‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Finds Distribution via WILLA — Sets December Release Date

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the most prominent film from this year’s fall festivals still waiting to land a U.S. distributor: Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The film, which took home the Grand Jury Prize at Venice and counts Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix among its producers, reconstructs the killing of a five-year-old girl in Gaza—using her actual voice recordings.

Some good news came for the film this morning. “Hind Rajab” has found a home and will be distributed by WILLA, the production partner’s distribution arm. The film will debut in U.S. theaters on Dec. 17.

Tunisia selected the film as its official Oscar submission, and it’s widely expected to be a contender for Best International Feature. Last year’s “No Other Land,” a Gaza-set documentary, also found itself orphaned in the U.S. market—only to make history by winning the Oscar for Best Documentary without a distributor.

WILLA isn’t necessarily A24 or Neon, but it’ll do for this film. According to Deadline, which spoke to a dozen U.S. and international distributors, financiers, and producers for insight, buyers were passing on the film either out of fear or because they “disagree with the film’s politics.”

Eli Roth’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ Is Getting Brutal Reviews — Not A Single Positive One So Far

I’m seeing plenty of “worst of the year” mentions for “Ice Cream Man,” which doesn’t surprise me one bit. Roth has never been a critical darling and has only been more burdened by that with each passing film.

Amy Pascal Says “It’s a Good Bet” Next James Bond Will Be Announced in 2026

That said, Pascal is now telling Deadline that we will get to know who is playing the next 007 by year’s end, which makes my recent October prediction still valid — and, in my view, makes the most sense.

‘Fast Forever’ Director Doesn’t Know If He’s Directing ‘Fast Forever’

Asked whether he’d seen the same screenplay that made Vin Diesel sob for hours, director Louis Leterrier, the supposed director of “Fast Forever,” became noticeably evasive.

First Look: Billie Eilish in Sarah Polley’s ‘The Bell Jar’

We now have our first look at Eilish as Esther Greenwood, the deeply troubled young woman at the center of Plath’s iconic novel, whose tragic fate is well known to many readers — images below.

‘Digger’ Runtime 2 Hours 40 Minutes?

Iñárritu is certainly one to indulge. His last film, “Bardo,” ran 159 minutes, while “The Revenant” was 156 minutes, “Biutiful” 148 minutes, “Babel” 143 minutes, and “Amores Perros” 154 minutes.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

‘The Odyssey’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Epic Is a Flawed but Astonishing Spectacle — Rave Reviews Confirm Best Picture Frontrunner

There is something undeniably powerful about a film that swings this hard, that embraces myth, spectacle, and the strange dream logic of ancient storytelling.

Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning’ Gets Reshoots, Won’t Premiere at Venice Film Festival

About a month ago, Variety published a piece saying that “The Social Reckoning” was being submitted to the Venice Film Festival. I can confirm now that will definitely not be happening.

Joel Coen’s ‘Jack of Spades’ Delayed to 2027

The film stars Josh O’Connor, Lesley Manville, Frances McDormand, and Damien Lewis, but no plot details have been revealed. All we know is that it’s a “gothic mystery” set in 1880s Scotland.

Christopher Nolan’s Place in Cinema History: Genius, Overrated, or Something In Between?

Nolan has changed what a modern blockbuster can be, and that alone is a significant legacy. The bigger question is whether he has truly transformed cinema itself, or simply reinvented the blockbuster.

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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