Category Archives: Music

Eric André Says Jesse Eisenberg ‘Offered Me’ Kieran Culkin’s Oscar Winning Role in ‘A Real Pain’ but Turned It Down Because It Seemed ‘Really Miserable’: ‘Not in My Lane’

If things had gone differently, Eric André could have walked away an Oscar winner at the 2025 Academy Awards. During a recent appearance on Andrew Santino’s “Whiskey Ginger” podcast, André said that writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg had originally offered him the role of his on-screen cousin,

NAB Speakers Debate AI’s Impact On Jobs And Artists: ‘This is The Age of The Generalist’

The Future of Cinema Summit at the NAB Show opened Saturday morning with speakers who agreed that AI can make production faster and cheaper, but it can’t do everything. Meanwhile, the issue of jobs remained murky. “This is the age of the generalist,” suggested Eric

Box Office: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Builds Big With $58 Million Opening Day — Largest of 2025

After more than a decade in development, “A Minecraft Movie” has dug deep and struck box office diamonds. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s long-gestating video game adaptation notched a stellar $58 million across Friday and preview screenings from 4,263 North American venues — blasting past

Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante Takes Up Indigenous Rights Once More with ‘Mountains of Fire’ (EXCLUSIVE)

At the Panama Int’l Film Festival (IFF Panama) to present his latest film “Rita” and give a masterclass, Guatemala’s acclaimed filmmaker Jayro Bustamante sat down with Variety to discuss his upcoming projects, “Mountains of Fire” (“Cordillera de Fuego”) which has just completed post-production, and his

‘Beloved Tropic,’ Led by ‘Gloria’ Star Paulina Garcia, Opens IFF Panama

The Panama Int’l Film Festival (IFF Panama) presented a brief opening ceremony April 4, where IFF Panama board president Pituka Ortega-Heilbron heralded the return of documentary filmmaker Ana Endara to the festival with her fiction feature debut “Beloved Tropic.” (“Querido trópico”). Said Endara: “’Beloved Tropic’

Julio Zachrisson’s Surreal, Provocative World Chronicled in ‘The Sorcerer’: ‘Art is Useless, But We Can’t Live Without It,’ Says the Artist

Set to premiere at the Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama), Félix “Trillo” Guardia’s debut feature-length documentary “The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson” celebrates the provocative legacy of Panamanian artist Julio Zachrisson. Produced by Tomás Cortés of Cine Animal, with the backing of Panama’s Ministry of Culture,

Panama Forges New Plans to Grow Film Industry and Lure More Location Shoots

Big changes are afoot in Panama’s film industry as a young, dynamic (and mostly female) team backed by its newish President José Raúl Mulino is spearheading new initiatives. Leading the charge is Vice Minister of Culture Arianne Benedetti, a filmmaker and former film commissioner for

Co-Production Boost and Sturdy Funding System Fuel a Healthy Crop of Swiss Films at Visions du Réel 

Those looking for homegrown talent and stories at the largest documentary film festival in Switzerland, Visions du Réel, will be spoiled for choice in 2025. This year’s edition, which runs April 4-13, features a whopping 31 Swiss productions or co-productions, including the festival’s opening film,