Author: SD

Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just An Accident, Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life, Hafsia Herzi’s Cannes best actress-winning The Little Sister, and Ugo Bienvenu’s 2D animation Arco have made the shortlist for France’s international feature film Oscar submission at the 98th Academy Awards in 2026. The films were selected by a recently revamped 11-member selection committee appointed by France’s culture minister Rachida Dati per a recommendation from national film body CNC, which announced the selection on Wednesday evening after a day of deliberations (Sept. 10). The committee – which this year remains anonymous – will reconvene…

Fledging North American distributor Row K Entertainment has made its first acquisition, taking US and Canadian rights at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire. The true story of the 1977 kidnapping that turned an aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur into a folk hero will open before the end of the year and will get an awards push. Sources pegged the deal in the mid-seven figures and it is understood Row K concluded negotiations on Monday night with WME Independent and Elevated Films on behalf of the filmmakers. WME Independent also handles international sales. This is the…

Cate Blanchett is set to star in fantasy drama Sweetsick, written and directed by Alice Birch, for Searchlight Pictures. Production will begin this autumn in the UK and Greece. Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Theo Barrowclough from House Productions are producing Sweetsick alongside Blanchett via her outfit Dirty Films. Film4 is executive producing and co-financing. In the film, Blanchett plays a woman with a special gift for seeing what others most intimately need and often at great personal cost. Further casting is to be announced. Sweetsick is Birch’s directorial debut. The UK filmmaker is already a prolific screenwriter with credits including Succession, Normal…

In what would be the first major on-site deal of 2025 TIFF, Focus Features are understood to be in exclusive negotiations for most of the world on Midnight horror Obsession in a deal in the $10-15m range. Curry Baker’s directorial debut premiered on Friday night and follows Bear, who uses a trinket with supernatural properties to get the apple of his eye, Nikki to reciprocate. When Nikki becomes infatuated with Bear, his plan backfires when he realises she may be in the control of a malign entity that wants to claim them both. Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette star in the…

Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2025 Venice Film Festival on a night when politics took centre stage. Scroll down for full list of winners The anthology of family stories stars Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling and Vicky Krieps. The Match Factory is handling sales, with Mubi distributing in select territories. In his winners speech, Jarmusch referenced the many political speeches of the night, saying: “I appreciate what (fellow winner) Benny Safdie said about empathy – art does not have to address politics directly to be political, it can engender…

Amir Azizi’s Inside Amir and UK feature Bearcave were among the winners of the 2025 edition of Giornate degli Autori, the independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival. Iranian filmmaker Azizi received the €20,000 cash director’s award. Inside Amir follows a young man in Tehran on the verge of emigrating to join his girlfriend Tara in Italy; but facing up to his decision in his final days in Iran. Written and directed by Azizi, the film is produced by Azizi, Elham Azizi and Ali Azizi for Fog Films. “It reminds us of how daily routines, movements, and conversations with friends…

US independent distributors have a lot on their minds heading into the 50th anniversary edition of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, September 4-14), when their early fall festival appetite will come under scrutiny. The theatrical space remains challenging. Few buyers have the wherewithal to compete with Hollywood majors and streamers, especially as platforms are said to be low-balling pay 1 and pay 2 licence fees that can help theatrical distributors afford minimum guarantees and robust release commitments. Yet there are grounds for cautious optimism. Resourceful distributors continue to adapt and board projects earlier in the lifecycle to better compete with…

Jean Prewitt will step down as president and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) at the end of 2025 after a 25-year tenure at the organisation. IFTA has retained the firm McCormack + Kristel to support its search for Prewitt’s successor. Prewitt and the IFTA board have been planning the transition for several months, and she will work with her successor during the transition. The highly regarded Prewitt recently ensured the return to Los Angeles of the American Film Market (November 11-16) after a single edition in Las Vegas. The ultimately unpopular move to the Nevada desert followed…

Global media powerhouse Canal+ said on Tuesday (September 2) it has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire a 34% stake in French cinema group UGC. The deal would further expand the Paris-based media and telecommunications group’s reach with a major move into theatrical exhibition. If the minority acquisition is completed, Canal+ would hold the option for full control of UGC from 2028. UGC is a leading French cinema and audiovisual production group with one of France’s most robust cinema chains that includes 55 cinemas (48 in France and seven in Belgium) and millions of admissions each year. It owns several multiplexes…

UK-Ireland top five, August 29-31 Rank   Film (origin) Distributor   August 29-31 Total   Week 1 The Roses (UK-US)  Disney £2.2m  £2.2m 1 2  Jaws  (US) Universal £1.1m £1.1m 1 3  Weapons (US)  Warner Bros  £838,351 £10.4m 4 4  The Bad Guys 2  (US) Universal  £807,222  £11.9m 6 5  Freakier Friday (US) Disney  £744,302 £7.4m 4 GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.35 Disney’s The Roses was the pick of the bunch this weekend at the UK-Ireland box office, opening to £2.2m from 694 sites, for a location average of…