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  • Guadalajara Film Festival’s Co-Production Meeting Program Extends a Lifeline to Argentina

    Guadalajara Film Festival’s Co-Production Meeting Program Extends a Lifeline to Argentina

    Now on its 22nd edition, the Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG) Co-Production Meeting program has grown from strength to strength, luring a wide range of directors and producers from Spain and Latin America, both new and established. There are quite a number of projects from Argentina, which has leaned more heavily on co-productions given the plunge in federal support at home. In 2024, Argentina’s right-wing populist government moved to scrap funding for the national Film-TV body, INCAA, as part of sweeping austerity measures aimed at curbing the country’s runaway inflation.

    Taking place April 20–22 this year, the program requires projects in development – across fiction, documentary and animation – to have a completed screenplay and at least 20% of their financing secured.

    Its primary objective is to link the participants, 19 in this edition, with industry professionals, funding bodies, producers, buyers and international distributors in order to facilitate their completion.

    The selection committee this year included Peruvian filmmaker-producer Joanna Lombardi; Argentine screenwriter Juan Manuel Dartizio, Pato Portillo, creative director of content development company Real Tellers, Mexico-based Bolivian producer Gabriela Maire (“The Good Girls”) and Mexican filmmaker Samuel Sosa.

     “Cinema allows us to tell our stories and preserve them in images, narratives and words, so that in the future people can understand who we were through these films, rather than only through the works that receive the most attention or likes. This is very important for us,” said FICG Industry head Ximena Urrutia.

    Among the standouts in this crop are Daniela Schneider’s “The Infinite Night,” produced by Fernanda López, Amat Escalante and Daniela Romo. It forms part of a highly diverse selection of works from different countries.

    The lineup also features the Argentine project “The Other Voice,” a documentary directed by Agustina Pérez Rial, with a strong producer backing of Nicolas Gil Lavedra, Emiliano Torres and Felicitas Raffo. There’s even a U.S.-Mexico co-production “All Other Parts,” directed by Cristina Ibarra, who hails from in Los Angeles. “As neighbors, the U.S. and our community share deep ties – especially within the Latino community—grounded in common roots and an ongoing dialogue. Sustaining and strengthening that exchange is vital, particularly in the current context,” said Urrutia.

    The lineup:

    “All Other Parts,” (“Las partes que faltan”) Cristina Ibarra, U.S.

    Developed by U.S.-based All Other Parts LLC, a documentary/hybrid production company, the project is in production. Produced by Vanessa Perez, Cristina Ibarra and Heather Courtney, it centers on cross-border surveillance themes. The film follows a man returning to El Paso after 20 years in exile, whose homecoming becomes digital confinement under ICE monitoring. The film traces how a life once defined by movement across the U.S.–Mexico border is transformed into one of enforced stillness and constant observation. As Ibarra states, it explores the shift from physical borders to invisible systems of surveillance over bodies, homes and data.

    “Germaín, The Black Angel” (“Germaín, el Ángel Negro”), Tomás Alzamora Muñoz, Chile

    Developed by Santiago-based Equeco, an auteur-driven Chilean production company founded in 2016 (“Denominación de origen,” “History and Geography”) the project is in development, with a slate expanding through international co-productions led by “Il Cileno” and “Hijas únicas.” Produced by Pablo Calisto, pic follows Germaín, a 16-year-old in 1967 Chile whose abandonment and nocturnal excess become the emotional engine for forming Los Ángeles Negros, one of Latin America’s most influential bands. As Alzamora states, the project reflects on “who stands behind musical phenomena and what drives them to create.”

    ‘Germaine, The Black Angel’ Courtesy of FICG

    “Her Ocean” (“El Mar La Mar”), Julian Amaru, Perú, México

    Developed by Lima-based Final Abierto alongside Mexico’s Apapacho Films, the project is in pre-production for a 2027 shoot, positioning itself within a Peru–Mexico co-production pipeline focused on emerging Latin American auteur cinema. Produced by Maria Paz Barragán and Ruben Rojo, with writing by Julian Amaru and Christopher Vasquez, the coming-of-age magical realist drama follows Ray, a young fisherman fleeing homophobia and family rupture as he journeys to Iquitos in search of his mother, navigating desire, friendship and identity in the Peruvian jungle. As Amaru states, it is “a story of love and courage.”

    “Here Is Not Like That” (“Aquí no es así”), Sebastian Molina Ruiz, Mexico

    From Calle Calandria, the Mexican indie production outfit behind festival titles ‘Mostro” and “Todos los incendios” is developing the hybrid documentary, now in pre-production and expected to draw industry attention ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The film explores Mexico City beyond global spectacle. As Molina Ruiz states, “Here Is Not Like That” seeks to reveal “hidden mechanisms… marked by precariousness, exclusion and everyday resistance,” signaling strong auteur-driven nonfiction trends today. Diandra Arriaga (“Mostro”) and Gabriela Maldonado (“Ricochet”) produce.

    “Kid” Anna Lu Machado, Brazil

    Developed by Rio de Janeiro-based Raccord Produções, founded in 1993 and led by Clélia Bessa, with over 23 titles in partnership with Disney and Globo Filmes and festival presence in Venice, Cannes, and Rotterdam (“Madalena,” “The Little Prince’s Rap Against the Wicked Souls”) in co-production with Baracoa Filmes and Casa Latina Films. Produced by Bessa and executive produced by Gregorio Rodríguez, it follows a filmmaker reconstructing her father’s memory through a Cuban boxer myth, turning cinema into a space where absence becomes dialogue. Machado says: “It is “a hybrid documentary that transforms intimate loss into a universal reflection on memory and bonds.”

    “Menarche,” (“Menarquia”) Jairo Gamaliel Ramos Alvarado, Panama, Spain, Peru

    Developed by Panama-based Infocus Video Factory Cine & TV, “Menarche” is in preproduction as a Spain–Peru–Panama co-production with Cine y TV Teleandes SRL and Marco Antonio Toledo Oval. Reflecting industry interest in inclusive, community-driven storytelling, the film follows an androgynous pre-teen who, after their father’s death, takes on farm duties while confronting identity through her first menstruation. As Ramos notes, it portrays “ancestral rural knowledge with dignity.” Written by Elisa Puerto Aubel and Ramos, it stars Wendy Jaramillo and Christhian Esquivel Palomino.

    “Name and Surname” (“Nombre y Apellidos”), Duván Duque Vargas, Colombia, France

    Evidencia Films, founded by Franco Lolli (“Gente de Bien”) and behind Cannes-selected “La Perra,” partners with Continente Pictures and France’s Srab Films (“Les Misérables”) on the project, currently in advanced development and recently shortlisted for Torino Film Lab’s FeatureLab. Produced by Duque Vargas, Capucine Mahé, Franco Lolli, Christophe Barral,and Toufik Ayadi, it reflects a strong Colombia–France co-production model targeting international festivals. Drama follows a teenager drawn back into his father’s violent loan-sharking world, where escape turns into inheritance. As Mahé says, it marks “the culmination of this quest.”

    “Not a River” (“No es un río”), Diego Martinez Ulansoky, Mexico, Argentina

    Developed by Mexico City-based Caponeto, whose credits include “My Tender Matador” and “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake,” film is in advanced development with Argentina’s Ajimolido Films and currently seeking co-production partners and funding, reflecting ongoing industry demand for cross-border Latin American collaborations. The drama follows Tilo, who travels to a remote island after his father’s death, where buried tensions and unresolved pasts surface. As Ulansoky states, it explores “a territory where the real and the ghostly coexist,” focusing on memory and what remains unspoken.

    ‘Not a River’ Courtesy of FICG

    “Our Lady of Whispers” (“El Camino Amarillo”), Ale García & Carla Sierra, México, Chile

    Developed by Mexico-based El Camino Amarillo in co-production with Chile’s La Palma de Oro and La Vieja Rara, the project in development seeks additional financing and international co-production partners. Positioned within Mexico–Chile elevated horror collaborations, the drama follows a grieving mother who invokes La Susurradora after a brutal family loss, gaining destructive powers that reveal revenge as self-consumption. As Sierra states: “Rather than representing horror, we aim for the viewer to inhabit it –uncomfortable, intimate and impossible to look away from.”

    “Plaster Virgins” (“Vírgenes de yeso”) Katherina Harder, Chile

    Developed by northern Chile-based Volcánica Films alongside Cyan prods (“Medea,” “Delirio” by Alexandra Latishev), the project is produced by Cynthia García Calvo and written by Harder and Elisa Eliash, it reflects a focus on identity-driven narratives within culturally rooted settings. The coming-of-age LGBTQ+ drama follows Rosario, a 14-year-old girl in La Tirana who, amid a vibrant religious festival, experiences a personal awakening through her connection with an older dancer. As García Calvo states, it explores gender roles and social expectations within a unique visual and sonic universe.

    “Talia After Talia” (“Talia después de Talia”), Pedro Speroni, Argentina, France, Switzerland

    Developed by Argentina-based El Ojo Silva, “Talia After Talia” is in advanced development as a co-production with Les Films de l’Œil Sauvage and Alva Films, with support from the CNC Enhanced Development Grant and Stichting Connected Foundation, reflecting ongoing industry support for international co-productions. The documentary follows Talia, 27, returning to Buenos Aires’ Fuerte Apache after nine years in prison, navigating survival, stigma and autonomy. As Speroni states, the film gives her “a dignified and resonant voice.” “Talia after Talia” completes the trilogy that Speroni began with “Rancho” and “Los Bilbao,” delving into the prison universe.

    “That I Die Because I Do Not Die” (“Que Muero Porque No Muero”) Felipe Carmona, Chile, Argentina

    Developed by Chile-based El Otro Film, known for Queer Lyon awardee “The Prince” and “The Reborn,” the project is in advanced development with Argentina’s Le Tiro, currently seeking financing, reflecting ongoing interest in auteur-driven Chilean–Argentine co-productions with strong festival positioning. Fronted by Pablo Larraín star Alfredo Castro and Laura Paredes, drama is set in 1970s Chile follows Anglés, a priest and literary critic leading a double life between academia, clandestine Marxist instruction and secret artistic circles, until a liaison with a writer and her CIA-linked husband pulls him into a surreal spiral of political and spiritual collapse. As Carmona states, it explores “the contradiction between culture and barbarism.”

    ‘That I Die Because I Do Not Die’ Courtesy of FICG

    “The Friends of My Parents” (“Los amigos de mis papás”), Romina Tamburello, Argentina

    Developed by Argentina-based Pez Cine in co-production with Imval Producciones and El Cielo Cine, and Tamburello’s follow-up to hit “Vera and the Pleasure of Others,” the project is in advanced development. Produced by Santiago King, it follows a standard independent Argentine feature structure focused on character-driven comedy with regional co-production collaboration. The film follows a daughter who tries to help her parents become swingers, leading to an exploration of family boundaries and intimacy dynamics.

    “The Infinite Night” (“La Noche Infinita”), Daniela Schneider, México

    Developed by Mexico-based Cárcava Cine (“Lost in the Night,” Cannes 2024; “Robe of Gems,” Berlinale Jury Prize 2023; “The Untamed,” Venice Best Director 2018), in co-production with Peluca Films, Cárcava Cine and El Estudio, the project is in development and structured for international financing, with early discussions with French sales agent Luxbox. Produced by Daniela Maung, Fernanda de la Peza, Amat Escalante and Pablo Cruz, it is positioned within a festival-driven auteur slate. The film follows Bertha, a young mother whose family secret destabilizes her life as she becomes obsessed with a woman from a century earlier, where inherited memory, desire and domestic histories collapse across generations.

    “The Other Side” (“Del otro lado”), José Luis Rugeles Gracia, Colombia, Brazil, France

    Developed by Colombia-based Rhayuela Films, producers of “El Páramo,” “Alias María” and “Rebelión,” “The Other Side” is in development as a co-production with Capuri TV (Brazil) and Promenades (France). The project, starring Claudio Cataño (“One Hundred Years of Solitude”), reflects ongoing industry interest in character-driven Latin American–European collaborations. Drama follows Miguel, a doctor who loses his son and abandons his life, drifting through the streets where he forms fragile bonds with a street dog and a young sex worker. As Rugeles states, it explores “depression, addiction and solitude” shaped by “human fragility.”

    ‘The Other Side’ Courtesy of FICG

    “The Other Voice” (“La otra voz”), Agustina Pérez Rial, Argentina

    Gaman Cine, founded by Nicolas Gil Lavedra, behind acclaimed titles “Eami” and “Ls83,” is finalizing development on the documentary, co-produced with Fiord Estudio and Lorolo. The film reconstructs the exile of iconic singer Mercedes Sosa between 1979 and 1982 through unpublished letters and archival material, reflecting a broader industry trend toward archive-driven music documentaries. As Pérez Rial explains, the project reveals “an intimate and little-known dimension… where Mercedes emerges through her own public and private words.” Gil Lavedra, Felicitas Raffo and Emiliano Torres produce.

    “The Valley of the Echoes” (“El Valle de los Huesos”), Adán Ruiz, México

    Travesía Cine, a Mexico City-based studio focused on auteur-driven cinema, is advancing the documentary in development with co-producer Avalancha Studio, while in discussions for Mexican distribution. Produced by Yuli Rodríguez and Ruiz, it’s set in an industrial town where multiple lives intersect around a skeleton built from found bones, reflecting systemic violence. As Ruiz states, it depicts violence as a social sickness embedded in everyday life. “Using scavenged bones as a narrative bridge, the film connects three fractured lives to reflect on the macabre intersection of industrial exploitation and necropolitics.”

    “The Whisperer” (“La Susurradora”), Ale García & Carla Sierra, México

    Developed by Mexico-based La Palma de Oro Films and La Vieja Rara, the project is in development. Produced by Antonio Urdapilleta and Valentina Vio and written by Ale García and Carla Sierra, the film follows Alba, who returns to Catemaco after the lynching of her husband and son, and summons La Susurradora, an ancient deity that grants her destructive power in exchange for bodily sacrifice. As she carries out her revenge, she becomes increasingly consumed by the force she invokes.

    ‘The Whisperer’ Courtesy of FICG

    “Why Did You Come Back Every Summer” (“Por qué volvías cada verano”), Lorena Muñoz, Argentina

    Developed by Argentina-based Mostra Cine alongside Cindy Teperman SRL and Atrece Creaciones, the project is in advanced development, positioning itself within a strong wave of Latin American films addressing institutional abuse and memory. Produced by Valeria Bistagnino, Tomás Eloy Muñoz Lázaro, Cindy Teperman, Delfina Montecchia and Ana Saura, it focuses on socially driven storytelling. Drama follows Lourdes, 20, who decides to report her uncle, a local police commissioner, for childhood sexual abuse during the summers she spent in his town.

  • A comet gets destroyed by the sun, data centers endanger the Potomac River, and more science news

    The Artemis II astronauts are settling back into life on Earth, but we’re not quite tired yet of hearing about their amazing journey. There’s a new PBS documentary now streaming on YouTube that dives into the Artemis program and the latest efforts to send humans to the moon again. Also this week, NASA shared some awesome images of a comet flying into the sun, the nonprofit American Rivers released its annual report on the most endangered rivers in the US and ESA posted a throwback image of Mars to highlight some interesting changes down on the surface. Here are the science stories that caught our attention this week.

    A comet grazes too close to the sun

    Earlier this month, a recently discovered comet made a close approach to the sun — but it couldn’t handle the heat. NASA has shared incredible images of the encounter that took place on April 4, showing the comet exploding into dust as it swings around our star. As NASA notes in a social media post, this was “its first and last observed flyby of the Sun.”

    The comet, C/2026 A1 (also known as MAPS) was first spotted on January 13 of this year. As it neared the sun, it was observed by a slew of instruments: NASA and ESA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) and NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere). This allowed for views of its passage from multiple angles. Seen in a narrow-field coronagraph view captured by SOHO, the comet appears to plunge directly into the sun. But, the wide view from NASA’s STEREO shows it actually swinging closely around the sun before breaking apart.

    MAPS was one of a family of comets aptly called Kreutz sungrazing comets, and according to Karl Battams, the principal investigator for SOHO’s coronagraph, its destruction occurred likely several hours before what would have been its closest approach.

    Potomac named most endangered river in the US

    The nonprofit conservation organization American Rivers has released its 2026 report on the most endangered rivers in the country, and data centers play a major role in the status of its top pick. According to American Rivers, the Potomac River is the most endangered in the US due both to the threat of sewage pollution from aging pipe systems and the “unprecedented surge in data center development” in its vicinity.

    The Potomac River basin spans parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. In January, the catastrophic failure of the Potomac Interceptor wastewater pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland dumped hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, causing bacteria levels to hit over 4,000 times the safe recreational limit at sites closest to the incident, according to the report. The Potomac Interceptor is over 60 years old, and is just one of many in the region that is at or past the 50-year service life, American Rivers notes.

    On top of that, data center development in places like Virginia and Maryland has skyrocketed, which could put a strain on local water and energy sources. Data centers also have potential to cause further pollution to the river.

    “The region currently has over 300 data centers and is on track to have a total of about 1,000 centers occupying roughly 200 million square feet of buildings — enough to cover 3,472 football fields — on an estimated 20,000 acres of land,” the report explains. “These facilities pose a significant and growing threat to both water quality and water quantity, yet are being approved without meaningful transparency, regulatory review, and assessment of cumulative impacts.”

    The organization is calling for Congress to reauthorize infrastructure funding bills so aging systems can be upgraded, and for regulators in these states to require transparency about data centers’ resource use, along with comprehensive environmental assessments before development plans are approved.

    Mars ash: then vs now

    An image of a section in Mars' Utopia Planitia showing tan sand on the left side and dark, purplish ash covering the land on the right, creating a stark contrast

    ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

    The European Space Agency this week shared a look at how a region on Mars has changed since it was observed by NASA’s Viking orbiters way back in 1976. New images captured by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft show how dark volcanic ash has encroached upon a swath of land in an area known as the Utopia Planitia basin. If you visit the blog post, you’ll find a side by side comparison of images from the two time periods.

    It’s a rare example of an observable change on the surface of the red planet that’s occurred over such a short period of time, ESA notes. The agency explains, “The spread of the ash over the last 50 years has two possible explanations: either it has been picked up and moved about by martian winds, or the ochre dust that previously covered the dark ash has been blown away.”

    Before you go, be sure to check these stories out too:

  • DOJ refuses to help French authorities in criminal probe of X

    The US Department of Justice is siding with X, as the social media platform owned by Elon Musk navigates a criminal investigation unfolding in France. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department characterized the French probe as “an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform.”

    France launched its investigation into X in July, accusing the platform of manipulating its algorithm and “fraudulent data extraction.” Months later, French authorities raided X’s office in Paris and issued summonses to Musk and Linda Yaccarino, the former CEO of X, to appear for interviews on April 20 as part of the probe. According to WSJ, French officials are also investigating X for other charges, including disseminating CSAM and Holocaust denial. However, France’s latest move to ask the Department of Justice for assistance has been stonewalled.

    “This investigation seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas and opinions in a manner contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the DOJ wrote in letter, as seen by WSJ.

    An xAI official told WSJ that it’s “grateful to the Justice Department for rejecting this effort by a prosecutor in Paris to compel our CEO and several employees to sit for interviews.” The company spokesperson also said there was “no wrongdoing” and that it was a “baseless investigation.”

  • Unexpected Statements from Iran in the U.S.-Iran War – “Under the Current Circumstances, the Strait of Hormuz Cannot Remain Open”

    Unexpected Statements from Iran in the U.S.-Iran War – “Under the Current Circumstances, the Strait of Hormuz Cannot Remain Open”

    As diplomatic talks continue regarding a possible agreement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US, noteworthy new statements have emerged from Tehran.

    Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf strongly criticized the US administration’s rhetoric and sent clear messages regarding the ongoing disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

    Ghalibaf intensified his criticism of Washington, arguing that all seven claims made by US President Trump in a short period of time were “false.” The Iranian official explicitly stated that the Strait of Hormuz would not remain open if the current naval blockade continued.

    Ghalibaf also stated that passage through the strait would not be entirely free, arguing that ship traffic would only take place via “designated routes” and “with Iran’s permission.”

    Related News Renowned Analyst Benjamin Cowen Issued a Warning Despite Bitcoin’s Rise

    On the other hand, developments throughout the day increased uncertainty on the ground. Although Iranian Foreign Ministry officials stated that the strait was open, it was reported that 10 to 20 ships attempted to pass through, but the vast majority turned back. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly maintained that the strait was still closed.

    According to diplomatic sources, the Tehran administration informed mediators that it would restrict ship passage and impose certain fees during the ceasefire process. Iran also categorically denied allegations that it would transfer enriched uranium to the United States.

    Another development regarding the negotiations has emerged from Tehran. According to information based on sources close to Iran, the Iranian government has not yet reached an agreement with the US on the next planned round of talks.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Binance and Biget to probe RAVE’s 4,500% token surge as claims of insider-orchestrated rally grow

    Binance and Bitget, two major cryptocurrency exchanges, have opened investigations into trading activity surrounding RaveDAO’s $RAVE token, after onchain sleuth ZachXBT alleged insiders engineered a large short squeeze that drove the token’s rapid rise.

    Crypto exchange Bitget’s CEO Gracy Chen said the exchange had “started investigating” the matter, while Binance CEO Richard Teng later said publicly that the platform was also looking into the claims and would “always” do its part to examine signs of market misconduct. Another exchange, Gate, was also mentioned in ZachXBT’s investigation.

    ZachXBT has also personally offered a $10,000 bounty to whistleblowers who come forward privately to share evidence about the parties involved.

    The little-known project rallied earlier in the week, leading to over $44 million in $RAVE positions, most of which were bearish, getting liquidated in a single day. Those liquidations followed a 4,500% rally over the course of a week.

    Still, the short squeeze highlighted the concentration of $RAVE tokens within a small set of wallets. In fact, nearly 90% of its supply was in just three Gnosis Safe wallets at the time.

    Investigators also flagged token transfers to exchanges shortly before the rally began. Millions of tokens were moved to exchanges before prices started surging.

    RaveDAO presents itself as a Web3 project focused on electronic music events, offering blockchain-based ticketing and community governance. It traces its origins to a 2023 afterparty in Istanbul and has since hosted events across several regions. The project reported about $3 million in revenue in 2025.

    That footprint contrasts with the token’s market behavior. $RAVE traded below $0.50 for most of its history before surging in April. It jumped from about $0.30 to over $6 in a single day, then climbed past $27 before starting to recede.

    At its peak, the token’s market value briefly exceeded $6 billion, placing it among the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap before dropping. The token is now down more than 50% from its peak and 30% over the last 24 hours.

    ‘Bait and liquidate’

    A separate claim centers on what some describe as a “bait and liquidate” pattern. The idea is that visible transfers suggest selling pressure, drawing traders into short positions.

    If those tokens are later withdrawn while prices rise, short sellers may be forced to buy back at higher prices, driving further gains for those on the other side of the trade. These claims remain unproven, but the concentration of supply suggests it’s a real possibility.

    Community reports have also linked the project to figures associated with earlier crypto ventures, including ARPA and Bella Protocol, though those connections have not been independently verified. None of the individuals named in these reports has responded publicly.

    RaveDAO addressed the situation in a social media thread, stating that the team is “not engaged in, nor responsible for, recent price action.”

    In the thread, RaveDAO did not address specific onchain allegations, including supply concentration or the millions transferred to exchanges ahead of the pump, but confirmed it does plan to liquidate portions of unlocked tokens “when appropriate.”

    RaveDAO said it was “exploring appropriate models, including price-triggered or performance-triggered locks, that tie team incentives to ecosystem growth.” It stopped short of committing to any specific mechanism or timeline.

    CoinDesk has reached out to RaveDAO for comments.

  • Danielle Brooks on ‘If I Go Will They Miss Me’ Being Acquired and How the Independent Film Inspired Her to Make Her Own Short

    Danielle Brooks on ‘If I Go Will They Miss Me’ Being Acquired and How the Independent Film Inspired Her to Make Her Own Short

    Major productions across the stage and screen have been a cornerstone of Danielle Brooks’ career, from her breakout role in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black to her Broadway debut in The Color Purple, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for best featured actress in 2016, to the 2023 musical film adaptation of Alice Walker’s book which earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Yet it’s indie projects, the Juilliard grad says, that make her feel most connected to her craft and purpose.

    “Independent films are so incredible because I think they reflect the truth of who we are,” Brooks said during the Miami Film Festival, where she received the Art of Light Award following a screening of her latest project, If I Go Will They Miss Me Tuesday night. “It’s not about big blockbuster movies to make a dollar, it’s about the people. And that’s why I got into this, so that I could be a reflection, the light, because there were people in this industry, artists that were that light for me.”

    Brooks stars as Lozita Harris, a mother of three trying to hold her family together as her partner, Ant (J. Alphonse Nicholson), struggles to connect with their son when he returns home from prison in the semi-biographical, mythical feature from Walter Thompson-Hernández.

    During the Miami film festival, Brooks chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about why she so deeply believed in the project, which, since its Sundance premiere in January, has been acquired by Rich Spirit, shooting in a public housing complex in Watts and how working on the film inspired her to make her own short.

    Your connection to If I Go, Will They Miss Me dates back to Walter Thompson-Hernández’s 2022 short of the same name. What drew you to the project?

    My team had come to me and said, “Hey, there’s this film that we want you to think about being involved in. There’s this amazing new up-and-coming director, Walter Thompson Hernandez.” And I’m always like, “Ooh, new. I like,” because that means there’s a new energy that’s being put out into the film industry, and that excites me. So they were like, “Come look at the short.” And I looked at the short, and I was like, “Wow, this is different from what I’ve seen before, but it still has this energy, sort of like a Moonlight, that I liked.” And I loved how he shot Black people, but I also knew that there was passion behind it because I could tell that there wasn’t this big budget that he had, that everything that he was putting out there was community-based. …And when I met with him, we sat down at the London hotel, and we talked for over an hour, and I immediately told my team, “Yes, I’m down.” And this truly was a passion project. This is one of those films that you end up spending money to be in it. It wasn’t something that came with a large check, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it because it felt honest and real. It was so different from anything that I’ve ever played before, people like Sophia [in The Color Purple] or Taystee [in Orange Is the New Black] who were bigger-than-life characters; there was a quietness about her that I was drawn to.

    Your character, Lozita, and all of the characters in this film are based on real-life people. What did your preparation look like, and is there a difference in how you approach roles that are biographical in nature versus fictional characters?

    It’s very different. I enjoy playing people who are real. I got the chance to play Mahalia Jackson in the past, and each character that you play does require something different, but this one was interesting because Lozita was based on a true person, and so was Big Ant. But unfortunately, the person that I played had passed away, so I wasn’t able to speak with her. Everything that I was learning about her was from her partner, who was still alive, and from Walter, the director, who was good friends with her, and pictures. Pictures tell a thousand words. There’s one thing I really wish I could have had, which was her tattoos, because she had all these tattoos, and I felt like they told such a story about who she was, and she wore braids. So I was like, “I’ve got to make sure I have these braids.” And just how she held her mouth. I got to see pictures of her and her husband and how he would hold her, and all of these things that just told me a story.

    What did Walter say it was about Lozita and Ant that made him want to make this film?

    It’s this thing about life. None of us asked to be here, but we all have to figure out how to survive it. And that’s what we’re watching this family do is figure out how are we going to survive our circumstances, the things that we’ve been through in the past, how are we going to make it through that? And what are we going to pass to our children? We had multiple conversations about it. And there were a lot of times that it felt too real because we’re shooting in Watts, too. We shot in the projects, and so we weren’t in a position to say, “All right, everybody, leave your homes for a while and come back in tomorrow.” We’re in their environment. And sometimes it was really real. Life imitates art, and art imitates life, so there was no moment for me to escape the character. I felt like I was always close to her because I would see kids beautifully playing outside with skates on. This is not a community that has access to iPads and all of that stuff. So the kids are outside watching us, and that was amazing because now I’m asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” [and they say] “I want to be an actor,” because they see a reflection. The children are just as chocolate as me or as round-faced as me.

    You had an amazing screen partner in J. Alphonse Nicholson, and there’s so much emotion that comes out in the scenes with you two in the bedroom, trying to figure this relationship out. Were you all big on rehearsal? Were you just finding the emotion in the moment?

    We did have some rehearsal. We didn’t have much time, though, but let me talk about J. Alphonse. I freaking love that brother. He is one of the best scene partners ever, super talented, and I’m going to take some credit. I was like, Walter, “We need him,” and Walter was like, “OK, let me sit down with him,” and they just hit it off. He brings so much to every character that he plays, but the way that he works, he allows you to be vulnerable. Being in a space with him, having to take my shirt off and have intimate scenes, it was a safety with the way in which he works that I felt comfortable to give all myself to her, no problem. We had some very personal conversations about personal experiences we both have been through, because I’m going to tell you right now, I don’t look like what I’ve been through. I say that because I can really relate to [Lozita] and the same with J. [and his character] so there are moments where it felt like this is too much, but we had each other to be like, “You good?” And that’s important. It’s very important to be able to trust your same partner that way.

    What was your reaction when you saw the finished film?

    I cried like a baby. It messed me up…it’s like, this is what it is like to say, “I love you, but you’re not good for me. You’re not healing me.” It’s such a beautiful reflection of, again, survival, how tough life can be, but yet we’ve got to push through it. And what does love really look like for my character? Love is getting up out of there. She had to go for her family, for herself, for her kids, and watching Ant, he’s having to take a moment and reflect. He’s trying to do the right thing, but it’s too late.

    The overall journey of this film is inspirational, I think, especially for the audience at a film festival like this. Walter made his original short film in 2022 and won the jury award at Sundance; in 2023 it was selected for the Sundance Institute Screenwriters & Directors Lab; in 2025 it got two grants and you all made the feature film, then it had its Sundance premiere in January 2026 and in March it was acquired by Rich Spirit so now we’re looking at a theatrical release this fall. Did you expect to be able to take this project this far? What would you say aspiring filmmakers should take away from this journey?

    Did I expect this film to go this far? Yes, because it is good. Like you just know. And there’s something special about this film. I think the hard part is, is it the right timing? And I do feel like it’s the right time — we’re in a crazy time, and we’re trying to figure it out — but I do feel like it’s the right time. What aspiring filmmakers can take is that you can do this thing. I am one of the aspiring filmmakers, and it’s because of the way that I saw [Walter] work that I ended up shooting my own short film. If you have a passion for it, get it done. There are people that will align with that passion. There are people that are trying to figure this thing out, too, and find their community. Just start talking about it and say, “Hey, this is what I want to do.” And it might not be that first person you run into, but somebody will say yes. And one other thing that I want to say while I have the mic is I feel like this is a film that will be successful by word of mouth. So we’re going to need you.

  • ‘Kevin’ Review: Jason Schwartzman Leads the All-Star Voice Cast of Amazon’s Unevenly Funny, Ultimately Sweet Pet Cartoon

    ‘Kevin’ Review: Jason Schwartzman Leads the All-Star Voice Cast of Amazon’s Unevenly Funny, Ultimately Sweet Pet Cartoon

    When Kevin (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), star of Amazon’s new animated series Kevin, suffers a bad breakup, he does what any young man in the big city might do.

    He moves out of his old place, picks up new friends and new interests, explores his former neighborhood with fresh eyes. He takes time alone to think about what he really wants out of a relationship, or out of life. He considers new potential life partners, and eventually courts one. Occasionally, unhappily, he backslides into contact with his ex.

    Kevin

    The Bottom Line

    An amiable hangout comedy, with a feline twist.

    Airdate: Monday, April 20 (Prime Video)
    Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Amy Sedaris, John Waters, Whoopi Goldberg, Aparna Nancherla, Gil Ozeri, Aubrey Plaza
    Creators: Aubrey Plaza, Joe Wengert

    What makes Kevin’s journey more unexpected than most is that he is no fleece-vested banker or tattooed barista, but a tuxedo cat; his split is not with a lover but with his human owners. The feline twist is enough to make Kevin, created by Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza, feel like a fresh spin on the hangout comedy. If it only occasionally lives up to its fullest potential for humor and heart, it eventually finds enough warmth to be worth curling up with.

    Doubtless a huge chunk of the target audience for Kevin just read that plot description and prepared to react in much the same way that Seth (Gil Ozeri), a normally milquetoast animal shelter manager, does to an owner who’d dared give up his cat: “Abandoning a furry companion is the ultimate no no!” he screeches. “You belong in the Hague, asshole!” So rest assured that this is no Sarah MacLachlan-soundtracked sob story of abandonment.

    It is, instead, Kevin who leaves when the couple who own him announce they’re breaking up, deciding he’d rather take his chances by himself than follow Dana (Plaza) to her new home. Since Kevin is set in a universe that sits somewhere between The Secret Life of Pets and Bojack Horseman on the spectrum of anthropomorphized creatures — animals communicate in English with humans and sit next to them at the bar or on the train, but don’t seem to rent apartments or, for the most part, have steady jobs — Dana has not much choice but to let him go and hope he wants to return someday.

    After a disastrous evening in Central Park, during which the squirrels in the trees mock the house cat’s spectacular unsuitability for life in the “wild,” Kevin makes his way to Seth’s Furrever Friends shelter in Astoria, Queens. There, he makes a new home amid a motley crew that also includes an imperious Persian named Armando (an excellent John Waters); a dopey and diseased kitten named Judy (Aparna Nancherla); Seth’s bossy Shih Tzu (a hilariously mean Amy Sedaris); and Cupcake (Whoopi Goldberg), a feral cat with side hustles streaming on an OnlyFans-esque website and selling her vomit on the dark web. (How she’s navigating the banking system and what she needs the money for in the first place are not questions Kevin really gets around to answering. It’s best just not to think about the practicalities too hard.)

    Especially in its early going, Kevin is hit or miss as a vehicle for humor. Some of its jokes, like a bit about a duck’s corkscrew-shaped penis, smack of a series trying too hard to declare that it’s Not Your Little Sister’s Animal Cartoon. Others, like a hoary line about cats being baffled by why people are always scooping litter, make no sense in a universe where cats have opposable thumbs and speak human language. At least one subplot, involving an equine Broadway star named Patti LuPony who’s voiced by Patti LuPone, feels like a Bojack Horseman castoff. Lots more punchlines just sort of sit there, neither offensive enough to provoke groans nor clever enough to coax laughs.

    But as the series found its groove over its eight half-hours — and, perhaps, as I grew more accustomed to its off-kilter sense of humor — the ratio of hits to misses improves. Kevin eventually falls into the likable rhythms of a New York hangout comedy à la Friends or Seinfeld or, more recently, Adults, albeit with a much higher level of absurdity. The series feels most surprising and most delightful when it gives itself over to full-bore silliness, as with a C-plot in which a colony of ants crown Judy as their new queen, or another in which Kevin meets Rat Pizza — a sentient slice of pizza that drags a dead rat around and bitterly laments how unfavorably he’s treated compared to his celebrity inverse.

    Eventually, somewhere amid all the Gen Z-coded kittens and the incestuous cat romances, something more earnest starts to emerge. There’s real sweetness in the way the characters relate to each other, whether it’s Armando reminding Judy to hold out for the right forever home rather than let herself get adopted by a narcissistic nepo baby who sees her only as a prop for her art, or in Cupcake nudging Armando to come to terms with a past heartbreak involving a previous owner.

    Kevin’s meandering search to figure out what he wants out of his next human companion (or if, indeed, he wants another human companion at all) will feel relatable to anyone who’s ever gotten out of a long-term relationship unsure who they might be outside of it — if they ever even actually liked Halloween or the band Pavement or the show Say Yes to the Dress, or just assumed they did because their partner did.

    But embedded within his quest is also the more pet-specific acknowledgment that though we may take them in and feed them and link our contact addresses to their microchips, our animal companions have interiorities of their own, wants and needs that might coincide with our own or might not. Kevin, which press materials indicate is based on a real cat and a real breakup, becomes a tender love letter to the unknowability of the creatures who’ve deigned to let us share in their lives. Speaking as a proud cat lady, I can’t think of a nicer thing to say about Plaza and Wengert than this: They seem like they must be absolutely wonderful pet owners.

  • Starting 5: History on Day 1: NBA Playoffs start today

    Starting 5: History on Day 1: NBA Playoffs start today

    The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin today, as 16 teams begin their chase for the the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

    16 teams.

    One goal.

    With the field of 16 now locked in, one of the greatest journeys in sports starts today.

    The NBA Playoffs are here.

    Here’s what you gotta know.

    5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

    Rockets-Lakers: Leading Playoff squads, KD & LeBron add to their head-to-head history

    Wolves-Nuggets: The next chapter in Ant & Joker’s thrilling rivalry

    In The East: Brunson, Towns and Knicks host Hawks, Raptors face Harden & Mitchell for first time

    Suns Secure 8-Seed: Jalen Green goes off to sink Steph and Warriors’ season

    Magic Make Playoffs: Paolo leads Orlando to big win over Charlotte

    BUT FIRST … ⏰

    The road to the NBA Finals starts now…

    The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin today with four First-Round Game 1’s:

    • On Prime: The No. 5 Raptors and No. 4 Cavaliers get the action started (1 ET), followed by the No. 6 Wolves visiting the No. 3 Nuggets (3:30 ET), and the No. 3 Knicks hosting the No. 6 Hawks (6 ET)
    • On ABC: Day 1 concludes with the No. 5 Rockets taking on the No. 4 Lakers (8:30 ET)

    Four more Game 1’s arrive Sunday on ABC & NBC/Peacock:

    • No. 7 Sixers at No. 2 Celtics (1 ET, ABC)
    • No. 8 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (3:30 ET, ABC)
    • No. 8 Magic at No. 1 Pistons (6:30 ET, NBC)
    • No. 7 Blazers at No. 2 Spurs (9 ET, NBC)

    1. SERIES PREVIEW: ROCKETS-LAKERS AND A PLAYOFF-FIRST FOR LEBRON AND KD

    46 career head-to-head matchups.

    2,607 points scored against each other’s teams.

    Three championships decided between them.

    Kevin Durant and LeBron James have a rivalry rich with history and consequence.

    And today, for the first time in that history, they’ll meet in the Playoffs outside of the Finals.

    Durant leads the No. 5 Rockets into Los Angeles (8:30 ET, ABC), where the No. 4 Lakers look to James, beginning his 19th Playoff campaign, without top scorers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

    • Head-To-Head: While LeBron owns the advantage in 32 regular-season matchups (22-11), KD has claimed nine of 14 Playoff showdowns, all in the Finals
    • Classic Callback: The legendary pair hasn’t met in the Playoffs since the last of four straight Cavs-Warriors Finals, in 2017-18
    • Ring Count: KD earned his two rings in that rivalry, for a 2-1 head-to-head championship edge over LeBron. James’ first career title came against Durant’s Thunder
    • Lots More Hardware: The two have combined to claim five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, seven Gold Medals, five scoring titles and 38 All-Star selections
    • And Points: Their series now will mark the highest combined career point total between two opponents in NBA Playoff history, at over 60,000

    And after all that, both are still being asked to play significant roles for their playoff teams when it matters most.

    • “We’re gonna need him to facilitate… score… defend and rebound,” JJ Redick said of LeBron, who had a string of four straight 20+ point, 10+ assist games before the regular-season finale. “He recognizes the task at hand.”
    • KD The Closer: For a young Houston squad looking to take the next step, Durant has been the answer in winning time, sinking the 4th-most clutch points this season (146)
    • “That’s part of the reason we got him, for the efficiency he brings and the closing,” Ime Udoka said of KD. “One of the best to do it and ultimate closers in the game.”
    • X-Factors Elsewhere: Without Luka and Reaves, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson are the other duo to watch, each coming off career-best scoring seasons for their second Playoff run

    For more on this matchup, check out John Schuhmann’s series preview.

    2. SERIES PREVIEW: ANT & JOKER’S RIVALRY RENEWS IN WOLVES-NUGGETS

    The 2025-26 regular season saw a few rivalries rise, hinting at the NBA’s next wave of great ones.

    Now the 2026 Playoffs lead in with the next installment of a current classic: Anthony Edwards’ Wolves and Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets.

    In 28 matchups over the last four regular seasons and Playoffs – tying the Pacers and Bucks for most meetings in that span – these familiar foes have given us some of the league’s highest highs:

    And if Ant and Joker’s achievements this regular season are any indication, expect this rivalry, and series, to keep building on past thrills.

    Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

    • Mr. Triple-Double, Again: Jokić (27.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 10.7 apg) is now just the second player ever to average a triple-double in back-to-back seasons
    • Escalating Edwards: Still only 25, Ant has increased his scoring by more than 1.0 ppg in each of his six seasons, reaching 28.8 ppg this season, 3rd-best in the league
    • Offensive Opposites: While Edwards looks to score his way to a third straight West Finals, Jokić is the first player since 1969-70 to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game
    • Joker gets others going, as the Nuggets’ league-leading offense (122.1 ppg) had seven players average double figures this season
    • Top Target: That includes Denver’s own top-12 scorer with a career-year in Jamal Murray, who logged highs in points per game (25.4) and 3-point shooting (43.5%)

    “Nobody’s going to work harder than me this summer. I’ll tell you that much.” – That was Ant’s promise last offseason following a season-ending loss to OKC.

    Now it’s time to see if that hard work will pay off on the path back to the West Finals and beyond.

    Escalation can be contagious though, and Ant’s nemesis Nuggets rose up to be the highest scoring offense (122.1 ppg) in the league this season.

    For more on this matchup, check out Jeff Zillgitt’s series preview.

    3. IN THE EAST: KNICKS HOST HAWKS, RAPTORS FACE HARDEN’S CAVS

    Joe Boatman + Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

    April 6. 5:28 left to play. Scored tied at 90-90.

    New York was about to end Atlanta’s longest home win streak since 1996-97 (13) to take the season series 2-1.

    But as James L. Edwards III for The Athletic and NBA.com writes, those five-plus minutes could also hold the keys to this next series, with more at stake:

    “One of two things was going to happen:

    The Knicks starters were either going to bring home a much-needed victory and end a monthlong winless drought against teams with winning records, or they were going to give doubters more ammo…

    New York battled adversity in those final minutes, including a 5-point deficit. Conversely, it showed a resilience that has become a staple of this team since it was put together…

    “…The final 5:28 in Atlanta may be a moment we look back at down the line if the Knicks are on the cusp of achieving their postseason aspirations.” | Read More

    No. 6 Hawks at No. 3 Knicks (6 ET, Prime): Under head coach Mike Brown, New York is back to begin a Playoff push toward an elusive goal – its first Finals appearance since 1999. In its way first is an Atlanta team with one of the biggest turnarounds of the year.

    • KAT Stands Out: Both Edwards III and Steve Aschburner, who wrote NBA.com’s preview for this series, note that no Hawks defender has had an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns this season (28.5 ppg, 63.0 FG%, 13.5 rpg in 2 gm)
    • Clutch Co-Stars: Towns got 12 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter of that most recent meeting, following Jalen Brunson’s lead (30 pts), who poured in 17 in that 4th
    • Atlanta’s Duo: Nickeil Alexander-Walker rose up as a key offensive option during that Hawks win streak that fed the 18-2 turnaround, averaging a career-high 20.8 ppg and complimenting triple-double threat Jalen Johnson

    No. 5 Raptors at No. 4 Cavaliers (1 ET, Prime): The 2026 Playoffs tip off in Cleveland, where the Cavs closed with the league’s 6th-best record after adding former MVP James Harden, a wrinkle Toronto hasn’t faced yet.

    • Instant Chemistry: In a career-year, Donovan Mitchell (27.9 ppg) excelled alongside Harden, leading the league in total 4th-quarter points (513)
    • Still In His Bag: Harden didn’t regress in the relationship either, ranking second in the league in total isolation points (443), behind only SGA (522)
    • Drive & Dish: Cleveland climbed to 8th in assists per game with Harden, who’s also helped the Cavs capitalize with assists on 11% of drives, the 4th-best rate in the NBA
    • Dial Up Defense: Both teams call on defensive cornerstones, drafted back-to-back in 2022, in reigning DPOY Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, the only player in the top-10 for both blocks (116) and steals (114) this season

    For more on this matchup, check out Shaun Powell’s series preview.

    4. SUNS SNAG 8-SEED: JALEN GREEN GOES OFF AGAIN TO ELIMINATE DUBS

    Eight made 3s to tie a Play-In game record.

    A 7-0 personal 4th-quarter flurry to seal the win.

    A second consecutive 35+ point performance to join Steph Curry alone in Play-In history.

    With the West’s No. 8 seed on the line, Curry-like numbers won the night – but they all belonged to Jalen Green, as the Suns stifled the Warriors.

    Suns 111, Warriors 96: Green (36 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk) caught fire again and Devin Booker (6 reb, 8 ast) added 20 points to help clinch the 8-seed for Phoenix and send them on to face the defending champs in OKC in a best-of-seven series starting Sunday (3:30 ET, ABC).

    Brandin Podziemski (23 pts, 10 reb) led Golden State’s efforts, with 17 points from Curry in a season-ending loss. | Recap

    • Jumping out to a 13-2 start, Phoenix’s defense settled in, limiting Golden State to 1-of-9 shooting from distance in a 33-15 1st-quarter
    • Jordan Goodwin (19 pts, 9 reb, 4 3s) hounded Curry and the Dubs for a Play-In record six steals, as Steph was held to 4-of-16 from the field
    • Curry got loose early in the 4th with two of three Warriors 3s in the first 2:30, cutting the lead to 85-78. That’s when Green closed the contest
    • Jalen rattled off a layup, a trey and a running floater, unanswered, in under two minutes to push the lead back to 14 and keep Phoenix ahead by double digits for good

    “I believe in my squad. I think we can do anything we put our minds to,” Green said postgame. “We lock in, we come out and play hard, trust each other, the sky’s the limit for us.”

    • Green and Curry (2021) are the only players in Play-In Tournament history to log back-to-back 35+ point games
    • The Suns guard’s 71 total points are the 2nd-most in any Play-In Tournament run, behind Steph’s 76 from that 2021 hot streak
    • “He was just telling me ‘Go handle business in OKC,’” Green said of Curry’s message to him postgame. “Coming from Steph, it means a lot.”
    • Steph also shared a moment with Draymond Green and Steve Kerr, as the Warriors turned their attention to next season

    5. MAGIC MOVE ON: EARLY ERUPTION ENDS HORNETS’ RUN

    Midway through the 1st quarter, 4-point game.

    A loose rebound off a Charlotte miss bounced out between Brandon Miller’s legs.

    It rolled to Jalen Suggs, alone at midcourt.

    Suggs swished a transition long-ball (foot on the line), unknowingly igniting Orlando’s final run to the East’s 8-seed.

    Magic 121, Hornets 90: Surging on to take that opening period 38-16, Orlando led by double-digits the rest of the way to punch its ticket to a third straight Playoff appearance and a First-Round date with No. 1 Detroit. Paolo Banchero (25 pts) led all scorers.

    LaMelo Ball’s 23 points paced the Hornets, who are now eliminated from postseason contention, last making the Playoffs in 2016. | Recap

    • Fast Fire: Suggs’ (12 pts, 6 ast) transition make was followed by back-to-back Wendell Carter Jr. triples, and then five consecutive Banchero points, in a 13-0 burst
    • Decisive Quarter: It spurred Orlando to close the final 6:07 of the 1st on a 24-6 run, for its 4th-highest scoring opening quarter (38 pts) of the season
    • Carter Jr. finished the frame with 10 of his 16 points, connecting with Paolo on his second triple, who powered his way to 12 points in the period
    • While shooting 61% in the 1st half, the Magic’s defense leveled up to hold the Hornets to their 2nd-lowest 1st-quarter (16 pts) and 1st-half (37 pts) totals this season

    Orlando’s 31-point halftime lead was its largest in any game this season, and the largest in Play-In Tournament history.

    • The Magic protected their 1st-half work with physical play, allowing only 12 points in the paint before halftime while blocking five shots and doubling Charlotte on the boards
    • “If we were gonna be able to win the game, it was gonna have to be by being extra physical and setting the tone with the physicality,” Banchero said
    • Bane Dives, Cain Flies: When LaMelo’s 21 3rd-quarter points started chipping away at the gap, Bane dived to save a loose ball, setting up a game-sealing Jamal Cain oop
    • “Gamechanger,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of Bane’s physicality. “He’s just finding ways to win… He sets the tone in a lot of ways for us.”

    Orlando will look to match that physicality with No. 1 Detroit as their series begins Sunday (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock). The Magic split four games with the East leaders this season.

    “We know that’s gonna be a dog fight,” Banchero said of Detroit. “We’ve seen them plenty of times, so we know what’s on the way.”

  • As fentanyl crisis evolves, experts say US is still ‘behind the eight ball’

    As fentanyl crisis evolves, experts say US is still ‘behind the eight ball’

    Dallas, United States – Michael Watkins wipes sweat from his brow as he steps up to a stranger’s door. It’s a scorching day in Dallas, Texas; the sun has been hammering the pavement for hours.

    Watkins, a 50-year-old man with glasses, a goatee and a gauge in both earlobes, doesn’t know what to expect beyond the door of the single-storey house. He doesn’t even know if the person on the other side will answer. But these door knocks are a critical part of his job. Within 72 hours of a reported overdose from the dangerous opioid fentanyl, Watkins shows up on a stranger’s doorstep with a brochure full of substance abuse resources and some of the life-saving medication known as Narcan.

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    He works for the Recovery Resource Council, an addiction treatment nonprofit that’s been tackling the fentanyl crisis in North Texas since it began more than 10 years ago. Their grassroots approach has yielded great results: In 2023, Dallas County — the largest county in North Texas — recorded 280 deaths from fentanyl. Last year, that number was 203.

    This is in line with a nationwide decrease in fentanyl overdoses that began several years ago, after the rate of overdose deaths in the United States doubled between 2015 and 2023. However, some show the number of overall overdose deaths once again climbing, as experts warn a disruption in the fentanyl market has been repaired.

    Dallas, like all major US cities, has been ravaged by fentanyl overdoses. Because of its relative proximity to the US-Mexico border, and its extensive highway infrastructure, Dallas also has the unfortunate distinction of being a major hub in the drug smuggling routes stretching from Mexico to other major US cities.

    Becky Devine, the director of Recovery Resource Council, says her team calls these door-knocks “uninvited interventions”.

    “We show up wanting to bridge the gap between where they are in this moment of desperation and isolation to all of the services that are available in our community,” she said.

    “The majority of the people we encounter are receptive to us showing up, but they just don’t know what they want yet. We get phone calls weeks, months down the road that say, ‘Hey, I met you on my doorstep six, seven, 10 months ago, and I wasn’t ready then, but I’m ready now.’”

    Recently, their work, like the work of similar nonprofits across the country, has been hindered by the administration of US President Donald Trump, just as the country was making consistent progress in the fight against fentanyl.

    Despite declaring fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction”, the Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in addiction services and drug-related research across multiple federal agencies.

    Elon Musk’s DOGE team fired a team that rigorously tracked Americans’ drug use for decades, and in January, officials abruptly cancelled roughly $2bn in grants through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), only to reverse course within days. The whiplash left providers scrambling and deepened uncertainty across the treatment system.

    What’s more, in the past year, the Trump administration has reduced SAMHSA’s staff by half. Estimates vary as to how much money in total has been cut from essential treatment programmes, but in late 2025, the health news website STAT reported that at least $1.7bn in block grants for state health departments had been cut, as had about $350m in addiction and overdose prevention funding.

    All this comes at a time when the fentanyl threat is evolving, with the market for the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl largely shifting from China to India.

    Chrissie Julianno is the executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which represents health departments in major cities across the US. According to her, the Trump administration has created rampant chaos with far-reaching consequences.

    “I think one piece that people don’t necessarily think about is, particularly in large jurisdictions, large counties and large cities, a lot of the dollars that they get from the federal government are then contracted out to community partners,” she said. “It’s not just the health department that can’t do something. It’s not just the health department that’s forced to lay off staff. It’s all of the other pieces that come together in these jurisdictions where there’s partnerships.”

    Weapon of mass destruction

    Last year, Watkins’s organisation tried to establish an addiction resource team devoted to Plano, one of the largest suburbs in Dallas. The team was put on hold because of a spate of federal funding cuts, including the elimination of $345m in addiction and overdose prevention.

    Watkins, for his part, is trying to be the kind of person he needed when he was at the lowest point of his own addiction journey.

    He once called the police on himself because, in his words, “If I go to jail, maybe I won’t drink any more.” Instead of lock-up, he wound up in a hospital, where he received an offer for a state-funded treatment programme. He took the rep’s business card, went home, and drank for four days straight.

    “But after those four days, all of a sudden it just dawned on me, ‘Yes, I’m going to die, and I really don’t know what to do,’” he said.

    He called the number on that business card and entered the treatment programme. Now, 13 years later, he’s the one handing out cards and offers of help.

    “I just want to be there for people,” he said. “I want to be there to help them connect the dots.”

    Experts say initiatives like this are critical to the US continuing a trend that began in 2023, when fentanyl overdoses started falling nationwide for the first time in a decade. Instead, the Trump administration has focused on a militaristic approach that’s frustrated healthcare professionals and policy experts.

    Trump and his cabinet members claim recent military actions against Venezuela, including the boat strikes that have drawn war crime accusations, are part of the fight against fentanyl — despite that no fentanyl comes from Venezuela. Experts say the “weapon of mass destruction” label is a political move meant to bolster the equally dubious claim that drug cartels are “terrorist organisations”, a term reserved for groups with ideological or political motives.

    “I’m inclined to push back against the hijacking of terms that have a specific meaning just to harness the emotional impact,” Jonathan Caulkins, a professor and researcher on drugs and violence at Carnegie Mellon University, told STAT. “By those arguments, cigarettes would be weapons of mass destruction — cigarettes kill more Americans every year than fentanyl does.”

    Caulkins isn’t alone in those concerns. Other people interviewed by Al Jazeera worried that the “weapons of mass destruction” label further stigmatises addiction and discourages people from seeking help.

    “I just don’t really understand what kind of message that’s supposed to send to the person that’s still using it,” said Kristin, a Dallas woman who has struggled with opioid addiction. She asked Al Jazeera to use a pseudonym because of pending legal cases surrounding her drug usage.

    “Are people who have struggled with drugs in the past or have used fentanyl, are they terrorists? And good luck getting people to talk about it with you if they are addicted to it now.”

    Ben Westhoff, the author of Fentanyl, Inc, says military and law enforcement tactics are a crucial part of stopping the flow of fentanyl, especially when it involves the countries where fentanyl actually comes from.

    But he stresses that investing in healthcare and local support services is equally critical.

    “Even if we’re seeing 20 percent less, 30 percent fewer deaths than at the worst part of the crisis, that’s still an unprecedented amount of death,” he said. “Putting people in treatment is definitely what needs to happen. People need to receive medications for opioid use disorder, and not just after they have an overdose, but before they have an overdose.”

    Behind the eight ball

    Before he became a fentanyl expert and documentarian, Westhoff was the music editor for an alternative weekly in Los Angeles. When he investigated a rise in deaths at raves in LA, he discovered typical party drugs weren’t the culprit; it was fentanyl, mostly originating from China.

    Westhoff’s subsequent research exposed the role of Chinese companies — especially one called Yuancheng — in the production of the precursor chemicals necessary to create the lethal drug. As a result of his work and pressure from the US government, China cracked down on those companies, and the CEO of Yuancheng was indicted. A new paper in the academic journal Science — authored in part by Caulkins — argues that the Chinese crackdown led to a drop in overdose deaths.

    However, in an interview with Al Jazeera, Westhoff says this progress could be short-lived. The precursor chemical trade has migrated to India, which has a large and less-regulated pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Those precursors are exported to Mexico, where they are then used to produce drugs that are smuggled across the US-Mexico border.

    The author sees history repeating itself: For much of the fentanyl crisis, much of the focus from DC and the media fell on Mexico, not China. Now, he says there isn’t enough of a focus on the role India plays in producing fentanyl precursors — and unlike its tensions with China, the US has a relatively strong relationship with India.

    “I think we’re definitely behind the eight ball,” Westhoff said. “I don’t think India is even really on the radar of many people in the position in the United States to do something about it.”

    Meanwhile, Watkins says any kind of nationwide focus or discussion of fentanyl has “fallen off” in recent years, perhaps because the US is not currently in the middle of a heated presidential race, or perhaps because of the decrease in deaths.

    “People are still dying,” he said, “and it’s not being pointed out like it was two to three years ago.

    When asked what he thought of the classification of fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction,” Watkins avoided sharing a political opinion.

    “Any attention to this is good regardless of the intentions behind the declaration,” he said. “With the administration’s stand, I am hoping that it could open more funding avenues.”

    For him, more funding would mean a broader team and, ultimately, the chance to knock on more doors and help more people.

    Back in Dallas, beneath that punishing sun, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knocked on the door.

    He hopes they answer, and if they do, he hopes they’ll be open to support.

    But if they’re not, he’ll wait. He knows the phone could ring months from now, with someone on the other end asking for help.

  • Marriage Linked to Lower Cancer Risk, But Experts Say It Doesn’t Equal Prevention

    Close-up of a couples hands with wedding rings on/wedding dayShare on Pinterest
    A recent study has linked being or having been married to a reduced cancer risk. Image Credit: Ivy Calder/Getty Images
    • A recent study shows there may be a connection between those who are or have been married and reduced incidents of cancer.
    • This adds to a growing body of research that links marriage to improved health outcomes.
    • This is not to say that people must get or be married to have health and cancer benefits.

    The concept of marriage is in flux in society. In fact, recent data show that marriage rates in the United States are actually falling.

    A recent study published in the journal Cancer Research Communications suggests that being or having been married may be associated with reduced cancer risk. This means that, according to the data, many people may be missing out on the health benefits of marriage.

    However, there are some who say that the societal concept of marriage being “better” than being single may skew data and the interpretations of it.

    “People start from the assumption ‘Marriage: good. No marriage: bad’ and interpret things in ways that do not make sense in terms of actual data,” Joan DelFattore, PhD, professor emerita of English and legal studies at the University of Delaware, and someone who has written about cancer and marital status for academic journals and mass media, told CNN. Delfattore wasn’t involved in the study.

    She added that this bias, which is embedded in medical training and research, often leads to conclusions that may be “over-simplified.”

    The recent study showed, however, that statistically, people who had an “ever-married” status had a lower incident rate of cancer than those who had “never-married.” The researchers identified “ever-married” to include married, separated, divorced, or widowed individuals.

    “This demonstrates that marriage confers not only known social benefits but also downstream physiological benefits, highlighting the unity between mind and body, and between social, mental, and physical health,” said Deborah Vinall, PsyD, LMFT, and Chief Psychological Officer with Recovered, who was not involved in the study.

    “Loneliness is known to be fatal. This study makes that finding more concrete,” Vinall said.

    While this study may show another potential health benefit of marriage, more research is needed.

    The researchers found that among never-married males, cancer rates were 68% higher than those of males in the ever-married group. For never-married females, the rate was 85% higher than that of females in the ever-married group.

    “With how heterogeneous both cancer and individual behaviors can be, this is a nuanced question but to generalize broadly, being married is known to decrease exposure to many of the risk factors associated with various malignancies,” said Ketan Thanki, MD, board certified colorectal surgeon who specializes in benign and malignant disease of the colon, rectum, and anus with the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center. Thanki wasn’t involved in the study.

    The research team notes that these findings probably have multiple causes. For example, some cancers, such as ovarian and endometrial cancers, may be related to reproductive mechanisms. Individuals who have never given birth may be at a higher risk for these cancers.

    The study also found that in older participants, the correlation between marriage and cancer risk seemed to strengthen. This may suggest that the effects of marriage accumulate over time.

    It’s also possible that these outcomes are partly due to the way marriage can offer advantages in social support and healthcare.

    The study researchers suggest that people who are married may be less likely to partake in behaviors that may be considered a risk, pointing to data that shows marriage was strongly associated with lower rates of lung and cervical cancer.

    Both these cancers are linked to behaviors that may be considered a risk, like smoking, sexual activity, and drinking alcohol.

    “Married people get screened more,” Thanki suggested. “This is especially true for men who are 20% more likely to get colonoscopies, for example, if married … Having a partner to help us manage and afford our lifestyle and food choices and remind us to get our health maintenance checkups seems to help prevent cancer,” said Thanki.

    Vinall agreed, “Marriage partners are invested in each other’s long-term health and wellness. They may be more likely to encourage one another to engage in health-maintaining efforts such as eating well, exercising, and attending regular doctor’s visits, which can catch problems at a pre-cancerous stage.”

    “It is interesting to note that while other surveys have found that marriage benefits men’s mental health more than women’s, the reduction in cancer risk identified in this study applies to both genders,” she told Healthline.

    Some research suggests that single individuals going through cancer care may have worse outcomes than those who are married.

    However, others, like DelFattore, argue that this may be due in part to stereotypes held by doctors.

    More research is needed, and the study authors emphasize that it should focus on how to better support unmarried individuals.

    It also provides doctors with an opportunity to counsel those without a support system at home. Unmarried people should be encouraged to build a strong support network.

    “Social support really is the key factor, whether in a partner, friends, or family,” Thanki told Healthline.

    “Taking that support out of the same home probably diminishes the effect slightly but still, having family and friends who encourage or inspire healthful behaviors, remind you to get your screening, and share meals and activities with you will not only keep you in a healthier and happier mental space but help keep you on top of the physical aspects of health that reduce cancer risk,” Thanki said.

    Vindall added that it is important to remember “marriage decreases the odds of cancer but does not prevent it. If you are in a happy marriage and cancer still occurs, it is not an indictment of your marriage, love, or care for your spouse.”