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London- and Paris-based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation has boarded international sales on Titus Kaphar’s drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness.”

The film received strong reviews after its January premiere at Sundance in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, and was picked up for North American distribution by Roadside Attractions, with plans for a wide theatrical release in the fall and awards campaign.

Film Constellation will screen the film for buyers in Cannes.

In the film, an artist finds his path to success derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a troubled man desperate to reconcile. Together, they learn that forgetting may be harder than forgiving.

The directorial debut of visual artist Kaphar, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” stars André Holland, Andra Day, John Earl Jelks and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman gave the film a positive review, describing it as “a forceful drama free of feel-good fakery” and praising Holland’s performance as “fierce,...

Exclusive: Joel ‘Kachi Benson (Madu) has been tapped to direct the documentary The Harvest, on Nigeria’s infamous Boko Haram Kidnappings of 2014, for Hunting Lane and Impact Partners. A first-look still can be found above.

Following four Nigerian mothers as they fight to educate their children in the wake of tragedy, the film marks the 10th anniversary of terrorist organization Boko Haram’s attack and abduction of 276 young girls from a school in the village of Chibok.

Joel ‘Kachi Benson

Nigerian filmmaker Benson came to helm the film after tackling the aftermath of the attacks with previous work including 2019’s Daughters of Chibok, a VR experience he wrote and produced which won the Lion for Best Immersive Story at the 76th Venice Film Festival.

“I have spent the last five years with the mothers and survivors of the Chibok kidnappings,” the filmmaker told Deadline. “I’ve listened to their stories,...

Who said March Madness is just for sports? With a slew of spring premieres across cable and streaming, narrative television is just as mad during the long, unpredictable month.

Just as we did in January and February, IndieWire’s TV team compiled the March TV premieres we’re most excited about — that’s new TV only, and it’s still an impressive list every time. March marks the premieres of buzzy book adaptations “Apples Never Fall” (Peacock) and “We Were the Lucky Ones” (Hulu), not to mention the sci-fi juggernaut “3 Body Problem” from “Game of Thrones” executive producers. Disney+ has heroic offerings from outside the MCU, with revival series “X-Men: 97” and the inspiring docuseries “Madu.” Max peeks into the lives of female journalists on the campaign trail in “The Girls on the Bus,” Guy Ritchie adapts his own film into Netflix’s “The Gentlemen,” and Apple takes us into...

Spring is now only a few weeks away, and this March at Disney+, a red rose is growing up out of ice frozen ground!

Probably the biggest title on the House of Mouse streamer’s calendar this month is the exclusive streaming premiere of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version),” the ground-breaking and record-setting concert film tracking Swift’s Eras Tour. The new “(Taylor’s Version)” edit will feature the concert film in its entirety for the first time, plus the song “cardigan” and four additional acoustic songs.

Also premiering this month, “X-Men: The Animated Series” gets a long overdue revival with the new animated series “X-Men '97,” featuring the returns of original cast members Ray Chase, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, and more. Plus, the British historical adventure “Renegade Nell” finally gets its series premiere at the end of the month.

Get ready for...

The graceful movements of 12-year-old Anthony Madu, a boy from Lagos, Nigeria, with a zeal for ballet, are inherently cinematic: arms stretched out to the sky, his body contorting like a determined feather fending off a gust of wind, just before he pirouettes with elegant agility that commands attention. At school, however, he faces constant bullying since his passion doesn’t fit his country’s traditional gender role expectations.

But thanks to the attention gained from a viral video of him performing, the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School in London, England, offers Anthony a scholarship to study abroad with them for the next seven years. Inevitably, the life-changing opportunity comes with its fair share of thorny repercussions that will reshape his young identity. Co-directed by Matthew Ogens (Oscar-nominated for the 2021 documentary short “Audible”) and Nigerian filmmaker Joel ‘Kachi Benson, the inspirational doc “Madu” forgoes talking heads, opting for the observational approach...

Set to open on Feb. 7, the Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival enters its 39th year with high stakes. Organizers must re-create past successes while forging new paths to keep proceedings fresh, keeping their eye on a mission to education while celebrating the power of film.

This year’s edition of the coastal festival will open with the world premiere of Matt Ogens and Joel Kachi Benson’s “Madu,” a Disney documentary about a young Nigerian whose ballet performance went viral online. It concludes with the world premiere of “Chosen Family,” directed by and starring Heather Graham, who also plans to attend with the cast.

In between, Sbiff will host many noteworthy film screenings and events. There are more than 200 films in this year’s lineup and, per programming director Claudia Puig, 70% of them will celebrate their U.S. or world premieres at the festival. That amounts to more than 75 feature films and over 45 shorts,...