City Sandbox Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Abe Sylvia‘s new Apple TV+ series stars Oscar winner Allison Janney, Oscar winner Laura Dern, Oscar and nine-time Emmy Award nominee Kristen Wiig, and latin music icon Ricky Martin. But the true star of “Palm Royale” may just be the one and only Carol Burnett.

Lise Pedersen Science is one of the central themes of leading European doc film festival CPH:DOX. Alongside the broad selection of films on offer in the CPH:SCIENCE section, the event also opens the floor to conversations on the role of science docs with key players, ranging from filmmakers and producers to commissioners and public broadcasters.

Kelsea Ballerini is set to host the 2024 CMT Music Awards for the fourth consecutive year.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Filmmakers Alex Gibney, Johan Grimonprez and Laura Huertas Millan, along with industry figures Jessica Harrop from Sandbox and Marie Nelson from Hot Docs will be among the speakers at CPH:CONFERENCE, the discussion program at documentary festival CPH:DOX. The program, which is curated in partnership with the training initiative Documentary Campus, has the theme “rebuilding narratives.” The conference will kick off on March 18 with a collaboration with the DISCO Network – made up of Ambulante, AFLAMUNA, DocsMX, Doc Society, DocSP, Docubox, In-Docs and India Docs – who will present and workshop “Our Declaration of Independence.” This session, led by Jad Abi-Khalil (AFLAMUNA) and Beadie Finzi (Doc Society), is a result of an initiative aiming to “articulate the importance of independent documentaries to culture, society and democracy, and to advocate for the resources and platforms they deserve.” In the mornings of March 19-21, there will be thought-provoking conversations with filmmakers featured in this year’s CPH:DOX program.

EXCLUSIVE: London-based sales and production outfit Dogwoof has boarded world sales for Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan’s Nocturnes, which will get its world premiere in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

EXCLUSIVE: Virtual gaming world The Sandbox has teamed with studios and industry labels such as Lionsgate and Skydance on the Cinerama LAND Sale, a virtual cinema-focused network.

Barbra Streisand was determined to get Robert Redford to star opposite her in The Way We Were, as detailed in her upcoming memoir, My Name Is Barbra, out on Nov. 7.

EXCLUSIVE: Michel Gondry’s Partizan and RTG Features have tapped Christopher Makoto Yogi (I Was a Simple Man) to direct Merv and the Miracles, a feature-length doc that explores the legendary college basketball game between Chaminade and number-one ranked Virginia in 1982.

Jon Burlingame As Emmy voting draws to a close, members of the Television Academy music peer group is finalizing its choices for awards in seven categories. Here’s a guide, examining the competition in scoring, song, music direction and supervision.

Addie Morfoot Contributor With documentary distribution in a state of disruption, most independent nonfiction filmmakers have been left on their own to find new and creative solutions to ensure that their films reach audiences. Ian Cheney is the latest director to turn to a bespoke distribution method for his docu “The Arc of Oblivion.” Cheney wrote, edited, and directed the film, which explores people’s impulse toward preservation and how it relates to the natural world, memory and legacy.

Addie Morfoot Contributor “I of the Water,” one of 20 projects presented at Hot Docs’ marquee market event, the Forum, has won the First Look first prize of Can. $50,000 ($36,700), one of four pitch prizes announced Wednesday at the festival. Kimberlee Bassford’s “I of the Water” focuses on acclaimed Samoan writer Sia Figiel’s hidden past of sexual abuse and journey toward healing. The film is produced by Bassford, Marilyn McFadyen, Vilsoni Hereniko, Leanne K. Ferrer, Cheryl Hirasa, and Linda Goldstein Knowlton. The second First Look prize, worth Can. $15,000, was awarded to Kenya-Jade Pinto “The Sandbox,” a Canadian production with a vague tagline: “Your future is being written in the sand.” The doc is produced by Shasha Nakhai, Kenya-Jade Pinto, Jennifer Baichwal, and Rich Williamson.

Addie Morfoot Contributor The 24th edition of the Hot Docs Forum, the financing event aimed at securing co-productions and funds for feature length documentaries, includes 19 projects representing 16 countries and featuring 23 filmmakers, 12 of whom are women and 11 of whom are black, indigenous and people of color. An additional Wild Card pitch will be selected live at the Forum. The Forum, which returns to in-person at Toronto’s Hart House after three years of being virtual, also includes an additional 30 projects, which will participate in Hot Docs Deal Maker, a curated one-on-one pitch meeting program. Commissioning editors, investors and industry experts, including A24, Amazon Studios, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Concordia, Hulu, Paramount, Participant Media, Sandbox Films and Netflix, will attend this year’s Forum.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor After launching less than three years ago, production company Sandbox films celebrated Oscars weekend this year with a nominated documentary, “Fire of Love.” The company will also premiere two new documentary films, “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” from Penny Lane and “The Arc of Oblivion” from Ian Cheney. Founding director Greg Boustead tells Variety that the boutique company seeks to share stories that pack an emotional punch, as he felt that element was often missing when it came to the science non-fiction genre. “One of the motivations for founding a company is to find those stories of where science and technology intersect with society in interesting and unexpected ways,” Boustead says.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris Hilton is to play matchmaker in the metaverse.

Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy FilmAvatar: The Way of Water – Deborah L. ScottBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth E.

James Gunn revealed on Twitter today in response to a fan’s question that he and new DC Studios co-head Peter Safran are planning to reveal their new DC plan to the Warner Discovery team in the next two months.

CMT and CBS have set the date for the 2023 CMT Music Awards, airing Sunday, April 2, 2023 live from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center for the first time.

EXCLUSIVE: The Sundance Institute and Sandbox Films have announced the 10 projects and filmmaking teams selected as the latest recipients of grants from the Sundance Institute | Sandbox Fund.

It has been almost six months since Naomi Judd tragically lost her life and just over two since it was revealed her daughters, singer Wynonna and actress Ashley, were not included in the musician's will. Now, Wynonna is opening up about rumors that she and her younger half-sister Ashley are feuding over their mother's will, which named Naomi's husband Larry Strickland as executor of her estate. Strickland is neither woman's biological father, but is affectionately called "Pop" by them.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media Sandbox Films and Gamechanger Films will develop “Under the Dream,” a new documentary feature that will be co-directed and co-produced by Saelyx Finna, Mia Imani and Laurie Polisky. The film is a creative documentary about the uncharted realm of dream technology and the Black-led movement to protect our minds at night. Gamechanger CEO Effie Brown, and Sandbox Film’s Jessica Harrop, head of production and development, and founding director Greg Boustead will be acting as executive producers on the project.   Sandbox is a documentary studio behind “Fire of Love,” a look at married volcanologists that debuted at Sundance before selling to National Geographic Documentary Films, and Gamechanger Films is a production company behind the upcoming A24 release “The Inspection.”

Thania Garcia Sony Music Publishing has renewed its worldwide publishing agreement with Tainy, extending the deal which began in 2005.In a press release, Tainy said, “I am grateful that my career has allowed me to reach new heights not only on the artistic and creative side, but also on the business side – and I appreciate having such great partners on the publishing end. Excited for the next chapter with the SMP family.”Most recently, Tainy produced nine songs on Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” including chart-toppers “Ojitos Lindos” and “Party.” He is currently working on Myke Towers’ upcoming record.“Tainy is one of the leading songwriters, artists, and producers in music today.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorLionsgate’s “Hellboy” and other movies are getting virtual real estate in The Sandbox — a decentralized gaming virtual world similar to Roblox — in a new bid by the studio to extend its intellectual property into more digital realms.Lionsgate is the first Hollywood studio to team with The Sandbox on a virtual land. The companies plan to develop Action City, an area in the game that will feature 2019’s “Hellboy” and other Lionsgate and Millennium Media action films, including Sylvester Stallone vehicles “Rambo,” “Rambo: Last Blood” and the three movies in the “The Expendables” franchise.The content in Action City will let Sandbox players create their own experiences using both original and established characters and worlds.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate and The Sandbox have formed a partnership to create a film and TV destination in the metaverse, describing it as “part virtual real estate, part amusement park.”

(CNN)Wynonna Judd has decided to turn what would have been her and her mother's final tour into a tribute to her.Naomi Judd died by suicide in April at the age of 76. Her daughter shared at a public memorial for her last week that she planned to continue on with "The Judds: The Final Tour" in her honor.On Thursday, a revised tour, titled "the Ultimate Girls Night Out," will include appearances by fellow artists Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood and others to be announced at a later date."I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most," Wynonna Judd said in a statement.

Naomi Judd was remembered with love and admiration in CMT and Sandbox Live’s “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” a public memorial at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, with her daughters Ashley and Wynonna, along with “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts hosting the tear-filled event.“Thank you for being in community and fellowship with us,” Ashley said taking the stage and receiving a standing ovation. “Because we can pretend to care, but we cannot pretend to show up.

The country music community gathered today at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to remember one of their own. As it might be expected, the best way to honor and memorialize one of the genre’s greatest hitmakers was found in song.

Fans of the late Naomi Judd will be able to pay their final respects via televised coverage of the late country singer’s memorial service.

Wynonna and Ashley Judd are partnering with CMT and Sandbox Live on a public memorial special to honor their late mother, Naomi.“Naomi Judd: A River Of Time Celebration” will go live from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee at 6 p.m. Sunday.

A public memorial service for 5-time Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Naomi Judd, who died last week at 76, will air live on CMT this weekend.

Slipknot have partnered with the makers of the virtual gaming world The Sandbox to launch KNOTVERSE, billed as “a fully immersive space to host Web3 experiences” curated by Slipknot and their Knotfest brand.The long-running heavy metal band are said to be bringing their self-curated Knotfest festival brand and media site “into the metaverse” with the partnership, which they first teased last week.Establishing “a one-of-a-kind meeting place for heavy music culture in the metaverse”, KNOTVERSE will host an array of Web3 experiences such as unique NFTs, generative collections, metaverse concerts, gaming, fan and festival experiences, unique collaborations, merchandise, new music and real-life events.Set to be known as KNOTVERSE LANDS within The Sandbox‘s virtual world, Slipknot’s dedicated area will inherit Knotfest’s “dark carnival theme and integrate more than 20 years of Slipknot themes and imagery”.The team behind The Sandbox, which is described in a press release as “part-virtual real estate, part-amusement park”, will work closely with Slipknot to bring these ‘Lands’ to life within the game’s shared digital space. Snoop Dogg, Adidas and The Walking Dead are among the artists and brands to have already established partnerships with The Sandbox.Speaking about the partnership, Slipknot’s M.