Austria Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Arnold Schwarzenegger joked about getting his recent pacemaker installed in a new Instagram photo on Thursday, as he thanked supporters for their well-wishes.“Thank you! I’ve gotten so many kind messages from all over the world, but a lot of people have asked if my pacemaker will cause any problems with FUBAR Season 2. Absolutely not,” he wrote.“I will be ready to film in April, and you can only see it if you’re really looking for it.”The former bodybuilder, 76, revealed earlier this month that he was fitted for a pacemaker following three open heart surgeries.“I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker,” he previously said on his podcast Arnold’s Pump Club.“I have to tell you, just saying this to all of you goes against so much of my upbringing in Austria, where nobody — ever — talked about medical issues.

Harry Styles and Taylor Russell are calling it quits after nearly a year of dating.

public service announcement warning that foreign terrorist organizations and their supporters may seek to target LGBTQ-related events, which are plentiful as cities around the nation prepare to celebrate Pride Month in June. Besides the potential security vulnerabilities inherent in holding large-scale events with potentially hundreds of thousands of attendees, the law enforcement agencies warn that foreign terrorist organizations have previously promoted anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and threatened LGBTQ-related events for potential attacks.For example, in February 2023, English-language ISIS messaging featured an article focused on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and railed against the growth and increased visibility of the LGBTQ community.

Mo Harawe makes history this Cannes with debut feature The Village Next To Paradise which is world premiering in Un Certain Regard as the first Somalian title to make it into Official Selection across the festival’s 77 editions.

Mubi has swooped on its third 2024 Cannes competition title, Variety has learned. Having acquired worldwide rights to Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy body horror “The Substance” and U.K.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed the first international sales for Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” ahead of its world premiere on Friday in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film has been acquired in Italy by BiM Distribuzione and Lucky Red, Benelux by September Film Distribution, Spain by Bteam Pictures, Greece by Ama Films, Hungary by Cirko Film, Norway by Selmer Media, Portugal by Leopardo Filmes, Taiwan by Hooray Films and Turkey by Bir Film.

Christopher Vourlias After making waves on the festival circuit with a pair of heralded short films, Somali filmmaker Mo Harawe makes his auspicious feature debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival with “The Village Next to Paradise,” which premieres May 21 in the French fest’s Un Certain Regard section — the first feature from the African nation ever to screen on the Croisette. An intimate family drama set in a windswept Somali fishing village, “Paradise” follows Mamargade (Ahmed Ali Farah), a single father working odd jobs to provide a better life for his son, Cigaal (Ahmed Mohamud Saleban). They’re joined by his sister, Araweelo (Anab Ahmed Ibrahim), who comes back to live with the duo after her divorce.

AC/DC kicked off their huge European stadium tour in Germany last night (May 17), marking their return to touring for the first time in 8 years.The tour, in support of their 2020 comeback record ‘Power Up’, began at the 62,000-capacity Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen and was the first featuring new bassist Chris Chaney, who is best known for his tenure in Jane’s Addiction. He replaced Cliff Williams after he retired from touring.Their setlist was almost identical to the one in their comeback gig at Power Trip Festival in October, albeit with the order of some of the songs changed.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Writer, director and actress Toni Kalem (“The Sopranos“) is adapting Lore Segal’s internationally acclaimed 1964 semi-autobiographical novel “Other People’s Houses,” about a Jewish child refugee who finds asylum in Britain via the Kindertransport rescue effort. The story follows a 10-year-old Jewish girl from Vienna who is sent to England as part of the 1938 children’s transport that followed Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria. She spends the next several years living in wildly disparate households, from wealthy families to modest working-class folks, an experience that presents her with stark impressions of England’s class system.

It's Friday evening, which means it's time for our weekly Friday night pub quiz!

Queen guitarist Brian May have teamed up for a live performance at Starmus Festival.The French composer and performer was joined by the rock and roll icon on stage in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Sunday (May 12) at Bridge from the Future, the opening concert for the Starmus Festival, presented in association with digital security company ESET.Jarre’s performance featured 19 musical works that spanned his career. He also performed a new arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony’.May came on stage as a special guest and performed ‘Deuxième Rendez-Vous’ – the first live performance of the piece since December 2013 – ‘New World Symphony’, ‘Last Horizon’ and a cover of Queen’s ‘Brighton Rock’.

F1 drivers Nico Hulkenberg, Max Verstappen, Zhou Guanyu, George Russell and Charles Leclerc pose behind the Brazilian flag while posing for a group photo at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit on Thursday (May 16) in Imola, Italy.

Beni Baningime's absence from Hearts confirming which of their first team players will be moving on this summer has fans speculating that a new deal is imminent.

Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner will serve as jury president at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival, running August 7-17. 

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Cinema has closed a slew of international territory sales on its resistance epic “William Tell,” Nick Hamm’s adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s play. WME Independent represents domestic rights.

Jack Dunn Paramount+ has unveiled a teaser for its seventh “South Park” streaming special, “South Park: The End of Obesity,” which premieres May 24 in the U.S. and Canada, and May 25 in Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In “The End of Obesity,” weight loss drugs take the quiet mountain town of South Park by storm.

Paramount+ announced on Wednesday that South Park: The End of Obesity, its latest South Park exclusive event, will premiere in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, May 24, debuting in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria the following day.

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired Northern American rights for Joachim A. Lang’s historical drama Goebbels and The Führer (aka Führer and Seducer) for a fall 2024 theatrical and digital release.  

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor European Film Promotion is playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to 20 up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects. Katharina Posch, Austria“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”Director: Julia Niemann“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” is a sleek and sunny psycho thriller about a reality TV show set on a remote island.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed first sales and released the first-look image from Oscar-nominated Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland‘s biopic of the Czech novelist Franz Kafka, “Franz.” The project has sold to September Film in Benelux, Filmin in Spain, Vertigo in Hungary, MCF Megacom for the former Yugoslavia and Movies Inspired in Italy. The film was previously acquired for theatrical distribution by Bac Films Distribution in France, X Verleih in Germany and Austria, Bioscop in Czech Republic and TVP in Poland.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “The Substance,” Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy horror movie starring Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, has sold to one of France’s biggest distributors, Metropolitan FilmExport, ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The Match Factory is handling international sales on the female-powered movie, and MUBI just acquired the rights in North America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, where they will release the film theatrically this year. MUBI has also acquired the movie for Turkey and India.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Picture Tree Intl. has taken international sales rights to Icelandic comedy “Divine Remedy,” which is shooting in Iceland and Rioja, Spain.

EXCLUSIVE: Francis Ford Coppola‘s Megalopolis has sold to key independent buyers in Europe’s top five territories, we can reveal.

The Eurovision Song Contest was certainly dramatic with calls for the competition to be boycotted and one act disqualified the day of the Grand Final. But despite the drama, the Contest went ahead on Saturday night in Malmo and reigning champion Loreen handed over the trophy to a new winner. Let's take a look at the final result.

AC/DC have shared a photo of their new line-up ahead of their first tour in eight years.The current incarnation of the legendary Australian rock band features classic members Brian Johnson (vocals) and Angus Young on vocals and lead guitar respectively alongside rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug, and bassist Chris Chaney.Stevie Young is the nephew of Angus and has been playing with the band for several years, initially filling in for Malcolm Young when he was diagnosed with dementia. After he passed away in 2017, Stevie remained with the band.Laug, meanwhile, made his debut with AC/DC at Power Trip festival in Indio, California back in October after classic drummer Phil Rudd revealed he would not be performing at what was the band’s first live show in seven years.Chaney is best known for his time playing in Jane’s Addiction and recently replaced Cliff Williams after he retired from touring.Johnson is returning to the fold after leaving the band in 2016 due to hearing issues, which saw him replaced by Axl Rose.A post shared by AC/DC (@acdc)The ‘Power Up‘ tour – in support of their 2020 album of the same name – will kick off in the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 17, followed by dates in Spain, Austria, Switzerland and more.The run also includes two dates at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 3 and 7, before they continue on to more mainland Europe dates.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday evening, as thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the host city of Malmo, Sweden, to protest against the country’s participation in the competition. 

EXCLUSIVE: Production has wrapped in Wales on boxing crime-drama Salvable, starring Toby Kebbell (For All Mankind), Shia LaBeouf (Fury) and James Cosmo (Game Of Thrones). Above is a first-look image.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean sales firm Finecut has inked multiple deals for horror thriller “Noise” and for “A Traveler’s Needs,” the recent Berlin prize-winner directed by Hong Sangsoo.“Noise” is a “multi-sensory and realistic horror” film that intertwines societal motifs of “floor noise” with suspenseful elements. Directed by Kim Soo-jin, the film centers around a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance in her own apartment and attracting a malevolent presence.

EXCLUSIVE: Babylon Berlin star Lars Eidinger is leading futuristic romance movie Behind the Knothole, with producers seeking financing at Cannes.

Mubi has acquired worldwide rights for French director Coralie Fargeat’s English-language body horror movie The Substance ahead of its world premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival this month.