Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Drew has some news: “The Drew Barrymore Show” has been renewed for two seasons, keeping it on the air through 2028. That means the daytime talk strip will continue for a seventh and eighth season.

CBS Media Ventures, which produces and distributes the show, announced the renewal on Monday. The news comes during a challenging time for daily talk shows: In late night, CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will end in May; in daytime, NBCUniversal’s “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and Debmar-Mercury’s “Sherri” will be wrapping their runs by the end of the year. “Drew Barrymore” joins Warner Bros./Telepictures’ “Jennifer Hudson” in recently securing a renewal in daytime.

The “Drew Barrymore” renewal includes CBS-owned stations in key markets (including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago), as well as renewals on Nexstar and Sinclair outlets. According to CBS Media Ventures, “Drew Barrymore” has been given time slot upgrades in Seattle, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Charlotte, Baltimore, Kansas City and Cincinnati.

“Drew Barrymore” is helped by CBS synergy, as well as CBS Media Ventures’ strategy of distributing “The Drew Barrymore Show” as two half hours, which can be run as an hour block or split and paired with local news.

“Drew is the original influencer – a true trendsetter and culture-driving force who has consistently stayed ahead of the conversation,” said exec producer Jason Kurtz in a statement. The success of this show is rooted in the fact that Drew shows up as her unfiltered, authentic self every single day, continually challenging the conventions of daytime television and reimagining what the format can be in a multiplatform world.”

According to CBS Media Ventures, “The Drew Barrymore Show” is averaging 1.6 million viewers, making it the talker’s most-watched season. The show has started taking longform, audience-free interviews with guests and distributing them in two ways — as a broadcast edit and as an extended digital cut on the show’s YouTube channel.

“This show began as a space for intimate conversation, and we’re continuing to plant our flag as a truly multiplatform experience,” Barrymore said in a statement. “We live in a world where people discover content in so many different ways, and from the very start in 2020, our mission was to break the mold rather than conform to the traditional daytime landscape. I hold myself accountable to staying savvy about how and where this show is seen – feeding every corner that counts, while daring to just be myself and figure out life with others. My curiosity about people is what fuels me. I’m so excited to continue as I see this endeavor as an opportunity and a gift. Our show family is deeply grateful for the support of CBS and George Cheeks, who all helped us get here.”

The show, which originates from New York, is exec produced by Barrymore and Kurtz.

SEOUL SWEETHEARTS

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) has signed an MoU with Korean production company Studio Dragon – behind “Queen of Tears,” “The Glory,” and “Crash Landing on You” – to launch “Bubble: Teen Romance Feature Co-Development Program,” an open call for authentic Taiwanese love stories or transnational Taiwan-Korea narratives. Selected projects will be co-developed by Taiwanese creative teams and seasoned Korean producers, with a focus on commercial works targeting international audiences.

TAICCA chair Sue Wang cited the strong Asian box office performance of Taiwanese teen romance films – including “Our Times,” “18×2 Beyond Youthful Days,” and “Lovesick” – as the impetus for seeking Korean co-production partners. Wang also pointed to the growing popularity of “Taiwan Sensibility” – the warm, nostalgic emotional tone rooted in Taiwanese culture – among Korean audiences as further momentum for the collaboration.

FORMOSA FLASHBACK

The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) has launched “Formosa Treasure: Taiyupian as World Cinema,” a year-long commemorative series celebrating the 70th anniversary of Taiyupian – commercial films produced in Taiwan and voiced in the Taiwanese language. The milestone traces back to 1956 and the release of “Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan,” the first Taiyupian shot on 35mm film.

Of approximately 1,200 Taiyupian titles identified in TFAI’s research, only around 200 survive in the institute’s collection. The program, running through 2026, spans film screenings, exhibitions and artifact showcases across four thematic pillars. Among the highlights are newly digitized restorations including “Zhang Di Seeks A-Zu” (1969) and “Good Neighbors” (1962). TFAI also plans international touring screenings in Singapore and Japan, alongside theatrical collaborations and open-access research initiatives.

NONFICTION NAVIGATOR

The U.K.’s Documentary Film Council (DFC) has appointed Mandy Chang as its first chief executive officer. Chang joins the member-owned organization – which represents nearly 1,000 filmmakers and industry professionals – from Fremantle, where she served as global head of documentaries. She previously served as commissioning editor of the BBC‘s Storyville strand from 2017 to 2021, and has directed, produced and executive produced over 100 films and series, including “The Mole Agent,” “Writing With Fire” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”

The DFC has also co-opted two new trustees: Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and programmer Zara Meerza, and Julian Carrington, executive director of the Documentary Organization of Canada.

L.A.-headquartered Wild Sheep Content, the production and packaging company founded by former Netflix VP Head of International Originals Erik Barmack and partnered by The Mediapro Studio, has boarded “Where Is She?” a six-part YA mystery thriller and Globoplay Original from Brazil’s Fabricio Bittar whose movie “Unexplainable” (“Inexplicável”) hit over 20 million views on Netflix in 2025.

Despite being sold to Netflix for just Latin America and Portugal, “Unexplainable” also reached Netflix’s Global Non-English Top 3. Directed and co-written by Fabricio Bittar,  “Unexplainable” was produced by Lucas Veiga at Brazil’s Clube Filmes, the production company behind “Where Is She?” 

Also written by Bittar, whodunit “Where Is She?” begins when Kika, 16, Miss Guarulhos who is admired but envied, disappears during a school trip. The search for the culprit exposes the cruel side of her school and puts innocent people in danger. 

Years later, in a 2019 present day, Sarah, daughter of Kika’s alleged kidnapper who was found dead, begins a private investigation. She is pulled into a web of secrets where nothing is as it seems. The series unspools simultaneously the two timelines building to two huge twists, one in 2012 and another in 2019.  

“The global rise of YA mystery and thriller series has created a strong demand for character-driven stories centered on young protagonists and moral ambiguity,” Barmack told Variety. 

“At the same time, Brazil is confronting urgent conversations about how teenagers present themselves and social inequality, and having a YA story set in a seemingly stable community makes this narrative both timely and culturally resonant,” he continued.        

“The country is also experiencing a powerful wave of young acting talent capable of carrying emotionally complex, prestige-driven storytelling. ‘Where Is She?’ arrives at the intersection of market appetite and social relevance, offering a suspenseful mystery with contemporary weight and international appeal,” Barmack concluded. 

“Where Is She?” adapts bestselling crime novel “Quando Ela Desaparecer,” from Victor Bonini, part of his detective Conrado Bardelli book series. 

“I love mystery crime series and it’s a great novel,” said Bittar. Marking “Where is She?” apart, Bittar argued, is its setting of Parque CECAP, a modernist social-housing complex in Guarulhos, São Paulo state. “The complex, created by designers as an experiment in community living, allows it to emerge as a microcosm for society at large,” Bittar said. 

In the series, the neighbourhood stands out for its shared sense of safety until Kika goes missing and it plunges in paranoia and fear as the leads build up, testimonies contradict one another and almost everyone becomes a suspect. 

“The series talks about social interaction, how you might not know your neighbor as well as you think, nor your teacher, nor family nor friends,” Bittar said.    

“Where is She?” is not just a story about a missing girl. It is a story about image and power, and how far people will go to control the narrative. The deadliest weapon in the world is people’s secrets,” he added.  

“Where is She?” fields a top-notch cast led by Klara Castanho,  with 6.7 million Instagram followers and star of Netflix hit “Good Morning, Verónica,” which ran to three seasons over 2020-24, hitting the U.S. streamer’s Global Top 3, and Nanda Costa, with 3.8 million Instagram followers, star of “The Seamstress” which ran up RS12.4 million ($2.4 million) at the Brazilian box office.

Beginning his career at MTV Brasil, Bittar directed “How to Become the Worst Student in School” which, released in 2017, became one of the top 10 national box office hits of the year. Produced by Clube Filmes, “Exterminadores do Além contra a Loira do Banheiro (2018) played at over 15 international festivals. He also helmed “Alice no Mundo da Internet,” another Clube Filmes production, which was nominated for the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro. 

Backed by Clube, Bittar’s movie follow-up to “Unexplainable,” “O Rei da Internet” will be released in Brazil this April by Vitrine Filmes, which opened Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.”  

Headed by Veiga and Bittar, Clube Filmes has produced nine features and three series, partnering with Warner Bros. Globo, Netflix and Fox, said Veiga.

Barmack compares “Where Is She?” to “Good Morning, Verónica,” Netflix No. 1 “The Killing,” from Fox Television Studios, Netflix and AMC and Globoplay smash hit “Perfect Days,” produced by Anonymous Content Brasil and named one of the best international series of 2025 by Variety as well as HBO Original “Mare of Eastown” and Hulu hit “Under the Bridge.” 

Globoplay boarded “Where Is She?” shortly before principal photography, Veiga noted. 

Its involvement comes as genre is gaining real traction on the streaming service, whether “Perfect Days” or real-life-based crime thrillers such as “The Anti-Kidnapping Unit,”“Dissident Archangel” and “The Game,” co-helmed by Vicente Amorim (“Dirty Hearts”) for “The Unit” and Heitor Dhalia (“Bald Mountain”) for “Dissident Archangel” and “The Game.”

“Globoplay is investing in more sophisticated series with higher production values, a cinematic language and international ambition,” said Barmack.

“One Battle After Another” dp Michael Bauman has won the top prize at the 40th annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards.

This year, the American Society of Cinematographers chose to nominate five DPs in the feature film category: “Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Dan Laustsen, “Marty Supreme” (A24) — Darius Khondji, “One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) — Michael Bauman, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Autumn Durald Arkapaw and “Train Dreams” (Netflix) — Adolpho Veloso. All match the Oscar nominees in the cinematography category.

For statistic watchers, the ASC has matched the best cinematography Oscar 18 times over the last 39 years. However, last year’s winner, Ed Lachman who won best theatrical feature film at ASC for “Maria,” did not claim the Oscar, that went to Lol Crawley for “The Brutalist.”

Bauman landed two nominations this year, the other nod was for “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (“Buxum Bird”) in the limited or anthology series or motion picture made for television category.

Mandy Walker, the 48th president of the American Society of Cinematographers kicked off the night’s events. She is the first woman to lead the century-old honorary society which was founded in 1919. She made history in 2024 when she became the first woman to win the top prize for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Walker said, “We are a diverse representative international group of cinematographers that champion camaraderie, education, exchange of ideas and the advancement of the technology of cinematography.”

The first award of the evening, half-hour series, went to Adam Newport-Berra for “The Studio” (“The Oner”). “Black Rabbit” also triumphed in the TV category. There was a tie in episode of a one-hour regular series with both Alex Disenhof, ASC for “Task” (“Crossings”) and Christophe Nuyens, SBC for “Andor” (“I Have Friends Everywhere”) winning.

Seven-time nominee Rodrigo Prieto won his first ASC award in the music video category for Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.”

Jason Reitman presented Guillermo del Toro with the ASC Board of Governors Award. Reitman joked as he recalled meeting the “Frankenstein” director, “I knew I had a big brother when I suggested we buy the village theater in Westwood and asked for his support, he threw his hand up so fast, I think his accountant had a hernia.”

Reitman praised the filmmaker who has wanted to make Mary Shelley’s gothic novel since he was a young boy. “Guillermo was apparently already a gothic literature enthusiast. But this is why, like any virtuoso, there is an undeniable continuity of his work. This is why there are traveling art exhibits of his creations. This is why the name del Toro means something. Guillermo is not just a director of actors or stories. He is a director of atmosphere, of shadow, of architecture, of light.”

del Toro said, “Of all the collaborations in the world of image creation, the most intimate is with cinematographer and director.”

As a lover of film, and someone who has spoken out about AI and how “Frankenstein” was handmade by his team of artisans, he said, “We live in a very, very dangerous moment in which we are being told that image is something you can get on an app that anyone can create, and I say fuck, no.” del Toro went on to say, “When we come together, when we really vouch never to relinquish our duty, it doesn’t matter what the industry does, it doesn’t matter what the media does, it doesn’t matter what you can get on the phone or on the tablet. I don’t give a fuck. When we commit to the spiritual power of images, we can do everything.”

Cynthia Pusheck whose credits include “Our Flag Means Death” and “CSI: Miami” was presented with the Presidents Award. To celebrate International Women’s Day, Pusheck honored the women who came before her, praising those whose shoulders she stood on. She recognized Walker and said, “Mandy may be our first female president, but I’m pretty sure she won’t be our last because did you see how many women were in the photo out there tonight, or how many are sitting on our board now?”

Actor, writer and producer Kerri Kenney-Silver was the evening’s emcee. Kenney-Silver took a jab at the Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount’s Skydance deal. She joked, “Paramount Skydance just merged with the valet station, so you’re going to need your ticket, plus you’re going to need to sign up for HBO Max if you want to get your car tonight.” Kenney-Silver said, “The more chaotic our world is, the more chaotic our industry is, the more inspired images you create.”

The ASC Awards honored Robert Yeoman, ASC, with the Lifetime Achievement Award; M. David Mullen, ASC, with the Career Achievement in Television Award; Stephen Pizzello, editor-in-chief of American Cinematographer, with the ASC Award of Distinction. The Curtis Clark Technology Award went to Kodak.

Full list of winners below.

Theatrical Feature Film (Sponsored by Keslow Camera)

Michael Bauman for “One Battle After Another”

Episode of a Half-Hour Series (Sponsored by RED Digital Cinema)
Adam Newport-Berra for “The Studio” (“The Oner”)

Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Sponsored by ARRI) 

Pete Konczal, ASC for “Black Rabbit” (“Isle of Joy”)

Episode of a One-Hour Regular Series (Sponsored by Panavision) *TIE*

Alex Disenhof, ASC for “Task” (“Crossings”)
Christophe Nuyens, SBC for “Andor” (“I Have Friends Everywhere”)

Spotlight Award (Sponsored by Panavision)

Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HSC for “Orphan”

Documentary Award (Sponsored by Canon U.S.A.)

Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko for “2000 Meters from Andriivka”

ASC Music Video Award (Sponsored by Nanlux)

Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC for “The Fate of Ophelia” (Performed by Taylor Swift)

Spanish sales agency Feel Sales is making a strong play at Málaga, boarding international sales rights on festival docs “This Body of Mine,” “Filthy” and “Coming Full Circle” as the Madrid-based outfit leans into the festival and its industry sidebar MAFIZ with a slate spanning auteurist nonfiction and export-ready genre.

In fiction, Feel Sales’ Málaga presence is anchored by Jorge A. Lara and Fer Pérez’s corruption drama “The Righteous” (“Los justos”), a previously-announced pickup now set to screen in the festival’s Official Selection out of competition. The feature toplines Carmen Machi and Marcelo Subiotto and hits Málaga backed by RTVE, HBO Max and Wanda Visión. Feel Sales is also bringing the market premiere of action thriller “Rage” (“Rabia”), directed by Luis María Ferrández and toplined by José Luis García Pérez (“Berlín,” “Honor”).

“We’re thrilled to return to the Málaga Film Festival and MAFIZ with a slate that reflects both our editorial vision and our commercial ambition,” said Yeniffer Fasciani, Feel Sales’ head of sales and acquisitions. “Our documentary acquisitions reinforce our commitment to bold, personal storytelling.”

Leading the nonfiction trio is “This Body of Mine” (“Este cuerpo mío”), co-directed by actress Carolina Yuste (“La infiltrada”) and Afioco Gnecco and produced by Carlo D’Ursi’s Potenza Producciones, glimpsed via excerpts n post-production at Locarno’s Spanish Previews and now programmed completed in Málaga’s documentary strand and framed as an intimate, character-led journey through identity, friendship and self-reconciliation.

Also newly boarded is “Filthy” (“Sucia”), co-directed by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar, which transforms Mestanza’s own sexual assault experience into an on-camera inquiry and an act of artistic reclamation. Built around the loaded refrain — “Why didn’t you do anything?” — the film pushes into a confrontation with shame, silence and the mechanisms that question victims’ credibility.

Rounding out the doc package is “Coming Full Circle” (“Cerrando el círculo”), a food-and-territory portrait tracking chef Daniel Ochoa as he rebuilds his Sierra de Madrid restaurant Montia after a fire, positioning cuisine as a conduit for sustainability, community and coherence between craft and life. The title screens within Málaga’s Cinema Cocina showcase.

“What sets these documentaries apart is resistance, resilience and empathy — qualities that feel urgently needed now,” Fasciani added. “We want them to travel across territories and, above all, spark meaningful conversations and understanding.”

In Fiction Short Films Official Competition, Feel Sales is also presenting Polo Menárguez’s “One Vowel” (“Una vocal”), produced by Malvalanda, a family-relationship study that, Fasciani said, “maintains our commitment to short films and emerging filmmakers.”

Feel Sales will cap its market activity with a special industry screening of “Rage,” which world premiered at Seville in the fall, positioning the high-concept survival thriller as a broad-audience, high-​s​peed play for buyers eyeing genre fare with commercial hooks.

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” took top honors at the 73rd annual Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards, Sunday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

The film’s sound teams won for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Dialogue / ADR and Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Feature Motion Picture.

The awards recognize outstanding achievement in sound editing, sound design, music editing and foley artistry in film, television and gaming.

Also in feature competition, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects / Foley went to “Frankenstein.” In animated feature, top honors went to the sound editors of “Zootopia 2.”

The results set up a competitive Oscar race in sound. “Sinners” and “Sirat” are both nominated in sound at the Oscars, which combines sound editing and mixing. The Cinema Audio Society, which represents sound mixing, gave its top honors to “F1” and “KPop Demon Hunters.” “F1” took home the award at the Bafta ceremony.

In TV, “Adolescence,” “Alien: Earth” and “Murderbot” were all recognized for their sound editing work.

Two honorary awards were also presented: Kathleen Kennedy received the Filmmaker Award and supervising sound editor Mark Mangini received the Career Achievement Award. Patton Oswalt served as the evening’s host, marking the fourth time he’s hosted the Golden Reel Awards. MPSE president David Barber presided over the festivities as the sound community came together to celebrate their own.

Full list of winners below.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Dialogue / ADR

“Sinners”
Warner Bros.

Supervising Sound Editor: Benjamin A. Burtt

Supervising Dialogue/ADR Editor: David V. Butler MPSE

Dialogue/ADR Editor: Jason W. Freeman MPSE

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects / Foley

“Frankenstein”

Netflix

Supervising Sound Editor: Nathan Robitaille MPSE

Sound Designer: Nathan Robitaille MPSE

Sound Effects Editors: Paul Germann MPSE, Scott Hitchon MPSE, Craig MacLellan, Dashen Naidoo

Foley Editors: Jenna Dalla Riva, Chelsea Body

Foley Artists: Goro Koyama, Sandra Fox MPSE

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Animation

Love, Death + Robots: “400 Boys”

Netflix

Supervising Sound Editor: Brad North MPSE

Sound Effects Editors: Craig Henighan MPSE, Matt “Smokey” Cloud MPSE

Foley Editors: Matt Manselle, Lyndsey Schenk MPSE

Foley Artist: Brian Straub MPSE

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Dialogue / ADR

“Adolescence”: Episode 2

Netflix

Supervising Sound Editor: James Drake

ADR Editor: Emma Butt

Dialogue Editor: Michelle Woods

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Long Form Effects / Foley

Alien: Earth: “Neverland”

FX on Hulu

Supervising Sound Editors: Lee Gilmore MPSE, Bradley North MPSE

Supervising Foley Editor: Beso Kacharava MPSE

Sound Designers: Nolan McNaughton MPSE, Justin Davey MPSE, Chris Terhune MPSE, Craig Henighan MPSE

Sound Effects Editors: Tim Walston MPSE, Alec Rubay

Sound Editors: Matt “Smokey” Cloud MPSE, Albert Romero

Foley Editors: Alexander Sanikidze, Rati Chkhetiani, Levan Tserediani

Foley Artist: Biko Gogaladze

Foley Artists: Stefan Fraticelli, Brandon Bak, Jason Charbonneau

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Short Form

Murderbot: “All Systems Red”

Apple TV

Supervising Sound Editor: Tyler Whitham MPSE

Supervising ADR Editor: Danielle McBride MPSE 

Sound Effects Editor: Craig MacLellan

Dialogue Editor: Ève Corrêa-Guedes

Foley Artist: John Elliot

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Animation

“Zootopia 2”

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Supervising Sound Editor: Jeremy Bowker

Supervising Dialogue Editor: Brad Semenoff MPSE

Supervising Music Editors: Stephen M. Davis, Earl Ghaffari

Sound Designer: Jeremy Bowker

Sound Effects Editors: Luke Dunn Gielmuda, Joel Raabe MPSE, Kimberly Patrick, Cameron Barker

Dialogue Editors: Jacob Riehle, Angela Ang

Foley Editor: Jordan Myers

Foley Artists: Ronni Brown MPSE, Sean England MPSE 

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary

“Deaf President Now!”

Apple Original Films

Supervising Sound Editors: Eilam Hoffman, Nina Hartstone MPSE, Jacob Bloomfeld-Misrach MPSE

Foley Supervisor: Adam Méndez

Sound Designers: Samir Foco, Eilam Hoffman, Nina Hartstone MPSE, Michael Harte, Tom Sayers MPSE

Sound Editor: Adam Armitage

Dialogue Editor: Greg Francis

Foley Editor: Rob Davidson

Foley Artist: Oli Ferris

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature International

“Sirât”

NEON

Supervising Sound Editor: Laia Casanovas

Sound Effects Editors: Oriol Donat i Martos, Claudi Dosta Ivanow

Dialogue Editor: Irene Rausell

Foley Editor: Diego Staub

Foley Artist: Miguel Barbosa, Xes Dieguez

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Animation

Predator: “Killer of Killers”

Disney+

Supervising Sound Editors: Chris Terhune MPSE, Will Files MPSE

Supervising Dialogue Editor: Jessie Anne Spence MPSE

Sound Designers: Justin Davey MPSE, Lee Gilmore MPSE, James Miller MPSE

Sound Editors: Luis Galdames MPSE, Nolan McNaughton MPSE, Steve Neal MPSE, Matt Yocum MPSE, Matt “Smokey” Cloud MPSE

Dialogue Editors: Julie Diaz MPSE, Ailene Roberts MPSE

Foley Editors: Kailyn Jenkins, Jacob McNaughton, Samuel Munoz, Nick Neutra

Foley Artists: Noel Vought, Adam Decoster

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary

“Love + War”

National Geographic

Supervising Sound Editor: Deborah Wallach

Sound Effects Editor: Nick Caramela

Dialogue Editor: Matt Rigby

Foley Editor: Chris White

Foley Artists: Leslie Bloome MPSE, Shaun Brennan

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-theatrical Feature

“The Gorge”

Apple TV

Supervising Sound Editors: Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl MPSE, Paul Hackner MPSE

Dialogue / ADR Supervisors: Stephanie Brown MPSE, David V. Butler MPSE

Supervising Foley Editors: Jonathan Klein, Roni Pillischer

Sound Designers: David Farmer MPSE, Dane A. Davis MPSE, Bill R. Dean MPSE, Frederic Dubois MPSE, Darren Maynard MPSE

Sound Effects Editors: Christopher Battaglia MPSE, Javier Bennassar, Goeun Lee Everett MPSE, Jon Greasley MPSE, Jason W. Jennings MPSE, Nolan McNaughton MPSE, Peter D. Lago MPSE

Dialogue Editors: James Morioka MPSE, Kira Roessler

Music Editor: Sally Boldt

Foley Editor: Chris White

Foley Artists: Leslie Bloome MPSE, Shaun Brennan, Curtis Henderson

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Broadcast Long Form

Étoile: “The Hiccup” 

Amazon Prime

Music Editor: Annette Kudrak

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Broadcast Short Form

Wolf King: “The Rise of the Wolf”

Netflix

Lead Music Editor: Thomas Haines

Music Editor: Steve Bond

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary

“Billy Joel: And So It Goes: Part 1”

HBOMax

Supervising Music Editor: Shari Johanson

Music Editor: Debora Lilavois

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Feature Motion Picture

“Sinners”

Warner Bros.

Music Editor: Felipe Pacheco

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Dialogue / ADR

“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach”

Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Supervising Dialogue Editor: Justin Scott Wilson MPSE 

Senior Dialogue Designer: Jaime Marcelo MPSE 

Dialogue Designers: Masashi Takada, Ayako Higuchi, Katelyn Limber, Monet Gardiner MPSE, Briana Villarreal

Dialogue Editors: Benjamin Gendron-Smith, Paolo Pavesi, Dominic Roocroft, Kyel Allen, Luke Elliot

Lead Technical Sound Designer: Hiroyuki Nakayama 

Lead Sound Programmer: Kotaro Mori

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Game Music

“Ghost of Yōtei”

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Supervising Music Editors: Andrew Buresh, Sonia Coronado, Ted Kocher, Scott Shoemaker

Music Directors: Peter Scaturro, Keith Leary

Music Editors: Andrew Karboski, Yuen Man Chung Kelvin, Monty Mudd, Udit Srivathsan

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Effects / Foley

“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach”

Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Lead Technical Sound Designer: Hiroyuki Nakayama 

Lead Sound Programmer: Kotaro Mori 

Sound Design Supervisors: Emile Mika, Stephen Schappler, Glen Gathard, Erick Ocampo

Sound Design Leads: Noburo Masuda, Derrick Espino, Andres Herrera, Alex Previty MPSE

Senior Sound Designers: Aaron Sanchez, Ash Read, Chris Kokkinos MPSE, Danny Hey, Lorenzo Valsassina, Maria Rascon, Nick Tomassetti, Pete Reed, Robert Castro MPSE, Satsuki Sato, TJ Schauer, Tsubasa Ito, Juuso Tolonen

Sound Designers: Yuji Yamagishi, Minoru Tsuchihashi, Taiga Teshima, Charlie Ritter MPSE, Daniel Ramos MPSE, Danny Barboza MPSE, David Goll, Edward Durcan, Kei Matsuo MPSE, Brad Reese, Emiliyan Arnaudov, Chris Norrish, Federico Modanese, Rebecca Heathcote MPSE, Tim Walston MPSE, Jay W. Jennings MPSE, Goeun Lee Everett MPSE

Sound Editors: Nat Allam, Tom Holmes, Florian Titus Ardelean, Jamey Scott MPSE

Senior Foley Editor: Blake Collins MPSE

Foley Editors: Nick Seaman, Austin Creek

Senior Foley Artist: Joanna Fang MPSE

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Student Film (Verna Fields Award)

“Oneiros”

National Film & Television School

Supervising Sound Editor: Jingman Anita Xu

Kathleen Kennedy, the venerable filmmaker and former president of Lucasfilm, spent her Sunday singing the praises of American sound designers.

The prolific producer-turned-executive received an honorary award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors at the group’s annual Golden Reel Awards in Los Angeles — marking a distinguished career responsible for indelible movie moments across titles like “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future” and “Schindler’s List.”

“Sound helps root the story. It helps represent where characters are, not only geographically, but emotionally. It helps foreshadow the intent of a character or define what they’re going through. In short, it takes the audience on the journey of the film,” said Kennedy, accepting the prize from iconic sound designer Ben Burtt (films, series and games in the Star Wars universe) at the Wilshire Ebell Theater.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to work with some of the absolute titans of this craft, people who taught me very early on that sound isn’t just pasted on at the end, it’s the heartbeat of the story that should be conceived and designed and refined from the earliest stages of the process,” Kennedey said.

Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was an important lesson, the producer said, on which Ishe worked with Burtt. 

“[Steven and I] spent so much time worrying about how E.T. was going to look, but it wasn’t until we heard those heavy, shuffling footsteps and the raspy, melodic breathing that E.T. became real. He wasn’t a puppet anymore, he was a friend,” said Kennedy. “That friend’s voice came from recording a woman named Pat Welsh, who smoked two packs of Kools cigarettes every day. Ben overheard her at a photography store in San Anselmo, and waited outside on the sidewalk for her to come out. He asked her if she’d like to be an alien in a movie.”

Backstage, Kennedy spoke with Variety about the upcoming May release of “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which she greenlit and also serves as producer. Asked what it was like the first time she heard Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), speak, she shared that the little green guy is “another perfect example of a character that has to emote and you have to feel connected to, and he never speaks a word.”

Kennedy said audiences will fall deeper in love with the popular character “on the big screen, and he never says a word.” She confirmed that, despite Yoda’s oft-quoted broken English, Grogu will not gain the power of speech in the new film.

The exec also reflected on handing over the reins to Lucasfilm in January to longtime deputies Dave Filoni (now president and chief creative officer) and Lynwen Brennan (co-president).

“It didn’t just happen six months ago. I spent 10 years talking Dave into gradually stepping into live action. He had so much experience in animation. He’s so knowledgeable about Star Wars and loves it so much, it’s really been a 10-year mentoring process for both of them. Lynwen came out of Industrial Light & Magic. She was my GM the entire time. I would argue that the transition has been really pretty seamless,” she said.

Patton Oswalt hosted Sunday’s Golden Reels ceremony. Following Kennedy’s acceptance speech, the comic joked that she had gone backstage for a ritual “freeing her from the nerd mafia she’s been trapped with for years.” Regarding the fervent (and occasionally toxic) Star Wars fandom, Oswalt said Kennedy had been “freed from the comments section.”

Backstage, Kennedy reflected on her time at the top of Lucasfilm in relation to the fanbase.

“I really segued into [that job] when the fan expectations collided with social media. That really has created a kind of explosion. It’s alway has been important to Lucasfilm, that the fans are huge part of what the franchise is. So that was something that was new to me and something that grew over time, but it’s remained incredibly important to the company,” she said.

She concluded on-stage remarks with a tribute to people behind sound design, making reference to her film “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the first in the Indiana Jones franchise. 

“What I love most about sound designers and editors is your curiosity. You’re the only people I know who can hear the scrape of a toilet lid and think that’s it. That’s it! That’s the sound of the Ark of the Covenant opening,” she said.

In a recent interview about her Disney exit, Kennedy said was interested exploring the possibilities of AI as it relates to filmmaking. She clarified to Variety that she wished “it was called augmented reality, not artificial intelligence. Many of us in the industry absolutely are committed to human beings and a human point of view. [We’ll see] if these tools can end up augmenting that process, speed things up and find a place in the flow of creativity. That’s what I find quite intriguing about some of these tools. But, to actually replace human beings in the process? No.”

Kennedy has received eight Oscar nominations over her career. Films released on her watch include the highest-grossing domestic film of all time, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” as well as “Rogue One,” “The Last Jedi” and “Solo.” Her remaining projects as a producer at Lucasfilm include the imminent release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and the forthcoming Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars vehicle “Star Fighter.”

Prior to joining the Disney label, Kennedy served as producer or executive producer more than 70 feature films, collectively garnering 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Those titles include “Jurassic Park,” “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “The Sixth Sense,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Gremlins” and “The Goonies.

Kennedy’s other accolades include a BAFTA fellowship and a CBE Award. She’s served as board chair for the AFI, and was one of the founding Council Members of the Hollywood Commission to Eliminate Sexual Harassment and Advance Equality. Kennedy is currently on the board of the LA Promise Fund, Library of America and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.  

“Country Joe” McDonald, who fronted the band Country Joe and the Fish and became an emblem of the 1960s antiwar counterculture through a prominent appearance at the Woodstock festival, died Saturday at age 84.

The singer, born Joseph Allen McDonald, died of Parkinson’s in Berkeley, according to a statement on the group’s social media and reported sources close to his wife.

McDonald’s best known song was “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” a Vietnam protest song he performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The performance included the infamous call-and-response “Fish Cheer,” which had the audience spelling out the F-word at McDonald’s behest.

Born on January 1, 1942, in Washington, D.C., McDonald grew up in El Monte, California, where he played trombone with dance bands on the weekends. He joined the Navy as a teenager — serving from 1959 to 1962 — before returning to L.A. to attend state college. He moved to the Bay area in 1965, where he co-founded Country Joe and the Fish with guitarist Barry Melton in Berkeley.

“It was suggested that the group be called Country Mao and the Fish because Mao Tse-tung said that the revolutionaries move like fish through the sea, and I said that was stupid,” he told the website Classic Bands. “It was suggested that we call it Country Joe and the Fish after Joseph Stalin.” Although, of course, he was the true “Joe” of the group’s moniker, the connection was not a big stretch: his communist parents had named him after Stalin.

The band released its debut album, “Electric Music for the Mind and Body,” in 1967. It did not include “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” or “The Fish Cheer,” apparently due to fears of censorship, although it did include protest songs like “Superbird,” which satirized President Lyndon Johnson. The more controversial material made it onto their second album.

Of his famous protest song, McDonald told the Street Spirit website, “The important thing about the ‘Fixin’ to Die Rag’ was that it had a new point of view that did not blame soldiers for war. It just blamed the politicians and it blamed the manufacturers of weapons. It didn’t blame the soldiers. Someone who was in the military could sing the song, and the attitude is, ‘Whoopee, we’re all going to die.’ Most peace songs of the era blamed the soldiers for the war.” 

Some of the Woodstock audience was already primed to join in on chanting “The Fish Cheer,” which had picked up notoriety after McDonald was charged with inciting lewd behavior for its appearance in a Massachusetts performance.

McDonald explained the group’s origins: “I moved to Berkeley in the summer of 1965, after the Free Speech Movement. So I came up here from southern California and got miraculously tapped into the folk music thing that was happening here at that time. I met Barry Melton at the University of California folk festival, and we hit it off. I started playing a few of my songs, and he played lead guitar. We were a duo. Then I met some other people, and Ed Denson, Mike Beardslee and I started putting out a little magazine called Rag Baby… a biweekly that had music articles and schedules of things that were happening around town, music and dancing and events. It was mostly focused on folk music and the folk scene.”

Of “Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” he said, “The only reason I could write those lyrics was having grown up in a socialist family. My parents were members of the Communist Party when I was born, but later became disenchanted with them. And then they became part of the Progressive Party and the left socialist parties that were around. I read the leftist newspapers and I was familiar with the basic tenets of socialism about the industrial complex that generates war. So I was able to write lyrics about the warmakers that profit from war, and I was able to write a lyric from the point of view of the soldier because I had been in the military.”

Additionally, he said, “I felt disenchanted from my parents, in a way. As far as politics, we didn’t have a very good relationship, so it was easy for me to say: ‘Come on mothers throughout the land, pack your boys off to Vietnam.’ And that sarcasm was a really nice thing, and GIs love sarcasm.”

McDonald continued to write songs addressing environmental issues and civil rights, releasing dozens of solo records after Country Joe and the Fish disbanded in 1971.

Fifty years after writing his signature song in 1965, he sang it at an anti-nuclear protest at Livermore Laboratory on the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. 

In a 2016 interview, he said, “I find the concept of 50 years incomprehensible. But it’s indisputable because I have children and some of those children have children and I know that the math is right. And I just finished an album and the title of it is ’50’ because it’s 50 years since the first album. It’s called ‘Goodbye Blues.’ I didn’t die, so there you are. I’m still alive and I’m still doing something. Filling a need helps a lot, and it keeps me sane.”

He continued, “I grew up in a family of radical socialists, and quite honestly, I really get bored with the theory and speechifying of various movements and philosophies from the left. It doesn’t mean I don’t support them. But as an entertainer, I know that you can lose your audience. I’ve been doing this for a long, long time, and I consider myself a morale-booster for these causes. I don’t do it if I don’t support the cause and the ideas and the people that are doing it. It’s really quite remarkable what people are doing in many movements. I like to support these movements, because they are sometimes not mainstream and no one else is supporting them, and so I feel an obligation to do it. As an activist, I like to give a voice and to support people and movements that don’t have mainstream support and visibility. And I realize that my name has a certain notoriety and that my presence can be a morale-booster.”

Although complete information on his family was not immediately available, McDonald said in interviews that he had five children, and is known to be survived by his wife, Kathy.

“Harry Potter” alum Katie Leung told Entertainment Tonight in a new interview that she wouldn’t want to return to her days of playing Cho Chang in the hit fantasy franchise.

“I was so young at the time, and I was so easily influenced by what people would say about me because I didn’t know who I was,” said Leung, who recently portrayed Lady Araminta Gun on “Bridgerton.” “So I’ve come into ‘Bridgerton’ having a really healthy focus on the work. I’m so glad I’m here. I would not want to go back to that time. Not because I had a bad time or anything, but it’s just really nice when you know who you are, and I’m still figuring that out, but I’m a bit closer.”

Leung, who appeared in five “Harry Potter” movies, also spoke to Variety in February about her experience filming, saying, “My first job — ‘Harry Potter’ — I had never acted before in my life, and suddenly I was in front of 20 cameras and 100 people, completely lost, still figuring out who I was. I can’t say I had the time of my life.”

She went on to compare the experience to her time on “Arcane and “Bridgerton,” saying she felt like she “deserved” to be on those shows. “I never questioned it. And once you stop questioning it, you can actually focus on bringing your best work.”

Leung made her screen debut as Cho in 2005 with “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the fourth movie in the franchise. Originally written as a love interest for Harry Potter, Cho later appeared in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” and “Part 2.”

The actress also shared some advice with Entertainment Tonight for whoever plays Cho in HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” TV adaptation.

“For anybody really, [whatever] stage in their life, [my advice is] just to be themselves, because that’s what makes them unique,” Leung said. “And to not let the kind of noise of other people get to you, because what you have already is a gift, and you should really just try and hold onto that.”

Leung recently spoke out about dealing with racism and backlash while filming “Harry Potter” in an interview with The Guardian.

“I don’t know if anything could have been done back then to make things better or easier,” Leung said. “At that age, you’re curious. I remember being very curious about what people were saying about me, and I was Googling myself. Nobody could have stopped me, because I was old enough to make up my own mind.”

“I think it just sat with me, and it affected me in ways like, ‘Oh yeah, I made that decision because people were saying this about me.’ It probably made me less outgoing,” she continued about the racism she found online about her casting. “I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth. And for the longest time, I may have tried to make up for it and overcompensate.”

Swiss director Marie-Elsa Sgualdo’s “Silent Rebellion,” a period drama that follows a rape survivor’s defiant journey of self-discovery, won the top prize at the 8th Joburg Film Festival on Saturday.

Sgualdo’s feature debut tells the story of 15-year-old Emma, who’s impregnated after being raped. Defying her oppressive rural Protestant community, she embarks on a journey of self-determination, transforming her trauma into a catalyst for emancipation while confronting the moral hypocrisy of her village and the lingering shadows of World War II.

Commenting on its being awarded the Nguni Horn for best feature, JFF founder and executive director Tim Mangwedi praised the film’s “perfect pairing of an engaging narrative with striking cinematography.”

The film, which premiered in the Venezia Spotlight section at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, also scooped the prize for best cinematography, for the work of DoP Benoît Dervaux, while lead actress Lila Gueneau received a special mention from the jury for her performance.

South African directing duo Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar’s “Variations on a Theme,” which won the top prize in Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition, took home the award for best African feature. The directors’ sophomore film, which follows an elderly goat herder who falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s WWII service, was praised by Variety’s Guy Lodge following its Rotterdam triumph for its “warmly observational, literary quality” that is “lovingly attentive to language and local custom.”

The award for best documentary went to Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi for her Rotterdam-premiering “Let Them Be Seen,” which offers a prismatic portrait of the director’s hometown of Tapoleng, a small village in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Best editing went to Czech director Ondřej Provazník’s #MeToo drama “Broken Voices,” edited by Anna Johnson Ryndová.

The award for best short film went to Tevin Kimathi and Millan Tarus’s “Stero,” while best student film went to George Temba’s “The Silent Inheritance” and Khaya Dube’s “Umxoxiso” won the Young Voices Competition. Veteran South African producer Harriet Gavson also earned a special recognition at Saturday night’s awards gala.

The festival jury was comprised of producer Cait Pansegrouw (“This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection,” “The Wound”); producer Bongiwe Selane (“Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word”); producer and director Sia Stewart (“Why Not Us: Southern Dance”); filmmaker and Septimius Awards founder Jan-Willem Breure; Berlinale curator and World Cinema Fund jury member Dorothee Wenner; and programmer Keith Shiri, founder of Africa at the Pictures.

The 8th Joburg Film Festival wraps March 8 with the world premiere of “The Trek,” a western-horror from first-time director Meekaaeel Adam.

This year marked the JFF’s biggest edition yet, with festival curator Nhlanhla Ndaba saying organizers received a record 770 submissions from nearly 100 countries before whittling down the final selection to 60 films.

At the festival’s opening ceremony, Ndaba acknowledged the difficult context within which this year’s edition was taking place, while also reminding the filmmakers in attendance that their voices remain as vital as ever.

“This festival happens at the moment when the world feels anything but nuanced — at the moment when artists are being asked: Should you speak or should you stay silent?” Ndaba said. “At the Berlinale we witnessed a fierce debate about whether filmmakers should engage in politics. It was suggested that artists should stay away from politics because films are a counterweight to politics. 

“The Joburg Film Festival has always been a space where politics and artistry meet, where the African continent and the world connect, where politics are just but another story. Where we don’t pretend that storytelling happens in a vacuum,” he continued. “The moment we stop reflecting the world in all its beauty and in all its brokenness, it’s the moment we stop being relevant.”

The Joburg Film Festival runs March 3 – 8 in Johannesburg.