filmmaker

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Shyamalan Was Called 'the Next Spielberg.' Then, a Fall

David Sims profiles the horror/thriller filmmaker's struggles, and eventual resurrection, for the Atlantic

(Newser) - By the time M. Night Shyamalan was in his early 30s, he had a huge hit to his name thanks to 1999's The Sixth Sense , his psychological thriller starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, and two follow-ups—2000's Unbreakable and 2002's Signs —that seemed to...

Tyler Perry Is Going Through Some Things Over AI

Actor says artificial-intelligence tech is 'mind-blowing,' but warns industry will hemorrhage jobs

(Newser) - Just days ago, the world was introduced to Sora , OpenAI's new text-to-video generator—and there's already one big name experiencing conflicting feelings about it. Tyler Perry comes at the AI technology from two different perspectives, per his interview with the Hollywood Reporter : that of a business owner, and...

Director Malia Obama Debuts at Sundance
Malia Obama Makes
Her Sundance Debut
Jan 19, 2024 11:35 AM CST

Malia Obama Makes Her Sundance Debut

'The Heart' previously won best live action short at the Chicago International Film Festival

(Newser) - Malia Obama has come a long way from her time protesting on the sidelines of the Sundance Film Festival. This year, she's screening a film there. The eldest daughter of former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama was on the red carpet Wednesday for the screening of...

Filmmaker Demands Probe Into Parasite Actor's Death

Bong Joon-ho wants answers on what happened to Lee Sun-kyun, who died of an apparent suicide

(Newser) - South Korea is still reeling from the death last month of popular Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun, whose body was found in a car in a Seoul park. Lee's family says he'd left behind what appeared to be a suicide note, and now the director of his hit 2019...

'Hollywood of the South' Struggles Amid Strikes

Atlanta, once booming with work for crew and actors, is now at a virtual standstill

(Newser) - A lighting technician is mowing lawns. A camera assistant is teaching guitar again. An actor has thought about shifting careers. For more than a decade, work had been nonstop in Atlanta's booming film industry, thanks to Georgia's extremely generous tax break. Dubbed the "Hollywood of the South,...

Black Filmmaker Reported Burglary, Got Tased: Lawsuit

Damien Smith alleges false arrest, violation of civil rights in lawsuit against LAPD

(Newser) - Actor-director Damien Smith was making a documentary about police brutality when he says he unwittingly became a victim. Smith says he returned to his Hollywood apartment in October 2021 to find a man walking out of his bedroom carrying his grandfather's watch and other belongings. As the man charged,...

A Genius of Film Is Dead
A Genius of
Film Is Dead
OBITUARY
Sep 13, 2022 6:07 AM CDT

A Genius of Film Is Dead

French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard dies at 91

(Newser) - Jean-Luc Godard, the ingenious "enfant terrible" of the French New Wave who revolutionized popular cinema in 1960 with his debut feature Breathless and stood for years as one of the world's most vital and provocative directors, has died, French media reported, per the AP . He was 91. Godard...

Little-Known Film Project Gets Attention of Jan. 6 Panel

House committee subpoenas filmmaker who had inner-circle access to Trump, shot footage of riot

(Newser) - The House Jan. 6 panel gavels back into session on Tuesday afternoon, with the focus expected to be on efforts by former President Trump and his allies to pressure state officials to reject election results, reports NBC News . But Politico is reporting an intriguing new wrinkle expected to be sussed...

He's Won 2 Oscars, Is Now Accused of Plagiarism

At issue: Asghar Farhadi's film 'A Hero'

(Newser) - Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi took home Oscars in 2012 and 2017 in the best international feature category. His 2021 film, A Hero, managed to win the grand prize at Cannes—but also land him in court to fend off allegations of plagiarism. The director has been accused by former film...

Russian Minister Dies in Lifesaving Attempt

Yevgeny Zinichev jumped off cliff to save film director Alexander Melnik; both died

(Newser) - Russia's emergencies minister died Wednesday during a drill exercise while attempting to save a filmmaker, who also died. Film director Alexander Melnik slipped off a cliff at the Kitabo Oron waterfall in the Putorana nature reserve in northern Siberia, landing in water, the BBC quotes Margarita Simonyan, the head...

Director Lynn Shelton Dies Suddenly at 54
Indie Film Pioneer
Dies Suddenly at 54
obituary
May 17, 2020 4:10 PM CDT

Indie Film Pioneer Dies Suddenly at 54

Lynn Shelton collapsed after being ill for just a week

(Newser) - An indie filmmaker known for her ad-lib style and complex female characters died Friday after falling ill only a week ago, the Daily Beast reports. Her name was Lynn Shelton. "I have some awful news," said podcaster and comedian Marc Maron, who was romantically involved with her. "...

Director Detained in France's Shocking #MeToo Accusation

Adele Haenel accused Christophe Ruggia last year, now he's in custody

(Newser) - A French filmmaker is in custody while authorities investigate accusations that he sexually abused an actress when she was between 12 and 15 years old, the AP reports. Director Christophe Ruggia was detained for questioning Tuesday based on allegations last year by actress Adele Haenel , according to the Paris prosecutor'...

Goodbye to the Filmmaker Who Brought Us Romeo and Juliet

Franco Zeffirelli was 96

(Newser) - Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who delighted audiences around the world with his romantic vision and often extravagant productions, most famously captured in his cinematic Romeo and Juliet, has died in Rome at 96. Zeffirelli's son Luciano said his father died at home on Saturday, per the AP . "He...

Durst's Final Jinx Words Seem 'Damning.' They Were Also Edited

As trial approaches, documentary makers under fire for presenting his words out of order

(Newser) - Dramatic storytelling or manipulation of the truth? That's the question posed by the New York Times about the HBO documentary The Jinx, which in 2015 aired an apparent "confession" by Robert Durst—accused of killing friend Susan Berman and long suspected of killing his wife—in its final...

Woody Allen's 'Secret Teen Girlfriend' Speaks
Woody Allen's
'Teen Lover' Speaks
Dec 18, 2018 1:00 AM CST

Woody Allen's 'Teen Lover' Speaks

Babi Christina Engelhardt: I cried when I saw 'Manhattan'

(Newser) - A California woman says she was Woody Allen's secret teenage lover—and is telling her story of adoration, disillusion, and threesomes with Woody and Mia Farrow. Babi Christina Engelhardt was apparently just 16 when she dropped a note at Allen's restaurant table in 1976 with her phone number:...

Olivia Munn on Director Ratner: He Masturbated in Front of Me

5 other actresses are also accusing film director of sexual misconduct

(Newser) - Another domino of sexual misconduct allegations stretching from Hollywood to the media has tumbled. This time it involves film director Brett Ratner, with six women telling the Los Angeles Times of incidents they say happened in private homes, at Hollywood events, and on movie sets. Actress Olivia Munn is one...

Bjork: Director Harassed Me, Had 'Impressive Net of Illusion'

She doesn't name Dane she accuses of sexual harassment, but it appears to be Lars von Trier

(Newser) - As women continue to come forward with sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein , Icelandic singer Bjork has emerged with a revelation of her own regarding "my experience with a Danish director," reports Rolling Stone . On her Facebook page Sunday, Bjork said she'd been "inspired" by all...

Their Film Ran in 14 Theaters. Then Robert Pattinson Called

How the major actor ended up in 'Good Time'

(Newser) - Good Time is a film about one bad night gone worse. Robert Pattinson plays a small-time Queens crook named Connie Nikas whose botched robbery and escape attempt lands his mentally handicapped brother in jail. And that's just in the first few minutes. The film doesn't come up for...

Steve Bannon: the Hollywood Bigwig Who Wasn't?


Steve Bannon:
the Hollywood
Bigwig Who
Wasn't?
LONGFORM
Apr 26, 2017 2:13 PM CDT

Steve Bannon: the Hollywood Bigwig Who Wasn't?

Trump's strategist brags about his time in Tinseltown, but others' memories are murky

(Newser) - Over the past eight months, Steve Bannon has worked his way into the general US consciousness, first as an ex-Breitbart exec tapped as Trump's new campaign chief , next as a "terrifying man" who wanted to set the DC establishment ablaze, and finally, as a White House fixture . But...

William Peter Blatty, Exorcist Author, Dead at 89
William Peter Blatty, Exorcist
Author, Dead at 89
OBITUARY
Jan 13, 2017 1:25 PM CST

William Peter Blatty, Exorcist Author, Dead at 89

He did everything from drive a beer truck to sell vacuums before he hit it big

(Newser) - Novelist and filmmaker William Peter Blatty, who conjured a tale of demonic possession and gave millions the fright of their lives with the best-selling novel and Oscar-winning movie The Exorcist, has died at the age of 89, the AP reports. Blatty died Thursday at a hospital in Bethesda, Md., of...

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