Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Alex van Warmerdam Collection
If you only know the work of Alex van Warmerdam as it pertains to his breakout psychological thriller Borgman, one know has a chance to dive into five other films from the Dutch director. Abel, The Northerners, The Last Days of Emma Blank, Schneider vs. Bax, and his new re-edit of Grimm are now on Film Movement Plus. We said in our review of Schneider vs. Bax, “Hitman films tend to be action-packed and heavy with tropes familiar to that particular sub-genre of thrillers. Yet Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam hopes to subvert those expectations by crafting an almost absurdist, Beckett-style drama between two contract killers hired to take out the other.”
Where to Stream: Film Movement...
The Alex van Warmerdam Collection
If you only know the work of Alex van Warmerdam as it pertains to his breakout psychological thriller Borgman, one know has a chance to dive into five other films from the Dutch director. Abel, The Northerners, The Last Days of Emma Blank, Schneider vs. Bax, and his new re-edit of Grimm are now on Film Movement Plus. We said in our review of Schneider vs. Bax, “Hitman films tend to be action-packed and heavy with tropes familiar to that particular sub-genre of thrillers. Yet Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam hopes to subvert those expectations by crafting an almost absurdist, Beckett-style drama between two contract killers hired to take out the other.”
Where to Stream: Film Movement...
- 3/11/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Antlers (Scott Cooper)
Scott Cooper is comfortable in the mud. The American director routinely finds himself in the confines of the lowdown and dirty, in gritty landscapes with working-class characters overcoming their shortcomings and often turning to violence to solve their problems. While his previous two features Black Mass and Hostiles failed to find tension in their deliberately tedious pacing, Antlers strikes the balance between methodology, terror, and blue-collar dynamics. – Erik N. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Arrebato (Iván Zulueta)
That Arrebato has waited more than 40 years to receive a bona fide U.S. theatrical run is wild; it lives up to the cult-classic status it’s held since 1979. (The marketing push highlights it being Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite horror film.
Antlers (Scott Cooper)
Scott Cooper is comfortable in the mud. The American director routinely finds himself in the confines of the lowdown and dirty, in gritty landscapes with working-class characters overcoming their shortcomings and often turning to violence to solve their problems. While his previous two features Black Mass and Hostiles failed to find tension in their deliberately tedious pacing, Antlers strikes the balance between methodology, terror, and blue-collar dynamics. – Erik N. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Arrebato (Iván Zulueta)
That Arrebato has waited more than 40 years to receive a bona fide U.S. theatrical run is wild; it lives up to the cult-classic status it’s held since 1979. (The marketing push highlights it being Pedro Almodóvar’s favorite horror film.
- 12/24/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The arthouse is awash with well reviewed new offerings from Danish animated doc Flee to Paulo Sorrentino’s Hand of God to IFC’s Benedetta heading into awards season and amid a paucity of new wide releases.
The first weekend of December following the five-day Thanksgiving frame is notoriously slow at the box office, but also a time when arthouse can breaks through.
The weekend also brings a small but growing foothold Stateside for the new Omicron variant. How widespread and infectious it is, severity of illness and response to vaccines are still unclear. Exhibitors of all sizes are watching closely. If the brisk pace of ticket presales for Spiderman-Man: No Way Home are a sign, the younger demo at least is shrugging it off. Older audiences key to specialty film have been the group most reluctant to return to theaters but green shoots appeared recently in the market for grownup films.
The first weekend of December following the five-day Thanksgiving frame is notoriously slow at the box office, but also a time when arthouse can breaks through.
The weekend also brings a small but growing foothold Stateside for the new Omicron variant. How widespread and infectious it is, severity of illness and response to vaccines are still unclear. Exhibitors of all sizes are watching closely. If the brisk pace of ticket presales for Spiderman-Man: No Way Home are a sign, the younger demo at least is shrugging it off. Older audiences key to specialty film have been the group most reluctant to return to theaters but green shoots appeared recently in the market for grownup films.
- 12/3/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedetta IFC Midnight Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net, linked from Rotten Tomatoes by Harvey Karten Director: Paul Verhoeven Screenwriter: David Birke, Paul Verhoeven, based on the non-fiction book by Judith C. Brown Cast: Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphne Patakia, Lambert Wilson Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 11/20/21 Opens: December 3, 2021 Joan of Arc meets […]
The post Benedetta Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Benedetta Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 11/22/2021
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
If one is looking for their nunsploitation fix this December, a pair of acclaimed films should satisfy all holy cinematic urges. Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, which tells the tale of a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, is coming on December 3 via IFC Films. Then a week later Magnet will release Mickey Reece’s Agnes, which follows a nun who explodes with an outburst of rage and blasphemy, causing the church to investigate the incident as a potential demonic possession. Ahead of the releases, new trailers have now arrived for both.
Rory O’Connor said in his review of Benedetta, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the...
Rory O’Connor said in his review of Benedetta, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the...
- 10/27/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ready or not, here comes the return of Paul Verhoeven. IFC Films has released the first U.S. trailer for the director’s long-awaited erotic lesbian nun romance “Benedetta,” which made its world premiere in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The project was originally tapped for the 2020 festival, but the pandemic canceled the event. Anyone familiar with Verhoeven’s psychosexual dramas “Basic Instinct” and “Elle” probably has a good idea what to expect from his latest.
The official synopsis from IFC Films reads: “A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. Based on Judith C. Brown’s ‘Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.'”
The film is Verhoeven’s first directorial effort since the 2016 release of “Elle.” That film also world...
The official synopsis from IFC Films reads: “A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. Based on Judith C. Brown’s ‘Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.'”
The film is Verhoeven’s first directorial effort since the 2016 release of “Elle.” That film also world...
- 9/24/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
At long last, Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta is touching down stateside this weekend with a North American premiere at the 59th New York Film Festival. Ahead of the event and a December 3 release, IFC Films have released a new teaser trailer for the tale of a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the title), its story focuses on the life of Benedetta Carlini, a nun in Precia who entered a sexual relationship with another woman in her convent.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the title), its story focuses on the life of Benedetta Carlini, a nun in Precia who entered a sexual relationship with another woman in her convent.
- 9/24/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: IFC Films has set a December 3, 2021, theatrical and VOD release date for Paul Verhoeven’s steamy Cannes hit Benedetta.
The anticipated movie will open in New York at the IFC Center and Film Lincoln Center and in LA at the Royal and The Alamo Drafthouse.
The French-language film debuted in Cannes and will get its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival.
Benedetta, which had tongues wagging on the Croisette, follows a 17th-century nun in Italy who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. It is based on Judith C. Brown’s book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.
Starring are Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Lambert Wilson, Daphne Patakia, Olivier Rabourdin, and Herve Pierre.
Script comes from David Birke, Judith C Brown and Verhoeven.
The anticipated movie will open in New York at the IFC Center and Film Lincoln Center and in LA at the Royal and The Alamo Drafthouse.
The French-language film debuted in Cannes and will get its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival.
Benedetta, which had tongues wagging on the Croisette, follows a 17th-century nun in Italy who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. It is based on Judith C. Brown’s book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.
Starring are Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Lambert Wilson, Daphne Patakia, Olivier Rabourdin, and Herve Pierre.
Script comes from David Birke, Judith C Brown and Verhoeven.
- 8/12/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
With Cannes pushed to July this year from its usual spot in May, many of the titles playing in competition at the festival, especially the English-language ones with wide commercial appeal, already have North American distributors or homes. And the bulk of the festival’s marketplace already took place two weeks ago during the virtual film market.
For instance, Cannes’ opening night film “Annette,” Leos Carax’s latest starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, will debut later this year through Amazon. Searchlight Pictures had intended to release Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” last year, but will do so in 2021 after finally bowing at Cannes. Apple has Todd Haynes’ documentary “The Velvet Underground,” and Focus Features has the the Matt Damon thriller “Stillwater,” both of which are playing out of competition.
While the festival itself will still be a hot spot for deals and networking, we’ve already seen a...
For instance, Cannes’ opening night film “Annette,” Leos Carax’s latest starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, will debut later this year through Amazon. Searchlight Pictures had intended to release Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” last year, but will do so in 2021 after finally bowing at Cannes. Apple has Todd Haynes’ documentary “The Velvet Underground,” and Focus Features has the the Matt Damon thriller “Stillwater,” both of which are playing out of competition.
While the festival itself will still be a hot spot for deals and networking, we’ve already seen a...
- 7/16/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Benedetta Sometimes it only takes one film to fire up a festival. That film, this year, came in the shape Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, one of a handful that had originally been selected to screen here in 2020, and handed another slot twelve months later. It was Verhoeven’s first film since Elle (also screened in the official competition here back in 2016), and it promised a period piece cribbed from a book by Judith C. Brown: Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. Which itself was based on the real-life story of Benedetta, a 17th century Italian nun-turned-abbess of Pescia, Tuscany, put on trial for a love affair with a fellow nun. Verhoeven has never shied away from in-your-face sexual content, so the marriage between director and story felt ripe for all kinds of excesses. But little could have ever prepared me for the wild riot Benedetta would ultimately turn into.
- 7/11/2021
- MUBI
Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s “lesbian nun movie” Benedetta may have taken two extra years to land (Verhoeven’s hip surgery in 2019 prevented him from completing post-production in time for that year’s Cannes), but its prologue wastes no time informing the audience of its mischievous timbre (for the handful heading into it expecting anything close to reverence), slipping in flame-farting jesters and a bird (ostensibly possessed by the Virgin Mary) dropping a turd in a bandit’s eye at our young heroine’s request. Adapted from Judith C. Brown’s 1986 book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, the […]
The post Cannes Film Festival 2021 Critic’s Notebook 2: Benedetta, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes Film Festival 2021 Critic’s Notebook 2: Benedetta, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/11/2021
- by Blake Williams
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s “lesbian nun movie” Benedetta may have taken two extra years to land (Verhoeven’s hip surgery in 2019 prevented him from completing post-production in time for that year’s Cannes), but its prologue wastes no time informing the audience of its mischievous timbre (for the handful heading into it expecting anything close to reverence), slipping in flame-farting jesters and a bird (ostensibly possessed by the Virgin Mary) dropping a turd in a bandit’s eye at our young heroine’s request. Adapted from Judith C. Brown’s 1986 book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, the […]
The post Cannes Film Festival 2021 Critic’s Notebook 2: Benedetta, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes Film Festival 2021 Critic’s Notebook 2: Benedetta, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/11/2021
- by Blake Williams
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Many of the best qualities of early and late Verhoeven combine in Benedetta, a tale of sex, blood, and sacrilege in 17th-century Italy. Based on the American historian Judith C. Brown’s 1986 non-fiction book Immoral Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (quite the title), its story focuses on the life of Benedetta Carlini, a nun in Precia who entered a sexual relationship with another woman in her convent. Paul Verhoeven originally adapted the book with his longtime collaborator Gerard Soeteman, but the screenwriter stepped down when it became too “sexualized.” In the opening act there are not one, but two fart jokes. We are also, in many instances, offered evidence of the director’s well-founded appreciation for mommy’s milkies.
Originally titled Blessed Virgin and pegged for release way back in 2019, it marks an ever-welcome return for the great director, his first outing since 2016 when Elle...
Originally titled Blessed Virgin and pegged for release way back in 2019, it marks an ever-welcome return for the great director, his first outing since 2016 when Elle...
- 7/10/2021
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The Cannes Film Festival has reported an average of three positive Covid test results per day, but French actress Lea Seydoux might have to cancel her trip to the LA Croisette altogether as she tested positive and is currently self-isolating in her Paris home.
At the star-studded event, however, things are moving along as Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” made waves and received positive reviews, while “La Fracture” also received a standing ovation longer than five minutes.
And the red carpet is looking stellar as ever, as A-list celebrities tout their best looks after being stuck at home for the better part of the last 16 months. The color pink seems to be this year’s go-to color, according to Spike Lee and Josh O’Connor.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of what happened at the festival on its fifth day. On Saturday, Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” starring his daughter, will premiere.
At the star-studded event, however, things are moving along as Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” made waves and received positive reviews, while “La Fracture” also received a standing ovation longer than five minutes.
And the red carpet is looking stellar as ever, as A-list celebrities tout their best looks after being stuck at home for the better part of the last 16 months. The color pink seems to be this year’s go-to color, according to Spike Lee and Josh O’Connor.
See below for TheWrap’s roundup of what happened at the festival on its fifth day. On Saturday, Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” starring his daughter, will premiere.
- 7/10/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Ever the bad boy even into his 80s, director Paul Verhoeven stirs the pot and turns the heat up to the boiling point in Benedetta, a medieval brew of religious fervor, illicit lesbian sex in a convent, Catholic church politics and — to incidentally add a contemporaneous touch — a plague sweeping the land. Shot three summers ago in Tuscany and delayed in its Cannes Film Festival premiere by a year due to the 2020 edition’s cancellation, the film, like all the director’s work, is wild, intelligent, pulsating, provocative and vibrantly alive. Cecil B. DeMille would be outraged, while Ken Russell would be wildly jealous.
Verhoeven followers will recall that, in contrast to his ribald reputation, he came out with a scholarly book in 2008 called Jesus Of Nazareth, which was generally praised as a deeply researched and intelligent investigation in Jesus’ life and thoughts. When he decided not to pursue that as a film,...
Verhoeven followers will recall that, in contrast to his ribald reputation, he came out with a scholarly book in 2008 called Jesus Of Nazareth, which was generally praised as a deeply researched and intelligent investigation in Jesus’ life and thoughts. When he decided not to pursue that as a film,...
- 7/9/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Lest anyone think Paul Verhoeven’s latest shocker was intended to be a serious look at sexuality in religious service, the promotional poster for the film plastered around the Cannes Film Festival — where “Benedetta” bowed in competition — depicts actor Virginie Efira dressed as a 17th-century Italian nun, her white habit pulled open to reveal an airbrushed nipple. This is an erotic film, full stop, and though “Benedetta” is smarter in various respects than such sisters-in-exploitation as “Put Your Devil Into My Hell” and “The Killer Nun,” in others, it’s much, much dumber.
Let’s begin with the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that is young Benedetta’s most prized possession when she enters the Theatine convent as an 8-year-old novice, and that, by the film’s end, will have been whittled into a shape through which ecstasy is far more easily achieved. Everything is either obvious, vulgar or...
Let’s begin with the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that is young Benedetta’s most prized possession when she enters the Theatine convent as an 8-year-old novice, and that, by the film’s end, will have been whittled into a shape through which ecstasy is far more easily achieved. Everything is either obvious, vulgar or...
- 7/9/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Verhoeven’s lesbian nun drama “Benedetta” just premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and early viewers took to social media to praise the film and the filmmaker’s direction.
“Absolute Verhoeven,” World of Reel’s Jordan Ruimy said. “Erotic, violent, religiously sinful and absurdist. You have never seen a movie quite like this one. It’s a feminist take on Christ. If Virginie Efira doesn’t win Best Actress then there is no God.”
Fandango’s Brian Formo added: “Is ‘Benedetta’ one of Paul Verhoeven’s best? No. But is it one of his most subversive? Absolutely. It’s a riot. Let yourself be surprised. It makes sense that it’s released same day in France as #Cannes premiere. ‘Lesbian nuns’ is only the half of it.”
“Benedetta” is an erotic drama directed by Verhoeven about a young nun in 17th century Italy who carries on an affair with another nun,...
“Absolute Verhoeven,” World of Reel’s Jordan Ruimy said. “Erotic, violent, religiously sinful and absurdist. You have never seen a movie quite like this one. It’s a feminist take on Christ. If Virginie Efira doesn’t win Best Actress then there is no God.”
Fandango’s Brian Formo added: “Is ‘Benedetta’ one of Paul Verhoeven’s best? No. But is it one of his most subversive? Absolutely. It’s a riot. Let yourself be surprised. It makes sense that it’s released same day in France as #Cannes premiere. ‘Lesbian nuns’ is only the half of it.”
“Benedetta” is an erotic drama directed by Verhoeven about a young nun in 17th century Italy who carries on an affair with another nun,...
- 7/9/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
You probably won’t be shocked to hear that Paul Verhoeven’s erotic drama about the relationship between two horny nuns in a 17th century Italian convent — a sacrilegious affair that became one of modern Western civilization’s earliest documented instances of lesbianism after a parish scrivener wrote about it in his diary with curiously exacting detail — isn’t quite the restrained sapphic romance that period films like “Carol,” “Ammonite,” and “The World to Come” have popularized in recent years. On the contrary, “Benedetta” is a movie in which the abbess of a convent gets fucked by a wooden statue of Jesus that someone has whittled into a dildo for her. The director of “Robocop,” “Showgirls,” and “Starship Troopers” has never had much use for subtlety or unspoken yearning, and his unholy adaptation of Judith C. Brown’s history book “Immodest Acts” feels closer in spirit to “The Devils” than...
- 7/9/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
He shocked the Netherlands in the ’70s and ’80s and scandalized Hollywood in the ’90s. Now Paul Verhoeven is bringing his lesbian nun saga to Cannes. What could go wrong?
From the moment he gave up academia for filmmaking, director Paul Verhoeven has been a maverick disruptor, mixing sex and violent imagery in his provocative early Dutch films, then taking the formula to the U.S. with a run of shocking and subversive ’90s Hollywood blockbusters that included RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers. Now, he’s adding the historical repression of religion to the mix with Benedetta, a French-language film he’ll premiere in Competition at Cannes. Starring Virginie Efira, it’s the true story of a Sister Benedetta Carlini, a 17th Century abbess whose claims of mystical visions and miracles were investigated by the Catholic church in a trial that...
From the moment he gave up academia for filmmaking, director Paul Verhoeven has been a maverick disruptor, mixing sex and violent imagery in his provocative early Dutch films, then taking the formula to the U.S. with a run of shocking and subversive ’90s Hollywood blockbusters that included RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers. Now, he’s adding the historical repression of religion to the mix with Benedetta, a French-language film he’ll premiere in Competition at Cannes. Starring Virginie Efira, it’s the true story of a Sister Benedetta Carlini, a 17th Century abbess whose claims of mystical visions and miracles were investigated by the Catholic church in a trial that...
- 7/8/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Verhoeven has made a career out of pushing cinematic boundaries, particularly when it comes to depicting sex or violence on screen.
In films like “Basic Instinct” and “Showgirls,” he battled the ratings boards, while blockbusters like “Total Recall” and “Robocop” popularized R-rated action. All that changed in the aughts, as Hollywood abandoned those projects, sanded down the edges of commercial movies, and replaced ice-pick wielding serial killers with caped superheroes that appeal to a-all-four quadrants. But Verhoeven endured, turning his attention to European films such as “The Black Book” and “Elle” and earning the critical respect that often evaded him in the 1990s. He’s back in Cannes this year with “Benedetta,” the story of a lesbian affair between nuns in 17th century Italy. The film will be released in the U.S. by IFC Films.
Why did you want to make “Benedetta”?
You don’t know why you...
In films like “Basic Instinct” and “Showgirls,” he battled the ratings boards, while blockbusters like “Total Recall” and “Robocop” popularized R-rated action. All that changed in the aughts, as Hollywood abandoned those projects, sanded down the edges of commercial movies, and replaced ice-pick wielding serial killers with caped superheroes that appeal to a-all-four quadrants. But Verhoeven endured, turning his attention to European films such as “The Black Book” and “Elle” and earning the critical respect that often evaded him in the 1990s. He’s back in Cannes this year with “Benedetta,” the story of a lesbian affair between nuns in 17th century Italy. The film will be released in the U.S. by IFC Films.
Why did you want to make “Benedetta”?
You don’t know why you...
- 7/7/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Erotic thriller set to world premiere in Competition at Cannes.
IFC Films has secured North American rights to Paul Verhoeven’s erotic drama Benedetta, which is set to premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in July.
The deal was struck with Pathé International, which is handling world sales, and IFC Films plans to release the film this year. The film will receive its world premiere at Cannes on July 9 and release in French cinemas on the same day. Mubi acquired UK-Ireland rights earlier this week.
Originally slated to debut at the cancelled 2020 Cannes Film Festival, Benedetta will now...
IFC Films has secured North American rights to Paul Verhoeven’s erotic drama Benedetta, which is set to premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in July.
The deal was struck with Pathé International, which is handling world sales, and IFC Films plans to release the film this year. The film will receive its world premiere at Cannes on July 9 and release in French cinemas on the same day. Mubi acquired UK-Ireland rights earlier this week.
Originally slated to debut at the cancelled 2020 Cannes Film Festival, Benedetta will now...
- 5/27/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has struck early, nabbing North American rights to “Benedetta” ahead of the erotic thriller’s premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film has drawn interest from a number of distributors due in part to its pedigree. “Benedetta” is directed by a master of the form, Paul Verhoeven, who previously oversaw “Basic Instinct,” “Total Recall” and “Black Book.” It marks Verhoeven’s first directorial effort since his 2016 film “Elle,” which premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and earned an Oscar nomination for its star Isabelle Huppert.
According to the official description, “Benedetta” entangles sexuality, religion, and human ambition in its story of a young novitiate in 17th century Italy who begins an affair with another nun. With plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini (Virginie Efira) joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany. Tormented by religious and erotic visions and capable from an early age of performing miracles,...
The film has drawn interest from a number of distributors due in part to its pedigree. “Benedetta” is directed by a master of the form, Paul Verhoeven, who previously oversaw “Basic Instinct,” “Total Recall” and “Black Book.” It marks Verhoeven’s first directorial effort since his 2016 film “Elle,” which premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and earned an Oscar nomination for its star Isabelle Huppert.
According to the official description, “Benedetta” entangles sexuality, religion, and human ambition in its story of a young novitiate in 17th century Italy who begins an affair with another nun. With plague ravaging the land, Benedetta Carlini (Virginie Efira) joins the convent in Pescia, Tuscany. Tormented by religious and erotic visions and capable from an early age of performing miracles,...
- 5/27/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Subversive period drama set to play in Competition at Cannes.
London-based streaming platform and distributor Mubi has secured all UK-Ireland rights to Paul Verhoeven’s period drama Benedetta, which is set to premiere in Competition at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in July.
The deal was struck with Pathé International, which is handling world sales, and Mubi plans to release the film theatrically. The film will receive its world premiere at Cannes on July 9 and release in French cinemas on the same day.
Inspired by true events, Benedetta is set in the late 17th century and stars Virginie Efira as...
London-based streaming platform and distributor Mubi has secured all UK-Ireland rights to Paul Verhoeven’s period drama Benedetta, which is set to premiere in Competition at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in July.
The deal was struck with Pathé International, which is handling world sales, and Mubi plans to release the film theatrically. The film will receive its world premiere at Cannes on July 9 and release in French cinemas on the same day.
Inspired by true events, Benedetta is set in the late 17th century and stars Virginie Efira as...
- 5/25/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
In today’s Global Bulletin, U.K.’s National Theatre filmed plays to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland; Mubi boards U.K., Ireland rights for Paul Verhoeven’s Cannes title “Benedetta”; Anton Corbijn directs Sergei Polunin ballet documentary “Dancer II”; Banff sets indigenous screen industry summit; Bild Studios and Lux Machina form Virtual Production partnership; and the third season of International Emmy-winning series “Bluey” will premiere globally on Disney.
Four stage productions filmed by the U.K.’s National Theatre will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland from June 11.
The productions include “Frankenstein,” directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, in which joint Olivier Award winners Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of the creature and Victor Frankenstein; “Fleabag,” written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; and “Hamlet” with Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Lyndsey Turner.
Four stage productions filmed by the U.K.’s National Theatre will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. and Ireland from June 11.
The productions include “Frankenstein,” directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, in which joint Olivier Award winners Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of the creature and Victor Frankenstein; “Fleabag,” written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; and “Hamlet” with Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Lyndsey Turner.
- 5/25/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Marlon Brando and Willy Kurant on the set of The Night of the Following Day (1969). The great Belgian cinematographer Willy Kurant has died. During his illustrious career, Kurant worked on films including Agnès Varda's The Creatures, Jean-Luc Godard's Masculin Feminin, and Orson Welles' The Immortal Story. David Cronenberg has confirmed the title of his next feature film, Crimes of the Future. Sharing the same title as his film from 1970, the film is set to star Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux, and Viggo Mortensen.Robert Haller, the Anthology Film Archives Director of Libraries, has also died. As Afa points out in its tribute to Haller, "with 35 years at Anthology all told, only Afa’s founder Jonas Mekas could claim seniority over Haller!" After more than 100 years, Technicolor Post has announced its integration into Streamland Media's postproduction services,...
- 5/5/2021
- MUBI
At long last, a new film from Paul Verhoeven will premiere this year. Following his stellar Isabelle Huppert-led Elle, he’s directed Benedetta, which tells the story of a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She develops a romantic love affair with a fellow nun assigned to help her through the visions.
Starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphné Patakia, and Lambert Wilson, the film has now been confirmed to premiere at Cannes Film Festival in competition and the first trailer has arrived. While a U.S. release hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’ll land in France on July 9. Based on a book by Judith C. Brown, the writer Gerard Soeteman distanced himself from the project due to the extreme sexual aspects of the film, so consider our anticipation at a fever pitch this year.
Watch the trailer below and check out the restoration trailer...
Starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphné Patakia, and Lambert Wilson, the film has now been confirmed to premiere at Cannes Film Festival in competition and the first trailer has arrived. While a U.S. release hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’ll land in France on July 9. Based on a book by Judith C. Brown, the writer Gerard Soeteman distanced himself from the project due to the extreme sexual aspects of the film, so consider our anticipation at a fever pitch this year.
Watch the trailer below and check out the restoration trailer...
- 5/5/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
French-language production stars Virginie Efira as a controversial 17th century nun.
Pathé International has confirmed that Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, starring Virginie Efira as a controversial 17th century nun, has been selected in Competition for this year’s Cannes Film Festival (July 6-17).
The company, which is handling world sales on the feature, released a poster and trailer for the film on Wednesday (May 5). Its parent company Pathé Films is producing the feature alongside Saïd Ben Saïd at Paris-based Sbs Productions and will release the film in France.
It joins Leos Carax’s Annette, which has been announced as the opening film,...
Pathé International has confirmed that Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, starring Virginie Efira as a controversial 17th century nun, has been selected in Competition for this year’s Cannes Film Festival (July 6-17).
The company, which is handling world sales on the feature, released a poster and trailer for the film on Wednesday (May 5). Its parent company Pathé Films is producing the feature alongside Saïd Ben Saïd at Paris-based Sbs Productions and will release the film in France.
It joins Leos Carax’s Annette, which has been announced as the opening film,...
- 5/5/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Project was previously titled Blessed Virgin.
France’s Pathé Films and Sbs Productions have revealed a first image of Virginie Efira in the starring role of a controversial 17th Century Italian nun in Paul Verhoeven’s upcoming feature Benedetta.
The film, which was originally announced in 2017 with the title of Blessed Virgin, explores the rise and fall of the colourful figure of Benedetta Carlini, an abbess in 17th Century Tuscany.
Carlini rose through the ecclesiastical ranks on the back of her claims that she was seeing visions and had also developed the stigmata – wounds corresponding to those of Jesus Christ...
France’s Pathé Films and Sbs Productions have revealed a first image of Virginie Efira in the starring role of a controversial 17th Century Italian nun in Paul Verhoeven’s upcoming feature Benedetta.
The film, which was originally announced in 2017 with the title of Blessed Virgin, explores the rise and fall of the colourful figure of Benedetta Carlini, an abbess in 17th Century Tuscany.
Carlini rose through the ecclesiastical ranks on the back of her claims that she was seeing visions and had also developed the stigmata – wounds corresponding to those of Jesus Christ...
- 8/29/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Oscar-nominee Charlotte Rampling is attached to join the cast of Elle and Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven’s upcoming steamy thriller Blessed Virgin, I can reveal. Rampling is being lined up for a key supporting role alongside Virginie Efira (Elle), Lambert Wilson (The Matrix Reloaded) and rising Belgian-Greek actress Daphne Patakia (Djam).
Pathé handles international sales and French distribution on the anticipated French-language drama, which reteams Elle duo Verhoeven and Belgian actress Efira. The latter stars as Benedetta Carlini, a novice nun capable of performing miracles, who joins an Italian convent in the late 17th century, as plague is ravaging the land. While at the convent she begins a love affair with another woman. Script comes from Verhoeven and his Elle co-writer David Birke.
The feature, which mixes religion and erotica, is an adaption of Judith C. Brown’s academic work Immodest Acts: The Life Of A Lesbian Nun...
Pathé handles international sales and French distribution on the anticipated French-language drama, which reteams Elle duo Verhoeven and Belgian actress Efira. The latter stars as Benedetta Carlini, a novice nun capable of performing miracles, who joins an Italian convent in the late 17th century, as plague is ravaging the land. While at the convent she begins a love affair with another woman. Script comes from Verhoeven and his Elle co-writer David Birke.
The feature, which mixes religion and erotica, is an adaption of Judith C. Brown’s academic work Immodest Acts: The Life Of A Lesbian Nun...
- 5/1/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The film stars Belgian actress Virginie Efira.
France’s Pathé Films and Sbs Productions announced today (Feb 16) that Paul Verhoeven’s highly-anticipated feature Blessed Virgin will start shooting this August.
The Dutch director is re-teaming with Paris-based producer Saïd Ben Saïd and Belgian actress Virginie Efira, following their collaboration on his Isabelle-Huppert-starring revenge thriller Elle.
It is the third collaboration between Verhoeven and Pathé Films after Showgirls and Black Book.
The feature is an adaption of Judith C. Brown’s academic work Immodest Acts: The Life Of A Lesbian Nun In Renaissance Italy about controversial 17th century abbess Benedetta Carlini.
Efira – who played a devout Catholic wife in Elle – will star as Carlini.
The rest of casting is still in progress.
Having entered a convent in the Tuscan town of Pescia as a child, Carlini rose-up the ranks, propelled by her claims of a series of lurid mystic visions and the appearance of stigmata on her body.
But...
France’s Pathé Films and Sbs Productions announced today (Feb 16) that Paul Verhoeven’s highly-anticipated feature Blessed Virgin will start shooting this August.
The Dutch director is re-teaming with Paris-based producer Saïd Ben Saïd and Belgian actress Virginie Efira, following their collaboration on his Isabelle-Huppert-starring revenge thriller Elle.
It is the third collaboration between Verhoeven and Pathé Films after Showgirls and Black Book.
The feature is an adaption of Judith C. Brown’s academic work Immodest Acts: The Life Of A Lesbian Nun In Renaissance Italy about controversial 17th century abbess Benedetta Carlini.
Efira – who played a devout Catholic wife in Elle – will star as Carlini.
The rest of casting is still in progress.
Having entered a convent in the Tuscan town of Pescia as a child, Carlini rose-up the ranks, propelled by her claims of a series of lurid mystic visions and the appearance of stigmata on her body.
But...
- 2/16/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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