Academy Award-winning director Julia Reichert (American Factory, Union Maids), who passed away in 2022, reflects on her life as a filmmaker and activist in the new Netflix documentary Julia’s Stepping Stones. Narrated by Reichert herself and created with her longtime collaborator and husband, Steve Bognar, the film traces her journey from a working-class upbringing to becoming an Oscar and Emmy-winning artist.
The American Film Institute (AFI) has revealed the AFI Awards 2024 honorees comprised of the 10 outstanding motion pictures and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.
Based on the true story of a deep-sea diving accident in 2012, Last Breath is a new drama/thriller film from director Alex Parkinson, who previously directed a documentary on the same subject under the same title in 2019. The film follows a team as they attempt a daring rescue of a team member whose umbilical cable was severed, leaving him trapped under the deep sea.
Sony Pictures Classics will release the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin directed by Bernard MacMahon (American Epic), exclusively in IMAX on February 7, 2025, in almost 200 theaters. Ahead of the release, IMAX Theatres will hold one night only early access screenings on February 5, 2025 in eighteen markets.
Apple TV+ debuted the official trailer for “The Secret Lives of Animals,” the new 10-part docuseries narrated by SAG Award winner Hugh Bonneville (Paddington, Downton Abbey).
Tom Tykwer’s The Light (Das Licht) will world premiere as the opening film of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2025. The Light (Das Licht) will be presented as a Berlinale Special Gala out of competition.
The National Board of Review (NBR) has named their 2024 honorees, with top awards going to Wicked for Best Film; Jon M. Chu for Best Director for Wicked; Daniel Craig for Best Actor for Queer; and Nicole Kidman for Best Actress for Babygirl. In addition to winning Best Film, the NBR will present the NBR Spotlight Award to Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande for their creative collaboration in Wicked.
Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard will be honored with Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival as part of Variety’s annual 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards brunch.
Ariana Grande has been named the recipient of the Rising Star Award at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Awards for her performance in Universal Pictures’ Wicked. The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-13, 2025.
Shudder and RLJE Films unveiled the official trailer for Bloody Axe Wounds, the latest slasher-comedy film from genre director Matthew John Lawrence. With a concept of “What if Jason Voorhees has a daughter?” the film follows the teenage daughter of a serial killer, trying to follow her disfigured father’s footsteps while navigating the normal struggles of growing up.
Anora and I Saw the TV Glow lead the nominations for the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards with six each.
The New York Film Critics Circle voted Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist as Best Film of 2024, along with Best Actor honors for Adrien Brody for his performance in the film as visionary architect László Toth who emigrates to America to rebuild his life, his career, and his marriage.