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April 11 - April 17

APPLE TV
Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer for “Murderbot,” the highly anticipated comedic thriller series starring and executive produced by Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård and hailing from Academy Award nominees Chris and Paul Weitz. The 10-episode series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, May 16, 2025, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 11...

China will “moderately reduce” the number of U.S. films that play in the country in response to Donald Trump’s 125% tariffs on all goods from China, the China Film Administration announced on Thursday. “The wrong action of the U.S. government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favorability towards American films,” the China Film Administration said in a statement. “We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.” It was not immediately clear which films would be affected, but Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” — opening in May — had previously been given the go-ahead to play in China and 20th Century Studios’ spy film “The Amateur” is due to be released in the country...

"Fired On Mars," one of the best new animated shows of 2023, has still not been given the green light on a follow-up season, and fans are still waiting with bated breath to see what the future holds for the live-action/animation hybrid film "Coyote vs. Acme." Fortunately, "Common Side Effects" lives to see another day, which is great news for fans and even better news for the people who foolishly slept on season 1. "Joe and Steve did their job by crafting a boundary-pushing and genre-defining piece of television that re-frames what 'adult animation' is capable of," said Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen in a statement. "And you all did your job by showing up on Adult Swim and Max to support the show and lighting up your socials to spread the word. So, see? We CAN have nice things." Adult Swim continues to be one of the only algorithm-proof companies still making TV that feels original, evolutionary, and yes, dangerous, and that includes "Common Side Effects." The trippy, comedic mystery is a testament to what is possible when animators are allowed to lean into their creative brilliance, and with a perfect 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's very clearly paid off. (courtesy BJ Colangelo.)...

The new German government has promised to back the local film and TV industry, pledging to boost production tax incentives and implement investment requirements for global streamers operating in the country. The incoming government outlined its plans on Wednesday making the film industry’s wish list part of the coalition agreement between Merz’s conservative CDU party and partners the CSU and SPD. The coalition deal will include proposals by the German industry to boost the country’s production tax incentives and introduce a French-style “investment commitment” from global streamers. France, for example, has proven that the joint introduction of an investment commitment with an incentive system is an international recipe for success: It attracts investments, stops profits from being skimmed off, and strengthens the domestic infrastructure of studios, service providers, and a diverse production landscape....

German director Werner Herzog will be honored with a Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The Fitzcarraldo and Grizzly Man director will be honored at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which runs Aug. 27-Sept. 6. The director, whose long list of credits as a director includes Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Signs of Life, Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call: New Orleans, Nosferatu the Vampyre, and Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and as an actor turns in Jack Reacher and Disney+’s The Mandalorian, recently completed a new documentary, Ghost Elephants, is currently shooting a feature, Bucking Fastard, is working on an animated adaptation of his novel The Twilight World, and did a voice acting gig Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming animated film, The Valley...

After a yearlong search, Boulder, Colorado, landed the winning bid to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027, with the official announcement dropping on March 27. Festival veterans are already waxing poetic about their favorite Park City haunts, but it should be noted there are many parallels to Sundance’s new home, likely a big reason it was chosen in the first place. The walkable Pearl Street at the heart of Boulder will be the new Main Street. It is filled with shops, restaurants and other storefronts that can easily be flipped into the Chase Sapphire Lounge, where you still can avoid eye contact with whomever you are trying to avoid by staring into your watered-down tequila soda. Like Park City, Boulder is surrounded by the Rockies, but festivalgoers will stare at the Flatirons as opposed to Utah’s Wasatch Mountains as they wait to get into the Chase Sapphire Lounge for the most watered-down tequila soda of their lives. The charming Boulder Theater will remind people of Park City’s Egyptian, in that you will take photos of the marque for Instagram and likely never step foot inside. And it will still take you an hour to get from the airport to your hotel....