British Academy Film Awards Change Rules To Boost Diversity

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentChiara Bellosi, whose first work, “Ordinary Justice,” launched from Berlin’s Generation 14plus section in 2020, is back with “Swing Ride” (“Calcinculo”) about an overweight 15-year-old named Benedetta pining for attention in an Italian province where she falls in love with the skinny non-binary Amanda.A key difference between the two films is that while “Ordinary Justice,” which examined the lives of two families on opposite sides of a murder case, originated from a deeply researched screenplay that Bellosi wrote, “Swing Ride” — premiering in Panorama on Feb. 13 — stems from a prizewinning script proposed to her by Carlo Cresto Dina, her producer, who also discovered Alice Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”) and is known for nurturing the cream of Italy’s new cinematic crop.   “It’s a very different process; it was the first time that I had to start from a world that didn’t germinate from me,” said Bellosi about working from the script penned by Maria Teresa Venditti and Luca De Bei that won Italy’s prestigious Solinas prize in 2018.It was like moving into a new house that she had to make her own, she said.“I worked with the writers; I wanted to make a few tweaks and we did that together,” she added, noting that initially “it was a leap into the void.” But directing from their screenplay actually ended up giving her “more freedom” than her previous pic because “the container is already there; but you can go pretty wild with the rest.”This freedom also made it more fun.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2 Films, the banner behind Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” has boarded “Love Life,” the anticipated next film of laureled Japanese director Koji Fukada. Fukada’s credits include the 2016 movie “Harmonium” which won the jury prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, as well as “A Girl Missing” which played at Toronto. His latest film, “The Real Thing” was part of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection.

K.J. Yossman Fresh from appearing in Netflix hit Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” Mark Rylance’s latest big screen outing is “The Outfit,” in which he stars as Leonard, a 1950s tailor. It is a role that could not be more dissimilar to the fictional megalomaniac billionaire Peter Isherwell, whom Rylance plays in McKay’s disaster movie.Written and directed by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning scribe behind “The Imitation Game,” “The Outfit” sees Rylance star as a Savile Row tailor who has fled across the Atlantic to escape his tragic past.

did have was running water and generous counter space, so with that, I figured it was time to learn how to make a quality cup. I’ll spare you the details of my “Coffee Notes” journal, but it's become my new area of study—especially now that I’ve started dipping into unexpected options (shoutout to ).

Ellise Shafer editorIn making “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” director Dawn Porter naturally strove to highlight the congressman’s countless accomplishments, but also wanted to show a different side to him — the reserved joyousness that few people got to see.“I think people were always surprised that the Congressman was very quiet in person,” Porter tells Variety. “He was very funny and charming, but not a person who was seeking the limelight all the time.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has unveiled the first docu films selected for its 33rd edition, including 30 titles heading from Berlin, Sundance and Cannes, among other festivals. The lineup also comprises 10 titles selected by Gianfranco Rosi for the Top 10 program.

Goran Paskaljević, the director of 18 feature films including Cabaret Balkan, How Harry Became a Tree and Midwinter Night’s Dream, died Friday of lung cancerin Paris, his family announced. He was 73.

Dave McNary Film ReporterAva DuVernay will accept the inaugural Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award on behalf of her Array Releasing during MacDowell’s Virtual National Benefit on Oct. 19.“As I have learned more about MacDowell, and the range of artists who have been in residence over decades, I am moved by how their work has influenced our world,” DuVernay said.

David Midell’s The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain —a ripped-from-the-headlines film about Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., a Black veteran with bipolar disorder who was killed during an encounter with police in 2011 —has won the top narrative feature prize at the 24th annual Urbanworld Film Festival. Frankie Faison, Anika Noni Rose, Steve O’Connell, Enrico Natale, Ben Marten and LaRoyce Hawkins star in the the film, which was produced by Natale, Sharad Chib, Chris Paladino and Milan Chakraborty.

International buyers are hot for Donnie Yen action vehicle The Father, which has sold out across most of Europe and to several key territories in Asia for Stuart Ford's AGC International. Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) is set to direct the feature, described as a tribute to the fast-paced action films of the 1980s, with production planned for 2021.

The Gentlemen.The actor appeared in the Guy Ritchie gangster movie alongside the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant, taking on the role of Dry Eye.However, the film was accused of racism, particularly in one line voiced by Grant’s character Fletcher in which he puts on a faux-Chinese accent.However, Golding has defended the film, telling NME: “If you think gangsters aren’t going to be racist and go down to the lowest derogatory terminologies, I don’t know what kind of world you live in.“In this day and age of being PC, do you think that restricts art or creation? Because we have to pander to people who perhaps don’t want racist words to be on screen or projected from someone’s mouth; but in reality it’s what happens.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay will be honored next month by MacDowell, which is presenting its inaugural Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award to her media company and arts collective ARRAY. The award is named for the co-founder of MacDowell, the century-old artist residency in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein and many others have been visiting fellows.

Here are 18 places in and around Greater Manchester where you can enjoy an idyllic stroll and witness the season in full swing:Just minutes from the city centre, Whitworth Park is a lovely bit of green space in the otherwise urban metropolis.There's wonderful scenery and tall 126 year-old plane trees, all which display an array of Autumn colours as the season progresses.It's a home to to fifteen species of breeding birds, among them great and blue tits, nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers which you might spot during your stroll.And when you're ready, England’s first ‘gallery in the park’ awaits - the famous and recently developed Whitworth Art Gallery, which houses around 55,000 pieces.This large scenic park is in the grounds of the

One of Salford's most historic buildings has been awarded a multi-million pound grant to enable its refurbishment and growth.Islington Mill is one of only 16 remaining heritage mills in Salford and is recognised globally for its creative, artist-led community.It's now been awarded key European funding to enable its transformation.The project, named 'The Other City', will be supported with a £3.3m grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in collaboration with Salford City Council.The funds will enable the mill to build 25,000 sq ft of new workspace, and to create new products and services.It plans to continue to support already-successful artists while providing training, education and early career opportunities for budding

Robert Lasky, the motion picture attorney and co-founder of the Agency for the Performing Arts who represented such clients as Liberace, Johnny Cash, Brigitte Bardotand Harry Belafonte during his long career, has died. He was 91.

Also Read: Noah Centineo to Play Atom Smasher in New Line and DC's 'Black Adam'All versions of Hawkman are able fly using artificial wings made out of a rare alien metal that counteracts the laws of gravity, and take their name from their mask resembling, well, a hawk. The first look at how this will appear onscreen came Aug.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorRobert L. Lasky, the motion picture attorney who co-founded Agency of the Performing Arts, died of complications from sepsis in New York on Sept.

Walter's Choice has taken U.S. streaming rights to Maria Theresa, a The Crown-style period epic about the first, and only, female ruler of the Habsburg Empire.

Angelique Jackson The Sundance Institute announced today that Gina Duncan will join the Sundance Film Festival team as producing director. In the newly-created role, she will report to festival director Tabitha Jackson and work closely with programming director Kim Yutani.Duncan most recently served as V.P.

Carole Horst The making of “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” was as complex as the confections created by the renowned pastry chefs it focuses on — and the result is equal parts beauty for both food and film.The IFC Films documentary (in select theaters and on demand Sept. 25) follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles an Avengers-like team of pastry chefs to bring the splendor and beauty of Versailles, in dessert form, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of a special exhibit about the French palace.Helmer Laura Gabbert had read Ottolenghi’s unique recipe books; when she heard that he was the subject of the film, she wanted to be a part of the project.

Also Read: How Sundance and Other Film Festivals Are Prepping for Virtual 2021 Event - and Permanent Changes Post-COVID (Video)She’ll also be working to build more inclusivity at the festival and manage year-round engagement between the industry and other artists. Her first day will be Monday, Sept.

Michael Kiwanuka has won this year’s Mercury Prize for his latest album ‘Kiwanuka’. So that’s good, isn’t it? Good job it didn’t go to that one awful act on the shortlist or I would have been very cross.“I don’t even know what to say – I’m speechless”, said Kiwanuka after being announced as the winner.

Ben Croll The 40 projects (see link here) presented at NewImages’ XR Financing Market go before a panel of industry professionals, who offer their unvarnished advice, critiques and praise. To get a better sense of what moved the industry this year, Variety spoke with two participating decision makers.Paul Bouchard, Diversion Cinema, head of XR acquisitions and salesWhat are you looking for in a project? At Diversion, we’re always looking for our picks, projects that speak to our sensibilities.

Joe Leydon Film CriticBy now, there have been enough movies and TV dramas focused on the fraying ties between individuals gradually diminished by Alzheimer’s disease and their supportive but increasingly stressed loved ones to constitute an entire subgenre.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA major awards overhaul by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is being heralded by the U.K. industry as a “bold plan” that may finally spark enduring change.In an interview with Variety, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar described the new rules as a “wholesale cultural change” that has been in the works for seven months.

Mark David The longtime Chester, Conn., getaway of late and legendary broadcast journalist Morley Safer come for sale with an asking price of $1.45 million.

Also Read: Spike Lee, Pedro Almodóvar to Curate Inaugural Academy Museum ExhibitionsThree decades later, he returns to Cocteau, and the results are mesmerizing; the film runs a brisk 27 minutes, but contains more characterization, style, and emotion than most features.

Alicia Keys is ranking the judges of The Voice!

Ben Croll Though Canada’s National Film Board has invested in interactive projects for well over a decade, 2020 has proven to be a banner year for the publicly funded organization, as three of their VR productions made waves across the international festival circuit.This past January, director Randall Okita’s “The Book of Distance” premiered at Sundance, kicking off a yearlong festival tour that took the immersive doc from Tribeca to Bucheon to Venice. On the Lido, Okita’s critically acclaimed doc was joined by two other NFB co-productions, Pietro Gagliano’s “Agence” and Michelle and Uri Kranot’s “The Hangman at Home,” the latter of which would go on to win the festival’s grand jury prize.

Have you ever been with friends and someone announces that these young gay kids don’t know what it was like back in the day and should be more respectful of their elders?

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent“Love Mooning,” a drama by veteran Japanese director Manda Kunitoshi, has been set as the opening film of Tokyo Filmex. The festival announced the line-up for its 21st edition on Thursday.Filmex, which has long specialized in Asian art films and usually starts in late November, will be held Oct.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix shows “Criminal U.K.” and “Delhi Crime,” UFA’s second season of “Charité,” and the second season of HBO Latin America’s “The Bronze Garden” are the nominees in the best drama category at the International Emmy Awards.Vying for best actress are Glenda Jackson for “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she has already won a BAFTA, Yeo Yann Yann for “Invisible Stories,” Emma Bading for “Play,” and Andrea Beltrão for “Hebe.”Nominees for best actor are Billy Barratt for “Responsible Child,” Guido Caprino for “1994,” Raphael Logam for the second season of “Impure” and Arjun Mathur for “Made in Heaven.”Nominees come from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel,