Solis Studios, Kodiak Pictures to Co-Finance Defiant Studios Slate

The power went out on some visitors at Universal Studios Hollywood today, no doubt the result — at least in part — of record temperatures across Los Angeles.

“In the Heights” Star Anthony Ramos.In the comics, Williams is a Black teen prodigy attending MIT who builds her own suit by reverse-engineering Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit design. Williams is also a genius like Tony, if that’s not immediately clear.

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of its Grand Jury and Audience Award wins at SXSW for its Patton Oswalt pic I Love My Dad, Hantz Motion Pictures is expanding its company portfolio into distribution, with the launch of Best & Final Releasing. This new arm of the company will allow it to to create a full, end-to-end model for films, from financing and production through marketing and distribution.

EXCLUSIVE: The Jono McLeod directed documentary My Old School, which made its world premiere at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival, has landed with Magnolia Pictures. The specialty cinema label has taken North American rights to the docu which features Alan Cumming. A July 22 theatrical release has been set.

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that its golf film The Phantom of the Open, starring Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins and BAFTA Award nominee Rhys Ifans, will open in New York and Los Angeles on June 3, with a wider release in additional markets set for the following weeks.

This year’s Best Picture Oscar winner “CODA” is returning to theaters for a limited theatrical run beginning this Friday, Apple announced Wednesday. “CODA” will play on over 600 U.S.

94th Academy Awards, winning each of the three awards it was nominated for: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Kotsur) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Read more: Critically acclaimed Stephen Graham film Boiling Point is now on Netflix It is the first film distributed by a streaming service, the first Sundance film and the first production featuring predominantly deaf actors in leading roles to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. On his win, Kotsur through his interpreter said: "This is dedicated to the deaf community, the Coda community and the deaf community.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios, the commercial arm of U.K. broadcaster BBC, has revealed a first look and development deal with London-based talent and entertainment company Diving Bell Group.Founded by Kim Butler and Justin Girdler in 2017, Diving Bell represents creators and innovators in the purpose-led space including model, trans activist and cultural figure Munroe Bergdorf; feminist author, illustrator and influencer Florence Given (“Women Don’t Owe You Pretty,” “Octopus”); Gina Martin, who successfully led the national campaign to make upskirting illegal; and Emma Gannon whose careers podcast “Ctrl Alt Delete” has amassed over 10 million downloads.The deal gives BBC Studios a first look at content ideas from Diving Bell clients for the purpose of collaborating to develop these ideas and pitch for commissions.

Amazon Studios Europe Boss Georgia Brown has revealed how the streamer “completely turned storymaking on its head” for upcoming hybrid grime/drill musical Jungle. 

The Academy Awards are nearly upon us.

The Academy doesn’t always get it right.

Naman Ramachandran Future Studios and women’s destination Marie Claire are teaming for digital true crime series “On the Record with Marie Claire.”The seven-part anthology series will feature female-focused stories of women seeking justice, told from the viewpoint of a central character directly linked to the case in question. Each episode, which is 7–12 minutes long, features archive film and stills and evidence from an individual case, alongside Marie Claire’s storytelling and investigative reporting.

Naman Ramachandran Transatlantic production powerhouse Sister has taken a minority stake in independent outfit Dorothy Street Pictures. Dorothy Street Pictures, which is behind Sundance and Cannes title, Bruce Lee documentary “Be Water” and has a Pamela Anderson documentary in the works for Netflix, will remain fully independent.

Kanye West, 44, made it clear he’s not hiding out despite his recent custody issues over his four kids with Kim Kardashian. The rapper confidently walked and stood by cameras while out and about in Los Angeles in a black jacket with the hood above his head over a gray top and dark gray denim jeans. He also wore his famous black boots as he stopped to pose for a photo with a serious and alert face.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Grown-ish co-showrunner Jeni Rice-Genzuk Henry has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, the venture launched last year by Paramount and BET to generate premium content from Black creators for Paramount+, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET+ and BET, as well as select third-party platforms.

K.J. Yossman Leading Latin American animation studio PinGuim Content have inked a deal with LA-based sales agent MultiVisionnaire Pictures to represent “Tarsilinha” internationally.“Tarsilinha” is the award-winning animated children’s feature based on the whimsical worlds created by Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral.

A federal guilty plea agreement was entered today by William Sadleir, the former chief executive of Aviron Pictures, who admitted that he applied for and received $1.7 million in loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). That while the entire Aviron operation was being shuttered as a result of his prior embezzlement.

Sky Studios, the original programming arm of broadcaster Sky in Europe, has bolstered its UK Drama Commissioning team with a pair of hires.