Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Between exploring new interests, engaging with new styles and making new friends, our young years are a searching pursuit of identity, and thus one of cinema’s enduring topics. That quest is very much at the heart of director Katie Aselton’s lovely coming-of-age drama “Their Town,” a familiar yet cozily comforting film about the soulful kinships that emerge when we least expect them, enriching our world in ways that are permanent and singular.

A warm family affair on the page and off — the script is by Aselton’s husband Mark Duplass, with the lead played by their daughter, Ora Duplass — “Their Town” doesn’t just wink with its title at Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-winning play “Our Town.” It also embraces its small-town spirit beautifully, finding meaning in life’s ordinary moments when everything else seems high-stakes. Ora’s Abby is certainly experiencing one of those extreme crossroads in her young world, when her boyfriend Tyler (William Atticus Parker) exits the school play they’re co-leading. Does that mean he just doesn’t want to be in a production that he deems stupid, or is a break-up imminent — especially considering Tyler hasn’t always been faithful?

To the relief of their exceedingly vocal and dramatic director Mr. Elliot (Jeffery Self, vibrant despite an overwrought part that errs on the side of comic-relief cliché), Abby half-heartedly stays behind, getting paired with Matt (Chosen Jacobs) instead. Except Matt had only signed up to do stage work, and isn’t all that interested in playing a romantic lead. Still, the two decide to spend some time after school and practice their parts jointly anyway.

At first, Abby’s reluctance to stick with the play doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially because we get a strong sense of character from her: “I am my own person,” she insists, early in the film. But when we meet her mother Janet (Kim Shaw), the pieces of the puzzle snap into place. Having been let down by men before, and hoping for a less tough life for her daughter, Janet seems to encourage Abby to stick with the popular Tyler as a way out, confusing her about what her individual priorities should be.

In an especially well-written and deftly orchestrated scene where Janet and Abby quarrel, with Matt overhearing from another room, their mother-daughter dynamic comes into sharp focus with heartbreak and humor. In the heat of the fight, Janet’s protectiveness of Tyler is surprising: Shouldn’t she encourage her daughter to build a life on her town terms? Then we realize the very point at the heart of “Their Town” (and perhaps our own memories of youth): Grown-ups are older but not always wiser, and young instincts can sometimes be the right ones.

Settling into this realization, we can blissfully enjoy the unforced chemistry that emerges between Matt and Abby when they head to his family home — a lot more upscale than Abby’s — for practice. We learn that Matt’s parents have been divorced since his father Anthony (Daveed Diggs) came out as a gay man. A loving father, he now often visits his boyfriend Wei (Leonard Nam) abroad, checking in with Matt via Zoom daily. (An especially amusing Zoom call makes for another memorable scene in the film.)

With their past connections delightfully rediscovered and all the cards on the table, the youngsters spend the evening strolling around their town over confessional conversations, bringing to mind the relaxed rhythms of Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy. While their exchanges aren’t quite as deep as Jesse and Celine’s, Abby and Matt are still wonderful screen partners, and ones we root for. A winsome scene with Gloria (Annie Henk), the owner of a taco truck that Abby frequents, furthers that sentiment. Elsewhere, the crisp New England environs of Bangor, Maine provide a stunning backdrop for the proceedings — charming, but not romanticized in an overly syrupy way.

“Their Town” is less successful when it dials up the dramatic intensity by teasing a mental illness angle for Matt, explaining the episodes that forced his family to move. Fluid and organic until then, the film stumbles a little with this revelation, with even the young cast seeming ill at ease as they navigate a storyline that almost comes out of nowhere. This also makes us question other narrative choices: If Matt’s struggle is so recent, how is his father this comfortable leaving him alone for long periods of time?

Still, “Their Town” finds its footing, thanks mostly to its exceptional performances and Aselton’s sharp, unfussy direction, which allows the leads’ chemistry and the locale’s warmth speak for themselves. In return, we gladly embrace the gentle touch of this small and spirited film.

The catchy premise motoring “Sender,” a story about a harried woman who moves into a rental home and quickly becomes inundated with packages she didn’t order, transforms beyond its simple, straightforward hook. Writer-director Russell Goldman re-fashions the puzzle box constraints of his short “Return to Sender” into an intricately-faceted feature, making way for a deep character study to emerge, crawling under our skin to truly unnerve in its damning examination of how commercialism is insidiously interwoven into our daily lives. Boldly off-kilter, brilliant and bizarre, its dark humor and taut psychological horror are laced together in a delightfully heady blend.

Julia (Britt Lower) has recently experienced a few major lifestyle changes. She was fired from her low level job, quit drinking and moved into a rental home three weeks prior to when we first meet her hiding in the kitchen at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. After the group breaks for the day, she introduces herself to Whitney (Rhea Seehorn), who appears to be struggling with some light anger issues on top of her drinking problem. Julia asks for Whitney’s help on her sobriety journey, but Whitney is reluctant to agree, offering a recommendation for a different rehab program. Whitney’s compliance doesn’t really matter anyway as Julia is hell-bent on having her as a sponsor, so when Julia’s overbearing, soft-spoken sister Tatiana (Anna Baryshnikov) drops by to check on her, Whitney can provide a buffer.

Meanwhile, mysterious packages begin showing up to Julia’s home from an Amazon-esque e-commerce site, Smirk. First, it’s a lipstick that’s similar in color to her own signature shade. But then the goods become specifically targeted to items in Julia’s hazy, destructive past, from condoms to jugs of protein powder that her former colleague (Utkarsh Ambudkar) now sells. Even a creepy, homemade duct tape balaclava mask shows up. Not knowing how to proceed, she consults the kindly Smirk delivery driver she’s befriended, Charlie (David Dastmalchian), but he’s not much help either. Julia’s psychosis starts to shatter, overcome by cardboard shipping boxes and torturous insomnia. Matters worsen for her when Tatiana moves in and Whitney disappears. It’s up Julia to battle her way through the corporate red tape to uncover the answers for herself, which turns into trippy, mind-blowing insanity and shattering revelations.

Goldman keeps things moving at a quick clip to augment the film’s atmospheric pull and tighten the tension. Making the unreliable narrator a recovering alcoholic gives the prickly psycho-thriller a character-driven edge. Her journey towards long-lasting sobriety aligns with her unfolding detective work to find her anonymous aggressor. Characters’ emotional catharses are earned. The mystery of who’s behind it all is revealed in an amusing manner, unfolding before we’re ahead of anyone on screen and never collapsing into lazy, expository speech dumps. Editor Marco Rosas’s montages and abrupt cuts give the proceedings an electric energy and deliberate discomfort.

The auteur places us directly in his heroine’s tormented psyche through the use of ingenious sound design (courtesy of Nathan Ruyle’s outside the box thinking), unsettling cinematography (courtesy of Gemma Doll-Grossman’s innovative utilization of blurred-edge lenses and light) and a percussive score (courtesy of Gavin Brivik’s compositions forming a cohesive identity through their disparate rhythms). Distressing environmental sounds – like the low crackling hum of a guitar amp ready for use, Julia’s booming punches as she pries open her mystery deliveries, or the sharp surprise of a blender or shower turning on – plug us into Julia’s destabilizing experiences. Her sobering memories are accompanied by stark, cold daylight, shot with a handheld camera to express immediacy and intimacy.

Because the dialogue is perhaps a little too lean, we’re left to infer some of the character construction through the world these players inhabit. Melisa Myers’ clever production design adds intrigue. Julia’s mixed medium mural hanging on her family room wall clues us into her cluttered, frenzied mindset. Rather than show her living quarters growing messier the longer she’s tormented by her stalker escalating their threats into excruciating psychological warfare, it’s a shrewd juxtaposition to see her home transformed into a tidy, attractive and cozy space.

The ensemble elevates the sharp material. There are no weak links in the cast either. Lower has the yeoman’s task of heightening the narrative’s frenetic unease. In her capable hands, her flawed heroine is infused with an innate rootability. We like her in spite of her caustic tendencies. She’s absolutely captivating, adopting an imposing physicality when guarded, yet shrinking when scared. She gets her steps in by pacing, jittery from chugging Celsius energy drinks. Seehorn is equally as magnetic a performer. Though she doesn’t have a lot of screen time, she’s a looming presence, thanks to her curt way of dealing with her pesky, persistent charge. Baryshnikov is the soul of the film as the beleaguered victim of Julia’s hijinks. Yet it’s Dastmalchian who serves as the MVP of the supporting cast. He’s charming, tender and vulnerable, striking up sweet (but never saccharine) rom-com-inspired chemistry with Lower.

In addition to Goldman’s visual dexterity capturing his anti-heroine’s insular life, he exercises a compelling gift for world-building. The prologue, featuring a disabled elderly woman (played by an almost unrecognizable Jamie Lee Curtis, who also serves as the film’s producer) feeling suicidal after opening a package containing a meaningful childhood memento, hints at a larger context in which the filmmaker’s thematic and narrative concepts could exist outside of one film. It’s perfectly suited for expansion through spinoffs, sequels and prequels. With a creeping dread bubbling beneath the surface, ruminating on the ease with which bullies and corporations inextricably insinuate themselves into our lives, “Sender” deserves to be added to your cart.

Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas rocked SXSW with “Power Ballad,” the latest music-themed comedy film from “Once” and “Sing Street” director John Carney.

The movie follows Rick Power (Rudd), a wedding band singer who stumbles into a late-night jam session with former boy band star Danny (Jonas) and reignites his passion for songwriting. But Danny leaves not only with a newfound motivation — he lifts one of Rick’s songs, turns it into a No. 1 hit and claims it as his own. Rick then embarks on a quest to reclaim the recognition he deserves, sacrificing everything he loves in the process.

The film features several drunken duets between Rudd and Jonas after the former offers the latter some of his marijuana. If there’s one takeaway from the film, Jonas put it like this: “Be careful who you share a blunt with.”

The Jonas Brothers singer behind solo hits like “Jealous” and “Close” said he boarded “Power Ballad” after he heard Carney was writing a script about “a wedding singer and a former boy band member turned solo artist trying to find himself.” In a nod to the obvious parallels between his character and himself, Jonas quipped: “I said yes!”

“Outside of the more obvious themes … one of the things that I was really drawn to is this idea of how many rooms I’ve been in as a songwriter where it could have gone one way or the other — success and failure and everything between — and moments where your character is called into question,” he added during the Q&A portion of the premiere. “Having been in this business for 20-plus years, it’s wild to see how many people have gone down that path where they come out the other side with success and their friends still around them, and some that come with success and lose everybody in their life.”

Rudd said he was attracted to the film because, like Rick, he is the father of a teenage daughter, and he is a “huge music fan.”

“This is a guy who has a real desire to do something and express himself and has a dream,” he said. “There are certain things that are unrealized, and he’s faced disappointment. These are things that are very relatable, so the character really meant something to me.”

Before the film rolled, Carney was welcomed to the stage by a SXSW programmer who proclaimed, excitedly, “John Carney is the shit!”

“If my mother heard that expression, she wouldn’t have understood the irony of this,” the director replied. “She’d be like, ‘Why is she calling my son shitty?’ I accept this very modern compliment.”

Introducing the movie, Carney warmed Texas hearts by giving a heartfelt shoutout to Austin legend Richard Linklater. “He’s the reason that I’m a filmmaker,” he said. “Not in terms of inspiration, but in terms of giving people permission to make films.”

In 2005, a San Jose woman found a human finger in her Wendy’s chili. Well, she claimed to. When it was discovered that she planted the finger in the bowl herself for financial gain, she was sentenced to nine years in prison for the scam that cost the fast-food chain millions. Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad’s agile and entertaining crime caper “Chili Finger” is ripped from those headlines, but mostly fictionalized, opening with the caveat that only some of the events portrayed in the film are truth-based.

The usually breezy script (by Helstad) is smart enough not to feel like a bargain version of the Coen brothers dark comedies it winks at, even when “Chili Finger” aggressively goes off the rails in its final chapter. Unfolding with an immersive pace to earn our attention and chuckles throughout, the film’s opening sequence is its most brilliant, with an employee of a beer bottling factory in the Midwest dropping his vape on the ledges of fast-moving machinery. While his dangerous attempts to reclaim it scream an impending disaster (frankly, he shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery while high), the loss of his finger still manages to play out as an uproarious surprise, setting the stage for the cheeky black comedy of twists and turns that follows.

Here, the scammer in question is played by the wonderful Judy Greer, whose recent villainous turn in the cozy snow mystery “Dead of Winter” was an inspired casting choice for the prolific actor known mostly for playing agreeable people. Her presence in “Chili Finger” made this critic wonder whether we’ve missed out on some great lead roles from Greer when she was mostly cast in supporting parts for a long while in the aughts. With “Chili Finger,” Greer finds a diverse range of opportunities to give both her comedic and dramatic muscles a workout as Jessica Lipki, a frustrated Midwestern divorce attorney Greer brings to life with a dangerous sense of mystique and relatable vulnerability.

Married to Sean Astin’s (also great) angelic Ron, whose constant naïve sweetness and idiosyncratic hobbies would be a little less irritating if he talked a little less and observed a little more, Jessica doesn’t seem to know how to navigate her newfound status as an empty-nester after sending her daughter off to the East Coast for college. It would be one thing if she and Ron could visit her for the upcoming parents weekend. But to the perennially strapped-for-cash couple, this seemingly ordinary trip would be nothing but an outrageous luxury.

With this grim financial reality at the backdrop, Helstad’s script subtly yet intelligently engages with the urgent economic anxieties of the American middle class, people who live paycheck to paycheck while barely making ends meet, and don’t have enough money to call an ambulance even when a workplace accident as severe as the one we witness early on takes place. Within this context, it’s halfway understandable why an emotionally strained, hardworking middle-aged person desperate to be a present parent in her daughter’s life would think of gaming the system that she legally knows so well. Her method might be despicable, but you can at least see how she rationalized it to herself. What’s wrong with a modest sum to afford a pair of economy-class airplane tickets, some fancy food on the dinner table for a change, and some humble home updates here and there? The insurance will pick up the tab anyway.

Enter the local fast-food chain Blake Junior’s that Ron is a big fan of, and their famous bowl of chili Jessica digs into. When the finger pops up in her food to the horror of the customers and waitstaff, the corporate negotiator to arrive is Blake Jr. II (Madeline Wise), who agrees to pay $100,000 for the damages. (Ron negotiates far beyond Jessica’s small initial offer, unknowingly upping the stakes of her scheme.) Except, business owner Blake Jr. I (a hardball and very welcome John Goodman, in case there is any doubt that we’re in a Coen-esque world) won’t have his reputation tarnished that easily. So he sends his sturdy pal Dave (a hilarious Bryan Cranston), an uncompromisingly tough ex-Marine who immediately sniffs something fishy in the incident.

Crime movies like this are often funny because the rookie criminals are clueless and incompetent, and things snowball beyond their wildest imagination with everyone demanding a slice of the loot they haven’t earned. That is certainly the case in the final act of “Chili Finger,” which also involves the fingerless and broke Trevor (Paul Stanko, the aforesaid factory worker) and his very pregnant girlfriend Nia (Sarah Herrman). Too bad the script feels less controlled and more directionless when each of these characters go head to head with an increasing body count across several bloody incidents.

And yet, “Chili Finger” is still a fun and riotous ride. Like a hearty bowl of (hopefully finger-free) chili would, it hits the spot.

Much has been theorized about how “Jackass,” the MTV stunt show from the early 2000s that spawned multiple movies and enthralled a generation of young people with its gross-out and pain-inducing antics, exhibits an absurdist version of hyper-masculinity and genuine camaraderie. These men hit each other relentlessly, put their bodies at risk, and reveled in sidesplitting laughter as a warped way of bonding with each other physically.

Such an unruly approach to brotherhood also fuels “Crash Land,” actor Dempsey Bryk’s directorial debut, a movie as poignant as it is rooted in the crass humor, recklessness, and idiocy of young men whose preferred mode of diversion is to endure bodily harm for the sake of a “cool” video or simply a shared cackle. Punches to the genitals, stupidly daring acts involving fire or firearms while under the influence of alcohol are the daily bread of Bryk’s trio of amateur stuntmen, or stunt boys, in the small, isolated Canadian town of Inch.

When Darby (Billy Bryk, the director’s brother) dies unexpectedly, from an aneurysm and not as consequence of a stunt, his closest buds, Lance (Gabriel LaBelle) and Clay (Noah Parker) refuse to acknowledge those who claim his life and theirs amounted to nothing. To prove their detractors wrong, Clay suggests they make a movie, “the greatest of all time,” to be precise, which will combine preexisting footage of Darby and new scenes in which Clay will play him wearing a paper mask (it’s as ridiculous as it sounds). There’s a heartwarming idiocy to their pursuit, yet what festers underneath is their inability to process grief consciously and the fear that those who deem their existence meaningless might be right.

The technology available to the characters — a low-grade digital camcorder and flip phones — suggest they exist some time in the early 2000s. Grainy footage of the goofy, but nonetheless risky stunts they’ve carried out over the years reflects their carefree, extremely rough-around-the-ages personas and the wildness of their banter. That those clips come off as authentic outside of their aesthetic shoddiness, attests to Bryk’s casting choices and how these young actors can convincingly portrait lifelong friends with a shared, foolish devotion. LaBelle gives in to the walking ruckus that is Lance. An agent of chaos, his one-track-minded character is perpetually on the verge of an explosive reaction, which provides a healthy dose of amusement, but also makes him erratic and dangerous.

The film’s revelation is Parker, a Quebecois actor recently seen in the French-language drama “Who By Fire.” He holds the heart of “Crash Land” on his endearingly confused visage. Clay’s innocent expression of sadness after Darby’s passing gradually gives way to the face of a young man whose inner world is expanding as he considers that maybe amateur and vulgar stunts may not be a sustainable path forward — especially if other opportunities await outside of Inch’s limits. Each time Parker comes on screen works as a warm reminder that there’s soulfulness here, not just a trite “boys will be boys” tirade.

“Crash Land” takes a turn into the realm of expected tropes when introducing a romantic interest for Clay, who arrives as a catalyst for the guys to consider growing up. The soft-spoken, overprotected Jemma (Abby Quinn), a girl from Quebec in town for a while, doesn’t judge the boys, but takes their silly bravado and poor decision-making as a sincere, if misguided expression of who they are, but not the only thing they are. That includes the humorous neuroticism of Sander (Finn Wolfhard of “Stranger Things” fame), a third man in the operation (and an orphan) tasked with directing the Damsy tribute film. There’s a bit of a meta element at play since “Crash Land” is the newest feature from Kid Brother, a production company that Wolfhard and Billy Bryk co-founded, after “Hell of a Summer.”

The psychology that Bryk wrote for these young men is the key as to why these brutes are more lovable than unbearable. They move through the world unaware of the disconnect between how they understand their actions and how they are perceived. Despite what they’re known for in town — crashing out before ever taking off — Clay is heartbroken when learning that their neighbors see them as “bad boys.” In his mind, their wacky and irresponsible outings don’t come from a place of malice or a desire to harm anyone, but function as the language through which him and his friends communicate. Through the timid charisma of Quinn’s performance as Jemma, as the damsel in the equation who is not in distress but a voice of reason, Bryk doesn’t suggest Lance and Clay or even Sander should forsake the playfulness that bonds them, but allow themselves a chance to explore other facets of their selves. In turn, Jemma gets from them a modicum of their fearlessness.

A new entry into the “dudes rock” canon (movies that celebrate male camaraderie at its most earnest and less toxic) and simultaneously a coming-of-age yarn, “Crash Land” moves through familiar avenues structurally, yet its winsome nitwits become its greatest virtue.

At this fraught moment in our culture, it comes as a small surprise that a movie called “Drag” is not about the terrors of “gender ideology,” nor the apparent threat to Western civilization of people dressing up in garb generally associated with the opposite sex. Instead, writer-directors Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer’s debut feature draws its title from the simple action of pulling a dead-weight object along the ground or floor. That item happens to be a woman — and she isn’t even one of the victims (at least yet) of a serial killer figuring significantly in the plot. Grievous bodily harm, nonconsensual drugging, murder, yes…still, thank god there’s nothing unwholesome here, like say a man in a dress.

Actually, there is quite a bit of John Stamos in underwear. But his character’s heterosexual bona fides are a given, however eccentrically those desires may manifest themselves. Nonetheless, “Drag” is mostly a sister act, with Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito as quarrelsome siblings who find themselves in ever-deepening trouble during a house robbery gone wrong. It’s a narrow, somewhat one-note, crisis-driven premise that might’ve worked just as well as a short. To the filmmakers’ credit, though, tension and edgy humor are sustained for nearly 90 minutes of caustic entertainment. Their enthusiastically nasty little bon-bon is likely to go over well as an opening-weekend premiere in SXSW’s Midnighter selection. 

Sparring with the familiarity of lifelong familial conflict, the two protagonists do not enjoy the benefit of being named — a final cast scroll designates Caplan simply as “Fuckup,” and DeVito as “Sister.” (Two remaining dramatic personae get the even more generic labels of “Man” and “Woman.”) The more ignobly categorized heroine is a ne’er-do-well who’s scraping by as a bartender, with various dubious side gigs and an even more dubious relationship history. Her sibling — a comparatively upstanding grownup with husband, daughter and restaurant business — has once again gotten reluctantly corralled into assistance, this time as driver/lookout while sis breaks into the home of “some guy who owes me money.” 

That is a likely fib, as the long-suffering lady behind the wheel is all too aware. Things do go well enough for a couple minutes, as surprisingly this well-isolated rural house full of valuable-looking objets d’art does not have any evident security system. Once inside, however, the miscreant sister communicates (via walkie-talkie) in a squeal of wordless agony. Forced to investigate, DeVito finds Caplan immobilized in an upstairs jacuzzi bathtub. Against all odds, in reaching for some item to steal, she’s managed to fall and throw out her back. 

This is but the first in a series of escalating misfortunes. Sis can hardly move. But she must be moved, before the owner’s expected return in a half hour or so. An unnoticed protrusion on the floor she’s dragged across renders her injury considerably worse, turning temporary acute discomfort into a real medical emergency. Such new problems delay exit until they can only hide from the sole occupant (Stamos), a successful painter of abstract female portraits. He is perilously close to discovering the intruders when the doorbell rings. Turns out he has a date this evening, a younger woman (Christine Ko) who’s an aspiring artist herself, met via a dating site. 

Suffice it to say, this invited guest should be a lot more careful about accepting invites from strangers. By the time Responsible Sis reports “He’s roofied a girl or something!,” it has become clear that quite a number of women have entered this household — but possibly none have ever made it out alive. Our heroines must somehow rescue themselves as well as an oblivious third party, while keeping the host unaware of their presence.

It initially seems like a mistake to have the main protagonists so consistently at each other’s throats, one sick of being pulled into another’s messes, while the second resents her fed-up sister’s  moral superiority. The co-directors’ script is eventful enough, however, to keep their squabbling more as comedic background noise than an irksome dominant element. Caplan effectively negotiates a gamut of punishing physical pains, played close to slapstick, while DeVito mingles exasperation and sympathy — we know she won’t abandon her sister, much as she might like to. Ko from the FX “Dave” sitcom is funny as a flirtatious guest so brashly overconfident, she stays unaware of her peril even in the most extreme circumstances. 

Cast against type, Stamos has fun slyly underplaying a thoroughly depraved character. Though when he’s finally seen in full evil flight, the actor is arguably allowed to wax a little too cute about it. Speaking of which, the soundtrack also overdoses a bit on the calculated wackiness of vintage cuts by Bonzo Dog Band, the Monty Python-adjacent 1960s British novelty music act. 

In contrast to those comedy elements, Patrick Stump’s original score takes a useful straight-suspense approach. Cinematographer Ben Goodman straddles the line between both with sharp lensing that places particular emphasis on overhead shots, underlining Caplan’s horizontal helplessness. Production designer Neil Patel has outfitted Chez Stamos with a lot of eye-catching decor detail, not least the paintings attributed to that malevolent “Man,” but in fact daubed by Yagolnitzer. 

Some viewers may find “Drag’s” denouement a tad more cruel than strictly necessary. But this modest, resourceful exercise in gallows humor can’t be faulted for not sticking to its guns.

The publicity campaigns for “Sinners” and “The Pitt” took top honors at the 63rd annual International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday.

The ceremony honors individual publicists and unit still photographers who further publicity campaigns for film and TV as well as entertainment journalists. 

Variety’s senior entertainment reporter Angelique Jackson and senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay earned nominations from ICG in the Press Award category.

Cynthia Swartz received the Bob Yeager Award for Community Service and Pamela Golum was presented with the Henri Bollinger Award for Special Merit.

Jimmy Kimmel was given the President’s Award. The Award is presented only on occasion of extraordinary circumstances, and honored Kimmel’s resilience in face of censorship.

During his speech, Kimmel joked, “When they told me I will be getting the president’s award, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s great. I thought he hated me.’”

“He called me and tried to force me off the air. Then I found out the President was John,” Kimmel said referring to the Guild’s president.

Kimmel went on to thank the publicists and the guild. He said, “I especially want to thank you for your support over the last year, I heard from many of you, personally, I heard from many of your clients over my brief vacation in September, and I will never forget it. I do want to thank you, and I want to dedicate this to those of you who work so hard to shine a light on everyone other than yourselves.”

Filmmakers and actors Noah Wyle (“The Pitt”) and Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”) were given the Television Showperson of the Year and Motion Picture Showperson of the Year awards, respectively.

Full list of winners below.

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign

“28 Years Later “– Sony Pictures Entertainment
“The Housemaid” – Lionsgate
“KPop Demon Hunters” – Netflix
“Lilo & Stitch” – Walt Disney Studios
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” – Paramount Pictures
“Sinners” – Warner Bros. Pictures. – WINNER
“Wicked: For Good” – Universal Pictures

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Television Publicity Campaign

“Andor” – Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm/Disney+
“Beyond the Gates” – CBS Studios/CBS
“Nobody Wants This” – 20th Television/Netflix
“The Pitt” – Warner Bros. Television/HBO – WINNER
“Stranger Things 5” – Netflix/Netflix
“The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” – 20th Television/Hulu

Les Mason Award for Career Achievement in Publicity
Carri McClure, Unit Publicist
Chrissy Quesada, Sony Pictures – WINNER
Claire Raskind, Unit Publicist
Gina Soliz, Warner Bros. Pictures
Kimberly Wire, Sony Pictures

Publicist of the Year Award
Michelle Alt, Paramount Pictures – WINNER
Frankie De La Vara, Walt Disney Studios
Katie Lovick, Sony Pictures
Liza Nedelman, Warner Bros. Pictures
Danielle Roque, Paramount Pictures International

International Media Award
Jason Di Rosso, The Screen Show, ABC Radio Network, Australia
Elaine Guerini, Valor Econômico, Brazil
Cleide Klock, Freelancer, Brazil
Ali Plumb, BBC Radio, United Kingdom – WINNER
Gill Pringle, Freelancer, United Kingdom / Australia

Press Award
Erik Davis, Fandango
Angelique Jackson, Variety
Kevin McCarthy, On Film . . . With Kevin McCarthy – WINNER
Jazz Tangcay, Variety
Kara Warner, Freelancer

Excellence in Unit Still Photography Award for Motion Picture
Justin Lubin
Atsushi Nishijima – WINNER
Macall Polay
Stefania Rosini
JoJo Whilden

Excellence in Unit Still Photography Award for Television
Jessica Brooks
Brian Douglas
Jake Giles Netter – WINNER
Elizabeth Morris
Erin Simkin

The 2026 edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival opened with a bang on Thursday: Boots Riley’s larger-than-life sci-fi comedy “I Love Boosters” served as the opening night film, bringing a starry ensemble led by Keke Palmer to Austin’s Paramount Theater.

It was certainly the right note to kick off the week. The crowd was raucous with laughter throughout all of the film’s witty dialogue and visual gags, and cheered as the characters realized their goals on screen. “I Love Boosters” follows a trio of boosters (Palmer, Naomi Ackie and Taylour Paige) — aka professional shoplifters — who steal from clothing stores owned by an evil genius billionaire (Demi Moore) as a way to fight her exploitative business dealings. Paige’s character jokingly refers to their operation as “Fashion Forward Filanthropy” — misspelling intentional. “People want to be involved with the world and art and feel like they’re in that conversation,” Riley said onstage, explaining the boosters’ special brand of political creativity.

Afterwards, Riley and the cast celebrated their premiere at the Variety Cover Party presented by Neon, where Palmer took the stage and sang two songs from the “I Love Boosters” soundtrack.

Given that “I Love Boosters” uses the fashion industry as the backdrop for its story about working class women coming together, the cast and crew attended the party decked out in unique pieces. Supporting star Eiza González spoke with Variety on the red carpet alongside Eric Andre, who makes a cameo in the film, to break down their looks.

Boots Riley donned his signature tall hat as part of a black-and-white ensemble. (Palmer wore a stylish hat in homage to her director while posing for the cover of Variety.) Supporting stars Naomi Ackie and Poppy Liu came to the party wearing textured gowns in bright red and lime green, respectively.

Palmer was wearing turquoise as a reference to the favorite color of her character, Corvette. She spoke to Variety about loving the fact that she’s constantly meme’d on the internet — and discussed “I Love Boosters” at length in her cover interview.

Back at the premiere, Riley reiterated the political message behind “I Love Boosters” and earnestly asked the audience to encourage others to watch when it debuts in theaters soon.

“This movie, there’s silliness in it, but it’s also a very important movie to be out there right now, because I think we all need to figure out ways that we can change what’s happening. Ways that we can fight fascism and change the structure of the world around us. So tell people about this movie. I need it to be spread out there far and wide,” he said.

Speaking about the film’s distributor, he added, “And you might think because it’s Neon and they’re the shit that we got it covered. We don’t. We need all of you to be telling people to get there on May 22 because we need this kind of movie to do well.”

Rafe Spall (“Trying, “The English”), Oscar nominee Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”), “Sherlock” co-creator and showrunner Steven Moffat and “Skins” co-creator Bryan Elsley head shows at the 2026 Series Mania Buyers Upfront, an invitation-only event unspooling on March 23 at Series Mania, Europe’s biggest TV festival.   

Spall plays opposite Jenna Coleman (“Doctor Who,” “The Jetty”) and Katherine Kelly (“Happy Valley”) in Moffat’s “Number 10,” one of the big highlights of this year’s Upfront. Bejo stars in “Alice,” for HBO Max and French public broadcaster France Televisions, which promises a finely produced period portrait of Alice Guy, one of cinema’s great French pioneers, pretty well erased from history for most of a century. Elsley returns with legal drama “Counsels,” produced for BBC One. 

The Buyers Upfront 10 series lineup was announced Friday by Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania founder and general director.

Though it would have to be compared with other key Series Mania industry sections, hints at trends in projects being brought in general onto the international market.

For want of U.S. financing, as players see to bulwark budgets and tap English-language projects, international markets are tapping into Australia. “Gnomes,” for instance, is commissioned by Stan in Australia and picked up by Germany’s ZDF Neo.

International is getting ever more genre, not just crime but horror. “Gnomes” is described as “Gremlins” Meets “Hot Fuzz,” by creator Joel Kohn. “

And the co-production scene is still developing. “Lost and Found” marks Singapore’s first scripted collaboration with Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Producers are gaining broadcaster backing as they aim to capture a younger crowd. Elsey’s “Counsels,” marking a newer and younger-gen way into legal drama, is also backed by ZDFNeo, currently ZDF’s younger adult channel. Mixing real world settings in Singapore and Japan and a virtual world, “Lost and Found” backed by NHK and Mediacorp Singapore, targets Gen Z audiences. 

The Buyers Choice Award, selected by a six-person jury of key buyers, will be presented during an Awards Ceremony on March 24. It kicks off with a Beta Brunch. 

“We’re thrilled to bring back the Buyers Upfront following last year’s successful launch,” said Francesco Capurro, director of Series Mania Forum, noting that more than 100 top buyers from around the world have already signed up for the Upront which he described as a “highly curated slate of premium series.” 

“We’re confident the initiative will help distributors accelerate international sales,” he added. “With the Buyers Upfront, we continue to strengthen our position as the must-attend spring event for the scripted community, from creation to global distribution.

A closer look at the Upfront titles, chosen for their artistic merit and broad audience appeal:

“Alice”

Format: 6×45′

Country: France, Belgique, Canada

Year of production: 2025

Genre: Drama, Other

International Sales: Wild Bunch TV

Production company: Wild Bunch/Ligne de Front (France); Panache Productions & La Compagnie Cinématographique (Belgium); Sphere Media (Canada)

Synopsis: “From France to the U.S., the incredible journey of Alice Guy, a pioneer and the first female fiction filmmaker in cinema history. The series explores the extraordinary life of Alice Guy—a woman who was an artist, entrepreneur, wife and mother. It delves into her struggles, her thwarted loves, and her quest for freedom and recognition.”

Starring Béjo, produced by Wild Bunch TV and Palermo Production, on the biggest plays at the Upfront, moving from Belle Epoque Paris to New York and early Hollywood, portraying real-life fiction cinema visionary Alice Guy, erased from history. Real recognition has only come this century. Thibaut Evrard (“No Man’s Land”), Oscar Lesage (“The Count of Monte-Cristo”) and Irene Jacob (“3 Colors Red”) co-star.

“Blind,”

Format: 6×58

Country: Switzerland

Year of production: 2025

Genre: Thriller, Other

International Sales: OneGate Media

Production company: Zodiac Pictures

Logline: A blind bartender apparently witnesses a kidnapping no one believes. Until he teams up with a daring journalist and a newly promoted detective. They venture into dark parallel worlds and risk their lives for the truth.

Created by Plino Bachmann (“One Way to Moscow”), directed byChristian Johannes Koch (“Spigot”), Barbara Kulcsar (“Zwiespalt”) and fronted by Lia von Blarer (“Eldorado KaDeWe”) and Sven Schelker (“Davos 2017”) and based on the best-selling book series by Christine Brand, which have sold over 500,000 copies. “This series, like Brand’s novels, is truly ‘made in Switzerland’ – and packed with twists and turns, intriguing characters and psychological depth,” says Zodiak Pictures producer Jessica Hefti. “At the heart of this series is the character of Nathaniel and his visual impairment, adding a unique and powerful element to the story.”

“Counsels”

Format: 8×60′

Country: U.K.

Year of production: 2025

Genre: Drama

International Sales: All3Media International

Production company: Balloon Entertainment, ZDF Neo, BBC,  BBC Scotland

Synopsis: “Five young lawyers trained together at an elite law school in Glasgow. Six years later, they’ve spread out across the legal profession. This legal environment is ground level, stylish and sexy, weaving the personal stories of the main characters with propulsive defence and prosecution. Business relationships, friendships and love affairs will be tested to destruction as these young and ambitious lawyers and friends lock horns.” 

From “Skins” co-creator Bryan Elsley and Gillian McCormack, a Glasgow-set BBC legal drama, part of the Beeb’s biggest recent single recent investment in drama in Scotland, and part of All3Media Intl’s sales slate at last month’s London TV Screenings.  

“The Dark Book: The Secret of the Egerias” (working title)

Format: 6×45′

Country: Spain

Year of production: 2026

Genre: Thriller

International Sales: Studio TF1

Production group: Studio TF1

Synopsis: “Unai, a former top criminal profiler, left the police after his daughter was kidnapped and now lives quietly as a professor in Vitoria. “His life is turned upside down when two rare book owners are murdered and he receives an enigmatic call: his mother, Ithaca, presumed dead for forty years, is alive. To save her, he must find a legendary medieval book, one that could expose secret societies of obsessive collectors, and ultimately reveal the truth about his own family.”

“Gnomes” 

Format: 6×30′

Country: Australia

Year of production: 2025

Genre: Comedy, Other

International Sales: Happy Accidents

Production company: Total Fiction, Screen Invaders, Happy Accidents

Synopsis: “Set in a fading small-town on the eve of their first annual Gnome-a-Palooza festival, Senior Sergeant Arnold Kipps is reunited with his ex-partner from the force (and ex-love) Senior Constable Ellie McKay, who has returned to shut down his beloved station. But when the town’s gnome population is brought to life by an ancient evil, the pair must lead a motley crew of locals in a desperate fight to save their home from the coming gnome-apocalypse.”

Fronted by Asa Butterfield (“Sex Education”) and Megan Smart (“Class of 07,” “Black Snow” Season 2), “a delightfully deranged new horror-rom-com about second chances and a group of unlikely heroes who are forced to step up and save their town,” creator Joel Kohn tells Variety. Australian comedy writers Tegan Higginbotham and Paul Verhoeven are penning the scripts; Matthias Hoene (“Theodosia,” “Cockneys vs Zombies”) set to direct the pilot. A buzz title a late 2024’s Content London Drama Pitch Competition, scoring second place. 

“In Vitro” 

Format: 6×45′

Country: Spain

Year of production: 2026

Genre: Drama, Comedy

International Sales: Beta Film

Production company: Moiré Films, Rodar y Rodar, and Bullfrog Pictures, in co-production with 3Cat, with the participation of HBO Max

Synopsis: “A heartwarming, innovative, and witty look at how babies are made: When 37-year-old microbiologist Blanca takes on a job at a fertility clinic, she is forced not only to get to the bottom of the needs and risks of her clients, but her own, as well.” 

Bruna Cusi (“Merlí”) plays Blanca, SXSW and Goya winner David Verdaguer (“Jokes & Cigarettes”) also stars in the latest from Rodar y Rodar, behind “The Orphanage,” “The Body” and “The Photographer of Mauthausen.”

“Lost and Found”

Format: 6×48′

Country: Japan, Singapore

Year of production: 2025

Genre: Drama

International Sales: Empire of Arkadia

Production company: Empire of Arkadia and Mocha Chai Laboratories (Singapore), TV Man Union (Japan)

Synopsis: “Young gamer Richie (played by Shawn Thia) travels to Tokyo in search of his online girlfriend only to discover that she has mysteriously vanished. In his quest to find her, he teams up with his new-found friend, Japanese gamer Yuka (played by Anna Yamada). Together, they embark on a journey into the unknown and unwittingly become embroiled in the underbelly of this metropolis – world of scams, trafficking, and illegal workers.”

Toplining Asian hearthrobs Anna Yamada, Shawn Thia and Nijiro Murakami, and set to bow on Japan’s NHK on March 18.

“We’re often asked whether we considered the story first or the cross-border collaboration The truth is that the current harsh globally realities organically made this project happen, as young people everywhere face such complex futures,” says creator-producer Fotini Paraskakis.

Number 10

Format: 6×60′

Country: U.K.

Year of production: 2026

Genre: Drama

International Sales: ITV Studios

Production company: Hartswood Films

Synopsis: 

“There’s a Prime Minister in the attic, a coffee bar in the basement, and a wallpapered labyrinth of romance, crisis and heartbreak in-between….We’ll never know which party is in power, because once the whole world hits the fan it barely matters.”

Produced by Hartswood Films for Channel 4, starring Jenna Coleman, Rafe Spall, and Katherine Kelly, and described by Channel 4’s Gwawr Lloyd, as a “bold, brilliant and witty new drama.”

“R91”

Format: 6×52′

Country: France

Year of production: 2026

Genre: Thriller, Action

International Sales: SND Groupe M6

Production company: Next Episode

Synopsis: Mediterranean Sea. “France’s nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (an R91) has just set sail on a strategic mission. When a crew member is found dead and another goes missing, military investigator Paul Fischer is rushed aboard. With second-in-command Helena Duval, they must hunt for the truth before the killer strikes again. In a floating fortress of 2,000 souls, suspicion spreads and a murder investigation turns into a global security crisis.

Set on France’s first nuclear-powered surface vessel, from Next Episode, launched in 2020 by UGC and ex-Empreinte Digitale exec Henri Debeurme, and behind Netflix romcom “Christmas Flow,” NBCU action thriller “J’ai Tué Mon Mari” and La Rochelle winner “Septième Ciel.”

“The Traitor Within”

Format: 4×45′

Country: Norway

Year of production: 2026

Genre: Drama, Thriller

International Sales: Fremantle

Production company: Miso Film Norge

Synopsis:  “A gripping WWII thriller based on the true story of Norway’s most notorious Nazi collaborator and the man sent to kill him. In occupied Norway, two young men choose opposing paths. Salesman Henry Rinnan becomes the Gestapo’s deadliest agent, dismantling the resistance through lies, betrayal and murder. Resistance fighter Odd Sørli is tasked with assassinating Rinnan, triggering a relentless cat-and-mouse pursuit.”

The latest from Norway’s part of Scandinavia’s Miso Film, a Fremantle company, also with offices in Copenhagen and Stockholm and behind iconic event Nordic series such as “The Rain,” “1864” and “Faithless.”

Beta Film has picked up international distribution rights for Spanish series “In Vitro” ahead of Series Mania. 

It follows a 37-year-old biologist Blanca, who takes on a job at a fertility clinic. She is forced not only to get to the bottom of the needs and risks of her clients, but her own as well. 

Created by Marc Crehuet and Alejandra Guimerà, it’s directed by Crehuet (“Welcome to the Family, “Greenpower”) and described as a “heartwarming, innovative and witty look at how babies are made.” 

Bruna Cusí (“Merli,” “All We Cannot See,” “Facil”) plays Blanca, increasingly confronted with ethical dilemmas that test her principles and beliefs, not the least of which being: Is it right to satisfy the desire to have children, no matter what? 

At the clinic, her protagonist also meets Héctor: an outstanding, but all too rational embryologist whose brutal frankness often scares clients away. The clinic’s boss Andreu hopes Blanca’s empathetic nature will outweigh Héctor’s harshness. But sometimes, her idealism gets in the way of business, too. 

David Verdaguer (“Perfect Life,” “Away”), Diana Gomez (“Valeria,” “Money Heist”), Maria Pujalte (“Cland,” Toy Boy”) also star. 

“In Vitro” is produced by Moiré Films and Rodar y Rodar in co-production with Bullfrog Pictures in association with 3Cat and HBO Max Spain.

The dramedy is among the ten selected series of Series Mania’s exclusive showcase “Buyers Upfront”. 

Beta’s line-up at the fest also includes their first K-Drama “Snow White Must Die”, Icelandic romantic drama “Everybody Loves Horses”, the French thriller series “A Guilty Affair” and the German medical movie cycle “Simply Elli”, as well as the London TV Screenings highlights “Gomorrah – The Origins”, “Maxima”, “Patience “and “Barton Vet”.

“‘In Vitro’ stood out from the moment when producers Alejandra Guimerá and Marina Padró presented it to us. It’s the unique blend between great, witty storytelling, a female lead to root for from the get-go, and a subject matter of truly global import – and all of this backed by, and based on, the personal experiences of the husband-and-wife creator team,” said Peter Lohner, VP Acquisitions Hispanic & International. 

“From the script phase when we boarded the project to the final image, ‘In Vitro’ has delivered on its early promise. We’re honored and looking forward to bringing ‘In Vitro’ to the world.”