Featuristic Films has unveiled an exclusive first look at the feature documentary 'Afghanistan.' It follows filmmaker James Glancy, a former British Royal Marine Commando who was decorated in 2012 for his actions in combat, as he returns to Afghanistan with a small, handpicked team to help him answer the question that has haunted him over the past decade: Was it worth it? Dramatically, mid-way through the shoot, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would be pulling troops out by 9/11, starting a Taliban offensive that has led to the dramatic fall this week of the Afghan government, amidst chaotic evacuation scenes in Kabul as American forces withdraw.

https://variety.com/2021/film/global/afghanistan-james-glancy-featuristic-films-1235042807/

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Behind the Headlines, Daniel Andreas Sagers thrilling look at how German investigative journalists triggered a political earthquake in Austria that toppled the countrys government, is having its world premiere at Danish doc fest CPH:DOX, where its competing for the Fact Award, ...

https://variety.com/2021/global/global/daniel-andreas-sager-cph-dox-hot-docs-behind-the-headlines-1234962936/

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Zhang Yimous Cliff Walkers is kicking off a multi-territory release this weekend, with day and date outings in North America, New Zealand, and Singapore coordinating with the espionage thrillers official launch in mainland Chinese theaters on Friday. That makes it one of the first major Chinese ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/asia/zhang-yimou-cliff-walkers-impasse-covid-1234963797/

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Casey Wilson may be best known as an actor, with roles in Gone Girl, Atypical, Happy Endings and Black Monday as well as a stint as a Saturday Night Live cast member, and as a podcaster (Bitch Sesh). However, she ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/casey-wilson-wreckage-of-my-presence-essays-interview-1234944676/

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Caritas Migrant House sits where the semi-arid Sahel region gives way to the Sahara Desert, on the edge of the urban sprawl of Gao, a town of more than 85,000 inhabitants in the landlocked West African nation of Mali. But as the location of Ousmane Samasskous unobtrusively observant ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-last-shelter-review-1234962677/

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In todays Global Bulletin, the deceasing average of ages in BAFTA TV actress nominees raises ageism concerns; Gary Barlow sets music show at the BBC; RED Productions hires Chloe Dunbar as head of development; the European Audiovisual Observatory and the U.K.s Department for Digital, ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/bafta-women-ageism-study-1234967715/

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Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's...

https://variety.com/feature/2021-emmys-predictions-primetime-emmy-nominations-1234968276/

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In the new movie Here Today, Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish play an unlikely duo who form a May-December friendship. Off-screen, the comedy stars have grown just as close. In fact, when Haddish celebrated her bat mitzvah in late 2019 with a star-studded shindig, Crystal was in attendance ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/billy-crystal-tiffany-haddish-here-today-bat-mitzvah-1234966805/

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What is dead may never die, and thus, the world of Game of Thrones will live on at HBO with prequel series House of the Dragon. While its only been two years since we waved goodbye to Game of Thrones, it feels like an eternity since we last traveled ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/game-of-thrones-house-of-the-dragon-cast-plot-release-date-1234968178/

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The Paramount Plus streaming service will be launched in Australia and New Zealand in August. It joins an increasingly crowded marketplace, but claims local traction through ViacomCBSs ownership of Australian linear channel Channel Ten and a handful of local content commissions. The launch ...

https://variety.com/2021/streaming/asia/paramount-plus-australia-new-zealand-launch-1234968569/

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Baz Halpin, the music touring creative director who founded Silent House 11 years ago, announced an ambitious expansion Tuesday, with his brainchild to now be known as Silent House Group and expanded into three separate companies Silent House Studiios, Silent House Events and Silent House ...

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/baz-halpin-silent-house-group-expands-1234966128/

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Kym Whitley and Danny Garcia have been cast in recurring roles in the Amazon YA pilot Hot Pink,Variety has learned exclusively. The pair joins previously announced stars Sarah Michelle Gellar,Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy, as well as fellow...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/kym-whitley-danny-garcia-amazon-hot-pink-1234966331/

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NBCUniversal has instituted a production assistant training program in New Mexico aimed at residents who are interested in pursuing a career in film and television production. The two-day training program, scheduled for May 22 and 23, will be free to accepted applicants and will cover everything ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/nbcuniversal-production-assistant-new-mexico-1234966570/

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Oscars producer Steven Soderbergh has opened up about the decisions made to change the show order of the 2021 ceremony and whether he regrets not allowing Zoom acceptance speeches. In an interview published today by the Los Angeles Times, Soderbergh, who served as producer alongside Stacey Sher and ...

https://variety.com/2021/awards/news/steven-soderbergh-oscars-show-order-1234966659/

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Global streaming sports platform DAZN and Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo have closed a multi-project development deal kicking off with El Presidente, a docu-series chronicling the former strikers tenure as part owner of Spanish club Valladolid FC, which will launch globally on May 20. Best known ...

https://variety.com/2021/streaming/news/ronaldo-dazn-el-presidente-la-guerra-1234966481/

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Damon Weaver, the kid reporter who gained national attention for interviewing President Barack Obama at the White House, has died. He was 23. According to the Associated Press, Weavers family says he died of natural causes on May 1. His sister, Candace Hardy, confirmed his death to the Palm ...

https://variety.com/2021/politics/news/damon-weaver-dead-kid-reporter-obama-1234973918/

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As I pressed play on the first episode of Run the World, I wasnt intending to mainline the entire eight-episode season in one greedy gulp. But as a blessedly rare warm New York City breeze floated through my open window, Leigh Davenports lush new series about four friends having a vivid, game-...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/run-the-world-starz-review-andrea-bordeaux-harlem-1234973705/

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Kate McKinnon kicked off the penultimate episode of Saturday Night Lives 46th season by stepping back into Dr. Anthony Faucis shoes (and glasses and combover wig) to deliver a press conference about the CDCs announcement that fully-vaccinated people no longer need ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/saturday-night-live-fauci-cdc-mask-rules-cold-open-1234974026/

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In a sketch spoofing The Muppets on Saturday Night Lives penultimate episode of Season 46, a couple of the actual classic puppets made appearances. Kermit the Frog kicked things off, of course, as the host of The Muppet Show, but Statler and Waldorf ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/saturday-night-live-season-46-muppets-sketch-1234974031/

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ATT and Discovery are discussing the possibility of combining media assets to create a entertainment and lifestyle content giant with a global footprint to better compete in the streaming marketplace. Bloomberg first reported Sunday that talks are ongoing and a deal could be reached as early as...

https://variety.com/2021/biz/news/att-discovery-hbo-cnn-food-network-hgtv-1234974077/

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Clive Davis has a gig as musics own new Barbara Walters, if he wants it. For the second half of his two-part virtual Grammy gala this year, the music mogul doubled down in Saturday nights invitation-only webcast on interviews with the stars, including Elton John, DaBaby, ...

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/clive-davis-joni-mitchell-dababy-oprah-gala-conversations-1234974118/

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Richard Montaez is speaking out following claims by Frito-Lay that he did not invent Flamin Hot Cheetos. I was their greatest ambassador, Montaez tells Variety of Frito-Lay. But I will say this, youre going to love your company more than they will ever love you, ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/richard-montanez-flamin-hot-cheetos-responds-1234974227/

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While the theater industry is currently reeling from being on lockdown for the past 14 months, the curtains are about to rise again. After Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Broadway theaters will reopen at full capacity on Sept. 14, theater productions have started to declare their intended return ...

https://variety.com/2021/theater/news/broadway-show-tickets-where-to-buy-1234970196/

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BTS has set the television performance debut of the groups forthcoming single, Butter, for the Billboard Music Awards May 23. The vocal group will perform remotely from Korea on the show, to be broadcast on NBC live across time zones in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Butter, ...

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/bts-butter-billboard-music-awards-performance-premiere-1234970665/

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Giorgio Dirittis biopic Hidden Away, about crazed primitivist painter Antonio Ligabue, was the big winner at Italys 66th David di Donatello Awards, the countrys top film prizes. The Davids were held with an in-person ceremony aired from two venues amid a strong spirit of restart as Italian movie ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/giorgio-dirittis-hidden-away-italys-david-awards-sophia-loren-1234970972/

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Cherry Jones has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple drama series Five Days at Memorial,Variety has learned. The series is based on the Sheri Fink novel of the same name. It chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans, LA, hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. When the ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cherry-jones-apple-hurricane-katrina-series-five-days-at-memorial-1234972543/

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Before NBC Universals upfront presentation on Monday to advertisers, the company announced dozens of new shows for Bravo, E!, USA Network, Oxygen, and SYFY. In the press release, 33 new unscripted shows were announced along with 30 shows returning to the suite of channels. Among the ...

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/below-deck-kandi-burruss-southern-charm-summer-house-nbcu-upfront-1234972584/

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Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and 20th Centurys Free Guy will open in movie theaters exclusively, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced during a Q2 earnings call on Thursday. But both films will only play in theaters for 45 days before ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/disney-shang-chi-free-guy-45-day-window-1234972782/

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Michael Jai White, whose work as an an actor, director and writer includes Arrow, The Dark Knight, Spawn and Mortal Kombat: Legacy, announced the launch of Jaigantic Studios, which will be Connecticuts first mini-major studio. White has ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/michael-jai-white-launch-jaigantic-studios-connecticut-1234972986/

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The Venice Film Festival is gearing up to take place as a full-fledged physical event in September with a back-to-normal atmosphere and what could be a high-profile selection of films. While the Toronto Film Festival, which runs Sept. 9-18, is sticking with a combination of digital and in-person ...

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/venice-film-festival-2021-dune-films-red-carpet-1234972195/

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