It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Ari Aster a visionary. The Writer/Producer and Director has won a huge following and acclaim for the way he tells Horror. 2018’s HEREDITARY delighted fans of the genre and critics alike, followed by 2019’s MIDSOMMAR, showcasing an unbelievable and guttural performance by Florence Pugh. It’s been a minute, but his latest effort BEAU IS AFRAID is garnering tons of talk and early positive word of mouth.

The Horror-Dramedy stars Joaquin Phoenix in a committed performance as an anxiety-ridden man who goes on a journey home, confronting his fears.

Moderated by Richard Crouse, Aster attended a special Toronto screening of BEAU IS AFRAID last night at Scotiabank Theatre. Aster tells the audience, “[Beau] felt like the end of the road. Whatever I was doing with those movies [Hereditary and Midsommar], I felt like I was stuffing those themes with dynamite and blowing them up.”.

Some of the Canadian Supporting Cast attended as well, including:

Patrick Kwok-Choon – “Orphan Hero”
Alicia Rosario – “Liz”
Stephanie Herrera – “Martha”
Mike Taylor – “Beau’s son”
Maev Beaty – Angel, Play Narrator

Some of our lucky readers and followers got to attend and had so much excitement about it:

Released in the U.S. by A24, Sphere Films Canada bring the three-hour opus to Canadians this Friday, April 24, 2023. Review to come.

(Photo credit: Nicholas Porteous)

Today, Disney+ unveiled new key art for “The Mandalorian” to celebrate the exciting finale of Season 3. The finale, which began streaming today, and all the previous episodes of Season 3 are available to watch now, exclusively on Disney+.

The first episode of the third season of the Emmy®-award winning original series from Lucasfilm premiered on March 1, exclusively on Disney+.

The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.

The series stars Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, Emily Swallow and Giancarlo Esposito. The directors of the eight-episode Season 3 include Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jon Favreau is the showrunner/head writer and serves as an executive producer along with Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson and Rick Famuyiwa. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck are co-executive producers.

Pixar Animation Studios returns to the globally revered Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of its all-new feature film “Elemental” on May 27, 2023 ahead of its theatrical release on June 16. Debuting out of competition as the closing film of the 76th edition of the festival, “Elemental” is the fourth film from the storied studio to be selected for the event and joins previous favorites “Up,” “Inside Out” and “Soul.”

Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, said this year’s return to Cannes is particularly special for the studio. “As we all emerge from our pandemic cocoons and come together in story rooms, animation dailies and impromptu brainstorming sessions, it’s a joy and honour to have Pixar back on La Croisette,” said Docter. “Directed by the extraordinary storyteller Peter Sohn, ‘Elemental’ is so funny, full of heart and, frankly, stunning to see. It was created for audiences to experience on the big screen and I love that it’ll make its world premiere at Cannes.”

Docter, Sohn and producer Denise Ream will join members of the film’s voice cast at the event. Cannes has hosted the international competition since 1946. “For many years, the Cannes Film Festival has welcomed animated films from around the world,” said Thierry Frémaux, general delegate, Cannes Film Festival. “Pixar Animation Studios, with ‘Up’—directed by Pete Docter—made Cannes history by opening the 62nd edition of the Festival in 2009. It was a wonderful event! This is another great opportunity to present the amazing ‘Elemental’ on the closing of this 76th Cannes Film Festival and to think about our lives in such a powerful way.”

Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. The voice cast includes Leah Lewis as the fiery Ember; Mamoudou Athie as the water-guy Wade; Ronnie del Carmen as Ember’s soon-to-be retired dad, Bernie; Shila Ommi as Ember’s love-seeking mom, Cinder; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wade’s stormy and Air-Ball-loving boss, Gale; Catherine O’Hara as Wade’s welcoming mom, Brook; Mason Wertheimer as Ember’s admiring neighbor, Clod; and Joe Pera as an overgrown city bureaucrat, Fern. Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Denise Ream, p.g.a., and executive produced by Pete Docter, “Elemental” features a screenplay by John Hoberg & Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh with story by Sohn, Hoberg & Likkel and Hsueh. The film’s original score was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. “Elemental” opens with Pixar’s all new short, “Carl’s Date,” in theatres on June 16, 2023.

Global multimedia company, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment, led by former LucasFilm executive, Catherine Winder (Invincible, The Angry Birds Movie 1 & 2, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Oddfellows Labs, the forward-thinking production company specializing in comedic content founded by writer-directors Bart Batchelor and Chris Nielsen, along with veteran film producer Chris Ferguson, are excited to announce that their first co-production and Adult Swim Canada’s first original series, Psi Cops is set to premiere on Sunday, June 4 at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim Canada and available to stream live and on demand with STACKTV.

This new animated comedy series follows unjustifiably bold and unnecessarily creative coworker friends forever (CFFs) Kydd (Chris Nielsen) and Felixx (Bart Batchelor) who are top detectives at the paranormal agency Psi Cops. Crammed into a shady office complex and helmed by true believer, Chief Beef, this rag-tag group of “experts” head out in the field as they investigate alleged sightings of aliens, ghosts, demons, and other hocus-pocus nonsense. Their intention is to solve mysteries and supernatural crimes using their overly competent incompetence.

PSI COPS arrives SUNDAY, JUNE 4TH, 2023 at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT on ADULT SWIM CANADA AND STACKTV.

By Mr. Will Wong

DEAD RINGERS pushes boundaries daringly in the same spirit that David Cronenberg would approve. This new six-episode Prime Video Limited Series, based on the great Canadian’s groundbreaking 1986 feature, stars Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz in dual roles as New York City’s well-known twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Together, the twins break the rules, but it isn’t without reason. When it comes to women’s health, their care and rights pre and post-natally, they are here to challenge antiquated practices and standards. They aren’t entirely heroes though in the classic sense. They use each other’s identities to deceive and they literally share everything – no secrets. So what happens when one finds love and the other no longer is everything to the other?

Canada’s Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Nest) has a knack for exploring stories from the eyes of complex female characters, and is tasked with directing three of the six episodes here. Others behind the lens include a directing team packed with talent: Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Destroyer), Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) and also Toronto’s own Karena Evans (Firecrackers).

Make no mistake, the Series is not for the light-hearted. True to Cronenberg form, this is very much a Psychological Thriller with Body Horror elements. It looks and feels like the 1988 original as well, cold, dark and gray. It’s graphic, bold and the Mantle Sisters are unflinching and can take it as well as they can dish it. That being said, so much of the Series weighs on the strength of Weisz’s superb work, effectively characterizing each sister so convincingly that we forget they’re played by the same Actor.

DEAD RINGERS arrives April 21, 2023 on Prime Video.

Telefilm Canada is announcing its commitment to 12 feature-length films in the English market under the Production Program (as part of the latest round of decisions in the big budget stream), for a funding total of $23 million.

A round of decisions in the French market under the same stream with eight French-language feature film titles published on April 13th, 2023.

Alien Boy (drama)
Director and Screenwriter: Fawaz Al-Matrouk
Production: Nava Projects Inc. and First Generation Media Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Provinces: Nova Scotia and Ontario

Any Other Night (romantic comedy)
Director: Michiel ten Horn
Screenwriter: Patrick Whistler
Production: Lithium Studios Productions Inc. and Film Forge Productions Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: Ontario

*coproduction Canada/Netherlands

Birth of a Family (drama)
Director: Tasha Hubbard

Screenwriters: Tasha Hubbard and Emil Sher
Production: Experimental Forest Films Inc. and January Films Ltd.
Distributor: Mongrel Media

Provinces: British Columbia and Ontario

Bonjour Tristesse (drama)
Director and Screenwriter: Durga Chew-Bose
Production: Babe Nation Creations Inc. and Elevation Pictures
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: Ontario

*coproduction Canada/France

Can I Get a Witness? (science fiction/fantasy/tale)
Director and Screenwriter: Ann Marie Fleming
Production: AMF Productions Inc.
Distributor: Mongrel Media

Province: British Columbia

Flavia de Luce (mystery/crime/police)
Director: Bharat Nalluri

Screenwriter: Susan Coyne
Production: Mystic Point Productions Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: British Columbia

*coproduction Canada/UK

Kill Me Now (drama)
Director: Daniel Grou

Screenwriter: Brad Fraser
Production: Genco Pictures Inc.
Distributor: Photon Films and Media

Province: Ontario

*coproduction Canada/France

Maya and Samar (drama)
Director: Anita Doron

Screenwriter: Tamara Faith Berger
Production: January Films Ltd. and Serendipity Point Films
Distributor: Sphere Films

Province: Ontario

*coproduction Canada/Greece

Night of the Zoopocalypse (animation/comedy)
Directors: Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro

Screenwriters: James Kee and Steve Hoban

Production: Strange Animals (Copperheart) Productions Inc. and MIPA (NOTZ) Film Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/France/Belgium

Rumours (comedy)
Directors and Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson
Production: Buffalo Gal Pictures Inc., Walking Down Broadway Ltd. and Thin Stuff Productions Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: Manitoba
*coproduction Canada/Germany

Skite’kmujua’kik (Place of Ghosts) (thriller)
Director and Screenwriter: Bretten Hannam
Production: Shut Up & Colour Pictures Inc., Mazewalker Films Inc. and Plausible Communications Corporation
Distributor: VVS Films

Provinces: Nova Scotia and Ontario

Steal Away Home (thriller)
Director: Clement Virgo
Screenwriters: Tamara Faith Berger and Clement Virgo
Production: Conquering Lion Pictures Inc.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures

Province: Ontario

Shawn Levy is back together with Netflix again after success with The Adamwith latest Feature ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, arriving this fall via the streaming service. Today we get a glimpse of the Teaser for what looks like an Awards Season contender. Great to see Mark Ruffalo back!

Synopsis:

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE tells the story of the extraordinary power of human connection. Over the course of a decade, this limited series interweaves the lives of Marie-Laure Leblanc, a blind French girl taking refuge with her uncle during WWII, and Werner Pfennig, an brilliant German teenager with an expertise in radio repair. Through a shared secret connection, they find faith in humanity and the possibility of hope. From Director Shawn Levy, All the Light We Cannot See stars Louis Hofmann, Lars Eidinger, Marion Bailey, with Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo. And introducing newcomer Aria Mia Loberti. Coming to Netflix, November 2nd, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

HOT DOCS today have announced special guests to appear at the Festival this year!

From Hot Docs:
We’re delighted to welcome noteworthy guests and fascinating subjects to our 2023 Festival, taking place in Toronto April 27 to May 7. Special guests include Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge Rosalie Abella; Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers; Canadian YouTube pioneer, comedian, author, and television host Lilly Singh; bestselling author Gretchen Rubin; pioneering Black model and activist Bethann Hardison; trailblazing chef, food writer and editor Ruth Reichl; legendary journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher; prominent Greenlandic Inuk lawyer Aaju Peter; members of Canadian alt-rock band July Talk; and more. The Festival will also host over 186 of the world’s top documentary filmmakers to introduce their films and participate in post-screening audience Q&As

Featured guests are listed below. In most cases, the guests will be present at one or more screenings.

Aaju Peter from TWICE COLONIZED (D: Lin Alluna | P: Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Bob Moore | Denmark, Canada, Greenland | 2023 | 92 min) – Prominent Greenlandic Inuk lawyer and ardent defender of the rights of northern Indigenous people. In 2012, she received the Order of Canada.

Anna Maria Tremonti, Gavin Crawford, Falen Johnston, Matthew Amha and Kaitlin Prest from “THE STORY I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD TELL”: A NIGHT OF SURPRISING STORIES WITH THE HOSTS OF CBC PODCASTS – Stars of the CBC’s hottest podcasts and Canada’s most gifted audio storytellers, who will gather on the Hot Docs Cinema stage for an intimate evening of live storytelling.

Bethann Hardison from INVISIBLE BEAUTY (D: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | P: Lisa Cortés, Paul Dallas | USA | 2023 | 115 min) – Pioneering Black model, agent, activist, and champion of racial diversity.

Emily Saliers from IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (D: Alexandria Bombach | P: Kathlyn Horan, Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous, Alexandria Bombach | USA | 2023 | 123 min) – American singer-songwriter and member of iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls.

Gretchen Rubin, special guest on THE HAPPINESS LAB – Bestselling author of “The Happiness Project,” podcaster, and speaker on topics related to happiness, habits, and human nature.

Kara Swisher from ON WITH KARA SWISHER – Renowned American journalist and host of the twice-weekly podcast from New York Magazine, where she picks the brains of the world’s leading thinkers from politics, tech, media and culture.

Dr. Laurie Santos from THE HAPPINESS LAB – Cognitive scientist and Professor of Psychology at Yale University, and host of the acclaimed mind-expanding and inspirational podcast about the science of happiness.

Latif Nasser (co-host) and Simon Adler (producer) from RADIOLAB – The award-winning show from WNYC Studios brings its insatiable curiosity to Hot Docs, presenting a thrilling live event based on its Mixtape series, a rich cultural history of the cassette tape.

Lilly Singh, special guest on ON WITH KARA SWISHER – Canadian YouTube pioneer, comedian, author, and television host.

Moby, executive producer of ROWDY GIRL (D: Jason Goldman | P: Jason Goldman | USA | 2022 | 72 min) – American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. (joining via Zoom)

Peter De Jager from TIME BOMB Y2K (D: Marley McDonald, Brian Becker | P: Brian Becker | USA | 2023 | 80 min) – South African-born Canadian computer engineer, best known for his Y2K early 1990s outcry warning.

Singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, and drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash from JULY TALK: LOVE LIVES HERE (D: Brittany Farhat | P: Peter Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein | Canada | 2023 | 83 min) – Members of Toronto alt-rock band July Talk, who made headlines for staging live drive-in shows amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justice Rosalie Abella from WITHOUT PRECEDENT: THE SUPREME LIFE OF ROSALIE ABELLA (D: Barry Avrich | P: Mark Selby, Barry Avrich, Rosemary Sadlier, Jonas Prince | Canada | 2023 | 84 min) – Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge – a passionate advocate for the disabled community and visible minorities.

Ruth Reichl from FOOD AND COUNTRY (D: Laura Gabbert | P: Laura Gabbert, Ruth Reichl, Paula P. Manzanedo, Caroline Libresco | USA | 2023 | 99 min) – Trailblazing chef, food writer and editor; renowned for her food criticism at the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi from SCAMFLUENCERS – Canadian culture writers and co-hosts of the Wondery smash hit podcast, unpacking epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness.

Oh how I adore this Series! INDIAN MATCHMAKING is back for a third season and how wonderful to join Sima Auntie on her new adventures as she sets out to save the world and these singles from a lifetime of singledom.

Picking-up where Season Two left-off, we get to know London’s Priya a bit better and she gets set-up with a Math Teacher named Bobby, who consistently gets “friend-zoned” and wonder if Priya will do the same to him? She also meets another potential suitor who checks many of the boxes for her, but what happens when she feels things are moving too quickly?

We also reunite with Viral who seems to have found the one in Aashay. The next hurdle they must overcome is meeting eachother’s families and off they go to India together. They always say if a couple can survive a trip together, that’s a sign they can take on a lot together.

We meet Florida’s Arti, who is seeing many of her own best friends get paired-off, but she must focus on herself now and despite Sima Auntie‘s help, she is a bit skeptical. One interesting thing this third season explores is the emergence of dating apps, even some geared specifically to Indian singles, and this provides an interesting take on new mediums to finding love versus traditional.

One interesting new addition to the Cast is a former Miss Delhi, Rushali. She is so deeply-protective of her parents and it’s interesting seeing this dynamic in how it dictates her dating life and who she looks for in a partner.

This season we get to know Sima Auntie a bit better in conversations with her own family about her feeling vulernable too at times in her life, and we’re here for it.

We cannot get enough of this Series and hope there’s many more seasons to come. INDIAN MATCHMAKING Season Three arrives April 21, 2023.

The terrifying new trailer and a new poster for 20th Century Studios’ and 21 Laps’ “The Boogeyman” is available now. The horror-thriller from the mind of best-selling author Stephen King opens June 2, 2023, exclusively in theatres worldwide.

High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister Sawyer are reeling from the recent death of their mother and aren’t getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims. “The Boogeyman,” directed by Rob Savage (“Host”) with a screenplay by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (“A Quiet Place”) and Mark Heyman (“Black Swan”) and a screen story by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods based upon the short story by Stephen King, stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Chris Messina (“Air”), Vivien Lyra Blair (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”), Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy”), Madison Hu (“Bizaardvark”), LisaGay Hamilton (“Vice”), and David Dastmalchian (“Boston Strangler”). The producers are Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), Dan Levine (“Arrival”), and Dan Cohen (“The Adam Project”), with John H. Starke (“Sicario”), Emily Morris (“Rosaline”), Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Ryan Cunningham, Adam Kolbrenner (“The Tomorrow War”), and Robyn Meisinger serving as executive producers.

“’The Boogeyman’ is a classic horror movie in the mold of ‘Poltergeist’ that has scares and heart in equal measure,” says director Rob Savage. “I vividly remember the terror I felt reading King’s short story as a kid, and it’s this feeling of childhood fear that I wanted to inspire in cinema audiences around the world. This film was made in collaboration with an incredibly talented team of creatives, and is anchored by wonderful, soulful performances from our incredible cast – I’m in awe of them, truly. We’re incredibly proud of this movie and can’t wait to give you all a reason to fear the dark again on June 2nd.”

(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Studios)