Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the contemporary Saudi-language thriller Unidentified directed by Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda, The Perfect Candidate), and starring Mila Al Zahrani (The Perfect Candidate, The Cello) along with Shafi Al Harthi (A Woman’s Life).
Many European film organizations including Berlinale and European Film Academy have issued statements on the situation on Ukraine.
Cineworld, parent company of Regal, announced that it will be temporarily suspending operations at all of its 536 Regal theatres in the U.S., as of Thursday, October 8, 2020. These closures will impact approximately 40,000 employees across the U.S.
The European Film Academy and the Berlin International Film Festival issued a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of writer, human rights lawyer, and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh.
SFFILM announced the four winners of 2020 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund grants totaling $80,000, which support feature-length documentaries in post-production. Giovanni Buccomino’s After a Revolution (working title), Clarke Lyons and Gabe Dinsmoor’s Squeegee, Farah Kassem’s We Are Inside, and Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing with Fire were each awarded funding that will help push each project towards completion.
The Chicago International Film Festival announced this year’s Industry Days will be held virtually for a global audience, from October 12-18, 2020.
July is off to a good start with the release of some highly anticipated official trailers. Due to the global pandemic, distribution companies who would’ve normally released their movies in theaters have turned to streaming giants like Netflix and HBO Max to premiere their films to audiences around the world. With film productions beginning to ramp back up and theaters around the country slowly starting to open, movie-goers are hoping they won’t have to much longer to watch films on the big-screen again. Until then, check out the five official trailers that caught our eyes this week.
The UK arts sector will receive $2 billion in government relief after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The UK announced over the weekend that emergency grants and loans would protect the country’s museums, galleries, theaters, independent cinemas, heritage sites, and music venues. Amid mounting pressure, art industry leaders are looking forward to the financial support.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 819 artists and executives including Awkwafina – “The Farewell,” Natasha Lyonne – “Honey Boy,” and Lakeith Stanfield – “Sorry to Bother You” to join the organization. The 2020 class is 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2020.
The Mexican production “50 o Dos Ballenas se Encuentran en la Playa” directed by Jorge Cuchí was awarded the Films in Progress Toulouse Award and the Special Ciné+ in Progress Award at the 2020 Films in Progress Toulouse organized by the San Sebastian Festival and Cinélatino, Rencontres de Toulouse.