Jessica Henwick, Alisha Weir Join Ewan McGregor in Animated Feature ‘The Land of Sometimes’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Michel Hazanavicius said that when it came to making his Holocaust feature The Most Precious of Cargoes “the question didn’t even arise” when making it animated. “I would never want to make a live film on this.”

Yara Shahidi and Marcus Scribner first joined the Johnson family a decade ago.

Murtada Elfadl “No Other Land,” a documentary about the resistance of Palestinian activists against forced displacement and settler expansion in the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta, won the Millennium Docs Against Gravity grand prize in the main competition. The jury, comprised of the writer of this article Variety critic Murtada Elfadl, Anna Hints, director of “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” and Lauren Greenfield, director of “The Queen of Versailles,” cited its “power in crystallizing grave injustice into a story of friendship and how hope can thrive only when everyone has freedom.” The filmmakers – the Palestinian and Israeli collective of Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor – could not attend the closing ceremony because of the political situation and the award was accepted on their behalf by the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority in Poland.

Alex Ritman Vanessa Kirby has amassed an impressively starry ensemble cast for the first feature out of the gates for Aluna Entertainment, the production company she established in 2021 with former Film4 exec Lauren Dark. “Night Always Comes,” which Oscar nominee Kirby will lead, is set to star Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight,” “Fargo”), Zack Gottsagen (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”), Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Julia Fox (“Uncut Gems”), Eli Roth (“Inglourious Basterds,” “The Idol”), Randall Park (“Always Be My Maybe,” “WandaVision”) and Michael Kelly (“House of Cards,” “Jack Ryan”).

The Splendour of Life” (“Une splendeur de vivre”) is set to start principal photography at locations across Canada and the Philippines, the producers revealed at the Cannes Film Festival. The ensemble cast includes Camille Rutherford (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Garance Marillier (“Raw”), Sue Prado (“Your Mother’s Son”), Kyrie Samodio (“Hito”) and Amaryllis Tremblay (“Genesis”). Set against a lush countryside backdrop, Marie (Rutherford) questions her relationship, while Noée (Marillier) grieves her father.

Ghost Cat Anzu is an intriguing conceptualization for an animated film, existing in a realm similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away yet also standing as its antithesis.

, the actor turned author surprised fans with yet shocking hair transformation: a super-.Biel unveiled her fresh chop with a before-and-after Instagram reel and TikTok, in which she jokingly tugged on her pigtails until they “fell off.” “Brought back the f*ck ass Bob

Jamie Lang Barcelona-based production, sales, and distribution company Filmax has secured global sales rights to the upcoming kids and family animated feature “The Treasure of Barracuda,” and is presenting the film to potential buyers at the Marché du Film. Having pitched at several international animation project events, “The Treasure of Barracuda” is one of the buzziest Spanish titles on the market right now. Just last year, the production received €500,000 ($545,700) in financial backing from the 2023 Eurimages Project Evaluation Sessions.

Christopher Vourlias Urban Sales has closed a raft of deals on the upcoming animated feature “Into the Wonderwoods” ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section. The film, which bows with a special screening May 22 at the prestigious French fest, has sold to 45 territories, the Paris-based sales outfit announced during the Cannes Market. Pic has sold to Volga for the CIS territories and the Baltics; Selim Ramia & Co.

Marta Balaga The “Mavka” franchise is just getting started. Ukraine’s FILM.UA Group is now developing a live-action film based on the character already spotlighted in “Mavka. The Forest Song,” Variety has found out.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Morgana Studios, ReachStar and ReDefine Originals are partnering on the animated feature “Diamante,” set on the lush Caribbean Island of the Dominican Republic. The film will be directed by Mathieu Ratthé with the screenplay written by Ratthé and Leticia Tonos Paniagua from an original idea by Claudio Lluberes. Animation will be handled by ReDefine Originals, which is part of DNEG.

Sigourney Weaver is in talks to return to space for a key role in the next Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu.

EXCLUSIVE: Belgian distribution and production company Belga Films Group is reuniting with award-winning director Jaco Van Dormael to produce The Magician of Auschwitz, which will be his first English-language feature in 15 years after shooting mainly in French.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have started their three-day visit to Nigeria. Harry and Meghan arrived in the west African country today, Friday 10 May, on the invitation of the chief of defence staff.The couple have been pictured during a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, with the pair seen beaming and smiling. Harry will later meet injured service members at a military hospital.They will also attend a training session for charity organisation Nigeria: Unconquered, which collaborates with the Invictus Games, as well as a reception where military families will be honoured.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield), Scottie Thompson (Crown Vic) and Michael Weston (Home Before Dark) are in production in Ohio on Down to the Felt, an indie dark comedy with action elements from filmmaker Jon Osbeck. The trio joins a cast that also includes Jo-Ann Robinson and Cullen Douglas.

EXCLUSIVE: Excelsior! Kartoon Studios and the UK’s GFM Animation have teamed to develop and produce animated features based on the Stan Lee Universe.

EXCLUSIVE: Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha have been added to the cast of Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Woman in the Yard from Blumhouse for Universal.

Marta Balaga The Fantastic Pavilion returns to Cannes for its second edition, revealing seven Gala Screenings. This year’s selection features “Do Not Enter” by Hugo Cardozo, “Aire, Just Breathe” directed by Leticia Tonos, Doug Rao’s “Dirty Boy,” Can Evrenol’s “Sayara,” “Mourir or Not Mourir” by Anaïs Cave and Thomas Combret, Andreas Marschall’s “Black.White.Red.” and “Vadakkan” by Sajeed A.

Jennie Punter Process documentaries following Indigenous land protectors are typically endurance tests for filmmakers, not to mention protagonists. But the payoff is that these films often resonate strongly with audiences in their ability to take viewers beyond the headlines and frontlines in profound and intimate ways.

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Coy (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) has been tapped for a series regular role on Netflix‘s drama Black Rabbit, as well as a supporting role in David Robert Mitchell’s Warner Bros film Flowervale Street.