s Julien Donkey-Boy emerged, it eventually died out about a decade on, but now a group of Danish directors have launched their own manifesto with Dogma 25.

As formed by May el-Thouky (Queen of Hearts), Milad Alami (The Charmer), Isabella Eklöf (Holiday), Annika Berg (Hurricane), and Jesper Just, it comes at an opportune time as the industry undergoes many challenges. “We celebrate Dogma 95, the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. Dogma 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising,” the filmmakers said. “In a world where formulaic films based...

Dogma isn’t dead!

In a packed presser this afternoon at the Zentropa villa in Cannes, filmmakers May el-Toukhy, Milad Alami, Annika Berg, Isabella Eklöf and Jesper Just announced that they are launching a rebranded Dogma manifesto, styled as Dogma 25, to “protect the artistic integrity of feature film and create space for uncompromising cinematic storytelling.”

The manifesto contains 10 new dogmas, and the filmmakers said they have taken a “new vow of chastity” to uphold the rules, which they explained are influenced by three central themes: a return to the physical reality, aesthetic restrain and economic and geographic accountability. You can read the full list of dogmas below.

No. 1 on the list compels each director to only work on screenplays that are original and handwritten by the director. The list demands that the internet is off limits in all creative processes, and the filmmakers must only accept funding with no content-altering conditions attached.

Five Danish filmmakers are picking up the baton from the founders of Dogma 95 and launching Dogma 25 along with a new manifesto and ten “vows of chastity” to “protect the artistic integrity of feature film and create space for uncompromising cinematic storytelling.”

May el-Thouky, Milad Alami, Isabella Eklöf, Annika Berg (“Hurricane”) and rising talent Jesper Just will lead the new revolution.

Previously, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring kicked off the movement that resulted in 212 Danish and international feature films, including “The Celebration,” “The Idiots,” “Italian for Beginners” and more.

“We celebrate Dogma 95, the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. Dogma 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising,” stated new leaders.

“In a world where formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction,...

Thirty years after Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg gave the arthouse movie world a much-needed kick in the pants with the Dogma 95, also known as Dogme 95, movement, a new generation of Nordic filmmakers is picking up the torch.

A collection of four up-and-coming Danish directors, May el-Toukhy (Queen of Hearts), Milad Alami (Opponent), Annika Berg (Team Hurricane), Isabella Eklöf (Kalak), and Jesper Just (Vanishing Woman) are launching Dogma 25, a manifesto-driven initiative designed to rescue artistic integrity from the pressures of the modern film industry.

“Dogma 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising,” the collective declared in a statement released in Cannes on Saturday. “We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness.”

The five filmmakers are backed by some of Denmark’s most established production entities. The project was spearheaded by el-Toukhy, who approached Zentropa last year. Zentropa producers Louise Vesth (Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...

“Industry” Season 4 is continuing to build out its cast with the addition of Kal Penn, Charlie Heaton, and Claire Forlani.

The trio join returning cast members like Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Kit Harington, and Miriam Petche in the HBO/BBC series, as well as new cast members Max Minghella, Kiernan Shipka, Jack Farthing, Toheeb Jimoh, and Amy James-Kelly.

Penn will play Jay Jonah Atterbury, described as the “CEO and founder of payment processor Tender.” Heaton will play Jim Dycker, “a finance journalist.” Finally, Forlani will play Cordelia Hanani-Spyrka, a “corporate PR heavy-hitter.”

Penn first broke out with playing one of the title roles in the “Harold & Kumar” film franchise before going on to star in shows like the medical drama “House” and the political drama “Designated Survivor.” He recently appeared as a guest host on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and starred in the hit horror film “Smile.

“Industry” is continuing to build out its cast for Season 4.

Variety has learned that Kiernan Shipka, Jack Farthing, Toheeb Jimoh, and Amy James-Kelly (“Three Families”) have all joined the upcoming fourth season of the HBO & BBC drama series.

They will appear alongside previously announced new cast member Max Minghella as well as returning cast Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Kit Harington, and Miriam Petche.

Shipka will play Hayley Clay, described as an “executive assistant at payment processor Tender.” Farthing will play Edward Smith, said to be a “troublemaker and long-time friend of Henry’s (Harington).” Jimoh will appear as Kwabena Bannerman, a “trader at Mostyn Asset Management.” And James-Kelly will play Jennifer Bevan, a “newly promoted Minister in the Labour government.”

Shipka is repped by WME and Anonymous Content. Farthing is repped by Independent Talent Group and Anonymous Content. Jimoh is represented by B-Side, WME, Tapestry London, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Max Minghella has been cast in “Industry” Season 4 at HBO & BBC, Variety has learned.

Minghella will star as Whitney Halberstram, described as “the CFO and Founder of Tender, a payment processor entering a growth phase.” He will appear alongside returning cast members like Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Kit Harington as Sir Henry Muck, and Miriam Petche.

Minghella received an Emmy nomination for his role as Commander Nick Blaine in the critically-acclaimed Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” He also previously appeared in the popular Fox/Hulu comedy “The Mindy Project.” In film, Minghella is known for roles in projects like “The Social Network,” “Spiral,” “Babylon,” and “The Ides of March.”

He is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, Jackoway Austen, and Lede.

“Industry” was picked up for Season 4 back in September. Production will begin on the new season in March in the U.K. The official description of Season...

Finnish producer Inka Hietala is launching Helsinki-based Into Films with a slate of film and TV projects including Flowers Of Farewell, that she is showcasing at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market this week.

“We’re dedicated to showcasing new voices and celebrating diverse talent, creating bold, culturally resonant stories that challenge and inspire audiences worldwide,”said Hietala.

Finnish producer Petri Kemppinen joins Hietala as a shareholder and senior advisor at Into Films; the company will collaborate on projects with Kemppinen’s own Good Hand Production.

Flowers Of Farewell isthe debut feature of Finnish-Bulgarian feature Pavel Andonov. The€2.1mproject will be...

Clearly, it’s laundry day for Matt Smith on the set of Nick Cave‘s The Death of Bunny Munro. Written by BAFTA winner Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy), with direction by Isabella Eklöf, the Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star goes shirtless in a first-look pic for the upcoming series adaptation of the Cave’s story. Baby Reindeer studio Clerkenwell Films is partnering with Sky Studios for the project, with Nick Cave producing the series based on his second novel.

What’s The Death of Bunny Munro about? Here’s a description of Cave’s novel courtesy of Amazon:

“Set adrift by his wife’s suicide and struggling to keep some sort of grasp on reality, Bunny Munro drives off in his yellow Fiat Punto, Bunny Jr. in tow. To his son waiting patiently in the car while he peddles beauty wares and quickies to lonely housewives in the south of England,...

Matt Smith is as you’ve never seen him before playing Bunny Munro in Sky’s adaptation of the cult Nick Cave novel.

Check out this first-look image (above) of the former Doctor Who star as the titular character. Smith can be seen complete with cigarette in a laundrette alongside newcomer Rafael Mathé, who plays Bunny Junior.

The Death of Bunny Munro follows the protagonist after the death of his wife by suicide. The self-professed lothario finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting. Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways. As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and distracting...

Matt Smith goes full bad boy in the first look at Sky’s six-part series “The Death of Bunny Munro,” based on Nick Cave’s cult novel.

In the debut image released from the series, Smith — who is playing the title character — sports only his underwear as he gets ready to light up in a laundromat. By Smith’s side is newcomer Rafael Mathé as Bunny Munro’s son, Bunny Junior.

Described as a “wild cautionary tale” and “tender portrait of a father and son,” “The Death of Bunny Munro” takes place after Bunny’s wife, Libby, dies by suicide. According to its official synopsis: “Sex-addicted door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario Bunny Munro finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting. Together with 9-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two...

Sky has unveiled a first-look image of Matt Smith in the upcoming six-part limited series, The Death of Bunny Munro.

Written by BAFTA winner Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and directed by BAFTA-nominated Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday), the show is based on Nick Cave’s sophomore novel and produced by Clerkenwell Films in association with Sky Studios. The musician also serves as executive producer.

Doctor Who and House of the Dragon actor Smith, shirtless and with a cigarette in the first-look image revealed Monday, stars in the titular role. Pictured alongside him is newcomer Rafael Mathé, playing Bunny Junior.

“Following his wife Libby’s death by suicide, sex addicted, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario Bunny Munro finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting,” a plot synopsis reads.

“Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip...

HBO has given the green light to Industry Season 4, which will continue the critically acclaimed series created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. From Bad Wolf, the series concludes its eight-episode third season on Sunday, September 29, on HBO and Max.

Season three of Industry is pacing nearly 40% ahead of season two, with an average of 1.6 million viewers per episode and growing. Viewership for Industry in the past five weeks ranks among its top five weeks ever.

Industry gives an insider’s view of the black box of high finance following a group of young bankers as they forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sex and drug-fueled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office.

In season three, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center...

“Industry” has been renewed for Season 4 at HBO. The news comes less than two weeks before the Season 3 finale, which is scheduled to air on Sept. 29.

“For three seasons, ‘Industry’ has been unflinching in its examination of ambition and class, solidifying itself as a marquee HBO drama,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO drama series and films. “Under Mickey and Konrad’s singular vision, this twisted, thrilling look at London finance has redefined the contemporary workplace show. We’re so excited that viewers and critics have recognized season three as bigger and better than ever, buoyed by sublime performances from our unparalleled cast. We have no doubt that Mickey and Konrad, alongside the amazing team under executive producer Jane Tranter at Bad Wolf and executive producer Kathleen McCaffrey, will take season four to even greater heights.”

Per HBO, the third season of the...

HBO is putting the traders of Pierpoint back to work.

The premium cabler has ordered a fourth season of Industry, its drama series set in the world of finance in London. The renewal comes with two episodes left in season three, whose finale is set to air Sept. 29.

Industry has show sizable ratings growth this season. While it’s never been one of HBO’s bigger shows, the series, created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, has improved by 40 percent on its season two performance, averaging 1.6 million cross-platform viewers per episode since its Aug. 11 premiere. That number will likely continue to grow, as HBO measures viewing for 90 days from a premiere.

“For three seasons, Industry has been unflinching in its examination of ambition and class, solidifying itself as a marquee HBO drama,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vp HBO Programming and head of HBO drama series and films. “Under Mickey and Konrad’s singular vision,...

Pierpoint is still standing even after having weathered the twisty storm of “Industry” Season 3.

IndieWire can confirm that “Industry” has been renewed for a fourth season at HBO. The critically acclaimed show is created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, and will conclude its eight-episode third season on Sunday, September 29 on HBO and Max.

“Industry” stars Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, and Ken Leung as Pierpoint investors, with Myha’la as a former employee trying to carve out her own niche in the cutthroat London financial world. Conor MacNeill, Sagar Radia, Indy Lewis, Adam Levy, Sarah Parish, Trevor White, Elena Saurel, and Irfan Shamji co-star.

Kit Harington and Sarah Goldberg joined the Season 3 ensemble cast, along with Miriam Petche, Andrew Havill, Roger Barclay, Fady Elsayed, and Fiona Button.

The official series logline reads: “‘Industry’ gives an insider’s view of the blackbox of high finance following a group of young bankers as...

[Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers for “Industry” Season 3, Episode 6, “Nikki Beach, or: So Many Ways to Lose.”]

It is the most dramatic and arguably most consequential moment in the three seasons of HBO‘s “Industry.” During a heated argument with his daughter Yasmin (Marisa Abela), the disgraced book publisher Charles Hanani (Adam Levy) leaps from his yacht into the Mediterranean. His daughter decides not throw the buoy and save him, instead confiding in her friend Harper (Myha’la) to cover her tracks.

To shoot the pivotal Episode 6 scene, director Isabella Eklöf cleared the deck, leaving only four crew members on set, and shuttling between above-and-below deck herself to give the actors space. According to Eklöf, the two key moments of decision — Charles to jump, Yasmin not throwing the buoy– were surprisingly easy for both Abela and Levy to find dramatically, only requiring three takes of each.

After the father-daughter unload, saying the most brutal and brutally honest things imaginable to one another,...

The final two episodes of “Industry” Season 3 are shifting timeslots — at least on linear.

Episodes seven and eight of the third season of “Industry” will still be available at the usual 9 p.m. Et to stream on Max on Sunday, Sept. 22 and Sept. 29. However, on HBO proper, the episodes will not air until 10 p.m., immediately following the new DC miniseries “The Penguin.”

“The Penguin,” which stars Colin Farrell in a reprisal of his role from Matt Reeves’ film “The Batman,” will make its official debut on Thursday, Sept. 19. An encore of the series premiere will air at 9 p.m. on Sept. 22 as well, with the eight-episode show airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. thereafter.

“Industry” Season 3 debuted on HBO and Max on Aug. 11. The British-American series has seen a steady rise in popularity as it has continued. HBO recently announced that this season’s premiere drew an estimated 300,000 viewers across all platforms,...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains plot details for “Nikki Beach, or: So Many Ways to Lose,” Season 3, Episode 6 of HBO’s “Industry,” now streaming on Max.

Last week, “Industry” ended on a rare cliffhanger: with Yasmin (Marisa Abela), the publishing heiress turned finance associate turned tabloid target, seemingly confessing to the murder of her disgraced, missing father Charles (Adam Levy). This week, the HBO drama finally shows its audience what happened on that fateful yacht ride in Mallorca. In an extended flashback, we learn that Yasmin didn’t technically kill Charles — she simply failed to alert anyone when Charles jumped into the water, a futile attempt to emotionally manipulate his daughter in the midst of an explosive fight.

Written by Joseph Charlton, directed by Isabella Eklöf, and overseen by co-creators and showrunners Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the episode puts a spotlight on a character who’s become the de...

HBO has released the official Industry Season 3 trailer and key art. Mickey Down and Konrad Kay created the critically acclaimed original drama series.

The third season debuts on Sunday, August 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. New episodes will debut weekly.

Industry gives an insider’s view of the black box of high finance following a group of young bankers as they forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sex and drug-fueled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office.

In season three, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all...

The cutthroat culture of the finance world has never been sexier than “Industry” Season 3.

With new cast members Kit Harington and Sarah Goldberg joining the ensemble, things are about to get even more tense for the Pierpoint London crew. The official Season 3 synopsis reads: “As Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).”

The series is created by writers/directors/executive producers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; Isabella Eklöf,...

Updated with full trailer released 7/24: The future of Pierpoint is on the line in Season 3 of HBO’s drama series Industry.

The full trailer for the upcoming season, released on Wednesday, ups the ante at the investment bank as Harper (Myha’la) attempts to bring down her old employer after Eric (Ken Leung) ousted her at the end of Season 2. And she’s using their old client, FutureDawn, to do it.

Watch the full trailer above. The teaser, which was previously released and provides a bit more of a look at the series’ newest cast member Kit Harington, is embedded below.

Previous story: HBO has released the official teaser for the third season of the HBO Original drama series Industry debuting Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

The drama gives an insider’s view of the blackbox of high finance following a group of young bankers as they forge...

Sex, drugs, and investment banking. Must mean “Industry” is (finally) back.

In Season 3, Pierpoint & Co. turns toward ethical investing, but probably not for the ethics. Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) are tasked with taking green-tech energy company Lumi, led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), to the public markets. But before it can IPO, questions about the company’s finances reach the media, and Sir Henry’s pleasant-appearing disposition is overtaken by a much darker personality. Still, there’s nothing like some shirtless handball to blow off some steam.

Meanwhile, Harper (Myha’la) is no longer with Pierpoint, but she’s not out of the game yet. In a lengthy teaser released Tuesday by HBO, it looks like her and Eric may have another go at this whole finance thing. But first, he and Robert have to do some primal screaming.

The returning cast for Season 3 also includes Conor MacNeill,...

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds Of Kindness, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance and Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, are among the films that will screen in CineMasters, the main competition of this month’s Munich International Film Festival (Miff), taking place from June 28 to July in Germany.

Fourteen films are in the running for CineMasters’ €50,000 Arri Award which is presented to the producers of the best international film. Further titles include Jia Zhang-ke’s Caught By The Tides, Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When The Light Breaks, which premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section last month, as well as Jaione Camborda...

HBO has shared a first look at Industry Season 3, which will debut on Sunday, August 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and Max.

The eight-episode third season comes from creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. The directors include Down, Kay, Isabella Eklöf, and Zoé Wittock.

Industry gives an insider’s view of the black box of high finance following a group of young bankers as they forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sex and drug-fueled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office.

In Industry Season 3, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance,...

“Industry” is turning up the heat when it comes to the high-pressure world of finance.

The eight-episode third season of the original HBO drama series revolves around the young bankers of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office. Season 3 has Pierpoint looking to the future and taking a big bet on ethical investing. Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green-tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).

“Industry” is keeping it all in the HBO family, with former “Game of Thrones” star Harington and “Barry” breakout Goldberg both joining the cast,...

Scanbox Entertainment has finalized a restructuring of its senior management team with a series of internal promotions alongside a new hire.

Merete Martensen Christensen has taken over from Kim William Beich as acting Chief Operations Officer (COO). Beich will continue at the company as Head of Acquisitions and Special Projects. Christensen will also retain her role as Head of Theatrical in Scandinavia and as local Head of Theatrical in Denmark. Christensen has been part of the management group since 2014 and originally joined Scanbox back in 2011.

Elsewhere, Per Bergholdt Knudsen has joined Scanbox in the newly created Director of Sales & Acquisition Manager. He will work closely with Torben Thorup Jørgensen, Chief Commercial Officer (Cco), taking over sales duties and joining the acquisitions team at Scanbox Entertainment. Knudsen is a senior sales and acquisitions executive who started as a film buyer in TV2’s acquisition department and worked there for five years,...

Festival selection includes Nikolaj Arcel’s ‘The Promised Land’ and Ernst De Geer’s ‘The Hypnosis’.

Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.

The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.

Scroll down for the list of festival titles

The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land,...

Actors Ewan McGregor, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, directors Ruben Östlund, Ernst de Geer, Ramata-Toulaye Sy and Cannes Film Festival honcho Thierry Frémaux are some of the stellar guests set to walk the red carpet at the 47th edition of Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival.

This year’s Göteborg Fest unspools from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4.

For his last run as artistic director of Scandinavia’s biggest film festival, Jonas Holmberg has selected 240 films from 82 countries, and what he calls “one of the strongest lineups ever” for Göteborg’s main Nordic competition strand. Among the highly anticipated titles vying for the coveted Best Nordic Film Dragon Award worth Sek 400,000, is Norway’s “Handling the Undead” by Thea Hvistendahl, set to kickstart the festival on the heels of its Sundance world premiere.

“This will be the first time we open with a zombie horror,” notes Holmberg, who looks forward...

The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the competition titles selected for its 47th edition, which runs from January 26 to February 4. (Scroll down for the full list).

Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400,000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.

Among the Nordic highlights is Madame Luna, Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa’s return to Nordic filmmaking following a series of Hollywood titles such as Morbius and Safe House. Inspired by real-life events, the film follows an Eritrean refugee who gets stuck in Libya and becomes a notorious human trafficker known as “Mama Luna” with deep ties to the Italian Mafia. When she is forced to flee to...

European Film Promotion has announced the 10 up-and-coming European acting talents for its 2024 European Shooting Stars list.

The actors, which include performers from this year’s award-season contenders Poor Things, Ferrari, and The Peasants, among others, will be lauded at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, next year.

The Shooting Stars class of 2024 includes:

Suzy Bemba (France) Suzy Bemba in ‘Homecoming’

French actress Suzy Bemba, who plays a Parisian sex worker who befriends Emma Stone’s character in Poor Things, and whose credits include standout roles in Anthony Chen’s Sundance film Drift and Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming.

Valentina Bellè (Italy) Valentina Bellè in ‘The Good Mothers’

Valentina Bellè from Italy, who plays Cecilia Manzini in Michael Mann’s Ferarri, won Italy’s Nastro D’Argento award for best supporting actress for her turn in Disney+ mafia drama The Good Mothers and has appeared in Disney+ series Genius: Picasso with...

10-strong line-up includes Italian actress Valentina Bellè and Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke.

European Film Promotion (Efp) has revealed the ten young European talents selected for the 27th edition of European Shooting Stars, its initiative to showcase promising on-screen talent from the continent.

Efp has selected seven actresses and three actors who will be presented to international press, industry, and the public during the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.

The line-up includes Italian actress Valentina Bellè who starred in two competition films at Venice this year: Michael Mann’s Ferrari and Lubo by Giorgio Diritti. She also plays the leading role in Disney + series The Good Mother,...

Former ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘The Crown’ actor, Matt Smith, has signed on to star and exec produce the series adaptation of Nick Cave’s ‘The Death of Bunny Munro.’

The darkly comic series will consist of six episodes is written by Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and to be directed by Isabella Eklöf.

Smith will play the titular role of Bunny Munro, a sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario whose life is derailed by his wife Libby’s suicide. Together with 9-year-old son Bunny Junior, he embarks on an increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to handle their grief. Bunny tries to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior by talking to the ghost of his mother as he slowly realizes his father is a mess.

Also in news – First Look Images drop for Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Gentleman’ series

Eklöf and Cave...

Nick Cave’s 2009 novel The Death of Bunny Munro is being adapted for a limited television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Matt Smith, best known for his roles in House of the Dragon, Doctor Who, and The Crown, is set to star in and produce the series.

“Finally, someone with the courage to take on this unholy tale,” Cave said in a statement. “I am thrilled that Sky and Clerkenwell Films are bringing Bunny to life, in all his flawed glory, and I can think of nobody better than Matt Smith to play him.”

The TV series will follow Smith as Munro, a traveling beauty product salesman and sex addict in Brighton, England. Faced with the aftermath of his wife’s unexpected suicide, Munro sets out on the road with his son — who idolizes him. Their trip holds severe roadblocks, as Munro faces his mortality and Munro Junior reckons...

Matt Smith has signed on to executive produce and star in an adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel The Death Of Bunny Munro.

The former Doctor Who star is swapping dragons and incest for… sex addiction. Smith is starring as the titular character, as well as executive producing, a TV adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel The Death Of Bunny Munro.

Smith’s Bunny, a self-professed lothario and a sex-addicted door-to-door salesman, will find himself a little out of his depth after his wife Libby dies and he is left with a 9-year-old son, Bunny Jr., to take care of. The two Bunnies embark on an epic road trip across southern England in this tale of grief.

The Death Of Bunny Munro is Cave’s second novel and was published in 2009. Cave has published several collections of essays, lyrics and poetry as well as the two novels, but The Death...

House of the Dragon and The Crown actor Matt Smith has signed on to star in and executive produce The Death of Bunny Munro, a limited series adaptation of Nick Cave’s darkly comic novel of the same name.

The six-part series, written by Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and to be directed by Isabella Eklöf (Industry, Holiday) is being produced by Clerkenwell Films (The End of the F***ing World, Misfits) in association with Sky Studios. The series is set to begin filming next Spring. Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now will carry the show in the U.K., with NBCUniversal Global Distribution handling international sales on behalf of Sky Studios. Sky is a subsidary of NBCUniversal parent company Comcast. Clerkenwell Films are wholly owned by BBC Studios.

Smith will play the titular role of Bunny Munro, a sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario whose life is...

Matt Smith is to star in and EP a Sky adaptation of Nick Cave’s sophomore novel The Death of Bunny Munro.

Smith will play the titular role. Following his wife Libby’s suicide, the sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting. Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior, he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across south England as the two struggle to contain their grief in different ways.

An adaptation of iconic singer Cave’s second novel, the project is being written by BAFTA-winning Somewhere Boy scribe Pete Jackson for End of The F***ing World indie Clerkenwell Films in association with Sky Studios. Cave will EP with former Doctor Who star Smith and numerous others. The Red Right Hand singer has written four books including, most recently, Faith, Hope and Carnage,...

‘Slow’ and ‘Animalia’ both world premiered to acclaim at Sundance while ’The Hypnosis’ picked up prizes at Karlovy Vary.

Paris-based Totem Films has agreed a slew of deals for acclaimed Sundance premieres Slow and Animalia as well as Karlovy Vary-winning feature The Hypnosis.

Marija Kavtaradze’s second feature Slow has sold to KimStim for theatrical distribution in North America and to Conic Film for the UK and Ireland. It was also scooped up by Salzgeber in Germany, Filmin in Spain, Falcon for Indonesia, New Horizons in Poland and HBO for Eastern Europe.

Slow world premiered at Sundance this year in...

Isabella Eklöf’s latest film Kalak is a loose adaptation of the autobiography by Danish-Norwegian author Kim Leine - who helped write the script along with Eklöf and Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen. It’s a tough and raw watch that tracks Jan (Emil Johnsen), a nurse who was abused by his father (Søren Hellerup), whose lingering trauma makes his life in Greenland with his family become increasingly unstable.

Although it is a personal work, the Swedish filmmaker, who sat down for a chat with us after the film's world premiere in competition at San Sebastian Film Festival, says she took a robust approach.

Isabella Eklöf: 'There's stuff in the film that did not happen to him, but that happened to me' Photo: Iñaki Luis “I don't think I need to respect his personal story, to be honest, because we are very aware that it’s a piece of cinema. It's not a book,...

The uncompromising environment of Greenland provides a fitting backdrop for Isabella Eklöf’s character study, which refuses to pull its punches right from its opening depiction of sexual abuse. The disturbing and graphic attack is perpetrated by Ole (Søren Hellerup) on his teenage son Jan (Emil Johnsen).

Fast-forward a few years and Jan is living what might be considered a straightforward life working as a nurse in Nuuk, Greenland, with his wife Laerke (Asta Kamma August) and young family. But his smiling air is a surface affair and things become increasingly strained after he starts receiving letters from his, now terminally ill, father. Eklöf emphasises the psychological violence of this by having Ole read his first letter directly to the camera. This gives his words an unsettling immediacy that helps us to imagine Jan’s feelings upon receipt.

It’s perhaps just as well that the director offers this early opportunity for empathy since.

San Sebastián, Spain, native Jaione Camborda took the top prize, the Golden Shell for best film, at the 71st San Sebastián Film Festival, for her The Rye Horn, a 1970s-set drama about a midwife forced to flee Galicia, Spain, to Portugal when, after a tragedy strikes, a teenage mother asked her for an abortion.

The audience award for best film went to J.A. Bayona’s Netflix real-life survival thriller Society of the Snow, while San Sebastián viewers voted Matteo Garrone’s migration drama Io Capitano the best European film at the festival. Both Society of the Snow and Io Capitano are in the running for the 2024 Oscar in the best international feature category.

The best performance award went to both Marcelo Subiotto for his performance as a philosophy teacher at the University of Buenos Aires battling a bitter rival over a professorship position in the dramedy Puan and Tatsuya Fuji...

The San Sebastian Film Festival awarded O Corno (The Rye Horn) with the Golden Shell for Best Film. San Sebastián native Jaione Camborda took the top prize of the night for the feature she directed.

Additionally, the jury gave the Silver Shell for Best Director to Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang for Chun xing / A Journey in Spring (Taiwan), while the Best Screenplay Award went to María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat for Puan (Argentina-Italy-Germany-France-Brazil).

The Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance fell ex aequo upon Marcelo Subiotto and Tatsuya Fuji for their respective roles in Puan, by Alché and Naishtat, and Great Absence (Japan), by Kei Chika-ura, while the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance went to Hovik Keuchkerian for his character in Un amor (Spain) by Isabel Coixet.

Check out the full list of winners below.

San Sebastian 2023 Award Winners List Golden Shell For Best Film

O Corno (The Rye Horn...

It’s now the fourth year in a row that a female filmmaker has won San Sebastián’s prestigious Golden Shell award. After Déa Kulumbegashvili’s Beginning, Alina Grigore’s Blue Moon and last year’s Laura Mora’s The Kings of the World, it is Jaione Camborda‘s The Rye Horn wins the biggest prize of them all. The film had its world premiere in the Platform section at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. Isabella Eklöf’s Kalak and María Alché plus Benjamín Naishtat’s Puan doubled up with wins – Kalak grabbed a Special Jury Prize and Best Cinematography, while Puan nabbed Best Screenplay and Best Leading perf for Marcelo Subiotto.…...

Spanish director becomes the fourth consecutive woman director to win the festival’s top prize

The Rye Horn (O Corno), the second feature by Jaione Camborda, has won the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the 2023 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Set on an island off the coast of Galicia in 1971, the film tells the story of a woman who earns a living harvesting shellfish. She is also known on the island for helping other women in childbirth but has to flee and try to cross the border into Portugal after an unexpected event.

Camborda, who was born in San Sebastian,...

A predictably spectacular sunset spreads streaks of pink and orange across a northern Spanish late September sky, heralding the end of another packed edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival, where at the closing gala, “The Rye Horn” the second feature from Spanish director Jaione Camborda has just been handed the Golden Shell, the festival’s top award.

It is perhaps a surprising win, but does now mark the fourth consecutive year that the festival’s most prestigious prize has gone to a female director. But in another way it has to be a first: the international jury, comprising French director Claire Denis, alongside Chinese actor and producer Fan Bingbing, Colombian producer-director Cristina Gallego, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, Spanish actor Vicky Luengo, Canadian producer and distributor Robert Lantos and German director Christian Petzold, has chosen to award not just a Spanish film, but one from a female director who was...

Sweden’s Isabella Eklöf has followed up her acclaimed debut “Holiday” with the Greenland-set “Kalak,” this time around opting for a male protagonist.

“He’s a guy, but the story is exactly the same,” she says.

“It’s still about sexual assault and ‘restaging’ your trauma, or looking for family and connection, but I have never explored that perspective before. An artist should be able to make art about anything, but it was strangely difficult. He does become more of a perpetrator. Why? I am not sure. Just because he has a dick, he becomes more dangerous.”

Eklöf, who previously co-wrote Ali Abbasi’s “Border,” based the story on an autobiographical novel by Kim Leine, with both of them writing alongside Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen.

Produced by Maria Møller Kjeldgaard (Manna Film), “Kalak’s” production partners take in Mer Film (Norway), Momento Film and Film i Väst (Sweden), Made (Finland), Dutch...

”I adore his cinema,” said festival director José Luis Rebordinos of Hayao Miyazaki. ”He is in my list of all-time favourite directors.”

The 71st edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival opened September 22 with the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature: The Boy And The Heron. The film screened in the official section out of competition at the Spanish festival, which has registered a 10% increase in industry professionals in its growing market activities.

At the ceremony, conducted mainly in Spanish and Basque, festival director José Luis Rebordinos paid homage to Miyazaki, recipient of one of the two Donostia...