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Arab independent films are enjoying a resurgence in terms of festival and commercial success affirms Antoine Khalife, the Red Sea Film Festival’s director of Arab programs and film classics, citing the example of Egyptian thriller “Flight 404,” which has grossed over $4 million in Saudi Arabia this year.

Khalife praises the modern spirit of recent Egyptian independent cinema and has chosen two titles for this year’s official selection – “Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo,” about an evicted man who seeks a new home for himself and his loyal dog, and “Snow White,” about a woman with dwarfism who develops a relationship with a man over the internet. “They’re both very modern and highly unusual films, which don’t just try to convey a message,” explains Khalife.

Red Sea’s opening film is a Saudi-Egyptian coproduction, “The Tale Of Daye’s Family,” about an 11-year-old Nubian albino boy who travels...

In the fast-paced world of modern body horror, “Else” stands out as a stunning first book that breaks the rules of the genre. In this fascinating film, directed by Thibault Emin, a small apartment is turned into a place where love, terror, and change all come together in a way that is hard to believe.

This French movie Fever Dream goes beyond typical horror tropes to deeply reflect on how people bond and define themselves. At its core, “Else” looks at what happens when close ties aren’t just emotional but could also be physical. The movie is about Anx and Cass, two different people thrown together during a strange virus outbreak that turns people and things into grotesque, collective beings.

Emin’s idea goes beyond the usual way of telling viral stories. In this case, the virus is both a metaphor for and a real cause of change that...

Spoilers for "Deadpool & Wolverine" ahead.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" has advertised itself as a multiverse adventure. It is a movie that bridges the 20th Century Fox "X-Men" movie franchise with the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- not that you need to be a Marvel super-fan to enjoy "Deadpool & Wolverine." Since there's only so many different worlds one can visit in two hours, the film has a montage of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) jumping from universe to universe and meeting many different Wolverines.

One of the Wolverines he finds is in dire straits, crucified on a Saint Andrew's cross in an apocalyptic landscape. X-fans might recognize the image from the cover of "Uncanny X-Men" #251 ("Fever Dream"), drawn by Marc Silvestri and Dan Green.

Marvel Comics

Silvestri is a prolific "X-Men" artist; he drew most of writer Chris Claremont's final stretch on the title during the 1980s, and then "Here Comes Tomorrow,...

Just over six years have passed since Saudi Arabia announced the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban as part of a strategy to open up the country and move its economy away from a reliance on oil.

In a sign that things were already bubbling prior to the Ministry of Culture’s official announcement in December 2017, the country’s Saudi Film Festival (Sff), taking place in the Eastern Province city of Dhahran, will mark its 10th anniversary from May 2 to 9.

The event grew out of under-the-radar screenings in the early 2000s at a local culture association of arthouse DVDs, subtitled into Arabic by an underground outfit.

“We were fighting to screen films in public,” recounts Sff’s founding director Ahmed Almulla, the artist and poet who spearheaded the screenings. “Things changed in the blink of eye. It’s a revolution, what’s happened in Saudi Arabia with art and culture.

Exclusive: Rising Saudi Star Mohammed Elshehri has been announced as master of ceremonies at the 10th edition Saudi Film Festival, running from May 2 to 9 in the Eastern Province city of Dhahran.

Elshehri is the star of hit Mbc Ramadan comedy TV series Road Trip (Sekket Safar), which has just completed its third season run.

He also hosted the first season of Mbc reality game show One Million Dollar Land and also starred in Saudi musical movie Valley Road after getting his acting breakthrough in Mbc platform Shahid’s hit crime and drama The Fates Hotel.

“Like many great festivals we exist to promote our local talent. Mo is a rising star in our country and the region,” said Saudi Film Festival head Ahmed Almulla.

“We’re so proud of what he has accomplished and believe he will be one of the greatest actors of our time. We are very honored...

As awards season finally comes to a close and spring arrives in full swing, today we’re excited to celebrate and welcome our newest cohort of six incredible Fellows into the 2024 Film Independent Amplifier Fellowship, supported by founding sponsor Netflix and its Fund for Creative Equity. Now in its third year, the program provides direct support to emerging and mid-career Black or African American filmmakers.

Over the course of the twelve-month program, Amplifier Fellows will receive bespoke support to propel their careers and a selected project forward both creatively and strategically, as well as customized mentorship pairings including a Netflix executive as an industry advisor and also a board member from Film Independent.

Each Fellow will also receive professional coaching in partnership with Renee Freedman & Co, and financial and coaching in partnership with The Jill James. Each Fellow will also receive a $30,000 unrestricted grant (!) to provide sustainability and/or support their creative endeavors.

Exclusive: Film Independent has named the Fellows and projects selected for the 2024 edition of its Amplifier Fellowship, a program that provides direct support to emerging and mid-career Black or African American filmmakers. They are Zandashé Brown (The Matriarch), Moira Griffin (The Prince of 7th Ave: The Legend of WilliWear/Willi Smith), Crystal Kayiza (The Gardeners), Mobolaji Olambiwonnu (Chosen Fathers), Avril Speaks (Pure), and Monique Walton (Anita).

Over the course of the year-long program, supported by Netflix and its Fund for Creative Equity, Fellows will receive bespoke support to further both their career and current projects as well as customized mentorship pairings with a Netflix executive and board member from Film Independent. Each will also receive professional coaching in partnership with Renee Freedman & Co, financial and business advisement in partnership with The Jill James, and a $30,000 unrestricted grant, intended to support the sustainability of their creative endeavors.

“The Amplifier Fellowship provides...

Enrico Saller’s 2023 thriller, The Dark Girl, presented Laura Faun (Katharina Scheuba) as a successful novelist who had penned a plethora of best-selling novels. Writing had always been her passion and hobby, even when she was a kid. She used to hide under her blankets for hours and scribble whatever came to her mind on a piece of paper. Her morning routine consisted of getting up every day, brewing a cup of nice coffee, and sitting down at her desk to work on her next novel. It was a habit Laura didn’t like to break. Laura was happy in her tranquil life, thanks to her friend, who would do anything for her. But things weren’t always the same for her, or “tranquil.” When a fan asked her to sign her last book, Das Gift, she was forced to take a trip down memory lane. Unfortunately, her memories were haunting,...

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has announced details of this year's selection of films from Saudi Arabia, alongside the Arab Spectacular and Red Sea: Competition features strands. Collectively, these strands will showcase the rich and varied work by established and new filmmakers from the region, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation.

The third edition of the Rsiff – running from 30 November to 9 December – providesa unique and powerful platform for celebrating film, connecting cultures, and expanding horizons while welcoming stories from all walks of life. It is a comprehensive cinematic platform that promotes diversity in all facets of filmmaking, elevating it beyond just a film screening event. These ideas of diversity, connection, and cultural exchange are manifested in this year's theme; “Your Story, Your Festival”.

While celebrating cinema on a global scale, Red Sea Iff throws a spotlight on films made in the...

Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, will have a special screening at the festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.

The festival will take place from November 30-December 9 in the port city of Jeddah under the theme ’Your Stories, Your Festival.’

Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in the Mena region and includes 36 feature length and short films from Saudi Arabia, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation.

The Competition strand includes 17 films from Asia,...

Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, will have a special screening at the festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.

The festival, which takes place from November 30-December 9, will also give special screenings to Maïwenn’s historical romance Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, which was supported by Red Sea’s financing arm and opened Cannes, and to Dhafer L’abidine’s Saudi-uae co-production To My Son, which world premieres at the festival.

Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in...

Films by Carolina Markowicz, Isabel Coixet, Jaione Camborda and Isabel Herguera all have international potential.

Highly anticipated features from Isabel Coixet, Lucía Puenzo and Jaione Camborda are among the buzziest Spanish and Latin American titles screening across all strands of this year’s San Sebastián film festival. Here is a flavour of what festival audiences can expect.

Blondi (Argentina)

Dir: Dolores Fonzi

The debut feature from Argentinian actress Dolores Fonzi plays in the Horizontes Latinos section, which screens premieres entirely or partially produced in Latin America and not yet released in Spain. Fonzi also stars in the film which is...

Twelve stories set in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil make up Horizontes Latinos, a selection of the year’s feature films, not yet released in Spain, from among all those totally or partially produced in Latin America, directed by moviemakers of Latino origin, or which are set against the backdrop or subject of Latino communities in the rest of the world. In the selection of titles competing for the Horizontes Award at San Sebastian’s 71st edition are two films to have carried off awards at the last Wip Latam –El castillo / The Castle and Estranho caminho / A Strange Path– and at the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum –Alemania–.

Having shown one of her previous movies in Horizontes Latinos, Los sonámbulos / The Sleepwalkers (2019), Paula Hernández returns to the section she will open with El viento que arrasa / A Ravaging Wind, a cinematic adaptation of Selva Almada’s homonymous novel. Alfredo Castro,...

The family that go clubbing together, stay together . . . at least in the Meloni household. During a Jan. 30 appearance on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Christopher Meloni revealed he and his wife, Sherman Williams, went clubbing with their kids, 21-year-old Sophia and 19-year-old Dante, in honor of his wife's birthday. However, the outing wasn't his idea.

"My daughter was the instigator," he told Meyers. "She's got her finger on the pulse, and I pretend that I have the same finger." Meloni went on to reveal that when he entered the club, the woman at the door gave him praise hands, which he reciprocated with a bow. "And I entered. And I partied. And I danced," the 61-year-old "Law & Order: Organized Crime" actor said as the crowd cheered.

Meloni previously shared photos from his unconventional family outing on Instagram. On Jan. 22, he posted a carousel of photos from Williams's 63rd birthday...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday revealed the 276 feature films that are eligible for consideration at the 94rd Oscars, which are set to air live March 27 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The number is 90 fewer than last year’s 366, but this year’s eligibility period was only 10 months.

To be eligible for Best Picture consideration, films must have submitted a confidential Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards entry as part of the submission requirements. Nominations voting begins January 27 and concludes on February 1. The Oscar nominations will be revealed on Tuesday, February 8.

Today’s news comes about a month after the Academy released its shortlists in the International Film, Documentary Feature, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Sound and the Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Shorts categories.

Here is the full list of films eligible for Best Picture at the 94rd annual Academy Awards,...

Threadlock: Llosa Drifts into Elegant Nightmare with Faithful Adaptation

For her fourth feature, Peruvian director Claudia Llosa adapts Samanta Shweblin’s enigmatic novel Fever Dream, a text which reads much like the English translated title promises. Llosa, making her first film since her equally emotionally mystical 2014 English language debut Aloft, crafts this complex narrative with necessary aplomb, elegantly navigating Schweblin’s ambiguities.

Essentially an eco-horror film slivered into anxieties of motherhood, class, and sexuality, the film is overripe with themes, the nuances of which might be missed in trying to deduce what exactly is going on. By the time it puts together all the frayed pieces, however, Llosa’s film clicks into its own resonance, inverting its gender norms for a haunting finale.…...

Director Claudia Llosa returns to form with a woozy work about a cosy domesticity in rural Argentina shattered by uncanny intruders

After making high-arthouse awards-magnet The Milk of Sorrow in her native Peru in 2009, director Claudia Llosa stumbled in 2014 with her first English-language feature, Aloft which, despite its title, failed to take flight. And while seven years isn’t that long a time between films these days in the world of indie cinema, Fever Dream, feels like a return from a distant wilderness. Distribution via Netflix after a premiere at the San Sebastián film festival and short cinema run may be a decent strategy for this future cult classic – it’s a film that plays remarkably well on TV screens, especially if viewed alone late at night, as it’s all about a cosy domesticity that’s suddenly cruelly pierced by uncanny intruders.

Set in rural Argentina although apparently shot in Chile,...

“Fever dream” has lately become an overused term in film marketing and criticism alike, often generically applied to anything faintly strange or surreal with fractured storytelling trickery and a lick of gauzy ambience. As a title for the latest feature from Peruvian director Claudia Llosa, it serves a similarly loose, woolly purpose, despite not being particularly apt: A psychological thriller in which two mothers fear their children’s souls have gone adrift, the film’s narrative unfolds less as fever dream than waking nightmare, though its hazy, sunstruck styling lends it a certain somnambulant quality.

As with Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin’s celebrated source novel — co-adapted by the author with Llosa — the film’s original Spanish title is rather more evocative. Translating as “The Rescue Distance,” referring to the protagonist’s constant mental calculations as to how long it would take her to reach her daughter in an emergency, it...

Happy Friday International Insiders. Tom Grater here coming to you live from Zurich this week with your round-up of the top international headlines. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here.

A World Of Pure Imagination

Golden ticket: Netflix landed the big one this week, wrapping up a deal to acquire the full Roald Dahl catalogue of stories, marking one of the streamer’s most significant acquisitions to date and one that the company was understood to have been chasing voraciously. The agreement extends a partnership that began in 2018, initially only covering animated adaptations, with projects to date including Taika Waititi and Phil Johnston’s upcoming series based on the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and an adaptation of Matilda The Musical with Sony and Working Title.

Franchise potential: Financial details weren’t disclosed but general consensus seems to be that this was a...

A frightened young mother named Amanda (Maria Valverde) is being dragged on her back through a dark marsh. Worms — worms that are everywhere inside the body. “You have to understand what’s important,” the pre-teen David (Emilio Vodanovich) invisibly whispers into her ear canal. “Where’s my daughter?” Amanda asks. That’s not important. Beautiful Carola (Dolores Fonzi) leaning her head out of a car window, her curled blonde hair catching in the wind. A slow river seeps by into everything it touches. You have to pay attention to the details. Horses breeding and dying. Souls in flight.

Adapted from Samanta Schweblin’s 2014 novel of the same name, ; it’s a cold shiver of a film that doesn’t unfold so much as it sweats out, the most effective scenes febrile with maternal panic so intense that you can feel the movie hovering between life and death — allure and repulsion.

There is no shortage of fiery ambition in Claudia Llosa’s “Fever Dream.” Split between a dreamlike portrait of motherhood’s challenges and an allegorical thriller, the filmmaker’s psychological drama manifests its ideas with a woozy candor, a demeanor that demands its audience’s attention. It’s a disposition that warrants appreciation but does not succeed overall and, regrettably, equates to a wasted opportunity.

Read More: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

Chronicling the summer vacation of a mother and her adolescent daughter, “Fever Dream” weaves the threads of its plot in a woozy, non-linear fashion.

Continue reading ‘Fever Dream’ Offers A Disorienting & Muddled Dissection Of Parental Anxiety [San Sebastian Review] at The Playlist.

“Detail is important,” says the disembodied voice of a young boy as a woman is dragged by her feet across the floor of a damp, dingy forest. A voice that could be hers replies as the two voices pool their memories of a day something dreadful happened. “Am I screaming?” asks the woman’s voice. “Yes,” says the boy. The stage is set for what will surely be a horror film.

No, actually. Fever Dream (Distancia De Recate), Peruvian director Claudia Llosa’s San Sebastian Film Festival premiere — which debuts on Netflix in October — is full of borrowings from the horror playbook: a lonely house in the country, a sinister town full of oddballs, a witchy wise woman the locals trust more than the over-burdened country doctor, two women going stir-crazy together and, centrally and almost inevitably, a devil child. These are, however, red herrings; the Devil is not in those tricked-up details.

Terror and beauty have been onscreen partners many times. But in Fever Dream, a film that lives up to its name, their connection is inextricable and eerie, shaped and propelled by an uncanny sense of emergency. Setting Claudia Llosa’s chilling new feature apart is how thoroughly it plants the viewer within its story’s emotional churn. And it wastes no time, plunging us straight into a disorienting sense of crisis in its opening seconds: A woman, seemingly paralyzed, describes in voiceover the feeling of something wormlike within her body as she’s dragged over brush by a young boy. Whether he’s taking her toward ...

Terror and beauty have been onscreen partners many times. But in Fever Dream, a film that lives up to its name, their connection is inextricable and eerie, shaped and propelled by an uncanny sense of emergency. Setting Claudia Llosa’s chilling new feature apart is how thoroughly it plants the viewer within its story’s emotional churn. And it wastes no time, plunging us straight into a disorienting sense of crisis in its opening seconds: A woman, seemingly paralyzed, describes in voiceover the feeling of something wormlike within her body as she’s dragged over brush by a young boy. Whether he’s taking her toward ...

Remember the promising breakout feature, “The Milk of Sorrow,” from Peruvian director Claudia Llosa? She also helmed the very strong “Aloft” with Jennifer Connelly in 2014. Well, it’s been seven years since her last feature, but Netflix is backing her latest, “Fever Dream,” based on the best-selling novel by Samanta Schewblin. This film is eligible to be Peru’s selection for the International Feature Oscar, and the picture will make its world premiere at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival.

Continue reading ‘Fever Dream’ Trailer: Claudia Llosa’s Latest Drama Arrives On Netflix In October at The Playlist.

With Netflix’s Spanish-language thriller “Fever Dream,” a likely Oscar submission from Peru that debuts at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 20, Claudia Llosa (Oscar-nominated “Milk of Sorrow”) returns to South America after filming her English-language follow-up, family drama “Aloft,” starring Jennifer Connelly.

The atmospheric, hallucinatory “Fever Dream” is another mother and son fable. After the birth of Llosa’s second child, the director read the magic realist novel “Distancia de Rescate,” by Argentine author Samanta Schweblin, and instantly saw the movie in her mind. “Usually, I’m not looking for things to adapt, but it just captured me in such a way that I needed to do it,” Llosa said on a Zoom call from her home in Barcelona. She wrote Berlin-based Schweblin to ask for a meeting. She wanted the author to help her adapt the story.

Then the director approached producer Mark Johnson, who had been...

With Netflix’s Spanish-language thriller “Fever Dream,” a likely Oscar submission from Peru that debuts at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 20, Claudia Llosa (Oscar-nominated “Milk of Sorrow”) returns to South America after filming her English-language follow-up, family drama “Aloft,” starring Jennifer Connelly.

The atmospheric, hallucinatory “Fever Dream” is another mother and son fable. After the birth of Llosa’s second child, the director read the magic realist novel “Distancia de Rescate,” by Argentine author Samanta Schweblin, and instantly saw the movie in her mind. “Usually, I’m not looking for things to adapt, but it just captured me in such a way that I needed to do it,” Llosa said on a Zoom call from her home in Barcelona. She wrote Berlin-based Schweblin to ask for a meeting. She wanted the author to help her adapt the story.

Then the director approached producer Mark Johnson, who had been...

Netflix has announced release dates for its entire fall and winter film slate, a list of buzzy films that includes “Don’t Look Up,” a dark comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Adam McKay; Jane Campion’s drama “The Power of the Dog” with Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons; and Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing.”

Those titles, along with Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba’s Western “The Harder They Fall”; “The Starling, with Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd; and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s adaptation of “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and several others, will play in select movie theaters before debuting on the streaming service.

Its fall slate kicks off with the Victoria Justice-led comedy “Afterlife of the Party” on Sept. 2, Michael Keaton’s 9/11 drama “Worth” on Sept. 3 and “My Little Pony: A New Generation” later in the month on Sept. 24. October sees the premiere of...

Netflix has dated its fall schedule of film releases, narrative and documentary. The service that promised a new movie each week has a whopping 43 films coming in the final four months of 2021. That is twice the volume of releases most film studios would dream of releasing in a busy calendar year. Can a studio generate that many movies and have most of them be any good? It will be a test of Netflix’s high volume plan, niche and targeted fare sprinkled with big star vehicles including the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Adam McKay, Benedict Cumberbatch and more.

Here is the schedule; there are some question marks for films that are coming out that month with no specific date, and on limited release awards films that will play the Netflix-owned Paris and other theaters, theatrical date is first...

Earlier this year, vaultboy set himself a challenge: Write a song a day and share the results on TikTok. He had a knack for the negative; one of his first-ever TikTok posts was tagged “potential breakup song but more sad,” and he followed that with covers of various mega-hits that were alternately “hella sad” or “kinda sad.” But 12 days into his onslaught of songwriting in January, vaultboy decided to throw a snippet of a happy track on the app for the first time. Sort of — “everything sucks” is the opening line.

The 69th edition of the festival will run from September 17-25.

Features from Terence Davies and Lucile Hadzihalilovic will play in the Official Selection of the 69th San Sebastian Film Festival (September 17-25), which has announced its first titles today.

Davies will compete for the Golden Shell for best film with Benediction, his biopic of soldier and anti-war poet Siegfried Sassoon, which shot last autumn starring Screen Star of Tomorrow 2014 Jack Lowden, alongside Simon Russell Beale and Peter Capaldi.

French director Hadzihalilovic’s third feature Earwig is based on Brian Catling’s novel of the same name, and tells the...

Terence Davies' Benediction Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival British director Terence Davies' Siegfried Sassoon biopic Benediction is among the first titles announced in the Official Selection this year's San Sebastian Film Festival, which will run from September 17 to 25.

The film, which stars Jack Lowden, Simon Russell Beale and Peter Capaldi will be joined by UK co-production Earwig, directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, whose connection to the festival stretches back to 2004 when she won the New Directors Award for Innocence. Her latest tells the story of a man employed to look after Mia, a girl with teeth of ice.

Hadzihalilovic is one of six female directors included in the first set of titles, alongside established filmmakers Inés Barrionuevo, who brings coming-of-age tale Camila Comes Out At Night, Claire Simon, who brings drama I Want To Talk about Duras and Berlin Golden Bear winner Claudia Llosa, whose latest film Fever Dream...

September’s 69th San Sebastian Festival has announced its first nine Competition contenders led by Palme d’Or winner Laurent Cantet (“The Class”) and English auteur Terence Davies (“Sunset Song”) but packed out by six female directors.

Two at least are already sparking anticipation: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, a French genre auteur backed like Palme d’Or winner “Titane” by Wild Bunch; and “As in Heaven,” the debut feature of Denmark’s Tea Lindeburg’s, which is generating good word-of-mouth.

The Competition features two other first features, a sign, like last week’s Cannes, of a new generation of filmmakers breaking through to rapid best fest attention.

San Sebastian’s national Competition titles, traditionally featuring some of the strongest Spanish titles of the year, are announced at the end of July.

More details to come.

First 2021 San Sebastian Film Festival Competition Titles

“Arthur Rambo.”

“Benediction,”

“Camila Comes out Tonight,”

“Blue Moon,”

“Fever Dream,...

“Loki” composer Natalie Holt immediately knew that she wanted the sliding, spacey eeriness of the theremin to musically convey the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) trapped in the retro world of the Time Variance Authority (Tva). And director Kate Herron was on board with it too. They both had an appreciation for the electronic instrument’s iconic presence in “Spellbound,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and “Star Trek.” They were also fans of theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, and even arranged to license a few of her pieces (including “The Swan”) to sprinkle throughout the score.

“Loki’s such a fascinating character and we can all identify with having a mischievous, cheeky side, a slightly naughty side,” Holt said. “So he’s just revealing more of his [vulnerability] in this show. I felt like it was really important for his theme to have [the theremin] and to integrate it with other instruments and...

How do you score a show that tinkers with time, features a Norse god who is neither hero nor villain, and continually confounds the viewer with new mysteries?

That was the challenge facing English composer Natalie Holt, who with her music for “Loki” becomes only the second woman to compose the dramatic score for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film or TV series.

The music of “Loki” is a bold combination of a traditional orchestra with vintage analog synthesizers, Scandinavian folk instruments and the weird, unsettling electronic sounds of the theremin, once associated with ’50s sci-fi movies.

“He’s a kind of grand, Machiavellian character,” Holt tells Variety from her London studio. “And Tom Hiddleston’s performance has a touch of Shakespeare to it. So I wanted to give him some gravitas and classical weight to his theme, but also have this space-age sound as well.”

Holt had been listening to...