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Exclusive: Tika Sumpter (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) has co-written and is starring in a new Tyler Perry rom-com for Amazon MGM Studios, Deadline can exclusively reveal. She comes to the project after collaborating with Perry on films like A Madea Christmas and shows like The Haves and the Have Nots.

Currently in production, the film known for the moment as Unt. Sisters in Italy will feature a supporting cast including Bresha Webb (Run the World), Egot winner Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters franchise), Godfrey (Regular Black), Giulio Berruti (Downhill), Edmond Laryea (FBI), Sarayu Blue (Expats), and Justin Chatwin (Reagan). Pic will mark Perry’s final effort under a four-picture deal with the studio, announced in the fall of 2022.

The story follows two estranged sisters who, after their mother’s death, are called to Italy to discover that their mom owned a bed and breakfast in the Italian countryside.

Exclusive: DC Wade has joined Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment as a partner.

Wade was a talent agent at WME for five years before departing last year to help form upstart Imagine Artist Management as a partner. The management firm, originally an extension of Imagine, has since evolved into an independent spinoff firm, Independent Artist Management, putting Wade in play. In a competitive situation, with multiple management companies interested, Wade opted to set up shop at Odenkirk Provissiero, led by principals Naomi Odenkirk and Marc Provissiero.

“Naomi, Marc, and the whole team have built something special,” Wade said. “I’m excited to help expand and amplify the Ope brand as we continue into the next decade of the company.”

Wade brings with him a roster of established and emerging diverse talent, including Insecure’s Yvonne Orji, whose HBO special, executive produced by Wade, premiered in June. His other clients include Odd Mom Out showrunner Lara Spotts,...

There are as many sad parts of Apple TV+’s new immigration anthology series Little America as there are sweet ones. The eight stories contained in the first season feature children being separated from parents, dreams going astray, and scene after scene conveying the profound loneliness of being a stranger in a strange land. There is plenty to make you smile, as well, but be advised to keep tissues handy.

Developed by The Office veteran Lee Eisenberg alongside Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon (the husband-and-wife writing team behind The Big Sick...

“Girls need to see positive and authentic characters that can inspire them”.

The world’s most popular films are sending a message to girls and young women that leadership is mostly for men, according to new research from development organisation Plan International and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

Even if women are portrayed in positions of leadership, they are still shown as sex objects in most films.

The research, which analysed the 56 top-grossing films of 2018 in 20 countries, found that of the characters in leadership positions, women and girls are four times more likely than male characters to...

Exclusive: Fox 2000’s The Hate U Give has been selected as the closing night film at the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival, which runs from September 19-23 in New York. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Ava DuVernay with director George Tillman Jr. and stars Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith in attendance.

In addition, Steve McQueen’s Viola Davis-starring heist thriller, Widows has been added to the fest’s screening lineup, as well as the Bet original film Running Out of Time, and Smallfoot, the Warner Bros animated film that features the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, and Yara Shahidi.

The festival will also be celebrating the 30th anniversal of the John Landis-directed cult classic Coming to America with a special spotlight screening of the film Friday, September 21 and a Q&A moderated...

The finalists for the 13th Annual NBCUniversal Short Film Festival were announced Monday with the fest setting a record for female representation in front of and behind the camera. The finalists will be recognized at an awards ceremony Oct. 24 at the Director’s Guild of America in Hollywood where their short films will be screened.

Known for celebrating diverse storytelling and storytellers, the NBCUniversal Short Film Festival finalists explore race relations, women’s rights, as well as gender and sexual identity. The finalists include a variety of perspectives — both dramatic and comedic — from diverse communities including B.U.T.S: Spanish Class, Kyenvu, Masks, Monday, Rani, and We Know Where You Live.

The finalists were selected from 15 semi-finalist shorts after being showcased at public screenings in New York City this past August. They have already earned acclaim at prominent festivals including CAAMFest, the New York Television Festival, Outfest and the Pan African Film Festival.

Universal Pictures’ “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, will open the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival.

“Night School” is one of more than 60 films and TV shows being screened at the fest — an annual showcase of diverse culture — including the debut of the Fox show “Rel.” “Get Out’s” Lil Rel Howery stars in the series and will take part in a Q&A following the screening at New York City’s AMC Empire 25.

HBO will also screen two spotlight selections: first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s “The Sentence,” a documentary about mandatory minimum sentencing, and Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown’s “United Skates,” a doc about some of America’s last standing roller rinks.

Passes for the festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, are available at the Urbanworld website, and tickets for official selections and spotlights will be available in September.

Here’s the full list of...

The semifinalists have been named for the 13th annual NBCUniversal Short Film Festival, which celebrates diverse stories in a search for the next generation of storytellers.

Chosen from more than 3,400 submissions, the semifinalists feature stories about people of ethnically diverse backgrounds, the Lgbtq community, and women. Of the 15 projects that made the cut this year, 11 are directed and/or directed by women, topping 2017’s record inclusion rate, and about half feature stories centered on female protagonists.

“In a time where female storytellers are powerfully calling on the industry for more opportunities and recognition, it is fitting that our Short Film Festival has set a new record for female writers and directors represented in our semifinal shorts,” said Karen Horne, Svp programming talent development & inclusion at NBC Entertainment. “I’m proud that our festival not only puts more female storytellers into the spotlight but also features an array of impactful shorts about diverse people.