Watch: Guy Ritchie’s short film for Joshua-Dubois fight night September 5, 2024 Guy Ritchie has made a short film to promote this month’s bumper boxing card at Wembley headlined by Anthony Joshua’s fight with Daniel Dubois. Joshua, Dubois, Hamzah Sheeraz, Josh Kelly, Liam Smith and other British boxers set to feature on the 21 September card appear in the film, titled Touching Hands. The short draws on [...]
Hollywood’s slow transition: Transgender representation is slowly, slowly improving September 3, 2024 The work of Elliot Page shows that transgender inclusion is about adding more voices rather than anything being taken away, says Victoria Luxford. This week sees the release of Close To You, Elliot Page’s first film role since coming out as a transgender man in 2020. The story of Sam, a trans man who returns [...]
Big Talk Studios: Bumper year for ITV-owned The Outlaws maker September 2, 2024 Revenue and profit both surged at Big Talk Studios, which helped make the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, during 2023. The business, which was founded by Nira Park in 1994, led by CEO Kenton Allen since 2008 and acquired by ITV Studios in 2013, has reported a revenue of £35.7m for the 12 [...]
Mandoob (Night Courier) film: Drama shows another side to Saudi August 29, 2024 The changing face of Saudi Arabia provides the setting for Ali Kalthami’s debut feature. Mandoob (Night Courier in English) is a thriller about Fahad (Mohammad Aldokhei), a man working in Riyadh who is struggling to make ends meet with an ailing father to support. Things get worse when he dramatically loses his job at a [...]
Sing Sing film review: Colman Domingo shines in imaginative prison drama August 29, 2024 Colman Domingo, a talented character actor only just beginning to get his due as a star, leads a thrilling ensemble in this uplifting true-life drama. He plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, an inmate at the infamous Sing Sing correctional facility just outside of New York. Wrongly convicted and awaiting a parole verdict, he puts everything [...]
Elliot Page proves he is a force in first film since transitioning August 29, 2024 Oscar nominee Elliot Page stars in his first film role since announcing his transition in 2020. In Close To You, he plays Sam, a transgender man living in Toronto making the journey to the small town where he grew up for his father’s birthday. It’s the first time in four years he has visited, and [...]
Venice Film Festival: An insider’s guide to all the gossip, parties and deals August 27, 2024 The 81st Venice Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and it’s set to continue its legacy as a hotbed of dealmakers, party goers and luxury brand sponsorship. Our man on the inside gives the lowdown on what to expect this time around. “The Ghost with the Most is Back” proclaim the Venetian billboards for Tim Burton’s [...]
Downton Abbey maker Carnival Films scraps dividend as earnings dip ahead of third film August 22, 2024 Earnings at the production company behind TV hits such as Downton Abbey dipped in 2023 after the income it generates from its back catalogue fell, it has been revealed. Carnival Films has reported a turnover of £43m for its latest financial year, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The figure comes after the business [...]
Sven film review: A graceful goodbye to the former England boss August 21, 2024 Amazon’s latest profile of a sporting hero should be a cause for nostalgia, coming 20 years after Sven-Göran Eriksson peak as England manager in Euro 2004. However, it’s tinged with sadness, as in January the Swedish football manager announced he has around a year to live having battled pancreatic cancer. This documentary, filmed both before [...]
Five stars: Kneecap film is among the best of the year August 21, 2024 Kneecap, the rap group that perform in the Irish language, tell their story in a riotous rise to fame comedy-drama. Liam Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin are listless members of ‘The Ceasefire Generation’ in West Belfast, living off dealing drugs and avoiding the police. One night, when Liam gets arrested, an Irish interpreter (JJ [...]