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‘Barbie’ broke records, but studios employed fewer female directors on 2023’s top films

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” wasn’t just the year’s biggest box office winner. It also made history as the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman.

 

Despite the film’s outsized success, major studios gave most of their biggest gigs to male filmmakers. That’s the conclusion of a new study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.  It found that women comprised just 16% of directors on the 250 top-grossing films, which was down from 18% in 2022. There were modest improvements the higher up the list of money-earners you climb — female filmmakers called the shots on 14% of the 100 top films, which was up from 11% in 2022.

 

The findings come as female filmmakers like Gerwig, “Salburn’s” Emerald Fennell, “Past Lives’s” Celine Song and “Priscilla’s” Sofia Coppola released some of the year’s buzziest and most acclaimed movies; and pop divas like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift topped the box office with concert films.

 

All that critical and commercial success hasn’t changed the employment picture. Indeed, things weren’t much brighter when it came to female talent in other key roles. Overall, women accounted for 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on the 250 top-grossing films. That was a decline from 24% in 2022. Moreover, 75% of the top-grossing films employed 10 or more men in key behind-the-scenes roles, while just 4% employed 10 or more women.

 

In descending order women comprised 26% of producers, 24% of executive producers, 21% of editors, 17% of writers, 14% of composers and 7% of cinematographers. Of these roles, women saw gains as composers on the top 250 films, improving by 6%. The number of women employed as producers, executive producers and writers all declined, while the percentage of female editors and cinematographers was roughly even with 2022.

 

“It’s the ultimate illusion, Greta Gerwig’s well-deserved triumph belies the inequality that pervades the mainstream film industry,” Dr. Martha Lauzen, the report’s author and the center’s founder and executive director, said in a statement. “The numbers tell the story. Behind-the-scenes gender ratios in Hollywood remain dramatically skewed in favor of men.”

 

The study found that on movies with at least one woman director, more women were hired for key behind-the-scenes roles than films with exclusively male directors. When women were in the directing chair, 61% of writers, 35% of editors, 10% of cinematographers and 26% of composers were female. On films with male directors, women accounted for 9% of writers, 18% of editors, 7% of cinematographers and 11% of composers.

 

 

 

— Variety

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‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ ‘Aarya’ teams, Siddharth Roy Kapur on India’s 2023: ‘A Collective Euphoria and Catharsis’

The teams behind upcoming sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD,” hit Disney+ Hotstar series “Aarya” and prolific producer Siddharth Roy Kapur spoke with Variety on what has been an eventful 2023 for the Indian entertainment landscape. 2023, the first full year of business since the pandemic, saw Indian audiences return in droves to cinemas.

 

It was also a golden year for streaming with all the major Indian platform delivering global hits.

 

Roy Kapur had a packed year with Season 2 of Emmy-nominated Indian space and nuclear program-themed “Rocket Boys” on SonyLIV, epic war film “Pippa” making a direct-to-streaming debut on Prime Video and comedy-drama film “Tumse Na Ho Payega” bowing on Disney+ Hotstar.

 

“What we haven’t had is a theatrical release this year, which feels a little strange,” Roy Kapur told Variety, adding that “Deva,” an action thriller directed by Rosshan Andrrews and produced by Roy Kapur Films and Zee Studios, with Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde in the lead, is gearing for an October 2024 theatrical release during the Dussehra holiday frame.

 

“It’s been an interesting year of water getting to find its own level after the pandemic, so things are still a little bit in flux overall. But the good part is that all the obituaries that were being written about the theatrical model dying out and people not coming back to cinemas, that’s been disproved completely this year, which is great,” Roy Kapur said.

 

“The human need to connect is is something that we maybe didn’t think was as strong as audiences have shown us it is,” Roy Kapur added. There’s a limit to being absorbed in the black mirror that you hold in the palm of your hand, or the one that you’re sitting at home and staring into, you need to go out and connect with other people, you need to enjoy shared experiences. And the good part is, across [various Indian] languages this year, we had movies that give them that sense of celebratory enjoyment in a cinema hall.”

 

Amita Madhvani, producer of Emmy-nominated Disney+ Hotstar series “Aarya,” now in its third season, recounted the experience of watching Karan Johar’s hit film “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” in the cinema. “The audience was singing, they sang the songs together, people repeated dialogues. People were clapping, people stood up and matched the steps. It was mad. I think this is just what we grew up on, this is what we know, let people connect. It’s a feeling,” Madhvani said.

 

“Aarya” director Ram Madhvani added, “It’s a collective euphoria, and a collective catharsis. And I think that’s really what has helped, apart from the movies also being stuff that you want to see.”

 

Next up for the Madhvanis is series “The Waking of a Nation,” set against the backdrop of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an infamous event in Indian colonial history. It has just completed principal photography.

 

Producer Swapna Dutt, along with her sister Priyanka, have been consumed during the pandemic years with big-budget sci-fi epic “Kalki 2898 AD,” directed by “Mahanati” filmmaker Nag Ashwin and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, with a cast led by Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani.

 

“People are wanting to go back for the experience of it, laugh together, enjoy the momentum, go to event films,” said Swapna Dutt. “At the same time, are we are we in the mood to go to an average film at this point of time? No, because there’s also a lot of other interesting content on OTT [streaming], that challenge is still there. Probably back in the early days, when we didn’t have [streaming] even a mediocre film would do decent box office numbers, which is not the case now. That’s the clarity that we’ve got post-pandemic.”

 

The pandemic has also made the Indian audience language agnostic. “Kalki 2898 AD,” for example, will release in 2024 in the four south Indian languages – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam – and north Indian language Hindi, with plans to release it in some international languages as well. “Aarya,” where Sushmita Sen plays the title role, was released across multiple languages and found audiences in all of them.

 

“‘Aarya’ has definitely penetrated, because as a character, she is not barred by any language. No language has controlled her emotion, what she’s trying to say, what’s happening to her, the entire world around Aarya,” said Amita Madhvani.

 

On the lessons from the streaming business over the last year, Ram Madhvani said, “We’ve been at the receiving end of the viewers’ patience. And I think that time is not the same that it was two to three years ago. That means that they’re asking for shorter episodes, they’re not asking for longer stuff – they want to keep it moving.” Madhvani added that streaming platforms provide a safeguard for stars who have a theatrical career and allow them to make off-mainstream choices.

 

Looking back at 2023 and anticipating 2024, Swapna Dutt hails the fact that the Indian industry is in the process of coming together as one big industry rather than several fragmented ones, with a flow of talent, technicians and finance between them. “Today, we’re talking about Indian cinema on par with world cinema, which is just the best thing for all of us in the last few years,” Swapna Dutt said. “Kalki 2898 AD” made a splash at the San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year.

 

Priyanka Dutt added, “Audiences are always changing, and as filmmakers, we have to be true to what is exciting me as a filmmaker, to put my heart, my energy, my whole hard work in it.”

 

“It’s important to just keep our minds open and flexible, and be driven by the stories rather than be driven by formulae,” Roy Kapur said.

 

 

 

— Variety (EXCLUSIVE) 

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‘The Crime Is Mine’ review: Everyone wants to be a murderess in François Ozon’s feathery French farce

Isabelle Huppert shows up late and in style to a party mostly centered on Nadia Tereszkiewicz’s fame-hungry ingenue, eagerly standing trial for a murder she may or may not have committed.

 

 

Quick, silly and lent weight only by the costume department’s copious wigs and furs, “The Crime Is Mine” finds tireless French auteur François Ozon in the playful period pastiche mode of “Potiche” and “8 Women.”

 

It’s a film less about any frenetic onscreen shenanigans as it is about its own mood board of sartorial and cinematic reference points — Jean Renoir, Billy Wilder, some vintage Chanel — and as such it slips down as fizzily and forgettably as a bottle of off-brand sparkling wine.

 

This story of an aspiring stage star standing trial for a top impresario’s murder (and making the most of her moment in the tabloid flashbulbs) may be based on a nearly 90-year-old play, but for those versed more in Hollywood and Broadway than in French theater, Ozon’s adaptation resembles a kind of diva fanfic: What if Roxie Hart went up against Norma Desmond, except in rollicking 1930s Paris?

 

As it happens, Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil’s 1934 comedy “Mon crime” has twice been adapted into Hollywood screwball romps: 1937’s Carole Lombard vehicle “True Confession” and the lesser 1946 remake “Cross My Heart,” starring Betty Hutton. Returning to the milieu of its source, “The Crime Is Mine” nonetheless updates proceedings with a righteous dose of post-#MeToo gender politics: Whether its blonde-bombshell heroine is guilty of the crime or not is ultimately immaterial to a case that builds to an impassioned defense of a woman’s right to defend herself from unwanted patriarchal advances, by any means necessary. That her lawyer is a gal pal, rather than a male love interest as in previous iterations, ups the ante, though the relative earnestness of the film’s feminism stands in contrast to an otherwise wholly flippant exercise.

 

“Some women are born to love, others to listen,” sighs cash-strapped junior attorney Pauline (Rebecca Marder), with one of many lingering Sapphic gazes at her platinum-bobbed roommate Madeleine (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). Madeleine is firmly in the former camp, though her covert romance with spineless tire-factory heir André (a winsome Edouard Sulpice) is of less importance to her than her budding acting career. We first encounter her storming out of the sprawling Art Deco mansion of star-making theater producer Montferrand (Jean-Christophe Bouvet), with whom she had an auspicious afternoon appointment; when he’s found dead later that day, with a bullet in his skull, she’s the prime suspect.

 

When bumbling investigating judge Rabusset (a drolly pompous Fabrice Luchini) first interrogates her, Madeleine flatly denies any culpability. With Pauline’s counsel, however, she swiftly settles on another narrative, one that rests on Montferrand’s reputation for being more than a little handsy with his ingenues: She killed him in the face of an attempted rape. “Bit melodramatic,” mutters Rabusset after their explanation — dramatized in glamorously silvery black-and-white — as if the film’s entire construction hasn’t been gleefully heightened from the jump. His misgivings, however, aren’t shared by the jury, the public or the tabloid press, as Madeleine’s teary self-defense story, cannily coached by Pauline, captures the popular imagination and makes her an overnight celebrity.

 

Is it true? Who cares? Nobody, it seems, except faded silent-movie siren Odette Chaumette (Isabelle Huppert), who strides in past the one-hour mark with conflicting evidence and a welcome surge of vampish venom, just as Ozon’s energy is beginning to flag. Comeback-seeking Odette is after Madeleine’s spotlight, but Huppert herself hardly has to wrest it from the game, fluttery Tereszkiewicz: The camera all but genuflects the second the veteran makes her imperious entrance, crowned in feathers and a frizzy copper coiffure, and vocally asserting her right to its continued attention. Huppert has little to do but spit out pithy lines with her signature disdain, and cast the odd lascivious glance at a duly mesmerized Pauline — but it hardly takes a lot to stroll off with a film this light.

 

With its distinguished scenery-chewer finally present, then, it’s a pity that “The Crime Is Mine” oddly peters out in its final third — the script averting seemingly pre-ordained clashes in the name of female solidarity, but also pulling back from its queerest and most subversive possibilities. A witty script sidebar details how Madeleine’s case inspires other women to consider bumping off the men in their lives to improve their standing and peace of mind, though it never escalates to dizzier farcical heights, even as it gifts us the film’s best line: Asked by André why he was spared the bullet, Madeleine shrugs, “I can’t kill everyone.” There are passing pleasures, too, to be had in Manu Dacosse’s buttery lensing and the silky gloss of the production and costume design alike. Yet “The Crime Is Mine” never aspires to the exacting postmodern formal rigor of “8 Women”: An out-and-out divertissement, Ozon’s latest is at pains only to avoid trying too hard.

 

 

— Variety

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Hate it or love it? Unbothered Simone Biles & Jonathan Owens seemingly shade backlash over baller’s claims he was ‘the catch’

Some may know Jonathan Owens as a football player, but most know him as Simone Biles‘ husband. He’s facing much backlash from his recent interview with The Pivot podcast about their marriage.

 

Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty

The Green Bay Packers safety appeared as the latest guest on the popular sports podcast, The Pivot. The hosts questioned him about a lot of topics, especially his famous love story.

 

Considering that he’s married to one of the most decorated athletes of all time, AKA the GOAT gymnastics, co-host Channing Crowder, asked the question we all want to know! “How in the hell did you pull Simone Biles?”

 

His answer, however, sent social media up in a frenzy! He replied, saying, “It’s really how she pulled me.” He emphasized that he “didn’t know who she was” when they first connected, noting he “never really paid attention” to gymnastics.

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A post shared by Pivot Podcast (@thepivot)

Jonathan went on to say that, eventually, he caught wind of who she was as an Olympic gold medalist.

 

“The first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers,” he said. “So in my mind I’m like, ‘Okay, she’s gotta be good.’”

 

The two connected during the coronavirus pandemic, so dating looked a bit different for them.

 

“She came down to Houston,” Jonathan, who played for the Texans at the time, recalled. “She lived in the suburbs, so she had to drive about 45 minutes. Then the rest is history.”

 

Co-host Ryan Clark followed up by asking if Owens thought he was the catch. Owens replied, “I always say that the men are the catch.”

 

“I was fighting it,” he continued. “I was afraid to commit. But it happened when I least expected it, and we hung out, and we hit it off instantly.”

 

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Social Media drags Jonathan Owens’ claims that he was “The Catch” for Simone Biles

Source: Michael Reaves / Getty

 

Owens’ iconic wife Simone sat by his side during the interview. Clips showed her smiling from ear to ear nonstop as her husband played back the events of their early dating history.

 

However, fans on the web weren’t all smiles and giggles when they heard Jonathan’s comments. Many took to the comment section saying, “GIRL GET UP!!!! don’t let him disrespect u like that”

 

Another user wrote, “This is really odd that you would degrade your wife like this on a public platform. You will forever be known as Simone [Biles’] husband. You’re not the catch lmao.”

 

Even Shannon sharpe and Chad done told simone biles husband to shut up. You know you on the wrong side of history when men and women of all races looking at you like excuse us?? pic.twitter.com/dJEfjDBAIB

— The Neighborhood Publicist (@nhoodpublicist) December 23, 2023

 

The worst part of that interview is Simone saying “in a couple years no one will be calling him Simone Biles husband they’ll be calling me (whatever his name is) wife” girl PLEASE

— fragrance and foolishness (@Brieyonce) December 23, 2023

 

Another wild part of this whole Simone Biles’ husband debacle is that that man would not have even been invited on that podcast if he weren’t Simone’s husband.

 

So he gets opportunities b/c of his association w/ her and still can’t even recognize/acknowledge her accomplishments.

— Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS (@oni_blackstock) December 23, 2023

 

Not everyone found Owen’s comments distasteful. Some users chimed in with their opinions, saying, “So y’all are telling Simone Biles to divorce her husband Jonathan Owens b/c y’all didn’t like what he said on a podcast (The Pivot) about who is the catch and if he knew who she was when they met? It doesn’t seem to bother Simone Biles. That’s their happily married business.”

 

“Simone Biles does not feel the need to compete with her husband’s ego. Instead, she strokes it and lets him have his moment. It’s okay to let him think that he’s the catch too!”

 

This whole Simone Biles situation reminds me why I probably won’t get married again.

 

People took 60 seconds from a podcast and tried to inflate that into her husband being a lying piece of garbage whom she should divorce ASAP.

 

Most people do not take marriage seriously.

— Anthony Brian Logan (ABL) 🇺🇸 (@ANTHONYBLOGAN) December 23, 2023

 

Jonathan Owen, the husband of Simone Biles is 5’11, college educated, a professional athlete at the highest level, a millionaire, no felonies, no baby mommas, but let people tell it he is not a good catch 🤔 pic.twitter.com/RYSTqgaSDq

— Black Millionaires ® (@Blackmillions_) December 22, 2023

 

As for the lovebirds, they seem pretty unbothered by the backlash. Owens took to Instagram, captioning a photo of him and Biles with “Unbothered … just know we locked in over here” as the caption.

 

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His wife on the other hand went even shorter with one word in a fun photo from their wedding: “Mood.”

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How do you feel about Jonathan’s comments? Do you think he was wrong? Let us know your thoughts!

 

 

 

— Bossip

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Magnolia Pictures buys naval thriller ‘Arctic Convoy,’ set for 2024 release date

Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to “Arctic Convoy,” a Norwegian naval thriller that is set in the middle of World War II.

 

The film is from the producers of “The Wave” trilogy, so it’s a homecoming of sorts given that Magnolia released all three installments of that series.

 

“Arctic Convoy” is directed by Henrik M. Dahlsbakken and written by Christian Sibenherz, Harald Rosenløw Eeg and Lars Gudmestad. Magnolia is planning a 2024 release for the picture.

 

The film unfolds in 1942, as the leader of a convoy carrying vital military supplies to a Norwegian outpost decides to proceed through treacherous, enemy-infested waters despite the recall of their military escort. Fighting for their lives against German air and naval forces, the 35 civilian merchant ships brave brutal Arctic seas to bring much-needed support to soldiers on the front lines.

 

The film is produced by Martin Sundland, Catrin Gundersen and Thea Benedikte Karlsen for FanteFilm. The deal was negotiated by Magnolia co-CEO Dori Begley and SVP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden. TrustNordisk’ Managing Director Susan Wendt represented the filmmakers in the discussions with the indie label.

 

Magnolia’s recent releases include Sundance documentary “Invisible Beauty,” a look at fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison; “Joan Baez: I Am a Noise,” a documentary about the folk singer and activist; and “Kokomo City,” D. Smith’s Sundance award-winning documentary about Black trans sex workers. Other films released during Magnolia’s 20-year history include the Oscar-nominated documentary “Collective,” back-to-back Cannes Palme d’Or winners and Oscar nominees “Shoplifters” and “The Square” and the Oscar-nominated “RBG,” a look at the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

 

 

— Variety (EXCLUSIVE) 

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Some of this year’s cinematic films hit big while others list as most overlooked movies of 2023

This past year saw cinematic highs for studio blockbusters like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” while indie darlings such as “American Fiction” and “Past Lives” found a warm reception from critics and audiences.

 

But not all films can make a mark at the box office or find a passionate fanbase (or obsessed critic) to champion their releases.

 

The content onslaught often makes it hard to find the hidden gems, which is what end of the year lists are for — so Variety asked writers and editors to suggest their lesser-seen favorite films of the year.

 

And while you’re desperately searching for new content, check out Nida Manzoor’s jaw-dropping, action flick “Polite Society” or the tear-inducing animated feature “Robot Dreams.”

 

Do not sleep on the middle-of-nowhere Australian crime documentary “Last Stop Larrimah,” centered around the mysterious disappearance of the local favorite, thus making everyone a suspect.

 

If you’re looking for a thriller, check out the screenshot flick “Missing” that takes place entirely from a teenager’s laptop and phone, as she tries to uncover the secret behind her mother’s sudden and unexplainable disappearance (from the creators of “Searching).”

 

And if you’re looking for something a little lighter, we suggest Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei’s strange little comedy “She Came to Me,” about a composer who finds inspiration for his next musical masterpiece while cheating on his wife with a tugboat captain.

 

Instead of re-watching “West Wing” or mainlining “The Sopranos” yet again, check out these movies you may have missed.

The Wallners’ catchy “In My Mind” opens and closes German director Christian Petzold’s perceptive portrait of a young novelist named Leon, who heads to a family cottage on the Baltic coast to complete his second manuscript. While his housemates spend their afternoons swimming, flirting and falling in love, Leon putzes around the house, looking for inspiration — but mostly just wasting time. When the others ask him to join in, he’s quick to deflect, saying, “My work won’t allow it.” Smart and sexy, “Afire” is above all keenly insightful about the insecurities of a bright, borderline-insufferable writer stuck in his own head. — PD

 

Read more:

https://variety.com/lists/overlooked-movies-of-2023/afire/

 

 

 

— Variety

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Nicki Minaj returns to the top of Billboard 200 with ‘Pink Friday 2’

The numbers are in: Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” is the No. 1 album in the United States, touting the biggest debut sales week for a rap album by a woman in the last four years.

 

The record joins the original “Pink Friday,” Minaj’s 2010 debut album, as her third overall record to hit the peak of the list alongside 2012’s “Roman Reloaded.” With this, Minaj now claims the most chart-topping albums to date for a female rapper.

 

“Pink Friday 2” opened with the equivalent of 228,000 albums sold in the week ending Dec. 14, according to data provided by Luminate. Notably, “Pink Friday 2” was also a top seller on vinyl, logging 25,000 copies sold — the highest figures for a rap album by a woman since Lumnate began calculating vinyl sales in 1991.

 

The 22-song record welcomed guest verses from Drake to Lil Wayne, J. Cole, 50 Cent and more, while also sampling Billie Eilish, Blondie, Rick James and numerous others. It was also preceded by the announcement of a 2024 arena tour that is set to launch in March.

 

Shortly after its release, Minaj took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim the Billboard charts were going to disqualify 100,000 of its sales because she had encouraged a contest that urged fans to buy four copies each. A majority of these tweets, in which she alleged that she was being “punished” for “making great music [and] having great fans,” have since been deleted.

 

Despite the protests, Minaj still managed to lead with flying colors while Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” followed at No. 2 with 109,000 units and Drake’s “For All the Dogs” at No. 3 with 68,000 units.

 

Aside from Minaj’s new release, rising star Tate McRae landed her first top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 with a strong 66,000 units at No. 4 for her latest “Think Later.” The set had a strong streaming presence, logging nearly 76 million streams. Ahead of her record’s release, McRae also reaped her first top 10-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Greedy.” The song sits at No. 9 on this week’s list.

 

A large chunk of this week’s Top 10 records are Swift’s: “Midnights” is No. 7, “Lover” is No. 9 and “Folklore” rounds it out at No. 10. Aside from that, SZA’s “SOS” is No. 8, Michael Bublé’s “Christmas” is at No. 5 and Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is No. 6.

 

As for the singles chart, Mariah Carey reclaims the throne with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at No. 1 with 42 million streams. The 1994 single has led the Hot 100 for consecutive weeks annually since 2019, largely thanks to it becoming a mainstay on holiday playlists across most DSPs.

 

Outside of McRae at No. 9 and Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” at No. 6, the rest of the Top 10 on the Hot 100 is complete with yuletide cheer: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is at No. 2; Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” holds at No. 3; Wham!’s “Last Christmas” keeps at No. 4; Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” is No. 5; Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is No. 7; The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” is at No. 8 and lastly, Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” is No. 10.

 

 

 

— Variety

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The Piyush Mishra Project Ballimaaraan to tour USA with Para Share Entertainments

ATLANTA — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #Bollywood–Start of 2024 is going to be nothing short of an adventure as The Piyush Mishra Project – Ballimaaraan, a live concert is all set to tour the United States for the very first time via Para Share Entertainments (PSE).

 

PSE is delighted to work with Tamboo and Trinity to make this project see its success in the United States. This band’s popularity among youth stems from its seamless fusion of retro and contemporary music, creating a rebellious vibe with free-flowing Hindi lyrics that evoke engaging conversations. Book tickets here.

 

For an ever growing Indian American diaspora who represent one of the largest (5 million+) immigrant groups in the US, PSE shows make a positive impact. Second generation desis and students of Indian origin make the current audience diverse as it gets. The Piyush Mishra Project – Ballimaaraan has had a busy 2023 in India. With 10 shows across several cities, the concerts are scheduled to be held at state of art performing art centers and are designed to give the audience a memorable experience.

 

The US tour 2024

Houston, Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Bay Area (San Jose), Dallas, Connecticut, New York / New Jersey

 

About PSE

Para Share Entertainments (PSE) is a digitally-powered US-based startup that produces LIVE shows around the world. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, PSE is a market leader with a growing audience.

 

Until now, PSE has catered to 250,000+ patrons in the last 5 years. They aspire to impact 1 billion people in the next 3 years. PSE aims to uplift global mental health amidst chaos and uncertain times.

 

Founded in 2017 by Harshad Parashare, PSE has produced 300+ in-person shows. PSE carefully curates creative and engaging experiences for our audiences without compromising on their quality. The team at PSE is now gearing up for an action-packed 2024. PSE wants to engage with the community and expand its horizons to redefine entertainment by breaking paradigms. Their vision is to revolutionize the way live events are organized without hampering the quality of the experience. With 100% success rate when it comes to working with United States Citizenship & Immigration Services, PSE collaborates with partners and artists from all parts of the world.

Contacts

Harshad Parashare

Founder, CEO

harshad@parashare.com
470 253 4822

Shilpa Mehta

Product Manager, Partnerships & Associations

shilpa@parashare.com

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CBS, entertainers reveal Golden Globe 2024 nominations

The 2024 awards season is starting up, and the Golden Globes nominations are ready to be unveiled.

 

The film and TV nominees announced on Monday, Dec. 11, by Wilmer Valderrama and Cedric the Entertainer, initially are revealed on CBSNews.com/GoldenGlobes.

 

Ten categories will be announced exclusively on air on “CBS Mornings” half an hour later. The Golden Globes’ social media accounts will simultaneously announce the nominees as well.

 

In addition to airing live on CBS, the 2024 Golden Globes will be available to stream on Paramount+. They will take place on Jan. 7, airing at 8 p.m ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS after an NFL doubleheader. It will mark the first time in over 40 years that CBS has aired the ceremony. This is the second year the Golden Globes will return to television following a private ceremony held in 2022.

 

There will be two new awards featured at January’s event: Cinematic and Box Office Achievement in Motion Pictures and Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television.

 

The awards celebrate achievements in both television and film, with some of this year’s buzzy titles including “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Barbie,” “Poor Things,” “Succession,” “The Last of Us,” “The Bear” and “Ted Lasso.” Notably, the Golden Globes differentiate between dramas and musical/comedy films.

 

Penske Media Corporation’s Dick Clark Productions plans, produces and hosts the Golden Globes. Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner are this year’s showrunners for the ceremony, with Weiss also serving as director.

 

 

— Variety

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‘Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell’ wins Asian Feature Film Competition at SGIFF

Pham Thien An’s “Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell,” which previously won the Golden Camera at Cannes, has won the Asian Feature Film Competition at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival.

 

Yoon Eun-Kyung won best director for “The Tenants,” which also won the FIPRESCI award. “Dreaming & Dying,” by Singaporean director Nelson Yeo earned a special mention. Yu Yi-Hsun won best screenplay for “A Journey in Spring” and the film also won best performance for Yang Kuei-Mei.

 

The Audience Choice Award went to “Goodbye Julia” by Mohamed Kordofani.

 

In the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, the best Southeast Asian short film was awarded to “The River That Never Ends” by J.T. Trinidad, which also scored a special mention for actor Emerald Romero. “I Look Into the Mirror and Repeat to Myself” by Giselle Lin won best Singapore short film. Best director went to Sam Manacsa for “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die” and best performance went to Fredy Sreudeman Wowor from “Other Tomorrows Never Known.” Lin Htet Aung won best screenplay for “Once Upon a Time There Was a Mom.”

 

At the Southeast Asian Film Lab, “Terbakar” by Shelby Kho was recognized as the most promising project. “Making a Sea” by Lin Htet Aung won the fellowship prize. Special mentions were given to Caloy Limjap Soliongco for “Day Tripper” and Seth Cheong for “Blue Buildings.”

 

This year, the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation–SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary grant extends its support to three production projects, each recipient receiving S$30,000 ($22,350) in cash, alongside one post-production project receiving S$20,000 ($14,900). The SGIFF Southeast Asian Short Film grant backs three shorts. Each recipient is awarded S$5,000 ($3,725) in cash by Winn Slavin and receives additional post-production support valued at S$5,000 from White Light Post.

 

The festival concluded its 11-day run with the highest ticket sales, more than 12,500, since 2014, with an increase of 64% from 2022.

 

 

 

— Variety