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Michael Winterbottom has devoted much of his filmmaking career to revisiting real-life events through works blurring the boundaries between documentary and drama to various degrees. The filmmaker shed light on his approach in a recent Doha Film Institute (DFI) masterclass, going behind the scenes of Welcome To Sarajevo , 24 Hour Party People , In This World , The Road To Guantanamo , A Might Heart and Eleven Days In May . “It’s a continuum, even if you’re filming a fantasy film in a studio on a green screen there is an element of document to that. You’re recording that moment of the act of performance,” he said when quizzed on his attitude towards documentary versus fiction. “Equally, even in a documentary like Eleven Days … you’re trying to shape that story, so it a continuum,” he added, referring to the 2022 documentary commemorating 68 children killed in Israeli bombing raids over Gaza in May 2021. Winterbottom elaborated on this idea through his … [Read more...] about Michael Winterbottom Talks Blurring Of Lines Between Documentary & Fiction; Appeals For UK Film Funding Rethink – Qumra Masterclass

One week after the BBC ’s schedule of sport was severely disrupted with a boycott by staff in support of anchorman Gary Lineker , both the host and fellow pundits were all back on screen this weekend. Lineker didn’t take his usual position as host of Match of the Day on Saturday evening, but stand-in presenter Mark Chapman was quick to tell viewers this was an arrangement that had been scheduled “weeks ago.” Meanwhile, Lineker was in action at lunchtime, introducing BBC coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley. His fellow pundit Alan Shearer addressed the issue that took them all off the previous weekend. “I just need to clear up and wanted to say how upset we were that all the audiences who missed out on last weekend,” Shearer said. “It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned and through no fault of their own, some really great people in TV and in radio were put in an impossible situation and that wasn’t fair. … [Read more...] about BBC Presenters Back In Studio After Last Week’s Boycott; Pundit Alan Shearer Addresses “Difficult Situation” On Air

Nancy Meyers is still searching for a new home for her film after parting ways with Netflix over budget concerns. But in the meantime, the director of rom-com classics like 2006’s The Holiday and Something’s Gotta Give has dropped some hints on Instagram, revealing details about her movie, confirming the title, and sharing its origin. Deadline reported that Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Michael Fassbender were in talks to star, but that the proposed Netflix budget — which sources say was coming in around $130 million — was causing issues. Sources say that while the studio was fine with $130 million, Meyers was fighting for $150 million, with $80 million of that going to above-the-line costs. The film is titled Paris Paramount , which we were first to tell you about in April 2022. It tells the story of an above-the-line filmmaking duo who reunite (begrudgingly) on set after falling in and out of love with each other. Meyers confirmed the … [Read more...] about Director Nancy Meyers Channels Ernst Lubitsch, Confirms Origin Of ‘Paris Paramount’ Film Title

Watching Jesus Revolution surge past $45 million in ticket sales for Lionsgate —matching or besting The Fabelmans , The Banshees Of Inisherin, Tár , Women Talking and Triangle Of Sadness, combined—it finally seems safe to say it. The faith-based audience is back. Between Covid and the culture wars, it’s been a rough few years for those who make, promote and/or enjoy what are loosely called inspirational films. Sometimes the pictures are overtly religious, as with Jesus Revolution , the real-life story of a pastor and his counter-cultural following in the 1970s. Others are simply aspirational—moralistic, values-laden tales, like Creed III or Respect , about individuals striving to be more and better than they already are. Either way, the uplift business was having tough time until Top Gun: Maverick broke through, at the strictly secular level, last year. The last explicitly religious film to top $40 million at the box office appears to have been … [Read more...] about With ‘Jesus Revolution,’ The Faithful Are Back In Their Movie Theater Pews

Getty Ben Affleck is on top of the world lately -- making movies with his best bud, and having his wife star in films he's producing ... which he says is the pinnacle of success and happiness. The actor-director sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for a chat about his new movie, "Air" which follows the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan to his legendary shoe deal ... and which just debuted at SXSW this weekend to rave reviews and thunderous applause . CBS Sunday Morning The film stars Ben and Matt Damon , and the reunion has truly had a shining effect on BA -- as you can tell in this interview. He talks about how chasing money in showbiz (or any biz, really) isn't the key to fulfillment, as he says he's found out. Instead, he says he's realized that right now ... he's at his most joyous. That's because he loved coming to work for this "Air" flick -- hanging out with his childhood BFF and collaborating, seeing his kids more often and doing … [Read more...] about Ben Affleck’s On Cloud Nine Amid ‘Air’ Debut, JLo Flick on Horizon

Getty A new show Chloe Bailey is in -- where she's shown having sex -- has sparked a debate about racism and colorism in Hollywood ... and now, Halle Berry 's been roped in. You might've noticed the latter is trending this weekend, and the reason is because of this discourse that's taken off since Donald Glover 's latest TV series, "Swarm," debuted on Friday ... which starts out with a scene depicting Chloe doing the deed in very graphic detail. Since then, there's been a lot of chatter about her decision to do the sex scene ... some say it's a great move/good for her, and others feel like it falls in line with other choices she's made of late -- like putting out a single with Chris Brown -- that some think are ... not so wise. As one Twitter user put it ... "Where is a Chloe Bailey’s mentor pls??? She’s been making terrible decisions lately, she should have never done that sex scene in Swarm and I’m not even gonna go into her most … [Read more...] about Chloe Bailey’s New Sex Scene Sparks Colorism Convo About Halle Berry

It looked like a good week for Fox News on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver today as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and uncertainty in the financial world replaced the searing revelations resulting from Dominion Voting’s lawsuit against the Rupert Murdoch-owned cable newser on the HBO series. Well, at least for a while. Promising “not to bore you with every little detail,” Oliver proceeded to rip and tear into the intricacies of investing in long term Treasury bonds and the losses piled up by the now failed Santa Clara, CA based bank as interest rates have risen over the past year or so. “It’s essentially a classic story of a bank doing a lousy job of judging and hedging against risk,” the multi-Emmy winner stated. And then, while that prickly lawsuit and embarrassing text chains by Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity weren’t in the spotlight, Oliver went right back to taking a whack at the Fox News piñata. “That is so stupid, I’m almost … [Read more...] about John Oliver Guts SVB & Signature Bank Collapses, & Yes, There’s Another Fox News Shiv Too