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Maggie Gyllenhaal told a Busan International Film Festival press conference on Wednesday that the best directors she worked with as an actress, who were usually also the most successful, understood the value of drawing on the minds of the people around them. “It was the people who were very scared… or just not very smart, […]
Zhang Yimou, president of the Busan International Film Festival’s competition jury, waded into the dispute over historical fact and creative freedom that has engulfed Korean cinema, telling a press conference on Wednesday that history itself is written by people. The question from the press did not name a title, but the debate centers on Hur […]
Michelle Yeoh turned her attention to “Blade Runner 2099” at a Busan International Film Festival press conference on Wednesday, before she flies to New York Comic Con to promote the Prime Video series. “To be given an opportunity to take it to 2099 is indeed an amazing journey, and to work with such a great […]
Zhang Yimou is still reworking the script for his film adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem,” years into the process, the Chinese director said during the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival, where he is president of this year’s competition jury. Questioned by festival director Jung Hanseok, Zhang said he is currently preparing a […]
Eddie Redmayne’s upcoming collaboration with Kore-eda Hirokazu is still at the screenplay stage, the Japanese filmmaker said Wednesday at a Busan International Film Festival press conference for his manga adaptation “Look Back.” “Right now, I am writing the script,” Kore-eda said about the Searchlight Pictures film. “I cannot share specific plot details at this stage, […]
The Busan International Film Festival marked its 31st edition Tuesday with one of its most star-laden opening ceremonies in recent memory, drawing Fan Bingbing, Michelle Yeoh, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alfonso Cuarón, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-jin, and a roll call of Asian cinema’s finest to the port city for a night that mixed Hollywood glamour […]
Riley Keough and Clay Tweel have joined Brandon Kapelow’s documentary “Under Fire” as executive producers. “Under Fire” follows Rob, a veteran Idaho fire captain living with PTSD who has spent decades responding to emergencies and saving other people. As the toll of his work follows him home, threatening his future and his relationship with his […]
A festival launching Oct. 11 at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre is positioning itself as an answer to the flattened, stereotyped picture of Muslims Western media often traffics in. The New York Muslim Film Festival (NYMFF), billed as the city’s first for Muslim filmmakers, wants them telling their own stories. Hassan Babar, the festival’s artistic director, said […]
Julianne Moore will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Rome Film Festival. The Oscar-winning actress will attend the Italian premiere of her new film “The Debut,” directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who will also hand her the prize. The Rome Film Festival honor for Moore was announced in a statement by Salvatore Nastasi, […]
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival has unveiled its complete program, led by a 15-film main competition featuring work by Indonesian director Garin Nugroho, Japanese filmmaker Mishima Yukiko and Hong Kong-based Qiu Jiongjiong. The competition spans world and Asian premieres. Seven titles receive world premieres: “The Canary’s Lullaby,” a Taiwan-Japan co-production directed by Ikeda Akira; […]
“Sister Brother Manhole Cover,” the new feature from Venice Golden Lion winner Milcho Manchevski, will world premiere in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s main competition. Variety is debuting the trailer. Francesca Breccia’s Coccinelle Film Sales is handling the film and will start selling it to international buyers during Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market. Manchevski […]
Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, will open Jakarta World Cinema, the Indonesian festival said Thursday as it revealed a 2026 program that also includes the top prize winners from Venice and Berlin. The Indonesian premiere of Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun’s “Inherit” will close the event. The lineup draws […]
Partnership is the guiding motif of the World Soundtrack Awards’ Film Music Days, where live performances will give cult films bold new scores and industry mixers encourage emerging composers and filmmakers to find their creative match. To show what such pairings can achieve, two WSA talks will spotlight some of contemporary European cinema’s most enduring […]
Jack’d, the largest dating app for queer people of color in the United States, is launching the inaugural Jack’d Film Festival, a showcase and competition celebrating original films by queer creators with a particular focus on films that center the experiences, stories and/or perspectives of queer people of color. TS Madison (“Outlaws With TS Madison” […]
The World Soundtrack Awards’ Discovery of the Year prize has a knack for spotting emerging talent. Gustavo Santaolalla (“21 Grams”), Michael Giacchino (“The Incredibles”) and Nicholas Britell (“Moonlight”) all won it before reshaping the modern film score, and recent winners Daniel Blumberg (“The Brutalist”) and Jerskin Fendrix (“Poor Things”) look set to follow. Meet this […]
Niu Niu’s “Final Payment” and Dong Jie’s “Zoom In, Zoom Out” each won two prizes at the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in China. “Final Payment,” from Shanxi-born Niu, won the Fei Mu Award for best film, along with best actor for Niu’s father, Niu Jianrong. “Zoom In, Zoom Out” took […]
The American Film Institute has announced the complete lineup for AFI Fest 2026, presented by Canva, taking place in Hollywood from Oct. 21-25. The 40th edition of the festival will screen 157 films across five red-carpet premieres, 12 special screenings, 13 luminaries selections, 18 discovery titles, 16 world cinema selections, 17 documentaries and many more. […]
Jia Zhangke’s Unknown Pleasures Pictures has acquired China rights to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Jenjira’s Magnificent Dream,” co-founder Tian Qi has confirmed to Variety. The Chinese art-house distributor is also negotiating to acquire two titles from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. In June, it added Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” and Marine Atlan’s “La Gradiva,” and in January it […]
“Light Pillar,” the Berlinale Perspectives animated feature from first-time director Xu Zao, is competing in the Hidden Dragons section for Chinese-language films at the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival. The film is still seeking distribution in China. The story follows Zha, who works at a dilapidated film studio in northern China and […]
Malaysian star Lee Sinje has two jobs at the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival. She co-wrote and co-produced “Dead Tide,” which world premiered in the Hidden Dragons competition for Chinese-language films, and she sits on the jury for the Crouching Tigers international competition. Lee, who also acts on stage, returns to […]
