Latest news with #SonsoftheNeonNight
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut ‘The Chronology of Water,' An Unflinching Portrait of Abuse and Addiction, Earns 4-Minute Cannes Ovation
Kristen Stewart's directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water' premiered at Cannes Film Festival to a just over four-minute standing ovation on Friday night — and left many in the crowd wiping their eyes. Imogen Poots' knockout performance was certainly a highlight of Stewart's adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir of the same name, but just as notable was her directing style — raw, artsy and unflinching. Poots stars as the writer in Stewart's non-linear take on Yuknavitch's life, which includes shocking scenes of sexual abuse by her father and her spiral into drug use juxtaposed with the salvation she found in being in the water. More from Variety Tom Hollander Joins Jean Reno in Tom Edmunds' Action-Thriller 'The Butler' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Sons of the Neon Night' Director Juno Mak Breaks Down His Hong Kong Crime Thriller: 'There's a Nightmarish Poetry to It' 'A Man Called Ove' Producer Nicklas Wikström Nicastro Preps Swedish Cycling Biopic 'SteelGrandpa' (EXCLUSIVE) As the lights in the house went up, Stewart — dressed in a chic white short suit and matching baseball cap — hugged everyone in her cast and crew and directed the attention toward them. After kissing her wife Dylan Meyer, she allowed the spotlight to shine on her, accepting the mic from Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux for a short speech. 'This is an absolutely insane, surreal experience to be able to be here and watch this with all of you guys. We finished the movie like five minutes ago, it's not even finished yet. We just slipped under this fucking shut door and goddamn it thank you,' Stewart said to Fremaux, before literally leaping into his arms. The long-in-the-works passion project world premiered in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar, which this year also features debuts from fellow actors such as Scarlett Johansson ('Eleanor the Great') and Harris Dickinson ('Urchin').In addition to directing, Stewart co-wrote the film's screenplay alongside Andy Mingo. Stewart first announced the development of 'Chronology of Water' in 2018. In her Variety cover story in January 2024, Stewart revealed that she had been struggling to finance the movie and would refuse to act in another film until she was able to get 'The Chronology of Water' finished. She was able to do just that in summer 2024, when the movie filmed for six weeks in Latvia and Malta. The cast also includes Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Michael Epp, Susannah Flood, Kim Gordon and Jim Belushi. Speaking to Variety, Stewart was honest about her struggles to get the film financed. She said it was 'near impossible' to raise money for a movie that was an original idea and not based on a proven genre or pre-existing IP. 'I think there's an entire, yet-to-be-written female language,' Stewart said. 'There's a certain physicality to the type of film that I want to make that I think will be, in a slugline, really unattractive to quote-unquote 'buyers,' but in action, is entirely pervasively moving. That has just not been an easy sell. It's not about the plot. It's about someone self-Heimliching and contextualizing why that person has swallowed their own voice their whole life.' Variety caught up with Stewart in April amid rumors that her movie would premiere at Cannes. The director said she was racing to finish post-production in order to make the festival lineup. 'Well, at this point, it's a timing issue. The movie, it's like crowning,' she said. 'It's one of those stories that you hear — every filmmaker that I covet has slipped under the closing doorway of making a certain deadline for the Cannes Film Festival. And I don't know if I'm gonna be there yet I may. I may not be, but the movie is becoming itself in a way that feels so imminent, and so it's like such a relief. It's such an unbelievable relief. It's been a long labor. It's like having a baby.' 'The Chronology of Water' is seeking distribution out of Cannes. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Media Capital Technologies Backing Financier Head Gear in New Partnership (EXCLUSIVE)
Media Capital Technologies (MCT) has signed a deal to provide 'significant investment capital' for Head Gear. As part of the agreement, Head Gear will use the capital to deploy senior-secured loans across film, television, music, and video games. It will invest alongside global asset manager Allianz Global Investors and Compton Ross, Head Gear's longstanding capital partners. More from Variety Trans Love Story 'Lala & Poppy' From Veteran Producer Bobby Bedi Heads to Cannes Film Market (EXCLUSIVE) Is Mubi Really Worth $1 Billion? Inside Efe Cakarel's Plan to Make the Global Streamer Cooler Than A24 Juno Mak on His Star-Driven Cannes Midnight Screenings Drama 'Sons of the Neon Night': 'My Aim Was to Create a Unique World With Its Own Rules' 'We've had the privilege of knowing Phil for nearly two decades. In an industry often marked by volatility and short-lived ventures, he has built a remarkably enduring company with an ironclad reputation as one of the most trusted names in production financing. That is a testament to his vision and leadership,' says MCT Principals Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh. 'We're excited to partner with Head Gear and look forward to what we can achieve together.' 'Chris and I began as mavericks, working in parallel to each other,' says Head Gear Founder and CEO Phil Hunt. 'I've admired his tenacity over the decades, and now I get to work with him and the incredible team he has built.' MCT is a specialty finance company focused on strategic investments in premium content. The company provides capital to media and entertainment businesses, including movie studios, independent production entities, and intellectual property rights-holders. A range of institutional investors, including MassMutual, support the company and its investment activities. MCT is Lionsgate's primary slate co-financing partner. Recent films it has backed include 'Saw X,' 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,' 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' and 'Flight Risk. Upcoming titles include the John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina,' 'The Long Walk,' and 'The Housemaid.' Head Gear is a financier and producer of over 550 titles, investing more than half a billion dollars across diverse genres and budget ranges in film, television, and gaming. Most recently, Head Gear financed Ali Abbasi's 'The Apprentice,' which stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. The company also supported 'How to Have Sex' by Molly Manning Walker, which won the top prize at the 2023 Un Certain Regard, and 'Talk to Me,' which became A24's highest-grossing horror release in North America. MCT is represented by CAA. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign in to access your portfolio
Time Out
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
‘Sons of the Neon Night' teases film release with a special exhibition
After three local movies pretty much bagged all the wins at the recent Hong Kong Film Awards 2025, there's been a good bit of interest generated around our cinematic works. Here's something else for cinephiles to look forward to: the much-anticipated film Sons of the Neon Night should be released this year, and in the meantime, they're presenting a special exhibition. This upcoming crime thriller is directed, written, and produced by Juno Mak, who spent over four years developing the script and eight years producing the film. Set in a cold, bleak Hong Kong, the movie's desolate colours and tones match Mak's signature aesthetics, and is full of the drug killers, murderers, and morally ambiguous policemen that make Hong Kong cinema fun to watch. A Causeway Bay that's covered in heavy snow is suddenly rocked by a violent explosion – the actions of a drug trafficking syndicate's heir who surprisingly wants to rid the world of drugs. Sons of the Neon Night also features an ensemble cast of Hong Kong screen greats, including Sean Lau and Michelle Wai, who both recently won in their nominated categories at the Hong Kong Film Awards 2025. Takeshi Kaneshiro stars as the leading heir looking to wipe his dark family history; Lau as a double-faced police officer; Louis Koo as a killer with a complicated past; Tony Leung Ka-fai as a psychologist serving the police force; Gao Yuanyuan as a therapist who understands criminals too well; and many more. In order to introduce the public to his alternate Hong Kong and its morally grey inhabitants, Mak has commissioned Spanish sculptor Eudald de Juana Gorriz to create a series of sculptures for the film, including the five main characters. There are also film stills, concept art, and more on display. Immerse yourself into this Hong Kong that is simultaneously familiar and dismally cold at this exhibition, which is running until June 1 at the Gallery by the Harbour space in Harbour City.
