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Comedy actor and writer John Early has added director to his resume as he brings his first feature, Maddie’s Secret, to open the Toronto Film Festival Discovery sidebar for first-time and emerging filmmakers.

The film about Maddie, a Food Network content creator trying not to allow her dark past to pierce her perfect veneer, stars many of Early’s colleagues in the L.A. stand-up comedy scene, including Kate Berlant, Vanessa Bayer and Connor O’Malley.

In all, Discovery programmers have assembled 23 world premieres for their 25th edition. Also booked into the Toronto section is director Nadia Latif’s The Man in My Basement, which plays with the horror genre and stars Corey Hawkins as an African American man about to lose his family’s home, until a white businessman (Willem Dafoe) offers to rent his basement to clear his debts in a deal he chose not to refuse, but should have.

The Man in My Basement, the first feature from Nadia Latif, starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe, has been announced as part of the Discovery lineup at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

TIFF released the Discovery lineup this morning. Other high-profile titles include Cato Kusters’ Julian, produced by Michiel and Lukas Dhont, Maddie’s Secret, the debut feature from cult comedian John Early, and Egghead Republic from Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja. Scroll down for the full lineup.

The 2025 Discovery selection was programmed by Dorota Lech, Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, June Kim, and Jason Ryle.

The programme will screen 23 World Premieres, with titles from over 30 countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

The Discovery programme has, over the years, debuted projects from filmmakers like Ildikó Enyedi, Alfonso Cuarón, Julie Dash, Jean-Marc Vallée, Christopher Nolan,...

Twenty-three world premieres representing more than 30 countries have been selected for the Discovery programme at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, among them the directing debut of US alternative comedian John Early and three films from the UK.

Discovery showcases the first or second features by directors from around the world, with past participants having included Alfonso Cuarón, Julie Dash, Jean-Marc Vallée, Christopher Nolan, Yorgos and Barry Jenkins.

Early’s satire about content culture, Maddie’s Secret, is the opening night film in this year’s Discovery section, and one of only two US titles in the line-up.

Other...

“Maddie’s Secret,” the directorial debut of comedian John Early, will open the Discovery program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. This section of the annual festival (celebrating its 50th year in 2025) premieres the first and second feature films from new directors. Every film in the section will have its world premiere at TIFF this September.

On the opening night, Early’s film “Maddie’s Secret” will screen, a satire of the current “content culture” that dominates the internet. The comedian has appeared in a number of films and television shows, though “Maddie’s Secret” marks his first movie in the director’s chair. Fellow comics Vanessa Bayer, Kate Berlant and Connor O’Malley also appear in the film.

Another entry in the section, “The Man in My Basement” stars Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Nadia Latif, the thriller adapts Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name. Latif...

Exclusive: Scandinavian distributor NonStop Entertainment is upping its local production activity with two new features.

Production begins on May 22 in northern Sweden on sci-fi comedy Arne Goes to Space, the debut feature of Lars Vega. Swedish stars Rolf Lassgard and Lennart Jahkel lead with Kiran Shah, in the story of two brothers still living in their parents’ home, who are forced to reconsider where they are in life when an alien arrives.

Sweden’s Nexiko leads production, with NonStop also distributing in the Nordics.

NonStop has also boarded production on Kim Sundbeck’s relationship drama The Greenest Grass, produced by...

Exclusive: Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights for Egghead Republic, the latest feature from Swedish directorial duo Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja who made waves with sci-fi epic Aniara.

The English-speaking picture is currently in post-production and positioning for a fall launch, with NonStop Entertainment handling its Scandinavia release. Best Friend Forever will unveil an exclusive promo-reel in Cannes.

It is set in an alternative reality in which the Cold War didn’t end, and an atomic bomb has struck Soviet Kazakhstan. Sonja, a 22-year-old Swedish club-kid, working at one of the hippest magazines in the world, is mysteriously invited to report from inside the radio-active zone, to find or debunk the rumors of mutated centaurs living there.

“Never have we been this proud, this elated. With Egghead Republic we want to bring the viewer on a feverish descent into a contaminated zone — questioning what it means...

“Wallander,” the globally-acclaimed Swedish detective drama, is back. Banijay Entertainment has unveiled plans for a modernized and reimagined reboot of “Wallander” with Gustaf Skarsgård playing the iconic role.

Hailing from Jarowskij/Yellow Bird, TV4 and Banijay Rights, the first season of this new Swedish-language adaptation will comprise three 90-minute films. They will be directed by Molly Hartleb, as well as Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, the duo behind the highly-anticipated “Egghead Republic.”

The new series will see Kurt Wallander, now 42, who’s recently separated after two decades of marriage and estranged from his daughter. On the edge as his life seemingly unravels, Wallander drinks too much, sleeps too little, and carries the weight of every unsolved case.

Elin Kvist, CEO Jarowskij/Yellow Bird, said today’s “Wallander” “is not just a strong and intuitive detective, but also a complex, vulnerable character struggling as a father, partner and friend.”

Kvist added...

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.

Afire (Christian Petzold)

Writing recently about the introduction of video umpires in baseball, of all things, Zach Helfand was skeptical: “accuracy is not the same as enjoyment,” he wrote, “baseball is meant to kill time, not maximize it.” The best films of German director Christian Petzold do both, though you sense his heart might belong to the latter. Petzold’s latest, Afire, unfurls with all the page-turning seduction of a gripping novella. It stars Thomas Schubert as a struggling writer who travels with a friend to a secluded house near the Baltic Sea. Their car breaks down. They encounter a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the distance, a forest fire rages. Soon, inevitably, another burns inside. – Rory O. (full review)

Where to Stream:...

Tyler Labine, who starred as Dr. Iggy Frome on all five seasons of NBC medical drama New Amsterdam, is facing his own personal medical situation. The actor says he’s slowly recovering from a “potentially fatal blood clot” in his intestines and liver, that fortunately was caught in time. Labine shared the news in an Instagram post on Saturday.

“Sometimes it’s a Tuesday and you’re walking around with a tummy ache so you try to sleep it off. Then sometimes you wake up on a weds with a stomach ache so bad you decide to go to the ER at your local hospital. And then sometimes your tummy ache turns out to be a potentially fatal blood clot in your intestines and liver and you have to spend the next 3 days in the hospital trying not to die. Just sometimes,” Labine wrote on Instagram along with video that...

Exclusive: Tyler Labine (New Amsterdam), Ella Rae Rappaport (Alone In Space), and Arvin Kananian (Triangle of Sadness) have signed on to star in Egghead Republic, the latest feature from Swedish directing duo Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja (Aniara).

Labine and Rappaport will play the two leads in the pic, which is currently shooting on the island of Gotland in Sweden. The main cast is rounded out by Arvin Kananian (Triangle of Sadness), Andrew Lowery, and Emma Creed.

Other main cast includes Gina Diwari, Andrew Lowery, Milan Dragisic (Äta Sova Dö), and producer Emma Creed in her first acting role.

Based in part on Kågerman’s experience working for Vice Magazine and the novel Die Gelehrtenrepublik by Arno Schmidt, the pic takes place in an alternative reality where the cold war did not end, and an atomic bomb has struck Soviet Kazakstan. A young...

Exclusive: Aniara filmmakers Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja have found their next project.

The directing duo will return to feature filmmaking with Egghead Republic, a satirical coming-of-age tale in part based on Kågerman’s experience working for Vice Magazine and the novel Die Gelehrtenrepublik, by Arno Schmidt

The story will take place in an alternative reality where the cold war did not end, and Soviet Kazakstan has been struck by an atomic bomb. A young Swedish club kid — working at one of the hippest magazines in the world — is handed the assignment of reporting from the restricted zone.

The film will start shooting in Gotland and Stockholm this spring. Kågerman and Lilja also wrote the pic. Nina Lund is producing for You Saved Me Ab. Co-producers are Film Stockholm, Gotland Film Fund, and Film i Dalarna.

NonStop Entertainment will co-produce and distribute Egghead Republic in the Nordics.

“To jump up...

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.

Aniara (Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja)

The title shares its name with a city-size spacecraft ferrying humans from Earth to Mars in barely three weeks. It’s a routine trip that’s never run into problems with many passengers already having family on the red planet to greet them upon arrival. But there’s a first time for everything as a small field of debris forces Captain Chefone (Arvin Kananian) off course. Unfortunately a screw breaches their hull anyway, pushing their nuclear fuel supply to critical mass. Expelling it may save them for the moment, but without it they cannot steer. So despite having enough self-sustaining electricity and algae (for air and food), there’s no way to return onto their necessary trajectory.

And Then We Danced, Levan Akin’s Georgian-language drama that premiered in Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight program last year, scooped the best film prize at last night’s Guldbagge Awards, Sweden’s primary awards ceremony.

At a ceremony in Stockholm, Akin’s movie also picked up best male lead for Levan Gelbakhiani, best script for Akin, and cinematography for Lisabi Fridell. The film is a coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, following a competitive dancer who is thrown off balance by the arrival of a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak.

Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja’s sci-fi Aniara also had a good night, taking best director, best female lead for Emelie Garbers, female supporting role for Bianca Cruzeiro and best visual effects. The pic premiered at Toronto in 2018.

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite scooped best foreign film as the movie continues its prolific global awards run.

The former took best film with the latter winning best director.

Levan Akin’s Cannes 2019 title And Then We Danced and Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja’s Toronto 2018 film Aniara led the winners at the 2020 Guldbagge Awards, held on January 20 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Both films picked up four awards each. And Then We Danced took best film, best actor for Levan Gelbakhiani, best screenplay for Akin, and best cinematography for Lisabi Fridell; while Aniara received best director, best actress for Emelie Garbers, best supporting actress for Bianca Cruzeiro, and best visual effects for Arild Andersson, Per Jonsson and Andreas Wicklund.

Following our top 50 films of 2019, we’re sharing personal top 10 lists from our contributors. Check out the latest below and see our complete year-end coverage here.

I’m not sure if it says more about the quality of international productions above domestic titles in 2019 or my own evolving tastes, but I’ve never had this many foreign language films in a Top Ten before. And it’s not just European countries like France and Germany. The Middle East, Asia, and Scandinavia are represented too. The consistent output of stellar dramatic work that resonated beyond borders was a truly stunning thing to behold and I hope it continues into the next decade.

Another common through-line here is the success of quiet, contemplative dramas that look to mine below the surface to find political, social, and cultural truth. So many titles on this list are dialogue-heavy confrontations in search of identity, strength,...

There are a multitude of reasons why any film may get unfairly overlooked. It could be a lack of marketing resources to provide a substantial push, or, due to a minuscule roll-out, not enough critics and audiences to be the champions it might require. It could simply be the timing of the picture itself; even in the world of studio filmmaking, some features take time to get their due. With an increasingly crowded marketplace, there are more reasons than ever that something might not find an audience and we’ve rounded up the releases that deserved more attention.

Note that all of the below films made less than $100K at the domestic box office at the time of posting–with a few exceptions for stellar Netflix/VOD films that went completely under the radar–and are, for the most part, left out of most year-end conversations. Sadly, many documentaries would qualify for this list,...

While we aim to discuss a wide breadth of films each year, few things give us more pleasure than the arrival of bold, new voices. It’s why we venture to festivals and pore over a variety of different features that might bring to light some emerging talent. This year was an especially notable time for new directors making their stamp, and we’re highlighting the handful of 2019 debuts that most impressed us.

Below, one can check out a list spanning a variety of different genres and many are available to stream here. In years to come, take note as these helmers (hopefully) ascend.

Aniara (Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja)

The title shares its name with a city-size spacecraft ferrying humans from Earth to Mars in barely three weeks. It’s a routine trip that’s never run into problems with many passengers already having family on the red planet to greet them upon arrival.

As 2019 winds down, like most cinephiles, we’re looking to get our hands on the titles that may have slipped under the radar or simply gone unseen. With the proliferation of streaming options, it’s thankfully easier than ever to play catch-up for those films you missed in a theater (or never came to your town), and to assist with the process, we’re bringing you a rundown of the best titles of the year available to watch.

Curated from the Best Films of 2019 So Far list we published for the first half of the year, it also includes films we’ve enjoyed the past few months and some we’ve recently caught up with. This is far from a be-all, end-all year-end feature (that will come at the end of the year), but rather something that will hopefully be a helpful tool for readers to have a chance to seek out notable,...

Marco Bellocchio’s “The Traitor,” Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory” lead the race for the 32nd European Film Awards with four nominations apiece in the major categories. The awards, voted on by more than 3,600 members of the European Film Academy, will be presented at the awards ceremony on Dec. 7 in Berlin.

Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” followed with three nominations in the top categories each, while Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” and Nora Fingscheidt’s “System Crasher” were both short-listed in two major categories.

“The Favourite” picked up an additional nomination in the comedy category, while “Les Misérables” received a further nomination in the Discovery section for newcomers.

A single nomination each went to “A White, White Day,” “And Then We Danced,” “Beanpole,” “Gundermann” and “Queen of Hearts.”

Competing for best documentary are “For Sama,...

Aniara, Atlantics, Blind Spot, Irina, Les Misérables and Ray & Liz vie for the European Discovery - Prix Fipresci award. The European Film Academy has announced the nominees for the European Discovery 2019 - Prix Fipresci, an award presented annually as part of the European Film Awards to a director for a first full-length feature film. This year's nominations were determined by a committee comprised of Efa Board Members Mike Goodridge (UK) and Valérie Delpierre (Spain), festival programmers Azize Tan (Turkey) as well as film critics Marta Bałaga (Finland), Robbie Eksiel (Greece) and Michael Pattison (UK) as representatives of Fipresci, the International Federation of Film Critics. The nominees are: European Discovery - Prix Fiprescianiara - Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja (Sweden)Atlantics - Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Belgium)Blind Spot - Tuva Novotny (Norway)Irina - Nadejda Koseva (Bulgaria)Les Misérables - Ladj Ly (France)Ray & Liz - Richard Billingham (UK) The nominated films will soon be.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Aniara (Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja)

The title shares its name with a city-size spacecraft ferrying humans from Earth to Mars in barely three weeks. It’s a routine trip that’s never run into problems with many passengers already having family on the red planet to greet them upon arrival. But there’s a first time for everything as a small field of debris forces Captain Chefone (Arvin Kananian) off course. Unfortunately a screw breaches their hull anyway, pushing their nuclear fuel supply to critical mass. Expelling it may save them for the moment, but without it they cannot steer. So despite having enough self-sustaining electricity...

Though a genre so often associated with big-budget Hollywood productions, it’s always refreshing to see resourceful filmmakers around the world try their hand at science-fiction. Which leads us to Swedish feature Aniara, based on a famous poem, and turned into a compelling and creative piece of modern filmmaking. To mark the release – out this weekend on August 30th – we had the pleasure of meeting the minds behind the project, in directing duo Hugo Lilja and Pella Kagerman, while we also sat down with one of the leading stars, actor Arvin Kananian.

Watch both, full interviews below:

Synopsis

When a spacecraft carrying settlers to Mars strays off course, the consumption-obsessed passengers are prompted to consider their place in the universe.

Aniara is released in cinemas on August 30th

The post Exclusive: Pella Kagerman, Hugo Lilja and Arvin Kananian on Scandi-Sci-Fi Aniara appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Disaster leaves a public spacecraft adrift and its social order on the brink of breakdown in this cleverly pertinent sci-fi chiller

With Aniara, the Swedish writing-directing team Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja deliver a cold, cruel, piercingly humane sci-fi parable that’s both bang on the zeitgeist and yet also unnervingly original.

In a near-ish future, the Earth seems to have been made effectively uninhabitable and everyone is moving to Mars. A massive spacecraft, as plushly appointed as any modern-day cruise ship with its buffet bars and play areas, sets off on the three-week voyage to the red planet. Mr (Emelie Jonsson), a cheerful low-ranking shipmate, tries to entice passengers to experience the wonders of Mima, an artificially intelligent computer-projection-system-gizmo that taps into people’s memories in order to create an immersive, virtual-reality experience unique to each individual. It’s like the Holodeck in Star Trek, but controlled by a not entirely benign consciousness,...

Welcome, one and all, to the latest installment of The Film Stage Show! Today, Michael Snydel and I discuss Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja’s existential sci-fi drama Aniara, which is now available on VOD.

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With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Aniara (Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja)

The title shares its name with a city-size spacecraft ferrying humans from Earth to Mars in barely three weeks. It’s a routine trip that’s never run into problems with many passengers already having family on the red planet to greet them upon arrival. But there’s a first time for everything as a small field of debris forces Captain Chefone (Arvin Kananian) off course. Unfortunately a screw breaches their hull anyway, pushing their nuclear fuel supply to critical mass. Expelling it may save them for the moment, but without it they cannot steer. So despite having enough self-sustaining electricity and...

Each year brings an example or three of purported “thinking person’s science-fiction” films, a category that pretty much embraces anything not centered on monsters or lightsaber battles. These efforts are often more admirable in theory than result, but “Aniara” — the first film drawn from Nobel Prize-winning Swedish poet Harry Martinson’s 1956 cycle of 103 cantos — provides a narrative as satisfying as its conception is ambitious. This tale of a spaceship stuck wandering the cosmos after being forced off course is both impressive in its scope and intimate in its portrait of human nature under long-term duress.

Though inevitably destined to frustrate genre fans who think they want something different but still require conventional action thrills, Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja’s first feature should intrigue and reward those inclined toward adult drama who wouldn’t normally expect such tropes from a sci-fi movie.

There’s also the lure of topicality:...

Magnolia Pictures will release Aniara in theaters on May 17, 2019 Directed and Written by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja Starring Emelie Jonsson, Arvin Kananian, Bianca Cruzeiro, Anneli Martini, Jennie Silfverhjelm, Peter Carlberg, and Emma Broomé A ship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in …

The post Magnolia Pictures will release Aniara in theaters on May 17, 2019 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

With High Life approaching and Ad Astra arriving this summer, it’s shaping up to be another year of bold, beautiful sci-fi and one we hope doesn’t get swept under the radar is a favorite from the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, Aniara is based on 1956 poem by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson and follows a group in a spacecraft bound for Mars that steers off course and an existential crisis kicks in for the passengers. Ahead of a release this summer, Magnolia Pictures has now released the first trailer.

Jared Mobarak said in his review, “Think High-Rise in space, the existential crises of being trapped in this cage feeding anxieties until sanity becomes hard-pressed to sustain. Chefone finds himself consumed by the power his position as captain affords — the trepidation and fear of mutiny at the start transforming into an entitled confidence...

In the near future, the end of the Earth leads the remnants of society to make an escape from Earth to Mars on luxury transport ships which make the trip in three weeks. The Aniara is one of those ships except that partway through the flight, the ship gets knocked off course and the crew is left with one option: find a celestial body and leverage its gravity to get back on course. Trouble is, they don't know when they're going to encounter the necessary celestial body.

Adapted from Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson's poem, Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja's feature film debut Aniara (teaser) follows the survivors aboard the Aniara and observes how this insular society...

Hardboiled sci-fi is hard to come by nowadays, as some audiences are turned off by hyper-intelligent fare at the movies. But others crave it like the consumed passengers of a doomed space mission in Aniara. Today, we have a first look at the thrilling sci-fi adventure, with a trailer and poster direct from Magnolia.

Magnolia Pictures will release Aniara in theaters on May 17, 2019. The story follows a ship carrying settlers to Mars, which gets knocked wildly off course. This causes the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe, in Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja's eerie and caustic sci-fi adaptation of a work by Swedish Nobel Prize-winning writer Harry Martinson.

Pella K&#229german and Hugo Lilja collaborated on this unique sci-fi thriller, writing the script together, and directing the film on set with a cast that includes Emilie Jonsson, Arvin Kananian, Bianca Cruzeiro, Anneli Martini, Jennie Silfverhjelm, Peter Carlberg,...

Film Constellation inks deals on Toronto 2018 title.

London-based Film Constellation has secured several territory deals on its sci-fi Aniara.

The film has gone to Kinovista for France, Eurovideo for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and At Entertainment for Japan.

Arrow Films previously acquired UK rights after the film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery programme.

Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja directed the story of a ship carrying settlers to Mars. When knocked off course, the consumption-obsessed passengers are forced to consider their place in the universe. It was adapted by the directors from a work by Swedish...

Goteborg, Sweden — There’s an impending sense of doom in the current zeitgeist, particularly with feelings about climate change, that the Göteborg Film Festival taps into this year with Focus: Apocalypse. Fest artistic director Jonas Holmberg notes, “We are exploring how today’s filmmakers work with the existential, ethical and political aspects of this crisis. Perhaps more than any other art form, film has preoccupied itself with envisioning the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic situations, and perhaps it is precisely through such artistic imaginings that we can deal with civilization’s presently critical state.”

Comprising a thoughtfully-curated program of films, special events and seminars, the focus poses the question “What can humans do, alone or collectively, to save the earth?”

One answer comes via the Icelandic title “Woman At War,” directed by Benedikt Erlingsson, which takes on pressing environmental concerns with humor and aplomb. The eponymous woman is a much beloved, middle-aged Reykjavik choir conductor,...

Kicking off with Mila Tervo’s light-hearted romantic comedy “Aurora,” the opening ceremony of the Goteborg Film Festival nevertheless boasted a political edge, underscoring Sweden’s reputation as being one of Europe’s most progressive countries.

The festival’s artistic director, Jonas Holmberg, spoke about this year’s focus on environment-themed films and documentaries with the section Apocalypse.

“The world may go under. Everything we love may be destroyed. Our cities, our bridges, our languages, our gestures, our music, our films (…) if we don’t do something very soon,” said Holmberg on the stage of the Draken auditorium which was jam-packed with Scandinavia’s creme de la creme.

The artistic director said the Apocalypse focus aimed at drawing people’s attention on the ongoing climate crisis. “Films have the unique power to “open up new horizons and perspectives … spark the imagination of people, inspire feelings and ideas at the same time,...

The $34,000 prize is aimed at promoting gender equality.

The Goteborg Film Festival will open with Miia Tervo’s Aurora from Finland, about a party animal Finnish woman in Lapland who meets an Iranian asylum seeker, on January 26.

The festival will close with the world premiere of Swedish directors’ Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein’s Swoon on February 4. The period romance is about two young lovers from families who own rival amusement parks.

The festival will screen 376 films from 83 countries.

Full lists of the films in the festival’s five competitions below.

The festival will host Eurimages’ Audentia Award competition for...

Film premiered in Toronto’s Discovery strand.

Swedish sci-fi epic Aniara has been picked up for UK distribution by Arrow Films.

The film premiered in Toronto’s Discovery strand. Written and directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, Aniara follows the story of a ship carrying settlers to Mars. When knocked off course, the consumption-obsessed passengers are caused to consider their place in the universe. It is an adaptation of a work by Swedish Nobel Prize–winning writer Harry Martinson.

London-based Film Constellation is handling sales excluding Scandinavia. Magnolia previously brought Us rights.

Aniara stars Emelie Jonsson, Arvin Kananian, Bianca Cruzeiro,...

London-based sales and financing house Film Constellation has sold North American rights for Annabel Jankel’s “Tell It to the Bees,” which stars Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger, to Good Deed Entertainment.

Good Deed, which is aiming for a spring theatrical release, has partnered with FilmRise on streaming and linear rights for the film.

The period drama, which received its world premiere as a special presentation at the Toronto Film Festival, is based on Fiona Shaw’s novel of the same name. It follows Dr. Jean Markham (Paquin) as she returns to the town she left as a teenager. A school-yard scuffle lands Charlie (Gregor Selkirk) in her medical practice, and this brings his mother Lydia (Grainger) into the doctor’s world. The two women are drawn to one another but in 1950s small-town Britain, their secret can’t stay hidden forever.

Other movies on Film Constellation’s Afm slate...

Modern Films boards Berlin premiere.

John McEnroe: In The Realm Of Perfection, the feature documentary that premiered in Berlin and also played the BFI London Film Festival, has been picked up for UK distribution.

Sales agent Film Constellation has struck a deal with Eve Gabereau’s Modern Films – the latter is planning to release the film around the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2019.

Director Julien Faraut’s experimental film documents tennis legend John McEnroe’s performance at the 1984 French Open, when he was no.1 in the world, and is narrated by Mathieu Amalric. It premiered in Berlin’s Forum strand...

With the Toronto International Film Festival concluding today and Telluride, Venice, and Locarno in the rearview, the first phase of fall film festivals have concluded. Ahead of the New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, AFI Fest, and more we’ve rounded up our favorite films seen over the past month or so, resulting in a selection of premieres to have on your radar.

Stay tuned over the next months (or years) as we bring updates on films as they make their way to screens. One can also click here for a link to all of our festival coverage, including news, trailers, reviews, and much more. As always, thanks for reading, and let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments below. Also, for a more substantial look at what’s coming to theaters this season, check out our fall preview, which also includes titles from Cannes,...

Aniara is a Swedish sci-fi film that was completely off my radar until it premiered at Tiff today. The early buzz is strong enough that I'm completely intrigued.

The film is based on a novel by nobel prize winner Harry Mortinson and is about a spaceship carrying settlers to Mars that is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe.

The film is written and directed by Pella Kagerman (as Pella Kågerman) and Hugo Lilja and it looks like its being distributed by Magnolia so hopefully we see a release soon.

Check out the trailer:...

Magnolia Pictures said on Monday it has acquired rights to distribute Swedish science fiction thriller “Aniara” after the film’s world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

“Aniara” was adapted by directors Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja from an epic poem by Swedish Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson.

“Aniara,” according to the Tiff description of the film, charts the fate of the human race after they have destroyed the planet. As one of several ships launched into space to start anew on Mars, Aniara is designed to meet the needs of a species that has just consumed its birthplace: it’s a giant shopping mall. When an accident knocks the ship off course and disables its steering, the likelihood that these once-sanguine colonizers will ever reach their destination gradually begins to shrink.

Also Read: Focus Features Lands Thriller 'Greta,' Starring Isabelle Huppert

The protagonist, Mr (Emelie Jonsson...

Exclusive: Aniara, the visionary Swedish sci-fi film directed and written by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja and based on a concept by Nobel Prize-winner Harry Martinson, has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures after the picture made its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. A ship — carrying settlers to a new home in Mars after Earth is rendered uninhabitable — is knocked off-course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe.

The stakes are epic, as the film charts the fate of the human race after its emphasis on selfishness and consumption exhausts the resources of the planet. One of several ships launched into space to start anew on Mars, the film’s consumption metaphor means that the ship is designed like a giant shopping mall. After an accident knocks the it off course and hobbles its steering and it becomes clear the passengers might not make it to Mars.

Magnolia Pictures on Monday said it has acquired the Swedish sci-fi thriller Aniara after a world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

The Swedish-language indie is directed and written by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja and portrays a spaceship carrying settlers to a new home in Mars after Earth is rendered uninhabitable, only to be knocked off course.

"We’re thrilled to bring this audacious, intelligent vision to audiences. Pella and Hugo have done an amazing job creating a unique world and society aboard a spaceship," Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said in a statement.

The film is ...

Magnolia Pictures on Monday said it has acquired the Swedish sci-fi thriller Aniara after a world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

The Swedish-language indie is directed and written by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja and portrays a spaceship carrying settlers to a new home in Mars after Earth is rendered uninhabitable, only to be knocked off course.

"We’re thrilled to bring this audacious, intelligent vision to audiences. Pella and Hugo have done an amazing job creating a unique world and society aboard a spaceship," Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said in a statement.

The film is ...

So much of our desire to exist is based in control. We have the ability to move our homes, restart careers, and work towards a future of our choosing. No matter how difficult things become, there’s always a hope for better or an avenue towards change. It’s only when we’re cornered without an exit that we start to let our fears rule us rather than the infinite possibilities in our grasp. We search for meaning and answers, struggling to reconcile that happiness may have always been an illusion to mask the pain. And it can disappear in an instant — one hiccup along a path of tenuous certainty throwing perfect plans into chaotic turmoil. Suddenly we can no longer take the reins of our circumstances. They begin governing us.

There’s no bigger example of this truth than our premonitions of apocalypse. Beyond religious scripture lies the science...

Living up to its name, the Discovery program at Tiff looks to have an excellent lineup of films to choose from at this year's festival. Case in point, the new sci-fi thriller Aniara hailing from Sweden.    Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja the duo adapted Harry Martinson's epic poem from 1956 of the same name. Aniara has never been adapted to screen so fans of Martinson's literary piece are due for a glossy big scale rendition and Kågerman and Lilja look to have done just that.    Screen Anarchy pleased to share with you today an exclusive clip from Aniara and debut the new poster. For a touch more context we have also included the trailer which bowed last week.    First, the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Film is an adaptation of a work by Swedish Nobel Prize–winning writer Harry Martinson.

London-based sales agent Film Constellation has picked up Swedish sci-fi epic Aniara ahead of the film’s premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Discovery strand.

Film Constellation will represent world rights (excluding Scandinavia) on the title and will co-represent Us sales rights with Endeavor Content.

In Scandinavia, Sf Studios is releasing theatrically, Viaplay has streaming rights and Svt has broadcast Sweden.

Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja (The Swedish Supporter), the film is an adaptation of a work by Swedish Nobel Prize–winning writer Harry Martinson.

The Toronto International Film Festival has added Brady Corbet’s drama “Vox Lux,” starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law, and Neil Jordan’s “Greta,” with Chloe Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert.

The festival also announced Tuesday a total of 46 titles in its Discovery program, which is devoted to up-and-coming filmmakers. The festival will screen 255 features and 88 shorts with 138 being world premieres, including “Greta.” The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival will begin on Sept. 6.

“Vox Lux” and “Greta” have been added to the Special Presentations program. “Vox Lux,” which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is a musical drama about a woman who achieves success after a tragic childhood. The film also stars Jennifer Ehle, Stacy Martin and Raffey Cassidy. “Greta” stars Moretz as a young woman in New York who befriends a widow, played by Huppert, who has sinister intentions.

The Discovery program includes Belgian director Lukas Dhont’s ‘Girl,...

Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 6-16) has added a world premiere screening of Neil Jordan’s Greta and the North American premiere of Natalie Portman-starrer Vox Lux to its Special Presentations program, which now numbers 24 films.

Jordan’s Greta tells the story of a young New York woman named Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with an enigmatic widow named Greta (Isabelle Huppert). Co-written by Jordan and Ray Wright, pic also stars Colm Feore, Maika Monroe, and Stephen Rea.

In musical drama Vox Lux, Brady Corbet’s second feature as writer-director tracks its heroine’s path from childhood tragedy to a life of fame and fortune. Starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law, the film begins with teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor (Stacy Martin) who survive a violent incident that changes their lives.

Tiff has also revealed the 46 movies taking part in its Discovery lineup for emerging filmmakers.

Brady Corbet’s “Vox Lux,” with Natalie Portman and Jude Law, and Neil Jordan’s “Greta,” with Chloe Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert, are among almost 50 films that have been added to the lineup of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, Tiff organizers announced on Tuesday.

The two films have been added to the Special Presentations program, with “Greta” having its world premiere at Tiff and “Vox Lux” its Canadian premiere.

“Greta” features Moretz as a young woman in New York who befriends a widow who turns out to have sinister intentions; “Vox Lux” is a musical drama that encompasses the life of a woman who achieves success after a tragic childhood.

Also Read: Natalie Portman Is an Aspiring Pop Star in First-Look at Brady Corbet's 'Vox Lux' (Photo)

Toronto also announced its Discovery program, which is devoted to up-and-coming filmmakers. The 46 films in the lineup come from 37 different countries,...

Neil Jordan’s Greta, Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux added to Special Presentations.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s 1980’s set skinhead drama Farming and Rosanne Pel’s Poland-set relationship drama Light As Feathers are among a Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) Discovery selection that comprises 48% of films directed by women.

Tiff chiefs have also added Neil Jordan’s Greta and Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux to Special Presentations, and announced the International Rising Stars, details of the fifth annual Festival Street, and Speaker Series participants. In addition, Mira Nair has joined the Platform jury.

This year’s festival will present 343 films in total,...