Indian technology startup Vireza is developing a new mobile application that aims to revolutionize the theatrical movie-watching experience by allowing audiences to interact with films in real-time, founder Arjun Nittoor revealed at Film Bazaar. The technology, developed entirely in-house at the company’s Bengaluru R&D facility, enables moviegoers to participate in key story decisions throughout the […]

Celebrated Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who serves as festival director of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa, has outlined his vision for the 2024 edition, emphasizing a shift away from comparing Indian cinema to Western standards. “For a long time, at every festival, we’ve kind of looked down upon ourselves as though Indian […]

It is close to a decade since “Baahubali – The Beginning” shifted the paradigm for how a South Indian film should have been made and might normally have performed – the Telugu and Tamil-language fantasy actioner achieved nationwide distribution, broke records for international performance, supercharged the stardom of its leads and, naturally, sparked a sequel […]

Three documentary projects took top honors at this year’s Cairo Film Connection, with Ager Oueslati’s “You Don’t Die Two Times” winning the post-production prize as development laurels went to Khaled Al Swidan’s “Amal” and Eliane Raheb’s “The North Wind.” Marking his first year at the head of the Cairo Film Festival’s development and postproduction showcase, […]

The opening ceremony of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Wednesday crammed in several Bollywood-style performances. But it also took some time to deal with the business of cinema, as well. The spectacle came from “The Perfect Couple” breakout star Ishaan Khatter dancing to a medley of Bollywood hits and […]

Over three years after the accidental on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s Western film “Rust” received a polite response during its controversial premiere Wednesday at the EnergaCamerimage festival in Toruń, Poland. The audience clapped through the film’s closing credits, strengthening their applause when a dedication to Hutchins appeared. However, a fair amount of […]

Cannes Film Festival general delegate Thierry Frémaux will be heading to Saudi Arabia in December to attend the Red Sea Film Festival to support his new documentary “Lumière! The Adventure Continues,” which takes a deep dive into the origins of cinema. Frémaux’s sequel to “Lumière! The Adventure Begins,” which premiered at Red Sea’s inaugural edition […]

The closing credits of Alec Baldwin’s Western film “Rust” begin with the words “for Halyna,” a tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died following a gun accident while filming the movie on location in New Mexico in October 2021. This is followed by a quote — “What can we do to make this better?” — […]

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the winners of its TV Beats Co-Financing Market, intended to foster creative collaborations in series co-production and empower independent producers. Finnish drama “The Women I Think About at Night” took the event’s top honor, the Series Co-Production Development Award and its €50,000 ($52,780) purse, part of the Pilot […]

Representatives from EnergaCamerimage and women and cinematographer organizations plan to meet Thursday morning amid a representation controversy that has plagued the annual cinematography film festival that is being held this week in Torun, Poland. The official invitation came from Camerimage and the Polish Society of Cinematographers. Part of the invitation, which was obtained by Variety, […]

Ventana Sur’s Blood Window long ago established itself as one of the most important platforms for genre cinema in Latin America. This year, the sidebar returns with a seven-title lineup for its Blood Window Screenings program. The diverse lineup includes classic slashers, sci-fi flicks, supernatural tales and psychological thrillers that emphasize the range of stories […]

Boman Irani’s movie “The Mehta Boys” will have its Asian premiere this weekend at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, marking one of the few places it will have a theatrical screening before heading to streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. The company will claim other prominent positions during the festival with the […]

Two weeks before the cameras were set to roll, everything fell apart. At that point, “Moondove” director Karim Kassem had spent two years developing his fourth feature and then painstakingly getting the project off the ground. The nonfiction film was supposed to follow a young woman who returns to a small village in Mount Lebanon […]

Egyptian locations will soon take the spotlight in three wildly different titles all set for release next year. While blockbusters “Wicked Part Two” and “Fountain of Youth,” from director Guy Ritchie, both make use of the country’s historical riches and otherworldly expanses, filmmaker Neil Burger will channel the breakneck pace of modern Cairo with his […]

Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to “Relay” following the twisty thriller’s debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film was directed by David MacKenzie, who oversaw the Oscar-nominated “Hell or High Water,” and stars Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) and Sam Worthington (“Avatar”). Bleecker Street is planning […]

A star-studded edition of the Seville European Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend, with Ludovich and Zoran Boukherma’s French coming-of-age drama “And Their Children After Them” taking home the Giraldillo de Oro, the Festival’s top honor. Its lead, Paul Kircher, also scored a best actor win. This year’s Official Selection jury included legendary British […]

Paris-based sales company Loco Films has picked up world rights to Sebastian Parra R’s Colombian low-fi sci-fi thriller “Seed of the Desert” (“Semilla del Desierto”), premiering in competition at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s trailer, seen below. The feature debuts on Monday, Nov. 18, […]

Boris Guts’ “Deaf Lovers,” an Istanbul-set romantic drama, has been acquired by Antipode Sales International for global sales. Already a noteworthy title in this year’s Tallinn Black Nights competition lineup, the film garnered extra attention last week when the State Film Agency of Ukraine called on the fest to pull the film from its lineup. […]

Emilios Avraam’s debut feature, “Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump,” a coming-of-middle-age story set in Cyprus, is world premiering in competition tonight at this year’s Tallinn Dark Nights Film Festival. The film’s titular protagonist suffers from environmental sensitivities, failed relationships and a stagnant career as a TV entertainer. Not content with her […]