movies

Piperplay Boards Sales & Unveils Trailer For ‘The City Of The Living’

Published

1 hour ago

August 6, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Piperplay has boarded sales on Edoardo Gabbriellini’s true crime drama The City of the Living (La città dei vivi) ahead of its world premiere in Venice’s Orizzonti competition and North American debut in Toronto’s Centrepiece, and also unveiled the trailer.

The feature is freely inspired by Italian writer Nicola Lagioia’s award-winning, best-selling true-crime work delving into the circumstances around the senseless and sadistic murder of a much-loved young man in 2016 that shocked Rome and the wider world.

Gabbriellini’s film frames the events from a tender and poetic perspective rather than reconstructing the crime, to shift the focus to its origins, exploring the human, cultural and emotional dynamics behind it.

The synopsis reads: “Luca is twenty-three years old. He lives with the family that adopted him and loves him. He moves between the suburbs and the city center with his friends and has a girlfriend with whom he shares a young yet deeply significant love. Luca is searching for his path—at an age when everything seems both possible and already lost—and in this quest, he leads a double life. One night, following a seemingly chance encounter, the trajectory of Luca’s life is shattered, broken by an act of blind, senseless violence.”

In his first starring role, rising young actor Emanuele Maria di Stefano plays Luca with the cast also featuring Gaia Merlonghi, Simona Senzacqua, Roberta Mattei, and Valerio Mastandrea (There’s Still Tomorrow).

Director and actor Gabbriellini previously played in Toronto’s Centrepiece sidebar with last film Holiday, which also revolved around the fallout and human consequences of a crime. One of the producers on the film was Luca Guadagnino. Gabbriellini had previously starred in Guadagnino’s I am Love, as well as served as second-unit director on Guadagnino’s TV miniseries We Are What We Are.

The City Of The Living is produced by Eagle Pictures, Cinemaundici and Lungtafilm with the participation of HBO Max. Top distributor Eagle Pictures, which also handles Paramount and Sony Pictures releases in Italy, will bring the film to Italian cinemas.

Rome-based Piperplay is a joint venture formed in 2025 between Italian production and distribution powerhouse PiperFilm and Playtime, within the Vuelta Group.

Its summer and fall festival slate also includes Locarno International Competition title Ketticè by Giovanni Tortotici, the Venice Orizzonti Competition title Children of the Monkey and Venice’s closing film God Laughs (Dio Ride) by Giovanni Veronesi.

movies

‘Mission’ Clip: George MacKay & Rosy McEwen Lead Edinburgh Comp Title

Published

9 minutes ago

August 6, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Paul Wright’s latest feature Mission, starring George MacKay and Rosy McEwen, debuts in competition at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival and Deadline can unveil a first look clip.

The film’s official synopsis reads: “Dylan (MacKay) has reached the end of his tether with his dead-end job and lonely, unfulfilling existence. Over the course of a week, he blows his life up, pushing boundaries and seeking meaning in the wake of extreme chaos as he wrestles with trying to feel alive and finding a reason to go on. Paul Wright’s immersive, expressionistic portrait of a young man’s existential angst and directionless fury is vividly composed, frenetically paced and fraught with tension.”

Blue Finch is handling sales on the film, which was produced by Linn Waite, Kate Byers, Alex Thiele, Marie-Elena Dych and Lowri Roberts.

Wright and MacKay previously worked together on For Those in Peril (2013), which screened as part of the Critics Week sidebar at Cannes and was later BAFTA nominated. That film followed Aaron, a young misfit living in a remote Scottish fishing community, who is the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident that claimed the lives of five men, including his older brother.

The exec producers on Mission are Kristin Irving, Kiah Simpson and Kieran Hannigan. The production companies are Early Day Films, 65 Wilding and Rapt. Wright directed the feature from a screenplay he wrote. The film will debut on August 15 at Edinburgh.

Check out the clip above.

movies

Isabella Rossellini Explains Why She Lives in US Despite Bad Politics

Published

37 minutes ago

August 6, 2026

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On Wednesday evening, Italian-American actress, model and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini helped kick off the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival with star power, receiving the Swiss fest’s Excellence Award. On Thursday, the icon discussed her career and other insights during a public conversation as part of the festival program.

In between anecdotes about her collaborations with famous directors and actors, things turned political for a moment when an audience member asked her about life in the U.S. and whether she ever considers moving for political reasons. The translation of the question and her response didn’t include mentions of U.S. President Donald Trump, but the query was widely understood as a reference to some creatives’ discussions of a potential move abroad due to Trump.

“America is a continent,” Rossellini started off her response as the question had mentioned “America” rather than the U.S., querying the audience member: “Why do you live in Europe if there is a country you don’t like?”

But she then seemed to focus on U.S. politics, saying: “The political situation is very bad, very hard. We’re thinking about going back. But I have a farm [and a life].” That was a reference to her primary home, Mama Farm, a big organic farm that she founded in 2013 on Long Island. “So, should we leave everything behind?” Rossellini continued. “We are staying so far, and I hope that things will get better.”

The icon also received a broad question about changes and disruptions affecting the entertainment industry. Streaming, AI and other technologies bring “a lot of opportunities but also a crisis,” Rossellini offered. “Film festivals are crowded, but local movie cinemas are empty.” But she concluded on an upbeat note, saying: “I’m optimistic. Creating art has always been difficult… And there are beautiful films being made with iPhones only.”

How does Rossellini feel about acting in series? “I don’t like TV shows because they are so long,” she said, explaining she meant simply the amount of time they require, not any creative aspects. “I just want to be a guest star because I don’t want to stay away from home for eight months,” Rossellini shared. “That’s why I stopped doing theater.”

In being honored on Locarno’s Piazza Grande on Wednesday evening, Rossellini recalled how her famous father Paolo and brother Renzo had previously received awards at Locarno, sharing: “To be on par with my father and my brother fills me with great emotion.”

Her Thursday conversation was moderated by Olivier Père, the former artistic director of the Locarno festival and now executive director of ARTE France Cinéma and head of its cinema unit since 2012. He is also part of the jury for the international competition of Locarno79.

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Rainn Wilson Voices New Zealand Rom-Com Series Settling

Published

1 hour ago

August 6, 2026

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Rainn Wilson is lending his voice to Settling, a rom-com series out of New Zealand.

Wilson, best known for playing Dwight Schrute in the U.S. version of The Office, provides the voiceover for the series, which is for Sky New Zealand’s free TV net Three and its streaming counterpart ThreeNow.

Settling is billed as a contemporary relationship series that is both comedy and drama. It follows two disillusioned 30-somethings, played by Hannah Marshall and Pax Assadi. They carry out a pact they made as teenagers – a platonic marriage – in order to satisfy family and society’s expectations.

The series was written by Hannah Marshall and Pax Assadi. It is produced by South Pacific Pictures, which was part of All3Media and, following its merger with Banijay, is now part of the Banijay business.

All3Media International has the international rights to the series and will bring it to the international market. The branding of the All3Media and Banijay distribution businesses post-merger has yet to be resolved. As of now, the All3Media International banner still exists..

“Settling is a fun homage to everyone’s favorite rom-com, relatable regardless of where you are from in the world, elevated with a great dose of unique Kiwi humor. We are delighted with the show, and think audiences are going to love it too,” said Kelly Martin, Chief Executive SPP.

“This is a delightful comedy with a real twist, brought to life by an exceptionally talented cast and crew,” said Sky’s Commissioning Editor Tina McLaren. “The series is a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio of local stories and a testament to the skill and creativity of Hannah and Pax, whose distinctive storytelling captures the heart, humor and authenticity of New Zealand life.” 