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.
▶Parents object to changes at a Launceston school, while Kylie Minogue, Jonathan Groff and Catherine Tate join Cynthia Erivo in a new animated musical. Rick Wakeman releases a Mars-inspired sequel, and Michael Caine’s influence on British cool is explored.
Andrew Mohsen is shaping his first edition as artistic director of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival around “discovery”, giving more attention to films and filmmakers that receive less international coverage. The approach builds on the festival’s established showcase for acclaimed titles while aiming to strengthen its role as…
Actor Noah Centineo, who plays Ken in the new live-action Street Fighter film, said he would welcome a crossover with Mortal Kombat, and Ryu actor Andrew Koji called the idea “sick”. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon responded that a game should come first, followed by a film, signalling…
A film based on David D. Magee’s memoir *Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss* has been greenlit, with production under way in Mississippi. Andrew Hyatt is directing and wrote the screenplay; the story follows a family confronting addiction and loss, and matters to…
Netflix’s US service is adding or returning three series highlighted as weekend viewing: animated comedy Solar Opposites, teen sitcom Hollywood Arts and political thriller The Diplomat. The recommendations span family-friendly entertainment and adult drama, while the article notes that Josh Hartnett’s six-episode miniseries Below currently leads Netflix’s US…
Kevin McKidd has launched Edinburgh-based Ferryman Films, drawing on his experience in Hollywood to develop Scottish projects with local writers and international television talent. The move expands his work beyond acting and directing, while bringing more attention and production opportunities to stories rooted in Scotland. Ferryman Films has…
Before *The Silence of the Lambs* made Anthony Hopkins a Hollywood star, he appeared in Michael Cimino’s poorly received 1990 film *Desperate Hours*. Hopkins later felt he was miscast as a Midwestern Vietnam veteran, and recalled dreading work with co-star Mickey Rourke, whose confrontational behaviour made the shoot…
Pixar co-director Kenna Harris says a two-week rewrite helped reshape “Toy Story 5” after early versions failed to make Jessie’s story emotionally compelling. The change made Bonnie’s loneliness, and Jessie’s effort to help her find a friend, the film’s central concern. Harris joined director Andrew Stanton in late…
Costume designer Susan Lyall and actor Jeremy Strong researched Mark Zuckerberg’s changing wardrobe for *The Social Reckoning*, set between 2019 and 2021. The film presents him as having moved beyond the hoodie-and-T-shirt look towards polished, expensive clothes, a shift Lyall sees as reflecting Silicon Valley’s growing interest in…
The article argues that there is no single formula for adapting a book successfully: a film can closely follow its source, transform it or take only what it needs. The quality of the novel does not determine the quality of the adaptation, and viewers’ expectations that a film…