News

Exclusive: Exploring tales of Muslim teen summer camps, flying Singaporean children, a post-apocalyptic 2065, British soccer stars, and some Bill Shakespeare, the Black List and GLAAD unveiled the 2024 GLAAD List today.

The fourth annual list spotlighting the most auspicious unmade LGBTQ-inclusive scripts in town chose 10 finalists across a variety of genres. It is pretty good company, if for no other reason than of the 40 scripts picked in the first three GLAAD Lists since its 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the quartet of the Ximena Garcia Lecuona penned Anything’s Possible, the Jared Frieder written Three Months, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman’s Knock At the Cabin, and the Trevor Anderson & Fish Griwkowsky penned Before I Change My Mind have all been released already as features.

A lucky 13 other past GLAAD List scripts are in development at the moment and four more scripts have been shot as proof-of-concept short films. In that context, the odds...

Exclusive: Kyle Allen (A Haunting in Venice), Francesca Carpanini and Abubakr Ali (Grendel) are the latest talent to join Kathryn Bigelow’s new Netflix film.

The untitled thriller also stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, Greta Lee, Gabriel Basso, Anthony Ramos, Tracy Letts, Moses Ingram, Malachi Beasley and Aminah Nieves. The film’s title and plot remain under wraps, though sources tell Deadline it will be set at the White House as a national crisis unfolds.

Netflix declined to comment on the casting.

Allen recently wrapped The Life List for Netflix starring opposite Sofia Carson. He was most recently seen in Kenneth Branagh’s film for 20th Century, A Haunting in Venice and the Hulu film Rosaline, opposite Kaitlyn Dever. In 2022, Allen was in Peter Farrelly’s Apple feature, The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Additional credits include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, The In Between for Paramount+ and Space Oddity.

Exclusive: Vision Entertainment has brought on Chris Bellant as a manager in their talent and literary departments. He’ll work out of the company’s Los Angeles office and will also work with Vision’s production arm to produce both film and TV.

Bellant joins from Zero Gravity Management, where he also worked across talent, literary and production. Before Zero Gravity, he was a manager at Established Artists and previously ran the management and production company Waldorf Entertainment. Most recently, Bellant produced the upcoming crime thriller Nowhere Men, starring Jack Quaid, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman. Previously, he produced films including Loserville, starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Matt McGorry, and The Lost Weekend, starring Tony winner Reed Birney and Gracie Gillam.

Bellant’s clients include Emmy-nominated writers Steven White and Daniel Dratch; actors Brad Leland, Taylor Anthony Miller...

The ReportImage: Amazon

Even if it might be harder to navigate than any of its top-tier streaming peers, Amazon Prime Video still boasts a wide selection of films, including plenty of older movies that places like Netflix simply don’t care to host. That said, its turnover is frequent and subtle.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that Billy Porter will receive the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and contributions as an activist and spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ communities, including his work with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (Etaf) and the Entertainment Community Fund, among other organizations.

The Isabelle Stevenson Award is presented annually to a member of the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations.

“Billy Porter has made extraordinary contributions as an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and we are truly honored to present him with this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award,” said Jason Laks, interim president of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing. “He has lent tremendous time, effort and support to a variety of organizations...

A remake of the 1991 Christina Applegate cult classic Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (watch it Here) is coming our way as a BET+ Original Film – and Iconic Events Releasing has announced that they will be giving the film a theatrical release on April 12th. We got to see a teaser trailer for the film last month, and now a full trailer has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above. If you like what you see, head over to DontTellMomFilm.com to purchase tickets to see the movie on the big screen!

Directed by Wade Allain-Marcus (French Dirty) from a script by Emmy-nominated writer Chuck Hayward, whose credits include Ted Lasso and WandaVision, this remake has the following synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Tanya Crandell can’t wait to spend the summer living it up with her friends in Spain before heading to Howard University in the fall. But...

A remake of the 1991 Christina Applegate cult classic Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (watch it Here) is coming our way as a BET+ Original Film – and Iconic Events Releasing has announced that they will be giving the film a theatrical release on April 12th. Along with this announcement comes the unveiling of a teaser trailer for the new Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, and you can check it out in the embed above. If you like what you see, head over to DontTellMomFilm.com to purchase tickets to see the movie on the big screen!

Directed by Wade Allain-Marcus (French Dirty) from a script by Emmy-nominated writer Chuck Hayward, whose credits include Ted Lasso and WandaVision, this remake has the following synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Tanya Crandell can’t wait to spend the summer living it up with her friends in Spain before heading to Howard University in the fall.

Exclusive: The Black List is opening submissions for six diversity lists in partnership with GLAAD, Cape, the Mpac Hollywood Bureau, The Salon, the Latin Tracking Board, Nalip, 1IN4 Coalition, and the WGA Disabled Writers Committee, in addition to establishing the Desi List-–a new, curated list that will shine a light on the most promising feature scripts and pilots from South Asian writers.

“South Asians make up a quarter of the human population; Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the U.S.; and South Asians are the fastest growing group of Asian-Americans. That’s a lot of math to say something pretty simple: we’re here, the talent’s here, and the audience is here,” said The Salon co-founders Nik Dodani, Bash Naran, and Vinny Chhibber in a statement.

“We’re excited to partner with The Black List to accelerate the development of the best scripts from South Asian...

Chosen as one of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch 2022, Ximena García Lecuona, the Mexico City-based writer of Billy Porter’s “Anything’s Possible,” has set her directorial debut “No Me Sigas,” a Spanish-language chiller with a shocking final twist.

Also writer of “The Kiss List,” García Lecuona will direct with brother Eduardo Lecuona. The smart genre horror thriller is set up at Mexico City’s Maligno Gorehouse, which co-produced “Huesera,” a double Tribeca winner and XYZ pick-up.

Also written by García Lecuona, “No Me Sigas” turns on Carla, 26, who dreams of becoming a big influencer. To achieve this she decides to fake a haunting in her apartment. However, in playing with these dark forces, she accidentally lets in a real malignant entity.

“Although a horror movie instead of a romantic comedy, ‘No Me Sigas,’ [like ‘Anything’s Possible” and “The Kiss List”] also falls in the Young Adult genre, it has that coming-of-age feel.

“No Me Sigas,” the directorial debut of “Anything’s Possible” writer Ximena García Lecuona, and “Malamuerte,” from Caye Casas, a rising star of pitch black Spanish comedy, both feature in a rich and far-ranging 2023 Blood Window Lab, the project platform of Ventana Sur’s genre forum, which unspools Nov. 27-Dec. 1.

The projects are joined by other buzz titles such as “Into the Spiral,” from Facundo Escudero Salinas, whose thriller, “Broken,” ranks as one of the top 10 most watched Argentine films of 2023.

Also anticipated is “Planet, billed as “a vast depiction of unprecedented worldwide alien contact, exploring different cultures and societal classes through their experiences with the phenomenon,” and directed by Fredrik S. Hana, a 2022 Meliès d’Or Award for “From.Beyond.”

The projects form part of 22 titles as submissions are up 20% this year on last, notes Javier Fernández, head of the Blood Window Program.

That rise comes as little surprise. As big...

In Red, White & Royal Blue, an unexpected fling goes from playful secret to intimate love story for Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), Britain’s spare.

Adapted for the screen by co-writers Ted Malawer and Matthew López (who pulled double duty as director) from Casey McQuiston’s new, wildly popular adult best-seller of the same name, the film arrives just a year after a slew of notable (and often comedic) queer romance releases — including Fire Island, Bros, My Policeman and fellow Prime Video title Anything’s Possible — and amid several anticipated 2023 titles like Bottoms, Joy Ride and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

With the arrival of these films and Red, White & Royal Blue comes fuller depictions of not just queer identity and life, but also intimacy. It’s a topic that has historically been taboo on U.

In Matthew López’s Red, White & Royal Blue, queer love is an international incident.

The anticipated big screen adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s bestseller follows the first son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and Britain’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) after their lives become diplomatically entwined following a royal wedding cake snafu. Forced into a fake friendship to rehab the approval ratings of Alex’s mother, President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman), and salvage the respectability of the Crown, the men discover there may be more love than hate between them — despite an ocean of differences as people and stifling traditions that threaten their ability to be together.

Marking López’s directorial debut, Red, White & Royal Blue sees the Tony-winning, queer, Latine playwright pull double duty as screenwriter alongside co-writer and fellow stage scribe Ted Malawer — both of whom were fans of the novel. “We...

Billy Porter and his husband of six years, Adam Smith, have decided to end their marriage.

Porter’s representative confirmed their divorce and said that the men have asked for “privacy” while dealing with the logistics.

Their split was “amicable” and there is no bad blood between the two. He additionally added that neither will comment on the divorce publicly.

The couple first met back in 2009 while at a dinner party and dated for a year before breaking up. Five years later, they decided to get back together and tied the knot on January 14, 2017, just 16 days after Porter proposed in London.

The couple said at the time that they chose to get married so quickly because they wanted to get married while Barack Obama was still president. They had a small and intimate wedding in Manhattan with about 45 guests.

Their marriage was especially important to both of them as Porter...

The made-for-tv movie was a programming staple for the broadcast networks in the 1970s and 1980s. While it fell out of favor in the 1990s and was even dropped as an Emmy Awards category for three years beginning in 2011, it has been on an upswing as of late. This year, a whopping 61 telefilms are in contention for the five nominations that will be revealed on July 12. Last year, there were only 48 options, compared to 41 in 2021 and 28 in 2020.

All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their 2023 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for their favorite TV movies. A new rule change will require each voter to make no more than five selections in this category, whereas there was previously no limit. As opposed to the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally.

Just like on the limited series ballot,...

Editor’s Note: This interview took place prior to the beginning of the Writers Guild of America strike on May 2.

Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.

As he geared up for the premiere of “Fire Island” on Hulu, writer and star Joel Kim Booster was braced for a deluge of #discourse.

He was familiar with the critical audience feedback for well-intentioned queer media of yesteryear, and fully prepared for “Fire Island” to engender the same polarizing response.

“Listen, I think I got away with murder a little bit in terms of the discourse around this movie,” Booster told IndieWire. “Gay men are especially critical of a media that depicts us because we are so starved for it. There’s not a lot of...

Maren Morris made history Saturday night in New York City when she became the first country music artist to receive GLAAD’s excellence in media award.

During the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards, the Grammy-winning performer was presented with the honor by Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Alyssa Edwards.

“I felt a little badass taking on Tucker Carlson for calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia,” Morris told the crowd while holding her trophy. “Maybe I did feel a little cool. But I don’t want to gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”

The New York Hilton Midtown ballroom erupted in hoots and loud applause that made the “My Church” singer pause and smile.

The LGBTQ+ supporter famously had a war of words with the recently terminated Fox News personality when he dubbed her a “lunatic” and a “fake country music singer” during an interview with Brittany Aldean in August.

Fire Island, Jon Stewart, We’re Here and Maren Morris were among the winners and honorees at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards in New York Saturday, an event that doubled as a show of solidarity with the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

Fire Island and Anything’s Possible both shared the Outstanding Film – Streaming/TV award, with the former’s star Joel Kim Booster adding in his acceptance speech regarding the writers strike, “I hope that you’ll stand in solidarity with us as we move forward in this. Labor issues are queer issues.

The second and final batch of 2023 GLAAD Media Awards winners were announced on Saturday in New York City, with “Fire Island” and “Anything’s Possible” tying for Oustanding Film – Streaming/TV while Netflix’s “Heartstopper” won Outstanding Kids and Family Programming (Live-Action).

Outstanding Broadway Production went to “A Strange Loop,” while “The Problem With Jon Stewart” won Variety or Talk Show Episode. HBO’s “We’re Here” won Reality Series.

Maren Morris won the Excellence in Media award, and in her speech, took a shot at Tucker Carlson who had mocked the singer-songwriter for standing up to transphobia.

“Maybe I felt a little badass taking Tucker Carlson’s calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia [and] turning it into a t-shirt and raising $150,000 for LGBTQ+ charities,” she said. “That made me feel a little cool, but I don’t wanna gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”

.@MarenMorris has a...

The second wave of the 34th annual GLAAD Media Award winners was announced on Saturday night in New York City, with Netflix’s Heartstopper winning for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming – Live Action.

The LGBTQ+ romance series based on Alice Oseman’s webcomic, which follows the love stories of teenage BFFs-turned-boyfriends Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring and their peers, received rave reviews upon its release in 2022. The second season premieres on Thursday, Aug. 3.

More from TVLineNetflix Sets Heartstopper Season 2 Release Date: 'Different Vibe' in StoreHeartstopper Creator Teases a Larger Role for [Spoiler] and Drops a Big Hint About the Netflix Hit's Inevitable EndGLAAD Media Awards: Heartstopper,...

GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) announced recipients for 18 of this year’s 33 categories for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Maren Morris received the Excellence in Media Award, introduced by Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Alyssa Edwards, and Jonathan Van Ness received the Vito Russo Award, presented by Alok at the star-studded ceremony at the Hilton Midtown in New York.

The New York ceremony for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards was hosted by Harvey Guillén, and featured a special performance from Idina Menzel.

Related: 2023-24 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Oscars, Emmys, Major Film Festivals & More

Here are the New York winners of the 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards (see the winners from the March 31 Los Angeles ceremony here):

Outstanding Film – Streaming/TV

(tie)

Fire Island

Anything’s Possible

Outstanding Reality Series

We’re Here

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode

The Problem with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Online...

Fire Island, Anything’s Possible and We’re Here are among the 2023 GLAAD Media Award winners presented in New York Saturday night.

Fire Island and Anything’s Possible tied for best streaming/TV film and We’re Here won for best reality series.

Other award recipients announced Saturday night include The Problem With Jon Stewart (best variety or talk show episode), “Logo’s Trans Youth Town Hall” (outstanding online journalism, video or multimedia), Heartstopper (best live action kids and family programming), Dove Cameron (breakthrough music artist) and A Strange Loop (best Broadway production).

Those projects and the other award recipients named at the New York GLAAD Awards ceremony at the Hilton Midtown join the winners announced in a Los Angeles ceremony on March 30, where prizes went to Bros, A League of Their Own, What We Do in the Shadows, The White Lotus and more.

At the New York event, hosted by What We...

Billy Porter is preparing to portray the author and civil rights activist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic.

He will also co-write the untitled movie with Dan McCabe, which will be adapted from the 1994 book “James Baldwin: A Biography” by David Leeming. An emeritus professor of English at the University of Connecticut, Leeming was well-versed in the world of Baldwin as his friend of 25 years as well as his assistant.

Porter says it has been a career-long dream to tell the story of Baldwin on film. Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin was a Black gay writer whose influential works include “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” In addition to writing, Baldwin fought for racial justice in the U.S. civil rights movement. In Leeming’s book, he’s described as a “complex, troubled, driven and brilliant man” who has...

Multi-hyphenate and red carpet showstopper Billy Porter is going on the road in 2023. The Tony winner has announced the first leg of his “Black Mona Lisa Tour,” marking his first proper headlining trek across the US.

Backed by a full band and a video installation, the “Black Mona Lisa Tour” will see Porter tell his life story through song — intermingling tracks from his Broadway performances, the Pose soundtrack, as well as his own solo pop career.

The 25-date tour kicks off on April 29th in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre, before Porter then makes stops in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, as well as his hometown of Pittsburgh. It’ll conclude on June 3rd at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

“It’s really the first time that I’ve been able to fully express myself and who I am through my music,” Porter said in a press release.

Accused returns with another new story on Fox tonight, Feb. 21. Episode 5, “Robyn’s Story,” follows a “shy and mild-mannered” man named Kevin who moonlights as a fierce drag queen named Robyn at night. When Kevin falls for a closeted man living a double life, their affair leads to “devastating consequences.” So, who is in the cast of Accused Episode 5? Here’s a breakdown of the stars and where you’ve seen them before. Plus, learn more about Billy Porter directing the episode.

‘Accused’ Episode 5 cast member J. Harrison Ghee as Robyn | Elly Dassas/Fox J. Harrison Ghee as Kevin/Robyn

J. Harrison Ghee stars in Accused Episode 5 as Kevin/Robyn. By day, Kevin is a shy Esl teacher, but at night, they transform into the confident and charismatic Robyn. Kevin’s whirlwind romance will lead to their arrest, but will they be found innocent or guilty?

Ghee previously appeared in...

2022 was something of a landmark year for mainstream queer cinema. Films like "Fire Island," "Crush," and "Anything's Possible" painted a far more authentic and inclusive mosaic of the 2Slgbtq+ community than the movies with mostly white cisgender casts -- many of which, as moving as they are, feature straight actors playing queer characters -- that have come before them, while at the same time broadening their focus beyond the typical queer issues and "tragic" stories Hollywood typically fixates on. Of course, there's always going to be room for fresh stories centered on plain ol' white queer guys, and 2022 had us covered there too, with romantic dramedies like "Bros" and "Spoiler Alert."

The latter movie, which flew under a lot of people's radars judging by the box office returns, is based on Michael Ausiello's 2017 memoir "Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies" and explores the real-life romance between its author (played by...

Variety has announced this year’s list of 10 Screenwriters to Watch. The selected screenwriters will be honored at the 45th annual Mill Valley Film Festival with a dinner on Oct. 15. Andrea Berloff, the writer behind upcoming film “The Mother,” will also be honored with the Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award.

The annual 10 Screenwriters to Watch program celebrates breakthrough screenwriters, actors, directors, comics, animators, producers and cinematographers in the industry. Some of the screenwriters are being honored for films that have already been released and received critical acclaim, including “Fire Island” or “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.” Others, including the Brendan Fraser film “The Whale,” have yet to see wide release but are highly anticipated.

The list also includes the minds behind star-studded IP projects, including Carrie Solomon, who serves as writer for the untitled Margot Robbie “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel directed by Jay Roach. Solomon also is the writer for...

Being a "first" for representation in film is both an honor and, more often than not, a clear sign of larger systemic problems. So it is with "Bros," a film that holds the distinction of being the first gay rom-com by a major studio with a primarily Lgbtqia+ main cast. Check that: It's the first movie of that ilk to be given a wide theatrical release, lest anyone accuse me of trying to erase Andrew Ahn's utterly delightful "Fire Island" (which premiered on Hulu earlier this year) from its rightly-earned place in the echelons of queer cinema.

Billy Eichner stars in "Bros" as Bobby, a 40-something live-to-work type podcaster and museum head who's shocked to find himself stumbling into a romance with Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a macho lawyer and his polar opposite. It's a classic set-up for a mainstream rom-com about a straight couple, the kind Hollywood has been...

Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau With an Emmy award, a Grammy award, and a pair of Tony awards to his credit, Billy Porter has been successful in so many facets of his show business career, and now he’s trying something new. Although he’s appeared in several films as an actor, he’s never directed before … until now. Anything’s Possible marks his debut behind the camera, and Porter talked to us about why it was this film that inspired him to take that leap. (Click on the media bar below to hear Billy Porter) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Billy_Porter_Anytings_Possible_.mp3 Anything’s Possible is currently streaming on Prime Video.

The post How It Became ‘Possible’ For Billy Porter To Become A Director appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

The Casting Society has confirmed the changes to its Board of Directors for 2022-23. Destiny Lilly is the newly elected President, while Elizabeth Berra will serve as Secretary and Steven Tylor O’Connor as Treasurer.

CSA also announced its commitment to diversifying its board and made some notable appointments. Candido Cornejo Jr. is the first board member from the trans community, while Erin Tomasello is the first representing members who work in reality casting.

Related Story Casting Society Of America Changes Name & Reveals New Logo Related Story Vin Scully Dies: The Voice Of The L.A. Dodgers, And Their City, Was 94 Related Story The Dish: What's Behind The 'Batgirl' & 'Scoob!' Discard? David Zaslav's Abject Rejection Of Jason Kilar's HBO Max Strategy

Lilly is a New York-based casting director who has worked on the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, Tony-winning Broadway musical A Strange Loop...

Photo: ‘Anything’s Possible’ Romantic Comedies and Me ‘Anything’s Possible’ is a romantic teen dramedy directed by actor/singer/songwriter Billy Porter in his directorial debut, and written by Ximeno García Lecuona. Lecuona’s script was originally on the 2020 Black List and was titled ‘What If?’. The story centers around trans teenage girl Kelsa (Eva Reign), who has started her final year at high school and is looking forward to moving up in life. One day, one of Kelsa’s friends Em (Courtnee Carter) gets her to pass a flirty note to Khal (Abubakr Ali), a boy Em has her eyes on. However, after Kelsa does so, Khal begins to develop feelings toward Kelsa instead, feelings that she begins to return. Naturally, this leads to tension and drama for everyone involved. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to...

Click here to read the full article.

Exactly the kind of rom-com story audiences have seen again and again for middle-aged straight, white characters — and that Hollywood has recently shown more interest in with younger LGBTQ+ characters in projects like Love, Victor, Fire Island and Anything’s Possible — Uncoupled delivers the kind of narrative treatment middle-aged gay men are rarely on the receiving end of. And it’s arriving at a notable time for the LGBTQ+ community.

Netflix’s latest rom-com installment follows Neil Patrick Harris’ Michael, a successful, middle-aged New York real estate agent who suddenly finds himself separating from his partner of 17 years after Colin (played by Tuc Watkins) decides, without explanation, that their relationship is no longer working.

After having his life turned upside down, Michael attempts to redefine (and find) himself now as single gay man in New York navigating a dating scene that leaves him feeling,...

A nervy tale of accidental do-gooding, director Oran Zegman’s “Honor Society” is a surprisingly compelling high school caper conceived with youthful wit, aplomb and a genuinely out-of-left-field twist. Written by veteran TV scribe David A. Goodman, its teen protagonist seems a mash-up of Tracy Flick from “Election” and Cher Horowitz from “Clueless.” Possessing the former’s solipsism and the latter’s self-serving resourcefulness, Honor (a bewitching Angourie Rice) spends her days plotting her strategy to become a Harvard student in the next semester.

Honor has carefully forged this plan over the last four years. In her mind, Harvard is the only school that can guarantee her a one-way exit from a dead-end place. It’s not that her middle-class life sucks (it doesn’t) or her hardworking parents aren’t loving (they are); she’s just all too aware of the limited options her small town can provide, should...

Outfest has announced the award winners of its 40th Anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Top prizes went to Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please, starring Andrea Riseborough, Henry Melling, Karl Glusman and Demi Moore, for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature; Gabriel Martins’ Brazilian family drama Mars One took the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature, and the newly-named Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Documentary Feature went to Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens, about the Lebanese female thrash metal band Slave to Sirens. The Academy Award-qualifying festival’s two Grand Jury prizes for Narrative shorts went to April Maxey’s Work (Outstanding U.S. Narrative Short) and Dania Bedir’s Warsha, both of which are now Oscar eligible. Outstanding Documentary Short went to Brydie O’Connor’s Love, Barbara.

Audience awards went to Juan Felipe Zuleta’s crowd-pleasing Unidentified Objects, and documentary feature...

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.”

Tommy Chong says reuniting with the “That ’70s Show” cast for the upcoming “That ’90s Show” reboot felt like no time had passed. Chong reprises his role as Leo in the Netflix series, which also sees the return of Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman. “The minute Kitty knocked on the door and I opened the door and it was her, it could have been yesterday,” Chong tells me.

Original “’70s” cast members Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, Wilmer Valderrama and Laura Prepon are also expected to make appearances. Chong reveals he wasn’t sure if he would be asked back when he first learned a revival was in the works. “I heard they were going to reboot it, but I never got a call,” he says. “I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ But then the call came,...

“Please Baby Please” and “Mars One” are among the winners of the 40th Anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival. The organization announced the honorees during its award ceremony Wednesday.

The L.A.-based nonprofit, which promotes LGBTQ filmmakers and projects, ran its 40th edition festival from July 14-24. Over the course of the festival, 30,000 people attended its programming and more than 200 films screened, including 42 world premieres. The festival opened with Billy Porter’s directorial debut “Anything’s Possible” and closed with the LGBTQ slasher film “They/Them.”

“Please Baby Please,” directed by Amanda Kramer and starring Andrea Riseborough and Henry Melling, took the outstanding North American feature prize, while Brazilian director Gabriel Martins’ family drama “Mars One” won the outstanding international feature award. Audience award winners included “Unidentified Objects” by Juan Felipe Zuleta and documentary feature “Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story.” Select award winners will be available to stream...

Billy Porter's directorial debut, the film "Anything's Possible," explores the life of Kelsa (Eva Reign), a high-school senior who loves animals, plans on going to college to study nature cinematography, and harbors a crush on Khal (Abubakr Ali), the cute, almost preternaturally kind boy in her art class. She is also transgender and spends her evenings making videos about her experiences navigating high school.

Adhering to the blueprint of a traditional rom-com, the movie follows Kelsa and Khal's relationship, beginning - in Gen Z fashion - with a Reddit post Khal makes expressing the nervousness and excitement he feels about asking out his classmate. Despite some drama, they eventually get together, and the movie traces their romance as it blossoms through damaged friendships and the looming question of postgraduation life. Peppered throughout with bright neon hues and eye-catching animal videos, the film - which premiered on July 15 at Outfest...

Click here to read the full article.

Outfest is prepping to roll out the red carpet for a milestone 40th annual event next month, setting Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible to open, horror film They/Them to close, and appearances by Kevin Bacon, Theo Germaine, Julianne Moore, Todd Haynes, Clive Barker, Big Freedia and Christine Vachon, among others.

Presented by Warner Bros. Discover and IMDb, the fest runs July 14-24 at various Los Angeles venues. Opening night, held at Downtown L.A.’s historic Orpheum Theatre, will feature Porter’s Anything’s Possible from Prime Video Original. The high school set pic follows a young trans student and her love interest as they navigate a romance during their senior year and it stars Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Simone Joy Jones, Kelly Lamor Wilson and Broadway star Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Opening night is shaping up to be a big evening for Porter,...

Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival today announced a star-studded lineup of galas and centerpiece events that will punctuate its 40th anniversary, which will be celebrated from July 14-24 in venues around Los Angeles.

The 11-day festival will kick off at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre with the world premiere of Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning artist Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’s Possible. The Prime Video Original is an uplifting teenage romance about an unflappable trans girl and a charming cis boy navigating a senior year relationship. Porter will be present at the event to receive the 2022 Outfest Annual Achievement Award.

The festival will close at The Theater at the Ace Hotel on July 24 with the world premiere of Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan’s directorial debut, They/Them. The Blumhouse Production, to be released by Peacock, is a horror film set at an Lgbtqia+ conversion camp, in which...

Vachon is resolutely pragmatic about the future of indie cinema in the face of the growing primacy of the streamers and the high-end TV drama.

The blissful ignorance of youth allowed Christine Vachon to turn up at her first Sundance Film Festival in the late 1980s with a small suitcase suspiciously light in warm clothes.

“It didn’t occur to me I needed to dress for the snow,” she recalls now. “I just didn’t know much about the place.”

Vachon was in a ”cold and wintry” Park City with some short films she had directed and smiles now to say,...

Netflix has debuted a full trailer for the upcoming Neil Gaiman series ‘The Sandman.’

A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The series follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic — and human — mistakes he’s made during his vast existence.

(L to R) Tom Sturridge as Dream, Kyo Ra as Rose Walker in episode 108 of The Sandman. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2022

Tom Sturridge leads the cast as Dream/Morpheus alongside Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, and Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne. In addition, Mark Hamill was just announced as the voice of Merv Pumpkinhead.

Also in trailers – Trailer drops for Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible...

Prime Video has debuted a new trailer for Billy Porter’s romantic coming-of-age drama ‘Anything’s Possible.’

A modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

Directed by Billy Porter, the film stars Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Also in trailers – Anya Taylor-Joy stars in teaser trailer for ‘The Menu’

The film hits Prime Video on July 22.

The post Trailer drops for Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The official trailer for Billy Porter’s directorial feature debut, Anything’s Possible, has just been released, and you can see it right here! The film will be released on July 22nd exclusively on Prime Video and is rated PG-13 for strong language, thematic material, sexual material, and brief teen drinking.

Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

About The Film Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age Drama Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry Director: Billy Porter Screenplay: Ximena García Lecuona Producer: Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, D.J. Gugenheim...

Billy Porter (Pose) and Luke Evans (Nine Perfect Strangers) have signed on to star in the drama Our Son, from director Bill Oliver (Jonathan).

The film written by Oliver and Peter Nickowitz will follow a divorcing couple fighting for custody of their 8-year-old son. Fernando Loureiro (Frances Ha) and Guilherme Coelho (Oprhans of Eldorado) will produce via their company, Tigresa, along with Eric Binns (Lansky).

Porter is an actor, singer, director composer and playwright best known for his Emmy-winning turn as Ball scene emcee Pray Tell on FX’s Pose. The actor also recently appeared in Amazon’s live-action remake of Cinderella, CBS All Access’ The Twilight Zone and American Horror Story: Apocalypse, also narrating HBO Max’s docuseries, Equal. His theatre credits include the role of Lola in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which he originated in 2013—landing Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as...

Luke Evans and Billy Porter will portray husbands in the upcoming drama “Our Son,” a feature film about spouses going through a divorce and fighting over the custody of their 8-year-old son.

Bill Oliver is directing the movie from a script he co-wrote with Peter Nickowitz. Additional cast members, including the actor who will play their child, have not been announced. “Our Son” is currently in the process of setting a distributor.

Fernando Loureiro and Guilherme Coelho are producing via their company, Tigresa, along with producer Eric Binns.

Porter, an Emmy winner for “Pose,” most recently appeared alongside Camila Cabello in director Kay Cannon’s “Cinderella” remake. On television, he acted on “The Twilight Zone” for CBS All Access, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” and narrated HBO Max’s “Equal.” Porter is set to make his directorial debut with the high school coming-of-age film “Anything’s Possible” written by Alvaro García Lecuona.

Director Bill Porter and actors Kelly Lamor Wilson and Eva Reign and on the set of their film Anything’S Possible An Orion Pictures Release Photo credit: Tony Rivetti © 2022 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Watch the trailer for Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’S Possible, starring Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali, With Reneé Elise Goldsberry.

Anything’S Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

This looks super cute and the perfect movie for a summer release!

See the uplifting coming-of-age romance directed by Billy Porter and written by Ximena García Lecuona...

Billy Porter has always been a trailblazer. He won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for “Kinky Boots.” He’s the first gay black man to be nominated and win a Primetime Emmy in any top category for his role in “Pose” (a role that also nabbed him three Golden Globe noms). And you can credit him for helping assimilate LGBTQ themes into popular film and television in the last two decades.

Continue reading ‘Anything’s Possible’ Trailer: Billy Porter’s Directorial Debut Is A Teen Trans Rom-Com at The Playlist.

"We could live our own life, or spend the rest of our life wondering... what if?" Amazon's Prime Video has revealed an official trailer for an indie coming-of-age film titled Anything's Possible, marking the feature directorial debut of the iconic singer / actor Billy Porter. The film is debuting this July right in the middle of the summer season. A delightfully modern "Gen Z" coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he tries to get the courage to ask her out on a date. Eva Reign stars as Kelsa, with a main cast including Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Courtnee Carter, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Grant Reynolds, Caroline Travers, and Lav Raman. This looks charming and lively and funny, and not as "woke" as it may seem. It even calls out...

See out the first official images (below) from Billy Porter’s directorial feature debut, Anything’s Possible, starring Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

About The Film Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age Drama Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry Director: Billy Porter Screenplay: Ximena García Lecuona Producer: Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, D.J. Gugenheim

Anything’S Possible is available exclusively on Prime Video on July 22, 2022!

For More Information, Please Visit:

Facebook / Instagram / #AnythingsPossible

The post Official Images from “Anything’s Possible” Released first appeared on CinemaNerdz.

Billy Porter is known for being in front of the camera — most famously as Pray Tell on “Pose” and recently delivering a gender-bending twist on everyone’s favorite fairy godmother in Amazon’s musical movie “Cinderella.”

Now, the Emmy-winning actor is stepping behind the camera to make his feature film directorial debut with “Anything’s Possible,” a John Hughes-esque coming-of-age dramedy about trans high school senior Kelsa (trans newcomer Eva Reign), who is navigating her first boyfriend, Khal (“Katy Keene” actor Abubakr Ali), friendship and family life with her single mom (Renée Elise Goldsberry).

“I ain’t Barbra Streisand yet,” Porter tells me, laughing. “It’s like, let me do one thing at a time. Let me direct something first. Then I’ll direct something and be in it too.”

In “Anything’s Possible,” the spotlight is on Reign, seen here in an exclusive first look at the film. A native of Missouri,...