Recent articles
April 8, 2026
Emilie Bujès to Step Down as Artistic Director of Documentary Film Festival Visions du Réel
Emilie Bujès is to step down as artistic director of documentary film festival Visions du Réel, which takes place in Nyon, Switzerland. She will leave at the end of July, after wrapping the 57th ed...
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April 8, 2026
Berlinale Award Winner ‘Trial of Hein’ Sells to North America, France and More (EXCLUSIVE)
Athens-based boutique film house Heretic has secured major distribution deals for “Trial of Hein,” including North American rights, following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won ...
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April 4, 2026
Riz Ahmed Takes Aim at British During Opening Monologue on ‘Saturday Night Live U.K.’: ‘We Like It When Things Are a Little Bit Crap’
Riz Ahmed took aim at the British during his opening monologue as host on “Saturday Night Live U.K.” on April 4. “We like it when things are a little bit crap,” he said. Ahmed started with a dig at...
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April 2, 2026
‘The Michael Jackson Story’ Docuseries, Featuring La Toya Jackson, Dionne Warwick and More, Sells to Multiple Territories (EXCLUSIVE)
Fremantle’s new documentary series “The Michael Jackson Story,” produced by Fremantle’s Emmy award-winning 72 Films, has sold to multiple global territories including France, the Netherlands, Italy...
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April 1, 2026
‘Sound of Falling’ Leads German Film Awards Race Followed by ‘Yellow Letters’
Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling,” which follows the tough lives of four women across the generations on a farm, leads the race for the German Film Awards, also known as the Lolas. The film, w...
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March 31, 2026
‘The Serpent’ Executive Producer Preethi Mavahalli Exits Poison Pen to Launch Drama House Paper Mill With ITV Studios
ITV Studios, the production and distribution arm of U.K. broadcaster ITV, is further expanding its presence in the premium drama production space with the launch of Paper Mill Productions, a script...
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March 31, 2026
Sharon Horgan, Russell T Davies Among Keynote Speakers at SXSW London
South by Southwest has revealed the first wave of films and keynote speakers for the film program of its U.K. spinoff festival SXSW London, which takes place June 1-6. Among the speakers will be ac...
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March 30, 2026
5 Fribourg Film Festival Takeaways, From Audience-Driven Programming to Political Cinema
As it marked its landmark 40th edition, Switzerland’s Fribourg Intl. Film Festival leaned into the qualities that have long made up its DNA: a strong public audience, politically engaged programmin...
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March 29, 2026
Leon Le on Reframing Vietnam Beyond the Western Gaze: ‘Vietnamese Stories Have Been Told Through a Dated, Disrespectful, Ignorant Lens’
For director Leon Le, the problem isn’t a lack of stories about Vietnam, instead it’s how they’ve been told. “Vietnamese stories have been told through a very dated, very disrespectful, ignorant le...
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March 29, 2026
Ukrainian Director Zhanna Ozirna Explores Intimacy Under Siege in ‘Honeymoon’
At the 40th edition of Switzerland’s Fribourg International Film Festival, socially and politically engaged cinema remains at the heart of the lineup. Among the titles in international competition ...
variety.com
March 27, 2026
Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Drama Selects Six Series Projects From Southeast Europe
CineLink Drama, a flagship program of Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days, dedicated to supporting drama series in development, has unveiled seven projects from Southeast Europe selecte...
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March 26, 2026
‘A Fire There,’ Set in a Remote Armenian Village, Boarded by Filmotor Ahead of Visions du Réel Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
Filmotor has acquired world sales rights to Marlene Edoyan’s feature documentary “A Fire There,” which will have its world premiere in the International Feature Film Competition at documentary fest...
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March 26, 2026
Global Constellation Boards Haunting Indonesia-Set Drama ‘Heaven’s Gate’ (EXCLUSIVE)
International sales and financing outfit Global Constellation has boarded five-episode limited series “Heaven’s Gate” for global sales. The company is presenting the series to international buyers ...
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March 25, 2026
Visions du Réel Unveils Lineup as Submissions Jump 23% Despite Doc Market Pressures
Even as documentary producers warn of tightening financing and shrinking commissioning budgets, the pipeline of new films shows little sign of slowing. Switzerland’s Visions du Réel has received mo...
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March 25, 2026
Fred Kogel’s Contract as Boss of Germany’s Leading Independent Leonine Extended Until 2028
Fred Kogel’s contract as chief executive officer of Germany largest independent distribution-production company Leonine Studios has been extended until 2028, following an agreement between Kogel an...
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March 24, 2026
SXSW London Chief Teases Conference Program, Draws a Distinction Between Austin and Shoreditch: ‘We’ve Decided to Create Our Own Vibe’
Katy Arnander, director of programming at SXSW London, teased this year’s conference program Tuesday evening at an event at a hip bar in the uber-cool neighborhood of Shoreditch, East London, where...
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March 24, 2026
Adam Cunningham Named Global CEO of Allied Global Marketing
Adam Cunningham has been appointed global chief executive officer at Allied Global Marketing, having previously been chief strategy officer. Kelly Estrella, previously chief of marketing operations...
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March 24, 2026
Jason Statham’s ‘The Beekeeper 2’ Picked Up by Germany’s Leading Independent Leonine Studios
Germany’s leading independent Leonine Studios has acquired distribution rights in German-speaking Europe, excluding a Pay-1 window on Prime Video, to Miramax’s sequel “The Beekeeper 2,” starring Ja...
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March 21, 2026
How European Documentary Filmmakers Battled to Give Their Protagonists a Voice: ‘There Has Been a Lot of Repression’
Nolwenn Hervé’s “The Cord,” which received a Special Mention in the main competition category of Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX, is one of six European films that...
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March 20, 2026
Chinese Teen Roadtrip Film ‘Whispers in May’ Wins at Copenhagen Documentary Festival CPH:DOX
Dongnan Chen’s “Whispers in May” won the main prize at CPH:DOX, Copenhagen’s documentary film festival, on Friday. The award, known as the Dox:Award, comes with a cash prize of €10,000 ($11,555). I...
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March 20, 2026
‘Something Familiar’ Director on Teaching the Skeleton in Her Closet to Dance: ‘Catharsis and Creativity Can Alchemize Trauma’
British-Romanian filmmaker Rachel Taparjan likes to quote George Bernard Shaw when talking about her debut feature, “Something Familiar.” The “Pygmalion” playwright said, “If you can’t get rid of t...
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March 18, 2026
Sara Dosa, Director of Oscar-Nominated ‘Fire of Love,’ on Follow-Up ‘Time and Water’: ‘It’s a Love Letter to Iceland and to Glaciers’
Sara Dosa, the director of Oscar nominated “Fire of Love,” was prompted to make her latest film, “Time and Water,” after reading an article by Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason about the death o...
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March 18, 2026
Matthias Schoenaerts, Makita Samba and Marton Csokas Join Halle Berry in Ellie Foumbi’s Erotic Paris-Set Drama ‘Fleur’
Matthias Schoenaerts (“Rust and Bone,” “The Mustang”), Makita Samba (“Paris, 13th District,” “Furcy,” “Kika”) and Marton Csokas (“The Equalizer,” “Resurrection,” “Asylum”) are joining Halle Berry i...
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March 15, 2026
‘The Oligarch and the Art Dealer’ Directors on the Billion-Dollar Feud Exposing the Hidden Art Market: ‘Better Than Gold and Diamonds’
A $1 billion dispute over dozens of masterpieces involving a Russian oligarch, a Swiss art dealer and one of the world’s most powerful auction houses takes center stage in “The Oligarch and the Art...
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March 15, 2026
‘Whispers in May’ Director on Coming-of-Age Roadtrip Set in Rugged Region of China: ‘It’s Not Just About Beauty; Those Mountains Carry Weight’
“I’ve made many wishes, but none have ever come true.” That line, written by a teenage girl in China’s remote Liangshan region, became the starting point for “Whispers in May,” the hybrid documenta...
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March 13, 2026
‘Little Sinner’ Director Daro Hansen on Escaping Forced Marriage and Capturing Her Healing in a Documentary: ‘I Used the Camera as Therapy’
In 2009, a Syrian journalism student arrived in Damascus for an exam with a secret escape plan. A SIM card was hidden in her shoe and a mobile phone in her underwear. As soon as she entered the bui...
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March 12, 2026
Fribourg Film Festival Sidebars Spotlight Colombia, Mothers in Film and Audience Picks
Alongside its international competition, the 40th edition of the Fribourg Intl. Film Festival unfolds across a wide range of parallel programs that expand the festival’s focus beyond premieres to r...
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March 12, 2026
Projects by ‘Honeyland,’ ‘Cleveland Versus Wall Street’ Directors Among Visions du Réel Industry Lineup
Documentary festival Visions du Réel has unveiled the 31 projects selected for this year’s edition of its VdR–Industry platform, marking the first program overseen by newly appointed head of indust...
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March 9, 2026
Lena Karbe’s ‘Inner Emigrants’ Sells to Germany Ahead of World Premiere at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (EXCLUSIVE)
Mindjazz Pictures has acquired the distribution rights in Germany to Lena Karbe’s “Inner Emigrants,” ahead of its world premiere on Monday at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The theatrical relea...
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March 9, 2026
‘Christiania’ Filmmaker on the Anarchic Commune That Battled With Drug Pushers, Biker Gangs and an Alcoholic Bear (EXCLUSIVE)
Danish filmmaker Karl Friis Forchhammer’s “Christiania” is a tale of anarchy, violent biker gangs, drug pushers and an alcoholic black bear, but also one of peace-loving hippies in search of a bett...
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