You’d be hard-pressed to find a filmmaker who has put together a finer body of work than Denis Villeneuve has since making his U.S. debut in 2013. From the mold-breaking thrillers of Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario to a murderers’ row of sci-fi films including Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, the French Canadian director’s films have amassed over $1.1 billion in worldwide box office and landed him three Oscar nominations. His winning streak is all the more impressive when you consider that he put his camera down for much of the 2000s in order to refine his cinematic identity. That nine-year gap was still flanked by a handful of lauded Canadian films, but it wasn’t until 2010’s Oscar-nominated Incendies that Villeneuve felt like he’d finally discovered his signature. Now, Dune: Part Two (March 1) is poised to be his new top grosser after effusive early reactions and reviews.
- 3/1/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screen shines a light on 30 European titles that look set to grab the attention of festival directors in 2023, including new features by Tom Tykwer, Paz Vega, Paolo Sorrentino, Cecilia Verheyden and Baltasar Kormakur.
For our separate list of French festival hopefuls for 2024, click here.
Ariel (Sp-Por)
Dir. Lois Patiño
Patiño won the Encounters special jury prize at Berlin last year for Samsara and picked up the emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Coast Of Death. His latest is a free adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, shot in Galicia and The Azores islands. Ariel stars Goya winner Irene Escolar...
For our separate list of French festival hopefuls for 2024, click here.
Ariel (Sp-Por)
Dir. Lois Patiño
Patiño won the Encounters special jury prize at Berlin last year for Samsara and picked up the emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Coast Of Death. His latest is a free adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, shot in Galicia and The Azores islands. Ariel stars Goya winner Irene Escolar...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
After recovering from a prolonged health scare, and newly based in Western Europe, Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev stepped back onto the international stage at this year’s Marrakech Film Festival. Better still, the director of Oscar nominated films “Loveless” and “Leviathan” will soon step back behind the camera, as he readies the oligarch drama “Jupiter,” his first film made outside of his native country. Variety spoke with the filmmaker in Marrakech.
After this significant interval between “Loveless” in 2017 and next year’s shoot, do you feel as if you’re picking back up where you left off or starting anew?
To be honest with you, I’m hoping to start from scratch. Though extremely difficult to put into words, I’m absolutely convinced that I have new sensibilities, and that I’m at a new stage in my life. In any case, I’m absolutely certain that this new sensibility...
After this significant interval between “Loveless” in 2017 and next year’s shoot, do you feel as if you’re picking back up where you left off or starting anew?
To be honest with you, I’m hoping to start from scratch. Though extremely difficult to put into words, I’m absolutely convinced that I have new sensibilities, and that I’m at a new stage in my life. In any case, I’m absolutely certain that this new sensibility...
- 12/3/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Tilda Swinton famously cut her acting teeth on the experimental films of late director Derek Jarman such as Caravaggio and The Garden as well as life-long friend Joanna Hogg’s debut short Caprice and Sally Potter’s Orlando.
Nearly 50 years later, she has continued to work with Hogg as well as in the experimental cinema arena, finding a new Jarman-esque kindred spirit in Thai artist and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Speaking in an in-conversation event at the Marrakech Film Festival on Monday, the actress revealed how some of the big commercial studio pictures she has worked on across her career have felt personally more experimental to her than her avant-garde work.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have some adventures in worlds of filmmaking that I never thought I would be able to go into,” she said.
“When Derek died [in 1994], I was a bit high and dry… slowly… invitations came...
Nearly 50 years later, she has continued to work with Hogg as well as in the experimental cinema arena, finding a new Jarman-esque kindred spirit in Thai artist and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Speaking in an in-conversation event at the Marrakech Film Festival on Monday, the actress revealed how some of the big commercial studio pictures she has worked on across her career have felt personally more experimental to her than her avant-garde work.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have some adventures in worlds of filmmaking that I never thought I would be able to go into,” she said.
“When Derek died [in 1994], I was a bit high and dry… slowly… invitations came...
- 11/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Casino Royale” Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen and Moroccan actor-director Faouzi Bensaïdi will be celebrated with career achievement awards at the upcoming 20th Marrakech International Film Festival that will run Nov. 24- Dec. 2.
The fest, which is forging ahead despite the Israel-Hamas conflict that has caused cancellations of several other fests in the region, as well as the earthquake that hit the country in September, has also recruited an impressive lineup of international talents to hold onstage conversations, including Tilda Swinton, Viggo Mortensen and Willem Dafoe.
Mikkelsen, who in tandem with his Hollywood career has recently returned to making films in his native Denmark such as Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” and Nikolaj Arcel’s “The Promised Land,” which is Denmark’s current Oscar hopeful, said in a statement that he is “proud, honoured and so fortunate, that in a short while I will meet friends and colleagues and some of...
The fest, which is forging ahead despite the Israel-Hamas conflict that has caused cancellations of several other fests in the region, as well as the earthquake that hit the country in September, has also recruited an impressive lineup of international talents to hold onstage conversations, including Tilda Swinton, Viggo Mortensen and Willem Dafoe.
Mikkelsen, who in tandem with his Hollywood career has recently returned to making films in his native Denmark such as Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” and Nikolaj Arcel’s “The Promised Land,” which is Denmark’s current Oscar hopeful, said in a statement that he is “proud, honoured and so fortunate, that in a short while I will meet friends and colleagues and some of...
- 11/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the 10 cinema figures who will participate in its In Conversation With program at its 20th edition running from November 24 to December 2.
They comprise Australian actor Simon Baker, French director Bertrand Bonello, U.S. actor Willem Dafoe, Indian filmmaker and producer Anurag Kashyap; Japanese director Naomi Kawase; Danish-u.S. actor and director Viggo Mortensen; U.K. actor Tilda Swinton; and Russian director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen and Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, who will receive the festival’s honorary Étoile d’or prize this year, will also participate in the program.
Baker’s was seen most recently in Toronto title Limbo and Tribeca 2022 selection Blaze, with early features including L.A. Confidential (1997), David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call (2011), followed by hit series The Mentalist (2008–2015).
Bensaïdi’s first feature A Thousand Months world premiered...
They comprise Australian actor Simon Baker, French director Bertrand Bonello, U.S. actor Willem Dafoe, Indian filmmaker and producer Anurag Kashyap; Japanese director Naomi Kawase; Danish-u.S. actor and director Viggo Mortensen; U.K. actor Tilda Swinton; and Russian director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen and Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, who will receive the festival’s honorary Étoile d’or prize this year, will also participate in the program.
Baker’s was seen most recently in Toronto title Limbo and Tribeca 2022 selection Blaze, with early features including L.A. Confidential (1997), David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call (2011), followed by hit series The Mentalist (2008–2015).
Bensaïdi’s first feature A Thousand Months world premiered...
- 11/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Thankfully recovering after a brutal bout with Covid-19, Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev will return with Jupiter. Variety reports the “politically-minded movie” tells the story of “a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future,” with a shoot set in Spain and France this spring. “The nature of absolute power is a universal theme, and through this prism we can look at any cultural landscape or historical era,” the director said.
Following Summer 1993 and Alcarràs, Carla Simon is prepping a summer shoot for the final entry in her trilogy with the flamenco musical Romería. Speaking to Variety, the director said, “Since I discovered that my biological mother was passionate about flamenco, a great curiosity began to grow in me for this genre, because of its history and its exceptional capacity to connect directly with emotion.” She added “This time music and dance will become the challenge...
Following Summer 1993 and Alcarràs, Carla Simon is prepping a summer shoot for the final entry in her trilogy with the flamenco musical Romería. Speaking to Variety, the director said, “Since I discovered that my biological mother was passionate about flamenco, a great curiosity began to grow in me for this genre, because of its history and its exceptional capacity to connect directly with emotion.” She added “This time music and dance will become the challenge...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A tidbit of news that slipped under our radar late last week, Variety reports that Canadian Korean filmmaker Anthony Shim (who is coming off a solid 2022 with his sophomore feature Riceboy Sleeps) is attached to adapt and direct Offerings for the big screen. Production would be set for the fall of 2024 – so we’d be looking at a possible 2025 drop if everything falls into place. Anonymous Content’s David Levine and Chadwick Prichard (set to produce Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Jupiter) plus Anthology Studios’ Jay Choi and Soon Ho Song (Cobweb) will produce the acclaimed Korean novel written by Michael Kim (aka Kim Byung Ju).…...
- 10/9/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
He had a couple of projects in the works (English language project What Happens and a “psychological mood” of Russia’s society) and then had crazy health scare, so we’re pleased that Variety reports that Andrey Zvyagintsev is prepping his sixth feature which will shoot in Spain and France a bit past the first quarter of next year. Coined as a politically-minded film, Jupiter will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future. The producers say this is an “unrelenting exploration of power and corruption” and the filmmaker mentions that this “goes beyond today’s political context” and this is about “the nature of absolute power is a universal theme, and through this prism we can look at any cultural landscape or historical era.”…...
- 9/28/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Andrey Zvyagintsev, the two-time Oscar-nominated Russian filmmaker of “Loveless” and “Leviathan,” will next direct “Jupiter,” a politically-minded movie set to shoot in Spain and France next spring.
The movie will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future.
Anonymous Content and Lorem Ipsum Entertainment (“War on Everyone”) are producing “Jupiter” alongside Les Films du Losange (“A Silence”) in France and Elastica Films (“Anatomy of a Fall”) in Spain. Zvyagintsev will reteam with his regular crew, including cinemtographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov, who worked “Loveless” and “Leviathan.”
“Jupiter” is set in the seemingly impenetrable world of the ultra-wealthy and is being described by the producers as an “unrelenting exploration of power and corruption.”
Zvyagintsev said “Jupiter” will be a “very modern story” which “goes beyond today’s political context.” “The nature of absolute power is a universal theme,...
The movie will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future.
Anonymous Content and Lorem Ipsum Entertainment (“War on Everyone”) are producing “Jupiter” alongside Les Films du Losange (“A Silence”) in France and Elastica Films (“Anatomy of a Fall”) in Spain. Zvyagintsev will reteam with his regular crew, including cinemtographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov, who worked “Loveless” and “Leviathan.”
“Jupiter” is set in the seemingly impenetrable world of the ultra-wealthy and is being described by the producers as an “unrelenting exploration of power and corruption.”
Zvyagintsev said “Jupiter” will be a “very modern story” which “goes beyond today’s political context.” “The nature of absolute power is a universal theme,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Maura Delpero’s second feature “Vermiglio, the Mountain Bride” – which is being presented at the Venice Production Bridge, the industry program of the Venice Film Festival, this week – has tapped Giuseppe De Domenico as its lead.
The Italian actor, known for “Zero Zero Zero” and Prime Video’s “Bang Bang Baby,” will play Pietro, a young soldier who in 1944 arrives in a small mountain village in Trentino, northern Italy.
As declared by the film’s tagline, change is around the corner: “Last year of World War II. In the Italian Alps, a single rifle shot ends a young woman’s innocence.”
“Maura saw many young actors and some of them were very good, but Giuseppe was able to stand out thanks to his subtle acting style. He understood what it meant to come back from a war,” says Francesca Andreoli, who produces for Italy’s Cinedora.
Roberta Rovelli in Maura Delpero’s “Vermiglio,...
The Italian actor, known for “Zero Zero Zero” and Prime Video’s “Bang Bang Baby,” will play Pietro, a young soldier who in 1944 arrives in a small mountain village in Trentino, northern Italy.
As declared by the film’s tagline, change is around the corner: “Last year of World War II. In the Italian Alps, a single rifle shot ends a young woman’s innocence.”
“Maura saw many young actors and some of them were very good, but Giuseppe was able to stand out thanks to his subtle acting style. He understood what it meant to come back from a war,” says Francesca Andreoli, who produces for Italy’s Cinedora.
Roberta Rovelli in Maura Delpero’s “Vermiglio,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
A Moscow court has ordered the arrest of Oscar-nominated film producer Alexander Rodnyansky and theater director Ivan Vyrypaev, accusing the two of “spreading false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press, both men — who each reside outside Russia — will be placed in custody once they are either detained by Russian authorities or extradited from abroad.
A source close to Rodnyansky said the producer is currently in Cannes, but he could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rodnyansky currently splits his time between Ukraine, Europe and L.A., where his production shingle Ar Content is based. The Kyiv-born producer, who spent nearly three decades living and working in Russia, fled the country just days after its invasion of Ukraine, after receiving a tip that his outspoken criticism of the war had landed him in the Kremlin’s crosshairs.
In Oct. 2022, Russia’s Ministry of Justice declared him a “foreign agent.
According to the Associated Press, both men — who each reside outside Russia — will be placed in custody once they are either detained by Russian authorities or extradited from abroad.
A source close to Rodnyansky said the producer is currently in Cannes, but he could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rodnyansky currently splits his time between Ukraine, Europe and L.A., where his production shingle Ar Content is based. The Kyiv-born producer, who spent nearly three decades living and working in Russia, fled the country just days after its invasion of Ukraine, after receiving a tip that his outspoken criticism of the war had landed him in the Kremlin’s crosshairs.
In Oct. 2022, Russia’s Ministry of Justice declared him a “foreign agent.
- 5/17/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
First announced back in the fall of 2021, one of our most-anticipated films in development is The End, a narrative feature from The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence director Joshua Oppenheimer. Starring Tilda Swinton and George MacKay, it’s described as a “Golden Age musical about the last human family,” and now with production getting underway in Ireland, we have more new details about the project.
“I’m the mother in basically the richest family on the planet. The father has been at the forefront of engineering the destruction of the biosphere, and they’ve lived for the last 20-something years in a bunker underneath Middle America, which is like Versailles,” Swinton told W Magazine, while also revealing at her SXSW keynote last weekend she’s headed from Austin to Dublin to begin production.
Courtesy of the production company’s site, it’s also been revealed that cinematographer...
“I’m the mother in basically the richest family on the planet. The father has been at the forefront of engineering the destruction of the biosphere, and they’ve lived for the last 20-something years in a bunker underneath Middle America, which is like Versailles,” Swinton told W Magazine, while also revealing at her SXSW keynote last weekend she’s headed from Austin to Dublin to begin production.
Courtesy of the production company’s site, it’s also been revealed that cinematographer...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
When life gives you lemons (or the president of your country begins a war with Ukraine) you make …. Butterfly Jam. THR are dropping the news rather late on Friday night, but we have a new working title and more producers are joining the fold in Square Peg’s producers Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster for Kantemir Balagov‘s third feature film. Formerly known as “Monica,” and originally set to shoot back home, the project also saw his producer Ar Content’s Alexander Rodnyansky having to make adjustments. He is also working with Andrey Zvyagintsev on his next feature — an English language debut that may film in Los Angeles.…...
- 10/29/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Russia is boycotting the 2023 Academy Awards, further distancing itself from the West as the Kremlin’s war continues in Ukraine.
As first reported by the news outlet Afp, the Film Academy of Russia announced Monday that it would not be submitting a Russian film to contend in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
The decision comes as Russia’s latest effort to distance itself from the West and particularly the United States, which has continued to send aid to Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin’s controversial Feb. 24 invasion of the sovereign nation.
Also Read:
How This Year’s Oscar Contenders Will Determine the Health of the Post-Pandemic Box Office
“The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022,” the Russian academy said in a statement.
The surprise...
As first reported by the news outlet Afp, the Film Academy of Russia announced Monday that it would not be submitting a Russian film to contend in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
The decision comes as Russia’s latest effort to distance itself from the West and particularly the United States, which has continued to send aid to Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin’s controversial Feb. 24 invasion of the sovereign nation.
Also Read:
How This Year’s Oscar Contenders Will Determine the Health of the Post-Pandemic Box Office
“The presidium of the Film Academy of Russia has decided not to nominate a national film for the Oscars award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022,” the Russian academy said in a statement.
The surprise...
- 9/27/2022
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
The Russian Film Academy has announced that it will not submit a film in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2023 Academy Awards.
The decision to boycott the prestigious US-based award ceremony comes amid heightened international tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Russia recently accused Joe Biden’s government of intervening in the ongoing war, and has threatened to sever ties with the US.
Pavel Tchoukhraï, the head of Russia’s Oscar nomination committee, announced in a letter that he was resigning following the move.
He said that the decision to withdraw was “illegal” and was made “behind his back”.
“The leadership of the [Film] Academy [of Russia] unilaterally decided not to nominate a Russian film for the Oscar nomination,” he wrote in a letter published by state news agency Tass.
In recent years, two films by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev have been nominated for Best International Feature...
The decision to boycott the prestigious US-based award ceremony comes amid heightened international tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Russia recently accused Joe Biden’s government of intervening in the ongoing war, and has threatened to sever ties with the US.
Pavel Tchoukhraï, the head of Russia’s Oscar nomination committee, announced in a letter that he was resigning following the move.
He said that the decision to withdraw was “illegal” and was made “behind his back”.
“The leadership of the [Film] Academy [of Russia] unilaterally decided not to nominate a Russian film for the Oscar nomination,” he wrote in a letter published by state news agency Tass.
In recent years, two films by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev have been nominated for Best International Feature...
- 9/27/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
Click here to read the full article.
In a further sign of Russia’s withdrawal from contact with the Western world, the country’s film academy has unveiled that it will not be submitting a film for the upcoming 2023 international Oscar race.
The Oscars boycott comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Moscow in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 and its ongoing war of aggression there.
Russia recently accused the U.S. administration of directly intervening in the war and has threatened to cut all official ties with the country.
But the decision by the Russian Academy to boycott the Oscars came as a surprise to Pavel Tchoukhraï, the head of the local Oscar committee, who told Afp the move was made “behind his back”. Tchoukhraï has since resigned.
Russia has regularly submitted films for the Oscars and Russian films have a strong track record with the US Academy.
In a further sign of Russia’s withdrawal from contact with the Western world, the country’s film academy has unveiled that it will not be submitting a film for the upcoming 2023 international Oscar race.
The Oscars boycott comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Moscow in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 and its ongoing war of aggression there.
Russia recently accused the U.S. administration of directly intervening in the war and has threatened to cut all official ties with the country.
But the decision by the Russian Academy to boycott the Oscars came as a surprise to Pavel Tchoukhraï, the head of the local Oscar committee, who told Afp the move was made “behind his back”. Tchoukhraï has since resigned.
Russia has regularly submitted films for the Oscars and Russian films have a strong track record with the US Academy.
- 9/27/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated– Russia will not be sending an official Oscar candidate for the upcoming international feature film race, Variety has confirmed.
The news, which was reported by the news outlet Afp, was announced by the Russian film academy on Monday evening (Sept. 27). Several members of Russia’s Oscar committee, including its president Pavel Tchoukhraï, have resigned to protest the decision of the Russian film academy.
Tchoukhraï issued a letter, unveiled by veteran journalist Larisa Malyukova, in which he blamed the Russian film academy for taking an “unilateral decision over the head of the committee” and said it was both “unfair and illegal.” Joel Chapron, an expert on the Russian film industry who is based in Paris, said Tchoukhraï had been followed by several other member of the committee who have now resigned, including Nikolaï Dostal, Sergey Selyanov, Vladimir Kott and Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is currently living in Paris.
The decision of...
The news, which was reported by the news outlet Afp, was announced by the Russian film academy on Monday evening (Sept. 27). Several members of Russia’s Oscar committee, including its president Pavel Tchoukhraï, have resigned to protest the decision of the Russian film academy.
Tchoukhraï issued a letter, unveiled by veteran journalist Larisa Malyukova, in which he blamed the Russian film academy for taking an “unilateral decision over the head of the committee” and said it was both “unfair and illegal.” Joel Chapron, an expert on the Russian film industry who is based in Paris, said Tchoukhraï had been followed by several other member of the committee who have now resigned, including Nikolaï Dostal, Sergey Selyanov, Vladimir Kott and Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is currently living in Paris.
The decision of...
- 9/27/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Alexander Rodnyansky, the producer of Oscar nominated films “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” has boarded the next project from Kazakh director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (pictured), whose film “Goliath” has its world premiere at Venice Film Festival on Thursday in the Horizons Extra section.
The new project, “Nosorog,” tells a contemporary story of Tamara, a distraught woman on a desperate search for her missing son in a small town consumed by violent riots. To help get her son back, she hires a shady detective, Brayuk, with unexpected consequences.
Rodnyansky joins producers Aliya Mendygozhina and Olga Khlasheva on the project, which is a co-production between the State Center of Support of the National Cinema of Kazakhstan and Kazakh film company Golden Man Media.
Rodnyansky said: “My strategy has always been to work with the best directors from any country and I am very excited to be a part of a new film of Adilkhan Yerzhanov,...
The new project, “Nosorog,” tells a contemporary story of Tamara, a distraught woman on a desperate search for her missing son in a small town consumed by violent riots. To help get her son back, she hires a shady detective, Brayuk, with unexpected consequences.
Rodnyansky joins producers Aliya Mendygozhina and Olga Khlasheva on the project, which is a co-production between the State Center of Support of the National Cinema of Kazakhstan and Kazakh film company Golden Man Media.
Rodnyansky said: “My strategy has always been to work with the best directors from any country and I am very excited to be a part of a new film of Adilkhan Yerzhanov,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
This year, the Cannes Film Festival kicked off with a restoration of Jean Eustache’s 1973 ménage à trois scandal “The Mother and the Whore” and concluded with a screening of controversial Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” creating an odd kind of symmetry for the event’s 75th anniversary edition. Made half a century apart, Eustache and Östlund’s rhyming triangles were hardly the only parallels to be found at Cannes — though anyone who’s ever binge-watched movies at a major festival knows the feeling of such connections, often just a fluke of the order in which you see movies whose images and ideas inevitably resonate with one another.
Masked in screening rooms full of Covid-defiant strangers, I somehow managed to screen all 21 films in competition this year, and such similarities were myriad, while the masterpieces were scarce.
Consider this could-be coincidence: Roughly midway through Östlund’s diamond-sharp, influencer-skewering...
Masked in screening rooms full of Covid-defiant strangers, I somehow managed to screen all 21 films in competition this year, and such similarities were myriad, while the masterpieces were scarce.
Consider this could-be coincidence: Roughly midway through Östlund’s diamond-sharp, influencer-skewering...
- 5/30/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The best movie involving a boat since “Titanic” with the best vomiting sequence since “Team America: World Police,” Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” is an energetic and wacky examination of class, gender norms and culture, woven into a dynamite script. After debuting at Cannes, Östlund’s English-language debut will finally introduce the Swedish writer and director to more mainstream American audiences, and possibly even Oscar voters.
The film tells the story of Carl (Harris Dickenson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), two fashion models and a celebrity couple who in three narrative chapters explore their roles in each other’s lives — following a dinner date, a luxury cruise and a shocking x-factor that presents an interesting turn of events.
There are two noteworthy aspects to the dark comedy that are low-hanging fruit for Academy Awards attention. The original script by Östlund, with its whimsical premise, harnesses the type of engaging qualities...
The film tells the story of Carl (Harris Dickenson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), two fashion models and a celebrity couple who in three narrative chapters explore their roles in each other’s lives — following a dinner date, a luxury cruise and a shocking x-factor that presents an interesting turn of events.
There are two noteworthy aspects to the dark comedy that are low-hanging fruit for Academy Awards attention. The original script by Östlund, with its whimsical premise, harnesses the type of engaging qualities...
- 5/23/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Two-time Academy Award-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky is developing a new series that charts the rise of Vladimir Putin in what the producer describes as “the actual, horrifying story of how the man who changed the world got the power to do so.”
Produced by Rodnyansky’s L.A.-based production shingle Ar Content, “All the Kremlin’s Men” is based on the bestseller by acclaimed reporter Mikhail Zygar, the former editor-in-chief of Russian independent station TV Rain, which was banned and disbanded in the first week of the war in Ukraine. The book is based on an extraordinary series of interviews with Putin’s inner circle.
The series will tell the story of how an unassuming ex-Kgb officer became one of the most feared politicians in the world, drawing back the curtain on what goes on behind the Kremlin’s walls and revealing how Putin and his inner circle operate.
Produced by Rodnyansky’s L.A.-based production shingle Ar Content, “All the Kremlin’s Men” is based on the bestseller by acclaimed reporter Mikhail Zygar, the former editor-in-chief of Russian independent station TV Rain, which was banned and disbanded in the first week of the war in Ukraine. The book is based on an extraordinary series of interviews with Putin’s inner circle.
The series will tell the story of how an unassuming ex-Kgb officer became one of the most feared politicians in the world, drawing back the curtain on what goes on behind the Kremlin’s walls and revealing how Putin and his inner circle operate.
- 5/18/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has called for the country to ban all the work of Ukraine-born super-producer Alexander Rodnyansky as well as any film and TV work of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Russian news site The Insider.
In the report, Shoigu, who is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, is said to have sent an official letter (pictured below) to Russia’s minister of culture asking for both Rodnyansky and Zelensky’s work to be “excluded from the cultural agenda” in Russia. The move comes as various informal cultural sanctions have been issued upon Russia since the country began its invasion into Ukraine on February 24.
The letter, which was leaked to the press, has been translated to Deadline from a well-known source. It states the following:
“As part of a special operation, the Ministry of Defence is taking measures to shape a positive public opinion...
In the report, Shoigu, who is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, is said to have sent an official letter (pictured below) to Russia’s minister of culture asking for both Rodnyansky and Zelensky’s work to be “excluded from the cultural agenda” in Russia. The move comes as various informal cultural sanctions have been issued upon Russia since the country began its invasion into Ukraine on February 24.
The letter, which was leaked to the press, has been translated to Deadline from a well-known source. It states the following:
“As part of a special operation, the Ministry of Defence is taking measures to shape a positive public opinion...
- 3/17/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Update March 1: Following the European Film Academy (Efa) decision earlier today to exclude Russia from the 2022 European Film Awards, the Ukrainian director who initially protested inaction from the Efa, Sergei Loznitsa, is now saying that Russian filmmakers themselves shouldn’t be targeted.
“When I hear today these calls to ban Russian films, I think of these (filmmakers) who are good people. They are victims as we are of this aggression,” Loznitsa said in a statement obtained by Variety.
“On February 2022, as the Russian soldiers had just started invading Ukraine, the very first message I received was from my friend Viktor Kossakovski, a Russian filmmaker who said, ‘Forgive me. This is a catastrophe. I’m so ashamed.’ Then later that day, Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is still weakened by a long illness, recorded his message in a video,” said Loznitsa.
“What is happening before our eyes if horrible, but I’m...
“When I hear today these calls to ban Russian films, I think of these (filmmakers) who are good people. They are victims as we are of this aggression,” Loznitsa said in a statement obtained by Variety.
“On February 2022, as the Russian soldiers had just started invading Ukraine, the very first message I received was from my friend Viktor Kossakovski, a Russian filmmaker who said, ‘Forgive me. This is a catastrophe. I’m so ashamed.’ Then later that day, Andrey Zvyagintsev, who is still weakened by a long illness, recorded his message in a video,” said Loznitsa.
“What is happening before our eyes if horrible, but I’m...
- 3/1/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sergei Loznitsa, the award-winning Ukrainian filmmaker of “Donbass” and “Babi Yar Context,” has spoken against the boycott of Russian films.
Loznitsa said today in a letter received by Variety that “many friends and colleagues, Russian filmmakers, have taken stand against this insane war.”
“When I hear today these calls to ban Russian films, I think of these (filmmakers) who are good people. They are victims as we are of this agression,” added the filmmaker, who previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the European Film Academy over a comment which he considered too mild about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Loznitsa subsequently wrote a scathing open letter to the Efa and gave up his membership on Monday.
On Tuesday, the board of the Efa decided to exclude Russia from the European Film Awards. But Loznitsa says he never intended to provoke this boycott.
“On February 2022, as the Russian soldiers had just started invading Ukraine,...
Loznitsa said today in a letter received by Variety that “many friends and colleagues, Russian filmmakers, have taken stand against this insane war.”
“When I hear today these calls to ban Russian films, I think of these (filmmakers) who are good people. They are victims as we are of this agression,” added the filmmaker, who previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the European Film Academy over a comment which he considered too mild about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Loznitsa subsequently wrote a scathing open letter to the Efa and gave up his membership on Monday.
On Tuesday, the board of the Efa decided to exclude Russia from the European Film Awards. But Loznitsa says he never intended to provoke this boycott.
“On February 2022, as the Russian soldiers had just started invading Ukraine,...
- 3/1/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Two-time Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky said he felt “unbearably ashamed” and “incredibly, deeply sad” when his son called from Kyiv on Thursday with news that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had begun.
“Of course, I realized before that the situation might go this way, but I still couldn’t believe that missiles are exploding in Kyiv,” Rodnyansky told Variety by email. “I couldn’t imagine that Kyiv, my native town, where my relatives, friends and colleagues live, where my parents and grandparents are buried, will be struck by missiles of the country where I have been living and working for the last 20 years, together with my family and friends.”
The Moscow-based producer was born in the Ukrainian capital, which was under siege by Russian troops on Friday. He said that “after the first shock” of Thursday’s invasion passed, he wrote an Instagram post in which he said he was...
“Of course, I realized before that the situation might go this way, but I still couldn’t believe that missiles are exploding in Kyiv,” Rodnyansky told Variety by email. “I couldn’t imagine that Kyiv, my native town, where my relatives, friends and colleagues live, where my parents and grandparents are buried, will be struck by missiles of the country where I have been living and working for the last 20 years, together with my family and friends.”
The Moscow-based producer was born in the Ukrainian capital, which was under siege by Russian troops on Friday. He said that “after the first shock” of Thursday’s invasion passed, he wrote an Instagram post in which he said he was...
- 2/25/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content is developing a slate of new series as the two-time Oscar-nominated producer continues his push into high-end episodic content.
Rodnyansky revealed details of two new projects to Variety during the Berlinale Series Market, just days after Fox Entertainment acquired U.S. rights to Ar Content’s upcoming epic action show “Khan: The Series,” as Variety previously reported.
“The Doghead” is a series loosely based on the book of the same name by best-selling author Alexey Ivanov, whose previous works adapted for the big screen include Cannes Un Certain Regard prize winner “Tsar.”
The series follows Kirill, a homebody historian who prefers stability to change or adventure, but who travels to a remote village to look for his lost girlfriend. Her disappearance is just the first in a chain of mysterious events that started in the 17th century around an enigmatic fresco of an ancient spirit known as the Doghead.
Rodnyansky revealed details of two new projects to Variety during the Berlinale Series Market, just days after Fox Entertainment acquired U.S. rights to Ar Content’s upcoming epic action show “Khan: The Series,” as Variety previously reported.
“The Doghead” is a series loosely based on the book of the same name by best-selling author Alexey Ivanov, whose previous works adapted for the big screen include Cannes Un Certain Regard prize winner “Tsar.”
The series follows Kirill, a homebody historian who prefers stability to change or adventure, but who travels to a remote village to look for his lost girlfriend. Her disappearance is just the first in a chain of mysterious events that started in the 17th century around an enigmatic fresco of an ancient spirit known as the Doghead.
- 2/16/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Fox Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to “Khan: The Series,” from Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content, Variety can reveal.
Currently in development, the epic action series is based on the best-selling book “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” by Jack Weatherford, and will focus on the largest contiguous empire in human history and its iconic creator.
Writer and executive producer Chris Collins will serve as showrunner, with Sergei Bodrov tapped to direct and executive produce. The series is executive produced by Rodnyansky, Leslie Greif (Big Dreams Entertainment), Stuart Manashil (Novo Entertainment), and Michael Kupisk (Ar Content).
“We are happy and honored to have Fox Entertainment as a partner for this title in development,” said Rodnyansky. “I am very excited to bring the extraordinary story of Genghis Khan to life together with my partners: producer Leslie Greif, known for ‘Hatfields & McCoys,’ ‘The Offer,’ and other high-end projects,...
Currently in development, the epic action series is based on the best-selling book “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” by Jack Weatherford, and will focus on the largest contiguous empire in human history and its iconic creator.
Writer and executive producer Chris Collins will serve as showrunner, with Sergei Bodrov tapped to direct and executive produce. The series is executive produced by Rodnyansky, Leslie Greif (Big Dreams Entertainment), Stuart Manashil (Novo Entertainment), and Michael Kupisk (Ar Content).
“We are happy and honored to have Fox Entertainment as a partner for this title in development,” said Rodnyansky. “I am very excited to bring the extraordinary story of Genghis Khan to life together with my partners: producer Leslie Greif, known for ‘Hatfields & McCoys,’ ‘The Offer,’ and other high-end projects,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Katerina Pshenitsyna is joining from Central Partnership in a big shake-up of the Russian scene.
Leading international producer Alexander Rodnyansky’s Russian production outfit Ar Content has appointed Central Partnership executive Katerina Pshenitsyna as director of international business development and co-productions, in what is a significant shake-up of the Russian film sales and production scene.
Pshenitsyna was formerly vice president, international distribution at Central Partnership.
Rodnyansky is Russia’s leading international-focused producer, with credits including Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated Leviathan and Loveless.
“I have always been fascinated with the work of Alexander Rodnyansky and the global impact his projects make,...
Leading international producer Alexander Rodnyansky’s Russian production outfit Ar Content has appointed Central Partnership executive Katerina Pshenitsyna as director of international business development and co-productions, in what is a significant shake-up of the Russian film sales and production scene.
Pshenitsyna was formerly vice president, international distribution at Central Partnership.
Rodnyansky is Russia’s leading international-focused producer, with credits including Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated Leviathan and Loveless.
“I have always been fascinated with the work of Alexander Rodnyansky and the global impact his projects make,...
- 12/23/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Russian cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, renowned for his collaborations with Andrey Zvyagintsev on films like Oscar nominees “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” shared some of his secrets during the Imago masterclass at EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, all the while engaging in a friendly dialogue with two-time Oscar nominee Ed Lachman. They both won Golden Frogs at the Polish festival, for “Leviathan” and “Carol” respectively.
Unable to be in Toruń in person, Krichman opened up about his upcoming project, Joshua Oppenheimer’s musical “The End,” starring Tilda Swinton.
“I haven’t done musicals before, with all these dance numbers. This is Joshua’s first fiction film and his approach is very interesting,” he said, admitting he was “amazed and frightened” by Oppenheimer’s documentaries “The Look of Silence” and “The Act of Killing.”
Music is also on Lachman’s mind, working on Todd Haynes’ film about singer Peggy Lee. “It’s a drama, but seen through music.
Unable to be in Toruń in person, Krichman opened up about his upcoming project, Joshua Oppenheimer’s musical “The End,” starring Tilda Swinton.
“I haven’t done musicals before, with all these dance numbers. This is Joshua’s first fiction film and his approach is very interesting,” he said, admitting he was “amazed and frightened” by Oppenheimer’s documentaries “The Look of Silence” and “The Act of Killing.”
Music is also on Lachman’s mind, working on Todd Haynes’ film about singer Peggy Lee. “It’s a drama, but seen through music.
- 11/20/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Unclenching the Fists, the drama directed by Kira Kovalenko that won the grand prize this year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar, has been selected to represent Russia in the Best International Feature Film category at the 94th Oscars. The news was announced Monday by the Russian Oscar Committee.
Produced by Ukranian-Russian super-producer Alexander Rodnyansky with Sergey Melkumov, the pic (titled Razzhimaya Kulaki in Russian) is set in a former mining town in the industrial section of North Ossetia and follows a young woman named Ada (Milana Aguzarova) who struggles to escape the stifling hold of the family she loves as much as she rejects.
Mubi has North American, UK and Ireland, Latin America and India rights to the the film, which will make its Los Angeles premiere next month at AFI Fest.
This year’s Un Certain Regard sidebar has spawned at least four submissions...
Produced by Ukranian-Russian super-producer Alexander Rodnyansky with Sergey Melkumov, the pic (titled Razzhimaya Kulaki in Russian) is set in a former mining town in the industrial section of North Ossetia and follows a young woman named Ada (Milana Aguzarova) who struggles to escape the stifling hold of the family she loves as much as she rejects.
Mubi has North American, UK and Ireland, Latin America and India rights to the the film, which will make its Los Angeles premiere next month at AFI Fest.
This year’s Un Certain Regard sidebar has spawned at least four submissions...
- 10/25/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 65th British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival has revealed the eight films in its official competition.
The competition titles include a few films currently playing at the Venice Film Festival, including Michelangelo Frammartino’s “Il Buco” (Italy-Germany-France), Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” (Italy) Harry Wootliff’s “True Things” (U.K.) and Michel Franco’s “Sundown” (Mexico-France-Sweden).
Films that bowed at Cannes also make an appearance in the competition, including Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” (Japan), Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram” (Australia), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s “Lingui” (Chad-France-Germany-Belgium) and Panah Panahi’s (Hit The Raad” (Iran).
The winner will be chosen by the official competition jury, the members of which will be revealed imminently.
Festival director Tricia Tuttle said: “With official competition our aim is to present a curated programme that showcases the breadth and richness of international cinema for our audiences. Anyone new to the Lff should consider official...
The competition titles include a few films currently playing at the Venice Film Festival, including Michelangelo Frammartino’s “Il Buco” (Italy-Germany-France), Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” (Italy) Harry Wootliff’s “True Things” (U.K.) and Michel Franco’s “Sundown” (Mexico-France-Sweden).
Films that bowed at Cannes also make an appearance in the competition, including Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” (Japan), Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram” (Australia), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s “Lingui” (Chad-France-Germany-Belgium) and Panah Panahi’s (Hit The Raad” (Iran).
The winner will be chosen by the official competition jury, the members of which will be revealed imminently.
Festival director Tricia Tuttle said: “With official competition our aim is to present a curated programme that showcases the breadth and richness of international cinema for our audiences. Anyone new to the Lff should consider official...
- 9/3/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Across cinema’s long lineage of stories about young women attempting to shake parental control and seize their own destinies, few protagonists have needed to escape quite as viscerally as Ada, the unbearably put-upon heroine of Russian director Kira Kovalenko’s imposing sophomore feature “Unclenching the Fists.” In poor health and kept under literal lock and key by her widowed, loveless father, she fears time is running out for her to make a run for it — though where on earth to go, in a desolate corner of the North Caucasus where the patriarchy threatens to ensnare her in other ways, is the question giving added urgency to this unusual, stonily moving coming-of-ager.
A tough commercial proposition any way you slice it, “Unclenching the Fists” nonetheless had a dream debut at July’s Cannes Film Festival, where it scored both a multi-territory distribution deal (including North America) with arthouse streamer Mubi...
A tough commercial proposition any way you slice it, “Unclenching the Fists” nonetheless had a dream debut at July’s Cannes Film Festival, where it scored both a multi-territory distribution deal (including North America) with arthouse streamer Mubi...
- 9/2/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week we’re speaking to super-producer Alexander Rodnyansky in advance of his upcoming fall festival run. His latest title, Mama, I’m Home, is premiering in Venice’s Horizons section while his Cannes Un Certain Regard winner Unclenching The Fists is set to screen in Telluride.
When independent producer Alexander Rodnyansky reflects on his prolific career in the media business so far, he quips that he’s “had five lives.” If you know the well-respected mogul, you’ll know that he’s on the mark. The Ukrainian-born producer is behind a slew of esteemed international festival hits, with projects like Leviathan and Loveless, from Russian helmer Andrey Zvyagintsev, both earning Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film as well as Best...
When independent producer Alexander Rodnyansky reflects on his prolific career in the media business so far, he quips that he’s “had five lives.” If you know the well-respected mogul, you’ll know that he’s on the mark. The Ukrainian-born producer is behind a slew of esteemed international festival hits, with projects like Leviathan and Loveless, from Russian helmer Andrey Zvyagintsev, both earning Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film as well as Best...
- 9/2/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
“Loveless” is the perfect title for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s 2017 tragedy about a missing child and two of the worst parents in movie history. Because Zvyagintsev equates that cold-hearted couple with the Russian state he was compelled to find financing from three other countries. The finished product overcame political pushback from Moscow and snared the Jury Prize at 2017’s Cannes Festival and even managed to win top prizes from the Russian Guild of Film Critics.
The post Loveless appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Loveless appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/30/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Apple has signed a first-look deal with Ar Content, the production company led by Academy Award-nominated producer and director Alexander Rodnyansky, Variety can reveal.
The deal is for a slate of both Russian-language and multilingual shows for Apple TV Plus, set both inside and outside Russia, and creatively led by both Russian and international writers and directors.
Although the pact is with Rodnyansky’s L.A.-based Ar Content, which he set up three years ago to finance the development of feature films and television, it is his production expertise and experience in Russia that appeals to Apple most.
The deal is similar to those Apple has signed with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.
Rodnyansky credits the global streaming platforms with having “opened the doors and destroyed the borders,” enabling foreign-language shows to find audiences worldwide.
“This is an amazing time when you have...
The deal is for a slate of both Russian-language and multilingual shows for Apple TV Plus, set both inside and outside Russia, and creatively led by both Russian and international writers and directors.
Although the pact is with Rodnyansky’s L.A.-based Ar Content, which he set up three years ago to finance the development of feature films and television, it is his production expertise and experience in Russia that appeals to Apple most.
The deal is similar to those Apple has signed with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.
Rodnyansky credits the global streaming platforms with having “opened the doors and destroyed the borders,” enabling foreign-language shows to find audiences worldwide.
“This is an amazing time when you have...
- 7/12/2021
- by Leo Barraclough and Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
He is also working again with Kantemir Balagov and with US documentarian and visual artist Godfrey Reggio.
Leading Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky has unveiled a new internationally-focused slate.
It is headlined by the English-language debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the next film from filmmaker Kantemir Balagov following their collaboration on 2019’s Beanpole and a documentary by US filmmaker and visual artist Godfrey Reggio that is being co-produced by Steven Soderbergh.
Zvyagintsev’s What Happens is written by Oleg Negin and will shoot in the US. No further details are yet known. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev prevously collaborated on the Oscar-winning Leviathan and the Oscar- nominated Loveless.
Leading Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky has unveiled a new internationally-focused slate.
It is headlined by the English-language debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the next film from filmmaker Kantemir Balagov following their collaboration on 2019’s Beanpole and a documentary by US filmmaker and visual artist Godfrey Reggio that is being co-produced by Steven Soderbergh.
Zvyagintsev’s What Happens is written by Oleg Negin and will shoot in the US. No further details are yet known. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev prevously collaborated on the Oscar-winning Leviathan and the Oscar- nominated Loveless.
- 7/7/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
He is also working again with Kantemir Balagov and with US documentarian and visual artist Godfrey Reggio.
Leading Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky has unveiled a new internationally-focused slate.
It is headlined by the English-language debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the next film from filmmaker Kantemir Balagov following their collaboration on 2019’s Beanpole and a documentary by US filmmaker and visual artist Godfrey Reggio that is being co-produced by Steven Soderbergh.
Zvyagintsev’s What Happens is written by Oleg Negin and will shoot in the US. No further details are yet known. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev prevously collaborated on the Oscar-winning Leviathan and the Oscar- nominated Loveless.
Leading Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky has unveiled a new internationally-focused slate.
It is headlined by the English-language debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the next film from filmmaker Kantemir Balagov following their collaboration on 2019’s Beanpole and a documentary by US filmmaker and visual artist Godfrey Reggio that is being co-produced by Steven Soderbergh.
Zvyagintsev’s What Happens is written by Oleg Negin and will shoot in the US. No further details are yet known. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev prevously collaborated on the Oscar-winning Leviathan and the Oscar- nominated Loveless.
- 7/7/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Top Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky, who was Oscar nominated for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s films “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” is reteaming with Zvyagintsev for his first English-language film, and with Kantemir Balagov, who directed “Beanpole,” best director winner in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2019. Rodnyansky will also co-produce a documentary by Godfrey Reggio alongside Steven Soderbergh.
Rodnyansky has two films in Cannes Festival this year: Oscar nominated Ari Folman’s Out of Competition title “Where Is Anne Frank,” and Kira Kovalenko’s Un Certain Regard selected “Unclenching the Fists.”
Zvyagintsev’s “What Happens,” which will be shot in the U.S., is written by Oleg Negin. It is a contemplation on the nature of human relationships, the state of modern man, and the fragility of human life. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev collaborated on “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” both of which were nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
“After Andrey finished working on ‘Loveless,...
Rodnyansky has two films in Cannes Festival this year: Oscar nominated Ari Folman’s Out of Competition title “Where Is Anne Frank,” and Kira Kovalenko’s Un Certain Regard selected “Unclenching the Fists.”
Zvyagintsev’s “What Happens,” which will be shot in the U.S., is written by Oleg Negin. It is a contemplation on the nature of human relationships, the state of modern man, and the fragility of human life. Rodnyansky and Zvyagintsev collaborated on “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” both of which were nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
“After Andrey finished working on ‘Loveless,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Alexander Rodnyansky has spent his career being prolific on the international scene and Cannes 2021 is no different, with the producer in town touting three buzzy upcoming projects, alongside attending the premieres of two of his latest pictures: Ari Folman’s Where is Anne Frank and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists.
Rodnyansky’s slate includes What Happens, which will mark the English-language debut of the twice-Oscar-nominated director of Loveless and Leviathan Andrey Zvyagintsev. Pic is the director’s contemplation on the nature of human relationships, the state of modern man, and the fragility of human life, the team said.
“After Andrey finished working on Loveless, which I always thought was the final film of our Russian trilogy, we took a break. Only last year we have been discussing our potential future plans and finally decided that our next film would be in English. It has always been my belief that Andrey’s work,...
Rodnyansky’s slate includes What Happens, which will mark the English-language debut of the twice-Oscar-nominated director of Loveless and Leviathan Andrey Zvyagintsev. Pic is the director’s contemplation on the nature of human relationships, the state of modern man, and the fragility of human life, the team said.
“After Andrey finished working on Loveless, which I always thought was the final film of our Russian trilogy, we took a break. Only last year we have been discussing our potential future plans and finally decided that our next film would be in English. It has always been my belief that Andrey’s work,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Alexander Rodnyansky, the Russian producer whose films — including Leviathan and Beanpole – have landed four Oscar nominations, has unveiled a new slate of features set for production in 2021 and 2022.
Announced in Cannes, where Rodnyansky’s films Where Is Anne Frank from Ari Folman and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists are getting their world premieres, the three-film strong slate includes the next movie from Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), the first English-language film from Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless), and a documentary by Godfrey Reggio, which Rodnyansky will co-produce alongside Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh.
Balagov — who won the Cannes International Critics Prize with Closeness and the Un Certain Regard ...
Announced in Cannes, where Rodnyansky’s films Where Is Anne Frank from Ari Folman and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists are getting their world premieres, the three-film strong slate includes the next movie from Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), the first English-language film from Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless), and a documentary by Godfrey Reggio, which Rodnyansky will co-produce alongside Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh.
Balagov — who won the Cannes International Critics Prize with Closeness and the Un Certain Regard ...
Alexander Rodnyansky, the Russian producer whose films — including Leviathan and Beanpole – have landed four Oscar nominations, has unveiled a new slate of features set for production in 2021 and 2022.
Announced in Cannes, where Rodnyansky’s films Where Is Anne Frank from Ari Folman and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists are getting their world premieres, the three-film strong slate includes the next movie from Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), the first English-language film from Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless), and a documentary by Godfrey Reggio, which Rodnyansky will co-produce alongside Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh.
Balagov — who won the Cannes International Critics Prize with Closeness and the Un Certain Regard ...
Announced in Cannes, where Rodnyansky’s films Where Is Anne Frank from Ari Folman and Kira Kovalenko’s Unclenching the Fists are getting their world premieres, the three-film strong slate includes the next movie from Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), the first English-language film from Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless), and a documentary by Godfrey Reggio, which Rodnyansky will co-produce alongside Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh.
Balagov — who won the Cannes International Critics Prize with Closeness and the Un Certain Regard ...
Bulgaria, a small Eastern European country of 7 million, is having a moment. For only the second time, Bulgarian is a main spoken language in a big Hollywood film. Joining 2004’s The Terminal is Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, with Bulgarian the language spoken by Borat’s daughter Tutar, played by Maria Bakalova in one of the breakout performances of 2020. The comedy has catapulted the unknown Bulgarian actress into global superstardom and major awards contention, with a slew of year-end awards to her name already.
Bakalova, 24, also has a small part in the Bulgarian Oscar entry The Father, giving a visibility boost to the Karlovy Vary-winning title. What’s more, The Father and its directors contributed to Bakalova’s big break in Borat 2.
In a Zoom chat conducted in their native tongue, Bakalova (whose last name is pronounced bah-kah-loh-vah) shares her Cinderella story with fellow Bulgarian expat, Deadline’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, Nellie Andreeva,...
Bakalova, 24, also has a small part in the Bulgarian Oscar entry The Father, giving a visibility boost to the Karlovy Vary-winning title. What’s more, The Father and its directors contributed to Bakalova’s big break in Borat 2.
In a Zoom chat conducted in their native tongue, Bakalova (whose last name is pronounced bah-kah-loh-vah) shares her Cinderella story with fellow Bulgarian expat, Deadline’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, Nellie Andreeva,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Virus crisis hits film distributor of art house hits including ‘Honeyland’.
Independent Dutch distributor Contact Film is to close down after more than 30 years due to the ongoing virus crisis.
The Arnhem-based company has been a major buyer of arthouse titles since being founded by Gérard Huisman in 1991, with recent titles including the Oscar-nominated Honeyland and Oliver Laxe’s Cannes award-winner, Fire Will Come.
But Huisman confirmed to Screen that Contact Film had ceased acquiring new titles and will shutter the business within the next two years.
Huisman had already planned to step down as CEO but discussed the possibility...
Independent Dutch distributor Contact Film is to close down after more than 30 years due to the ongoing virus crisis.
The Arnhem-based company has been a major buyer of arthouse titles since being founded by Gérard Huisman in 1991, with recent titles including the Oscar-nominated Honeyland and Oliver Laxe’s Cannes award-winner, Fire Will Come.
But Huisman confirmed to Screen that Contact Film had ceased acquiring new titles and will shutter the business within the next two years.
Huisman had already planned to step down as CEO but discussed the possibility...
- 1/11/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Wen Tien-hsiang is one of the few film festival bosses who have been able to go ahead with an in-person event this year. He spoke with Variety to describe the challenges that remain.
Variety: What are the conditions that have allowed the Ghff to go ahead as an in-person event this year?
Wen Tien-hsiang: Good control of the Covid-19 situation in Taiwan has enabled this. And with fewer new-released films in theaters, the Golden Horse Film Festival offers an even better chance to see many new films. Therefore, we are attracting bigger audiences. But we still have to obey the strict rules of mask-wearing and body temperature checking.
Has the Ghff adopted any practices from the virtual or online festivals that have been held in other territories.
All of our films are still screened in theaters, with approximately 60 Q&As with filmmakers attending in-person. And there are three online Q&As.
Variety: What are the conditions that have allowed the Ghff to go ahead as an in-person event this year?
Wen Tien-hsiang: Good control of the Covid-19 situation in Taiwan has enabled this. And with fewer new-released films in theaters, the Golden Horse Film Festival offers an even better chance to see many new films. Therefore, we are attracting bigger audiences. But we still have to obey the strict rules of mask-wearing and body temperature checking.
Has the Ghff adopted any practices from the virtual or online festivals that have been held in other territories.
All of our films are still screened in theaters, with approximately 60 Q&As with filmmakers attending in-person. And there are three online Q&As.
- 11/19/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
In “Spagat,” his feature film debut, Swiss director Christian Johannes Koch tells the story of a high school teacher whose double life begins to come apart while also examining the difficult life of an immigrant laborer with no papers.
Set in rural Switzerland, the film follows Marina, a married mother and teacher who is having an affair with Ukrainian immigrant Artem. Their secret relationship is threatened when the man’s daughter, Ulyana, is arrested for stealing — an incident that has far-reaching consequences for all of them. “Spagat,” a German and Russian word that means both “balancing act” and “the splits,” reflects the situation Marina finds herself in as she tries to find a solution to an increasingly growing problem as well as that of the ambitious Ulyana, an aspiring young gymnast.
Speaking to Variety about the film, Koch, who wrote the script with Josa Sesink, said several factors led to the making “Spagat,...
Set in rural Switzerland, the film follows Marina, a married mother and teacher who is having an affair with Ukrainian immigrant Artem. Their secret relationship is threatened when the man’s daughter, Ulyana, is arrested for stealing — an incident that has far-reaching consequences for all of them. “Spagat,” a German and Russian word that means both “balancing act” and “the splits,” reflects the situation Marina finds herself in as she tries to find a solution to an increasingly growing problem as well as that of the ambitious Ulyana, an aspiring young gymnast.
Speaking to Variety about the film, Koch, who wrote the script with Josa Sesink, said several factors led to the making “Spagat,...
- 9/20/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
The pandemic is awful, obviously, but there have been some highlights inspired by it. One of those highpoints is Team Deakins, the podcast that legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins—known for his work with the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Denis Villeneuve, among many others—started with his wife and digital workflow consultant James Ellis Deakins. Their podcast has included many guests that the Deakins have worked with including Sam Mendes, John Crowley, and Denis Villeneuve.
Continue reading Joel Coen Talks Switch To Digital Filmmaking, Hating Orson Welles & His New Fave Filmmaker: Andrey Zvyagintsev at The Playlist.
Continue reading Joel Coen Talks Switch To Digital Filmmaking, Hating Orson Welles & His New Fave Filmmaker: Andrey Zvyagintsev at The Playlist.
- 8/4/2020
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
One of the greatest collaborations in the last few decades of filmmaking has been that of directors Joel and Ethan Coen and cinematographer Roger Deakins. While they’ve haven’t teamed together on their latest projects, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Joel’s forthcoming solo directorial effort, The Tragedy of Macbeth, they clearly still keep up a friendship as Joel Coen has joined Deakins for an extensive chat on the cinematographer’s recently launched podcast.
The Minnesota-born director discussed his early filmmaking days, casting choices, which directors he took a long time to warm up to (John Ford and Orson Welles), his admiration for Andrey Zvyagintsev, making films for different platforms, and much more. In one of the most interesting sections, he discusses what genres he may or may not return to.
“The thing I just did was Shakespeare, which was completely out of my wheelhouse, but was very interesting,...
The Minnesota-born director discussed his early filmmaking days, casting choices, which directors he took a long time to warm up to (John Ford and Orson Welles), his admiration for Andrey Zvyagintsev, making films for different platforms, and much more. In one of the most interesting sections, he discusses what genres he may or may not return to.
“The thing I just did was Shakespeare, which was completely out of my wheelhouse, but was very interesting,...
- 8/3/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While international audiences have gotten used to Russian auteurs on red carpets from the Croisette to the Dolby Theatre, where directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev and Kantemir Balagov (“Beanpole”) have scooped up prestigious awards and Oscar nods, more and more Russian filmmakers are focused on making a splash in the global market.
Buoyed by high-octane actioners and genre titles with slick special effects, international sales for Russian films have been rising roughly 20% per year, according to film promotion body Roskino. During the Cannes virtual market, many foreign buyers may be tempted to give the country’s commercial fare a second look. “It’s the perception that needs to change,” says Central Partnership CEO Vadim Vereshchagin. “Our productions are at the same level as the European productions right now.”
Central Partnership has a strong Cannes slate that includes “Chernobyl,” a big-budget actioner about the aftermath of the nuclear power plant meltdown,...
Buoyed by high-octane actioners and genre titles with slick special effects, international sales for Russian films have been rising roughly 20% per year, according to film promotion body Roskino. During the Cannes virtual market, many foreign buyers may be tempted to give the country’s commercial fare a second look. “It’s the perception that needs to change,” says Central Partnership CEO Vadim Vereshchagin. “Our productions are at the same level as the European productions right now.”
Central Partnership has a strong Cannes slate that includes “Chernobyl,” a big-budget actioner about the aftermath of the nuclear power plant meltdown,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Sales agents face challenging times due to disrupted film festival and market circuit.
French sales agents association Adef has raised the alarm for the future of those independent film productions that were due to hit the festival circuit this spring and summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down numerous film events including the Cannes Film Festival.
The Paris-based body is calling for greater cooperation between film festivals to ensure productions in the mix for premieres at cancelled events such as Cannes, Locarno and Karlovy Vary are not left out in the cold. The association represents some 40 French sales companies, or 95% of France’s sales sector.
French sales agents association Adef has raised the alarm for the future of those independent film productions that were due to hit the festival circuit this spring and summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down numerous film events including the Cannes Film Festival.
The Paris-based body is calling for greater cooperation between film festivals to ensure productions in the mix for premieres at cancelled events such as Cannes, Locarno and Karlovy Vary are not left out in the cold. The association represents some 40 French sales companies, or 95% of France’s sales sector.
- 5/19/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
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.