Venice Film Festival Won’t Ban Independent Russian Artists ‘Who Defend Freedom of Expression’

Feature Film categoriesPeriod Feature Film: “Nightmare Alley,” Tamara DeverellFantasy Feature Film: “Dune,” Patrice VermetteContemporary Feature Film: “No Time to Die,” Mark TildesleyAnimated Feature Film:  “Encanto,” Ian Gooding, Lorelay BovéTelevision categoriesOne-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series: “Loki”: “Glorious Purpose,” Kasra FarahaniOne-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series: “Squid Game”: “Gganbu,” Chae Kyoung-sunTelevision Movie or Limited Series: “WandaVision,” Mark WorthingtonHalf-Hour Single-Camera Series: “What We Do in the Shadows”: “The Prisoner,” “The Cloak of Duplication,” “The Siren,” Kate BunchMulti-Camera Series: “Family Reunion”: “Remember When M’Dear Changed History?,” Aiyana Trotter  Variety, Reality or Competition Series: “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses”: “Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff,” John JanavsVariety Special: “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘Facts of Life – Kids Can Be Cruel’(320) & ‘Diff’rent Strokes – Willis’ Privacy’ (115),” Stephan OlsonShort Format Commercials: Apple Music: “Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever,” François AudouyShort Format Web Series or Music Video: Taylor Swift: “All Too Well,” Ethan TobmanCinematic Imagery Award: Jane CampionWilliam Cameron Menzies Honoree: Denis VilleneuveLifetime Achievement Awards: Donna Cline, Ann Harris, Denise and Michael Okuda, Ida RandomArt Directors Guild Hall of Fame: William A.

The hot pre-ceremony topic among attendees of the 26th annual Art Directors Guild Awards tonight was the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ controversial decision to pre-tape several artisan awards – including production design – and edit them into the live network broadcast.

In the Oscar-nominated animated short film Boxballet, a gargantuan boxer and a willowy ballerina cross path unexpectedly. They develop feelings for each other, but given the enormous gulf between their backgrounds, the question becomes whether love can truly bring them together.

Paolo Sorrentino won the Foreign Language Oscar, as it was known then, in 2014 with his film The Great Beauty. He returns to the frame this year with The Hand of God, perhaps his most personal picture, which is nominated for Best International Feature. This lightly fictionalized tale of Sorrentino’s own youth in Naples, as he grappled with family tragedy, celebrated Diego Maradona’s arrival at his local football team, and took his first steps into his love of cinema, stars newcomer Filippo Scotti as Fabi Schisa, a teenager struggling to find his place in the world.

Julie Andrews cherishes her time with Tony Walton.

Eugene Hernandez has been promoted to the new role of SVP of Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and Executive Director of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), and Dennis Lim has been upped to the NYFF’s first-ever Artistic Director, newly promoted President, Lesli Klainberg, announced on Friday. Hernandez will also continue to lead FLC’s strategic initiatives, including his role as publisher of Film Comment.This year will mark the 60th anniversary of NYFF, and the festival will run from Sept. 30 to Oct.

RACHEL RILEY supported her Strictly dancer husband Pasha Kovalev after he broke his silence on the Ukraine war. The dad-of-two, from Russia, spoke out about the conflict on Instagram and his Countdown star wife shared his post.

Clayton Davis Three awards ceremonies are taking place the weekend of March 5. On Saturday, a double dose of the Art Directors Guild (ADG) and American Cinema Editors Awards (ACE Eddies), and on Sunday, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, airing on IFC.Paying special attention to ADG and ACE Eddies since there’s Oscar crossover, we’re expecting a couple of surprises at both.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA and sponsor, telecommunications provider EE, are celebrating a 25 year partnership with a trailer that is playing across U.K. cinemas from Friday. The partnership is one of the longest running arts partnerships in the U.K.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Yi Zhou is turning a collection of four of her short films into NFTs, and will donate all proceeds generated to United Nations Crisis Relief to support Ukraine.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX), which runs March 23-April 3, has revealed its conference program. Among the filmmakers taking part are Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”), Daniel Roher (“Navalny”) and Renzo Martens (“The White Cube”), and Brazilian indigenous cinematographer Tangãi Uru-eu-wau-wau (“The Territory).

The Toronto Film Festival said Thursday that it will suspend participation by film organizations and media outlets supported by the Russian state for its next festival, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ellise Shafer The Toronto Film Festival has banned all official Russian delegations from its 2022 edition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but will welcome work from independent Russian filmmakers into their programming.“As an arts organization dedicated to transforming the way people see the world through film, we support artists and their freedom of expression. TIFF will continue to include films from independent Russian filmmakers in our programming at the Toronto International Film Festival and year-round at TIFF Bell Lightbox,” festival organizers said in a statement to Variety on Thursday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterFilmmaker Peter Greenaway has unveiled the trailer for his next film, “Walking to Paris.”The biographical drama, Greenaway’s first feature since 2015’s romantic comedy “Eisenstein in Guanajuato,” centers on modernist Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. Set in the early 1900s, the story takes place when Brancusi was 27-year-old and follows his 18-month trek from Bucharest to Paris to reach the metropolis of world culture.

Longtime Sundance Institute staffer Adam Piron has been named as the Director of its Indigenous Program. Piron will will lead Sundance’s engagement and investment in global Indigenous storytellers, taking over a role that Bird Runningwater left several months ago. While handling his new responsibilities, he will continue to serve as a short film programmer for the Sundance Film Festival.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorRolling Stone inked a partnership with Meta — parent company of Facebook and Instagram — for an initiative to host creator experiences at festivals and custom events throughout 2022. The brands will join forces to host “Creator Houses” at some of the biggest music and cultural festivals, beginning with an installation at SXSW.Variety and Rolling Stone are both owned by P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corp.

Dundee Contemporary Arts has been awarded £3.5 million for major upgrade s and refurbishment work.

Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has broken his silence over Russia's invasion in Ukraine, which has saddened the world. The Russian-born dancer - who is married to Rachel Riley - confessed the heartbreaking conflict was "too close to home" in an emotional post.MORE: Motsi Mabuse issues heartbreaking plea over 'racism' experienced amid Ukraine crisisIn an announcement, posted on Instagram on Wednesday, he wrote: "The current situation in Ukraine hits too close to home for the both of us as Russian nationals.WATCH: Rachel Riley melts hearts with adorable video of Pasha with their daughters"Our passport may say one thing but our hearts are with our family, friends and everyone still in Ukraine that are fighting for freedom and lives."MORE: Dan Walker forced to apologise after 'difficult' BBC Breakfast coverageDONATE NOW: What can you do to help Ukraine?Pasha, who has co-created Rise Up With the Arts with Anya Garni, explained how the proceeds from their performances will go to Save The Children charity."It only feels right that our show - Rise Up With the Arts, along with 3 charities that we are already supporting, will now focus on donating funds raised to the Save The Children charity that helps children and young people affected by this terrible conflict," the message continued."They say it takes a village to rise a child but this time it will take the whole world to make the change happen and end this madness.

The Sundance Institute has set Marissa Chibás (72), Walé Oyéjidé, Esq. (Chiaroscuro), Glenn Kaino (Fox & Stork), Mamoudou N’Diaye (Freelancers), Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath), Nuhash Hamuyun (Moving Bangladesh), Tania Taiwo (Pharmacopeia), Andre Muir and Jake Hutton (The Predicament), Tommy Pico and Tazbah Rose Chavez (Sometimes), A.K. Espada (This Is Our Home) and Ramzi I. Bashour (Tomahawk Springs) as the participants for its tenth annual, two-day Screenwriters Intensive, taking place virtually through tomorrow.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorPalm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer, Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.“Sudeep’s been an excellent collaborator, holding key roles at ShortFest for close to a decade,’” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.

Ethan Shanfeld Judd Apatow’s upcoming, star-studded Netflix film “The Bubble” follows a group of actors stuck inside a pandemic bubble while shooting a movie at a hotel. That movie — “Cliff Beasts 6: The Battle for Everest: Memories of a Requiem” — just got its own official teaser.“The Bubble” stars Karen Gillan, Fred Armisen, Maria Bakalova, Keegan-Michael Key, David Duchovny, Leslie Mann, Pedro Pascal, Peter Serafinowicz, Vir Das, Rob Delaney and Apatow’s daughter, Iris Apatow.Apatow directs, produces and co-wrote the script for “The Bubble” with Pam Brady, who executive produces alongside Donald Sabourin and Apatow’s longtime partner Barry Mendel.

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Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Venice Biennale, which is the multidisciplinary arts organization behind the Venice Film Festival, has announced that in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fest plans to bar Russian delegations but not independent Russian filmmakers and their works.The Biennale “intends to express its full support to all the Ukrainian people and their artists,” the org said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing that it’s making every effort to ensure that, despite the war, Ukraine will be able to participate at the upcoming Biennale Art exhibition which kicks off in April with a national pavilion. As previously announced, Russia proactively pulled out of the art Biennale.

Now the criticism is coming from within. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ plan to pre-tape Best Sound and other categories on this month’s Oscarcast has hit a sour note with a Music Branch governor.

Amazon Prime Video has pledged £10M ($13.3M) on UK training initiatives over the next three years to help with the local skills pipeline.

K.J. Yossman Amazon Prime Video has launched a £10 million ($13 million) industry training initiative in the U.K.Titled Prime Video Pathway, the initiative has been built into Prime’s U.K. original productions such as “The Devil’s Hour,” “The Rig” and “Mammals” with the aim of making the creative industries more accessible.

William Earl Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro became the first director to openly speak out about the Academy’s decision to make changes to the live Oscar ceremony on March 27.Del Toro, who was awarded the Filmmaking Achievement Award at the Hollywood Critics Association Awards on Monday, delivered a speech in front of an audience including Denis Villeneuve, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon M. Chu and Sian Heder.

Nick Clement Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival will present its 39th annual edition from March 4-13, featuring a mix of in-theater and virtual presentations. With more than 120 films from 35 countries on display, ranging from features to documentaries to shorts, the event will be filled with premieres and special screenings and events.“Last year we did the hybrid event, with reduced capacity and no parties and limited guests.

Ukraine has drawn swift and wide-ranging condemnation from the international community, which has imposed unprecedented sanctions against President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle and pushed the Russian economy to a breaking point, with the ruble plummeting to historic lows on Monday.Amid calls for a boycott of Russian films that have received government support and a strident response from European media groups, cultural institutions, film festivals and industry confabs, the backlash has rattled Russian filmmakers with long-standing personal and professional ties to the continent’s screen industry.“The need for Europe to make a clear anti-war statement is understandable and necessary. However, banning all Russians from the major cultural events is not only unhelpful — it’s harmful,” said one veteran producer.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaYellow Veil Pictures has acquired all North American rights to Gaspar Noé’s meta mockumentary “Lux Aeterna.” The studio is planning a theatrical release for the film this spring. “Lux Aeterna” made its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was later selected for the Tribeca Film Festival prior to its cancellation due to the pandemic.“Lux Aeterna” unfolds backstage at a French film production and is stylistically daring, in the manner of many of Noé’s movies.

The plan by Oscars organizers to trim eight categories from being presented live onstage during next month’s telecast has raised the ire of the Set Decorators Society of America, the latest Hollywood group decrying the moves.

Steven Seagal is speaking out amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Most of us have friends and family in Russia & Ukraine," the action star told Fox News Digital on Monday.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDue to the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian pavilion at the upcoming Biennale arts exhibition in Venice has been scrapped, as the Venice Film Festival continues to mull its response to calls for a boycott of Russian movies at the event’s 77th edition.Meanwhile, the Locarno Film Festival said on Monday that it will certainly be showing Russian films at its upcoming edition in August.Kicking off in April, the Venice Biennale, which is the multidisciplinary arts organization behind the Venice Film Festival, expressed solidarity with Russian visual artists Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov and the exhibition’s curator Raimundas Malašauskas, who on Sunday announced they were pulling out of the art show on their own initiative because “this war is politically and humanly intolerable,” as Malašauskas put it in a statement.