Lupita Nyong’o Joins Sudan’s Oscar Entry ‘Goodbye Julia’ As Exec Producer

Garry Keane and Stephen Gerard Kelly’s documentary In The Shadow Of Beirut, which is Ireland’s Oscar category this year, is headed to the Red Sea International Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9 in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Ilker Çatak, the writer-director behind Germany’s official International Feature Oscar entry The Teachers’ Lounge, for representation in all areas.

Blaga’s Lessons, Bulgaria’s International Film Oscar submission, has set a release in multiple countries.

Lupita Nyong’o shares insight into how she’s been healing from her recent breakup. She visited Ron Finley and learned some valuable life lessons.

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story, a feature documentary about Debra Hill, the late producer and co-writer of classic movies such as Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980), has moved into production with Causeway Pictures. 

Some of the biggest names in entertainment were in attendance at the Academy Women’s Luncheon, which was timed perfectly to celebrate the end of the actors strike.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o is stepping into an executive producer role to support Sudan’s second-ever Academy Award international feature film submission, “Goodbye Julia.” The timely film, directed by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes. “‘Goodbye Julia’ is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which affects millions of lives across Eastern Africa,” Nyong’o said in a statement.

The executive producers of critically acclaimed BBC prison drama Time have launched their own scripted production operation.

EXCLUSIVE: DeWanda Wise is toplining Lionsgate and Blumhouse‘s original horror movie Imaginary which is set for theatrical release on March 8, 2024.

Mohamed Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama made history at Cannes earlier this year as the first Sudanese feature to play in the festival across its 76 editions.

Lupita Nyong’o is thanking her bestie for helping her through a heartbreak.

EXCLUSIVE: Vanessa Kirby and Lauren Dark have come aboard as exec producers for Swiss Oscar entry Thunder from writer-director Carmen Jacquier. Kirby & Dark’s Aluna Entertainment will back the awards push for the film in the race for Best International Feature. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent U.K. based sales agency Film Republic has picked up Peru’s 2024 Oscar entry “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli,” the latest film from Adrián Saba, one of Peru’s most prominent auteurs on the festival scene. Film Republic has also shared a first international trailer with Variety.

David Corvo, considered the driving force behind Dateline, NBC’s top-rated and longest-running primetime series, is stepping down as Senior Executive Producer at the end of the year. He will remain with NBC News as an adviser on various projects, reporting to Rebecca Blumenstein, President of Editorial at NBC News.

EXCLUSIVE: United Talent Agency has signed Zarrar Kahn, director of Pakistan’s Oscar entry In Flames, for representation in all areas. 

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Hey Academy, don’t be scared to invite horror performances to the Oscars. Horror movies embrace humanity’s fear, but what’s truly frightening is the lack of recognition they get from the Academy Awards. Only six horror movies have been nominated for best picture in the history of the Oscars: “The Exorcist” (1973), “Jaws” (1975), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Black Swan” (2010), “Get Out” (2017) and the only winner of the lot, “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991).

Seth Rogen is swapping the film lot for the pottery studio.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Funny Birds,” an heartwarming comedy-drama starring Andrea Riseborough, Catherine Deneuve and Morgan Saylor, has sold in key territories in the run up to the AFM. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the movie is directed by Marco La Via and Hanna Ladoul.

PBS is delving into the question – how can we become the great ancestors the future needs us to be? The public broadcaster is set to air A Brief History Of The Future, a new six-part non-fiction documentary series that explores how re-thinking tomorrow can bring long-term change.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution (France), September Films (Benelux), Rialto Distribution (Australia), Future Films (Scandinavia), A Contracorriente (Spain), Lev Films (Israel), Aurora Films (Poland), Trigon (Switzerland), Alambique Films (Portugal) and Impact Films (India and Indian Subcontinent). Earlier this week, the crowdpleaser was also acquired by Roadside Attraction for the U.S.