Variety 5/9/2023

For the journalists at Variety, there’s no better feeling than getting ready to cover the Cannes Film Festival. We don’t take that responsibility lightly, as we dispatch a formidable team of reporters to the south of France to bring you the latest news on international distribution deals, star-driven packages and those premieres on steroids. And the most glamorous movie gathering in the world never disappoints. How big will this Cannes be? That’s a rhetorical question, because Cannes never does anything small. (Look at the A-list stars who will be attending — Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Yeoh and Natalie Portman, to name just a few.) Here are some of the buzziest titles that will bow in the days to come: Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Jessica Hausner’s “Club Zero,” Todd Haynes’…

Executive editor of film & media Tatiana Siegel is heading to her eighth Cannes Film Festival, where she hopes to reconnect with cover subject Scarlett Johansson, who is making her second trek to the fest (after going in 2005 for “Match Point”). Senior international film editor Elsa Keslassy had coffee with new Cannes president Iris Knobloch at her Parisian rooftop office, and chatted with Palme d’Or-winning director Ruben Östlund about his upcoming role as competition jury president. Photo editor Chelsea Welch pulled images for the Cannes Focus pages — a massive task. “Curating photos for a section is similar to telling a visual story,” she says. “It also gives me great insight on what new TV shows and films are coming out.” “I am overjoyed to have worked with Scarlett…

Let the gig economy debate begin. One of the most contentious issues in the writers strike that erupted May 2 is the assertion by the Writers Guild of America that screenwriting is in danger of becoming part of the “gig economy.” The WGA’s proposed solutions — mandatory staffing minimums and guaranteed weeks of employment — are equally dividing labor and management. Now that contract talks between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have cratered, complex issues are being chewed over by writers who are fired up, walking in circles (literally) and wound up about the long-term employment picture for Hollywood scribes. “I am the example of why we’re striking,” says Cindy Chupack, a two-time Emmy winner for her work on “Modern Family” and “Sex and…

This year at CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners, Universal Pictures executive Jim Orr marveled at the box office performance of the studio’s “Cocaine Bear.” Elizabeth Banks’ absurdist action comedy had managed nearly $90 million in worldwide grosses on a reported $35 million budget. “You just had to get out and see this coked-up bear,” Orr said onstage in Las Vegas, landing big laughs from exhibitors. As president of domestic theatrical distribution at the studio, Orr is betting the laughs will keep rolling — as are many of his competitors, who will launch splashy comedy titles in theaters in the coming months. On June 9, Universal will release the R-rated “Strays,” about badly behaved dogs on a mission to punish the owner who abandoned a member of the…

It’s pouring rain in New York City, and Mercury Lounge is packed wall-to-wall with a few hundred 20-somethings — so tightly that Peter Cat Recording Co. must clear a path through the Lower East Side club to journey from the front of the house to the stage. Fans stand on sofas to catch a glimpse of the New Delhi-based five-piece as crew members climb over the audience, shuttling beers from the bar to the band. Devotees hand gifts to the musicians and shout requests for deep cuts. Afterward, singer Suryakant Sawhney, cloaked in a black button-down and eyeliner, smokes outside with fans eager to shake his hand. So why the hubbub? For years one of India’s best-kept secrets, Peter Cat Recording Co. is finally digging its paws into America. Upon…

Velvet Underground “I really like bands like the Velvet Underground and Neutral Milk Hotel, who had this mixture of making beautiful music that was a little dirty.”—Suryakant Sawhney Marian Anderson “I listen to Marian Anderson gospel music to harsh noise and everything in between. Just put on metal in the background and try to write.”—Kartik Pillai The Beatles “All of us share the desire that each song should be its own universe, like how the Beatles did: They took each song on its own merit and were happy to throw away everything for the next song.”—S.S.…