The 11th annual Future of Film Showcase, Canada’s premiere festival for emerging Canadian filmmakers returns to Toronto from June 20-23, 2024, with the most dynamic and expansive event yet. This leading platform will feature world premieres, invaluable industry connections, and a continued celebration of the nation’s rising talent.

New this year, FOFS proudly introduces the Rising Star Award, presented to those who serve as a defining mentor and inspiration for emerging filmmakers. Sara Waisglass, Canadian Screen Award Winner and star of “Ginny and Georgia” and “Suze”, alongside Avan Jogia, the versatile multi-disciplinary artist, known for his roles in “Victorious” and “Zombieland: Double Tap,” are named the inaugural recipients of this award. Waisglass and Jogia will accept this distinction during their on-stage keynote conversation on the festival’s closing day, Sunday, June 23 at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre and via livestream on FOFS’ Instagram page (@futurefilmshow).

Eric Bizzarri, Co-Founder and CEO, Future of Film Showcase, expressed his enthusiasm for this year’s event, noting: “Waisglass and Jogia exemplify the essence of this accolade, inspiring the next generation of filmmakers to redefine the landscape of the industry.”

Bizzarri continued, “We’re very excited to be presenting our biggest festival yet, with an expanded lineup of films and industry programming. This year’s Future of Film Showcase aims to ignite passion, spark creativity, and foster connections among filmmakers and audiences alike, promising an unforgettable experience.”

FOFS 2024 kicks off at Paradise Theatre on June 20 with an exciting lineup of short film premieres from promising Canadian talent including:

World Premieres:

THE SWEATER from Sundance and FOFS alumni filmmakers’ Maziyar Khatam and Anya Chirkova. Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss.

LIGHT AND LAND from Canadian filmmaker Kyath Battie. Lingering somewhere between fantasy and realism, this futuristic documentary underscores atmospheric phenomenon within mysterious environmental incongruence.

Canadian Premiere

NORTEL from Toronto filmmaker Evan Gareth Hoffman. This hybrid fiction-documentary short follows ex-Nortel CEO Frank Dunn navigating the modern world after experiencing a classic case of “tech-boom-rise-and-fall.”

Ontario Premiere:

STATU QUO CHOUCHOU from Quebecois filmmaker Juliette Poitras, follows a young woman named Fanny, who keeps quiet within her environment so as not to be a bother for others.

Toronto Premiere

ELEMENT from directors Will Niava and Latigone N’Goma, follows the story of a group of young delinquents living in the markets of Abidjan, trying to find new ways to make a living, but at what cost?

Additional programming announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

FOFS also presents seven awards to featured filmmakers: Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Picture Editing, Best Director, Best Screenplay and People’s Choice. Award winners are selected by the FOFS 2024 Jury: Karrar Zahn (Director, In Flames), Geneviève Albert (Director, Noémie Dit Oui), Casey Wei (Short Forum Programmer, Vancouver International Film Festival), Yona Strauss (Associate Producer, Infinity Pool) and Paula Muraira (Cinematographer, Siento Vértigo). The People’s Choice Award is determined by audience vote. The award-winning films will be announced on June 24 and will stream for free across Canada on CBC Gem beginning June 24, 2024.

FOFS also presents an extensive lineup of industry programming that offers valuable development opportunities through workshops, panel discussions and one-on-one mentorship, directed towards fostering the future of emerging Canadian filmmakers. For industry programming and more information, visit fofs.ca.

Future of Film Showcase can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @FutureFilmShow and #FOFS2024.

Future of Film Showcase is supported by the Government of Canada, Ontario Trillium Fund, Canada Media Fund, City of Toronto, DGC Ontario, Startwell and CBC Gem.

Today, Disney+ unveiled the teaser trailer and poster for the “four-piece” animated special “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.”

The animated special showcases the longtime team-up of Lucasfilm and Danish toy manufacturing company, The LEGO Group. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty-five years since the ground-breaking collaboration between Lucasfilm and The LEGO Group began,” says executive producer James Waugh. “In that time, LEGO Star Wars has given our fans the unique power to unlock their imaginations and play with the galaxy’s elements in any way they can conceive… and build. It’s with that playful spirit in mind that we set out to ‘Rebuild the Galaxy’ like never before. Tapping into the comedic genius of Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, two of the most talented comedy writers I’ve had the fortune of working with, we’ve mixed and matched LEGO sets to snap together Imperial X-fighters, Rebel TIE-wings, and yes, even Darth Jar Jar. This four-piece special is a celebration of all things Star Wars, LEGO, and the incredible explorations that can only happen when these two amazing brands come together.”

Showrunners and executive producers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit add, “The opportunity to work with LEGO and Lucasfilm to rebuild the galaxy has been a dream come true. We’ve been collecting LEGO Star Wars sets for twenty-five years, and we have approached this project with a fan’s enthusiasm, crafting this story quite literally brick by brick. For new fans, this will be an exciting place to enter the world of LEGO Star Wars, and for lifelong fans, you’re going to see some things that you never thought possible.” Hernandez and Samit are the forces behind acclaimed animated projects such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” and “The Addams Family 2.”

In “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,” the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of all depends on Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together.

The talented voice cast features Gaten Matarazzo (Sig Greebling), Tony Revolori (Dev Greebling), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), Marsai Martin (Yesi Scala), Michael Cusack (Servo), Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).

Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, James Waugh, Jacqui Lopez, Josh Rimes, Jill Wilfert, Jason Cosler and Keith Malone are the executive producers. Chris Buckley directs with Daniel Cavey & Dan Langlois producing.

“LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy” consists of four parts, which debut September 13, exclusively on Disney+

From Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Documentary Films comes filmmaker Daniela Völker’s timely and poignant documentary “The Commandant’s Shadow,” which follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he faces his father’s terrible legacy for the first time. His father was the Camp Commandant of Auschwitz and masterminded the murder of over a million Jews; the life of Höss and his family was recently fictionalized in the Academy Award-winning “The Zone of Interest.” Now, “The Commandant’s Shadow” tells the story of the real people who lived on site at Höss’s death camp.

While Hans Jurgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was trying to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two come face-to-face. This is the first time the descendant of a major war criminal meets a survivor in such a private and intimate setting, Anita’s London living room. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different hereditary burdens.

The film features original excerpts of Rudolf Höss’ long-forgotten autobiography, written shortly before his execution. His words are the ultimate proof of what really happened at Auschwitz, documented by the perpetrator himself, countering denial and ignorance of the Holocaust.

This once-in-a-lifetime feature-length documentary explores the relationships of a mother and her daughter, a father and his son, and the long shadows cast by the crimes that impact generations. It raises questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness, but is ultimately a much needed story of hope, acceptance, and compassion.

In the wake of the atrocities of October 7th – and at a time when antisemitism has reached a level not seen since the Holocaust – “The Commandant’s Shadow” is a stark reminder that there can be no reconciliation without a true and honest reckoning of the past. Only then can we hope to avoid repeating history and build a better future.

“The Commandant’s Shadow” is written, produced and directed by Daniela Völker and produced by Gloria Abramoff, with Wendy Robbins, Neil Blair, Jonathan Blair, Matti Leshem, Joel Greenberg, Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, Sajan Raj Kurup, Jani Guest and Jamie Jessop serving as executive producers.

Völker’s creative team includes directors of photography Rob Goldie and Piotr Trela, editor Claire Guillon, and music composer Gabriel Chwojnik.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with HBO Documentary Films, A Snowstorm / Creators Inc. Production, In Association with New Mandate Films, A Film By Daniela Völker, “The Commandant’s Shadow.” It will be distributed in theatres by Warner Bros. Pictures

Toronto Humane Society, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Canada, is thrilled to announce an exciting 3-day activation event in promotion of The Garfield Movie, popping up at Dufferin Mall – Centre Court in Toronto, from May 17th to May 19th, 2024!

This unique event aims to celebrate the upcoming release of The Garfield Movie, exclusively in theatres across Canada on May 24th, while also promoting the noble cause of animal adoption. Attendees can expect a weekend filled with fun activities, including meeting cats available for adoption from Toronto Humane Society, engaging face painting sessions, and much more.

“We are excited to partner with Sony Pictures Canada for this special event,” said Lucas Solowey, Manager of Public Relations at Toronto Humane Society. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase a few of the wonderful cats available for adoption while also celebrating the iconic Garfield character.”

On some topics raised in the film, Solowey had some thoughts to share: “While Garfield may have a passionate love of lasagna, here at Toronto Humane Society, we advocate for a healthier diet for our feline friends. Trust us, your cat will thank you for sticking to the cat food aisle!”

When it comes to Garfield’s obsession with shipping Nermal off to Abu Dhabi, Solowey continues, “unlike Garfield’s misadventures of shipping Nermal off to Abu Dhabi, we believe in finding loving forever homes for our furry friends right here in Toronto. Adopting a cat is the perfect way to add joy and companionship to your life, without any international shipping fees!”

You are invited to drop by the pop-up event, get your face painted, learn more about the movie, and meet some of the cats available for adoption. The event is taking place:

Friday, May 17th: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.,
Saturday, May 18th: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.,
Sunday, May 19th:11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Note: Those interested in adopting will be able to view the cats, but the adoption process would take place at Toronto Humane Society (11 River St, Toronto, ON).

Fans attending the inaugural CCXP México were surprised on Friday with the mind-blowing official trailer for the fourth season of the Emmy-winning hit drama series The Boys, coming to Prime Video June 13, 2024. Cast members Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Chace Crawford, Karen Fukuhara, and Claudia Doumit participated in a diabolical panel revealing the explosive official trailer to a packed room of fans.

The Boys will premiere its fourth season on June 13, 2024, with three episodes, followed by a new episode each week, ending with the epic season finale on Thursday, July 18. The eight-episode season will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

In Season Four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.

The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti. Season Four will welcome Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, Judalina Neira, Ken F. Levin, and Jason Netter also serve as executive producers. The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures.

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, to see BABES!

Screenings take place as follows:

Toronto: Location: Scotiabank Theatre Toronto Date: Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 Time: 7:00 PM

Vancouver: Location: Fifth Avenue Cinemas Date: Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 Time: 7:00 PM

Calgary: Location: Scotiabank Theatre Chinook Date: Wednesday May 22nd, 2024 Time: 7:00 PM

Synopsis: 

BABES follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), having grown up together in NYC, now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. BABES delves into the complexities of female friendship with a blend of laughter, tears, and labor pains.

Starring: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Shola Adewusi, Sandra Bernhard and Hasan Minhaj. 

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, IG or X. In the comments tell us your city and tag a friend!

Rules and regulations here.

Elevation Pictures release BABES May 24, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Today, in celebration of the annual Star Wars fan holiday, Disney+ debuted an exciting, brand-new trailer and poster for Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars series “The Acolyte.” The thrilling, suspenseful live-action series launches on Tuesday, June 4, with the first two episodes, exclusively on Disney+.

In “The Acolyte,” an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.

Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.

Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on “Get Out” and “Us,” scored “The Acolyte.”

Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is just one step closer now to realizing its own destiny as an epicenter of entertainment in the City. The $1 billion property which is projected to give Ontario over $500 million in economic benefit, just celebrated the grand opening of its 5,000-person capacity entertainment venue space. And they swung big, landing three-time Grammy winner Gwen Stefani last night and her partner, five-time Grammy winner Blake Shelton tonight for two back-to-back respective shows. Both shows sold-out completely.

Stefani delivered a phenomenal show, delivering massive hits over the span over her career as No Doubt frontwoman and solo artist, bringing the crowd to their feet. Her fantastic energy and vocal work were accentuated by the venue’s great acoustics.

The theatre is the latest to launch, adding to the resort’s Las Vegas-style casino with over 4,800 slot machines and 145 table games, 500 hotel rooms (over 200 of them facing world-famous Woodbine Racetrack) and a diverse variety of dining options ranging from casual to elegant, plus a Food Hall too for those looking for something quick.

Severable notables attended today’s official opening including Premier Doug Ford; Matthew Anfinson, CEO, Great Canadian Entertainment; Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario Minister of Finance; Duncan Hannay, President & CEO, OLG and more. The affair was hosted by Cheryl Hickey. Wushu Project performed a Lion Dance ceremony to ring in the festivities.

The Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto team also made a generous donation of $50,000 to Haven on the Queensway, and a cheque was presented at the ceremony.

An exciting slate of performers will be gracing the theatre ahead. Click here for Great Canadian Entertainment listings.

Highlights:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

THE FALL GUY flies in its debut, taking $28 million from 4,002 theatres for Universal Pictures. Reviews have been strong for the Blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, garnering 83% on the Tomatometer.

In second is CHALLENGERS with $8.7 million from 3,477 theatres, taking its two week tally to $30.5 million for Warner Bros.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 – THE PHANTOM MENACE gets a special May 4th (Star Wars Day) re-release, good enough for third with $8.5 million for Disney.

Horror TAROT debuts in fourth with $6 million from 3,104 theatres for Sony Pictures. It gets 8% on the Tomatometer.

GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE rounds out the Top Five with $3.8 million for Warner Bros., a total of $187 million to date in North America.

The debut of Paramount+’s original event series KNUCKLES smashed numerous records over its premiere weekend, including setting a new global record as the most-watched Paramount+ original series of all time with more than 4M hours streamed over premiere weekend. In addition to its overall record, the series marks Paramount+’s most-watched kids-and-family title ever.

The series launch also had a halo effect on other Sonic the Hedgehog titles on the service, with viewership up more than 278 percent globally over the daily average.

“The Sonic the Hedgehog fans came out in full-force,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “We’re so thrilled with the record-breaking performance of KNUCKLES and the incredible lift the whole Sonic universe has experienced following KNUCKLES’ premiere.”

KNUCKLES, a six-episode event series and the latest in the “Cinematic World of Sonic the Hedgehog” from Paramount Pictures and SEGA of America, follows Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior. The series takes place between the films SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3.

In addition to Elba starring as the titular character, Adam Pally reprises as Wade Whipple his role from the film franchise. The ensemble cast includes guest stars Stockard Channing (The West Wing), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Scott Mescudi (Don’t Look Up), Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso), Julian Barratt (Mindhorn), Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Cary Elwes (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Paul Scheer (Black Monday), and Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital). Special guest star Ben Schwartz reprises his role as Sonic, as well as special guest star Tika Sumpter, reprises her role as Maddie. Colleen O’Shaughnessey also returned as a special guest star in her role as Tails.

All of the key creative team from the previous films have returned for the series, including the films’ director Jeff Fowler, who directed the pilot episode and helped transition the film’s signature cinematic animation style to television, as well as Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, John Whittington, Idris Elba, Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi and Toru Nakahara, who also served as executive producers. Additional directors for the series include Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone and Carol Banker.

The series was created for television by John Whittington and Toby Ascher, who ran the show during production. Whittington, who co-wrote SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, served as head writer and wrote the pilot for the series. Additional series writers include Brian Schacter and James Madejski.

The combined global box office for SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 stands at $725.2 million. On Paramount+, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 is the top-performing kids-and-family film on the service in reach and is also one of the service’s most re-watched films. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 will be released in theaters on Dec 20th, 2024.

In addition to streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.S., the UK, Latin America, Australia, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Japan, KNUCKLES will stream on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.