Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s English-language debut “Drift” world premieres in the Premieres section of the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22. Chen, the producers, and Cynthia Erivo, the film’s lead actor and one of producers, talk to Variety about the movie. Starring Erivo (“Harriet”) and Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”), the film is from the producer…

Kevin Spacey took the opportunity to praise his manager Evan Lowenstein in a passionate speech Monday, receiving a lifetime achievement award prize prior to holding a master class at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin. The occasion was Spacey’s first speaking engagement in more than five years, during which the Oscar-winning actor has been…

Greta Scacchi, daughter Leila George and Sam Corlett will next week start production on “He Ain’t Heavy” a West Australia-set drama by first time feature director David Vincent Smith. Inspired by true events, “He Ain’t Heavy” follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction. George is a fast-rising star….

A recorded message from Ken Loach, and in-person presentations from investigative journalist Paul Moreira and deep sea diver Laurent Ballesta galvanized Arte Distribution’s recent broadcaster pitch, giving buyers an extra jolt and leaving the doc specialized distributer grinning from ear to ear. While the particulars of individual deals are still being worked out, Arte Distribution…

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Is NTR Jr. inching closer to joining the MCU? As I first told you in last week’s “Just for Variety,” the “RRR” star says he’d love to do a Marvel movie. Well, I am doing my part to make this happen. I introduced NTR Jr. to top Marvel…

I wasn’t sure if “Everything Everywhere All at Once” could win best picture, but I might be convinced now. The A24 multiverse comedy had a fantastic night at the Critics’ Choice Awards, winning five statuettes including best picture, supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan, director and original screenplay for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and…

LCD Soundsystem is playing at your house — at least, they are, were or will be if you’re queuing up “White Noise,” which is showing up on Netflix after an awards-qualifying run in theaters. This may mark one of the few times in film history that a lot of viewers have been tempted to fast-forward…

Rebecca Hall and Adam Kay were among the writers honoured at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards 2023 on Monday night in London. Other winners included Aamina Ahmad, David Edgar, Vivienne Franzmann, Katie Hims, Neil McKay and Ben Power. The ceremony was hosted by writer, musician, actor and presenter, Rachel Parris. 15 categories across…

Jennifer Coolidge held court while eating ice cream and Julia Roberts, Thuso Mbedu and Cate Blanchett were among the stars working the room to say their hellos. The stars were out Sunday to celebrate the Critics’ Choice Awards, except for those who had COVID. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Jamie Lee Curtis, “The Banshees…

As Rihanna readies herself to perform at next month’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, the singer will likely hear her name being announced on Jan. 24 when Oscar nominations are announced. Rihanna is hotly tipped to be nominated for best original song for her “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” track “Lift Me Up.” In a new behind-the-scenes…