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The Lazarus Project has made a surprising comeback on Netflix’s streaming charts, despite being canceled last year. The British sci-fi thriller, starring Paapa Essiedu, recently climbed to number six on the platform’s Top 10 list, showing that viewers are still very much interested in its time-bending story.

The show originally aired in the UK in 2022, where it gained attention for its mix of action, suspense, and science fiction. Created by Joe Barton, The Lazarus Project follows George, played by Essiedu, who has a rare ability to remember events from previous timelines.

He is recruited by a secret organization known as the Lazarus Project, whose mission is to prevent global disasters by resetting time when catastrophe strikes.

The cast also includes Anjli Mohindra as Archie, Rudi Dharmalingam as Shiv, Charly Clive as Sarah, Caroline Quentin as team leader Wes, and Tom Burke as Rebrov, a rogue former Lazarus agent who...

Stranger Things season 5 gets a new tease from Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos, who promises lots of emotion. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the hit fantasy-horror show returned for season 4 in 2022, continuing the story of Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven and her friends in Hawkins, Indiana, as they face off against the evil forces of the Upside Down. Now, nine years after it premiered, Stranger Things season 5 is set to bring the show to an end at some point this year, wrapping up the stories of all the main characters.

In a recent interview with Variety, Sarandos reveals that he knows exactly how Stranger Things season 5 will wrap up the story, and he teases that it will be an emotional experience for audiences. While he doesn't reveal any specifics, the executive says the final season will be a "thrill ride." Check out his full comment about the show's final season...

The (early) reviews are in! Gladiator II has been deemed to be a gripping spectacle with captivating action sequences, standout performances, and beautiful set pieces. Director Ridley Scott seems to have hit the nail on the head again with this much-anticipated sword-and-sandals sequel.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, early reviews of the Gladiator follow-up have been overwhelmingly positive, and filled with praise. Gladiator II is Ridley Scotts best film since The Martian, wrote film critic Scott Menzel. "A big, bloody and bad ass action spectacle that builds upon the legacy of the original. The film showcases beautiful set pieces and a lot of epic battles. Paul Mescal shines. Denzel Washington chews up the scenery quite a bit here and looks like he is having the time of his life here."

Related Prime Video's God of War Series Gets Unfortunate Update 2 Years After Announcement

The Amazon video game adaptation has suffered a major setback.

Gladiator II had its first screening Friday night and early reactions have already made their way to social media.

The sequel to the 2000 film was screened at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, where media outlets and film critics got a first look at the movie starring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.

Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott, sees Mescal playing a grown-up Lucius Verus II, a nephew to emperor Commodus from the original film, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Lucius returns to Rome after being forced into slavery to battle not as a ruler, but as a gladiator out for revenge and power, and seeks to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The cast also includes Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Rory McCann, Fred Hechinger, Matt Lucas, Tim McInnerny, Peter Mensah and Alec Utgoff. The movie opens in theaters on Nov. 22.

Gladiator II is...

On Sunday July 28 2024, TNT broadcasts The Lazarus Project!

Season 2 Episode 8 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Lazarus Project,” tensions rise as past and present collide in a dramatic showdown. The stakes have never been higher for George and his fellow Lazarus agents. With the three-week time loop still causing chaos, they find themselves facing multiple challenges that threaten their very existence.

As the episode unfolds, George and his team must confront missions that have haunted them from the past. Old issues resurface, and the agents must navigate through the tangled web of their memories and choices. This confrontation is not just about survival; it’s about fixing the time loop that has trapped them for so long.

With only one chance to save themselves and their loved ones, the pressure mounts. The agents must work together, relying on their skills and trust in one another. The episode promises to be filled with intense moments,...

On Sunday, July 28, 2024, at 10:00 Pm, TNT presents a gripping new episode of “The Lazarus Project” titled “Epic Confrontation.” In this dramatic installment of Season 2, the stakes are higher than ever as past missions and current crises collide in a high-stakes showdown.

The episode centers around George and his fellow Lazarus agents, who face their most challenging moment yet. With the three-week time loop on the brink of collapse, the team is forced into a critical confrontation that could determine the fate of their mission and their own lives. The tension rises as they scramble for one final chance to fix the loop and save themselves.

“Epic Confrontation” promises intense action and thrilling twists as the series builds towards a climactic resolution. Fans can expect a captivating blend of suspense and drama as George and his team navigate their most perilous situation to date. This episode is a must-watch for...

In the upcoming episode of “The Lazarus Project” titled “The Lazarus Project,” viewers are in for an intense ride as a catastrophic event throws the Lazarus team’s plans into disarray. George and Sarah find themselves at the forefront, needing to collaborate closely to salvage their mission. The tension escalates as they face off against the formidable Wes, who proves to be a relentless obstacle in their path.

As the episode unfolds, the stakes are higher than ever for George and Sarah. Their teamwork and quick thinking will be put to the test as they navigate through unexpected challenges and danger. The audience can expect gripping moments, unexpected twists, and high-octane action as the characters are pushed to their limits.

Tune in at 10:00 Pm on Sunday, July 21, 2024, on TNT to witness the thrilling showdown between George, Sarah, and Wes in “The Lazarus Project.” With the fate of the mission hanging in the balance,...

On Sunday June 30 2024, TNT broadcasts The Lazarus Project!

Season 2 Episode 4 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Lazarus Project” on TNT, things take an unexpected turn for George and his team. When the time machine malfunctions, they end up stuck in a different year than intended. Now, they face the challenge of resisting the allure of the past while striving to find a way back to their correct timeline.

As George and the other members of the Lazarus mission navigate this unforeseen predicament, they must grapple with the consequences of being out of sync with their present. The temptation to alter events in the past looms large, but they know that any changes could have far-reaching implications for their future. Will they be able to stay focused on their mission and resist the urge to meddle with time?

With the stakes higher than ever, George and his team must stay...

This Sunday, 7 July 2024, TNT presents an intriguing episode of “The Lazarus Project” with Season 2 Episode 5 titled “The Lazarus Project,” airing at 9:00 Pm. The series unfolds with suspense as the Lazarus team faces a critical challenge: navigating their return to 2012. However, an unexpected twist emerges when Janet finds herself already back in that pivotal year.

Viewers can expect a gripping narrative as the team grapples with the complexities of time travel and the consequences of altering past events. Janet’s presence in 2012 adds a layer of mystery and urgency, forcing the team to confront unforeseen obstacles and make difficult decisions that could impact their future timeline.

As tensions rise and secrets unravel, “The Lazarus Project” delves deeper into the ethical dilemmas and scientific possibilities of time manipulation. With each episode, the series explores themes of identity, fate, and the ramifications of altering history, keeping viewers on the edge of their...

On Sunday June 23 2024, TNT broadcasts The Lazarus Project!

Season 2 Episode 3 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Lazarus Project” on TNT, the team is on the brink of a breakthrough in understanding time travel. However, their mission takes an unexpected turn, revealing that things are more complex than they first thought. As they delve deeper into the science behind time travel, new challenges and mysteries arise, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

One of the team members, George, experiences firsthand the consequences of unlimited time travel. His journey sheds light on the dangers and moral dilemmas that come with manipulating time. The episode explores the ethical implications of altering the past and the future, adding a layer of depth to the sci-fi narrative.

As the team grapples with the implications of their discoveries, viewers are taken on a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns. “The Lazarus Project...

In the upcoming episode of “The Lazarus Project” titled “The Lazarus Project,” viewers are in for a thrilling ride as George and the rest of the Lazarus mission face unexpected challenges. Set to air at 9:00 Pm on Sunday, 30 June 2024, on TNT, this episode promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

As the time machine malfunctions, George and his team find themselves stranded in a different time period. The stakes are high as they navigate this unfamiliar territory, trying to find a way back to their present. The tension rises as they must resist the temptations of the past while striving to correct the course of history.

With gripping twists and turns, “The Lazarus Project” continues to captivate audiences with its unique blend of science fiction and drama. The cast delivers stellar performances, drawing viewers deeper into the intricate storyline. Each character’s struggles and triumphs add...

On Sunday June 16 2024, TNT broadcasts The Lazarus Project!

Season 2 Episode 2 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Lazarus Project,” the team embarks on a thrilling mission to locate the elusive time machine responsible for transporting Janet back to 2012. As they delve deeper into the mystery, tensions rise, and secrets unravel, leading to unexpected twists and turns that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Meanwhile, a surprising visitor from the past makes a dramatic entrance, seeking out George for reasons unknown. This unexpected reunion brings forth a wave of emotions and challenges for George and the team, adding another layer of intrigue to an already complex storyline.

With the clock ticking and the stakes higher than ever, the team must race against time to unravel the truth behind the time machine and navigate the repercussions of the unforeseen visitor’s arrival. As the plot thickens and alliances are tested,...

Prepare for an exhilarating journey into the unknown with “The Lazarus Project,” airing Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 9:00 Pm on TNT. In this episode of the thrilling series, the team ventures deeper into the complexities of time travel, pushing the boundaries of science and ethics alike. As they inch closer to unraveling the mysteries of temporal manipulation, they confront unexpected challenges that threaten to derail their mission.

Central to the narrative is George, a pivotal character who witnesses firsthand the profound consequences of tampering with time. His personal journey intertwines with the team’s scientific pursuits, adding a human element to the high-stakes exploration of temporal dynamics. As they grapple with ethical dilemmas and unforeseen dangers, viewers are taken on a rollercoaster ride of suspense and intrigue.

“The Lazarus Project” promises to captivate audiences with its blend of scientific inquiry and gripping storytelling. With each twist and turn, the episode unfolds...

This Sunday, June 16, at 9:00 Pm, TNT presents Season 2, Episode 2 of “The Lazarus Project,” promising another thrilling installment of time-travel adventure. In this episode, titled simply “The Lazarus Project,” the team embarks on a mission to locate the elusive time machine responsible for transporting Janet back to 2012.

Viewers can expect suspense and intrigue as the team navigates through time and space, racing against the clock to unravel the mysteries surrounding Janet’s disappearance. With each clue they uncover, the stakes grow higher, and the danger becomes more palpable.

Adding to the excitement, an unexpected visitor from the past arrives, seeking out George and throwing another twist into the already complex narrative. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, the team must stay one step ahead of their adversaries to uncover the truth and save Janet.

Don’t miss Season 2, Episode 2 of “The Lazarus Project” on TNT this Sunday night. Tune...

Gear up for an intense and gripping return as Season 2 of “The Lazarus Project” kicks off with Episode 1 titled “The Lazarus Project.” Airing at 9:00 Pm on Sunday, June 9, 2024, on TNT, this episode promises to deliver a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns.

In this highly anticipated season opener, the Lazarus Project team is on a mission to break the cycle of their past mistakes. Led by the guilt-ridden George, the team is determined to redeem themselves and regain the trust they have lost, both among themselves and with their colleagues.

As George wrestles with his own demons and seeks redemption, the stakes are higher than ever. With tensions running high and trust at an all-time low, the team must navigate through challenges and obstacles to achieve their goal.

Join the journey of redemption, betrayal, and suspense as “The Lazarus Project” returns with its riveting Season 2 premiere. Tune in...

This post contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" season 4.

"Stranger Things" fans know the drill by now. Whenever a quirky newcomer ingratiates them among the show's main group of characters, odds are it's only a matter of time before they're snuffed out in heartbreaking fashion. Bob Newby (Sean Astin)? The adorkable RadioShack man gets mauled to death by Demodogs while helping his girlfriend Joyce (Winona Ryder) rescue her son Will (Noah Schnapp). Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff)? We'd only just met the wide-eyed Cherry Slurpee-sipping Russian scientist when he was assassinated by his own people for helping the show's heroes.

As such, when season 4 ended with newbie Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) getting slaughtered by a pack of Demobats while simultaneously shredding Metallica's "Master of Puppets," well, it was sad for sure but far from a surprise. The offbeat, guitar-strumming, Dungeons & Dragons-playing high schooler spent most of the season on the...

Sadie Sink discusses whether her character Max should have died in Stranger Things season 4. Sink's character Max Mayfield arrived on the scene in season 2 of the hit sci-fi series and soon became part of the show's beloved kid group, which includes Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Will (Noah Schnapp) and usually, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). After her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery)'s death in season 3, Max was seen struggling in terms of her mental health in season 4, which made her vulnerable to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Though she survived her face-offs with the villain, Max was left in a shocking state at the end of season 4; blinded, with most of her limbs broken, in a coma.

During an appearance on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, Sink opens up about whether she agrees with a popular critique of the series shared by many Stranger Things fans as...

Millie Bobby Brown isn't the only "Stranger Things" cast member who thinks the show should be more ruthless about killing off characters. In recent weeks, Maya Hawke — who of course, plays Robin Buckley on "Stranger Things" — has ventured out with a role in another Netflix title, "Do Revenge," the promotion of which saw her sitting down with her co-star Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") for a lie detector test via Vanity Fair. The questions veered straight into the Upside Down territory of spoilers, so if you aren't caught up with "Stranger Things" season 4 yet, look away now.

Mendes asked Hawke point-blank if she thought Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) should have died in season 4, to which Hawke responded, "I don't think he should have died, but I do think the show has too many characters." When asked if she thought anyone else should have died (to help whittle down the show's sprawling cast), Hawke said,...

[Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for “Stranger Things” Season 4, as well as “Game of Thrones.”]

In the trailer for “Stranger Things 4: Volume 2” it seemed certain someone would die.

And someone did die, but just one someone and not necessarily a someone who seemed in terrible danger before the two supersized episodes hit Netflix July 1 (or who even existed before the first batch of episodes debuted May 27). Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), newcomer and fans’ Season 4 favorite, went out in a blaze of glory, decimated by otherworldly bats while he bought time to save everyone else. In fact, he died the exact death that almost befell Steve (Joe Keery) in “Volume 1,” but the Duffer brothers wouldn’t dream of killing Steve — or any of its other longtime leads, it seems — with another season left to go.

Quickly disposing of Eddie was never a guarantee, based on the show’s track record. Sadie Sink’s Max joined in...

All is not well in Hawkins, Ind.—and it's about to get a whole lot worse. Volume two of Stranger Things season four is set to premiere on July 1, and we have a feeling that fans should brace themselves for a heartbreaking conclusion. Not only is the series unafraid to kill off beloved characters—shout out to Barb (Shannon Purser), Bob (Sean Astin), Alexei (Alec Utgoff) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery)—but the June 21 trailer warned that Eleven's friends are in serious danger. "It is over," season four villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) tells the powerful teen (Millie Bobby Brown). "Now I just want you to watch. Your friends have lost." Co-creator Ross...

by Nathaniel R

from the actor's instragram

One of the most unusual and affecting movies of the past year or so in cinema is finally making the rounds. Poland’s 2020 Oscar submission, Never Gonna Snow Again is in theaters and will presumably hit VOD shortly. The mysterious film is about a man named Zhenia, a Ukrainian massage therapist, who becomes the fixation of a small Polish town. The residents all begin to employ him and each of them project their own feelings and fantasies onto him. Still, Zhenia's own desires and identity remain an enigma, even to the audience who are invited to fixate and project, much like the townsfolk. But even the town is not entirely grounded in reality, but arguably an homogenous purgatory of a suburban fantasy. All in all it makes for an unusual and riveting film experience.

At the center of it all is the 35 year-old...

Picturehouse Entertainment has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming film from Małgorzata Szumowska, ‘Never Gonna Snow Again.’ Your can read our glowing review from 2020’s London Film Festival right here.

When a mysterious stranger arrives in a gated community on the outskirts of a large Polish city, he is welcomed by the wealthy residents who embrace his talents as a masseur. Though his hands provide healing, his eyes seem to penetrate their very souls, lifting a disquiet in each of their lives. Zhenia (Alec Utgoff) possesses a magical gift and to the residents, his Russian accent also sounds like a song from the past, a peaceful melody from their childhood when the world was a safer place. And though his hypnotic techniques bring calm his background remains a mystery, leaving the residents to wonder what other secrets he holds.

Also in trailers – Beanie Feldstein is Monica Lewinsky in first...

Sony Pictures Classics’ sci-fi drama Nine Days starring Winston Duke opens in four theaters in a specialty market buoyed by recent releases like Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain and Pig. New York’s arthouse scene, outpaced by LA of late, is perking up, distributors say (Ailey numbers were super there) and moviegoers are rewarding unique films and strong stories.

(The slow reviving specialty scene is keeping its head down as day-and-date tensions in wide release blockbuster-land explode.)

Nine Days hits NYC and LA today before rolling out nationwide August 6 in 250-275 theaters, said Jason Michael Berman, a producer, and president of Mandalay Pictures — of course depending on how it does. He’s upbeat after 800 people turned out for LA screening this week at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel with EP Spike Jonze introducing the film, written and directed by Edson Oda,...

Never Gonna Snow Again (?niegu ju? nigdy nie b?dzie) Kino Lorber Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Malgorzata Szumowska. Co-director: Michal Englert Writer: Michal Englert, Malgorzata Szumowska Cast: Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura,Andrzej Chyra, Lukasz Simlat Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 7/16/21 Opens: […]

The post Never Gonna Show Again Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

"I heard you had great abilities, sir." Kino Lorber has released an official US trailer for the strange Polish drama Never Gonna Snow Again, which first premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year. We ran a teaser and a full trailer last year in the fall. On a gray, foggy morning outside a large Polish city, a masseur apparently from Ukraine named Zhenia enters the lives of the wealthy residents of a gated community. With his hypnotic presence and quasi-magical abilities, he is able to get a residence permit and starts plying his trade. The well-to-do residents in their own cookie-cutter suburban homes seemingly have it all, but they all suffer from an inner sadness, some unexplained longing. The attractive and mysterious newcomer's hands heal, and Zhenia’s eyes seem to penetrate their souls. Starring Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura. I'd say that comparison...

Would you rather...

• Enjoy an ice cream cone with Debi Mazar?

• Return to the Met with Helen Hunt?

• Quarantine with Cheyenne Jackson?

• Learn to drive a truck with Juliette Binoche?

• Make an Italian dinner with Sir Anthony Hopkins?

• Go horseback riding with Colman Domingo?

• Do an Escape Room with Gina Gershon and Jamie Lee Curtis?

• Scuba dive with Brie Larson?

• "Audition" for Cruella 2 with Alec Utgoff?

• Welcome in the summer with January Jones?

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide!

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 past round-ups here.

About Endlessness (Roy Andersson)

Watch an exclusive clip for the film, which is also now in theaters.

“What should I do now that I have lost my faith?” is the question that animates About Endlessness; this being the new film by Roy Andersson, it is delivered in a doctor’s waiting room, over and over again, in a creaky voice, by a dumpy man in late middle age who continues his plaint even after the doctor and his receptionist gruntingly force him outside into the hallway, from whence they can hear him scratching at the door like a zombie. About Endlessness is Roy Andersson’s fourth film of this...

Poland’s entry for the 2021 Academy Awards, “Never Gonna Snow Again,” didn’t land a nomination after falling on the shortlist, but it still casts a powerful spell. Director Małgorzata Szumowska teams with her longtime cinematographer and co-writer Michał Englert for this mysterious drama that balances beguiling whimsy with droll laughs in weaving a kind of fairytale spin on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema.”

In this film, like Pasolini’s, a beautiful man drops seemingly out of the sky and into an affluent community, invigorates their dreary lives for a minute, and then is gone in a flash. Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” plays a masseur who — part cherub, part beefcake — brings hypnotic powers with him from Pripyat, the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to a gated Polish neighborhood of the rich and bored.

Szumowska and her cinematographer Englert co-direct this visually spellbinding tale that packs a quirky ensemble...

by Nathaniel R

Though it's easy to lose track of great cinema, especially in this strange time of virtual festivals and very little traditional moviegoing, you won't want to miss Never Gonna Snow Again, when it arrives this Spring. The Polish hopeful in this year's Oscar's International Feature Film race is a hard-to-describe elusive wonder about a Ukranian massage therapist (Stranger Thing's Alec Utgoff) who a suburban community becomes obsessed with. We were thrilled to jump on the phone with its talented 47 year-old director Malgorzata Szumowska. She's forged a long and international career for herself with award winning films like Elles (with Juliette Binoche), Body, the LGBT drama In the Name of, and her first English language picture last year, the cult drama The Other Lamb. 

She goes by 'Malgo'. "It's easier," she offers quickly, surely having heard her name mangled before. The director lives up to our expectations with...

When shooting wrapped last February on Poland’s Oscar entry Never Gonna Snow Again, its filmmakers and production team could never have predicted the bizarre physical and emotional journey that the indie title would undergo across the next 11 months as it was finished and then unveiled amidst a global pandemic.

The film, which played In Competition at the Venice Film Festival in September and was scheduled to premiere at Telluride before the event was cancelled, is hoping to get Poland another seat at the Oscar nomination table much like Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War and Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi did in 2018 and 2019 respectively, even if this year’s seat will be a virtual one.

Born out of an idea from established Polish helmer Malgorzata Szumowska and cinematographer Michal Englert, who have worked together on films such as Berlin Silver Bear winner Mug and last year’s English-language title The Other Lamb,...

Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, director and co-director of “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s Academy Awards entry for Best International Feature Film, said a very strange process of negotiation led them to cast “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff in the lead role.

Recounting the story to TheWrap’s Joe McGovern, Szumowska said she first became aware of Utgoff, who came to the cast of Netflix’ horror-mystery series “Stranger Things” in the series’ third season as Russian scientist Dr. Alexei, through her son

“(He said) Mom, you have to watch ‘Stranger Things’ and wait for the Alexei character,” Szumowska said. “I started to watch and I said: ‘Yes, that’s the guy, oh my God!'”

Although her son brought Utgoff to Szumowska’s attention, he was also convinced she had no shot of coaxing the star of a successful TV series to play Zenia, an enigmatic masseur who travels...

Poland has generated some fresh class distinctions since communist days, a development examined with a shrewd and merciless eye in the country’s Oscar-submitted feature Never Gonna Snow Again. The central figure is a mysterious private masseur, played by the UK-based actor Alec Utgoff, who goes door-to-door carrying with him a folding massage table through a wealthy gated community to offer is services to the numerous and invariably dissatisfied people living in the virtually identical houses.

“He is an alien that invades this society,” Utgoff says during the film’s panel discussion at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. “I feel the film, in general, is sort of a philosophical collaboration.”

The directors are Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, who began their relationship 15 years ago as a romantic couple. That phase is now history, but their creative collaboration continues apace. “It’s proof that a collaboration between female and male directors is possible,...

The second day of Deadline’s Contenders Film kicks off Sunday at 8 a.m. Pt, returning after a big Day 1 on Saturday to complete a slate of 49 films from 16 studios and distributors, one that features a hugely impressive lineup of talent numbering 150 speakers over the course of the weekend for our annual awards-season event.

Click here to register and join the livestream, and follow along all day with coverage on Deadline as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.

Due to obvious health and safety reasons, and following guidelines about gatherings set by the CDC, Contenders is going virtual, after success doing so starting with Contenders TV in the spring and then again with Contenders International and Contenders Documentary. It has boosted the global reach of the event, and although we miss seeing everyone in person, it has been...

In the opening scene of Never Gonna Snow Again, Poland’s contender for the 2021 international film Oscar, we see a muscular man step out of a mystical forest and make his way to a concrete, Soviet-style government building.

He’s a foreigner — from Ukraine — and is there to secure a residency permit. There’s no love coming from the face of the grey bureaucrat behind the desk but, with a wave of his hands, and some whispered words in Russian, the bureaucrat falls into a deep slumber. The muscular man stamps his own documents and walks out the ...

Never Gonna Snow Again co-directors and co-writers Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s professional collaboration is an unusual one — the pair are ex-husband and wife. But Szumowska says their enduring partnership shows “collaboration is possible.”

“In these difficult times I think it’s a good and optimistic sign,” she adds during the pair’s appearance at Contenders International, explaining that the pair first met at film school and have been working together ever since. They are both directors on their latest feature, which stars Alec Utgoff (recognized for his role in Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking Ukrainian working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in a wealthy gated community.

“Collaboration is not easy always, but I think we quite complement each other,” Englert says.

Thematically, the film explores topics such as spirituality through its enigmatic and ethereal plot. “It’s always very hard to say something...

Parasite has blown open the doors of the international feature category, long thought to be the purview of solemn message movies, to the experimental and the strange. If a movie that shifts in tone among thriller, horror and straight-out farce can win the international feature Oscar, then maybe other overseas films that are even more adventurous with genre have a shot this awards season.

There are a few daringly ambitious ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian masseur in a gated community — to ...

Parasite has blown open the doors of the international feature category, long thought to be the purview of “serious message movies,” to the experimental and the strange. If a movie about a family of South Korean con artists — one that shifts in tone among thriller, horror and straight-out farce — can win the highfalutin international feature Oscar, than even the weirdest overseas films have a shot this awards season.

There are a few odd ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian ...

The filmmakers behind Poland’s official entry in the international feature film Oscar race, “Never Gonna Snow Again,” say they will be following in the footsteps of Polish winners and nominees like Paweł Pawlikowski and Jan Komasa (“Corpus Christi”). Academy voters watching their international film screeners at home should have plenty of time to catch the film before it’s released by Kino Lorber in the spring.

Malgorzata Szumowska (“Body”) co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, who makes his directorial debut. The story follows Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a guru-like masseur who travels within an affluent neighborhood and meets clients, who open up to him about their lives. Englert uses wide framing as Zhenia makes his rounds, often appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “He is mysterious and had an air of secrecy to him,” Englert says. The inspiration, Szumowska notes, was a real-life masseur who wandered from house to...

Wealthy, curtain-twitching suburbanites have formed the basis for many a TV show, but the Polish feature Never Gonna Snow Again proves the setting can be profoundly cinematic and esoteric, as well as darkly funny. Co-directing and writing with director of photography Michal Englert, Malgorzata Szumowska revels in blending genres in this acutely observed festival hit that is Poland’s submission for the 2021 International Oscar race.

Most of the action takes place in a gated community made up of identikit white mansions. We enter along with Zenia (Alec Utgoff), a quiet but charismatic Ukrainian masseur. Arriving in Warsaw with his massage bed slung over his shoulder, he hypnotizes an official into a slumber before rubber-stamping his own permit. As Zenia leaves the man’s office, the camera pans to show the needle of a record player, which magically springs into action.

The music? Shostakovich: the waltz that Stanley Kubrick used memorably in Eyes Wide Shut.

Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s submission to the Oscars race for Best International Film, and the indie distributor is planning a release in spring 2021.

Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert directed “Never Gonna Snow Again,” and the two also co-wrote and produced, with Englert also serving as the cinematographer. The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year and won the Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award, and it was also an official selection of the canceled Telluride Film Festival.

“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled-off community as a masseur. Despite their wealth, the residents emit an inner sadness and a longing. The mysterious newcomer’s hands heal and his eyes seem to penetrate their souls.

Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s drama “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s Academy Awards entry.

“Never Gonna Snow Again” follows a Russian masseur — played by Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” — who enriches the lives of the rich, unfulfilled residents living in a walled-off community. Kino Lorber will release the pic in spring 2021.

“After last year’s moody but mildly received English-language diversion ‘The Other Lamb,’ prolific Polish auteur Malgorzata Szumowska returns to home turf in this Venice competition entry, and the result is her most compelling and hauntingly realized film to date,” Guy Lodge wrote in his review for Variety.

Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert, who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/Arte,...

Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Never Gonna Snow Again, Malgorzata Szumowska’s Polish drama which is representing the country in this year’s International Oscar race. The distributor is lining up a theatrical release in Spring, 2021.

The film debuted in competition at Venice this year. It stars Alec Utgoff (Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled off community as a masseur, going on to achieve a guru-like status.

Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/ arte, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Di Factory and supported by the Polish Film Institute, Film and Medienstiftung Nrw, Dfff and the German Polish Filmfund.

Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights for Polish comedic drama Never Gonna Snow Again from Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, for North America.

The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.

The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...

Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights for Polish comedic drama Never Gonna Snow Again from Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, for North America.

The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.

The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...

“Never Gonna Snow Again,” which was chosen as Poland’s Oscar submission prior to its world premiere in Venice, marks a further step in cinematographer Michał Englert’s long collaboration with Małgorzata Szumowska. It started in the 1990s with her short “Silence,” followed by her feature debut “Happy Man” in 2000, and continues with “Never Gonna Snow Again,” with Englert serving as both cinematographer and co-director, alongside Szumowska, on the film.

“Our way of working, or our sense of humor, hasn’t really changed. Although the scope of my involvement is constantly expanding,” says Englert, who has been developing screenplays with Szumowska since 2013’s “In the Name Of,” and describes their process as “instinctive.”

“I definitely have an ego, but you can’t make movies all by yourself and in the case of ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’ we decided its power will be bigger if we sign it as a directorial duo.

As the title suggests, the arrival of snow seems to blanket all discord, unite people in wonder and instill a momentary pause for reflection. The idea of snow never settling again seems unimaginable, even doleful. In Polish co-directors Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s hypnotic new drama, Never Gonna Snow Again, with its twinkles of humour scattered throughout, the title also points to the background of the film’s mysterious lead character, a ‘healing’ masseur called Zhenia (Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff) who we see at the start making the journey from the Ukraine into Poland.

Flashbacks suggest he is a child of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, which saw radioactive dust fall from the sky like snow as a result. In searching for a new life in the West, Zhenia can put this troubled past to rest, hoping never to see fake snow falling again, and put his remarkable healing hands to more prosperous use.

An enigmatic man from the East arrives in a drab, anonymous Eastern European city one foggy morning, bearing little more than a massage bed. As he earns the confidence of the residents of an exclusive gated community, he becomes equal parts confessor and healer, his Russian accent carrying hints of a longed-for past, his therapy offering the promise of a salve for more than just their aching bodies.

“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars Alec Utgoff (“Stranger Things”) as Zhenia, the mysterious masseur at the center of the latest feature from two-time Berlinale Silver Bear winner Malgorzata Szumowska, who co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, making his directorial debut.

The film, which world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, screens at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt on Saturday. It is produced by Poland’s Lava Films and Germany’s Match Factory Productions, in co-production with Poland’s Mazovia Film Fund,...

Malgorzata Szumowska's films have always been an intriguing blend, often mixing mordant humour with more weighty ideas - as with Body/dilm] - and incorporating a spiritual element, most recently with the more serious cult drama [film]The Other Lamb. Her latest, which sees her regular cinematographer Michal Englert named as co-director, returns to the playfulness of her earlier work as they present a satire of suburbia that, at times, also has the quality of a fable.

The action centres on Zhenia. Zhenia is a Ukrainian emigre to Poland - something almost everyone seems keen to remind him of - who plies his massage trade around a wealthy gated community. It's the sort of well-heeled but competitive place where the jangle of one-upmanship can be heard in the competing musical...

The lives of the bourgeoisie aren’t as perfect as they seem, says Małgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s Never Gonna Snow Again, the Polish submission to the Academy Award for Best International Feature. If you’ve seen any of the thousands upon thousands of films about suburban angst, you might be asking, Ok… and? The Other Lamb director and her longtime cinematographer Englert, who now shares a directing credit, try their best to add something to that conversation, but they’re more successful at contributing beautiful new images than new ideas.

The captivating center of Never Gonna Snow Again is Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Ukranian immigrant in Poland who works as a masseuse for the inhabitants of a wealthy gated community. Zhenia is a quiet enigma and a grand yet gentle physical presence—all the better for the people of the community to project onto him. They chat incessantly about their problems,...

To say that every sweaty, masked moment at the Venice Film Festival was nothing short of miraculous would be an understatement.

Even now, having returned home to London after eight days in Venice, it’s incredible to me that it even happened. That, for instance, Tilda Swinton declared “Wakanda Forever!” on an actual stage in front of our eyes, and not through Zoom. Or that we survived on paninis and cold pizza alone for a week, and enjoyed it. And that we assembled in the dark every day, at every opportunity, transported by cinema.

When Venice revealed this spring that it would be staged as a physical event — “The Venice Film Festival cannot be replaced by an online event,” organizers huffed in early April — I was skeptical. The Covid-19 situation in Europe, at that time, was dire, and Italy was especially hard hit. How, I wondered, would they pull this off?...