Tribeca Festival’s shorts lineup this year includes 93 films, including the Spike Lee-executive produced “How I Learned to Die,” AnnaSophia Robb’s producing and starring vehicle “Jean Jacket” and a film produced by Rosario Dawson and Colin Kaepernick called “Kiss My Grass.”
The festival will occur in New York City from June 4-15. The shorts slate, which will screen at the new Shorts Cinema at Spring Studios, features films from 105 directors and more than 30 countries. The categories are narrative, documentary, animated and music videos.
“This year we received a staggering number of short submissions, and while it certainly made our job as programmers more challenging, we are confident our programs will reflect the quality, variety and imagination of the films we received from around the world,” Ben Thompson, Tribeca Festival’s vice president of shorts programming, said in a statement. “I am proud that we have expanded our programming, selecting the highest number of short films of any of the major film festivals. Our aim is to make shorts and music videos a major focus at Tribeca, with storytelling that dazzles and delights our audiences here in New York!”
An animated shorts program curated by Whoopi Goldberg will include the films “Snow Bear” by Aaron Blaise, “The Piano” by Avery Kroll and “The Quinta’s Ghost” by James A. Castillo.
Kid Cudi’s music video “Neverland,” directed by Ti West, will have its world premiere at the festival.
The full lineup is available here.
Tuesday, April 22
Guillermo del Toro and BFI’s Ben Roberts to Host Panel at TCM Classic Film Festival
Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”) and BFI chief executive Ben Roberts are joining this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival for the panel “From Across the Pond: Sights & Sounds of the British Film Institute” on Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m.
The event will take place at Club TCM, located at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where Del Toro and Roberts will discuss BFI’s big discoveries and important restorations through the organization’s rich archival history. Club TCM aims to recreate “the flavor of bygone Hollywood hotspots,” according to an official synopsis.
This year, the festival will screen “Blithe Spirit” (1945), a rare 35mm print of “Jaws” (1975) and “Mildred Pierce” (1945) on nitrate. It runs April 24-27 in Los Angeles.
Abramorama Acquires North American Distribution For Holocaust Documentary ‘The Last Twins’
The film, from co-directors Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill, follows Erno “Zvi” Spiegel, who risked his life to save the last twins in Auschwitz in the shadow of Josef Mengele’s experiments. ‘The Last Twins’ was developed in collaboration with Spiegel’s daughter Dr. Juditch Richter and narrator Lieve Schreiber.
“Erno Spiegel’s story reminds us that even in the darkest places, there are people who choose to act with courage and compassion,” said Peltz. “The Last Twins is a tribute to one man’s quiet defiance and the children whose lives—and legacies—he helped preserve.”
“The Last Twins” explores how Spiegel saved dozens of young boys, many of them twins, from being forced to undergo Mengele’s brutal medical experimentation. “Perri and Matt’s documentary is a revelation for audiences,” said Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster. “The fact that we are beginning the run on the 81st anniversary of D-Day reminds us of individual human acts of courage that impact generations.”
The Last Twins will begin a weeklong engagement at the QUAD Cinema in New York City on June 6th with screenings across North America to follow.
Monday, April 21
Frameline Announces 2025 Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant Recipients
Remi Gabriel (“Barbie Boy”), Carmela Murphy and AJ Dubler (“A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian”) are among this year’s 2025 Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant recipients, Variety can exclusively reveal.
Since 2023, the partnership with Frameline has focused on supporting LGBTQ+ filmmakers with financial support. This year’s filmmakers will receive $15,000 each to support future film endeavors, along with having their films screened at the 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
“As support of LGBTQ+ art — and artists in general — is being systematically dismantled, it falls on our community’s shoulders to protect the future of queer cinema, all while preserving its rich history,” Frameline’s executive director Allegra Madsen said in a statement. “Frameline’s partnership with the Colin Higgins Foundation has allowed both of our organizations to do just that for the past three years. Together, we will continue to uplift LGBTQ+ youth and their vital stories.”
The grant is named after the late Higgins, the acclaimed director and screenwriter behind “Harold and Maude,” “9 to 5” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Frameline49 runs June 18-28.
Jump Cut Taps Jacky Shu as Executive Vice President
Jump Cut, the New York-based film and episodic marketing company, has tapped industry veteran Jacky Shu as executive VP. In her new role, she will oversee A/V and print divisions while continuing to be based in Los Angeles.
Prior to joining Jump Cut, Shu co-founded the film marketing company Rogue Planet and served as its CEO for the past ten years. She has collected over thirty Clio awards over the years, including work on campaigns for Pixar’s “Soul,” Netflix’s “Okja” and 20th Century’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
“Jacky is the perfect person to complement our team,” Jump Cut founder Stephen Garrett said in a statement. “As our industry continues to evolve, so does Jump Cut, and Jacky has the vision and energy to steer us into a very bright future.”
Of her new position, Shu said in a statement: “I could not ask for a more perfect place to hitch my wagon. I am so proud of what Jump Cut has already accomplished, and I am thrilled to make it my new creative home.”
Producers Guild Awards Set for February 2026 Date
The Producers Guild has set the next Producers Guild Awards ceremony to be held Feb. 28, 2026.
The awards honor producers in film, television, emerging media and other categories.
The Producers Guild also announced the timeline of the upcoming awards season.
The eligibility period is as follows: for the Innovation Award, the dates are Oct. 2, 2024-Oct.1, 2025. For Theatrical Motion Pictures; Animated Motion Pictures; Documentary Motion Pictures; Television Series/Specials; Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures; Sports, Children’s, and Short Form, the dates are Jan. 1, 2025-Dec. 31, 2025.
The deadline for notice of producing credits is Aug. 29 for
Documentary Motion Pictures, Sep. 26 for Television Programs (Television Series/Specials; Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures; Sports, Children’s, and Short Form), Oct. 1 for Innovation Award and Oct. 10 for Theatrical Motion Pictures and Animated Motion Pictures.
More crucial dates for the upcoming season are available here.
Abramorama Acquires ‘The Last Twins’ Documentary
Abramorama has picked up North American distribution rights for the documentary “The Last Twins,” which delves into the story of Erno “Zvi” Spiegel’s fight for the remaining twins of Auschwitz.
The film is directed by Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill, who worked on the project with Spiegel’s daughter Dr. Judith Richter. Liev Schreiber narrates the film.
“Erno Spiegel’s story reminds us that even in the darkest places, there are people who choose to act with courage and compassion,” Peltz said in a statement. “’The Last Twins’ is a tribute to one man’s quiet defiance and the children whose lives—and legacies—he helped preserve.”
The film will play for a week at New York City’s QUAD Cinema starting June 6, with more screenings to be held across the country.
“Perri and Matt’s documentary is a revelation for audiences. The fact that we are beginning the run on the 81st anniversary of D-Day reminds us of individual human acts of courage that impact generations,” Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster said in a statement.
Read the full article here
