Author: SD

Disney has named former Paramount top executive Daria Cercek president of its live action theatrical division. Cercek will oversee the studio’s live action theatrical slate, development and production of films inspired by the intellectual property stable, and champion original projects. She reports to president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios David Greenbaum. The upcoming Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios’ slate includes the third entry in the Avatar franchise towards the end of the year, as well as Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Tron: Ares, Predator: Badlands, The Devil Wears Prada sequel, the live-action Moana feature, and…

Ethan Hawke, speaking at the Berlinale press conference for Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, said audiences needed to care about offensive art if they wanted it to keep getting made. “You guys, the community, has to make it important for offensive art to have a place in our conversation. It has to be cared about,” Hawke said. He plays songwriter Lorenz Hart as he battles with alcoholism and depression on the opening night of Oklaoma! which was co-written by his former creative partner Richard Rodgers. “When we prioritise money at all costs, what we get is generic material that appeals to the most people…

Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail has taken the lead on Screen’s Berlin jury grid with a strong 3.4 while Ari, Dreams, The Ice Tower and Reflection In A Dead Diamond also land. The Blue Trail received four four stars (excellent) and five three stars (good), already beating the score of last year’s joint winners My Favourite Cake and The Devil’s Bath with 3.1. Denise Weinberg stars in the dystopian fable as a 77-year-old who embarks on a journey through the Amazon. Click on the image above for the most up-to-date version of the grid. Close behind was Michel Franco’s Dreams which secured an…

Conclave and The Brutalist shared out the major prizes at the 2025 Bafta Film Awards, with four prizes each. Scroll down for full list of winners The event was held tonight (February 18) at London’s Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank, with David Tennant hosting for the second time. More to follow. Full list of nominations Best Film Anora  The Brutalist  A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Leading Actress Cynthia Erivo – Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths Mikey Madison – Anora Demi Moore – The Substance Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun Leading Actor Adrien Brody – The…

A languid EFM was heating up a time of writing as at least three companies were believed to be locked in a bidding war for the Lena Dunham-Natalie Portman rom-com package Good Sex, with offers understood to be in excess of $45m heading into Saturday night. According to sources Netflix, Warner Bros and Amazon are believed to be in pursuit of the project, which FilmNation and CAA Media Finance took out to the market on the eve of Berlin. Portman will play a near-40-year-old therapist on the rebound who falls into a steamy fling with a young hipster at the…

Timothée Chalamet says he does not know if he will do many more films that require the investment that Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown has done. Speaking at the Berlinale press conference for James Mangold’s film, where Chalamet represented the film alone, Chalamet detailed the emotional and time investment the project has required from him. “This is the last word – I’ve been going around the world talking about this for two months,” said Chalamet. “I love this man [Dylan] so much and this movie so much, I would do it for a year.” Such efforts cannot be repeated…

Action-comedy Hitman 2 dominated the Korean box office for a second consecutive weekend, claiming 28% of admissions. The film earned $1.3m from Friday to Sunday (February 7 to 9), according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking service. The sequel has grossed $15m since its January 22 release, surpassing original Hitman: Agent Jun, which took $14.1m in 2020, and pushing the film past its break-even point of 2.3 million admissions. Kwon Sang-woo reprises his role as secret agent-turned-webtoon artist who, in this instalment, is falsely accused of plotting a terrorist attack. Ranking second was mystery romance Secret: Untold…

Studiocanal has appointed Alex Hamilton as chief international officer and Katheryn Needham as CEO of Studiocanal UK in a reshuffle of its senior team. The appointments will take effect from March 1, 2025. Hamilton, who has been CEO of Studiocanal UK since 2020, will oversee distribution and international operations across all of Studiocanal’s direct distribution territories: France, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Poland, plus Australia and New Zealand. He will also oversee the Studiocanal Kids and Family business, including the Paddington IP.  Needham will take on Hamilton’s current role as UK CEO, having been managing director of…

CAA Media Finance will handle North American sales and Paris-based Jean-Félix Dealberto the rest of the world on Argentinian filmmaker Lucio Castro’s psychological thriller After This Death, which will have its world premiere at Berlin Film Festival as a special gala screening. Castro wrote the script for the film about a woman whose life is thrown into chaos when the musician she’s having an affair with disappears, leaving her to fend off his obsessive fans and attempt to repair her broken marriage. The English-language film shot in upstate New York and stars Mia Maestro, Lee Pace, Philip Ettinger, Rupert Friend…

Two films – local hits The 47 and Undercover – shared the best film prize at Spain’s Goya awards on Saturday night (February 8). The 47 begun the ceremony with 14 nominations and won five awards – including best film, supporting actress and actor (Clara Segura and Salva Reina), production design, and special effects.  Arantxa Echevarría’s Undercover received 13 nominations and won best film and best actress for Carolina Yuste. Produced and distributed by The Mediapro Studio, Marcel Barrena’s The 47 is a social drama about a bus driver fighting for rights in a marginalized area of Barcelona, mainly populated…