Even if "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" is arguably the lowest point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and marked the beginning of what seems to be the end of its dominance in pop culture and box office, there is no denying that the first two "Ant-Man" movies are fantastic. They serve important roles in balancing out rather bleak and dense chapters in the Infinity Saga with some light fun that also grounds the universe and shows how regular people live outside of the big world-ending events.
A big part of the fun is Scott Lang's group of friends turned co-workers in his X-Con Security crew, which includes David Dastmalchian's Kurt — who delivers the best bit in either of the two movies. The bit begins when the crew hears about the second film ("Ant-Man and The Wasp")'s villain, Ghost, who has the ability to turn invisible. Kurt wastes...
A big part of the fun is Scott Lang's group of friends turned co-workers in his X-Con Security crew, which includes David Dastmalchian's Kurt — who delivers the best bit in either of the two movies. The bit begins when the crew hears about the second film ("Ant-Man and The Wasp")'s villain, Ghost, who has the ability to turn invisible. Kurt wastes...
- 5/26/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Movistar Plus+, Spain’s most-viewed pay TV operator, is partnering on “Los domingos,” a new film from “Lullaby” director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa and the producers of that critically acclaimed film.
A Movistar Plus+ Original, “Los Domingos” is set in and will shoot in Ruiz de Azúa’s native Basque country, said Nahikari Ipiña at Sayaka Producciones (“Colossal”).
Now in development, “Los Domingos” is produced by Movistar Plus+ and Sayaka and Marisa Fernández Armenteros’ Buenapinta Media (“The Mole Agent”), Sandra Hermida at Think Studio and Colosé Producciones (“Society of the Snow”) and Manu Calvo (“Wounded”).
“‘Los domingos’ is a co-production between Movistar Plus+ and four producers and as independent producers for us that’s important,” Fernández Armenteros said at Cannes.
“Domingos,” which shoots in the first half of 2025, is a drama, although plot details are under wraps.
“It is such luck to accompany Alauda in ‘Los domingos’ after ‘Lullaby’ success with audiences and critics.
A Movistar Plus+ Original, “Los Domingos” is set in and will shoot in Ruiz de Azúa’s native Basque country, said Nahikari Ipiña at Sayaka Producciones (“Colossal”).
Now in development, “Los Domingos” is produced by Movistar Plus+ and Sayaka and Marisa Fernández Armenteros’ Buenapinta Media (“The Mole Agent”), Sandra Hermida at Think Studio and Colosé Producciones (“Society of the Snow”) and Manu Calvo (“Wounded”).
“‘Los domingos’ is a co-production between Movistar Plus+ and four producers and as independent producers for us that’s important,” Fernández Armenteros said at Cannes.
“Domingos,” which shoots in the first half of 2025, is a drama, although plot details are under wraps.
“It is such luck to accompany Alauda in ‘Los domingos’ after ‘Lullaby’ success with audiences and critics.
- 5/18/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Match Factory is set to handle international sales on a new film by “Fire Will Come” director Oliver Laxe, headlined by Sergi López, star of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
Having begun production, shooting in Spain and then Morocco, the untitled Oliver Laxe project is a Movistar Plus+ original film produced with Pedro and Agustín Almodovar’s El Deseo, Laxe’s Galicia-based label Filmes da Ermida, Oriol Maymó’s Uri Films in Barcelona, and Paris’s 4 A 4 Productions.
The latest from Laxe follows Cannes wins for all his first three features. 2010’s “You Are All Captains,” Laxe’s debut feature, walked off with a Directors’ Fortnight Fipresci Award; 2016’s “Mimosas” scooped the Critics’ Week top Grand Prize, “Fire Will Come” a 2019 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.
Co-written with “Matadero” director Santiago Fillol, also a co-scribe on “Fire Will Come,” Laxe’s next turns on a man...
Having begun production, shooting in Spain and then Morocco, the untitled Oliver Laxe project is a Movistar Plus+ original film produced with Pedro and Agustín Almodovar’s El Deseo, Laxe’s Galicia-based label Filmes da Ermida, Oriol Maymó’s Uri Films in Barcelona, and Paris’s 4 A 4 Productions.
The latest from Laxe follows Cannes wins for all his first three features. 2010’s “You Are All Captains,” Laxe’s debut feature, walked off with a Directors’ Fortnight Fipresci Award; 2016’s “Mimosas” scooped the Critics’ Week top Grand Prize, “Fire Will Come” a 2019 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.
Co-written with “Matadero” director Santiago Fillol, also a co-scribe on “Fire Will Come,” Laxe’s next turns on a man...
- 5/6/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
French broadcaster Arte has joined Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s upcoming Movistar Plus+ series The New Years.
Arte and Spanish streamer Movistar Plus+ will co-produce the series, which is from Madrid-based Caballo Films — the production company Sorogoyen co-founded.
Production on the series began last year, and Arte has now snapped up French rights. Movistar Plus+ International will shop the title outside of Spain and France.
The series is set on New Year’s Eve every year for a decade, following a couple, played by Iria del Río (Riot Police) and Francesco Carril (Un Amor), who meet aged 30. Each episode follows updates their relationship and the trials they face to stay together, and the final shot is a single 40-minute take. “The narrative device allows you to consider change,” said Movistar Plus+ Director of Fiction and Entertainment Domingo Corral.
Alexandre Piel, Deputy Head of Drama at Arte France, said: “We’re very happy...
Arte and Spanish streamer Movistar Plus+ will co-produce the series, which is from Madrid-based Caballo Films — the production company Sorogoyen co-founded.
Production on the series began last year, and Arte has now snapped up French rights. Movistar Plus+ International will shop the title outside of Spain and France.
The series is set on New Year’s Eve every year for a decade, following a couple, played by Iria del Río (Riot Police) and Francesco Carril (Un Amor), who meet aged 30. Each episode follows updates their relationship and the trials they face to stay together, and the final shot is a single 40-minute take. “The narrative device allows you to consider change,” said Movistar Plus+ Director of Fiction and Entertainment Domingo Corral.
Alexandre Piel, Deputy Head of Drama at Arte France, said: “We’re very happy...
- 3/20/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Spanish indie film studio Filmax has sold sleeper hit “The Teacher who Promised the Sea” to Italy’s Officine Ubu following sales to Nachshon Films in Israel, Angel Films Scandinavia, India’s BookMyShow and airline rights to Encore Inflight.
“The Teacher…” is based on the real story of Antoni Benaiges, an instructor from Catalonia who, back in 1935, was assigned to teach at a little village school in the province of Burgos. With his new and innovative teaching methods, he began to change not just his students’ lives but also life in the village. However, not everyone in the village was happy about these changes.
The film had a successful run in Spanish cinemas in the autumn and winter of 2023-24.
Filmax head of international, Ivan Diaz, expects to close other key territories at EFM where it is being screened.
“We are thrilled that a company as prestigious as Officine Ubu...
“The Teacher…” is based on the real story of Antoni Benaiges, an instructor from Catalonia who, back in 1935, was assigned to teach at a little village school in the province of Burgos. With his new and innovative teaching methods, he began to change not just his students’ lives but also life in the village. However, not everyone in the village was happy about these changes.
The film had a successful run in Spanish cinemas in the autumn and winter of 2023-24.
Filmax head of international, Ivan Diaz, expects to close other key territories at EFM where it is being screened.
“We are thrilled that a company as prestigious as Officine Ubu...
- 2/19/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Naomie Harris, Joel Fry, Jameela Jamil and Olivia Lee are set to star in upcoming romantic comedy “Lola and Freddie,” billed as a British reimagining of 2012’s “Celeste and Jesse Forever.”
The feature comes from writer/director Dean Craig, whose recent film credits include Netflix hit “Love, Wedding, Repeat,” plus “The Honeymoon” and “The Estate.”
Bankside Films is handling worldwide sales and will be launching the film — due to shoot on location in London — at the European Film Market in Berlin.
“Lola and Freddie” follows a couple who were once inseparable and totally in love but now, in their 40s and having grown in different directions, are getting a divorce. Lola is thriving in her career while Freddie continues to chase his dream of becoming a screenwriter. When Freddie is hired by a big studio and rekindles a relationship with an old flame, he matures and aligns more with what Lola desired in their marriage.
The feature comes from writer/director Dean Craig, whose recent film credits include Netflix hit “Love, Wedding, Repeat,” plus “The Honeymoon” and “The Estate.”
Bankside Films is handling worldwide sales and will be launching the film — due to shoot on location in London — at the European Film Market in Berlin.
“Lola and Freddie” follows a couple who were once inseparable and totally in love but now, in their 40s and having grown in different directions, are getting a divorce. Lola is thriving in her career while Freddie continues to chase his dream of becoming a screenwriter. When Freddie is hired by a big studio and rekindles a relationship with an old flame, he matures and aligns more with what Lola desired in their marriage.
- 2/6/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
“It is undoubtedly the best debut in Spanish cinema for years,” Pedro Almodóvar announced of Alauda Ruíz de Azua’s movie “Lullaby,” as it began to prove one of Spain’s liveliest sleepers of 2022, going on to score a Spanish Academy Goya Award for new director.
Having made such an illustrious first feature, what kind of TV debut could Ruíz de Azua make directing her first series? Some large inkling was given on Wednesday as Movistar Plus+ opened up the set of miniseries “Querer” to a select delegation of Spanish press.
In short, if on-set interviews are anything to go by, in her TV debut Ruíz de Azua returns to an eye-opening intimate family drama set in her lush native Basque Country, a story which delivers once more some uncomfortable truths about women’s role in traditional family structures.
One large question which the series may pose is whether the...
Having made such an illustrious first feature, what kind of TV debut could Ruíz de Azua make directing her first series? Some large inkling was given on Wednesday as Movistar Plus+ opened up the set of miniseries “Querer” to a select delegation of Spanish press.
In short, if on-set interviews are anything to go by, in her TV debut Ruíz de Azua returns to an eye-opening intimate family drama set in her lush native Basque Country, a story which delivers once more some uncomfortable truths about women’s role in traditional family structures.
One large question which the series may pose is whether the...
- 11/9/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Zee-Sony Merger Back On Track
The merger of Zee Entertain Enterprises and Sony’s Indian arm looks to be back on track after an order banning Punit Goenka from managing the new entity was lifted yesterday. The merger of Zee and Culver Max Entertainment was given the go-ahead in August, but the merger has run into several problems. The India Securities and Exchange Board had barred Goenka and his father, Zee founder Subhash Chandra, from the boardrooms of listed companies for a year over allegations of insider trading. However, the Securities Appellate Tribunal has overturned that decision, paving the way for the $10B merger to go ahead and for Goenka to resume his role as MD and CEO of Zee. Sony and Zee have been planning the union for over two years now.
JFK Doc Set For Channel 5/Paramount+
UK network and its stablemate Paramount+ have ordered...
The merger of Zee Entertain Enterprises and Sony’s Indian arm looks to be back on track after an order banning Punit Goenka from managing the new entity was lifted yesterday. The merger of Zee and Culver Max Entertainment was given the go-ahead in August, but the merger has run into several problems. The India Securities and Exchange Board had barred Goenka and his father, Zee founder Subhash Chandra, from the boardrooms of listed companies for a year over allegations of insider trading. However, the Securities Appellate Tribunal has overturned that decision, paving the way for the $10B merger to go ahead and for Goenka to resume his role as MD and CEO of Zee. Sony and Zee have been planning the union for over two years now.
JFK Doc Set For Channel 5/Paramount+
UK network and its stablemate Paramount+ have ordered...
- 10/31/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Cementing its reputation as a harbinger of emerging talent, Madrid-based Latido Films has acquired the international sales rights to “Tras el Verano,” the debut film from Yolanda Centeno picked out as one of Variety’s 10 Women Directors to Watch from Spain, compiled in 2021.
Alfa Pictures is handling distribution in Spain.
Following on hits such as Colombia’s “Killing Jesus” and “Carmen & Lola” and “Lullaby” from Spain, this acquisition not only underscores Latido’s interest in nurturing and promoting fresh, innovative voices in cinema but also highlights the strength of a new generation of talent emanating from the Spanish-speaking world.
Centeno’s debut feature has attracted strong talent in the form of Goya and Gaudi winners Ruth Gabriel (“Numbered Days”) and Alexandra Jiménez (“The Distances” “100 Metres”).
Joining them is actor Juan Diego Botto whose own directorial debut “On The Fringe” reaped recognition at the Goyas, Venice and other festivals.
Alfa Pictures is handling distribution in Spain.
Following on hits such as Colombia’s “Killing Jesus” and “Carmen & Lola” and “Lullaby” from Spain, this acquisition not only underscores Latido’s interest in nurturing and promoting fresh, innovative voices in cinema but also highlights the strength of a new generation of talent emanating from the Spanish-speaking world.
Centeno’s debut feature has attracted strong talent in the form of Goya and Gaudi winners Ruth Gabriel (“Numbered Days”) and Alexandra Jiménez (“The Distances” “100 Metres”).
Joining them is actor Juan Diego Botto whose own directorial debut “On The Fringe” reaped recognition at the Goyas, Venice and other festivals.
- 10/30/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish cinema has undoubtedly been making a strong imprint on the international film festival circuit throughout the last few years and, crucially, there’s a new wave of female filmmakers that are driving this charge.
Carla Simon’s Alcarràs took the Golden Bear in Berlin last year, while Elena Lopez Riera and Clara Roquet debuted their respective films The Water and Libertad in Cannes as well as Elena Martin’s feature debut Creatura, which played in the festival’s Directors Fortnight section this year.
So at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, it’s unsurprising that the trend is continuing as three Spanish films in official competition this year are directed and produced by women: Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, based on a bestselling novel by Sara Mesa, which is produced by Marisa Fernández Armenteros and Sandra Hermida; Sultana’s Dream, the debut feature from Isabel Herguera which...
Carla Simon’s Alcarràs took the Golden Bear in Berlin last year, while Elena Lopez Riera and Clara Roquet debuted their respective films The Water and Libertad in Cannes as well as Elena Martin’s feature debut Creatura, which played in the festival’s Directors Fortnight section this year.
So at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, it’s unsurprising that the trend is continuing as three Spanish films in official competition this year are directed and produced by women: Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, based on a bestselling novel by Sara Mesa, which is produced by Marisa Fernández Armenteros and Sandra Hermida; Sultana’s Dream, the debut feature from Isabel Herguera which...
- 9/19/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Madrid-based Latido Films has unveiled a slew of sales during the summer, led by standout deals reached on Daniel Calparsoro’s thriller “All the Names of God” and Gerardo Herrero’s comedy “Under Therapy.”
The announcement comes as the 20 year-old company Latido disclosed early sales deals to Javier Fesser’s “Championext,” the sequel to his comedy blockbuster “Champions”- which has become Spain’s biggest box office hit of 2023, scoring €7.52 million ($8.08 million) and 1.2 million tickets sold through Sept. 3, three weekends after its Aug. 18 release.
Latido deal details add some much needed granularity to the state of the non-English language sales scene as major festivals take place at Venice and now Toronto.
A Bullish Summer
“It has been a good summer for Latido. And we hope for an even better fall,” explained Latido CEO Antonio Saura.
“The way the post-covid market works is not only linked to the market events themselves.
The announcement comes as the 20 year-old company Latido disclosed early sales deals to Javier Fesser’s “Championext,” the sequel to his comedy blockbuster “Champions”- which has become Spain’s biggest box office hit of 2023, scoring €7.52 million ($8.08 million) and 1.2 million tickets sold through Sept. 3, three weekends after its Aug. 18 release.
Latido deal details add some much needed granularity to the state of the non-English language sales scene as major festivals take place at Venice and now Toronto.
A Bullish Summer
“It has been a good summer for Latido. And we hope for an even better fall,” explained Latido CEO Antonio Saura.
“The way the post-covid market works is not only linked to the market events themselves.
- 9/7/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Penélope Cruz is set to star as Olga, a writer forced to give up her artistic ambitions when her husband suddenly leaves her and their two young daughters, in Isabel Coixet’s English-language adaptation of Italian author Elena Ferrante’s “The Days of Abandonment.”
The deal to make the film, which is now in development, was signed before the SAG-AFTRA strike. While Cruz did not attend the Venice Film Festival, she elicited raves from critics on the Lido for her performance in Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” as the angry, lonely, grief-ravaged Laura Ferrari, emotionally estranged from her husband Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver).
“The Days of Abandonment,” which will transpose the novel’s original Italian setting to America, reunites the two top Spanish talents following their collaboration on another U.S.-set film, the 2008 drama “Elegy” an adaptation of Philip Roth’s novella “The Dying Animal,” about an affair between a...
The deal to make the film, which is now in development, was signed before the SAG-AFTRA strike. While Cruz did not attend the Venice Film Festival, she elicited raves from critics on the Lido for her performance in Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” as the angry, lonely, grief-ravaged Laura Ferrari, emotionally estranged from her husband Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver).
“The Days of Abandonment,” which will transpose the novel’s original Italian setting to America, reunites the two top Spanish talents following their collaboration on another U.S.-set film, the 2008 drama “Elegy” an adaptation of Philip Roth’s novella “The Dying Animal,” about an affair between a...
- 9/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
On his fourth studio album, Utopia, Travis Scott unleashes a familiar bag of tricks: seemingly endless beat switch-ups, seemingly for pure showmanship’s sake; a who’s-who of guests, ranging here from Dave Chappelle to James Blake; and an eclectic sonic palette courtesy of the biggest producers working today. Of course, the Houston rapper himself serves as the ringleader to the unfurling chaos, with his trademark bleary vocals—usually slathered in an excessive amount of Auto-Tune—zigzagging across each track.
The album operates less as a cohesive body of work and more as a series of show-stopping set pieces, each one seeking to out-do the last. By the time you get to “Telekinesis,” Utopia’s operatic penultimate track, it feels like the album has already reached at least three different climaxes. Simply put, Scott is in the business of engineering spectacles.
Utopia’s sequencing is Scott’s secret weapon, where...
The album operates less as a cohesive body of work and more as a series of show-stopping set pieces, each one seeking to out-do the last. By the time you get to “Telekinesis,” Utopia’s operatic penultimate track, it feels like the album has already reached at least three different climaxes. Simply put, Scott is in the business of engineering spectacles.
Utopia’s sequencing is Scott’s secret weapon, where...
- 7/31/2023
- by Paul Attard
- Slant Magazine
The Cure’s double live album Show is being reissued on vinyl for the first time since its initial release in 1993.
The fresh repressing was remastered by The Cure’s Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. The reissue was initially made available as a limited-edition picture disc for Record Store Day 2023, but it will receive a wide-release on 2xLP black vinyl beginning September 8th. Pre-orders are now ongoing.
The 18-track live album was recorded at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan in July 1992 during The Cure’s “Wish Tour.” The tracklist includes performances of “Pictures of You,” “High,” “Lullaby,” Just Like Heaven,” Fascination Street,” “The Walk,” “Let’s Go To Bed,” “Friday I’m In Love,” “Never Enough,” and “Inbetween Days” as well as deep cut like “Trust” and “From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea.”
The Cure recently wrapped up a record-breaking North American leg...
The fresh repressing was remastered by The Cure’s Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. The reissue was initially made available as a limited-edition picture disc for Record Store Day 2023, but it will receive a wide-release on 2xLP black vinyl beginning September 8th. Pre-orders are now ongoing.
The 18-track live album was recorded at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan in July 1992 during The Cure’s “Wish Tour.” The tracklist includes performances of “Pictures of You,” “High,” “Lullaby,” Just Like Heaven,” Fascination Street,” “The Walk,” “Let’s Go To Bed,” “Friday I’m In Love,” “Never Enough,” and “Inbetween Days” as well as deep cut like “Trust” and “From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea.”
The Cure recently wrapped up a record-breaking North American leg...
- 7/27/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
The Cure has announced their first series of North American tour dates in more than four years. The Shows of a Lost World Tour began on May 10 and will wrap up on July 1. The Twilight Sad will support the band on all dates.
Last month, singer Robert Smith announced on Twitter that the band would also tour South America but that dates were still being decided.
>Get The Cure Convert Tickets Now!
Smith has previously teased a new Cure album with their last release coming out in 2008. After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, he said, “If I’m optimistic it will be finished before the start of this summer.” However, the album still hasn’t been finished.
In recent years, Smith himself has collaborated with Gorillaz, Chvrches, Deftones and Noel Gallagher. In 2022, the band reissued their album, Wish (1992) for its 30th anniversary.
Setlist
Alone
Pictures...
Last month, singer Robert Smith announced on Twitter that the band would also tour South America but that dates were still being decided.
>Get The Cure Convert Tickets Now!
Smith has previously teased a new Cure album with their last release coming out in 2008. After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, he said, “If I’m optimistic it will be finished before the start of this summer.” However, the album still hasn’t been finished.
In recent years, Smith himself has collaborated with Gorillaz, Chvrches, Deftones and Noel Gallagher. In 2022, the band reissued their album, Wish (1992) for its 30th anniversary.
Setlist
Alone
Pictures...
- 6/4/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
“20,000 Species of Bees,” (Estibaliz Urresola)
One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and now racking up healthy sales, the story of a family off for a village summer holiday which builds to a moving ode to women’s freedoms. Sales: Luxbox
“21 Paraíso,” (Nestor Ruiz Medina)
Living in an idyllic Andalusia, a couple in love grapples with the realities of making a living through OnlyFans. Screened at Seville and Tallinn. Sales: Begin Again Films.
“All the Names of God,” (Daniel Calparsoro)
One of the big Spanish action-thrillers hitting this Cannes market, from a specialist (“Sky High”). Pre-sold to France (Kinovista), Germany and Italy (Koch Media) with Tripictures releasing in Spain. Sales: Latido
“Un amor,” (Isabel Coixet)
The multi-prized Coixet (“The Secret Life of Words”).
directs Goya winner Laia Costa (“Lullaby”) in a village-set study of an isolated woman’s succumbing to devouring passion. Sales: Film Constellation.
“Ashes in the Sky,...
One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and now racking up healthy sales, the story of a family off for a village summer holiday which builds to a moving ode to women’s freedoms. Sales: Luxbox
“21 Paraíso,” (Nestor Ruiz Medina)
Living in an idyllic Andalusia, a couple in love grapples with the realities of making a living through OnlyFans. Screened at Seville and Tallinn. Sales: Begin Again Films.
“All the Names of God,” (Daniel Calparsoro)
One of the big Spanish action-thrillers hitting this Cannes market, from a specialist (“Sky High”). Pre-sold to France (Kinovista), Germany and Italy (Koch Media) with Tripictures releasing in Spain. Sales: Latido
“Un amor,” (Isabel Coixet)
The multi-prized Coixet (“The Secret Life of Words”).
directs Goya winner Laia Costa (“Lullaby”) in a village-set study of an isolated woman’s succumbing to devouring passion. Sales: Film Constellation.
“Ashes in the Sky,...
- 5/19/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Five Catalan movies made Cannes Festival’s cut, six were selected for Marché du Film sections. Details and other top Catalan movies on the Croisette:
“20,000 Species of Bees,” (Estibaliz Urresola)
One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and two other key prizes, and now healthy racking up healthy sales, including a Film Movement U.S. pickup, “Bees” builds from a naturalistic base – a family off for a village summer holiday – to become a moving an ode to women’s freedom. Produced out of Barcelona by Valérie Delpierre’s Inicia Films. Sales: Luxbox
“Blondi,” (Dolores Fonzi)
From La Unión de los Ríos, behind “Argentina, 1985”), the awaited directorial debut of Fonzi, star of Santiago Mitre’s Cannes winner “Paulina,” a double mother-son coming of age dramedy. Sales: Film Factory
“A Bright Sun,” (Monica Cambra, Ariadna Fortuny)
Facing the end of the world, Mila, 11, tries to keep her family together by celebrating a party.
“20,000 Species of Bees,” (Estibaliz Urresola)
One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and two other key prizes, and now healthy racking up healthy sales, including a Film Movement U.S. pickup, “Bees” builds from a naturalistic base – a family off for a village summer holiday – to become a moving an ode to women’s freedom. Produced out of Barcelona by Valérie Delpierre’s Inicia Films. Sales: Luxbox
“Blondi,” (Dolores Fonzi)
From La Unión de los Ríos, behind “Argentina, 1985”), the awaited directorial debut of Fonzi, star of Santiago Mitre’s Cannes winner “Paulina,” a double mother-son coming of age dramedy. Sales: Film Factory
“A Bright Sun,” (Monica Cambra, Ariadna Fortuny)
Facing the end of the world, Mila, 11, tries to keep her family together by celebrating a party.
- 5/17/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Few European arthouse-crossover film sales agents have better weathered the ebb and flow of international market dynamics than Madrid’s Latido Films, which turns 20 in 2023.
Proof of that came at April’s Platino Awards, where Latido scored six statuettes, split between an acting double for Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby” and four for Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” which has already swept Spain’s Goya Awards and scored a French Cesar for foreign film.
Scoring €6.8 million ($7.5 million) in Spain, and 327,000 admissions in France, “The Beasts” also rates as one of the top-performing recent Spanish-language movies.
If Latido has survived for so long, insists director general Antonio Saura, it’s because of a core strategy of “working with talent, our search for talent.” Beyond that, other keys have been “collaboration with production companies that understand long-term relationships, and well-established relationships with clients.”
Companies with which Latido has held or holds...
Proof of that came at April’s Platino Awards, where Latido scored six statuettes, split between an acting double for Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby” and four for Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” which has already swept Spain’s Goya Awards and scored a French Cesar for foreign film.
Scoring €6.8 million ($7.5 million) in Spain, and 327,000 admissions in France, “The Beasts” also rates as one of the top-performing recent Spanish-language movies.
If Latido has survived for so long, insists director general Antonio Saura, it’s because of a core strategy of “working with talent, our search for talent.” Beyond that, other keys have been “collaboration with production companies that understand long-term relationships, and well-established relationships with clients.”
Companies with which Latido has held or holds...
- 5/16/2023
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Principal photography has wrapped in Spain’s La Rioja region on Isabel Coixet’s romantic drama “Un Amor,” a tale of obsessive passion that forces the film’s protagonist to reconsider the woman she thought she was. The 2023 Goya actress winner Laia Costa (“Lullaby”) stars opposite Hovik Keuchkerian (“Money Heist”); Film Constellation handles world sales. A sales promo will be unveiled for buyers in Cannes.
Based on the best-selling novel by Sara Mesa, selected by influential Spanish newspaper “El PaÍs” as Spain’s 2020 Book of the Year and translated into 13 languages internationally, “Un Amor” turns on Nat (Costa), 30, a translator who escapes the big city to start anew in the countryside.
Taking refuge in La Escapa, a hamlet, isolated by the hostility of her landlord and villagers’ distrust, she surprises herself by accepting an unsettling sexual proposal from neighbor Andreas. “From this strange and conflicting encounter sparks a devouring and...
Based on the best-selling novel by Sara Mesa, selected by influential Spanish newspaper “El PaÍs” as Spain’s 2020 Book of the Year and translated into 13 languages internationally, “Un Amor” turns on Nat (Costa), 30, a translator who escapes the big city to start anew in the countryside.
Taking refuge in La Escapa, a hamlet, isolated by the hostility of her landlord and villagers’ distrust, she surprises herself by accepting an unsettling sexual proposal from neighbor Andreas. “From this strange and conflicting encounter sparks a devouring and...
- 5/16/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Cure kicked off their first North American tour in seven years with a show at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Wednesday.
The Robert Smith-led band delivered a 29-song setlist that included several new songs presumably taken from their long-teased new album, Songs of a Lost World, including “Alone,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” “A Fragile Thing,” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.” During the encore The Cure dusted off “A Thousand Hours,” from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss, and “Six Different Ways” from The Head on the Door (neither song had been played since 1987).
See the evening’s full 29-song setlist and fan-captured performance footage below.
The North American leg of the “Songs of a Lost World Tour” runs through early July. The tour’s ticket on-sale has been quite the ordeal, but there are limited quantities still available via Ticketmaster.
The Cure Setlist:
Alone
Pictures of...
The Robert Smith-led band delivered a 29-song setlist that included several new songs presumably taken from their long-teased new album, Songs of a Lost World, including “Alone,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” “A Fragile Thing,” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.” During the encore The Cure dusted off “A Thousand Hours,” from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss, and “Six Different Ways” from The Head on the Door (neither song had been played since 1987).
See the evening’s full 29-song setlist and fan-captured performance footage below.
The North American leg of the “Songs of a Lost World Tour” runs through early July. The tour’s ticket on-sale has been quite the ordeal, but there are limited quantities still available via Ticketmaster.
The Cure Setlist:
Alone
Pictures of...
- 5/11/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Utama wins first awards for a Bolivian film.
In a one-two for Amazon’s original film and TV businesses Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards on Saturday night (April 22), while News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.
Amazon Studios’ Argentina, 1985 won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay for co-writers Mitre and Mariano Llinas, best art direction, and film & education in values awards.
Satuday’s triumph here at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace follows Oscar and Bafta nominations and the Goya for best Iberoamerican film.
In a one-two for Amazon’s original film and TV businesses Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards on Saturday night (April 22), while News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.
Amazon Studios’ Argentina, 1985 won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay for co-writers Mitre and Mariano Llinas, best art direction, and film & education in values awards.
Satuday’s triumph here at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace follows Oscar and Bafta nominations and the Goya for best Iberoamerican film.
- 4/23/2023
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Utama wins first awards for a Bolivian film.
Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 from Amazon Studios took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace on Saturday night (April 22), while stablemate Prime Video’s News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.
Oscar- and Bafta-nominated Argentina, 1985 premiered in Competition at Venice last year and added to an awards haul that also earned recognition at the Goya awards, among others.
Mitre’s latest film won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay co-written by Mitre and Mariano Llinas,...
Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 from Amazon Studios took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace on Saturday night (April 22), while stablemate Prime Video’s News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.
Oscar- and Bafta-nominated Argentina, 1985 premiered in Competition at Venice last year and added to an awards haul that also earned recognition at the Goya awards, among others.
Mitre’s latest film won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay co-written by Mitre and Mariano Llinas,...
- 4/23/2023
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Santiago Mitre’s “Argentina, 1985” and “News of a Kidnapping,” created by Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García, swept the top prizes for best picture on Saturday night at the 2023 Platino Awards, in a sign of how the global streamers – here Amazon Studios and Prime Video – have lured top-of-their-class talent in Latin America.
One highlight of the ceremony, dedicated to films and TV shows in the Spanish-speaking world, was Benicio del Toro’s acceptance speech of a honorary Platino in which he reflected on being typecast for many years in Hollywood as a Latino actor.
“If I had to play stereotypes, I tried to find the character’s humanity, a sense of complicity, so that audiences felt what my character felt and whilst they’re watching, don’t forget who I am and where I come from.,” he said. “What’s important is to share more than be divided,” he added.
One highlight of the ceremony, dedicated to films and TV shows in the Spanish-speaking world, was Benicio del Toro’s acceptance speech of a honorary Platino in which he reflected on being typecast for many years in Hollywood as a Latino actor.
“If I had to play stereotypes, I tried to find the character’s humanity, a sense of complicity, so that audiences felt what my character felt and whilst they’re watching, don’t forget who I am and where I come from.,” he said. “What’s important is to share more than be divided,” he added.
- 4/22/2023
- by Pablo Sandoval and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Mark Russell, the sly satirist who skewered America’s political elite for more than a half-century by blending stand-up comedy with biting song parodies, died Thursday. He was 90.
Russell died at his home in Washington of complications from prostate cancer, his wife, Alison, told The Washington Post.
Perhaps best known for his series of one-man PBS comedy specials that aired from 1975-2004, Russell also served as one of the hosts of the popular 1979-83 NBC reality program Real People, and he wrote a syndicated column for the Los Angeles Times for several years.
However, he was most at home in front of a live audience, and he spent two decades on the speaking circuit, hitting his peak in 2000 when he racked up 100 appearances in 100 different cities.
“Mark Russell was a D.C. institution who did the hardest thing a comic can do … relentlessly and righteously mock his neighbors,” Jon Stewart said in a statement.
Russell died at his home in Washington of complications from prostate cancer, his wife, Alison, told The Washington Post.
Perhaps best known for his series of one-man PBS comedy specials that aired from 1975-2004, Russell also served as one of the hosts of the popular 1979-83 NBC reality program Real People, and he wrote a syndicated column for the Los Angeles Times for several years.
However, he was most at home in front of a live audience, and he spent two decades on the speaking circuit, hitting his peak in 2000 when he racked up 100 appearances in 100 different cities.
“Mark Russell was a D.C. institution who did the hardest thing a comic can do … relentlessly and righteously mock his neighbors,” Jon Stewart said in a statement.
- 3/30/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Recently, there has been a consistent tide of well crafted and highly regarded films coming out of Spain. “Alcarràs,” “The Beasts,” “Lullaby,” “La Maternal,” “Prison 77,” to name just the five that the Spanish Academy Goyas singled out in early February.
This level of quality, over a short period, is getting noticed internationally. Last week the Glasgow Film Festival, Scotland’s largest, shone a light on eight films in its Viva el Cine Español program. A cultural moment is a strange beast, hard to fathom, but there are strong signals that Spanish Film is having one.
In addition to the aforementioned five, Glasgow added Andrea Bagney’s debut “Ramona,” “Wild Flowers,” from Jaime Rosales, another debut with Elena López Riera’s “The Water,” and a Penelope Cruz starrer, in Juan Diego Botto’s “On The Fringe.”
Glasgow’s Festival co-director Allison Gardner told Variety: “We seem to be seeing films...
This level of quality, over a short period, is getting noticed internationally. Last week the Glasgow Film Festival, Scotland’s largest, shone a light on eight films in its Viva el Cine Español program. A cultural moment is a strange beast, hard to fathom, but there are strong signals that Spanish Film is having one.
In addition to the aforementioned five, Glasgow added Andrea Bagney’s debut “Ramona,” “Wild Flowers,” from Jaime Rosales, another debut with Elena López Riera’s “The Water,” and a Penelope Cruz starrer, in Juan Diego Botto’s “On The Fringe.”
Glasgow’s Festival co-director Allison Gardner told Variety: “We seem to be seeing films...
- 3/16/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
Running March 10-19, and now hosting the Spanish Screenings, the Malaga Film Festival is now firmly established as Spain’s biggest movie event in the early part of the year. Strategically positioned fairly sharp on the heels of the Berlinale, the Spanish event offers top Spanish titles at the German festival the chance to consolidate their reputations while often producing new discoveries, especially from first-time directors.
Many titles, from a Spanish film industry whose younger directors are highly social conscience and favor art-house, are issue driven.
“There’s a search for identity, whether a young trans girl’s exploration of gender identity or young leads to understand the world they live in, or the search for love and a sense pf strangeness, of being a stranger to oneself,” Juan Antonio Vigar, Málaga Film Festival director said of this year’s main Competition. Following, a brief breakdown of its titles.
“20,000 Species of Bees,...
Many titles, from a Spanish film industry whose younger directors are highly social conscience and favor art-house, are issue driven.
“There’s a search for identity, whether a young trans girl’s exploration of gender identity or young leads to understand the world they live in, or the search for love and a sense pf strangeness, of being a stranger to oneself,” Juan Antonio Vigar, Málaga Film Festival director said of this year’s main Competition. Following, a brief breakdown of its titles.
“20,000 Species of Bees,...
- 3/13/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Argentina, 1985 Leads 2023 Platino Awards Nominations
Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.
Aniventure Taps CAA animation specialist Joe Della Rosa
Aniventure, the London-based family-focused animation company behind productions such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, has appointed CAA veteran Joe Della Rosa as its chief commercial officer. Della Rosa will oversee sales and the...
Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.
Aniventure Taps CAA animation specialist Joe Della Rosa
Aniventure, the London-based family-focused animation company behind productions such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, has appointed CAA veteran Joe Della Rosa as its chief commercial officer. Della Rosa will oversee sales and the...
- 3/10/2023
- by Zac Ntim and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The festival is an important stopping point for directors including Carla Simon and Alauda Ruiz de Azúa.
Malaga film festival director Juan Antonio Vigar is ready for the curtain to rise on his 10th edition in charge of the Andalucian event.
The world premiere of Someone To Look After Me (Alguien Que Cuide De Mí ), novelist Elvira Lindo’s debut as a film director, will open the festival tonight, screening out of competition. It will close on March 19 with the world premiere of Paz Jiménez’s Como Dios Manda, also playing out of competition.
Vigar has programmed a competition line-up...
Malaga film festival director Juan Antonio Vigar is ready for the curtain to rise on his 10th edition in charge of the Andalucian event.
The world premiere of Someone To Look After Me (Alguien Que Cuide De Mí ), novelist Elvira Lindo’s debut as a film director, will open the festival tonight, screening out of competition. It will close on March 19 with the world premiere of Paz Jiménez’s Como Dios Manda, also playing out of competition.
Vigar has programmed a competition line-up...
- 3/10/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Two titles from leading lights of the New Catalan Cinema, Elena Trapé’s “The Enchanted,” starring Goya winning actress Laila Costa, and Lucia Alemany’s “Co-Husbands,” with “House of Flowers’” Paco León, figure as Market Premiers at the Málaga Film Festivals Spanning Screenings Content, a massive 195 Spanish title spread continuing Spain’s muscular outreach to overseas buyers and markets.
84 features will screen in Málaga, as well as 10 works in progress and 81 library titles. Part of Mafiz, the industry area of the Málaga Film Festival, the Spanish Screenings Content unspool March 13-16 in the Andalusian coastal city.
The Market Premieres also feature “The Good Manners,” by the Barcelona-based Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz. Key sections – such as Perspectives and Spanish Screamings – largely pick up on titles introduced at Ventana Sur. The Spanish CoProForum features four projects selected in October 2022 for a Málaga Festival development program.
First details of productions at the...
84 features will screen in Málaga, as well as 10 works in progress and 81 library titles. Part of Mafiz, the industry area of the Málaga Film Festival, the Spanish Screenings Content unspool March 13-16 in the Andalusian coastal city.
The Market Premieres also feature “The Good Manners,” by the Barcelona-based Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz. Key sections – such as Perspectives and Spanish Screamings – largely pick up on titles introduced at Ventana Sur. The Spanish CoProForum features four projects selected in October 2022 for a Málaga Festival development program.
First details of productions at the...
- 3/2/2023
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
So, Motive Studio’s Dead Space remake is a goodun. And while we wait on EA to decide how to capitalize on the remake’s success, Motive Studio went back to the well again and decided to remake the original Dead Space “Lullaby” trailer using the 2023 game.
Whether or not the idea to use the nursery rhyme in the Dead Space trailer came from when it was used in the teaser for Alien Resurrection doesn’t really matter much, as the song juxtaposing the carnage aboard the Ishimura is still chillingly replicated here in the 2023 version of “Lullaby”. That, and the use of the alternate darker lyrics is perfect. So perfect in fact that Arkane used the same idea with the song “Drunken Sailor” for the first Dishonored game.
And it’s still funny how the contrast in tone between peaceful music and chaotic visuals always works to disturb viewers.
Whether or not the idea to use the nursery rhyme in the Dead Space trailer came from when it was used in the teaser for Alien Resurrection doesn’t really matter much, as the song juxtaposing the carnage aboard the Ishimura is still chillingly replicated here in the 2023 version of “Lullaby”. That, and the use of the alternate darker lyrics is perfect. So perfect in fact that Arkane used the same idea with the song “Drunken Sailor” for the first Dishonored game.
And it’s still funny how the contrast in tone between peaceful music and chaotic visuals always works to disturb viewers.
- 2/28/2023
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
13th year of the programme will see three working modules across 2023.
Docu Rough Cut Boutique (Docu Rcb), the non-fiction workshop organised by the Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center, has selected five work-in-progress projects for its 2023 edition.
The 13th edition of the workshop will host three modules across the year: in Sofia in April, in Budapest in June, and in Sarajevo in August.
Scroll down for the list of selected projects
Modules will consist of editing tutorials, group sessions and individual meetings with documentary professionals.
The five projects will be presented to decision makers at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival in August,...
Docu Rough Cut Boutique (Docu Rcb), the non-fiction workshop organised by the Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center, has selected five work-in-progress projects for its 2023 edition.
The 13th edition of the workshop will host three modules across the year: in Sofia in April, in Budapest in June, and in Sarajevo in August.
Scroll down for the list of selected projects
Modules will consist of editing tutorials, group sessions and individual meetings with documentary professionals.
The five projects will be presented to decision makers at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival in August,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Madrid-based Buenapinta Media, a producer on Maite Alberdi’s Oscar-nominated “The Mole Agent” and Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby,” has unveiled a development slate that includes new features by Ruiz de Azúa, Cinéfondation alum Guillermo García López, and Borja Cobeaga and Victor García León.
The slate announcement comes one week after “Lullaby,” hailed by Pedro Almodovar as “undoubtedly the best debut in Spanish cinema for years,” triumphed at the 2023 Spanish Academy Awards, winning best first feature, actress (Laila Costa) and supporting actress (Susi Sánchez)
The 2023-24 production slate at Buenapinta Media, headed by Marisa Fernández Armenteros, also features Isabel Coixet’s just-announced “Un Amor.”
“Lullaby’s” four producers — Sandra Hermida, Buenapinta Media, Encanta Films and Sayaka Producciones — are now backing development on Ruiz de Azúa’s second feature. She is writing the screenplay.
Buenapinta is also developing “Cuidad sin sueño,” from García López, whose “Frágil Equilibrio” won a 2016 best doc feature Goya.
The slate announcement comes one week after “Lullaby,” hailed by Pedro Almodovar as “undoubtedly the best debut in Spanish cinema for years,” triumphed at the 2023 Spanish Academy Awards, winning best first feature, actress (Laila Costa) and supporting actress (Susi Sánchez)
The 2023-24 production slate at Buenapinta Media, headed by Marisa Fernández Armenteros, also features Isabel Coixet’s just-announced “Un Amor.”
“Lullaby’s” four producers — Sandra Hermida, Buenapinta Media, Encanta Films and Sayaka Producciones — are now backing development on Ruiz de Azúa’s second feature. She is writing the screenplay.
Buenapinta is also developing “Cuidad sin sueño,” from García López, whose “Frágil Equilibrio” won a 2016 best doc feature Goya.
- 2/18/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Fresh off her 2023 Goya best actress win for “Lullaby” on Saturday night,” Laia Costa is set to star in the passionate romance drama “Un Amor,” by multi-prized Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet.
Film Constellation, the London and now Paris-based production, finance & sales company, will introduce the new production to buyers at thus and next week’s Berlin European Film Market.
Distributor of Berlin competition entry “20,000 Species if Bees” and La Maternal, a San Sebastian best leading performance winner for Carla Quílez, BTeam Pictures will handle the film’s release in Spain.
Written by Spanish novelist and short-story writer Laura Ferrero and Coixet, “Un Amor” is based on an admired novel by Sara Mesa. A fiction study of emotional dependence in which Mesa returns to the themes of power and subjugation which thread much of her work, “Un Amor” was selected by Spanish newspaper El Pais as Spain’s 2020 book of the year.
Film Constellation, the London and now Paris-based production, finance & sales company, will introduce the new production to buyers at thus and next week’s Berlin European Film Market.
Distributor of Berlin competition entry “20,000 Species if Bees” and La Maternal, a San Sebastian best leading performance winner for Carla Quílez, BTeam Pictures will handle the film’s release in Spain.
Written by Spanish novelist and short-story writer Laura Ferrero and Coixet, “Un Amor” is based on an admired novel by Sara Mesa. A fiction study of emotional dependence in which Mesa returns to the themes of power and subjugation which thread much of her work, “Un Amor” was selected by Spanish newspaper El Pais as Spain’s 2020 book of the year.
- 2/16/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
“Championext”(“Campeonex”), the anticipated follow-up to Javier Fesser’s Spanish comedy triumph “Champions” (“Campeones”) which scooped Forqué, Goya, and Feroz awards for best picture and delighted audiences to the tune of a stellar €18.5 million (21.4 million) box office grab, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films (“The Beasts”).
Written by Fesser (“Camino”) and Athenea Mata (“El Secreto de Lilith”) in collaboration with David Marqués, the film follows nearly the same cast of beloved characters two years after they’ve left the fierce competition behind. A Los Amigos reunion will see “the landscape move from the world of basketball to the world of athletics for people with disabilities while making room to explore the fascinating world of metaverses and virtual reality,” Fesser revealed in a statement.
Delving further into the world of its protagonists, the film allows for a broader reveal while cementing the feel-good sentiment and relatability that brought the original high-acclaim.
Written by Fesser (“Camino”) and Athenea Mata (“El Secreto de Lilith”) in collaboration with David Marqués, the film follows nearly the same cast of beloved characters two years after they’ve left the fierce competition behind. A Los Amigos reunion will see “the landscape move from the world of basketball to the world of athletics for people with disabilities while making room to explore the fascinating world of metaverses and virtual reality,” Fesser revealed in a statement.
Delving further into the world of its protagonists, the film allows for a broader reveal while cementing the feel-good sentiment and relatability that brought the original high-acclaim.
- 2/14/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s take on a western wins nine prizes, but none for Carla Simon’s Berlinale winner
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.
The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.
The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.
The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.
The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...
- 2/12/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Sorogoyen’s take on a western wins nine prizes, but none for Carla Simon’s Berlinale winner
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.
The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.
The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.
The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.
The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...
- 2/12/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s latest pic, The Beasts (As bestas), dominated the main prizes, taking home nine gongs, including best film and director at the 37th edition of Spain’s Goya awards Saturday evening.
The pic debuted at Cannes last year and led the Goya award nominations with 17 nods. The film’s story follows a middle-aged French couple who move to a small village, seeking closeness with nature. However, their presence inflames two locals to the point of outright hostility and shocking violence.
The Beasts also picked up wins for best screenplay, leading actor, and supporting actor.
Movistar+’s Modelo77 from Alberto Rodriguez, which trailed The Beasts with 15 nods, picked up five wins, all of them in technical categories. Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs had 11 nominations but left empty-handed.
In other major wins, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa...
The pic debuted at Cannes last year and led the Goya award nominations with 17 nods. The film’s story follows a middle-aged French couple who move to a small village, seeking closeness with nature. However, their presence inflames two locals to the point of outright hostility and shocking violence.
The Beasts also picked up wins for best screenplay, leading actor, and supporting actor.
Movistar+’s Modelo77 from Alberto Rodriguez, which trailed The Beasts with 15 nods, picked up five wins, all of them in technical categories. Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs had 11 nominations but left empty-handed.
In other major wins, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa...
- 2/12/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s modern-day feminist Western, “The Beasts,” already a box office breakout in France and Spain, swept nine prizes including film, director, and original screenplay on Saturday at a celebratory 37th Goya Awards, given Spain’s big fest prizes and rally at its home box office.
The upbeat mood was tempered inevitably by the death of Carlos Saura, one of Spanish cinema’s greats and this year’s Goya of Honor, on Friday.
In a rare departure, a foreign actor, France’s Denis Ménochet (“Inglorious Basterds”) took best actor, winning for his marvellous turn in the conflict-negotiation themed “The Beasts,” as a French settler in modern-day deep Galicia who finally refuses to back down when taunted by locals. His attitude contrasts pointedly with his wife’s.
Produced by Movistar+ and Atípica Films, “Prison 77,” the movie of clearest big production ambitions – the sort of film which will probably now only be made by platform,...
The upbeat mood was tempered inevitably by the death of Carlos Saura, one of Spanish cinema’s greats and this year’s Goya of Honor, on Friday.
In a rare departure, a foreign actor, France’s Denis Ménochet (“Inglorious Basterds”) took best actor, winning for his marvellous turn in the conflict-negotiation themed “The Beasts,” as a French settler in modern-day deep Galicia who finally refuses to back down when taunted by locals. His attitude contrasts pointedly with his wife’s.
Produced by Movistar+ and Atípica Films, “Prison 77,” the movie of clearest big production ambitions – the sort of film which will probably now only be made by platform,...
- 2/12/2023
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Nicole Kidman is headed back to HBO with another limited series, teaming with “Pen15” co-creator and star Maya Erskine to adapt the Leïla Slimani novel “The Perfect Nanny.” The duo will executive produce and headline the project, of which Erskine is creator and writer.
Legendary Entertainment and HBO serve as co-studios after what was described as a highly competitive bidding situation.
Also Read:
Nicole Kidman to Receive AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023
The book’s logline is as follows: “When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another,...
Legendary Entertainment and HBO serve as co-studios after what was described as a highly competitive bidding situation.
Also Read:
Nicole Kidman to Receive AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023
The book’s logline is as follows: “When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Nicole Kidman is back at HBO with another high-profile limited series based on a novel, The Perfect Nanny. Kidman and Pen15 co-creator and co-lead Maya Erskine are set to star in the project, which HBO landed in a very competitive situation. Erskine is the creator and writer of the limited series, based on the book of the same name by Leïla Slimani. Legendary Entertainment is the co-studio with HBO.
In The Perfect Nanny, a seemingly perfect nanny goes to work for a couple with two young children, but her helpful personality eventually deteriorates into something sinister.
Kidman and Per Saari executive produce for Kidman’s Blossom Films; Erskine also executive produces alongside Pascal Caucheteux for Why Not Productions, and Philippe Godeau for Pan-Européenne.
Kidman previously starred and executive produced HBO’s Big Little Lies, which originated as a limited series and earned her an acting and producing Emmy award,...
In The Perfect Nanny, a seemingly perfect nanny goes to work for a couple with two young children, but her helpful personality eventually deteriorates into something sinister.
Kidman and Per Saari executive produce for Kidman’s Blossom Films; Erskine also executive produces alongside Pascal Caucheteux for Why Not Productions, and Philippe Godeau for Pan-Européenne.
Kidman previously starred and executive produced HBO’s Big Little Lies, which originated as a limited series and earned her an acting and producing Emmy award,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
In the run-up to February’s Berlin Film Festival, Madrid-based Latido Films has pounced on “Sica,” the fiction feature debut of Carla Subirana, one of a hard-to-miss vibrant new generation of Barcelona-based women directors and producers now galvanizing the Catalan film scene.
In a frequent alignment between the two companies, Spanish distribution will be handled by Adolfo Blanco’s A Contracorriente Films, one of Spain’s top indie distributors.
Also written by Subirana, the film is produced by another new Catalan generation leading-light: Director-producer Alba Sotorra whose latest outing behind the cameras, “The Return: Life After Isis,” which world premiered at Sxsx, was nominated for a 2022 Intl. Emmy Award and was described by Variety as a “compassionate, essential glimpse into the aftermath of radicalization.”
A triple winner at 2022’s Malaga Festival work in progress,
“Sica” encapsulates many of the currents now coursing through cutting-edge fiction in Spain: a redolent sense...
In a frequent alignment between the two companies, Spanish distribution will be handled by Adolfo Blanco’s A Contracorriente Films, one of Spain’s top indie distributors.
Also written by Subirana, the film is produced by another new Catalan generation leading-light: Director-producer Alba Sotorra whose latest outing behind the cameras, “The Return: Life After Isis,” which world premiered at Sxsx, was nominated for a 2022 Intl. Emmy Award and was described by Variety as a “compassionate, essential glimpse into the aftermath of radicalization.”
A triple winner at 2022’s Malaga Festival work in progress,
“Sica” encapsulates many of the currents now coursing through cutting-edge fiction in Spain: a redolent sense...
- 1/27/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Six world premieres, 16 European and international premieres and 70 UK premieres feature in the line-up
Glasgow Film Festival (Gff) has unveiled the full line-up for its 19th edition, taking place March 1-12, with the UK premiere of Nida Manzoor’s Sundance title Polite Society the closing night film.
The festival will screen 123 features, including six world premieres, 16 European and international premieres and 70 UK premieres.
Polite Society is the feature debut of Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 Nida Manzoor, who created Channel 4 and Peacock series We Are Lady Parts.
Her first feature is an action comedy about an aspiring stuntwoman who tries...
Glasgow Film Festival (Gff) has unveiled the full line-up for its 19th edition, taking place March 1-12, with the UK premiere of Nida Manzoor’s Sundance title Polite Society the closing night film.
The festival will screen 123 features, including six world premieres, 16 European and international premieres and 70 UK premieres.
Polite Society is the feature debut of Screen Star of Tomorrow 2021 Nida Manzoor, who created Channel 4 and Peacock series We Are Lady Parts.
Her first feature is an action comedy about an aspiring stuntwoman who tries...
- 1/25/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Paris-based Luxbox has pounced on international rights to “20,000 Species of Bees,” one of Spain’s most anticipated feature debuts in 2023.
Distributor of “Holy Spider” and San Sebastian winner “The Kings of the World,” BTeam Pictures will handle the film’s release in Spain.
The latest movie in a growing canon of titles from young Spanish directors that have a grounded sense of place while dealing in large universal issues – think Carla Simon’s “Summer 1993” and Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs,” Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby” and Elena López Riera “The Water” – “20,000 Species of Bees” marks the first feature by Basque Country-based Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren whose short, “Cuerdas,” won a Cannes Critics’ Week Rails d’Or plaudit in May and was a Forqué Award best short winner this December in Spain.
It turns on an eight-year-old girl who battles with the fact that people keep addressing her in confusing ways.
Distributor of “Holy Spider” and San Sebastian winner “The Kings of the World,” BTeam Pictures will handle the film’s release in Spain.
The latest movie in a growing canon of titles from young Spanish directors that have a grounded sense of place while dealing in large universal issues – think Carla Simon’s “Summer 1993” and Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs,” Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby” and Elena López Riera “The Water” – “20,000 Species of Bees” marks the first feature by Basque Country-based Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren whose short, “Cuerdas,” won a Cannes Critics’ Week Rails d’Or plaudit in May and was a Forqué Award best short winner this December in Spain.
It turns on an eight-year-old girl who battles with the fact that people keep addressing her in confusing ways.
- 1/12/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Kira Guloien, Oona Chaplin, Ramón Rodríguez, Liane Balaban, Alex Karzis | Written by Alex Greenfield, Ben Powell | Directed by John R. Leonetti
Lullaby is the latest film from genre director John R. Leonetti, This time, working from a script by former WWE writer Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, who also co-wrote The Sand, he’s unleashing the wrath of Lilith on new parents Rachel and John.
As the film opens the couple gets a package of baby things from Rachel’s mother. They belonged to Rachel’s sister Vivian who lost both her baby and her husband under strange circumstances. Why her mother would send them and why they would actually use them is one of life’s great mysteries.
But use them they do, especially a hymn found in an old book which seems to be the only thing that will calm baby Eli down. It’s not long...
Lullaby is the latest film from genre director John R. Leonetti, This time, working from a script by former WWE writer Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, who also co-wrote The Sand, he’s unleashing the wrath of Lilith on new parents Rachel and John.
As the film opens the couple gets a package of baby things from Rachel’s mother. They belonged to Rachel’s sister Vivian who lost both her baby and her husband under strange circumstances. Why her mother would send them and why they would actually use them is one of life’s great mysteries.
But use them they do, especially a hymn found in an old book which seems to be the only thing that will calm baby Eli down. It’s not long...
- 12/30/2022
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
After a heartening rally in 2022 which saw Spanish movies punch some €75 million (79.5 million) in its domestic market, after just €35 million (37.1 million) in 2021, how will 2023 shape up for Spanish cinema? One hope is for more standout feature debuts, following on this year’s “Lullaby” and “Piggy.” Here one of the most awaited first fiction feature titles is “20,000 Species of Bees,” a Berlin Co-Production Market and Madrid Incubator title from Basque director Estibaliz Urresola (“Polvo Somos”). She has just shared with Variety the most substantial sample to date of her latest short, “Cuerdas”, a Cannes Critics’ Week Rails d’Or winner in May and best short Forqué Award winner this month.
Now bound for Clermont Ferrand, Europe’s premier short film festival, “Cuerdas” turns on the local women’s choir in a town sluiced with pollution from a local refinery.
When their municipal subsidy ends, they must decide whether or not...
Now bound for Clermont Ferrand, Europe’s premier short film festival, “Cuerdas” turns on the local women’s choir in a town sluiced with pollution from a local refinery.
When their municipal subsidy ends, they must decide whether or not...
- 12/29/2022
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Just three weeks remain here in 2022, and though the new horror releases are starting to slow down considerably, the good news is that the new horror content never actually stops.
This week, in fact, Six brand new horror movies are being released!
Here’s all the new horror arriving December 13 – December 18, 2022.
After being released in theaters just last month and biting into 13 million worldwide, Luca Guadagnino‘s cannibal romance Bones and All is already coming home in time for Christmas.
Bones and All is now playing in theaters and is Now Available on Digital!
Suspiria director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich reteam for the new genre film starring Timothée Chalamet, which is an adaptation of Camille DeAngelis‘s novel.
Taylor Russell (Escape Room) stars alongside Chalamet.
The film is a “story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee,...
This week, in fact, Six brand new horror movies are being released!
Here’s all the new horror arriving December 13 – December 18, 2022.
After being released in theaters just last month and biting into 13 million worldwide, Luca Guadagnino‘s cannibal romance Bones and All is already coming home in time for Christmas.
Bones and All is now playing in theaters and is Now Available on Digital!
Suspiria director Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich reteam for the new genre film starring Timothée Chalamet, which is an adaptation of Camille DeAngelis‘s novel.
Taylor Russell (Escape Room) stars alongside Chalamet.
The film is a “story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee,...
- 12/14/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Have you checked the baby?
From John R. Leonetti (Annabelle) comes Vertical Entertainment and Alcon Entertainment’s Lullaby, a new horror movie In Theaters and On Demand beginning December 16, 2022.
The upcoming horror movie follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing…
But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.
Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), Rámon Rodríguez (The Affair), Liane Balaban (You Can Live Forever), Kira Guloien (Women Talking) and Moni Ogunsuyi (The Umbrella Academy) star.
Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive clip from the film in which a mother catches the demon Lilith on her baby monitor.
The post ‘Lullaby’ Clip Catches Something Horrific on a Baby Monitor [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
From John R. Leonetti (Annabelle) comes Vertical Entertainment and Alcon Entertainment’s Lullaby, a new horror movie In Theaters and On Demand beginning December 16, 2022.
The upcoming horror movie follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing…
But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.
Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), Rámon Rodríguez (The Affair), Liane Balaban (You Can Live Forever), Kira Guloien (Women Talking) and Moni Ogunsuyi (The Umbrella Academy) star.
Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive clip from the film in which a mother catches the demon Lilith on her baby monitor.
The post ‘Lullaby’ Clip Catches Something Horrific on a Baby Monitor [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 12/7/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
"She's strong… but she's not as strong as faith." Vertical Entertainment has released an official trailer for an indie horror thriller titled Lullaby, directed by the Dp / filmmaker John R. Leonetti - who doesn't exactly have the most impressive filmography. Landing in theaters in just a few weeks. A new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith — from the Hebrew phrase "Lilith-Abi" which translates to "Lilith, begone." Lullaby stars Oona Chaplin, with Rámon Rodríguez, Liane Balaban, Kira Guloien, and Moni Ogunsuyi. This looks like a mostly derivative, generic horror without anything new to offer us. I feel like some of these exact shots have been in other films before this. It still might have a few good scares? ›››
View the Post: Oona Chaplin Conjures...
View the Post: Oona Chaplin Conjures...
- 12/4/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ’The Beasts’ has 17 nominations.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts leads the nominees for Spain’s prestigious Goya awards, with 17, followed closely by Alberto Rodríguez’s Prison 77 on 16.
The Beasts, which had its world premiere at Cannes, centres around a French couple who cause tensions in the local village to which they move. The psychological thriller is nominated in all major categories including best film where it lines up with Prison 77, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s Lullaby, Pilar Palomero’s La Maternal and Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs.
Scroll down for the full nominations
Alcarràs is...
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts leads the nominees for Spain’s prestigious Goya awards, with 17, followed closely by Alberto Rodríguez’s Prison 77 on 16.
The Beasts, which had its world premiere at Cannes, centres around a French couple who cause tensions in the local village to which they move. The psychological thriller is nominated in all major categories including best film where it lines up with Prison 77, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s Lullaby, Pilar Palomero’s La Maternal and Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs.
Scroll down for the full nominations
Alcarràs is...
- 12/1/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Travel within Europe is returning to normal as the coronavirus pandemic winds down. The same is not yet true in Asia, where some countries are behind the pandemic curve – Hong Kong is currently closed to all travel from nine countries – making FilMart’s online market a viable way of connecting film industry buyers and sellers without the quarantine and testing hassle.
Eight European sales companies make their FilMart debuts this week on the Europe! Umbrella! stand at this year’s third virtual edition of the Hong Kong rights market. In total, 25 European sales outfits, hailing from eight countries have signed up to use the European Film Promotion-operated platform within a platform.
For Asian distributors which did not make it to Berlin and the European Film Market the umbrella allows them to dip into several Berlinale titles where rights in Asia are still available.
These include Coproduction Office’s Berlin competition...
Eight European sales companies make their FilMart debuts this week on the Europe! Umbrella! stand at this year’s third virtual edition of the Hong Kong rights market. In total, 25 European sales outfits, hailing from eight countries have signed up to use the European Film Promotion-operated platform within a platform.
For Asian distributors which did not make it to Berlin and the European Film Market the umbrella allows them to dip into several Berlinale titles where rights in Asia are still available.
These include Coproduction Office’s Berlin competition...
- 3/13/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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.