Tom Hanks and ‘SNL50’ Highlight the Show’s Problematic Past, From Ethnic Stereotypes to Sexual Harassment Jokes and Adrien Brody’s Dreadlocks
During Sunday’s “SNL50,” Tom Hanks deadpanned the opening of what seemed to be an in memoriam segment, but instead of tributes to past cast members, it played tribute to comedy that didn’t age well and wouldn’t play well today. “As we celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years, we must also take a moment […]
Robert De Niro Strangles Rachel Dratch’s Debbie Downer at ‘SNL50’: ‘You’re Going to Shut It’
Robert De Niro and Rachel Dratch faced off on “SNL50,” with the Oscar winner confronting the former cast member in her Debbie Downer character, playing a bartender, during a sketch in the home stretch of the anniversary special. “At this point, we’re all walking landfills,” Dratch said, in a reference to microplastics. “Odds are they’ve […]
Small-Town Indian Comedy ‘Dupahiya’ Rides to Prime Video (EXCLUSIVE)
Prime Video is revving up its Indian originals slate with “Dupahiya,” a heartland comedy series that blends small-town charm with a quirky caper. The nine-episode series, which marks the debut production from Bombay Film Cartel banner, follows the mayhem that erupts in the fictional village of Dhadakpur when a prized motorcycle goes missing just as […]
Ukraine’s Kateryna Gornostai Finds Hope in Berlinale Doc ‘Timestamp’: ‘This Generation Needs to Live’
Ukrainian filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai makes a case for optimism with the Berlinale doc “Timestamp.” “It’s a sad film, but there’s a lot of hope in these kids and in our education system that still works. It was crucial to make a film about war, but war is not in the frame,” she told Variety. Bowing […]
Radu Jude Returns to Wry Social Commentary, Absurd ‘Human Comedy’ in Berlin Golden Bear Contender ‘Kontinental ‘25’
Four years after winning the Golden Bear for his irreverent satire “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn,” Romanian auteur Radu Jude returns to the Berlinale with his latest feature, “Kontinental ’25,” which premieres Feb. 19 in the festival’s main competition. The film follows a bailiff, Orsolya (Eszter Tompa), who’s plunged into a moral crisis after a homeless man […]
‘Dangal’ and ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ Directors Ink Major Deal With India’s Tips Films (EXCLUSIVE)
India’s Tips Films Ltd. has struck a significant production partnership with Earthsky Pictures, the banner helmed by power couple Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari, whose critically acclaimed directorial ventures include “Nil Battey Sannata” and “Dangal” respectively. The pact signals Tips’ strategic move to bolster its content slate with the kind of distinctive storytelling that […]
Roschdy Zem Set for Psychodrama ‘Elisa — I Wanted to Kill Her’ Directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo (EXCLUSIVE)
French-Moroccan multi-hyphenate Roschdy Zem (“Days of Glory,” “The Innocent”) and Italy’s Barbara Ronchi (“Kidnapped”) are set to star in psychological drama “Elisa — Io la volevo uccidere” by Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo (“The Inner Cage,” “The Intruder”). Zem, who is one of France’s most bankable actors, will play a compassionate criminologist named Alaoui, whose life intersects with a […]
Ameer Fakher Eldin on Directing Hanna Schygulla in Berlin Competition Title ‘Yunan’: ‘You Feel That She’s Really True to Herself’
Berlin-based helmer Ameer Fakher Eldin, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, to Syrian parents from the Golan Heights, is in the Berlinale competition with “Yunan,” the story of a prominent Arab author Munir, who is living in exile in Berlin and going through some heavy inner turmoil. Burdened by “an unforgettable past and an unidentifiable […]
Filmax Brings Spanish Horror Pic ‘The Hanged Woman’ to the EFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Spanish sales company Filmax has secured international rights to “The Hanged Woman,” the latest film from director Miguel Ángel Lamata. Known for films such as “Our Lovers” and “The Footballest,” Lamata ventures into the highly sought-after horror genre with this adaptation of Mayte Navales’ popular thriller novel. The story revolves around a woman who takes […]
Silvio Soldini’s ‘The Tasters,’ About German Women Forced to Taste Hitler’s Food, Scores Slew of Sales (EXCLUSIVE)
Italian director Silvio Soldini’s “The Tasters,” which reconstructs the true story of the women conscripted to be Adolf Hitler’s food tasters, is scoring a slew of sales at the European Film Market. Vision Distribution has closed deals for dozens of territories on the German-language drama starring Germany’s Elisa Schlott (“Das Boot” TV series), Max Riemelt (“Sleeping […]