The Museum of the Moving Image will honor Rosie Perez, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz and former AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan at its 2024 Spring Moving Image Awards benefit, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
The Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Perez, whose credits include Do The Right Thing and 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, recently appeared in the second season of Showtime’s Your Honor and HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Perez has been an activist for a number of causes, with President Obama appointing her in 2010 to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (Pacha).
“Rosie Perez has had a remarkable career, from her breakthrough role in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing to her critically acclaimed work in Peter Weir’s Fearless and other memorable performances,” Momi board of trustees chairman Michael Barker said in a statement. “She is an iconic New Yorker,...
The Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Perez, whose credits include Do The Right Thing and 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, recently appeared in the second season of Showtime’s Your Honor and HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Perez has been an activist for a number of causes, with President Obama appointing her in 2010 to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (Pacha).
“Rosie Perez has had a remarkable career, from her breakthrough role in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing to her critically acclaimed work in Peter Weir’s Fearless and other memorable performances,” Momi board of trustees chairman Michael Barker said in a statement. “She is an iconic New Yorker,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tom Rothman, the Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman and CEO, wined and dined a select few at a splendidly swish soirée Friday at Mamo Michelangelo in Antibes, hosted by Charles Finch as part of his annual Filmmakers Dinner honoring 100 years of Columbia Pictures, and there was something he said about why movies matter that has stuck with me.
Hours earlier, Rothman had introduced a gloriously restored print of Charles Vidor’s 1946 movie Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth as the eponymous nightclub temptress and Glenn Ford as the hardboiled gambler from her past.
They hate each other, but as we all know, that’s often a prelude on the road to love both in real and reel life.
Related: Cannes Film Festival 2024 Photos
Vidor also uses the vocabulary of dance to signal Gilda’s emotional temperature.
The great choreographer Jack Cole, who later coached Marilyn Monroe on her moves in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,...
Hours earlier, Rothman had introduced a gloriously restored print of Charles Vidor’s 1946 movie Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth as the eponymous nightclub temptress and Glenn Ford as the hardboiled gambler from her past.
They hate each other, but as we all know, that’s often a prelude on the road to love both in real and reel life.
Related: Cannes Film Festival 2024 Photos
Vidor also uses the vocabulary of dance to signal Gilda’s emotional temperature.
The great choreographer Jack Cole, who later coached Marilyn Monroe on her moves in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, the municipality of Cannes is presenting a free photographic exhibition titled “Lighting the Way: From the Torch Lady to Leading Ladies.” The exhibit was inaugurated Friday by Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group president Sanford Panitch, who was introduced by Cannes Deputy Mayor Thomas de Pariente on the newly refurbished Cours Félix Faure.
Also in attendance were Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire co-writer and producer Jason Reitman as well as Sony Pictures Classics chiefs Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
Related: Sony’s Tom Rothman Fetes Columbia Pictures Centennial, Talks Quentin Tarantino, Streaming & How To Bring Young Audiences Back To Movie Theaters
Among the photos (scroll through our exclusive gallery below) are snaps highlighting legendary actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond including Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Claudette Colbert, Ann-Margret, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Michelle Yeoh and Rita Hayworth. A restored version of...
Also in attendance were Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire co-writer and producer Jason Reitman as well as Sony Pictures Classics chiefs Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
Related: Sony’s Tom Rothman Fetes Columbia Pictures Centennial, Talks Quentin Tarantino, Streaming & How To Bring Young Audiences Back To Movie Theaters
Among the photos (scroll through our exclusive gallery below) are snaps highlighting legendary actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond including Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Claudette Colbert, Ann-Margret, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Michelle Yeoh and Rita Hayworth. A restored version of...
- 5/17/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics’ Wicked Little Letters grossed an estimated $1.5+ million in a big second week expansion for the R-rated British period comedy to 1,000 screens from five. The Thea Sharrock-directed film starring Olivia Colman (also a producer) and Jessie Buckley, no. 8 at the domestic weekend box office, has a $1.6+ million cume.
Colman and Buckley have been out actively promoting the film, based on an actual scandal, about a police investigation into the anonymous author of crude letters sent to the residents of a British seaside town.
The number is on the high end of SPC’s expectations, and the Sunday estimate may be conservative.
Audiences for Wicked Little Letters are 60% female, 40% male, with a range of women age 30-plus, unusual for a period film as they skew older. It’s playing especially well in major cities and college towns but also popping in smaller markets like Seattle. Word of mouths is terrific,...
Colman and Buckley have been out actively promoting the film, based on an actual scandal, about a police investigation into the anonymous author of crude letters sent to the residents of a British seaside town.
The number is on the high end of SPC’s expectations, and the Sunday estimate may be conservative.
Audiences for Wicked Little Letters are 60% female, 40% male, with a range of women age 30-plus, unusual for a period film as they skew older. It’s playing especially well in major cities and college towns but also popping in smaller markets like Seattle. Word of mouths is terrific,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker – which was pulled from TIFF in 2022 over “rights issues” — starts a theatrical debut today at the IFC Center, moving to LA’s Landmark’s Nuart next weekend and expanding thereafter with about 85 booking so far — a nice outcome for the mixed-media coming-of-age dark superhero parody that “had gone into into hibernation mode” until Outfest LA Film Festival, said Frank Jaffe, whose distribution company Altered Innocence acquired it then. It’s U.S premiere garnered a Special Mention in the North American Narrative Feature Competition.
Co-written by Drew and Bri LeRose, the film is a reimagining the origin story of iconic Batman villain The Joker, starring Drew as painfully unfunny aspiring clown and closeted trans girl grappling with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program, in a world where comedy has been outlawed. She...
Co-written by Drew and Bri LeRose, the film is a reimagining the origin story of iconic Batman villain The Joker, starring Drew as painfully unfunny aspiring clown and closeted trans girl grappling with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program, in a world where comedy has been outlawed. She...
- 4/5/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Creo has announced the jury for the 2024 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards.
Director Justin Chadwick serves as chair for the second year in a row. He is joined on the jury by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, co-founders and co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics; cinematographer Rob Hardy ASC, Bsc; cinematographer Kate Reid Bsc; cinematographer Robert Primes ASC; and Australian filmmaker Unjoo Moon.
Chadwick said, “It is such a pleasure to return as Chair of this new prestigious panel of decorated creatives. Last year, we brought to the forefront 30 exceptionally talented filmmakers from across the world, each of whom had the unique chance to access the inner workings of the industry in Los Angeles, opening doors to career-launching opportunities. From my own experience, the art of the short film is by no means one to be underestimated, and I look forward to discovering more brilliant, talented individuals through this upcoming selection.”
In...
Director Justin Chadwick serves as chair for the second year in a row. He is joined on the jury by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, co-founders and co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics; cinematographer Rob Hardy ASC, Bsc; cinematographer Kate Reid Bsc; cinematographer Robert Primes ASC; and Australian filmmaker Unjoo Moon.
Chadwick said, “It is such a pleasure to return as Chair of this new prestigious panel of decorated creatives. Last year, we brought to the forefront 30 exceptionally talented filmmakers from across the world, each of whom had the unique chance to access the inner workings of the industry in Los Angeles, opening doors to career-launching opportunities. From my own experience, the art of the short film is by no means one to be underestimated, and I look forward to discovering more brilliant, talented individuals through this upcoming selection.”
In...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay and Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety Film + TV
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony should be known as the Cannes Oscars, argues Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux.
He’s got a point.
Frémaux sipped a cocktail at the Charles Finch and Chanel Annual Pre-Oscar Dinner in the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and ticked off Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest as films that played and won the top prizes at last May’s festival.
Michael Barker, Sony Picture Classics co-chair, helped Frémaux out by adding in Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon, which also premiered on the Croisette.
“Here we are in March, and the top winners at last year’s Cannes are still in the conversation, and are here at the Oscars,” says Frémaux, giving himself a pat on the back.
Related: Oscar Week 2024 Parties & Events List: The List
He adds that...
He’s got a point.
Frémaux sipped a cocktail at the Charles Finch and Chanel Annual Pre-Oscar Dinner in the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and ticked off Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest as films that played and won the top prizes at last May’s festival.
Michael Barker, Sony Picture Classics co-chair, helped Frémaux out by adding in Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon, which also premiered on the Croisette.
“Here we are in March, and the top winners at last year’s Cannes are still in the conversation, and are here at the Oscars,” says Frémaux, giving himself a pat on the back.
Related: Oscar Week 2024 Parties & Events List: The List
He adds that...
- 3/10/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Sandra Hüller (a Best Actress nominee) and Christian Friedel, stars of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest — nominated for Best Picture, Best International Picture, Director, Sound, and Adapted Screenplay — are familiar with Shakespeare’s famous verse from Hamlet: ”All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players …” That’s because both thespians have been playing the Danish prince on stages around Germany for years.
Due to Germany’s repertory system in city and state theaters, an actor can revisit an assortment of plays time after time over a number of years.
Friedel tells me that he first played the Dane in 2012. It’s a sort of rock star Hamlet performed with his band, Woods of Birnam. “It can take years until the piece is really finished,” he explains.
He adds that “It changes as you’re getting older,” an experience he feels with movies as well.
Due to Germany’s repertory system in city and state theaters, an actor can revisit an assortment of plays time after time over a number of years.
Friedel tells me that he first played the Dane in 2012. It’s a sort of rock star Hamlet performed with his band, Woods of Birnam. “It can take years until the piece is really finished,” he explains.
He adds that “It changes as you’re getting older,” an experience he feels with movies as well.
- 3/9/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Ahead of touching down at the Berlin Film Festival, Black Bear manager Philip Westgren shared with THR about why the shutdown Templehof airport is a must-see stop and where you can escape the festival frenzy for a nice steam.
What’s your state of mind heading into the European Film Market?
I like this year’s lineup which, next to more established names, contains a number of younger global filmmakers with interesting looking films. Strong voices will always find a way to break through and Berlin is still one of the places where that magic happens.
What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
Running into Michael Barker at the Berlin airport the day after I began working with [The Teacher’s Lounge director] Ilker Çatak. When I brought up Ilker and his film The Teachers’ Lounge, Michael’s eyes knowingly lit up and he said, “Now there’s a director to get into business with.
What’s your state of mind heading into the European Film Market?
I like this year’s lineup which, next to more established names, contains a number of younger global filmmakers with interesting looking films. Strong voices will always find a way to break through and Berlin is still one of the places where that magic happens.
What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
Running into Michael Barker at the Berlin airport the day after I began working with [The Teacher’s Lounge director] Ilker Çatak. When I brought up Ilker and his film The Teachers’ Lounge, Michael’s eyes knowingly lit up and he said, “Now there’s a director to get into business with.
- 2/15/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes rejected it. The Oscars ignored it. But “Amélie” lives on, as everyone’s favorite crème-brulee-cracking, stone-skipping Montmartre mischief-maker and romantic go-between is back in theaters come Valentine’s Day, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
“Amélie,” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by the French filmmaker with Guillaume Laurant, remains one of the 21st-century arthouse’s most imaginative confections, the rare film perhaps more misunderstood now than it was when it came out in 2001. Make no mistake that “Amélie” was huge then. There was the box office, the awards, the infectious swells of composer Yann Tiersen’s music in the air (at least in my headphones), and then came the imitators. I remember in college a close friend had a poster of the film pinned to her dorm room wall, a bemused Audrey Tautou upright in bed flanked by framed pictures of an Elizabeth-collared dog and a white-feathered fowl, and...
“Amélie,” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by the French filmmaker with Guillaume Laurant, remains one of the 21st-century arthouse’s most imaginative confections, the rare film perhaps more misunderstood now than it was when it came out in 2001. Make no mistake that “Amélie” was huge then. There was the box office, the awards, the infectious swells of composer Yann Tiersen’s music in the air (at least in my headphones), and then came the imitators. I remember in college a close friend had a poster of the film pinned to her dorm room wall, a bemused Audrey Tautou upright in bed flanked by framed pictures of an Elizabeth-collared dog and a white-feathered fowl, and...
- 2/1/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It was back to business as usual at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, as this year’s strike-postponed Governors Awards finally unfolded January 9. With preparations for the March 10 Oscars under way with a new set of producers (and an hour earlier start time), the Governors Awards honored Mel Brooks, Angela Bassett, editor Carol Littleton, and Sundance veteran Michelle Satter while giving Oscar contenders a chance to work a room packed with AMPAS voters.
These awards used to be presented at the Oscars ceremony, but they demanded 45 minutes of screen time. Now it makes do with a montage of the Governors Awards presentation.
The Governors Awards usually take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season. It also provides the Academy with a revenue-generating event as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. The delay didn’t impact that energy.
These awards used to be presented at the Oscars ceremony, but they demanded 45 minutes of screen time. Now it makes do with a montage of the Governors Awards presentation.
The Governors Awards usually take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season. It also provides the Academy with a revenue-generating event as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. The delay didn’t impact that energy.
- 1/10/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The pioneering French-Iranian producer and sales agent leaves behind a long-lasting legacy
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
Pioneering producer and celebrated Celluloid Dreams founder Hengameh Panahi died on November 5 following a long illness, sending shockwaves of sadness throughout the international film community and leaving a long-lasting legacy of both championing auteur cinema and shaking up the status quo in her wake.
The revered French-Iranian industry executive was known for finding and following emerging directors and accompanying their films to festival glory and international acclaim. Her career spanned four decades and more than 800 films.
She worked alongside iconic directors from across the globe including Jacques Audiard,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
As a young boy growing up in Budapest, a town that would come to be known as “Hollywood on the Danube,” Béla Bunyik dreamed of being in the pictures. “I fell in love with movies in Hungary back in the ’50s,” Bunyik tells Variety. “When I was 12 years old, I started to work as an extra in a few movies…. In 1953, I spent a whole summer with a bunch of kids and some of the best Hungarian actors at the time.”
He recalls being picked up after school by talent scouts and cutting his teeth on the sets of films like Viktor Gertler’s 1954 adventure-comedy “Me and My Grandfather.” “Seeing how a movie was done was very exciting for me and I was sad when the summer ended, and the film was shut,” he says. But those formative years sparked a lifelong obsession. “I got hooked.”
Bunyik would later emigrate to the U.
He recalls being picked up after school by talent scouts and cutting his teeth on the sets of films like Viktor Gertler’s 1954 adventure-comedy “Me and My Grandfather.” “Seeing how a movie was done was very exciting for me and I was sad when the summer ended, and the film was shut,” he says. But those formative years sparked a lifelong obsession. “I got hooked.”
Bunyik would later emigrate to the U.
- 10/22/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Hollywood Reporter thanks the following 322 members of the global film community — listed alphabetically — for taking the time to cast a ballot to help us determine the 100 greatest film books of all time.
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
- 10/12/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Leonine Studios founder and CEO Fred Kogel has said he does not expect his Germany-focused content group to expand much more in the near future, after four years of rapid and continuous growth.
The veteran film and TV exec was talking about the journey around the creation of Leonine Studios in 2019 in an onstage conversation with CAA Media Finance Co-head Benjamin Kramer at the Zurich Film Festival’s finance and industry-focused Zurich Summit on Saturday.
Kogel will be feted with the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award on Sunday, following in the footsteps of Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger as well as Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
“There are many companies who drop by Leonine at the moment who say: ‘Can we be interesting for you in the German market?’,” said the veteran exec.
“There are always two questions for us: ‘Who is the talent and what kind of programs they do,...
The veteran film and TV exec was talking about the journey around the creation of Leonine Studios in 2019 in an onstage conversation with CAA Media Finance Co-head Benjamin Kramer at the Zurich Film Festival’s finance and industry-focused Zurich Summit on Saturday.
Kogel will be feted with the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award on Sunday, following in the footsteps of Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger as well as Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.
“There are many companies who drop by Leonine at the moment who say: ‘Can we be interesting for you in the German market?’,” said the veteran exec.
“There are always two questions for us: ‘Who is the talent and what kind of programs they do,...
- 10/1/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan’s 40-year relationship with the Toronto International Film Festival helped put his movies on the map in Hollywood.
But that impressive trajectory out of Toronto of iconic Egoyan dramas like Next of Kin, Family Viewing, The Adjuster, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Guest of Honor — often psychodramas about families shattered by death, loss and betrayal, as parents and children grow apart — got off to an inauspicious start in 1982 with an early short film that screened from a sidewalk outside the Uptown Theatre on Yonge Street.
“It was the ultimate act of chutzpah,” Egoyan recalls of joining fellow rag-tag filmmaker Bruce McDonald, both of whom had shorts rejected by Toronto fest programmers that year, when a feature by a close friend did get an invite.
Feeling a prized Toronto fest berth just beyond their fingertips, years before becoming inescapable fixtures on the TIFF red carpet, Egoyan and...
But that impressive trajectory out of Toronto of iconic Egoyan dramas like Next of Kin, Family Viewing, The Adjuster, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Guest of Honor — often psychodramas about families shattered by death, loss and betrayal, as parents and children grow apart — got off to an inauspicious start in 1982 with an early short film that screened from a sidewalk outside the Uptown Theatre on Yonge Street.
“It was the ultimate act of chutzpah,” Egoyan recalls of joining fellow rag-tag filmmaker Bruce McDonald, both of whom had shorts rejected by Toronto fest programmers that year, when a feature by a close friend did get an invite.
Feeling a prized Toronto fest berth just beyond their fingertips, years before becoming inescapable fixtures on the TIFF red carpet, Egoyan and...
- 9/9/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris unveiled his new documentary The Pigeon Tunnel – about the spy-turned-novelist David Cornwell, aka John le Carré – at the Telluride Film Festival on Friday. Audience buzz afterwards ranked it among Morris’s best work, a canon that includes the classics The Thin Blue Line and Gates of Heaven.
Morris said it took years for The Pigeon Tunnel to be completed. But during a Q&a, he referenced a different endeavor that apparently isn’t fated to come together – a nascent documentary project on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The controversial figure who guided American foreign policy during the Nixon and Ford administrations recently reached the century mark.
Henry Kissinger celebrates his 100th birthday in Bavaria, June 20, 2023.
“Someone wanted me to interview quite recently, on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, Henry Kissinger,” Morris told the audience at the Chuck Jones Theater in Mountain Village. “And as my wife has pointed out,...
Morris said it took years for The Pigeon Tunnel to be completed. But during a Q&a, he referenced a different endeavor that apparently isn’t fated to come together – a nascent documentary project on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The controversial figure who guided American foreign policy during the Nixon and Ford administrations recently reached the century mark.
Henry Kissinger celebrates his 100th birthday in Bavaria, June 20, 2023.
“Someone wanted me to interview quite recently, on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, Henry Kissinger,” Morris told the audience at the Chuck Jones Theater in Mountain Village. “And as my wife has pointed out,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
“It’s hard to get here,” said Telluride Executive Director Julie Huntsinger at the opening day press conference. “So we should really knock your socks off. The mayor wants to talk to us now, and I have nothing for you except stop the price gouging!”
After lengthy negotiations with the unions and hard-won interim waivers for some of the indie films showing this year, Telluride launched on August 31 with a festival brunch packed with filmmakers on a balmy mountaintop. There were fewer stars than usual, but there was plenty of talent on hand. Jon Batiste, freed from late-night television, came to Telluride with his wife Suleika Jaouad, ahead of a performance in concert with Matt Heineman’s documentary “American Symphony,” which is seeking a distributor.
Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Michael Barker was reunited with German actress Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann”), who is here with two Cannes hits, “The Zone of Interest...
After lengthy negotiations with the unions and hard-won interim waivers for some of the indie films showing this year, Telluride launched on August 31 with a festival brunch packed with filmmakers on a balmy mountaintop. There were fewer stars than usual, but there was plenty of talent on hand. Jon Batiste, freed from late-night television, came to Telluride with his wife Suleika Jaouad, ahead of a performance in concert with Matt Heineman’s documentary “American Symphony,” which is seeking a distributor.
Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Michael Barker was reunited with German actress Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann”), who is here with two Cannes hits, “The Zone of Interest...
- 9/1/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
CatVideoFest, which is just what it sounds like, joined notable indie debuts and festival favorites Shortcomings and Passages, the re-release of Shiva Baby and juggernaut Talk To Me in another weekend of varied specialty fare, both new and holding over. Indies are helping drive a buoyant box office. They’re also waiting for the Barbenheimer tsunami to recede as bit as these unusual blockbusters vacuum up the arthouse/adult audiences.
Sony Pictures Classics said Sundance favorite Shortcomings by Randall Park grossed an estimated $316.4k at a 404 locations. Written by Adrian Tomine, the comedy stars Justin Min as Ben, a struggling filmmaker in Berkeley, California, along with Ally Maki and Sherry Cola. Spe co-president Michael Barker said the edgy romcom is attracting a young and diverse audience and word of mouth is strong.
Hollywood strikes, which prohibit promotion by actors, have made opening films more complicated, although Barker said the thesps...
Sony Pictures Classics said Sundance favorite Shortcomings by Randall Park grossed an estimated $316.4k at a 404 locations. Written by Adrian Tomine, the comedy stars Justin Min as Ben, a struggling filmmaker in Berkeley, California, along with Ally Maki and Sherry Cola. Spe co-president Michael Barker said the edgy romcom is attracting a young and diverse audience and word of mouth is strong.
Hollywood strikes, which prohibit promotion by actors, have made opening films more complicated, although Barker said the thesps...
- 8/6/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Leonine’s Fred Kogel To Be Feted In Zurich
Leonine CEO Fred Kogel is to receive the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award, which has previously gone to executives including Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. The Leonine boss will accept the award during the Zurich Summit industry conference on Sunday, October 1. Prior to setting up German studio Leonine, Kogel served as Head of Entertainment at Zdf and Managing Director of SAT1, where he was responsible for the station’s merger into ProSiebenSat.1 Media Ag. He was CEO of Constantin Film Ag from 2003 – 2009, working on Oscar nominees including Downfall and The Baader Meinhof Complex. “Fred Kogel has built Leonine from the ground up, a new entertainment company for the digital age that brings together the most exciting artists and successful producers, allowing them to focus on their core strengths while the studio takes care of services such as Hr,...
Leonine CEO Fred Kogel is to receive the Zurich Film Festival’s Game Changer Award, which has previously gone to executives including Pamela Abdy, Patrick Wachsberger, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. The Leonine boss will accept the award during the Zurich Summit industry conference on Sunday, October 1. Prior to setting up German studio Leonine, Kogel served as Head of Entertainment at Zdf and Managing Director of SAT1, where he was responsible for the station’s merger into ProSiebenSat.1 Media Ag. He was CEO of Constantin Film Ag from 2003 – 2009, working on Oscar nominees including Downfall and The Baader Meinhof Complex. “Fred Kogel has built Leonine from the ground up, a new entertainment company for the digital age that brings together the most exciting artists and successful producers, allowing them to focus on their core strengths while the studio takes care of services such as Hr,...
- 8/2/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York (before the SAG-AFTRA strike was called), including red carpets for Barbie, Mission: Impossible and Theater Camp.
Barbie premiere
Greta Gerwig joined stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera and Kate McKinnon, as well as soundtrack artists Billie Eilish, Finneas, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj, at the Barbie world premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday.
America Ferrera, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling Greta Gerwig Finneas and Billie Eilish Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Simu Liu and Hari Nef
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premiere
Tom Cruise brought Mission: Impossible 7 to New York on Monday, alongside co-stars Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Cary Elwes, Henry Czerny,...
Barbie premiere
Greta Gerwig joined stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera and Kate McKinnon, as well as soundtrack artists Billie Eilish, Finneas, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj, at the Barbie world premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday.
America Ferrera, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling Greta Gerwig Finneas and Billie Eilish Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Simu Liu and Hari Nef
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premiere
Tom Cruise brought Mission: Impossible 7 to New York on Monday, alongside co-stars Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Cary Elwes, Henry Czerny,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael J. Fox’s family was by his side on a very big night.
On Tuesday, the “Back to the Future” star was in New York to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Spring Moving Image Awards.
Read More: Michael J. Fox Shares Which Roles Have Meant The Most To Him
By his side, posing together on the red carpet, were his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their twin daughters, Schuyler and Aquinnah.
In a statement announcing the award last month, the Museum of the Moving Image co-chairmen Ivan Lustig and Michael Barker said, “We are honored to present the MoMI Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary Michael J. Fox, a great artist and inspiring human being, at our Spring 2023 Moving Image Awards benefit event.”
They added, “His many contributions in film and television for over four decades have been memorable and meaningful and exemplary for so many who come through our Museum’s doors.
On Tuesday, the “Back to the Future” star was in New York to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Spring Moving Image Awards.
Read More: Michael J. Fox Shares Which Roles Have Meant The Most To Him
By his side, posing together on the red carpet, were his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their twin daughters, Schuyler and Aquinnah.
In a statement announcing the award last month, the Museum of the Moving Image co-chairmen Ivan Lustig and Michael Barker said, “We are honored to present the MoMI Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary Michael J. Fox, a great artist and inspiring human being, at our Spring 2023 Moving Image Awards benefit event.”
They added, “His many contributions in film and television for over four decades have been memorable and meaningful and exemplary for so many who come through our Museum’s doors.
- 6/7/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Every year, the Cannes Film Festival program yields its riches. And every year, documentaries are kept to the selection sidebars, with the exception of just three over the years, two of which won the Palme d’Or: “The Silent World,” co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle in 1956, and Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004.
This year, out of 16 documentaries in the Official Selection, two are in the Competition, the first time nonfiction titles have joined that storied roster since Moore’s inclusion.
This is progress, but a quick glance at the latest Palme d’Or predictions reveals that Wang Bing’s “Youth” (marking the first 3.5-hours of an eventual 10-hour triptych) and “Olfa’s Daughters” from Kaouther Ben Hania are not high on the list of likely winners. Both are recognized by critics as boundary-pushing examples of the form but seem unlikely to become consensus award picks from Ruben Östlund’s eclectic Competition jury.
This year, out of 16 documentaries in the Official Selection, two are in the Competition, the first time nonfiction titles have joined that storied roster since Moore’s inclusion.
This is progress, but a quick glance at the latest Palme d’Or predictions reveals that Wang Bing’s “Youth” (marking the first 3.5-hours of an eventual 10-hour triptych) and “Olfa’s Daughters” from Kaouther Ben Hania are not high on the list of likely winners. Both are recognized by critics as boundary-pushing examples of the form but seem unlikely to become consensus award picks from Ruben Östlund’s eclectic Competition jury.
- 5/26/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
For the most part, the opening ceremony of the 76th Cannes Film Festival was a tightly scripted affair. The show, which was broadcast live across the country from the Lumiere theater on the public television channel France 2, included an honorary Palme d’Or for Michael Douglas, who stumbled through a speech from a teleprompter at the back of the room and bungled a few words of gratitude in French. Catherine Deneuve came out and read a poem about Ukraine. Host Chiara Mastroianni offered the usual platitudes. “The cinema has never abandoned us,” she said. “We, in turn, must commit ourselves to it for the next 10 days.”
Yet when jury president and Swedish director Ruben Östlund took the stage after a generous montage of his acclaimed satiric work, he appeared to improvise a speech about the value of watching movies together. “Back in the day, we were gathering in front of the TV,...
Yet when jury president and Swedish director Ruben Östlund took the stage after a generous montage of his acclaimed satiric work, he appeared to improvise a speech about the value of watching movies together. “Back in the day, we were gathering in front of the TV,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Comedic documentary filmmaker John Wilson is joining Michael J. Fox among honorees at the Museum of the Moving Image’s spring Moving Image Awards benefit on June 6.
MoMI’s board of trustees announced Monday Wilson will receive the award for Innovative Series in recognition of his career and his HBO show How To with John Wilson. The series, which will premiere its third season later this year, finds Wilson exploring New York in all its eccentricities.
“We are thrilled to honor John Wilson at our Spring 2023 Moving Image Awards benefit event and present him with the award for Innovative Series,” said MoMI’s co-chairmen Ivan Lustig and Michael Barker. “His one-of-a-kind docu-comedy style is a breath of fresh air for the television industry and we are honored to celebrate his work here at the Museum next month.”
Wired magazine called How To with John Wilson “an observational marvel,” and...
MoMI’s board of trustees announced Monday Wilson will receive the award for Innovative Series in recognition of his career and his HBO show How To with John Wilson. The series, which will premiere its third season later this year, finds Wilson exploring New York in all its eccentricities.
“We are thrilled to honor John Wilson at our Spring 2023 Moving Image Awards benefit event and present him with the award for Innovative Series,” said MoMI’s co-chairmen Ivan Lustig and Michael Barker. “His one-of-a-kind docu-comedy style is a breath of fresh air for the television industry and we are honored to celebrate his work here at the Museum next month.”
Wired magazine called How To with John Wilson “an observational marvel,” and...
- 5/15/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Once upon a time, Todd Haynes’ hot Cannes Competition title “May December” — a psychological drama based on the Mary Kay Letourneau case, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore — would already have a North American distributor. (A source placed its budget just under $20 million.) However, we no longer live in a world where buyers will overpay for a film before they can gauge its theatrical value: The risk is just too great.
That’s why sellers CAA and UTA opted to not show the film to distributors before the festival. Instead, they’re betting that an enthusiastic response from Cannes media and audiences will boost its sale price.
“People are being skittish about paying top dollar for a movie as easily as they did in the past,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker. At Cannes, SPC will screen the Pedro Almodovar gay western short “Strange Way of Life” starring Ethan Hawke...
That’s why sellers CAA and UTA opted to not show the film to distributors before the festival. Instead, they’re betting that an enthusiastic response from Cannes media and audiences will boost its sale price.
“People are being skittish about paying top dollar for a movie as easily as they did in the past,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker. At Cannes, SPC will screen the Pedro Almodovar gay western short “Strange Way of Life” starring Ethan Hawke...
- 5/12/2023
- by Anne Thompson and Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The Board of Trustees of Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) announced Thursday that Michael J. Fox will be presented with the MoMI Lifetime Achievement Award at the museum’s annual spring Moving Image Awards, which is set to take place at the museum’s location in Queens, New York.
This year’s event celebrates leaders in comedy and will salute the career of Fox, who is the subject of Apple TV+’s upcoming documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. The documentary premiered in January at Sundance, where it received a massive standing ovation. The film, which charts the actor’s meteoric rise to stardom in the 1980s and his private journey with Parkinson’s disease after receiving the diagnosis at the age of 29, will hit the streamer on May 12.
“We are honored to present the MoMI Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary Michael J. Fox, a great artist and inspiring human being,...
This year’s event celebrates leaders in comedy and will salute the career of Fox, who is the subject of Apple TV+’s upcoming documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. The documentary premiered in January at Sundance, where it received a massive standing ovation. The film, which charts the actor’s meteoric rise to stardom in the 1980s and his private journey with Parkinson’s disease after receiving the diagnosis at the age of 29, will hit the streamer on May 12.
“We are honored to present the MoMI Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary Michael J. Fox, a great artist and inspiring human being,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmakers and executives, creatives of music, theater and art remembered Tom Luddy as friend and mentor, tastemaker and cultural force who deployed an astonishingly vast network to nurture talent and bring people and projects together over decades.
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Luddy wasn’t famous exactly. But he had a huge impact on film culture via Uc Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive in the ’60s and the Telluride Film Festival in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and up to his death in February at age 79. And while he was based in the Bay Area, a theater full of Luddy-philes from both coasts turned up for his tribute at New York’s packed Paris Theater on April 15. They represented the cross-cultural network that Luddy created over decades of introducing people, sharing his favorite film gems, and luring folks to Telluride by inviting their films or bringing them in as guest directors (like Stephen Sondheim or Salman Rushdie) or tributees (like Athol Fugard or Michael Powell). Once they came, they usually came back.
Five of the stalwarts in the Luddy family, who have supported the festival on the Telluride board of directors and in other ways,...
Five of the stalwarts in the Luddy family, who have supported the festival on the Telluride board of directors and in other ways,...
- 4/16/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Now that the noise has subsided, were there any helpful takeaways from the Oscars?
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
- 3/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers opened to an estimated $41,076 this weekend on three screens for a PSA of $13,692 over three days. Distributor Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker calls that cume conservative, anticipating $42-$43K for the Penelope Cruz-starrer that he said has been attracting a diverse new audience to Almodóvar, including younger moviegoers.
“We’re thrilled with the opening. This last week has been really nerve-racking. We didn’t know what to expect. They were closing down live theater, restaurants in my neighborhood were closing on certain days,” Barker said. He attributed the solid showing amid Omicron headwinds to a combination of great reviews, strong word of mouth and kudos for Cruz in what some are calling her best role.
The film will expand through Jan. from its perch (at Lincoln Center and the Angelika in NY and the Landmark in LA) adding locations each weekend to peak at...
“We’re thrilled with the opening. This last week has been really nerve-racking. We didn’t know what to expect. They were closing down live theater, restaurants in my neighborhood were closing on certain days,” Barker said. He attributed the solid showing amid Omicron headwinds to a combination of great reviews, strong word of mouth and kudos for Cruz in what some are calling her best role.
The film will expand through Jan. from its perch (at Lincoln Center and the Angelika in NY and the Landmark in LA) adding locations each weekend to peak at...
- 12/26/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Barker, the lauded co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics, was celebrated with an honorary career tribute in Jerusalem as part of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab.
Barker, who made his first trip to Israel to attend the event, received the Force-of-Nature in Filmmaking Award. Founded by Renen Schorr and run by producer Lior Sasson, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab praised Barker as a “major cinematic master-builder” for the pivotal role he played in distributing Israeli films such as “Waltz With Bashir,” “The Band’s Visit,” “Footnote” and “The Gate Keepers,” and leading them to the Academy Awards.
Barker has also distributed critically acclaimed international films such as “Call Me by Your Name,” “Whiplash,” “Talk to Her” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Aside from the tribute to Barker, the film lab gave the top award of its eighth edition to “Gentle Monster,” a project from the Hungarian...
Barker, who made his first trip to Israel to attend the event, received the Force-of-Nature in Filmmaking Award. Founded by Renen Schorr and run by producer Lior Sasson, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab praised Barker as a “major cinematic master-builder” for the pivotal role he played in distributing Israeli films such as “Waltz With Bashir,” “The Band’s Visit,” “Footnote” and “The Gate Keepers,” and leading them to the Academy Awards.
Barker has also distributed critically acclaimed international films such as “Call Me by Your Name,” “Whiplash,” “Talk to Her” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Aside from the tribute to Barker, the film lab gave the top award of its eighth edition to “Gentle Monster,” a project from the Hungarian...
- 7/9/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
For much of the 2017 Gotham Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, it seemed like nothing could topple “Get Out.” Then came “Call Me By Your Name,” which landed Best Feature after “Get Out” triumphed in three major categories, proving that not only are both movies serious contenders for the best movies of the year, but we also have an unpredictable awards race.
That said: Anyone who uses the Gothams as a crystal ball for predicting the Oscar race is looking in the wrong place. Hosted by Ifp, the swanky New York shindig celebrates movies and television made with an “economy of means,” with a series of small committees to select the nominees and winners for each category. That’s a world away from the Oscar voting process, which involves thousands of members, multiple branches, and no limits on budgets.
Read More:Gotham Awards 2017: Complete Winners List
Nevertheless, in recent years the...
That said: Anyone who uses the Gothams as a crystal ball for predicting the Oscar race is looking in the wrong place. Hosted by Ifp, the swanky New York shindig celebrates movies and television made with an “economy of means,” with a series of small committees to select the nominees and winners for each category. That’s a world away from the Oscar voting process, which involves thousands of members, multiple branches, and no limits on budgets.
Read More:Gotham Awards 2017: Complete Winners List
Nevertheless, in recent years the...
- 11/28/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed the rights to Michael Mayer’s “The Seagull,” starring four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening, two-time nom Saoirse Ronan and Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, the studio announced on Tuesday. The film is an adaption of the classic 19th Century Russian play by Anton Chekhov, highlighting the unrequited desire of several characters that have fallen in love with people that want someone else. “If I could dream up the perfect company to release my film, I would conjure Sony Classics,” said Mayer in a statement. “ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard have released so many brilliant and...
- 10/24/2017
- by Sean Burch
- The Wrap
At the first edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival in 1993, the programmers landed an event that instantly made it stand out: a conversation between Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. “That helped show the community we were for real,” artistic director David Nugent said in an interview. Twenty-five years later, nobody’s doubting Hiff’s bonafides.
Over the decades, the festival has settled into its early October weekend slot, traditionally overlapping with the New York Film Festival. That gives the exclusive Suffolk County gathering an edge during the awards season, which launches in the cozy mountains of Telluride and takes flight in Toronto. But Hiff provides the first opportunity for many Oscar hopefuls to reach Academy members and other influencers away from the mayhem of a crowded, industry-oriented festival scene.
“A lot of studios have seen the opportunity here,” said Hiff executive director Anne Chaisson, but it certainly hasn’t...
Over the decades, the festival has settled into its early October weekend slot, traditionally overlapping with the New York Film Festival. That gives the exclusive Suffolk County gathering an edge during the awards season, which launches in the cozy mountains of Telluride and takes flight in Toronto. But Hiff provides the first opportunity for many Oscar hopefuls to reach Academy members and other influencers away from the mayhem of a crowded, industry-oriented festival scene.
“A lot of studios have seen the opportunity here,” said Hiff executive director Anne Chaisson, but it certainly hasn’t...
- 10/5/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Unlike Berlin, Cannes or Afm, Toronto never was designed to be a presales market. As such, the vast majority of films up for grabs this year are finished. And even among finished films, domestic buyers will find relatively slim pickings.
"We're in a moment in time where an awful lot of films have already been sold before the fest," says Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker, who is taking nine films to Toronto but doesn't expect to be on a buying spree.
Even the festival's hottest available titles saw distributors try to swoop in and take them off the market with...
"We're in a moment in time where an awful lot of films have already been sold before the fest," says Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker, who is taking nine films to Toronto but doesn't expect to be on a buying spree.
Even the festival's hottest available titles saw distributors try to swoop in and take them off the market with...
- 9/6/2017
- by Tatiana Siegel ,Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Earlier today, the Academy sent an email to all members with the final list of Board of Governors candidates. Conspicuously absent is Netflix CEO and Ted Sarandos, who hosted a recent Academy museum fundraiser and was hoping to get a chance to run for the board.
Also absent is Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current president of AMPAS, who’s stepping down this August and not seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member board. You have to be on the board in order to run for President. Others no longer in the running are Sony Pictures Classics and CBS Films executives Michael Barker and Terry Press, producer Paula Wagner, director Brett Ratner and actors Queen Latifah and Lou Diamond Phillips. Actress Laura Dern is one current board member who is backed by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and gaining support.
The final election begins Monday, June 19 and closes on Friday, June...
Also absent is Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current president of AMPAS, who’s stepping down this August and not seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member board. You have to be on the board in order to run for President. Others no longer in the running are Sony Pictures Classics and CBS Films executives Michael Barker and Terry Press, producer Paula Wagner, director Brett Ratner and actors Queen Latifah and Lou Diamond Phillips. Actress Laura Dern is one current board member who is backed by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and gaining support.
The final election begins Monday, June 19 and closes on Friday, June...
- 6/2/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Earlier today, the Academy sent an email to all members with the final list of Board of Governors candidates. Conspicuously absent is Netflix CEO and Ted Sarandos, who hosted a recent Academy museum fundraiser and was hoping to get a chance to run for the board.
Also absent is Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current president of AMPAS, who’s stepping down this August and not seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member board. You have to be on the board in order to run for President. Others no longer in the running are Sony Pictures Classics and CBS Films executives Michael Barker and Terry Press, producer Paula Wagner, director Brett Ratner and actors Queen Latifah and Lou Diamond Phillips. Actress Laura Dern is one current board member who is backed by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and gaining support.
The final election begins Monday, June 19 and closes on Friday, June...
Also absent is Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current president of AMPAS, who’s stepping down this August and not seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member board. You have to be on the board in order to run for President. Others no longer in the running are Sony Pictures Classics and CBS Films executives Michael Barker and Terry Press, producer Paula Wagner, director Brett Ratner and actors Queen Latifah and Lou Diamond Phillips. Actress Laura Dern is one current board member who is backed by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and gaining support.
The final election begins Monday, June 19 and closes on Friday, June...
- 6/2/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There were a lot of big movie stars making the rounds at the Cannes Film Festival, but none loomed larger than Al Gore. Attending a posh dinner for the festival’s 70th anniversary, he hobnobbed with a crowd of A-listers while receiving well-wishes from distributors and filmmakers alike. “The Beguiled” director Sofia Coppola paid her respects, as did Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker and Los Angeles Times critic Justin Chang.
And so did I. Everyone in the room felt compelled to approach Gore, thank him for his continuing efforts to save the planet, and wish him good luck on the road ahead — which has only gotten rockier with the news that President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Accord. Back then, just a few weeks ago, Gore was the loftiest figure in a very flashy room; now, he looms even larger.
See More‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power...
And so did I. Everyone in the room felt compelled to approach Gore, thank him for his continuing efforts to save the planet, and wish him good luck on the road ahead — which has only gotten rockier with the news that President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Accord. Back then, just a few weeks ago, Gore was the loftiest figure in a very flashy room; now, he looms even larger.
See More‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power...
- 6/2/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Isabelle Huppert, Mariachi and a History Lesson: Cannes Celebrates Its 70th Year With a Lively Night
The Cannes Film Festival aims to show great movies, but it also knows how to throw a good party. That much was evident late at night in the waning hours of a glitzy dinner on Tuesday night at Port Pierre Canto to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the festival, when Salma Hayek surprised guests with a mariachi band.
The Mexican film luminaries in the room — including “Three Amigos” Guillermo Del Toro, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarriuto and Alfono Cuaron as well as actors Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal — all crowded around a single table to lead a boisterous crowd in numerous songs. They were joined by guests from all over the world, from directors Michel Hazanavicius and Paolo Sorrentino to Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, 88-year-old French New Wave legend Agnes Varda and Hayek, who eventually led a conga line to the stage while shooting an iPhone video of the whole affair.
The Mexican film luminaries in the room — including “Three Amigos” Guillermo Del Toro, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarriuto and Alfono Cuaron as well as actors Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal — all crowded around a single table to lead a boisterous crowd in numerous songs. They were joined by guests from all over the world, from directors Michel Hazanavicius and Paolo Sorrentino to Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, 88-year-old French New Wave legend Agnes Varda and Hayek, who eventually led a conga line to the stage while shooting an iPhone video of the whole affair.
- 5/24/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, will step down in August. Nor is she seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member Academy Board of Governors. And with that, let the games begin.
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, will step down in August. Nor is she seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member Academy Board of Governors. And with that, let the games begin.
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Most major studios outside of Disney would like to advance the narrative that a shortened theatrical window with the emergence of premium VOD is a given future reality. But Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents and founders Tom Bernard and Michael Barker have heard otherwise from exhibition. “I’ve talked to a lot of the major theater chains and they feel that they really want to hold strong,” Bernard told Deadline at our Tribeca Studio regarding the majors’ pitch for a…...
- 4/21/2017
- Deadline
Deadline’s studio at the Tribeca Film Festival kicked off the first of five talent-filled days at the NYC fest with visits by Zoey Deutch and Max Winkler (Flower), Julian Sands (The Escape), Tom Bernard & Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics, and many more. Photographer Mark Mann is behind the lens for our series of photo sessions and video interviews. Click on the image above to open the gallery, and follow Deadline for more photos and video interviews from Tribeca. P…...
- 4/21/2017
- Deadline
Exclusive: Psychological thriller recently wrapped production in Paris.
Sony Pictures Classics (Spc) has picked up North American rights to the French-language thriller, continuing its association with the director after the 2011 drama Carnage.
RatPac Entertainment will partner on distribution with Spc, who negotiated for the rights with Jeff Berg of Northside Services.
Emmanuelle Seigner stars as a Parisian author with writer’s block who encounters a mysterious woman at a book signing played by Eva Green. Wassim Beji of Wy Productions serves as producer.
Olivier Assayas and Polanski adapted Based On A True Story from Delphine de Vigan’s novel of the same name.
“I am very pleased that Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing Based On A True Story in North America,” Polanski said. “Sony Classics is a company that has long tradition in supporting European cinema. I am looking forward to working again with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.’
Spc said: “Based...
Sony Pictures Classics (Spc) has picked up North American rights to the French-language thriller, continuing its association with the director after the 2011 drama Carnage.
RatPac Entertainment will partner on distribution with Spc, who negotiated for the rights with Jeff Berg of Northside Services.
Emmanuelle Seigner stars as a Parisian author with writer’s block who encounters a mysterious woman at a book signing played by Eva Green. Wassim Beji of Wy Productions serves as producer.
Olivier Assayas and Polanski adapted Based On A True Story from Delphine de Vigan’s novel of the same name.
“I am very pleased that Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing Based On A True Story in North America,” Polanski said. “Sony Classics is a company that has long tradition in supporting European cinema. I am looking forward to working again with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard.’
Spc said: “Based...
- 2/14/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Every year the best and brightest from across the global film industry assemble at the Beverly Hilton for the annual Academy nominees lunch and group photo.
This year, 163 nominees showed up.
First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.
Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...
This year, 163 nominees showed up.
First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.
Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...
- 2/7/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Every year the best and brightest from across the global film industry assemble at the Beverly Hilton for the annual Academy nominees lunch and group photo.
This year, 165 nominees showed up.
First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.
Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...
This year, 165 nominees showed up.
First, everyone piles into the ballroom for champagne and hobnobbing. Documentary nominee Raoul Peck, whose “I Am Not Your Negro” is kicking it at the box office, was hanging with fellow nominee Ezra Edelman, whose “O.J.: Made in America” won the DGA award on Saturday.
Swedish filmmaker Hannes Holm (“A Man Called Ove”) met with his fellow foreign nominees Sunday night — they were in touch with “The Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, who’s boycotting the Oscars — to discuss the Muslim travel ban. He promised to let me know what comes of these ongoing discussions.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos accompanied Ava DuVernay’s nominated documentary “13th.” He’s recovering from Sundance, where seven Netflix original films played, and he acquired...
- 2/7/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Sundance Festival reveals the state of the indie film market, and 2017 will be remembered as the year of Amazon Studios and Netflix. And given the festival’s robust TV and Vr programs,, which were dominated by Google and Facebook/Oculus, there’s further digital disruption ahead.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
- 1/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Sundance Festival reveals the state of the indie film market, and 2017 will be remembered as the year of Amazon Studios and Netflix. And given the festival’s robust TV and Vr programs, which were dominated by Google and Facebook/Oculus, there’s further digital disruption ahead.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
According to one indie distributor, Sundance 2017’s valuations and sales are almost a third higher than last year. Put the same titles into the Sundance market two years ago, and they would have sold for far less. That’s because Netflix and Amazon Studios on the narrative side are dramatically driving up prices. “It’s just ridiculous what the digital guys are doing to the marketplace,” said one veteran indie CEO. “‘The Big Sick’ is a great little movie but it’s a $4 million -$6 million buy. There’s no logic to this model.”
However, Sundance has always been about the haves and the have-nots.
- 1/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker was exuberant despite the early hour, as Sony’s arthouse subsidy picked up four Oscar nominations Tuesday, including a Best Actress nod for Isabelle Huppert’s star turn in “Elle.” Barker said that getting the validation of an Oscar nomination — which can put an obscure film in the view of mainstream audiences — is huge for the type of independent and foreign-language films Spc specializes in. “These nominations are the lifeblood of these movies,” he told TheWrap. “They make a big difference in these movies being seen by audiences. These four nominations will get more people to.
- 1/24/2017
- by Matt Pressberg
- The Wrap
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.