festival Archives

Oct72025 by cineverseNo Comments

Tom Blyth Says ‘Hunger Games’ Fanfare Was Short-Lived and ‘Calmed Down Quickly’: ‘Everything’s Hot for a Minute and Then the Next Thing Comes Out’

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By Zack Sharf According To The variety Tom Blyth‘s acting career hit a newfound peak when he starred as a young Coriolanus Snow in 2023’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” which topped the box office on its way to nearly $350 million worldwide. Some might think headlining a major Hollywood franchise movie might bring dramatically life-changing fame, but Blyth recently told The Independent that fanfare around his “Hunger Games” prequel was short-lived and “calmed down very quickly.” “In this age of social media, everything’s hot for a minute and then the next thing comes out,” Blyth said. “It taught me really quickly not to buy into [things] too much. And I’m glad it happened when I was 27 and not when I was 19 or 20. I was like, ‘I know why I do this. I...

Sep272025 by cineverseNo Comments

Madelaine Petsch on Acting in ‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ While Covered in Fake Blood and What’s Next in the Twisty Third Movie: ‘Who Really Is the Antagonist?’

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By William Earl According To The variety SPOILER ALERT: This article contains mild spoilers about “The Strangers – Chapter 2,” now playing in theaters. “The Strangers – Chapter 2” star Madelaine Petsch has proven her Scream Queen bona fides through her performances so far in the planned trilogy. The second film, in theaters now via Lionsgate, finds the actor much more in control after being terrorized by the mysterious title baddies in the first film, a reimagining of the 2008 hit. The sequel opens with Maya (Petsch) wounded in a hospital, mourning the death of her fiancé at the end of last year’s “Chapter 1.” But she can’t sit around healing for too long, as the three masked killers are almost immediately after her again. Instead of running, Maya eventually chooses to stan...

Sep212025 by cineverseNo Comments

San Sebastián’s Development Program Ikusmira Berriak Sees 34% Increase in Applications in a Year of Outstanding Success

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By Rafa Sales Ross According To The variety San Sebastián’s Ikusmira Berriak residency program is back for its 11th year with a crop of exciting new projects in development. Created in 2015 to promote emerging talent and delivered in partnership with the Tabakalera-International Centre for Contemporary Culture and the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE) training centre, the initiative offers five residencies to filmmakers each year. The program consists of a stay of eight weeks divided into two stages comprising a seven-month mentoring program between March and September, culminating during the festival dates. During the festival, the filmmakers complete the last two weeks of their residency at the Tabakalera building and participate in professional activities that inc...

Sep92025 by cineverseNo Comments

Geek Girl’ Star Emily Carey, ‘A Kind of Spark’s’ Lola Blue Lead Autistic-Centered ‘The Birth of a Mall Goth’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Two prominent autistic actors, Emily Carey (“Geek Girl“) and Lola Blue (“A Kind of Spark”), topline the short film “The Birth of a Mall Goth,” marking a rare project where neurodiverse talent controls the creative process both on-screen and off. Writer-director Samantha Locock developed the script around her fascination with goth subculture, though she didn’t realize until after receiving her autism diagnosis that the story reflected her own neurodivergent experience of seeking understanding in an often confusing world. “When I wrote this script, I don’t think I fully understood why I was so deeply intrigued by why people suddenly become goths,” Locock said. “Now, I see the film as the autistic need to try and make...

Sep22025 by cineverseNo Comments

AI Drama ‘Humans in the Loop’ Adds Kiran Rao, Biju Toppo as Executive Producers (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Indian filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo have joined as executive producers on “Humans in the Loop,” the Fipresci India Grand Prix-winning feature about an indigenous Adivasi woman working as an AI data-labeller. The move represents a significant boost for the indie feature, which explores urgent themes around artificial intelligence, labor and indigenous knowledge systems. Set in Jharkhand, northern India, the film follows Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman whose AI data-labelling work exposes the hidden labor powering “smart” technologies. Adivasis are India’s indigenous tribal communities, comprising roughly 8% of the country’s population. Directed by Aranya Sahay and produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravic...

Aug272025 by cineverseNo Comments

Papua New Guinea Makes First-Ever Oscar Submission With ‘Papa Buka’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Papua New Guinea has selected “Papa Buka” as its inaugural submission to the Academy Awards, marking the first time the Pacific nation has entered the international feature film category at the Oscars. Directed by internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran (Shanghai winner “Trees Under the Sun”), “Papa Buka” follows aging war veteran Papa Buka as he guides two Indian historians uncovering untold WWII stories connecting India and Papua New Guinea through shared sacrifice and humanity. The timing proves particularly symbolic, coinciding with Papua New Guinea’s 50th year of independence. The milestone announcement was made by Belden Norman Namah, Papua New Guinea Minister for Tourism Art and Cultur...

Aug262025 by cineverseNo Comments

David Spade Considered Using a Gun to Scare Off Five Men Who Followed Him Home to Get His Autograph to Sell: ‘Get the F— Out of Here… It’s Not Fans. It’s a Business’

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By Zack Sharf According To The variety David Spade revealed on the latest episode of his “Fly on the Wall” podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) that he considered using a gun to scare off professional autograph seekers who recently followed the actor back to his house after a comedy show. Spade explained it was not fans behind the scary ordeal, but people seeking his autograph so they can make a profit off selling Spade-signed merchandise. “I have a little road that goes up to my [house],” Spade said. “I’m going up this crummy little street, which is pretty skinny, and there’s two cars behind me. I don’t even notice. They’re kind of on my ass. I’m like, ‘Oh shit.’ It’s pitch-black up there. It’s a perfect place for carjacking [or a] robbery.”“They pull up next to me and stopp...