Vertical Entertainment Acquires SXSW & Venice Prize Winner ‘Topside’ From Directors Celine Held & Logan George

Stuart Miller In Hollywood, it’s easier to sell a movie if you can say, “It’s like a new take on ___” and fill in the blank with a box office hit. But the films that get nominated for director are usually the result of a singular vision, one that’s hard to pin down and categorize.Still, just as many Americans love doing DNA searches for their own family, we can trace the genre roots of this year’s director nominees.“Belfast,” Kenneth BranaghAn acclaimed British director, who earned his first Oscar nomination for a picture filled with action sequences and memorable quotes, earns another for an intimate autobiographical story about a childhood in which encroaching violence casts a shadow.

EXCLUSIVE: Frank Grillo (Captain American franchise, Kingdom) has signed on to star opposite Harvey Keitel in Justin Price’s action-thriller Hard Matter for Wonderfilm Media, which is currently in production in Biloxi, Mississippi.

the 53rd NAACP Image Awards Saturday night, Jennifer Hudson was the big winner of the night, taking home trophies for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and Entertainer of the Year.  Will Smith won for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.” The Netflix Western “The Harder They Fall” was named Outstanding Motion Picture.The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards show is “to honor outstanding black actors, actresses, writers, producers, directors, and recognize those working in Hollywood who supported those artists.” The scope has developed across African American communities and cultures.“Black-ish” star – and winner for this year’s Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Anthony Anderson hosted Saturday night’s almost entirely virtual show from Los Angeles.HBO’s “Insecure” was named Outstanding Comedy Series, with its star, Issa Rae, winning for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been eyeing up a prep school in Berkshire for Prince George to attend when he finishes Thomas’s Battersea this summer. Prince William and Kate Middleton are understood to be preparing Prince George for a move to the Home Counties. The future King will finish at Thomas’s Battersea in summer and the current plan is for him to move to a prep school in Berkshire, with Lambrook near Ascot and Ludgrove School, where Prince Harry and Prince William both went, front runners.

Prince Charles, 73, is first in the line of succession for the British throne when his mother Queen Elizabeth, 95, passes away. After Charles, he’ll eventually be succeeded by his son Prince William, 39. Someday, Charles’ eldest grandson Prince George, 8, will eventually take the throne. The Prince of Wales has been with his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, 74, for 17 years, and while they have no children together, Charles had two sons from his first marriage to Princess Diana. Both William and his younger son Prince Harry, 37, have given Charles five grandkids. Find out more about all of his grandkids here!

Sam Heughan devastated fans today after revealing that his film Everest, alongside Ewan McGregor and Mark Strong, has been delayed.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American and UK/IRE rights to the political comedy The Hater, from writer-director Joey Ally (Uproot, Are You Still Singing), in which she stars alongside Bruce Dern (Nebraska, The Hateful Eight), Meredith Hagner (Search Party, Palm Springs), D’Angelo Lacy (aka musical artist Black Gatsby), Ian Harding (Pretty Little Liars, Ford v Ferrari), Ali Larter (The Last Victim, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), and Nora Dunn (Together Together, The Lost Husband). The independent distributor has slated it for a day-and-date release on March 18.

EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the psychological thriller The Immaculate Room, from writer-director Mukunda Michael Dewil (Vehicle 19). The Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company has slated the title, starring Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, Into the Wild), Kate Bosworth (Before I Wake, Still Alice), Ashley Greene (Bombshell, The Twilight Saga) and M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple, Blade Runner), for a day-and-date release in the second half of this year.

Christopher Vourlias Music Box Films has acquired the North American rights to writer-director Martika Ramirez Escobar’s genre-bending “Leonor Will Never Die,” which won the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit in Sundance this year after premiering in the festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition.The film tells the story of Leonor Reyes, once a major player in the Filipino film industry during its ragtag action cinema glory days, but now in her golden years and struggling to pay her bills. When she reads an advertisement for a screenplay contest, Leonor begins tinkering with an unfinished script about a young man avenging his brother’s murder at the hand of thugs.But after a falling television knocks her unconscious and sends her into a coma, Leonor finds herself inside her incomplete movie, re-writing and editing on the fly in a fantastical bid to complete the film while her body lies in limbo.

NEW YORK -- Hollywood will have a strong presence at this year’s Met Gala in May — and not only on the red carpet. A group of top film directors including Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Regina King and last year’s Oscar winner Chloé Zhao will be a key part of the Costume Institute exhibit launching the gala in May.Star curator Andrew Bolton on Tuesday announced the list of eight directors who will create what he called “cinematic vignettes” in the period rooms of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Discovery+, just before the human 2022 Super Bowl. “These are not trained puppies,” long-time Puppy Bowl referee Dan Schachner told The Post. “These are dogs in their purest form.”This year was the largest competition yet, with more than 100 dogs from 63 shelters in 33 states, including a pup from Hawaii.

It’s hard to imagine now, so long after it was released, that anyone would have been able to step into the roles of Max and Furiosa in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” like Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron were able to do. However, like almost every other film ever created, there was a time when the filmmakers were trying to narrow down who exactly would be the best actors for the job.

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has taken North American rights to A Taste of Whale, a documentary by Vincent Kelner on the annual slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. The ancient practice, which has met with modern resistance from Sea Shepherd and other animal rights groups, involves herding hundreds of the large dolphins into coves, inlets or fjords where they can be easily killed and butchered.

After a bidding war, Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment have acquired North American rights to Aubrey Plaza thriller “Emily the Criminal,” according to an insider with knowledge of the deal.The film, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, is slated for an exclusive theatrical release later this year. In a unique move, Redbox has joined the partnership for home entertainment distribution.John Patton Ford directed the film in his feature directorial debut and wrote the script.

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment have prevailed in a bidding war surrounding the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring and produced by Aubrey Plaza (Black Bear, Ingrid Goes West), claiming North American rights. They’ve slated the film for an exclusive theatrical release this year, with Redbox joining the partnership for home entertainment distribution.

Dakota Fanning and Andrew Scott are hard at work on the set of their new series!