5th Annual Native American Animation Lab Selects 8 Fellows

K.J. Yossman Danny A. Abeckaser is directing and starring in a new World War II drama, “Bardejov” from a screenplay by Shmuel Lynn.

Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things had a monster of an expansion, sewing up $1.3 million at just 82 theaters for a no. 10 spot at the weekend box office. American Fiction and The Zone of Interest, from, respectively, Amazon MGM Studios and A24, opened nicely as specialty films with original stories of all kinds are seeing traction with ticket buyers.

Angelique Jackson Erika Alexander got her start as a teen on “The Cosby Show” before assuming the breakout role of attorney Maxine Shaw on “Living Single.” But it’s her latest performance in “American Fiction,” a satire that critiques our culture’s obsession with stereotypes, that’s put her in a conversation she’s never been in before — that of awards season contender. Alexander plays Coraline, the love interest of Jeffrey Wright’s Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a cantankerous author who challenges the industry’s perceptions of “Black entertainment.” On Dec. 5, just hours before sitting down with Variety, Alexander learned she’d been nominated in the supporting category at the Independent Spirit Awards; she attended last year’s ceremony as a guest.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” has won rave reviews and is tipped to be an Oscars favorite with its satirical portrayal of the exploitation of Black people in media, balanced with sharp comedy and a punch of emotional family drama. Jefferson credits his editor, Hilda Rasula, with striking the right tone for the film. “The thing I appreciate about Hilda is that she never lies, she’s very honest, and she tells me when she doesn’t like something,” Jefferson tells Variety.

Yesterday, we got the first poster for the upcoming comedy audaciously titled “The American Society Of Magical Negroes,” and today, the trailer has arrived. A movie that will debut at Sundance of next year, leave it to a Sundance indie to be this bold and outrageous.

Nicki Minaj is speaking on a potential return to American Idol!

While most people who make it far on American Idol are having the time of their lives, others have decided to leave the show in the middle of the competition for various reasons.

Caroline Brew editor The American Cinematheque announced the honorees for the third annual Tribute to the Crafts, which include “Oppenheimer” for cinematography and editing, “Poor Things” for costume design and “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie” for song. The event will take place on Jan. 19, 2024, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

In their continuing effort to shine the spotlight on the artisans of the industry who toil behind the scenes to make movie magic, American Cinematheque has announced the 2023 honorees for its 3rd Annual Tribute To The Crafts. Winning multiple honors are Oppenheimer for Cinematography and Film Editing; Maestro for Hair & Makeup and Sound; and Barbie for Production Design/Set Decoration and Song “I’m Just Ken”.

movie and my inner second grader is screaming. (Samantha hive, rise up!)According to , Mattel's next big doll-related film will be based on the iconic line of American Girl dolls, each of whom represent a different era of United States history. The original Eras Tour, if you will.

For many film fans in 2023, Ian McShane is probably best known as Winston in the “John Wick” franchise. But in the new film “American Star,” McShane trades in the role of manager of a hotel for assassins for a performance as an assassin himself.  READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024 As seen in the trailer for “American Star,” Ian McShane plays Wilson (sorta close to Winston, huh?), who is an aging assassin who is doing just one more job on a tropical island.

blockbuster first release, “Barbie,” Mattel Films is prepping some 14 live-action films, including movies based on Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ’Em Robots and UNO.“Saturday Night Live” has already spoofed the idea of an American Girl doll movie. In April, the NBC sketch comedy show aired a parody trailer with Ana de Armas in which a handful of American Girl dolls from disparate eras of history are brought into modern day but keep dying of cholera.“Come for the fun,” the trailer announces.

“He’s changing the narrative.” The new comedy, “American Fiction,” features a wickedly sharp and bitingly funny premise. The feature-length directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, a producer and writer on acclaimed series such as “Watchmen,” “Station Eleven” and “Master Of None,” the film is adapted from Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” a brilliant indictment of the way modern culture handles race, a pointed satire about the commodification of marginalized voices and a writer forced to confront himself and his own creative integrity.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Norman Lear changed television. That, we know, is an absolute fact, and I’ll get to it in a moment. But what really saddens me at the news of Norman Lear’s death, at 101, is he won’t be here anymore to serve as a voice of reason as the United States continues to lose its mind.

Tyler Goodson, a man who was featured on the popular podcast S-Town, has died. According to The New York Times, Tyler

The Gotham Awards, the New York wing of the indie film world, has already handed out its year-end honors and now it’s time for the West Coast to have their say. Bright and early this morning, Film Independent revealed the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominees, and, no surprise, Celine Song’s “Past Lives” was at the top of the list with five nominations.

Anna Tingley Live from New York…it’s Thursday night at the American Museum of Natural History‘s annual gala! After a star-studded red carpet, attendees such as Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels, Scarlet Johansson, Emma Stone and more filed into the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life to sit down for a three-course dinner and live auction. Meyers, who was the host for the evening, greeted guests underneath the museum’s iconic 94-foot long and 21,000-pound blue whale structure poised majestically in midair. In his opening remarks, he pointed out the absence of Mayor Eric Adams, notable since both Mike Bloomberg and Bill DeBlasio were known to attend during their respective tenures as Mayor.

Callum McLennan Animation! has announced the winners of its 2024 Mentorship Program designed specifically for Latin American female animation directors. No one country was singled out, as projects from five countries took the honors. “The global convergence of creativity in this year’s selection truly signifies the universal language of animated storytelling,” said Animation! manager Silvina Cornillón.

The American Society of Cinematographers has announced the honorees for its 38th Annual Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Gala on March 3, 2024. They are: Don Burgess, ASC; Steven Fierberg, ASC and Amy Vincent, ASC.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Spain’s 7th Ibero-American Quirino Animation Awards has found its jury for next year, to be held over May 9-11. The jury is led by animation directors José Miguel Ribeiro from Portugal, Colombian Marcela Rincón and Wesley Louis (U.K.) alongside Zane Valeniece, director of acquisitions at Latvian public television (LTV) and Emmanuèle Petry, head of international sales at Dandelooo, France.