The full roster of talent has been unveiled for the 2024 Veld Music Festival!

Artists include: ALAN WALKER, ALESSO, ALOK, ARMNHMR, AUDIEN, BEN BÖHMER, BLACK TIGER SEX MACHINE, BOYS NOIZE, CHEYENNE GILES, CIREZ D, CRISTOPH, DABIN, ELDERBROOK, ENDLESS SUMMER (SAM FELDT B2B JONAS BLUE), ERIC PRYDZ PRESENTS HOLO, FISHER, FRANK WALKER, GREEN VELVET, GRYFFIN, HI-LO, HOL!, ISOXO, JAMES HYPE, KASKADE, KAYZO UNLEASHED XL, KREAM, LE YOUTH, MARSH, MARSHMELLO, MARTIN GARRIX, MAX STYLER, MITIS, OLIVER HELDENS, RAY VOLPE, SEVEN LIONS, SHAMIER ANDERSON DJ SET, SLANDER, STEVE AOKI, SUBTRONICS, TITA LAU, VASTIVE B2B RZRKT, WAX MOTIF.

Local talent:

AKWA, DEECEE, DIRTYHAPPY, ELUSID, KEVIN FARIA, LUKAV, MANZONE & STRONG, MARK JONES, PAPER SKIES, R8YZ

Pre-sale on Wednesday, January 24th 2024 with general on-sale on Thursday, January 25th, 2024.

Join the all-new VELD Fan Club for exclusive drops and the latest updates regarding the upcoming VELD Music Festival. Fan club members will receive pre-sale ticket codes. Sign up at www.veldmusicfestival.com or DM our Instagram “RSVP” and follow to stay in touch with your favourite festival!

Pre-sale tickets will be available on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024.

General on-sale starts on Thursday, January 25th, 2024.

For more information visit: www.veldmusicfestival.com

Threads: @VELDfest

Instagram: @veldmusicfestival

TikTok: @veldmusicfestival

Cape Town-based company Giant Films and Fae Pictures are pleased to announce that the father-son queer road trip drama, Runs in the Family, has been nominated for Outstanding Film – Streaming or TV at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards which will take place on March 14, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Ian Gabriel (Ludik, Four Corners) and Gabe Gabriel (No Hiding Here) are a father-son duo whose film about a father-son duo is written by and stars son, Gabe Gabriel and is directed by father, Ian Gabriel. The film, which is on Netflix, won Best South African Film at the Durban International Film Festival, received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Closing Night of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and premiered as a special presentation at Inside Out Toronto, London Indian, Kashish Mumbai, Seattle Queer, Mardi Gras Sydney, and Melbourne Queer.

Runs in the Family marks Gabe’s first professional role since he came out as trans in 2019.

Runs in the Family is produced by Amina Thornton and executive produced by Cindy Gabriel (Four Corners), and Shant Joshi (Framing Agnes). Indigenous Film Distribution is handling South African distribution. Fae Pictures is handling festival distribution internationally.

A reformed con artist, Varun (Ace Bhatti), and his transmasculine son, River (Gabe Gabriel), roadtrip across South Africa to break River’s estranged mother (Diaan Lawrenson) out of rehab. When injury befalls Ollie (Cleo Wesley), River’s drag partner and best friend, his mother propels father and son to partner up for a drag competition that could win River his gender-affirming surgery.

Giant Films presents Runs in the Family in association with Indigenous Film Distribution, The National Film and Video Foundation, The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, and Fae Pictures

Game Theory Films today announced the theatrical release dates for the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Someone Lives Here, directed by Zack Russell.

Following an outstanding festival run in Canada and the U.S. that garnered major awards, Someone Lives Here will screen as part of TIFF’s Canada Top Ten on January 27 with Zack Russell in attendance for a Q&A. The film will also screen at Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and Vancouver’s VIFF Centre starting this month, in addition to Toronto’s Revue Cinema in February.

The film won the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary and Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary at Hot Docs 2023.

Someone Lives Here is a modern-day David and Goliath Story, set against the backdrop of North America’s housing crisis. Carpenter Khaleel Seivwright built small life-saving shelters for unhoused people living outside in Toronto during the winter of the pandemic. His actions attracted international attention, but also staunch opposition from the local government.

Awards and recognition:
Hot Docs 2023: Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary
Hot Docs 2023: Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary
VIFF 2023: Best Canadian Documentary
DGC 2023: Nominee for Best Picture Editing and Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary
TFCA 2024: Nominee for Rogers Best Canadian Documentary

Participating theatres:
Vancouver, BC:
January 26 – February 7: VIFF Centre

Toronto, ON:
January 27: TIFF Lightbox / Canada’s Top Ten
January 28: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
February 18 – 20: Revue Cinema

Additional theatres and markets to be announced.

Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder. The drama series is based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Andrew Scott plays Tom Ripley. Dakota Fanning plays Marge Sherwood. Johnny Flynn plays Dickie Greenleaf. Additional cast include: Elliot Sumner, Maurizio Lombardi, Margherita Buy with John Malkovich.
Ripley is co-produced by Showtime and Endemol Shine North America in association with Entertainment 360 and Filmrights.
Executive producers are Steven Zaillian, Garrett Basch, Clayton Townsend, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. Scott will serve as a producer on the series.
All eight episodes were directed and written by Steven Zaillian.

Ripley premieres April 4, only on Netflix.

Today, Netflix released the first official trailer for the highly anticipated limited series ZERO DAY. The teaser gives an exciting glimpse into this upcoming conspiracy thriller with Robert De Niro at the helm of a star studded cast that includes Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine and more.

All episodes premiering globally on Netflix on February 20, 2025.

ABOUT ZERO DAY:
ZERO DAY is a limited series starring Robert De Niro as respected former U.S. President George Mullen, who, as head of the Zero Day Commission, is charged with finding the perpetrators of a devastating cyber attack that has caused chaos around the country and thousands of fatalities. As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambition of power brokers in technology, Wall Street, and government collide, Mullen’s unwavering search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while risking all he holds dear.

ZERO DAY is written and executive produced by Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, with Lesli Linka Glatter as executive producer and director of all six episodes. Michael S. Schmidt also serves as writer and executive producer, with Robert De Niro and Jonathan Glickman as executive producers. Starring Robert De Niro, Angela Bassett, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Matthew Modine, Dan Stevens, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, and Clark Gregg.

Release Date: February 20, 2025
Episodes: 6 episodes x 1 hour (limited series)
Co-Creators / Co-Showrunners / Writers / Executive Producers: Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim
Co-Creator / Executive Producer: Michael S. Schmidt
Director / Executive Producer: Lesli Linka Glatter
Executive Producer: Jonathan Glickman
Star/Executive Producer: Robert De Niro
Starring: Angela Bassett, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Matthew Modine
Guest Starring: Bill Camp, Dan Stevens, Gaby Hoffmann, Clark Gregg, McKinley Belcher III

By Amanda Gilmore

Love Lies Bleeding is a captivating Queer Romance Neo-Noir with brutal violence and an indelible beating heart.

Writer-Director Rose Glass’ follow-up to her beloved debut feature Saint Maud, follows reclusive gym employee Lou (Kristen Stewart) who falls hard for Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Las Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence that pulls them into the web of Lou’s criminal family.

It’s set in a desert town in rural New Mexico in ‘89. Gun ranges are common, and owning guns is even more prevalent. Corruption is simple, you pay off the cops. This is precisely how Lou’s father Lou Sr. (performed brilliantly by an eerie hair-extension-wearing Ed Harris) has gotten away with his criminal enterprise.

The Film’s central question is: what would you be willing to do for love? For Lou and Jackie, who’re head-over-heels, they’d do anything. Including kill. In this regard, Love Lies Bleeding is reminiscent of True Romance and Natural Born Killers all while executing a cinematic style that’s all Glass’ own. The Script, which Glass co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, is loaded with raw sex, brutal violence, and a story about true love.

The Film’s succeas lies in its Cast selling this wild ride. And each one is fully committed. O’Brian gives a star-making turn as the American Dreamer with a big heart that has led her to some violent situations. Stewart is magnetic as a woman with a bubbling anger inside who is finally found someone to become smitten by. She makes you hang on to her every move.

A24/VVS Films release Love Lies Bleeding in cinemas on March 8, 2024.

Love Lies Bleeding screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 20 at 10:00 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 21 at 9:00 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 1

Jan 22 at 9:30 PM at Rose Wagner Center

Jan 25 at 8:00 PM at Library Centre Theatre

Jan 27 at 11:00 PM at The Ray Theatre

By Amanda Gilmore

It’s been 35 years since Director Steven Soderbergh has had a Feature film at Sundance. All those years ago he brought Sex, Lies and Videotape which won the Audience Award: Dramatic in 1989. He’s been back since with his TV Show The Girlfriend Experience in 2009. 

However, his big return follows a family that moves into a suburban home. Shortly after moving in, their daughter Chloe (Callina Liang), still grieving the sudden death of her best friend, senses a supernatural spirit within.

Soderbergh always finds new ways to use the camera. He was the first established Director to shoot films with an iPhone. Additionally, he always finds new ways to bring audiences into a story. He’s back at it again with Presence. This time around he’s used the camera to tell this story through an entirely new —and inventive— perspective. His camera is the ghost’s perspective. Thus, putting a whole new spin on the Haunted House genre.

Screenwriter David Koepp’s Script mixes multiple genres. It begins as a Domestic Drama. We see this family in all its dysfunction. It’s most fascinating seeing the mother (a fantastic Lucy Liu) who favours her son over her daughter. As the story progresses, it leans more into the ghost and Haunted House subgenres. It succeeds at every turn because of Soderbergh’s choice of perspective.

Presence screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 19 at 9:45 PM at Library Centre Theatre

Jan 20 at 9:00 AM at Egyptian Theatre

Jan 21 at 9:00 PM at Rose Wagner Centre

Jan 23 at 8:00 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 27 at 2:30 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 1

Jan 28 at 11:00 AM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 1/2/3

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Josh Margolin’s Feature debut is a tender story about growing old and how we as a society view our elders. All wrapped in one of the freshest whip-smart comedic Scripts.

The story follows 93-year-old Thelma Post (the magnificent June Squibb) who gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson. When she finds the PO Box address she sent the money to, she’s determined to confront the crook. However, her family won’t let her. But when Thelma sees Tom Cruise on the front cover of a newspaper promoting his latest Mission Impossible movie (the headline a clever “Mission: Possible”) she sets out on her mission for revenge.

Thelma is the feel-good movie of Sundance ’24 that leaves the audience uplifted and giddy. Additionally, it’s a very timely story due to this scam increasing since the pandemic. It was Margolin’s grandmother, also named Thelma, who nearly got scammed that sparked his idea for this Feature.

It includes a stellar ensemble consisting of Fred Hechinger as Thelma’s grandson Danny, Parker Posey as her daughter Gail, and Clark Gregg as her son-in-law Alan. All hit each comedic and tender moment. Yet, no one can compare to the enchanting Squibb. She’s a force to be reckoned with just as Thelma is as she goes as fast as a scooter can take her. After decades in the industry, finally we get to see her at her action hero best.

There might be no mission that’s impossible for Thelma but there sure is for the audience. Their impossible mission: not having a silly smile on their face from beginning to end.

Thelma screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 17 at 6:30 PM at The Ray Theatre

Jan 18 at 9:00 AM at Prospector Square Theatre

Jan 20 at 9:00 PM at Rose Wagner Center

Jan 23 at 1:15 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 24 at 5:00 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 1

Jan 27 at 6:45 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 7

Jan 28 at 1:15 PM at Broadway Centre Cinemas – 6

Online — Jan 25 – Jan 28

By Amanda Gilmore

After their Sundance breakout debut with Half Nelson, Co-Writer and Co-Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck return to the Festival with Freaky Tales. It follows four interconnected tales that take place in 1987 Oakland. Teen punks defend their turf against Nazi skinheads, a rap duo battles for hip-hop immortality, a weary henchman gets a shot at redemption, and an NBA All-Star settles the score.

If you want to see some Nazis get brutally killed, you’ve come to the right place. This entertaining, bloody ride through the Bay area in ’87 is a thrill. Boden and Fleck have created an Anthology feature that pays homage to Grindhouse Cinema, the ’80s, and the Bay Area. The Filmmakers have created four stories that feel as though they stand alone but manage to connect in the end. A feat for any Anthology feature.

But just like all Anthologies, some stories hit more than others. Additionally, the stories feel too short. The audience would’ve loved to get more backstory on the characters and even stayed with them longer. Story 3 is the one with the most developed character. It follows a Hitman (Pedro Pascal), who has just recently lost everything. It’s the meatiest role out of the four and Pascal unsurprisingly hits a home run.

The entire Ensemble — kill — it. Jay Ellis, who plays Warriors player, Sleepy Floyd, will stick with audiences. His story is the final one and it includes a samurai sword and lots Nazis becoming instinct. This final story feels like a huge nod to Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Sleepy even dons a yellow floor-length jacket for a bit.

Freaky Tales is a fun time with some delightful Grindhouse gore.

Freaky Tales screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 18 at 6:45 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 19 at 9:00 AM at Egyptian Theatre

Jan 20 at 2:30 PM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 1/2/3

Jan 23 at 7:00 PM at The Ray Theatre

Jan 25 at 3:00 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 2

Jan 28 at 8:00 PM at Library Center Theatre

…

By Amanda Gilmore

I Saw The TV Glow is a visceral examination of our obsession with Media and a look at growing up queer in suburbia.

Writer-Director Jane Schoenbrun (Sundance ’21’s We’re All Going To The World’s Fair) returns to the Festival with this Midnight selection. It’s story reaches decades in the life of Owen (as a seventh-grader Ian Foreman and Justice Smith for the remainder of the Film) who’s trying to make it through life in the suburbs. Then they meet Maddy (an outstanding Brigette Lundy-Paine) a classmate a few years older than them. She introduces Owen to the late-night TV show “The Pink Opaque” (it feels like a nod to Buffy The Vampire Slayer). The two become obsessed with the show, seeing themselves within the characters. For Owen, it allows them to identify the person within. For Maddy, it’s seeing someone similar to her on screen. But soon their obsession with the show blurs their lines between reality and fiction.

Just like with their feature debut, I Saw The TV Glow has a vibe all of its own. It’s clear Schoenbrun, with only two features under their belt, is an Auteur. The hypnotic neon lights suck us into this story of Owen, a person trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. Smith is enchanting as Owen discovers the show and a world they can escape within.

The outstanding Script has haunting lines of dialogue such as Owen admitting to Maddy that, “someone took a shovel and dug out my insides.” Later when the lines between reality and fiction blur, particularly for Maddy, she’s given a monologue that Lundy-Paine delivers with an intensity that consumes the viewer.

I Saw The TV Glow is a mix of genre filmmaking that only Schoenbrun could accomplish. The Lighting, Score, and Sound assault the senses. Thus mimicking the sense of overwhelming Owen walks with every day. Schoenbrun examines the identity of their characters while providing an examination of the positive and negative effects of our TV obsessions.

There is a lot at play within I Saw The TV Glow. There are many ways to look at the Film and dissect it. But there isn’t a need. It feels more like a film you experience, one based on instinct and feeling. And does it ever pack a punch right to the gut. Just wait for that ending.

A24 has distribution of I Saw The TV Glow in the U.S., but the Film currently doesn’t have a release date.

I Saw The TV Glow screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 18 at 10:00 PM at Library Center Theatre

Jan 19 at 9:30 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 7

Jan 21 at 8:15 PM at Broadway Centre Cinemas – 6

Jan 23 at 10:30 PM at The Ray Theatre

Jan 27 at 8:15 PM at Broadway Centre Cinemas – 6