Netflix Takes a Crack at Interactive Comedy With 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Special

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.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTrustNordisk has closed a flurry of sales on a pair of 3D-animated family features, “Little Allan — The Human Antenna” and “The Super,” underscoring the market appeal of independent youth-skewing movies.“Little Allan – The Human Antenna” marks Danish film Amalie Naesby Fick’s follow up to her commercially successful debut “The Incredible Story of The Giant Pear,” which premiered in the the Generation Kplus section at Berlin in 2018. This year, the helmer has her daring drama series “Sex” selected for the Berlinale Series.The film takes place during summer vacation, when introverted, 11-year old Allan starts acting as a human antenna for his old neighbor, who thinks a huge invasion fleet from the outer space is on its way.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorAhead of Sunday’s world premiere of documentary “1341 Frames of Love and War,” which plays in Berlinale Special, Variety spoke to Israeli writer/director Ran Tal about the film and its subject, Israeli war photographer Micha Bar-Am.In some ways “Frames” continues Tal’s interest in Israeli history evident in his previous work, “What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace,” which centered on the former prime minister of Israel. Bar-Am was born in Berlin in 1930, but grew up in what became Israel, and across a five decade-long career as a photographer he documented many of the major episodes – in particular the wars – in the life of the young country, founded in 1948.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentRAI Com is launching sales at the online EFM on Giuseppe Piccioni’s Fascist-era drama ‘L’Ombra del giorno,” starring Italian A-lister Riccardo Scamarcio (“Three Floors”) and Benedetta Porcaroli (“Baby,” “The Catholic School”).Pic, which Scamarcio produced, is a love story with a thriller twist set in 1938, two years before Italy entered World War II. It unfolds entirely in the central Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, a hidden gem with gorgeous medieval monuments, churches and piazzas.The film’s title translates as “The Shadow of the Day,” a reference to the darkness of Fascism.Luciano (Scamarcio), a wounded World War I veteran and a sympathizer of Fascism like most Italians at the time, runs a classy restaurant overlooking the town’s ancient square.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentAdding to its notable lineup in Latin American movies, Paris-based sales agent MPM Premium has taken international sales rights to “Fogaréu,” from writer-director Flávia Neves, part of Brazil’s new wave of female filmmakers, which is one of the most exciting developments the country’s cinema currently has going for it.MPM Premium is introducing the film at this week’s Berlin Festival, where it world premieres in Panorama on Feb. 15.First glimpsed at 2020’s Ventana Sur project market, “Fogaréu” shares a sense of attitude and a feminist agenda and a visual verve with fellow Brazilian Ventana Sur titles “The Pink Cloud,” Iuli Gerbase’s a sci-fi character-driven thriller, and “The Joy of Things,” Thais Fujinaga’s portrait of motherhood, also playing at the same market.

Darius Rucker's favorite Super Bowl Sunday tradition involves spending time with his son. The country music star opened up about having the opportunity to attend Super Bowls with his son Jack in a new interview with Fox News Digital. "I've been going a lot in the past few years and taking my son, so that's kind of our thing," Rucker explained.

It’s been nearly 30 years since Kristy Swanson slayed a vampire – but these days, she’s happily finding her footing on a ranch. The actress stars in Pure Flix’s streaming series "Sons of Thunder: Redemption." It tells the tale of a former biker gang member (Rocky Myers) who decides to seek forgiveness from his ex-fiancee at her California horse ranch that is about to close down.The ranch owner (Swanson) decides to host a fundraising rodeo, but trouble isn’t far behind.The show also stars Lorenzo Lamas of "Falcon Crest" and "Renegade" fame. Kristy Swanson attends the 2017 Monster Mania Con on March 10, 2017, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Jason Momoa is enjoying a day out with a friend.

Super Bow LVI pitting the Los Angeles Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the Rams’ home field. The game will air live on NBC as well as for the first time on the Peacock streaming service and Spanish-language network Telemundo.

Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage are hitting the red carpet!

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost are about to be on everyone’s television screens thanks to their Super Bowl commercial.

It was yet another disappointing day for Manchester United as they once again took the lead in a match but didn't come away the winners.

Doja Cat is bringing the heat to a Super Bowl party!

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed Bangladeshi director Rubaiyat Hossain, known for her powerful women-centric films, has a new project participating in the Berlinale Co-Production Market and is launching a female filmmaker grant.Her Berlinale co-production market project, “The Difficult Bride,” follows Novera, a bride-to-be in present-day Dhaka who is in love with the groom and the idea of a fairytale wedding, but secretly struggles with her body, which does not seem to comply with the wedding rituals. She makes continuous trips to the beauty salon and uses home remedies to “cure” her body.

ACTOR Will Poulter has teased his return to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch with an epic time travel theory. The star played video game designer Colin Ritman in the interactive Netflix film created by Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker is back on our TV screens tonight as his Bafta Award-winning Wipe format returns for the first time in four years.

When Netflix rolled out its first interactive special, 2018's Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, it inspired the kind of pessimism that the anthology series was known for peddling about other technologies. In a New York Times interview, Netflix exec Todd Yellin argued that viewers would be more invested in a story if they had more involvement in which direction it headed.

Don't expect new episodes of Black Mirror on Netflix any time soon. Why? Because the state of the world is scary enough, according to the anthology series' creator.

One of the great joys of television is its outlet as an escape from reality; it almost serves as a sense of balance. While not an exact science, when the world is going great, we seek out darker television shows because our emotional capacity can handle it. When the world is a giant, gaping hellhole, we long for television that will lift our spirits.

CHARLIE Brooker doubts the public ‘would be able to stomach’ a Black Mirror season six ‘about societies falling apart’ after coronavirus. The 49-year-old created the dystopian anthology series - which currently airs on Netflix - with the last season released in June last year.

"I don’t know what stomach there would be for stories about societies falling apart"

BLACK Mirror's Charlie Brooker will make a return to the BBC for a coronavirus screenwipe special. The screenwriter will present a half-hour special, titled Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe, which will focus on the coronavirus pandemic.

Joined by Philomena Cunk and Barry Shitpeas, no less...

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker will offer an acerbic look at the coronavirus pandemic in a half-hour lockdown special for BBC Two.

By Jake Kanter

By Jake Kanter

By Tim Dams