Pia Lundberg Appointed Göteborg Film Festival Artistic Director

Zara Larsson has announced details of her holiday-themed EP ‘Honor The Light’.The EP will contain six tracks, and will drop next Friday (December 1) via Sommer House/Epic Records. Larsson gave us a hint of the EP yesterday (November 24), sharing the moody ‘Memory Lane’ and the sombre ‘Winter Song’. Take a listen below:Larsson recently announced her new album ‘Venus’, which is scheduled for February 9, 2024 via Sommer House/Black Butter/Sony (presave/preorder here).

Jessica Chastain, resplendent in a shimmering silver tasseled jump suit, championed the power of art to bring about positive change at the opening night of the Marrakech Film Festival on Friday evening.

RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ – check below to see how you can get yours.The upcoming concert film, which will be released in cinemas worldwide on December 1, chronicles the creation of Beyoncé’s record-setting global world tour with behind the scenes footage, while also immersing fans in her live performances.The official synopsis for the film reads: “RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ accentuates the journey of RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR – a record-setting worldwide concert tour that spanned 56 shows, 39 cities, and 12 countries –from its inception to the opening show in Stockholm, Sweden, to the grand finale in Kansas City, Missouri.“It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft.”Tickets are now offiically on sale for the concert film, meaning you can book from any of the UK cinema chains that will be showing it come December 1. This includes Showcase Cinemas, Vue, Cineworld, Odeon, Everyman, and Picturehouse.An official trailer was released last week, offering a glimpse into the tour’s behind-the-scenes footage as well as its front-row concert video.

Paul Ridd, a long-term acquisitions exec at Picturehouse Cinemas, has been named director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

Sweden’s Stockholm International Film Festival has denied reports that it disinvited U.S.-Israeli filmmaker and actress Aleeza Chanowitz as an in-person guest at its ongoing edition, running from November 8 to 19.

Hussain Currimbhoy is the new Artistic Director at Toronto’s Hot Docs.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary film festival, has appointed Hussain Currimbhoy as its artistic director. He replaces Shane Smith, who left the organization in June, and will assume his role immediately. Currimbhoy has worked as a film producer, director and film curator since 2002.

a Q&A with the actor on Sunday.“What do you think about [the] crash scenes?” Driver was asked by the audience following the screening. “They looked pretty harsh, drastic and, I must say, cheesy for me.

Christopher Vourlias Sofia Exarchou’s “Animal” won the Golden Alexander at the 64th Thessaloniki Film Festival on Sunday, marking the first time in 30 years that a Greek film took home the top honors at the country’s longest-running film event. Exarchou’s sophomore feature, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, was praised by Variety’s Jessica Kiang as “a poignant portrait of life amid the sequins and the seediness of a Greek resort.” The film follows a group of entertainers at an all-inclusive island resort preparing for the busy tourist season who are forced to wrestle with the dark reality that the show must go on as the sultry Mediterranean nights turn violent.

Beyoncé is preparing for the release of her highly anticipated film!

Music icon Beyoncé will be bringing her hugely-anticipated concert film to UK cinemas in December - and tickets are now on sale.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor For the second year in a row, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) launches against the backdrop of a major war. Last year, the festival took place at the height of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, this year it runs as the Israel-Hamas War rages.

EXCLUSIVE: Stars Collective, a Los Angeles-based film finance and mentorship arm, has announced the launch of Stars Asian International Film Festival – a new capsule film showcase to take place in Los Angeles November 12-16. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pia Lundberg, a Swedish film industry veteran, is set to succeed Jonas Holmberg as the new artistic director of Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia’s leading film-TV event. Lundberg most recently served as counsellor for cultural affairs at the Embassy of Sweden in London for the last five years.

Agora, the industry section of Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival, kicks into gear this weekend with an eye on expansion as industry head Angeliki Vergou and her team introduce a series of changes to the established event.

Swedish director Ruben Östlund has been announced as a guest of honor at the 15th edition of France’s Les Arcs Film Festival, in the role of its Talent Village Ambassador.

The 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival has announced its selection, opening with Richard Linklater’s comedy Hit Man. (scroll down for full list of films)

Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival returns this evening for its 64th edition with a screening of The Pot-au-Feu (The Taste of Things), the latest film by French-Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng. 

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor As the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, prepares for its 27th edition, Variety spoke with artistic director Tiina Lokk about its ambitions and coming highlights. “If you see the festival like a big building, then all the walls are in and the building is ready, but some rooms are not furnished yet,” Lokk says, before adding philosophically.

The London East Asia Film festival came to a close on Sunday night with the UK premiere of Concrete Utopia, Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars. After the event’s Best Film award went to Iron Mask, by Kim Sung Hwan, artistic director Hyejung Jeon presented its Rising Star award to Concrete Utopia’s Pak Bo-young. Actress Park returned after the film for a Q&A with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.