Author: Deadline

A second edition of SXSW London has been confirmed, running from June 1 to 6, 2026, with the organizers opening submissions for session proposals for the event’s three verticals of conference, music and screen. Confirmation of the event, which will run once again in East London, follows this year’s inaugural edition, featuring more than 400 talks, 1,067 speakers, 562 music performances and 114  film and TV screenings. Alongside the expert curation of the SXSW London programming, the open submissions process plays an integral role in the festival. It received an 9,868 submissions across its three verticals for the first edition.…

The Director’s Guild of America (DGA) has announced Christopher Nolan as its new president during Saturday’s Biennial National Convention. The 2x Oscar-winning Oppenheimer director was appointed to succeed Lesli Linka Glatter, among a new slate of officers and new members of the DGA’s National Board of Directors, chosen by 167 delegates, who represent the 19,500-strong union of directors. Also elected on Saturday were Laura Belsey as National Vice President, Paris Barclay re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer, Todd Holland as First Vice-President, Ron Howard as Second Vice-President, Gina Prince-Bythewood as Third Vice-President, Seith Mann as Fourth Vice-President, Millicent Shelton as Fifth Vice-President, Lily…

EXCLUSIVE: Swedish directorial duo’s Alexander Rynéus and Per Bifrost’s haunting documentary Once You Shall Be One Of Those Who Lived Long Ago won glowing reviews when it premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival last month. The work, about a dying mining community in northern Sweden, makes its national debut this weekend in the Nordisk Panorama film festival in Malmö and Deadline can reveal the international trailer. Set in the slowly disappearing town of Malmberget in northern Sweden, the documentary explores what remains when a place vanishes – not only physically, but emotionally and culturally. Built atop one of Europe’s…

EXCLUSIVE: Léa Seydoux is set to star in Marie Kreutzer’s upcoming drama Gentle Monster alongside Jella Haase, Laurence Rupp and Catherine Deneuve, with the cast unveiled as the production gears up for principal photography. The production marks Kreutzer’s first feature since her critically acclaimed 2022 historical drama Corsage, starring Vicky Krieps as the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi.   Seydoux will lead the cast in the role of a renowned pianist who, after relocating with her family to the countryside, uncovers a life-shattering truth that forces her to confront the complexities of love, trust, and deception. The film is…

Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken a 54% stake in the MBC Group as it seeks to strengthen its position as a key player in the MENA region’s media and entertainment landscape. The Riyadh-based MBC Group announced that PIF had acquired a 54% in the company from Istedamah Holding Company’s (a subsidiary of the Saudi Finance Ministry) for an aggregate price of SAR 7,469 million ($1.9B), at a price of SAR 41.60 ($11) per share. PIF’s plan to take a stake in the group was first announced in a filing to the Saudi stock exchange in November 2024.…

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has announced he is pulling state funding for the country’s Ophir Awards after drama The Sea, which focuses on the struggles of a Palestinian boy living under occupation in the West Bank, won the top prize. Under Israel’s protocol, the winner of the Best Film Ophir is automatically put forward as Israel’s Oscar candidate. The production spearheaded by Israeli filmmaker Shai Carmeli-Pollak and Palestinian producer Bahaer Agbarian, follows Khaled, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy living in the landlocked West Bank on his way to visit the sea for the first time in his life, until at…

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Renée Taylor (The Producers) is returning to the screen opposite Tony nominee Austin Pendleton (My Cousin Vinny) in short film When Robert Met Judith. The story follows Robert (Pendleton), an elderly man in a nursing home who drifts through a quiet routine until Judith (Taylor), a fellow resident, reaches out with warmth and persistence. Related Stories Directed by Yaniv Rokah, the film is produced by Jerry Silverhardt, Roi Vadai and Christine Sheaks, known for her casting work on Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Red Rock West. Cinematography is by Ari Rothschild and Tristan Cohen. “This…

Italian film body Anica has revealed the 24 films submitted as candidates to be Italy’s Best International Feature Film in the 98th Academy Awards. A selection committee overseen by Anica will meet on September 23 to decide which film will be put forward as the country’s candidate. Italy’s last submission was Maura Delpero’s World War Two drama Vermiglio, which was selected after winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice in 2024, and then made it as far as the shortlist. A number of Italy’s candidates for the 2026 Best International Feature Film Oscar made their debut in competition…

SWIPED Section: Gala Presentations Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg Screenwriters: Bill Parker, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Kim Caramel. Logline: Lily James stars in the real-life story of Whitney Wolfe Herd. Panelist: Lily James. Key Quote: “Swiped is inspired by the real life story of Whitney Wolfe Herd, who is a visionary founder. She created Bumble, the dating app, and our movie tracks her journey from leaving college. [After that] she breaks into the male-dominated tech space and launches not one but two huge dating apps that take off like rocket ships. And we track the kinds of challenges and adversity she faces along the way — the highs…

EXCLUSIVE: When the Eaton Fire tore through the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 7 it reduced thousands of houses and buildings to ashes, including the homes of award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner and her brother, producer David Timoner. Ondi was in Europe with her wife, the composer Morgan Doctor, working on a film when the fire erupted. After reuniting with her brother and her mom Lisa – who was rescued from the wildfire by David Timoner – Ondi quickly regrouped and began to document the decimated community around her. Her new film All the Walls Came Down opens tonight…