News

Studiocanal’s Scandi powerhouse Sam Productions, co-founded by star writers Adam Price, Søren Sveistrup and producer Meta Louise Føldager Sørensen, is gearing up for an expansive slate of event series most-likely to shake the Kingdom of Denmark and take global viewers by storm.

“We’re working on our biggest slate ever,” said Sørensen, credited for more than 60 films and series, including the Oscar-nominated “A Royal Affair,” “The Wife,” starring Glenn Close, and Lars von Trier’s Cannes winner “Melancholia.”

Toplining Sam’s TV projects is “By the Grace of God,” Denmark’s own version of “The Crown” based on the life of Queen Margrethe II from her birth in 1940 until her abdication earlier this year. Filming of the blockbuster series, ordered by Danish commercial pubcaster TV2, is due to start in August 2025. Sara Namer serves as producer.

Based on an original idea by Sveistrup, the biggest-ever fiction drama about the Danish ruling monarchs,...

Exclusive: Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series has cast the title character’s older brother. Max Irons (Condor) is set as a series regular on the Prime Video show, playing Mycroft Holmes opposite Hero Fiennes Tiffin’s Sherlock. Speculation about Irons’ casting started last month when he was snapped on the set of the series; his character had not been revealed until now.

Inspired by Andy Lane’s book series, Young Sherlock is described as an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in a re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes (Fiennes Tiffin) is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.

In addition to Fiennes Tiffin,...

Una madre lucha por salvar a su familia. © Netflix

Netflix ha publicado el primer tráiler y póster de su nueva película de terror “La Liberación”, basada en una historia real.

En “La Liberación”, Ebony Jackson, una madre soltera con dificultades que lucha contra sus propios demonios se muda con su familia para empezar de cero. Sin embargo, unos sucesos extraños en la nueva casa levantan las sospechas de los servicios sociales y amenazan con destruir a la familia. Ebony pronto se ve inmersa en una batalla por su vida y por el alma de sus hijos.

“La Liberación” está dirigida por el nominado a los Óscar Lee Daniels (“Precious”) y protagonizada por Andra Day (“Los Estados Unidos contra Billie Holiday”), Glenn Close (“La Buena Esposa”), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“El Color Púrpura”) y Mo’Nique (“Precious”).

“La Liberación” se estrena en Netflix el 30 de agosto.

¡Os dejamos con el tráiler y póster de la película!

Halle Berry and Glenn Close are set to star alongside Kim Kardashian in an upcoming Hulu legal drama that hails from Ryan Murphy, Variety has learned.

The series was first announced in December 2023 and is currently titled “All’s Fair.” As reported at that time, Kardashian will play a successful divorce lawyer who leads an all-female law firm in Los Angeles. Exact details for Berry and Close’s characters are being kept under wraps. Both women will also serve as executive producers on “All’s Fair,” as will Kardashian. Close will produce under her Trillium Productions banner.

The role marks a return to television legal dramas for Close, who famously starred in the FX series “Damages” as notorious lawyer Patty Hewes. Close earned two of her three Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe for her work on the show. Close is a 14-time Emmy nominee and won her other statuette...

Halle Berry and Glenn Close have joined the ensemble cast of Hulu’s All’s Fair, a new legal series from Ryan Murphy and Kim Kardashian. All four serve as executive producers.

The series is described by Murphy as “a high-end, glossy and sexy adult procedural.” Berry and Close will star opposite Kardashian who work together at an all-female law firm in the legal drama, penned by Jon Robin Baitz (Brothers & Sisters), writer of Murphy’s Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans and Joe Baken. Information regarding Berry and Close’s roles is under wraps.

All’s Fair marks the first series for Murphy under his new deal at Disney, with 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios, producing in association with Ryan Murphy Television. Jon Robin Baitz, Joe Baken, Jamie Pachino, Laura Greene and Richard Levine executive produce alongside Murphy, Kardashian, Berry alongside her producing...

Beta Cinema has arrived in Cannes with a slew of sales on its resistance epic William Tell.

Currently in post-production, screenwriter Nick Hamm’s adaptation for the big screen of Friedrich Schiller’s play stars Danish actor Claes Bang (The Square), Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson), Connor Swindells (Barbie, Sex Education), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid, The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List, Iron Man).

The story takes place in the 14th century, “amidst the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation.” William Tell, a formerly peaceful hunter, finds himself forced to take action as his family and homeland come under threat from the oppressive Austrian king and his ruthless warlords.

The film’s ensemble cast also includes Ellie Bamber (Moss & Freud, Nocturnal Animals), Rafe Spall (Life of Pi,...

More than 30 years after Reversal of Fortune, Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close are ready for their Encore.

The pair, who faced off as Claus and Sunny von Bülow in the 1990 Oscar-winning thriller are set to reteam in the upcoming best-agers comedy, from British director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn, Downton Abbey: A New Era).

Close and Irons, who also co-starred in Mike Nichols’ award-winning Broadway play The Real Thing, both winning Tony Awards for their performances, last shared the screen in 1993’s The House of Spirits. In Encore, they will play two former Broadway icons, Marie and Nigel, who become residents of a retirement home. Once there, they discover a community of forgotten talents and Marie decides to put on a show, hoping to revive Nigel’s passion for theatre and help him embrace this new chapter in their lives.

Henry Winkler (Barry, Arrested Development) and Don Johnson (Knives Out) are attached to co-star.

Acclaimed actress Glenn Close displayed her good sense of humor when she shared a series of selfies on Instagram that showed her face bruised from a recent medical procedure.

In the candid close-up shots, Close playfully poses for the camera with tousled hair and a cozy cardigan. Alongside the images, she wrote, “I think this is going to be a particularly Good day,” in anticipation of her 77th birthday.

She acknowledged the bruises and explained that she had undergone a minor procedure to address a small break in her nose, but emphasized that she still felt as beautiful as ever.

While Close’s Instagram account typically features scenic landscapes and occasional political posts, the actress recently shared a video of herself making goofy faces.

“It’s morning in a new place away from home. I’m wishing I didn’t have to wash and brush my hair. #bedhead,” she wrote in the caption.

New in theaters is “One Life” starring legendary actor Anthony Hopkins as real-life British humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton. Just three years ago he led French playwright Florian Zeller‘s feature directorial debut “The Father.” It not only managed to win him a second Oscar for Best Actor following “The Silence of the Lambs” back in 1991, but it also made headlines. One reason was how it was unconventionally the final award presented during the telecast that year because the sentimental favorite, Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), was widely expected to win posthumously. Hopkins pulled off a huge upset, though, and he wasn’t even there to accept it. How did that win happen? Here are five reasons.

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1. Hopkins had a very awards-friendly role

His character in “The Father” was an aging man suffering dementia. Multiple actors had won accolades for...

Glenn Close’s career brought her an eighth Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category for her role as Mamaw, the chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, “Terminator” franchise fan and tough-love proponent who takes her struggling grandson under her wing in Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Some critics thought Close was the saving grace of the film based on J.D. Vance’s memoir that focuses on an Appalachian family who have fallen on hard times when their once-thriving steel mill town in Ohio is riddled by poverty, addiction, domestic abuse and dead-end jobs.

Close holds the title of the most Oscar losses for an actress, in a tie with the late Peter O’Toole’s losing streak. Olivia Colman‘s performance as ditzy Queen Anne in “The Favourite” allowed her to be crowned with the Best Actress title over Close’s work in 2018’s “The Wife.”

Tour our photo gallery ranking the 17 best movies of Close’s career,...

This year, Gold Derby’s Oscar winners odds derived from the predictions of a record 11,034 users, constituting a 1.6% participation increase compared to 2023. Naturally, such a large group is prone to intense hive mentality, which can be a good or bad thing, often depending on the category. In this case, the crowd had a handle on most of the 23 races, but there were still quite a few that tripped them up, leading to our lowest rate of accuracy in five years.

By the end of the 96th Oscars, six of Gold Derby’s expected wins had failed to pan out, making for a final accuracy rate of 73.9%. Each subgroup whose predictions were used to calculate our combined odds – including 29 industry experts, 12 in-house editors, and thousands of regular users – collectively finished with the same percentage, although our editors stood alone in being right about Best Costume Design but wrong about Best Live Action Short.

The Academy Award is the most prestigious in the film industry. The statuette represents the pinnacle of cinema, and every actor dreams of joining the league of elites who have won the trophy before them and etched their names in the annals of history. While winning the trophy is something that every budding actor aspires to work towards in their career, even an Oscar nomination holds value.

Hollywood has seen many stars come and go over the years, but very few have truly left a mark. Here are nine actors with the most nominations, whose incredible body of work forced the Academy to acknowledge their effort.

1. Tom Hanks

Hanks in Forrest Gump (Source: Forrest Gump)

Tom Hanks is one of the most venerated actors in the industry. Throughout his career, Hanks has displayed his acting range, from comedic to dramatic roles, and has nailed them all. The Forrest Gump star has seven Oscar nominations,...

Some years many of the acting categories at the Oscars are unpredictable, like last year when Best Supporting Actress could’ve gone to Angela Bassett, Kerry Condon or Jamie Lee Curtis. This year, three of the four acting categories already seem locked up: Best Actor for Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”). Thankfully, however, we do have suspense in Best Actress, with the final prize going to either Emma Stone for “Poor Things” or Lily Gladstone for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Here are the five reasons why I think Stone will still win on Oscar night …

1.The film and her performance have been critical favorites since August.

“Poor Things,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, has been a critical and audience favorite since it premiered at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals. The movie holds a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes at 351 reviews,...

This year’s Best Actress Oscar race is perhaps the biggest head-scratcher of all of the main categories, becoming a make-or-break race for the fourth straight year.

It all began when Lily Gladstone surprised pundits with her move up to the lead category for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” then was halted by Emma Stone for “Poor Things” at the Critics Choice Awards (after both won Golden Globes in their respective categories). Stone continued to succeed at the BAFTA Awards after Gladstone was shockingly snubbed. And it seemed that she was on a roll to victory to her second Oscar, only to be stopped in her tracks at the SAG Awards by, you guessed it, Gladstone. This push and pull between the two actresses has created back-and-forth mania over who will ultimately win out, and even though Gladstone has overtaken the lead currently in the combined Gold Derby odds at...

For the fourth consecutive year, we’ve got a firecracker of a Best Actress Oscar race. Lily Gladstone took home the Screen Actors Guild Award on Saturday for “Killers of the Flower Moon” over Emma Stone, who had been on a roll since the two won their respective Golden Globes, having pocketed the Critics Choice and BAFTA Awards for “Poor Things.” Now they each have an industry prize and Best Actress feels like a coin-flip. Gladstone has closed the gap on Stone in the Oscar odds since Saturday. Don’t be surprised if she overtakes the top spot soon. But when the SAG Awards and BAFTAs don’t align in Best Actress, which one has the edge at the Oscars?

Since BAFTA became an Oscar precursor 23 years ago, the Brits and the actors guilds have disagreed 13 times in the category prior to the Battle of the Stones. But not all splits are created equally.

Just 30 minutes after final voting for the Screen Actors Guild Awards wrapped up, I made a last-minute switch in my best actress prediction — from Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” to Emma Stone in “Poor Things.” Let this be a lesson: Second-guessing yourself is seldom a good idea.

Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American and Indigenous person to clinch an individual SAG Award for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman, in Martin Scorsese’s gripping crime saga. With a lead actress (drama) Golden Globe and a SAG Award now under her belt, Gladstone’s award-season momentum continues to be formidable. Historically, only seven performers have failed to win the Oscar after winning the unique combination of Globe and SAG:

1995: Lauren Bacall (“The Mirror Has Two Faces”) lost to Juliette Binoche 2001: Russell Crowe (“A Beautiful Mind”) lost to Denzel Washington (“Training Day...

Mumbai, Feb 18 (Ians) Actor Gurmeet Choudhary, known for his portrayal of Lord Rama in the television series ‘Ramayan,’ is currently shooting his latest project in Patiala, Punjab. He has offered a glimpse into his Sunday routine, kicking off the day with nutritious celery juice.

The ‘Geet – Hui Sabse Parayi’ fame actor took to Instagram Stories and dropped a photograph from Patiala. In the serene ambiance of a terrace bathed in sunlight, Gurmeet embraces the tranquility of a Sunday morning.

With a glass of celery juice in his hand, he indulges in a refreshing sip, setting the tone for a rejuvenating day ahead.

The post is captioned: “Good morning #patiala.” There is also a sticker which reads: “Celery juice crew.”

On the work front, Gurmeet last featured in a 2021 movie ‘The Wife’. The horror film which was released on Ott, stars Sayani Datta alongside Gurmeet.

The actor also starred in...

Prime Video’s big February drop is Mr. & Mrs. Smith! No, not the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie action movie, but a new TV series kinda based on it starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. The set up for the show version? Glover and Erskine are two strangers who both get jobs at a shady spy agency and are asked to get married so that they can pretend to be a couple undercover, but things get more complicated when they start falling in love for real. Uh oh!

If you’re in the mood for a movie or two this month, you can also check out the Prime debuts of Strays, Bottoms, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. In the meantime, here’s everything coming to Amazon Prime Video and Freevee this month. Amazon Originals are accompanied by an asterisk!

New on Amazon Prime Video – February 2024

February 1

12 Angry Men...

Get ready to watch more Freevee this February! Most of the free streamer's new additions will come all at once on the first of the month, including the three-time Oscar nominee "A Soldier’s Story" directed by the recently departed Norman Jewison, the franchise-launching "How to Train Your Dragon," and more classics of the past four decades.

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for Freevee’s February additions, and continue below to see the full list!

Watch Now Free amazonfreevee.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Freevee in February 2024? “A Soldier’s Story” | Thursday, Feb. 1

Early-career Denzel Washington appears in a supporting role in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Soldier’s Play.” But it’s Howard E. Rollings Jr. who leads the cast here as Captain Richard Davenport, a Black Army investigator who travels to a remote military base to look into...

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary has talked about why historical shows and films do so well. He revealed that by watching such content one learns a lot. Asked Gurmeet why shows such as the Ramayana and Mahabharat do so well?

The actor, who gained stardom playing Lord Rama in the 2008 TV show ‘Ramayana’ alongside his wife Debina, said: “Our history teaches us a lot of things. Good content means that you bring out good stories in front of people. ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharat’ are very big stories.

“All the stories have one story and a story like this comes on television people love it. So, if you see any historical films or series… People love watching it and one learns a lot from it,” added the 39-year-old actor.

Gurmeet, who was last seen in ‘The Wife’ in 2021, will next be seen in the series ‘Maharana’, where he will essay the role of Maharana Pratap.

Glenn Close delivered a killer Golden Globes acceptance speech in 2019 when she pulled off an upset in Best Drama Actress by winning for “The Wife.” Lady Gaga was the frontrunner for her performance in “A Star is Born” but it was Close who took to the stage.

We could be in for a similar situation this year as Annette Bening looks to claim a career win of her own. The frontrunner for Best Drama Actress is Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). Also nominated are Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”), Greta Lee (“Past Lives”), and Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”). Bening’s path to a Golden Globe victory isn’t just merited by her veteran status, however. She also has the backing of the critics.

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) opined: “Nyad is played by Annette Bening, who trained for a year to ready herself for the physical demands of the role.

In 2019, “A Star is Born” went into the Golden Globes as a heavy favorite to win multiple awards, including Best Drama Picture, Best Drama Actor for Bradley Cooper, and Best Drama Actress for Lady Gaga. However, come Golden Globes night, the film was snubbed in almost every category. “Bohemian Rhapsody” won both Best Drama and Best Drama Actor (for Rami Malek) while Glenn Close won Best Drama Actress for “The Wife.” The only Globe that “A Star is Born” managed to win was Best Original Song for “Shallow”.

Cooper starred in that movie as well as directed, produced, and co-wrote it (with Eric Roth and Will Fetters). He returns to the Globes arena this year with another movie he made as a multi-hyphenate: Netflix’s “Maestro.” This one is also a drama about music as it depicts the marriage between composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).

Again,...

Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) will likely be on a collision course throughout the awards season. They’re both poised to win Best Actress at the Golden Globes — Stone for comedy/musical, Gladstone for drama — but at the Critics Choice Awards they go head-to-head and the winner will be … both of them? They’re actually tied in our odds.

An actual tie is unlikely at Critics Choice — though not impossible, just ask Lady Gaga (“A Star is Born”) and Glenn Close (“The Wife”). But as of this writing Stone and Gladstone are locked together at 18/5 odds based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users. When it comes to the Expert journalists we’ve surveyed from major media outlets, they’re dead even with five betting on Stone and five betting on Gladstone. For Gold Derby’s Editors who cover awards year-round it...

The Critics Choice Awards is renowned as one of the best barometers for predicting the Oscars. Over its 28-year history, these kudos have previewed 16 Best Picture Oscar winners as well as 23 Best Director, 19 Best Actor, 15 Best Actress, 18 Supporting Actor and 19 Supporting Actress champs. Let’s take a closer look at the results of the last seven awards seasons to see if the Critics Choice Awards are still a good luck charm to have in hand when making your 2024 Oscar predictions.

Last year, these kudos foresaw three of the five big Oscar wins for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”: Best Picture, Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) and Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan). However, the Cca went with Cate Blanchett (“Tar”) for Best Actress over Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) for Supporting Actress rather than Jamie Lee Curtis. The critics and academy concurred on Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) for Best Actor.

Sumptuous isn’t often used to describe movies but Celine Song‘s debut feature “Past Lives” fits that description. The A24 movie, which was released in US theaters on June 2, is a showcase for Greta Lee and Teo Yoo who play childhood best friends who get back in touch years later to find that they still have a connection. The movie merits a jaw-dropping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes — that is the highest score out of any of our predicted Best Picture contenders.

Critics singled out Lee, who turns in a masterful, restrained performance as a woman caught between two worlds. She toys with ideas of destiny vs reality, wondering “what if…” while remaining grounded. It’s a great performance from “The Morning Show” actress. Here’s just a sampling of her rave reviews:

Nick De Semlyen (Empire) proclaimed: “This is Greta Lee’s show: she’s magnificent in the role, by turns steely,...

First-look images have been unveiled for Beta Cinema, Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions take on ‘William Tell,’ focusing on the the epic story of the legendary crossbow-wielding warrior.

Amidst this backdrop, William Tell, a formerly peaceful hunter, finds himself forced to take action as his family and homeland come under dire threat from the oppressive Austrian King and his ruthless warlords. Leading his fellow countrymen, Tell embarks on a courageous rebellion to defend their liberty and stand against the oppressive forces that seek to subjugate them.

Also in news – Martin Scorsese on working with the Osage Community, Robert Di Niro & Leonardo DiCaprio on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Written by Nick Hamm, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s world-renowned classical play. The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land,...

The first look images of “William Tell,” the epic story of the crossbow-wielding warrior, have been released. The feature film is in its last week of principal photography in Italy. Beta Cinema is representing international sales rights with WME Independent handling North American rights.

Nick Hamm directs, based on his screenplay, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s play. Hamm’s credits include “Driven,” which was selected as the closing film at the Venice Film Festival 2018 and released by Universal; “Gigi & Nate” (2022); the Netflix series “White Lines” (2020); and “The Journey,” which premiered at Venice and Toronto in 2016.

The film stars Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.

The story unfolds in the 14th century amid the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire, when Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians,...

Cast also includes Ellie Bamber, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the crossbow warrior who shot an arrow through an apple on his son’s head and launched the struggle for Swiss independence.

Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and...

Cast also includes Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema has boarded international sales on Nick Hamm’s English-language feature William Tell, based on the classic story of the Swiss crossbow warrior.

Written and directed by Hamm, William Tell stars Claes Bang as Tell alongside Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham as well as Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.

Beta Cinema and production companies Free Turn Films and Tempo Productions have also released a first look of...

Exclusive: Emily Carey (House Of The Dragon), Claes Bang (The Square) and Suki Waterhouse (Seance) are set to star in psychological thriller Walk With Me, which HanWay Films is launching ahead of the AFM (see first marketing artwork below).

Claudia Bluemhuber of Silver Reel (The Wife) is serving as lead producer on the movie in which Carey will play a young woman plagued by a nightmarish creature from Celtic mythology. Jonny Blair (River City) is directing.

The project is being set up as a European co-production (with a European cast) and is aiming for an early 2024 shoot in Europe (it won’t be made under a SAG contract so isn’t seeking an interim agreement).

Silver Reel’s Alexander Jooss and Florian Dargel serve as executive producers. Silver Reel’s Jona Thompson and Jimmy Campbell-Smith will act as co-producers.

The script was penned by screenwriter Benjamin Farry, whose VR feature...

Africa is one of the fastest growing continents on the planet so it’s no wonder that global streamers have viewed the vast territory as the last frontier of growth in recent years. A young population coupled with a growing middle class and increasing internet connectivity (albeit the latter very slowly) has seen companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Canal+ battle it out with more established local players such as MultiChoice’s SVoD platform Showmax.

According to a report from Digital TV Research, Africa is expected to reach 18 million SVoD subscriptions by 2029, up from 8 million in 2023, bucking the U.S. trend. These are encouraging figures for global players who are already well established in Western and European countries.

While there are of course challenges (more on that later), what has become clear is that in order to harness even a portion of Africa’s 1.2 billion population, you have to...

Elvis isn’t dead. In fact, he’s very much alive and well after Baz Luhrmann‘s “Elvis” starring Austin Butler and, now, Sofia Coppola‘s “Priscilla,” featuring Jacob Elordi as The King.

However, as you can guess by the latter movie’s title, Coppola’s focus isn’t on Elvis but rather on the singer’s wife Priscilla, whom he was married to from 1967 until 1973. Coppola’s slow, purposeful drama puts the young Priscilla front and center and explores her complex relationship with Elvis — a relationship fraught with passion, power, power imbalance, and, frankly, abuse. The film from A24 lives and dies by its female lead and, thankfully, Cailee Spaeny soars in a breakout role as the titular Priscilla. And critics agree.

Marlow Stern (Rolling Stone) noted: “Spaeny, who is 25 but makes for a convincing teenager, is an absolute marvel, nailing Priscilla’s complicated mélange of emotions — the wide-eyed wonderment and youthful desire,...

Actor couple – Debina Bonnerjee and Gurmeet Choudhary shared the sneak peek into their Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, featuring their two beautiful daughters Lianna and Divisha.

Taking to photo-sharing application Instagram, Debina shared beautiful pictures with her family, wherein they can be seen donning traditional attires. She also gave a wonderful glimpse of welcoming Bappa in their house.

Debina opted for a colourful saree, and completed the look with maang tikka, matching jhumkas and bangles. Gurmeet wore a ethnic brown kurta and pajama. The daughters were dressed in cute little frocks.

The post was captioned as: “Bappa is home. ‘Ganpati Bappa Moreya’. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to everyone, have faith and stay blessed.”

Gurmeet tied the knot with Debina on February 15, 2011.

On the professional front, Gurmeet was last seen in the 2021 horror film ‘The Wife’, directed by Sarmad Khan, starring Gurmeet and Sayani Datta. Debina was last seen as a guest in ‘Bigg...

Actor couple – Debina Bonnerjee and Gurmeet Choudhary shared the sneak peek into their Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, featuring their two beautiful daughters Lianna and Divisha.

Taking to photo-sharing application Instagram, Debina shared beautiful pictures with her family, wherein they can be seen donning traditional attires. She also gave a wonderful glimpse of welcoming Bappa in their house.

Debina opted for a colourful saree, and completed the look with maang tikka, matching jhumkas and bangles. Gurmeet wore a ethnic brown kurta and pajama. The daughters were dressed in cute little frocks.

The post was captioned as: “Bappa is home. ‘Ganpati Bappa Moreya’. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to everyone, have faith and stay blessed.”

Gurmeet tied the knot with Debina on February 15, 2011.

On the professional front, Gurmeet was last seen in the 2021 horror film ‘The Wife’, directed by Sarmad Khan, starring Gurmeet and Sayani Datta. Debina was last seen as a guest in ‘Bigg...

On August 15 Netflix debuted a teaser and first-look images for its biographical film “Maestro,” and while much of the discourse has been around Bradley Cooper and the decision to fit him with a prosthetic nose to play Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein, let’s not forget about his co-star Carey Mulligan, who plays his wife Felicia Montealegre. She’s just as prominent as he is in the teaser, where she’s actually credited before him, and she’s the one pictured from behind on the poster. Could this be her ticket to the Best Actress Oscar on her third try? Scroll down to see our graph illustrating her trajectory in the race.

As recently as August 16, Mulligan ranked eighth in the Best Actress race according to the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. By August 24 she was in sixth place and rapidly closing in on the top five. According...

Clockwise from top left: Terminator: Genisys (Paramount Pictures), Non-Stop (Universal Pictures), River Wild (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)Photo: The A.V. Club

Now that you’ve adjusted to Netflix’s new pricing plans and added your out-of-household members, it’s time to check out what the streamer will be adding to...

Netflix has new releases and old favorites coming this August. Because it’s approaching the end of summer and many families are spending time outdoors instead of in front of their TVs and devices, some new series and movies hitting Netflix may get swept under the rug. But with temperatures rising and rainy days coming and going, catching up on everything the streaming giant added for the month can be taxing. Luckily for users, The Streamable has everything Netflix has coming to the service for the month of August.

While Netflix’s Fall schedule is generally jammed packed with long-awaited series and Netflix Originals, streamers shouldn’t sleep on the month of August. From original action thrillers to interesting docuseries, we have five top movies and shows to be excited about before the eighth-month approaches.

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An aspiring writer recently graduated from Oxford descends upon the gloomy countryside estate of revered author J.M. Sinclair for a summer gig tutoring his son. Naturally, the young man, Liam, arrives bearing an unfinished manuscript with which he plans to impress his hero, but if there’s anything to be taken away from this “exquisitely made chamber piece”, it’s that meeting your idols isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Though the house overflows with contemporary art curated by Sinclair’s wife, Hélène, and light that pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows, sorrow echoes between its hallways and behind its locked doors. Two years earlier, we learn, the Sinclairs’ eldest drowned himself on the property, a trauma that sent J.M. into professional hiatus. Albeit for very different reasons, Liam’s arrival is just what the family has been waiting for, and he soon finds himself tangled...

Exclusive: SquareOne Entertainment CEO Al Munteanu says new European studio Vuelta Group is about “distributors who morph into producers — that’s our DNA, believing in film as a theatrical proposition, but also in TV production.”

As Deadline revealed this morning, Munich-based SquareOne has become part of Vuelta Group, a union of European film companies also including France’s Playtime and Scandinavia’s Scanbox, with more companies set to join this year.

SquareOne, founded by Munteanu in 2002, is well known as a distributor of movies including The Imitation Game, Book Club and The Wife. Recent Cannes market pre-buys include Breakout starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nic Cage’s sequel to Lords of War, and Daisy Ridley starrer Cleaner.

Munteanu, the former MTV and Rtl presenter, has been growing SquareOne’s TV (and podcasting) production footprint in recent years with the German adaptation of Your Honor, starring Sebastian Koch and Paula Beer, and Italian mafia series L’Ora.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expanding its membership.

According to a press release, the organization that hands out Oscars each year at the Academy Awards has extended invitations to join the Academy to 398 artists and executives who have made notable contributions to the motion picture industry.

“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement.

Read More: The Academy Announces 2024 Oscars Date As Well As Submission Deadline

There are some big names and familiar faces among the invitees, including musicians Taylor Swift and David Byrne, and numerous actors, ranging from Selma Blair to Keke Palmer to “Elvis” Oscar nominee Austin Butler.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan, Daniel Kwan, and Daniel Scheinert, recent acting nominees Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, and Stephanie Hsu, and bold-face names for the extremely online like Taylor Swift, Abel Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd), and Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav were among the 398 people announced as new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday.

“The academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy president Janet Yang in a joint statement.

This year’s class of new members is heavy on 2022 breakouts, like the aforementioned Kwan and Scheinert – invitees in both the directors’ brand and the producers’ branch. In keeping with academy practice,...

It’s that time of year again — the break between Cannes and the fall festivals, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes its membership invitations. The Oscars group said today that it has extended offers to 398 artists and execs — one more than last year — who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures.

The list includes actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians, executives, artist reps, publicists and below-the-liners such as casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, production designers and sound pros.

“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”

As usual, the invitees include newly minted Oscar winners,...

Nuri Bilge Ceylan likes to take his time. The Turkish director is one of the greatest living practitioners of slow cinema. The filmmaking ethos — pioneered by Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky and taken up by the likes of Theo Angelopoulos, Albert Serra, Béla Tarr, Kelly Reichardt and Lav Diaz — eschews the rapid editing and relentless nonstop forward-driving plots of the Hollywood blockbuster (looking at you, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) for a more contemplative, metaphysical approach.

The characters in a Ceylan movie don’t do much. There’s little action or traditional suspense, and the storylines are fairly basic. In 2002’s Distant, a rural factory worker visits his cousin in Istanbul. Homicide police unearth the body of a murder victim and take a long drive back to the city for the autopsy in 2011’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. An old actor, his wife and his sister sit...

At nearly 200 minutes in length, “About Dry Grasses” (or “Kuru Otlar Üstüne”) is par for the course for Turkish virtuoso Nuri Bilge Ceylan. He returns, once again, to the icy frost of his Anatolia-set Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep,” for a story that beats with similar frustrations towards power in the grand social scheme. However, he weaves this theme into his background tapestry, favoring instead a talkative and often discomforting tale of a small-town art teacher, his 12-year-old female student, and an accusation of impropriety that might be false on its surface, but is rooted in truths the camera sees.

Where “Winter Sleep” adapted Russian greats like Chekhov and Dostoyevsky — it draws from both “The Wife” and “The Brothers Karamazov”— “About Dry Grasses” plays like a spiritual descendant of Nabokov’s “Lolita,” at least in its use of point-of-view. Ceylan’s novelistic approach to cinema could perhaps find no...

Exclusive: UK company Architect was recently founded by sales executives Calum Gray and Max Pirkis, together with Patrick Fischer and Richard Kondal of financier Creativity Capital.

Gray and Pirkis previously worked together for five years at sales firm Embankment, including on Oscar winner The Father, Oscar nominee The Wife, Netflix’s hit Purple Hearts, and BAFTA nominated documentary McQueen.

Creativity Capital have invested in 28 independent films and TV shows, including the aforementioned McQueen and BAFTA winner Under The Shadow. Combining sales and Creativity’s financing, Architect is looking to become a go-to partner for indie producers.

Initial projects on the slate include survival thriller The Bayou, which is being produced by Fall and 47 Meters Down outfit Tea Shop, Mckenna Grace and Asher Angel teen romance 99 Days, Jenny Slate horror Mindful, BFI and BBC Film-financed Lollipop, and Sundance world premiere The Starling Girl.

We spoke to the partners about the company,...

March is Women’s History Month and we celebrate powerful and poignant portrayals of women on screen with these seven films new to HBO Max. They range from influential contributors to the arts to kick-butt characters (Scarlett Johansson in “Lucy” and Angelina Jolie in “To Those Who Wish Me Dead). And a pair of Oscar-caliber performances (Jodie Foster in “The Accused” and Glenn Close in “The Wife”).

Check out our picks for some of the best new movies to stream on HBO Max in March 2023 below.

Iris

Lucy

Selena

The Wife

The Accused

All The Beauty and the Bloodshed

Those Who Wish Me Dead...

Jean Dujardin and George Clooney Jean Dujardin and George Clooney

The two best actor nominees — Clooney for The Descendants and Dujardin (who went on to win) for The Artist — became fast friends on the awards circuit, which included cozying up at the 2012 Oscar Nominees Luncheon. They would go on to work together on 2014’s The Monuments Men, and Clooney enlisted Dujardin for a 2022 Nespresso ad that continued the friendly rivalry they had established during the Oscar race. An honorary mention for a Clooney awards-partner-in-crime goes to Brad Pitt, a longtime Bff, also nominated for best actor that year for Moneyball.

Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain

Both stars picked up Golden Globe wins to kick off the 2013 season, culminating in a best actress Oscar nomination for Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty and a best supporting actress nod (and win) for Hathaway for Les Misérables. The two...

This year’s supporting actress race looked all but sealed up after, in the space of a few days, veteran actress Angela Bassett was the recipient of both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice award for her reprisal of the role of Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” However, the remaining two major precursor awards ceremonies went to rival contenders. Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) was anointed SAG queen and Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) won at the BAFTAs.

Those split decisions mean the Best Supporting Actress race is completely up in the air. Half of our experts are still sticking with Bassett, but now eight back Curtis, and the remaining half dozen have their eyes set on Condon. Here are 5 reasons why the underdog, Kerry Condon, will come out on top this Sunday.

BAFTA is King

When acting races get close, the BAFTAs have...

Fan-favorite TV series and a host of exciting films arrive on HBO and HBO Max this month. The fourth and final season of Emmy-winning drama “Succession” kicks off on March 26, so mark your calendars. Meanwhile, the long-awaited second season of “Perry Mason” is upon us with a debut on March 6, while “The Last of Us” wraps up its acclaimed first season on March 12. And the Oscar-nominated documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” makes its streaming debut on March 19.

Noteworthy new library titles this month include the first two “Creed” films, the cult favorite “Speed Racer” and the Paul Rudd/Jason Segel comedy “I Love You Man.”

Check out the full list of what’s new on HBO and HBO Max in March 2023 below.

Also Read:

Where to Stream 2023’s Oscar-Nominated Movies Right Now March 1

A Dangerous Method, 2011

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, 2014 (HBO)

Basic, 2003 (HBO)

Beatriz at Dinner,...

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett has filed an appeal of his 2021 conviction for faking a hate-crime attack in Chicago in early 2019.

“The renewed prosecution of Mr. Smollett violated his due process rights,” attorney Heather Widell wrote in the court document filed Thursday (read it here), “because (1) Mr. Smollett fully performed his part of a non-prosecution agreement with the state by performing community service and forfeiting his $10,000 bail bond; and (2) the state benefited from taking and keeping Mr. Smollett’s bail bond without performing its end of the bargain. Thus, the violation of due process was prejudicial and requires reversal of Mr. Smollett’s convictions and a dismissal of the charges against him.”

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