Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Cypher,’ ‘A Strange Path’ and ‘Between the Rains’ Take Top Honors

Christian Petzold’s Afire and Celine Song’s Past Lives are among the titles set to screen at this year’s scaled-down Edinburgh International Film Festival (Aug 18-23), which is being mounted as part of Edinburgh’s wider cultural Festival.

Naman Ramachandran “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Choose Irvine Welsh” are among the world premieres at the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), the full program for which was unveiled on Thursday. As previously announced, “Silent Roar” and “Fremont” will bookend the festival, which includes 24 feature films, five retrospective titles, five short film programs and an outdoor screening weekend with seven features. A hybrid adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Hope Dickson Leach’s film transposes the action from London to Victorian Edinburgh. Ian Jefferies’ “Choose Irvine Welsh” is a documentary about the renowned “Trainspotting” author and features his admirers including Iggy Pop, Martin Compston, Danny Boyle, Bobbie Gillespie, Gail Porter, Rowetta and Andrew Macdonald.

Brave is the man who will sign up for a real-life father-daughter road movie set the aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, but Ewan McGregor his no regrets about pairing up with his eldest child — by his first wife — for You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, which screened as a tribute to the actor in Karlovy Vary. Set in a dreamlike American West, and very far removed from the specifics of the McGregors’ own personal situation, it finds a reformed alcoholic dad trying to reconnect with his offspring after collecting her from hospital. She thinks they’re off to visit an artist friend of her father’s, but the truth is that, in a bid to absolve himself of many years’ worth of guilt, he’s taking her to rehab.

EXCLUSIVE: After hitting 300 North American theaters via The Avenue last fall, the action thriller The System, starring Tyrese Gibson, Terrence Howard, Jeremy Piven and Lil Yachty, has been set to premiere on Starz on July 1st. The film will have its linear premiere there at 12:00 p.m. ET on July 6th, also airing that night at 11:30 p.m. ET.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired North American VOD rights to the dramatic feature film Waiting For The Light To Change — the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival ‘Grand Jury Prize’ winner for ‘Best Narrative Feature.

Jordan Moreau Warner Bros. and Legendary have released a brand new trailer for “Dune: Part 2,” and it gives a better look at new characters played by Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and returning stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. In the Oscar-nominated “Dune,” directed by Denis Villeneuve, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) traveled to Arrakis, the universe’s most dangerous and sandiest planet, to ensure his family and people’s future as the evil Harkonnen army attacked. In the sequel, Paul teams up with Chani (Zendaya) and the mysterious, blue-eyed Fremen natives to exact revenge on the Harkonnens, who destroyed his family. He must also juggle his love with Chani while the fate of the universe is at stake.

From Studio Ghibli leading the charge for the expansion of anime to BTS and BLACKPINK topping the music charts to TV series and films such as “Squid Games,” Parasite,” “Minari,” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” dominating the awards circuit, the popularity of Asian culture and media has surged recently in the United States in recent years.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion gave their blessing for the use of “WAP” in the new comedy “Joy Ride”.

EXCLUSIVE: Phoebe Tonkin (Babylon) is among the cast leading the indie crime drama And On The Eighth Day from debut feature filmmaker Alexandra Chando, which has just wrapped production in New Mexico.

Taipei Film Festival is aiming to shine an international spotlight on Taiwanese actors through a new initiative, Top Talents, that will showcase nine actors including major stars Kai Ko and Chen Bolin. 

Oscar Qualifying AwardsBest of the Festival Award - Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Harold Matzner, Palm Springs International Film Society’s Immediate Past ChairmanJury: Angel An (VP of Acquisitions, Roadside Attractions); Kiva Reardon (Vice President of Film, PASTEL); Clay Pruitt (Head of Programming, Impact Distribution, Impact Distribution, Seed&Spark)Winner:  The Old Young Crow (Japan/USA), Directed by Liam LoPintoSpecial Mention:  48 Hours (Iran), Directed by Azadeh MoussaviSpecial Mention:  Away (Hungary/Belgium/Portugal), Directed by Ruslan FedotowBest Animated Short – Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.Jury: Geoff Marslett (Animator/Director/Writer/Producer); Irene Soriano (Writer/Film Curator); Gabe Van Amburgh (Film Programmer and Senior Manager, SXSW)Winner:  Way Better (Lithuania), Directed by Skirmanta JakaitėSpecial Mention:  Ashkaska (Spain/Argentina), Directed by Lara MaltzSpecial Mention:  Eeva (Croatia/Estonia), Directed by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten TšinakovBest Documentary Short – Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.Jury: Eugene Yi (Director/Editor/Writer, Free Chol Soo Lee); Maria Santos (Funds Program Officer, International Documentary Association); Opal H.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) are set to collaborate with the Jonas Brothers on a brand-new single called ‘Do It Like That’.TXT’s label Big Hit Music announced today (June 22) that the K-pop boyband would collaborate with the Jonas Brothers on the upcoming single ‘Do It Like That’. The track will be released on July 7 at 1pm KST.“This top-tier collaboration was achieved when TXT visited the United States as a part of their world tour,” the agency said of the upcoming song, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“After listening to the demo track for ‘Do It Like That,’ the band members were eager to have the song released in Summer, and the Jonas Brothers joined the boyband without hesitation,” it addedPrior to the song’s release, the two groups will also release a concept photo and an official music video teaser on June 28 and July 5, respectively.

Sophia Scorziello editor Yara Shahidi, the “Black-ish” star who recently starred as Tinker Bell in Disney’s live-action film “Peter Pan & Wendy,” will be honored with the Shining Star award at the 2023 Maui Film Festival. The festival has revealed its full honoree and film slate for this year’s event, which is set to take place from June 28 to July 2 in Kahului. Shahidi is known for starring as Zoey in ABC’s beloved “Black-ish” and is now the executive producer of Freeform’s spinoff series, “Grown-ish.” She soon will star in Amazon’s upcoming rom-com “Sitting in Bars With Cake,” for which she will also serve as EP, along with the upcoming action thriller “Ballerina Overdrive.”

Christopher Vourlias Iranian filmmaker Dornaz Hajiha took home the top prize Saturday at the Transilvania Film Festival, as the jury awarded the first-time director with the Transilvania Trophy for “Like a Fish on the Moon,” a moving family drama about two parents coping with the emotional fallout when their young son suddenly stops talking. In the jury’s citation, Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco highlighted “the originality of its premise, the power of its performances, and the intelligence with which it explored very difficult subject matter,” describing “Like a Fish on the Moon” as “a film that resonated long after it ended.” Hajiha was visibly moved as she took the stage to accept the award, which was presented to her by Transilvania Lifetime Achievement Award winner Geoffrey Rush moments after the Australian actor delivered an impassioned and at times whimsical tribute to the power of cinema.

Ben Croll Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s hand-painted marvel “Chicken for Linda!” took home dual honors at the Annecy Animation Festival on Saturday, scooping up the festival’s top prize, the Cristal Award for best feature, as well as the Gan Foundation award for distribution. A bittersweet childhood tale that finds screwball humor in mourning and melancholy, the French-language film premiered to some acclaim out of Cannes’ ACID sidebar last month, and was picked up for North American distribution by Gkids while competing in Annecy. “We wanted something both funny and affecting,” said co-director Chiara Malta. “The two elements were never in conflict, because we made the film for children, putting ourselves in their perspectives while adopting their language.”

Angelique Jackson “Cinnamon” and “A Song From the Dark” were two of the big winners at the “Best of the ABFF Awards” presented Saturday during the American Black Film Festival. Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, “Cinnamon” continued its festival run at ABFF in Miami Beach, Fl., where it was awarded the prize for best narrative feature and best director for writer-director Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. The Tubi original film stars Hailey Kilgore, Damon Wayans, Pam Grier, David Iacono and Jeremie Harris. Kilgore plays Jodi, a struggling small-town gas station attendant with “killer pipes and big dreams,” who falls hopelessly in love with a hustler (Iacono) and falls foul of a local crime lord (Grier) and her murderous family. The noir thriller serves as the inaugural project filmed under Village Roadshow Pictures’ Black Noir Cinema banner, co-founded by NBA all-star Kevin Garnett. Veteran producer Oz Scott oversees the content slate, which also includes “Murder City,” a film starring Mike Colter, Antonio Fargas and Stephanie Sigman that made its world premiere at ABFF.

Cypher, written and directed by Chris Moukarbel, took the best U.S. narrative feature prize at the Tribeca Festival. The pseudo-documentary about the rise of Tierra Whack world premiered here last week. The jury cited “its kaleidoscopic use of music, created imagery and found materials, in service of an interrogation of celebrity, conspiracy culture and the nature of narrative reality itself.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Cypher,” a drama about the astronomical rise of rapper Tierra Whack, and “A Strange Path,” which follows a young filmmaker who returns to his country of Brazil during the pandemic to reconnect with his father, won the top prizes for U.S. narrative feature and international narrative feature, respectively, at this year’s Tribeca Festival. “Between the Rains,” a film that captures the Turkana-Ngaremara community as they contend with prolonged drought, took home the award for documentary feature. The festival, which dropped the word “film” from its name in 2021, hosts more than 600 events across New York City and hands out awards in categories including short film, audio storytelling and games. This year’s edition ends on June 18.

Cleveland! Your Guardians are red hot right now! The Cleveland Guardians had the highest-rated offense in the MLB during their latest homestand. On Sunday afternoon the Cleveland Guardians shut out the Houston Astros which gave the team their 31st win of the year. This also marks the first time Cleveland has won a series against the Astros in five years.

Amber Heard‘s next big appearance has been announced!