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Edinburgh Film Festival 2026 Awards Winners: ‘Skintown,’ ‘Grief Room’

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The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has unveiled the winners of its feature filmmaking and short filmmaking awards on Wednesday evening.

Skintown, directed by Kieron J. Walsh, was awarded the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, voted on by the audience and funded by the Connery Foundation. The winner receives £50,000 ($68,055) to fund future projects.

A portrait of Northern Ireland youth in the 1990s, Skintown sees best friends Vinny and Jonty party, cut deals and plan to escape small-town life in Northern Ireland during the 1994 ceasefire, a period known as the Troubles. The festival called the film a “humorous, poignant and terrifically acted period piece with a killer ‘90s soundtrack.”

In an interview about Skintown, Walsh and actor Jack Rowan told THR that making the film “was a bumpy ride!”

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh festival also revealed on Wednesday evening that the Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence was awarded to Grief Room, directed by Sinda Agha. The winner receives £15,000 ($20,416) to fund future projects.

“Emily Beecham, Daisy Bevan and Louisa Harland are on peak form in this film about estranged sisters who reunite at their mother’s deathbed,” the festival highlighted. And a synopsis teases: “Using experimental tech to interpret their mother’s thoughts, the youngest becomes convinced of an urgent, final message they must uncover.”

EIFF CEO and festival director Paul Ridd lauded this year’s film lineup. “The standard of films and filmmakers competing this year at EIFF has been exceedingly high,” he said. “We are so proud of being able to launch this terrific work into the world, and we wish all our filmmakers the very best as they continue their journeys with their films and with their careers. Grief Room is a contained gem of wit, warmth and sadness, and Skintown is a beautiful, funny and very moving film. We are delighted to see that audiences have responded so enthusiastically to both films. Cinema is alive and well in the hands of these immense talents.”  

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Curtis Lum Joins ABC’s ‘The Rookie: North’ & Prime Video’s ‘Cross’

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EXCLUSIVE: Curtis Lum (The Night Agent, The Audacity) will join the cast of ABC‘s The Rookie spinoff series The Rookie: North and Prime Video‘s Cross for Season 3.

Expanding the universe, The Rookie: North introduces Alex Holland (Jay Ellis), who believed his midlife wasn’t worthy of a crisis. But after a violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a lifetime of failed commitments by joining the Pierce County Police Department as a rookie. Policing from the urban coast to the rural forest where backup isn’t just five minutes away, Alex must prove to his skeptical training officer, his fellow rookies, and himself that he’s finally found something worthy of the fight.

In a recurring role, Lum will recur as Officer Charley Furst. Furst is a cheerful and relaxed officer who has a reputation for always finding the path of least resistance when it comes to the job. 

The series also stars Chris Sullivan, Karen Fukuhara, Froy Gutierrez, Janet Montgomery, Mya Lowe, and Malik Watson. It is set for premiere in 2027.

Alexi Hawley will serve as executive producer and writer of The Rookie: North, with Fillion, Mark Gordon, Bill Norcross, and Michelle Chapman also executive producing. Ellis is a producer.

On the third season of Prime Video’s Cross, Lum will guest star as F.W. Jung. Jung provides discreet, ever-changing services for powerful clients, solving problems with meticulous planning and quiet efficiency. Pragmatic and unemotional, Jung views every situation as a problem to be resolved. By the time he speaks, the outcome is already in motion.

Cross, based upon characters created by James Patterson, is a Washington, D.C.-based crime drama that follows Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), a brilliant homicide detective and forensic psychologist, uniquely capable of digging into the minds of serial killers in order to identify and catch them. In Season Three, the hit thriller will continue to expand the high-stakes world of its lead character.

Cross was developed for television by showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins and produced by Amazon, MGM Studios, and Paramount Television Studios. Season 2 was executive produced by Craig Siebels, Patterson, Sam Ernst, Jim Dunn, Aiyana White, J. David Shanks, Owen Shiflett, Bill Robinson, Patrick Santa, and Hodge.

Lum was recently featured in the third season of the Netflix series, The Night Agent, from creator Shawn Ryan. He can currently be seen in the AMC series, The Audacity, playing Tim Kwan. He will reprise the role in the show’s upcoming second season. On the film side, Lum will next be seen in the action thriller film Karoshi from Lionsgate, and making his leading role in a feature film debut in The Chinatown Diner from Lawrence Le Lam. Next year he will also lead an ensemble cast in New Diamond Restaurant from Milton Ng, for which Lum is also a producer. Lum is repped by Artium Talent and Trisko Talent in Canada.

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David Krumholtz Clarifies Status of Career After Shocking Announcement

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After revealing that he was “frustrated, fried, fed up” with acting and had sent the “definitive email” to put his career on hold, David Krumholtz has taken to Instagram to clarify his now viral comments.

“Firstly, I am very well. And I feel very loved. Secondly, I never used the word ‘retiring’ or ‘quitting.’ Instead, I said that I decided to put my career on hold,” he explained in a post shared Wednesday morning, close to 48 hours after the initial post. “I don’t expect anyone to understand, but the outpouring of support for my decision has been deeply heartwarming. I am wildly grateful, as more than one of my biggest dreams have come true as a result of being an actor. Grateful to all who support and believe in me. However, a time has come where the weight of those dreams and ambitions has become surprisingly oppressive.”

He followed that up by stating that the oppressiveness is “a me problem, not a Hollywood as a whole problem.” With an “amazing career” comes “a small handful of triumphs, but not without a mountain of disappointments,” and while Krumholtz said he loves that mountain, he’s human and the disappointments are “starting to sting more than it used to.”

As a result, he’s made a decision to step back. “Need time to figure that out, let it heal. My mental health is vital to my family. My career has run the gamut. I’m in disbelief. But I find myself at a crossroads between the inherent self involvement being a professional actor requires, and a burning desire to give more of myself to others in need, in whatever way I can. And so, for the time being, I’m pursuing that goal. There’s still more work to come. Stuff to be seen. And as always, I really hope you enjoy what I’ve put out there. Just … gimme a sec.”

Krumholtz’s new post also generated tons of traction with his fellow actors, notably Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis who weighed in by writing, “THIS IS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS. It’s also a business in flux and shapeshifting in front of our eyes. Technology combined with the continued fallout from the pandemic and the artistic corporatization industrial complex of the art form we all love, has resulted in many many many many many many many artists losing opportunities and hope. Protect your mental health and find your bliss and know that you are respected as an artist and as a human.”

Jillian Bell called Krumholtz one of her favorite actors, and she’s waiting on the day he says, “Put me back in coach.” Neil Brown Jr. also chimed in: “Take the time champ, you’ve earned it and many of us understand completely.”

The clarification came in response to a flood of comments and news stories after Krumholtz posted and deleted the career news on Threads. “I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years. Specifically, the fear was that I’d go broke and not be able to handle being out of the game. But I sent the definitive email,” he posted on Threads. “And gotta say, a huge wave of relief washed over me. Not sure what I’m going to do for money instead, or how I’m going to do it, but I just removed a humongous burden, one that I truly didn’t fathom the weight of until it was gone. Frustrated, fed up, fried.”

While he said that he had enjoyed “every single minute” of exercising his acting muscle, he had grown disillusioned with what comes with it. “I’ve enjoyed the fanfare. There was a time when being competitive and self-involved really served my pursuit. That time has passed. Much to MY overwhelming surprise. There will always be great joy in the exercise. But for me, the profession has lost its gleam.”

Fellow actor Garret Dillahunt was among those who responded to Krumholtz: “This is sad news for me. But I am happy for you. I understand completely.” Krumholtz wrote back and further elaborated on his next moves: “Ain’t over, rather, redefining my terms. Hoping to find a new, more rewarding passion. Me, my product, and [my] mentality is not working anymore. I want to try to be of service. No crystal ball.”

The 48-year-old veteran actor hails from New York and has worked consistently since breaking into the business on both the big and small screens with parts in Law & Order, Life with Mikey, Addams Family Values, The Santa Clause franchise (playing the beloved Head Elf Bernard) and The Ice Storm, to name a few early roles. He had regular roles on such shows as Monty, Chicago Sons, The Closer, The Trouble With Normal and Numb3rs, the latter of which lasted the longest with 119 episodes.

He also starred in high-profile movies like Slums of Beverly Hills opposite Natasha Lyonne, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Mexican, Sidewalks of New York, Ray, the Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle franchise, Crazy for Love, Bobby, Superbad, This is the End, Hail, Caesar! and more. He played Isidor Rabi in Christopher Nolan’s best picture winner Oppenheimer, which earned him rave reviews, and had a busy last couple of years starring in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and opposite Seth Rogen in The Studio and Sausage Party: Foodtopia. Most recently, he played Zor-El in Supergirl.

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Vanessa Guillén: Film Biopic In The Works About Murdered Soldier

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. production company Mighty Aphrodite Pictures has secured an option agreement to make an authorised narrative feature drama based on the life and legacy of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén.

Developed in collaboration with the Guillén family, the project will chronicle the life of the young army recruit whose 2020 disappearance and murder at Fort Hood sparked a nationwide outcry and calls for reform within the U.S. military. The film seeks to celebrate Guillén’s life while honoring the tireless advocacy of her family, whose campaigning inspired lasting legislative change and amplified the voices of military families.

Guillén had long had the goal of serving in the Army but, after being assigned to Fort Hood, told friends and family of being sexually harassed by a superior. She did not report it officially for fear of retaliation. She would soon be bludgeoned to death by fellow soldier, Aaron David Robinson. Guillén had been missing for more than two months before some of her remains were found buried along the Leon River. Robinson fled Fort Hood after learning of the discovery. When law enforcement tried to apprehend him he fatally shot himself.

The events were previously spotlighted in Netflix’s 2020 documentary I Am Vanessa Guillen and in an ABC 20/20 episode from the same year.

This is far more than an opportunity to make a film, It’s a responsibility,” said Jorge Xolalpa, founder and CEO of Mighty Aphrodite Pictures, which specialises in projects with a Latinx focus, and who will direct the film. “From the very beginning, our commitment has been to honor Vanessa’s life with honesty, compassion, and authenticity. We are deeply grateful to Mayra and the Guillén family for placing their trust in us. Our promise is to tell Vanessa’s story in a way that preserves her legacy and inspires audiences for generations to come.”

The option agreement was facilitated by Palomera Group and Levy Law PLLC, the team repping Vanessa Guillen’s sister, Mayra Guillén. Mayra Guillén and Alejandra Palomera will serve as executive producers.

Joining Xolalpa on the project is Jolene Rodriguez of Broken English Productions who will produce with Xolalpa. Beyond the Vanessa Guillén film, Xolalpa and Rodriguez have entered into a three-film producing agreement. Xolalpa’s recent credits as director include features Union Station and Lolita, starring Johnny Ortiz, Alexis Vazquez and Eric Roberts.

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