The world, in perspective.

A Toronto man has been sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for 16 years for killing his neighbour in Liberty Village three years ago, his lawyer confirmed to CityNews. Khoa Tran, 36, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Reeyaz Habib, 56, in June of this year and […]

The Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth is adding a federal partner to its push to build a more substantial and sustainable pipeline for emerging filmmakers. The organization behind the festival signed an agreement with the UAE’s recently established National Media Authority covering areas from film screening procedures to training and technic

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles has announced four new board members and forged a strategic partnership in the United Arab Emirates with the Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth. Joining the board of directors of the non-profit arts and culture organization that is focused on championing independent filmmakers and content creators are: Beverly Hills-

Lukas Marxt's observational doc '>1.5°C: Pyropolitics and the New World' premieres at DOK Leipzig and the Viennale before hitting IDFA. And like his other work, it took him into "an apocalyptic surrounding."

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival wrapped its ninth edition Friday after nine days of screenings, industry activity and a closing night that spread its top prizes across the Middle East and beyond. Mohammed Hammad’s “Safe Exit,” a psychological drama about a young Coptic security guard in Cairo confronting trauma rooted in religious violence, won the […]

More than 320 Arab film projects applied to CineGouna Funding this year, including more than 100 from Egypt, as the industry arm of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival drew submissions from across the region. At the festival’s ninth edition, running through Oct. 23 on the Red Sea, CineGouna is adding new initiatives as it looks […]

British filmmaker Joanna Hogg, who has been serving as president of the Feature Narrative Competition jury at the ninth edition of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival this week, tells Variety she prefers to know as little as possible about a film before watching it, “not even a synopsis of the story.” “I prefer to go […]

The Japanese writer and filmmaker Ryu Murakami has died. He was 74. Murakami’s publisher, Gentosha, announced his death today in a lengthy statement on their website. “Author Ryu Murakami passed away at his home on October 17, 2026, at the age of 74. We hereby express our deepest condolences and share this news,” the statement […]

EXCLUSIVE: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles has announced the lineup for its 2026 DocuSlate Documentary Film Festival, NFMLA’s annual cinematic showcase of “stories spanning continents, generations, and communities.” The event running November 12-15 opens with the North American premiere of Sergio & Mirta, A Love Story in 8 mm, directed by Fabrizio Laurenti and co-

Neon has joined with The Guardian, MK2, James Wilson and Jonathan Glazer to bring “NAZA” to wider audiences and expand the footprint of the Venice prize-winning documentary. In the U.S., “NAZA” was originally released independently on Sept. 30 in 85 theaters across 30 cities, and has grossed more than $700,000. Overseas, the doc has theatrical […]

The sleuths spent two years digging into archives and building 3D models of 19th-century Paris. The location is now immortalized by a bronze plaque celebrating the historic site and the "poetic" early photograph

“Learning how to make a film is one thing, but getting that film produced and seen by an audience is a completely different challenge,” Sharjah Intl. Film Festival for Children and Youth director Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi tells Variety. “This is where many talented young filmmakers struggle, particularly when they don’t have access […]