Category: Entertainment

Almost exactly a year ago, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Wagner Moura and the large cast and crew behind “The Secret Agent” turned the famed Cannes Film Festival red carpet into an impromptu carnaval parade courtesy of renowned Pernambuco frevo group Guerreiros do Passo. That homage to the rich culture of Pernambuco mirrored the four-time Oscar-nominated film’s ode to the state capital of Recife, which, thanks to Mendonça Filho and other major exponents such as Gabriel Mascaro and Marcelo Gomes, plus a talented — and hungry — new generation, has solidified itself as a hotpot of film talent in Brazil. 

Speaking at the opening of the Projeto Paradiso Talent Network National Meeting, held this year in Recife, the Secretary of Culture of Pernambuco, Cacau de Paula, said the state of Pernambuco is a “direct part” of Brazil’s historical film momentum over the last two years. “Our cinema is over a century old and so rich. We had a historical year with ‘The Blue Trail’ and ‘The Secret Agent,’ it’s a great moment from cinema from Pernambuco and a great opportunity to share our landscapes, our creativity, our people, our way of speaking with the world.” 

At the end of March, Recife held the National Meeting for Regional Audiovisual Incentives, organized by Brazil’s national setorial fund (FSA). Key industry figures from across the country gathered at the imposing São Luiz Cinema, which can be seen at length in “The Secret Agent,” to sign 41 terms of cooperation between federal, state and local governments. Pernambuco was granted R$24,6 million ($5 milion), with R$20 million ($4 million) coming from the federal government through the FSA and the remainder from the state through Adepe. 

“We from the government of Pernambuco are immensely proud of our cinema and renewed public incentive policies,” she added. “We are witnessing a rich period following the Paulo Gustavo Law, regional incentives, and with more to come soon. Culture Minister Margareth Menezes was [in Recife] recently to launch regional incentives, a key initiative during such a rich moment for Brazilian cinema, where we are successfully uniting creativity and public support to generate new opportunities. To see all of you here is to see the future we want for our cinema. We are seeing the cinema of tomorrow, respecting our past and our traditions.”

Cinema from Pernambuco, and Recife specifically, has a long, century-old tradition. In the 1920s, the Recife Cycle (Ciclo do Recife) was a pioneering movement in silent cinema and one of the most productive crops of the century in the country, producing 13 features in 8 years. Towards the end of the ’90s the early 2000s, Recife housed another crucial film movement, with seminal films such as Lírio Ferreira and Paulo Caldas’s “Perfumed Ball” (1996), Marcelo Gomes’s “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures” (2005) and Marcelo Gomes and Karim Aïnouz’s “I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You” (2009). 

The next generation was already impacted by the introduction of regional film funds towards the end of 2007. Between 2007 and 2011, cinema from Pernambuco saw investment increase by more than 500%, rising from R$2,1 million ($450,000) to R$11,5 million ($2.3 million), which tripled the number of local producers. Films released right after this jump include Mendonça Filho’s fiction feature debut “Neighboring Sounds” and Gabriel Mascaro’s “August Winds.” 

Now, Mascaro and Mendonça, just off the back of major international successes with “The Secret Agent” and “The Blue Trail,” are in their very own moment of passing the torch to the next generation of filmmakers.

“Kleber’s arrival at the Oscars, as well as Gabriel’s trajectory over the last year, are very good thermometers of how the international market perceives our output, and it helps boost other local filmmakers,” says producer Thaís Vidal, of Filmes do Atlântico. Vidal is currently in post-production on “Paraíso de Mujeres,” by Argentinian director Karina Flomenbaum in co-production with Nevada Cine, and financing for “Amazon Dream,” by Andrew Sala. She’s also working on her directorial debut, “Absence Sensor,” a Brazil-France co-production with Socle, Vitrine Filmes, Moçambique and Filmes do Atlântico.

Legendary Recife producer João Vieira Jr. of Carnaval Filmes tells Variety that his home city is “bearing the fruits of decades of collective work.” “We were a generation that decided, at the end of the ’90s, that it was possible to make quality cinema in Recife without asking for permission from the Rio-São Paulo axis. ‘Perfumed Ball’ opened that door, then ‘Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures’ went to Cannes and ‘I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You’ went to Venice.”

“Each of these steps proved that cinema from Pernambuco is not a regional phenomenon; it is a cinema with its own language that can be in dialogue with the world. What we are experiencing today is the consolidation of a work that has been conducted for a long time,” adds Vieira Jr., who is currently in post-production with “Correnteza” (“River Flow”) written by Wislan Esmeraldo, screenwriter of “Motel Destino,” and Hilton Lacerda (“Tattoo”), and about to wrap shooting for “Madrugada,” by Armando Praça (“Greta”), which was shot entirely at night in the Recife city centre. 

When talking to local filmmakers, one unanimous sentiment is pride over the sense of community built by the industry in Recife. At the beginning of the century, the sense of isolation from the industry hub of the Southeast, plus the lack of structured funding opportunities, led producers, directors and writers to band together to get films made. Two decades later, the Bolsonaro government, followed by the pandemic, replicated this need for a strong union to a younger generation. 

“We had collectives and, with them, possibilities of working on each other’s films, wearing different hats, exchanging feedback… At that time, scarcity acted as a driving force for collaboration,” says Emilie Lesclaux, the French producer based in Recife who landed a historic best picture Oscar nomination for “The Secret Agent” earlier this year. 

“When I shot my first feature 22 years ago, we did not have a film school,” echoes veteran Marcelo Gomes. “Only two or three feature films had been made in Recife in a period of 30 years. So we brought in heads of departments from other states, but we made a point of taking in several interns and paying it forward. Several people who worked on our sets went on to make films of their own, like Gabriel Mascaro, Juliano Dornelles and Pedro Sotero.”

“Pernambuco was the first state in Brazil to open a public call for projects, and that was only because we were very united as artists and we pressured the government,” he emphasizes. “This allowed us to build a very tight creative network, built upon a sense of solidarity. In Rio, things are very fragmented; the city is much bigger.”

Mendonca Filho says something similar, remarking that when he was making “Neighboring Sounds” he was “pressured to hire a big name as a cinematographer” but chose newcomer and friend Pedro Sotero. “Today, he is one of the great Brazilian cinematographers. These decisions are technical, but also affectionate.”

The Golden Globe-winning filmmaker remarks how, just last week, five creatives from Pernambuco were awarded Platino Awards for their work in “The Secret Agent”: Tomaz Alves Souza and Mateus Alves for original score, Thales Junqueira for production design and Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Faria for editing. “It only reiterates the notion that you can make great cinema in Recife. It’s crazy that it would even be up for discussion in 2026.”  

Writer-director Karkará Tunga, who is currently working on his directorial feature debut “Batoki: Noite Sem Lua,” recalls being part of the inaugural class of graduates from Recife’s first film school, another watershed moment for the city’s film community. “When I arrived in Pernambuco and saw the level of public funding available, I understood it was possible to make films here,” points out the creative, whose family is from Pernambuco but was raised in São Paulo, a reality faced by many second-generation filmmakers born in families who’ve left the Northeast for the Southeast in the ’80s and ’90s. 

“We are still a way to go when it comes to Indigenous and Black filmmakers accessing these resources, but there is a sense of possibility,” adds Tunga. “I was part of the first class of students to graduate from the local film school, and I could see a much more diverse group of filmmakers coming right after me. The film school generation challenged this hegemony to create a strong sense of community and nurture the desire to build a new cinema. One that feels much more concrete today than six years ago, when the Bolsonaro government decimated our public structures.”

Despite all the many positives, like everywhere else in the world, there are still challenges plaguing the local industry. “Our disadvantages are structural,” says Vieira Jr. “We are far away from the financing hubs, lack quality screening rooms away from the capital cities, and heavily depend on federal financing open calls directly tied to the unsteady rhythms of Brazil’s cultural policies. We’ve learnt to be resilient, but we deserve more, and we know how to ask for it.”

“I also hope we as artists continue to pressure the government to promote cinema and to cultivate audiences,” echoes Gomes. “We need fresh audiences, we need films made in Recife to be seen across Brazil.”

Producer Wandryu Figueredo do Nascimento, who is currently working on “Ontem Foi Dia 22 de Junho,” points out that Recife needs more training centers and development opportunities. “Our neighboring state of Ceará has incredible labs, workshops, and established training programs for writers,” continues the producer. “We only have the film school and film festivals to rely on. The Ceará Film Commission is also way ahead of our newly inaugurated Recife Film Commission, but we are hopeful it’ll get there.” 

“For something like [‘The Secret Agent’] to happen again, we need a local policy to build bridges between local production companies and the international market, promoting the participation of Pernambuco producers at big co-production platforms,” remarks Vieira Jr. “It is not enough to make extraordinary films, we need producers to have a seat at tables where decisions are made.”

Lenny Pearce, the creator of Toddler Techno and Baby Raves, has signed a music and content development deal with Disney.

Under the deal, Disney Music Group will release Pearce’s next album, “Disney Jr. Music: Lenny Pearce Toddler Techno” on May 15, featuring remixed songs from the Disney Jr. catalog. The first remixed single, “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme (Toddler Techno Remix)”, will be available April 24. Pearce will also develop animated content inspired by the Toddler Techno remixes.

“I had so much fun remixing these songs in my studio,” Pearce said. “My 3-year-old daughter loves these shows, especially ‘SuperKitties,’ so it made the whole project extra special. Certainly, a proud dad moment. Disney were such a pleasure to work with, from audio to music videos the whole process was incredibly seamless.”

Other songs to be featured on the album include remixes of the theme from “Sofia the First: Royal Magic,” “Hot Dog!” from “Mickey Mouse Clubouse,” and the theme from “Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends.”

“Music has always been a powerful way for kids to engage with our stories,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “Lenny has tapped into that in a really fresh way, taking songs kids already love and reimagining them in new ways. This collaboration lets us build on that connection, bringing some of our biggest stars like Mickey, Spidey and SuperKitties into new music experiences for kids to enjoy on Disney+.”

Pearce launched Toddler Techno in 2024 and has taken it to a global stage. He has released multiple albums and gone on multiple sold-out concert tours. He is set to play shows across the United States, Canada, and the U.K. in the coming months.

“Having seen Lenny’s concert in person, it’s clear he’s built something special—an experience where families connect through music in a fun, modern way,” said Ken Bunt, president of Disney Music Group. “We’re excited to bring that same energy to Disney Jr.’s songs and give families a new way to enjoy them together live and at home.”

We go to a pop-music biopic to re-experience the power and glory of a star we love. We also want to tap into a feeling of discovery — to see that artist up close and personal in a way that we hadn’t quite before. Yet Michael Jackson may be a special case. He grew up in the limelight, a global pop superstar from the age of 10, and when he moved into adulthood and launched his career as a solo artist, he became the most obsessively scrutinized pop idol of his time. His staggering genius, his elfin but cagey personality, his cosmetic surgery, his troubled family ties, his fabled eccentricities: All of it was covered like a biopic in real time.

Michael Jackson was — and remains — the most transcendent pop-music artist since the Beatles, and that means it’s almost inevitable that “Michael,” Antoine Fuqua’s lavishly conventional biopic, is going to deal with drama, both onstage and off, that’s already extravagantly familiar. Since the movie avoids any reference to the child-sexual-abuse allegations that dogged Jackson starting in 1993 (allegations that have only grown more prominent since his death in 2009), you could say that that leaves “Michael” with a hint of a void at its center. Simply put, this is not a movie about Michael Jackson’s dark side.

Yet the surprise of “Michael” is how well it plays, and what an engrossing middle-of-the-road biopic it is. It’s basically an ’80s-TV-movie version of the Michael Jackson story with sharper acting and snazzier photography. It trots out the greatest hits of his career, from the “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” video to his epochal performance of “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25th anniversary special, and winnows his inner demons down to just one demon — Joe Jackson, his hard-bitten hustler of a father, played under heavy prosthetics by Colman Domingo as the domestic Svengali monster Michael fought to liberate himself from. The movie is full of montages that use Jackson’s hits in an obvious fan-servicey ear-candy way. It’s got a boisterous cameo by Mike Myers as CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff, for the inevitable scene in which Michael pushes Yetnikoff into strong-arming MTV to show Michael’s videos.

Yet if you zero in on what’s standard about “Michael,” or what the movie leaves out, you may miss the compelling urgency of what it gets in: Michael Jackson’s journey to become himself by freeing himself from the past. I think audiences are going to embrace that journey, and “Michael” itself, in a major way.

What holds the movie together and gives it meaning is the deft command and high sizzle of Jaafar Jackson’s performance. Jaafar, the 29-year-old son of Jermaine Jackson, is Michael Jackson’s nephew, and he has never acted in a movie before. But does he ever nail the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves — and, more than that, the mixture of delicacy and steel that made Michael who he was. Jaafar isn’t as beautiful a camera object as Michael (in the same way that Austin Butler wasn’t as divine-looking as Elvis), but his slightly more earthbound cuteness allows him to play up Michael’s vulnerability. And the movie, in its rather familiar way, conducts the electricity of Michael Jackson. It shows you how, like Brian Wilson or Little Richard, he was an artist of vision shaped by his wounds.

The film starts in the living room of the Jackson family home in Gary, Indiana, in 1966, where Joe is putting his five sons through the paces of a rehearsal as if it were a military hazing ritual. Joe is the coach and the manager, the one who believes that his boys can lift the Jackson family out of the lower-middle-class doldrums that would otherwise be their fate as Black Americans. Joe has a dream — the American Dream. But another way to put that is that the Jackson 5, led by Michael and his mini James Brown moves and unprecedented soprano soul virtuosity (no child in history has sung with that adult phrasing), are going to be his meal ticket. Joe is hardest on Michael, who he beats with his belt. There’s no ambiguity about what this is (it’s child abuse), but what’s even more wrenching is that Juliano Valdi plays the young Michael as a sweet kid who’s too sensitive to relate to other children. That’s why celebrity fulfills him. It makes his “specialness” into his very identity.

Having captured the rise of the Jackson 5, “Michael” cuts to 1978, when Michael teams up with the producer Quincy Jones (Klendrick Samson) to record “Off the Wall.” Jamaal Jackson gets Michael’s tentative high sugary voice just right, but he also shows us how that famous personality evolves. When Michael starts turning the Jackson home in Encino into a menagerie, filling it with a llama and a giraffe and Bubbles the chimp, those critters are Michael’s only friends, but they also express his inner aggression. At a law office, Michael bonds with John Branca (Miles Teller), a shaggy-haired entertainment lawyer who once repped the Beach Boys and Neil Diamond, and he immediately instructs Branca to fire Joe as his manager, which Branca does with a one-sentence termination notice delivered via fax. This gives Michael the emotional space to conceive and record “Thriller.”

There’s a terrific sequence where Michael goes into an L.A. club, with real gang-bangers, and draws the choreography for the “Beat It” video out of their moves. He wants a dance-pop aesthetic that channels the anger of reality; that will become his trademark. Yet even as Michael takes control of his life and his image (we see him get a nose job — though, in fact, he had more cosmetic enhancement at the time than that, and the film writes off all his skin lightening to vitiligo), the specter of his domineering father looms. After “Thriller” launches the age of Michael mania, Joe cuts a deal with Don King (Deon Cole), behind Michael’s back, for Michael to go on tour with the Jackson 5. Michael’s deal with Pepsi is part of that, and the film’s portrayal of the horrifying accident that befell him during the filming of a Pepsi commercial — a spark set his hair, and scalp, on fire — makes the trauma feel like an outgrowth of Joe’s karma.

I saw the Victory tour in 1984, and have always felt that it was a mistake for Michael to rejoin his brothers. Yet in the movie, watching Michael’s incandescent onstage performance of “Human Nature,” we see how even there he was able to express his sublime artistry. And then…he blows Joe off. Forever. After leaping ahead to an onstage Michael performance of “Bad,” the movie leaves us with the words, “The story continues…” In other words, “Michael” may be the first biopic that’s been set up to be a franchise. Normally, I’d be cynical about that. But if the filmmakers choose to continue Michael Jackson’s story, it will not be just a brand extension but an opportunity: to maybe get into that dark side after all.

Have we got news for you: CNN’s “Have I Got News For You” hosts Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black have all been tapped to host the upcoming Sports, News and Documentary Emmy ceremonies — but individually, on different nights, next month.

Wood will host the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards on Tuesday, May 26, followed by Ruffin hosting the news categories of the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday, May 27. Rounding it up, Black will host the documentary categories of the News & Documentary Emmys on Thursday, May 28.

All three events will take place at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the hosts on Tuesday, as well as recipients for this year’s lifetime achievement honors at all three ceremonies.

At the Sports Emmys, former ESPN president/CEO and former NFL Network president/CEO Steve Bornstein will receive the lifetime achievement award. During the News Emmys, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz will receive the honor. And at the Documentary Emmys, film/TV edtior and documentary producer/director (“Four Little Girls,” “When The Levees Broke”) Sam Pollard will be given lifetime achievement honors.

At ESPN, Bornstein launched ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com. He was also behind the ESPYs and the X-Games before moving to the NFL. He’s now president of the North American division of Genius Sports. Raddatz has covered the State Depaertment, the White House and international wars, has moderated two election debates and is the author of “The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose” and “The Long Road Home—A Story of War and Family.” Pollard received an Oscar nom for “Four Little Girls” and a Peabody and three Emmys for “When The Levees Broke.” Most recently, he was an EP on Netflix’s “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” and EP on the Oscar-nominated “The Perfect Neighbor.”

Wood is host of CNN’s “Have I Got News For You,” based on the long-running UK series; the American adaptation premiered on CNN in September 2024 and launched its fourth season in January. Ruffin and Black are team captains on the show, which airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on CNN and streams the next day on CNN.com, CNN apps and HBO Max.

Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman, J.J. Watt and Charles Barkley are among the on-screen sports talent landing nominations for the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The full list of nominees is led by ESPN, which earned 62 nominations (bolstered by programs including “E60”), and can be found here.

National Geographic‘s “Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller” continues to dominate the News & Documentary Emmy nominations — earning 25 nods this year, followed by PBS’ “Frontline” series, which earned 19 nods. Nat Geo led the pack with 51 nods; see the full list here.

Turkish production powerhouse OGM Pictures has forged a strategic partnership with prominent Spanish outfit Grupo Ganga that is behind Spain’s longest-running prime-time TV series “Remember When.”

Under their deal, the two companies will collaborate to develop scripted projects in Turkey and Spain, “with an initial focus on building a slate of series to be coproduced for linear broadcasters and global streaming platforms,” they said in a statement.

For OGM – which has gained prominence since launching in 2019 thanks to a production portfolio comprising popular Netflix series “The Gift,” “The Taylor,” and “Paper Lives” – the agreement with Grupo Ganga follows the recent launch of an international arm called OGM Pictures that aims to bolster the company’s global ambitions through strategic alliances.

In January OGM hired as its head of international production long-time YellowBird executive Berna Levin whose producing credits include “The Playlist,” “Young Wallander,” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Last year OGM Pictures partnered with Fremantle-owned companies Wildside and The Apartment, and Italian indie Fandango, to produce a Turkish adaptation of Italy’s globally well-received Elena Ferrante adaptation series “My Brilliant Friend,” that is currently in advanced script stage.

The partnership between these two outfits from Turkey and Spain, which are both big players on the global TV market, will involve “both the adaptation of existing formats from each company’s catalogue and the creation of original content tailored for international audiences,” the statement said.

“The collaboration is rooted in a shared ambition to blend distinct narrative sensibilities and production approaches, creating stories that feel both locally authentic and internationally scalable,” it added.

“Bringing together different storytelling traditions creates new opportunities for layered and compelling narratives. Our collaboration with Grupo Ganga reflects our ambition to develop stories that can travel across borders while staying authentic to their roots,” said OGM Pictures chief executive Onur Güvenatam in the statement.

Commented Miguel Angel Bernardeau, founder and general manager of Grupo Ganga: “This union is not just an addition of teams; it is the multiplication of our creative capacity. By joining forces with OGM Pictures, we are in a privileged position to tackle larger-scale projects and international complexity.”

Besides its record-breaking “Remember When,” Grupo Ganga is behind hit procedurals and dramas such as “UCO,” “Desaparecida,” and “HIT.”

Pictured above: Onur Güvenatam (left) and Miguel Angel Bernardeau (right)

One very rarely gets the chance to be in a room with almost two hundred filmmakers from one single country, gathered not to pitch against one another for scarce grants, but to discuss ways of collaborating and understand where their national cinema is headed. This is precisely the offer on the table with the Projeto Paradiso National Talent gathering, which just wrapped a successful third edition, held in the burgeoning film capital of Recife. 

The biannual gathering celebrates the work of the renowned philanthropic initiative, led by the Olga Rabinovich Institute and supporting the Brazilian film sector through talent development, bursary programs, seminars and mentorship. This year’s meeting took place over April 16-18 and saw curated networking sessions, roundtables, and in-conversation events with Kleber Mendonça Filho, producer Emilie Lesclaux and British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. Attendees included Anita Rocha da Silveira (“Medusa”), Nara Normande (“Heartless”), Grace Passô (“Our Secret”), Vitrine Filmes’s Letícia Friedriech and Amazon Studios’ Jaqueline Souza, plus lauded Projeto Paradiso council members Marcelo Gomes (“Dolores”) and Gullane director Debora Ivanov. 

Variety was present at the event and spoke with several attendees to take the temperature of the national industry following two banner years of international success with the country’s first-ever Oscar for Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” and four Oscar nominations for Recife’s very own Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.” From a strong Northeast momentum to a meagre Cannes presence in 2026, read our five takeaways below: 

The Northeast is the moment 

Despite the Northeast of Brazil having a strong cinema tradition, with exponents from Glauber Rocha to Marcelo Gomes and Guel Arraes, for decades, much of the money-churning industry was concentrated in the Southeast — specifically Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Filmmakers from other corners of the country have long voiced frustrations with a lack of access to resources and a certain feeling of segregation regarding available networking initiatives and opportunities. 

The last three years, however, have further solidified the Northeast as a prime talent exporter and a rich creative hub. While renowned regional filmmakers such as Gabriel Mascaro (“The Blue Trail”), Kleber Mendonça Filho (“The Secret Agent”), and Karim Aïnouz (“Motel Destino”) continued their well-established trajectories with successful titles at major festivals, a burgeoning new generation of filmmakers signalled a much-needed sense of continuation and renewal in the region. Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline. 

During the Projeto Paradiso National Talent Meeting, many young filmmakers have voiced their desires to bring untold stories to the big screen and continue to expand a plural idea of Brazilianness through cinema internationally. With more and more film commissions popping up in the Northeast and renewed regional incentives as well as savvy producers with a wealth of co-producing experience, we are about to see many more interesting films coming out of the region. 

Cannes disappointment = new European opportunities 

Last year, Kleber Mendonça Filho brought the frevo from Recife to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet for the world premiere of his competition title “The Secret Agent.” Brazil was also the country of honor at the Marché du Film and brought a record-breaking number of industry attendees to the Croisette. With no Brazilian films announced at the festival this year, the feeling of surprise and disappointment was palpable at the gathering whenever the French fete popped up in conversation. So far, Brazil is only present through co-productions (“Elephants in the Fog” in Un Certain Regard, “Six Months in the Pink Building” in Critics’ Week and “La Perra” in Directors’ Fortnight) with no Brazilian directors scheduled to appear at the event in the official selection or sidebars. 

While the lack of Brazilian titles at Cannes bringing a bitter taste to the start of summer festival season, many producers and directors have emphasized a desire to look beyond the big European triad of Berlin, Cannes and Venice as launching pads. Rotterdam, which has a historic connection to Brazilian cinema, is a long-time darling and favorite, but more and more local talent is shifting their attention to festivals like San Sebastián, Karlovy Vary and Locarno as top choices to launch their films. 

Looking beyond Europe 

Europe still remains the goal for many Brazilian filmmakers when it comes to first sharing their films with audiences, but, more and more, producers are looking outside of Europe and the U.S. when setting up co-productions. Several producers attending the Projeto Paradiso gathering have shown a keen interest in better understanding financing systems in neighboring South American countries, with Chile in particular seen as a strong partner. 

British-Nigerian Akinola Davies Jr., who attended the gathering for a lengthy in-conversation event and a screening of “My Father’s Shadow” at the imposing Cinema São Luiz, opened a local appetite for collaborations with African countries. Black Brazilian filmmakers spoke at length about the opportunities that lie in working within the diaspora, and how African countries offer not only similar cultures but also a felt kinship when it comes to understanding the post-colonial wounds permeating Brazilian society. Currently, there are very few co-productions set up between Brazil and the African continent, so there are still some logistical and bureaucratic hurdles on the way to making it a more common collaboration, but the desire is very much there in the South American country. 

Collaboration over competition 

Towards the end of the weekend, many attendees could be heard saying, “I wish we worked like this in São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro.” This sentiment often punctuated conversations with filmmakers from the Northeast, who have built a thriving industry based on collaboration over competition. While, of course, there is still high competition in the region, makers had to band together in the mid-2000s to figure out how to sustain an industry before incentives, and then again a few years later, once public funds became available and people needed to help one another to understand how to best access what was on the table.  

Projeto Paradiso has also adopted a similar ethos, structuring their talent network meeting around collaboration and knowledge sharing instead of creating a more traditional market event structured around competitive sections. “We want everyone to feel good,” Projeto Paradiso program director Rachel do Valle told Variety. “What other markets would call a pitching session, we call a connection session. It’s a space for talking, but also for listening. We want it to be enjoyable and fun.”

Consistent public funds: key to the future  

You can’t attend an industry event in Brazil without clusters gathering to talk about the country’s public policies and incentives. While filmmakers acknowledge the historic momentum of their national cinema on the international stage, many have voiced concern that the sense of victory might obscure the very real issues still permeating the industry. Key issues include the long-awaited regulation of streaming services, the need for a centralized national film commission, and, perhaps most pressingly, better-structured funding calendars. 

“10 years ago, the Ministry of Culture had specific open calls for debut filmmakers with a regional focus; we no longer have that,” said veteran producer João Vieira Jr. of Carnaval Filmes. “We need to have differentiated open calls: for first or second-time directors, established production companies, rural production companies… It is not a privilege, it is an intelligent way of managing public policies that ensures sustainability.” 

Producer Thais Vidal echoed that thought: “We have a consolidated state fund in Pernambuco, qualified crews and the structure to produce and post-produce in Recife, but we face the same issue that plagues the rest of the country, which is the lack of a fixed national financing calendar. This is needed so we can effectively plan ahead.” 

Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” held the No. 1 spot at the U.K. and Ireland box office for a third weekend, taking £2.6 million ($3.4 million) and lifting its total to £32.9 million ($44.5 million), according to Comscore.

“Project Hail Mary,” distributed by Sony, remained in second place, adding $2.3 million in its fifth frame to reach $41 million.

Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Drama” placed third with $1.6 million in its third weekend, pushing its cumulative total to $10.9 million. Warner Bros.’ “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” was the top new entry in fourth place, debuting with $1.3 million.

Anime Ltd.’s reissue of “Akira” followed in fifth with $1.2 million, while Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Magic Faraway Tree” continued its run in sixth place, adding $1.1 million for a $18.1 million total.

Further down the chart, Miracle Comms’ “Time Hoppers: The Silk Road” debuted in seventh place with $296,000. Trafalgar Releasing’s “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Goyang: Live Viewing” held eighth with $275,000, while National Theatre’s “All My Sons – NT Live 2026” was in ninth place with $265,000 for a $807,000 cumulative.

Rounding out the top 10, Bakrania Media’s “Bhooth Bangla” added $253,000 in its second weekend, bringing its total to $299,000.

Meanwhile, in its fifth weekend, Moviegoers Entertainment’s Bollywood blockbuster “Dhurandhar” The Returns” was at No. 19 with $61,400. With a total of $5.92 million, it has surpassed the $5.91 million earned by “Pathaan” to become the highest grossing Indian film in the territory.

Looking ahead, Universal will look to maintain its dominance with “Michael,” launching wide across 300 locations, while Kazoo Films counters in the family space with “Hitpig!,” also rolling out broadly. A24 adds drama “Mother Mary,” directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, opening across 100-plus sites.

Event cinema remains a key component of the slate, led by Trafalgar Releasing’s “The Magic Flute – ROH, London 2026.” Disney brings “Fight Club” back to cinemas in a 4K restoration, while Dogwoof releases documentary “The Last Spy” and Underground Slate adds “Searching for Satyrus” at the start of the following week.

The specialty and international market is particularly busy. Mubi releases “Submarino” and “Agon,” while Curzon adds “Primavera.” Vertigo Releasing launches “Exit 8,” and BFI Distribution opens “Rose of Nevada,” starring George MacKay and Callum Turner. Bulldog Film Distribution releases “Ultras,” while Tull Stories debuts “The North,” and Metis Films adds “Surviving Earth.”

Further titles include Zee Studios International’s “Ginny Weds Sunny 2,” Miracle/Animitas Cine’s “Olivia,” and Miracle Comms’ “London’s Last Wilderness.”

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the second oldest film festival in the world after Venice, is preparing to celebrate two milestones: 80 years since the first festival, and its 60th edition.

Among the events planned to commemorate the anniversaries is the exhibition titled “KVIFF 60/80 (1946–2026),” in which the festival looks back on its rich history with an exhibition of photographs focusing on its early years, the atmosphere of its pre-1989 editions, important moments and festival guests.

Thirty outdoor panels, located along the path between two of the festival’s iconic venues – the Grandhotel Pupp and the Hotel Thermal – will take visitors on a journey through the festival’s history and allow them to witness the changes it has undergone.

The Out of the Past section will “consist of 20 carefully selected films from previous editions of the festival, which are firmly linked to its history as milestones key to the KVIFF’s identity and reputation,” the festival’s artistic director, Karel Och, said.

The include Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” which screened at the festival in 1947, and Ken Loach’s “Kes,” which won the top prize in 1970. Other films include Emilio Fernández’s “Río Escondido” in 1948, and Konrad Wolf’s “Lissy” from 1957.

The twin-city format of the festival’s first edition will be recalled in the form of a special preview screening of a selected film from this year’s program on July 1 at the historic Municipal Theatre in Mariánské Lázně.

As a gesture of thanks for playwright, author and Czech president Václav Havel’s long-term support and goodwill, the festival is marking what would have been his 90th birthday with a photographic exhibition at the Hotel Thermal commemorating his visits to the festival and his meetings with various representatives of world cinema.

For this and future editions, the Karlovy Vary festival is redesigning the area around the entrance to the Hotel Thermal’s Grand Hall with a new architectural design that will allow audiences to “more intensely experience and share in the festival atmosphere during the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies as well as at festival screenings.” Guest arrivals with live commentary will bring the festival action “closer to visitors and add interesting behind-the-scenes observations.” Screenings in the Grand Hall will offer audiences “a natural opportunity for a glamorous red carpet entrance.”

This year’s edition of the festival will present a gala screening of a digitally restored copy of Věra Chytilová’s tragicomedy “Tainted Horseplay,” which was shot in 1988.

At the center of this generational portrait of thirty-somethings is a group of friends who engage in regular drinking sessions, the occasional borderline prank, and casual sexual adventures – until, that is, the wild and promiscuous Pepe ends up in the hospital.

The group of friends subsequently undergo an anonymous blood test, which shows that one of member of their wild gang is HIV positive. This harsh confrontation with reality leads to a radical crisis of friendship.

Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová will receive the President’s Award at the festival, and in her honor it will screen Juraj Jakubisko’s “Birds, Orphans and Fools,” shot in the turbulent year of 1968. Its three main protagonists – Yorick, Marta, and Andrej – manage to survive in a world full of hopelessness and disillusionment thanks to “foolishness,” light-hearted play, and a philosophy of joy that, in their view, is the only possible path toward happiness.

Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema, a program organized by the Karlovy Vary and European Film Promotion, which has been helping talented European directors start their careers in the film industry since 2015, will return once again.

For the fourth year in a row, the program has been able to expand the opportunities it offers thanks to its partnership with lottery and entertainment company Allwyn, and also by collaborating with U.S. talent agency UTA and Range Media Partners, which provide young filmmakers with expert guidance and the chance to make important contacts.

Karlovy Vary’s programming team selects 10 film school students and graduates for Future Frames from a pool of candidates nominated by member organizations of European Film Promotion. The participating filmmakers present their short and medium-length films at the festival and take part in a mentoring program that includes training, networking and promotion.

This year’s Future Frames will take place from July 5 to 8 at the Hotel Thermal, which will once again host the creative and networking space that is the Allwyn Lounge. Here, participants will attend training sessions and individual meetings with representatives from UTA and Range Media Partners, who will provide them with feedback and subsequently select one director for a residency in Los Angeles sponsored by Allwyn. Last year’s winner was German director Simon Schneckenburger.