Omicron
Berlin Film Festival Tightens COVID Measures Ahead of Kickoff
Just two weeks before the start of the in-person 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, organizers have tightened COVID-19 safety measures, citing “current pandemic dynamics”: namely a spike in Omicron-driven infections in Germany. Among the new measures: daily COVID testing for all press to access screenings, press conferences and other press areas at the festival. This […]
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Box Office: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ Finds New Life in Black and White
Guillermo del Toro is nothing if not determined. When his new film, Nightmare Alley, opened nationwide over the Dec. 17-19 weekend to a forgettable $2.8 million from 2,145 theaters, the Oscar-winning filmmaker didn’t flee and instead reverse-engineered the movie’s release, this time with a black-and-white version. On Jan. 28, Nightmare Alley will once again be […]
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Immunity Building: Hollywood Doctors on Upping Your Well-Being Amid Omicron
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, with the omicron variant spiking cases nationwide, many people, including health-obsessed Angelenos, continue to look for ways to improve the strength of their immune systems. But top doctors caution that there are no quick fixes. “Although we are conditioned to ask for a prescription or a shot, […]
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Berlin Film Festival Unveils Competition Lineup With Juliette Binoche, Elizabeth Banks Titles
The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 63rd edition next month. The event is planned as an in-person fest to run in an abridged, seven-day version Feb. 10-16, with four days of repeat public screenings through Feb. 20. Peter von Kant, François Ozon’s gender-flipped adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 […]
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Omicron Surge Is Another Bummer for Awards-Season Box Office
After a somber showing for most of the year, there were finally signs of a real rebound at the box office for awards fare. MGM/United Artists’ Licorice Pizza secured a pandemic-era best opening per-theater average over Thanksgiving, while its House of Gucci sewed up nice numbers despite being an adult drama. Even 20th Century/Disney remained […]
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Biden Says He Will Double Free COVID Tests, Add N95s to Fight Omicron
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases. Biden also announced that starting next […]
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European Shooting Stars 2022 Unveiled
European Film Promotion (EFP) has unveiled its 2022 Shooting Stars, the top 10 up-and-coming young actors that will be presented as part of EFP’s European Shooting Stars program at the Berlin International Film Festival next month. The talents include Anamaria Vartolomei, the star of Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening, Denmark’s Marie Reuther, who […]
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Berlin Shortens Film Festival, Requires Vaccination and Testing
The Berlin International Film Festival has cut three days off its official screening schedule for 2022 and introduced new coronavirus measures, requiring attendees to be both fully vaccinated or recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection, plus show a recent negative COVID test. Berlin 2022 will now run Feb. 10-16, with the festival’s Gold and Silver […]
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Omicron Surge Incites Calendar Chaos on Hollywood Events Scene: “Nobody Really Knows Where This is Going”
New year, same story. Hollywood events are once again experiencing calendar chaos as the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the infectious omicron variant has led to postponements and cancellations for everything from premieres and cocktail parties to screenings and award shows. Organizations and event producers started nixing events in late December but the dominos […]
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Sundance: Marielle Heller, Garrett Bradley Among Festival Jurors
The Sundance Film Festival has announced its 2022 jury members. A Beautiful Day director Marielle Heller, Chelsea Barnard and Payman Maadi will judge the U.S. Dramatic Competition, while Time director Garret Bradley, Joan Churchill and Peter Nicks will comprise the U.S. Documentary Competition Jury. Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition Jury will be filled by Andrew […]
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Berlin Fest’s European Film Market Going Online Only Amid Omicron-Fueled COVID Surge
Berlin’s European Film Market is going online-only for the second year in a row amid concerns over the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The move, which the EFM confirmed Friday, had been expected after Sundance this week moved its festival online and most major U.S. and U.K. companies canceled their Berlin […]
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Cineplex Lays Off 5,000 Staff in Canada Amid Omicron Surge
Canadian exhibition giant Cineplex has temporarily laid off around 5,000 part-time employees after its theaters in Ontario were shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday. A Cineplex spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter the temporary job cuts followed “mandated closures of our theatre and entertainment venues across Ontario.” From today, Canada’s largest cinema operator has had to shut […]
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