MUBI Buys Lukas Dhont’s ‘Close’ for Select Markets Ahead of Cannes World Premiere

BJ Novak is looking for American truth in his directorial debut dark comedy film, Vengeance. He’s amassed an all-star cast of actors including Issa Rae, Dove Cameron, and Boyd Holbrook, for the movie about a city-slicking mid-thirties man travels to Texas and got more than he bargained for in a comedy of errors created by his own hubris. The story is told in a way that only Novak knows how: with biting wit, and fiery sarcasm. 

Although set in the Republic of Ireland, this slight but surprisingly powerful film will hit a raw nerve in countries all over Europe in the wake of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. More specifically, it will likely have an impact on the U.K. arthouse circuit, after the British government’s recent, controversial decision to launder asylum-seekers via a scheme deporting them to Rwanda for processing.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe 39th edition of the Munich Film Festival, which runs June 23-July 2, will screen 120 films from 52 countries, including 35 world premieres, such as “Paloma” by Marcelo Gomes, one of several films in the festival that tackles the subject of trans identities.The three international competition sections will feature numerous highlights from the Cannes Film Festival, including “Corsage,” which opens the event. Vicky Krieps was honored in Cannes with the best actress award in the Un Certain Regard section for her performance as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as “Sissi.” Four films come to Munich fresh from Cannes’ main competition: “Leila’s Brothers” by Iranian director Saeed Roustayi, about a family’s struggle for survival in an Iran economically weakened by Western sanctions and consumed by corruption; “Pacifiction” by Albert Serra, in which Benoît Magimel excels as a conflicted police commissioner; “The Eight Mountains,” directed by Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen, a touching adaptation of Paolo Cognetti’s novel about a friendship forged in the spectacular natural environment of the Western Alps; and Hirokazu Kore-eda returns with “Broker,” which received the award for best acting performance in Cannes for Song Kang-ho.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“They’re coming out of the woodwork!”Jennifer Lopez is gushing in delight as an impromptu flash mob breaks out — to the tune of “Jenny From the Block,” naturally — on the red carpet of “Halftime,” her new documentary that opened the 2022 Tribeca Festival. “Only in New York,” she said, letting out a “woo.”the woman of the hour, @jlo, watching in delight as a flash mob breaks out on the red carpet at the #Halftime world premiere pic.twitter.com/vHxShRTTxx— Rebecca Rubin (@rebeccaarubin) June 9, 2022Wednesday’s world premiere doubled as a homecoming, of sorts, for the global icon, who grew up only a few blocks from the United Palace in Washington Heights, where the movie played to 3,000 mostly maskless and always enthusiastic audience members.

Lightyear looking like a woman ready to have fun in space. On June 8, took the Space Ranger theme and ran absolutely wild with it. The actor wore a sequined, royal blue midi skirt with a sheer, multicolored lycra top, finished with neon sandals to match the color of her eyeshadow as well as her . We appreciate anyone ready to take a fashion chance, and Palmer obviously looks beautiful. Plus this is an animated film above all else.

Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival today announced a star-studded lineup of galas and centerpiece events that will punctuate its 40th anniversary, which will be celebrated from July 14-24 in venues around Los Angeles.

One of the original children from the Jurassic Park franchise looks unrecognisable nearly 30 years after she first starred in the movie. Ariana Richards was just 12 years old when she appeared in the first Jurassic Park film in 1993, and now she has joined the new cast at the premiere of the Jurassic World: Dominion. Now, aged 42, she's appeared on the red carpet to celebrate the new movie and reunited with her old co-stars including Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.

Chris Pratt took a break from daddy duty to hit the carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of . ET's Kevin Frazier spoke to Pratt Monday night about re-joining his co-stars ahead of the film's opening weekend after he and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, welcomed their second child together last month.«It feels so great.

So many stars were at the Queer as Folk premiere during the Outfest “Outfronts” Festival!

Feature documentary, The Cave of Adullam, is set to world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival on Monday, June 13. Directed by Academy Award and Emmy nominated filmmaker Laura Checkoway, the film is produced by Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland of Cinema Gypsy Productions, Banca Studio’s Roy Bank, and Wavelength’s Founder & CEO Jenifer Westphal and President Joe Plummer.

The 56th Karlovy Vary Film Festival has unveiled its official selection, which comprises 33 films from five continents screening across three sections. Scroll down for full list.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThirty-three films comprise the eclectic lineup for the 56th Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the programming team led by the artistic director Karel Och revealed Tuesday.

MUBI has acquired rights to Cannes hit Holy Spider for the UK, Ireland, LatAm and Malaysia.

After taking home the Un Certain Regard Fipresci prize in 2018 for the trans-female ballet dancer feature Girl, filmmaker Lukas Dhont returned to home to find himself staring at the blank page for his next project.

Belgium’s Lukas Dhont takes a deserved step up to the Cannes Film Festival competition with Close, only his second film — a minimalist melodrama that shows a definite growth in visual style but may be confronting to some with its deliberately unhurried, Eric Rohmer-esque aesthetic. The international success of Dhont’s well-intentioned debut Girl, about a young trans-female ballet dancer, was somewhat blunted in the U.S., where G.L.A.A.D. amplified complaints of misrepresentation on behalf of the trans lobby. Close is a much safer proposition, but may yet sail into choppy waters with its themes of youth suicide.

A24 has picked up North American rights to Lukas Dhont’s Close.

A24 has made another acquisition out of Cannes, acquiring the North American rights to “Close,” the next film from Lukas Dhont, which is set to debut tonight in the main competition at Cannes. Dhont is the director of 2018’s “Girl,” which won the Camera d’Or at Cannes, and the film stars Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele, and Émilie Dequenne, Léa Drucker, Kevin Janssens, Marc Weiss, Igor Van Dessel, and Léon Bataille.“Close” is described as a film about friendship and responsibility and follows two 13-year-old boys, Léo and Rémi, whose friendship suddenly gets disrupted.

EXCLUSIVE: Mubi has acquired Lukas Dhont’s Cannes Competion entry Close for the UK, Ireland, Latin America, Turkey and India.

2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler were in full PDA mode!The 20-year-old model and 30-year-old star walked the red carpet Wednesday for the world premiere of the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic and didn't let the cameras deter them from showing their affection. In fact, it appears as if it was Gerber, looking stunning in a red gown, who grabbed Butler's face with both hands and planted a wet one on the budding actor.Once inside the theater, the audience got to enjoy the highly anticipated screening of the film set to be released June 24.