First things first, despite the SXSW and Tribeca canceling their live events and partially moving online, Cannes and Venice are different beasts. They are purists at heart, with a very rich and lengthy tradition in celebrating the theatrical experience. There is absolutely no way these festivals would embrace going digital and screening their competition films via a streaming platform. Okay? Get that out of your head. Either these prestigious European festivals happen in-person or will be unequivocally canceled.
Read moreSXSW Film Festival Gets Un-Canceled, Goes Digital
The SXSW Film Festival came up with a game-changing plan today. The originally canceled fest is now set to happen but in digital form.
Read morePre-Cannes Thoughts; Fremaux Says 50% Female Films Would “Show A Lack Of Respect”
it's always interesting to go through the competition lineup at Cannes, especially if, like me, you've been attending the fest for quite a few years now. The stakes are always high for world cinema whenever this film fest to end all film fests kicks off mid-may. A good chunk of the European film industry counts on Cannes to produce its fair share of successful titles..
Read moreNadav Lapid's Scathingly Original “Synonyms" Wins Berlin
I had written this on the Awards Watch forums a few days before Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms” was about to screen at the Berlin Film Festival, where it ended up winning the Golden Bear this past weekend.
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Paul Greengrass’ "The Uprising," starring Andrew Garfield, opened to $3.2M from 2,068 theaters this weekend. Yikes. The budget hasn’t been disclosed, but is said to be in the $20-$30M range.