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Salma Hayek Takes ‘Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet’ To Middle East
44 minutes ago
Doha – Salma Hayek and a delegation from the passion project she produced, animation pic “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet,” pranced down the red carpet of the second Ajyal Youth Film Festival in Doha, as the event, where 450 youths are the jurors, wrapped on a high note.
“The Prophet” was partly financed by the Doha Film Institute. “I have to say that the first support that I got was from Doha,” Hayek said during a presser.
“For us it was very important to have in the project someone who was also from the region,” she added. “As international as this film is, it does have the Middle East at its core and this was important for us.”
The out-of-competition Doha gala screening of “The Prophet” was preceded by the first live performance of themes from the film by composer Gabriel Yared who conducted a twenty-member orchestra on stage, which also performed »
- Nick Vivarelli
Doha Film Institute Unveils New ‘Qumra’ Event
2 hours ago
Doha – The Doha Film Institute has unveiled the configuration of its long-gestating Qumra event dedicated to fostering first and second works from around the world within an innovative framework blending creative workshop and festival elements.
At the core of the event will be in-depth master classes for young filmmakers to be held by top notch global talents. Booked to date as “Qumra Masters” are Mauritanian maverick helmer Abderrahmane Sissako (“Timbuktu”); Romanian Palm d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”); Foreign Oscar winner Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”); and pluriprized Iranian actress Leila Hatami (“A Separation”).
The first edition, set to take place in Doha from March 6-11 2015, will
seek to serve as a creative laboratory/production springboard for directors and producers of up to twenty-five projects, some of them shorts, all of which already within the Dfi fold. Selected projects will be either recipients of its grants program, »
- Nick Vivarelli
Sony Hacking: North Korea Denies Involvement, Praises Attack
2 hours ago
North Korea has denied involvement in the ongoing cyber attack on Sony Pictures, according to the state-run Kcna news agency. However, North Korea’s top military body told Kcna that the hacking is “a righteous deed” that may have been carried out by its supporters to protest Sony’s upcoming comedy “The Interview.”
The news agency quoted the National Defense Commission as saying, “The hacking into the Sony Pictures might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the (North) in response to its appeal.”
Several months ago, North Korea warned of “merciless retaliation” if the U.S. government supported the release of the film, which revolves around a fictional plot to assassinate the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
Though the studio has not yet found out who is connected to the widespread leaks of employee information, inside business information as well as entire movies, some reports indicated »
- Variety Staff
‘Snowpiercer’ Named Best Picture by Boston Online Film Critics
7 hours ago
The Boston Online Film Critics Assn. favored dark-horse indies on Saturday, naming “Snowpiercer” the year’s top film. Tilda Swinton was tapped supporting actress for the film, which the Weinstein Co. released theatrically and on VOD.
Fox Searchlight was a big winner, with its “Birdman” nabbing four prizes: for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, supporting actor Edward Norton, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, and for acting ensemble. The company’s “Calvary” was a double victor, for actor Brendan Gleeson and for screenplay (John Michael McDonagh).
“Two Days One Night” scored for actress Marion Cotillard and foreign-language film. The film is distributed domestically by Sundance Selects.
The Boston Online Critics clearly favored arthouse fare rather than the major-studio films that are also in the Oscar race. Among the exceptions: the animated film prize went to “The Lego Movie,” and editing to James Hervert and Laura Jennings for “Edge of Tomorrow.” Both are from Warner Bros./Village Roadshow. »
- Tim Gray
Sony Hack ‘Unparalleled and Well Planned Crime,’ Cyber Security Firm Says
9 hours ago
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton told employees of the embattled studio Saturday that the hack attack that has resulted in the leak of employees’ personal information and internal business documents is unprecedented in nature.
Lynton’s email message was obtained by Variety and includes a note from Kevin Mandia, the founder of the cyber security firm Mandiant that Sony has tapped in recent weeks to help it respond to the breach.
Mandia argues that Sony could not have been fully prepared for the assault because “the scope of this attack differs from any we have responded to in the past, as its purpose was to both destroy property and release confidential information to the public. The bottom line is that this was an unparalleled and well planned crime, carried out by an organized group.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and Sony has been working with law enforcement officials »
- Brent Lang
Watch: Ben Stiller Wants to Be More Like Adam Driver in ‘While We’re Young’ Trailer
10 hours ago
Ben Stiller is an old man with a hat trying desperately to stay young with a little help from a new friend.
A24 has released the first trailer for Noah Baumbach’s upcoming comedy “While We’re Young,” and it’s equal parts cringeworthy and hilarious. The film centers around Stiller and Naomi Watts, who play fortysomething husband-and-wife filmmakers going though a midlife crisis when they meet Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried.
The young Brooklyn hipsters bring out their childlike-wonder and force them to confront how far they’ve come in life — one hip-hop class and one fixie bike ride at a time.
“While We’re Young” premiered to rave reviews at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and opens in theaters on March 27, 2015.
»
- Maane Khatchatourian
Watch: Cameron Diaz Sings ‘Little Girls’ in ‘Annie’
11 hours ago
Cameron Diaz’s Miss Hannigan makes it abundantly clear that she doesn’t like “little girls” in a new clip from the upcoming musical dramedy “Annie.”
The cantankerous alcoholic caretaker tells her foster children that Annie isn’t their true friend before breaking out into song and dance with a new version of the classic tune “Little Girls.”
The film, which also stars Quvenzhané Wallis as the titular orphan, Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks, Rose Byrne as Grace and Bobby Cannavale as Stacks’ political adviser, hits theaters on December 19.
“Annie” was among the Sony titles that leaked online last week in the hack attack that continues to cripple the studio.
»
- Maane Khatchatourian
Marrakech Jury Talks About Films in Competition and the Red City
11 hours ago
Marrakech — At Saturday’s press conference, which took place at the 14th Marrakech Film Festival, the jury, presided over by Isabelle Huppert, discussed motives for attending the festival, their views on cinema, as well as their relationship with Marrakech.
Asked what led her to accept to be jury president, after other high-profile engagements, such as a similar role at the Cannes Festival in 2009, Huppert explained that she was particularly attracted by Marrakech’s emphasis on auteur cinema and the high number of films by new directors: Eight of the 15 films in the Official Selection are freshman outings.
“For any film worth being called a film of cinema, each work reflects the soul of the director, and the difference from one film to another reflects the different personal identity of the creator,” she explained.
Huppert stated that she thinks this year’s Official Selection is very rich, from five continents, including national cinemas that interest her. »
- Martin Dale
J.K. Rowling to Release Harry Potter Short Stories Beginning Next Week
11 hours ago
It’s going to be a magical Christmas, after all.
J.K. Rowling will release 12 Harry Potter short stories this month in celebration of the 12 days of Christmas, the Telegraph reports. At least one of the stories will reportedly focus on Harry’s nemesis Draco Malfoy.
The author made the announcement in a newsletter to Harry Potter publishing website Pottermore members on Friday. The installments will be posted online daily beginning on Friday, December 12, at 5 a.m. Pt and continuing until Christmas Eve.
Pottermore teased “wonderful writing by J.K. Rowling in Moments from ‘Half-Blood Prince,’ shiny gold Galleons and even a new potion or two.”
Rowling wrote 5,000 words for Pottermore on Halloween about another character, Dolores Umbridge — a teacher at Hogwarts.
»
- Maane Khatchatourian
Ventana Sur Registers Further Consolidation
14 hours ago
Buenos Aires –Film Factory’s “Spanish Affair,” FilmSharks’ “Americano 3D,” Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s “Scherzo Diabolico” and Rhayuela’s “Alias Maria” were four of a large litany of titles that saw some business at a robust sixth Ventana Sur, which once more witnessed now-hallmark growth: new sections, such as a European Day and transmedia showcase Interactuar; the mass support of the Latin American and international genre community for Ventana Sur’s genre mart Blood Window; a Thierry Fremaux master class; and two big Spanish-language production-distribution announcements: on Daniel Calparsoro’s “No Crook, No Crime” and Pablo Trapero’s “The Clan.”
Delivered to a Sro crowd, Fremaux’s master class formed part of a renamed Cannes Festival Film Week, which saw some of the biggest titles at Cannes – “Winter Sleep” and ”Mommy,” for instance – unspool in Buenos Aires at Fremaux-hosted presentations.
Now a fixture, and Latin America’s prime film market, »
- John Hopewell
Chris Pratt Shares His Son’s Premature Birth Story at March of Dimes Celebration of Babies
14 hours ago
In a speech both touching and funny at Friday’s March of Dimes Celebration of Babies, Chris Pratt shared about his son Jack’s premature birth, born nine weeks early at just 3 pounds, 12 ounces. “That’s a decent-sized bass,” he said to laughs from the star-studded crowd at the Beverly Wilshire. “Very small for a human.”
“I’ve done all kinds of cool things as an actor — I’ve jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody’s daddy,” Pratt said. While Jack was in the Nicu, Pratt said he cherished moments where he’d cradle his son skin-to-skin. “I made promises in that moment about what kind of dad I wanted to be and I just prayed that he’d live long enough that I could keep them.”
Pratt and his »
- Janine Lew
‘Ant-Man’ Officially Wraps Filming
14 hours ago
“The ants have left the building.”
Director Peyton Reed announced on Friday that filming has wrapped on Marvel’s “Ant-Man.”
“And that’s it! Principal photography on Ant-man is now complete,” he tweeted before teasing upcoming news. “Stay tuned…”
And that's it! Principal photography on Ant-man is now complete. The ants have left the building. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/xj5h9qFyo6
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) December 6, 2014
Marvel started principal photography on August 19 in San Francisco, but the majority of the film was shot in Atlanta. “Ant-Man” hits theaters on July 17, 2015, marking the character’s (one of the founding members of the Avengers) introduction to the bigscreen.
The movie, which was supposed to be helmed by Edgar Wright before he dropped out unexpectedly after being attached to the project since 2006, stars Paul Rudd as the titular superhero (Aka Scott Lang). Evangeline Lilly plays Hope Pym, the daughter of Michael Douglas’ Dr. »
- Maane Khatchatourian
Watch: ‘The Simpsons’ Takes on ‘Frozen’ in Holiday Couch Gag
15 hours ago
It’s only fitting that the biggest animated show is paying homage to the biggest animated film.
The couch gag for this year’s “Simpsons” holiday special contains an “obligatory ‘Frozen’ reference” one minute and 15 seconds into the opening credits.
The “Frozen” riff will precede this Sunday’s holiday episode, titled “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas.”
In the clip, the family meets Lisa on a frozen pond in front of their icy couch. When Bart hurls a snowball at his little sister, Lisa channels her inner Elsa, materializing an ice castle that grows instantaneously, trapping Bart high in the sky (ay caramba, indeed).
However, it’s Homer who steals the show as Olaf when he eats his own carrot nose.
»
- Maane Khatchatourian
‘Mockingjay’ Continues Winning Streak With $22 Million in Post-Thanksgiving Slump
16 hours ago
With no new wide releases in this traditionally slow post-Thanksgiving weekend, “Mockingjay” domination continued.
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1” topped the U.S. box office on Friday with $6.6 million. The penultimate installment of the hit franchise is headed for its third consecutive win with $22 million — twice as much as this weekend’s runner-up, “The Penguins of Madagascar.”
If estimates hold, “Mockingjay” will finish the weekend with a 17-day U.S. total of $258 million-plus, or 23% below the 17-day total for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” at the same point last year. It’s unlikely that the movie will reach “Catching Fire’s” $424.7 million cume.
However, the film is on par with the third weekend earnings of “Catching Fire.”
Despite its under-performance compared to the previous installments, “Mockingjay” will overtake “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which hauled $259.8 million, by Monday as the year’s second-highest grossing film. “The Guardians of the Galaxy »
- Maane Khatchatourian
Film Review: ‘The Physician’
22 hours ago
For those who miss the substance and scope of films like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Man Who Would Be King,” Philipp Stoelzl’s “The Physician” restores one’s faith in the medium — if not necessarily one’s faith in faith. A hearty historical epic that pits intellectual progress against the stifling influence of world religions, this absorbing adaptation of Noah Gordon’s international bestseller — better known abroad, where the film has earned more than 3.5 million admissions, airing on German television in its full four-hour form — tells of a lowly English urchin who travels halfway around the globe to study under Persian thinker Ibn Sina.
Though never widely embraced in the States, Gordon’s immersive 1986 novel introduced world readers to medieval hero Rob Cole, a Christian lad so committed to advancing the sorry state of 11th-century medicine that he disguised himself as Jewish (going so far as to perform his »
- Peter Debruge
Marrakech Opens with Career Tribute to Adel Imam
23 hours ago
Friday’s opening ceremony of the 14th edition of the Marrakech international film festival, saw a bevy of international directors and actors, including Isabelle Huppert, Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons, walk the red carpet into the Palais des Congres.
Since its debut edition in 2001, the Marrakech fest has established itself as one of the leading cultural events in Africa and the Arab world.
Each year, the festival has succeeded in attracting high-profile names from throughout the world, with regular repeat guests who are enthusiastic to return to the Red City. This year’s edition is no exception.
The daily televised red carpet entrances and gala tributes, replete with television crews and press photographers, have ensured that Marrakech has become an important promotional platform for filmmakers from throughout the world.
The fest’s glamorous atmosphere is further reinforced by the fact that top guests stay in some of Marrakech’s most luxurious locations, »
- Martin Dale
Marrakech Hosts Events for Europe’s Top Distributors and Sales Agents
6 December 2014 12:03 AM, PST
This year’s Marrakech international film festival will host two high-profile events — a two-day workshop with distributors’ network Europa Distribution, on Dec. 10-11, and the annual meeting of Europa International, the organization that reps European sales agents, on Dec. 11-12.
One of Marrakech’s key goals over recent years has been to foster stronger ties with industry professionals, thus creating synergies between the fest’s overall focus on world cinema and new market opportunities.
Twenty members of Europa Distribution will attend a workshop on “Effective Communication in Professional Interactions and in the Negotiation Process,” to discuss how to optimize acquisition strategies in today’s increasingly complex market. The event results from a new partnership with the Marrakech International Film Festival. Independent distributors from various countries, including Moroccan distributors, will attend.
The workshop’s agenda targets the specific challenges faced by European independent distributors, including how to efficiently communicate projects and »
- Martin Dale
‘Citizenfour’ Wins Best Feature Award from International Documentary Association
5 December 2014 10:13 PM, PST
Laura Poitras’ Edward Snowden documentary “Citizenfour” has won the International Documentary Association’s award for best feature.
Poitras received the award Friday night in ceremonies at the Paramount lot.
“What he did was probably the most extraordinary act I’ve ever seen so we could know more as citizens,” Poitras said in her acceptance.
Poitras met Snowden while working on a documentary about governmental surveillance in the post-9/11 era. She began receiving emails from “citizenfour,” who wrote, “I am a senior government employee in the intelligence community. I hope you understand that contacting you was extremely high-risk.”
Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald journeyed to Hong Kong to meet with the person she had been corresponding with, who turned out to be Snowden. Snowden ultimately handed over top-secret documents that revealed covert surveillance programs run by the Nsa.
“Citizenfour” won over “Finding Vivian Maier,” “Point and Shoot,” “The Salt of the Earth »
- Dave McNary
Sony Buys Sci-Fi Drama ‘Passengers’ from ‘Doctor Strange’ Writer
5 December 2014 6:43 PM, PST
Sony Pictures has bought the rights to sci-fiction drama “Passengers,” written by “Doctor Strange” scribe Jon Spaihts.
Neal Moritz and Ori Marmur will produce through Moritz’s Original Film banner along Michael Maher for Start Media and Stephen Hamel of Company Films.
Earlier this year, Focus Features had been in talks to acquire U.S. rights to “Passengers” with Keanu Reeves starring. “Passengers” went back on the market after the Weinstein Co. ditched the project after acquiring the rights with Reese Witherspoon attached; the actress later departed and was replaced by Rachel McAdams, who has also left the project.
Spaihts’ script is set on a spacecraft in the future with thousands of passengers making an interstellar voyage to a new planet. One passenger awakens from cryogenic sleep 90 years before anyone else, then awakens a female passenger.
Spaihts’ credits include “Prometheus.” Disney-Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” will star Benedict Cumberbatch and be released in November, »
- Dave McNary
‘California,’ ‘Honeymoon,’ ‘Similars’ Top Primer Corte, Blood Window
5 December 2014 6:15 PM, PST
Buenos Aires –In a show of Mexico’s strength in depth in young genre pic talent, Isaac Ezban’s “The Similars” and Diego Cohen’s “Honeymoon,” won two prizes a piece at Ventana Sur’s Bloody Window Work in Progress, a section where all six plaudits went to Mexican productions; Brazilian Marina Person’s “California” topped Ventana Sur’s pix-in-post Primer Corte, a films-at-rough-cut competition for general features.
Partnering with Blood Window in a two-way exchange of projects, the Austin Fantastic Fest selected two projects for next September’s Fantastic Market, the other big Latin American genre industry showcase.
Also at Ventana Sur to screen his completed debut, fest fave “The Incident,” scribe-helmer Isaac Ezban’s“The Similars,” high-concept, low-fi sci-fi – a burgeoning trend in Latin America – won a Wildfox/Assimilate color-correction/xfx consultancy award, plus title credits design coin from Mexico’s Morbido Fest. “Honeymoon,” a raw basement torture movie, »
- John Hopewell
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