movies

Ava Phillippe, Jessica Belkin, Katie Cassidy Cast In ‘The Call’

Published

2 hours ago

August 17, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Frances Fisher (Titanic), Ava Phillippe (Ransom Canyon), Jessica Belkin (Elle), Kai Caster (Yellowstone), Jasper Polish (Animal Kingdom), and Cara Santana (The Neighborhood) have been cast to star in short film The Call, which is slated to start shooting today in Los Angeles.

Supporting cast includes Lisa Vidal, Crayton Carozza, Kevin Kreider, and Arrow star Katie Cassidy (Arrow).

Directing is Paris Dylan (Bling Empire) with co-director Skye Peters (Three Deaths). Producing are Wild7Films (The Apprentice) led by Kyle Stefanski and Tony Lugo, in collaboration with philanthropist Nancy Davis, Alexandra Lasky and Isabella Rickel. Production partners also include ATI Studios. DP is Gabe Kimpson. Script comes from Jesse Lasky (Revenge). The wardrobe team includes celebrity stylist Jen Rade as lead costumer, Jamar Hart, and Clare Sofer.

The logline reads: “When a glamorous award show party spirals into overdose and betrayal, a single dose of Narcan can only save one life. As secrets unravel and guilt takes hold, a fractured family is forced to confront what, and who, led them here, and a mother is faced with a harsh reality.”

The producers describe the projects as “a fever dream of Hollywood parties and fractured relationships, where glamour collides with tragedy, warm candlelight and golden opulence shape a world that’s as seductive as it is dangerous, grounded by raw, naturalistic moments that reveal the cost of denial.”

Executive producers include Nancy Davis, who conceptualized the project, alongside Brenda Richie, Melissa Zickler, Mellisa and Ron Silverman, Alexandra Lasky, Isabella Rickel, Courteney Semel, Eloise DeJoria, Laura Geller and Elizabeth Peterson.

All funds generated from the film are set to benefit the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Cure Addiction Now. Initially hitting as a short, the producers are understood to be weighing up scope for a feature based on the story.

The project marks a second short for Phillippe, the daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Rhillippe. The actress is making her feature debut in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, which is in post-production, and previously appeared in one episode of hit Netflix series Ransom Canyon.

Fisher said today: “Getting ‘The call‘ is a mother’s biggest fear. Our EP Nancy Davis lived it. So when she approached me to play the role of the mother in this film, I immediately said yes. This is an important story to illustrate to parents and kids. Drug use and addiction is destroying families and if our film can save lives, our mission is accomplished. It is so smart to do a film with this message in mind.”

Davis said: “The Call is a very important film with a big message. It’s so important to finally define addiction as a real disease and stop shaming people who have this disease and start having empathy when people are suffering with something we have no cure for. The film portrays a glamorous night out in Hollywood with each type of character that exists portrayed to get a real snapshot of this deadly disease, which is the leading killer of people under 45 years old in the US. This also shows how addiction is truly a family disease and how impacted everyone is with the addict they love and how this addiction constantly destroys everyone’s life who loves the addict. It also shows the importance of everyone having Narcan and knowing how to use it.”

Lasky commented: “This will be a breakout leading role for Ava Phillippe, taking on a very in depth character plot. We are so excited for what she will bring to the dramatic role of Scarlet and for everyone to see her showcase new range as an actress. Her pairing with Jessica Belkin, who recently won the world over as Madison in the Apple TV hit streaming series “Elle” is a perfect chemistry match to showcase the dynamic of the two leading sisters, and of course the legendary Frances Fisher as their mother. Jessica will without a doubt be bringing that same on-screen allure to the role of Chloe in this film. The entire cast is absolutely phenomenal and we are so excited to begin shooting.”

Ava Phillippe is repped by LBI, Mike Roberts and CAA. Jessica Belkin is repped by Paradigm and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Frances Fisher is with Greene Talent.

movies

Kōji Fukada’s Cannes Film ‘Nagi Notes’ Scores North American Deal

Published

18 minutes ago

August 17, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Japanese drama Nagi Notes, written and directed by Kōji Fukada (Harmonium).

The film had its world premiere in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Fukado’s first time in Competition. Greenwich will release in the U.S. and Canada in early 2027.

The deal was negotiated between Greenwich and Mk2’s Quentin Bohanna on behalf of the producers.

Nagi Notes captures “the evolving bond between two women through a lens of artistic expression and shared history…”Set against the pastoral backdrop of rural Nagi, the film follows Yoriko, an artist struggling with the lingering presence of a past romance. Her quiet life is disrupted by the arrival of Yuri, a Tokyo-based architect seeking refuge after her marriage ends. As the two women reconnect—bound by their history as former sisters-in-law—the narrative unfolds as a delicate exploration of identity and the difficult process of letting go. Yuri’s urban escape transforms into a poignant meditation on grief and self-discovery within the serene landscapes of the countryside.”

Japanese arthouse cinema continues to be in-demand. Fukada joined Hirokazu Kore-eda and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi in this year’s Palme d’Or race, marking the first time in 25 years that three filmmakers from Japan competed for Cannes’ top prize.

Nagi Notes is the latest collaboration between Fukada and Mk2, the Paris-based producer, distributor, exhibitor and international sales company. The Japanese-French co-production was produced by Hassaku Labs, Star Sands, Survivance, Nathan Studios, Wonderstruck and Momo Film Co.

movies

Lena Dunham & Carly Rae Jepsen’s ’10 Things I Hate About You’ Heading To Broadway

Published

1 hour ago

August 17, 2026

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A musical adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You, based on the 1999 Touchstone Pictures film written by Karen McCullah and Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, is heading to Broadway next year.

The production features a book by Lena Dunham and playwright Jessica Huang, with music and lyrics by Carly Rae Jepsen and Ethan Gruska. Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris, MJ the Musical) will serve as director and choreographer, with music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal). Mike Bosner produces.

The musical will begin preview performances on August 17 at a theater TBA. Casting and additional creative team members also will be announced at a later date.

Per the official logline, 10 Things I Hate About You takes us back to the halls of Padua High. Amid the crushes, cliques, and teenage angst, two sisters set out to define themselves on their own terms. This rebellious new musical is about growing up, discovering yourself, and refusing to live by others’ expectations.

A retelling of William Shakespeare’s 1594 play The Taming of the Shrew, the 1999 film version of 10 Things I Hate About You gained cult status in later years for its themes and characters. In the film, high-school student Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is unable to date Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) until her asocial feminist sister Kat (Julia Stiles) dates, leading to Cameron recruiting bad boy classmate Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to date Kat. The film also featured Ledger’s iconic cover of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”

10 Things I Hate About You is produced by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.

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Toronto: Black Sunflowers First Look at Ukrainian Youth Coming of Age

Published

1 hour ago

August 17, 2026

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James Marcus Haney made his name as a filmmaker sneaking into Coachella, Glastonbury and other top music festivals by posing as press to get exclusive footage of pop stars and their performances.

That need to gate crash marquee festivals with his camera was captured in his 2014 feature documentary No Cameras Allowed. Now Haney is headed to the Toronto Film Festival with Black Sunflowers, a feature documentary about Ukrainian youth coming of age amid martial law as they move between underground raves and car racing on the home front and the brutal front lines of war against Russia.

*Black Sunflowers.*

Toronto Film Festival

The first images for Black Sunflowers, which will have a Sept. 11 world premiere in Toronto, has young Ukrainians facing tragedy and duty as soldiers on the front lines, while they find distraction on concert dance floors, in relationships or bonding at a local watering hole.

Working with a Ukrainian film crew, Haney captures an army truck driver who races his car down city streets back home; a young amputee soldier finding freedom on a high energy rave dance floor, despite a blade prosthesis; a young woman turning from nature photography to war photography amid the ruins of war; and still another young woman being trained to shoot a rifle as a generation of youth face compulsory military service.

Haney, in a director’s statement on the TIFF website, recalls first arriving in Ukraine as war reshaped everyday life: “I was surprised to see how much normal life carried on, despite the war. I couldn’t help but think that mainstream media is missing half of the story.”

Haney’s film joins a slew of other Ukraine war documentaries, including Roman Liubyi and Volodymyr Tykhyy’s Time Machine Maidan, which bowed at Sheffield, Oscar-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov‘s new film, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, and Militantropos, from co-directors Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith and Simon Mozgovyi.

Black Sunflowers, with an original score by Fred Gibson (Fred Again), Brian Eno and Koloah, is produced by Pedram Rezaee, Mikayla Jean Miller, Yevhenii Zdorovylo, Samy Mosher, Eric Maldin, Volodymyr Yatsenko and Anna Yatsenko.