“Train Dreams,” a lyrical drama about a logger whose work developing America’s railroad keeps him laboring in isolation, has sold to Netflix. The film earned rave reviews after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Variety’s Peter Debruge calling it a “modest monument” and praising it for “creating a record that history somehow missed.” […]

Unlike other showcases with a strong market component, the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival does not require selected films to arrive as world premieres. That choice stems as much from allegiance to a devoted local audience that expects the best as from an understanding of wider industry dynamics.  “Our market also needs high standards,” says programmer […]

Midway between Paris and the Mediterranean coast, France’s Clermont-Ferrand has become the world’s preeminent hub for short-form cinema, hosting both a festival and a market with unparalleled international reach. Now celebrating its 46th edition – which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 8 – the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival has long been a springboard for emerging […]

French-U.K. outfit Alief has acquired international sales rights to Indian filmmaker Bhargav Saikia’s supernatural folk horror “Bokshi,” ahead of its world premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Harbour section. The film follows Anahita, a troubled teen who finds solace in Shalini, a mysterious history teacher leading a trek to an ancient site called ‘The Navel.’ […]

The Variety & Adobe The Future of AI Filmmaking panel at the Sundance Film Festival featured a conversation by film executives about how AI is currently being used in entertainment as well as how it will shape the industry going forward. The panel, moderated by Variety’s executive editor Brent Lang, featured Meagan Keane, director of […]

“Together,” a horror film with Dave Franco and Alison Brie, has sold to Neon after premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The feature, from first-time writer-director Michael Shanks, was one of the rare to spark a bidding war. Yet the sale still took several days to close. A24 was also in the running at […]

U.S. filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, now based in Denmark, worries his “home country is perhaps becoming a dictatorship.”   “It remains to be seen. The question we all face, each and every one of us, is this: ‘Is it too late for us?’ I encourage you to look up and see that above you, there’s still a […]

Variety & Audible’s Cocktails and Conversations panel at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival brought together journalist Ronan Farrow, Audible’s chief content officer Rachel Ghiazza and actors Juliette Lewis, André Holland and Mamoudou Athie to discuss storytelling for modern audiences. The panel discussion was moderated by Variety Executive Editor Brent Lang. Farrow, who signed a deal […]

The story around Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut, “The Legend of Ochi,” took a drastic turn, as so many Hollywood stories did, with this month’s Los Angeles fires. Saxon lost his home in the blaze, and the film’s theatrical release was pushed back. However, having spent years developing and working on the fantasy feature, Saxon is […]

The Göteborg Film Festival is set to push the boundaries of art and activism with a groundbreaking live-streamed civil disobedience event, inviting visitors to become part of the action from their cinema seats. This year’s festival, themed “Focus: Disobedience,” promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between art and rebellion. In collaboration with […]

“The School of Housewives,” a popular Icelandic drama that debuted last year on public broadcaster RÚV, is a major contender for this year’s Göteborg Nordic Series Script Award, the biggest prize for TV screenwriting in Scandinavia. The series turns Hekla, who, after being in and out of rehab since she was a teenager, enrolls in […]

Endemol Shine Boomdog, the producer of Max Limited Series “Like Water for Chocolate,” has joined forces with Brazil’s A Fábrica to launch A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic. Both are part of Banijay Americas. The new label will focus on producing scripted content for the Mexican, Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets, and is set […]

The 6 p.m. telenovela slot at Globo — the free-to-air channel of the biggest production force in Latin America — has long been known for its highly successful, family-oriented period pieces, from “The Thorn and the Rose” to “Pepper Chocolate.” Currently on air, “She’s the One” is eyeing to join this prestigious rank. Speaking exclusively […]

Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s (HKIFF) Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) has unveiled a slate of 25 in-development projects for its 23rd edition, with renowned auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu among the heavyweight filmmakers backing emerging talent. Among the highlights is “Yellow,” directed by newcomer Yamaura Miyoh and produced by Kore-eda. The film […]

South Korea’s Green Narae Media won the inaugural Unifrance Distribution Prize at this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, claiming $10,290 in prize money honoring the distributor’s innovative local rollout of Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Taste of Things.” Released in South Korea this past June, the Cannes prizewinner turned French Oscar submission went on to bank […]

Actor-director Daniel Auteuil and key “Emilia Perez” collaborator Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux have set up their next features with Les Films Velvet, the auteur-focused production outfit behind this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris opener “The Musicians” as well as Rebecca Zlotowski’s upcoming, Jodie Foster-led thriller “Vie Privée.” After last year’s Cannes-launched legal thriller “An Ordinary Case,” Auteuil […]