film festival Archives

Aug272025 by cineverseNo Comments

John Williams Says He ‘Never Liked Film Music Very Much’

News

By Andrew McGowan According To The variety John Williams is one of the most prolific film composers of all time, having created some of the most iconic scores of the past 60 years, winning five Oscars and becoming the gold standard of movie musicians. Ironically, though, the 93-year-old maestro recently admitted to his indifference and criticism of film music as a genre, telling a biographer “I never liked film music very much.” In this Guardian interview with author Tim Grieving about Grieving’s upcoming biography of the composer, Williams broke down the craft that he’s contributed so much to. “Film music, however good it can be – and it usually isn’t, other than maybe an eight-minute stretch here and there,” he said, “I just think the music isn’t there.” He contin...

Aug272025 by cineverseNo Comments

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

News

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

Frank Price, Former Universal and Columbia Studio Head, Dies at 95

News

By Richard Natale According To The variety Veteran motion picture and television executive Frank Price, who had more than one go-round at both MCA/Universal and Columbia Pictures, died Monday in Santa Monica. He was 95. His son Roy Price, former president of Amazon Studios, reported his death, posting on X, “My father, Frank Price, passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning at 95. He lived a full life and we will miss him deeply.” One of the few journeymen writer-producers to rise through the ranks to head both television and film production divisions, Price headed MCA’s TV division in the 1970s, a period of great prosperity for the company, with such series as “Kojak,” “Baretta” and “The Rockford Files.” He moved on to become president of Columbia Pictures in 1978...

Aug262025 by cineverseNo Comments

Indie Horror Movie ‘Bone Lake’ Reveals Trailer and Provocative Poster, Moves Up Theatrical Release Date

News

By William Earl According To The variety Indie horror film “Bone Lake” is headed to theaters for some seductive scares. The Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment thriller is set for an Oct. 3 theatrical release, as announced by a new trailer and poster. The film stars Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Alex Roe, Andra Nechita, Eliane Reis and Clayton Spencer. Mercedes Bryce Morgan, who helmed the 2022 films “Fixation” and “Spoonful of Sugar,” directed “Bone Lake,” and Joshua Friedlander wrote the script. “Saw X” DP Nick Matthews served as cinematographer on the production. Per the official logline, “A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seduc...

Aug252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Manoj Bajpayee, Raam Reddy’s Berlinale Film ‘The Fable’ Lands Guneet Monga Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap as Presenters (EXCLUSIVE)

News

By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Two of India’s most celebrated film industry mavens are throwing their weight behind a new feature that blends folklore with contemporary storytelling. Guneet Monga Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap have come aboard as executive producers and presenters for “The Fable” (titled “Jugnuma” in Hindi), the latest directorial effort from Raam Reddy starring multiple Indian National Film Award winner Manoj Bajpayee. The magical realism drama is set to open theatrically across India on Sept. 12 via Flip Films. Set against the backdrop of the late 1980s Indian Himalayas, the film follows Dev (Bajpayee), who discovers mysteriously burnt trees scattered throughout his sprawling fruit orchard estate. As fires continue to break out des...

Aug202025 by cineverseNo Comments

Weapons’ Is a Box Office Hit. Now Movie Theaters Are Bracing for a Bleak Three Months

News

By Rebecca Rubin According To The variety Every August, Alamo Drafthouse prepares for a late-summer slowdown. “We joke that weekday business gets soft because parents have to think about buying their kids a new backpack,” says the theater chain’s chief revenue officer, Mike Sherrill. Studios must have the same thought because the calendar from August through early October is always sparse, at least compared with the glut of new offerings in June and July. “There’s not a gigantic tentpole in the next six weeks,” Sherrill says. “But it’s our job to remind folks that just because ‘Avatar 3’ doesn’t come out until December doesn’t mean there aren’t great films before then.” On paper, business over the next few weeks looks bleak. But before anyone writes them off, it’s worth remembe...

Aug202025 by cineverseNo Comments

Netflix and Adam McKay Win Dismissal of Second ‘Don’t Look Up’ Copyright Suit

News

By Gene Maddaus According To The variety Netflix and Adam McKay are two-for-two in defeating copyright lawsuits from self-published authors over the 2021 film “Don’t Look Up.” Judge Gregory Presnell dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday from Darren Hunter, of Harleysville, Pa., who claimed that the film was based on his novel, “The Million Day Forecast.” The judge ruled that the novel is “an entirely different work” from the movie, and that the alleged similarities constitute “broad uncopyrightable ideas that are typical of works that center around the Earth’s destruction.” Netflix had argued that, among other differences, “Don’t Look Up” is a satire of disaster movies, while Hunter’s novel is “part science fiction, part conspiracy thriller, part ‘YA.'” “The humor ...