Geoffrey Rush, Benicio Del Toro to Be Honored at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

Tim Gray Senior Vice PresidentAs of June 30, we’re at the halfway point for 2022 — and for the Oscar eligibility year. There are dozens of possibilities coming up and many familiar elements — plenty of biopics, a reliance on fall film festivals, a heavy dose of streamers — but this could be an unusual year.In the first six months of the year, A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” seem likely.

K.J. Yossman “Crash” director Paul Haggis has made yet another court appearance in Italy, where he is currently under house arrest in a hotel after being charged with sexual assault.Both Haggis and his alleged victim, understood to be a British woman in her 30s, attended the courthouse in the Southern port city of Brindisi accompanied by their lawyers for the special evidence pre-trial hearing.

announced the official title to the sequel as “Glass Onion,” and though he’s been mum about any other plot details, he promised that in emulating Agatha Christie novels, this new film will have its own distinct tone and ambition from the original “Knives Out.” Johnson both wrote and directed the film, and he’s also a producer along with his partner Ram Bergman under their T-Street banner.Netflix has taken over distribution duties for the sequel after the first film made over $311 million worldwide in theaters on a budget of $40 million. “Knives Out” starred Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell — and Rian Johnson also scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work.Netflix has yet to announce a specific release date for “Glass Onion” except to say that it will arrive this holiday season.

The Toronto Film Festival said Wednesday that Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his hit 2019 murder mystery pic, will world premiere at this year’s edition of the festival, which runs September 8-18.

EXCLUSIVE: Top Boy director Brady Hood is attached to direct UK feature The Clink about a young offender who gets the chance to work in a high-end prison restaurant.

K.J. Yossman The Israeli government has introduced a new film and TV tax rebate said to be worth around 45 million shekels ($13 million) over two years.The rebate, which was introduced via a government directive, is worth around 23 million shekels ($6.7 million) in the first year, and 22 million ($6.4 million) the second year.

one of the most tense and infamous nights in recent Hollywood history after Will Smith abruptly walked up stage and slapped Chris Rock following an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair.MORE: Jessica Chastain leaves fans on the edge of their seats as she unveils exciting new projectMany stars in attendance have spoken out about the shocking moment and what it was like to witness it, as well as its aftermath, with Oscars host Amy Schumer calling the altercation "traumatic."Jessica Chastain is the latest celebrity to speak out. She won her very first Oscar shortly after the infamous slap for her role as Tammy Faye Messner in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.WATCH: Jessica stars in The 355 alongside a star-studded castMORE: Jessica Chastain’s monochrome jumpsuit was a masterclass in red carpet styleSpeaking for a recent cover shoot for Net-a-Porter's Porter magazine, the actress opened up about how the room felt."It was a weird night," she said, despite her major and long-awaited win, which was unfortunately overshadowed by the instant viral nature of the slap.

Even so, the festival planned a slate that is about two-thirds of its previous scale and the opening night screening of National Geographic documentary Fire of Love at to the Dreamland Theater was still only about 70% full.

A tense situation. Jessica Chastain opened up about the “weird” experience of accepting an Oscar following Will Smith‘s altercation with Chris Rock earlier in the night.

CBS News interview from last year. Since then, Amazon canceled a 4-film deal with the “Annie Hall” director and four-time Oscar winner, and numerous stars all disavowed having worked with him, including Kate Winslet (“Wonder Wheel”), Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”), Elliot Page (“To Rome With Love”) and Colin Firth (“Magic in the Moonlight”).

The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has defended its decision to invite a Russian film to its 56th edition, in spite of promises that it would not welcome Russia state-backed films due to the war in Ukraine.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorTomasz Wasilewski’s “Fools” (Głupcy) has debuted its trailer ahead of its world premiere at Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Proxima Competition. World sales are being handled by Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales.Wasilewski won the best script award for “United States of Love” at the Berlin Film Festival in 2016, and the East of West Award at Karlovy Vary in 2013 for “Floating Skyscrapers.”“Fools” follows Marlena and Tomasz, hidden away from the world in a small seaside town, who have been in a happy relationship for many years.

Jessica Chastain has opened up about giving her Oscars acceptance speech moments after Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock. Chastain picked up the prize for best actress at the 94th Academy Awards in March. During the ceremony, Smith got up on stage and struck Rock across the face after he made a joke at the expense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head (Pinkett Smith lives with alopecia).

Jessica Chastain is opening up about her speech at the 2022 Academy Awards – which she made just after the controversial slap happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Jessica Chastain is seeing real improvements in equality for women.

EXCLUSIVE: Ian McKellen (The Good Liar), Gemma Arterton (Summerland) and Mark Strong (1917) will lead the cast of The Critic, a period thriller based on Anthony Quinn’ classic novel Curtain Call, which will also star Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), BAFTA nominee Romola Garai (Suffragette), Ben Barnes (Westworld) and Alfred Enoch (Foundation).

ScreenRant the issue hasn’t formally been broached.“No. No one’s ever mentioned it to me. No one’s brought it up.

Will Smith has been keeping a low profile ever since he was embroiled in controversy following his actions at the Oscars earlier this year.MORE: Where is Will Smith? - Three months on from Chris Rock Oscars slapHowever, he divided fans once again as it was revealed that during Sunday night's 2022 BET Awards, he had received the honor for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard.VIDEO: Will Smith apologises to Academy after Chris Rock altercationWhile his performance has received significant acclaim and appreciation ever since the movie's release, fans have been conflicted ever since it received the Oscar on the same night as the infamous slap.And many of them had similar reactions upon learning of the actor's win at the BET ceremony, after which he began quickly trending on social media.MORE: Tyler Perry reveals Will Smith's reaction to the Chris Rock Oscars slap - new details"I see Will Smith won a BET Award and I didn't realize they had added a 'Best Slap' category," one quipped, with another saying: "Will Smith should be at BET awards with Chris Rock."There were a few, however, who came to his defense, as a third wrote: "BET should have done something for Will Smith, to show that they got his back. Do what they did for Chris," with another commenting: "Shout out to BET for not slighting #WillSmith.

After 15 years in PR and publicity work at studios such as Millennium Entertainment and Newmarket Films, where she worked on the publicity campaign for “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004, Eguia joined Amazon Studios in 2015 and played a key role in its efforts to expand into theatrical distribution. In 2017, Eguia oversaw the awards campaign for Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By The Sea,” a film which became the first from a streaming studio to get nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

Under fire actor Kevin Spacey’s life and upcoming legal cases are to be the subject of a two-part doc series from British broadcaster Channel 4.

K.J. Yossman U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a two-part documentary about embattled actor Kevin Spacey.Spacey is currently fighting multiple claims of sexual assault in the U.K.

Only Murders in the Building is back and better than ever for its with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and . Not only are they on the hunt for another killer, but they're attempting to clear their names in the process. Cara Delevingne stars as Gomez's love interest (the two are also close friends and ), and Hollywood icon Shirley MacLaine guest stars in addition to Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, and others.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaVicky Eguia, a public relations executive at Amazon who helped create Oscar-winning campaigns for “Manchester By the Sea” and “The Salesman,” died Saturday at the age of 48. The cause was cancer, her family said on social media.Eguia most recently served as director of PR, diversity, equity and inclusion and community relations at Amazon.

Veteran PR executive Vicky Eguia, who worked on several award winning movie campaigns such as Pan’s Labyrinth, La Vie en Rose and Amazon Studios’ historic Oscar winning Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 48.

A column chronicling events and interviews on the awards circuit.

Wilson Chapman editorDuncan Henderson, an Oscar-nominated producer and longtime member of the Director Guild of America’s national board, died Tuesday in Valencia, Calif. of pancreatic cancer, DGA representatives confirmed to Variety.

Anna Marie de la Fuente After 13 years on the road with Spain’s iconic singer-songwriter-poet Joaquin Sabina, “The Good Boss” director Fernando León de Aranoa has finally wrapped his documentary, “Sintiendolo Mucho” (roughly translated to “Deeply Felt”).“This film is a rare privilege that, as a filmmaker, I would like to share with the public: to spend some time alone with Joaquín when he is not Sabina,” said León de Aranoa. “13 years ago, I began to shoot with him, to accompany him on his day-to-day activities, on rehearsals, tours, immersed in his own environment… to portray the artist, his best and worst moments, and his personality, so linked to his work, his creativity,” he remarked, adding: “Most importantly, it has been a lot of fun.” León de Aranoa, who also produced the doc, established a deep rapport with Sabina through the years.The Reposado, BTF Media and Sony Music Spain co-production is the first of its kind on Sabina, who is known to be a very private person.

Carson Burton Robert A. Katz, the producer behind projects such as “Gettysburg,” “Selena” and “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” died on Wednesday after a long battle with lung cancer, his family announced Thursday.

Robert Katz, a film and television producer best known for Gettysburg, Selena, and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, died June 22 at the Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys following a long battle with lung cancer. He was 79 years old and his death was confirmed by his family.

Clayton Davis Austin Butler’s hips don’t lie. He becomes the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, possessing all of his signature quirks and emotional inflections in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Standing tall as the single best performance from the first half of 2022, Butler’s moves have thrust him into the Oscar race for best actor.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Jessica Chastain is as busy as it gets! The star has been premiering back to back movies for the last several months, and she has just taken to Instagram to unveil yet another exciting project.MORE: Jessica Chastain’s monochrome jumpsuit was a masterclass in red carpet styleHer latest movie is titled The Forgiven, and she announced that fans won't have to wait too long to get to see it, as it will be out in theaters starting on 1 July.She revealed the exciting news with several behind-the-scenes clips, and the unexpected location of the film left fans with plenty of anticipation and excitement.WATCH: Jessica calls out her own assistant on TikTokMORE: Jessica Chastain looks super glam in a plunging satin pink Gucci gownThe first of the photos sees Jessica immersed in work, being filmed by a camera, and she's wearing an impossibly chic, form fitting dress with spaghetti straps, which she paired with classic cat-eye sunglasses, and her signature red waves in a tousled updo.She looks absolutely stunning, and the following image is as spectacular as she looks fabulous.It captures a jaw-dropping desert right as the moon is descending upon its dunes, and sees a perfectly lined up group of camels being led across the terracotta sand.A post shared by Jessica Chastain (@jessicachastain)The exciting behind-the-scenes glimpseShe captioned the exciting glimpse of the movie with: "Behind the scenes of #TheForgiven in theaters July 1."MORE: Anne Hathaway pays heartwarming tribute to Jessica Chastain following Oscar winMORE: Jessica Chastain is unrecognizable after recent shocking transformationFans were quick to express excitement over the movie's release and how anxious they were to be able to see it, writing: "I'm ready for it

UPDATED, 3:13 p.m.: Universal Pictures announced today that Steven Spielberg’s latest film The Fabelmans will open exclusively in L.A. and NY on Friday, November 11—expanding on the film’s previously announced release date of November 23rd.

Léa Seydoux is set to play Lady Margot in Dune: Part Two, the next instalment of the fantasy blockbuster. Deadline reported that the French actress is still in negotiations to join the cast which includes Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin and Zendaya. In May it was confirmed that Christopher Walken and Austin Butler would star in the second film.

It’s been a long time since Kevin Costner has directed a film. It’s actually been nearly 20 years since 2003’s “Open Range” was released.