Author: SD

Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, and Knives Out franchise producer Ram Bergman are among more than 1,200 entertainment industry figures to sign an open letter rejecting the recent petition to boycott Israeli productions, festivals and institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”. The letter from non-profits Creative Community For Peace and The Brigade said the pledge organised by Film Workers For Palestine, which was signed by thousands, was “a de facto attempt to silence Jewish stories and ostracise Israeli filmmakers”. “To censor the very voices trying to find common ground and express their humanity, is wrong, ineffective, and a…

Thousands of people are estimated to have turned out for a demonstration in San Sebastian on Wednesday (September 24) to protest Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. Crowds gathered in front of Victoria Eugenia Theatre after the Spanish premiere of Kaouther ben Hania’s Venice Silver Lion grand jury prize winner The Voice Of Hind Rajab and proceeded to march through the streets of the Basque city. San Sebastian Film Festival director José Luis Rebordinos, Spain’s minister of culture Ernest Urtasun, and filmmakers Isaki Lacuesta and Julio Medem were among the participants. The Voice Of Hind Rajab cast members Saja Kilani and Motaz Malhees…

UK actor-filmmaker Noel Clarke has been ordered to pay at least £3m within 28 days towards the legal costs of Guardian News and Media (GNM), after a High Court ruling dismissed his libel case against the publisher last month. The amount was determined by Justice Steyn at a hearing on Tuesday, September 23, according to PA News.  ”It seems to me that the sum of £3 million sought by the defendant is appropriate and no more than what ought to be reasonably ordered in this case,” said Steyn in her judgment. “It is substantially lower than the defendant’s likely level…

UPDATE: ABC owner Disney is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday (September 24) after it suspended the late-night show following remarks by the host in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A statement issued by The Walt Disney Company on Monday read: ”Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations…

Sony/Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle crossed $100m in its second weekend, holding on to number one in North America ahead of new arrivals Him from Universal, and a disappointing debut by Sony stablemate’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which was the buzziest acquisition out of the 2024 EFM. Anime smash Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle earned an estimated $17.3m from 3,342 locations to reach $104.7m. While the 76% drop from the record-breaking opening weekend’s $70.6m haul is heavy and reflects the film’s front-loaded appeal among fans, the film has done exceptionally well. It has earned more than $555m worldwide. Him, the psychological horror from…

Paramount is opening a genre division to be led by BoulderLight Pictures founders and Weapons producers J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules once their current deal with Warner Bros expires in January 2026. Lifshitz and Margules will develop, produce and release a slate of high-concept films that espouse the type of edgy fare there are renowned for, such as Barbarian, Zach Cregger’s pedecessor to this summer breakout Weapons, and Anna Kendrick’s feature directorial debut Woman Of The Hour. BoulderLight Pictures has the option to participate as equity co-financiers on projects under the deal. Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg…

UK film criticism has a gender pay gap of over 19% between men and women, wider than the national average of 13% for UK employees as of April 2024, according to an independent report of 186 UK-based critics commissioned by the Girls On Film podcast.  The gap is also wider than the 10% for media professionals, 13.2% for newspaper journalists, and 15.2% for those working in the creative industries, according to ’The Critical Gap’, report,  carried out by Forward Thought, and commissioned by Girls On Film ahead of its 200th episode. The report discovered the average yearly earnings from criticism for male…

Lionsgate will implement further redundancies and reduce its company-wide headcount by 5% or approximately 50 people. The move is expected to happen soon and marks further cost-cutting after staff lay-offs amounting to roughly 8% earlier this year.  Across Hollywood, companies have been cutting costs to meet the challenges of industry shifts. Speaking in July after the Skydance-Paramount merger closed, CEO David Ellison said the transaction would involve $2bn in cost cuts.  In a memo to staff obtained by Screen, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer wrote: ”Though we may continue to fine-tune the organisational structure of individual departments from time to time, today’s headcount reduction will…

France has selected Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident to represent the country in the best international feature film Oscars category. The film was selected by an 11-member committee and was one of five shortlisted finalists that included Richard Linklater’s homage to the French new wave Nouvelle Vague, Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life starring Jodie Foster, Hafsia Herzi’s Cannes best actress-winning The Little Sister, and Ugo Bienvenu’s 2D animation Arco. Members of the committee, appointed by France’s cultural minister Rachida Dati based on a recommendation by national film body CNC, met on Wednesday (September 17) with the producers, international…

Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice Of Hind Rajab will open the inaugural Doha Film Festival in November 2025. The film won the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize on its debut at Venice Film Festival earlier this month. It drew emotional reactions at both its first press screening and subsequent world premiere, where Ben Hania and cast received an extended standing ovation. A retelling of a real-life event from January 2024, The Voice Of Hind Rajab depicts the efforts of the Palestinian Red Crescent aid workers to save Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza who was killed…