First We Feast is preparing to launch a new show in the “Hot Ones” franchise dubbed “Hot One: Game Night,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The new series will be hosted by The Basement Yard’s Joe Santiago and will premiere Sept. 30 at 7 a.m. ET on the First We Feast YouTube channel. The guest in the first episode will be Doctor Mike, with upcoming guests including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frank Alvarez and more.
The official description of the series states “the new show brings the heat of ‘Hot Ones’ to a custom-themed board game. Celebrity guests will roll the dice, move across the board, and take on challenges and questions inspired by their personalities and backstories, winning prizes in the process…As the stakes get higher, Joe and his guests work together to conquer the game. Falling behind comes with a painful consequence: taking on the infamous Wings of Death.”
This marks the latest original series from First We Feast, which includes the smash hit show “Hot Ones,” “Hot Ones Versus,” “Hot Ones Wing Pong,” “Pro Moves,” “Heat Eaters” and more.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of “Hot Ones,” so joining the universe and working with the First We Feast team has been incredible,” said Santagato. “I grew up having game nights with friends and family, so using that as an interview format is so cool to me. You never really know someone until you’ve played a board game with them so you really get to see a new side of these guests when they’re competing and trying to win. I also really appreciate the fact that they trust me as an executive producer because it gives me the opportunity to be involved creatively and help shape the game and each episode. I was so excited when I signed on that I forgot I’d actually have to eat insanely spicy wings every episode. You never really get used to the spice but it’s totally worth it!”
Originally launched in 2012 at Complex Media, First We Feast has grown into a major cultural hub thanks to the popularity of “Hot Ones.” The brand now boasts more than 27 million followers across platforms.
“’Game Night’ marks an exciting new chapter for First We Feast,” said Chris Schonberger, CEO of First We Feast. “For the first time we’ll be welcoming a new host into the Hot Ones cinematic universe. In Joe and his COO Greg Dybec we’ve found our ideal partners—true creative collaborators who share our vision for producing the most innovative celebrity interview formats on the internet.”
It’s officially the last New Music Friday of the summer, and artists did not play when it came to dropping fresh bangers. From A-list names and collaborations to highly anticipated albums, get your playlist ready and let’s have some musical fun.
Maluma & Shakira – AGUA
Shakira and Maluma reunite on “Agua,” their first major collaboration since 2018’s “Clandestino.” It marks their first merengue together, and they did not miss. The Colombian superstars turn up the heat and show off their chemistry and sexual energy in the spicy music video. Shakira looks incredible, per usual, as she flaunts her amazing body and signature dance moves.
CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again..–Sexy Magic
CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, and Fred again come together for “Sexy Magic,” which is featured on the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack. CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso are on fire, scoring 7 nominations at the Latin GRAMMYS, the second most after producer Edgar Barrera.
Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta – Segunda Cita
Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta will have you feeling flirty and ready for date night with “Segunda Cita.” It’s a powerhouse collaboration with all the artists seamlessly blending their sounds. It includes a sweet moment with Micro TDH celebrating their first collab with Piso 21, “Te VI’s” initiation into the billions club on Spotify.
Michelle Maciel – espresso martini
Mexican singer-songwriter Michelle Macielbegins a new chapter with her album La Gloria, a 13-track project that explores love, personal growth, and experimentation while blending corridos, reggaetón, and boleros. The album’s focus track, “Dolencias,” featuring Ana Gloria, brings the two artists together for a fun, dance floor-ready collaboration that highlights Maciel’s ability to move between genres.
Zulia – Birkin
Following the release of his album Ya No Me Importa Si Nadie Me Escucha, Venezuelan rising star Zulia drops “Birkin.” The singer has one of the most unique voices in music, with bold, sensual lyrics, and a smooth sound.
You may also like
Continue reading
Guaynaa- SE PARECE AL PAI
Puerto Rican singer Guaynaa gets into his salsa swag with “SE PARECE AL PAI.” The catchy track has incredible instrumentals, an infectious melody, and lyrics inspired by his own life as a father. It stars his wife, Lele Pons, and their daughter, Eloísa.
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Somos Como Tú
GRAMMY-winning Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela release their new album OurHome. They step into new territory with “Somos Como Tú,” their first-ever song featuring lyrics and vocals. The track explores migration, displacement, and the connections that unite people across cultures, marking a new chapter for the duo as they continue to expand beyond their signature acoustic sound.
Feid, Bad Gyal – DE DIOR XL
After postponing its release, Feid drops his new EP, EL GREEN PRINT: La Saga (Disc 2) – EL CLUB DE LAS 19 FLORES, the next chapter of his Green Print era. It includes collaborations with Vicente García, El Americano 4KT and Pirlo, Divino and Baby Ranks, Icon, Yandel, and Spanish star Bad Gyal.
Elvis Crespo, beele – PA´BAILAR
The one and only Elvis Crespo adds another collaboration with the new generation, this time with Beele. The genre-blending track has merengue, urban, and pop sounds with exciting instrumentals that will have you ready to move your hips.
MILEY – Let’s Get Married
Miley’s highly anticipated album Bass Persuades is here, and it’s beautiful. It’s the first album since dropping Cyrus and shows off the multifaceted sides of the singer. “Let’s Get Married” is a gorgeous track dedicated to her fiancé, Maxx Morando, and comes with an intimate music video starring the couple.
For decades, law-enforcement procedurals have been staples on television, and when they are done well, these series build loyal fanbases that stick with them for years. NBC’s newest drama, “Line of Fire” is from “Quantico” creator Joshua Safran and loosely based on executive producer Jenna Bush Hager’s experiences with the United States Secret Service. The show has all the makings of becoming a classic in the canon of beloved police procedurals. “Line of Fire” follows the Hollingsworth family: Secret Service Agent Mike Hollingsworth (Peter Krause); his estranged wife, U.S. Marshal Jane Hollingsworth (Hope Davis); and their three adult children, FBI Agent Clare Hollingsworth (Kat Cunning), Secret Service Agent Mike “Micah” Hollingsworth Jr. (Tommy O’Brien) and DOJ analyst Russ Hollingsworth (Taylor Bloom). Mike, Jane and their children try to keep things professional, but continually cross personal boundaries because of their agencies’ proximity. Boasting intense family dynamics and several truly intriguing cases, “Line of Fire” has a depth, intensity and a hint of soapiness that works perfectly within the genre.
The 10-episode first season (two episodes were available for review) opens in Crozet, Virginia. A U.S. Marshal, under the guise of being a delivery driver, attempts to track down a missing fugitive. Unfortunately, before the morning breaks, both the Marshal and the outlaw lay dead in the woods. The next day, Jane arrives at the crime scene, determined to figure out what happened. Needing a bit more reach than the Marshals can offer, Jane calls in her daughter, Clare, for her expertise and for the FBI’s resources. Though Clare is eager to help, Jane’s team is not exactly pleased that the FBI is encroaching on her territory. For her part, Clare isn’t thrilled when her mother badgers her about bringing her mysterious new boyfriend to dinner to finally meet the family.
Back in Washington, D.C., Mike is set to finish out his final week at the Secret Service Headquarters before retiring. Yet, he’s increasingly concerned Micah is skirting his professional duties for a personal relationship with Sydney (Savannah Lee Smith), the president’s college-age daughter. Elsewhere, Russell is ready to get his feet wet at the DOJ, but his family’s constant requests complicate his role. Chaos and dysfunction are par for the course for the Hollingsworths. But when a seemingly standard case unearths long-buried secrets that threaten the family’s safety, each person must decide whether their jobs are worth more than the people they love.
From bank robberies to cartel killings and even contending with the First Family’s drama in the White House, all of the cases the Hollingsworths handle are interesting. Still, the Hollingsworth family dynamic anchors “Line of Fire.” Though they’ve been long separated, Jane and Mike have a solid friendship; one that can only be formed after knowing and loving someone intimately for half your life. Not only do the former couple share children, but Mike and Jane also share secrets — shocking ones they keep close to their chests. The siblings, each with unique relationships with their parents and each other, are also well mapped out.
Though only two episodes were available to screen, the family feels well lived-in: a boisterous clan with varied personalities becomes the ecosystem that shapes the series. In the pilot, Mike and the siblings arrive at Jane’s house for a chaotic and hilarious family dinner to meet the beau Clare has avoided introducing them to. Immediately, the audience gets a full sense of who these people are and how this family functions. Yet, that doesn’t make any of the cases sprinkled within the show any less worthwhile. In fact, it makes the conspiracy sitting at the center of “Line of Fire” even more gripping.
“Line of Fire” has all of the essential elements that make procedural dramas so fun. With a stellar cast and some detailed mysteries which will likely stretch across the season (and into the next, assuming there is one), changing the Hollingsworth family dynamic as we know it, it’s clear NBC has a gem on its hands.
“Line of Fire” debuts Sept. 21 on NBC, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Mondays.
John Oliver took a jab at “soon-to-be business daddy” David Ellison on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight.
The HBO show’s host did a deep dive into UnitedHealthCare record of denying customers much-needed health care, starting off by noting that Luigi Mangione is due to be sentenced in December for killing CEO Brian Thompson, an act that many people rejoiced amid their frustration with the company.
Oliver gave several examples of patients who were denied crucial health care, including a cancer patient whose parents ultimately had to fork over $95,000 for due to UHC’s denials.
Here he took the opportunity to take a jab at Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, which is in the process of trying to get regulator approval to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, the current parent company of HBO.
“Now in the end her parents paid $95,000 out of pocket to cover the treatment, which in happy news did actually work, but having access to wealthy parents just cannot be the system to get badly needed healthcare, even if it is apparently the system that lets you be in charge of HBO,” Oliver said, showing a photo of Ellison.
The Hollywood Reporter can unveil a never-before-seen clip from San Sebastián competition feature What Remains.
Turkish filmmaker Yeşim Ustaoğlu returns to the Basque festival following her Golden Shell win in 2008 for Pandora’s Box, which also earned lead actress Tsilla Chelton the Silver Shell for best actress.
With What Remains, premiering on Sept. 22, the prolific director tells the story of Elif, a poet who breaks free from her suffocating life to “reconnect with her inner voice and conscience and allow her creativity to flow again.” A plot synopsis continues: “As she begins to question the conventions of family, identity and the meaning of life, her journey towards self-discovery challenges those around her to reconsider their own lives — taking the whole family in a new direction.”
Turkish star Öykü Karayel plays the protagonist, with Metin Akdülger co-starring as Mehmet, Ali Kayra Kul as Selim and İlyas Salman as Mustafa.
The clip released through THR on Monday — which you can watch below — shows a painful conversation between Elif and Mehmet, where he puts to her: “Do you even love me anymore?”
Ustaoğlu said What Remains began to take shape “precisely when I started asking this question again.” She said that the feature is a personal project: “It grew out of a desire to break free from a sense of suffocation and weariness — one I had begun to witness not only in myself, but in the people around me. A suffocation that traps our lives in a systemic cycle, standardises us, grinds us down, and eventually drains our ability to create. The only way out seemed to be to stop everything, step outside it all, leave, look, and try to understand.”
The Match Factory is handling global sales on What Remains. Mubi, which owns The Match Factory and is a co-producer on the film, has acquired all rights in Turkey. The movie is a Ustaoglu Film production from Turkey, with Luxembourg’s Tarantula, Bulgaria’s RFF International and France’s Cite Films. Mubi is a co-producer alongside Pak Ventures and Yuvision, with What Remains made in collaboration with Istos Film.
The 74th San Sebastián Film Festival runs Sept. 18-26. Watch the clip from What Remains below.
Writer-director Pablo Larraín, best known for his trilogy “Jackie,” “Spencer” and “Maria,” ventures into Argentina for the first time in “My Sad Dead” (“Mis muertos tristes”), based on three stories by Argentinean writer Mariana Enriquez. It stars some of Argentina’s brightest talent, led by Mercedes Moran, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandra Flechner and Carolina Álvarez. Not unlike his 2023 feature “The Count” (“El Conde”), “My Sad Dead” enters into genre territory.
The Netflix four-part miniseries produced by Larraín’s btoher Juan de Dioas Larraón and their label Fabula, was made into a feature version of nearly three hours to vie for the Golden Shell in San Sebastian’s official competition.
The story follows Ema (Moran), a recently retired doctor who can see and hear the dead. She is haunted by her mother’s death and her own unfinished business. When her niece Julie arrives and three teenagers are murdered in the violence-ridden neighborhood of Piedrabuena, something strange begins to spread, tearing apart the fragile boundary between the living and the dead. What was once Ema’s burden becomes everyone’s nightmare. The dead are making themselves heard – and no one can escape their ghosts.
In an interview with Variety in San Sebastian, Larraín and Enriquez held forth on their adaptation, which they co-wrote with Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón, a coscribe on “The Club,” “Neruda” and “El Conde,” and Anastasia Ayazi (“Patagonia”)
Mariana, what inspired you to write these stories? Are they purely sourced from your imagination or inspired by events and people you know?
Enriquez: Like Ema, my mother is a doctor who has worked in a public hospital, and the neighborhood in the book is based on a real neighborhood. It’s different, but quite similar to my idea of the periphery, outside the city, kind of a forgotten place. Many of the violent situations are real situations, distorted a bit to make them more or less fictional. Of course, the woman who can speak to the dead is fictional, but it’s not that far removed from reality.
But these stories of women or people who can speak to the dead – do you actually know people who see them?
Enriquez: My aunt used to see my grandmother everywhere. My mother is very peculiar, she smells things, which is very weird. Like, she would be here, for example, and suddenly smell gasoline. And that means something. Not that the car is going to explode, but the smell isn’t supposed to be there. It’s not a phantom smell. It alerts her that something is going to happen. My aunties are more straightforward, seeing ghosts, that kind of thing.
And how did you come up with the character of the niece who engages in sex with ghosts.
Enriquez: Well, I’m very interested in genre in general. There was a famous movie in the ’80s called ‘The Entity,’ a horror movie where a woman is visited by spirits and has sex with them. You could see the hands touching her in a very cool special effect, but it was not consensual. I remember being very upset watching it and through the years I kept thinking: what if it was consensual? And I started thinking about the saints who said they were married to the Holy Spirit and this idea of a woman being able to touch the other side and actually have a physical relationship with it – not a relationship of fear, but of pleasure, of ecstasy, of sanity, in a way.
Pablo, This is your first time to shoot in Argentina, how was that experience?
Larraín: Of course, Argentina is our neighbor, but growing up, I was always more aware of our differences than our similarities. Then there’s always a moment when things can change. I’ve been to Argentina to travel around the country and I know it quite well, especially Buenos Aires. But doing this, working there, really looking around the city and engaging with local people, the local crews and everybody, I started to understand that the things that are similar are way more than the things that are different. There’s so much in common. It was fascinating. I really felt at home in a way. I know that for foreigners it’s obvious – they look down there in South America and think they must be very similar. But for me, it was a whole process to discover that.
I interviewed Gael Garcia Bernal a few weeks ago who’s worked with you on several films [“No,” “Ema”, “Neruda”] and he said that what he admires about you is your fearlessness in filmmaking – this attitude of, ‘Let’s just go for it. Let’s try. Let’s break it.’ Would you care to comment on that?
Larraín: Well, that’s kind and generous of him. He’s a friend, so I understand that, but I don’t really see it like that. I work with what feels comfortable. For example, when we approached Mariana and said, ‘Would you be okay? Would you join us? Would you want to be part of this adaptation?’ I had really got into her narrative and into the idea of trying to express visually what she wrote somehow. You could call it an adaptation, but there’s something about traveling from the book towards a visual representation that was very relevant.
What did you find the most challenging and interesting aspects of this project?
Larraín: I do think there’s something very beautiful and very unusual about the sound space, the number of things that are relevant for the story that we don’t see, but only hear. It’s massive, very unusual and very challenging, especially knowing that most people will see this on television. Everything that is not in the frame but has a sound that is relevant for the story, is very intriguing to me to work with. I think that was one of the most challenging things: to bring into the sound space things that are never seen in the story.
I think what I really found interesting and maybe discovered later in the process, is that when we talk about dead people and about the memory we have of them and how we experience them – whether we feel them, remember them in dreams, physically see them, or hear them – it’s always from the perspective of the living person.
What I think Mariana has found in this narrative is that now we get to know what the dead are also feeling when they’re claiming their presence and saying, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ They’re also saying, ‘Please, I need your attention.’ And so, it’s interesting because now we get to understand them a little bit more. There’s empathy towards them and I think that’s very gracious.
It’s no longer a secret that Basque cinema is getting some overdue time in the spotlight.
Thanks to an almighty production boom in the region, powered by a whopping 60 percent tax rebate (increasing to 70 percent for projects shot in the Basque language, Euskera), the Basque Country’s film and TV output has never looked so healthy. And the proof is in the pudding: The Hollywood Reporter took an in-depth look at the record 45 nominations for Basque projects at this year’s Goyas, also known as “the Spanish Oscars,” after a decade of concentrated investment.
With San Sebastián’s profile rising exponentially every September, the people working behind the scenes to make sure Basque cinema is capitalizing on every single success are already pushing the next generation of original voices into the festival hot seat. At the 74th edition, a total of 31 titles with Basque production ties — including David Pérez Sañudo’s hotly anticipated competition title The Harvester — will screen across the festival’s many selections. Twelve are documentaries, marking a real moment for Basque docs at this installment. But with award statuettes firmly on the mantel, the Basque region now sets itself the task of sustaining this run of form long-term. The answer? Find and nurture the next generation’s emerging talent.
For example, the debut feature from Nitya López Saitua in Zinemira, Family Drill, a project fuelled by word-of-mouth buzz across northern Spain. “He’s been doing great as a first AD and second AD for so many years,” begins Mar Izquierdo, coordinator of Zineuskadi, a non-profit operating at the epicentre of the Basque film and TV industry, “and everyone was like, ‘But he’s got it. He’s not going to be an AD.’ And we really do hope that with this film, everyone else will be able to see it.”
Izquierdo’s company works strategically to promote the Basque audiovisual sector, partnering with every production output in the region, working alongside the Basque government’s culture department and public broadcaster ETB Basque to help facilitate co-productions, distribution and sales deals, as well as earning key projects coveted slots at the globe’s biggest film festivals and plotting awards campaigns.
One young talent they’ve thrown their support behind is the 30-year-old López, who was in such a hurry to capture the creative process practically spilling out of his head that Family Drill — a co-production with Mubox Studio, who are distributing the film — was shot with just 10 people across three days in his childhood home on the Basque coast. He tells THR: “Iraia Elias and Miguel Garcés [play] my mom and dad and we recreate my parents’ relationship, [leading up to] the last argument that broke the relationship when I was four years old.” It is as deeply personal as it sounds. “This was a way to recreate memories that I didn’t have,” says López, firmly out of AD mode and in full-fledged director mode. “And I think it was very important to free-work on the scenes, without a script.”
Family Drill
San Sebastian Film Festival
López’s determination to start the shoot before he lost that powerful sense of direction in chronicling his parents’ split speaks to the strength of the Basque Country’s storytelling. “We have really great directors here in the Basque Country, and internationally they are [getting] more recognized,” continues the first-time filmmaker. “I have the opportunity of working with many of them, and I love their work, and I’m very proud to be part of the next generation making movies. I think that we are in a great moment [compared to] making movies here 20 years ago.” It used to be the case that, “if [creatives] want to direct, they must go to other places, go to Madrid,” he explains. Here in the region López calls home, there have never been so many reasons to put roots down.
One of his countrymen, Javier Giner, also arrives at the San Sebastián Film Festival with his first movie. This Solitude is premiering in the New Directors section. A debut feature it may technically be, but director-writer Giner has known global success with the International Emmy-winning I, Addict series, based on his own life and struggle with drug addiction. With This Solitude, Giner, who grew up in Bilbao, reacts to the unprecedented impact of that show. “I, Addict was a huge hit in Spain and it dealt with a part of my life where I suffered [with] the illness of addiction,” he says. “After that explosive TV series where I presented myself to the world with no mask, I needed to go back to my childhood, to a very intimate place, a very silent place — much smaller than I, Addict.”
Giner suddenly found himself shooting where he grew up, Bilbao, back to the places and locations that he says “have an emotional resonance” for him. The film, starring Oriol Pla, Marina Salas, Gemma Martínez, Kai Etxaniz and Itziar Lazkano, is a Balance Media Entertainment production, with The Embassy TV and Basajaun Filmak as co-producers, and Filmax handling distribution. “We meet two young people who live in Bilbao, Leo and Lorea, and we follow them through the grief process after they break a five-year-long relationship,” Giner explains. “And I use that journey as an excuse to talk about a lot of things like class, the housing [crisis]. […] Those moments in our lives everyone goes through, in a sense of reconstructing yourself because nothing works around you and you don’t quite grasp who you are [or] what you want.”
He speaks with as much gusto as López, who also, in some way, depicts his Basque youth on screen — a common theme running through many of these films — and seeing fellow regional filmmakers make a name for themselves in recent years only speaks to the urgency of the stories coming out of the Basque Country, according to Giner. “To be honest, it fills me with pride,” he says. “I think movies and filmmakers, when they’re honest with their upbringing and their roots, there’s something very beautiful in it. As an audience member, I love when I discover London through Mike Leigh’s eyes, for example, or I discover parts of the world that I don’t know about through some filmmaker’s eyes.”
Giner says that in the last 10 years, especially, Basque stories have been “very important to tell.” He continues: “I jokingly call This Solitude my very Basque movie, because there’s a reflection of identity in the movie… It tells [you] a lot about the place. And the Basque Country, it’s beautiful. It has beautiful landscapes. It has great possibilities. It is filled with really talented people, both in front of and behind the camera. So, I mean, it fills me with total pride if someone considers me the representation of the Basque Country at this year’s festival.” He is admittedly still pinching himself that he’s here: “It’s incredible. To be honest, a lot of my film education has to do with the San Sebastián Film Festival because when I was a teenager, I used to go from Bilbao to San Sebastián and watch movies.”
López concurs that Basque cinema has its own culture, but also lauds the region’s directors for still being able to make “really universal movies.” And Izquierdo says the variation across the projects this year is particularly exciting for her. “The best thing is we are covering every possible subject,” she says. “We have a biopic for a musical group. We have culinary cinema. We have a French co-production, a coming-of-age [film] within a school. We have everything.”
Basque filmmaker Javier Giner.
San Sebastian Film Festival
And naturally, the festival also serves as something of a springboard for those nail-biting awards runs. “It’s the most important film festival in Spain and one of the [category] A film festivals in the world,” says Giner about what a premiere in San Sebastián can do for one’s Goya hopes. “So it’s definitely a great trampoline. But it’s something that I don’t want to think about because I don’t want to get lost in that narrative and it take away from the pure pleasure of putting a film out there and sharing it with the public.”
Of course, it’s not just Basque filmmakers travelling to shoot here. Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang is presenting Dust in San Sebastián, a short film and exhibition piece as part of his Walker series, which is a Basque co-production. Nanni Moretti made the most of those tempting tax incentives, too, with his last movie It Will Happen Tonight filming in the region before its recent Venice Film Festival premiere, and the Catherine Zeta-Jones starrer Kill Jackie — releasing Oct. 2 — shot extensively across Bilbao. “It’s not only that we continue to have emerging talent, but we are able to co-produce and have A-class films as minority co-producers,” beams Izquierdo.
But she maintains that the most rewarding part of her job is platforming the next generation of Basque filmmakers, who are carving out a path by leading with instinct, leaning into personal storytelling, and celebrating each milestone. “The big names know how to [make] their way through the other festivals,” says Izquierdo. “But some of them need this in order to get the next one — it’s a window of opportunity for them, because otherwise maybe their documentary or small film would be just another small fish in the pond. Here,” she adds, “they get the chance on the big screen, where exhibitors and distributors will be able to notice them.”
The 2026 San Sebastián International Film Festival runs Sep. 18-26.
British South Asian drama “A Teacher’s Gift” has landed U.K. theatrical distribution through Peccadillo Pictures, the independent distributor known for its LGBTQ+ and world cinema output.
The deal confirms the film’s BIFA-qualifying status and puts it in contention for the British Independent Film Awards.
Eric Ollerenshaw produces the film, which was shot in the Midlands with Wolverhampton company New Lion Films co-producing, giving the project a regional footprint outside London. Artur Ribeiro (“Terra Nova”) directs from a script he co-wrote with Rajdeep Choudhury and Will D. Parry.
The film is backed by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and British-South African entrepreneur Richard Murray. Its cast is led by Rajdeep Choudhury (“Simulacra”), Anthony Calf (“The Madness of King George”), Anjali Patil (“Newton”), Paula Lobo Antunes, Dhruv Sehgal, Virgilio Castelo and Varun Buddhadev.
The story unfolds across London and India, centering on Rohan, an ambitious Hindi teacher caught between family expectations and his own wants. A connection forms between him and an older, cultured Englishman over a mutual passion for books and cricket, and their relationship pushes both men toward a reckoning with who they are, cutting across age, culture and convention. The film examines identity, belonging and the ties between generations within Britain’s South Asian community.
“A Teacher’s Gift” has built a substantial festival record ahead of its U.K. release. It premiered at Tribeca Festival Lisboa before playing the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, earning a best feature Film nomination there, and picked up a special mention for best feature film at the BIFA-qualifying Unrestricted View Film Festival. The film went on to its Asian premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and its Latin American premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where it competed for the Premio Maguey.
Peccadillo Pictures’ U.K. theatrical release will bring “A Teacher’s Gift” to cinemas across the country.
Tom Abell, founder of Peccadillo Pictures, said: “‘A Teacher’s Gift’ is exactly the kind of nuanced, globally minded British cinema we’re passionate about bringing to audiences. Artur Ribeiro, Will D. Parry and Rajdeep Choudhury have crafted a tender, quietly radical story that traverses generations, continents and cultures without ever losing sight of its deeply human core. We’re proud to champion this film in U.K. cinemas and thrilled that our theatrical release secures its eligibility as a serious BIFA contender.”
Ollerenshaw said securing U.K. theatrical distribution with Peccadillo Pictures marks another remarkable step for an independent British film, adding, “This release doesn’t just qualify us for the BIFAs, it ensures the film and its story can be experienced on the big screen, where its themes of culture, care and connection really belong.”
“A Teacher’s Gift” is set to open theatrically in the U.K. in mid-November.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, the most prominent film event and market in the Arab world, has canceled its sixth edition that was scheduled to take place from Dec. 3 to 12.
The event will return in the fourth quarter of 2027 with a “renewed vision and a program that continues to celebrate cinema and filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the region and around the world,” according to a press release.
“The decision follows a comprehensive review of a range of considerations relating to the timing of the next edition, including the logistical requirements involved in staging an international event of this scale,” the release continues. “It reflects the [Red Sea Film] Foundation’s commitment to ensuring the Festival takes place at the right time and under the right conditions to deliver the experience for which the Red Sea International Film Festival has become known.”
Earlier this year, the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix auto race, scheduled to take place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit from April 17 to April 19, was canceled due to the fallout from the war in Iran.
Saudi Arabia is currently facing a sharp escalation in its conflict with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have targeted several Saudi cities. Last week, Saudi officials said they had shot down a Houthi drone near Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, which is located roughly 50 miles from Jeddah. The Houthis have been targeting oil production infrastructure in the Saudi kingdom, which supports Yemen’s government, and oil shipments on the Red Sea.
The decision to cancel the fest’s 2026 edition is believed to have been taken by Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan (pictured above).
The Red Sea fest and market was established in 2019, with its inaugural edition taking place in 2020, two years after Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on commercial movie theaters. The event has since grown to become a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a major international film and TV hub, which in turn is touted as a pole of the country’s 2030 strategy aimed at opening the country up and shifting the economy away from a reliance on oil.
Last year’s edition of the Red Sea Fest was also the first one held under the watch of Saudi Arabian film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor, who in May 2025 was appointed CEO of the Red Sea Foundation that oversees the festival as well as the Red Sea Fund and its year-round Red Sea Labs.
The Red Sea Fund and Red Sea Labs will continue despite the festival’s cancellation, Monday’s announcement stated, and year-round programming at Culture Square in Jeddah will be introduced in November to establish it as an “ongoing destination for film screenings, cultural events and specialized film industry programs.”
Sean Baker presided over the jury of a star-studded 2025 edition of the Red Sea Fest that kicked off with Dakota Johnson, Uma Thurman, Ana de Armas, Queen Latifah, Vin Diesel and Michael Caine among stars on the red carpet.
The Red Sea Film Festival’s film market, known as the Red Sea Souk, saw senior executives from major Hollywood players such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney and regional giant MBC head to Jeddah to take part in dozens of panels.
Sitting a year out will allow Red Sea Film Festival to undergo a necessary re-organization following the exit in June of its general manager, former Dubai Film Festival manager Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who had played an instrumental role in building the event from scratch. Her position remains to be replaced.
It is believed that Baltyuor’s vision for the fest going forward clashed with Pandya Malhotra’s mode of operation, according to sources.
Speaking at the recent Lumiere Summit in France, where global industry leader convened to explore the future of film, Baltyuor underlined in a speech that the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation “is not just a festival,” as he put it. “The foundation is building an ecosystem,” the Red Sea chief added, noting that he had just come from the Venice Film Festival where the selection comprised 11 films from the region supported by the Red Sea fund and that there were also eight Arab films supported by the fund in Toronto.
One big question is: where will the Arab films that had been slated to have their regional premieres at Red Sea (that is a prerequisite to get Red Sea funding) now get their Middle East fest launch?
The Marrakech Film Festival, which runs Nov. 20-28 — and also features a robust regional market — will certainly absorb some of these Arab titles. Other options for regional premieres will be the nascent new-format Doha Film Festival that will run Nov. 19-27, almost concurrently to Marrakech. Then there is also Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, running Oct. 15-23, and the Cairo Film Festival slated to take place Nov. 11-20.
Next year, the Red Sea Fest will have to compete with the revived Dubai International Film Festival that will hold its first edition starting Dec. 8, 2027.
Though the Red Sea Fest’s one-year hiatus is certainly bad news for the Arab film industry and for international film executives interested in doing business in Saudi, the pause will allow the event to be properly reconfigured according to the vision of Baltyuor. He has been a driving force in the Saudi film industry ever since a religion-related ban on cinema was lifted in late 2017, holding posts as the first head of Ithra Cinema, which is financed by Saudi Aramco Oil Company, and then by founding and running Saudi distributor CineWaves Films, which has the biggest library of Saudi films, as well as holding the post of CEO at Muvi Studios, the production arm of Saudi’s biggest cinema chain.
It’s officially the last New Music Friday of the summer, and artists did not play when it came to dropping fresh bangers. From A-list names and collaborations to highly anticipated albums, get your playlist ready and let’s have some musical fun.
Maluma & Shakira – AGUA
Shakira and Maluma reunite on “Agua,” their first major collaboration since 2018’s “Clandestino.” It marks their first merengue together, and they did not miss. The Colombian superstars turn up the heat and show off their chemistry and sexual energy in the spicy music video. Shakira looks incredible, per usual, as she flaunts her amazing body and signature dance moves.
CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again..–Sexy Magic
CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, and Fred again come together for “Sexy Magic,” which is featured on the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack. CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso are on fire, scoring 7 nominations at the Latin GRAMMYS, the second most after producer Edgar Barrera.
Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta – Segunda Cita
Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta will have you feeling flirty and ready for date night with “Segunda Cita.” It’s a powerhouse collaboration with all the artists seamlessly blending their sounds. It includes a sweet moment with Micro TDH celebrating their first collab with Piso 21, “Te VI’s” initiation into the billions club on Spotify.
Michelle Maciel – espresso martini
Mexican singer-songwriter Michelle Macielbegins a new chapter with her album La Gloria, a 13-track project that explores love, personal growth, and experimentation while blending corridos, reggaetón, and boleros. The album’s focus track, “Dolencias,” featuring Ana Gloria, brings the two artists together for a fun, dance floor-ready collaboration that highlights Maciel’s ability to move between genres.
Zulia – Birkin
Following the release of his album Ya No Me Importa Si Nadie Me Escucha, Venezuelan rising star Zulia drops “Birkin.” The singer has one of the most unique voices in music, with bold, sensual lyrics, and a smooth sound.
You may also like
Continue reading
Guaynaa- SE PARECE AL PAI
Puerto Rican singer Guaynaa gets into his salsa swag with “SE PARECE AL PAI.” The catchy track has incredible instrumentals, an infectious melody, and lyrics inspired by his own life as a father. It stars his wife, Lele Pons, and their daughter, Eloísa.
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Somos Como Tú
GRAMMY-winning Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela release their new album OurHome. They step into new territory with “Somos Como Tú,” their first-ever song featuring lyrics and vocals. The track explores migration, displacement, and the connections that unite people across cultures, marking a new chapter for the duo as they continue to expand beyond their signature acoustic sound.
Feid, Bad Gyal – DE DIOR XL
After postponing its release, Feid drops his new EP, EL GREEN PRINT: La Saga (Disc 2) – EL CLUB DE LAS 19 FLORES, the next chapter of his Green Print era. It includes collaborations with Vicente García, El Americano 4KT and Pirlo, Divino and Baby Ranks, Icon, Yandel, and Spanish star Bad Gyal.
Elvis Crespo, beele – PA´BAILAR
The one and only Elvis Crespo adds another collaboration with the new generation, this time with Beele. The genre-blending track has merengue, urban, and pop sounds with exciting instrumentals that will have you ready to move your hips.
MILEY – Let’s Get Married
Miley’s highly anticipated album Bass Persuades is here, and it’s beautiful. It’s the first album since dropping Cyrus and shows off the multifaceted sides of the singer. “Let’s Get Married” is a gorgeous track dedicated to her fiancé, Maxx Morando, and comes with an intimate music video starring the couple.
