Hollywood "gets thrown under the bus."

CEOs debate trade war impact - plus: a newsy week on the fest circuit; Andor cements its Star Wars standing; Popcorn list launches; Portrait heads to Atlanta.

Apr 24, 2025

Happy Thursday, friends.

Our partners at The Popcorn List just announced their 2025 honorees.

How it works: festival programmers select their favorite films still in need of distribution. Check out the range featured in this second edition, including narratives, documentaries, and first-time features.

It’s a fitting week for the list to debut, as the spring festival circuit heats up. Read on for news from Cannes, Tribeca, Seattle, Atlanta, and more.

Roll of Honor

Premieres, Awards, and More. Say hi to featured Portrait members on the Portrait app.

What to Watch This Weekend

“This season of *Andor* still hangs on [Cassian’s] arc, but he’s also largely de-centered in a narrative that treats him as one player in a much larger conflict” (New York Mag).

Sequels and Prequels that Improve on the Source Material

Andor. “This second season doesn’t just cement the show’s standing as the best Star Wars project ever made. It’s also the rare spinoff that deepens the best parts of the franchise around it” (New York Mag). Morten Højbjerg, Editor; Leslie Liu, ADR Mixer; Mathilde Snodgrass, Casting.

The Accountant 2. “An agreeably loopy hyperviolent good time” (Variety). Katia Najera, Art Director; Susan Benjamin, Set Decorator; Melanie Young, Makeup Artist; Arleen Chavez, Hair Supervisor; Merc Arceneaux, Makeup Dept. Head.

Soulful Meditations on Love and Loss

On Swift Horses. “A cinematic love story that unfolds with the kind of beautiful uncertainty that its gambling heroes face every day” (IndieWire). Chase Heard, Key Hair Stylist; Robin Urdang, Music Supervisor; Shari Johanson, Music Editor; Erin Magill, Production Designer.

Blue Sun Palace. “A soulful and passionate meditation on loss… shines as a new gem of slow cinema” (RogerEbert.com). Anthony Yang, Producer; Joshua Bote, Second Asst. Camera; Janet Hsieh, Actor; Neil Sauvage, Production Manager.

Ia Sukhitashvili appears in "April" — *“April* is a gripping, hard-to-watch film about a doctor caught in the sexist crosshairs of a no-win situation” (Daily Beast).

Caught in Societal Crosshairs

April. A “harrowing and hallucinatory story of an OB-GYN who discovers that her every attempt at nurturing life leads only to more death” (Daily Beast). Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Ilan Amouyal, Producers; Beso Kacharava, Sound Designer; Rebekka Garrido, Lili Villanyi, Post-Production Supervisors; Katie Locke O’Brien, Actor.

Emergent City. “It leaves enough wiggle room for the audience to make up its own mind, a kind of nonfiction Rorschach test to help us illuminate how we really think about everything from housing costs to climate change” (WCP). Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, Kelly Anderson, Directors; Sean Hanley, Alex Mallis, Cinematographers; Zara Serabian-Arthur, Hannah Choe, Shilpa Kunnappillil, Editors; Steve Maing, Executive Producer; Brenda Avila-Hanna, Producer; Fivel Rothberg, Sound Recordist.

Daniel Lombroso and Kerry Mack of Outerboro Films — Congrats to Portrait member Daniel Lombroso on the launch of Outerboro Films.

What We’re Reading

Trade War: How bad is it?
- Netflix CEO says… bad. Sarandos says Hollywood ‘gets thrown under the bus.’
- Imax CEO says… not so bad. Imax CEO downplays China risk.
April showers bring May launches. Outerboro Films launches, focused on docs and stories from the fringe.
“Meet the new generals in the streaming wars.” Film Independent announces 2025 Episodic Directing Lab Fellows. Congrats to members V.T. Nayani, Deborah Riley Draper, Laura Moss, and Shuchi Talati.
Acquisitions Watch: Kino Lorber takes U.S. rights on Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. Shoshannah Stern, Director; Jon Shenk, Director of Photography; Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Ellie Wen, Producers; Kathryn Bostic, Composer; Sara Newens, Editor; Ruth Ann Harnisch, Michael Kantor, Jenny Raskin, Kelsey Koenig, Jennifer Pelling, Executive Producers; Justine Jacob, Legal Counsel.