Latest news with #JanusFilms
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Competition Drama ‘Two Prosecutors' Nabbed by Janus Films
Janus Films has picked up the North American rights to Sergei Loznitsa's Cannes competition drama Two Prosecutors. The Ukrainian director's Soviet-era thriller set during Stalin's Great Purge in 1937 earned the François Chalais Prize in Cannes. Two Prosecutors centers on a law school grad who tries as a young prosecutor takes on corruption in the Soviet system and winds up facing the consequences. More from The Hollywood Reporter Ezra Miller Signals "Tentative" Hollywood Return After Surviving Personal "Abyss" NATPE Honors Europe: Meet the TV Execs Managing the Streaming Transition - and War in Ukraine Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona and Kyle Marvin Star in Trailer for Michael Angelo Covino's 'Splitsville' The drama is based on the novella by Soviet scientist and political prisoner Georgy Demidov and stars Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Alexander Filippenko, Anatoli Beliy, Andris Keišs and Vytautas Kaniušonis. 'Impeccably directed and impressively acted, this slow-burn story of political injustice is filled to the brim with atmosphere — specifically the stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere of the U.S.S.R. at the height of Stalin's Great Purge,' The Hollywood Reporter film critic Jordan Mintzer said of the historical drama in his Cannes festival review. Director Loznitsa in a statement said of the North American distribution deal: 'I am proud to entrust my latest film to Janus and excited to work with them for the first time. They have all my confidence to give the film the impactful North American launch it deserves.' 'With Two Prosecutors, Sergei has meticulously crafted a haunting and taut thriller rooted in the horrors of the past, yet chillingly resonant with the political realities of today. We're proud to release this vital film and to be back in business with Kevin, Said, and the entire team at SBS Productions,' Janus Films said in its own statement. The distributor earlier picked up other Cannes 2025 titles like the Special Jury Prize winner Resurrection from director Bi Gan; another historical drama, Magellan, helmed by Lav Diaz; and director Hlynur Palmason's The Love That Remains. Two Prosecutors is produced by Kevin Chneiweiss. Regina Bouchehri, Gunnar Dedio, Birgit Rasch, Loznitsa, Maria Choustova, Alise Gelze, Vlad Radulescu, Uljana Kim, Viola Fügen, Michael Weber and Cécile Tollu-Polonowski are co-producers. Recent Janus Films releases include Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Oscar winner Drive My Car, and this year Alain Guiraudie's Misericordia, David Cronenberg's thriller The Shrouds and Jia Zhangke's Caught By The Tides. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sarajevo Film Fest to Open With Dark Retirement Home Comedy ‘The Pavilion,' Lidija Kordic to Host Opening Ceremony
The world premiere of Dino Mustafić's Bosnian dark comedy The Pavilion, set in a retirement home, will open the 31st edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival this summer, organizers unveiled on Wednesday. 'This is a film about the oldest generation who have chosen to act according to their conscience in today's world,' said Mustafić. 'They rise up in rebellion. And rebellions, by nature, come in all forms. This one is different.' It has become a tradition, the opening ceremony will be hosted by a young acting star from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Lidija Kordić (Son's Will, Diva Futura) taking on the hosting duties this year.'It is a great honor and pleasure for me to have the opportunity to host the opening ceremony of the Sarajevo Film Festival – a festival that has marked important moments in both my professional and personal journey,' she said. 'I experienced my first film premiere precisely at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and now, t10 years later in Sarajevo, I feel like I'm closing one of the most beautiful chapters of my life – in the most beautiful way possible.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Cannes Competition Drama 'Two Prosecutors' Nabbed by Janus Films First Look at Cillian Murphy in Netflix Movie 'Steve,' a Reimagining of Max Porter's Best-Seller 'Shy' YouTube Pitches Itself as a Partner for TV, Including as a Place for Longform Content and Full Episodes She added: 'For me, the Sarajevo Film Festival is the most magical time in Sarajevo – the streets are full of people, ideas, style, languages, and emotions, a place where I met and connected with people who inspire me, where I first felt – and keep feeling – just how important film is and how powerful it can be.'Mustafić said about the fest: 'The atmosphere of our festival is special and unique, and I sincerely hope the audience will enjoy a film that brought together a large regional cast of well-known actors. Both the authors and producers come from across the Balkans.' The Pavilion is described as 'a dark comedy about a group of residents in a retirement home who, after years of abuse and humiliation, decide to stage an armed revolt. Armed with illegal weapons, they take over the home, hold the staff hostage, and clash with the authorities.' The Pavilion was produced by Panglas (Bosnia and Herzegovina), in co-production with Cineplanet (Croatia), Krug Film (North Macedonia), Monte Royal Pictures (Serbia), Natenane Productions (Montenegro), and Realstage (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The screenplay was written by Viktor Ivančić, with Emir Imamović Pirke as co-writer. Directors of photography are Almir Đikoli and Mustafa Mustafić, editor is Vladimir Gojun, and the music is by Bojan Zulfikarpašić, with costume design by Zhaklina Krstevska and set design by Mirna Ler. The cast includes Rade Šerbedžija, Zijah Sokolović, Miralem Zubčević, Ksenija Pajić, Jasna Diklić, Branka Petrić, Meto Jovanovski, Vladimir Jurc Lali, Kaća Dorić, Muhamed Bahonjić, Ivo Barišić, Ermin Bravo, Alban Ukaj, Nikša Butijer, Vedrana Božinović, and Mirjana Karanović. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pete Davidson Uncovers a Retirement Community Serial Killer in ‘The Home' Trailer
Pete Davidson is making his horror debut with the latest thriller from 'The Purge' creator James DeMonaco. After starring in killer comedy 'Bodies Bodies Bodies,' Davidson fully leans into the genre with DeMonaco's 'The Home' which is set in a retirement community. Davidson plays a rebellious twentysomething who is sentenced to community service at the seemingly-quiet nursing home. However, the residents on the fourth floor are strictly off-limits due to their 'special care' procedures. As the logline teases, 'as his suspicions grow and he digs deeper, he uncovers a chilling secret that puts both the residents' lives and his own in grave danger.' John Glover and Bruce Altman also star. DeMonaco directs from a script he co-wrote with Adam Cantor. More from IndieWire Cannes 2025 Films Sold So Far: Janus Films Acquires Hlynur Pálmason's 'The Love That Remains' Ana de Armas 'Hated' Singing in Ron Howard's 'Eden': 'I Would Rather Do 100 Stunts' 'When I set out to create 'The Home,' I aimed to capture the spine-chilling eeriness of 70's horror, where suspense simmers and ultimately erupts into glorious chaos,' DeMonaco said. 'Joining me is my Staten Island brother, Pete Davidson, who unveils a darker, dramatic side as his character navigates a bizarre group of residents in an old age home. The growing tension culminates in an epic blood-soaked finale, designed to leave audiences gasping, terrified, and cheering. I can't wait for everyone to visit The Home. Cover your eyes, folks.' 'The Home' is produced by Bill Block and Sebastien K. Lemercier. In addition to 'The Home,' Davidson recently has appeared in 'Riff Raff' and is set to star in 'The Pickup' alongside Eddie Murphy. Davidson also returned to 'Saturday Night Live' for the 'SNL50' event earlier this year; the actor starred on the sketch series from 2014 to 2022. 'I think I was very lucky to get my own own video [during the 'SNL50' special],' Davidson told Variety. 'There's 1,000 cast members and hundreds that are more popular and did better work than I did while I was there. I was just very grateful to be in a sketch and have a video and even just be invited. It was very surreal to see.' Davidson added, 'I know I was there for almost a decade but even when I came back and hosted, I was like, 'Wow, I do know all these guys.' I know [creator] Lorne [Michaels], I know most of the cast. It just hits different when you see, like, Meryl Streep doing a sketch. And I also know it was a bunch of people who were in nothing so I'm just very grateful. It was a really surreal moment, and I'm happy that it went well for Lorne and just for the history and the integrity of the institution.' He added that Michaels, who executive produced Davidson's meta Peacock series 'Bupkis,' was a father figure to him. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will co-release 'The Home' in theaters July 25. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Caught by the Tides' builds a new film from the existing works of its director
Advertisement The press kit describes the film as 'mix of fiction and documentary, featuring a cascade of images taken from previous movies, unused scenes, and newly shot dramatic sequences.' Using footage shot over 23 years, Jia crafts a meandering series of montages that subtly documents the passage of time through geographical and societal changes. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up As such, this film's main characters, Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) and her estranged lover, Brother Bin (Li Zhubin), age naturally, but not in the same way. One appears more affected by time than the other, which is revealed in a stunning close-up late in the film. We're witnessing 23 years of change over the course of two hours; the result is more effective than any fake movie magic could conjure. Advertisement Zhao Tao and Li Zhubin in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.''Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films It's even more dramatic if you know that these two characters initially met in Jia's second film, 2002's 'Unknown Pleasures.' Through B-roll and actual footage from that film, you see them as they were back then. Comparisons can be made to Li Zhubin in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films The film also chronicles the displacement of people as a result of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, using documentary footage shot since 2011. This isn't surprising given Jia's interest in the affected residents from Northern Shanxi to Southern Guangdong. 'Caught by the Tides' fashions a thin narrative thread that follows Qiao Qiao from the Chinese mining town of Datong to Beijing as she searches for Bin. He left her to seek better opportunities, promising to send for her once he finds work. But his constant radio silence worries Qiao Qiao, leading her on a somewhat quixotic journey to discover why. The non-linear structure employed here forces us to pay careful attention to figure out where we are, but Jia doesn't leave us completely in the dark. For example, intertitles with dates and locations are intermittently shown. And the changes in footage quality, camera type, and aspect ratio provide clues as to timeframe. Jia also pays special attention to technological advancements like updated cell phones and the emergence of artificial intelligence. The appearance of a friendly robot who reads people's faces and responds with reaffirming quotes is an amusing bright spot in the film's final segment, set in 2023. Advertisement Zhao Tao in Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Sideshow and Janus Films Intertitles are also used on occasion to tell us what Qiao Qiao is texting or saying. She can speak, but we only hear her sing (there is more singing here than dialogue). Zhao, who is Jia's wife, muse, and collaborator, proves Norma Desmond's adage about why the silents didn't need dialogue: She has one of the most expressive faces in cinema, and her director loves to depict her in motion in his films, usually dancing to needle drops or at clubs. The newest footage, shot during the pandemic, brings 'Caught by the Tides' to a poignant coda. There's a great, shade-filled swipe at the United States controversy over wearing masks, and when Bin and Qiao Qiao remove their masks in their final scene together, it's a bittersweet moment. While I was never bored, I felt somewhat disconnected from this movie. It's not that I wasn't engaged or involved—I enjoy when a movie makes me work for its pleasures—it just felt like I was missing so much and left me wishing I'd seen more of the director's movies. By all means, see this film if you're interested. Just know you might have to do some homework afterwards. ★★★ CAUGHT BY THE TIDES Directed by Jia Zhangke. Written by Jia, Jiahuan Wan. Starring Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin. At the Brattle. 111 min. Unrated. Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bi Gan's Cannes Winner ‘Resurrection' Nabbed by Janus Films for North America (EXCLUSIVE)
Janus Films has acquired all North American rights to 'Resurrection,' the Special Award winner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival from visionary Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan. The film, which premiered in competition at Cannes, marks the third feature from Bi Gan, whose previous credits include 'Kaili Blues' and 'Long Day's Journey Into Night.' More from Variety Jafar Panahi Returns to Cheers in Tehran as Palme d'Or Victory Prompts Diplomatic Spat Between France and Iran 'The Love That Remains' Review: Hlynur Pálmason's Exquisitely Tender, Increasingly Haywire Portrait of a Family in Limbo Inside TikTok's Cannes Film Festival Takeover, From One-on-One Time With Tom Cruise to Reece Feldman's Short Film Premiere Told in six parts spanning a century, 'Resurrection's' framing story takes place in a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream, with one creature remaining entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld. The film stars Chinese superstar singer and actor Jackson Yee and veteran actor Shu Qi, known for her collaborations with Hou Hsiao-Hsien. 'Resurrection' was praised by Variety critic Jessica Kiang as 'a marvelously maximalist movie of opulent ambition that is actually five or six movies, each at once playful and peculiar and part of an overarchingly melancholy elegy for the dream of 20th-century cinema and the lives we lived within it.' Speaking with Variety ahead of the film's Cannes premiere, Bi had said: 'Screens are getting smaller and smaller, and I want to evoke that old feeling of watching films in theaters. The first story begins in the early 20th century, and I employed the cinematic language of that era.' The deal was negotiated between Janus Films and Les Films du Losange. 'Resurrection' was produced by China's Huace Pictures and Dangmai Films with France's CG Cinema, and features a score by M83. 'Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' is a kaleidoscopic, time-skipping, genre-mashing odyssey through cinema and dreams that will thrill fans of daring, visionary filmmakers like David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Leos Carax and Wong Kar-wai,' Janus Films said in a statement. 'We're very proud and excited to bring this surreal, provocative, epic experience to screens across North America and to champion the work of Bi Gan, a director we have long admired.' Les Films du Losange added: ''Resurrection' is a powerful and singular film that has been sparking passionate reactions from festival audiences, international buyers, and the press. It's a film that truly calls for a tailored, original, and ambitious release strategy. With their impeccable taste and exceptional vision, Janus Films are the ideal partners for us.' The acquisition continues Janus Films' recent push into first-run distribution of new international cinema. The company has earned eight Academy Award nominations in partnership with Sideshow Pictures, releasing such titles as Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Oscar winner 'Drive My Car,' Jerzy Skolimowski's Oscar-nominated 'EO,' Payal Kapadia's Cannes Grand Prix winner 'All We Imagine as Light,' and Gints Zibalodis' 'Flow,' which won the Oscar for best animated feature and became Janus' highest-grossing theatrical release. This year's Janus slate has included Alain Guiraudie's 'Misericordia,' David Cronenberg's 'The Shrouds' and Jia Zhangke's 'Caught by the Tides.' Upcoming releases include Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cloud' in July and Ira Sachs' 'Peter Hujar's Day' slated for fall. Founded in 1956, Janus Films was the first U.S. theatrical distribution company dedicated to bringing international arthouse films to American audiences, building a library that includes classics from Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and contemporary masters like David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
