Today, SiriusXM Canada announced the long-awaited return of Canadian R&B singer, songwriter and producer, PARTYNEXTDOOR, performing his first live show in Toronto in seven years on Thursday, May 25 in celebration of the launch of Mixtape: North, the first 24/7 Canadian Hip-Hop and R&B channel.

Fans can register to get free tickets to PARTYNEXTDOOR and Friends happening at Live Nation Canada’s newest entertainment venue HISTORY, starting today at 9:00am ET. Curated by PARTYNEXTDOOR and SiriusXM’s Mixtape: North, the show will also feature a lineup of soon-to-be-announced artists representing some of the best emerging and established Canadian artists on the scene. While the channel debuted in late 2022, the event will mark the official launch of Mixtape: North (ch. 164), available to subscribers across North America. The concert will be recorded and will broadcast on Mixtape: North as part of SiriusXM’s comprehensive lineup of Black Music Month programming in June. Mixtape: North will also feature an exclusive in-studio takeover with PARTYNEXTDOOR who will be playing his favourite selects from across the channel’s catalogue.

“There is no better way to celebrate the launch of Mixtape: North than with local talent turned global superstar, PARTYNEXTDOOR,” says Michelle Mearns, Vice President of Programming and Operations, SiriusXM Canada. “This channel showcases our incredible homegrown Hip-Hop and R&B artists, giving listeners the opportunity to discover new and emerging music, and enjoy current and classic hits from artists across Canada. Mixtape: North is the home for Canadian Hip-Hop and R&B.”

To ensure all tickets get into the hands of fans, SiriusXM and Live Nation Canada are using Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan technology for this event. Verified Fan uses a registration system to help filter out buyers looking to resell tickets. Registration opens on Monday, May 8 at 9:00am ET and closes on Tuesday, May 9 at 11:59pm ET. Fans can register HERE. The Verified Fan redemption is set to begin on Friday, May 12 at 10:00am ET. Tickets are completely free for all Verified Fans. No taxes. No fees. This is a 19+ event.

Mixtape: North is available to subscribers across North America in their car and on the SXM App. The SXM App is available to subscribers on mobile devices and a wide variety of connected platforms in the home including smart speakers, smart TVs and streaming media players. Streaming access is included with all of SiriusXM’s audio trials and most popular plans.

April showers really do bring May flowers and we are ready to enjoy the sunshine after lots of rain…as we step into brighter days, UNIQLO Canada wants to make sure that you are protected against the hot and sunny weather with its wearable UV protection collection.

We all know how harmful the sun is to our skin and now, more than ever, people are eager to protect and prevent against sun damage. UNIQLO Canada’s UV wear is an easy sun solution to add to your protection repertoire, that blocks up to 90% of UV rays! Crafted using raw materials with reflective and UV-blocking properties, the fabric is designed with double sun protection technology to promote UV ray reflection and absorption. Available in a range of light colours and absorbent fabrics, the wearable sun protection line has a range of pieces that will have you feeling confident and protected as you step out into the sunshine.

Check out some favourite styles from the Collection that are keeping us safe and stylish this summer, below!

• Pocketable UV Protection Parka – $59.90
• UV Protection Crew Neck Cropped Cardigan – $49.90
• AIRism Soft UV Protection Pocket Leggings – $49.90
• UV Protection Braided Hat – $39.90
• Boston Square Sunglasses – $29.90

Browse Uniqlo Canada’s UV Collection here.

Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in “Meg 2: The Trench,” a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that supersizes the 2018 blockbuster and takes the action to higher heights and even greater depths with multiple massive Megs and so much more! Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with “Meg 2: The Trench” – where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!

Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present “Meg 2: The Trench,” with Statham and Jing headlining an ensemble cast that also includes Sophia Cai (“The Meg”), Page Kennedy (“The Meg”), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (“Rambo: Last Blood”), Skyler Samuels (“The Gifted”), and Cliff Curtis (“Avatar” franchise).

“Meg 2: The Trench” is directed by Ben Wheatley (“In the Earth,” “Free Fire”), from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (“The Meg,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”) and Dean Georgaris (“The Meg,” “Lara Croft: Toom Raider – The Cradle of Life”), and a screen story by Dean Georgaris and Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber, based on the novel The Trench by Steve Alten. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“The Meg,” “Bumblebee”) and Belle Avery (“The Meg,” “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”), and executive produced by Jason Statham, Cate Adams, Ruigang Li, Catherine Xujun Ying, Wu Jing, E. Bennett Walsh, Erik Howsam, Gerald R. Molen and Randy Greenberg.

Joining director Wheatley behind the camera are director of photography Haris Zambarloukous (“Belfast,” “Murder on the Orient Express”), production designer Chris Lowe (“The Gray Man,” “No Time to Die”) and editor Jonathan Amos (“Baby Driver,” “Paddington 2”). The visual effects supervisor is Pete Bebb (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Inception”), and costume designer is Lindsay Pugh (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Krypton”). The music is by Harry Gregson-Williams (“The Meg,” “The Martian”).

Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present, in association with DF Pictures, a di Bonaventura/Apelles Entertainment, Inc. production, a Ben Wheatley film, “Meg 2: The Trench.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theatres in North America on August 4, 2023 and internationally beginning 02 August 2023.

Hot Docs Festival 2023 came to its close last night, bringing 214 films from 72 countries to audiences in Toronto cinemas. The 11-day festival featured 308 live screenings on nine screens at four venues across the city, with 235 live filmmaker Q&As, and five special extended discussions with filmmakers and special guests as part of the Big Ideas Series, presented by Scotia Wealth Management. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Hot Docs presented the Podcast Festival Showcase, featuring a slate of today’s hottest podcasts live on stage, A Wall Is a Screen site-specific outdoor screening at Ontario Place, and a series of special activations for attendees throughout the Festival. Further building on national audiences cultivated by past online and hybrid editions, 123 official selections started streaming across Canada on Friday, May 5 and will continue through to Tuesday, May 9.

“As the curtain closes on a highly successful 30th-anniversary edition of Hot Docs Festival, we are reminded once again of the power and impact of documentary—not only in reflecting our world, but also in building community, creating connection and challenging us to play our part in making this world a better place,” shared Shane Smith, Hot Docs Artistic Director. “We are humbled by the emphatic reception we received from our famously curious Toronto audiences, whose energy, engagement and enthusiasm are always a Festival highlight for filmmakers, and who continue to inspire our mission to showcase outstanding, outspoken documentaries. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the volunteers, filmmakers, industry delegates, sponsors and partners who helped us bring Hot Docs 2023 to life.”

The Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, which recognizes the top Canadian feature as determined by audience poll with a cash prize of CAD 50,000, was announced last night at a free encore screening at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Someone Lives Here (D: Zack Russell | P: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson | Canada)—the story of a young Toronto carpenter building life-saving shelters for unhoused people facing the winter outside during the pandemic, while also facing staunch opposition from the city government—received the prize, courtesy of Rogers Group of Funds.

With CAD 80,000 in cash and prizes announced at the Hot Docs Awards Presentation on Saturday, May 6, and CAD 78,000 in pitch prizes awarded at the close of Hot Docs Forum on Wednesday, May 3, this year the Festival awarded a total of CAD 208,000 in cash and prizes to filmmakers.

Hot Docs Audience Awards are determined by votes submitted by Festival audiences after in-person screenings. At the close of the Festival, it was determined that Lac-Mégantic – This is Not an Accident (D: Philippe Falardeau | P: Annie Sirois | Canada)—a captivating four-part series from Oscar-nominated director Philippe Falardeau that exposes the scandalous causes of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters and the urgent changes needed to prevent the next one—placed first in the overall audience poll and won the Hot Docs Audience Award.

The top mid-length film in the audience poll, winning the Audience Award for Mid-Length Documentary, was When Spring Came to Bucha (D: Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz | P: Marcus Lenz | Ukraine, Germany), in which cameras quietly capture the resilience of a people who will not be broken. The top short film, winning the Audience Award for Short Documentary, was Eco-Hack! (D: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | P: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | USA), capturing conservation biologist Tim Shield’s fight to protect desert tortoise populations from ravens.

The 20 documentaries in the audience poll are:

1. Lac-Mégantic – This is Not an Accident (D: Philippe Falardeau | P: Annie Sirois | Canada)
2. Someone Lives Here (D: Zack Russell | P: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson | Canada)
3. 20 Days in Mariupol (D: Mstyslav Chernov | P: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden | USA)
4. The American Gladiators Documentary (D: Ben Berman, Kirk Johnson (co-director) | P: Russell Wayne Groves, Danny Gabai, Andrew Freston | USA)
5. Silent House (D: Farnaz Jurabchian, Mohammadreza Jurabchian | P: Elaheh Nobakht, Farnaz Jurabchian, Mohammadreza Jurabchian | Iran, France, Qatar, Canada, Philippines)
6. Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story (D: Kordo Doski | P: Kordo Doski, Lina Hanson, Jose Moreno Brooks, Paul Canterna | Canada, Iraq, USA, Sweden)
7. Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudović Reels (D: Mila Turajlić | P: Carine Chichkowsky, Mila Turajlić | Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Qatar)
8. The Stroll (D: Kristen Lovell, Zackary Drucker | P: Matt Wolf | USA)
9. Angel Applicant (D: Ken A. Meyer | P: Ken A. Meyer, Jason Roark | USA)
10. Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? (D: Joe Piscatella | P: Matthew Torne, Mark Rinehart, Joe Piscatella | USA, Hong Kong, UK)
11. Against the Tide (D: Sarvnik Kaur | P: Koval Bhatia, Sarvnik Kaur | India, France)
12. Seven Winters in Tehran (D: Steffi Niederzoll | P: Melanie Andernach, Knut Lodsen | Germany, France)
13. Eco-Hack! (D: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | P: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | USA)
14. Name Me Lawand (D: Edward Lovelace | P: Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andrews, Marisa Clifford | UK)
15. We Will Not Fade Away (D: Alisa Kovalenko | P: Valery Kalmykov, Stephane Siohan, Katarzyna Kuczynska, Tomasz Morawski, Oleksiy Kobelev | Ukraine, France, Poland)
16. The Deepest Breath (D: Laura McGann | P: John Battsek, Sarah Thomson, Jamie D’Alton, Anne McLoughlin | UK, Ireland)
17. Hong Kong Mixtape (D: San San F Young | P: Nikki Parrott, San San F Young | UK)
18. El Equipo (D: Bernardo Ruiz | P: Bernardo Ruiz, Gabriela Alcalde, Fabian Caballero | USA)
19. When Spring Came to Bucha (D: Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz | P: Marcus Lenz | Ukraine, Germany)
20. Invisible Beauty (D: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | P: Lisa Cortés, Paul Dallas | USA)

Hot Docs’ incredibly popular Docs For School program also ran during the Festival, offering teachers across Canada free access to 16 films, including eight official selections from this year’s Festival, and accompanying teaching resources linked to curriculum. Hot Docs also presented its annual market and conference, welcoming 1,800 delegates from more than 40 countries. The Hot Docs Industry program featured four days of knowledge sessions and networking events including Hot Docs Forum and Hot Docs Deal Maker, along with additional industry content.

Mary Steenburgen, star of BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER will have a song on the Soundtrack for the upcoming Sequel! How cool is that? She even co-penned the song “Anywhere With You” which you can pre-save now on Apple Music and Spotify here.

Director: Bill Holderman
Writers: Bill Holderman & Erin Simms
Based on Characters Created By: Bill Holderman & Erin Simms
Producers: Bill Holderman, Erin Simms
Executive Producers: Brad Weston, Trish Hofmann, Enzo Sisti, Andrew Duncan
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini with Andy Garcia, and Don Johnson
Story: The highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.

Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada will release BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER Nationwide In-Theatres on Friday, May 12, 2023.

Have you had a chance to check-out QUEEN CHARLOTTE: A BRIDGERTON STORY yet? The Prequel series to beloved Shondaland creatiom BRIDGERTON is now streaming on Netflix. Today we get a look at a performance from the Series of “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys ft. Queen Charlotte’s Global Orchestra.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

At long last we get a proper official Trailer for Christopher Nolan‘s long-awaited OPPENHEIMER.

Synopsis:

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Academy Award® nominee Florence Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.

Oppenheimer also stars Oscar® winner Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar® nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh.

The cast includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises).

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan.

Oppenheimer is filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography.

Nolan’s films, including Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations.

Genre: Epic Thriller

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh

Written and Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Produced by: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan

OPPENHEIMER arrives July 21, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Today, Prime Video announced the premiere date of the highly anticipated mythical coming-of-age comedy I’m A Virgo, starring Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight) with a sneak-peek of the upcoming series from critically acclaimed writer-director Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You). The series is created, written, and executive produced by colorful-sock-wearing filmmaker Boots Riley, who directed all seven episodes. Jharrel Jerome also serves as an executive producer. All seven episodes of the Amazon Original series will be available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world on June 23, 2023. I’m A Virgo will be a part of the savings, convenience, and entertainment that Prime members enjoy in a single membership.

About I’m A Virgo

I’m A Virgo is a darkly comedic fantastical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, California. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, the real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight, The Righteous Gemstones). I’m A Virgo is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey.

The bad-ass cast also includes Brett Gray (On My Block, Star Trek: Prodigy, his mother thinks he sings like the ‘90s group Hi-Five), Tony-nominated and Obie-winning actor Kara Young (The Punisher, her mother was a Belizean beauty queen), Allius Barnes (PEN15, his cousin made the song “Kung Fu Fighting”), Olivia Washington (Breaking, plays classical piano), Mike Epps (The Upshaws, Dolemite Is My Name, a damn good dancer), and Carmen Ejogo (True Detective, Fantastic Beasts, was in Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid In Full” music video).

I’m A Virgo is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Media Res Studio. Boots Riley and Tze Chun (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) are the series co-showrunners and serve as executive producers, alongside Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer for Media Res Studio (Pachinko, The Morning Show), Rebecca Rivo (Escape Room), and Jharrel Jerome. The series features original music and score by art pop duo Tune-Yards.

How fun! For those of you on TikTok, there’s a fun new feature to have Optimus Prime voice your TikToks! Right in the lead-up to eagerly-awaited Blockbuster TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS!

SYNOPSIS:

Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023.

How to use the Optimus Prime text-to-speech voice:

• On the Create screen, record or upload a video.
• Type in your desired text.
• Tap the Text-to-Speech button.
• Once the Text-to-Speech panel appears, tap the Optimus Prime icon.
• Click “Next” and post!

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS IS IN THEATRES JUNE 9, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

The Toronto Jewish Film Foundation is proud to announce its 31st Festival, which will be taking place from June 1 – 11, 2023. The Festival program will consist of 77 films/series (including 28 Canadian premieres) from across the globe covering a variety of topics, including The Man in the Basement, which will open the Festival on June 1st, 2023 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with director Philippe Le Guay in attendance.

The Festival will be taking a hybrid approach, making it more accessible to a wider audience – with certain screenings in person at theatres including Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Innis Town Hall, and more, in addition to a selection of virtual screenings which can be found at tjff.com.

“In 2020, when the Festival had to go online, I said ‘I hope when this is all over, we won’t forget how important the arts were during our long lonely lockdown days,’” says Helen Zukerman, Artistic Director. “We nurtured our souls by what we saw on our screens. Now TJFF invites you back to the theatre (or your home theatre) as we nurture you once again.”

The Festival will also offer several free events, including:

An Afternoon with Saul Rubinek, where the actor-writer-director will reflect on his career now spanning five decades, with clips highlighting his legacy in film and television.

TJFF Archival Series (available online Canada-wide), honouring the works of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Morrison with the curated series Capturing the British Jewish Experience, and Canadian icon Saul Rubinek with rarities from the CBC archive.

Nina and Friends (available online Canada-wide), Puppeteer Nina Keogh (Today’s Special, Mr. Dressup) offers unique access to the history of children’s television and insight into the contributions of many other Jewish artists to the industry.

Outdoor Screening of Karaoke, Winner of the Jerusalem Film Festival Audience Award, and nominated for 14 Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars) including Best Film.

OY Canada: A Short Film Programme, a collection of short films showcasing a mix of filmmaking styles, offers a window into the physical and mental spaces that help define today’s Canadian Jewish experience.

“This year has been a stellar one for film selection; there was a lot to choose from.” says Stuart Hands, Director of Programming. “I am excited about the number of new engaging Canadian films in this year’s lineup, in addition to the dozens of moving international films. We are proud to be showcasing stories from all over the world – from Uganda (Shalom Putti) to Ukraine (SHTTL). There’s even a modern-day musical set in Toronto! (Less Than Kosher)”

See below for 10 of the 77 films that will be screening at this year’s Festival (listed in order of screening date):

THE MAN IN THE BASEMENT

(Opening Night Film)

Philippe Le Guay | France

Canadian Premiere

CONCERNED CITIZEN

Idan Haguel | Israel

Canadian Premiere

BURNING OFF THE PAGE

Eli Gorn | Canada

Ontario Premiere

THE DELEGATION

Asaf Saban | Israel / Poland / Germany

Canadian Premiere

LESS THAN KOSHER

Daniel Rosenberg | Canada

World Premiere

QUEEN OF THE DEUCE

Valerie Kontakos | Greece / Canada

SHTTL

Ady Walter | France / Ukraine

Ontario Premiere

A SKINNAMARINK AFTERNOON WITH SHARON LOIS AND BRAM

IMORDECAI

Marvin Samel | United States

Ontario Premiere

VISHNIAC

(Closing Night Film)

Laura Bialis | United States

Canadian Premiere

The full 2023 Festival lineup can be found at tjff.com/tjff2023.