A History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 17 Cannes Films, from ‘Mektoub’ to ‘Antichrist’ to ‘Caligula’
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated several times since.
Deserved or not, French cinema has a reputation for being a little racy. From classics like “Belle de Jour” to controversial modern films like “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” French film has consistently pushed the boundaries of sexuality and sensuality onscreen. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the country’s premier film festival Cannes is such an oasis for sexually explicit films, ones that have frequently generated controversy over its history — especially when these films feature unsimulated sexual acts.
Unsimulated sex onscreen at Cannes dates back to at least 1973, when the film “Thriller — a Cruel Picture,” featuring several acts of hardcore unsimulated porn, played at the festival. In the years afterwards, particularly provocative and avant-garde works like “Sweet Movie” and “The Idiots” caused shock at Cannes by presenting audiences with real, unvarnished sexual content.
Deserved or not, French cinema has a reputation for being a little racy. From classics like “Belle de Jour” to controversial modern films like “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” French film has consistently pushed the boundaries of sexuality and sensuality onscreen. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the country’s premier film festival Cannes is such an oasis for sexually explicit films, ones that have frequently generated controversy over its history — especially when these films feature unsimulated sexual acts.
Unsimulated sex onscreen at Cannes dates back to at least 1973, when the film “Thriller — a Cruel Picture,” featuring several acts of hardcore unsimulated porn, played at the festival. In the years afterwards, particularly provocative and avant-garde works like “Sweet Movie” and “The Idiots” caused shock at Cannes by presenting audiences with real, unvarnished sexual content.
- 5/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
As Netflix’s library of films ebbs and flows, finding the right movie to watch can feel like bailing out an ocean with a spoon. And if you’re looking for a quality horror movie in particular, the search only gets harder. With the reality that Horror is one of the cheapest genres to produce, streamers like Netflix are cluttered with a veritable tsunami of bloody titles that sometimes seem indistinguishable from one another.
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
- 5/7/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
There’s something uniquely cinematic about romantic comedies — something that makes them a natural fit for the movies and vice-versa. There’s an intoxicating alchemy that allows us to believe in the magic of meet-cutes, happily-ever-afters, and all the agonizing contrivances that tend to pop up between the two. Love it seems gives storytellers permission to transpose the stuff of operas and fables into the fabric of real (or at least overly glossed but still recognizable) life.
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
On paper, a film like “Pretty Woman” might be a retrograde fairy tale about a sex worker with a heart of gold and the rich businessman who can afford it, but the chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is so explosive that you surrender to the sentiment of it all. Literally nothing in Richard Curtis’ “Love Actually” makes sense if you stop and think about it for even a few seconds. The...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
January is a transitional time for film, with focus shifting to the Oscars just as new offerings in theaters enter an annual dreaded slump. It’s also, paradoxically, one of the best months for new movies — if you’re lucky enough to head to Park City, Utah for Sundance Film Festival.
The single biggest film festival in the country, with almost 50,000 attendees each year, Sundance Film Festival was founded back in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival, before rebranding in 1984 to its current name. Operated by the Sundance Institute, the annual fest hosts hundreds of films each year, showcasing the brightest in independent filmmaking, along with a variety of foreign, documentary, and midnight films. Over the years the festival has hosted some of the most beloved indie films ever, and helped launch the careers of major filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay, and many, many more.
The single biggest film festival in the country, with almost 50,000 attendees each year, Sundance Film Festival was founded back in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival, before rebranding in 1984 to its current name. Operated by the Sundance Institute, the annual fest hosts hundreds of films each year, showcasing the brightest in independent filmmaking, along with a variety of foreign, documentary, and midnight films. Over the years the festival has hosted some of the most beloved indie films ever, and helped launch the careers of major filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay, and many, many more.
- 1/23/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Like witches, vampires, and zombies, ghosts can be scary as hell. But there is something about the stories of lingering dead spirits that can be both awe-inspiring and spooky at once. The often invisible presence of ghosts allows filmmakers to explore the unsettling aspects of character psychology through the use of sound and space. Some of the best ghost stories aren’t scary at all; instead, they liberate directors from the restrictions of space and time to mine spiritual and existential depths. It’s a genre that has attracted some of the medium’s greatest artists to create some of their finest work.
One of the great aspects of ghost stories are their ambiguity, how their presence reflects more on the humans who see them then the spectral beings themselves. Maybe the great, definitive ghost story in the literary world is Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” his 1898 novella...
One of the great aspects of ghost stories are their ambiguity, how their presence reflects more on the humans who see them then the spectral beings themselves. Maybe the great, definitive ghost story in the literary world is Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” his 1898 novella...
- 9/30/2023
- by David Ehrlich, Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Ghosts are ubiquitous and zombies have had their moments of dominance, but of all the classic horror monsters, vampires have the strongest claim for the greatest film legacy. The vampire genre is nearly as old as cinema itself, with F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” scaring up audiences in 1922, followed by the countless iterations that came in its shadow. Every era and every filmmaking country has since taken up its own spins on the myth of the vampire, from Universal Studios’ “Dracula” series beginning with Tod Browning’s Bram Stoker adaptation in 1931, all the way up to Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour’s indie feminist twist “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” in 2014.
2023 though, has not exactly been a banner year for brilliant takes on the horror genre’s most iconic creatures of the night. Sure, there have been plenty of movies starring vampires; it’s just that most of them haven’t been very good.
2023 though, has not exactly been a banner year for brilliant takes on the horror genre’s most iconic creatures of the night. Sure, there have been plenty of movies starring vampires; it’s just that most of them haven’t been very good.
- 9/20/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
When you’re putting together a list of the biggest taboos in Western culture, death itself might not make the cut. But it should: North Americans and Europeans are chronically averse to facing death. Too many of us quietly believe if we follow the right workout regimen, eat enough kale, and take the right expensive supplements we may just live forever. It’s a predictable belief for our youth-obsessed culture. So the intrigue of zombie movies is that this genre forces us to confront death face-to-face. Or rather, death confronts us, looking to scoop out our brains and have us join its ranks.
Sometimes, zombies can bear larger metaphors on their disintegrating shoulders — for our increasingly wired yet increasingly isolated post-internet world, say, as in “Shaun of the Dead.” But sometimes zombies are just zombies: walking corpses who shuffle around and remind us that, even if we’re never somehow reanimated,...
Sometimes, zombies can bear larger metaphors on their disintegrating shoulders — for our increasingly wired yet increasingly isolated post-internet world, say, as in “Shaun of the Dead.” But sometimes zombies are just zombies: walking corpses who shuffle around and remind us that, even if we’re never somehow reanimated,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Whether or not you agree with Quentin Tarantino’s unsparing assertion that “’80s cinema is, along with the ’50s, the worst era in Hollywood history,” there’s a curiously undeniable truth to his follow-up statement: “Matched only by now! Matched only by the current era.” Revisiting the defining movies of the ’80s from our current perspective at the height of Barbenheimer summer, two things become abundantly clear.
The first is that modern Hollywood would probably need a Barbenheimer every month in order to equal the creative output of a studio system that used to be capable of releasing “Blade Runner” and “The Thing” on the same night as if it were just another Friday. The second is that, in a wide variety of different ways both negative and not, the ’80s provide a perfect match for the movies of our current moment — if not the current moment itself.
Perhaps that...
The first is that modern Hollywood would probably need a Barbenheimer every month in order to equal the creative output of a studio system that used to be capable of releasing “Blade Runner” and “The Thing” on the same night as if it were just another Friday. The second is that, in a wide variety of different ways both negative and not, the ’80s provide a perfect match for the movies of our current moment — if not the current moment itself.
Perhaps that...
- 8/14/2023
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
In this time of geekery and craft reigning supreme, film critics and academics no longer reject horror movies with the knee-jerk certainty some once did. But even now the specter of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Scream 5”) looms over discussions of artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The general gist is that these exceptions to the “horror is bad” rule engage your brain more than just showing brains: eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
- 8/10/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Queer movies and TV shows are all well and good, but arguably even more important is the existence of great LGBTQ documentaries. Fiction can help provide great representation and tell moving queer stories, but documentary does something else entirely: it preserves entire communities’ stories as snapshots in humanity’s kaleidoscopic history.
Documentary filmmaking has (almost) always been a relative safe haven for LGBTQ cinema, particularly smaller, experimental docs created by independent filmmakers. For years, mainstream films largely sanitized and ignored the LGBTQ community — but the documentary format allowed queer people to capture the truths of their lives that went otherwise undepicted. Great LGBTQ documentaries stretch back as far as 1967, with “Portrait of Jason”: a fascinating profile of a gay nightclub performer. Other early greats provided the first mainstream depictions of vibrant gay subcultures, like 1991 ballroom doc “Paris Is Burning” or 1967’s drag film “The Queen.” And still others provided...
Documentary filmmaking has (almost) always been a relative safe haven for LGBTQ cinema, particularly smaller, experimental docs created by independent filmmakers. For years, mainstream films largely sanitized and ignored the LGBTQ community — but the documentary format allowed queer people to capture the truths of their lives that went otherwise undepicted. Great LGBTQ documentaries stretch back as far as 1967, with “Portrait of Jason”: a fascinating profile of a gay nightclub performer. Other early greats provided the first mainstream depictions of vibrant gay subcultures, like 1991 ballroom doc “Paris Is Burning” or 1967’s drag film “The Queen.” And still others provided...
- 7/27/2023
- by Wilson Chapman and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
For as long as there have been horror movies, there has been body horror — and it’s not hard to see why the subgenre is unlikely to ever go out of style. Great horror movies tap into the darkest corners of our subconscious minds to poke at our deepest fears, and few emotions are more human than the fear of bodily harm. The human tendency to identify with our own bodies is so strong that watching transformations and mutilations can evoke the feeling that characters are being stripped of their very humanity.
While early filmmakers explored these themes in projects like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” the second half of the 20th century saw body horror elevated to the level of high art. Nobody deserves more credit for that shift in public perception than David Cronenberg, whose films like “Videodrome” and “The Fly” contained as much scientific and social commentary as blood and guts.
While early filmmakers explored these themes in projects like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” the second half of the 20th century saw body horror elevated to the level of high art. Nobody deserves more credit for that shift in public perception than David Cronenberg, whose films like “Videodrome” and “The Fly” contained as much scientific and social commentary as blood and guts.
- 7/23/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Narrowing down the best movies in any genre is tough, but for lesbian films you have to begin with a reductive question: What is a lesbian film? What, in fact, is a lesbian?.
Must the film focus primarily on a gay storyline, or can it feature strong lesbian characters doing something entirely different than just being lesbians? Is subtext enough, or must the sapphic be explicit? How much cinephile wrath will rain down on us for the absence of a certain recent Oscar winner?
Compared to the stand-outs of queer television, the best lesbian movies have relatively little time to convey their perspective on the vast, varied, (sometimes) vaginal lesbian experience. And yet, ultimately, the best lesbian films honor not just their own perspectives, but also the glory and traditions of all of queer cinema. Strong women, high entertainment value, and bold visuals reign supreme.
The following tales of mini...
Must the film focus primarily on a gay storyline, or can it feature strong lesbian characters doing something entirely different than just being lesbians? Is subtext enough, or must the sapphic be explicit? How much cinephile wrath will rain down on us for the absence of a certain recent Oscar winner?
Compared to the stand-outs of queer television, the best lesbian movies have relatively little time to convey their perspective on the vast, varied, (sometimes) vaginal lesbian experience. And yet, ultimately, the best lesbian films honor not just their own perspectives, but also the glory and traditions of all of queer cinema. Strong women, high entertainment value, and bold visuals reign supreme.
The following tales of mini...
- 6/21/2023
- by Jude Dry and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer movies have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places.
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Jude Dry and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The below article was originally published on March 27, 2020. It has been expanded from the 50 greatest TV comedies of all time to 75, as of February 24, 2023.]
Comedy rules are made to be broken. If all laughter comes from some great psychological misdirect, then it follows that the funniest series are the ones that continue to take the unexpected routes.
But sometimes a comedy is memorable because of the rules that it inadvertently puts in place. Some foundational TV series have endured not because they were ratings or cultural juggernauts in their time, but because their spiritual descendants dotted programming lineups years — maybe even decades — after their cameras stopped rolling. As in other realms of entertainment, the TV comedies that endure and that are worth revisiting manage to speak to something brewing in their day and the audiences watching generations after. Sometimes it’s a matter of seeing how much the idea of good governance has changed since some starry-eyed optimists in Indiana closed up shop just a few years ago. Other times, it’s recognizing how...
Comedy rules are made to be broken. If all laughter comes from some great psychological misdirect, then it follows that the funniest series are the ones that continue to take the unexpected routes.
But sometimes a comedy is memorable because of the rules that it inadvertently puts in place. Some foundational TV series have endured not because they were ratings or cultural juggernauts in their time, but because their spiritual descendants dotted programming lineups years — maybe even decades — after their cameras stopped rolling. As in other realms of entertainment, the TV comedies that endure and that are worth revisiting manage to speak to something brewing in their day and the audiences watching generations after. Sometimes it’s a matter of seeing how much the idea of good governance has changed since some starry-eyed optimists in Indiana closed up shop just a few years ago. Other times, it’s recognizing how...
- 2/25/2023
- by Ben Travers and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Slasher movies are generally considered to be among the more disreputable horror film subgenres. They can be misogynistic, punishing women for their sexuality while also appealing to viewers’ most prurient, voyeuristic impulses: celebrating the male gaze while damning the objects of that gaze except for a virginal “Final Girl.” But slasher movies can veer the closest to true-crime of any of the horror subgenres, meaning that its issues of representation often say as much about an audience that wants to consume beastly criminality as packaged narrative, as it does the filmmakers who deliver them to us.
The best slasher movies are as idea-oriented as any horror films. And almost all force you to look within and ask yourself: what’s the line between you watching a horrific act… and finally looking away?
With editorial contributions by Tambay Obenson, Christian Blauvelt, and Eric Kohn.
The best slasher movies are as idea-oriented as any horror films. And almost all force you to look within and ask yourself: what’s the line between you watching a horrific act… and finally looking away?
With editorial contributions by Tambay Obenson, Christian Blauvelt, and Eric Kohn.
- 11/1/2022
- by Anne Thompson and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
What’s a horror story without a boogeyman, a nefarious presence, a stone-cold killer with a plan, the bad guy just around the corner? Horror movies live and die on the strength of their baddies, from masked murderers and supernatural beings to raging psychopaths and even the odd killer disease or two. Just who is knocking on your front door this spooky season? And why the hell would you answer?
There are clusters of killers that immediately come to mind when curating a best villains list. Take a look at the horror history books and you’ll quickly stumble onto the Universal monster movie headliners: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, and so on. Look further and you’ll find yourself amid the late ’70s and mid-80s slasher staples: Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Michael. Continue on to the champions of the late ’80s and early ’90s: Chucky, Hellraiser, Candyman. These days, many...
There are clusters of killers that immediately come to mind when curating a best villains list. Take a look at the horror history books and you’ll quickly stumble onto the Universal monster movie headliners: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, and so on. Look further and you’ll find yourself amid the late ’70s and mid-80s slasher staples: Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Michael. Continue on to the champions of the late ’80s and early ’90s: Chucky, Hellraiser, Candyman. These days, many...
- 10/22/2022
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSKing Lear.Jean-Luc Godard, groundbreaking French-Swiss filmmaker across six decades, died last week at age 91. In the week since, a number of tributes have been shared: among them, Blair McClendon in n+1, J. Hoberman in The Nation, Manohla Dargis in the New York Times, and Richard Hell in Screen Slate. Alternatively, you can find a 2002 essay on Godard by filmmaker and theorist Peter Wollen on Verso's blog, watch a 1988 conversation between Godard and critic Serge Daney, or read this list Godard contributed to the British film journal Afterimage in 1970. Shadow and Act founder Tambay Obenson is fundraising to launch Akoroko, a new platform devoted to African film and television. The platform intends to combine film journalism with “consultation, cataloging, and curated film streaming.”Two posters (below) for the 61st New York Film Festival feature photographs taken by Nan Goldin.
- 9/20/2022
- MUBI
Why do horror movies still feel undervalued? One thing’s for certain: In this age of geekery and craft reigning supreme, critics and academics no longer dismiss the genre as disreputable with the kneejerk regularity some once did. But even now there’s talk of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in “Scream 5″) appearing in artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The idea being that they engage your brain more than just showing brains…eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson, Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Editor’s note: Former IndieWire staffer and Shadow and Act founder Tambay Obenson is launching Akoroko, a new platform devoted to African film and television; we’re happy to give him our platform to make his case.
For a century, “cinema” has been most often used in reference to an industry that almost entirely excludes the African experience. I want to change that with Akoroko, a new platform that will bridge African film and television industries with the West with consistent, robust, and candid coverage that’s local yet globally accessible. It will include criticism, analysis, consultation, cataloging, curated film streaming, and education.
An October 2021 Unesco report noted that the African film industry generates 5 billion in annual revenue, with the potential for 20 billion. Global appetite for African film and television programming is unknown because the industry continues to be “structurally underfunded, underdeveloped, and undervalued.”
Meanwhile, on the continent with the world’s youngest population,...
For a century, “cinema” has been most often used in reference to an industry that almost entirely excludes the African experience. I want to change that with Akoroko, a new platform that will bridge African film and television industries with the West with consistent, robust, and candid coverage that’s local yet globally accessible. It will include criticism, analysis, consultation, cataloging, curated film streaming, and education.
An October 2021 Unesco report noted that the African film industry generates 5 billion in annual revenue, with the potential for 20 billion. Global appetite for African film and television programming is unknown because the industry continues to be “structurally underfunded, underdeveloped, and undervalued.”
Meanwhile, on the continent with the world’s youngest population,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Whether it’s film “recovered” from a crime scene/disaster site or continuous “live video” watched in real time, found footage movies are among the most terrifying titles available to horror lovers. From the collected clips of “V/H/S” to the harrowing ordeal captured in “Unfriended,” these frightening flicks feel at once like pieces of entertainment and physical proof of hell on Earth.
The naturalistic approach to cinema doesn’t belong exclusively to the horror arena, believe it or not. Some film historians posit that the first found footage film was “The Connection”: an experimental joint by Shirley Clarke from 1961 about drug addicts (which is arguably horrific but definitely not a horror movie). And yet, the found footage technique has become so prevalent within the horror genre that it’s almost impossible to extricate the form from the fear it has inspired.
Horror filmmakers are notoriously canny creators,...
The naturalistic approach to cinema doesn’t belong exclusively to the horror arena, believe it or not. Some film historians posit that the first found footage film was “The Connection”: an experimental joint by Shirley Clarke from 1961 about drug addicts (which is arguably horrific but definitely not a horror movie). And yet, the found footage technique has become so prevalent within the horror genre that it’s almost impossible to extricate the form from the fear it has inspired.
Horror filmmakers are notoriously canny creators,...
- 7/30/2022
- by Kate Erbland, Ryan Lattanzio and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
This list was updated on June 7, 2022 in celebration of this year’s Pride month. It was first published on August 25, 2017.
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
- 6/7/2022
- by Jude Dry and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It’s verging on the point of passé to keep emphasizing it, but a seasonal TV preview is as good a time as any to say the thing that grows more apparent with each passing day: There are a ton of programs vying for people’s attention these days.
Into that complicated mix comes another massive collection of TV premieres slated between now and the dawn of summer. As the film world’s Oscar onslaught draws to a conclusion, attention then turns to another awards season. Many of the series in this roundup of notable spring releases will find themselves right in the heart of Emmy contention, with networks and streaming services timing new and returning shows to arrive right at the tail end of eligibility.
So to help plot out what the coming weeks will bring, we’ve assembled 20 shows that should go a long way to shaping how...
Into that complicated mix comes another massive collection of TV premieres slated between now and the dawn of summer. As the film world’s Oscar onslaught draws to a conclusion, attention then turns to another awards season. Many of the series in this roundup of notable spring releases will find themselves right in the heart of Emmy contention, with networks and streaming services timing new and returning shows to arrive right at the tail end of eligibility.
So to help plot out what the coming weeks will bring, we’ve assembled 20 shows that should go a long way to shaping how...
- 3/5/2022
- by Steve Greene and Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Three weeks out from the Oscars telecast, and uproar continues to reign within the Academy over its decision to exclude eight key categories from the live ceremony and instead weave them as pre-recorded segments into the broadcast. The move came in response to last year’s record-low ratings for the pandemic show at L.A.’s Union Station, and in hopes to keep audiences engaged throughout the three-hour-and-counting show. Now, a new story in The Hollywood Reporter details infighting among Academy members and governors over the Academy’s decision, and over the industry reaction and backlash itself.
One Academy governor, Oscar-nominated filmmaker (“The 13th”) and Array distribution and production founder Ava DuVernay, went on record in the story alongside other voices, including music brand governor Laura Karpman. DuVernay calls attention to how the word “excluded” in regards to these eight categories and the backlash surrounding their omission from the live...
One Academy governor, Oscar-nominated filmmaker (“The 13th”) and Array distribution and production founder Ava DuVernay, went on record in the story alongside other voices, including music brand governor Laura Karpman. DuVernay calls attention to how the word “excluded” in regards to these eight categories and the backlash surrounding their omission from the live...
- 3/4/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
So uncertainty ruled our lives once again in 2021, to the point that making predictions about anything seems a fruitless endeavor. Due to pandemic production delays and scheduling shifts, last year’s list of the most anticipated TV to come featured a few shows that indeed did not materialize in 2021: “Atlanta” Season 3, “Ozark” Season 4, “Barry” Season 3. Well, at least “Ozark” is debuting in January 2022!
This year, we’re taking a different approach: We’re leaving returning shows off this list and just focusing on the all-new series heading our way. At least half of these programs have already been given release dates, but perhaps 12 months from now we’ll be lamenting the other half being pushed to 2023. But we can hope that this televisual bounty will still await us in the year ahead.
In alphabetical order, here are the shows IndieWire is most hoping to see in 2022.
Libby Hill, Kristen Lopez,...
This year, we’re taking a different approach: We’re leaving returning shows off this list and just focusing on the all-new series heading our way. At least half of these programs have already been given release dates, but perhaps 12 months from now we’ll be lamenting the other half being pushed to 2023. But we can hope that this televisual bounty will still await us in the year ahead.
In alphabetical order, here are the shows IndieWire is most hoping to see in 2022.
Libby Hill, Kristen Lopez,...
- 12/27/2021
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Jesse Armstrong had a great year. The “Succession” showrunner saw the third season of his HBO show air to continued acclaim, and it was renewed for a fourth season. And after the success of “I May Destroy You,” Armstrong’s Various Artists Ltd. — which produced the Michaela Coel miniseries — doubled its profits, according to a year-end report filed by the company.
The report, filed by Various Artists earlier this month with the U.K. government, shows the company more than doubled its post-tax profit for the fiscal year ending in March. It reported a profit of £2.6 million, compared to £1.2 million the prior year. The document singles out the success of “I May Destroy You” as a key performance indicator for the company founded in 2017.
“In particular, ‘I May Destroy You’ was one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed television shows in living memory, winning awards including 5 BAFTAs, 3 Rts awards and 2 Emmys.
The report, filed by Various Artists earlier this month with the U.K. government, shows the company more than doubled its post-tax profit for the fiscal year ending in March. It reported a profit of £2.6 million, compared to £1.2 million the prior year. The document singles out the success of “I May Destroy You” as a key performance indicator for the company founded in 2017.
“In particular, ‘I May Destroy You’ was one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed television shows in living memory, winning awards including 5 BAFTAs, 3 Rts awards and 2 Emmys.
- 12/26/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
It would be easy to try to find some magic throughline between the best documentaries of 2021. Sure, on some basic level, all of these films and TV series are about connection. They show how we relate to the past, whether our own or some greater truth of years gone by.
But it might make more sense to celebrate the fact that documentaries thrive on the uncommon. The harder it is to find something comparable, odds are good that whoever is in control of the camera has stumbled on something extraordinary.
That can happen through animated retellings or tense minute-by-minute accounts or hazy portraits of a time filled with discovery. They can unfold over the course of a single sitting or be designed as an ongoing education of sorts, something to immerse yourself in as you give yourself over to a specific time, place, and state of mind.
In many cases,...
But it might make more sense to celebrate the fact that documentaries thrive on the uncommon. The harder it is to find something comparable, odds are good that whoever is in control of the camera has stumbled on something extraordinary.
That can happen through animated retellings or tense minute-by-minute accounts or hazy portraits of a time filled with discovery. They can unfold over the course of a single sitting or be designed as an ongoing education of sorts, something to immerse yourself in as you give yourself over to a specific time, place, and state of mind.
In many cases,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Steve Greene and Jude Dry
- Indiewire
TV is a beautiful medium because it can entrance you for one scene, one episode, one season, or one series at a time. Adding all those pieces together often results in blanket adoration — “the best show of the year,” “the best series of all-time” — but there should also be room to praise each part of the machine. It’s just one more reason end-of-year assessments can be so valuable. IndieWire’s Best Episodes of 2021 list helps identify moments in miniature, scattered over the last 12 months, that made an impact on their respective series, on TV overall, or on each of us individually (if not all three). These episodes stood on their own, executing ideas introduced over the course of a longer timeline or introducing new ones to examine over 15 minutes, half-an-hour, or twice that length.
Episodes are great. There’s a reason viewers revisit “Friends” Thanksgiving episodes each November, British holiday specials over Christmas,...
Episodes are great. There’s a reason viewers revisit “Friends” Thanksgiving episodes each November, British holiday specials over Christmas,...
- 12/7/2021
- by Ben Travers and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
It’s IndieWire’s now-familiar – and still very true – reframe: anyone who thinks this year (read: any year) has been bad for movies simply hasn’t seen enough of them. While the 2021 landscape looked a fair bit different than that of 2020 – for one thing, in-person festival attendance and theater-going returned, if cautiously and with plenty of new protocols – the ability to see films beyond the big screen has only continued apace. And while many might bemoan the degradation of the “movie-going experience,” no matter how you saw the best of this year’s beefy batch, it was worth it.
Look no further than our top two films, both new offerings from some of contemporary cinema’s most enduring and exciting auteurs, for proof that the delivery service is hardly as important as the art being, well, delivered. Jane Campion’s masterful, menacing “The Power of the Dog” premiered at Venice,...
Look no further than our top two films, both new offerings from some of contemporary cinema’s most enduring and exciting auteurs, for proof that the delivery service is hardly as important as the art being, well, delivered. Jane Campion’s masterful, menacing “The Power of the Dog” premiered at Venice,...
- 12/2/2021
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
While the majority of 2020’s film festivals opted for virtual or hybrid affairs — and some were even cancelled, as was the case for both Cannes and Telluride — this year sees the world creeping, quite cautiously, back into seeming normalcy. Cannes went off without a hitch (albeit in an un-traditional July slot), while both Venice and Telluride are gearing up for in-person editions in the coming days. The Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival are both going ahead with hybrid events that will likely offer less virtual options for audiences than they did last year, with NYFF even announcing that it would not screen any films on a virtual platform, though some other events will be available that way.
So, no, this year’s packed fall festival season doesn’t look quite the same as it did even two years ago, but 2021 promises to feel more like old times than 2020 ever did.
So, no, this year’s packed fall festival season doesn’t look quite the same as it did even two years ago, but 2021 promises to feel more like old times than 2020 ever did.
- 8/27/2021
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
After more than a year of pushed-back release dates, ever-evolving release plans, and a raft of virtual festivals and other in-home viewing pivots, the release date calendar is looking a touch more normal these days. While many things are still in flux, the fall of 2021 is shaping up to offer one of the more stacked seasons in recent memory. From festival favorites to awards contenders, scrappy indies and dark horses, this autumn might still contain its own surprises, but one thing is for sure: movie-goers are in for some serious treats at the multiplex and beyond.
Some of these titles were moved off of 2020, including “No Time to Die,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Dune,” “Eternals,” and other big budget blockbusters, while other films have only recently emerged as major contenders, but all of them hint at a stacked season with offerings sure to appeal to everyone. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon...
Some of these titles were moved off of 2020, including “No Time to Die,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Dune,” “Eternals,” and other big budget blockbusters, while other films have only recently emerged as major contenders, but all of them hint at a stacked season with offerings sure to appeal to everyone. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon...
- 8/12/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
True crime fans, rejoice. Octavia Spencer’s “Truth Be Told” series about a podcaster on a quest for justice is slated to return August 20 to Apple TV+. The streaming service unveiled the show’s Season 2 trailer on Tuesday.
Apple’s synopsis for the show’s 10-episode sophomore season reads:
Descending into the world of true-crime podcasts, Season 2 follows Octavia Spencer as podcaster Poppy Parnell, who risks everything — including her life — to pursue truth and justice. Poppy dives into a new case that deeply involves her childhood friend, media mogul Micah Keith (Kate Hudson). As developments unfold, their lifelong friendship is put to the ultimate test.
Series regulars in Season 2 include Christopher Backus, Alona Tal, David Lyons, Andre Royo, Merle Dandridge, and Mychala Faith Lee. Returning cast includes Mekhi Phifer, Ron Cephas Jones, Tracie Thoms, Haneefah Wood, Katherine Lanasa, Michael Beach, and Tami Roman. “Truth Be Told” is created by Nichelle...
Apple’s synopsis for the show’s 10-episode sophomore season reads:
Descending into the world of true-crime podcasts, Season 2 follows Octavia Spencer as podcaster Poppy Parnell, who risks everything — including her life — to pursue truth and justice. Poppy dives into a new case that deeply involves her childhood friend, media mogul Micah Keith (Kate Hudson). As developments unfold, their lifelong friendship is put to the ultimate test.
Series regulars in Season 2 include Christopher Backus, Alona Tal, David Lyons, Andre Royo, Merle Dandridge, and Mychala Faith Lee. Returning cast includes Mekhi Phifer, Ron Cephas Jones, Tracie Thoms, Haneefah Wood, Katherine Lanasa, Michael Beach, and Tami Roman. “Truth Be Told” is created by Nichelle...
- 8/3/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
The years-long wait for “The Underground Railroad,” the first television series from acclaimed filmmaker Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) isn’t quite over, but new details are beginning to emerge about the highly-anticipated project.
“The Underground Railroad,” which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, is an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Whitehead’s novel took place in an alternate history where the 19th century Underground Railroad was a literal railroad that American slaves used to flee the South and find freedom.
Amazon’s synopsis for Jenkins’ adaptation reads:
“The limited series chronicles young Cora’s (Thuso Mbedu) journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping her Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.
“The Underground Railroad,” which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, is an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Whitehead’s novel took place in an alternate history where the 19th century Underground Railroad was a literal railroad that American slaves used to flee the South and find freedom.
Amazon’s synopsis for Jenkins’ adaptation reads:
“The limited series chronicles young Cora’s (Thuso Mbedu) journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping her Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.
- 5/10/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
One of the biggest sensations to emerge out of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival was the documentary feature debut of music virtuoso Questlove, “Summer of Soul.” This joyous chronicle of the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 — known as “the Black Woodstock” — won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the festival’s Documentary section. It was quickly scooped up by Searchlight Pictures, which will release the film in theaters and simultaneously on Hulu on July 2. As Questlove served as the music producer for the 93rd Academy Awards this year, it was fitting the studio dropped the first trailer during the ceremony. Check it out below.
The debut from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who has been the drummer of hip-hop band The Roots for over three decades, serves up a different slice of music history in the pivotal year of 1969. During the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away.
The debut from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who has been the drummer of hip-hop band The Roots for over three decades, serves up a different slice of music history in the pivotal year of 1969. During the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away.
- 4/26/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
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Check out one of the buzziest titles of Oscar season from the comfort of your own home: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” starring Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya and directed by Shaka King, hits select theaters and HBO Max on Friday, Feb. 12.
The film, about Illinois Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and William O’Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the chapter and provided information that led to the raid that ultimately killed Hampton, is available to stream for one month following its release date. Not an HBO Max subscriber? You can join for just $14.99 per month, or sign up before March 1 to take advantage of a promotional offer that will save you more...
Check out one of the buzziest titles of Oscar season from the comfort of your own home: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” starring Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya and directed by Shaka King, hits select theaters and HBO Max on Friday, Feb. 12.
The film, about Illinois Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and William O’Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the chapter and provided information that led to the raid that ultimately killed Hampton, is available to stream for one month following its release date. Not an HBO Max subscriber? You can join for just $14.99 per month, or sign up before March 1 to take advantage of a promotional offer that will save you more...
- 2/11/2021
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
There are plenty of heavy-hitters involved with “One Night in Miami,” the feature-length directorial debut from Oscar winner Regina King — both figuratively and literally. It’s based on the play of the same name by Kemp Powers (“Soul”), an account of the real-life 1964 evening when boxer Cassius Clay won the Heavyweight Championship of the World but was unable to celebrate in Miami Beach because of racist Jim Crow laws. Instead, he spends the night in with pals Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and football star Jim Brown. They’re played by Eli Goree (Clay), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcolm X), Leslie Odom Jr. (Cooke), and Aldis Hodge (Brown).
The 2021 award season contender is now streaming on Amazon Prime,...
There are plenty of heavy-hitters involved with “One Night in Miami,” the feature-length directorial debut from Oscar winner Regina King — both figuratively and literally. It’s based on the play of the same name by Kemp Powers (“Soul”), an account of the real-life 1964 evening when boxer Cassius Clay won the Heavyweight Championship of the World but was unable to celebrate in Miami Beach because of racist Jim Crow laws. Instead, he spends the night in with pals Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and football star Jim Brown. They’re played by Eli Goree (Clay), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcolm X), Leslie Odom Jr. (Cooke), and Aldis Hodge (Brown).
The 2021 award season contender is now streaming on Amazon Prime,...
- 2/6/2021
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
“Summer of Soul,” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s acclaimed documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, has been acquired by the Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures in a deal that also will bring the film to Hulu.
The documentary, which won both the Grand Jury prize and Audience award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, served as the directorial debut for Thompson, who has been the drummer of hip-hop band The Roots for over three decades. “Summer of Soul” will have a theatrical release, will stream in the United States on Hulu, and will stream internationally on Star and Star+. Premiere dates have not been announced.
“I’m so honored to be allowed to manifest my dreams after all this time,” Thompson said in a statement. “This is truly an honor. ‘Summer Of Soul’ is a passion project and to have it resonate with so many people on so many levels has been incredibly rewarding.
The documentary, which won both the Grand Jury prize and Audience award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, served as the directorial debut for Thompson, who has been the drummer of hip-hop band The Roots for over three decades. “Summer of Soul” will have a theatrical release, will stream in the United States on Hulu, and will stream internationally on Star and Star+. Premiere dates have not been announced.
“I’m so honored to be allowed to manifest my dreams after all this time,” Thompson said in a statement. “This is truly an honor. ‘Summer Of Soul’ is a passion project and to have it resonate with so many people on so many levels has been incredibly rewarding.
- 2/5/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Sundance went virtual for its 2021 edition, but that certainly didn’t slow the market down. Within a matter of days, Apple broke the record for dealmaking at the festival by scoring eventual Grand Jury prize-winner “Coda” for a whopping $25 million; Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, “Passing,” landed with Netflix for a reported $15 million deal as the festival came to an end. Meanwhile, a number of highlights from the lineup are enmeshed in bidding wars as sales agents sort through their options, including Questlove’s celebrated documentary “Summer of Soul” and Jerrod Carmichael’s twisted buddy movie “On the Count of Three.”
Since those movies don’t exactly need our help getting on buyers radars, we’re leaving them off our usual memo to distributors in favor of a number of titiles that could really use the boost. The year ahead is certainly going to be an unpredictable one for distribution...
Since those movies don’t exactly need our help getting on buyers radars, we’re leaving them off our usual memo to distributors in favor of a number of titiles that could really use the boost. The year ahead is certainly going to be an unpredictable one for distribution...
- 2/4/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Michaela Coel just snagged a Critics’ Choice TV Award nomination for her daring performance in the HBO limited series “I May Destroy You,” and the rising star is now on pace to score her first bid at the SAG Awards. The English actress, who won a BAFTA in 2016 for her sitcom “Chewing Gum,” plays Arabella, a young woman who seeks to rebuild her life after being drugged and raped in a nightclub. Coel is the star, creator, writer, producer and co-director of “I May Destroy You,” which was inspired by her own experience of sexual assault.
Coel currently ranks fifth in our overall odds in the TV movie/mini actress race at the SAG Awards, based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users. At 12/1 odds, she trails Cate Blanchett in “Mrs. America” (71/20 odds), Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Queen’s Gambit” (4/1 odds), Nicole Kidman in “The Undoing” (9/2 odds) and Uzo Aduba...
Coel currently ranks fifth in our overall odds in the TV movie/mini actress race at the SAG Awards, based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users. At 12/1 odds, she trails Cate Blanchett in “Mrs. America” (71/20 odds), Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Queen’s Gambit” (4/1 odds), Nicole Kidman in “The Undoing” (9/2 odds) and Uzo Aduba...
- 2/3/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival has wrapped a most unconventional edition, as audiences tuned into the virtual program from around the world, but one aspect of the experience felt somewhat normal: The 74 features delivered a wide range of exciting and memorable movies, many of which will continue to make waves in the year ahead. Culled from over 14,000 submissions, Sundance’s program was a hodgepodge of ambitious formalism, daring subject matter, and a lot of crowdpleasers. Here are the biggest highlights. Explore all of IndieWire’s Sundance 2021 coverage here.
Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, David Ehrlich, Tambay Obenson, and Zack Sharf contributed to this article.
“At the Ready”
“At the Ready” is a riveting piece of journalism — its director, Maisie Crow, is the editor of a weekly newspaper in west Texas — and one of the most eye-opening accounts of teen life that’s been put onscreen in years. Three high schoolers in Horizon,...
Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, David Ehrlich, Tambay Obenson, and Zack Sharf contributed to this article.
“At the Ready”
“At the Ready” is a riveting piece of journalism — its director, Maisie Crow, is the editor of a weekly newspaper in west Texas — and one of the most eye-opening accounts of teen life that’s been put onscreen in years. Three high schoolers in Horizon,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Eric Kohn and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
With just over 70 features, this year’s Sundance Film Festival was smaller than usual, but not any quieter. While Park City was dormant as most audiences viewed the lineup online, the movies drove plenty of buzz. Few titles entered the festival with distribution, and studios begged off the usual tendency to use the festival as a marketing launch pad. Instead, Sundance retained one crucial aspect of its DNA above all: The breakouts.
Ever since it came to prominence more than 30 years ago, Sundance has been a platform for discovering new talent, from distinctive filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Ryan Coogler to acting discoveries like Parker Posey and Tessa Thompson. This time around, there were no shortage of discoveries, in addition to established talents moving into exciting new career phases. Here are the highlights.
Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, and Tambay Obenson contributed to this article.
Jerrod Carmichael...
Ever since it came to prominence more than 30 years ago, Sundance has been a platform for discovering new talent, from distinctive filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Ryan Coogler to acting discoveries like Parker Posey and Tessa Thompson. This time around, there were no shortage of discoveries, in addition to established talents moving into exciting new career phases. Here are the highlights.
Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, and Tambay Obenson contributed to this article.
Jerrod Carmichael...
- 2/2/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Over three decades after Eddie Murphy starred as Prince Akeem in “Coming to America,” the comedian is bringing the character back — this time as the newly crowned King Akeem — in “Coming 2 America.” Below, find the first trailer for the long-awaited sequel. The movie, originally planned for theatrical release by Paramount, will instead drop on Amazon Prime Video on March 5. It follows Akeem as he returns to New York City in a quest to reunite with his long-lost son (Jermaine Fowler), a Queens native whom Akeem must groom to be the next crown prince of Zamunda.
Here’s Amazon’s official synopsis: “Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
Here’s Amazon’s official synopsis: “Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
- 12/22/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
For anyone bemoaning the lack of new movies in 2020, please look no further than the fourteen that follow, all of them topped off by some of the best acting of this very strange year indeed. From seasoned masters like Anthony Hopkins and Delroy Lindo deepening their legacies to rising stars like Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun continuing to carve out their own paths, this year was very rich indeed when it came on on-screen work worth celebrating.
Tucked inside these stories of triumph, there is also heartbreak, as no list of 2020’s best performances would be considered close to complete without reflecting back on the late Chadwick Boseman’s final on-screen performance, already an iconic last hurrah.
As always, there were also plenty of exciting breakthrough performances this year, as we’ve already documented in a stacked list of rising stars of screens both large and small. And these best-of-the-bunch...
Tucked inside these stories of triumph, there is also heartbreak, as no list of 2020’s best performances would be considered close to complete without reflecting back on the late Chadwick Boseman’s final on-screen performance, already an iconic last hurrah.
As always, there were also plenty of exciting breakthrough performances this year, as we’ve already documented in a stacked list of rising stars of screens both large and small. And these best-of-the-bunch...
- 12/11/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
In a year filled with its own myriad disappointments, one thing remained reliable: the ability for some of our brightest performers to shine their light on a variety of thrilling roles. From steadfast stars like Viola Davis, Frances McDormand, Youn Yuh-Jung, and Carey Mulligan to rising talents like Haley Bennett, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jessie Buckley, and Letitia Wright, this year’s crop of female-fronted performances is deep.
As always, there were also plenty of exciting breakthrough performances this year, as we’ve already documented in a stacked list of rising stars of screens both large and small, but the women who qualify for this list of the best film performances by actresses have fully arrived in every sense of the term. Ahead, the 13 best performances by actresses in 2020.
Eric Kohn, Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich, Zack Sharf, Ryan Lattanzio, Tambay Obenson, Jude Dry, Bill Desowitz, and Chris Lindahl contributed to this article.
As always, there were also plenty of exciting breakthrough performances this year, as we’ve already documented in a stacked list of rising stars of screens both large and small, but the women who qualify for this list of the best film performances by actresses have fully arrived in every sense of the term. Ahead, the 13 best performances by actresses in 2020.
Eric Kohn, Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich, Zack Sharf, Ryan Lattanzio, Tambay Obenson, Jude Dry, Bill Desowitz, and Chris Lindahl contributed to this article.
- 12/9/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
There will always be a handful of safe bets over the course of one year at the movies — of course Elisabeth Moss is going to make a meal out of a slew of very different roles, there’s no question that Gary Oldman can inhabit any historical figure, who could possibly be surprised that the casts of “Succession” and “Better Call Saul” would only continue to impress, the list goes on and on — but it’s often the unknown quantities, the casting against type, and the fresh faces that turn in the best performances.
This year has been no exception, kitted out with an array of breakthrough performances from a wide variety of talents. There are the first-timers owning their big starring role, the reliable performers tearing into something new, and a generation of rising stars making their mark in parts seemingly made for them. Ahead, IndieWire has combed through...
This year has been no exception, kitted out with an array of breakthrough performances from a wide variety of talents. There are the first-timers owning their big starring role, the reliable performers tearing into something new, and a generation of rising stars making their mark in parts seemingly made for them. Ahead, IndieWire has combed through...
- 12/2/2020
- by Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Michaela Coel created and starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed new limited series, “I May Destroy You,” and could now join the ranks of other actor-creators like Lena Dunham and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a double Golden Globe winner. The English actress, who won a BAFTA in 2016 for her sitcom “Chewing Gum,” plays Arabella, a young woman who seeks to rebuild her life after being drugged and raped in a nightclub. Coel is the star, creator, writer, producer and co-director of “I May Destroy You,” which was inspired by her own experience of sexual assault.
According to our TV predictions, Coel is on pace to become a double nominee for “I May Destroy You.” The series maintains an impressive score of 86 on Metacritic, with Isobel Lewis (The Independent) writing, “No TV show has ever shown the complexities of sexual assault and how it affects survivors, their friends and their communities quite like this difficult,...
According to our TV predictions, Coel is on pace to become a double nominee for “I May Destroy You.” The series maintains an impressive score of 86 on Metacritic, with Isobel Lewis (The Independent) writing, “No TV show has ever shown the complexities of sexual assault and how it affects survivors, their friends and their communities quite like this difficult,...
- 11/28/2020
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Production on “Cops,” the reality TV series about American police officers that was cancelled in June, has resumed production in Spokane County, Washington — but new episodes will not air in the United States.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that the crews on the show have been quietly working in the county, where the show has been filmed several times in the past. A spokesperson for Langley Productions, which produces “Cops,” told the publication that the episodes were being filmed to fulfill commitments in international territories where the show has continued to air.
“We have a longstanding relationship with ‘Cops’ and Langley Productions, and we are pleased they have decided to return, highlighting the outstanding work our deputies provide to all of you,” the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The show, a reality crime program that follows police officers and sheriffs deputies as they patrol the streets and perform other police duties,...
The Hollywood Reporter stated that the crews on the show have been quietly working in the county, where the show has been filmed several times in the past. A spokesperson for Langley Productions, which produces “Cops,” told the publication that the episodes were being filmed to fulfill commitments in international territories where the show has continued to air.
“We have a longstanding relationship with ‘Cops’ and Langley Productions, and we are pleased they have decided to return, highlighting the outstanding work our deputies provide to all of you,” the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The show, a reality crime program that follows police officers and sheriffs deputies as they patrol the streets and perform other police duties,...
- 10/2/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Michaela Coel’s breakout success in the U.S. is largely credited to Netflix. The streamer was the domestic distributor of her acclaimed comedy series “Chewing Gum,” for which Coel won a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Program, and she later appeared in an Emmy-winning episode of “Black Mirror” and fronted the 2018 Netflix musical film “Been So Long.” Netflix also released the Coel-starring drama series “Black Earth Rising” outside the United Kingdom in 2019. Coel’s history with Netflix made the streamer a natural destination for her latest project, “I May Destroy You,” but the creator walked away from a mega-deal in order to maintain ownership of the series.
In a new profile published by Vulture, Coel reveals that Netflix made her an offer for “I May Destroy You” in spring 2017 worth $1 million. The series is based off Coel’s personal experience of being sexually assaulted during the making of “Chewing Gum.
In a new profile published by Vulture, Coel reveals that Netflix made her an offer for “I May Destroy You” in spring 2017 worth $1 million. The series is based off Coel’s personal experience of being sexually assaulted during the making of “Chewing Gum.
- 7/6/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Last year, Christine Baranski celebrated her tenth season portraying lawyer Diane Lockhart on “The Good Wife” and its spin-off “The Good Fight,” a milestone that brought her within striking distance of her first-ever Drama Actress Emmy nomination. Though she missed out on that richly-earned accolade, Baranski raised her game even further to mark the start of her second decade in the role with her hilarious and emotionally-raw gamut-running turn in the “Good Fight” season four premiere.
Penned by series creators Michelle King and Robert King, the season-opener “The Gang Deals with Alternate Reality” very cheekily returns to the show’s origins, recreating the opening scene of the pilot episode in which Baranski’s Diane watched the 2017 inauguration in horror as President Donald J. Trump gets sworn into the highest office in the land. This time, though, Diane watches on with glee as Hillary Clinton gets inaugurated instead. Baranski beams, lets out a joyous guttural scream,...
Penned by series creators Michelle King and Robert King, the season-opener “The Gang Deals with Alternate Reality” very cheekily returns to the show’s origins, recreating the opening scene of the pilot episode in which Baranski’s Diane watched the 2017 inauguration in horror as President Donald J. Trump gets sworn into the highest office in the land. This time, though, Diane watches on with glee as Hillary Clinton gets inaugurated instead. Baranski beams, lets out a joyous guttural scream,...
- 6/16/2020
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
“Sherman’s Showcase,” the IFC variety show parody, has announced the first details about its next episode: The Critics Choice-nominated series will return on June 19, known in the African-American community as “Juneteenth,” with a one-hour “Black History Month spectacular” to air on both AMC and IFC.
“‘Sherman’s Showcase’ host Sherman McDaniels has dreamed of doing a Black History Month episode for decades,” said series creators and stars Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle in an admittedly very meta statement.
The episode will bring the series’ patented blend of zany humor and social commentary with a special that honors African-American icons of the past and present, as well as looking at everything from superheroes, vampires, and a re-imagining of the cult classic film “The Last Dragon.” Special guests on the episode include Michael Ealy, Jemele Hill, Lil Rel Howery, John Legend, Mario Van Peebles, and several more.
The show’s first season, debuting last year,...
“‘Sherman’s Showcase’ host Sherman McDaniels has dreamed of doing a Black History Month episode for decades,” said series creators and stars Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle in an admittedly very meta statement.
The episode will bring the series’ patented blend of zany humor and social commentary with a special that honors African-American icons of the past and present, as well as looking at everything from superheroes, vampires, and a re-imagining of the cult classic film “The Last Dragon.” Special guests on the episode include Michael Ealy, Jemele Hill, Lil Rel Howery, John Legend, Mario Van Peebles, and several more.
The show’s first season, debuting last year,...
- 5/14/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
It’s official: Bumpy Johnson will return to the streets of Harlem once again. Epix has renewed its crime drama — and “American Gangster” prequel — “Godfather of Harlem” for a second season.
Starring Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker as the infamous gangster and crime boss Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, Epix’s “Godfather of Harlem” takes place in 1963, immediately after Johnson is released from an 11-year stint at Alcatraz. Upon returning to his Harlem neighborhood, Johnson takes on Vincent “Chin” Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the Italian mob that brought things to shambles and strikes up an alliance with his old friend Malcolm X.
Co-created by “Narcos” co-creators Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, “Godfather of Harlem” is described as a series about the “collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.”
“Godfather of Harlem season one was a remarkable success, tripling previous...
Starring Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker as the infamous gangster and crime boss Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, Epix’s “Godfather of Harlem” takes place in 1963, immediately after Johnson is released from an 11-year stint at Alcatraz. Upon returning to his Harlem neighborhood, Johnson takes on Vincent “Chin” Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the Italian mob that brought things to shambles and strikes up an alliance with his old friend Malcolm X.
Co-created by “Narcos” co-creators Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, “Godfather of Harlem” is described as a series about the “collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.”
“Godfather of Harlem season one was a remarkable success, tripling previous...
- 2/12/2020
- by LaToya Ferguson
- Indiewire
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