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‘Dua’ Review: A Conflicted Kosovan Coming-of-Age Drama Beset by War

13 May 2026 at 11:16
A coming-of-age drama that gradually turns morose, Blerta Basholli’s sophomore feature “Dua” follows up her Sundance-winning 2021 debut “Hive” as a reflection of Kosovan women in the late 1990s. This time, however, the director draws from her own experiences as a girl who came of age in the shadow of the Kosovo War. The conflict […]

Berlin-Based Data-Driven Submission Platform Miralot Aims to Better Connect Filmmakers and Festivals (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 10:47
Ahead of this year’s Marché du Film in Cannes, former festival distributor Moritz Schneider is launching Miralot, a data-driven film festival matching and submission platform aimed at helping filmmakers navigate the increasingly fragmented global festival landscape more strategically. The Berlin-based platform, founded by Schneider and Justus Timm, is backed by Roger Crotti, former Disney chief […]

Peter Jackson Says ‘I Don’t Dislike’ AI in Film, Explains Not Directing Next ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie and Claims AI Debate Is Why Andy Serkis Won’t Win an Oscar for Gollum

13 May 2026 at 10:31
“Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson doesn’t “dislike” AI being used in film — but he thinks it’s a shame that the debate surrounding it is partly why Andy Serkis will never win awards for his motion-capture performance as Gollum. Speaking at a Cannes Film Festival masterclass the day after he was bestowed an […]

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Immersive Experience Set to Sail Into U.K. With Secret Cinema, Disney Theatrical Group

13 May 2026 at 10:23
An immersive theatrical experience based on “Pirates of the Caribbean” is coming to the U.K. Produced by Secret Cinema and TodayTix, and licensed via Disney Theatrical Group, “Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure” will sail into London in Feb. 2027 with an initial 10-week run. Described as an “all hands on deck experience,” […]

Macaulay Culkin ‘Had Unfinished Business’ With ‘Home Alone’ Mom Catherine O’Hara When She Died: ‘I Owed Her a Favor. I Don’t Like Having Outstanding Debt’

13 May 2026 at 09:52
Macaulay Culkin recently told Gentleman’s Journal that part of the reason why Catherine O’Hara’s death hit him so hard earlier this year is because “I felt that we had unfinished business.” O’Hara played Culkin’s mother in the comedy classics “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Escape from New York,” which combined grossed more than $830 million worldwide. “When […]

  • ✇Variety
  • Australia’s Screen Sector Is Booming. Now Comes the Harder Work Naman Ramachandran
    The boom is real. The ambition is bigger. When the Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” needed to recreate Stoke-on-Trent – a gritty English industrial city with little obvious resemblance to the Pacific – the production simply decamped to Queensland. “Nothing looked like Australia and we were able to execute that,” says Craig McMahon, CEO of […]
     

Australia’s Screen Sector Is Booming. Now Comes the Harder Work

13 May 2026 at 09:16
The boom is real. The ambition is bigger. When the Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” needed to recreate Stoke-on-Trent – a gritty English industrial city with little obvious resemblance to the Pacific – the production simply decamped to Queensland. “Nothing looked like Australia and we were able to execute that,” says Craig McMahon, CEO of […]

‘Mutt’ Star Lío Mehiel, ‘House of the Dragon’s’ Emily Carey to Lead Neo-Western ‘Camino,’ Beso and Pucci Productions Launching at Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 09:04
Lío Mehiel (“Mutt,” “After the Hunt”) and Emily Carey (“House of the Dragon”) are set to star in “Camino,” a neo-Western feature from Beso and Pucci Productions that will be introduced at the Cannes Market this week via Breaking Through the Lens. Written and directed by Annabella Fazio in her feature debut, “Camino” is described […]

Clémence Poésy Directorial Debut Among 18 Projects Pitched by Participants of Producers on the Move Program in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 08:34
European Film Promotion is playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects, which include “Vanda,” Clémence Poésy’s debut feature as a director. Lixi Frank, AustriaProject: “Fanny Is Alive”Director: Alexandra MakarováIn 1947, Fanny is […]

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Roasts Stephen Colbert as Selina Meyer From ‘Veep’ Before ‘Late Show’ Ends: ‘Your Cancellation Gave Trump Such Pleasure,’ You’re the ‘Stormy Daniels of Late Night’

13 May 2026 at 08:33
Julia Louis-Dreyfus stopped by Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” for one last interview before the CBS late night franchise comes to an end on Thursday, May 21. While she was on to promote her new movie, “The Sheep Detectives,” Louis-Dreyfus had a ruthless surprise in store for Colbert when she resurrected her “Veep” character Selena […]

Indonesian Horror Slate Heads to Cannes Film Market as Producer Intan Kieflie Launches ‘Ibu’ (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 08:24
Indonesian-Australian producer Intan Kieflie will present a focused genre slate at the Cannes Film Market through her companies Kraken Entertainment and Anak Negeri Films, including the market launch of “Ibu: Mother of the Lost,” a bilingual maternal horror project in pre-production with talent including Yayan Ruhian and Christine Hakim. Kieflie operates between Jakarta and Melbourne […]

Vietnamese Horror ‘The Scourge,’ Inspired by Hit Video Game, Leads Skyline Media’s Cannes Film Market Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 05:15
Skyline Media, a Vietnam-based international sales agent, is heading to the Cannes Film Market with a five-title slate led by “The Scourge,” one of the first feature film adaptations of a Vietnamese video game IP. The source game has topped China’s Steam Early Access chart, accumulated over 60,000 downloads, earned a 94% positive rating on […]

‘Quadrophenia’ Doc, Zandra Rhodes Film Among Projects at Sadie Frost and Simon Jones’ New Company Frost&Jones (EXCLUSIVE)

13 May 2026 at 05:15
Director-actress-producer Sadie Frost and producer Simon Jones have launched Frost & Jones, a production company developing premium documentary and scripted film and television. The venture follows the critical and commercial performance of Frost’s documentary “Twiggy” and is designed to span both scripted and unscripted formats with an eye on international markets. The anchor project is […]

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