Rumours, a cautionary dramedy cum erotico-ministerial techno-thriller and provisional Götterdämmerung written and directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, has been accepted, with only minimal reservations, misgivings, caveats, and scruples, by the Official Selection committee of the Cannes Film Festival, a regional cinema conference and entertainment expo held every single year, almost without exception, in the south of France.
The famous festival, named for the humble, salt-of-the-earth fishing village in which its screenings are held and which, in 154 BC, was the site of a brief but violent conflict between the troops of Quintus
Optimus and the Oxbii, is known for its sandy beaches and the noonday torpor of its local vendors.
Rumours’ Canuck helmers had this to say: “Compelled by the looming doomsdays with which we are become too familiar, seduced by the eschatological sinuosities inscribed provocatively across our sulphur-clotted skies, with nothing but hopelessness to console ourselves, and with our chill-blasted souls much in need of the warmth sometimes only nostalgia can provide, we directors have turned our despairing attentions, rosary beads chattering like teeth in our skeletal fingers, to the quaint old customs of diplomacy — namely the G7!”
Along with the above-quoted cri de coeur, the three co-helmers have released a photographic still image from their film, an image that it would hardly be an exaggeration to call “a moral triumph”, nor would anyone be mocked or criticized for saying so.
Addendum from Executive Producer Ari Aster: “The fact that Guy Maddin, the most idiosyncratic and original Canadian filmmaker of the ’20s and ’30s, found Evan and Galen Johnson, the most idiosyncratic and original Canadian filmmakers of the moment, is miraculous. The fact that they have departed so freely from their brilliant work of the last decade, while still retaining their prodigious gift for hyperbolic wordplay and their endless comic and aesthetic invention, is more miraculous yet. RUMOURS is stoopid and hilarious and wonderful, and it features the best cast ever assembled. The spirit of Buñuel and Monty Python and overwrought ’70s television (and of course the Maddin/Johnson sensibility, which has no real analogue) is alive and strange.”
Directed by: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
Written by: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Roy Dupuis, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, Zlatko Burić
Produced by: Liz Jarvis, Philipp Kreuzer, Lars Knudsen
Executive Produced by: Andrew Karpen, Kent Sanderson, Ari Aster, Jörg Schulze, Phyllis Laing, Blair Ward, Anders Erden, Lauren Case, Eric Harbert, Gillian Hormel, Mary Aloe, Stefan Kapelari, Gábor Sipos, Gábor Rajna
The Walt Disney Studios dazzled attendees at the 2024 CinemaCon® Convention in Las Vegas earlier today. The studio provided an exclusive look at its upcoming theatrical releases, including films from some of its famed production studios: Disney Live Action, Marvel Studios, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures.
Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, took to the stage at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace to speak about the power of the theatrical film experience and the upcoming flow of exceptional cinematic events Disney will be delivering to theatres in the coming months before turning the microphone over to Tony Chambers, executive vice president and head of theatrical distribution.
Chambers thanked the members of the exhibition trade industry in attendance and kicked off the Studio’s presentation with 13 minutes of thrilling footage from the highly anticipated all-new action-adventure spectacle from 20th Century Studios, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which opens in theatres nationwide on May 10. Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously, and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all he has known about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
Next up was Disney’s “Young Woman and the Sea,” the extraordinary true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel, which comes exclusively to U.S. theatres only in a special engagement on May 31. Chambers tossed to a taped greeting from legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who then introduced the brand-new trailer featuring Daisy Ridley as the accomplished swimmer born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and animosity to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England. CinemaCon attendees were the first to see the trailer.
Chambers welcomed Emmy Award®- and Golden Globe Award®-winning actor Amy Poehler to the stage. Poehler, who returns to cinemas as the voice of Joy in Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and who is receiving this year’s CinemaCon Vanguard award at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony, spoke about the film, which is a return to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as Headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith),
Smith), Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Fear (voice of Tony Hale), and Disgust (voice of Liza Lapira), who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke) shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone: enter Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (voice of Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (voice of Paul Walter Hauser). “Inside Out 2” is directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.
CinemaCon attendees were then treated to the first 35 minutes of the animated film, which opens in theatres June 14.
Looking ahead to two of the most anticipated upcoming releases, Chambers brought Kevin Feige, producer and president of Marvel Studios, to the stage, who, in turn, welcomed Cap himself, Anthony Mackie, to talk about Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World.” Mackie offered up a little behind-the-scenes insight before introducing a first look at the film, which hits theatres on February 14, 2025. Directed by Julius Onah, produced by Feige and Nate Moore, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, and Mackie, “Captain America: Brave New World” also stars Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas, with Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford.
Feige then spoke about Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” and introduced Shawn Levy, the film’s director. The filmmaker, who is receiving CinemaCon’s Director of the Year award at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony, thrilled the audience with an exclusive look at the film, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey and Simon Kinberg serving as executive producers. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy. “Deadpool & Wolverine” opens in theatres July 26.
Chambers then shared a special greeting from “Alien: Romulus” producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez, who thanked exhibitors for their ongoing partnership and their support of the “Alien” franchise over the past 45 years and introduced a special look at the upcoming film, a truly terrifying cinematic experience opening in theatres August 16. 20th Century Studios’ “Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Up next was Searchlight Pictures, which recently released “Poor Things,” the winner of four Academy Awards® last month and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. On June 21, “Kinds of Kindness,” which will premiere this summer at the Cannes Film Festival, opens exclusively in theatres—directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film stars recent Oscar® winner Emma Stone, who is joined by Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer. The film is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife, who was missing at sea, has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.
The first footage from 20th Century Studios’ “The Amateur” was then screened exclusively in the room. The film, an action-packed espionage thriller directed by James Hawes and starring Oscar® winner Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, and Laurence Fishburne, opens in theatres nationwide on April 11, 2025.
Oscar® winner Barry Jenkins then took to the stage to talk about Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” the follow-up to 2019’s global phenomenon, and showcase the teaser trailer for the film, which opens in theatres on December 20. Told in flashbacks, “Mufasa: The Lion King” reveals the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands as Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa share the story of Mufasa with a young lion cub. The film is produced by Adele Romanski & Mark Ceryak, and executive produced by Peter Tobyansen.
The Studio closed out the presentation with a surprise appearance by Dwayne Johnson, who came to a stage filled with Polynesian drummers and dancers from Tiana Liufau’s Nonasina (Liufau is the choreographer on the “Moana” films). Johnson returns as the voice of Maui in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana 2,” opening in theatres on November 27. Bergman returned to the stage to introduce NATO chairBob Bagby, who presented Johnson with the NATO Spirit of the Industry Award in recognition of his unparalleled dedication, passion, and commitment to the motion picture theatrical experience.
“Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. Directed by Dave Derrick Jr., co-directed by Jason Hand, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, the epic animated musical features music by GRAMMY® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, GRAMMY nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time GRAMMY winner Mark Mancina.
Following POOR THINGS’ Oscar-winning success, Yorgos Lanthimos is back with KINDS OF KINDNESS and today we get an official Trailer, hot off the news it will premiere at Cannes!
Synopsis:
In select theaters June 21, 2024. KINDS OF KINDNESS is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer
(Photo/video credit: Searchlight Pictures)
TIFF is thrilled to unveil the lineup for the 2024 Writers’ Studio, the prestigious annual program fostering the next generation of storytellers. This year marks the 13th edition of the collaborative, five-day intensive lab, designed to empower Canadian and international screenwriters and writer-directors. From a fiercely competitive pool of more than 200 submissions, TIFF has selected a cohort of exceptional talents. The following writers have been selected: Zhannat Alshanova, Aram Collier, Rebecca Fisseha, Sophie Jarvis, Amy Trefry, and Asia Youngman.
The Writers’ Studio is a space to consolidate skills, exchange ideas, and navigate challenges, while participating in workshops, artist talks, peer-to-peer mentorships, and one-on-one project development consultations guided by industry experts. Writers’ Studio will take place April 15 –19, 2024, at TIFF Lightbox.
“Programs like the Writers’ Studio continue to ignite and drive talent, both in Canada and on the global stage,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “At TIFF, our commitment to fostering new talent will continue to grow with a focus on providing industry expertise and unparalleled access to industry leaders, ensuring the program’s enduring impact year after year.”
This year’s lab will support the development of feature-film scripts through dedicated one-on-one discussions with international story consultants Trey Ellis and Christina Lazaridi. Additionally, the participants will engage in daily artist talks and workshops facilitated by renowned filmmakers and industry experts including Ashley Comeau, Brad Fraser, Howard Wiseman and Emma Donoghue. Canadian actors, Getenesh Berhe, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, Thomas Antony Olajide and Ajuawak Kapashesit, will join for a full-day workshop of the projects in development.
New this year, the Sloan Science and Technology Writer Fellowship will offer a project development grant and targeted creative support for one emerging to mid-level feature film screenwriter whose project explores themes of science and technology. This year’s selected recipient is Amy Trefry for her project Lenin’s Embalmers, co-written with playwright Vern Thiessen. Funding for this programme is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Public Understanding of Science and Technology program.
Now in its third year, the Renee Perlmutter Memorial Fellowship for Literary Adaptation provides a Writers’ Studio participant focusing on adapting literary work for the screen with an additional grant toward developing their project. This year’s Renee Perlmutter Memorial Fellow is Rebecca Fisseha, who is working on an adaptation of her own debut novel Daughters of Silence.
Four participants from the 2024 class will also be awarded a grant generously supported by CHANEL, through the CHANEL Women Creators’ Network, to further the development of their feature-length script.
TIFF’s Talent Development programmes are produced by Jane Kim, Industry Programming Producer, and supported by Bronwen Eadie, Project Manager, Industry Programming and supported in part by TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative. As a major supporter of Share Her Journey, the CHANEL Women Creators’ Network provides funding to advance the careers of women and non-binary participants and alumni of TIFF Writers’ Studio. Since its inception in 2021, the Network has offered access to script consultants and established screenwriters, peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing sessions, and a talent summit for writers to showcase their work for producers and other industry insiders. CHANEL’s participation augments TIFF’s support for women and non-binary storytellers by equipping them with year-round opportunities to develop their projects and connect with a diverse network of mentors and peers.
Notable TIFF Talent alumni include filmmakers Meredith Hama-Brown (Seagrass), Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of My Dreams), D. W. Waterson, and Devery Kawennáhere Jacobs (Backspot), Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Richelieu), Jasmin Mozaffari (Motherland), Lillah Halla (Power Alley), Álvaro Gago Dias (Matria), and Johanna Pyykkö (My Wonderful Stranger). Following their involvement in TIFF Talent Development programmes, many of these filmmakers have gone on to present their films at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlinale, and Cannes.
Hot Docs is excited to announce the full lineup of new documentary features that will screen in this year’s Festival’s Special Presentations program, a stellar lineup of films that promise to inspire, inform, and entertain Festival audiences. Titles in this program feature visionary filmmakers, intriguing subjects, and riveting storytelling. The 2024 Hot Docs Festival will take place April 25 to May 5, 2024 in cinemas across Toronto.
The 2024 Special Presentations program will delve into narratives of power, corruption and tragedy,
offering a critical lens on societal issues. Additionally, it will turn the camera onto celebrated artists and
filmmakers themselves, providing audiences with intimate insights into their lives and creative
processes. The program will also transport audiences on immersive journeys into the worlds of BASE
jumping, magic, psychics, and cats, enticing them to explore a captivating array of diverse and
fascinating subjects.
World premieres include Red Fever, which sees Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travel to the four corners
of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore the world’s fascination with Native Americans; American
Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly, in which hilarious Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
correspondent Amy Hoggart explores the controversial practice of declawing cats; The Ride Ahead, an
expansion of co-director Samuel Habib’s short film My Disability Roadmap (Honourable Mention, Best
International Short Documentary, Hot Docs Festival 2022), exploring a typical 21-year-old itching to
move out, start a career and find love—all while navigating life with a disability; Lost in the Shuffle,
which follows world champion magician Shawn Farquhar as he simultaneously devises a new trick and
delves into a medieval murder cold case; and Le Mans 55: The Unauthorized Investigation, which
explores the tragic Le Mans race in 1955 where more than 80 spectators were killed.
Hot Docs 2024 will also see the International Premiere of the thrilling new National Geographic doc Fly,
in which incredible cinematography and all-access storytelling follow three couples whose passion for
BASE jumping means they’ll risk everything for the rush of feeling alive; and the North American
Premiere of Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself, an intimate look at the music video director and filmmaker’s
life, work and creative process.
2024 Special Presentations will also include the Canadian premieres of Power, examining the history,
scale and social effects policing has had on the United States and its culture; Black Box Diaries, which
sees journalist and filmmaker Shiori Ito take on one of the most powerful institutions in Japan to
prosecute her high-profile sexual assailant in a landmark legal case; Union, in which a group of Amazon
workers on New York City’s Staten Island take on one of the world’s largest and most influential
companies in the fight to unionize; Never Look Away, the directorial debut of Lucy Lawless that follows
CNN combat camerawoman Margaret Moth, whose appetite for danger is challenged following a lifechanging injury; Look Into My Eyes, acclaimed filmmaker Lana Wilson’s new film featuring an eclectic
group of New York City psychics; Born Hungry—the latest from acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Barry
Avrich—chronicles the rags-to-riches tale of Sash Simpson, a runaway child from the streets of India,
who was adopted into a Toronto family with 31 siblings before becoming a world-renowned chef; and
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, in which Martin Scorsese shares his lifelong love
affair with the “subversive commercial movies” of filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger,
whose collaboration thrived in the adversity of WWII.
Descriptions for films in the Special Presentations program appear below. In many cases, filmmakers will
be in attendance for post-screening discussions. For more information on the program visit
http://hotdocs.ca/festivals/hot-docs-festival/announcements.
AMERICAN CATS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE CUDDLY
D: Todd Bieber | P: Grace Leeson | USA | 2024 | 88 min | World Premiere
Ontario is the only province in Canada without a ban on cat declawing. Amy Hoggart, the hilarious
correspondent from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, cracks jokes, cuddles kittens and attacks this
controversial practice using satire to expose a heart-wrenching catspiracy.
BLACK BOX DIARIES
D: Shiori Ito | P: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin | Japan, UK, USA | 2024 | 104 min | Canadian Premiere
Journalist Shiori Ito takes on one of the most powerful institutions in Japan to prosecute her high-profile
sexual assailant in a landmark legal case. Using personal footage and hidden cameras, Ito puts it all on
the line for justice.
BORN HUNGRY
D: Barry Avrich | P: Jay Hennick, Mark Selby, Barry Avrich | Canada | 2024 | 77 min | Canadian Premiere
The true rags to riches tale of Sash Simpson, a runaway child from the streets of India, who was adopted
into a Toronto family with 31 siblings before becoming a world-renowned chef.
FLY
D: Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau | P: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz | USA | 2023 | 106 min |
International Premiere
To stand on the edge and jump into the wind, one must be willing to lose everything. That could mean the love of your life, or the life you love. Three couples in the world of BASE jumping risk everything to
feel alive.
LE MANS 55: THE UNAUTHORIZED INVESTIGATION
D: Emmanuel Reyé | P: Isabelle Dagnac | France | 2023 | 90 min | World Premiere
The Le Mans race in 1955 made history through tragedy when more than 80 spectators were killed.
Uncover the story of the crash that took the lives of so many and, to this day, looms over the world of
motorsports.
LOOK INTO MY EYES
D: Lana Wilson | P: Kyle Martin, Lana Wilson | USA | 2023 | 105 min | Canadian Premiere
In this unique journey into the human desire for connection, acclaimed filmmaker Lana Wilson follows
an eclectic group of New York City psychics whose intimate readings reveal a kaleidoscopic view of
loneliness, connection and healing with humour and intrigue.
LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
D: Jon Ornoy | P: Jon Ornoy, Ana Carrizales | Canada | 2024 | 100 min | World Premiere
Pick a card, any card! World champion magician Shawn Farquhar delves into a medieval murder cold
case among Jacks, Queens and Kings as he devises a new trick inspired by the world’s best sleight-ofhand artists.
MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER
D: David Hinton | P: Matthew Wells, Nick Varley | UK | 2024 | 131 min | Canadian Premiere
Martin Scorsese tells of his lifelong love affair with the movies of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
and their “subversive commercial movies.” Drawing on a rich array of archival material, Scorsese
explores their collaboration that thrived in the adversity of WWII.
MICHEL GONDRY, DO IT YOURSELF
D: François Nemeta | P: Olivier de Bannes, Robin Accard, Philippe Savine | France | 2023 | 80 min |
North American Premiere
French filmmaker Michel Gondry re-invented the music video and challenged Hollywood with his
distinctive handmade visual style. Intimately documented, Gondry’s career and playful creative process
receive an overdue review, from his earliest music videos to his latest feature film at Cannes.
NEVER LOOK AWAY
D: Lucy Lawless | P: | New Zealand | 2024 | 85 min | Canadian Premiere
CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth was facing down war’s inhumanity when one bullet changed
everything but her resolve. Debut filmmaker Lucy Lawless turns the camera’s gaze on this
groundbreaking woman and her legacy.
POWER
D: Yance Ford | P: Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney, Yance Ford, Netsanet Negussie | USA | 2024 | 87 min |
Canadian Premiere
Part essay, interview and archival collage, Power traces the explosion of police power from the founding
of the U.S. to our present. Power makes the historical continuity of unchecked police power legible—
examining who’s policed, who’s protected and why.
RED FEVER
D: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge | P: Lisa M. Roth, Rebecca Lessard | Canada | 2024 | 104 min
| World Premiere
Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travels to the four corners of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore
the world’s fascination with Native Americans, recognizing the profound impact Indigenous people have
had in shaping modern Western culture.
THE RIDE AHEAD
D: Samuel Habib, Dan Habib | P: Dan Habib, Erica Lupinacci | USA | 2024 | 97 min | World Premiere
An expansion of his short film My Disability Roadmap, Samuel Habib is a typical 21-year-old, itching to
move out, start a career and find love. But “no one tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a
disability.”
UNION
D: Brett Story, Stephen Maing | P: Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone, Martin DiCiccio | USA | 2024 | 104
min | Canadian Premiere
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU)—a group of current and former Amazon workers on New York City’s
Staten Island—takes on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize.
More at hotdocs.ca.
Two-time Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach returns with THE OLD OAK. We have a new Trailer and Canadian release dates.
SELECTED FESTIVALS:
Cannes Film Festival 2023 – Nominee Palme d’Or
Ghent International Film Festival 2023 – Audience Award Winner
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2024 – Bridging the Borders Award – Special Mention
Cinéfest Sudbury 2023 – Audience Choice Award: Best Film
Calgary International Film Festival 2023 – Audience Award: Special Presentations
SYNOPSIS:
The Old Oak pub is hanging by a thread. It’s one thing to be forgotten and abandoned, but quite another to be dumped on. When one day a bus arrives with refugee families from Syria, pub landlord TJ and refugee Yara find issues in common. Can they use The Old Oak so that Syrians and locals can eat together? Will fear, desperation and hatred take over, or could the Syrians and locals come together in mutual support?
DIRECTOR:
Ken Loach (I, DANIEL BLAKE – Palme d’Or, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY – Palme d’Or)
*** Interviews available on request with director Ken Loach
WRITER:
Paul Laverty (I, DANIEL BLAKE, SWEET SIXTEEN – Cannes’ Best Screenplay)
CAST:
Dave Turner (I, DANIEL BLAKE, SORRY WE MISSED YOU)
Ebla Mari (Feature film debut)
RUNTIME: 113 minutes
THEATRICAL ROLLOUT:
Toronto – TIFF Lightbox
Ottawa – Bytowne Cinema
***More cities to be added
THE OLD OAK opens on April 5, 2024 via Photon Films.
After its debut at Cannes last year, ABOUT DRY GRASSES and won accolades, it is about to get a release here in Canada via Sphere Films.
Theatrical Release Locations:
March 1:
Toronto, ON – TIFF Lightbox
Ottawa, ON – ByTowne Cinema
Vancouver, BC – VIFF Centre
March 8:
Waterloo, ON – Princess Cinemas
Edmonton, AB – Edmonton City Centre
March 29:
Kingston, ON – The Screening Room
*Additional markets to be announced.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Writer: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Akın Aksu, Ebru Ceylan
Cast: Deniz Celiloglu, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici
Synopsis: Samet, a young art teacher, is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in. Will his encounter with Nuray, herself a teacher, help him overcome his angst?
About Dry Grasses had its World Premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival where Merve Dizdar was honoured with the Best Actress Award. The film also screened at TIFF and NYFF.
MUBI, the global streaming service, film distributor, and production company, has released today the new official trailer and artwork for Ben Mullinkosson’s film The Last Year of Darkness, a coming of age documentary that celebrates the ephemerality of youth through the lens of five friends on the underground party scene in Chengdu, China. The Last Year of Darkness will stream exclusively on MUBI in Canada from March 15, 2024.
Synopsis
As the city of Chengdu changes, the future of beloved club Funky Town is unclear. For a vibrant group of DJs, drag performers, lovers, ravers, and skaters this is a sanctuary for underground partying and allows them to thrive after the sun sets. It’s the one place that accepts them for who they really are, whilst they run away from their problems during the day.
With construction cranes looming from an encroaching metro station, the friends are forced to face what brought them to the party in the first place and make the most of their remaining time there.
The Last Year of Darkness is a coming-of-age film that celebrates the ephemerality of youth — from love to loss, from throwing up to growing up.
Director’s Biography
This is Ben’s second feature length documentary and 6th year coming back to Chengdu. He speaks Chinese. His first feature Don’t Be a Dick About It won the 2018 Audience Award at IDFA and is being distributed by Oscilloscope. He now works directing commercials and music videos. His works include Cannes Silver Lion Advertising award, Vimeo Staff Picks, NYT Op-Docs, and some of his films have millions of views. His previous short films have gotten into 50+ festivals around the world including Tribeca (Gnarly in Pink) and Slamdance (What I Hate About Myself).
THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS WILL STREAM EXCLUSIVELY ON MUBI IN CANADA FROM MARCH 15, 2024.
MUBI Canada have announced their March 2024 programming additions including films from female Cinematographers and Oscar winners!
FUNNY PAGES
Funny Pages (Comedy) – Streaming March 1
Dir. Owen Kline, 2022
Aspiring cartoonist Robert believes to be an artist is to suffer. So, he rejects his suburban life and drops out of school to work at a comic store and a public defender’s office. There he meets and becomes besotted by former low-level comic artist Wallace, leading him down a path of misadventures. Owen Kline’s feature directorial debut, Funny Pages, with cinematography by Sean Price Williams and produced by the Safdie Brothers, earned a spot in the 2022 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and received 2 Independent Spirit Award nominations in 2023.
MAMI WATA
Mami Wata (Drama, Fantasy, Thriller) – Streaming Exclusively on MUBI March 22
Dir. C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi, 2023
When the harmony in a village is threatened by outside elements, two sisters must fight to save their people and restore the glory of a mermaid goddess to the land. Mami Wata won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography at Sundance Film Festival in 2023.
CALLING THE SHOTS: WOMEN CINEMATOGRAPHERS
In honour of Women’s History Month, MUBI is spotlighting the expertise and perspective of women working behind the camera in its new film collection CALLING THE SHOTS: WOMEN CINEMATOGRAPHERS. Women’s perspectives help shape diverse stories, and yet, women continue to be underrepresented in cinematography. These films showcase the beauty and technical achievement possible when women craft stories through their lens.
The Wonders (Drama) – Streaming March 8
Cinematography by Hélène Louvart, Dir. Alice Rohrwacher, 2014
An extraordinary summer for Gelsomina and her three younger sisters, in which the strict rules that hold the family together begin to break: due to the arrival of Martin, a German boy on a youth rehabilitation program, and also the community’s participation in the TV competition “Village Wonders.” The Wonders won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 and was nominated for the Plame d’Or.
Thursday Till Sunday (Drama) – Streaming March 8
Cinematography by Bárbara Álvarez, Dir. Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, 2012
As she and her family embark on a four-day holiday to the north of Chile, teenager Mazda slowly comes to the realization that her parents might be splitting up. Their journey that starts so cheerfully quickly acquires melancholy undertones. This will be their last trip as a family. Thursday Till Sunday won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2012.
Madeline’s Madeline (Drama) – Streaming March 8
Cinematography by Ashley Connor, Dir. Josephine Decker, 2018
Sixteen-year-old Madeline has become an active member of an experimental theatre troupe. When its ambitious director pushes Madeline to weave her rich interior world and her troubled relationship with her mother into their collective art, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. Madeline’s Madeline was nominated for 3 Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Female Lead.
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…
Oscar® night. A time for winners and losers, tears and cheers. A night of sweeps, surprises, and foregone conclusions. MUBI presents AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…, a film collection featuring winners and nominees from Oscars® past. It’s the perfect opportunity to brush up on your awards trivia, fill some of those viewing gaps, or convince yourself again that a certain film or performance was robbed.
Parasite (Drama, Comedy, Thriller) – Streaming March 8
Dir. Bong Joon Ho, 2018
Ki-taek’s family of four is close, but fully unemployed. The son Ki-woo is recommended for a well-paid tutoring job. Carrying the expectations of all his family, Ki-woo heads to the Park family home for an interview. But following this first meeting, an unstoppable string of mishaps lies in wait. Parasite won 4 Academy Awards including Best Director, won Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language at the Golden Globes, and received the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. It was the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
No (Drama) – Streaming Now
Dir. Pablo Larraín, 2012
With his first collaboration with Gael García Bernal, Pablo Larraín scored a true art-house hit. Shot on vintage video cameras, the film boasts a rare authenticity and its aesthetic of immediacy is nothing short of genius. No was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at the Academy Awards, and won the C.I.C.A.E. Award at Cannes Film Festival.
Amy (Documentary, Biography) – Streaming Now
Dir. Asif Kapadia, 2015
A moving profile of the precocious talent and tragic death of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, this biographical documentary deflates the sensationalism that surrounded Winehouse throughout her short life—focusing instead on its subject’s artistry. Amy won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2016, and was named the National Board of Review’s Best Documentary in 2015.
As part of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to debut six more beloved films from its library on 4K Ultra HD disc for the first time ever, exclusively within the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4, available February 13, 2024. This must-own set includes films with which audiences around the world have fallen in love: HIS GIRL FRIDAY, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, STARMAN, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, and five of the films have all-new Dolby Atmos mixes.
The six films in the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4 are only available on 4K Ultra HD disc within this special limited edition collector’s set. Included with the collection is a gorgeous hardbound 80-page book, featuring in-depth sections about the making of each film within the set via six all-new insightful essays from renowned writers and journalists, plus rare photos from deep within the Columbia Pictures archives. The set also includes hours of special features across the films, including both newly created behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries and never-before-seen archival materials, plus the entirety of the 1986 “Starman” TV series, exclusively debuting in high definition!
All six films will also be available for purchase at digital retailers in 4K with HDR, and the physical set includes digital redemption codes for each film. With redemption of the digital codes, the films are available to enjoy at home or on the go!
HIS GIRL FRIDAY
Synopsis:
A classic screwball comedy in which Rosalind Russell plays investigative reporter Hildy Johnson, who is engaged to a successful insurance agent. On the eve of her remarriage, she is talked into one more assignment by her editor and ex-husband, Walter Burns, played by the Academy Award-winning Cary Grant. To distract her from her wedding, Walter instructs Hildy to interview a murder convict with an impending execution, but things take a turn when she realizes he may be innocent.
HIS GIRL FRIDAY Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
Audio Commentary Featuring Film Critic and Author Todd McCarthy
NEW: Screwball Style: The Iconic Costumes of Robert Kalloch Featurette
NEW: Breaking the Speed Barrier: The Dialogue of
His Girl Friday Featurette
Lighting Up with Hildy Johnson Featurette
Ben Hecht Featurette
On Assignment:
His Girl Friday Featurette
Cary Grant: Making Headlines Featurette
Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop Featurette
Howard Hawks: Reporter’s Notebook Featurette
The Funny Pages Featurette
Vintage Advertising
Theatrical Trailers
HIS GIRL FRIDAY has a run time of approximately 92 minutes and is rated PG.
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER
Synopsis:
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance) are unforgettable as perplexed parents in this landmark 1967 movie about interracial marriage. Joanna (Katharine Houghton), the beautiful daughter of crusading publisher Matthew Drayton (Tracy) and his patrician wife Christina (Hepburn), returns home with her new fiancé John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a distinguished Black doctor. Christina accepts her daughter’s decision to marry John, but Matthew is shocked by this mixed union; the doctor’s parents are equally dismayed. Both families must sit down face to face and examine each other’s level of intolerance. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, director Stanley Kramer’s GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, is a masterful study of society’s prejudices.
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
Audio Commentary Featuring Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo
Theatrical Teaser
Feature Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
3.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
Introductions
Karen Kramer
Steven Spielberg
Tom Brokaw
Quincy Jones
A Love Story for Today Featurette
A Special Kind of Love Featurette
Stanley Kramer: A Man’s Search for Truth Featurette
Stanley Kramer Accepts the Irving Thalberg Award
2007 Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award Presentation to An Inconvenient Truth
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER has a run time of approximately 108 minutes and is rated PG.
KRAMER VS. KRAMER
Synopsis:
Celebrating its 45th anniversary and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, KRAMER VS. KRAMER is a groundbreaking drama about the heartbreak of divorce and the struggle between work and family. Young husband and father Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) loves his family– and his job, which is where he spends most of his time. When he returns home late one evening from work, his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) confronts him and then leaves him, forcing Ted to become the sole caregiver to their six-year-old son. Now, Ted must learn to be a father while balancing the demands of his high-pressure career. But just as Ted adapts to his new role and begins to feel like a fulfilled parent, Joanna returns. And now she wants her son back.
KRAMER VS. KRAMER Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
NEW: Audio Commentary with Film Professor Jennine Lanouette
NEW: 5 Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
4 Featurettes
Robert Benton on Directing
Justin Henry on Acting
Mothers and Daughters
Points of Pride
Theatrical Trailer
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition
5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Special Feature:
Finding the Truth – The Making of
Kramer vs. Kramer
KRAMER VS. KRAMER has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG.
STARMAN
Synopsis:
Director John Carpenter presents a romantic science-fiction odyssey starring Jeff Bridges in his Oscar-nominated role as an innocent alien from a distant planet who learns what it means to be a man in love. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the film follows Starman (Bridges) after his spacecraft is shot down over Wisconsin. He arrives at the remote cabin of a distraught young widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), and clones the form of her dead husband. The alien convinces Jenny to drive him to Arizona, explaining that if he isn’t picked up by his mothership in three days, he’ll die. Hot on their trail are government agents, intent on capturing the alien, dead or alive. En route, Starman demonstrates the power of universal love, while Jenny rediscovers her human feelings for passion.
STARMAN Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Director John Carpenter and Actor Jeff Bridges
NEW: Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
NEW: Behind-the-Scenes Time Lapses
They Came from Hollywood: Revisiting
Starman Featurette
Making-Of Featurette
Music Video
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Exclusive Bonus Disc Includes:
The complete 1986-1987 22-episode follow-up series, based on the feature film—exclusively presented in high definition! HD episodes included on 4K UHD discs for maximum space
STARMAN has a run time of approximately 115 minutes and is rated PG.
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
Synopsis:
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in Nora Ephron’s wonderfully romantic comedy about two people drawn together by destiny. Co-starring Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson and Rob Reiner, Hanks stars as Sam Baldwin, a widowed father who, thanks to the wiles of his worried son, becomes a reluctant guest on a radio call-in show. He’s an instant hit with thousands of female listeners who deluge his Seattle home with letters of comfort. Meanwhile, inspired in equal parts by Sam’s story and classic Hollywood romance, writer Annie Reed (Ryan) becomes convinced that it’s her destiny to meet Sam. There are two problems: Annie’s engaged to someone else, and Sam doesn’t know yet that they’re made for each other.
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Feature Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
NEW: 30th Anniversary Critic Commentary with Karen Han & David Sims
NEW: A Conversation on
Sleepless in Seattle with Gary Foster and Meg Ryan
Audio Commentary Featuring Nora and Delia Ephron
4 Deleted Scenes
Love in the Movies Featurette
“When I Fall in Love” Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG for some language.
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE
Synopsis:
Winner of the Best Director Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, this misfit love story of disconnected people trying to find one another in an antagonistic world is a comedy of discomfort and rage that turns unexpectedly sweet and pure. Adam Sandler gives an amazing and unusual performance as Barry Egan, a socially impaired owner of a small novelty business, who is dominated by seven sisters and is unlikely to find love unless it finds him. When a mysterious woman comes into his life, his emotions go haywire, fluctuating between uncontrollable rage, lust and self-doubt. From the writer/director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is a dark, lovely and unique film experience.
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson
Dolby Atmos English audio, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Feature Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
2 Deleted Scenes
Mattress Man Commercial
Blossoms and Blood
12 Scopitones
Jon Brion Featurette
Recording Session
Theatrical Trailers
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has a run time of approximately 95 minutes and is rated 14A.
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