The actor, who appears in the fourth installment, called the upcoming film "ambitious."

Matrix fans are getting a tiny bit more insight into the upcoming film thanks to Neil Patrick Harris.

Harris on Tuesday stopped by SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show to talk about a number of topics, including the highly anticipated fourth film in the series, which is currently back in production in Berlin after a pause because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Discussing writer-director Lana Wachowski, Harris, who plays an unknown "small part" in the film, told show co-host, Julia Cunningham, "I think she has a great inclusive energy and her style has shifted visually from what she had done to what she is currently doing."

He did not go into great detail about what that shift entails, but he did mention Matrix 4 will be "ambitious" and feature wirework, which the first film helped to revolutionize.

"I've always wanted to be a lead in a big giant action movie with wires and stuff," Harris said. "And this is not bad for me, but it's certainly tangential and fun for me to be able to play in the sandbox a little bit."

Warner Bros. pushed the release of Matrix 4 back from its original May 21, 2021, date to April 1, 2022, after the COVID-19 delay.

Article by: Ryan Parker for the Hollywood Reporter.

"I've been in a lot of spaces where I'm the only woman, the only Black person, the only person of color," the director told a masterclass at the Toronto Film Festival. "Now I walk in, like, why am I the only one? What's wrong with you?"

Ava DuVernay says the time is long overdue for Hollywood to wake up to being too white and too male and allowing more representation from women and people of color into its top ranks.

"I've been in a lot of spaces where I'm the only woman, the only Black person, the only person of color," the Selma director told a masterclass at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday. She argued the current racial reckoning around the Black Lives Matter protests compels the entertainment industry to welcome greater diversity and inclusion.

"Now I walk in, like, 'why am I the only one? What's wrong with you? Why don't you have more people here?' And I think the world has changed in that way where you can walk in and say there's no way that the people who are putting this festival together, this company, or this department aren't aware that everyone is looking the same way and being the same way," DuVernay explained.

The pioneer Black woman director said she welcomed contributing her historical movies like 13th and When They See Us to the Black Lives Matter conversation. But she feels sore for having that dialogue in the first place.

"I'm resentful of the fact that we have to even say the words, that my life matters. Is this a conversation? Yes, for a lot of people it is," DuVernay accepted. "Hopefully we can keep talking about it and looking at these things and get to a time when it's not needed," she added.

DuVernay also said she's puzzled when people ask her how she feels about making movies about history. "We're in the presence of history, and I don't understand why people don't see life that way. But this year, people understand," she added.

"Truly, you can feel the vibration of the day, one day after the next, that we are in the midst of history and 2020 will be long remembered," DuVernay said. Her 2014 film Selma being denied best director and best actor Oscar nominations partially sparked the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that later resulted in significant changes at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She also directed Walt Disney's A Wrinkle in Time and the Netflix miniseries When They See Us, about the Central Park Five case that divided New York City in 1989. Seeing the past as a window on the present, and the future, DuVernay insisted she was looking forward to seeing what filmmakers eventually make of 2020 as most every current event is recorded for posterity.

"I'm most excited to see the art that comes from this time, not only the art in terms of what people feel, but the art that comes out about this time, and who will tell our story. These are strange and important times," she told the TIFF session that was streamed online.

The Hollywood director also discussed 13th, a documentary where she looked to reframe the long history of mass incarceration in the U.S. in a film that ran for 100 minutes and no longer. "I just didn't think people would engage with this kind of material much longer than that," DuVernay explained.

She took far more time to tell the story of the Central Park Five in When They See Us, five hours in all, as DuVernay insisted recreating their story needed a larger canvas. "Making a five hour film was an adventure, but it allowed us to tell this story, which is so sprawling, which goes from when they were boys to when they were men and how the system was applied to them through every phase of their lives," DuVernay said.

The Toronto Film Festival continues through to Sept. 19.

Article by: Etan Vlessing for the Hollywood Reporter.

Tracey Deer's debut feature, about a Mohawk girl becoming a warrior during a 1990 armed standoff known as the Oka Crisis, also caps off the director's 30-year creative journey.

Canadian director Tracey Deer is set to receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award at this year’s TIFF Tribute Awards, while also bringing her debut feature, Beans, to Toronto as a world premiere.

Both career milestones mark the end of a 30-year journey to fulfill a dream to become a filmmaker and overcome the trauma of a 1990 armed standoff between her Mohawk community of Kahnawake and the governments of Quebec and Canadian governments, known as the Oka Crisis — which provides the dramatic backdrop for Beans.

Deer tells The Hollywood Reporter about parallels between the divisive summer of 1990 and today's Black Lives Matter protests, where people standing up to racial and social justice are met with violence from police officers and the military that plays out on TV screens.

"To see the way the president of the United States is manipulating the information is appalling and disgusting," she says.

Beans tells the story of a Mohawk girl named Tekehentahkhwa, played by 12-year-old actress Kiawentiio, who becomes a warrior during the Oka Crisis on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake in Quebec to protect a burial ground from the construction of a new golf course. Besides navigating childhood, the Mohawk girl, also nicknamed Beans, struggles to find her activist voice as she confronts violent racism against her community.

Deer also talks about her place as an Indigenous person in Canada, having gone from a 12-year-old who felt worthless and without a voice to being handed a national TV platform during the TIFF Tribute Awards as she is feted with the Emerging Talent Award on Sept. 15.

How did you react when hearing you're to receive the Emerging Talent Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards?

When I found out, I started crying. I wanted to be a filmmaker ever since I was 12 years old. As a young Indigenous girl with this big, crazy dream, I was told over and over again that was stupid and it was impossible and I ignored all these people and kept going for it. So, to now be here, to have my first feature at TIFF, it's already a dream come true. And on top of that, to be recognized with this award, it's almost too much. I'm really, really honored. I feel the struggle has been really worth it and I feel very validated and I do have something to offer. And that I'm a storyteller to be listened to.

At 12 years old, you and your family experienced the divisive summer of the  1990 Oka Crisis, the movie's backdrop. So the young heroine in Beans is very much your own story.

That's the summer I realized that I was different and it was not a good thing in this world to be an Indigenous person and it was the summer I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker. This has always been a dream project. I wanted to tell the story of the Oka crisis from the perspective of how I lived it as a child. It was so shattering and it really shaped who I was, both good and bad. And it's such a big story that it's taken 20 years in the business to find my confidence to tell it.

Your career has led you from documentaries and TV dramas with shows like Mohawk Girls, before making your big screen debut at TIFF with Beans. Tell us about that journey.

For the first ten years of my career, I was in documentaries and then I was in television for the last ten years. And the script took eight years to write. It really is a full circle achievement to have set this goal 30 years ago and now be actually doing it. Because of what I lived through when I was 12 years old, the message that I received was I wasn't important. I felt invisible. I felt voiceless. I felt worthless. And it did take a long time for me to find my way out of that. I was suicidal as a teenager. And I don't want any kids, and frankly other Indigenous kids, to go through the same darkness. And therefore we need to make the world a much safer place for them. We need to make sure their dreams are possible and their voices are celebrated. With this film too, it's an appeal to everyone to  be our allies and make things better so that our kids aren't growing up feeling invisible and voiceless and that they believe their dreams are possible. That's so important to me.

You will receive your TIFF Tribute Award on Canada's CTV network, which three decades ago chronicled the Oka Crisis. How far has Canada come when a 12 year girl and her community then painted in a bad light on nightly newscasts is this week handed a national TV platform?

We have made progress in this country. The difference from 30 years ago when I was a child to now, it's a drastic difference. There's still a long way to go. I do think the media has started to shift. For one, I will be receiving this award for a film I have made and there's so many Indigenous colleagues making their own work at the highest level. Our voice is now part of the narrative. Now there's so many of us. That's changed. There's a reckoning going on and an accountability that's been demanded. Broadcasters and newscasters, it's no longer just a choice. This is something they must be do, or there are consequences. A young girl can turn on the TV now and see so many different shows about her own people. And now she can go to a film festival and she can watch feature films about her life and her experiences, so I think that does point to a lot of progress.

The resistance of your community during the Oka Crisis and the Black Lives Matter protests today — different time, same issue?

Oh my goodness, it's identical. Again, it also depends on which news network you turn on. That vilifying now happening on many of these networks is for an essential social and racial justice protest that is long overdue and needs to happen, not only in this country, but globally. To see the way the president of the United States is manipulating the information is appalling and disgusting. And it is completely out of the playbook of what happened during the Oka Crisis 30 years ago. I just waxed on how far we've come, but now I'm going to go in the opposite direction and also say how absolutely disappointing it is that this can still be happening for issues that connect on human rights, on diversity, it's horrible what's going on, and it's re-traumatizing to see it happening.

Your film is inspired by real events 30 years ago. How did you ensure your cast and crew weren't re-traumatized as your cameras reconstructed a bloody confrontation between Mohawk activists and the Quebec police and the military?

This is one of my biggest concerns. It's important to share this story. But I didn't want anybody to be re-traumitized or traumatized originally, because a lot of the cast are kids. That was not a price I wanted to pay. We worked really hard to do everything we could think of, frankly, to address that concern. On some days, we had social workers with us. We had post-traumatic therapists in case anybody needed to talk. I spent time with both the cast and the extras to keep them informed and make sure that we had informed consent, that everyone was willing to go with where I needed them to to go. This happened even before extras were booked, because often they just show up and do what you ask of them. I spent time with them in the morning to explain what was going on. I told them if they could go to those ugly places, together we could do something great. And in between every take, we were smiling, we were laughing. For the kids in the cast, we kept their [sight] angles away from many scenes to minimize their exposure, to protect their mental and emotional well being. And a lot of the more uglier scenes were shot far away from my own and neighboring communities because I didn't want to bring up bad memories between our communities that we've worked so hard over 30 years to put behind us.

You and co-writer Meredith Vuchnich worked with Oscar-nominated story editor Christina Lazaridi. Tell us about that experience.

Myself and Vuchnich, we were so fortunate to be part of the TIFF studio in 2017. We were paired up with Christina and we were still struggling with the script. We knew it wasn't there yet, of course, that's why we were part of this program. It was such a great experience to have Christina come in with completely fresh eyes. And also as an American she came in with zero knowledge of the Oka Crisis and no personal ties to the Indigenous community. She came in with a blank slate. She asked me during our first meeting, okay, I've read it, and I want to hear from you why tell this story. I went into my spiel and I told her. And at the end of the session, all three of us were crying. Crying and laughing and talking about our childhoods. She just understood the film and she understood us. Her notes were invaluable. Here's the thing: when you see the film, you'll think there's a lot going on. But there was more going on before Christina. One of her big notes was to zero down, to figure out what the nugget of truth is and then cut away all that noise. And it was very noisy. With her help, we went back to the beginning and chopped away at the noise and rebuilt. There were many, many drafts to go, but that was the rebirth.

You've waited 30 years for your big screen coming out party, and your world premiere will happen during a pandemic. How have you navigated this part of the journey?

Yes, it's going to be a bittersweet experience. For us, we knew the film had to come out now. It's not a question to hold it. It has something to say for the time we're living in. But when I realized that meant people wouldn't have the experience of the big screen, without a proper sound system, it is heartbreaking. Eventually it will have its theatrical run. And I hope people come out to see it in the setting it's meant to be seen in. But we're all getting so used to watching content in homes and on our computers, I hope the film will still carry the same power that it would in a theater. It's bittersweet, I'm really happy it's coming out, but I so hope people experience it as I originally envisioned.

Article by: Etan Vlessing for the Hollywood Reporter.

The awards are being handed out over five nights this week in ceremonies hosted by Nicole Byer.

The Television Academy is handing out its 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards over five nights.

From Monday-Saturday, awards will be presented in categories encompassing guest performances, writing, directing, sound editing and mixing, costumes, lighting and numerous other areas.

On Night One, Netflix took home the most awards, with a total of five wins, followed by National Geographic and CNN with three apiece.

CNN's three wins all came for Apollo 11, which took home awards for picture editing, sound editing and sound mixing. However, it lost the award for cinematography for a nonfiction program to The Cave, denying nominee (and former astronaut) Buzz Aldrin an Emmy.

Netflix's haul included two for Cheer in the directing and picture editing categories, along with Queer Eye being named best unstructured reality program.

Elsewhere, A&E's Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath was named best hosted nonfiction series or special and HBO's The Apollo was named best documentary or nonfiction special. And RuPaul's Drag Race collected two Emmys, for casting and picture editing.

The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will stream on Emmys.com for four consecutive nights at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from Monday through Thursday. A fifth ceremony will be broadcast on FXX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Nicole Byer will host all five nights of the ceremonies, including the two-hour FXX broadcast. The Nailed It! host made history this season by becoming the first Black woman ever to be nominated for best host of a reality or competition program.

Presenters are scheduled to include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Monica Aldama, Jeff Bridges, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Gina Carano, RuPaul Charles, Laverne Cox, Desus Nice & The Kid Mero, Giancarlo Esposito, Brandee Evans, Josh Flagg, Jeannie Gaffigan, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Hardwick, Jerry Harris, John Hodgman, Sofia Hublitz, Gabriel Iglesias, Thomas Lennon, Dylan McDermott, Justin H. Min, Daryl Mitchell, Hilarie Burton Morgan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Erin Moriarty, Lamorne Morris, Leslie Odom Jr., Jeff Probst, Jeremy Pope, Issa Rae, Monica Raymund, Rob Riggle, Drew Scott, J.B. Smoove, Wanda Sykes and Tracy Tutor.

The awards are being handed out ahead of the Primetime Emmys ceremony, which airs Sept. 20 on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel serving as host.

The Hollywood Reporter will be updating the list of Creative Arts winners below as they are announced each night. Refresh for the latest, and keep up with all the latest Emmys news here.

Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special

The Apollo • HBO • HBO Documentary Films, Impact Partners and The Apollo Theater Foundation present in association with Polygram Entertainment, 164 OWR, Chicago Media Project, Macro, Bert Marcus Productions, Justfilms I Ford Foundation, Another Chapter Productions, Motto Pictures, A White House Pictures Production (WINNER)

Lisa Cortés, Produced by

Jeanne Elfant Festa, Produced by

Cassidy Hartmann, Produced by

Roger Ross Williams, Produced by

Dan Cogan, Executive Producer

Nicholas Ferrall, Executive Producer

Julie Goldman, Executive Producer

Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+ • Fresh Bread / Pulse Films

Jason Baum, Produced by

Amanda Adelson, Produced by

Spike Jonze, Produced by

Mike Diamond, Executive Producer

Adam Horovitz, Executive Producer

Dechen Wangdu-Yauch, Executive Producer

John Silva, Executive Producer

Becoming • Netflix • A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film

Lauren Cioffi, Producer

Katy Chevigny, Produced by

Marilyn Ness, Produced by

Priya Swaminathan, Executive Producer

Tonia Davis, Executive Producer

The Great Hack • Netflix • Noujaim Films Production / othrs Production

Judy Korin, Produced by

Pedro Kos, Produced by

Karim Amer, Produced by

Geralyn White Dreyfous, Produced by

Nina Fialkow, Executive Producer

Lyn Davis Lear, Executive Producer

Mike Lerner, Executive Producer

Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time • EPIX • A Jigsaw and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with Amblin Television and Warner Music Entertainment

Erin Edeiken, Produced by

Ryan Suffern, Produced by

Frank Marshall, Executive Producer

Alex Gibney, Executive Producer

Stacey Offman, Executive Producer

Richard Perello, Executive Producer

Jeff Pollack, Executive Producer

Best Hosted Nonfiction Series Or Special

Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath • A&E • The Intellectual Property Corporation in association with No Seriously Productions (WINNER)

Leah Remini, Executive Producer/Host

Eli Holzman, Executive Producer

Aaron Saidman, Executive Producer

Ray Dotch, Executive Producer

Devon Graham Hammonds, Executive Producer

Chris Rowe, Co-Executive Producer

Mike Rinder, Co-Executive Producer

Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee • Netflix • Embassy Row

Jerry Seinfeld, Executive Producer/Host

Tammy Johnston, Executive Producer

George Shapiro, Executive Producer

Denis Jensen, Producer

Ugly Delicious • Netflix • A Tremolo Production

Morgan Neville, Executive Producer

Dara Horenblas, Executive Producer

David Chang, Executive Producer/Host

Christopher Chen, Executive Producer

Caryn Capotosto, Executive Producer

Blake Davis, Co-Executive Producer

Chris Ying, Co-Executive Producer

VICE • Showtime • VICE Media, LLC

Beverly Chase, Executive Producer

Subrata De, Executive Producer

Craig Thomson, Co-Executive Producer

Greg Wright, Supervising Producer

The World According To Jeff Goldblum • Disney+ • National Geographic Studios and Nutopia

Jeff Goldblum, Executive Producer/Host

Jane Root, Executive Producer

Peter Lovering, Executive Producer

Keith Addis, Executive Producer

Matt Renner, Executive Producer

Arif Nurmohamed, Co-Executive Producer

John Hodgson, Series Producer

Best Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series

National Geographic Presents Cosmos: Creating Possible Worlds • National Geographic • Ignition Creative (WINNER)

Erin Newsome, Executive Producer

Sarah Lavoie, Executive Producer

Maricruz Merlo, Supervising Producer

Meghan Gleason, Producer

Matt Wizan, Producer

Tatiana Villegas, Producer

Between The Scenes - The Daily Show • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC

Trevor Noah, Executive Producer/Host

Jennifer Flanz, Executive Producer

Ramin Hedayati, Supervising Producer

Matt Negrin, Producer

Ryan Middleton, Producer

Jocelyn Conn, Produced by

Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: Pandemic Video Diaries • TBS • Jax Media with Randy and Pam's Quality Entertainment

Samantha Bee, Executive Producer

Allana Harkin, Co-Executive Producer

Elisa Kreisinger, Supervising Producer

Anthony Zaccone, Producer

Caroline Dunphy, Producer

Pose: Identity, Family, Community • FX Networks • More Media Inc.

Stephanie Gibbons, Executive Producer

Sally Daws, Executive Producer

Kenna McCabe, Executive Producer

Maureen Timpa, Executive Producer

Ryan Murphy, Executive Producer

Tanase Popa, Executive Producer

RuPaul's Drag Race Out Of The Closet • VH1 • VH1

Ray Hunt, Executive Producer

Brittany Travis, Executive Producer

Joseph Gerbino, Senior Producer

Robert DiMinico, Producer

Nalissa Cuthbert, Producer

Best Structured Reality Program

Queer Eye • Netflix • Scout Productions, Inc. and ITV Entertainment, LLC (WINNER)

David Collins, Executive Producer

Michael Williams, Executive Producer

Rob Eric, Executive Producer

Jennifer Lane, Executive Producer

Jordana Hochman, Executive Producer

Adam Sher, Executive Producer

David George, Executive Producer

David Eilenberg, Executive Producer

Rachelle Mendez, Co-Executive Producer

Mark Bracero, Co-Executive Producer

Antiques Roadshow • PBS • WGBH Educational Foundation

Marsha Bemko, Executive Producer

Sam Farrell, Senior Producer

Sarah K. Elliott, Producer

Love Is Blind • Netflix • Kinetic Content

Chris Coelen, Executive Producer

Sam Dean, Executive Producer

Ally Simpson, Executive Producer

Eric Detwiler, Executive Producer

Brian Smith, Executive Producer

Stefanie Cohen Williams, Co-Executive Producer

Brent Gauches, Co-Executive Producer

Jeff Keirns, Co-Executive Producer

Shark Tank • ABC • MGM Television in association with Sony Pictures Television

Mark Burnett, Executive Producer

Clay Newbill, Executive Producer

Yun Lingner, Executive Producer

Max Swedlow, Executive Producer

Phil Gurin, Executive Producer

Mark Cuban, Executive Producer

Lori Greiner, Executive Producer

Kevin O'Leary, Executive Producer

Barbara Corcoran, Executive Producer

Daymond John, Executive Producer

Robert Herjavec, Executive Producer

Brandon Wallace, Co-Executive Producer

Becky Blitz, Supervising Producer

Sami Aziz, Supervising Producer

Heather Dreiling, Senior Producer

A Very Brady Renovation • HGTV • Lando Entertainment

Brian Lando, Executive Producer

Francesco Giuseppe Pace, Executive Producer

Bob Kirsh, Executive Producer

Dean Ollins, Executive Producer

Kelsey McCallister, Co-Executive Producer

Christina Hilbig, Supervising Producer

Best Casting For A Reality Program

RuPaul's Drag Race • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions (WINNER)

Goloka Bolte, Casting by

Ethan Petersen, Casting by

Born This Way • A&E • Bunim/Murray Productions

Sasha Alpert, Casting by

Megan Sleeper, Casting by

Caitlyn Audet, Casting by

Love Is Blind • Netflix • Kinetic Content

Donna Driscoll, Casting by K

elly Zack Castillo, Casting by

Megan Feldman, Casting by

Queer Eye • Netflix • Scout Productions, Inc. and ITV Entertainment, LLC

Danielle Gervais, Casting by

Beyhan Oguz, Casting by

Pamela Vallarelli, Casting by

Ally Capriotti Grant, Location Casting

Hana Sakata, Location Casting

The Voice • NBC • MGM Television, Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and ITV Studios The Voice USA, Inc.

Michelle McNulty, CSA, Supervising Casting Producer

Holly Dale, Senior Casting Producer

Courtney Burns, Casting Producer

Best Cinematography For A Nonfiction Program

The Cave • National Geographic • A Danish Documentary Production in co-production with Ma.Ja.De Hecat Studio Paris Madam Films Muhammed (WINNER)

Khair Al Shami, Cinematography by

Ammar Suleiman, Cinematography by

Mohammed Eyad, Cinematography by

American Factory • Netflix • Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media

Erick Stoll, Cinematography by

Aubrey Keith, Cinematography by

Apollo 11 • CNN • CNN Films, Statement Pictures, NEON

Buzz Aldrin, Cinematography by

Michael Collins, Cinematography by

Becoming • Netflix • A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film

Nadia Hallgren, Cinematography by

Sea Of Shadows • National Geographic • Terra Mater Factual Studios in association with Appian Way, Malaika Pictures and The Wild Lens Collective

Richard Ladkani, Director of Photography

Serengeti • Rebirth • Discovery Channel • XIX Entertainment and John Downer Productions

Richard Jones, Director of Photography

Michael W. Richards, Director of Photography

Warren Samuels, Director of Photography

Matthew Goodman, Director of Photography

Best Cinematography For A Reality Program

Life Below Zero • Series Body of Work • National Geographic • BBC Studios (WINNER)

Michael Cheeseman, Director of Photography

Danny Day, Director of Photography

Dwayne Fowler, Director of Photography

John Griber, Director of Photography

Simeon Houtman, Director of Photography

Ben Mullin, Director of Photography

Cheer • Hit Zero • Netflix • One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar

Melissa Langer, Director of Photography

Erynn Patrick, Director of Photography

Queer Eye • We're In Japan!: Japanese Holiday • Netflix • Scout Productions, Inc. and ITV Entertainment, LLC

Garrett Rose, Director of Photography

RuPaul's Drag Race • Series Body of Work • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions

Michael Jacob Kerber, Director of Photography

Jon Schneider, Camera Operator

Jay Mack Arnette II, Camera Operator

Mario Panagiotopoulos, Camera Operator

Gregory Montes, Camera Operator

Brett Smith, Camera Operator

David McCoul, Camera Operator

Justin Umphenour, Camera Operator

Survivor • Series Body of Work • CBS • MGM Television

Peter Wery, Director of Photography

Scott Duncan, Director of Photography

Russ Fill, Director of Photography

Tim Barker, Camera

Marc Bennett, Camera

James Boon, Camera

Paulo Castillo, Camera

Rodney Chauvin, Camera

Luke Cormack, Camera

Lee Doig, Camera

Ben Gamble, Camera

Kevin B. Garrison, Camera

Nixon George, Camera

Rick Higgs, Camera

Derek Hoffmann, Camera

Matthias Hoffmann, Camera

Toby Hogan, Camera

Derek Holt, Camera

Efrain "Mofi" Laguna, Camera

Ian Miller, Camera

Nico Nyoni, Camera

Ryan O'Donnell, Camera

Jeff Phillips, Camera

Louis Powell, Camera

Thomas Pretorius, Camera

Erick Sarmiento, Camera

Dirk Steyn, Camera

John Tattersall, Camera

Paulo Velozo, Camera

David Alan Arnold, Director of Ariel Photography

Christopher Barker, Ariel Camera Operator

Granger Scholtz, Ariel Camera Operator

Nicholas Van Der Westhuizen, Ariel Camera Operator

Best Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program

American Factory • Netflix • Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media (WINNER)

Steven Bognar, Directed by

Julia Reichert, Directed by

Apollo 11 • CNN • CNN Films, Statement Pictures, NEON

Todd Douglas Miller, Directed by

Becoming • Netflix • A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film

Nadia Hallgren, Directed by

The Cave • National Geographic • A Danish Documentary Production in co-production with Ma.Ja.De Hecat Studio Paris Madam Films

Feras Fayyad, Directed by

The Last Dance • Episode 7 • ESPN • A Mandalay Sports Media Production in association with NBA Entertainment, ESPN Films, Netflix

Jason Hehir, Directed by

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Cult Of Personality • Netflix • A Goode Films Production in association with Library Films and Article 19 Films

Eric Goode, Directed by

Rebecca Chaiklin, Directed by

Best Directing For A Reality Program

Cheer • Daytona • Netflix • One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar (WINNER)

Greg Whiteley, Directed by

LEGO Masters • Mega City Block • FOX • Endemol Shine North America, Tuesday's Child, Plan B

Rich Kim, Directed by

Queer Eye • Disabled But Not Really • Netflix • Scout Productions, Inc. and ITV Entertainment, LLC

Hisham Abed, Directed by

RuPaul's Drag Race • I'm That Bitch • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions

Nick Murray, Directed by

Top Chef • The Jonathan Gold Standard • Bravo • Magical Elves

Ariel Boles, Director

Best Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

Why We Hate • Tools & Tactics • Discovery Channel • South Cove Productions (WINNER)

Laura Karpman, Composer

Becoming • Netflix • A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film Kamasi Washington, Composer

Home • Maine • Apple TV+ • MediaWeaver / Four M Studios / Altimeter Films

Amanda Jones, Composer

McMillion$ • Episode 1 • HBO • HBO Documentary Films and Unrealistic Ideas in association with Fun Meter

Pinar Toprak, Composer

Alex Kovacs, Composer

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Not Your Average Joe • Netflix • A Goode Films Production in association with Library Films and Article 19 Films

Mark Mothersbaugh, Composer

John Enroth, Composer

Albert Fox, Composer

Best Narrator

Seven Worlds, One Planet • Antarctica • BBC America • A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production co-produced with BBC America, Tencent Penguin Pictures, ZDF, France Télévisions and China Media Group CCTV9 (WINNER)

David Attenborough, Narrator

Black Patriots: Heroes Of The Revolution • HISTORY • Six West MediaTM Group

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Narrator

The Elephant Queen • Apple TV+ • Mister Smith / Deeble & Stone

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Narrator

The Imagineering Story • The Happiest Place On Earth • Disney+ • Iwerks & Co.

Angela Bassett, Narrator

Serengeti • Destiny • Discovery Channel • XIX Entertainment and John Downer Productions

Lupita Nyong'o, Narrator

Best Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program

Apollo 11 • CNN • CNN Films, Statement Pictures, NEON (WINNER)

Todd Douglas Miller, Editor

American Factory • Netflix • Higher Ground Productions and Participant

Media Lindsay Utz, ACE, Editor

Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+ • Fresh Bread / Pulse Films

Jeff Buchanan, ACE, Editor

Zoe Schack, Editor

The Last Dance • Episode 1 • ESPN • A Mandalay Sports Media Production in association with NBA Entertainment, ESPN

Films, Netflix

Chad Beck, ACE, Editor

Devin Concannon, Editor

Abhay Sofsky, Editor

Ben Sozanski, ACE, Editor

McMillion$ • Episode 3 • HBO • HBO Documentary Films and Unrealistic Ideas in association with Fun Meter

Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Supervising Editor

Lane Farnham, Supervising Editor

James Lee Hernandez, Editor

Brian Lazarte, Editor

Scott Hanson, Editor

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Cult Of Personality • Netflix • A Goode Films Production in association with

Library Films and Article 19 Films

Doug Abel, ACE, Editor

Nicholas Biagetti, Editor

Dylan Hansen-Fliedner, Editor

Geoffrey Richman, ACE, Editor

Daniel Koehler, Editor

Best Picture Editing For A Structured Reality Or Competition Program

RuPaul's Drag Race • I'm That Bitch • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions (WINNER)

Jamie Martin, Lead Editor

Michael Roha, Editor

Paul Cross, Editor

Michael Lynn Deis, Editor

Ryan Mallick, Editor

LEGO Masters • Mega City Block • FOX • Endemol Shine North America, Tuesday's Child, Plan B

Samantha Diamond, Editor

Dan Hancox, Editor

Karl Kimbrough, Editor

Ian Kaufman, Editor

Kevin Benson, Editor

Josh Young, Editor

Jon Bilicki, Editor

Queer Eye • Disabled But Not Really • Netflix • Scout Productions, Inc. and ITV Entertainment, LLC

Ryan Taylor, Lead Editor

Tony Zajkowski, Editor

Survivor • It's Like A Survivor Economy • CBS • MGM Television Michael Greer, Supervising Editor

Chad Bertalotto, Editor

Evan Mediuch, Editor

James Ciccarello, Editor

Jacob Teixeira, Editor

Top Chef • The Jonathan Gold Standard • Bravo • Magical Elves Matt Reynolds, Editor

David Chalfin, Editor

Mike Abitz, Additional Editor

Eric Lambert, Additional Editor

Jose Rodriguez, Additional Editor

Dan Williams, Additional Editor

Best Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program

Cheer • God Blessed Texas • Netflix • One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar (WINNER)

Arielle Kilker, Supervising Editor

David Nordstrom, Supervising Editor

Kate Hackett, Editor

Daniel McDonald, Editor

Mark Morgan, Editor

Sharon Weaver, Editor

Ted Woerner, Editor

Deadliest Catch • Cold War Rivals • Discovery Channel • Original Productions, LLC

Rob Butler, ACE, Supervising Editor

Isaiah Camp, Supervising Editor

Ben Bulatao, ACE, Editor

Joe Mikan, ACE, Editor

Ralf Melville, Additional Editor

Alexandra Moore, Additional Editor

Life Below Zero • The New World • National Geographic • BBC Studios

Matt Edwards, Editor

Jennifer Nelson, Editor

Tony Diaz, Additional Editor

Matt Mercer, Additional Editor

Eric Michael Schrader, Additional Editor

Michael Swingler, Additional Editor

RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked • The Ball Ball • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions

Kendra Pasker, Lead Editor

Yali Sharon, Editor

Kate Smith, Editor

Best Sound Editing For A Nonfiction Or Reality Program (Single Or Multi-Camera)

Apollo 11 • CNN • CNN Films, Statement Pictures, NEON (WINNER)

Eric Milano, Sound Design

Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+ • Fresh Bread / Pulse Films

Martyn Zub, Supervising Sound Editor

Paul Aulicino, Sound Effects Editor

Pernell Salinas, Sound Editor

Cheer • Daytona • Netflix • One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar

Logan Byers, Sound Supervisor

Kaleb Klingler, Dialogue Editor

Sean Gray, Sound Effects Editor

Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time • EPIX • A Jigsaw and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with Amblin Television and Warner Music Entertainment

Jonathan Greber, Sound Supervisor

McMillion$ • Episode 1 • HBO • HBO Documentary Films and Unrealistic Ideas in association with Fun Meter

Ben Freer, Sound Designer

Jordan Meltzer, Sound Designer

Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Music Editor

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Cult Of Personality • Netflix • A Goode Films Production in association with Library Films and Article 19 Films

Ian Cymore, Sound Supervisor

Rachel Wardell, Sound Editor

Steve Griffen, Music Editor

Best Sound Mixing For A Nonfiction Or Reality Program (Single Or Multi-Camera)

Apollo 11 • CNN • CNN Films, Statement Pictures, NEON (WINNER)

Eric Milano, Re-Recording Mixer

Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+ • Fresh Bread / Pulse Films

William Tzouris, Production Mixer

Jacob Feinberg, Production Mixer

Martyn Zub, Re-Recording Mixer

Cheer • Daytona • Netflix • One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar

Ryan David Adams, Re-Recording Mixer

Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time • EPIX • A Jigsaw and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with Amblin Television and Warner Music Entertainment

Gary A. Rizzo, CAS, Re-Recording Mixer

Stephen Urata, Re-Recording Mixer

Danielle Dupre, Re-Recording Mixer

Tony Villaflor, Re-Recording Mixer

RuPaul's Drag Race • I'm That Bitch • VH1 • World of Wonder Productions

Glenn Gaines, Production Mixer

Ryan Brady, Production Mixer

Erik Valenzuela, Re-Recording Mixer

Sal Ojeda, Re-Recording Mixer

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • The Noble Thing To Do • Netflix • A Goode Films Production in association with Library Films and Article 19 Films

Jose Araujo, Production Mixer

Royce Sharp, Production Mixer

Jack Neu, Production Mixer

Ian Cymore, Re-Recording Mixer

Best Writing For A Nonfiction Program

Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer • Closing The Net • Netflix • A RAW Production (WINNER)

Mark Lewis, Written by

Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+ • Fresh Bread / Pulse Films

Mike Diamond, Written by

Adam Horovitz, Written by

Spike Jonze, Written by

The Cave • National Geographic • A Danish Documentary Production in co-production with Ma.Ja.De Hecat Studio Paris Madam Films

Alisar Hasan, Written by

Feras Fayyad, Written by

Circus Of Books • Netflix • A FutureClown Production in association with Passion Pictures and Neon Heart Productions

Rachel Mason, Written by

Kathryn Robson, Written by

McMillion$ • Episode 1 • HBO • HBO Documentary Films and Unrealistic Ideas in association with Fun Meter

James Lee Hernandez, Written by

Brian Lazarte, Written by

Article by: Kimberly Nordyke and Hilary Lewis for the Hollywood Reporter.

[Warning: This report contains multiple spoilers.]

Even though Disney bent over backwards to create a live-action “Mulan” that would appeal to China, disgruntled Chinese viewers have dubbed it “the worst ‘Mulan’ in history,” saying that it feels “wooden” and offensively inauthentic.

The poor reception means that the $200 million Disney blockbuster will gain little traction in its most critical territory — one of the only major markets where the otherwise straight-to-Disney Plus title will see a theatrical release. “Mulan” is currently forecast by data tracker Maoyan to gross just $38.5 million (RMB265 million) — less than a tenth of the $437 million (RMB2.99 billion) projected cumulative for the Chinese war film “The Eight Hundred.”

“Mulan” currently rates a low but not egregious 7.5 and 7.6 out of 10 on the Maoyan and Tao Piaopiao ticketing platforms, respectively. There, many gushed over the thrill of seeing Disney tell a Chinese story on such scale, and were pleased with its message of female empowerment.

“It still has that Disney magic but tells a Chinese tale,” wrote one reviewer who gave it a 10 out of 10. This Mulan “stays true to herself, develops her abilities, doesn’t bow to outside pressure, doesn’t question herself — she’s a hero and a princess,” cheered another who gave the film full marks.

On the more discerning Douban user review platform, however, the title ranks a dismal 4.9 out of 10.

“The Americans invited all the famous Chinese actors they could think of and piled together all the Chinese elements that they could find to create this car crash,” reads one of the most popular reviews. “It’s full of Western stereotypes and conjectures about China, and particularly ancient China.”

Numerous viewers across all platforms slammed the new “Mulan” as being worse than another blockbuster that tried and failed to work both sides of the Pacific. “Even ‘The Great Wall’ is better than this,” one wrote. “After watching ‘Mulan,’ I want to apologize to [‘Great Wall’ director] Zhang Yimou and [its star] Jing Tian.”

The most fundamental flaw, most felt, was that Disney’s new heroine starts out from childhood already equipped with superhero-like abilities, thanks to her extraordinary reserves of “qi,” the force that she cultivates and controls to excel as a fighter.

Turning her into a superhero removes Mulan’s everywoman appeal, and leaves her with no room to grow as a character, huge swathes of Chinese viewers said.

“It feels that this Mulan was born with eight-pack abs,” one wrote. “She has no shortcomings — and even small shortcomings can be overcome immediately. She’s lost the complexity of the animated version of the character, who is both a cute little girl and a powerful heroine. She has no process of gradual growth.”

And while Chinese viewers are familiar with the concept of “qi,” they were baffled by Disney’s take on the vital energy traditionally considered to underlie the practice of Chinese medicine and martial arts, asking: “What exactly is ‘qi’ here? What’s even the difference between ‘qi’ and not ‘qi’?”

Like other global audiences, mainlanders also felt frustrated with plot holes and missing character motivations, calling much of the storyline “simply inexplicable.”

In particular, there was confusion as to what stopped Gong Li’s seemingly all-powerful witch character Xianniang from simply taking over herself, why she experienced a sudden change of heart, and why the film’s villains were consistently stupid enough to fall for Mulan’s simple ploys.

Chinese audiences are no stranger to adaptations of the famed original fifth century “Mulan” poem. There have been at least 17 local film and TV versions of the legend, dating as far back as the 1920s.

Surprisingly perhaps, many viewers have a nostalgia-tinged fondness in China for Disney’s 1998 animation. A good number bemoaned the loss of the animated film’s songs, humor and the dragon character Mushu.

This time around, even the fight scenes and grand visuals praised by Western critics didn’t all translate for the Chinese audience.

“The special effects were very embarrassing. I felt like I could’ve been watching ‘Shaolin Soccer’,” one reviewer wrote, while others bemoaned the standards of its kung fu, comparing the fight scenes to those found in local costume dramas from a decade ago.

Disney’s new “Mulan” was initially celebrated in the West for being a landmark for Asian-American representation, thanks to its all-Asian cast. Yet many of the elements seemingly included to boost its authenticity have fallen flat with their target mainland audience.

One viewer wrote that the script’s constant repetition of the terms “loyal, brave, and true” felt like “a Google Translate take on Chinese.”

“The whole film is just shouting empty slogans. Where are these qualities even reflected in the film?” he asked, questioning the logic, for instance, of why Mulan simply throws away all of her protective armor in the middle of a battle. The choice is obviously nonsensical, but it is also highly unfilial, since the garb is a treasured heirloom from her father.

Many Chinese audience members are familiar with the original ballad in its classical Chinese, and know almost by heart its cryptic final lines — a metaphor for gender parity about how male and female rabbits are indistinguishable when running side by side.

Numerous respondents laughed uproariously at how the film reproduces this literally by having the young Mulan spot two rabbits scampering through a field and commenting on how she could not determine their gender, calling the moment one of “forced East-West fusion.”

Disney cast lead actress Liu Yifei specifically to appeal to China, where many consider her the epitome of an appealing type of beauty well-suited to costume dramas. The decision stoked controversy outside China after Liu made comments on social media that aligned her with the Chinese government and against protesters fighting for democracy in Hong Kong.

While the actress has her ardent fans in China who passionately support her no matter what, mainland Chinese reception of Liu’s performance was divided. Some felt she held her own on a large production, while others found her acting unbearably wooden, or her presence “too soft” for a hardened soldier.

Meanwhile, the ethnically Chinese stars chosen for their wide global appeal also failed to pass the test. Many felt put off by Jet Li’s styling as the Emperor, saying his look had a “whiff of Fu Manchu,” the fictional 20th century villain.

“If he hadn’t spoken, I would’ve thought the crew put up a Jet Li scarecrow to rehearse with and forgot to change it back to the real person when filming,” said one viewer.

In the wake of other films like “Crazy Rich Asians” and Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” that were hailed as milestones for Asians in the U.S., but which failed to resonate in China, “Mulan” is most revealing entry  yet in Hollywood’s rolodex of unsteady attempts to bridge the cultural gap between the mainland and the West.

China’s reaction once again demonstrates that the elusive devil of “authenticity” is truly in the details — ones that likely require more native eyes below the line and behind the camera to suss out before the $200 million chicken has flown the coop.

Article by: Rebecca Davis for Variety.

A campaign waged against Netflix over “Cuties” and the film’s sexualized portrayal of children produced a surge in U.S. subscription cancellations over the weekend, according to research company YipitData.

Netflix subscriber churn rates began to rise Sept. 10, the day after the release of “Cuties” on Netflix, when the hashtag “#CancelNetflix” was in the top-trending spot on Twitter, according to data compiled by YipitData.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, Netflix’s cancellation rate in the U.S. jumped to nearly eight times higher than the average daily levels recorded in August 2020 — reaching a multiyear high, the data-analytics provider told Variety. With the #CancelNetflix hashtag continuing to trend on social media, it is possible elevated churn could continue in the coming days, according to the firm.

It’s unclear, however, how big an impact that will have on Netflix’s overall subscriber base; YipitData declined to provide estimates on the number of customers who canceled. Customers regularly drop Netflix and other subscription services (a metric referred to as “churn rate”), and the YipitData numbers may ultimately reflect a short-term blip in U.S. cancellations that is relatively minor in a grand scheme of things. As of the end of June, the company tallied 193 million paid streaming customers worldwide. That’s after Netflix netted about 25.9 million new subscribers worldwide in the first six months of 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic spurring record signups.

New York-based YipitData, which sells information to institutional investors, aggregates and analyzes data sets that track the behavior of millions of U.S. consumers including from panels for email receipts, online transactions, app data, and web traffic.

Netflix has defended “Cuties,” written and directed by award-winning French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, arguing that it is a “social commentary” that makes the case about the dangers of sexualized imagery of young girls. The streamer has urged those who have denounced the film to watch it.

“Cuties” follows an 11-year-old Senegalese girl living in Paris who joins a “free-spirited dance crew” (called “the Cuties”) to rebel against what she perceives as her family’s oppressive traditions. In the film, the conflicted protagonist, Amy, and the Cuties perform dance routines in which they simulate sex, and in the scenes the camera shots focus on their crotch areas. It also portrays preteen characters in other sexual situations; for example, in one scene, Amy takes a picture of her genitals and then posts the photo on social media (although no explicit images are shown).

Doucouré, speaking Monday on a panel hosted by French cinema promotional org UniFrance, said that her film shows why it is necessary to create solutions addressing the “hyper-sexualization of children” that occurs via social media across the globe.

“We need to protect our children. What I want to is to open people’s eyes on this issue and try to fix it,” she said.

The film has been among the top-viewed movies on Netflix since its release, undoubtedly fueled by the controversy surrounding it. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, “Cuties” was the No. 4 most popular film in the U.S. on Netflix, behind animated kids’ movie “Pets United,” documentary “The Social Dilemma” and horror film “The Babysitter: Killer Queen.” That Netflix ranking is based on how many members watched at least two minutes of a title.

“Cuties” (“Mignonnes”) premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the world cinema dramatic directing award. Netflix acquired worldwide rights (excluding France) prior to its Sundance screening.

In August 2020, Netflix caused an uproar after its released a promotional poster for “Cuties,” depicting the young cast members in provocative poses. The company apologized for the “inappropriate artwork” and said it was not representative of the film. “The controversy started with that artwork,” Doucouré said Monday. “The most important [thing] is to watch the film and understand we have the same fight.”

The anti-“Cuties” campaign has been linked to the QAnon conspiracy and disinformation movement. Several right-wing U.S. politicians have stoked the flames of the backlash, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who attacked the film as “child porn” and called on the DOJ to investigate Netflix for potential violations of U.S. law. The senator has not seen the film, according to a Cruz representative, who added, “There should be absolutely no place for the filming and distribution of these scenes — regardless of the purported objective of the filmmaker.”

Article by: Todd Spangler for Variety.

Riley's Eric Wold also expresses optimism for the domestic outlook going into next year and raises his price target on AMC Theatres.

While the domestic box office launch for Warner Bros.' Tenet has widely been described as tepid, one analyst said he sees it as a good sign. "We actually view the results as encouraging and a positive indicator of demand given all of the COVID-19 headwinds," B. Riley analyst Eric Wold wrote in a Monday report.

The analyst echoed Warner Bros.' argument that it was a promising sign that Tenet this weekend dropped just 29 percent from the $9.4 million earned during the Sept. 4-6 weekend, even though that isn't an apples-to-apples comparison since the film rolled over over the long Labor Day weekend and is now playing in 100 more theaters. 

"Acknowledging that it is not entirely apples-to-apples, we also feel the roughly 29 percent drop from last weekend's three-day total is a sign of potentially longer theatrical legs as moviegoers adjust," Wold argued.

About the $20.2 million long Labour Day weekend haul, the analyst said: "Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were anticipating an opening weekend for Tenet in the $50 million-$55 million range. Accounting for the lack of New York City, L.A. and San Francisco (which drive about 25 percent of domestic box office) and the roughly 50 percent capacity restrictions, that would generate an adjusted opening of about $18.8 million-$20.6 million — with the $20.2 million opening at the high-end of that range."

 Wold on Monday also expressed optimism for the box office outlook going into next year. "While there remains a number of headwinds (e.g., major markets remaining closed, capacity restrictions, film slate shifts, etc.), we actually see some encouraging signs from the early weeks that continue to give us optimism heading into 2021-plus," he wrote in reiterating his "buy" ratings on the stocks of Imax Corp., Marcus Corp. and cinema ad giant National CineMedia and  raising his price target on "neutral"-rated AMC Theatres from $4 to $5.50.

But highlighting that film slate shifts remain a "short-term sentiment wildcard," he added: "The latest shock to the calendar on Friday was the confirmation that Warner Bros. was moving Wonder Woman 1984 from 10/2 to 12/25 — which, given the improved balance sheets for each of the exhibitors, should only be viewed as a slight box office shift from the first quarter 2020 to the first quarter 2021."

Arguing that the focus was on New York City, L.A. and San Francisco, Wold said that he "would view any films released before [those markets open] as training runs before 2021-plus, which remains our focus versus any short-term results."

Article by: George Szalai for the Hollywood Reporter.

“Cuties” filmmaker Maimouna Doucouré says that Netflix’s initial marketing campaign opened up the film to a level of criticism that it didn’t receive after its Sundance Film Festival debut in January, and that she’s fighting “the same fight” as her critics.

Speaking on Monday as part of a virtual 10 Talents to Watch panel hosted by French promotion organization UniFrance, Doucouré highlighted the streaming giant’s early artwork, which depicted the film’s central characters wearing revealing dance outfits and posing provocatively. Netflix, which bought the film out of Sundance, apologized and withdrew the artwork.

Doucouré said, “The controversy started with that artwork… The most important [thing] is to watch the film and understand we have the same fight,” said Doucouré, responding to criticism that the film goes over the line in portraying children in a sexualized manner.’

“Cuties” tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese girl in Paris who joins a dance group to escape family dysfunction. Scenes featuring its young protagonists dancing to suggestive choreography have received extensive backlash.

After the 96-minute film premiered Sept. 9 on the streaming platform, the hashtag “#CancelNetflix” began trending on Twitter in the U.S. and a Change.org petition was set up, calling on Netflix customers to cancel their subscriptions. The petition has so far garnered more than 647,000 signatures. It has also drawn condemnation from conservative American political figures including Ted Cruz.

Doucouré, who won the world cinema dramatic directing award at Sundance with “Cuties,” rejected the idea that her film was being attacked due to cultural differences between American and European audiences.

“I thought the film would be accepted. It played to Sundance and was watched by American people there; I met the public there and they really saw that the film is about a universal issue,” said Doucouré. “It’s not about French society — the hyper-sexualization of children happens through social media and social media is everywhere. People [at Sundance] agreed with that.”

“We need to protect our children. What I want to is to open people’s eyes on this issue and try to fix it,” said the filmmaker, adding that it’s “important and necessary to create a debate and find solutions as filmmakers, politicians, and within the educational system.”

A critically acclaimed young director, Doucouré previously helmed the short film “Maman(s),” which in 2016 won Sundance’s short film jury prize for international fiction and the Cesar award for best short film. Earlier this year, Doucouré received the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, a prize given as part of the Academy Women’s Initiative.

The movie was released in French theaters by Bac Films on Aug. 19.

Article by: Elsa Keslassy for Variety.

Sam Levinson’s romantic drama is understood to have netted an 8-figure price tag.

Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to Euphoria creator Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie, a pandemic-era movie starring Zendaya and John David Washington.

"I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my Euphoria family, for coming together during such uncertain times. We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love. We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world," Levinson, who also wrote and produced the film, said in a statement.

Malcolm & Marie has Levinson, the Euphoria showrunner and son of Barry Levinson, capturing Washington as a filmmaker and his girlfriend (Zendaya) returning home following a celebratory movie premiere, and expecting to celebrate success. Instead, the evening turns as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, which tests the strength of their love.

Kevin Turen and Ashley Levinson produce, while the executive producer credits are shared by Zendaya, Washington, Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Will Greenfield, Aaron L. Gilbert and Scott Mescudi.

Shooting on Malcolm & Marie took place amid the Coronavirus pandemic when production on Euphoria had shut down, and occured between June 17 and July 2 in Carmel, California. The producers worked with doctors and lawyers to ensure production followed WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA approvals and safety protocols.

The film was shot on 35mm in black and white. The cast and crew of Malcolm & Marie will share some of the proceeds from the lucrative Netflix deal with Feeding America, a national charity that aids food banks.

The Netflix deal for Malcolm & Marie was negotiated by Endeavor Content and CAA, and did not take place as part of the virtual market this week at the Toronto Film Festival.

At TIFF, Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to Pieces of a Woman -- which stars Shia LaBeouf and The Crown star Vanessa Kirby playing a couple shattered by the loss of their newborn baby -- on Saturday.

Kornél Mundruczó’s first English-language film earned star Kirby a best actress prize at Venice ahead of a Toronto gala screening. And on Friday, Netflix picked up Halle Berry's MMA drama and directorial debut Bruised as part of another 8-figure sales deal at the virtual Toronto market.

Article by: Etan Vlessing for the Hollywood Reporter.

Vanessa Kirby takes best actress for 'Pieces of a Woman' at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

Nomadland, Chloé Zhao's look at America's van-dwelling community, starring Frances McDormand, has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

McDormand plays a widow from a collapsed Nevada mining town who finds new life on the road in Zhao's film, based on Jessica Bruder's 2017 nonfiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

With the Venice win, Nomadland has moved into pole position for the 2021 Oscar race, with Searchlight Pictures sure to throw its weight behind the film as it builds to its Dec. 4 release in North America.

Nomadland pulled off the coup of a triple-premiere on Sept. 11, debuting in competition at Venice, holding a gala premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and celebrating its Telluride-supported U.S. premiere at drive-in screenings in Los Angeles.

While McDormand looks all-but-guaranteed to score another best actress Oscar nom for her Nomadland performance (her last win, for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, came after the film took Venice's best screenplay honor), the actress prize in Venice this year went to Vanessa Kirby for her turn as a woman dealing with the loss of her child in Pieces of a Woman, the English-language debut of Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó (White God). Kirby's first leading role marks the arrival of the British actress —known for her turn as Princess Margaret in Netflix series The Crown as well as in supporting roles in action films like Hobbs & Shaw and Mission: Impossible —into international cinema's A-league.

Venice's best actor honors went to Italian performer Pierfrancesco Favino for his starring role in Padrenosto, the story of a 10-year-old boy who witnesses an assassination attempt on his father, a largely autobiographical drama from director Claudio Noce.

New Order, Michel Franco's depiction of a brutal, and bloody coup d'état against Mexico's wealthy ruling class, won the runner-up Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize.

The Venice awards ceremony, like the entire festival this year, was held under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Host Anna Foglietta played to a half-empty cinema of socially-distanced guests, all of whom wore masks throughout. Many of the winners accepted their prizes via video link.

Jury President Cate Blanchett handed out this year's Golden and Silver Lion winners.

Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa took best director for Wife of a Spy, a period drama set on the eve of WW II which follows a young Japanese wife who discovers her businessman husband is intent on revealing Japan’s dirty secrets to the Americans.

Rouhallah Zamani won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for a young actor for his performance in Iranian drama Sun Children from Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven). The feature is a sharp condemnation of child labor in Iran packed into a fast-moving tale of a gang of street kids who enroll in school to dig for hidden treasure below its grounds.

Chaitanya Tamhane won best screenplay honors for The Disciple a look at a modern youth trying to excel in India’s traditional music scene.

Dear Comrades, a black-and-white recreation of a 1962 Soviet massacre of striking factory workers, directed by Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky, took the Special Jury prize.

Full list of 2020 Venice Film Festival winners:

Golden Lion: Nomadland, dir. Chloé Zhao

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: Michael Franco for New Order

Silver Lion Best Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa for Wife of a Spy

Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman

Volpi Cup for Best Actor:  Pierfrancesco Favino for Padrenostro

Best Screenplay Award: Chaitanya Tamhane for The Disciple

Special Jury Prize: Dear Comrades, dir. Andrey Konchalovskiy

Marcello Mastroianni Award for Young Actor: Rouhallah Zamani for Sun Children

Horizons Awards

Best Film: The Wasteland, dir.  Ahmad Bahrami

Best Director: Lav Diaz for Genus Pan

Special Jury Prize: Listen, dir. Ana Rocha de Sousa

Best Actress: Khansa Batma for Zanka Contact

Best Actor: Yahya Mahayni for The Man Who Sold His Skin

Best Screenplay: Pietro Castellitto for The Predators

Best Short Film: Entre Tu Y Milagros, dir. Mariana Saffon

Lion of the Future Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: Listen, dir. Ana Rocha de Sousa

Venice VR

Best VR Immersive Story: Killing A Superstar, dir. Fan Fan

Best VR Immersive Experience: Finding Pandora, dir. Kiira Benzing

Best VR Immersive Work: The Hangman at Home - An Immersive Single User Experience, dir. Michelle and Uri Kranot

Article by: Scott Roxborough for the Hollywood Reporter.

Kornél Mundruczó’s first English-language film earned star Vanessa Kirby a best actress prize on the Lido ahead of a Toronto gala screening.

Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to Pieces of a Woman, which stars Shia LaBeouf and The Crown star Vanessa Kirby playing a couple shattered by the loss of their newborn baby.

Also Saturday, Kirby was awarded the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo's first English-language movie after his 2014 break-out film White Dog.

“As a European filmmaker, I couldn’t be more excited and appreciative of finding my home for this film with Netflix. Their taste in independent cinema feels like the United Artists of the 1970s. The true champions of filmmakers and original voices for today," the director said in a statement about the distribution deal with Netflix.

On Friday, Netflix sealed a separate 8-figure deal for Halle Berry's MMA drama and directorial debut, Bruised.

Pieces of a Woman, which has the prestige of Martin Scorsese as an executive producer, portrays the childbirth tragedy involving a young mother (Kirby) as she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that touches her husband, played by LaBeouf, her mother (Ellen Burstyn) and her midwife (Molly Parker). Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie and Jimmie Falls round out the ensemble cast.

British actress Kirby is best known for playing Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown and supporting roles in action films like Hobbs & Shaw and Mission: Impossible.

Lensed in Montreal and set in Boston, Pieces of a Woman is having its North American premiere on Saturday night at the Toronto Film Festival, with an in-person gala screening at Bell Lightox. The film is written by Kata Weber, the director's frequent collaborator, and produced by Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson and Aaron Ryder.

The executive producer credits are shared by Sam Levinson, Stuart Manashil, Viktoria Petranyi, Jason Cloth, Richard McConnell, Suarj Maraboyina, Aaron Gilbert and Steven Thibault.

Article by: Etan Vlessing for the Hollywood Reporter.

TIFF will host The Independent Media Producers Association of Cinematic Talent as it unveils a roadmap to empower under-represented storytellers.

A group of diverse and under-represented storytellers are coming together at the Toronto Film Festival to make the Canadian entertainment industry less white, as their newly-launched Independent Media Producers Association of Cinematic Talent looks to advance Black, Indigenous and People of Color industry professionals.

Red11 Productions’ Samantha Kaine says IMPACT emerged from a loose coalition of indie producers left marginalized in a disproportionately White Canadian film and TV industry. "I've been working in this industry for over ten years and the doors have been closed to me. There were opportunities I felt I should have had, when it came to funding and pitching broadcasters on shows, and they weren't open to me," Kaine, who is also a founder and executive director of IMPACT, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic shutting down the Canadian production sector, indie producer Coral Aiken of Aiken Heart Films adds IMPACT hatched a "Producer Pledge" to in part encourage established industry players to divert 10 percent of emergency COVID-19 relief funding they received from the federal government to support BIPOC creators.

"We want to dismantle systemic racism and in doing so make the industry a more equitable space for independent producers — especially those who are Black, indigenous and People of Color — and also indie producers who don't have big companies, aren't well capitalized and are just emerging," Aiken explained.

The roadmap for IMPACT to lasting careers for under-represented filmmakers includes making the Producer Pledge an inclusion rider in Canadian indie production, more dedicated financing for BIPOC creators from funders, broadcasters and major production companies, and more under-represented producers, directors and writers being hired by a diversified base of industry gate-keepers.

"We need our own pool of money, readers and decision-makers in order for our stories to be understood. BIPOC stories will never be understood if only White, older men assess them," Charlie Hidalgo, a producer, writer and director with Meraki Moving Pictures, argued.

IMPACT is also calling for equal pay for BIPOC creators too often offered unpaid mentorships that lead nowhere. Karen Harnisch of Film Forge, a producer of indie films by Andrew Cividino and Brandon Cronenberg, said structural change will come for the Canadian industry if under-represented talent and execs unite and collaborate.

"We watched and participated in the push for gender parity. But who came out of that on top were White women specifically. Women of color, Black women, indigenous women were really left out. An intersectional approach is the only way to get lasting change that is truly equitable for all people," Harnisch said.

TIFF's spotlight on IMPACT will stream on Sept. 12 as part of the festival virtual industry conference.

Article by: Etan Vlessing for the Hollywood Reporter.

King’s directorial debut is the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival’s history

Regina King’s directorial debut stood out at this year’s Venice film festival. There’s the intriguing subject matter: it’s an adaptation of Kemp Powers’s dramatisation of a real-life meeting between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke after Clay’s surprise win over Sonny Liston in February 1964. But there’s another reason: it’s the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected in the festival’s history.

At the event on Monday, King recognised that the success or failure of her film, One Night in Miami, could have ramifications for other black female directors. “It’s interesting because how this film performs will open doors or maybe close doors for more black female directors … that’s how things seem to work,” she said over video link.

The issue of gender parity has mostly been obscured at this year’s festival by the Covid-19 crisis, which has meant a more subdued version of the event with around half the number of guests. But last year there was outcry over the fact only two films in competition were made by female film-makers, while in 2020 that number has leapt to eight out of the 18 films in contention for the Golden Lion.

King’s film is not in competition, but it stands out as one of a handful of films directed by black women to have ever been recognised at the event.

Venice has celebrated male black film-makers in the past: Spike Lee, Ousmane Sembène, John Singleton, Isaac Julien, Antoine Fuqua, John Akomfrah and Steve McQueen have all featured. Black female film-makers have been included too, but in far fewer numbers.

The Martinique director Euzhan Palcy won the Silver Lion at the Venice film festival in 1983 for Sugar Cane Alley. Last year in an interview with the Guardian, Palcy said that despite the critical praise in Venice she struggled to forge a career in Hollywood afterwards because her films were seen as “too black”. The first US film directed by an African-American woman to be released theatrically was Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust in 1991.

Ashley Clark, a critic and the author of Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, said the inclusion of King’s film should be celebrated, cautiously. “I hope that this exposure helps to secure future opportunities for King to make films. For all the recent critical reappraisals and exposure for film-makers such as Julie Dash and Euzhan Palcy, neither has had a theatrically released feature film for the best part of three decades,” he said.

The importance of festival recognition was highlighted after a recent investigation by the New York Times found that out of 1,034 films in the Criterion Collection, which is regarded as including the “giants of 20th-century cinema”, only nine had black directors. Palcy was the only black female director included.

Dr Clive Nwonka, LSE Fellow in film studies and author of the book Black Boys: the Aesthetics of British Urban Cinema, said he hopes that King’s inclusion can act as a wake-up call to the industry. “This moment should influence the entire white film industry: the Hollywood system, the Academy, the studios, the production companies, the distributors, the agents, the festival juries,” he said.

“They are the ones who should be looking at this moment and begin to unthink their assumptions and valuing of black women film-makers.”

King previously pledged to work only on projects with a 50/50 gender split, during her successful awards campaign for supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk, which saw her win at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

At Venice, King – who made the move behind the camera after directing an episode of the TV drama This Is Us – said she was grateful to be part of the festival but was anxious for the film to do well commercially. “A woman will get a shot, and if she does not succeed, that shuts things down for years to come until an opportunity comes again for another woman to get that shot,” she said.

“So I am so grateful for our film to be a part of the festival, but I really, really want it to perform well, because there’s so much talent out there and there are so many talented directors.”

In 2018, Venice signed up to the 50/50x2020 pledge, which was meant to ensure gender parity on lineups by 2020. It has fallen short of that, but its director Alberto Barbera said the event is “absolutely committed” to the movement. There is no such commitment on racial diversity.

Nwonka said black female directors and black women have been left behind within gender equality debates in the film industry. He said the inclusion of King’s film was a huge achievement because it is still so rare for a black film to be recognised at a major festival.

“For Regina King’s film to be playing at a festival such as Venice represents a significant moment that will undoubtedly inspire other film-makers who have continued to struggle to find a major platform and recognition for their work,” he added.

Melissa Silverstein, the founder of Women and Hollywood, said King’s inclusion was groundbreaking. She said: “At a festival where women directors have struggled to be programmed even after the festival committed to push for gender parity, King will rightly be the centre of attention as not only a female director, but a black female director – a group that is sorely underrepresented in this industry.”

Article by: Lanre Bakare for the Guardian.

The actress has been a part of the franchise since the 2001 original.

Michelle Rodriguez was ready to walk away from the Fast & Furious franchise if a female writer was not brought on board — and she feels strongly about the benefit the upcoming F9 has received from the move.

While a guest Wednesday on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, Rodriguez explained why she demanded a female writer be added to the series after years of the male characters growing in depth and benefiting from rich storylines, while the female characters remained stagnant.

"A lot of my necessity to have a female writer was just really more about candor," she began, adding, in her opinion, the male writers prefer "a one dimensionalized" female character.

In a separate interview with Jessica Shaw on SiriusXM’s EW Live, the actress further explained, "Guys get excited about their own stories. So it's almost like a forgetfulness. And so it's just kind of like having to remind them gently from the sidelines for years that you exist, you know? And that you're loud and that you're hardcore and that you won't take shit from anybody."

She continued, "All the (male writers) are focused on the guys, period. It's just an egoist natural thing. People just care about themselves usually, or people who look like them or act like them or have the same genitalia, I don't know. It's just how it works."

Daniel Casey, the male screenwriter also known for the 2018 sci-fi movie Kin, is known to have written the F9 script, however, it is common on studio blockbusters for multiple writers to contribute to a film, sometimes going uncredited. Though Rodriguez, who has been a part of the franchise since 2001's The Fast and the Furious as Letty Ortiz, did not name the female writer added to the series but gave some clues, such as she is also a writer on HBO's Westworld.

"She's a freaking awesome African American woman who just gets it, she's down to earth, she's urban," Rodriguez explained on The Jess Cagle Show. "You got to also understand the multicultural aspect of it. It's hard to have a guy from Beverly Hills who maybe sometimes hangs out or listens to hip hop and thinks that he may know what that kind of, you know, rapport is between street kids."

Stressing how the series is a "minority platform," Rodriguez, who last appeared in 2017's The Fate of the Furious, said the male characters have become icons in the eyes of a diverse range of male fans. And she wants that for the female characters in the eyes of female fans.

"I wanted all the females in Fast & Furious to get some love," she told Shaw.

F9 is due in theaters April 2, 2021

Article by: Ryan Parker for the Hollywood Reporter.

Stars including Kate Winslet and Mark Wahlberg will be unveiling new Oscar-aiming films at an unconventional Toronto film festival over the next two weeks.

The festival, typically viewed as a major stop on the trail to awards, will consist of a combination of socially distanced physical premieres and virtual screenings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Non-Canadian press have been advised to cover the festivities from home.

“We began this year planning for a 45th festival much like our previous editions but along the way we had to rethink just about everything,” said Cameron Bailey, artistic director and co-head of the festival. “This year’s lineup reflects that tumult. The names you already know are doing brand new things this year, and there’s a whole crop of exciting new names to discover.”

While masks are required within the festival’s main headquarters, where attendees often congregate, they were originally deemed optional while seated in cinemas, a point that led to concern. Organisers reversed this at the last minute, deciding to close all concession stands, meaning masks must be worn during films, following the advice of public health experts.

This year, major festivals have created a non-competitive alliance that has allowed them to collaborate and share their slates. That means the romantic drama Ammonite, which was originally scheduled for a Cannes premiere, will now have its first screening at Toronto. The film, directed by Francis Lee (God’s Own Country), tells the story of the underappreciated British palaeontologist Mary Anning, played by the Oscar winner Kate Winslet, in the early 19th century.

When it was revealed that the drama would focus on a romance between Anning and a female friend, played by the Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, despite the lack of historical basis, there was unrest among Anning’s relatives. But Lee has stated that “it’s not a biopic” and is a film about women finding liberation during an oppressed time.

“It’s a story about women speaking up, speaking out,” said Winslet. “I think uncovering stories where women were repressed in such a systemic way is highlighting how history has covered up those successes. We’re not going to do that any more, world.”

The Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg is hoping to return to the race with the fact-based drama Good Joe Bell from Reinaldo Marcus Green, the acclaimed director of Monsters and Men, and the Oscar-winning screenwriters of Brokeback Mountain. The film tells the true story of a father whose son kills himself after homophobic bullying and his mission to travel the country to warn others about bigotry.

“I’m open to however the film needs to be released,” Green said, aware of an unusual awards season that could see a number of hybrid digital and physical releases. “I do hope they will get it out this year, given everything and the election. I think it could strike a nerve.”

The festival will also see directorial debuts from actors such as Halle Berry, whose drama Bruised sees her starring as an MMA fighter, and David Oyelowo, whose family fantasy The Water Man sees him starring alongside Rosario Dawson. Other stars with big premieres include Idris Elba, leading the urban cowboy tale Concrete Cowboy, and Rosamund Pike, heading up the thriller I Care A Lot alongside Peter Dinklage.

Last year’s festival saw the premieres of the Oscar contenders Jojo Rabbit, Knives Out, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Harriet.

Article by: Benjamin Lee for the Guardian.

The movies will see the helmer collaborating with the same team behind his lockdown-produced horror film.

Blumhouse has inked a three-picture pact with Rob Savage, the director behind the critically acclaimed lockdown-produced horror film Host.

Blumhouse will finance and partner with Savage to produce the three films, which will see Savage collaborating with the same team behind Host, including producer Douglas Cox, writers Jed Shepherd and Gemma Hurley and editor Breanna Rangott.

“We’ve been tracking Rob’s work for some time now, and when I got a look at Host, I saw the inventiveness in his work that Ryan Turek on the Blumhouse team had been championing,” said Jason Blum. “We are looking forward to getting this partnership underway immediately.”

Added Savage: “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Blumhouse on these movies. Their status in the horror genre is unmatched, but I equally admire their filmmaker-led approach. They embody the independent filmmaking spirit with which we made Host and I can’t wait to create some new nightmares with them."

Released July 28th on Shudder, Host was entirely conceived, shot, and distributed in 12 weeks under the pandemic lockdown and currently has a 100 percent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

A Sundance and Berlinale alum, Savage's other credits include directing episodes of Jez Butterworth’s Roman epic Britannia for Vertigo Films and Neal Street Productions. His short 2017 film, Dawn of the Deaf, was BAFTA shortlisted. Savage is currently developing a number of TV and film projects including an original horror film produced by Sam Raimi and a supernatural thriller for Studio Canal.

Article by: Mia Galuppo for the Hollywood Reporter.

The cast of the HBO Max film, including stars Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira, took photos and conducted interviews from their cars at Wednesday's event.

Six months after Hollywood's last major premiere — Mulan's Hollywood Boulevard takeover on March 9 — red carpets have officially made a comeback, with HBO Max's Unpregnant debuting a drive-thru red carpet at its drive-in premiere on Wednesday.

Though a number of films, including The Rental, The Broken Hearts Gallery and Chemical Hearts, have premiered at drive-ins in the last few months, Unpregnant was the first to conduct interviews with press on-site. Press, who were COVID-19 tested in the days leading up to the event, interviewed talent in their cars upon entering the premiere, with both parties wearing masks and maintaining social distance.

Unpregnant, which stars Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira as two former best friends embarking on a road trip from Missouri to New Mexico so that Richardson's character, Veronica, can get an abortion at the nearest clinic, was "the right movie to test this thing out for," Richardson says, with it's car-centric story matching the setting.

"They went all out with this and just milked it for all it's worth, which I appreciate because it makes it fun and like we're actually celebrating something," Richardson told THR. The premiere, held on the top level of The Americana at Brand's parking garage in Glendale, was decorated to reflect scenes from the movie, including a "Welcome to New Mexico" sign, an old school gas station and neon cacti.

"This is actually really exciting because I haven't been to a gathering of people in so long," Ferreira said. "This being done in this way is both safe and exciting and kind of like 'Oh my god, I get to take off my sweatpants!' And wear real shoes, not flip flops." The Euphoria star said that after months of being "very low maintenance in my everyday life," she wanted to go all-out for the premiere: "I'm like a Looney Tune, it's my first time going out so I'm going to wear a princess dress."

Red carpet fashion is a new game in the pandemic era; some in the cast kept it casual in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers while others, like the two leads, opted for more traditional premiere looks.

"My stylist was confused as well, he was like, 'What do we do here?,' Richardson said. "I was like 'I don't know, I haven't worn clothes in a while so let's wear something fun,'" before landing on a red pleather snakeskin suit (with matching mask) and heels.

Another new statement piece of the drive-in premiere: the cool car. Ferreira arrived in a vintage Pontiac, co-star Alex MacNicoll rented a Tesla and Richardson and fiancé Brett Dier rolled up in a vintage blue and white vintage Ford Mustang. "The cars definitely make it less sad," she joked. Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg, who revealed her sneakers hidden under the dashboard, also arrived in a vintage convertible, saying, "This is essentially my outfit."

In addition to its cast, which included Betty Who, Breckin Meyer and Denny Love, special guests Darren Criss and Ferreira's Euphoria love interest Austin Abrams also made an appearance. Open arrival on the rooftop, talent took photos in their cars before driving to the press area for interviews from the driver's seat. They were then given Wolfgang Puck food boxes of burgers and slushees (a nod to the film), sent to another station for T-shirts and wristbands, followed by an interactive, green-screened photo booth before parking in front of the two large drive-in screens. Richardson and Ferreira also took photos and did interviews outside of their cars, celebrating, as they posed, how they didn't have to worry about what to do with their mouths under the masks and focusing instead on "smizing." Richardson switched into a more lightweight mask to do interviews after wearing a thicker, blinged out one for photos.

Newness and oddity of the pandemic red carpet aside, Unpregnant is a film with a big message, Goldenberg said, about women's health and the threat surrounding women's right to choose in 2020.

"It's about how it shouldn't be as hard as it is for Veronica to get access to an abortion, so I hope that this starts a conversation and people are able to talk more openly about abortion in hopes that it's less restricted and less stigmatized and more affordable and available to people who want it," Goldenberg said. Added Ferreira of the film, "First off, I want people to get the right information about abortion and health care access. B, I want them to feel good and feel empowered in whatever conversation starts, and I just want them to love the friendship."

The premiere was also put on in support of Planned Parenthood and Rock the Vote. Unpregnant is now streaming on HBO Max.

Article by: Kirsten Chuba for the Hollywood Reporter.

"To encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience," films will have to meet minimum requirements pertaining to representation and inclusion to be eligible for the best picture Oscar beginning with the 96th Oscar race (which will recognize achievements from 2024 and be held in 2025), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday.

In the meantime, an Academy Inclusion Standards form will have to be submitted to the Academy for a film to be considered for the 94th Oscars (recognizing films from 2021 released after Feb. 28) and 95th Oscars (recognizing films from 2021), although meeting inclusion thresholds will not yet be a requirement. And no action will be required for films wishing to compete for the 93rd Oscars, which are to be held on April 25.

The new requirements — which were announced just shy of the five-year anniversary of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, and three months after the Academy announced its Academy Aperture 25 initiative — were determined by a task force headed by Academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos and were modeled after a template inspired by the British Film Institute (BFI) Diversity Standards, which are used to determine certain funding eligibility in the UK and eligibility in some categories of the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) Awards.

The Academy also consulted with the Producers Guild of America (PGA), as it presently does for Oscars eligibility.

"The aperture must widen to reflect our diverse global population in both the creation of motion pictures and in the audiences who connect with them," Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement. "The Academy is committed to playing a vital role in helping make this a reality. We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry."

Starting with the 96th Oscars, a film will have to meet at least two of four of the following standards to be eligible for best picture.

STANDARD A:  ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVES

To achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:

A1. Lead or significant supporting actors At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.

Asian

Hispanic/Latinx

Black/African American

Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native

Middle Eastern/North African

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

A2. General ensemble cast At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups:

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

A3. Main storyline/subject matter The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

STANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAM

To achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below:

B1. Creative leadership and department heads At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads — Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer — are from the following underrepresented groups:

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

At least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group:

Asian

Hispanic/Latinx

Black/African American

Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native

Middle Eastern/North African

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

B2. Other key roles At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.

B3. Overall crew composition At least 30% of the film's crew is from the following underrepresented groups:

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

STANDARD C:  INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES

To achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below:

C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities

The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below:

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

The major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.

The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.

C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew) The film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups:

Women

Racial or ethnic group

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

STANDARD D: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

To achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below:

D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams.

Women

Asian

Hispanic/Latinx

Black/African American

Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native

Middle Eastern/North African

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

LGBTQ+

People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

All categories other than Best Picture will be held to their current eligibility requirements.

Films in specialty categories submitted for Best Picture/General Entry consideration (e.g. Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film) will be addressed separately.

Article by: Scott Feinberg for the Hollywood Reporter.

The OC becomes only the second major California market to allow cinemas to flip on the lights after San Diego.

Cinemas in California's Orange County were granted permission Tuesday to reopen, becoming the closest market near Los Angeles to once again allow moviegoing in the COVID19 era.

The order was issued by Clayton Chau, the health officer for the county.

The announcement is welcome news for Hollywood — and particularly for Christopher Nolan's tentpole Tenet, which launched where it could in the U.S. over Labor Day weekend — considering that the state is the largest box office market in the country. Until now, only San Diego indoor theaters have been allowed to reopen.

Similar to other cities and localities across the country where indoor theaters are once again up and running, Orange County locations will be required to operate at limited capacity. In this case, that means 25 percent.

Two weeks ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that movie theaters can reopen if they meet certain thresholds mandated by local health authorities.

Film industry insiders say theaters in the Bay Area may be able to reopen soon. It isn't yet clear when Los Angeles — the largest box office market in the country — will reopen. Ditto for New York City, the second largest.

Last week, Tenet became the first Hollywood tentpole to launch on the big screen since the pandemic struck and despite the fact that 35 percent of the U.S. box office market remains off limits (his films do especially well on the two coasts).

According to Warner Bros., the espionage epic debuted to $20.2 million domestically over the long holiday weekend , including previews. The film has fared much better overseas, where cinemas have been reopen longer. Through Monday, Tenet's global gross was estimated to be north of $150 million.

Article by: Pamela McClintock for the Hollywood Reporter.

The property, which has a new trailer out, has had something of a great chasing windmills saga in Hollywood.

“Fear is the mind-killer. This morning Warner Bros. released the highly anticipated first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Based on the epic and groundbreaking 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, Dune explores the intersection of fate, politics, religion, ecology, and war amidst the backdrop of the planet Arrakis, colloquially known as Dune.

Boasting an absolutely stacked cast that includes Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Charlotte Rampling, Dune is, for many science fiction and film fans, one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Aside from the ever real chance of rescheduling due to COVID-19, Dune seems poised to break out as the next big science-fiction franchise, that is, if it can garner the same investment from general audiences that it has from sci-fi fans over the decades.

Dune has had something of a great chasing windmills saga in Hollywood. Many have tried and failed to find the rhythm in Herbert’s expansive novel which offers an omnipresent look at each of its characters, shifting perspectives even within paragraphs. Coalescing past, present, and future, Dune feels at times like a Biblical document. And in some ways, given its influence on everything from Star Wars, Star Trek, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Stargate (1994), and even Tremors (1990), Dune is something of a sacred text in the realm of science fiction. It’s no wonder then that Hollywood has had such difficulty trying to adapt the story.

Attempts to make a film adaptation first began in 1971, with Planet of the Apes producer Arthur P. Jacobs optioning the rights, though he died two years later, before the script was completed. In 1974, the most famous failed attempt began with Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky envisioning a 10-hour film starring Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, and Mick Jagger. Artists Moebius and H.R. Giger were hired to design Herbert’s world for film, with Dan O’Bannon heading the special effects department. The storied failure of this adaptation to come to fruition is detailed in Frank Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013). 

Out of Jordorowsky’s failed adaptation, Alien (1979) was born through the collaboration between O’Bannon and Giger. The success of Alien led Dino De Laurentiis to approach Ridley Scott to direct, which he planned to make before Blade Runner (1982). When Scott became overwhelmed by the work involved, David Lynch entered the picture and the first adaptation of Dune was actually made in 1984. There are some, including Lynch, himself, who believe the world would have been better off without his much-criticized box-office failure. Much like Alien being born of Jodorowsky’s Dune, Lynch’s Dune created an ongoing partnership between the filmmaker and Kyle MacLachlan. That’s right, Dune also gave us Twin Peaks.

It would be 18 years until Dune returned to screens again, this time on the television side with the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, Frank Herbert’s Dune, directed by John Harrison. That adaptation did well enough to receive a sequel in 2003, Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, starring an early career James McAvoy. While largely considered to be a faithful adaptation, Harrison’s Dune is noted to be very much a television movie, lacking the spectacle and prestige of a feature film adaptation.

Villeneuve looks to have captured all of that spectacle and prestige and then some in telling the story of prophesized messiah Paul Atreides (Chalamet) and his coming of age on Arrakis. His Dune looks sweeping and majestic, far closer to the epics like Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Ran (1985) than the pulp spectacles of Star Wars and Star Trek. Even in the presence of desert sword fights and giant sandworms, there is a grandiose maturity found in the trailer for Villeneuve’s film, heightened by Hans Zimmer’s score and a rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse.” Dune clearly sets itself apart in the blockbuster realm, but in a space dominated by Disney and superheroes, hopefully the scale of its world-building and cast will be enough to pull audiences into its gravitation.

Villeneuve, who has quickly risen as a cinephile favorite, follows attempts by Peter Berg and Pierre Morel to adapt Dune for the big-screen. The filmmaker, well adept at melding narrative structures with visionary filmmaking techniques is tackling the puzzle of Dune by breaking the novel into a two-part film saga, a fearless ambition if ever there was one. Though he has said that Dune will feel like a complete film, Villeneuve has noted that it is an adaptation of the first half of Herbert’s book. For long-time fans who finally have the prospect of the Dune adaptation they always dreamed of within reach, this prospect of an unmade second-half is worthy of some anxiety, considering that Villeneuve did not film both features simultaneously a la Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Villeneuve’s previous film, Blade Runner 2049, considered to be one of the best modern sci-fi films, didn’t exactly light up the box office — $260.5 million on a $185 million budget. While Dune is the template and inspiration for so many beloved properties, it also has a chance of running into the same problem that Andrew Stanton’s John Carter (2012), based on Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series, itself a precursor to Dune, ran into. When so much has been borrowed from and inspired by a classic text, it can be difficult for audiences to see an adaptation of it as something new. But of course, the same could be said for Lord of the Rings, to which Dune has been compared in scope, and we all know how well that worked out.

Warner Bros. is certainly taking all the right steps to position Dune as something new, and digestible for those unfamiliar with the world, providing a cast Q&A with Stephen Colbert before the debut of the trailer. Warners also has big hopes for the property as a franchise, with Dune: The Sisterhood, a spin-off series, in the works at HBO Max. With no Star Wars or Avatar in its line of sight this holiday season, Dune certainly had the perfect release date. Now, with audience habits in flux and box office entirely unpredictable, that placement is a little less perfect. But Dune has shown a remarkable resilience over the decades, and hopefully, whether it makes its December release date or we have to wait a little while longer, Villeneuve’s passion will be matched by that of audiences. Dune has the potential to change the scope of our science fiction spectacles, we just have to embrace it.

Article by: Richard Newby for the Hollywood Reporter.