Category: News

Iran picks “Khorshid” for Oscar submission.

December 25, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Venice Film Festival)

Iranian director Majid Majidi has made some of the most impressive and emotionally stirring films in world cinema about the plight of underprivileged, exploited, and abused young people, and became one of Iran’s most celebrated filmmakers.

“Sun Children” or “Khorshid” got strong reviews in its Venice film festival premiere. Now Iran picks it up for their Oscar submission. Majidi represents his country for an impressive sixth time in the international feature category.

His first, Children Of Heaven, received one of only three nominations from 25 previous submissions in 1999. While Iran’s main successes came from Ashgar Farhadi films, still Majidi is a big name that can make a return to the category again.

The official plot is “12-year-old Ali and his three friends who are entrusted to find treasure underground, as they attempt to support their families” Filmiere.com will keep sharing news on world cinema and award season.

Credit: Mensur Zeinal

Ethan Hawke to collaborate with Abel Ferrara on a new film

December 25, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Empire magazine)

Abel Ferrara had always been one of the most unpredictable and imaginative, yet intellectual and wild names of American independent cinema but he’s more of a European auteur now; given he spends most of his time in Europe, making movies there, and working with European stars from Juliette Binoche to Gerard Depardieu.

Then, of course, his frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe. Now he’s going to work with Abel Ferrara, Filmiere.com reports.

Who knows if they’ve met through Dafoe since Hawke is currently filming “The Northman” for Robert Eggers with Dafoe and recently collaborated with Paul Schrader, another one of Dafoe’s frequent directors on “First Reformed”.

As for the new film, it’s more ambitious in comparison. “Zeros And Ones is a film of lockdown and war, danger and espionage, American soldiers, Chinese middlemen, Mid Eastern holy men, provocateurs, diplomats, rogue elements of the CIA and KGB,” said Ferrara.

“I cannot wait to roll the cameras next week in a way that is safe because this film was written during and with an understanding of the pandemic.” All these sounds are certainly interesting and intriguing. Hopefully, this project will come alive.

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“A Quiet Place 3” is already in works.

December 25, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Paramount Pictures)


“A Quiet Place” was a great success, both critically and commercially for Paramount Pictures. It was unexpected that John Krasinski whose previous directing efforts didn’t pay off came up with an original idea and made it work.

Emily Blunt’s performance earned many accolades, including the SAG award for Best Supporting Actress. The second film moved from March 20 release date by the COVID lockdown, with Paramount slating for an April 23, 2021 release.

But Paramount is seemingly confident in the success of the next installment that John Krasinski already brought an idea for a third film.

While Paramount is known for taking some gambles recently; like this one and “mother!”, it’s understandable they want to turn it into a franchise given their recent economics.

What’s more interesting is that Jeff Nichols, acclaimed director of Southern-set indie dramas like “Take Shelter”, will going to write and direct the third film. If it’s a direct sequel or something that sets in the same universe is yet to be known.

Filmiere.com will share when more news on the plot will be known and meanwhile we can wait for the second film.

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“Mank” reviews are out

December 25, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Netflix)


Finally one of the most anticipated films of the year “Mank” got their reviews out, Filmiere.com reports. USA Today says Mank is a “wonderful throwback about a flawed figure who took on a hostile era in Hollywood with choice words and major chutzpah.”

Even though some critics complained about its lack of portrayal of the creative process, they praised its portrayal of corruption in Hollywood, alcoholism, and one man’s struggle with it all.

Gary Oldman got reliably good reviews but some call Amanda Seyfried as the film’s warmest aspect. “Amanda Seyfried imbues Davies with joy, intelligence, and a steely compassion that goes a long way towards rescuing the screen star from the skewering she received in Kane.”

Says Observer on the film. Currently, it has the second highest critical score on metacritic from David Fincher filmography, right behind “The Social Network”. However, some called the film cold and distant which may alienate some voters during the award season.

Also, its historical accuracy will be a subject to debate as some called the film Anti-Welles and said the script echoes some discredited claims of Pauline Kael in her essay “Raising Kane”.

Some of the authors that debunked Kael’s claims including film historian Joseph McBride and legendary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich are still alive. We’ll see if they’ll react to the film. With “Hillbilly Elegy” getting a negative response, “Mank” can Netflix’s main push at the awards season.

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Celine Sciamma’s new movie has a title: “Petite Maman”

December 25, 2020 Published by

(photograph credit: Pyramide Films)


If you follow Filmiere.com news, you should have known that we let you know about Celine Sciamma, a French auteur who recently got wider popularity for her critically acclaimed cinephile hit “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has been working on a new film.

Although the plot is under wraps, the movie will deal with childhood and will star two eight-year-old kids, according to Les Inrocks magazine.

The movie also has a title: “Petite Maman”. Sciamma’s movies have some sort of personal feeling in them and she has explored childhood in her movies before; most notably in “Tomboy” (2011) which brought her a prize at Berlin Film Festival.

While “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was not French submission at the Oscars and Sciamma failed to get a directing nom, she’s on a hot streak and this might be a new success to look forward to. Sciamma is re-teaming with her regular producer Bénédicte Couvreur at Lilies Films, and MK2 Films, which will handle international sales on the film.

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“Free Guy” and “Death on the Nile” are removed from schedule

November 15, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: 20th Century Studios)

Filmiere.com keep sharing re-schedules of the movies and hoping that stable days will be back soon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of movies had to change the release dates and then kept doing so.

The next ones on the list are Ryan Reynolds’ new comedy “Free Guy”, which is a perfect world that should have been released in early summer but then it was slated for Dec. 11.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Branagh’s follow-up to “Murder on the Orient Express” titled “Death on the Nile’ was also expected to get released in December. However, both films are now removed from the schedule. Neither have new release dates.

We’ll share when there’ll be updates on these sudden changes. This is a year of unpredictable events and definitely a challenging time for cinemas/theatres and the studios.

The delays are another blow to movie theaters, who have been struggling to sell tickets with the dearth of new films. So far, the new “Wonder Woman” film is the only left unmoved from the 2020 schedule since “Tenet”.

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Luca Guadagnino sticks to TV with all-star cast.

November 15, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: ITV)

Other Jeremy Irons-related news of the week is that famed Italian director Luca Guadagnino is going to take his own spin on the famous “Brideshead, Revisited”.

The acclaimed novel got adapted into movies and TV before, most famously in the early 1980s with Jeremy Irons that has been considered as the second-best British tv series by “The Guardian”. Many other publications also highly regard the series, Filmiere.com can confirm.

Now Guadagnino, who has found a way to make “A Bigger Splash” and “Suspiria” way more distinctive movies than the ones they’ve been based on – will probably find a way to make it stand out while simultaneously working on his new “Scarface” movie.

As for the casting, it’s said that an all-star cast is in negotiations including Andrew Garfield, Joe Alwyn, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, and Cate Blanchett. However, none of them are officially confirmed yet. According to reports, the filming is due to start next Spring in 2021.

Guadagnino has just recently collaborated with HBO on a series but it’ll be his first with BBC. In slightly related news, Guadagnino’s Sky/HBO series “We Are Who We Are” has also been picked up by BBC Three in the UK.

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Jeremy Irons gets to headline “Munich”

November 15, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: 20th Century Fox)

“Fatherland” is a 1992 alternative history detective novel by English writer and journalist Robert Harris which went on to become a best-seller.

Set in a universe in which Nazi Germany won World War II, the story’s protagonist is an officer of the Kripo, the criminal police, who is investigating the murder of a Nazi government official who participated at the Wannsee Conference.

Now Filmiere.com shares the news that the novel is adapted into a movie by Netflix and none other than legendary Jeremy Irons is going to headline it.

In the book/film, Adolf Hitler is preparing to invade Czechoslovakia and Neville Chamberlain’s government desperately seeks a peaceful solution, and Irons is expected to play Chamberlain. Spy thrillers are often made but not often to successful results.

Hopefully, this will be one of the better ones and will give a chance Irons to shine. The cast also includes George McKay, a young actor who was around for years but recently got a notable breakthrough with the WWI film “1917”.

Credit: Mensur Zeinal

Spain submits “The Endless Trench” for Oscar race

November 15, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Netflix)

The Spanish Cinema Academy has selected Basque feature “The Endless Trench” to represent Spain in the race for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars.

It premiered at the 2019 San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Shell for Best Director and the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay and Netflix distribution seems to make the film familiar to many around the world already.

So it only makes that sense that they went with the film that has received support from both audiences and critics alike.

The official plot is: “At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, young newlyweds Higinio and Rosa are worried about the risk of reprisal killings, as Higinio is a Republican. He hides in a hole underneath their house with his wife’s help.

Despite the constant threat of discovery, as the Falangists search for him, the couple’s love helps them to remain resilient.” A similar subject on Topo was also explored in the film “The Blind Sunflowers”  (2008) which was also a Spanish submission for Oscars but didn’t make it in, Filmiere.com reports.

However, Spain is usually doing fine with the Oscars, their last nomination being as recent as this year for Almodovar-directed “Pain and Glory”, starring Antonio Banderas. We’ll see how Spain will do at the race this year.

Credit: Mensur Zeinal

“Orphan” is back

November 15, 2020 Published by

(Photograph credit: Warner Bros.)

In February 2020, it was announced William Brent Bell would direct a prequel to “Orphan”, from a screenplay by David Coggeshall, with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick serving as an executive producer. But we haven’t heard much news about the film until now.

The first film was a box office success which turned into somewhat of a cult favorite, thanks to Isabelle Fuhrman and Vera Farmiga’s strong performances and some black humor with an unexpected twist.

Now the film gets a prequel officially because according to reports, principal photography officially begins. There’s more than that: Isabelle Fuhrman is back to play the title role. The film is supposed to be titled “Orphan: First Kill” and it’s also reported that Julie Stiles also joined the cast.

The plot is unknown yet, but it’s probably about what happened to Esther that in the original film they kept saying “something’s wrong with Esther”.

Fuhrman’s looks haven’t changed much but given her age, it’s interesting what kind of work they’ll have to do with her general appearance since they’re making a prequel. Filmiere.com will keep horror fans informed on the project.

Credit: Mensur Zeinal

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