Movies

Matsubayashi Yoju’s documentary “Okinawa Saudade,” screening at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, follows Brazilian performers Yumi and Everton as they travel to Okinawa to explore their families’ roots. The film grew from the director’s decade-long connection with Okinawan immigrants in Brazil.

Los Angeles is extending its Low Impact Permit Pilot Program through April 2027, offering qualifying television, movie and other productions reduced application and notification fees. FilmLA issued 422 permits during the pilot’s first six months, generating more than $400,000 in combined savings for filmmakers.

John Goodman says negative pre-release attention and pessimistic box office predictions hurt “Digger” before audiences could judge it. The film cost more than $160 million to produce, opened with $15 million domestically and had yet to reach $50 million worldwide after a month.

Taylor Swift agreed to write Toy Story 5’s end-credits song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” only after confirming that no other artist had been replaced. Director Andrew Stanton said the film would have gone without an original end-credits track if Swift had been unavailable.

Directors Teodora Ana Mihai and Sode Yukiko revealed at the Tokyo International Film Festival that fears of losing work led them to conceal pregnancy or new motherhood from industry colleagues. Mihai’s “Heysel 85” is competing at the festival, while Sode’s “All the Lovers in the Night” is in the Gala Selection.

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival opens its 30th edition under new artistic director Triin Tramberg, with 230 feature films and 259 shorts from 87 countries. Running Nov. 6-22, the 2026 lineup includes 107 world premieres and an expanded platform for Baltic cinema.

Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning “Fjord” opened the fifth Jakarta World Cinema at CGV Grand Indonesia. Romania’s submission for the international feature Oscar at the 2027 Academy Awards was filmed in English and Norwegian, marking Mungiu and cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru’s first collaboration shot outside Romania.

Director Ulrike Ottinger said Isabelle Huppert’s vampire film “The Blood Countess” was shortened by 15 to 20 minutes against her wishes, requiring her to recut the entire movie to restore its rhythm. Ottinger said she is now satisfied with the finished version.

Matsumura Shingo’s new film “Between Us” follows childhood best friends Makoto and Kasumi as they reunite six years after a family camping trip incident drove them apart. The drama is playing in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s Nippon Cinema Now section.

John Turturro’s The Only Living Pickpocket in New York topped $1.9 million in its second week as Sony Pictures Classics expanded the Noah Segan film from six screens to 1,112. Its estimated cumulative gross now stands at $2.1 million.

Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” reboot has earned $400 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the horror franchise’s 24-year history. The total includes $157.399 million from North America and $242.6 million from international markets.

A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything” is projected to narrowly top DC’s “Clayface” at the domestic box office, with weekend estimates of $10.6 million and $10.4 million, respectively. Final results are due Monday, so the order could still change.

During her Saturday Night Live hosting debut, Inde Navarrette teased her upcoming MCU role as Rogue in X-Men and joked about getting into “Marvel shape” with a callback to Shane Gillis’ previous monologue. She also referenced her role as Nikki in Curry Barker’s Obsession.

Leonard Nimoy personally supplied the used napkin featured in The Big Bang Theory’s Season 2 episode “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis.” Penny gives the signed napkin to Sheldon, whose belief that it may contain Nimoy’s DNA turns the Christmas gift into a memorable tribute to his admiration for Spock.

Taika Waititi pushed back against negative Klara and the Sun reviews by highlighting the film’s 78 percent audience score and 28 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The director said he avoids reviews but listens to audiences.

Taika Waititi defended “Klara and the Sun” by highlighting its 78% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, compared with a 28% critics score. The Jenna Ortega film debuted at No. 15, earning $720,000 from 880 theaters.

Singaporean filmmaker Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s debut feature “Ah Girl” won best film in the Asian Feature Film Competition at the Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards. Set in 1990s Singapore, the film follows a seven-year-old girl whose parents have separated.

Keanu Reeves joined the Japanese stop-motion feature “Hidari” in the lead voice role after watching its proof-of-concept pilot. Director Kawamura Masashi said Reeves’ team responded about a week after the screening was arranged and set up a Zoom call with the filmmakers.

“Sukiyaki” director Zeze Takahisa urged the film industry to pursue original stories rather than rely heavily on adapting successful source material during a Tokyo International Film Festival masterclass.

Steven E. de Souza says the comedy in his 1994 Street Fighter movie was intentional, rejecting claims that it was accidentally funny. The writer-director also welcomed the franchise’s latest revival and its callbacks to the film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia and Ming-Na Wen.

Tom Francis says director Peter Berg gave him one day to learn a song for a fully staged musical performance in the World War II film “The Mosquito Bowl.” The unexpected bar scene draws on Francis’ stage experience before the story shifts into graphic battlefield sequences.