Directors, Producers, Screenwriters and Composers Unpack Their Craft at Variety FYC Fest

Kate Middleton cut a chic and classic figure as she led the Wales family to the annual Christmas Day service at Sandringham, in a stunning blue ensemble to mark the special day. The 41 year old Princess of Wales opted for a tailored deep blue single breasted coat by Alexander McQueen, which featured an asymmetric waist button detail and notched lapels, that Kate effortlessly paired with a navy blue turtleneck and matching boots.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Who says you can’t laugh and win Oscars, too? In a stunning year for cinema, the candidates for the coveted best picture category are overflowing with prime comedic endeavors that surpass their dramatic counterparts. From a toy doll to an author with a triumphant “Black book” to a reverse Frankenstein tale that shows a whole lot of sex, the Academy has an opportunity to invite the softer side of cinema to its ceremony.

Kevin De Bruyne stepped up his recovery from hamstring surgery by continuing to train with the rest of the Manchester City squad 24 hours out from their Club World Cup final against Fluminese.

Andrew Haigh’s drama All of Us Strangers has landed nine London Critics’ Circle Awards nominations, ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which has scored seven.

EXCLUSIVE: Producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson are best known for helping bring an injured mongrel dog into the global consciousness in Colin From Accounts. Ahead of a busy 2024, the pair sat down with Deadline to chat about plans for their Easy Tiger Productions imprint, the state of TV in Australia and signing with CAA.

Edgar Ramirez and Mandy Moore are opening up about their awaited new TV show. The pair star in the second season of “Dr. Death,” an anthology series exploring real life stories of surgeons and doctors that have been convicted of notorious crimes.

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.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Based on the nonfiction book by David Grann, “Killers of the Flower Moon” stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a WWI vet who travels to Oklahoma to work for his wealthy uncle, William King Hale, played by Robert De Niro. It’s the early 1920s, and this part of Oklahoma sits on lots of oil, whose rights are owned by the Native American Osage and other tribes. They are prosperous, some even rich, and it’s here that Ernest meets Mollie (Lily Gladstone).

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released their official annual Christmas card, and fans everywhere are delighted with this year's offering. For the 2023 festive season, the famous couple have chosen a sweet still from Harry's recent Invictus Games, which were held in Düsseldorf, Germany, back in September.

Jeffrey Wright and Taraji P. Henson sit down to discuss their acclaimed performances — as cantankerous novelist Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in “American Fiction” and sensuous singer Shug Avery in “The Color Purple” — Wright is eager to address one topic first: their shared hometown. It turns out both acting titans hail from Washington, D.C.

While fans wait for “Gangs Of London” Season 3, how about a film directed by one of the TV show’s directors? “Mayhem!” doesn’t star anyone from the British crime series, but it operates in a similar vein: a crime-ridden tale about violence, vengeance, and the value of family. READ MORE: The Most Anticipated Films Of 2024 “Mayhem!” follows a French ex-pro boxer released from prison who escapes to Thailand after his past catches up with him.

Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay during Variety’s A Night With Artisans. The creatives who helped build the Los Alamos set for “Oppenheimer” or acquired 1,000 blankets for “Killers of the Flower Moon” shared their creative processes and stories from set. In six separate conversations, Tangcay spoke with the teams behind “Oppenheimer,” “Saltburn,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “American Fiction” and “The Color Purple.” See the full Variety A Night With Artisans recap below.

Valerie Wu Intern The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its 2024 lineup. Held by the Palm Springs International Film Society, the PSIFF aims to spotlight and celebrate a range of global films. The 35th annual festival’s opening night will host the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Brad Ingelsby’s upcoming HBO crime drama series starring Mark Ruffalo has added to its exec producer and director ranks.

Disneyland Resort today released its calendar of special events planned in 2024. For a quick look at the highlights planned at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure for next year, see the graphic below released by Disney. For details on each event, read on.

William Earl This awards season’s premier contending filmmakers, talent and artisans will gather for exclusive panels at Variety FYC Fest on Dec. 6 in Los Angeles from 9 a.m.

Jon Burlingame Laura Karpman is one of very few composers who has made a genuine difference in the scoring community. A five-time Emmy winner, she co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers, which is widely credited with helping to propel the nearly invisible community of female music writers into prominence. No one asks “why aren’t there any women film composers?” anymore.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Writers of nine limited series ranging from “A Murder at the End of the World” to “Tiny Beautiful Things” traded shop talk and stories of how they crafted muscular worlds to tell extended, standalone stories. Ed Solomon of Max’s “Full Circle” astounded the crowd at Variety’s A Night in the Writers Room at Hollywood’s NeueHouse with the origin story of his 586-page spec script for the twisty thriller.

Whitney Cinkala Variety will host its annual A Night With Artisans event in Los Angeles on Dec. 5.