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The hipster on the indie block, A24, loves to do things differently. They have built almost a cult-ish following by making stuff legacy studios have refused to touch, and by selling cool merch that downtown celebrities and legions of film-bros love to show off. In the last few years, however, even a company like theirs had to start thinking bigger.

Having raised $225 million from Stripes in 2022, A24 was suddenly valued at $2.5 billion – a rather insane number for an indie film company. It goes without saying that growing pains are a real thing, with Hollywood already in upheaval due to writer strikes and empty theatres. Many indie companies have failed when they tried to go big. A24, nevertheless, believes in their credibility – over 60% of their moviegoers picked them just because they were from A24, a level of loyalty even Disney would envy.

The leap to blockbuster success, nonetheless, has been risky.

The Beijing International Film Festival has developed a reputation for putting a spotlight on female voices in cinema.

Its 15th edition, running April 18-26, is continuing that trend with its sixth annual “Women’s Voice” section, featuring the likes of Walter Salles’ Oscar winner I’m Still Here, the political autobiographical drama starring Fernanda Torres as a Brazilian woman whose dissident husband disappears, and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, his depression comedy-drama with Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

“In recent years, female creators and their stories have continued to emerge, and the voices of women on screen have become more diverse and powerful,” the Beijing festival highlights. “These works continue to break boundaries in form and theme, bringing us richer and more multidimensional female expressions.”

This year’s lineup “brings together masters and emerging creators from all over the world” who “show the complex faces of women” in various situations. “This is not only a cinematic feast,...

Last year, the Un Certain Regard section had several gems. Caméra d’Or jury prized Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s Armand and the Ucr jury of Xavier Dolan bestowed the top prize to Black Dog. Other solid film items included Souleymane’s Story, September Says, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Holy Cow and the Oscar-winning Flow. Christian Jeune will be looking to steal some high value directorial debuts from the Critic’s Week and Directors’ Fortnight sections (such as the buzz titles from actor-turn-directors Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson) and we are anticipatinga handful of return guests who’ve previously premiered their works at the Debussy.…...

Ready to meet the “Materialists?”

A24’s buzzy romantic drama, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal and scheduled to hit theaters this summer, has a brand-new trailer, which you can watch below.

The official synopsis for the movie reads: “A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker [Johnson] finds herself torn between the perfect match [Pascal] and her imperfect ex [Evans].” And judging by the trailer, the sparks are going to fly.

“Materialists” marks the sophomore feature from writer/director Celine Song, whose debut “Past Lives” (also released from A24) was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscars.

A24 has a big year ahead, with “Opus” and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” released earlier this month and “Death of a Unicorn,” “Warfare” and “The Legend of Ochi” (which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival) coming later this spring. Additionally, “Friendship” (starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd) and “Bring Her Back...

A number of uncanny things happen at the start of “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl.” Shula (Susan Chardy), driving home from a fancy dress party outside of Lusaka, spots a pair of cowboy boots that belong to a man laid out on the side of the road. Upon further inspection, the man is a corpse. And the corpse is her Uncle Fred (Roy Chisha). The fact that her uncle is dead sets the machinery of Zambian funeral traditions into motion, whether or not Shula is ready to mourn.

But the funeral traditions and the limits of familial love and support that director Rungano Nyoni explores throughout the film set up some interesting challenges for the production team. Traditionally, families do not shower or change their clothes for three to four days until the day of the burial itself comes around. That meant costume director Estelle Don Banda would, for the bulk of the film,...

A24 has a long list of movies lined up for 2025, starting with Opus, which will hit theaters on March 14. With its immense popularity in the indie movie scene, more mainstream artists are eager to collaborate with A24. It was primarily a film distribution company but later ventured into production with the Oscar-winning film Moonlight.

More recently, the studio is known for critically acclaimed films like MaXXXine, Sing Sing, A Different Man, We Live in Time, Heretic, Queer, The Brutalist, and Babygirl. The Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once is the highest-grossing film from the studio.

Still posters of Death of a Unicorn (left) and Opus (right) | Credits: A24

A24 has already been involved in two movies this year. The studio distributed the Italy-France co-production Parthenope in the United States. It also produced the film On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, which was released in March. Here are all the upcoming...

Sean Baker’s Anora from Neon — which swept the Academy Awards for Best Director, Picture, Original Screenplay, Lead Actress and Editing – added 800+ screens to celebrate after the ceremony last Sunday and brought in in an estimated $1.86 million for the three-day weekend. The cume after 21 weeks in theaters now stands at $18.45 million.

Anora stands at no. 7 this week, making for an impressive five indies in the top 10 this week

Neon’s The Monkey takes the fourth spot in week 3 with a cume of $31 million. And two other indies round out the top ten with Rule Breakers from Angel Studios seeing $1.59 million on 2,044 screens, at no. 9, and In The Lost Lands from Vertical, based on an a short story by George R.R. Martin, is estimating $1.04 million at 1,370 locations and a no. 10 spot.

The distributor has been on a push to boost its theatrical slate over the past year and has places in...

As a tight-knit Zambian family grieves the death of a controversial figure in On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Susan Chardy’s stolid and sturdy Shula receives heaps of unsolicited advice from her “aunties” as funeral proceedings get underway. But one particular bit of criticism seems to stick in her craw when she’s chided for not looking as if she’s just seen a corpse. She responds as writer-director Rungano Nyoni might want her audience to: with a measure of disbelief that there is a “right” or “wrong” way to process traumatic events like death.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl recontextualizes a familiar ritual to the country’s Bemba people within a fantastical realm. As a children’s program viewed by characters in the film explains, the titular bird is useful to all manner of species across the African savanna. When a predator approaches, the birds make a collective noise...

There’s a wave of new and intelligent life at the indie box office this weekend post-Academy Awards after the traditionally slow, slow period for new openings. There have been a smattering of interesting films (Universal Language for one) but things have absolutely picked up with a George R.R. Martin short story on screen, a nursing home creep-out starring John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush, the latest Atom Egoyan film, a duo that landed really well at Cannes, a Bruno Dumont sci-fi, a Bruce Labruce sex romp, an Italian box office hit and more.

Moderate-wide: Vertical opens action fantasy In The Lost Lands on 1,365 screens as the distributor continues a push to dot its schedule with more moderate-wide releases. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and based on a George R.R. Martin short story of the same name, the pic stars Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista and Arly Jover. Log line: A...

There’s nothing like starting a movie with a running gag, and Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl kicks off with a beauty. A young woman Shula (Susan Chardy) is driving home late at night. She notices something in the road. It’s a body. Not only that — Shula recognizes the corpse. He was a relative. She calls the authorities. Soon, her party-girl cousin Nsansa (Elizabeth Chisela) stumbles into the scene as well, and begins drunkenly dancing in front of the car’s headlights. But that’s not the funny part.

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. A24 opens “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” in theaters Friday, March 7, 2025.

Decades of mediocre Sundance movies — and some very good ones, too — have conditioned us to expect certain things from culturally specific dramas about young people who return home from the big city and find themselves struggling to reconcile modern identity with family tradition. These characters invariably feel at odds with the heritage that forged them, only to discover something vital and profound about the past they were so quick to leave behind. At the end of the story, they return to their fast-paced lives in London or L.A. or wherever with a new sense of self-possession — one that reflects the grace and strength they’ve inherited from the generations who came before them.

Rungano Nyoni’s lucid and incandescently furious “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl...

Who knew unicorns had the canines of a tiger? A24 is notorious for thinking outside the box and green-lighting unique projects, but even the most creative fans couldn't have predicted the studio would make a film in which the majestic creatures of little kids' dreams were revealed as savage killers when scorned. In A24's upcoming comedy-thriller-horror mash-up, Death of a Unicorn, a cast of electic characters led by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega discover that unicorns are indeed real, and they will indeed try to kill you if you cross them. The newest trailer makes it pretty clear that these aren't your mother's unicorns.

While the first trailer for Death of a Unicorn already did a great job of setting the stage for the humorous thriller, the newly released trailer shows audiences just how dark it's going to get. Showing off the opposing forces of the hesitant and seemingly...

Utopia and Fathom Entertainment will premiere “A Rad Documentary” in more than 700 screens nationwide on March 20 in honor of Rad Day 2025. Celebrating the 80s BMX cult classic film “Rad,” the new documentary revisits production, catches up with the cast, and interrogates the film’s impact on pop culture.

“As a BMX’er, being a stunt rider in Rad was a dream come true but producing ‘A Rad Documentary’ and helping tell the story behind the film has been a full circle moment,” said producer Chris Phoenix. “It’s incredible to be able to share it with the fans whose passion and dedication to the movie have made it a classic for almost 40 years.”

“A Rad Documentary” will premiere as part of a double feature alongside a 4k restoration of “Rad” on March 20 in theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets for Rad Day are now on sale at FathomEntertainment.

Babygirl is heading back to theaters. A24 is set to re-release the 2024 erotic thriller in theaters for Valentine's Day.

According to Variety, A24 wants fans to get ready to drink some more milk. To capitalize on couples potentially heading to theaters this weekend for Valentine's Day, the studio will be re-releasing Babygirl across the United States. During its initial run in theaters in late December 2024/January 2025, Babygirl made almost $60 million worldwide, with $28 million of that coming from domestic ticket sales.

RelatedBabygirl's True Villain Is More Complex Than Fans Realize

Babygirl has a very provocative, divisive ending that holds key nuances when it comes to mapping out who is the villain in Romy and Samuel's fling.

Written and directed by Halina Reijn, Babygirl stars Nicole Kidman as Romy Mathis, a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins an affair with a much younger intern,...

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance took the award for Best Feature at the annual Girls On Film Awards while Emilia Pérez and Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste took awards for Best Ensemble and Best Actress respectively.

The fourth edition of the awards, which were held at London’s Curzon Bloomsbury on Sunday, celebrated exceptional achievements by women and people of marginalized genders in the film space. Hosted by Girls On Film co-founders Anna Smith and Hedda Lornie Archbold, the awards put a spotlight on women-led filmmaking with a particular focus on diversity, inclusion and representation.

Fargeat, who is nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards this year, was in attendance to collect her award and she told the audience that The Substance “was meant for me to mirror what women have to face in their everyday life by society and it’s not nice, it’s not subtle and it’s not delicate.

A24’s latest high concept horror film has the grandiose title of Opus, and the trailer has landed. Take a look here.

Film studio A24 has proved itself to be a frontrunner in bold, original, risk taking storytelling, usually with small budgets and tidy profits. From distributing daring titles like Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, Alex Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina and Robert Eggers’ The Witch, it soon moved into producing. Examples? The Safdie Brothers’ anxiety inducing Uncut Gems, Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Oscar winning Everything Everywhere All At Once. A24 has become quite the stamp.

Its next release is the thriller Opus. And the synopsis for it reads as follows…

A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she...

After a seven-year absence, British-Zambian filmmaker Rungano Nyoni has returned to feature filmmaking with her surreal and darkly funny sophomore effort On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.

Set in the Zambian capital Lusaka, the film follows the thirtysomething Shula (Susan Chardy), who is traveling home from a costume party when she discovers her uncle Fred’s dead body lying on a roadside. As funeral proceedings begin, she and her cousins discover long-buried family secrets that shake their understanding of themselves and each other.

Guinea Fowl debuted at Cannes, like Nyoni’s 2017 feature, I Am Not a Witch. That film catapulted Nyoni into the rare status of rising British auteur. The buzz, she says, critically, was in part thanks to the film dropping at the height of an industry-wide “diversity drive” where people were “pushing to see other narratives from Britain.”

“I was riding on some kind of wave when everyone had all these great intentions,...

In Zambia, or at least in Bemba culture, you don't speak ill of the dead — in part because of fear they might hear you. A little spooky perhaps, but mostly a loving belief that these people haven’t truly left us. Early on in On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, Shula (Susan Chardy) is haunted by the memory of her late Uncle Fred (Roy Chisha) — because of her uncle's abuses of her and other girls in her family, and the family’s refusal to acknowledge his wrongdoing.

And so her uncle’s memory only follows her around more, while her family chants in sorrow for a man whose cruelty and carelessness was an open secret. The second feature from Welsh-Zambian director Rungano Nyoni after her knockout satirical feature I Am Not a Witch, On Becoming A Guinea Fowl follows these hypocrisies to tragic, even darkly humorous ends. It follows Shula as...

A24 sees a lot of promise in Victorian Psycho. The independent studio has pre-bought domestic rights to the upcoming horror movie ahead of its March 2025 production start.

Deadline was the first to report A24 acquiring domestic rights for Victorian Psycho, which will star Margaret Qualley, who wowed audiences around the globe earlier this year with her supporting role in The Substance. Victorian Psycho will be directed by Zachary Wigon, reuniting him with Qualley for the first time since his 2022 psychological thriller Sanctuary. The script was written by author Virginia Feito, based on her upcoming novel of the same name that is expected to be published in February 2025. Last Night in Soho actor Thomasin Mckenzie will also star in Victorian Psycho.

Related These 2 New Movies Accidentally Tell the Same Story in Wildly Different Ways

Despite appearances, 2024's best horror film, The Substance, and best comedy, My Old Ass, actually have quite...

By most standards, Sandhya Suri’s fiction feature debut “Santosh” is already a hit. After premiering in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, the Hindi-language crime thriller about a widow who inherits her late husband’s police officer job in rural India has gone on to win the Golden Frog for debut director in Camerimage, land a European Film Award nomination and win two British Independent Film Awards. In France, the film had a successful box office run over the summer, with more than 150,000 admissions to date. It’s now the U.K.’s submission for the Oscars’ international film category – following in the triumphant footsteps of “The Zone of Interest” – and recently made the shortlist.

And yet “Santosh” achieved almost all of this without having a U.K. distributor lined up, sales agent Mk2 and its producers having spent months struggling to find a suitable partner.

Indeed, there was eleventh...

It was couples night out at the 2024 British Film Independent Awards held at The Roundhouse on Sunday (December 8) in London.

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, and fairly newlyweds Jack Lowden and Saoirse Ronan were among the celebs who were in attendance at the annual awards show, celebrating British independent films.

The big winner of the night was Michael‘s musical comedy Kneecap, which picked up several awards.

Keep reading to find out more…

Also stepping out were winners Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Sophie Okonedo, as well as Aisling Bea, Sean Baker, Maria Bakalova, Douglas Booth, Ellie Bamber, Samantha Quan, Mikey Madison, Alex Coco, Katy O’Brian, Ben Hardy, Adam Pearson, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Joseph Quinn, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Martin Freeman and Rachel Benaissa, Indira Varma, James Norton, Connor Swindells and Lauren Lyle.

Not only did Marianne win Best Lead Performance for Hard Truths at the BIFAs, but she also won...

The Roundhouse in London played host this evening to the 2024 BIFAs – The British Independent Film Awards. Kneecap went into the awards ceremony leading the 2024 nominations with 14, Love Lies Bleeding had 12, The Outrun received 9 nominations, 7 nominations each for Bird, on becoming a guinea fowl and unicorns, 6 for Hoard and Civil War. The winners of tonight’s awards are below.

Celebrating remarkable films and outstanding talent from the British film industry and beyond, this year’s list highlights the UK’s brightest new talent alongside BIFA heroes such as Andrea Arnold, Rose Glass, Rungano Nyoni, Saoirse Ronan, Jack O’Connell, Barry Keoghan and Hayley Squires.

Colin Hart and Ethan Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

The 2024 BIFA Winners Best British Independent Film

“Kneecap” — Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling — Winner

“Love Lies Bleeding” — Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” — Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole,...

As 2024 nears its end, that can only mean one thing — awards season is upon us! And while various Critics' Circle and Guild bashes have already gotten underway, tonight was the first major event of the season on this side of the pond: the British Independent Film Awards. Hosted by Peter Serafinowicz at London's Roundhouse, the ceremony saw Rich Peppiatt's barnstorming Irish rap trio biopic Kneecap — already one of Empire's Best Movies of 2024 — emerge as the night's biggest winner. In all, the film (which is streaming now on Prime Video UK) picked up seven gongs on the night, including Best British Independent Film, Best Joint Lead Performance for Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, and Best Debut Screenwriter for Peppiatt.

In the other key acting categories, Marianne Jean-Baptiste won Best Lead Performance for her emotional, incendiary turn as embattled matriarch Pansy in Mike Leigh's Hard Truths,...

It was a Kneecap sweep at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) in London on Sunday night as Sean Baker’s Anora was named best international indie film.

The cheeky Belfast-based rap trio have become the talk of the town with their “print the legend” biopic, picking up four craft awards at the BIFAs. The team nabbed three more on Sunday: Chiwetel Ejiofor presented the award for best British independent film to director Rich Peppiatt, who also earned best debut screenwriter. Best joint lead went to trio Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, who played themselves.

The film won seven BIFAs in total, including the craft wins, announced in November: best casting sponsored for Carla Stronge, best editing for Julian Ulrichs and Chris Gill, best original music for Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and best music supervision for Gary Welch and Jeanette Rehnstrom.

“It’s a real honor to be here,...

Irish comedy Kneecap dominated this evening’s British Independent Film Awards in London winning seven awards, including Best British Independent Film.

Chiwetel Ejiofor presented the award for Best British Independent Film supported by ScreenUK, to Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s comedy following the west Belfast hip-hop trio and their mission to save their mother tongue.

“There’s an irony in the best British film being Irish,” director Rich Peppiatt said accepting the award this evening.

The film, which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, also took Best Debut Screenwriter sponsored by Film4 for Peppiatt and Best Joint Lead for trio Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh. The film won seven BIFAs in total, including the four craft awards announced in November: Best Casting sponsored by Casting Society & Spotlight for Carla Stronge, Best Editing for Julian Ulrichs and Chris Gill, Best Original Music sponsored by...

Getting into the awards fun across the pond, the British Independent Film Awards joined the Gotham Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review *deep breath* the European Film Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in unveiling its best of the best in cinema for 2024. Hosted by English actor/comedian Peter Serafinowicz, the BIFAs were held on Sunday, December 8 in London at Roundhouse with various artists from around the world in attendance, including Katy O’Brian, nominated for “Love Lies Bleeding,” and Saoirse Ronan, nominated for “The Outrun.”

The Irish hip-hop dramedy “Kneecap” went into the evening with the most nominations at 14 and the most wins, with craft categories having been announced November 26. In addition to being recognized for Casting, Editing, Music Supervision, and Original Music, “Kneecap” went on to receive awards for Best Debut Screenwriter, Best Joint Lead Performance, and the top prize of Best British Independent Film.

Kneecap

Kneecap dominated the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) tonight, winning seven prizes, including Best British Independent Film and Best Début Screenwriter (for Rich Peppiat). After struggling to find support early on, it's now on track for international success, and has even been tipped to make the Oscar shortlist.

It was a good night for outsiders all round, with Grand Theft Hamlet and On Becoming A Guinea Fowl also enjoying success.

The event was hosted by Peter Serafinowicz and presenters included Alicia Vikander, Martin Freeman, Indira Varma and James Norton.

Those award winners in full:

Best British independent film Kneecap - Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling

Best international independent film Anora - Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

Best director Rungano Nyoni - On Becoming A Guinea Fowl

Best screenplay Sandhya Suri – Santosh

Best lead performance Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hard Truths

Best supporting performance Franz Rogowski - Bird

Best...

“Kneecap,” the hit Irish comedy biopic about the Belfast rap group of the same name, has landed the top honor at the British Independent Film Awards and a total of seven BIFA awards overall.

Writer/director Rich Peppiatt’s debut feature — which went into Sunday’s ceremony already having won four BIFA craft awards — was named best British independent film, with Peppiatt winning best debut screenwriter and Kneecap bandmates Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (who all play themselves) winning best joint lead.

Elsewhere on the night, which was hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, Rungano Nyoni won best director for her sophomore feature “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,” exploring buried secrets in a middle class Zambian family. The film’s lead star Susan Chardy won breakthrough performance.

Meanwhile, Sandhya Suri, writer/director of Hindi-language crime thriller “Santosh,” won best screenplay. “Santosh,” which is the U.K.

Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap was the major winner at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas), with seven wins in total including best British independent film.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Taking place tonight (December 8), the awards returned to London’s Roundhouse in Camden, with a ceremony hosted by actor and comedian Peter Serafinowicz, who joked that the night was for “homegrown lower budget films that pay its stars multi of pounds”.

Other winners included Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh and documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, with two awards each.

Peppiatt’s debut...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners are being unveiled from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse.

Scroll down for winners

Screen isupdating this page live from the ceremony as the winners are announced - refresh this page for the latest winners. Scroll down for the full nominations and craft winners.

Sophie Okonedo is receiving theRichard Harris award. The actor is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in 2004’sHotel Rwanda while her other film credits includeThe Secret Lie Of Bees,Christopher Robin,Wild Rose,Death On The Nile andCatherine Called Birdy.

Bifa winners 2024

Winners in bold, latest award top

Best...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners will be unveiled today (December 8)from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, commencing at 20:00 GMT.

Scroll down for winners

Screen will be updating this page live from the ceremony as the winners are announced - refresh this page for the latest winners. Scroll down for the full nominations and craft winners.

Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language comedyKneecap leads the nominations with six, including director, screenplay and best British independent film for Peppiatt - the latter alongside producers Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling - and joint lead performance for its stars Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh,...

The British Independent Film Awards (Bifas)winners will be unveiled today (December 8)from a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse, commencing at 20:00 GMT.

Scroll down for winners

Screenwillbeupdatingthispagelivefromtheceremonyasthewinnersareannounced, so refresh thispageforthelatestwinners. Scrolldown for the fullnominationsandcraftwinners.

Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language comedyKneecapleads the nominations with six, including director, screenplay and best British independent film for Peppiatt - the latter alongside producers Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling - and joint lead performance for its stars Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh.

Rose Glass’Love Lies Bleeding andNora Fingscheidt’sThe Outrunare on four nominations each. Glass’ second feature stars...

Since bursting on the scene in 1998 as a scruffier and scrappier distant cousin to the BAFTAs, the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have been an early bellwether for future talent in front of and behind the camera. Giving a very early shout out to some of the biggest stars working today is the BIFAs breakthrough performance award (formerly the most promising newcomer award).

Jamie Bell and Ben Whishaw were recipients more than 20 years ago, while other winners have included Dev Patel, Naomi Ackie and Jessie Buckley. As for Emily Blunt, John Boyega, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mia Goth, Andrea Riseborough, Will Poulter, George MacKay, Jodie Whittaker and Cosmo Jarvis, they’re among a formidable lineup of names who only managed a nomination.

So it’s only natural that this year’s crop of nominees are perhaps a little excited about what lies ahead. Speaking to Variety ahead of the awards ceremony on Dec.

With major titles still dominating the UK and Ireland box office, it is a quiet weekend for new releases as event cinema leads the way while Nightbitch and Rumours also launch.

Andre Rieu’s 2024 Christmas Concert: Gold And Silver lands in 642 cinemas for A Piece Of Magic. The Dutch conductor’s last release opened with £700,000 while his 2023 Christmas concert scored £1.2m.

Indian actionPushpa 2 is screening in 230 venuesvia AA Films. The Telugu-language sequel follows Pushpa as his sandalwood smuggling business faces strong opposition from the police.

CinemaLive is playing music documentary Rm: Right People, Wrong Place in 109 sites this weekend after opening on Thursday.

Disney’s “Moana 2” dominated the U.K. and Ireland box office with a £12 million ($15.2 million) debut, according to numbers from Comscore, marking a strong start for the animated sequel.

The film led a robust weekend that saw Universal’s “Wicked” holding strong in its second frame with £8.3 million, bringing its cumulative total to £28.5 million.

Paramount’s “Gladiator II” continued to perform in its third week, adding £2.5 million for a total of £23.5 million. Studiocanal’s “Paddington In Peru” demonstrated staying power in its fourth week, collecting £1.8 million and pushing its total to £27.3 million.

Black Bear’s new entry “Conclave” opened with £1.1 million, while Warner Bros.’ “Red One” rounded out its fourth week with £425,853, bringing its cume to £6.6 million.

BFI Distribution’s “All We Imagine As Light” debuted with £111,033, while Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Heretic” added £96,583 in its fifth week for a £5.7 million total. Park Circus’s 20th Anniversary 4K restoration of...

The Marrakech Film Festival, which opened Friday with Justin Kurzel’s timely thriller “The Order,” has more than 70 films in its lineup, which, as is customary, mixes known titles and fresh fare.

“The Order” is part of the event’s gala screenings that also comprise French-Moroccan auteur Nabil Ayouch’s feminist musical drama “Everybody Loves Touda,” Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” and Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” all of which will be accompanied by their directors.

The 14-title competition dedicated to first and second works includes Moroccan director Saïd Hamich Benlarbi’s melodrama “Across the Sea,” about North African exiles in Marseilles, and Hind Meddeb’s doc “Sudan, Remember Us,” which pays homage to Sudanese people and culture by chronicling their 2019 revolution. “Sudan, Remember Us” is among films supported by the fest’s Atlas Workshops industry initiative, aimed at fostering and supporting the emergence of a new generation of Moroccan,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSPoison.Former talk show host and current digital media emperor Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards. He has previously hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards and the White House Correspondents dinner, twice apiece, as well as the Fifth Annual NFL Honors ceremony in 2016.Director Todd Haynes is set to head the jury of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February. Haynes’s feature film debut, Poison (1991), won the festival’s Teddy Award.The UK arthouse theater chain Curzon Cinemas has been sold to the New York investment company Fortress for $5 million as part of a foreclosure auction of assets owned by Cohen Realty Enterprises. The Curzon group reportedly believes that Fortress is “more likely to invest...

It's been a great day for glimpses into exciting new international films. This morning, we got our first look at The Girl With The Needle, the official Danish entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards, and now, we're also getting the trailer for On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,...

The On Becoming a Guinea Fowl trailer previews A24's new movie with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Written and directed by Rungano Nyoni, known for I Am Not a Witch, the new A24 film follows a young woman who discovers the body of her uncle on an empty road in the middle of the night and, as the funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light long-buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. The cast includes Susan Chardy, Elizabeth Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, and Blessings Bhamjee.

Now, A24 has released the first official trailer for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. It begins with a young Zambian woman named Shula who, driving home from a friend's party in a Missy Elliot costume, stumbles upon the body of her uncle in the middle of the road. As the family gathers for the funeral, Shula and...

"Why are they mourning Uncle Fred like he's some angel?" A24 has unveiled the official trailer for an indie film called On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, the second feature made by the acclaimed African filmmaker Rungano Nyoni who got her big break with I Am Not a Witch (from 2017). This new one premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has been playing at tons of other festivals throughout 2024. “Do you want me to dig up the corpse and ask it what happened?" On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. It's a story about a woman coming to realize how hard it is to challenge misogynistic traditions in a patriarchal society. The film stars Susan Chardy,...

One of my favorite films from this year’s New York Film Festival was Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch follow-up On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. Winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes 2024 in its Un Certain Regard section, shared with Roberto Minervini’s The Damned, I’ve been waiting to see if A24’s original December release would stick for the film but after adding Queer and The Brutalist to their plate, they’ve shifted to the less busy March 2025 timeframe (specifically March 7) and have now debuted the new trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family, in filmmaker Rungano Nyoni’s surreal and vibrant reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves.

Winner of the Best Director prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and selected at the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, celebrated Zambian Welsh writer-director Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl” has received nothing but rave reviews since it debuted on the festival circuit earlier this year. Seven years after her widely acclaimed BAFTA-winning debut “I Am Not a Witch,” she finally returns with a surrealist drama about family secrets.

Continue reading ‘On Becoming A Guinea Fowl’ Trailer: Rungano Nyoni’s Acclaimed Festival Drama Opens In March 2025 at The Playlist.

With her 2017 directorial debut “I Am Not a Witch,” Rungano Nyoni established herself as a filmmaker worth paying attention to. Her follow-up, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” cemented her status as one of the most notable filmmakers currently telling African stories.

The film, which debuted in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, tells the story of a Zambian woman who reckons with the ways that her traditional upbringing and her family’s willingness to bury dark secrets has shaped her. The film, which Nyoni both wrote and directed, stars Susan Chardy, Elizabeth Chisela, and Henry B.J. Phiri.

An official synopsis of “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” reads, “On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family,...

‘Love Lies Bleeding’ es la segunda película más nominada. © Elástica Films | Filmin | DeAPlaneta

Ya se conocen los nominados a los Premios BIFA (British Independent Film Awards). Estos premios son unos galardones cinematográficos que se otorgan en el Reino Unido para destacar y honrar las películas independientes británicas. Los ganadores de los premios BIFA 2024 se darán a conocer el 8 de diciembre. Aquí os dejamos con la lista de los nominados de esta edición:

Mejor PELÍCULA Independiente BRITÁNICA

Kneecap

Love Lies Bleeding

On Becoming Guinea Fowl

The Outrun

Santosh

Mejor PELÍCULA Independiente Internacional

All We Imagine as Light

Anora

La Chimera

No Other Land

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Mejor DIRECCIÓN

Andrea Arnold, Bird

Nora Fingscheidt, The Outrun

Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding

Rungano Nyoni, On Becoming A Guinea Fowl

Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap

Mejor Guion

Nora Fingscheidt & Amy Liptrot, The Outrun

Rose Glass & Weronika Tofilska, Love Lies Bleeding

Rungano Nyoni, On Becoming A Guinea Fowl...

Justin Kurzel’s political thriller The Order starring Jude Law will open the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival in the presence of the director and producer Stuart Ford later this month.

The film is among seven films that will be showcased as gala screenings at the Moroccan film festival, which unveiled its line-up on Thursday.

The galas also feature a trio of Best International Feature Film Oscar entries, Nabil Ayouch’s Everybody Loves Touda (Morocco), Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here (Brazil) and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany), all of which will screen in the presence of their directors.

The festival will screen 70 features from 32 countries across sections spanning the Official Competition, Gala Screenings, Special Screenings, the 11th Continent, the Moroccan Panorama, Cinema for Young Audiences & Families, and films shown as part of the Tributes program.

The 14 first and second films in competition include French...

Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its 21st edition which will open with Justin Kurzel’s crime thriller The Order onNovember 29 and run to December 7.

Kurzel’s debut featureSnowtownwon thefestival’s jury prize in 2011, and the filmmaker returned in 2022 to serve on the jury.

This year’s jury will be presided over by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, replacing Thomas Vinterberg, and will award the Étoile d’Or for best film to one of 14 first- and second-time features in the international competition.

In total, the festival will screen 70 films from 32 countries, including 14 documentaries, 12 Moroccan titles, nine world...

Whilst the eyes of the world may be locked firmly on the other side of the Atlantic this morning, back here in Blighty there is at least some positivity still to be shared yet. Having shone last year when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought Hollywood to a standstill, the independent British cinema scene has continued to shine throughout 2024, with revered greats, rising stars, returning masters, and bold new narratives all emerging to ensure the flame for indies from these shores has never burned brighter. As such, it comes as no great surprise that the announcement of this year's British Independent Film Awards nominees is a veritable treasure trove of great art and great artists that stand to represent the very best British filmmaking has to offer.

Leading the pack with an impressive 14 nominations — including nods for Best British Independent Film, Director, Screenplay, and Debut Director — is British-Irish filmmaker Rich Peppiatt...

Kneecap leads the race at the BIFAs

This year’s British Independent Film Awards nominations have been released, and Belfast-based comedy Kneecap is in the lead with an impressive 14 nominations. Directed by whistleblowing journalist Rich Peppiat, the Irish language film, in which members of the titular band play themselves, attracted controversy on release but quickly proved popular with the viewing public.

Following close on its heels are Love Lies Bleeding, with 12 nominations, and The Outrun, with nine. Bird, Unicorns and On Becoming A Guinea Fowl took seven apiece.

The winners will be revealed on 8 December.

Those nominations in full:

Best British independent film Kneecap - Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling Love Lies Bleeding - Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman On Becoming A Guinea Fowl - Rungano Nyoni, Tim Cole, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe The Outrun - Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot, Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden,...

The British Independent Film Awards this year honor two Sundance breakout films, with both “Kneecap” and “Love Lies Bleeding” atop the 2024 nominations list.

Rich Peppiatt’s “Kneecap” (repping Ireland for the 2024 Best International Feature Oscar) leads this year’s nominees with 14 nods, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best British Independent Film. “Kneecap” is based on the eponymous rap group, which star here alongside Michael Fassbender in a fictionalized band origin story.

Following “Kneecap” with 12 nominations is Rose Glass’s “Love Lies Bleeding.” Co-leads Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian are nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance, and the film has also been recognized in the Best British Independent Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay categories.

Additional features that received multiple nominations include “The Outrun,” “Bird,” and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.”

In 2023, “All of Us Strangers” swept the top categories with awards, in addition to “Rye Lane” and future...

“Kneecap” and “Love Lies Bleeding” led Tuesday’s nominations for the British Independent Film Awards.

Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap,” Ireland’s Oscar entry, scored 14 bids, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Joint Lead Performance for Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh. It was shortlisted in a whopping eight crafts categories.

Rose Glass‘ “Love Lies Bleeding” was next in like with 12 nominations, including the same above-the-line categories as “Kneecap.” Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian are nominated for joint lead performance. It also earned eight crafts nominations.

Nora Fingsheidt‘s “The Outrun” received nine bids, including Best Lead Performance for Saoirse Ronan, who previously won the BIFA for Best Actress for 2015’s “Brooklyn.” The film is up for the top prize, while Fingsheidt is nominated for her direction and her script with Amy Liptrot.

Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Rungano Nyoni...