Film spans the stories, people and ideas behind cinema, from new releases and streaming picks to festival discoveries, screen culture and the careers of actors and directors. It also covers how films are made, shown and received, including the history and changing fortunes of works that find an audience long after their release.
These stories matter because film reflects and shapes the culture around us. Festivals and reviews can bring unfamiliar voices into view, while industry decisions and shifts in how audiences watch affect which stories get told and who gets to see them.
Joel and Ethan Coen say they expect to make a film together “soon”, their first joint project since 2018’s *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*. Their comments dispel speculation that a rift had ended their partnership, although the brothers have not chosen or announced a project. Joel said they…
Joel and Ethan Coen received the Lumière Award at Lyon’s Lumière Film Festival, marking four decades of filmmaking. The ceremony mixed humour, music and tributes, with Javier Bardem recalling how the brothers persuaded him to take a role he had initially considered turning down. Bardem said he disliked…
Neil Blair, J.K. Rowling’s agent, condemned a trans rights protest at a gala for *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child*, saying it put people at risk. He said peaceful activism and differing views should be respected, while audience members, performers and theatre staff must be able to attend…
Steven Spielberg’s *War of the Worlds*, starring Tom Cruise, is leaving HBO Max on 1 November. The 2005 film remains Spielberg’s highest-grossing science-fiction release of the 21st century and adapts H.G. Wells’s novel as an alien invasion story with political overtones. Made for a reported $130 million, it…
Miley returned to full live performance with a sold-out Hollywood Bowl show, presenting new music alongside familiar hits. The concert marked her first full set in four years and fulfilled a long-held ambition to play the Los Angeles venue, while reflecting the renewed recognition she has received in…
Maximilian Schnell left his job and life in Paris to travel by bicycle, taking on demanding physical and mental challenges. The documentary *Perfect Road*, by Danish brothers Adam and Christian Bonke, follows him across some of Europe’s highest mountain passes while exploring his search for freedom, his relationship…
Reform councillor Alan Feeney resigned from all his posts on Solihull and Birmingham councils after an undercover ITV investigation recorded him making racist remarks about Asian people. The comments, including calling Asian homeowners “parasites”, have drawn condemnation from Solihull Council and the Ministry of Justice, which suspended him…
In 1987, Kenneth Branagh auditioned for the lead role in *Withnail and I*, but assumed he had little chance when he saw Richard E Grant waiting to audition. Grant was cast as Withnail, helping create a performance at the centre of what became one of Britain’s best-loved cult…
Producers behind Hayakawa Chie’s Cannes competition film “Renoir” will join an open panel on Asia-Europe film co-production at Tokyo’s TIFFCOM market on 30 October. The session coincides with a new partnership between Japanese accelerator Atmovie Global Track and European workshop Ties That Bind, which aims to help filmmakers…
Julia Stiles pursued a role in *Hustlers* because she wanted to work with director Lorene Scafaria, even though her agents warned that the part was not especially showy. The 2019 crime satire became a box-office success and drew awards attention, but Jennifer Lopez’s high-profile campaign overshadowed the film’s…