News

Sony Pictures Television on Tuesday unveiled the launch of Hot Sauce, a Belfast-based production company run by investigative journalists-turned drama creatives Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, known for such projects as Netflix film Rogue Agent and BBC police drama Blue Lights.

“The backing from Spt will supercharge Hot Sauce and see it launched as a full production company,” Sony said. “As a majority-owned company, Hot Sauce joins the Spt International Production group portfolio, alongside fellow scripted companies Left Bank Pictures, Eleven, Eleventh Hour Films, and Cardiff-based Bad Wolf, and will be Spt’s second production company in Belfast, alongside non-scripted and formats specialist Stellify Media.”

Lawn and Patterson met while working for the BBC’s flagship current affairs show Panorama. They then co-wrote hit BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings, which Sony highlighted became the BBC’s most-watched drama of 20201. Their first feature film Rogue Agent, starring James Norton and Gemma Arterton,...

German sales outfit Epsilon has taken world sales rights for TheAmazing Maurice - The Waters Of Life, a follow-up to last year’s animated movie hit The Amazing Maurice.

The original feature was adapted from the 2001 Terry Pratchett novel The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents and sold to multiple territories, grossing more than $20m at the international box office.

Epsilon will launch pre-sales talks with buyers at AFM (November 5-10), with the new film due to be delivered by 2027.

The English-language feature, again being made as a Sky Original, reunites the creative team behind the first feature: director Toby Genkel and producers Emely Christians,...

Cinema Management Group (Cmg) has licensed 4 Cats Pictures’ Spanish box office hit Buffalo Kids to Arp Selection in France.

The animation co-directed by Jesus Garcia Galocha and Pedro Solis opened in Spain on August 14 through Warner Bros. It shot up the charts to rank as the second-highest Spanish film of the year to date on $5.4m and over 775,000 admissions and counting.

Buffalo Kids premiered in the inaugural non-competitive Annecy Presents strand in June and follows two Irish orphans who arrive in New York City by ocean liner in 1886. Gemma Arterton, Alisha Weir, Stephen Graham, and Sean Bean lead the voice cast.

Until a few years ago, any video game adaptation felt like a bad investment for studios, as comic book properties were being adapted left and right, and everybody seemed to be keen on developing their own cinematic universe a la the MCU.

Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie || Legendary Pictures

However, come the success of films like Sonic the Hedgehog and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it has become the case that studios want to take chances with video game properties once more. Even on the small screen, there seems to be a lot of quality that is being put out, with shows like Arcane, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, or even Castlevania. While these shows and films have re-instated gamers’ willingness to trust Hollywood, A Minecraft Movie might just be on its way to hurting gamers once more.

Fans are concerned about the A Minecraft Movie A still from A Minecraft Movie...

Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. has confirmed a wide theatrical release plan in the U.K. and Ireland for the Spanish animated feature “Buffalo Kids” from producers 4 Cats Pictures. Warner Bros. also previously acquired the film for Italy as a pre-buy.

Since the film’s Aug. 14 release in Spain, J.J. Garcia Galocha and Pedro Solís’ “Buffalo Kids” has surpassed $5 million at the Spanish domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing independent animated film in the country this year and the second-highest-grossing Spanish film overall. It has sold more than 740,000 admissions in the country.

“Buffalo Kids'” Spanish launch was supported by co-producers Atresmedia Cine and A3 Media, who, alongside Wbd Spain, led an ambitious promotional campaign across traditional and digital media platforms. More than a month after its release, “Buffalo Kids” posters can be seen in metro stations and on the sides of newspaper stands in Madrid.

Wbd and 4 Cats will...

Hungries

Trace and I spent August discussing Paul Morrissey’s melodramatic Blood for Dracula (listen), Julia Ducournau’s body horror Titane (listen), and Stephen Herek’s family creature feature Critters (listen) before kicking off September with Tim Burton’s ode to weird, Beetlejuice (listen).

For episode 299, we’ve hopped across the pond to tackle director Colm McCarthy‘s under seen contemporary zombie classic The Girl With All the Gifts (2016). In the dystopian film, young Melanie (Sennia Nanua) is restrained in a wheelchair in a top secret laboratory run by the cruel Dr. Caldwell (Glenn Close) and watched closely by violent Sergeant Parks (Paddy Considine).

The only bright spot in Melanie’s life is Ms. Justineau (Gemma Arterton), a young teacher who is both kindly and a little naive. When a large group of “hungries” infiltrate the base, Melanie and the others must go on the run, trying to survive in...

Gemma Arterton and Ian McKellen in The Critic

Director Anand Tucker and screenwriter Patrick Marber's 1930s period drama The Critic, sees Sir Ian McKellen step into the shoes of Jimmy Erskine, the chief theatre critic of the Daily Chronicle newspaper. The most feared critic of his time, he seeks to entertain his readers with scathingly witty takedowns of any actor or production that fails to meet his standards.

After the death of his father, David Brooke (Mark Strong) takes over the Chronicle. He and Erskine immediately clash as he tries to make it a family-friendly newspaper. He lets go of some of the old guard writers, and makes a simple request of Erskine: "Be kinder." The veteran critic can't abide it and, after being arrested for homosexual transgressions, he loses his job. In order to take back power from Brooke, he makes a deal with actress Nina Land (Gemma...

We’re transported back to 1930s London, a tumultuous time in history. The film introduces us to the world of theater critics, focusing on one man in particular, Jimmy Erskine. As the longtime critic for a major newspaper, Jimmy wields influence through his reviews but also faces forces that threaten the status quo.

The story is set amidst the glamour of Britain’s theater scene yet also the rising tides of fascism and intolerance. Jimmy’s sharp tongue and caustic critiques make him both revered and reviled. A changing of the guard at his paper puts his career at risk due to his unapologetic style and private affairs.

Enter rising actress Nina Land and the paper’s new owner, David Brooke, who prove pivotal to the brewing drama. Their introduction hints at overlooked struggles and surprising connections within the world of critics, creative talent, and media.

Adapted from an acclaimed novel,...

Irish rap trio Kneecap is back in theaters at the start another U.S. tour, with Ian McKellen as The Critic, Aubrey Plaza in coming-of-age My Old Ass and handful of Indian films, and special events including GKids’ Dan Da Dan: First Encounter.

The first three episodes of the show Dan Da Dan, which is shaping up to be the fall’s biggest new anime, are out on 600 screens in a special program. The series is adapted from the manga by Yukinobu Tatsu and directed by Fuga Yamashiro at the studio Science Saru. The first episode premiered at Anime Expo in Los Angeles and Anime NYC in New York. GKids is holding special limited event screenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday followed by a global theatrical rollout ahead of the show’s October streaming debut. It’s one of the first times a major new series like this has debuted...

This is an odd beast. Loosely based (very loosely) on a book by film critic Anthony Quinn, it’s the story of a theatre critic whose venomous writing is the least unpleasant thing about him. It refers lightly to the threat of fascism in 1930s Britain, the persecution of LGBTQ+ people and people of colour, and the perennial quest of newspaper owners to cut costs and rein in their staff. But it doesn’t quite focus on anything beyond its title character, and a hasty (and reportedly reshot) ending drops any big ideas in favour of a more conventional denouement.

The plot has endless elements that take ages to knit together. Ian McKellen is theatre critic Jimmy Erskine, who strides into theatres in a tuxedo, casually tossing his evening scarf and overcoat to the attendant, then writes a scathing review of whatever has offended him that night, with loyal secretary...

A busy weekend at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as Prima Facie, Lee, Speak No Evil and The Critic all launch in 550+ cinemas.

National Theatre Live’s re-release of Prima Facie is in 679 locations. The theatre production starring Jodie Comer first played in cinemas in July 2022 in 662 venues, making £1.5m in a single day.

It became the highest-grossing event cinema release at the time, ending just shy of £5m and overtaken only by Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour which made £12m on its run.

Prima Facie opened in cinemas Thursday (September 12). The one-woman play surrounds a female...

In the second episode of the new second season of Funny Woman, Sophie (Gemma Arterton) reunites the gang, but things have changed. Bill (Matthew Beard), occupied with writing his novel, and Tony (Leo Bill), burdened by the sitcom workload, create a sense of disconnect. The air of awkwardness thickens with Dennis’s (Arsher Ali) recent divorce […]

Funny Woman: Series 2, Episode 2...

There has always been a certain proportion of people whose primary interest in going to the theatre – or the cinema – is simply to gaze at somebody beautiful, regardless of the quality of that individual’s performances. It is due to the adulation of such people that Nina (Gemma Arterton) has found herself a place on the London stage. Even before Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), the critic of the title, has delivered his withering appraisal of her work, it is difficult to believe that anyone ever perceived her as talented. Yet there is talent in there, Erskine assures her, in one of his more pitying or solicitous moments. She simply has to learn how to access it. She needs to learn how to be subtle.

One wishes that somebody had given that advice to writer Patrick Marber and director Anand Tucker.

With exquisite production design and cinematography, as well as a capable.

Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) has never minced words in his decades-spanning career as the poison-quilled theater critic for London’s Daily Chronicle. When a maligned actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), confronts her nemesis in the street, demanding to know whether she’s really as “appalling” on stage as he’s alleged in print, he responds, with a half-apologetic look of disgust as he recalls her past performances, “I’m afraid so.” Could she have expected mercy? This is, after all, the man who wrote of her on-stage death scene that “when Miss Land finally, blessedly, expires, her death is akin to a deflated dirigible.”

So, let’s take a tip from Jimmy and speak plainly: Despite its perfect grenades of one-liner takedowns, Anand Tucker’s The Critic is nothing short of a mess. It’s only the winking malice of Sir Ian’s title character that prevents it from imploding entirely,...

The career of Ian McKellan has often been filtered through his fantastical performances. The stage legend rose to incredible heights in British films until his roles in The Lord of the Rings and X-Men made him a household name. The Critic looks to cash in on some of the goodwill of McKellan’s earlier performances. In the same vein as Mr. Holmes and Gods & Monsters, McKellan once again shines as a man wrestling with age. Unfortunately, The Critic proves exceptionally thin outside of his performance.

The Critic – The Plot

Set in 1934 London, theater critic Jimmy Erskine (McKellan) feels unstoppable. However, when the ownership of the paper turns to David Brooke (Mark Strong), for the first time in years Erskine could be out of a job. His writing conflicts with the owner’s personal feelings towards actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton). Additionally, Erskine’s status as a gay man in 1930s...

Directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, The Critic is a period thriller film adapted from Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel Curtain Call. The film features an outstanding cast, including legendary stage and screen actor Ian McKellen as the notorious theatre critic Jimmy Erskine, while Gemma Arterton stars as the beleaguered actress Nina Land. Mark Strong is David Brooke, the son of a newspaper proprietor while Lesley Manville portrays Nina’s mother, Annabel Land.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year. Following its initial screenings, the film underwent some reshoots and tweaks after festival audiences found the original cut too dark in tone, leading to a slightly lighter version being released.

The film is set in the cutthroat world of 1930s London theatre, where Jimmy Erskine reigns supreme as the most feared and respected critic. His acerbic reviews are known to make or break careers,...

Warner Bros. has debuted the trailer for the new animated adventure feature film ‘Buffalo Kids.’

Mary and Tom are parentless Irish siblings who arrive in New York City via ocean liner in 1886 and quickly find themselves on a wild, cross-country journey aboard a transcontinental “Orphan Train” where they meet an extraordinary new friend who will change their lives forever. Fueled by curiosity, friendship, and teamwork, their dangerous and discovery-filled journey will introduce them to devious villains, surprising allies, unexpected heroes, and unimaginable adventures on a hilarious and heart-warming search for home.

Directed by Pedro Solis and Juan Jesús García Galoch, the voice cast includes Alisha Weir, Conor Macneill, Gemma Arterton, Stephen Graham and Sean Bean.

Also in trailers – Sebastian Stan stars in trailer for ‘The Apprentice’

The animation hits cinemas on October 11th.

The post “Nothing else bad is gonna happen, right?” Trailer sails in for animation ‘Buffalo Kids’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” conjured a dominating £7.3 million ($9.6 million) opening weekend in the U.K. and Ireland, easily claiming the top spot at the box office, according to numbers from Comscore.

Ahimsa Entertainment’s Tamil-language film “The Greatest Of All Time” (“Goat”), starring Vijay, debuted in second place with £768,842.

Sony’s “It Ends With Us” held strong in its fifth week, landing at number three with £668,902, pushing its total to £20.1 million. Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” continued to perform well in its seventh frame, adding £661,592 for a £55.9 million cume.

Rounding out the top five, Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” scared up another £570,708 in its fourth weekend, bringing its total to £12.1 million.

Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” showed staying power in sixth place, collecting £543,555 in its ninth week for a £45.7 million total. Warner Bros.’ “Blink Twice” landed in seventh with £331,425 in its third weekend, accumulating £2.62 million overall.

Disney’s “Inside Out 2” took the eighth spot,...

Gemma Arterton, an established British actress known for roles in major films, discussed facing pressure from a director to perform an intimate scene that was not planned. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Arterton recounted an incident early in her career where she was asked by a director to film a sex scene that was meant to happen off-camera according to the script.

Arterton did not name the director or production involved. However, she said the director told her on set “You’re going to shag on the bed.” When she pointed out the scene was meant to be implied rather than shown, the director still pushed for it. Arterton made it clear she “flat out” refused, knowing she would not have taken the role if it involved an explicit filmed sex scene.

The actress noted the pressure from the director made the other actor involved uncomfortable as well.

Gemma Arterton has revealed that she once had to resist pressure from an unnamed director to film a sex scene that was written to take place off-camera.

Arterton, who has performed alongside Daniel Craig in James Bond movie Quantum of Solace and is currently starring in The Critic, said she “flat out” rejected the director’s demand.

In an interview with The Radio Times, the actress said: “I remember being on a set once and the director said, ‘You’re going to shag on the bed.’ And I said, ‘No, this scene was written for us to be off-screen, so you just hear the noises. I’d never have accepted the role if it was going to be filmed.’

“He put pressure on us on the day. The other actor, God bless him, was mortified. There were very high-profile people there.”

Arterton said she only felt able to push back...

Gemma Arterton returns as ambitious comedienne Sophie Straw in the second season of Funny Woman. Adapted from Nick Hornby’s novel Funny Girl, the new season follows Sophie as she navigates the challenges of fame and the gender biases of 1960s Britain.

When we first met Sophie in season one, she had just made the journey from her hometown of Blackpool to London, hoping to break into comedy alongside her idol Lucille Ball. Through pluck and talent, she managed to find success but also glimpsed the prejudice facing women in the industry. Now, Sophie has become a star, with her groundbreaking sitcom Barbara and Jim a hit on the BBC. But this new season shows she still has battles ahead in her quest to make comedy truly equal.

Sophie aims to use her growing influence to lift up other female comics and take on problematic attitudes in both her work and the world around her.

The U.K. and Ireland box office reached £120.2 million ($158.2 million) in August, marking the highest monthly total since July 2023’s £160 million ($210.5 million) “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, per numbers from Comscore. Year-to-date figures now trail 2023 by 12%, an improvement from the 15% deficit at the month’s start.

Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominated with £29.7 million, pushing its total to £55.3 million. The sequel now ranks as the third-highest grossing 15-rated release, behind only Warner Bros.’ “Joker” (£58.2 million) and Universal’s “Oppenheimer” (£59.7 million).

Sony’s “It Ends With Us” secured the second spot with £19.4 million, becoming 2024’s seventh-highest grosser. The romantic drama marks Blake Lively’s biggest U.K. release to date. Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” claimed third place, adding £16.9 million for a £45.2 million cume. The animated sequel is tracking close to its predecessors’ lifetime totals.

Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” debuted at fourth with £11.5 million, becoming director Fede Alvarez’s top-grossing film and 2024’s highest-earning horror release.

Gemma Arterton reprises her role as Sophie in the second series of Funny Woman, and she’s riding high. Sophie has become the nation’s favourite TV comedy star, enjoying a circle of good friends and a blossoming romance with Dennis. However, their relationship faces a significant challenge as Dennis’s divorce is expected to take three years. […]

Funny Woman: Series 2 Premiere (Sky Max Friday 6 September 2024)...

Sky has released first look images at the second season of its original comedy-drama series, “Funny Woman,” starring Gemma Arterton. The series will debut on September 6, 2024, exclusively on Sky Max and the Now streaming service. Set in the swinging 1960s, the new season sees the return of Arterton as Sophie Straw, the nation’s […]

Sky Releases First Look at “Funny Woman” Season 2 with Gemma Arterton...

Sir Ian McKellen is now the most feared drama critic on the West End thanks to his turn in “The Critic.”

McKellen leads the adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel “Curtain Call,” which centers on an aging — but iconic — journalist who teams up with an actress (Gemma Arterton) to exact revenge on his newspaper’s new owner (Mark Strong). The film is set in 1934 London.

“The Critic” is written by Academy Award nominee Patrick Marber and is directed by Anand Tucker (“Hilary and Jackie,” “Shopgirl”).

The official synopsis reads: “Jimmy Erskine (McKellen) is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle newspaper dies, and his son David Brooke (Strong) takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat.

Exclusive: Two Daughters Entertainment, the animation production company behind the internationally recognized kids’ series Moley and upcoming family animated feature The Land of Sometimes, has signed with Zero Gravity Management.

Evan Anglin and Andriana Williams are set to run point for the client on behalf of Zero Gravity.

The Land of Sometimes

Since its founding in 2016 by Executive Chairman James Reatchlous, Two Daughters Entertainment has quickly established itself as a rising force in animation. Available for streaming on Peacock, their debut series Moley is currently airing globally in 30 languages and 160 countries. Telling the story of Moley, a charming, optimistic young mole who lives deep in a burrow under Windsor Castle, in the hustling, bustling city of MoleTown, the show features the vocal talents of Warwick Davis, Stanley Tucci and Gemma Arterton.

At present, Two Daughters Entertainment is actively expanding with original stories and newly acquired IP. Most recently, the company...

“The Critic” is a 2023 Brit-produced period thriller, directed by Anand Tucker, based on the book “Curtain Call” by Anthony Quinn, starring Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Romola Garain and Ben Barnes, releasing September 14, 2024 in theaters:

“…in 1934 London, an actress finds herself in a dark situation…

“… involving a theatre critic…

“…and his paper's editor…”

Click the images to enlarge..

Transmission Films has released an international trailer for The Critic, which is an adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call.

An official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, The Critic centers on Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), the Daily Chronicle‘s most famous and featured theatre critic of the age; David Brooke (Mark Strong), with whom he clashes after recently inheriting the paper; and a young actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), who is devastated by Jimmy’s recent negative review of her.

As the three become entangled in a whodunnit wrapped in a Faustian pact, their strange triangle winds tighter and tighter to devastating effect for all those caught in the deadly web of blackmail and betrayal.

The cast includes Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville.

The Critic was directed by Arnand Tucker from a script by Patrick Marbert.

Exclusive: With Ian McKellen on the mend after wrist and neck injuries he suffered when he fell from the stage during a performance of swashbuckling Shakespearean drama Player Kings in London’s West End, the beloved star is eying a return to work.

No, the knighted thespian won’t be treading the boards anytime soon, but Deadline can reveal that the actor will do some last-minute “danger free“ post-production voice work for murder mystery movie The Critic in which McKellen stars as Jimmy Esrkine, a puffed up, once great first-night drama reviewer. McKellen stars alongside Gemma Arterton as Nina Land, a struggling West End ingénue who witnesses something she shouldn’t have seen.

Mark Strong, Alfred Enoch, Lesley Manville, Ben Barnes and Romona Garai co-star.

Lionsgate UK struck a distribution deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to...

Hangtime International Pictures is making its first major plays since launching at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

The transatlantic production company, which was founded by Frank Murray and Frida Torresblanco, has snapped up “She Will” producer Jessica Malik as its new head of development as well as inking a strategic partnership with Rebel Park Productions, the production company Malik founded in 2017 alongside Gemma Arterton and Jessica Parker.

Malik joins Hangtime effective immediately, reporting to Murray. She will be based out of the company’s London office where she’ll oversee development of high-end, specialist and mainstream content across film, television and documentaries.

The first projects co-produced by Hangtime and Rebel Park are in advanced development and set to be announced in the near future. The partnership spans film and television.

At Rebel Park, which was launched in 2017 with the aim of boosting female filmmakers and producing female-led stories, Malik...

Netflix has debuted the trailer for the highly anticipated sixth and final season of ‘Cobra Kai.’

With Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, our senseis and students must decide if and how they will compete in the Sekai Taikai — the world championships of karate.

(L to R) Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso, Griffin Santopeitro as Anthony Larusso. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024 (L to R) Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Peyton List as Tory Nichols, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024

Season 6 stars Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Gianni DeCenzo, Courtney Henggeler, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Yuji Okumoto, Alicia Hannah-Kim, Griffin Santopietro, Oona O’Brien.

(L to R) Nathaniel Oh as Nate, Mary Mouser as Samantha Larusso, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny,...

"You're a maniac with a death wish!" "I'm a critic! I have power and influence." True Brit Ent. has revealed an official trailer for an intricate, indie thriller titled The Critic, made by filmmaker Anand Tucker. Not to be confused with Tarantino's project also titled The Critic, which is no longer in development anyway. This film first premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival and it also played at the British Film Festival. It's now set for its UK debut in September. The Critic is a deliciously dark & sharp-witted thriller, written by Patrick Marber and featuring an all-star British cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville. Wow. Set in 1930s London, revolves around a feared theatre critic named Jimmy Erskine, his loyal assistant, a newspaper owner who wants to get rid of the critic and an actress who has been...

True Brit Entertainment has debuted the trailer for the British film ‘The Critic’

Based on Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call, the movie tells the story of Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), the most feared and famous theatre critic in 1930s London, saving his most savage takedowns for Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), an already unsure leading lady.

London, 1934. When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the cross hairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.

Directed by Anand Tucker, the movie stars Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.

Also in trailers – “Hope you like flying…” Trailer drops for ‘Flight Risk’

The movie hits cinemas on September 13th.

The post “Watch your backs…...

Am 19. Juni startet in London das Raindance Film Festival bei dem Deutschland Gastland ist. Ehrenpreise vergibt das Festival an Chiwetel Ejiofor und Michael Winterbottom.

Michael Winterbottom (Credit: Imago / Abacapress)

Am 19. Juni startet das 32. Raindance Film Festival in London, das das unabhängige Filmschaffen feiert. Deutschland ist Gastland und mit einem Filmprogramm präsent, das German Films zusammengestellt hat. Mit dem Raindance Icon Award, dem Ehrenpreis des Festivals, werden der oscarnominierte Schauspieler und Filmemacher Chiwetel Ejiofor und Filmemacher Michael Winterbottom honoriert. Ejiofor erhält seinen im Rahmen der Eröffnungsgala, Winterbottom bei der Abschlussgala am 27. Juni

„Chiwetel Ejiofor und Michael Winterbottom haben wichtige und herausragende Beiträge zum unabhängigen Kino geleistet, sowohl vor als auch hinter der Kamera. Wir sind stolz darauf, ihre Leistungen mit diesem Preis anzuerkennen und zu ehren“, so Raindance-Gründer Elliot Grove in einem Statement.

Zu den Preisträger:innen des Raindance Icon Award gehören David Yates, Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, Gemma Arterton, Sir Michael Caine,...

Exclusive: MGM+ has given a series order to The Institute, a thriller based on the 2019 Stephen King novel. Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) are set to lead the drama from director/executive producer Jack Bender, writer/executive producer Benjamin Cavell and MGM+ Studios. Production is slated to begin in Nova Scotia later this year.

In the eight-episode The Institute, When 12-year-old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities. In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson (Barnes) has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.

Barnes’ Tim Jamieson is a disillusioned ex-cop who takes a...

British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and British director Michael Winterbottom will receive this year’s Raindance Icon Awards.

Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Martian) will be presented with his award at Raindance’s opening gala U.K. premiere of Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo in London, and Winterbottom during Raindance’s jury awards ceremony a week later.

Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “As part of Raindance’s midsummer celebrations, it’s a privilege for us to bask in the radiance that surrounds this year’s Raindance Icon Award recipients. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Winterbottom have made important and outstanding contributions to independent cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. We are proud to recognize and honor their achievements with this award.”

Ejiofor said: “I continue to admire the Raindance Film Festival’s intensely independent spirit, and it’s wonderful that Raindance focuses on nurturing, inspiring, and educating up-and-coming talent. I...

What rhymes with sperm in Norwegian?

“Quite a few, actually, we got lucky in that respect,” says Tommy Wirkola, whose new film, Spermageddon, is an animated musical about sex and conception, told from the perspective of the spermatozoa. “You’d be surprised how many words you can find that rhyme, and how many variations and puns you can come up with.”

Horror fans know Wirkola for his 2009 Scandinavian splatterfest Dead Snow, which introduced Nazi zombies on ski patrols into the world of cinema, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a campy, violent take on the Grimm’s fairy tale featuring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton.

Spermageddon, as Monty Python would say, is something completely different. Co-directed with fellow Norwegian Rasmus A. Sivertsen, the movie follows the adventures of two awkward teens, Jens and Lisa, who decide to have sex for the first time, and the related quest of Simon the Semen,...

Beverly Hills-based Cinema Management Group has closed a first round of distribution deals for the animated kids and family feature “Buffalo Kids,” screening in this year’s Annecy Presents section at the prestigious French festival.

Adapted from the short film “Cuerdas” (“Strings”), “Buffalo Kids” is a frontier tale about two recently orphaned Irish siblings. The duo emigrate to America, landing in the urban wilderness of New York City, where their uncle Niall was meant to pick them up. When Niall, who normally resides in California, is a no-show, the kids set out to try and find their distant kin. What follows is a trans-continental odyssey across North America, including wild action sequences, new friends, and picturesque landscapes.

Producer and co-writer Jordi Gasull said of the film: “The idea of adapting ‘Strings’ into a full-length feature has been in my heart for years, and to see it come to life is...

Lionsgate UK has struck a distribution deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to release Anand Tucker’s The Critic in the UK and Ireland.

Set in 1930s London, the film stars Ian McKellen as a vicious theatre critic who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, played by Gemma Arterton. Mark Strong, Ben Barnes and Lesley Manville co-star.

It will be released in theatres on September 13.

The Critic premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and was acquired by True Brit for the UK on the condition the film was re-edited and key cast were brought back...

Lionsgate UK has locked a deal with Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment to release the Ian McKellen pic The Critic.

The studio will release the feature in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday 13 September.

The film stars McKellen alongside Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone) and Lesley Manville.

Set in 1930s London, the pic is described as “a thrilling tale of ambition, blackmail, and desire with a dazzling anti-hero at its heart.” The synopsis reads: When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (Mckellen), finds himself suddenly in the cross hairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes...

Bankside Films is in development on Everything I Ever Knew, a true-life story to be directed by Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd.

It explores the story of a woman named Jacqui who discovers, after 25 years, that the father of her eldest son was an undercover police officer. The case is the subject of an ongoing public inquiry that reveals one of the worst cases of state-sanctioned abuse of women in recent British history.

The UK feature is based on a screenplay by Suzie Miller, the writer behind Olivier and Tony-award winning hit one-woman play Prima Facie,...

Pedring Lopez’s Philippine-Singapore martial arts horror Blood Passage has been boarded for sales by the UK’s Gfm Film Sales.

The horror is set in southeast Asia, and unravels around a rescue mission gone wrong.

It is the first project of the recent co-production deal struck between Philippines’ Blackops Studios Asia and Singapore’s Very Tay Media, inked at last December’s Asia Television Forum and Market in Singapore.

Casting is underway.

Fred Hedman, partner at Gfm Film Sales and CEO of Evolution Pictures, and Christopher Shaw of the Shaw Organisation are executive producers.

Gemma Arterton to star in...

Production is underway in Croatia and the Czech Republic on Ungrateful Beings, the English-language debut of Czech-based Slovenian filmmaker Olmo Omerzu.

Jimmy’s Hall actor Barry Ward and Slovak-Italian star Barbora Bobulova lead the cast, alongside newcomers Dexter Franc and Antonin Chmela, and Slovenian actor Timon Sturbej, who was named a European Film Promotion Shooting Star in 2022.

Ungrateful Beings follows a family in the Czech Republic who come back from an Adriatic holiday where their 17-year-old daughter – who suffers from an eating disorder – has fallen in love with a local scoundrel. When it turns out he is a murder suspect, the...

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.

The Pitch: Is This What I Told Myself It Would Be?

Directed by Marjane Satrapi and written by Michael R. Perry, “The Voices” has a phenomenal trailer — snappy, stunning, and with a hunky Chinese Elvis impersonator! I would know; I’ve seen it dozens of times in the decade since Lionsgate made the movie: a feature that, up until now, I haven’t watched and will be using this week’s IndieWire After Dark to recommend to myself. Let me (us?) explain.

This buzzy Sundance breakout from 2014 — starring a sweetie pie Ryan Reynolds...

Gemma Arterton will lead the cast of After You’d Gone, a new feature from the producers of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title Sister Midnight.

Arterton will play Mel, a woman whose long-term partner disappears abruptly. She discovers he had created an entire false identity; Mel’s search for truth then exposes a scandal at the heart of the UK’s Metropolitan Police.

Producers Al Clark of Wellington Films and Anna Griffin – a 2018 Screen Star of Tomorrow – of Griffin Pictures are raising production finance and taking meetings at Cannes, as well as attending the world premiere of Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight...

Gemma Arterton has joined the cast of Carl Tibbetts’s comic crime thriller Sweet Dreams.

Aimee Lou-Wood, Niamh Algar, Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu and Billy Howle are also set to star, as previously announced.

Metro International Entertainment continues world sales at Cannes, with the film to shoot later this year. Producers are Matthew James Wilkinson and Patrick Tolan for the UK’s Stigma Films, alongside co-producer Jamie Harvey.

The thriller unfurls in the decaying English seaside town of Claypole, where a local property developer is swindled out of a million pounds, triggering a chain of grisly and murderous events.

Major...

Jessica Henwick (“Glass Onion”) and Alisha Weir (“Abigail”) have been tapped for new animated feature “The Land of Sometimes.”

They will join “Star Wars” icon Ewan McGregor and “The Crown” star Helena Bonham Carter on the project, which also features one of the final performances from the late “Monty Python” alum Terry Jones.

A first look of the film, which is repped by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution for global sales, is set to be shown to buyers in Cannes next week with director Leon Joosen (“The Little Mermaid”) on hand to introduce the project.

“Be careful what you wish for!” reads the logline. “Twins Alfie and Elise get more than they bargained for when the Wish Collector takes them to an island full of wonder, with ever-changing seasons. They face a mechanical foe, fantastical creatures and a truth that shines brighter than any wish: the power of family.”

The film, from Two Daughters Entertainment,...

Exclusive: Gersh has signed actor Ben Barnes for representation in all areas.

Barnes can be seen in BAFTA-winning director Anand Tucker’s crime drama The Critic, opposite Mark Strong, Ian McKellen, and Gemma Arterton, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival. It’s set for release in the UK on September 13.

Barnes is maybe best known for his lead role as General Kirigan in Eric Heisserer’s popular Netflix series Shadow and Bone, based on the bestselling novels by Leigh Bardugo.

Prior to Shadow and Bone, Barnes starred opposite Crispin Glover in a mind-bending episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s Emmy nominated anthology series, Cabinet of Curiosities and most recently played a lead role opposite Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, and Himesh Patel in the latest season of the award-winning Netflix series Black Mirror. His other recent credits include the lead role of Benjamin Greene in the BBC limited series Gold Digger,...

Cinema Management Group has reported brisk sales on Kensuke’s Kingdom featuring Cillian Murphy on the back of wins at the British Animation Awards for best picture, best screenplay and best original music.

Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired the film for North America; Modern Films for the UK & Ireland; Movies Inspired for Italy Periscoop for Benelux; Arthouse Traffic for Ukraine; New Horizon for Poland; Playarte for Brazil; and Cinetopia for Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia. Encore Inflight acquired worldwide airline rights.

Based on the best-selling novel by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and adapted for screen by Frank Cottrell-Boyce,...

Gemma Arterton, the British stage and screen star perhaps best known for playing Bond girl Strawberry Fields in “Quantum of Solace,” is set to star in upcoming period adventure thriller “Storm Witch.”

The independent U.K./Ireland co-production, to be directed by David Blair (a BAFTA winner for “Taking Over the Asylum” and “The Street”) from a screenplay by Tristan de Vere Cole, is being launched at the Marche du Film in Cannes later this month, with Myriad Pictures handling pre-sales.

Arterton, who also starred in “The King’s Man” and recently appeared in the Toronto-bowing “The Critic,” will lead a cast that includes Chloe Pirrie (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Stuart Martin (“Army of Thieves”), Kate Dickie (“Prometheus”) Steven Cree (“Outlander”) and Kevin McKidd (“Grey’s Anatomy”). The film is set to be shot later this year, primarily in Ireland.

Set in the 17th century, “Storm Witch” centers on a small coastal community...