The road to an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature had its share of detours for writer-director Nisha Pahuja as she grappled with what eventually became To Kill a Tiger . For one, the film wound up with a decidedly different focus than what she initially envisioned. Also there was concern over whether or not to show the face of a protagonist who was a minor at the time. The initial decision was to obscure her identity throughout. But that plan ultimately changed, with the young woman... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- When Hayao Miyazaki was contemplating whether he would come out of retirement in 2016, he put together a curiously self-critical proposal. "There's nothing more pathetic than telling the world you'll retire because of your age, then making yet another comeback," wrote the filmmaker, now 83. "Doesn't an elderly person deluding themself that they're still capable, despite their geriatric forgetfulness, prove that they're past their best?" "You bet it does." One's prime for artists is much harder... Read More 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- With two weeks to go before the Oscars, “Oppenheimer” looks unstoppable. Director and producer Christopher Nolan’s tale of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the birth of the atomic age won the top prize Sunday at the 35th Producers Guild of America Awards — a frequent predictor of Oscar best picture winners — the night after doing the same at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. “Oppenheimer” won the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures over the... Read More 

“Oppenheimer” continued to steamroll through Hollywood’s awards season on Saturday, winning the top prize, for outstanding cast, along with awards for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards. As the Academy Awards draw closer, Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic — already a winner at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs — has increasingly looked like the run-away favorite. The SAG Awards, one of the most telling Oscar predictors, will only add to the momentum... Read More 

Celine Song’s quiet romance “Past Lives” won two of the biggest awards at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Sunday afternoon, honored for best feature and best director. Other big winners were Cord Jefferson’s comedic satire “ American Fiction,” with Jeffrey Wright winning for lead performer, and Jefferson for best screenplay; and Alexander Payne’s “ The Holdovers,” which won prizes for Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa. The 39th edition of the show was held Sunday in a beachside tent in... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- A New Mexico judge has set a trial date for Alec Baldwin on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the 2021 deadly shooting on the set of the Western movie "Rust." The scheduling order entered Monday calls for jury selection to begin July 9, with the trial starting the following day with opening statements by special prosecutors and Baldwin's defense attorneys. The proceedings are expected to last eight days. Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the film, pleaded not guilty in... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Testimony at trial Monday turned emotional and argumentative as an eyewitness recounted the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a movie rehearsal and described gun misfires, crew members walking out and a "ludicrous" pace of work. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was the armorer for the upcoming Western movie "Rust," is fighting charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence at a trial that entered its third day of testimony Monday. A trial date was... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Courtroom testimony in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin provided new details Thursday (2/29) that conflict with other, earlier accounts about a final safety check on a revolver and exactly who handed it to the actor during rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust.” Assistant director David Halls, the safety coordinator on set, told jurors that weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who is on trial on charges of manslaughter and evidence tampering, twice handed the... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- A film-set manager increased oversight of firearm safety but was only partially aware of misfires in the days leading up to the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust,” jurors heard in courtroom testimony Wednesday (2/28). The trial of movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering entered its fifth day with testimony from the on-set manager, as well as the lead investigator in the case... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Courtroom testimony by an independent gun expert Tuesday cast new doubt on Alec Baldwin's account that his gun went off without pulling the trigger in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 rehearsal on the set of the Western movie "Rust." Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter with a trial scheduled for July in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a movie rehearsal on the outskirts of Santa Fe. "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- When FX sent screenwriter Justin Marks a copy of James Clavell's hit 1975 novel "Shogun" with the idea of turning it into a series, he initially couldn't put it down. That's because he was reluctant to pick it up. The book about a British navigator shipwrecked in feudal Japan was massive — over 1,000 pages. And old: "It was the book that was on our parents' nightstand." Plus it sounded culturally out of step. He assumed it couldn't be adapted for 2024. Marks laughs that he "was being a jerk"... Read More 

LONDON (AP) -- Kate Winslet is running things — on and off the set of her new TV show, "The Regime." In the HBO show premiering Sunday, she plays Elena Vernham — also known as The Chancellor, the ruler of a fictional country in Europe, possibly near Poland. Winslet, who is also an executive producer on the show, says she's never been offered a character like this "in her life." "I've never read a script like this before. I've never laughed so much at the material that was in front of me, as we did every... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- The Television Academy, in partnership with ReadySet--a leading culture change consulting firm--released its 2024 Impact Progress Report. Highlights of the report, an analysis of survey data measuring membership perceptions of the Academy’s DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility) progress along with comparisons of member demographics year over year, include: The demographic diversity of the Academy’s membership has increased, with new members over the past two years holding more... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- A new entry in the "Avatar" franchise is about to soar and James Cameron has no part in it. "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is a completely different fictional world from Cameron's Pandora but the two similarly named dueling sci-fi fantasy properties have kept throwing out new entries over the decades. Last Thursday (2/22) — two years after the debut of "Avatar: The Way of Water" — Netflix offers "Avatar: The Last Airbender," a multi-part, lush live-action adaptation that mixes adventure and... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer and partner at Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), has been named as the 2024 AICP Next Awards judging chair. In this role, Johnson has assembled a roster of jury presidents who will, in turn, select judges for all AICP Next Awards categories. “I couldn’t be more excited to be serving as the 2024 AICP Next Awards Judging Chair,” said Johnson. “It’s a competition that focuses on work that defies convention and points to the future of advertising... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) has entered into a global partnership with Adobe to power content creation and activation across the company’s operations. IPG is the first company to integrate Adobe GenStudio--which enables brands to speed up content ideation, creation, production and activation through generative AI--into its own marketing technology platform. IPG’s engine streamlines and automates the end-to-end customer experience, helping brands find better ways to engage, convert and retain... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Internationally renowned visual artist Marie Tomanova has joined Chelsea Pictures for U.S. and European photography and directing representation. After receiving her MFA, Czech-born Tomanova moved to the U.S. and has since garnered extensive acclaim for her photography which deals in the key themes of displacement, identity, gender, and memory. Now, Tomanova turns to directing as an extension of her artistry. “The vision of Chelsea inspires and moves me. I cannot wait to move mountains as a... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Creative collective Wild Gift, founded by production veterans David Mitchell and Tomer DeVito, has signed director Julian Acosta for commercial representation in the U.S. and global markets. A storyteller and musician who side-hobbies as a drummer in a punk rock band, Acosta has a prolific body of work with a raw, very personal and introspective style, a focus on the complexities of the human experience and its fluid use of music. His most recent work includes a music video for Art Rock band... Read More 

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Danai Gurira remembers a moment filming "The Walking Dead " which she now believes contributed to the future pairing of her character Michonne with Andrew Lincoln's Rick. It was during season three, Gurira's first season on the show. The scene featured Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan and Michael Rooker. Gurira recalls Michonne wielding her trademark samurai sword, ready to kill Rooker's character Merle. Lincoln's Rick stood in between Michonne and Merle, preventing Michonne... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Noel Fielding trades pastry for pistols in the new mouthful of a TV series "The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin," a swashbuckling romp that's miles from the genteel tent of "The Great British Bake Off." The English writer, comedian and TV host is a highway robber in 1735 in the zany Apple TV+ series, playing a gentle soul in the harsh world of forest-based stick-ups, witches and curses. It starts airing Friday. "I just forgot that I'd missed that kind of comedy," says Fielding. "I... Read More 

LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK -- Durable Goods has signed comedy director Jeremy Nachbar for U.S. representation. A Midwestern boy with a “chamo” (English translation: slang for “kid) heart shaped by his Venezuelan godmother, Loli, Nachbar seamlessly navigates American and Latin American cultures in his commercial output for Bonobos, Netflix, P&G, The Improv, PetSmart, and more. “Jeremy is an actor’s director who effortlessly combines raw performance and storytelling gained from his Chicago improv days with high production... Read More 

NEW YORK -- StrawberryFrog, an independent strategy, marketing, advertising, and design firm, has hired Nick Sonderup as executive creative director. Sonderup is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated creative leader, ECD and writer with more than 22 years of experience. Sonderup was previously at Pereira O’Dell, where he led the NY office and creative department for over five years. Under his leadership, Pereira O’Dell won and retained a roster of clients including MINI, Stella Artois, Corona, Pillsbury, The... Read More 

BUENOS AIRES -- Ketama Collective, part of the team that won the Grand Prix for Creative Data at Cannes last year, is merging with its two sister companies, Bitgeyser and Pasto, to form one integrated digital creative, production, and technology resource known as Bermuda. The new entity, which has opened a U.S. office in Miami, spans everything from content production for brands to experiential executions and activations, extended realities, metaverse executions, meta-human creations, AI infusions and... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Creative production studio London Alley has added international director Sidney Van Wichelen to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. This marks the first representation in the American market for the Brussels-based director. Van Wichelen has directed commercials for brands including McDonald’s, LinkedIn and Lotus, and music videos for popular European artists Roméo Elvis, Lefa and JeanJass, among others. One of Van Wichelen’s most notable... Read More 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The California Film Commission (CFC) is reporting a significant boost to California’s entertainment industry economy with the addition of five big-budget projects and 10 independent films into the Film and Television Tax Credit Program. These 15 productions, spanning a diverse range of budgets and narratives, are projected to bring close to $408 million into California’s economy through qualified in-state expenditures. With an estimated 2,252 crew, 598 cast, and 16,800 background performers... Read More 

Noora Niasari's delicately moving "Shayda" puts the viewer in the shoes of an Iranian woman in Australia living in a women's shelter with her 6-year-old daughter. The violence happens before we enter the story, and yet actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi's face and body tells us everything we need to know. Whatever bruises might have been there are gone, but the pain and trauma is palpable. We understand immediately that she is terrified of her husband, of what he's done and of what he might do, especially... Read More 

The hero of "Problemista" sees the world differently. He's an aspiring toy designer named Alejandro who thinks today's toys are too fun. He proposes a toy truck with a deflating tire to teach kids they're running out of time. Alejandro is the creation of Julio Torres, who stars, directs and has written "Problemista," an off-kilter and very winning movie from a rising artist who thrillingly reflects his own toy maker's singular, idiosyncratic mind. "Problemista" is not like a Wes Anderson-type... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- In one of the weirdest high schools in history, Cleopatra is dating class president Frida Kahlo and John F. Kennedy's best friend is Abraham Lincoln. This is "Clone High," a cult animated show that's enjoying a new life on the streamer Max some two decades after it was abruptly canceled by MTV. "We've learned a lot in the 20 years since we made the show originally," says Chris Miller, who created "Clone High" with Bill Lawrence and Phil Lord. "Revisiting where we started but bringing it into... Read More 

If you watched Lifetime's Wendy Williams docuseries that premiered over the weekend and felt uncomfortable, you weren't alone. "Where is Wendy Williams?" premiered over the weekend and featured numerous scenes of the former talk show host unsteady, belligerent, confused and also drunk. Her manager would regularly find liquor bottles hidden throughout her apartment, behavior that producers say unnerved them while filming. But they say they didn't know at the time that Williams had dementia,... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- For a second straight week, biopic " Bob Marley: One Love " continues to exceed expectations by claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office, overcoming two debut films and Sony's "Madame Web" that's still producing subpar numbers. The Paramount film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir pulled in $13.5 million during its second week of release. The project, which was produced for about $70 million, already eclipsed that mark, grossing nearly $72 million domestically in North America. It's an impressive... Read More 

In the last few years, many states have passed legislation banning specific books, and critical parts of American history--erasing the stories and contributions of marginalized people in our country. Just recently, Florida banned the use of state and federal funds on DEI programs at state universities. And it doesn’t appear like it will stop there. So Courageous Conversations and agency Wieden+Kennedy New York teamed on a campaign based on the belief that all students deserve to have an... Read More 

Scent as a memory trigger is a dynamic which beauty brand O Boticário--a leader in recycling in Brazil--has deployed in the hope that also triggered will be heightened awareness of the damage done by pollution to our natural resources. Created by agency AlmapBBDO in São Paulo, Brazil, this project has O Boticário creating a fragrance which smells like Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay did before it was polluted. The Guanabara Bay-inspired scent, dubbed “Extinto," is the first in a limited run of... Read More 

With International Women’s Day coming up on March 8, Kotex is launching the #ProgressFeelsLike campaign, which includes this film of a little more than two minutes designed to spark reflection on women’s rights across the globe. Directed by Jaci Judelson of production house Rakish for ad agency Capital A, the film--a mix of archival footage and original live action--delves into real-life experiences, highlighting harsh realities and women’s tenacious resilience in the face of it. The branded... Read More 

Tasked with reducing the spread of infectious respiratory diseases this winter, the Rhode Island Department of Health turned to Nail Communications to help develop an unusual public service campaign. Stephen Fitch, strategy director at Nail, observed, “A variety of infectious respiratory diseases have had a significant impact on communities worldwide, but as ‘COVID fatigue’ has set in, public health messages have often hit the wall of a population that is ‘over it.’” The campaign thus turns the... Read More 

Brook Linder directed this “Mustang” music video for Kings of Leon, produced by RadicalMedia. Produced by RadicalMedia, the video is described as a reflection of absurd mundanity and boring Utopia while reflecting the spirit of the song. Read More 

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