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BritBox Signs UK Programs From Sphere Abacus

Best-of-British streamer BritBox has bought a package of programs from Sphere Abacus, the UK-based sales house making its debut at MIPCOM in its current guise. Package contains Travels With Agatha Christie with Sir David Suchet from Soho Studios and Two Rivers Media. Suchet is currently on the ground with Sphere Abacus in Cannes, as our report earlier today noted. Also acquired by BritBox are Jon and Lucy’s Odd Couples, The Murder of Sandra Rivett, Breaking Dad: Britain’s Unlikeliest Drug Dealer, Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Poirot and Miss Marple (aka Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Suspense), Diana: The Interview That Shook the World and Susan Hill’s The Small Hand: A Ghost Story (1 x 94’) produced by Awesome and Two Rivers Media. BritBox takes rights for the U.S. and Canada.

Beta Sets Globo Co-Pro ‘Discipline

Germany’s Beta Film and Brazilian...

It’s strange to discover that “Blitz” is the most anonymous movie that Steve McQueen has made thus far, as this pseudo-Dickensian epic — the story of a half-Grenadian boy’s quest to reunite with his guilt-ridden single mother (Saoirse Ronan) after she evacuates him out of London in the fall of 1940 — would appear to be an ideal showcase for his singular vision as a filmmaker.

Drawn towards subjects that allow him to interrogate and expand upon historical notions of resilience, the “Hunger” director has frequently returned to portraits of life during wartime over the course of his career as both a visual artist and commercial auteur. This one, set at the height of the stiff upper lip spirit that McQueen is eager to question for its cracks, offers such a natural canvas for his favorite subject that it can seem like he’s spent the last 20 years waiting for the budget to paint on it.

With his new World War II drama Blitz, uncompromising filmmaker Steve McQueen is once more tackling weighty, vital material. He tells us about his ongoing mission to break new ground…

Here’s what you need to know about Steve McQueen, as a man and as a filmmaker: he will not waste your time. Not with false modesty, nor with empty boasting. Not by suffering fools or flattering royalty. This is sometimes mistaken for brusqueness. It isn’t. It’s a guarantee that when a single shot of a priest conversing with a prisoner lasts 17 minutes and 11 seconds (as in 2008 feature debut Hunger), or when his 2023 Holocaust documentary Occupied City takes four hours and 26 minutes (not including interval), every moment is necessary and accounted for.

It’s this disciplined focus on what McQueen emphatically calls “the work... The W-O-R-K” which has enabled the 54-year-old to frequently...

Steve McQueen said he prefers a collaborative style of filmmaking, saying that “being a director is not about being an arsehole”.

“Once you have a situation where everyone’s together – I’ll take a good idea from anybody,” said UK filmmaker McQueen, at a Screen Talk ahead of the world premiere of his new film Blitz, opening the 68th BFI London Film Festival this evening.

“A director is not about being an arsehole. A director is about listening and feeling and smelling and tasting…There are too many arseholes, trust me,” said the director, who did not name names.

This...

Oscar- and BAFTA Award-winning British writer and director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Hunger, Shame, Small Axe, Uprising, Occupied City) got a huge applause in honor of his birthday on Wednesday during a BFI London Film Festival event.

He spoke during a “Screen Talk” Wednesday afternoon and press conference ahead of the world premiere of his new movie Blitz — starring Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Graham, Elliot Heffernan and Benjamin Clementine — which is the opening film of the 68th edition of the London fest (Lff).

The movie, McQueen’s third Lff opening film, follows 9-year-old George (Heffernan) in wartime London after his mother Rita (Ronan) sends him as an evacuee to safety in the English countryside. Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son.

British artist-filmmaker Steve McQueen made history with his best picture win for 12 Years A Slave in 2014. But what does he remember from that night in the Dolby Theatre?

“I met Prince,” McQueen said jokingly this morning during an onstage screen talk at the London Film Festival where his latest feature length project Blitz debuts this evening. “He took his shades off and met my mum. It was Prince, man, oh my god.”

McQueen — who was questioned on stage by film critic Danny Leigh — continued to describe Oscars night in 2014 night as “heavy” before telling the London crowd that he’s proud of the film’s legacy. However, he told the audience that he’s certain the film would not have been made if Barack Obama wasn’t in office at the time.

“I know for a fact that if President Obama wasn’t in office that movie wouldn’t have been made.

Steve McQueen is set to open the BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday night with a world premiere — and it’s not his first time doing so. But his new film “Blitz” is very different from crime thriller “Widows,” which lifted the curtain back in 2018.

“Blitz” is set in WWII London as it came under devastating nightly attacks from German bomber planes, with a population that was forced to seek shelter underground not knowing what would be left of the city they returned to each morning. Taking place over just a few days, the visceral drama follows a 9-year-old boy — played by newcomer Elliot Heffernan — sent off to safety in the countryside but determined to return home to find his mother (Saoirse Ronan), who likewise is desperately searching for her missing son amid the chaos and carnage.

For the Oscar-winning and two-time BAFTA-winning McQueen, the idea of “Blitz” first began...

Earlier this year, Christopher Nolan finally won Best Director at the Academy Awards. He picked up prize for helming Best Picture champ “Oppenheimer.” That victory came after five prior Oscar nominations, all of which ended in losses. Anyhow, Nolan has now finally been given the rewards his talents deserve. But there are still plenty of filmmakers who are overdue a Best Director gong. Scroll down for a list of five overdue filmmakers who could compete for the award at the 2025 Oscars.

Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar has five Oscar nominations and two victories to his name, so he may not seem overdue. He was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature Film in 1989 for “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and in 2000 for “All About My Mother.” He won for the latter. He was then nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay in 2003 for “Talk to Her,” winning for his writing.

Steve McQueen’s filmography will be feted at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival.

The annual festival, which will take place from October 17 through 20, will honor Academy Award winner McQueen with the Visionary Director Award. McQueen’s latest film “Blitz” will open the festival, and the auteur will participate in a post-screening conversation.

“Blitz” follows the “epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son,” per the official synopsis.

“Blitz” will screen at Middleburg as a co-presentation with the British Embassy. British Ambassador to the United States Dame Karen Pierce will introduce the feature, and also receive the Festival’s inaugural Film Diplomacy Award.

It’s always Emmys time. With the Primetime Emmys wrapping on Sunday, and the News and Documentary Emmys set to announce their winners next week, the International Emmys have also entered the conversation — revealing on Thursday the nominations for the 2024 International Emmy Awards.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced a roster of 56 International Emmys nominees across 14 categories and spanning 21 countries. Leading the pack was the United Kingdom, with nine nominees, followed by France with seven and Brazil with five.

“Every year the international television community competes to be recognized on the International Emmys’ much coveted global stage,” said International Academy president/CEO Bruce L. Paisner in a statement. “We congratulate the Nominees for their outstanding programs and performances, they are once again a testament to the universal appeal of great storytelling across all genres, countries and cultures.”

Thus year’s nominees came from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile,...

"My Mom sent me away." "She did it to keep you safe." Apple has finally unveiled the official trailer for the movie Blitz, the next cinematic creation from maestro Steve McQueen. It's set to premiere soon at the 2024 New York & London Film Festivals this fall, before opening in theaters in early November and streaming on Apple TV+ later that month. The new film follows the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the London bombing in World War II (from 1940 to 1941). A defiant young boy goes on an adventure running around London during the war only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. Saoirse Ronan stars as Rita, along with Elliott Heffernan as her 9-year-old son George. The full ensemble cast for this includes Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford,...

Steve McQueen is debuting his latest period piece, this time starring Saoirse Ronan.

McQueen writes and directs “Blitz,” which follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside.

Per the official synopsis, “George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.”

Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham also star.

Academy Award winner McQueen reunites with production designer Adam Stockhausen, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Small Axe”), and composer Hans Zimmer (“12 Years a Slave”) for the production. The feature is also a reunion...

Lionsgate has announced details for the US release of the new film “Small Things Like These.” The drama, set in 1980s Ireland, tells the story of a coal merchant who uncovers secrets kept by the local convent. It is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Irish author Claire Keegan.

The movie will open in US theaters on November 8. It will first debut in the UK and Ireland on November 1. Lionsgate acquired distribution rights for North America, the UK, and Ireland after “Small Things Like These” premiered to critical acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.

Starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, the film follows Bill Furlong, a devoted father, as Christmas nears in 1985 Ireland. Furlong discovers disturbing truths kept by the convent in his small town. He is then forced to face the silence of his community about these secrets, as well as confronting parts of his own past.

Lionsgate has dropped the official trailer and set UK, Ireland and U.S. release dates for Small Things Like These, starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. Check out the trailer above and a new poster below.

Small Things Like These opened the Berlin Film Festival in February, the first time an Irish movie has had the honor. Emily Watson went on to win the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role. Lionsgate later acquired North America, the UK and Ireland. It will release the film first in the UK and Ireland on November 1, followed by the U.S. on November 8; the latter with Roadside Attractions.

Murphy, who also produces, stars as devoted father Bill Furlong in the drama that’s based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. While working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill discovers disturbing secrets kept by the...

Here’s a sneak peek at Cillian Murphy’s next not-“Peaky Blinders” film.

The Academy Award winner stars in and produces “Small Things Like These” based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Claire Keegan. “Small Things Like These” centers on devoted father Bill Furlong (Murphy) who works as a coal merchant to support his family. While on the job, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and realizes some truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

The film is set in 1985, and co-stars Emily Watson, Michelle Fairley, and Eileen Walsh.

Playwright Enda Walsh adapated the script, with “Peaky Blinders” director Tim Mielants directing. The feature premiered at Berlinale 2024; it was later acquired by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.

Murphy’s “Oppenheimer” co-star Matt Damon also produces through his...

British Film Institute’s London Film Festival annual Screen Talks returns with a star-studded lineup that includes Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Lupita Nyong’o, Zoe Saldaña, and many more.

After featured Martin Scorsese, Andrew Haigh, and Lulu Wang spoke at the festival in 2023, this year’s crop of filmmakers represent the most highly-anticipated features on the 2024 festival circuit.

Sean Baker famously won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2024 for “Anora,” which is an early Oscar frontrunner after IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised the film for being a blend of “Uncut Gems” and “Pretty Woman.” At BFI, Baker will discuss his filmography including “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” and “Red Rocket.”

Steve McQueen, director of the Lff’s Opening Night Gala-selected film “Blitz,” will talk about his new film, alongside his work for the big and small screen, from “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave” to “Widows,” “Small Axe,” and “Occupied City.

The BFI’s London Film Festival has set an impressive lineup of starry names including Academy Award winners Steve McQueen, Denis Villeneuve, Lupita Nyong’o, and recent Palme d’Or winner Sean Baker for this year’s screen talk Q&a sessions. Scroll down for the entire screen talks programme.

This year’s London Film Festival runs from 9 October – 20 October. The festival will open with Steve McQueen’s latest feature Blitz, an exploration of London during World War 2, on opening night at this year’s London Film Festival. The pic will screen as a world premiere.

Directed, produced, and written by McQueen, the film follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. The Synopsis reads: George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London,...

On Election Night 2016, Lana Wilson fell into despair while on a filming assignment at a Trump property in New Jersey. As part of her search for meaning, she gravitated toward a storefront medium to calm her sense of dread. Two election cycles later, the same outcome looms as a possibility once again. But in the intervening eight years, Wilson has unpacked her initial impulse to seek solace from strangers in troubled times and reflected upon the power of the psychic reading in the documentary Look Into My Eyes.

Wilson’s film quickly moves beyond evaluating the correctness of her subjects’ clairvoyance. She instead narrows her focus on the connection that occurs during a reading between the psychics and their clients. More than people looking for answers, she finds individuals seeking connection through speaking and listening. Look Into My Eyes does expand its purview to cover more than just the sessions,...

Steve McQueen, Bass, 2024. Installation view, Dia Beacon, New York, May 12, 2024–April 14, 2025. © Steve McQueen. Photograph by Bill Jacobson Studio, New York.“The point now is that I found a home—or a hole in the ground, as you will.”1Upstate New York’s Dia Beacon is surrounded by bucolic scenery, but beneath the post-industrial campus of the art institution, there is a hole. A blank slate enveloped in cool darkness, a palatial underground expanse of concrete, the subterranean gallery has hosted a number of site-specific installations by artists such as Joan Jonas, Carl Craig, and now British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen, whose Bass is on view through next spring.Bass is a beguiling, confrontational work: over the course of its approximately 40-minute runtime, there is no dialogue, no moving image, and no semblance of a traditional narrative—things one might expect from an artist whose film projects, including Hunger (2008), 12 Years A Slave...

Prime Video & CBC Buy Sophie Turner-Starring ‘Joan’

Joan, the ITV and CW drama starring Sophie Turner as jewel thief Joan Hannington, has sold to the likes of Prime Video, CBC and BritBox. In Africa, a pan-territory deal has been struck with Prime Video, while in Australia, Stan has the rights following a deal with distributor All3Media International. BBC Studios struck a deal covering Asia (including India and the Indian subcontinent) for SVOD drama channel BBC First and BBC Player, while in Canada, CBC has premiere rights with BritBox taking a second window. NBCUniversal bought the six-parter in a pan-territory deal in Latin America, while New Zealand’s Sky Network Television snapped it up. In Europe, Magenta TV (Germany), Svt (Sweden), Npo (Netherlands), Dr (Denmark), Nrk (Norway), Yle (Finland), Canal+ (France and French-speaking territories), Blue Entertainment (German-speaking Switzerland and Lichtenstein), RTÉ (Ireland), Hellenic Telecommunications (Greece) and Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (Cyprus) acquired the show.

"You can just point the camera and let the scene play out... Let the actors do what they do: tell the story." There is a brand new cinema video essay out this week from the iconic YouTube channel known as "Every Frame a Painting". They originally ran from 2014 to 2016 (we posted many back then) then stopped for a while. Now they're back preparing to release a short film called The Second. This video essay is about "The Sustained Two-Shot," which they use in their short film. The two-shot is a filmmaking / cinematography technique of framing two actors in conversation together. Sustained means it keeps going through the scene - with major examples referenced from films like Pulp Fiction, There Will Be Blood, The Dark Knight, Good Will Hunting, La La Land, The Big Lebowski, and many other classics. There's also a famously long one in Steve McQueen's Hunger. If...

Unless you’ve been living on a secluded island or Amish country, adaptations of novels to screen is not a new concept to you.

It’s become one of the most common formulas for creating movies and TV shows.

From Netflix to Amazon, everyone wants a piece of the action.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

While not every project is a knockout, audiences have seen some successful franchises flourish from this method.

Just off the top of my head are the Harry Potter movies, Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey, and even the Bridget Jones movies.

And it’s not just the big screen. TV saw the opportunity and jumped on board with shows like The Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones, Percy Jackson, and The Witcher.

The Ark Season 2 Episode 7 Exclusive Sneak Peek: What Did You Do?!by Joshua Pleming Sunny Season 1 Episode 9 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Hunger And Loneliness Are...

After an intense and thrilling first season, Orphan Black: Echoes has concluded its exciting introduction into the franchise family.

Coming from a beloved cult classic, the odds were stacked against this incredible series.

Orphan Black: Echoes brought a more straightforward and cleaner story than its parent show.

(AMC/Screenshot)

And while fans are still reticent to jump on board, those who have do not regret their decision.

We met very well-developed characters and reintroduced ourselves to fan-favorite franchise characters.

More than anything, audiences got an experience they will never forget about what it means to be human.

Orphan Black: Echoes delivered a wild ride of science fiction proportions and ensured the first season ended with a bang—a literal bang.

Sunny Season 1 Episode 9 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Hunger And Loneliness Are One And The Sameby Joshua Pleming Does Apple TV+ Have An Unhealthy Obsession With Adapting Novels To Shows?by Joshua...

Have we become allergic to or intolerant of romance outside of its own genre? Why are movies kissing romance goodbye?

I assumed that, in a Post-Pandemic world, we’d be more open or acceptant of romantic dynamics and physical touch in media, not aggressively averse.

The lockdown touch starvation was a real thing.

(Laura Radford/Netflix) The Aversion Toward Romance Has Gotten Out of Hand

Whether that was quickly forgotten or Gen Z‘s extreme shift toward prudishness regarding physical affection in media, it feels like media is swinging that pendulum too far toward romance aversion.

I get it to a degree; there was nothing more annoying than watching a series that force-fed us unnecessary nudity and unearned sex scenes that did zilch to further the plot.

Are Americans Finally Getting Tired of Reality TV?by Tyler Johnson Why Selena Gomez is the Best Part of Only Murders in the...

Hunt: Showdown will have company next year in the extraction shooter genre, as developer Good Fun Corporation has announced their own horror extraction shooter and “slasher”, the PvPvE Fps Hunger. The shooter, which also combines RPG elements, will launch in Early Access for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

Hunger takes place in Napoleonic Europe in the aftermath of the Bacterium plague. As a survivor among the Living, you will embark on a solitary journey or unite with allies in pairs or trios, navigating the perilous landscape haunted by monstrous beings spawned from the plague’s wrath, known as the Hunger.

Your survival and prosperity in this world are intertwined with the denizens of the Chateau – a broad array of quest givers, shopkeepers, stashkeepers, bounty hunters and other Living. Completing quests and building your reputation will grant you access to new locations, abilities, characters, weapons, gear, and resources. At...

The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) has selected Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap as Ireland’s representative in the Oscars international feature film category for the 2025 awards.

UK-born, Belfast-based filmmaker Peppiatt directs the music biopic of Belfast rap trio Kneecap, that stars the real-life band alongside a cast including Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds and Adam Best.

The film is set in west Belfast in 2019, when fate brings Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of Naoise and Liam Óg, who form an Irish-language hip-hop act, and become unlikely figureheads for a civil rights movement to save their mother tongue.

Die Retrospektive des Internationalen Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg zeigt zwölf Filme, die verdeutlichen, wie sich die Darstellung von Körpern seit den Anfängen des Kinos verändert hat.

Einer der zwölf Filme, die im Rahmen der Retrospektive beim Internationalen Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg zu sehen sein werden: „Die Schwarze aus Dakar“ (Credit: trigon-film)

Unter dem Titel „Körper im Film“ zeigt die Retrospektive des 73. Internationalen Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg zwölf Filme, die verdeutlichen, wie sich die Darstellung von Körpern seit den Anfängen des Kinos verändert hat. Das teilt das von 7. bis 17. November stattfindende Festival heute mit.

Ausgewählt wurden die Filme von Festivalleiter Sascha Keilholz zusammen mit Kurator Hannes Brühwiler, der über die Retrospektive sagt: „In diesem Jahr haben wir für unsere Retrospektive ein Thema gewählt, das uns kaum näher sein könnte: den menschlichen Körper. Auch in der Geschichte des Films nimmt er eine besondere Rolle ein. Der Körper der Darsteller*innen ist für das Kino ein Mittel der Verführung,...

Das Camerimage-Festival im polnischen Torun verleiht dem britischen Filmemacher im November seinen Special Award of Outstanding Director.

Steve McQueen wird beim Camerinage-Festival im November geehrt (Credit: James Stopforth)Thomas Dane Gallery)

Der britische Filmemacher Steve McQueen wird bei der 32. Ausgabe des Camerimage-Filmfestival, die von 16. bis 23. November im polnischen Torun stattfindet, mit dem Special Award of Outstanding Director ausgezeichnet. Wie das Festival heute mitteilt, wird McQueen die Auszeichnung in Form eines Goldenen Froschs persönlich entgegennehmen.

„Steve McQueen ist ein Künstler, der für sein kompromissloses Engagement bei der Auseinandersetzung mit schwierigen sozialen und politischen Themen bekannt ist. Sein lebendiger Filmstil erforscht die Probleme von Rassismus, Gewalt, Sucht und Ungleichheit, bewegt und provoziert immer wieder Diskussionen und macht ihn zu einem der wichtigsten zeitgenössischen Filmschaffenden. Wir könnten uns keinen besseren Preisträger für den Sonderpreis für herausragende Regie vorstellen als Steve McQueen“, erklärt Festivalleiter Marek Żydowicz.

Steve McQueen wurde 2014 als einer der Produzenten von...

British filmmaker Steve McQueen will be feted at this year’s Camerimage Film Festival with the Outstanding Director Award for career achievement. The announcement was made this morning by the Polish festival.

“Steve McQueen is an artist known for his uncompromising engagement in tackling difficult social and political issues,” Marek Żydowicz, Camerimage Festival Director, said this morning.

“His vivid filmmaking style explores the problems of racism, violence, addiction, and inequality, constantly moving and provoking discussion, which situates him as one of the most important contemporary film creators. We couldn’t imagine a better laureate for the Special Award for Outstanding Director than Steve McQueen.”

McQueen is a Turner Prize and Oscar-winning filmmaker. His feature film debut was 2008’s Hunger, starring Michael Fassbender as a starving Ira hunger striker. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Camera D’Or. He is perhaps best known internationally for 2013’s 12 Years A Slave,...

In a first for a Thai-produced show, murder-mystery series “Master of the House” has taken the top spot in Netflix’s weekly Global Non-English series chart.

The streamer said that, in its second week of availability, the seven-part series ranked first on its Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) list for the week of July 22-28. Additionally, it appeared in the top ten charts of 63 countries and territories.

The show centers around a hugely wealthy diamond merchant who, in high style, uses the occasion of a birthday banquet to shock his family with the news that he has married one of his maids and that the woman will inherit his vast fortune. His subsequent death in a fall from a balcony inevitably sets off a round of infighting between his new wife and his disappointed relatives.

Thailand is a deeply conservative society with a clearly hierarchical culture, which the filmmakers sought to replicate and amplify.

Speaking Irish is politicized, and a relative rarity. Rapping in Irish is even more rare, and even more political, especially in the North, where you’re as likely to run into a “You live here, speak English” conservative as at a Trump rally. So when the three knuckleheads of Kneecap...

Actress Madelaine Petsch aka 'Cheryl Blossom' in The CW's Archie Comics TV series "Riverdale", poses for the Summer 2024 issue of “Hunger” magazine:

Petsch first appeared in a national advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 2014.

January 2017 Petsch first co-starred as 'Cheryl Blossom' in The CW's dramatic TV series "Riverdale", until 2023.

March 2017, Petsch joined the cast of the film "Polaroid" (2019).

Petsch also appeared in the films "Hotel For The Holidays" (2022), "About Fate" (2022) and "Jane" (2022).

Click the images to enlarge...

Nach dem Eröffnungsfilm Anfang der Woche hat das New York Filmfestival jetzt den Abschlussfilm seiner 62. Ausgabe bekannt gegeben.

Abschlussfilm des New York Film Festival: Steve McQueens „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple TV+)

Mit der Nordamerikapremiere von Steve McQueens „Blitz“ wird die 62. Ausgabe des New York Filmfestival am 10. Oktober abgeschlossen. Das gab das Festival jetzt bekannt.

In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.

„‘Blitz‘ ist eine lebendige und eindringliche Darstellung des Lebens während des Krieges, ein akribischer historischer Bericht, der unmissverständlich auf unser heutiges Zeitalter des endlosen Krieges verweist.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is headed back to the New York Film Festival.

On Thursday, Film at Lincoln Center revealed that McQueen’s “Blitz” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan will close the 62nd edition of the New York Film Festival. The event is being billed as the Apple Original Film’s North American premiere, following the “Blitz” world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in early October. (The NYFF premiere designation all but officially rules out a potential screening at the Telluride Film Festival.)

“Blitz” is the eighth McQueen film to screen at the New York Film Festival in its history, following “Hunger,” “Shame,” Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” the Amazon title “Lovers Rock” (part of McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology), and last year’s documentary “Occupied City.” “Blitz” will land in New York on October 10.

“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that...

Steve McQueen’s World War II drama starring Saoirse Ronan, “Blitz,” will close the 62nd New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced on Thursday. The movie will screen on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan, which will mark its North American premiere.

“Blitz,” which McQueen wrote, directed and produced, stars Ronan as a working-class single mother living in London during Nazi Germany’s 1941 blitzkrieg that began on September 7 and continued for 57 consecutive days and nights, killing almost 1,500 people.

The film is told from the points of view of Ronan’s Rita and her 9-year-old son George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who become separated during the air raids. According to the description offered by the festival, the film “offers a multicultural portrait of 1940s London too infrequently seen on screens” and is “Dickensian in its scope and storytelling.”

The supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Harris Dickinson,...

The North American premiere of Steve McQueen’s Blitz will close the 62nd New York Film Festival on October 10.

Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan star as working-class single mother Rita and her nine-year-old son George who become separated during the bombing of London by Germany during the Second World War.

The cast includes Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham.

The Apple Original Film will premiere in theatres on November 1 ahead of its global premiere on Apple TV+ on November...

Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, will be the closing night selection of the 62nd New York Film Festival, making its North American premiere, said the fest’s parent Film At Lincoln Center.

The re-creation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son, George (newcomer Heffernan), who become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege. Oscar-winner McQueen (12 Years a Slave), who also wrote and produced, offers an unusual multicultural portrait of 1940s London. Supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Hayley Squires, and Paul Weller.

“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that I’m able to return to the New York Film Festival with Blitz,” said McQueen. “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number...

The 2024 New York Film Festival has set Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliot Heffernan, as its closing night film.

The movie, set in London during the blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, will receive its North American premiere on Oct. 10 at Alice Tully Hall.

McQueen wrote, directed and produced Blitz, which is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son George (Heffernan) as they become separated in the city under siege.

The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham. In addition to McQueen, who produces through his Lammas Park banner, producers include Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, New Regency’s Arnon and Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer as well as Anita Overland and Adam Somner.

After just this week announcing the New York Film Festival’s opening night film (RaMell Ross’ much-anticipated Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys”), Film at Lincoln Center has today announced the film that will close this year’s edition: Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan. After world premiering at the London BFI Film Festival on October 9, the film will mark its North American premiere on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall.

Per Thursday’s announcement, “Blitz” is “an authentic and astonishing recreation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, pushes the artistry of Steve McQueen to ever more impressive levels. Working on a vast scale, McQueen sets things at human eye level, telling his original tale from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her nine-year-old son, George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan), as they become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege.

Actress Olivia Cooke (“House of The Dragon”), poses for the latest issue of “Hunger” magazine, photographed by Rankin:

In television, Cooke first starred as ‘Emma Decody’ in the thriller “Bates Motel” (2013–2017)….

…’Becky Sharp’ in the period drama “Vanity Fair” (2018), a spy in the thriller “Slow Horses” (2022)…

… and ‘Alicent Hightower’ in the fantasy drama “House of the Dragon” (2022–present).

In feature films, Cooke starred in the horror movie “Ouija” (2014), the comedy-drama “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015)…

…the thriller “Thoroughbreds” (2017), the science fiction feature “Ready Player One” (2018), the comedy thriller “Pixie” (2020) and the drama “Sound of Metal” (2020).

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Look now, I love a good revenge drama as much as the girl next door, but in no way am I going to appreciate something that exploits sexual abuse as its scandalous central theme and goes on to show it multiple times. Master of the House is certainly not about sexual abuse. In fact, it’s just a basic old “kill the affluent” story that comes to life in a rich Thai household. I’m not going to lie; I’m already quite bored with this premise, and while initially we got really creative explorations, it’s now become just a buzzword like “sustainability.” The last time I saw it in the Thai industry was in the movie Hunger, and I didn’t think that stuck the landing either. The last Thai drama I watched on Netflix was The Believers, and that was far better in terms of plot and execution.

More than 1,400 people have already predicted the Oscar nominations as of this writing, and as I recently wrote, the prison drama “Sing Sing” is the very early front-runner for Best Picture in our racetrack odds. But that film’s mastermind, Greg Kwedar, ranks fifth for Best Director. Instead, our early favorite for that coveted prize is Steve McQueen for “Blitz.”

“Blitz” has yet to be seen by critics or audiences, but its distributor and scheduling look mighty promising. It’s from Apple Original Films, the studio behind Best Picture winner “Coda” and Best Picture nominee “Killers of the Flower Moon.” It’s set to premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9 ahead of a theatrical premiere on November 1 and a streaming premiere on November 22, smack dab in the middle of fall when most major film awards contenders are released.

The film’s subject matter is also typically awards-friendly.

Actress Gillian Anderson poses for the July 2024 issue of “Hunger” magazine, photographed by Rankin:

Anderson’s film credits include the roles of ‘FBI Special Agent Dana Scully’ in the series “The X-Files” (1993–2002; 2016–2018)…

…ill-fated socialite ‘Lily Bart’ in Terence Davies's film “The House of Mirth” (2000)…

…Dsu Stella Gibson in the BBC/RTÉ crime drama television series “The Fall” (2013–2016)…

…sex therapist ‘Jean Milburn’ in the Netflix comedy drama “Sex Education” (2019–2023), and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of Netflix drama series “The Crown” (2020)…

…and an unwatchable performance as ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ in the Showtime series “The First Lady” (2021).

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Saoirse Ronan protagoniza este drama ambientado en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. © Apple TV+

La película “Blitz”, dirigida por el aclamado cineasta Steve McQueen, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Londres – saltándose los Festivales de Venecia, Toronto y Telluride – y ya tiene fecha de estreno en Apple TV+.

“Blitz” sigue el épico viaje de George (Elliott Heffernan), un niño de 9 años, a través del Londres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial cuando su madre, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), lo envía a un lugar seguro en la campiña inglesa. George, desafiante y decidido a volver a casa con Rita y su abuelo Gerald (Paul Weller) en el este de Londres, emprende una aventura en la que se enfrenta a inmensos peligros, mientras una angustiada Rita busca a su hijo desaparecido.

Escrita y dirigida por Steve McQueen, la película está protagonizada por Saoirse Ronan y el debutante Elliott Heffernan, con Harris Dickinson (“El Clan de Hierro...

As any UK-based film lover knows, the opening night gala of the London Film Festival is always one to keep an eye out for. In recent years, that coveted slot has been reserved for the likes of Emerald Fennell's scandalous scandalous Saltburn, Matthew Warchus' raucous Roald Dahl romp Matilda The Musical, and Samuel Jeymes' slick neo-spaghetti western The Harder They Fall. And this year's 68th BFI London Film Festival — which will run from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 20 October — looks to have another doozy lined up for us. As announced by the BFI earlier today, kicking things off this year will be Oscar and BAFTA award winning writer-director Steve McQueen's Apple Original WWII drama Blitz, which stars Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, and nine-year-old newcomer Elliott Heffernan.

Having opened Lff twice before — first with 2018's Widows and then again in 2020 with Small Axe anthology feature Mangrove — McQueen is no stranger...

Die Weltpremiere von Steve McQueens im Zweiten Weltkrieg angesiedeltem Drama „Blitz“ eröffnet am 9. Oktober das 68. BFI London Film Festival.

Saoirse Ronan in „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple)

Auf der Filmliste des Festival de Cannes hatte man Steve McQueens „Blitz“ vergeblich gesucht, für Venedig war es dem Vernehmen nach gar nicht erst eingereicht worden, nun hat das BFI London Film Festival die Weltpremiere des Apple Original als Eröffnungsfilm für seine von 9. bis 20. Oktober stattfindende 68. Ausgabe auserkoren. Das gab das Festival heute bekannt.

In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.

Real-life battle royales are so hot right now, and a top Kick streamer is hopping on the bandwagon. Ice Poseidon (real name Paul Denino) has opened up applications for a Hunger Games-inspired competition that will pit creators against one another with a $100,000 prize on the line.

On X, Denino explained that his Hunger Games event will take place in “late July.” 50 competitors will enter a sprawling battleground in Austin, Texas, and the last creator standing will take home the $100,000 prize. Denino solicited applications from creators who don’t “have any history of medical concerns,” and he noted that applicants who send in highly-liked submission videos will be more likely to be selected.

Late July, I’m doing a Hunger Games recreation for $100,000. If you would like to compete please post a video submission in my X community (link below). State why you’d make a good contestant and any skills you have.

Earlier this week, we had the sad duty to report that the great Donald Sutherland passed away at 88 years old. One of the finest actors of his generation (and the most acclaimed actor to never even be nominated for an Oscar), Sutherland leaves behind a rich legacy of films, both as a lead and as a character actor. With over 200 roles to his credit, there were too many movies to list in my poll of his best work below, but I tried to cover all the classics. That said, if I missed something, you can write it in the comments below, and I’ll add it as a write-in entry. I’m curious to see what you all think is the best!

Best Donald Sutherland MovieThe Dirty DozenM*A*S*HKelly's HeroesKluteDon't Look Now1900The Eagle Has LandedAnimal HouseInvasion of the Body SnatchersOrdinary PeopleEye of the NeedleA Dry White SeasonLock...

Boy Kills World is an extremely stylized dystopian action thriller revenge film directed by Moritz Mohr from a screenplay by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers. Based on the story by Remmers and Mohr, the brilliant action film is set in a dystopian film where the Van Der Koy family rules the city. We follow the story of a young boy known only as Boy who is hell-bent on becoming a living breathing weapon to take revenge against the Van Der Koy family. Boy Kills World stars Bill Skarsgård in the lead role with Jessica Rothe, Andrew Koji, Famke Janssen, H. Jon Benjamin, Yayan Ruhian, Cameron Crovetti, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Quinn Copeland, and Sharlto Copley starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the stylized action, dark comedy, and brutal violence in Boy Kills World here are some similar films you could watch next.

Wanted (Tubi & Rent on Prime...

If the best revenge is living well, it is a truism that has not yet taken root for Hamid (a riveting Adam Bessa), the dark, scarred heart of Jonathan Millet’s brooding, gripping “Ghost Trail.” Outside his soon-to-be-revealed mission, Hamid barely has a life at all, placing him firmly in the genre tradition of the taciturn, traumatized hero whose obsessive pursuit of his quarry leaves little room for anything beyond the constant, careful stoking of his rage, grief and survivor’s guilt. Millet’s expertly tooled movie is far from the first to derive its moral stakes from the desire to find some measure of redress for the victims and survivors of political violence, but it is among the best to also crossbreed this familiar archetype with the urgency and topicality of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Even while the screen is still black as the opening credits unfurl, the narrative...