Author: SD

Gay stories on film and television should encompass an entire spectrum of experiences, according to Elsinore star and producer Andrew Scott, speaking in his Screen Talk at the BFI London Film Festival today.  “I welcome things like Heartstopper, Heated Rivalry and Red, White & Royal Blue, and all those things that are joyful,” said Scott, in response to a question about his response to some criticism of Andrew Haigh’s 2023 film All Of Us Strangers, in which he starred, for indulging in the pain of gay people. “The fact that there’s lots of different types of gay drama is extraordinary. “[The pigeon-holing] troubles me a bit.…

Ray Panthaki’s In Starland, Jose Maria Cabral’s Sh*t Happens and Alison Kuhn’s The Matriarch are among 21 world premieres selected across the Official Competition and First Feature Competition sections at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF, November 6-22). All 12 titles in the Official Competition are world premieres, including Sh*t Happens, a dark comedy from Dominican filmmaker Cabral. It follows a wealthy Dominican household where the biotechnologist father develops a treatment for his sickly daughter, only for the miracle remedy to get out of control. Cabral’s feature Woodpeckers premiered at Sundance in 2017. Scroll down for the list of…

After nearly a year in pursuit, regulatory hurdles and a stand-off with 12 US states and Writers Guild of America who raised antitrust concerns, David Ellison has closed the $111bn merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD). Some 14 months after Ellison’s Skydance acquired Paramount, the 43-year-old mogul’s new entity – called Skydance – presents a rival in size to Netflix and Disney with its two storied film studios, cable, streaming, and news operations. However it comes at a cost. Ellison and his team will need to service a debt load of approximately $80bn. He will also need to…

David Ellison has named his leadership team for the merged Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery, ahead of the expected closing of the $111bn deal tomorrow. The leadership team for the combined company, called Skydance, was announced today by chairman and CEO Ellison, and new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, the former Mattel boss who was appointed last week. Scroll down for full leadership Andy Gordon becomes president of Skydance, working closely with Ellison and Co-CEO Kreiz. An early advisor to Skydance Media, he helped orchestrate its acquisition of Paramount in 2025 and Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. He is currently chief strategy officer…

Pierre le Gall’s truck driver romance Flesh And Fuel scooped the Golden Eye for best film at Zurich Film Festival. The Feature Film Competition jury, headed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, said that, “At a time when isolation has become a means of protecting ourselves from the world and from one another, Flesh And Fuel offers a compelling and deeply cinematic reflection on the fundamental human need for connection. Scroll down for the full list of winners “With exquisite sensitivity, the film explores how the desire to love and be loved demands that we confront, and ultimately break through the physical…

September 2026 posted a 3% year-on-year increase at the UK-Ireland box office, with year-to-date takings now 21% ahead of the equivalent period in 2025. The month brought in £73.3m, slightly ahead of the £71.2m from last year. This contributed towards a £976.6m total so far for 2026, up on the £806.4m from the same period last year, according to figures provided by Rentrak.  Rank Film (origin)Distributor  Release date 4/9/26-1/10/26 Total 1  Resident Evil (US)  Sony  18/9/26  £9.9m  £9.9m 2   Practical Magic 2 (US)  Warner Bros  11/9/26  £7.5m  £7.5m 3   Pressure (UK-US)  Studiocanal  11/9/26  £6.2m  £6.2m 4  …

The combined Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery will be known simply as Skydance, according to co-CEO David Ellison. Ellison announced the corporate moniker in a social media statement today, ahead of the expected closure of the $111bn merger on October 6. He said the Skydance name would allow Paramount and Warner Bros. “to remain in the spotlight” as distinct brands. “Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling,” wrote Ellison, saying he wants to “preserve what has made each of these studios iconic… We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either…

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team looks back on Screen International’s ‘Financing the Future of UK Film’ summit, which brought together major industry figures to discuss the state of the UK indie sector. Watch above or listen below To download or subscribe to future episodes, search for ‘The Screen Podcast’, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast and YouTube. Host and Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller is joined by deputy editor Louise Tutt and senior reporter, UK & international Ben Dalton to discuss what themes emerged from the panels, including the importance of angel investors and…

UK distributor and producer-financier True Brit has filed for administration three years after launching with a focus on UK independent films. Founded by Zygi Kamasa, the former head of Lionsgate UK and Europe and Marv Studios, True Brit launched in November 2023 with an ambitious plan to co-finance more than $150m of UK independent productions over its first three years, with backing from international music management company Three Six Zero. In a statement to Screen, Kamasa said: “In extremely challenging market conditions, the company has taken the difficult decision to enter administration. An independent specialist has now been appointed to…

Ava DuVernay’s 14th and Isaki Lacuesta’s Flamenco Sketches are among more than 100 films selected so far for the 2026 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA, November 12–22). Both titles will play in the Signed strand, which aims to showcase “the latest cinematic adventures of some of the most original filmmakers of our time”, according to the festival. Ava DuVernay’s 14th, which traces the legacy of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment from Reconstruction to the present, will have its world premiere as the closing film of the New York Film Festival in October before coming to IDFA and then playing globally on…