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Dozens of Cannes Film Festival titles are among the 55 entries in the Centerpiece Programme and we find some anticipated world premiere items as well with the latest films by Adam Carter Rehmeier, Pete Ohs, Haifaa Al Mansour and Jan Komasa. Dinner in America’s Rehmeier’s Carolina Caroline features Samara Weaving, Kyle Gallner and Kyra Sedgwick in a romantic crime thriller. The almost one film per year Pete Ohs offers his second film of 2025 with Erupcja starring Charli Xcx, Lena Góra, Will Madden and Jeremy O. Harris. Corpus Christi’s Jan Komasa landed Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough and Anson Boon for a thriller.…...

The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, is scheduled to take place from September 4th through the 14th, and today the festival (known as TIFF) announced this year’s Centrepiece programme, their global showcase of compelling cinema from around the world. As a press release notes, “his year, there are 55 titles from filmmakers representing nearly fifty countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, reflecting TIFF’s commitment to global cinema. Centrepiece provides a platform for internationally recognized films, acclaimed titles from other festivals around the globe, and highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents.” Centrepiece has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Claire Diao, Giovanna Fulvi, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Anita Lee, Peter Kuplowsky, Andréa Picard, and Jason Ryle – and one of the standouts among...

The Toronto International Film Festival has selected 55 movies for its Centrepiece programme of the 50th fest, movies which are a “global showcase of compelling cinema from around the world” per this Am’s release. TIFF, presented by Rogers, runs from Sept. 4-14.

Titles from close to 50 countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand are reflected in the curation.

Those filmmakers with works in this part of the lineup, and that also includes North American premieres, are Hubert Davis, Mathieu Denis, Hasan Hadi, Chie Hayakawa, Anders Thomas Jensen, Jan Komasa, Richard Linklater, Sergei Loznitsa, Pietro Marcello, Christian Petzold, Potsy Poncirol and Álvaro Olmos Torrico.

Centrepiece has 19 world premieres including:

Blood Lines, Gail Maurice’s sophomore feature, a pastoral drama of family and reconnection.

Carolina Caroline, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, an outlaw romance starring Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner.

On Tuesday, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced the highly anticipated lineup for its 2025 Centerpiece program.

This year's festival features a total of 55 titles from filmmakers representing nearly 50 countries, including works from Bolivia, France, Iraq, and Kenya. This wide-ranging selection shines a spotlight on TIFF's enduring commitment to presenting interesting stories from every corner of the globe. The Centerpiece program serves as a platform for internationally recognized films, acclaimed selections from other prestigious festivals, and premieres from both Canadian and international talents.

This year, cinephiles can look forward to the latest projects from a host of influential directors, including Mathieu Denis' Cost of Heaven, Hasan Hadi's The President’s Cake, Jan Komasa's Good Boy, Anders Thomas Jensen's The Last Viking, Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, Pietro Marcello's Duse, Christian Petzold's Miroirs No. 3, and Álvaro Olmos Torrico's The Condor Daughter.

Another notable name at TIFF will be Sean Baker,...

After a 14 year hiatus, the Final Destination franchise returned this year with Final Destination: Bloodlines – and movie-goers were clearly missing these movies, as Bloodlines has so far pulled in $193 million at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. One fan of the series is singer/songwriter Charli xcx, who took to TikTok to share her pitch for the next sequel, one that she envisions starring in alongside several “It Girl” actresses.

Charli xcx said (with thanks to The Hollywood Reporter for the transcription), “I’m rewatching all of the Final Destination movies, in preparation to see Final Destination: Bloodlines, which I’m really excited to see. The reason I love these movies is that they really just are about hot people getting killed. You know, there’s no moral backbone to the story, it really is just, ‘They’re hot, they’re cursed and they deserve to die.

Anthony Michael Hall is reteaming with his Edward Scissorhands director Tim Burton on Wednesday.

The actor will appear in an undisclosed role during Season 2 of the Netflix series, which Burton executive-produces and directs, our sister site Variety reports. Hall’s TV credits include Reacher, The Goldbergs, Bosch: Legacy, Awkward and The Dead Zone.

More from TVLineShōgun Season 2 Confirmed at FX, With Stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis ReturningAndor Recasts Legacy Star Wars Character - Find Out Who, and WhyWill Trent Adds Yul Vazquez in Major Recurring Role - Will This 'Newfound Enemy' Play a Part in Season 4?

As previously announced,...

Exclusive: Lena Góra has joined the cast of the four-hour TNT miniseries Debriefing The President as the co-lead opposite Joel Kinnaman. She has taken on the role of Polly Stevens, the female lead on the project currently shooting in Cairo, sources tell Deadline.

Polly is a colleague of Kinnaman’s real-life CIA analyst John Nixon, whose book of the same name inspired the series. Rhona Mitra was originally attached to play Polly, but has since departed the series for unknown reasons.

Debriefing the President is a limited series that tells the story of CIA analyst John Nixon (Kinnaman), who became the first American to positively identify and interrogate Saddam Hussein following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The series delves into Nixon’s personal journey as he grapples with the complexities of his mission (2003-2006). Through his interactions with Saddam, Nixon gains a deeper understanding of the Iraqi dictator, the potential consequences of the invasion,...

Singer/songwriter Charli xcx is working on building up her film acting career, and she’s going about it in a really interesting way. A couple of years ago, we heard that she was set to make her feature acting debut with Legendary Entertainment’s remake of the infamous 1978 box office hit Faces of Death… and someday we might even get to see that movie, but as of right now it still doesn’t have a distributor. Since working on Faces of Death, Charli xcx has taken roles in the Gregg Araki thriller I Want Your Sex, Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist, Romain Gavras’s Sacrifice, Jeremy O. Harris and Pete Ohs’ Erupjca, and Julia Jackman’s graphic novel adaptation 100 Nights of Hero. By taking on these projects, she has worked alongside the likes of Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Jermaine Fowler, Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega,...

Exclusive: The Eastern Gate will open again on Max.

The Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) streamer has ordered a second season of the drama, which stars Lena Góra and Karol Pocheć, with a script already in development.

The news came during a wide-ranging interview with Dorota Eberhardt, VP Programming at Wbd in Poland, during which she discussed content spend for 2025 that we understand is in the eight figure range, addressed local competition and talked about the impact of shows such as Netflix’s Adolescence.

The Eastern Gate‘s recommission should come as no surprise, given its outsized impact for Wbd streamer Max, where it has set several records.

Tapping into concerns around the precarious political environment in Europe, the series is billed as “a modern espionage game amid brewing international conflict and rising tensions.” It is set in the spring of 2021 and follows the story of Polish spy Ewa Oginiec (Góra...

"You have to find the mole in our embassy." Max has revealed an official trailer for a new Polish political thriller spy series called The Eastern Gate, ready for streaming (with episodes weekly) on Max later this month. This is a Polish production in the Polish language about events in Poland, but it's produced as a Max Original Series with episodes launching weekly. After losing her pregnancy while in action, Ewa, a Polish spy, wants to withdraw from the secret service to start a normal life. When her lover is exposed by Russian intelligence & disappears, she goes on a rescue mission. The suspense thriller series explores the high stakes battle between intelligence agencies on the global stage during an emerging conflict. The narrative unfolds during the spring of 2021 – in Belarus (Minsk), Poland, and Russia. The title (aka The Easterngate) refers to the Suwałki Gap, which is a critical spot just...

Exclusive: The Lena Góra-led Max Original series The Eastern Gate (fka The EasternGate) will premiere globally on Friday, January 31. Deadline has your first look at the Polish series via photos shared below.

Oscar nominee Jan P. Matuszynski will direct the suspense thriller which delves into the world of modern espionage during an emerging conflict and international unrest. It follows Ewa Oginiec (Góra), who, after a personal drama, wants to leave the Secret Service and start over. Things take a twist when her partner, also an agent, gets outed by Russian intelligence and vanishes mysteriously.

The Eastern Gate explores the mechanism of provocation on the global stage and the high-stakes battle between intelligence agencies in a world gripped by the complexities of hybrid warfare – quite topical, as it turns out.

The title of one of the first Max Original series refers to the Suwałki Gap, a critical spot along the border between Poland and Lithuania,...

Max has launched an in-app feature to live stream HBO’s linear channels programming. Subscribers will now be able to experience a live feed on the app while also having the option to rewind, restart, skip ahead and move through different content channels at their preference.

A small group of adult subscribers within the the ad-free and ultimate ad-free account tiers will now see the “Channels” feature displayed on their homepage.

Among the available channels are HBO, HBO 2, HBO Signature, HBO Comedy, HBO Zone and more.

First Looks

After the show’s midseason finale, the trailer for Fox’s “9-1-1: Lone Star”s remaining episodes dropped — the show will return on Monday, Jan. 20.

The 30-second preview teases an asteroid warning that could mean the end of the world as the crew of firefighters must band together.

“9-1-1: Lone Star” is a spinoff of the original “9-1-1” — which now airs...

Miles Levin’s drama “Under the Lights” received the coveted Polish Film Institute Award at the American Film Festival’s industry event U.S. in Progress, as well as $50,000 cash prize for post-production in Poland.

“It has been an incredibly rewarding and inspiring project to work on. Miles is a force of nature with a clear vision and relentless drive to bring this story to life,” said Natalie Metzger, VP of production and development at Vanishing Angle.

“I’m so honored to have produced it and for it to be part of U.S. in Progress. There’s nothing like this program in America, so we are very grateful it exists. It’s much needed for American indie filmmakers.”

Levin added: “This film has been a 10-year journey and to have the support of U.S. in Progress to help it shine has been very meaningful.”

Miles Levin and Natalie Metzger

In the film,...

Micro-budget American indie filmmaker Pete Ohs really doesn’t miss a beat. When he’s not directing—keeping up a steady pace with Youngstown (2021), Jethica (2022) and Love and Work (2024) — he might be on the editing dock with (e.g. Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.). And when he’s not in those functions, he is serving as a cinematographer — look out for Albert Birney’s Obex, set to release in 2025. Now comes word that Erupcja (which was recently selected to participate in this year’s U.S.in Progress in Wroclaw) had a bitr more mustard on it. Players include Lena Góra (Roving Woman), Will Madden and two artists now firmly getting into the acting game in playwright Jeremy O.…...

Jeremy O. Harris wants his upcoming feature “Erupcja” to inspire rising filmmakers — and perhaps inspire change among distributors.

The Tony winner told Variety that he hopes his secret film “Erupcja” (Polish for “eruption”) with director Pete Ohs could help resurrect the arthouse “micro-budget” films of decades past.

“I’m hoping that what comes from this is a lot more young filmmakers feeling less pressure to have their first, second, third, fourth, fifth feature be the $10 million, $20 million, $30 juggernaut they want with every person that’s like, the most famous person online,” Harris said. “And maybe, you know, something that’s like, truly honest, fun, and unique to them, that’s smaller, that maybe takes a really brave, exciting distributor to jump onto.”

Of course, this one has a pretty famous person online: Charli Xcx co-stars with Harris. The two also co-produce.

Harris added, “There’s so much pressure on everyone,...

Charli Xcx will go from Brat star to movie star next year. Variety revealed Monday that the Brat singer will star in the Pete Ohs-directed movie Erupcja, which filmed in Poland over the summer. She’ll act alongside Jeremy O. Harris and Lena Góra.

“The way [Ohs] talked about making his films felt akin to making an album and the chance meeting also felt equivalent to the conversational and spontaneous nature of his filmmaking,” Charli Xcx said of the film. “Our processes felt linked in some kind of way and...

As ‘Brat’ summer raged, Charli Xcx snuck away to Poland for a couple weeks in August to make a secret movie with playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris and filmmaker Pete Ohs.

The film’s title “Erupcja” is the Polish word for “eruption” and refers to, of course, the type of violent explosion of molten rock that comes from a volcano, but also any sudden release of pressure or tension. The story centers on two women with a combustible relationship — one woman is Polish and the other, named Bethany (Charli Xcx) is visiting the country. Rounding out the lead ensemble are Harris and Will Madden (who has become something of a muse for Ohs; this is their fourth collaboration as actor and director).

“Erupcja” director Pete Ohs and actors Lena Góra and Will Madden.

“Erupcja” is a city movie, meaning the city of Warsaw, Poland is a character unto itself.

Brat was everywhere this summer, from Kamala Harris' campaign to Barack Obama's airpods. But while the former president may identify as (or at least relate to the struggles of being) a 365 party girl, the actual artist behind the phenomenon was trying to take a few days off from it...

The challenge is on: the industry sidebar of Poland’s American Film Festival, U.S. in Progress, is ready to top its “exceptionally successful” 2023 edition in November.

“U.S. in Progress alumni are taking festivals by storm,” says Aff’s artistic director Ula Śniegowska.

Presented as works-in-progress, India Donaldson’s “Good One” – awarded at the event last year – went on to premiere at Sundance and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in May. Tyler Taormina’s “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” was also shown at the French fest, described by Variety’s Jessica Kiang as “a sweet, nostalgic love letter to suburban holiday-season rituals.”

“We Strangers” by Anu Vaila and Cutter Hodierne’s “Cold Wallet” screened at SXSW, and “Familiar Touch” was shown in Venice. Monica Sorelle’s “Mountains” and Shane Atkinson’s “Laroy, Texas” were selected for Tribeca, Georden West’s “Playland” for IFFR, while “Falling Stars,” directed by Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki,...

Max has announced The Easterngate as one of the streaming service’s first Original series in Poland. The series started production in March 2024.

The Easterngate is a suspense thriller that delves into the world of modern espionage during an emerging conflict and international unrest. It paints a vivid picture of the clandestine world while also exploring the personal struggles of an individual caught in the Secret Service’s web.

NATO’s eastern flank, Russian war maneuvers at a hotspot of strategic importance for the entire continent. The Easterngate follows the journey of Ewa Oginiec, who, after a personal drama, aims to exit the secret service and start over.

Things take a twist when her partner, also an agent, gets outed by Russian intelligence and vanishes mysteriously. The series explores the mechanism of provocation on the global stage and the high-stakes battle between intelligence agencies in a world gripped by the complexities of hybrid warfare.

Tvp, Poland’s largest broadcaster, announced two series topping its MipTV slate: comedy-drama “We Shall Live Together” and period drama “Matylda.”

The six-episode “We Shall Live Together” is the first series produced in Poland that is set during the Russian-Ukraine war. In the series, Polish couple Basia and Tadeusz, who live in the mansion of Basia’s wealthy mother Magda, bring two Ukrainian refugees to live with them, turning their world upside-down. Although Magda reluctantly welcomes the guests, this unexpected situation creates numerous comedic but also touching moments. Tvp notes thatt he series focuses on the consequences of war in ordinary peoples’ lives.

“We Shall Live Together” stars Lena Góra and Oksana Czerkaszyna. Anna Maliszewska and Tadeusz Łysiak direct.

The 13-episode “Matylda” tells the story of a young rebel, the daughter of a participant in Poland’s 1863 January Uprising. The action takes place in the Lublin region dozens of years after the Uprising.

Closing ceremony of festival in Gdynia sees Polish film community speak up against “awful hatred” directed at Holland in recent weeks.

Pawel Maslona’s second feature Scarborn (Kos) won the Grand Prix - Golden Lion at the 48th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia whose closing ceremony saw the Polish film community express their solidarity with Agnieszka Holland in the light of the vociferous political campaign against her and her film The Green Border.

In his acceptance speech, Maslona spoke out against the “awful hatred” directed at Holland in recent weeks and noted that, despite Poland being a country with a strong Christian faith,...

A raw punk-spirited energy fuels Olga Chajdas’ second feature which, even more than her first, Nina, concerns itself with a woman fully embracing herself as an adult within the world. Lena Góra both co-wrote the screenplay with Chajdas and stars as Ela - a character based loosely on Góra’s own mother. The youngest daughter of a large family, Ela is prone to mental health episodes that - in the late Eighties Poland when this is set - see her institutionalised in a hospital where the residents sport labels on their backs identifying them with unpleasant epithets including “glutton”, “retard” and “lunatic”.

Chajdas puts us into Ela’s headspace near the start as we see the camera rotate slightly, as if affected by Ela’s mental state. In the hospital, she calls her boyfriend Tomek (Mateusz Wieclawek) and soon leaving with him. This is just the start of a free-wheeling plunge into Ela’s.

Polish Days, the prestigious two-day event held annually in Wrocław, Poland during the New Horizons International Film Festival, is ramping up its global reach.

Polish Days, the prestigious two-day event held annually in Wrocław, Poland during the New Horizons International Film Festival, is ramping up its global reach, extending meetings slots for deal-makers and tastemakers while showcasing a signature mix of projects from Polish filmmaking talent.

Parallel industry strand New Horizons Studio+ (NHS+), four days of workshops and talks on various aspects of project promotion and development, organised by the New Horizons Association and Creative Europe Desk Polska, is also taking on a greater role.

Polish Days, the prestigious two-day event held annually in Wrocław, Poland during the New Horizons International Film Festival, is ramping up its global reach.

Polish Days, the prestigious two-day event held annually in Wrocław, Poland during the New Horizons International Film Festival, is ramping up its global reach, extending meetings slots for deal-makers and tastemakers while showcasing a signature mix of projects from Polish filmmaking talent.

Parallel industry strand New Horizons Studio+ (NHS+), four days of workshops and talks on various aspects of project promotion and development, organised by the New Horizons Association and Creative Europe Desk Polska, is also taking on a greater role.

A Night at the Kindergarten (Noc w przedszkolu) is a movie directed by Rafal Skalski starring Piotr Witkowski and Lena Gora.

It is still Christmas, and this time around a hero – who knows how to rap, parent despite not being a father, and pull off some MacGyver moves – is here to save it.

Premise

The kindergarten parent teacher meeting/dress rehearsal of the nativity play turns into a judgment over the naughty 5-year-old, defended by the boy’s mother’s partner. Initially driven by selfish motives, the man begins to mature into the role of a father during the trial.

Movie Review

A Night at the Kindergarten is theatrical in its setting, and manages at times to step outside the scene showcasing situations that go beyond its genre. The movie manages to a certain extent to hit the mark, with the development of the characters and the story.

Piotr Witkowski is back,...

Lbi Entertainment has signed actor, screenwriter and producer Lena Góra for management.

Góra most recently starred in, co-wrote and produced the film “Roving Woman,” which was directed by Michal Chmielewski and executive produced by Wim Wenders. The film, which also stars John Hawkes, follows a woman who breaks up with her partner, steals a car and sets out on a road trip to find some form of closure.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Góra’s performance was noted by critics.

The Poland-born Góra, who is now based in Los Angeles, began her career on the stage in Poland, London and New York. She made her TV debut as the lead in the 2019 Canal+ TV series “The King of Warsaw.”

She also starred in and co-wrote the feature film “Imago,” which screened at the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The film is...

Roving Woman Tribeca Festival Viewpoints Section Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer Director: Michal Chmielewski Writer: Lena Góra, Michal Chmielewski Cast: Lena Góra, John Hawkes, Chris Hanley, Brian McGuire, Ed Mattiuzzi, Crystal Rivers, Bear Badeaux Screened at: Critics’ link, NY, 4/15/22 Opens: June 13th, 2022 A breakup can wreak havoc on a person’s emotional state […]

The post Tribeca 2022: Roving Woman Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Lena Góra discussing an early cut of Roving Woman with Michal Chmielewski, John Hawkes, Chris Hanley, and Orian Williams: “I remember we sat down and said to each other: ‘Maybe we should show this movie to Wim Wenders? Maybe he will give us a note or two?’ And I sent him an email then. Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Michal Chmielewski’s Roving Woman, co-written by its star/producer Lena Góra and co-produced with John Hawkes, executive produced by Wim Wenders and Orian Williams, and shot by Łukasz Dziedzic, is another highlight of the 21st edition of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Lena Góra with Michal Chmielewski: “Michal allowed us to improvise within a structure.”

In the first instalment with Lena Góra and Michal Chmielewski we discuss the significant impact of Wim Wenders, Harry Dean Stanton, Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, and Tom Waits. I reference a Joan Didion quote,...

Drama premieres on Monday, screens again on Wednesday.

The Film Sales Company has bulked up its Tribeca Festival sales slate with worldwide rights to Roving Woman ahead of the world premiere on Monday evening (June 13).

Michal Chmielewski’s feature directorial debut stars Lena Góra as Sarah, a woman who experiences an abrupt break-up, steals a car and embarks on a trip through the desert where she meets oddball characters. Along the way Sarah becomes fascinated by the identity of the car’s owner.

The film was inspired by the disappearance of singer-songwriter Connie Converse in the 1970s and features Wim Wenders as executive producer.

An unknown, filmmaker with much experience breaks into out predictions list because of the curious bio subject, the players and a producer in Marta Lewandowska who was at the fest with Dolce fine giornata a couple of years back. A road movie with its roots in 70’s Greenwich Village, Michał Chmielewski‘s Roving Woman was shot during the pandemic and saw Lena Gora in the shoes of Connie Converse. John Hawkes and Chris Hanley co-star and Wim Wenders and Orian Williams are executive producing.

Gist: This is based on the mysterious disappearance of Connie Converse, the singer-songwriter who vanished without a trace in 1974.…...

Wim Wenders and Orian Williams are executive producing an upcoming feature from debut director Michał Chmielewski based on the mysterious disappearance of Connie Converse, the singer-songwriter who vanished without a trace in 1974.

“Roving Woman” is produced by Marta Lewandowska (“Erotica 2022”) of Friends With Benefits and Lena Góra, who also stars alongside Academy Award nominee John Hawkes (“Winter’s Bone”) and Chris Hanley, the producer behind “Spring Breakers” and “American Psycho.” Shot in the U.S. during the pandemic, the film is currently in post-production.

Converse came of age in the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1950s, but gradually grew disillusioned with her life. One day in 1974, she packed her possessions into a Volkswagen Beetle and left New York, never to be seen or heard from again.

“Our film is a study of man as an individual seeking their place in the world, their identity. A person who doesn’t...

Radoslaw Śmigulski(left), general director of the Polish Film Institute, hosted Friday’s Polish Party at Plage du Goéland in Cannes, where the guests included Marche du Film director Jérôme Paillard.

“It was a pleasure to host great filmmakers and film industry representatives at the Polish Party in Cannes, which was one of the many events promoting the talents, locations and the funding possibilities in Poland, including the 30% cash rebate,” said the Pfi’s Smigulski.

Among those in attendance were Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian, Locarno Film Festival programming head Mark Peranson, and Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival program coordinator Anna Purkrabkova, programmer Martin Horyna, and programmer Lenka Tyrpakova.

“There is a lot of interest in Polish cinema right now,” said producer Klaudia Smieja of Madants, gesturing around the packed terrace where guests huddled, danced and downed Polish vodka to stay warm on a cold, soggy night.

Smieja, who produced...